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Well, let's turn in our Bibles again to John chapter 7, as we work through this passage where we have
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Jesus at the Feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem. We've been in John's Gospel almost a year.
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Amazing. A few more weeks and it'll be a year. And when we began our study of this fourth
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Gospel, we drew attention to the fact that John the Apostle sets forth
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Jesus, portrays Jesus to his readers in a way that's quite distinct from Matthew, Mark, and Luke, the synoptic
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Gospels. John's Gospel is unique, for where they set forth the person of Jesus largely from the experience and perspective and eyewitness account of the
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Apostles themselves. John's Gospel is quite different. It's more of a revelation of the inner life of the
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Lord Jesus himself. And so we have a more intimate, as it were, revelation of Christ for us in his eternal divine nature as well as his temporal human nature.
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And certainly we continue to see that in the passage before us today in John chapter 7.
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This emphasis of John's Gospel reveals Jesus Christ in quite a remarkable manner. And as we continue to read and reflect and consider these things, it can be quite transformative for us.
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For one matter that we've tried to emphasize through our study, it's really through our knowledge and our relationship, and I know that word is kind of bandied about quite readily, but it's through our knowledge and relationship with the person of Jesus Christ that we experience transformation in our own lives.
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It's not just coming to understand what he taught and then apply that in our lives, as beneficial as that certainly is, but rather it's coming to know
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Jesus Christ himself. For in him is life, and that life is mediated to us through his word and through the
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Holy Spirit. And so in him is life, and he is the light of men.
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And so we would say that if your spiritual life seems to be rather stilted or stifled, seek to know the
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Lord Jesus with great desire and effort. Seek him, and ask
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God to reveal him to you more clearly and fully. For again, in knowing him, every spiritual blessing may be discovered and experienced.
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In him are the blessings enjoyed by his kingdom citizens, including a life of joy and peace, freedom from fear, a sound mind, a life of righteousness, and most importantly, fellowship with God through Jesus Christ.
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It's the person of Jesus Christ that we desire to hold up before ourselves.
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I was reading some of the words of a classic book written by Isaac Ambrose entitled
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Looking Unto Jesus, and he wrote of the special duty of ministers, pastors, to set forth this theme of the person of Christ.
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And I was exhorted myself as I read it and encouraged, and it pressed upon me and our church our responsibility to hold forth the person of Jesus Christ.
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Ministers ought in duty more abundantly to preach Jesus Christ. Dr. Sibbes is clear that the special office of the ministry of Christ is to lay open
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Christ, to open up the tapestry, and to unfold the hidden mysteries of Christ.
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And therefore he exhorts that we should labor to be always speaking somewhat about Christ, or tending that way.
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When we speak of the law, let it drive us to Christ. When of moral duties, let them teach us to walk worthy of Christ.
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Christ, or somewhat tending to Christ, should be our theme and mark to aim at.
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And I am feelingly say, I may feelingly say, it is the sweetest subject that was ever preached on.
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Is it not as an ointment poured forth, whose smell is so fragrant, and whose savor is so sweet, that therefore all the virgins love him?
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That's an allegorical use of the Song of Solomon. Song of Solomon, chapter 1, verse 3, actually.
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Is it not comprehensive of all the glory, beauty, excellency, weather of things in heaven or things on earth?
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Is it not a mystery sweet and deep? Is it a worthy study to make farther and farther discovery of this blessed mystery?
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And it were to be wished that all the ministers of Christ would spend themselves in the spelling and reading and the understanding of it.
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If there be any duty on earth resembling the duty of the saints in heaven, I dare say this is it.
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Jesus Christ, the person of Jesus Christ. And that's what we have wonderfully displayed for us in John's Gospel, elsewhere too, of course.
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The entire Bible is a disclosure of Jesus Christ, but it is in a wonderful and rather unique way in John's Gospel.
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Now in our study of this seventh chapter of the Gospel of John, we've considered our Lord Jesus having gone up to Jerusalem from Galilee during the annual feast of the tabernacles, or sometimes called the
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Feast of Booths. Although all of Jerusalem was anticipating seeing
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Jesus, they were all looking for him. For all Jewish males were compelled to attend that feast under the law of Moses.
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Nevertheless, Jesus had come up secretly and actually in the middle of the feast. Seven -day feast, he came up probably on the third or fourth day.
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Jesus did not want to draw attention or notoriety to himself, but rather he desired to teach the
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Word of God to the people that they would consider the message of the Kingdom of God for which they had so great a need.
