John 8:31-36: Jesus is the Truth

TVCC Students,
Last night Sonny took us through the verses John 8:31-36 where Jesus is talking with some Pharisees who thought they had achieved righteousness through following their religious system. Here are some points to think on this week...

~John 8:31: Jesus tells them that if they abide in His Word, they are truly His disciples. Believing in Jesus is not just an acknowledgement of true facts about Him... it is a life lived in faith where one follows hard after Jesus in both good seasons and bad. The Pharisees had the "appearance" of godliness by they denied the power and freedom that Christ was really offering... they did not really have a relationship with the Father. In Matthew 13, the parable of the sower gives 4 different accounts of those who hear the Word of God and how they respond. The only response to the Word that is "life giving" is the person who heard the Word and yielded a crop. We bear fruit for the Lord by believing in Him and abiding in His Word (Jesus is the Word made flesh- John 1).

Q: Do you have a superficial religion that is all appearances or do you have an intimate relationship with the Savior who was crucified on your behalf so that you might have righteousness in Him? Please check your hearts this week to see if YOU have really trusted in the gospel- not just acknowledged facts about Jesus. He desires intimacy with His children.

~John 8:32: Jesus said that by abiding in His Word they would know the truth and find freedom in that truth. Jesus is the Word (John 1) and the Truth (John 14:6). By coming to Him and asking for His gospel to be our souls's hope- we can have eternal life. Remember that when we come to Him with a broken and contrite heart, He will hear and respond (Psalm 51:17)

Q: Are you walking in the freedom and new life that Christ offers? Have you ever come to Him in humility with a broken and contrite heart knowing that you deserve His wrath and that Christ has taken your penalty on the Cross? We encourage you to do this. If you have already received the gift of eternal life in Christ, we encourage you to spend some time in thankful meditation of the sweet mercies that the Lord has shown you.

~John 8:33-36: The Pharisees again tell Jesus that their religion is what is giving them good standing with God. Jesus reminds them that we are all sinners and that no good works/religion that we try to do will give us right standing with God (Isaiah 64:6). What we need to have right standing with God is the righteousness of the Perfect One (Jesus) who stood in our place to take our sins so that we could be declared righteous. Let us not trust in religion or good works but in the work of Christ done on our behalf.

Q: What are you trusting in to give you right standing with the Father? If it's anything other than Jesus- it will fail. Come to Him and He will give you rest (Matthew 11:28).

Dear students,
We are so thankful to get to worship with you. We pray that you will continue to pursue Jesus through time in His word, prayer and worship. We are praying for you. We pray that you will walk in the freedom that Christ offers through His blood. We love you!

With hope,
Sonny and Casi

John 8:12: Jesus is God

Dear TVCC Students,

I can't believe how fast this fall season is going! It's almost November! This Wednesday Sonny taught on John 8:12. It was great to just camp out in one verse and unlock all of the truth in Jesus' declaration...

"I am the Light of the world. He who follows me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life." ~John 8:12

Here are a few key points to consider this week...

~When Jesus says "I am," He is using an expression that the Pharisees knew very well. "I AM" was the name that the Lord gave to Himself in Exodus 3 when He called Moses to lead the Israelites out of slavery. Jesus is again telling the people that He is the Lord- the One who takes us out of slavery into eternal freedom!

Q: Have you been walking in the freedom that Jesus, the I AM, offers you through His blood? He is your Deliverer from the slavery of sin and death. In Him, we are able to walk in righteousness and have a relationship with the Father. Let us meditate on that this week and walk in thankfulness that the I AM became flesh to redeem us!

~In the same phrase, Jesus tells them that He is the Light of the world. The Pharisees would have known this phrase well too and knew that Jesus was telling them that He was the Messiah. In Isaiah 60:19, it is prophesied that there would be a time when the world would not need a light to shine because the Lord would be their light. Jesus is telling the people that He is the Lord- the righteous One that reveals the glory of the Father.

~Psalm 119:105 states that the Word of the Lord is a light unto our path and a lamp unto our feet. Jesus is the Word made flesh (John 1) and He came to light the way for us- to lead us to intimacy with the Father through His death and resurrection on our behalf. 

