Category: John (Gospel)

References to the Gospel of John

The Lamb's Progression of Power

R. Mangold

Throughout scripture the lamb has seen a progression of power becoming a central figure in the cleansing, redemption, and even protection of God’s people. Consider the following passages…

Lamb for a Man

Genesis 4:4 “And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering…”

Lamb for a Family

Exodus 12:21 “Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel, and said unto them, Draw out and take you a lamb according to your families, and kill the passover.”

Lamb for a Nation

Exodus 49:21  “And the other lamb thou shalt offer at even, and shalt do thereto according to the meat offering of the morning, and according to the drink offering thereof, for a sweet savour, an offering made by fire unto the LORD. 42This shall be a continual burnt offering throughout your generations at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the LORD: where I will meet you, to speak there unto thee.”

Lamb for the World

John 1:29 “The next day John saw Jesus coming unto him, and said, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.”

I Peter 1:18 – 20 “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; 19But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: 20Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you.”

The Lamb is no longer a meek and timid creature which silently succumbs to an innocent death – rather Christ is as Revelation 5:11 reveals, “And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honor, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb forever and ever.”

NOTE: A short word about the above remarks – This topic was derived from my Pastor, Stephen Trachsel, Sr. If some or all of this has been preached elsewhere I make no claims as to being the originator. If after reading this you know its true source please comment and I will ensure the author gets the proper credit.  Lastly, this post does exceed my 200 word limitation, the exception being it does so with scripture rather than my own words.

“Serminutes” – Sermon in a Minute.  One Minute Spiritual Sermonettes and Sermon Ideas  for Busy Christians, Pastors, Teachers, and Bible Students!  Visit our ABOUT PAGE  for details on what exactly that is. Thank you for visiting today! May the Lord richly bless you.  Rev. RD Mangold

Fixated on the Quick Fix

R. Mangold

A “Quick Fix” is any activity, even if legitimate, that avoids a real solution to a problem or challenge; always looking for the easy way out.  We don’t want to face the hard work associated with learning or gaining experience from facing challenges and dealing with dilemmas. After all, that would take real courage, and who has time for that?

Quick fixes come in many shapes and sizes. There are the scams for getting rich, losing weight, gaining strength, and saving time and money. Ironically, we spend millions each year for quick fixes, and were we able to calculate these figures, one could suggest, we may be spending more on quick fixes than actual solutions? In other words, do we spend more on Band-aids than we do on the cure?

Spiritually, quick fixes lead to counterfeit Christianity – Christian “characteristics” vs. the Christ-like Character. We feebly imitate something we cannot duplicate. Growth, integrity, and experience with God are constants. There is no substitute for any of these elements. You can’t buy them or bypass them. Inevitably, we must all measure up to the Gold Standard – God’s Word. There is no shortcut…anything short of the proper way; Jesus said is a “thief and a robber.” John 10:1

“Serminutes” – Sermon in a Minute. A one minute spiritual pick-me-up for busy Christians!  Visit this POST for details on what exactly that is. Thank you for visiting today! May the Lord richly bless you. Rodger Mangold

From Pain to Peace

R. Mangold

Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. John 14:27

Biologically, pain is an indicator there is something wrong in the human physiology. Nerves sense pain and send those signals to the brain to warn us to “be careful;” that action, or set of actions, is painful, so don’t do it again! But, emotionally, what’s the function of pain? We’d almost welcome a wound that could take a few stitches and a band-aid to heal, but emotionally there’s no such comfort. Emotionally we can take years to heal from a painful experience…if we heal at all.

Pain may not be optional, but the suffering is. Our goal, after the initial shock of pain, is to understand its source. Thankfully, when it comes to God, you’re not alone when in pain.

  • Jesus said He would not leave us comfortless. (John 4:18)
  • Jesus said He was sent to heal the broken-hearted (Luke 4:18)
  • God said He was near to the broken-hearted (Psalm 34:18)

Yes, we need the love and support of our brothers and sisters, but knowing you have God’s undivided attention during your most emotionally painful moments, can bring you peace, which passes all understanding and shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:7).

“Serminutes” – Sermon in a Minute. A one minute spiritual pick-me-up for busy Christians!  Visit this POST for details on what exactly that is. Thank you for visiting today! May the Lord richly bless you. Rodger Mangold

Study Not to be Noisy or Nosy

R. Mangold

And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD. Joshua 24:15

“What about him,” asked Peter as he motioned to John (the disciple whom Jesus loved).

“What is it to you if I allow him to live until I return? Just follow me,” replied Jesus. (John 21)

At times we have an innate propensity to “concern” ourselves with someone else’s situation, especially if we feel they have an advantage over us. Peter even tried it with Jesus. The disciples surely must have questioned why it was that John seemed to be Jesus’ “favorite?” See a related Serminute entitled, “God’s Heartbeat” for an illustration of one such account. 