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And so last Lord's Day we gave attention to Jesus coming forward in the temple to teach the people regarding their need for spiritual life that only he could bring to them.
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And the people, particularly the Jewish leaders of the people, were quite amazed at the content and the manner of his teaching.
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They asked him, how does this man, no letters, having never studied, how can this man be so articulate?
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How can this man know so much about the truth of God and his Word when he hasn't had formal study?
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And Jesus responded by telling them that his doctrine, that is the content of his teaching, had been given to him by the one who had sent him.
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In other words, God his Father had taught him his doctrine and that he was then proclaiming this doctrine to the people there in Jerusalem.
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No doubt that with the wonderment of the people there was also puzzlement. They were asking themselves, who is this man and how do we know what he is saying is truth?
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They were asking themselves that. And Jesus responded to them saying, if anyone wills to do his will, he shall know concerning the doctrine whether it's from God or whether I speak on my own authority.
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And so there is one way which we can be assured we can know and understand the truth and recognize it when we hear it.
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This was the key for their identifying spiritual truth and it remains the key for the people of God today.
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The person who truly desires to do the will of God from the heart will receive assurance that he has heard the truth when it's proclaimed to him.
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He'll recognize it. God himself will affirm it and confirm it to his soul as he hears the very word of God.
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And coming to recognize and to know the truth of God through the preaching of the word of God was one of the evidences that convinced the apostle
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Paul that the Christians at the church at Thessalonica were numbered among the elect of God.
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He knew they were chosen of God unto salvation in the manner that they received his preaching as the very word of God.
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And so Paul wrote to that church these words. We give thanks to God always. God was responsible for their salvation.
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We thank God always. For you all making mention of you in our prayers remembering without ceasing your work of faith labor of love patience of hope in our
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Lord Jesus Christ in the sight of God and Father knowing beloved brethren your election by God.
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Paul knew that they were numbered among the elect those who would receive salvation. And then in verse 5 he gives the reason an explanatory clause for our gospel did not come to you in word only but also in power and in the
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Holy Spirit and in much assurance as you know what kind of men we were among you for your sake.
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And then a little farther on he wrote to them we also thank God constantly for this that when you received the word of God which you heard from us you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is the word of God which is at work in you believers.
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And so that's one of the clearest evidences that a person is actually one of the elect one that God has purposed to save through Jesus Christ when they hear the teaching or preaching of the scriptures and it's being taught and preached rightly the
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Holy Spirit of God affirms to that soul that's true that's not just the words of a man
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I'm hearing I'm hearing God talk to me through these words it's the word of God and I believe it so and that itself is an evidence of the grace of God at work.
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Now our Lord then gave another way in which he could be identified as legitimate as he taught them we read in verse 18 he who speaks from himself seeks his own glory but he who seeks the glory of the one who sent him is true and no unrighteousness is in him.
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Jesus Christ never sought glory for himself but rather he sought the glory for his father the one who had sent him that's why he came up secretly to the feast and not publicly as his brothers wanted him to do from Galilee he did not seek notoriety for himself he wanted to exalt his father and so he came up secretly and all of a sudden the people find him in the temple teaching the word of God and the
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Lord Jesus indicates that the true man of God or a true church of God rather will desire foremost to glorify
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God and to glorify his son whom he has sent any man who seeks to bring glory to himself is not to be a trusted man his words will be errant and they will be corrupt at some point you can mark it down that's a truism
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I was reminded and I've indicated this before in previous notes of the
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Puritan pastor Thomas Brooks who ministered in London in the 1600s and he wrote a classic book it's available online or you can purchase it
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Precious Remedies Against Satan's Devices and he wrote in this book now the best way to deliver poor souls from being deluded and destroyed by these messengers of Satan is to display them in their true colors so that being known poor souls may shun them and flee from them as from hell itself and then
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Thomas Brooks went on to identify or set forth seven identifying marks of false teachers that he derived from various passages of scripture and again
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I thought it would be helpful for us just to set them out before us in our notes once again and so on the top of page 3 of your notes we have these seven qualities if I can use that word of false teachers the first distinguishing mark is that they are men pleasers they preach more to please the ear than to profit the heart they want to be received they want to be heard and they want to be recognized the second distinguishing mark of false teachers is that they are notable for casting dirt, scorn and reproach upon the person, names and credits of Christ's most faithful ambassadors in order to build themselves a following they destroy others third the third distinguishing mark of false teachers is that they spew out the devices and visions of their own heads and hearts and he quotes
