Send me a Text Message!

This episode focuses on John 14. John 14 is the first chapter of a set of four that comprise an incredibly unique portion of the gospel of John.  I think it contains some of the most important teachings of Jesus. If you have a red-letter Bible (some versions have Jesus' words in red) the next four chapters are filled with red. Most scholars call these four chapters, Jesus "Farewell Discourse." I think it's anything but a farewell discourse. These are not last words, they are beginning words. It's not a final goodbye, it's a locker-room talk before you go out to play the most important game of your life.

Jesus is walking with his friends in a vineyard, hours before He hangs on a cross and He's talking about finding a breakthrough. In the space of a three-chapter conversation and a one-chapter prayer, he will hit on multiple themes and every one of them is his preparation for trouble by giving them an expectancy of hope. You will have trouble, but don't let trouble into your heart. Don't be afraid, for I have overcome the world. I hope you come to the point, where you just want to read these four chapters over and over again! They will give an adrenaline shot to your soul!

Send me a Text Message!

In this episode, we are focusing on John 13. John 13 contains one of the most powerful, and most overlooked moments in the life of Jesus. In some ways, it’s even more revealing of the character and the heart and the power of Christ, than the cross and the empty tomb.  It was a defining moment that was meant to define the heart of a Jesus-apprentice.  The defining moment came when Jesus washed his disciples' feet. Jesus ensuing charge: "Do for each other as I have done for you. If you do this (serve) you will be blessed." That charge then set up every Jesus-follower the key distinguishing trait. "The world will know that you are my disciples by the love you have for one another." 

We are not known for our knowledge, for our religious services, or even our standards. We are known as Jesus-apprentices by the love we have for each other. Now that is a message that the church needs to embrace today!

Send me a Text Message!

In this episode, we are focusing on John 12.  From John 11 to John 21, we are heart-deep into the last days of Jesus. Days that changed the world. Days that changed my world. From Lazarus to Palm Sunday to Good Friday to Easter Sunday to the days before Jesus ascended into heaven; that's the last 11 chapters of John’s gospel. Over half of John's gospel focuses on the last two weeks of Jesus' life.  John 12 begins on the Saturday before what we know as Palm Sunday. Jesus is at Lazarus' house and everyone wants to see Lazarus and Jesus. The crowd seems to be tipping in favor of believing that Jesus is the Messiah. Lazarus was dead and now he is alive; the crowd is gathering. They are looking for a King.

But in the midst of all the pomp and circumstance, John captures a moment, a beautiful moment between Mary and Jesus. You might call it a love-burst, a moment of tender affection that leads to a blast explosion of generosity and love. If you have ever had one, you know what I mean. Jesus connects this love-burst to his death, setting the stage for a week filled with bursts of love that change the world! 

Send me a Text Message!

In John 11 we get both a miraculous sign and another “I-am” identity statement. As has been the case before, the sign and the statement match up. For example, Jesus fed the crowd and then told them, I am the bread of life come down from heaven. He healed a blind man’s eyes and said, “I am the light of the world.” In John 11, he will raise a dead man to life and tell us, “I am the resurrection and the life…” We’ll hear HIs words in verses 25-26. "Jesus said to her, 'I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?'”

Before John 11 is finished, we will catch a glimpse of Jesus our champion. This is the same Jesus who went to the cross, not out of weakness but from the strength of love. This is the same Jesus who battled death on our behalf...and came striding out of the tomb with victory in hand. This is the same Jesus who rages at the mess of the world and gives us another option...the option of glory. But in the end, which story we find ourselves in will be determined by who we believe and who we follow. I hope we all find ourselves calling out to our champion. Jesus!

Send me a Text Message!

If I were to summarize John 10, I would say first of all that there are sheep. (And on the one hand, having raised sheep for a small portion of my life, it doesn’t necessarily feel like a compliment to me, to be called a sheep. But on the other hand, sheep are the sole focus of the heart and mind of a shepherd.) So there are sheep (that’s us); there is a shepherd, that’s Jesus, and there is a thief, that’s the devil, the very enemy of our souls. AND the battle for life is a battle for our ears. The question is to whom will we give our ears, to whom will we listen. Will we listen to the thief – who in the last episode Jesus called the father of lies – or will we listen to the Good Shepherd.

Henry Blackaby wrote in his book, "Experiencing God," God speaks and we are in trouble at the very heart of our relationship with God if we don't recognize his voice.  In John 10, Jesus says that he is the good shepherd (another I-am identity statement) and his sheep know his voice. Listen there are so many voices out there and we are foolish to believe that those voices don't shape our lives. To whom are you giving your ears? To whom are you paying attention? If we listen for his voice, his words will bring life.

Send me a Text Message!

