Speaker 1: 0:00

Good morning again to you. It is my privilege to lead us into our new sermon series. In fact it's not new. Our sermon series that we will be starting again today is from the Book of John, and we began this series last year around this time and we worked through the first six chapters of the book of John and then we stopped in about June and we picked up a few other series since then and I want to take just a moment.

Speaker 1: 0:34

I know that a lot of you have been here before. Some of you are new and visiting. I want to share just a little bit as to why we do that. And it's not just so that we can add variety or that we can keep you guessing. There's actually a reason behind it and I wanna just point that out to you.

Speaker 1: 0:53

We do follow the church calendar, and that's not just so that we can be traditional, it's not so that we can be cool. We follow the church calendar because the church calendar is a way that the church calendar, because the church calendar is a way that the church, over centuries, has helped to tell the story of the redeeming work of Jesus Christ, the redeeming work of God, from beginning to end. We just celebrated a time of Advent, which is the beginning of the church calendar. It's a time of longing and waiting, anticipating the arrival of Jesus. We celebrated his incarnation at Christmastime and now, in this period between now and Easter, is the time when we recognize and we follow Christ's journey on the earth as a human being. And so we enter into this time where our readings and everything that we do will be pointed to that and we'll be shaped by that. And then we'll get to Palm Sunday and Good Friday, where we'll recognize Christ's triumphal entry, his crucifixion. We'll celebrate Easter, when he rises from the dead, and then, shortly after that, 40 days after that to be exact, we will celebrate the day of Pentecost. After Jesus arises and goes back to heaven, the church is born and the spirit comes and gives the people here life. And then we'll spend the time from that point on which I think this year is June 7th, I think from that point on, through the rest of the summer, focusing on usually we do a sermon out of the epistles, because that's the period of the church.

Speaker 1: 2:34

Well, this right now that we're entering into, because we just celebrated Christmas, is the period when we would focus on the life of Christ. And so we've broken up these series so that during the time that we are observing this part of the calendar, we can also engage in what was happening at that same time in a very fully immersive way. So we don't just sneak up on Easter and like, oh, now we got to get our mind wrapped around what happened at Easter. No, we're building a relationship with Jesus and all that he was doing on the earth as it leads us up to the cross and up to the tomb and up to his resurrection. So that's the reason we do what we do. It's a way for all of us to be engaged, not just in a way of just hearing the Bible preached, which is very important, and God blesses his word. No matter what order we arrange it in, I think it's helpful to be careful that we do it so that it points us all to Jesus and it points us to his redeeming work. But we want to arrange it such that we follow this story. The story becomes a part of the rhythms and the lifeblood of our weeks, of our years, of our life. So we'll jump into the book of John where we left off last time. So if you have your Bibles, I invite you to turn with me to John, chapter 7.

Speaker 1: 3:58

John, chapter 7. I was not feeling great yesterday. I don't have anything significant that I think should be of any concern to anybody else, but I was almost tempted to call Pastor Royce last night and tell him you might need to be ready to preach today, and some of you might think that the reason that I'm giving a disclaimer for there being potentially a shorter sermon is because there's some sort of a playoff game happening this afternoon. That might be of some interest to me, but I would want you to dismiss that from your minds, because that would not be the case. It would be the case, but it's not All right, I digress. So John, chapter 7. As we preach this, as we hear this word being preached to us, this is what I hope to accomplish today. I hope to be able to provide a reintroduction to the book of John.

Speaker 1: 4:58

What is it that God wants us to learn about his son Jesus, as it is told to us through the words of the apostle John? A lot of us might remember what we've already studied. We might be aware of some of these stories, but I think that we need to understand and reorient our mind to what John wants us to know about Jesus Specifically. The question that I want us to consider today is this who is Jesus? Who is Jesus? This is a short question. I would say it's not necessarily a simple question, but I would say it's not something that I intend for us to fully answer today. As a matter of fact, I think part of the Christian experience of learning and following Jesus is, in every day, every moment, learning more and more of who he is. So when we engage as disciples of Jesus, it's not just a one time I've learned who he is and then I'm just going to obey and follow from here on out. It is a constant learning and a relearning. We ask the question who is Jesus? And then we re-ask the question who is Jesus? And it doesn't matter who you are, it doesn't matter how you grew up, it doesn't matter your familiarity with the Bible or with the Word of God, with who Jesus is. It is something that we need to be asking ourselves over and over. Who is Jesus?

