Extravagance (John 3:16-21)

Familiar as Jn 3:16 is to us, they were uttered to Nicodemus for the 1st time. They're the revelation of the nature of God, and the ground of our love to God and man.

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

• Is God's nature extravagannt? Why (Jer 31:3; 2 Sam 12:8; Lk 15:12, 22-23, 31)?

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?