Today we begin reading the Gospel of John! Fr. Mike emphasizes the significance of Jesus' divinity, and explains how the story of salvation culminates in Christ as the Messiah. For the complete reading plan, visit ascensionpress.com/bibleinayear. Please note: The Bible contains adult themes that may not be suitable for children - parental discretion is advised.
Chapter 1: What is the focus of Day 99 in the Bible in a Year podcast?
Hi, my name is Father Mike Schmitz, and you're listening to the Bible in a Year podcast, where we encounter God's voice and live life through the lens of Scripture. The Bible in a Year podcast is brought to you by Ascension.
Using the Great Adventure Bible Timeline, we'll read all the way from Genesis to Revelation, discovering how the story of salvation unfolds and how we fit into that story today. It is day 99. You guys, you're one day, one day away from 100 days of reading the Bible, listening to the Word of God, and letting it shape your mind, your eyes, your heart.
Every part of you is day 99 and we are taking a break. We just finished 1 Samuel 6, 7, and 8. We're taking a break for the next seven days. In the next seven days, we're going to go through the gospel of John. This is what it's called our first messianic checkpoint. And so today we're reading on day 99. We're reading from John chapters 1, 2, and 3.
We're also reading from Proverbs, taking a little break from the Psalms for about seven days, eight days or so. And then we're reading Proverbs 5, verses 1 through 6. As you might know, I'm reading from the Revised Standard Version, Second Catholic Edition. I'm actually using the Great Adventure Bible from Ascension.
If you want to get your own Bible in a Year reading plan, you can visit ascensionpress.com slash Bible in a Year. If you've not yet subscribed to this podcast, subscribe. It's been 99 days. I think it's time to make a commitment. I don't know. I'm not telling you what to do. Just letting you know, you can subscribe in whatever you are listening to this podcast. Okay, here we go.
We're launching into the messianic checkpoint. What that means. Gosh, you guys, everything in the Old Testament leads to the New Testament. One of the things we know and believe is Christianity was not a new religion coming after Judaism. What Christians believe is that Christianity is the fulfillment of everything that God had promised in the old covenant.
Everything God had promised is the fulfillment of everything he'd been leading up to. So everything we've been reading, plus what we'll be reading for the next, you know, while after this. all points to Jesus. And so it's not a new religion. In fact, the first Christians, they did not see themselves as leaving Judaism and becoming something else.
What they saw was, no, this is the fulfillment of Judaism. And we're gonna make a note on that after we read John 1, 2, and 3. But keep that in mind, that as we launch into this messianic checkpoint for the next seven days, we're not leaving the Old Testament behind. What we're doing is we're seeing how the Old Testament has been fulfilled in Jesus and how God's promises have been fulfilled.
So without anything further, here we are with John 1, 2, and 3. The Gospel According to John 1. The Word became flesh. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life and the life was the light of men.
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Chapter 2: Why is the Gospel of John significant in the story of salvation?
Jesus answered him, are you a teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand this? Truly, truly I say to you, we speak of what we know and bear witness to what we have seen, but you do not receive our testimony. If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things?
No one has ascended into heaven but He who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him may have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
For God sent the Son into the world not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him. He who believes in him is not condemned. He who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world.
And men loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the light and does not come to the light lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does what is true comes to the light, that it may be clearly seen that his deeds have been wrought in God. After this, Jesus and his disciples went into the land of Judea.
There he remained with them and baptized. John also was baptizing at Anon near Salim, because there was much water there, and people came and were baptized. For John had not yet been put in prison.
Now, a discussion arose between John's disciples and a Jew over purifying, and they came to John and said to him, Rabbi, he who was with you beyond the Jordan, to whom you bore witness, here he is baptizing, and all are going to him. John answered, No one can receive anything except what is given him from heaven.
You yourselves bear me witness that I said I am not the Christ, but I have been sent before him. He who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom who stands and hears him rejoices greatly at the bridegroom's voice. Therefore, this joy of mine is now full. He must increase, but I must decrease. He who comes from heaven. He who comes from above is above all.
He who is of earth belongs to the earth, and of the earth he speaks. He who comes from heaven is above all. He bears witness to what he has seen and heard, yet no one receives his testimony. He who receives his testimony sets his seal to this, that God is true. For he whom God has sent utters the words of God, for it is not by measure that he gives the Spirit.
The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand. He who believes in the Son has eternal life. He who does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God rests upon him. The book of Proverbs, chapter five, verses one through six. My son, be attentive to my wisdom. Incline your ear to my understanding, that you may keep discretion and your lips may guard knowledge.
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