On that day, in the treasury, a real place in real time, what he says about Himself will stand as true in every place and for all time! “Jesus spoke to them,” and He now speaks the same to us: “I AM THE light of the world!” Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES: The I Am Sayings of Jesus
TEXT: John 8:12
TITLE: Jesus, The Light of the World
PREACHER: Tom Wilkins
BIG IDEA: Because Jesus is the light of life, follow him!

POINTS:
1. Jesus: “I am the light of the world.”
2. Jesus: “Follow me.”

SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes and text emphasis are taken directly from the pastor’s notes.

“The scene was spectacular! - Vs 20. There were 13 trumpet-shaped chests “in the treasury” (for taxes and offerings). The treasury would have been in the Court of the Women, the largest court on the Temple grounds - just inside the outer Court of the Gentiles. During the Feast of Tabernacles, four massive 75-foot fiery candle opera lamps that stood throughout the Court were ignited every night. They lit the sky with dazzling light, refracting and flashing in and from the Temple Mount, illuminating the sky above the Temple and throughout Jerusalem. With torches in hand, the people filled the court dancing and singing at the top of their lungs every night during the feast under the light of these great lamps.”

“And it is THERE, in Jerusalem, on the temple mount, in the treasury where Jesus, surveying the lamps either being extinguished or being prepared for that evening, declared: ‘I AM THE light of the world.’”

“Jesus does ask, Who do the people say that I am? Who do you say that am? However, as we learned last week, we are intentionally focusing on the “I AM” statements of Jesus. In these, we learn what is paramount in our understanding, our knowing, and our faith. What Jesus says about Himself must inform whatever we would ever confess and believe about him. What we believe about Him and who we say He is must be informed first and forever framed by HIM and by who He says He is.”

“What is Jesus saying about himself here in John 8:12? What does He mean that He is the light of the world?”

“During their exodus, the LORD led and protected the people of Israel in the wilderness with a pillar of light, day and night. The celebration of this light is happening during this Feast of Festivals - Jesus is saying, that light that led you, I AM that light!”

“‘I will make you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.’ Jesus: I am the Servant of Isaiah 49 - I AM the light… I am the light of the world! This light of Isaiah is the Messiah! Jesus: I AM THE MESSIAH!”

“With no ambiguity. No couching of words. No over-explaining. No hidden message. A Cypher is not needed. With no reading between the lines necessary. Jesus is saying, ‘I am the Promised One of Israel, shining light into this world, bringing salvation and forgiveness.’”

“As soon as Jesus declares that He is ‘the light of the world,’ he immediately announces the imperative ‘FOLLOW ME’ followed by the immediate implication: If you follow me, you ‘will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life!’”

“FOLLOW ME - Believe in Me. Place your trust… your faith in me… submit your life to me. These are some of the most gracious words that you or I could ever hear from Jesus! ‘FOLLOW ME' - These words save a man. They change the most stubborn of men. They call a man dead in sin to repentance and eternal life!”

“Biblically, this darkness IS this world ‘alienated from the life of God.’ This is a“domain of darkness”. The darkness is a realm… a kingdom… of sin and death, lost without God. WHY should you follow Jesus? Why MUST you follow Jesus? Because if you will not, you will forever have only darkness… what John Calvin simply called A VERY DARK NIGHT.”

“Without Jesus, all we have is this ‘very dark night.’ Without Jesus, we walk in darkness! AND we are not passively living in the darkness. We love the darkness and we hate the light.”

“HE IS RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU. Jesus, the light of the world, is standing right in front of you! Oh, hear the warning of verses 21-28. (Vs. 21) If you remain in the darkness, we cannot go where Jesus has gone - heaven! (Vs. 21) If you remain in darkness, you will die in your sin! BECAUSE WE ARE ALREADY DEAD IN OUR SIN.”

“Heed the fuller warning: These men were men of piety, with all of the right religious answers, all of the holy living, all their ducks appear to be in order, but open the chambers of their heart and you would find only darkness. If we do not turn from our sin in repentance and follow Jesus, we will remain in this world.”

“The cross both saves and reveals. The cross exalts Jesus AND reveals who Jesus is! You may refuse to follow Jesus, but you will know who He is! When He was lifted up on the cross, it was clear… He is the light of the world. He is the Son of God. And the day is coming that you know Him… you will bow down before Him… IF you reject the Savior, all that will remain is darkness in judgment!”

