Thousand Hills Cowboy Church

Preaching from John 8:21-30 during what appears to be the final day of the Feast of Tabernacles, the pastor presents Jesus drawing an absolute spiritual dividing line between those who are from below and those who are from above. The sermon confronts the natural man's inability to comprehend spiritual truth, the gravity of dying in one's sins, and the exclusive sufficiency of Christ as the great I AM. The pastor emphasizes the total depravity of mankind, the sovereign work of God in regeneration, and the glory of the cross as the supreme demonstration of both divine justice and divine mercy. The sermon closes with a direct call to repentance and faith, warning against false assurance rooted in religious activity or moral comparison, and offering comfort to true believers in the unbreakable grip of Christ. Key Points: - Jesus draws an absolute line dividing all humanity into two categories: those from below and those from above, with no middle ground - The natural man cannot comprehend spiritual truth because he is spiritually dead in his trespasses and sins, not merely sick or weakened - Religion, morality, church attendance, and good deeds cannot elevate a person from below to above or earn favor before a holy God - Dying in one's sins means crossing into eternity still bearing guilt and rebellion, facing the full righteous wrath of God - Sin must be understood as cosmic treason against an infinitely holy God, not merely a mistake, flaw, or bad habit - Jesus's declaration of I AM is a deliberate echo of Exodus 3, claiming to be Yahweh himself, the self-existent, eternal, uncreated God - The person and work of Christ cannot be separated; a Jesus who is merely a good teacher or moral example cannot bear the infinite wrath of God - The cross, though a symbol of Roman shame and torture, was the supreme revelation of God's glory, the meeting point of absolute justice and absolute mercy - The resurrection confirmed Christ's deity and the completion of redemption, as declared in John 19:30 when Jesus said it is finished - Salvation is entirely the sovereign work of God; faith itself is a gift, and regeneration must precede belief because a dead man cannot exercise faith - True repentance is not sorrow over consequences but an actual turning away from and hatred of sin because it offends a holy God - The believer's security rests not in their grip on Christ but in Christ's sovereign, unbreakable grip on them Scripture Reference: - John 8:21-30 (primary text) - 1 Corinthians 2:14, where Paul describes the natural man's inability to receive the things of the Spirit of God - Ephesians 2:1, where Paul describes humanity as dead in trespasses and sins - Ephesians 2:4-5, where Paul describes God making spiritually dead people alive together with Christ by grace - John 3:36, where Jesus contrasts eternal life for the believer with the abiding wrath of God on the one who does not obey the Son - John 6:44 and 6:65, where Jesus declares that no one can come to him unless the Father draws and grants it - Isaiah 53:5, describing the suffering servant pierced for transgressions and crushed for iniquities - Romans 8:32, where Paul declares the Father did not spare his own Son but delivered him over for us all - Romans 1:4, declaring Christ was shown to be the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead - John 10:28, where Jesus promises that his sheep will never perish and no one can snatch them from his hand Stories: - The pastor references the account of Nicodemus from earlier in John's gospel as an example of a man who could only understand heavenly realities in physical terms - The encounter of Jesus with the woman at the well is referenced as another instance of Jesus speaking in spiritual terms that were misunderstood in physical ones - The account of Moses at the burning bush in Exodus 3 is referenced to explain the significance of the I AM declaration Jesus makes in verse 24 - The pastor references John 8:58, where Jesus will later declare "before Abraham was born, I am," and the crowd's response of picking up stones to kill him for blasphemy - The Roman practice of crucifixion is described in its historical context as a method deliberately designed to maximize suffering and public shame, reserved for the lowest criminals and enemies of Rome, in order to contrast it with Jesus calling the cross his lifting up - The pastor briefly references a personal struggle early in his Christian life with the doctrine of the security of the believer, and how John 10:28 brought him comfort and resolution

Drawing from John 8:12-19, this sermon centers on Jesus's bold declaration that he is the light of the world, one of his great "I Am" statements rooted in the divine name revealed to Moses in Exodus. The pastor connects this claim to its Old Testament backdrop, particularly the Feast of Tabernacles, where massive oil lamps illuminated the temple courts as a remembrance of the pillar of fire that guided Israel through the wilderness. Jesus stands in that very setting and declares himself to be the fulfillment of every shadow and foreshadowing the Old Testament pointed toward. The sermon examines the immediate conflict with the Pharisees, who challenged Jesus on the grounds that self-testimony was legally insufficient, and explains why their objection failed to account for the divine authority of the one speaking. The pastor also emphasizes the inseparable relationship between knowing the Son and knowing the Father, warning that a self-constructed idea of God apart from Jesus is not the God of the Bible. The sermon closes with