People write books for many different reasons. John wrote his book so that people would be able to know Christ and have eternal life.

John tries to avoid any praise for himself as he writes. He does not even tell us that he is the author of this book. In the book, he refers to himself as “the disciple who Jesus loved.” He gives us a good example. We should all try to get people to praise Jesus, not ourselves.

John tells us that he wrote so that we would know who Jesus is, and so that we would have life through him. Jesus was the promised one, who’s life was prophesied in the Old Testament. He was God and man. Anyone who trusts in him for forgiveness of sin will certainly be given eternal life.

John wants all of us to take the good news of Jesus Christ to the world. John did his part by writing a book about Jesus. It is our responsibility to explain this book to the peoples of the world.

It is good to understand Thomas’ doubt. His doubt was sin, since he
was disobeying one of the commands that Jesus had given him. Jesus
instructs all men everywhere to believe in him. It is difficult to
tell whether or not Thomas was really a Christian before this time,
but we know that the cure for his doubt was to look to Jesus and
believe Jesus’ words.

Jesus was under no obligation to prove himself to Thomas. However,
Jesus is compassionate towards Thomas, and give Thomas the proof he
wants. When Thomas saw the wounds, he learned of the great love of
Jesus, who died in his place. We should think of the love that Jesus
had for us, and praise him.

When Thomas realized that Jesus had fulfilled his promises, Thomas
said, “My Lord and my God!” This personal confession of faith is a
model for all of us. Like Thomas, we should proclaim that Jesus was
indeed God in the flesh, and submit to him ourselves as our Lord.
When we do so, we are blessed beyond our wildest dreams. 十二弟子のひとりで、デドモと呼ばれているトマスは、イエスがこられたとき、彼らと一緒にいなかった。25
ほかの弟子たちが、彼に「わたしたちは主にお目にかかった」と言うと、トマスは彼らに言った、「わたしは、その手に釘あとを見、わたしの指をその釘あとにさし入れ、また、わたしの手をそのわきにさし入れてみなければ、決して信じない」。26
八日ののち、イエスの弟子たちはまた家の内におり、トマスも一緒にいた。戸はみな閉ざされていたが、イエスがはいってこられ、中に立って「安かれ」と言われた。27
それからトマスに言われた、「あなたの指をここにつけて、わたしの手を見なさい。手をのばしてわたしのわきにさし入れてみなさい。信じない者にならないで、信じる者になりなさい」。28
トマスはイエスに答えて言った、「わが主よ、わが神よ」。29
イエスは彼に言われた、「あなたはわたしを見たので信じたのか。見ないで信ずる者は、さいわいである」。

After the resurrection, Jesus appeared to his disciples. In every New
Testament account of his appearance, he commissions his disciples to
carry on the ministry that he began during his time here on earth.
Throughout this age, he continues his work in the world through his
people.

The disciples, and all other Christians, are given a message of peace.
As they have found peace with God, so they must take this message of
peace to other people in the world.

Jesus sends out all of his followers as he had been sent. Just as
Jesus obeyed the Father, so Jesus’ followers are to obey all of his
commands. Jesus was sent from heaven to earth to bring the message of
salvation to men. His followers, though they are no longer a part of
the world in an important sense, are sent back into the world to bring
it the message of salvation. Jesus, the Son of God, had the fullness
of the Holy Spirit resting upon him throughout his ministry.
Likewise, the followers of Jesus are called the children of God, and
they have the Holy Spirit living within them. The picture is one in
which Jesus sends his followers as his representatives to a lost
world.

Should a Christian fast? Yes. Jesus said, “When you fast” (Matthew
6:17), not “if you fast.”

Are there physical dangers associated with fasting? Yes. You should
consult your doctor, particularly with a long-term fast.

Are there spiritual dangers associated with fasting? Yes! Some of these are:

1. Pride
Jesus said, “And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the
hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be
seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.
17 But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, 18 that
your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in
secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” (Matt
6:16-17)

2. Grumpiness
“Behold, you fast only to quarrel and to fight and to hit with a
wicked fist.” (Isaiah 58:4)

3. Trying to manipulate God
Some people think that they can fast to make God do what they want him
to do. God cannot be manipulated.

4. Temptation
Speaking about Jesus: “after fasting forty days and forty nights, he
was hungry.3 And the tempter came and said to him” (Matt 4:2-3)
Satan is not a dummy. He attacked Jesus when Jesus was weakest.

