February 2, 2014 | Pastor John Bayles | The Bread of Separation and Salvation | Part 2 | John 6:41-60

In this section, Jesus lays out perhaps the most difficult revelation of His ministry. Thus far he has responded to questions from the Jews in Capernaum regarding the bread, the amazing bread that Jesus had miraculously produced by prayer a few days earlier. This bread that came down from heaven, had been a life-changing experience for those who had been there that day, and was continuing to amaze those who had heard about it and were hoping for a repeat performance from this man with the divine connection.

That is all Jesus was to the masses and the Jews in the synagogue in Capernaum - a miracle man with miracle powers. But, to their amazement, Jesus emphasizes not what He can do, but where He came from and Who and What He is. He is the bread that came down from heaven, not given by the power of a man. This is the sign that Jesus used to awaken His audience and serve as a call for belief. The nature of the miracle points only to the miracle of the man Jesus, the Word, the Son of God, the bread of heaven.

January 26, 2014 | Pastor John Bayles | The Bread of Separation and Salvation | Part 1 | John 6:25-40

What were they all looking for, the people who had heard about a miracle of five loaves and two small fish being multiplied into a feast that fed more than five thousand people? Those who were present were amazed and filled. The disciples of the teacher were amazed and filled. And now those who missed the action were hoping for more. And so they finally found him. How he got to Capernaum without a boat had baffled them all. They came seeking an answer to their question of how he crossed the lake without a boat. He answered by revealing that boats, lakes, bread, and fish were not on His mind.

January 19, 2014 | Pastor John Bayles | When Darkness Shadows Grace | John 6:16-24

The miracle of Jesus walking on the Sea of Galilee is recorded in Matthew, Mark, and here in the Gospel of John. Because of this coverage we have a synoptic view, that is we can expand our understanding of what happened that dark, stormy night from three viewpoints. It is a short passage and not difficult to understand - it is a miracle of Jesus walking on the water to save His disciples during a violent storm that occurred at night on the Sea of Galilee.

January 12, 2014 | Pastor John Bayles | Forgiveness: Breaking Old Chains | Matthew 18:21-35

In this text today we will discover that forgiveness is not simply dismissing the wrong actions of someone else, or an emotional feeling we try to reach, or just forgetting an offense. It's not just deciding to trust an offending person, and it sometimes does not lead to the full restoration of a relationship. So, practically, what is forgiveness and how do we do it? Isn't it a two-way process that requires the actions of the other person? Doesn't the other person have a responsibility to seek forgiveness?

January 5, 2014 | Pastor John Bayles | Forgiveness: The Key to Christian Freedom | Matthew 18

Forgiveness is the most powerful tool available to the Christian. At the same time, forgiveness is the most underutilized tool of the Christian life. Relationships are strained or broken, lives are fragmented, marriages ended, family bonds broken, churches split, new denominations formed, nations divided, wars fought, a world splintered – all because of the failure to forgive among people.

December 22, 2013 | Pastor John Bayles | The King and His Kingdom | John 6:1-15

December 15, 2013 | Joe Porter | Daniel 3:1-29

December 8, 2013 | Pastor John Bayles | The Third Discourse: Witnesses of the Divine Son | John 5:31-47

December 1, 2013 | Pastor John Bayles | The Third Discourse: Unity of Unities | John 5:16-30

In this third discourse, John returns to the content of his opening prologue: namely the nature of the Word, the Son of God. This is much more than a man claiming to be God in some independent way from the established revelation of Scripture. The Jewish authorities were hoping that Jesus would simply say that He was a new God. This would be a clear line to a charge of blasphemy.

November 24, 2013 | Pastor John Bayles | The Third Sign: The Healer at the Pool of Healing | John 5:1-15

What would be more wonderful than the healing of a man crippled for his whole lifetime? What would be more horrible than to accuse the person who performed the miracle of breaking the law? Here in this text Jesus momentarily steps from the crowd and heals a lame man, not only of his ailment, but of his sinfulness. These two healings: physical and spiritual continue to reveal the mission of the Lord: “to seek and to save that which was lost.”