Skip HeitzigSkip Heitzig

Skip's Teachings > 43 John - Believe:879 - 2009 > A King, a Kingdom, and a Courtroom

Message:

SHORT URL: http://SkipHeitzig.com/999 Copy to Clipboard
BUY: Buy CD

A King, a Kingdom, and a Courtroom - John 18:28-40

Taught on

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.

Date Title   WatchListenNotes Share SaveBuy
1/8/2012
completed
resume  
A King, a Kingdom, and a Courtroom
John 18:28-40
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
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.
Message Trailer
WatchClosed Captioned
Watch and take notes
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Listen in Spanish
Outline
Detailed Notes
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Video (MP4)
Audio (MP3)
Spanish (MP3)
Buy CD

Series Description

Show expand

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.

FREE - Download Entire Series (MP3) (Help) | Buy series | Buy audiobook

Outline

    Open as Word Doc Open as Word Doc    Copy Copy to Clipboard    Print icon    Hide contract


  1. A Kingdom Denied (vv. 28-32)

    1. The Conspiracy

    2. The Charge

  2. A Kingdom Discussed (vv. 33-37)

    1. The Interrogation

    2. The Explanation

    3. The Elucidation


  3. A Kingdom Disbelieved (vv. 38-40)

    1. The Ruler's Despair

    2. The Ruler's Decision

Detailed Notes

    Open as Word Doc Open as Word Doc    Copy Copy to Clipboard    Print icon    Hide contract

  1. Introduction
    1. God could have made a world filled with "Mr. or Mrs. Wonderful Dolls"
      1. No rape, no murder, no selfishness, no crime
      2. No real love, no real submission
    2. God gave us human volition; freedom of choice
    3. Jesus is the King of a different kind of kingdom
      1. "My kingdom" used three times in this section
      2. His kingdom
        1. Filled with real people
        2. Dealing with a real God
        3. Living in real submission to His authority
    4. Jesus on trial before Pontius Pilate, Governor of Judea
      1. Elements of a courtroom scene
        1. Judge: Pilate
        2. Defendant: Jesus
        3. Plaintiffs: Jewish authorities
      2. Trial four of six
        1. First trial: Jesus before Annas
        2. Second trial: Jesus before Caiaphas
        3. Third Trial: Jesus before the Sanhedrin
      3. Jews couldn't enforce the death penalty, so they brought Jesus before the Romans
      4. King of Kings who will one day rule over all the kingdoms of men standing trial before a puny human court
      5. Trial played out daily
        1. In the hearts of men and women
        2. Courts of public opinion
        3. Courts of personal decision
        4. Issues at stake:
          1. What am I going to do with Jesus?
          2. How will I handle Him?
          3. What are my thoughts about Him?
          4. Dare I let Him be King over my life?
  2. A Kingdom Denied (vv. 28-32)
    1. The Conspiracy
      1. Jewish leaders led Jesus to the Praetorium, but wouldn't go in
        1. Didn't want to be ceremonially defiled
        2. Willing to kill Jesus
      2. Jewish rulers believed in a Messianic kingdom
        1. Rejected Jesus as their King
        2. Believed in an immediate, outward, political kingdom
          1. Overthrow the Romans
          2. Rule from Jerusalem
        3. "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." (Matthew 4:17)
          1. Their hopes rose
          2. Jesus' popularity rose
            1. "They were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king," (John 6:15)
            2. "Hosanna! 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!' The King of Israel!" (John 12:13)
      3. Jesus came the first time to conquer sin in people's lives
        1. "And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins." (Matthew 1:21)
        2. He will eventually set up the kingdom the Jews expected
      4. Mock Trial
        1. Broke three of their own rules
        2. Leveled a sentence: wanted Him killed
      5. Caiaphas wanted Jesus crucified
        1. Jews executed by stoning (See Leviticus 24)
          1. Could have done that and sorted it out with the Romans later
          2. Stoned Stephen
        2. "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree" (Galatians 3:13)
      6. The Praetorium
        1. The Antonia Fortress
        2. Where the Roman soldiers were garrisoned
      7. Pilate headquartered in Caesarea, moved of Jerusalem during Jewish festivals in case of a riot
    2. The Charge (see Luke 23)
      1. Perverting the nation
        1. False charge
        2. "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill." (Matthew 5:17)
      2. Forbidding the people to pay taxes to Caesar
        1. False charge
        2. "Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." (Matthew 22:21)
      3. Says He is Christ the King
        1. True charge
        2. They rejected His authority
        3. "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!" (Matthew 23:37)
  3. A Kingdom Discussed (vv. 33-37)
    1. The Interrogation
      1. Pontius Pilate, who represents the king of the world, Caesar, and Jesus, the King of kings come face to face
        1. Pilate
          1. Fifth Roman governor of the province of Judea
          2. Appointed by Caesar Tiberius in 26 AD
          3. He reigned for 10 years
          4. Born in Seville, Spain
          5. Joined the Roman army
          6. Married the granddaughter of Caesar Augustus, Claudia Procula
          7. Prideful, cynical man
        2. Jesus
      2. Are you the king of the Jews?
        1. "You" is emphatic
        2. Accurate translation: "You?! Are you the king of the Jews?!"
        3. Pilate had his own idea of a kingdom
          1. Rome: the kingdom
          2. Caesar: the king
          3. Enacted by force
        4. Jesus doesn't answer directly
          1. If yes, He will be accused of insurrection
          2. If no, He will be denying who He is
        5. Illegal question
          1. Can't privately discuss the case with the defendant
          2. No self incrimination
    2. The Explanation
      1. "My Kingdom"
        1. One of Jesus favorite topics of discussion
          1. "Kingdom of God" appears:
            1. Four times in Matthew
            2. Fourteen times in Mark
            3. Thirty-two times in Luke
            4. Two times in John
          2. "Kingdom of Heaven" 33 times in Matthew
          3. Taught us to pray, "Thy kingdom come" (Matthew 6:10 KJV)
          4. "He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God." (Acts 1:3)
        2. What kind of King is Jesus?
          1. Not yet a political military king, who enforces His rule
          2. Spiritual King
          3. Eventually a world-dominating king; "The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!" (Revelation 11:15)
          4. Out of this world: Ἐκ, ek - from out, out from among
          5. His kingdom doesn't have its authority base in this world
      2. Pilate in a quandary
        1. Jesus claims to be a spiritual, not political King
        2. Pilate's wife had a dream and warned him: "While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent to him, saying, 'Have nothing to do with that just Man, for I have suffered many things today in a dream because of Him.'" (Matthew 27:19)
      3. Pilate vs. Jesus
        1. Emissary of Rome; Son of God
        2. Earthly ruler; Heavenly Ruler
        3. Do anything for power, glory, honor; gave up power, glory, honor
        4. Lives for the material; deals with different things
        5. Wears robes of Rome; wears peasant dress of Galilean
    3. The Elucidation
      1. Jesus is clearly in control
        1. Pilate is clearly on trial
        2. As if to say, "You can know the truth"
        3. "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me." (John 10:27)
      2. "Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." (Matthew 6:9-10)
        1. Not a prayer for the future, coming of His kingdom on earth
        2. Reign over me
          1. May Your kingdom come over my life
          2. I voluntarily surrender to you
      3. We have thrones in our lives; who is sitting on yours?
        1. Is Jesus controlling you?
        2. Are you following your own agenda?
        3. True believers have experienced a kingdom shift; Jesus rules and reigns over them
  4. A Kingdom Disbelieved (vv. 38-40)
    1. The Ruler's Despair
      1. What is truth?
        1. As if to say, "No one can ever know absolute truth"
        2. Left the room without waiting for an answer
      2. Jesus is absolute truth
        1. "I am the way, the truth, and the life." (John 14:6)
        2. "And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." (John 8:32)
    2. The Ruler's Decision
      1. Pilate dismissed the case, and dismissed Jesus from his life
      2. Barabbas freed
        1. Barabbas full name: Jesus Barabbas (according to Origin)
          1. Jesus, son of a father
          2. Do you want Jesus, son of a father, or Jesus, Son of the Father?
        2. Always the choice: the human kingdom or God's kingdom
          1. Most choose the human kingdom; they don't want God ruling over them
          2. God wants real people who will surrender voluntarily

Greek Terms: Ἐκ, ek - from out, out from among
Figures Referenced: Origin
Cross References: Leviticus 24; Matthew 1:21; Matthew 4:17; Matthew 5:17; Matthew 6:9-10; Matthew 22:21; Matthew 23:37; Matthew 27:19; Luke 23; John 6:15; John 8:32; John 10:27; John 12:13; John 14:6; Acts 1:3; Galatians 3:13; Revelation 11:15

Transcript

Open as Word Doc Open as Word Doc    Copy Copy to Clipboard    Print icon    Hide expand

Turn in your bible this morning to the Gospel of John Chapter 18.  Yup, we're back.  We're back continuing our so far two years study of the Gospel of John.  But as you can see, we're nearing the end, whatever that means.  John Chapter 18 this morning.  What if we go ahead and pray.

