John 3:23-30: John's Message

Dear TVCC Students,
Last night we spent time diving in to the message that John the Baptist preached. There were some very vivid illustrations given to help make this Word sink in and makes sense. Here is a recap...

John 3:22-30

~John 3:23- 26: Jesus and John are both ministering to the people at the same time. John knew that he was not the Christ but that his mission from the Lord was to point others to the Messiah. Even after Jesus started His ministry, John continued to minister and to point people to the Lord. It wasn't about making much of John and his ministry but about people coming to know their Savior.

Q: Do we view life the way John did? Are we always trying to make a name for us our "OUR" ministry or do we simply point people to the Savior who alone can satisfy their souls?

~John's message can be seen clearly in Luke 3:1-18. Here are a few things to notice about John's ministry...

1. The crowds came out to hear John's teaching (Luke 3:9). John was not begging people to come and hear him. They had heard of his message and they came out to hear more... and he spoke the truth, not what people wanted to hear.

2. John didn't promise physical blessings in this life to those that would believe his message; He preached a message that would profit the people eternally- the people needed to have faith in the Lamb of God who had come to take away the sins of the world! True belief would cause them to "bear fruit in keeping with repentance." Genuine faith produces fruit and that fruit requires cultivation and exercise; It does not come easily (garden illustration).

     -In talking about bearing fruit we must always remember that Jesus did everything in regards to our salvation when He died on the Cross. Our salvation was finished and perfected on the cross... BUT we were saved to do good works to the glory of God (Ephesians 2:8-10). Our good works point people to the Lord.

Q: Is your faith genuine? Do you see any spiritual fruit in your life? This could like the fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) at work in your life or it could be people that you have poured your life in to for the sake of the Kingdom of God. Either way, real faith will produce fruit. If you do not have any fruit of the Spirit in your life, we encourage you to see if you really have trusted in the Lamb of God (Jesus) to give you new life.

     -In talking about bearing fruit we must also remember HOW we are to bear fruit. In order to bear fruit we must abide in the Lord (John 15). We must spend time with Him daily- meditating on His word and praying to Him. Our salvation is the just the start. Once we have trusted in the Lord, God wants us to bear fruit for His name. This is not easy! The world is full of "bugs" and "weeds" that are trying to prevent us from bearing fruit. We must fight those things by abiding in the Lord.

~John 3:28: John knew that he was not the bridegroom but simply a friend of the Bridegroom who had come to claim His bride. Jesus has come so that we could have a personal relationship with Him. This relationship requires time and dedication but is all satisfying and full of joy!

~John 3:30: John's heart was that Jesus would increase and John would decrease. His life was revolved around making much of the Lord!

Q: Is your life like John's? Can you really say that your life is revolved around making less of your name and more of the name of Jesus?

Dear students,
We are so thankful to get to worship with you all. We pray that this week you would spend much time meditating on the Lord and His Word. We pray that you will continue to abide in Him so that you might bear fruit that would bring glory to His name. May all of us decrease this week and Jesus increase! We love you all!

With hope,
Sonny and Casi

John 3: Bronze Serpent points to Jesus

Dear TVCC Students,
We are continuing our study on the book of John. It was refreshing last night to revisit the story of the Bronze serpent in Numbers 21 and see how it pointed us to the death and resurrection of Jesus on our behalf. Here is a recap...

John 3:9-21

~Nicodemus was a Pharisee (religious leader) who thought that by keeping the law He could gain right standing with the Lord. He failed to see that the purpose of the law was to reveal the sinfulness of man and the need for the Savior.

~John 3:13: Jesus tells Nicodemus that because He has been with the Father, He is able to explain the things of God. Jesus was with the Father before creation and His words teach us about all things- the Father, the law, mankind, the Kingdom of Heaven, salvation...

~John 3:14: Jesus leads Nicodemus back to Numbers 21. The people had spoken against Moses and the Lord, not liking the provision that God was giving them. They refused to be satisfied with God's provision and became discontent and grumbling. God sent serpents to show His judgement but provided a way of salvation through the bronze serpent that He had Moses lift up. God made a substitute to stand in the place of the sinners and those who looked to it in faith would not die. This whole event was to point us to Jesus....

    -Romans 8:3: Jesus became sin on our behalf so that we could become righteous through His sacrifice for our sin. We deserve the wrath of God but Christ took it for us... the wrath of God was even more horrific than the extreme torture that the Romans physically inflicted on Jesus. When we look to/have faith in His sacrifice for us, we are able to escape the eternal death that we deserve for our rebellion.

~John 3:16: We are saved through the Son that God sent to die in our place. We are not saved by any of our own righteousness but through Christ alone and for His glory (Titus 3:4-5). The eternal life that we are given in Christ is not just the promise of sinless paradise after this physical life is over. Eternal life is being intimate with the Father (John 17). Christ died so that we could know the Father as a husband knows his bride.

Q: Do you have an intimate relationship with the Father through Christ? Do you long to be with the Lord? Check your heart. Are you someone who just knows the right answers or do you really have a growing relationship with the Lord where He knows you and you know Him?

~John 3:18-21: The verdict for all mankind has been guilty since the garden. We are born in sin and under condemnation. Christ offers freedom from our condemnation but if we reject that, we remain condemned and God's wrath still awaits us.

