[uplifting music]
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[uplifting music]
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>>Eric Flickinger:
Welcome to "Sabbath School,"
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brought to you by It Is Written.
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We're glad that
you are with us today.
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We are taking a look
at the Gospel of John,
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the great
lessons that it contains.
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This is lesson
number 13, our final lesson
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as we have been exploring
this incredible Gospel.
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We're looking
today at the "Epilogue:
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Knowing Jesus and His Word,"
and we're about to dive into it.
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But first, we'll
begin, as we do, with prayer.
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Father, we thank You for
guiding us along this journey,
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for helping us to
understand Jesus better,
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His love for us, and
the plan of salvation.
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We ask now that as we
take this final journey
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in this particular book, that
You will guide and direct us
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into a deeper understanding
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and appreciation
for Your love for us.
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And we thank You in Jesus' name,
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[both] amen.
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Well, we're happy one
final time this quarter
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to have with us the co-author of
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this quarter's "Sabbath School"
lesson, Dr. Tom Shepherd.
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He is the senior research
professor of New Testament
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at the Theological
Seminary, Andrews University.
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Tom, thanks for
being here again.
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>>Thomas
Shepherd: A joy to be here.
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>>Eric: We really
have appreciated you
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dedicating these
13 weeks to helping us
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understand the book of John.
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And we're now in
the very last chapter
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of the book of John, chapter 21.
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In the last chapter,
the previous chapter,
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chapter 20, we saw
Jesus' resurrection,
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which is phenomenal, amazing.
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It's what Christianity
really is all about.
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But then we've
got another chapter.
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So what's the point of this
extra chapter, this epilogue,
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if you will, bonus
chapter, in the book of John?
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Why is it here?
>>Tom: Yeah, it's interesting
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because the chapter 20
ends with--you know, you think,
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oh, this is the
perfect place to end the book:
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"Now Jesus did many other
signs in the presence of" His--
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"of the disciples, which
are not written in this book;
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"but these are written
so that you may believe
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"that Jesus is the
Christ, the Son of God,
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and that by believing you
may have life in His name."
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And you say, "Well, that's
a good ending to the book."
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And then he
doesn't end the book.
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He has another part.
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So let's read verses here,
verses 1 to 3 of chapter 21.
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"After this Jesus revealed
Himself again to the disciples
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"by the Sea of Tiberias, and
He revealed Himself in this way.
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"Simon Peter,
Thomas (called the Twin),
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"Nathanael of Cana in
Galilee, the sons of Zebedee,
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"and two other of His
disciples were together.
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"Simon Peter said to
them, 'I am going fishing.'
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"They said to him,
'We will go with you.'
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"They went out
and got into the boat,
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but that night
they caught nothing."
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Now, all of these people
that are named are people
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who have shown up
earlier in the book.
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You know, Simon
Peter, of course,
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Thomas, the one who
doubted His resurrection,
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the sons of Zebedee, Nathanael,
who was there at the beginning
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of the book, and a
couple other of His disciples.
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So you can't tell for sure
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which one is the
beloved disciple.
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It is John, but you're
like, "Which one is it?"
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And they go out fishing,
but catch nothing, all right.
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So in the morning,
Jesus is on the shore.
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Now, I've been to
the Sea of Galilee
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several times, and I
remember once being--
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there's a place on the northern
side of the Sea of Galilee,
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where there's a
place where you can stay,
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and then there's this dock
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that goes out into the water.
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And I invited students--
we were taking students
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on a tour, and I
invited students.
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I didn't--I had one
or two students come
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because it was
early in the morning.
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I wanted to go out early in
the morning at about the time
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that they would be
coming in to shore.
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And it was just really something
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to be out there on that pier
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about the distance they
would have been to the shore,
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from the shore, when
Jesus called out to them,
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"Lads, have you
caught anything?"
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You know, so it
was a nice experience.
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And He says, "Have
you caught any fish?"
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And they said, "No."
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"'Cast the net'"--verse 6--
"'on the right side of the boat
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"and you will find some.'
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"So they cast it, and
now they were not able
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to haul it in, because
of the quantity of fish."
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So this is
reminiscent, actually,
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of what we see in
the Gospel of Luke,
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chapter 5, where
Jesus, when they have
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He's used Peter's boat,
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and He says, you
know, "Go out into the deep
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and," you know, "let
down your nets for a catch."
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And Peter says, "Master,
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we fished all night"--which
is the right time for fishing.
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The fish can't
see the nets then.
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"We fished all night,
we didn't catch anything,
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but, at Your word,
I'll," you know, "let it down."
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They catch so many fish
it fills, like, both boats,
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his and James and John's boat.
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So now when this happens
at the end of this experience,
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verse 7, "That
disciple whom Jesus loved
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"therefore said to
Peter, 'It is the Lord!'
