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Listen Up! Jesus is Praying—for YOU! - John 17:20-26

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What's God's general will for you? Look no further than this text! Now as we listen to Jesus pray for us, we also find what our priorities in life are to be. These words are the "Last Will and Testament" of Jesus Christ. So pay close attention and you'll get it right from the heart of Jesus Himself.

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10/23/2011
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Listen Up! Jesus is Praying—for YOU!
John 17:20-26
Skip Heitzig
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Message Summary
What's God's general will for you? Look no further than this text! Now as we listen to Jesus pray for us, we also find what our priorities in life are to be. These words are the "Last Will and Testament" of Jesus Christ. So pay close attention and you'll get it right from the heart of Jesus Himself.
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43 John - Believe:879 - 2009

43 John - Believe:879 - 2009

"But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name" John 20:31.

Believe:879 is an epic journey through the book of John led by Pastor Skip Heitzig of Calvary of Albuquerque. As we explore each of the 879 verses of this gospel, we'll grow in grace and in our knowledge of Jesus Christ. From His pre-incarnate existence, to His public ministry, through His death and His resurrection we'll traverse familiar territory and embark on new adventures of faith.

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Outline

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  1. The Scope of Jesus' Prayer

    1. Second Generation Believers

    2. Trickle-Down Evangelism

  2. The Substance of Jesus' Prayer

    1. Present Unity

    2. Future Glory

  3. The Sum of Jesus' Prayer

    1. What We Know

    2. What We Do

Now What?

  1. Do you ever feel alone and like nobody cares about you? Memorize verse 20 and call it to mind whenever you start to feel that way—Jesus does care!
  2. Self-Evaluation Test: Ask yourself, "How important are these to me personally? How seriously do I take God's Word? How important is telling others the gospel? How do I preserve unity? How often do I think of heaven? How do I show love to others?"

Detailed Notes

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  1. Introduction
    1. Getting along with other believers
      1. Some easy
      2. Some Difficult
      3. We'll be in heaven with them all someday
      4. Jesus prays for unity among believers
    2. Some of the final words of Jesus
      1. After the crucifixion followers would look back
        1. Upper Room Discourse
        2. Jesus washed their feet
        3. His prayer for them
      2. When one we love dies, we think of our last conversation
  2. The Scope of Jesus' Prayer
    1. Second Generation Believers
      1. Jesus prayed for believers in general: "I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours." (John 17:9)
        1. Jesus never prayed for the world
        2. Except when he prayed for their forgiveness: "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do." (Luke 23:34)
        3. Jesus loved the world: "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son," (John 3:16)
        4. He died for the sins of the world
        5. He leaves the praying part up to us: "Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence." (1 Timothy 2:1-2)
      2. "I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word;" (John 17:20)
    2. Trickle-Down Evangelism
      1. What Jesus' disciples saw and heard they preached, wrote, and told others
        1. Gospel of Matthew
        2. Gospel of John
        3. Revelation
        4. Mark (thought Peter gave to John Mark, who wrote it down)
      2. Disciples had no idea about the impact of their writings, but Jesus anticipated it
      3. More Christians alive on earth today than people living on earth 2,000 years ago
        1. World population at time of Christ 300 million
        2. Currently 2 billion believers (according to Christianity Today)
      4. Principle: one person, who tells another, who tells another, etc.
      5. "Through their word" (v. 20)
        1. διὰ'; dia - through; τοῦ; tou - those; λόγου; logou - word; αὐτῶν; autōn - of them
        2. through the agency of their communication
        3. Like a baton in a relay race
      6. Example
        1. Edward Kimball (1856, Sunday school teacher in Chicago, shared the gospel with a shoe salesman)
        2. D. L. Moody
        3. F. B. Meyer
        4. Wilbert Chapman (YMCA)
        5. Billy Sunday
        6. Mordecai Ham
        7. Billy Graham (shared the gospel with more people than any other person in history)
      7. What do you do with the gospel?
        1. Study it
        2. Analyze it
        3. Defend it
        4. Give it away!
  3. The Substance of Jesus' Prayer
    1. Present Unity
      1. "And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me." (vv.22-23)
        1. Modeled by the Godhead
        2. Enabled by the Godhead
      2. Is there that kind of unity?
        1. The apostles
          1. Argued that very night
          2. At one time, James' and John's mother even got involved (See Matthew 20:21)
        2. The first church at Jerusalem : Argument about salvation by works vs. salvation by faith (See Acts 15)
        3. Disagreement between Peter and Paul about the treatment of gentile believers
        4. Paul and Barnabas about John Mark, split company
        5. Throughout church history
      3. What Jesus doesn't mean
        1. Organizational unity
        2. Uniformity: all agree on everything (Get two people together who agree on everything, one of them isn't thinking - Walter Martin)
        3. Disagreements on nonessentials
        4. Put in one room: Augustine of Hippo, Bernard of Clairvaux, John Calvin, John Wesley, George Whitfield, C. H. Spurgeon, D. L. Moody, Billy Graham. Would not agree on everything, but unity in Christ
      4. In one aspect, this is accomplished
        1. "For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus." (Galatians 3:26-28)
        2. "There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling;  one Lord, one faith, one baptism;" (Ephesians 4:4-5)
      5. On the other hand, we must work toward unity
        1. "Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." (Ephesians 4:3)
        2. The fact is one thing, the experience is another thing: like a marriage
      6. Our unity proves the authenticity of what we preach
        1. We live before watchful eyes: under the world's scrutiny
        2. "Division in the church breeds atheism in the world"--Thomas Manton
        3. To preach the gospel without unity is insanity
      7. When there is disunity, get close to Jesus
    2. Future Glory
      1. In heaven with Christ
      2. We have a desire to see Jesus, and He has a desire to see us there too
      3. When Christians cease to think about heaven, division happens on earth
  4. The Sum of Jesus' Prayer
    1. What We Know
      1. His followers know the truth
      2. "We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one. And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding, that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life." (1 John 5:19-20)
    2. What We Do:
      1. "And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them."
      2. We have an unlimited ability to love: "Because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts" (Romans 5:5 KJV)
        1. Love God
        2. Love truth
        3. Love His kids
        4. Love the world, because Jesus died for them
      3. Easier to love people theoretically than actually: "I love the world, it's just the people I can't stand" --Linus in Peanuts, by Charles Shulz
      4. Modesto Manifesto: an agreement between George Beverly Shea, Billy Graham, and Cliff Barrows. They agreed to never speak ill about another brother or sister in Christ.

Greek Terms: διὰ'; dia - through; τοῦ; tou - those; λόγου; logou - word; αὐτῶν; autōn - of them
Publications Referenced: Christianity Today; Peanuts, by Charles Schulz
Figures Referenced: Edward Kimball; D. L. Moody; F. B. Meyer; Wilbert Chapman; Billy Sunday; Mordecai Ham; Billy Graham; Walter Martin; Augustine of Hippo; Bernard of Clairvaux; John Calvin;John Wesley; George Whitfield; C. H. Spurgeon; Thomas Manton; George Beverly Shea; Cliff Barrows
Cross References: Matthew 20:21; Luke 23:34; John 3:16; John 17:9; Acts 15; Galatians 3:26-28; Ephesians 4:3; 1 Timothy 2:1-2

Transcript

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Would you turn in your Bibles this morning to John Chapter 17.  We've been doing a little miniseries in the midst of a larger series, the larger series the Gospel of John called Believe:879, but Chapter 17 is a prayer of Jesus to the Father.  So when God prays, this little miniseries that is tucked in the midst of the larger one.  Before we get started and finish off Chapter 17, let's pray together.

Father, we are yours.  We place ourselves, our bodies before you as living sacrifices as Paul wrote, "Holy, acceptable which is our reasonable service of worship".  And so Lord, part of our worship is to with these bodies, listen, take in, think about and then apply to our lives the truths that we hear.  I thank you for each one who has come.  Lord you know what each person is dealing with, struggling through, wondering about, praying for.  And we entrust, I entrust their needs into your capable hands, in Jesus name, Amen.

So there was this guy who needed a job.  And he reads in the Want Ads, "Help wanted, bodyguard".  He thinks I can be a bodyguard, so he finds the place hiring, knocks on the door.  A guy answered the door who says, "What do you want?"  He goes, "I want to be a bodyguard."  He's a little guy.  And the man says, "You couldn't guard anyone.  I certainly don't want you to be my bodyguard".  He says, "Don't underestimate me, I'm tough".  "Oh yeah, you're tough".  "I'm really tough".  "Yeah just how tough are you?"  He says, "Let me tell you how tough I am.  I work on a farm and when I was working one day, I was out, driving my combine, we're harvesting and some hay got stuck in the combine.  So I went around the back of the combine to fix it to see what was wrong and as I was reaching in, my arm got cut off completely by the combine.  I then took the arm, went inside the house and sewed it back up and then went back out and finish my job."  The guy said, "Wow, you really did that?"  "Yup, I really did that".  "You're really that tough?"  "I'm really that tough."  The man said, "You got the job, you're hired."  And the man who applied said, "Awesome!"

So if I were to ask you how you're doing when it comes to getting along with other people, think of all the people in your life that you're dealing with how are you doing at getting along with them, I bet you'd go, "Awesome!"  Some good, some bad, because some people are easy to get along with, right?  And some people are hard to get along with.  And if you also discovered that some Christians are easy to get along with and some Christians are hard to get along with, Amen?

But you know what?  You have to be in heaven with them all one day.  Ever think about it that way?  Sometimes I'll think about that.  I don't get too excited about that.  I go, "Really, I have to be in heaven with that person forever?"  I don't want to bump into him there and go, "Oh, it's you," or they to me.  But the truth is all of us have our own baggage.  We have our own idiosyncrasies.  We have our own ways and they rub up against the ways and idiosyncrasies of other people even in the Body of Christ.