Speaker 1: 6:37

I'm not going to be able to even address everything that's in this text, and there's going to be questions in this text that are going to come out as we look at it that you might have that I may or may not address One of the helpful things and, depending on what your position is if you're preaching or if you're not preaching it one of the helpful things about John is that John likes to repeat a lot. He says a lot of the same things over and, over and over again. So some of the things that we'll see in this text are things that we'll continue to see in upcoming Sundays, and so, although I may not get fully to them now, we'll hopefully be able to address them as we go to the upcoming chapters that we'll be looking at. But I want us to look at this passage and this is what I want us to do before I read. I'm going to be reading 36 verses Before I read. What I want us to do is I want us to consider that there are three different types of people in this text who are asking the question, for one reason or another who is Jesus? They have different motivations, they have different experiences, but they're asking the question who is Jesus? And I want us to look and see if we can identify these different types of people in the text asking who is Jesus. And as a help, I'm going to give you the three categories that I have pulled out of the text so that you can notice when they're mentioned. So the first category of people is Jesus' brothers or the brothers. Jesus' brothers are going to begin this conversation with him. The second group of people is the community, or those in the general public. We might see it referenced as the people or the crowd. And then the third group of people is the Jews and the Pharisees. These are those who are devoutly religious. They are holding tightly to the Jewish religion. So we have the brothers, the people or the community, and then the Jews and the Pharisees. So as I read this, I want you to make note of the interactions, the conversations that are exchanged as we reveal the posture and the position of each of these people. So follow with me as I read this text John, chapter 7, verse 1.

Speaker 1: 8:55

After Jesus went about in Galilee, he would not go about in Judea because the Jews were seeking to kill him. Now the Jews' feast of booths was at hand. So his brother said to him leave here and go to Judea that your disciples may also see the works that you are doing, for no one works in secret if he seeks to be known openly. If you do these things, show yourself to the world. For not even his brothers believed in him. Jesus said to them my time has not yet come, but your time is always here. The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify about that. Its works are evil. You go up for the feast. I'm not going up to the feast, for my time has not fully come.

Speaker 1: 9:46

After saying this, he remained in Galilee, but after his brothers had gone up to the feast, then he also went up, not publicly, but in private. The Jews were looking for him at the feast, saying where is he? And there was much muttering about him among the people. And there was much muttering about him among the people. While some said he's a good man, others said no, he is leading the people astray. Yet, for fear of the Jews, no one spoke openly of him.

Speaker 1: 10:16

About the middle of the feast, jesus went up to the temple and began teaching. The Jews therefore marveled, saying how is it that this man has learning when he has never studied? So Jesus answered them my teaching is not mine, but his. Who sent me. If anyone's will is to do God's will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority. The one who speaks on his own authority seeks his own glory, but the one who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true and in him there is no falsehood. Has not Moses given you the law? Yet none of you keep the law. Why do you seek to kill me? The crowd's answers you have a demon who is seeking to kill you. Jesus answered them. I did one work and you all marveled at it.

Speaker 1: 11:15

Moses gave you circumcision. That is not from Moses, but from the fathers. And you circumcise a man on the Sabbath. If on the Sabbath a man receives circumcision, so that the law of Moses may not be broken, are you angry with me because on the Sabbath I made a man's whole body? Well, do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgments.

