Gospel of John: Jesus...The Compelling Truth (Page 2)

With the news of His imminent death sinking in, Jesus wanted to encourage His disciples, so he spoke to them about the Holy Spirit who would come to them after he had gone. And what a difference the Spirit would make to their lives and ministry! Jesus highlighted two things in particular: His work of convicting unbelievers about their need for salvation in Jesus, and His work of enabling believers to discover more and more of the truth and glory that are found in Jesus. The Holy Spirit is essential in bringing people to faith, and also in keeping them growing in their faith. Those original disciples needed to hear that message. And we do, too!

Jesus had a unique way of describing profound ideas in very simple terms, and that’s what we see in today’s passage. Using the common grapevine as a teaching aid, He explained how His disciples were to live, grow and flourish in the years ahead. Even in His physical absence from them, they were to ‘remain’ close to Him and obey His teachings. At times they would be undergo ‘pruning’ by God. But the object was always that their lives would bear fruit …much fruit …even more fruit … fruit that will last. As we stay close to Jesus, the Holy Spirit produces this fruit in our lives in many different ways e.g.. Christlike character, deeds of love, and faithful gospel witness. Is this a picture of your life?

For many Christians the topic of the Holy Spirit is either mysterious or controversial. Some even avoid it altogether. But Jesus saw the indwelling of the Holy Spirit as an indispensable provision for His disciples (then and now) during the period between His first and second comings. Jesus Himself would continue to be with them in the person of the Holy Spirit……. invisible, yet absolutely real. In today’s message Pastor Murray takes us through some of the valuable blessings that come from the presence of the Holy Spirit, who actually lives inside every genuine believer in Jesus Christ. Does He make a difference in your life?

So what do you believe about Jesus? And how seriously should we take Him? There has always been an element of mystery about Jesus, and even after three years with Him the disciples were still confused. But on this final night before being crucified, Jesus took the opportunity to explain once and for all who he really was. Still today the vital question remains: who is the real Jesus? Ultimately, how we answer that question will determine where we spend eternity. Jesus made the claim that night that: “no one comes to the Father (i.e.. God) except through me”. Do you want to spend eternity with God? Then ONLY JESUS can make that possible! You must give Him your life today.

In a world where so often things happen in a random, even chaotic way, it is common to ask: Is anyone in control? But is life random? Do bad things just happen? In today’s message we take a closer look at how Jesus faced up to the looming prospect of being betrayed and denied by two of His closest friends. Yes, these things did happen, and they were low and vicious acts, but they didn’t take Jesus by surprise. He was Lord over the events of that night before going to the cross, and He is still Lord over the circumstances of our lives today. Nothing Judas, Pater or Satan did could derail God’s purposes, and the death and resurrection of Jesus proved that. When Jesus is Lord of our lives He uses even seeming tragedies to achieve His good purposes. He’s in full control!

What would you say to your closest friends if you knew you were going to die the next day? We find out what Jesus said in John’s gospel chapters 13 to 17. Jesus and his 12 disciples are sharing a final meal together and a few hours later he would be betrayed and handed over to the Jewish leaders and then the Romans. But before that, something most unexpected took place. Jesus washed the feet of His disciples …. even Judas! What was this signifying? What does it mean for us? Actually quite a lot! Find out as Pastor Murray explains the deeper implications Jesus was conveying through this humble action, and how every true disciple of Christ today cannot avoid being a servant for His sake.

What do you make of miracles? Do they happen? If so, why do they happen? And what do miracles tell us about God? In an age of science and rationalism these are big questions. Yet the Bible is full of supernatural events, and they are especially apparent in the ministry of Jesus. In today’s message Pastor Murray takes us to perhaps the most spectacular of all Jesus’ miracles – the raising of Lazarus from the dead. As with all His miracles, His purpose was to force people to recognise who He really is, the divine Son of God, who has power over life and death. His claim was extraordinary: “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me will live, even though he dies.” Jesus promises LIFE now, beyond death, and forever to all those who put their faith in Him. Do you believe this? Listen to this challenging message. It may just change your life!

Sooner or later every single one of us has to face a medical crisis in one form or another. It could be someone close to us. It could be ourselves. No matter how robust our health or strong our faith, we will all one day die (unless Jesus should return before then). The medical profession will do its best to keep us going, but will always eventually have to concede defeat. So how can we develop a perspective on these things that is both true to life and true to the Christian faith? In today’s message, Pastor Murray unpacks this question by looking at how Jesus coped with the illness and death of His close friend, Lazarus. What seemed to be a hopeless tragedy had an extraordinary turnaround as Jesus offered Himself as the ultimate healer of every disease and the absolute guarantor of life forever beyond the grave.

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.