2016 "The Gospel of John" Lesson 4, Q3-Q5

John 3:1-8.

Q3a. verse 3 explain why Jesus talked to Nicodemus about being born again before saying anything else to him~

Because Jesus knew the subject that was in Nicodemus mind. The subject was the kingdom of God, which was the Messiah who will come and deliver them from Romans’ reign. That’s why Jesus showed Nicodemus he was completely wrong.

Q3b. learn about Nicodemus from his answer to Jesus in verse 4~ “How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked.

Jesus is talking spiritual and Nicodemus is taking it literally. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!”

Therefore, it must be spiritually reborn of water and the spirit.

Q4. what Jesus meant by the word “flesh” in verse 6~

Human, be perishable, limited live, of death.

Q5a. List ways Jesus described someone who has not yet experienced spiritual birth. Why is new birth so essential?

³“Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.

Who cannot see the kingdom of God.

⁵“Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit.

Who cannot enter the kingdom of God.

John 5:24  “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life.

Who will be judged and die.

Ephesians 2:1, 5. Made Alive in Christ

2 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins,

5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.

Q5b. From what Jesus told Nicodemus, can anyone know whether they are “born again” or not? Do you know if you are born again?

We come by simple childlike faith, and we put our faith in Jesus Christ, accept Him us our savior then we are born again.

2016 "The Gospel of John" Lesson 3, Q6~Q8

John 2:13-17.

Jesus Clears the Temple Courts

Q6. Which Jewish festival did Jesus travel to Jerusalem to celebrate? How might this festival explain the sale of ani­mals and presence of money changers? (See Exodus 12:1-11, 24-28; Deuteronomy 14:24-26; 16:5-7.)

It was the Passover and the festival of unleavened bread.

Deuteronomy 14:24-26

24 But if that place is too distant and you have been blessed by the Lord your God and cannot carry your tithe (because the place where the Lord will choose to put his Name is so far away), 25 then exchange your tithe for silver, and take the silver with you and go to the place the Lord your God will choose. 26 Use the silver to buy whatever you like: cattle, sheep, wine or other fermented drink, or anything you wish. Then you and your household shall eat there in the presence of the Lord your God and rejoice.

Q7. What lesson about anger do you learn from Jesus’ actions?

Jesus’ emotion was described as “zeal”.

“Zeal for your house will consume me.”

His anger was pure and completely justified because at its root was concern for God’s holiness and worship. Because these were at stake, Jesus took quick and decisive action.

Q8a. What Messianic prophecy did Jesus’ actions cause His disciples to remember?

Psalms 69:9, for zeal for your house consumes me, and the insults of those who insult you fall on me.

Q8b. Jesus’ actions also fulfill the prophecy in Malachi 3:1-4

3 “I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,” says the Lord Almighty.

2 But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiner’s fire or a launderer’s soap. 3 He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. Then the Lord will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness, 4 and the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will be acceptable to the Lord, as in days gone by, as in former years. 

2016 "The Gospel of John" Lesson 3, Q3~Q5

John 2:1-12.

Q3a. ~ the problem that occurred at the wedding and the embarrassment it could have caused?

At the wedding Jesus’ mother was there, and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother worried the guests won’t be happy if they didn’t have enough wine to drink, so she asked Jesus because she knew he’s capable to help.

Q3b. ~ beginning, was Jesus’ mother’s thinking perfectly in tune with her son’s mind? 

“Woman, why do you involve me?” Jesus replied.

“My hour has not yet come.”

A: No, Jesus’ mother was thinking different from her son’s mind. The timing for Jesus’ glory was not yet come.

Q4. ~ Jesus revealed about Himself in His first miraculous sign? 

Jesus had 6 empty jars of stone filled with water, which He then turned into wine. The master of the banquet proclaimed the wine Jesus had made to be superior to the wine they had served earlier, saying they had saved the best for last.

Look at the symbolism: These six stone jars normally held water used for ceremonial cleansing, an important part of Old Covenant life.  Now they contained wine, which is often associated with the New Covenant due to the Lord’s Supper.

What’s more, the wine these jars now contained was superior to the wine the wedding guests had been drinking before, just as the New Covenant is superior to the Old Covenant (Hebrews 8:6).  This miracle symbolized nothing less than the Mission of the Messiah; changing the empty way of man’s religion into a living, joyful, relationship with the Lord, as demonstrated by the wedding celebration.

The miracle may also be interpreted as the antitype of Moses' first public miracle of changing water (the Nile river) into blood. (Exodus 7:14-25) This would establish a symbolic link between Moses as the first savior of the Jews through their escape from Egypt and Jesus as the spiritual savior of all people.

