John 7:1-5

[0:00] John 7 begins with After These Things. We're just going to read the first few verses this morning. It says, After These Things in John chapter 7, After These Things Jesus walked in Galilee, For he would not look in jewelry, Because the Jews sought to kill him.

[0:18] Now the Jews' Feast of Tabernacles was at hand. His brethren therefore said unto him, Depart hence and go unto Judea. That thy disciples also may see the works that thou doest.

[0:32] For there is no man that doeth anything in secret, And he himself seeketh to be known openly. If thou do these things, shoe thyself to the world. For neither did his brethren believe in him.

[0:46] And we'll stop reading right there. Now folks this ain't talking about his brethren as far as these men, also being Jews. This is talking about the sons of Mary's womb.

[1:00] This is talking about his literal fleshly brothers, his half-brothers. Really because we know that Jesus Christ, God Almighty was his Father.

[1:11] But we're talking about the half-brothers of Jesus Christ when it says, His brethren didn't believe in him. His brethren didn't believe who he was. Folks these were the same brethren that would have grown up in the same house with Mary, and the same house with Joseph, her husband.

[1:30] They would have grown up in the same house with the same Jesus. They would have heard, I guarantee you, more than one time. They would have heard Mary talk about how she was a virgin, when she conceived our Lord Jesus Christ in the womb.

[1:46] They would have heard this story from their own mother. They would have heard of all these things. They would have known the prophecies of the Old Testament, but yet his own brethren, they did not believe that he was the cross, the Son of the living God.

[2:05] And they were here trying to convince Jesus to go up for the Feast of Tapernakels folks. That tells me that there were six months between the last Passover and between this Feast here for you read in the Book of Leviticus as far as the Feast goes.

[2:24] But the Passover was in the first month, but the Feast of Tapernakels was to take place in the seventh month. So there were six months here between the last Passover mentioned, and the time that we are now folks.

[2:40] That's a lot of time for Jesus Christ to do a lot of things that are written within this book. And these brethren would have been aware of the things that Jesus was doing, not only what we do read, but they would have been aware of everything that is not recorded within the Scriptures.

[3:02] Yet they still did not believe that he was Messiah, that he was the Son of God, that he was the cross that was sent to liberate them, to be their Messiah, to be their King, to be their Savior.

[3:21] Man, there's a whole church world out there in this shape right now. They have a hard time believing it. What do they tell them here? They say his brethren therefore sit on their depart hints and go unto Judea, that thy disciples also may see the works that thou doest for there is no man that doeth anything in secret, and he himself seeketh to be known openly.

[3:44] And if thou do these things, shoot thyself to the world. If you really do these things, Jesus, if these miracles that we have witnessed are really of God, if they are really something that is a fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies, shoot thyself unto the world.

[4:04] Hey folks, this was Messiah, their half-brother that we're talking about here, and they are commanding him to do something. They're commanding that he go up to the beast, that he shoot himself unto the world.

[4:21] I'm not talking about to the world as a whole, but unto every man that would have been there for the beast of David and Eccles, every man, boy, girl, woman that was present, whether Jew, whether Gentile, they were saying, show yourself unto these people.

[4:45] Folks, it wasn't his time yet. You read just a couple verses on. Says then Jesus said unto them, my time is not yet come, but your time is always ready.

[4:56] The world cannot hate you but me, it hated, because I testify that the works there are for evil. They're trying to convince Jesus to go up and to prove himself to people, to go up and show that he is indeed Messiah.

[5:14] They're trying to go up to this beast. Hey, there's going to be a blue billion people up in Jerusalem. Folks, there were seven feasts given over in the book of Leviticus, but only three of those feasts did God command that every male in Israel present himself before God in the holy place that God would choose, which was the holy city of Jerusalem.

[5:38] Hey folks, this was one of those feasts where every Jewish male was to be present in Israel, was to be present in Jerusalem. This was one of those times and they were saying, go up there, work these miracles before them.

[5:54] This is your disciples, what disciples, the ones that have left him in John chapter 6. It says, go up there, your disciples, not believe if they witness the things that we are telling you to do. Who are they to tell Jesus Christ what he should do and when he should do it?

[6:19] The church world right now and those that are in the church, that are in the church houses, I should say, but not part of the church, the capital C church, the bride of Christ.