Lord, we're comforted to know that You know everything about us.  Everything about our personal life situations, about the things we're facing, dealing with, struggling over, and even all the joys in life.  Lord, as we're going to see in this text, we're always faced with a decision.  The decision is, will we allow You control over our lives or is there a part of our life that we just don't want you involved in.

We often pray Your kingdom come, and we pray Lord that You would reign as king's supreme.  Over not only today but this year in our lives you're going to take us to heaven.  In the meantime, I pray that You would make us heavenly minded, eternally minded.  In Jesus name, Amen.

Ladies, I'd like to introduce you to the perfect man.  He's a doll.  He's 13 inches tall, so he's manageable.  He's called Mr. Wonderful.  Have you seen the Mr. Wonderful doll?  This little doll is always happy, always smiling and he's been programed to always say the most sensitive, sweetest, and right things no matter what's the situation.  I have a little video clip.  Now there's music in the background but you'll get the gist of Mr. Wonderful and just how great he is.  Go ahead.

(Video Playing 00:02:18 - 00:03:45)

Mr. Wonderful.  Now ladies -- kick in, yeah.  Okay, what are the ladies whistling?  I want to know.  Can you imagine having a man who's never irritable?  Who's never selfish?  All you've got to do is give him three double A batteries and he's a happy man.

Now, think about this.  God could have made the world filled with Mr. and Ms. Wonderful dolls, right?  Just pre-programmed.  So, all we have to do because he prompts us to say, "I've been thinking about you all day, God.  Lord, does it matter what I do today as long as I'm with you?  Lord, I love to honor You, praise and bless You from my heart."  He could have preprogrammed mechanical dolls to give Him that kind of praise and that kind of submission.  Now, think about it.

If He would have done that, there would be no evil in the world.  There will be no rape, no murder, no selfishness, no crime, because that wouldn't be programmed into our components.

Bu I have a question.  Are there drawbacks to a Mr. Wonderful doll?  Ladies are going, "No, I can't see any right up the back."  Well, the first one that comes to my mind, he's not real.  It's mindless, mechanical, compliments.

So, he says, "I love you".  It cheapens that love because it's not real love from a real heart.  There's no real submission.  So God could have made people like that but there wouldn't be a real love involved and so He didn't do that.  He gave us an incredible freedom, we know as human volition, the freedom of choice.  Jesus came into this world and announced a kingdom was coming and that He was the king.  It's a very different kind of a kingdom than an earthly kingdom like what Caesar had in Rome or what like the Jews were anticipating to come to their country.  But three times in the section we're about to read.  Jesus says, "My kingdom".

His kingdom is not a kingdom filled with Mr. and Ms. Wonderful dolls, pushing the button and saying all the right things, but filled with real people dealing with a real God, living in real submission to his authority.

Now, let me bring you back into the scene of John Chapter 18.  It's a courtroom scene.  Jesus is on trial in the sentences before Pontius Pilate, the governor of Judaea.  Now, we have all of the elements to a courtroom scene.  We have the judge, that's Pilate.  We have the defendant, that's Jesus.  We have the plaintiffs, those are the Jewish authorities who bring Jesus for the trial.

Let me remind you also that this isn't the first trial.  This is one of six trials all together that Jesus faces before death.  This is the trial number four.  Let me refresh your memory.  The first trial was Jesus before the high priest Annas, he was the former high priest but he's clearly the one who had all of the authority in Judaism.  The second trial was after that before the son-in-law of Annas, the high priest who was the resident high priest of that time named, Caiaphas.

After both of those trials, the third trial was Jesus standing before the entire Jewish counsel called the Sanhedrin in the earliest hours of the morning.  But because they couldn't bring the ultimate sentence, they thought Jesus should have the death penalty.  They now have to bring it into the civil courts.  So we're at trial number four, the trial before Pontius Pilate, the governor of Judaea.

Now, here what's ironic.  We have the King of Kings, who will one day rule overall of the world, over all the kingdoms of men standing trial before a puny human court, Pontius Pilate and his other ambassadors.

What happened in Jerusalem 2000 years ago where Jesus stood on trial is played out every single day in the hearts of men and women around the world.  In the courts of public opinion and the courts of personal decision comes the wrestling, "What am I going to do with this Jesus?  How am I going to handle him?  What are my thoughts about Him and dare I lead Him be king over my life?"  Those were always the issues at stake.

As we look at our verses, and today we're going to begin in Verse 28 of Chapter 18.  I want you to know these three things.  A kingdom denied, a kingdom discussed, and a kingdom disbelieved.  First is the kingdom denied, this is the Jewish authorities that bring Christ into this trial.  Look at Verse 28 of John 18.  Then they, they being the ambassadors of the high priest, the Jewish authorities, part of the Sanhedrin, they led Jesus from Caiaphas to the praetorium, that's the judgement hall.

And it was early morning, I'm guessing 6 o'clock, no later, between five and six in the morning, but they themselves did not go in the praetorium.  Watch this, less they should be defiled but that they might need to pass over.  Now, the Jewish leaders felt if they were to go into the home of the gentile, they would be ceremonially defiled.  How ironic is that?  They're willing to kill Jesus and push this through in illegal case but, "We don't want to defile ourselves.  It's the only thing ceremonially weird."

Then Pilate went out to them and he said, "What accusation do you bring against this man?"  They answered and said to him, "If you were not an evil doer, we would not have delivered Him to you."  And then Pilate said to them, "You take Him and judge Him according to your law."  Therefore, the Jew said, "It's not lawful for us to put anyone to death, that the saying of Jesus might be fulfilled which He spoke signifying by what death He would die."

All right, these Jewish rulers, the Sanhedrin, Annas, Caiaphas, the ones that are bringing Jesus into the courtroom seen with Pilate.  All of them believed in and anticipated a kingdom that was coming, a messianic kingdom.  The trouble is, they rejected Jesus as that messiah who would be their king and here's why.

They believe that whoever the messiah would be he is going to bring in an immediate kingdom, an outward kingdom, a political kingdom.  He's going to overthrow the enemies of the Jews, in this case the Romans.  Push them out of the country and then set up his eternal messianic kingdom from Jerusalem.  Jesus didn't deliver those goods, did He?

Now, let me just sort of trace this thinking.  As soon as Jesus began His ministry, one of the first sentences out of His mouth was this.  "Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand."  When He said that, their hopes started rising.  The kingdom of God is at hand, like immediate, like soon, like maybe this is the messiah.  And it got to be such that His popularity rose and rose so that when He was in Galilee and he fed 5000 miraculously and did other miracles.

In John Chapter 6, some of the crowd said, "Let's take Him by force and make Him our king."  They wanted to bring in that kingdom.  But, to top it all off, that anticipation reached fever pitch.  With just a few days before this courtroom scene, Jesus comes into Jerusalem on that donkey, the crowds brought palm branches and threw their clothes in the road as Jesus sat on the donkey, and do you remember what they cried out?

"Hosanna!  Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord."  Listen, "the king of Israel".  So they thought at any moment this guy is going to pull out all the stuffs and set up that immediate political outward messianic kingdom.  That's not why He came the first time, right?  He's going to eventually do that in the future, the bible says at His second coming.

But when Jesus came the first time, He didn't come as the ruling, reigning king, right?  He came as what?  Savior, He came to deal with sin.  He came to conquer sin in people's lives and to be the savior.  That's what the angels said to Joseph, you will call His name Jesus because He will save His people from their sin.