a call to admit personal darkness, follow Christ in genuine obedience, and bear witness to a world stumbling in spiritual blindness. Key Points: - Jesus's "I Am" declaration in John 8:12 echoes the divine name revealed to Moses in Exodus, identifying him as the eternal God in human flesh - The Feast of Tabernacles provides the immediate backdrop for Jesus's claim, as the temple was lit with large oil lamps commemorating the pillar of fire that led Israel through the wilderness, making his declaration that he is the true light all the more striking - Light in this context means that Jesus reveals reality, exposes what is hidden in darkness, guides the way forward, and gives eternal life to those who follow him - The promise that those who follow Jesus will never walk in darkness is not a vague hope but a guarantee, describing a daily direction of life rather than a one-time decision - The Pharisees judged Jesus according to outward, fleshly appearances, missing the divine authority standing before them, a mistake that continues today when people evaluate Jesus through the lens of culture, politics, or personal preference - The two witnesses Jesus appeals to are himself and God the Father, whose testimony was given at Jesus's baptism, through miracles, through fulfilled prophecy, and through the holy life of Christ - Knowing the Father is impossible apart from knowing the Son, meaning a self-constructed idea of God that bypasses Jesus is an idol, not the living God of Scripture - God's sovereignty is on display in the closing note of the passage, as no one could seize Jesus because his appointed hour had not yet come - Since Jesus is the light, believers must admit their own darkness and sin, follow Christ in faith that produces obedience, and bear witness to others as the Father bore witness to the Son - The resurrection is presented as the greatest proof of Jesus's identity, and the empty tomb forms the foundation of the witness Christians are called to carry into the world Scripture Reference: - John 8:12-19, the primary passage, in which Jesus declares himself the light of the world and defends his testimony before the Pharisees - Exodus 3, where God reveals himself to Moses as "I Am" - Exodus 13, referencing the pillar of fire that guided Israel through the wilderness - Genesis 1, where God speaks light into existence at creation - Psalm 27, where the psalmist describes the Lord as his light and salvation - Isaiah 9, where a great light is promised to people walking in darkness - John 5:36, where Jesus points to his works as the Father's authenticating witness Stories: - The pastor uses the humorous illustration of waking in the middle of the night, seeing a shadowy shape in a dark room, and fearing the worst, only to discover when the light is turned on that it is merely a coat left in an unusual place, as a relatable way of showing how light reveals reality and dispels false perceptions - The account of Moses encountering God at the burning bush in Exodus 3 is referenced to ground the "I Am" language Jesus uses in its Old Testament context - The Feast of Tabernacles setting is described, including the lighting of large oil lamps to commemorate the pillar of fire from the Exodus, establishing the visual and theological backdrop for Jesus's declaration - The baptism of Jesus is briefly referenced as the moment the Father audibly bore witness to the Son, satisfying the legal requirement of two witnesses that the Pharisees cited - The early church's witness in the Roman Empire is mentioned as a historical example of ordinary people carrying the light of the gospel into a hostile world and transforming it

Drawing from the passage in John 7:53 through 8:11, this sermon explores the account of the woman caught in adultery, beginning with an honest and thorough examination of why this passage appears in brackets in modern Bible translations. The pastor explains the basics of textual criticism, the canon of Scripture, and how the church recognized rather than created the inspired Word of God. He argues that while this passage is likely not original to John's Gospel, it contains no theological contradiction and likely reflects authentic oral tradition about Jesus. The sermon then moves into the theological weight of the narrative itself, exposing the hypocrisy of the scribes and Pharisees, the grace and authority of Christ, and the inseparable relationship between justification and sanctification. The pastor warns against cheap grace, calling the congregation to genuine repentance and a life transformed by the Holy Spirit. Key Points: - Modern Bible translations bracket John 7:53 through 8:11 not because of tampering but because the earliest and most reliable Greek manuscripts do not contain this passage - The church did not create the canon of Scripture but recognized it, much like a thermometer does not create temperature but measures it - The criteria used by early church councils to recognize canonical books included apostolic authorship or association, theological orthodoxy, and widespread acceptance across the church - The scribes and Pharisees were not motivated by devotion to the law of Moses but by a desire to destroy Jesus, using the woman as bait in a carefully constructed trap - The absence of the man in the adultery accusation reveals the Pharisees' hypocrisy, since the law of Moses demanded both parties be held accountable - Jesus does not minimize the woman's sin but elevates the standard of the law to its full spiritual application, turning the mirror back on her accusers - Christ's declaration that he does not condemn the woman