Getting the Most Out of God’s Word For personal devotion or group discussion
A Guide for Reading and Listening to God’s Word
a journey of discovery
Magnolia Baptist Church
WELCOME ALONG I believe there is no greater journey one can engage in life than to know Jesus of Nazareth...the Christ...the Son of God.
CONTENTS
WELCOME ALONG
MAPPING JESUS’ LIFE
TIMELINE OF JESUS part 1
HELPFUL ONLINE TOOLS
DAY SIX: Baptism
DAY SEVEN: Temptation
DAY EIGHT: No Honor
DAY NINE: Wedding in Galilee
DAY TEN: Jesus and the Fishermen
Paul, a leader in the early foundations of Christianity, wrote “For me to live is Christ…” (Philippians 1:27). Nothing else was more important to Paul. “Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ.” (Philippians 3:8) I agree with Paul. There is nothing in my life more incredible than knowing Jesus. The words and ways of Jesus guide and enhance every facet of my life...at home with my wife and kids, at work, and in my community. Does that make me perfect? No. I blow it...big time. But it put me in a right relationship with Jesus...being a follower. This guide is a journey of discovery...of knowing Jesus. My hope in putting this together is to help guide you along this journey; to guide you into a personal discovery of Jesus in ways, that perhaps, you haven't thought of before; to introduce you to a very real Jesus who had a family and friends, knew incredible affirmation and suffered painful rejection; who knew hunger and thirst; who lived and died and lives again! Take courage and take the journey to discover Jesus: the Lamb of God who takes away sin, the son of Joseph and Mary, the Christ, the Messiah, the Lion of Judah, the Son of Man, the Son of God. In knowing Jesus more deeply, I hope also that you come to know yourself more clearly. That as you know Him more, you more and more become like Jesus and truly discover not just a person or a moment in history, but that you truly discover life in His name. Blessings, Jeremy K. Bratcher Senior Pastor
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MAPPING JESUS’ LIFE
TIMELINE of JESUS’ LIFE
part one
1. Jesus’ Baptism by John – Matthew 3:13; Mark 1:9; Luke 3:21 2. Jesus in wilderness for forty days – Matthew 4:1; Mark 1:12; Luke 4:1 3. Jesus returns from the wilderness a. Day One back from the wilderness – John 1:19 1. Day before Jesus publicly arrives from the wilderness 2. John meets with delegation from Jerusalem b. Day Two – John 1:29 1. John Introduces Jesus publicly for the first time c. Day Three – John 1:35 1. John introduces Andrew and John to Jesus personally d. Day Four – John 1:43 1. Jesus leaves for Galilee (Cana) 2. Jesus finds Philip on his way North 3. Philip finds Nathanael e. Day Five 1. Travel to Galilee f. Day Six 1. More Travel g. Day Seven – John 2:1 ·
“On the third day a wedding . . .” refers to three days after calling Philip and speaking with Nathanael. Jesus and his new disciples arrive at a wedding in Cana.
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Jesus attends the wedding in Cana, Galilee
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Jesus performs his first miracle, the sign of turning water to wine
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Helpful Online Tools for Personal Bible Study www.bible.org Home of the NET Bible and incredible background study resources. The NET Bible is full of notes from some of the best Hebrew and Greek scholars of our day. Bible.org offers self-paced theological studies, outlines and study guides for each book of the Bible. Bible.org is key word searchable. Some of the language and presentation of the material is a bit more scholarly than other sites, but it is fairly accessible in understanding.
www.biblestudytools.com Great website for searching through the Bible. It offers several tools for study (as the name suggests): concordances, language tools, maps, commentaries...it even has an interlinear Bible (that is searchable and provides pronunciations and root word guides for those who desire to know more about Biblical Greek and Hebrew). This is a must link for anyone looking to study the word more. Thousands of dollars in print resources, all free for use here!
www.biblemap.org Created using Google maps, this site offers a satellite view of Bible lands. The map is linked to Bible references and is searchable by book and verse.
www.biblegateway.com This site offers a dozens of translations that are searchable by book, chapter and verse. You can even compare various translations here to see how the texts might be handled a bit differently. This site also offers several language translations.
www.youversion.com A great mobile Bible accessible through Blackberry, iPhone, and Android apps. There is now a windows/mac version of YouVersion available for desktop use. A great tool for anyone looking to keep the Word with them on the go!
www.preceptaustin.org PreceptAustin.org is an incredible website full of Bible studies, outlines, maps, Greek and Hebrew helps. I have recently added it to this list. It is absolutely worth your time to invest here during your personal Bible study.
www.soniclight.com SonicLight is the personal website of Dr. Tom Constable. Dr. Constable is an incredible Bible scholar with deep insight into God’s word. Working expositionally through the Scripture, Dr. Constable presents a thorough and understandable breakdown of God’s word.
