InHisCare Bible Study Community Group
I love to study God Word, so I create bible studies for personal study and for other to join me, if they like. My way of staying focus is to study Gods Word daily. I desire this group to become a place of haven for me to meet other Christian who like to pray and study Gods Word. I will share bible studies, prayers, and devotions I love. Please join me if you wish. Thank...
Seven Last Words of Jesus from the Cross
Beginning Prayer:
Father God, as this Word goes forth, please send it straight to our hearts, so we will never forget what You did by sending Your Son Jesus to die for our sin. Bless these Words to fall on good grounds, so that all would bring forth good fruit in their season. Thank You for the opportunity to share Your Word about our Savior Jesus Christ. In Jesus’ Name, Amen!
Title: "Jesus said to his mother: "Woman, this is your son." Then he said to the disciple: "This is your mother."
Reading: John 19:23-27 (KJV) King James Version
“Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took his garments, and made four parts, to every soldier a part; and also his coat: now the coat was without seam, woven from the top throughout. 24 They said therefore among themselves, Let us not rend it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be: that the scripture might be fulfilled, which saith, They parted my raiment among them, and for my vesture they did cast lots. These things therefore the soldiers did.25 Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother, and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son! 27 Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home.”
Cross References:
Luke 2:35; Hebrews 2:11; Romans 8:15-16; Ephesians 3:15; Isaiah 63:16; John 1:12; Galatians 4:5-6
Theme: (The Passion of Christ)
Warm-up Question: What scriptures tell us about God’s love?
Goal: To love others as God love us
Our Study……..
This saying is only in one of the Gospels. As Jesus was dying, his mother was among those who had remained with him. Most of the male disciples had fled, with the exception of one whom the Fourth Gospel calls “the disciple he loved.” We can’t be exactly sure of the identity of this beloved disciple, though many interpreters believe he is John, who is also the one behind the writing of this Gospel. No matter who the beloved disciple was, it’s clear that Jesus was forging a relationship between this disciple and his mother, one in which the disciple would take care of Mary financially and in other ways. Jesus wanted to make sure she would be in good hands after his death.
The presence of Mary at the cross adds both humanity and horror to the scene. We are reminded that Jesus was a real human being, a man who had once been a boy who had once been carried in the womb of his mother. Even as he was dying on the cross as the Savior of the world, Jesus was also a son, a role he didn’t neglect in his last moments.
When we think of the crucifixion of Jesus from the perspective of his mother, our horror increases dramatically. The death of a child is one of the most painful of all parental experiences. To watch one’s beloved child experience the extreme torture of crucifixion must have been unimaginably terrible. We’re reminded of the prophecy of Simeon shortly after Jesus’ birth, when he said to Mary: “And a sword will pierce your very soul” (Luke 2:35).
This scene helps us not to glorify or spiritualize the crucifixion of Jesus. He was a real man, true flesh and blood, a son of a mother, dying with unbearable agony. His suffering was altogether real, and he took it on for you and for me.
Jesus saw his own mother, and the disciple standing near whom he loved, he said to his mother, "Woman, behold your son". Then he said to the disciple, "Behold your mother". And from that hour, he took his mother into his family.
This statement is traditionally called "The Word of Relationship" and in it Jesus entrusts Mary, his mother, into the care of "John” the disciple whom Jesus loved.
Pastor Hamilton from "24 Hours": "Jesus looked down from the cross to see his mother standing nearby. As far as we know, only one of the twelve apostles was there at the foot of the cross: "the disciple whom Jesus loved," usually identified as John. Naked and in horrible pain, he thought not of himself but was concerned for the well-being of his mother after his death. This shows Jesus' humanity and the depth of love he had for his mother and the disciple into whose care he entrusted her."
Reading Scripture in another version: John 19:23-27New International Version (NIV)
23 When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took his clothes, dividing them into four shares, one for each of them, with the undergarment remaining. This garment was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom. 24 “Let’s not tear it,” they said to one another. “Let’s decide by lot who will get it.” This happened that the scripture might be fulfilled that said, “They divided my clothes among them and cast lots for my garment.” So this is what the soldiers did. 25 Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, “Woman, here is your son,” 27 and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.
Let’s talk about relationships:
You cannot help studying God’s Word without concluding that Relationships are a high priority with God. He cares about His creatures! Love permeates His very Nature and every aspect of His Person. Indeed, Love is the cornerstone of His Will for us!
