11-25-2018 - 8:45 Service

Good morning. I'm Catherine huisman, and I'm reading the scripture today the scripture John chapter 7 verse 1 through 9 is found on page 94 in the New Testament of the few Bible. I will be reading from The New International Version of the Bible after this Jesus went around and Galilee did not want to go because the Jewish leaders there were looking for a way to kill him. But when the Jewish Festival of Tabernacles was near Jesus's brother said to him leave Galilee and go to Judea so that your disciples there may see the work shoe do no one who wants to become a public figure action secret, since you are doing this thing show yourself to the world for even his own brothers did not believe in him there for Jesus told them. My time is not yet here. For you anytime the world cannot hate you but it hates me because I testify that it's works are evil. I am not going up to this Festival because my time has not yet fully come after he has said this he stayed in Galilee the word of God for the people of God.

Thank you for reading Katherine a little bit shorter scripture than last week. I bet you were a little bit afraid of a No-No. Is he going to do that again? Well when my son was in high school, he was on the basketball team and try to be a good father. I would go to the games and take pictures but the camera that I had was kind of a cheap camera and maybe some of your vehicle cameras like this before that when you push the button it didn't take the picture right away. There is a slight delay some of you like. Oh, yeah, you know this and so instead of buying a better camera. I just tried to anticipate the action and a time things to where I could you know, you kind of have to say are somethings about ready to happen. I'll hit the button now. So it will take the picture at the right time and I brought a couple of pictures. I told my son. I was showing pictures of him this morning. He said, you know what I'm used to being used for sermons. So it's it's okay. So this is a couple of the pictures as you can tell the results were not that good a lot of blurry pictures and some pictures where it looks like the guys are just kind of standing around doing absolutely nothing because it was it was almost impossible to time it with the camera that I have now also taking pictures. I was a woman I can remember she was the mom of someone on the basketball team, but she would take pictures for Publications and stuff like that. She had a much better camera than I did. And so she would also stand under the basket in different places to take pictures and you can kind of she actually shared some of these pictures with us, and I think you might be able to see the difference. In having a camera that lets you take good or perfect timing and having one that does not he is the one with the ball by the way. Yeah. So in our scripture today, there's Jesus talks about timing and his timing is different than his brothers. And I think as we take a look at this scripture, it will give us some insight on how we can find that perfect timing as well. So I invite you to pray with me now and we will then take a look at our scripture father lead and guide us as we dive into your word. I pray that you would help me to share the words that you were laying on my heart to your people and I pray that your word would truly be a light for lies and a lamp to our path. It's in your name. I pray these things amen.

After this Jesus traveled in Galilee. He did not want to travel in Judea because the Jewish authorities that were wanting to kill you. What time for the Festival of shelters was near so Jesus Brothers said to him leave this place so that your followers will see you the things that you are doing people don't hide what they're doing. They want to be well-known. Since you are doing these things, but the whole world know about you. Not even his brothers believed in him.

Anytime is right for you the world kind of hate you but it hates me because I keep telling him that his ways are bad.

You going to the festival? I'm going to miss most of all. It's like time is going to come for me. He said this and then stayed on and got a D.

so Jesus Is in his home area at this point because we know and he knows that the religious authorities are trying to kill him. So it seems like a good plan to stick around. The the home area. However, there was a fast Festival that was about ready to take place. This translation says boost the good news translation that was in the video said shelters in the NIV said Tabernacle. It's all the same festival and what this Festival did was remember or commemorate the time when Jewish ancestors or wander around in the desert for 40 years. If you don't know the history, well, the Israelites were in slavery in Egypt and God heard their cries and sent them a deliver a person to rescue them. That's the best picture I can find of Moses. I think it's really Charlton Heston, though.

