Sermons from 2024
What Can I Give
Caleb Woodrum John 19:16-27 Love Bears the Weight of Sacrifice ( John 19:17–18 ) “Carrying His own cross, He went out to the place of the Skull… There they crucified Him.” Jesus carried the literal weight of the cross, but more importantly, He carried the spiritual burden of humanity’s sin. His love…
Who is Your King?
In John 19:1-17, Jesus trial continues, but there is more on trial than merely Jesus the man. The very nature of truth, power, and authority are also put on trial here. Jesus is the King the people need, the king who was promised, but not, perhaps the king they wanted. So then — as now — people reject him, and choose to follow others. At the end of it all, the…
Jesus Before Pilate
Christian creeds affirm the truth that Jesus “was crucified for us, under Pontius Pilate”. This truth, historical and factual, grounds the Christian faith and gospel narrative not in the realms of mythology, but history. In John 18:28-40, we read about this time when Jesus stands trial before the Roman governor Pontius Pilate, at the request of the Jewish…
Denied
In John 18:15-27, the disciple Peter denies Jesus, not once, but three times. This betrayal marks a pivotal moment in Jesus’ final days as even those closest to him begin to turn on him, and betray their master. But Jesus knew this was coming — he even tells Peter this is going to happen in John 13. And unlike Judas, this isn’t the end of Peter’s…
A Necessary Betrayal
Betrayal is always one of the most painful feelings a person can experience, and it can be hard to see how this could ever be part of some bigger plan. Yet scripture reminds us that “for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose”. In John 18:1-9, Jesus is betrayed by one of his closest friends. Yet we are…
Unity: Jesus Prayer for You
In John 17:20-27, Jesus personally prays for the believers that will follow on account of his message, and his disciples who shared it — that’s us! And what he prays for is our unity! But right now, to the outside world, the church really doesn’t look very united. So what is happening? Did Jesus prayer fail? Or are we missing something about what true unity…
The Lord’s Other Prayer
In John 17, Jesus prays what is probably his most powerful prayer in all of scripture. While perhaps less known than the model prayer He teaches his disciples when they ask him — the prayer we often call the “Lord’s Prayer” — the prayer he prays here is far more personal, and powerful even than that! This morning, we look at John 17:1-5,…
Joy from Sorrow
Sometimes what looks like defeat can actually be victory, and what appears to be a victory may be a defeat. But how do we respond when we don’t see the full picture, and can we always see the difference? Jesus was “a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief”. In John 16:16-22, we look at how he prepared his disciples for the grief and sorrow that they would experience…
Haters Gonna Hate
In the gospels, Jesus makes many good promises to his people. The promise that we will be hated and persecuted is perhaps one we’d prefer wasn’t there! In John 15:18-6:4, Jesus reminds his disciples that following him will set them at odds with the world. But why does he tell them this, and what can we learn from it? Is there really any value or benefit in…
The Vine and the Branches
Jesus used many agricultural parables and pictures to help people understand his message. In John 15:1-11, John records for us one of these parables — the picture of the vine, and the branches. But in a world increasingly disconnected from the land, do we understand this picture? Do we recognize the powerful significance of this image? We look at this teaching, and think…