So, what did they do?  Waiting for this kingdom, Jesus isn't delivering.  They have a sham trial, a mock kind of a trial, breaking all of the Jewish rules, three of them to be exact.  They leveled a sentence against Jesus.  They want Him killed.  But, because the Romans had taken away the right of the Jews to execute anybody, the right of capital punishment, this is reserved for the Romans.  We have to bring Him into a civil trial.  That's why they're before Pilate.

Now I believe that Caiaphas, the acting high priest wanted nothing more and nothing less than to see Jesus hung on a cross, crucified.  That's what he wanted.  That was not how the Jews executed people.  By the way, in the Old Testament, what was the method of execution?  Stoning, Leviticus 24, if somebody is worthy of death, they are to be taken publicly and stoned.  It was a brutal way of execution.

They probably could have done that with Jesus, because in a few weeks they're going to do it with Stephen in Jerusalem.  They're going to stone Him and they could have talked their way through it with the Roman authorities afterwards.  But I'm convinced Caiaphas didn't want to stone Him.

Caiaphas wanted the worst kind of death, crucifixion because the Law of Moses said, "Curse it is, everyone who hangs on a tree."  And Caiaphas thought if the Jews see this man crucified, they're going to think, "No way could He be our messiah.  He's cursed by god.  He's on a tree."

So that was their agenda.  They want to see Him crucified and they bring Him before Pontius Pilate.

There's an old adage that says, "If you can't find a lawyer who knows the law, find one who knows the judge."  Evidently, Caiaphas and Annas knows the judge and they bring Jesus before him.  They bring Him to the praetorian that is called.  That was the ancient Antonia Fortress.  It is where the Roman soldiers were garrisoned in Jerusalem.  It was their fort.

Now Pontius Pilate the Governor, he had his headquarters not in Jerusalem but in Caesarea on the ocean, great place to hangout.  But whenever there is a festival of the Jews, he moved his headquarters to Jerusalem, why?  Just in case a riot would break out, some kind of a scene like this, he could be there to quell that riot.

And so the leaders come and they bring Jesus, and they have to have some accusation.  That's what Pilate says, "Well, what accusation do you bring?"  And they said here in John's gospel, "If He were not an evil doer, we would not have brought Him to you to begin with."

Now John didn't give us anymore details but the other gospel accounts do.  Luke actually records what the charges were against Jesus at this trial.  I want you to look at them.  Turn with me or if you don't have a bible, I'll turn and you can listen to Luke Chapter 23.

Now, I cheated because I marked it before I got here, so I just had to flip to it.  But Luke Chapter 23, I'll give you a moment to turn there and you'll read the charges yourself.  Verse 1, Luke 23, "Then the whole multitude of them arose and led Him to Pilate.  And they began to accuse Him saying --" now, you're going to notice three accusations.

Number one, we found this fellow perverting the nation.  Number two, forbidding to pay taxes to Cesar, and number three, saying that He himself is Christ the king.  Three charges they level against Christ, all trumped up charges.  Let's go through them.

Number one, this man is perverting the nation.  Was that a true charge or a false charge?  It was a false charge.  He never perverted the nation.  Jesus said, "I didn't come to destroy the law.  I came to fulfill it.  I'm not here trying to destroy my nation.  This is the nation God has given to this earth and has a covenant with."

Number two, the charge was He's forbidding people to pay taxes to Cesar.  Was that true or false?  It's false.  Jesus held up a coin one day and He said, "Render to Cesar what belongs to Cesar, but make sure you render to God what belongs to God."  But look at that third charge.

This guy says He's the king.  Was that a true charge or false?  It was a true charge.  Now, that charge was a true charge.  This guy says He is a king.  The trouble is, they rejected His authority, they rejected His kingship.  They didn't want anything to do with Him ruling over them.

A few days before this trial as Jesus is coming into Jerusalem and the crowds do give Him the adulation, "Hosanna to the highest, the Son of David, the king of Israel."  Do you remember that as Jesus was making His way down to the Mount of Olives, He stopped and He did something?  What did He do?  He wept.  He cried over the city.

And He said, "Oh Jerusalem, Jerusalem, how often I wanted to gather your children together as a hen gathers its chicks under its wings, but you were not willing.  Your king has come to you.  You would not recede His authority in your lives.  You were not willing for Me to comfort you and gather your children and bring in any kind of a kingdom whatsoever.

So that's the first section of John Chapter 18 that we have read, the kingdom is denied.  Let's go to the second.  We now have the kingdom discussed.  The second scene is a private scene.  It is Pontius Pilate the governor face to face with Jesus.  Verse 33, Pilate entered the Praetorium again, called Jesus and said to Him, "Are you the King of the Jews?"

Jesus answered him.  "Are you speaking for yourself about this or did others tell you this concerning me?"  Pilate answered, "Am I a Jew?  Your own nation and Chief Priest have delivered you to me.  What have you done?"  Jesus answered.  "My kingdom is not of this world.  If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would fight so that I should not be delivered to the Jews.  But now, my kingdom is not from here."

Pilate therefore said to him.  "Are you a king then?"  Jesus answered, "You say rightly that I am a king for this cause I was born, for this cause I have come into the world that I should bear witness to the truth everyone who is of the truth hears my voice".  We have here one of the most provocative encounters of two people in all of history.  The Roman governor who represents the king of the world, Caesar himself, and Jesus the King of Kings.  Now, Pontius Pilate is famous because of what you and I are reading.

In history, he is one of the most infamous characters.  There is a group of Sunday school kids and the teacher asked the kids to draw a rendition of the Christmas story.  Most of those kids drew shepherds and angels in the major scene, the Wiseman, the camels et cetera.  One boy decided to draw something different for his picture of the Christmas scene.  It was an airplane with four people in them.  The teacher stopped and said, "I don't get this!"  And the boy looked up like "Duh," and said, "This is the flight into Egypt".

Okay, if you're laughing is because you know in your bible the little subheading says that when Jesus and Mary and Joseph had to flee from Herod's wrath they went to Egypt, the flight into Egypt.  So he drew an airplane, the flight into Egypt.  The teacher said "Oh, okay I get but why are there four people?  I get Joseph and Jesus and Mary, who's the fourth?"  And the guy looked up again the kid said like, "That's Pontius, the Pilate!"  Okay, it's a kid, truth be told.  We don't know a whole lot more about Pontius Pilate than that kid thought he knew.  We just know a few things or it's just a sketchy bit of information about him and I tried to amass as much as I can to give you a little snap shot of this guy, Pontius Pilate.

Pontius Pilate was the fifth Roman governor of the province of Judea appointed by Caesar Tiberius in 26 A.D.  He reigned for 10 years as the governor of Judea.  But get this.  Pontius Pilate was not Roman.  That is he wasn't born in Rome, he was born in Seville Spain.  Later on, he joined the Roman army, The Legions of Rome.  And he got this job because he married strategically into the family.  His wife was Claudia Procula the granddaughter of Caesar Augustus in Rome.  So he got the job because he married the boss' granddaughter.  He is placed in his position, biblical passages as well as extra biblical history paint him as a very prideful, arrogant, conceited, cynical kind of a man and some of that is seen here, it's played out in the text, you can see yourself.

Okay now, all four gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, all record that the very first question that Pilate asked Jesus was this.  "Are you the king of the Jews?"  But all four gospels also have the way it's worded in the original Greek of all four, the word "you" as being emphatic in the sentence.  So here's the correct translation.  This is how it should be stated.  Jesus is brought before Pilate.  Pilate comes in and looks at Him and says, "You?  Are you the king of the Jews?"  That's how it's written in the original.  "As if I'm in shock, you're the threat to imperial Rome?"  Here is Pilate with all of the authority of Rome behind him.  Here is Jesus in peasant clothes stained from the blood sweat that He sweat in the Garden of Gethsemane, the great drops of blood, had no sleep that night then pummeled probably in Caiaphas' Praetorium before He got here.

"You?  Are you the king of the Jews?"  Now, the Jewish people have their idea of a kingdom, right?  An immediate outward political messianic kingdom.  Pilate, Pontius Pilate also had his own ideas of a kingdom and that is Rome is the kingdom and Caesar is the king and this is a Roman rule enacted by force.

