Our study in the Book of John continues.
Click here to download the sermon.
Recap of the November 27th sermon (John 1:35-39):
1. One of the features of the fourth gospel is John’s use of personal contact in communicating the message of the gospel.
-“John always brings actors upon the scene that they may bear testimony.” (Charles Erdman)
-“Of great importance in communicating his message is John’s use of personal interviews. Again and again, people are brought into contact with Jesus. They are never the same again. Either they believe and follow Him, or they turn away in unbelief.” (Walter Dunnett)
-“Jesus called a few men to follow Him, and He transformed their lives and used them to transform the lives of others.” (Warren Wiersbe)
2. Illustrating this point is that John the Baptist’s testimony was primarily the catalyst which influenced his disciples to follow Jesus.
3. Evangelism was a way of life among the men and women of the New Testament. They were active in influencing others toward Jesus Christ.
4. In the article “Relationship Evangelism” in the Navigator’s 2:7 series the author identifies four attitudes essential to effectively reaching others with the gospel: “1. We must be willing to initiate relationships; 2. We must show the same kind of love and acceptance toward sinners that Jesus displayed; 3. We must be willing to boldly identify with Christ early in a relationship; 4. We must demonstrate dependence on God through persevering prayer.”
Monday, November 28, 2011
Monday, November 21, 2011
The Lamb of God
Our study in the Book of John continues.
Click here to download the sermon.
Recap of the November 20th sermon from John 1:29-34:
1. John the Baptist was passionate about pointing people to Jesus Christ. As one writer said, John’s witness “focused on Jesus not himself.”
2.Oswald Chambers expresses the need for a John the Baptist kind of attitude in the following quotation from My Utmost for His Highest: “The tendency is to look for the marvelous in our experience; we mistake the sense of the heroic for being heroes. It is one thing to go through a crisis grandly, but another thing to go through every day glorifying God when there is no witness, no limelight, no one paying the remotest attention to us. If we do not want medieval haloes, we want something that will make people say—What a wonderful man of prayer he is! What a pious devoted woman she is! If you are rightly devoted to the Lord Jesus, you have reached the sublime height where no one ever thinks of noticing you; all that is noticed is that the power of God comes through you all the time. Oh, I have had a wonderful call from God! It takes Almighty God Incarnate in us to do the meanest duty to the glory of God. It takes God’s Spirit in us to make us so absolutely humanly His that we are utterly unnoticeable.”
Click here to download the sermon.
Recap of the November 20th sermon from John 1:29-34:
1. John the Baptist was passionate about pointing people to Jesus Christ. As one writer said, John’s witness “focused on Jesus not himself.”
2.Oswald Chambers expresses the need for a John the Baptist kind of attitude in the following quotation from My Utmost for His Highest: “The tendency is to look for the marvelous in our experience; we mistake the sense of the heroic for being heroes. It is one thing to go through a crisis grandly, but another thing to go through every day glorifying God when there is no witness, no limelight, no one paying the remotest attention to us. If we do not want medieval haloes, we want something that will make people say—What a wonderful man of prayer he is! What a pious devoted woman she is! If you are rightly devoted to the Lord Jesus, you have reached the sublime height where no one ever thinks of noticing you; all that is noticed is that the power of God comes through you all the time. Oh, I have had a wonderful call from God! It takes Almighty God Incarnate in us to do the meanest duty to the glory of God. It takes God’s Spirit in us to make us so absolutely humanly His that we are utterly unnoticeable.”
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
A First Century "Who's Who"
Our study in the Book of John continues.
Click here to download the sermon.
Recap of 11/13/11 (John 1:19-28):
1. In his book Ordering Your Private World, Gordon McDonald asked the question: “Are we driven people or called people?”
2. He lists the following characteristics of drivenness:
-gratified only by accomplishment
-preoccupied with the symbols of accomplishment (status, power, title, pay, etc.)
-uncontrolled pursuit of expansion
-limited regard for integrity (concerned only with the ends not the means)
-limited or undeveloped people skills (uses people instead of developing them)
-highly competitive
-driven by anger/resentment
-usually abnormally busy, a workaholic
-King Saul is the Biblical example of a driven person.