“BUT, the Cross of Jesus does not only judge! The GOOD NEWS IS THAT the Cross of Jesus brings salvation! Because Jesus is the light of the world, and if you FOLLOW JESUS, He will rescue you from the darkness: John 1:5”

“A Savior! Jesus, the Lamb of God, in an “unflinching self-sacrifice” dies for the welfare of men. Jesus’ light shines brightest from the cross like a lighthouse throwing its beams across the dark waters of human guilt and misery. Eternity dawns on us when we hear Him speak!”

“Left in the darkness, we would have only death forevermore. BUT, NOW basking in the light of Jesus, we will get LIFE FOREVERMORE.”

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
Exodus 13:21-22
Psalm 27:1
Psalm 119:105
Ezekiel 1:4, 13, 26-28
Isaiah 49:6
John 1:4
Isaiah 9:2
Ephesians 4:18-19
Colossians 1:13
John 3:19-20

QUOTES:
Charles Spurgeon - “Eternity dawned on His hearers while He spoke…Oh! beloved, the light of Christ comes out brightest upon the cross. Someone called it the Ancient Lighthouse of this world’s sea. So it is. This is the lighthouse that throws its beams across the dark waters of human guilt and misery, warns men of the rocks, and guides them to the haven. A Savior!”

APPLICATION:
SINNERS, FOLLOW HIM - You MUST believe in Jesus. Your situation could not be more precarious and desperate. What is your guilt? Sex? Greed? Self-worship? Idolatry? Gluttony? What is your misery and sorrow? Death has brought you loss. Bitterness drains your life. Regret has you bowed down in darkness. You have Jesus, the light of the world, shining into all of it! Follow Jesus and you will be rescued from the darkness, and you will have Him, and He will pull you out and into everlasting life!

SAINTS, FOLLOW HIM - marvel that you have been rescued from the darkness - the light of Christ has shone on you! 1 Peter 2:9–10 “…proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.” We have the joy, in following Jesus, of marveling in Him who called us out of darkness and into his marvelous light!

SONGS FROM THIS SUNDAY:
Your Words Are Wonderful (Psalm 119)
Praise His Name (Psalm 148)
Our Song From Age To Age
Christ Our Treasure
As You Go

NEXT WEEK’S PASSAGE:
I am the Resurrection and the Life - John 11:25

THE BOOK OF THE QUARTER:

The Books that Shaped Us (Sovereign Grace Journal, October 2024)

By Churches, Sovereign Grace

Buy on Amazon

To download a FREE PDF version of this journal (and other past issues), please visit: https://www.sovereigngrace.com/journal

Today, we begin a series on the I Am sayings of Jesus. Jesus famously asked his disciples, "Who do you say that I am?" This series is not about who we say Jesus is. We will spend the next seven weeks hearing what Jesus says about himself. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES: The I Am Sayings of Jesus
TEXT: John 6:35
TITLE: Supreme Satisfaction
PREACHER: Derek Overstreet
BIG IDEA: More than providing our daily bread, Jesus came to be our eternal bread.

SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes and text emphasis are taken directly from the pastor’s notes.

“In one sense, we can never be closer to Jesus (gospel union). In another sense, we can never be close enough to Jesus. My prayer is that as we get to know Jesus more through these sayings, we fall more in love with Jesus, live more passionately for Jesus, and more courageously share the good news about Jesus with others.”

“Jesus' stunning claim comes as he is conversing with the crowds. BTW, so stunning is Jesus' claim by the end of the scene, even some of his disciples desert him.”

“A day earlier, Jesus fed 5k people (15-20k including women and children) with just five loaves of bread and two fish. And get this—there were leftovers. It was a miracle that revealed Christ's unmatched power and authority.”

“The next morning, the people run Jesus down again. They don't have questions about the feeding miracle. They aren't curious about its significance or implications. They aren't in awe of Jesus. They want breakfast. They aren't looking for a Savior; they are looking for a meal ticket.”

“The crowd responds in 28 by asking, "What must we do?" It's a familiar question, isn't it? What do I need to do? We are doers. We are self-sufficient. Surely I need to do something to get something. It's a daily fight to rest in Christ's work for us and the Spirit's power in us.”

