The Gospel of John | Chapter 7

Good morning. I'm an Birch and I'm reading the scripture today. The scripture is John chapter 7 verses 1 through 9. It's found on page 94 in the New Testament of your pube Bible and I will be reading from The New International Version. After this Jesus went around in Galilee. He did not want to go about in Judea because the Jewish leaders there were looking for a way to kill him. But when the Jewish Festival of Tabernacles was near Jesus brother said to him leave Galilee and go to Judea so that your stifles there may see the works. You do know one who wants to become a public figure since you are doing these things show yourself to the world. For him and his own brothers did not believe in him there for Jesus told them. My name is not yet here for you. Anytime will do the world cannot hate you but it will hate you hates me because I testify that it's works are evil you go to the Festival. I am not going up to this Festival because my time has not yet fully come after he had said this he stayed in Galilee the word of God for the people of God.

Thank you Ann for stepping into reading for us this morning. When my son was in I've already told my son I shown pictures of him today when he was in high school. So he's I don't know if he's good with it. But at least he knows when he was in high school. He played on the high school basketball team and I trying to be a good parent. I would go are good father. At least I would go to the games and try to take pictures of him. The problem was I had a cheap camera and maybe you had cameras like this that when you push the the the button it didn't take the picture right away. There's like a slight delay and so one solution is get a better camera. My solution was to try to time the action. So try to anticipate when things are going to happen and push the button to get the delay to get the perfect timing and I brought some results of my prior to do that. And they will show up here. There we go. Yeah, not not real good results a lot of blurry pictures and also a lot of pictures where it's like, okay. Why did you take this? There's absolutely nothing going on what I either missed the action or it's still a ready to take place either one. So my camera didn't allow me to have good timing at all. However, there is a woman that used to take pictures. She had a really nice camera. I think some of the local newspapers and places would would use her her pictures and she would stand under the basket or somewhere around and like I said, she had a much better camera and I'm pretty sure that when she push the button it took the picture which made getting the perfect timing much much easier and here were her results. You see a difference just a little bit of a difference and it's scripture today. Jesus talks about timing that he's kind of operating off a different timing and I think the scripture today can also help us know what we have to do to have much better timing in life. So I invite you to pray with me and then we will take a look at our scripture this morning father. I pray that you would lead and guide us today. I thank you that you have brought us here. I believe you or the one who has brought us here and you brought us here for a reason and purpose and also for Mission and father. I pray that your word is a dive into it would be a lamp to our lives a light to our path and father. I pray that you would lead me and help me to show the words that you've laid on my heart that you want to share with your people. It's in your name. We pray amen.

After this Jesus traveled in gallery, you did not want to travel in Julian because the Jewish authorities that were wanting to kill you, but time for the Festival of shelters was near so Jesus brother said to him leave this place and don't you dare so that your followers will see you the things that you are doing. Beautiful 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. It will kind of hate you but it hates me because I keep telling it that it's always a bad.

You going to the festival? I'm not going to this Festival. I feel like time is going to come for me. He said this and then stayed on and going to be.

So we we have Jesus in his hometown area Galilee is his hometown area and for good reason because they Jewish authorities were trying to kill him. So he doesn't want to go to Judy it all to Jerusalem. However, the Festival of booths. I think the NIV said this ain't Tabernacles and the good news translation. If you caught it said shelters it goes by all these different titles and the festival was coming up in Jerusalem, and it was a festival to remember the time the Israelites wandered around in the wilderness for how many years 40. So most of you know that the history here that the people of God were in slavery in Egypt for how many years 400 years ago for 400 that's a long time. That's a long time and they cried out to God and God sent them a deliver someone to rescue them and his name was the Charlton Heston. I just wanted to point out that this is not actually Moses. This is Charlton Heston. I know I've been showing this picture just in case you're confused. I couldn't find a good picture of the actual Moses. And so this this was my second might go to one and and let them out of slavery into freedom and actually LED them to to the edge of the land that God had promised them. He promised them this wonderful land and he was calling them to go into the land. But once they get there, they hesitate because they're a little bit afraid and so they send in 12 men to spy out the land to check it out and they come back and they say you will not believe this land. It is amazing. It is Flowing with milk and honey, which is a good thing. All right at this point. That was a good thing. They brought some fruit at his huge fruit, beautiful. Amazing. Land. God is good. in all the time but don't like that do you but there are giants in the land and they are huge they are scary and we were like grasshoppers to them. We felt like Grasshoppers and they thought the same thing we're like Grasshoppers. And so if we go into the land it will devour us it will eat us up and spit us out. Two of the spies. However came back with a slightly different take on this report. They said yeah, it's a great land. Yes, there are giants in the land. But here's the thing. Our God is bigger than any of the Giants in that land and we can take the land we can do it because God has called us to do it and we can go and we will be successful and they go to the Israelites and I don't know if they put it up for a vote or what that they decided to go with the 10 that said we shouldn't go in the land rather than the two that say God will give us this land because he said he would And so the result of that of that unfaithfulness was that generation wondered around in the wilderness for 40 years because they didn't have the faith to enter the land and to be honest when I was thinking about the history here and the Festival of booths. I'm thinking why in the world would you want to celebrate this event? That's because they were wondering for 40 years because they were unfaithful.