Q: Have you been walking in the light of Christ or have you been walking in the darkness of the world. Christ wants us to come to Him to see the righteousness and light of the Father. To do this, we need to be spending time with Him daily- reading His Word and spending time in prayer and worship. Have you been doing this on a consistant basis? Know that the Lord wants this for you.

~Jesus tells the crowd that in following Him they would not walk in darkness. Following Jesus is not always an easy thing. Jesus tells us in Mark 8 that if anyone wishes to follow Jesus they must deny themselves and take up their cross. The cross was the symbol of death. Jesus is saying that those wanting to follow Him must count themselves as dead to things of this world. Our life should be completely in Him.  Following Jesus calls us to count everything as loss compared to the passing greatness of knowing Jesus or Lord (Philippians 3). Whatever the cost, we must follow with complete surrender, knowing that He is worth it. 

Q: Are you a follower of Jesus? Do you look to Him to find your life? Your truth? Are there things in your life that you have not completely surrendered to Him? 

Dear students,

We are so thankful for the opportunity to worship with you on Wednesdays. We pray that you will walk with Jesus, your I AM and Light, this week. We pray that you will continue to come to Him to lead you in righteousness that you may have intimacy with the Father through Him. We are praying for you this week. Meditate daily on Him and His sacrifice for you. Please know that we are available to meet with you to talk and pray if you want. We also love getting to have time with you guys and gals Sunday nights at small groups so we can know how to pray for you and encourage you. We love you!

With hope,

~Sonny and Casi

John 8:1-11: God's grace on sinners

TVCC Students,
We are continuing our study of the book of John and last night we studies the Pharisees and their response to the woman caught in adultery. Here is a recap...

John 8:1-5; Jesus was up early to teach the crowds about the kingdom of God. All believers are called to be ready at all times to share the good news of the gospel with others (2 Timothy 4). The Pharisees came out to Jesus in order to test Him. Their goal in life was to prove Jesus wrong and expose the shortcomings of others to make themselves feel better about their unrighteousness. Because the Pharisees did not really know the Lord and His mercy through Jesus, they lived lives aimed at exposing the sin of others. They did not see their own need for the forgiveness of the Lord.

Q: Are we continually spending time with the Lord and growing in our relationship with Him? Are we bold and ready at all times to share the gospel with others? Are we like the Pharisees who had a very superficial religion that preyed on the faults of others or do we realize that we have all fallen short (Romans 3:23) and are in need of the mercy of Jesus?

John 8:6-8: They bring her the woman caught in adultery in order to see if Jesus would condemn her. Jesus points out to them that they all have sinned (Romans 3:23) and the one without sin can throw the first stone. We all have fallen short and need not try to make ourselves feel better about our sin by pointing out someone else's sin that seems "worse" in our eyes.

Q: Are you someone who always points out the faults of others or do you, having been loved much by Jesus, seek to encourage and strengthen the body of Christ and bring the gospel to those that are perishing?

John 8:9-11: Starting with the oldest, the Pharisees left when Jesus helped them see that they, too, were sinners. Jesus tells the woman that He does not condemn her either. Jesus came so that we might have eternal life, not condemnation (John 3:17). Christ came in the flesh to do what the law required because we could not (Romans 8:3). In Him we have righteousness and forgiveness of sins. With the knowledge of this, let us "go and sin no more" as we continue to pursue righteousness!

Q: Do you realize the forgiveness offered in Christ? There is now no condemnation for those that are believers in Him and nothing can separate us from His love once we have come to know Him (Romans 8). We encourage you to see if your faith is genuine and if so, to walk in the grace that was given to you at the cross.

Dear students,
We love you and are praying for you this week. We pray that you will walk in humility and love others as you have been loved. We encourage you to spend time reading the Word of God and praying to the Savior. Please know that we would love to know more about how we can be praying for you- that is why we have small groups on Sunday nights. Know that we want to be here to encourage you. We love you!

With hope,
~Sonny and Casi