WEBVTT 00:00:09.720 --> 00:00:13.300 Hello and welcome to the Kalamazoo church of Christ podcast. 00:00:13.519 --> 00:00:14.839 Thank you so much for listening. 00:00:15.300 --> 00:00:16.199 We're startup church. 00:00:16.280 --> 00:00:23.460 We just planted in September, 2020 and at the Kalamazoo church, we believe that Christianity is done best when it is done together. 00:00:23.539 --> 00:00:32.299 And so if you live in the Kalamazoo area, we would love to connect, be it coming to a Sunday service, one of our small groups, or even just grabbing coffee with a member to learn more. 00:00:32.539 --> 00:00:36.439 You can visit kalamazoo.church in order to do that. 00:00:37.039 --> 00:00:40.380 We pray that you are inspired by what you hear today. 00:00:46.060 --> 00:00:52.039 You guys, uh, you know, you think about what it looked like for us coming to church this morning. 00:00:52.219 --> 00:00:55.299 Um, you know, I don't know what your, what your Sundays generally look like. 00:00:55.719 --> 00:01:00.380 Um, hours in the sing household are generally, uh, relatively chaotic. 00:01:00.380 --> 00:01:04.959 Um, we got, uh, obviously a four and a two year old and, uh, you know, I'll get to church either. 00:01:05.200 --> 00:01:07.480 We'll set up at night, but a lot of times it's been in the morning. 00:01:07.560 --> 00:01:15.120 We'll come set up and it's like, wake up as early as you possibly can to get to church as early as you possibly can and set up. 00:01:15.140 --> 00:01:23.480 And you know, I'm, you know, to my, uh, you know, at different points, I'll like try to set up that I'm going to get out of the house before the girls wake up. 00:01:23.480 --> 00:01:24.739 A lot of times it doesn't happen. 00:01:25.019 --> 00:01:28.560 And so then I'm, you know, you're, you're running around and you're doing all of these things. 00:01:28.980 --> 00:01:37.760 Uh, maybe, you know, on the way to church, there's something that happens or there's, there's something and you don't have this full breakfast or you're trying to get your kids out the door. 00:01:37.840 --> 00:01:48.180 And one of them forgets to brush their teeth and hopefully it's not you, but you guys understand that this is a, this is a lot of times when we think of church, you know, there's all of this attached to it. 00:01:48.420 --> 00:01:54.739 Um, now consider for a little bit what it would have been like to worship in the wilderness. 00:01:54.739 --> 00:02:02.280 And this is, this tabernacle is this connection where like God's spirit can, can dwell with his people. 00:02:02.459 --> 00:02:08.659 The, the word tabernacle as, as we can, we can understand it to be a temporary dwelling. 00:02:08.900 --> 00:02:14.939 And so if you, as you hear the word tabernacle, again, it's a, it's a word that's like pretty churchy and it's like kind of what does that mean? 00:02:14.939 --> 00:02:19.719 And it sounds, it just sounds Jewish, you know, and, and, but just understand it to be a temporary dwelling. 00:02:20.180 --> 00:02:34.159 And, um, whatever, uh, you know, whatever the, the worship would have been, you think about for us what, what the smell is when I know I was talking to somebody and we're like, man, when we walk in and I smell the, uh, the church coffee, like I know what I'm getting into it. 00:02:34.219 --> 00:02:35.439 I know what I know what to expect. 00:02:35.439 --> 00:02:37.580 Like I've, I've done this before for them. 00:02:38.360 --> 00:02:44.500 Perhaps they would walk in and they would smell, uh, or they would see a lot of these different colors that were intentional. 00:02:44.599 --> 00:02:49.479 Perhaps they would smell, uh, you know, the, the, the animal being sacrificed. 00:02:49.479 --> 00:02:54.280 And there would be like, okay, this, I know what's going on and I know what, what worship is going to be like. 00:02:55.979 --> 00:02:59.780 Um, it's, it's tough for us and we're going to make, we're going to make a little bit of a jump. 00:02:59.819 --> 00:03:09.860 We're not going to talk super in depth about, uh, the tabernacle and all of the, uh, everything surrounding it as far as, uh, the specific regulations and guidelines. 00:03:09.860 --> 00:03:16.300 And that stuff is, that stuff is for a different time is what I would say, um, or for a different time for us to study. 00:03:16.300 --> 00:03:24.719 If you've listened to the podcast this week, it goes in pretty great depth and in more depth than I'm even, uh, that I, that I can even share here. 00:03:24.879 --> 00:03:37.460 Um, so we're in John one though, because I, I think what's incredible is if we understand, uh, tabernacle to be a temporary dwelling, then work with me here. 00:03:38.659 --> 00:03:42.659 Isn't that what God did when, when he came on this, this earth? 00:03:42.659 --> 00:03:55.780 Uh, and that's what we're going to, we're going to look at that, that Jesus, uh, was in heaven, this perfect place and decided to, to come down on this earth and to dwell with us. 00:03:56.240 --> 00:04:01.460 Um, we're going to read John one and I'm going to start in verse one. 00:04:02.259 --> 00:04:07.159 It says, in the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God. 00:04:07.560 --> 00:04:09.199 He was with God in the beginning. 00:04:10.060 --> 00:04:12.620 Through him, all things were made without him. 00:04:12.740 --> 00:04:15.699 Nothing was made that has been made in him was life. 00:04:15.959 --> 00:04:18.180 And that life was the light of all mankind. 