Effective Witnessing

A Minister was walking down the street when he came upon a group of about a dozen boys, all of them between 10 and 12 years of age.

The group had surrounded a dog. Concerned lest the boys were hurting the dog, he went over and asked "What are you doing with that dog?"

One of the boys replied, "This dog is just an old neighborhood stray. We all want him, but only one of us can take him home. So we've decided that whichever one of us can tell the biggest lie will get to keep the dog.

Of course, the reverend was taken aback. "You boys shouldn't be having a contest telling lies!" he exclaimed. He then launched into a ten minute sermon against lying, beginning, "Don't you boys know it's a sin to lie," and ending with, "Why, when I was your age, I never told a lie.

There was dead silence for about a minute. Just as the reverend was beginning to think he'd gotten through to them, the smallest boy gave a deep sigh and said, "All right, give him the dog."

Historical/Cultural Context -

The Gospel of John was written between 90 AD and 100 AD. Scholars also believe that John wrote the three Epistles and the book of Revelation around the same time-frame as he wrote this Gospel. The Gospel of John was written after Matthew, Mark, & Luke had been written and circulated. John has been dubbed by most scholars as “The Spiritual Gospel.”

Biblical Text -

John 7:1–24 NKJV

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. 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. Then the Jews sought Him at the feast, and said, “Where is He?” And there was much complaining among the people concerning Him. Some said, “He is good”; others said, “No, on the contrary, He deceives the people.” However, no one spoke openly of Him for fear of the Jews. Now about the middle of the feast Jesus went up into the temple and taught. And the Jews marveled, saying, “How does this Man know letters, having never studied?” Jesus answered them and said, “My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me. If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority. He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who seeks the glory of the One who sent Him is true, and no unrighteousness is in Him. Did not Moses give you the law, yet none of you keeps the law? Why do you seek to kill Me?” The people answered and said, “You have a demon. Who is seeking to kill You?” Jesus answered and said to them, “I did one work, and you all marvel. Moses therefore gave you circumcision (not that it is from Moses, but from the fathers), and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath. If a man receives circumcision on the Sabbath, so that the law of Moses should not be broken, are you angry with Me because I made a man completely well on the Sabbath? Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.”

-[Prayer]-

Life Principle - Don’t Stop Witnessing due to Ideologies, Controversies, and People.

Life Point- DON’T Bow Down To The Ideologies Of The Age

Exegetical -

John 7:1–9 NLT

After this, Jesus traveled around Galilee. He wanted to stay out of Judea, where the Jewish leaders were plotting his death. But soon it was time for the Jewish Festival of Shelters, and Jesus’ brothers said to him, “Leave here and go to Judea, where your followers can see your miracles! You can’t become famous if you hide like this! If you can do such wonderful things, show yourself to the world!” For even his brothers didn’t believe in him. Jesus replied, “Now is not the right time for me to go, but you can go anytime. The world can’t hate you, but it does hate me because I accuse it of doing evil. You go on. I’m not going to this festival, because my time has not yet come.” After saying these things, Jesus remained in Galilee.

Homiletical -

Here we find Jesus in Galilee continuing His teaching and miracles ministry.

He wants to stay out of Judea and away from the religious leaders because they were plotting His death. He was a hinderance to their political and religious concerns.

He was calling them out for their hypocrisy and their evil ways.

You know what happens today when a pastor speaks about some hypocrisy found in their denomination? They are black balled, and in some denomination are removed from ministry.

We Southern Baptists aren’t any better. When a local leader calls out hypocrisy or something that doesn’t line up with scripture they are black balled. They will never move up in the denomination.

Why? Because we have an unwritten 11th commandment, “Thou shalt not speak badly of another Southern Baptist leader.”

You know what? If you find hypocrisy in this church or you feel we are doing something not quite right, then you come on and speak to me or the deacon and we will address it. Maybe you don’t have all the facts. Maybe it is something that needs explaining; or maybe you’re right and we need to apologize and repent before God.

