Who is Jesus - The Gospel of John - Part 4 - Jesus is the God/Man who came for a purpose!
The Gospel of John - Who is Jesus? • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Good morning loved ones!
if I have not had a chance to meet you; My name is Scott and I am a follower of Jesus and have the privilege of serving Him as the Lead Pastor among the people of Stonewater Fellowship.
The Reason Stonewater Fellowship is here -
The Reason God planted Stonewater as His local Church was simple -
Is to engage people into a multiplying relationship with Jesus!
And what we would love to see in the life of every follower of Jesus is that every one of us are well equipped and fully deployed out in the mission of Jesus.
Representing Jesus and make him known to anyone, anywhere, anytime.
INVITATIONS
KAIROS - meal tickets and prayer chains
LETS GRAB OUR BIBLES IF YOU HAVE ONE AND
Open it to The Gospel of John Chapter 2 This morning as we Continue our current series exposing How God, through the Scriptures, answers the question: “Who is Jesus?”
There are many many many descriptions of who Jesus is in this world.
SO many descriptions that in fact it can be rather confusing.
God Tells us who Jesus is
and we will be exposing what God says through the best friend of Jesus while he was here on earth - The Apostle John
PRAYER OVER SERIES
My prayer over this series is for all of us -
is that we would come to know, in the most intimate way, the person of Jesus.
And for some of us that may be for the very first time -
This may be, for you and the journey you have been on, a real introduction to Jesus.
and there are some of you that may have known Him for years.
My prayer is, that EVEN if this is our first time introduction or if we have known him for years.
My prayer is That we would know Him more -
That we would understand Him more -
That we would begin to see Him resurrected, and moving and working and change things about us and in us through the power of the Holy Spirit every day.
And That Any question - that any of us may have about Who is Jesus - Would be answered as we continue to walk through the Gospel of John together.
PRAYER OVER MESSAGE
is that all of us would come to know two Very important things as the scripture begins to answer the question: “Who is Jesus?”
1- That Jesus , who is declared to be with God and is God from the beginning of time,
God who created all things -
God, who promise is sure and true that WHOEVER receives Him as God and ruler of their life as He was propheced to be.
he gave Everyone who receives Him the right to become Children of God.
That This is the God who took on flesh and dwelt among us. Filled with Grace and truth -
This God, is the only God who extends the invitation to come and see and be changed.
MY Prayer The first thing that we my grab onto this morning is that this is the God, the one and only God who came in the flesh for a purpose.
2 second thing this morning is that we must See Jesus not only as being fully God but we must also see Him in the dual Nature of Jesus that He was also Fully man.
So we must walk away in amazement this morning that this - Dual Natures God/Man came from God the father with a divine and eternal purpose.
ENGAGEMENT –
Dual Nature -
I think for a lot of people the description of Jesus being or having a “dual Nature” or two natures is kind of a hard concept to understand.
I think its very easy for us to make this hard to grasp becasue of the way we look at someone in our culture or in church that has Dualism as part of their action or personality.
usually, someone in our culture or company, when we think Dualism or Two Natures a lot of times we go to the Broken understanding of that.
I think there are couple of ways we are negatively effected by these kinds of things in the brokenness of our humanity.
Think about it for just moment.
Ya know people we encounter who are one person when they are with one groups of people and you get them alone and they change into a completely different person.
YA know we have a really bad label for them - we call them two faced.
Here is the even weirder part -
If they change personalities right in front of every one - We might call that multiple personalities or and if there is a complete break between personalities then that might be full on schizophrenia.
and in all of those cases what we will see and know is that what seems to be going on is one person completely goes away and then the other person shows up.
and in reality that is pretty unnerving.
TENSION
And If we take ANY of that kind of thinking into our knowledge or understanding of the person of Jesus.
Then what will happen to us is we will Miss totally and completely the character and nature of Jesus and
if that happens we will totally miss God and will therefor not be in right relationship with God and loved ones that Has eternal consequences.