Jesus has grown. He is now about thirty-years-old. In what many scholars call his first public engagement, Jesus is baptized by his cousin John. When we look at the text, we know John’s baptism was one of repentance and confession toward belief...it was a baptism for sinners in need of cleansing. Why would Jesus, the sinless Son of God, need such a baptism?
ARE YOU TALKING TO ME?
Pray: Lord, as I take this journey of discovering you, much like you did for your earliest followers, open my mind that I might understand the Scriptures.
DAY SIX: Baptism
Read: Mark 1:9-11; Luke 3:21-23; Matthew 3:13-17
What does Jesus’ baptism say about who Jesus is? “Because I am not yet living up to what Jesus expects me to be in those red letters in the Bible, I always define myself as somebody who is saved by God's grace and is on his way to becoming a Christian. (...) Being saved is trusting in what
Who do you think the voice of God had a greater impact on Jesus or the crowd? Why do you think this?
Christ did for us, but being Christian is dependent on the way we respond to what he did for us.” ― Tony Campolo, Red Letter Christians: A Christian's Guide to Faith and Politics, a Citizen's Guide to Faith and Politics
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What questions do you still have?
Reflect: Baptism was a way people in the ancient world would publicly align oneself with a messenger and the message he was giving. So when people came to be baptized by John, the were essentially saying, “ I believe John is a prophet from God and I believe what he is saying. His message is true. The messiah is coming and I need to be ready.” Jesus identified with that truth...John was sent from God...the Messiah is coming...people need to be ready...repent and believe. Unique to Jesus though, he didn’t need any identification with the message of John...he didn’t need to repent and believe. He was the focal point of the message. Nonetheless, Jesus’ baptism is about identification in two ways: 1. Jesus identified with the full plan of the Father and 2. Jesus identified with those who needed him most. As we continue in our pursuit of Jesus, we will see that he is always about the Father’s work. Jesus always does what God wills to work in the world. A second thing we will see in the life of Jesus is that he truly identifies with those he came to rescue. What we see in Jesus’ baptism is a real connection with the uniqueness of his life...fully God and fully man. The identity of Jesus rests in both worlds. What about your identity? Paul wrote, “For we are all baptized by one Spirit, into one body—Jew or Greek, slave or free…” Faith in Jesus gives us a new identity. Think deeper for a moment. How has your faith in Christ shaped your identity? Have you noticed any difference at all? Embracing identity rooted in Jesus is central to growing in faith. Does your identity in Christ help or hinder you feeling loved by God as his child?
Do you sense God, through His word, shaping your identity as His child?
What would your life look like if you heard God say to you, “You are my child, whom I love and with whom I am pleased.”?
Pray: Take time today to pray and reflect on what it means to be identified in Christ as God’s loved one.
As you follow the life of Jesus you will see that his human life wasn’t without temptation. He receivedthe royal treatment from Satan himself. But, unlike Adam and Eve’s first encounter and temptation with Satan, Jesus overcame! Notice Jesus didn’t use his supernatural powers (although he could have— remember he was divine) but he used the same gifts available to us today when we face temptation. He used:
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(a) The power of the Holy Spirit (verse 1), and (b) God’s Word (“It is written”).
DAY SEVEN: Temptation
Pray: Lord, As I look at your own temptation today, give me strength to overcome mine. Read: Matthew 4:1-11; Mark 1:12-13; Luke 4:1-13
"The temptation unmasked Satan, while God remained masked. If you are God, said Satan, then dazzle me. Act like God should act.
Jesus replied, Only God makes those decisions, therefore I do nothing at your command.” Philip Yancey,
Why do you think the Spirit led Jesus out to the wilderness for this encounter?
What do you think Jesus is experiencing during his 40 days in the desert? Physically:
Mentally:
The Jesus I Never Knew Emotionally:
Spiritually:
Why do you think Jesus engages Satan with Bible verses?
What questions do you still have?