If that be the case then that will be what we do.

Back to our text, so what happens while Jesus is doing these things?

His brothers, who at this point don’t believe in Him, come to Him and kind of antagonize Him.

They are like, hey Jesus if you are doing all this good stuff, why aren’t you doing it in a bigger city? You know like Judea. Come on just go do it, clear out the hospitals. Do your work so that everyone can see.

His response is really simple. It’s not yet my time. The world, that is its’ systems and all of its comings and goings doesn’t hate you.

Why doesn’t the world hate His brothers?

Because they are apart of it. They are in the world abiding by social norms and bowing down to the political climate of the day.

So Jesus just stays where He is because He accuses the world of evil and it isn’t His time to be revealed and to go to the cross yet.

When I look at this happening I think about the church today. The churches in the United States of America are bowing down to political correctness. They are bowing down to the unbiblical ideology of the world.

No, homosexuality is not alright

Neither is extra-marital affairs, nor any other sexual sin.

1 Corinthians 6:18 NKJV

Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body.

How is this sin against your own body?

In Genesis we are told that the two shall become one body. You sin in this arena and you drag your spouse down with you, because you are disconnecting from your spouse; physically, spiritually, and emotionally. That is not how God has designed marriage and to sin here breaks your covenant of marriage and blows apart your own body. You are not your own.

1 Corinthians 7:4–6 NKJV

The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. And likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. Do not deprive one another except with consent for a time, that you may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again so that Satan does not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. But I say this as a concession, not as a commandment.

No, there is but 2 genders. Male and female as it is written in scripture.

Genesis 5:2 NKJV

He created them male and female, and blessed them and called them Mankind in the day they were created.

No you were not born in the wrong body. You should not mutilate your body by cutting off perfectly healthy parts.

1 Corinthians 6:19–20 NKJV

Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.

You wouldn’t know it but there is a very large group of de-transitioners that wished they hadn’t done what they did.

Why don’t we hear about them? Because the world doesn’t want you to know they exist.

When I think about all of this, I think that God has to abandon churches that not only accept these ideologies, but push these ideologies on their people. How evil is that? It is evil to throw out the Biblical Worldview and push the agenda of the world. These things ought not be so.

Life Point - Don’t Worry About Controversy

Exegetical -

John 7:10–13 NLT

But after his brothers left for the festival, Jesus also went, though secretly, staying out of public view. The Jewish leaders tried to find him at the festival and kept asking if anyone had seen him. There was a lot of grumbling about him among the crowds. Some argued, “He’s a good man,” but others said, “He’s nothing but a fraud who deceives the people.” But no one had the courage to speak favorably about him in public, for they were afraid of getting in trouble with the Jewish leaders.

Homiletical -

So Jesus follows His brothers in secret to the festival.

Why would He do this?

Remember Jesus is 100% God and 100% man. I believe He went because He was curious as to what was being said.

Now look at this, you have the religious leaders actively searching for Him. All the people arguing about whether He is for real or a fraud and no one will speak favorably because they are afraid of the ruling elite who don’t like Him very much.

Throughout History there is no more controversial subject than Jesus. You know why?

Because your spirituality and indeed your immortal spirit is tied to what you do with Jesus.

So you have people who want to denigrate and destroy the very thought of Jesus in order to salve their consciences so they don’t feel bad about their sins.

So they deny the deity of Christ in their minds so that they don’t have to be held accountable to anyone but themselves.

But this doesn’t work. Because deep down, they know the truth and when push comes to shove every knee will bow and every tongue confess Jesus is Lord. You can do it now, or do it later. But if you wait until later it will be too late to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. At that point your eternal destination is already decided and you are on your way to Hell.

Philippians 2:10–11 NKJV

that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Don’t let the fact that Jesus is controversial stop you in your mission. That is to preach the Gospel to all the world.