3. He lists the following characteristics of the called person:
-called people understand stewardship (one who manages something for the owner) of our careers, assets, natural and spiritual gifts, health. 1 Corinthians 4:7
-called people know exactly who they are, they do not confuse who they are with what they do.
-called people possess an unwavering sense of purpose
-called people understand unswerving commitment
-peace and joy
-John the Baptist is the Biblical example of a called person.
Click here to download the sermon.
Recap of 11/13/11 (John 1:19-28):
1. In his book Ordering Your Private World, Gordon McDonald asked the question: “Are we driven people or called people?”
2. He lists the following characteristics of drivenness:
-gratified only by accomplishment
-preoccupied with the symbols of accomplishment (status, power, title, pay, etc.)
-uncontrolled pursuit of expansion
-limited regard for integrity (concerned only with the ends not the means)
-limited or undeveloped people skills (uses people instead of developing them)
-highly competitive
-driven by anger/resentment
-usually abnormally busy, a workaholic
-King Saul is the Biblical example of a driven person.
3. He lists the following characteristics of the called person:
-called people understand stewardship (one who manages something for the owner) of our careers, assets, natural and spiritual gifts, health. 1 Corinthians 4:7
-called people know exactly who they are, they do not confuse who they are with what they do.
-called people possess an unwavering sense of purpose
-called people understand unswerving commitment
-peace and joy
-John the Baptist is the Biblical example of a called person.
Monday, November 07, 2011
From Eternity to Here, Part 2
Click here to download the sermon.
Recap of the sermon from November 6, 2011:
1. John’s prologue is unique among the Gospels. “One reason why the Gospel of John was symbolized in the ancient church by an eagle is due to the lofty heights attained by its prologue.” (Burge). John begins with a theological prologue because his premise is that we won’t understand Jesus’ teaching and activities without understanding who He is theologically.
2. John’s prologue answers in condensed form the three questions with which John is occupied in the rest of the book: Who is Jesus? What is the evidence? What does it matter? He answers that Jesus is God incarnate who existed before the incarnation and in fact is the Creator. The evidence for who He is is based upon eyewitnesses such as John the Baptist and John the Apostle (among others). It matters who He is because the eternal destiny of every person is dependent upon their response to Jesus. To accept him (believe in Him) is to be made a child of God. As one has said: “Belief in Him affects life and determines destiny.”
3. “So what difference does it make that Jesus is God? It makes all the difference when we consider our sin. God became flesh so that He could take care of sin. He was the only one who could. As fully man, He died on the cross, taking our punishment. As fully divine, He conquered death, and offered the world forgiveness and the promise of eternal life. Only God could do that. Only God did. So what difference does it make that Jesus is God? All the difference in the world.” (Daily Devotional Bible)
Recap of the sermon from November 6, 2011:
1. John’s prologue is unique among the Gospels. “One reason why the Gospel of John was symbolized in the ancient church by an eagle is due to the lofty heights attained by its prologue.” (Burge). John begins with a theological prologue because his premise is that we won’t understand Jesus’ teaching and activities without understanding who He is theologically.
2. John’s prologue answers in condensed form the three questions with which John is occupied in the rest of the book: Who is Jesus? What is the evidence? What does it matter? He answers that Jesus is God incarnate who existed before the incarnation and in fact is the Creator. The evidence for who He is is based upon eyewitnesses such as John the Baptist and John the Apostle (among others). It matters who He is because the eternal destiny of every person is dependent upon their response to Jesus. To accept him (believe in Him) is to be made a child of God. As one has said: “Belief in Him affects life and determines destiny.”
3. “So what difference does it make that Jesus is God? It makes all the difference when we consider our sin. God became flesh so that He could take care of sin. He was the only one who could. As fully man, He died on the cross, taking our punishment. As fully divine, He conquered death, and offered the world forgiveness and the promise of eternal life. Only God could do that. Only God did. So what difference does it make that Jesus is God? All the difference in the world.” (Daily Devotional Bible)
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