John 2: The Wedding

Dear TVCC Students,
This week we went through the wedding of Cana. It is always refreshing to study this first miracle of our Savior. Here is a recap:

John 2: 1-12: The Wedding at Cana

~John 2:1
-John refers to Mary as "The Mother of Jesus" throughout the book of John. Her identity is found completely in her relationship to Jesus. Our identity should also be found completely in our relationship to Jesus knowing that in Him we have our true identity.

Q: What do you find your identity in? Are you constantly seeking to make a name for yourself or are you fully content in who you are in the Lord? Is it enough for you to be validated by the Lord or are you seeking the approval of man?

~John 2:3
-In Mary's conversation with Jesus it is implied that she expected Jesus to perform a miracle for her. Jesus let Mary know quickly that He was God (and in control) and not here just for immediate needs. His plans are higher than ours and while we should let our requests be made known to Him, we must come with humility and accept His timing and plans.

Q: What are some areas in your life that you have trouble trusting the Lord with. Maybe you want Him to answer now and need patience and grace to trust His will and timing? Remember Isaiah 55:8 that His ways are higher than ours.

~John 2:5
-Mary humbled herself at Jesus' response and submitted herself to whatever He would decide believing that He knew best. Jesus' response to a humble and submitted woman was to take care of her needs. Sometimes the BEST thing for us is for Jesus NOT to give us what we want until we are fully submitted to Him and come to Him with a humble heart.

Q: Are there any areas of your life where you are not fully submitted to the Lord? Have there been things in your life where you know God has said no at first so that He can bring you back to a place of surrender to Him?

We pray that this week you will be brought back to a place of surrender with the Lord knowing that His timing is best and His plans really are for His glory and our good. Let your requests be made known to Him but trust in His Fatherly love for you. We love you all very much!

With hope,
~Sonny and Casi

John 1:35-41

TVCC Students,

We have been really enjoying going through the book of John with you guys. It has been refreshing and encouraging. Here are the notes from when Sonny taught John 1:35-41.

~John 1:35

- "the next day" John was still pointing others to Jesus. Walking with the Lord is not just a once-a-week thing that you can turn on or off. John's life pointed to Jesus everyday. He lived a life of consistency that revolved around making much of Jesus. (see John 3:30)

Q: Are you someone who acts one way at church and one way around your friends? If so, evaluate your faith to see if it is genuine. Genuine faith means that we (though we still struggle) are consistently pursuing Jesus.

~John 1:37

-John's disciples heard him teaching about Jesus. They left John to pursue Jesus. Sometimes we have to leave things that might be "good" to pursue what is "best."

Q: Who are you following? Are you really seeking Jesus with all that you have or are you settling for things that are "good" and "moral?" Only Jesus will fully satisfy!

~John 1:38-39

-Jesus noticed them following and He turned to acknowledge them. He notices our smallest desires to follow Him and responds.

-His invitation is the same for us as it was for them... "Come and see." He wants us to spend time with Him because it is best for US. Come away and be with Him. Spend time reading His Word and in prayer and worship. He has so much that He wants to show us!

~John 1:41
-After just staying with Jesus for that one night, Andrew was ready to tell others that he had found the Messiah (especially his family). The more time we spend with Jesus, the more natural it will be when we share His truth with others. People love to talk about things that they value. If we value Jesus, we will share His gospel with others.

Q: Are we really engaging God and sharing Him with others? How much are we talking about the greatness of our Savior and His work in our lives? This reveals how much of our life is spent engaging Him.

Dear Students,
We pray that you will "come and see" the greatness of our Savior this week. We pray that you will spend time with Him in His Word, letting Him speak to you and learning about His character. We pray that as you spend time with Him that He would provide opportunities for you to share His greatness with others. We love you all!

~Sonny and Casi

John 1: 19-29

Dear TVCC Students,

We are so thankful to those of you that were able to make it on Wednesday. It continues to be our joy to go through the book of John with you all. Though I (Casi) was not able to make it, here are a few highlights Sonny wanted to pass on to help you remember John 1...

John 1:19-29

*John 1:19

~Remember that John and Jesus were cousins. John had been around Jesus for much of his life and still was able to walk in humility, knowing that Jesus was the Christ, not him. John's humility is astounding.

Q: How do you live your life? Are you someone who recognizes how wonderful Jesus is and lives your life to point to Him or are you someone who's life ambition is to make yourself look as great as you can?

*John 1:23

~Even when people were questioning John about who he was, he took no glory. He knew that he was here for one purpose, to point others to Jesus. Even though he was a great man, he saw himself as nothing more than a VOICE that was declaring Jesus as the Lamb of God (Sin- taker).

~A voice is something that can be used for either good or bad. Voices can be scary, deceitful, seductive or encouraging, loving and peaceful.

Q: What kind of VOICE are you? Does what you say (and how you live- John had both) point others to the Lamb of God? Do you use your voice to bring others up or tear them down? We can never know exactly how powerful the tongue/voice is (see James 3)!

Students, we are praying for you this week that you will spend time meditating on the Lamb of God. We pray that you will spend time each day in worship, prayer and reading of His Word. We pray that you would think intently about your life and purpose and rely on the Spirit to help you make any changes that He desires. Remember that focusing on the wonders of the Lord will help you think less of yourself. He must become greater and we must become less (John 3:30). We love you all!!

Love,

Sonny and Casi