But you know what God was faithful. And he went with them even though they didn't trust him. He didn't leave them or forsake them because he wandered around with them in the wilderness. And so they commemorate that they would build shelters or booze or tents. And they would would live in those and be in those to remember that time that 40 years were they wandered around in the wilderness because of their own faithfulness that God remain with them and then after that generation died out the new generation actually went and took took the land. So his brothers are telling him you need to go to Judea so that who you or for your disciples. So your disciples Also may see the work you were doing. Remember last week the scripture. We looked at ended with this verse or when this was near the end John 6:66. I always remember this verse for some reason and it's the time when many disciples stop following Jesus. Jesus had a pretty good following he act had a feed them in the wilderness with a couple of Loaves and some fishes and they were so impressed by that. They wanted to make him King remember that they wanted to make him King by force and in fact the next day they chased him down to the other side of the lake and Jesus said it wasn't because you understood what I was doing that you look for me. It wasn't because you understood the signs or Miracles it was because you had your fill of bread. And then he started teaching how he was the bread that would bring fulfillment. Then if you are hungry, if you came to him, you would no longer be hungry if you believe in him you no longer be Thursday. He was the one and they had trouble with the teaching and they had difficulty and because of the teaching many of the disciples turn back and no longer went about with him. So here is brother saying go to Judea show yourself what people see so that your disciples can see what you're doing so that they will believe so maybe you'll pick up some new disciples. Because aren't they write the one that wants to be widely known acts in secret? You need to get a platform. You need to get a marketing person you need to do all those you need to show yourself. If you do these things show yourself to the world and on the surface. I mean you seem like good advice that he's given to Jesus on the surface cuz you wanted to reach people you're wanted people to know that you're the bread Sent From Heaven, you're one of them to know that if they want to to to be fulfilled that they have to come to you. Someone respect. This makes a lot of sense, but then John puts in this little parenthetical statement that makes things a little bit more complex. He says this. Not even his brothers believed in him. Wait a minute brother to tell him go to Judy the show us to show off to do a show so that everyone will know.

well, if you've been following John and then in the sermon series, you will know that John talks about believe quite a bit and it's starting to become clear that there is a difference a couple of different levels for believe you have the belief of the crowd who believed in Jesus because they were having their fill of bread and because of the great things he was doing

In a Brother's kind of fall into this this lot but then you trying to get the sense that Jesus is looking for something else. He's not looking for that kind of belief. He's looking for a deeper deeper believe it. So even though his brother's believe he's doing these things at least it seems that way. They're not truly believe in him. In Jesus responds and I think this is very insightful. He says my time has not yet come. That your time is always here. He kind of sets up this this Duality this dip two different types of time perspectives and he tells his brothers your time is always here, but my time has not yet come. Because it seems that Jesus is marching to the beat of A Different Drummer. The brothers they just basically decide what makes sense. You know, you come up with your Pros or cons you figure it out. This is what I want. This is my desire. They're saying, you know anyone that wants to be shutting it be known, you know, they don't act and secret but Jesus is like saying no, wait a minute. My perspective might my perspective on time is different because I'm marching to God's heart beat your marching to your own. You're calling your own shot. I am not and so he tells him my time is not yet, It's God has not let me in that direction. God has not called me to go back there. You can go because you know, your time is your time you can do whatever but I want to listen to the heartbeat of God and he continues and says the world cannot hate you why cuz you're just doing what everyone else does your just followed along with the culture you're in the same mindset, you're thinking the same thoughts. You have the same ideas. Yes, whoever wants to be known widely. They don't act and secretly go to you that makes sense because that's how the world operates. He says that the world hates me.

