Sermon notes:

Love makes all things easy (John 15:9-17)

The Definition of love: ________________________ (1 John 4:16).

Sin is a turning ____________________ on oneself (St. Augustine; Martin Luther).

Love is a turning ____________________ toward others (1 Corinthians 13:4-9).

The Source of love: ________________________ (v.9; 1 John 4:19). 

The Mediator of love: ________________________ (v.9). 

The nature of love: ____________________________________________ (v.10; Matthew 22:34-39; Romans 13:10).

The result of love: ________________________ and __________________________ (v.11; 1 Peter 4:8).

The revelation of love: ______________________________ (v.13; John 3:16).

The implication of love: ________________________ (v.16a).

The goal of love: _____________________________________________ (v.16b). 

The ease of love (Matthew 11:28-30; 1 John 3:5).

Sermon notes:

The Master Gardener (John 15:1-8)

I.     Jesus is the true Vine (as opposed to __________________ Israel) (v.1; Isaiah 5:1-7; Jeremiah 2:21, etc.).

II.    Our Father (Vinedresser) does two things to produce fruit:

A.  He _____________________ fruitless branches (vv.2a,6).

1.  Jesus arouses our anxiety.

2.  His goal is our ___________________.

B.  He _______________ fruitful branches (v.2b).

1.  We’ve been ________________ into the Vine (Romans 6:3-5; 11:17).

2.  Pruning involves both ____________ and ____________ (vv.2b,3,5,7-8).

III.   To _____________________ in Christ guarantees:

A.  fruitfulness (vv.4-5);

B.  effective prayer (v.7).

IV.   The true Vine’s gracious invitation: “_____________________” (vv.4-7)!

A.  Don’t go wild!

B.  Only _________________ can branches live (v.6)!

Sermon notes:

What’s so good about this Shepherd? (John 10:11-18)

I.     It is our nature to flee a crisis. It is the nature of Jesus to _______________________________(v.11b; John 18:4). 

A.  Ordinary shepherds protect their sheep by avoiding death; the Good Shepherd protects the sheep ___________________________ His death.

B.  The death of an ordinary shepherd means disaster for the sheep.  The death of the Good Shepherd means ________________________ for the sheep (John 10:10).

C.  The death of an ordinary shepherd leaves the sheep exposed and scattered (v.13).  The Good Shepherd’s death ______________________ the flock and draws it to Himself (v.16; John 12:32).

II.    He knows us __________________________ (John 10:3).

A.  Knowing is evidence of ______________________ (vv.14-15).

B.  Knowing another involves _____________________________ (Exodus 6:7).

1.  God loves; we are the ones loved.

2.  God saves; we are the ones saved.

C.  The Father loved the Son before the foundation of the world (John 17:24), but His Father loves Him all the more for ____________________________ (vv.17-18).

D.  We know Christ (and, therefore, the Father) _________________________ when we believe that He lays down His life for us all (vv.11,16).

Sermon notes:

Living God’s Story (Luke 24:36-49)

I.     ____________________ alone is not sufficient to produce faith.

A.  It can produce terror (v.37).

B.  It can seem “too good to be true” (v.41).

II.    Faith comes by _________________________ God’s story [i.e. the Scriptures] (vv.45-47; Romans 10:17).

A.  _________________________ is more than entertainment.  It is a fundamental part of being human.

1.  We live inside stories.  We ___________________ in stories.

2.  Stories enable us to make ___________________ of the world.

B.  The Old Testament predicts/anticipates Christ’s death and resurrection less in _______________________ and more in _____________________ (vv.44-47; John 5:39). 

1.  Adam (Genesis 2:7).

2.  Isaac, raised on the third day (Genesis 22:1-4; Hebrews 11: 19).

3.  Joseph (Genesis 37:33; 45:28).

4.  Israel, raised on the third day (Hosea 6:1-2).

5.  Dry bones (Israel) brought to life (Ezekiel 37:1-14).

6.  Jonah, raised on the third day (Jonah 1:17).

7.  Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego (Daniel 3:12-27). 

8.  Daniel (Daniel 6:16-22).

III.   God’s (Christ’s) story shapes and gives meaning to our own.

A.  _____________________ connects us to Christ’s story (Romans 6:3-4).

B.  We daily die to self and live a new life (Galatians 2:20).

Sermon notes:

How to hear God speaking to you (John 20:23)

I. Know ______________ Jesus is.

II. Know ______________ Jesus speaks.

                                1. It is the

                                 ________________

                                      a.

