Sermon Tone Analysis

John 7:1-13

Introduction:

We ended last week where the multitudes left Jesus.

They departed and went back, following Him no longer.

His Disciples told Him they couldn’t leave because they knew that He is the Lord the son of the Living God!!

There is about a 6-7 month gap between the end of chapter 6 and the begginning of chapter 7. We know this because John uses the feasts as time tables and ways to show us Jesus’ progression in His Earthly ministry.

You may have noticed that a lot of what we have covered dealt with different feasts.

He overthrew the money changers at the passover.

He also was just leaving a feast where those that were with Him left.

He is now back in Galilee walking around.

He is in Galilee and John doesn’t record it but He has been there for 6 months.

1. Transition - V1 Jesus’ public ministry is dwindling and He is about to become more private.

Changed location Changed approach

Obviously there is a major transition between the end of the last chapter, which also took place in Galilee, and the events in chapter seven.

There is a point about halfway through the Gospel when finally the controversy between Jesus and the leaders and the people come to a head.

There is a rejection of Him and there is a turning point.

No longer does He present Himself publicly as the Messiah but His ministry becomes more and more private to the disciples in preparing them for the church age.

So we see this transition take place and in chapter seven Jesus will do some interesting things and there will be a tremendous conflict between Jesus and the religious authorities.

We see the transfiguration to His disciples at this time.

He tells His disciples that His death is coming.

His Disciples got to know Jesus in a way the crowds didn’t get to know Him.

‎‎Discipleship ***

‎‎There has been a flow, according to the way John has organized the Gospel.

First we see Jesus in Jerusalem at the temple, and then he is out of Jerusalem in the country-side.

Then He is back in Jerusalem, then out of Jerusalem.

So where do we expect to find Him now in chapter seven?

He is going to be back in Jerusalem.

John is going to show us in this chapter how Jesus’ movements fizzled out: the dynamics of the negative volition in Judea and the hostility of the religious leadership.

In the midst of this we are going to see that not only was there negative volition among the people, but we will see the negative volition among Jesus’ own family.

2. Rejection - v2-5

Have you ever felt rejection before?

Maybe you were in school and tried to hang out with people or sit at a different lunch table, just to be rejected?

Or perhaps you asked a crush out and they turned you down?

Maybe you went in for that interview and it seemed like the job was your’s, you got so excited and told your friends and family about this great opportunity, and as soon as you told everyone, you got a call that they chose a different candidate?

That gut punch feeling of rejection.

It is never easy to feel rejected.

Jesus had just experienced this as well.

Jesus has suffered persecution from the religious leaders all the time.

He had people that were following Him and seeing miracles in their midsts and they reject Him and leave Him and then He goes back home to His earthly siblings and His siblings didn’t believe in Him.

He felt rejection in a most severe way.

His siblings doubt him.

Jesus had brothers and sisters

Matthew 13:55-56 Is not this the carpenter’s son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas?

56 And his sisters, are they not all with us?

Whence then hath this man all these things?

• Jesus brothers and sisters do not believe in Him at this time but will later

Acts 1:14 These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren.

• Two of Jesus brother’s will actually write two of the epistles, James and Jude

Feast - fun time to celebrate Family - The Feast of Tabernacles this year is October 9-16.

‎‎Israel has a religious calendar that is divided into two sections.

There are the spring feasts and the fall feasts.

All of these feasts are important and they are designed to communicate something different about God’s plan in human history.

Each feast reveals a different aspect of God’s plan for Israel in its shadow form.

The feasts do not relate to church age doctrine, they relate to God’s plan and program for the nation Israel.

Each one represents certain things about the Messiah.

The spring feasts and festivals foreshadowed events in the saving work of the Messiah at the first advent.

The fall festivals all relate to the second advent.

The thing to note is that these  prophecies or types were fulfilled literally on the exact day of the feasts as far as the spring festivals are concerned.

We can only assume from that that what the fall feasts represent will also be literally fulfilled on the exact day of that feast.

3. Justification - v6-8

He shows why He came and what needs to happen.

Time - not yet come 6,8 There was coming a time but this was not the right time.

Hatred by the world -

The world hates Him, the same world that He loves and came to give His life for

Murmuring among the people about who He is

You can expect that people will not believe in you.

They will not trust your Christianity

They will want to see you fall as a Christian

The world hates Him, the same world that He loves and came to give His life for

Murmuring among the people about who He is

You can expect that people will not believe in you.

They will not trust your Christianity

They will want to see you fall as a Christian

He is not affraid to die, it just wasn’t the correct time for Him to die.

4. Contemplation - v9-13

The Jews sought to conclude who Jesus is.

Some want him dead while others want to know if He is the Messiah.

They all want to know where He is!

Some said He was a good man.

Other said, No!

He deceives them!!

Atheists today say that Jesus is a good man, but they will not accept what Jesus taught and preached.

The Bible is God’s Word to us.

All of it is true and perfect and Holy!

No man spoke of Him openly because of the fear of the Jews.

Do you let fear keep you from sharing the Gospel to others?

Conclusion:

We see a transition in Chapter 7. Jesus had done a very public ministry and then we see now that He knows they want to kill Him and He is now strategic about when and where He goes.

Transition - Public Ministry to private

Rejection - Multitutdes have turned back.

His own siblings don’t believe Him.

Justification - He explains why He is being rejected.

Contemplation - People are trying to decide who He is.

Do you know Jesus as your Savior?

Do you want to know Him today?

The Bible tells us how we can be saved and be born again (made new).

Are you letting fear control you?

Do you share the Gospel with the outside world?

Do you want to know Jesus more?

Discipleship is a great way to learn more about who God is!