We are in the darkness of death. Stumbling, searching, feeling for truth, God, and life, but inevitably we are lost in spiritual darkness. Jesus came as the Light of the world and offers every person the light of life!
In this week's text, we are reminded the right way to deal with sin is not to hide it, shift it, or justify it. Instead, we come to Jesus, the righteous judge, who offers mercy. He came to save us from our sin.
Those who reject God are left searching for satisfaction. Only Jesus satisfies the thirst of our souls. Come to Jesus and believe for spiritual satisfaction.
Jesus confronts a number of false expectations and wrong perspectives in this passage. God's plan through Jesus is perfect! We must adjust our perspective and believe.
Jesus came to resolve our warped views of truth and justice. He himself is true and righteous. By teaching truth and displaying righteousness, he showed us the only way to be free of our self-serving, self-seeking, self-righteousness: believe in him.
Jesus came to confront unbelief. This unbelief can pop up in the lives of believers, too. We see it when we struggle with God's timing, when we seek to be loved by the world, or when we are afraid of what people think. Come to Jesus by faith and walk with Jesus by faith.
Jesus explains to be a true follower of him we must believe in him - the one who alone has the words of life. And as true followers of Jesus, we must be ready to stick with him through thick and thin.
In this passage, Jesus uses the metaphor of bread to teach the crowds. He turns their attention to spiritual, eternal things.He conquered death, and that makes him the living bread, and he offers his eternal life to all.
Our default is to go life alone, and reach out to Jesus as needed. When we do this, without relying on Jesus, we find ourselves exhausted, discouraged, weak, alone and afraid. For salvation, and life, we must receive him willingly, relying on his power.
Hunger, pain, discomfort, thirst, and fatigue can all arrest our attention! When this happens, we often fail to see what God is doing spiritually. When we remember that Jesus has the power to meet our every need - to satisfy our every longing - we can free ourselves from distraction so we can listen and believe!
God has lovingly reached into our mess with truth, life, and the way to Jesus so that our shame could be cleansed. He offers us His honor in its place! Many of us choose to reject God's offer - pressing on in our darkness, death, and denial. God lovingly entered our mess so that we would come to Jesus and believe!
In this passage, Jesus explains that He is truly the Son of God, equal to the Father. He reminds them that He alone can execute judgment and grant eternal life, and that only those who hear His word and believe will pass from death to life.
In this passage, John highlights two parties - at opposite ends of the spectrum - who miss Jesus, even though He's right in front of them. Don't let your misconceptions cause you to miss Jesus. Believe and be made well.
We often welcome Jesus into our lives simply for His gifts. Or, we come to Jesus with our own agenda. These perspectives dishonor the Lord Jesus. Instead of trying to press Him in to our plans, we must adjust to His Word - His plan. Learn to believe Jesus - to take Him at His Word - because He speaks with all authority.
The feelings of unrest, anxiety, persistent guilt, and burning anger in our lives all point to a longing of the soul for healing. Only Jesus offers satisfaction and refreshment to the soul that lasts for eternity.
John shows us there is only One Man worthy of being followed whole-heartedly - the One Who came down from heaven to bring eternal life to those who believe!
We all have expectations. Sometimes, however, we bring our expectations to Jesus. We expect Him to get on board with our plans and goals and assist with special blessings along the way. We expect Him to allow our hidden sins to remain unnoticed. In John 3, Jesus has a powerful conversation with a man and reveals that He alone is qualified to be the Savior of the World.
Come see Jesus' passion for the purity of His father's house and His passion to make us pure by dying in our place and rising again - granting forgiveness of sins to all who believe.
Jesus is the solution to all of our problems. He’s the Savior. He’s the one who can meet our every need and give abundant joy. See His glory and believe.
Come and see Jesus. Recognize that Jesus is the one you need and believe. Discover that in Him you find all that you've been looking for. Come and see!