Grace Messages

The rest of John 5 moves us into an impromptu court scene – using the courtroom imagery, Jesus, up to this point in time has given us His opening argument, and now He is going to present His airtight defense regarding His identity through multiple expert witnesses. In Jewish law, valid testimony in a court case was two-three witnesses. Jesus will provide four witnesses – five, if you count Himself...

This week Jesus continues to “Double Down” on His unique relationship TO and WITH God the Father. We are in the aftermath of Jesus’ healing of a crippled man at the Pool of Bethesda. This was John’s third hand-selected sign and the main issue with this sign is that it was done on the Jewish Sabbath. Jesus is in the midst of explaining WHO He is and WHY He has the right to heal a man on the Sabbath...

This week Jesus continues to “Double Down” on His unique relationship TO and WITH God the Father. We are in the aftermath of Jesus’ healing of a crippled man at the Pool of Bethesda. This was John’s third hand-selected sign and the main issue with this sign is that it was done on the Jewish Sabbath. Jesus is in the midst of explaining WHO He is and WHY He has the right to heal a man on the Sabbath...

To “Double Down” means to strengthen one's commitment to a particular strategy or course of action, typically one that is potentially risky. This morning, we are going to see Jesus doubling down! He is going to lean in to WHO He is and WHY He has the right to heal a man on the Sabbath. What we have in the rest of this chapter is the most thoroughgoing statement of Jesus’ unity with the Father, His...

Last week, we looked at Jesus’ healing of a crippled man at the Pool of Bethesda. This was John’s THIRD hand-selected sign and because this sign was done on the Jewish Sabbath it created a very "sticky" situation for Jesus, which I think He created willingly AND intentionally. Jesus did so to confront false religious teaching and understanding, as it related to the Sabbath, and to also further cla...

Jesus had just gotten to Galilee at the end of chapter 4, and now He is heading back to Jerusalem, for a Jewish feast, here at the beginning of chapter 5. He has been doing signs and wonders in Galilee and His popularity is growing there. Now, He is going to continue His ministry in Jerusalem, but this third hand-selected sign will be different than the previous two - (1st): This sign will be publ...

We have just finished Jesus’ divine appointment with a Samaritan woman, His “discipling of His disciples,” and the recording of the positive response of many of the Samaritan people to the woman’s testimony and Jesus’ own words. Now, Jesus continues on the journey that started about 3-4 days before and He begins a successful ministry in the region of Galilee. He begins a "successful" ministry tour...

This morning we will continue to attempt to provide clarity on two important items of truth: (1) The Gospel message, and (2) The Biblical Response to the Gospel Message. We will consider the "False Gospel Response Cliché" of "Repenting of sin or repenting FROM sin."

Today we are joined by Pastor Gus Layman as he preaches from Psalm 23. Specifically, Psalm 23:5 where we are encouraged to have a mindset of desiring the Lord to fill us with himself for our daily sanctification.

This morning we will continue to attempt to provide clarity on two important items of truth: (1) The Gospel message, and (2) The Biblical Response to the Gospel Message. We will consider the "False Gospel Response Cliche" of making a public profession of Christ from Romans 10:9-10.

This morning we will continue to attempt to provide clarity on two important items of truth: (1) The Gospel message, and (2) The Biblical Response to the Gospel Message. We will consider the following three "False Gospel Response Cliches": (1) Pray the Sinner's Prayer, (2) Asking for Forgiveness, and (3) Asking Jesus Into Your Heart.

This morning, and for the next few weeks, we are going to take a detour from the Book of John to focus on the Gospel and the biblical response to the Gospel. As we have studied through Jesus' conversation with Nicodemus and the Samaritan woman, it has been incredible to notice that although these two people came from entirely different worlds, their overall understanding of how a person entered an...

We live in an oversaturated world where we take in large amounts of information each and every day. Everyone seems to be telling us WHAT we should believe. WHAT we should consider important. WHAT we should place a high value on. Let's consider three arguments for WHY a person should care about the resurrection of Jesus Christ and WHY His resurrection has inestimable value.

