The Moody Church Sunday Morning Podcast

In this passage from John 13:1-17, we see a profound demonstration of Jesus' servant heart. This scene takes place during Jesus’ last meal with the disciples. It's Thursday evening of Holy Week, just hours before his crucifixion the following day. As the story unfolds, Jesus washes the disciple's feet. It’s moving and touching to us today, but in first-century Palestine it was, shocking, radical, and scandalous. The story shows us three characteristics at the very heart of Jesus:The Humbling Servant: Jesus knows that the Father has given all things into His hands, and that he's the greatest person in the room. But what does he do? He takes off his garments, wraps a towel around his waist, and washes feet. He willingly, voluntarily, and humbly takes on the role of the lowliest slave. The humility demonstrated by Jesus is humbling for us.

The Cleansing Redeemer: There are dimensions to this foot washing that Peter can't accept. So, Jesus shifts his response to Peter from physical cleansing to spiritual cleansing. Jesus is making this point: we don't just need physical cleansing, we need spiritual cleansing.

The Transforming Example: Jesus is calling us to be like Him. To become humble servants. To become slaves of all. To clean refuse off the feet of the undeserving. To pursue the unlovely. To love our enemies. To lay down our lives in loving service, humble sacrifice, and selflessness care. But how are we supposed to do this? We must give up our pride, and realize that served people serve people. Takeaways:If you’re searching for Jesus, you’ll find Him at your feet.

All will kneel before Jesus, because Jesus knelt before all.

We serve because He first served us. Jesus' love is teaching us how to kneel. We love because He first loved us; we forgive because He forgave us; we serve because He served us. John 13:1-17 Sermon Q&A click here

On Easter we traditionally look at one of the Gospel accounts of that glorious morning when the disciples discovered the empty tomb and realized that Jesus had risen from the dead. But this Easter we break with tradition. In this sermon we explore at an event that took place just a couple weeks prior to Jesus’ own resurrection when Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. It’s a story that shows us the three significant points about the resurrection of Jesus and its relevance for us today: the resurrection near, there, and here:The Resurrection Near: Jesus is the key to resurrection life. This is an audacious claim; Jesus doesn’t say that he has the keys to resurrection life, but that his is the resurrection life. Either he’s raving mad or he’s lying through his teeth; or, he is exactly who he claimed to be. The Resurrection and the Life come near to us in the person of Jesus.

The Resurrection There: Jesus is the key to resurrection life beyond death. When most of us think of death, we either deny it or sentimentalize it. But the Bible treats death differently. Scripture says that death is the enemy, that it is unnatural, and that (incredibly) death is defeated. Jesus Christ went to the cross to die for the sins of the world, to defeat Satan, and put death to death forever. The Bible tells us that one day God will renew this universe and death shall be no more.

The Resurrection Here: Jesus is the key to resurrection life here and now. He claims to offer the kind of life that eve death cannot touch. But the problem we all have is that we are disconnected from God, choosing to do life our own way. The result is that we are dying inside. Jesus, God’s own Son, came and took our death on the cross; he died in our place and for our sake, bearing all of our sign and shame. And because he rose from the dead, we can be right with God. Through this sacrifice, Jesus become the resurrection life that will flood into us now and forever. Takeaways: Is the resurrection life real to you? If you can’t answer that question affirmatively, you can make a choice today to accept eternal life. It’s simple: admit that you’re a sinner, believe that Jesus has done everything to make you right with God, and commit your life to Him as your Savior and Lord. John 11:20-28, 32-44

As we begin Holy Week, this passage in John gives us four vivid portraits of Jesus. The last moments of Jesus’ public ministry recorded for us in the Gospel of John. These four portraits are unmistakably vivid so that everyone may know just who this Jesus really is. The King of Israel: Our 1st Portrait of Jesus comes from the out-of-town crowds who traveled to Jerusalem for the Passover feast. We see Jesus riding into town on a donkey. What on earth is Jesus doing here? Kings don’t ride adolescent donkeys. Donkeys are service animals for grunt work, bearing burdens, hauling refuse. Kings don’t ride donkeys! Jesus rode this young donkey to make a statement, and to fulfill a prophecy from Zechariah 9:9. Because Jesus is the King of Israel! But he did not come as the people expected. This King comes not to crush his enemies, but to be crushed by them; not to mow them down, but that they might mow him down; not to strike, but to be struck; not to pierce, but to be pierced.