There are some examples in prayer.  See if you can relate to any of these personalities or know someone.  Lord, help me to relax about insignificant details beginning tomorrow at 11:41 Eastern Standard Time.  Lord, help me to consider people's feelings even if most of them are hypersensitive.  God, help me to be responsible for my own actions even though it's usually not my fault.  God, help me not to try to run everything.  But if you need some help just ask.  Lord, help me to be open-minded to other people's ideas as wrong as they maybe.  Now, the truth is there are overly-sensitive, hyper-controlling, very detailed, perfectionistic, believers in the Body of Christ.

And in the prayer we're about to look at in John Chapter 17, Jesus prays for future believers and one of the things He prays for is that we would experience unity.  And as Jesus is praying for this, that's when we go, "Awesome!" because sometimes it's there and sometimes it's not, but it's what He prays for.  And we're going to look at Chapter 17 beginning in verse 20 down to the end of the chapter.  "I do not pray for these alone," Jesus says, "but for those who will believe in Me through their word.  That they all maybe one as You, Father are in Me and I in You that they also maybe one in us that the world may believe that You sent Me and the glory which You gave Me, I have given them that they maybe one just as we are one.  I in them and You in Me that they maybe made perfect in one that the world may know that You sent Me and have loved Me as you have loved them," or "love them as You have loved Me".

"Father, I desire that they also whom You gave me maybe with me where I am that they may behold My glory which you have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world."  "Oh, righteous Father, the world has not known You, but I have known You.  And these have known that You sent Me." "And I have declared to them Your name and will declare it that the love with which You have loved Me may be in them and I in them."

We are reading what are among the final words of Jesus Christ to his followers who are with Him on the earth.  No doubt in days ahead, their minds would go back to the upper room discourse.  Their minds would go back to the night Jesus washed their feet.  Their minds would go back to the prayer that Jesus prayed for them.  That's what happens when somebody we loved dies.  I know that when my father died, I remember when my mother told me, "Your father passed away this afternoon".  When I got that news, my mind the rest of the day went back to the last conversation I had with my father, things that I said to him, things that he said to me and those were treasures to me.  Same with my mom, I was actually at her deathbed when she died and I'll never forget and will always treasure those last few words of communication before she went into heaven.

So these disciples will always go back in their minds to the night Jesus prayed for them.  And today, our minds go back as we look at the message I'm calling, "Listen up, Jesus is praying for you."

Now in this last paragraph, there are three things I want you to notice.  We want to look at the scope of Jesus' prayer who He is praying for.  We want to look at the substance of Jesus' prayer.  What is He praying for?  And then the Psalm of Jesus' prayer as we consider a couple of principles in closing.

We begin with the scope.  Who is Jesus praying for?  Well, let's look at it from wide to narrow, from general to specific.  In general, He is praying for believers.  It's a prayer for followers, for disciples.  Go back with me to verse 9 for just a moment, and notice what He says there, same prayer, same time, "I pray for them, I do not pray for the world but for those whom You have given me for they are Yours."  Jesus says, "I'm not praying for the world".  Do you know that Jesus never prayed for the world?  At least that is recorded except for one time, one time.  When He was on the cross, that's when He said, "Father forgive them for they don't know what they're doing".  That's the only time we have recorded in Scripture where Jesus prays for the world.

And here He specifically says, "I don't pray for them, I'm praying for the followers".  That doesn't mean Jesus didn't love the world.  God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, doesn't mean that Jesus didn't give the ultimate sacrifice.  He did.  He died for the sins of the world.  But it seems as though He is leaving the praying part up to us.  As if to say, "That's your part.  That's your deal".  1 Timothy Chapter 2, Paul says, "I urge you brothers that first of all, supplications, prayers, intercession and giving of thanks be made for all men for those who are in authority that you might live a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness."

So generally speaking, Jesus is praying for believers.  Now let's narrow the focus.  Specifically, Jesus is praying for second generation believers, third generation, fourth generation.  Notice he says in verse 20, "I do not pray for these," that is the 11 alone, "but for all those who will believe in me through their work."

Here Christ puts on the lands of future evangelism and appears through histories like He's on the balcony of an eternal perspective appearing down through corridors of time of future history, future evangelism knowing that what these followers of His are seeing and hearing, they will one day preach and write and tell and others will be affected by it.  When Jesus says through their word, we have to include the gospel of Matthew.  Matthew was one of the followers of Christ.  He wrote the gospel of Matthew.

We have to think about the gospel of John, which we're reading now.  We have to think about the revelation of John.  We probably have to think of the gospel of Mark because we think that Peter actually gave that account to John, Mark who wrote it down.  But I am sure that these disciples had no idea just how much impact their lives, their preaching, their writings would make.  Jesus anticipates it.

Now here's something, just let me help you frame that for a moment.  Do you realize that there are more Christians alive on the earth today than there were people who lived on the earth 2,000 years ago?  So think of the impact that those disciples would have on so many people.  There were 300 million people that lived on the earth 2,000 years ago.  That's the rough estimate, 300 million.  Today according to Christianity today, their latest statistics, they say there are two billion Christians on the earth.  Now you can argue with that and say, "Well they're not all true believers."  But my point is those people who have been impacted and influenced by the testimony, the writing, the preaching of those disciples of Jesus, it's enormous.  He's praying for second generation, third, fourth, fifth, hundredth, thousandth of generation believers.

Now there is a principle that's couched in what we're looking at this morning.  I'm going to call it Trickle-down Evangelism.  Some of you remember the Ronald Reagan Era when it was coined Trickle-down economics.  And some people liked that term and some people don't like that term and that's still debated and argued among political circles.  But Trickle-down Evangelism undisputedly works and it's simply this.  It's one person telling another person who will tell another person who will tell another person the truth.  Started with these disciples and it would go down through history, go down through history, go down through history until it gets to us.  And now we have to ask ourselves, "What are we going to go with it?"  Well, we also pass it down.

That's the principle.  Jesus says, "Those who will believe" notice that they will believe, "through their word."  Through their word, three words.  Through their word, in Greek it's four words.  "Dea Tu Lagu Alton", which is through the agency of their communication.  Whatever they write, whatever they speak that's their communication.  People will believe on that.

Now these disciples evidently pictured the truth of the gospel like holding a baton on a relay race.  So here's Peter, he is running.  Here's John, he's running.  Here's the other disciples, they're in, they have the baton it's the truth.   But they're passing it on to another runner and they're telling that runner, "You run your lap.  You pass it on to somebody else and then tell that person to pass it on, etcetera."

Now that's how evangelism takes place, one person telling another person who will tell another person.  It seemed that Edward Kimble was used by God that way.  Let me tell you his story.  Back in 1856, not that I was around to remember.  In 1856, a very simple man, Godly man named Edward Kimble.  He was a Sunday school teacher was pacing outside of a store in Chicago.

And he was struggling with something.  He's walking back and forth and he says, "Should I go in?  And tell that young shoe salesman about Jesus?"  Well finally, he did.  And he led that shoe salesman to Christ.  That young shoe salesman was a kid by the name of Dwight Lyman Moody, DL Moody.  DL Moody became a great preacher in Chicago at the Moody Memorial Church and still in existence today, quite an evangelist.

One night DL Moody was preaching and something in his audience named Fredrick B. Meyer, F.B. Meyer listened to him, was very moved, came to Christ, himself he became a preacher.  One night years later when F.B. Myer was preaching, a young man was sitting in his audience named Wilbur Chapman.  Wilbur Chapman was a young college student who worked for the YMCA.  That's one it really was the YMCA, the Young Men's Christian Association.

And in those days, the YMCA would hire evangelist to preach the gospel.  Wilbur Chapman hired an ex-baseball player named Billy Sunday to preach the gospel at the YMCA.  Billy Sunday some years later went to Charlotte, North Carolina and in Charlotte, North Carolina he met with Christian Businessmen about evangelism.  They were so moved by Billy Sunday.  They decided to sponsor an evangelistic crusade under the leadership of a man named Mordecai Ham.  It was several night crusades in Charlotte, North Carolina.  And one of those nights I think it might have been the last night of the crusade.  As Mordecai Ham gave the ultra call, a young blond-haired, tall, lanky Charlotte kid named Billy Graham walked forward and accepted Christ.

So what happened in 1856 in the heart of Edward Kimble and then in subsequent hearts to Dr. Billy Graham who preached the gospel to more people and anyone who's ever lived on earth.  And many who've come to Christ and I'm one of them.

That's Trickle-down Evangelism that all began with those 11, who saw the truth as a baton and they were going to pass it to the next generation.  So the big question we need to ask ourselves with this is, "Okay I've got this truth.  I've got this baton.  What am I going to do with it?  Am I going to study it?"  That's a good start.  Am I going to analyze it?  Okay good.  I'm going to defend it.  Good.  But at some point please do this as well, give it away, pass it on.  Jesus anticipates those believers including ourselves, that's His scope.  That's the scope of this prayer.

Now, let's consider the substance of this prayer.  What is he praying for exactly?  Two things, very simply, he's praying for something now and something later.  He's praying for present unity, that's now, present unity and future glory, that's later.

I want you to look back with me at verse 21 and a couple of verses after that.  I want you to notice something with me in these verses.  "That day all maybe one", that's His prayer, that's unity, "that they all maybe one".  Now watch this, as, notice the word as, "as you Father are in me and I in You."  Look at the next verse.  "And the glory which you gave me, I have given them that they maybe one just as we are one."

