Behold and Believe E-Book

Courtney Doctor

• Herausgeber: Crossway
• Kategorie: Religion und Spiritualität
• Serie: TGCW Bible Study
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2023

Beschreibung

7-Week Women's Bible Study from the Gospel Coalition Explores Jesus's "I Am" Statements in the Gospel of John Seeing is believing. If we want to know who Jesus is and why he is important to our lives, we need to take a closer look at what he said about himself. Jesus describes himself as the bread of life, the light of the world, the good shepherd, and more. His bold words invite us to behold him—and then to trust him. Whether you've never read the Bible, have followed Jesus for years, or find yourself somewhere in between, this 7-week Bible study from Courtney Doctor and Joanna Kimbrel explores the question, Who is Jesus? Using the "I Am" statements in the Gospel of John, readers will learn how to observe, interpret, apply, and reflect on key Bible verses about Jesus's identity. Weekly prayers, memory verses, brief commentaries, and discussion questions help women to see Jesus, trust him alone for salvation, and proclaim his goodness to others. - Inductive Bible Study: This 7-week study teaches individuals and groups how to observe, interpret, and apply key Bible passages about Jesus's identity - Explores Jesus's "I Am" Statements: "I am the bread of life"; "I am the light of the world"; "I am the door to the sheep"; "I am the good shepherd"; "I am the resurrection and the life"; "I am the way, the truth, and the life"; and "I am the true vine" - From the Gospel Coalition: Studies correspond with sessions from TGC Women's 2024 Conference (video access will be available after the event) - A Great Resource for Women Ages 16 and Older

Leseprobe

Thank you for downloading this Crossway book.

Sign up for the Crossway Newsletter for updates on special offers, new resources, and exciting global ministry initiatives:

Crossway Newsletter

Or, if you prefer, we would love to connect with you online:

“In Behold and Believe, Courtney Doctor and Joanna Kimbrel have put together a study that helps us immerse ourselves in the fullness of all that Jesus meant in his ‘I am’ statements so that we can not only understand them but also find in them more reasons to love him.”

Nancy Guthrie, author; Bible teacher

“If we become what we behold, there’s no better focus for our gaze than Christ himself! Behold and Believe is a helpful resource for anyone who wants to understand (or remember anew!) who Jesus really is.”

Ruth Chou Simons, Wall Street Journal bestselling author; artist; Founder, GraceLaced.com

“We often go to Scripture looking for ourselves, but we will better understand who we are and how we are to live when we have first looked long at Jesus. Behold and Believe lifts our gaze to Christ with deep, thoughtful study that helps us see that all of Scripture points to a Savior who is exactly who he said he was.”

Glenna Marshall, author, The Promise Is His Presence; Everyday Faithfulness; and Memorizing Scripture

“Do you need an invitation to come and sit under the word and hear Jesus introduce himself to you? This study is just that! It’s filled with rich truth wrapped in a helpful format that will cause you to see the Lord more clearly. To behold him with this kind of clarity is to believe that he is exactly who he says he is. I highly recommend this study!”

Vanessa K. Hawkins, Director of Community Life, Redeemer Lincoln Square, New York City

“This seven-week Bible study is true nourishment for the soul. Each week and each “I am” statement of Jesus allows the reader to know her Savior better. This is a feast—whether you’re seeing Jesus for the first time or have known him for most of your life. I cannot wait to do this study with the women from my local church.”

Jen Oshman, author, Enough about Me and Cultural Counterfeits; Women’s Ministry Coordinator, Redemption Parker, Colorado

Behold and Believe

Behold and Believe

A Bible Study on the “I Am” Statements of Jesus

Courtney Doctor and Joanna Kimbrel

Behold and Believe: A Bible Study on the “I Am” Statements of Jesus

Copyright © 2024 by Courtney Doctor and Joanna Kimbrel

Published by Crossway1300 Crescent StreetWheaton, Illinois 60187

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher, except as provided for by USA copyright law. Crossway® is a registered trademark in the United States of America.

