Josh Benner

Category: Church

  • Sermon: The Father, the Son, and the Law – John 7:14-24

    14 About the middle of the feast Jesus went up into the temple and began teaching. 15 The Jews therefore marveled, saying, “How is it that this man has learning, when he has never studied?” 16 So Jesus answered them, “My teaching is not mine, but his who sent me. 17 If anyone’s will is to do God’s will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority. 18 The one who speaks on his own authority seeks his own glory; but the one who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true, and in him there is no falsehood. 19 Has not Moses given you the law? Yet none of you keeps the law. Why do you seek to kill me?” 20 The crowd answered, “You have a demon! Who is seeking to kill you?” 21 Jesus answered them, “I did one work, and you all marvel at it. 22 Moses gave you circumcision (not that it is from Moses, but from the fathers), and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath. 23 If on the Sabbath a man receives circumcision, so that the law of Moses may not be broken, are you angry with me because on the Sabbath I made a man’s whole body well? 24 Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.” 

    Prayer 

    Our heavenly Father, 

    It says in your Word that: Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him. 

    And: No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also.

    And: in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. 

    Your Son, our Lord taught: 

    I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.” 

    Father, we thank you for our Lord Jesus who points us to you, who makes you known, and who has reconciled us to you. May we believe and know the truth of your gospel that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Let that be our only source of hope. May we know the saving work of Christ. May we live our lives in gratitude and the knowledge of your gospel. Lord, we continue to pray for greater trust and reliance on you, through all of the uncertainties and unknowns of this season. 

    1 God is our refuge and strength, 

    a very present help in trouble. 

    Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, 

    though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, 

    3 though its waters roar and foam, 

    though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah 

    4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, 

    the holy habitation of the Most High. 

    5 God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved; 

    God will help her when morning dawns. 

    6 The nations rage, the kingdoms totter; 

    he utters his voice, the earth melts. 

    7 The Lord of hosts is with us; 

    the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah 

    8 Come, behold the works of the Lord, 

    how he has brought desolations on the earth. 

    9 He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; 

    he breaks the bow and shatters the spear; 

    he burns the chariots with fire. 

    10 “Be still, and know that I am God. 

    I will be exalted among the nations, 

    I will be exalted in the earth!” 

    May we trust that you are our refuge and strength. May we be still and know that you are God. And may we worship you for your greatness and goodness. Lord, we do not deserve you. We are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes but you are the eternal God who has promised eternal life through your Son. 

    Jesus is the one who makes you known and it is through him and him alone that we can know you and approach you. 

    And so may we humbly come before you in adoration and in a heart of worship to again study your Word. Lord, we ask that you bless our time and bless our hearts and minds as we seek to know you and to know your truth through the preaching of your Most Holy Word. 


    In Jesus’ name, amen. 

    Introduction – the Halo Effect 

    There’s the saying “don’t judge a book by its cover.” And the point is that we shouldn’t judge things merely by outward appearances or what’s on the surface level. 

    As people, we have a tendency to make assumptions about other people. 

    To give an example. There’s been vast psychological research into attractiveness. If all we have to go on is looks, we assume that a beautiful person is also nice, and intelligent, and competent. 

    Without any corroborative information. 

    If we think something good about someone, we’re likely to have other good associations with them. . 

    We take limited information and make larger assumptions. 

    It’s the same reason why leading male actors in movies are almost universally tall, unless a shorter stature is relevant to the story. 

    Even if the actor himself is short, they will utilize lifts in shoes, smaller props, and camera angles to make him look tall. Because we associate height with dominance and power. 

    And it works out in the real world. In a survey of Fortune 500 CEO’s, they averaged being 2.5” taller than the average person. 

    Of the 11 U.S. presidents since 1960, only one was shorter than 5’11” and the last president we had who was below average was William McKinley, almost 120 years ago. 

    We take limited information and make assumptions about a person. 

    It’s why we have family political dynasties because we assume competence to someone who’s related to someone else we like

    We judge books by their covers. 

    We’ll have more on that in a little bit. 

    Series context 

    We’re resuming in the Gospel of John this morning. 

    And to remind us of where we are in this gospel. Jesus has arrived at the Feast of Booths. And as we’ve discussed before, the Feast of Booths is an annual Jewish celebration in the fall which looked back to the time when the Israelites had to reside in the wilderness during their desert wanderings, it was a celebration of the fall harvest, and also looked forward to the following year. 

    And as we’ve talked about the autumn Jewish holidays over the last couple of weeks, this year’s Feast of Booths is actually currently happening this week. 

    But turning back to our passage. It’s the Feast of Booths and Jesus is in Jerusalem for the feast. He’s teaching in the synagogue and this is causing a stir among a new audience as well as the ruling authorities. It’s a passage where we’ll see themes relating to divine authority, the law of Moses and where we’ll revisit a controversy that Jesus has already been involved with in this gospel.

