"Forgive and Forget"

Hebrews 10:1-18

"Firmly Rooted"

Hebrews 9:15-28

"Anchor for My Soul"

Hebrews 6:9-20

Parable of Two Sons

Matthew 21:28-32

"Heart of Stone"

Hebrews 3:7-19

"Drifting Away"

Hebrews 2:1-4

"God Speaks"

Hebrews 1:1-2

"Dangerous Ideas"

John 20:19-29

"All According To Plan"

John 19:17-42

Destined to Fail

John 18:12-27

"Abandoned and Alone"

John 16:16-32

"Chain Reaction"

John 15:8-27

"Wait For It"

John 14:18-31

"Lazy River"

John 14:1-11

"Whose Side Are You On?"

John 12:12-19

"Facing Your Shadow"

John 11:45-57

"No Good Deed Goes Unpunished"

John 10:22-42

"Bitter Irony"

John 9:39-41

"Fork in the Road"

John 9:1-4

“Like Father, Like Son”

John 8:31-47

1. Introduction: Have you ever wanted to put yourself up for adoption?
   1. Sometimes we wish we could belong to a different family
   2. Everyone’s family has problems, even if we can’t see them
   3. It’s a chilling reality when we discover that we really are our parent’s children
2. You can pick your friends, but you can’t pick your family
   1. The Jews who believed in Jesus had superficial faith
   2. Saying you belong to a family doesn’t necessarily make it true
   3. Jesus’ teachings are the key to truth and the truth sets us free
3. The saying, “Like Father, Like Son” is true
   1. We are greatly influenced by our parents
   2. Children emulate their parent’s behavior
   3. When you belong to God’s family, you will recognize his voice
4. Blood is thicker than water
   1. Usually when we say this, we mean that family ties are stronger than friendship, but in truth, that’s not the original message behind this statement
   2. God is willing to start the adoption process us
   3. When we belong to the family of God, we will emulate our Father
5. Conclusion: Jesus invites everyone to do a paternity test
   1. Jesus asked, “Can you prove me guilty of sin?”
   2. The Grace of God allows us to ask the same question and hold each other accountable
   3. Our desire should be to let others see God in us

“Completely Exposed”

John 8:1-11

1. Introduction: Have you ever had your sin exposed?
   1. Nobody enjoys having their sins exposed
   2. When we feel like we’ve been sinned against, we want justice
   3. The passage we will study is often a passage used out of context to defend ourselves when we feel exposed
2. God’s Law Exposes Our Sin
   1. Many people have used this passage to suggest that sinning should be excused
   2. It wasn’t the Pharisees that identified sin, but God’s Law
   3. The Pharisees did what God’s law required, but not because they were interested in justice
3. God’s Law Condemns Us All
   1. What did Jesus Write in the Dirt?
   2. Jesus answered without breaking God’s Law
   3. God’s Law must not be ignored or excused away
4. God’s Law, When Broken, Demands Punishment
   1. Jesus told these men that this woman should be put to death
   2. Jesus was the only one who could have carried out the execution, but he wasn’t interested in throwing stones
   3. Jesus came that we might be given a clean slate
5. Conclusion: Because Jesus Went to the Cross, We Can Stand Completely Exposed Before God Without Fear of Condemnation
   1. Jesus Gave up his life as a sin offering for the offenses we have committed against God and others
   2. God does not take pleasure in punishing our sin
   3. If God doesn’t take pleasure in punishing our sin, maybe we shouldn’t take pleasure when others are punished

“All Bent Out of Shape”

John 7:10-31

1. Introduction: What would it take for you to get all bent out of shape?
   1. When do you get offended?
   2. When have you offended others?
   3. The modern church is careful not to offend others
2. Jesus was offensive
   1. Nothing is more offensive than the truth
   2. Jesus spoke the truth because he kept the law (Jesus didn’t act superior, he is superior)
   3. Jesus offended to heal, not to destroy
3. When we’re offended our spiritual maturity is revealed
   1. Just because you’ve been in church for a long time, it does not mean you are Godly
   2. Jesus shows us the inconsistencies in our life
   3. We must learn to make right judgments
4. When we’re all bent out of shape, God can straighten us out
   1. God offends us for growth
   2. You have freedom to fly off the handle when you get all bent out of shape
   3. Self-Control is a sign of Spiritual Maturity
5. Conclusion: Jesus offends because he loves us
   1. We must speak the truth in love
   2. We must look for the love in truth
   3. Fire burns off impurity

“Come to Your Senses!”

John 6:41-71

1. Introduction: Have you ever had to sit and watch someone do something foolish and thought, “Oh no! Come to your senses!”
   1. This can happen with others
   2. This can happen in scripture
   3. Does it happen to us?
2. Our minds can only take us so far before we will hit a barrier of our own understanding
   1. We cannot understand the things of the Spirit on our own
   2. The Jews didn’t understand how Jesus was from heaven, nor did they understand how they were supposed to eat of his flesh to have life
   3. Jesus doesn’t try to explain it to their senses
3. Sometimes we have to surrender & trust God even when we don’t understand
   1. Without turning over our understanding, we’re only left with one option, and that is to leave
   2. Many of Jesus’ disciples turned away because they were at a crossroads of losing their understanding
   3. When we hold onto understanding, we will reach a point when we can’t follow God any longer
4. Once we surrender, Jesus takes us to greater understanding
   1. The 12 surrendered over their understanding to Jesus even when he taught them something they didn’t like
   2. Because they had nowhere else to go, and stayed as a result, God gave them greater understanding of his statement and even his plan of salvation through Passover
5. Conclusion: Heaven is watching us!
   1. We must fix our eyes on Christ

“Peace In Advent”

Colossians 1:18-23

1. Introduction: Have you ever noticed how peace tends to disappear around Christmas time?
   1. Our quest for “perfection” often steals away our joy
   2. We should recognize that a “perfect” Christmas isn’t attainable
   3. This is due in part to the fact that the Christmas celebration is rooted in several sources
2. Before we can experience peace, we must have the right outlook of Christ (v.18-20)
   1. He is the head of all things
   2. He will reconcile all things to himself
   3. The peace treaty has been drawn up
3. Before we can experience peace, we must have the right outlook on how we see each other and ourselves (v.21-22a)
   1. We are holy (set apart)
   2. We are without blemish
   3. We must see ourselves the way God would have us to
4. Before we can experience peace, we must have the right outlook on God the Father (v.22b-23)
   1. The war is over
   2. We are free from accusation
   3. God doesn’t accuse us, Satan does
5. Conclusion: Peace comes through the gospel
   1. We don’t have to labor for perfection to have peace
   2. We should pursue perfection because it is pursuing Christ
   3. Christ established a relationship of peace with us through love