“In 29-33, Jesus essentially says, You don't do anything. You can't do anything. Like the manna your fathers ate in the wilderness, this life-giving bread comes not from man but from God. Of course, the crowd loves that idea, so in 34 they say, ‘Sir, give us this bread always.’”

“The idea conveyed by the word "always" is continually or repeatedly. The crowd is still misunderstanding Jesus. Their mindset is stuck in a transactional mode. Ok, Sir, we'll meet you right back here with our baskets every morning. But Jesus says, I'm right here. Look at 35—I am the bread of life.”

“Revealing himself with the same name God revealed himself to Moses with at the Burning Bush, Jesus reveals not only his deity, but His sufficiency to not only meet their physical needs, but infinitely more, the spiritual life and nourishment that is essential but beyond their ability.”

“Remember what Jesus said earlier—look at 33 with me. Jesus says, I am the HE. I am the true bread my Father sends from heaven. Get your minds off bread loaves. Get your mind off earthly needs. Get your thoughts off the temporal. Get your eyes off the dot (here and now) and see the line (eternal). Think spiritually. I am the ultimate bread, the bread in the wilderness foreshadowed. It's me. I can give you all the bread loaves your heart desires, but that's not why I came. I didn't come just to provide you with bread, I came to BE your bread.”

“Now, Jesus follows up this stunning self-revelation with a generous invitation and an eternal promise. Jesus says, 'Come and believe in me.' How do we do that? By faith. BTW, faith is not a work. Scripture always juxtaposes faith and works. Romans 10:9—If you believe in your heart, you will be saved. Jesus has already said in 29 that the way to receive this bread of life is by believing the One who IS the bread of life. Coming to Jesus is not simply showing up on Sundays. Believing in Jesus is not merely agreeing with the facts of the gospel. Jesus invitation is to trust him, to lean all your weight on him, place all your hope in him, in who he is and what he has done at the cross for you, paying in full what you owed by taking all your sins, and the just and eternal punishment for those sins, upon himself so that your guilt is gone and you are justified before God. When you come to Jesus with a heart that believes that, that is FAITH.”

“This ultimately happens through the miracle of regeneration, an inward work of the Spirit that makes you acutely aware of your sin and guilt and even more of the love and mercy of God in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ in such a way that you come to Jesus with a broken heart and open arms in repentance and faith. God alone does this regenerating work that liberates you to come to Jesus in faith. Jesus makes that clear in the preceding verses, if you wish to study them this week.”

“This invitation comes with a promise—Supreme Satisfaction.”

“When Jesus says all who come and believe shall not hunger and shall never thirst, those promises are emphatic. In other words, the emphasis is on NEVER. When you come to Jesus, when you believe in him, you will not be disappointed. We were created for longing. God designed us to hunger and thirst after something. Physically, yes, but even more, spiritually. When we come to Jesus and feast on Him, our most fundamental needs are always satisfied.”

“We Hunger and Thirst for ACCEPTANCE without conditions. Human beings are gluttonous about love. We hunger after being loved. We thirst to be accepted without the fear of rejection. So we live promiscuously. We deceive others to stay in their good graces. But Jesus gives us a better meal to feast on. His blood and righteousness provide us with peace with God that can never be broken. Who can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus? No one and nothing! Romans 8:38-39.”

“We Hunger and Thirst for PURPOSE in and beyond this world. We were created with a longing for purpose. That ultimate purpose is, to quote the Westminster Confession—Glorify God and enjoy Him forever. Only in our union with Christ is this possible. As we feast on Jesus, believing, obeying, and resting in Jesus, our hungry and thirsty souls are satisfied.”

“We Hunger and Thirst for ASSURANCE before God. The eating of Christ's flesh and drinking of his blood is the coming and believing of verse 35. The point is, if you have believed in Jesus, you are saved and will be raised one day to heaven. Are you struggling with assurance of faith this morning? Have you believed in Jesus? If you have, you may be a struggling Christian, but you are a Christian no less. Once justified, always justified, FULLY. Christian, do you doubt God is working in you? Have you come to him in faith for your standing before God? If you have, you may be resisting His work, but He is at work no less because Romans 8:29-30 says all who are in Christ are being sanctified as they wait to be glorified.”

“We could keep going—security, reputation, longevity. These are some of the most fundamental things we hunger and thirst after. And there is no amount of money or possessions, no position of importance, no degree of power, no measure of success that can satisfy our desires.”

