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Thanks for being here tonight, and we made it two weeks in a row, so I'm happy for that. And the good news is, I'm going to preach through the whole chapter, but the bad news is I'm going to preach through the whole chapter. That's 53 verses. But the other good news is that we're going to order pizza for everybody. So make sure you get enough, Brother Ned, and then throw in some wings, and make sure that they send some napkins this time, or plates if they can. So I don't think we have any plates, and it'll get messy. All right, so remember there's a reward at the end for paying attention, all right? But don't just come here for the pizza, like the people last week that were only coming to Jesus for the free bread. So anyway, all right, so, and really this whole chapter, the whole thing basically, the context of the whole thing is the Feast of Tabernacles. So at the very beginning of the chapter here, it says, after these things, and what is it talking about? After what things? Well, remember last week, in chapter number six, Jesus gives that sermon where a lot of people stopped following Him, because He said, unless you eat My flesh and drink My blood, and then people were just freaked out by that. It was a hard saying, but it was a spiritual sermon, and people were taking it ultra literally. And you'll find that a lot of the themes in John is that people don't understand the Bible, or they don't know the Bible. And so when Jesus comes and He preaches these sermons, they don't understand the Bible. They don't understand prophecy. They don't even know the Bible. And this, to sum up this whole chapter, is that basically these people don't know the Bible. And if they do know the Bible, they don't know enough to put the whole picture together. So it's after these things, Jesus walked in Galilee, for He would not walk in Jewry, because the Jews sought to kill Him. So from that point forward, the Jews are trying to kill Him for the rest of this book. So for the rest of Jesus' time, He has to kind of walk on the outskirts and the wilderness, and it kind of emphasizes that for the rest of the book, that He just isn't able to walk openly like He was before. He was ultra-popular, He was really famous, and people were following Him all around, and now He's lost a lot of His disciples, and the Jews are trying to kill Him. And so because of that infamous sermon that He preached. Now, the Jews' Feast of Tabernacles was at hand. Now, if you don't think about the Feast of Tabernacles, and of course people still keep this feast today, and it's kind of become this 7-11 worship with purple lights and stuff in Jerusalem every year, but it's definitely not what God is asked to do. And before I get into the rest of the message, I just want to pray real quick. Lord, we just thank You so much for the blessings of this church, this great church here, and even though we're small in number, Lord, that we're doing great things here, and I pray that You just bless each and every person, and fill us, Lord, with Your Spirit. I pray that You'd help me to teach this sermon, and Lord, that You fill me with Your Spirit as I preach, and that, Lord, everything done in Your house tonight would be blessed. In Your name we pray. Amen. So, the Jews' Feast of Tabernacles is at hand. Now, remember, Christ had to come, and He had to fulfill the whole law. He couldn't just skip out on certain things. He had to keep the whole law. So, the Feast of Tabernacles is one of the three feasts that you had to appear before the Lord once a year in Jerusalem. So, there's seven feasts, but three of them you had to come if you were a man. If you were a male, you had to go. So, this is the situation that Jesus is in. He can't just openly go, and this is kind of a family thing. You went with your family, you went to Jerusalem, and He is supposed to go. He has to go. It's part of Him fulfilling the whole law. Now, this is a big subject that I can't really fully develop, this whole thing about the Feast of Tabernacles, but I do want to show you what the Bible says about it. We'll have you turn to a couple different spots here. So, turn to Deuteronomy chapter 16. Because this is such a big chapter, I'm going to try to preach this as fast as I can, but I also want to kind of show you what the Feast of Tabernacles is. Now, there's also verses in the book of Numbers. There's verses in the book of Exodus. The books of Moses, obviously you've got Genesis, but you've got Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. And then in the New Testament, you have Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. So, in both Testaments, you kind of have these four books that kind of have different sides that it tells you things from, and have different details in the different books. So, here in Deuteronomy chapter 16, verse 13, it says, Thou shalt observe the Feast of Tabernacles seven days after that thou hast gathered in the corn and thy wine. So, another name for this is the Feast of Ingathering. And so, this is not the Feast of First Fruits. The Feast of First Fruits is that first one where they, you know, were obviously the first fruits, but this is where they gather in the rest of the harvest, and this takes place in the seventh month. So, it says, And thou shalt rejoice in thy feast, thou and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy maidservant, and thy, excuse me, thy manservant, and thy maidservant, and the Levite, the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow that are within thy gates. Seven days thou shalt thou keep a song feast unto the Lord thy God in the place which the Lord shall choose, because the Lord thy God shall bless thee in all thine increase and in all the works of thine hands, therefore thou shalt surely rejoice. And I believe that this is picturing like eternity future. Obviously, there's some symbolism for the millennial reign of Christ, but this is what I believe that it's representing. So, because you have the year of Jubilee picturing, you know, when the trumpets are blown and all that, that is picturing the Antichrist coming, and then, of course, you know, the Jubilee is where the rapture takes place and all that stuff. So, again, I don't have time to develop all that stuff, but this, look at verse 16. It says, Three times in a year shall all thy males appear before the Lord thy God in the place which he shall choose, in the feast of unleavened bread, so there's one, the feast of weeks, that's two, and in the feast of tabernacles, that's three. So this is the feast it's talking about. And they shall not appear before the Lord empty. Every man shall give as he is able according to the blessing of the Lord thy God which he hath given thee. So, part of this is also sacrificing, and every day the sacrifices decrease by a certain amount until the last day, and then, so the first day is a high holy Sabbath day, the first day is a Sabbath day, and then the last day is actually, the last part of the feast is the eighth day, which is a Sabbath day also. And so, look at Leviticus chapter 23, verse 39. I just kind of want to give you a little bit of background of what this is, because this is really where this whole, pretty much this whole chapter takes place at this feast, and everything that Jesus preaches about is at this feast, so it's kind of important where he's at, what he's talking about, and so when Jesus says, does things and says things, there's always more to it than what you would just read on the surface sometimes. So, and Leviticus 23, verse 39 says, Also in the fifteenth day of the seventh month, so that's when it's supposed to be kept, the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when