John 8:30-47

Yes, Israel (the Jews) has enjoyed unprecedented advantages over every other nation; but no, the advantages themselves are not sufficient to guarantee entrance into the kingdom of Heaven. Similarly, you may very well be enjoying certain "religious" advantages, only Christ can deliver a person from slavery sin!

John 8:12-14

Still at the Feast of Tabernacles, Jesus drops yet another bombshell by declaring, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." Also very interesting: What does Jesus mean in verse 23 when He says, "You are of this world; I am not of this world"?

John 8:28-32

Jesus claims, "I always do the things that are pleasing to [My Father]." The Jews who crucified Jesus assert that Jesus is not pleasing to God, or else God would deliver Him. The tension between these two claims is resolved in Isaiah 53. Next, we begin to address the tension between verse 30, "many believed in Him," and Jesus's subsequent exposure of them in verses 31-45.

John 8:30-32

The fact that the Gospels portray Jesus Himself as a controversial person probably comes as a surprise to many moderns. Secular (religious) culture has rebranded Jesus as almost exclusively kind, loving, nice, accepting, non-judgmental; when in fact, in the first century gospels people were sharply divided and/or offended by what He said and how He conducted Himself. The Biblical Gospels are preserved for us so that we can know the truth, and in order that the truth can set us free!

This sermon finishes out the story of Jesus at the Feast of Booths. As the crowds confront him, Jesus speaks of the Holy Spirit and demonstrates the value of finding salvation in him alone.

October 18, 2026

John 8:25-28, 43-47

The Jews to whom Jesus is speaking are just not understanding who He is. Yet Jesus's message is plain: "Just what I have been telling you from the beginning." What is the problem? Jesus tells them exactly what the problem is in verses 43-47.

This is the second of three messages on the story of Jesus at the Festival of Booths. The Jews try to challenge the messianic identity of Christ through accusative questions. Jesus reminds them of his heavenly identity and the purpose of his ministry.

*Our apologies for the buzzing noise during the recording. We are not sure what caused this technical issue, but we pray the sermon can still be a blessing to you.*

John 6:60-71 Pastor Cliff finishes his teaching on Jesus's important discourse about Himself being "the Bread of Life."