ILLUSTRATION: Millionaire YouTuber - “I've tried everything, but there is still something missing.”

“If Jesus isn't our supreme satisfaction, something will always be off because Jesus alone is the bread of life. On the other hand, the more we feast on Jesus, the more our desire to feast on the world dissipates. I'm not thinking about a McDonald's cheeseburger when my belly is full of a ribeye.”

QUOTES:
Charles Spurgeon - “Faith is a motion of the heart, not a motion of the feet…It is an act of reliance upon Christ's great sacrifice, and wherever the Holy Ghost works it in men, it makes Christ to be theirs, so that they shall never hunger and shall never thirst.”

Jean-Paul Sartre - “That God does not exist, I cannot deny, that my whole being cries out for God, I cannot forget.”

Charles Spurgeon - “The love of Jesus casts out all hankering for other loves and fills the soul. If the ocean of divine love cannot fill us, what can? What more can a man want or wish for?”

APPLICATION:
Here is the BIG question: What are you feasting on? Where are you seeking satisfaction? Where are you going to quench your hunger and thirst for things like purpose, assurance, and acceptance? Here are a few questions to help you answer the bigger question:
- What do you find yourself reveling in more, your worldly success or Christ's atoning sacrifice?
- In disappointment, is your heart ruled by your subjective feelings or the objective truths of the gospel?
- What creates a sigh of relief in your soul most, your social acceptance or your heavenly adoption?

The world and all its sparkle and promises leave us hungry, thirsty, and sick every time. We don't always feel our malnutrition. Sin is like cancer; it eats away at us even when we don't know it. 

Oh, but there is great hope! Jesus says, "I am the bread of life. Come to me. Believe in me. Feast on me. And you will never hunger or thirst." This is the Savior's promise to you! More than providing our daily bread, Jesus came to be our eternal bread of life. So come, believe in him, for the first time or the thousandth time, and be supremely satisfied.

SONGS FROM THIS SUNDAY:
Bless The Lord O My Soul (Psalm 103)
Christ Our Hope In Life And Death
All Things
Praise His Name (Psalm 148)
We Hunger And Thirst

NEXT WEEK’S PASSAGE:
I Am the Light of the World - John 8:12

THE BOOK OF THE QUARTER:

The Books that Shaped Us (Sovereign Grace Journal, October 2024)

By Churches, Sovereign Grace

Buy on Amazon

To download a FREE PDF version of this journal (and other past issues), please visit: https://www.sovereigngrace.com/journal

On this Easter Sunday, the question is—Where is my hope? Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

EASTER SUNDAY 2025
TEXT: John 11:25-26
TITLE:  The Best Day of the Year
PREACHER: Derek Overstreet

POINTS:
I. A Hopeless Situation
II. A Hope-Filled Proclamation
III.A Hope-Giving Demonstration

SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes, and text emphasis, are taken directly from the pastor’s notes.

”Resurrection Sunday is the best day of the year. Those angelic words—He is not here. He has risen!—thunder true hope to all the world. On this Easter Sunday, the question is—Where is my hope? Hope is critical to life. Hope keeps us moving forward. Hope gives us life and strength to carry on. Everyone is searching for something to pin their hope on. Everyone needs hope.”

“Of course, we place our hope in many things. At times out of ignorance, at other times out of desperation, but we all put our hope in something. Relationships. Leisure. Education. Medicine. Behavior. Money. Rules. Staying numb. Sooner or later, those things will leave us feeling horribly hopeless. And as Proverbs 13:12 says—Hope deferred makes the heart sick.”

“In pursuit of true hope, we look to a familiar story in the gospel of John. Our passage is wedged within the account of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead.”

“In verses 1-4, Mary and Martha sent word to Jesus that their brother Lazarus was gravely ill. They had seen Jesus heal before, so they sent the word of Lazarus to Jesus, believing that he would come quickly and heal their brother. Jesus responded that Lazarus's illness would not lead to death but the glory of God. How encouraging is that!”

“In verse 5, it says that Jesus loved Mary, Martha, and their brother Lazarus. One would think he would go to Lazarus immediately. He didn't. Jesus decides to wait a couple of days, according to verse 6. When Jesus decides to make the short trip to Lazarus, his disciples try to change his mind because of the danger to Jesus. Jesus' response is puzzling—read 9-16.”