What are some of the benefits of fasting?

1. We are better able to stand up to temptation.
- Speaking about Jesus: “we do not have a high priest who is unable to
sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been
tempted as we are, yet without sin.” (Heb 4:15)
- Jesus never sinned, but fasting was one of the ways in which he
stood up to the Devil.

2. Fasting is used by God to change history
- Moses fasted: “So he was there with the Lord forty days and forty
nights. He neither ate bread nor drank water. And he wrote on the
tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments.” (Exodus
34:28)
- Esther fasted: “If you keep silent at this time, relief and
deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and
your father’s house will perish. And who knows whether you have not
come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” 15 Then Esther told them
to reply to Mordecai, 16 “Go, gather all the Jews to be found in Susa,
and hold a fast on my behalf, and do not eat or drink for three days,
night or day. I and my young women will also fast as you do. Then I
will go to the king, though it is against the law, and if I perish, I
perish.” 17 Mordecai then went away and did everything as Esther had
ordered him.” (Esther 4:14-17)
- The early church fasted: “While they were worshiping the Lord and
fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for
the work to which I have called them.” 3 Then after fasting and
praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off.” (Acts
13:2-3)
- And of course, the Son of God fasted

3. the ability to put lesser pleasures in their place
God is better than any of his gifts. Fasting helps us to appreciate
God more than stuff.

How do I fast?
- What to expect physically
- What to seek
- What to pray for
- What to expect spiritually

The story of Mary’s love for Jesus began long before the crucifixion.
Jesus had worked a remarkable act of grace in her life, saving her
from seven demons that controlled her. It is true that those who have
been saved from something terrible will often have a great love for
the person that saved them. Mary had this sort of a love. She helped
to support Jesus’ ministry financially, she was there at the cross
when he died, and she put spices on the grave later on. She loved her
savior more than life itself.

Jesus rewarded Mary’s love for him in several ways. All of Jesus’
followers were upset because of his death, but Mary was the first to
be reassured that her fears were needless. From this, we learn that
our fears are often needless as well.

Jesus rewarded Mary by reminding her that he was God as well as man,
and that he would soon ascend to be with God the Father. There, he
would make sure that she would have a home in heaven (John 14:2), send
the Holy Spirit (John 16:7), and ultimately return to earth again to
raise the dead (John 14:3). He will do the same for all of us who
love him as well.

Jesus rewarded Mary by his kind and gracious words. Though she had
doubted him, he lifted her up again and did not judge her for her
sins. He sent her to go and tell the disciples (who had doubted him
as well) about his resurrection, so that they would be encouraged. By
his death, he is able to forgive the sins of all who love him.

The passage focuses on two of Jesus’ followers, Peter and John.
They ran to the tomb and saw the traditional linen cloths and spices
laying there, but there was no body.  Gradually, the light finally
dawned on John: His master had risen from the dead.  His life was
changed, and your life will be changed if you can understand what he
understood.

The resurrection is important to our faith, because it assures us
that our Savior has conquered sin and death in our behalf.  It is
important to our witness to others, because it allows us to tell the
world that Jesus has proven that he is able to give eternal life.  No
other religion can say this.  It is also important to our hope, since
we know that we will be raised like he was raised.

28 After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), “I thirst.”
29 A jar full of sour wine stood there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth. 30When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

Jesus’ trial was not a search for truth and justice, but it was a
quest for power. Legal requirements were ignored. Both the trial
before the High Priest and the trial before Pilate revealed no
wrongdoing on the part of Jesus.

Yet, this travesty of justice was a necessary for us to be saved. He
was the righteous one who stood in the place of unrighteous men.
Peter tells us, “Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for
the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in
the flesh but made alive in the spirit.” (1 Peter 3:18). He became a
curse for us, so that we could escape the curse of death. This is the
truth that Pilate rejected.

Jesus’ earthly work is coming to a close, but the work of the disciples has just begun.  In order for them to be successful in this work, they must continue to remain in Jesus by remaining in his word.  Yet, to the extent that they do so, the rebellious world will surely hate them.  They may be tempted to reject Jesus, or make compromises with the world, or to withdraw from the world altogether, but taking any of these options would be sin.  If they did any of these things, they would cease to be the witnesses that they need to be.

