Florida Coast Church

There is a word that runs through Jesus’ farewell discourse and appears eleven times in John 15:1-17 in one form or another. It can be translated as abide , remain , stay , continue , dwell . As we abide in our homes during the pandemic, we need to remember that we must abide in Jesus to bear fruit, to glorify the Father, and to be filled with joy!

Continuing the final conversation with his disciples in  John 14:15-31 , Jesus told them how to show their love for him and of the gifts he gives to those who love him. His Spirit, his presence, and his peace enable us to live as his followers these days and every day.

After Jesus gave his disciples very troubling news, he told them in John 14:1-14 , “Let not your hearts be troubled.” He went on to say what to do instead and gave them and us three reasons not to be troubled. Although this text is simply the next one in our series on the Gospel of John, it is timely during these days of pandemic.

In John 13:18-38 , we pick up the conversation between Jesus and his disciples over dinner. After he had washed their feet, he announced that one of them would betray him. Once Judas had gone out into the night, Jesus gave his followers of every age the New Commandment: to love each other as he loved us.

During a meal with his disciples in John 13:1-17 , Jesus did something that shattered social norms. He dressed like a slave and performed a task that was beneath most slaves by washing his disciples’ feet. Although he didn’t explain his actions completely, he gave us enough clues to find three important lessons. The first two lessons are about what he can do for us and the third about what we can...

In John 12:27-50 , we have Jesus’ final appeal to the world before spending his final days focused on his disciples. After explaining the meaning of his death, he also explained why so many did not believe in him. Then he summarized his teaching in his last words to the crowds, giving them one final opportunity to believe in him. ( sermon notes )

All of a sudden, in John 11:55-12:26 , Jesus not only permitted but encouraged people publicly to recognize him as king. What had changed? What we have awaited during the whole gospel of John finally happened: his hour to be glorified had come! However, his glorification would be exactly the opposite of what everyone expected. ( sermon notes )

In Jesus’ final sign, recorded in John 11:1-54 , he raised his friend Lazarus from the dead. As a sign, it was not to be a regular occurrence but an extraordinary event that pointed to Jesus as the only source of life from the dead and of eternal life. In the face of death, Jesus expressed anger and sadness even as he exercised dominance. Jesus’ mastery over death should interest all who lose love...

In Jesus’ final public teaching in the Gospel of John ( 10:22-42 ), the people of Jerusalem tried to pin him down. They wanted him to declare openly who he was. In keeping with his indirect public style, Jesus pointed them to his words and works. He also boldly declared, “I and the Father are one.” This statement sent them looking for rocks to stone him, since they thought he was a man who made hi...

After the shepherds of Israel mistreated and kicked out the man born blind in chapter 9, Jesus announced in John 10:1-21 that he is the Good Shepherd. While false shepherds sacrificed the sheep for their own benefit, the Good Shepherd laid down his life for the sheep. The question for us is if we know his voice and follow him. ( sermon notes )

From Old Testament times, the Jewish people knew that only God and his Messiah could open the eyes of the blind. However, over their long history, it had never happened. Therefore, when Jesus healed the eyes of a man born blind in John 9:1-41 , he caused quite a stir. Some rejected the miracle as spurious, but the healed man held firm to what he knew to be true: “I was blind, and now I see.” This...

A constant problem for the reputation of the church is the presence of persons who claim to be believers but deny the faith with their lives. This problem is not new. In fact, in John 8:30-59 , Jesus had an extended argument with some who had believed in him but ended up wanting to kill him. Their lives showed that God was not their father, no matter what they said. Ever since then, there have bee...

The feast was over. The water and light show has dazzled the crowds. Jesus had offered living water to quench our thirst and added in John 8:12-30 that he is the light of the world. However, his hearers missed the message by challenging his procedure. In response, Jesus directed them back to himself as the “I am” and the one lifted up on the cross to die for the sins of all who believe in him. ( f...

Irony occurs when a situation turns out to be the opposite of what is expected. Dramatic irony is when the author and the audience know that the situation is opposite of what the actors think it is. The Gospel of John, especially John 7:32-52 , is dripping with irony. However, John used his irony not to amuse but to instruct us about who Jesus is and what he did. ( full sermon notes )

As we approach the end of 2019 and the beginning of 2020, we learn from John 7:1-31 how Jesus approached time and timing. He always ordered his life according to God’s timing. We too have our time, and we all have the same amount of it. The question is how we are going to use it. ( full sermon notes )

After becoming popular and attracting many followers, Jesus taught about what we call the Incarnation, the Son of God becoming human flesh. The Incarnation made it possible for people to have eternal life. Instead of being overjoyed at this news, many so-called followers turned away from Jesus in John 6:41-71 . After asking the his original followers if they also wanted to leave him, Peter respond...

Just like us, the people of Jesus’ day spent much of their time laboring for things that perish. Just like us, they often found themselves not satisfied. In John 6:1-40 , we read about two of Jesus’ most well-known miracles, feeding the 5000 and walking on water. Because the people missed the meaning of the miracles, Jesus followed them up with instruction about bread that truly satisfies and give...

If a man makes a great claim about himself, he should be ready to present evidence to back up his claim. In John 5:17-47 , Jesus made the most astonishing claims imaginable for a human being. By his own admission, if he alone held this opinion of himself, we should not believe him. Therefore, he backed up his claims with the most expert witnesses possible. For this reason, we can believe him. ( fu...

There is a popular expression that says “seeing is believing.” However, many people saw the amazing signs performed by Jesus and did not believe in him. In two separate incidents recorded in John 4:43-5:18 , Jesus performed signs of healing, but few believed in him. One politically connected man did believe while the religious leaders did not. He became a model of faith, while they became a warnin...

Things had not worked out in life as she had hoped. After five broken marriages, she found herself in another uncertain relationship with a man. Then one one hot day at noon, she met a thirsty Jewish man. At first she despised him because of his race and religion, but he spoke to her in a way that indicated that he knew all about her and loved her still. He also offered her “living water” that was...

Ever since there began to be two groups preaching and baptizing, there were those who wanted to set up a competition between them. In John 3:22-36 , John the Baptist put an immediate stop to the idea of competition between Jesus and himself. His response provides not only pastors but all Christians with an excellent motto for our lives. ( Here is a link to the full sermon notes.)

In a nighttime conversation with a religious leader recorded in John 3:1-21 , Jesus used an expression that has found its way into popular culture, being “born again.” Jesus emphasized not merely a new start but a total transformation performed by God. In other words, we all need something that only God can give. At the same time, Jesus predicted that he would be lifted up on the cross so that any...

In John 2 , Jesus began his public ministry with two incidents that started the countdown toward what he called “my hour.” Turning water into wine and driving out the marketers from the Temple courts seemed like two unrelated incidents. However, they both indicated that Jesus came to replace religious activities that could never take away sins. Also, these signs pointed forward to the way that he...

Except for John the Baptist, everyone in John 1:35-51 began the day not believing in Jesus. By the end of two days, all were believing in Jesus, following him, and telling others about him. What had happened? They had all met Jesus, and most of them met him through a relative or friend. Although they didn’t know much about Jesus, they knew enough to tell others, “Come and see!” ( Here are Larry’s...

Almost all humans recognize that there is a gap between what we should do and what we actually do. Also, we have invented many methods to try to deal with that gap. Unfortunately, we repeatedly discover that our methods don’t ultimately work. In John 1:19-34 , John (the Baptist) called Jesus “the Lamb of God” and claimed that he is able to take away that gap in our lives. ( Here are Larry’s comple...