00:04:18.920 --> 00:04:22.000 The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it. 00:04:23.019 --> 00:04:25.779 There was a man sent from God whose name was John. 00:04:25.839 --> 00:04:32.680 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light so that through him all might, sorry, excuse me. 00:04:32.860 --> 00:04:36.399 So that through him all might believe he himself was not the light. 00:04:36.500 --> 00:04:38.100 He came only as a witness to the light. 00:04:40.089 --> 00:04:43.910 The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. 00:04:44.430 --> 00:04:49.990 He was in the world and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 00:04:51.110 --> 00:04:55.410 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 00:04:55.790 --> 00:05:00.170 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God. 00:05:00.689 --> 00:05:05.970 Children born not of natural descent nor of human decision or the husband's will, but born of God. 00:05:07.250 --> 00:05:12.230 Verse 14 says, the word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. 00:05:12.670 --> 00:05:20.069 We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only son who came from the father, full of grace and truth. 00:05:21.149 --> 00:05:30.069 In John 1 verse 14, what that word means where it says he made his dwelling, that word is tabernacle. 00:05:30.410 --> 00:05:37.329 Like he made, God came on this earth, he made the earth and then it says that he went and he dwelled with us. 00:05:40.490 --> 00:05:48.430 You think about, you know, God and he's been setting up the opportunity to come into this earth from the very beginning. 00:05:48.529 --> 00:05:54.389 It says in John 1, 1, right, it says he was with God in the beginning and then he made everything. 00:05:54.629 --> 00:06:03.870 You think about what we've been looking at throughout this whole year and really it's setting itself up for Jesus coming on the scene. 00:06:03.930 --> 00:06:05.389 I don't know if you guys are ready for it. 00:06:05.389 --> 00:06:07.170 I love the Old Testament. 00:06:07.290 --> 00:06:19.470 I'm really ready to, you know, coming into 2025, I'm really excited about digging into the New Testament, looking at Jesus and we're doing that this morning and so I feel pretty excited about that. 00:06:19.529 --> 00:06:22.449 I'm like, yeah, we're going to dig in. 00:06:22.529 --> 00:06:46.870 But you think about from creation itself to this plan for redemption from sin and a way to get back into the garden from the calling of Abraham, the exodus from Egypt, what we're looking at right now, this formation of the nation of Israel and even the stuff that we're going to cover later, all of that was pointing to Jesus and for God to be able to have this lasting dwelling with you and I. 00:06:49.029 --> 00:06:57.610 You know, all of the materials for the tabernacle then, they look different than Jesus deciding to tabernacle with us. 00:06:57.769 --> 00:07:10.209 You know, the materials then, again, you guys read about, I think that it's somewhere in the realm of like $40 million of what it would perhaps cost to have built all of this stuff. 00:07:10.389 --> 00:07:30.449 There would be, as they transported it, certainly thousands of people with some responsibility in carrying, you know, for all of us who have moved and have called on other Christians to help us move, I would imagine that they would have probably spent a great deal more care in the move of this stuff. 00:07:30.449 --> 00:07:35.050 You know, like this is how we're going to, and again, that's not even me throwing shade. 00:07:35.149 --> 00:07:39.310 It was something that came to my mind that I was like, we do that too when we help people move. 00:07:39.410 --> 00:07:41.490 It's just that it's not that big of a deal. 00:07:41.550 --> 00:07:44.790 It's not $40 million worth of stuff and it's not the way that we worship God. 00:07:44.870 --> 00:07:46.290 It's like, it's my buddy's couch. 00:07:46.430 --> 00:07:50.569 Like, I'm going to try as hard as I can but, you know, pizza's not going to get it done. 00:07:54.569 --> 00:07:57.889 And if the ones that are not laughing, you're like, oh, I don't know what he's talking about. 00:07:57.949 --> 00:07:58.769 You'll know one day. 00:07:59.930 --> 00:08:00.629 You'll get it. 00:08:00.730 --> 00:08:01.149 You'll get it. 00:08:01.629 --> 00:08:10.750 And then it's going to come full circle because then when that family who moved gets rid of that couch, they're going to get rid of it by saying, hey, guy's house, you guys need another couch. 00:08:10.829 --> 00:08:12.550 And what you're going to say is, yeah, we need a couch. 00:08:12.649 --> 00:08:18.529 Man, I wish I would have taken better care of that couch when I was moving it because now it's broken in my house. 00:08:20.370 --> 00:08:22.329 Again, this is what I've gone through. 00:08:22.449 --> 00:08:23.829 Perhaps you never will, maybe. 00:08:23.910 --> 00:08:24.250 I don't know. 00:08:27.069 --> 00:08:29.689 The materials were even more elaborate though. 