Because my Jesus very decisions on how he lives. He actually testifies against the way in the path of the world. Just by his very decisions and the way that he works. It is an indictment against everyone else and he says and the world hates me for it because I testify that it's works for evil. Why is it evil because they're not being birth from the heart of God. God is the one we don't have time to dive down into it. But God is the one that determines what's good and what isn't and so Jesus by living out this this God directed Life is pointing out how misdirected everyone else's life is and so he says the world hates me for that and he tells tells his brothers. He said go to the Festival yourselves. I'm not going to this Festival. My time has not yet fully come in after this. He remained in Galilee. So Jesus is kind of set up this comparison in at least two different drummers the heartbeat of yourself or the heartbeat of God and I have to ask myself which one am I living by? You know when I was in high school, I can't remember if it's a junior or senior. I I still remember one of the lessons for my Sunday school class and that that is very impressive. I don't remember much from high school. Remember this lesson in our our teacher was also a youth group leader. So she did both her name was Rhonda. She was not a Biblical scholar should never been to Seminary should never been to Bible College. In fact, she hadn't even been to college. She wasn't on staff at our church. She worked a Delco Electronics on the assembly line. She was a factory worker. But she taught us Sunday school and then she would lead our youth group. Why. Why do you think anyone have any ideas?

She was the only one willing to do it because no one else would do it and and you know Brett I don't even know if she was willing. I think at some point you get to the point where it's like how I don't want to do this but no one else is going to do it and I got it right John. Yeah, so we'll all jump in yo, we gave her a hard time. I remember this morning. I actually fell out of a moving car and youth group. So it isn't it's not a hero. I'm not I'm not suggesting that that it was. Yeah, it was it was an interesting time. We were we were messing around. But anyway.

But she taught us this lesson and I would say if it wasn't for this lesson. I probably wouldn't be standing here this morning. Maybe some of you have seen this graphic before it's a circle and inside the circle. There's there is a throne and on the throne there is a great big S2 sounded familiar anyone see this and then there's across. Okay, so you're like, yeah. Yeah. So use you seen this Alex. It's pretty it's pretty instructive, isn't it? It was for me Ashley. I thought I wonder that graphic is still around because this was back in like the late forties when I saw this. Yeah. Yeah, I'm not that old. Yeah, there was a long time ago and I thought and I found an image. It isn't exactly like that. It's pretty close. You've got the circle you got not a throne but a chair, there we go. And you've got the little cross down to the side and N Dat Ass. If you don't know stands for self you and what I learned it at Sunday School classes. We all have this this life and each one of us has this thrown and usually we are sitting on the throne. We are calling the shop. We are living by the beat of our own drummer. So to speak and still we so our time is always here. We just do what we want. You know, we have our goals. We have our dreams Jesus. It is in this picture, but he's kind of off to the side. It and I saw this something and yeah, that's my life. That's how I'm living. I said yes to Jesus. So I was a Christian but Jesus is kind of over here somewhere and he was there because most the time things went well in my life. But there were those other times when things would kind of go a little wonky and I start having trouble and so Jesus is there just to kind of help out. You know if I started to get in trouble, I would say hey Jesus Take the Wheel, you know, I need you now because I messed this up and things aren't going the way I wanted to so Jesus you come in you kind of get me back to where I need to be and then I'll put you over here at all is like I'll take it from here. And I realize that was the life I was living and usually like I said, it went very very well. But there were times when it didn't well this graphic also had this part and it's called at the self-directed life, which I think is is Right self is on the throne. They had the crisis outside the life. No, no Christ. I mean, yes, sometimes that's the case but Christ can be part of our Lives when we still lived self-directed lives. It's who's calling the shots? And down the little bullet point it says interest or directed by self. Yo, our goals are dreams our desire for we want to end up often resulting in. I don't know if you can see this Discord and frustration. I would also say dissonance we have those times when it's like, you know things just aren't they're not aligned. They're not working. Something is just a miss and so there's this deep-seated dissonance in our lives and it was at that Sunday school lesson that Sunday school morning that I learned that there is a different way to live life as a Christian. And I don't know I actually found this graphic but I edited it some and I don't I just feel like I need to let you know that I did edit this. So it's a little different. I don't know if you would have been able to tell otherwise so I thought I should tell you that I did edit that song. I know it looks professional God directive life. This is where we love God through Jesus to be on the throne that we March to the beat of God's heart beat that we allow out Jesus to guide and direct us and all of our activities are basically set by him. It's a different way to live. And living this way means that we have yielded ourself to Jesus that allows him to basically set our pass and R&R directions. That's why Jesus says, my time is not yet come. Yeah, you guys can go do what you want. But I am listening to the heartbeat of God. The result of this isn't our interest or directed by Christ that result in harmony with God's plan and there are still difficulties there still trouble. There are times when things don't go. Well there still storms in our lives, but the difference is there is a deep-seated. Peace. Because we know we are in the palm of God's hand and even though we might not understand where he's taking us or why he's taking us this direction. We have a deep-seated faith that he is taking us to a place of blessing. I don't know why Rhonda said that she would teach our youth. I'm sure that when she looked at the group. A folks in the group youth group and we were a challenging but you got a good youth group here. We were kind of a mess. We probably didn't look like God was taking her to a place a blessing know I often use that phrase some of you heard me say, I believe the gods always taking this place is a blessing but here's the disclaimer a lot of times on the outside. It doesn't look like a place of blessed. We're like the Israelites when they are coming to freedom and there was a promise land it was great. But it also look like a place of danger a place it would devour them a place of distress and because of that they were afraid to enter in and so they ended up wandering around for 40 years and you know what? When will we live that out far too often? We just end up spinning our Wheels in life when God is calling us to this place of blessing, but it doesn't look like it to begin with.