And in verse 23, "I in them and You in me, that they maybe made perfect in one."  Here's what I understand from that.  Jesus is praying that the kind of unity that we will have with each other is the same kind of unity that the Father and the Son share.  That our unity has to be modeled after and enabled by the God head himself, Father, Son and Spirit.  Well Jesus back then could say, "Father you and I are like this.  Man, we're one.  We tracked.  We are on track together."  And just as we are like that, it's my prayer that your people in the future would be like that.  Which now makes us go, "Huh!  Really?"  Or was that prayer being answered?  Is there that kind of unity among us?  I mean we're a little bit embarrassed at church history.  Heck we're embarrassed with biblical church history if we think of it that way.

I mean did these apostles themselves, these disciples did they always get along with each other?  As far you're reading of the Bible, they always get along?  No.  Did they ever argue with each other?  Yeah.  Did you know this very night that we're dealing with, this very night they were arguing about who would be the greatest in the Kingdom, that night, as Jesus is on the way to the cross, they're arguing.

"I'm going to be the greatest."  "No dude, I'm going to be."  And they just kept going back and forth.  In fact, on one occasion, James and John, sons of Zebedee had their momma come and ask Jesus, and when the other guys found out, "You had your mom asked Jesus."  And her request was, "Lord, I just want my two boys one to be at the right hand and one to be at the left hand forever in glory with you and your kingdom."  The other guys were so just torque at that.

They didn't always get along.  As we fast-forward into church history, we understand that that's not the only case.  Did the first Church in Jerusalem, they did get along with each other?  No, they didn't, the counsel that has spoken up in Acts Chapter 15, there was an argument about salvation by works versus salvation, by grace through faith.  There was that argument.  It was pretty contentious.  We fast-forward a little bit.  There was a disagreement between Paul and Peter according to the Book of Galatians about how Jews, who are believers, will treat Gentiles who are believers.

Fast-forward a little bit more.  There was an argument, the classic argument between Paul and Barnabas about their second missionary journey and if they should take John and Mark with them or not.  And it says, "They argued and their contention was so great, they had to split company with each other."  And then add to that, all of the disagreements throughout church history, all of the splits, all of the divisions, all of the denominations, all of the fights and so we ask ourselves, "Is this prayer being answered?"

So here's is how we have to approach it.  Please understand what Jesus means by unity and what he doesn't mean by unity.  Let me tell you what he doesn't mean by unity.  When Jesus says, "I pray that they will all be one as we are."  And he prays for unity.  He is not first of all speaking about organizational unity.  He doesn't have in his mind what some of us have in our minds that if we could just get all religious groups together under one roof and make one big super spiritual organization or if we get all churches together and we could just all get together and sing Kumbaya together, just once.  Boy that will be it.  Not going to happen.  It has never happened in church history.  Not going to happen.  It will happen in Heaven.  But that kind of unity is in principally what Jesus is speaking about.

Let me give you a second thing Jesus is not speaking about when he talks about unity all being one, he's not speaking about uniformity.  Uniformity isn't the same as unity.  Uniformity is where we all agree on everything.  Is that going to happen?  I have Walter Martin tell me one time, if you get two people who agree on everything, one have missed in thinking.  We're not going to agree on every point of doctrine, every little idea, every opinion.  You will have the same that my opinion is.  We will all like -- have the same version of the Bible, every song, we're all going to agree on, every policy.  That's not what he's speaking but sort of like a family.

Would you say the people in your family are different?  If you think so, raise your hand for a minute.  How many of you have kids?  How many have children?  Okay, yeah.  How many have more than one child?  How many have more than two children?  How many of you have more than four children?  A few of you wow.  Okay, so let me ask you a question.  Are your kids different from each other?  Right, you're going, "Oh, yeah."  Like one is loud and one is quiet.  One is a night person.  One is a morning person, different personalities.

My wife and I are very different and we have different opinions about a lot of things, and it's just hard to always live with somebody who's right all the time.  Let me just say that for the record.  Usually, I kind of go, "Yeah, she was right."  We have very different opinions but we're together on the essentials.  In the Christian family, there are disagreements over nonessentials.  We all agree here probably when the rapture is going to take place.  We don't all agree on tribulation events.  We don't probably all agree on a second coming or the gifts of the Spirit, those kinds of things.  They're important but they're secondary.  They're not the essentials.  We don't get saved by them.

So He's not speaking about organizational unity.  He's not speaking about uniformity.  Let me throw this in a mix.  Let's just say we could get great Christian minds together under one roof.  Let's say it were possible to put in one room for a conference, let's go back to the 4th century, let's get Saint Augustine of Hippo.  Let's bring him in the room.

And then let's move up to the 10th century and get Bernard of Clairvaux.  Let's bring him into the mix.  Let's move to the 16th century and we'll get John Calvin in the room.  That will be interesting.  And we'll move to the 17th century, we'll throw in John Wesley and George Whitfield together in the same room.  We'll move to the 19th century, get Charles Haddon Spurgeon, the Victorian English preacher.  We'll get Dwight L. Moody from Chicago.  We'll move to the modern era and get Billy Graham in the room.  There will be trouble in that room.

They are not going to agree on lots of things.  But at the very core beneath all of the other stuff they disagree on, there's going to be a unity there.  They're going to realize we're saved by the same blood of the same savior by God's grace not by our works and the very essentials of who Jesus is, who God is, etcetera.  There will be an agreement on.

Now here's Jesus saying, "Father, I'm praying that the same kind of unity that we have that they would have."  On one hand, this prayer has already been answered, it's done.  It's done.  We have that unity.  On other hand, there's an element where we're part of the answer and we have to engage to be part of the answer.  Now I want to show that to you because this is vital otherwise you're going to go around.  Your whole life is going, "We're just never together where there is no unity in the church."  Okay, get over that.

I want to help you do that.  Turn to Galatians Chapter 3, Galatians Chapter 3.  I cheated.  I had a marker there, so I just flipped to it but it's easy to find John, Acts, Romans, I Corinthians, II Corinthians, Galatians there it is.  Look at verse 26.  Now before you read there.  Let me just give you a little bit background, a little help.

When Paul is writing this, the world was very divided.  There were divided, male and female, huge division, sociologically at that time.  There was a division between slaves and those who are free.  Even in Judaism, there were divisions.  In the temple itself there were division between male and female, Jew and Gentile, etcetera.  Then Jesus comes along and saves people who are free, people who are slaves, men, women, Jew and Gentile.  So this is what Paul writes, verse 26, "For you are all sons of God through faith in Jesus Christ."  You get that.  "For as many of you as we're baptized into Christ have put on Christ", here it is, "there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female for you are all" -- what?  Say it again.  You are all what?  "You are one in Christ Jesus."  That's unity, whether you know it or not, whether you feel it or not, whether you feel like it or not.  We're one, saved by the same person, by the same act to finished work of Jesus Christ on Calvary.  It's a finished work.

Unity therefore in this sense isn't something we produce, it already exist.  And now there are many scriptures about this.  I don't have time to turn to them.  Here is just another one that's in my mind.  In Ephesians Chapter 4, this is what Paul says, "For there is one body, one spirit, one faith, one Lord, one baptism."  That's unity.  That's unity.  Now that's one hand.  On hand, what Jesus prayed for is done.  It's accomplished in the finished work of Christ and the establishment by the Holy Spirit of the church that came in the book of Acts.

But on the other hand, unity is something we have to be a part of and work toward because the same Scripture Ephesians 4 that says there is one spirit, one faith, one Lord and one baptism.  It says this, "We should endeavor to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace.  Endeavor to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace."  So there's part of the process that we have to be engaged in and try to work towards for unity to be maintained.  The fact of unity is one thing the experience of it is another thing.  Is that right?  You maybe one with another brother or sister but you're going to experience unity, sort of a like a married couple.  When they come to the altar and they say vows they essentially, are what?  One flesh.  The two shall become one flesh.  Done deal, you're one.  You're one unit.

You're mister and misses, but there must be a commitment in that marriage toward oneness, open communication, bearing their souls, sharing their hearts, spending time together, working at the marriage.  Because I've seen a lot of married couples though they are one, they would never know it nor with anyone else, that unity must therefore be maintained and worked at by the people who are involved.

Now, go back with me to John Chapter 17 and look at verse 21.  This is the result of that unity.  Want to see how good it is and what'll produce, verse 21, "That they may all be one as you Father are in me and I in You that they also maybe one in us" here's the part, "that the world may believe that you sent me, that the world may believe that you sent me."  You know that tells me?  Our unity proves the authenticity of what we preach.  We live our lives before very watchful eyes.  You know the world will give you a pass if you are into a lot of different things.  But once you say, "I follow Jesus.  I'm a Christian."  "I'm a Born Again Christian," they look at you different.  They treat you different.  They scrutinize you differently.  All eyes are on you.

And one of the things they wonder about, one of the things is can that Born Again Christian that I worked with get along with others who make the same claim.  And when they see all the fights and all the divisions that are in many churches they think "Well I don't need that.  I can get that at the soap opera watching television," so that the world may know that you sent me.  Our unity proves the authenticity of what we preach.  An old Puritan named Thomas Manton once said, "Division in the church bridge atheism in the world."  It doesn't account for it all, but it certainly helps division in the church bridge atheism in the world.

I wrote a story about, it probably a story that happened 100 years ago.  I didn't read it a 100 years ago o but I read it a while back and I think it happened about a 100 years ago and there were more mental institutions in our country than there are now, and this one man visited a mental institution where he noticed that his friend who was a guard, who is supervising 100 patients.  He saw that there's one guard.  There's a 100 patients and he got a little nervous.  And he said to his friend, "Does that ever bother you?"  "You're watching a 100, do you ever worry that they're going to get their heads together and like beat you up and escape, something like that?"  The guy said, "No.  The very reason they're here is they can't get their heads together and work cooperatively together."  And I read that and I was so indicting that you might say.

