"You belong to your father, the devil."

John 8

This morning we will continue on with the series titled “What Did He Say?!”  The series covers the book of John chapters 5 through 11.  As we’ve already heard over the last few weeks, Jesus repeatedly stuns his hearers in these chapters.  To quote Carl directly, Jesus says, “the most serious things ever said, the most profound, and, especially, the most important. They have immense implications for every person on earth, eternal implications.”  It is as if in each chapter Jesus is successively more stunning and revealing about his own character and identity.

Occasionally, I have heard things said about Jesus regarding his self-awareness during his time on earth.  Questions like, did Jesus really know he was God’s Son?  Did he know that his sacrifice was sufficient to cover the sins of the world?  Did Jesus really know that He would rise from the dead? 

Well, the book of John gives us those answers very clearly.  Yes, Jesus repeatedly talks about his relationship to the Father.  He knew exactly his purpose and when his time had come.  He speaks of his own death, resurrection, and ascension before they happen.

"Come to Me and drink."

John 7:1-52

Welcome! Today we are continuing our series entitled “What did He say?!” on John chapters 5 through 11. If I had to name two over-arching themes in these chapters, I would say that one is that Jesus is God – this in fact is a huge theme throughout the book of John – and the other is that people refused to accept what Jesus really had to say. We have seen these themes already, and we will continue to see them. But beyond this, there is much more to see in these chapters, and I am excited about what we will see in John chapter 7 today.

The very first words of John 7 are “after this,” to which our natural response should be “After what?” Well, in John 5 and 6 we see Jesus in Galilee after leaving Jerusalem because the leaders there were becoming more and more upset with Him, even to the point of beginning to plot His death. There in Galilee, Jesus drew larger and larger crowds, and in front of a giant crowd of “5000 men” and who knows how many others, He miraculously fed the whole group starting from only 5 small loaves and two fish. He then left the crowd because they wanted to forcibly take Him and make Him king. His disciples crossed the lake that evening, a fierce storm came up, and Jesus miraculously walked across the water to meet them. After this the storm suddenly ceased, and they crossed to the other side. There, in Capernaum, the crowd followed after Jesus the next day, and in a dramatic teaching, Jesus explained that they needed to “eat His flesh and drink His blood” if they wanted to come to Him or to the Father. At this much of the crowd and even the greater group of disciples left Him. And this brings us to Chapter 7.

"The one who feeds on Me will live."

John 6:25-71

Welcome! Today we are continuing our series entitled “What did He say?!” on John chapters 5 through 11, so-named because of all the astounding, shocking things Jesus did say to His disciples, to Jewish leaders, and to the crowds in these chapters. It is easy for us to become numb to these words if we have grown up with them. One of my desires and prayers for us during this series is that these profound passages would shake us up and cause us to stare freshly at the amazing and undeserved provision of God in Jesus Christ. My desire and prayer is that it would move us to worship Him, and that it would move us to serve Him sacrificially with our lives.

Today we pick up the story in the middle of Chapter 6, and it is helpful to briefly review what has happened earlier in this chapter. Jesus has become famous for the things He has said and especially for His miracles of healing, and now, in Galilee, when people figure out that He is the man that people have been talking about, large crowds gather and follow Him. This was one of those times, and as it was time for a meal and there was no McDonald’s around, Jesus asked His disciples, as a kind of test of their faith, where they should buy bread for these people.

"It is I; don't be afraid."

John 6:1-27

Welcome! Today we have a second message from our series called “What did He say?!” on the book of John, chapters 5 to 11. As I mentioned last week, the reason for the title of the series is that throughout these chapters of Scripture, the things Jesus said were shocking, astounding, even outrageous except for the fact that they were true.  The titles for each message in the series are direct quotes of Jesus from the verses being studied that week. This week we are exploring John chapter 6, verses 1 to 27, and the title of the message is “It is I; don’t be afraid.” Our passage is one that should be familiar to you if you have grown up going to church, but my desire is that we would look at it with fresh eyes, and not just fresh eyes but fresh hearts. To do this we need the Lord’s help, so let’s ask Him for His help. I am going to stop talking for a minute or so, and I encourage you to use this time to ask the Lord to speak through His word to you, that He would open your eyes and your heart to whatever He would have you learn and apply to your life today.

Well, John 6:1 begins with the phrase “some time after this,” so it is helpful to briefly talk about the previous chapters of John so that we appreciate the connections between what has already happened and what is about to happen in this chapter.