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Mike Healey begins by admitting he had spent weeks preparing the wrong passage and only discovered the change when he checked the service outline — so there are no slides, just a couple of visual aids. He picks up where Erica left off, since her passage ended with “many believed in him” — many, but not all. John 8:31-59 is Jesus speaking to Jews who had believed him, not to those who had already rejected him, and that is the sting of it. “If you hold to my teaching you are really my disciples; then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” Mike is careful about what that freedom is: not head knowledge, not agreeing it sounds sensible, but holding to the teaching — living by it and growing into it. Eternal life, he notes, is defined in John 17 as knowing the only true God and the one he sent. The reply is the odd part: “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been slaves of anyone.” The festival of booths they had just kept remembers the wilderness; the Passover remembers Egypt. Being God’s people has never meant never having been slaves — it means having been freed, and God does not choose people who do not need saving. Their objection is the ego’s objection: being set free means admitting you were not free. Jesus presses: everyone who sins is a slave to sin; a slave has no permanent place in the family, but the son belongs to it forever, so if the Son sets you free you will be free indeed. When they claim Abraham, Mike points at two Greek words — sperma, seed or descendant, which they are, and tekna, children, which is about character: you would do what Abraham did, and Abraham was a man of faith and obedience. Their claim escalates to “we have one Father, God himself”, and Jesus does not soften it: if God were your father you would love me; you belong to your father the devil, a murderer from the beginning, and when he lies he speaks his native language. Mike dwells on that: lies and murder belong together, because a lie has to be maintained and enforced while the truth simply is. The chapter ends with the claim. “Who do you think you are?” — “Before Abraham was born, I am.” Mike ties it to the name given to Moses, I am what I am, and to John’s habit of recording Jesus saying simply “I am”: God is, while everything else exists because he keeps it in being. He borrows Erica’s line that before existence existed, he existed, and Julian of Norwich’s hazelnut — everything made, small as a nut. The chapter that opens with stones for a woman caught in adultery ends with stones for Jesus; he slips away because it was not his time. Jesus is not one truth among many but the truth itself. Bible passages John 8:31-59 — the sermon text: holding to his teaching, the truth setting you free, slavery to sin, Abraham’s descendants and children, the father of lies, and “before Abraham was born, I am”. John 8:1-11 — the woman caught in adultery, which opens the chapter this passage closes. John 8:12 — last week’s text, “I am the light of the world”. John 7 — the festival of booths and the plot against Jesus, preached earlier in the series. Exodus 3:14 — “I am what I am”, the name behind Jesus’ claim. Exodus 4:22 — “Israel is my firstborn son”, behind “we have one Father, God himself”. Luke 13:16 — the bent-over woman called a daughter of Abraham. Luke 19:9 — Zacchaeus called a son of Abraham. John 14:6 — “I am the way, the truth and the life”, the saying Mike ends on. John 17:3 — eternal life as knowing the only true God and his Son. John 1:1 — “in the beginning was the Word”, God being and creation coming into being. Key points Jesus is speaking to people who had believed him, which makes the passage a challenge rather than a rejection. Freedom comes from holding to his teaching and living it, not from agreeing with it. “We have never been slaves” misses Israel’s story: God saves people who know they need saving. Everyone who sins is a slave; the slave has no permanent place, the Son does, and the Son frees. Descendant is biology, child is character: Abraham’s children do what Abraham did. Lies and murder share a father, because a lie needs maintenance and enforcement while the truth does not. “Before Abraham was born, I am” claims the divine name, not a long life. The chapter’s bookends — stones for the woman, stones for Jesus — show where lies end. Calls to action Be open to the truth instead of deciding in advance what you will believe; Jesus says some could not hear him because they had no room for his word. Hold to the teaching rather than merely hearing it, and keep growing into it. Ask honestly whose child your behaviour shows you to be — Abraham’s faith and obedience, or lies that need enforcing. Refuse the flattery that a lie is just another point of view. Come to Jesus as the truth, not as one option among many: everyone on the side of truth listens to him. Watch the video: https://youtu.be/ooRVUw8Sfr4

This week’s service was a Communion Sunday in the “This is Us” series, and instead of a sermon it was an interview: Nick sat down with Wendy Painter, who recently joined the senior leadership team, so the church could get to know her. Wendy describes herself as a one-to-one person rather than a group person: married to Colin for 37 years, with two married daughters and a new grandson. She was born in Coventry, the youngest of seven, and — as she tells it — the first baby born in the lift of the new hospital, because the staff did not believe her mother was already in labour. Her childhood was happy but quiet: love was not spoken out loud, and with seven children it was mostly “get on with it”. She disliked school and rules, and her rebellion was a quiet one — she simply did not turn up for her French exam. Nurse training at King’s College London was the escape she loved. Her family was not Christian. Faith arrived through a colleague called Jackie, who took her to St Mark’s at the Oval. Wendy remembers the enormous wooden doors and told Jackie she would not go in if they were shut, because she did not want to be boxed in — they stayed open, and after several weeks she gave her life to Christ. Jesus has been the constant ever since: life has its ups and downs, but he does not move. She is honest that faith has not meant an easy life. When Colin’s work moved the family back to the Midlands she resented leaving a place she loved near the sea; soon afterwards her mother contracted meningitis and was given hours to live. Wendy stood by the bed and shouted at God — “this isn’t on” — and her mother recovered, and never smoked again after forty a day. A couple of years later a stroke took her. Her father’s Alzheimer’s brought the opposite prayer, that God would take him, and she describes God answering that he knew the day he brought him into the world and the day he would take him home; he died the next day. What she has learned is God’s faithfulness across a whole life — from lost keys and parking spaces to the death of parents — and that he is worth trusting more as she gets older, even when she still doubts. The second lesson came through years with Christians Against Poverty: do not judge people, see them through Jesus’ eyes. The last part is about MCF. The family moved to Sheffield five years ago, ten days before their first grandson was born, and went to St Thomas Philadelphia until the drive — 28 sets of traffic lights — became impossible. Wendy admits they looked at the MCF website and said “no, we’re not going there”; then they walked in and felt at home. What struck her was the leadership’s humility and the plainness of communion. She is excited and scared about joining the team, used to the structure of her Baptist background, and aware that God keeps asking her to stay open and keep learning: there is no retiring from his kingdom. Bible passages Joshua 1:9 — her favourite verse, “be strong and courageous… the Lord your God is with you wherever you go”, given to her on a cross-stitch by Jackie’s mum when she left London. 