John 18

Read John 18

Peter stared into the remains of the charcoal fire breathing at his feet.  The rooster’s crow had fallen on his ears like the clap of a gavel.

-Lord, why can’t I follow you now?  I will lay down my life for you-

Across the fire, his questioner spoke again, but Peter didn’t answer, didn’t stir.  After a moment, the man strode away, a shadow passing into shadow.

-I tell you the truth, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times-

Peter swallowed, his gaze swinging to the courtyard door wherein Jesus his rabbi, Jesus his Lord, Jesus the Son of the Living God stood trial.

And here Peter stood, shivering outside.

-I will lay down my life for you-

The rooster crowed again, and someone slipped out the courtyard door.  Whispers that Jesus was going to Pilate.

Peter shuddered and folded his arms against his chest.  In his mind, the weight of his denials hung like a millstone around his neck, dragging him beneath the waves.

This moment marked the lowest point of Peter’s life.  For three years he had followed Jesus as one of the hand-picked Twelve, and in a single night, he had disowned both his discipleship and his rabbi, the man who Peter himself had confessed was “‘the Christ, the Son of the living God’” (Matt. 16:21).

If ever grace seemed impossible for Peter, this was the moment.  And it is a moment to which all people can relate.  Small missteps here, a white lie there—these Jesus can forgive.  For these his grace is sufficient.

But this…

Even this, says Jesus.  In that moment of the rooster’s crow, Peter had not stepped outside Jesus’ capacity to forgive.  In that moment of the rooster’s crow, Jesus still loved Peter.  The lonely road of ridicule, torture, and death that Jesus walked, he walked for Peter.

And for us—no matter how great our sin.

“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 9:7).

Written by Ben DeVries, a New Life member and a senior at Illiana Christian High School.

John 17

Read John 17

Jesus continues to pray.  First he acknowledges that his arrest, trial, crucifixion and resurrection are about to take place….”Father, the hour has come.”  And he lets us know that the reason for this is to show God’s glory…”glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you…”  Even at this moment where he is about to die a horrible death, Jesus is about doing His Father’s work.

Then, he prays for his disciples.  He acknowledges that they have been with him the whole time and prays for their protection…”holy Father, protect them… He follows this by praying for joy for them…”that they may have the full measure of my joy within them.”  He knows that in the coming days, joy will be hard to come by but then it will explode on them(at the resurrection).  His next thoughts are about their sanctification “…sanctify them by your truth…”  It is not enough that they have believed, accepted and obeyed.  There is the lifelong process of becoming all that God intends for them.  Jesus see this and prays for it to continue.

Finally, He prays for all believers.  He prays that all will be one just as the Father and the Son are one.  He prays this because he wants all believers to know the incredible love the Father has for his children.

I am amazed by the sacrificial nature of this prayer.  I marvel at the incredible grace and love it took to offer it.  And I am forever thankful that Jesus, my Savior, prayed it for you and for me.

Written by Pastor Roger Visker

John 16

Read John 16

Preparation

In the last week of his earthly life before his crucifixion, Jesus asks his disciples to make sure that arrangements are made for the Passover Feast.  Jesus asks that the necessary preparations be made for this last meal before his death.  . 

The Passover Feast was the memorial that commemorated and celebrated the release of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt by the hand of God.  So many Passover Feasts later, Jesus – the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world (John 1:28) - is preparing for his sacrifice by which we are released from the slavery of sin and death. 

Besides preparing himself, Jesus is mindful of preparing his disciples for what will happen in the next few hours and also in their life.  On Maundy Thursday, we remember the command of Jesus to love one another and also that Jesus was willing to give his life for ours. 

For many of us this is also a week of preparation.  Some of us may be preparing for a Spring Break trip.  Others of us are preparing to host family and friends for an Easter dinner.  All of us can prepare for the message that “He is Risen” by remembering the sacrifice, suffering and death of Jesus for us. 

At the communion service on Thursday night, we have the opportunity to again hear the words of Jesus to be prepared for the trouble that is in this world, but also to take heart about the future that is still held by him.

Hear the promise of Jesus that he is preparing for our victory – “In this world you may have trouble.  But take heart!  I have overcome the world.”  He overcame the world of sin and death by way of the Cross.  This Man of Sorrows is our Savior!      

Man of Sorrows – what a name for the Son of God who came ruined sinners to reclaim.

Hallelujah, what a Savior. 

And can it be that I should gain an interest in the Savior’s blood?

Died he for me, who caused his pain – for me, who caused his bitter death?

Amazing love!  How can it be that you, my Lord, should die for me?

