Review the Gospel of John and see how the written Word changes everything about our lives! Listen to see Him (in the text), believe Him, and live forever for Him.
Life is complicated and sometimes difficult. Even after we trust in Jesus as Savior, life can be full of confusion and uncertainties! As believers, we know that Jesus has called us to follow Him, but even that can seem tricky. See what it means to love and follow the Risen Lord.
We find the disciples in John 21 running back to their roots - what they know. Fishing is their home - their place to think, work, and be successful. Except they aren't. They fail. That's where we see that with the Risen Lord, we, like the disciples, have all we need to thrive in His purpose for us.
Consider two scenes in this passage where Jesus appears to His disciples after the resurrection. They see Him and believe, but He nudges their faith even further by encouraging them to believe without seeing - to believe His Word.
In this passage Peter, John, and Mary all see something near the tomb that renews their hope. Jesus is alive. His Word is proved true. He turns our weeping to joy. Jesus is alive! Come and see. See Jesus the Risen Lord and believe!
What John unfolds for us in this text, is that as the Lamb of God, His finished work is good news for us! The work is done. We simply believe in the Lamb of God. Then we rest, we trust, and we worship.
Jesus displays the glory of God from the cross. Glory radiates through His torn flesh and bleeding wounds as He shows the world what God is like - what God does for sinners.
This passage is structured as a "coronation" scene. As Pilate and the Jews battle for power, Jesus is presented as the true King. He's worthy because He dies for our sins. Rather than competing for power, Worship Jesus the True King Who died for our sins.
What is truth? This is one of the prevailing questions of our day. What Pilate misses in this text is that truth is not a "what," it's a "Who." Jesus, the Truth, is King of the true Kingdom. On His way to the cross, He makes clear that the important battle is not between phony kingdoms, but between the King of truth and a world of frauds. Heed the voice of the King of truth.
While we were failing Jesus, He was not failing us. Jesus followed the Father’s plan to go to the cross to pay for our sins. He sacrificed Himself to provide the only way for us to be forgiven. So please, when you fail, come to Jesus to be restored.
We are completely insufficient and need to trust the One who is. This is what makes Jesus the perfect Savior. With His infinite strength, He willingly submitted to the Father's plan and laid down His life for us. Find salvation not by working, but by resting in Jesus. Rest in the saving strength of Jesus, who submits to the Father's plan.
Do you ever wonder why you exist? What is your purpose? You exist for a reason. And, you won't find joy until you know that reason, and live for your purpose. In fact, Jesus wants you to live for your glorious purpose. Listen and learn how you can participate in God's glorious mission, for you.
The hard truth is: we are failures! But the solution isn't positive self-talk. The solution is Jesus. He has overcome the world, in spite of our failures! What we need is not more self-confidence, but more Christ-confidence. He gives us everything we need to live the victorious life in Him. Take heart! Jesus has won. Trust Him.
In John 16, the disciples will soon experience deep sorrow, and will feel like outsiders. Yet Jesus explains that in "a little while" they will have clarity, their grief will become joy, and they will be "insiders" with the Father! Jesus turns it all around. Rejoice in the great reversals won by Jesus' death and resurrection.
Jesus' instructions in John 16 to the disciples to prepare them for His departure didn't involve new strategies or special equipment. Instead, Jesus gives them words and His Spirit. Their job is simply to embrace His words and His Spirit will take care of the rest! To thrive in enemy territory we often need to stop searching for the spectacular, and simply embrace the words of Christ.
As Jesus explains in John 15, when we thrive in our union with Jesus, we will experience hatred from the world - the same hatred He experienced. It is hatred rooted in hatred for God. The more we thrive in Jesus, the more we may face this hatred. Thankfully, He has given us His Spirit to help us bear witness of Jesus and thrive.
In John 15, Jesus explains the key to bearing fruit, experiencing fullness of joy and displaying love to one another. He explains how to thrive...in fact, he commands it because it all comes from Him. Learn to thrive in your union with Jesus, the true Vine.
What is love, exactly? A feeling? Commitment? It's complicated enough in our human relationships! How do we love God, who isn't physically present with us, who we can't see? See how Jesus encourages us to love Him by embracing His Word.
The remedy for a troubled heart is faith. The key is not the strength of that faith - that would just leave us troubled that our faith is not strong enough. No, the key is the object of our faith. See how you can calm your troubled heart by believing in Jesus: the way, the truth, and the life!
As Jesus prepares His disciples for His departure, He tells them exactly what they are to do to show the world they are His followers. He tells them exactly what it looks like to be a Christian.