The Christian is one in whom God abides and is manifested. A major part of manifesting God in our lives is the expression of God’s Love in our relationships with others. This study looks at various Relationships and how God’s Love is expressed in each.
-Man-God
-Know God
John 17:3 “Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.”
Jesus’description of “eternal life.”
To Christ, Eternal Life meant knowing “the only true God” and His Son, Jesus Christ.
Knowing God is what gives life meaning and fulfillment.
-Love God
Matthew 22:37-38 “37 And He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the great and [a]foremost commandment. (NASB)
Christ’s command for us:
Frame: Three descriptions of the extent of our love for God.
This passage describes the “first and greatest commandment” of our Lord. It establishes the basis for the premier Relationship in our lives ~ our Relationship with God. Our obligation is to place God first and foremost in our lives!
-Serve God
Frame: The requests Jesus recites from Scripture.
Responding to Satan’s temptation to get Christ to worship him, Jesus quotes
Deuteronomy 6:13. There, we are commanded to worship and serve God only. Service to God is an expression of our Worship of Him!
Serving God must always be done in conjunction with Knowing and Loving Him. Service, by itself, is not pleasing to God (1 Corinthians 13:1-13 and Matthew 7:21-23). It only becomes pleasing when done by one who truly knows God, and done with genuine love.
“When you come to KNOW God, you will LOVE Him. And when you come to Love Him,
you will want to SERVE Him. If you don’t want to Serve God, maybe it is because you don’t really Love Him. And if you don’t Love God, maybe it is because you don’t really know Him”
-Man-Man
Galatians 5:14 “For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
Frame: the words “entire law” and “single command”, and draw an arrow from the first frame to the second.
Underline: the command that encompasses all of God’s Law.
For those of us who cannot remember all of God’s Laws, we need only remember this one. We are to love (value, cherish, respect and honor) others as ourselves. Note that it is a variation of the Golden Rule to “do to others what you would have them do to you.” Note also that this Law can be broken not only by doing something bad, but by not doing something good! We all have a standard on how we expect others to treat us. God will hold us accountable for treating others according to that same standard!
Husband-Wife
Ephesians 5:25 “25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, (NASB)
Frame: God’s command for husbands.
Underline: God’s standard for a husband’s love for his wife.
Husbands are to love (value, cherish, respect and honor) their wives to the same extent that Christ loved the Church, having given His very life for her!
Ephesians 5:21-23 “22 Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body.”
Circle: the word that describes how husbands and wives are to treat one another “out of reverence for Christ”.
The word “submit” means to place oneself under another’s authority, not that one is inferior to another. Husbands submit to their wives by loving them.
Frame: God’s command to wives.
Underline: God’s standard for a wife’s submission to her husband.
Wives are to love (value, cherish, respect and honor) their husbands by submitting to them as “head” of the relationship, even as Christ is the “head of the church”.
Husbands and Wives do well to remember that it is God who holds each of them accountable for fulfilling their responsibility in the Relationship. God does not hold husbands accountable for making sure their wives submit to them, but husbands will be held accountable for loving their wives. God does not hold wives accountable for making sure her husband loves them, but wives will be held accountable for submitting to, and respecting, their husband’s leadership.
Parent-Child:
Deuteronomy 6:5-7 “5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. 6 These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up.
Frame: where God’s commands must reside with parents (verse 6).
Underline: when parents should impress God’s commands on their children.
Notice that providing spiritual instruction to our children is not just reserved for Sunday School. On the contrary, it is to occur every moment of the day! God’s commands ought to fall from our lips as natural as a conversation!
Ephesians 6:1-3 “6 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2 Honor your father and mother (which is the first commandment with a promise), 3 so that it may be well with you, and that you may live long on the earth.”
Frame: the ways we are to relate to our parents.
Notice God’s promise associated with the command.
Employer-Employee
Colossians 3:24 “24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward [a]of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve.”
Underline: how we are to do our work.
Circle: who we are really working for.
Scripture teaches that even our work can be an act of worship to Christ!
Colossians 4:1 “Masters, grant to your slaves justice and fairness, knowing that you too have a Master in heaven.
Underline: An employer’s responsibility to his employees.
Frame: What employers should know.
God will hold employers accountable for their fair treatment of their employees. He will hold employees accountable to work for their employers as hard as they would for Jesus Christ Himself!
In all our Relationships, what matters most is that we value and treat others as God in
Christ would, for Love, God’s Love, is the greatest of all!
