the power of the cross
John 12:12-26
While being fully divine as the Son of God, Jesus also is fully human — and he feels deeply the emotion that any human being would feel knowing death is coming soon... Amid his mental and emotional suffering — and soon to be physical suffering — Jesus nevertheless knows his death on the cross will eternally save those who believe in him, and he continues his path toward it lovingly and willingly.
a hidden kingdom
John 12:12-26
God is a big God, and he has big plans for us — which means if we live our lives as the Lord designed them, we will fulfill his purposes for us and find happiness that's not fleeting. So may we all strive not simply for "happiness" that comes and goes — but rather for long-lasting joy as we keep our eyes on our ultimate hope, our ultimate goal ... Jesus alone.
The Gratitude/Resentment Test
John 12:1-11
When we give — whether it's our time, our money, our physical efforts, our emotional selves — we give a little bit more of our selfishness away. It's a discipline of giving that we all can take part in to boost our Christian growth.
Think Bigger
John 11
What is your plan for dealing with sadness in life? There is brokenness in our world. Everybody has experienced pain. Not "the Phillies lost the World Series" pain, but real sadness from devastating personal losses, whether it's a difficult diagnosis from a health challenge or the loss of a marriage or the death of a loved one.
you're in good hands
John 10:1-42
It's not just eternal life in heaven that Jesus offers; he also offers an abundant life on earth. That's reflected in Psalm 23, "You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows." (v. 5) It's a picture of goodness OVERLOAD — and otherworldly victory. It's the idea that the Lord not only prepares a table for us with all the food and drink we could ever want, forever and ever — but also doing so while our enemies are standing RIGHT THERE. They can't touch us because Jesus is in control.
Sent Ones
John 9:6-41
The great thing about a testimony or conversion experience is that it requires no theological education, no expertise in apologetics, no facility in making an argument or getting your point across or thinking quickly on your feet.
All it requires is you telling your story.
god is more valuable than life & health
John 9:1-6
While it's certainly a theologically sound statement, when the rubber meets the road, it can be a very hard truth to come face to face with. Why? Because acknowledging that God is more valuable than life or health means that while we'll have the Lord now and into eternity, we have to come to terms with loss in our lives on earth. We have to come to terms with disappointments.
let me introduce you to god
John 8:39-59
Sunday's message began with a quotation that bears repeating: "People may spend their whole lives climbing the ladder of success only to find, once they reach the top, that the ladder is leaning against the wrong wall."
Indeed all of us need to make sure that above all else our "ladders" are leaning on Jesus alone.
God's True Light
John 8:12-38
Jesus is teaching and describes Himself as the light of the world, telling his listeners (and us!) that if we allow our lives to be illuminated by Him, we will never walk in darkness — no matter how dark it may appear around us.
Time to check your halo
John 8:1-11
In this passage, the scribes and Pharisees come to Jesus to test him by saying, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. Now in the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?”
What a brilliant trap! If Jesus says to let her go, he's disobeying the law; if he says to kill the woman, he's a merciless murderer.
But instead Jesus challenges the self-righteousness of the Jewish leaders with a proposition that has echoed down through the halls of time: “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.”
my favorite power drink
John 7
Jesus — who soon will willingly die on a cross, during which water and blood leave his body after a Roman soldier pierces his side — completely changes the feast in front of those assembled: “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’”
Living water. Can you imagine hearing that during the feast? Living water that can fill up all the barrenness of our hearts.
This One belief changes everything
John 6:22-70
There are three parts to the miracle of eternal salvation: God the Father designing it, Jesus the Son carrying it out — and our response to what the Father and Son have done for us. That's an important distinction, as many folks — even some who profess faith in Christ — believe salvation depends on how many good works we carry out in life... salvation is actually all about Jesus and not about us at all.
Welcoming Jesus into your boat
John 6:16-21
Often we may assume that when storms come into our lives it's because God is disciplining us for a wrong we've done. But that's not always the case. As Pastor Scott said, sometimes storms come in the midst of our obedience! And why? God uses those storms to take us deeper in our relationships with him.
Stress Points in the Hands of Jesus
John 6:1-15
Ugh. Stress! We all experience stress in our lives on a daily basis in one way or another. Sometimes they're minor stress points — such as getting stuck in traffic when you want to get to the store before it closes. Sometimes they're not-so-minor stress points — such as concerns about finances, relationships, getting through school, performing on the job, habits we find difficult to break, and suffering that just doesn't seem to subside.
John - The Loved Disciple
As a preview of our upcoming sermon series in the Gospel of John, Pastor Don on Sunday focused on aspects of John's life as a way to demonstrate how all of us can be continually growing into spiritual maturity. Like all the humans who put ink to parchment as the Bible was being written, none of them were perfect — including John.