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Jeremiah 23 the prophets prophesy lies in my name I have not sent them commanded them nor spoken to them they prophesy to you a false vision divination a worthless thing and the deceit of their heart and not from the mouth of the
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Lord a fourth distinguishing mark of false teachers is that they easily pass over the great and mighty things of both the law and the gospel and dwell mostly upon those things that are of the least importance and concern to the souls of men they know what people generally in the pews like to hear and delight to hear and they actually will you know pattern or shape their messages to that kind of responsive ear or heart the fifth distinguishing mark of false teachers is that they cleverly disguise their dangerous principles and soul deceiving notions with very attractive speeches and golden expressions they're very winsome and they're very persuasive in their speech the sixth distinguishing mark of false teachers is that they strive more earnestly to win men over to their opinions than to improve their behavior they're seeking a following and they want to swell their ranks and then the seventh distinguishing mark of false teachers is they exploit their followers through covetousness and as Brooks wrote they eye your goods more than your good and so those are distinguishing marks of false teachers now after our
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Lord affirmed the manner in which the truth of his teaching may be validated he confronted the
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Jewish leaders before the gathered crowd regarding their designs and their attempts to murder him that's what we have in verse 19 of our passage the people for the most part were uninformed of the evil intentions of the
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Jewish leaders and so they responded in verse 20 the people answered and said you have a demon who is seeking to kill you he made these charges openly of course referring to only some in the crowd but the crowd reacted you've got a demon who's trying to kill you you're delusional and then
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Jesus reasoned with them why their charges against them were illegitimate and so he concluded by saying to them in verse 24 do not judge according to appearance but judge with righteous judgment and that brings us now to verse 25 and following and we want to consider the instruction and teaching of verses 25 through 31 in the time we have this morning so let's read this now some of them from Jerusalem said is this not he whom they seek to kill but look he speaks boldly and they say nothing to him do the rulers know indeed that this is truly the
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Christ however we know where this man is from but when the Christ comes no one knows where he is from then
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Jesus cried out as he taught in the temple saying you both know me and you know where I am from and I have not come of myself but he who sent me is true whom you do not know but I know him for I am from him and he sent me therefore they sought to take him but no one laid a hand on him because his hour had not yet come and many of the people believed in him and said when the
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Christ comes will he do more signs than these which this man has done? There is a change of emphasis with verses 25 and following in the verses before the authority of Jesus was the primary issue but that shifts now with verse 25 now the identity of Jesus is the focus and John introduced for us if we consider this as a narrative account as we try to examine the narrative in the way that John tells his story
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John actually introduces a new character or a new voice in the discourse before verse 25 there were the
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Jews and in John's gospel the Jews refer to the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem who were hostile to Jesus a second voice was the people or sometimes described as the crowd which would have been at Jerusalem and these would have included many
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Jewish pilgrims from all over the world the crowd or the people but now in verse 25 we read of a third group and they are really set forth as a third character who has a different viewpoint a different perspective of things and they are described by John as some of the people of Jerusalem these people should probably be understood as local residents of Jerusalem not the
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Jewish pilgrims that have come from other lands each of these three groups of people seem to serve a different purpose in the narrative and this was pointed out by Edward Klink he is a contemporary commentator of John's gospel and it's quite good the commentary by the way and he wrote these words it is worth asking why the narrator would distinguish this group from the crowd in general some of the people in Jerusalem if the
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Jews first verbal exchange verses 14 -19 present to the reader the theological issues at stake and the crowd the second verbal exchange verses 20 -24 presents to the reader the faith issues at stake then the people or some of the people at Jerusalem the third verbal exchange which is in our passage verses 25 -29 present the political issues at stake the
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Jerusalemites did not initiate the challenge to Jesus but they clearly knew about and understood it as their statement makes clear the political issue at stake is one that had already been revealed to the reader but it's mentioned here presses it again into the scene at hand the focus on this man serves to introduce the theme of this section of this pericope in other words this narrative unit which is the entire chapter 7 of the feast at Tabernacles now as we look over these verses verses 25 -31 we can propose an outline to help us in our consideration of these verses first we have the confusion of Jesus' true identity secondly we have the confession of Jesus' true identity he declares who he is thirdly we have the collusion of Jesus' enemies we hear a lot about collusion these days well there was collusion among Jesus' enemies and then fourth we have a concession of many people many people there at Jerusalem believed on him because of the signs he had done so let's work through these verses first the confusion over Jesus' true identity verses 25 -27 again now some of them from Jerusalem said is this not he whom they seek to kill but look he speaks boldly and they say nothing to him do the rulers know indeed that this is truly the
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Christ however we know where this man is from and when the Christ comes no one knows where he is from we read a few verses earlier that the people had accused
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Jesus for being wholly deluded even having a demon when he charged that there were those seeking to kill him that's what we read in verse 20 and now with verses 25 -27 we read that some of them in Jerusalem asked themselves is he not the one the