“God will never ask you if you worked no matter what, but He will ask you if you loved, no matter what.”
“Touched by an Angel”
A Prayer
“Father, thank you for loving me and showing me how to love others. Help me to relate to those around me as You would. May Your Spirit make me a blessing to others, and may I fulfill your will to love others even as Christ has loved me! Amen.”
Reading Scripture in another version: John 19:23-27 New American Standard Bible (NASB)
23 Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took His outer garments and made four parts, a part to every soldier and also the tunic; now the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece. 24 So they said to one another, “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it, to decide whose it shall be”; this was to fulfill the Scripture: “They divided My outer garments among them, and for My clothing they cast lots.” 25 Therefore the soldiers did these things. But standing by the cross of Jesus were His mother, and His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus then saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby, He said to His mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” 27 Then He said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” From that hour the disciple took her into his own household.
Point of Interest: Redeemed
Questions:
1. What does Mary’s presence at the cross evoke in you?
2. How many disciples was at the feet of the cross?
3. In the scripture, which disciple was Jesus’ talking too?
4. What did Jesus means when He made this statement?
5. What is a spiritual relationship?
6. In Matthew 22:37-38, what does each of the following mean
-with all your heart?
-with all your soul?
-with all your mind?
7. Read the story of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:25-37, what is the main lesson from this story?
8. What is God’s promise associated with the commandment in Ephesians 6:1-3?
9. What matter most in our relatioships?
10. What kind of relationship Jesus demonstrated concerning His Father?concerning His Father?
Ending Prayer:
Lord Jesus, the presence of your mother at the cross engages my heart. You are no longer only the Savior dying for the sins of the world. You are also a fully human man, a son with a mother. O Lord, how can I begin to thank you for what you suffered? My words fall short. My thoughts seem superficial and vague. Nevertheless, I offer my sincere gratitude for your suffering. Thank you for bearing my sin on the cross. I give you my praise, my love, my heart . . . all that I am, because you have given me all that you are. All praise be to you, Lord Jesus, fully God and fully human, Savior of the world . . . my Savior! Amen.
Reading: Week # 3 (John 7-9)
Beginning Prayer:
Father God, as this Word goes forth, please send it straight to our hearts, so we will never forget what You did by sending Your Son Jesus to die for our sin. Bless these Words to fall on good grounds, so that all would bring forth good fruit in their season. Thank You for the opportunity to share Your Word about our Savior Jesus Christ. In Jesus’ Name, Amen!
Title: "Jesus said to his mother: "Woman, this is your son." Then he said to the disciple: "This is your mother."
Reading: John 19:23-27 (KJV) King James Version
“Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took his garments, and made four parts, to every soldier a part; and also his coat: now the coat was without seam, woven from the top throughout. 24 They said therefore among themselves, Let us not rend it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be: that the scripture might be fulfilled, which saith, They parted my raiment among them, and for my vesture they did cast lots. These things therefore the soldiers did.25 Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother, and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son! 27 Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home.”
Cross References:
Luke 2:35; Hebrews 2:11; Romans 8:15-16; Ephesians 3:15; Isaiah 63:16; John 1:12; Galatians 4:5-6
Theme: (The Passion of Christ)
Warm-up Question: What scriptures tell us about God’s love?
Goal: To love others as God love us
Our Study……..
This saying is only in one of the Gospels. As Jesus was dying, his mother was among those who had remained with him. Most of the male disciples had fled, with the exception of one whom the Fourth Gospel calls “the disciple he loved.” We can’t be exactly sure of the identity of this beloved disciple, though many interpreters believe he is John, who is also the one behind the writing of this Gospel. No matter who the beloved disciple was, it’s clear that Jesus was forging a relationship between this disciple and his mother, one in which the disciple would take care of Mary financially and in other ways. Jesus wanted to make sure she would be in good hands after his death.
The presence of Mary at the cross adds both humanity and horror to the scene. We are reminded that Jesus was a real human being, a man who had once been a boy who had once been carried in the womb of his mother. Even as he was dying on the cross as the Savior of the world, Jesus was also a son, a role he didn’t neglect in his last moments.
When we think of the crucifixion of Jesus from the perspective of his mother, our horror increases dramatically. The death of a child is one of the most painful of all parental experiences. To watch one’s beloved child experience the extreme torture of crucifixion must have been unimaginably terrible. We’re reminded of the prophecy of Simeon shortly after Jesus’ birth, when he said to Mary: “And a sword will pierce your very soul” (Luke 2:35).
