The Gospel of John: Beneath the Surface
Pastor Johnathan delivers a comprehensive exploration of John chapter 7, centering on the theme of looking beneath the surface to discover what God is doing in our lives. Using John 7:24 as his key verse—"Look beneath the surface so you can judge correctly"—he challenges believers to move beyond superficial Christianity.
The sermon begins with a powerful personal illustration about breaking through rock at the Creation Evidence Museum in Glen Rose, Texas. Despite exhaustion and difficulty, Pastor Johnathan persevered until they broke through to discover dinosaur and human footprints together. This story serves as a metaphor for how we must allow the Holy Spirit to persistently chip away at the hardened areas of our hearts to reveal what's hidden beneath—whether it's anger, disappointment, or unforgiveness—so God can bring complete healing.
Pastor Johnathan examines how Jesus strategically approached the Feast of Tabernacles. Rather than making a grand entrance, Jesus waited for the Father's timing, arriving quietly and then teaching boldly halfway through the feast. The pastor emphasizes that "some of the best things we can do when we hear God is to wait instead of rush." Jesus' teaching astonished the religious leaders who couldn't understand His wisdom without formal training, to which Jesus responded that His teaching came directly from the Father.
The climactic moment comes when Jesus interrupts the traditional water ceremony on the final day of the feast. As the high priest poured water while quoting Isaiah, Jesus stood and proclaimed, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. He who believes in Me... from his innermost being will flow continually rivers of living water" (John 7:37-38). This bold declaration was the first public mention of the Holy Spirit.
Pastor Johnathan then outlines ten essential roles of the Holy Spirit in believers' lives: the convicting role (John 16:8), saving role (Titus 3:4-6), assuring role (Romans 8:15), empowering role (Acts 1:8), fruit-producing role (Galatians 5:22), gift-giving role (1 Corinthians 12:7), counseling and comforting role (John 14:16), revealing role (1 Corinthians 2:10), guiding role (John 16:13), and interceding role (Romans 8:26).
The sermon concludes with a powerful invitation to respond to Jesus' offer of living water. Pastor Johnathan emphasizes that this requires three personal choices: acknowledging our thirst, deciding to come to Jesus, and choosing to drink. He challenges the congregation to stop being "surface level Christians" and instead allow the Holy Spirit to "sweep us off our feet" by breaking through our hardness to bring redemption, restoration, and renewal.