For those of you that don't know I keep showing this picture. I want to make sure you know, this is not Moses him and he reads the folks From Slavery to Freedom and to the edge of the promise when this was a land that God had promised to the Israelites long long before and they're there at the edge of this land and God told them to go in and take it to conquer the land but they're afraid they're unsure. They hesitated instead. They send in 12 Min to check the land out to buy alcohol. And so to speak and then come back and they say the land was amazing. It was flowing with milk and honey, which in their language is it's really great. You know, it's good good land. In fact, they brought back some fruit that was just like huge and they said so it's great land but There's always a but isn't there. There are giants in the land and they are huge and they are scary and we look like grasshoppers to them and I'm sure that they felt the same way that they were we are just these small small grasshoppers. They could just step on and squash and so 10 of them said if we go in the land will devour us. the two of the spies Joshua and Caleb come back and they said you know, yes, it's a great land everything that they said is true, but God is with us and we will be able to do what God tells us to do and we will be able to do what God calls us to do because he is with us so we go and take the land cuz that's what God has called us to do. So the Israelites got together and they said you know what we're going with the 10. It looks a little scary. It looks a little like we're going to be devoured. So we are just were passing on this God. Sorry, but it looks a little bit too rough too tough. We're not going to do it until the result was it they wandered around in the desert for 40 years until that generation that couldn't have faith in God died off in a new generation. But here's the cool thing and I think this is what because I'm thinking why are they having this Festival to commemorate unfaithfulness? You know, this was all about them not doing what God called him to do and they're they're celebrating it. I think what they were celebrating was even though the people were Unfaithful God never left them. He went with them in the wilderness. He traveled with them. They didn't have any permanent structures, so they would have to move from place to place and they set up tents or art or shelters or Booth or something. And so that's what the people are doing to celebrate this Festival. They're setting up temporary tent things and and that's where they're they're celebrating and living until that Festival is coming up in and Jesus brothers were saying leave here and go to Judea so that your disciples might see your work so they can see what you're doing. Now. Remember the last week something very troubling happened with Jesus. He he he he fed all these folks in the wilderness with a couple of loaves of bread and some fish and he had this big movement and then he had that whole teaching about if you're going to be if you're going to be fulfilled if you're no longer going to be hungry. You need to come to me if your know if you're wanting to not be thirsty anymore you need And many of his disciples found that a difficult teaching and what we saw last week and John 6:66 was because of this many of his disciples turn back and no longer went about with him. So he went from we don't know how many disciples down to the 12 because you remember he looks at them and says, are you guys leaving to and they said no We believe We believe you have the words of life. You are the Son of God and so his brothers might just be thinking, you know, you're wanting this movement to go you're wanting to build up your folks again. You need to go to Judea so that they can see you're worse because everyone's going to be there. No one who wants to be widely known act in secret. If you do these things do show yourself to the world. And then John had because this this actually seems I mean this seems like a pretty good advice. Doesn't it? If you wanted to build a movement if you wanted to go momentum what people see what you're doing so they can believe in you. But then John throws in this little almost like a parenthetical statement the kind of confuses folks. He says this for not even his brothers believed in him. It's what John is saying is they share this because they didn't really believe in Jesus. So he wait a minute to show the stuff that he's doing. It seems like they believe But as we go through John if you haven't noticed there's this theme of belief and there's different degrees or levels of believe you have the belief of the crowd when they're being fed in the wilderness with a couple of loaves of bread and some fish and they believe in Jesus so much of the track them down. But then Jesus says to them. You're not looking for me because you understand why I'm doing this or you understand the signs as what it says in John you're not doing it because you understand this you're doing it because you had your your belly still. That's why you're looking for me. And it seems like Jesus isn't looking for that kind of belief and it seems like that's right where his brothers are you don't let them see what you're doing for they might believe in you and so Jesus respond, and this is great. He says my what My time has not yet come but your what time is always here and it seems like he's doing this contrast between the brothers time how they look at time and how they look at what they do and how Jesus views his time and his actions. And so we kind of have these two time perspectives and for Jesus as we look through the scriptures with his will I would ask you but you know, it's kind of a longer longer and his will is to do what God wants can we agree on that? I mean we see that all through here. In fact one point. He told his disciples my food is to do the will of God and so he's waiting for God to give him the okay that he had now you can go to Judy at your time has come now. It's time. He says your time is always here interesting. Isn't it your times always here. Why because you're calling the shots? You just do what you want. You do what you want you do it when you want. There's no other perspective. It's just you and so you do what you want when you want. And for that reason, I think he says the world can I hate you because you're busy living like everyone else your mindset is the same as the crowd your ear. Your worldview is just like everyone else that I run into that. Jesus is living a different path it different perspective and it says the world hates me because just by him living this way. He is pointing out how different everyone else is living. And what's the difference between good and evil works? Well good works are birth from the heart of God. And that's what Jesus is waiting for. He's he's he's literally marching to the beat of A Different Drummer. We use that phrase in America. It means you're you're you're not doing things like everyone else. And Jesus was Marty marching to the beat of God's drum God's heartbeat when everyone else is just kind of doing whatever they wanted. And so he tells his brothers to go to the Festival yourselves. I'm not going my time is not yet fully calm and he stayed in Galilee. You know this whole time thing really really interest me. I remember a Sunday school lesson. I had when I was in high school, I still remember this and I would see if it wasn't for this Sunday school lesson. I would not be up here today. I can kind of pointed for this lesson. I believe and our Sunday school teacher was also are you I think I might have mentioned her before. She was not a Biblical scholar. She hadn't been to Seminary. She hadn't been the Bible College. She hadn't even college. She worked at dump Electronics on the assembly line. Why was she leading our Sunday school and youth group? Well, I think basically because no one else wanted to do it. Thank you Kathy. I mean, it's the same isn't it? I mean, there's not like a line Stant waiting to teach the youth are to be used with the youth for some reason but she was willing to do it. I don't know the conversation the pastor had with her. We were not privy to any of that but she was teaching our Sunday school class and I still remember the graphic in the book. It was a circle so you can imagine a circle and in the middle there was like a throne and on the throne there was an S and off to the side there was a little cross and I thought you know what I wonder if I can go on the internet and do some searches and find that graphic. I didn't find the exact product that I found one that was pretty close to it. And that was this does this look familiar my wife she was in the same Sunday school class. I think we both saw this and so you see the S on the on the chair there. What do you think the S represent any ideas? Send all right, that's good. It self well in our Sunday school class, I think Santa is good too, but it represents self that we are on and that's a chair been in the picture. I saw it was a throne because what I learned was we all have this thrown in the center of our lives and the question is who is on the throne and then in this picture it was it was self and that's kind of where the brothers were. That's why their time is always here because they basically called the shot Jesus is there in the picture but he's kind of off to the side and we kind of have him over there. At least I did because when I saw this picture I thought oh, yeah, that's me. I don't know if I was a junior or senior at the time it is I guess that's me. Jesus is in my life. I said yes to Jesus is kind of open the side I had in there in case I got into trouble. You know when things are going well, everything's moving along. You're feeling pretty good. Yeah, I'm on the throne. I'm calling the shots and then something happens like Jesus Take the Wheel, you know, I need you now. I need you to help me out of this mess. But what I learn was living this way and it's called in this graphic that I found this self-directed light meaning the word directing our self self is on the throne prices outside the life of no, I think Christ is in the life. It's just the fact that he's not completely on in control and our interest or directed by us ourselves. And this was the Peace often resulting in do you see that? Discord and frustration I would say dissonance there is this thing in our lives that things just aren't quite right and when things run will we don't notice? When things are going well, everything is great. We're on the throne. It's wonderful, but there are times when we realize. The things aren't quite right. This is where the brothers were. This is basically where the world is. Sometimes they don't have Jesus in the picture. But even in the church, we often live a self-directed life and what I learned is there I'm laughing because I said you might be able to tell that I've edited this next slide. I don't know. I tried it to make it so it wasn't noticeable, but I think it might be there is a another way to live life. I don't know why I did that.

