This morning we come to the end of our study of the Gospel account by John. Throughout the book John has been true to his purpose of writing down the actions and teachings of Jesus so that you "may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name."

Have you ever felt like you messed something up so badly that you could never get it straightened out? Or perhaps you did something so hurtful that you felt you could not be forgiven for your wrong? I think that is the way that Peter may have felt after denying Jesus three times the night our Lord was arrested and put on trial. Could Peter be forgiven? Could be Peter used again? Turn to John 21 and we will see the answer to these questions and learn several important lessons to apply to our own lives.

One of the more difficult lessons for many Christians to learn is how to wait on the Lord for His direction in life. Over the years I have learned to be more calm while waiting on the Lord, but I have to admit this is still something that I struggle with at times. I am a bit goal oriented and I would like the Lord to spell everything out that He wants me to do in detail, then I can just work down the list and accomplish it in due order. There can be quite a bit of satisfaction in having a list and checking off each thing as you accomplish it. Perhaps you are like that too to one degree or another.

Have you ever considered how hard it is to believe something that is outside your frame of reference? It was not uncommon for aboriginal people to be afraid the first time an explorer showed them a picture of themselves. Some even tried to destroy the picture and the person who took it for fear it had somehow captured their soul. They had no reference to comprehend what we take for granted - a picture. The same is true when such people first saw an airplane. They had no reference to comprehend what it could be other than some sort of strange bird. They had no experience with engines or cars or even hearing a rumor about such a thing being built. For them, it was something thrust upon them suddenly.

Matt 28:5 (NASB) "And the angel answered and said to the women, "Do not be afraid; for I know that you are looking for Jesus who has been crucified. 6 "He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said. Come, see the place where He was lying."

In our study of John 19 last week, we read the account of Jesus' death on the cross on Golgatha's hill. The accounts given in Matthew, Mark and Luke are also straight forward in telling of this gruesome event and Jesus' death. In the Bible there are four independent accounts of His death, one of which was written by an eyewitness (John) and another who had "investigated everything carefully from the beginning" (Luke 1:1-4). To these can be added the weight of the ancient historians Josephus and Tacitus who both record Jesus' death. It would seem silly to even suggest that Jesus did not die on the cross, yet that is not just a suggestion, but a belief by many people who should know better, and many others that have been left in ignorance. This effort to deny that Jesus died on the cross is not about His death, but about His resurrection. If Jesus did not really die on the cross as reported in the gospel accounts, then He could not have risen from the dead, and if He did not rise from the dead, then He is not the Son of God, the Messiah, and therefore has no claim on your life. The effort to deny that Jesus died on that Roman cross is not born out of scholarship and an effort to come to truth, but an effort to deny the implications of the truth.

Please turn with me to John 19:16 this morning. We are going to be examining the crucifixion of Jesus, but before we do, I need to remind you of what has occurred to this point. It has been just over a month since we were last in our study of John, and it is important that we understand the context of any passage if we are going to understand its meaning.

Quite a few years ago I was able to witness our justice system at work in the case of a friend of mine. As this man's spiritual leader and confidant, I knew what the truth was in the case. If the end result had not been so tragic it would have been funny to watch the two lawyers involved go back and forth trying to convince the jury that they were the ones trying to uphold the law. The tragedy was that neither of them were interested in the truth and having justice carried out. While our system of law may still be one of the better ones in the world, the reality I witnessed proved that it was not really a "justice" system. True justice will only come when Jesus Christ is on the throne as judge. Until then we can only attempt to fairly apply the law.

Betrayal. It is an act of treachery in which the trust extended to a person is used by that person against the very one that is extending the trust. All of us here have experienced betrayal to some degree even if only being swindled by a salesman. You trust what they present about the product only to find out later it was a fraud. Many of us have experienced the betrayal of a confidence. What we have told someone in private suddenly becomes a public matter. That hurts even if it was unintentional. I would hope that only a few of us who have been purposely betrayed by a friend, but there are probably more who have experienced this than I would guess. You place your trust in someone and then they use that trust against us as our enemies. That causes a deep heart ache.

