All the Wrong Places

Recap (v.1-9)

After these things

· Gap of time representing at least six months (compare : Passover with : Feast of Tabernacles)

· Fill in the gap with (spending time with His disciples)

· Caesarea Philippi (Who do men say that I am?

· Transfiguration

· Who is the greatest in the kingdom?

· Parables unlocked to His disciples

He spent two days with 15,000 people; he spent 6 months with His disciples

· Training His disciples to be unleashed; discipleship was His strategy to spread His message.

· Paul followed this model with Titus and Timothy

· Paul taught this model

· We should follow this model

o Mass evangelism, unlimited budget, 1000 converted a night, 35 years, 365,000 new believers, we would be further behind at the end because of the birth rate

o Only believer on earth, lead one to Christ per year, and each year after each believer does so, within 50 years the whole world could be won to Christ.

The success of a church is not the size of the congregation, but the depth of the discipleship.

Application: How long have you been a Christian? Where are your disciples?

Disbelief of Family

(vv. 3-5)

Jesus' brothers (half brothers)

Sons of Joseph and Mary

James, Joseph, Simon, Judas –

Go Down to Jerusalem - why?

They remember he lost many disciples, bolster his popularity ratings

They, like other Jews, are waiting for a political messiah; forcing that role and personal benefit

They weren't convinced; IF you do these things, they didn't believe

Jesus brothers were unbelievers

Proximity is no guarantee of spirituality

To what extent?

Application: The hardest group to witness to is your own family.

They eventually believed

Corinthians 15:7; Pastor of the church in Jerusalem, wrote James

Jude wrote Jude

Dedication to Chronology

(vv. 6-9)

Jesus is always on a divine timetable – ; ; ; ;

Jesus' whole life was moving toward the cross; six months from this time.

Daniel predicted the time of Messiah exactly–

483 years from the commandment to restore Jerusalem, made by Artixerxes March 14, 445 BC

Application: Your timing and God's timing may be different. Jesus is always right on time.

Discovery of the People

(vv. 10-13)

Looking in all the wrong places, misunderstanding of who He is and on grace/gospel, fear to speak in public…

The Jews were his enemies; they sought to kill Him

Some said he was a good man; He wasn't, He was God

Some said he was a deceiver

Application: Who do you say he is?