[ In recent days we've been shocked by the manifestation of hate. Jesus said, "If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first" (John 15:18). Jesus was warning his disciples that the hatred of the world against Him would be shown in hatred against His followers. We've seen it in history, we read about it in violence against Christians in other parts of the world, but the brutal assassination of Charlie Kirk, a 32 year old man who was simply, gently, engaging in debate on a college campus, speaking the truth in love, has shaken us. For weeks, months, we have been working through the Gospel of John, seeing the resistence to the Truth, the hatred of the world, and the offer of life through faith in Christ. That offer stands, and we are called to hold forth the Word of Life. We know the end of the story, and it is glorious! Jesus wins. Jesus told His disciples, "...you will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy" (John 16:20b). SN. ] Rivers of Liv...
The Case for Christ John 7:25-36 Introduction : As the gospels were written, in the decades after Jesus’ death, the writers had an apologetic challenge: if Jesus really was the Messiah of the Jews, how could it be that He was not recognized by His own people, how is it possible that not even the religious leaders saw who He was? The same questions sometimes come up today. The Gospel writers are showing us that everything that happened was in accordance with the plan of the Father. The rejection of Jesus was not a failure, but had in fact been predicted in the Scriptures, and the precise fulfillment of prophecies vindicated His claim to be the Messiah. John emphasizes that as the plan of God unfolded, Jesus, the Son of God, was in control, no one would take His life, He would lay it down of his own accord. This is one of those paragraphs in the Bible where we see the mystery of the Triune God: Father, Son, and Spirit (God willing, we’ll cover 7:37-3...