Weekly Sermons

John 6:22-40 Bread Apparently, the crowd REALLY enjoyed the loaves-and-fishes meal (verses 4-14), and hoped to persuade Jesus to make it a regular event. One commentator observed that the crowd “missed the sign of the bread, seeing only the bread in the sign.” This section of John’s Gospel story of Jesus is framed by four questions or statements from the crowd, and four statements Jesus gave in response. Read John 6:22-27. (“When did you come here?”) - How is it that the people were confused about how and when Jesus returned to Capernaum from the other side of the sea? (Recall last week’s message, verses 15-21.) - In Jesus’ response (verses 26-27), did he answer their question? Explain. - What do you think it means that God the Father has “set his seal” on Jesus? (see John 1:32-34). - How should we understand Jesus’ words in verse 27, that we should “not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you”? Is he saying we shouldn’t work to put food on the table? What do you think the “food” is that endures to eternal life? Explain. Read John 6:28-29. (“What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?”) - Their question here is natural. Jesus had just told them to work (or labor) for the sort of food that endures to eternal life. What kind of answer do you think they expected? - Do you think we should understand the words “the work of God” in verse 29 as “the work God wants from us,” or “the work God does in us,” or both? Explain. - What does Jesus say God wants us to do? Why do you think many people reject or dismiss this answer? What else do they suppose God expects from us? What would you say to them in response? Read John 6:30-33. (“What sign will You perform, that we may see it and believe You?”) - How should we understand this question from the crowd? What signs had they seen already? Had those signs led them to believe in Jesus? What were they demanding here? - What did Jesus tell them God wants to provide for them? How is that better than the manna-bread God provided the Israelites in the wilderness (Exodus 16:4-24)? Read John 6:34-40. (“Lord, give us this bread always.”) - Do you understand the peoples’ request in verse 34 as sincere, or are they just asking for another meal? Do you think verse 36 answers this question? Explain. - In verse 35, what two promises did Jesus make? Do you think we should understand “comes to me” and “believes in me” as two separate things, or as two ways of saying the same thing? Explain. - What difference will it make if we understand coming to Jesus and believing in him not as a one-time decision we may have made long ago, but rather a daily choice we make to put his interests above our own? - What two promises do we find in verse 37? In verses 38-40, Jesus makes three statements concerning the will of God. What are they? How do these words give comfort to those who truly seek for God? Here and Now - Pastor Rob began his message by describing a consumer-culture church model that catered to peoples’ felt needs. What changes when we shift our mind-set from “What can God do for me” to - If someone were to ask you, “What does God want from me?” how would you answer? - How does this help us answer the question, why do we gather every week for our church service? What do we get out of it? What does God get out of it? - Why should we offer up our worship to God, even when we’ve had a rough week, and don’t even feel like worshiping him at that moment? How can it help us when we worship anyway in times like this? - - - - - - - - Dan Stephenson

Message of February 2, 2020 John 6:1-15 Meal Apart from the resurrection, the feeding of the 5,000 is the only miracle that is reported in all four Gospels. It can be also found in - Matthew 14:13-21 - Mark 6:32-44 - Luke 9:10-17 Pastor Rob’s message brought in some details from Mark’s account. In three of the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and John), the feeding of the 5,000 is followed immediately by the miracle of Jesus walking on the water. The emphasis for this week’s message is the miracle itself, and what Jesus is able to accomplish through what we have to offer him. Later in this chapter (verses 26 on), Jesus disclosed some deeper truths related to the feeding miracle. We will hold off for now on those. Read John 6:1-9. - Why were all these people following Jesus? - From Mark’s account, why Jesus and the disciples had crossed the Sea of Galilee to come to this remote place? How was this working out for them? - The hour was late, and the people were hungry. Why do you suppose the disciples were thinking when Jesus asked them to come up with a plan to feed the crowd? - Philip and Andrew both responded to Jesus. Compare their observations. Do you think they were optimistic about reaching the goal of feeding the crowd? - What insight does John give us in verse 6? Read John 6:10-15. - We have hear the story before, so it may not have the same impact as hearing it for the first time. How did the people who saw it in person respond? - Do you think it is significant that Jesus was concerned with the leftovers (verse 12). Explain. Here and Now - Jeremiah 29:11 is a familiar and favorite verse for many. To catch the significance of this verse in context, read Jeremiah 29:4-14. What is the key command (in verse 7)? Pastor Rob told us about a study that showed three foundational problems in our community (domestic violence, child abuse/neglect, and teen suicide). Asking us to address these issues feels as overwhelming as when Jesus asked his disciples to feed the crowd with no resources to speak of. - Andrew provided the material for the miracle when he reported that one boy had five (small) loaves and a couple of little fish in his lunch. So, what do you have? If you take a personal inventory, what experiences, resources, talents, or interests would you list? Rob related his experience at the downtown church: They had a kitchen, a gym, and a big TV. And they used those for five years to minister to their community. - What could you do with the things on your own personal inventory? Do you have any dreams or ideas for meeting needs in our community? Do you have any doubts about what God could accomplish if ten or twenty of us pooled our energy and talents? Are you willing to ask God to help you see what you ought to do? - - - - - - - - - - - - Dan Stephenson