So, I'm looking at you, you're no threat to me.  You?  Are you the king of the Jews?  Notice Verse 34, Jesus answered him "Are you speaking for yourself about this or did others tell you this concerning me?"  I've loved this.  Jesus doesn't answer his question.  Jesus didn't say, "Well, yes I am the King," because immediately Pilate would have thought, "Now he's in insurrection is maybe we do have a case here."  If Jesus would have said, "Well no, I'm not the King" then He would be denying the truth about Himself.  So, He didn't even answer the question and my mom always told me never answer a question with a question, but this is Jesus, He can do whatever he wants.

You know why He does this?  Because this is an illegal question that Pilate asked Him.  I mentioned a few weeks ago, maybe a month ago now.  That in court cases back then as in now, you could never privately ask the defendant about his case.  You had to have witnesses in the room.  This is the precursor to the Fifth Amendment.  You can't self incriminate.  So he asked Him a question, Jesus didn't answer the question, seemingly illegal question.  What He does is turn the tables on Pontius Pilate as if going after Pilate's heart.  "And let me ask you a question Pilate, are you asking me this because you're the Roman procurator?  Are you asking me this because you've heard rumors about who I am or could it be that you yourself are interested in this possible relationship?"

And noticed Pilate immediately says, "Am I a Jew?  Like you're accused of being the king of the Jews, I'm a Roman.  I'm above this.  Your own people brought You here."  But here is Jesus going after his heart.  Verse 35, He says, "Your own chief priest have delivered you to me.  What have you done?"  Jesus noticed how he answers that question.  "My kingdom is not of this world.  If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would fight so that I would not be delivered to the Jews.  But now, my kingdom is not from here".

Did you know that one of Jesus' favorite subjects to talk about was the kingdom?  Did you know for example the Gospel of Matthew records the phrase the kingdom of God four times?  Mark records it 14 times.  Luke records Jesus saying it 32 times.  John records it twice, that's just the phrase the kingdom of God, the kingdom of heaven, and Matthew has used another 33 times.  Jesus taught us to pray.  When you pray say, "Thy kingdom come" and then after Jesus rose from the dead it said He spent 40 days with His disciples speaking about things pertaining to the kingdom, the kingdom.  It's like He said.

Now, let's get back to that kingdom thing I was talking about.  He always brings in the kingdom.  He's talking here about the kingdom even to Pontius Pilate.  Now, what kind of a king is He?  Is he a political king?  Is He a military king?  Is He a king who enforces his rule?  No He's not, not yet at least.  He's not that kind of a king.  He's a spiritual king right now, but He will be an eventual world-dominating king.  Did you know that?  He will come the second time and become the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

In revelation 11, appearing into the future, when the angel sounds the seventh trumpet, all of heaven breaks out in an anthem and this is what they sang "The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ and He will reign forever and ever."  That is coming.  Until then, He says, "My kingdom doesn't come from this world."  That's what the Greek has acted out of this world.  It doesn't have its authority based here, like every other kingdom has.  My kingdom is from another realm.  My kingdom is not of this world.

Now, Pilate is in the quandary here.  Because if Jesus would have just said, "Yup, I'm a king.  I'm an earthly king."  It would have been easy for Pilate.  Kill Him.  Execute Him.  But Jesus says, "Well I'm a king, but I'm not a king like that.  I'm a spiritual king".  Pilate is thinking.  "What do I do with a spiritual king?"  It puts him on a quandary.  How is he going to adjudicate this case?  And to make matters worst, you may recall Matthew 27 tells us, the Pilate's wife Claudia Procula warned Pilate.  As he was going into the courtroom he said, "I have nothing to do with this righteous men.  I suffered many things about Him in a dream last night"

So he's got his wife saying "Hey Pilate, Mr. wonderful, don't do anything with this man, don't even touch this case."  And now he's dealing with the case and Jesus says, "Well, I'm a king but I'm a spiritual king.  My kingdom is out of this world."  So in Verse 38, Pilate said -- Verse 37, Pilate therefore said to him, "Are you a king then?"  Jesus answered, "You say rightly that I am a king."  Now he's candidly admitting, "Yup, I am a king.  For this cause I was born and for this cause I have come into the world that I should bear witness to the truth.  Everyone who is of the truth hears my voice."  Pilate said to him, "What is truth?"  Can you hear the cynicism dripping from his words?  And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews and said to them, "I find no fault in Him at all."

Pause for a moment, Tivo this scene if you will.  Over here you've got Pontius Pilate, the emissary of Rome.  Over here you've got Jesus Christ, the son of God.  You've got two people facing off, what a contrast between both of them, one an earthly ruler, one a heavenly ruler.  One would do anything for power, glory and honor.  The other would give up glory, power and honor and come to this earth as a servant.  One would live only for the material what he can see, feel, touch, have, the other one says, "I don't care about this, I am from another realm and I'm dealing with different things.  One is wearing the robes of Rome, one is wearing the peasant dress of a Galilean.  But who's in control of this judgment scene, Pilate?  Pilate's on trial.  Jesus is turning the tables.  It is Jesus who is clearly in control, in fact, "He is managing His own death."  John said, "All of this was done that it might be fulfilled what kind of death he would die.  Jesus had predicted if I'd be lifted up, I will draw all men to myself."

Jewish execution as I said was stoning, that's where a person was bowed down to the earth, Jesus said, "Oh no, the prophet has predicted I would be lifted up and crucified."  And so God in heaven arranges Rome and Pilate and the Sanhedrin so that that all can be fulfilled.  Jesus is clearly in-charge and Pilate is clearly on trial.  And I think he's feeling very uneasy as he is face to face with Jesus Christ.

  Now look in Verse 37, that last little phrase, that last little sentence.  Jesus said, "Everyone who is of the truth hears my voice."  I believe that's an invitation now to Pilate.  "There is such a thing as truth, Pilate, and I have come to bear witness to that truth and everyone who listens to Me and they're interested in the truth, they're going to listen to My voice."  As if to say, "Mr. Governor, you can know truth man.  My sheep hear My voice, they listen to Me, they follow Me" Jesus said.  Now, in a few words he says that to Pilate.  Pilate disgusted and says, "What is truth?"  And he storms out.

Now, you and I, Christians, we were taught to pray something by Jesus.  When you pray, say "Our father in heaven, hollowed be Your name, Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven."  He taught us to pray that, Your kingdom come.  I don't think that necessarily means that we're to pray that his kingdom will eventually come that eventually Jesus will return and set up his kingdom, and we're praying for that because whether you pray for that or not, it's coming.

I think on a more personal level, it's saying, "Lord, God, reign over me, rule over me, may Your kingship, Your authority, Your kingdom come over this life.  I surrender voluntarily.  You don't have to push a button, I'm not a Mr. Wonderful doll, I voluntarily allow You to rule and reign over my life and may Your will be done in me, in this part of earth as it is heaven."  That's what I think its saying.  You see, every one of us has a throne in our heart.  Who's sitting on you throne?  Is God, is Jesus controlling your life?  Is His kingdom come over you or are you still sitting in that throne of authority to your agenda.

My parents used to watch a TV show so I grew up watching The Honeymooners.  Remember that old black and -- how many of you, show hands honestly if you know what that is.

Ralph Kramden, played by Jackie Gleason which say -- I think probably every episode, he would say to his wife, "Alice, I'm king of the castle."  He love that phrase, "I'm in charge".  A lot of us would say to God "I'm king of the castle.  I'm in charge."  Well, if you're a true believer, there has been a kingdom shift or it's not about you and your authority and your agenda and your whatever, it's "I'm off the throne".  You're sitting on the throne, Your kingdom has come, You rule and reign over me.

Let's finish this out.  Look at the last two verses, this is now the kingdom disbelieved.  Pilate said Verse 38, "What is truth?" when he had said this he went out again to the Jews, that is the problem.  I'll show you why.  And he said to them "I find no fault in him, but you have accustomed that I should release someone to you at the Passover.  Do you therefore want me to release you the king of the Jews?"  Now, he thought they would say, "Yes, release him."  He was surprised.  They all cried out again saying, "Not this man but Barabbas."

Now Barabbas was a robber.  As soon as Jesus spoke about truth, Pilate like a true politician said, "What is truth?"  Because politicians live in the sliding scale of spin.  And when Pilate said, "What is truth?"  He echoed what so many people say even today, "What is truth" as if to say, "No one can ever know absolute truth."  It's impossible.  There is no such thing as objective absolute truth, it's all depends on your own personal experience, it's all relative.