    We’ll look at this passage in three scenes.

    First scene – Misunderstanding Jesus 

     Verse 14 is where the passage begins: About the middle of the feast Jesus went up into the temple and began teaching. 

    John mentions it’s the middle of the feast. The feast of booths lasts 8 days. But the point isn’t so much that it was exactly day 4 or exactly day 5, but that Jesus begins teaching at the temple at some point in the middle of the week long celebration. 

    Verse 15, the crowd responds to Jesus:  The Jews therefore marveled, saying, “How is it that this man has learning, when he has never studied?”

    We don’t know specifically what Jesus has been teaching but the crowd is impressed with Jesus’ understanding of the scriptures and teaching of the scriptures. They knew that Jesus had not learned under any of the well known rabbis of the day and so they question how he has acquired this education. 

    For most Jewish boys in Jesus’ lifetime, your schooling ended in early adolescence, and then you generally moved into the profession of your father. For some who were especially bright, they might have continued in rabbinical training where they learned at the tutelage of a rabbi and this took several years. And having an academic pedigree mattered to the ruling authorities. 

    But Jesus did not have that. There would have been those who would have discounted what Jesus had to say because of that. Grant Osborne’s commentary of John points out that rabbis in Jesus’ day anchored much of their teaching and theology into what rabbis who had preceded them had said. People in academic circles still do this. 

    This type of elitism is certainly not unique to Jesus’ day. There are domains today where people expect a certain pedigree. Of the eight justices currently on the Supreme Court, all eight graduated law school at Harvard or Yale.

    I looked up men who have been the Chief of Operations for the United States Navy. Basically, the person who’s in charge of the navy. Of 32 men who have held that post, all but two have gone to the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. 

    There were leading rabbinical figures in Jesus’ day. And Jesus hadn’t sat at their feet or learned from them. 

    After the ministry of Jesus, his disciples would still deal with this intellectual prejudice.

    Acts chapter 4, Peter and John appear before a ruling council of the Jewish leaders. 

    And we again see the low expectations of the council. 

    Acts 4:13: Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished.

    In fact, there are still scholars today who look at the fact that Peter would not have had much in the way of formal education and question if he was even capable of writing a book like 2 Peter, which is considered some of the highest level Greek in the New Testament. 

    It’s similar when people question Jesus’ family and background. 

    Matthew 13:53-55: 53 And when Jesus had finished these parables, he went away from there, 54 and coming to his hometown he taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished, and said, “Where did this man get this wisdom and these mighty works? 55 Is not this the carpenter’s son?

    We see the same thing at the beginning of John’s Gospel when the first disciples are following Jesus. Philip is enamoured with Jesus but his brother is not so sure, in sights his hometown as a justification for his prejudice. 

    John 1:45-46: Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” 46 Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?

    And here again, the crowd marvels at Jesus and they question:  “How is it that this man has learning, when he has never studied?

    I spoke in the beginning about not judging a book by its cover. People made all sorts of assumptions about Jesus based on little information throughout his ministry. But as is so often the case in the Bible, the things that we can be tempted to criticize in others are not always so different from our own sins and flaws.Because we’re all prone to rushing to conclusions and unfair judgments of people. 

    It can be based on appearance, based on how a person dresses or looks. In a small town where so many of the families are known, we can make unfair judgments about a person based on who their family is. If it’s a good family, we can assume good things. 

    And if it’s not such a good family, or an infamous family, we can also unfairly judge people based on background rather than who they are. 

    Again, I think it’s something that we’re all susceptible to. We don’t have perfect knowledge. We’re fallible people.  But I think it’s important to be proactive in showing fairness to people. 

    In James 2, the Lord’s brother James describes a situation in the assembly where the Christians are showing partiality and bias. 


    James 2:1: My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory

    James goes on to describe a situation where two types of people come to church. 

    James continues: if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in, 3 and if you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, “You sit here in a good place,” while you say to the poor man, “You stand over there,” or, “Sit down at my feet,” 4 have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?

    The point is that we do have a tendency as sinful and fallen people to make such judgments. 

    But that that is sinful. 

    And it’s actually an idea to which Jesus will again refer at the end of this passage. 

    7:24:  Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.”

    Again, it’s important to know the temptation to judge a book by its cover. But as Christians, it’s important to actively work against that. Because it’s an easy trap that anyone can fall into. 

    So that’s our first scene. How the world misunderstands Jesus. 

    We come to a second scene.  

    Second scene – The God Jesus points to

    So the crowd questions Jesus. It’s worth pointing out that there’s nothing wrong with them wanting to know where Jesus’ ideas come from. 

    It’s just that the problem was the ruling authorities put too much stock into man made systems as the authenticator. They’re counting on their assumptions about teaching and about the Messiah instead of on the scriptures. 

    Verse 16-17, Jesus responds: Jesus answered them, “My teaching is not mine, but his who sent me. 17 If anyone’s will is to do God’s will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority. 