When we think about the Dual Nature of Jesus we mist think about it in two ways.
1st is how was this possible. To understand that we must begin with Jesus being eternally with the Father in that, understanding that Jesus is God. ONE of the persons of the trinity.
2nd that What God did was to Add the human nature to his divine nature and therefor He was 100%GOD and when He took on flesh - He added 100% man.
And what we will see in these passages of Text is that He reacts to the things happening around Him as Both God and MAN - Sinless - and as He does this, He begins to declare His eternal purpose for taking on flesh and dwelling among us.
BACKGROUND
A little background where we are in the Gospel of John -
John has declared that Jesus is God in the Flesh -
Creator of all things
That there is Salvation available to all who receive Him as he was prophesied to be.
Established an additional witness to this declaration -
Then Showed that Jesus is the God who invites “Come and See and Changed”
and as He has declared these things about Jesus He steps into Chapter 2, unpacking 2 events -
ONE that Jesus was invited to and
one Jesus was not directly invited into and in both cases - as a man Jesus responds to what is happening
- and as God Jesus Changes Everything around Him.
UNPACKING
1 On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there.
VVS 1,2,3 Verses 1,2,3 set the scene for us.
Cana - Up in Galilee - Where Jesus had called some of His disciples.
Andrew - Philip and His friend Nathanael
IT begins with - “the Third Day”
When John the Apostle says this He does not mean the third day in this Gospel.
What He means is the Third Day after calling three of his disciples -
2 Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his disciples.
They are up in Galilee - Jesus gets invited to a wedding - His disciples get invited to go as well.
3 When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.”
VVS3 the wine runs out.
Now this is a big problem for the groom and the Grooms family -
Weddings, back then, could be really big parties that could last a week.
Running out of wine or anything else to supply for the wedding guests could mean the marriage is not completed and a Law suit -
for what we would call “mental anguish” could be filed against the Groom and his family.
of course this would bring shame and ruin upon the groom and His family.
So Running out of wine was a REALLY REALLY big deal
Jesus mother is there and it is interesting what She says -
She says “They Have No Wine”
Now Jesus mother knew that there was something special about Jesus -
and what is implied in the text is that she was said “Jesus there is no wine, please fix this so it will not be an embarrassment to the family -
Save them Please - is what she was saying!
Watch what Jesus says in verse 4
4 And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.”
Woman what does this have to do with me my hour has not come yet.
Now there are couple of things we must grab onto in this verse.
1st thing is that Jesus was not being rude to His mom.
The word in the original language of the new testament is a word of respect “Woman” like we use the word MA’AM
2nd this we need to grab onto here is the rest of what Jesus says -
“My hour has not yet come”
Sometimes you have to look at the first thing said and the last thing said in the bible so that you can properly look at the middle thing -
Jesus mom Mary has just implied to Jesus that she wants Jesus to save these people out of their problem of embarrassment and possible financial ruin -
Jesus says: “What does this have to do with me, my time has not yet come” Implying - its not my time to start saving people from anything -
What is weird there is no further discussion -
BUT - Pay close attention to what Jesus has just said -
Jesus has Just said “I have come for a specific purpose and it is not my time to reveal that purpose”
5 His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”
Its almost as if Mary did not listen and just went on giving instructions as mamas can certainly do -
There are a few of us in the room that have been there -
Mama don't listen to any opposition and just Goes on!
Seems like that is what happens in verse 5
Mama says “do what he says to do”
VSS6-7-8-
6 Now there were six stone water jars there for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons.
Here is what it means that there were 30 gallon Jars for Jewish rites of Purification - IT just means that the Jars were made of rock and not clay and there for they were impervious to contamination.
7 Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim.
SO Jesus says “fill up with 180 gallons of water”
8 And he said to them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the feast.” So they took it.
Then says “take some out and take it to the Master of the feast”
You and I can think of this as the “caterer”
SO they do that -
9 When the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom 10 and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now.”
