Speaker 1: John explained seventeen powerful lessons you need to know, Hidden
Speaker 1: prophecy revealed. Have you ever wondered why the Gospel of
Speaker 1: John is so different from the other Gospels. Why does
Speaker 1: it begin not with a genealogy or the birth of Jesus,
Speaker 1: but with eternity. While Matthew, Mark and Luke focus on
Speaker 1: what Jesus did, John shows us who Jesus is. John
Speaker 1: pulls back the curtain and reveals truths that the others
Speaker 1: only hint at. He speaks not only to the mind,
Speaker 1: but to the spirit, unveiling mysteries that stretch from before
Speaker 1: creation to the promise of eternal life. John was not
Speaker 1: just telling a story, He was revealing a person. His
Speaker 1: purpose is clear to show that Jesus is the Word
Speaker 1: made flesh, fully God and fully man, the light that
Speaker 1: shines in the darkness, the lamb of God who takes
Speaker 1: away the sin of the world. John does not waste
Speaker 1: time with religious titles or political powers. He goes straight
Speaker 1: to them. The heart of the matter, Jesus is divine,
Speaker 1: and this truth changes everything. In this journey through the
Speaker 1: Gospel of John, we are going to uncover seventeen powerful lessons,
Speaker 1: each one based on key chapters and verses. These are
Speaker 1: not just ancient texts, they are living revelations that speak
Speaker 1: directly to your life today. You are going to discover
Speaker 1: hidden prophecies, spiritual truths, and deep insights that will help
Speaker 1: you walk with boldness, clarity, and purpose in your faith.
Speaker 1: So let me ask you this, what is your favorite
Speaker 1: verse in the Gospel of John. Write it in the
Speaker 1: comments right now. It helps us bring you more content
Speaker 1: that builds your faith and opens your eyes to God's word.
Speaker 1: And before we begin, take a moment to share this
Speaker 1: video with someone who needs a fresh encounter with Jesus.
Speaker 1: Invite them to discover these lessons with you. And if
Speaker 1: this message speaks to you, make sure to like subscribe
Speaker 1: and stay until the end. Now, close your eyes and
Speaker 1: join me in this short prayer. Lord, as I dive
Speaker 1: into the Gospel of John, open my eyes to see
Speaker 1: Jesus as he truly is. Let your word penetrate my heart.
Speaker 1: May I receive every lesson with humility, every truth with clarity,
Speaker 1: and every command with obedience. Fill me with your spirit,
Speaker 1: align my life with your kingdom, and awaken a passion
Speaker 1: in me to live as a true disciple of Christ.
Speaker 1: In the name of Jesus. Amen. Now let us begin
Speaker 1: this journey and get ready, because what you are about
Speaker 1: to discover has the power to change everything. Shall we
Speaker 1: move on to lessen one the eternal Word God among us.
Speaker 1: Gospel of John, chapter one, Verses one through eighteen. In
Speaker 1: the beginning was the Word, not at the beginning of
Speaker 1: the Gospel, not at the beginning of history, but before
Speaker 1: anything ever was, before time was measured, before the universe
Speaker 1: took shape, the Word already existed. This is how the
Speaker 1: Gospel of John begins with a thunderous declaration that Jesus
Speaker 1: is not just a man, not just a prophet, not
Speaker 1: just a teacher. He is the pre existent Word, the
Speaker 1: divine Logos, eternal and uncreated. The first chapter of John
Speaker 1: takes us all the way back to the opening verse
Speaker 1: of Genesis. There we read that in the beginning God
Speaker 1: created the heavens and the earth. Here in John chapter
Speaker 1: one we see that in the beginning was the Word,
Speaker 1: and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Speaker 1: Through him, all things were made. Without him, nothing came
Speaker 1: into being. He is not just part of creation, he
Speaker 1: is the source of it. But do you see Jesus
Speaker 1: this way? Do you believe that the one who walked
Speaker 1: the dusty roads of Galilee is also the one who
Speaker 1: spoke stars into existence. When you pray, do you realize
Speaker 1: you are speaking to the Creator himself. John presents Jesus
Speaker 1: as the light shining in the darkness, echoing that very
Speaker 1: first moment in creation when God said, let there be light.
Speaker 1: But this is not physical light. This is eternal light,
Speaker 1: spiritual light, light that exposes, light that heals, light that
Speaker 1: awakens the darkness did not understand it. The darkness could
Speaker 1: not overcome it. Because wherever Jesus is, light winds. What
Speaker 1: part of your life is still under the shadow of confusion,
Speaker 1: fear or shame? Are you ready to let his light
Speaker 1: enter those hidden places? Then comes one of the most
Speaker 1: staggering declarations in scripture. The word became flesh and dwelt
Speaker 1: among us. The eternal became temporal, The invisible became visible.
Speaker 1: God stepped into time, into space, into our world. He
Speaker 1: did not appear as a vision. He did not arrive
Speaker 1: in fire or smoke. He came as a man, a ba,
Speaker 1: be vulnerable, touchable, one of us. This is not mythology.
Speaker 1: It is the incarnation, the highest revelation of divine love.
Speaker 1: God did not send a messenger, He came himself, full
Speaker 1: of grace and truth. In Jesus we see what God
Speaker 1: looks like. In his words, we hear the voice of Heaven.
Speaker 1: In his touch, we feel the mercy of eternity. John
Speaker 1: the Baptist enters this scene not as the light, but
Speaker 1: as a witness to the light. His entire mission was
Speaker 1: to prepare hearts to point to the one who would baptize,
Speaker 1: not just with water, but with the spirit. He declared,
Speaker 1: the one coming after me surpasses me because he existed
Speaker 1: before me. John knew that Jesus was not beginning his ministry.
Speaker 1: He was stepping into the world he had created. And
Speaker 1: then John gives us a key phrase that reveals the
Speaker 1: purpose of the incarnation. To those who rescisive him, to
Speaker 1: those who believed in his name, he gave the right
Speaker 1: to become children of God. Not born of blood, nor
Speaker 1: of human decision, nor of natural descent, but born of God.
Speaker 1: This is more than theology. This is identity. If you
Speaker 1: are in Christ, you are not just improved, You are reborn, recreated.
Speaker 1: You belong to Heaven. From His fullness. We have all
Speaker 1: received grace upon grace the law was given through Moses,
Speaker 1: but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one
Speaker 1: has ever seen God, but the one and only Son,
Speaker 1: who is himself God, and his in closest relationship with
Speaker 1: the Father has made him known. This is the heartbeat
Speaker 1: of the Gospel of John. Jesus did not come to
Speaker 1: improve religion. He came to reveal the Father. He did
Speaker 1: not come to start a movement. He came to bring
Speaker 1: a kingdom. He did not come as a messenger. He
Speaker 1: came as the message, the Word eternal, glorious, full of truth,
Speaker 1: full of grace. And this changes everything. Jesus is not distant,
Speaker 1: he is not unreachable. He is the God who came near.
Speaker 1: Your identity is no longer defined by what you have
Speaker 1: done or what you have lost, but by who he
Speaker 1: says you are. You are a child of God, born
Speaker 1: of His will, invited to walk in his light. To
Speaker 1: live in that light means allowing no part of your
Speaker 1: heart to remain in shadow. It means receiving the Word,
Speaker 1: not just hearing him, but believing him, welcoming him, surrendering
Speaker 1: fully to him. Because the same word that created galaxies
Speaker 1: also speaks your name. And when he says, let there
Speaker 1: be light, even the darkest corners of your soul are transformed.
Speaker 1: Lesson too, the Lamb of God, the sacrifice who takes
Speaker 1: away sin. Gospel of John, Chapter one, verses nineteen through
Speaker 1: thirty four. As the scene unfolds in the first chapter
Speaker 1: of the Gospel of John, we are introduced to a
Speaker 1: profound prophetic declaration that echoes from the mouth of a
Speaker 1: humble prophet standing in the wilderness, John the Baptist, the
Speaker 1: voice crying out in the desert, sees Jesus approaching and
Speaker 1: utters words that would reverberate through all eternity. He declares,
Speaker 1: behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin
Speaker 1: of the world. With those few words, John connects heaven
Speaker 1: to earth, prophecy to fulfillment, and the past to the
Speaker 1: glorious purpose of the Messiah. To truly understand the weight
Speaker 1: of this moment, we must go back to the foundation
Speaker 1: laid in the Book of Exodus. There during the First Passover,
Speaker 1: each Israelite household was commanded to sacrifice a spotless lamb
Speaker 1: and place its blood on the door posts of their homes.
Speaker 1: That act of obedience and faith marked them for divine
Speaker 1: pt de as the Angel of Death passed over the
Speaker 1: homes covered by the blood. This lamb was more than
Speaker 1: a meal. It was a sign of salvation, a foreshadowing
Speaker 1: of the true Lamb who would one day come to
Speaker 1: offer his life for the entire world. Now centuries later,
Speaker 1: John the Baptist identifies Jesus not as a political savior,
Speaker 1: not as a teacher or rabbi alone, but as the Lamb,
Speaker 1: the ultimate and final sacrifice. This is not just a title,
Speaker 1: It is a declaration of mission. Jesus did not come
Speaker 1: merely to instruct or inspire. He came to die. He
Speaker 1: came to take away sin, not just cover it. He
Speaker 1: came as the fulfillment of Isaiah chapter fifty three, where
Speaker 1: the prophet spoke of the suffering servant who would be
Speaker 1: led like a lamb to the slaughter bearing the iniquities
Speaker 1: of many. The Lamb of God does not resist or retaliate.
Speaker 1: He surrenders. He offers himself, and by doing so he
Speaker 1: removes the barrier that stood between humanity and a holy God.
Speaker 1: John the Baptist declaration also implies something deeper. That sin
Speaker 1: is real, that it must be dealt with, and that
Speaker 1: human effort is not enough. Only a pure divine sacrifice
Speaker 1: can remove it entirely. Jesus is that sacrifice. In this
Speaker 1: passage we also see the beauty of the testimony. John testifies,
Speaker 1: I did not know him, but the one who sent
Speaker 1: me to baptize with water told me that the one
Speaker 1: on whom the spirit descends and remains is the one
Speaker 1: who will baptize with the Holy Spirit. When John sees
Speaker 1: the spirit descend like a dove and remain on Jesus,
Speaker 1: he knows without a doubt this is the Son of God.
Speaker 1: The imagery is rich, just as the lamb was chosen, inspected,
Speaker 1: and found without blemish. Jesus is confirmed by Heaven itself.
Speaker 1: The Spirit rests on him, the Father approves him, and
Speaker 1: John proclaims him. This moment is not about religious ritual.
Speaker 1: It is about revelation. It is about recognizing who Jesus
Speaker 1: truly is. He is not just one among many. He
Speaker 1: is not a messenger. He is the message. The Lamb
Speaker 1: of God means that redemption is not an abstract concept.
Speaker 1: It has a name, and that name is Jesus. For
Speaker 1: the listeners and readers of this gospel, especially those familiar
Speaker 1: with the Torah and the prophets. This declaration would stir
Speaker 1: deep emotion and awe. The long awaited Messiah has come,
Speaker 1: but not as expected, not as a warrior, but as
Speaker 1: a lamb. Not to conquer rome, but to conquer sin
Speaker 1: and death, and his victory would come through surrender. This
Speaker 1: passage calls each of us to personal reflection. To truly
Speaker 1: see Jesus as the Lamb of God is to receive
Speaker 1: his sacrifice, not only with the mind, but with faith
Speaker 1: and repentance. John's message is more than an announcement. It
Speaker 1: is an invitation. He baptized with water, but pointed to
Speaker 1: the one who would baptize with fire, with the Holy Spirit,
Speaker 1: with power from above. This truth changes everything. If Jesus
Speaker 1: is the Lamb, then the cross is not a tragedy,
Speaker 1: it is a triumph. If Jesus is the Lamb, then
Speaker 1: grace is not earned, it is received. If Jesus is
Speaker 1: the Lamb, then forgiveness is not temporary, it is eternal.
Speaker 1: There is no reason to carry what the Lamb has
Speaker 1: already borne, no need to hold on to shame that
Speaker 1: his blood has erased. The Lamb of God came not
Speaker 1: to burden, but to free, not to create religion, but
Speaker 1: to offer redemption. The call remains Behold him, believe in him,
Speaker 1: and follow him. John the Baptist prepared the way with
Speaker 1: this declaration, and now the way is open for all
Speaker 1: who would walk in it. Because of the Lamb, we
Speaker 1: are no longer slave, We are redeemed, We are free,
Speaker 1: and the journey of faith continues with our eyes fixed
Speaker 1: on the one who gave it all, not to condemn
Speaker 1: the world, but to save it, one soul at a time.
Speaker 1: To receive him as the Lamb is to be transformed.
Speaker 1: He is more than a teacher, more than a miracle worker.
Speaker 1: He is the Lamb who was slain. And this is
Speaker 1: where new life begins. When you behold him, when you
Speaker 1: believe him, your life becomes a testimony, just like John
Speaker 1: Lesson three, the first called discipleship born from Encounter Gospel
Speaker 1: of John Chapter one, verses thirty five through fifty one.
Speaker 1: As the first chapter of the Gospel of John continues
Speaker 1: to unfold, we are drawn into one of the most
Speaker 1: intimate and life changing moments in all of Scripture, the
Speaker 1: first calling of disciples. This is not a spectacle, not
Speaker 1: a thunderous display of power, but a quiet and personal
Speaker 1: invitation one by one hearts begin to awaken, one encounter
Speaker 1: at a time, Eternity starts to break into ordinary lives.
Speaker 1: It begins with John the Baptist, standing with two of
Speaker 1: his own disciples. He sees Jesus passing by and proclaims,
Speaker 1: with certainty, behold the lamb of God. It is a
Speaker 1: simple statement, but one filled with eternal weight, and the
Speaker 1: two disciples do not hesitate. They leave John and begin
Speaker 1: following Jesus. That is when something profound happens. Jesus turns around,
Speaker 1: looks at them and asks a question that pierces through
Speaker 1: all surface motives. What are you seeking? Pause and consider
Speaker 1: that question? What are you seeking? Are you looking for success?
Speaker 1: For healing, for purpose, for peace? Is your pursuit of
Speaker 1: Jesus based on what he can give you or on
Speaker 1: who he is? These two men, caught off gud, respond
Speaker 1: not with a direct answer, but with another question, Rabbi,
Speaker 1: where there are you staying? Their reply reveals their hunger
Speaker 1: not just to learn from Jesus, but to be with him.
Speaker 1: They do not want information, they want intimacy. They are
Speaker 1: not seeking answers, they are seeking presents. Jesus replies with
Speaker 1: a phrase that carries the essence of true discipleship. Come
Speaker 1: and you will see. This is not a command to
Speaker 1: study doctrine. It is an invitation to experience transformation. They accept,
Speaker 1: and that one day spent with Jesus will mark them forever.
Speaker 1: One of these men is Andrew, and what does he
Speaker 1: do next? He finds his brother Simon and declares, we
Speaker 1: have found the Messiah. Then he brings Simon to Jesus.
Speaker 1: This is what real encounter always does. It multiplies, It
Speaker 1: compels us to bring others into what we have found.
Speaker 1: Jesus looks at Simon and without hesitation, renames him. You
Speaker 1: are Simon, son of John. You shall be called Cephus,
Speaker 1: which is translated Peter. Jesus speaks to Simon's destiny, not
Speaker 1: his current state. He sees not just the fisherman, but
Speaker 1: the rock, not just the man, but the mission. Have
Speaker 1: you allowed Jesus to rename you, to speak into your identity,
Speaker 1: not based on what you have done, but based on
Speaker 1: who he says you are. Next comes Philip, whom Jesus
Speaker 1: personally calls, and just like Andrew, Philip cannot keep this
Speaker 1: news to himself. He finds Nathaniel and says, we have
Speaker 1: found the one Moses wrote about in the Law. But
Speaker 1: Nathaniel is skeptical. Can anything good come out of Nazareth?
Speaker 1: Have you ever doubted that something holy could come from
Speaker 1: something humble, that God could show up in an unexpected place,
Speaker 1: in a broken home, a forgotten town, or a struggling heart.
Speaker 1: Philip does not debate Nathaniel. He simply echoes the words
Speaker 1: of Jesus. Come and see. It is not about proving
Speaker 1: a point, it is about encountering a person. And when
Speaker 1: Nathaniel comes, Jesus surprises him. Before Philip called you, when
Speaker 1: you were under the fig tree, I saw you. This
Speaker 1: seemingly random moment in Nathaniel's private life, unnoticed by others,
Speaker 1: was seen by Jesus. Suddenly, the skeptic becomes a worshiper. Rabbi,
Speaker 1: you are the son of God. You are the King
Speaker 1: of Israel. Jesus responds with a promise that points beyond
Speaker 1: that moment. You believe because I told you I saw
Speaker 1: you under the fig tree. But you will see greater
Speaker 1: things than these. You will see heaven opened and angels
Speaker 1: ascending and descending upon the son of Man. In that
Speaker 1: one sentence, Jesus connects to Jacob's dream in Genesis, revealing
Speaker 1: that he is the ladder the connection between heaven and Earth.
