“Near Yet Far“
Speaker: Troy Champ
Series: The Gospel of John
Primary text: John 5:31-47
Speaker: Troy Champ
Series: The Gospel of John
Primary text: John 5:31-47
You can be right next to God and nowhere near him.
If you saw someone you knew couldn’t walk for 38 years all of a sudden begin walking, would that get your attention? Would that lend credibility to the one who performed the miracle? In The Gospel of John, Jesus performs that exact miracle. But because he was not doing it the way pharisees thought he should, because he is overturning their interpretations of faith, they tune him out. Worse still, they attack him. The signs point to God and they’re right in front of their faces. They were so convinced they already knew God, they stopped looking for him. In the wisdom of Jeremiah 29:13 – “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” Their ignorance teaches us a hard but important lesson. You can be Right next to God and be nowhere near him.
Other texts in this message: Luke 11:46, Matthew 22:37-39, Jeremiah 9:23-24, Philippians 3:10, Isaiah 29:13, Jeremiah 29:13
Homework
Seeking is a major part of life in Christ. The ‘doctrinal correctness alone’ view of Christianity is, in practice, one of non-seeking. It is basically one of “having arrived,” not of continuous pursuit, and the next essential stop on its path is heaven after death.
But the path of constant seeking, as portrayed in the Bible (e.g., Phil. 3:7–15, Col. 3:1–17, 2 Pet. 1:2–11, etc.), is the life of faith intended for us by God. Salvation by grace through faith is a life, not just an outcome; and the earnest and unrelenting pursuit of God is not ‘works salvation’ but the natural expression of the faith in Christ which saves.
Constant discipleship, with its constant seeking for more grace and life, is the only sensible response to confidence in Jesus as the Messiah.
Recommended Books:
Who is This Man by John Ortberg
Making Sense of God by Tim Keller
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SEARCHABLE CONTENT
Troy Champ, The Gospel of John, “Near Yet Far”, Luke 11:46, Matthew 22:37-39, Jeremiah 9:23-24, Philippians 3:10, Isaiah 29:13, Jeremiah 29:13, John 5:31-47
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