John 15

Read John 15

Well I don’t know about you… but I really appreciate how Jesus used such down to earth illustrations such as agriculture, dirty feet or pruning branches…  to get a point across.  He really gets his point across with this picture of pruning branches, one that can be rather painful… but with great results. 

I remember a particular backyard that I did some regular yard maintenance in (back in what seems like another life) and what I really remember about it was the huge hedge of bushes that surrounded the backyard.  When I say huge I mean it… first the backyard itself was huge and to trim the top of the hedge you had to use a ladder all the way around them.  After trimming that hedge for a number of years I remember they were starting to look a little sparse… so to get them to revive and come back stronger and more full I needed to do some severe pruning.  Trimming out all the old dead growth and bringing those 8 foot tall hedges down to half their height was a huge undertaking… it looked pretty severe when we were finished but that year when they came back they came back in nice and full.

In this passage Jesus is talking about two kinds of pruning… and specifically this passage is challenging us to be the true branches that are connected to the one who really gives life… life to the full. 

In chapter 14 (verses 9&10) Jesus confronts Philip’s questioning him about his relationship to the Father….

How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? ¹⁰ Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me?

Then in chapter 15 (15:5) He gives us another one of those wonderful pictures to help us understand so that we can believe.  But also reminds us that it is the fruit that shows if you are a Christ follower (15:8)

What does remaining in Christ mean?  What does it do to our lives? What might pruning look like?  How will you let the master gardener grow you to bear fruit? And glorify the Father!!

Written by Pastor Todd Wessels

John 14

The God of All Comfort!

John 14 continues the journey of Jesus towards the cross.  What would you say in those last few hours?  What is the gift that you would want to press into the hands and the hearts of those you love? 

Just before Christmas this past year, I was privileged to see Amy Bulthuis in her last week on earth, on this side of heaven, begin to lay out jewelry and then give those items away.  She wasn’t just giving away jewelry – she was creating a memory.      

As we continue to follow Jesus by reading through the Gospel of John, I ask that you list the numbers of gifts that Jesus gives.  He gives assurance of a future with Him.  He reminds them that he will be the one who “bridges” the way from our life away from God to a life with God. 

Jesus also provides a challenge for living life.  (If you love me, keep my commands.  John 14:15)  Finally, he notes that the Father will send “the Advocate” (another name for the Holy Spirit) to lead us in truth, to be “in us” and to remind us of everything that he said. 

In times of sorrow and loss, one of the emotions that we will face is the feeling of being alone.  Jesus provides comfort to his disciples by noting the gift of one who can be with us – now and always.  The Triune God gives.  Jesus Christ gave his life.  The Father gave us the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit gives us this assurance – “We Are Not Alone.” 

One of the titles given to Jesus that we particularly note at Christmas is Immanuel meaning God with us.  Christmas is tied to Easter by knowing that God is with us – even as Jesus goes to the cross for us.

Comfort, comfort now my people; speak of peace so says our God.

Comfort those who sit in darkness, mourning under sorrow’s load.

Cry out to Jerusalem of the peace that waits for them;

tell her that her sins I cover and her warfare now is over.

Written by Pastor Jul

John 13

It’s so weird how much the bible talks about feet. The word is used almost 250 times, many of those times, as in John 13, in reference to the washing of feet. Washing feet was a normal custom of Bible times, as people wore open sandals and traveled by foot through a semi-arid, dusty terrain. I traveled in similar circumstances for over a month in the bush of Kenya several years ago, and let me tell you that there was nothing more refreshing at the end of the day than washing your feet...and nothing more disgusting. The sweat from your body would be running to your feet all day, making a muddy mess out of your feet as they collected dust from walking.  In Jesus’ day, disciples were to take care of the needs of their Rabbi. They would arrange for his meals, his travel arrangements, and his sleeping quarters. Yet there was one thing a disciple was not required to take care of: his feet. This was considered too gross. Too humiliating. Too disgusting. Too below them.

Jesus blows away everyone’s thinking when he models to his disciples how they are to live. He puts on the clothing of a slave and the Rabbi washes the feet of the disciples who weren’t even culturally required to touch his feet! He shows them that nothing is below them. Service requires us to set aside whatever status the world has granted us, take on the clothing of a servant, and get our hands dirty...really dirty.

