Grace Baptist Santa Clarita: Service Podcast

With the coming of some Greeks who wanted to see Jesus, the pace of the story picks up rapidly, heading for the Cross. This weekend we see Jesus teaching us about dealing with despair, about the purposes of His death on the cross, and His direction for our lives if we are to be sons and daughters of God.

Sometimes, things aren’t quite what we expect. Vacations sometimes don’t measure up, food isn’t as good as we hoped, and relationships don’t deliver on what was promised. But other times, things end up being far better than we ever could have expected or hoped. We see here in John 12 that the crowd who came out to meet Jesus in His Triumphal Entry had the wrong expectations about who Jesus is and what it means to follow Him. But the reality of our Savior and what it means to follow Him is far better than what we would ever have expected.

Just six days before the Passover, Jesus attended a dinner party in Bethany. There, Mary anointed Jesus with very expensive perfume, her actions depicting much more than she ever intended. In contrast to the religious leaders who wanted Jesus dead, she anointed Him with great care and honor. But Jesus saw it as much more. He declared that her loving actions were actually a pre-preparation for His burial, which brings John’s readers face to face with the reality of His death for sinners.

After Jesus raised Lazarus, the response was what we would expect: some will have eyes to see Jesus as Messiah, and others will become even more adamant in opposition to Him. But, this weekend we find that one of the most prominent opponents of Jesus actually becomes an unexpected witness to His Messianic mission.

Prioritizing, Promoting, Proclaiming Gospel Influence

Shortly before Jesus entered Jerusalem, knowing He would be arrested, tried, and crucified, He previewed His own resurrection by raising His friend Lazarus from the dead. Throughout the story, we learn about the risk Jesus took, His deep relationships with Mary, Martha, and Lazarus, and also catch a glimpse of our Savior’s emotions. But in the end, this story is all about resurrection, and we learn it best when we look at the miracle of new life through three different lenses.

Once again, we find Jesus debating with the religious leaders of His day. And, as before, Jesus’ answers to their questions incite them to pronounce Him worthy of death for what they consider to be blasphemy! But, as the story continues, we learn some important truths, not only about who Jesus is, but also about the privileges of belonging to Him, ... to the Messiah, God the Son Incarnate.

The events of Chapter 9 still hang fresh in the background. Not much time has passed from when the Pharisees mistreated the man born blind and John makes a blaring distinction between these false shepherds of Chapter 9 and the Good Shepherd of Chapter 10. This week, we lean upon the words of the Good Shepherd and learn of the intimate connection between Him and His flock.

This weekend we cover the whole of John 9, the story of the Blind Witness. After listening to Jesus debate with the religious leaders of His day in John 8, it is quite a surprise that a blind beggar actually becomes the better apologist for following Jesus, the Messiah. The main point in the story is this: Those who know they are blind, and long for the light, will find it in Jesus and rejoice. But those who think they see everything clearly, and are in no need of the Light of the World, will be found to be the blind ones.

This weekend, we finish the grand dialogue between Jesus and the crowd at the Temple during the Feast of Booths. Throughout this chapter, we have seen how the crowd of religious Jews are blinded to the spiritual light Jesus shines on them. Now, in the final section He responds to their personal insults and turns their conversation back to the priority of His mission: the salvation of sinners! Everything centers in on His command to “keep My word.” This had grave implications, not only for unbelievers, but also for all who, like Jesus’ original audience, are tempted to become complacent in their pursuit of God.

This weekend we listen to the ongoing conversation Jesus had with a crowd of religious people on Temple mount in Jerusalem. The topic of this section? Who’s your father? While the crowd is answering the question in terms of their ethnic lineage, Jesus means for them to understand the connection they have spiritually, as evidenced by the way they treat Him. What we see here can be traced all the way from Genesis 3:15 where God declares to the Serpent, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring ...”

This weekend, we continue in John 8 following Jesus’ discussion with some religious leaders and the Temple crowd. The three major themes are clearly seen. First, everyone who sins is enslaved by sin. Second, unless something changes, our sin is punishable by death. Third, the only way we escape death as the punishment for sin is to believe in Jesus’ message, abide in it, and find the freedom only He can give.

This weekend we take a side-trip from John’s Gospel over to Mark’s account of Jesus’ first parable. We know it as the Sower and the Soils, but it’s really about four heart conditions. In John, we’re seeing how those who are face to face with Jesus seem oddly blind to the truths He is sharing. Think of it ... the Messiah they have longed for is standing right in front of them, and they just can’t see Him! Why? The answer is the condition of their heart. Their hearts are hard, shallow, and divided. Sadly, these heart conditions can also be found in us, and if we’re honest, we realize it. So, the question is this: How does the Word of God fall on your heart?

Since the beginning of creation, darkness and light have lived in contrast. When God’s first command sounded forth, the darkness was split by the light and ever since, these two great properties have symbolized evil and good. Throughout the Old Testament, darkness was the place of lostness, of evil deeds, of judgment. On the other hand, to walk in the light was to escape the darkness for righteousness. The Psalmist teaches us to sing, “The Lord is my light and my salvation.” This weekend we find that it is Jesus, God the Son Incarnate, who fulfills the imagery of light we see in the Old Testament. He is the light of the world. Whoever follows Him “will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

Ever since Chapter 5, the Pharisees have attempted to prove that Jesus is not the Messiah according to the Old Testament Scriptures. Being out-maneuvered in every debate, the Pharisees decide it’s time to set a trap. They illegally bring an adulterous woman before Jesus in an attempt to disprove He is Messiah – if they can’t debate Him on the law, maybe they can get Him to break the law. Instead, Jesus will master the law, rescue the girl, and dismiss the religious elite.

Perhaps the most important questions in life are these two: Who is Jesus? What are you going to do with Jesus? Chapter 7 of John’s Gospel finds the author putting the reader back into the historical story where the people of Jerusalem are debating these two questions. Sadly, while some in Jesus’ day had eyes to see and ears to hear the truth, most were too focused on the temporal issues of Jesus’ origin to see the spiritual reality that before them stood Messiah, God the Son Incarnate, the Fountain of Living Water. May our eyes be open to the reality of Jesus!

The last time Jesus was in Jerusalem (John 5) He healed an invalid of 38 years on the Sabbath and called God His Father. The result? The Jews were seeking to kill him. In chapter 7, Jesus will head back to Jerusalem during the Feast of the Booths and not much has changed. In fact, it seems as if the opposition to Jesus is continuing to increase.

Few things in life generate more power than money. Seeking it, having it, using it, needing it ... all of these are powerful drives in the human heart. And while money can be a wonderful tool in supporting the mission of Christ through the Church, its pull on the heart can also make it one of life’s most powerful idols. This weekend we take an honest, direct, and – hopefully! – sanctifying look, at the power of money and how the exercise of generosity can help free us to seek the Kingdom mission first.

Our lives can become so inwardly focused and crowded that there is no space for the mission of Christ. It’s easy for us to get bogged down in temporary pursuits that push aside our eternal calling. Generosity is “Using God’s Gifts to Adorn God’s Gospel.” And one of the most precious gifts God has given us is our time. We have been redeemed to be generous with our calendar.

As we continue to examine missional generosity, this week we’re going to see it’s far more than opening our bank account. In fact, God is concerned that we would be willing to open our lives for the good of others and as an extension of our lives, our homes. Gracious and loving hospitality can seem so simple that it is often overlooked. But this act of love and generosity can be used by God as a vehicle to reach the lost and build up the Church.