is a portrait of justification, grounded in the doctrine of imputation, where his righteousness is credited to the sinner - The command to go and sin no more is inseparable from the pardon, demonstrating that genuine grace produces genuine transformation - Cheap grace, which seeks pardon without submitting to the Lordship of Christ, is no grace at all - Justification and sanctification are inseparable; a person who claims to be saved but shows no evidence of being changed by the Holy Spirit should examine whether they have truly been born again Scripture Reference: - John 7:53 through 8:11, the account of the woman caught in adultery, serves as the primary text - Supporting references include Leviticus 20:10 and Deuteronomy 22:22 on the Mosaic penalty for adultery, Ephesians 2:20 on the foundation of apostles and prophets, Luke 24:44 on Jesus affirming the Old Testament canon, Jude 3 on contending for the faith once for all delivered, Romans 3:10 on the universal sinfulness of man, and John 10:27 on the sheep hearing the shepherd's voice Stories: - The account of Adam and Eve hiding from God after eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil is referenced to illustrate humanity's instinct to conceal sin rather than face exposure - The pastor uses the illustration of reconstructing the Declaration of Independence from thousands of handwritten copies to explain how the volume of manuscript evidence protects the reliability of the biblical text and how textual variants are identified and handled - The narrative of the woman caught in adultery is treated as a historically credible oral tradition, even if not originally part of John's Gospel, and is preached as a portrait of Christ's grace confronting both self-righteous accusation and genuine guilt

Preached from John 7, this sermon concludes a study of the Feast of Tabernacles and the confrontation between Jesus and the religious establishment of his day. The pastor examines the divided responses to Jesus among the crowds, temple officers, and Pharisees, drawing out the dangerous reality that religious knowledge and moral effort can coexist with a complete rejection of Christ. The sermon emphasizes that Jesus alone offers living water that satisfies the deepest thirst of the human soul, that this water flows only because Christ was struck on the cross and the Spirit was poured out, and that genuine salvation produces an outward flow of grace into every area of life. The Pharisees serve as a sobering warning against spiritual pride, prejudice, and the assumption that God can only work through certain people or places. Nicodemus represents the danger of near-conversion, being drawn toward Christ but not yet fully committed. The sermon closes with a direct gospel appeal, calling the lost to come to Christ broken and empty, and calling believers to share that gospel with a thirsty world. Key Points: - Divine restraint is at work throughout the passage, as no one is able to seize Jesus because his appointed hour had not yet come, demonstrating that God sovereignly governs even the intentions of wicked men - The temple officers, hardened and experienced men, returned to the chief priests empty-handed and confessed that no man had ever spoken the way Jesus spoke, illustrating that it is possible to recognize the majesty and authority of Christ and still walk away unchanged - The Pharisees responded to the officers' report not with theological argument but with contempt for the common people, revealing that religion without regeneration produces pride, hardness of heart, and a dismissal of those considered spiritually inferior - Nicodemus attempted a weak defense of Jesus on the grounds of due process, representing a state of near-conversion in which a person is drawn toward Christ but has not yet fully believed - The Pharisees' claim that no prophet arises from Galilee was both factually wrong and a contradiction of their own scriptures, since the prophet Jonah was from Galilee and Isaiah had prophesied that the Messiah's ministry would begin in that very region - Spiritual pride causes people to become incapable of recognizing God at work when he does not conform to their expectations, just as the Pharisees wanted a Messiah who would overthrow Rome and missed the one who came to save their souls - Knowing about Christ is not the same as receiving him, just as knowing about water and being able to describe it fully does not quench thirst - The Holy Spirit could not be poured out into the church until the work of redemption was finished, meaning the river of living water could not flow until the rock was struck on the cross - Salvation is not a human achievement but a drawing by God, as Jesus stated in John 6:44 that no one comes to him unless the Father draws him - The living water Jesus promises flows not as a trickle but as a river from the innermost being of every believer, and that river should be visibly flowing into marriages, workplaces, communities, and the lives of those who are still thirsty Scripture Reference: - John 7:44-52, the primary passage covering the failed arrest of Jesus, the officers' astonished response, the Pharisees' contemptuous reaction, and Nicodemus's defense of Jesus - John 7:37-39, the preceding context in which Jesus offers living water at the Feast of Tabernacles and John explains that this referred to the coming of the Holy Spirit - John 6:44, cited to establish that salvation is a sovereign drawing by the Father rather than a human achievement - John 3:16, referenced in the gospel appeal as the foundational promise of eternal life through belief in