John 1: 19-23

These are my notes from Rob's sermon this am.

Verses 1-18 were a prologue
Verse 19 starts a narrative
How to be used by God that we don't even fear the taking of our own life

Setting the tension (v19)
No prophetic activity for 400 yrs.

Cultural tension..waiting to be free from Rome
Religious tension..waiting for the Messiah

Jews..the Sanhedrin..a council of religious rulers. They have a high amt. of political clout. They are made up of priests and Levites

Moses brother, Aaron, was a high priest. His family were the priests who go yearly to the Holy of Holies

Levites..they are the tribe who repented after bowing down to the golden calf
They assisted the priests. They were the janitors,temple guards,baked the bread, and led worship

If you want to used by God :

1. Know who you are NOT (v20)
John the Baptist freely tell them who he is not.."I am not the Christ"

Malachi 4:5
They knew Elijah would come before Christ. John is not him.

Deuteronomy...18:15
A prophet will come. It is not John

We try to figure ourselves out by what we do
Looking glass self..you look at yourself by how others

Self worth is not what we do, it's not looking inside yourself, it's not the opinions of others..it's by our Creator


2. Know who you are (21-23)

John.."I am a voice"
He ties his story into God's story
The Old Testament is our story. We are connected into God's drama as it unfolds

Isaiah 40..Prophet sings to them to help lead them out of the wilderness

Present wilderness..relationship with Jesus will lead us out of the wilderness home

Isaiah 53:5 method to get his people home..Jesus Christ

Questions to ask ourselves

1. Are you so committed to your lifestyle that you stopped listening to the Lord..even a Christian lifestyle?

2. Are you being spiritually sensitive to the questions people ask you? Always be ready to give a reason for your hope

3. Are you OK with who you are not?

4. Are you playing your unique role in the building of the church?

5. Are we being a highway or detour for others getting to Christ?
Are we making a smooth path or creating obstacles by our mouth, what we wear, our lifestyle

6. Are we standing in the way of broken people as the people did when the men tried to bring their paralyzed friend to Jesus?

Love your neighbor

"John 1: 14-18"

My notes from 1/23/11

Joan Osborne sang a song in 1995 called "One of Us" It's her interpretation of God.
In John, he gives us God's interpretation of Himself"
Jesus is the interpreter of God
What does Jesus reveal about God in these verses?

Jesus is:

1. God moved in.

Eugene Peterson .."God moved into our neighborhood"
Word became flesh and dwelled
In Exodus..God provides a way for him to hang with his people..a tabernacle.
God doesn't leaveus in the desert.
Tabernacel...temple(more permanent)..Jesus...We have become the tabernacle...we have the Holy Spirit.
Looking into the future..Revelation 21..God will be with us.
How is God's presence being made known where we work and live?
Jesus was not a wallflower. He made his presence known. Jesus comes in to the muck and dirt of our lives.

2. Jesus is God's glory made bearable

Glory is the public expression of magnificence.
If God exists for his own glory, you and I exist for the full glory of God.
What is the core motivation of your life?

3. Jesus is God's face of inexhaustible grace. (v17)
God doesn't give us leftovers. He gave us his best for sinners.
God's grace is always on repeat..we need to cherish that.
Bitter people..they have detached themselves from realizing that every breath is grace.
The law represents grace.
Laws are a restraint. It's a shadow of Christ.
Law and grace come through Jesus..it's better than previous grace

People in hell now and in the future didn't enjoy God.
Is your heart joyful and humbled because of grace?

Rob finished with a story of 2 older ladies who he grew up with. When you asked Jane how she was doing, she would always reply with "Honey, I am so blessed"..despite losing 2 husbands tragically.
Grace upon grace despite sad circumstance in life.

"John 1: 6-13"

My notes from 1/16/11

Opening Acts..Rob gave opening acts for concerts he's been to.
John the Baptist...opening act for Jesus

John the Baptist

Very unusual dress and diet
He was born to point to the person of Jesus Christ
We are reborn to point to the person of Jesus Christ

The light that is life:

1. Sent John (v6)
We are saved to be sent. All disciples of Jesus are sent

2. Defined John (v 7)
We are the noun and verb (witness)
His "purpose statement" and ours
There are no sample groups God uses all of us.

3. Humbled John (v8)
With 400 yrs of silence, people wanted to make John the Baptist "the one"
We are imperfect lamps

The light is:

1 True (v9)
Alathea=true
There are many lights but not all are true Jesus is the true light. The devil disguises himself as the angel of light.
Definitions of Jesus.."Starbucks Jesus" , "Republican or Democrat Jesus", "Revolutionary Jesus",

2. Universal (9b)
God created all of us in His image...doesn't mean we all have relationships with Him
We have a sense...all of creation has heard something..No person has an excuse. We are all born missional..it's universal

If there is no communication in parts of the world..God will provide.
If there is a sincere desire..God ordains it.

