Humanity Redeemed | Introduction
Introduction for the Bellevue Women Fall 2020 study "Humanity Redeemed."
Why do we need redemption? Redeemed – “to get or win back” (Merriam-Webster Dictionary). “As God’s possessions created for His own purpose, we were lost to God when we fell into sin and subsequently, death. But God reclaimed us through Christ’s death on the cross. Our redemption, at the high price of the blood of His Son, demonstrates His love for us” (Humanity Redeemed, Introduction).
Current events 2020: Impeachment trial, Worldwide pandemic, quarantines, stay-at-home orders, economic shutdown, school shutdown, foodbanks, racial unrest, riots and looting, polarized Presidential election, murder hornets, wildfires, hurricanes, flooding, human trafficking, immorality, child abuse, abortion, social media addiction, drug abuse, anxiety, depression, suicide, unemployment, marriage and the family under assault, sensationalized news...we are depraved!
People are hurting, fearful, hopeless, and seeking.
Beware, of false teachers: Popular authors who claim to be Christians yet distort and twist the truth of God’s Word. “For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear. They will reject the truth and chase after myths” (2 Timothy 4:3-4).
Sift all teaching through the Word of God. Not does it sound true—is it true? Use the sieve or strainer of God’s Word to test all teaching and authors.
Momma Bear Apologetics, General Editor, Hillary Morgan Ferrar
Podcasts and authors – Alisa Childers, Rachel Jankovic, Christopher Yuan, Katie McCoy, The Briefing with Albert Mohler, Journeywomen, Revive Our Hearts, Timothy Keller, Jen Wilkin.
Author
John the “disciple whom Jesus loved” (John 13:23); brother of James and son of Zebedee and Salome.
“The early church father Irenaeus (ca. A.D. 130-200) was a disciple of Polycarp (ca. A.D. 70-160), who was a disciple of the Apostle John, and he testified on Polycarp’s authority that John wrote the gospel during his residence at Ephesus in Asia Minor when he was advanced in age” (The MacArthur Study Bible, p. 1535).
Time written
Many believe John wrote the gospel from Ephesus, before he was exiled to the Isle of Patmos. That would put the time between A.D. 80-90. He also authored 1-3 John and Revelation.
Purpose
“But these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name” (John 20:31).
“No person can see God; therefore, Christ came to declare Him” (Henrietta Mears, What the Bible is All About, p. 419).
Prominent words
(preachingsource.com/journal/word-studies-in-the-gospel-of-john/)
Believe: appears 98 times in the Gospel
Love: appears 57 times
Life: appears 47 times
Word: “logos” appears 40 times Truth: appears 25 times
Sign: appears 17 times
Theme
The deity of Christ
The Key
John 1:12 “Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God.”
John, the disciple Jesus loved, was very focused on the person of Christ. All of the Old Testament points to Christ. He was the fulfillment and the One through Whom it was all accomplished. John wrote to prove the deity of Jesus.
Introduction
I. Jesus is God – John 1:1-4
Yahweh – “I Am” – Exodus 3:14
The “I Am” statements of Christ:
- I Am the Bread of Life – John 6:35 41, 48, 51
- I Am the Light of the World – John 8:12
- I am the Door of the Sheep – John 10:7&9
- I Am the Good Shepherd – John 10:11, 14
- I Am the Resurrection and the Life – John 11:25
- I am the Way, the Truth and the life – John 14:6
- I Am the True Vine - John 15:1; 5
Mount of Transfiguration – Matthew 17:1-8; Mark 9:2-8: Luke 9:28-36) Peter’s eyewitness account – 2 Peter 1:16-21
John 8:58 – “Jesus said to them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am’.
II. Jesus is love and has commanded us to love one another.
John 13-17 is Jesus training manual for living. These chapters contain His last words and prayer for His followers.
“Several of the signs in the first half of the Fourth Gospel are immediately followed by extended discourses that ‘unpack’ the significance of the sign. Here the order is reversed: one of the purposes of the chapters immediately before us, embracing the last supper, the farewell discourse and the final prayer of Jesus (Jn. 13–17), is to ‘unpack’, before the event, the significance of Jesus’ departure—his death, burial, resurrection, exaltation and the consequent coming of the Holy Spirit.” (D. A. Carson, The Gospel According to John)
A. John 13 – Jesus serves
"It is impossible to visualize with any degree of imagination that scene of long ago, and not have the thought borne in upon you that what you are witnessing is the judgment of the world In the upper room, I see Jesus kneeling with towel and basin at His followers' feet: and something within me says - there is the world's infernal pride, judged! I see Him breaking the bread in token of His own immeasurable sacrifice: and I know - there is the world's. hectoring, domineering selfishness, revealed and dragged into the light, and judged! I hear the quiet voice speaking its words of infinite tenderness and pity and compassion: there are all our rancours, bitternesses and hatreds - judged! I sense that wonderful tranquility, that heart of peace, that calm ineffable certainty of God: and I realize, there are all our faithless fears, our worries, our crass spiritual blindness - judged! To outward appearance, on the dark betrayal night, Christ was coming under the judgment of Caesar. In reality, that upper room was the judgment of the world” (The Strong Name, James Stewart, p. 201).
B. John 14 – Jesus comforts and promises the Counselor – the Holy Spirit. He promises Him to those who keep His commands and to those who love Him. (John 14:15, 21)
C. John 15 – Jesus is the Vine and instructs the disciples about how to love one another and how to relate to the world.
“However, if ‘remaining’ in Jesus is a metaphor for continuing in fellowship with and loyalty to him, then obedience to his commands is clearly important” (John: An Introduction and Commentary, Colin Kruse).
D. John 16 – 21 - The Passion of Christ His Agony in Gethsemane
His Arrest
His Trial
His Crucifixion, Burial and Resurrection Post-Resurrection Appearances
His Commissioning
Christ requires absolute abandon – He will not reveal Himself to half-hearted followers.
“Love the Lord with all your heart, soul, mind and strength” (Mark 12:30-31) – are you?
We serve and belong to a greater Kingdom! Jesus is better than anything this world has to offer. The intimacy and purpose you are longing for will only be found in Jesus.
John 21:25: “And there are also many other things which Jesus did, which if they were written in detail, I suppose that even the world itself would not contain the books that would be written.”
"Graves into Gardens"
I searched the world
But it couldn't fill me
Man's empty praise and treasures that fade Are never enough
Then You came along
And put me back together
And every desire is now satisfied
Here in Your love
Chorus:
Oh, there's nothing better than You There's nothing better than You Lord, there's nothing
Nothing is better than You
I'm not afraid
To show You my weakness
My failures and flaws, Lord, You've seen them all And You still call me friend
'Cause the God of the mountain
Is the God of the valley
There's not a place Your mercy and grace
Won't find me again
You turn mourning to dancing You give beauty for ashes
You turn shame into glory You're the only one who can
You turn graves into garden You turn bones into armies You turn seas into highways You're the only one who can
Jesus, You're the only one
--Elevation Worship