Week 28 Day 1

The Daily Take 10

The Gospel of John

Week 28 Day 1

Introduction…The book of John was written between 85-90AD by John the Beloved, a close disciple of Jesus Christ. After Jesus’ death, resurrection and ascension to the Father, the disciples ministered the Gospel and thousands were saved. The new believers and the disciples went into all the world with their testimony of faith and the world was coming to Christ. But this spiritual revival came with the price of great persecution. See Acts 8:1. John was exiled to a remote island of Patmos because of His faith. The persecution the early Church faced was fierce. The first century believers were threatened, tortured and martyred for their faith and yet the Church of Jesus Christ flourished because it was built upon the truth and the fact, they had seen Jesus live, die for them, rise again and ascend to the Father. Their faith was not in fables nor did they give their lives in vain.

Read John 15:18-23 “If the world hates you, you know that it hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own, but the world hates you because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. Remember the word which I spoke to you. The servant is not greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will persecute you. If they kept my word, they will keep yours. But they will do these things to you because of my name, because they do not know him who sent me. If I had not come and spoken unto them, they would not be guilty of sin. As it is, they have no excuse for their sins. He who hates me hates the Father too.”

Bible Study

• The disciples were not stopped when threatened or surprised when persecution came because Jesus warned them clearly and repeatedly…it will happen.
  • “They will deliver you up to councils and you will be beaten in synagogues and you will stand before governors and kings for my sake, to bear testimony before them…and they will put them to death and you will be hated by all for my name sake.” See Matthew 10:17-29, Mark 13:9-13, Luke 12:2-9,51-53.
• The Roman government and society of the day, hated the Christians, in fact it became illegal to be a Christian in the first century. Why were they hated?
  • The Christians would not call Caesar, “the Lord.” That title was rightfully reserved only for the Lord Jesus Christ.
  • Christians moved to the beat of a different drum…that of God and the Word. They were not impressed by Roman rule or moved by their threats.
  • Christians were hated because they did not conform to the world around them and appeared as rebels fearlessly living out their faith.
  • Christianity’s Godly lifestyle and higher standards espoused by the believers made non believers uncomfortable and resentful.
• The world that hates the Christian can be defined as…human society organizing and establishing itself while disregarding God and His Word.
  • Be it known, the source of the hatred and disregard for God is Satan and the object of the hate and disdain is focused on the way, truth and life…our Savior Jesus Christ.
• In Matthew 10:28 Jesus offers perspective saying, “Fear not them who kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul, but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”

Application

• Two notable ministers of the 20^th century made these true statements:
  • J.C. Ryle… “A man’s religion may well be suspected when he is content to go to heaven alone.”
  • C.H. Spurgeon…“Better for us to die than to live if souls be not saved.”
• When we pray for the Church of Jesus Christ and His Kingdom to come and His will to be done on earth as it is in heaven…remember those believers today who are facing persecution and pray… “God give your Church courage, great faith and put your angels about us as your Church boldly ministers your Gospel.”

Tags: Take 10

Week 28 Day 2

The Daily Take 10

The Gospel of John

Week 28 Day 2

Introduction…The book of John was written between 85-90AD by John the Beloved, a close disciple of Jesus Christ. After Jesus’ death, resurrection and ascension to the Father, the disciples ministered the Gospel and thousands were saved. The new believers and the disciples went into all the world with their testimony of faith and the world was coming to Christ. But this spiritual revival came with the price of great persecution. See Acts 8:1. John was exiled to a remote island of Patmos because of His faith. The persecution the early Church faced was fierce. The first century believers were threatened, tortured and martyred for their faith and yet the Church of Jesus Christ flourished because it was built upon the truth and the fact, they had seen Jesus live, die for them, rise again and ascend to the Father. Their faith was not in fables nor did they give their lives in vain.

Read John 15:18-23 “If the world hates you, you know that it hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own, but the world hates you because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. Remember the word which I spoke to you. The servant is not greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will persecute you. If they kept my word, they will keep yours. But they will do these things to you because of my name, because they do not know him who sent me. If I had not come and spoken unto them, they would not be guilty of sin. As it is, they have no excuse for their sins. He who hates me hates the Father too.”

Bible Study

• The disciples were not stopped when threatened or surprised when persecution came because Jesus warned them clearly and repeatedly…it will happen.
  • “They will deliver you up to councils and you will be beaten in synagogues and you will stand before governors and kings for my sake, to bear testimony before them…and they will put them to death and you will be hated by all for my name sake.” See Matthew 10:17-29, Mark 13:9-13, Luke 12:2-9,51-53.
• The Roman government and society of the day, hated the Christians, in fact it became illegal to be a Christian in the first century. Why were they hated?
  • The Christians would not call Caesar, “the Lord.” That title was rightfully reserved only for the Lord Jesus Christ.
  • Christians moved to the beat of a different drum…that of God and the Word. They were not impressed by Roman rule or moved by their threats.
  • Christians were hated because they did not conform to the world around them and appeared as rebels fearlessly living out their faith.
  • Christianity’s Godly lifestyle and higher standards espoused by the believers made non believers uncomfortable and resentful.
• The world that hates the Christian can be defined as…human society organizing and establishing itself while disregarding God and His Word.
  • Be it known, the source of the hatred and disregard for God is Satan and the object of the hate and disdain is focused on the way, truth and life…our Savior Jesus Christ.
• In Matthew 10:28 Jesus offers perspective saying, “Fear not them who kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul, but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”

