©1995 "Yes Lord" Ministries

Hi There,
What you are looking at is a fresh and exciting approach to Bible Study known as an Interactive Bible Study!

It is called an Interactive Study because you do not just passively sit and read, but you become actively involved by interacting with and responding to what you are reading. Because of this interaction, you will learn and remember much more than if you had just read and you will retain what you learned for a longer period of time. And it is also fun to study God´s Word in this way.

We are excited about this method of studying God´s Word and invite you to participate in this Interactive Bible Study of the Gospel of John

Listed below are the things that you will need for this study.

1. Your Bible (or the text of the Gospel of John.) (If you do not have a copy of JOHN, you can download it from Bible Gateway on the Internet. It is available there in several popular versions such as KJV, NIV, Darby, Young, and NAS).

2. These pages with the Interactive assignments.

3. A pen or pencil to answer the questions.

4. Some colored pencils or crayons or ball point pens. If you are going to be marking in your Bible, you probably should not use a ball point pen as it will bleed through the pages over time.

That is it! That is all you will need. So assemble your supplies and let´s get started!

Your first assignment, should you choose to accept it, is to read the entire Gospel of John, and as you read, mark

1. Every reference to JESUS with a blue Cross.
Mark not only the name 'Jesus' but also every reference to Him such as he, his, him, Lord, master, Christ or any other word which is used in place of the actual name 'Jesus'. You can do this by drawing a BLUE cross on the word, Jesus, or any word used in place of his name.

2. Every reference to GOD (THE FATHER) with a blueTriangle
Mark words such as he, his, Lord, etc.or any other word which is used in place of the actual name of God (The Father) by drawing a BLUE triangle on the word God and all words used in place of the word, God.

3. Every reference to the HOLY SPIRIT with a blue dove.

Be sure to include all words such as he, him, his, and any other words which are used in place of the actual name. You can draw either a very artistic looking bird, if you have artistic talent. But, if you are like most of us, you can just draw a little stick figure type drawing that looks kinda like a seagull in flight (you know, kinda a curved V appearance).

By way of illustration, let me show you how to DO this assignment of marking the words. I would love to put the symbols on the words, but since I have not yet figured out how to do this on this internet version, how about this as a substitute?! In the following passages (John 1:1-3 and 1:29-34), I will mark

• every JESUS word by changing it to BOLD LARGE LETTERS,

• every GOD THE FATHER word will be in LARGE LETTERS and

• every word used for the HOLY SPIRIT, will be in BOLD ITALICS.

In the beginning was the WORD and the WORD was with GOD, and the WORD was GOD. HE was with GOD in the beginning. Through HIM all things were made; without HIM nothing was made that has been made.

The next day, John saw JESUS coming toward him, and said: "Look, the LAMB of GOD, WHO takes away the sin of the world. This is the ONE I (John) meant when I (John) said, "A MAN WHO comes after me has surpassed me because HE was before me." I (John) myself did not know HIM, but the reason I (John) came baptizing with water was that HE might be revealed to Israel." Then John gave this testimony: "I (John) saw the SPIRIT come down from heaven as a DOVE and remain on HIM." I (John) would not have known HIM, except that the ONE WHO sent me to baptize with water told me, "The MAN on WHOM you see the SPIRIT come down and remain is HE WHO will baptize with the HOLY SPIRIT." I (John) have seen and I (John) testify that this is the SON of GOD.

Do this and all of the assignments at your own pace -- Also, if you want to use another color or symbol from the ones suggested, you may do so. These are just suggestions.

Ok -- you have your assignment so stop now and read the Gospel of John as you read, mark the words JESUS, GOD (the Father), and HOLY SPIRIT as well as all the words that are used in place of those words.

Great! I see that you have finished. So, now that you have read the Gospel of John and marked every reference to Jesus Christ, God The Father, and the Holy Spirit, answer the following questions:

? Who of these Three is talked about the most? __________________________

? According to John, Who is Jesus Christ? (Hint: read John 1:1-5 & 20:31)
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? How is Jesus Described in the first sentence of the Gospel? (Hint: read John 1:1)
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? What did John Say that Jesus DID (concerning making things) ? (Hint: read 1:3)
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? What did these THINGS include? List some of the things that Jesus made based on what John 1:3 says.
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Yes, you are correct! Jesus created (made) everything. This would include such things as the world, universe, stars, trees, animals, birds, etc. etc. etc. EVERYTHING. Hmmmmm. .

? Besides being described as THE WORD, what other phrases or words or terms were used to describe or identify JESUS? (Read the following passages and, in the space provided, give the term or phrase used in each passage. I will do the first 4 for you as an illustration. This is not an exhaustive list. So, if you find some more descriptive terms or phrases, you may add them to this list.)