“Jesus is speaking very cryptically. His illness does not lead to death. He has fallen asleep. Lazarus has died so that you may believe it. Something is brewing. Never a dull moment with Jesus. But Jesus finally arrives on the scene in 17; it's too late. Lazarus has been dead for four days. It seems like a very hopeless situation.”

“Not all Jews believed in a resurrection on the final day. The Pharisees did, but the Sadducees didn't. But Martha did believe, saying in 24—I know he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day. What follows in our text is stunning; look at 25—I am the resurrection and the life. This is the fifth of seven I Am statements by Jesus. Claims of deity connected to real-life situations during his ministry. Take note: Jesus doesn't say I will raise Lazarus on the last day. He says—I am the resurrection and the life.”

“Don't miss this. Some in this story are focused on the past—Lazarus would still be alive if Jesus had come immediately. Martha is focused on the future—I know my brother will rise in the resurrection on the last day. But Jesus is focused on what is in the present. He is drawing the audience to himself by identifying, not with a theological teaching or future event, but with the very event of resurrection and the reality of eternal life.” 

“Jesus is saying—Martha, I'm glad your eschatology is sound, but believe in me today. I don't just teach the resurrection—I am the resurrection. I don't just preach God's power for life—I am God's power for life. Jesus' claim is not a job description; it's a self-revelation of the One who doesn't just do glorious things; he is glorious—I AM the resurrection and life.”

“Now, Jesus expands and explains this astonishing statement when he says in 25, look at it with me—Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. At first read, this sounds confusing and even contradictory: whoever believes, though he dies, and in the next breath, everyone who believes shall never die. Which one is it? Do we live or die?”

“Ephesians 2 says once we were spiritually dead in our sin. We were alive physically but dead spiritually. But God, who is rich in mercy, resurrects us spiritually, giving us eternal life in Jesus. The moment you are saved by grace, you have beaten death. You still die physically, but spiritually, you never die. Physical death cannot destroy the eternal spiritual life that comes by faith in Jesus. The day this body dies is not the day I die.”

“The day my physical body dies is the day I come into the most excellent and glorious awareness of reality. I will live in the majestic presence of my Savior, first in spirit, then on that great resurrection day when Christ returns, in a glorified body in the new heaven and earth.”

“This is the height of hope! We have an intuitive sense of eternity, a God-given awareness that there is something beyond this life. Ecclesiastes 3:11 says—God has put eternity into man's heart. So philosophers have philosophized, and spiritual gurus have speculated about it throughout the ages. Even the ancient man Job wondered: If a man dies, shall he live again?—Job 14:14”

“Jesus, the Giver of eternal life, says—Yes, Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die.”

“The commanding voice of Jesus, not whispered, but the text says with a loud voice, echoed into the tomb—Lazarus, come out. The voice of God Almighty, who spoke creation into being with the power of His word, speaks with that same power—Lazarus come out.”

“At his divine command, Lazarus's brain began to work; his rotting flesh began to heal, the air started to pump through his lungs, and blood pulsing through his veins once again, strength returned to his ligaments and muscles. And even after four days in the grave,  Lazarus walked out of the tomb alive as a display of God's undeniable power and glory.”

“What a preview to an even more glorious resurrection. The Giver of Life would die on the cross to secure the forgiveness of sinners. But three days later, wrapped and sealed in his own tomb, God rolled the stone away, and Jesus walked out of the grave, defeating sin and death forever for all who believe in him. And Christ's physical resurrection is the first fruits of ours. This is why the resurrection is the most crucial event in history. The empty tomb validates all Jesus claimed about himself—like I am the resurrection and the life—and it is God's cosmic AMEN to his atoning work on the cross that guarantees our physical resurrection to glory as forgiven and justified children of God.”

“Consider the most hopeless situation in your life right now. If God can raise Jesus from the dead, he can handle your circumstance! Do you believe this?”

QUOTES:
R.C. Sproul - “The greatest enemy of man, that enemy that hangs over every human being like the sword of Damocles every day of our lives, the ultimacy of our own personal death, which threatens everything that we do, everything that we say, everything that we learn with ultimate chaos, with what the existentialists call the abyss of non-being, of annihilation—that enemy is conquered by the resurrection.”

APPLICATION:
Darkness doesn't have the last word. Death isn't victorious. Victory comes by faith in the victorious Savior. Jesus is alive and his resurrection is our resurrection and life!