Matthew 28:16–20 NKJV

Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them. When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted. And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

Illustration -

I was out with a friend witnessing once and we pulled up to the house and this guy came out and we introduced ourselves and he just put his thumb up and said, “I’m good” and shut us down immediately. You know what our response was then? We said I hope so and went on to the next house. It didn’t deter us in the least. That is how you must be with Jesus. Don’t water down the Gospel to make it more palatable but preach and share the Gospel anyway.

Life Point - Don’t Let People Stop You From Your Witness

Exegetical -

John 7:14–24 NLT

Then, midway through the festival, Jesus went up to the Temple and began to teach. The people were surprised when they heard him. “How does he know so much when he hasn’t been trained?” they asked. So Jesus told them, “My message is not my own; it comes from God who sent me. Anyone who wants to do the will of God will know whether my teaching is from God or is merely my own. Those who speak for themselves want glory only for themselves, but a person who seeks to honor the one who sent him speaks truth, not lies. Moses gave you the law, but none of you obeys it! In fact, you are trying to kill me.” The crowd replied, “You’re demon possessed! Who’s trying to kill you?” Jesus replied, “I did one miracle on the Sabbath, and you were amazed. But you work on the Sabbath, too, when you obey Moses’ law of circumcision. (Actually, this tradition of circumcision began with the patriarchs, long before the law of Moses.) For if the correct time for circumcising your son falls on the Sabbath, you go ahead and do it so as not to break the law of Moses. So why should you be angry with me for healing a man on the Sabbath? Look beneath the surface so you can judge correctly.”

Homiletical -

Jesus, undeterred by the people and the religious folks goes up to the temple and begins to teach. All the people are astounded as he hadn’t been to the best Jewish schools and trained to teach the scriptures. He didn’t enroll in a Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.

You know why? Because He is Jesus! He teaches that which He hears from The Father.

John 7:18 NKJV

He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who seeks the glory of the One who sent Him is true, and no unrighteousness is in Him.

You know I love this verse. It is very simple, yet gives such good wisdom.

Ever met someone and everything they talk about is all about them. They claim to be a Christian but you wouldn’t know it for how self-centered they are.

Ever heard a preacher open from the Bible and then speak only about His life. I’m not talking about illustrations, I am talking about the whole sermon has nothing to do with the scripture and everything to do with self-centeredness. This is one way you can tell if there message is from God or from themselves.

John 7:19–24 NKJV

Did not Moses give you the law, yet none of you keeps the law? Why do you seek to kill Me?” The people answered and said, “You have a demon. Who is seeking to kill You?” Jesus answered and said to them, “I did one work, and you all marvel. Moses therefore gave you circumcision (not that it is from Moses, but from the fathers), and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath. If a man receives circumcision on the Sabbath, so that the law of Moses should not be broken, are you angry with Me because I made a man completely well on the Sabbath? Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.”

Jesus tells them that they don’t keep the law of Moses no matter how much they think they are.

Jesus points out there hypocrisy about being mad at him for healing a man on the sabbath. Yet they do the works of God on the Sabbath too and it is completely acceptable.

You know what it comes down to?

It comes down the political climate of the day.

The elites didn’t like Jesus so they knit picked Him. When they themselves did the same thing, just a different setting.

You ever work in a place like that?

They knit-pick a person so they can get rid of them all because they weren’t apart of their clique. The IN Crowd.

When this happens to you because of Jesus your answer should be “So what?” I follow Jesus and what is the problem with that?

Illustration -

I worked in the cable industry for 7 1/2 years. When I got there. There was no one who was a born-again Christian. I prayed all the time for God to bring Christians in the door and for conversions to happen.

I got picked on all the time for my belief in Christ. I was overt with my faith, still am. You know what happened? By the time I left that shop had a bunch of Christians.

My response about being knit-picked initially was, OK let’s pray. At the time I just endured but looking back I can see How God used the entire situation.

Life Principle– Don’t Stop Witnessing due to Ideologies, Controversies, and People.

Call to Action – altar call….