In line of what I'm reading here and in line of what I just said by way of illustration, to preach the Gospel without unity is insanity.  The world picks up on that quickly.  But Jesus said, "The world will know that you sent me."

Now here's how to do it practically, when you have difficulty getting along with another person, keep it simple.  Keep it simple, you should go try to reconcile but even more basic than that, the solution when there is this unity is for you to get close to Jesus and for that other person to get close to Jesus.  If you get closer to the Lord and I get closer to the Lord, we're going to find ourselves closer to each other.  And that's seen easily by an illustration and I'm going to use Jessie right appear who's on his little cellphone.  Jessie, come up here for a minute.  I didn't mean to catch you up guard.  I know you're reading your Bible on your iPhone.  I know you are.  No condemnations just stand right there.  Stand right there.

So I haven't Jessie all week.  I've known him since he was born, but I haven't seen him all week.  So here we are you can see that there's a distance between us, right?  But I want to get closer to Jesus and so does Jessie.  And let's just picture that the pulpit is Jesus, so I'm going to take a few steps up to get closer to Jesus.  And I find myself suddenly as I'm getting closer to Jesus also getting closer to somebody else.  Who's that?  Jessie.  So here we are.  I love this guy and thanks Jessie.  There's unity between us.

So in simple illustration, I don't want to make it simplistic, but it is simple that if you make it all about Jesus and I make it all about Jesus, we're going to find that's our common ground it makes it a lot easier to get along.  That's a whole concept of what would Jesus do.  Get close to His heart and you're going to find that a lot of those differences will melt away.

So the scope of the prayer is for believers.  The substance of the prayer is for present unity.  There's another part of the request thought, not just for something in the present but I mentioned something in the future, future glory look at verse 24.  Verse 24, "Father, I desire that they also whom You gave me maybe with me where I am."  Where is Jesus going?  Heaven, to the Father's house as He called it, to the Father's right hand in glory, "that they may behold my glory which you have given me for you loved me before the foundation of the world."  You know what's precious to me about what I just read?  Is so often, we us Christians speak about how great heaven is going to be.  You can't wait to get there especially you get older and older.

I was with the man this week, George Beverly Shea.  He's 102 years old, 102 and a half.  He's there.  He's on the cut and he knows it and we often talks.  "Soon I'm going to be in glory."  We have a desire for it to happen.  We have a desire to see Jesus.  But do you realize Jesus has a desire to see you in heaven?  That's His request.  I pray that they whom you have given Me will be with Me.  That's amazing to me.  That's staggering to me.  That's on the heart of Jesus to pray for us being with him forever.

Now, you might ask a question at this point, you say, "What is that have to do with unity?"  Well, it might sound like Jesus just sort of throwing up a request.  I want them all to be one.  Yes I want them all to be one.  Yes I want them all to be one because he elaborates on that and he goes, "Oh and by the way, I want to see him in heaven."  But think of it this way, heaven has everything to do with unity.  It's when Christians cease to think about their ultimate hangout.  When they cease to think about heaven, that's when all the troubles happen here in earth.  That's when we become very divisive with each other and very self-centered.  It's all about me and my world and my needs.  But when we think about it this way, we're going to be together forever in heaven.  There's going to be an eternal unity between us.  Maybe based upon that, we can try at least to get along now.

So I see it as something very complimentary one to another.  Though we praise for future glory, and what a glorious day that will be when in the presence of God, all of the division, all of the differences will be gone because of Him.

Now let's close up the Chapter, look at the last two Verses.  This is now the sum of the prayer.  We've seen the scope.  We've seen the substances.  This is the sum of it.  And Jesus says to sum it all up, here's two things, "it's what my followers know and it's what they will do."  That's how we sums it up.  Look at verse 25.  This is what we know.  "Oh, righteous Father, the world has not known You but I have known You and this have known that You sent Me."  Right here and another places is Jesus insist that people in this world don't know the truth.

Do you realize that 97% of everything that is knowable is available today?  Everything in history of the world that is ever been knowable, 97% of it is available now.  And with all that knowledge, here's one thing the world doesn't know, Truth, God, how to get to heaven.  But Jesus insists they don't know it.  The world doesn't know it but my followers do.

Now, we do have time.  I want you to turn to one more scripture, promise this is the last one.  1 John, Chapter 5, it's almost toward the back of the book, 1 John Chapter 5.  If you don't want to turn to it, God bless you.  I read it to you anyway.  1 John, Chapter 5, now this is written by the same guy, John, years later.  1 John Chapter 5, verse 19, listen to verse 19, "We know that we are of God and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one," stop right there.  That is arrogant statement if it weren't true.  It is true, so it's not arrogant.  It is true.  But if that wasn't true, well how arrogant is that?  Nobody knows the truth but we do.

"The world is lying under the sway of the evil one, the wicked one but we know God."  That's true.  Jesus said that's true.  He insisted.  The world doesn't know you, but I know you and they know that you've sent me.  John continues, "And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding that we may know Him who is true and we are in Him who is true, and his son Jesus Christ, this is the true God, and eternal life."

So that's what we know.  We know the truth.  We know God.  We know life.  And now in summing it all up, he said this is what there to do.  This is part of his prayer.  Verse 26 last verse of the chapter, "and I have declared to them your name and we'll declare it that the love with which you have loved me maybe in them and I in them."

Now just as we close, think about those words, because you know truth, because you know God, because you know God's love, because God's love is in you, therefore, here's what you do, "love".  You love.  You show love.  The Bible says, "The love of God has been shed a broad in our heart."  Do you know that we have an unlimited capacity to love?  Because God has shed His love in our hearts and He has given us an ability to love.  So since you know truth and you know God, and God's love is in your hearts, you love.  You love God.  You love his truth.  You love his kids.  You love the world because Jesus died for them as part of the constitution that's sums up the prayer of Jesus for his church, love.

Have you discovered it's easier to love people theoretically than actually?  I mean I love people.  I love I love.  Really I love people.  It's like lioness, in the Peanuts cartoon.  There's a Peanuts cartoon and lioness said, "I love the world.  It's just the people I can't stand."  Ever feel like that?  You love people generically but specifically in their life, no, one of these kind of things.  I mentioned I was with George Beverly Shea this week.  He's 102 and a half and he's so gracious.  I was with him in his living room and he was talking and he was -- I was asking him with all these questions about different people.  Never once, did he or do I remember him ever saying anything bad about someone?  He's a sweet, generous, kind man who's almost in heaven.

And as he was talking about Dr. Billy Graham, he's been with him now over sixty years.  And he always saying, "I met Billy.  He was 21, I was 31.  I was 10 years older than Billy and I still am."  And I started to remember, as he was talking, I started to remember about a covenant that Billy Graham and George Beverly Shea in Cliff Barrows made years ago called the Modesto Manifesto.  Who in early in there preaching career when he was taking up and they were in Northern California they got alone.  They made a covenant with each other, and part of the covenant said, "We will never part of our deal we promised to never speak ill about another brother or sister."  Deal?  Deal.  A Modesto Manifesto.  And I saw that played out in this generous kind old man's life.

So at the end of our meeting together, we said "Well Bev is there's anything that we could pray for you?"  You figured the guy he's 102.  There's going to be an aches and pains and yeah I got a whole list of things you can pray for.  "Is there anything we can pray for?"  This is what he said.  He paused; he went "uh-hmm".  And then he goes, "Let's just rejoice."  You know no prayer request.  Let's just rejoice and he was so thankful.  And I thought that's how I want to go.  I want that grace work in me.  I want that kind of attitude toward God's people and God's work in me.

Father we pray, in the name of Jesus that just as he prayed for us, we now pray for ourselves.  And we echo the same things that their might be a unity.  We know it exist in fact, but there would be an experience of that as we draw closer and closer to our savior the Lord Jesus Christ.  As we muse on the essentials of the historic Christian faith and what binds us together and makes us one.  Lord it thrills us to think that through our unity, through a compelling life like that, the world would look and go, "Okay, I'm going to listen now."  There's something to that message, because of the unity and love that sent us, In Jesus name, Amen.

