In the good shepherd “parable,” it’s crystal clear that the thieves and the robbers are the Pharisees while the shepherd is Jesus. Just as the sheep listen to the voice of the Shepherd alone and run from the voice of the thieves and robbers, so also this blind man (and those like him) recognize implicitly the voice of their Savior Jesus while resisting the error of the Pharisees. The verses before us are not so much an explanation of that “parable” but an elaboration and expansion of some of its themes. The elaboration explains three things: I. Jesus Is the Door (7-10) II. Jesus Is the Shepherd (11-16) III. Jesus…

The verses before us come right after Jesus performed this incredible miracle at the Feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem—the healing of the man born blind. But while this action has astonished many, it has triggered the Pharisees. They are livid with Jesus because he had the temerity to perform this miracle on the Sabbath, which they believed to be a violation of Moses’ Law. So they are interrogating the man born blind trying to find out where Jesus is. And in the process they end up in a conflict with the healed man and throw him out of the synagogue. Whereas the blind man has had his eyes opened, the…

Earlier today I delivered a message in Southern Seminary’s chapel titled “A Confrontation with Jesus” on John 4:16-26. The video is below.

In my last message on John, we turned our attention John 9:1-7 which relays Jesus’ miracle of healing the beggar who had been born blind. The rest of the chapter is the aftermath of that miracle. In spite of the evidence Jesus provides them through the miracle, the Jewish leaders and some of the people aren’t going to see the truth. They are going to remain in the dark. But I would argue that the reason they don’t see is because they don’t want to see. What is the people’s response to Jesus’ miracle of healing a man born blind? I want to draw your attention to four “responses” that…

As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him. We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” Having said these things, he spit on the ground and made mud with the saliva. Then he anointed the man’s eyes…

Jesus says, “Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.” And yet we know that all of us–Christians and non-Christians alike–will eventually die. So what does Jesus really mean when he says that we will never die? I addressed this question on Sunday morning in a sermon titled “The Glory of the Eternal Son” (John 8:58-59). You can listen at the Spotify or Apple podcast links below.

If you come to Christ as a means to another end, then you haven’t really come to Christ. You have just come to your idol. You cannot come to God as a means to another end. Because whatever the end is is your idol (e.g., relationship, grades, school, car). You have to turn from your idols and turn to Christ. But you can’t do that if your appetite is for your idols. That is why Jesus confronts our appetites. Don’t work for the food that spoils but for the food that endures to eternal life. So what are you working for? Are you working and scheming and gaming out how…

After Charlie Kirk’s memorial, many Christian leaders began raising the possibility that we are witnessing the beginnings of a revival. While we do well to pray that the Lord would be pleased to pour out his Spirit in revival, it’s too early to say whether we are in the midst of one. It takes time to discern such things. But still, it’s worth asking whether we would recognize a real revival if there was one? What would a revival look like? Would it simply be a whole lot of people showing up in a stadium to mourn a martyr? Or would a genuine move of the Spirit result in more…

I’ve been preaching through the Gospel of John at my Church and delivered a message on John 8:31-38 on Sunday. The title consists of Jesus’ watershed statement in v. 32: “The Truth Will Make You Free.” You can listen to the entire message at the Spotify Podcast or Apple Podcast linked below.

John 8:12, “Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’” This is the second of seven of Jesus’ famous “I am” sayings. The first one was in chapter 6, where he says, “I am the bread of life.” And now he’s revealing himself as the “light of the world”—meaning, he’s the light that illuminates the world. Light shines. It illuminates. It reveals. It helps you to see things that you otherwise would be unable to see. When Jesus says that he is the light, he is the great revealer of…