Then, in John 6:61, when He knew the disciples murmured, He asked them if the things He had said offended them.  We need to ask ourselves if anything about the gospel offends us.  We cannot pick and choose the parts we wish to believe.  If we come for anything other than allowing Jesus to be our Savior and Lord of our life, then the gospel will indeed offend us.  Jesus then told those following Him that He spoke of spiritual things.  In verse sixty two, He said, "What and if ye shall see the Son of Man ascend up to where He was before."  He wasn't speaking about what might possibly happen, but about what He knew had to happen.  He then said the Spirit quickens and brings life and the flesh profitted nothing.  Jesus said the words He spoke were Spirit and they were life.  We need to spend our time listening to the words of life from the Holy Spirit.  Sometimes, we treat salvation as a get out of hell free card, but not as a call to discipleship.  Jesus knew that His physical body would soon be destroyed, but He also knew that it was necessary to complete the plan of salvation.  This does not mean we are to ignore or punish our bodies, but that we are to put faith in Christ above all else, even our physical life.  If we spend more and more time and money on the physical than the spiritual aspects of life, we may need to examine our priorities.

John 6:59 tells us that Jesus spoke these things at the synagogue at Capernium.  Many of His disciples said in verse sixty, "This is an hard saying, who can hear it."  Some things that God tells us are hard to beat.  It is much easier to hate your enemies than to love them, for example.  They began to murmur.  It was bad enough that those who opposed Him murmured against Him, but how much worse for His disciples to do it.  We today as His followers have a tendency to murmur against God when things don't go the way we wanted.  We discount what God is asking us to do to be just to hard.  We sometimes use the expression, "It's not humanly possible."  That is most likely true.  If we are acting strictly out of our human ability, and it can be accomplished, then we feel no need of God and begin to operate under our own power.  It is only when we acknowledge that only by God's power can we accomplish what He has called us to do that we can really find success.  When God calls us to do a hard thing, remember it is not hard for Him.  We simply need to trust that what He is asking us to do can be accomplished by putting our faith in Him.  With God, all things are possible.

In John 6:46-59, Jesus continued to tell those gathered there about His relationship with the Father and to further explain His being the living bread.  He said that no one had seen the Father, save He which is of God.  Jesus was speaking of Himself.  We don't see God when we come to Jesus as one of His followers.  We, unlike those He was speaking to, don't even see Jesus.  What God looks like is unimportant.  All that matters is Who God is.  Then, in the next few verses, Jesus said He was the bread of life come down from heaven.  He said anyone who ate the bread in the wilderness was dead, but anyone who ate the bread come down from heaven would eat and not die.  Jesus then said He was that living bread, and that anyone who ate of that bread would live forever.  He then said this bread was His flesh, which He gave for the world.  Now, some who oppose Christianity claim this means cannibalism, but we know that Jesus was not speaking of literally eating His flesh.  Those listening to Him that day did not understand what He was talking about.  They asked how could a man do this.  They were still looking with an earthly understanding, but we must look from a spiritual understanding.  Jesus then said that unless someone ate the flesh of the Son of Man and drank His blood, he had no life in him.  Some churches today believe that when they have communion that the bread and drink literally transform into the body and blood of Christ, but we know that is not what He was speaking of.  He gave His body and spilled His blood on the cross to redeem mankind, and unless we believe in Him as our Savior because of that, we will not have everlasting life with Him.  When we accept His gift of salvation, His giving His body and blood for us, He lives in us through the Holy Spirit.  As the living Father sent Him and He lived by the Father, so shall we live by Him.  When we eat this bread, which is to believe on His sacrifice for us, we shall live forever.  We must understand that this is what was meant by eating His flesh and drinking His blood.  The people around Jesus were still trying to apply a literal interpretation to what He was saying, but He was not speaking of a literal concept.  When we read the Bible, we need to ask God to help us understand what He is truly saying and not just read the words.

In John 6:41, when the Jews heard that Jesus said He was the bread of life come down from heaven, they murmured amongst themselves.  People today are still murmuring among themselves about Who Jesus was and is.  The Jews then in verse forty two, said, "Is this not Jesus,  the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know?  How is it then He saith I come down from heaven?"  They were too familiar with the human Jesus to recognize that He was also, not Joseph's Son by birth, but the Son of God.  We will always find people murmuring about Jesus as long as they see Him as anything less than the only begotten Son of God.  In verse forty three, Jesus told them not to murmur.  If they had questions about His claim, He was standing there.  When we have questions about Jesus, we need to go to Him in prayer for the answers.  There is no use in looking to the world for answers. In verse forty four, Jesus said no man cometh unto Him unless the Father draw him, and He would raise him up the last day.  Again, we could see this as the preordination of some, but we know that the Father draws all people to Jesus.  He will keep us once we are His by faith in His gift of salvation.  This had been foretold by the prophets.  In verse forty five, Jesus reminded them of this, and then said, "And they shall be taught of God.  Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me."  The Jews should certainly be familiar with the prophets, and should have learned from the Father, but they didn't come to Him.  The church nor the Bible nor an acknowledgement that Jesus lived will save us.  It is only when the Father draws us to Him and we respond by placing our faith in Jesus as Savior and Lord will we be saved.

We look for security in a lot of ways today, but often find that they fail.  In John 6:37-40, we find the reason that we as followers of Christ can have security, not just for today, but for time everlasting.  In verse thirty nine, after just telling those following Him that they didn't believe Him even though they had seen Him, He said that all the Father gave Him, He should no wise cast out.  Some would use this verse to say that some are preordained to be saved, those given by the Father.  We have to understand it in the context of the next verses.  There would certainly be no security in salvation if we could not even know for sure that we were one of those given by the Father.  In verse thirty eight, Jesus said He came down out of heaven, not to do His own will, but the will of the Father.  It wasn't the Father's will that Jesus be an earthly King, nor simply a miracle worker.  He was to be and is the Savior.  When we become His followers, we are called to do the will of the Father, and not our own.  In verse thirty nine, Jesus said that the will of the Father was that He would lose nothing given to Him but raise it up again the last day.  If we have given our life to Him by faith in His salvation given to us, we will be secured to everlasting life.  Then, in verse forty is the good news for everyone.  Jesus said that anyone who saw the Son, and believed on Him, should have everlasting life, and Jesus would raise Him up the last day.  Though we cannot look to Jesus physically, we can and must look to Him spiritually as the Son of God and our Savior.  We see in this verse that salvation is secured to any who believes on Jesus.  Salvation is available to all, but is only secured for those who believe in Jesus and accept Him as Savior.  Security in the world, based on worldly things, is often not very secure.  Security based on God is everlastingly secured by Jesus.  We have no reason to worry.

After Jesus said He could give them the everlasting bread of life, in John 6:34, they said, "Lord, evermore give us this bread."  Matthew Henry says some see this as being said in derision, but he feels they were sincere but mistaken about what this bread really was.  I agree with him.  They had had their physical hunger met, they remembered learning about the manna in Moses' day, and looked for Jesus to daily fill their physical hunger.  Many today look to God for material reasons, but they refuse to acknowledge Him as their Savior, Lord, and Master.  Jesus said, in verse thirty five, "I am the bread of life: he that believeth in Me shall never hunger; and he that believeth in Me shall never thirst."  He was not speaking of a physical hunger and thirst, but a spiritual one.  When we accept Jesus as our Savior and Lord,we no longer need to hunger and thirst for righteousness.  We know where the answer to life's problems lie.  Then, in verse thirty six, He told them that He knew they had not believed in Him.  They had seen Him, but they did not accept Him as the Son of God, the Messiah.  They were willing to follow Him for earthly blessings, but not for spiritual redemption.  So many people today would be willing to follow Jesus, if it were for material gain, but are not willing to allow Him to be the Lord of their life. They don't want to give up control of everyday decisions, so they reject the salvation He offers.  Sometimes, even we as His followers can be the same way about everyday decisions we make.  We need to make sure that whatever we do it is God's will.

In John 6:30, those Jews following Jesus asked Him what sign would He give them that they might believe.  They had seen the miracles He performed and had been miraculously fed, but the were looking for a sign.  We as Christians have the miracle of the cross as the only sign we should ever need.  Yet, we often look for some material sign that Jesus is really able to meet our needs.  The Jews that day spoke of Moses giving their fathers bread from Heaven.  They were wrong about the source of the bread.  Moses did not give them the bread, but was simply an instrument that God used to meet the need of the people in the dasert.  We need to be careful that we give God credit for the good things that happen in our life.  Yet, we are more likely to attribute the bad to His lack of caring for us.  Even as the people following Jesus spoke of the bread from heaven, they didn't mention their fathers complaining about it.  When God provides for us, we need to praise Him, not grumble about whether the provision is all that we wanted, because too often our wants do exceed our needs.  Jesus said that He, not the Manna, was the true bread from Heaven.  In verse thirty three, He said, "For the bread of God is He which cometh down from Heaven, and giveth life unto the world."  The bread Moses gave them was a temporary provision to sustain physical life, but Jesus was the bread from heaven to bring everlasting life. We need to never look for any other way to life than through belief in Christ as our Savior.

