Scripture Points to Christ: Come and Receive Life

Apr 12, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: The Danger of Searching Without Coming

We can be deeply familiar with the Scriptures, studying them with great diligence and care. Yet, it is entirely possible to engage with the Bible in this way and still remain distant from its true purpose. The text itself is not the final source of life; it is a witness that points beyond itself. The goal is not mastery of information but a relationship with the person to whom the text leads. This is a call to examine our own engagement with God's Word. [44:19]

"You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life." (John 5:39-40, ESV)

Reflection: As you reflect on your own Bible reading or study, can you identify a time when your focus was more on understanding the text itself rather than being led by it into a deeper trust in and dependence on Jesus Christ?

Day 2: The Scriptures Bear Witness to Christ

The Bible’s ultimate purpose is not to be an end in itself, a book of principles to be mastered or rules to be dissected. Its God-given role is to be a clear and faithful witness. Every story, every prophecy, every letter points beyond the page to the person and work of Jesus Christ. To truly honor the Scriptures is to follow their testimony, allowing them to continually redirect our gaze, our hope, and our faith toward the Savior they proclaim. [49:28]

"And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself." (Luke 24:27, ESV)

Reflection: Where in your current reading of the Bible have you recently seen a theme, a story, or a promise that clearly points to the character or work of Jesus? How does recognizing Him as the fulfillment of that passage change your understanding of it?

Day 3: The Heart's Resistance to Coming

The core issue Jesus identifies is not a lack of information or access, but a resistance of the will. To "come to him" is an act of surrender, an entrusting of oneself completely to Him as the sole source of life. This requires releasing our own frameworks of control and self-sufficiency. The human heart often prefers the certainty of a managed system to the vulnerability of receiving grace. This resistance is the great barrier to the life He offers. [54:19]

"Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28, ESV)

Reflection: What is one area of your life where you sense a resistance to fully coming to Jesus, perhaps because it would mean releasing control or acknowledging your own inability to manage it?

Day 4: The Invitation to Receive Life

Jesus extends a profound invitation: to come to Him and receive life. This life is not something we can earn, produce, or secure through our own efforts or knowledge. It is a gift that must be received from Him on His terms. This shifts our posture from one of striving to one of humble dependence. The Christian life, from beginning to end, is sustained by continually coming to Him to receive what we desperately need and cannot provide for ourselves. [56:20]

"Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life." (John 5:24, ESV)

Reflection: In what ways do you find yourself striving to earn or secure God's favor, and how might you instead practice simply receiving the life and rest Jesus offers as a gift?

Day 5: The Spirit's Role in Drawing Us Near

We do not come to Christ through our own intellectual ability or spiritual strength. It is the Holy Spirit, the very author of Scripture, who opens our eyes to see Christ in the Word and who draws our hearts to respond in faith. Our prayerful dependence on the Spirit is essential, transforming our Bible reading from a mere intellectual exercise into a living encounter. He softens hardened hearts and leads us to the Son, making the testimony of the Scriptures effective in our lives. [01:02:15]

"But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you." (John 14:26, ESV)

Reflection: How could you more intentionally invite the Holy Spirit to guide your time in the Scriptures this week, asking Him specifically to reveal Christ to you and to draw your heart to respond in trust?

Sermon Summary

Jesus confronts a common religious mistake: loving the Scriptures without coming to the One they reveal. The text centers on John 5:39–40, where religious leaders who meticulously search the Bible still stand distant from the source of life. Their devotion to the book becomes a substitute for the life the book points to; Scripture bears witness to Christ, but some treat the Bible as an object to possess, analyze, and defend rather than as a living testimony that compels a heart to come. A healed man on the Sabbath exposes this inversion—an act of mercy becomes grounds for accusation because categories and controls overshadow worship and gratitude.

The argument unfolds in three moves. First, the Pharisees genuinely search the Scriptures; their labor proves that faithful attention to the texts remains vital. Second, Jesus clarifies the Scriptures’ purpose: they testify about him and intend to lead readers to relationship, not merely to doctrinal mastery. Third, the root problem proves to be the will: refusal to come to Christ. The text diagnoses spiritual resistance, not intellectual lack. Coming to Christ requires a movement of heart—entrusting, receiving, and depending—not merely possessing information.