If I call this the god directed Life or the christ-centered life, there's a lot of words you can use and that's where the cross or Jesus is on the throne. This is the life of Jesus was living. This is the life that Jesus was pointing out. This is why Jesus said, I'm not going to Festival because my time is not quite here yet. God hasn't texted me in that direction and what we learn from this life is that we you our lives to Jesus and we say Lord. Are you lead and guide me? I'm going to listen to you and I'm going to hear your direction and I'm going to follow you are interest or directed by Christ. Which results in harmony with God's plan and this is where that piece comes in that passes all understanding because there will still be trouble there will still be problems. There will still be storms will still be difficulty there still be times when we don't know if we can continue to go on but there will be this piece with Anna because we are aligned and in harmony with God's purpose and his plan. No wonder about the Israelites when they came to the edge of the promised land and God calls them to go into the land and they decide you know, what we're not going to do that. You want to hear you want to hear that the disclaimer for this kind of life? Your I believe when we are living the god directed Life God always takes us to places of blessing how many of you heard me say that before anybody catch that here's a secret. On the outside. They don't always look like places a blessing. That they don't on the outside of the Israelites when they came to that promised land that was a place of blessing. God said I promise you this land is your land you have to go in and take it but when they got there, they looked and it looks like a place of fear of a dread of Defeat of being devoured. And because of that they didn't go in because it look like a lot of work and a lot of danger. And so they ended up so I think of these two lives they were basically following this one. They were following this one. Cuz it's like we're not going to do what God calls us to do we're going to do what we feel is best and they ended up wandering around for 30 years and I think 40 years and I think we end up find ourselves in that same place when we follow that that route. But the god directed Place God directed Life always takes us to places of blessing. I wonder about Rhonda. Which he looked at? teaching the youth