In John 6:27, Jesus told the multitude not to work for meat that perishes, but for the meat endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of Man would give them.  He had been sealed by the Father.  As stated earlier, the people were following Jesus for material reasons.  We sometimes hear that same idea preached today.  If we follow Jesus and do His will, we will become rich in the things of the world.  Here, Jesus said we need to be looking for those things that will last forever.  The people asked what could they do that they might do the works of God.  People today continue to wonder what they have to do to become a part of God's family.  For some religions, the more you do for your god, the greater your blessing in heaven will be, based totally on your works.  Jesus said, in verse twenty nine, "This is the work of God, that ye believe on Him Whom He hath sent."  What works must we do to be saved?  Believe in Jesus as the Son of God and our individual Savior.  Yes, He died for all mankind, but until we accept that gift individually, it does not apply to us.  I see a lot of movies where, because of faith in God, all earthly problems are suddenly solved.  I hear people proclaim that if we will tithe, all money worries will be over.  This can lead to following God for earthly reasons.  When we truly believe in Jesus as our Savior, earthly things become secondary to doing the will of God.  Until we follow Him no matter the circumstances of life, we are not living totally by faith.  We must always ask in faith, and accept the answer that comes.  Even if we are left with the struggles of life, we can rest assured that God is with us if we are following His will.

In John 6:22, we see that the multitude the next day wondered where Jesus had gone. There was no other boat than the one the disciples had sailed in, and Jesus was not with them when they left.  He was alone on the mountain.  After they had been fed, the people had lost sight of Jesus.  When people today need something, they may call on God for the answer.  If the need is met, they may enjoy the answer to their need, but still not be mindful of God until the next time they need something.  Then, they may look around and ask where God went.  When we truly are His, we never have to ask where He is.  He is with us always.  The people decided to go to Capernium to look for Jesus.  There were several boats around by then.  They were seeking Him for the wrong reasons, but a way to get to Him was made available.  Today, even those who seek Jesus for the wrong reasons will be provided a way to Him.  Then, God will lead them to the truth, whether they accept it or not.  They asked Jesus how He got there.  We don't need to understand how God works His will in the world.  We need only to accept that He can and will do what He says He will do.  In answer to their question, in verse twenty six, Jesus said, "Verily,verily I say unto you, Ye seek Me not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat the loaves, and were filled."
They were not there because of a spiritual desire to find Jesus, but for a materialistic reason.  When we look to Jesus, or more accurately the Holy Spirit, for answers, we need to make sure we are asking for spiritual needs, not material wants.

Beginning in John 6:16, while Jesus was on the mountain, as evening came, His disciples got in a boat to cross over to Capernium.  At this point, they were not following Jesus or even waiting on Him.  When we feel that we are away from God, we don't have to go seeking Him because He never really leaves us, nor should we just do what we normally do without being sure we are following Him. We just need to be still and know He will direct us.  Then, it got dark.  We can make the analogy that when they left the presence of Jesus that they were in Spiritual darkness as well. When we begin to move through life without the leadership of the Holy Spirit, we are in Spiritual darkness.  We are still His by the salvation of Christ, but we are not following as we should.  After darkness came the storm.  The disciples managed to row twenty five or thirty furlongs.  They were making some progress against the storm, and we may be able to accomplish some things on our own against the storms of life, but it will not be easy.  Then, in the midst of the storm, they saw Jesus walking on the sea.  The storm was still there, but where they had been rowing to get anywhere, Jesus walked across the stormy sea to get to them.  In the midst of our spiritual storms, there can be nothing more comforting than the presence of the Holy Spirit coming to us through the storm.  In John 6:20, Jesus said to them, "It is I, be not afraid."  We can rest just as certainly in the presence of the Holy Spirit, if we accept His assurance and leadership.  No matter what the storm might be, we need not be afraid.  The disciples willing accepted Jesus into the boat and immediately got to where they were going.  That is what we must do.  We must immediately accept the Holy Spirit back into the role of leadership in our life, then the storm will cease and we will be on our way to fulfilling our purpose once again.

In John 6:14, we see the people's reaction to the miracle of the feeding of the five thousand.  They proclaimed Him to truly be that prophet which was to come from God.  Even as they were looking for the coming of the Messiah, and acknowledged that Jesus could be Him, they still did not understand what the Messiah was coming to do.  If we come to Christ based simply on earthly miracles, then we do not really understand Who He is. When Jesus recognized that they were about to take Him by force and make Him king, He left them and went alone up on the mountain.  Their response to Jesus was all wrong.  We cannot force Jesus to be anyone other than Who He is.  We cannot dictate how He works in the world, no matter how zealous we may be.  We cannot follow Him simply for material blessings.  The people had just had their physical hunger met, and were going to keep Jesus with them so this could continue.  We cannot serve God just to have our personal need provider.  Our needs are met when we follow His will, and not we follow His will because our needs are met.  The Jews had been persecuted, and they were going to force Jesus to be their way to retribution.  When we follow Christ, we can never do it simply for the purpose of seeing those who have hurt us punished.  We, like Christ, should be broken hearted when someone who has hurt us fails to accept redemption.  Christ knew the people there wanted a Messiah Who would be an eathly king, not a heavenly Savior.  When we follow Christ, it must be with our eyes on the everlasting kingdom of God, not the temporary kingdom of the world.

Sometimes, we would be better off to look at what we have instead of what we don't have.  In John 6:8-9, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother told Jesus that there was a lad with five barley loaves and two fishes.  Andrew saw what was there, but still failed to recognize what Jesus could do with it.  He asked what was this among so many.  We today may look at what we need and what we have and say the task cannot be done, but we need to look to God instead.  Then, we need to act in faith and do what God needs us to do.  Jesus told them to have the men sit down, and there were about five thousand of them.  I'm sure most preachers today would like to have that large crowd following them, but I doubt they would want to feed them.  Then, Jesus took the bread and blessed it and had the disciples distribute it to the people.  Then, He did the same with the fish.  When it says Jesus took the bread, that does not mean He physically took the bread from the lad.  Though it doesn't say, we must understand the lad willingly gave his lunch to Jesus, holding nothing back.  We must do the same and give everything to Jesus holding nothing back.  Then, after everyone ate all they wanted, the disciples were told to gather what was left, and there were twelve baskets full of the fragments of the five barley loaves.  When we follow God's instructions, not only will our needs be met,but there will be blessings beyond the need.  We might ask what could we do with twelve baskets of scrap bread, but remember the need was to feed hungry people, and that was done with much to spare.  God expects us to never waste what He blesses us with but to always be willing to share with others, even if it looks like it will cost us everything we have. Did Jesus have to have the loaves and fish to feed the people?  No, but He allowed the disciples and the lad to share in the miracle.  God does not need what we can offer Him, but He still wants us to offer so we participate in the miracle or simply the accomplishment of the task He has called us to do.

In John 6:1-7, Jesus went across the sea of Galilee, which was called the sea of Tiberius, in honor of the emperor of the same name.  Jesus did not cross over to the city, but went further up the coast than where He had been.  If He planned to get away from the crowd of people for awhile, it didn't work.  Great multitudes followed Him because of the miracles He had done.  There are some people today who follow Christ because of the miracles He has done, and if they see no miracle in their life, they turn away.  Jesus had gone up on the mountain with His disciples, and He looked up and saw the multitude coming to Him.  Notice He did not say something like not now, I'm tired  or busy or hungry.  We may at times need to get away, but if God leads someone to us, we should not turn them away.  Jesus asked Philip, who had been with Him from the beginning of His ministry, and had seen many miracles, where they could buy enough bread to feed the multitude to test him.  God will never tempt us, but He may sometimes test our faith.  Philip said two hundred pennyworth of bread was not enough for them to have just a little.  How often do we look at the task God has set before us and say that it is impossible?  We have seen first hand, if we are indeed His followers, the miracle of salvation, but still doubt His ability to provide for us.  We look at the facts and not the Creator of it all.  Philip needed to look to Jesus and not at the masses, and so must we always look to Him first.

In John 5:39, Jesus continues to speak of the Jews belief in the Scripture.  Jesus' life was the very fulfillment of the Scripture that they would use to condemn Him.  If anyone today begins to proclaim that something is right that the Scripture, the Bible, says is wrong,we can be sure that they are wrong.  Jesus pointed the Jews to the truth of the Scripture, and we can point the world to the same truth.  When we hear that we cannot legislate morality and pass a law based on that assumption, then I guess we would have to say that we can legislate immorailty.  The Scribes and Pharisees had hundreds of laws, but they did not recognize the truth of the Scripture when Jesus was standing in front of them.  Again, He wasn't what they were looking for. Jesus then said they would not come to Him that they might have life and that He received no honor among men.  The same is true today.  Those who will not come to Him to receive everlasting life certainly do not honor Him.  They may simply ignore Him, or they may ridicule and persecute those who believe in Him.  Jesus said, in verse forty three, that He came in the Father's name and they didn't believe Him, but if one came in his own name, they would believe.  Look at the religions today based on the teachings of those who came in their own name and we can see this is true. Then, He said not He, but Moses, would accuse them before the Father, because they did not believe Moses, because if they had, they would have believed Jesus, since He was the One Moses wrote about.  They were condemning Him for not believing the Law of Moses, and Jesus said Moses himself would condemn them before the Father. When anyone tries to use the Bible, or even just the Old Testament, to point to anyone other than Jesus as the Savior, then we can be sure they are wrong.

