For the last 10 weeks we have been working our way through the first 5 chapters of John’s Gospel. This is a good place to take a break because John 6 starts a new section in John’s Gospel and with Easter in 3 weeks a pause is appropriate. After Easter our church will hold a 6 week, Church-wide focus on spiritual disciplines: Healthy Habits for Spiritual Growth. The subject I preach on Sunday’s will also be the content of our small groups meeting through the week. Be looking for more details about thi in the coming weeks. 

This Sunday I am preaching from Romans 12:9-21 a message titled “Sincere Love Overcomes Evil.” We live in a world that has no shortage of evil in it. From the Russian invasion of Ukraine to something as common as unkind words exchanged between two people in conflict.  Evil of varying degrees permeates the world we live in. Our text this Sunday concludes with the statements “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” In this passage the Apostle Paul calls believers to combat evil with sincere love. Of all the things we are called to do as Christ followers, this has to rate as one of the hardest because it goes against our nature. The normal human reaction when evil is directed toward us is to repay the hurt or worse, seek revenge. Romans 12:9-21 beautifully characterizes the sincere love we as believers need to display when confronted with evil. Join me this Sunday for this relevant message with practical takeaways for everyone. 

When it comes to verifying a person’s true identity it requires more than just their word that they are who they claim to be. We expect that when we apply for a membership or a credit card, we will need to provide an acceptable form of identification: a driver’s license, tax bill or even our Social Security Number. When we apply for a job or even a volunteer position we are asked to provide references from people that know us to be who we are.

Last Sunday, in the first half of John 5, Jesus made the bold claim that he was equal with God the Father. A claim that was offensive to the Jewish leaders and challenged to the point they wanted to kill Jesus. A common opposition to Christianity today is an attempt to degrade Jesus from God incarnate to just a good moral teacher and influencer. A good person but not God. Christians need to have confidence that Jesus is who he claimed to be because we will face a constant barrage from humanism that Jesus is a phony.  In the second half of John 5 Jesus provides the verification of who he claims to be. In this passage we will see that Jesus uses a personal reference, a philosophical reference, an intellectual reference and a historical reference to prove his testimony is true. Then I will add a few other references from Church history as well as our current time that add to the credibility of Jesus’ claim to be God in human flesh. Join us this Sunday for “The Testimony of Jesus.” 

In the ancient world every father desired to have a son that one day would take over whatever the family business was. Even today we sometimes see a local business that is named in that way:  “Andrew & Son’s Home Repair.” In the ancient world this was an important part of society that ensured the continuation of vital services for the community. As the son matured and became responsible, he would enter into an apprenticeship with his father where the father would train him in all the necessary aspects of the family trade. The father would do this out of love for his son and the son would do this with respect toward his father. The goal of the apprenticeship would be for the son to execute the trade in the same way as the father.

John 5 begins with a unique miracle, the healing of a man that had been crippled for 38 years. This miracle serves as a sign that points to the purpose for which Jesus came to earth: to do the work of the Father. In the verses that follow the miracle we will see a description of the relationship between Jesus, the Son and His Father. The language that is used in these verses very much portrays the relationship between the Father and the Son as an apprenticeship. What is the family business of the Godhead? To bring life. Jesus came to fulfill the work of the Father by offering life and life eternal to those who would believe. Join us this Sunday as we consider this fascinating passage from John 5. 

Have you ever wondered what it would have been like to be with Jesus and witness first hand one of His miracles? To see him heal the sick, restore sight or walk on the water. Many people today think it would be easier to believe in God today if they could see some kind of a supernatural sign from God. But that is not what Jesus teaches in John 4. In this passage there is a clear emphasis on the Word of God and the need for people to respond in obedience to it. The last verses of Chapter 4 tell of a royal official who had a son that was gravely ill. Jesus tells the man that his son will live. Before the man actually could see his son to verify the healing verse 50 says “The man took Jesus at his word . . .” There is a pattern established in this narrative: faithful obedience to the word of Christ paves the way for God to do a miracle. The same is true for us today. If we want to see God do miracles in our lives, we must be taking God “at His Word” through faithful obedience. For the marriage that needs to be healed, that healing will only come when the people in that marriage are walking in faithful obedience to God. Financial healing will only come when there is faithful obedience to use our resources as God wants us to use them. Emotional healing will only come after we have sought to bring our emotions to God in faithful obedience, expressing our deepest feelings to God and trusting him through our deepest fears. Join us Sunday as we consider what it means to take Jesus “At His Word.