Latest / A Chapter a Day Bible Reading / March 19 - John 1:19-51

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March 19 - John 1:19-51 · A Chapter a Day Bible Reading

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  Hello friends, it's Sean here. Great to have your company on
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  this Wednesday the 19th of March.
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  We are just just beginning to unwrap this incredible story of
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  Jesus as captured in the Gospel of John.
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  Now, we have spent a fair bit of time already this year in the
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  Old Testament. And so if you like, we have been
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  reading the wrapper, right? We have just got this delicious
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  chocolate bar and we have been reading all about what goes in
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  it, where it's from, what's the title of it, what's the story
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  behind it, what's the marketing around it, as we have really
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  kind of understood the context into which Jesus would come and
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  the story of God engaging with his people throughout history.
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  But yes, friends, make no mistake, we don't buy a Mars bar
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  to read the wrapper. We buy it to open it, unwrap it,
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  and taste that deliciousness inside.
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  And that, friends, is Jesus. And that is what we get to do
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  with the gospel today. We finally get to hear the words
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  of the man of Jesus walking around interacting with people.
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  This is the basis of our faith. This is what it's all about,
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  friends, as we get to know our Saviour better by reading these
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  words, these words captured by his disciple who at the end of a
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  long life wrote these words inspired by the Holy Spirit so
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  that you and I can get to know Jesus much, much better.
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  Well, I don't know about you, but I'm excited.
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  Do you want to dive into it with me?
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  Oh, excellent. Let us do just that as we read
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  together the rest of chapter 119 to 51.
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  This was John's testimony when the Jewish leaders sent priests
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  and temple assistance from Jerusalem to ask John, Who are
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  you? He came right out and said, I am
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  not the Messiah. Well, then, who are you?
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  They asked. Are you Elijah?
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  No, he replied. Are you the prophet we're
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  expecting? No.
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  Then who are you? We need an answer for those who
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  sent us. What do you have to say about
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  yourself? John replied.
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  In the words of the prophet Isaiah, I am a voice shouting in
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  the wilderness, clear the way for the Lord's coming.
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  Then the Pharisees who had been sent asked him, If you aren't
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  the Messiah or Elijah or the prophet, what right do you have
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  to baptised? John told them.
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  I baptised with water. The right here in the crowd is
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  someone you do not recognise, though his ministry follows
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  mine. I'm not even worthy to be a
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  slave and untie the straps of his sandals.
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  This encounter took place in Bethany, an area east of the
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  Jordan River where John was baptising.
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  The next day. John saw Jesus coming toward him
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  and said, Look, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the
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  world. He is the one I was talking
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  about when I said, a man is coming after me who is far
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  greater than I am, for he existed long before me.
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  I did not recognise him as the Messiah, but I have been
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  baptising with water so that he might be revealed to Israel.
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  Then John testified I saw the Holy Spirit descending like a
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  dove from heaven and resting upon him.
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  I didn't know he was the one, but when God sent me to baptise
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  with water, he told me the one on whom you see the Spirit
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  descend and rest is the one who will baptise with the Holy
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  Spirit. I saw this happen to Jesus, so I
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  testify that He is the chosen one of God.
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  The following day John was again standing with two of his
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  disciples. As Jesus walked by, John looked
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  at him and declared, look, there is the Lamb of God.
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  When John's two disciples heard this, they followed Jesus.
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  Jesus looked around and saw them following.
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  What do you want? He asked them.
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  They replied Rabbi, which means teacher, where are you staying,
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  come and see. He said.
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  It was about 4:00 in the afternoon when they went with
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  him to the place where he was staying, and they remained with
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  him the rest of the day. Andrew, Simon Peter's brother,
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  was one of these men who heard what John had said and then
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  followed Jesus. Andrew went to find his brother
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  Simon and told him we have found the Messiah, which means Christ.
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  Then Andrew brought Simon to meet Jesus.
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  Looking intently at Simon, Jesus said your name is Simon, son of
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  John, but you will be called Cephas, which means Peter.
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  The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee.
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  He found Philip and said to him, come follow me.
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  Philip was from Bethsaida, Andrew and Peter's hometown.
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  Philip went to look for Nathaniel and told him we have
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  found the very person Moses and the prophets wrote about.
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  His name is Jesus, the son of Joseph from Nazareth.
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  Nazareth exclaimed Nathaniel, can anything good come from
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  Nazareth? Come and see for yourself.
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  Philip replied. As they approached, Jesus said,
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  Now here is a genuine son of Israel, a man of complete
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  integrity. How do you know about me?
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  Nathaniel asked. Jesus replied, I could see you
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  under the fig tree before Philip found you.
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  Then Nathaniel exclaimed, Rabbi, you are the son of God, the King
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  of Israel. Jesus asked him, Do you believe
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  this? Just because I told you I'd seen
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  you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than
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  this then, he said. I tell you the truth, you will
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  all see heaven open and the Angel of God going up and down
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  on the Son of Man, the one who is the stairway between heaven
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  and earth. Oh Jesus, what a joy it is to
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  hear you walk and talk and interact and call people to you.
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  Thank you that you didn't just leave it to chance that we might
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  know what your nature is and what the nature of the Father
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  is. No, you made sure that we knew
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  by coming yourself, living a blameless life and teaching us
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  what love really looks like. Oh Jesus, as we are going to
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  spend these weeks in your presence, yes, every day as you
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  walk side by side with us, but specifically in these readings
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  as we hear your words, as we read of your behaviour and your
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  actions. Our Lord, I pray that you would
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  inspire us by your words that as we come face to face with you as
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  a man and this record of you and your deep longing for us to
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  follow you as your disciples. Oh, I pray that you would shape
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  us, that you would change us, and that these words of yours
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  would not return to you empty, but would bring a harvest
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  through us that would bring Your Kingdom to reality here and now.
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  We love you Jesus, and we place you at the highest place in our
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  life. And pray all of this through
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  your precious name. Amen.