Speaker 1: 11:41

Some of the people of Jerusalem therefore said is it not the man? Is this not the man who they seek to kill? And here he is, speaking openly and they say nothing to him. Can it be that the authorities really know that this is the Christ? But we know where this man comes from, and when Christ appears, no one will know where he comes from. So Jesus proclaimed as he taught in the temple you know me and you know where I come from, but I have not come of my own accord. He who sent me is true, and him you do not know. I know him, for I come from him and he sent me. So they were seeking to arrest him, but no one laid hands on him because his hour had not yet come. Yet many of the people believed in him. They said when Christ appears, will he not do no more signs than this man has done?

Speaker 1: 12:40

The Pharisees heard the crowd muttering these things about him and the chief priests and the Pharisees sent officers to arrest him. Jesus said to them I will be with you a little longer and then I am going to him who sent me? You will seek me and you will not find me. Where I am, you cannot come. The Jews said to one another when does this man intend to go that we will not find him? Does he intend to go to the dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks? What does he mean by saying you will seek me and you will not find me, and where I am, you cannot come?

Speaker 1: 13:19

This is the word of the Lord, the long text. There's a lot going on here. Like I said, we're not going to hit everything, but what we do see is we see these different groups of people that are trying to nail down who is Jesus. This is the question that they are trying to answer, and, again, for various reasons, and I want to submit to you that an answer that I want to give for us as we go into this text. I want to submit for you the answer that I have, and then I want us to look at these three categories of people who are trying to answer this question. I want us to learn today that Jesus is the perfect Son of God and Son of man, who is one with the Father and sent by the Father so that we might believe in him and have life through his name. That's who Jesus is. Another way of saying that is that Jesus is one with the Father, he's co-equal with the Father, but that he has come into the world to accomplish all that we need in order to restore mankind's relationship with God, so that we too might live with him forever. In short, jesus is the long-awaited Savior of the world. So this is the answer.

Speaker 1: 14:45

Now, I wanted to remind you, when we preach through the book of John. We often reference this verse and I think it's very important that we reference it again. John gives us the purpose of why he wrote this book as he closes the book out, and we can read that in John, chapter 20. He says this these are written, the things that you see written in this book. These are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the son of God, and that by believing, you might have life through his name. John gives us this purpose statement as to why he is telling the stories and the works of Jesus, so that we who read this might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and believing we have life through his name.

Speaker 1: 15:43

So what I want to do quickly is I want us to look at these three different categories of people and how they interact with Jesus. I want to look at three different things underneath each of these categories to kind of help break apart who they are. And the reason I want to do this is this Each one of you, each one of us, must ask the question who is Jesus? Each one of us must ask the question who is Jesus? And I think that we can find ourselves, perhaps in these categories, and it might help us pay more attention to the question and ask more specifically who is Jesus? So we're going to look at these three different types of people and then we're going to look at, first, the perspective that they hold, secondly, the obstacles that they face and then the risk that they take.

Speaker 1: 16:33

So first of all, let's look at the brothers. Who are the brothers? So the brothers, quite obviously, are from the same household. They are keenly aware of his humanity. Now, I don't know how it is with you.

Speaker 1: 16:47

I am the oldest of six kids, so I have five siblings. I have three sisters and two brothers, three boys, three girls. My youngest brother is 15 years younger than me. Okay, I don't know if you have a sibling that's 15 years different from you, especially 15 years younger than you. That means that when I graduated from high school, he was two years old. So I don't have much of a relationship. Matter of fact, as I went on and moved out of the house at that point in time, I started seeing him grow up and of course, he's just this little kid that I didn't have a real solid relationship with. But my little brother graduated from high school and he went into the Marine Corps. He became a recon Marine, special forces. He has missions that he has gone on around the world that he cannot tell me about, that he would not tell me about. So my brother, recon Marine, 15 years younger than me, but he's still my little brother I did something that was extremely embarrassing, extremely disappointing. Even as I tell you this story, but I think you might relate. I'm not asking for excuses, I'm just saying it happened.

Speaker 1: 18:07

So when I moved out here to California so this had to have been within the last 10 years my brother was stationed in Camp Pendleton down near San Diego. He was stationed in the base down there. My other brother had moved out here as well and we decided we were going to go on a California National Parks road trip. We were going to visit all nine of California's national parks in 10 days. It didn't happen, but that was our goal.