In John 5:31-39, Jesus declares the witness to His being the Son of God.  He set aside His own witness, which should have been enough.  If we refuse to believe the word of God, which Jesus witnessing to His being the Son of God was, Jesus told the Jews opposing Him that there were other witnesses to Who He was and is.  The Father Himself had born witness to Jesus.  As God's chosen people, they might not recognize Jesus when He declared Himself the Son of God, but they had to acknowledge the declaration of the Father.  We have a record of his witness in the Bible, allowing us to look back on the truth of Who Jesus is.  They had the witness of John the Baptist, who the Jews saw as a great prophet. John was a shining light that they followed for awhile.  He was not the One they were looking for, but they were more than willing to follow Him.  We have the witness of all the great man of God since Jesus came to redeem us.  He then stated that His works, given to Him by the Father, witnessed to the fact that He was Who He said He was.  We know the greatest work He was given was to be the Redeemer of mankind.  Then, Jesus said they had the witness of the Scripture.  They were waiting His coming because God's Word said He was coming.  We have not just the Old Testament that fortold His coming, but also the New Testament that tells of His dying for us and His coming again to receive His followers to Himself.  We today also have the witness of the Holy Spirit, the Comforter sent to be with us until Jesus returns.  We can either acknowledge Jesus as the Son of God and our redeemer, or one day face Him as our accuser.

In John 5:22-30, Jesus talks of His role as judge.  He is uniquely qualified to act as judge.  As the only begotten Son of God, He knows from experience what it means to be human.  If we want to know what a human being should really be like, especially as His followers, we need to look to Jesus.  He set the standard by which we will be judged, and then He paid the price of that judgment for those who believe ln Him.  The Father will not be the Judge, but the Son will since He was sent to be the Savior.  He also states that those who do not honor the Son do not honor the Father.  God's people then and now do not honor Jesus as the Son of God nor do some other groups who profess God to be the Creator of all.  The in verse twenty four, He declares with great emphasis that anyone who hears His word and believes in Him shall have everlasting life and not condemnation.  He came to be our redeemer, not our judge.  In verse twenty five, He said the hour was coming when the dead would hear His voice and live.  Some use this verse to justify praying for the dead or even being baptized for the dead, but Jesus was speaking of the spiritually dead, not the physically dead.  That is why we must reach people with the gospel while they are living.  As Judge, He will also one day call forth all those in the grave and they will be judged by their faith.  Those that have done the will of God, whether looking forward to Christ or back on Him, will be with Christ, and those who didn't will be eternally seperated from Him.  They will not be seperated by deeds, but by their faith in God and the Redeemer Who was either to come or already is here. Works have never saved a person.  Then, Jesus states that He has the authority to act as Judge.  He alone is authorized to do so.  We can never be the judge of the salvation of others, though some churches claim to hold that authority.  Christ alone is worthy to judge.

In John 5:22, Jesus continues to speak of the relationship between the Father and the Son.  Again, the triune nature of God is nothing the mind of mankind can truly comprehend.  Fortunately, we do not have to.  Jesus was saying in this verse that He had every right to proclaim Himself the Son of God.  His works were God's work.  He was not and is not secondary to the Father, because they, and the Holy Spirit are One.  In verse twenty one, Jesus said as the Father lifted up and quickened the dead,even so the Son quickened who He will.  The Father had shown through His prophets the ability to quicken, those who were physically dead.  Jesus would show this same power, but more importantly He would have the power to quicken the spiritually dead.  When we read that Jesus quickens whom He will, that doesn't mean He arbitrarily choses to give life to one and not to another spiritually.  When He physically restored Lazarus to life, He was indeed specific, but spiritually He brings life to all who believe in Him as their personal Savior.  We need only believe that Christ died for us to have everlasting life.  We don't have to fully understand the Trinity, but simply accept that Three are One, and that Jesus said nothing wrong when He said He was equal to the Father.

Sometimes, our plans don't work out perfectly. On Saturday, the 20th, we had a lightning storm that took out several electronic devices, including our modem and satellite.  It was almost like being back in the 1950's, except I was  reading on my Kindle.  When you cannot get on line, you cannot blog.  So, I didn't quit, I just hit a snag in the road.  That is the way it often is with the Christian life.  We are carrying out our plans, and then lightning strikes.  Sometimes we have very little warning that something is about to go wrong.  We may have gone through the same type situation before, and nothing bad happened. As His followers, we must never become complacent because things have always gone okay.  Even if we are cut off from many things we take for granted, as Christians we can never be cut off from God by any storm that comes our way.  Events may slow us down or limit us, but they can never defeat us if we are following God's will.  When our modem went out, we lost access to the internet, but it was still there.  If our faith in God wavers, He is still there, but we are not claiming all that He makes available to us.  When the storms come, that is when we need to our faith in God sustain us.  We must never let the storms defeat us.

In John 5:19, Jesus began to explain His relationship to the Father and His purpose on earth.  He first said that He could do nothing of Himself, but what He saw the Father do, He Himself did.  At no point did Jesus counteract God, because He and the Father are One.  We, as His followers, can do nothing for God through our own power, and we should always look to God to know what to do.  Whatever we do can never counteract the teachings of God.  Then, Jesus said the Father loved the Son and showed Him all things that He, the Father, did and showed Him greater works than those the people marveled at.  They marveled at the things He had done so far, but He knew the greatest event was yet to occur, His death, burial and resurrection for the redemption if all people.  When we read of the miracles that Jesus did, remember that only one has an everlasting effect.  Today, if we see someone miraculously healed or spared from a deadly situation, we need to remember that it is only temporary.  The real miracle is when someone accepts Christ as their Savior and gains everlasting life.  As His followers, if we are asked if we ever experienced or saw a miracle, we should be able to boldly say, "Yes, He died for me."  We often pray for someone to be healed, and they aren't, and we question God.  We need to remember that He has already given everlasting life to any who will accept it, so we need never question God.  Jesus knew what lay ahead for Him, and so can we as His people.  For Him, it was death on a cross for us, and for us it is everlasting life if we believe in Him.  The world will always question the teachings and work of God, but we as His followers need to be insure that the things we believe are the things God teaches.  We will never have the relationship with the Father that Jesus does, but we can follow in obedience.

In John 5:17, Jesus answered the Jewish leaders question of His working on the Sabboth with the statement, "My Father worketh hitherto, and I work."  We are told to remember the Sabboth day to keep it holy, but God does not work just six days a week.  He is at work in His creation every minute of every day.  We never serve an absentee God.  He finished creating everything in six days, and rested from creating, but He didn't leave creation to fend for itself.  They were ready to kill Him for working on the Sabboth, and now He was declaring Himself to be the Son of God, making Himself equal to God.  As followers of Christ, we need to accept the fact that He is indeed God.  The Jews sought the more to kill Him.  We need to realize that Jews today do not feel that they killed the Messiah.  If they feel responsible for the death of Jesus at all, He still was not the Messiah to them.  They are still awaiting His first coming as we as Christians are awaiting His second coming.  The New Testament is not their Scripture.  We might ask how God's chosen people could be so wrong for so long, but they are not the only ones who refuse to accept Jesus as Savior and Lord of their lives.  Too often we, as His followers, fail to allow Him to be the Lord of our lives, because He doesn't conform to our will.  We can let traditions and personal beliefs come between His will and our desires.  As followers of Christ, we are His chosen people today, and when He leads us to do something, we need to do it, no matter the cost.

The Jews wanted to know who told the man to walk, not so they could thank him for healing the man, but so they could admonish him.  The violation of religious rules was more important than doing good works for God.  Again, may we never be that way.  In honoring the Sabboth Day, or Lord's Day for us, let us never fail to do a good deed because of the day.  Jesus had disappeared into the crowd, so the man could not tell them Who had healed him.  We might ask why he didn't know Who Jesus was, but I am sure that in his excitement he wasn't thinking about having to point Jesus out at that moment.  Still, if we are asked Who made us whole, we need to quickly point to Jesus Christ, the Only One Who can make a person whole.  Later we see in John 5:14 that Jesus found the man at the Temple and told him, "Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee."  This does not mean that Jesus was warning him that forgiveness and restoration depended on the man's future actions.  Jesus was warning him not to fall back into a life ruled by sin.  We are to put aside the rule of sin in our lives when we accept Christ as our Savior.  The man, when he left the Temple, went back to the Jews and pointed out Jesus as the One Who healed him.  He was most likely expecting them to praise Jesus for what He did.  We cannot determine how people are going to react when we tell them about Jesus.  Some may be like these Jews and seek Him simply to persecute Him.  Our task is to witness and then it is up to the people how they react.  Some will believe on Him, some will persecute, and still others will simply ignore Him.