Speaker 1: He is the access point, the meeting place between humanity
Speaker 1: and the divine. What can we learn from this powerful passage?
Speaker 1: First discipleship begins with a question, what are you seeking?
Speaker 1: It is a question that does not just apply to
Speaker 1: the men in the text. It applies to you right now.
Speaker 1: What are you hoping to find in your walk with Jesus.
Speaker 1: Second discipleship begins with encounter. These men did not sign
Speaker 1: a contract, They accepted an invitation. They came and saw,
Speaker 1: and what they saw changed everything. Third discipleship brings transformation.
Speaker 1: Simon became Peter, Nathaniel moved from doubt to declaration. Their
Speaker 1: identities shifted in the presence of Jesus. Fourth discipleship multiplies.
Speaker 1: Andrew found Simon, Philip found Nathaniel. Encounter leads to testimony.
Speaker 1: Testimony leads to invitation, and invitation opens the door to
Speaker 1: divine revelation. Also, notice that Jesus meets each person differently.
Speaker 1: He asks Andrew and the other disciple a question. He
Speaker 1: calls Philip directly. He affirms Nathaniel's heart and recalls his
Speaker 1: private moment, there is no form, only a savior who
Speaker 1: knows how to reach each soul. His voice still rings
Speaker 1: out through every story. Some have heard it in quiet moments,
Speaker 1: others in the middle of ordinary days, in unexpected places.
Speaker 1: But the invitation remains the same, come and see. And
Speaker 1: still many stand at a distance, unsure, waiting for more,
Speaker 1: hoping for a sign. But Jesus is still asking what
Speaker 1: are you looking for. He's still inviting, still calling people
Speaker 1: by name, still restoring what was broken, still showing himself
Speaker 1: to those who seek. And he's still sending those who've
Speaker 1: encountered him to go and tell others. Discipleship doesn't start
Speaker 1: with perfect theology. It starts with nearness, with a heart
Speaker 1: that's willing to follow, with a life that's open to change.
Speaker 1: Jesus isn't waiting for you to get everything right. He
Speaker 1: simply says come, and as you walk with him, your
Speaker 1: eyes begin to open, as you begin to see, your
Speaker 1: heart begins to believe. And once you believe, you'll never
Speaker 1: be the same. There's someone in your life right now
Speaker 1: who needs that same invitation, someone who's waiting for you
Speaker 1: to say, come and see. Because when discipleship flows from
Speaker 1: real encounters with Jesus. It never stays with just one person.
Speaker 1: It multiplies, it moves, and it changes the world, one
Speaker 1: simple invitation at a time. Lesson four the first Miracle
Speaker 1: Transformation from the inside out. Gospel of John, chapter two,
Speaker 1: verses one through twelve. On the third day, a wedding
Speaker 1: was taking place in a small village called Kina, located
Speaker 1: in the region of Galilee. Weddings in the Jewish tradition
Speaker 1: were not just events. They were covenantal celebrations, filled with music, feasting,
Speaker 1: and joyful fellowship that often lasted an entire week. These
Speaker 1: gatherings represented more than union. They symbolized community, covenant, and
Speaker 1: divine joy. And it is in this setting, surrounded by
Speaker 1: laughter and family, that Jesus performs his very first public miracle.
Speaker 1: But the joy of the occasion is suddenly interrupted by
Speaker 1: a quiet crisis. The wine runs out. What might seem
Speaker 1: trivial to modern readers was in that culture a deeply
Speaker 1: embarrassing failure. For the hosts. Running out of wine was
Speaker 1: not just a logistical issue. It was a social and
Speaker 1: communal disaster. Honor was at stake, dignity was threatened, and
Speaker 1: in this very moment of pressure, Mary, the mother of Jesus, speaks.
Speaker 1: She comes to him not with demands or panic, but
Speaker 1: with simple clarity. They have no more wine. She brings
Speaker 1: the problem, not the solution. She does not instruct she trusts,
Speaker 1: and in his response, Jesus reveals something profound. He says
Speaker 1: that his hour has not yet come. In other words,
Speaker 1: his full mission, the hour of his glorification through death
Speaker 1: and resurrection, is still in the future. But even so
Speaker 1: he acts, even when it is not yet time for
Speaker 1: his grand unveiling. His heart is moved. Mary turns to
Speaker 1: the servants with a sentence that has echoed across generations.
Speaker 1: Do whatever he tells you. This is the posture of
Speaker 1: surrendered faith. This is the ground where the supernatural takes root.
Speaker 1: She does not need to understand how, She simply knows who.
Speaker 1: This is what faith looks like, obedience in advance of
Speaker 1: the outcome. Jesus then directs the servants to six large
Speaker 1: stone jars. These were not ordinary containers. They were used
Speaker 1: for ceremonial washing under the Law of Moses. Each held
Speaker 1: twenty to thirty gallons of water. These jars represented the
Speaker 1: old system, outward cleansing rituals and repeated purification. Jesus tells
Speaker 1: them to fill the jars with water, not wine, No,
Speaker 1: not oil, not anything extravagant, just water. Can you imagine
Speaker 1: the confusion. These were servants, not disciples, They were not
Speaker 1: present for a sermon, but they obeyed. They filled the
Speaker 1: jars to the brim, no short cuts, no hesitation, full capacity,
Speaker 1: and somewhere between the pouring and the drawing, the water
Speaker 1: became wine. Not with lightning, not with thunder, but quietly, imperceptibly,
Speaker 1: transformation happened. The master of the banquet tastes the wine
Speaker 1: and is stunned. Not only is the wine excellent, it
Speaker 1: is better than what had been served before. He calls
Speaker 1: the bridegroom and remarks, most serve the best wine first,
Speaker 1: and then bring out the cheaper wine after the guests
Speaker 1: have had their fill. But you have saved the best
Speaker 1: for last. This is more than good hospitality. It is
Speaker 1: a prophetic statement. In Christ, the best always comes last.
Speaker 1: The old covenant came first law, ritual shadow, but the
Speaker 1: new Covenant, represented by this wine, brings grace, joy and fullness.
Speaker 1: Jesus turns what is common into what is holy. He
Speaker 1: takes the water of religion and transforms it into the
Speaker 1: wine of relationship. This miracle was not about showing off,
Speaker 1: It was about revealing the deeper reality of who Jesus is.
Speaker 1: John writes that this was the first of the signs
Speaker 1: through which Jesus revealed his glory and his disciples believed
Speaker 1: in him. His glory was not revealed through spectacle, but
Speaker 1: through compassion, obedience, and quiet power. What can we learn here? First,
Speaker 1: Jesus cares about our moments of lack, even the ones
Speaker 1: we try to hide. If he chose to act at
Speaker 1: a wedding to preserve joy and avoid shame, how much
Speaker 1: more will he act in your life. Second, obedience always
Speaker 1: precedes the miracle. The servant had to fill the jars
Speaker 1: before the transformation came. Mary's words still apply. Do whatever
Speaker 1: he tells you. Third, transformation often begins in what seems ordinary.
Speaker 1: There were no flashes of light, no declarations from the heavens,
Speaker 1: just water, jars and obedience. But in the hands of Jesus,
Speaker 1: that is more than enough. Fourth, Jesus provides abundance, six
Speaker 1: jars holding twenty to thirty gallons each. This miracle did
Speaker 1: not just meet the need, it overwhelmed it. That is
Speaker 1: what grace does it overflows. And fifth, the miracle was
Speaker 1: a sign. It pointed forward to the cross where wine
Speaker 1: would again be poured, this time symbolizing his blood. The
Speaker 1: first miracle began with wine, the Last Supper would end
Speaker 1: with it. In both, Jesus was offering covenant, joy and transformation.
Speaker 1: What areas of your life feel empty right now? Are
Speaker 1: there jars standing unused in your heart? Do you feel
Speaker 1: like you are just pouring water into religious rituals with
Speaker 1: no transformation. Jesus is still turning water into wine, still
Speaker 1: transforming shame into honor, emptiness into fullness, and dry ritual
Speaker 1: into vibrant relationship. And most of the time he does
Speaker 1: it quietly in the hidden places of our lives, where
Speaker 1: faith meets obedience. It doesn't always come with explanation, but
Speaker 1: he still asks us to trust, to fill the jars,
Speaker 1: to take the next step, even when we don't see
Speaker 1: the outcome yet. This first miracle isn't just a moment
Speaker 1: in history. It's an invitation. Jesus chose to begin his
Speaker 1: ministry not in the temple, but at a table, not
Speaker 1: with a dramatic sign, but with a subtle shift, a
Speaker 1: quiet act of grace that tells us everything about who
Speaker 1: he is. He's the savior who steps into real life moments,
Speaker 1: who brings unexpected joy, who makes things new from the
Speaker 1: inside out. So go ahead, prepare your heart, fill your jar,
Speaker 1: offer what you have, and trust the one who always
Speaker 1: saves the best for last. Because the miracle isn't over,
Speaker 1: it's just getting started. Lesson five. The Zeal for the
Speaker 1: Father's House Spiritual Purification text, Gospel of John, chapter two,
Speaker 1: verses thirteen through twenty five. As the Jewish Passover approached,
Speaker 1: Jesus went up to Jerusalem. The city was bustling with pilgrims.
Speaker 1: The temple courts were filled with activity, and the sacred
Speaker 1: space designated for worship had become a market place. Within
Speaker 1: the outer courts of the temple, where gentiles were supposed
Speaker 1: to pray, money changes and merchants had set up tables
Speaker 1: selling animals for sacrifice at inflated prices, exploiting the devotion
Speaker 1: of the people for personal gain. Jesus, entering this holy
Speaker 1: place does not remain silent. He does not negotiate or
Speaker 1: look away. With burning zeal. He forms a whip out
Speaker 1: of chords and drives out the merchants and animals. He
Speaker 1: overturns the tables of the money changes and scatters their
Speaker 1: coins across the floor. His voice rises with authority as
Speaker 1: he declares, take these things away, do not make my
Speaker 1: father's house a house of trade. This was not mere anger.
Speaker 1: It was righteous passion, a holy indignation over the corruption
Speaker 1: of worship. The temple was meant to be a place
Speaker 1: of prayer, a place of presence, a place of purity. Instead,
Speaker 1: it had been reduced to a system of religion polluted
Speaker 1: by greed and control. The disciples witnessing this remember the
Speaker 1: words written in the Psalms, zeal for your house will
Speaker 1: consume me. This moment is not only an act of cleansing.
Speaker 1: It is a fulfillment of prophecy and a revelation of identity.
Speaker 1: When confronted by the religious authorities, Jesus is asked to
Speaker 1: provide a sign to justify his actions. He answers with
Speaker 1: a statement layered with mystery and meaning, destroy this temple,
Speaker 1: and in three days I will raise it up. The
Speaker 1: leaders misunderstand, thinking he is speaking of the physical temple
Speaker 1: that had taken forty six years to build. But Jesus
Speaker 1: was speaking of the temple of his body. In this moment,
Speaker 1: Jesus declares a transition from physical structure to spiritual reality.
Speaker 1: No longer would the presence of God be confined to
Speaker 1: stone and gold. In him, the fullness of God dwelled bodily.
Speaker 1: He was the true Temple, and through his death and
Speaker 1: resurrection he would become the access point for all humanity
Speaker 1: to encounter the Father. His resurrection would not only confirm
Speaker 1: his authority, it would establish a new temple, made not
Speaker 1: by human hands but by divine power. This confrontation at
Speaker 1: the Temple reveals key truths for every believer. First, Jesus
Speaker 1: is deeply concerned with the purity of will worship. He
Speaker 1: does not tolerate a faith that is polluted by self interest, manipulation,
Speaker 1: or exploitation. He calls for reverence, not performance, for sacrifice,
Speaker 1: not commerce, for truth, not appearances. Second, he reminds us
Speaker 1: that zeal for God's house is not just about buildings,
Speaker 1: it is about hearts. In the New Covenant, we are
Speaker 1: the temple of the Holy Spirit. Our bodies, our lives,
Speaker 1: our inner lives are now the dwelling place of God.
Speaker 1: So the question is no longer only about what happens
Speaker 1: in a sanctuary. It is about what happens within us?
Speaker 1: Have we allowed distraction, sin, or compromise to set up
Speaker 1: tables in the courts of our hearts. Third, jesus words
Speaker 1: about the temple point to the Cross and the Resurrection.
Speaker 1: The ultimate act of purification would not be the driving
Speaker 1: out of merchants, but the laying down of his life.
Speaker 1: He would allow his own body, the true temple, to
Speaker 1: be destroyed, so that through him all might be raised
Speaker 1: to new life. The Cross is the ultimate cleansing. The
Speaker 1: Resurrection is the ultimate rebuilding. When Jesus cleans the temple,
Speaker 1: he was doing more than purging corruption. He was prophesying
Speaker 1: a new era, one where worship would be in spirit
Speaker 1: and in truth, one where access to God would be
Speaker 1: through the blood of the lamb, not the blood of goats,
Speaker 1: One where every believer becomes a living temple, carrying the
Speaker 1: presence and power of God wherever they go. There are
Speaker 1: temples in our lives that need to be purified, tables
Speaker 1: that need to be overturned. In far too many hearts,
Speaker 1: distractions and compromises have taken the place of prayer and intimacy.
Speaker 1: But the same Jesus who walked into the temple that
Speaker 1: day still walks into our hearts to day, and when
Speaker 1: he comes, he doesn't come to destroy, but to restore.
Speaker 1: His zeal still burns not with condemnation, but with a
Speaker 1: love so fierce it refuses to leave us the way
Speaker 1: we are. A love that purifies, a love that calls
Speaker 1: us back to the altar, a love that re establishes
Speaker 1: what is sacred within us. This is the kind of
Speaker 1: cleansing that brings life. It opens every room, every corner,
Speaker 1: every hidden place, and says, Lord, purify me. Because when
Speaker 1: Jesus cleanses, he also rebuilds. When he confronts, he also comforts,
Speaker 1: And when he purifies, his glory fills the house. The
Speaker 1: disciples remembered what was written, zeal for your house will
Speaker 1: consume me. May we remember it too, and may our
Speaker 1: lives be consumed not by the noise of religion, but
Speaker 1: by the living presence of God within us. This is
Speaker 1: what happens when we let him in. He overturns what's comfortable,
Speaker 1: he clears out what's cluttered, and he restores what's holy.
Speaker 1: Because when Jesus enters, everything changes, and the temple becomes
Speaker 1: holy once again. Lesson six, You must be born again.
Speaker 1: The mystery of the spirit text Gospel of John chapter three,
Speaker 1: verses one through twenty one. There was a man among
Speaker 1: the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews, a
Speaker 1: respected teacher of Israel. He had knowledge of the scriptures,
Speaker 1: influence among his peers, and religious prestige. But still something
Speaker 1: was missing. So under the cover of night, when the
Speaker 1: streets were quiet and the city asleep, Nicodemus came searching.
Speaker 1: He was drawn not by tradition, but by a stirring
Speaker 1: in his soul. His heart was hungry, and he knew
Speaker 1: that all his religious accomplishments had not brought him the
Speaker 1: life his spirit longed for. He approached Jesus with respect,
Speaker 1: calling him a teacher sent from God. He admitted that
Speaker 1: the miracles confirmed divine presence. But Jesus did not entertain flattery.
Speaker 1: He did not begin with pleasantries. Instead, he pierced through
Speaker 1: appearances and spoke the one truth Nicodemus had never encountered
Speaker 1: in all his study. Unless one is born again, he
Speaker 1: cannot see the Kingdom of God. These words landed like thunder.
Speaker 1: Not advice, not suggestion, not an optional upgrade to a
Speaker 1: better spiritual life. This was a necessity. Unless you are
Speaker 1: born again, you cannot even see, much less enter the kingdom.
Speaker 1: Not by religion, not by ancestry, not by moral effort,
Speaker 1: only by rebirth. Nicodemus, anchored in the natural, struggled to
Speaker 1: comprehend How can a grown man be born a second time?
Speaker 1: Can he re enter his mother's womb? He was a
Speaker 1: teacher of the law, yet unfamiliar with the reality of
Speaker 1: the spirit. Jesus pressed further. Unless one is born of
Speaker 1: water and of the spirit, he cannot enter the Kingdom
Speaker 1: of God. That which is born of flesh is flesh.
