“The One and Only Son”
Signs and Sayings of Jesus in John’s Gospel
“Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples that are not written in this book. But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”
- John 20:30-31
John’s Purpose
The gospel account written by the apostle John is:
- probably the last of the four written
- the most theological of the four
- the most unique stylistically of the four
…and in John 20:30-31 (see above), the apostle gives us the reason why he included what he included in his account: he wanted to show us that the long-awaited Son of God is none other than Jesus.
John’s Method
John shows us that Jesus is the one we were longing for in various ways, including these two:
- he records seven “signs” done by Jesus, each of which publicly or semi-publicly reveals his glory
- he records seven “I am” statements of Jesus, each of which sheds light on some aspect of his identity.
Then and Now
When Jesus came, people were yearning; they were longing. Some of them would have been able to articulate that they were yearning for a Messiah, while others maybe wouldn’t have been able to name the source of their emptiness. But through the words and actions of Jesus, he revealed himself to be the one they had been waiting for.
It may not be all that different on the North Shore today! Our friends and neighbors have deep longings that have thus far been unsatisfied. They have chased fulfillment that has thus far proved elusive. The specifics may vary from person to person, but so many are disappointed and asking some form of the question: where can I find the “life to the full” (John 10:10) that I thought I would have found by now?
This Fall
Church family, let’s take them to Jesus!
He’s the one they’re yearning for, though most of them don’t realize it. He’s the fulfillment of their deepest desires. The temporary things they’ve chased after have all been shadows meant to point to Jesus, the true source of ultimate satisfaction!
So this fall (through Christmas!), we will preach through the seven “signs” and seven “I am” statements in John’s gospel.
Who Is This Series For?
This is a series:
- for our friends and neighbors, the people we invited into our homes this summer. Let’s take another step and invite them to church! Or… let’s start by sending them a link to the sermon audio/video after a sermon we think might particularly speak to them.
- for us in our own quest to live in the abundant life that’s only found in Jesus. We’re all prone to chase “life” somewhere else, as if money or sex or power or achievement or family could satisfy! But this fall we’ll be reminded that only Jesus can fulfill our longings.
- for us, to equip us in our conversations with our friends and neighbors who don’t yet know Jesus. The hope is that these sermons will equip us to better identify the longings in our friends’ hearts in such a way that we will be able to speak the truth of Christ in language that will connect with them.
There are plenty of other places we could (and do!) search for life to the full. But this Fall, let’s look to the one and only Son.
Recap
Read here about how this new series fits with what we’ve done the last three years.
Schedule
9/11 - Sign 1: Turning Water into Wine (John 2:1–11)
9/18 - Sign 2: Cleansing the Temple (John 2:13–22)
9/25 - Sign 3: Healing the Nobleman’s Son (John 4:46–54)
10/2 - Sign 4: Healing the Lame Man (John 5:1–18)
10/16 - Sign 5: Feeding the Multitude (John 6:1–15)
10/23 - (Bonus Sign): Walking on Water (John 6:16-21)
10/30 - Statement 1: Bread of Life (John 6:22-69)
11/6 - Statement 2: Light of the World (John 8:12-20)
11/13 - Sign 6: Healing the Blind Man (John 9)
11/20 - Statement 3: Gate for the Sheep (John 10:7-10)
11/27 - Statement 4: Good Shepherd (John 10:11-21)
12/4 - Sign 7: Raising Lazarus AND Statement 5: Resurrection and Life (John 11)
12/11 - Statement 6: Way, Truth, Life (John 14:1-6)
12/18 - Statement 7: True Vine (John 15:1-8)
12/24 and 12/25 - The One and Only Son (John 1:18)
Theme Song
We’ll be introducing a new song that will serve as a theme for this series. Have a listen!
Additional Resources
I couldn’t recommend more highly that everyone read Daniel Strange’s Making Faith Magnetic. Pastoral intern Sam Hardy taught on this book on Sunday 9/11! The themes from this book will come up throughout the sermon series.