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April 26, 2020

Glory + Grace in Disruption

April 26, 2020 • Pastor Josh Kee

Context (5:18) :: Enmity (Genesis 3:15) between the Jewish leaders and Jesus because of Jesus' claim to be equal with God
• POINT: We must get Jesus right; "to get Jesus wrong is to get God wrong" (Edward Klink)
• Any form of religion or spirituality that gets Jesus wrong will end in judgment
• This is the most critical thing for the Church to get right in our mission to live as witnesses

1. 5:19-24 :: The unity of the Father and the Son
o (19) :: The limitation of Jesus' ministry
o (20-21) :: The motivation of Jesus' ministry = God's love for the Son and for the world (3:16)
• The goal of Jesus' ministry = "that you may marvel"
• to give life
o (22) :: Jesus will judge all
o (23) :: Because of the unity of Jesus and the Father, to honor one is to honor the other; to dishonor (or reject) one is to dishonor the other
o (24) :: Jesus reveals the Father
• He came to offer life and remove judgment (which only he can do as the Son of Man)
• Whoever hears (believes; receives) has judgment removed and is given life
• Whoever does not hear (stops up their ears; unbelief; rejects) has no life and judgment remains on them as the due consequence of their sin

2. 5:25-29 :: Life and Judgment belong to Jesus
o This is the foundation of the rest of the Gospel of John (Klink)
o Jesus' final word will be proof of his authority, when the dead hear and live
o Every person will hear and respond, either to eternal life or to judgment (Daniel 12:2)
o The linchpin is belief in the Son (20:31)
o Only Jesus can give life and remove judgment

3. 5:30-47 :: Witnesses to Jesus' deity and glory
o Jesus' witness is not sufficient alone (30-32)
o John the Baptist (33-35)
o The works of Jesus (36)
o The Father (37-38)
o Scripture (39-40)
o The futility of man's glory (41-47)
• Jesus is Judge, not Accuser
• Moses (hope in the Law; self-righteousness) will accuse them on the day of judgment
• To love man's glory over God's leads to judgment

POINT:
Whatever you put your hope in in this life will either accuse or acquit you on the day of judgment. Jesus alone gives life freely, but he must be received as both Life and Judge. To get Jesus is wrong is to get everything wrong.

Discussion Q’s:
1. Who do you believe Jesus to be?
2. Are there areas in which you sit in judgment over God based on your own conceptions? What conceptions do you have that stand in contradiction to God’s claims about himself?
3. How does the fact that only Jesus can give life and remove judgment change our relationship to Scripture (and other spiritual disciplines)?
4. Why is Scripture and biblical teaching so important to our understanding of God? “The Scriptures, rightly understood, point away from themselves to Jesus.” (D.A. Carson)
5. If Scripture cannot give life on its own, why do you read the Bible? What does it produce?
a. Are you looking for Christ in your Bible reading?
b. Are you looking to Christ in your Bible reading?
c. Does it cause you to marvel?
d. Does it result in honoring Christ, and therefore honoring God the Father?
6. Who’s glory are you more prone to chase after and receive: the glory of man or the glory of God?
7. If you have believed on Christ, rest in the fact that it is because he has chosen by his pleasure to give you life and remove the judgment of your sin by taking it upon himself. You do not have to strive to attain spiritual life or favor, and you do not have to strive to remove judgment from yourself. The work is finished by Jesus, the worthy Life Giver and Judgment Remover. Give yourself to the spiritual disciplines in order to behold him, marvel at him, honor him, and be transformed by him.

October 18, 2020

October 18, 2020 • Pastor Phil Burggraff

Passage: John 21:1–25 Theme: Glory and Grace Followed What following means for the church: 1. We have a mission to continue Jesus’ work. 2. Our catching of people depends solely on the person and work of Jesus. 3. Church life reflects participation in and fellowship with Jesus. What following means for the leader: 1. Our love for one another stems from Christ’s love for us. 2. Love for Christ leads to the action of caring for Christ’s sheep. 3. Our lives are at Christ’s disposal. Main Idea: Those focused on the glory and grace of Jesus Christ will follow their Lord wherever he leads to accomplish his mission and care for his sheep.

October 11, 2020

October 11, 2020 • Pastor Phil Burggraff

Theme: Glory and Grace Commissioned Passage: John 20:19–31 As the new creation of Jesus Christ, we possess: 1. Peace grounded in Jesus’ work (19–20) 2. a Mission started by the Father (21) 3. Participation in God through the Spirit (22) 4. the Authority of God on earth today (23) 5. a Faith based on witness to Jesus Christ (24–29) Main Idea: God culminates his work on earth in the body of his Son, the church. He has commissioned us to • Declare Jesus is the Christ. • Display Jesus is our life. Application Questions: • When you think of peace, what comes to mind? From what you recall from the sermon and what is spoken of elsewhere in scripture, how does the Bible describe peace? • How does v. 21, “as the Father has sent me, I am sending you,” impact your view of missions? What does it indicate about you personally? • How do we as believers forgive sins today (v. 23)? • What do vv. 24–29 teach us about belief? Do you truly “believe” Jesus’ words that you are blessed because you haven’t seen but believed? Why do you think we still look for signs/indicators from Jesus in order for us to believe? • How do we live out the purpose of the gospel in vv. 30¬–31 today?

October 4, 2020

October 4, 2020 • Pastor Phil Burggraff

October 4th 2020 - The Reality of the Empty Tomb John 20: 1-18 The reality of the empty tomb: • The report of Mary and the women (1–2) • The discovery of the two disciples (3–9) • The elicited response of the disciples (10) Truths that we can make from the empty tomb: 1) The empty tomb produces belief in those who are truly the children of God. 2) The empty tomb indicates a new creation has dawned. 3) The empty tomb demonstrates Jesus possesses the power and authority of God. Mary’s experience indicates the following concerning our sorrowful condition: 1. The resurrected Jesus made atonement to overcome grief with grace. 2. The resurrected Jesus made a relationship with God possible again for fallen sinners. 3. The resurrected Jesus made his followers into the true family of God. Main Idea: By his resurrection, Jesus overcomes grief by enabling a relationship that will never end.