Extravagance (John 3:16-21)

"The very nature of God is extravagance." Oswald Chambers.

• Would you agree that the very nature of God is extravagannt? Why? 

1. In John 3:16-21, what do the contrasting opposites of belief/reject, life/perish, light/darkness reveal about the human condition?
2. What does it mean to "perish" (Jn 3:16)? To have "eternal life" (Jn 3:16)?

CONTINGENCY (Genesis 48:15)

See God in the Contingencies of Your Life.

• "..the God who has been my shepherd all my life to this day.." (Gen 48:15, NIV).
• "...the God who has looked after me all my life till this day..." (Robert Alter).

** Are you here today because every contingency throughout your life has led you to this very moment?

Contingency in every person's life:

Does Jesus See Your Faith? (Mark 2:1-12)

"When Jesus saw their faith...” (Mk 2:5).

1. What does the size and enthusiasm of the crowd tell about Jesus’ popularity (Mk 2:1-2; Jn 2:23)?
2. What does the 4 friend’s extreme steps reveal about their faith (Mk 2:3-4; Jas 2:18, 22, 26)? When Jesus saw "their faith" did he include the paralytic?

Preaching: Do's and Don'ts

1. Don’t be Clever.                   1a. Do be Careful. 
2. Don’t be Controversial.       2a. Do be Consecrated. 

3. Don’t be Conceited.             3a. Do be Concentrated.

• 
  The Gospel has to move men to do what they are dead-set against doing, namely, giving up the right to themselves.

• The central, difficult requirement of the Gospel is for individuals to stop claiming rights to their own lives, ambition, and self-direction.

• The core challenge of Christian discipleship is separating mere belief from actual transformation.

Is Jesus Worth It? (Luke 9:57-62; 14:25-27, 33)

"...those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples" (Lk 14:33). [Is Jesus too demanding? Worth the trouble?

1. To the 3 people who approached him or were called by him (Lk 9:57-58, 59, 61), why did Jesus respond so abruptly/bluntly/curtly (Jn 2:24-25)?

Chosen Yet Rejected (1 Peter 2:4-10)

"...you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house..." "The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone" (1 Pet 2:5, 7; Ps 118:22).

• How does it feel to be chosen by God yet rejected by friends and family (Jn 1:10-11; 15:18)?

Do You Get It? (Luke 24:13-35)

• "They stood still, their faces downcast" [with grim, saddened expressions] (Lk 24:17b).
• "...but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem/liberate Israel" (Lk 24:21a).
• "They asked each other, 'Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?'” (Lk 24:32)

** Do you have a "lightbulb moment"? An epiphany? An "Aha" moment?

Give Up Your Donkey, Your Cloak and Your Expectation (Matthew 21:1-11)

"If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them..." (Mt 21:3).

• "Discipleship means following the man on the donkey all the way." Donald English, United Methodist minister.

1. What “donkey” (possession, privacy, time, comfort) is God asking you to release for His use (Mt 21:1-2)? Why is this difficult?
• How dare God demand this of you (Mt 21:3; Dt 10:14; Ps 24:1; 50:10-12; Jer 10:23; 1 Cor 6:19-20)?

God's Gentle Love (John 13:1-17)

"Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end" (Jn 13:1b). 

1. What is the nature of love (Jn 13:1b; Rom 5:8; 1 Jn 4:10)?
• Why was Judas' problem (Jn 13:2)?
• What did Jesus do with his power (Jn 13:3; Phil 2:5-8)? What did he not do (Mt 26:53)?
• Do you have power to do what Jesus says (Mt 5:44)?

Plato: The Allegory of the Cave

"This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil" (Jn 3:19).

Chained since birth (like the man born blind in John 9). Plato's allegory is of prisoners chained since birth deep inside a cave. They face a blank wall and can only see shadows cast on it by people, animals and objects (illuminated by a fire they can't see). For these prisoners, the shadows are reality, their only reality; it's all they've ever known, as they have never seen the light.

What Happens When the Light Shines (John 9)

"Jesus said, 'For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind'” (Jn 9:39).

• Key Theme: What happens when the light shines (Jn 9:5; 8:12)? Some are made to see, like this man born blind (Jn 9:25b), while others who think they see, turn away blinded, as it were, by the light (Jn 9:39-41). Jesus' mission is to bring spiritual light to a world in darkness.
• Key Irony: The healed beggar progresses from physical blindness to spiritual sight and faith in Jesus (grows in his understanding of Jesus (a man → a prophet → from God → Lord/Son of Man), while the Pharisees, who, despite having physical sight and claiming superior Bible knowledge, regress, becoming increasingly hardened and blind, and descend into spiritual blindness by willfully rejecting Jesus, the light of the world (Jn 9:5; 8:12).

