The Red Letters - Part 71 Connect With Jesus And Do Amazing Things by Cornerstone Church

The Red Leters - Part 70 - God is Watching and He Rewards by Cornerstone Church

The Red Letters - Part 69 - Pick A Side by Cornerstone Church

The Red Letters - Part 68 - Don't Live in Fear by Cornerstone Church

The Red Letters - Part 67 - Christianity, It Ain't Easy by Cornerstone Church

Union Gospel Mission Prestentation to Cornerstone Church.

The Compassion of Christ

We are called to share the Good News, the Gospel, with people. We are to share the hope that comes from our study of the Bible, so that we can build up and edify those we come into contact with. To offer good godly counsel. We are supposed to point people to Jesus Christ. We will read in today’s passage that Jesus was grieved and moved with compassion by the lack of ministry that was taking place by the religious leaders of His day. They were not fulfilling what they were commissioned to do, which was lead people spiritually and it disappointed Jesus, to say the least. I want to encourage you to examine your hearts! If Jesus was to come into your work place or soon to be schools would He be pleased by what He sees you doing? Or would He be grieved, moved with compassion at the lack of ministry taking place there? Matthew 9:35-38 Jesus was traveling from village to village, town to town sharing the Good News.

Ephesians 5:1-2 instructs us to be imitators of Christ. So, in light of this passage, if Jesus went all over sharing the Good News, we should also, right? Jesus was motivated by love to go and teach and heal, because He loved people! Do we possess the compassion of Christ? That when we see the “crowds” of people that we deal with every single day, that we would be brokenhearted for them, that they feel confused and helpless when it came to spiritual matters? Verse 36 (KJV uses the word “fainted”) Strong’s Greek Word “Fainted” is Eklyo (Ek lu o) – which is basically translated as “disheartened, to grow weary.” When the people were eklyo (ek lu o), they had lost heart in following the religious leaders. They were giving up on church. Sound familiar in our culture? We see it all around us! Jesus was looking at these crowds of people that were hungry for spiritual truth and hungry spiritual direction. And because they could find none and / or they were treated badly, they were disconnecting from church and so He had compassion on them. Does your heart break for others: your co-workers, your classmates, the stranger on the street, those people who are disconnected from church for whatever reason? And what did Jesus tell His disciples? What was the answer they were supposed to seek out? Verse 37 Jesus’ answer is that more workers would rise up! That we would to rise up! We are that answer to prayer! There is plenty of work to be done. But there are not enough workers! Pray that someone would come along side and help in the process of ministry! Do you feel pity for those who are lost and more than likely hell bound? Do you have the compassion of Christ within you?

Can I Get a Witness?

Have you ever gotten frustrated defending yourself? You produce evidence upon evidence, testimony upon testimony and they never seem good enough to those you are talking to? I don’t know how you handle those situations but today we get to see how Jesus did. John 5:31-47 Over the last few weeks we have looked at how Jesus has been explaining who He is to these Jewish leaders. How He has shared “who” He is and the relationship that He and God the Father have. He’s bringing the discussion to a close.

Deuteronomy 19:15 Jesus openly says, “Don’t take just my word for it… because at that point it is just my word.” If I were to testify on my own behalf, my testimony would not be valid.

The 1st Witness: God - Jesus is calling God to the stand. Jesus lets them know that God has been testifying about Jesus the whole time. They just haven’t received the truth of that message! The truth of who Jesus Christ is!

The 2nd Witness: John the Baptist - Jesus calls them out on the fact that the Jewish leaders both went and sent people to listen to John the Baptist. Matthew 3:1-11; Mark 1:1-8; Luke 3:1-18 Luke 3:15-16 The Synoptic Gospels also record that John the Baptist was a fulfilment of the Prophet Isaiah. The Scriptures spoke of John the Baptist, who in turn spoke about Jesus Christ…

The 3rd Witness – Teachings and Works - Jesus’ actions spoke louder than the words of John the Baptist! Jesus tells the Jewish Leaders that even though He has John’s witness there is a better witness… Look at the things that I do!! He was preaching with an authority that amazed everyone who heard. Mark 1:21-27

The 4th Witness – Scriptures - Jesus lets these leaders know that they have missed it, and how!!!! He tells them that they have everything they need to believe, but since their hearts were not open to believe, they rejected the One that was written about! They rejected God in the flesh!

