D. Jesus Teaching in the Temple... 7: His Teaching Came from God (15-16) 2. His Teaching Can Be Verified (17-18) C.

Transcription

1 Congregational handout; outline sermon text on following pages Sermon Notes & References Learning Jesus John 7:1-24 May 22, 2016 A. Introduction B. Jesus Brothers Strategic Plan : Jesus Ministry in Galilee (1) A. 2. The Plan Presented to Jesus (2-5) D. Jesus Teaching in the Temple : His Teaching Came from God (15-16) 2. His Teaching Can Be Verified (17-18) C. 3. His Teaching & Moses (19-24) E. Conclusion 3. Jesus Response (6-9) B. C. The Situation in Jerusalem :10-14 A B For more information, read Matthew 15-18, Mark 7-9 and Luke 9 John 5:18; Zechariah 14:16; Malachi 3:1 C Psalm 26:1-7

2 {1}. John 7: Learning Jesus A. Ray Stedman s Introduction (in part) {2}. 1. More than nineteen hundred years ago there was a Man born contrary to the laws of life. a. In infancy He startled a king; in childhood He puzzled doctors; in manhood He ruled the course of nature, walked upon the billows as if pavements, and hushed the sea to sleep. b. This Man lived in poverty, was reared in obscurity, of an unknown family c. He possessed neither wealth nor influence. d. He healed the multitudes without medicine and charge for His service. e. He never wrote a book, but countless books have been written about Him. f. He never wrote a song, and yet He has furnished the theme for more songs than all the songwriters combined. g. He never founded a college, but his students are beyond number h. He never marshalled an army, nor drafted a soldier, nor fired a gun; and yet no leader ever had more volunteers who have, under His orders, made more rebels stack arms and surrender without a shot fired. i. He never practised psychiatry, and yet He has healed more broken hearts than all the doctors far and near. j. Once each week multitudes wend their way to worshipping assemblies to pay homage and respect to Him. k. The names of the past proud statesmen of Greece and Rome have come and gone. The names of the past scientists, philosophers, and theologians have come and gone; but the name of this Man abounds more and more. Though time has spread nineteen hundred years between the people of this generation and the scene of His crucifixion, yet He still lives! Herod could not destroy Him, and the grave could not hold Him. l. He stands forth upon the highest pinnacle of heavenly glory, proclaimed of God, acknowledged by angels, adored by saints, and feared by devils, as the living, personal Christ, our Lord and Saviour! 2. The greatest wonder of all, perhaps, is that while he was alive his own family did not believe him and his own nation opposed him to the death. a. This is the subject of our passage in John today «b. Read John 7:1-24 (NKJV)» B. His Brothers Strategic Plan : Jesus in Galilee (1) a. And after these things Jesus was walking in Galilee; for He was unwilling to walk in Judea, because the Jews were seeking to kill Him.

3 b. There is roughly a six-month period of which John has little to say beyond what is recorded in chapter 6 (A) during which Jesus travelled about in Galilee, going east to Decapolis and west into the regions of Tyre and Sidon (B) it covers the time from the Passover in the spring to now which is the Feast of Tabernacles in the fall (C) You can find some of the events of this period in Matthew 15-18, Mark 7-9 and Luke 9 c. it was dangerous in Judea and Jesus had ministry yet to perform d. so now He had Capernaum and his home region as his base 2. They Present It to Jesus (2-5) a. Now the feast of the Jews, the Feast of Booths, was at hand. v 2 (A) this would be a time for the family to come together, being one of the three great feasts of the Jews which every man attended (B) at home were his mother, sisters and 4 brothers: James, Judas, Joseph and Simon (C) at about age thirty, Jesus left off carpentry to began His ministry (D) his brothers would have been then old enough to take up the responsibility of looking after the family and the shop (E) they saw His miracles, but unlike John the Baptist who knew He was the Lamb of God, they did not understand His divine mission (F) so, if He was Messiah, these businessmen had a suggestion as to how He should go about it b. His brothers therefore said to Him, Depart from here, and go into Judea, that Your disciples also may behold 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. (vv 3-4) (A) now those words make a lot of sense from a practical standpoint (B) if you want to serve our country as Messiah, then you should make yourself more widely known (C) not up here in this backwater region of Galilee, to which no one of any importance pays any attention (D) a lot of His disciples here in Galilee had left him; what would make more sense than going and building up His following in Judea and perhaps regain some who had fallen away? c. For not even His brothers were believing in Him. (v 5) (A) it was only after the resurrection that they understood (B) they may have believed things about Jesus His miraculous powers for sure; perhaps things their father and mother told them about the wonderful events surrounding His birth (C) but they didn t believe into Him they had not yet entrusted themselves into His authority and direction