00:08:29.689 --> 00:08:35.470 $40 million worth of materials, they're even more elaborate as God comes and dwells with us right now. 00:08:35.590 --> 00:08:49.169 We're like, he had to use his own spirit, he used the flesh and blood of Jesus, he used the hill of Golgotha, and then he showed it by this empty tomb. 00:08:49.309 --> 00:08:57.830 These are the materials that were used that cost way more than the $40 million or maybe even potentially more than it did in that day. 00:08:57.830 --> 00:09:12.059 You think about us, though, that we're also a part of this amazing story for Jesus to tabernacle and to dwell because he didn't just dwell for a limited amount of time. 00:09:12.299 --> 00:09:20.580 What it says is he dwelled for some time, then he died, then he rose from the dead, and now he's living amongst us and with us. 00:09:21.879 --> 00:09:27.279 Consider for a moment what circumstances made your heart be open to Jesus in the first place. 00:09:29.000 --> 00:09:30.759 Who did God send? 00:09:30.980 --> 00:09:35.740 How did he work in a perfect way to dwell with you and to show you his plan for salvation? 00:09:40.269 --> 00:09:46.409 There's a really cool quote, it's from N.T. Wright, and he writes it in this book, Simply Christian. 00:09:47.850 --> 00:10:06.269 He talks a little bit about this journey of what it might look like, what it looks like, and he gives this connection because certainly some of us were living a crazy life and then God came on the scene and we totally changed. 00:10:06.389 --> 00:10:14.710 Others were living a life that was kind of churchy and pretty good and then we became Christians and then we became really devout followers. 00:10:14.850 --> 00:10:21.090 He compares it basically to waking up at night. 00:10:21.090 --> 00:10:24.549 When you wake up, generally it's from two different ways. 00:10:24.669 --> 00:10:45.129 One, either there's this peaceful awakening where you wake up and maybe you're a little bit groggy and you make your coffee and you're kind of going through the motions and you're sleepwalking but you're getting stuff done and then over time you drink some coffee and then you kind of fully wake up after a series of minutes or hours. 00:10:46.730 --> 00:10:54.789 There's another kind of waking up where your alarm goes off and you just go crazy and I've been in both. 00:10:54.870 --> 00:11:06.309 Usually what happens is my alarm will go off, I'll snooze my alarm and then I'll snooze my alarm and then I'll think I snoozed my alarm but I'll actually turn off my alarm. 00:11:08.659 --> 00:11:11.860 Then you wake up 45 minutes later and you're like, I'm already late. 00:11:11.860 --> 00:11:16.159 Then that type of wake up is like, I'm alert right away. 00:11:16.360 --> 00:11:16.960 You know what I'm saying? 00:11:19.240 --> 00:11:22.039 God works in our life in a little bit of a similar way. 00:11:22.120 --> 00:11:24.639 This is the argument that N.T. Wright makes. 00:11:24.720 --> 00:11:37.799 He says that some of us wake up and the way that we go from asleep to fully awake is gradual and it's not so sudden and it's not extremely obvious. 00:11:37.980 --> 00:11:39.299 When did you fully wake up? 00:11:39.379 --> 00:11:39.860 I don't know. 00:11:39.860 --> 00:11:42.559 A little bit here and a little bit there and a little bit there. 00:11:43.110 --> 00:11:49.779 When I think about that, I actually really think about Richard as somebody who comes to mind right away. 00:11:50.480 --> 00:12:00.259 For those who know or those who don't, Richard's going to become fully awake in Christ after church this afternoon. 00:12:01.840 --> 00:12:03.879 Richard's going to get baptized. 00:12:06.899 --> 00:12:12.840 Richard started coming out over two years ago and there was something, there was a little bit. 00:12:13.000 --> 00:12:18.740 He was already kind of awake, sleepwalking a bit and looking for a church and there was some spirituality. 00:12:19.179 --> 00:12:31.799 But then this process of going from asleep to awake took a few years and some down stuff, some up stuff, some really I'm ready and some I'm not ready. 00:12:32.620 --> 00:12:34.080 That's the beauty. 00:12:34.379 --> 00:12:35.740 God is able to do all of that. 00:12:35.899 --> 00:12:40.000 He's that powerful that there's not one way that it happens. 00:12:41.039 --> 00:12:44.820 For others among us, it was quite sudden. 00:12:45.039 --> 00:12:54.860 When we were living this pagan life, God comes on the scene and it's just like the alarm going off where you're like, I've got to change everything and give up everything and follow him. 00:12:55.379 --> 00:12:59.659 However it happens, we celebrate and we worship God and it's the same thing. 00:13:00.120 --> 00:13:02.519 It's the same thing going from asleep to awake. 00:13:02.620 --> 00:13:08.019 I don't think on the final day we're going to care about, you know, at 5 p.m. I'm not going to care how I woke up. 00:13:08.740 --> 00:13:10.159 I'm just going to be grateful that I'm awake. 00:13:10.299 --> 00:13:10.779 You know what I'm saying? 00:13:10.840 --> 00:13:19.480 I think on the final day when we're talking to Jesus, it doesn't really matter when we, in some ways, it doesn't matter when we woke up, it doesn't matter how we woke up. 00:13:19.519 --> 00:13:20.860 We're just grateful that we did, amen? 00:13:26.460 --> 00:13:27.919 We'll move on here. 00:13:33.179 --> 00:13:34.519 We'll connect a little bit. 00:13:34.580 --> 00:13:43.500 So on the topic of, we're going to stay in John for most of the lesson and there's some strong connections like this Feast of the Tabernacle. 00:13:43.860 --> 00:13:45.279 We're not going to read super in-depth. 00:13:45.399 --> 00:13:57.000 Again, you can look to Leviticus 23 and you'll be able to find a little bit of the organization of how the Jewish people did it and how it was directed by God. 00:14:00.039 --> 00:14:06.980 Jesus is now, he's at this feast though, this feast that was practiced for years and years and years. 