Why Believe

Do You Love Me? - John 21:1-25

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Date:  02/15/15
Speaker:  Matt McCullough
Title:  Do You Love Me?
Scripture:  John 21:1-25

Description:  This conclusion to John’s Gospel does more than tie up a few loose ends. It illustrates the faithful, patient love of Jesus toward those who have failed him. And it shows us the only power that can transform our lives and sustain our faith to the end. Do you love Jesus?

Do You Love Me?
Matt McCullough

Meeting The Risen Christ - John 20:19-31

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Date:  02/08/15
Speaker:  Matt McCullough
Title:  Meeting The Risen Christ
Scripture:  John 20:19-31

Description:  Belief in the resurrection of Jesus is a self-involving belief. It’s more than intellectual. It’s personal. To meet the risen Christ is to be transformed—to move from fear to gladness, from doubt to worship, from aimlessness to mission.

Meeting The Risen Christ
Matt McCullough

I Have Seen The Lord - John 19:38-20:18

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Date:  02/01/15
Speaker:  Matt McCullough
Title:  I Have Seen The Lord
Scripture:  John 19:38-20:18

Description:  All the good news in Christianity hinges on what John tells us about Jesus in this text: Jesus’s physical body really did die, it really was buried, and it really did rise to new physical life. Why should you believe what John reports?

I Have Seen The Lord
Matt McCullough

It Is Finished - John 19:16-37

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Date:  01/25/15
Speaker:  Matt McCullough
Title:  It Is Finished
Scripture:  John 19:16-37

Description:  This text tells the story of Jesus’s death by crucifixion, one of history’s cruelest forms of torture. Yet John spares us all the brutal details. He focuses instead on all the signs that Jesus died on his terms for his purposes. So why did Jesus have to die? What did his death accomplish?

It Is Finished
Matt McCullough

Behold Your King - John 18:28-19:16

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Date:  01/18/15
Speaker:  Matt McCullough
Title:  Behold Your King
Scripture:  John 18:28-19:16

Description:  John gives us more detail about Roman governor Pontius Pilate than all the other Gospel writers combined. And John tells us that everything he’s included is meant to persuade us to believe that Jesus is the Christ. So how does looking at Pilate help us see the beauty of Jesus?

Behold Your King
Matt McCullough

Courage, Cowardice, And Compassion - John 18:1-27

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Date:  01/11/15
Speaker:  Matt McCullough
Title:  Courage, Cowardice, And Compassion
Scripture:  John 18:1-27

Description:  The opening scenes in the story of Jesus’s death tell a story of great courage, as Jesus faces his captors with unflinching resolve and in absolute control. They tell a story of great cowardice, as Peter faces his own examination and denies Jesus repeatedly. And they tell a story of great compassion: Jesus dies on purpose because he knew Peter would deny him, and he knew we’d deny him, too.

Courage, Cowardice, And Compassion
Matt McCullough

The Light Shines - John 1:4-5

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Date:  12/14/14
Speaker:  Matt McCullough
Title:  The Light Shines
Scripture:  John 1:4-5

Description:  The Advent season is an opportunity to reflect on why we need Jesus, on why the news of his coming is such wonderful news. John frames our need and what Jesus offers us in the images of light and darkness. We need Jesus because we are the people walking in darkness—the darkness of sin and the darkness of sorrow. And Jesus has come to us as the light no darkness can overpower.

The Light Shines
Matt McCullough

No One Will Take Your Joy - John 16:16-33

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Date:  11/23/14
Speaker:  Matt McCullough
Title:  No One Will Take Your Joy
Scripture:  John 16:16-33

Description:  In his last conversation with his closest friends before his execution, Jesus promises real sorrow overcome by lasting joy. But why should we believe this joy is possible? And how can we connect with it?

No One Will Take Your Joy
Matt McCullough

Love, Hate, And Life In The World - John 15:18-16:4

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Date:  10/26/14
Speaker:  Matt McCullough
Title:  Love, Hate, And Life In The World
Scripture:  John 15:18-16:4

Description:  In this text Jesus implies that understanding and anticipating the hatred of the world for Jesus and his followers is crucial for faith that lasts. But what does Jesus mean by the hatred of the world? And how should we deal with the hatred of the world?

Love, Hate, And Life In The World
Matt McCullough

Abide In Me - John 15:1-17

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Date:  10/19/14
Speaker:  Matt McCullough
Title:  Abide In Me
Scripture:  John 15:1-17

Description:  When it comes to growth as a Christian, Jesus leaves no middle ground. Those who abide in him bear fruit, and those who don’t abide in him wither and die. It’s either/or. So what does it mean to abide in him? And what sort of fruit comes from those who do?

Abide In Me
Matt McCullough

If You Love Me - John 14:12-31

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Date:  10/12/14
Speaker:  Matt McCullough
Title:  If You Love Me
Scripture:  John 14:12-31

Description:  Jesus teaches that if we love him we will obey him, and if we don’t love him we won’t obey him. The key to our behavior—what we do—is in the affections, what we love. That’s why Jesus’s promise of a Helper, the Holy Spirit, is such good news. The promised Spirit is also a promise of a new heart moved by love for Jesus.

If You Love Me
Matt McCullough

Understanding Unbelief - John 12:36-50

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Date:  09/14/14
Speaker:  Matt McCullough
Title:  Understanding Unbelief
Scripture:  John 12:36-50

Description:  Why was Jesus so widely rejected by his own people? That’s the question John takes up as Jesus’s public ministry draws to a close. And his answer is crucial for us as we face unbelief in ourselves and in those around us.

Understanding Unbelief
Matt McCullough

The Conquering Lamb - John 11:45-12:19

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Date:  08/31/14
Speaker:  Matt McCullough
Title:  The Conquering Lamb
Scripture:  John 11:45-12:19

Description:  These three stories point us to the irony we have to recognize if we want to understand Jesus and what it means to follow him: he is the death-defeating king who conquers by dying, the champion who wins by losing, the one who gains his glorious throne by embracing the shameful cross.

The Conquering Lamb
Matt McCullough