Live to Love Scripture Encouragement

John 1:37 The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. Two of John the Baptist's disciples heard him testify that Jesus is the Lamb of God. They clearly understood what John was saying. This is the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of God. On hearing John’s witness regarding Jesus, they followed Jesus. They trusted John, and God used him to draw these two men to His Son. This encourages...

John 1:35-36 Again the next day John was standing with two of his disciples, and he looked at Jesus as He walked, and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God!" We come to the second time John the Baptist recognized Jesus as the Lamb of God. In vs. 29, the apostle gave this report about John the Baptist. “The next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said, ‘Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of th...

John 1:34 “I myself have seen, and have testified that this is the Son of God.” Luke 3:22 records what John saw. “And the Holy Spirit descended upon Him in bodily form like a dove, and a voice came out of heaven, 'You are My beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased.” John the Baptist saw firsthand the Spirit of God descend and remain on Jesus so he could testify that He is the Son of God. He heard Go...

John 1:32-33 John testified, saying, “I have seen the Spirit descending as a dove out of heaven, and He remained upon Him. I did not recognize Him, but He who sent me to baptize in water said to me, ‘He upon whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining upon Him, this is the One who baptizes in the Holy Spirit.’” John the Baptist had an encounter with God that prepared him to know Jesus. It wou...

John 1:31 I did not recognize Him, but so that He might be manifested to Israel, I came baptizing in water.” John the Baptist did what he did so that Jesus might be manifested. That describes everyone who is a believer and forerunner for Jesus. We live to love with Him so that He might be manifested in this world. The Scriptures teach us that John was filled with the Holy Spirit from the womb, and...

John 1:30 This is He on behalf of whom I said, “After me comes a Man who has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.” John testified to the honor due Jesus Christ. He recognized Jesus’ higher rank, not in an earthly organizational or social way, but rank before God. One can’t be of higher rank than Jesus. He’s worthy of the highest honor, the greatest glory, complete submission, and enduri...

John 1:29 The next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” What a wonderful truth we have here from which to take great comfort. If we look at it from our own perspective, we have our own personal sin-bearer. He removes our sins from us so we can be made right with God. He’s the Lamb of God, pointing to His sacrificial ministry on our...

John 1:24-28 Now they had been sent from the Pharisees. They asked him, and said to him, “Why then are you baptizing, if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?” John answered them, saying, “I baptize in water, but among you stands One whom you do not know. It is He who comes after me, the thong of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.” These things took place in Bethany beyond the J...

John 1:23 He said, “I am a voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as Isaiah the prophet said.” The ministry of John the Baptist should be a great encouragement to us. When asked who he was, this was his reply. He identified with Isaiah, the prophet. I want us to consider God's great love for His people that He would send someone to prepare the way for His Son....

John 1:19-20 This is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent to him priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” And he confessed and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.” What an important question. Who are you? In the next few days, we will see John’s answer to this question. All we learn from this verse about John is that he didn’t deny Jesus and made it clear t...

John 1:18 No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him. The apostle had previously said that through Jesus, grace and truth came into being in such a way that they could be realized. In this verse, the same root word is used but translated only begotten. The point is that the one and only God has revealed Himself in such a way as to...

John 1:17 For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ. There’s a pointed contrast in this statement by the Holy Spirit through the apostle John. When the Word of God was given through Moses, grace and truth did not come into being. That’s the idea conveyed in the word translated as "realized.” The Greek root word is similar to our English words genesis o...

John 1:16 For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace. Consider today the fullness of Christ. We learn in verse 14 that Jesus is full of grace and truth. We can be encouraged that there is no end to His grace for us. From Jesus’ indwelling life, we have received of His fullness. That means that there’s nothing we will face today that will prevent us from finding our greatest sat...

John 1:15 John testified about Him and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, 'He who comes after me has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.’” John the Baptist was born before Jesus was born, yet he said that Jesus existed before him. It can only be that John was testifying to the eternal nature of Christ. It’s a reference not to Jesus’ earthly existence but to His being with...

John 1:14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. Yesterday, we considered the amazing reality that the Word of God became flesh. First, let’s be encouraged by the reality that Jesus is still full of grace and truth. He never changes. He is the same forever. If Jesus is full of grace, then God is f...

John 1:14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. The Word which was in the beginning with God, was God, through whom all things were made, who was both Life and Light, became flesh and lived among John and his fellow disciples. The writer of Hebrews explained why the Word became flesh in 2:14-15,...

John 1:12-13 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. These verses were written in contrast to the previous statement about Jesus coming to His own, meaning the nation of Israel, and their not receiving Him. As we know, they no...

John 1:11 He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. Although every creature Jesus created is His, out of all of mankind, He chose a people to be His own special, holy nation—the tribe of Abraham, the Jews. They alone were the people of promise with a unique destiny and purpose in world history. The privilege and honor of the Jews was described by Paul in Romans 9:3-5. For...

John 1:10 He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. Jesus made the world—everything we see in nature and the heavens was made through Him. This must be important to John since he repeats this historical reality. In verse 3, John wrote, “All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.” Pause...

John 1:9 There was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man. First, we see that Jesus is the true Light. The implication is that there are other so-called lights, but they are not true. They are not the real Light. I’m reminded of 2 Corinthians 11:14, “No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.” Let’s not be deceived by those who say they have a prog...

John 1:8 He was not the Light, but he came to testify about the Light. We can be encouraged again by what was said about John the Baptist. Who he wasn’t is clear. He was not the Light or the source of the Light. This can also be said for us. We are lights in the world but not the source of the light. In a sense, we are like mirrors reflecting the light into the world, or like the moon, which has n...

John 1:21-22 They asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” And he said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.” Then they said to him, “Who are you, so that we may give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself?” How would you explain your life and your life message? That was the question asked of John the Baptist. Obviously, he was outstanding. His message an...

John 1:6-7 There came a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to testify about the Light so that all might believe through him. The encouragement today is that all of us who are believers in Jesus Christ are sent by God as witnesses to testify about Jesus so others may believe through Him. God sent John as a forerunner for His Son, and in many ways, Christ-followers are all...

John 1:5 The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. I’m not sure whether this is an encouragement today as much as it is a reality we need to be aware of as we live to love with Jesus. Not everyone is going to understand or embrace the love of Jesus. I suggested yesterday that Jesus is life; His life is the light of the world, and the light of His life is love. John...

John 1:4 In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. That Jesus is life and has the power to give life and that His life is the light are major themes in John’s gospel. Let me show you what I mean. John 5:21. For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom He will. John 6:33. For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to t...