John chapter 9. Let’s jump in. This is a wonderful story. John, sometimes they’re long chapters and sometimes he kind of speaks in a way that is a little bit hard to process and understand. But this is just so good right here.
Who Holds the Power?
We’re going to be in John chapter 8. We’ve been tracking with John. John the evangelist, as he’s called. John the apostle. John the best friend of Jesus, as best we can say. John was a guy that we don’t know exactly how old, but he’s probably late teens, early 20’s, somewhere in there, when he came across this guy Jesus. When he and his brother were fishing, Jesus said, “Come, hang out with me.” And they said, “Okay.” And they did.
Disappointment with Jesus
It’s exciting to be back. We’re going to be in John Chapter 7. I thought the best way to start this next phase of our church was with a teaching called “Disappointed with Jesus.” Some snickers there. John Chapter 7 is where we’re going to be.
There’s a guy named John Cheever. He says, “The main emotion of the adult American who has all the advantages of wealth, education and culture, is disappointment.”
Cleansing and Zeal
Jesus Teaches Nicodemus
You can come to Jesus at any time. Nicodemus came a nighttime. For any reason. Jesus says, “Come to me all of you who are weary or burdened.” If you’re burdened, come to Christ If you are weary, or tired come to Jesus. Whatever your situation or circumstances, at any time of day, at any part of your journey, come back, come to Christ.
Pledge of Allegiance
John Chapter 2. Let’s read this and let the word of God just wash over us to quiet everything else in our minds and hearts and see what John the Apostle is saying about Jesus in this chapter:
On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.”
“Woman, why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My hour has not yet come.”
God's Politic
(Starting at 2:22)
I’d like to try to give some context to our cultural moment that we have here. I’d like to begin to show us what God’s politic, or God’s agenda or vision or what God wants to see happen in America. Then I also want to try to keep us from being puppets pulled by the strings of the devil, the world and the flesh. This is always a challenge for us, but it seems to be very challenging right now as we’re all disrupted and uncomfortable and kind of grasping in some ways what we’re supposed to do.