Do You Believe This? Here is the question everyone has to answer. Look at the end of 26—Do you believe this?

If you are not a Christian, the question is—Do you believe in Jesus as the only one who grants and guarantees eternal life with him? I want you to notice what Jesus says at the end of verse 44. What a picture of the gospel. Like Lazarus, you are dead in your sin and without hope. You can do nothing to make yourself worthy of and alive to God. But Jesus died in your place and rose from the dead. And just as he cried—It is finished—the empty tomb is God's declaration—It is sufficient! Today, through the gospel, Jesus calls to you—Come out. Turn from your sin and trust in Jesus, the only source of spiritual life. Through faith, he will unbind and loose you from the grips of sin and hell, setting you free and making you alive forever! His resurrection and empty tomb guarantee it—Will you believe?

To my Christian friend, the application is—Keep believing! Even on this side of the cross and empty tomb, with the Scriptures in our hands and the Spirit in our hearts revealing and guiding us, hope can be elusive. Does true hope seem elusive you today? The resurrection reminds you that your hope in Jesus is real. Your faith is not in vain. Your life is not a house of cards. The tomb is empty, and Jesus is alive. That means your sins are COMPLETELY forgiven. The power of death is TRULY broken. The penalty of sin is FULLY paid. God's love is ETERNALLY yours, and one day, you WILL live in Christ's glorious presence. But that eternal perspective the empty tomb brings is not simply a promise for an amazing future; it's a gift for today:

• The empty tomb ensures you He is there! He is Faithful! He is sufficient! 

• The empty tomb ensures God's promises are Yes and Amen! 

• The empty tomb ensures His throne is approachable as the place of unfailing mercy and all-sufficient grace! 

• The empty tomb ensures your forgiveness and justification before God is full, final, and forever!

SONGS FROM THIS SUNDAY:
Sing
Rise My Soul The Lord Is Risen
Christ Our Hope In Life And Death
Because He Lives

NEXT WEEK’S PASSAGE:
The Roles: Philippians 2:12-13

THE BOOK OF THE QUARTER:

The Enemy Within: Straight Talk about the Power and Defeat of Sin

By Lundgaard, Kris A.

Buy on Amazon

We are spending time defining and celebrating the different aspects of our Sunday gathering so that we will grow in seeing how glorious and important Sunday is to God. Lord willing, the fruit being a deeper joy in God and a greater commitment to our gathering. Today, we look at Worship. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES:  The Gathering: Why Sunday Matters
TEXT: John 4:21-24
TITLE: Worshiping God, God’s Way
PREACHER: Derek Overstreet
BIG IDEA: True Worship is Worshiping God, God’s Way

POINTS:
1. The Biblical Fundamentals of Our Worship
2. The Biblical Expressions of Our Worship

SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes are taken from the pastor’s notes.
”Romans 12:1 exhorts us to offer our body and soul as a living sacrifice to God as worship. For the Christian, all of life is worship. Today, we look at a narrow expression of Romans 12 worship—the 20-25 of our gathering when we sing together.”

“The woman at the well was a Samaritan. The Samaritans were Israelites who intermarried with non-Israelites. By the time Jesus came on the scene, the Samaritans had their own theological system, including Mt. Gerizim, not Jerusalem, as the place where God was to be worshipped.”

“When Jesus says You worship what you do not know— he is calling the woman and her religion out. She does not worship God in truth because she does not worship Him according to His self-revelation but according to their man-made revelation. It’s not that she was worshipping a false God; she was worshipping the true God falsely.”

“Jesus points the woman to his sacrifice that will transform where and how God’s people will worship Him. Since Jesus is the way, the life, the TRUTH (Hebrews 1:3), his words in verse 24—those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth—become the new order and formula he will create for all Christian worship under the new covenant.”

“To worship God in truth is to worship Him according to who He is and how He has prescribed we worship Him in Scripture. To worship God in truth is to worship Him according to and for His eternal character, sacrificial love, and gospel promises. It’s not that we can only sing God’s Word (Regulative Principle), but God’s Word must be the basis of our singing. Our theology informs, permeates, and fuels our Sunday morning worship. This is why the songs we sing are so important.”

“Simply put, to worship God in Spirit is to worship Him from a heart of faith in Christ. We are God’s people, not because of ethnicity, geography, or outward work. We belong to God because, by His grace, we have an inward faith in Jesus.”