This morning, and for the next few weeks, we are going to take a detour from the Book of John to focus on the Gospel and the biblical response to the Gospel. As we have studied through Jesus' conversation with Nicodemus and the Samaritan woman, it has been incredible to notice that although these two people came from entirely different worlds, their overall understanding of how a person entered an...

We have been looking at Jesus’ divine appointment with a Samaritan woman the past few weeks. Last week, we began to consider an instance of Jesus “discipling His disciples," where He was challenging their thinking, desiring to shift their “value” system, desiring to alter their priorities, and desiring them to see life through His eyes. In the passage this morning, the disciples were able to exper...

We have been looking at Jesus’ divine appointment with a Samaritan woman the past couple of weeks. As that conversation is brought to a close, we will see that the woman and her community would never be the same! Additionally, we will see that Jesus uses this opportunity to further train His disciples. He will challenge their thinking and attempt to shift their “value” system, to alter their prior...

We have been looking at Jesus’ divine appointment with a Samaritan woman the past couple of weeks. This divine appointment continues to illustrate the truth that Jesus “knew all men” AND “He knew what was IN man” (John 2:24-25). Like His interaction with Nicodemus in chapter 3, Jesus goes right to her greatest need – eternal life! This week, He continues to push her to a point of decision. Will sh...

Last week the stage was set for a divine appointment between Jesus Christ and a woman from Samaria. As we work through this conversation, we will once again see that Jesus “knew all men” AND “He knew what was IN man” (John 2:24-25). Like His interaction with Nicodemus in chapter 3, Jesus goes right to her greatest need – eternal life! As we will see though, He does NOT take a “cookie cutter” appro...

All the way back in John 2:24-25 we learned that Jesus “knew all men” AND “He knew what was IN man.” This piercing and penetrating knowledge was put on full display in His interaction with Nicodemus in chapter 3, but now we are going to travel to the other end of the societal spectrum. Nicodemus was a prim, proper, religious, moral, societal elite in Jewish circles. The woman Jesus will interact w...

This morning, we begin to observe the final recorded testimony of John the Baptist in the gospels. This testimony is prior to his arrest and eventual execution, and it allows us to really get into the mind of this man who “paved the way for the Messiah.” We are going to see that what he recognized and communicated at this stage of his life and ministry would be an adequate goal of recognition for...

This morning, we begin to observe the final recorded testimony of John the Baptist in the gospels. This testimony is prior to his arrest and eventual execution, and it allows us to really get into the mind of this man who “paved the way for the Messiah.” We are going to see that what he recognized and communicated at this stage of his life and ministry would be an adequate goal of recognition for...

This morning, as we close out Jesus’ conversation with Nicodemus, He will utilize two contrasts to bring home His point. Remember, His point is TWO-FOLD: (1) He is making Nicodemus aware of his need to be “born from above,” and (2) He desires to persuade Nicodemus to trust in God’s solution alone to be "born from above." The two contrasts that He utilizes in this section is: (1) Belief VS. Unbelie...

This morning, we come to the most well-known text in all of the Bible - John 3:16. One commentator said that John 3:16 is "a text that contains an ocean of thought and a drop of language." Martin Luther, the great Reformer, called John 3:16 the "miniature gospel and a text in which the whole Bible is contained." It is interesting that most people can quote it, but very few people actually understa...

Last week we covered the dialogue portion of the life-changing conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus. This week, we are going to get a more in-depth explanation of not only WHY Nicodemus could and should trust Jesus' testimony about the "birth from above" but also HOW one can enjoy and personally experience the "birth from above."

We left off last time being introduced to Nicodemus, who was the premiere Rabbi in all of Israel at this time (3:10). One of the reasons John recorded this conversation was to illustrate the truth of John 2:24b-25 – “Jesus knew all men and Jesus knew what was in all men.” This will be exemplified in Jesus’ conversation with Nicodemus (John chapter 3) and in His conversation with the woman at the w...