This scene helps us not to glorify or spiritualize the crucifixion of Jesus. He was a real man, true flesh and blood, a son of a mother, dying with unbearable agony. His suffering was altogether real, and he took it on for you and for me.
Jesus saw his own mother, and the disciple standing near whom he loved, he said to his mother, "Woman, behold your son". Then he said to the disciple, "Behold your mother". And from that hour, he took his mother into his family.
This statement is traditionally called "The Word of Relationship" and in it Jesus entrusts Mary, his mother, into the care of "John” the disciple whom Jesus loved.
Pastor Hamilton from "24 Hours": "Jesus looked down from the cross to see his mother standing nearby. As far as we know, only one of the twelve apostles was there at the foot of the cross: "the disciple whom Jesus loved," usually identified as John. Naked and in horrible pain, he thought not of himself but was concerned for the well-being of his mother after his death. This shows Jesus' humanity and the depth of love he had for his mother and the disciple into whose care he entrusted her."
Reading Scripture in another version: John 19:23-27New International Version (NIV)
23 When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took his clothes, dividing them into four shares, one for each of them, with the undergarment remaining. This garment was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom. 24 “Let’s not tear it,” they said to one another. “Let’s decide by lot who will get it.” This happened that the scripture might be fulfilled that said, “They divided my clothes among them and cast lots for my garment.” So this is what the soldiers did. 25 Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, “Woman, here is your son,” 27 and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.
Let’s talk about relationships:
You cannot help studying God’s Word without concluding that Relationships are a high priority with God. He cares about His creatures! Love permeates His very Nature and every aspect of His Person. Indeed, Love is the cornerstone of His Will for us!
The Christian is one in whom God abides and is manifested. A major part of manifesting God in our lives is the expression of God’s Love in our relationships with others. This study looks at various Relationships and how God’s Love is expressed in each.
-Man-God
-Know God
John 17:3 “Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.”
Jesus’description of “eternal life.”
To Christ, Eternal Life meant knowing “the only true God” and His Son, Jesus Christ.
Knowing God is what gives life meaning and fulfillment.
-Love God
Matthew 22:37-38 “37 And He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the great and [a]foremost commandment. (NASB)
Christ’s command for us:
Frame: Three descriptions of the extent of our love for God.
This passage describes the “first and greatest commandment” of our Lord. It establishes the basis for the premier Relationship in our lives ~ our Relationship with God. Our obligation is to place God first and foremost in our lives!
-Serve God
Frame: The requests Jesus recites from Scripture.
Responding to Satan’s temptation to get Christ to worship him, Jesus quotes
Deuteronomy 6:13. There, we are commanded to worship and serve God only. Service to God is an expression of our Worship of Him!
Serving God must always be done in conjunction with Knowing and Loving Him. Service, by itself, is not pleasing to God (1 Corinthians 13:1-13 and Matthew 7:21-23). It only becomes pleasing when done by one who truly knows God, and done with genuine love.
“When you come to KNOW God, you will LOVE Him. And when you come to Love Him,
you will want to SERVE Him. If you don’t want to Serve God, maybe it is because you don’t really Love Him. And if you don’t Love God, maybe it is because you don’t really know Him”
-Man-Man
Galatians 5:14 “For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
Frame: the words “entire law” and “single command”, and draw an arrow from the first frame to the second.
Underline: the command that encompasses all of God’s Law.
For those of us who cannot remember all of God’s Laws, we need only remember this one. We are to love (value, cherish, respect and honor) others as ourselves. Note that it is a variation of the Golden Rule to “do to others what you would have them do to you.” Note also that this Law can be broken not only by doing something bad, but by not doing something good! We all have a standard on how we expect others to treat us. God will hold us accountable for treating others according to that same standard!
Husband-Wife
Ephesians 5:25 “25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, (NASB)
Frame: God’s command for husbands.
Underline: God’s standard for a husband’s love for his wife.
Husbands are to love (value, cherish, respect and honor) their wives to the same extent that Christ loved the Church, having given His very life for her!
Ephesians 5:21-23 “22 Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body.”
Circle: the word that describes how husbands and wives are to treat one another “out of reverence for Christ”.
The word “submit” means to place oneself under another’s authority, not that one is inferior to another. Husbands submit to their wives by loving them.