Message of January 26, 2020 John 5:16-23 Father Read John 5:16-18. - How are Jesus’ words in verse 17 an answer to the Jewish authorities that he was breaking the Sabbath? - When you were younger, were there rules or standards of conduct set by Christians or churches, that today seem trivial or even wrong? - Think about your own views on what is right and what is wrong. Would you say your views are based more on what God has said in the Bible, or on the opinions or pressure from other people? - Pastor Rob said that “legalism blinds people to what God says.” What do you think he meant by this? What would you say is the antidote or cure for legalism? - Looking at verse 17, what are some of the ways God the Father has been working all along, even on Sabbath days? - Jesus’ words escalated the conflict with the authorities. What did they find offensive in his answer? - In the view of the authorities, Jesus was “making himself equal with God.” Why were they so passionate on this point? Why might readers today overlook that in our reading of verse 17? How would you explain the gravity of this exchange to someone hearing it for the first time? - If you asked people today whether Jesus is equal with God, what kinds of answers would you expect to hear? Do you think it is important for Christians to see Jesus as equal with God? Explain. Note: A key question for us is whether Jesus embraced or rejected the authorities’ charge that he was making himself equal with God. In verses 19-23, Jesus addressed this question head-on. Read John 5:19-23. - What did Jesus say in verse 19 about his relationship with the Father? - Do you think Jesus meant that he was trying his best to imitate the Father? How does it change things if we read this as a statement of their equality (The Son is just like the Father, so the Son does just what the Father does)? - What did Jesus say in verse 20 about the Father and the Son? What are some of the “greater works” they would later see him do? - Pastor Rob talked about a popular view of the judgment, where the Father is our adversary, but Jesus steps in as our advocate. How will it adjust our view of salvation and judgment if we realize that the Father loves the Son, and the two are very much on the same page in their attitudes and actions toward us? - Verse 19 might sound like Jesus can’t do anything on his own, until he gets the go-ahead from the Father. But in verses 21-22, it sounds like Jesus has freedom to act on his own in matters of life and judgment. What are we to make of this? Is it OK if we don’t fully understand? Explain. - How does verse 23 bolster the argument for Jesus’ equality with the Father? - If you asked people today what they think of verse 23, what answers would you expect? What does that verse mean to you? What would you say to someone who said it sounded offensive to God? - What difference does it make for you, personally, if you accept that Jesus is exactly who John tells us he is? What do you think it means in verse 23 that we should “honor the Son?” - - - - - - - - - - - Dan Stephenson

John 5:1-15 Pool Note: In the previous passage (John 4:46-54), the main point was clearly Jesus’ power to heal. Chapter 5 is also a healing story, but here the healing seems not to be the main idea. In fact, John’s conclusion to this story (5:16-18) suggests that the primary purpose of this healing was to set in motion the conflict between Jesus and the authorities. Even so, the situation of the man who was healed (reluctantly?) can show us something about our own resistance to growth and health. Read John 5:1-9. - Jesus asked the man if he wanted to be made well. How did he respond? - Why might the man actually not have wanted his situation to change? Why might people today find it preferable to remain in a bad situation than to adjust to a new reality? - What do you hear in the man’s answer - has he given up? Is he making an excuse? Is this a plea for help, or something else? - At this point, the man likely had no idea who Jesus was, or what Jesus could do for him. His only ideas were not working. Why might we, like this man, seem unable or unwilling to consider new solutions, new sources of help? Read John 5:9-15. - What happened when the man did what Jesus told him to do? - Why was he unable to tell the Jewish authorities who it was who told him to carry his bed? - What did the man do next, after Jesus found him in the temple? Note: Jesus’ command to “sin no more” does not suggest that the man’s infirmity was the result of his earlier sin. In the account of the healing of the blind man in John chapter 9 (which makes a very interesting contrast to this story), Jesus refuted the idea that sin was the cause of that man’s blindness. Consider John 5:14 and 15 together. Could the command to “sin no more” be a warning to the man not to go to the Jewish authorities? Bringing it home - Is there some long-standing habit or resentment or dysfunction in your life that you have come to believe will never change? Do you believe Jesus is able to make a difference in that situation? Explain. - Are you willing to be healed – that is, are you open to making changes that could fix the situation? Or is it easier to live with what you’re used to? Are you at least willing to pray for courage to change? To talk with someone who could guide you in the right direction? - If you have experienced that life-changing power of God healing a physical, emotional, or relational situation, how have you responded to him? Who needs to hear your story? - - - - - - - - - - - Dan Stephenson

