TABLETALK - March 2018

I continue in my daily studies to be guided by Tabletalk magazine. 2018 was a study on the Gospel of John and its straightforward presentation of the person and work of Christ, the work of the Holy Spirit, and other doctrines. 

• January 2018 (July 4, 2023 - July 23, 2023) John 1:1-2:22 - The preexistence of Christ, the ministry of John the Baptist and the person of Christ. 
• February 2018 (July 24, 2023 - August 10, 2023) John 2:23 - 3:36 - Regeneration and our need to believe in Christ for Salvation
• March 2018 (August 13, 2023 - September 30, 2023) John 4:1 - 5:29 - Christ is the incarnate Son of God

Chapter 4

Jesus Meets a Woman in Samaria - Jesus encounters a Samarian woman at the well, an outcast by many Jews simply because of her ancestry, and Jesus asks her for a drink. Eternally Satisfying Water - Jesus lets the Samaritan woman know that living water is eternal life and for her to receive she must ask. Debating Theology with Jesus - The woman's sin of being with a man not her husband is exposed by Jesus and Jesus points to her a time when worship will be different and salvation from the Jews. How God Must Be Worshiped - True worship is not at a building though this is not bad, but true worship is God's Spirit speaking to our spirit and walking in the truth of the will of God and His nature. Meeting the Messiah - The Samaritan woman knows the Messiah will be coming and Jesus states that He is the Messiah.  The Samaritan Woman Bears Witness to Jesus - After the Samaritan woman has an encounter with Jesus, she goes back to tell others and they come out to see Jesus. The Food that Sustained Jesus - The greatest delight (real food) of Jesus is to do the will of God who sent Him and complete-accomplish-perfect that work. The Work of Sowing and Reaping - The one who sows and the one who reaps bears fruit, and the harvest is ripe, for seeing many arrive to life eternal. The Savior of the World - Many Samaritans put their faith in Jesus and they proclaimed Jesus Savior of the World. Ministry in Galilee - There are those that reject Jesus, but in Galilee a royal official asks Jesus to heal his dying son and believes Jesus that He has healed his son even prior to see the results. 

Chapter 5

Healing at Bethesda - Jesus picks a man out from the crowd at the pools of Bethesda in Jerusalem and heals the man, allowing him to get up and walk. The Lame Man's Greater Need - Jesus tells the lame man, after he has healed him, that still his greatest problem remains - sin and how the man responds to it. The Father and the Son's Sabbath Labor - Jesus is accused by the Jews (Pharisees) of being equal with his Father (God) by doing something only He can do - do work and heal someone on the Sabbath. Father and Son Together - Every work of God is from the Father, through the Son, in the Holy Spirit. Life from Father and Son - The Father has life in himself while the Son has life in himself which the Father gave him. This eternal life given to those in the light results in deeds of righteousness and one day all of our deeds will be judged ultimately resulting in eternal life or judgement. 

Who is My Neighbor and Why Should I Love Him - David Owen Filson (Pastor of teaching at Christ Presbyterian Church in Nashville, TN) 

Loving Ourselves - Deepak Reju (Pastor of biblical counseling and family ministry at Capital Hill Baptist Church in Washington, DC) 

Loving our Family - Joel R. Beeke (President of Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary and pastor of Heritage Netherlands Reformed Congregation in Grand Rapids, Michigan) 

Loving the Church - Jonathan Leeman (Editorial director of 9Marks and an elder at Cheverly Baptist Church in Washington, DC)

Loving our Communities - David S. Apple (Director of Mercy ministries at Tenth Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia) 

Loving the Unlovely - Dan Matsche (Prison chaplain with Good News Jail and Prison Ministry) 

Christ and the Love of Neighbor - JR Vassar (Lead pastor of Church at the Cross in Grapevine, Texas) 

The Patience of Job - Dr. James L. Harvey III - 

And They Followed Jesus - Steffen Mueller 

The Courage of Holy Conviction - Jon D. Payne

The Suffering in Sacrifice - Rebecca VanDoodewaard - Question: Is it wrong to suffer or weep over a mate who is departing home to preach the gospel? Case in point: Christ in the garden of Gethsemane, pouring his Heart to the Father on the eve of making sacrifice on the cross. Despite doing a work agreed upon at the beginning of time, it is not easy work. Jesus has sorrow and states, "“My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will” (John 17:39) When called to sacrifice, there may be suffering with it. We can honestly take this to God. Giving can be painful. But we still have a greater longing for God's will - Thy Kingdom come. We love even when it hurts. 

Processed Religion - Kevin D. Gardner (Associate editor of Tabletalk magazine, resident adjunct instructor of Reformation Bible College) 

The Slow Burn of Bitterness - Nancy Guthrie (Author, teacher, and conference speaker; she and her husband, David, host Respite Retreats for couples who have faced the death of a child)

Resisting the Spirit of the Age - Matthew P.W. Roberts (Minister of Trinity Church in York, England)