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Jewish leaders were trying to kill and so we see that there was confusion and difference of opinion of who
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Jesus was and how the Jewish leadership regarded him the Jews had been less than aggressive in their efforts to kill
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Jesus largely due to the fear of the populace who would not at this time stand for their treachery give them a few days and they will of course and two matters brought puzzlement to these people first if Jesus was the man that they were trying to kill how does one explain that he's so bold preaching and teaching in the temple of Jerusalem and secondly if the
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Jewish leaders are not forthright in their efforts to kill him perhaps they've come to believe it's true concerning him that he is the promised
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Messiah and so you see there's confusion and disagreement here among the people of the city and by the way that's what happens when men of God or churches don't take firm stands on issues not only for issues but against issues it results in confusion and disagreement a lack of clarity and understanding on the part of the people one wrote various opinions are ventilated in the crowd and there's a good deal of talking at cross purposes some might dismiss as madness his charge and an attempt was being made on his life others knew that the charge was not baseless but if his life was indeed being sought that made his boldness the more remarkable and not only his boldness but also the slowness of the authorities to arrest him or even prevent him from speaking as he did in public why were they so reluctant to intervene perhaps said some since his last visit to Jerusalem the authorities had received evidence which proved he really was the
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Messiah and so you can see how perhaps this dynamic taking place there among the people was putting pressure on the religious authority
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Jewish authorities we better take action here very quick or we're going to lose them now their confusion was due to their false assumptions regarding Jesus even though the miracles he performed and the authoritative profound teaching he promoted gave evidence he was the
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Messiah when they applied the test of what they knew to be true of the coming
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Messiah they dismissed him as an illegitimate claimant to Messiahship and so we read in verse 27 however we know where this man is from but when the
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Christ comes no one knows where he's from they assumed something to be absolutely true with regard to their understanding of the
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Messiah and Jesus did not seem to fit that scenario and so they were not embracing him this often happens by the way it's a dynamic that takes place in people's lives they assume something is true with regard to the
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Bible when actually it's not and they draw conclusions from that and they reject the truth because they assume something that's true when it's not and these people were confused because they assumed something that was not necessarily true the fact is there were different beliefs about the
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Messiah among the Jewish people from where he would originate some
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Jews believed the Messiah would be a heavenly figure one like the Son of Man particularly those Jews living down at Qumran by the
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Dead Sea one like the Son of Man was coming from the skies who would renovate the earth and overthrow the existing armies he was a heavenly figure coming but Jesus didn't fit that mold others believed that he would remain obscured and hidden until the day when he would be manifested to Israel no one would know the
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Messiah until the day he stood forward to deliver Israel but here
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Jesus was standing in the temple teaching the people did not conform to this belief and others were quite convinced that the
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Messiah would be born in Bethlehem Micah 5 .2 declares a prophecy everybody knew that or most of the people knew that which was in the southwest of Jerusalem about seven miles but again that shouldn't be southwest it should be southeast
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I believe if I recall my geography right but again or so they thought Jesus was from Galilee and therefore he could not be the promised
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Messiah as they were presently thinking everyone knew from where he did come that is
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Galilee or so they thought we of course have more information than they we've got
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Matthew 1 and 2 and Luke 1 and 2 we know he was born in Bethlehem as a descendant of David by the way verse 27 is one of a number of instances in John's gospel of irony in fact commentators of John's gospel refer to it as Johannine irony as one wrote this is an instance of Johannine irony they were thinking of Jesus as Galilean home to them he was
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Jesus of Nazareth but the evangelist that would be John has in mind a profounder answer to the question whence or from where Jesus came an answer which comes to expression in Jesus' next words he doesn't argue he came from Bethlehem he argues that he came from God the
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Father that's the point and then Donald Carson who seems perhaps to have the best commentary available on John's gospel in English explained the matter more fully and I'm going to pass over some of these parenthetic statements for clarity no sooner has the suggestion been ventilated that it is dismissed the reason lies in the first of three popularly held notions of what the
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Messiah would be like that are mentioned in this chapter the Jerusalemites are convinced that they know where this man is from when the
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Christ comes no one will know where he is from this cannot mean that they think the biblical revelation provides no hint of Messiah's ultimate origins these
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Jerusalemites are not like those who thought in apocalyptic terms and assumed the Messiah would be hidden from before the creation until the moment of his self disclosure rather the
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Jerusalemites hold the view attested elsewhere that the Messiah would be born of flesh and blood and yet would be wholly unknown until he appeared to affect
