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John 8:30-47 Yes, Israel (the Jews) has enjoyed unprecedented advantages over every other nation; but no, the advantages themselves are not sufficient to guarantee entrance into the kingdom of Heaven.  Similarly, you may very well be enjoying certain "religious" advantages, only Christ can deliver a person from slavery sin!

John 8:30-32 The fact that the Gospels portray Jesus Himself as a controversial person probably comes as a surprise to many moderns.  Secular (religious) culture has rebranded Jesus as almost exclusively kind, loving, nice, accepting, non-judgmental; when in fact, in the first century gospels people were sharply divided and/or offended by what He said and how He conducted Himself.  The Biblical Gospels are preserved for us so that we can know the truth, and in order that the truth can set us free!

John 8:28-32 Jesus claims, "I always do the things that are pleasing to [My Father]."  The Jews who crucified Jesus assert that Jesus is not pleasing to God, or else God would deliver Him.  The tension between these two claims is resolved in Isaiah 53.  Next, we begin to address the tension between verse 30, "many believed in Him," and Jesus's subsequent exposure of them in verses 31-45.

October 18, 2026 John 8:25-28, 43-47 The Jews to whom Jesus is speaking are just not understanding who He is.  Yet Jesus's message is plain: "Just what I have been telling you from the beginning."  What is the problem?  Jesus tells them exactly what the problem is in verses 43-47.

John 8:12-14 Still at the Feast of Tabernacles, Jesus drops yet another bombshell by declaring, "I am the light of the world.  Whoever follows Me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." Also very interesting: What does Jesus mean in verse 23 when He says, "You are of this world; I am not of this world"?

This sermon finishes out the story of Jesus at the Feast of Booths. As the crowds confront him, Jesus speaks of the Holy Spirit and demonstrates the value of finding salvation in him alone.

This is the second of three messages on the story of Jesus at the Festival of Booths. The Jews try to challenge the messianic identity of Christ through accusative questions. Jesus reminds them of his heavenly identity and the purpose of his ministry.  *Our apologies for the buzzing noise during the recording. We are not sure what caused this technical issue, but we pray the sermon can still be a blessing to you.*

John 6:60-71 Pastor Cliff finishes his teaching on Jesus's important discourse about Himself being "the Bread of Life."

John 7:1-8

John 6:22-66 (part 2) Last week we focused on key words, themes, and progressions.  This week we (quickly) work through the narrative between Jesus and the large crowd of (fickle) disciples.  Pro Tip: The two messages compliment one another. Earlier in the worship gathering, a relevant quote pertaining to God's sovereign grace and the free call of the gospel (John 6:35-40) was as follows: "Do you want to be one of God's people?  These blessings which God gives to them, do you want to have them?   You may have them, if you will.  If you will not have them, I pray you do not quarrel with God because He chooses to give them where He wills.  There are two great truths which from this platform I have proclaimed for many years. The first is that salvation is free to every man who will have it; the second is that God gives salvation to a people whom He has chosen; and these truths are not in conflict with each other in the least degree."   - Charles Spurgeon (1834-1892)

John 6:22-66 Jesus's "Bread of Life" discourse becomes the turning point from the apex of His popularity onto a road that leads to Calvary (His crucifixion).  The single discourse with the crowd consists of five engagements (progressions).  At the end of the day they (and we) must decide:  Are we seeking Jesus because we recognize our desperate need of Jesus? or because we are intent on using His power to our own advantage?

John 6:14-21 Sandwiched between the miracle of feeding the 5000 (6:1-15) and Jesus's teaching the next day culminating in His claim, "I am the bread of life" -- John narrates the how that night Jesus came to them walking on water during a windstorm (verses 16-21).  At first glance it seems somewhat out of place, but it's really not!

Jesus feeding the 5,000 is one of his most well-known and encouraging miracles. This is such a significant miracle that it has been recorded in all four gospel accounts. We explore John's telling of this miraculous event and what his perspective has to teach us about Jesus as the Son of God.

The remaining portion of John 5 shows us the leaders of the Jews beginning to persecute Jesus and conspire about his eventual death. As Jesus responds, he asserts his own identity as the Son of God. Christ explains what it means for him to come from the Father, and he also provides undeniable proof of his messiahship.  *Please be warned there will be a brief increase in volume towards the end of the sermon. This is due to the editor enhancing the volume so anybody listening can hear the video testimony.*

Jesus meets a suffering man beside the pool of Bethesda where the sickest in Jerusalem gather. Jesus grants the man a miraculous healing which enables him to walk right away. His experience allows us to see how Jesus meets his people in their hopelessness and ministers to them there. We also deal with the matter of healing miracles. We conclude that God can and does still heal today, but it's his gift to extend or not extend. What remains certain through all sin, suffering, and physical illness is that we have a living hope in the Son of God.