Additional Messages in this Series

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10/25/2009
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Believe:879
John 20:30-31
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Is your faith in need of bolstering? Do you find yourself saying "Help my unbelief?" The book of John presents a unique, up close and personal look at the life of Christ, focusing on Jesus as God Incarnate. As we dive into a thorough study of each of John's 879 verses, we'll walk with disciples who were eyewitnesses of His ministry, His death, and His resurrection, and we'll experience abundant life in His name.
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11/1/2009
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The World's Most Important Word
John 1:1-5
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It may be difficult to say what the most important word is in any language, but not for the Apostle John. He begins his gospel with the identification of Jesus as, "The Word." Starting with the very beginning of beginnings, John shows us the fundamental truths about the Jesus that he writes about in the rest of this book. The language is simple and unmistakable and yet the truths presented are deep and extremely profound. Let's see how John presents Jesus and Who Jesus is according to one who was closest to Him.
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11/15/2009
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Step Into Son-Light
John 1:6-13
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I love early mornings when sunlight first comes up over the eastern sky. But if you’ve ever had the experience of the sun suddenly shining into your eyes (like when you turn westward while the sun is going down), it's not so pleasant. Most people wince when light is shined in their eyes. Jesus is presented here as being "the light of men" and "shining in darkness". But the world cries out, "Turn off that light!" How can Jesus enlighten your life and how will you respond to Him?
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11/22/2009
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One of a Kind!
John 1:14-18
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It is a mistake to think of Jesus as "one among many" options in the pantheon of deities. He is unique, matchless, unrivaled, singular, and incomparable. From His birth to His Resurrection, there is no one who even comes close to the majestic Christ. Jesus was One-Of-A-Kind! Let’s consider four distinct ways that Jesus was unique and what these mean to us today.
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12/6/2009
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The Greatest Man Meets the Greatest Lamb
John 1:19-34
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Everyone is good at something, maybe even great at something. Maybe you're a great artist or a great mom or even a great leader. Jesus said that John the Baptizer was the greatest man who had ever lived (Matt. 11:11). But John knew Jesus to be the greatest One ever—past, present and future - the Sacrificial Lamb sent to remove sin. Today we discover from John the Baptist how to witness for Christ and we look at the identity and the activity of this most unusual man.
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12/13/2009
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Are You a Follower-Really?
John 1:35-42
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You can't make it through much of the Bible without coming to the word Disciple. Just the four Gospels alone use this term 228 times. Basically a disciple is the follower of a teacher: one who observes, learns, and practices what the teacher shares. We now come to the first time John uses this term in his book. So today we assess ourselves by asking, "Are YOU a follower?" Lets look at five characteristics of the first disciples of Jesus and see if they’re reflected in our lives.
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1/3/2010
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Finding the God Who Found You
John 1:43-51
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When the first disciples encountered Jesus, they chose to follow Him--only to discover that they had already been chosen by Him! Without getting drowned in that theological tide pool, let's consider and marvel at how both of these realities work together. The Bible teaches that God sovereignly elects people for salvation while at the same time teaches our responsibility to believe in Christ. Let’s see how both Philip and Nathanael encountered Jesus for the first time.
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1/10/2010
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The Wedding Guest
John 2:1-12
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How cool (and also potentially scary) would it be to have Jesus as a guest at your own wedding! The unnamed couple at the village wedding of Cana had that privilege. Jesus was the wedding guest who brought the best gift. His first miraculous sign was performed while celebrating that marriage. But far more than just attending a nuptial party, Jesus demonstrated who He was in relation to four entities: His mother, the moment, a miracle, and His men.
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1/17/2010
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Trouble in the Temple
John 2:13-22
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A hymn by Charles Wesley begins, "Gentle Jesus, meek and mild, look upon a little child..." It’s a beautiful song with a beautiful thought. However, Jesus is anything but gentle and mild in John chapter two. Here in the temple at Jerusalem, He displays His righteous anger as He overturns tables and beats the religious businesspeople with whips! But Jesus was using this trouble in the temple to predict a greater sign—the triumph of His own physical temple—His bodily resurrection!
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1/24/2010
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Uncommitted!
John 2:23-25
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These three verses are some of the most unusual in the New Testament. They describe a scene in the life of Jesus that explains His popularity and fame. The response of people to the miracles of Jesus is understandable. What is not readily understandable is Jesus' response to the interested and excited crowd. Though they believed in Him, He was not too energized over their kind of faith. Understanding this will help us to understand Jesus and His mission.
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1/31/2010
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Nick at Nite!
John 3:1-8
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The meeting of Jesus and Nicodemus at night is one of the most famous and compelling stories in Scripture. This man's inner curiosity and spiritual thirst drove him to want to know more. What he heard puzzled and astonished him, but he heard from Jesus' own lips the only way to be saved. Jesus' words here divide all of humanity into two groups: those who are born again and those who are not.
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2/7/2010
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Extreme Makeover: Soul Edition!
John 3:9-21
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For years ABC has aired two different versions of a show called Extreme Makeover. One is a total body makeover designed to enhance the physical beauty of a selected individual. The other is a Home Edition that rebuilds or adds to a struggling family's residence. But only Jesus can give the soul a makeover; only Jesus can ready a person for eternity. Here Jesus answers Nicodemus' question of how a person can have the New Life that comes from the New Birth.
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2/14/2010
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God's Valentine
John 3:16
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Today we take a look at the Bible's most famous verse and probe its depth while preparing to take the Lord's Supper together. Though most everyone knows this verse, John 3:16 is much more than just a slogan; it is a summary statement of God's love through Jesus Christ. This single verse of scripture gives us the salient truths of God's plan of salvation in abridged form. Let's consider God's great plan for us as we unpack it phrase by phrase.
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2/21/2010
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To Grow Up, You Must Grow Down!
John 3:22-30
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"They that know God will be humble, and they that know themselves cannot be proud!" That's what British Puritan John Flavel once said. And that’s how John the Baptist once lived! John the Baptist and his followers provide some great applicational fodder for how Christians should get along and humble themselves before one another and God. For any Christian believer who wants to spiritually grow up and grow strong, he must first grow down.
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2/28/2010
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The Nail Everything Hangs On
John 3:31-36
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Imagine if everything you valued was in a sack, hanging on the wall from one nail. It surely must be a strong nail, or you're lost! If life could all be boiled down to one thing or one word or one most important principle, what would it be? What is the irreducible minimum for everything and everyone? John answers that here, saying that Jesus Christ is the nail that everything hangs on. He determined what has been and what will be. Thus our knowledge of Him and relationship to Him is paramount above everything else.
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3/7/2010
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Refreshment!
John 4:1-14
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You know the feeling of swallowing ice-cold water on a hot day or after a savory meal—it's refreshing! That cool, invigorating sip revitalizes you from the inside out and makes you say, "Ahh!" Well, that experience is not limited to the physical realm, but is even more satisfying in the spiritual realm when dealing with Living Water. Jesus came to give thirst-quenching spiritual life to every parched soul on the planet. When was the last time you drank deeply?
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3/14/2010
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How to Lead People to Water
John 4:10-30
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The world is thirsty and doesn't even know it, or won't admit it, or will look to be satisfied by everything else but Jesus Christ. So your job and mine is to lead them to water (living water, that is). Jesus' encounter with the Samaritan woman illustrates perhaps the best approach for personal evangelism to be found anywhere. Leading someone to the place of spiritual satisfaction is a process that rests upon two pillars—the pillar of attitude and the pillar of approach:
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3/21/2010
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What God Really Wants
John 4:20-24
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Worship conferences, worship seminars and worship experiences abound within the landscape of the American church, but in all these there's something that seems to be always lacking—worship is confined to the activity of singing songs. When the subject is brought up in this chapter, Jesus talks plainly and openly about true worship: what it is and what it isn't. Let's explore these few verses to discover what God is seeking after and how to be part of fulfilling that.
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3/28/2010
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Spiritual Farming 101
John 4:28-42
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Farmers live for the harvest season--a time when their crops are taken in and profits are made. But crops don’t grow on their own. Seeds must be sown and plants must be garnered by a whole group of active farm workers. God is the head Farmer and we are His farmhands, all working together to produce a bumper-crop of people who believe that Jesus is the Savior--Are you in?
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4/18/2010
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Everyone Needs a Faith-Lift!
John 4:43-54
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Like any muscle in our physical body, our faith too must be exercised in order for it to develop. Faith is developed in virtually every circumstance in life, but especially in hard times. Peter put it best, "These trials are only to test your faith, to show that it is strong and pure. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold--and your faith is far more precious to God than mere gold" (1 Peter 1:7). Let's look at a real-life story of one who came to Jesus in his trial and had his faith lifted to a higher dimension.
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4/25/2010
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Healing Misery with Mercy
John 5:1-16
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One of Jesus' most distinguishing characteristics in His earthly ministry was His mercy toward people who were hurting. This is not astonishing, for the prophet Micah announced that "God delights in mercy" (Micah 7:18). Jesus standing among the squalid misery of sickness and hopelessness while at a feast in Jerusalem is a perfect setting to show how Christians can show mercy to a world in misery. But be warned: not everyone will be sympathetic to your cause!
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5/23/2010
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Like Father, Like Son
John 5:16-24
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The most important question you could ever ask is not, "Who am I?" but rather, "Who is Christ?" That was the supreme question Jesus presented to His disciples when He said, "Who do you say that I am?" (Matthew 16:15). Jesus made the most astonishing claim ever when He confronted the Jewish leaders of Jerusalem here in John 5. What do these claims have to do with us today? Absolutely everything!
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5/30/2010
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Everyone Lives Forever
John 5:25-29
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My mom used to wake me up early every morning with her sweet voice saying, "Rise and Shine!" It took a few times but I eventually got up out of bed. As Jesus declares that He will be in charge of the future judgment, He too will usher the call to everyone who has died to "Rise up!" But not everyone will rise up to shine; some will rise up to suffer. Let’s consider three inevitable and unalterable truths about the future for all of us: We will all die, we will all be judged, and we will all rise again to live forever... but where?
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6/6/2010
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Why Should You Believe?
John 5:30-47