1:1 The Word
1:1 God
1:3 The light of man
1:7 the light
1:9
1:14
1:23
1:29 & 1:35
1:34
1:38 & 3:2
1:41
3:13-14
3:16
3:19-21
3:31
3:35
4:1
4:13
4:19 & 43
4:25-26
4:42
5:18
6:33
6:35, 48
6:41
6:51
6:57
7:12
7:28
8:58
9:5
9:35
10:7,9
10:11,14
10:24-26
10:33
10:36
11:21
11:25
11:27
11:28
12:13
12:15
12:23
12:35, 46
12:47
13:13
14:6
15:1
18:1
18:37
19:7
19:19
20:28
20:31
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Whew! Pretty awesome! WOW!

? What was Jesus' Nationality (Race)? (Hint: read 4:9) _______________________

? What did Jesus DO during His 3 Year ministry? Wait! Don´t answer this question yet! Hold your thoughts! I just wanted you to know where we are going next. So, before you answer this question, first ask yourself,
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Did Jesus DO any MIRACLES (signs, miraculous signs) ?

Yes, you are correct ! Jesus DID many miracles. In fact, in the Gospel of John, there are recorded several (at least 8) of the many miracles which Jesus did during His 3 years of ministry.

In the other gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) even more miracles are recorded. Unfortunately we do not have time, in this brief study, to read about those other miracles, but we can read about the Miracles and other supernatural events which are reported in the Gospel of John.

And, yes, you guessed it! It is time for another assignment. We are going to read the Gospel of John again, this time looking specifically for any and all miracles (or signs or miraculous signs) or any supernatural things or events or references to these which Jesus did. This is going to be a 3 part assignment, so read what you are to do before you dive in.

1. As you read, mark each occurrence of the word miracle, sign, miraculous signs or any word which is used in place of those terms with a big RED EXCLAMATION POINT. (Or a color of your choice)

2. Also, whenever a miracle is specifically named, described, or alluded to, underline in RED the events which occurred in that miracle. (Or a color of your choice)

3. Finally, put a note in the margin of the text that names, summarizes, or describes the miracle. Write this note in RED (or a color of your choice).

For example, in Chapter 6 there are at least 3 miracles described for us. So using part of this passage, let me illustrate how you can do this assignment by showing you two of the miracles and how I marked and summarized them. Instead of underlining, I will indicate the miracle by making the text BOLD where I underlined in my Bible.

Some time after this, Jesus crossed to the far shore of the Sea of Galilee (that is, the Sea of Tiberias),2. and a great crowd of people followed him because they saw the miraculous signs he had performed on the sick. Then Jesus went up on a mountainside and sat down with his disciples. The Jewish Passover Feast was near. When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat? He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do. Philip answered him, Eight months´ wages would not buy enough bread for each one to have a bite! Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter s brother, spoke up, 9. Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many? Jesus said, Have the people sit down. There was plenty of grass in that place, and the men sat down, about five thousand of them. 11. Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish. When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted. So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten. After the people saw the miraculous sign that Jesus did, they began to say, surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.

Ok, you can see that the first miracle in this passage was in verse 2 and I underlined the words that you see as BOLD in this text. In the margin by that verse, I wrote "JESUS HEALS THE SICK". The words which I marked in verse 2 with the big RED exclamation points were MIRACULOUS and SIGNS

The second miracle in this passage was described in verses 11 through 13, so I underlined all that you see in BOLD in the text. Then, in the margin, by those verses, I wrote "JESUS FEEDS THE 5000" and the words that I put the big RED exclamation points on were in verse 13. So, I put exclamation points on the words MIRACULOUS and SIGNS in verse 13.

Well, that is your 'example' of how to mark the Miracles. So, stop now and do your assignment of reading the Gospel of John and marking the miracles.
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Super, I see that you have finished!

And, now to summarize what you discovered, in the space below, list at least 8 of the miracles and give a summary statement for each. I have provided the scripture references for the locations of the ones I found and my summary description of the first one as an example of how to do this..

1.....2:1-11.........Jesus turns the water into wine

2.... 4:46-54

3.... 5:1-9

4.....6:5-13

5.....6:19-21

6.....9:1-41

7....11:1-44

8....21:1-11
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Great! I see you have finished again! And, I assume the miracles you recorded included not only Jesus turning water into wine, but also these events: healing the official´s son at Capernaum, healing the sick man at the pool of Bethesda, feeding the 5000, walking on water, healing a man born blind, raising Lazarus from the dead, and the miraculous catch of fish.

But these are not all of the miracles that Jesus did. If you combine these with the ones also recorded in the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, there are 35 or more and, furthermore, we are told in John 21:25 that many more were done but not recorded.

WOW !

So, now that you have looked at the miracles recorded in the Gospel of John, answer the following questions:

? Why did Jesus DO these miracles? __________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________

? What did Jesus intend to PROVE by doing the miracles? _________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
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? There is a place (verse or verses) in John which tells why these miracles were recorded in this book? See if you can find it, and when you do, write it here: _________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________

Well, how did you do? Did you find the passage in John 20:30-31 which tells why Jesus did these miracles and why John recorded them for us? You did! Super! You actually found the KEY verses of the book! You found the PURPOSE, the WHY that John wrote this book. Great!
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But, let s continue on. There are still a few more things we need to think about before we bring this study to a close.

