The Gospel of John Week 19
Scripture: John 14:6 – 31.

As we continue with more of the evening of Jesus’ last day with His disciples, we see Him sharing important teachings with them.
    ⁃    that He is the Way, the Truth and the Life
    ⁃    that He is the only way to the Father
    ⁃    the promise of the Holy Spirit, the Advocate
    ⁃    that He’s going way for a wile but will come back
    ⁃    that they are not to be troubled 
    ⁃    that they are not to be afraid
    ⁃    that He is sharing all of this so that when it happens they will believe.

In John 14:26 Jesus tells them, “But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” Pastor shares that the Holy Spirit is a person, not an “it.” The Holy Spirit is a living being – not a force – and that the Holy Spirit lives in the hearts of believers.

Jesus then tells them, in verse 27 “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” 

Pastor shares a personal testimony about the Holy Spirit teaching him the meaning of, “Do not be afraid.” Do not be afraid, means don’t even imagine the things that cause you fear!

The One saying this is the One who loved us enough to die for us, He’s the One who endured hell on the cross for our sins and He’s the One saying, “don’t sweat this!” Can you imagine how much that meant to the disciples that night, but also in the days, months and years afterwards as they came to understand Jesus was risen, ascended, coming back and had given them a mission to carry out.  

Jesus is still telling us these same words today, we do not have to live in fear – we are to walk in His peace.

In verses 30 – 31 Jesus says, “I will not say much more to you, for the prince of this world is coming. He has no hold over me, but he comes so that the world may learn that I love the Father and do exactly what my Father has commanded me.” The prince of the world is the devil, but Jesus is telling them that the devil has no hold over Him! 

Soon they will see Jesus arrested, beaten, crucified and put in a grave. They will be devastated, but Jesus is telling them in advance that HE is in control – not the devil – Jesus says the enemy has NO hold on Him.  

He tells them He only does what the Father tells Him (and so He will go to the cross) and Jesus tells them, “My peace I give you, fear not!” for the devil has NO control over me!

1 Corinthians 2:8 says, “None of the rulers of this age understood it (God’s wisdom/God’s plan for salvation), for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.” 

Even when it looks like the devil has won – God triumphs!

God flips what looks like disaster and turn it into salvation!

Today the battle goes on, BUT THE WAR IS WON!!!

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    ⁃    The Gospel of John study is part five of five of our Two Year Study of the Gospels. 
    ⁃    The Gospel of John may be one of the most powerful books ever written. Many people have come to faith after reading only this book of the Bible.  Scholarly and archeological discoveries in recent decades give us new insight on details in the Gospel of John. We can now understand it as the most Jewish rather than the most “Gentile/Greek” of the Gospels, and when we do that we see many things that we missed before.

Our 2 year study of the gospels is great for large group, small group or home group study and can be started at any time!

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Today we continue our study of Elijah’s ministry.

Elijah’s Ministry

    ⁃    Prediction and Provision – no rain or dew
    ⁃    Contest at Mount Carmel the time of drought ends in a contest
    ⁃    Encounter at Mount Horeb
    ⁃    Word at Naboth’s Vineyard
    ⁃    Elijah taken to heaven

We pick up the story from last week, at the contest at Mount Carmel where we learn that Jezebel has promised to kill Elijah. After the threat, Elijah, fearful for his life, travels forty days to Mt. Horeb (Mt. Sinai). Pastor shares several possibilities for the location of this mount leaning towards today’s Jabal al Maqla. 

Elijah makes it to Mt. Horeb and he is discouraged and fearful and exhausted and we read of his depression in 1 Kings 19:9-10. He ends this verse saying, “I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.”  God’s response is, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord for the Lord is about to pass by.”

Divine Encounter

    ⁃    Wind comes – but the Lord was not in the wind
    ⁃    Earthquake comes – but the Lord was not in the earthquake
    ⁃    Fire comes – but the Lord was not in the fire
    ⁃    Gentle whisper comes – the Lord speaks of Elijah’s assignment.  Elijah thinks of himself as a failure and wants to give up, but God tells him He has more for him to do, that he is not to give up.

Mission: Anointing

    ⁃    Elijah is told to anoint Hazael as king over Aram
    ⁃    He is told to anoint Jehu over Israel
    ⁃    He is told to anoint Elisha as his successor

Then God assures Elijah that he is not alone and tells him that there are 7,000 in Israel who have not bowed down to Baal.

