43: Preaching/Teaching-John 7
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Questions that Matter!
Questions that Matter!
ccEOT-People were divided and asking a lot of questions to try and figure out who Jesus was.
EOS-We can love God with all our minds:
By embracing these questions and answers.
Tension-People who do not know what they believe or why they believe. Kids walking away from the faith at such a high rate that the generation we are dealing with many will not even raise their kids in Christ.
Intro:
I was 18 years old and I had my life figured out. I mean I was going to the NBA (At least in my own mind). It was my first year of playing basketball in college.
Then all the sudden I was confronted with a question: 0-100%-How sure are you that you are going to heaven when you die and why?
I was in a dilema. Not that I could not answer the question but I did not know the right answer and I knew that I did not know the right answer deep in my guy.
But I tried to answer it: ”I am 100% sure I am going to heaven because I am a good person.”
At this point in my life I thought I was a Christian even though I did not even really know what a Christian was.
I had been confirmed by two different churches and this was still the best answer I could give.
But here is what I have seen since then. Most people do not know what they believe or why they believe.
But what is even crazy is this is also true in the church. Most in the church do not even know why believe and now we have many who do not even know what they believe.
In the passage we see that some people reject Jesus completely while others believe in him.
The Jews wanted to kill him (7:1)
His brothers did not even believe him.
While others believed in him.
Now as much as any time in history it is essential that we know what we believe and why we believe it, that we love God with all of our mind.
Two-thirds (66 percent) of American young adults who attended a Protestant church regularly for at least a year as a teenager say they also dropped out for at least a year between the ages of 18 and 22, according to a new study from Nashville-based Lifeway Research. Thirty-four percent say they continued to attend twice a month or more.
This means that if I were to bring in 10 of our kids and line them up the probability is that only 3 would stay in the church after they left your home.
What if we encouraged our kids to ask the tough questions about the faith and life in our home instead of when they go off to college?
The Bible tells us to love God with all of our heart, soul and Mind.
Today I want to challenge us to love God with our mind.
The mind is often the most neglected part of loving God.
As Christians we are to have a faith that is seeking understanding.
Yes we have put our faith in the Bible and what Jesus has done for us but in that we can use our minds.
Romans 12:2 “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.”
As a matter of fact I can tell you case after case of people who challenged the Bible and through that they came to faith in Christ.
C.S. Lewis-We all know about his skepticism that led to faith.
Josh McDowell-Now has a book that has sold 15 million copies
Lee Strobel-He did an investigation into Christianity and through it came to faith.
J. Werner-Investigative Cop
As believers God wants us to know what we believe and why we believe it. He wants us to pursue him, and we need to dig deep in his word so we can know that.
Today I want to look at questions that matter so that we can love God with everything we have.
I want us to know what we believe and why we believe it.
The first question we must dig into so we can love God with our mind is:
1. What is man’s problem? Man is evil.
1. What is man’s problem? Man is evil.
In chapter 7 over 20 questions are asked.
Man was created perfect in the image of God. When Adam and Even sinned against God it set of a rebellion, man and women were now born with original sin. Original sin-Look at DTS Paper.
The Jews literally wanted to Kill Jesus.
The Jews literally wanted to Kill Jesus.
After these things Jesus was walking in Galilee, for He was unwilling to walk in Judea because the Jews were seeking to kill Him.
Now the feast of the Jews, the Feast of Booths, was near.
Setting: Festival of shelters. The Jewish people celebrated what God had done in the past. Last week we saw the celebration for the Passover. This was like a big camping trip. Last week Andy took Levi on a camping trip. Could you picture if once a year we all went up to downtown Houston and pitched a tent to celebrate our great city. It would be fun, chaotic and I am sure some crazy stories would come out. Could you picture 7-10 million people being in downtown Houston? Could you picture the stories that would come out of this.
The Gospel according to John 7. Scepticism and Uncertainty (7:1–13)
People living in rural areas built makeshift structures of light branches and leaves to live in for the week (hence ‘booths’ or ‘tabernacles’; cf. Lv. 23:42); town dwellers put up similar structures on their flat roofs or in their courtyards. The Feast was known for a water-drawing rite and a lamp-lighting rite to which Jesus quite clearly refers (cf. 7:37ff.; 8:12).
Jesus own brothers rejected!
Jesus own brothers rejected!
Therefore His brothers said to Him, “Leave here and go into Judea, so that Your disciples also may see Your works which You are doing.
