Jesus Makes a Stand - "That We May Believe"

I want to circle back to the Pharisee

— I want to come back to a couple of thoughts and questions from last week.

— first is the Is the Pharisee’s Prayer...

Luke 18:11–12 ESV

11 The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’

— This is a Pharisee… telling God how much he is NOT like those he sees… Other Jews!

— He is a Jew calling other Jews and Gentiles and Pagans (because of generations of conquest, captivity, inter-marriage) they ALL had the same blood.

— Follow me here...

There is no connection to God, by any blood... EXCEPT THE BLOOD OF JESUS. [PERIOD]

—This is what draws us together, all of us.

— This is the redemption of man from our former lives to our future lives.

— It is has been, it is and will be our destiny.

— If you are a follower of Christ, your destiny is set, in a solid foundation.

— If you are not a follower of Christ, you destiny sits is on the sinking and shifting sands of life.

Let’s pick up our story at John 7.37-39.

John 7:37 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.

— AND JESUS SAYS… “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink.”

— ANYONE!!!

John 7:38 ESV

38 Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’ ”

— V.38 So Jesus is separating those who follow him and those who don’t by saying “Whoever believes in” vs. who ever doesn’t believe.

— The Prophet Joshua says, Choose whom you will serve… But for me and my house we choose the LORD.

But — there was Division among the People!

— It seems at the time, there was always division

— It seems that hasn’t changed much in 2020 years.

— Jew and Gentile (although they “shared” the same blood”

— Slave and free (although they shared the same blood)

— Man and female (although they shared the same blood)

— There was still division...

— Let’s look at John 7.40-53.

— Please stand if you will and can and I’ll read

John 7:40–53 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.” 53 They went each to his own house,

— This passage highlights the divisions that Jesus saw in the people around him.

— They were man made divisions.

Let’s look back at V.40-43

John 7:40 ESV

40 When they heard these words, some of the people said, “This really is the Prophet.”

— “The people,” “The crowd,” “The hoard,” “The mass,” said it straight out...

“This really is the Prophet.”

—This is written as an imperative!

— Other’s divided about Jesus' identity.

—Some of the crowd believe Jesus is the Prophet promised by Moses, while others think he is the Messiah.

— Still other’s believe he is a fake!!

— It’s a matter of your various expectations.

APPLICATION #1: Are you looking for the Messiah? Or are you looking to explain him away?

— By looking “to explain him away… let your FAITH be tried and tested and that

— You are found faithful in the end.

You have found him in the person and work of Jesus Christ!

— To the Pharisee… He was a threat,

What really would Jesus have ment to the Pharisee? —

— Oh my gosh! There goes my

— Power

— Influence

— My wealth

— If He is the “Prophet...”

— The One we have waited for… Then all of those things… that I am… will no longer be needed.

— my power, my influence, my wealth, my very way of life, is no longer valid, it’s no longer needed

— And I’ll add… PRAISE GOD!!!

— Vs. 41-42

John 7:41–42 ESV

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?”

— Others in the crowd took the further step of seeing in Jesus nothing less than the Christ...

— But was countered with a question as to the origin of the Christ.

— We don’t know what the ancient maps of Israel really looked like.

— The best thought there is this.

Bethlehem of Galilee was located in the farthest northwest corner of Nazareth.

— A city like Pasco, Kennewick, Richland. That are in different counties!

— So yes, he was born in Bethlehem of Galilee which was a part of Nazareth.

APPLICATION #2: Don’t be afraid, or uneasy about questioning, even doubting. Jesus expected it and even embraced it

So — Of course there were divisions

Divisions out of 4000 years of being “law abiding” Jews

— 4000 years of this group vs. that group

— 4000 years of sin and stain of sin that had become the driving factor in their lives.

Until Jesus, came to ransom ALL of the captives

— Yes, he ransomed all of history and all of the prophets, all of the Priests...

— All who came by Faith in God…To Faith in God!

— Even in the Old Testament...God made available by Faith a new relationship, with himself,

— Even he knew that was not going to produce his REQUIRED results.

— He knew they were going to need a Redeemer!

— At least 142 times in the Old Testament a redeemer is revealed as needed, as vital

APPLICATION #3: You can NEVER be clean enough, pure enough, and without sin enough, to NOT need a REDEEMER!!

— Let’s pick the story up in V. 43

John 7:43–48 ESV

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?

— The Pharisee’s… they just won’t give up

— They just can’t see through their blindness

— They just can’t see the truth.

APPLICATION #4: There will always be “Pharisee’s.”

Those in our lives who point out our missteps while missing the logs in their own eyes.

— You see...

— We are stubborn

— We are self-righteous

— We are unyielding

— We are proud

— We are “impossible”

— We are a hundred adjectives that describe us

— AND… I think on a lot of levels we consider those, traits to be spiritual gifts!

— They are NOT!!!

— So then can we agree to … knock it off and NOT be a Pharisee?

V.48-53

John 7:48 ESV

48 Have any of the authorities or the Pharisees believed in him?

I give you exhibit #1

V.50

— Nicodemus, a Pharisee who had previously visited Jesus at night, defended him.

— Reminding the others that they should not judge someone without first hearing from him.

John 7:50 (ESV)

50 Nicodemus, who had gone to him before, and who was one of them...”

— Nicodemus said, How can a man be born when he is old? And Jesus said...

John 3:10 (ESV)

10 ...“Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things?

We see this man, this pharisee again… not knowing , if he REALLY understood! But we get the sense that he did.

Fast forward to John 19.39. To see if he really GOT IT.

John 19:39 ESV

39 Nicodemus also, who earlier had come to Jesus by night, came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds in weight.

— He came and brought honor to Christ… 75# of honor.

— He Got it! He understood about being “born again”

APPLICATION #5: Be ready to be overwhelmed with the Grace and Mercy of God, delivered by Christ on the Cross.

And Finally...

V.53

John 7:53 ESV

53 They went each to his own house,

— The discussion was over!

— The issue was far from settled

— We have yet “settled” the issue after 2,020 years.

— But we keep trying… AMEN!!!

THANK YOU FOR BEING WITH US TODAY! I PRAY THAT YOU WERE IMPACTED BY THE GOSPEL.

Next week we are looking at John 8, “The woman caught in Adultery”