“It’s All About Jesus!”Jesus at the Pool of Bethesda (John 5:1-15)Crowds of sick people—blind, lame, or paralyzed—lay on the porches. One of the men lying there had been sick for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him and knew he had been ill for a long time, he asked him, “Would you like to get well?” – John 4:3-6 (NLT)“Why Me?” I think my favorite musical is “Fiddler on the Roof.” Just saying th...

“It’s All About Jesus!”Jesus at the Pool of Bethesda (John 5:1-15)Crowds of sick people—blind, lame, or paralyzed—lay on the porches. One of the men lying there had been sick for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him and knew he had been ill for a long time, he asked him, “Would you like to get well?” – John 5:3-6 (NLT)“The Star of the Show” Have you ever seen or been to a major concert event or ...

“It’s All About Jesus!”Jesus at the Pool of Bethesda (John 5:1-15)Inside the city, near the Sheep Gate, was the pool of Bethesda, with five covered porches. Crowds of sick people—blind, lame, or paralyzed—lay on the porches. – John 5:2-3 (NLT)“Our Common Pool” Last Sunday, when I came to church, I was tired, and my heart was heavy. It had been an exhausting week, and I was mentally, physically, em...

“It’s All About Jesus!”Jesus and the Official’s Son (John 4:43-54)Afterward Jesus returned to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish holy days. – John 5:1 (NLT)“Worship the Maker, Not the Method!” It’s funny to me how we often get so carried away in our thinking. For example, we think of Jesus as being a Revolutionary. And in many ways, He is. But taking that to the extreme means we think Jesus came to t...

“It’s All About Jesus!”Jesus and the Official’s Son (John 4:43-54)While the man was on his way, some of his servants met him with the news that his son was alive and well. He asked them when the boy had begun to get better, and they replied, “Yesterday afternoon at one o’clock his fever suddenly disappeared!” Then the father realized that that was the very time Jesus had told him, “Your son will l...

“It’s All About Jesus!”Jesus and the Official’s Son (John 4:43-54)The official pleaded, “Lord, please come now before my little boy dies.” Then Jesus told him, “Go back home. Your son will live!” And the man believed what Jesus said and started home. – John 4:49-50 (NLT)“Faith Walks” Are you a waiter or a walker? That’s my question for you today. Fear and doubt have a paralytic quality about them....

“It’s All About Jesus!”Jesus and the Official’s Son (John 4:43-54)When he heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went and begged Jesus to come to Capernaum to heal his son, who was about to die. Jesus asked, “Will you never believe in me unless you see miraculous signs and wonders?” – John 4:48 (NLT)“The Question Behind the Question” Jesus’ response to the man’s request for healing fo...

“It’s All About Jesus!”Jesus and the Official’s Son (John 4:43-54)As he traveled through Galilee, he came to Cana, where he had turned the water into wine. There was a government official in nearby Capernaum whose son was very sick. When he heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went and begged Jesus to come to Capernaum to heal his son, who was about to die. – John 4:46-47 (NLT)“The ...

“It’s All About Jesus!”Jesus and the Official’s Son (John 4:43-54)When he arrived in Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him. They had seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the Passover Festival, for they also had been there. – John 4:45 (NLT)“Special Place or Special God?” I’m preaching at two campmeetings this summer. One is in Northeast Ohio (July 21-28), and the other is in Southern Illinois (...

“It’s All About Jesus!”Jesus and the Official’s Son (John 4:43-54)(Now Jesus himself had pointed out that a prophet has no honor in his own country.) – John 4:44 (NLT)“Prophets in Disguise” Some years ago, I was attending our church group’s national convention. There were a few families from our church that were there as well. I was having lunch with one of the couples one day that week, and the w...

“It’s All About Jesus!”Jesus and the Official’s Son (John 4:43-54)After the two days he left for Galilee. (Now Jesus himself had pointed out that a prophet has no honor in his own country.) – John 4:43-44 (NLT)“Relentlessly Hopeful” I always feel sad for the people who tend to give up too quickly. Those who give up too easily on their dreams. Those who give up too easily on others. Those who give ...

“It’s All About Jesus!”“The Woman at the Well”“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” – John 8:36 (NLT)“Really and Truly Free” Today the flags will fly around our country as we celebrate our Independence Day. On July 4th, 1776, the Second Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence to announce the colonies’ official separation from the Kingdom of Great Britain. Tha...

“It’s All About Jesus!”“The Woman at the Well”Then they said to the woman, “Now we believe, not just because of what you told us, but because we have heard him ourselves. Now we know that he is indeed the Savior of the world.” – John 4:42 (NLT)“Breakthroughs” They released a new drug today to slow the onset of Alzheimer’s. It caught my attention because my father struggled with that disease for th...

“It’s All About Jesus!”“The Woman at the Well”Many Samaritans from the village believed in Jesus because the woman had said, “He told me everything I ever did!” When they came out to see him, they begged him to stay in their village. So he stayed for two days, long enough for many more to hear his message and believe. Then they said to the woman, “Now we believe, not just because of what you told ...

“It’s All About Jesus!” “The Woman at the Well”The woman left her water jar beside the well and ran back to the village, telling everyone, “Come and see a man who told me everything I ever did! Could he possibly be the Messiah?” So the people came streaming from the village to see him. – John 4:28-30 (NLT)“What’s Your Heart Full Of?” Social media is both a wonderful tool and a terrible weapon. It ...

“It’s All About Jesus!”“The Woman at the Well”The woman said, “I know the Messiah is coming—the one who is called Christ. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.” Then Jesus told her, “I AM the Messiah!” – John 4:25-26 (NLT)“It’s Jesus” I find it interesting how most people have this innate sense that there is a God. Maybe that’s what the Ecclesiastes writer meant when he said, “He has pl...

“It’s All About Jesus!”“The Woman at the Well”Jesus replied, “Believe me, dear woman, the time is coming when it will no longer matter whether you worship the Father on this mountain or in Jerusalem. You Samaritans know very little about the one you worship, while we Jews know all about him, for salvation comes through the Jews. But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when true worshipers will...

“It’s All About Jesus!”“The Woman at the Well”“Sir,” the woman said, “you must be a prophet. So tell me, why is it that you Jews insist that Jerusalem is the only place of worship, while we Samaritans claim it is here at Mount Gerizim, where our ancestors worshiped?” – John 4:19-20 (NLT)“Stop Changing the Subject” Don’t you love this? Jesus just pulled back the curtain on this woman’s life and exp...

“It’s All About Jesus!”“The Woman at the Well”“Please, sir,” the woman said, “give me this water! Then I’ll never be thirsty again, and I won’t have to come here to get water.” 16 “Go and get your husband,” Jesus told her. 17 “I don’t have a husband,” the woman replied. Jesus said, “You’re right! You don’t have a husband— 18 for you have had five husbands, and you aren’t even married to the man yo...

“It’s All About Jesus!”“The Woman at the Well”“But sir, you don’t have a rope or a bucket,” she said, “and this well is very deep. Where would you get this living water? And besides, do you think you’re greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us this well? How can you offer better water than he and his sons and his animals enjoyed?” Jesus replied, “Anyone who drinks this water will soon become t...