The Savior of the World: Our 2nd portrait is made by some God-fearing Greeks who were in Jerusalem for the feast, and they want to see Jesus. Now, this may seem to us to be nothing more than the trappings of celebrity with fans to please. But there’s something in this moment that signals to Jesus… it’s time. What triggered this realization in Jesus that it was time? It may be the fact that the nations were seeking him, and it was in being lifted up that Jesus would draw all men to himself! The Jews have given their “Hosannas” and now the Greeks ask to see Jesus. It’s time for glory through death. Jesus says his dying is what unleashes life.

The Son of Glory: Our 3rd portrait is by God the Father. With suffering and death staring him in the face, Jesus is moved in prayer. He is deeply troubled because of the weight of the cross ahead; and yet he exhibits such incredible resolve. The Father adds His thunderous endorsement to the mix: the Jews called him King of Israel; the Greeks sought out this Savior of the World; now God the Father endorses the Son of Glory.

The Word of Life: Our 4th portrait is self-made by Jesus himself. This is his final public appeal, a final offer of light and life. Jesus says: “I am here as light…won’t you come to the light?” When Jesus speaks it brings accountability. Before we were ignorant. But now we know that we’re responsible. Jesus’ word carries the weight of the Father’s authority as well. Jesus is the living Word of God and therefore speaks God’s living Word. The Word can bring judgement, or that Word can bring eternal life. Takeaways: Jesus says, “What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?”Jesus + Nothing = Everything

Everything – Jesus = Nothing John 12:12-50 Sermon Q&A Click Here

One of the scariest realities in the Gospels is how close you can be to Jesus and miss him entirely. Chapter after chapter, we see that Jesus was right there with the Pharisees, but they missed Him. He was calling, but they didn't hear Him. He was shining in glory, but they didn't see Him. These stories are a warning. You can be moral. You can be religious. You can go to religious gatherings. You can give to the poor. You can do good. You can be well thought of. You can hang around authentic disciples, listen to the finest sermons, and even hold a leadership position. You can be that close to Jesus and still miss Him entirely. His glory can be right there in front of you, and you don’t even see it. On the other hand, there’s Mary, who, as we’ll see in this passage from John, in loving abandon, lavishly anointed Jesus’ feet with a priceless perfume in adoration, gratitude, awe, and worship of Jesus. Everyone can meet the same Jesus, but there can be wildly different responses. Mary truly encountered the glory of Jesus and it deeply changed her. In contrast, the others did not because their encounter was a superficial exposure and not a true encounter. What makes the difference? The critical question for us is: Have we truly encountered Jesus’ glory, or is it just a superficial exposure? In this sermon, we explore three signs we’ve truly encountered Jesus:The Stirring of Our Affections

The Shattering of Our Idols

The Satisfying of Our Souls Takeaways:“The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.” (The Westminster Catechism) Are you willing to count everything as loss for the surpassing worth of knowing Jesus Christ our Lord?

Is Jesus your resurrection and your life? Mary understood that the only way we live, is if the Lamb of God dies. If we’re to be resurrected, Jesus must be crucified. So, if Jesus gave up everything for us, how can we hold back anything from him? John 11:54—12:11 Sermon Q&A click here.

This passage is one of the most gripping and glorious scenes in the Bible as Jesus raises his friend Lazarus from the dead.  This story ends in glorious clarity of Jesus’ powerful love, but it begins with cloudy gloom and disorienting confusion. This story opens and Lazarus is gravely ill, and so they call for Jesus. They expect Jesus to drop everything and come save his friend. But that’s not what Jesus does, and they are disoriented. Have you ever been there? Have you ever prayed your guts out only to find yourself disappointed with God? What do we do when God doesn’t make sense? Ten anchors for the soul when God doesn’t make sense. God is working always for His glory and our good.

God will sometimes lovingly disappoint us.

Jesus gladly risks his life for his friends.

Nothing is beyond hope in the hands of Jesus.

Jesus is life from beyond the walls of the world.

God weeps with us.

Doubt is a natural companion to grief.

God’s ways are not our ways.

Resurrection is just a cry away.

God is authoring a redemptive twist. Takeaway: When you can’t trust His hand, trust His heart. John 11:1-53 Sermon Q&A click here.

Many of us like Jesus—who he was, what he did, how he loved others—but we struggle with his claims of deity. These are edgy claims that catch everyone off guard. What are we to do with Jesus’ unexpected, extraordinary claims? In this passage from John 10, we find four dimensions of the unexpected that reveal the heart of Jesus:Unexpected Feast: The setting of the story begins at the Feast of Dedication, or Hanukkah, and themes of this feast are themes of confrontation: blasphemy, consecration, light, and worship. These are the very points of contention in the conversation that Jesus has in the story with the Pharisees. The irony is that it is the Pharisees who are in fact blaspheming, because by refusing to acknowledge God’s own son revealed before their eyes, they are blaspheming Jesus.