The remedy lies in the Spirit’s work. The same Spirit who inspired the Scriptures opens eyes to see Christ in them, softens hardened wills, convicts of sin, and draws hearts to the living Word. Believers must therefore pray for illumination whenever they read or hear Scripture, asking the Spirit to show Jesus and to enable genuine coming. This call applies to new believers and lifelong Christians alike: the Christian life continually returns to the simple, decisive act of coming to Christ through the Scriptures. Practical faith expresses itself in dependence and reception rather than control and self-sufficiency. The Scriptures remain authoritative precisely because they reveal and lead to the risen Lord; therefore the measure of biblical faithfulness is not information collected but Christ received and followed.

Key Takeaways

1. Scripture points beyond itself The Bible’s authority rests in whom it reveals. Reading Scripture faithfully means following its testimony to Jesus, not idolizing the text as an end. When Scripture becomes an end in itself, it distorts worship and substitutes possession for relationship. Aim to let each passage direct the heart toward Christ’s person and work. [48:14]
2. Knowledge without surrender deceives Intellectual mastery can mask spiritual distance. One can catalog doctrines and memorize verses yet resist the heart’s movement to trust and receive. True wisdom integrates head and heart: knowledge that leads to submission, repentance, and dependence. Let study lead to kneeling, not just increased certainty. [44:19]
3. Coming to Christ is willful Access to Christ does not guarantee reception; the decisive issue is willingness. To “come” means to entrust oneself, to receive life on Christ’s terms rather than to secure it by human frameworks. This inward movement requires renouncing control and embracing dependence. Choose to draw near and accept the life offered. [53:16]
4. The Spirit opens eyes to Jesus The same Spirit who inspired Scripture enables sight to see Christ within it. Divine illumination transforms reading from information into encounter, softening resistance and granting life. Pray for the Spirit’s work before studying and preaching so Scripture becomes a place of meeting, not merely a subject of discussion. [62:15]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[09:46] - Confession and Assurance
[11:46] - Easter Songs and Worship
[20:32] - Greeting and Fellowship
[24:26] - Food Pantry Outreach Report
[35:55] - Prayer of Illumination
[36:24] - Scripture Reading (John 5:39–40)
[41:10] - “You Search the Scriptures”
[48:14] - Scriptures Testify About Christ
[53:16] - “You Refuse to Come to Me”
[62:15] - The Spirit Opens Eyes to Christ
[66:24] - Closing Prayer and Benediction

Bible Study Guide

Based on the sermon summary and transcript, the primary text is John 5:39-40. This will be the focus of the Bible reading section.

Bible reading
John 5:39-40 (ESV)
You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life.

Observation questions

According to John 5:39, what was the primary reason the religious leaders searched the Scriptures, and what did they believe it would give them?
What does Jesus say is the true purpose and function of the Scriptures in this passage?
What specific action does Jesus say the religious leaders are refusing to do, and what is the promised result of that action?
In the sermon, the healing of a man on the Sabbath became a point of conflict. What did the religious leaders focus on instead of the miracle itself? [41:55]

Interpretation questions

How can someone diligently study the Bible and yet still miss its main point, as seen in this passage?
Jesus says the issue is not a lack of information but a refusal to come to Him. What does it mean, in practical terms, to "come to" Jesus? What might that look like in a person's life? [55:00]
The sermon mentioned that the authority of Scripture is bound up in who it testifies to. Why is it crucial that the Bible points to Christ rather than being an end in itself? [50:50]
If the problem is a matter of the will and not the intellect, what kind of internal resistance might keep a person from coming to Christ, even when they know a lot about Him?

Application questions

When you read the Bible, what is your typical goal? Is it more about gaining information and knowledge, or about meeting with and being drawn to Christ? How could you tell the difference in your own heart?
The Scriptures are meant to lead us to a relationship, not just doctrinal mastery. [52:20] In what ways can a deep knowledge of the Bible sometimes become a substitute for a vibrant, dependent relationship with Jesus?
"Coming to Christ" is described as a movement of the heart to entrust, receive, and depend. [55:15] What is one area of your life right now where you find it difficult to depend on Christ rather than your own understanding or control?
The same Spirit who inspired the Scriptures opens our eyes to see Christ in them. [01:02:15] How could you incorporate a simple prayer for the Spirit's illumination into your regular routine of reading or hearing God's Word?
Whether new to faith or a lifelong Christian, the call is to continually return to coming to Christ. [01:04:52] What is one practical step you can take this week to ensure your Bible study leads to a posture of receiving from Him rather than just acquiring knowledge?