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 — the communion practice behind her contrast between MCF’s simplicity and formality that has to be “blessed by so-and-so”. Matthew 26:26-28 — the institution of the Lord’s Supper, the pattern she means by doing it the way Jesus would. Key points Brought up in a non-Christian home in Coventry, the youngest of seven; faith came through a colleague’s friendship and an open church door. Jesus as the constant: life moves up and down, he does not. Her mother’s recovery from meningitis — and the end of a forty-a-day smoking habit — is the miracle she names first. Her father’s death taught her that God knows the day he brings a person into the world and the day he takes them home. Trust grows by looking back: God’s faithfulness from small things to bereavement. Christians Against Poverty taught her not to judge people, but to see them as Jesus sees them. Nearly writing off MCF over its website, then feeling at home because of the leadership’s humility and the plainness of communion. Joining the leadership team: excited and scared, still learning that God’s kingdom has no retirement. Calls to action Pray for Wendy and Colin: for their family and grandchildren to come to know the Lord, and for Wendy to stay open to his leading. Ask God to show you where you have judged someone, and to let you see them as he does. Keep bringing everything to God — the small, ordinary things as well as the big ones — and look back often at how he has been faithful. If you are further on in years, do not assume your usefulness in God’s kingdom is over; stay open to being challenged and taught. If you have never come to faith, notice Jackie in this story: an ordinary colleague whose friendship and invitation were the whole difference. Watch the video: https://youtu.be/xj_R7d0w6BM

Erica opens with a story about her parents being invited to a garden party at Buckingham Palace. Dressed up, mayoral chain and all, the family spent the day wondering what they were seeing. When they rang to ask how it had gone, her father — a man of few words — answered: “They had lovely ice cream.” That is the sermon in miniature. We can stand in front of something extraordinary, notice only the ordinary, and then start sorting the ordinary into what we like and what we would turn our noses up at. Erica suggests we do exactly this with Jesus: familiar with the church, the worship and the language, we lose sight of the one standing in front of us. John 8:21-30 continues the conversation Nick preached from last week, where Jesus called himself the light of the world. Now he says he is going away, that they will search for him and die in their sin, that they are from below while he is from above, and that unless they believe he is who he claims to be they will die in their sins. Their question in verse 25 — “Who are you?” — is the shock of the passage. These were not people who had never heard of him: they had listened, questioned and debated, and still could not see. Erica asks whether we recognise ourselves in that question — able to tell the stories, fluent in the language of Christianity, and still not really knowing the Jesus who is speaking. Verse 24 gives the reason belief matters. If Jesus is the light, the saviour and the life, then his absence is what leaves a person in darkness, bound to sin and separated from God. Erica distinguishes a threat from a warning: a threat coerces, while a warning tells you there is danger ahead and comes from someone who loves you — like telling your husband to watch for the dog poo. Jesus is not inventing a consequence to frighten people; he is telling the truth about who he is. From there she turns to the smaller Jesuses we build: the teacher whose advice we may argue with, the prophet who is one voice among many, the miracle-worker who fixes problems until a miracle does not come, the friend whose comfort we welcome while resisting his correction. Each is true as far as it goes, and each is too small. Only the Jesus who reveals himself as Lord has words that carry authority, and only he is the bread of life, the light, the gate, the shepherd, the resurrection, the way and the vine. Verse 30 closes with a sober note: many believed — but not all. Bible passages John 8:21-30 — the text: “unless you believe that I am he”, “Who are you?”, “when you have lifted up the Son of Man”, and verse 30, “many believed in him”. John 8:12 — last week’s text: “I am the light of the world”; whoever follows me will not walk in darkness. John 1:10-11 — the world did not recognise him; his own did not receive him. John 1:12 — to all who received him he gave the right to become children of God. John 6:35 — “I am the bread of life.” John 10:9 — “I am the gate.” John 10:11 — “I am the good shepherd”, who lays down his life for the sheep. John 11:25 — “I am the resurrection and the life.” John 14:6 — “I am the way and the truth and the life.” John 15:1 — “I am the true vine.” Key points Familiarity is the danger: standing in front of the extraordinary and noticing only the ordinary, then deciding which parts we like. “Who are you?” — the people closest to Jesus, with the most evidence, still failed to recognise him; proximity is not faith. The absence of Jesus is what leaves us in darkness and bound to sin; verse 24 describes reality rather than threatening. Every reduced Jesus — teacher, prophet, fixer, friend — is true as far as it goes and too small to save. If he is only a teacher we pick which of his words we obey; he is Lord before he is friend, and his friendship does not cancel his lordship. The “I am” sayings are claims, not advice: bread, light, gate, shepherd, resurrection, way, vine. What we do with Jesus is the only decision with consequences beyond this life; many believed, not all. Calls to action Stop settling for the Jesus we have constructed and ask to see the Jesus who has revealed himself in Scripture. If you have never believed, hear the warning as an invitation: come to him as he says he is, even without understanding everything. If you have believed for years, do not rest in familiarity — the church, the worship, the language, Christian values — but keep asking him to reveal himself again. Pray honestly: “Jesus, I don’t get it all, but I want to believe you as you say you are; help me to follow you, so that I walk in the light and not in darkness.” Be willing to embrace an uncomfortable life if that is what it costs to discover who he is. Young people especially: the choice about Jesus outranks where you live, who you marry, your career and your money. Watch the video: https://youtu.be/KnaHs3t_Xf0

Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.” (John 8:12) Nick opens up John 8:12–20, where Jesus makes one of his boldest claims — and refuses to soften it when the Pharisees tell him his testimony cannot be valid. Drawing on years spent living in Zambia, where power cuts and unlit roads made darkness something you felt rather than simply saw, Nick asks what it actually looks like to live without light: confusion, fear, disorientation, and no idea which way to turn. The light, he argues, is not faith, or understanding, or church attendance. The light is Jesus himself. That makes the claim uncomfortable as well as hopeful — it is possible to be near the church and still be in the dark. Bible passages John 8:12 — the sermon text: “I am the light of the world; whoever follows me will not walk in darkness” John 8:13–18 — the Pharisees challenge Jesus’ testimony; Jesus answers that it stands because the Father is his second witness John 8:19–20 — “Where is your father?”; Jesus teaches in the temple treasury and is not arrested because his time had not yet come John 8:1–11 — the woman caught in adultery, referred back to as the previous week’s passage Peter’s vow to follow Jesus even to death (Matthew 26:33–35) — used to show how quickly confidence collapses when the lights go out Luke 2:10–11 — the angels’ announcement of good news of great joy for all people, cited to show the light is for the whole world Key points “I am the light of the world” is an exclusive claim — Jesus does not say he is a light, or one option among many Darkness is a present reality: confusion, fear, uncertainty, not knowing which way to turn Nick’s years in Zambia — power cuts, night driving with no white lines, cat’s eyes or street lights, and the physical relief when light returns The light is not faith, understanding, church attendance, or the label “Christian”; the light is Jesus himself It is possible to come close to church and still remain in darkness Believing, enjoying church and understanding the Bible are not the same as a personal encounter with Jesus Nick’s own conversion at 16, thirty-nine years ago: his grandmother expected a phase, but something changed that never changed back Following Jesus is not a one-off decision but a daily commitment Revival begins with a community of people who deliberately focus on Jesus every day Calls to action If you have never given your life to Jesus: do it now — speak up, connect with someone, and let them pray with you Make a personal response today: “Lord Jesus, I want to follow you. Come into my life, shine your light.” Start each day deliberately turning towards Jesus: “Lord Jesus, today I’m going to follow you.” Join the church in becoming a community among whom Jesus lives and shines his light Recorded at Meadowhead Christian Fellowship. Watch the video: https://youtu.be/pi2PoilS_uE

