John 15:26–16:15 (NIV) 26 “When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit

Summary John's favorite term for the Christians he writes to - not just 2,000 years ago, but now - is Certainly John isn't referring to our age here, but as one Bible dictionary puts it, he means "a person That day will come (John tells us about that in another book he wrote called Revelation). Yet you can know that this is true, and John tells you how in v5-6. He is, as John describes in v1, the Righteous One.

Mark begins with a prophecy of Isaiah, and then writes about John the Baptist. John’s introduction is a theological statement about who Jesus is. John’s prologue (John 1:1-18), builds on the very first statement of Jesus being the Word, speaking of He has always existed, that is why John says, “In the beginning was the Word.” But as we read John 1:3, we know that cannot be true.

John 4:39-42 (NIV) CONTEXT: Jesus has just finished His famous encounter with the Samaritan woman at John doesn't convey what it was that Jesus taught them for those couple of days, but we can tell from Because of Jesus' words , John tells us, many more became believers.

Summary John 16 comes in the middle of one of the most intense conversations in history, as Jesus spoke These chapters in John's gospel form the basis for much of our theology and understanding of God's Tri-une

Want a life filled with good fruit? Then abide in Christ! Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 91 Q. What do we do that is good? A. Only that which arises out of true faith, conforms to God’s law, and is done for his glory; and not that which is based on what we think is right or on established human tradition. Summary Jesus’s disciples would have been familiar with the hillside vineyards all around Judea. They would have also been familiar with the Old Testament metaphor of Israel as God’s vineyard (Psalm 80:8–16; Isaiah 5:1–7; Jer. 2:21). So Jesus claiming that He was the true vine was another way that He was saying He was the faithful Israel. Israel had been judged for not bearing the fruit and instead rebelled against God in idolatry, leading to exile from the promised land. Now Jesus is showing Himself as the genuine source of abundant life and everything good and pleasing to God. This viticultural reference is something we can still understand today. A healthy vine produces excellent and healthy fruit. The vinedresser prunes where it isn’t fruitful so that it can make the choicest clusters of grapes. If you visit a vineyard today, they will still describe the years of work and care that goes into the success of growing the desired fruit. Here Jesus describes the success of good works as just like the fruit of the vine; the requirement is to be united to Him. A Christian’s union with Christ includes producing what Christ provides: the Father’s love and obeying His commandments. The passage provides the three characteristics of good works which Q&A 91 provides: true faith that abides in Christ, glorifying God by bearing much fruit, and keeping His commandments. Dig Deeper There are various methods for picking out the best fruit in the produce aisle at the grocery store. For some, fruit is merely looking at the outside appearance, but melons are particularly tricky since they have a thick rind and skin. Some of you know how to look for the round shape, a proper creamy spot on the skin, and the right pitch to listen for when you knock on the outside of a good and juicy watermelon. Like watermelon at the store, Jesus describes how the good fruit of His kingdom has evidence of goodness on both the outside and inside. God’s Word nourishes you, which then motivates you by God’s love and delight to follow God’s commands. The beautiful fruit that you bear brings glory to the vintner. And God is pleased to mark it as His own, as if you’d see a cluster of grapes labeled “From the Kingdom of God.” Faith receives all it needs from Christ in salvation, and the Spirit produces all the blessings of salvation in the life of the Christian. Being connected to the true vine will inevitably lead to producing good works. “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him” (Heb. 11:6). AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Heavenly Father who is the source of every good and perfect gift; ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that you will abide in God’s love, words, and commands; ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - 1 Corinthians 13

that I never give false testimony against anyone, twist no one’s words, not gossip or slander, nor join opportunities come; ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - John

The way you worship matters, says Jesus. Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 80 Q. How does the Lord’s Supper differ from the Roman Catholic Mass? A. The Lord’s Supper declares to us that our sins have been completely forgiven through the one sacrifice of Jesus Christ which he himself finished on the cross once for all. It also declares to us that the Holy Spirit grafts us into Christ, who with his very body is now in heaven at the right hand of the Father where he wants us to worship him. But the Mass teaches that the living and the dead do not have their sins forgiven through the suffering of Christ unless Christ is still offered for them daily by the priests. It also teaches that Christ is bodily present in the form of bread and wine where Christ is therefore to be worshiped. Thus the Mass is basically nothing but a denial of the one sacrifice and suffering of Jesus Christ and a condemnable idolatry. Summary One of the most painful consequences of sin is that the one thing that ought to unite all people - worshipping the God who made us - is arguably the thing that creates the most division and angst. Not only do massive divisions exist between the three great monotheistic religions (Judaism, Islam & Christianity), but the Christian Church itself is rent asunder with all sorts of different ideas and practices on how God ought to be worshipped. Division occurs when different expressions in how people worship begin to affect what they worship. The resulting battles shatter communities and even families, causing pain and bitterness that last generations. Our society's current live and let live attitude wants Jesus to come down and declare that all forms of worship, as long as its sincere and heartfelt, are acceptable to God and therefore all criticisms of divergent worship practices ought to cease. That's exactly what the woman at the well was hoping to hear Jesus say. But Jesus doesn't take her bait. One of the Bible's primary themes is that there are right ways and wrong ways to worship. Jesus doesn't pull His punches, telling the Samaritan woman that her countrymen have been worshipping incorrectly and even ignorantly. Certainly Jesus has lots of criticism for Jewish worship practices elsewhere in the gospels, but at least on the question of where true worship must take place, the Jews were getting it right. What a picture of God's grace, that out of all the people Jesus could have discussed true and proper worship with, it wasn't a learned scholar or a popular prophet, but rather it was this sinful, broken woman, and so she becomes one of the first people to truly worship God as He has ordained: in Spirit and truth. Dig Deeper The question of where to worship would soon become moot when Jesus would send His Church out to the nations before triumphantly ascending back to the right hand of the Father. But notice that the primary requirement for acceptable worship remains constant throughout the entire Bible: to properly know God (v22). The Lord's Supper is one of the primary ways you gain this knowledge that's so critical to fulfilling the purpose you were created for: to worship God. The Lord's Supper declares to you that you've been completely forgiven through Christ's one sacrifice on the cross and that you've been grafted into Him so that you can worship Him in Spirit and truth even while He is in heaven and you are on earth. AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: God our Father is spirit; ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that you will continue to know God more and more, and thank Him for what He teaches you as you come to His table; ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Luke 19

If you've read John 1 before, and you likely have, you know that the primary purpose of this passage Near the close of what's come to be known as the prologue to John's gospel, John drops a huge theological

John 3 illustrates this supernatural work of God and where the often used phrase “born again” originates knowledge, but go to him as the King of Glory with faith in the one who has the words of eternal life (John