In John 5:9, we see that the man immediately did as Jesus instructed him to do.  He took up his bed and walked on the Sabboth day.  By this time, the Jews had severe restrictions on what could and could not be done on the Sabboth day. The Scribes and Pharisees were very religious, but they were not necessarily Godly.  We today can be very religious, but not be very Godly.  When we begin to worry more about being in the church building instead of reaching those outside the walls of the church, then we are more religious than Godly.  In verse ten, we see the Jews were more interested in religious laws being broken than they were in a man being miraculously healed.  How many of us, if we are on our way to church and see someone having problems willing would stop to help them while giving God the glory?  We might not want to be late or get our clothes dirty and hurry on the way.  If so, we are being more religious than Godly.  The Jews asked the man, not how he was able to walk, but who told him to take up his bed on the Sabboth.  We might have people question us today if we do something that they feel violates religious laws or customs, but we need to always put the need to reach the lost above any religious custom.  In John 5:11, the man told them that the Man that made him whole told him to take up his bed and walk.  If we are questioned why we are doing something that seems to be against religious custom, we need to be able to answer because the One Who made me whole told me to do it.  Anytime a religious custom gets in the way of witnessing to and helping meet the needs of others, it stands between us and the will of God.

In John 5:1-9, we are told that Jesus went back to Jerusalem for Passover and of a lame man He met there.  This was in the sheep market, near the pool  called Bethsada.  Jesus was out where ordinary people were, and that is where we need to be, witnessing and ministering.  The pool was noted for having healing powers, because at times an angel stirred the waters, and whoever got in first after that was healed.  We do not know when this pool started to have healing power or when it ceased to.  We don't know why God chose to heal this way.  We do know that people had to have faith in the healing power of the water and act quickly.  There was a multitude there waiting to be healed.  Today, we may wonder why one person is healed and so many are not, but physical healing is not the main concern.  There are multitudes of people needing spiritual healing today, and God's healing power is not limited.  At the pool, the man Jesus met had been lame, unable to move on fast on his own, for thirty eight years.  In verse six, Jesus asked him,"Wilt thou be made whole?"
He did not ask the man if he wanted to walk, but if he wanted to be completely well. When we encounter Christ, He does not offer partial spiritual healing, but He makes us whole spiritually.  The man said he had been trying, but he had no one to help him and he could never get to the water first.  People today spend years, some even a lifetime, looking for spiritual healing on their own and never find it, because they may believe in man made ways to spiritual restoration, but they refuse to believe in Christ.  When they encounter Christ and are asked if they would be made whole, the answer is no.  In verse eight, Jesus told the man to rise and take up his bed and walk.
The man immediately was made whole and got up and walked.  When we accept salvation through Christ, we don't have to go through certain steps to be restored to God.  We are immediately made whole and need to rise and walk in and for Him.

In John 4:44, Jesus came into Galilee, and said that a prophet is without honor in his own country.  Often today, some people refuse to believe a person can be used by God because they knew them before they accepted Christ as their Savior.  We need to give honor to those proclaiming God's word, even if we knew them before.  The people of Galilee came to Jesus because they had seen what He did at Jerusalem at the feast, because they had also been there.  The Samaritans had come to Him because of what He said, and the people of Galilee because of the things He had done in Jerusalem at the feast..  We need to come because He calls, without the need for earthly signs.  Salvation is its own sign of the truth of Jesus being the Christ.  While in the city of Cana, where He turned the water to wine, a nobleman from Capernaum, whose son was sick, came to see Jesus.  When we have sick people we are worried about, the first thing we need to do is seek Jesus through prayer.  The man's son was close to death, so he wanted Jesus to come to him and heal Him.  He was limiting the power of God by thinking Jesus had to physically come to his son to heal him.  We need to always put everything in God's hands and not attempt to tell Him how to accomplish what needs to be done.  In verse forty eight, Jesus said to the man, " Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe."  We often miss the blessing of God because we are waiting for signs and wonders.  The man again asked Jesus to come, and Jesus told him to go on his way, because his son lived.  The nobleman went on his way in faith.  Would we have gone, or would we have stayed begging Jesus to do our will?  At times, even after God has answered our prayers, we continue to beg for our will to be done.  Before he even got home, the nobleman' s servants met him to say that his son lived.  When he asked when he got better and they told him, he knew it was at the time Jesus had told him his son lived.  He went on his way in faith, and received the miracle he needed.  We need to go on our way in faith, and the miracles will come along the way.  If we sit waiting for a miracle, we may miss it because we are not where God wants us to be.  This was Jesus' second miracle.

In John 4:43, after two days with the Samaritans, Jesus departed for Galilee.  He had taken the time to witness to the Samaritans when He was given the opportunity, and His witnessing was successful.  Some would say that He only did what was already ordained, but if you have been reading what I have written, you will know that I don't believe that.  Jesus stopped at the well because He was thirsty.  He sent the disciples to buy meat because they needed it.  He started talking to the Samaritan woman because she asked Him a question.  He stayed to witness to the Samaritans for two days because they asked Him to tarry.  He did all these things because He was obedient to the Father.  We need to realize that we always have choices in life.  If God indeed dictates every move, then nothing we do can ever be wrong because of us.  It, even the evil in the world, would all be God's responsibility or fault.  As we go through the day, we need to be open to the leadership of the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit does not drive us, but leads us.  We need to realize that our time is God's time as His followers.  We may have our day planned, and God may lead them us to change it.  If our plan becomes more important than God's plan, then we may miss the woman at the well.  Then, she will miss all those that came to Jesus because of her testimony.  We need to pray that we are never in too big a hurry or too devoted to our plans to listen to God's plan.

After Jesus' discussion with His disciples, many Samaritans came to Him.  It says John 4:39 that they believed on Him because of the saying of the woman that He told her everything she ever did.  She could only testify of her own experience.  She didn't mention anything about the discussion of where to worship, only what He told her about herself.  The people came because they were curious about this prophet.  When we go into the world to witness, the most effective thing we can tell people is the effect the gospel has on us.  I say has, because the gospel should impact our lives everyday.  People may first come simply out of curiosity to hear about Jesus, believing He might be a prophet or a good man, but at least they are open to hearing about Him.  Matthew Henry says that some might have been reluctant to come, since Jesus might tell them all their secret sins.  There may be some who don't want to come today for the same reason.  When they got to Jesus, they asked Him to tarry, and He stayed for two days.  We are told many more believed because of His word.  The only way a person can believe in Christ as their Savior is through a personal encounter with Him, through the Holy Spirit for us.  I cannot be saved by your relationship to Christ.  We may plant the seed, but God brings the harvest of salvation.  In verse 42, they said to the woman, "Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard Him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world."  Again, until we acknowledge that Christ is the Savior, and the only One, we cannot be saved.  We cannot save anyone, but we must point them to the One Who can.  This must be our priority.  The fields are white to harvest, not in four months, a few days, or tomorrow, but now.

In John 4:35, Jesus told the disciples, "Say not there are yet four months, and then cometh harvest?  Behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields, for they are white already to harvest."  Jesus had just told His disciples that He had come to do His Father's work.  That was what sustained Him, and there was no time to waste.  The disciples were following Jesus, but they thought they had plenty of time to do whatever He needed to do, but Jesus knew they didn't have forever, so He made the most of every opportunity.  We cannot wait until we feel the time is right to witness for Christ.  We need to lift up our eyes and look on the fields.  They are indeed white with harvest.  When we hear of what is going on in the world today, it shouldn't lead us to give up in despair, but to be working harder to spread the gospel.  We don't need to try to read the signs of the end, because it has gotten closer each day since Jesus ascended into heaven.  We need to see the fields of lost souls ready for harvest.  We need to spend more time spreading the gospel than waiting for those evil people to be shown that we were right and they are going to get what they deserve.  In verse thirty six, Jesus said, "And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he who soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together."  The disciples did not need to worry about how or even who was spreading the Word, but instead needed to rejoice with those who were reaping the harvest of eternal life.  Jesus told them that one sowed and another reaped, but both were necessary for the harvest.  We need to concentrate on the harvest, and not who did what to bring it in.