00:14:07.080 --> 00:14:12.379 He's at this feast and it says in verse 1, after this, Jesus went around in Galilee. 00:14:12.740 --> 00:14:17.840 He didn't want to go about in Judea because the Jewish leaders were looking for a way to kill him. 00:14:18.820 --> 00:14:28.440 But when the Jewish festival of tabernacles was near, Jesus' brother said to him, leave Galilee and go to Judea so that your disciples there may see the works you do. 00:14:29.960 --> 00:14:35.120 No one who wants to become a public figure acts in secret. 00:14:35.700 --> 00:14:40.539 Since you are doing these things, show yourself to the world for even his own brothers did not believe in him. 00:14:42.419 --> 00:14:46.120 Therefore, Jesus told him, my time is not yet here. 00:14:47.480 --> 00:14:48.960 For you, any time will do. 00:14:49.120 --> 00:14:53.000 The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify that its works are evil. 00:14:53.659 --> 00:14:54.600 You go to the festival. 00:14:54.759 --> 00:14:59.100 I'm not going to go to this festival because my time has not yet fully come. 00:14:59.919 --> 00:15:02.000 After he said this, he stayed in Galilee. 00:15:02.820 --> 00:15:08.799 However, his brothers, after his brothers had left for the festival, he went also, not publicly, but in secret. 00:15:10.120 --> 00:15:14.200 Now, at the festival, the Jewish leaders were watching for Jesus and asking, where is he? 00:15:14.360 --> 00:15:14.899 Pause here. 00:15:16.679 --> 00:15:21.159 On the surface, this is the festival of this feast of tabernacles. 00:15:21.840 --> 00:15:22.860 What's the connection? 00:15:23.080 --> 00:15:24.620 Well, we're going to make sense of it again. 00:15:24.799 --> 00:15:28.120 You can read in Leviticus 23 to make even more sense of it. 00:15:28.480 --> 00:15:30.899 Jesus is like, I'm not coming right away. 00:15:31.039 --> 00:15:32.039 I'm not going to be there. 00:15:33.580 --> 00:15:37.820 At this time, you have to understand, obviously, he's always connecting to his father. 00:15:37.980 --> 00:15:44.899 And he realizes, if I go at this exact time, they're going to kill me. 00:15:45.340 --> 00:15:49.139 They're going to try to, and this is not the perfect time for me to go. 00:15:50.740 --> 00:15:52.080 His family wants him to go. 00:15:53.379 --> 00:15:55.519 They're even kind of, they're messing with him a little bit. 00:15:55.580 --> 00:15:58.940 Like, hey, if you want to be this public figure, like, come on, man. 00:15:58.960 --> 00:16:01.019 This makes the most sense for us. 00:16:03.379 --> 00:16:06.799 Jesus is saying, though, I'm not going to go in public with my family. 00:16:06.860 --> 00:16:10.059 You think about what kind of energy. 00:16:10.220 --> 00:16:11.720 You know, we can only surmise. 00:16:11.799 --> 00:16:16.860 It'll be great if there's going to be a time when we can just kind of see everything played out in heaven. 00:16:16.860 --> 00:16:17.360 I don't know. 00:16:17.679 --> 00:16:22.440 This is going to be one of those times where you're like, man, how would it have been to be at this feast? 00:16:22.580 --> 00:16:26.840 And you're, there's like, I have to assume there's some like talking here and there. 00:16:26.860 --> 00:16:27.659 Is he going to be here? 00:16:27.720 --> 00:16:28.620 Is he going to be here? 00:16:29.480 --> 00:16:31.279 He's gathered this following now. 00:16:32.399 --> 00:16:33.120 There's something. 00:16:33.200 --> 00:16:34.159 He's done these miracles. 00:16:34.299 --> 00:16:35.179 He's fed people. 00:16:36.139 --> 00:16:38.419 But he's kind of on the outside looking in. 00:16:38.519 --> 00:16:40.299 But he says he's going to change the world. 00:16:40.580 --> 00:16:41.740 How is it going to happen? 00:16:42.080 --> 00:16:42.899 Is he going to be here? 00:16:42.980 --> 00:16:45.419 There's probably this energy that's building. 00:16:45.419 --> 00:16:46.379 And they don't see him. 00:16:46.500 --> 00:16:48.179 And he's like, he's not there. 00:16:48.340 --> 00:16:52.019 And there's maybe some discouragement or there's some confusion perhaps. 00:16:53.059 --> 00:16:54.559 But Jesus does show up. 00:16:55.059 --> 00:17:03.059 And it says in John 7, 14, not until halfway through the festival did Jesus go up to the temple courts and begin to teach. 00:17:04.460 --> 00:17:09.880 The Jews were amazed and asked, how did this man get such learning without having been taught? 00:17:11.890 --> 00:17:14.029 Jesus answered, my teaching is not my own. 00:17:14.068 --> 00:17:16.368 It comes from the one who sent me. 00:17:16.368 --> 00:17:21.970 Anyone who chooses to do the will of God will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own. 00:17:22.608 --> 00:17:25.730 Whoever speaks on their own does so to gain personal glory. 00:17:25.789 --> 00:17:29.049 But he who seeks the glory of the one who sent me is a man of truth. 00:17:29.609 --> 00:17:31.210 There is nothing false about him. 00:17:31.630 --> 00:17:33.069 Has not Moses given you the law? 00:17:33.150 --> 00:17:35.190 Yet not one of you keeps the law. 00:17:35.349 --> 00:17:36.349 Why are you trying to kill me? 00:17:37.930 --> 00:17:40.390 So Jesus goes in secret. 00:17:40.630 --> 00:17:42.049 He's not with his family. 00:17:42.150 --> 00:17:46.009 And then he goes up and he speaks these truths. 00:17:46.569 --> 00:17:48.710 And the people are amazed. 00:17:48.970 --> 00:17:50.970 And the energy, again, that's building. 