The head Caterer - tastes it and in now very impressed -
The Groom and His family went from potentially being the scourge of the community to be praised for their wine selection.
Because the wine that Jesus made - Was the best wine ever -
Now NO one knew Jesus made it - and the Bride groom was given credit in the story by the Catering Manager - AKA the master of the feast -
Because Remember - Jesus came for a specific purpose and it was not His time -
But His disciple knew - and it was one of the many things that Jesus did “in his humanity - Through His divinity” to reveal that He was Fully God and Fully man.
In His humanity Jesus had compassion for them, wanted to solve a very Practice problem.
And Through His Divinity He saved the family from ruin. A foreshadowing of His purpose -
To usher in salvation for all who believe!
and in that moment Jesus Changed Everything!
11 This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him.
John says in 11 This was the first Sign in Cana - and for that matter In Galilee - His disciples Trusted in HIM.
Loved ones - They trusted in the Humanity of Jesus that they saw - And they began to trust in the divine power, they were witnessing in HIM.
13 The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
VS13 - A change of scene - Passover was at hand and everyone headed to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover -
This was an Annual thing that Jewish people did back then to go to Jerusalem for the week of Passover and Celebrate with their larger family of faith.
Jesus Gets there -
This is the first of Three trips He is going to make to Jerusalem for the passover - The last one would lead to His death - and Resurrection.
14 In the temple he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers sitting there.
and HE goes to the Temple -
The Main place where Jewish People gathered - The Place where the very presence of God was believed to be inside the Holy of Holies.
Kind of the Epicenter of Jewish Faith - And Yes Jesus was Jewish!
and What was happening - is there was a market in the outer courts of the temple -
Imagine when you go to a pro sports game or a NASCAR race or even a concert or a conference or maybe even some out door event
Outside of the main event or speaker there are these people who set up booths and they sell shirts - and hats and other merchandise -
Imagine the same thing and what these guys were selling were Oxen and sheep and pigeons -
and the other thing that was there were Money Changers.
You see if you traveled from a long way away - You didn't travel with your animal sacrifice for the temple - So these guys set up and would sell you one..
Money changers - Your money wasn't the right kind of money to pay your Roman tax -
So the money changers were there and they would take your regional money from where you came from and they would exchange it for the roman money so you could pay your tax -
ALL for a fee.
SO what Jesus does for the first time is “Drive them out” -
and HE would do this with what seems a little tenancy towards Violence
15 And making a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and oxen. And he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables. 16 And he told those who sold the pigeons, “Take these things away; do not make my Father’s house a house of trade.”
Notice - Jesus didn’t take anything that was not his and He didn’t destroy any property and no one got hurt.
SO In his humanity Jesus reacted to this situation with righteous anger and made a correction
And at the very same time, through His divinity, He declared that nothing should have out attention or devotion other than the very presence of God.
17 His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume me.”
His disciples Recall a Psalm that was written about Jesus bout 700 years before He shows up that says “Zeal for your house will consume me”
So Once again Jesus responds in His humanity and changes everything through His divinity -
18 So the Jews said to him, “What sign do you show us for doing these things?”
The Jewish people who say all this happen say “What sign do you show us for doing these things?
IN this, they were asking two questions:
One was “what does this mean?” What significance does this make?
Two - What sign or indication can you give us that you have the authority to do this - To clean out the merchants?
19 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”
Watch how Jesus responds — Jesus says - Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up -
NO this was interpreted by the Jewish leaders a extremely bold statement
This temple the Jewish leaders assumed that Jesus was referring to the building -
20 The Jews then said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?”
As it says in verse 20 - They thought He was talking about the brick and motor temple -
And there is this reference of 46 years. Here is what that means -
The Temple, that they were standing in front of, was a rebuild. Solomons temple had been decimated, and when Nehemiah and others came back they rebuilt the city and they rebuilt the temple.