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"When Simon Peter
heard that it was the Lord,
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"he put on his outer garment,
for he was stripped for work,
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"and threw himself into the sea.
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"The other
disciples came in the boat,
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"dragging the net full of fish,
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"for they were
not far from the land,
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...about a hundred yards off."
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So they get out, you
know, there's a charcoal fire,
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there's 153 fish,
a big catch of fish,
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big ones, too, yet
the nets weren't broken.
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So it's like a
miraculous catch of fish.
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Now we come to this section
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where Jesus questions
Peter about his discipleship.
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So we want to read John
21, verses 15 through 19.
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>>Eric: "So when
they had eaten breakfast,
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"Jesus said to Simon
Peter, 'Simon, son of Jonah,
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"do you love me
more than these?'
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"He said to Him, 'Yes,
Lord; You know that I love You.'
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"He said to
him, 'Feed my lambs.'
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"He said to him
again a second time,
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"'Simon, son of
Jonah, do you love me?'
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"He said to Him, 'Yes,
Lord; You know that I love You.'
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"He said to
him, 'Tend my sheep.'
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"He said to him a third time,
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"'Simon, son of
Jonah, do you love me?'
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"Peter was grieved because
He said to him the third time,
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"'Do you love me?'
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"And he said to Him,
'Lord, You know all things;
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"You know that I love You.'
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"Jesus said to
him, 'Feed my sheep.
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"'Most assuredly, I say to
you, when you were younger,
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"'you girded yourself
and walked where you wished;
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"'but when you are old, you
will stretch out your hands,
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"'and another will
gird you and carry you
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"where you do not wish.'
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"This He spoke, signifying by
what death he would glorify God.
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And when He had spoken this,
He said to him, 'Follow me.'"
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>>Tom: Hmm! It's a
very interesting story.
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So this story begins
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with Jesus asking
a question of Peter:
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"Simon, son of John, do
you love me more than these?"
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Now, we'll first mention
what the "these" refers to.
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It's probably
the other disciples.
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"Do you love me more
than the other disciples?"
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He answered Him, "Yes,
Lord, You know that I love You."
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Now, he doesn't say, "I
love You more than the others,"
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but he says, "You
know that I love You."
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Now, if you look at Greek in
this, it's really interesting.
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There's two different verbs
for "love" that are used here.
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The verb that Jesus
uses is "agapao," which is--
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everybody knows the word
"agape" is God's kind of love;
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it's that high love that's
typical of the love of God.
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Peter answers, "Yes,
Lord, You know that I love You."
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He uses a different word.
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He uses "phileo," which
is a friendship kind of love.
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We get the word "Philadelphia,"
"the city of brotherly love"--
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we get that word from this word.
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So people wonder,
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well, why does Peter use
a different word than Jesus?
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Now, some scholars
will suggest that there's,
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you know, it's just
there's no big difference here,
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and there's some
evidence to point that way.
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But I actually think there
is a difference going on here.
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So it really
shows up when you notice
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how Jesus asks the question.
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So first He asks, and the
first question is in verse 15:
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"Simon, son of John, do
you love me more than these?"
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So He's making a comparison
between Peter's love for Him
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and the other
disciples' love for Him.
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And does he have more love
for Jesus than those others?
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He says, "Lord, You
know that I love You."
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So He says, "Feed my lambs."
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Then He says, "Simon,
son of John, do you love me?"
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He's dropped the "more than
these," still using "agapao."
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Peter responds
almost exactly the same:
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"Yes, Lord, You
know that I love You."
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It's the same words.
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And he again is
using "phileo," all right?
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Now, then He
says, "Tend my sheep."
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Then He says to him
the third time in verse 17,
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"Simon, son of
John, do you love me?"
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And now He uses
"phileo"-- Jesus does.
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And it says,
"Peter was grieved because
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"He said to him the
third time, 'Do you love me?'
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"And he said to Him,
'Lord, you know everything.
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You know that I love you.'"
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Still using "phileo."
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Jesus said, "Feed my sheep."
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[laughs] People say, like, "What
in the world is going on here?"
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Well, Peter had
denied Jesus three times,
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and he's asked three
times if he loves Jesus.
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Now, before he denied Jesus,
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he probably would have answered
this question differently.
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"Do you love me
more than these?"
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"Yes, though all else"--he
says this elsewhere, you know--
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"though all else
forsake You, I will not.
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I'm ready to die
with You." [laughs]
00:10:03.37\00:10:05.43
He didn't know himself very well
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because he falls
flat on his face.
00:10:07.47\00:10:09.47
Notice that when
he responds, he says,
00:10:09.50\00:10:13.31
"You know that I love You."
00:10:13.34\00:10:16.31
His point of
reference has shifted to Jesus,
00:10:16.34\00:10:19.18
not referring to
himself, but now to Jesus.