Unexpected Clarity: The unexpected feast leads to unexpected clarity. Responding to requests for clarity about his words, Jesus identifies two pillars of his witness—his words and his works. Jesus then makes an unmistakable claim to deity. The people asked for a plain claim to be the Messiah, the chosen one of Israel, but instead Jesus claims to be divine.

Unexpected Nuance: The unexpected claims of Jesus lead to unexpected nuance. Jesus challenges the religious leaders to think critically about who he really is and what his words really mean. It would be one thing if Jesus had nothing to back up his claims, but his works show that he is from God. Moreover, he claims that the Father is in him, and he in the Father. Jesus is claiming not equivalence (meaning the same person), but equality with God. If Jesus were to claim that he was the Father, that would be heresy. The one true God eternally exists as three co-equal, co-eternal persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And these three are one God. This is the doctrine of the Trinity. These are three persons in one essence: equal, but not equivalent. So deep is the loving union of this eternal community of persons that they mutually indwell one another while maintaining their distinctions.

Unexpected Mercy: The unexpected nuance leads to an unexpected mercy. Jesus knows that what he is saying is hard to believe, so he asks them to believe his works. Jesus looks his assassins in the eyes and gives them this merciful invitation to start with a small amount of faith to know him. This is such a clear example of how Jesus patiently pursues hostile hearts. None of us believes as we ought; yet Jesus is so patient with us. Takeaways:Jesus didn’t stutter—either he is, as he claims, the Lord or heaven, or he is a liar and lunatic.

Jesus deserves our worship as the Son of God.

Jesus welcomes you where you are, even the parts of you that are skeptical and hesitant. When our faith feels weak, all we must say is, “Lord, I believe…help my unbelief.” John 10:22-42 Click here for sermon Q&A.

One of the unique features of the Gospel of John is the attention he gives to the seven “I AM” statements Jesus uttered. In each of these seven statements, Jesus is recorded as saying the phrase ego eimi – “I AM”. This is the Greek translation of the Hebrew YHWH, meaning “I AM Who I AM” from Exodus 3:14. These are purposeful statements hinting at Jesus’ deity. In this passage from John 10, Jesus gives us two more “I AM” statements: “I am the Door of the sheep,” and “I am the Good Shepherd.” What on earth does He mean? Pastor Philip explored three insights into Jesus as our Good Shepherd: 1) The Shepherd’s Provision: In this analogy, Jesus is the Shepherd and we are the sheep. This may seem unflattering, because sheep are notoriously vulnerable animals. But the point for us today is that sheep need a shepherd to thrive, and we need a Shepherd to thrive as well. A Shepherd provides three important things for us: significance, security, and satisfaction. Jesus is the Good Shepherd who offers the good life, now and forever, in Himself. Jesus is offering a life beyond scarcity, worry, stress, and even death. A life abounding with significance, security, and satisfaction. That’s the Shepherd’s Provision. 2) The Shepherd’s Position: Jesus calls Himself “the Good Shepherd;” in the original Greek, it means “I am the Shepherd…the Good One.” He is drawing attention to the difference between a good and bad of shepherd. The religious leaders claimed to be the shepherds of Israel, but Jesus is saying that they have shown themselves to be bad shepherds. In this comparison, a good shepherd has legitimacy, leadership, and loyalty. Jesus is claiming that He is the real, true Good Shepherd whose flock is from every nation, tribe, people, language and tongue. How will the Good Shepherd bring that about? 3) The Shepherd’s Passion: The final proof that Jesus is the Good Shepherd is found in the fact that He lays his life down for the sheep. The death of Jesus is sacrificial, substitutionary, voluntary, authoritative, and lovely. The Father loves the Son for His passion, and it’s the reason the sheep follow the Shepherd. If He laid down his life for us, won’t we follow Him anywhere when He calls us? We’re all like sheep without a shepherd, and there are bad shepherds all around us who want to steal our lives. Who can we really trust? The Good Shepherd offers the good life: a life of significance, security, and satisfaction. We can trust that Jesus is the Good Shepherd because He is legitimate, He is our leader, and He is loyal to the end. If Jesus loved you enough to die for you, He’ll never do you any harm. John 10:1-21 Click here for sermon Q&A.

