God's Timing
Notes
Transcript
Intro:
Intro:
AG: Welcome to Time change Sunday.
MARKING THE TIME
Time has no divisions to mark its passage, there is never a thunder-storm or blare of trumpets to announce the beginning of a new month or year.
Even when a new century begins it is only we mortals who ring bells and fire off pistols.
SOURCE: Thomas Mann
Yet we established clocks and calendars and live by them!
Twice a year we perform a strange ritual. In the Spring, we act like a wizard or something to create the illusion of more time by pushing our clocks forward 1 hour. We haven’t accomplished anything but an illusion! There will still be the exact same minutes of daylight, we just loose sleep over creating the illusion of more. If we would just be patient, the Earth’s trip around the sun gives us more hours of daylight, but we torture each other by shifting our clocks.
In the Fall, we reverse this in a vain attempt to have more daylight. As we approach winter, the hours of daylight decrease naturally, but once again, we grasp at the wind and torture people by shifting our clocks.
Why? All of this torture in an effort to gain the perception of “more daylight”.
Its all about time.
TS: Today, we are looking at GOD’s timing!
Chapter 7 of John can be summarized by two words: disbelief and division.
Ch 7 begins with “after these things” John uses those three words to fast forward us about 6 months. Ch 6 was at the Passover (Apr) and now we are at the Feast of Tabernacles (Oct). in Ch 6 Jesus spent 2 days with 20,000 people, but spent the following months with His 12 disciples who believed in Him teaching them.
Discipleship is central to the Christian faith
we are commanded to “make disciples” in the great commission
We see here the example of Jesus
He poured time and energy into shaping His disciples and building their character.
He was preparing them for the time ahead when they would be the spiritual leaders as they plant churches.
Now we return to another public encounter
It begins with a private confrontation in vs 1-10
RS:
The ridicule (7:1–5):
The ridicule (7:1–5):
After these things Jesus walked in Galilee; for He did not want to walk in Judea, because the Jews sought to kill Him.
Now the Jews’ Feast of Tabernacles was at hand.
His brothers therefore said to Him, “Depart from here and go into Judea, that Your disciples also may see the works that You are doing.
For no one does anything in secret while he himself seeks to be known openly. If You do these things, show Yourself to the world.”
For even His brothers did not believe in Him.
EX: Jesus’ half brothers and sisters laugh at the claims of their older half brother!
It is the Feast of Tabernacles, and Jesus’ brother tries to goad Him into going to Jerusalem
Feast of Tabernacles
Associated in the OT with the harvest of grapes and olives. It was a 7 day feast. Josephus said this feast was the most popular of the 3 principle feasts (Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles)
Rural people built structures of light branches and leaves to live in for the week
You shall dwell in booths for seven days. All who are native Israelites shall dwell in booths,
City folks build similar structures on their flat roofs.
The feast was known for water-drawing and lamp-lighting rites. Jesus will use these 2 rites in the coming discussions declaring:
“come to me and drink (37, 38)
“I am the light of the world” 8:12
This feast was a commemoration of Israel’s years dwelling in tents during the Exodus.
It was a festival of joy and thanksgiving
Brothers:
Mary and Joseph’s children, Jesus’ siblings.
Matthew’s list:
Is this not the carpenter’s son? Is not His mother called Mary? And His brothers James, Joses, Simon, and Judas?
Their push
They assumed He would be influenced the way others were
It is natural to seek popularity, so they supposed He would seek it like other teachers did.
They use that foundation to mock Jesus for remaining in Galilee
They tried to goad Him into action and proving Himself.
Go to Jerusalem and teach disciples
questioned why He stalled
Why He wasn’t pushing to gather bigger crowds
Show His works to all
That would be the natural way to prove He was Messiah
Possible Motivations (logic):
They wanted to see miracles for themselves
They may have wanted to goad Him into being a political and social Messiah
If Jerusalem accepted him, His family would (at least that is the implication)
It is a prove yourself moment!
They are pushing Him to work on their timeline and do things the way they and the rest of the crowd expected.
The real moment which convinced them was His resurrection
These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.
AP: We mustn’t try to push God into meeting our expectations on our timetable.
Our expectations:
This theme has continued to pop up in the gospel of John
Everyone had ideas about the Messiah and how to recognize Him
They had a list of things they wanted to see someone do in order to be declared the Messiah
But GOD isn’t bound by our expectations!
We also have expectations of God, just like His brothers and the crowd did.
We have an idea of who God is and what He must do
We often make demands where we seek God to prove Himself
“If..., then...” promises in which we test God
We Pray: “All-knowing Father, I know I didn’t study for this test, but IF you will let me get an A so I can pass this class, THEN I will go to youth group the next 3 weeks! “ (Won’t you be blessed!)
Do we even hear ourselves?!
How would it sound if an ant came and offered us some deal?
We need nothing from them and they can contribute nothing to us
There is even more of a gap between us and God than between us and ants!
Sometimes our expectations take the form of the picture we have of God
We think we have Him all figured out and we expect Him to act that way
example: Many in the world know that “God is Love”
BUT, they think He must fit their view of love
They think God blesses all so-called love and demand we do so too
Note: if God has called it sin, it isn’t love!