Elijah obeys God’s commands and leaves Mt. Horeb and he comes to Elisha working in the field and Elijah anoints him. Elijah now has a partner for the rest of his ministry time on earth. This may have been as long as 10 years together.

God gives Elijah a word of judgement to give to King Ahab. Ahab’s response was to tear his clothes, put on sackcloth and fast. And because Ahab humbled himself in repentance, God withheld the judgement saying, “I will not bring this disaster in his day, but I will bring it on his house in the days of his son” God relents, because He is gracious and He desires all people come to Him.  God responds when we repent.

At the end of Elijah’s ministry Elijah is one of two people mentioned in the Bible who were taken alive to heaven. We read in 2 Kings 2:11-12 “As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind. Elisha saw this and cried out, ‘My father, My father! The chariots and horsemen of Israel!’ And Elisha saw Elijah no more.”

Elijah’s Legacy

    ⁃    Malachi’s prophecy (Malachi 4:5-6) 
    ⁃    Gabriel and Zechariah (Luke 1:17)
    ⁃    Elijah who was to come (Matthew 11;13-14)
    ⁃    Transfiguration of Jess (Matthew 17:2-3)
    ⁃    Prayer life of Elijah (James 5:17-18)

A big takeaway from Elijah’s story is that we are to follow God no matter what comes our way, no matter what may be happening in our lives or in the world around us because God is faithful and He knows how to defend and take care His own.

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“If someone dies, will they live again?”

Three Basic Views
    1.    Oblivion – there’s nothing more after this life. But Near Death Experiences (NDE’s) are challenging this view.
    2.    Reincarnation – a view held mainly in the eastern world. 
    3.    Afterlife – there is something beyond the grave, that our lives do not end when our bodies die. This is also at the heart of the biblical message.

Will All People Die? The answer is “No!” The Bible teaches in 1 Corinthians 15:51-52 that there will be one generation that does not, the one alive when Jesus returns. The Bible teaches a resurrection.  

What happens when I die? A personal look using the Bible’s Testimony: 
    1.    Life – God is the author of life. Genesis 2:7, Ecclesiastes 3:11
    2.    Death – is a reality because of sin. Genesis 3:19, Romans 5:12
    3.    Paradise – with Christ when we die. Luke 23:43, Philippians 1:23. But this is not our destiny.  
    4.    Raised – The dead will be raised. Our destiny and future is to be bodily raised with new bodies that are glorified.  1 Corinthians 15:22, 1 Thessalonians 4:16
    5.    Judgement – For unbelievers it is a time of judgement, for believers their sins were judged at the Christ so that we do not need to suffer the punishment for our sins.  For believers the judgement is a time of reward. 2 Corinthians 5:10, Hebrew 9:27 A believer’s life is to be lived as a thank you note to God.
    6.    Forever – believers will live forever in a new heaven and a new earth in new bodies with no pain, death or suffering. 2 Peter 3:13, Revelation 21:4.  Our destiny is to live forever! That is why it is so important that we receive what God offers us: salvation, life, forgiveness, and assurance through faith in Jesus who died for us, rose from the grave and will return at the end of time.

For believers, death is not to be feared with dread, it is instead an assurance that there is more and that the best is yet to come. John 11:25 “Jesus said to her, ‘I’m the resurrection and the life. The one who believe in me will live, even through they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?'”

Do you believe what Jesus said to Martha?  Will you respond to the gift God desires to bring to everyone, life forever with Him? He desires all to be saved through knowledge in the Lord Jesus Christ.

    1.    Sin – all have sinned and need a Savior and need to repent
    2.    Sorrow – realize we have sinned against a holy God, our Creator, and desire to repent. God is good and gracious and desires all repent and admit we are sinners responding with sorrow and trusting our Savior
    3.    Savior – the only One who can deliver us from death and the grave and a horrible future. He is the only who can give meaning to life today and meaning forever. We have a future beyond the grave.

What happens when I die? Jesus’ response to that question is, “I am the resurrection and the life, do you believe this?” 

Follow up questions to consider:
    ⁃    How would you answer the question; “What happens when I die?”
    ⁃    Do you believe the Bible’s testimony about life beyond the grave? Why or why not
    ⁃    Are you trusting the Lord Jesus for your eternal destiny?

Now What? Learn about God at https://www.awakeusnow.com EVERYTHING we offer is FREE.

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