Sunday Morning Sermon: John 6 (Full Sentences)

Introduction

Attention:

You know something that we humans love?

We love forming opinions

And we know what we love even more than forming opinions?

Sharing them!

There is something about us as humans that enjoys coming to our own conclusions about things and sharing those conclusions with others

But how do we form the opinions that we have and make the decisions that we make?

It comes from our perception or judgement

Here is a definition that I found that I like

Judgement: the ability to judge, make a decision, or form an opinion objectively, authoritatively, and wisely, especially in matters affecting action; good sense; discretion -Dictionary.com

We all have a framework of judgement from which we make decisions and form opinions!

But here’s the question:

As followers of Christ, where does our judgement come from?

Or, at least, where should it come from?

As Christians, our judgement should come from no other place than the authority of Christ

This is something that Jesus makes crystal clear in John 7, which is where we will be hanging out today.

Need:

I would like to spend a little bit of time sharing why I think that this will be worth your time

It is a human necessity to make decisions and judgments

There is no way around it

Not only this, but making the right decision and judgment is often easier said than done

It is hard to do!

So as Christians, we need to have the right foundation so that we can form our decisions and judgments in a Christ-honoring way

So let’s get to it!

Body

The Big Idea: Christ’s authority should impact our judgement

The Big Question: How should Christ’s authority impact our judgement?

1. We should trust His timing

John 7:1–13 ESV

1 After this Jesus went about in Galilee. He would not go about in Judea, because the Jews were seeking to kill him. 2 Now the Jews’ Feast of Booths was at hand. 3 So his brothers said to him, “Leave here and go to Judea, that your disciples also may see the works you are doing. 4 For no one works in secret if he seeks to be known openly. If you do these things, show yourself to the world.” 5 For not even his brothers believed in him. 6 Jesus said to 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 about it that its works are evil. 8 You go up to the feast. I am not going up to this feast, for my time has not yet fully come.” 9 After saying this, he remained in Galilee. 10 But after his brothers had gone up to the feast, then he also went up, not publicly but in private. 11 The Jews were looking for him at the feast, and saying, “Where is he?” 12 And there was much muttering about him among the people. While some said, “He is a good man,” others said, “No, he is leading the people astray.” 13 Yet for fear of the Jews no one spoke openly of him.

Explanation:

So Jesus is hanging out in Galilee, because he knew that he was safe there.

But in Judea, it was time for the “feast of booths” or the “feast of tabernacles” to happen.

This happened around September/October, and it was a time for Israel to remember how God led them out of Egypt and provided for them in the wilderness.

And they would erect booths that looked like this (Jews still do this to this day)

They used to just use leaves and branches for these

So anyways, its a huge thing, and Jesus’ brothers are about to head on over to celebrate

And the interesting thing about Jesus’s brothers is that they didn't believe in Him at this point

They don’t believe until after the Resurrection

And although they didn’t believe in Him, they didn’t doubt that He could do miracles; they just didn’t see the significance of them

So, in their wordly way of looking at things, it makes sense to them that Jesus should just walk His way up to Judea and show everybody who He really is

But their judgement is skewed.

Why is their judgement incorrect?

Because they were a part of the world, and therefore paid no attention to the importance of God’s timing in all of this.

Jesus makes it clear that His brothers are looking at things from a worldly perspective when in verse 7 he says, “the world can’t hate you.”

It can’t hate them because they are the world.

And as the world, they pay no though to the idea of God’s timing.

You see, Jesus doesn’t say that he’s not going at all; he’s just saying “not right now,” as he clearly heads out a bit after they do

So Jesus ended up over there, but He did it according to God’s timing

Obviously, this looks a little different for us

We often lose sight of God’s timetable because of our impatience and need for instant gratification

Hey; I love my phone (pull out phone), but we all know that this has made us pretty weird when it comes to the level of patience that we have.

These things have programmed us to want things in our own timing so much because, to a large extend, it allows a bunch of things to happen in our own timing

We can look up what we want when we want

But that’s not the way that Jesus works

He really is God. Legitmately.

And because this is true, we view things according to His timetable rather than our own.

So in what ways are you struggling to trust in His timing?

What is the distance between your timetable and God’s?

How does reflecting on Christ’s authority make you want to switch your perspective on things?

Today, you can begin to see things more of the way that Jesus sees them

Make the choice to do that today!

The Big Idea: Christ’s authority should impact our judgement

The Big Question: How should Christ’s authority impact our judgement?

We should trust His timing

We should avoid making outward judgments

John 7:14–24 ESV

14 About the middle of the feast Jesus went up into the temple and began teaching. 15 The Jews therefore marveled, saying, “How is it that this man has learning, when he has never studied?” 16 So Jesus answered them, “My teaching is not mine, but his who sent me. 17 If anyone’s will is to do God’s will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority. 18 The one who speaks on his own authority seeks his own glory; but the one who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true, and in him there is no falsehood. 19 Has not Moses given you the law? Yet none of you keeps the law. Why do you seek to kill me?” 20 The crowd answered, “You have a demon! Who is seeking to kill you?” 21 Jesus answered them, “I did one work, and you all marvel at it. 22 Moses gave you circumcision (not that it is from Moses, but from the fathers), and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath. 23 If on the Sabbath a man receives circumcision, so that the law of Moses may not be broken, are you angry with me because on the Sabbath I made a man’s whole body well? 24 Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.”