00:10:19.21\00:10:22.35
And Jesus says, "Feed my lambs."
00:10:22.38\00:10:24.12
It sounds like, you
know, "Feed my lambs"?
00:10:24.15\00:10:26.96
Lambs would be like the children
in Sabbath school, okay?
00:10:26.99\00:10:31.83
So He's actually restoring
Peter to ministry here.
00:10:31.86\00:10:34.56
And He does it in steps.
00:10:34.60\00:10:36.33
The first step
seems to be, like,
00:10:36.36\00:10:37.93
"Okay, you can teach the
children's Sabbath school.
00:10:37.97\00:10:39.73
"Maybe you can tell
the children's story.
00:10:39.77\00:10:41.54
"We're not making
you the pastor yet,
00:10:41.57\00:10:43.27
but you can feed the lambs."
00:10:43.30\00:10:45.07
This would really refer
to the new believers, okay?
00:10:45.11\00:10:49.14
You can feed the lambs.
00:10:49.18\00:10:50.98
So He says to him a second time,
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"Simon, son of
John, do you love me?"
00:10:52.58\00:10:54.22
Still using "agapao." Peter
replies again with "phileo."
00:10:54.25\00:10:57.92
And now He
says, "Tend my sheep."
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Okay, now we're going to
send you out in the--you know,
00:10:59.52\00:11:02.16
maybe you can go do some
evangelistic meeting someplace,
00:11:02.19\00:11:04.66
you know, and do
something like that.
00:11:04.69\00:11:07.30
Third time, He uses the word
"phileo," and Peter is grieved,
00:11:07.30\00:11:11.57
but he still uses
"phileo" in response.
00:11:11.60\00:11:13.64
He says, "Lord,
You know everything.
00:11:13.67\00:11:15.10
You know that I love You."
00:11:15.14\00:11:16.84
"Feed my sheep."
00:11:16.87\00:11:18.17
Now it sounds like full
restoration to ministry.
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Somebody says, "I don't get it.
00:11:21.38\00:11:23.18
"Why doesn't Peter, you know,
why doesn't Peter respond with,
00:11:23.21\00:11:28.32
"you know, some
kind of better response?
00:11:28.35\00:11:30.92
Why doesn't he use 'agapao'?"
00:11:30.95\00:11:32.72
And the answer
to that question is
00:11:32.75\00:11:34.49
because he dared
not use that word.
00:11:34.52\00:11:39.23
Because he had
fallen flat on his face.
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And what he knew was now he
wasn't better than anybody else,
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and he was humble.
00:11:47.27\00:11:49.20
You see, it's
like the prodigal son,
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the story of the prodigal
son, when he comes home,
00:11:52.01\00:11:54.31
he doesn't say, "I'm home,
let's have a party," you know?
00:11:54.34\00:11:56.91
He says, "Make me
like one of your servants."
00:11:56.95\00:11:59.08
He doesn't dare ask
for something better 'cause
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he figures that's the best he
could ask for, and he's humble.
00:12:01.92\00:12:05.22
Peter is humble in the same
way. And this is a great lesson.
00:12:05.25\00:12:08.59
One of the
greatest-- one of the greatest
00:12:08.62\00:12:12.93
kind of
qualifications for ministry
00:12:12.96\00:12:17.90
is humility. And Peter got it.
00:12:17.93\00:12:20.94
[chuckling] He got
it, he understood it,
00:12:20.97\00:12:23.81
and he became humble.
00:12:23.84\00:12:25.91
>>Eric: It took
him a little while.
00:12:25.94\00:12:28.14
It was a lesson hard learned,
but he finally did learn it,
00:12:28.18\00:12:32.08
and one that, by the
grace of God, we will learn
00:12:32.11\00:12:34.75
without perhaps having to
fall quite so far as Peter did.
00:12:34.78\00:12:37.55
>>Tom: Hopefully so.
00:12:37.59\00:12:39.22
>>Eric: If someone wants to
dig more into this final portion
00:12:39.25\00:12:42.89
of the book of John,
there's a companion book
00:12:42.92\00:12:45.39
that they can pick up. Share
with us a little bit about that.
00:12:45.43\00:12:47.73
>>Tom: The companion book
is published by Pacific Press.
00:12:47.76\00:12:49.93
It gives you more information,
more detail than the lesson,
00:12:49.96\00:12:52.90
gives you more detail
than the teacher's lesson,
00:12:52.93\00:12:54.94
valuable for class
members, valuable for teachers,
00:12:54.97\00:12:57.81
valuable for pastors.
00:12:57.84\00:12:59.14
Get the companion book,
00:12:59.17\00:13:00.64
and Eric will tell
you how you can get it.
00:13:00.68\00:13:03.24
>>Eric: You can pick
it up at itiswritten.shop.
00:13:03.28\00:13:05.98
Again, itiswritten.shop.