Our sensual culture has confused lust for love
People use lust (which they call love) to say God
made them feel a certain way and thus it is ok to
do whatever we feel like doing with whomever
we want!
Yet God has called all relationships except that between a man and woman committed for life in marriage SIN.
Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites,
nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.
And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.
God is HOLY and calls us to holiness
Don’t project our wants and desires onto GOD
Our timing:
We want what we want when we want it!
Instant gratification is the norm of the day
We can make an order for food, groceries, anvils,.... ANYTHING, and it gets delivered to our homes
We can’t force GOD to move in our timing!
How foolish it is to even attempt such a thing!
We are petulant children throwing a fit and demanding He give us what we want NOW
How foolish of us!
Many times, we aren’t ready.
We must not expect God to meet our expectations and to act in our timing.
The response (7:6–10):
The response (7:6–10):
Then Jesus said to them, “My time has not yet come, but your time is always ready.
The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it that its works are evil.
You go up to this feast. I am not yet going up to this feast, for My time has not yet fully come.”
When He had said these things to them, He remained in Galilee.
But when His brothers had gone up, then He also went up to the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret.
EX: Jesus said the time was not yet right to show Himself as Messiah
The Hatred:
Jesus says that the world hated Him for exposing its sin.
They were friends with the world so while it hated Jesus, it couldn’t hate them
The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it that its works are evil.
They were in sync with the world, so the world wouldn’t hate them
They had no concept that Jesus had earned the world’s hatred
To the politically minded, just change the message!
They would prefer Jesus take a poll of the nation and adjust His message to appease the masses.
Instead, Jesus was hated because He declared their works were evil.
YES, Jesus ate with, visited, and spent time with sinners.
But He always called them to repentance and after their response of Faith, He challenged them to “go and sin no more”
He pushed them to turn from a life of sin to a life of serving GOD
It wasn’t His time
Time to travel:
If He had traveled openly with them while many others were going, it would appear like a parade. It would be flashy and could have led to a political showdown.
Time for His Mission
The time for the mission to be accomplished:
Die atoning for sin
Resurrection and ascension to heaven
That was His purpose, not overthrowing Rome
Jesus avoids being goaded into a premature confrontation
Not out of fear, but out of submission to the Father’s plan
He would go in God’s time and confront the leaders in Jerusalem
(Jesus does go later in this chapter, but privately and not to gather a large following)
It is also worth noting, that if He had moved when His brothers were pushing Him, He would have been motivated by their unbelief.
Jesus responds to faith, not unbelief
He doesn’t go around doing parlor tricks to prove Himself to us over and over.
MacArthur Study Bible NASB (Commentary)
Because of unbelief, they did not listen to His word, did not recognize God’s schedule, and could not perceive the incarnate Word before them
ANY time would work for them, they had no thought of seeking God’s perfect timing
But when His brothers had gone up, then He also went up to the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret.
God wanted Jesus to go, but not go gather a big crowd and put on a big show
He went with discretion rather than parading Himself around like His brothers had advised.
AP: We must move with God in His timing
A. We must learn to trust God’s timing
He not only knows what is best, he knows when its the best time for it to arrive.
Times of waiting on the Lord can be difficult
Patience grows like muscle: strain and hard work!
Waiting on the Lord is worth it, but can be stressful
We have a burden or need
We beg God to meet it
We wait.... and wait.... until God’s answer arrives in God’s timing
B. We must trust His perfect way
We know God’s will by doing God’s will
Do what the BIble says
Don’t argue with it, don’t try to negotiate with it, don’t search for loopholes
ILL: Notebook: Obedience (marine general)
Many years ago, Pastor Ray Stedman, met a hard-bitten old Marine General, one of those tough, self-sufficient characters who was use to giving orders. After he had retired he became a Christian and grew with astonishing speed. Everyone who knew him saw the change. They respected him as much as they always had, but they saw a compassion, an understanding, a patience develop in him that was never there before. He was able to get along with people with whom he had formerly been bitterly at odds. When Stedman asked a Christian leader that knew him why this was true, he replied, “When the general hears something from the Scripture, he obeys it immediately.” This is why he grew so fast.
With every act of obedience, the truth of what Jesus says becomes more and more persuasive.
Don’t seek enemies. We should walk in a manner that isn’t intentionally spoiling for a fight.
HOWEVER: True born-again believers living a life for God's glory will experience the hatred and antagonism of the world.
there will invariably be conflicts as we follow the Lord
Have you ever been pressured to lie by those around you?
That is an example of the conflict!
We speak the truth in love
they don’t want to hear it
Just failing to get in line with their sinful lifestyles makes us targets for their hatred and attacks.
“These things I have spoken to you, that you should not be made to stumble.
They will put you out of the synagogues; yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service.
And these things they will do to you because they have not known the Father nor Me.
Yet, we must persevere in walking God’s way in God’s timing
Do what the Scriptures tell you to do
Stop doing what they tell you to stop doing
Obedience to the word trumps our deceptive feelings all day!
Obedience leads to understanding God’s will and understanding God’s will leads to even greater obedience!
Conclusion:
Conclusion:
Trust God’s Timing
Walk God’s way
[1]H. L. Willmington, The Outline Bible(Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 1999), Jn 7.