Cover design: Dan Farrell

Cover image: Erin Spencer, erinspencerart.com

First printing 2024

Printed in China

Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. The ESV text may not be quoted in any publication made available to the public by a Creative Commons license. The ESV may not be translated into any other language.

All emphases in Scripture quotations have been added by the authors.

Trade paperback ISBN: 978-1-4335-9019-1 ePub ISBN: 978-1-4335-9022-1 PDF ISBN: 978-1-4335-9020-7

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Doctor, Courtney, 1967– author. | Kimbrel, Joanna, 1991– author.

Title: Behold and believe : a Bible study on the I am statements of Jesus / Courtney Doctor and Joanna Kimbrel.

Description: Wheaton, Illinois : Crossway, 2024. | Series: The gospel coalition | Includes bibliographical references. 

Identifiers: LCCN 2023010313 (print) | LCCN 2023010314 (ebook) | ISBN 9781433590191 (trade paperback) | ISBN 9781433590207 (pdf) | ISBN 9781433590221 (epub)

Subjects: LCSH: Jesus Christ—Divinity—Sermons. | God (Christianity)—Name—Sermons. | Bible—Study and teaching. | Christian women—Religious life.

Classification: LCC BT216.3 .D63 2024 (print) | LCC BT216.3 (ebook) | DDC 226.5/06—dc23/eng/20230623

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2023010313

LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2023010314

Crossway is a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

2023-09-28 03:19:20 PM

To Jules

My prayer for you is that you will see more and more of our beautiful Savior and that your seeing will lead to deep belief all the days of your life. I love you, sweet girl.

CC

To Eliana, Grace, and Kaylee

May you behold the beauty of Jesus and believe in him.

Love, Mom

ABOUT THE COVER ARTWORK

The artwork featured on the cover of this study is an original painting by Erin Spencer (b. 1979), an accomplished impressionist landscape artist whose work has been exhibited and included in private collections around the world.

Despite its overall sense of tranquility, this work contains representations of all seven of the “I Am” statements of Jesus. The sheep on the hillside convey “I am the good shepherd.” The doorway conveys “I am the door.” The pathway leading the viewer in conveys “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” The vineyards in the lower left convey “I am the true vine.” The wheat field in the lower right conveys “I am the bread of life.” And lastly, the soft, warm light and emerging sunrise convey “I am the light of the world” and “I am the resurrection and the life.”

Contents

Introduction

Courtney Doctor

1  I Am the Bread of Life

Joanna Kimbrel

2  I Am the Light of the World

Joanna Kimbrel

3  I Am the Door

Courtney Doctor

4  I Am the Good Shepherd

Courtney Doctor

5  I Am the Resurrection and the Life

Joanna Kimbrel

6  I Am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life

Joanna Kimbrel

7  I Am the True Vine

Courtney Doctor

Introduction

I grew up in the Midwest and lived in Colorado for several years. As a result, I’m quite used to snow. However, when we moved to Mississippi, I figured that snow-filled winters were a thing of the past. But I was wrong. One January day, the flakes began to fall. Big, fluffy, white flakes of snow. And while I was excited to see my beloved snow, I was not prepared for the reaction of those around me.

I was working in a hospital, and as the news began to spread that it was snowing, everyone began running to the windows to see. Nurses and doctors barged into patients’ rooms, not to check on their patients, but to see the snow. In the hallways I could hear people—patients, families of patients, hospital staff, medical providers—saying to whomever was around, “Come and see—you won’t believe it!” What they meant was, for someone to believe it was snowing, that person was going to have to see it with her own eyes. Because, for most of us, seeing is believing.

Later that day, I called my parents to tell them about the snow. Do you think they believed me? Of course they did! Even though they had not been able to see it snow in Mississippi with their own eyes, they believed me because I had seen it with mine.