Andy Holingum continues the series in the Gospel of John, reading John 7:53-8:11 (the woman caught in adultery). He opens by recalling two questions Micah raised two weeks earlier — “Who do you say Jesus is?” and “Who does your life say Jesus is?” — and moves into the passage as a fresh answer to that challenge. The teachers of the law and Pharisees drag a woman caught in adultery before Jesus, using her as a trap. Andy notes that Deuteronomy 22:22 demands the death of both parties, yet only the woman is brought: the man is missing, exposing the crowd’s true motive. They are not upholding the law but manipulating a vulnerable woman to entangle Jesus. Jesus bends down and writes on the ground, then offers a third way — “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone” — and the crowd disperses, older ones first, leaving Jesus alone with the woman. He neither condemns nor excuses her: “Neither do I condemn you. Go now and leave your life of sin.” The heart of the message is what this episode says about how we handle sin — ours and others’. Andy traces finger-pointing back to Genesis 3, where Adam blames the woman and Eve blames the serpent. It is the same instinct that drives workplace blame, politics, and social media. Jesus’ response in Matthew 7 — the speck and the plank — turns the gaze back on ourselves. The calling-out of sin in this passage produces two responses: the woman stays, is forgiven, and receives freedom; the crowd admits sin in general, refuses to name it, and walks away still condemned. Only Jesus frees from the grip of sin, not just its penalty. Andy ties this to 1 John 1:9 — confession brings forgiveness and purifying — and to Philippians 2, where the attitude of Christ means laying down our ego rather than protecting it. Isaiah 58:9-10 adds that God answers when we do away with the pointing finger and malicious talk and instead spend ourselves on behalf of the hungry and oppressed. The Sully film anecdote drives it home: Jesus looks at us and says, “Can we get serious now?” Bible passages John 7:53-8:11 — the woman caught in adultery, the sermon text Deuteronomy 22:22 Genesis 3:6-13 Matthew 7:3-5 Philippians 2:5-8 Romans 1:16 Isaiah 58:9-10 1 John 1:9 Key points Finger-pointing is everywhere — homes, workplaces, politics — and we all do it to protect ourselves. The Pharisees are not upholding the law of Moses; Deuteronomy 22:22 requires the man as well as the woman, and he is absent. Jesus offers a third way that exposes the trap: only the sinless may throw the first stone. The crowd’s slow departure — older ones first — is an admission of guilt; they remain under condemnation. The woman stays and receives both grace (“Neither do I condemn you”) and truth (“go and leave your life of sin”). Confession before Jesus, with nothing hidden, is where condemnation and shame are lifted. 1 John 1:9 is John recalling this very episode: confession brings forgiveness and purifying. Philippians 2 calls believers to the attitude of Christ — laying down ego, not preserving it. Isaiah 58:9-10 links God’s answering prayer to putting away the pointing finger and serving the oppressed. Andy challenges believers to “get serious” about sin, moving beyond celebration to daily self-denial and cross-bearing. Calls to action To believers: stop pointing fingers; get serious with Jesus about the plank in your own life rather than the speck in others’. To believers: do away with pointing fingers and malicious talk; roll up your sleeves and serve the hungry and oppressed around you. To believers: deny yourself, take up your cross daily, and let Jesus change your life — not just celebrate what he has done. To believers: come before Jesus with everything laid bare, confess, and receive his forgiveness and freedom from sin’s grip. To anyone who has never professed faith: stay before Jesus as the woman did; do not walk away like the crowd, but find freedom from sin and condemnation in him alone — “let’s make good choices.” Watch the video: https://youtu.be/KpFza3UEMww

Myke Walters, the church’s youth worker, takes John 7:37-52 and begins with a rapid tour of the series so far: the Word in chapter 1; the wedding, the temple, Nicodemus and the Samaritan woman in chapters 2 to 4; the Sabbath healing and the Passover in 5 and 6; and now the Feast of Tabernacles, where Jesus’ brothers press him to go up to Jerusalem and he goes secretly instead, before teaching in the temple courts. He reads the passage in full. On the last and greatest day of the festival Jesus calls out that anyone who is thirsty should come to him and drink, promising rivers of living water to those who believe — water John explains as the Spirit, not yet given because Jesus had not yet been glorified. The crowd divides over him: some call him the prophet, some the Messiah, others object that the Christ comes from David’s line and from Bethlehem rather than Galilee. The temple guards return empty-handed and are accused of being deceived along with a cursed mob, and Nicodemus, who had come to Jesus earlier, asks whether their law condemns a man without first hearing him. Walters’ through-line is the question: who do you say Jesus is, and who does your life say Jesus is? The competing answers in the passage show people holding the same words and still splitting over them, and he notes that the arguments hurled at Jesus then — deception, bias, a cursed crowd — are the sorts of voices that still speak over people’s lives. His weight falls on “anyone”: the invitation is not caveated, it was issued in front of people who wanted Jesus dead, and so the person next to you qualifies. Thirst, he says, is spiritual — the hole in a person that relationships, career, money and fame never fill — and drinking is obedience, receiving the Spirit who now lives inside believers. He closes with who God says we are: a new creation, free from condemnation, more than conquerors, and an invitation to look in the mirror and see what God sees. Bible passages John 7:37-52 — the passage read, beginning at verse 37 John 7:37-39 — the invitation to drink, and the Spirit not yet given John 7:40-44 — the crowd divided: prophet, Messiah, and the objection from Bethlehem John 7:45-52 — the guards, the Pharisees, and Nicodemus’ protest John 1:1 — “In the beginning was the Word”, from the series recap John 20:31 — written so that you may believe and have life in his name Deuteronomy 6:4-5 — the Shema, hearing and obeying, called God’s love language Matthew 16:15 — “who do you say that I am?” 2 Corinthians 5:17, Romans 8:1, Romans 8:37 and Ephesians 1:3 — the identity affirmations he closes with Key points The recap places this passage at the Feast of Tabernacles Jesus invites anyone who is thirsty to come to him and drink The living water is the Spirit, given once Jesus is glorified The crowd splits over who he is, and the leaders want him arrested The guards come back empty-handed; Nicodemus objects on legal grounds Who do you say Jesus is, and who does your life say Jesus is? “Anyone” means the person next to you, and the invitation carries no caveat Thirst is spiritual, and nothing created can fill that hole Drinking is obedience — hearing and obeying, God’s own love language Messiah means the anointed one; John writes so that we may believe and live The voices that dismissed Jesus then still speak over people now Lewis’s trilemma: no merely great teacher option, only lunatic, devil or Lord Had Jesus not died and risen, the Pharisees would have been right Stay and drink, rather than a sip before going your own way The closing questions: are we thirsty, where are we drinking, and who is Jesus in my life? Calls to action If you have never believed: come and drink — recognise the thirst and act on it Turn to the person next to you and tell them, “you are anyone” Ask yourself who your life says Jesus is If you have been drinking from other pools, repent and ask God to water your soul Open the closed rooms of your heart to God Look in the mirror and see what God sees Come out of your seat during worship and find a mirror Watch the video: https://youtu.be/dNjWKgys8ag

