Life can sometimes feel like the game of Jenga. Pieces are moving, things are unstable, and who knows what will happen next! In John 13-17, Jesus teaches the disciples in a famous part of Scripture known as the Upper Room Discourse. Today we come to John 17 and finish the Upper Room Discourse. For the past several chapters Jesus has taught on love, serving others, and the Kingdom of God. Today we come to a beautiful passage in Scripture where Jesus prays for the disciples and prays for us. As we study John 17 we will see how Jesus longs for us to be united in a world that so easily causes division. Listen in as Pastor Neal Benson teaches  about unity in the body of Christ. 

For the past several weeks, we have been looking at the conversation Jesus had with his disciples on the night before he was crucified (John 13-17). This was his last
opportunity to be with them and teach them. Because of this, the stuff Jesus talked about with the disciples was important. Listen in as Pastor Doug Meye teaches from John 16:19-33 that we were created for the joy Jesus offers.

All of us have been in a place in our life where we needed help from someone. The upper room discourse is the final teaching of Jesus before He went to the cross. Much of His teaching is focused on loving others and spreading the Gospel. In today’s passage Jesus continues to explain to the disciples about His departure and the sending of the Holy Spirit and what that means for their lives. We’ll learn that the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth, that it’s actually good for us that Jesus returned to heaven, and we’ll also learn how we can walk in the truth of God. Listen in as Pastor Neal Benson teaches on John 15:26-16:15. 

Growing up many of us were told "cautionary tales" like don't eat watermelon seeds or swallow bubble gum or go outside with wet hair. For the past couple of weeks in the Gospel of John, we’ve seen a recurring theme of love. Jesus commanded the disciples to love others. He instructed them to love each other. He instructed them to keep His commands as a way to show their love for Him. Today we have a turn in our passage. Jesus is going to tell his disciples that the world will hate them. It’s a cautionary tale but one that will come true. Jesus is preparing them for what will happen to them for following Him. Jesus wants them to know that those who follow Him will endure persecution and be hated. Listen in as Pastor Neal Benson teaches on John 15:18-25. 

In John 15:1,  Jesus gives us another “I am” statement. He says, “I am the true vine.” Most of us don't think of Jesus as a vine, but the point of the illustration is that we need to be connected to the vine. To an agrarian culture this metaphor would have made sense. Many of us today can relate to this metaphor because of the agriculture around us. As we discuss this passage we’ll talk about remaining in Jesus and what pruning looks like in our lives. Listen in as Pastor Neal Benson teaches from John 15:1-17 that remaining in Jesus bring about deep transformation in our lives.

In John 13-17 Jesus takes time to intentionally teach his disciples. In today's passage Jesus starts out with a conditional statement about their love for Him. Jesus says, “If you love me…” This statement spoken to the disciples, is also meant for us and is the focal point of what we’re going to study today. Jesus says that we show our love for Him by obeying His commandments. Listen in as Pastor Neal Benson teaches on John 14:15-31 and how our obedience shows our love for Jesus. 

In John 14:1-14, Jesus assuages the disciples’ anxiety by giving them a new revelation of truth that leads to a mission. This is an encouraging text for our time in the twentieth-first century as our culture struggles with the concept of truth. The world is aching to see followers of Jesus live lives of authentic commitment to word, deed, and power! Listen in as guest speaker, Kirk Mackie, teaches that the reality of God's truth exemplified in Jesus leads to a mission for our lives. 

In July 1967 the Beatles released their famous song, All You Need is Love. Thousands of years prior to this song, Jesus taught the disciples a lesson about loving each other as they were gathered in the Upper Room just hours before Jesus' arrest and trial. Jesus knew the cross awaited Him, but instead of withdrawing and retreating, He chose to teach. He had a new lesson for the disciples. The lesson was quite simple— choose love. Listen in as Pastor Neal Benson teaches us to choose love like Jesus taught us to do in John 13:18-38. 

When we think of a servant, we don’t usually think of a king. A king is seen as one who is responsible to rule, govern, and lead; not perform acts of service. In John 13:1-17 we read a fascinating story about Jesus washing the disciples' feet. In the culture of the day, it was the responsibility of a servant, not a Rabbi, to wash feet. Jesus' example dramatically showed the disciples to how to love others through service. Listen in as Pastor Neal Benson teaches that because Jesus served to the end, we should in turn joyfully serve others. 

For the final Sunday of 2023, we are going to pause for a refresher on Coastline's core values. The mission of Coastline is helping people find and follow Jesus, and our core values keep us focused on that mission. These values form the identity of Coastline and help us make decisions as we move forward the mission of our church. All seven of these values are extracted from Scripture and rooted in the love of God. Listen in as various staff members and elders each speak briefly about one of the values. Let's review them together and learn how we can apply them individually and corporately at Coastline.