ye have gathered in the fruit of the land, ye shall keep a feast unto the Lord seven days, on the first day shall be a Sabbath, and on the eighth day shall be a Sabbath. So you see that? And ye shall take ye on the first day the boughs of goodly trees, branches of palm trees, and boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook, and ye shall rejoice before the Lord your God seven days. And ye shall keep it a feast unto the Lord seven days in the year. It shall be a statute forever in your generations, ye shall celebrate it in the seventh month. Ye shall dwell in booths seven days. Now when we think of booths, we think of like a booth where you maybe sell stuff or whatever, but this is talking about like a tent or a tabernacle, that's why it's called a feast of tabernacles, because people are saying, it's basically like camping, right? And it says, All that are Israelites born shall dwell in booths, that your generations may know that I made the children of Israel to dwell in booths, when I brought them out of the land of Egypt, I am the Lord your God. So one of the purposes is to show and to remember what God did, and that he took them out of the land of Egypt. So basically they're camping for a week, and two of those days are no work days, so basically it's like, don't threaten me with a good time. God's commanding them to go camping and to have feasts, it's like God's good to his people, and he has at least seven feasts in a year, people say, well Americans have too many holidays, and it's like, God likes us to have holidays, he thinks it's good to have down time, and to have days where you don't work, and days where you have rest, and I don't think there's anything wrong with that, and a lot of people like to go camping, I mean I don't like to go tent camping anymore, because you know, waking up on a rock is not fun, but when I was a kid I did a lot of camping, I liked it, but I can't say that maybe I would have liked this too much, but now the thing about this is they were commanded to do this once a year, all the males had to be there, it wasn't an option, but the thing is they didn't keep this, and the Bible makes this very clear that they were not doing this the way that they were supposed to for many, many years. Turn to Nehemiah chapter 8 verse 13, Nehemiah chapter 8 verse number 13. Nehemiah chapter 8 verse 13, the Bible says, And on the second day were gathered together the chief of the fathers of all the people, the priests and the Levites, unto Ezra the scribe, this is after the temple has been destroyed, this is when they come back from the captivity of Babylon. It says, even to understand the words of the law, it is now written in the law which the Lord had commanded by Moses that the children of Israel should dwell in booths in the feast of the seventh month, and that they should publish and proclaim in all their cities and in Jerusalem, saying, Go forth unto the mount and fetch olive branches and pine branches and myrtle branches and palm branches and branches of thick trees to make booths as it is written. So the people went forth and brought them and made themselves booths, every one upon the roof of his house and in their courts and in the courts of the house of God and in the street of the water gate and in the street of the gate of Ephraim. And all the congregation of them that were come again out of the captivity made booths and sat under the booths, for since the days of Jeshua, which is Joshua, the son of Nun, unto that day had not the children of Israel done so. And there was a very great gladness. So from the days of Joshua, and who does Joshua picture again? He pictures the Lord Jesus Christ, doesn't he? And so from that day, if they did do it, they didn't do it like they were supposed to. That's a long time. That's a long period. David and Solomon and Hezekiah and all these great kings, Asa and Jehoshaphat, all these great kings didn't do it like they were supposed to, but yet they do it when they come, what? Out of captivity again. So they hadn't done it like they had done it in that time. And it says, unto that day had not the children of Israel done so and there was a very great gladness. Also, day by day, from the first day unto the last day, he read in the book of the law of God and they kept the feast seven days and on the eighth day was a solemn assembly according unto the manner. So this is important because we have to understand in John why these days are important because on the last day, remember if you were following along with the reading, what did Jesus do on the very last day of the feast? He gets up and he preaches this sermon and he says some specific things, but he also gets up at the beginning of the feast on the first solemn day and where's he at? He's in the temple and on the midst of the week he stands up. So just keep all that in mind. Now let's go back to John chapter 7. Before he goes to the feast, he has this kind of little run-in and if you're just reading through the book of John, you might kind of miss this and it's kind of an implied thing that happens here, but check out verse number 3, it says, His brethren, now this is not talking about his brothers in Christ, this is talking about his literal brothers, right? His brethren therefore said unto him, depart hence and go into 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. If thou do these things, show thyself to the world, for neither did his brethren believe in him. So what do you think that they're trying to get done here? They're trying to get Jesus to get killed, sounds like to me. They know that he doesn't want to walk openly and they're his brothers and they don't believe in him. And what this made me think about was specifically Joseph in the Bible. Joseph, he was the righteous, he pictures Jesus Christ in many different ways and his brothers wanted to kill him too and they end up selling him. And then you think about Jeremiah, his own family members wanted to kill him. And Gideon, his brothers hated him and Gideon's sons all killed, that one son killed all the other sons. Then you have Cain killed Abel, of course. This is kind of like a theme in the Bible where the righteous son is persecuted by his brothers. And then of course Jacob and Esau, you have that persecution too. But really Joseph is the great picture that you see in the Bible that's probably the most like this. But this is kind of just an implied thing here. Because why would they be saying this? Why are they trying to get him to go openly when the first verses are telling us that he didn't want to walk openly in front of them for a reason because they're trying to kill him, right? And verse 6 says, Then Jesus said unto them, he always is great at turning the tables on people, Then Jesus said unto them, My time is not yet come. So that tells you that he knows exactly what they're trying to do. But your time is all way ready. The world cannot hate you, but me it hateth, because I testify of it that the works thereof are evil. Go ye up to this feast, I go not up yet unto this feast, for my time is not yet full come. And when he would say this, what he always says this in the Bible, he's saying my time to die is not yet come. And so this is exactly what they were trying to do. They were trying to get him killed and he's basically just putting it back on him and saying, I know what you're trying to do, but my time is not yet to die. So verse 9, When he said these words unto them, he abode still in Galilee. But when his brethren were gone up, then went he also up unto the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret. Now the Bible teaches this principle to be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. And so sometimes being