Speaker 1: That which is born of spirit is spirit. Here Jesus
Speaker 1: unveiled the invisible work of the Holy Spirit. The first
Speaker 1: birth brings natural life, but the second birth, the spiritual birth,
Speaker 1: brings eternal life. You are not saved by human effort
Speaker 1: or intellectual understanding. You are reborn by divine power, a
Speaker 1: miracle of grace that no religion can manufacture. Can you
Speaker 1: feel the weight of that truth? Have you ever wondered
Speaker 1: why religion without encounter always leaves us dry, Why rituals
Speaker 1: never quite satisfy the ache inside? It is because the
Speaker 1: Kingdom of God is not accessed by behavior. It is
Speaker 1: entered by rebirth. Jesus used a metaphor to explain it.
Speaker 1: The wind blows wherever it wants. You hear it, but
Speaker 1: you cannot control it or predict it. So it is
Speaker 1: with everyone born of the spirit. The same Greek word
Speaker 1: is used for both wind and spirit. This was not coincidence,
Speaker 1: It was revelation. The spirit moves from freely. He cannot
Speaker 1: be boxed in by human expectations or systems. He awakens
Speaker 1: the heart. He breathes life where there was only death.
Speaker 1: He brings resurrection to the soul. Nicodemus, still unable to
Speaker 1: wrap his mind around it, asked, how can these things be?
Speaker 1: Jesus responded with gentle but pointed correction, You are a
Speaker 1: teacher of Israel, and you do not understand these things.
Speaker 1: If you cannot grasp earthly truths, how will you understand
Speaker 1: heavenly ones? Then, like light breaking through dawn, Jesus spoke
Speaker 1: the most famous words in all of Scripture, Words that
Speaker 1: have crossed continents, generations, and languages, Words that pierce both
Speaker 1: sinner and saint, words that summarize the entire Gospel in
Speaker 1: one divine sentence. For God so loved the world, that
Speaker 1: he gave his only begotten son, that whoever believes in
Speaker 1: him shall not perish, but have eternal life. This is
Speaker 1: the heart of everything. God did not send his son
Speaker 1: to condemn them the world, but to save it. The
Speaker 1: mission of Jesus was driven by divine love, and the
Speaker 1: means of receiving that love is not by earning. It
Speaker 1: is by believing. Faith is the doorway, the new birth
Speaker 1: is the beginning. Grace is the atmosphere. But Jesus also
Speaker 1: reveals a dividing line. The light has come into the world,
Speaker 1: yet many still choose the darkness. Why because their deeds
Speaker 1: are evil and they fear being exposed. The problem is
Speaker 1: not the brightness of the light. The problem is the
Speaker 1: comfort of the shadows. But those who walk in truth
Speaker 1: come into the light. They do not run from it.
Speaker 1: They run toward it because in the light they are
Speaker 1: not condemned. They are transformed. To be born again is
Speaker 1: not a tweak in behavior. It is a transformation of being.
Speaker 1: You are not simply improved, You are recreated. You are
Speaker 1: raised from the dead. The spirit takes up residence. The
Speaker 1: old has passed, the new has come. This isn't just
Speaker 1: a story about Nicodemus. It's a divine invitation for today.
Speaker 1: Many still come to Jesus like he did, Curious, respectful,
Speaker 1: even religious, but unchanged. They admire him, but stay in
Speaker 1: the shadows. Yet Jesus is still saying you must be
Speaker 1: born again, not improved, not polished, not more disciplined, born again.
Speaker 1: This isn't a call to try harder. It's a call
Speaker 1: to surrender, to stop striving, to stop pretending, and to
Speaker 1: let the Spirit do what only he can do, make
Speaker 1: you new. There's a gentle whisper from the Spirit even now,
Speaker 1: calling you out of the shadows, inviting you into the light,
Speaker 1: not to shame you, but to give you life. To
Speaker 1: believe in the sun, to receive the spirit, to be reborn,
Speaker 1: not just in theology, but in reality, because that's where
Speaker 1: true life begins. Eternal life, spirit life. Lesson seven the
Speaker 1: Samaritan Woman. Jesus breaking Barriers text, Gospel of John, chapter four,
Speaker 1: verses one through forty two. Jesus had left Judea and
Speaker 1: was on his way back to Galilee, but the text
Speaker 1: tells us that he had to pass through Samaria. This
Speaker 1: was not a geographical necessity, It was a divine appointment.
Speaker 1: Most Jews avoided Samaria due to deep rooted prejudice and
Speaker 1: religious conflict, but Jesus was not bound by human traditions
Speaker 1: or social barriers. His mission was not just to Jews,
Speaker 1: but to the whole world, and this moment would reveal
Speaker 1: the radical scope of his grace. He arrived at a
Speaker 1: town called Sychar, near the field that Jacob had given
Speaker 1: to his son Joseph. Tired from his journey, Jesus sat
Speaker 1: by the well around the sixth hour, which would be noon,
Speaker 1: the hottest part of the day, and there a Samaritan
Speaker 1: woman came to draw water. This alone is significant. Women
Speaker 1: usually came early in the morning to go. For her
Speaker 1: to come alone at midday suggests shame and isolation, but Jesus,
Speaker 1: knowing everything about her, was waiting. He spoke, first, give
Speaker 1: me a drink. It was not just a request, it
Speaker 1: was a breakthrough. Jews did not speak to Samaritans, men
Speaker 1: did not initiate public conversations with women, and rabbis never
Speaker 1: associated with those considered morally compromised. But Jesus broke every
Speaker 1: barrier with one simple sentence. The woman was surprised, how
Speaker 1: is it that you a Jew? Ask me a Samaritan
Speaker 1: woman for a drink. Jesus responded, not with condemnation, but
Speaker 1: with invitation. If you knew the gift of God and
Speaker 1: who is asking you for a drink, you would have
Speaker 1: asked him and he would have given you living water.
Speaker 1: She misunderstood at first, thinking he was talking about physical water,
Speaker 1: but Jesus was pointing to something far deeper. Everyone who
Speaker 1: drinks from this well will thirk again, he said. But
Speaker 1: whoever drinks the water I give will never thirst. The
Speaker 1: water I give will become in them a spring of
Speaker 1: water welling up to eternal life. She asked for that water,
Speaker 1: but before giving it, Jesus addressed her heart. Go call
Speaker 1: your husband. I have no husband, she replied. Jesus said,
Speaker 1: you are right. You have had five husbands, and the
Speaker 1: man you are now with is not your husband. What
Speaker 1: you have said is true. She was exposed, not to
Speaker 1: shame her, but to heal her. Jesus revealed her past,
Speaker 1: not to condemn her, but to show that he knew
Speaker 1: her fully and still loved her completely. Sir, I see
Speaker 1: you are a prophet, she said. Then she shifted the
Speaker 1: conversation to worship. Where should it happen on this mountain
Speaker 1: or in Jerusalem. Jesus answered that the hour was coming,
Speaker 1: and now is when true worshippers will worship the Father
Speaker 1: in spirit and in truth. Worship is not about location,
Speaker 1: It is about the heart. It is not bound to
Speaker 1: be buildings or mountains, but birthed from within by the
Speaker 1: spirit of God. Then she said, I know that the
Speaker 1: Messiah is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything
Speaker 1: to us. Jesus replied with stunning clarity, I who speak
Speaker 1: to you am he. She had come for water but
Speaker 1: found the living Word. She came with a jar, but
Speaker 1: left with a mission. She ran back to the town,
Speaker 1: leaving her water jar behind, and said to the people,
Speaker 1: come see a man who told me everything I ever did.
Speaker 1: Could this be the Messiah? Because of her testimony, many
Speaker 1: in the town believed. Later they heard Jesus for themselves
Speaker 1: and declared, now we believe not just because of what
Speaker 1: you said, but because we have heard him ourselves. We
Speaker 1: know that this man is truly the savior of the world.
Speaker 1: This moment teaches us that Jesus meets us right where
Speaker 1: we are, in our broken places, our hidden shame, and
Speaker 1: our deepest thirst. He doesn't wait for us to have
Speaker 1: it all together. He comes to us, offers living water,
Speaker 1: speaks truth in love, and begins the work of transformation
Speaker 1: from the inside out. He crossed every line religious, social, ethnic,
Speaker 1: and moral to reach one woman the world had rejected,
Speaker 1: and through her an entire town heard the good news.
Speaker 1: There is no place too shameful for him to enter.
Speaker 1: He already knows the full story. And still he waits
Speaker 1: at your well with grace in his eyes. And there
Speaker 1: is no person too far gone. The same Jesus who
Speaker 1: pursued the Samaritan woman is still pursuing the outcast, the forgotten,
Speaker 1: and the sinner. To day, true worship isn't confined to
Speaker 1: a location. It flows from revelation. It's not about geography.
Speaker 1: It's about relationship. It's not about the temple. It's about
Speaker 1: the truth. When you've tasted the living water, everything changes,
Speaker 1: and encounter with Jesus becomes more than personal. It becomes
Speaker 1: a testimony that overflows into the lives of others, because
Speaker 1: one moment with Christ can turn your past into purpose,
Speaker 1: your shame into a story of redemption. And when you
Speaker 1: truly know who He is, you can't help but tell
Speaker 1: the world Jesus is still sitting by the wells of
Speaker 1: the broken, offering living water to thirsty hearts. Lesson eight
Speaker 1: the healing of the official's son. Faith that trusts without
Speaker 1: seeing Gospel of John chapter four, Verses forty three through
Speaker 1: fifty four. After spending two days among the Samaritans, where
Speaker 1: many came to believe in him through the testimony of
Speaker 1: a woman most would have dismissed, Jesus returned to Galilee.
Speaker 1: Galilee was familiar territory, it was his home. Yet even
Speaker 1: as he journeyed back, Jesus made a statement loaded with
Speaker 1: prophetic weight. A prophet has no honor in his own country.
Speaker 1: These words, spoken not with resentment but with insight, reveal
Speaker 1: a powerful truth. Familiarity can breed resistance, and proximity to
Speaker 1: greatness does not always produce faith. Still, when he arrived,
Speaker 1: the Galileans welcomed him. They had seen the miracles he
Speaker 1: performed during the feast in Jerusalem, and their curiosity was stirred.
Speaker 1: But Jesus was not looking for fans. He was looking
Speaker 1: for followers, not for crowds chasing signs, but for hearts
Speaker 1: that would trust him even when signs were not seen.
Speaker 1: And then into this moment stepped a man carrying both
Speaker 1: desperation and hope. He was a royal official, a man
Speaker 1: of position and influence, stationed in Capernium. His son was dying.
Speaker 1: No rank, no wealth, no authority could stop the slow
Speaker 1: decline of the child he loved. But then he heard
Speaker 1: that Jesus was back in Cana. Something stirred within him,
Speaker 1: a mixture of desperation and a fragile spark of faith.
Speaker 1: He made the journey nearly twenty miles uphill from Capernium
Speaker 1: to Cana. This was not a casual trip. This was
Speaker 1: a mission driven by love, moved by desperation, anchored in
Speaker 1: the hope that maybe, just maybe, this Jesus could do
Speaker 1: what no one else could. When he found Jesus, he
Speaker 1: did not make a speech. He begged. He pleaded, please
Speaker 1: come down and heal my son. He is close to death.
Speaker 1: This was the cry of a father's heart, raw, honest, undignified.
Speaker 1: He was not standing on status, now he was standing
Speaker 1: on need. Jesus looked at him and said something unexpected.
Speaker 1: Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will never believe.
Speaker 1: It sounds like a rebuke, but it was in truth
Speaker 1: an invitation, an invitation to deeper faith. Jesus was calling
Speaker 1: this man out of a shallow, signed dependent belief and
Speaker 1: into the kind of trust that walks in the dark
Speaker 1: with nothing but a word. The official did not argue.
Speaker 1: He simply repair his plea, sir, please come down before
Speaker 1: my child dies, and Jesus answered with just a sentence, go,
Speaker 1: your son will live. There was no touch, no physical confirmation,
Speaker 1: no visual proof, just a word spoken into the air.
Speaker 1: And here lies the moment that changed everything. The man
Speaker 1: believed the word that Jesus spoke and departed. Think about that.
Speaker 1: He turned around and walked back home for nearly twenty
Speaker 1: miles without any guarantee but the words he had just heard.
Speaker 1: He did not ask for a sign, He did not
Speaker 1: demand confirmation. He walked based on a promise. That is
Speaker 1: what faith looks like. Faith is not loud. It is
Speaker 1: not always emotional. Sometimes it is the quiet resolve to
Speaker 1: keep walking when you do not see the answer, when
Speaker 1: the outcome is uncertain, when your heart is still breaking,
Speaker 1: but you hold on to what he said on the
Speaker 1: road back. Before he even reached home, his servants came
Speaker 1: running to meet him. The boy was alive. He asked
Speaker 1: them the hour when the fever broke, and they told
Speaker 1: him yesterday, at the seventh hour, the very moment Jesus
Speaker 1: said the words, that was when the miracle happened. Not
Speaker 1: when the man arrived home, not when he saw it
Speaker 1: with his eyes, But when Jesus spoke, His word traveled
Speaker 1: faster than human feet. His authority transcended geography and time.
Speaker 1: Healing had already begun while the father was still on
Speaker 1: the journey. And here is where faith becomes contagious. The
Speaker 1: man believed, and now his entire household believed. The miracle
Speaker 1: was not just physical, it was spiritual. Faith had multiplied,
Speaker 1: revelation had come, transformation had begun. So what does this
Speaker 1: mean for you and me? Some of us have been
Speaker 1: walking with only a word, clinging to a promise without
Speaker 1: visible proof, and this story reminds us keep walking. The
Speaker 1: miracle may have already begun, even if we haven't seen
Speaker 1: it yet. Jesus still speaks, his word, still heals, and
Speaker 1: true faith holds on even when nothing around us seems
Speaker 1: to change. The royal official shows us what real trust
Speaker 1: looks like. Faith doesn't wait for confirmation, Faith moves, faith obeys,
Speaker 1: Faith walks back home with peace in the heart. And hope.
Speaker 1: In every step. There are words Jesus has spoken over
Speaker 1: your life, your family, your future. There are journeys. You're
Speaker 1: still walking out with nothing but a promise in your hands.
Speaker 1: But let this truth take root. When Jesus speaks, it
Speaker 1: is done, even if your eyes haven't seen it yet,
Speaker 1: even if your hands haven't touched it, even if your
Speaker 1: heart is still waiting to rejoice. If he said it,
Speaker 1: it will be. The question has never been whether Jesus
Speaker 1: will move. The question is whether we'll keep walking until
Speaker 1: his word meets us on the road. So today, don't
Speaker 1: wait for visible proof, walk with invisible faith. Take him
Speaker 1: at his word, step forward on the path he's laid
Speaker 1: before you, and trust deeply that the miracle is already unfolding,
Speaker 1: because this is the kind of faith that moves heaven
Speaker 1: and heals what is broken. And sometimes the greatest miracles
Speaker 1: are the ones that begin the moment you believe. Lessen nine,
Speaker 1: the paralytic at the pool, Do you want to be healed? Text?
Speaker 1: Gospel of John chapter five, verses one through eighteen. There
Speaker 1: was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up
Speaker 1: to Jerusalem near the sheep Gate. There was a pool
Speaker 1: called Bethesda, which means house of mercy. Around this pool,
Speaker 1: under five covered colonnades, lay a multitude of sick, blind, lame,
Speaker 1: and paralyzed people, all waiting for the stirring of the water.
Speaker 1: Tradition held that at certain times, an angel would descend
Speaker 1: and stir the water, and the first person to enter
Speaker 1: afterward would be healed. In this crowd of afflicted souls,
Speaker 1: there was one man who had been an invalid for
Speaker 1: thirty eight years. He had waited near the pool, perhaps
Speaker 1: watched many others receive what he longed for, and remained
Speaker 1: stuck in his condition, Whether from lack of help or
Speaker 1: loss of hope, he had not moved. Jesus saw him
Speaker 1: lying there and knew that he had been in that
Speaker 1: condition for a long time. Then came a question that
Speaker 1: seemed almost unnecessary. Do you want to be healed? It
Speaker 1: is a piercing question, one that cuts through excuses, patterns,
Speaker 1: and stagnation. Do you want to be healed? Not simply
Speaker 1: do you wish things were different, not do you believe
Speaker 1: healing exists? But do you want it for yourself enough
Speaker 1: to leave behind what has become normal for you? The
Speaker 1: man did not respond with a yes. Instead, he explained
Speaker 1: why it had not happened. I have no one to
Speaker 1: help me into the pool. When the water is stirred.