    Jesus’ teachings come from the ultimate source. Jesus has come with a divine message.

    Again, in the rabbinical tradition, teachings were often looked at in light of historical precedent. 

    But what if the initial teachings were wrong? Or flawed? 

    It was still ultimately the teachings of men. 

     If anyone’s will is to do God’s will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority. 

    As Jesus has done throughout this gospel, he confronts the audience – and us the readers – with another bold claim. 

    If you truly desire to know the will of God, you will know that what Jesus is teaching is from God. 

    Put more simply: to know God is to know Jesus. 

    Let’s unpack that. And let’s look at this statement in our own lives. 

     If anyone’s will is to do God’s will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority. 

    It’s both an ethical statement and a theological statement. 

    If you desire to do God’s will, to live out God’s will, that person will be able to recognize whether or not Jesus’ teaching is merely opinion or whether or not its of divine authority. 

    But how? 

    Because of the gospel. 

    Let’s work through the gospel in understanding why Jesus statement is true. 

    Beginning with sin. 

    Romans 3 has one of the great summaries in the Bible of the human condition. 3:10-12: 

    “None is righteous, no, not one; 11 no one understands; no one seeks for God. 12 All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.” 

    It is the natural disposition of fallen humanity to not desire God or the things of God. It is through the regenerative effect of the gospel that a person  has a desire for the will of God. 

    Titus 3:4-6: But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior,

    So our desire for God is not something that we simply decide to have, but it’s a result of regeneration whereby we are given God’s Spirit. 

    2 Corinthians 2, Paul talks about the natural man and the Spiritual man. The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. 15 The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. 16 “For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ (2 Corinthians 2:14-16)  

    So. It is not we ourselves who desire the truth of God but it is God working in us through the Spirit. And so it is true that to desire to know the will of God that we are necessarily led to the affirmation of who Jesus is. A desire for the will of God leads us to the truth of God and to Jesus who is himself the truth. 

    But that’s only part of the equation. Because anyone could make the statement that Jesus made. In fact, others have. As we’ve discussed before. But to further authenticate that Jesus himself is the one uniquely sent form God, we have the life and ministry of Jesus. 

    It is not merely big talk. 

    But that Jesus’ life and ministry are unimpeachable through his righteousness, through his teachings. Furthermore, his miracles speak to his divinely appointed ministry. And his death and resurrection point us to the truth of his gospel. That as he died and rose, we who are dead in sin have the promise of eternal life. 

    And we’re left with the overarching truth that a desire to follow the will of God will always lead us to the Son of God. 

    Given the Spiritual aspect of faith, we cannot truly seek God and be led in the wrong direction. 

    You might be tempted to ask “well then why are there so many other religions?” 

    Because men love darkness rather than the light. (John 3:19) 

    As Paul warned Timothy: the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, 4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths (2 Timothy 4:3-4).

    Proverbs 21:2 says:  Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the heart.

    The world likes to earn righteousness and salvation on its own and the Bible constantly points us to the reality that we cannot. Nearly every other religion works on a scale of righteousness and sins. But it is through the gospel, that we have a message of grace. Seeking the will of God leads to Christ.

    To attempt to follow any other way is idolatry. 

    As Hebrews 11:6 tells us, it is impossible to please God without faith. 

    Continuing in our passage. 

    Verse 18, Jesus says: The one who speaks on his own authority seeks his own glory; but the one who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true, and in him there is no falsehood.

    Jesus points again to the authority and glory of God. And Jesus himself is glorious. He is perfect. He is divine. 

    Think of the things the world applauds and celebrates? We create awards for ourselves. People who have enough prestige or wealth built monuments to themselves. Pay for schools or buildings to be named after themselves. 

    The world loves to bring itself glory. 

    Yet Jesus walked the earth to point to the glory of God. 

    As Paul wrote to the Philippians: who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. (Philippians 2:6-8) 

    I think that’s a powerful example for all of us. 

    To live humbly. 

    To live to bring glory to God. To seek to bring God glory in every domain of our lives. As spouses and parents and grandparents. As friends, siblings, and fellow church members. In our jobs. Among our neighbors. Everything we do should be to the glory of God and point to God. The great composer Johan Sebastian Bach used to sign the initials S.D.G. to his church compositions. It stood for the Latin phrase Soli Deo Gloria which means “Glory to God alone.” 

    And that should be the heart we have for everything we do in our lives. 

    For the glory of God. 

    In the Westminster Catechism, it asks: what is the chief end of man? 

    And the response is: man’s chief end is to glorify God and enjoy him forever. 

    1 Corinthians 10:31 sums it up well: whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

    Jesus lived a perfect life. He did not tell people he was glorious, he displayed glory through his signs. He didn’t tell people perfect, he showed people his perfection through his perfect life. And so we have Jesus who is glorious, who is righteous, who is perfect, the one in whom the fullness of deity was pleased to dwell, yet he came ito the world and was submissive to God and followed the will of God. We’re just people. Finite and frail people. We were created to bring God glory, not to glorify ourselves or to glorify men. Because we’re not glorious. 