Cornelius Tanis continues a sermon series through the Gospel of John, preaching from John 7:25-36 on 20 September 2026. Six months after the events of chapter 6, Jesus has gone up to Jerusalem during the Feast of Tabernacles and is now teaching publicly in the temple. The crowd and religious leaders are divided: some wonder if the leaders believe He is the Messiah, others argue that since they know where He comes from He cannot be the Christ. The Pharisees and chief priests send temple guards to arrest Him, but no one lays a hand on Him because His hour has not yet come. Many in the crowd believe, while the leaders remain hostile and puzzled by His statement that they cannot go where He is going. Tanis sets the scene by recapping chapter 6 — the feeding of the 5,000, walking on water, and the bread-of-life discourse — noting that many disciples left and Peter confessed Jesus as the Christ. Tanis frames the passage around the question “Is Jesus the Christ?” and deepens it by exploring the significance of the Feast of Tabernacles, the last of Israel’s three great pilgrimage feasts. The feast celebrates God’s presence dwelling among His people — the tabernacle was God’s tent in the desert, where He promised, “I will be your God and you will be my people,” a phrase repeated roughly thirty times throughout Scripture. Jesus, God in flesh, now stands in Jerusalem at this very feast, yet His people reject Him just as the Israelites rebelled in the desert. Of the entire exodus generation, only two entered the Promised Land because they did not believe God’s promises of provision, guidance, and protection. Jerusalem itself is central — mentioned hundreds of times from Genesis to Revelation, the place where God will ultimately take up His dwelling. The preacher then turns to the Christological debate: Is Jesus man or God? He notes that even the early church wrestled with this until the Council of Nicaea (around AD 325) affirmed that Jesus Christ is God and man. He quotes Philippians to underscore that Jesus, being in the very nature of God, made Himself nothing and became obedient to death on a cross. Tanis warns that Jesus’ words — “you will search for me, but not find me, and where I am, you cannot come” — constitute a solemn condemnation for those who do not believe, and he ties this directly to John 3:16, where Jesus says whoever believes in Him has eternal life while whoever does not believe stands condemned already. He closes with a direct appeal for anyone who has never received Jesus as Savior to come forward and not remain an outsider. Bible passages John 7:25-36 John 7:26-27 John 7:31-34 John 3:16 John 1:14 Micah 5:2 Zechariah 8:3 Revelation 21:2 Philippians 2:5-8 Luke 15 Key points Jesus stands alone in Jerusalem at the Feast of Tabernacles, rejected by the religious leaders and debated by the crowd. The Feast of Tabernacles celebrates God’s presence dwelling among His people, a theme repeated from Exodus to Revelation. The Israelites’ unbelief in the desert — only two entered the Promised Land — parallels Jerusalem’s rejection of Jesus. Jesus is both God and man, a truth affirmed at the Council of Nicaea. “I will be your God and you will be my people” is the heartbeat of the covenant, appearing throughout Scripture. Failing to believe means being unable to go where Jesus is going — a warning and a call. Belief is the gateway to all of God’s promises: provision, guidance, protection, and eternal life. Christ means anointed one; Jesus means God who saves — the title “Jesus Christ” carries immense weight. Jerusalem is the city where God will ultimately take up His dwelling, and Jesus loves it despite its rejection. The early church prayer “Maranatha” — Come, Lord Jesus — reflects the longing for His return. Calls to action For those who have never professed faith: come forward and receive Jesus as Savior; do not remain an outsider. For the sick or unwell: come forward for prayer and anointing with oil. For all believers: surrender to Jesus, trust His direction, and wake up to the reality that He is God and man. Do not be standing on the outside like the people of Jerusalem — believe and receive the promises of God. Watch the video: https://youtu.be/iErTaHMfBdY

Andy Holingum continues a sermon series in John’s Gospel, preaching from John 7:10-24, set during the Feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem. After recounting recent weeks in John 5 and 6 — the Sabbath healing of a paralytic, the feeding of the five thousand, and many disciples falling away — he sets the scene: Jesus goes up to the feast secretly while the Jewish leaders watch for him and the crowd whispers divided opinions, afraid to speak publicly. Halfway through the feast, Jesus steps into the temple courts and teaches with an authority that amazes the crowd, who wonder how an uneducated man can speak this way. Holingum unpacks Jesus’ answer in verses 16-18, identifying three grounds for his authority: his teaching comes not from himself but from the one who sent him, so it is nothing new but the continuation of all God has said in the Old Testament; it is verified in lived experience, for anyone who chooses to do God’s will will find out whether his teaching is from God; and his motives are selfless, seeking the honour of the one who sent him rather than his own. He then moves to verses 19-24, where Jesus exposes the hypocrisy of leaders who keep the letter of the law — circumcising on the Sabbath — yet rage at him for healing a whole man on the Sabbath, and concludes with the command to stop judging by mere appearances and make a right judgment. The through-line is that Jesus’ authority is divine, not merely religious, and that following him means moving beyond surface-level religion and face-value judgment to the reality of a loving, merciful God. Holingum applies this to the tendency to cling to comfortable religion, to tribalism and gossip, and to the fear that keeps people silent about Jesus, calling the congregation to speak up, to test Jesus in everyday life, and to look beyond appearances as Jesus himself did with the Samaritan woman and the woman caught in adultery. Bible passages John 7:10-24 John 7:1-9 John 5:1-18 John 6:1-71 John 7:37-38 Acts 2:1-4 Psalm 34:8 John 4:1-42 John 8:1-11 Luke 10:25-37 Key points Jesus went up to the Feast of Tabernacles secretly, but halfway through he began teaching in the temple courts with astonishing authority. The crowd was divided — some called him a good man, others a deceiver — yet no one spoke publicly for fear of the Jewish leaders. Holingum gives background on the feast: a pilgrimage festival lasting eight days, with booths, daily sacrifices, and thanksgiving for God’s provision in the wilderness. Jesus grounds his authority in Scripture: his teaching is not new but the continuation of what God has already said in the Old Testament. Jesus ties his teaching to lived experience: anyone who chooses to do God’s will will discover that his words are true. Jesus’ motives are selfless — he seeks the honour of the one who sent him, not his own glory. Jesus exposes the hypocrisy of leaders who permit circumcision on the Sabbath yet condemn him for healing on the Sabbath. The command of verse 24 is to stop judging by mere appearances and make a right judgment. Jesus modeled this himself with the Samaritan woman, the woman caught in adultery, and in parables such as the Good Samaritan. Gossip is always based on face value; Holingum’s test is whether what we hear is loving, true, and necessary. Calls to action For those who have never professed faith: do not settle for thinking of Jesus as merely a good man or a deceiver — test his words in lived experience and discover that he is who he claims to be. For believers: speak up for Jesus publicly rather than staying silent out of fear of family, peers, society, or government. For believers: study Scripture diligently so that God’s voice and authority become the yardstick for all teaching. For believers: follow leaders who point to Jesus rather than to themselves, and help build a church that carries on beyond any individual. For believers: stop judging at face value — move beyond tribalism, love people who are not like you, and squash gossip by asking whether it is loving, true, and necessary. Watch the video: https://youtu.be/BuNXv1_qsnA

