John 7 Part 4

What We Need, He’s Got

John 7:31-39 (NIV)

31 Still, many in the crowd believed in him. They said, “When the Messiah comes, will he perform more signs than this man?”

 32 The Pharisees heard the crowd whispering such things about him. Then the chief priests and the Pharisees sent temple guards to arrest him.

 33 Jesus said, “I am with you for only a short time, and then I am going to the one who sent me. 34 You will look for me, but you will not find me; and where I am, you cannot come.”

 35 The Jews said to one another, “Where does this man intend to go that we cannot find him? Will he go where our people live scattered among the Greeks, and teach the Greeks? 36 What did he mean when he said, ‘You will look for me, but you will not find me,’ and ‘Where I am, you cannot come’?”

 37 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. 38 Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” 39 By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.

Background: Jesus is still at the Feast of Tabernacles. It is interesting to note that during this feast, the Israelites ceremoniously remembered the provision of the Lord in the wilderness (Exodus) by pouring water and wine into silver bowls and then by pouring them out before the Lord. They celebrated the fact that God provided water in the desert and that in the last days He would pour out His Holy Spirit. They looked back at what He had done and looked forward to what He would do in the future.

Our key verses focus on this context.

Let’s look at 3 key verses in this text:

V 37: Jesus stood and He spoke loudly! Teachers usually sat so Jesus was intentionally getting the crowd’s attention. He had an important message and promise to share with them! “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink.”  He is the Source. He alone possesses what we need to access God and unlock our intended potential in the Kingdom of God. There is nothing and no one better to bring completion to our lives than Christ.

V 38: Jesus’ promise was that His followers would not be thirsty again! How is this possible?

John 4:10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” This is the promise that Jesus offered to the woman at the well and He enthusiastically offers it to us today. In Christ, we have EVERYTHING we need.

V 39: This promise involved the Holy Spirit and this followed their initial belief.

Acts 2 – 1 “When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.”

Jesus prepared them for the promise of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. I can hardly keep from shouting words of praise as I type these words! We have the privilege of receiving this promise! All we have to do is believe and receive! The book of Acts says they waited in prayer and the Holy Spirit came upon them. That was the day they received the wonderful outpouring of the Holy Spirit and the Church was born!

We know the Church moved forward boldly proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ and endured under severe trials and tests. They were given power and authority that was unprecedented! They did not have to be appointed as priests or leaders to receive this gift – they simply had to believe in Christ and be open to receive the gift of His Holy Spirit.

Questions for Reflection:

·       Is there anything that holds us back from going to Christ to receive everything we need?

·       Is there something in my past that keeps me from fully accepting the Living water Christ is offering me?

·       Have you received the promise of the Holy Spirit? If so describe your experience. If not, is there an obstacle standing in your way…perhaps fear or not knowing the blessing that follows this experience?

Lesson written by Kelly Preston, 2011.

Sources consulted:

NIV Study Bible, 10^th Anniversary Edition, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, MI, 1995.

The Message Bible Remix/Eugene Peterson, NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO, 2003.

M.H. Commentary, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, MI, 1992.

D.A. Carson, The Gospel According to John, Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, MI, 1991.

N.T. Wright, John for Everyone, Westminster John Knox Press, 2002.

Don’t Judge By What You See

John 7 Part 3

John 7:19-30 (NIV)

19 Has not Moses given you the law? Yet not one of you keeps the law. Why are you trying to kill me?” 20 “You are demon-possessed,” the crowd answered. “Who is trying to kill you?” 21 Jesus said to them, “I did one miracle, and you are all amazed. 22 Yet, because Moses gave you circumcision (though actually it did not come from Moses, but from the patriarchs), you circumcise a boy on the Sabbath. 23 Now if a boy can be circumcised on the Sabbath so that the law of Moses may not be broken, why are you angry with me for healing a man’s whole body on the Sabbath? 24 Stop judging by mere appearances, but instead judge correctly.”

 25 At that point some of the people of Jerusalem began to ask, “Isn’t this the man they are trying to kill? 26 Here he is, speaking publicly, and they are not saying a word to him. Have the authorities really concluded that he is the Messiah? 27 But we know where this man is from; when the Messiah comes, no one will know where he is from.” 28 Then Jesus, still teaching in the temple courts, cried out, “Yes, you know me, and you know where I am from. I am not here on my own authority, but he who sent me is true. You do not know him, 29 but I know him because I am from him and he sent me.” 30 At this they tried to seize him, but no one laid a hand on him, because his hour had not yet come.