00:17:51.509 --> 00:17:54.609 And Jesus says something that we should hold fast to. 00:17:54.730 --> 00:18:00.470 It says anyone who chooses to do the will of God will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own. 00:18:00.470 --> 00:18:04.069 This is the hope that I have for people as I'm on campus. 00:18:04.150 --> 00:18:08.769 As you guys are at your workplaces or whatever you're doing. 00:18:09.549 --> 00:18:12.069 Somebody says I'm not a Christian, but I'm willing to follow. 00:18:12.210 --> 00:18:12.710 I'm willing to see. 00:18:13.869 --> 00:18:18.289 Sincerely, I'm sitting down, we're studying the Bible with people who have all different types of faith and understanding. 00:18:19.190 --> 00:18:21.210 And I'm like, you don't have to be a Christian tomorrow. 00:18:21.529 --> 00:18:23.910 You don't even have to fully believe in it right now. 00:18:24.470 --> 00:18:26.490 But are you willing to do what the Bible says? 00:18:27.309 --> 00:18:31.349 If you're willing to do what the Bible says, Jesus is clear. 00:18:31.430 --> 00:18:32.910 You're going to find out if it's from God or not. 00:18:33.329 --> 00:18:34.849 You're not going to wonder if it's from God. 00:18:34.910 --> 00:18:42.430 You're not going to think, ah, this is the same teaching that I can get in Hinduism or Buddhism or Islam or even Judaism. 00:18:42.730 --> 00:18:45.349 I can get the same teaching just about anywhere. 00:18:45.630 --> 00:18:47.170 We all kind of believe the same thing. 00:18:47.430 --> 00:18:49.210 The Bible says, no, no, no, you're not going to think that. 00:18:49.349 --> 00:18:51.990 There's not one, there's not, oh, it's subjective. 00:18:51.990 --> 00:18:56.529 No, he says, if you follow what the Bible teaches, you're going to find out if it's from God or not. 00:18:58.630 --> 00:19:07.930 As you go about your day, as you interact in a way, this is perhaps an aside and not even a part of the lesson, but I think it's important to bring up, as you go about your day, understand that. 00:19:08.069 --> 00:19:09.930 We don't have to convince people tomorrow. 00:19:11.390 --> 00:19:15.609 If someone's willing to follow what the Bible teaches, they're going to find out, is it from God or is it just made up? 00:19:21.000 --> 00:19:22.660 Jesus, there's these few days. 00:19:23.640 --> 00:19:31.180 There's a lesson that was preached, I think it was sometime in the middle of the summer or early summer by Joel Nagel, and he talked a lot about these festivals. 00:19:31.299 --> 00:19:33.700 It might be a good lesson for you to refer to. 00:19:35.319 --> 00:19:37.680 You can follow us on Spotify as well. 00:19:37.740 --> 00:19:40.779 If you're like, I don't know, I don't want to watch the Facebook video, that's fine. 00:19:40.799 --> 00:19:43.720 You can follow us on Spotify and you can look up that lesson right on Spotify. 00:19:44.259 --> 00:19:46.460 But he talks about what this festival might have looked like. 00:19:46.920 --> 00:19:50.619 But there's a few days, everyone's staying in booths, they're eating under the stars. 00:19:50.619 --> 00:19:54.220 Jesus comes in the middle of the festival and he begins to teach. 00:19:56.140 --> 00:20:00.019 Then he's almost arrested and then he appears again at the festival. 00:20:00.240 --> 00:20:01.380 It's John 7 now. 00:20:05.839 --> 00:20:10.880 It says the Pharisees heard the crowds whispering, verse 32, whispering such things about him. 00:20:10.980 --> 00:20:15.700 Then the chief priests and the Pharisees sent temple guards to arrest him. 00:20:16.240 --> 00:20:20.680 Jesus said, I'm with you for only a short time and then I'm going to the one who sent me. 00:20:21.519 --> 00:20:23.480 You will look for me, but you will not find me. 00:20:23.940 --> 00:20:25.339 And where I am, you cannot come. 00:20:26.299 --> 00:20:29.460 The Jews said to one another, where does this man intend to go that we can't find him? 00:20:30.880 --> 00:20:35.640 Will he go where our people live scattered among the Greeks and teach the Greeks? 00:20:36.400 --> 00:20:39.660 What do they mean when he said, you will look for me, but you will not find me. 00:20:39.740 --> 00:20:41.500 And where I am, you cannot come. 00:20:42.880 --> 00:20:50.240 On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. 00:20:51.980 --> 00:20:56.339 Whoever believes in me, as scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them. 00:20:56.900 --> 00:21:04.539 By this he meant the spirit and those who believed in him were, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. 00:21:05.119 --> 00:21:08.319 Up to that time the spirit had not been given since Jesus had not yet been glorified. 00:21:08.720 --> 00:21:09.259 So pause here. 00:21:14.250 --> 00:21:17.430 So Jesus, he appears in the middle of the festival. 00:21:17.789 --> 00:21:18.849 So first he didn't appear at all. 00:21:18.910 --> 00:21:20.170 Then he appears in the middle of the festival. 00:21:20.170 --> 00:21:21.410 Then he disappears. 00:21:21.589 --> 00:21:24.990 And then he reappears on the last day, this great day. 00:21:27.430 --> 00:21:35.269 It would seem to be pretty random that Jesus would say, hey, if you're thirsty, just come, and I'll give you this drink. 00:21:35.349 --> 00:21:36.309 Like why share it now? 00:21:36.450 --> 00:21:38.329 What's the relevance or significance? 00:21:41.440 --> 00:21:47.900 What we have to understand, though, and this communicates in Leviticus, is on the last day there was this big water ceremony that would take place. 