Christ - Isaiah 9:1-2, cited to demonstrate that the Pharisees' dismissal of Galilee contradicted their own prophetic scriptures - 2 Kings 14:25, referenced to show that the prophet Jonah was from Gath-hepher in Galilee, further undermining the Pharisees' claim - Deuteronomy 18, mentioned in the context of the crowd's discussion of whether Jesus was the prophet like Moses Stories: - The Feast of Tabernacles ceremony is described, in which a priest would carry a golden pitcher to the Pool of Siloam, fill it with water, and carry it back to the temple with trumpets blowing and the Hallel Psalms being sung, serving as the backdrop for Jesus's declaration about living water - The arrest of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane is briefly referenced, with Peter drawing his sword and cutting off the ear of a temple servant, which Jesus then healed, used to illustrate the kind of hardened men the temple officers were - The pastor recounts observing his one-year-old granddaughter at a gathering, instinctively refusing to share her toys with other children without being taught to do so, used as an illustration of the doctrine of original sin and the inherited sin nature of all humanity

Sermon Summary: Drawing from John 7:44-52, this sermon examines the closing scene of the Feast of Tabernacles, where the crowd is divided over Jesus, the temple officers return empty-handed in astonishment, and the Pharisees respond with contempt and arrogance. The pastor revisits the previous week's themes of spiritual thirst, the invitation to come and drink, and the promised rivers of living water flowing from the Holy Spirit, before turning to the sobering reality that religious knowledge and moral performance can coexist with a complete rejection of Christ. The sermon calls listeners to examine their own thirst, their own religion, and whether the rivers of the Spirit are truly flowing in and through their lives. Key Points: -Divine restraint holds back human depravity, as the enemies of Jesus could not seize him before God's appointed time, demonstrating that God sovereignly works out his purposes in all things -The temple officers, hardened and experienced men, were undone by the authority of Jesus's words, yet returned to their superiors unchanged, illustrating the danger of near-conversion, where one can be impressed by Christ without being transformed by him -The Pharisees responded to the officers' report not with theological engagement but with contempt for the common people, revealing that religion without regeneration produces pride, hardness of heart, and contempt rather than compassion -Nicodemus offered a weak, procedural defense of Jesus, appealing to due process rather than confessing Christ, showing the posture of a man not yet fully convinced -The Pharisees' claim that no prophet comes from Galilee was factually and scripturally wrong, as Jonah was from Galilee and Isaiah prophesied that the Messiah's ministry would begin in that very region, exposing how pride blinds people to their own scriptures -It is possible to be deeply religious, to know scripture thoroughly, and to be morally upright while completely missing Jesus Christ -The invitation to come and drink is open to all, not after getting one's life in order, but broken, empty, and desperate -Every believer who has received the Holy Spirit should have rivers flowing outward into their marriage, workplace, community, and witness to the lost -Humanity's sinful nature is inherited from Adam and is displayed even in small children without being taught, confirming the biblical truth that all have sinned and fallen short of God's glory -Salvation is not a human achievement or a ladder climbed toward God but is God reaching down, drawing people to himself through Christ alone Scripture Reference: John 7:44-52, the primary passage, covering the failed arrest of Jesus, the officers' astonished response, the Pharisees' contemptuous reaction, and Nicodemus's cautious defense John 7:37-39, revisited from the previous week, containing Jesus's invitation to the thirsty and the promise of rivers of living water, interpreted by John as pointing to the gift of the Holy Spirit John 6:44, where Jesus teaches that no one can come to him unless the Father draws him John 3:16, the declaration that God gave his only Son so that whoever believes in him will not perish but have everlasting life Isaiah 9:1-2, prophesying that the region of Galilee, despised by the Pharisees, would see a great light 2 Kings 14:25, establishing that Jonah was from Gath Hefer in Galilee Deuteronomy 18, referenced in connection with the crowd's identification of Jesus as the prophet like Moses Romans 6:23, summarized as teaching that the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ Stories: The Feast of Tabernacles ceremony is described, in which a priest carried a golden pitcher to the Pool of Siloam, filled it with water, and returned to the temple amid trumpet blasts and the singing of the Hallel Psalms, serving as the backdrop for Jesus's declaration about living water The arrest of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane is referenced, noting that Peter drew his sword and struck the ear of a servant of the high priest, missing his head because he was a fisherman untrained in swordsmanship, and that Jesus healed the man The pastor recounts observing his young granddaughter, approximately one year old, instinctively resisting other children who showed interest in her toys without ever being taught to do so, using this as an illustration of humanity's inherited sin nature and total depravity.