[6:31] Folks, there's too many people out there right now. They're waiting on a sign. They're looking for a wonder. They're saying, God, if you will just show me this and Lord, if you will just show me that, then I will believe. Hey, does the Bible not say we walk by faith and not by sign?

[6:51] It's not the signs and it's not the wonders. It is the belief and the faith that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. I was in that boat one time. I remember very plainly being in that boat.

[7:07] The morning I got saved, I was in that boat. I was saying, God, if you'll just prove yourself, God, if you'll do this and God, if you'll do that, I'd been under conviction for three days at that point and I was still looking after a sign. I was still wanting God to work something, to prove himself under me. I said, God, if you'll just do this or do that, then I will believe.

[7:35] I already knew deep in my heart that what I believed in my life was a lie and it was God showing me what a lie it was. God didn't know that to work anything in front of my eyes.

[7:52] He was wanting to work something in my heart. Hallelujah. And he did. Praise God. The entire world, folks, I've heard atheists, I've heard evolutionists, I've heard churchy people, I've heard all kinds of people say, well, God would just do this, if God would just do that.

[8:19] God don't have to do nothing. God's done sent the prize jewel of heaven. He's done sent him to be the proficient for sins. What more do we want? What more do we want out of God? People say, well, I'll read about these signs and I'll read about these wonders and these miracles in the scriptures. Hey, why don't we see them now? Hey, if you ever looked at yourself in a mirror, you're looking at a miracle. Hey, how do you think your mama pushed you out of her womb without dying? That was a miracle from Almighty God. It's a miracle you're sitting here at your lungs work, at your heart works, at your eyes work, and it's a miracle that none of us are burning in hell right now. That's a miracle. God's wrote a miracle. We don't need any more miracles. People are seeking after miracles. These people with Jesus, his own brother and his half brothers, they were saying, go up, perform these miracles at your disciples, my belief. Go up and show yourself under the world. Hey, post Jesus Christ was shown to the world when he was reared up on the cross on the God thus hill and the place called a skull. Hey, he showed himself to the world. He said, if I be lifted up, I will draw all men under me. Hey, he's drawn all men. No man can come to Jesus unless the Father draws him. Hallelujah. No more miracles need be worked. Listen, folks,

[10:01] I believe in miracles. I do. I'm one. You're one. Everybody you know is one. As I've already said, the fact that we're not in hell right now, Roger touched on this morning while he was teaching, said truth be known, everyone of us should be a power of ash right now.

[10:20] Everyone of us ought to be consumed with the fire of God. Everyone of us ought to be burned up physically and everyone of us should be burning in the flames of hell and be in torments for all of eternity. And it is a miracle that we are not. It's a miracle that God's soul of the world that he gave his only begotten Son. It's a miracle that the only begotten Son chose to come here and die for a filthy rotten sinner like me and like you. That's a miracle. No other miracles need be worked, but yet he works. Yet he works. He works him every day. How many of you have heard this one ain't going to last for six more months than three years later they're walking around. Folks, I've witnessed it myself when I used to work at the cancer center in Abingdon. I saw the doctors give patients two and three months to live and I saw them saying patients two and three years later they were walking around not being pushed in by a wheelchair. They no longer had their oxygen.

[11:29] They no longer had to come for treatment. They just came once a year for a scan to confirm that God had indeed worked a miracle. Miracles are worked every day. God doesn't have to do those things.

[11:44] God chooses to do those things. Who are we to tell God what to do and when to do it? Who are these brethren of Jesus Christ to tell him what to do and when to do it?

[12:00] What did Jesus tell the folks that came to him? I know it's recorded in the Gospel of Mark. I know for positive there. Jesus was teaching and some came to him and said your mother and your brothers are outside. They said your whole family's out there they're looking for you and why did they come looking for Jesus? Because they were ashamed of them. They were ashamed of the miracles he was for. They're ashamed of what he was proclaiming. They came looking for him. He said who are my brothers? Who is my mother? And it says that he doesn't just like this. He said they that do the will of my father the same as my mother and my brothers the same as my family. Hey folks he didn't he didn't discriminate then between you and Gentile either. He simply said they that do the will of my father. They are those that belong to me. They are the ones that I consider my family. They are my mother and they are my brother. They are my sisters. They are every one of these folks that are kidding me. They are the ones that I lay my claim to. Hey these brothers of Jesus Christ had no more right to tell Jesus what to do and when to do it than they had to look at the Son and to tell

[13:21] Him to quit shouting. Jesus was God is God and he will do anything that he wants when he wants and does not need man's permission to do it. We are nobody. We are nobody to tell God what to do yet they were saying go up and work these miracles. Go up and do these same things before there those disciples that left those disciples that left it and then followed you walk with you no more the scripture says and they might believe. People will make their decisions.