And so this rebuild project was kind of a never ending project. and what it means is “all total it has taken 46 years to get the temple to its current condition that you see it now!”
But like it says in Verse 21
21 But he was speaking about the temple of his body.
He was talking about His own body - Destroy this temple - The Body in which the fullness of the God head rests and I will raise it up in three days.
Jesus in His humanity makes a declaration about what seems to be about brick and mortar
and at the same time through His divinity declares His Resurrection.
22 When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.
John then takes the narrative into the future when He actually does Rise form the dead - his disciple remember that He said this.
and all that sound pretty miraculous -
But here is what Jesus was saying -
I have come for a purpose - Destroy this temple, my body, and I will fulfill my purpose I will defeat death.
23 Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many believed in his name when they saw the signs that he was doing.
John the Apostle makes some interesting insights as to what Jesus things in His humanity and through His divinity -
Many people believed in His name when they saw the things that Jesus had Done -
Water into wine and throwing the merchants out of the temple and then confronting the Jews when they confronted Him
They Believed in Jesus becasue of what He could do for Him.
VSS23 it says Many believed in His name -
Jesus was attracting a crowd - especially after the things Jesus was doing - many people Trusted in His name becasue of what He was doing.
But watch what Jesus responds to this -
24 But Jesus on his part did not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people
Jesus on His part did not Entrust Himself to them -
Here is what that means - in the simplest terms - Jesus didn’t believe that they were in Him from the right basis.
Why did Jesus not believe them - Vs24 becasue Jesus knew that they had believed in Jesus becasue of what He had done not becasue of Who He was.
There are a couple of important points to see what John says here in these last verses.
25 and needed no one to bear witness about man, for he himself knew what was in man.
This is why it vary much says: 1 - That Jesus KNEW all all people,
2- Jesus needed no one to bear witness about man
3- For He himself knew what was in man.
You see loved ones - Jesus doesn't need anyone to tell others of what Jesus can Do - What Jesus can do creates FANS
Loved ones the Church- Each one of us are saved by grace through fath to proclaim WHO jesus is.
You see when we Follow Jesus becasue of who He is = WE become Devoted Followers - Proclaiming to Anyone Anywhere at any time who Jesus is.
Jesus knew that that these who watched Him sent the moneychangers out of the temple were fans becasue of what He had done.
Jesus in not interested in Fans becasue of what He does- Jesus is inviting Devoted followers becasue of who He is.
STICKY POINT
Loved ones - WE must land on two things this morning as we let this text speak to us.
FIRST
The Cleaning of the temple is emblematic of our lives and the devotion Jesus invited everyone into.
in Jewish culture the temple was where the very presence of God dwelled - God was there, His very presence.
In every life of Every Believer, since the day of Pentecost, The Very presence of God dwells in our physical body.
What Jesus is foreshadowing in the clearing of the temple is the clearing our our hearts and our devotion to Him.
This morning - WE must ask ourselves, as we begin a season of prayer and fasting, Is there anything in our lives that stands in the way of our devotion to Jesus, through the power of His indwelling Holy Spirit
SECOND -
Have we come to Jesus for what He does? Have we come to Jesus becasue of his miracles so that we pray He will do one for us?
Have we come to Jesus becasue of His righteousness thinking we do that we will be righteous?
Have we come to Jesus becasue He has don't the work and we don't have to to save us from the wrath of God in Hell?
Loves ones this morning in light of these passages of Text - Examine ourselves - Have we come to Jesus in ANY sore of Self Serving or self preserving way -
Coming to Jesus to say - I want what you can give me!
Loved ones the danger in that is that we might very well be fans of Jesus and the clearing of the temple in this story is what Jesus wants to do in our lives this morning -
Clear away everything that stand in the way - Come to Jesus this morning becaseu of WHO He is - NOT for what He can DO.
Let Him clean out the love of monry and convience that was represent by the merchants and money changers of the day - A be a fully devoted Follow Of Jesus.
COMMUNION