Overview of Lent

John 4:5-29 [Week 3; 3/8/26]

Week 1: Overcoming  (Mt 4:1-11 Jesus’ Temptation). 1st Sun of Lent (2/22/26).

• Read Mt 4:4,7,&10.  How did Jesus overcome temptation?  How did Jesus succeed where we had failed?  Even though we are not perfect like Jesus, how can we learn overcoming faith?  How can fasting help us seek Jesus?

Week 2: Mercy  (Jn 3:1-17 Jesus Helps Nicodemus). 2nd Sun of Lent (3/1/26).

• Read Jn 3:16-17.  How did Jesus show patience and mercy to a self-righteous Pharisee named Nicodemus?  What does it mean to be “Born Again”, and why do we need Jesus’ mercy to embark newly on a spiritual journey to God’s kingdom? (Gn 12:1-4)

When God Disciplines You, You Discipline Yourself (Hebrews 12:1-13)

"No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however..." (Heb 12:11).

Overview: What do you do when you are disciplined? 3 verbs + a few more:

1. FIX (Heb 12:1-3), "throw off," "run" (Heb 12:1) and "consider" (Heb 12:3).
2. ENDURE (Heb 12:4-10).
3. WAIT (Heb 12:11-13), "strengthen" (Heb 12:12), and "make level paths" (Heb 12:13).

Caveat: If the discipline is tolerable, bearable, not too bad, and not that painful, it's NOT discipline.

God's Masterpiece (Ephesians 2:1-10)

"For we are God’s handiwork [workmanship, masterpiece], created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do" (Eph 2:10).

1. The Human Condition (Eph 2:1-3).
2. The Divine Intervention (Eph 2:4-7).
3. The Gift & The Result (Eph 2:8-10).

1. What does it mean to be "dead in your transgressions and sins" (Eph 2:1, 5; Lk 15:24, 32)?

Be Happy Attitudes (Matthew 5:1-12)

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" (Mt 5:3). "How blissful the destitute, abject in spirit..." [...a poor man or beggar, but with the connotation of one who is abject: cowering or cringing.]

1. How were "the crowds" and "(h)is disciples" different (Mt 5:1; 7:24-25; Jn 8:31).
• What is the repeated theme and emphasis of what Jesus taught (Mt 5:2, 3, 10, 12; 4:17; 6:10)?

Paul's Passionate Pursuit (Philippians 3:7-14)

"I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus" (Phil 3:14). [Paul's persistent, passionate pursuit for the priceless prize.]

• Explain: "The goal is God Himself, not joy, nor peace, nor even blessing, but Himself, my God. To know Him, to serve Him, to be like Him—that is the prize of the upward call." A.W. Tozer.

Mission Imperatives and Indicatives

"Then Jesus came to them and said, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit'" (Mt 28:18-19).

1. What is the indicative and what is the imperative in Mt 28:18-19 (aka the great commission)?
2. What is 
• an indicative?
• an imperative?
3. Identify the indicatives and the imperatives in the following verses:
• Gen 12:1-3.
• Exo 19:4-6.
• Exo 20:2-3ff.

Authority (Mark 1:21-34)

"...he [Jesus] taught them as one who had authority" (Mk 1:22). "The people were all so amazed that they asked each other, “What is this? A new teaching—and with authority!" (Mk 1:27).

I: Authority in Word (Mk 1:21-22). Jesus teaches with authority.

II: Authority over Demons (Mk 1:23-28). Jesus exercises authority over demonic powers.

III: Authority over Sickness (Mk 1:29-31). Jesus exercises authority over sickness.

IV: Authority to the Multitudes (Mk 1:32-34). Jesus compassionately welcomes the multitudes.

• How is human authority different from divine (spiritual) authority?

Psalm 23

• 
  "If the Lord is your shepherd, then you have a God who is for you. And if God is for you, it doesn't matter who or what is against you." Tim Keller.

• "We must not think of the Christian life as a kind of pleasure cruise. It is a pilgrimage, and it often goes through the valley of the shadow." Martyn Lloyd-Jones.

1. How is the word “shepherd” the most comprehensive and intimate metaphor for God (Ps 23:1; Gen 48:15; Isa 40:11; Jn 10:11, 14)? If God is your shepherd, how should you live (Ac 20:28; 1 Pet 5:2; Rom 8:28)?
• What is it to “lack nothing”? Is contentment complacency (Phil 4:11-12)?