and I know we gave her some hard times. I remember falling out of a moving car once.

I don't know what I was trying to be there for that. Okay? Yeah. Yeah. Anyway, we gave her a lot of trouble a lot of grief, but she continued to show up week after week. I'm sure when she look she's thinking. Oh my goodness. This is not a promise land. This is not a place of blessing. And I'm sure there was some friends that said to her. Why are you doing this? Why are you spending your time preparing these lessons for these kids. So it seems that they're not even listening. They're not paying attention. Why are you spending your time doing all this when there's so many other things that you could be doing with your time and with your life.

I don't think she had any idea that one day. At least one of her kids would be standing in front of a group of people telling her story.

And I'm thankful for her. Because if it wasn't for that lesson, I don't think I would be here this morning. And in the season of giving thanks. I just want to thank God for using her but more than that. I want to thank her for being used of God because no one else wanted to do it. And also I wanted to say thank you for those in this congregation. There's very few maybe 6. They're following her path. And they're moving forward and and they're they're teaching the youth and they're teaching our kids and sometimes it's really really hard. And sometimes you wonder you look nice like oh, this does not look like a place of blessing. But here's the thing. You don't know what to place a blessing until you're faithful and take the steps into the land. It's on thankful for them that they're taking steps into the land and I want to encourage you because maybe God is calling you to take a step if there's a place that you know God's calling you too. And you've been hesitating and just like, oh my goodness, I can't do it. I'm not equipped Ronda was and equip. She wasn't trained for this. But you know what God has God is amazing because he can take us where we are and do things with us, but we never thought he could do. And I have no idea what's going to happen to the kids in the kindergarten 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th 11th 12th grade.

Appointment is out. You know, you've been through this church in the youth and stuff and we have no idea what God might do with you. I think we're seeing some glimpses maybe today but we have no idea. We have no idea that maybe God is calling you to take those Steps of Faith and maybe at this point you're a little afraid or a little fearful. I encourage you to take the first step in and that's talk to Laura Hall just so you know what I'm not sure about this. I don't know where I fit in I I don't think that I'm ready or prepared or train. I don't even know what I can do talk to her and she will get you set up because I think it's too important for us to shrink back and become like the Israelites wandered around for 40 years. No God's not going to leave you he's going to be with you and that's to celebrate but you know what God has so much more for us. Can we not see I'm on the outside looking in we never realized his the death of his love and his grace and his purpose. May you find pleasure in following him. Let's join together in prayer father. I pray that you would lead and guide us as we seek to follow you there always has to pass Lord and we can choose to like Jesus said we can choose to just call the shots and be on our own time and every no one will argue with that or we can choose the path of Jesus. And follow and allow you to lead and guide and direct us. It's in your name that we pray these things. Amen.

Accusing him this morning.