That You May Believe | The Gospel of John || As we saw last week, chapter 4 begins with Jesus’s encounter with the Samaritan woman. The chapter then concludes with His encounter with a Gentile official. In this chapter we see a stark contrast; those who hear the word of God and believe versus those simply wanting to be entertained by signs and wonder. In this sermon we are reminded of the dangerous lie that you aren’t saved unless you have experienced signs and wonder in your life.

That You May Believe | The Gospel of John || The image of Living Water is a constant symbol throughout scripture. We find it flowing from start to finish, beginning in Genesis 1 and ending in Revelation 22. And here, in John 4, Jesus reveals to the Samaritan woman that He is the giver of this Living Water. He exposes to the woman that she has been drinking from the shallow well and that her deep, spiritual thirst, can only be quenched by the Living Water He offers.

That You May Believe | The Gospel of John || In the last half of John 3 we are reminded of the dangers of pride. We see that pride hardens our hearts towards the work of God. But, as we see with John the Baptist, a humble heart leads us to a joy-filled submission to the work of God.

That You May Believe | The Gospel of John || In John 3 Jesus declares to Nicodemus that to be saved you must be born again. Nicodemus expresses confusion to which Jesus uses the wind as another illustration. Prior to Jesus proclaiming the words in John 3:16 (perhaps the most famous and well-known verse in the Bible) He compares the moment of salvation to 2 things in this world that we have zero control over; our birth and the wind. Prior to our ‘believing’, we are entirely dependent on the working of the Holy Spirit in our hearts.

That You May Believe | The Gospel of John || In the cleansing of the temple we see the clearest expression of Jesus’s righteous anger. What is it about this specific moment here in John 2 that bothers Him so much that it evokes this response? It’s because He finds the people of God have defiled the Temple of God and are misusing it. Jesus cleanses the temple in order to restore it to its proper use, which is the worship of God. And Jesus cleanses His bride in order to restore within her a zeal for the worship of God.

That You May Believe | The Gospel of John || In chapter 2 Jesus and his disciples attend a wedding. During the wedding the wine runs out and Mary, Jesus’s mother, asks him to do something about it. How are we to understand Jesus’s response to his mother, and his first miracle? Is His response one of disrespect, and the miracle just a cool magic trick, or is something more important conveyed to the audience in this moment?

That You May Believe | The Gospel of John || In the concluding verses of John 1, John bears witness that Jesus is the Lamb of God, the long-awaited Messiah. And we see Jesus begin to call some of his disciples. Throughout these verses we see an emphasis on various titles for Jesus, and because of this, why He is worthy of our following.

That You May Believe | The Gospel of John || The testimony of John the baptist is summarized in these 10 verses. In these verses we John asked who he is, and he emphatically says he is neither the Christ, Elijah, or a prophet. John knew his purpose: He was to be a voice in the wilderness preparing the way for the Christ. And he knew the right response to the glory of the Lord; ‘I am unfit to even untie his sandals.’ Let John serve as an example of how we respond to the glory of the Lord.

That You May Believe | The Gospel of John || John tells us towards the end of his gospel that he wrote it ‘so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name’ (John 20:31). In the prologue John reveals the identity of Christ. He presents Jesus as the eternal and incarnate Word, who is both the Son of the Father, and is Himself God. And though there are those who reject Him, those who receive Him are made children of God.

Behold the Lamb of God (Advent Series 2019) || In this advent series we have looked at the Lamb promised, proclaimed, prepared, and provided. As we conclude this series we look to Revelation to see what our response should be to the Lamb. He is eternal, and therefore worthy to be praised. In Revelation 5 John, the author, weeps that no one is worthy to open and read the scroll. His eyes are then turned towards the One who is worthy. Jesus, the Lion and the Lamb.