[14:04] People will decide the day or day on Jesus Christ. They do it every day. Every time the gospels preached and every time that a lost person that the gospel falls on their ears and every time they exit the doors of the church or they walk on down the street if it's a street preacher presenting the gospel to them. Every time they reject it folks their hearts want to get just a little bit harder. Their heart will get harder and they'll get that much more firmer in their belief that either there is no God or they are fine with God folks and that is a dangerous thought to have for a lost person. That is a dangerous thought for anyone to have is that they are all right in the eyes of God for we are not inside of Jesus Christ the wrath of God of God upon every one of us. The wrath of God has already been upon Jesus Christ and it will never be upon him again so if

[15:04] I am in Jesus Christ I have no reason to dread the wrath of God to fear the wrath of God to be mindful of the wrath of God I have a duty to warn others of the wrath that is to come.

[15:23] John asked the question to the Pharisees actually to their messengers he asked the question who has warned thee who told thee to flee the wrath to come who told you to do so called them a brutal viper's called them a bunch of snakes. Now listen John was a wild man John the Baptist come out to wilderness wearing his coat of camel hair eating wild honey and locusts for his daily rations how many of us would like to do that not me I'd do it if I had to I guess you get hungry enough you'll eat anything but this was John's lifestyle this was how he lived and if you read the prophets in the Old Testament they didn't live much better than what John the Baptist did they and that's why he came out the way he did hey the Bible says that the law and the prophets were until John they post that tells me that the prophets ended at John Jesus Christ it is the last word to be spoken he was the last prophecy of Almighty God to be fulfilled I understand we still got the whole book of revelation to go but God has given us in his word what will happen in those days of revelation what will happen in the days that John prophesied of that he's seen in a vision on the island pandas I understand those things but God needs not work a miracle needs not give us anything to rebuild anything else under us it has already been revealed in his word hallelujah we need not looking further than his word these disciples these brethren of Jesus Christ what were they want there was one the same thing Peter was who was a no-blood kid to Jesus as far as we know they want the same Messiah that Peter was they was wanting a Messiah to come right then and set up his kingdom right then to relieve them of the oppression right then they were more concerned about that a temporal a temporal relief of a governmental oppression than they were the eternal relief of their souls they were more concerned with what needed to happen right then and there than what all eternity had laid out for them they were more concerned I said with temporal relief than they were with eternal peace that they could have with God and these were mostly

[18:02] Jews they were Jews I mean all these brothers and Jesus were Jews I'm talking about the other people that followed him around the other people that witnessed his miracles the other people that followed along and saw him heal the blind and and raised the lame up off of their feet he they witnessed all these things they folks said it was a largely Jewish audience that witnessed these things and yet they did not understand the Old Testament scriptures that said that Jesus Christ would let the Messiah would come for one he would come for all he would make a way his way yes it would be called peace but Jesus Christ himself said I came not to bring peace but a sword he came to bring the vision the division was happening then and it's happening now and it will happen in the future Jesus Christ said my time has now come so he told his brethren here now listen don't you confuse that don't confuse that with when he said my hour is not yet come hour and times two different things you read those in the context that they're given in and you'll understand them better hour was right then and there that was while he was here the folks he said my time is not coming what were they wanting they were wanting him to reveal himself in all his glory in all of his majesty as Messiah as king folks that don't even happen that hasn't happened yet and it won't happen until at least Revelation chapter one and even further on beyond that John saw him in his full glory and his full majesty in Revelation chapter one but that was in a vision hey when the world will see Jesus Christ in that way you read about it in the gospel of Matthew Jesus says himself that the Son of man will come in the clouds with great glory and with great honor and that's when the world will see him and not one second before it is God's timing when these things happen yeah Jesus said here my time ain't coming yet my time to reveal myself in that matter has not come yet hey his ministry was well underway John chapter two is when we see his first miracle perform yeah as far as the gospel of John goes when he turned the water into wine at the marriage in Canaan his ministry was underway his miracles were underway he done walked on the sea for goodness sakes before John chapter seven he done fed thousands of people before that he was working miracles and every one of those miracles pointed to him that said this is Messiah this is the promised seed this is the one that will reign from David

