Grace Messages

We have been looking at Jesus’ divine appointment with a Samaritan woman the past couple of weeks. As that conversation is brought to a close, we will see that the woman and her community would never be the same! Additionally, we will see that Jesus uses this opportunity to further train His disciples. He will challenge their thinking and attempt to shift their “value” system, to alter their priorities, and to cause them to see life through His eyes. Watch and listen as Jesus disciples His disciples!

We have been looking at Jesus’ divine appointment with a Samaritan woman the past couple of weeks. This divine appointment continues to illustrate the truth that Jesus “knew all men” AND “He knew what was IN man” (John 2:24-25). Like His interaction with Nicodemus in chapter 3, Jesus goes right to her greatest need – eternal life! This week, He continues to push her to a point of decision. Will she trust Him or will she not?

Last week the stage was set for a divine appointment between Jesus Christ and a woman from Samaria. As we work through this conversation, we will once again see that Jesus “knew all men” AND “He knew what was IN man” (John 2:24-25). Like His interaction with Nicodemus in chapter 3, Jesus goes right to her greatest need – eternal life! As we will see though, He does NOT take a “cookie cutter” approach with her. It is slightly different than His approach with Nicodemus. Either way, He goes straight to her greatest need, just as He did with Nicodemus!

Sermon on John 4

All the way back in John 2:24-25 we learned that Jesus “knew all men” AND “He knew what was IN man.” This piercing and penetrating knowledge was put on full display in His interaction with Nicodemus in chapter 3, but now we are going to travel to the other end of the societal spectrum. Nicodemus was a prim, proper, religious, moral, societal elite in Jewish circles. The woman Jesus will interact with in John chapter 4 is the exact opposite in every way – and YET the truth remains, Jesus KNEW ALL PEOPLE! Jesus had a divine appointment on His calendar and He "needed" to get to Samaria!

This morning, we begin to observe the final recorded testimony of John the Baptist in the gospels. This testimony is prior to his arrest and eventual execution, and it allows us to really get into the mind of this man who “paved the way for the Messiah.” We are going to see that what he recognized and communicated at this stage of his life and ministry would be an adequate goal of recognition for each one of us. John’s final testimony should be OUR LIFE GOAL!

Sermon on John 3:22-30

This morning, we begin to observe the final recorded testimony of John the Baptist in the gospels. This testimony is prior to his arrest and eventual execution, and it allows us to really get into the mind of this man who “paved the way for the Messiah.” We are going to see that what he recognized and communicated at this stage of his life and ministry would be an adequate goal of recognition for each one of us. John’s final testimony should be OUR LIFE GOAL!

Sermon on John 3:22-30

This morning, as we close out Jesus’ conversation with Nicodemus, He will utilize two contrasts to bring home His point. Remember, His point is TWO-FOLD: (1) He is making Nicodemus aware of his need to be “born from above,” and (2) He desires to persuade Nicodemus to trust in God’s solution alone to be "born from above." The two contrasts that He utilizes in this section is: (1) Belief VS. Unbelief (verses 15-18), and (2) Light VS. Darkness (verses 19-21).

This morning, we come to the most well-known text in all of the Bible - John 3:16. One commentator said that John 3:16 is "a text that contains an ocean of thought and a drop of language." Martin Luther, the great Reformer, called John 3:16 the "miniature gospel and a text in which the whole Bible is contained." It is interesting that most people can quote it, but very few people actually understand it. Many people are not even aware of the context of John 3:16 - that Jesus is still explaining the necessity of the birth from above. Let's dive into this incredible passage this morning...

Last week we covered the dialogue portion of the life-changing conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus. This week, we are going to get a more in-depth explanation of not only WHY Nicodemus could and should trust Jesus' testimony about the "birth from above" but also HOW one can enjoy and personally experience the "birth from above."

We left off last time being introduced to Nicodemus, who was the premiere Rabbi in all of Israel at this time (3:10). One of the reasons John recorded this conversation was to illustrate the truth of John 2:24b-25 – “Jesus knew all men and Jesus knew what was in all men.” This will be exemplified in Jesus’ conversation with Nicodemus (John chapter 3) and in His conversation with the woman at the well (John chapter 4). This conversation with Nicodemus was life-changing for him!...and the recounting of it has been life-changing for many others throughout the course of human history!