JOHN 7:14-24 | TESTS IN THE TEMPLE
Notes
Transcript
JOHN 7:14-24 | TESTS IN THE TEMPLE
JOHN 7:14-24 | TESTS IN THE TEMPLE
ILLUSTRATION: My wife and I cook two very different ways.
Tressa is the type of cook that measures everything when she cooks
She pulls out the teaspoons and the tablespoons
She uses the measuring cups for how much of each seasonings to use.
And her food always turns out consistently delicious because of it.
I, however, don’t like to use measuring spoons or cups, because then I have to wash them.
I season by feeling…
I feel it needs a little more.
And because of my cooking style, sometimes the food turns out amazing
Other times, it doesn’t.
But there is one way to tell if the meal is going to be a success or a flop…
You have to test it.
You take a taste and then determine what it’s missing or what needs counteracted, and put that in.
That test is of greatest importance when I’m cooking a meal.
EXPLANATION: We have made it to the middle of the feast week
When we were last here, we mentioned that the Feast of Tabernacles lasted a total of 8 days
7 days of numerous sacrifices, and finished on the 8th day with a smaller number of sacrifices as the people would conclude the feast week.
As we come to v.14, we find that we are somewhere in the middle of the week, probably around day 4, and Jesus has now made His way quietly into Jerusalem.
He finds His way to the temple and the Word of God through Christ provides some insight into some tests that were important for the people in the temple and are important for us today.
But these tests weren’t to see if a meal was cooked well or not.
These tests dealt with the teaching and receiving of God’s Word.
APPLICATION: For a few moments, we are going to see some applications we can make in our lives from some of the tests in the temple:
V. 14-16, 18, THE TEST OF THE MESSENGER
V. 14-16, 18, THE TEST OF THE MESSENGER
Now about the midst of the feast Jesus went up into the temple, and taught.
And the Jews marvelled, saying, How knoweth this man letters, having never learned?
Jesus answered them, and said, My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me.
He that speaketh of himself seeketh his own glory: but he that seeketh his glory that sent him, the same is true, and no unrighteousness is in him.
EXPLANATION: Jesus makes His way to the temple and the Bible says “He taught”
And the Bible says the people marvelled…
We talked a couple weeks ago about how Jesus was the greatest preacher and teacher that ever lived.
Don’t you wish you could just listen to the voice of Jesus preaching.
Last week Isaac played a clip for you from Alistair Begg and you got to hear his Scottish accent.
There are some people when they speak, that you could just listen to and be captivated by their voice alone.
I can imagine that when Jesus spoke, you would have been drawn in by His voice.
He always knew where and when to put the emphasis at just the right time.
He paused at the perfect moments
He would raise His voice or whisper… and the crowd would hang on every word that He said.
But in this moment, it wasn’t any of those things that people marvelled at…
Instead they marvelled because they didn’t understand how Jesus could have the wisdom He had without going to the seminaries their religious leaders had gone to.
All the pharisees could boast in their diplomas from the local universities and seminaries, but
Jesus didn’t have His doctorate
Jesus didn’t have His masters
Jesus didn’t even have His bachelors degree.
He didn’t have the education that the people thought was so important.
What Jesus had, was far more important than a peace of paper from a completed education.
Jesus had the power of God and the Word of God.
He said, “My doctrine, my teaching, is from Him that sent me and it brings glory to the Father”
What Jesus was saying was in total and complete agreement with God in heaven, because Jesus was God on earth.
ILLUSTRATION: A couple weeks back I was trying to fix an outlet at our house that wasn’t working right.
Now, I’m no electrician, but I know before you work on an outlet, you need to turn the breaker off.
So I made my way to the breaker box and began looking through the labels to figure out which to shut off.
I’d flip one and then go and test the outlet and it still was on.
Then I’d flip another, and it was still on
One after another, flip, flip, flip… and still the power was on.
Tressa came over and she began flipping breakers while I stood there to check power
She must have had the touch, because I’m pretty sure I tested the one she flipped, but finally we got the right one.
A great deal of time went into figuring out where the power was coming from.
APPLICATION: Now listen, I know it’s kind of a cop out to say, Jesus’s teaching was powerful because He had the power of God… because He was God.
And friend, I know that none of us will ever be as powerful and influential as Jesus, because we aren’t God.
But you know, there is something powerful about a Christian living in the power of God!
ILLUSTRATION: Right now, I’m reading through the book of Acts, and Paul and Barnabas made their way into Lystra.
And there’s a man there who had never walked.