This morning we come to the end of Jesus' High Priestly prayer recorded in John 17. This prayer has come at the conclusion of Jesus' Upper Room Discourse in which He gives His final teachings to His disciples just prior to His arrest, trial and crucifixion. As we have already seen in the last two weeks, this prayer reveals the relationship between the Father and the Son and the eternal purpose of mankind.

Most people are very respectful of prayer. If you ask someone if you can pray for them, it will be the rare individual that will not gladly accept your offer. Some years ago one of our missionaries actually used this as a means of outreach into the business community around him. He would go into the business, and after introducing himself, he would explain that he was a Christian and felt that God would like him to pray for the people in his community and then simply asked if there were any specific things he could pray about for them. He developed a lot of good relationships through this and was able to share the gospel with many of them when he went back to see how his prayers were answered. That is still a good idea for reaching people in our own community simply because people like to be prayed for. How much more would it mean to find out that Jesus Christ Himself was praying for them.

This morning is Resurrection Sunday when we celebrate the most glorious event in the history of mankind. Jesus Christ rose from the dead just as He said and in doing so proved His claims to be the Messiah to be true and that all of His promises would be kept.

It was Friday of the Passover week. It should have been a time of great joy as more than a million Jews had crowded into the ancient city of Jerusalem to celebrate God's deliverance of Israel from its bondage in slavery to Egypt. Because of a differing method for accounting the start of the day, most of those from the northern areas had celebrated the Passover the previous night, as had Jesus and His disciples. Those from the southern areas were celebrating Passover that very day. The lambs were being brought to the temple where they would be sacrificed.

This morning our scripture reading and special music have all been related to Palm Sunday in celebration of the day that Jesus made His triumphal entry into Jerusalem. That certainly was a special and exciting day. But the events of that week passed quickly and the crowd changed from shouting Hosanna to shouting to crucify Jesus by Friday. In our study of John, we are studying the Upper Room Discourse which Jesus gave to His disciples just prior to His arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane.

Over the past several weeks we have been dealing with a section of Scripture often referred to as the Upper Room Discourse. Jesus has met with His disciples for their last meal together before His betrayal and crucifixion. Jesus has washed the disciples feet. Judas has left to perform his evil betrayal. Jesus has given new meaning to the elements of the Passover meal they were celebrating. It would no longer be a celebration about freedom from bondage in Egypt, but the bread and the cup would now be a remembrance of Jesus' sacrifice to free them from the bondage of their sin.

Love. Quite a word. It has a multitude of meanings depending on who uses it and the context in which it is used. It is a word that some people understand very well by experience and others have only the report others have told of it. Some have an abundance of it and share it freely, while others have little and keep it to themselves.

This morning we come to another well known, but often misunderstood section of Scripture. Turn to John 15. As we begin our study we must remind ourselves of the context lest we too misunderstand our Lord's message in this passage. Not keeping to the context is the common reason for errors in Bible interpretation.

This morning we will be continuing our study from last week on John 14 and the comfort that Jesus was bringing to His disciples in preparation for the events that would occur later that night that would lead to His crucifixion the next day. The setting for this is the Passover meal which they have now finished. During this last Passover for Jesus, He has set the practical example of the humble service that should mark all Christians by washing the feet of the disciples. Judas has been revealed as the traitor, at least to John, and had already left to do his evil deed. Jesus had instituted what we often refer to as "the Lord's Supper" or "Communion" by taking elements of the Passover meal, and having them represent His body and blood which would soon be given for them. It was in warning them again that He was about to be glorified and go away where they could not follow that left the disciples saddened and somewhat confused.