Written by Kyle Stambaugh, Director of Student Ministries at New Life Church

John 12

John 12 records the end of Jesus' public ministry as he moves into Jerusalem for his passion.  It also offers us a good point to stop and reflect broadly on where we've been in the first half of John's gospel.  Chapter 12 is full of themes and motifs used through the entire gospel:

·      light-Here John records Jesus' words, "You are going to have the light just a little while longer.  Walk while you have the light, before darkness overtakes you.  The man who walks in the dark does not know where he is going.  Put your trust in the light while you have it, so that you may become sons of light" (v. 35).  These words echo John 1, where Jesus is presented as "the true light that gives light to every man" and Jesus' own words in John 9, where as he heals the blind man he says, "While I am in the world, I am the light of the world."  John wants desperately for us to know that Jesus alone can open our eyes to where we should go and how we should live.  Without his light, we stumble blindly through our broken lives, confused and afraid.

·      life-Near the end of the chapter, Jesus says, "I know that his [the Father's] command leads to eternal life" (v.50).  In chapter  11 Jesus said, "I am the resurrection and the life.  He who believes in me will live even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die."  In John 6, Jesus says, "I am the bread of life.  He who comes to me will never go hungry. . . Everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life."  And famously in John 3 Jesus claims, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."  Over and over, John makes clear that Jesus has the power and the desire to give us life-true life-now and forevermore.  No failure, no mistake, no disease, no power, can stop him.

·      the unity of Father and Son-Why can Jesus do all this?  Because he is no less than God himself, clothed in human flesh that we might know him.  Here Jesus explains, "For I did not speak of my own accord, but the Father who sent me commanded me what to say and how to say it.  I know that his command leads to eternal life.  So whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say" (v. 49-50).  Again, the words resonate because we've heard similar ones before-frequently.  In John 10 Jesus says, "Is it not written in your Law, 'I have said you are gods'? If he called them 'gods,' to whom the word of God came-and the Scripture cannot be broken-what about the one whom the Father set apart as his very own and sent into the world?  Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, 'I am God's Son'? . . . The Father is in me, and I in the Father."  Or in John 8, Jesus says, "If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and now am here.  I have not come on my own; but he sent me."  Jesus and the Father are one.  God almighty loves us so much he became one of us that we might know him and rest in his love.

·      belief/unbelief-To receive this light and life and rest, we need only believe.  Many whom Jesus encountered did believe; many others did not.  By the end of Chapter 12, the word believe has appeared 64 times in the gospel of John.  Clearly, we have a choice to make: will we believe or not?

Chapter 12 ends with Jesus uniting all these motifs in a single last public statement before beginning the road to the cross.  In a loud voice, Jesus cries out, promising us light, life, and rest in God if only we'll believe. 

Believe.

Written by Jeff DeVries, a member of New Life Church.

John 9

When Jesus’ disciples approach him about the man blind from birth, they never consider the possibility of healing.  Despite the miracles they’ve seen, they enter into an argument about the blind man’s past, about the sin that brought him where he is.  From their perspective, the past is a sequence of events begetting events.  Everything has a cause, and the disciples want to know where to lay the blame for this man’s blindness.

But Jesus tells them they are asking the wrong question, that they are looking in the wrong direction.  This man is blind “‘so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.’”  In other words, Jesus has less interest in the past.  Grace is about to interrupt the old chain of events and create a bright new future

And this idea of looking in the wrong direction is echoed later when the Pharisees challenge Jesus’ authority.  Rather than celebrating in the blind man’s healing and promising new future, they look back to the Old Testament law of abstaining from work on the Sabbath.  Jesus, according to their interpretation of Torah, had broken the Sabbath and was blameworthy.

The past—for the Pharisees and the disciples—determines both the present and the future.  The past is responsible for the blind man’s condition.  The past holds Jesus in violation of Torah.  The past condemns all hope for a better future.  It’s simple karma—what goes around, comes around.

But Jesus is trying to get us to imagine a world that operates outside karma, a world where the past cannot dictate the future.  Instead, he introduces the notion of grace.  Even in our brokenness, God promises to make “‘everything new’” (Revelation 21:5).

And that’s the beauty of this chapter.  Grace interrupts the past.  It frees us from the curse of karma.  We need only to believe—as the blind man did and as the former slaver John Newton did.  Then we too can sing: “I once was lost / but now am found / was blind but now I see.”

Written by Ben DeVries, a New Life member and a senior at Illiana Christian High School.

John 8

Thanks for taking up the reading challenge!  As you read through John Chapter 8 as preparation for the weekend, what do you think is the key statement or image? 

I would suggest (and you will hear more this weekend) it is that Jesus notes that He is the light – He is the light of the world!  Now – what does that mean?  How does that “reality of life” affect our lives? 

If Jesus is my light – how do I work through relationship challenges and even broken relationships?

If Jesus is my light – how do I handle finances and develop generosity?

If Jesus is my light – am I willing to be vulnerable before Him and others about my brokenness?

