Jesus - The Source of Life
The Gospel of John • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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· 5 viewsIf we do not know Jesus as the Christ and Son of Man, we are far from God and still in our sin. Come to the Lord who satisfies completely today.
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TITLE: Jesus - The Source of Life
TEXT: John 7.24-39
INTRODUCTION:
After a short hiatus walking through our COTV Covenant and celebrating Easter together this past week, I am excited for us to dive back into the Gospel of John this morning. For our collective benefit, let’s do a little bit of recap this morning of what has been happening in this gospel narrative.
Since the latter portion of John 6 where Jesus taught his disciples that no one can come Him unless it is granted to them by the Father (Jn 6.65), hostility towards Jesus began to increase. Many of His disciples turn their backs on Him because of His teaching, and the Jewish religious leaders began to plot against Him.
1 After this Jesus went about in Galilee. He would not go about in Judea, because the Jews were seeking to kill him.
His disciples that remained encouraged him to make His works and ministry more public, showing Himself to the world. Though likely well intentioned, they did not understand the purpose and timing of the Lord. He reminded them that His time had not yet come (Jn 7.6, 7.8).
Jesus came to the Feast of Booths quietly and not in the public eye like His disciples recommended. He soon began teaching in the temple, and the people were amazed of His vast knowledge of the Scriptures.
Feast of Booths
“The setting is the Festival of Shelters (Or Feast of Booths), a commemoration instituted in Leviticus 23. The purpose of the festival was to remind the Israelites and their descendants that God brought them out of Egypt (Lev 23:42–43). God provided for his people when they were on their way to the promised land” (Exalting Jesus in John, p177).
Jesus declared His teaching and works are not of His own accord but from the Father, in whom there is only truth and no falsehood. Therefore, Jesus’ good works in healing on the Sabbath were to be celebrated instead of criticized.
TEXT: John 7.25-39, The Source of Life
ILLUSTRATION: Surprised by what we thought we knew?
When was the last time you learned something that left you confused… because you thought you knew the truth the entire time?
This reminds me of a couple times in college where I walked into the classroom on test day with somewhat of a pep in my step. From my perspective, I was prepared! I had been in class, paid attention, and even taken notes. Then came the moment when I flip the test over and my high confidence slowly turned to into a slight panic.
What even were these characters they were asking me to solve for? Obviously we had done this in class at some point, but where in the world was I on that day?
Put simply, this is a terrible feeling as a student - not knowing the material when you thought you were indeed prepared. In this moment you feel isolated and helpless, all alone.
In this section of John 7, our Lord both delivers a harsh conviction upon the Jewish people and its religious leaders who were convinced of their knowledge and understanding of the coming Messiah - You do not know the God whom you claim to love and serve.
At the same time, He graciously concludes the Feast of Booths with a power proclamation - Anyone who is spiritually thirsty and longs to be satisfied, come to Christ and you will be satisfied today and forever.
MAIN IDEA:
If we do not know Jesus as the Christ, we are far from God and still in our sin. Come to the Lord who promises to satisfy you completely and eternally today.
OUTLINE:
1. A people close to Christ but far from truth (v25-31)
2. A people angry and perplexed by truth (v32-36)
3. A Savior - The Source of Life (v37-39)
PRAYER
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’?”
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.
A people close to Christ but far from truth (v25-31)
A people close to Christ but far from truth (v25-31)
John 7:25–31 “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?””
The people gathered in Jerusalem for the Feast of Booths had just heard the teaching of the Lord Jesus in the temple and there response was initially harsh saying “You have a demon!” (Jn 7.20). Their response was strong because Jesus was not exactly holding back.
After saying His teaching and authority is not His own but from the Father, Jesus says “You appeal to Moses and the given Law, but non of you keep it.” (paraphrase of v.17-19). Jesus tells them that their judgment of what is true is one of appearances. Jesus in unlike their current spiritual leaders and is teaching things that not only do not align with the Pharisees, but directly opposes them in their hypocrisy. Jesus said:
24 Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.”