He asked the question "What is truth?"  But then he left the room.  He went out again to the Jews.  He said, "I find no fault in this man."  If he only would have asked it with sincerity and waited for an answer, "Hey, Jesus, tell me, what is truth?"  I believe Jesus would have told Him what He had said on other occasions, "I am the way, the truth and the life."  You will know the truth and the truth can set you free.

He asked the question, he stormed out of the room as if to say, "There's no way I will ever know the answer to that question, what is truth because there is no answer."  I mean people who often talk about truth and they try to feign some kind of interest in truth "Oh yes, I'm really interested in finding the truth," and they talk about an interest in knowing the truth philosophically and epistemologically.  That's sort of their general façade.

But I probed a little bit deeper and I find that I'm dealing with a person who is predetermined that there is no such thing as absolute truth.  I had a person get right to my girl and say, "There's no such thing as absolute truth."  And I smiled and said, "You were telling me that so absolutely."  See, it's a self-cancelling statement the way you just worded it.  You just gave me an absolute.  Jesus is absolute truth, Pilate thought it couldn't be found so he dismisses the case and in effect, he dismisses Jesus from out of his life.  The kingdom is disbelieved.

Now, a word about Barabbas.  According to one of the early church fathers origin, and if you done any reading in church history, you've heard that name.  Origin said the full name of Barabbas -- get this, was Jesus Barabbas which means Jesus, son of a father, "Bar aba", son of a father.  And so the choice was which one do you want?  Do you want Jesus, son of a father or do want Jesus, son of the father?  And origin said, that is always the human choice between the two kingdoms, the human kingdom or God's kingdom.  And he said most people always want the human kingdom.

Give me Barabbas, son of a father, just give me the human solution, the human thing, I don't want God ruling over my life.  God doesn't want dolls that he can just push a button and go "I love You God.  I praise You Lord."  He wants real people exercising their freedom of will saying, "Lord I want Your kingdom to come and Your will to be done and I surrender."  Speaking of reality, here's a real little boy who wrote his understanding of the bible.  He had some facts right and some facts wrong but he really wrote this, after the Old Testament came the New Testament.  That's accurate

Jesus is the star of the new(ph).  He was born in Bethlehem in a barn.  And he said, "I wish I'd been born on a barn too because my mom is always saying to me, 'Close the door, were you born in a barn?'"  And it would be nice to say, "As matter of fact, I was."  During his life, Jesus had many arguments with sinners like the Pharisees and the democrats.  This is a little boy, give him a break.

Jesus also had 12 Opossums.  The worst one was Judas Asparagus.  Judas was so evil.  They named a terrible vegetable after him.  But Jesus, He was a great man, He healed many leopards and He even preached to some Germans on the mount.  But all those guys put Jesus on trial before Pontius the Pilate.  Pilate didn't stick up for Jesus.  He just washed his hands instead.

Anyways, Jesus died for our sins and then He came back to life again and He went up to heaven but He will be back for the illuminum, he meant the millennium.  His return is foretold in the Book of Revolution.  Okay, he got a few things wrong but he got a few things right, Jesus is coming back, He is bringing a kingdom but we can submit now, not later, now voluntarily to that kingship.  Because here's the deal, Jesus came first to conquer sin and deal with that and then later to conquer the world and rule and reign in a kingdom with us.  The question is will you let Him rule?

          Father, as we close this service today, we're struck by the sin of the King of Kings and Lord or Lords, the one with all power, might and authority who could raise the dead and heal the sick and calm the sea allowing Himself to be paraded around by humans that He had created, who had their agenda in mind, their kingdom in view and they wanted to push that through no matter what.  When it was all really prearranged by heaven as Jesus was totally in control and then standing before Pontius Pilate, even then Jesus so graciously extending favor wanting to get into that man's heart and allowing Him even then to turn and be submitted to another king in another kingdom, not of this world, from the authority of heaven itself.  And we think of the choices we're faced with today, to let heaven and the God of heaven rule over us or for us to live with ourselves sitting upon the throne of our lives.  I pray that we would abdicate that throne and allow Jesus his rightful place, in Jesus name we pray, Amen.