? Did John the Baptist believe that Jesus was the Son of God?..............YES..............NO

? Did Jesus disciples believe that Jesus was the Son of God?.................YES..............NO

? Did those who observed the miracles believe that Jesus was the Son of God? .......................................................................................................................YES............ NO

? Did Jesus believe that He Himself was the Son of God?.........................YES............NO

? Did Jesus claim to be God?........................................................................YES........... NO

? What else (besides Miracles) did Jesus DO ? (or NOT DO).

Hmmmmm. It looks as if Jesus never sinned! Is that true? Did Jesus NEVER sin? Not even one time?

Yes, it is true that Jesus NEVER sinned ! Hmmmmm. So, Why is that important?
Why is it important that Jesus did not sin?
(Hint: before you answer, read the following passage from the book of Hebrews:)
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Hebrews 9:11-15 When Christ came as high priest of the good things that are already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not man-made, that is to say, not a part of this creation. He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption. The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished (i.e. without sin) to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God! For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance -- now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.

Ok, now that you have read the Hebrews 9 passage, let me ask that question again:
Why is it important that Jesus did not sin? ___________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________

Now, based on what you have learned from reading the Gospel of John and from what you learned in that passage from the book of Hebrews, answer the following questions:

? How did Jesus die ? (Hint Read John 19:17) ___________________________________.

? In your own words explain the reason Why Jesus died !
Hint: in addition to what you read in Hebrews, you might also want to reread these passages in John before you answer this very very important question!

John 3:16-17; 8:24; 8:34-36; 10:7-9; 10:11: 14:6; 15:13

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? Is there a sentence or paragraph in the book of John that explains 'Why Jesus Died'

Yes, you are correct, there is a passage that explains why Jesus died and it is John 3:16-18. Write it in the space below:
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Now let´s really think about all we have read and studied and learned in this brief Bible Study. Answer the following questions: .

JESUS LIVED ?.......................................................................................YES.............NO

JESUS DID MIRACLES ? .......................................................................YES.............NO

JESUS IS THE SON OF GOD ?..............................................................YES..............NO

JESUS IS GOD ?......................................................................................YES.............NO

JESUS DIED TO PAY THE PENALTY FOR YOUR SINS?...................YES.............NO

JESUS WANTS YOU TO BE WITH HIM IN HEAVEN FOREVER ?.....YES............NO

JESUS OFFERS YOU THE GIFT OF ETERNAL LIFE WITH HIM ?.......YES...........NO

JESUS IS THE ONLY WAY TO BE SAVED (see John 14:6)....................YES...........NO

If your answers to these questions are "YES" and if you have never prayed to accept Jesus' offer of Salvation and/or to receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior and if you want to do that now, pray the following prayer (or one like it):

Father God,
I know that I am a sinner and am worthy only of death and eternal separation from You because of my sins.

Father, reading this gospel of John has shown me that You and Jesus love me and want me to be with You forever. But, because of my sins, which separate me from You, the only solution was for Jesus Christ, Your only Son, to give His sinless life as a sacrifice to pay the penalty for my sins!

I now know and believe that Jesus is God and did die to pay for my sins.
I acknowledge You, Jesus, to be my God and Savior and Lord.
I now know that there is NO other way to eternal life and peace except through You, Jesus.

So, Jesus, I turn now from my sins and ask you to forgive me and to save me and to be my God forever.

I do gratefully accept Your offer of forgiveness and salvation.
I do accept Your sacrifice, Jesus, of Your life for mine.
I do want You, Jesus, to be my Savior and the Lord and Master and Ruler of my life.
I desire to live a life pleasing to You and which will bring glory to Your name.

I understand that Jesus gives me His Holy Spirit to live within me when I accept Jesus as my God and Lord. I thank you for this gift of The Holy Spirit and give Him permission to work in my life in whatever ways He desires.

Thank you, Jesus, for saving me. I now give you all of me and ask You to, from this point on, be in total control of my life.

If this is your prayer also, then Sign your name below and date it.

May I be the first to welcome you into the Family of God !

You are NOW a Child of God the Father. You may talk to Him at any time!

Jesus Christ is your Lord and Savior. Thank Him ! and let Him be your Master.

The Holy Spirit is now indwelling you to be your resident teacher and to guide you into all truth. Let Him have total control of your life, will, thoughts, and actions.

And you now have many many brothers and sisters all around the world. Find them and Fellowship with them!

1. Find a Bible Believing, Bible Teaching Church-- join it and become involved as you Worship God and fellowship with your new brothers and sisters in Christ.

2. Read and Study God's Word (the Bible) daily.

3. Pray to God at all times and about everything. He really cares.

4. Find out where God is working and join Him.