If Jesus is my light – am I open to new people and seeing them as gifts God has brought to me for the journey of life?

If Jesus is my light – do I treat Him as “ultimate” in my life?

I recently saw Tim Keller – a great preacher and writer (he wrote The Prodigal God) on Morning Joe on MSNBC.  During the course of the interview, he noted that we live in a world where we take good things (like work and family) and make them ultimate in our life.  The Apostle John is after us seeing Jesus as “ultimate” so that we frame and filter all of our life through Jesus.  He is the Light of the World.  He wants to be our light!  He wants to be your light! 

Grace and Peace – Jul 

John 7

In the 7^th chapter of John in verse 38 we hear Jesus say…

“Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.”  

How are we to understand this statement?  Jesus was challenging the people, as well as us, to a personal faith in who He said he was… not to just react in belief or unbelief according to the crowd. We see many people being confused by this man Jesus and his ministry.  The people wanted to believe but then saw the resistance from the religious leaders and they questioned if Jesus could be the One, the Messiah, if he came from Galilee (vs. 41&42). 

Verse 43 even says that the people were divided “because of Jesus.” 

What are the things swirling around us that can cause us to question? To be divided in our belief? What are we reacting to? Who is influencing us?

How are we seeing Jesus?  The one “who seeks the glory of the one who sent him” (vs. 18). 

As we look together at this passage we will be able to sense the confusion of the people… but through that confusion (and yes our own confusion) let’s hear how much He wants us to know the Father and experience that river of living water in our lives.

 Written by Pastor Todd Wessles.  Pastor Todd and his wife Cindy live in New Lenox.

John 6

John 6 is all about bread, bread that gives life and Bread that gives Life.

The chapter begins with Christ’s feeding of the 5,000.  Having witnessed Jesus’ healing of the sick, a large crowd gathers to hear him preach.  Jesus, in compassion, anticipates the needs of this crowd, asking Philip, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” (v. 5).  As John points out, even as Jesus asks the question, “he already had in mind what he was going to do” (v. 15).  The disciples supply five barley loaves and two fish, and miraculously, over 5,000 are fed.

This miracle reveals Jesus as the supplier of our physical needs.  He knows we are flesh, and as he later teaches his disciples to pray for their daily bread, he here supplies it.  But he wants to do so much more for us.

When the crowds receive this food, John writes that they want to make Jesus king by force.  Jesus actually runs and hides from them.  But the crowds will not be deterred.  They search for Jesus into the next day, eventually finding him near Capernaum. 

Jesus greets them: “You are looking for me . . . because you ate the loaves and had your fill.  Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you” (v.27).  A few verses later, Jesus explains, “I am the bread of life.  He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.  . . .For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day” (v. 35,40).

And remarkably, the crowds leave.  “This is a hard teaching,” they say.  “Who can accept it?” (v. 60).  How disappointed Jesus must have been.  Thousands wanted to make him king because he gave them bread, but when he wanted to give them so much more, they left.

Do we respond to God the same way?  We want secure jobs, good health, nice homes, and full bellies.  And if God will give us those things, we are content.  But Jesus wants to give us so much more.  He wants to give our lives direction and purpose.  He wants to bring reconciliation and healing to our relationships with each other and with God.  He wants to give us Life, now and forevermore.  All we have to do is believe. 

John 6 is all about bread, bread that gives life and Bread that gives Life.  Which one will we choose?

Written by Jeff DeVries, a member of New Life Church.

Review of John 5

“Do you want to get well?”

That is the question Jesus asked the man at the pool of Bethesda.  It seemed like an obvious question seeing that the man was sitting beside a pool that was known for miraculous healing and that he had been sitting there day after day for years.  And yet, there was no remedy for the many except to sit within inches of help and hope and wonder if he would ever get well.  

Jesus told the man to “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk” vs 8  The command came with the authority to make it happen and with the expectation that the man would testify to the miracle that had happened in his life.  And because the man obeyed, he was able to get up and walk for the first time in 38 years. 

This story, this command, this miracle have direct implications for our lives as well.  Jesus sees our heart and he can see the spiritual sickness we suffer from, even if we have the ability to hide it from others or even ourselves.  We, like the lame man, find ourselves within inches of the Truth, but unable to access it without the help of the Savior...and our willingness to obey him.  

“Do you want to get well?”  Jesus asks us the same question.  The cure for our spiritual sickness is believing that Jesus is the Christ, accepting the life that is offered through his sacrifice and then getting up and walking; testifying to others the life he has given us.  We are free to run, dance, sing and live in Jesus...if only we would “Get up and walk!”

