Fellowshipmtz

John 8:28-32 Jesus claims, "I always do the things that are pleasing to [My Father]."  The Jews who crucified Jesus assert that Jesus is not pleasing to God, or else God would deliver Him.  The tension between these two claims is resolved in Isaiah 53.  Next, we begin to address the tension between verse 30, "many believed in Him," and Jesus's subsequent exposure of them in verses 31-45.

October 18, 2026 John 8:25-28, 43-47 The Jews to whom Jesus is speaking are just not understanding who He is.  Yet Jesus's message is plain: "Just what I have been telling you from the beginning."  What is the problem?  Jesus tells them exactly what the problem is in verses 43-47.

John 8:25-47 The Jews continue to debate and to question: "Who is Jesus?"  Is Jesus evasive or talking plainly?  What is the problem?  In verses 42-47 Jesus explicitly tells them where the problem lies!  (Next Sunday we will return to verses 28ff.)

John 8:12-14 Still at the Feast of Tabernacles, Jesus drops yet another bombshell by declaring, "I am the light of the world.  Whoever follows Me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." Also very interesting: What does Jesus mean in verse 23 when He says, "You are of this world; I am not of this world"?

This sermon finishes out the story of Jesus at the Feast of Booths. As the crowds confront him, Jesus speaks of the Holy Spirit and demonstrates the value of finding salvation in him alone. 

This is the second of three messages on the story of Jesus at the Festival of Booths. The Jews try to challenge the messianic identity of Christ through accusative questions. Jesus reminds them of his heavenly identity and the purpose of his ministry.  *Our apologies for the buzzing noise during the recording. We are not sure what caused this technical issue, but we pray the sermon can still be a...

John 6:60-71 Pastor Cliff finishes his teaching on Jesus's important discourse about Himself being "the Bread of Life."  

John 7:1-8

John 6:22-66 (part 2) Last week we focused on key words, themes, and progressions.  This week we (quickly) work through the narrative between Jesus and the large crowd of (fickle) disciples.  Pro Tip: The two messages compliment one another. Earlier in the worship gathering, a relevant quote pertaining to God's sovereign grace and the free call of the gospel (John 6:35-40) was as follows: "Do you...

John 6:22-66 Jesus's "Bread of Life" discourse becomes the turning point from the apex of His popularity onto a road that leads to Calvary (His crucifixion).  The single discourse with the crowd consists of five engagements (progressions).  At the end of the day they (and we) must decide:  Are we seeking Jesus because we recognize our desperate need of Jesus? or because we are intent on using His...

John 6:14-21 Sandwiched between the miracle of feeding the 5000 (6:1-15) and Jesus's teaching the next day culminating in His claim, "I am the bread of life" -- John narrates the how that night Jesus came to them walking on water during a windstorm (verses 16-21).  At first glance it seems somewhat out of place, but it's really not!

Jesus feeding the 5,000 is one of his most well-known and encouraging miracles. This is such a significant miracle that it has been recorded in all four gospel accounts. We explore John's telling of this miraculous event and what his perspective has to teach us about Jesus as the Son of God. 

The remaining portion of John 5 shows us the leaders of the Jews beginning to persecute Jesus and conspire about his eventual death. As Jesus responds, he asserts his own identity as the Son of God. Christ explains what it means for him to come from the Father, and he also provides undeniable proof of his messiahship.  *Please be warned there will be a brief increase in volume towards the end of t...

Jesus meets a suffering man beside the pool of Bethesda where the sickest in Jerusalem gather. Jesus grants the man a miraculous healing which enables him to walk right away. His experience allows us to see how Jesus meets his people in their hopelessness and ministers to them there. We also deal with the matter of healing miracles. We conclude that God can and does still heal today, but it's his...

John 4:43-54 In this passage we consider the apparent disparity between Jesus saying He has "no honor in His hometown," but upon His arrival, "the Galileans welcomed Him."  But the main message that rings throughout the entire chapter is that living faith rests upon the word of Jesus/God, not upon "signs and wonders."

This sermon wraps up our preaching on the story of Jesus and the Samaritan woman. We continue to consider how this conversation reveals the identity and purpose of Christ. As the unnamed woman believes on Christ and runs back to the village to tell everybody about him, the disciples return and hear from the Son of God how his food is to do the will of the Father. 

In John 4, Jesus walks into Samaria and meets the Samaritan woman at Jacob's well. As their conversation commences, they will dialogue about living water, true worship, and spiritual food. This sermon covers their introduction to each other, as well as Christ being the living water as the first subject of their conversation. 

The goal of the Christian life is for Christ to increase and for us to decrease. While talking to his disciples, John the Baptist explains what this concept means and why Christ deserves all the glory from his people 

John 3:16-21 God is entirely motivated by love in giving His "one and only" Son, but as it turns out, the world isn't interested in any provision for salvation.  What now?

John 3:9-15 Nicodemus (and the Pharisees) don't understand "earthly things."  They don't receive "their" testimony; they don't believe.  What will Jesus do now?  Jesus pulls a telling (and compelling) example of the basis (foundation) of new birth from Numbers 21 for Nicodemus's consideration...

John 3:1-9 Nicodemus comes to Jesus with what he understands to be true.  Jesus "answers" with information Nicodemus does not understand -- "unless one is born again [from above] he cannot see (or enter) the kingdom of God!"

Psalm110 Our church's own Dylan Ackley returns to the pulpit to teach/preach Psalm 110 (the Old Testament passage quoted more often than any other in the New Testament).  The "LORD" (God the Father) welcomes King David's "Lord" (Jesus, the Son of God) to "sit at My right hand until I make Your enemies Your footstool."  Rich theology with important applications!

Jesus leaves Cana and continues on to Jerusalem for Passover. There, he finds the merchants and coin dealers conducting business in the temple which leads to Jesus clearing out the establishment and prophesying about his own resurrection. His actions and proclamation lead us to consider the right attitude of worship following Jesus' example, as well as the eternal hope he offers us as the truer an...

The prologue of John claims Jesus is the Word. Jesus will prove his identity through seven signs in his public ministry. The first occurs in today's passage at the wedding in Cana. Jesus turns water into wine so we explore what this says about both his character and his death.   

John 1:35-51 In John's gospel, Jesus's first spoken words are: "What are you seeking?"  That question is as relevant today for moderns as it was in the first century!