bold, obviously God wants us to be bold and I believe that, but I mean you even have Jesus here, it's like he knows they're trying to murder him, so he's doing the more wise thing and not just openly walking around going, what are you going to do about it? There are times when we should be wise and not just be brat. There's a difference between being bold and the difference between being brash and like, what? Nobody can touch me. And obviously Jesus is the Lord. He could do that if he wanted to, but that's not how he responded. That's not how he acted here. He went in secret. So there are times when it calls for us to be a little bit more cautious and not to just be brazen in our actions. And it says, Then the Jews sought him at the feast, just like he thought they were trying to, and said, where is he? And there was much murmuring among the people concerning him. I remember last week we kind of dove into a little bit of the murmuring. Now, murmuring just means that things are being said in a low way and it's not really being talked about openly. So when someone's murmuring against Moses or murmuring against Christ, it means they're complaining in a way where they're not doing it openly to his face. But some of the murmuring is actually they're talking positively about him and saying things low enough to where the other people can't hear what they're saying because they're going to get mad. So murmuring isn't always a bad thing, but when you're murmuring against someone, it is. So it says, Then there was much murmuring among the people concerning him, for some said, he is a good man. So there's nothing wrong with saying that. Others said, nay, but he deceived the people. So that's not good. Howbeit no man spake openly of him for fear of the Jews. So it's weird to me that people are afraid of the Jews. I mean, they're literally afraid of them. But rightly so because if these people are so wicked that they're willing to kill their own Messiah who was sent there specifically to save them from their sins, and in reality, he is God manifest in the flesh, they're willing to kill God in order to take the kingdom of God for themselves because if you think about the parable where he sends them the prophets and they beat them and kill some, and then they say in that parable where he's like, surely if I send my son, they'll treat him right. And then they say, well, now we're going to seize upon it. And then his inheritance is ours. So they kill the son. So this is kind of their mentality, is that they're going to take the kingdom for themselves. And so this is, I guess, when I think about the Catholic Church or other churches, we don't really fear them in the way that probably in the dark ages people feared the Catholic Church because if we got up and preached some of the things that we preach now openly over the internet or just things like that, or just even openly in public, we'd be killed. We'd be burned at the stake. So we do have a lot of freedoms at this point that we normally wouldn't have, but it's weird that we would have to fear religion or fear people that say they're Christians when they're really not or say that they're people of the book or whatever. These people are saying that they love God and they believe in God as their father. And in reality, if you speak up against what they're saying, they'll have you killed. They'll have you kicked out of church for even just going, like the guy that was, he was born blind and Jesus heals him later on. And they're just grilling him, grilling his parents, and they're afraid to even say anything because they don't want to get kicked out of church because of it. So if they're willing to kill God, if they're willing to kill their own Messiah, what would they be willing to do to other people? So people have this fear of saying things out loud in front of them and for right reasons because they will retaliate. Verse 14 says, Now about the midst of the feast, Jesus went up into the temple and taught. So in the midst of the feast, Jesus went up into the temple and taught. So I guess it wasn't the beginning of the feast. It was in the midst of the feast. So about halfway through, he just gets up in the temple and starts preaching. And so if you do some counting, and I don't have time again to go through all this, but when you get to the end, there's about 70 bullocks that are offered between that first and the last day, which, you know, 70 is a pretty interesting number in the Bible, or three score in 10. And I personally believe that it kind of represents the beginning and ending of something. And then when you think of halfway through, like halfway through the 70th week, you have the Antichrist, he appears, and stuff like that. But what's interesting is that you have the actual Messiah standing up in the midst of a seven-day period, and he starts preaching, and then everybody hates him and wants to kill him. But the opposite is going to be true with the Antichrist. He's going to stand up, and people are going to be like, yeah, come on, you know, be our Messiah or whatever. I just think it's really interesting. And so they don't understand, you know, so I mean, I just, when you get numbers like 70, to me, that's like, you know, Jacob came out with 70 people from Canaan to Egypt, and then you have, of course, Daniel's 70th week, and all those kind of things. Ahab's 70 sons were slain by Jehu, 35 on one side, 35 stacks of heads on the other side. I don't know, there's just, if you do a study on it, it's just pretty interesting, but again, I don't have time to delve completely into that either. So, but it's interesting how the true Messiah comes to the Feast of Tabernacles, which he's required to do, in order to keep the law, and he's teaching in the temple as the Messiah, and they just don't even realize that that's who it is that's talking to him. Verse 15, and the Jews marveled, saying, How knoweth this man letters, having never learned? Jesus answered them, and said, My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me. If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself. He that speaketh of himself seeketh his own glory, but he that seeketh his glory that sent him, the same is true, and no unrighteousness is in him. So Jesus makes a good point, you know, when people are talking about themselves and the things that they do all the time, they are, you know, they're not seeking, they're seeking their own glory and not, obviously, God, so we ought to be careful as Christians not to toot our own horn, as the saying goes, or to, you know, make a spectacle of the things that we do, and just let our works speak for themselves, and let other, you know, we're not supposed to praise ourselves, but let other people praise the things that we do, but anyway, but it says, the same is true, and no unrighteousness is in him. Verse 19, Did not Moses give you the law, and yet none of you keepeth the law? Why go ye about to kill me? Now he's just like challenging them openly in the temple as he's preaching, you know, he answers their question, which he doesn't always he doesn't always answer their questions, but sometimes he answers their questions to the betterment of everybody listening, but sometimes he just ignores what they're saying and doesn't even answer their questions, and just kind of lets them stew in their own juices, which, you know, he's pretty masterful the way he, you know, answers all the questions. Whenever people have some kind of thing that they think, aha, we got them this time, then he just like says something marvelous, and they just get smoked by the comments that he makes. So anyway, it says, so he says, Why go ye about to kill me? So he's calling them out. He knows that they're trying to kill