December 13, 2009
Morning Service

St.Jn. 7:1-24

 

Review:

1.       Last Sunday evening we discussed chapter six.  In this chapter we saw the miracle of Jesus feeding the 5000 with just two small fish, and 5 barley loaves.  Then another miracle of Jesus walking on the water.

2.      Then the teaching that Jesus is the bread of life.  How that He told them that except they eat His body, and drink His blood that they would have no life in them.  This was a very hard saying for some of His disciples, and they left Him.  Then Jesus ask Peter if they would go also, and Peter said, “ Lord to whom shall we go, though hast the words of eternal life.”

3.      Of course we understand by having the complete revealed Word of God, that in our communion service we partake of the body, and blood of Christ.  Let me say that when you seek Him with all your heart, that He will allow you to receive all the mysteries of God.  Such as His virgin birth, such as His being God incarnate, such as His D.B.R., such as His ascension, such as partaking of His body, and blood.  Seek, and ye shall find, knock, and it shall be opened unto you.

 

Let us knock again this morning for more of the glorious truths that the Word of God holds for us;

 

Joh 7:1-24 ISV  After this, Jesus traveled about in Galilee, for he didn't want to travel in Judea because the Jews were trying to kill him.  (2)  Now the Jewish Festival of Tabernacles was approaching. 

• Here again we are given the spirit of some of these Jews.  The spirit to do harm, which of satan.
• Deu 16:13  Thou shalt observe the feast of tabernacles seven days, after that thou hast gathered in thy corn and thy wine:  Deu 16:14  And thou shalt rejoice in thy feast, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy manservant, and thy maidservant, and the Levite, the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, that are within thy gates. Deu 16:15  Seven days shalt thou keep a solemn feast unto the LORD thy God in the place which the LORD shall choose: because the LORD thy God shall bless thee in all thine increase, and in all the works of thine hands, therefore thou shalt surely rejoice.  Deu 16:16  Three times in a year shall all thy males appear before the LORD thy God in the place which he shall choose; in the feast of unleavened bread, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of tabernacles: and they shall not appear before the LORD empty:

(3)  So his brothers said to him, "You should leave this place and go to Judea, so that your disciples can see the works that you're doing.  (4)  For no one acts in secret if he wants to be known publicly. If you're going to do these things, you should reveal yourself to the world!"  (5)  For not even his brothers believed in him. 

• Now remember everyone at this time believes Jesus is going to set up His earthly kingdom at this time.

(6)  Jesus told them, "My time has not yet come, but your time is always here.  (7)  The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify against it that its works are evil.  (8)  Go up to the festival yourselves. I am not yet going to this festival, for my time has not yet fully come." 

• You must understand why that some in the world will not like you, Christian, you are trying to follow the teachings of our Lord, and His teachings are contrary to the world’s teaching.
• Paul said this;  2Ti 3:12  Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.
• But Christian, what you are doing is laying up treasures in Heaven where moth, and rust cannot enter to destroy, where as the world is gathering treasures for their immediate pleasure, and all of them shall be destroyed.

(9)  After saying this, he remained in Galilee.  (10)  But after his brothers had gone up to the festival, he went up himself, not openly but, as it were, in secret.  (11)  The Jews kept looking for him at the festival, saying, "Where is that man?"  (12)  And there was a great deal of discussion about him among the crowds. Some were saying, "He is a good man," while others were saying, "No, he is deceiving the crowd!"  (13)  No one, however, would speak openly about him for fear of the Jews.  (14)  Halfway through the festival, Jesus went up to the temple and began teaching.  (15)  The Jews were astonished and remarked, "How can this man be so educated when he has never gone to school?"    

(16)  Jesus replied to them, "My teaching is not mine but comes from the one who sent me.  (17)  If anyone wants to do his will, he will know whether this teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own. 

• Jesus speaks only the truth.  This is the truism that when we come seeking, knocking, and ready to receive, God will give us the wisdom, and knowledge of Him we crave. 
• If anyone seriously wants to do God’s will, he will know if the teachings are from God or not, or whether someone is speaking his own will.  You will be able to discern whether the teaching is from the ministry that God has given the church for it’s edification, to help us grow up into the full stature of Christ.  You will know, because He will give you that assurance.

(18)  The one who speaks on his own seeks his own praise.

• When Jesus says this it makes me think of Herod:  Act 12:21-23 KJVR  And upon a set day Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, sat upon his throne, and made an oration unto them.  (22)  And the people gave a shout, saying, It is the voice of a god, and not of a man.  (23)  And immediately the angel of the Lord smote him, because he gave not God the glory: and he was eaten of worms, and gave up the ghost.

• And also, anyone that would stand and preach this gospel message without realizing just how pitiful, and needful we really are.  Our calling is to preach the Word, pointing people to the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

But the one who seeks the praise of him who sent him is true, and there is nothing false in him. 

• There is only one that the ministry should seek to please, and that is God Almighty.  We don’t want to be caught in this category;  2Ti 4:3-4 KJVR  For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;  (4)  And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

• It is really sad when we think of all the different denominations that have left their first love, and have gone so far to the left that they allow, and heap to themselves, men, and women who walk directly contrary to Lord in immoral issues, to guide them.  Jesus said, “the blind shall lead the blind, and they both shall fall into the ditch.”
• The ministry is not a vocation, but it is a response to a calling from God, in which He distributes the gifts to carry out His will.  When you accept the calling that God gives you, your main concern will be to please Him, and by doing this you will feed the people, the true bread from heaven.

(19)  Moses gave you the law, didn't he? Yet none of you is keeping the law. Why are you trying to kill me?" 

• This same law that said you could not work on the sabbath said, “thou shalt not kill.” 

(20)  The crowd answered, "You have a demon! Who is trying to kill you?"  (21)  Jesus answered them, "I performed one work, and all of you are astonished.  (22)  Moses gave you circumcision-not that it is from Moses, but from the Patriarchs-and so you circumcise a man on the Sabbath. 

• Notice how precise Jesus is with this truth.  The covenant of circumcision was given to Abraham long before Moses was ever born.  There was Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, then bondage in Egypt for 400 years, then Moses.  It was continued in the law of Moses.

(23)  If a man receives circumcision on the Sabbath so that the law of Moses may not be broken, are you angry with me because I made a man perfectly well on the Sabbath?  (24)  Stop judging by appearances, but judge with righteous judgment!"

• STOP JUDGING BY APPEARANCES!!  Yes, Jesus is not only talking to these Jews, but to us Christians as well. 
• Have we been guilty of doing this very thing?  Well, it’s scripture like this that helps us understand that we were wrong if we did, or do. 
• It is totally not our place to judge anyone.  “Judge not that ye be not judged.”
• Jesus said, “all judgment has been given over to the Son”, so let’s leave it there.  We know that He will judge rightly.  His judgment will be fair, and without favor.

WHERE IS THAT MAN?  MORE IMPORTANTLY, WHY DO YOU SEEK HIM?