Mere Christianity. C. S. Lewis.

The main themes of C.S. Lewis's Mere Christianity.

1: Right and Wrong as a Clue to the Meaning of the Universe (The Moral Law). Core Theme: The universal sense of "oughtness"—the Moral Law or Law of Human Nature—points to a moral Lawgiver.

• Romans 2:14-15: What does this passage say about how God's law is known to everyone, even without special revelation? How does this correspond to Lewis's argument?

• Matthew 5:43-48 & Luke 6:31: Jesus appeals to a standard beyond custom. What is He appealing to? How does the "Golden Rule" assume a universal moral law?

• James 2:8-11: What does breaking one point of the law reveal about our relationship to the whole law? How does this illustrate Lewis's point that we all know the Law but fail to keep it?

• Discussion: Can you think of a time you appealed to a standard of "fair play" that others recognized? What does that instinct reveal?

Paul and the Power of Grace--John Barclay

In his transformative book, Paul and the Power of Grace, John Barclay's central argument is that grace (charis) in Paul is not merely a forgiving attitude but an unconditioned and incongruous gift [see below]—given without regard to the worth of the recipient, which fundamentally reorders the recipient's life and creates a new community. Each section starts with a key concept from Barclay, followed by questions and key passages to study.

Part 1: The Nature of Grace as an Incongruous Gift

Concept: Grace is unconditioned (given freely by God) and incongruous (given without matching the worth, status, or ethnicity of the recipient). It shatters all systems of worth.

Wonderful (Isaiah 9:1-7)

"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful..." (Isa 9:6).

1. What judgment is announced in Isaiah 8 (Isa 8:7-8)?
• How does this transition to hope (Isa 9:1) shape your understanding of God?
2. Why were Zebulun and Naphtali (Galilee) the first to suffer invasion and conquest (Isa 9:1; 2 Ki 15:29)? Why is this area called "Galilee of the nations"?

Has God Chosen You? (Genesis 28:11-22)

"He had a dream in which he saw a stairway...to heaven" (Gen 28:12). “When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, ‘Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it.’” (Gen 28:17).

• Have you seen a "stairway to heaven"?
• Have you definitively experienced God's presence?
• Have you met God?

1. What do Jacob and Esau's struggle in the womb suggest about them and their future (Gen 25:22)?
• How does Jacob’s action during birth live up to his name (Gen 25:25-26)? See footnote.
  
2. What does Jacob’s behavior toward his famished brother show about him (Gen 25:29, 31, 33)? Is he a good fun guy to hang out with?

Day 2. The Imitation of Christ. Bk 1, Ch. 8-14. Facing Temptations and Adversity.

A little more in depth in reading TKIC a second time. His words are timeless and priceless gems, and always relevant.

• Are temptations and adversity unavoidable in this life?
• How do you face them courageously? Do you:
• Obey God?
• Watch your words?
• Resist temptation?
• Embrace God’s fiery love?

Day 1. The Imitation of Christ. Bk 1. Ch. 1-7. The Ultimate Good. 11/29/25.

Since going through TKIC (Thomas Kempis, Imitation of Christ) from a month ago, it seemed good to go through it again.

• What takes priority in your life?
• Is your heart tempted to treat good things—like knowledge, beauty, or success—as ultimate things?
• Is your peace coming only from imitating Christ?
• There is much good in the world. But is there a greater good?

The Messianic Branch of the Lord (Isaiah 11:1-10)

Key Verse: "In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his resting place will be glorious" (Isaiah 11:10).

• 
  On the Messiah and his lineage (Isaiah 11:1)

1. Read Isa 11:1. What does the imagery of a "shoot from the stump of Jesse" represent, and how does it relate to the state of the Davidic line at the time of the prophecy (Isa 6:12-13; 9:13-15)?

Day 30: Deep Trust in God (Imitation of Christ. Bk. 4. Ch. 15-18)

• 
  Is TKIC (Thomas Kempis, Imitation of Christ) "basic stuff" or "penetrating profound stuff"?
• If you finished TKIC, is every single page worth going back over again?
• Can I read TKIC every day and get something new every time?
• Do you have a prideful need to understand?