Speaker 1: 18:34

But we were at Sequoia National Park and we were setting up our campsite and we had this idea we all had hammocks, we would all find places to hang our hammocks. So we decided that we were going to hang our hammocks and my brothers because my Marine brother his name is Jesse, who is, uh, uh, the youngest. Because he's the youngest, he's going to be on the top bunk, right? So we were going to stack them on top of each other. Well, he was having a hard time with getting his, his uh uh hammock hung up there. He was going through and and I started as an older brother would started giving him a really hard time. Oh so you're a Marine. These are the people we have protecting our country. This is where my tax dollars are going to. Like, you can't even hang a hammock in a tree, and he got very angry with me rightfully so and I had to make it right with him. But here he is. He is one of the best of the best. He has special forces, he is doing missions around the world and I view him as my tiny little brother, who I can pick on and give him a hard time. Now, I want you to think about that, because my brothers have done similar things to me and I'm the oldest here.

Speaker 1: 19:47

Jesus is the oldest of this brotherhood. He's the one who's going out there and they start hearing taking wind of him. He's an influencer. People are paying attention to him. I mean, there's a lot of people following him. How many followers does he have? Has he hit one million yet? I don't know. But they're looking at him saying, yeah, you know what, if you really, really want to get your followers ranked up there, why don't you go to Judea? There's a big feast down there, the Feast of Booths. It's like the biggest party of the year. We're going to go down there. Why don't you go do that? And they're giving him some PR advice. They're like dude, I don't know what your ministry is out there to do, but you need some help.

Speaker 1: 20:24

Matter of fact, if we look back at the previous chapters, in chapter six we start realizing Jesus starts. The Bible specifically says he starts preaching some hard things that they could not grasp, they could not understand and he started losing followers. Matter of fact, the very end of chapter six is it comes all the way down to where Jesus asks Peter directly are you going to leave too? Because even some of the disciples started to leave. Peter thankfully looked to him and said where else are we going to go? You have the words of life. Peter knew that Jesus was the real deal. But his brothers Jesus' brothers are like our older brother man. He thinks he's got these followers. He doesn't even know how to run his business. Why don't you go down to Judea? And he says no, I'm not going to do it, my time has not yet come.

Speaker 1: 21:17

There's some obstacles that these brothers have in acknowledging and accepting and answering the question who is Jesus? Verse 5 shows us that they did not believe in him. They were scoffing at him. They were saying, hey, why don't you go do this? If you're as great as you say you are, I mean, this is what I would do. And then we get the note by John that says they didn't actually believe in him in verse 5. It says that they were also. Jesus confronts them and says he says it is not my time, but your time is always here, because you're friends with the world and the world is evil. He calls them out for their association with the things of the world and he basically says this is not my time but your time. This is it, this is for you, this is what you're living for. So it's always here. So they're friends with the world.

Speaker 1: 22:10

And the other obstacle they face is that they're operated on a different agenda. I want to point out to this three times in this passage and it's going to continue to say it over and over and over, which says he did not do it because it was not his time, his time had not yet come. He says to his brothers twice in that conversation I will not, I'm not going to go because my time has not yet come. So he, jesus, is on a completely a different agenda. His timing he's taking. He's not taking his timing from the cues of the culture and the opportunities that surround him, but he is locked in step with the Father. The Father is dictating and ordaining and supplying every moment of the mission that he has sent him to.

Speaker 1: 23:01

The last thing that we want to look at with the brothers is what is the risk they're taking if they do not answer the question who is Jesus? Well, they're so distracted and preoccupied by their perspective as brothers that they're not taking the presence of Jesus seriously. They just have an issue that this is my brother. I grew up with him Like I was there when he went to the bathroom and when he did all I mean all the other stuff Like the Savior of the world. Really, they're missing the opportunity to become truly brothers of Jesus.

