Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

Henry T. Blackaby is the author of Experiencing God, which has sold more than 7 million copies and has been translated into 50 languages. He is president of Blackaby Ministries International, an organization he founded to help people experience God in a more intimate way.

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Encounters with God The Gospel of JOHN

Thomas Nelson

Contents

An Introduction to the Gospel of John...................................................7An Overview of Our Study of the Gospel of John..........................................9Lesson #1: Jesus Is God's Word..........................................................13Lesson #2: Jesus Is the True Light......................................................27Lesson #3: Jesus Is the Bread of Life from Heaven.......................................39Lesson #4: Jesus Is the Good Shepherd...................................................49Lesson #5: Jesus Is the Life-Giver......................................................59Lesson #6: Jesus Is the Vine............................................................69Lesson #7: Jesus Is the Sacrificial Lamb for the Forgiveness of Sin.....................79Notes to Leaders of Small Groups........................................................93

Chapter One

JESUS IS GOD'S WORD

Word: a message of assurance, guarantee, authorization, promise, command, order, creation, or information-conveyed with the intent of being received and acted upon

B Bible Focus

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.... He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. John bore witness of Him and cried out, saying, "This was He of whom I said, 'He who comes after me is preferred before me, for He was before me.'" And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him (John 1:1-5, 10-18).

John's cornerstone of understanding is that words have life-giving meaning. All words flow from a living source of meaning, reflect ongoing life-related meaning, and produce life-imparting meaning in the minds and hearts of those who perceive, receive, and believe them.

In a broad and sweeping overview, the longstanding Jewish understanding of words was this:

Some words are names. Names embody the identity of a person-that person's attributes, personality characteristics, and nature. Names embody the full and true nature of something. The one whose name is above all names-Jesus-embodies the full and true nature of God, and therefore, of all things God created. In this, Jesus was and is truth.

Some words are verbs. They motivate action and compel response. They have energy and are full of life. Jesus, God's Word spoken into the world, gave life to the world.

Some words are adjectives and adverbs. They embody nuances of form, beauty, importance, effectiveness, and understanding. They differentiate good from evil and good from best, and thus, give focus and direction. They are integral to a person's understanding of the true, narrow, life-filled way of God that is best for man to pursue. Jesus was not just a man, He was the Son of God, and was the ultimate revelation of God.

It is no accident that Jesus identified Himself as the way, the truth, and the life to His disciples (John 14:6).

The Jew from ancient times also considered words to have importance and some degree of power.

The ancient world regarded the spoken word as a deed. They believed spoken words had as much impact as the blow of a hammer or a tender kiss. Jews for thousands of years believed the word uttered from an individual's mouth changed the world. The expulsion of air from the body-in a direction and with a degree of form and energy-impacted the immediate atmosphere surrounding a person and had both a ripple effect and a chain reaction that extended outward. In this way, words took on creative and spiritual power in both the natural and supernatural realms.

Jesus as the Word of God, John said, held all meaning in His being. He embodied the entire nature of God, had the authority and power to implement every desire of God, and was the full revelation of God's love.

Jesus, as God's expression of Himself into the world, created everything-the natural world and the spiritual world. He alone has full authority to create something from nothing, and to transform a sinful man or woman into a forgiven child in right standing with God. He alone is the author of life.

Jesus fully communicated God's plan and purpose for the world, and fully atoned for sins so we might live in a restored and loving relationship with our heavenly Father.

Words are capsules of meaning about who God is, who we are, how to have a relationship with Him, and how best to live in relationship with other people. Jesus was the fullness of meaning in all of these ways. He is the ultimate embodiment-the incarnation-of God. Jesus is the ultimate man, reflecting who we become as we allow the Holy Spirit of God to indwell us and to work in and through us. He is the ultimate embodiment of how to live in constant, intimate relationship with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. Jesus is the ultimate expression of how we are to live in relationship with others.

One of the great mysteries and glories of God is that we human beings have been given the gift of language. Our ability to hold memories in the form of words, to convey concepts by means of words, and to express the full depth of our own ideas and feelings in words, sets us apart from all other creatures. It is by our words that we present the Word of God to others. What a tremendous privilege and responsibility we have to convey the Word to the world!

What meaning has Jesus given to you?

What identity has Jesus given you?

For what purpose has Jesus created you? In what ways is the word of your life an extension of His Word to your world?

In what ways does God call you to speak His Word to those you encounter every day?

A Application for Today

"Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me."

Most children in the western world have heard that statement, and...