Day 29: Strengthening Devotion (Imitation of Christ. Bk. 4. Ch. 11-14)

• 
  Do you only need 2 things in life: food (Eucharist) and light (Scripture)?
• Do you fill yourself fully with Christ and with Scripture?
• Does Christ save you from being unChristlike?
• Do you love God fully and completely?
• Do you ALLOW God to love YOU fully and completely?
• How do I love God back, who has unconditionally loved me?

Come (Matthew 11:28)

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest" (Mt 11:28).

“You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in You.” Augustine, Confessions.

1. What does Jesus' invitation mean to you (Mt 11:28)? If you are not invited, can you freely come to God (Isa 59:2)? 
• Why does Thomas Kempis say, "You are the Holy of Holies and I am sinful trash"?
• Why might you become "weary and burdened" (Isa 40:31; Eph 4:18, 19; Col 1:21)?
• What does it mean that Jesus "will give you rest" (Jn 14:27; Phil 4:7; Rom 5:1; Isa 26:3)?
• Why are people who seek rest still restless (Gen 4:7, 14; Job 3:26; Isa 59:8)?

Day 28: Offering All To God (Imitation of Christ. Bk. 4. Ch. 8-10)

• 
  What does God want from you? From me?
• Jesus gave all of Himself to me, how shall I respond?
• Do I do a thousand other things to avoid giving God my whole self? 

Ch. 8: Christ's offering on the cross and self-resignation. Christ offered all of Himself on the cross to God as a total sacrifice for our sins until there was nothing left of Himself. Nothing of ourselves interests God unless we resign ourselves wholly to God. You cannot please God no matter what you give to God if you do not offer yourself. [What is the main thing? It is our problem. What is our problem? We give God everything ezcept the one thing he wants: ourselves--our hearts, our complete selves.]

Day 27: Receiving the Lord Worthily (Imitation of Christ. Bk. 4. Ch. 4-7)

• 
  Should you go to church, to communion when you know you have committed a sin?
• Do you devoutly approach God?
• With awe, fear and trembling? How?
• Do you have a sense of how good, holy and just God is? How do I compare with God?
• Do I know who I am in approaching God? 
• Do I go over my life regularly? Daily? 
• Do I examine my conscience against the Commandments, the Beatitudes and the godly virtues? 
• Have I violated any of them? Where am I failing? 
• Does God prompt me to think, speak and act in big ways only? In small ways also?
• Am I the person I should be? That I want to be?

Day 26: The Miracle of the Eucharist (Imitation of Christ. Bk. 4. Ch. 1-3)

• 
  You are the Holy of Holies and I am sinful trash.
• How shall I bring You into my house when I have so often offended Your most kindly countenance? 
• How can I, a wretch and the poorest of men bring You into my house when I barely know how to spend a ½ hour in devotion (devout prayer)?

Day 25: The Hidden Wisdom of God (Imitation of Christ. Bk. 3. Ch. 58-59)

• 
  Why is one soul flooded with grace while another is left in difficulty?

• Why is one person greatly afflicted and another greatly exalted?

• Is it productive for you to figure out God’s hidden judgments?

• Are you humble enough to trust God’s heart even when you can’t trace His hand?

• What confidence do I have in this life or what greater solace is there?

• Could things ever go badly with you present? 

Day 24: Persevere With Courage (Imitation of Christ. Bk. 3. Ch. 56-57)

• 
  To resist discouragement is to resist pride.
• Notice your great frailty, which you very often experience in trivial matters.
• I'm nowhere near the man I want to be or hope to be.

Ch. 56: The Cross is how we must deny ourselves and imitate Christ. Without the Way, there is no going; without the Truth, there is no knowing; without the Life, there is no living (Jn 14:6). Christ is the Way to follow, the Truth to believe, the Life to hope for. If you would possess (enjoy) the blessed life, despise the present life (Jn 12:25). 

Day 23: Nature and Grace (Imitation of Christ. Bk. 3. Ch. 54-55)

• 
  Why does it often feel like you’re torn between what you want and what you know is right?
• What is the contrast between nature and grace?
• Why does our fallen nature seek comfort, recognition, and self-gain?
• Does grace call you higher, toward humility, sacrifice, and love?

Day 22: The Necessity of Purification (Imitation of Christ. Bk. 3. Ch. 50-53)

• 
  Nothing happens without God allowing it or without a reason.
• What am I attached to? If I have a taste for earthly things I will not be open to God.

Ch. 50: How a person in desolation should give himself over to the hands of God. Nothing happens on earth without your plan (wisdom) and providence or without a reason. It benefits me that shame has covered my face (Ps 69:7), that I may rely on you rather than human beings for my consolation.