Last week we began our study of John 14 and Jesus' words of comfort to His disciples as He prepared them for the events that would take place that night and the next day. Jesus and the disciples are now finishing the Passover meal. Jesus has washed their feet and in doing so given them a practical example of the humble service that should mark all Christians. Judas has been revealed as the traitor, at lest to John, and has now left to do his evil deed. Jesus has warned them again that He was about to be glorified and go away where they could not follow. This warning left them saddened and confused.

I am not sure there is anything more comforting than the presence of someone you love. No matter how bad we may feel from sickness, injury or emotional suffering, having someone with us who loves us eases the pain. Often, the loved individual does not even have to be physically present, just the thought of them and of being with them again in the future brings solace. How often that thought has eased the pain of soldiers wounded in battle. They would be going home and would be with their loved ones again. But many soldiers do not come home. For those facing death, comfort can be found in the promise of being with their loved ones again in eternity.

Last week we began our study of John 13 by looking at Jesus' humble example of servanthood in washing the feet of the disciples during that last Passover meal. This was done as an example to them of how they should treat one another. It is a lesson for us as well.

At times we can make such an emphasis upon the deity of Jesus Christ that we downplay His humanity. Hebrews 4:15 tells us that Jesus is not a "high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as [we are, yet] without sin." This morning we will see a glimpse into His humanity and how He overcame its weakness. We will also see the blindness of unbelief and it consequences as well as the results of having the fear of men instead of God. Turn to John 12.

What is the value of human life? The answer to that question will vary a lot in our society. Some people value life so much that they spend their lives seeking to protect others and help them live longer. Others do not place a high value on life

The response that different people have to Jesus Christ has always been mixed. We have already seen that throughout our study of the gospel of John. We also see it all the time when we tell others about our Lord. Some respond with raptured interest, and others with utter disregard. Some respond favorably, and others with disdain even for you that you would dare to have mentioned Jesus to them.

This morning we are going to be looking at the responses to Jesus' miracle of raising Lazarus from the dead, but in the midst of this we see God's sovereign hand at work in a way that gives us a glimpse into the age old question of how God' sovereignly works while at the same time giving man the freedom of will to defy Him.

Mankind has always had a fascination with death because it is one enemy that always wins. Regardless of how many medical breakthroughs are made and the length of life is extended through them, death eventually claims everyone. As one person has quipped, the greatest killer in America is death, ten out of ten people die. Because of this, the great quest of man has been how to prepare for and deal with death.

Why do people get sick? That is one of the great questions of mankind, and if we were all honest each of us would admit to having questioned God on at least one occasion of why He let us get sick. We will reason, "Lord, what value can this sickness have?" "Couldn't I do a lot more for you if I were healthy?" "God, you could demonstrate your power and mercy if you would heal me right now!" "Lord, you would even demonstrate more of your power and mercy if you never let me get sick again, especially if you let me remain healthy when all the sinners around me at work get sick." So it is that we will reason and seek out for what we think is our own best interest and God's.

A promise can sound wonderful, but unless the promise is able to be kept, then it is just empty words regardless of the intent of the one saying it. Sometimes we get caught in making promises beyond our control. Have you ever promised to take the family on an outing only to have bad weather cancel your plans?

This morning we already read Psalm 23 in which David views God as his shepherd. The analogy of shepherd and sheep is used throughout the Old Testament for it was a common scene in ancient Israel and thus and easy way to illustrate a point. Since we are not in an agrarian society, we do not easily understand the analogy used of God as shepherd and His people as sheep, but those of ancient Israel should have, but even they, as we shall see this morning, could miss the point.

Physical blindness is a terrible thing. I have known many blind people throughout my life. A few of them were born that way. Others became blind through disease or accident. When I was growing up there was a couple in the church in which both were blind. He had been born blind and though that to be an advantage because he could not comprehend life with sight and therefore felt no loss. She had lost her sight and felt that was an advantage for while she knew what she lost, she could still imagine how things looked when they were described to her. The only experience I have had that has given me a clue to what it would be like to be blind is going deep in a cave and having the tour guide let us see it in its natural state. She turned off the lights and blackness filled the room. Nothing could be seen. I thank God for His grace to me in giving me sight even if my vision has to be corrected with glasses.