3. Ignored (v10) Jewish faith

4. Rejected (v 11)

5. Graciously received (12-13)
When you believe in a person's name, you believe in totality of their character
That's what it means to believe in Jesus Christ
Book to read..."The gospel according to Jesus" by John McArthur
Chapter 9 of the book talks about how we are accepted by grace. You will not see God on the coattails of your parents.
You can't be socialized into the kingdom of God

John Stott..Basic Christianity.."hound of heaven"
Jesus pursues you even when you are running away

Living On The Streets

I just finished reading an eye opening book called "Under The Overpass" by Mike Yankoski
The book is about 2 young men who decide to live on the streets for 5 months in various cities in a journey of faith. They start in Denver and travel to Washington D.C.,Portland,San Francisco, Phoenix, and San Diego. They went with basically nothing, only a backpack with some clothes and supplies and their guitars. They went to live out their faith and be Jesus to those on the streets through relationship. They learned to sleep on sidewalks, in bushes, under bridges, in front of churches. They found food any way they could. They experienced life in the shelters.
The stories of the people they met in each city and their interactions and feelings make this a very easy book to read. I found myself not wanting to put it down.
I think the most interesting thing they found was how poorly the "Christian" treated them, whether it was the Christian on the street or the church itself. As a Christian, it made me sad. It made me think how I look at someone on the street here in Dayton. I am not immune to the homeless and needy as I work in an inner city hospital and have cared for many of them with health needs. Just as these men found out, some are truly down and out, some are mentally ill, and some are con artists. It was a reminder to me that I need to open my eyes and look around and not avoid because it makes me "uncomfortable" I would highly recommend this book to anyone who calls himself a Christian to see whom God has called us to help, the poor, the needy, the down and out person who has nothing.

“I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review”.

"John 1:1-5"

My notes from Apex this am
And here we go...from the beginning...the book of John

John 1:1-5

1. The Preexistence of the Word

In the beginning God has always been. We have a history..God doesn't..he's always been.
It makes the most since to go to God who has always been and has the wisdom
Nothing surprises God..people panic..they are surprised.
Proverbs 8:22-31
Colossians 1:17
1John 1:1
God is the Ancient of Days

2. The nature of the Word

logos=reason
The audience is Greek and Judaic
Platonic view..2 worlds side by side that don't cross.
An example today...American Christianity..it's Pantheism
Judaism God spoke into existence
with=toward
This is where we begin seeing hints of the trinity
fused together...The Word was God
Rob used the Jehovah Witness faith as someone who distorts the Bible by taking out of context the Greek interpretation Because there is no article in front of Word, they place "a" in front of God instead of "the". They use this to confuse those who aren't strong in their Bible knowledge.
John 10:30
John 14:6-11
The Word is simultaneously deity and distinct but never disconnected.

3. The artistry of the Word
Colossians 1:15-19

4. Overcoming Light of the Word
The light overcomes the darkness
The gates of Hell will not prevail because of the Head of the church not the church itself.

Bottom line....God wins!!!!!!!

Robin shared her story of a dark time in her life of sexual abuse and cutting. Today that dark time is overcome by the light of her Savior and Lord. God showed her to that light through the love of her church family.

Issiah 53..."by his stripes we are healed"

"John's Profile"

At Apex, Rob has decided to preach through books of the Bible. We are starting with the book of John. This will take 1-2 yrs to go through. I love this style as this is what I was used to at Faircreek when I went back to church after a long absence in my 20's and 30's.
Today we are starting with an overview based on scripture

John 20:30-31

In John, you see the heart and soul of Jesus.
It's 21 chapters and 878 verses.
The author is John although this is disputed in some religious circles.
The disciple John is loved ..John 21:7
2/3 of the gospel is about the last week of Jesus life.
John was the only disciple to follow Jesus up to the cross

Audience Both believers and seekers

Unique features

Seven "I Am" statements
There is no mention of the baptism of Jesus
Seven signs..miracles
Seven is a large symbolic role of completeness
The word belief and believe is used 110 times
There is an ongoing prophetic need for the gospel of John
Today the deity of Jesus is being attacked
The world is trying to "domesticate" or calm down Jesus
There are many misconceptions and quotes out there ex.
Stephen Colbert "There are infinite paths to accepting Jesus Christ as personal Savior.

The bottom line is:

"Jesus is God...deal with it" Robert G Lee

Remember:
1 All miracles are bound up in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ
2 The message of John is NOT exhaustive. What is recorded is needed
The message of John is sufficient.
3 The purpose of John is not mere information but rather life transformation
You only have life when you are in the name of Jesus Christ.
Remember that in this life..you may mess up...things may not go well..but you're not disowned...you are still under God's name.