Welcome to The Word Became Fresh, the Bible-teaching ministry of Pastor Sebastian Petz from The WORD Church LA.

Today we enter John 9 and the remarkable story where Jesus meets a man who has been blind from birth.

The disciples see a theological puzzle—"Who sinned, this man or his parents?"

But Jesus reframes the entire moment:
"It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him."

In one sentence, Jesus teaches us that suffering is not always judgment—it is often the canvas on which God intends to display His glory. And with divine compassion, He moves toward the man, preparing to open not just physical eyes, but spiritual ones.

Today in Part 1, we look at the purpose behind this man’s suffering, and the hope we have in a Savior who never wastes pain.

Welcome to The Word Became Fresh, the Bible-teaching ministry of Pastor Sebastian Petz from The WORD Church LA.

In today’s episode, Jesus’ confrontation with the religious leaders reaches its breathtaking climax.
They demand, "Who do You make Yourself out to be?" — and Jesus answers with a declaration that shakes the very ground of history.

He reminds them that Abraham rejoiced to see His day — that before Abraham ever existed, He was.
And then, with divine finality, Jesus says the words that reveal His eternal identity:

"Before Abraham was, I Am."

In that moment, there is no ambiguity left — the carpenter from Nazareth claims the very name of God.
The One who spoke to Moses from the burning bush now stands in the temple courts, wrapped in human flesh, declaring Himself the eternal I Am.
And faced with such glory, His enemies can only reach for stones.

Welcome to The Word Became Fresh, the Bible-teaching ministry of Pastor Sebastian Petz from The WORD Church LA.

In today’s episode, Jesus’ confrontation with the religious leaders reaches its breaking point.
They lash out with insults, calling Him a Samaritan and accusing Him of being demon-possessed.
But Jesus doesn’t trade insult for insult — He speaks truth with unshakable calm: "I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me."

Here, the issue isn’t mere misunderstanding — it’s spiritual blindness.
They claim to know God, yet reject the One who reveals Him.
And then Jesus makes a staggering promise: "If anyone keeps My word, he will never see death."
Once again, the words of eternal life collide with hearts closed by pride.

Welcome to The Word Became Fresh, the Bible-teaching ministry of Pastor Sebastian Petz from The WORD Church LA.

In today’s episode, Jesus exposes the spiritual heart of His opponents.
They boast in Abraham, but their actions betray another lineage.
He says, "If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I came from God."
Instead, their rejection reveals their true allegiance — "You are of your father the devil."

Here, Jesus unmasks the source of unbelief.
Those who refuse truth show they belong to the lie.
And the mark of a true child of God is unmistakable: a heart that loves Christ and listens to His Word.

Welcome to The Word Became Fresh, the Bible-teaching ministry of Pastor Sebastian Petz from The WORD Church LA.

In today’s episode, Jesus continues His conversation with those who claim to believe in Him — but whose hearts reveal otherwise.

They insist, "Abraham is our father."
But Jesus replies, "If you were Abraham’s children, you would be doing the works Abraham did." (John 8:39)

Their confidence in heritage masks a crisis of the heart.
Abraham welcomed the truth; they’re trying to kill the One who speaks it.

Then Jesus exposes the real issue — their spiritual lineage.
He says, "You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires." (John 8:44)

This is one of the sharpest moments in John’s Gospel.
Jesus draws a line no one can blur — you either belong to the truth or to the lie.
And the defining mark of a true child of God is simple: you hear His Word and love His voice.

Welcome to The Word Became Fresh, the Bible-teaching ministry of Pastor Sebastian Petz from The WORD Church LA.

In today’s episode, we return to the temple courts as Jesus continues His confrontation with those who claim to believe in Him.

Last time, we heard Him say, "If you abide in My word, you are truly My disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." (John 8:31–32)

But now, Jesus presses that truth even deeper — and what He reveals cuts to the heart of human pride.

They protest, "We have never been enslaved to anyone."
Yet Jesus exposes the hidden slavery beneath their self-confidence: "Everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin." (John 8:34)

Then He draws a breathtaking contrast — between the slave who cannot remain in the house forever and the Son who abides forever.

Only the Son can set you free, because only the Son belongs there by right.

Freedom, Jesus says, is not about independence — it’s about belonging.
True freedom is found not in doing whatever we want, but in being restored to the One we were made for.

And the tragedy of this moment is that many who heard Him couldn’t handle the truth.
They wanted liberation without lordship — redemption without repentance.

But Jesus will not soften His words, because love always tells the truth, even when it hurts to hear it.

Welcome to The Word Became Fresh, the Bible-teaching ministry of Pastor Sebastian Petz from The WORD Church LA.

In today’s episode, Jesus turns from the skeptical crowd to those who have believed in Him — and He draws a dividing line that runs straight through the heart of every person.

He says, "If you abide in My word, you are truly My disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."

But as soon as those words leave His mouth, the tension explodes.
The Jews protest — "We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone!"
They can’t see it yet, but Jesus is exposing a deeper bondage — not political, but spiritual.

Here, He reveals that the real slavery is sin, and the only path to freedom is through the Son.
True discipleship isn’t about heritage or self-righteousness — it’s about remaining in His Word until it remakes you from the inside out.

This is the freedom only Christ can give:
Not freedom to do what we want,
but freedom finally to be who we were made to be — children of God, liberated by truth.

Welcome to The Word Became Fresh, the Bible-teaching ministry of Pastor Sebastian Petz from The WORD Church LA.

In today’s episode, we return to the temple courts for Part 2 of Jesus’ stunning declaration in John 8.
The religious leaders still don’t understand where He has come from or where He is going. They question, they argue, and they scoff — but Jesus speaks with divine clarity: "When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He."

Here, Jesus unveils both the mystery of His identity and the mercy of His mission.
The cross will be the moment of revelation — the hour when the Son of Man is lifted up, and the world sees that the One they crucified is the great "I Am."
Even in rejection, God’s redemptive plan is unfolding exactly as He ordained.

Welcome to The Word Became Fresh, the Bible-teaching ministry of Pastor Sebastian Petz from The WORD Church LA.

In today’s episode, Jesus sharpens the warning He began in the temple courts: "I am going away, and you will seek me, and you will die in your sin." The religious leaders scoff, unable to understand. Yet Jesus makes it plain — unless they believe that He is who He claims to be, the great "I Am," they will perish apart from God.

Here, the dividing line grows unavoidable: life or death, belief or unbelief, forgiveness or judgment. The Light has come, but to reject Him is to remain in darkness forever.

Welcome to The Word Became Fresh, the Bible-teaching ministry of Pastor Sebastian Petz from The WORD Church LA.

In today’s episode, we continue with Jesus’ declaration, "I am the light of the world." But this time, the focus sharpens: Jesus warns of the danger of dying in sin if we do not believe that He is who He claims to be — the great "I Am."

The religious leaders remain blind, locked in their unbelief. But Jesus speaks with authority from the Father, unveiling the seriousness of rejecting Him and the hope of trusting Him.

Light and darkness, life and death, belief and unbelief — the dividing lines could not be sharper.