him, and then the people answer and said, Thou hast a devil who goeth about to kill thee. Like, you know, that's just bizarre, but they're basically, the rumor has started to swell here that he is, you know, operating and doing his miracles by the power of the devil, and the ones that started this rumor are the Pharisees. They're the ones that accuse him of being Beelzebub later on, but it says, Who goeth about to kill thee? So they're just lying. They know that they're the ones that are going about to kill them. So anyway, so, but we do know that, you know, Jesus came. He is the true Messiah. They reject him as the Messiah, and John 543, it says, I am come in my Father's name, and ye receive me not. If another shall come in his own name, him you will receive. So we know that the Jews will receive the Antichrist, and so when we say the next thing that's coming, the next thing we'll know for sure is when the Antichrist actually reveals himself, that's when we know for sure that we are, you know, ready for everything to kind of hit the fan. But, you know, when we start seeing the temple being built, when the temple gets built, I mean, we'll probably be like, yeah, it's getting pretty close. But, you know, when he actually goes into the temple and says that he's God, that's when we know for sure. That's the sign there. Verse 21, Jesus answered and said unto them, I have done one work, and ye all marvel. Moses, therefore, gave unto you circumcision, not because it is of Moses, but of the fathers, and ye on the sabbath day circumcised a man. If a man on the sabbath day received circumcision, that the law of Moses should not be broken, are ye angry at me, because I have made a man every whit whole on the sabbath day? So he's referencing back to, I believe he's referencing back to the guy that had the withered hand, and then he heals them on the sabbath day, and then, you know, he looks angrily upon them, and then, like, heals them anyway. So they still perform circumcision, they still grab, you know, pull animals out of the ditch, because the law of Moses says that's okay, but when Jesus heals somebody, then they get upset. And so he's just, like, throwing their hypocrisy in their faces here, and he says, judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment. And this is the thing that the leadership here failed with all the time, is their ability to lack in judgment and righteous judgment. And, you know, while I'm here in this verse, I might as well kick this puppy while I walk by. You know, people don't like when you kick puppies, but this puppy I will kick. It's a pit bull, okay? It's a pit bull puppy. But, you know, the world will say, you know, when a pastor or a Christian speaks out or preaches against the evils and the wickedness of this world, they'll say, you're not supposed to judge. Who told you that you were able to judge things? Well, how about Jesus right here saying, judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment. So how do we know what righteous judgment is? Well, the Bible tells us what righteous judgment is, and it's like, well, God's the only one that can judge. Yeah, and when he judges, he puts it in the book so we'll know what's righteous or not. And so when he's already judged something in a righteous way, and when we proclaim his word, we're not doing something wrong. We're just already proclaiming what God has already said is right. And so how could that be wrong to judge righteously when he said to judge righteous judgment? I mean, it's just so bizarre. And the world, you know, that's the only verse that they know is judge not, it seems like. You know, like the parrot, they repeat, you know, the word, you know, judge not, judge not. That's like the only thing that they know, and they don't even know the rest of the verse. They just know, you know, they get the tattoos on them that say, you know, only God can judge me and stuff like that. And you know what? He's going to, forgetting that tattoo that looks so stupid on you anyway. But, you know, the Bible says that we are supposed to judge. You know, God said to judge. He just said we're not supposed to judge unrighteously. So if, you know, if I have a tattoo that I just got yesterday and I'm telling people not to get tattoos, then I'm being a hypocrite. Or if I still, you know, if I just, you know, my whole rest of my body is like a sketch pad, and then I'm, you know, I'm actively still getting tattoos and just preaching how wicked tattoos are, that is unrighteous. And so we're not supposed to judge unrighteously. We're supposed to judge righteous judgment. And so this verse is Jesus actually telling us to judge, isn't He? He's saying that He's telling the Pharisees to judge righteous judgment. He's telling the people to judge righteous judgment. It's okay to judge. You just are not supposed to judge as a hypocrite. That's why He said to take the moat out of your own eye before you pull the, you know, pull the, you got a beam in your own eye. Don't, you know, don't be preaching to people when you have this giant beam. Take, you know, take the moat, you know, take the beam out of your own eye before you pull the moat out of somebody else's eye, the little sliver that they have. So anyway, let's move on here. So I guess I forgot to tell you the number one was that, let's see, let's get back there. Jesus was at the Feast of Tabernacles. Okay, so Jesus at the Feast of Tabernacles. Number two, the people question if Jesus is the Christ. So look at verse 25. The Bible says, Then said some of them of Jerusalem, Is not this He whom they seek to kill? Is not this He whom they seek to kill? So here's the people just saying, isn't this the guy that everybody wants to kill? And they're, it's like, it's not Jesus just being paranoid. They do actually want to kill Him, and it's like the rumor mill has gotten to the point where just rando people are just like, hey, isn't this the guy that they want to kill? He's like up here preaching. You know, even just random people are just seeing the rumors are true. You know, they want to kill Jesus. He's even calling them out saying, why do you seek to kill me? They're like, who's seeking to kill you? You have a devil, you know. This must have been crazy to actually witness all this stuff happening. I mean, just drama. So Jesus was just full of drama. But, you know, He had to be. Sometimes drama happens, right? But anyway, so verse 26, Below he speaketh boldly. So when Jesus spoke, people got a different sense of who He really was. They probably heard about Him. They heard about the things He did. But when He actually spoke, He had a powerful way of speaking that people just couldn't get past. They couldn't gainsay what He was saying, and when He spoke, they just like heard the truth coming through loud and clear. It says, Below he speaketh boldly, and they say nothing unto Him. You know why they say nothing unto Him? Because they're a bunch of chickens and cowards, and they're afraid to actually openly challenge Him because every time they try to, He just makes them look like idiots and buffoons. So they say nothing unto Him. Nothing unto Him. Do the rulers know indeed that this is the very Christ? So all they had to do was just get up in the midst of this feast and say a couple things, and then the people were already turning against the rulers and kind of on Jesus' side here. Because when the common people heard Jesus, they heard that boldness. They heard that truth unfiltered and raw, and Jesus getting up and shouting it from the housetops, so to speak, and just telling it how it is. That's what people like. People don't like when cowards get behind the pulpit and are afraid to touch a verse in a chapter that's hairy. It's like