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Reflect: At perhaps Jesus’ weakest point he had experienced in his life thus far, Satan attacks! Notice that Satan’s attack is a direct challenge to the words spoken from the Father over Jesus at his baptism. Satan chides, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” The Father had affirmed the identity of Jesus publicly. Now in this private moment of weakness, Satan challenges Jesus head on. Satan’s trickery is powerful as he attempts to move Jesus into doubt. “If” can be a powerful word. Maybe you’ve heard Satan’s “Ifs”. “If you were forgiven…”; “If you were a real Christian…”; “If the Bible were true…” Just like that our faith is shaken and doubt overcomes. Satan knows if we doubt God’s love and truth we will be immobilized and eventually fall away from following Christ. Each time Satan challenged Jesus, we see Jesus counter with the word of truth...straight from the Scripture. He didn’t offer an opinion or a perhaps, maybe. Jesus allowed the truth to be truth. When we face temptation, we can trust God’s word to lead us to overcome too. Where have you seen God’s word help you overcome temptation and doubt?
Where do you struggle most with temptation today?
How does Jesus’ example of overcoming temptation encourage you? How does it make you feel less adequate?
Pray: Spend time today asking God for truth in his word about your own temptations. Ask Him for strength and faith to overcome.
Jesus returns from the desert battle with Satan. Although the temptation was great, Jesus overcame. Now, faced with his own reality, Jesus begins a three year journey to the cross. Teaching in the synagogue, Jesus took a scroll and began to read from the scroll of Isaiah, an ancient prophet who spoke clearly of Jesus’ coming. Jesus greatest challenge was soon to be met…people who don’t want to hear the truth of God.
DAY EIGHT: No Honor
Pray: Lord, help me see Your truth today. Help me to know you more today. Let our relationship together grow even more deeply than it was yesterday. Read: Matthew 4:12-17; Mark 1:14-15; Luke 4:14-30; Isaiah 61
What about Jesus’ message in Luke 4 draw favor from the crowd? “The trouble with deep belief is that it costs something And there is something inside me, some selfish beast of a subtle thing that doesn't like the truth at all because it carries responsibility, and if I actually believe these things I have to do something about them. It is so, so cumbersome to believe anything. And it isn't cool.” ― Donald Miller, Blue Like Jazz: Nonreligious Thoughts on Christian Spirituality
When does the crowd turn on Jesus?
Why do you think the essential message Jesus proclaims is “Repent and believe.”? (Matthew 4, Mark 1)
What questions do you still have?
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Reflect: The spirit of the Lord is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me; he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners; to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor... When Jesus quoted these words at the beginning of his public ministry he added, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” (Luke 4: 21) With this proclamation, Jesus not only self-identified as the Messiah, he defined his mission through familiar messianic descriptions. Jesus declared a movement had started through which the poor receive good news; captives are freed; oppressed are liberated; and the “year of the Lord’s favor” is not just wishful dreaming. To fully grasp the importance of the phrase “the year of the Lord’s favor,” we need understanding of the biblical concept it came from as found in Leviticus chapter 25. And you shall hallow the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants; it shall be a jubilee for you. –Leviticus 25:10 The balance of Leviticus 25 outlines aspects of the Year of Jubilee: slaves freed, debts cancelled, land rested, and compassionate help to those in need. The Jubilee Year was a divinely-mandated time of justice, restoration, and opening new possibilities for the future. Sounds wonderful, doesn’t it? In God’s will and economy…it is ALWAYS time for Jubilee through Jesus. Of all of the freedom statements Jesus makes (good new to the oppressed; bind up the brokenhearted; proclaim liberty to the captive; release the prisoners; proclaiming the Lord’s favor), which most speaks to your own life right now?
Why would the crowd turn against Jesus in light of this good news?
Where do you see in your own life turning against Jesus even though he continues to proclaim the Lord’s favor?
Pray: Thank God today for favor in your life. Pray that you have eyes and understanding to see it even more clearly.
Jesus, his family and his disciples attend a local wedding...probably that of a close relative to Mary and Joseph. During the festivities, there is a problem...the wine runs out. This means trouble for the wedding host. Not wanting to see her family embarrassed, Mary, Jesus’ mom, makes a panicked request: “Do something.”
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And so Jesus did. Pray: Lord, there is so much about you that challenges convention. Help me to trust and believe in your power and truth.
DAY NINE: Wedding in Galilee
Read: John 2:1-12 What do you think would’ve happened had Jesus not intervened? For the wedding host:
“When God wants to do something wonderful, He begins with a difficulty, When God wants to do something spectacular, He begins with an impossibility!”
For Mary:
For the disciples:
For Jesus:
Dr. Adlai Naidoo
Do you have a hard time believing in miracles? Do you think miracles still happen?
Have you experienced anything miraculous?
What questions do you still have?