It’s not bad to study! But if the pursuit of whatever you are studying takes away any part of the Work of the Cross or any aspect that we are saved by grace through faith… Can I suggest stopping that pursuit? Pour that energy into getting to know who Jesus is. What was His nature? How did He treat people? How did He speak to others? Why did He come to earth and die for us?

The world has all that it needs, to know who Jesus Christ, the Messiah, our Savior is. God the Father and Jesus the Son of God have made themselves known! They scream out from heaven, “Can I get a witness?” Will you witness to others for God? Not because He needs you to, but because the other person may.

Will you testify on His behalf?

Red Letters

The Voice of Life

08/05/2018

We are going to read today that Jesus says that if people hear His voice, if they hear His message, then they will live… They will have eternal life. They will be saved from judgment. Which means the alternative is that people who don’t hear His message, won’t have eternal life and they won’t be spared from judgment. John 5:24-30

People need to hear Jesus, because there is life in what He has to say! Vs. 24

What else did Jesus have to say? John 3:3; John 3:6; John 14:6; John 14:23-24; Matthew 22:37-39; John 8:11

When people hear the words of Jesus and believe in who He is, they are promised eternal life! Right then, right there! That is the Good News! They are saved from hell. Vs. 24; Vs. 25

Who are the dead that Jesus is referring to? Jesus is referring to the people who have not believed in Him, in His message. They are dead spiritually! But Jesus has the voice of life! Those who believe are made alive with Him. Ephesians 2:1-5 It is by the grace of God that we are made alive with Christ!

God and Jesus worked out this crazy plan that Jesus would take our punishment! That Jesus would bear our sins on that Cross!

Jesus was willing to do that knowing that some would reject Him but He also knew that some would believe in Him!

So the question is, “When?” When is the time to respond to Jesus? When is the time to listen and hear His voice? The time is now! Will you allow Him to give you life? Will you repent of your sins and believe that Jesus is the Son of God?

Because we are going to be judged as to whether or not the life of Christ is within us. Vs. 26-27

Where do you stand? Are you alive in Christ? Don’t wait! Because if you do, you may never have a chance to. A time will come when those who are physically dead will rise at the sound of His voice, whether they have believed in Him or not. Those who believed have eternal life will rise into life. And those who did not believe will rise and be judged and sent to hell. Vs. 28-29 Jesus will be the judge. And He will judge fairly. Vs. 30

Praise God that you still have an opportunity to respond to Jesus’ message!

Praise God that you still have the chance to receive eternal life through Him!

Are you ready to meet Jesus? Will you respond when He calls?

Do you know the voice of your Savior, the One who has the Voice of life?

The Apostle John does a wonderful job of showing us, and the world; anyone who is willing to look for the truth of Christ, that Jesus is in fact God the Son, the 2nd Person of the Trinity. I want to look at some of John’s Gospel that has brought us to where we are today so that we can see the truth of the message taking place in this passage.

John 1:1-4 Establishes the Word as God!

John 1:14 The Word (God) Becomes Flesh.

John 1:18 The Word (the one and only Son) being referred to as the Unique One reveals God to us through Himself. You want to see God… look to Jesus!!

John 1:29 Jesus, the Word, is the sacrificial Lamb that will save us all.

John 2:18-22 Jesus has the power and authority over all things and will raise Himself from the grave.

John 3:3-21 Vs. 18-19 You must be born-again of the Spirit to be able to believe that Jesus is God in the flesh, that He died for your sins and only by believing in Him can you be saved.

With that foundation, we turn to our passage today and examine the words of Jesus.

John 5:16-18 Jesus is telling the Jewish leaders that Daddy has never stopped working and I won’t either. He is always working, just as I am, on saving souls.

He then goes on to tell us how Their relationship works. John 5:19-21

What a beautiful picture that is, of God the Father working with Jesus, the Son. There is intimacy here!

You may be here, and you may have never had an experience like that. You may be here and you want that intimacy with God as well! You can have that! TODAY! Until you lay it down, God won’t pick you up! You need to repent of your sins and believe! James 4:7-10

God is ready to meet you! He wants you to call Him Abba Father (Daddy)! Ephesians 1:3-5

You see, God and Jesus, have desired to have fellowship with you from before the world was made! And it is not by anything we have done or can do aside from having saving faith. But it is because of the Father’s love. It all starts there!

Jesus paid the ultimate price to save mankind! Who better to make the rules? Who better to judge us? God granted Jesus all authority to judge mankind. John 5:22-23

We Honor the Father by Honoring the Son.

You can have that today!