In Johh 4:27, the disciples, before the woman left, asked Jesus, "What seekest thou," or, "Why talkest thou to her."  Jesus was not following the dictates of society.  Not only was He talking to a Samaritan woman, but He was doing so without any one else
present.  The first question might be why would they question what Jesus was doing?  We can assume that they did it out of concern for His reputation, but they could have also worried that someone else was doing what they thought was their right.  It would not so much have been their responsibilty, because people don't usually mind sharing responsibility, but they do mind giving up rights.  They were His inner circle.  Today when we see God at work in the world, we may not understand what He is doing, but we need never question Him.  Also, as Christians, we must never feel that we should be able to keep the Saviour for ourselves, nor feel threatened when those we may not like become a part of His family.  We do not see an answer from Jesus.  He had told them what His purpose was, and He expected them to accept the way He carried it out.  Then, after the woman left, in verse thirty one, they asked Him to come and eat.  Again, they were more concerned with physical needs than spiritual needs.  In verse thirty two, Jesus said to them, "I have meat to eat that ye know not of."  We can never know the full riches of God, but we can know that He will use them to meet our needs.  The disciples, still thinking in material terms, wondered where this meat came from.  While they were away doing what Jesus had told them to do, had someone else done what they were to do?  We never need to be concerned about someone else doing the work of God, but in this case, there was no one else.  In verse thirty four, Jesus said to them, "My meat is to do the will of Him that sent me, and to finish His work."  That is our task today.

In John 4:27, Jesus' disciples returned.  They marveled that Jesus was talking to the Samaritan woman.  They said nothing about it.  There were likely many questions running through their minds, but they didn't ask Jesus for answers.  If we ever wonder what God is doing in our lives, the best thing to do is ask Him.  Pray about it, and the Holy Spirit will help us understand.  The woman left to tell others what had happened.  She left her water pot and went to the city.  When we come to Christ, we need to leave everything with Him.  We cannot let the cares and concerns of the world come ahead of telling others about Him.  There are probably those today who would say she should have been responsible enough to carry her bucket, and maybe even get the water she came for, before going to tell others.  Too often, we feel we must take care of everything else before we devote time to God, but we need to put Him first.  She told the people in verse 29, "Come, see a man, which told me all things ever I did: is this not the Christ?"  She said come see a man, but with her question acknowledged she saw Him to be the Savior.  When God reveals Himself to us, we know Who He is, whether we want to acknowledge it or not.  When we do know, we must be like the woman, and share the Good News with others, inviting them to come and see.  The people went to see what she was talking about.  They knew something about her had changed.  When we invite others to come to Christ, they will respond more readily if they see a change in us, something different in the way we live as compared to the way the world lives.  Had she gotten her water and come back to town, continuing on with life as normal, and said something like, " Oh by the way, I met this guy at the well who was kind of interesting," the people might not have gone to see Him.  We need to be excited about our relationship to Christ when we share the gospel with them.  Then, they are more likely to respond.

In John 4:25, the woman said she knew the Messiah was coming, and when He did, He would tell us all things.  She had some understanding of God's word, but like the Jews, was looking for a different messiah.  Jesus came, not to tell us all things, but to show us the way to redemption.  Jesus replied to her, "I that speaketh unto the am He."  Even when we fail to recognize Him, Jesus will make Himself known to us.  Like the woman, we may fail to recognize Him when we first come in His presence, but He will not leave us until we truly know Who He is.  From His encounter with the woman at the well, we see that Jesus was indeed human since He was tired and thirsty.  We see that He never excludes people because of where they were born.  Jews may have avoided Samaritans, but Jesus didn't.  We see that He initiates the contact.  He comes to us to invite us to come to Him.  We see that what Jesus offers is better than anything we have.  We see that God is not limited by the physical rules of life, as He is Spirit.  We see that God gives us a chance to serve Him, even when He could do everything without us.  Finally, we see that the place we worship God is not important, as long as we worship Him in Spirit and in truth.

The woman at the well told Jesus that she perceived He was a prophet.  How else could He know so much about her life.  Once more, if we see Jesus only as another prophet, then we miss the truth of Who He really is.  She then raised the question of where people worshipped in John 4:20.  She said the Samaritans worshipped on this mountain and the Jews said people should worship in Jerusalem.  We today have different places to worship, and some feel that theirs is the only true place of worship.  When we gather as a local church or a denomination, we need to realize that we are not the only ones worshipping God.  Jesus told her in verse twenty one to believe Him, that the time was coming when people would neither worship God on this mountain or in Jerusalem.  Then, He said the Samaritans did not know Who they worshipped.  They did not understand Who God really is, and though the Jews didn't always understand everything about God, they did worship the true Heavenly Father. Salvation was to come through the Jews.  There are many devout people who gather faithfully each week to worship, but they do not know God.  Jesus did not mean that people would quit worshipping, only that the place of worship would not matter.  This does not mean that we should quit gathering together to worship, but that we can worship wherever we gather in His name.  Then, in verse twenty three, Jesus said the hour was coming, and was already there, when people would worship God in spirit and in truth, and those are the ones God sought.  When we gather in God's name, we need to be worshipping Him not by the physical act of gathering together, but by the spiritual act of allowing our spirit to be attuned to His will.  In verse twenty four, Jesus said that God is Spirit, and we must worship Him in spirit and in truth.

After her statement about Jacob's well, in John 4: 13-14, Jesus said to her, "Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again.  But whosoever drinketh of the water I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water I shall give him shall be in him a well of living water springing up into everlasting life."  No matter how great we may think the things of this life are, they will be like the water from Jacob's well.  They will never satisfy, and we will want more.  We will never find fulfillment through material things.  What Jesus offers us is so much better than what the world can ever offer.  He offers everlasting satisfaction of our every need.  The woman asked Him for this living water, but she was still just thinking in earthly terms.  She wouldn't have to come draw water any more.  Sometimes, that is all we want of Jesus, that our physical needs be met.  We need to claim what He really came to give us: everlasting life secure in His protection.  Then, Jesus told her to go get her husband. , and she said she had no husband.  Jesus was not trying to embarass her.  He was leading her to understand that even though He knew her past, He was still inviting her to share in the everlasting life He offered.  Even though God knows our past, He still invites us to be His followers.  We simply need to confess our faults and accept His forgiveness and restoration.

As we continue in John 4, the woman at the well had a question for Jesus.  In verse nine she asked Him, "How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria?  For the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans."  When see looked at Christ, she simply saw a Jewish man.  When we first encounter Christ, we may wonder why He is even talking to us.  Now, we won't encounter Him physically, but He will make Himself known to us, and we have to wonder why He cares about sinners.  We cannot bridge the gap to God, so He did.  In verse ten, Jesus replied, "If thou knewest the gift of God, and Who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of Him, and He would have given thee living water.  When we first encounter Jesus, we may not understand Who He is.  We may question what He wants from us.  He is here to offer us living water, and we are still looking through worldly eyes at first.  We, like the woman at the well, may ask how Jesus can give us something better than the world has to offer.  In verses eleven and twelve, she pointed out that He had no bucket and the well was deep and had been given to them by Jacob.  Was Jesus claiming to be better than Jacob?  We often fail to do the will of God because we have no bucket.  We limit God to what we can see intead of what He has promised.  We can also limit Him because of what Christians did in the past. Jacob was a great man, but he was simply a man.  The woman questioned Jesus because she didn't know Who He really was.  The question is why do we question Him when we,as His followers, know Who He is?

In John 4: 4-8, we are told that Jesus must needs go through Samaria.  Jews didn't like to be in contact with Samaritans.   They didn't want to be contaminated by those that lived there, whom they viewed as inferior even to the Gentiles.  Our journey for Christ may take us into areas that we don't want to go, but we must always go where God says we need to go.  He came to Sychar, near the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to Joseph.   Jesus was thirsty, so He sat down by the well called Jacob's well.  The Samaritans, though despised by the Jews, considered the Jews ancestors to be theirs also, but they had changed their practice from the Jewish religious practices.  We may encounter people today who practice a religion that grew out of Christianity, but they have subverted it with their own requirements, traditions, and places of worship.  When a Samaritan woman came to the well, He said to her, "Give me to drink."  Not only was Jesus talking to a Samaritan, but He was talking to a Samaritan woman and asking something from her.  We should never feel so superior to the lost of the world that we stop talking to them.  Jesus' disciples had gone to buy meat and Jesus was weary.  He was indeed truly human.  He got hungry, thirsty, and tired.  Still, even as He was asking for water, He was looking to the spiritual needs of the woman.  When we are hungry, thirsty, or tired, we still need to be concerned about the needs of those around us.  Jesus did not allow prejudice to stop Him from interacting with people.  We must follow His example and start seeing individuals instead of ethnic or religious classifications.  Christ died for all people, and that is who we are to reach out to.