00:21:49.420 --> 00:21:55.960 And so Jesus is in the middle of this amazing, this water ceremony that's going on. 00:21:56.000 --> 00:21:56.559 He's saying, no, no, no. 00:21:56.559 --> 00:21:59.839 If you guys want real living water, like I'm going to give that to you. 00:21:59.920 --> 00:22:01.759 I'm here to provide that for you. 00:22:01.839 --> 00:22:05.980 And so we think, man, Jesus was hiding behind stuff. 00:22:06.319 --> 00:22:07.400 No, but he's like, no, no, no. 00:22:07.400 --> 00:22:21.660 On the last and greatest day when everyone's going to listen, I'm going to make as bold of a claim as I've made up until this point that whatever you guys are doing here, I'm bigger and I'm better than that, and I'm going to provide that that's going to last for all time. 00:22:23.880 --> 00:22:27.599 The Pharisees, understandably at this point, want to kill him. 00:22:31.440 --> 00:22:34.880 It says Jesus is coming to dwell with those who are thirsty. 00:22:35.599 --> 00:22:41.400 I don't know where you are this morning, but I hope that you're thirsty. 00:22:42.339 --> 00:22:44.200 I said I don't know where you are this morning. 00:22:44.259 --> 00:22:47.480 Perhaps you came to church because you always come to church. 00:22:47.480 --> 00:22:51.140 Maybe you came to church and it's your first time coming to church in a while. 00:22:51.240 --> 00:22:53.940 Maybe you're kind of somewhere in between. 00:22:54.220 --> 00:22:59.079 But wherever you're at, I hope that you are still thirsty for Jesus. 00:23:02.240 --> 00:23:06.839 It doesn't matter if you've been coming for 20 years, 30 years, or this is your first time. 00:23:07.680 --> 00:23:12.299 If you are going to make it on the final day, you've got to be thirsty for Jesus. 00:23:13.000 --> 00:23:22.339 It can't be something that you feel like, I'm thirsty sometimes, or I've got it pretty well figured out, but once in a while I need to just grab a few drops of water. 00:23:22.440 --> 00:23:25.500 No, if we did that with any kind of regular water, we'd be in trouble. 00:23:25.619 --> 00:23:26.099 You know what I mean? 00:23:27.319 --> 00:23:29.440 We're thirsty because we always need a drink. 00:23:29.559 --> 00:23:31.759 You can last just a few days without water. 00:23:32.200 --> 00:23:35.839 Are you still thirsty for Jesus like you were when you first met him? 00:23:41.670 --> 00:23:44.710 Then there's this connection that we'll make. 00:23:44.829 --> 00:23:51.250 John makes all over in his gospel with water and living in the Spirit. 00:23:51.250 --> 00:23:57.769 Water and the Holy Spirit, and similar perhaps to water, it's water and wind. 00:23:57.849 --> 00:24:06.309 There's kind of the two things that he pushes together being like what it looks like to live with the Holy Spirit or live in step with the Spirit. 00:24:07.690 --> 00:24:12.450 Water, as the Spirit might say, it pours itself out. 00:24:12.549 --> 00:24:13.609 It gives itself to others. 00:24:13.670 --> 00:24:18.650 If we're going to be those who are living in the Spirit, then we have to be willing to go and help other people. 00:24:18.650 --> 00:24:23.930 We have to be willing to pour ourselves out for other people and then be filled up again. 00:24:25.910 --> 00:24:27.269 Water is something else. 00:24:27.990 --> 00:24:29.569 It's fluid, literally. 00:24:29.710 --> 00:24:30.349 It's malleable. 00:24:30.490 --> 00:24:31.890 It can be moved a little bit. 00:24:32.349 --> 00:24:35.170 We need to be those who are pretty flexible as well. 00:24:36.309 --> 00:24:41.529 I don't know how, again, perhaps you already are like, this is not a lesson for me. 00:24:41.609 --> 00:24:42.049 That's okay. 00:24:42.329 --> 00:24:43.450 Perhaps you're very flexible. 00:24:43.569 --> 00:24:44.230 That's okay too. 00:24:44.230 --> 00:24:50.109 In our understanding of and our growth with God, we need to be flexible. 00:24:51.269 --> 00:24:58.170 Certainly we need to hold fast to many truths about Jesus and God and the Scriptures, yes. 00:24:58.450 --> 00:25:03.930 But in the way that we worship, I think we need to grow in our flexibility. 00:25:04.990 --> 00:25:16.250 I don't mean growing our flexibility of who we worship, but perhaps how we worship and what feels comfortable to worship and what does that mean and what does that look like? 00:25:16.829 --> 00:25:19.210 Maybe worship God in a different spot. 00:25:19.390 --> 00:25:21.410 Where do you spend time with God? 00:25:22.109 --> 00:25:25.210 Do you go to nature or are you just at your house? 00:25:25.309 --> 00:25:27.049 Do you hunker down or are you out? 00:25:27.349 --> 00:25:30.230 We need to be willing to do both and to figure out what works. 00:25:30.430 --> 00:25:35.250 What kind of music do you listen to as you worship and celebrate God? 00:25:35.390 --> 00:25:41.269 I've just started in the last year listening to Christian rap music. 00:25:42.009 --> 00:25:42.849 Excuse me. 00:25:43.009 --> 00:25:52.089 In general, Christian rap music, I've found it to be really corny, really played out. 00:25:54.490 --> 00:26:00.650 I've started to listen to it, and it's just become a part of what I listen to in the morning. 00:26:00.829 --> 00:26:02.829 I was setting up, and I'm listening to Christian rap. 00:26:02.910 --> 00:26:04.569 Okay, but I'm worshiping God. 00:26:04.650 --> 00:26:07.049 I'm like, man, that's amazing what these guys are doing. 