John 7:1-24

7 After this Jesus went about in Galilee. He did not wish to go about in Judea because the Jews were looking for an opportunity to kill him. 2 Now the Jewish festival of Booths was near. 3 So his brothers said to him, “Leave here and go to Judea so that your disciples also may see the works you are doing; 4 for no one who wants to be widely known acts in secret. If you do these things, show yourself to the world.” 5 (For not even his brothers believed in him.) 6 Jesus said to them, “My time has not yet come, but your time is always here. 7 The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify against it that its works are evil. 8 Go to the festival yourselves. I am not going to this festival, for my time has not yet fully come.” 9 After saying this, he remained in Galilee.

Jesus at the Festival of Booths

10 But after his brothers had gone to the festival, then he also went, not publicly but as it were in secret. 11 The Jews were looking for him at the festival and saying, “Where is he?” 12 And there was considerable complaining about him among the crowds. While some were saying, “He is a good man,” others were saying, “No, he is deceiving the crowd.” 13 Yet no one would speak openly about him for fear of the Jews.

“After these things Jesus was going around Galilee. You see, he did not want to go around Judea because the Judeans were trying to kill him. Now the Judean Festival of Booths was approaching. So Jesus’ brothers were saying to him, ‘Leave this place and go up to Judea so that your disciples (there), too, can see the things you are able to do. Hey, no one who wants to be widely known does his thing in some little corner. Since you can do what you do, come on, show yourself to the world!’ You see, not even Jesus’ own brothers believed in him.”

“So Jesus says to them, ‘My time is not yet here. Your time is always right now. The world cannot possibly hate you. But it hates me because I testify against it, telling it that the way it lives is all fouled up. You go to the Festival. I am not going to this Festival (now) because my time has not yet come.’ When he had said this, he stayed right there where he was in Galilee. Then, when Jesus’ brothers had left for the Festival, he too went up, but in secret, not openly.”

“Well, the Judeans were looking all over the place for Jesus at the Festival, and they were saying, ‘Where is that fellow, anyway?’ And a lot of whispering was going on among the crowds. Some were saying, ‘You know, he’s a good man.’ But others were saying, ‘Oh no, he’s badly misleading the masses.’ Yet nobody was daring to speak openly about him for fear of the Judeans.

Jesus moves in God’s timing not man’s timing.

The brothers see how the world works

-Show yourself - become successful

-Seize the day -You must capitileze on this opportunity.

-If you are part of or leading in a successful church -if you are winning the whole world - check your soul. Check the soul of your church. Absolutely church grow mightily in number sometimes in the power and move of the holy spirit - but when our churces our successful - those are times for deep soul searching (when are churches are unsuccessful because we have grown accustomed to all our preferences being met or when we are lazy or cold to the plight of the hurting world - we also should check our soul) But successful churches - do we have to promote ourselves at all costs - do we have to go big all the time (for the sake of winning folks to christ - or for the sake of making sure we are seen as successful - What do we do with Jesus words in the SOTM - Jesus is brothers are using conventional wisdom and it sounds like they believe in him - but its called unbelief - do we do the same thing in our churches? Oh obviously we have to do this big thing - its a good thing - (and we can wear our t-shirts - to let the world know that we are helping them- for jesus jesus will be glorified - maybe - maybe we want to make a name for our church - and ourselves and maybe we feel way better as pastors when people show up. Each cas

each case is different. I can’t judge anyone else’s thing I’m telling you what i feel in myself as church leaders. I think many churches would line up with the thinking of the brothers and be confused by Jesus game plan. We should study Jesus as the one who has faith and recognize that the brothers think like they because they do not have faith.

reflecting on this - my prayer is for me, all of us, everyone to be people that do not live for success. And that we might find freedom from the anxieties of time - the fear of missing out that plagues our society.

Jesus does not live for the success and the immediate need for success that much of the world lives for. Jesus does not live for getting an identity and meaning from the praise of others. he does not need that. That’s good news. Look at how Jesus lives. It is a good way. He is anxious about time or fear of missing out. He isn’t anxious about being successful. His identity isn’t weak or frail like mine and maybe your. He doesn’t need his brother’s approval - or the cities (cultures) approvals. He doesn’t need his family or his society to tell him when he is successful - Hear that again he doesn’t need his family or his society (or his religious buddies or his “church- his disciples will demand he do something too- he doesn’t need any of them to tell him when he is succesfful - he is free of that and is anchored to a stronger identiy as the son of the Father in heaven. he is anchored to being led by the Spirit of God - Dear God i want that. That sounds like living water. that sounds like daily bread that will keep me satisfied. Chasing success and a race against time and living in fear of missing out leaves me starved and thirsty - every new day is a fight for enough success to to not g

Dear God - I want what Jesus has - it is a free man we meet in this gospel. I want that freedom that comes from being a child of the Father and led by the Spirit of God

If follow him - really follow I think we find a path to freedom from the burden of needing to be successful. We can be free from the burden of the constant time demands that are put upon us.