“For no one does anything in secret when he himself seeks to be known publicly. If You do these things, show Yourself to the world.”
Now before we are too hard on his brothers lets remember how awkward it would be to be the brother or sister of Jesus.
Be more like your brother.
Jesus you need to go where everyone is going to be to prove that you are legit. You know how weird it is to be related to you. Go where everyone is and prove once and for all: we are tired of this whole charade.
The brothers had ulterior motives to wanting Jesus to go.
The scripture said not even a prophet is welcome in his hometown.
For not even His brothers were believing in Him.
So Jesus said to them, “My time is not yet here, but your time is always opportune.
Jesus brothers a lot like us prefer telling God what to do instead of asking him what to do.
Jesus contrasts them to him, if you go to the festival or not it is inconsequential, If I go or not it is the difference between life and death for the world.
He knew why he came his whole life was leading up to his hour where he would die for the sins of sinful man while bringing tons of glory to God.
Ironic that his brothers wanted him to go to Jerusalem and do some magic tricks, little did they know that he would eventually go to Jerusalem, the biggest stage not to do magic tricks but to die on a cross once and for all and defeat DEATH!
But we must realize that Jesus brothers like the crowds were not understanding the significance of his miracles.
Jesus goes straight to the heart!
Jesus goes straight to the heart!
If you asked our culture what is man’s problem you would get a ton of different answers.
Some might say the problem is:
Democrats
republicans
Racism
But Jesus goes straight for the jugular.
Why do people hate Jesus so much. We don’t like to hear the truth when it is hard.
But Jesus clearly diagnoses the problem:
“The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it, that its deeds are evil.
“Go up to the feast yourselves; I do not go up to this feast because My time has not yet fully come.”
Jesus calls people out. Why did the Jews want to kill him, why did his brothers not believe him because he speaks the truth: Your deeds are evil.
Now I don’t think we have a problem with saying I am a sinner. But saying I am evil we don’t like that as much.
We are proper at sinning. I am not as bad as Hitler.
I want you to picture for a second taking the worst 5 minutes of your life and putting that all on a movie to see. Who would want their movie shown. Because deep down we know that our hearts are turned towards evil. And Jesus calls it out right here. Why do my brothers not believe, why do the Jews want to kill me, because they have a problem that they do not want to deal with right now.
Who likes to be called out?
I remember when I learned this truth that Nate Law is evil!
As I was sitting there in the dorm room before my friend shared the good news of the gospel with me he took me through the ten commandments. I realized I was a lying, adulterating thief, .... He showed me a verse in scripture. I was sitting in a dorm room feeling the weight of my sin.
Total depravity we are hopeless and helpless to do anything about original sin
As I sat there in my dorm room I was hopeless and helpless to do anything about my sin.
I was sitting there and for the first time I realized there was nothing I could do about my problem.
Why would we need a great savior if we were not great sinners.
Jesus shares this with us not to condemn us but to save us.
I want RCC to know what we believe and why we believe it.
Can you answer this question?
Can you explain this to someone else?
The next question we must dig into so we can love God with our mind is:
2. Who is Jesus? Jesus is God.
2. Who is Jesus? Jesus is God.
Jesus blew his enemies minds
Jesus blew his enemies minds
There was no doubt in his enemies mind that he was a force to be reckoned with.
But when it was now the midst of the feast Jesus went up into the temple, and began to teach.
I love how Jesus is on his own time clock. If you tell him to go he does not.
The Jews then were astonished, saying, “How has this man become learned, having never been educated?”
Remember these are the people that wanted to kill him.
Even they were astonished.
The Gospel according to John a. Jesus’ Authoritative Teaching (7:14–24)
Rather, they were astonished that someone who had not studied in one of the great rabbinical centers of learning, or with one of the famous rabbis, could have such a command of Scripture, such telling mastery in his exposition.
These teachers had a system that Jesus did not fit in he did not go to Jerusalem University. Jesus was trying to tell them I do not need to go to a University, I am the University. I do not need a rabbi, I am the rabbi. I am God, I know everything, I am all powerful. I AM. And just like he told his brothers the same is true for us, Jesus does not need us, we need him.
Jesus did not go to a University, Jesus is the university.
He has always had diving knowledge. He has always been and always will be.
What makes a person a legitimate Dr?
They have went to a accredited University and passed the classes.
There is a process in place to make a person legitimate in a lot of fields.
When we lived in Paris Texas, we became good friends with Pat Pilgrim. His dad at one time owned the biggest chicken company in the USA. PILGRIM CHICKEN. Pat would always joke I went to Bo Pilgrim University.