“When we worship in faith, not concerned with pleasing or impressing others, but believing from hearts of gratitude that God is good and the pinnacle of His goodness is providing Jesus as our Savior, no matter where you are, who you are with, or how off tune you sing, God is magnified because you are worshipping him in spirit, from a heart of gratitude and in truth, according to who He is.”

“This isn’t optional. You can’t have one without the other. They go together. To worship only in truth can be hard and cold. To worship God only in Spirit can lead to fleeting and shallow emotionalism. But to worship God with the head and the heart, that is true worship.”

“Is true worship about the heart? Absolutely! From beginning to the end of Scripture it’s clear—above all things, God is concerned with the heart. But don’t fall into the trap of thinking that means what I do with my body when I worship is unimportant and irrelevant. It is very important and relevant.”

“The Bible says much about physical expression when we worship God. What do we mean by physical expression? Expressive worship is using appropriate physical motions that manifest the attitude and reflect the proper response to what we are singing about God.”

“Ultimately, the exhortation in 1 Corinthians 14:40, when we gather things should be done decently and in order, is our guiding principle. Our priority in corporate worship is not our individual expressiveness; it’s encouraging and serving one another in Christ. This is why pastors should teach, encourage, and model God-honoring expressive worship.”

“This shouting isn’t a rock concert—Hey SGC! We’re in the house. Are you ready for this? Connect the content to the shouting. These are shouts of praise fueled by the theology of God that is on fire in the hearts of His people in a way that cannot be contained.”

“Clapping in Scripture is a God-ordained response of appreciation, honor, and exaltation to the Lord for who He is and what He has done for us.”

“The point of Psalm 47 is that God is the King who reigns over all. He has defeated the enemy and delivered His people. So His people clap—Thank you God! How much more on this side of the cross do we have to clap as a worshipful response to the God of our salvation? He is worthy, isn’t He?”

“In the Bible, raised hands are associated with blessing. To bless the Lord is to exalt and celebrate Him. David expresses his hunger and need for the Lord, who is powerful and glorious and whose unfailing love is better than life itself. So he doesn’t just sing; David also raises his hands to express gratitude for who God is and how He loves him.”

“As a desperate child runs to their father with outstretched arms—Help me!—David raises his hands as an expression of need and surrender to God.”

“Again, connect the content with the expression. This is not— Raise your hands in the air like you just don’t care. This is theology that grips the heart so much that it overcomes our personalities and fears and pours forth through physical expression because it is too marvelous to be contained.”

“Bowing down is a posture of humility and submission. It reflects an inward attitude of reverence and respect before the Lord. As the people consider and praise God as the Rock of their salvation, their Holy Creator and sovereign Lord over all things, they bow down in awe and wonder. Isn’t He worthy of our bended knee?”

“Important distinction: No physical expression is worship itself. No expression makes our worship more genuine. No expression makes the individual holier than the next. Someone can raise their hands in exuberance on Sunday and be committing adultery or stealing from the boss on Monday. But when these physical expressions are fueled by theology and flow from a heart of gratitude, adoration, wonder, and awe, they are God-honoring responses to true worship taking place in our hearts.”

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
Romans 12:1
1 Corinthians 14:40

There are numerous physical expressions in Scripture that God has commanded and commended to us:
Voices
- Sing: Psalm 96:1-2, Psalm 47:6:7
- Shout: Psalm 33:1-3, Psalm 100:1
Hands
- Clapping: Psalm 47:1-2
- Raising Hands: Psalm 63:1-4, Psalm 134:1-3, Psalm 143:6
Legs
- Bow Down: Psalm 95:1-7

QUOTES:
Martin Luther - “A person who gives this [singing] some thought and yet does not regard it as a marvelous creation of God, must be a clodhopper indeed and does not deserve to be called a human being; he should be permitted to hear nothing but the braying of [donkeys] and the grunting of hogs.”

D.A. Carson - “Christian worship is new covenant worship; it is gospel-inspired worship; it is Christ-centered worship; it is cross-focused worship.”

Bob Kauflin - “God wants our worship to be intelligent and informed. He wants to stretch our minds to the limits as we consider the greatness of his being and the wonder of his works….Obviously, intellect can become an end in itself. We can become more impressed with our doctrinal formulations than we are with Jesus. We can end up leading a theologically orthodox but emotionally dead church. God receives no glory from that combination….God intends for us to remember that neither biblical truth nor deep emotion is out of place when we worship God; they’re meant to go together.”

