You and I are called to obedience. We’re called to faithfulness. But have you ever wondered, “How do I become a more obedient follower of Jesus?”

Do we constantly beat ourselves up and remind ourselves of how we consistently fall short? Do we pull ourselves up by our own bootstraps and try a little harder? No.

Obedience and faithfulness to Christ requires you and me to stop thinking about ourselves and those around us and to devote our attention to following Jesus Christ!

Your fate is not sealed because of the sins of your past. Just because you have sinned and perhaps sinned grievously does not mean that you’re damaged goods or have nothing to contribute in God’s Kingdom. The Lord can make beauty from ashes.

The primary message of John 21:1-14 has very little to do with actually fishing. Rather, this passage has everything to do with Jesus sustaining and providing for the church.

That was true then, and it’s true for the church today. The church under the strength of her own power will always fail.

We typically associate Thomas with doubt. After all, we generally refer to him as doubting Thomas.

But as we look at John 20:24-31, the primary issue at play isn’t doubt as much as it is control. Thomas thought that he was sovereign, but was quickly reminded that wasn’t true. Thomas expressed a warped view of himself and God. But even in the midst of his warped view, the Lord was merciful.

In the midst of the concern, fear, and sadness that was certainly in that locked room on Easter evening - Jesus met with his disciples. And of course, Jesus doesn’t just appear and then disappear as quickly as he showed up. He ministered to them in the same way he ministers to us today.

Our risen Savior meets with us to give us His peace, mission, and Spirit.

Despite the denials, everyone knows in their heart of hearts that life is eternal. And the resurrection of Jesus Christ proved that to be true. Jesus defeated sin, death, and the grave, which is the best news of all.

This Sunday we had the privilege of having Rev. Doug Hart preach from John 19:31-42 on the burial of Jesus.

As we read of the pain and suffering that Jesus bore on the cross, our only takeaway shouldn’t be, “Wow, he suffered a tremendous amount of injustice, pain, and suffering.” If that’s all we think, then we’ve missed the point. We should see what Jesus went through on the cross and think to ourselves: That should have been me. I deserve punishment for my sin. It was my sin that put Jesus on the cross.

When results are all you care about, the ends will always justify the means. It will never matter how you get there as long as you get there. And that’s what Jesus is to both Pilate and the Jews - an inconvenience, a thorn in their side. He’s someone who needs to disappear in order to make everyone’s lives a little easier.

Consider our passage: Pilate knew Jesus was innocent, which is why he tells the Jewish mob on three separate occasions he “finds no guilt” in Jesus.

And yet, by the end of the passage he turns Jesus over to be crucified.

Submitting to the King requires that you and I submit to his truth. You cannot separate those two things. You cannot claim to be a citizen in King Jesus’s kingdom and at the same time reject his truth.

If you’re a citizen in Christ’s kingdom, then you must submit to the truth of his word.

Have you ever wondered how people who knew the Old Testament far better than both you and me could be responsible for killing Jesus? Isn’t that ironic? They’re about to lead the Savior that the Old Testament spoke of to his death.

Just how could they do that? The short answer is obviously, their sin blinded them, but the specific sin was their obsession with keeping the small pedantic man-made Jewish laws. And as we’ll see in this passage, they were so obsessed with their man-made laws that they missed the Savior right in front of them.

Repentance is an attitude of your heart that desires for godliness and holiness more than the sinful pleasures of this world.

Being repentant doesn’t mean that you no longer sin. Being repentant means you love Christ more than your sin.

Despite the appearance of weakness, Jesus is in complete and total control during his arrest. He chose the location where they would find him. They came with torches and swords, but he knocked them over simply with the power of his word.

It wasn’t that they were arresting Jesus, it was that Jesus was giving himself up.

There is something particularly special about these last seven verses of Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer, because in these last seven verses Jesus prays for believers like you and me. Isn’t that amazing?

As he prepares to go to the cross, Jesus not only thinks about his disciples, but he’s thinking about us.

When was the last time you found yourself on your knees begging for the Lord’s intervention for your closest family and friends?

That’s precisely what’s going on in this particular passage. Jesus is pouring his heart out before the Lord on behalf of the men that are his closest friends.

Jesus prays several things for his disciples: First, he prays for their salvation in verses 6-10. Second, he prays for their unity in verse 11. Third, he prays for their protection in verses 12-16. And lastly, he prays for their sanctification in verses 17-19.

In John chapter 17, Jesus is on the cusp of offering himself on the cross. In fact, the cross is only hours away, which is of course, why Jesus lifts up his eyes and says that “the hour has come.” The cross was imminent and so he prayed.

Our world really feels hopeless doesn’t it? Which is of course why Jesus’s words are so powerful, “...take heart; I have overcome the world.”

Jesus has overcome the world. What does that mean for all of us today?

The resurrection joy of Jesus will always be stronger, more powerful, and preeminent over the pain, sorrow, and suffering of this world.

Joy that is found in the things of this world can be taken from you at a moment’s notice, but joy rooted in resurrection hope can never be snatched away from you.

By preserving the truth, the Holy Spirit has protected the church.

There’s a war raging right now over the truth. The world and Satan himself wants you to reject it. But Jesus wants you to know it. He tells you the truth right now. “All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.”

Jesus tells us to anticipate the hatred of the world and persecution. It’s not a matter of if, but when.

But God, in his sovereign mercy, has equipped believers to overcome the hatred of the world. If you’re a Christian you will be hated, but the grace of the Holy Spirit will sustain you.