In our major sermon series for this year, Pastor Cam led us in a study of the Gospel of John. Through 21 chapters of story and discourse (almost half of it taken up by Jesus’ own words) John brings us back again and again to several key questions: Who is he? Where did he come from? Why did he come? How do we know?
Individual sermon texts can be viewed in a new window by clicking on the date of the sermon.
In this message, we come to the end of a journey through the Gospel of John which began last September; 29 messages in all. Chapter 20:31 gives a great conclusion to John’s Gospel. So why is chapter 21 added? In this message, we find out that the Christian life doesn’t conclude by believing in Jesus. That is just the beginning. Once we have met him, we cannot go back to life as it was before. What Jesus says to Peter he says to us all: Follow Me!
In this second message on John 17 (entitled “I Pray for Those Who Believe”) we listen in again as Jesus prays. This time we focus on what he prays for us as his followers. What we learn has important implications for understanding our relationship to the world as well as our place and task in the world. We also learn exciting truths about our relationship to one another and to Christ himself, and what we have to look forward to in eternity.
In this first message on John 17 (entitled Who Is That Man?), we listen in as Jesus “phones home”. What we learn provides vital clues in answering the key questions of the Gospel of John: Who is Jesus, Where did he come from, Why did he come?
As Jesus brings his discourse to a close (John 16:16-33), he revisits several themes from earlier in his teaching. In this message (No One Will Take Away Your Joy) we focus on the theme of joy. Where does it come from? What is its source? How is joy sustained in the struggles of life?
Change is hard! And in the Upper Room Discourse, Jesus is preparing his disciples for dramatic changes. But sometimes change is good. That is what Jesus tells his disciples in this section of Scripture (John 16:5-15). It Is Better for You is the title of this sermon. Find out why Jesus said this. How does Jesus departure for heaven and the coming of the Holy Spirit actually make things better for Jesus’ followers?
I Never Promised You a Rose Garden! This is the title for a sermon from John 15:18-16:4, in which Jesus warns his disciples about what they can expect from the world. It is not a pretty picture! Why is the world so hostile to Christ’s followers? And how should we respond when we experience the heat of persecution?
I Am the Vine. This is the title for this sermon on John 15:1-16. It is also the opening line for one of Jesus’ most famous teachings. Who is the vine? Who is the gardener? Who are the branches? What is the fruit? As we seek the answers to these questions in the text, we find that the heart of the metaphor lies in understanding what it means to “abide in Christ.”
As Jesus was about to leave his disciples to return to his Father, he sought to prepare them for his absence. In this message from John 14:12-31, entitled While I’m Away…, we find that Jesus entrusts his followers with certain responsibilities. But he also leaves us with the necessary resources.
When Jesus told his disciples that he was going away, they were devastated. But Jesus reassures them with the words, “Let not your hearts be troubled.” Find out what Jesus told them and how he answered their questions in this message from John 14:1-11.
In a special “two-fer”, Pastor Cam gives two sermons from John 13:18-35 for the price of one. In the first one we look at the traitor, Judas. What lessons can we learn from his life and tragic end? Could there be any “Judases” among us? In the second sermon, Jesus registers the trademark – the mark by which all men can know that we are followers of Jesus. He challenges ECC to consider what it means and whether we are truly displaying The Mark of the Christian.
In John 13-17 we have the record of Jesus’ final hours with his disciples before he went to the cross. These are critical chapters as Jesus’ prepared his followers, not only for the cross, but for his departure back to heaven, leaving them behind. What did they need to know in preparation for the road that lay ahead of them? In John 13:1-17 Jesus began by enacting a powerful object lesson for his disciples by washing their feet. What are the lessons we learn? Find out in this message entitle: I Have Set You an Example.
For John, the resurrection of Jesus was the final sign, the final piece of evidence to answer the question: Who is Jesus? Listen to his closing argument in this sermon from John 20 titled: That You Might Believe. Early on Sunday morning of the very first Easter, Mary approached the tomb before the sun had risen. What did she find there? What else happened on that first Easter which led the followers of Jesus to believe that he had risen from the dead? And what is at stake in whether we believe it or not?
John carefully paints a verbal portrait of Jesus’ final hours on the cross in John 19:16-42. He includes several details that are unique to his account. In this message we discuss the significance of the sign that was nailed to Jesus’ cross, and the sudden references to fulfilled prophecy. We especially focus on Jesus’ loud cry just before he dismissed his spirit and died. It is finished! What did it mean and how does it answer the question: Why did Jesus’ come?
For the next three messages (leading up to Good Friday/Easter) we are “leap-frogging” over Jesus’ time with his followers in John 13-17 to follow the story line through John’s account of Jesus’ trial, crucifixion and resurrection. In this message (John 18:1-19:15: Behold Your King!) we follow Jesus from the Garden of Gethsemane to the high priest’s palace and then to Pilate’s hall. As the story unfolds, we are faced again with the key questions: Who is Jesus? Where did he come from? And why did he come?