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Israel's redemption and then he points out the same perspective as found in the synoptic gospels with such expectations there could be none of this perhaps he is perhaps he isn't speculation as far as they were concerned they know where Jesus came from he sprang from Nazareth and his family home was now in Capernaum and he had been engaged in itinerant ministry for some time this of course is another instance of the celebrated
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Johannine irony that Jerusalemites are not as informed of Jesus' true origins as they think again false assumptions limited understanding and perspective and it resulted in wrong conclusions so here we see that some were quite convinced that they understood the teaching of the
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Holy Spirit and the scriptures and they knew that Jesus did not conform to them in reality they did not understand fully the scriptures and they certainly didn't understand the person of Jesus Christ and in the same way folks we can potentially be so convinced that we have a clear understanding of a matter but in reality there are gaps in our thinking and misapprehensions of what the
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Lord is doing in people's lives the fact is we're very finite and we're very subjective and we can easily be mistaken and our attitudes and often times our values will perversely affect our thinking and yet we can be so convinced we're right and we understand we have to be very humble and very careful in our understanding of spiritual matters well let's consider now the confession of Jesus' true identity in verses 28 and 29 then
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Jesus cried out as he taught in the temple saying you both know me and you know where I am from and I have not come of myself but he who sent me is true whom you do not know but I know him for I am from him and he sent me so although these
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Jews were talking about the identity of Jesus with one another perhaps in smaller groups it's clear that Jesus knew what they were thinking and what they were saying to one another perhaps he overheard them or perhaps the
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Holy Spirit had informed him as to their speech and thoughts verse 28 records that Jesus cried out this is a rather unique expression
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Jesus cried out whenever this is found in John's gospel it always precedes an important saying
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Jesus cried out what he cried out is pretty important Jesus' response to the
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Jerusalemites gives the impression of a prophet but further John states that Jesus had cried out in the temple
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Jesus cried out and he was in the temple when he did so again carries the idea of a prophet making a pronouncement and it also conveys to us as readers of the gospel the importance of Jesus' statement here in this verse now this crying out of Jesus was somewhat of a departure from Jesus' regular way of teaching and preaching and J .C.
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Ryle pointed this out this is a remarkable expression in other words Jesus cried out we find our
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Lord departing from his usual practice when we read that he cried or raised his voice to a high pitch generally speaking the words in Saint Matthew apply strictly quoted from Isaiah he shall not strive or cry neither shall any man hear his voice in the street yet we see there were occasions when he did see it right to cry aloud and lift up his voice and this is one the perverse ignorance of the
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Jews their persistence and blindness to all the evidence and the great opportunity afforded by the crowds around him in the temple courts were probably reasons why he cried but again in a narrative sense the
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Holy Spirit moved John to record it this way in order to give emphasis to give weight to what he declares about himself what was
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Jesus saying when he cried out essentially he was rebuking them for their limited and errant understanding of his true nature and of his identity within the context of the gospel account here
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Jesus is again stating that he is the eternal son of God again a theme or idea that we find repeatedly in John's gospel he said you both know me and you know where I'm from and I have not come of myself but he who sent me is true he acknowledged that they knew him in a measure and that as a man he came from Nazareth of Galilee but that was not the real issue is what
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Jesus was saying it was not important where he was from as a man but what was important was that God had sent him that being
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God his father when Jesus said he who sent me is true he was saying that God the father was real this is the issue at hand not who
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I am or where I came from but God the father who sent me and on whose behalf
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I am speaking that's the issue at hand and then he made this declaration quite amazingly him you do not know
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I'm speaking of the one who sent me and him you do not know but I know him for I am from him he sent me quite an amazing declaration these
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Jews assumed they were the people of God they knew God and God knew them but Jesus told them they did not know
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God here are the words of Robert Linsky a Lutheran commentator the fact that Jesus grew up in Nazareth in the home of Joseph and Mary reveals nothing about his true origin and mission and the assumption of the citizens that it reveals everything only demonstrates their foolish ignorance and here are more words of Linsky describing what played out on this occasion when
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Jesus testifies that he is from him he already declares his mission namely that he is sent as the
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Messiah but he states this directly and he did commission me now that's
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Linsky's translation of the Greek here in this verse this is an independent statement it forms part of an answer to the question whence and the
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English tend to use that word whence we don't use it anymore but whence means from where from where he came
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I am from him he did commission me in other words this
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God whom these citizens do not know Jesus knows so well for Jesus came from him and that God did himself send and commission
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Jesus in the completest way the question whence Jesus is from where he came is thus answered and at the same time these citizens are shown why they know nothing of Jesus' origin although they think they know everything and why