Q5. ~ Jesus revealed His glory through this sign?

1, Jesus revealed His glory through this sign about the timing ~ for Jesus’ glory was not yet come in John 2. In John 12:23, the hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.

2, Jesus' glory is revealed in his Transforming ~ This sign is a transformation: water changed, water transformed into wine. It fulfilled the prophecy in Isaiah 25:6, on this mountain the Lord Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples, a banquet of aged wine—the best of meats and the finest of wines. He is the transformer.

3, Jesus' glory is revealed in his Transferring ~Jesus is the mediator of a new covenant. Hebrews 8:13, By calling this covenant "new," he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and outdated (aging) will soon disappear. In 2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away. Behold, the new has come!

2016 "The Gospel of John" Lesson 1, Q12~Q14

Q12. 

a. What does verse 16 mean? 

... we have all received grace in place of grace already given… 

In Old Testament, the grace was given as the gift of law through Moses (law covenant);

In New Testament, the grace and truth were given through Jesus Christ (new covenant).

Q13. Explain the following phrases: 

“The law was given through Moses.” 

The grace was given as the gift of law through Moses (God’s law covenant)

 “Grace came through Jesus Christ.” 

The grace was given through Jesus Christ (God’s new covenant).

 “Truth came through Jesus Christ.” 

Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. The truth is only through Jesus we are able to reunite with God and are set free from the sin and death.

Q14. What is your response to the intimacy and love that existed between Father and Son long before Jesus was born into this world? (See John 1:18.) 

18 No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.

With the intimacy and love, in closest relationship with the Father, 

Father has made Son known.

Believe the truth, trust the Father, and read the Word, then a closer relationship will be generated between the Father and us. Then, we won’t be deceived by this world because the spirit will be with us all the time.

2016 "The Gospel of John" Lesson 1, Q10~Q11

John 1:6-8, 14-15. 

6 There was a man sent from God whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. 8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.

14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

15 (John testified concerning him. He cried out, saying, “This is the one I spoke about when I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’”)

Q10.

a. What was John the Baptist’s work in life and his aim? 

John the Baptist came as a witness to testify concerning that light and his aim was to make all people believe that the Word would become flesh and make his dwelling among us.

b. What is the main purpose of your life and your personal aim? If John’s aim is not your aim, what needs to change for you to be a witness to Jesus Christ? 

Wow, that’s big if it was my personal aim…

Q11. How does verse 14 present Jesus as the unique Son of God, implying that His divine nature is altogether different from human beings created by Him? 

Jesus came from the Father, full of grace and truth, shines the unique glory of the one and only Son. 

2016 "The Gospel of John" Lesson 1, Q7~Q9

John 1:9-13. 

Q7. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.

The God has chosen Israel out of all the peoples to be his people, his treasured possession. So Jews were Christ’s “own” who did not receive Him 2000 years ago.

Today the unbelievers rejected Jesus just like 2000 years ago that they kept indulge themselves in sinful desires.

Deuteronomy 7:6

For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession.

Luke 19:14

“But his subjects hated him and sent a delegation after him to say, ‘We don’t want this man to be our king.’

John 19:15

15 But they shouted, “Take him away! Take him away! Crucify him!”

“Shall I crucify your king?” Pilate asked.

“We have no king but Caesar,” the chief priests answered.

Romans 3:1-2

God’s Faithfulness

3 What advantage, then, is there in being a Jew, or what value is there in circumcision? 2 Much in every way! First of all, the Jews have been entrusted with the very words of God.

Romans 9:4-5

4 the people of Israel. Theirs is the adoption to sonship; theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship and the promises. 5 Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of the Messiah, who is God over all, forever praised! Amen.

Q8. What does John say a person must do to become a “child of God”? What has this meant for your life?

1 John 5:12

Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.

Ephesians 1:5 He predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will

John 3:36 Whoever believes in Jesus has eternal life, but whoever rejects Him will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them.

Q9. 

John 1:13 

Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.

“born”  to be given life of water and the Spirit that brings salvation

“not of natural descent”  not inherit from our earthly parents, but from hearing the message, through the word about Jesus

“nor of human decision” not from the will of our earthly parents, but by God’s grace

“or a husband’s will” not from man’s will, not by works, but by God’s grace

“born of God” to be chosen by God, it is the gift of God

John 3:3-8

3 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.”

4 “How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!”

5 Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. 6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 7 You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”

John 6:63

The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you—they are full of the Spirit and life.