Frame: God’s command to wives.
Underline: God’s standard for a wife’s submission to her husband.
Wives are to love (value, cherish, respect and honor) their husbands by submitting to them as “head” of the relationship, even as Christ is the “head of the church”.
Husbands and Wives do well to remember that it is God who holds each of them accountable for fulfilling their responsibility in the Relationship. God does not hold husbands accountable for making sure their wives submit to them, but husbands will be held accountable for loving their wives. God does not hold wives accountable for making sure her husband loves them, but wives will be held accountable for submitting to, and respecting, their husband’s leadership.
Parent-Child:
Deuteronomy 6:5-7 “5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. 6 These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up.
Frame: where God’s commands must reside with parents (verse 6).
Underline: when parents should impress God’s commands on their children.
Notice that providing spiritual instruction to our children is not just reserved for Sunday School. On the contrary, it is to occur every moment of the day! God’s commands ought to fall from our lips as natural as a conversation!
Ephesians 6:1-3 “6 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2 Honor your father and mother (which is the first commandment with a promise), 3 so that it may be well with you, and that you may live long on the earth.”
Frame: the ways we are to relate to our parents.
Notice God’s promise associated with the command.
Employer-Employee
Colossians 3:24 “24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward [a]of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve.”
Underline: how we are to do our work.
Circle: who we are really working for.
Scripture teaches that even our work can be an act of worship to Christ!
Colossians 4:1 “Masters, grant to your slaves justice and fairness, knowing that you too have a Master in heaven.
Underline: An employer’s responsibility to his employees.
Frame: What employers should know.
God will hold employers accountable for their fair treatment of their employees. He will hold employees accountable to work for their employers as hard as they would for Jesus Christ Himself!
In all our Relationships, what matters most is that we value and treat others as God in
Christ would, for Love, God’s Love, is the greatest of all!
“God will never ask you if you worked no matter what, but He will ask you if you loved, no matter what.”
“Touched by an Angel”
A Prayer
“Father, thank you for loving me and showing me how to love others. Help me to relate to those around me as You would. May Your Spirit make me a blessing to others, and may I fulfill your will to love others even as Christ has loved me! Amen.”
Reading Scripture in another version: John 19:23-27 New American Standard Bible (NASB)
23 Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took His outer garments and made four parts, a part to every soldier and also the tunic; now the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece. 24 So they said to one another, “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it, to decide whose it shall be”; this was to fulfill the Scripture: “They divided My outer garments among them, and for My clothing they cast lots.” 25 Therefore the soldiers did these things. But standing by the cross of Jesus were His mother, and His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus then saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby, He said to His mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” 27 Then He said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” From that hour the disciple took her into his own household.
Point of Interest: Redeemed
Questions:
1. What does Mary’s presence at the cross evoke in you?
2. How many disciples was at the feet of the cross?
3. In the scripture, which disciple was Jesus’ talking too?
4. What did Jesus means when He made this statement?
5. What is a spiritual relationship?
6. In Matthew 22:37-38, what does each of the following mean
-with all your heart?
-with all your soul?
-with all your mind?
7. Read the story of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:25-37, what is the main lesson from this story?
8. What is God’s promise associated with the commandment in Ephesians 6:1-3?
9. What matter most in our relatioships?
10. What kind of relationship Jesus demonstrated concerning His Father?concerning His Father?
Ending Prayer:
Lord Jesus, the presence of your mother at the cross engages my heart. You are no longer only the Savior dying for the sins of the world. You are also a fully human man, a son with a mother. O Lord, how can I begin to thank you for what you suffered? My words fall short. My thoughts seem superficial and vague. Nevertheless, I offer my sincere gratitude for your suffering. Thank you for bearing my sin on the cross. I give you my praise, my love, my heart . . . all that I am, because you have given me all that you are. All praise be to you, Lord Jesus, fully God and fully human, Savior of the world . . . my Savior! Amen.
Reading: Week # 3 (John 7-9)
Father God, as this Word goes forth, please send it straight to our hearts, so we will never forget what You did by sending Your Son Jesus to die for our sin. Bless these Words to fall on good grounds, so that all would bring forth good fruit in their season. Thank You for the opportunity to share Your Word about our Savior Jesus Christ. In Jesus’ Name, Amen!