And Paul sees this man, and the Bible says he saw that this man had faith to be healed.
I don’t know what exactly that looked like
Maybe the guy has a new pair of Nikes sitting next to him just waiting for something to happen.
But whatever it was, Paul looks at Him and Acts 14:10
Said with a loud voice, Stand upright on thy feet. And he leaped and walked.
Wow! How incredible
And the people that see it are blown away!
They start to tell everyone else about what Paul and Barnabas had done and they make plans to start worshipping them as gods
But when Paul and Barnabas realize what’s happening, there response is powerful:
And saying, Sirs, why do ye these things? We also are men of like passions with you, and preach unto you that ye should turn from these vanities unto the living God, which made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things that are therein:
Because Paul and Barnabas knew, they didn’t have power in and of themselves.
But the God that lived within them that they served, was a powerful God and He gave them the power to point others to Him!
APPLICATION: Friend, if you know Jesus as your Savior, you’ve been given the responsibility to take the Gospel into the world.
That isn’t a responsibility just for the preacher, it’s for every Christian!
But I don’t know about you… I feel so inadequate!
There are some Sundays I stand up here as a preacher and I think, “what am I doing?”
These people don’t need anything from me!
And the truth is, you don’t!
And the truth is, none of us have any life saving power in and of ourselves.
But 1 John 4:4 says,
Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.
Friend, I’ve got great news, you don’t have to have some fancy degree to be able to share the truth of God’s Word in our world.
If you know Christ as your Savior, you have all the power you need!
But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
There’s nothing wrong with getting an education
There’s nothing wrong with furthering your knowledge
There’s nothing wrong with getting a degree
In fact, oftentimes, those things can be helpful
But if you are waiting until you reach some level of education thinking then you’ll have the power to tell someone about Jesus… you’ve missed it!
If you know Christ as Savior, you have the Holy Spirit dwelling within you and you have all the power you need to tell someone about Jesus.
Once you know Christ as your Savior, you have the power of God in your life.
You’ve plugged into the power source.
And once your plugged in, the Bible tells you in Matthew 5:14-16
Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.
Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.
Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
EXPLANATION: The test of the messenger is, do you have the power of God through Jesus Christ as your Savior?
And if you do have the Holy Spirit living in you, is His power shinning out of your life?
V.17, THE TEST OF THE LISTENER
V.17, THE TEST OF THE LISTENER
If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.
EXPLANATION: What Jesus says in this verse could be a message all it’s own.
He tells the listeners, “If any man will do his will”
That phrase literally means, “If any man is willing to do his will, then he will know…”
This was the same issue Jesus had been dealing with for months.
People were coming to Him, but they weren’t coming with a willing heart to receive Him, they were coming with a desire to see Him perform.
So the message that has been repeated is, “Show us and then we will believe”
But the heart that Jesus is getting at here is that the issues with their belief wasn’t the evidence… the issue was their willingness to surrender their will.
ILLUSTRATION: Have you ever made an excuse about something you didn’t want to do?
I’ve shared this story before, but it fits so perfectly here.
Tressa had told me that she smelled something in the vent in our boy’s bedroom
I just told her it was probably just something that had gotten down in there and we’d eventually have to clean it out.
And what I meant by that was, I don’t want to do it, so we should just leave it alone and plug an air freshener in.
But she was convinced there was a bigger problem.
So finally, I broke down and decided I would climb in the crawl space under our house.
I made my way into a small space under our house, and that’s when I saw the problem… the main drain line for our toilets had come disconnected…
So I climbed back out and I gave some very clear instructions to my wife, whatever you do, while I’m under the house, do not flush the toilet.
I made my way back into that pit of destruction and I began to work to get the pipe put back together.
As I’m laying in this trench I dug to provide myself some room, suddenly I heard a sound I’ll never forget.
It was like the rushing of a mighty river.
And suddenly my trench was now flooded because one of my kids hadn’t gotten the message from mom, and had flushed the toilet.
The issue wasn’t that I didn’t see the problem
The issue wasn’t that I didn’t know what I needed to do in climbing under the house.
The issue was I just didn’t want to do it.
APPLICATION: And you know the truth is often the same in our life…
The issue isn’t that you don’t see the problem
The issue isn’t that you don’t know what to do
The issue is you just don’t want to do it
For some, it’s not that you don’t know there are things in your life you need to change
It’s just that you aren’t willing to change
For some, it’s not that you don’t know your marriage needs help…
It’s just that you aren’t willing to get help.
For some it’s not that you don’t know what your next step of obedience to Christ is…
It’s just that you aren’t willing to take that next step.