Romans 1:16

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.

Romans 10:17

Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.

Ephesians 2:1-10

Made Alive in Christ

2 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. 4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

1 Peter 1:23

For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.

2016 "The Gospel of John" Lesson 1, Q3~Q6

John 1:1-5. 

Q3. Give the 3 phrases about “the Word” and describe how it is important~

In the beginning was the Word: Jesus exists in the beginning.

All things were created by Him and for Him. (Colossians 1:16)

The Word was with God: Jesus coexists with God.

The Word was God: Jesus was God. Trinity of God.

Q4. Understand about Jesus’ relationship to God, to creation and to spiritual life and light~

Genesis 1:1 

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

In the beginning Jesus created the heavens and the earth.

So Jesus is God.

Colossians 1:15-17 

15 The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

Hebrews 1:2-3 

2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. 3 The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.

Q5. Additional information in Colossians 1:16 relates to all true human flourishing and to our own fulfillment in life~

For in him all things were created through him and for him, including things

in heaven and on earth,

visible and invisible,

whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities…

Therefore, God means to make all creations good and flourish. Our fulfillment in life is also from the kind of intention of His well, and the power of the Majesty, to the praise of the glory of His name.

Q6. The mean of “light” and “darkness” in John 1:4-5? Some examples in the world today~

Jesus is the light for human, but man rejected the light for evil, for sins.

Light is the salvation from God’s grace, darkness is the evil, the sins.

John 3:19-2119 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. 21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.
 John 8:12Dispute Over Jesus’ Testimony12 When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
 John 12:4646 I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.
 John 12:4646 I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.

2014 BSF "The Life of Moses" Lesson 22, Q3~Q5

SECOND DAY: Read Numbers 20:1-13.

Q3. What was interesting about the death of Miriam?

Miriam died and was buried at Kadesh. Immediately after Miriam’s death, the Israelites quarrel with her brothers Moses and Aaron for lack of water at the Desert of Zin. On the surface, they seem to take no time to grieve, however, it might reflect their comfort were lost because her death, so equating grief with thirst and comfort with water.

Q4.

a. How does verse 2 remind you of Exodus 17:1-3?

Every time the Israelite met troubles they quarreled with the leader. They put the Lord to the test.

b. Were the people serious about wishing they had died with the others? Explain.

No, they did not want to die. It served as a way to provoke the people by threatening one another that sooner or later all of them would die.

Q5. Compare the Lord’s response on this occasion with other times the people grumbled. (See Exodus 15:22-27; 17:1-7; Numbers 14; 16:31-35.)

Earlier~

Exodus 15:22-27

Lord’s response: God provides and teaches.

Exodus 17:1-7

Lord’s response: God provides. The place was named “Massah and Meribah” because the Israelites quarreled and because they tested the Lord saying. “Is the Lord among us or not?”.

Numbers 14

Lord’s response: God judges.

11 The Lord said to Moses, “How long will these people treat me with contempt? How long will they refuse to believe in me, in spite of all the signs I have performed among them? 12 I will strike them down with a plague and destroy them, but I will make you into a nation greater and stronger than they.”

Numbers 16:31-35

Lord’s response: God judges.

The ground under them split apart and 35 And fire came out from the Lord and consumed the 250 men who were offering the incense.

This time~

Lord’s response 1: God provides.

Moses took the staff from the Lord’s presence and struck the rock twice with his stuff. Water gushed out for the community and their livestock drank.

Lord’s response 2: God judges.

“Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them.”

2014 BSF "The Life of Moses" Lesson 9, Q11~Q11

FIFTH DAY: Read Exodus 24.

Q11.

a.

mediator of the new covenant: Jesus because

John 14:6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

1 Timothy 2:5 For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus,

Hebrews 8:6 But in fact the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one, since the new covenant is established on better promises.

Hebrews 12:24 to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.

Jesus gave himself as a ransom for all men (1 Timothy 2:6) through His blood.

b.

Before. Moses then wrote down everything the Lord has said…

c. 

27 Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. 28 This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.

d.

People are trying to become right with God through our works. But we can never change our sinful nature that lead to death.

The desire and ability to obey God shall be an outgrowth of our faith in Jesus. Because with the blood of Jesus, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so we may be able to serve the living God.

Q12.

a.

Moses brought them to meet with the God of Israel. They saw God (v10), and ate and drank there (v11).

b.

three symbols of God’s glory: Up on the mountain, cloud, and fire.

c. 

God is high up. God is almighty.

Clouds represent unlimited extent of God.

Fire is hot and gives light represent God with most high authority.