Speaker 1: While I am trying to get in, someone else goes
Speaker 1: down ahead of me. His answer so was not rebellion
Speaker 1: but resignation. He had grown so used to the reality
Speaker 1: of his limitation that he had begun to define his
Speaker 1: life by it. Like many of us, he had reasons, stories, patterns,
Speaker 1: but Jesus did not engage the excuses. He simply gave
Speaker 1: a command, get up, pick up your mat, and walk.
Speaker 1: Immediately the man was healed. He picked up his mat
Speaker 1: and walked. But this miracle occurred on the Sabbath, and
Speaker 1: that created conflict. The religious leaders saw the man carrying
Speaker 1: his mat and rebuked him for breaking the Sabbath law,
Speaker 1: rather than celebrating the healing. They were offended by the timing.
Speaker 1: They asked who had told him to do this, but
Speaker 1: he did not know. Jesus had slipped away into the crowd. Later,
Speaker 1: Jesus found him in the temple and said, see you
Speaker 1: are well again. Stop sinning, or something worse may happen
Speaker 1: to you. This was not condemnation, It was a deeper healing,
Speaker 1: Jesus addressed not only the man's body, but also his soul,
Speaker 1: because true wholeness includes righteousness, and Jesus had come not
Speaker 1: just to restore limbs, but to redeem lives. The man
Speaker 1: then went back and told the religious leaders that it
Speaker 1: was Jesus who had healed him. From that point on,
Speaker 1: they began to persecute Jesus because he was doing these
Speaker 1: things on the Sabbath, but Jesus answered them, my Father
Speaker 1: is always at his work, and I too am working.
Speaker 1: In that moment, Jesus revealed his divine identity. He did
Speaker 1: not submit to religious timelines. He moved with the rhythm
Speaker 1: of the Father. His authority was not limited by human
Speaker 1: interpretations of the law. He was the Lord of time,
Speaker 1: the Lord of rest, the Lord of healing. This story
Speaker 1: calls us to deep reflection. Some have been lying in
Speaker 1: the same place for far too long, waiting for something
Speaker 1: or someone to change everything. Disappointment has started to shape
Speaker 1: their faith and in Instead of moving forward, they've been
Speaker 1: stuck explaining why things haven't changed. But healing begins the
Speaker 1: moment we respond to Jesus not with excuses, but with surrender.
Speaker 1: When we stop rehearsing our history and start listening for
Speaker 1: his voice, everything shifts. Jesus still walks among the broken.
Speaker 1: He still speaks to the weary and the overlooked, and
Speaker 1: when he says get up, his word carries the power
Speaker 1: to do what we thought was impossible. The paralytic had
Speaker 1: been stuck for thirty eight years, but it took only
Speaker 1: one sentence from Jesus to set him free. This is
Speaker 1: the power of grace. The moment he speaks, healing is possible.
Speaker 1: The moment we respond, the past loses its grip. Let
Speaker 1: this truth settle in your spirit. Jesus is asking not
Speaker 1: to condemn, but to call you into wholeness. Now is
Speaker 1: the time to respond, stand up, take your mat step
Speaker 1: into the new life. He's calling you to live, because
Speaker 1: when Jesus speaks, freedom follows. Lesson ten The Bread of Life,
Speaker 1: Food for Eternity text Gospel of John, chapter six, verses
Speaker 1: one through seventy one. A great crowd was following Jesus.
Speaker 1: They had seen his signs, they had watched him heal
Speaker 1: the sick, and now they followed him to a mountainside,
Speaker 1: hoping to witness more. But Jesus, full of compassion, did
Speaker 1: not send them away. Instead, he turned to his disciples
Speaker 1: with a question that was both practical and prophetic. Where
Speaker 1: shall we buy bread for all these people to eat?
Speaker 1: Philip responded, logically, even two hundred days wages would not
Speaker 1: buy enough bread for each one to have a bite.
Speaker 1: But Andrew, with a glimmer of faith, pointed to a
Speaker 1: boy with five barley loaves and two small fish. What
Speaker 1: is that amongst so many, he asked. Jesus took the
Speaker 1: small offering, gave thanks, broke the loaves, and distributed them
Speaker 1: to the crowd. Over five thousand men were fed, not
Speaker 1: counting women and children, and when every one had eaten
Speaker 1: to the full, twelve baskets of leftovers were gathered. This
Speaker 1: was not just a miracle of provision, It was a
Speaker 1: sign pointing to something greater. The people, amazed by what
Speaker 1: had happened, wanted to make Jesus king by force, but
Speaker 1: Jesus withdrew to a mountain alone. He had not come
Speaker 1: to satisfy temporary cravings. He had come to give eternal life.
Speaker 1: The next day, the crowd followed him again, crossing to
Speaker 1: the other side of the lake, but Jesus did not
Speaker 1: perform another miracle Instead, he confronted their motives. You are
Speaker 1: looking for me not because you saw the signs, but
Speaker 1: because you ate the loaves and had your fill. Do
Speaker 1: not work for food that spoils, but for food that
Speaker 1: endures to eternal life. They asked him what they must
Speaker 1: do to do the works God requires. Jesus answered, the
Speaker 1: work of God is this to believe in the one
Speaker 1: he has said. Then came one of the most profound
Speaker 1: declarations in all of Scripture. I am the bread of life.
Speaker 1: Whoever comes to me will never go hungry. Whoever believes
Speaker 1: in me will never be thirsty. Your ancestors ate manner
Speaker 1: in the wilderness and died. But here is the bread
Speaker 1: that comes down from Heaven, which one may eat and
Speaker 1: not die. Jesus was making a bold claim. He was
Speaker 1: not simply a provider of bread. He was the bread.
Speaker 1: He was not just the one who multiplied food. He
Speaker 1: himself was the food that gives eternal life. And this
Speaker 1: is where many began to struggle. Unless you eat the
Speaker 1: flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood,
Speaker 1: you have no life in you. The crowd recoiled. The
Speaker 1: teaching was too hard, too strange, too offensive. How could
Speaker 1: this man give his flesh to eat. But Jesus did
Speaker 1: not soften the message. He pressed further. My flesh is
Speaker 1: real food, my blood is real. Whoever eats my flesh
Speaker 1: and drinks my blood remains in me and I in them.
Speaker 1: Here Jesus was speaking not of literal cannibalism, but of
Speaker 1: complete spiritual union. He was pointing to the Cross, to
Speaker 1: the sacrificial giving of his body and blood, to the
Speaker 1: mystery of salvation that would come through his suffering. It
Speaker 1: was an invitation not to admire him from a distance,
Speaker 1: but to participate in his very life. At this many
Speaker 1: of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him.
Speaker 1: Jesus then turned to the twelve and asked, do you
Speaker 1: also want to go away? Simon Peter answered with words
Speaker 1: that still resound in the hearts of true believers. Lord,
Speaker 1: to whom shall we go? You have the words of
Speaker 1: eternal life. We have come to believe and to know
Speaker 1: that you are the Holy One of God. This moment
Speaker 1: draws the line between shallow admiration and deep devotion. It
Speaker 1: separates those who seek God for what he gives from
Speaker 1: those who follow him for who he is. True faith
Speaker 1: holds on even when the teaching is hard. True disciples
Speaker 1: stay even when the words stretch the mind and challenge
Speaker 1: the flesh. The bread of life is not always easy
Speaker 1: to receive, but it nourishes the soul for eternity. Jesus
Speaker 1: never came to fill stomachs alone. He came to fill spirits.
Speaker 1: He offers himself not just as a miracle worker, but
Speaker 1: as our very sustenance. Following him means feeding on his truth,
Speaker 1: abiding in his presence, and drawing life from him every
Speaker 1: single day. There are many who admire the miracles, but
Speaker 1: the ones who endure are those who embrace the message.
Speaker 1: Some seek his hand, others seek his heart. And while
Speaker 1: many walk away when the message becomes uncomfortable, those who
Speaker 1: truly know him echo Peter's words. There is nowhere else
Speaker 1: to go. He alone has the words of eternal life.
Speaker 1: Jesus is not just the one who multiplies bread. He
Speaker 1: is the bread, the source of life, the food that
Speaker 1: satisfies beyond this world, the savior who invites us into
Speaker 1: deep daily communion with himself. Eat of this bread and
Speaker 1: you will live forever lessen eleven living water in the Temple.
Speaker 1: The Cry of Jesus text Gospel of John Chapter seven,
Speaker 1: Verses thirty seven through thirty nine. It was the final
Speaker 1: and greatest day of the Feast of Tabernacles. Crowds had
Speaker 1: gathered in Jerusalem, Pilgrims filled the temple courts. The atmosphere
Speaker 1: was rich with symbolism, with rituals re enacting the days
Speaker 1: when God provided water from the rock during Israel's wilderness journey.
Speaker 1: Each day of the feast, priests would draw water from
Speaker 1: the pool of Siloam, carry it in golden vessels, and
Speaker 1: pour it out at the altar, symbolizing thanksgiving for God's
Speaker 1: provision and the hope for future rain and spiritual renewal.
Speaker 1: On this final day, Jesus stood and cried out in
Speaker 1: a loud voice, interrupting the ceremony with divine urgency. His
Speaker 1: words pierced through tradition and liturgy. If anyone is thirsty,
Speaker 1: let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me,
Speaker 1: As Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow
Speaker 1: from within them. This was not a whisper, It was
Speaker 1: a bold proclamation. In the middle of sacred rituals, Jesus
Speaker 1: redirected the attention from the symbol to the substance He
Speaker 1: declared that the living water long hoped for was not
Speaker 1: a distant promise. It was present, It was personal, It
Speaker 1: was him. The gospel writer explains this mystery clearly. By this,
Speaker 1: Jesus meant the spirit whom those who believed in him
Speaker 1: would later receive. At that moment, the spirit had not
Speaker 1: yet been given, because Jesus had not yet been glorified.
Speaker 1: Here the connection is powerful. Jesus links thirst, faith and
Speaker 1: the coming of the Holy Spirit. He describes the spirit
Speaker 1: not as a drop, but as rivers, not as a
Speaker 1: stagnant pond, but as a flowing stream. The life of
Speaker 1: the Spirit is not meant to be contained. It is
Speaker 1: meant to move, to refresh, to overflow. This message was revolutionary.
Speaker 1: It meant that access to God's presence was not limited
Speaker 1: to the temple rituals. It was not locked behind priests
Speaker 1: and sacrifices. It was going to dwell within believers. It
Speaker 1: was an invitation to move from religion to relationship, from
Speaker 1: performance to presence. But notice the condition. If anyone is thirsty,
Speaker 1: this is the starting point. Not knowledge, not heritage, not perfection,
Speaker 1: but thirst. A heart that knows it needs more, a
Speaker 1: soul that longs for what the world cannot give. Are
Speaker 1: you thirsty, not just busy, not just religious, but truly thirsty.
Speaker 1: Jesus does not promise living water to the indifferent, promises
Speaker 1: it to the desperate, to the ones who are tired
Speaker 1: of going through the motions, to the ones who realize
Speaker 1: that without Him, they are dry wells. And the result
Speaker 1: of drinking is not just personal satisfaction, It is transformation.
Speaker 1: The living water becomes rivers flowing from within. Others will
Speaker 1: be refreshed through the overflow of your encounter with Christ.
Speaker 1: Your life becomes a stream of grace, of truth, of
Speaker 1: spirit filled influence. But many believers live like broken cisterns,
Speaker 1: cisterns that hold no water, cracked by sin, shame, and
Speaker 1: self reliance. They carry the name of Christ, but lack
Speaker 1: the flow of the spirit. Their walk is dry, their
Speaker 1: prayers are weak, their witness is silent, not because the
Speaker 1: source is empty, but because they have not truly come
Speaker 1: to drink. The invitation of Jesus is still open today.
Speaker 1: Come to me and drink. Do not just come to church,
Speaker 1: Do not just come to religion. Come to me, believe
Speaker 1: in Me, and rivers will flow from within you. This
Speaker 1: was not poetic metaphor. It was prophecy, a promise. After
Speaker 1: Jesus was glorified, after the Cross, the Resurrection, and the ascension,
Speaker 1: he poured out the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, and from
Speaker 1: that moment on those who believed were filled with living water.
Speaker 1: To day, the spirit is still available to every thirsty heart.
Speaker 1: You don't have to beg just believe, you don't have
Speaker 1: to perform, just come. The river is still flowing, the
Speaker 1: invitation is still open. Some are living like rivers, others
Speaker 1: merely surviving like dry cisterns. Some are letting the spirit overflow.
Speaker 1: Others have settled for a trickle. But the cry of
Speaker 1: Jesus still rings through our generation. If you are thirsty,
Speaker 1: come to me and drink. This is more than refreshment,
Speaker 1: its transformation. It's not just about receiving, it's about be
Speaker 1: coming a fountain of life for others. The feast has ended,
Speaker 1: the rituals have faded, but the river still flows, and
Speaker 1: Jesus still stands, arms open, calling the thirsty to himself
Speaker 1: Lesson twelve, the adulterous woman Grace that disarmed stones. Gospel
Speaker 1: of John chapter eight, verses one through eleven. It was
Speaker 1: early in the morning, and the temple courts were already alive,
Speaker 1: with people gathering around Jesus. He had returned to teach,
Speaker 1: and the crowd leaned in to hear the words that
Speaker 1: carried authority, compassion, and truth, unlike anything they had ever known.
Speaker 1: But then something disruptive shattered the moment. A group of
Speaker 1: scribes and pharisees forced their way through the gathering. With
Speaker 1: them was a woman, frightened, disheveled, trembling. She had been
Speaker 1: caught in the very act of adultery. She was dragged
Speaker 1: not in private, but into the middle of the crowd,
Speaker 1: into the center of shame. They threw her down before
Speaker 1: Jesus and made her sin public. They spoke loudly, but
Speaker 1: they were not seeking righteousness. Their voices were filled with arrogance,
Speaker 1: not justice. Teacher, They said, this woman was caught in
Speaker 1: the act of adultery. The law of Moses commands that
Speaker 1: such women bestoned. What do you say? This was not
Speaker 1: about the woman. It was a trap. They wanted to
Speaker 1: ensnare Jesus in a legal dilemma. If he upheld the stoning,
Speaker 1: he would be in conflict with Roman law, which reserved
Speaker 1: capital punishment for the state if he opposed it, he
Speaker 1: could be accused of rejecting the Mosaic law. They had
Speaker 1: set the perfect trap, or so they thought. But Jesus
Speaker 1: did not immediately answer. He did not rise to meet
Speaker 1: their aggression. He stooped down, silent and began to write
Speaker 1: with his finger on the ground. What did he write?
Speaker 1: The scriptures do not say. Was it a list of sins?
Speaker 1: Was it the names of those present? Was it a
Speaker 1: reminder of the law they claimed to uphold but did
Speaker 1: not fulfill in mercy. Whatever it was, it caused the
Speaker 1: moment to shift. The accusers grew impatient. They pressed him further,
Speaker 1: and then Jesus stood. His words cut through the tension,
Speaker 1: like lightning through a dark sky. Let the one among
Speaker 1: you who is without sin cast the first stone. Then
Speaker 1: he stooped again and wrote. The effect was immediate, no arguing,
Speaker 1: no shouting, just silence and the sound of stones dropping
Speaker 1: to the ground. From the oldest to the youngest they
Speaker 1: began to leave. Why the oldest first, Perhaps because the
Speaker 1: longer one lives, the more aware they become of their
Speaker 1: own brokenness. The longer we walk through life, the more
Speaker 1: we realize that we too are in need of mercy.
Speaker 1: In moments, the crowd was gone, the accusers had vanished.
Speaker 1: The woman, who moments before was surrounded by voices of judgment,
Speaker 1: now stood alone with Jesus. He lifted his gaze. Woman,
Speaker 1: where are your accusers? Has no one condemned you? No one, Lord?
Speaker 1: She replied, Then neither do I condemn you. Go now
Speaker 1: and sin no more. That sentence holds the essence of
Speaker 1: the gospel. Jesus did not excuse the sin, but neither
Speaker 1: did he crush the sinner. He offered grace and with
Speaker 1: it a command toward transformation. He met her in the dust,
Speaker 1: but he did not leave her there. Grace does not
Speaker 1: say stay where you are. Grace says you are free.
Speaker 1: Now rise and live differently. This moment reveals something crucial
Speaker 1: about the character of Christ. He was the only one
Speaker 1: who had the right to cast a stone, the only
Speaker 1: one without sin. But instead of condemning, he chose compassion.
Speaker 1: Instead of judgment, He offered justice rapt in mercy. And
Speaker 1: what about us? We often and carry stones too, stones
Speaker 1: of bitterness toward others, stones of self condemnation, stones shaped
Speaker 1: by pride, religion, comparison, or unforgiveness. Many stand in the
Speaker 1: crowd eager to expose someone else's sin while ignoring their own.
