As baptisms of Christ’s followers began to outpace those of John the Baptist, the religious leaders attempted to make John’s disciples envious. But John was overjoyed with Christ’s success and delighted in being a “friend of the groom.” Pastor Hollandsworth explains what this means and examines five humble statements made by John that should be the conviction of all believers. 

Christ’s admonition to Nicodemus in John 3 – “You must be born again” – is traditionally assumed to be a salvation text. But was Jesus telling this ruler of Israel how to be regenerated or how to prepare for kingdom inheritance? Pastor Hollandsworth defines the terms “born again” and “eternal life” and describes what Nicodemus would have been thinking as a first century Israelite.

Watching Jesus cast the money changers out of the temple must have been an astonishing sight, and it surely infuriated the religious leaders. Pastor Hollandsworth explains why Jesus takes this bold action immediately following His miracle of turning water to wine, describes the right response to anger, and makes application to disciples in the twenty-first century.

Why would Jesus turn water to wine, and what kind of wine did He make? Besides affirming His deity, what message did this unusual phenomenon send to Israel? Pastor Hollandsworth elaborates on the deeper meaning of this sign miracle with respect to Israel’s future restoration and kingdom inheritance, making connections to Noah, Melchizedek, the OT prophets, and the Last Supper.

John the Baptist directed his disciples to become followers of Jesus, thereby bringing John’s ministry to a close. Pastor Hollandsworth discusses the priority of discipleship in the Great Commission and also explains why Jesus promised Nathanael kingdom inheritance.

John the Baptist proclaimed, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” Pastor Hollandsworth details what the Jews of Jesus’ day were thinking when they heard this metaphor, and he explains why John is the quintessential example of confessing Christ and how we can learn from His humble testimony.

The Holy Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. What was the purpose of this? Pastor Hollandsworth shares six truths demonstrated by Christ’s temptation, explains the nature of each temptation, and emphasizes the believer’s escape from temptation by following Christ’s example.

Why did Jesus submit to John’s baptism of repentance for the remission of sins, seeing that Jesus was the Son of God and never sinned? Pastor Hollandsworth gives two answers to this question, which have application to the Christian life, and he also explains the three aspects of Holy Spirit power in our lives. 

John the Baptist introduced the ministry of Jesus with a call for the nation to repent. Most evangelicals assume this is one of the requirements for salvation. However, Pastor Hollandsworth demonstrates clearly from the text that repentance is NOT a requirement for salvation, for John was preaching to believers, not unbelievers. 

In this final message in the Hebrews Series, Pastor Hollandsworth shares seven more behaviors from the text that God expects of His children who are living well-pleasing to Him. Topics include: living by grace, not legalism; bearing the reproach of Christ; seeking the heavenly Jerusalem; and what it means to submit to spiritual leaders.