Nothing for Which Jesus Cares So Much (Part 1)

February 14, 2012 By revheff in Exposition Tags: deity of Christ, evidence, faith, love of Christ, signs, Upper Room Discourse, works Leave a comment

Sunday’s message in John 14:8-14 is now on the web. You can listen to the audio here.

Here’s how I summarized the gist of the sermon:

Jesus’ loving care in thoroughly preparing His own for their mission points yet again to His identity as Messiah that we might believe in Him. There is nothing He cares more for in His love for them than their faith. He dogs them with this question do you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me. Believe, He says, for two rock-solid reasons – His words from the Father and His works for the Father, both done in the flesh and through His followers – even greater works because He goes to the Father.

I should say that I spoke prematurely about the Mark manuscript recently discovered as being actually confirmed as authentic. That is still under consideration. For more information on this significant development click here.

Faith's Ultimate Display (Part One)

February 20, 2011 By revheff in Exposition Tags: decision, devotion, faith, money, sacrifice, signs, worship Leave a comment

Today’s message from John 12:1-11 is now on the web. You can listen to the audio here.

Here’s how I closed:

Because of Mary’s one-of-a-kind act of extravagant devotion, we should believe in Jesus as the Messiah and follow Him with similar commitment.

Make no mistake about it. The choice to believe or not is an intensely personal one and ultimately a sacrificial one, even financially, if money tends to be your idol. Believe in Jesus if you are yet to do so.

And take care in case you are tempted to take comfort in the illusion as a non-believer that at least you have never sold out Jesus like Judas. John MacArthur has an answer for such:

You say, “I never sell Christ. I never betrayed Christ.” Oh yeah, for anybody who doesn’t receive Jesus Christ as Savior, you’re selling Him. Whatever it is that keeps you from inviting Christ into your life is the price that you’re selling Christ for. Some people are selling Christ for money, they want to play around with money, they want to become a financial success and they don’t want Christ horning in on it. Some people are selling Christ for sex, they want to live the kind of immoral life they want to live and so that’s the price they’re selling Christ out for. Some people want to sell Christ out for ambition, others for all kinds of other things, self-glory. Whatever it is that keeps you from receiving Jesus Christ is the price for which you sold Him. It would have been bad enough if Jesus had only been kissed by one Judas, He’s been kissed a thousand-thousand times the same way.

With what kind of kisses are we kissing the cheek of the Lord Jesus?

How Read You the Signs?

February 13, 2011 By revheff in Exposition Tags: belief, deity of Christ, hardness of heart, miracles, rejection, signs 2 Comments

Today’s message from John 11:45-57 is now on the web. You can listen to the audio here.

Here’s how I closed the sermon:

The divided reactions to Jesus’ signs challenge us to examine our own that we might believe in Him. Many believed. Some rejected. Jesus withdrew. Others reflected. Where do you see yourself in these closing paragraphs of John 11? Are you like the many who believed? Have you seen the Son of God in His works and words and come to Him to do His bidding like Lazarus, Martha, and Mary? Or are you more like those who rejected, even conspired against Jesus? Either way He will use you. One way or another He will accomplish His purposes through you. Do you want it only to occur unwittingly? I hope not. Trust in Christ today that He might work in partnership with you as opposed to sovereignly in spite of you. How read you the signs?