John 4:1-3, continues to discuss Jesus baptizing people.  First, we see that the Pharisees had heard about it and that Jesus was baptizing more than John.  When people hear about great things being done by God through His people, those who oppose God are going to take particular notice.  We need to make sure that it isn't the people of God who are opposing Him, as were the Pharisees.  Next, we see that Jesus Himself was not baptizing, but that His disciples were baptizing for Him.  God carries out His work through His people, and Jesus was preparing His disciples to carry on His work.  Also, had He baptized some they could have felt superior to others.  There may be some today who are baptized more because of who is doing the baptizing than because of why they are being baptized.  Jesus did not give people that chance to boast.  He baptized all believers in the Holy Spirit after His death, burial and resurrection, so no can make a claim of a special baptism.  Jesus decided to leave Judaea and go again to Galilee.  He did not leave because of a fear of the Pharisees.  He left because He still had work to do before the confrontation that would lead to His death.  We must never leave the place we are working for God out of fear, but neither should we be unwillingly to leave because of success.  Jesus, through His disciples, was baptizing many people, but it was not why He came.  He came to seek and save those who were lost, and it was time to continue on that mission.  We must realize that those being baptized at this time were being baptized to show repentance.  Our baptism must be more than just to show repentance.  It must be to show death to the old self and being resurrected to a new life in Christ.

In John 3:31, John the Baptist again distinguishes between Jesus and every other person to walk the earth, even John himself.  He states, "He that cometh from above is above all: he that is of the earth is earthly, and speaketh of the earth: He that cometh from heaven is above all."  The reason the gospel is so simple is so that the simplest of mankind can understand it.  When we attempt to understand everything about God, we are doomed to failure.  We spend a lot of time trying to know things about God that we can never understand in this life, but must simply accept by faith.  Jesus Himself said if He told us earthly things, and we do not understand, how will we understand if He tells us heavenly things.  We are blessed that all we have to know is the gospel and all we have to do is accept it by faith and then let God have control.  Jesus testified to what He had seen and heard.  The prophets, and even John himself, could only speak of things they had been told, and the same is true for us today.  Jesus not only knew the truth, but He was and is the Truth, yet people will not believe.  We react to what we believe to be the truth instead of listening to the Truth. Yet, for those who do believe, God seals them as His own.  Verses 34-36 tell us that Jesus is the only way to salvation.  He did not have limited ability, but the full power of God.  The Father loved the Son and put salvation in His sacrifice.  Those who believe have everlasting life, and those who refuse to believe have not life, but the wrath of God abiding in Him.  The gospel is simple, so we can understand it.  Heavenly things are complex, and we will never understand them in this world.  We cannot force the Bible to conform to our understanding, but must simply follow God by faith.  All things will be revealed in His time, and we are told not to worry about them.  We are simply to follow Him, understanding the important things He has told us first, and that is that He died for our sins, and we are to live for Him by faith.

In John 3:27, John the Baptist, when again asked about his ministry, said, "A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven."  Though there are those who think the stars control our destiny, this is not what John was talking about.  He meant we can receive nothing spiritual except from God.  John had a calling to prepare people for the coming of Christ.  He did not aspire to someone else's calling.  We may see someone doing great things for God and get envious, even when we know that is not what we are called to do.  We need to be like John, actively carrying out our task and pointing others to Jesus.  In verse twenty eight, John reminded his disciples that he had always said he was only the forerunner of Christ.  With crowds following him, it would have been easy to forget that.  We today may let our success in carrying out our calling lead us to forget that we are but witnesses for Christ.  In verse twenty nine, John said that the one with the bride was the bridegroom, but that those with the bridegroom rejoiced with him.  We know that the church is called the bride of Christ, and this is what John was referring to.  John knew his role was to listen to and assist the bridegroom.  Our role today is to assist Christ in reaching out to the lost world, and in all things, we must decrease and He must increase.  In verse thirty one, John said that He that is from above is above all things.  There is only One Who is from above, Jesus Christ.  He is the One we point people to, that He might be glorified.  We must never put ourselves above Christ.

In John 3:23, it says John the Baptist was baptizing in Aenon, near Salim, because there was much water there.  He needed a lot of water, because he was immersing people, and not sprinkling them, and he still had a lot of people coming to hear him who believed his preaching.  We are told in verse twenty four that John was not yet thrown into prison.  As he was writing this, John the Apostle knew what happened to John the Baptist, and that he had been faithful even to his death.  We today need to remember that baptism is a depiction of Jesus' death, burial and resurrection as we are dipped under the water and raised back up out of the water.  We also need to have the faith to be obedient, even to death.  John's disciples and the Jews began to have a dispute about purification.  John's disciples believed in purification by the baptism of repentance, and the Jews who had not accepted John's ministry believed in purification by the Jewish laws.  Then, there was Jesus.  He, through His disciples, was now baptizing, as John's disciples pointed out.  The Jewish leaders may have feared that more and more people would start baptizing and they would lose their position.  John's disciples saw the fact that Jesus' disciples were baptizing as disrespect to John.  After all, John had baptized Jesus.  In the world, Jesus is always the dividing point.  We either believe in Him as our Savior at the exclusion of all else or we attempt to ignore or discredit Him.  We cannot hold on to past beliefs or positions in the world to bring us salvation.  There is Jesus, and He is the only way. John's disciples were concerned that more people were coming to Jesus than to John, but that was what John was preparing them for.  He was calling on them to make ready for the coming of Christ the Messiah.  We today do not call on people to follow us or even to join the church, but to make ready for and receive Christ as their Savior.  Once they do, He will lead them to what He wants them to do with their life.

In John 3:22, we are told that Jesus then went with His disciples into the land of Judaea.  He had been to Jerusalem, where He had very publicly cleansed the Temple and privately had taught Nicodemus about the necessity of being born again.  We today have a public ministry, which is carried out in one respect by gathering together in church.  People passing by know why we are there.  We must also publically proclaim the gospel to the lost and live out our lives in faith.  We have a private ministry as we teach and learn from each other away from the world, whether at church or at home.  Both are necessarily, but after engaging in public ministry that is often not well received, we need the private times to encourage one another.  Jesus did not leave Jerusalem simply to rest and relax.  He was still teaching and the disciples were baptizing while they were there.  Private time with God does not release us from our public obligation to share with others about God.  We need those intimate times to grow closer, but we never can withdraw from reaching out to the world.  We must live out our faith in the world ministering to the lost, even when we know it is not going to be well received.  When we decide the world is to evil for us to interact with those of the world, the gospel begins to die and evil begins to triumph.  Jesus saw things going on in the Temple, God's house, that He knew were wrong, and He confronted the problem.  Before we withdrawn to our more private worship and ministry, we must first confront those things that are wrong in the world.  We cannot simply withdraw, or who will spread the truth of the gospel.

In John 3:17-21, the purpose of Jesus' coming is further explained.  He did not come to condemn the world.  No one had to come down from heaven to condemn us.  We do that ourselves.  Any time we break one of God's Laws we are condemn.  It does matter which Law it is.  In the eyes of God, just thinking of doing something against His Law makes us as guilty as someone who actually breaks that Law.  That means we cannot use the gospel to condemn others while using it to find forgiveness for our sins.  Jesus came to save the world by our belief in Him by faith.  When we are born again, we are living under the grace of God.  His grace brings us forgiveness and His grace gives us the strength and ability to do anything He calls us to do.  If anyone one is condemned, it is their choice, because Christ came to be a Light unto the world, and they chose darkness instead of light to hide their evil deeds.  We may fool the world, but we cannot hide from the Light.  People who don't want their deeds to be examined by the Light may think staying in the darkness keeps them safe, but it only allows them to stumble around in their disbelief.  People go to great lengths to justify their actions in the eyes of the world, but if what they are doing is wrong under the light of the gospel, then God is not fooled.  Our deeds will either be reproved or manifested by the Light.  If we are doing wrong, our deeds will be reproved, but as His followers we will always want the Light on what we do.  If we begin to attempt to hide our actions in the dark, we can be certain that we need to bring them into the Light.

I am sure most of us have seen a sign at a sporting event that says John 3:16.  For the lost of the world, this may really mean nothing.  It refers to a scripture verse that many may not know, and some may not even know is a scripture verse.  I am not saying there is anything wrong with this, but when we witness we need make sure that people understand what we are saying.  John 3:16 states, For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever belieth in Him should not perish,but have everlasting life.  This is our message to the world, that needs to be presented in a way that they understand what is actually being proclaimed.  As we look at this verse, we should be amazed that God still loves the world.  That includes everyone in the world.  He loves even those who are actively working against Him. He loved the world enough to send His only begotten Son to die for everyone, each and every individual.  I have read a translation recently that left "begotten" out.  It no longer says the same thing without it.  We are told through Christ we become sons and daughters of God, but we do not become God.  Jesus, the only begotten Son is the only One Who can make that claim.  Whosoever belieth in Him means none are excluded, if they believe He is their Savior.  That does not mean someone else's Savior, but the Savior of each person individually who would be His. Everlasting life means simply that, life that will never end.  We do not have eternal life, one without beginning or end, since Jesus as God alone is without beginning.  We were born and had our beginning, but Jesus always was.  This does not mean we should avoid saying eternal life, only that we should recognize the difference.  It is only one short verse, but it is the key to salvation.  If we do not believe God did this for us, the rest of the Bible is immaterial.  It is only through belief in this verse, John 3:16, that we are restored to God.