they'll preach out of Psalm 69, but then they'll go, Oh, we just kind of ran out of time for the rest of the psalm. It's just like, oh, you mean the parts where God's saying break their teeth out and all this other stuff. They don't want to explain those ones. They like Psalm 138 or whatever. They just don't like the parts where it says, How do you explain that? Because that doesn't fit with the narrative of today where God never is mad at anybody. He never hates anything or anybody. He only hates the sin. He never hates the sinner. Women are allowed to be preachers. Just all the craziness that we see today, Jesus was different. So when Jesus got up to preach, it's like he preached with authority, not as the Pharisees and the scribes did. They didn't preach with authority because they had none. Jesus preached with authority because he had all the authority. And so when they heard him preach, it was different. And so look at verse 28, it says, Then cried Jesus in the temple as he taught. Now, this isn't crying like weeping. This is crying out like yelling or speaking really loud, saying, You both know me and you know whence I am, and I am not come of myself, but he that sent me is true, whom ye know not. He's just like saying, You don't even know God. And in Isaiah chapter 58 verse 1, you don't have to turn there, but I'm just going to read it for you. It says, Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and show my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins. Isn't it funny how people get so upset when we get up and we yell and we scream and we clap our hands and stomp our feet and all that stuff, but that's how Jesus preached. This is cry aloud. Jesus cried aloud. And it's just like, but people want preachers like John MacArthur, who never raises their voice, and then all of his are just like these really monotone Bible studies. They're like, Oh, he's so smart. Oh, he's so wise. But people want to hear people get up and say bold things. They want people to preach the word of God with boldness and actually know what they're talking about. John MacArthur gets up and says that there's nothing special about the blood of Jesus. It's like, what are you talking about? The word blood is in the Bible so many times, the life is in the blood. And Jesus' blood is what covers us, and that's what he shed for us for our sins. What do you mean it's not special, John MacArthur? That's why that wicked heretic's going to die, and he's going to split hell wide open as he goes there. And he's a wicked devil and a false prophet. And then we've got guys like Paul Chappell who'll get up and take a picture with him, a selfie with him. I've got the pleasure of praying with this man this week. It's like, so what? You're going to get up and pray with Balaam? And you're just happy to share that picture with everybody? What a clown. But it just shows you the signs of the times that we're living in, where independent fundamental Baptists are going to get up with some guy that preaches lordship salvation and teaches against the blood of Christ, and that's just all okay. And then when we get up and go, we scream and yell about how much of a wicked heretic somebody is, and they're like, that's not how Jesus would have preached. Jesus wouldn't have said it like that. Then cried Jesus in the temple as he taught. What are you talking about? Of course he preached like that. And yeah, maybe he wasn't preaching about a heretic at this point, but what he did was like, why are you trying to kill me? He's calling people out. What about Matthew chapter 23, when he just rips face on the leadership and the Pharisees saying that they're causing other people to go to hell? They're not going to heaven. They're the worst hypocrites on the face of the planet. They're white encepulchers. I mean, he rips them to shreds in front of everybody. But Jesus would have never preached like that. Jesus would have never called anybody out like that. Jesus said not to judge. Judge not. It's ridiculous, folks. That's not how Jesus preached. We have evidence of it right here because Isaiah said to cry aloud. Spare not. Don't spare people's feelings. Don't be afraid you're going to step on someone's wittle bitty toes about to have their favorite preacher. Lift up your voice. When it says cry aloud, he's explaining, lift up thy voice like a trumpet. He's saying, be loud. Preach loud. A trumpet is loud. If we played a trumpet in here tonight, you'd understand what I'm talking about. They're loud. It's like almost too loud to be in this room loud. Probably would be. We'd probably have to have ear buds or noise-canceling bows or something. I don't know. Anyway, he says, show my people their sins. Don't make them feel good. Does it say in this, make my people feel good about themselves? Preach a positive message. Make sure they feel good about themselves before they walk out so they can just have a good week. But that's what all the other churches are teaching nowadays. It's not cry aloud, spare not. It's let me read a monotone voice. And then, you know, just wax eloquent and three perfect little points in a poem and ten minute sermons after the rock concert with the plexiglass pulpit and the smoke and the lights. That's what we're getting today, folks. But that's not how Jesus preached. That's not how the prophets preached. That's not how Jeremiah preached. He said, this whole place is going to be destroyed. Nebuchadnezzar is going to roll in here and he's going to kill everybody. And he's going to destroy this temple. And they're like, this guy needs to be put to death. He can't be preaching like this. But God said, I'm going to put him like a defense city. And nobody's going to hurt him. So I was just reading through Jeremiah tonight and I was just like, dang, Jeremiah had guts. He gets up in front of everybody in the temple and he just rips their faces off. And then it says everybody in the temple was against him. It's just like him and God. That's it. But that was enough. They don't kill him. God protects them. See, because if you don't preach boldly, then God's going to confound you before people. He's going to confound... He told Jeremiah, he said, don't hold back. Don't be afraid of their faces. Because people will make some of the weirdest faces at you when you're preaching and you're preaching about something that they don't like. And they'll just be like... You know, it's just like... I try not to look at people's faces when I preach at all. But you just never know what kind of weird look you're going to get. Or sometimes people are laughing. I'm like, are they laughing about me? Are they laughing? Are you laughing at me? I was just like laughing at something I said. And I've gotten to people like, why are you laughing? Like, oh, we just thought what you said was funny. I was like, oh, okay. Really? No. But I've like preached hard. I've been preaching hard before and people get up and walk out. And then I'm like, well, go ahead and leave then and don't let the door hit you on the way out, buddy. And then they came back the next week and was like, oh, we just had to leave early for something. Sorry about that. But I tend to not do that kind of stuff anymore because sometimes people actually do have to leave. They don't realize the sermon is going to be an hour. But anyway, sorry. I've got to move on here. So Jesus, he's crying out. He's not sparing him. Look at verse 29. It says, But I know him, for I am from him, and he hath sent me. So he's telling them, I'm from God. I'm from the Father. That's where I'm from. And it says, Then they sought to take him, but no man laid hands on him, because his hour was not yet come. So it's just like they're there. They want to grab him, but they