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What show time does to faith is to demonstrate that our real belief and even our god is the world’s praise. Christians must watch constantly for torqued motives

(SOTM - do not let your right hand know what your left hand is doing)

This paragraph reeks successism. It sounds like a call to Hollywood or Broadway rather than to Golgotha or Bethany. But doesn’t the brothers’ suggestion—charitably interpreted—show at least some belief in Jesus’ ability? Yes, in a way. Then why does John add, “You see, not even Jesus’ own brothers believed in him”? Because showing off—even for “evangelical” ends—is not believing; no, it is the rankest unbelief

-the call to be successful. The brothers are saying - show off the signs and wonders. That sounds like they believe in him. John calls it unbelief. Showing off - even for evangelistic ends - shwoing off so people can see how awesom jesus is - is not believe according to john - but UNBELIEF.

“When the Festival was now midway through the week, Jesus went up into the Temple and was teaching away. So the Judeans were agitated and were saying, ‘How does this fellow know so much when he hasn’t even had a real education?’ So Jesus responded to them and said, ‘My teaching is not my own; it is the teaching of the One Who Sent Me. If anyone really wants to do his will, that person will learn the truth about this teaching: whether it comes from God or whether I am just talking on my own. The person who talks on one’s own is a person seeking one’s own glory. But the person seeking the glory of the One Who Sent Him—there is the person who is trustworthy, and there is nothing false in that person.’ ”

“ ‘Isn’t it true that Moses gave you the Law? And isn’t it also true that not one of you really keeps the Law? For example, why are you trying to kill me?’ The crowd responded, ‘You have a demon, fellow! Who’s trying to kill you?!’ Jesus replied and said to them, ‘I did one work, and you are all up in arms. Look, here’s one reason Moses gave you circumcision (not that circumcision comes from Moses, of course, but from Moses’ ancestors): It was so that even on a Sabbath Day you can circumcise a boy. Well, then, if a boy is circumcised on a Sabbath so that the Law of Moses will not be broken, why in the world are you so angry with me when I make a grown man completely whole on a Sabbath Day? Don’t give your judgment here superficially; make your judgment with integrity.’ 

Teaching for the Glory of God.

For your own Glory or For God’s Glory?

Jesus is not educated - there is suspiscion there.

They knock his teachings, and they knock his education

Deuteronomy 18:15–20 is one of the most important and most neglected messianic promises in Hebrew Scripture. Jesus fills out its content remarkably. (a prophet like moses is coming)

Jesus is not trying to be original - but to point to the Father

Runs against our cultural rules to be fresh, new, re-fresh - see the next new original thing

I have 3 social media feeds. THE PRIMARY FUNCTION OF THEsE APPLICATIONS (BESIDES MAKING MONEY FOR THE OWNERS AND COLLECTING DATA ABOUT OUR LIFE) - tHE PRIMARY THING IS TO GIVE US SOMETHING NEW - WE HIT REFRESH, WE HIT REFRESH, RE HIT REFRESH - AND 2ND THING IS FOR EVERYONE TO POINT TO SOMETHING ABOUT THEMSELVES - EVER WHEN WE ARE TALKINAG ABOUT OTHER THINGS WE ARE POINTING TO OURSELVES - SEE i AM THE ONE WHO CELEBRATES THE RIGHT THING. sEE THIS IS WHERE i STAND POLITICALLY. sEE THIS IS WHO I’M CONNECTED TO, A big chunk of our life on social media - and it is a big chunk - sometimes you get the notifications that tells you how much time you spent on your phone - oh boy.

A big chunk of our social media life and our life - Is to search for new, original fresh cool, AND to point to ourselves to get some likes and affirmation for ourselves

IT IS EXHAUSTING and deep down I don’t like it, *but I keep doing it - because wea re easily bored and its a vicious cycle -

When we come ot jesus we find something different - something re-freshing but in a different way. He gives us something to free us. Or enrage us - he pushes us one way or the other

Jesus does not point to himself and he is not living for the next new tantalizing thing -he is living for things that are so much deeper - and I believe we would find better life - life abundant, eternal - (that’s what John’s about)

What is he living for

-not himself - but to point to the glory of the father (social media is for your glory- we are in the me generation - look at Disappearing church -

-No original - the scriptures

-What is he living for to point to the sending God - what is he living for - to point people to the love of the father

-to the Glory of the God the fahter- teaching - the scriptures - teh way of life.

-To bring healing!

- to bring the fullness of the sabbath (real rest - real refreshment - the refreshing wholeness - SAbbath rest - and healing.

TITLE - RE-FRESH RE-FRESH RE-FRESh