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Jesus knows what is hidden from them the issue is squarely drawn on the one side a spurious deduction on the other first hand testimony to the fact on the one side vain and empty denial that Jesus is the
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Christ and on the other the assured reality that he is indeed the Christ while it is brief this testimony of Jesus is most direct and to the point and at the same time highly dramatic one of the clearest statements our
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Lord makes of his deity that God the Father sent him and so Jesus identified
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God as Father who sent me this expression he who sent me is one that is common to Jesus in fact here we are in John 7 and this is the 14th time in John's gospel thus far
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Jesus referred directly to he that sent me and that is the manner in which
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Jesus described God the Father he who sent me this expression is one of the major statements of scripture which distinguishes the persons of the blessed holy trinity from one another
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I've mentioned this before but we need to reinforce this because I hear error all the time regarding the blessed holy trinity and about the three persons of the trinity the biblical doctrine of the trinity is a declaration that we are monotheists now we believe in one
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God we're often accused of being polytheists Jehovah's Witnesses Muslims will accuse us of being polytheists that we believe in three
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Gods but this is wrong we believe in one God as our confession states forthrightly the
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Lord our God is but one only living and true God we are monotheists and that's the first statement in article 2 of our confession which is entitled
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God and the Holy Trinity but within that article the first words of the third paragraph are these in this divine and infinite being singular being one
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God there are three subsistences the Father the Word or Son is either called the
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Word of God or the Son of God and Holy Spirit of one substance power and eternity each having the whole divine essence and yet the essence undivided very precise specific language it dates back to the early church councils and so here is the statement of the three persons of the
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Holy Trinity the Bible teaches that there is one God and he manifests himself in three persons
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Father Son and Holy Spirit by the way this is an essential doctrine you cannot be a
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Christian unless you understand and believe the doctrine of the Holy Trinity if you believe something other than the
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Holy Trinity the three persons and the one God you are not trusting in the one true
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God that is you are not a Christian you don't have salvation the confession then speaks of how we are able to distinguish these three persons of the
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Holy Trinity one God but these three persons and each is distinguishable in some ways from one another the
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Father is of none neither begotten nor proceeding God the Father is never described as being begotten the
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Son is eternally begotten of the Father he wasn't begotten of the
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Father when he was born to the Virgin Mary he was eternally begotten there was never a time when the
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Son of God was not begotten of the Father the Holy Spirit proceeding from the
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Father and the Son the Bible never says that Jesus proceeds in the same way the
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Holy Spirit proceeds the Bible never says the Father proceeds but the Bible describes the
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Holy Spirit as proceeding from the Father and the Son all infinite without beginning therefore one
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God who is not to be divided in nature and being but distinguished by several peculiar relative properties and personal relations in other words the way these persons relate to one another which doctrine of the
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Trinity is the foundation of all our communion with God and comfortable dependence upon Him and so the language of our
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Lord in John 7 29 underscores this statement Jesus said he who sent me
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God the Father is never described in the Holy Scriptures as having been sent by the
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Son or the Holy Spirit this distinguishes the person of the Father from the persons of the Son and the
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Holy Spirit this is what our confession meant by the words that the persons of the Trinity are distinguished by several peculiar relative properties and personal relations in other words they relate to one another differently one to the other the
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Father sends but is never sent the Son is sent by the Father the Holy Spirit is said to have been sent by both the
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Father and the Son and so here we see therefore that their relative properties that is the manner that the three persons of the
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Holy Trinity relate with one another reveals their distinction from one another even though the three persons of the
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Holy Trinity is one God the Holy Trinity is not an easy doctrine but it's one that you must conclude if you believe the
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Holy Scriptures J. I. Packer described this doctrine of the Trinity in this way the basic assertion of this doctrine is that the unity of one
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God is complex the three personal subsistences as they are called are co -equal and co -eternal centers of self -awareness each being
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I in relation to two who are you the Father can speak to the
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Son I you each partaking of the full divine essence the stuff of deity if we may dare to call it that along with the other two they are not three roles played by one person that's modalism that's heresy
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T .D. Jakes is the modalist he's a heretic he's not a Christian although he's the most popular preacher in America T .D.
