Victory Fellowship Bible Study
273 23rd St. S.W., Barberton, OH 44203
Wednesdays at 7pm
Rev. Roderick D. Grabski (330) 858-0223
WEBPAGE: victoryfellowshipministries.com
arod4God@neo.rr.com FACEBOOK: Roderick Grabski
CLASS ONE: Introduction of the Gospel of JOHN
I. ANNOUNCEMENTS and PRAYER CONCERNS
II. Review Course Content
- Sign-up Sheet for Refreshments / Offering Envelopes
- Go Over Tentative Class Schedule
III. COURSE OBJECTIVES
1. To Glorify God in our study of His Word.
2. To edify our own knowledge and understanding.
3. To learn from JOHN who wrote this Spiritual Gospel.
4. To discuss Major Themes addressed in this writing.
5. To compare JOHN with the other Gospels when necessary.
6. To either come to know Jesus as our Savior, or to be affirmed in our faith.
7. To be blessed by the Holy Spirit in our Study.
IV. Who Wrote John’s Gospel?
a. He was an Apostle and an eyewitness (1:14; 2:11; 19:35)
b. He was one of the Twelve, accompanied often with Peter, specifically the “disciple Jesus loved” (13:23; 19:26; 20:2; 21:20-25)
c. He was John, son of Zebedee, younger brother of James, son of Salome (compare Mark 15:40 with Matthew 27:56) who may have been Mary’s sister (John 19:25).
V. Timeline for Writing of John’s Gospel
a. John and the Mary (the mother of Jesus) traveled to Ephesus between 38 and 47 AD, after being banished from Jerusalem, and lived there. John was exiled to Patmos by Emperor Domitian around 90-95 AD, and it was there that he received and wrote the Book of Revelation. Later he came back to Ephesus and continued writing the Gospel of John.
VI. The Purpose of John’s Gospel:
a. Clearly stated, it is John 20:30-31.
b. His objective is two-fold: Apologetic – “that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God,” and Evangelistic – “and by believing you may have life in His name.” John uses the verb “to believe” nearly 100 times – over twice as much as the other Gospels.
c. John emphasizes that they who trust in Jesus will receive eternal life. 3:15-16,36; 4:14; 5:24,39-40; 6:27,33,35,40,47-48,54,63,68, 10:10,28; 12:50; 14:6; 17:2-3; 20:31
d. John presents Jesus as God Incarnate (1:1,14; 8:23,58; 10:30; 20:28), the Messiah or Christ (1:41; 4:25-26), and Savior of the World (4:42).
VII. The Uniqueness of John’s Gospel
a. John’s Gospel is different than the Synoptic Gospels. Some say it is a spiritual gospel. Certainly, it is designed with the purpose of helping believers understand the Trinity, and the preexistence and preeminence of Jesus in order to help them share the gospel with unbelievers.
b. John’s gospel does not contain a lot of what the others do. More than 90% of the gospel contain material not found in the Synoptics. The gospels do not contradict each other but rather they supplement each other.
VIII. Messianic Signs in John’s Gospel
a. While Matthew’s gospel demonstrated Jesus’ messiahship through the writings of the Old Testament prophets, John does so by narrating seven signs and seven “I Am” statements of Jesus.
1. Water into Wine at Cana (2:1-11)
2. Healing the Official’s Son (4:46-54)
3. Healing a Lame man at the Pool of Bethesda (5:1-18)
4. Feeding the Five Thousand (6:1-15)
5. Walking of the Sea of Galilee (6:16-21)
6. Healing a Man born Blind (9:1-41)
7. Raising Lazarus from the Dead (11:1-45)
b. In addition to these, John narrates the miracle of Jesus’ own Resurrection (20:1-29), as well as a miraculous catch of fish (21:6-11).
c. Seven “I Am” Discourses in John’s Gospel
1. “I am the Bread of Life” (6:35,48)
2. “I am the Light of the World” (8:12; 9:5)
3. “I am the Door of the Sheep” (10:7,9)
4. “I am the Good Shepherd” (10:11,14)
5. “I am the Resurrection and the Life” (11:25)
6. “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life” (14:6)
7. “I am the True Vine” (15:1)
d. In addition to these, John includes statements where Jesus refers to himself as “I am” (6:20; 8:24,28,58; 18:5), a clear allusion to God’s identification as “I am” in Exodus 3:14.
IX. Application
a. Believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and by believing you may have life in His name.
Final Comments, Questions. Close in Prayer
Next Week: The Divine WORD Made Flesh - Read John 1:1-51 to prepare.