4 3. Jesus Response (6-9) a. Jesus therefore *said to them, My time is not yet at hand, but your time is always opportune. The world cannot hate you; but it hates Me because I testify of it, that its deeds are evil. (v 6-7) (A) they were family, but Jesus and His brothers operated on a totally different set of values and priorities (B) He worked according to a divine plan and timetable; they, according to their own plan and timetable (C) their work brought no animosity from others; Jesus, of necessity, brought anger against Himself for His message was unpopular b. Go up to the feast yourselves; I do not go up to this feast because My time has not yet fully come. (v 8) or, not yet fulfilled (A) therefore let the brothers go up to the feast (B) for Jesus, the time is not yet that He should go that time will come and He will fulfill it in due course; (C) and fulfill prophecy, too. c. And having said these things to them, He stayed in Galilee. (v 9) C. The Situation in Jerusalem : But when His brothers had gone up to the feast, then He Himself also went up, not publicly, but as it were, in secret. (v 10) a. so the time did come when Jesus should attend the feast b. but not with publicity... which was his brothers idea c. but quietly so that people, especially His enemies, were unaware of His arrival when they might have had opportunity to lay hold of Him d. for they were waiting for Him 2. The Jews therefore were seeking Him at the feast, and were saying, Where is He? (v 11) a. here, as is often the case in the Gospel of John, the term, the Jews in used in a special sense to refer to the Jewish religious rulers who had set themselves up as authorities, with support of Rome, in order to govern the people on a daily basis b. for of course most of those at the feast could be called Jews, having come from Judea, or in the larger sense from all of Palestine c. back in John 5:18 it has already been revealed For this cause therefore the Jews were seeking all the more to kill Him, because He not only was breaking the Sabbath, but also was calling God His own Father, making Himself

5 equal with God. 3. And there was much grumbling among the multitudes concerning Him; some were saying, He is a good man ; others were saying, No, on the contrary, He leads the multitude astray. (v 12) a. muttering or whispering might be a better way of describing what was being sid in the crowds these being the ommon people b. there was a sharp division between them in their opinions c. the crowd in general was acting on the bssis of hearsay; because 4. Yet no one was speaking openly of Him for fear of the Jews. a. the antagonism of the Jewish rulers was known to the people of Judea and especially of Jerusalem, and their caution raised caution in others b. and then while this was going on 5. But when it was now the midst of the feast Jesus went up into the temple, and began to teach. (v 14) a. Jesus did not arrive with the pilgrims, nor with banners waving b. that would come to pass some 6 months later c. but this being the Feast of Tabernacles it was an auspicious time for Messiah to arrive; there would have been anticipation d. For the OT says that feast is to be associated with the Day of the Lord in Zechariah 14:16, Then it will come about that any who are left of all the nations that went against Jerusalem will go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to celebrate the Feast of Booths. or, Tabernacles e. indeed, Behold, I am going to send My messenger, and he will clear the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple; and the messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight, behold, He is coming, says the Lord of hosts. (Malachi 3:1) f. there is Jesus, the Messiah... D. The Teaching in the Temple : His Teaching Was from God (15-16) a. The Jews therefore were marvelling, saying, How has this man become learned, having never been educated? Jesus therefore answered them, and said, My teaching is not Mine, but His who sent Me. (vv 15-16) b. Jesus hadn t attended any of the rabbinical schools:

6 (A) He had no diploma showing a BTh, an MDiv, or DD (B) but he knew His letters ; not just as any Jew being able to quote some familiar verses from the OT (C) but as is made abundantly clear from His recorded discussions with the Jews, able to draw on and apply forcefully sections and truths from the OT in a powerful way c. but he wasn t merely self-taught; it was no His own ideas as a man (A) but as the one who had been sent by the Father he bore the message that His Father had given to Him d. was there a way that those hearing him could decide between the two opinions: a good man or a people deceiver? (A) some might think it would take a legal degree to weigh evidence and make a decision no, that s not needed (B) others, like the Jewish rulers, a theology decree to be able to discern any heresy in his words no, not that (C) others, a degree in languages, to examine the Scriptures and Jesus words in the Greek and Hebrew not so (D) perhaps a PhD in philosophy to weigh His words against the wisdom of the ages no 2. His Teaching Verified (17-18) a. If any man is willing to do His will, he shall know of the teaching, whether it is of God, or whether I speak from Myself. (v 17) (A) to determine if Jesus words and teach are true (B) it takes a sincere desire to do what God desires from you (C) «such as the person had who wrote Psalm 26:1-7» (D) then the Holy Spirit will show that He has the words of eternal life (E) the Jews criticised Him as a teacher; Jesus words in this verse was a criticism of them as listeners they didn t will to do God s will (F) but there is another test of Jesus teaching b. 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. (v 18) (A) examine Jesus words: if their contents are calculated to bring to Him fame and wealth and power then they are manifestly false (B) but they are not: they seek to bring fallen, sinful mankind back into a close relationship with His Creator: For the Son of Man is come to seek and to save those who are lost at the cost of His life

7 3. His Teaching & Moses (19-24) a. Did not Moses give you the Law, and yet none of you carries out the Law? Why do you seek to kill Me? 20 The multitude answered, You have a demon! Who seeks to kill You? (vv 19-20) (A) they are not keeping the Law they claim to honour (B) of course, most of the crowd is unaware of the Jews plans to kill Jesus, even knowing their antagonism to Him (C) but these words are addressed to the rulers in particular (D) it condemns their plans and hypocrisy (E) His teaching is true; theirs is blatantly hypocritical b. Jesus answered and said to them, I did one deed, and you all marvel. On this account Moses has given you circumcision (not because it is from Moses, but from the fathers), and on the Sabbath you circumcise a man. If a man receives circumcision on the Sabbath that the Law of Moses may not be broken, are you angry with Me because I made an entire man well on the Sabbath? (vv 21-23) (A) the one deed the one miraculous work on which the hatred of the Jewish rulers is focussed was Jesus healing of the man at the Bethesda Pool after 38 years of illness (B) we read previously of the response of the Jews to this (C) they have not changed (D) in performing circumcision in obedience to one part of the Law, they broke what they understood to be the law of the Sabbath (E) You wound, I heal on the Sabbath; says Jesus, which work is more Sabbatical? The one speaks of law, the other of mercy. (F) so they, and we are instructed c. Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment." (v 24) (A) with the implication being especially on this one matter (B) and for us, on recognizing the Christ teaching is true E. Conclusion 1. this is what I mean by my title, Learning Christ a. that we can only truly recognise His words are true b. when we seek to put into practice doing the will of God 2. Anyone who wants to do the will of God will know whether my teaching is from God or is merely my own. (John 7:17 NLT)

8 by Garth Hutchinson, Faith Fellowship Baptist Church of Aurora (Ontario): may be distributed or quoted freely, only let this be done to the glory of the great God and our Saviour, Jesus Christ (Titus ii.13). Except as noted otherwise, quotations are from the New American Standard version, used by permission. Various other English versions of the Holy Bible may be used in this sermon. Explanatory additions to the Bible text are shown in braces. Version identifiers are: ASV American Standard Version of 1901 AV Authorized (King James) Version of 1769 NAS New American Standard version 1960, 1995 The Lockman Foundation (usually the 1995 edition) NIV New International Version 1984 by the International Bible Society NLT New Living Translation 1996 Tyndale Charitable Trust NKJV New King James Version 1979 Thomas Nelson Inc., Publishers NRSV New Revised Standard Version 1989 National Council of Churches of Christ RSV Revised Standard Versio n 1946, 1952 National Council of Churches of Christ; Thomas Nelson and Sons Ltd WEY The New Testament in Modern Speech 1902, 1912 R. F. Weymouth Some of the commentaries and resources used in the preparation of this message are identified as follow: Bruce The Cospel & Epistles of John, by F. F. Bruce, William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, MI; 1983 BM Biblical Museum, Editor James Comper Gray, ca 1870 Kerux The sermon & illustration data base compiled by Rev. David Holwick at the web-site, NICNT The New International Commentary on the New Testament The Gospel according to John, by Leon Morris NTC New Testament Commentary, by William Hendriksen; Baker Book House, Grand Rapids, MI; 1954 RWP Robertson s Word Pictures of the New Testament, by Dr. A. T. Robertson 2. Adapted from Is Jesus for Real?, by Rev. Ray C. Stedman, Peninsula Bible Church, Palo Alto, California, preached January 29, 1984 Kerux sermons, KeruxID 5417