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Jakes nor are there three gods in a cluster that's tritheism three gods the one
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God he is also and equally they and they are always together and always cooperating with the
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Father initiating the Son complying and the Spirit executing the will of both which is his will also this is the truth about God that's revealed through the words and works of Jesus that undergirds the reality of salvation as the
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New Testament sets forth there's just so much confusion and lack of clarity in people's thinking and we go out into the world we talk about God you believe in God you believe in Jesus and people affirm oh yeah but when you begin to ask them what it is they believe they don't have a clue as to what the
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Bible teaches about the true God who are they believing in who are they trusting and then their life will probably betray that they really don't know
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God as Jesus declared these Jews didn't know God Robert Raymond who died just a couple years ago has a wonderful systematic theology and he stated the doctrine of the
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Trinity perhaps more succinctly the three propositions or doctrines are essential to the
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Christian doctrine of the Trinity and so here are the three truths of the doctrine of the first there is but one living and true
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God is who eternally and immutably that is unchangeably indivisible that's the doctrine of monotheism secondly the
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Father the Son and the Holy Spirit are each fully and equally God that's the doctrine of three persons sameness in divine essence and third the
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Father the Son and the Holy Spirit are each distinct persons the doctrine of three persons distinctness and subsistence these three concepts represent in capsule form the biblical doctrine of the
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Trinity again this is foundational it's something that we should understand and embrace now after Jesus declared that they did not know the
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Father he declared that he didn't know him Jesus said you both know me you know where I'm from and I've not come of myself but he who sent me is true whom you do not know but I know him for I am from him and he sent me
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Matthew Henry wrote of these words they know whence he came perhaps you know he came from Nazareth and where he had his birth perhaps but he will tell them what they knew not from whom he came that was the issue not from where he came but from whom he came that he did not come of himself that is he did not run without sending nor come as a private person but with a public character that he was sent of his father this is twice mentioned he hath sent me and again he hath sent me to say what
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I say and do what I do this he was himself well assured of and therefore knew that his father would bear him out and it is well for us that we are assured of it too that we may with holy confidence go to God by him this is foundational to our whole understanding of our relationship with God well now we come to the conclusion pardon me the collusion of Jesus enemies verse 30 we read of the people's desire to take him therefore they sought to take him but no one laid a hand on him because his hour had not yet come it seemed there were now many more desirous of his death than just the
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Jewish leaders of Jerusalem some of these in Jerusalem joined with those Jews here they must have included not only the
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Jewish leaders but numbers of those Jewish worshippers in the temple who heard his assertions these assertions exasperated the
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Jews and they sought to seize or apprehend him he was claiming to be God sent by God the
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Father and he was claiming exclusive knowledge of the Father you don't know him I know him because he sent me that will get a stir won't it in a crowd in a
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Jewish crowd in Jerusalem and so they sought to apprehend him but no one laid hold of him no one laid a hand on him because his hour had not come in other words
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God had decreed when and how the death of Jesus would take place his hour was set in the eternal decree of God and that hour had not yet arrived this idea of his hour is mentioned a few times in John's gospel it's here in John 7 and we'll also read it in John 8 these words
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Jesus spoke in the treasury as he taught the temple no one laid hands on him for his hour had not yet come but the time will arrive in this gospel that his hour will have arrived
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John 13 1 now before the feast of the Passover when Jesus knew that his hour had come that he should depart from this world to the
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Father having loved his own who were in the world he loved them to the end but that hour was yet in the future again at least six months off in the future the feast of tabernacles is in the fall he was crucified at the
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Passover in the spring following winter this ate aroused varied reactions on account of it therefore his enemies sought to arrest him but God is over all his purpose is worked out men cannot interfere with it the time of Jesus' death was not yet and his enemies could not bring that time forward no matter how they might try
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Jesus wasn't anxious he wasn't fearful he knew that he would accomplish the work that God the
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Father sent him to do and in the God the Father's own time we too should take comfort in this shouldn't we that God has an hour for you and for me he decreed the day of your birth he decreed the day of your death and though man may invent all kinds of ways to supposedly prolong life it's only going to be prolonged to that hour and then it comes to an end and this should give us therefore a sense of assurance and confidence and it should
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I hope take away fear of that event as the scriptures say that you and I should not as Christians should not be afraid of death if you're not a
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Christian you should be scared to death I mean it ought to you know terrify you but for Christians God has taken away the fear of death if we think rightly and understand rightly
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Jesus that's one of the reasons he took upon our nature therefore the children share in flesh and blood he
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Jesus himself likewise partook of the same things our body our nature human nature that through death he might destroy the one that Satan who has the power of death that is the devil and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery we are able we're not always successful in this but we are capable of not being afraid of death the fact is we need not fear what lies before us in this world for two reasons first it will only really get bad when our hour has come that is when
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God has appointed whatever it is to take place and in the time that he's determined it will take place and until then we may be assured that the
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Lord will preserve us and secondly whenever that day does come it cannot and will not ultimately have any bearing whatsoever of our spiritual and eternal well being you and I as Christians are invincible in this respect as the writer of the
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Hebrew said we may boldly say the Lord is my helper I will not fear what can man do to me there's a boldness and courage on the part of Christians if they're thinking rightly our
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Lord Jesus we're not going to read this passage because of the time but he foretold of the great calamities that were going to come upon Judah and Jerusalem in A .D.