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Reflect: John opens a window for us look behind the scenes of the wedding. If you've ever been to a wedding reception, you probably remember having lots of food to eat and wedding punch to drink. Can you imagine how embarrassed the bride and bridegroom would be if people were standing in line to get punch and were told the punch had run out? The wedding guests would know that the hosts hadn't planned properly, and in a hot climate like Israel, their thirst would certainly aggravate the situation. This is what occurred at this wedding in the village of Cana that Jesus, His mother and disciples attended. It’s interesting that on God’s timetable what many perceived to be the main event, the wedding, was simply the backdrop for Jesus’ miraculous debut. Most of the crowd missed the main action. Out of the corner of our eye we see God providing what is needed via the resources that are available (the 6 stone jars and water). The view through the kitchen window is NOT so much of Jesus turning water into wine as it is of Jesus changing lives. Read verse 11 again: “This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him.” That last line is critical. They had been with Jesus. But now they believe. Think back on your own faith journey with Jesus. Where have you struggled to have faith in Jesus?
What did you, or do you now, need God to do in your life to firmly express your faith in Jesus?
Pray: As you pray today, pray that God would continue to reveal Himself to you in your life and strengthen your faith to follow Jesus.
Jesus is the centerpiece of God’s redemptive plan for humanity. Make no mistake about it. However, God’s plan for humanity includes humanity, not as central players, but as key agents of truth and grace.
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What kind of people was Jesus looking for to carry out God’s redemptive agenda? People just like you and me. Pray: Lord, just as you called others to follow you, help me to have the courage to follow you as well.
DAY TEN: Jesus and the Fishermen “Those who aren't following Jesus aren't his followers. It's that simple. Followers follow, and those who don't follow aren't followers. To follow Jesus means to follow Jesus into a society where justice rules, where love shapes everything. To follow Jesus means to take up his dream and work for it.” ― Scot McKnight, One.Life: Jesus Calls, We Follow
Read: John 1:35-42; Matthew4:18-22; Mark 1:16-20; Luke 5:1-11
What did the fishermen know about Jesus when he called them to follow him?
What do you think it was about Jesus that moved these men to leave their family business behind and follow him?
What doubts would you have about Jesus if you were in the same position? What confidences?
What questions do you still have?
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Reflect: “Follow me.” Two simple words. Two simple responses: “Yes, definitely.” and “No way.” When we look into the life of Jesus here, what we know about his interaction with the disciples is limited. Further more, it seems as though John and the other Gospel writers are at odds with each other. However, there is a matter of timing. John presents the earliest encounters these men had with Jesus. The other Gospel writers have a particular emphasis in the calling of the disciples. John shows a group of young men who are spiritually curious. Perhaps there is an aspiration already to more than fisherman. The highest “fame” an ancient Jew could have was to be a Rabbi or a student of the Rabbi. Maybe these men had heard the rumors of the Messiah coming and longed for a better life free from Roman oppression. The Synoptic writers present the same men sometime later. Having seen and heard Jesus already, there is a new challenge issued. No longer be spiritually curious. Follow me. Leave your past. Find your future. Follow me. Find yourself in God’s redemptive agenda through me. I wonder when we look at Jesus, where we truly fall. Are we spiritually curious? Are we looking for a better life? Or are we looking to join in God’s redemptive agenda through Jesus? What most draws you to Jesus: spiritually curious, a better life, or being a part of something bigger? Why did you choose this?
Do you think Jesus still calls His followers to leave and follow today?
What do you think Jesus is calling you to leave so that you can follow him?
Pray: Spend time thinking about following Jesus. What is he calling you away from? What is he calling you into? Spend time praying about those things today.
MAGNOLIA BAPTIST CHURCH SEEKS TO EMBODY A: Gospel-centered (I Cor. 15:1-4) Family-redeeming (Acts 16:25-34) City-focused (Jeremiah 29:7) Church Community (I Thess. 2:5-8) We value Gospel Proclamation believing that the 66 books of the Old & New Testament are our highest authority of God’s selfdisclosure and as it is faithfully explained, explored and expressed, the Holy Spirit will elicit a response. We value Gospel Community believing that people were created to explore the Gospel together with honest, vulnerable dialogue about difficult things pursuing depth in friendships to facilitate growth. We value Gospel Mission believing that the Gospel compels us to learn from, interact with, and generously give back to our culture in the way we live our lives.
MAGNOLIA BAPTIST CHURCH CONNECTING PEOPLE to JESUS 720 S. Magnolia Ave Anaheim, CA 92804 714.827.0553 ph www.magnoliabaptist.org