Speaker 1: Others like the woman, stand silently, caught exposed and desperately
Speaker 1: hoping for a way out. But Jesus invites all of
Speaker 1: us to come face to face with grace, to drop
Speaker 1: the stones, to release the weapons we use to judge
Speaker 1: control or shame, and to meet him at the intersection
Speaker 1: of truth and love. There's a place in every heart
Speaker 1: where failure has taken root, and it's right there, at
Speaker 1: our lowest point, that Jesus shows up, not to bury
Speaker 1: us under guilt, but to raise us with grace. His
Speaker 1: words still speak today. Neither do I condemn you, Go
Speaker 1: and sin no more, not because we are perfect, but
Speaker 1: because we've been made new, not to earn mercy, but
Speaker 1: because mercy has already found us. This kind of grace
Speaker 1: is scandalous. It offends legalism, It confounds the self righteous,
Speaker 1: but it transforms the humble, It frees the bound, it
Speaker 1: restores the broken, And that same grace is still being
Speaker 1: offered right now. You don't have to carry the stone,
Speaker 1: you don't have to hide behind rules, you don't have
Speaker 1: to stay buried in shame. The grace that disarmed the
Speaker 1: crowd is the same grace that disarms the shame within
Speaker 1: you and sets you free to walk in newness of life.
Speaker 1: Lesson thirteen. The man born blind so that the glory
Speaker 1: of God might be revealed text Gospel of John chapter nine.
Speaker 1: As Jesus passed by, he saw a man who had
Speaker 1: been blind from birth. The disciples, shaped by the thinking
Speaker 1: of their time, asked a question rooted in assumption. Who
Speaker 1: sinned this man or his parents that he was born blind?
Speaker 1: But Jesus turned their prospective upside down. Neither this man
Speaker 1: nor his parents sinned, said Jesus. This happened so that
Speaker 1: the works of God might be displayed in him. In
Speaker 1: one sentence, Jesus reframed the meaning of suffering. Not all
Speaker 1: pain is punishment. Some pain is the preparation for glory.
Speaker 1: Some wounds exist so that God may write his power
Speaker 1: and mercy into the story. Then Jesus did something unexpected.
Speaker 1: He spit on the ground, made mud with his saliva,
Speaker 1: and placed it on the man's eyes. Go, he said,
Speaker 1: wash in the pool of siloam, and the man obeyed.
Speaker 1: When he washed, he came back, seeing this was not
Speaker 1: just a miracle of healing, It was a reenactment of creation.
Speaker 1: The same God who formed Adam from the dust now
Speaker 1: used the same elements earth and water to restore what
Speaker 1: had never functioned before, not healing what was lost, but
Speaker 1: creating what never was. But the miracle did not end there.
Speaker 1: When the man returned, now with sight, he faced new opposition.
Speaker 1: His neighbors did not believe it was truly him. The
Speaker 1: Pharisees launched an investigation. They called his parents, They questioned
Speaker 1: his testimony. They tried to discredit both the miracle and
Speaker 1: the man who performed it. Instead of rejoicing, they resisted.
Speaker 1: Why because Jesus healed on the Sabbath. Their system was
Speaker 1: threatened by compassion. Their tradition was confronted by truth. They
Speaker 1: could not see the miracle because they were blinded by religion.
Speaker 1: But the man who had been blind did not retreat.
Speaker 1: He stood his ground. He did not have theological training,
Speaker 1: but he had a testimony. One thing I do know.
Speaker 1: I was blind, But now I see. This man's journey
Speaker 1: became more than physical healing. It was a path from
Speaker 1: blindness to boldness, from beggar to believer, from excluded to empowered.
Speaker 1: And when he was cast out by the religious leaders.
Speaker 1: Jesus found him again. Do you believe in the Son
Speaker 1: of Man? Jesus asked, who is he, sir? The man
Speaker 1: replied that I may believe in him. You have now
Speaker 1: seen him. In fact, he is the one speaking with you.
Speaker 1: Then the man said, Lord, I believe, and he worshiped him.
Speaker 1: This is the full circle of the miracle. Physical sight
Speaker 1: led to spiritual revelation, healing led to worship. The man
Speaker 1: born blind became a witness of the light, not only
Speaker 1: through restored vision, but through renewed faith. This story teaches
Speaker 1: us that suffering is not always the result of sin.
Speaker 1: Sometimes it is the setting for glory. What people label
Speaker 1: as punishment, Heaven sees as potential, what others call a defect,
Speaker 1: God calls a display. Your story might include brokenness, pain, silence,
Speaker 1: But in the hands of Jesus, even blindness becomes a
Speaker 1: canvas for divine power. Have you ever asked why me?
Speaker 1: Why this? Why now? What? If? The better question is
Speaker 1: how will God be glorified through this? Because when Jesus
Speaker 1: steps into your situation, the thing that defined your past
Speaker 1: becomes the platform for your testimony. Your weakness becomes a
Speaker 1: window for His strength. Your pain becomes a pulpit for
Speaker 1: his grace. And even when others reject you, misunderstand you,
Speaker 1: or question your transformation, Jesus will find you again. He
Speaker 1: always returns to those whose hearts are open to believe.
Speaker 1: This is the invitation. Trust him even when you do
Speaker 1: not understand the process, Obey him even when it seems strange,
Speaker 1: and worship him when the miracle is complete. Because every healing,
Speaker 1: every breakthrough, and every moment of divine intervention ultimately points
Speaker 1: to this truth. It is not about our worthiness, It
Speaker 1: is about His glory. Lesson fourteen. The Good Shepherd, the
Speaker 1: Voice that calls and protects text Gospel of John chapter ten.
Speaker 1: Jesus stood before the people and declared a truth that
Speaker 1: would echo throughout eternity. He said that he is the
Speaker 1: good Shepherd. In a world full of noise, deception, and
Speaker 1: spiritual confusion, he offered a voice, clear, personal, and full
Speaker 1: of life. In this powerful passage, Jesus speaks to a
Speaker 1: culture that understood shepherds, flocks and pastures, but his words
Speaker 1: pointed to something much deeper than agriculture. He was revealing
Speaker 1: the nature of his relationship with his people. He begins
Speaker 1: with a warning, there are thieves and robbers who try
Speaker 1: to enter the sheepfold through another way. These represent false teachers,
Speaker 1: deceptive leaders, and spiritual manipulators. Their goal is not to
Speaker 1: care for the sheep, but to use them, abuse them,
Speaker 1: and ultimately destroy them. But Jesus enters by the gate,
Speaker 1: the gatekeeper opens for him, and the sheep recognize his voice.
Speaker 1: He calls each one by name and leads them out.
Speaker 1: This detail is not poetic, it is profound. The shepherd
Speaker 1: does not drive the sheep from behind. He walks ahead.
Speaker 1: He does not bark commands. He speaks with tenderness, And
Speaker 1: every sheep he calls he knows personally. He knows your name,
Speaker 1: He knows your fears, your wounds, your questions, and your past.
Speaker 1: He knows the weight you carry and the longing of
Speaker 1: your soul. And still he calls you. The sheep follow
Speaker 1: him because they know his voice. They will not follow
Speaker 1: a stranger. In a time when so many voices compete
Speaker 1: for your attention, this becomes a vital truth. The voice
Speaker 1: you follow determines the direction of your life. Do you
Speaker 1: recognize the voice of the shepherd. Jesus continues by declaring
Speaker 1: not only that he calls, but that he protects. He
Speaker 1: says that the good shepherd lays down his life for
Speaker 1: the sheep. This is not theory, it is prophecy. He
Speaker 1: is pointing to the cross, to the moment when he
Speaker 1: would offer himself not just as a leader, but as
Speaker 1: a sacrifice. The hired hand runs when danger comes. The
Speaker 1: wolf scatters the flock, but Jesus does not run. He stays.
Speaker 1: He stands between you and the enemy. He defends what
Speaker 1: belongs to him with his own blood. That is the
Speaker 1: love of the shepherd. It is not conditional. It is
Speaker 1: not based on your performance. It is rooted in who
Speaker 1: he is, faithful, constant, and sacrificial. He does not flee
Speaker 1: when you fail. He does not leave when you wander.
Speaker 1: He comes after you. He carries you back, and he
Speaker 1: rejoices over your return. Then Jesus makes an astonishing statement.
Speaker 1: He says that he has other sheep who are not
Speaker 1: of this fold. He must bring them also. This is
Speaker 1: a prophecy of inclusion of the Gospel, reaching beyond Israel
Speaker 1: to embrace the nations. The shepherd is gathering one flock
Speaker 1: under one voice. This reveals the mission of Jesus not
Speaker 1: just to protect, but to unify, not just to comfort,
Speaker 1: but to commission. His voice calls across barriers, cultures, languages,
Speaker 1: and generations, and all who respond become part of his flock.
Speaker 1: But there is more. Jesus says that no one takes
Speaker 1: his life from him. He lays it down of his
Speaker 1: own accord, and if he lays it down, he will
Speaker 1: take it up again. This is power wrapped in humility,
Speaker 1: sovereignty dressed in surrender. The shepherd has full authority, not
Speaker 1: only to lead and protect, but to overcome death itself.
Speaker 1: When you belong to this shepherd, fear loses its grip,
Speaker 1: because even in the valley of the shadow of death,
Speaker 1: you shall not fear evil. His rod and his staff
Speaker 1: comfort you. His presence goes before you, his voice reassures you.
Speaker 1: The message becomes deeply personal. Knowing the voice of the
Speaker 1: Shepherd changes everything. There are many voices in the world, loud, demanding, distracting,
Speaker 1: but only one leads to life. Only one brings peace.
Speaker 1: Jesus doesn't just invite belief, He invites belonging. He calls
Speaker 1: his sheep to hear, to follow, and to find rest
Speaker 1: in him. For the wounded, the lost, the confused, and
Speaker 1: the afraid, The good Shepherd never forgets. He knows every name.
Speaker 1: He draws near not to condemn, but to carry, not
Speaker 1: to crush, but to cover with compassion. He laid down
Speaker 1: his life so that we could truly live, and he
Speaker 1: rose again so that no one would ever walk through
Speaker 1: life alone. This isn't just a parable. It's an invitation
Speaker 1: to relationship, a call to come closer, to walk with
Speaker 1: the one who never stops pursuing, never stops protecting, and
Speaker 1: never stops loving. The Shepherd is near, his voice is clear,
Speaker 1: and his arms are open. W died lesson fifteen. The
Speaker 1: Resurrection of Lazarus Power over Death text Gospel of John,
Speaker 1: chapter eleven. In a quiet village called Bethany, a moment
Speaker 1: unfolded that would reveal not only the heart of Jesus,
Speaker 1: but also his absolute authority over life and death. Lazarus,
Speaker 1: a beloved friend of Jesus, had fallen sick. His sisters
Speaker 1: Martha and Mary sent word to Jesus saying that the
Speaker 1: one he loved was ill. They expected him to come immediately.
Speaker 1: They had seen his healing power, they believed in his compassion.
Speaker 1: But Jesus did not come right away. He waited not
Speaker 1: because he did not care, but because there was something
Speaker 1: greater to be revealed. Jesus said plainly that this sickness
Speaker 1: would not end in death, but would be for the
Speaker 1: glory of God, so that the Son of God may
Speaker 1: be glorified through it. But even with those words, Lazarus died,
Speaker 1: and with his death came questions, tears, and heartbreak. When
Speaker 1: Jesus finally arrived, Lazarus had been in the tomb for
Speaker 1: four days. Martha met him with honesty and sorrow. She
Speaker 1: said that if he had been there, her brother would
Speaker 1: not have died. And yet, even in her grief, she
Speaker 1: held on to a fragment of faith. She said she
Speaker 1: knew that whatever he asked, God would do. Jesus responded
Speaker 1: with a declaration that transcends time. He said, I am
Speaker 1: the Resurrection and the life. The one who believes in Me,
Speaker 1: even though he dies, will live, and whoever lives by
Speaker 1: believing in Me will never die. This was not a
Speaker 1: promise for a distant future. It was a present reality.
Speaker 1: Jesus was not just offering comfort. He was offering himself
Speaker 1: as the answer to death. Mary came next, falling at
Speaker 1: his feet with the same pain, the same words, and
Speaker 1: the same tears, and in that moment Jesus was deeply moved.
Speaker 1: He did not stand distant. He wept. The shortest verse
Speaker 1: in scripture is also one of the most profound. Jesus wept.
Speaker 1: The one who knew he would raise the dead still
Speaker 1: allowed himself to feel the weight of loss. This reveals
Speaker 1: something beautiful. The heart of God is not cold in
Speaker 1: the face of our suffering. He enters into it. But
Speaker 1: compassion was not the end of the story. Jesus went
Speaker 1: to the tomb. He commanded that the stone be rolled away.
Speaker 1: Martha hesitated. It had been four days the body had
Speaker 1: begun to decay, but Jesus reminded her, did I not
Speaker 1: tell you that if you believe, you will see the
Speaker 1: glory of God. He prayed aloud, not because he needed to,
Speaker 1: but so that those around would know that this miracle
Speaker 1: came from the Father. Then, with a loud voice, he
Speaker 1: cried out, Lazarus, come forth, and the dead man walked
Speaker 1: out of the grave, bound in burial cloths, alive again,
Speaker 1: a walking testimony that death was no match for the
Speaker 1: voice of life. This miracle was more than a personal
Speaker 1: victory for a grieving family. It was a profetic sign
Speaker 1: a preview of what Jesus himself would soon do. It
Speaker 1: was a declaration to the world. Death does not have
Speaker 1: the final word. In this story, we see the tenderness
Speaker 1: and the power of Jesus woven together. He weeps with us,
Speaker 1: he stands beside us, but he also calls us out
Speaker 1: of the tomb. Whatever is dead in your life, a dream,
Speaker 1: a relationship, your faith, he is able to speak life again.
Speaker 1: The same Jesus who stood before the grave of Lazarus
Speaker 1: stands before every dark place in your heart to day.
Speaker 1: He does not avoid the pain. He steps into it.
Speaker 1: He does not deny your sorrow. He shares it, and
Speaker 1: then he speaks, come forth. It is both a command
Speaker 1: and an invitation. Leave behind what once bound you. Step
Speaker 1: out of the tomb, walk into the light of resurrection life.
Speaker 1: Because the one who is the resurrection and the life
Speaker 1: is not just someone to admire. He is someone to believe, ve,
Speaker 1: someone to trust, the one who turns funerals into testimonies
Speaker 1: and endings into brand new beginnings. There are places in
Speaker 1: life where we've settled into silence, graves we've accepted as final,
Speaker 1: But Jesus still speaks with authority and love, calling us
Speaker 1: by name, inviting us to rise. Believing that he is
Speaker 1: the Resurrection means no moment is beyond hope. Believing that
Speaker 1: He is the Life means no circumstances beyond his reach.
Speaker 1: And when that truth takes root, even death loses its grip.
Speaker 1: Nothing can hold you any more. Because the voice that
Speaker 1: called Lazarus out of the grave still speaks today. And
Speaker 1: when he calls new, life begins Lesson sixteen. The Cross
Speaker 1: the exultation of the Lamb text Gospel of John, Chapters
Speaker 1: eighteen through nineteen. The Cross was never a moment of defeat.
Speaker 1: It was the exaltation of the Lamb. It was not
Speaker 1: a tragedy of injustice alone, but the fulfillment of divine
Speaker 1: justice through love. In the Gospel of John, we are
Speaker 1: invited to witness the final hours of Jesus, not as
Speaker 1: a victim, but as a king enthroned through suffering. It
Speaker 1: begins in a garden. Jesus, fully aware of all that
Speaker 1: was about to happen, stepped forward. When the soldiers came
Speaker 1: for him. He did not hide, he did not run.
Speaker 1: When they said they were looking for Jesus of Nazareth,
Speaker 1: he replied, I am. And at those words, they fell
Speaker 1: to the ground. Even in arrest, he displayed sovereign power.
Speaker 1: He protected his disciples, he submitted willingly, and he allowed
Speaker 1: himself to be bound, not because he was powerless, but
Speaker 1: because he was purposeful. From there he was led to trial,
Speaker 1: first before Annos, then Caiaphas, and finally before Pontius Pilot.
Speaker 1: Lies were spoken, accusations were thrown, but Jesus remained composed, unwavering.