00:13:06.01\00:13:08.25
Just look for the companion book
00:13:08.28\00:13:09.68
to this quarter's
"Sabbath School" lesson.
00:13:09.72\00:13:11.19
You will be glad
that you have it.
00:13:11.22\00:13:13.86
We're going to be
back in just a moment with
00:13:13.96\00:13:15.39
the very last half of the
last lesson of the book of John.
00:13:15.42\00:13:21.10
We'll be back in just a moment.
00:13:21.13\00:13:22.60
[uplifting music]
00:13:22.63\00:13:24.63
>>John Bradshaw: We're
drawn to the Christmas story
00:13:26.57\00:13:28.57
for numerous reasons.
00:13:28.60\00:13:30.11
The story of a baby
being born in a stable
00:13:30.14\00:13:32.91
and then placed in a
feeding trough to sleep,
00:13:32.94\00:13:35.68
there's something almost
exciting about the whole idea.
00:13:35.71\00:13:39.05
[Scott Michael
Bennett] ¤ Mary, did you know ¤
00:13:39.08\00:13:42.25
¤ That your baby boy ¤
00:13:42.28\00:13:45.39
¤ Would one day
walk on water? ¤¤
00:13:45.42\00:13:49.99
>>John: But we're really
drawn to the Christmas story
00:13:50.03\00:13:52.59
by the wonder of it all.
00:13:52.63\00:13:54.73
[Claudia Ramirez-Treiyer]
¤ O night divine, ¤
00:13:54.76\00:14:02.40
¤ O night... ¤¤
00:14:02.44\00:14:06.04
>>John: God has
given us so much.
00:14:06.07\00:14:08.31
I hope that you'll give
Him the best possible gift
00:14:08.34\00:14:12.58
and allow Him to
unwrap your heart.
00:14:12.61\00:14:16.55
[Emmanuel Quartet] ¤
Hark! The herald angels sing, ¤
00:14:16.58\00:14:21.09
¤ Glory to the newborn King. ¤¤
00:14:21.12\00:14:25.43
[uplifting music]
00:14:27.30\00:14:31.27
>>Eric: Welcome
back to "Sabbath School,"
00:14:31.30\00:14:33.03
brought to you by It Is Written.
00:14:33.07\00:14:34.87
We are taking a look at the very
tail end of the book of John,
00:14:34.90\00:14:38.57
the Gospel of John, and
learning some valuable lessons.
00:14:38.61\00:14:41.91
Tom, this last chapter, this
epilogue, there's a lot here.
00:14:41.94\00:14:46.58
What else do we want to
make sure we don't miss?
00:14:46.61\00:14:48.52
>>Tom: Okay, so
we've already seen
00:14:48.55\00:14:50.65
how Peter is
restored to ministry.
00:14:50.69\00:14:53.62
He is humble, and Jesus
completely restores him.
00:14:53.66\00:14:57.16
Actually, this is one
of the evidences that Jesus
00:14:57.19\00:15:00.80
rose from the dead, is that
Peter was one of the leaders
00:15:00.83\00:15:03.93
of the early Christian church,
because if it wasn't Jesus
00:15:03.97\00:15:07.24
who restored him in
front of the other disciples,
00:15:07.27\00:15:10.04
he probably wouldn't
have been an early leader.
00:15:10.07\00:15:12.37
They would have said, "Nah,
nah, nah, go back to fishing.
00:15:12.41\00:15:14.88
Do something else." [laughs]
00:15:14.91\00:15:15.94
"You've messed up too bad."
00:15:15.98\00:15:17.95
But Jesus
restores him to ministry.
00:15:17.98\00:15:20.12
And at the end of this,
Jesus says to him, "Follow me."
00:15:20.15\00:15:23.45
Now, that's the
call of discipleship.
00:15:23.49\00:15:26.45
Again, at the end of the
Gospel, He said, "Follow me."
00:15:26.49\00:15:28.79
But He's not just
saying, "Follow me,"
00:15:28.82\00:15:31.36
but, "Walk with
me down the beach.
00:15:31.39\00:15:33.29
I have something
more to tell you."
00:15:33.33\00:15:35.73
So we read now the very
last verses of the book,
00:15:35.76\00:15:41.07
which are interesting,
starting in verse 20:
00:15:41.10\00:15:43.30
"Peter turned and saw
the disciple whom Jesus loved
00:15:43.34\00:15:46.34
"following them, the
one who also had leaned back
00:15:46.37\00:15:50.01
"against Him during
the supper and had said,
00:15:50.05\00:15:52.71
'Lord, who is it that
is going to betray You?'"
00:15:52.75\00:15:54.82
Of course,
that's the apostle John.