Luke 2:35
“Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also,) that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”
Hebrews 2:11
“For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren,”
Romans 8:15-16
“For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. 16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:”
Ephesians 3:15
“Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,”
Isaiah 63:16
“Doubtless thou art our father, though Abraham be ignorant of us, and Israel acknowledge us not: thou, O LORD, art our father, our redeemer; thy name is from everlasting.”
John 1:12
“But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:”
Galatians 4:5-6
“To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.
6 And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.”
What scriptures tell us about God’s love?
Deuteronomy 7:8
“But because the LORD loved you, and because he would keep the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers, hath the LORD brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondmen, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.”
Jeremiah 31:3
“The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.”
John 3:16
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
John 16:27
“For the Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God.”
Romans 5:8
“But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
Ephesians 2:4-5
“But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, 5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)”
I John 3:1
“Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.”
I John 4:9, 16
“In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.” “And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.”
As said in 1 Corinthians 13 Living Bible (TLB)
13 If I had the gift of being able to speak in other languages without learning them and could speak in every language there is in all of heaven and earth, but didn’t love others, I would only be making noise. 2 If I had the gift of prophecy and knew all about what is going to happen in the future, knew everything about everything, but didn’t love others, what good would it do? Even if I had the gift of faith so that I could speak to a mountain and make it move, I would still be worth nothing at all without love. 3 If I gave everything I have to poor people, and if I were burned alive for preaching the Gospel but didn’t love others, it would be of no value whatever.
4 Love is very patient and kind, never jealous or envious, never boastful or proud, 5 never haughty or selfish or rude. Love does not demand its own way. It is not irritable or touchy. It does not hold grudges and will hardly even notice when others do it wrong. 6 It is never glad about injustice, but rejoices whenever truth wins out. 7 If you love someone, you will be loyal to him no matter what the cost. You will always believe in him, always expect the best of him, and always stand your ground in defending him.
8 All the special gifts and powers from God will someday come to an end, but love goes on forever. Someday prophecy and speaking in unknown languages and special knowledge—these gifts will disappear. 9 Now we know so little, even with our special gifts, and the preaching of those most gifted is still so poor. 10 But when we have been made perfect and complete, then the need for these inadequate special gifts will come to an end, and they will disappear.
11 It’s like this: when I was a child I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child does. But when I became a man my thoughts grew far beyond those of my childhood, and now I have put away the childish things. 12 In the same way, we can see and understand only a little about God now, as if we were peering at his reflection in a poor mirror; but someday we are going to see him in his completeness, face-to-face. Now all that I know is hazy and blurred, but then I will see everything clearly, just as clearly as God sees into my heart right now. 13 There are three things that remain—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.
And we must remember what (I John 4:18-21) says “18 We need have no fear of someone who loves us perfectly; his perfect love for us eliminates all dread of what he might do to us. If we are afraid, it is for fear of what he might do to us and shows that we are not fully convinced that he really loves us. 19 So you see, our love for him comes as a result of his loving us first. 20 If anyone says “I love God,” but keeps on hating his brother, he is a liar; for if he doesn’t love his brother who is right there in front of him, how can he love God whom he has never seen? 21 And God himself has said that one must love not only God but his brother too.”
Everyone is in need of redemption. Our natural condition was characterized by guilt: “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Christ’s redemption has freed us from guilt, being “justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:24).
The benefits of redemption include eternal life (Revelation 5:9-10), forgiveness of sins ( (Ephesians 1:7), righteousness (Romans 5:17), freedom from the law’s curse (Galatians 3:13), adoption into God’s family (Galatians 4:5), deliverance from sin’s bondage (Titus 2:14; 1 Peter 1:14-18), peace with God (Colossians 1:18-20), and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). To be redeemed, then, is to be forgiven, holy, justified, free, adopted, and reconciled. See also (Psalm 130:7-8; Luke 2:38; and Acts 20:28).
The word redeem means “to buy out.” The term was used specifically in reference to the purchase of a slave’s freedom. The application of this term to Christ’s death on the cross is quite telling. If we are “redeemed,” then our prior condition was one of slavery. God has purchased our freedom, and we are no longer in bondage to sin or to the Old Testament law. This metaphorical use of “redemption” is the teaching of (Galatians 3:13 and 4:5).
Related to the Christian concept of redemption is the word ransom. Jesus paid the price for our release from sin and its consequences (Matthew 20:28; 1 Timothy 2:6). His death was in exchange for our life. In fact, Scripture is quite clear that redemption is only possible “through His blood,” that is, by His death (Colossians 1:14).
