Living Water E-Book

Peter DeHaan

• Herausgeber: Rock Rooster Books
• Kategorie: Religion und Spiritualität
• Serie: 40-Day Bible Study Series
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 134

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2021

Beschreibung

Do you have a spiritual thirst? Do you want to drink Living Water that only Jesus offers?

Whether you are yet to take your first sip of Living Water or have been satiating your spiritual thirst for a long time, dig deeper into the Gospel of John to move forward on your spiritual journey. 

Embrace John's—and Jesus's—recuring themes of eternal life, love, and the need to believe. It could—it should—change everything.

Explore profound truths in Living Water, a devotional Bible study based on John's biography of Jesus. 

In Living Water, lifetime student of the Bible and founder of the ABibleADay website Peter DeHaan, PhD, celebrates the poetic rhythm of the Gospel of John. In doing so he digs into the disciple's evocative writing to uncover profound spiritual truth and life-changing insights with eternal ramifications.

You'll never look at John the same way.

In Living Water, you'll discover:

 - Why John's biography of Jesus is beloved by so many.
 - Jesus's gift of living water—so we'll never thirst again.
 - The power of Jesus's longest prayer and what it means for us today.
 - Jesus as the Good Shepherd who cares for us, his sheep.
 - The role of the Holy Spirit in Jesus's ministry—and in our lives.

Learn more about Thomas's disappearing doubt, Peter's redemptive restoration, and Nicodemus's born-again confusion. Find out who Jesus's first missionary was, how Joseph of Arimathea risked everything for Jesus, and the truth about Mary Magdalene.

Get Living Water today to celebrate Jesus's life and embrace his love.

Leseprobe

LIVING WATER

40 REFLECTIONS ON JESUS’S LIFE AND LOVE FROM THE GOSPEL OF JOHN

40-DAY BIBLE STUDY SERIES

BOOK 6

PETER DEHAAN

LivingWater: 40 Reflections on Jesus’sLife and Love from the Gospel of John© 2021 by PeterDeHaan.

40-DayBibleStudySeries, Book 6

All rights reserved: No part of this book may be reproduced, disseminated, or transmitted in any form, by any means, or for any purpose without the express written consent of the author or his legal representatives. The only exception is short excerpts and the cover image for reviews or academic research.

Scriptures are taken from the HolyBible, NewInternationalVersion®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “NewInternationalVersion” are trademarks registered in the UnitedStatesPatent and TrademarkOffice by Biblica, Inc.™

Published by RockRoosterBooks

ISBN:

978-1-948082-53-2 (e-book)978-1-948082-54-9 (paperback)978-1-948082-55-6 (hardcover)979-8-88809-014-5 (audiobook)

Credits:

Developmental editor: CathyRueterCopyeditor: RobynMulderCover design: FanderclaiDesignAuthor photo: ChelsieJensenPhotography

ToKolby

Series by PeterDeHaan

40-DayBibleStudySeriestakes a fresh and practical look into Scripture, book by book.

BibleCharacterSketchesSeriescelebrates people in Scripture, from the well-known to the obscure.

HolidayCelebrationBibleStudySeriesrejoices in the holidays with Jesus.

VisitingChurchesSeries takes an in-person look at church practices and traditions to inform and inspire today’s followers of Jesus.

Be the first to hear about Peter’s new books and receive updates at PeterDeHaan.com/updates.

CONTENTS

The Gospel of John

Day 1: Jesus: The Word, the Life, and the Light

Day 2: Jesus and John the Baptist

Bonus Content: Jesus’s Disciples

Day 3: Jesus’s First Miracle

Day 4: Angry Jesus

Day 5: You Must Be Born Again

Bonus Content: The Rabbi

Day 6: John the Baptist’s Perspective

Bonus Content: What Is Eternal Life?

Day 7: Living Water

Bonus Content: In Spirit and Truth

Day 8: Jesus Breaks the Sabbath

Day 9: Three Testimonies for Jesus

Bonus Content: Love

Day 10: New Manna: Life-Giving Bread

Day 11: What’s Our Motivation?

Bonus Content: Brothers and Sisters

Day 12: Give Thirsty People Something to Drink

Day 13: Whoever Is Without Sin

Day 14: Freedom through Jesus

Day 15: Why?

Day 16: Rule Follower

Day 17: The Good Shepherd

Bonus Content: I Am

Day 18: Jesus’s Sheep

Bonus Content: Holy Trinity, The Great Three in One

Day 19: Resurrection and Life

Day 20: Wise Words from an Unlikely Source

Day 21: The Lazarus Problem

Bonus Content: Anointed

Day 22: Faith or Fear?

Day 23: Washing Feet

Day 24: Jesus’s New Command

Day 25: Jesus Is the Way

Bonus Content: Do Greater Things

Day 26: Holy Spirit Power

Day 27: The Vine and the Branches

Day 28: Don’t Fight Against God

Day 29: The Advocate

Bonus Content: Believe

Day 30: We Are on the Winning Side

Day 31: Jesus Prays

Day 32: Jesus Prays for Us

Bonus Content: Favorite Verses from John

Day 33: Three Strikes

Day 34: Jesus’s Kingdom

Day 35: The True Source of Power

Bonus Content: The Old Testament in John

Day 36: Taking a Public Stand

Day 37: Mary: The First Missionary

Day 38: Thomas Believes

Day 39: A Great Catch

Day 40: Peter Restored

Bonus Content: Everything We Need to Know

What Book Do You Want to Read Next?