    So we’ve seen how the world understands Jesus and the God Jesus points to. 

    We come to a third scene which is the law Jesus fulfills. 

    Third scene – the law he fulfills 

    Has not Moses given you the law? Yet none of you keeps the law. Why do you seek to kill me?”

    Verse 19, Jesus says that these people have the law of the Old Testament and that none of them keeps it. 

    I think there are layers of meaning to that statement. None of you keeps the Law. First, it’s true that no one keeps it in that no one keeps it perfectly and that everyone is sinful. Except Jesus. Secondly, we see their failure to oversee the Law in the fact that they’re seeking to kill Jesus. 

    For the experts in the Law, the religious leaders, the beginning of the passage has already informed us that they sought to kill Jesus.

    Despite the fact that Jesus is righteous. He never sinned. He broke no laws. He certainly never committed a capital offense. They would plot against Jesus. They would bring false accusations and trumped up charges against him. 

    That was a violation of the law. It’s also true on a third level in that the law and the prophets point to Jesus. So Jesus asks “Has not Moses given you the Law?”

    Having the law was a great source of pride for the Israelites, but if their ruling authorities truly understood that law, they would know to whom it pointed. 

    Jesus has already told this to a group of Jewish leaders in chapter 5. In chapter 5, Jesus has given a lengthy address in the aftermath of healing a paralyzed man on the Sabbath. 

    Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father. There is one who accuses you: Moses, on whom you have set your hope. 46 For if you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote of me. 47 But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?” 

    To truly know God is to know Jesus. Pause for a second. I’ve thrown a lot at you. In chapter 5, Jesus was also at the temple in Jerusalem speaking to a group. 

    It seems reasonable that not everyone listening to him in chapter 7 was in that original group. 

    So some people are totally confused by what Jesus has said. They think he’s crazy. 

    Verse 20: The crowd answered, “You have a demon! Who is seeking to kill you?”

    And as we’ve seen many times in this gospel, Jesus responds to a question by not answering it. 

    Jesus has talked about the plot to kill him. 

    But where does that come from?

    Yes, we saw it a couple weeks ago at the very beginning of chapter 7. 

    Just as a reminder, John 7:1 says: “After this Jesus went about in Galilee. He would not go about in Judea, because the Jews were seeking to kill him.”

    But the origin of the Jewish leaders seeking to kill Jesus originally starts in chapter 5. It’s in the wake of Jesus heals theparalyzed man on the Sabbath. This is looked at as being a violation of the Sabbath. Jesus responds that his father is working on the Sabbath and so is he. 

    And it is that incident to which Jesus refers when he responds to the crowd in verse 21. Jesus answered them, “I did one work, and you all marvel at it.

    The one work was the healing on the Sabbath. That becomes evident as he continues speaking. 

    Stay with me, we’re almost done. 

    Verses 22-23: 22 Moses gave you circumcision (not that it is from Moses, but from the fathers), and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath. 23 If on the Sabbath a man receives circumcision, so that the law of Moses may not be broken, are you angry with me because on the Sabbath I made a man’s whole body well?

    Let’s try to tie all of this together. 

    Jesus goes directly to the heart of the Sabbath. And this ties into what he’s just been saying to the pharisees regarding the Law of Moses and the fact that they don’t keep it. 

    They don’t truly understand the law. They don’t truly understand the Old Testament. 

    Their failure to recognize Jesus shows that. 

    Their desire to kill Jesus shows that. 

    And so Jesus makes a comparison between circumcision and the Sabbath. 

    Both of these are integral elements of Judaism. 

    Both of which were Judaic practices which actually pre-dated the time of Moses. We see the Sabbath in creation and it’s observance is commanded prior to the Ten Commandments. And we see circumcision given to Abraham. 

    But then you also have them both in the Law of Moses. 

    Circumcision and the Sabbath. 

    Now Abraham was commanded that all of his offspring must be circumcised on the eighth day after they’re born. 

    But what about when the eighth day is the Sabbath? 

    The male was still circumcised. 

    And as Jesus says in verse 23, that was not a violation of the law. 

    And so Jesus asks the religious leaders: are you angry with me because on the Sabbath I made a man’s whole body well?

    You can circumcise a baby on the Sabbath but you can’t heal a man on the Sabbath? 

    Leon Morris adds a helpful note in his commentary. Jesus is not undermining the Sabbath. He’s not criticizing the Sabbath. He’s not liberalizing the Sabbath. 

    He’s pointing them to the heart of the Sabbath. 

    The Jewish leaders could see the rationale to circumcise a baby. Even on the Sabbath. But they couldn’t see the justification of healing someone? 