The People’s Response
They begin to question the true identity of this rabbi who has been instructing them with such knowledge of the Scriptures and yet without any formal training or study. Further, they begin to discuss among themselves - Is this the one our religious leader seek to kill?
Quickly glancing forward, we see that verse 32 says the people were “muttering” these things. The Greek here gives the context of them speaking quietly among themselves. With so much controversy surrounding the person of Jesus at this time, they spoke of these things together in hushed voices.
Why did the religious leaders want to kill Jesus? Like their forefathers wandering in the wilderness and complaining about the manna (bread) given to them, they too grumbled and complained when the Bread of Life came in their midst, challenged their knowledge of the truth, and declared that no one comes to the Father unless they are drawn to Him.
Quick Summary - Their authority as Israel’s religious leaders was challenged and they hated Him for it.
Further, the people were confused why Jesus was able to speak in the temple unchallenged. The religious leaders let Jesus speak freely during the Feast of Booths when countless people were present to hear - WHY?
They were uncertain of how the people would respond. Given that the people were speaking among themselves saying “Is this the Christ?”, what would happen if the religious leaders acted hastily and the people began to rise against the leaders? Such things would likely not be pleasing to the Romans.
The People’s Question?
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?
Could it be Him? This was their question. Could He be the One? The New Adam… The Promised One to crush the head of the Serpent… The Offspring of David… The Great Light given to deliver us from deep darkness?
YES… He is! According to the prophets of God, this is exactly who He is.
BUT… like the seed sown among the path, the truth is snatched away quickly by the deception the remains in their hearts and minds (Matthew 13.19). The people answer their own question in saying “We know…” these things about the Christ.
ILLUSTRATION: The Difference Between Knowing and Feeling
I had a conversation recently where this other person and I were discussing how we know that certain things are true, and we came to very different conclusions. So I’d like to ask us all the same this morning - How do we know something is true?
Is it true because you or I say it is true, based on TESTIMONY alone? NO. I can say I am 7 feet tall and play for the Lakers, but that does not make it factual.
Is it true because you or I truly feel it to be true, based on EMOTION alone? No. As sinful human beings, we can feel that something is right or wrong when objectively it is the opposite.
Conclusion - Truth is not blind hope, but instead it is evidenced to us in some way.
The People
The people’s conclude that this cannot be the Christ because THEY KNOW where Jesus comes from AND because “no one will know where he comes from” (CLAIM)
We have spoken many times about the danger of raising tradition to the level of God’s Word. Israel had the Law and the Prophets!
Exodus - The Passover Lamb
Leviticus - The High Priest
Isaiah - The Suffering Servant
Ezekiel/Daniel - The Son of Man
Micah 5:2–5 (ESV)
2 But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah,
who are too little to be among the clans of Judah,
from you shall come forth for me
one who is to be ruler in Israel,
whose coming forth is from of old,
from ancient days.
3 Therefore he shall give them up until the time
when she who is in labor has given birth;
then the rest of his brothers shall return
to the people of Israel.
4 And he shall stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord,
in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.
And they shall dwell secure, for now he shall be great
to the ends of the earth.
5 And he shall be their peace.
When the Assyrian comes into our land
and treads in our palaces,
then we will raise against him seven shepherds
and eight princes of men;
Likely through some tradition or teaching adopted over time, the religious leaders of Israel created proved themselves gifted in setting aside texts like Micah 5 and created their own stumbling blocks, preventing them from seeing the truth.
Jesus’ Response
Jesus agrees in part. They may know his earthly father and mother and where he lived, but they were ignorant of His origin and mission. Jesus declared that He did not come of his own accord or of His own will, but He came because the Father sent Him. The One who is called “TRUE” as a defining aspect, He sent Jesus to us.
His Origin?
His Mission?
His Origin and Mission
1 Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. 3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 4 having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.
This is the person of Jesus, the Christ.
What is Jesus’ conclusion?
John 7:28 (ESV)
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.