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The theme of John's gospel is "believe." The whole reason he wrote this book is so that people who read it will believe in Jesus (see John 20:31). But why should they believe? And even more applicable, why should we believe? After all, the events of the New Testament are over 2,000 years removed from us today. Jesus' confrontation with the religious leaders in John 5 tells us why we should believe. Like a skilled lawyer, Jesus calls upon four witnesses to testify to His claims and these four give the reasons for our believing in Jesus Christ.
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6/13/2010
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Lessons From a Picnic
John 6:1-14
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This story ranks in the "top ten" of the most famous miracles of Jesus Christ. In fact this is the most famous of all His miracles as it alone is recorded by all four gospel accounts. But this is far more than a Sunday school tale. This extraordinary picnic was not just a free meal for five thousand folks; it provided lessons for both ancient and modern disciples. Here are four profound truths that emerge from this lakeside lunch.
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6/20/2010
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What Storm Goers Need to Know
John 6:15-21
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Have you ever been on the ocean in a raging storm? If so, you know that a well-trained crew follows an immediate protocol until the storm is over. Their knowledge and experience about violent weather are invaluable for those who want to survive. Using the story of Jesus walking on the waves to His disciples, let’s discover a few things about the stormy trials of life.
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7/4/2010
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The Right Thing, The Wrong Way
John 6:22-29
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Our text reads that crowds of people came "seeking Jesus." That sounds wonderful, doesn’t it? And yet Jesus challenges them as to their motive because they were seeking Him (the right thing) in order to satisfy themselves only (the wrong motive). Let’s consider three monumental truths about how people interact with spiritual things in general and Jesus Christ in particular. Let’s also reconsider the starting point for anyone who wants anything to do with Christ.
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7/11/2010
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Wonder Bread!
John 6:30-50
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The Hostess Company has for years advertised that its Wonder bread "helps build strong bodies 12 ways" and that just two slices has the calcium of eight ounces of milk and the fiber of 100% whole wheat. Wow! The crowd that Jesus was speaking to would have loved that! But our Lord presents something to them far greater than what they were wanting. He knew what they needed.
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7/18/2010
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Plain Truths About the Bread of Life
John 6:51-71
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Mark Twain once remarked that "A lie can travel halfway around the world while truth is still lacing up its boots!" This section of John's Gospel has generated much confusion and misunderstanding. Even Jesus' original audience had trouble understanding His meaning, and when they did, they found the truth was difficult to bear. These "hard truths," however, are "the words of eternal life" (v. 68). Let's look at these four realities today.
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8/1/2010
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Seeing Jesus Through the Fog
John 7:1-13
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There was always a fog surrounding Jesus! It was a fog of uncertainty, of unbelief, and of conflicting opinion. He was misunderstood about both His mission and His message. His friends, His family, and His foes were often bewildered about who He was and what He was doing. That remains true even today. But in this passage our view becomes clearer. Jesus had clearly defined objectives that He reveals here and they are extremely practical for us today.
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8/8/2010
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Follow Jesus But Don't Be Religious
John 7:14-24
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Jesus clashed with religious leaders more than any other group of people. He went against their spiritual grain and challenged their legalistic ideas. Christ made it clear that He hadn’t come to establish a new religion but rather to show the way to God His Father. He didn’t give people another “system of beliefs and practices”; instead He said that He Himself was the way, truth, and life. In this public confrontation, we learn how to follow Christ in truth and not be religious.
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8/15/2010
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Standing by a Waterfall (Dying of Thirst)
John 7:25-53
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All the diverse and assorted experiences offered by this world can never satisfy the deepest longing of the human soul. What we really want isn't what we really need. The rest of John chapter 7 illustrates this truth. In the midst of a crowd of people clamoring for deep spiritual satisfaction stands the only One who can provide it. He offers them the drink that really satisfies and all but a few refuse it, preferring rather to die of thirst. How painfully ironic!
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8/22/2010
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Scribbling on the Ground
John 8:1-11
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Can you imagine what a surviving copy of Jesus' autograph would be worth today? Or what about a letter to His disciples? The fact is, there is no existing document or copy of anything Jesus ever wrote. We only have this story of Him scribbling something in transient dust on the Temple stones. Though John doesn't tell what Jesus wrote that day, his account does reveal a lot about Jesus Himself and how He interacted with three different kinds of folks.
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8/29/2010
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Blinded by the Light
John 8:12-20
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When the sun shines right in your eyes, your immediate inclination is to squint, turn away, or put sunglasses on. Light can be blinding! Though light penetrates our world, providing illumination and energy for our very existence, big doses of it can be difficult to handle. That's true spiritually as well. Jesus, by His teaching and work, illuminated this world darkened by sin. Some rejoiced in that light, able to see where they were going. But others, who'd been so accustomed to spiritual darkness, could only wince when Jesus was around.
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9/5/2010
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The Worst Way & Best Way to Die
John 8:21-30
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One person put it this way, "Death is the big flaw. Sometimes we can postpone it, lessen its physical pains, deny its existence—but we can't escape it!" Since that is universally true, why don't people take death seriously enough to plan for it? While we are alive in this world, everyone should be thinking more about the next. But what's the best (and worst) way to die?
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9/19/2010
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The Best Way & Worst Way to Live
John 8:31-36
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Everyone has an opinion on what "The Good Life" is. For some, it's financial independence. For others, it’s autonomy from government control. For still others, it’s the ability to do whatever you want whenever you feel like it. Jesus offers a different kind of freedom and a better brand of life. Here Jesus tells us what the best way to live really is: It’s the freedom to be a genuine disciple. And He tells us what the worst way to live really is: It’s the slavery of a sinful lifestyle. Today consider how free you really are and what areas of life you may still be in bondage to.
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9/26/2010
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The Devil's DNA
John 8:37-47
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Your body has 100 trillion cells. Inside each one is a nucleus and in each nucleus are DNA molecules. DNA is like an instruction manual for life with densely coded information telling each cell what to do. A simple paternity test would prove that my father was really my father. Here Jesus gives His audience a spiritual paternity test that reveals their spiritual father to be the devil himself. No matter what your physical ancestry, you can always tell one's spiritual heritage.
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10/3/2010
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Who IS This Guy?
John 8:48-59
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Jesus had friends and He had enemies. But besides those, He also had some "frenemies" (enemies who pretended to be friends). To this crowd who at first pretended to believe (v. 31) Jesus is both confrontational and controversial. This paragraph highlights three possible identities of Jesus: two of them were his enemies' accusations and one was Jesus' own claim.
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10/10/2010
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Life Hurts! Where's God?
John 9:1-12
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"Why is there so much pain in the world?" is the most frequently asked question ever! We hate it when we, or those we love, are in pain. Today we see Jesus confront a hurting world. As we do, consider these words by Elizabeth Elliot (whose husband was murdered): "If God is in charge and loves us, then whatever is given is subject to His control and is meant ultimately for our joy."
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10/17/2010
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The Truth About Your Neighbors
John 9:13-34
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Those of us who are Christians live in a sea of unbelievers who work with us, live next to us, shop where we shop, and send their kids to the same schools. Some have a mild case of unbelief disguised by religious practices. Others are more demonstrable in their agnosticism or atheism. Let's watch a local Jerusalem neighborhood struggle against faith in spite of clear evidence.
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10/24/2010
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Got Any Blind Spots?
John 9:35-41
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When you drive, you encounter "blind spots"—it could be part of your own car or it could be a tree that hides traffic on the other side. Those blind spots hinder both progress and ultimately, safety. When Jesus healed a blind man in Jerusalem, the same man was also healed of his spiritual blindness. But others who thought their spiritual perception was keen were as blind as a bat! As we consider this story, can you think of any blind spots in your spiritual journey?
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10/31/2010
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The Good Shepherd (and a bunch of happy sheep!)
John 10:1-10
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This is one of the most beloved passages to be found anywhere in Scripture. But it's not a stand-alone passage: The healing of the blind man in chapter 9 was more than a miracle. It was part of the process of Jesus forming His flock. The leadership had cast the healed man out of the synagogue. Jesus found him, accepted him, saved him, and placed him in His own fold.
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11/21/2010
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What's So Great About the Good Shepherd?
John 10:11-21
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"What's so great about being a Christian?" some people ask. The answer lies in the kind of care, provision, and protection we get from Jesus Christ, our Shepherd. Have you ever stopped to make a list of the benefits that are yours as a follower of Christ? Consider this short list of advantages that you, as a child of God, have. When was the last time you thanked Him for being your Shepherd? This would be a great week to do that!
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12/5/2010
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To BElieve or Not to BElieve...
John 10:22-42
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"In all unbelief there are two things: a good opinion of one's self and a bad opinion about God."— Horatius Bonar. It's true, isn't it? Humanism is man-centered and rejects God's existence or His relevance. But Jesus appealed to two things: the plain evidence of His supernatural works and the testimony of those who witnessed them. Jesus here asserts His deity, and the reaction is predictable—some believed while others did not believe. Which camp do you fall into?
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1/9/2011
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The Great Physician's Patient Dies
John 11:1-16
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When a doctor loses a patient on the operating table, there is a deep sense of remorse and sadness in the surgical theater. Doctors are trained to save lives but sometimes even the best trained physicians are unable to control complications that lead to death. But here we discover that Christ, the Great Physician, not only knows that His patient is sick--He allows him to die! Here are three principles about Divine Medicine that we can all learn.
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1/16/2011
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A Tale of Two Sisters
John 11:17-32
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In 1859 Charles Dickens wrote his famous work, A Tale of Two Cities, set in London and Paris before and during the French Revolution. The story before us is set in Bethany near Jerusalem and highlights the personal relationship that two sisters had with Jesus Christ. Their broken hearts provide an excellent platform to consider how Christ deals with people in grief and loss. Let's actively probe not only their responses but ours to the incredible promise Jesus makes.
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1/23/2011
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The Strangest Funeral Ever
John 11:33-44
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According to one source, there are approximately 2 million funerals in America per year, which means that about 5,479 funerals take place every single day! Most of those funerals are pretty typical: a formal service followed by an interment. But the funeral service we're looking at was really different--and not just because of a resurrection. Here Jesus does three things that are pretty normal for most people at a funeral, but strikingly odd for Jesus.