00:26:07.049 --> 00:26:15.269 And if you would have told me even two years ago, that's who you're going to be, I'm like, that's a churchy person that I just can't see myself being. 00:26:16.670 --> 00:26:18.470 But we've got to be fluid, you know what I'm saying? 00:26:18.970 --> 00:26:20.210 Maybe it's not Christian rap music. 00:26:20.250 --> 00:26:21.710 Maybe it's Christian folk music. 00:26:21.730 --> 00:26:22.349 I don't know what it is. 00:26:23.230 --> 00:26:24.450 Perhaps it's not music at all. 00:26:24.490 --> 00:26:25.309 I don't know either. 00:26:26.869 --> 00:26:27.529 Irish music? 00:26:28.250 --> 00:26:30.069 We're a little bit away from the Irish thing. 00:26:32.970 --> 00:26:34.549 That's a little bit further down. 00:26:36.089 --> 00:26:37.809 That's the 2030 gerund. 00:26:39.349 --> 00:26:45.200 Yeah, right, I hope you don't remember that. 00:26:50.869 --> 00:26:51.829 Sudden alarm. 00:26:52.829 --> 00:26:59.329 In 2030, you're going to be like a senior in college, and you're like, what was this? 00:27:02.130 --> 00:27:03.069 Okay, I don't know. 00:27:03.069 --> 00:27:03.390 I don't know. 00:27:05.490 --> 00:27:08.769 If you guys have a Bible, you can go to Revelation 21. 00:27:12.920 --> 00:27:17.079 You know the idea of God or the reality of God dwelling with us? 00:27:17.140 --> 00:27:21.359 It shows itself again in the last writing of John. 00:27:22.299 --> 00:27:27.200 And it's really powerful how the Bible, it weaves everything together. 00:27:27.319 --> 00:27:34.960 When Revelation 21 says in verse 1, I don't think I got scripture for that. 00:27:35.059 --> 00:27:35.240 Nope. 00:27:36.700 --> 00:27:45.200 It says in verse 1, Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 00:27:45.680 --> 00:27:54.440 I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride, beautifully dressed for her husband. 00:27:55.319 --> 00:28:04.720 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, Look, God's dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. 00:28:05.640 --> 00:28:06.779 They will be his people. 00:28:06.779 --> 00:28:10.500 And God himself will be with them and be their God. 00:28:11.059 --> 00:28:13.259 He will wipe every tear from their eyes. 00:28:13.359 --> 00:28:21.500 There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away. 00:28:24.079 --> 00:28:32.059 You know, in the Greek, what it says, it says, Look, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will tabernacle with them. 00:28:32.579 --> 00:28:44.119 I trust that there is going to be a time when God dwells with us in the way that we can dwell with one another, and he will talk to us face to face. 00:28:45.359 --> 00:28:46.900 Just go one chapter over. 00:28:49.990 --> 00:29:08.089 In Revelation 22, in verse 17, it says, The spirit and the bride say, Come, and let the one who hears say, Come, let the one who is thirsty come, and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life. 00:29:10.900 --> 00:29:17.880 This tabernacle, this feast of tabernacle was celebrated and organized thousands of years ago. 00:29:18.519 --> 00:29:29.579 Then Jesus came on the scene and gave it even a greater meaning, saying that this water that you guys celebrate on the final day, I can give you that living water. 00:29:30.339 --> 00:29:41.519 And then there's going to come a time when, just like it says in here, the one who is thirsty is going to come and receive the water that's going to last forever, and is going to satiate them forever. 00:29:44.769 --> 00:29:47.390 We can go over to Hebrews 10. 00:29:48.130 --> 00:29:53.130 We're going to prepare our hearts to take communion. 00:30:12.410 --> 00:30:16.890 We understand in this lesson, what are you going to take, or what are you going to pull from it? 00:30:17.730 --> 00:30:21.410 A few things to consider is, are you still thirsty? 00:30:21.410 --> 00:30:25.089 Do you still really want to walk with Jesus? 00:30:25.250 --> 00:30:29.609 Or is it just something that you do because you should do it, or you're used to doing it? 00:30:29.650 --> 00:30:30.609 But are you still thirsty? 00:30:31.210 --> 00:30:33.650 Jesus says, I'm going to give you everything you need. 00:30:33.710 --> 00:30:35.309 I'm ready to provide you with this. 00:30:36.509 --> 00:30:39.170 So then we need to come to him then, and thirst for him. 00:30:40.130 --> 00:30:58.589 Are you living a life that is, that is one that looks like water, and your comfortability with being put in tough situations or uncomfortable situations, your comfortability with being poured out, trusting that God is going to fill my cup back up? 00:30:58.750 --> 00:31:01.890 Like, are you still moving like water? 00:31:03.710 --> 00:31:10.029 There should be a joy that we're walking with if we are people who have been fully awake. 00:31:10.170 --> 00:31:11.349 Like, we're interacting then. 00:31:11.809 --> 00:31:13.049 That means a few things. 00:31:13.210 --> 00:31:22.049 If we are the fully awake people, then we're interacting with a lot of people who are sleepwalking, or a lot of people who are kind of groggy, trying to figure out and piecemeal their way. 00:31:22.190 --> 00:31:27.910 And we're dealing with, certainly some people who are awake, and we're dealing with a number of people who are just knocked out, dead asleep. 00:31:28.009 --> 00:31:29.250 They're kind of just going through the motions. 00:31:31.630 --> 00:31:33.630 We have the opportunity to be an alarm. 