Read John 4:46-48. The journey from Capernaum to Cana was about 20 miles, with an elevation gain of about 1200 feet. Walking from Vantage to Ellensburg on Washington’s I-90 would be similar; it’s a bit further in distance, but not as much elevation gain as going from Capernaum to Cana. - Imagine this government official, this father. What do you suppose his thoughts were as he made his request to Jesus? - How did Jesus respond? What do you think he meant by this? Note: The NKJV makes it clear in verse 48 (“you people”) that Jesus is referring to the Galileans in general, not just this man. In some other translations, it is less obvious that the “you” here is plural. - How significant were Jesus’ signs and wonders as you began to believe in him? Explain. - What would you say are some of the best-known miracle stories in the Bible? - In your experience, are people in our culture today more likely to respond to the miracle stories in the Bible with wonder and awe, or with skepticism? Explain. - Pastor Rob described America as a scientific (logical), rational, skeptical culture. What does it take for us to become receptive to divine and miraculous things in our world? How might parents teach their children to be open to spiritual realities? Read John 4:49-53. - In verse 49, the man repeated his request, perhaps more urgently. How did Jesus answer this time? Do you think this is the answer the man expected, or hoped for? - In verse 50, why didn’t the man argue his point again to persuade Jesus to make the trip with him back down to Capernaum? - Why is it important even today that Jesus was able to heal the man’s son without visiting him, and without performing any sort of prayer or ritual over him? How might this shape our prayers for those in great need? - Suppose a loved one is very sick, and you pray for healing. Is it somehow better if God answers with a miracle than if he answers by healing through medical means? Explain. - Suppose a loved one is very sick. You pray for healing, but your loved one does not recover. What truths about God help us hold on to our faith and trust in God in such a time of loss? - When we lose someone we love, feelings of anger and sorrow are natural. Do you think God is compassionate with us when we feel that way? Explain. Even so, have you experienced peace and comfort in a time of loss like this? What would you say to God in response? - - - - - - - - - - - Dan Stephenson

Luke 2:1–20; Matthew 2:1–18 As If You Were Really There The title of this message is an invitation to read and experience the story of Jesus’ birth with fresh eyes, as if you were really there. We might expect God to make a big entrance with bright lights and fanfare, but when God shows up in our world today, it often happens in the quiet, forgotten corners. Read Luke 2:1–7. We already know from Luke chapter 1 that Mary is about to give birth to the Messiah, the Son of God (Luke 1:30–35). - What information does Luke give us in these verses about the birth of Jesus? How many verses in this passage actually tell us about his birth? How many animals are mentioned? Why do you think our Christmas pageants fill in the blanks with so many other traditional details? - Jesus’ story does not fit our ideas about how a king should be born. What do you think that tells us about God? Read Luke 2:8–14. Imagine that you are one of the shepherds, and that you have never heard these words before. - What did the shepherds see? Why were they afraid? - What information did the angel reveal to the shepherds? Did the angel give them any instructions? - By what sign would the shepherds recognize this newborn Savior, who is Christ the Lord? Read Luke 2:15–20. - Observe the words and actions of the shepherds in these verses. What would you say it meant to them that God showed up in their world that night? What did they do in response? Read Matthew 2:1–8 - How did the wise men (magi) interpret the appearance of the star? What do you suppose they expected to find when they arrived at Jerusalem? What did they intend to do when they found the one they were looking for? - How did Herod the king react to their news? What did Herod learn from the chief priests and scribes? (The words of the prophet in verse 6 are from Micah 5:2-4). What clues do we get that Herod is up to no good? Read Matthew 2:9–12. Imagine that you are one of the wise men, and that you have never heard these words before. - What did the wise men see? Apparently none of them said, “Are you sure this is the right address? I expected something more befitting a real king.” What might we learn from that? What about today? - Pastor Rob talked about how God showed up at a time when his (and the church’s) ministry felt dark and forgotten. When has God showed up for you in a similar time of need? - Like the shepherds, have you made known to others) what God did for you? (See Luke 2:17–18.) Who will you tell this week? - Like the wise men, have you responded to God and to Christ with worship? (See Matthew 2:11.) What would you say you have learned about worshiping in the quiet times, even without the trappings of the big worship pageants? Will you do that today? - - - - - - - - - - - Dan Stephenson