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1/30/2011
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What to Do with Jesus?
John 11:45-57
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Any lawyer can tell you that whenever the star witness is a resurrected corpse, you have a pretty good case! But Lazarus being alive from the dead doesn’t seem to persuade everyone. And so the big issue becomes what shall we do with Jesus? The decisions made here set the clock in motion for an impending hate crime—the crucifixion of Christ. But from heaven’s vantage point, this is all part of God’s plan for redemption. Let’s see the responses and how we can make a difference.
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2/6/2011
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A Meal to Reveal the Heart
John 12:1-11
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If you were to step into the home of Simon at Bethany (Mark 14:3) on that night, you would've seen Jesus and His disciples along with Lazarus and His two sisters reclining at a low table for a meal in honor of Christ. But if you were to step into the hearts of those people, you would discover they were all very different from each other. Those inside the house and outside represent the gamut of feelings about Jesus—from adoring love to intense hatred. What a complicated meal!
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2/13/2011
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A Day, a Donkey, a Deliverer, and a Decision
John 12:12-19
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2000 years ago, on the final Sunday of Jesus’ earthly life before His crucifixion, He did the most unusual thing—He sat on a donkey and was carried into the city of Jerusalem in parade fashion. This formal presentation of Him as Deliverer was both profound and predicted. What’s the significance of such an act as this? What overarching principles emerge for us today? We’ll dig in and discover them, but today you’ve got to write them down yourself:
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2/20/2011
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Living the Right Life
John 12:20-26
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If this sermon was a book and I wanted to sell lots of copies, the title would cause it to fail. Now if it were entitled "Living the High Life" or "Living the Successful Life," then I may have a winner. But many have lived with both success and riches who didn't live right! So what is the right life? Or to frame it with a better question: What kind of life is most pleasing to God? Through a series of paradoxes, John gives us the answer—it wasn't the answer most people are looking for!
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2/27/2011
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Cross-Culture
John 12:27-36
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The term cross-culture emerges from the social sciences and typically refers to interaction of one culture or language with another. But that's not how I'm using it today. I'm thinking of it in the biblical sense, the salvation sense. Jesus' whole life was immersed in the culture of the cross and He referred to His impending death on the cross as "His hour." Let's consider today the culture of the cross of Christ: what it meant to Jesus personally and the world ultimately.
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3/6/2011
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Believe It or Not!
John 12:37-50
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Most of you reading this are believers. Some are not. Both are dangerous positions to take but for different reasons—vastly different reasons! This paragraph in John's Gospel is the summary of all that has been written, from chapters 1 through 13. It reviews the two different responses people have to Jesus and then gives us Jesus' own synopsis on faith and unbelief. Today you will be able to understand the real differences and consequences of faith and unbelief.
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3/13/2011
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A Night Unforgettable
John 13:1-5
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Some days are frozen in time because of the magnitude of an event. You will always remember September 11, 2001 and where you were when the towers fell. The night America bombed Baghdad or the night John Lennon was murdered may be permanent memories captured in your mind. This was the final night Jesus spent with His own disciples and it would be unforgettable. Let’s discover how what seem like ordinary moments can be extraordinary appointments.
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3/20/2011
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Basin Theology 101
John 13:6-17
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At the final Passover meal that Jesus shared with His closest friends, He gave new meaning to the bread and wine, using them to point to His upcoming sacrificial death on the cross. Today we share Communion as a church family and reflect on that meal, as well as the lessons Jesus was teaching His first followers. After dinner Jesus took a basin of water and began to wash the feet of his students and taught them life principles about stooping, cleansing and serving.
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3/27/2011
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Betrayed!
John 13:18-30
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Relationships can withstand an enormous amount of pressure, but betrayal is sure to end most. The old English word means to hand over or to deliver. Think of it: while Jesus was about to deliver the world from sin and its destruction, Judas was about to deliver the Savior over to His enemies. If you've ever felt betrayed by someone, this study will have special application to you.
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4/10/2011
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A Brand New Way of Life!
John 13:31-35
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To follow Jesus is to have a brand new way of life. When these twelve men sitting around the dinner table started hanging around Jesus, they had no idea just how new and different their lives would become. At this final meal on that last night, they were still learning just how new their lives should be. (Jesus can still teach old dogs new tricks!) As present-day followers of Christ, let’s consider three aspects of life that become new once we become His disciples.
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4/17/2011
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F.A.Q.
John 13:36-38
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An old Persian Proverb reads, "It's harder to ask a sensible question than to supply a sensible answer." Many times our questions to God are reactive—based on a sort of knee-jerk reaction to painful circumstances. Peter asked Jesus two questions of this sort. But whenever we ask God questions we must hang around to get the supplied answers. The questions Peter asked are similar to ones we frequently ask. Let's consider and apply Jesus' outstanding answer
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5/1/2011
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A Theology for Messy Lives
John 14:1-6
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Life can be pretty messy sometimes: plans fail, people leave, money diminishes, and taxes rise. There are plenty of reasons to be troubled these days but there are better reasons not to be! Life was about to get real messy for those disciples around that Jerusalem dinner table. At times like that, there are some basic instructions we need to fall back on so our hearts inside us won't be swallowed up by the mess around us.
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5/8/2011
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How Can I Know God?
John 14:7-11
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What a thought—that a mere human can know God! The agnostic asserts this is impossible. The atheist insists that the very idea is an arrogant and purely metaphysical pursuit. But one of the reasons Jesus came was to reveal God's character and nature clearly and perfectly! Let's consider two roadblocks to knowing God and four resources that help us know Him better.
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5/29/2011
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Privileges of God's Employees
John 14:12-14
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Most companies have benefits for employees: things like overtime pay, health insurance, and sick pay. In 2 Corinthians 6:1, Paul calls us "workers together with Him" (NLT renders it "God's partners"). We have been called to a high and lofty task—to be His representatives here on earth. You might say we're part of the "family business." So what has God called us to do? And how has He provided for us in terms of resources? In short, what are the benefits of being God's employees?
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6/5/2011
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Four Part Harmony
John 14:15-18
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Some of the best moments on American Idol aren't the solo performances, but when all the singers join together and blend their voices in harmony. There's nothing sweeter than well-trained voices blended together in first, thirds, and fifths. Spiritual harmony is much the same—when believers blend with the triune Godhead there is an alignment that results in a deep sense of fulfillment. And what is the note we are to sing in this spiritual song? It is the note of loving obedience!
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6/12/2011
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Promises, Promises!
John 14:19-26
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Someone once mused, "Promises may get friends, but it's performance that keeps them." No wonder God has so many friends! He makes promises and keeps them. On this final night that Jesus spent with His friends, as both sorrow and confusion assailed them, Jesus made several promises that would sustain them in the days, months, and years ahead. What about you? Will you dare to trust the promises of God? It's the only way to see if they really work.
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6/26/2011
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Peace Where You Least Expect It
John 14:27-31
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On countless American gravestones this epitaph could be written: Hurried, Worried, Buried. What a sad way to live! Fear, anxiety, and distress have literally become part of our national culture. Odd, isn't it? Though we have such abundance in this country, most don't experience abundant life—especially as Jesus described it. Sure, everyone has his or her share of trouble and anxieties, but let's consider one of the greatest gifts Jesus gives to followers—the gift of peace!
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7/3/2011
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Life-Lessons from Grape-Growers - Part 1
John 15:1-7
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My parents grew grapes on their little plot of land in Southern California. There weren't many, but enough for me to know that getting fruit at harvest depended on three things: the solid connection of branch to vine, the vigilant care of the workers, and the consistency of those things over time. Jesus, walking with the disciples toward the Garden of Gethsemane, gives life lessons to His men using the familiar example of growing grapes. With that analogy in mind, let's consider the three ways our relationship to God is described by Jesus.
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7/10/2011
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Life-Lessons From Grape-Growers - Part 2
John 15:8-11
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As we grow older, we mature. In our spiritual lives we should become spiritually mature. The Bible calls it being fruitful. Spiritual fruit is the indication that we're truly connected to Christ. But there are others, as we'll see today. Last week we examined how the relationship with Christ is described (Connected to Christ, Cared for by the Father, and Consistent Over Time). Today let's consider how this relationship is demonstrated. When we're rightly connected to God we'll be:
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7/17/2011
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What a Friend We Have in Jesus
John 15:12-17
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We can get through almost anything in life with friends to share our sorrow and divide our grief. A Chinese word for friend is peng-yu and it has a much fuller meaning than in English. It means "one who brings completion and sums up beauty." The ancient Hebrews saw true friendship as an ideal to pursue and a blessing to enjoy. In these final moments with His followers, Jesus uses a most tender term for their relationship—they were friends! What does that friendship look like?
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7/24/2011
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Why Does Everyone Hate Me?
John 15:18-25
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There is a flipside to being a friend of Jesus. That's true of any friendship. Whenever you ally yourself and make friends with someone, you will incur some enemies because of it. Likewise, some who don't like Jesus won't like us either—and we discover there are quite a few who don't! Let's find out why, and how we can raise our heads high and prevail.
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7/31/2011
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Two Thirds Is Not Enough
John 15:26-16:15
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We love God the Father who created us and God the Son who redeemed us, but what about the Holy Spirit? We hear His name a lot, but who is He? What exactly does He do? What does He want from us? The Holy Spirit is the "quiet One," active in the life of believers but sometimes not acknowledged as being vital. Oswald Chambers noted, "The Holy Spirit cannot be located as a guest in a house. He invades everything!" Today, we consider Him and His role in our lives.
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8/7/2011
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The Holy Hound of Heaven
John 16:5-11
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Having understood Who the Holy Spirit is (Person not just power; Deity not just dignitary) we now find out what He does in the world of unbelieving people. Since the greatest gift God ever gave to the world was His only Son (John 3:16) it stands to reason that the greatest sin one can commit is to reject the Son (John 16:9). How does the Holy Spirit both sentence the world as prosecutor and lead people away from judgment? And what role do we play in all of this?
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8/14/2011
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When Sorrow Turns to Joy
John 16:16-22