Speaker 1: 23:41

And I think it's interesting because if we go back to the beginning of this book, where John introduces the Word who became flesh. He says this but to all who did receive him, who believe in his name, he gave the right to become the children of God, who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. Jesus is building and growing a different brotherhood. He is creating a new brotherhood and he is calling people to him. They had the opportunity to become part of this true and eternal brotherhood and yet, because they can't get over the issues that they have with just seeing him as a physical human being, a physical brother, they weren't able to see him for who he really is. Another way of saying that is they saw him as 100% man, but not God.

Speaker 1: 24:43

Later, in the book of Hebrews, we're told it was fitting that he, jesus, for whom and by whom all things exist, and bringing many sons of glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering. For he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified, they all have one source, that is that he is not ashamed to call them. What Brothers Jesus, it says, I will tell you your name to my brothers, in the midst of the congregation, I will sing your praises, and then he goes on to say since, therefore, the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook in the same things that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is the devil, and deliver all those who, through fear of death, were subject to lifelong slavery. Jesus is assembling a family, a household that is connected together by something bigger and greater than DNA and genes. It is bound together by belief in the person and the plan of God that is fulfilled by Jesus Christ himself in God's perfect time.

Speaker 1: 25:57

Now you might be saying to me okay, you're preaching about this group of people, the brothers, but if you notice, that was 2,000 years ago and we're all here and none of us are like physical brothers of Jesus. Yeah, but I will tell you notice, that was 2,000 years ago and we're all here and none of us are physical brothers of Jesus. Yeah, but I will tell you this that some of you have grown up with Jesus. Some of you have grown up Jesus as a household name. Some of you have grown up with Jesus as a flannelgraph character. Some of you have grown up with Jesus in songs or in simple ways that sometimes are helpful, but we grow up with Jesus and he just becomes another storybook character. He's a household figure, but he doesn't matter much to you. I want to tell you today and that's how I grew up Jesus was a household name. There's not a time in my life when I didn't know consciously who Jesus was, and I can remember Jesus was always a part of my life, he was a part of my rhythms in life, and I want to encourage you today.

Speaker 1: 27:01

If you have grown up in church, if you've grown up in a household that taught about Jesus and have talked about him and you know the stories well, you run the risk of accepting him as a human character who maybe at best does magic, but you don't acknowledge him as God of the universe. But you don't acknowledge him as God of the universe, as the one who created all things, for whom all things and for whom all things are made, the one who comes down and humbles himself and comes to the earth so that we might have salvation. Jesus needs to be that person who shakes us when we get up in the morning. It's the only person that we run to when we are afraid, the only person that we need when our life is stretched thin. He is the one that we ought to run to for salvation. So if you've grown up with him, if he is your household character, up with him. If he is your household character, you need to start asking who is Jesus and let it lead you to the God of the universe.

Speaker 1: 28:16

The second group of people that I want us to see here today is the community, the public, or the people. What's the perspective that they hold? They are influenced by talk and and experience. You can hear them having conversations. Jesus goes down and he doesn't go to the feast publicly, he goes privately. So he might have a cloak on or something like that, but he goes privately and um, and they have curiosity, intrigue. Some people are we're told here, are saying, yeah, he's a good man. Other people are saying, yeah, he's leading people astray. So there's a lot of different opinions about who this Jesus is. There's talk and there's gossip. There's this people's general opinion about what they've heard about who Jesus is. There's also cultural and social pressures on this community of people. They don't want to speak. People don't want to speak openly. Verse 13 says because of fear of the Jews. So everyone's whispering and having private conversations and they don't want to have. They don't want to come right out and just talk about Jesus.

Speaker 1: 29:24

The second thing I want us to see about the community is the obstacles that they face. There's expectations that cause lack of confidence. He gets up, Jesus actually comes to the temple and it comes to the feast in private, but then halfway through the feast he goes up to the temple and he starts teaching. He starts teaching people and they have expectations that people who go up and teach. They have credentials, they've got degrees, they've got some reason that gives them the right to be there and they start listening to Jesus and they basically are saying why is he teaching? He doesn't have any, he's not, he's never studied. Why? Who is he? Why is he? Why is he teaching? So they have expectations that are not quite met. There's skepticism and the lack of awareness.

