Breakfast By The Shore

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Recap of 4/28/13 (John 20:30-21:14):

1.  “I know that today there are many people who say, ‘If only I could see Him, if only I could touch Him, then I would believe.’  The problem is not with the lack of available evidence of the death and resurrection.  The problem is in the human heart.  The Gospel is a record of signs—evidences—which the reader must weigh.  Its aim is to lead us to faith in Christ because in Him alone can we find life.”  (Author Unknown).

2.  The Bible is a book of evidences.  Faith is not a leap in the dark but a firm commitment to the evidence presented in the Biblical record, especially concerning the nature, life, ministry, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

3.  “Unless Jesus Christ has invaded your life, you are lost in your sins: without God, without life, without hope of heaven.  Becoming a Christ is not simply joining a church, signing a card, or walking an aisle…. true faith comes as a result of believing on Jesus Christ, God’s Son, to solve your sin problem.  It is trusting Him to do something for you that you cannot do yourself.  Have you done that?  If not …open your heart to the Savior, Jesus Christ.”  (Walk Thru One-Year Bible)

4.  “Nowadays we drive and plan and put on courses galore trying to get Christians to do what should be their natural practice, not only with regard to reaching the lost, but with regard to church attendance, tithing, missions, and all other phases of service.  All of this should be spontaneous expression of our love for Christ and others.” (Vance Havner)

From Doubt to Faith

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Recap of 4/21/13 (John 20:19-29):

1. of Jesus’ ten appearances after the resurrection, John records four of them:

-To Mary Magdalene, 20:11-18

-To 10 Apostles with Thomas absent, 20:19-25

-To 10 Apostles with Thomas present, 20:26-29

-To 7 Apostles by the Sea of Galilee, 21:1-14

2.  Jesus appears bodily in a closed and locked room where the disciples hid for fear of the authorities.  He announces peace.  In the words of G. Campbell Morgan: “[Jesus words] had behind them the authority of His death and resurrection.  He had faced and defeated all the forces which destroy the peace of man.  He was making a declaration…bestowing a benediction…imparting a blessing.  The things you fear are powerless to harm you.  Death is not the end; … Be at peace, for whether in life or death you are safe.”

3.  Jesus commissioned them again to spread the gospel, He empowered them with a temporary filling of the Holy Spirit (anticipating the Day of Pentecost); and gave them authority to announce the forgiveness of sin.  “Jesus was giving the apostles (and by extension, the church) the privilege of announcing heaven’s terms on how a person can receive forgiveness.  If one believes in Jesus, the a Christian has the right to announce his forgiveness.  If a person rejects Jesus’ sacrifice, then a Christian can announce that that person is not forgiven.” (Dr. Edwin Blum)

4.  “Have you ever wished you could actually see Jesus, touch Him, and hear His words?  Some people think they could believe in Jesus if they saw a definite sign or miracle.  But Jesus says we are blessed when we believe without seeing.  We have all the proof we need in the words of the Bible and the testimony of believers.” (The NLT One-Year Study Bible).

Risen? Risen...Risen!

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Recap of 4/14/13 (John 20:9-18):

1.  “John closes his profound gospel with a particularly detailed account of the post-Resurrection appearances of the Lord. The Resurrection is the ultimate sign that points to Jesus as the Son of God.” (Wilkerson)

2.   John authenticates the resurrection and by it the deity of Jesus Christ, by:

-the empty tomb (20:1,2)

-the position and order of the grave clothes (20:3-8)

-the repeated surprise of the disciples over the resurrection (it was not something they were expecting)

-the appearances of Jesus after the crucifixion to Mary (20:10-18), to the Disciples without Thomas (20:19-25), to the Disciples with Thomas present (20:26-29), to some Disciples on the shore of the Sea of Galilee (21)

-the change in the disposition of Mary (20:10-18) and the Disciples (20:19-28) from fear, gloom, and sorrow to rejoicing

3.  Mary’s devotion, her heart is wrapped up in the Savior, she wouldn’t be distracted from the desire to be with Him.  She is a model to believers today who are distracted too many times from devotion to Jesus by career, material things, life’s circumstances, even family and friends.

4.  “How did [Mary] respond [to Jesus freeing here from 7 demons]?  By becoming a devoted follower of Christ who not only talked the talk, but walked the walk.  She put her money where her mouth was in support of the ministry of Christ and His disciples.  Her life, values, priorities—all had been changed, radically transformed by the grace of Jesus Christ!”  (Bill Crowder, The Path of His Passion)

Living With Joy in Christ

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Sermon by: Steve Plank

Recap of 3/31/13 (John 19:31-20:8):

1.  John emphasizes the literal fulfillment of prophecy.  Repeatedly in his gospel he cites Old Testament passage fulfilled in Jesus Christ as in 19:35-37.  Jesus as the Passover Lamb did not have a bone broken (Exodus 12:46; Numbers 9:12; Psalm 34:20) and as prophesied in Zechariah 12:10, the Jews would look on the One they had pierced (which will be fulfilled completely at His Second Coming.  Scripture, prophecy included, should always be interpreted literally, plainly, allowing for figures of speech.  “When the plain sense makes good sense seek no other sense." (Dr.

2.  On the surprising courage of Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus: “Their faith is like a glow of sunset at the close of the dark day of cruel and murderous unbelief; but as we turn from its shadows let us remember that Jesus does not ask for secret disciples; He bore the painful cross for us, and He expects us openly, courageously, willingly, to take up the cross and follow Him.” (William Erdman)

3.  On the empty tomb and the grave-clothes as evidence for the resurrection: “For the moment Peter was only amazed at the empty tomb; but things began to happen in John’s mind.  If someone had removed Jesus’s body, if tomb-robbers had been at work, why should they leave the grave-clothes?  Then something else struck him—the grave-clothes were not disheveled and disarranged.  They were lying there still in their folds—that is what the Greek means—the clothes for the body where the body had been; the napkin where the head had lain.  The whole point of the description is that the grave-clothes did not look as if they had been put off or taken off; they were lying there in their regular folds as if the body of Jesus had simply evaporated out of them.  The sight suddenly penetrated to John’s mind; he realized what had happened—and he believed.”  (William Barclay)

4.  On salvation: “A saint is one, who, discovering himself at Calvary, lies in despair with the nature of sin uncloaked to him.  Then, rising in the glamour of amazement and discerning Jesus Christ as a substitute for sin, calls out, ‘Jesus, I should be there.’  To his astonished spirit, he receives justification from all his sinfulness through the atonement at Calvary” (Oswald Chambers)

A Tale of Two Gardens

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