In John 12:12-50, it is Crisis Time. Who is facing a crisis in this chapter? What is the nature of the crisis? And what was the outcome? We actually identify four groups or individuals who faced a “decisive moment” in this section of Scripture. And you and I are among them!
How Can I Say Thanks? That was the question that filled the home of Lazarus and Mary and Martha in the weeks that followed the incredible day when Jesus called Lazarus out of the tomb. In John 12:1-10, Jesus returns to Bethany and a dinner party is held in his honor. In this sermon we watch and see how each of the three expressed their gratitude and draw lessons for our own lives.
Death. The ultimate enemy. What happened when Jesus faced death, standing by the tomb of his friend Lazarus? We find out in this message entitled I Am the Resurrection and the Life taken from John 11. The message also reveals three precious and necessary resources we have as Christians to face death, either our own or that of someone we love.
After a two month break, we return to our series from the Gospel of John in this message from John 10 entitled: I Am the Good Shepherd. Find out how Jesus used of the everyday life of sheep and shepherds to proclaim powerful truths about his identity and why he came.
In John 9, John relates another of the miracles or “signs” of Jesus as he records the story of Jesus when he healed a man who was born blind. Watch the drama unfold as the Jews are confronted with this evidence of Jesus identity, and compare their growing unbelief with the growing belief in The Man Born Blind.
I Am the Light of the World. Jesus makes this dramatic claim in John 8. He makes some other dramatic claims in this powerful chapter in which the spiritual battle between Jesus and the Jews intensifies. At the end of the encounter, Jesus left his audience with only two choices: Stone me or worship me! Find out what Jesus said and how the Jews responded.
Jesus is a controversial figure. He was controversial when he was on earth. He remains controversial today. In John 7 as Jesus attended the Feast of the Tabernacles in Jerusalem, the controversy was heating up. People were taking sides. Is he “good”? Or is he “deceiving the people”? In this sermon, entitled Come to Me and Drink, we look at the issues that were fueling the debate. We also discover where the dividing line between belief and unbelief is to be found.
In John 6, we have the account of one of Jesus’ most well known miracles, the feeding of the 5000. Following that miracle, Jesus preached a sermon in which he identified himself as The Bread from Heaven. At the end of the sermon, many of Jesus’ followers turned back and no long followed him. What did Jesus say that they found so difficult to accept? How does the word picture of Jesus as the Bread of Life help us understand his ministry? And what does it mean to “eat his flesh and drink his blood”? Find out in this sermon.
In this message from John 4:43-5:47, we look at Two Signs and a Sermon. Jesus performs two miracles of healing. Jesus follows the second miracle with some remarkable claims about his identity as the Son of God. Such claims require verification. Jesus produces four witnesses to his identity and then exposes the hearts of his audience by revealing four reasons for their unbelief.
Did you know that God is on a search? He is looking for true worshipers, who worship him in spirit and truth. Jesus was engaged in this search when he struck up a conversation with a Samaritan woman beside Jacob’s well. Through their interaction we learn important lessons about salvation, about worship and about evangelism. Find out what they are in this message from John 4:1-42 called: The Search for True Worshipers.
You Must Be Born Again! Those words are as controversial today as they were when Jesus spoke them to Nicodemus. What do they mean? Why the sense of urgency? What is at stake? For a fresh look at this ancient phrase, join us in this study of John 3.
In John 2, John records “the first miraculous sign” as Jesus displays his glory to his disciples at a wedding feast by turning water into wine. Later in the chapter, Jesus foretells what will become the final or ultimate sign in response to their demand, Show Us a Sign. He responds, “Destroy this temple and I will raise it again in three days.” The Jewish rulers didn’t “get it”. But for those will believe, we find that John is continuing to address two of his four key questions: Who is Jesus? How do we know?
Do you remember when you first met Jesus? In the passage for this sermon (John 1:35-51) we have the story of five men and their first contacts with Jesus. What impact did that first contact have on these men? What were their conclusions about his identity? As the good news spread from Jesus to his first followers and then from brother to brother and friend to friend, one phrase is repeated: Come and See!
In his opening Prologue, John made some amazing claims about Jesus. In John 1:19-34, John calls his first witness to authenticate those claims. The witness’s name is also John – the Baptist. What does John the Baptist tell us about Jesus, and what can we learn from him about the task and role of a witness? Find out in this message entitled, Behold, the Lamb of God.
In this first message from the Gospel of John, entitled In the Beginning, we explore John 1:1-18. As Pastor Cam stood in line at the Immigration Department this week, he discovered a number of parallels between the immigration process and the central issues of John’s Gospel. Find out what they are!