In John 3:13, Jesus said, " And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but He which came down from heaven, even the Son of Man which is in heaven."  This speaks of the unique nature of Jesus.  I have heard people speak of babies as having been sent down from heaven, but there has been only One Who was, and that is Jesus.  As His followers, when we go to heaven, we will be going home to a place we've never been before.  We will not be angels, as they are a different part of creation, and are already in heaven.  In verse fifteen, Jesus speaks of His death, burial and resurrection.  He said as Moses lifted up the serpent, even so the Son of Man had to be lifted up.  It was necessary for Moses to lift up the brass serpent to save Isreal from death as the result of their disobedience.  It was necessary for Christ to be lifted up, crucified, to save mankind from death as a result of their sins.  With Moses, the result was temporary, but with Christ it is everlasting.  It required Moses to be obedient to the will God, and it required Jesus to be obedient to the will of the Heavenly Father.  It required the people of Israel to have faith in Moses.  He was their representative to God.  It requires us to have faith in Jesus, as the Messiah, the Savior of the world and our representative before God.  If required them not only to have faith but to act on that faith, to look up at the serpent in Moses' hand.  Our faith in Christ requires action from us.  We must confess to the world that He is our Savior and look up to Him for guidance.  The people of Israel had a choice to either believe and obey or die.  Then we read, "Even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that all who believe on Him might be saved."  We today have a choice, to either believe and obey Christ or die in our sins.  The choice should be simple, yet many refuse to believe.

As Jesus continues to speak to Nicodemus in John 3:11, He says, "Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that We do know, and testify that we have seen, and ye receive not Our witness."  Notice the change from I say to We speak.  Who was Jesus talking about?  Not the disciples following Him.  They had not seen and as yet did not fully understand about being born again.  They simply accepted what Jesus said.  Though some think He was speaking of all the prophets pointing to Him, I believe He was speaking of the Trinity.  Then, Jesus said that if He told them earthly things and they didn't believe, how could they believe heavenly things.  Jesus had spoken to Nicodemus in earthly terms.  Birth and the wind are easily understandable, so Jesus used them to illustrate a heavenly truth.  God has always and will always speak to us in terms we can understand.  He meets us where we are and leads us to Him.  We respond in faith, and He even provides that for us.  If someone says they cannot believe the gospel because it is too hard to understand, then they are unfamiliar with the gospel.  We do not have to understand all the heavenly things to be saved.  We simply have to understand Jesus Christ, crucified, resurrected, Lord, and put our faith in Him.  In simple, earthly terms, we must be born again.  Until we understand and accept that simple fact, we can never hope to understand heavenly things.  Even after we become His followers in faith, we still will not know all heavenly things.  We can only be sure that it is where Christ is and where He is preparing a place for us.  This should be enough to satisfy our wonder of heaven.  It is where Jesus is and where we can begin to truly understand heavenly things when we join Him.

In John 3:7, as He was talking to Nicodemus about being born again, He said, "Marvel not that I said unto thee, ye must be born again."  The way that God works is not something for us to simply marvel at, but something for us to accept by faith.  Then, Jesus compared the work of the Holy Spirit to the wind.  We do not control the wind, and we do not control the Holy Spirit.  The wind blows where it will, and the Holy Spirit acts where He will.  Though we do not see the wind, we see the results of the wind.  Though we do not see the Holy Spirit, if He is at work in our lives, we see the results.  The wind is a powerful force, as is the Holy Spirit, only very much magnified.  We don't know where the wind comes from, nor can we predict the movement of the Holy Spirit.  I think Jesus was telling Nicodemus to not question or simply marvel at what God was doing, but to accept in faith that He was doing it.  We cannot always understand the way that God works, but we can always accept in faith what He is doing.  Nicodemus still wasn't ready to believe what Jesus was saying, asking how these things could be.  Again, we do not need to question how God works, but believe in what He does.  If we, or a loved one, or simply someone we hear about is miraculously healed, do we ask how this can be, or as His followers do we simply praise Him?  Jesus said to Nicodemus, in verse ten, "Art thou a master of Isreal and knowest not these things?"  As Christians today, we should know the truth of God, especially the truth of being born again.  If we fail to acknowledge this truth, we cannot be His follower.  We may be a religious leader or a great person in the eyes of the world, but we cannot be a Christian without being born again.

In the third chapter of John, we find the heart of Christianity.  Some things we may debate, but there is one fundamental that cannot be debated, and that is that you must be born again.  Nicodemus, a Pharisee who was a leader of the Jews, came to Jesus by night.  He was curious about Jesus, but didn't want to come to Him when a lot of people might see him.  We cannot come to Jesus in secret.  We must openly confess Him to the world.  Nicodemus acknowledged Jesus as a teacher sent from God.  He recognized that no one could perform the miracles Jesus had without God's power.  It is not enough that we recognize Jesus as simply a teacher sent from God, an extraordinary man, or anything less than the Only Begotten Son of God.  There are those who acknowledge Jesus as being a prophet, a good man, and a historical figure, but they see Him as only a man.  We must acknowledge Him as the Son of God if He is to be our Savior.   Jesus' response to Nicodemus in verse three was, "Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."  There is not a should be or might be or could be, but a must be.  When people say there is any other way to a relationship with God, they are simply wrong.  Nicodemus asked how a man that is old could enter a second time into his mothers womb.  Jesus responded to him in verse five, "Verily,verily, I say unto thee, lest a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God."  This does not mean we must be baptized.  We are born physically, of the water, and we must be born again, of the Spirit.  Then He continued in verse six, "That which is born of the flesh is flesh, but that which is born of the Spirit is Spirit."  When we accept Jesus as our Savior, we become of the Spirit, not of the flesh.  We have a new nature, based on doing God's will, not the will of the world.

After Jesus had cleansed the Temple of those who were perverting it, His disciples remembered a scripture that they referred to in John 2:17,  "The zeal for Thine house hath eaten Me up.  When we see something being done in the name of the Lord, we must make sure it is consistent with what the Bible teaches.  The Jews asked Jesus, since He had done this, what sign could He show them of His authority to do so.  The fact that the temple was cleansed should have been their focus, not the question of authority.  Matthew Henry says that the fact that they all left when Jesus drove them out should have been a sign of divine power at work.  We do not need to feel threatened in our relationship to God if someone else does a good work for God.  We need to simply rejoice with them and thank God it was done.  In John 2:19, we find Jesus' answer.  Jesus answered and said unto them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up."  We do not need to ask for signs from God, but need to simply follow Him by faith.  The Jews did not understand the significance of the sign He gave.  They were still looking at the physical, not the spiritual.  They said it took our fathers forty six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it up in three days?  Even though, as it says in verse 21, Jesus was talking about the temple of His body, we need not doubt that God could have raised the physical temple had that been needed.  Christ was concerned with the physical temple being kept clean, but He was more concerned with the spiritual temple, the body, being kept clean.  After His death, burial and resurrection, the disciples remembered what He had said and believed the scripture and what He had said.  We are already past His death, burial and resurrection, so we should be able to see clearly what the Bible teaches us.  Our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit.  We need to cleanse ourselves of all unrighteousness.

In John 2:11-17, we see Jesus begin to move forth in His ministry.  We are told the miracle at Cana, turning water to wine, was the beginning of the miracles He did, and it manifested His glory.  When Jesus performs a miracle in our life, we benefit, but His glory should be magnified.  His disciples believed in Him.  They had just started following Him and He had just started His public ministry, but they believed in Him.  No matter how new we are to the Christian faith, we can always believe that God wants the best for us.  Jesus left Cana for Capernium with His mother, His brethren and His disciples. They were there not many days.  Jesus never leaves us behind when we are following Him.  We may run ahead with our own plans, but if we are truly following, He will always be with us through the Holy Spirit.  Since the Passover was at hand, Jesus went to Jerusalem.  When He went to the Temple, He found it full of corruption.  The religious leaders were making money off those who came to worship.  We today need to make sure that we do not turn the church into anything but a place of worship.  We do not gather to be entertained, but to worship and learn more about being a follower of Christ in today's world.  We should go away uplifted and inspired.  Jesus took a small scourge and drove out those that sold oxen and doves and the money changers who were profiting from the worshippers who came to the Temple.  If we see anything going on in the church that not only does not glorify God but dishonors Him, we need to drive it out.  Jesus said they had made His Father's house a house of merchandise.  We need to make sure that the church remains a sanctuary for sinners, not a gathering place for making money or simply socializing.