The crowd Jesus is speaking to once again tries to make sense out of who he is. They like what he says and does sometimes, but it does not always line up with their expectations of what the Messiah should be like.

Our focus verse (28) Jesus challenges the listeners – He says, “Yes, you know me, and you know where I am from. I am not here on my own authority, but he who sent me is true. You do not know him,” Jesus accused them of not knowing God – the One they claimed to know all along. If they knew God the Father then they would know that Jesus was operating in His authority. They would know his actions were pure and pleasing to God.

·       It appears they are still hung up on the fact that Jesus healed the paralyzed man at Bethesda on the Sabbath! (John 5) Jesus responded to the need of this paralyzed man in a truly loving and miraculous way! So what if it was the Sabbath? Jesus’ action enabled the man to live out his God-given potential and bring glory to God.

·       Many people today want to be whole. They crave wholeness and feeling complete. Jesus is the source of wholeness. Only he can make each of us complete. Some of us even pray for wholeness, but when it comes, we decline because it is not the way we expected. Jesus knows the best way to make us complete. “He who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it.” (Philippians 1:6) We can count on him to make us whole, but there is no guarantee of how that will be accomplished. When we allow God to work in our lives either through expected or unexpected avenues, we will be unleashed to live out our full God-given potential and we will be enabled to give glory to God.

Questions for Reflection:

·       Is there an area in your life that causes you to feel incomplete?

·       Would you be willing to allow God to make you complete even if it involves the unexpected?

·       If you said yes to the previous question, in what ways have you already seen him at work in your life?

·       In what ways have you perhaps declined his help?

Lesson written by Kelly Preston, 2011.

Sources consulted:

NIV Study Bible, 10^th Anniversary Edition, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, MI, 1995.

The Message Bible Remix/Eugene Peterson, NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO, 2003.

M.H. Commentary, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, MI, 1992.

D.A. Carson, The Gospel According to John, Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, MI, 1991.

N.T. Wright, John for Everyone, Westminster John Knox Press, 2002.

We are God's Front Door

1) We are God's House

Our text: John 14:1-4 (NIV)

1 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. 2 My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. 4 You know the way to the place where I am going.”

Let’s take a closer look at John 14:2, “My Father’s house has many rooms…”

Now let’s consider a couple of important points about this particular verse:

A)            Here the NIV uses the word, “rooms” which comes from the Greek word, mone which correlates with the word meno, these words translate, “to stay, to remain, and to dwell” they signify a “dwelling place.” (“rooms” = “dwelling place”)

B)            The only other time this word for “rooms” is used is in John 14:23, “My Father (and I) will come to him and make our home with him.” The believer indwelt by the Spirit, becomes the “dwelling place” or the “home” of God.

Our text refers to Jesus going to heaven to prepare a place for us, it also refers to us, (in verse 2) as God’s dwelling place here on earth. This is the perspective we will be drawing from this morning as we talk about God’s house and more specifically the “Front Door.” (attn. to door on stage)

2) We Are His Front Door

John 14:4-6 (NIV)

4 You know the way to the place where I am going.” 5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” 6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Verse 6 is the most controversial passage of scripture because Jesus is declaring that He is the ONLY WAY. This goes against the popular notion that all roads lead to heaven. It is troubling for many of us when someone accuses us of being narrow minded about the Christian faith. How can a loving God insist that the only way to heaven is through Christ?

Christ is the only One who provides a direct route to God the Father.

Perhaps one of the biggest reasons others find this arrogant is that the Church as a whole has struggled at times to represent the One who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

Jesus himself is the way. We are talking about the Jesus who served others. He washed his disciples feet and commanded them to follow his example. He gave his life as the final sacrificial lamb to take away the sins of the world! This is not arrogant; this is true love and service. When we as the Church, follow Christ’s example, we will be able to stand on our claim that truly He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

How can we demonstrate this to others? As believers we are the dwelling place of God, let’s look at the entrance to that dwelling place, the front door.