When we see something amazing, we want to tell others. This is what John was doing for us when he wrote his Gospel. He was an eyewitness to all he recorded. John was not only one of the twelve disciples, but he was also the one referred to as the “disciple whom Jesus loved” (John 21:7, 20). And John wants his readers to behold Jesus. He wants us to see what Jesus did and who Jesus is. But more than just seeing Jesus, he wants us to believe in him.

John used the word “believe” at least fifty-four times in his Gospel. He began by telling us what John the Baptist’s role was. “He [John the Baptist] came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him” (1:7). John told us that his reason for writing his Gospel account was to testify to what he saw with his own eyes so that we would believe: “He who saw it has borne witness—his testimony is true, and he knows that he is telling the truth—that you also may believe” (19:35). And John ended his Gospel by saying that Jesus did a lot more than just what had been written down: “These are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (20:31).

I think John knew that seeing is believing, so he invites us to see Jesus through his own eyewitness account. Early in John’s Gospel we read what John the Baptist said when he first saw Jesus: “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (1:29). Martha testified, “I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world” (11:27). Later we read what Pontius Pilate said about Jesus: “Behold your King!” (19:14).

Jesus is most certainly the Lamb of God who died for us, the Son of God who came for us, and the King of all kings who reigns over all things. However, in this study we are going to focus on what Jesus said about himself. Because more than what other people said about him, John gives us a front-row seat to what Jesus said. We will see that Jesus boldly and clearly proclaimed that he is the bread of life; the light of the world; the door of the sheep; the good shepherd; the resurrection and the life; the way, the truth, the life; and the true vine. He invites us to come and see.

So whether you are a Christian who needs to behold Jesus again and again or someone who is curious about Jesus and wants to explore Christianity, join me as we behold Jesus. Join me in looking long and hard at who Jesus said he is. And may our beholding lead to believing—because by believing we will live.

How to Use This Study

In this study, we want to glean important truths from God’s word while also learning and applying trustworthy Bible study techniques. We’ll do this by observing, interpreting, and applying each passage of Scripture over the course of five days of study.

Day 1 will always be observation—reading the passage and asking the question What does the text say? In this study, we’ll hear from Jesus himself as he tells us who he is in the Gospel of John. Day 1 will involve slowly reading the passage several times while paying attention to details like repeated words and main ideas. You may have questions as you read. It’s okay not to have all the answers or even to be a bit confused as you read certain passages. Write your questions in the margins and see if you can answer them by the end of the week.

Day 2 will focus on interpretation. We’ll read the passage again and ask, What does the text mean? We’ll focus on details like figurative language, argument, and context of the passage as we begin to interpret it.

Day 3 will continue to concentrate on interpretation by asking, What does the whole Bible say? We’ll read other relevant and related passages in Scripture and ask the question How does the rest of Scripture help me understand this text?

Day 4 will focus on application. Once we’ve come to an understanding of the text’s meaning, we’ll ask the question How can I faithfully respond? As we pay attention to what Jesus teaches us, we’ll consider what he shows us about himself, what he calls us to believe, and how we should live in response. God’s word transforms how we think, what we love, and what we do. Time with Jesus changes us from the inside out.

Each week will end on Day 5 with a reflection. After reading it, you’ll have an opportunity to answer some more questions about what you’ve learned that week.

Plan on approximately 20 minutes of study each day (or 1.5 hours each week). Each day will begin with prayer—a time for you to ask God to meet you as you study his living and active word. We recommend that you have an actual Bible in front of you rather than using an app on your phone or computer. You’ll need it for cross-referencing verses, and a physical copy helps you more readily see the passage in its context. The provided Bible passages are from the English Standard Version, but feel free to use whatever translation you prefer.

Memory Work

A memory verse(s) is provided each week. Spend a few minutes each day working on memorizing it. The discipline of hiding God’s word in your heart is one that will bear much fruit in your own life and the lives of those around you.

Discussion Questions

At the end of each chapter, you’ll find a list of questions for group discussion. These are based on the work you’ve done throughout the week. There is an “icebreaker” question and a “warm-up” question. Each is intended to be a quick, easy, and fun way to get the group going. Keep the answers to these short so you have plenty of time to dig into the text together.