    The law is not arbitrary. The law is not just a list of commands for the sake of commands.

    The law points to God, points to holiness, points to life. 

    Now circumcision does not have the religious significance for us that it did and does for observant Jews. But for them, it was profoundly meaningful. It was a God-given symbol of the covenant. And Jesus talks of healing the entire person. 

    That act of love and grace had more to do with the heart of the Law and the heart of the Old Testament, than the unnecessary rigidity of the ruling authorities. 

    At the end of our passage, Jesus says in verse 24:  Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.” 

    They needed to hear that because they weren’t doing that. 

    And it is because they were not judging with proper judgment that they got both Jesus wrong and the law wrong. 

    They got God wrong. And so they didn’t understand his law or what it pointed to. They had a worldly perspective not a heavenly perspective. 

    They had  rigid view of the law, not a loving and gracious view of the law. 

    They had manmade opinions about the Messiah, and so they missed the Messiah when he was right in front of them. 

    They weren’t judging based on truth. 

    They didn’t truly know God and so they couldn’t understand the one whom God sent. 

    They didn’t truly know the heart of the law and so they could not appreciate the heart of God. 

    Jesus pointed to a greater revelation from God. A greater fulfillment of the law and the true understanding of the law. 

    And what this passage ultimately teaches is that we cannot get Jesus wrong and God right. 

    Because God’s word points to Jesus. His will was to send Jesus. His righteousness is lived out through Jesus. His wrath is absorbed by Jesus. His creation is redeemed through Jesus. 

  • Blessed are the persecuted? The Christian life and opposition

    Blessed are the persecuted? The Christian life and opposition

    10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.11 “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
    -Matthew 5:10-12

    Almost 2,000 years ago when Jesus preached these words, they also would have been radical to his audience. Persecution is never looked at as a blessing.But in Matthew 5, Jesus says that it is.Part of what Jesus is saying in these verses is that there is blessedness for the person who’s life is so clearly devoted to God, who is so clearly living out their Christian faith, that they face opposition because of it.

    If a Christian goes through life and never faces opposition, you might be living too comfortably in the world.If you never face any heat because of your faith, you might not be associating with anyone who disagrees with what you believe.

    In 2 Timothy 3, the Apostle Paul talks about persecution.“Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.”ALL who live for Christ will be persecuted.Persecution is part of the Christian life. The Bible does not shy away from this fact.Shortly before the time of his crucifixion, Jesus said to his disciples in John 5:18-19: “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.

    Something doesn’t have to be a matter of life and death to be persecution. In American society, we don’t generally hear stories of a person being killed just because they are a Christian. It’s not absolutely unheard of, but it’s rare.The persecution American Christians face is often times more social or legal. That can still put us in situations where it’s tempting to sin, where it’s tempting to respond a certain way that we shouldn’t. That still puts us in situations where it’s easier to just go along with what the world is doing than taking a stand for what you believe.

    I know a mechanic who’s a Christian. He was committed to being honest in his dealings with customers. He was so honest that his boss didn’t like him and eventually fired him.

    My wife told me a story about how when she was in high school, she was interviewing to be part of a local youth leadership program in her community. While she was at her interview, one of the people making the decision saw that she was a student at a Christian high school. He started berating her with questions about her faith, questioning how she could believe in Jesus. Asking nothing about this youth organization. Essentially just harassing her about her faith.

    Again, the gospel is a message that some find offensive. “To one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life (2 Corinthians 2:16).

    ”There have been examples of groups trying to silence coaches of public school teams from praying with players before games, even when it’s voluntary. I read a story today about the Freedom from Religion Foundation suing a public school in Ohio. A local pastor was leading a Bible study with students at lunch. It was optional. But FFRF still needed to swoop in and sue. There have been legal pressures on Christian universities to cover abortions for staff.Those are just a few examples.

    But in living for Jesus, in a fallen world, it is inevitable that there will be times when a person’s faith comes under fire.

    Responding 
    When a person is being persecuted and has a choice of if they’re going to respond in a Christlike way or if they’re going to respond in a hostile way. You can be light to a dark world or you can just spread the darkness.The Apostle James talked about the various trials that Christians face:“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing (James 1:2-4).

    ”As evil as the persecution that Christians face can be, it’s an opportunity to respond with love. Jesus told us to pray for our enemies (Matthew 5:44).God can use those situations as a way to strengthen us in our own faith. To focus us on what we truly value.Another part of the reason why persecution is seen as a blessing is that the harsher the persecution, the more that is taken away from a person, the more someone is able to live in total dependence on God and reliance in his ability to preserve them. That’s not to say that the persecution is good in itself. It’s obviously not. That’s not to say that sin is good. It’s not. But through the evils that people commit, God can still use that for good.

    Again, if you’re not ever facing any pressure because of your faith, you might not be living in a way that is distinct from the world. I’m not saying we should go out of our way to be combative. The verse does not say that all persecution is good. It’s when a person is following Jesus and is persecuted for righteousness’ sake that blessed a person. It’s a radical idea. But let us remember that we have a savior who faced the ultimate persecution for righteousness’ sake.