“But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” John 20:31

John 5

This chapter contains a very interesting story of a miracle of healing by Jesus on a man who was paralyzed for over 38years.   He would sit by the Pool of Bethesda daily.  The belief was that sometimes angel’s stirred the water with healing power.  If you were the first one in the pool, you would be healed.  So the paralyzed sat there day after day in his own brokenness unable to move one inch in order to be healed.  On this day he hears Jesus say “Do you want to get well?”

This occurs on the Sabbath.  Because Jesus had been doing miracles and preaching differently than the Religious Leaders, they began to accuse Jesus of violations of the law.  The 5th commandment (Exodus 20:8ff) to keep the Sabbath holy had been expanded to include 39 categories of things you could not do on the Sabbath.  Telling the formerly paralyzed man to carry his mat was one violation and the Religious Leaders accuse Jesus.

Jesus defends his work and clearly indentifies himself as God’s son. He wants everyone to know that he is the promised savior and that they can find healing in him.  He asks them the same question as he asked the paralyzed man – “Do you want to get well?”

While we don’t see ourselves in the same light and culture as the people in Jesus’ day, we are being asked to consider the same question that Jesus had for them.  “Do you want to get well?”  Consider what it might mean to really answer yes to this question.  How would our lives change if this were true?

Written by Pastor Roger Visker.  Roger is the Associate Pastor at New Life Church in New Lenox, IL.  

Review of John 4

This weekend Pastor Jul taught us from the book of John 4 and we studied the conversation Jesus had with the woman at the well.

Pastor Jul taught us that believing in Jesus means that we need to open about our “past” with God and stop trying to hide the things we are ashamed of.  Believing in Jesus means that we need to move from being isolated to being in community with other believers. 

Like the woman at the well, believing in Jesus means we too can accept the “living water” Jesus extends and He can become what sustains us.  When we choose to live like that it will change our lives...the way we think, plan and what choices we make.  

Aligning our lives under the authority of Jesus means making dramatic life changes...

*What life changes are you being challenged to make?  How does your “belief” show in your life?  

*Right now, God is inviting you into a relationship with Him...will you answer?

Reading Challenge-John 4

This weekend Pastor Jul will be teaching from John 4.  This chapter has the famous story of Jesus meeting the Samaritan woman at the well.  One of the most curious things about their interaction is how the woman’s heritage, gender or social standing was not an obstacle for Jesus.  He looked past all the things that society looks at and saw a woman who was hurting and needed Him.  He saw a woman who was scared, uncertain, ashamed and hiding.  Jesus did not shy away from her or look the other way or try to avoid her, rather he intentionally sought her out and took time to talk to her.  He saw her as valuable even if she didn’t see herself that way.  

There is a song by Tenth Avenue North called “You Are More” that reminds me of this story; the message that Jesus had for the woman at the well and what he wants all of us to hear.  The chorus says, 

“You are more than the choices that you’ve made,

You are more than the sum of your past mistakes,

You are more than the problems you create,

You’ve been remade.”

Jesus message to the woman at the well and to us is that He is the living water we need...he sees past our mistakes and sees beauty and value.  He loves us and he as made us new.

Read John 4 this week before you come to church if you can.  Ask God to help you understand this chapter and what He wants to teach you.  Ask Him to prepare your heart for worship.  Ask Him to fill you with the truth that you’ve been remade.

Watch the video and hear the song.  Click here.

Review of John 3

The study of the conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus brought us to the question:  What is holding you back?   

Whatever it is, now is the time to stop letting it keep you from living the life God wants for you.  

Pray over what was on your paper and remember that you can turn it over to God and let it remain shredded.  


You can walk away and not let it hinder your Christian walk any longer.  

A life of freedom, of new birth, of broken chains...is waiting for you if you would just believe.  

Challenge:  Reread John 3 and ask God what He desires for you.

Reading Challenge - John 3

I believe in God.  It’s a simple statement that most of us with agree with...however, what does it really mean? 

The dictionary says that to “believe in” means:  to be convinced of the existence of, be sure of the existence of.  to have faith in, pin one's faith on, trust in, have every confidence in, cling to, set (great) store by, value, be convinced by, be persuaded by...

John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned. 

The Bible says that if we believe in Jesus, then we are not condemned...we are saved, we are loved, we have hope, we have eternal life. 

What does it mean to believe in Jesus?  How is your life different because you believe in Jesus?  Do you believe? 

Take some time this week to read John 3...read Jesus’s words and ask yourself...do I believe?

Written by Christine Bierma

Christine is a member of New Life Church and is on currently on staff as the Interim Creative Arts Coordinator.  She has been married for almost 17 years to her husband Doug and is mom to four children.