Speaker 1: His silence spoke louder than any defense. His calmness revealed
Speaker 1: who was truly in control. Pilot, though hesitant, eventually gave
Speaker 1: in to the pressure of the crowd. He ordered Jesus
Speaker 1: to be flogged. The soldiers mocked him, twisted thorns into
Speaker 1: a crown, struck him, and draped a purple robe over
Speaker 1: his torn flesh. But John wants us to see more
Speaker 1: than brutality. He wants us to see glory. Jesus stood there, bleeding, bruised, silent,
Speaker 1: and Pilot unknowingly declared a prophetic truth. Behold the man, Yes,
Speaker 1: behold the man who bore the weight of every sin,
Speaker 1: the lamb of God, standing not just for Israel, but
Speaker 1: for all humanity. The high priest and the sacrifice the
Speaker 1: king and the servant. When Pilot asked Jesus if he
Speaker 1: was a king, Jesus responded that his kingdom was not
Speaker 1: of this world. He spoke of truth and purpose, of
Speaker 1: power that does not come from the sword, but from
Speaker 1: submission to the will of the Father. The crowd cried
Speaker 1: for crucifixion. Pilot handed him over, and so Jesus carried
Speaker 1: his own cross to the place of the skull. There
Speaker 1: he was lifted up, not just on wood, but in glory.
Speaker 1: Every nail driven into his flesh was not merely an
Speaker 1: act of violence. It was the fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy.
Speaker 1: That he was pierced for our transgressions and crushed for
Speaker 1: our iniquities. As he hung between two criminals, soldiers gamboled
Speaker 1: for his garments. His mother stood near, and even in agony,
Speaker 1: he cared for her. He entrusted her to John, revealing
Speaker 1: that even on the cross, love led every word. Darkness fell,
Speaker 1: the earth trembled, and in his final breath he declared,
Speaker 1: it is finished. That was not a cry of defeat.
Speaker 1: It was a declaration of victory. The debt had been paid,
Speaker 1: the curse was broken, the sacrifice was complete. John the
Speaker 1: Beloved Disciple, witnessed it all, and he wrote not just
Speaker 1: as a historian, but as a worshiper. He saw what
Speaker 1: many missed, that the crucifixion was not the end of
Speaker 1: Jesus's glory, but the beginning of its full unveiling the
Speaker 1: cross to the world looked like shame, but to Heaven
Speaker 1: it was a throne. Jesus reigned from that place, not
Speaker 1: with golden crowns or scepters, but with thorns and nails.
Speaker 1: His glory was hidden in suffering. His victory was concealed
Speaker 1: in blood. This is the paradox of the Kingdom. That
Speaker 1: death became life, that loss became triumph, that surrender became exultation.
Speaker 1: It means that following Jesus is not about escaping pain,
Speaker 1: but about embracing purpose in the midst of it. True
Speaker 1: glory is found not in lifting up your status, but
Speaker 1: in laying down your life. In the Kingdom of God,
Speaker 1: the way up is always the way down. To behold
Speaker 1: the lamb exalted on the cross is to recognize that
Speaker 1: his sacrifice wasn't just for the world, It was deeply personal.
Speaker 1: It was for you. And once you see the cross
Speaker 1: as the throne of your king, everything begins to shift.
Speaker 1: You stop chasing power the way the world does. You
Speaker 1: stop running from brokenness. You begin to live in the
Speaker 1: power of a love that held nothing back. And when
Speaker 1: you bow before that cross, you don't bow in defeat.
Speaker 1: You rise in resurrection hope. The cross is not the
Speaker 1: end of the story, but it is the center, and
Speaker 1: from it flows forgiveness, freedom, and a kingdom that will
Speaker 1: never end Lesson seventeen, The Resurrection and the Commission Peace,
Speaker 1: Forgiveness and Mission, Gospel of John, chapters twenty through twenty one.
Speaker 1: On the first day of the week, while it was
Speaker 1: still dark, the tomb was already empty. Jesus the Crucified
Speaker 1: had risen, and yet his followers were still in hiding, fearful, confused,
Speaker 1: and scattered in spirit. They had witnessed the horror of
Speaker 1: the cross, their hopes seemed buried with his body. But
Speaker 1: what they did not yet understand was that resurrection was
Speaker 1: not just an event, It was a beginning. That evening,
Speaker 1: the disciples were gathered behind locked doors, and suddenly, without warning,
Speaker 1: Jesus appeared among them. There was no sound of footsteps,
Speaker 1: no knock, just the risen Lord standing in their midst.
Speaker 1: His first words were not words of rebuke, but of restoration.
Speaker 1: Peace be with you. He showed them his hands and
Speaker 1: his side, tangible proof that it was truly him, and
Speaker 1: that the crucifixion was not undone but transformed. The wounds
Speaker 1: were still there, but now they were marks of victory.
Speaker 1: The disciples rejoiced, the sorrow turned to joy. But Jesus
Speaker 1: was not finished. He spoke again, Peace be with you.
Speaker 1: As the Father has sent me, I also send you.
Speaker 1: Then he did something deeply prophetic. He breathed on them
Speaker 1: and said, receive the Holy Spirit. This breath takes us
Speaker 1: back to Genesis, when God formed man from the dust
Speaker 1: and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life. Here,
Speaker 1: the second Adam breathes new life into his new creation,
Speaker 1: the Church. It was not just peace he was giving.
Speaker 1: It was power, not just comfort, but commissioning. He added,
Speaker 1: if you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them.
Speaker 1: If you retain the sins of any, they are retained.
Speaker 1: This was not about personal authority to judge, but the
Speaker 1: sacred responsibility to carry and proclaim the gospel of reconciliation,
Speaker 1: the message of peace and forgiveness would now move through
Speaker 1: them to the world, but not everyone was present. One
Speaker 1: of the disciples, Thomas, had missed this first encounter. When
Speaker 1: they told him that Jesus had risen, he could not
Speaker 1: believe it. Unless I see the mark of the nails,
Speaker 1: unless I touch his wounds, I will not believe. Eight
Speaker 1: days later Jesus returned. This time Thomas was with them again.
Speaker 1: The doors were locked again. Jesus stood among them. Peace
Speaker 1: be with you. Then he turned directly to Thomas. Reach
Speaker 1: your finger here see my hands. Place your hand in
Speaker 1: my side. Do not be unbelieving, but believe. Thomas fell
Speaker 1: to his knees and declared, my Lord and my God.
Speaker 1: His doubt was met not with condemnation, but with compassion.
Speaker 1: Jesus responded, you believe because you have seen. Blessed are
Speaker 1: those who have not seen and yet have believed. That
Speaker 1: blessing reaches across generations. It reaches to us those who
Speaker 1: have not touched his scars but have trusted his voice,
Speaker 1: those who believe without sight but with surrendered hearts. And
Speaker 1: yet the story of resurrection does not end with belief.
Speaker 1: It continues with restoration. Later on the shore of the
Speaker 1: Sea of Galilee the risen. When Jesus meets his disciples
Speaker 1: once more, after a miraculous catch of fish, an echo
Speaker 1: of earlier days, he prepares breakfast for them. Then he
Speaker 1: turns to Peter, Peter who had denied him three times, Peter,
Speaker 1: whose failure had been public and painful. Jesus does not rebuke.
Speaker 1: He restores Peter. Do you love me? Yes, Lord, you
Speaker 1: know that I love you. Then feed my lambs. Three
Speaker 1: times Jesus asks, three times Peter answers, and three times
Speaker 1: Jesus commissions, feed my sheep, tend my flock, follow me.
Speaker 1: This was not just forgiveness, It was recommissioning. Jesus was saying,
Speaker 1: your failure is not final. Your denial does not disqualify you.
Speaker 1: My grace is deeper, My calling still stands. The chapter
Speaker 1: ends with a powerful statement. If everything Jesus did were
Speaker 1: written down, the world itself could not contain the books,
Speaker 1: because his story is still being written through lives transformed,
Speaker 1: hearts restored, and disciples scent. The resurrection is not the end,
Speaker 1: It is the beginning of a movement. Peace is now
Speaker 1: possible even behind locked doors. Forgiveness is real even after
Speaker 1: deep failure, and the mission continues, carried by imperfect people
Speaker 1: made whole by grace. Jesus still enters locked rooms, He
Speaker 1: still breathes life into the fearful, he still welcomes the doubting,
Speaker 1: he still restores the broken, and he still sends his
Speaker 1: followers into a world desperate for light. This is the
Speaker 1: invitation to receive his peace, to allow him to breathe
Speaker 1: new life into your spirit, to believe, even without seeing,
Speaker 1: to rise from failure, receive forgiveness and return to your calling.
Speaker 1: The tomb is empty, the King is alive, and the
Speaker 1: commission is clear. Go forgive, love, lead, serve. Because he lives,
Speaker 1: your past is not your prison. Because as he lives,
Speaker 1: your wounds can become your witness. And because he lives,
Speaker 1: your life now carries the mission of heaven. This is
Speaker 1: more than a celebration. It's a calling. Resurrection is not
Speaker 1: just something you remember, it's something you live. And the
Speaker 1: world is still waiting for those who have seen the
Speaker 1: risen Christ, not with their eyes but with their hearts,
Speaker 1: to rise and walk in his name. We have just
Speaker 1: walked through seventeen powerful lessons from the Gospel of John,
Speaker 1: each one revealing the heart of Jesus the depth of
Speaker 1: his grace and the glory of his truth. From the
Speaker 1: Word made flesh to the empty tomb, one message echoes
Speaker 1: above all. Jesus is not just a teacher. He is
Speaker 1: the Savior. He is the Lamb, the Light, the Life.
Speaker 1: And now the question remains, what will you do with
Speaker 1: this revelation? Will you believe without seeing? Will you follow
Speaker 1: when it costs? Will you carry the message like those
Speaker 1: who saw him risen? Because the story does not end
Speaker 1: at the resurrection, It begins with your response. If this
Speaker 1: journey spoke to your heart, comment your favorite lesson below
Speaker 1: and share this video with someone who needs this truth
Speaker 1: to day. Like comment, subscribe and join us for the
Speaker 1: next series. You are loved, You are called, You are sent.
Speaker 1: Until next time, walk in the light because Jesus is alive.
Speaker 1: Lesson ten The Bread of Life, Food for Eternity text
Speaker 1: Gospel of John, chapter six, verses one through seventy one.
Speaker 1: A great crowd was following Jesus. They had seen his signs,
Speaker 1: they had watched him heal the sick, and now they
Speaker 1: followed him to a mountainside, hoping to witness more. But Jesus,
Speaker 1: full of compassion, did not send them away. Instead, he
Speaker 1: turned to his disciples with a question that was both
Speaker 1: practical and prophetic. Where shall we buy bread for all
Speaker 1: these people to eat? Eat? Philip responded logically, even two
Speaker 1: hundred days wages would not buy enough bread for each
Speaker 1: one to have a bite. But Andrew, with a glimmer
Speaker 1: of faith, pointed to a boy with five barley loaves
Speaker 1: and two small fish. What is that amongst so many,
Speaker 1: he asked. Jesus took the small offering, gave thanks, broke
Speaker 1: the loaves, and distributed them to the crowd. Over five
Speaker 1: thousand men were fed, not counting women and children, and
Speaker 1: when everyone had eaten to the full, twelve baskets of
Speaker 1: leftovers were gathered. This was not just a miracle of provision,
Speaker 1: It was a sign pointing to something greater. The people,
Speaker 1: amazed by what had happened, wanted to make Jesus king
Speaker 1: by force, but Jesus withdrew to a mountain alone. He
Speaker 1: had not come to satisfy temporary cravings. He had come
Speaker 1: to give eternal life. The next day, the crowd followed
Speaker 1: him again, crossing to the other side of the lake,
Speaker 1: but Jesus did not perform another miracle. Instead, he confronted
Speaker 1: their motives. You are looking for me not because you
Speaker 1: saw the signs, but because you ate the loaves and
Speaker 1: had your fill. Do not work for food that spoils,
Speaker 1: but for food that endures to eternal life. They asked
Speaker 1: him what they must do to do the works God requires.
Speaker 1: Jesus answered, the work of God is this to believe
Speaker 1: in the one he has sent. Then came one of
Speaker 1: the most profound declarations in all of Scripture. I am
Speaker 1: the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never
Speaker 1: go hungry. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.
Speaker 1: Your ancestors ate manner in the wilderness and died. But
Speaker 1: here is the bread that comes down from Heaven, which
Speaker 1: one may eat and not die. Jesus was making a
Speaker 1: bold claim. He was not simply a provider of bread.
Speaker 1: He was the bread. He was not just the one
Speaker 1: who multiplied food. He himself was the food that gives
Speaker 1: eternal life. And this is where many began to struggle.
Speaker 1: Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man
Speaker 1: and drink his blood, you have no life in you.
Speaker 1: The crowd recoiled. The teaching was too hard, too strange,
Speaker 1: too offensive. How could this man give his flesh to eat.
Speaker 1: But Jesus did not soften the message. He pressed further.
Speaker 1: My flesh is real food, my blood is real drink.
Speaker 1: Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in
Speaker 1: me and I in them. Here Jesus was speaking not
Speaker 1: of literal cannibalism, but of complete spiritual union. He was
Speaker 1: pointing to the Cross, to the sacrificial giving of his
Speaker 1: body and blood, to the mystery of salvation that would
Speaker 1: come through his suffering. It was an invitation not to
Speaker 1: admire him from a distance, but to participate in his
Speaker 1: very life. At this many of his disciples turned back
Speaker 1: and no longer walked with him. Jesus then turned to
Speaker 1: the twelve and asked, do you you also want to
Speaker 1: go away? Simon Peter answered with words that still resound
Speaker 1: in the hearts of true believers. Lord, to whom shall
Speaker 1: we go? You have the words of eternal life. We
Speaker 1: have come to believe and to know that you are
Speaker 1: the Holy One of God. This moment draws the line
Speaker 1: between shallow admiration and deep devotion. It separates those who
Speaker 1: seek God for what he gives from those who follow
Speaker 1: him for who he is. True faith holds on even
Speaker 1: when the teaching is hard. True disciples stay even when
Speaker 1: the words stretch the mind and challenge the flesh. The
Speaker 1: bread of life is not always easy to receive, but
Speaker 1: it nourishes the soul for eternity. Jesus never came to
Speaker 1: fill stomachs alone. He came to fill spirits. He offers
Speaker 1: himself not just as a miracle worker, but as our
Speaker 1: very sustenance. Following him means feeding on his truth, abiding
Speaker 1: in his presence, and drawing life from him every single day.
Speaker 1: There are many who admire the miracles, but the ones
Speaker 1: who endure are those who embrace the message. Some seek
Speaker 1: his hand, others seek his heart. And while many walk
Speaker 1: away when the message becomes uncomfortable, those who truly know
Speaker 1: him echo Peter's words. There is nowhere else to go.
Speaker 1: He alone has the words of eternal life. Jesus is
Speaker 1: not just the one who multiplies bread. He is the bread,
Speaker 1: the source of life, the food that satisfies beyond this world,
Speaker 1: the savior who invites us into deep daily communion with himself.
Speaker 1: Eat of this bread and you will live forever lessen
Speaker 1: eleven living water in the Temple. The Cry of Jesus
Speaker 1: text Gospel of John chapter seven, Verses thirty seven through
Speaker 1: thirty nine. It was the final and greatest day of
Speaker 1: the Feast of Tabernacles. Crowds had gathered in Jerusalem. Grims
Speaker 1: filled the temple courts. The atmosphere was rich with symbolism,
Speaker 1: with rituals re enacting the days when God provided water
Speaker 1: from the rock during Israel's wilderness journey. Each day of
Speaker 1: the feast, priests would draw water from the pool of Siloam,
Speaker 1: carry it in golden vessels, and pour it out at
Speaker 1: the altar, symbolizing thanksgiving for God's provision and the hope
Speaker 1: for future rain and spiritual renewal. On this final day,
Speaker 1: Jesus stood and cried out in a loud voice, interrupting
Speaker 1: the ceremony with divine urgency. His words pierced through tradition
Speaker 1: and liturgy. If anyone is thirsty, let him come to
Speaker 1: me and drink. Whoever believes in me, As Scripture has said,
Speaker 1: rivers of living water will flow from within them. This
Speaker 1: was not a whisper, It was a bold proclamation. In
Speaker 1: the middle of sacred rituals, Jesus redirected the attention from
Speaker 1: the symbol to the substance He declared that the living
Speaker 1: water long hoped for was not a distant promise, It
Speaker 1: was present, It was personal, It was him. The gospel
Speaker 1: writer explains this mystery clearly. By this, Jesus meant the
Speaker 1: spirit whom those who believed in him would later receive.
