THEN JESUS CAME CALLING (1 OF 4)
by Jeff Strite
Scripture: John 1:1-13
This content is part of a series.
Then Jesus Came Calling (1 of 4)
Sermon Series: Salvage
Jeff Strite
John 1:1-13
OPEN: There's a true story told about a plastic surgeon who had a patient that had been injured in a fire. The patient had attempted to save his parents from a burning house, but he couldn't get to them in time... and they died. His own face was burned and disfigured. And (as sometimes happens when overwhelmed by such tragedy) the man felt guilty because he had failed to save his parent - and he believed that his pain was God's punishment. As a result, he refused help from anyone, including the doctor. And he wouldn't let anyone see him-not even his wife.
When the wife went to talk with the Doctor, he told her ''I can restore his face.'' But, of course the problem was, that he repeatedly refused treatment and the doctor wasn't sure what to do. The wife looked at the physician and said, ''That's why I have come to see you. I want you to disfigure my face so I can be like him! If I can share in his pain, then maybe he will let me back into his life.''
APPLY: Our text today tells us that God had a similar problem.
The Gospel of John starts out by introducing to Jesus. We're told that Jesus was The Word of God. In fact, He wasn't just the WORD OF GOD, He WAS God. He was God in the flesh. But then we're told there's this... problem: ''(Jesus) was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own... did not receive him.'' John 1:10-11
Now, why wouldn't they ''receive Him''?
Why would these people NOT want Jesus???
Well, the answer is revealed JUST A FEW verses earlier: ''In (Jesus) was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in THE DARKNESS...'' John 1:4-5
Now darkness is normal.
At night... I like Darkness. I can turn off the lights and sleep. Darkness is a good time to rest. But extended lengths of darkness can mess with your mind.
ILLUS: In Alaska, the nights can go on for ... w ...
Sermon Series: Salvage
Jeff Strite
John 1:1-13
OPEN: There's a true story told about a plastic surgeon who had a patient that had been injured in a fire. The patient had attempted to save his parents from a burning house, but he couldn't get to them in time... and they died. His own face was burned and disfigured. And (as sometimes happens when overwhelmed by such tragedy) the man felt guilty because he had failed to save his parent - and he believed that his pain was God's punishment. As a result, he refused help from anyone, including the doctor. And he wouldn't let anyone see him-not even his wife.
When the wife went to talk with the Doctor, he told her ''I can restore his face.'' But, of course the problem was, that he repeatedly refused treatment and the doctor wasn't sure what to do. The wife looked at the physician and said, ''That's why I have come to see you. I want you to disfigure my face so I can be like him! If I can share in his pain, then maybe he will let me back into his life.''
APPLY: Our text today tells us that God had a similar problem.
The Gospel of John starts out by introducing to Jesus. We're told that Jesus was The Word of God. In fact, He wasn't just the WORD OF GOD, He WAS God. He was God in the flesh. But then we're told there's this... problem: ''(Jesus) was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own... did not receive him.'' John 1:10-11
Now, why wouldn't they ''receive Him''?
Why would these people NOT want Jesus???
Well, the answer is revealed JUST A FEW verses earlier: ''In (Jesus) was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in THE DARKNESS...'' John 1:4-5
Now darkness is normal.
At night... I like Darkness. I can turn off the lights and sleep. Darkness is a good time to rest. But extended lengths of darkness can mess with your mind.
ILLUS: In Alaska, the nights can go on for ... w ...
There are 12863 characters in the full content. This excerpt only shows a 2000 character sample of the full content.
Price: $5.99 or 1 credit