00:15:54.85\00:15:56.65
"When Peter saw
him, he said to Jesus,
00:15:56.69\00:15:59.72
"'Lord, what about this
man?' Jesus said to him"--
00:15:59.75\00:16:04.73
now, remember,
Peter had just been told
00:16:04.76\00:16:06.29
what was going
to happen, you know,
00:16:06.33\00:16:07.73
"you'll stretch out your
hands"--he was crucified.
00:16:07.76\00:16:11.13
But he said,
"'What about this man?'
00:16:11.17\00:16:13.13
"Jesus said to
him, 'If it is my will
00:16:13.17\00:16:15.90
"'that he remain until I
come, what is that to you?
00:16:15.94\00:16:18.97
"You follow me!'
00:16:19.01\00:16:21.68
"So the saying spread
abroad among the brothers
00:16:21.71\00:16:24.95
"that this
disciple was not to die;
00:16:24.98\00:16:28.85
"yet Jesus did not say to
him that he was not to die,
00:16:28.88\00:16:32.65
"but, 'If it is my will
that he remain until I come,
00:16:32.69\00:16:36.16
"what is that to you?'
00:16:36.19\00:16:37.89
"This is the disciple
who is bearing witness
00:16:37.93\00:16:40.56
"about these things, and
who has written these things,
00:16:40.60\00:16:43.13
"and we know that
his testimony is true.
00:16:43.16\00:16:46.60
"Now there are also many
other things that Jesus did.
00:16:46.63\00:16:49.80
"Were every one of
them to be written,
00:16:49.84\00:16:51.74
"I suppose that the world itself
could not contain the books
00:16:51.77\00:16:55.18
that would be written."
00:16:55.21\00:16:56.95
I like the ending.
00:16:56.98\00:16:59.18
It's so, you know, this
kind of hyperbole, you know,
00:16:59.21\00:17:01.65
"and the whole world
couldn't hold the books."
00:17:01.68\00:17:04.02
It's just sort of a
beautiful expression.
00:17:04.05\00:17:06.59
You know, there's so
much more to know about Jesus.
00:17:06.62\00:17:09.29
But the reason for this epilogue
in this last chapter is twofold.
00:17:09.32\00:17:15.93
One is to restore
Peter to ministry,
00:17:15.96\00:17:20.94
and it's very clearly expressed.
00:17:20.97\00:17:22.90
And Jesus foretells
what's going to happen to him,
00:17:22.94\00:17:26.01
that he'll stretch out his
hands, another will dress him
00:17:26.04\00:17:28.78
and carry him "where
you do not want to go."
00:17:28.81\00:17:30.81
The tradition of the
church is that when Peter
00:17:30.85\00:17:33.38
was to be killed in Rome,
they were going to crucify him.
00:17:33.42\00:17:37.35
And he requested that he be
crucified upside down, because
00:17:37.39\00:17:41.52
he didn't feel he deserved
the honor of being crucified
00:17:41.56\00:17:44.43
in the same way as
Jesus-- again, that humility.
00:17:44.46\00:17:47.86
Peter never forgot this.
00:17:47.86\00:17:50.40
If you turn over to 1 Peter,
written by the apostle Peter,
00:17:50.43\00:17:54.10
1 Peter, chapter 5, 1 Peter 5,
00:17:54.14\00:17:58.84
and the first
verses of 1 Peter 5,
00:17:58.87\00:18:02.88
we read the following
words: "So I exhort the elders
00:18:03.88\00:18:07.25
among you, as a fellow elder"--
00:18:07.28\00:18:08.98
notice he doesn't
say, "as an apostle"-
00:18:09.02\00:18:11.25
"as a fellow elder and a witness
of the sufferings of Christ,
00:18:11.29\00:18:14.52
"as well as a
partaker in the glory
00:18:14.56\00:18:16.56
that is going to be revealed:
shepherd the flock of God"--
00:18:16.59\00:18:19.63
remember Jesus
said, "Feed my sheep"--
00:18:19.66\00:18:21.93
"shepherd the flock
of God that is among you,
00:18:21.96\00:18:24.13
"exercising
oversight, not under compulsion,
00:18:24.17\00:18:27.37
"but willingly, as
God would have you;
00:18:27.40\00:18:29.44
"not for shameful
gain, but eagerly;
00:18:29.47\00:18:31.87
"not domineering
over those in your charge,
00:18:31.91\00:18:34.58
"but being
examples to the flock.
00:18:34.61\00:18:37.05
And when the Chief
Shepherd"-- the Good Shepherd--
00:18:37.08\00:18:39.51
"appears, you will receive
the unfading crown of glory."
00:18:39.55\00:18:44.12
What a beautiful
expression of ministry.
00:18:44.15\00:18:48.12
You're supposed to be in
ministry not for the push
00:18:48.16\00:18:51.56
of men, "not under compulsion,"
but because of the pull of God
00:18:51.59\00:18:54.86
that He's pulled on your heart.