just won't because it's not his time yet. And many of the people believed on him and said, When Christ cometh, will he do more miracles than these, which this man hath done? Which is actually a really excellent point because all the things he had already done to this point, I mean, he's done the miracles of the 5,000, the 4,000, or whatever. He's done, you know, healed people with shriveled hands, and they haven't even seen everything yet. But he's done a lot of great things, but it's a good point. And you notice how because he preaches boldly, and he's calling people out, he's calling the Pharisees out in the service, Why are you trying to kill me? I mean, he just doesn't care what the status quo is. He's just going to call it how he sees it. He's crying aloud, not sparing. And then what does that do? His bold preaching causes, it says, many of the people believed on him. So is his preaching effective? Absolutely. It's absolutely effective. It's absolutely effective. Number three, officers are sent to arrest Jesus. So the Pharisees won't do anything themselves, so they have to send other people to do their dirty work, which is actually how they end up arresting him in the end. Verse 32, The Pharisees heard that the people murmured such things concerning him. So they heard the rumors. Probably their little spies came and told them, I don't know how many people are saying this. And the Pharisees and the chief priests sent officers to take him and then said Jesus unto them, Yet a little while am I with you, and then I go unto him that sent me. He shall seek me and shall not find me, and where I am, thither ye cannot come. So he's kind of giving them, he's actually just telling them the truth. You're going to kill me, and I'm going to come back, and then I'm going to go to heaven. You're not going to be able to find me. Verse 35, Then said the Jews among themselves, Will he go that we cannot find him? Will he go to the dispersed among the Gentiles and teach the Gentiles? They're just worried that he might teach the Gentiles or something, that they might get saved. They're always just hating on the Gentiles too. They don't want him to get saved. Same thing today. So what manner of seeing is this that he said, He shall seek me and shall not find me, and where I am, thither ye cannot come. And of course we know what he's talking about, but I do like the, I think that Jesus is actually kind of toying with him a little bit, because remember, they asked, he did answer their question earlier, but now you don't see him answer their question. They're just like, What does he mean by that? And then they're just like, Just silence. He doesn't tell them. And so just let them stew in their juices a little bit. Let them figure it out for themselves, or never figure it out. Because he spoke this way intentionally to people. He would speak this way, and then the people that were supposed to understand it, they understood it. But the people that were unspiritual or unsaved or weren't supposed to understand it, they didn't understand it. And so he spoke in parables for a reason. Number four is found in verse 37, Rivers of Living Water. So verse 37 says, In the last day, and notice how it says that great day of the feast. So for whatever reason, this is the great day of the feast, but it's the last day. Jesus stood and cried. So the last day of the feast, he wants to make sure, and look, this is his plea to people to be saved. But he's also pleading and bringing application as to what the purpose of his preaching is here, because he's specifically saying certain things here that are really interesting. So it says in the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. So at the great feast, he stands up. Where's he at? He's in the temple. Most assuredly he's in the temple. It doesn't say he's at the temple, but that's where he preached the last time. This is the great last day. And remember when I read to you in the Old Testament, what did they do? They had a holy convocation, a psalm assembly at the end, and they would all assemble in the temple at this time. So he specifically talks about this rivers of living water, and then it says, then we get this parenthesis verse here. Look at verse 39. It says, But this spake he of the Spirit, so he's talking about specifically the Holy Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive, for the Holy Ghost was not yet given because that Jesus was not yet glorified. So what is he talking about? He's talking about the fact that the Holy Spirit is going to be given to those that believe on him. And what's he pleading with people to do? Believe on me, and you'll be saved. You'll have rivers of water. He said, He that believeth on me, as the scripture has said. So he's pleading with people to do what? To get saved, because that's what the Bible teaches, saves you, is that you put your faith in Jesus Christ, and then he's talking about the rivers of flowing, these rivers of water flowing out of your belly is the Holy Spirit being given. Right? Isn't that what the, because you have to go with what the narrator of the Bible says. The narrator's always right. Now just because people say things in the Bible doesn't mean that those people are right. So you can hear a conversation in Job, and so God at the end, he says these people are all wrong, and Job is right. So we have to kind of take the Bible in the context of what it's found, just because someone says something doesn't mean it's true. But when it's the narrator of the Bible, it is true. Or if it's, you know, John is writing, and if you want to say this is John writing this, it is, but it's under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. That is Scripture right there, and it's not an opinion, this is a fact. So, and I like how verse 39 explains to us what verse 38 means, because, you know, he just kind of throws out this rivers of living water verse kind of seemingly out of nowhere, but I kind of want to give you a little bit of an explanation of what I believe that he's talking about here. Turn to Ezekiel chapter 47 verse number 9, and of course, there's some really tough passages in Ezekiel. The last like eight chapters in Ezekiel are pretty tough, but I do believe that he's kind of referencing, that this passage is kind of referencing the Holy Spirit, okay? And that though, because it's talking about the temple, and that these waters start to flow out of the temple, and where's Jesus preaching from? He's preaching from the temple, and what he's preaching is these words of life, and what does it represent? The Holy Spirit being poured out upon people, and it hasn't yet happened, but where is he at? He's at the temple. He's preaching the word of God, and those words are words of life, and if people will believe on him, they will have the Holy Spirit poured out upon them, and they will be saved forevermore. Now Ezekiel 47 verse 9, it says, And it shall come to pass, that everything that liveth, which moveth whithersoever the river shall come, shall live, and there shall be a very great multitude of fish, because these waters shall come thither, for they shall be healed, and everything shall live whither the river cometh. And I believe that symbolically, these rivers are talking about this river of life. Now turn to Jeremiah chapter 2, Jeremiah chapter 2 verse 13, Jeremiah chapter 2 verse 13. The Bible says, Jeremiah chapter 2 verse 13 says, For my people have committed two evils. They have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water. And so basically these Pharisees, that's kind of what they are. And the people, there's this battle going on between the Lord Jesus Christ and God, and then these false, these false leaders, these false prophets