The streets of heaven will be filled with former captives who, through no merit of their own, find themselves redeemed, forgiven, and free. Slaves to sin have become saints. No wonder we will sing a new song—a song of praise to the Redeemer who was slain (Revelations 5:9). We were slaves to sin, condemned to eternal separation from God. Jesus paid the price to redeem us, resulting in our freedom from slavery to sin and our rescue from the eternal consequences of that sin.
There is a spiritual relationship, and a natural relationship:
Let us consider the scriptures in 1 Corinthians 11:3, “But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God.” There are those who teach that this is a hierarchy of relationships, viz., 1) God, 2) Christ, 3) Men, 4) Women. But you will notice that this is not accurate. It is not “men” and “women.” It is “the man” and “the woman,” singular for each gender. A man to a woman. It is the married relationship, and it is a ranking of a man and a woman. They are separate and individual, but they are also one. God and Christ are separate, but they are also one. In the days of His flesh and until the end of all things, Christ is subject to God (1 Corinthians 15:28). In the marriage relationship, a woman is subject to a man until the marriage union is dissolved by death (1 Corinthians 7:39).
In the marriage relationship, the woman is required to be in subjection to the man. In the relationship of all the saved to each other, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.
We are a spiritual family. We are sisters and brothers in God through the Lord Jesus Christ. We were born into a natural family, then we were born-again into a spiritual family through Jesus’ death, burier, and resurrection by faith. (John 6:26-29, 32-35, 48-51, 58; Mark 14:22; Revelation 19:9). Christians are the spiritual Israel by faith, and the Jews are the natural Israel that God recognize, and call to holiness unto Him.
Jesus’ relationship with His mother and His beloved disciple was so important to Him, He made sure they were provided for, even while He was dying for them. Relationship is important to God, especially ours with Him.
The garden at Gethsemane, a place whose name literally means “oil press,” is located on a slope of the Mount of Olives just across the Kidron Valley from Jerusalem. A garden of ancient olive trees stands there to this day. Jesus frequently went to Gethsemane with His disciples to pray (John 18:2). The most famous events at Gethsemane occurred on the night before His crucifixion when Jesus was betrayed. Each of the Gospel writers describes the events of that night with slight variations, so reading the four accounts (Matthew 26:36-56, Mark 14:32-52, Luke 22:40-53 and John 18:1-11) will give an accurate picture of that momentous night in its entirety.
As the evening began, after Jesus and His disciples had celebrated the Passover, they came to the garden. At some point, Jesus took three of them—Peter, James and John— to a place separated from the rest. Here Jesus asked them to watch with Him and pray so they would not fall into temptation (Matthew 26:41), but they fell asleep. Twice, Jesus had to wake them and remind them to pray so that they would not fall into temptation. This was especially poignant because Peter did indeed fall into temptation later that very night when three times he denied even knowing Jesus. Jesus moved a little way from the three men to pray, and twice He asked His Father to remove the cup of wrath He was about to drink, but each time He submitted to the Father’s will. He was “exceedingly sorrowful unto death,” but God sent an angel from heaven to strengthen Him (Luke 22:43).
What really happened in the Garden of Gethsemane?
First, the suffering of Jesus was not only his humanity struggling with the physical agonies of the cross, but Jesus’ deity and humanity inseparably coming to grips with the awesome agony of Calvary. It is not Jesus’ humanity which dominates this text, but the disciples’ humanity. It is His deity and humanity dying for man that is in focus. It is supernatural suffering that is in view here.
Second, the measure of Christ’s agony in Gethsemane is the measure of man’s sinfulness and of its disastrous and painful consequences. We read the words, “the wages of sin is death,” but these words take on a vastly deeper and more personal meaning in the light of Gethsemane.
Third, the measure of Christ’s agony in Gethsemane is the measure of the suffering which Christ endured in bearing the wrath of God toward sinners at Calvary. The immensity of Christ’s agony in the Garden of Gethsemane is in direct proportion to the agony which unsaved men and women will face in hell, when they drink of the “cup” of God’s wrath. The doctrine of propitiation focuses on this area, stressing the fact that Jesus bore the wrath of God on the cross, satisfying His righteous anger, so that men might have peace with God.