~John 3:19: We all love darkness and prefer to be ignorant of the truth. The god that we serve is ourselves. Our culture has glorified "Me" and we serve that unless our eyes are opened to the truth by the Spirit of the Lord. Job 22:14 reveals that the heart of man doesn't want God. We want to worship ourselves. Though our hearts are dark we can say with Paul in 2 Corinthians 9:15- thanks be to God for His indescribable gift of salvation! We are totally undeserving of His gift and yet He still extends to us grace through the blood of Jesus!

Dear students,
We cannot express to you the importance of this wonderful message. We all deserve the wrath of God but Christ has taken it for us. Please take time to think about your life and your heart. Do you really understand your sinfulness and that you deserve the wrath of God. Do you believe with your whole heart that Jesus died in your place and are you walking in an intimate relationship with the Father through trusting in the sacrifice of Jesus? We love you all very much and want you to experience the relationship with the Father that is offered through Jesus. Spend time in His Word this week and in prayer with Him and ask Him to draw you close to Him. It is the absoute best thing you can do!

With hope,
Sonny and Casi

John 3:1-8: Nicodemus

Dear TVCC Students,
Last night we went over  John 3:1-8, where Jesus teaches Nicodemus about being born again of the Spirit. Here is a recap...

~John 3:1: Though Nicodemus was a religious leader, He knew that Jesus had something different. He came to Jesus because he knew he did not have it all figured out and he wanted to know the truth. He came to Jesus- the Truth, for answers.

Q: Do you come to Jesus for the truth or do you let the world shape your beliefs? If the Word of God is not daily teaching you the truth of the Lord, you will be letting the world teach you its ways and lead you away from the Lord.

~John 3:3-7: Jesus tells Nicodemus that he must be born again. Nicodemus, as a religious leader, was under the impression that just following the law (living right) would make him right with the Lord. Jesus is telling him that keeping the law will not bring him to God but being "born again" (read Ezekiel 36). Those that believe that Jesus is the Christ are born of God (1 John 5) but genuine belief/trust is not just acknowledging that facts are so (even the demons believe- James 2:19). Genuine belief changes the way you live!

Q: Have you been born again? Do you believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah, YOUR Sin-taker? Look at your life. Does it match what you say you believe? Your life reveals what you believe.

~John 3:8: Being born again is not something that we can muster on our own- it is an act of the Spirit working within us (Romans 9:16). God is the one who has mercy on us to grant us being born again and lead us in a relationship with Him. If you see that you do not know the Lord, come to Him and ask for Him to grant you to be born again. Only He can give eternal life!

Dear students,
We are so glad to have been able to worship with you last night. It is refreshing to see you guys faithfully coming to worship and hear the Word. We pray that you will spend time meditating on His word this week and that you will enjoy being in His presence. We love you. Remember that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion (Philippians 1:6). Trust in Him to continue to grow and sanctify you.

With hope,
Sonny and Casi

John 2:13-25

Dear TVCC Students,
Last night we studied John 2:13-25. We are so thankful to be able to worship with you all every Wednesday. Here is a recap...

~John 2:14-16: The people were using the Lord to advance their personal gain. People would travel a long way to come to the feast to offer sacrifices to the Lord and the local leaders took advantage of that and exploited the people. They pretended to be caring about the Lord's name but were really acting to advance their own riches.

Q: Are our motives pure when we come to worship or are we coming to advance our own name? What motivates you to come to church and do "Christian" things? If Christ's glory is not your motivation, you are missing the heart of God.

~John 2:18: Instead of responding in humility when they were confronted with their sins, the leaders that Jesus was calling out changed the subject, asking "What sign do you give to show your authority?" Basically they were asking, "Who are you to call us out on our sin?"

Q: How do you respond when people call you out on sin or when the Lord brings to light false motives in your life? Do you respond in humility or in pride?

~John 2:19-22: Jesus responds with the gospel... He would be destroyed (as would the Old way of doing things) and be rebuilt (ushering in a New/Perfect way to have everlasting communion with the Father). Jesus is the Way to the Father. He is our complete sacrifice and because of Him, we no longer have to offer temporary sacrifices to atone temporarily for sin.

Q: Have you trusted completely in the death and resurrection of Christ on your behalf or are you still trying to earn your way to the Lord by your own "sacrifices?" Christ has done it all! Trust in Him completely!

~John 2:23-25: Jesus saw that the people "believed" but still did not trust Himself to them. He knew that their "belief" was not genuine but was basically in the hype of the moment (they would eventually want Him crucified).

Q: Do you have a belief in Jesus that is genuine or do you just agree with the truths of Christianity to have acceptance from friends/parents/the community? Only Jesus knows your heart. When you die, Jesus will not ask if your parents thought you were a Christian... He will look at your heart to see if you truly believed. What do you really believe/trust in?

Dear students,
We love you all very much. We pray that you will again see that Jesus is not concerned with outward appearances of godliness but He wants pure hearts that worship Him in private and in public. We pray that you will evaluate your lives this week to make sure that you are living a genuine life. Spend time meditating on His Word this week. Again, we love you...

With Hope,
Sonny and Casi