Sermons

Jesus Christ is our eternal advocate who intercedes for us in Heaven. He has entered Heaven itself, not a symbolic representation, to appear before God on our behalf. This intercessory ministry connects Earth and Heaven, assuring us that we have the strongest defender before the Father. When we reach glory, God will wipe away every tear, and there will be no more death, mourning, crying, or pain. The former things will pass away, and what God gives us will be far better than anything we could have desired for ourselves.

The atonement is not achieved by our actions but entirely through Christ's blood. Many people misunderstand atonement, thinking it involves their own efforts to get right with God, but Scripture reveals it is completely God's work. Jesus' sacrifice has already paid for our sins in full, requiring nothing from us except belief. His blood changes everything: it propitiates God's wrath, reverses our fallen position, and silences Satan's accusations against us. When we trust in Christ's finished work rather than our "dead works," our conscience is purified, and we serve God not to earn salvation but out of grateful love.

The baptism of the Holy Spirit is not a second blessing separate from salvation that is ours through Calvary's work. There are no blessings that do not come through the work of Christ on the cross. The giving of the Holy Spirit comes along with the forgiveness of sins when we respond to the gospel to be reconciled to God. But the work of the Spirit baptising us into the body of Christ is a part of the one work of grace accomplished through Christ's death and resurrection. The time gap mentioned in Scripture is between John the Baptist's promise that Jesus would baptize with the Holy Spirit (John 1) and its fulfilment at Pentecost (Acts 2), not between when a believer receiving salvation as one step and then later receives an extra blessing in the Spirit. When you believe in Jesus and receive forgiveness of sins, you simultaneously receive the Holy Spirit as a part of what God gives you at Christian conversion. There are not two separate works of grace, one when we are forgiven through Calvary's action and a second other spiritual grace called the "Baptism in or by the Spirit". Rather, there is one complete salvation that includes all spiritual blessings. When someone responds to the Gospel to come to God they receive two blessings – the forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit.

The blood of Christ was shed not merely for us to see, but primarily for God the Father to see. When Jesus ascended to heaven after His resurrection, He presented His blood before the Father as an eternal, once-for-all atonement for our sins—past, present, and future. This perfect sacrifice can purify our conscience from "dead works"— futile attempts to earn God's favour through our own efforts. This is ours when we come to God receiving a full acceptance on the basis of this atonement due to Christ’s shed blood. Because Christ's atonement is complete, we need only to be reconciled to God by receiving this once and for all forgiveness of sins. Thereafter if we sin, we need only to confess to God those new sins and rest in the assurance that we are cleansed from them by the faithfulness of God to honour the full effectiveness of that finished atonement.

Christ's declaration "I thirst" from the cross speaks not only of His physical suffering but also points to His promise that believers would never thirst again. The Holy Spirit, whom Jesus would send after His glorification, brings rivers of living water to flow from within those who believe. This spiritual satisfaction comes with just three simple conditions: acknowledge your thirst, come to Christ in faith, and drink. There is nothing between our believing and the rivers flowing—no delay, no special preparation, only the simple act of surrender expressed in the words "Father, into Your hands I commit my life." The flowing rivers of the Spirit are immediately available to anyone who truly surrenders to Christ.

Jesus promises His disciples that their sorrow will turn to unshakable joy—not mere happiness, but a deep current that remains despite circumstances. This joy flows from three realities outlined in John 17: being sanctified by God's Word, being kept by Christ, and being sent into the world. When we truly grasp that we are His and He is ours, we experience the fullness of His joy. This joy becomes most evident when we witness to others about Christ, not seeking spiritual experiences for their own sake, but focusing on Christ Himself. God's love stretched to its limits produces in us a joy that no one can take away.

The central saying from the cross—"My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?"—represents the most difficult moment in redemptive history when the Father turned away as the Son bore our sins. The supernatural darkness during those three hours came not from God but from the gathering powers of evil, attempting to extinguish the Light but finding themselves defeated instead. Through this abandonment, Jesus opened the way for us to draw near to God with confidence. We can now approach God with a true heart in full assurance of faith, just as Jesus demonstrated when He committed His spirit to the Father. Because Jesus was forsaken, we need never be.

The Holy Spirit's role as Comforter extends far beyond mere emotional soothing. The Greek word "Paraclete" gains rich meaning from its Old Testament Hebrew equivalent, describing God's comfort which includes forgiveness of sins, a fresh experience of God, and victory on our behalf. The Comforter convicts the world of sin (pointing us to Christ for cleansing), of righteousness (applying Christ's life through us), and of judgment (demonstrating that evil has been conquered). These three ministries represent God's love stretched out in its fullness—forgiving our past, transforming our present, and securing our future as we experience victory through Christ.

The dying thief's unexpected encounter with Jesus demonstrates that salvation requires nothing from us—no religious works, doctrinal knowledge, or moral righteousness. The only reason anyone enters heaven is because of "the Man on the middle cross." We bring nothing to the table, neither positive achievements to impress God nor negative failures that disqualify us. Our natural tendency toward pride in our accomplishments or guilt over our failures is overcome only when we adopt Jesus' dying attitude: "Father, into Your hands I commit my life." This surrendered faith, like the thief's simple request "remember me," is the only response to Christ's finished work that brings eternal life.

The Father's house isn't primarily about heaven but about the reciprocal relationship of rest. When Jesus said He goes to prepare a place for us, He was speaking of providing rest for our souls through His death and resurrection. This creates a two-way relationship where we find rest in God through faith in Christ, and God finds His rest in us. The same Greek word used for "rooms" in John 14:2 appears again in verse 23 when Jesus says He and the Father will "make their home" with believers. Our belonging to God's family means we enter His rest, and He dwells within us—a beautiful picture of God's love on the stretch.