For Small Groups, Sunday School, and Classes

A Cup of Water in Jesus’s Name

If You’re New to the Bible

About Peter DeHaan

Books by Peter DeHaan

THE GOSPEL OF JOHN

TheBible has four biographies of Jesus. They’re each named after their author: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. We often call these accounts Gospels because they proclaim the good news about Jesus.

Matthew, Mark, and Luke have many similar passages and accounts of the same events. Some sections match, while others are close. John differs from the other biographies of Jesus. As a result, the Gospel of John has more unique content than the other ones. Because of this, we can gain rich insights into the life and ministry of Jesus that the other three authors don’t cover.

John was a disciple of Jesus and part of his inner circle (along with Peter and John’s brother James). This makes John an eyewitness to what he recorded. His poetic writing is ideal for those who want to mull over his words. (In the same way it can frustrate readers who want information in a quick, easy-to-digest manner.)

John’s writing invites us to slow down, take our time, and consider the text. As you read John, contemplate his words with awe and cherish them for their layers of meaning.

AlthoughMatthew, Mark, and Luke mention John often in their writing, he never refers to himself by name. (Do not confuse this John—Jesus’s disciple—with another John, John the Baptist.)

John, however, refers to himself a few times as “the one Jesus loved” or “the disciple whom Jesus loved.” We could view this as an overconfident self-assessment. But remember that John is one of the three disciples in Jesus’s inner circle, so this self-identity cannot be too far off. We might do better to understand John’s indirect references to himself as an act of humility. He doesn’t want to call attention to himself.

The book of John opens with a powerful poetic passage. His words have a mystical allure. We’ll cover this lyrical text in the next chapter.

What do you know about the Gospel of John? What do you hope to learn as you read this book?

[Discover more about John in John 21:20–24 and Galatians 2:9.]

DAY 1: JESUS: THE WORD, THE LIFE, AND THE LIGHT

JOHN 1:1–14

In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. (John 1:4)

The book of John opens with a most moving passage. It’s lyrical, it’s evocative, and it is exquisite.

In this poetic prelude of John’sGospel, he calls Jesus the Word, and asserts that the WordisGod. This means Jesus is God. While some people may think it’s an overreach to claim that the Word refers to Jesus, keep reading.

To remove all doubt, John later states that this Word becomes human to join us on earth. Jesus becomes a man to live among us. Jesus, as the Word, shows us his glory as the one and only Son from FatherGod. Jesus overflows with grace and abounds in truth. He is the Word sent to us from God.

We often assume the Word of God means Scripture. But remember that the NewTestament of the Bible didn’t exist until several centuries after Jesus’s death and resurrection. Because of this, we should consider God’sWord as his spokenWord, more so than his writtenWord. What if Jesus is more than the metaphorical Word? What if he serves as the actual Word of God? Yes, Jesus is the Word.

John also writes that in Jesus is life. Jesus is present when time begins and takes part in forming our existence. In fact, without Jesus, creation cannot occur. Physical life flows through Jesus at creation. In the same way, eternal life emanates through Jesus now. Jesus comes so we may have life and live with abundance (John 10:10). This theme of life recurs throughout the book of John, with his writing mentioning life in forty-one verses, more often than any other book in the Bible.

The life ofJesus, and the life throughJesus, gives us light. Just as the sun that Jesus created illuminates our physical world, the light that Jesus gives off now illuminates our spiritual world. This light shines for us in the darkness that surrounds us, exposing the evil in our world. Best of all, this light of Jesus overcomes the darkness, pushing it away. This means good is stronger than evil. God is more powerful than Satan. Hold on to this truth. Don’t forget it.

Jesus is the light. As the light—our true light—he comes into our world to save us. Though many do not recognize him or accept him, everyone who receives him and believes in his name become children of God, born of God.

Because of Jesus we’ve been born into the physical realm, and through our belief in him we are born a second time into the spiritual realm.

Take time to contemplate John’s profound opening to his biography, revealing Jesus as the Word, the life, and the light.

Do you recognize Jesus as Word, life, and light? Do you believe in him?

[Discover what else John says about the Word of God in 1 John 2:14, Revelation 1:1–2, Revelation 19:12–13, and Revelation 20:4.]

DAY 2: JESUS AND JOHN THE BAPTIST

JOHN 1:15–51

John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, “I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.’” (John 1:23)

We first meet John the Baptist in John 1:6. (Remember, John the Baptist is not the author of the book of John. John, the disciple of Jesus, is.)

John the Baptist comes to tell us about the light of Jesus so we might believe in him. In fact, God wants us all to believe—not that everyone will, but so that everyone has an opportunity to. Salvation isn’t a given. It’s a choice.