basically, and then it's the heart of the people that they're battling for here. And Jesus is pleading with them, he's crying out to them to be saved and to believe, and that these rivers of living waters are going to save them. But I think it's just really interesting that Jesus, he stands up at the temple, and then in Ezekiel chapter 47, that temple is talking about these waters that go out and heal everything, and it talks about these trees that grow, and that you eat of them, they heal the nations, stuff like that. So very interesting, but again I don't have time to go through all the passages, but I do think it's really interesting, and then it specifically says that he's talking about the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, when he's talking about the rivers of water. So anyway, number five, moving right along here, I'm going fast. I might be done before the pizza gets here. Maybe, I don't know. Anyway, number five, there's a division among the people, as if there already wasn't already, but verse 40 back in our text says, Many of the people, therefore, when they heard this saying said of a truth, this is that prophet. So again, he gets up and preaches this sermon, and people are what? They're believing in what he says, right? I mean, they're right. What prophet is it talking about? Turn to Deuteronomy chapter 18. So they know that there's a prophecy that Moses made in Deuteronomy chapter 18, and they call him that prophet, or the prophet. They don't really know what else to call him, because Moses said there shall be a prophet that's going to arise, like me. So look at Deuteronomy 18, verse 15, the Bible says, The Lord thy God shall raise up unto thee a prophet from the midst of thee, so of the people, of thy brethren, like unto me, unto him ye shall hearken. So Moses was a special prophet, obviously did a lot of miracles, and God spoke to him face to face, he pictures Christ in many ways, but Christ did way more than he did, and obviously was the son of God, and was God, but Moses was a great prophet, so nobody was quite like Moses. There was a lot of great prophets that came after him, but nobody liked Moses. So when they're looking for a prophet, they're looking for someone on the same caliber as Moses, obviously Jesus, if you look at the things that Jesus did, they just far and away, way more, way more things than Moses. So he says, like unto me, so it says, According to all that thou desirest of the Lord thy God, in horrible in the day of the assembly, saying, Let me not hear again the voice of the Lord my God, neither let me see this great fire any more that I die not. And the Lord said unto me, They have well spoken that which they have spoken. I like that verse, but it says, I will raise them up a prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him. And it shall come to pass that whosoever will not hearken unto my words, which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him. So I mean, literally, in this chapter, we have Jesus is saying, I come from God, I'm telling you his words, you know, this is how you know, I'm not talking about myself, I'm talking about him, and then this is what Moses literally says from God, that if they won't hearken to the words that he says, that he speaks in my name, I will require it of him. And I guess, what does that mean? Well, their life, their soul, I mean, they're gonna die and go to hell if they don't believe them, right? So people, you know, truly knew the Bible, it seems like in this chapter, just seems to kind of sum this up, they don't really know the Bible very well, they don't know the Lord, they don't know his words. I mean, if they really knew, they would, they would say, all the people would say, yeah, this is the prophet, this is the Messiah, this is where he was born, you know, he was born here, but you know, he's also from Galilee, because the Bible says this, but they don't even understand the part about Galilee. And then they, you know, he gets up, and you know, a lot of people believe in him, but there's still the faction that doesn't. Look at verse 37 back in our text, it says, in the last day, remember again, I'm just repeating those last two verses again, back to verse 37, it says, in the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood up and cried, saying, if any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink, he that believeth on me, as the scripture has said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. So, what were the words again? These are the words. These are the words that they were supposed to believe, and if they don't believe those words, then God's gonna require it of them. Verse 41, others said, this is the Christ, but some said, shall Christ come out of Galilee? Hath not the scripture said that Christ cometh of the seed of David out of the town of Bethlehem, where David was? It's like, they're getting things right, but they don't really fully put the picture together. They have some stuff right, but then they're like, well, but some said, shall Christ come out of Galilee? Well, look at Isaiah chapter 9, and they should know this. They should know the Bible. This is the thing, so turn to Isaiah chapter 9. They should know what they're talking about, because you can't just dismiss what Jesus is saying, and they're like, they know he comes from Galilee, but maybe they should ask him, were you born in Bethlehem? Have you ever spent some time in Bethlehem? I mean, the people in the, you know, Herod knew. Herod's dad knew. The Herod from Jesus' time, Herod's dad knew. All the people were troubled at the time of his birth, but Isaiah 9-1 says, Nevertheless the dimness shall not be, such as was in her vexation, when at the first he lightly afflicted the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, and afterward did more grievously afflict her by the way of the sea beyond Jordan in Galilee of the nations. Now, in Matthew it says Galilee of the Gentiles, but I should just tell you that nations and Gentiles mean exactly the same thing. So Galilee of the Gentiles, well, they must have forgot to read Isaiah chapter 9, didn't they? The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light. They that dwell in the land of the shadow of death upon them, hath the light shined. Well, what is that talking about? Well, it's talking about Jesus, isn't it? Look at verse 6. For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with the judgment, and with justice from henceforth, even forever, the zeal of the Lord of the host will perform this. I mean, all the stuff that they're talking about in verse 41 and 42, they could have really found right here. Talking about David, talking about him being Christ, talking about him being of Galilee. You know, of course, Bethlehem is not in here, but, you know, Jesus was born in Bethlehem. They could have found that. I mean, Herod found it out just by asking one of his scribes a question. So, I mean, really, you know, you sum this up. Like, what is the main problem here? People don't know the Bible. The Pharisees don't know the Bible. The people don't know the Bible. There's like a division between the people. Why? Because they don't know the Bible. That's why. And why are people so confused in our world today? Because people don't know the Bible. You know, I preach about Jonah, you know, picturing Jesus Christ in hell for three days and three nights, and, you know, someone was just telling me when I preached about it last week that they literally went to somebody's door or something. Who was that that was telling me about that? And that they said this old guy, like, chimed in from some apartment manager or some guy at an apartment complex. He's like, you know, that's heresy