Nick Lugg preaches on John 7:1-9 as the series in John’s Gospel pauses before a busy summer break, under two titles: the courage of conviction, and the call of God on our lives being greater than the pressure we face. Jesus has been travelling around Galilee because the Jewish leaders in Judea were plotting his death; when the festival of shelters approaches his brothers urge him to go south where his followers can see his miracles, since he cannot become famous if he hides like this, and they want him to show himself to the world even though John notes they did not believe in him. Jesus refuses: now is not the right time for him to go, though they can go at any time, and the world cannot hate them but it does hate him, because he accuses it of doing evil. The preacher names the pressure as double-sided: enemies plotting to kill him, and those closest to him pressing him to dance to their tune, to turn his miracles into a miracle circus and make a name for himself. He reflects that we all face pressure, and that it only damages something when the pressure inside is less than the pressure outside, like a balloon popping or the implosion of the Titan submersible. Facing pressure for faith does not invalidate it; it proves it is genuine. The illustration carries through to the church’s own 146 project, where a million-pound cost and a roofless building could have been reasons to back off; instead he tells of Erica’s parents, David and Margaret, Elim missionaries sent to Ghana in the 1960s who were told there was nothing to do there, found 60 people at a welcome service and left eight years later to 6,000. The closing appeal is to step in, since God will do it with someone else if we decline. Bible passages John 7:1-9 (main text) John 7:7 (the world hates me because I accuse it of doing evil) Mark 8:34 (if anyone wants to follow me they must take up their cross and follow me) Hebrews 12:2 (Jesus endured the cross for the joy set before him) Luke 22:42 (not my will but yours be done) Esther 4:14 (who knows that you were brought to royal position for such a time as this) Key points Jesus stayed in Galilee because the Jewish leaders were plotting his death, facing it without panic or crisis. Jesus would not take his direction from anyone; he stuck to the timetable his Father had given him: my time has not yet come. Pressure only damages something when the pressure inside is less than the pressure outside, like a balloon popping or the Titan submersible imploding. Facing pressure for our faith does not invalidate it; it proves our faith is genuine, and the pressure to conform is huge in our society. As people of God we hold out the word of life, which calls us to change, align our will with God’s purposes and lay down our ego. Conviction and courage are inseparable, and without conviction we get blown about. He quotes Alexandre Auguste Ledru Rollin: there go the people, I must follow them, for I am their leader, and says we cannot live like that as followers of Jesus. Erica’s parents were redirected from Zimbabwe to Ghana in the 1960s, and on arrival they were told there was nothing to do there. They found 60 people at the welcome service and 6,000 at the farewell eight years later; Margaret co-founded Ghana’s children’s movement. He recalls his 1994 appointment as a pastor when Erica’s dad said, you haven’t got any experience and you are very young, but are you called? I said, yeah. Well that settles it then. He calls the congregation to humility about the 146 project: it is not our vision but God’s plan. He quotes Erica: we never step into a situation where God is not present, Emmanuel, God with us. He closes with Esther: God will do it from somewhere else if we will not, but who knows that you were brought to royal position for such a time as this. Calls to action Appeal to anyone who has never professed faith: the closing question is what is God doing and will you step in, with an invitation to respond in your hearts. Invitation to believers under pressure: recenter yourself this morning, focus again on him, and ask what the Lord is calling you to and what he is doing. Invitation to come to the front if you want prayer: come here down the front and we’ll pray if you want to settle it there. Ongoing challenge to believers: hold out the word of life without compromise, and let the call of God on our lives be greater than the pressure we face. Ongoing challenge to the church: be the engine room of transformation, not just a group that meets on Sunday, and transform communities by standing up, standing out and speaking out. Watch the video: https://youtu.be/lVkaUdmxdAQ

Jonny Greaves preaches on John 6:60-70, the closing verses of a chapter that began with the feeding of the five thousand and became Jesus’ long “bread of life” discourse. Andy had preached the earlier section two weeks ago. Now the crowds are hearing hard words, and people start to leave. The through-line is the cost of following Jesus. The disciples’ grumbling uses the same word as the Israelites in the wilderness: “this is a hard teaching, who can accept it” is the moment people realize following Jesus could cost them. Many turn back. Jesus asks the Twelve, “You do not want to leave, do you?” Peter’s reply, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life,” becomes the hinge: Peter has handed out the bread and seen the healings, yet does not understand the cross. The key claim is that belief does not come from understanding. Even after the resurrection the disciples still expected Jesus to throw out the Romans, yet he welcomed them because they had met him. In Jesus, God reveals his heart — gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, rich in covenant love and faithfulness (Exodus 34) — and his will: everyone who looks to the Son and believes shall have eternal life (John 6:40), echoing the bronze snake, where anyone who looked was saved. The call is to trust Jesus even when the way is costly. Bible passages John 6:60-70 — main passage, read in full John 6:54-58 — quoted from the earlier discourse Andy preached on John 6:63, 65, 67-69 — quoted within the main reading John 6:40 — “everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life” Exodus 16 — the manna story retold at length Numbers 11:5 — the “cucumbers” complaint (he calls it Exodus) Exodus 34:6-7 — “gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, rich in covenant love and faithfulness,” which he calls his favourite John 1:18 — “no one has ever seen God, but… the Son has made himself known” (he guesses the verse number) Numbers 21:4-9 — the bronze snake, which he calls an Exodus story Matthew 16:13-28; Mark 8:27-38 — the parallel “who do you say I am” conversations where Peter objects that the Messiah must not die Exodus 7-14 — passing allusions (ten plagues, Red Sea) Jesus’ baptism — the Spirit landing on Jesus Key points John 6 moves from a simple miracle into Jesus’ long, difficult teaching; people have always struggled to accept what he says. Jesus’ bread-of-life language echoes the manna story: God fed the grumbling Israelites, but they needed true life, not just bread. John uses the same word for the disciples’ grumbling as for the Israelites’: “this is a hard teaching” is grumbling behaviour, not a neutral question. Following Jesus began as excitement, thousands fed, constant healing, but as the cost became clear, many turned back. Followers come in layers: some were just hanging on for the free meals. Jesus says the Spirit gives life and the flesh counts for none; yet some do not believe, and he knew from the beginning who would betray him. Jesus asks the Twelve plainly, “You do not want to leave, do you?”, an honest question about staying at a cost. Peter’s confession comes from experience: he handed out the bread and fish and saw the healings first-hand. Peter did not understand the cross. In Matthew and Mark he objects that the Messiah must rule and reign, not die; even after the resurrection