I'm sure that our youth group certainly didn't look like a place for God blessing. But I'm thankful that Rhonda said yes.

She probably had no idea that one day one from that youth group would be standing in a group of people sharing her story. Cuz you have no idea what God will do. Would you take the steps of faith? No idea at all.

It's all I want to say this morning on this Thanksgiving weekend. I'll stall add to send Thanksgiving with that. I'm thankful for her. I'm thankful for her faithfulness. I'm thankful that she put up with us. I'm thankful that she told us to never jump out of moving cars again. SolarMovies actually I was trying to run next to the car and it kind of went too fast and I kind of lost my feet. So it was a good it was a good good Sunday evening. I'm also thankful for those in this congregation. far too few they said yes. To take enough steps with God and working with our youth and kids. We have no idea. But one of those kids might grow up to become. We have no idea of what our commitment and time with them might do them. They might remember something that we said because usually we don't think they were getting through and I'm thankful for those were working with Aries now because Lauren I know it's not easy. All right, it's it's not easy. It's it's like that Promised Land there were giants in the land in there about 2 ft tall. Yeah, and they might eat you up and spit you out. But you know what? You never know what God will do cuz I'm convinced he's always taking us to places a blessing. It's all I'm thankful for them. How many do we have working in the kids and youth area?

I'm putting her on the spot. I know.

9 okay. It's not even 10% of our congregation working. I would encourage you. Maybe God's laying on your heart and maybe he has. But because of the Fear Factor because of the scariness of the area because you're thinking all I'm not trained will Ronda wasn't trained. I'm not equipped. Rhonda wasn't equipped at all. Assistance for your way while I'm encouraging to do is talk to Laura. Just just so you know what I don't know what place I fit in. I don't know where I need to be a bet. I want to be faithful to God and I have a sense that he's calling me and somehow this is the promised land that he's calling me to. Cuz you have no idea what God will do with your faithfulness. If no idea more than that, wherever you find yourself in life. Allow God to lead and direct you. It might be scary at times. It might be difficult. But you know what? He's always taking us to places of blessing and one day you might look back like Ronda does now and say I'm so glad that I said yes to him in that because if I said no. I did much different person. Jesus loves you and he takes you to places a blessing and he will enable you and he will Empower you and you will be amazed at what God does with your life. Let's join together in prayer father. I pray that you would help us to truly truly choose the path that you were calling us to help us to to step down off are thrown so that you can be on the throne of Our Lives. Vita and guide us in direct his father and this morning we thank you for your presence in our lives. We thank you for the good things you pour in our lives and we give it back to you because you have given us so generously and graciously. Please take these ties offerings and Gifts use them for your purposes bless them multiply them and use us for your purposes as well. It's in your name. We pray. Amen.