Speaker 1: At that moment, the spirit had not yet been given,
Speaker 1: because Jesus had not yet been glorified. Here the connection
Speaker 1: is powerful. Jesus links thirst, faith and the coming of
Speaker 1: the Holy Spirit. He describes the spirit not as a drop,
Speaker 1: but as rivers, not as a stagnant pond, but as
Speaker 1: a flowing stream. The life of the Spirit is not
Speaker 1: meant to be contained. It is meant to move, to refresh,
Speaker 1: to overflow. This message was revolutionary. It meant that access
Speaker 1: to God's presence was not limited to the temple rituals.
Speaker 1: It was not locked behind priests and sacrifices. It was
Speaker 1: going to dwell within believers. It was an invitation to
Speaker 1: move from religion to relationship, from perform mormans to presence.
Speaker 1: But notice the condition. If anyone is thirsty, this is
Speaker 1: the starting point. Not knowledge, not heritage, not perfection, but thirst.
Speaker 1: A heart that knows it needs more, a soul that
Speaker 1: longs for what the world cannot give. Are you thirsty,
Speaker 1: not just busy, not just religious, but truly thirsty. Jesus
Speaker 1: does not promise living water to the indifferent. He promises
Speaker 1: it to the desperate, to the ones who are tired
Speaker 1: of going through the motions, to the ones who realize
Speaker 1: that without Him, they are dry wells. And the result
Speaker 1: of drinking is not just personal satisfaction, It is transformation.
Speaker 1: The living water becomes rivers flowing from within. Others will
Speaker 1: be refreshed through the overflow of your encounter with Christ.
Speaker 1: Your life becomes a stream of grace, of truth, of
Speaker 1: spirit filled influence. But many believers live like broken cisterns,
Speaker 1: cisterns that hold no water, cracked by sin, shame, and
Speaker 1: self reliance. They carry the name of Christ, but lack
Speaker 1: the flow of the spirit. Their walk is dry, their
Speaker 1: prayers are weak, their witness is silent, not because the
Speaker 1: source is empty, but because they have not truly come
Speaker 1: to drink. The invitation of Jesus is still open today.
Speaker 1: Come to me and drink. Do not just come to church,
Speaker 1: Do not just come to religion. Come to me, believe
Speaker 1: in me, and rivers will flow from within. You. This
Speaker 1: was not poetic metaphor. It was prophecy, a promise. After
Speaker 1: Jesus was glorified, after the Cross, the Resurrection, and the ascension,
Speaker 1: he poured out the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, and from
Speaker 1: that moment on those who believed were filled with living water.
Speaker 1: To day, the spirit is still available to every thirsty heart.
Speaker 1: You don't have to beg just believe, you don't have
Speaker 1: to perform, just come. The river is still flowing, the
Speaker 1: invitation is still open. Some are living like rivers, others
Speaker 1: merely surviving like dry cisterns. Some are letting the spirit overflow.
Speaker 1: Others have settled for a trickle. But the cry of
Speaker 1: Jesus still rings through our generation. If you are thirsty,
Speaker 1: come to me and drink. This is more than refreshment,
Speaker 1: its transformation. It's not just about receiving. It's about becoming
Speaker 1: a fountain of life for others. The feast has ended,
Speaker 1: the rituals have faded, but the river still flows, and
Speaker 1: Jesus still stands, arms open, calling the thirsty to himself
Speaker 1: Lesson twelve, the adulterous woman grace that disarms stones. Gospel
Speaker 1: of John chapter eight, verses one through eleven, It was
Speaker 1: early in the morning, and the temple courts were already alive,
Speaker 1: with people gathering around Jesus. He had returned to teach,
Speaker 1: and the crowd leaned in to hear the words that
Speaker 1: carried authority, compassion, and truth unlike anything they had ever known.
Speaker 1: But then something disruptive shattered the moment. A group of
Speaker 1: scribes and pharisees forced their way through the gathering. With
Speaker 1: them was a woman, frightened, disheveled, trembling. She had been
Speaker 1: caught in the very act of adultery. She was dragged
Speaker 1: not in private, but into the middle of the crowd,
Speaker 1: into the center of shame. They threw her down before
Speaker 1: Jesus and made her sin public. They spoke loudly, but
Speaker 1: they were not seeking righteousness. Their voices were filled with arrogance,
Speaker 1: not justice. Teacher. They said, this woman was caught in
Speaker 1: the act of adultery. The law of Moses commands that
Speaker 1: such women bestoned. What do you say? This was not
Speaker 1: about the woman. It was a trap. They wanted to
Speaker 1: ensnare Jesus in a legal dilemma. If he upheld the stoning,
Speaker 1: he would be in conflict with Roman law, which resulve
Speaker 1: irved capital punishment for the state. If he opposed it,
Speaker 1: he could be accused of rejecting the Mosaic law. They
Speaker 1: had set the perfect trap, or so they thought. But
Speaker 1: Jesus did not immediately answer. He did not rise to
Speaker 1: meet their aggression. He stooped down, silent and began to
Speaker 1: write with his finger on the ground. What did he write?
Speaker 1: The scriptures do not say. Was it a list of sins?
Speaker 1: Was it the names of those present? Was it a
Speaker 1: reminder of the law they claimed to uphold but did
Speaker 1: not fulfill in mercy. Whatever it was, it caused the
Speaker 1: moment to shift. The accusers grew impatient. They pressed him further,
Speaker 1: and then Jesus stood. His words cut through the tension,
Speaker 1: like lightning through a dark sky. Let the one among
Speaker 1: you who is without sin, cast the first stone. Then
Speaker 1: he stooped again and wrote. The effect was immediate, no arguing,
Speaker 1: no shouting, just silence and the sound of stones dropping
Speaker 1: to the ground. From the oldest to the youngest they
Speaker 1: began to leave. Why the oldest first, Perhaps because the
Speaker 1: longer one lives, the more aware they become of their
Speaker 1: own brokenness. The longer we walk through life, the more
Speaker 1: we realize that we too are in need of mercy.
Speaker 1: In moments, the crowd was gone, the accusers had vanished.
Speaker 1: The woman, who moments before was surrounded by voices of judgment,
Speaker 1: now stood alone with Jesus. He lifted his gaze, woman,
Speaker 1: where are your accusers? Has no one condemned you? No one, Lord?
Speaker 1: She replied, Then neither do I condemn you. Go now
Speaker 1: and sin no more. That sentence holds the essence of
Speaker 1: the gospel. Jesus did not excuse the sin, but neither
Speaker 1: did he crush the sinner. He offered grace and with
Speaker 1: it a command toward transformation. He met her in the dust,
Speaker 1: but he did not leave her there. Grace does not
Speaker 1: say stay where you are. Grace says you are free. Now,
Speaker 1: rise and live differently. This moment reveals something crucial about
Speaker 1: the character of Christ. He was the only one who
Speaker 1: had the right to cast a stone, the only one
Speaker 1: without sin. But instead of condemning, he chose compassion. Instead
Speaker 1: of judgment. He offered justice rapt in mercy. And what
Speaker 1: about us? We often carry stones too, stones of bitterness
Speaker 1: toward others, stones of self condemnation, stones shaped by pride, religion, comparison,
Speaker 1: or unforgiveness. Many stand in the crowd, eager to expose
Speaker 1: someone else's sin while ignoring their own. Others, like the woman,
Speaker 1: stand silently, caught, exposed and desperately hoping for a way out.
Speaker 1: But Jesus invites all of us to come face to
Speaker 1: face with grace, to drop the stones, to release the
Speaker 1: weapons we use to judge, control or shame, and to
Speaker 1: meet him at the intersection of truth and love. There's
Speaker 1: a place in every heart where failure has taken root,
Speaker 1: and it's right there, at our lowest point, that Jesus
Speaker 1: shows up, not to bury us under guilt, but to
Speaker 1: raise us with grace. His words still speak to day.
Speaker 1: Neither do I condemn you, go and sin no more,
Speaker 1: not because we are perfect, but because we've been made new,
Speaker 1: not to earn mercy, but because mercy has already found us.
Speaker 1: This kind of grace is scandalous. It offends legalism, It
Speaker 1: confounds the self righteous, but it transforms the humble, It
Speaker 1: frees the bound, it restores the broken, And that same
Speaker 1: grace is still being offered right now. You don't have
Speaker 1: to carry the stone, you don't have to hide behind rules,
Speaker 1: you don't have to stay buried in shame. The grace
Speaker 1: that disarmed the crowd is the same grace that disarms
Speaker 1: the shame within you and sets you free to walk
Speaker 1: in newness of life. Lesson thirty the man born blind
Speaker 1: so that the glory of God might be revealed text
Speaker 1: Gospel of John chapter nine. As Jesus passed by, he
Speaker 1: saw a man who had been blind from birth. The disciples,
Speaker 1: shaped by the thinking of their time, asked a question
Speaker 1: rooted in assumption. Who sinned this man or his parents
Speaker 1: that he was born blind? But Jesus turned their perspective
Speaker 1: upside down. Neither this man nor his parents sinned, said Jesus.
Speaker 1: This happened so that the works of God might be
Speaker 1: displayed in him. In one sentence, Jesus reframed the meaning
Speaker 1: of suffering. Not all pain is punishment. Some pain is
Speaker 1: the preparation for glory. Some wounds exist so that God
Speaker 1: may write his power and mercy into the story. Then
Speaker 1: Jesus did something unexpected. He spit on the ground, made
Speaker 1: mud with his saliva, and placed it on the man's eyes. Go,
Speaker 1: he said, wash in the pool of siloam, and the
Speaker 1: man obeyed. When he washed, he came back, seeing this
Speaker 1: was not just a miracle of healing. It was a
Speaker 1: re enactment of creation. The same God who formed Adam
Speaker 1: from the dust now used the same elements earth and
Speaker 1: water to restore what had never functioned before, not healing
Speaker 1: what was lost, but creating what never was. But the
Speaker 1: miracle did not end there. When the man returned, now
Speaker 1: with sight, he faced new opposition. His neighbors did not
Speaker 1: believe it was truly him. The Pharisees launched an investigation.
Speaker 1: They called his parents, They questioned his testimony. They tried
Speaker 1: to discredit both the miracle and the man who performed it.
Speaker 1: Instead of rejoicing, they resisted. Why because Jesus healed on
Speaker 1: the Sabbath. Their system was threatened by compassion. Their tradition
Speaker 1: was confronted by truth. They could not see the miracle
Speaker 1: because they were blinded by religion. But the man who
Speaker 1: had been blind did not retreat. He stood his ground.
Speaker 1: He did not have theological training, but he had a testimony.
Speaker 1: One thing I do know. I was blind, But now
Speaker 1: I see. This man's journey became more than physical healing.
Speaker 1: It was a path from blindness to boldness, from beggar
Speaker 1: to believer, from excluded to empowered, and when he was
Speaker 1: cast out by the religious leaders, Jesus found him again.
Speaker 1: Do you believe in the son of Man? Jesus asked,
Speaker 1: who is he? Sir? The man replied that I may
Speaker 1: believe in him. You have now seen him. In fact,
Speaker 1: he is the one speaking with you. Then the man said, Lord,
Speaker 1: I believe, and he worshiped him. This is the full
Speaker 1: circle of the miracle. Physical sight led to spiritual revelation,
Speaker 1: healing led to worship. The man born blind became a
Speaker 1: witness of the light, not only through restored vision, but
Speaker 1: through renewed faith. This story teaches us that suffer ring
Speaker 1: is not always the result of sin. Sometimes it is
Speaker 1: the setting for glory. What people label as punishment, Heaven
Speaker 1: sees as potential, what others call a defect, God calls
Speaker 1: a display. Your story might include brokenness, pain, silence, but
Speaker 1: in the hands of Jesus, even blindness becomes a canvas
Speaker 1: for divine power. Have you ever asked why me? Why this?
Speaker 1: Why now? What if? The better question is how will
Speaker 1: God be glorified through this? Because when Jesus steps into
Speaker 1: your situation, the thing that defined your past becomes the
Speaker 1: platform for your testimony. Your weakness becomes a window for
Speaker 1: his strength. Your pain becomes a pulpit for his grace.
Speaker 1: And even when others reject you, misunderstand you, or question
Speaker 1: your transformation, Jesus will find you again. He always returns
Speaker 1: to those whose hearts are open to believe. This is
Speaker 1: the invitation. Trust him even when you do not understand
Speaker 1: the process, Obey him even when it seems strange, and
Speaker 1: worship him when the miracle is complete. Because every healing,
Speaker 1: every breakthrough, and every moment of divine intervention ultimately points
Speaker 1: to this truth. It is not about our worthiness, It
Speaker 1: is about His glory. Lesson fourteen. The Good Shepherd, the
Speaker 1: Voice that calls and protects text Gospel of John chapter ten.
Speaker 1: Jesus stood before the people and declared a truth that
Speaker 1: would echo throughout eternity. He said that he is the
Speaker 1: good Shepherd. In a world full of noise, deception, and
Speaker 1: spiritual confusion, he offered a voice, clear, personal, and full
Speaker 1: of life. In this powerful passage, Jesus speaks to a
Speaker 1: culture that understood shepherds, flocks and pastures, but his words
Speaker 1: pointed to something much deeper than agriculture. He was revealing
Speaker 1: the nature of his relationship with his people. He begins
Speaker 1: with a warning. There are thieves and robbers who try
Speaker 1: to enter the sheepfold through another way. These represent false teachers,
Speaker 1: deceptive leaders, and spiritual manipulators. Their goal is not to
Speaker 1: care for the sheep, but to use them, abuse them,
Speaker 1: and ultimately destroy them. But Jesus enters by the gate,
Speaker 1: The gate keeper opens for him, and the sheep recognize
Speaker 1: his voice. He calls each one by name and leads
Speaker 1: them out. This detail is not poetic, it is profound.
Speaker 1: The shepherd does not drive the sheep from behind. He
Speaker 1: walks ahead. He does not bark commands. He speaks with tenderness.
Speaker 1: And every sheep he calls he knows personally. He knows
Speaker 1: your name, He knows your fears, your wounds, your questions,
Speaker 1: and your past. He knows the weight you carry and
Speaker 1: the longing of your soul. And still he calls you.
Speaker 1: The sheep follow him because they know his voice. They
Speaker 1: will not follow a stranger. A time when so many
Speaker 1: voices compete for your attention, this becomes a vital truth.
Speaker 1: The voice you follow determines the direction of your life.
Speaker 1: Do you recognize the voice of the shepherd. Jesus continues
Speaker 1: by declaring not only that he calls, but that he protects.
Speaker 1: He says that the good shepherd lays down his life
Speaker 1: for the sheep. This is not theory, it is prophecy.
Speaker 1: He is pointing to the cross, to the moment when
Speaker 1: he would offer himself not just as a leader, but
Speaker 1: as a sacrifice. The hired hand runs when danger comes.
Speaker 1: The wolf scatters the flock, but Jesus does not run.
Speaker 1: He stays. He stands between you and the enemy. He
Speaker 1: defends what belongs to him with his own blood. That
Speaker 1: is the love of the shepherd. It is not conditional.
Speaker 1: It is not based on your performance. It is rooted
Speaker 1: in who he is, faithful, constant, and sacrificial. He does
Speaker 1: not flee when you fail. He does not leave when
Speaker 1: you wander. He comes after you. He carries you back,
Speaker 1: and he rejoices over your return. Then Jesus makes an
Speaker 1: astonishing statement. He says that he has other sheep who
Speaker 1: are not of this fold. He must bring them also.
Speaker 1: This is a prophecy of inclusion of the Gospel, reaching
Speaker 1: beyond Israel to embrace the nations. The shepherd is gathering
Speaker 1: one flock under one voice. This reveals the mission of
Speaker 1: Jesus not just to protect, but to unify, not just
Speaker 1: to comfort, but to commission. His voice calls across barriers, cultures, languages,
Speaker 1: and generations, and all who respond become part of his flock.
Speaker 1: But there is more. Jesus says that no one takes
Speaker 1: his life from him. He lays it down of his
Speaker 1: own accord, and if he lays it down, he will
Speaker 1: take it up again. This is power wrapped in humility,
Speaker 1: sovereignty dressed in surrender. The shepherd has full authority, not
Speaker 1: only to lead and protect, but to overcome death itself.
Speaker 1: When you belong to this shepherd, fear loses its grip,
Speaker 1: because even in the valley of the shadow of death,
Speaker 1: you shall not fear evil. His rod and his staff
Speaker 1: comfort you. His presence goes before you, his voice reassures you.
Speaker 1: The message becomes deeply personal. Knowing the voice of the
Speaker 1: Shepherd changes everything. There are many voices in the world, loud, demanding, distracting,
Speaker 1: but only one leads to life. Only one brings peace.
Speaker 1: Jesus doesn't just invite belief, he invites belonging. He calls
Speaker 1: his sheep to hear, to follow, and to find rest
Speaker 1: in him. For the wounded, the lost, the confused, and
Speaker 1: the afraid. The good Shepherd never forgets. He knows every name.