    Originally published February 27, 2017

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  • 7 problems with prosperity theology

    7 problems with prosperity theology

    The prosperity gospel is a movement that has its origins in America about a century ago and came to greater prominence after the Second World War. It has largely grown out of pentecostalism and the Word of Faith movement. 

    It is the idea that it is always the will of God for genuine believers to be materially blessed and physically healthy. It’s essentially preoccupied with material blessings. 

    In John 6, Jesus has just fed a large crowd of people. They’ve wanted to make him king. They’re drawn to his teaching and signs, yet Jesus rebukes the crowd when he says: “you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves.” 

    I’m not saying that this first century audience had a 20th and 21st century notion of a health and wealth gospel. But they’re drawn to Jesus because of him fulfilling a physical need. There are elements of what they believe which are picked up in the prosperity gospel movement. 

    It’s not the only place where we find this attitude in the New Testament. Paul addresses a similar issue within the church at Philippi. Philippians 3:19-20: 18 For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. 19 Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things.

    They’re not looking to take up their cross and follow him. They’re not looking to die to themselves and their sinful ways. They’re there because of a free meal. 

    The theology that looks merely at the material blessings of God has many problems. 

    First, it’s not the gospel. 

    The gospel is the message of Christ crucified and his redemption of sinful people for the glory of God. 

    He died to save souls. 

    The purpose of life is knowing and enjoying Jesus Christ forever. The purpose of life does not revolve around material blessings. 

    Secondly, prosperity theology teaches things that are not Biblical. 

    It undermines the doctrine of suffering. The Bible does not hide from suffering. 

    Prosperity theology believes that it is never the will of God for a person to be sick, to die from cancer, to struggle with depression.  

    The Bible teaches that the Christian life does involve suffering. 

    God uses it and works all things together for good for those who love him. Romans 8:28. 

    God uses suffering to work his purposes. Story of Joseph. We referenced it last week. Joseph is betrayed by his brothers, but through that betrayal, it brings Joseph into Egypt which allows him to be in a position years later to save his family during a time of famine.

    But we also see God’s providence and goodness through that evil. 

    Genesis 50:20: As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. 

    God uses suffering to sanctify and perfect his people. 

    James 1:2-4: Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. 

    Notice that James says to count it all joy WHEN not IF you meet trials of various kinds. 

    To quote my professor D.A. Carson, if you’re not suffering, just keep living. 

    Romans 5:3-4: we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope

    God uses suffering so that we can have a positive influence on others. 

    Wonderful passage. 2 Corinthians 1:3-5: Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 5 For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. 

    God uses suffering to remind us that our ultimate need is in him. 2 Corinthians 1:8-9: 

    8 For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. 9 Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead.

    And we could talk for hours on many more passages. 

    God allows suffering. In his sovereign will, God allows it. It is talked about constantly in the Bible and especially in the New Testament. 

    And you have televangelists and authors of popular Christian books who say the opposite of that. 

    They’re teaching an idea that is not Biblical. 


    Yes, God does ultimately promise healing, in heaven. But there is no promise given in the Bible that all true believers or faithful Christians will always experience healing in this life. 

    The third problem with prosperity theology. It turns God into your genie. 

    God does not primarily exist to fulfill to give you everything you want. 

    A lot of times the things we want are not good. 

    If you have a child and just gave them everything they ever wanted, would that be loving? Of course not. Because a lot of things kids want aren’t good for them. 

    Prosperity theology views giving not primarily as a way of giving back part of what God has given for the purposes of his kingdom, but as a way to receive material blessings back as a result of your generosity.

    Prosperity theology views prayer as a way to force God to give you what you desire. 

    Prosperity theology believes that faith is rewarded by leading to prosperity. 

    Fourth, it teaches untrue things about the world

    While turning God into a genie and believing in a theology where good things happen if you’re good enough or if you have enough faith, what that essentially teaches a person is that they’re in control of their own destiny.

    Not Biblical. The Bible teaches that God is sovereign. 

    Fifth, prosperity theology actually distracts us from true riches. 

    Ironically, God actually wants to give us so much more than what prosperity theology focuses on. But if we just focus on this world, on materialism, on what’s physical, we lose sight of that. 

    Christ has blessed us with every spiritual blessing. 

    Sixth: prosperity theology distorts the teachings of scripture and takes the Bible out of context 

    It cherry picks the Bible. We’re going through the Gospel of John. Prosperity gospel preaching churches don’t go verse by verse through books. Because they have a theological belief system that is not supported by the whole of scriptures and so they pick and choose what fits their system. 

    You don’t have great scholars or theologians of prosperity theology. Because honest reading of the Bible tears it down. 

    The seventh issue with prosperity theology is that it relies heavily on special revelations from God. 

