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Rivers of Living Water - John 7:37-39

  [ 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...
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The Case for Christ - John 7:25-36

  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...

Pride and Prejudice - John 7:14-24

PRIDE AND PREJUDICE John 7:14-24 Introduction : Healthy Christianity is marked by a hunger for the truth and a growing discernment of right doctrine, but we are a work in progress. John 7 reminds us that our fallen nature will often skew our discernment. We’ll see in John 7 and 8 controversy as Jesus presents truth to religious leaders that they are not prepared to receive.   It is a myth to think that humans are neutral, ready to honestly listen to the truth of Scripture and to give it unbiased consideration. Once we are born again, we are in the process of “ putting off the old man, and putting on Christ .” It is not instant maturity and discernment, it is a path, growing to think more like Jesus, learning to think His thoughts after Him.      The title for this message, “ Pride and Prejudice ,” has nothing to do with the Jane Austen novel (I’ve never read it, though I have read all of Tom Clancy’s books!).   I used this title to highlight two ele...