Additional Messages in this Series

Show expand

 
Date Title   Watch Listen Notes Share Save Buy
10/25/2009
completed
resume  
Believe:879
John 20:30-31
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
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.
Message Trailer
WatchClosed Captioned
Watch and take notes
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Listen in Spanish
Outline
Detailed Notes
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Video (MP4)
Audio (MP3)
Spanish (MP3)
Buy CD
11/1/2009
completed
resume  
The World's Most Important Word
John 1:1-5
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
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.
Message Trailer
WatchClosed Captioned
Watch and take notes
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Listen in Spanish
Outline
Detailed Notes
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Video (MP4)
Audio (MP3)
Spanish (MP3)
Buy CD
11/15/2009
completed
resume  
Step Into Son-Light
John 1:6-13
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
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?
Message Trailer
WatchClosed Captioned
Watch and take notes
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Listen in Spanish
Outline
Detailed Notes
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Video (MP4)
Audio (MP3)
Spanish (MP3)
Buy CD
11/22/2009
completed
resume  
One of a Kind!
John 1:14-18
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
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.
Message Trailer
WatchClosed Captioned
Watch and take notes
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Listen in Spanish
Outline
Detailed Notes
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Video (MP4)
Audio (MP3)
Spanish (MP3)
Buy CD
12/6/2009
completed
resume  
The Greatest Man Meets the Greatest Lamb
John 1:19-34
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
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.
Message Trailer
WatchClosed Captioned
Watch and take notes
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Listen in Spanish
Outline
Detailed Notes
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Video (MP4)
Audio (MP3)
Spanish (MP3)
Buy CD
12/13/2009
completed
resume  
Are You a Follower-Really?
John 1:35-42
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
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.
Message Trailer
WatchClosed Captioned
Watch and take notes
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Listen in Spanish
Outline
Detailed Notes
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Video (MP4)
Audio (MP3)
Spanish (MP3)
Buy CD
1/3/2010
completed
resume  
Finding the God Who Found You
John 1:43-51
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
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.
Message Trailer
WatchClosed Captioned
Watch and take notes
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Listen in Spanish
Outline
Detailed Notes
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Video (MP4)
Audio (MP3)
Spanish (MP3)
Buy CD
1/10/2010
completed
resume  
The Wedding Guest
John 2:1-12
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
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.
Message Trailer
WatchClosed Captioned
Watch and take notes
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Listen in Spanish
Outline
Detailed Notes
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Video (MP4)
Audio (MP3)
Spanish (MP3)
Buy CD
1/17/2010
completed
resume  
Trouble in the Temple
John 2:13-22
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
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!
Message Trailer
WatchClosed Captioned
Watch and take notes
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Listen in Spanish
Outline
Detailed Notes
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Video (MP4)
Audio (MP3)
Spanish (MP3)
Buy CD
1/24/2010
completed
resume  
Uncommitted!
John 2:23-25
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
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.
Message Trailer
WatchClosed Captioned
Watch and take notes
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Listen in Spanish
Outline
Detailed Notes
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Video (MP4)
Audio (MP3)
Spanish (MP3)
Buy CD
1/31/2010
completed
resume  
Nick at Nite!
John 3:1-8
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
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.
Message Trailer
WatchClosed Captioned
Watch and take notes
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Listen in Spanish
Outline
Detailed Notes
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Video (MP4)
Audio (MP3)
Spanish (MP3)
Buy CD
2/7/2010
completed
resume  
Extreme Makeover: Soul Edition!
John 3:9-21
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
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.
Message Trailer
WatchClosed Captioned
Watch and take notes
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Listen in Spanish
Outline
Detailed Notes
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Video (MP4)
Audio (MP3)
Spanish (MP3)
Buy CD
2/14/2010
completed
resume  
God's Valentine
John 3:16
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
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.
Message Trailer
WatchClosed Captioned
Watch and take notes
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Listen in Spanish
Outline
Detailed Notes
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Video (MP4)
Audio (MP3)
Spanish (MP3)
Buy CD
2/21/2010
completed
resume  
To Grow Up, You Must Grow Down!
John 3:22-30
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
"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.
Message Trailer
WatchClosed Captioned
Watch and take notes
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Listen in Spanish
Outline
Detailed Notes
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Video (MP4)
Audio (MP3)
Spanish (MP3)
Buy CD
2/28/2010
completed
resume  
The Nail Everything Hangs On
John 3:31-36
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
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.
Message Trailer
WatchClosed Captioned
Watch and take notes
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Listen in Spanish
Outline
Detailed Notes
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Video (MP4)
Audio (MP3)
Spanish (MP3)
Buy CD
3/7/2010
completed
resume  
Refreshment!
John 4:1-14
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
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?
Message Trailer
WatchClosed Captioned
Watch and take notes
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Listen in Spanish
Outline
Detailed Notes
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Video (MP4)
Audio (MP3)
Spanish (MP3)
Buy CD
3/14/2010
completed
resume  
How to Lead People to Water
John 4:10-30
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
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:
Message Trailer
WatchClosed Captioned
Watch and take notes
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Listen in Spanish
Outline
Detailed Notes
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Video (MP4)
Audio (MP3)
Spanish (MP3)
Buy CD
3/21/2010
completed
resume  
What God Really Wants
John 4:20-24
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
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.
Message Trailer
WatchClosed Captioned
Watch and take notes
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Listen in Spanish
Outline
Detailed Notes
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Video (MP4)
Audio (MP3)
Spanish (MP3)
Buy CD
3/28/2010
completed
resume  
Spiritual Farming 101
John 4:28-42
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
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?
Message Trailer
WatchClosed Captioned
Watch and take notes
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Listen in Spanish
Outline
Detailed Notes
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Video (MP4)
Audio (MP3)
Spanish (MP3)
Buy CD
4/18/2010
completed
resume  
Everyone Needs a Faith-Lift!
John 4:43-54
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
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.
Message Trailer
WatchClosed Captioned
Watch and take notes
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Listen in Spanish
Outline
Detailed Notes
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Video (MP4)
Audio (MP3)
Spanish (MP3)
Buy CD
4/25/2010
completed
resume  
Healing Misery with Mercy
John 5:1-16
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
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!
Message Trailer
WatchClosed Captioned
Watch and take notes
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Listen in Spanish
Outline
Detailed Notes
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Video (MP4)
Audio (MP3)
Spanish (MP3)
Buy CD
5/23/2010
completed
resume  
Like Father, Like Son
John 5:16-24
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
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!
Message Trailer
WatchClosed Captioned
Watch and take notes
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Listen in Spanish
Outline
Detailed Notes
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Video (MP4)
Audio (MP3)
Spanish (MP3)
Buy CD
5/30/2010
completed
resume  
Everyone Lives Forever
John 5:25-29
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
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?
Message Trailer
WatchClosed Captioned
Watch and take notes
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Listen in Spanish
Outline
Detailed Notes
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Video (MP4)
Audio (MP3)
Spanish (MP3)
Buy CD
6/6/2010
completed
resume  
Why Should You Believe?
John 5:30-47
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
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.
Message Trailer
WatchClosed Captioned
Watch and take notes
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Listen in Spanish
Outline
Detailed Notes
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Video (MP4)
Audio (MP3)
Spanish (MP3)
Buy CD
6/13/2010
completed
resume  
Lessons From a Picnic
John 6:1-14
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
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.
Message Trailer
WatchClosed Captioned
Watch and take notes
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Listen in Spanish
Outline
Detailed Notes
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Video (MP4)
Audio (MP3)
Spanish (MP3)
Buy CD
6/20/2010
completed
resume  
What Storm Goers Need to Know
John 6:15-21
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
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.
Message Trailer
WatchClosed Captioned
Watch and take notes
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Listen in Spanish
Outline
Detailed Notes
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Video (MP4)
Audio (MP3)
Spanish (MP3)
Buy CD
7/4/2010
completed
resume  
The Right Thing, The Wrong Way
John 6:22-29
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
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.
Message Trailer
WatchClosed Captioned
Watch and take notes
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Listen in Spanish
Outline
Detailed Notes
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Video (MP4)
Audio (MP3)
Spanish (MP3)
Buy CD
7/11/2010
completed
resume  
Wonder Bread!
John 6:30-50
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
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.
Message Trailer
WatchClosed Captioned
Watch and take notes
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Listen in Spanish
Outline
Detailed Notes
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Video (MP4)
Audio (MP3)
Spanish (MP3)
Buy CD
7/18/2010
completed
resume  
Plain Truths About the Bread of Life
John 6:51-71
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
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.
Message Trailer
WatchClosed Captioned
Watch and take notes
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Listen in Spanish
Outline
Detailed Notes
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Video (MP4)
Audio (MP3)
Spanish (MP3)
Buy CD
8/1/2010
completed
resume  
Seeing Jesus Through the Fog
John 7:1-13
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
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.
Message Trailer
WatchClosed Captioned
Watch and take notes
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Listen in Spanish
Outline
Detailed Notes
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Video (MP4)
Audio (MP3)
Spanish (MP3)
Buy CD
8/8/2010
completed
resume  
Follow Jesus But Don't Be Religious
John 7:14-24
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
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.
Message Trailer
WatchClosed Captioned
Watch and take notes
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Listen in Spanish
Outline
Detailed Notes
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Video (MP4)
Audio (MP3)
Spanish (MP3)
Buy CD
8/15/2010
completed
resume  
Standing by a Waterfall (Dying of Thirst)
John 7:25-53
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
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!
Message Trailer
WatchClosed Captioned
Watch and take notes