the disciples still expected the kingdom. Belief does not come from understanding. The disciples believed because they had met Jesus; the person of Jesus has revealed God to them. In Jesus, God reveals his heart: Exodus 34’s gracious, compassionate God is exactly what Jesus demonstrated in his compassion for people trapped by sin and death. In Jesus, God reveals his will: John 6:40, everyone who looks to the Son and believes shall have eternal life. The bronze snake, anyone who looks is saved, is the imagery Jesus applies to himself; the path to victory runs through humility, sacrifice, and the cross, the “upside-down kingdom.” God’s will is not a complicated hidden plan; when you understand his heart, you know his will is to rescue people. Calls to action To those who have never professed faith: look to Jesus as Peter did, even without understanding; the bronze snake says “you’ve just got to look.” To all listeners: approach God’s word with a heart that wants to find him, not as an academic exercise. To believers: step out in faith today, trusting Jesus in hard circumstances, and keep supporting and praying for one another. To believers: bring the love God showed in Jesus into your life and the lives of those you love. Watch the video: https://youtu.be/QduGRY8Z7Vw

Andy Holingum continues a series in the Gospel of John, preaching on John chapter 6, working through the bread of life discourse that Jesus gave in the synagogue at Capernaum. The through-line is Jesus turning up the heat on his hearers: after the feeding of the 5,000 and the walking on water, a huge crowd has hunted him across the lake, and Jesus uses their search to move them from limited understanding of what he is about to what he is really here for. He frames the chapter as a movie-style plot twist that makes us press pause, rewind and re-read — by verse 66 many disciples turn back and no longer follow him. Jesus begins by naming the crowd’s real motive: they followed because they ate the loaves, not because they understood the signs, and he tells them to stop working for food that spoils and to work for the food that endures to eternal life. Asked what work God requires, he answers that the work of God is to believe in the one he has sent — unpicked as trust and faith in action, not mere agreement. The sermon sets our short, stuff-filled lives against eternity: the next fix only momentarily satisfies, because God has set eternity in the hearts of men. When the crowd asks for a sign and cites the manna their ancestors ate in the wilderness, Jesus answers that Moses did not give the bread from heaven, the Father does, and declares himself the true bread of life who permanently satisfies. The passage then moves to the Father’s drawing and Jesus’ welcome: all that the Father gives him will come, and whoever comes to him he will never drive away; mission is joining the Father’s heart, not our own idea. The Jews grumble that Jesus is just the son of Joseph, and Jesus repeats that no one can come unless the Father draws them. The sermon closes on the hardest saying of the chapter — unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood you have no life in you — insisting this is not cannibalism but Jesus pointing for the first time in John to the cross, where his flesh is given for the life of the world. To eat this bread is to agree with the cross, to admit that it should have been me, and to receive the great exchange of full surrender to the God who pursued me. Bible passages John 6:22-59 — main text, the bread of life discourse John 6:24 — the crowd boats to Capernaum in search of Jesus John 6:26-27 — do not work for food that spoils but for food that endures John 6:28-29 — the work of God is to believe in the one he has sent John 6:30-35 — not Moses but the Father gives the true bread from heaven John 6:36-40 — whoever comes to Jesus he will never drive away John 6:41-46 — the Jews grumble; no one can come unless the Father draws them John 6:51-59 — eat my flesh and drink my blood John 6:66 — many disciples turned back and no longer followed him Exodus 16 — the manna in the wilderness Ecclesiastes 3:11 — God has set eternity in the hearts of men Isaiah 54:13 — they will all be taught by God James 2:19 — the devil believes and shudders Key points The crowd hunted Jesus down looking for another meal, not because they understood his signs. Jesus redirects them from food that spoils to the food that endures to eternal life. The work of God is to believe in the one God has sent — trust in action, not mere agreement. We chase momentary satisfactions because we are made for eternity and nothing smaller can fill that depth. All that the Father gives Jesus will come, and whoever comes he will never drive away. The Father’s drawing and our coming stand together; mission joins the Father’s heart. Jesus’ hard sayings provoke a grumbling phase in every follower. Eat my flesh and drink my blood is not cannibalism; Jesus points ahead to the cross. To eat this bread is to agree with the cross: it should have been me, but Jesus died in my place. Jesus repeats his core promises three times because the message is life-changing. Calls to action For those who have never professed faith: come to Jesus — whoever comes he will never drive away. For those outside faith: receive the bread of life and let Jesus satisfy the longings nothing else can meet. For believers: reorder priorities from stuff that spoils to the food that endures. For believers: when Jesus’ words grow hard, do not grumble or turn back — re-read chapter six. For believers: pray with confidence for wanderers, the younger generation and families, because it is the Father’s heart to draw people to Jesus. For believers: come through the cross — agree that Jesus died in your place and live in full surrender. Watch the video: https://youtu.be/EdcspAtvtZI

Erica Lugg takes the disciples’ crossing of the Sea of Galilee as a picture of the place she calls “between shores” — far enough from the destination that it seems unreachable, far enough from the shore they left that going back feels just as impossible, and making no progress in between. She is careful about the geography: these were experienced fishermen, the crossing was only five to eight miles, and in normal weather it was a few hours’ work. Yet John says it was already dark when they set out, and Matthew puts Jesus’ arrival at the fourth watch, somewhere between three and six in the morning — meaning they had been rowing against the wind most of the night and covered three or four miles. Her point is that the dark place is not evidence that Jesus is absent; it may be precisely where he intends to reveal himself. Obedience, she insists, does not buy us calm water. Jesus had told them to get in the boat and cross, and the storm came anyway, because obedience sometimes takes us into places where we cannot see. She tells a story about Aidan, her eldest, then three years old, walking home from nursery with Nick when a thunderstorm broke. Aidan sat down in the road and refused to move, and they were drenched — the point being that sitting down in the middle feels like a reasonable option, but you always get wetter doing nothing than letting your legs keep going. Jesus, she notices, let them struggle for a long time before he came, and that was deliberate: he had something to show them that they could not have seen in easy water. She is honest about the questions that arrive in that gap — where are you, God? — and answers them with promise rather than feeling: he said he would be with us to the end of the age, and feelings are not the truth. When Jesus does come, John’s word is “suddenly”, and Lugg makes much of it: the suddenly of God rarely announces itself. The storm they had been fighting to control is the surface he walks on, and she draws the distinction sharply — her instinct is to manage a situation, to fix it and box it, but Jesus does not manage the storm, he rules over it. His words, “It is I; do not be afraid”, are the words of the burning bush, the divine name, so this is a revelation of identity rather than a cheery reassurance from across the water. That is why “do not be afraid” can carry weight at all. Their peace, she says, was not found in the weather changing; John never actually says the storm stopped, only that they reached the other side. The turning point was a change of