Author: Norm

SCRIPTURE: John 18 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place.” [John 18:26] “You are a king, then!” said Pilate. Jesus answered, “You are right in saying I am a king. In fact,…

SCRIPTURE: John 17 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name–the name you gave me–so that they may be one as we are one. [John 17:11] When Lazarus died, and Jesus wept, people…

SCRIPTURE: John 16 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy. [John 16:20] Jesus is warning them about how hard things will get for them. He alludes to His coming crucifixion when they will no longer see Him, and then…

SCRIPTURE: John 15 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. [John 15:12] If someone were to ask me to summarize the message of Jesus, I would point to this verse. This verse stresses God’s radical love for us (how we are forgiven and set free), but also our radical love for…

SCRIPTURE: John 14 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me. [John 14:11] Jesus is “God with us”; Jesus is also “us with God”. When we look at Jesus, we see God’s heart, God’s truth, God’s love in action. What he values, what He practices, what He…

SCRIPTURE: John 13 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love. [John 13:1] Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; so he got up from the meal, took…

SCRIPTURE: John 12 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: So the Pharisees said to one another, “See, this is getting us nowhere. Look how the whole world has gone after him!” [John 12:19] This whole chapter is about how people respond to Jesus. Mary believes in Jesus, and offers a huge gift of love to Him; Judas believes in himself and money…

SCRIPTURE: John 11 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: “Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.” [John 11:21-22] What a bold statement; even after four days Martha is still convinced that Jesus could raise Lazarus with God’s help. To believe…