Sermon Clips

47s

#ScriptureLeadsToChrist

“But the bible isn't given so that that we could possess it. It's given to us so that it would lead us to Christ. I wanna be very clear. This is not a message or a comment that that lowers the authority of scripture. In fact, I believe that it clarifies the authority of scripture because the authority of scripture is bound up in that which it testifies to. It is God's word precisely because through it, God speaks and through it, God reveals Jesus.”

40s

#OpenScripturesFindChrist

“The scriptures are open before you, church. The testimony is clear by the spirit. Christ is not hidden from you, church. And the question is not whether you can find him, but whether or not you will come to him. This book that you hold in your hands is given to you so that you might come to Christ. This is not something that we work up in ourselves. You know, left to ourselves, we will do exactly what this text exposed and and I've been there before also.”

62s

#ResistanceNotAccess

“In many ways, this is the heart of the whole issue. He's already explained and we've already talked about the misunderstanding. And now what he's gonna do is name the deeper issue. Right? Not not simply that you that you misunderstand the scriptures, but that you won't come to me, he says. I don't think necessarily he's talking about ability here. He says, you refuse to come to me. The problem isn't lack of access. The problem isn't lack of info. And the problem certainly isn't that Christ has been hidden. The problem the problem is resistance.”

53s

#ScripturesPointToJesus

“They they treated the bible not only as God's word, but also as the place where life itself resided. Jesus corrects that piece of it. Because scriptures the end of the line of scripture is not scripture itself. The scriptures are not the end point. The scriptures are not life in and of themselves in isolation. The scriptures are a witness. They testify. They speak. And in that, they point beyond themselves, beyond the book to someone. They point to Jesus Christ.”

39s

#LifeNotInPossession

“He says, and you think that in the scriptures you have eternal life, but it is they that testify about me. He's exposing a misunderstanding to this group. And the misunderstanding is not their value of the scriptures. Right? They were they were not wrong to value the word of God. They were wrong about how the scriptures give life. You see, they believe that the life is found in the possession of the text, in the mastery of of the text, in how careful they handle it, and how they preserve it.”

54s

#SabbathRulesOverLifeWarning

“The command remains. The desire to honor God remains, but the focus shifted. The focus shifted. Instead of receiving the gift of the Lord's Day rest, the concern became more fixated on maintaining the boundaries. And when that shift happens, a church can be holding tightly to the scripture and still miss the one who gave it. And that's the tension of this text. Right? The man healed on the Sabbath becomes a a big controversy. The tension begins not with ignorance of what the scriptures say, but the tension begins with a kind of knowledge that has gone wrong.”

56s

#KnowBibleNotEntrust

“You and I can be near to that book that you hold in your hands. We can be raised reading it. We can be very precise about what it says, and I love precision, and I know a number of you do too. You can hear teachings about this book that you have in your hands. You can study it. You can discuss it with Christian friends. You can come to the point where you teach it yourself. You can also hold that word of God that you have in your hands right now and never fully entrust yourselves to the one whom it points to.”

64s

#AskSpiritShowJesus

“When you open that book... when you open that book, ask the spirit to show you Jesus Christ. When you hear the word preached, ask the spirit to draw you to Christ. And ask that if we have any response to this living word, that it would not be in our own strength, but that it would be in dependence on the spirit who leads us and guides us and fills us, draws us. When you open the spirit, the scriptures, Heavenly father, show me Christ.”

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Scripture Points to Christ: Come and Receive Life

Devotional

Day 1: The Danger of Searching Without Coming

Day 2: The Scriptures Bear Witness to Christ

Day 3: The Heart's Resistance to Coming

Day 4: The Invitation to Receive Life

Day 5: The Spirit's Role in Drawing Us Near

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

Scripture Points to Christ: Come and Receive Life

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