Sermons on John (Page 6)

By nature most of us are followers. Just look at the number of Twitter and Facebook ‘followers’ some celebrities have these days. Whether it’s fashion, lifestyle, secrets of success, or even religion, we have an intuitive desire to copy others. So who are you following? Have you considered Jesus? In today’s passage Jesus presents Himself as the good shepherd who loves, leads, cares for, protects and even dies for His sheep. He offers them life ‘to the full’. Can there be a better life than the one Jesus wants to give us? Why not respond to His personal call and start following Him today?

It’s extremely difficult for someone who has never been blind to understand what it must be like to receive the gift of sight. A world of darkness is suddenly transformed into a world of colour, faces and light! And that’s what happened when Jesus miraculously healed a congenitally blind man. Why was he born blind? Only God knows. But we do know that Jesus performed an even greater miracle soon after, which had an even more profound impact upon this man’s life. Listen in as Pastor Murray unpacks this passage and shows how Jesus backs up His claim to be “the light of the world”, giving spiritual sight to everyone who believes in Him.

For most people Jesus is either irrelevant or simply an option in the spectrum of religious gurus. And He has always had His share of knockers. It’s always been that way, as today’s passage makes clear. But in these verses we see Jesus engaging His opponents in a full-on debate. Firstly He points out some truths that every one of us needs to know about ourselves. Amazing how the truth sometimes hurts! But He then spells out some truths that we need to know about Jesus. These truths are essential to a proper understanding of the Christian faith, and if we believe them, as Jesus put it, they will ‘set you free’. What an offer!

There is very little shame these days when it comes to sexual immorality. Promiscuity is taken for granted as a legitimate lifestyle choice. But how should Christians react? In today’s message Pastor Murray addresses this question as he unpacks the story of Jesus’ encounter with an adulterous woman. Rather than throw the legal book at her, as the religious ‘police’ wanted, Jesus chose to forgive her. Even though totally undeserving, she heard those amazing words of Jesus: “Neither do I condemn you. Go and sin no more”. That’s grace! Have you responded to that grace personally? If so, are you passing it on to others?

Jesus has always been a controversial figure. And even today the opinions about Him are many, varied, and often strongly held. But before we jump to any conclusions about Him we should at least try to understand His message. In today’s passage we hear that message as Jesus calls people who are thirsty to: “Come to me and drink”. Not because they are physically thirsty but spiritually thirsty. People who have tried and failed to satisfy themselves with the material, personal and social “stuff” that life offers. Jesus offers to fill that “God-shaped vacuum” inside the human heart which only He can fill. He knows our deepest needs and kindly offers to meet them if we will sincerely “believe” in Him. This is a wonderful life-transforming invitation, almost too good to be true, and He is still offering it to us today. Perhaps there is “something missing” in your life. Have you considered Jesus?