or something. That was Brother Alex, yeah. It's like, you know, he's like, I'm a pastor and that's heresy. I'm going to say this in the nicest way I can. That's heresy. It's like, maybe you just need to know the Bible. Maybe you just need to know the Bible. It says, as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly, so shall the son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. Or maybe when Jonas said, out of the belly of hell, cried I, and that's picturing Christ being in hell. For three days and three nights. I mean, the whale's belly pictures hell. I mean, it's really obvious if you just know the Bible. But see, people just forgot what the Bible says. They don't know what the Bible says. They don't even know what it means about salvation. Well, is believing enough? Well, I don't know. What are you talking about? How do you not know these things? Because they don't know the Bible. Look back at our text in verse 43. So there was division among the people because of him. Now look, that's always going to be the case. Jesus is always going to divide people. And some of them would have taken him, but no man laid hands on him. They're always just so close, but they just won't do it. Then came the officers to the chief priests and Pharisees, and they said unto him, why have you not brought him? The officers answered, never man spake like this man. And ain't that the truth? And really, that's another thing to sum up the whole chapter. Whenever he speaks, people are just responding. And even if it's negative, at least they're responding. But a lot of people are positively responding. A lot of people are saying, this must be the Christ. This must be that prophet. He's speaking boldly. And that's the truth of it, that never a man spake like this. There never will be another man that spake like this. And I'm thankful that he's my Lord. He's my Savior. And even these guys, these stormtroopers that are sent to go get him, they're like, these are the thugs of the Pharisees, basically. And they're like, he's speaking too much truth. How are we supposed to put our hands on this guy? Because if they did it openly, and all these people are getting saved, and the people are responding positively, and then they just grabbed him, because that was the reason why they never did it in broad daylight. That's the reason why they waited, and Judas waited until nighttime until Jesus was away from everybody. And they didn't do it in front of the people because they were afraid of what the people were going to do. And they waited to manipulate the people later and then put these blasphemy charges against him in the middle of the night like the sneak thieves and murderous cretins that they actually were. So it says in verse, let's see, 47. Then answered the Pharisees, are ye also deceived? Have any of the rulers of the Pharisees believed on them? But the people who knoweth not the law are cursed. And actually that is true. But they should point their fingers. That finger, you know, there's four other, or at least three other fingers are pointing back at themselves. So they need to recognize that they're the ones that are cursed. But verse 50, Nicodemus saith unto them, He that came to Jesus by night, being one of them, doth our law judge any man before it hear him, and know what he doeth? So Nicodemus, he went to Jesus by night because he was afraid, because his fellow rulers, what they were going to say, and then he pipes up and tries to defend Jesus here. And what do they do? They answered and said unto him, Art thou also of Galilee? So they're like putting him in a position where if he says anything else, it's probably going to be, you know, his doom also. And so I think that they also make sure that he's not around when they do like their final push to kill him. But it says, Search out, look, for out of Galilee ariseth no prophet. Guess they forgot to read Isaiah chapter 9, didn't they? It says, And every man went unto his own house. So it's kind of weird like how it ends like that. You know, out of, you know, there's like their mic drop or something. But really probably everybody's just like thinking, you guys are idiots. Because they really are. But they're like just the more Jesus does, the more people are getting saved, the more people are murmuring and like they hear the rumors of people believing in him, the madder they're getting, the more angry they're getting. And, you know, this is the way it's going to be for people that are preaching the truth. People are always going to get mad. I mean, I got a text message as soon as I got back to the building saying that they're going to turn every one of our invitations to the police because we're, I'm just like, OK, Karen. I didn't say that, though. I didn't say Karen. But I really wanted to, really bad. It's like, thanks, Karen. Appreciate you sticking up for the neighborhood or whatever. But there's just always somebody. Every time, I know when people are out soul winning because I'll get these calls. I'm just like, I don't recognize that call. So because there's always just, there's always going to be a hater out there that wants to stop what God's people are doing. And the true message, getting out there, and our message is the same that Jesus' message was in this chapter, that you need to believe on the Son of God, you know, and then they can get that healing water, that Holy Spirit, that, you know, they can have that healing restored to them, that they will never die, just like Jesus was preaching all those years ago. So, again, the main overall point of this sermon really is we need to know our Bible. So as New Testament believers, it's important for us to know what we're talking about too. So when people have a question for us, when we're out soul winning or just even your children or your spouse or whatever it is, that you have an answer for them. And if you don't have an answer, you know, search the scriptures. You know, we have the whole complete book, and there's no hierarchy at our church where you have to come to me and I have to divine out of the scriptures the answer for you. You can read the Bible for yourself. I encourage you to read the Bible for yourself. That's why we have Bible reading challenges and, you know, you're encouraged to read the Bible. And so the overall thing here is read your Bible and know what the Bible says so that we can, because even some of the smallest passages in the Bible, you know, might seem small to us, but it's all in there for a reason. And so sometimes you can skim through, you know, the Deuteronomy stuff, and you're like, okay, what's this feast? Like it has nothing to do with us. But then you like think, why is it telling us that this feast is going on? Why? And then it tells us all the details about the feast. And this whole chapter is about what happens at this feast. There's a reason behind it. So anyway, let's pray. Lord, we thank you so much for this great church up here. We pray that you just bless those two people that got saved. We pray that you just help us to get over the top to the goal. And Lord, we thank you for all the soul owners that are faithful here. And we thank you for this church and how well it's grown. We pray that you just continue to bless into the new year and that, Lord, we'd put the Bible as a big thing in our church that knowing you is knowing your word and, Lord, that we would take it very seriously and pray that you would, Lord, have us be filled with your Spirit on a daily basis that we could show other people what you put in our hearts, Lord, as far as the Holy Spirit is concerned. And we can teach other people, Lord, that we would know the word of God for ourselves. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.