Sermon Tone Analysis

Choose to Follow Christ!

The Gospel of John

John 7:1-13

Sermon by Rick Crandall

Grayson Baptist Church - November 9, 2016

(Revised August 19, 2019)

BACKGROUND:

*Please open your Bibles to John chapter 7. Before we begin to explore this chapter, notice that it begins by saying:

1.

After these things Jesus walked in Galilee; for He did not want to walk in Judea, because the Jews sought to kill Him.

2. Now the Jews' Feast of Tabernacles was at hand.

*"After these things Jesus walked in Galilee," that is, after He had fed the five thousand with five loaves and two fish, after He had that long conversation at Capernaum about being the Bread of Life, and after many more things John did not report.

*There is a time gap here in John's Gospel between chapters 6 and 7. Bible scholars estimate that it was months long, based on the 6-month time period between the second Passover of Christ's ministry and this last Feast of the Tabernacles.

(1)

*We will go into very interesting detail about this feast when we get to "the last day, that great day of the feast" in John 7:37.

But right now, it's important to stress that John went into great detail about the events that centered around this Feast of the Tabernacles.

John Phillips tells us that this part of John's Gospel stretches from John 7:1 all the way to John 10:21.

(2)

*It's a mystery how the Holy Spirit led the different Gospel writers to include different events in the Lord's ministry.

And we can't be sure how that worked.

But we can be sure about the most important things of God!

He always knows what He's doing, and He always does the right thing!

We can also be sure that the Holy Spirit of God inspired those chosen men to write exactly what God wanted us to know.

*We can be sure that there is more than enough spiritual food for us here in God's Word!

More than enough for us to be saved, more than enough to show us how to live.

And Christians: There is more than enough to feed our souls until the Lord takes us home to Heaven.

*It's also sure that the cross of Christ is now 6 months away, because the Feast of the Tabernacles was midway between the Passover Feasts.

And it is sure that everyone should choose to follow our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

*With this background in mind, let's read John 7:1-13, and as we read, please think about following Jesus.

MESSAGE:

*Who are you following these days?

It makes all the difference in the world.

Stephen Fournier told about a night when his mother-in-law was driving home in a nasty storm.

It was one of those blinding rains like we get around here from time to time.

It was super hard for her to see.

But she could just make out the tail lights on the car ahead, so, she followed as closely as she could.

*All of sudden the car in front of her came to stop.

She began wonder what had happened.

And she was real nervous, because of course, stopping in the middle of the road can cause a wreck.

*Much to her alarm the car in front turned off their lights!

Now she was getting mad.

Why in the world did he do that?

Then, there was a tap on her window.

And there was a man standing in the pouring rain wanting to speak to her.

*She cracked open the window and said, "What’s the problem?"

The man said he wanted to ask her the same thing.

*She said, "I’m not the one who stopped in the middle of the road and turned off the lights."

He said, "Lady, you’re not in the road.

You’re in my driveway."

(3)

*Stephen’s mother-in-law was following the wrong leader.

That will always take us to the wrong place, and this is especially true when it comes to spiritual matters.

Everyone should choose to follow the right leader, the only perfect leader: Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

1. AND WHEN WE CHOOSE TO FOLLOW CHRIST, WE WILL AVOID THE DISASTER OF DISBELIEF.

*Most of the people in this passage were unbelievers, and the Lord helps us to see the disaster of their disbelief.

[1] NOTICE THAT UNBELIEF LEADS TO MANIPULATION.

*We see this truth in the Lord's brothers who at this point did not believe that their older brother Jesus was the promised Christ and Savior of the world.

Verses 1-5 say:

1.

After these things Jesus walked in Galilee; for He did not want to walk in Judea, because the Jews sought to kill Him.

2. Now the Jews' Feast of Tabernacles was at hand.

3. His brothers therefore said to Him, "Depart from here and go into Judea, that Your disciples also may see the works that You are doing.

4. For no one does anything in secret while he himself seeks to be known openly.

If You do these things, show Yourself to the world.''

5.

For even His brothers did not believe in Him.

*Jesus’ brothers were trying to get Him to go to Jerusalem for the feast.

And on the surface, their arguments seemed logical, but the Lord knew their hearts.

Jesus knew that they didn’t believe in Him.

That's why they were sort of daring Him to show up in Jerusalem and do something big.

They were trying to manipulate the Lord.

*The devil did the same thing when he tempted Jesus in the wilderness.

Matthew 4:1-11 says:

1.

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.

2. And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry.

3. Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, "If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.''

4. But He answered and said, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.' ''

5. Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple,

6. and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down.

For it is written: 'He shall give His angels charge concerning you,' and, 'In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone.'''

7. Jesus said to him, "It is written again, 'You shall not tempt the Lord your God.'''

8. Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.

9.

And he said to Him, "All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.''

10.

Then Jesus said to him, "Away with you, Satan!

For it is written, 'You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.'''

11.

Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him.

*Just like the devil, the Lord's brothers were trying to manipulate Jesus.

And sometimes we might try to manipulate the Lord for our own selfish ends.

But that is certainly the wrong thing to do.

*At the same time though, we can ask God for our heart’s desires.

We can ask God for big things, because God wants to do big things in our lives!

And our faith-filled prayers touch the heart of Heaven.

[2] BUT UNBELIEF LEADS TO MANIPULATION.

CHURCH: IT ALSO LEADS TO MALICIOUSNESS.

*As Jesus talked to His brothers in vs. 6-7, He mentioned this evil hatred:

6.

Then Jesus said to them, "My time has not yet come, but your time is always ready.

7. The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it that its works are evil.

*The unbelieving world hates Jesus Christ.

And the main way they manifest that hatred today is by hating the Lord's followers.

On the night before the cross, Jesus told us they would hate us.

In John 15:17-21, Jesus said:

17. "These things I command you, that you love one another.

18.

If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you.

19.

If you were of the world, the world would love its own.

Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.

20.

Remember the word that I said to you, 'A servant is not greater than his master.'