00:18:54.93\00:18:56.83
"Not for shameful
gain"-- not for the money--
00:18:56.87\00:19:00.04
"but eagerly"--for the mission.
00:19:00.07\00:19:02.10
Not domineering, not to
be a master over people,
00:19:02.14\00:19:05.94
but be an example to the flock,
to be a mentor, not a master,
00:19:05.97\00:19:09.91
but a mentor. He
got it, you know.
00:19:09.94\00:19:12.41
He understood what
Jesus was teaching him,
00:19:12.45\00:19:15.08
and it shows up in his writing.
00:19:15.12\00:19:16.82
And then this thing about
John, the beloved disciple.
00:19:16.85\00:19:19.99
Now, he wrote this book
probably at the end of--
00:19:20.02\00:19:24.89
at the end of his
life, probably around 80, 90.
00:19:24.93\00:19:28.90
He's an old man.
00:19:28.93\00:19:30.53
And people, you
know, had been saying,
00:19:30.57\00:19:33.17
oh, this is the one who's going
to live until Jesus comes back.
00:19:33.20\00:19:37.01
And he wants them to know, "No,
no, that's not what Jesus said.
00:19:37.04\00:19:40.51
"Jesus said, 'If it is my will
that he remain until I come,
00:19:40.54\00:19:43.68
what is that to you?'"
00:19:43.71\00:19:45.35
So who's the real Master here?
00:19:45.38\00:19:46.72
Well, it's Jesus.
And what did He say?
00:19:46.75\00:19:49.28
He said, "If I want him to stay
alive until I come, so be it."
00:19:49.32\00:19:53.72
Well, we know that wasn't
the case, but John wanted to
00:19:53.76\00:19:56.39
prepare people so they wouldn't
say, "Oh, Jesus was wrong.
00:19:56.42\00:20:00.06
"Oh, this is, you
know, this is not--
00:20:00.10\00:20:02.90
we can't trust
the gospel message."
00:20:02.93\00:20:05.07
No, that's not the case.
00:20:05.10\00:20:07.27
You can trust the
gospel message, okay?
00:20:07.30\00:20:10.11
>>Eric: So, encouraging
notes to leave at the very end
00:20:10.14\00:20:13.24
of the book of John.
00:20:13.27\00:20:14.81
There are a couple of
things that we want to make sure
00:20:14.84\00:20:17.81
come through
very clearly, though.
00:20:17.85\00:20:19.48
Let's go over to
John, chapter 12.
00:20:19.51\00:20:22.48
John 12, and I'd
like to take a look
00:20:22.52\00:20:26.15
at verses 31 and 32.
00:20:26.19\00:20:30.79
In John 12:31-32, it says,
00:20:30.83\00:20:35.30
"Now is the
judgment of this world;
00:20:36.30\00:20:39.03
"now the ruler of this
world will be cast out.
00:20:39.07\00:20:41.74
"And I, if I am
lifted up from the earth,
00:20:41.77\00:20:44.47
will draw all peoples to [me]."
00:20:44.51\00:20:47.91
So what's the key here to
the focus of the Gospel of John?
00:20:47.94\00:20:54.12
What's the Gospel
of John all about?
00:20:54.15\00:20:56.89
>>Tom: Okay, so we
noticed at the beginning--
00:20:56.92\00:20:59.79
we talked about this--
00:20:59.82\00:21:00.96
that the book of John
divides into two halves.
00:21:00.99\00:21:03.96
John 1 through 12 is
called "the book of signs,"
00:21:03.99\00:21:07.50
and we've seen we have
these signs of miracles
00:21:07.50\00:21:10.93
that Jesus do that
point to the power of God,
00:21:10.97\00:21:13.27
point to His glory,
and point to who Jesus is.
00:21:13.30\00:21:16.34
Then we have the
second half of the book
00:21:16.37\00:21:18.47
is called "the book of
glory" by scholars, and that's
00:21:18.51\00:21:22.28
because it focuses on His
hour and the hour of His glory.
00:21:22.31\00:21:26.85
And the hour of His glory,
surprisingly, is the cross.
00:21:26.88\00:21:30.09
Now, in the ancient world,
the cross was not glorious.
00:21:30.12\00:21:34.52
It was
ignominious. It was terrible.
00:21:34.56\00:21:37.33
And people didn't
like the idea of the cross.
00:21:37.36\00:21:39.69
So the Christians have
taken the idea of the cross,
00:21:39.73\00:21:42.33
and they've
turned it on its head.
00:21:42.36\00:21:44.27
They've made it
something glorious.
00:21:44.30\00:21:46.94
And John, as he describes this,
Jesus is enthroned as the King.
00:21:46.97\00:21:50.81
And Jesus Himself here says,
00:21:50.84\00:21:54.51
"Now is the
judgment of this world.