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Listen in Spanish
Outline
Detailed Notes
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Video (MP4)
Audio (MP3)
Spanish (MP3)
Buy CD
8/22/2010
completed
resume  
Scribbling on the Ground
John 8:1-11
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
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.
Message Trailer
WatchClosed Captioned
Watch and take notes
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Listen in Spanish
Outline
Detailed Notes
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Video (MP4)
Audio (MP3)
Spanish (MP3)
Buy CD
8/29/2010
completed
resume  
Blinded by the Light
John 8:12-20
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
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.
Message Trailer
WatchClosed Captioned
Watch and take notes
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Listen in Spanish
Outline
Detailed Notes
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Video (MP4)
Audio (MP3)
Spanish (MP3)
Buy CD
9/5/2010
completed
resume  
The Worst Way & Best Way to Die
John 8:21-30
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
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?
Message Trailer
WatchClosed Captioned
Watch and take notes
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Listen in Spanish
Outline
Detailed Notes
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Video (MP4)
Audio (MP3)
Spanish (MP3)
Buy CD
9/19/2010
completed
resume  
The Best Way & Worst Way to Live
John 8:31-36
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
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.
Message Trailer
WatchClosed Captioned
Watch and take notes
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Listen in Spanish
Outline
Detailed Notes
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Video (MP4)
Audio (MP3)
Spanish (MP3)
Buy CD
9/26/2010
completed
resume  
The Devil's DNA
John 8:37-47
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
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.
Message Trailer
WatchClosed Captioned
Watch and take notes
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Listen in Spanish
Outline
Detailed Notes
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Video (MP4)
Audio (MP3)
Spanish (MP3)
Buy CD
10/3/2010
completed
resume  
Who IS This Guy?
John 8:48-59
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
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.
Message Trailer
WatchClosed Captioned
Watch and take notes
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Listen in Spanish
Outline
Detailed Notes
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Video (MP4)
Audio (MP3)
Spanish (MP3)
Buy CD
10/10/2010
completed
resume  
Life Hurts! Where's God?
John 9:1-12
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
"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."
Message Trailer
WatchClosed Captioned
Watch and take notes
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Listen in Spanish
Outline
Detailed Notes
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Video (MP4)
Audio (MP3)
Spanish (MP3)
Buy CD
10/17/2010
completed
resume  
The Truth About Your Neighbors
John 9:13-34
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
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.
Message Trailer
WatchClosed Captioned
Watch and take notes
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Listen in Spanish
Outline
Detailed Notes
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Video (MP4)
Audio (MP3)
Spanish (MP3)
Buy CD
10/24/2010
completed
resume  
Got Any Blind Spots?
John 9:35-41
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
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?
Message Trailer
WatchClosed Captioned
Watch and take notes
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Listen in Spanish
Outline
Detailed Notes
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Video (MP4)
Audio (MP3)
Spanish (MP3)
Buy CD
10/31/2010
completed
resume  
The Good Shepherd (and a bunch of happy sheep!)
John 10:1-10
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
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.
Message Trailer
WatchClosed Captioned
Watch and take notes
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Listen in Spanish
Outline
Detailed Notes
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Video (MP4)
Audio (MP3)
Spanish (MP3)
Buy CD
11/21/2010
completed
resume  
What's So Great About the Good Shepherd?
John 10:11-21
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
"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!
Message Trailer
WatchClosed Captioned
Watch and take notes
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Listen in Spanish
Outline
Detailed Notes
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Video (MP4)
Audio (MP3)
Spanish (MP3)
Buy CD
12/5/2010
completed
resume  
To BElieve or Not to BElieve...
John 10:22-42
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
"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?
Message Trailer
WatchClosed Captioned
Watch and take notes
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Listen in Spanish
Outline
Detailed Notes
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Video (MP4)
Audio (MP3)
Spanish (MP3)
Buy CD
1/9/2011
completed
resume  
The Great Physician's Patient Dies
John 11:1-16
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
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.
Message Trailer
WatchClosed Captioned
Watch and take notes
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Listen in Spanish
Outline
Detailed Notes
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Video (MP4)
Audio (MP3)
Spanish (MP3)
Buy CD
1/16/2011
completed
resume  
A Tale of Two Sisters
John 11:17-32
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
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.
Message Trailer
WatchClosed Captioned
Watch and take notes
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Listen in Spanish
Outline
Detailed Notes
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Video (MP4)
Audio (MP3)
Spanish (MP3)
Buy CD
1/23/2011
completed
resume  
The Strangest Funeral Ever
John 11:33-44
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
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.
Message Trailer
WatchClosed Captioned
Watch and take notes
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Listen in Spanish
Outline
Detailed Notes
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Video (MP4)
Audio (MP3)
Spanish (MP3)
Buy CD
1/30/2011
completed
resume  
What to Do with Jesus?
John 11:45-57
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
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.
Message Trailer
WatchClosed Captioned
Watch and take notes
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Listen in Spanish
Outline
Detailed Notes
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Video (MP4)
Audio (MP3)
Spanish (MP3)
Buy CD
2/6/2011
completed
resume  
A Meal to Reveal the Heart
John 12:1-11
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
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!
Message Trailer
WatchClosed Captioned
Watch and take notes
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Listen in Spanish
Outline
Detailed Notes
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Video (MP4)
Audio (MP3)
Spanish (MP3)
Buy CD
2/13/2011
completed
resume  
A Day, a Donkey, a Deliverer, and a Decision
John 12:12-19
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
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:
Message Trailer
WatchClosed Captioned
Watch and take notes
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Listen in Spanish
Outline
Detailed Notes
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Video (MP4)
Audio (MP3)
Spanish (MP3)
Buy CD
2/20/2011
completed
resume  
Living the Right Life
John 12:20-26
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
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!
Message Trailer
WatchClosed Captioned
Watch and take notes
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Listen in Spanish
Outline
Detailed Notes
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Video (MP4)
Audio (MP3)
Spanish (MP3)
Buy CD
2/27/2011
completed
resume  
Cross-Culture
John 12:27-36
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
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.
Message Trailer
WatchClosed Captioned
Watch and take notes
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Listen in Spanish
Outline
Detailed Notes
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Video (MP4)
Audio (MP3)
Spanish (MP3)
Buy CD
3/6/2011
completed
resume  
Believe It or Not!
John 12:37-50
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
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.
Message Trailer
WatchClosed Captioned
Watch and take notes
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Listen in Spanish
Outline
Detailed Notes
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Video (MP4)
Audio (MP3)
Spanish (MP3)
Buy CD
3/13/2011
completed
resume  
A Night Unforgettable
John 13:1-5
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
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.
Message Trailer
WatchClosed Captioned
Watch and take notes
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Listen in Spanish
Outline
Detailed Notes
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Video (MP4)
Audio (MP3)
Spanish (MP3)
Buy CD
3/20/2011
completed
resume  
Basin Theology 101
John 13:6-17
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
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.
Message Trailer
WatchClosed Captioned
Watch and take notes
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Listen in Spanish
Outline
Detailed Notes
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Video (MP4)
Audio (MP3)
Spanish (MP3)
Buy CD
3/27/2011
completed
resume  
Betrayed!
John 13:18-30
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
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.
Message Trailer
WatchClosed Captioned
Watch and take notes
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Listen in Spanish
Outline
Detailed Notes
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Video (MP4)
Audio (MP3)
Spanish (MP3)
Buy CD
4/10/2011
completed
resume  
A Brand New Way of Life!
John 13:31-35
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
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.
Message Trailer
WatchClosed Captioned
Watch and take notes
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Listen in Spanish
Outline
Detailed Notes
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Video (MP4)
Audio (MP3)
Spanish (MP3)
Buy CD
4/17/2011
completed
resume  
F.A.Q.
John 13:36-38
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
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
Message Trailer
WatchClosed Captioned
Watch and take notes
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Listen in Spanish
Outline
Detailed Notes
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Video (MP4)
Audio (MP3)
Spanish (MP3)
Buy CD
5/1/2011
completed
resume  
A Theology for Messy Lives
John 14:1-6
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
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.
Message Trailer
WatchClosed Captioned
Watch and take notes
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Listen in Spanish
Outline
Detailed Notes
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Video (MP4)
Audio (MP3)
Spanish (MP3)
Buy CD
5/8/2011
completed
resume  
How Can I Know God?
John 14:7-11
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
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.
Message Trailer
WatchClosed Captioned
Watch and take notes
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Listen in Spanish
Outline
Detailed Notes
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Video (MP4)
Audio (MP3)
Spanish (MP3)
Buy CD
5/29/2011
completed
resume  
Privileges of God's Employees
John 14:12-14
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
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?
Message Trailer
WatchClosed Captioned
Watch and take notes
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Listen in Spanish
Outline
Detailed Notes
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Video (MP4)
Audio (MP3)
Spanish (MP3)
Buy CD
6/5/2011
completed
resume  
Four Part Harmony
John 14:15-18
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
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!
Message Trailer
WatchClosed Captioned
Watch and take notes
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Listen in Spanish
Outline
Detailed Notes
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Video (MP4)
Audio (MP3)
Spanish (MP3)
Buy CD
6/12/2011
completed
resume  
Promises, Promises!
John 14:19-26
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
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.
Message Trailer
WatchClosed Captioned
Watch and take notes
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Listen in Spanish
Outline
Detailed Notes
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Video (MP4)
Audio (MP3)
Spanish (MP3)
Buy CD
6/26/2011
completed
resume  
Peace Where You Least Expect It
John 14:27-31
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
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!
