Read the Bible: The New Testament in a Year

John 18. Day 223 - Read the Bible: The New Testament in a Year

Episode Notes:

Today's Scripture: John 18 (CSB)
Podcast Homepage: The New Testament in a Year
Bible Reading Plan: Navigators Bible Reading Plan
Contact Sean: seanbailey1985@gmail.com
Follow NTIY on Facebook: facebook.com/newtestamentinayear

In Today's Episode
Jesus Is Arrested. Peter Denies Him. Jesus Stands Before Pilate.

"My kingdom is not of this world." — John 18:36

John 18 moves us directly into the events leading to the cross. Jesus is arrested, yet even in that moment He remains completely in control. He steps forward, identifies Himself, and protects His disciples. Peter, who had promised loyalty, soon denies even knowing Jesus three times. The contrast is painful but important: Jesus remains faithful even when His followers fail Him. Peter's weakness does not surprise Christ, and it will not ultimately be the end of Peter's story.

Jesus is then brought before Pilate and questioned about His kingship. He makes it clear that His kingdom is not built on the power structures of this world. Jesus is a King, but His kingdom advances through truth, sacrifice, and ultimately the cross. Pilate asks, "What is truth?" while Truth Himself is standing in front of him. John 18 challenges us to see Jesus clearly in the middle of injustice, fear, and failure. He is still King, still faithful, and still moving toward the cross to accomplish the salvation He came to bring.

John 17. Day 222 - Read the Bible: The New Testament in a Year

Episode Notes:

Today's Scripture: John 17 (CSB)
Podcast Homepage: The New Testament in a Year
Bible Reading Plan: Navigators Bible Reading Plan
Contact Sean: seanbailey1985@gmail.com
Follow NTIY on Facebook: facebook.com/newtestamentinayear

In Today's Episode
Jesus Prays for His Disciples. Sanctified by the Truth. A Prayer for Our Unity.

"Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth." — John 17:17

John 17 allows us to listen as Jesus prays on the night before the cross. He first prays about His coming glorification and the mission the Father has given Him. Then He prays for His disciples, asking the Father to protect them, keep them faithful, and sanctify them by the truth. Jesus knows they will remain in a world that will often oppose them, but He does not ask for them to be removed from it. Instead, He asks that they would be protected from the evil one and made holy through God's Word so they can faithfully carry His message into the world.

Then Jesus does something remarkable: He prays for us. He prays for everyone who will believe in Him through the testimony of His disciples. His desire is that His people would be united in a way that reflects the relationship between the Father and the Son, so that the world might believe. John 17 reminds us that Christian unity is bigger than simply getting along. We are people Jesus prayed would be shaped by truth, protected in a hostile world, sent on mission, and united around Him. Before Jesus went to the cross, His heart was already set on the people His sacrifice would save.

John 16. Day 221 - Read the Bible: The New Testament in a Year

Episode Notes:

Today's Scripture: John 16 (CSB)
Podcast Homepage: The New Testament in a Year
Bible Reading Plan: Navigators Bible Reading Plan
Contact Sean: seanbailey1985@gmail.com
Follow NTIY on Facebook: facebook.com/newtestamentinayear

In Today's Episode
The Spirit Will Guide You. Sorrow Will Turn to Joy. Take Heart, Jesus Has Overcome.

"You will have suffering in this world. Be courageous! I have conquered the world." — John 16:33

John 16 continues Jesus' final words to His disciples before the cross. He prepares them for rejection, persecution, and sorrow, but He also promises that they will not be left alone. The Holy Spirit will come to convict the world, guide believers into truth, and glorify Christ. Jesus knows the disciples are about to experience confusion and grief, yet He compares their sorrow to the pain of childbirth: real and intense, but not the end of the story. Their grief will be turned into joy when they see Him again.

The chapter closes with one of Jesus' most encouraging promises. He does not tell His disciples that following Him will remove every hardship. He tells them plainly, "You will have suffering in this world." But suffering is not the final word because Jesus has already overcome the world. John 16 reminds us that Christian peace is not the absence of trouble. It is confidence in Christ in the middle of trouble. When life becomes difficult, trust the Spirit who guides you, hold onto the joy Christ has promised, and take heart because Jesus has already won the victory.

John 15. Day 220 - Read the Bible: The New Testament in a Year

Episode Notes:

Today's Scripture: John 15 (CSB)
Podcast Homepage: The New Testament in a Year
Bible Reading Plan: Navigators Bible Reading Plan
Contact Sean: seanbailey1985@gmail.com
Follow NTIY on Facebook: facebook.com/newtestamentinayear

In Today's Episode
Abide in Christ. Bear Lasting Fruit. Love One Another.

"Remain in me, and I in you. Just as a branch is unable to produce fruit by itself unless it remains on the vine, neither can you unless you remain in me." — John 15:4

John 15 gives us one of the clearest pictures of the Christian life: Jesus is the vine, and we are the branches. A branch does not produce fruit by trying harder on its own. It bears fruit by remaining connected to the source of life. Jesus tells His disciples to abide in Him, remain in His words, and depend on Him for everything. The goal is not simply activity for God, but a life so deeply connected to Christ that His character begins to show through us. Apart from Him, we can do nothing of lasting spiritual value.

Jesus then connects abiding with love and obedience. He tells His disciples to love one another as He has loved them, with a love willing to lay down its life for others. He also prepares them for the reality that the world may reject them because it first rejected Him. John 15 reminds us that following Jesus will not always make life easier, but it will make our lives fruitful. Stay close to Christ. Let His Word remain in you. Love people sacrificially. And trust that a life connected to Jesus will bear fruit that lasts.

John 14. Day 219 - Read the Bible: The New Testament in a Year

Episode Notes:

Today's Scripture: John 14 (CSB)
Podcast Homepage: The New Testament in a Year
Bible Reading Plan: Navigators Bible Reading Plan
Contact Sean: seanbailey1985@gmail.com
Follow NTIY on Facebook: facebook.com/newtestamentinayear

In Today's Episode
Do Not Let Your Heart Be Troubled. Jesus Is the Way. The Promise of the Holy Spirit.

"I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." — John 14:6

John 14 begins with Jesus speaking comfort to His disciples on the night before the cross. They are confused, afraid, and beginning to realize that Jesus is going away. His response is simple: "Don't let your heart be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me." Jesus promises that He is preparing a place for them and then makes one of the clearest claims in all of Scripture: "I am the way, the truth, and the life." Jesus is not merely showing us a path to God. He is the path. To know Jesus is to know the Father.

Jesus also promises that His disciples will not be left alone. The Father will send the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, who will remain with them, teach them, and remind them of everything Jesus has said. Then Jesus gives them something the world cannot give: His peace. The peace of Christ does not depend on easy circumstances. It comes from knowing that we belong to Him, that His Spirit is with us, and that He has already secured our future. John 14 reminds us that when life feels uncertain, we do not have to understand everything in order to trust the One who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.