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

  “A Story of Grace” (Or, “Mercy Me!”) John 7:53-8:11 Introduction : This familiar passage may be one of the best known and most loved scenes in the Gospel of John. It is also one of the most controversial passages in the NT. As it stands, it reminds us of God’s love shown in sending his Son to be our Savior: “ God demonstrates His love toward us in that while we were yet sinners , Christ died for us ” (Rom 5:8). If you have an NIV Bible, you’ll see a note that this passage does not occur in the earliest manuscripts of John. The ESV also puts it in brackets, noting also that it is not present in the earliest manuscripts. Other modern translations say something similar. This is in fact one of the most contested paragraphs in the New Testament . The problem? None of the manuscripts of John before the 5 th century AD include it, and it’s not cited or commented on by the earliest church fathers. They simply jump from 7:52 to 8:12. In a few later manuscripts this story actually ap...

  No one ever spoke like this Man! John 7:40-52 Introduction: Today, in Arizona, there will be a memorial service for Charlie Kirk. His tragic assassination on a college campus, while engaging in debate, seeking, it seems, to live out the implications of His faith in Christ, primarily through his words, was shocking. The reaction to his murder has been almost as shocking as the act itself. Whether or not you agree with his politics (I am registered as independent) or his theology, how anyone could cheer or justify the murder of a young husband and father is unimaginable. The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked, who can know it? (Jer 17:9). Though, perhaps, as we have been reading the Gospel of John, we shouldn’t be surprised. We’ve known for a long time that there are deep divisions in our country politically, and we should know that spiritually speaking the divisions run deeper still. That is nothing new. In our context in John, we see the reaction to J...

  [ 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...