The book of John is a curated collection (events, interactions, and dialogue) written so that the you may believe that Jesus is the Son of God and that by believing you may have Life in His name. In John 9, the author is again curating the story so that we would more clearly see the person of Jesus. We see four refractions of Jesus as the Light of the World. Each of these refractions shed light on who Jesus is and who we are as well. The Parable of the Light: The story begins with a man born blind, and the disciples ask if his condition is a result of personal sin. Jesus responds by saying “I am the light of the world…” So, we have a man who can’t see any light in this world, and Jesus about to enact a kind of miraculous parable to illustrate what it means that He is the "Light of the World," and how some eyes will be opened while other eyes are closed.

The Polarization of the Light: The people cannot believe their eyes that the man is healed, and the healing creates polarized views of who Jesus is. While the Light is shining, some eyes are opened and some are intentionally shut, because the light of Jesus is polarizing.

The Piercing of the Light: Jesus opened the blind man's eyes to the light, and now his eyes are also being opened spiritually to who Jesus is. Despite opposition from the Pharisees, the man who was healed stands up for Jesus, saying "I was blind, but now I see." The man claims that Jesus has to be from God, because only God alone can open the eyes of a blind man. Here’s the irony: this man sees things with perfect clarity, but it is the Pharisees' eyes that are clouded. The clearer the light shines, the more piercing it is, revealing what’s really going on in the Pharisees’ hearts.

The Paradox of the Light: On the one hand, no one has ever seen Jesus with more clarity than this man does. He goes from total blindness to crystal clarity in just a few hours. And at the very same time, processing the very same information, in the very same place, the religious leaders have never been so blind as to who Jesus is. They actively resist the light. And here’s what’s amazing: the blind man everyone assumed was furthest from God, ends up closest; and the religious leaders everyone assumed were closest to God, end up furthest away. The Light does that; it draws some close and others it drives away. There is no greater blindness than that which insists it can see. Takeaway: Jesus’ light is blinding to some and beautiful to others. It all comes down to whether we’re willing to admit our blindness or not. That’s why sinners draw near, and the self-righteous stand far off. So how about you? What will you do with the Light? John 9:1-41 Click here for sermon Q&A.

In this passage from the end of John 8, we catch a glimpse of Jesus' amazing glory. There are three glorious offers he gives us, but each has a tough reality that we must face. Because when the Son breaks through, we’re either drawn to his beauty or blinded by the light, there really no room in between. Jesus offers Freedom to those who admit their bondage. There are two groups of people here; those who admit they’re slaves to sin, who look to Jesus to set them free; and those who insist they’re actually free, when they’re really not. Sin always looks like freedom until it’s too late. Sin always enslaves us in the end. Jesus offers freedom, but there’s a catch: freedom only comes when we admit our bondage. So we must ask ourselves: do we really want to be free?

Jesus offer a Father to those who own their devilry. In all of this, Jesus is making an appeal. He's saying: "You’re living in enslavement to sin, and you’re under the power of the devil. But I’m here that you might have life! I’m here to set you free! I’m here that you might no longer be slaves… but sons! I’m here to bring you home, that my Father might indeed be your Father!" But the catch is, that if you want God as your Father, you have to admit your sinful heart.

Jesus offers Forever to those who honor His deity. Again, there are two groups of people. Those who believe (the disciples are there) and honor Jesus as “my Lord and my God” as Thomas will do, and those with stones in their hands. Jesus takes away the middle ground; you can either crucify Him as a liar and lunatic, or your can worship Him as Lord and live forever. Takeaways: We are far worse off than we think, Jesus is far better than we realize, and there is far more at stake then we imagine. As human beings apart from grace, we’re in a desperate world of hurt. Jesus alone can be our Savior, because he alone is I AM. Do you want to be free? Do you want God as your Father? Do you want to live forever? Jesus offers us all of this, if only we would admit our sin and worship Him. John 8:31-59 Click here for sermon Q&A.

Fear is a regular emotion in our lives. When God often leads us into fearful situations, and we feel overwhelmed, how should we respond? In this story from Genesis 32 about Jacob and Esau, we see three biblical ways we are to respond to fear. Rely on God: In the midst of our fear, don’t forget that God is faithful. The test of our dependance on God is seen our practice of prayer.

Realign Your Perspective: Our natural tendency towards self-preservation builds walls between ourselves and other. Instead of self-preservation, the gospel calls us to self-denial.

Respond to His Voice: Are we listening to our own voice, the voice of the world, or are we listening to the voice of God and living out of the inner transformation that he has done in our lives? Genesis 32