Message Trailer
WatchClosed Captioned
Watch and take notes
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Listen in Spanish
Outline
Detailed Notes
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Video (MP4)
Audio (MP3)
Spanish (MP3)
Buy CD
7/3/2011
completed
resume  
Life-Lessons from Grape-Growers - Part 1
John 15:1-7
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
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.
Message Trailer
WatchClosed Captioned
Watch and take notes
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Listen in Spanish
Outline
Detailed Notes
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Video (MP4)
Audio (MP3)
Spanish (MP3)
Buy CD
7/10/2011
completed
resume  
Life-Lessons From Grape-Growers - Part 2
John 15:8-11
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
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:
Message Trailer
WatchClosed Captioned
Watch and take notes
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Listen in Spanish
Outline
Detailed Notes
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Video (MP4)
Audio (MP3)
Spanish (MP3)
Buy CD
7/17/2011
completed
resume  
What a Friend We Have in Jesus
John 15:12-17
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
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?
Message Trailer
WatchClosed Captioned
Watch and take notes
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Listen in Spanish
Outline
Detailed Notes
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Video (MP4)
Audio (MP3)
Spanish (MP3)
Buy CD
7/24/2011
completed
resume  
Why Does Everyone Hate Me?
John 15:18-25
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
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.
Message Trailer
WatchClosed Captioned
Watch and take notes
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Listen in Spanish
Outline
Detailed Notes
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Video (MP4)
Audio (MP3)
Spanish (MP3)
Buy CD
7/31/2011
completed
resume  
Two Thirds Is Not Enough
John 15:26-16:15
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
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.
Message Trailer
WatchClosed Captioned
Watch and take notes
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Listen in Spanish
Outline
Detailed Notes
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Video (MP4)
Audio (MP3)
Spanish (MP3)
Buy CD
8/7/2011
completed
resume  
The Holy Hound of Heaven
John 16:5-11
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
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?
Message Trailer
WatchClosed Captioned
Watch and take notes
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Listen in Spanish
Outline
Detailed Notes
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Video (MP4)
Audio (MP3)
Spanish (MP3)
Buy CD
8/14/2011
completed
resume  
When Sorrow Turns to Joy
John 16:16-22
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
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.
Message Trailer
WatchClosed Captioned
Watch and take notes
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Listen in Spanish
Outline
Detailed Notes
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Video (MP4)
Audio (MP3)
Spanish (MP3)
Buy CD
8/21/2011
completed
resume  
How to Send Knee-Mail
John 16:23-28
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
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.
Message Trailer
WatchClosed Captioned
Watch and take notes
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Listen in Spanish
Outline
Detailed Notes
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Video (MP4)
Audio (MP3)
Spanish (MP3)
Buy CD
9/4/2011
completed
resume  
I've Fallen, but I CAN Get Up!
John 16:29-33
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
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?
Message Trailer
WatchClosed Captioned
Watch and take notes
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Listen in Spanish
Outline
Detailed Notes
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Video (MP4)
Audio (MP3)
Spanish (MP3)
Buy CD
9/18/2011
completed
resume  
Holy Eavesdropping
John 17:1
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
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:
Message Trailer
WatchClosed Captioned
Watch and take notes
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Listen in Spanish
Outline
Detailed Notes
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Video (MP4)
Audio (MP3)
Spanish (MP3)
Buy CD
9/25/2011
completed
resume  
The Gifts That Keep On Giving
John 17:1-5
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
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!
Message Trailer
WatchClosed Captioned
Watch and take notes
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Listen in Spanish
Outline
Detailed Notes
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Video (MP4)
Audio (MP3)
Spanish (MP3)
Buy CD
10/2/2011
completed
resume  
How Followers Are Formed
John 17:6-10
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
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?
Message Trailer
WatchClosed Captioned
Watch and take notes
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Listen in Spanish
Outline
Detailed Notes
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Video (MP4)
Audio (MP3)
Spanish (MP3)
Buy CD
10/9/2011
completed
resume  
Missionaries or Monasteries?
John 17:11-19
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
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!
Message Trailer
WatchClosed Captioned
Watch and take notes
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Listen in Spanish
Outline
Detailed Notes
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Video (MP4)
Audio (MP3)
Spanish (MP3)
Buy CD
10/23/2011
completed
resume  
Listen Up! Jesus is Praying—for YOU!
John 17:20-26
Skip Heitzig
Info
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.
Message Trailer
WatchClosed Captioned
Watch and take notes
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Listen in Spanish
Outline
Detailed Notes
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Video (MP4)
Audio (MP3)
Spanish (MP3)
Buy CD
10/30/2011
completed
resume  
I've Got It Under Control
John 18:1-11
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
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"?
Message Trailer
WatchClosed Captioned
Watch and take notes
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Listen in Spanish
Outline
Detailed Notes
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Video (MP4)
Audio (MP3)
Spanish (MP3)
Buy CD
11/20/2011
completed
resume  
The Darkest Night!
John 18:12-27
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
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!
Message Trailer
WatchClosed Captioned
Watch and take notes
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Listen in Spanish
Outline
Detailed Notes
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Video (MP4)
Audio (MP3)
Spanish (MP3)
Buy CD
1/22/2012
completed
resume  
How Do You Handle Jesus?
John 19:1-16
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
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.
Message Trailer
WatchClosed Captioned
Watch and take notes
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Listen in Spanish
Outline
Detailed Notes
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Video (MP4)
Audio (MP3)
Spanish (MP3)
Buy CD
1/29/2012
completed
resume  
Execution of a King
John 19:17-22
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
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.
Message Trailer
WatchClosed Captioned
Watch and take notes
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Listen in Spanish
Outline
Detailed Notes
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Video (MP4)
Audio (MP3)
Spanish (MP3)
Buy CD
2/5/2012
completed
resume  
The Cross on the Billboard of Eternity
John 19:23-24
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
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.
Message Trailer
WatchClosed Captioned
Watch and take notes
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Listen in Spanish
Outline
Detailed Notes
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Video (MP4)
Audio (MP3)
Spanish (MP3)
Buy CD
2/12/2012
completed
resume  
How to Love Your Mother
John 19:25-27
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
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.
Message Trailer
WatchClosed Captioned
Watch and take notes
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Listen in Spanish
Outline
Detailed Notes
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Video (MP4)
Audio (MP3)
Spanish (MP3)
Buy CD
2/19/2012
completed
resume  
iThirst
John 19:28-29
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
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!
Message Trailer
WatchClosed Captioned
Watch and take notes
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Listen in Spanish
Outline
Detailed Notes
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Video (MP4)
Audio (MP3)
Spanish (MP3)
Buy CD
2/26/2012
completed
resume  
It's Done!
John 19:30
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
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.
Message Trailer
WatchClosed Captioned
Watch and take notes
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Listen in Spanish
Outline
Detailed Notes
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Video (MP4)
Audio (MP3)
Spanish (MP3)
Buy CD
3/4/2012
completed
resume  
Death Under Control
John 19:31-37
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
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.
Message Trailer
WatchClosed Captioned
Watch and take notes
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Listen in Spanish
Outline
Detailed Notes
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Video (MP4)
Audio (MP3)
Spanish (MP3)
Buy CD
3/11/2012
completed
resume  
Disciples on the Graveyard Shift
John 19:38-42
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
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.
Message Trailer
WatchClosed Captioned
Watch and take notes
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Listen in Spanish
Outline
Detailed Notes
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Video (MP4)
Audio (MP3)
Spanish (MP3)
Buy CD
3/18/2012
completed
resume  
A Not-Quite-Empty Tomb
John 20:1-10
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
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.
Message Trailer
WatchClosed Captioned
Watch and take notes
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Listen in Spanish
Outline
Detailed Notes
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Video (MP4)
Audio (MP3)
Spanish (MP3)
Buy CD
3/25/2012
completed
resume  
Hope Rekindled
John 20:11-18
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
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.
Message Trailer
WatchClosed Captioned
Watch and take notes
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Listen in Spanish
Outline
Detailed Notes
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Video (MP4)
Audio (MP3)
Spanish (MP3)
Buy CD
4/1/2012
completed
resume  
From Closed Doors to the Open Road
John 20:19-23
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
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?
Message Trailer
WatchClosed Captioned
Watch and take notes
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Listen in Spanish
Outline
Detailed Notes
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Video (MP4)
Audio (MP3)
Spanish (MP3)
Buy CD
4/8/2012
completed
resume  
Rise Up!
John 20:24-31
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
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.
Watch
Watch and take notes
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Listen in Spanish
Detailed Notes
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Video (MP4)
Audio (MP3)
Spanish (MP3)
Buy CD
4/15/2012
completed
resume  
Gone Fishing! (Relating to a Risen & Returning Lord)
John 21:1-14
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
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.
Message Trailer
WatchClosed Captioned
Watch and take notes
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Listen in Spanish
Outline
Detailed Notes
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Video (MP4)
Audio (MP3)
Spanish (MP3)
Buy CD
4/22/2012
completed
resume  
I Failed! Now What?
John 21:15-19
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
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.
Message Trailer
WatchClosed Captioned
Watch and take notes
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Listen in Spanish
Outline
Detailed Notes
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Video (MP4)
Audio (MP3)
Spanish (MP3)
Buy CD
4/29/2012
completed
resume  
Final Instructions
John 21:20-25
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
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?
Message Trailer
WatchClosed Captioned
Watch and take notes
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Listen in Spanish
Outline
Detailed Notes
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Video (MP4)
Audio (MP3)
Spanish (MP3)
Buy CD
There are 95 additional messages in this series.
© Copyright 2024 Connection Communications | 1-800-922-1888