[20:49] Stroud this is the one that the prophets of old told us about every one of his miracles pointed in that direction yet the Jews rejected him and the people that are in the world around the church are rejecting him in the same manner and for the same reasons because they don't believe what does say at the word of God they don't believe Jesus Christ is Messiah or they believe in a Jesus cross that is not the Jesus Christ of the Bible no need to repent no need no need to come and spill your guts at the altar no need to go to the mercy seat to obtain mercy no need for any of these things I understand that the altar and the mercy see no that's stuff's Old Testament before every one of those things pointed to Jesus Christ every one of those things signified Jesus Christ there were pictures of Jesus Christ hey listen God is still in the mercy seat now praise God that he is that means there's still time for lost people out there in the world right now but one of these days my

[21:57] Bible will back it up and I'll go to my grave preaching it one of these days my God will come above of the mercy seat and there will not be any mercy left for anyone at all folks it's coming it's coming he's on the mercy seat now but when he comes off when he comes off folks when God comes up off of the mercy seat there is no mercy there is no chance for repentance there is no opportunity this is the point where people will be crying to the rocks to fall upon them to hide them from the face of the lamb and to hide them from his fury and to hide them from his wrath people will be screaming to die people will be trying to die hey I don't have any biblical proof of it but it says that death will flee from them I'm of the mind and people will actually be trying to kill themselves and they cannot do so because they have not suffered under the wrath of the Lamb of God hey when it says death will flee I promise you death will flee from them and they will have to suffer they will have to suffer whatever God sees whether that be fire and brimstone like Roger was talking about this morning whether that be creatures you're about all kinds of unsettling things in scripture you're about all kinds of things in book of revelation you read about creatures you read about earthquakes you read about the the sea being turned into blood you read about everything in the sea or most of the things that the sea dying you read you read about all kinds of bad things and people will have to suffer through that they will have to suffer you know why because God's word says they will have to suffer why do they have to suffer the because of their rejection of the Lamb of God because of the rejection of the Lamb of God they will suffer the wrath of the same Lamb because of the rejection of the Lamb of God they will feel the fury of the line of the tribe of Judah who is the same Jesus Christ they will feel the fury of Almighty God they will feel his wrath coming down upon their host these brethren of

[24:16] Jesus Christ when they asked Jesus to go up and to show himself under the world they had no idea what they were asking they had no idea why they were asking except that they were wanting something they knew what they wanted but both what God wants for us for how ways anything that you could want for yourself hallelujah what did I want for myself where I got saved the list is about a mile long and God was nowhere on it yeah I wanted all kinds of things for myself if I told you half of that list you kicked me out of this church you never want to see me again and you know what you had a list that long too before you was saved and all of us would be ashamed of you if we knew half of the stuff that was on your list so let's just keep that let's just keep that in the closet for right now God was nowhere on your list and I and and and he was nowhere upon my list but God God's wants for my life and God's calling for my life God's gift for my life and for our way anything of my wants of what I thought I needed any of my desires God's want our way that God's will was worked in my life and I stand before you today as I'm born again child of God hallelujah because that was his will because that was his way if I would have gotten my way if I wasn't in hell right now I'd still be on my way if I'd have gotten my way that's exactly where I'd be headed if I wasn't already there folks these brethren of Jesus I gotta say there were people that were raised with him people that would have heard their their mother Mary talk about the divine conception they would have heard all of these things and they not only that but they would have grown up with Jesus all throughout his his childhood there was adulthood and they had been witnessing a year and a half of miracles and a ministry work of Jesus Christ 18 months and they still commanded going up you go up to the Feast of Tabernacle enough you notice Jesus didn't say no I'm not gonna go up you all go ahead he says you go up and he says he went after him later on in the scripture he says you all go ahead what was that that they had marched into Jerusalem with Jesus Christ and been announcing this is Messiah this is the one that was promised to come and that's exactly what they would have done if they had marched in at that time folks like I said we were only 18 months into the ministry he still had another another year and a half to two years left of ministry before this if they had done that it would afforded the entire plan of God that God's plan will never be forwarded. Jesus knew what he was doing and Jesus had to attend that