Jesus prays that the disciples would be set apart for God’s service.  Specifically, he is setting them apart as witnesses to a lost world, though this calling will involve unpleasant consequences.  Just as he is set apart for pain and suffering, so they shall be also.

First, Jesus prays for the disciples because God the Father gave them
to Jesus.  He will use this precious gift to bring glory to himself
and the Father.  Second, Jesus prays for the disciples because they
know him.  Though the disciples did not perfectly understand
everything that Jesus had ever told them at this point in their lives,
they did understand that he was God and man, and that he would save
them.  Third, Jesus prays for the disciples because he loved them very
much.  It is true that Jesus loves all people, but the love that he
has for his own is a special love.  Fourth, Jesus prays for his
disciples because he is about to leave them.  They will have to face
temptations and hostility without his physical presence.

God the Son had perfect and complete glory before the world began.  He
has always lived in unapproachable light, and has always been
perfectly honorable (1 Tim 6:16).  When God the Son became man, he
remained perfectly glorious in himself, but he veiled that glory in
human flesh, so that he appeared to be a man like any other.  At
times, however, Jesus’ inward glory would peek through, such as the
time on the mountain when “his face shone like the sun, and his
clothes became white as light” (Matthew 17:2).  Jesus is praying that
he would once again be clothed in splendor, such as he was before the
world began.

There is a sense in which Jesus’ inward glory can be seen on the
cross.  Though he did not shine with light, he did display God’s glory
to the world as he died for our sins.  In the cross, God the Father is
glorified through God the Son.

The glory of God in the cross of Jesus Christ is made clear whenever
someone believes in Jesus.  As Jesus seeks and saves those sheep that
the Father has given to him, he brings glory to God.  We should praise
him for redeeming us.

Because Jesus has overcome the world, there would be many blessing for
the disciples and for believers during the new age.  They would have a
full knowledge of God, they would experience God’s love as they pray,
and they would be fulfilled through Christ’s accomplishment.

The disciples thought they understood what Jesus was saying.  Indeed,
they did understand a great deal, since they were able to say that
Jesus spoke the words of God and was sent by the Father.  Yet, Jesus
warned them that they should not be overly optimistic.  As he, the
shepherd, was struck down, his sheep would surely be scattered.  Yet,
their faith would remain, and would grow much stronger as they
realized that Jesus brings true peace between God and men.

There is a great deal of confusion in the Christian Church regarding
what it means to be baptized in the Holy Spirit and filled with the
Holy Spirit.

The New Testament mentions being baptized with the Holy Spirit seven
times.  The most important reference may be found in 1 Corinthians
12:13.  In this verse we see that all Christians have unity with one
another because of they are all united with Jesus Christ, and we see
that union with Christ involves being baptized with the Holy Spirit.
So, we may safely conclude that everyone who is a genuine believer has
been baptized with the Holy Spirit at the moment they first believed.
Every Christian has the Holy Spirit working in them.

The New Testament mentions being filled with the Holy Spirit fourteen
times.  In these verses we see that the result of being filled with
the Spirit is that a person tells others about Jesus Christ and
demonstrates the fruit of the Spirit.  Being filled with the Spirit
does not mean that a person speaks in tongues.

Though Jesus is going away, the disciples will continue his work inthe power of the Holy Spirit during this age. The light of the world will shine through them, exposing the deeds of darkness that people do (Ephesians 5:11). The result is that some people will be convicted of theirsin and be driven to repentance, though others will merely hate the light.

We can find the origin of this hatred in Genesis.  In the book of
Genesis, we find that there are fundamentally two kinds of people:
those that love God and those that hate him.  People who hate God have
always hated the people that love God.  This was true in Genesis, and
will remain true throughout the ages.

When people hate God, they express that hatred by persecuting those
who love God.  This hatred burned against the prophets, and it is the
same hatred that resulted in Jesus’ crucifixion.  It is the same
hatred that is poured out on Jesus’ messengers today, and you can
expect to face this hatred if you live a righteous life in Christ
Jesus.

Nonetheless, as we are being persecuted, we know that the Holy Spirit
is with us.  He comforts us and uses us to be witnesses of Christ to a
dark world.