Speaker 1: He draws near not to condemn, but to carry, not
Speaker 1: to crush, but to cover with compassion. He laid down
Speaker 1: his life so that we could truly live, and he
Speaker 1: rose again so that no one would ever walk through
Speaker 1: life alone. This isn't just a parable. It's an invitation
Speaker 1: to relationship, a call to come closer, to walk with
Speaker 1: the one who never stops pursuing, never stops protecting, and
Speaker 1: never stops loving. The Shepherd is near, his voice is clear,
Speaker 1: and his arms are open wide. Lesson fifteen. The Resurrection
Speaker 1: of Lazarus, Power over Death text Gospel of John chapter eleven.
Speaker 1: In a quiet village called Bethany, a moment unfolded that
Speaker 1: would reveal not only the heart of Jesus but also
Speaker 1: his absolute authority over life and death. Lazarus, a beloved
Speaker 1: friend of Jesus, had fallen sick. His sisters Martha and
Speaker 1: Mary sent word to Jesus saying that the one he
Speaker 1: loved was ill. They expected him to come immediately. They
Speaker 1: had seen his healing power. They believed in his compassion,
Speaker 1: But Jesus did not come right away. He waited not
Speaker 1: because he did not care, but because there was something
Speaker 1: greater to be revealed. Jesus said plainly that this sickness
Speaker 1: would not end in death, but would be for the
Speaker 1: glory of God, so that the Son of God may
Speaker 1: be glorified through it. But even with those words, Lazarus died,
Speaker 1: and with his death came questions, tears, and heartbreak. When
Speaker 1: Jesus finally arrived, Lazarus had been in the tomb for
Speaker 1: four days. Martha met him with honesty and sorrow. She
Speaker 1: said that if he had been there, her brother would
Speaker 1: not have died. And yet, even in her grief, she
Speaker 1: held on to a fragment of faith. She said she
Speaker 1: knew that whatever he asked, God would do. Jesus responded
Speaker 1: with a declaration that transcends time. He said, I am
Speaker 1: the Resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me,
Speaker 1: even though he dies, will live, and whoever lives by
Speaker 1: believing in Me will never die. This was not a
Speaker 1: promise for a discos and future. It was a present reality.
Speaker 1: Jesus was not just offering comfort. He was offering himself
Speaker 1: as the answer to death. Mary came next, falling at
Speaker 1: his feet with the same pain, the same words, and
Speaker 1: the same tears. And in that moment Jesus was deeply moved.
Speaker 1: He did not stand distant. He wept. The shortest verse
Speaker 1: in scripture is also one of the most profound. Jesus wept.
Speaker 1: The one who knew he would raise the dead still
Speaker 1: allowed himself to feel the weight of loss. This reveals
Speaker 1: something beautiful. The heart of God is not cold in
Speaker 1: the face of our suffering, he enters into it. But
Speaker 1: compassion was not the end of the story. Jesus went
Speaker 1: to the tomb. He commanded that the stone be rolled away.
Speaker 1: Martha hesitated. It had been four days the body had
Speaker 1: begun to decay, but Jesus reminded her, did I not
Speaker 1: tell you that if you believe, you will see the
Speaker 1: glory of God. He prayed alone, not because he needed to,
Speaker 1: but so that those around would know that this miracle
Speaker 1: came from the Father. Then, with a loud voice, he
Speaker 1: cried out, Lazarus, come forth, and the dead man walked
Speaker 1: out of the grave, bound in burial cloths, alive again,
Speaker 1: a walking testimony that death was no match for the
Speaker 1: voice of life. This miracle was more than a personal
Speaker 1: victory for a grieving family. It was a prophetic sign,
Speaker 1: a preview of what Jesus himself would soon do. It
Speaker 1: was a declaration to the world. Death does not have
Speaker 1: the final word. In this story, we see the tenderness
Speaker 1: and the power of Jesus woven together. He weeps with us,
Speaker 1: he stands beside us, but he also calls us out
Speaker 1: of the tomb. Whatever is dead in your life, a dream,
Speaker 1: a relationship, your faith, he is able to speak life again.
Speaker 1: The same Jesus who stood before the grave of Lazarus
Speaker 1: stands before every dark place in your heart to day.
Speaker 1: He does not avoid the pain. He steps into it.
Speaker 1: He does not deny your sorrow. He shares it, and
Speaker 1: then he speaks, Come forth. It is both a command
Speaker 1: and an invitation. Leave behind what once bound you. Step
Speaker 1: out of the tomb, walk into the light of resurrection life.
Speaker 1: Because the one who is the resurrection and the life
Speaker 1: is not just someone to admire. He is someone to believe,
Speaker 1: someone to trust, the one who turns funerals into testimonies
Speaker 1: and endings into brand new beginnings. There are places in
Speaker 1: life where we've settled into silence, graves we've accepted as final.
Speaker 1: But Jesus still speaks with authority and love, calling us
Speaker 1: by name, inviting us to rise. Believing that he is
Speaker 1: the resurrection means no moment is beyond hope. Believing that
Speaker 1: he is the Life means no circumstance is beyond his reach.
Speaker 1: And when that truth takes root, even death loses its grip.
Speaker 1: Nothing can hold you any more. Because the voice that
Speaker 1: called Lazarus out of the grave still speaks today. And
Speaker 1: when he calls new life begins Lesson sixteen. The Cross
Speaker 1: the exultation of the Lamb text Gospel of John, Chapters
Speaker 1: eighteen through nineteen. The Cross was never a moment of defeat.
Speaker 1: It was the exaltation of the Lamb. It was not
Speaker 1: a tragedy of injustice alone, but the fulfillment of divine
Speaker 1: justice through love. In the Gospel of John, we are
Speaker 1: invited to witness the final hours of Jesus, not as
Speaker 1: a victim, but as a king enthroned through suffering. It
Speaker 1: begins in a garden. Jesus, fully aware of all that
Speaker 1: was about to happen, stepped forward. When the soldiers came
Speaker 1: for him. He did not hide, he did not run
Speaker 1: when they said they were looking for Jesus of Nazareth,
Speaker 1: he replied, I am, and at those words they fell
Speaker 1: to the ground. Even in arrest, he displayed sovereign power.
Speaker 1: He protected his disciples, he submitted willingly, and he allowed
Speaker 1: himself to be bound, not because he was powerless, but
Speaker 1: because he was purposeful. From there he was led to trial,
Speaker 1: first before Annos, then Caiaphas, and finally before Pontius. Pilot.
Speaker 1: Lies were spoken, accusations were thrown, but Jesus remained composed, unwavering.
Speaker 1: His silence spoke louder than any defense. His calmness revealed
Speaker 1: who was truly in control. Pilot, though hesitant, eventually gave
Speaker 1: in to the pressure of the crowd. He ordered Jesus
Speaker 1: to be flogged. The soldiers mocked him, twisted thorns into
Speaker 1: a crown, struck him, and draped a purple robe over
Speaker 1: his torn flesh. But John wants us to see more
Speaker 1: than brutality. He wants us to see glory. Jesus stood there, bleeding, bruised, silent,
Speaker 1: and Pilot unknowingly declared a prophetic truth. Behold the man, Yes,
Speaker 1: behold the man who bore the weight of every sin,
Speaker 1: the lamb of God, standing not just for Israel, but
Speaker 1: for all humanity, the high priest and the sacrifice, the
Speaker 1: king and the servant. When Pilot asked Jesus if he
Speaker 1: was a king, Jesus responded that his kingdom was not
Speaker 1: of this world. He spoke of truth and purpose, of
Speaker 1: power that does not come from the sword, but from
Speaker 1: submission to the will of the Father. The crowd cried
Speaker 1: for crucifixion. Pilot handed him over, and so Jesus carried
Speaker 1: his own cross to the place of the skull. There
Speaker 1: he was lifted up, not just on wood, but in glory.
Speaker 1: Every nail driven into his flesh was not merely an
Speaker 1: act of violence. It was the fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy.
Speaker 1: That he was pierced for our transgressions and crushed for
Speaker 1: our iniquities. As he hung between two criminals, soldiers gamboled
Speaker 1: for his garments. His mother stood near, and even in agony,
Speaker 1: he cared for her. He entrusted her to John, revealing
Speaker 1: that even on the cross, love led every word, Darkness fell,
Speaker 1: the earth trembled, and in his final breath he declared,
Speaker 1: it is finished. That was not a cry of defeat,
Speaker 1: It was a declaration of victory. The debt had been paid,
Speaker 1: the curse was broken, the sacrifice was complete. John the
Speaker 1: Beloved Disciple, witnessed it all, and he wrote not just
Speaker 1: as a historian, but as a worshiper. He saw what
Speaker 1: many missed, that the crucifixion was not the end of
Speaker 1: Jesus's glory but the beginning of its full Unveiling the
Speaker 1: cross to the world looked like shame, but to heaven
Speaker 1: it was a throne. Jesus reigned from that place, not
Speaker 1: with golden crowns or scepters, but with thorns and nails.
Speaker 1: His glory was hidden in suffering. His victory was concealed
Speaker 1: in blood. This is the paradox of the Kingdom. That
Speaker 1: death became life, that loss became triumph, that surrender became exultation.
Speaker 1: It means that following Jesus is not about escaping pain,
Speaker 1: but about embracing purpose in the midst of it. True
Speaker 1: glory is found not in lifting up your status, but
Speaker 1: in laying down your life. In the Kingdom of God,
Speaker 1: the way up is always the way down. To behold
Speaker 1: the lamb exalted on the cross is to recognize that
Speaker 1: his sacrifice wasn't just for the world, It was deeply personal.
Speaker 1: It was for you. And once you see the cross
Speaker 1: as the throne of your king, everything begins to shift.
Speaker 1: You stop chasing power the way the world does. You
Speaker 1: stop running from brokenness. You begin to live in the
Speaker 1: power of a love that held nothing back. And when
Speaker 1: you bow before that cross, you don't bow in defeat.
Speaker 1: You rise in resurrection hope. The cross is not the
Speaker 1: end of the story, but it is the center, and
Speaker 1: from it flows forgiveness, freedom, and a kingdom that will
Speaker 1: never end Lesson seventeen, The Resurrection and the Commission Peace,
Speaker 1: Forgiveness and Mission, Gospel of John, chapters twenty through twenty one.
Speaker 1: On the first day of the week, while it was
Speaker 1: still dark, the tomb was already empty. Jesus the Crucified
Speaker 1: had risen, and yet his followers were still in hiding, fearful, confused,
Speaker 1: and scattered in spirit. They had witnessed the horror of
Speaker 1: the cross, their hopes seemed buried with his body. But
Speaker 1: what they did not yet understand was that resurrection was
Speaker 1: not just an event, It was a beginning. That evening,
Speaker 1: the disciples were gathered behind locked doors, and suddenly, without warning,
Speaker 1: Jesus appeared among them. There was no sound of footsteps,
Speaker 1: no knock, just the risen Lord standing in their midst.
Speaker 1: His first words were not words of rebuke, but of restoration.
Speaker 1: Peace be with you. He showed them his hands and
Speaker 1: his side, tangible proof that it was true him, and
Speaker 1: that the crucifixion was not undone but transformed. The wounds
Speaker 1: were still there, but now they were marks of victory.
Speaker 1: The disciples rejoiced, the sorrow turned to joy. But Jesus
Speaker 1: was not finished. He spoke again, Peace be with you.
Speaker 1: As the Father has sent me, I also send you.
Speaker 1: Then he did something deeply prophetic. He breathed on them
Speaker 1: and said, receive the Holy Spirit. This breath takes us
Speaker 1: back to Genesis, when God formed Man from the dust
Speaker 1: and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life. Here,
Speaker 1: the second Adam breathes new life into his new creation,
Speaker 1: the Church. It was not just peace he was giving.
Speaker 1: It was power, not just comfort, but commissioning. He added,
Speaker 1: if you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them.
Speaker 1: If you retain the sins of any, they are retained.
Speaker 1: This was not about personal authority to judge, but the
Speaker 1: sacred responsibility to carry and proclaim the gospel of reconciliation.
Speaker 1: The message of peace and forgiveness would now move through
Speaker 1: them to the world, But not everyone was present. One
Speaker 1: of the disciples, Thomas, had missed this first encounter. When
Speaker 1: they told him that Jesus had risen, he could not
Speaker 1: believe it. Unless I see the mark of the nails,
Speaker 1: unless I touch his wounds, I will not believe. Eight
Speaker 1: days later Jesus returned. This time Thomas was with them again.
Speaker 1: The doors were locked again. Jesus stood among them. Peace
Speaker 1: be with you. Then he turned directly to Thomas. Reach
Speaker 1: your finger here, see my hands. Place your hand in
Speaker 1: my side. Do not be unbelieving, but believe. Thomas fell
Speaker 1: to his knees and declared, my Lord and my God.
Speaker 1: His doubt was met not with condemnation, but with compassion.
Speaker 1: Jesus responded, you believe because you have seen. Blessed are
Speaker 1: those who have not seen, and yet have believed. That
Speaker 1: blessing reaches across generations. It reaches to us those who
Speaker 1: have not touched his scars but have trusted his voice,
Speaker 1: those who believe without sight but with surrendered hearts. And
Speaker 1: yet the story of resurrection does not end with belief.
Speaker 1: It continues with restoration. Later, on the shore of the
Speaker 1: Sea of Galilee, the risen Jesus meets his disciples once more.
Speaker 1: After a miraculous catch of fish, an echo of earlier days.
Speaker 1: He prepares breakfast for them. Then he turns to Peter,
Speaker 1: Peter who had denied him three times, Peter, whose failure
Speaker 1: had been public and painful. Jesus does not rebuke. He
Speaker 1: restores Peter, do you love me? Yes, Lord, you know
Speaker 1: that I love you. Then feed my lambs. Three times
Speaker 1: Jesus asks, three times Peter answers, and three times Jesus commissions,
Speaker 1: feed my sheep, tend my flock, follow me. This was
Speaker 1: not just forgiveness, It was recommissioning. Jesus was saying, your
Speaker 1: failure is not final. Your denial does not disqualify you.
Speaker 1: My grace is deeper, My calling still stands. The chapter
Speaker 1: ends with a powerful statement. If everything Jesus did were
Speaker 1: written down, the world itself could not contain the books,
Speaker 1: because his story is still being written through lives transformed,
Speaker 1: hearts restored, and disciples sent. The resurrection is not the end.
Speaker 1: It is the beginning of a movement. Peace is now
Speaker 1: possible even behind locked doors. Forgiveness is real, even after
Speaker 1: deep failure, and the mission continues, carried by imperfect people
Speaker 1: made whole by grace. Jesus still enters locked rooms, he
Speaker 1: still breathes life into the fearful, he still welcomes the doubting,
Speaker 1: he still restores the broken, and he still sends his
Speaker 1: followers into a world desperate for light. This is the
Speaker 1: invitation to receive his peace, to allow him to breathe
Speaker 1: new life into your spirit, to believe, even without seeing,
Speaker 1: to rise from failure, receive forgiveness and return to your calling.
Speaker 1: The tomb is empty, the King is alive, and the
Speaker 1: commission is clear. Go forgive, love, lead, serve. Because he lives,
Speaker 1: your past is not your prison. Because he lives, your
Speaker 1: wounds can become your witness. And because he lives, your
Speaker 1: life now carries the mission of heaven. This is more
Speaker 1: than a celebration. It's a calling. Resurrection is not just
Speaker 1: something you remember, it's something you live. And the world
Speaker 1: is still waiting for those who have seen the risen Christ,
Speaker 1: not with their eyes but with their hearts, to rise
Speaker 1: and walk in his name. We have just walked through
Speaker 1: seventeen powerful lessons from the Gospel of John, each one
Speaker 1: revealing the heart of Jesus, the depth of his grace,
Speaker 1: and the glory of his truth. From the Word made
Speaker 1: flesh to the empty tomb, one message echoes above all.
Speaker 1: Jesus is not just a teacher. He is the Savior.
Speaker 1: He is the Lamb, the Light, the life. And now
Speaker 1: the question remains, what will you do with this revelation?
Speaker 1: Will you believe without seeing? Will you follow when it costs?
Speaker 1: Will you carry the message like those who saw him risen?
Speaker 1: Because the story does not end at the resurrection, it
Speaker 1: begins with your response. If this journey spoke to your heart,
Speaker 1: comment your favorite lesson below and share this video with
Speaker 1: someone who needs this truth to day. Like comment, subscribe
Speaker 1: and join us for the next series. You are loved,
Speaker 1: you are called, You are sent. Until next time, walk
Speaker 1: in the light because Jesus is alive.