Who is Jesus of Nazareth? There is no absolute God in Buddhism, so could only have been a great ethical teacher. The Hindus have a plethora of gods, but Jesus is not one of them, much less The God in human flesh. In Islam, Allah is "the God" and Jesus is just a human prophet of Allah. In Christian Science, Jesus is a mortal man and Christ is the "divine idea." The Jesus of the Unity church is somewhat similar, but is also recognized as being the same as the "Krishna" of the Hindus. In the Unification Church (Moonies), Jesus is no different from you or I except for lacking in original sin. To the Jehovah's Witnesses, Jesus is the first born of Jehovah God, but is not Jehovah God. He is instead, Michael the Archangel. The Jesus of the Mormons is the first born spirit child of Elohim. Lucifer is one of his brother "spirit children."

Parenting issues are of a keen interest to Diane and me. Not only because we are in the middle of raising our three children, but because we see the centrality of the family to a healthy church and society. In a discussion I had a short time ago a man who had raised an adopted child as well as his own told me that he had become convinced that the character of a person was largely due to genetics. This man's reason for saying this is that his children became quite decent adults, but this adopted child got into trouble. In one sense I agree with him whole heartedly that there is a genetic problem determining character. Every one of us here is a descendant of Adam and has inherited his sin nature!

Light is an amazing thing. Even from the standpoint of physics it is a marvelous aspect of creation. In some ways light behaves as material particles moving very rapidly, and in other ways it has all the qualities of waves - an energy force moving through a substance but not a material substance itself. Physicists now tell us that light is affected by gravity and theorize about black holes with gravitational forces so strong that even light can not escape. They also tell us that the speed of light can vary. Light can be concentrated or diffused. It travels in straight lines, but it can also be bent. Darkness is the opposite of light, or more accurately the absence of light, for where there is light, there can not be darkness. For those who are interested the properties and qualities of what God has created, light is a fascinating subject.

Hypocrisy is when you pretend to be what you don't intend to be. The word "hypocrite" means "two-faced" and comes from the Greek theatre where the actors would use different face masks to play different characters. Even in ancient Rome the hypocrite was despised. Cicero wrote, "Of all villainy, there is none more base than that of the hypocrite, who, at the moment he is false, takes care to appear most virtuous." Hypocrisy comes in many varieties, but the worst kind is self-righteous hypocrisy. What is even more tragic about this kind of hypocrisy is that the practitioner is often not even aware of it.

Where is Jesus from? That is still as good a question today as it was when the events in our text today occurred, for people still approach Jesus today as they did then. There are few that actually seek the truth. Most people make their decisions based on either their own presuppositions or the opinions of those claiming to be experts.

As we begin our study of John 7 this morning, we jump ahead in time from where we ended our study of John 6 last week. The "Bread of Life Discourse," as the end of John 6 is sometimes called, occurs about the time of Passover in 29 A.D. Chapter 7 begins with the following time indicators.

I received another unusual e-mail this week. A man sent me a copy of his letter to Randall Terry regarding the Christians in Vermont who were, as he put it, "protesting homosexual marriages getting the same benefits as straight marriages." I have no idea why it was sent to me except he says that I am part of the "you people" who "need to get a life." For those that are not aware, the Vermont Supreme Court ruled that the state legislator had to find a way to give homosexual partners the same benefits as marriage partners.

I had an interesting call this week from a college student doing a paper who wanted a quote from a pastor about Al Gore and Hillary Clinton using a church in Albany last Sunday for political campaigning. That opened a door for a good conversation about both the purpose of the church and the hypocrisy in the news media regarding this issue.

St. Augustine is recorded as saying, "While the best men are well guided by love, most men are still goaded by fear." Fear is an emotion that can easily lead us into responding in ways that we wished we had not.