Explanation:

So the Jews hear Jesus, take two looks at Him, and say “why in the world does this ordinary guy know about so much stuff?”

The literal Greek here for what they are asking is actually pretty funny: “How does this man know letters?”

It makes you wonder, if Jesus were to make mention of a shape, would they freak out and be like, “how in the world does he know shapes?”

Obviously, this is funny to us know, but literacy was not a common thing back then

And why are they making this judgement about Jesus? Why are they shocked about his learning?

Because they are making outward judgments about Him.

And these outward judgments don’t only cause them to wonder about Jesus’ learning; this is also what led them to be judgmental towards Jesus’s healing of a man?

When Jesus brings this up in verse 23, by the way, he is referring back to the man who was paralyzed for 38 years that he healed in chapter 5

But anyways, this came from them misunderstanding the Sabbath and making an outward-based conclusion based on what they perceived as “normal” or “appropriate.”

Here’s a universal truth about God: He does not judge by outward appearances.

He sees things differently than the way that we see them.

And the more that we are able to see things the way that God sees them, the better we will be able to make sound judgments and decisions.

This is what Jesus is getting at in verse 25: “Do not judge by appearances, by judge with right judgement.”

So what about you?

In what ways do you tend to not see things the right way?

How can you change your perspective on things?

Judge from a perspective that is outside of your own.

The Big Idea: Christ’s authority should impact our judgement

The Big Question: How should Christ’s authority impact our judgement?

We should trust His timing

We should avoid making outward judgments

We should confess His identity

John 7:25–36 (ESV)

25 Some of the people of Jerusalem therefore said, “Is not this the man whom they seek to kill? 26 And here he is, speaking openly, and they say nothing to him! Can it be that the authorities really know that this is the Christ? 27 But we know where this man comes from, and when the Christ appears, no one will know where he comes from.” 28 So Jesus proclaimed, as he taught in the temple, “You know me, and you know where I come from. But I have not come of my own accord. He who sent me is true, and him you do not know. 29 I know him, for I come from him, and he sent me.” 30 So they were seeking to arrest him, but no one laid a hand on him, because his hour had not yet come. 31 Yet many of the people believed in him. They said, “When the Christ appears, will he do more signs than this man has done?”

32 The Pharisees heard the crowd muttering these things about him, and the chief priests and Pharisees sent officers to arrest him. 33 Jesus then said, “I will be with you a little longer, and then I am going to him who sent me. 34 You will seek me and you will not find me. Where I am you cannot come.” 35 The Jews said to one another, “Where does this man intend to go that we will not find him? Does he intend to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks? 36 What does he mean by saying, ‘You will seek me and you will not find me,’ and, ‘Where I am you cannot come’?”

Explanation:

When our judgement is where it should be, we will recognize who Jesus really is.

At the start of this section, we come face-to-face with the battle of figuring out who Jesus really is

The Jews suggest that, maybe he could be the Messiah, but then they doubt it on account of where they thought He was from

You can almost feel the tension of trying to figure out who this guy actually was racing through their mind

But how does Jesus respond to this?

By telling them where He really came from: God the Father

He was sharing with them His true identity in this moment

He was giving them an opportunity to make a change in judgement about who He is.

As He points out; He Himself knows God, but many of them didn’t

But as he stood there, explaning these things, everybody had a real opportunity to make the right judgement call about Him and to confess His true identity.

And many people did believe in Him! (v. 31)

Right then and there, in that moment, they obtained Christ-centered judgement and began to see Jesus for who He really is.

Of course, many still didn’t believe in Him, and there still was some uncertainty about EXACTLY who Jesus was;

In verses 32-36, Jesus talks about how He will eventually return to be with God the Father, but they have no idea what He is talking about.

So the tension continues.

And you know what? The tension for us continues as well.

We often fail to see Jesus for who He really is due to sinful conflict in our mind

This is true in multiple senses

In one sense, it applies to the one that hasn’t accepted Christ, as they have never had an accurate perspective on Christ; if they would, then they would have been saved

So the hope there is that these people start to see Jesus for who he really is for the very first time.

But it can also be applied to those who already know Christ as well

Because even as Christians, we sometimes lose sight of Christ’s identity

We sometimes try to tell our Savior to be our Genie, and to be our “get out of jail free” card in life

But Christ is Lord; He is One with God the Father as a part of the Holy Trinity

And having the judgement to see Christ in this was has major implications on the way that you live your life

So how are you viewing Jesus?

Have you been treating Him like your Lord?

Use Christ-centered judgement to see Christ in his proper perspective, and surrender yourself to Him more and more fully every single day.

The Big Idea: Christ’s authority should impact our judgement

The Big Question: How should Christ’s authority impact our judgement?