Matt Boswell - “The Scriptures resound with singing. There are over fifty direct commands for us to sing, and singing is mentioned over 400 times in the Bible. Singing doesn’t merely play a one-dimensional function in the life of the church; it plays a multi-faceted, invaluable role as we worship God. We sing as an act of worship. We sing to disciple one another. We sing as a declaration to the world.”

APPLICATION:
Q) Are there any physical expressions of worship God has given in Scripture that I refuse or have never displayed?

• Not my personality to raise my hands

• Not respectable to shout (shouting in my heart)

• What will others think if I bow down? (fear of man)

• Expressions are cultural (their not)

• Didn’t grow up clapping 

What hinders you on Sundays? Fear of man? Personality? Warped sense of being reverent or respectable? Tradition?

The Bible doesn’t command we do every expression every time we worship. But if God has commanded and commended certain physical expressions, and I refuse some because I want to worship God my way, at my comfort level, well, I need to revisit my theology of worship. Because worship is not about me; it’s about Him.

In heaven, one thing we will do is sing. We will see our Savior, and with the angels, we will sing. We will sing loud, free of pride, fear, and ignorance. We will sing with clear minds and genuine hearts that can take in the glory of God unhindered by sin. We will sing with the strength to keep singing forever. It will be glorious! Until then, Be here on Sunday so we can sing together. How God made you will be reflected in your worship. But he gave us all a voice, hands, and legs to worship Him.

The gospel saves us into a life of service, first to God and then, as an expression of that service, to others. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES: Our 7 Shaping Virtues
TEXT: John 13:1-15
TITLE:  Servanthood
PREACHER: Tom Wilkins
BIG IDEA: Understanding that the Lord Jesus is a servant, captures our hearts and makes us joyful servants.

POINTS:
1. Jesus is our Lord who served
2. We are Jesus’ servants who joyfully serve

SERMON EXCERPTS:
”Jesus, our faithful Master, defines service as true greatness… He ultimately demonstrated this greatness for us in laying down his life for us.”

“Jesus is the Eternal WORD - the divine LOGOS. He is the very Son of God, the Son of Man, the KING of kings, and the LORD of lords! Jesus is the LORD. And Jesus our Lord serves us!”

“…we cannot miss the cosmic profundity of verses 4-5. Just a couple of days before the Cross on which Jesus will hang willingly, suffering, and shedding His divine precious blood as the very Lamb of God who has come to take away the sins of the world, He, OUR LORD takes the form of a slave and washes his doubting, of-weak-faith, confused, proud, and fearful disciples!”

“Jesus the kneeling-servant will become the suffering-servant of Isaiah 53 and serve to His death… for us.”

“Jesus’ question: “Do you understand what I have done for you?”

“In faith and by the power of the Holy Spirit, we now are beginning to understand, and this captures our hearts…so what does this lead and call us to do - The TEXT gives us the application!”

“His command is grounded in what He has already done! (The indicative always before the imperative!) This calling is more than simply following Jesus’ example. Moralism = Trying to serve like Jesus did on our own - if that was even possible. BUT, Joyful servanthood results from understanding who Jesus is (LORD) and what He has done for us (The Cross). Our motivation is one of obedience, but this call and action are fueled and motivated by The Gospel - by what He has done for us and what He has done for fellow believers.”

“Holding on to our Lord and Savior (who is THE Perfect Servant who has His grip on us!) with one hand, we serve others with the other hand, all the while handing them off to the Lord and their Savior.”

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
2 Corinthians 4:5
Mark 10:43-44
Mark 10:45
1 John 3:18
1 Peter 4:10
1 Corinthians 9:19
John 13:34-35

QUOTES:
Murray J. Harris- “Christian conversion may be described as an exchange of yokes. Slavery to sin, to evil powers, to evil desires, is replaced by slavery to Christ. Since life cannot be ‘yokeless’, conversion must involve an alteration of sovereignty, an exchange of masters, the assumption of a new yoke - that of service to Christ. Whereas the previous yoke was oppressive and chafing, the new yoke is pleasant and emancipating.”

APPLICATION QUESTIONS:
Q. Why am I not serving?
Q. Is my lack of serving evidence of deep selfishness… self-focused Narcissism
Q. Who and where could I serve?