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The flamboyant baseball-legend-turned-preacher Billy Sunday stated, "If you have no joy in your religion, there's a leak in your Christianity somewhere!" That's not to say that life is all laughs. Hardly! Jesus anticipated His followers' deep sorrow. He predicted it. But He also assured them that their experience of sadness would be eclipsed by a greater experience of lasting joy.
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8/21/2011
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How to Send Knee-Mail
John 16:23-28
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Today you can be anywhere in the world and send or receive messages digitally via email. Sending email has eclipsed traditional mail for years now. Sending knee-mail is similar (you can be anywhere)—but with better results! You don't need wifi or a modem; you don't need an electronic device or a computer. Before Jesus left His disciples, He wanted them to get "online" with the Father and stay connected through the simple yet powerful means of prayer.
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9/4/2011
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I've Fallen, but I CAN Get Up!
John 16:29-33
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I would rather fail in a cause that will ultimately succeed than to succeed in a cause that will ultimately fail! So said President Woodrow Wilson. Our Lord knows us better than we know ourselves and is not surprised by our weaknesses. We all fall and fail, even though we may commit to standing strong. What can we learn about ourselves and our God in such valleys? Even more, what kind of restoration can we hope for after our bout with failure?
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9/18/2011
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Holy Eavesdropping
John 17:1
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Imagine if you could sit and listen to Jesus talking to His Father—what would Jesus say to Him? In this prayer (which comprises all of John 17) we step onto holy ground. His instruction to His followers is now over. His preparation of them is done. He now turns His attention heavenward to talk directly to His Father about Himself, about His disciples, and about His future church. This prayer is unique for four reasons:
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9/25/2011
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The Gifts That Keep On Giving
John 17:1-5
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It's possible to give without loving but it's impossible to love without giving— Richard Braunstein. Part of God's nature is that He shows His love by His generous gifts. "For God so loved the world that He gave..." (John 3: 16). Here, in the opening lines of Jesus' prayer to His Father, He requests a gift from His Father and acknowledges three other gifts—two given to the Son by the Father, and one given by the Son to us. These are the gifts that keep on giving!
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10/2/2011
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How Followers Are Formed
John 17:6-10
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Okay, so which is it? Did I choose God or did God choose me? Perspective is everything! If you look at it from the divine viewpoint, you'll say God chose. If you're looking at it from a human viewpoint, you'll say we do the choosing. But why can't both be true? I suppose you can sit around, scratch your head, and try to ponder such imponderables, or you can sigh happily and say with a grateful heart, "I'm elated that He chose me!" But you should also ask yourself another question while you're at it—What am I going to do about it now?
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10/9/2011
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Missionaries or Monasteries?
John 17:11-19
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How can you leave your mark on the world? Most everyone wants to be remembered for some contribution made to society. Well, Jesus wants us to do that, too. In fact, He prays for that. God wants you to make an imprint on life's road so people will say, "Hey look! God's kids were here!" We can't do that by isolating ourselves. We have marching orders!
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10/30/2011
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I've Got It Under Control
John 18:1-11
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Sometimes life appears to be spinning out of control. Events happen we didn't plan for, people do things we didn't expect, we find ourselves in places we never thought we'd be in. But though you can't always control what happens to you, you are responsible for what happens in you (attitudes and responses). What do we really believe about God's authority and power in our lives? Is there ever a time when God can't say, "I've got it under control"?
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11/20/2011
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The Darkest Night!
John 18:12-27
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On a dark spring night in Jerusalem, it seemed everyone was against Jesus Christ. The religious system had long been opposed to and jealous of His burgeoning ministry. The mock trial designed to get rid of Jesus was only going through the technical motions to achieve their end. And Peter, Jesus' closest friend, was in a downward process of disassociating himself from Him. But in the midst of the darkest night, the sunrise of God's grace was beginning to shine!
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1/8/2012
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A King, a Kingdom, and a Courtroom
John 18:28-40
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What kind of a King is Jesus, and what is the nature of His Kingdom? And what does it mean to pray, "Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done"? These are the questions faced in the text before us. As Jesus nears the cross, a nation denies His reign over them, while a Roman ruler questions Him and then cynically admits his own confusion and despair.
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1/22/2012
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How Do You Handle Jesus?
John 19:1-16
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Pontius Pilate was like every other person who has ever lived. The fundamental question of his life was, "What then shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?" (Matthew 27:22). Everyone has to deal with Jesus, to decide about Him and His claims. In one setting, we can see how one man (Pilate) was influenced to deal with Jesus in three different ways. These three ways are how many people today still choose to deal with Jesus Christ.
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1/29/2012
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Execution of a King
John 19:17-22
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Regicide is the official word used for the execution of a king. Most countries reserve the stiffest of punishments for subjects or assassins who would kill their royalty. John records the execution of the King of kings on a Roman cross outside the city of Jerusalem. But the rest of Scripture reveals that it was more than an execution; it was sacrifice that brought salvation. The next few weeks, we will consider the cross in depth and what it means for the world and for us.
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2/5/2012
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The Cross on the Billboard of Eternity
John 19:23-24
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Did you know that the cross of Christ was always God's plan from the very beginning? It wasn't a reaction to mankind's rejection of His Son, nor was it an accommodation to a Roman and Jewish miscarriage of justice. It was according to "the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God" (Acts 2:23). Today we will take a journey back and connect the dots of God's unfolding plan of the cross throughout the ages.
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2/12/2012
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How to Love Your Mother
John 19:25-27
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A mother's love for her children is distinctive and irreplaceable. To watch a child suffer is crushing and almost intolerable for any mom. In this touching scene revealed in three verses, we not only see Mary, the mother of Jesus, at the foot of her Son's cross, we also learn how Jesus cared for His mother. Even from His place of extreme suffering, Jesus was thinking of others and His love for Mary is noteworthy for us.
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2/19/2012
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iThirst
John 19:28-29
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The world is filled with Apple's i-technology, which delivers on its promise to make connectivity and information readily accessible. But there is a deeper need within everyone, a thirst to be right with God, that no app or gadget can fulfill. How ironic that Jesus, the great Thirst-Quencher, would Himself be thirsty. It was part of the great exchange—His temporary thirst enabled yours to be quenched eternally!
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2/26/2012
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It's Done!
John 19:30
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While Jesus was doing His greatest work, He uttered His greatest words! Through the excruciating pain of a tormenting death, Jesus gave the most meaningful statements worthy of careful consideration. John records three of Jesus' seven statements uttered while on the cross. The sixth—and perhaps the most hopeful—is the one we consider today.
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3/4/2012
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Death Under Control
John 19:31-37
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Watching someone you love die is always a heart-wrenching experience, especially when the victim experiences great suffering. For the apostle John, the death of Jesus was likewise difficult-but he saw a glimmer of hope, a silver lining in the dark clouds of death. This death was long ago anticipated and was being carefully monitored from the control center of heaven. Today we see why that's important.
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3/11/2012
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Disciples on the Graveyard Shift
John 19:38-42
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You can find an unending supply of books, pamphlets, and articles on discipleship in Christian churches and bookstores. Many of them will be predictably regimented and conventional, giving solid biblical references and calling Christians to ardently follow Christ—all great stuff. But not everyone's spiritual journey is identical. Some disciples are unexpected, and so is their story. Here are two disciples of Jesus who've been in the background and now step forward to care for the body of Christ after His death. Let's allow their story to inspire us.
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3/18/2012
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A Not-Quite-Empty Tomb
John 20:1-10
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There was a lot of confusion happening on the first Easter morning. The resurrection had happened but it was neither expected nor accepted by all at first. Mary Magdalene ran to tell the disciples what she saw, and they ran to check out her report. What they saw was compelling evidence of a resurrection, but only one of them really connected all the dots. Let's see why.
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3/25/2012
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Hope Rekindled
John 20:11-18
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When people grieve, they usually run the gamut of the emotional spectrum, from denial to bargaining to despair to anger to eventually hope. Mary Magdalene was in hopeless despair as she stood weeping by the grave of Jesus. The resurrected Christ deals tenderly with this woman as he reveals Himself to her and conveys hope for her future. Let's glean some principles for dealing with brokenhearted people.
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4/1/2012
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From Closed Doors to the Open Road
John 20:19-23
Skip Heitzig
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Our relationship with Jesus isn't a secret to be hoarded; it is a story to be heralded! The disciples were seated behind closed doors (sounds like a lot of churches). Jesus wanted them out, giving away what they had been given. Let's see how these early followers went from panic to peace, from perplexity to purpose, and from protection to power. It's a great journey. Are you up for it?
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4/8/2012
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Rise Up!
John 20:24-31
Skip Heitzig
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The apostle Thomas has been noted for his skeptical attitude. In fact, we refer to a skeptic as a "doubting Thomas." In this message from John 20, we consider four ways Thomas was able to rise up from doubt and become a joyful follower of Jesus.
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4/15/2012
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Gone Fishing! (Relating to a Risen & Returning Lord)
John 21:1-14
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I am not a great fisherman. I don't do it often and when I catch something, it's pure luck! My dad was the opposite—he loved it and was great at it. At least seven of Jesus' disciples were fishermen and here we see them plying their trade after the resurrection. Some beautiful lessons can be discovered about how to live while we wait for Jesus to come back for us.
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4/22/2012
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I Failed! Now What?
John 21:15-19
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One of life's harshest realities is failure. The very sound of the word seems harsh to our sensibilities. We even harbor the age-old axiom, "Failure is not an option!" But failure is an option; in fact, it's a certainty. But discouragement and failure are two of the surest stepping-stones to victory. In a post-resurrection interview, Jesus restores Peter with a fresh commission. If you have failed in your spiritual experience (and who hasn't), these principles will inspire.
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4/29/2012
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Final Instructions
John 21:20-25
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As John closes off his singular testimony of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, he features some closing words of Jesus and Peter about himself (John). These final sentences provide some instructions for us as we await Christ's return. How should we live in light of who Jesus is, what Jesus did, and when Jesus will return?
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There are 95 additional messages in this series.
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