00:31:34.029 --> 00:31:43.470 We have the opportunity to be working to hear coffee, or to be a nice song, or whatever it is to get them from kind of awake to fully awake. 00:31:43.549 --> 00:31:44.990 Like, we have the opportunity to be that. 00:31:44.990 --> 00:31:51.450 And if we just operate like we're an alarm, then we're going to turn a lot of people off. 00:31:51.509 --> 00:31:56.609 The people that are groggy are going to be like, I was already getting awake, but now I'm not going to be awake with you anymore. 00:31:58.369 --> 00:31:59.690 But sometimes we've got to be an alarm. 00:32:01.410 --> 00:32:10.410 But if we're just this smooth song, then we might find that the people stay asleep, as has happened with me, and probably you as well. 00:32:10.509 --> 00:32:14.650 Like, that's why I have to wake up to hype Christian rap is the Spotify playlist. 00:32:14.650 --> 00:32:20.109 I've got to wake up to something that gets me moving, instead of just this smooth song that ends up in my dreams. 00:32:22.410 --> 00:32:24.650 Let's be both of those for people, amen? 00:32:25.750 --> 00:32:27.130 This is Hebrews 10. 00:32:27.210 --> 00:32:30.670 We're going to prepare to take communion. 00:32:30.849 --> 00:32:34.269 I'm going to share the Scripture and talk for a moment, and then Josh is going to pray for us. 00:32:35.390 --> 00:32:41.819 It says in Hebrews 10, in verse 8, or rather, we'll start in verse 1. 00:32:41.859 --> 00:32:47.980 It says, Hebrews 10, The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming, not the realities themselves. 00:32:48.700 --> 00:32:56.099 For this reason, it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship. 00:32:56.740 --> 00:32:59.980 Otherwise, would they not have stopped being offered? 00:33:00.539 --> 00:33:05.259 For the worshipers would have been cleansed once for all and would no longer have felt guilty for their sins. 00:33:05.799 --> 00:33:09.920 But those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins. 00:33:10.420 --> 00:33:13.819 It's impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. 00:33:14.539 --> 00:33:23.980 Therefore, when Christ came into the world, he said, Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me. 00:33:24.599 --> 00:33:27.460 With burnt offerings and sin offerings you were not pleased. 00:33:27.900 --> 00:33:29.619 Then I said, Here I am. 00:33:29.839 --> 00:33:31.460 It is written about me in the scroll. 00:33:32.240 --> 00:33:34.059 I have come to do your will, my God. 00:33:35.240 --> 00:33:41.279 First he said, Sacrifices and burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them. 00:33:41.279 --> 00:33:44.759 Though they were offered in accordance with the law. 00:33:45.380 --> 00:33:46.740 Then he said, Here I am. 00:33:47.220 --> 00:33:48.640 I have come to do your will. 00:33:49.319 --> 00:34:00.900 He sets aside the first to establish the second and by that will we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. 00:34:02.259 --> 00:34:08.579 Day after day, every priest stands and performs his religious duties. 00:34:08.579 --> 00:34:15.960 Again and again he offers the same sacrifices which can never take away sins. 00:34:17.099 --> 00:34:24.639 But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God. 00:34:25.179 --> 00:34:29.239 And since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool. 00:34:29.420 --> 00:34:35.519 For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy. 00:34:37.159 --> 00:34:44.960 This is the sacrifice that we are celebrating and we are remembering this morning. 00:34:45.559 --> 00:35:06.800 As we take the cup that represents the blood he shed and the bread that represents his body, we're doing it in remembrance of Jesus that he gives us the opportunity to no longer have to sacrifice in the same way but to trust that he sacrificed once for all so that we may be made clean, amen? 00:35:07.659 --> 00:35:08.380 I'm just gonna pray. 00:35:14.380 --> 00:35:15.659 Let us pray for communion. 00:35:17.280 --> 00:35:21.320 Dear God, just thank you for your word. 00:35:22.280 --> 00:35:23.599 Thank you for your son. 00:35:24.719 --> 00:35:28.960 God, we need the living water in our lives every day. 00:35:29.460 --> 00:35:39.480 Just thinking of, you know, I can't wait for a day for a new heaven and a new earth but right now we live in the old and we need to have communion. 00:35:39.820 --> 00:35:52.960 We need to have these times of remembrance to remember that we need the living water, that we need to have these times of tabernacle, this serious reflection to understand that we are sinful. 00:35:53.119 --> 00:35:54.539 We are broken without you, God. 00:35:55.280 --> 00:35:59.840 There's a reason that one had to come down to be the permanent sacrifice. 00:36:00.340 --> 00:36:01.280 It was because of our sins. 00:36:01.360 --> 00:36:13.539 So let us take this time, reflect, reflect on our lives but also just reflect on how grateful we are for that permanent sacrifice, that permanent tabernacle that was made true through your son, Jesus. 00:36:13.800 --> 00:36:14.840 In this I pray, amen. 00:36:19.159 --> 00:36:23.780 Thank you so much for listening to the Kalamazoo Church of Christ podcast. 00:36:24.079 --> 00:36:27.420 If you're in the Kalamazoo area, we'd love to get connected. 00:36:27.699 --> 00:36:35.059 Please go to kalamazoo.church and fill in your information to come to a Sunday service or any other event that we have going on. 00:36:35.059 --> 00:36:37.699 In any case, you'll be hearing from us next week.