Insecurity was beginning to leak for the religious leaders in Jerusalem. They had to find a way to get Jesus to break. The tide had shifted and the crowds were actually responding to Jesus. So, the gloves come off in Chapter 8 of John. They know that something is special with this man, who calls Himself the Messiah, something supernatural. Join us this week as Kip Nanninga takes us deeper into the Real Jesus.

Jesus came to earth on a rescue mission. He's not here to teach us…he's here to rescue us. Which means that we have to decide whether or not we're going to let him do it. That's the key question: Will we let Jesus rescue us?

As we saw last week, Jesus says he can satisfy our deepest longings and make us agents of transformative hope. And I asked the question “do you believe that?” And as we said, there are three possible answers: yes, no or I don’t know. Today, we’re going to see Jesus mostly interact with a group of people whose answer was “no.” They didn’t believe Jesus was who he said he was or that he could do what he said he could do.

Our Identity should fuel our Activity in Christ.

Christmas is the celebration of the fact –not the hope or the possibility – but the simple yet stunning fact that love has come. This is Christmas; the celebration of precisely this truth, that love has come−not only in the form of an infant King born in a barn, but in that same King’s relentless, passionate longing to love us in a way that will change everything…if only we will let Him.

Throughout this series, we’ve been seeing that God’s love for us is too deep for him to leave us lost in our sin, our heartache, our pain, our suffering. No matter where you are or what you’re facing, you need to understand that his love has come and is coming for you. What might seem like a slow arrival is, in fact, an indication that what’s coming is bigger and better than you would have ever dared to dream. That’s Christmas.

Let's talk about Isaac today. None of what God ultimately did, with Abraham and Isaac, depends on Abraham. But Abraham did have one all-important role to play: he chose to trust the Giver, not the gift. If he had refused to trust God, as hard and heartbreaking as God’s call seemed, I think things would have turned out very differently…not just for Abraham, but for all of us. But he didn’t. He chose to trust God.

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night. I mean, that’s the Christmas story, right? But what if I told that’s not the whole Christmas story? What if I told you that the Christmas story isn’t just confined to the first few chapters of the Gospel of Matthew and the Gospel of Luke? What if I told you that the Christmas story actually begins in the first few pages of the Bible?

As you look at your heart…to get very, very honest about what your heart has exchanged for counterfeit. I want you to know, It doesn’t compare. When you hold up your idol it pales in comparison to the person and work of Jesus Christ…What I want the Holy Spirit to do in my life today is allow me to hold up my idol… To let my heart honestly see that Jesus Christ is infinitely more beautiful, infinitely more valuable, infinitely more hope-giving and worthy of my affections.

God never hides, but He waits for us to return to Him-- He is constantly calling for our trust. When I learn to trust the heart of God, then hearing His voice is seemingly irrelevant. We treat God as if He is another person, assuming we ticked Him off somehow and He is giving us the silent treatment. Even our close friends give us the cold shoulder sometimes, so why wouldn't God? Listen as our guest speaker takes us through what it means to listen for God's voice in times of silence.