Jesus and the adulterous woman, it is a beloved and well-known story, but what if I told you it didn’t belong in the Bible? This is what many doctrinally sound, theologically consistent, Bible believing scholars suggest. This means a different approach to our study will be needed tonight. We will start with examining the evidence and method of study for this claim, then the story itself, which will lead us to an incredible look at the grace of our Savior.

As we work through the Gospel of John there are two themes that continue to present themselves, and they are so contrary to one another. What we see over and over is the reality of who Jesus is: the All-Sufficient and All-Satisfying One Who has come to save. And yet, while He lives on earth, and He is rejected. As we come to chapter 7 this becomes more and more evident. It is a repeating theme that Jesus came unto His own and His own people did not receive Him. They rejected the true water.

This message on the coming of God into the world was preached on Christmas Day 2016

The Christmas season is a joyous one and the joy that it provides wells up from God’s entrance into humanity in the person of Jesus. You can’t consider this reality for too long before you are thinking about Jesus’ Gospel mission. Tonight Jesus walks through a great deal of Gospel truth. May these truths deepen your excitement and thankfulness for Christmas this year as we celebrate the birth of our Savior!

Where do you find your joy? Where do you find satisfaction? These are important questions because they reveal what we are pursuing. A related question to those above is, what do we hope to get from following Jesus? Do we follow Jesus because of who He is, or because of what He can provide? In John 6 Jesus exposes a group of people who have set their desires on temporary things. When they meet Jesus they see the gifts He can give without appreciating the giver of the gifts. They see Him as the giver of bread instead of seeing Him as the True Bread.

My goal for our time together tonight is to increase our commitment to racial diversity and harmony. I want us to see that it is good, beautiful, right, and most importantly, God-glorifying when Christians of different skin colors, ethnicities, and races live life together, work together, relax together, laugh together, worship together, eat together in a spirit of love and unity. This focus is necessary as our country continues to struggle with real racial animosity. There is hope, and His name is Jesus.

In John chapter one we are told that Jesus “came unto His own and His own did not receive Him” (John 1:9-11). Jesus came to the nation of Israel, the people of God, and for the most part they rejected Him. As we come to chapter 5 we begin to see this reality play out. Jesus reveals Himself to a group of Jewish leaders and even provides a series of witnesses, but despite the evidence they will not believe.