Introduction

• John 12:32 – People would be drawn to Jesus at His crucifixion.
  • John 12:12-36 – Context.
• The world has always been drawn to Jesus.

His person

• The character of Jesus draws people to Him.

• His character was sinless.

  • II Corinthians 5:21; Hebrews 5:14

  • I Peter 1:22 – We must reach toward the bar set by Jesus.

• His disposition was that of love.

  • His message was that of hope.

  • I John 4:8

  • Mark 2:15

  • Matthew 9:36

• He had a personal acquaintance with God the Father.

  • John 14:10-11

  • John 10:30

His miracles

• Matthew 4:24
• Matthew 8:27
• John 6:19
• Matthew 14:21
• Mark 5:22
• John 20:30-31 – We don’t have record of all of Jesus’ miracles.

His teaching

• It was different than what the teachers of the time taught. This difference drew people to Him.
• Matthew 7:28-29
• Matthew 13:1-2
• Mark 2:1-2
• Matthew 5:1-12 – Attitudes of moral character.

His faithfulness

• Jesus is trustworthy!
• Romans 5:6-8 – If Jesus would die for us, we can trust that He will do what he promised.
• Matthew 26:36-44 – Jesus was faithful to His Father’s plan so that we can live.
• Matthew 27:29-31
• Luke 22:63
• Mark 15:15
• Philippians 2:8

His resurrection

• He was raised and never died again.
• I Corinthians 15:1-8 – People saw Jesus on earth after His resurrection.

His words

• They were words of eternal life.
• Matthew 19:16
• John 6:62-66, 26-27, 67-70 – Jesus had the words of eternal life!
• John 8:24
• Luke 13:3
• Matthew 10:32
• Romans 10:10
• John 3:3

• Ecclesiastes 2:12-3:22
• Ecclesiastes 2:12-17 – Following wisdom itself is helpful, but and end unto itself. See Ecclesiastes 9:13-16.
• Ecclesiastes 2:18-26 – Hard work is not the secret to life either. Eventually the fruits of that labor will be left to someone else.
• Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 – See Jude 1:22-23. Different times call for different ways to help others. Compare Paul’s words in I Corinthians 5:5 and II Corinthians 2:7.
• Ecclesiastes 3:10 – God has given us our work to be busy with.
• Ecclesiastes 3:11 – God allows us to glimpse eternity, but not see the full picture from end-to-end.
• Ecclesiastes 3:17 – See Ecclesiastes 11:9; 12:14. God will judge at the end.
• Ecclesiastes 3:18-22 – How miserable life is without God! Earthly pursuits don’t bring fulfillment. We must learn from Solomon’s experiences.

Introduction

• There are over 100 English translations of the Bible!
• God intended for us to read and understand His word.
  • Matthew 24:15 – “let the reader understand”
  • Luke 10:26 – “how does it read”
  • Ephesians 3:4

Translating isn’t as simple as it sounds

• No translation is inspired or perfect.
  • Example: Exodus 20:14 typo in “The Wicked Bible”, 1631 – “thou shalt commit adultery”
• Languages change over time.
  • When the King James Version first became available, some criticized it for being too easy to understand!
• There is usually no word-for-word correspondence.
  • Example: “Como se llama?” in Spanish:
    • “How yourself call?”
    • “How do you call yourself?” (Translation philosophy similar to the NASB.)
    • “What’s your name?” (Translation philosophy similar to the NIV.)
• Grammar and word order are different.
  • Example: John 3:16

Word-for-word translations aim to closely reflect the original.

• Preserve the Holy Spirit’s phrasing
  • I Kings 2:10 – ASV vs. NLT
  • I Thessalonians 2:12 – NKJV vs. NLT
• Make it easier to notice repetition
  • “immediately” in Mark
  • “abide” in I John (Compare I John 2:24 in NASB vs. NLT)
• Let readers interpret for themselves
  • I Thessalonians 4:3

Thought-for-thought translations aim to interpret the meaning of the original.

• These translations are generally more readable and natural.
• Acts 27:17 – Compare ESV vs NIV vs NLT.
• Matthew 23:5 – Compare NASB vs NIV vs NLT.
• Psalms 23:5 – Compare ESV vs. GNB.

My recommendation: Use several word-for-word translations as your main Bibles

• KJV, NASB, NKJV, ASV, ESV

Compare some thought-for-thought translations to prompt deeper looks … just know what you’re reading!

• I Timothy 5:22