Jesus did many works while on earth. In this last Sunday’s message out of John 10:22-42, Jesus explains in His own words what the meaning of His works are. More than just a history lesson, though; Jesus is continuing to work today - saving sanctifying, sustaining. His words concerning His works apply just as much today as they did then. Jesus was and continues to be God at work.
Is authority good or bad? Should you submit to authority? Do we need leaders in our time? If so, what kind of leader should we follow? In John 10, Jesus addresses these questions and others through the imagery of a Shepherd and sheep. He makes it clear that there are leaders with poor intentions- and they’re everywhere. But there is one leader that everyone should follow. Because He’s good. We know He’s good because He’s willing to go to the greatest lengths possible to care for His sheep.
We love our partnerships with other Gospel-proclaiming churches in Orange County - especially the church that Sovereign Grace Santa Ana came from. This past Sunday, we had the privilege of hosting Grant Sigafoos from Sovereign Grace Church of Orange as he preached to us from John 9:1-41.
Sin is behind all human suffering and all brokenness in the world. Jesus makes it clear that sin originates in the heart. It produces darkness and bondage. Oftentimes, we detour and deny, unwilling to admit that the problem isn’t “out there” but actually within our very own hearts. The problem is grim, but the solution is grander than you could imagine - Jesus Himself is Light and Freedom.
Most scholars believe that John 7:53-8:11 was not originally part of the Gospel of John. It didn’t begin appearing in manuscripts until nearly 400 years after John wrote his Gospel. Why then do you still read it in your Bible? More importantly, if there are texts that shouldn’t be in the Bible, is everything up for grabs? Can you really trust your Bible? The answer is a resounding yes. And for good reason. Beyond being able to fully and completely trust your Bible as the written Word of God, there’s also something profoundly important we can learn from the passage in question. Even if it wasn’t part of the original manuscripts, there’s a reason the Church has maintained it for 1500 years.
This week, we’ve published the manuscript of last Sunday’s sermon online. Give it a read and learn how to approach a text like this and how to grow in godliness through it.
Responses to Jesus’ teaching during His ministry varied widely- from confusion to amazement to outright anger. As Christians, the message at the heart of Jesus’ teaching, the Gospel, produces the same range of reactions today. No matter the response to the Gospel, we can be confident in it because it’s a message backed by the authority of God and filled with the grace of God. Listen to last week’s message from John 7:14-52.
One of the most repetitive and significant themes in the Gospel of John is “the world”. It’s a theme whose overtones aren’t exactly positive. Jesus uses sin, darkness and even evil to describe it at times. Surprisingly, in John 7:1-13, Jesus even hints that His own brothers belong to the world. Understanding this theme helps us to understand the Gospel of John. It helps us to understand our neighbors. It helps us to understand ourselves. Most importantly, it helps us to understand and appreciate the grace of God in Jesus Christ.
Sovereign Grace Church of Santa Ana exists by God’s grace through the partnership of other churches. One of those churches is Sovereign Grace Church of Tucson, Arizona, where Kyle and Kelsey Houlton moved from to live in Santa Ana. This past Sunday, we had the privilege of hearing from that church’s senior pastor, Derek Overstreet. He preached from Titus 3:3-7 about the God-glorifying doctrine of grace alone.
The feeding of the 5000 is one of the most famous of all the miracles of Jesus. It’s also a miracle that Jesus performed to teach His followers, us included, something about Himself. It’s important that we understand exactly what He was trying to teach us. If we come away from that story thinking that Jesus wants to “multiply” our food, money, friendships, or any other temporal thing, we’ve missed the point. Jesus offers something far greater.
This past Sunday, we continued our series in the book of John with John 5:16-47, where Jesus, for the first time in John’s Gospel, testifies concerning exactly who He is and where He’s come from. His opponents understood exactly who He was claiming to be: God. Not only does He testify to this identity, but He points to four additional witnesses. The question we and His opponents are left with is, “which witnesses will you choose to listen to?”