They sought to arrest Him, but the perfect timing of the sovereign God had not yet come so they could do nothing. Some began to even believe in Him and appeal to His great works that were unlike anything they had ever seen.
APPLICATION: Proximity to Jesus is Good…but it does not save.
The people of Israel gathered in Jerusalem and listened to Jesus teach in the temple. They saw the Son of God, the Promised Savior of the OT, the incarnate God in the flesh… and yet they still denied Him and sought to violently silence Him.
So it seems that even being close to Jesus physically did not miraculously save them from their sin. They were wise in their own eyes, but they were fools when it came the important truth of - Who is Jesus?
They were so close to Him, and yet they were so far from what is true concerning Him.
ILLUSTRATION:
Reach HG- What do you know or believe about Jesus?
This was the long time introductory question in going door-to-door in our community. We have since pivoted from this in some cases to hopefully get the conversation started a little more slowly. BUT… the importance of this question stands.
What we believe concerning Jesus is eternally important.
A people angry and perplexed by truth (v32-36)
A people angry and perplexed by truth (v32-36)
John 7:32–36 “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’?””
Like we mentioned earlier, the Pharisees hear all of the people in Jerusalem attempting to speak quietly concerning these things, and they do not waste any time. In their anger, likely also due to the many who did believe in the person of Jesus (v.31), they sent officers to arrest Jesus.
The Pharisees were active in preventing Jesus and His ministry from becoming more known among the people of Israel. As those who were the most zealous for the Law, they led the charge and attempt to permanently silence our Lord. Little did they know, Jesus had other plans in mind.
APPLICATION: The Great Need for Zeal
In a general sense, I can appreciate someone’s zeal concerning art, craft, sport, and even theological position even if I disagree with it. Whether right or wrong objectively, you can really tell when someone is convinced about something based on how they speak about it and act concerning it. EXAMPLE: The Pharisees
Don’t misunderstand me, I am not praising the Pharisees but simply making a comparison. If the religions of this world can have great zeal concerning what we know to be false, how much more should we be zealous for the truth to be known???
The need for truth concerning Jesus among this nation and to the ends of the earth is still great, so may we not sit in idleness from week to week while this world and the Evil One are hard at work leading people to an eternity separated from God.
Jesus’ Clear Conviction
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.”
After completing the gracious work given to Him by the Father, Jesus will be heading back to His rightful place at the Father’s right hand. Jesus then tells them three things.
“You will seek me…” (v.34a)
“…you will not find me.” (v.34b)
“Where I am you cannot come.” (v.34c)
A Perplexed People
The people have no idea what to make of these statement. The speculate is He is talking about the Dispersion - refers to Jewish people who had been dispersed and are living outside their ancestral homeland due to the Babylonian exile and later events such as the Roman destruction of the second temple.
Did Jesus intend to leave Israel proper and seek out other Jews and peoples among the nations? Well, His disciples would do this for Him, but that is besides the point.
After being conditioned by a corrupted teaching of the Law for so long, the Jewish people thought only in a physical sense, and not in a spiritual one.
Understanding The Three Statements
As they continue to struggle to earn their own righteous before God while killing the prophets that are sent to them, they need to know these things.
God is gracious, and each morning that he wakes you up is a gift from His hands… He is long suffering and patient with Israel…but His patience will not last forever.
26 And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, 27 that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us,
Yes, praise God that this is true! But life is short, death is certain, sin our our greatest problem, and in our own diligence we have no solution for it. Jesus tells them that in their present seeking of Him according to their own adherence to the Law, they will not find Him.
27 And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment,
If that is what they bring to the table and hang their hat on at their day of Judgment, they cannot come where He is.
So… a weighty conclusion from our first two points this morning:
1. Who is Jesus? He is the Christ, fully God and fully man, sent from the Father to accomplish the Father’s will. Do we believe this to be true?
2. Our gracious God is patient with us, but we are not promised tomorrow. Only He knows the number of our days, and if we pass into eternity not trusting in Christ alone, we cannot be with Him.