                                      b. This

                                2. The Keys are

                                       _________________________

                                      AbsoluƟon) and privately by the

                                    (AbsoluƟon).

                                         a. “A

                                         is all

                                         b.

                                               forgiveness

                                              that

                                              Barclay).

B. What is confession?

                1.

                2.

                     Himself.

                               ____________

                               forced to come.

III. Know ____________ Jesus speaks (John 20:31; Luke 19:10;

Sermon notes:

The Crucified One; He has risen!  (Mark 16:1-8)

I.     Fact (____________________) + meaning (____________________) = the Gospel (v.6; Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 2:7-20).

A.  “Seeking” Jesus is not a _________________ in Mark’s Gospel (v.6; cf. 1:32; 3:32; 8:11-12; 11:18; 12:12; 14:1,11; 14:55)

B.  Not “who was crucified” but, literally, “the crucified one” (v.6, a perfect passive participle, referring to something that happened in the past and continues in the present; Luke 24:40; 1 Corinthians 2:2).

II.    The resurrection does not eclipse the crucifixion, it ___________________ it (Romans 4:25).

A.  God raised not just anyone, but the One ____________________ for us all (v.6). 

B.  The _____________________ gives the cross its power (Romans 1:4; 2 Corinthians 13:4; Colossians 2:13-14).

III.   Application:  Failure isn’t final!

A.  Even if no one else is ___________________, Jesus is (v.7; 2 Timothy 2:13).

B.  The first act of His public ministry is to gather disciples (Mark 1:16-20), and the first act of His resurrected life is to __________________ them (v.7).

C.  Christ builds His church despite human failure, and it is human failure makes the church, and its ministry of forgiveness, ____________________.

D.  For us and our salvation, He remains the _______________________ (v.6; Romans 

Sermon notes:

“As I have loved you...”   (John 13:1-17, 31b-35)

I.     In v.34, Jesus commands you to love (circle one):

             (a) your neighbor;

(b) your world;

(c) your church.

II.    In v.35, your witness to the world consists of your love for ______________________.

A.  “So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of ___________________________________”(Galatians 6:10). 

B.  Hear the “one anothers” of Scripture (47x addressed to _____________________; see also 1 John 4:20).  Why might this be hard to do?

III.  Christ’ love is more than a command. It is a __________________ .

A.  Jesus does not ask us to produce this love.  Jesus says, in effect, “Keep on   loving one another out of the wellspring of ______________________________” (Frederick Bruner, v.34b).

B.  The Footwashing illustrates Jesus’ ______________________ (compare v.4 (“laid down” and “taking up”) with John 10:17-18).

C.  “Proud man would have perished eternally had he not been found by the ______________ God” (St. Augustine). 

D.  ____________________ be loved by the Lord (vv.6-7)!    

Sermon notes:

A cross-shaped life (John 12:20-43)

I.     You cannot know/understand Jesus apart from the cross.

A.  The “signs” point to Christ’s ___________________ with the Father.

1.  They were “_______________” (v.37a).

2.  They should have been sufficient to produce ______________ (John 3:2; 5:36; 10:38).

3.  Yet many __________________ to believe (v.37b). 

B.  Therefore, Jesus the miracle worker hides Himself (v.36b).

1.  Henceforth, the only Jesus they will “see” is the ____________________ Savior (vv.21,23-24).

2.  The __________________ will accomplish what the signs could not (vv.24,32-33).

II.    You cannot know/understand yourself apart from this Jesus.

A.  Christ ____________________ is central to your identity.  He is not a supplement or addendum to your life. 

B.  Whom/What do you live for?

1.  “Love” of one’s life expresses a preference for this world (v.25a). 

2.  “Hatred” of one’s life expresses a preference for Christ (v.25b).

C.  For Christ, His cross was His life’s ____________________ (v.27).  So it is with us (v.26; Matthew 16:24). 

D.  “When a man finds that it is his destiny to suffer, he will have to accept his suffering as his task; his single and unique task. No one can relieve him of his suffering or suffer in his place. His unique opportunity lies in the way in which he bears his burden.” (Viktor Frankl)

E.  I would rather be ______________ and within God’s will than to be ______________ and outside it (2 Corinthians 12:9-10).