And for some, it’s not that you don’t know you need to trust Jesus as your Savior…
It’s just that you have decided you aren’t willing to humble yourself and trust Him as Savior.
You see friend, God doesn't usually give you new light while you're sitting on the light He already gave you.
But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:
For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.
But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.
For some in this room, you have all the evidence you need to make that next decision for Christ.
It isn’t another answer to another question that will move you along.
It's a willing heart.
So let me ask you a question this morning.
If God made the answer to your question perfectly clear to you tomorrow — would you do it?
Because if the answer is no… then clarity was never your problem.
Friend, you don't have to have it all figured out to come to Christ.
You don't have to have every question answered to live for Christ.
But you do have to be willing.
That's the test of the listener.
Not "how much do you know?"
But "are you willing to do what He says?"
Jesus has just told them the problem isn't evidence, it's willingness.
And then He shows them exactly how an unwilling heart operates.
It doesn't say "I won't believe."
It just makes more excuses.
V.19-24, THE TEST OF THE JUDGMENT
V.19-24, THE TEST OF THE JUDGMENT
Did not Moses give you the law, and yet none of you keepeth the law? Why go ye about to kill me?
The people answered and said, Thou hast a devil: who goeth about to kill thee?
Jesus answered and said unto them, I have done one work, and ye all marvel.
Moses therefore gave unto you circumcision; (not because it is of Moses, but of the fathers;) and ye on the sabbath day circumcise a man.
If a man on the sabbath day receive circumcision, that the law of Moses should not be broken; are ye angry at me, because I have made a man every whit whole on the sabbath day?
Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.
EXPLANATION: Jesus then turns the mirror around to the people standing before Him that day.
The application is made, and it is directed straight at those standing before Him.
The religious Jews were making plans to kill Jesus, but much of the crowd on that day wasn’t aware of those plans
They were more focused on the fun, the festival, and the fanfare of Jesus’s miracles than they were in the hypocrisy of their religious leaders.
And so Jesus brings a most basic of illustrations to demonstrate that they were willing to bend the law to fit their desires, to ensure it preserved their religious appearance
They were more concerned with keeping an appearance of being religious than they were with surrendering to Christ.
And v.24 points to this.
They were judging their level of spirituality according to their appearance, or the lack of spirituality in the appearance of others…
But the problem is appearance is only skin deep… it never reaches the heart.
And when the heart is left untouched, it’s easy to make excuses for our unwillingness.
This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.
APPLICATION: Friend, that is what an unwilling heart always does.
It goes looking for something to look at… some appearance to judge… Some excuse… some way of escape
Because if I can find something about the messenger to criticize — I never have to deal with the message.
If I can find something about the church to complain about — I never have to deal with the conviction.
If I can find one hypocrite to point at — I never have to deal with my own heart.
That's exactly what they did.
They were trying to give a skin deep appearance of godliness, while God in flesh was standing right before them
It seems so foolish doesn’t it?
Can you imagine putting on an appearance of godliness for the crowd, knowing that God is right there and He knows the unwilling heart inside?
If we are being honest this morning… you would likely have to say “yes”
I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.
You see, He searches the heart.
Not the appearance.
Not the attendance.
Not the record.
The heart.
And friend, He already knows what’s in yours this morning.
So let me ask you one more time what I asked you a few minutes ago —
Are you willing?
Not "do you have it figured out."
Not "do you have every answer."
Are you willing?
You say, willing to do what?
Whatever next step the Holy Spirit is speaking to your heart about this morning
ILLUSTRATION: You know, when I cook and throw the spices and seasonings in at random, there is no way to tell if it’s going to be any good or not.
But when Tressa follows the preset recipe the way it’s written out… the results are incredible every time.
APPLICATION: Jesus laid out the recipe, you just have to follow it.
If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.
If you’ll just come with a willing heart first… then you’ll know!
You have to taste it.
O taste and see that the Lord is good: Blessed is the man that trusteth in him.
Not look and see.
Taste and see… it takes a willing action.
That crowd examined Jesus from every angle they could find.
His schooling.
His timing.
Where He came from.
But they never came and tasted.
Friend, don't walk out of here this morning having examined Him from a distance.
Three tests in the temple that morning:
The messenger — Is the Power of God real in your life?
The listener — are you willing?
The judgment — stop making excuses…
They failed all three.
And they went home from the greatest feast of the year having stood in the presence of God and never known it.
Friend, this morning, set aside your excuses, come with a willing heart and taste and see the Lord is good, and shine the power of God out of your life!