Fourth, the measure of Christ’s agony at Gethsemane is the measure of the love of God for sinners, which caused Him to die that we might live. The songwriter put it well when he wrote, “What wondrous love is this … ?” It is, indeed, amazing love which caused the Son of God to voluntarily pursue the path of pain which led to the cross. If you are troubled by the thought of an angry God and of hell, do not forget that this same God bore His own wrath for sinners. Those who will suffer the torment of hell will do so only because they have chosen to reject the love of God which brought about salvation on the cross for all who would receive it.
Fifth, this text makes it clear that what Jesus did for the salvation of men, He did alone. The disciples did not understand what Jesus was doing. They tried to resist it when it began to take place, by drawing the sword. They did not watch and pray with the Savior. They did not bear Him up in His hour of grief. Jesus suffered and died alone, unaided by men, even the closest of His followers. What Christ did, He did in spite of men, not because of them.
Sixth, the suffering of our Lord is the test, the standard, for all suffering. Let those who think they have suffered for God place their suffering alongside His, as described here. The writer to the Hebrews reminded his readers that they had not yet suffered to the shedding of blood (Hebrews 12:4). But whose suffering will ever begin to approximate His? The best that we can do in our suffering is to gain some sense of fellowship with Christ and His suffering, some minutely small sense of what He underwent for us (cf. Philippians 3:10). His suffering should surely silence our complaints of giving up much for Him.
Finally, we are reminded of the tremendous power of prayer. Prayer, in this text, did not deliver our Lord from suffering, but it did deliver Him through it. So often we pray that God might get us out of adversity, rather than through it. Prayer is one of God’s primary provisions for our endurance and perseverance! His words to His disciples apply to us as well: “Pray that you will not fall into temptation.”
1. What does Mary’s presence at the cross evoke in you?
God’s love in her for His children everywhere as her love for her son. It encourage me to love my children as well. His suffering was altogether real, and he took it on for you and for me.
2. How many disciples was at the feet of the cross?
As recorded, it was only one (the Beloved disciple John).
3. In the scripture, which disciple was Jesus’ talking too?
That disciple was John
4. What did Jesus means when He made this statement?
I believe He was making sure His mother was provided for, and He knew this disciple was close to her too, as he was to Him.
5. What is a spiritual relationship?
This relationship is totally about things in the spirit-realm. Its our relationship with God as our Father, and we as sisters and brothers in the Lord Jesus Christ is spiritual too. There is a natural realm and a spiritual realm, and a natural world and a spiritual world.
6. In Matthew 22:37-38, what does each of the following mean
-with all your heart?
-with all your soul?
-with all your mind?
Not just with your mind, but with your spiritual heart and your soul, with everything within you. Everything that concerns you must be yielded to God. We must love God with all our being.
7. Read the story of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:25-37, what is the main lesson from this story?
It means to love your neighbor as yourself, respect everyone, reach out to everyone. Brotherly love to be shared with everyone we meet. We must show human compassion, and sympathy to all people, not just to family members, or church members.
8. What is God’s promise associated with the commandment in Ephesians 6:1-3?
“Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2 HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER (which is the first commandment with a promise), 3 SO THAT IT MAY BE WELL WITH YOU, AND THAT YOU MAY LIVE LONG ON THE EARTH.” (Obedient, honor, So that we may live a long life on this earth).
9. What matter most in our relationships?
It matter must that we value and treat others as God and Christ would in love, because God’s love is the greatest of all love.
10. What kind of relationship Jesus demonstrated concerning His Father? BEC
Because of their relationship for the beginning, Jesus demonstrated loyalty to His Father in Heaven. He fully trust, and committed Himself to the Father’s plan. He obeyed His Father. Even when He was dying on the cross, He still trusted His Father. The flesh cried out, but His soul and spirit was committed to finish the work the Father sent Him to do. He also demonstrated that God was His Heavenly Father, and not just His earthly Father.
I have finished my reading my weekly scripture reading of the book of John 7-9. I really enjoyed reading these chapters.
Ending Prayer:
Lord Jesus, the presence of your mother at the cross engages my heart. You are no longer only the Savior dying for the sins of the world. You are also a fully human man, a son with a mother. O Lord, how can I begin to thank you for what you suffered? My words fall short. My thoughts seem superficial and vague. Nevertheless, I offer my sincere gratitude for your suffering. Thank you for bearing my sin on the cross. I give you my praise, my love, my heart . . . all that I am, because you have given me all that you are. All praise be to you, Lord Jesus, fully God and fully human, Savior of the world . . . my Savior! Amen.