Because of their relationship with Christ, believers will have love,
joy, obedience, and will bear witness to others. The love that God the
Father has for the Son is infinite and eternal, and it is this same
sort of love that Jesus has for all of his followers.  As believers
remain in Christ’s love for them, they will surely love each other
with the same sort of devotion.  This love will be self-giving, and
not self-seeking.  The joy that comes from Christ is one that endures
even in difficult circumstances, and comes from being accepted by God.
Furthermore, Christians will desire to obey Christ.  This obedience
is not the simple obedience of a slave, but the joyful obedience of a
son who knows that his Father loves him and desires the best for him.
Christians will also desire to make the glory of Christ known in the
world by telling others what he has done.

Rather than being upset about Jesus’ immanent departure, the disciples
should be happy for him.  He was going to a better place, a greater
place.  He had descended from glory to be with them, but he would soon
return to heaven.  The disciples grief over their own situation was a
mirror of their own self-centeredness, and only served to heighten
their anxiety.

Soon, Satan would strike a terrible blow against Jesus on the cross.
However, this blow was not sufficient to cause Jesus to fall forever.
Jesus had no sin in his life, and so Satan had no hold over him.  The
same blow that Satan struck against Jesus would end up killing Satan.
Through the cross, Satan and death would be fully and finally defeated
forever.

Grace is emphasized so much in the first five chapters of Romans that
some people might begin to think that God is most glorified when we
sin.  Paul says that this sort of thinking is just silly, and is
contrary to the nature of salvation.

The Christian believer is deeply united with Christ.  When Christ
died, he paid for the sins of believers completely, such that sin has
no claims on Christians.  Likewise, as Christ rose again, his victory
over death and sin assures believers that they also will have victory.
To go on sinning is to deny what Christ has done in our behalf.

Prior to being a Christian, you were subject to the power of sin.  It
was like a great king that ruled over you (6:12), a general that used
you in his wicked war (6:13), or like a slavemaster who held you in
chains.  Through Christ, you have been freed from the power of sin,
and through him, you are able to reject sin during this lifetime.

Right after Jesus ascended into heaven, he asked the Father to send
the Holy Spirit to be with believers in a special way.  Because of the
presence of the Holy Spirit in the lives of believers, the Church is
built up in its knowledge of Christ.

Part of the benefits that believers receive from the Holy Spirit is a
gifting to do good works to help other people.  Every believer has
such a gift.  When believers use the gifts that God gave them for
God’s purposes, the Church is strengthened and the world is changed.

Jesus knew what they were thinking, and he promised them that he would
indeed return, he would be raised from the dead.  And what is more,
they would all be raised from the dead on the last day just as he had
been raised.  They would even experience some of the benefits of his
resurrection during their own lives.  Jesus’ resurrection changed the
path of history, such that his followers would change the world.

Jesus’ resurrection provided the foundation for their knowledge of God
as well.  It would solidify all of the claims that he made about
himself throughout his lifetime, and it would ensure that he would
continue to reveal himself to his people.

Even though he would soon be gone, his resurrection assured that he
would always be inside his people.  They would become the temples of
the Most High, the place where God is found.

Jesus reminds his disciples of his love for men by talking about his
glory.  He would soon give them the ultimate example of undeserved
love by going to the cross for sinners.  Though men do nothing in
themselves to warrant this sort of love, Jesus loved his people so
much that he died for them.

After Jesus died and rose again, he ascended into heaven to sit at the
right hand of God the Father.  Soon he would no longer be living in
the presence of men.  Men will not be able see his love for them
firsthand, but nonetheless he has not left the world without a witness
to his love.  The love that Christians have for one another should
mimic the love that Jesus had for them at the cross, and this love
should be so profound that it becomes a powerful testimony to all of
those around them.

Matthew 18 tells us to do three things when someone commits a sin that
cannot be overlooked.  First, we should go to that person personally,
and seek to understand what he has done and why he did it.  If he is
indeed in error, we should use the Bible to show him his fault,
seeking his repentance.  If this does not work, we should get one or
two others to go along with us as we seek his repentance.  If this
does not work, we should expel this person from the church.

The approach that Jesus gives to deal with sin is the best thing for
the sinner, since it pushes him towards repentance.  It is the best
thing for the church, since it ensures holiness within the church and
protects the honor of God’s name.  Indeed, if a church habitually
neglects this responsibility, Jesus will not be “among” them.