Why did many of the religious leaders of Jesus' day reject Him?  Why do people today reject Jesus as the Son of God and Savior of the world?  The Bible tells us that it is because they are spiritually blind.  In this chapter, Jesus uses the healing of a blind man to show our need for His healing and His ability to heal not only physically but, more importantly, spiritually.

Who's to blame?  That was the question of the disciples as they encountered a blind man.  Did he sin or his parents?  Jesus' answer shocked them and should be an encouragement to us as we deal with suffering. What is the relationship between sin and suffering?  What is God ultimately doing in and through our suffering?

How should we respond when people hate us, persecute us, and slander us?  Jesus said to expect it and gave us the example of how to endure it and answer it.

2 Corinthians 13:5 (ESV) Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!

Jesus is the Light of the world!  He is the hope for people walking in darkness.  He is the Light that leads us into God's truth.  He came to show us our sinfulness and the way back to God.  He gave us the promise that He can deliver us from the domain of darkness:  “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” 

John 8:1-11 is a controversial passage  Some of our oldest copies of John's gospel don't have this story.  Others place it in Luke's gospel.  Should it be in the Bible?  Further, what Jesus does or doesn't do in the story is controversial. Did Jesus change the law on adultery?  Was He against capital punishment? Was Jesus a social justice warrior? Did He neglect justice in favor or mercy because of the woman's situation?  Let's examine the passage and learn from Jesus what true justice ought to look like.

Division occured among the people concerning Jesus' identity.  Is He the Christ?  Is He the promised Deliverer that God's people have been waiting on?  Does Jesus meet the criteria of the Messiah?  Does He fulfill the prophecies? Does He Have the right lineage?  

Jesus cried out to the crowd then, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink.  Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’ ” He still cries out today to anyone who will listen.  His offer to satisfy your thirsty soul and give you the Holy Spirit is still available for anyone who believes on Him.  Come to Jesus and find rivers of living water for your soul!

In light of the assassination of Charlie Kirk, people are disturbed both by the ruthless act and the heartless response of some.  How did our society get this way?  What is the cause and what is the cure?  Jesus dealt with a similar situation where He was the object of hate and violence.  He shows us how to respond and, more importantly, that He is the cure.

Who is Jesus?  The most important question in the history of mankind and one we must answer.
Was He a false teacher and phony Messiah?  Was He the real Messiah and the Son of God?  Was He a deceiver? demonic? a decent fellow? or Divine?

Some people in our day are "deconstructing" their faith.  Calling themselves “Exvangelicals” as they walk away from Jesus. THey are leaving because they are offended by His words.  They think He is not modern enough for our times.  His teachings are too restrictive: not enough liberty and only one way to salvation. This is not new.  People were offended by Jesus’ words in His day. In John 6 it says,  When many of his disciples heard it, they said, “This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?” They were offended so they walked away. Where were they going?  What hope could they find elsewhere? I would ask the Exvangelicals the same question: Where are you going?  If you walk away from Jesus, what are you walking towards?  Jesus alone has the words of life.

The hymn, Great Is Thy Faithfulness by Thomas O. Chisholm (1923), says this in the third verse:
Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth, Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide; Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow, Blessings all mine and ten thousand beside.

Do you have a peace that endures? Do you have strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow?
This is what Jesus promises to all who have faith in Him.  Have you believed His promises?  Are you resting in the faithfulness of God for your salvation?

What do you want from Jesus?  The crowds of Jesus' day were looking for free food and temporary healing.  Jesus offered them something greater: spiritual food that gave eternal life!  Sadly, they walked away.  What about you?  Jesus alone has the words of eternal life.  Have you come to Him by faith?

Chad Macy teaches us the why and how of extending the grace of Jesus to those around us.
Reaching the lost is not as complicated or scary as we often think.  We simply need to: pray, care, and invite.

How do we know that Jesus is the Son of God?  He did things that only God can do.  Jesus is the Creator and in John 6 He creates food for thousands.  Jesus is Lord over creation and He demonstrates it by walking on water.  No mere mortal can do what Jesus did!

Jesus answers a charge of blasphemy by bringing forward witnesses to prove that He is the Son of God: John the Baptist, the miracles He was doing, and the Scriptures that He fulfilled.  Why were they refusing to believe in Him when the evidence was overwhelming?

The deity of Jesus has been challenged since the beginning of Christianity.  In our day, many are trying to present a different Jesus than the one found in the Bible.  Islam says that Jesus was a great prophet, but not God.  Jehovah's Witnesses teach that Jesus is a god, but not THE God.  The Da Vinci Code, a novel by Dan Brown, presents the idea that Jesus was viewed as a mortal prophet before the Council of Nicaea in A.D. 325, where his divinity was supposedly established through a vote.  Who is right?  What did Jesus say?  Did Jesus actually claim to be the Son of God?  We must get this right because our very eternity hangs in the balance. We'll examine John 5:17-29 to help answer the question.  It is one of the clearest statements from Jesus on this crucial issue.  

God is a merciful God.  Not only does He have pity for us and demonstrates compassion towards us, He actually delights in extending mercy.

Micah 7:18-19 (NKJV) Who is a God like You, Pardoning iniquity And passing over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He does not retain His anger forever, Because He delights in mercy.  He will again have compassion on us, And will subdue our iniquities. You will cast all our sins Into the depths of the sea.

We can look at the compassion of Jesus at the pool of Bethesda as an example of God's mercy and look to the cross of Jesus as proof that God delights in showing mercy to sinners.

Jesus takes a risk to offer living water (salvation and eternal life) to an unlikely person: an immoral woman.  Jewish men did not talk with women in public (especially not this kind of woman).  Jewish rabbis did not teach women.  Jesus ignores those customs in order to offer grace to a sinner.  He shows that He is the Savior of the world.  In doing so, He turns a scandalous outcast into a bold witness.  He can do the same for any who believe on Him.

God is seeking worshippers throughout the world. Jesus' coming changed worship. He brought reformation. Worship is no longer centered around a temple on a mountain in Israel.  It is not about ceremonies and sacrifices.  The shadows and types of the Old Covenant have given way to something better.  The living water of Jesus will produce living worship in His people.