I AM
I AM the Vine - you are the Branches
April 18, 2010
John 15:1–17
I have heard much over the past year about authentic Christianity. I have heard many express a desire to see or be among authentic Christians. I have heard some complain and others wonder if we are really authentic as a church family. These questions or charges have caused much wondering on my part. What is involved in authentic Christianity?
There are many opinions about it. But I think the place to start is Jesus’ own words. He had a fair bit to say about living the Christian life and gave critical counsel to His disciples just before He was arrested. He reveals some basic realities about the Christian life and some ways we must respond to them.
I AM the way Truth and Life
April 11, 2010
John 14:1–6
How do you cope when something seriously weighs you down? Maybe it’s a major decision you need to make. Maybe it’s a complex problem that you don’t know the answer to. Maybe a person in your life causes you great misery or trouble. It could be a health issue, a hurt issue or home issue. A troubled heart affects our smile and inner peace. It can bubble up and spill out in quiet moments when we’re alone or when we’re under stress. So what do you do with it?
I AM the resurrection and the life
April 2, 2010
John 11:1–44
How did it end up here? Jesus hung on the cross like the worst criminal. Most of the people there thought he deserved it. And standing beside me, or should I say barely standing, was his weeping mother. Had I just wasted 3 years of my life? After all I’d seen, could this really be the end? How could it be that the one who claimed to be “the resurrection and the life” was dying in front of me?
I AM the Good Shepherd
March 14, 2010
John 10:11–21
But if we limit ourselves to whatever picture of Jesus this paints in our minds, we can get an unbalanced view of Him. In fact, if this image is all that people know about Jesus, they might view Him as a kind friend who helps the weak. But He has little or nothing to offer in the real world of school, business or the high tech life. We might even think Jesus is a wimp.
The wimpy Jesus image can gain strength when we consider Him as a shepherd. One commentator puts it this way: “Many people in the industrialized west (except Australians!) think of shepherds as sentimental beings, perhaps somewhat effeminate, with their arms full of cuddly lambs.” So Jesus is great for women and little kids. But for “real men” or “with it” youth or “active families,” Jesus the shepherd is at best irrelevant and at worst a loser.
But is He? Might our view of shepherding need some serious correction? Might our view of ourselves need some serious correction?
As we approach Easter, we have let Jesus speak for Himself. We’ve listened to His claims. He’s said – I am the Bread of Life. I am the Light of the World. I am the gate for the sheep. Today we’re looking at the next major statement: “I am the good shepherd.”
I AM the Gate for the Sheep
March 7, 2010
John 10:10
Now I don’t know where you’d rate your quality of life today or what measurement you’d use. But I do know Jesus had a lot to say about life during His time on Earth. He even spoke about the quality of life. Today, we’re going to see Him reveal how to find the highest quality life. So no matter what rating you gave your life, Jesus has something to say about improving its quality. To reach the highest quality life—continuously come to Jesus.
Through this pre-Easter season we are looking at what Jesus did and said in the Gospel of John.
I AM the Light of the World
February 28, 2010
John 8:12–59
How do God’s people get involved in darkness?
I knew this week’s passage was Jesus, light of the world. So I asked, “Lord, do you want us as the people of God at Sturgeon Valley to look at our lives to see if we’re dabbling in darkness, so we see our need for Jesus’ light. I started to ask around. In what ways have you seen, experienced or heard about Christians dabbling in darkness? Where might Christians or people in general, mess with spiritual darkness?
I AM the Bread of Life
February 21, 2010
John 6
Will the arrival of Easter weekend in 6 weeks surprise us? Maybe we simply look forward to another long weekend. Or we might join the commercial part of Easter focusing more on chocolate bunnies and eggs.
What is Easter all about anyway? Or perhaps more importantly “Who is Easter all about?” We’re going to meet Him in the next 6 weeks. Easter is all about Jesus, the cross and the empty tomb. In the weeks leading up to Easter we will have opportunity to meet Jesus again or for the first time