Speaker 1: 30:13

Verse 20 says the crowd answered you have a demon who is seeking to kill you. They basically the crowd, doesn't really know that the Jews and the Pharisees are out to get him. They're out to kill him and they're basically like dude, you're out of your mind. You're out of your mind, like who's going to kill you? You're like you're all paranoid. You've got conspiracy theories going on here. What's up with that? They don't know what's going on. They've got, they're completely oblivious to the plan of the Jews, and there's obstruction by the people who are intentionally trying to cover him up.

Speaker 1: 30:45

Verse 25 and 26 talks to us. It tells us that some of the people of Jerusalem therefore said is this not the man whom they seek to kill? And here he is, he's speaking openly and they say nothing to him. Can it be that the authorities really know that this is the Christ? So there's, like this obstruction by people who are trying to cover up who he really is. And then there's expectations of his origin. Where did he come from? Where did he really come from? I thought he came from Nazareth. Is there something that we're missing here? There's nothing significant. When the Christ comes, we're not going to know where he comes from, but we know where this guy comes from. So there's all these obstacles that the crowd and the general public are just up against, that they're trying to figure out.

Speaker 1: 31:33

So if they don't come to the right conclusion on who Jesus is, what is the risks that they take? Well, by getting into the weeds of all these things, the guesses and expectations and pressures, getting into the weeds of all these things, the guesses and expectations and pressures. They are risking hearing and receiving from God the fullness of his gift to the world Jesus, as he's speaking to them, he tells them this. He says the words that I'm speaking are not mine, they come from the one who sent me. He says that he talks about, that he's going to go and where he goes they cannot come. He has come, has been sent down to the world by God, the father. They are risking. If they don't, if they can't get past through all these obstacles, if they can't get past all these things that are causing a lot of noise in the community, trying to obstruct them from understanding who he is, then they're never going to be able to have the answer that he is come from God and that he is the Christ that they are awaiting.

Speaker 1: 32:41

The third group of people here are the Jews and the Pharisees. Group of people here are the Jews and the Pharisees. These are the devoutly religious, the devoutly religious. They have what matters the most to them is their religion, no-transcript, and they think that any threat to that religion ought to be eliminated. In verse 1, it says that Jesus plainly did not go down to Judea because they were trying to kill him. In verse 26, I just read that the religious rulers, it seems. It appears that they're trying to deceive the people into who he really is. Are they trying to cover up who he really is and they know it, or what's going on here? And then verse 36, again, they seek to arrest him.

Speaker 1: 33:46

The Jews and the Pharisees are wanting to exercise their power and their influence to stop the spread of people discovering who Jesus is. This might be the hardest group of people that has obstacles that they face as they try to answer this question. That they face as they try to answer this question Because the brothers, they've got their issues. The community we're actually told that the community, at one point some of them believed in him. So we know that through all this happening that they believed in him because they look at him and say, hey, I've imagined what the Christ would do when he comes. And is not this guy doing? Like, who else is going to do more than him? Like this guy, like why is he not? And that was their reason for belief. So we know that the community there's kind of a mixed batch there as to whether they believe in him or they don't believe in him.

Speaker 1: 34:44

But these Jews and Pharisees, the religious, I mean, they are hell-bent to protect their religion as they know it. So the obstacles that they have, I think Jesus is speaking to them in verse 18 when he says those who speak of their own authority seek their own glory. He's speaking of them in a passive way, perhaps, and saying these ones who are speaking on their own authority, they're speaking so that they have their own will and their own glory is prominent. You know, it's interesting. Jesus calls them out here. Look at verse 21. Jesus calls them out here. Look at verse 21. Jesus answers them I did one work and you all marvel at it.