The front door represents the entrance to the dwelling place and how it can be used to live out Christ’s example.

Here are 2 specific ways we can represent Christ’s example:

                         

                        A) We must guard what we allow into our house (literally and spiritually)

(Literally)   It’s important and safe to lock our doors. It is necessary to look through the peephole before opening the door. It is wise to not let random strangers in the house. These seem like no brainers, but how often do we vigilantly guard the front door, and yet allow other potentially harmful things into our home through media? What we read, watch, listen to, and view online are just as important to guard as who we allow to enter through our front door.

(Spiritually) How we talk to our loved ones, what we say on the phone, how we serve Christ in the privacy of our homes is just as important as how we live in public. When we are at home behind closed doors it is so easy to “loosen up” and not be vigilant, but it is just as crucial, to be careful what we say and do. Our families are watching, our kids are watching, but most of all God sees what we do in private.

                         

                        Proverbs 4:23 (The Message) Guard your heart


23-27 Keep vigilant watch over your heart; that's where life starts.
Don't talk out of both sides of your mouth; 
avoid careless banter, white lies, and gossip.
Keep your eyes straight ahead; ignore all sideshow distractions.
Watch your step, and the road will stretch out smooth before you.
Look neither right nor left; leave evil in the dust.

                         

                        We follow Christ’s example by guarding what we let into our house and

                        also by being open to people and relationships.

                         

                        B) We must be open to people and relationships (hospitality as individuals and as a congregation for the purpose of glorifying Him)

                        This is exactly how Christ intended the Church to reach people with the Gospel. Relationships are what it is all about. For the extraverts this may be a confirmation of what comes more natural to you. For the introverts, like me, “God will not give us more than we can handle.” J Relationships are at the center of the heart of Christ. He loves people and wants to love them through you and me. “He is not willing that anyone die without knowing the truth.”

      



       

                        
2 Cor. 5:20 

                        We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his

                        appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.

                         

                        We are His ambassadors, the front door, the first impression


                        


                        Acts 2:42-47 

                        They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the

                        breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe at the

                        many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. 44 All the believers

                        were together and had everything in common. 45 They sold property and

                        possessions to give to anyone who had need. 46 Every day they continued

                        to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes

                        and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and e

                        enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number

                        daily those who were being saved.

                         

                        Community, openness, sharing lives together. Hospitality.


Matthew 5:14-16 (The Message)

    “Be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you'll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven."

      


“Only when his followers are themselves continuing to do what Jesus did may they be believed when they speak the earth-shattering truth that he spoke.” N.T. Wright

We have this hope to offer to others, so let’s not barricade our front door by not letting anyone in embrace the people God puts in our lives and offer to them what we have – Jesus!


We know the way home… (v4) this challenge today may seem daunting. How can we change what we have allowed into our homes? Jesus assures us that we know the way “home” in verse 4. The “Way” is through Jesus. He is the way, the truth and the life….

We can weigh every decision against this truth. Does what I am doing or allowing into my home point to the way of Christ?

       

      Jesus told his disciples that he was going to prepare a place for them so they

      would be comforted. He will not require more of us than we can handle. He will

      stretch us to trust in Him, He will ask us to take leaps of faith, He will prompt us to

      reach out to someone when we are tired but He will provide what we need to do

      anything he asks of us. He doesn’t ask us to do things beyond our God-given

      ability. Yes, beyond our human ability, but not beyond His ability to do it

      through us.

       

      He loves when our front door is open and porch light is on welcoming others into

    our lives. He is not asking us to wait until our lives are perfect to invite others in –   

    he is asking us to invite others to journey with us.

       

      This is not aimed only at the extraverted –

      this is a God-given command that Jesus gives to all believers. Matt 28:19-20. This

      was Christ’s mission here on earth – to be the Light, to invite people to get to

      know his father.

       

      Part of following Christ is continuing to embrace others, not shutting down or

      barring the front door because of past hurts.

       

      Oh that we would let our lives be used like that! How different our relationships

    would be! How different our schedules would be!

Questions to consider:

Am I willing to:

      ... be God’s dwelling place

      ... forgive those who have hurt me in the past

      ... be intentional & vigilant on what I allow into my home

      ... follow Jesus’ example to serve others openly