heart — from fear to surrender, from striving to trust — and it came when they were willing to take him into the boat, which is a different thing from wanting him to sort out the storm while we keep hold of the tiller. She closes by inviting the congregation to give the wind and the waves to Jesus as an act of worship rather than waiting for every question to be answered. Bible passages John 6:16-21 — the crossing and the walking on water, the sermon text John 6:18 — the sea grew rough because a strong wind was blowing Matthew 14:22-33 — the parallel account, source of the “fourth watch of the night” detail Exodus 3:14 — “I am who I am”, the name spoken at the burning bush Matthew 28:20 — “I am with you always, to the very end of the age” John 14:6 — “I am the way, the truth and the life” John 6:1-15 — last week’s feeding of the five thousand, whose point about Philip she returns to Key points The dark place is not evidence that Jesus is absent Obedience takes us into storms rather than around them Seasoned fishermen, a short crossing, and still no progress all night Between shores: the destination out of reach, going back equally far, giving up feels sensible Aidan sitting down in the rain: you get wetter doing nothing Jesus let them struggle for a long time, because he had something to show them “Where are you, God?” is answered by his promise, not by our feelings How much of life is lived with no expectation that God will intervene? “Suddenly”: God breaks in unannounced Jesus does not manage the storm, he rules over it “I am” is the divine name, so this is revelation, not reassurance “Do not be afraid” only carries weight because of who says it Peace came from the revelation, not from the storm ending They were willing to take him into the boat: surrender, not merely rescue John never says the storm stopped; the change was in them Calls to action Bring the storm you are in to Jesus, and recognise who he is in it Stop managing what only he can rule over Willingly receive him into your boat, not just his help from a distance Surrender the control, not only the circumstances Choose worship over worry and striving, before anything changes If you do not yet know who Jesus is, look at him and see Watch the video: https://youtu.be/NcyWEcuO4qU

Liz Patten takes the feeding of the five thousand a verse at a time, having abandoned PowerPoint in favour of imagination. She grounds it in place and calendar first, the far side of the Sea of Galilee and the nearness of Passover, then makes her first move: the crowd followed Jesus because they saw his signs, not because of his teaching, not because they had recognised the Messiah, though he had said so plainly a chapter earlier. Hence her question, put to believer and sceptic alike: why are you following Jesus today? She answers it with a story that costs her something. Hilda grew up in Bamenda in Cameroon, where Patten worked for two years, and contracted muscular dystrophy as a child, which marked her as cursed and wrote off her future. But her family carried her to school on their backs, and she gave her life to Jesus. Then one thing took hold of her: she wanted to be healed. She went church to church and to a Reinhard Bonnke crusade where a neighbour’s lame son came home able to run. Hilda never was healed, and the disappointment consumed her, until a biography of Joni Eareckson Tada showed her another way. She went on to excel at university and now broadcasts across Cameroon. Her point is sharp: do not let one thing eat away at you and become your reason for following Jesus. Then the miracle. Jesus asks Philip a question whose answer he already knows, testing whether there is any expectation of a supernatural intervention rather than enquiring after the nearest bakery. Philip counts money; Andrew offers a boy’s lunch, then shrugs. “Tell everyone to sit down” is the hinge, and Patten widens it: Jesus already knew what he would do, and still does, whatever crowd of needs is overwhelming you. Sitting is spiritual: Ephesians has Christ seated at God’s right hand and believers seated with him, and nobody sits on a chair with a wobbly leg. When Jesus takes the loaves, gives thanks and distributes, her focus is that he gives himself, the bread of life, and everyone ate as much as they wanted: there is as much of Jesus as we want. She refuses to treat the leftovers as an afterthought: the creator would hardly leave litter at his picnic, the disciples are being taught, small things matter, and nothing he gives is wasted. Twelve baskets for twelve disciples means there is a basket for you. Finally the crowd tries to make him the prophet who will break Rome; he slips away, having come to break a crueller regime. Bible passages John 6:1-15 — the text, read a verse at a time John 5 — what “after this” refers to, and where Jesus said plainly who he was John 6:4 — Passover, grounding the narrative in the calendar Matthew 13:52 — the householder bringing out new treasures and old Ephesians 1:20-21 — Christ seated at the Father’s right hand Ephesians 2:6 — believers seated with Christ in the heavenly realms Psalm 23:2 — green pastures, echoed by the crowd on the grassy slopes Deuteronomy 18:15 — the prophet the crowd believes has arrived Isaiah 55:8-9 — “his ways are higher than our ways” Hebrews 13:8 — “the same yesterday and today and forever”, quoted in her closing prayer Key points The crowd followed for the signs, not the teaching or because they knew who he was Why are you following Jesus: the question for believer and sceptic alike Hilda’s story, a fixation on healing that nearly consumed her faith Do not let one unmet desire become your reason for following Jesus Jesus’ question to Philip is a test; he already knew what he would do Philip counts money; Andrew offers a boy’s lunch and doubts its worth “Tell everyone to sit down”: Jesus already has a plan for the overwhelming situation Sitting is spiritual, seated in Christ on a chair that holds Jesus takes what is offered, gives thanks, and gives himself as the bread of life Everyone ate as much as they wanted: we have as much of Jesus as we want Are you satisfied in Jesus? The leftovers matter: no litter at God’s picnic, the disciples are being taught, small things count Stewardship: everything comes from him and nothing is wasted Twelve baskets, one per disciple: your fragments are worth offering The crowd wants a prophet to break Rome; Jesus came to break sin We cannot remake Jesus into what we want; he is King of kings and the great I AM Calls to action Answer honestly why you follow Jesus, or why you do not Do not let one unmet longing become your reason for following him Stop striving and sit down, trusting Christ’s finished work Come hungry and take as much of Jesus as you want Ask yourself whether you are satisfied in him Gather the fragments: waste nothing God has given you Offer your small, unimpressive scraps to Jesus Do the clearing up, in your own life and others’, without thinking it beneath you Bow the knee to Jesus as he is, not as you would prefer him Watch the video: https://youtu.be/X1yWjLx02gk

Chris Simpson continues straight on from last week’s healing at the pool, and opens with the Sabbath problem it created. The leaders were already harassing Jesus for healing on the Sabbath, and his reply — “My Father is always working, and so am I” — made things dramatically worse. Simpson unpacks why the Sabbath was such a flashpoint: an identity marker for God’s people, hedged after the exile with a fence of extra rules — thirty-nine for the Sabbath alone, one forbidding healing unless a life was in danger. So Jesus was not merely careless; he was, in Simpson’s phrase, pouring petrol on the flames, and he knew what the claim would cost. What follows, Simpson argues, is a trial — informal, but the opening of the case that ends at Calvary. The charge is blasphemy: claiming equality with God. He notes how dangerous that accusation was then and still is in some places, and quotes Raniero Cantalamessa: the real battle today is not over spirituality in general but over Jesus. Then he walks through Jesus’ answer, which is no defence but a deepening of the claim: the Son does nothing by himself, does whatever the Father does, gives life and judges as the Father does. The two things Scripture reserves to God alone, giving life and final judgment, are handed to the Son, who