Speaker 1: 35:37

Moses gave you circumcision that is not from Moses but from the fathers, and you circumcised a man on the Sabbath. If, on the Sabbath, a man receives circumcision so that the law of Moses may not be broken, are you angry with me because on the Sabbath, a man receives circumcision so that the law of Moses may not be broken? Are you angry with me because on the Sabbath, I made a man's whole body? Well, do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgments. Jesus is basically saying to them this Religion matters to you, but you guys pick and choose what you think is so important. You guys pick and choose what part of the law you think is most important. He says earlier has not Moses given you the law? But none of you keeps the law. Why do you seek to kill me? He's basically saying to them you guys are so into the law and yet your first knee-jerk reaction when I pose a threat is that you're going to kill me. I thought Moses said do not kill. And you're going to come here and wave the flag of Moses and all the law, and yet you're going to eliminate me by killing, doing exactly what Moses told you not to do. And yet if a man is born, if a baby is born on Friday and he has to be circumcised on the eighth day and that falls on the Sabbath, you're willing to go ahead and do the act of circumcision on the Sabbath because that's not a problem to you. And yet I come in and understand that the act of circumcision to them was a way in making these babies whole within the covenant community of God. And yet Jesus comes in here and he says I've come in and I restored a man's whole body, like I made him completely well. And you guys are out to kill me because I healed somebody fully on the Sabbath.

Speaker 1: 37:26

They're so deceived into thinking that they see everything the way they have and they are operating on their own authority that they are completely missing the one who God has sent to them. They have blindness and lack of integrity regarding their own values. They're by not having right judgment. I want to just pause and just say this Some of us have grown up in a particular religion, even Christianity. Christianity has its hang-ups and its problems where we can get so focused on side issues that we miss seeing Jesus.

Speaker 1: 38:11

Cs Lewis in Screwtape Letters. It's a book where he writes fictional letters that kind of pose perhaps something that might actually happen. It's an older demon trying to coach a younger demon how to do demon stuff and he's basically writing them letters saying that you, this is what you got to do to keep this guy from becoming a Christian. And there's a point in there where the older demon writes to the younger demon and he says to him I thought I told you not to let him get into a church. Why did you let him get into church? This is like the one you had one job not let him get in the church and you let him get into a church. Why did you let him get into church? This is like the one you had one job not let him get in the church and you let him get in the church, he said.

Speaker 1: 38:53

But all is not lost, because in the church is a great place for people to find side issues and get caught up in the activism of a particular moral issue here and there and a moral issue over here, and they totally lose focus of who they call the and they totally lose focus of who they call the enemy, but they lose focus of Jesus. One of the ways that the devil works in us is he allows us to get so caught up in these minor side issues that we lose our focus on who Jesus is. And so, as we think of ourselves as people who are part of a religion, we need to ask the question is what I believe are the things that matter the most to me, the things that are bedrock for me? Are they rooted and centered in Jesus, or are they deviating from following Jesus as he wants us to? The risk that these people take by opposing Jesus is that they are opposing. By opposing Jesus, they're opposing God himself.

Speaker 1: 40:00

In verse 16, jesus says the words that I speak are from the one who sent me. If they are not going to listen to Jesus, then they're not going to listen to the words from the triune God. Jesus says I am sent from the Father. If they don't receive him, then they don't receive the gift that was sent from the Father. You know, there's a story in Acts, as we look forward to what happens, jesus ascends and goes to heaven, the church is born and they're sent out.

Speaker 1: 40:31

And there's a story in Acts, chapter five, where they come down on Paul or, I'm sorry, they come down on the disciples, on Peter, and there's this council that's brought together and they're trying to determine what to do with these men that are doing the same sort of thing that Jesus is doing here. And it says they're looking at all of these things, and I'll just read the passage Acts 5.34 says this but a Pharisee in the council named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law held in honor by all the people, stood up and gave orders to put the men outside for a little while and he said to the men of Israel. He said to them men of Israel, take care what you are about to do with these men. For before these days, thaddeus rose up claiming to be somebody, and a number of men about 400, joined him. He was killed and all those who followed him were dispersed and came to nothing. After him, judas the Galilean rose up in the days of the census and drew away with him some men after him. He too perished and all those who followed him were scattered. So in this present case, I tell you, keep away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or this undertaking of his men is of men, it will fail, but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow it and you might be found opposing God. People who are so hell-bent on their religion, people who are so hell-bent on their religion. They might have Jesus as part of their life, as part of their story, but they might run the risk of opposing God altogether if they don't see Jesus as Son of God, son of man.