We should trust His timing

We should avoid making outward judgments

We should confess His identity

We should find out satisfaction in Him

John 7:37–39 (ESV)

37 On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’ ” 39 Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

So here we see that, part of what is happening in John 7 is trinitarian

Jesus attests to His authority by saying that He’s been sent by God the Father

In this way, He identifies that He and the Father are one

But here, Jesus talks about the Holy Spirit

And he does this by saying something similar to what He tells the Samaritan woman in John 4: Jesus is the water of life.

And when we read this, it seems super weird and out of context; “why did Jesus start talking about water all of the sudden?”

But this actually fit with the context of the feast of tabernacles

Throughout the seven days of the feast, a golden container was filled with water from the pool of Siloam and carried in a procession led by the High Priest back to the temple.

They would offer this water for the morning sacrifice

And they did this in part to remember how God had provided water for them in the desert.

That’s what Jesus has in mind when he speaks here

What DA Carson says here is helpful:

“In general terms, then, Jesus’ pronouncement is clear: He is the fulfillment of all that the Feast of Tabernacles anticipated.” -D.A. Carson

Jesus actually does it; He quinches our thirst

And how does he do it? By sending us “the satisfying Spirit.”

The Holy Spirit indwells us and perfectly satisfies us with everything we’d ever need.

You know, it is so easy to look for satisfaction in the wrong things.

Your job, reputation, even your marriage

It is easy for us to try and fill a God-shaped hole inside our hearts with stuff that, ultimately, doesn’t completely satisfy us in every way

But Jesus does.

He promises to give us what we need through the Holy Spirit

With right-judgement, make the decision to find you satisfaction in the Holy Spirit and in nothing else.

The Big Idea: Christ’s authority should impact our judgement

The Big Question: How should Christ’s authority impact our judgement?

We should trust His timing

We should avoid making outward judgments

We should confess His identity

We should find out satisfaction in Him

We should avoid division and confusion

John 7:40–52 ESV

40 When they heard these words, some of the people said, “This really is the Prophet.” 41 Others said, “This is the Christ.” But some said, “Is the Christ to come from Galilee? 42 Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the offspring of David, and comes from Bethlehem, the village where David was?” 43 So there was a division among the people over him. 44 Some of them wanted to arrest him, but no one laid hands on him. 45 The officers then came to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, “Why did you not bring him?” 46 The officers answered, “No one ever spoke like this man!” 47 The Pharisees answered them, “Have you also been deceived? 48 Have any of the authorities or the Pharisees believed in him? 49 But this crowd that does not know the law is accursed.” 50 Nicodemus, who had gone to him before, and who was one of them, said to them, 51 “Does our law judge a man without first giving him a hearing and learning what he does?” 52 They replied, “Are you from Galilee too? Search and see that no prophet arises from Galilee.”

Even still, at the end of this morning’s text, there are all sorts of different ideas about who this Jesus guy is.

There is all sorts of confusion going on

And the clearest example of this is found at the end of verse 41, where they became convinced that Jesus couldn’t be the messiah for two reasons:

he wasn’t David’s offspring

He wasn’t born in Bethlehem

Only one problem; both of these things were incorrect!

Jesus was both a descendant of David, and he was born in Bethlehem

So they were just confused

Why were they confused?

Because they weren’t allowing Christ’s authority to impact their judgement.

And this was true of the Pharisees as well, who are outraged at both the officers and Nicodemus

They fail to see Christ for who He really is, and this leads them to a place of ill judgement and anger.

This is true for us too

When we fail to properly respond to the authority of Christ, we will end up in the middle of confusion

One of the main ways that we see this today is the idea of relative truth

“I have my truth, and you have your truth.”

But we know that, if truth is relative, that leads us to some pretty scary places morally.

Namely, we are blinded to the reality of sin, which can get into us and ruin our lives.

But believing in Christ makes truth objective. Its gives us something to make sense and meaning out of the world

Here’s the point; failing to see the authority of Christ always leads to confusion.

So what about you?

Is your perspective on Christ’s authority keeping you from getting confused?

Or are you in the midst of confusion right now?

One big tell on this is whether or not you have a sin that you are struggling with that you haven’t told anybody about

If you trace the root of that sin, it goes back to how you treat the authority of Christ

Is the Lord of your life?

And are you treating Him as the Lord of your life?

Give everything to Jesus. Confess your sin to Him

Trust in Him to provide meaning and vibrancy to life

Cling to his arms and never let go.

Conclusion

Visualization

This morning, we have been reminded how important it is to see things the way that God sees them

And the way that you get there is by putting the authority of Christ in its proper place in your life.

Reiteration

How is God calling you to apply today’s message?

Has anything been standing in the way between you and the authority of Jesus in your life?

Who has more ownership over the decisions that you make; you, or Him?

Every day when you wake up in the morning, continue to hand Him the keys to your heart

Allow sanctification to have its full work

And if you haven’t been saved, this morning is an opportunity for you to do that as well

The altar will be open.

Let’s pray.