Pastor's Corner: WHAT'S THE BIG IDEA?

  A GLIMPSE OF HIS GLORY John 2:1-11 Introduction:   John is unique among the gospels.  For one thing he draws attention to the miracles of Jesus and uses a specific term to describe them. They are not called “acts of power” or “wonders”  as we see in the synoptic gospels, rather they are specifically called “signs.”  They point beyond themselves as works anticipating the kingdom, and they especially point to Jesus and his significance (John 20:30,31).  The “sign” at the wedding at Cana points ahead to a messianic banquet, blessing, joy, abundant living.  Don’t get distracted in this story by the whole question of Jesus creating maybe 150 gallons of fine wine. The first sign is more than a story about a lot of water being transformed into a lot of fine wine. The main point is certainly not whether or not Christians have the freedom to consume alcohol.  I would say that the Bible does speak strongly against drunkenness and addiction, that we should...

 Why Should You Follow Jesus? John 1:35-51 Introduction: We have several “firsts” in the opening chapters of John. We’ve already seen John the Baptist presented as the first “witness,” testifying to the messianic identity of Jesus. Now we see the first disciples following Jesus. We have a different perspective on the call of the first disciples than we see in the Synoptic Gospels. Rather than the call from their fishing boat on the banks of the Sea of Galilee, this initial group are shown to have first sought out John the Baptist and followed him. When two of them heard the testimony of John concerning Jesus, they left John and followed Jesus! This is not a contradiction, as they had to be followers, disciples, before he would call some apart to be “apostles,” sent ones. We’ll see that the first ones they brought to Christ were those in their “sphere of influence.” Andrew brought his brother Peter. Philip invites Nathanael to “come and see.” This scene seems to be the backstory to ...