Speaker 1: 42:26

So I'm going to wrap it up by asking this so who is Jesus? We must first note that answering this question, like I said at the beginning, is an ongoing process. I said that I wanted this to be an introduction, because this conversation does not stop here. This conversation is something that continues on into the next chapter, and the next few sermons are going to continue this whole interaction, and then John goes on to again prove over and over and over and over, that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. And so I'm not answering all those questions here and now, but I want us to begin to take seriously today who is asking the question.

Speaker 1: 43:15

Who is Jesus? So there's a couple things that I want us to take note of. Jesus, first of all, is one who operates in perfect harmony with the Father. We cannot say that I love Jesus and Jesus is my friend, but I'm not. But the God thing, the Bible thing, all of that stuff, I don't know what to think about that. God is triune. There's three persons in one. He is co-equal, they are together, god and his words, the words that come from Jesus, are God's words, and so, therefore, we have to understand that Jesus operates in perfect harmony with the Father. Here's a side note that I want to make real quick as well.

Speaker 1: 44:08

Jesus mentioned a few times my time has not yet come. You know, I love the line in the Lord of the Rings where Gandalf arrives and it's you know he's late, right, he's like Gandalf, you're late. And he says a wizard is never late. And he says a wizard is never late. A wizard arrives precisely when he means to. This is Jesus. When God is at work in our lives, when he's doing the work through Jesus here and he's doing the work in our lives, he's never late. God is going to do all things exactly when he means to. Jesus was in tune with that. He was very much in line with that and so he knew it was not his time. It was not his time to be an influencer in the wild. It was not his time to do that. It was not his time to be taken. Matter of fact. Later, on the third time that it mentions, it says they came to arrest him, but they could not. Why couldn't they arrest him? Because it was not yet his time.

Speaker 1: 45:14

If God does not ordain it, if it's not his plan, then he won't allow it to happen. And yet sometimes we try to have a relationship with God and we're disgruntled with God because, god, why are you not doing this? Why are you not accomplishing this and why is this not happening? Well, if we understand God and his mindset, we will be at one with God. Matter of fact, jesus says to them those who do the will of God will know the words of God, they will acknowledge and they will affirm that God's words are true. And so, as we consider our own lives, we can take Jesus' life as an example and say Jesus operated perfectly in harmony with the Father. Let us too operate perfectly in harmony with God.

Speaker 1: 46:01

The second thing is Jesus speaks with the authority of God. His words are God's words. John said this in the beginning was the word. The word was with God, the word was God. The same is. In the beginning with God, all things were made. Was not anything made? With him, the word became flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld his glory, glory as of one of the Father. And so Jesus speaks with the authority of God. So when we look at Jesus and we hear his words, we hear his voice, we are hearing God's voice. And then, finally, jesus comes from the Father who sent him.

Speaker 1: 46:44

If we want to receive the gift of God, if we want to receive everything that God has for us, we must receive Jesus. We must receive him for who he is. Jesus is one with the Father. To receive Jesus, to hear and receive him and his words is to receive the gift who has come down. So I said this at the beginning, but I'm going to say it again Jesus is the perfect son of God and son of man, who is one with the father and sent by the father so that we might believe in him and have life through his Lord. Thank you today for this story, thank you for the account of these conversations that were had, these interactions that were had. God, I pray that you would help us to truly recognize you and turn our eyes to you, that the things of this world would turn away, that we might delight in you as Jesus, who is the perfect Son of the Father, sent by him speaking his words, that we might rejoice in who he is and what you have done. We pray these things in Christ's name.