    I know I’m hammering on this topic this morning. But it’s a highly influential, unbiblical movement that influences Christians here in America and across the world. 

    Many of the best-selling Christian books are written by prosperity teachers and preachers who do not teach or preach the Word but preach a worldly message. Many, I would say most, televangelists fall into this camp. 

    Our world eats up prosperity theology because it tells us that it’s all about us. It co-opts the gospel and replaces it with worldliness. 

    As Jesus said, “you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves.“

    Why are you a follower of Jesus?

    Is it because he is the way, the truth and the life? Is it because he is glorious? Is it because he’s worthy? Is it because he’s the savior of the world? Is it because of the gospel. That you were dead in your sins and that the only way to redemption was through his life, and death and because of the shedding of his blood? 

    I’m hoping that I’m preaching to the choir on this. For those of us who love the Word of God, who have reverence for the scriptures, the prosperity gospel must be seen as a counterfeit gospel. 

    But here’s my challenge. 

    Because while we might not buy into a health and wealth gospel, we have so many blessings in our country that there can still be a temptation into falling into the trap of thinking that we’re good and that our lives should be good. We should have good families. We should have happy marriages. We deserve to not really suffer. 

    It’s a constant temptation. But the Bible makes no such promises. Why are you a follower of Jesus? 

    The Biblical message is not that we should follow Jesus so that everything will be easy. It’s that when you follow Jesus, you’re taken from death to life. It’s not a promise of ease but it’s a promise that the difficulties have a purpose. It’s not a promise of getting what you want, but it’s a promise of all things working together for your ultimate good. People wanted to follow Jesus because he took care of a physical need, but Jesus came in order to tend to our spiritual needs.

    Final verse of the passage. Jesus has given his rebuke to the crowds. He’s exposed their heart and the real reason they’re following him. 

    27 Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.” (John 6:27)

    Jesus tells them to work for the food that endures to eternal life and that is the food which Jesus came to bring. 

    Not only did Jesus come to bring it, but it can come only through Jesus. As the end of the verse reminds us that it is Jesus upon whom God has set his seal. Jesus is the one who has come to bring eternal life to a sinful world. 

    And he offers that life to you today if you believe in him by faith. Know that you are a sinner and that Jesus has come to forgive you of your sins and reconcile you to God. 

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  • The danger of bad Biblical teaching

    The danger of bad Biblical teaching

    Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. 
    -James 3:1

    Words matter.

    We can use words to bless, words to harm, words to boast, words to give instruction, and words to deceive. Through words we can tell a person that we love them, or that we hate them. Through words we can compliment or tear a person down.

    When the Prophet Isaiah had a heavenly vision of the throne room of God, and beheld the holiness of God, he said in Isaiah 6:5: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!”

    Words were part of the original sin. In the garden, the serpent, twisting God’s words: “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?”

    God had never said that. He said they could eat of any tree except for the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

    “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden,but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die” (Genesis 3:2-3).

    Eve also gets it wrong. God had never said they couldn’t touch the tree. Twisting God’s words. Further provoked into sin by the devil In Genesis 3:4-5, “You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

    When Adam and Eve are confronted with their sin, they use words to blame in Genesis 3:12, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.”

    Words matter.

    In the first part of James 3, James zeroes in on teachers. He gives a warning to teachers that they will be judged with greater strictness. The reason why carries into verse 2 that we all sin in many ways, but one of the ways common to us all is that we stumble and sin in what we say.

    There is danger in bad Biblical teaching. It can lead people astray. It can teach people falsities, because the God who is revealed in scripture is the eternal, immortal, wise God. He’s the King of the universe, the creator of all things, he spoke the universe into being.

    There’s not a canvas where we are painting and where we can make something look however we want it to look.

    God is God. He has revealed himself in his scripture, his nature, his holiness. And so sound teaching about God matters. Teaching truth about God matters. Understanding God -in terms of how he has revealed himself in the Bible – matters.

    And not all churches do that. And not all teachers do that.

    Not many should be teachers because teaching necessarily involves words. Teaching about God’s word, teaching about God’s gospel necessarily involves words and language, and in talking, it makes it easy to say things that are untrue.

    We can’t be fast and loose with God’s gospel. We can’t make God who we want God to be if that’s not true about how God reveals himself in scripture.

    Unbiblical teachings that resort more to our feelings than to truth.

    Doesn’t God just want me to be happy? Not at the expense of sin!

    Words matter. How we approach the word of God matters. Like the serpent in the garden, twisting the very words of God.

    So it is true that there is a warning given to those who teach. And anyone who does teach from the word of God should question his motives, should be humble before God, and prayerful about the text. It should be taken seriously.

    We should be careful in our approach to God’s word.

    But regardless of if someone is a teacher or not, all of us should still use discernment in listening to what our teachers say. In listening to that which is in accordance with scripture. Of being fed by sound Biblical preaching. And that’s true here, and thats’ true if you ever move to a new community. And that’s true of any teacher who you might watch on tv or who you might podcast. We should be discerning with the Bible teachers we listen to.