After this opening passage in the book of John about Jesus being Word, life, and light, we now return our attention to John the Baptizer. John’s purpose, his ministry, is to point us to Jesus, preparing people to accept and follow him. John isn’t the light. He serves as a witness pointing to the light (John 1:7–8).

Here are a few things John the Baptist says about Jesus:

Jesus existed long before John. Though we understand this because John writes that Jesus created our world, the people John addresses aren’t aware of this detail. Explaining that Jesus comes before John hints at Jesus’s eternal nature (John 1:15).Jesus will bless us with his abundance (John 1:16).The law, God’s commands of right behavior and proper worship in the OldTestament, comes from Moses. In contrast, Jesus will offer grace and truth instead of rules and requirements (John 1:17).No one has seen God, except for the Son of God, who is also God (John 1:18). IfJohn’s statement that Jesus is GodandGod’sSon is confusing, consider that Jesus later says this about himself too (John 17:21–22).

Though some people who come to hear John the Baptist assume he’s their long-expected Savior, he insists he is not. Nor does he claim to be Elijah or even the Prophet (John 1:19–21), even though he embodies the prophesied return of Elijah and is a prophet too.

Instead, John quotes Isaiah’s prophecy about someone who will call out from a desolate place. This person will tell people to get ready to receive their Lord—that is, their Savior, Jesus the Messiah. John baptizes those who believe what he says.

The next day Jesus arrives. As soon as John the Baptist sees Jesus, he proclaims, “Look! Here comes God’sLamb who will take away our sins. ThoughI baptized you with water, he will baptize you with HolySpirit fire. I confirm Jesus is the chosen one sent by God.”

What does it mean that Jesus will baptize us with the HolySpirit? Have you received Jesus’sHolySpirit baptism?

[Discover more about Jesus coming to John the Baptist in Matthew 3:13–17, Mark 1:9–13, and Luke 3:21–22.]

BONUS CONTENT: JESUS’S DISCIPLES

When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. (John 1:37)

Matthew, Mark, and Luke list Jesus’s twelve disciples. John doesn’t. He does, however, sometimes refer to them as “the Twelve.” He also mentions a few by name.

Two disciples of John the Baptist decide to follow Jesus instead. One of them is Andrew, but the Bible doesn’t give the name of the other one. What we know is that when John points out Jesus, these two disciples leave John to go with him (John 1:35–37). Losing two of his followers doesn’t concern John. He later acknowledges that Jesus will increase in importance while he will decrease (John 3:30).

Andrew finds his brother, SimonPeter. He brings Peter to Jesus (John 1:40–42).

The next day Jesus invites Philip to join his team. Philip, Andrew, and Peter grew up together in the town of Bethsaida. This means they knew each other before meeting and following Jesus.

Philip finds Nathanael. “Come! We found the one the Law of Moses points to and the prophets wrote about.” Though skeptical, he goes with Philip. Jesus affirms Nathanael and reveals that he supernaturally saw Nathanael sitting under a shade tree before Philip sought him. Based on this, he believes. “You’re the Son of God and our king” (John 1:43–51).

In other passages, John mentions JudasIscariot, Judas the son of James, and Thomas. This covers three of the other twelve disciples. ButJohn doesn’t mention any other disciples by name, including himself and his own brother, James.

In these passages we see that Andrew hears about Jesus and brings his brother Peter. We also see that Philip follows Jesus and later brings Nathanael.

Who can we bring to Jesus?

[Discover more about John’s mentions of “the Twelve” disciples in John 6:67–71 and John 20:24.]

DAY 3: JESUS’S FIRST MIRACLE

JOHN 2:1–12

He revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him. (John 2:11)

Consider the miracles Jesus performs. He heals people with broken bodies, casts out evil spirits, and even raises dead people to life. Whatever their situation, Jesus makes their life better—much better. Yet his first miracle, right after he calls Andrew, Peter, Philip, and Nathanael to follow him, includes none of these grand supernatural signs.

Jesus’s first miracle is less astounding. Compared to his other incredible wonders, his first one is trivial. Yes, it’s still a miracle. We shouldn’t lose sight of that. Yet on the scale of supernatural significance, this one ranks near the bottom.

What is this miracle? Jesus makes wine from water at a party.

Here’s the situation.

Three days after Jesus calls his first disciples, they attend a wedding celebration. Mary, Jesus’s mother, is present too. Midway through the reception, social disaster strikes. The groom runs out of wine.

This isn’t a life-or-death situation, but only a public embarrassment. Yes, the people will remember what happened, that the man didn’t give them enough to drink. They’ll talk about his shortsightedness and failure to care for his guests. The man’s failure could come up at every wedding for years to come. It will form the basis for how the people in this town regard him and his bride. For years they’ll carry the stigma of running out of wine and disrespecting their guests.

Having nothing left to drink jeopardizes no one’s well-being. In fact, since many have already drunk too much, they may be better off not drinking any more.

Mary, aware of what happened, edges up to Jesus and whispers, “They ran out of wine.”

Jesus