the new self created in the likeness of God
Opening Questions: What reactions do people have when interacting with Jesus in this chapter? What does this chapter teach you about the power of belief? What questions do you have from the text? Spirit & Truth (vss. 1-26) Scrutiny from the Jews (vs. 1, see 3.25) prompted Jesus to leave Judea and return to Galilee.... Continue Reading →
Opening Questions: What reasons did Jesus give to Nicodemus for why he should believe / trust in Jesus (vss. 9-17)? What is the faith-building value of John’s testimony in vss. 27-36? What questions do you have from the text? When we think of John 3 our minds often turn to Jesus' well known words in... Continue Reading →
Opening Questions: Why did Jesus's miracle in John 2.6-11 leave such an impact on the master of the feast? What is the significance of Jesus's statement in John 2.19? What questions do you have from the text? When we refer to Jesus' mighty works on the earth, whether healing the sick, calming the stormy sea... Continue Reading →
Opening Questions: What do you find compelling about John’s testimony (John 1.19-34)? John 1.35-51 records how men first became disciples of Jesus. How do these accounts bolster your faith? What questions do you have from the text? John the Baptist was introduced in the prologue, being referred to as a "a man sent from God"... Continue Reading →
Opening questions: What do you learn about Jesus from John 1.1-18? Why are these truths about Jesus so important? What questions do you have from the text? That belief is the major theme of John's gospel is beyond doubt. The Greek term pisteuō is found 98 times in the book, translated as "believe" 97 times... Continue Reading →
The Lord made a wonderful promise when He appeared to Jacob at Bethel: “I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you” (Genesis 28.15). God would be true to His... Continue Reading →
James exhorts us to “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” (James 1:2–4, ESV). Fact is that the people of God... Continue Reading →
As noted in our last lesson, Jacob was not a young man by this time in the narrative. He had lived over seventy years and had by his own means secured both the birthright from his brother and the family blessing from his father. Yet, in reality he had secured nothing. And so this chapter... Continue Reading →
While the story of Abraham dominates the first half of Genesis, the central figure of the second half is Jacob. Significantly, the man whose name would be changed to Israel (he strives with God) came into this world with a name which could be translated as “supplanter” or “he cheats”. The text records the astounding... Continue Reading →
The birth of Isaac was central to the story of Abraham. This great man of faith (Genesis 15.6) would learn to put even more trust in God as he waited for the promised heir (Genesis 17.15-19) and as he was required to offer Isaac back to God (Genesis 22). However, for all of the buildup... Continue Reading →
Built By Him 