Preaching the Word: John—That You May Believe

Top Highlights

“I believe that is the question Christ asks all of us. I believe it summarizes the great problem in our lives. Do you want to be well? Few things hamper the gracious work of Christ in our lives more than our response to this question.” (Page 148)

“Not only is fruit-bearing the main emphasis, but our Lord makes it the identifying mark of a true believer.” (Page 352)

“As Spurgeon said, ‘God does not regard our voices, he hears our hearts, and if our hearts do not sing we have not sung at all.’ Sometimes we sing but do not worship. Sometimes we pray with our lips, but worship does not take place. Sometimes we give, but we do not worship. And sometimes we do none of these things but are in deepest worship!” (Page 118)

“So what does Christ mean? He means that we cannot bear spiritual fruit without him. We can tie fruit onto our lives like ornaments on a Christmas tree, but the real fruit of his character comes from the vine itself. We can do nothing without him! We cannot be loving or patient or faithful or holy. That is why God does not shield us from the assaults of life but rather exposes us to them, so we will learn to hold him fast.” (Page 357)

“its main significance here is that Christ has always sought to reveal himself.” (Page 18)