Videos

We hope to provide videos of the keynote teaching sessions from TGCW24. Each video will align with the chapters and will, Lord willing, be available after the conference in June 2024 at https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/tgcw24.

May you experience abundant life and enduring joy as you encounter Jesus Christ—the way, the truth, and the life.

These are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. (John 20:31)

1

I Am the Bread of Life

Have you ever been to an event where everyone wore name tags? Whether a Christmas party, a Bible study, or a networking event, red stickers that said, “Hello, my name is . . .” decorated everyone’s shirt. Name tags identify the people we’re talking to. But maybe name tags would be more helpful if instead of saying, “Hi, my name is Maria” or “Hi, my name is Herb,” they told us something about that person. Wouldn’t you rather read, “Hi, I’m a neurosurgeon who loves tacos and dogs,” or, “Hi, I’m a poli-sci student who loves to debate immigration reform”?

This week we’ll study the first of Jesus’s seven “I am” statements. These statements are like Jesus’s name tag telling us exactly who he claims to be. In John’s Gospel, Jesus taught about himself in two ways. He declared who he was through “I am” statements, and he showed who he was by performing miraculous signs. All his teaching and actions proclaimed to the watching world, I am God!

Our world has a lot of opinions and questions about Jesus. Who was he really? Perhaps he was simply a good moral teacher. Perhaps he was a servant of the people. Perhaps he was a wrongly accused man with loyal friends who wanted to see his conviction overturned. Perhaps Jesus was just a really wise and good person we should imitate. Maybe you grew up in church and know a lot about Jesus, or maybe you’ve never studied the Bible before and have a lot of questions about who Jesus is.

The best way to get to know people is to sit with them and let them tell you about themselves. These “I am” statements are an amazing opportunity to sit with Jesus and let him introduce himself to you. Whether you’ve known Jesus for years or are just starting to explore Christianity, I think you’ll find that Jesus will surprise you.

This week we’ll have an opportunity to learn about Jesus through a miraculous sign that’s combined with his first “I am” statement. Miraculously, Jesus fed five thousand hungry people with one boy’s lunch. After their mouths tasted the goodness, their ears heard the first of the “I am” statements, “I am the bread of life.”

If you are new to thinking about Jesus (or even if you’ve known him for a long time), it could seem strange that the Son of God compares himself to food. Over the next few days we’ll find out what Jesus meant and why it’s good news for spiritually hungry people.

Prayer for the Week

Father God, show me yourself as you show me your Son. Give me wisdom to understand your word, and open my eyes to see wondrous things from it. Help me to see who Jesus is, to believe what is true, and to live transformed by your word. In Jesus’s name, Amen.

Memory Verse

“Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.’” John 6:35

observation:

What Does the Text Say?

John 6:1–71

After this Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias. And a large crowd was following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing on the sick. Jesus went up on the mountain, and there he sat down with his disciples. Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was at hand. Lifting up his eyes, then, and seeing that a large crowd was coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?” He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he would do. Philip answered him, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread would not be enough for each of them to get a little.” One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him, “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are they for so many?” Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, about five thousand in number. Jesus then took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated. So also the fish, as much as they wanted. And when they had eaten their fill, he told his disciples, “Gather up the leftover fragments, that nothing may be lost.” So they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves left by those who had eaten. When the people saw the sign that he had done, they said, “This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world!”

Perceiving then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself.

When evening came, his disciples went down to the sea, got into a boat, and started across the sea to Capernaum. It was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. The sea became rough because a strong wind was blowing. When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they were frightened. But he said to them, “It is I; do not be afraid.” Then they were glad to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going.

On the next day the crowd that remained on the other side of the sea saw that there had been only one boat there, and that Jesus had not entered the boat with his disciples, but that his disciples had gone away alone. Other boats from Tiberias came near the place where they had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks. So when the crowd saw that Jesus was not there, nor his disciples, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum, seeking Jesus.

When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you come here?” Jesus