Joshua on the other hand said it well when he stated, “as for me…” He left the choosing to the people. When it comes to committing, it would do us well to have an “As-For-Me” mentality. Yes, be prayerfully and genuinely concerned for your brother and sister, but when it comes to commitment, the only one you can truly vouch for is you. Paul admonished the Thessalonians not to be noisy…or nosy, saying, “study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you.” 

The next time you find yourself questioning the integrity, commitment, and loyalty of a fellow servant of God, be reminded of Jesus’ words, “What is it to you?”

“Serminutes” – Sermon in a Minute. A one minute spiritual pick-me-up for busy Christians! Visit this POST for details on what exactly that is. Thank you for visiting today! May the Lord richly bless you. Rodger Mangold

God of the Leftovers

R. Mangold

Therefore they gathered them together, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which remained over and above to them that had eaten. John 6:13

We live in a wasteful and disposable society. When we’re done with it, we toss it. Not so with Jesus. He told the disciples to gather up the fragments of this miracle of feeding the 5000. Doesn’t it sound strange that God, manifested in the flesh, who could fully create more of anything he wanted, is concerned about fragments?

I like to think Christ was concerned about gathering the 12 baskets of fragments because He wanted us to be concerned with the leftovers, the pieces nobody else wanted. Society is full of fragments of people whose hearts are hurting and looking for compassion. They feel they’re the leftovers or the parts no one else wants. The Greek woman told Jesus she was willing to settle for the fragments, or crumbs from the Master’s table; she knew even in the fragments, there was life; every morsel invaluable!

Don’t ignore the fragments – they’re important to God and they should be important to the very people who at one time were fragments themselves.

“Serminutes” – Sermon in a Minute. A one minute spiritual pick-me-up for busy Christians!  Visit this POST for details on what exactly that is. Thank you for visiting today! May the Lord richly bless you. Rodger Mangold

"Mom, You're Gonna Be Alright!"

R. Mangold

When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son! Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home. John 19:26 – 27

On this Mother’s Day, and every day, it would behoove sons and daughters everywhere to set aside the tanked economy, the war on terror, the latest political scandals, the rising gas prices, and the sheer stress of life, to ensure the women who are responsible for our births into this world are acknowledged, thanked, and appreciated for their selfless sacrifice and dedication. In this passage it’s as if Jesus was saying, “Mom, you’re gonna be alright.” If Jesus took the time while carrying the weight of the world’s salvation on his battered shoulders to entrust the care of his mother to one of his most trusted disciples, surely we could take the time to daily entrust the care of our mothers to our Heavenly Father through prayer, love, and support. May all our lives as sons and daughters pay fitting tribute to the precious lady we call, “Mom.”

CONVINCED!

R. Mangold

John 6:68 Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.

69 And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God.

It is NOT enough to believe Truth; we must believe it enough to LIVE IT!

Peter said, We believe AND ARE SURE…We’re CONVINCED that you’ve got it!  And we won’t find it ANYWHERE ELSE!  Whether I understand or I don’t understand! I’M CONVINCED!

When people can walk away from Jesus, for whatever reason…they testify by their going they were NEVER truly CONVINCED that Jesus has the words to eternal life.

By Guest Author Rev. James Willoughby is an Evangelist and Bible Teacher, as well as a published author. His teaching ministry, Focal Points carries him into many different venues. Emphasizing…discipleship training, small group development, structures and strategies for leadership, and ministry mentoring for young men and women. His evangelistic ministry has been blessed of God with great anointing, and powerful demonstration of the Spirit in healings and miracles as he ministers the Word of Faith. View all posts by jswilloughby →

“Serminutes” – Sermon in a Minute. A one minute spiritual pick-me-up for busy Christians!  Visit this POST for details on what exactly that is. Thank you for visiting today! May the Lord richly bless you. Rodger Mangold

God's Heartbeat

R. Mangold

Tonight, as we sat at supper with Jesus, tensions ran high. I had this compelling urge to stay as close to Him as I could. Perhaps to the envy of the other 11, I laid my head on Jesus’ chest. Within our Messiah, God robed in flesh, I felt the beat a human heart! Yet, it beat with much more authority than mine; there was a pure resolve as if He were on a mission to save the whole world. Bold and resolute, His heart beat with compassionate overtures of mercy and love. My heart’s desire is for HIS heartbeat to become mine, HIS passion, my passion, and HIS mission, my mission. John – The Disciple Whom Jesus Loved

NOTE: Of course I paraphrased here, but I’m fascinated by the notion that John actually laid his head against Jesus’ chest. What a powerful portrait, to be that close to feel Christ’s heartbeat. Is it any wonder John’s called the “Disciple Whom Jesus Loved?”

“Serminutes” – Sermon in a Minute. A one minute spiritual pick-me-up for busy Christians!  Visit this POST for details on what exactly that is. Thank you for visiting today! May the Lord richly bless you. Rodger Mangold