00:21:54.54\00:21:56.18
Now will the ruler of
this world be cast out."
00:21:56.21\00:21:59.65
It is at the cross that
Satan is defeated in the eyes
00:21:59.68\00:22:04.79
of all the heavenly universe.
00:22:04.82\00:22:06.65
Now, for people in this
world, they haven't quite
00:22:06.69\00:22:08.96
all caught it yet, but in the
eyes of the heavenly universe,
00:22:08.99\00:22:12.99
Satan is unmasked; he is
cast out; he is cast down.
00:22:13.03\00:22:17.77
The New Testament makes a
big deal of the resurrection
00:22:17.80\00:22:22.00
of Jesus and His ascension
to the right hand of God.
00:22:22.04\00:22:24.71
All His enemies
are under His feet,
00:22:24.74\00:22:26.81
the spiritual forces
are underneath Jesus now,
00:22:26.84\00:22:29.51
He is in charge, He is the King,
00:22:29.54\00:22:31.58
and so it's a really big issue.
00:22:31.61\00:22:34.05
He says, "Now he is cast
out, and I, when I am lifted up
00:22:34.08\00:22:37.59
from the earth, will
draw all people to myself."
00:22:37.62\00:22:40.29
We're reminded of John 3, where
He says, "As Moses lifted up
00:22:40.32\00:22:45.29
"the serpent..., so must
the Son of Man be lifted up,
00:22:45.33\00:22:48.46
that [all who believe] in Him...
[might] have eternal life."
00:22:48.50\00:22:51.07
That's the big point
of the Gospel of John.
00:22:51.10\00:22:53.67
It's the glory of the cross
and how it brings us salvation.
00:22:53.70\00:22:58.71
>>Eric: So that
glory of the cross,
00:22:58.74\00:23:00.58
we've talked about
glory; we've spent some time
00:23:00.61\00:23:02.74
talking about light,
the importance of light.
00:23:02.78\00:23:06.48
If we, living today,
want to remain in that light,
00:23:06.51\00:23:10.65
to walk in the
light, how do we do that?
00:23:10.69\00:23:13.56
>>Tom: All right, we just
go back to John, chapter 1,
00:23:13.59\00:23:16.36
and we'll take a
look and see words there,
00:23:16.39\00:23:21.76
and then we'll
also go to John 15.
00:23:21.80\00:23:23.47
So John, chapter
1 in verses 4 to 10:
00:23:23.50\00:23:26.87
"In Him was life, and the
life was the light of men.
00:23:26.90\00:23:30.81
"The light
shines in the darkness,
00:23:30.84\00:23:33.14
"and the darkness
[hath] not overcome it.
00:23:33.17\00:23:36.11
"There was a man sent
from God, whose name was John.
00:23:36.14\00:23:38.45
"He came as a witness, to
bear witness about the Light,
00:23:38.48\00:23:41.48
"that all might
believe through him.
00:23:41.52\00:23:42.95
"He was not the Light, but came
to bear witness about the Light.
00:23:42.98\00:23:47.12
"The true Light, which
gives light to everyone,
00:23:47.16\00:23:51.13
"was coming into the world.
00:23:51.16\00:23:52.26
"He was in the world,
and the world was made
00:23:52.29\00:23:54.73
through Him, yet the
world did not know Him."
00:23:54.76\00:23:57.23
Continuing on in verse
11: "He came to His own,
00:23:57.27\00:23:59.83
"and His own people
did not receive Him.
00:23:59.87\00:24:02.34
"But to all who did receive
Him, who believed in His name,
00:24:02.37\00:24:06.11
"He gave the right to become
children of God, who were born,
00:24:06.14\00:24:09.18
"not of blood nor of
the will of the flesh
00:24:09.21\00:24:11.51
nor...the will
of man, but of God."
00:24:11.55\00:24:13.28
So coming to the
light, accepting the light
00:24:13.31\00:24:16.02
is how you find eternal life.
00:24:16.05\00:24:18.82
And now turn to John 15:1-5
00:24:18.85\00:24:22.56
because we want to end
these lessons with a good focus
00:24:22.59\00:24:26.43
on what it is that we as
Christians need to remember
00:24:26.46\00:24:31.03
in order to stay healthy,
to stay a healthy Christian.
00:24:31.07\00:24:34.80
So please read
for us John 15:1-5.
00:24:34.84\00:24:37.37
>>Eric: "I am the true vine, and
my Father is the vinedresser.
00:24:37.41\00:24:41.11
"Every branch in me that does
not bear fruit He takes away;
00:24:41.14\00:24:44.21
"and every branch
that bears fruit He prunes,
00:24:44.25\00:24:46.98
"that it may bear more fruit.
00:24:47.02\00:24:48.85
"You are
already clean because of
00:24:48.88\00:24:51.09
"the word which I
have spoken to you.