is honoured exactly as the Father is. Simpson pictures a carpenter’s shop, Joseph showing Jesus the trade, to hold intimacy, submission and equality together in one image. The second half turns to what that means for us. Believing, he says, is not nodding at a fact: he tells how John Paton, translating John’s Gospel for a tribe in the New Hebrides with no word for trust, seized on their phrase for resting your whole weight on something. Eternal life, on this reading, is not a waiting room entered at death — it begins now, and Paul describes it as being raised from death while still breathing. The proof that it is real is a changed life. He then shows why the “great moral teacher” option will not hold: Lewis’s madman, worse, or Lord; Arius and the councils that answered him; and Tom Torrance telling a dying soldier that God is exactly like Jesus, with no hidden God behind him. Only a God who is eternally Father, Son and Spirit can be love itself, and creation is the overflow of that love rather than a need. The sermon ends where Jesus’ own words do: the Son does nothing on his own, and being a child of God means dependent obedience, like a child’s hand in a father’s. Bible passages John 5:16-30 — the sermon text, read in full John 5:1-15 — last week’s healing on the Sabbath, the trigger for the confrontation John 1:1 — “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God”, where John uses a word meaning “toward” Ephesians 2:1-4 — dead in disobedience, made alive with Christ Daniel 7:13-14 — one like a son of man given dominion and judgment Genesis 18:25 — “shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?” Matthew 6:10 — “your will be done”, cited from the Lord’s Prayer The Nicene Creed — quoted as the church’s answer to Arius (not scripture) Key points Last week’s Sabbath healing is the trigger; the leaders begin harassing Jesus The Sabbath was an identity marker, fenced with thirty-nine extra rules, one forbidding healing unless life was at risk “My Father is always working, and so am I” is a deliberate claim to equality, made knowing the cost This is the opening of the case that ends at the cross; the charge is blasphemy Blasphemy was dangerous then and remains so today The battle now is not over spirituality but over Jesus The Son does nothing independently, holding humility, intimacy and absolute equality together Life-giving and final judgment are God’s own prerogatives, and the Son exercises both To honour the Son as the Father is honoured places him within the Godhead Believing means resting your whole weight on Christ Eternal life starts now, not at death The Son has life in himself, having never begun The Son is fit to judge because he has known injustice himself Genuine belief is proved by a changed life Madman, worse, or Lord: the moral-teacher option is not open Arius’s “there was a time when he was not” was answered at Nicaea and Constantinople God is exactly like Jesus, with no hidden God behind him Only the triune God can be love; creation is overflow, not need Being a child of God means dependent obedience Calls to action Listen intently to Jesus’ message and believe in the God who sent him Put your whole weight on Christ rather than giving intellectual agreement Live now as one who has passed from death to life Let a changed life be the evidence your faith is real Give the Son the honour due to the Father Reach a verdict on who Jesus is; the option of a merely great teacher is closed Practise dependent obedience, holding on to God moment by moment Watch the video: https://youtu.be/ZQRUl-qnJbU

Andy Holingum takes the healing at Bethesda as a case study in the two things John says Jesus is full of: grace and truth. He opens by asking how we would explain Jesus given two minutes in a lift, then presses the harder question: where did our picture of him come from? We learn Jesus from scripture, from each other, from experience, but also from the culture we swim in, and he admits his own picture drifts at the edges. Returning to the Bible week by week is like going back to a recipe you have cooked from memory: it shows where you quietly changed the quantities. The room by the Sheep Gate is packed with the blind, the lame and the paralysed, waiting for the water to stir because only the first one in is cured — people jostling like a Boxing Day sale. Jesus walks past them all and stops at one man who has been an invalid for thirty-eight years. Holingum dwells on what that waiting felt like: no one to help him into the pool, others always ahead of him, the system against him, the quiet question of why others were dealt better cards. Grace, he argues, arrives precisely for people with no advocate. Which makes Jesus’ question strange. “Do you want to get well?” Of course he does. But Holingum reads it as a probe: after thirty-eight years, has he accepted his lot? Healing would cost him his routine, his sheltered accommodation, his benefits — it would mean looking for work. The man answers out of his own limited framework, explaining he cannot get into the water; Jesus ignores the explanation and says, “Get up.” Then the tone turns. The healing happens on the Sabbath, and the leaders’ first question is not how a man disabled for thirty-eight years is walking, but why he carries a mat — the first note of an opposition that grows through the rest of John. Later Jesus finds him in the temple and says, “Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you.” Grace and truth arrive together. Holingum is blunt that we cannot take the healing Jesus and leave the commanding one, noting wryly that we write many songs about grace and very few about wanting to stop sinning. Sin, he says — quoting a trainer at a recent addictions course — is at root self-obsession, as true of impatience as of anything more dramatic. He closes where the passage does: the man had no idea who healed him, but when Jesus told him to stop sinning, he knew. Bible passages John 5:1-15 — the healing at Bethesda, read in full (NIV), with his aside that verse 4 is missing from the earliest manuscripts John 1:14 — Jesus “full of grace and truth”, the frame for the whole sermon John 1:35-39 — the calling of the first disciples and Jesus’ question “what do you want?” (described in the sermon as John 2) John 2:1-11 and 2:13-22 — the wedding at Cana and the cleansing of the temple: “we can’t have a wedding Jesus without temple Jesus” 1 Samuel 16:7 — “man looks on the outside but God looks on the heart”, from David’s anointing among Jesse’s sons Colossians 3:5-9 — “rid yourselves of all such things”: anger, rage, malice, slander, filthy language and lying 2 Corinthians 12:20-21 — Paul’s fear of finding discord, jealousy, rage, selfish ambition, slander, gossip, arrogance and disorder, and grief over unrepented impurity Matthew 3:8 — “produce fruit in keeping with repentance” (attributed here to Jesus addressing the Pharisees) Key points Two minutes to explain Jesus exposes how much of our picture comes from culture rather than scripture John presents Jesus as full of grace and truth at once; we tend to pick one or the other At Bethesda a crowd waits for stirred water and a single cure; Jesus passes many and goes to one man Thirty-eight years with no one to help him — grace comes to those without an advocate “Do you want to get well?” asks whether he has settled for his lot; healing would overturn his whole life The man answers within his own limits; Jesus ignores the answer and simply says “get up” The Sabbath complaint reveals the leaders’ priorities: the mat matters, the healing does not “Stop sinning” — grace and truth together; the healed man is not free to carry on as before Self-obsession is the root of sin, in impatience and anger as much as in addiction Integrity means practising values rather than professing them Calls to action Return to scripture regularly, and let it correct a Jesus shaped by the culture around us Sit alongside the disadvantaged and overwhelmed, going to where they are rather than preaching from a distance Ask honestly whether you have accepted your circumstances instead of wanting to be well Count the cost: following Jesus means real upheaval, not an addition to an unchanged life Admit and address sin rather than cherry-picking the comfortable parts of the faith Practise your values, not just profess them Watch the video: https://youtu.be/L7p2Os4_huo