Application

• Two notable ministers of the 20^th century made these true statements:
  • J.C. Ryle… “A man’s religion may well be suspected when he is content to go to heaven alone.”
  • C.H. Spurgeon…“Better for us to die than to live if souls be not saved.”
• When we pray for the Church of Jesus Christ and His Kingdom to come and His will to be done on earth as it is in heaven…remember those believers today who are facing persecution and pray… “God give your Church courage, great faith and put your angels about us as your Church boldly ministers your Gospel.”

Tags: Take 10

Week 28 Day 3

The Daily Take 10

The Gospel of John

Week 28 Day 3

Introduction…Missionary to Africa, E. Stanley Jones is quoted saying, “The call of the Christian is not to do extraordinary things, but to do ordinary things in an extraordinary way.” Living life for God, our Creator, with the courage to be different, with the willingness to swim upstream while the world floats and swims downstream is extraordinary. Christians should have the inner strength and boldness to be different. Yes, being different can be uncomfortable and even dangerous, but no person can be a disciple of Jesus Christ unless they accept that risk.

Read John 15:24-27  “If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin. As it is, they have no excuse for their sins. He who hates me hates the Father too. If I had not done deeds among them, which no one else had ever done, they would not be guilty of sin. As it is, they have seen and they have heard both me and my Father. But it has all happened that the word which stands written in their law might be fulfilled. They hated me without a cause. When the Helper comes, the Helper whom I will send to you from my Father, I mean the Spirit of Truth who comes forth from the Father, he will be a witness about me. And you will be witnesses about me because you have been with me from the beginning.”

Bible Study

• God expects us to live up to the light, the understanding we have been given.
  • What is expected from a child is less than an adult who knows better.
  • What is expected from a primitive Aborigine is less than that of a priest or pastor who is knowledgeable of God and His Word.
  • At the same time, God is just. He will judge us according to the knowledge, to the light we have been given.
  • Romans 1 tells us God reveals Himself to all people of all times with the purpose of giving them the opportunity to respond to Him.
• All Jesus did and said while on earth precisely exposed who God is and expects of us and fully manifested God’s love for us.
  • Jesus exposed sin. He told, taught, explained and showed the way to live.
  • Jesus remedied sin. He opened the way to forgiveness for sinful mankind.
• People rejecting Jesus Christ are refusing God and His love.
  • The person rejecting Jesus is rejecting God’s diagnosis of sin and certain death and only cure through acceptance and belief in Jesus.
  • Rejecting Jesus is man’s prerogative, but it will become God’s judgment.
  • “They hated me without a cause,” was prophesied by David in the Psalms 2x in Psalms 35:19 and 69:4 and it was fulfilled with Jesus.  Think of it…what is the cause of hating Jesus? There truly is none!
• The Holy Spirit repeats, yes He plays back to us what Jesus said until the truth dawns upon us. The Holy Spirit…
  • Moves us to respond to God’s drawing…”come unto me” says Jesus. “Behold I stand at the door and knock. If any man open, I will come in.”
  • Nudges us back to God when we go astray. “If you confess your sin, I will forgive and cleanse you,” says God

Application

• It is our honor to work with God, our task given to us as disciples of Jesus Christ and privilege to be co laborers with Him to be witnesses of Jesus Christ…
  • From many years of fellowship with Him. We have known Him with personal intimacy for years and found Him totally faithful and true. We can say factually and convincingly as witnesses, “I know Him.”
  • From an inner conviction of the Holy Spirit that speaks to us. Telling us this is the way, right from wrong, and counsels us to do the right things and do them the right way.
  • From what we outwardly state as a testimony of our faith and life in Christ. We want to let others know of His faithfulness and truth. Since we are forgiven and found the way, we share the secret, the way, with others.

Tags: Take 10

Week 28 Day 4

The Daily Take 10

The Gospel of John

Week 28 Day 4

Introduction…The first Christian Martyrs were those who suffered under the persecution of the Romans in the early ages of the Church. For 240 years, or from about the year 64 after Christ to the time of emperor Constantine in 306 AD, the cruel punishments inflicted upon the Christians by their heathen enemies are described by the ancient historians as being as various and horrible as the mind of man, inspired by the devil, could invent.” Foxes Book of Martyrs, page 11.

Read John 16:1-6 “I have spoken these things to you in case you should be caused to stumble in the way. They will excommunicate you from the synagogue. Yes, a time is coming when anyone who kills you will think that he is rendering a service to God and they will do these things because they did not recognize the Father or me. But I have spoken these things to you so that when their time comes, you will remember that I spoke them to you. I did not tell you these things at the beginning because I was with you. But know I am going away to him who sent me and none of you asks me, ‘where are you going?’ But grief has filled your hearts because I have spoken these things to you.”

