Tune in as Pastor Josh teaches from John 13, Judas’ betrayal, this morning:

“Notice that Jesus here, a couple of times, makes sure that his disciples know that the calling of Judas was not an oversight or a sign of weakness on his part so that, rather than to question his knowledge and control, they (his disciples) would know that even this betrayal went according to the plan and purpose of God. Judas was chosen, but not for salvation.  He was chosen by Jesus in order to fulfill the Scripture, (Psalm 41:9), attributed to King David.  It is a mournful lament about the painful experience of being mocked by enemies and betrayed by friends when already suffering a debilitating and life-threatening illness: ‘Even my close friend in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has lifted his heel against me.’”

(Originally preached June 23, 2019)

Tune in as Pastor Josh preaches from John 13 this morning, the account of our humble King washing the feet of his followers:

“Foot washing was a degrading task normally reserved for the lowliest of servants.  Some Jewish writers insisted that even Jewish slaves should not be required to wash the feet of others. There is no instance in either Jewish or Greco-Roman sources of a superior washing the feet of someone of lower status; it just wasn’t done. Jesus here shatters the status quo and the disciple’s sense of the fitness of things, reversing customary roles. He adopts the dress of a menial slave, dress that was looked down upon by everyone in that culture; and he engages in this astonishing self-humbling act. Not only was this an incredible display of Christ’s love for his own, but it is only a shadow of the act to come where Jesus would humble himself ‘by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.’  The matchless self-emptying love of the Son, the eternal Word, reaches its climax on the cross.”

(Originally preached on June 16, 2019)

Pastor Josh teaches from the remainder of John 12:

“…The problem is, in our humanistic thinking, we are surprised that God is not trying to save everyone when we should be surprised that he saves anyone at all.  We should be astounded by this amazing grace that He extends to his enemies…”

(Originally preached on June 9, 2019)

Pastor Josh teaches from John 12 this morning:

“In our text this morning we see a definitive shift in John’s Gospel; the hour is now here.  Jesus will no longer be protected from the darkest designs of their persecution and it is all signaled now by the appearance of some Gentiles (non-Jewish people), from some part of the Greek-speaking world, who seek an audience with Jesus…”

(Originally preached on June 2, 2019)

Tune in as Pastor Josh teaches from John 12 this morning, Jesus triumphal entry into Jerusalem, so beginning the passion narrative:

“…Jesus refused to reinforce their political and nationalist aspirations by riding on a war horse or by stirring up insurrection against the Romans.  Instead he mounts a donkey…Rome is insignificant.  Jesus could blot out Rome with the snap of his fingers.  Rome would be less than a smear if Jesus had come for that purpose….Jesus was on a higher mission; a truly improbable plan.  He would at the same time defeat the power of evil and rescue some of his evil enemies; making them part of himself, his own family….Jesus was on route to defeat for all time the very power of death, a true victory beyond comprehension.  He will rescue for himself people from all nations…The Jewish nationalists were thinking far too small.  By mounting the colt of a donkey, Jesus made a far more impressive claim than if he entered Jerusalem on a chariot with ten legions behind him…”

(Originally preached on May 26, 2019)

Tune in as Pastor Josh teaches us from John 11 and 12 this morning:

“In the last scene, at Lazarus’ interrupted funeral, Mary and her entourage had been a source of consternation for Jesus when rather than trusting God despite the circumstance, she gives herself over to hopeless grief, wailing and throwing herself at his feet in despair…We see a new Mary here in our text this morning.  She has now seen God’s glory; “the glory as of the only Son from the Father,” as predicted in v.1:14…Not only did she receive her dead brother back from the grave but Jesus revealed something of himself to this family and many of their friends…What is essential here is to see that Jesus is not only the object of their faith, but its source; he stewards their faith.”

(Originally preached on May 19, 2019)

Pastor Josh continues to teach us from the account of John 11 this morning:

“…Jesus deals with two kinds of sin here…the first group is wailing in despair; they have no hope for the future, and Jesus is indignant and weeps for them…but then we have the religious leaders, the elect, the elite, and they turn to Jesus and they are like ‘this is going to go out of control…everyone is going to believe in him…and then the Romans are going to come and they are going to take away our positions of control and power…’. The problem here with these sinners is that they are the ones that we have to identify ourselves with…”

(Sermon originally preached on May 12, 2019)

Tune in as Pastor Josh teaches further about the resurrection of Lazurus this morning:

“Jesus, our perfect example, even in his emotions, shows us a combination response to sin and unbelief — both anger and grieving compassion. All of Christ’s disciples must learn that same tension.  Our own anger at sin must be tempered by grief.  Outrage without grief hardens into self-righteous arrogance and a short-tempered attitude…”

(Unfortunately, the first few minutes of the sermon were lost due to a technical difficulty. The sermon picks up a few minutes in…Originally preached on May 5th, 2019)

Pastor Josh teaches us from John 11 this morning where Jesus claims that he is the resurrection and the life in the preamble leading to the resurrection of Lazurus:

“It (the resurrection of Lazurus) becomes one of the most amazing miracls that Jesus does. And yet it also becomes one of the most divisive acts of his, because while everyone else around can witness the miracle, only Christs’ own can see his glory, love him, trust him, and find their satisfaction in him…”

(Originally preached on April 28, 2019)

Pastor Josh continues to expound on Jesus’ teaching for us this morning from John 10:

“The message and work of Christ Jesus is an offense to us today, just as it was to the live audience.  The more we come to understand Jesus’ teaching and the work he undertook on behalf of sinners, the more polarized we become. Either we grow in understanding how little we understand, coming to God spiritually as children who desperately need mercy and grace and wisdom from our heavenly Father — or we grow increasingly offended by passages of Scripture that glorify God alone, even in the rescue of those he is saving…”

(Originally preached on April 14, 2019)

Pastor Josh teaches us from John 10 this morning about Jesus, the Good Shepherd who lays his life down for his sheep:

“Jesus’ death was not an accident.  It was not the result of the forces evil winning even a minor battle with God; it was “according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God” (Acts 2:23). Unlike all those Messianic figures before him, rather than to expose his flock to further ravages, he draws them to himself.  Jesus calls out the messianic pretenders who promise the people freedom but who lead them into war, suffering and slavery.  Jesus wins freedom for his people, not by leading them into war, but by laying his life down nailed to a cross…”

(Originally preached on April 7, 2019)

Tune in as Pastor Josh teaches from John 9:8-41 this morning:

“Jesus did not come to a world of sinners aware of their need, and eager to be rid of their sin….Countless Christians throughout the ages have applied the same words to their own transformation, their own experience of the move from darkness to light: One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!…

(Originally preached on March 31, 2019)

Tune in as Pastor Josh teaches from John 9 this morning, the account of Jesus healing a man blind from birth.

“Christ’s atoning work on our behalf saves us from the punishment for our sins. Saves us now from slavery to sin. But we also need to remember this morning what we have been saved for…Like this man born blind, all true believers have been called out of darkness into his marvelous light to proclaim God’s glory to each other and those who still walk in darkness…”

(Originally preached on March 24, 2019)

Pastor Josh teaches us from John 9 this morning:

“We, as God’s creation, must be willing for God to be glorified in every area of our lives, in whichever way he chooses, even if that is a road of deep suffering. The goes against everything the humanistic thinking of this world would have us believe…”

(Originally preached on March 10, 2019)

Pastor Josh teaches from the rest of John 8 this morning, addressing Jesus claim: ‘Before Abraham was, I am.’.

(Originally preached March 3rd, 2019)

Pastor Josh teaches from John 8 this morning, where Jesus claims to be the Light of the World:

“Light cannot help but to attest to its own presence. Light testifies to itself. Light cannot hide itself, but by its very nature is revealed and revealing. If you have light in the darkness you cannot help but see the light and everything that it shines upon…Jesus is the light that the Father is shining. By Jesus, the Father is revealed…”

(Originally preached on February 24, 2019)

Pastor Josh teaches us from the remainder of John 7 this morning:

“The Christian life is an impossible life — unless it is one empowered by the very Spirit of God…(W)e see the disciples who were cowards, who denied Christ, who had not walked with him into the dangerous places…as soon as they receive the Holy Spirit they are unwilling to cease their preaching, even when they are threatened with death because they are emboldened and empowered by the Spirit…”

(Originally preached on February 10th, 2019)

Pastor Josh teaches from John 7 this morning:

“All because His hour had not yet come…’the safest possible place for us to be is where God tells us to go…’”

(Originally preached on February 3, 2019)

Pastor Josh continues to teach from John 7 this morning:

“…Will we sit and decide what God has said? Or will we sit under his word, and whatever his will is, do it?…Will we pick and choose what we like, saying ‘I will decide’’, ‘My morality is best’, ‘My discernment is supreme’…We can respond this morning only by the power of the Holy Spirit through the work of the Gospel in our lives…”

(Originally preached on January 27th, 2019)