Grace Messages

Last time we met, we attempted to set the stage for the ONE miracle in the life of Jesus that was recorded in each of the 4 gospel accounts – the feeding of the 5000. This miracle was really a preliminary attention grabber for the main discussion – the Bread of Life Discourse! As we move forward in this account Jesus will take His disciples from the classroom of discipleship into a discipleship practicum. He does this by involving them in His miracle and modeling grace-based and dependent ministry.

Today we celebrate communion, and remember what Christ did for us!

Contentment in life is something we all strive for, but something that always seems just out of reach. Today, Joshua Miller joins us to talk about how to be content. What is contentment, what does the Bible say about being content, and how can we truly be content in this life?

Sermon on Philippians 4:13

Chapter 6 begins with the ONE miracle that was recorded in each of the four gospel accounts – the feeding of the 5,000. The purpose of John in recording this miracle is very unique. This is one of the signs he has hand selected to convince his audience to believe in Jesus Christ, but it is also this miracle that provides the occasion for a remarkable discourse the next day. This discourse has come to be known as the Bread of Life discourse. This morning we will set the stage for this miracle.

As we close out John chapter 5 this morning, remember last week that Jesus has moved us into an impromptu court scene. Jesus has given us His opening argument, and last week He began presenting His expert witnesses to His identity. Remember, under Jewish law, valid testimony in a court case was 2-3 witnesses – Jesus will provide four witnesses – five, if you count Himself. The four witnesses we looked at last week were: (1) Jesus, Himself, (2) God the Father, (3) John the Baptist, and (4) Jesus’ Works. This week we will consider Jesus’ final and (what should have been) the deciding witness – the Old Testament Scriptures.

The rest of John 5 moves us into an impromptu court scene – using the courtroom imagery, Jesus, up to this point in time has given us His opening argument, and now He is going to present His airtight defense regarding His identity through multiple expert witnesses. In Jewish law, valid testimony in a court case was two-three witnesses. Jesus will provide four witnesses – five, if you count Himself. We will consider each of those witnesses and their testimonies over the course of the next two weeks.

This week Jesus continues to “Double Down” on His unique relationship TO and WITH God the Father. We are in the aftermath of Jesus’ healing of a crippled man at the Pool of Bethesda. This was John’s third hand-selected sign and the main issue with this sign is that it was done on the Jewish Sabbath. Jesus is in the midst of explaining WHO He is and WHY He has the right to heal a man on the Sabbath. This morning, we are going to continue to consider some of the “greater works” mentioned in v20. They are (1) Raising the Dead and (2) Judging the World – both of these were assumed to be reserved for Yahweh alone! Through these statements Jesus is letting His listeners know He is Yahweh!

This week Jesus continues to “Double Down” on His unique relationship TO and WITH God the Father. We are in the aftermath of Jesus’ healing of a crippled man at the Pool of Bethesda. This was John’s third hand-selected sign and the main issue with this sign is that it was done on the Jewish Sabbath. Jesus is in the midst of explaining WHO He is and WHY He has the right to heal a man on the Sabbath. This morning, we are going to continue to consider some of the “greater works” mentioned in v20. They are (1) Raising the Dead and (2) Judging the World – both of these were assumed to be reserved for Yahweh alone! Through these statements Jesus is letting His listeners know He is Yahweh!

Sermon on John 5 22-25

To “Double Down” means to strengthen one's commitment to a particular strategy or course of action, typically one that is potentially risky. This morning, we are going to see Jesus doubling down! He is going to lean in to WHO He is and WHY He has the right to heal a man on the Sabbath. What we have in the rest of this chapter is the most thoroughgoing statement of Jesus’ unity with the Father, His divine commission and authority, and His proof of Messiahship in all of the Gospels. John chapter 5 is a treasure trove of truth about the person of Jesus Christ!

Last week, we looked at Jesus’ healing of a crippled man at the Pool of Bethesda. This was John’s THIRD hand-selected sign and because this sign was done on the Jewish Sabbath it created a very "sticky" situation for Jesus, which I think He created willingly AND intentionally. Jesus did so to confront false religious teaching and understanding, as it related to the Sabbath, and to also further clarify His identity and authority! This morning's passage further sets the stage for one of Jesus' premiere teaching sessions in John's gospel.