John 9 contains another sign-story. Remember John shapes his gospel on seven miraculous signs and seven “I-am” identity statements by Jesus. Both the signs and the identity statements reflect on Jesus. They describe him.  They reveal an important quality, role or characteristic of Jesus. Remember the sign is more than just a miracle…it points to something. It tells us what's ahead. In John 9, the sign is about sight. In John 8, we heard Jesus says, “I am the light of the world.” In John 1, we heard John say that Jesus is the light of the world that gives life to those who believe, and when the light shines in the darkness, the light always wins. In John 9, the light of the world gives sight to a blind man.

Jesus is the light that gives sight.

And don't miss this. We are talking about something more than physical sight. In fact, in John 9, you will hear Jesus mention, spiritual sight. This is what Paul would refer to years later, when he wrote about the unseen realities that are even more real than what we see. But for now, what captivates me, is not just the fact that Jesus gives sight to a blind man, it's the fact that he sees people we miss. Jesus has the most amazing eyes. He sees you. No matter where you are or what's going on. He sees you!

Send me a Text Message!

John 8 is a fascinating, intriguing passage of scripture. It contains so many well-known and life-changing truths. For example, you will hear Jesus say things like: "I am the light of the world." "You will know the truth and the truth will set you free." And you will also hear a lot of talk about fathers. Who is your father? Jesus says that his father is God. The religious leaders say that their father is Abraham, but Jesus suggests that their father is actually the devil.

If there is one question that you could ask yourself as you listen to John 8, that's it. Who is my dad? What family shapes my identity? Really, who am I? As much as we think we shape our own identity, your family profoundly impacts who you are. If you are a Christ-follower, then your identity is built on what God has done and what God is doing. You are part of the family of God. If you want to know who you are...you need to know who He is. That's why we are taking the time to ponder Jesus in the gospel of John. What could be more important?!

Send me a Text Message!

In this episode I'm going to tell you about the day, my son Jake, told me to get a life! Dad. Get a life! Probably not that uncommon to be told to get a life and definitely not uncommon to be desperately seeking for more life.  Far more important than my get-a-life story is the story told in John 7 about Jesus' offer of life.

Jesus offers us a life that is worth "more than bread" and it requires something "more than bread" to get it. At the very heart of this podcast is a search for answers, perhaps even a path that will lead us to a life that is more than the life we currently are living. We need more than bread if we are seeking more life. And we are...aren't we? Isn't that why we strive for the promotion, dive into our family, and even cheer on our team, because we are looking for more life? And I”ll tell you very simply, on behalf of thousands of people with whom I’ve had the opportunity to rub shoulders; friends in Myanmar who are willing to risk everything for him; Jesus is a great way to get a good life. So let’s dive into John 7. 

Send me a Text Message!

As we take one more look at John 6, our focus is on a somewhat famous storm story. My guess is that each one of us could share a storm story of our own. Storm stories are those times when life seems a bit out of control, filled with uncertainty and maybe even a bit of fear. This particular storm story is the one where we get the challenge, "If you want to walk on the water you have to get out of the boat." If you want to go on an adventure with Jesus, you may have to take a (seemingly) risky step of faith.

If you don't know the story, you'll hear it in a moment. If you know the story, let me simply say this. I think if offered a choice, Jesus' friends would have done it all over again. When you come to the end of this story, remember this statement. "I think if offered the chance to do it all over again, they would have done it all over again.  Not just the walking on water part; that was cool but I'm not so sure it was the highlight. I'm not so sure I would go through another storm like that, just to walk on water. It would be like a Disney ride; after a few times, it becomes old hat. But I would go through a storm and I would get out of my boat if it led to a face-to-face encounter with the living God. 

Send me a Text Message!

John's gospel is loosely organized around seven miraculous signs and seven "I-am" statements. The signs and the statements are meant to reveal his identity and lead to faith in Him, believing in Him for life. John 6 is jam-packed with two signs and one "I-am" statement. First, we have the feeding of the crowd with a young boy's sack lunch. Then we have Jesus' mastery over a storm. Finally, Jesus expounds upon His identity and mission with the statement, "I am the bread of life come down from heaven."

At one point, Jesus gives a profoundly (at least at that time) disturbing message about eating his flesh and drinking his blood and many of us followers stop following. So Jesus turned to his core team and said, "Do you want to go away as well?" Peter answered him, "Lord to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God." Ultimately that's the decision point for each of us. Do we think we can find a better source of life? In the midst of it all is this amazing story of a young boy who gave Jesus everything he had and in the surrendering became part of a story that's been told to millions of people over the course of thousands of years. Now that's pretty cool!

More than bread, words of life. with that in mind, let’s read John 6. I’ll be reading from the