John 14:1-14.

Where do you look for help in difficult times? If you've ever found yourself with an anxious heart as events around spin out of contol, then you know exactly how the disciples feel in the upper room with Jesus. Their hearts are troubled at the announcement of Jesus' departure. So in order to remedy their overwhelmed souls, Jesus explains why His departure is good news for His disciples.

Colossians 4:2-18.

We must be committed to prayer, evangelism, and community.

John 13:31-38.

As we press further into John’s Gospel we find Jesus fully set to embrace the cross. Judas is gone and the eleven who remain need to hear from Jesus some very important truths regarding His coming crucifixion. So knowing His departure is near, Jesus turns his focus to the cross and begins to explain how the cross displays God’s glory, compels our love, and is truly good news.

John 13:18-30.

As Jesus continues his march toward the cross the text concentrates on the betrayal of Judas. But in the darkness of betrayal the light of Jesus is going to shine. Even though “the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas to betray Jesus,” Jesus will not be caught off guard because Jesus is in control. And the fact that Jesus is in control is really good news.

John 13:1-17.

The opening verses of John 13 function as an introduction to a new section. At this stage in the life of Jesus, He is just a few short hours away from bearing the sin of the world on the cross. So to drive home the sufficiency of the cross and our need for salvation, Jesus washes the disciple's feet and giving an acted parable that explains the cross. Jesus then ties salvation to servanthood.

Judges 19:1 - 21:25.

With this second glimpse into the ground level view of what daily life was like during the period of the Judges, what we see is not pretty. These chapters are about man-centered morality. They look into the midnight abyss of human depravity. But all is not a loss for against this dark backdrop of sin the piercing ray of God's grace shines bright and clear. In those days there was no king in Israel, but according to the eternal purposes of God's redemption that would not remain the true forever.

Judges 17:1-18:31.

The last chapters of Judges give us two detailed episodes of what daily life was like during the period of the Judges. It isn't pretty. In this first episode (chs. 17-18) God's people have spiraled down into a form of man-made religion. King-less, they were doing what was right in their own eyes. This reality helps us to see our need for a perfect king who can deliver a perfect salvation.

Judges 16:1-31.

In Samson we have a savior who dies so that others might be delivered. And his death not only sets the paradigm for what God's savior should do, but it also sets us up for a greater Savior to come who would also give his life in death so that others might be delivered, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Judges 14:1 - 15:20.

This text shows us how Samson is a savior empowered by the Spirit of the LORD. But perhaps to our surprise, Samson doesn't act quite like we think he would. But in this we see the secret of Yahweh's purpose. Samson, like Israel does what is right in his own eyes. But the sin of Samson will not derail Yahweh's mission of redemption. Far from it actually; for we learn that Yahweh can and will use the sinfulness of men and women to bring His saving purposes to pass.

Judges 13:1-25.

With the birth of Samson a savior is born. This is a gift of unmerited surprising grace. The angel says he will "begin to save" Israel. But…his salvation will be incomplete; which is why it's such good news that Manoah's wife would not be the last woman who would be called to bear a savior.