This culture had a system to be accredited. You would go to school when you were younger. If you kept excelling you would go learn from a Rabbi [Teacher]. If you still excelled you would actually become a Rabbi.
The people the Jews were struggling with where did Jesus get his teaching. It was not the normal way.
Application:
If you are a believer you are in Jesus’s University. He has equipped us with every thing we need to succeed with him, to be a honor roll student. The Father is the President, Jesus is the master Teacher, the Word is our textbook and the Spirit is our guide.
I think sometimes as believers we use grace as an excuse not to pursue him whole heartedly.
Are you wanting to be like him so much that you are giving him everything.
How are you doing in God’s University.
I have two advanced degrees and I can tell you very honestly that where I have grown the most is not from those schools but from directly getting to know God and his word.
Now as they observed the confidence of Peter and John and understood that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed, and began to recognize them as having been with Jesus.
What was the key they had been with Jesus.
Heather was bragging on Christiana recently: on the wheel she wanted to grow in the word-started spending 10 minutes in the word.
God is Trinity: Jesus the second person.
God is Trinity: Jesus the second person.
So Jesus answered them and said, “My teaching is not Mine, but His who sent Me.
“If anyone is willing to do His will, he will know of the teaching, whether it is of God or whether I speak from Myself.
We don’t have the Christian faith without the Triune God. In this chapter we see the trinity at work. Who sent Jesus, his father. But the trinity is not complete without the Holy Spirit. We are going to break this verse down deeper later but we see the Holy Spirit in:
John 7:39 “But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.”
As Michael Reeves says:
Neither a problem nor a technicality, the triune being of God is the vital oxygen of Christian life and joy.
I think because the Trinity is so hard to understand and grasp: we try to make fit it into our system when the reality is we need to try to fit into God’s system.
Before creation began the Triune God was all Loving. He is all knowing, all powerful and he has always been.
Jesus had this teaching from all eternity before he even created man. He is all knowing.
Jesus ‘s obeyed what no one else could: Jesus = Perfect
Jesus ‘s obeyed what no one else could: Jesus = Perfect
“He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who is seeking the glory of the One who sent Him, He is true, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.
“Did not Moses give you the Law, and yet none of you carries out the Law? Why do you seek to kill Me?”
The proof is in the pudding!
The Gospel according to John a. Jesus’ Authoritative Teaching (7:14–24)
Earlier prophets could thunder, ‘Thus says the LORD!’ But Jesus’ words and deeds are so much at one with the Father’s, not only because of his unqualified obedience but also because he does everything the Father does (5:19ff.), that Jesus can legitimately and repeatedly presage his remarks with an authoritative, ‘I tell you the truth’ (cf. notes on 1:51).
Application:
What are the implications of this.
1)
I think two fold. People who criticize Christianity they need to ask the same question they are accusing Christians of.
I think we can ask questions back. What is your authority?
The last question we must dig into so we can love God with our mind is:
3. Why should we follow him? This is what we were created for.
3. Why should we follow him? This is what we were created for.
We were created for God.
If you drive a gas powered car and you put Dr. Pepper in the engine what is going to happen.
Isn’t this how our world is. People are putting a lot of things in their lives that are not God.
The Bible tells us that we were created to love and follow God.
Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink.
Notice remember Jesus would not come to the feast when his brothers tried to manipulate him but now he is at center stage. And like Jesus does he uses words and images like a master craftsman.
We are invited to come (37)
We are invited to come (37)
It does not matter your income level, your skin color, if anyone is thirsty.
What is the criteria, you have to know that you are thirsty.
Living Water will flow (38)
Living Water will flow (38)
“He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’ ”
How do we follow we believe.
John 1:12 “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name,”
John 5:24 ““Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.”
Other belief verses in John:
But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.
After Jesus resurrected from the grave and then ascended into heaven the Holy Spirit, which has always been around came into seal believers. The spirit of God in dwells us, guides us and leads us.
Cup Illustration:
Cup Illustration:
I want to look at a verse that deals with believers and show what kind of illustration
“For My people have committed two evils:
They have forsaken Me,
The fountain of living waters,
To hew for themselves cisterns,
Broken cisterns
That can hold no water.
Application:
How will you respond:
a. His hour demands a response.
We either respond in belief or in unbelief.
Belief in Jesus
So they were seeking to seize Him; and no man laid his hand on Him, because His hour had not yet come.
Unbelief
1, 5, 19-kill him