[27:21] Feast you know why because that was a command of Almighty God that every Jewish man will do so he didn't tell him you go on up I'm gonna set this one out he told him to go on up and he went up by himself in secret and in the middle half way through the Feast he says in the midst of the Feast hey he went and he began to teach and all those Jews were saying hey this man's words who's ever heard of something like this this man's face with authority this man speaking like none has ever spoken before and you get to the end of this chapter the Pharisees officers came back and even the officers Jinkow Roman soldiers said no man ever speak like this one you know why because he was more than man he was God and when the Bible says this man speaks with authority that's what they said at the end of the sermon on the mountain over in Matthew chapter seven you read the very last verse of that scripture they said this man speaks with authority this is amazing you know why because that man was authority not only did he have authority he was and is authority when we when we see this feast and we see the end of the chapter and we see the Pharisees asked the officers why didn't you arrest them they said no man's ever speak like this man they went to arrest Jesus listen these wasn't Jewish officers there was no such thing they were under Roman rule they had to send Roman officers to do their bidding so when these Gentile Roman officers came back they said no man ever speak like this they had gone to arrest the Messiah and yet they were arrested by his words sounds of me out they had some conviction on sounds of me out they believed they believed more than the Jews that were listening to and all it did with the Jews was create division but as

[29:18] I already said Jesus said I came not to bring peace but a sword he said I'm gonna cause division he said hey there's gonna be something I got even prophesied it back in the old testament he said you can't you won't be able to trust those of your own house Jesus Christ said the same thing he said mother or be against daughter and daughter against mother son against father and father against son hey that's the way the gospel works if we preach the gospel and it doesn't cause division somewhere we have preached it wrong because the world will be offended by it the world will be offended by the blood of Jesus Christ the world will be offended that they can do nothing to earn their salvation that the prosper salvation has already been paid by the death of Jesus Christ that's what offends the world that they can have nothing to do with it they want to be able to pet themselves upon the back they want to be able to fork over enough money to do enough good works and folks there is no work will be accepted except the finished work on the crucifixion of Jesus Christ on the cross and Calvary that's all the work that God's going to recognize.

[30:31] These brethren these other Jews that heard him later on I heard them teaching me even the Pharisees except at least one a man named Nicodemus none of they all had a hard time believing Jesus Christ had a hard time believing that he was Messiah that he was the promised one what did what did Nicodemus tell them there at the end of the chapter he said does our law judge a man does our law judge a man before here's what he's done that was the word to Nicodemus the same Nicodemus that came to Jesus by now John makes that very clear in his gospel he didn't want him being confused with another Nicodemus that might have been out there this was the same Nicodemus of John chapter 3 the same Nicodemus that came to Jesus and Jesus told him he must be born again and then it is stooped Nicodemus when he said they said can I climb up into my mother and be born again Jesus said marvel not that I said you must be born again and he asked him the question he said are you not a teacher of Israel and you don't know these things hey if you don't know the natural things how can I explain to you the spiritual things these are this is the same Nicodemus 18 months later 18 months we took to get to this part

[31:56] John chapter 3 it was midnight Nicodemus's life it was black it was dark it was wretched it was stormy it was all kinds of things John chapter 7 midnight and I'm past and the sun was coming up on the rise and John chapter 7 you get over after the crucifixion when Nicodemus and Joseph of erymythea go and beg the body of Jesus Nicodemus supplies the spices folks that was that was the middle of the day that was midday in Nicodemus's life and his spiritual walk we got three different phases of his life in the gospel of John John 3 John 7 and I believe it's John chapter 19 that's how slowly grace works folks that's three and a half years about three and a half years of Nicodemus's life all summed up there in the gospel of John in three separate events it took that long for Nicodemus to make a public profession that he indeed believed in Jesus Christ now listen I think he believed in John chapter 7