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70 but he said that in spite of all this he says not a hair of your head will perish that's a rhetorical statement saying that nothing ultimately is going to harm you you're secure whatever comes it's just a passage to the blessed promises of God and Christ and then lastly we have the concession of many people in verse 31 even as we read of the hostile and evil intentions of the people of Jerusalem toward our
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Savior we read of this of others that were present and many of the people believed in him and said when
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Christ comes will he do more signs than these which this man has done so there were those coming to believe on him even in the context of this great hostility their faith does not seem to have been based on a great deal of substantive information but faith did characterize them they believed on him they were convinced that Jesus was the
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Christ by the many signs that he had wrought in their midst these believers suggest that God was doing both a work of redemption as well as a work of judgment among the people and that's what
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Jesus is doing in history he's saving his people and he's judging his enemies he is the great winnower of the peoples of the earth separating his wheat from the chaff and yes there will be a great separation on the last day but that separation is taking place now through the word of God Jesus was separating the people as he was speaking to them and the word of God as it's being taught to us this morning it's separating people isn't it you have believers yeah that's true that's the word of God I affirm that that's true
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I see it I read it you have others that this guy's mad you know this guy doesn't have a clue doesn't he realize we live in the 21st century these people really believe this stuff you know that's their thought their attitude in fact sometimes they become angry when they learn what we you know we believe what we believe you know it angers them because they see us as errant and ignorant while they themselves are advanced and educated this is how they view us they view us as deceived and deceiving people this is how they regard us and it's only going to get more so as of course time unfolds but we trust that we we believe the
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Lord has taught us these things the Holy Spirit has affirmed them and you could no more convince us otherwise
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I don't know even how to compare it you know we cannot be convinced otherwise because the
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Lord has sealed us with this reality and this truth so let's just conclude with a few questions is there anyone here who has yet to confess
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Christ openly to own him as your own Lord and Savior and let me ask the question what are you waiting for you have far more evidence to substantiate everything that's claimed by us than did these people in Jerusalem who believed on him your believing family members have testified to you this church has testified the truth of Jesus to you these people believed and confessed
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Christ with far less information and understanding that you have presently again we read of them many of the people believed in him said when
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Christ comes will he do more signs than this man has done can you do any less than these people did but believe on him and stand forward confess
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Christ to another confess Christ to me I remember the first person
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I confessed Christ to Mrs.
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Oliver I don't remember her first name now but an older lady who was in the church praying and I confessed myself as a
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Christian she broke down crying I was surprised you know but she rejoiced in it tell somebody
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I'm a Christian Christ is my savior my lord and I confess him to you and I want you to know it and I want him to know it and Jesus has promised those who confess me before men
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I will confess before my father in heaven stand forward be baptized if you're a
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Christian why wouldn't you want to to align yourself with the people to align yourself on the right side the winning side that God has promised through Jesus Christ you'll be blessed for doing so not only now but you'll be blessed eternally amen let's pray father thank you for your word and the clarity of revelation that Jesus Christ gave of his identity and who he is and and the purpose for which he was sent we thank you our father for loving us for having sent your son and we thank you lord
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Jesus for having been faithful to your calling and having redeemed us from our sin we pray that you would help us our