In John 2:1-11, we have a record of the first miracle of Jesus.  The third day after His disciples began to follow Him, there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee and Jesus' mother was there.  Jesus and His disciples were there also.  When we become a follower of Christ, everyday life goes on.  We are not called to withdraw from the world, but to continue to live in the world as a light unto the world.  He was not in Jerusalem, but a small town away from the center of religious leadership.  Matthew Henry says He chose a marriage to emphasize the importance of marriage and what it symbolized.  Later, the ceremony would become more important to people than the signifance of the marriage.  We can see this in the world today.  Jesus' mother called Him aside to tell Him that the wedding party had run out of wine.  We might think this a good thing, but Mary knew it would embarrass the host.  Jesus rebuked her by asking what that had to do with Him.  Again, Matthew Henry says He did this to show that Mary had no more claim on His ministry than did anyone else.  We do not need to go through anyone else to get to Jesus.  Then, He said His time was not yet come.  Jesus came for a specific purpose, and He was just now starting to fulfill that purpose.  We, once again, need to wait for God's timing and not try to force a miracle from Him.  Mary told the servants to do whatever Jesus said.  She did not demand or beg Him.  She simply put things in His hands.  If we need Christ to perform a miracle in our life, we cannot demand or beg, but simply put it in His hands.  Jesus told them to fill six water pots that were there with water, and they filled them to the brim.  This required obedience on the part of the servants.  We may miss a miracle because we question God.  Then, He had the master of the feast taste the water turned to wine.  Notice, the source of the wine was not revealed, and only the servants knew its source. Not all miracles are publicized, but they meet a need.  The master of the feast said most people serve the best first, but here the best was saved for last.  Some say that the wine was nonalcoholic, but I believe He made wine, though better than any other, still wine.  The nation of Isreal had been served the Law, and it didn't save them.  Now, the were being served the Son of God, the best, Who would save them.  This was the first miracle of Jesus.  It was not widely publicized, but it was no less important than any other miracle.  We need to realize that miracles bring honor to God and are not rewards for our good behavior.

When Peter came to Jesus, Jesus knew who he was.  In John 1:42,  Jesus said, "Thou art Simon, the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone."  When we encounter Christ, we can be sure He knows not only who we are, but our very nature.  Simon Peter was not named a rock or stone because of his physical strength, nor even for his spiritual strength as it existed at that time.  He was called a rock because Jesus saw what his spiritual strength could become.  When Christ calls us, He calls us to become what we can be through faith in Him.  The next day, Jesus went to Galilee and saw Philip and said, "Follow Me."  He did not tell Philip where He was going, but asked him to follow in faith.  God does not tell us every step of our journey with Him, but simply says, "Follow Me."  Philip was from Bethsada, as were Andrew and Peter,and he went to Nathaniel and told him they had found the One that Moses in the law and the prophets had written about, in other words the Messiah.  He was Jesus of Nazareth.  Nathaniel asked,"Can there anything good come out of Nazareth?"  Philip simply said, "Come and see."  When people are skeptical about Jesus, all we can do is invite them to come and see.  Jesus acknowledged Nathaniel before he even got to Him as being an Israelite in whom there was no guile.  Nathaniel asked how Jesus knew him, and Jesus told him while he was sitting under the fig tree, before Philip called him, Jesus saw him.  We never come to Christ without Him knowing us.  We did not know Him before, but He knew us.  Nathaniel then  professed Jesus to be the Son of God.  Jesus told him that His seeing Nathaniel under the fig tree was nothing compared to the miracles he would see.  In John 1:51, He told Nathaniel that he would see the heavens opened and the angels ascending and descending on the Son of Man.  We need to realize the power of Christ to do what He has promised.  Andrew and the other disciple of John the Baptist came to Jesus by way of John's witnessing as to Who Jesus was.  Peter came because Andrew brought him to see Jesus, and Nathaniel came because he doubted that Jesus could be the Messiah.  It does not matter how or why we come to Jesus, only that we come and believe.

Of the two of John the Baptist disciples went with Jesus, one of them, Andrew, was Simon Peter's brother.  He went first to his brother, and told him in John 1:41, "We have found the Messiah," which being interpreted is the Christ.  As followers of Christ, we need to first go to our own family once we accept Him as our Lord and Savior.  Andrew and the other disciple, who is not identified, had been with John, but when John identified Jesus as the Messiah, they accepted the fact.  They still didn't know everything about why He came, but they accepted that He was the Promised One Who would save His people.  When we come to Christ, we cannot know everything about being His follower.  They spent time with Him and understood enough to know that He was the One they needed to follow and learn from.  As we spend time with Jesus, through the work of the Holy Spirit, we learn more and more about being His follower.  Andrew could not keep the good news to himself, so he went to Peter.  We should not be able to keep the gospel to ourselves.  We should be excited to share the gospel, first with our family and friends and then with anyone we meet.  If anything good of significance happens in our life, we want to share it with everyone.  Nothing better can ever happen than becoming a follower of Christ.  It says Andrew brought Peter to Jesus.  This is our calling, to bring people to Jesus.  When we bring them to the knowledge of Who Jesus is, then it is up to them how they respond.  Our purpose is to tell them we have met the Messiah, we are following Him, and invite them to meet Him as their Messiah.

When the two disciples of John the Baptist saw Jesus, they began following Him.  In John 1:38, Jesus saw them following Him and asked them what they sought.  When we encounter Jesus and start to follow Him, a fair question is what are we seeking.  Some would follow Jesus for material gain, feeling it would be good for business.  Some would follow for their need to belong to something bigger than themselves.  The only answer that has any real meaning is because He is our Master and we want to be where He is.  These two said Master, where do you live.  He said, "Come and see."  When He extends the invitation to come and see, Who He is and where He lives, we must simply follow Him.  These two saw where He lived in the world that day, and stayed with Him that night.  When we come to Him in faith, accepting His salvation, we see Who He is and where He lives eternally.  That does not mean we see heaven, but that He lives in the heart of every believer.  To be His follower, we must give Him total control over our life, not just for a night, but for eternity.  We never like to give up control, so too often we attempt to follow Him while going out own direction.  That will never work.  When we decide to do things our way after being in His will for a time, whether a night or decade, failure awaits.  We begin to destroy our effectiveness as His witnesses in the world and only through asking His forgiveness and turning everything over to Him again can we become effective once again.  We must leave all else and all others and put Him first in our lives.  These two disciples could not follow John and Jesus, and they chose to follow Jesus.  We must do the same.

Then, beginning in John 1:35, John the Baptist is standing with two of his disciples when he sees Jesus approaching.  He says, "Behold, the Lamb of God," and his disciples follow Jesus.  We, like John, must first recognize Jesus to point others to Him.  John had been preaching to make people ready for the coming Messiah, and that included making himself ready.  Until we are prepared by faith to make ourself ready to recognize Christ as our Saviour, we will never follow Him.  John did not keep his recognition of Jesus as the Messiah quiet.  We must be like him and boldly proclaim Jesus as the Lamb of God, the Savior Who takes away the sins of the world.  John knew that when Jesus came his ministry would be diminishing and Jesus would become the focus of the world.  He did not allow his own position to keep him from proclaiming Christ, and neither can we.  If we begin to let our own desires take priority over Christ, we become ineffective followers.  Two of John's disciples left him and followed Jesus.  Again, John did not get upset, because this is what he was preparing them for.  If we lead someone to Christ today, and He leads them away from us, we need to be like John and realize this is what they are supposed to do.  Then, the two disciples had to have faith that John recognized Jesus as the Messiah and faith to follow Him.  If people have no faith in our own recognition of Jesus as the Savior, they are not as likely to accept Him as their Savior.  John boldly proclaimed Christ was there in their midst, acknowledged Him when He recognized Him, and let his disciples go to Jesus.  Christ is always in our midst today.  We need to boldly proclaim Him and pray that all will follow Him, wherever He leads, even if it is away from us.

In John 1:28-34, John the Baptist continues to witness about Jesus as the Messiah.  He had been baptizing with water at Bethabara beyond the Jordan when the Jewish leaders questioned him about who he was, and the next day he saw Jesus coming to him.  If we are a follower of Christ, it is because we have acknowledged His coming to us.  Jesus came to save all people, but until we acknowledge Him for Who He is, His sacrifice means nothing to us.  John said of Jesus, "Behold, the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of the world."  We must realize that He did take away the sin of the whole world, but that does not automatically bring the whole world into the right relationship with God.  We, like John, must acknowledge Him personally.  John said Jesus was the One he was speaking of when he said One was coming after him Who was preferred before him, because He was before him.  Jesus was born physically after John the Baptist, but He always was, because He was the Creator.  John had not seen Jesus before, at least not in His real identity as the Messiah, but by the power of God he recognized Him as the Messiah.  We have not seen Jesus physically, but by the power of God we recognize Him when we encounter Him.  How we respond to that encounter makes all the difference.  John acknowledged Him, and said he had been baptizing to make the people ready for His coming.  We as Christians today need to be preparing people for the coming of Christ into their life.  John said God bore witness to Jesus as the Messiah, that Whom the Spirit of God descended on and remained on, would come to baptize in the Holy Ghost.  John said he saw and bore record that this was the Son of God.  We need to bear the same witness today, because as Christians we are baptized in the Holy Ghost.