00:24:51.12\00:24:53.29
"Abide in me, and I in you.
00:24:53.32\00:24:55.69
"As the branch
cannot bear fruit of itself,
00:24:55.72\00:24:58.46
"unless it abides in the vine,
00:24:58.49\00:25:00.33
"neither can you,
unless you abide in me.
00:25:00.36\00:25:03.20
"I am the vine,
you are the branches.
00:25:03.23\00:25:05.77
"He who abides in me, and
I in him, bears much fruit;
00:25:05.80\00:25:10.24
for without me
you can do nothing."
00:25:10.27\00:25:12.97
>>Tom: Okay, so
Jesus is using here
00:25:13.01\00:25:15.34
a vineyard illustration.
00:25:15.38\00:25:17.91
He says, "I am the true vine,
00:25:17.95\00:25:20.75
and my Father is
the vinedresser," okay?
00:25:20.78\00:25:24.85
So the Father in heaven, we're
seeing more about Him here.
00:25:24.89\00:25:29.86
And He says, "Every
branch that does not bear fruit,
00:25:29.89\00:25:32.79
He takes it away." So I'm not--
00:25:32.83\00:25:35.30
I'll have to say I'm
not much of a farmer,
00:25:35.33\00:25:36.80
I'm not much of a gardener,
I kind of have a black thumb,
00:25:36.83\00:25:39.60
one thing I do know how
to grow is blackberries,
00:25:39.63\00:25:42.70
and that's because blackberries
grow very easily on their own.
00:25:42.74\00:25:45.64
Now, the one thing that
you have to do for blackberries
00:25:45.67\00:25:49.04
to grow okay is you
have to prune them back,
00:25:49.08\00:25:51.51
take away the canes that
have already borne fruit.
00:25:51.55\00:25:55.12
Blackberries are such that
a cane will bear fruit once,
00:25:55.15\00:26:02.79
and then it dies. So you've got
to cut it away and clear it out,
00:26:02.82\00:26:05.83
otherwise it
becomes a big bramble,
00:26:05.86\00:26:09.06
and then, of course,
you've got to pick the berries
00:26:09.10\00:26:10.97
and make the blackberry
jam that I make at home.
00:26:11.00\00:26:15.20
But Jesus says with grapevines,
00:26:15.24\00:26:19.94
this is the same kind of thing,
that you have to prune them.
00:26:19.97\00:26:22.44
Because if you don't,
they just become a bramble,
00:26:22.48\00:26:24.78
and you don't get
much fruit, right?
00:26:24.81\00:26:26.68
You want fruit, so you've got
to know how to cut them back.
00:26:26.72\00:26:28.68
I live in Michigan.
00:26:28.72\00:26:30.05
It's a big fruit area.
00:26:30.09\00:26:31.72
And the farmers are
always out there early in spring
00:26:31.75\00:26:34.09
cutting back, you
know, cutting things off,
00:26:34.12\00:26:36.26
so that the fruit trees
will bear really nice fruit,
00:26:36.29\00:26:39.66
and that's what you
find in the grocery stores.
00:26:39.69\00:26:42.20
So Jesus is illustrating
Christian life here,
00:26:42.23\00:26:45.37
and He shows that you have
to stay connected with Him,
00:26:45.40\00:26:48.77
and if you do, you'll
bear wonderful fruit for God.
00:26:48.80\00:26:52.14
>>Eric: So the key
here, remembering that the key
00:26:53.14\00:26:57.45
to the focus of the
book of John is the gospel.
00:26:57.48\00:27:01.52
How do we remain with Christ?
00:27:01.55\00:27:03.08
Well, we stay with Him.
00:27:03.12\00:27:04.55
How do we bear
fruit? We stay with Him.
00:27:04.59\00:27:06.92
And He guides us into all truth.
00:27:06.96\00:27:10.43
We are grateful
that you have chosen
00:27:10.46\00:27:12.26
to join us on this journey.
00:27:12.29\00:27:13.60
We trust and pray that it
has been a blessing to you.
00:27:13.63\00:27:17.43
Don't stop studying your Bible.
00:27:17.47\00:27:19.27
Don't stop
studying the book of John.
00:27:19.30\00:27:21.94
Don't stop
learning more about Jesus.
00:27:21.97\00:27:24.77
He has much to share with
you and encouragement to give.
00:27:24.81\00:27:28.71
Tom, thank you for
joining us for these 13 weeks.
00:27:28.74\00:27:31.15
It's been a privilege.
00:27:31.18\00:27:32.55
And thank you for
joining us as well.
00:27:32.58\00:27:35.12
We will continue our
study of the Bible next week
00:27:35.15\00:27:38.79
with a brand-new
season of "Sabbath School,"
00:27:38.82\00:27:41.12
brought to you by It Is Written.
00:27:41.16\00:27:43.02
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