Sermons by Jeff Cottone (Page 32)

In the epilogue to John’s gospel, we see Jesus’ interaction with Peter, which teaches us 3 things: 1) the ultimate question for the Christian is, “Do you love Jesus?”; 2) Love for Christ manifests itself in love for his people; 3) We too can be restored to Jesus by his grace when we falter and fail.

The fact of Jesus’ resurrection was central and pivotal to the earliest Christians. They, and all Christians after them, believe that Jesus’ resurrection is not just a myth or inspiring story, but a fact of history. In this climactic chapter of John’s gospel, we see Jesus’ resurrection appearances to the first witnesses of it. We see 1) eye-witnesses, 2) unsuspecting witnesses, 3) overcome witnesses, 4) sent witnesses, and 5) ear-witnesses.

The crucifixion of Jesus is a central aspect of the Christian faith. Christians believe that Jesus died on the cross for their sins. In John’s account of the crucifixion, we see 1) The Glory of the Cross, 2) The Suffering of the Cross, 3) The Finality of the Cross, 4) The Love of the Cross, and 5) The Grace of the Cross.

In this passage, Jesus is handed over to Pilate for questioning and his trial before the Roman authorities. We see 1) The Hypocrisy & Hardness of the Religious Leaders, 2) The Weakness of the Strong, and 3) The Strength of the Weak. 

Most of us can see ourselves in Peter’s denial of Jesus – perhaps more than we’d like to admit. But, we can learn from Peter’s story – finding both warning and hope in it. In Peter’s story we are warned of the danger of spiritual pride, and we are warned of the danger of the “fear of man”. But, Peter’s denial isn’t the end of his story: it displays the hope of forgiveness and the hope of transformation, both of…

Betrayal is a uniquely hurtful experience because it comes not from an enemy, but from a friend. In fact, the closer the friend, the greater the hurt of betrayal. In the story of Judas’ betrayal of Jesus, we see Jesus’ friendship and kindness towards Judas, while Judas only continues to harden himself in his plan. All sin is like betrayal – turning against the one who has shown infinite kindness to us, and betraying our allegiance to the one to whom we…

How do you know what Jesus wants for you? How do you discern his priorities for your life? How do you discover what he wants to see happen in and through you? One way is to look at what he prays for you. John 17 provides us with the privilege of being able to listen in to Jesus’ prayer for us. He prays that we would see his glory, and for our protection & preservation, sanctification, mission, and unity.

In this passage of Jesus’ “Farewell Discourse”, he continues to prepare his disciples for his departure. He assures them of something very good (that they have friendship with Jesus), warns them of something somewhat bad (that they should expect the hatred of the world), and promises them something needed (the help of the Holy Spirit). For the Christian, friendship with Jesus should outweigh anything the world could offer, such that we so highly value our relationship to Him that we are willing to…

In the last of Jesus’ “I Am” statements, he compares himself to a vine, and his disciples to the branches. All who abide in him will find life and fruitfulness. All who do not abide in him will find death and judgment. Abiding in Jesus is 1) Essential, 2) Total, 3) Constant, 4) Spiritual. It results in fruitfulness, and in being pruned by God such that we become even more fruitful as Jesus’ disciples. 

In Jesus’ “Farewell Discourse”, he is preparing the disciples for his coming departure. He seeks to relieve their anxiety and sorrow by assuring them 1) that it is no final departure, but that he will return, and 2) that he is not leaving them alone, but leaving them the “parting gift” of the Holy Spirit. Christians should have confidence that they have the Spirit of God in them, enabling them to persevere through difficulties they will face in this life. And, they have…

Christians ought to be known for their love for one another. In preparing to depart, Jesus tells his disciples what he expects of them as they represent him in this world. Above all, they are to be people of love. We tend to think that we are more loving than we actually are, that loving others is easier than it actually is, and that other people’s lack of love is more of a problem than our own. Jesus’ gives us a…