[33:12] I think he did otherwise he wouldn't have straightened them first he's out he wouldn't have said to his our law judge someone before he knows what they've done he wouldn't have asked that question he just went right along with them with the rest of the Pharisees folks by him saying that he was risking being kicked out of the Sanhedrin council but they didn't nothing to him you know why because God didn't let him you ever wonder if Pharaoh if Pharaoh ever thought to himself right before the waters came in on him why can't I kill these Jews why can't I just exterminate them why can't I catch up to them I'll tell you why because God didn't let him take the wheels off the chariots that's dry he took the wheels off the chariots that is dragon that is dragon chariots with nothing more naxals on across across a dry seabed my bible says them Jews went across on dry ground if you read any of these accounts it says it was ankle deep water you throw that in the trash you don't believe that the bible says it was it was dry ground that they crossed on it says that

[34:25] God in the book of Psalms caused a strong east wind to come and that east wind is what parted the waters what was the east wind it was a wind that blew in from the east it picked up all that desert sand it picked all the heat up off of the desert and it came and it parted the waters of the red sea and that's why it wasn't even damp on the water or on the bottom where the water was because the east wind picked up the sand and it laid it across the dam just if my bible says it was dry ground then by gosh it was dry ground they wrote it didn't kill the Jews because God didn't let him no Hayden over in the book of Esther he didn't succeed why not because of Esther not because of morti chi not because of art exert seas not because of any of these it's because God didn't let him right Hitler he didn't succeed in killing all the Jews although he killed about six to six and a half million of them yeah and about five million other people what they would use yeah he didn't succeed though why because God didn't let him

[35:39] Jesus telling his brethren here it is not my time folks it will be his time one day to reveal himself in all his glory and in all his majesty it will happen and I said do not confuse him saying that here with what he says and the other and so the other gospel is where he says my hour has not yet come his hour was coming then while he was here on this earth and his hour did come yeah it came that he was to be put on that tree and it came that he was to be killed and to be crucified and give his life's blood for human eye that hour came but the time that his brethren were asking for now or in this account that we're reading here that time had not come then and it has yet to come but it will it will come one more thing we already read it the world cannot hate you but me it hated because I testified that the works thereof are evil folks that had to stain the side of his brethren it should have it didn't it says the world cannot hate you why would the world hate hate hate hate the brethren the world hates anybody that follows Jesus Christ folks the world hates God's people and it's been that way from the very beginning not not just since the time of Jesus Christ

[37:15] I just got through listening to you people who want to kill the Jews over the centuries and not only that hey we can go on to the New Testament times why didn't Nero succeed in killing all the Christians I'll tell you why because God didn't allow him to yes he killed a whole bunch of them and yes he was a sick man he was a sick ruler some of the things that he done to the Christians I understand this but God did not allow him to exterminate the believers God has always had a remnant in hallelujah he will always have a remnant I read about it all throughout the scriptures both old and new testament God always has someone to go for proclaiming his word if he doesn't folks is that what the case we can all throw away our bottles and never enter another church God always has a remnant he has always got followers he has always got people proclaiming this word proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ and it will be that way until there's no further need for it here on earth when will that be that will be when there is a cleansing like we've never experienced before when there is a cleansing at this earth he wouldn't know his day they didn't even experience the cleansing band like the cleansing we're gonna have for the hateful it was still the same earth after the flood waters receded after all these things happened it was still the same cursed earth underneath all that the god had cursed way back in the garden when the fall first happened but there's kind of a cleansing one day praise god where the john said I saw a new heaven and a new earth why did he see these things because the first heaven and the first earth were passed away god's gonna burn it all up he's gonna create all things brand new hallelujah Peter said Peter said it's a new heaven new earth where and dwelleth righteousness John just said it was a new heaven new earth Peter added that to where and dwelleth righteousness what is righteousness that tells me that's where Jesus Christ is going to be

[39:30] Jesus Christ is the righteousness of God Jesus Christ is righteousness if we are righteous it's because we have Jesus Christ and it's for no other reason whatsoever you go ahead and you try and keep the law you go ahead and try and be a good boy or be a good girl you keep on trying to do these things on your own but outside of the man Jesus Christ there will be no righteousness there will be no holiness and there will be no salvation and he is righteousness