Bible Study

• From the beginning of time God revealed Himself to be the Creator, a good God, merciful and wanting a relationship with His Creation. God has chosen us and loves us, but many have not chosen God.
• Some people, who did respond to God’s love, later fell away for various reasons, especially for reasons of persecution. Revelation 21:8 condemns those who are unbelieving and fearful.
• While some in the early Church showed such courage and spiritual heroism, there were those whose faith was shown to be weak, failing to endure persecution.
• Jesus spoke of 2 ways in which His followers would be persecuted…
  • Excommunication from the synagogue, which was difficult for the Jews.
  • Being killed by people thinking they are doing a “latreia,” service for God. This word is used for the work of a priest rendering at the altar for religious service.
• The Apostle Paul, formerly Saul of Tarsus, who wrote many of the New Testament Epistles, was a Jewish Pharisee, a religious leader, who tried to eliminate the name of Jesus, Christians and the Church in the years after Jesus’ death and resurrection. See Acts 26:9-11.
  • Saul/Paul consented to the first martyr of the Church, Stephen. See Acts 6:5-8:2
  • Saul/Paul “made havoc of the Church, entering into every house and haling men and women, committed them to prison.” Acts 8:3
  • Saul/Paul, “yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord,” Acts 9:1
  • And then God intervened with a light from heaven that blinded him, knocking him off his horse to the ground, and then Jesus speaking to him saying, “Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” See Acts 9:2-31 where Saul’s life amazingly changed by Jesus Christ.

Application

• Joan of Arc was quoted as saying regarding loneliness, “People have sometimes learned, it is better to be alone with God. It is the price of fellowship with God.”
• Anyone thinking they have a monopoly on God’s grace and truth is dangerous and does not have the mind of Christ or the heart of God. We are to love the people of the world, not kill them!
• Regarding denominations…there are many, but as long as they believe it is the shed blood of Jesus Christ that saves us and in the Word of God…we are brothers.
• Have you ever prayed for someone who persecuted you? Jesus encouraged this. Matthew 5:10-12 says, “Blessed are they who are persecuted for righteousness sake for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you and say all manner of evil against you falsely for my sake. Rejoice, and be glad, for great is your reward in heaven…”
• Pray for the vilest sinner and the most vocal person who comes against God because once saved, they make great Christians when Jesus gets a hold of them.
• Jesus said to His disciples that He would make them fishers of men. It’s our job to catch them/people, but it is God’s job to clean them. We don’t have to tell new believers what a Christian does and doesn’t do…God will speak to them through His Word.

Tags: Take 10

Week 28 Day 5

The Daily Take 10

The Gospel of John

Week 28 Day 5

Introduction…Have you ever had something happen to you and think it was bad, only later to find out it was good? Jesus’ disciples were bewildered after hearing Jesus, the Messiah, the Son of God, was leaving them and God sovereignty was changing things. Contrary to the disciple’s bleak outlook, Jesus said if He left this earth with the physical limitations it placed upon Him, it was going to great for them. How could this be possible? The omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient Comforter, the Holy Spirit would come. Do you know the Holy Spirit?

Read John 16:7-11 “But it is the truth I am telling you, it is to your interest that I should go away, for if I do not go away the Helper will not come to you. But when he has come, he will convict the world of sin and convince it of righteousness and judgment of sin, because they do not believe in me. Of righteousness, because I go to my Father and you no longer see me of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.

Bible Study

• The Helper, Comforter, Holy Spirit is the 3^rd person of the Trinity.
  • The Triune God is made up of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
  • Each person of the Trinity has a different role, but each is God.
  • “God is one” yet like H2O can be a liquid, vapor or solid, so God is 3 in 1.
• The Holy Spirit can be everywhere at all times with all believers, everywhere.
  • The indwelling Holy Spirit is with us, in us, and upon us…as He counsels, enlightens, leads and guides us.
  • Jesus’ promised in Matthew 28:20 “Lo, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” This was fulfilled with the coming and uninterrupted fellowship of the Holy Spirit.
• The Holy Spirit convicts of sin. See Acts 2:37
  • A strong sense of sin and personal responsibility dawns upon a person.
• The Holy Spirit convinces of righteousness. See Matthew 27:54 and Acts 9:1-9
  • The sheer righteousness of Jesus becomes clear to a person
• The Holy Spirit convinces of judgment
  • The assurance that we will give account someday for our lives before God.
• The Holy Spirit assures of our salvation
  • The confidence and hope that in Christ we are forgiven and made righteous

Application

• The Holy Spirit is a person. The person of God who indwells us as believers, disciples of Jesus Christ.
• The Holy Spirit thinks, decides and has feelings. That is why in Ephesians 4:30 we are warned, “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit by whom you are sealed unto the day of redemption” with our resistance of His work in us, perfecting us to the image of God.

The anecdote for moving from a sinful life and habits and moving to a life that is pleasing to God is found in Galatians 5:16, 18 encourage us to “Walk in the Spirit and you will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh.” And “if we are led by the Spirit, we are not under the law.”

Tags: Take 10