A Savior - The Source of Life (v37-39)
A Savior - The Source of Life (v37-39)
John 7:37–39 “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.”
Then comes the final day of the Feast of Booths. The feast extended for 7 days with the 8th day allocated for spiritual observance and an offering to God. In the ESV, this final day is noted as “the great day” while other translations like the CSB note it as “the most important day”.
ILLUSTRATION: Consider the Climax of a Song or Performance
The entire week has been building towards this moment, just like a Climax in a song or performance. Everything occuring prior to this moment is ushering things forward in preparation for it, while everything after this moment flows from it. Just like the Climax of a song with the artist hitting an unbelievable, memorable note… this moment of the Feast of Booths would unmistakably the most important moment of the week.
Tension has been building through the week through likely many interactions between Jesus, the people and the Pharisees. Emotions are high as well as the Pharisees have called for His arrest, but the sovereignty of continues to declare that Jesus’ time had not yet come.
On this most important day, Jesus would extend a wonderful invitation to the very people and religious leaders that sought his arrest and death.
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.’ ”
If Anyone Thirsts - Connection to the Wilderness
During this annual feast, priests would gather water daily from the Pool of Siloam and pour it out as an offering on the altar in thankfulness for the Lord’s provision in the wilderness for 40 years.
It was on the great day that Jesus stood up in the temple, with guards standing by ready to arrest Him at once, and He declared: “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink.”
Further, he brings the hearer back to writings of the prophet Isaiah. After the first 40 chapters of Isaiah speaking of the coming judgment due the wickedness of the people, the prophet then speaks of the promises of salvation.
The Suffering Servant is raised and lifted up in the same manner as the Lord ( Isaiah 52), He brings salvation by suffering and dying in the place of sinners (Isaiah 53), and by His death and resurrection we (sinners) are offered eternal peace and life free from judgment (Isaiah 54).
Jesus Quotes Isaiah
1 “Come, everyone who thirsts,
come to the waters;
and he who has no money,
come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
without money and without price.
What is the significance here?
Jesus - The Fulfillment of the Feast of Booths
OT Scene - A people who are wondering in the wilderness, without water or food, they are dying. More specifically, many miracles during their time in the wilderness had to do with water because water was essential to life in such an environment.
Exalting Jesus in John Will You Come to Jesus? (John 7:32–39)
In a desert water means life. In a desert, if you’re thirsty, you’re dying.
John 7 Scene - a people who are spiritually wondering in the wilderness, only with the Law to cling to that does not give life. Spiritually, they are dead.
Jesus calls all within the sounds of His voice to come to Him for life. Like the one physically wondering in the vast desert who’s only hope is sustained life is water, the people’s only hope in their spiritual wondering and present death in their sin is JESUS.
The Samaritan Woman
9 The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?” (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) 10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.”
13 Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
To the wanderer in a desert, a cup of cold water is a great relief. It temporally satisfies, but a river of water changes everything and guarantees sustained life. From this perspective, the river is the source of life. Jesus says to everyone present at the annual feast “If you are dying, come to me and I will give you life!”
The Spirit’s Presence
If life in Him was not enough, Jesus says that these things were said about the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Godhead, whom those that believe in Jesus are to recieve. Do you remember our Ephesians memory verse?
13 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.
Upon coming to Christ, we are given life and we (the people of God) are sealed, guarded, protected by the presence of His Spirit with us from that moment until we are one day welcomed into glory. How can we trust this to be true?
24 He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.
APPLICATION: The Gospel
Without Christ, you are wondering in a spiritual desert still weighed down by the burden of your sin and without the direction or ability to save yourself. There is nowhere in this world to turn for true, eternal satisfaction than to the One who gives living water freely to those who are dying, on a road to eternal separation from Him.
This is the Good News of the Bible
GOD, MAN, CHRIST, RESPONSE
MAIN IDEA:
If we do not know Jesus as the Christ, we are far from God and still in our sin. Come to the Lord who promises to satisfy you completely and eternally today.