    Originally published August 2, 2018

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  • Sermon: In our out? John 6:60-71

    0196

    In or out? 

    John 6:60-71

    Passage

    60 When many of his disciples heard it, they said, “This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?” 61 But Jesus, knowing in himself that his disciples were grumbling about this, said to them, “Do you take offense at this? 62 Then what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? 63 It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. 64 But there are some of you who do not believe.” (For Jesus knew from the beginning who those were who did not believe, and who it was who would betray him.) 65 And he said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.” 

    66 After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him. 67 So Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you want to go away as well?” 68 Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, 69 and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.” 70 Jesus answered them, “Did I not choose you, the twelve? And yet one of you is a devil.” 71 He spoke of Judas the son of Simon Iscariot, for he, one of the twelve, was going to betray him. 

    Prayer 

    Our Heavenly Father, 

    We are but frail and finite and fallen people, but we come to you as the infinite, glorious, and righteous Lord.

    You are our hope, our strength, our shield. We rejoice that we can come to you in worship. 

    You are the Almighty. You can do all things and you work all things according to the council of your will. 

    May we marvel at your greatness and praise you for the grace of your gospel which you make available through your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. 

    Lord, we pray for our continued sanctification as your people and as your church. 

    We pray that your gospel be clearly proclaimed this morning. 

    We pray for everyone here that we would trust in Jesus as Lord and savior. 

    Lord God, may we follow your perfect will, may we be disciples who make disciples. May our lives and our words make you known to others. Lord, we pray that you would use us to be your hands and feet in the world. 

    Lord, may our hope be in the gospel and not in ourselves, our strength, our talents, our resources, our possessions, our families, our spouses, our jobs. May it be in you and you alone. 

    Lord, we continue to pray that through the unrest and disagreement and strife, through politics and uncertainty, through the struggles with this pandemic, we pray for revival in our nation and for a season of gospel fruit. Lord, we pray that you prepare the fields for harvest that your Church can reap a harvest of disciples to Christ. May we pray for that and be part of that. 

    Lord, we pray for our time in your word. May we again be challenged and encouraged by the truths of your Most Sacred Scripture. In Jesus’ name, amen. 

    Introduction – what’s popular isn’t always good

    What’s popular isn’t always good. 

    I think of some of the mega-churches throughout America. 

    It’s easy to think that they’ve really figured it out, like they really must be doing something right. 

    But they’re often just appealing to worldliness. 

    It’s not rocket science. Mega churches have figured out that you need to preach a motivational, self-help message that focuses on prosperity themes of God wanting to bless you because you’re good without ever really doing any deep digging into the meaning of passages or theology and downplaying sin. Mega churches have figured out that people are drawn to high production value and catchy music. They’ve figured out that people will tolerate a theologically shallow church that has good youth programs. 

    Yes, there are some large churches today and throughout church history which have been very good. But they’re the exception, not the rule. 

    What’s popular isn’t always good. 

    In 2 Timothy 4:3-4, the Apostle Paul warns Timothy: 

    the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, 4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.

    It’s not just megachurches. It’s a whole Christian segment of Christian culture. We see it in many of the best-selling “Christian” books which display a similar theological shallowness. 

    It’s easy to get on board with those things. There’s no risk to it. It asks very little of you. You can take or leave Biblical ideas based on preferences. 

    But Jesus did not preach an easy-listening message. He didn’t come to pander. He didn’t come to be a people pleaser. 

    He came into the world and taught repentance. He taught that life was found in him.

    And the things that he said in our passage from last week were not easy to accept. 

    And so in this week’s passage, as we finish up chapter 6, we’ll see the response to Jesus’ teaching. And in this passage, we’ll see the response from three groups to Jesus. 

    To give a very brief reminder for last week’s passage. Last week, we were talking about Jesus’ teaching on himself as the “Bread of Life.” And the point was that Jesus is the true bread from God who has come from heaven, and it is through consuming this bread that humanity can have eternal life. The passage also talks about faith and believing in Jesus which becomes synonymous with consuming the bread. 

    False disciples  

    And with that, we come to this closing section of this chapter. And the first of the three groups who respond to Jesus are false disciples. 

    Verse 60. Still in the aftermath of everything that Jesus has said. 

    When many of his disciples heard it, they said, “This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?”

    The word “disciples” is used here. The Greek word for disciple is “mathetes” which refers to a student, or pupil, or adherent. We tend to attach a lot of theological baggage to that word. This verse is not referring to the twelve, but to an audience of people who had come to follow Jesus. 

    And these disciples say to Jesus “This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?”

    What is the hard saying? 

    There are several aspects to what Jesus has communicated which would be challenging to their sensibilities. 

    Jesus has said that eternal life is through faith in him. 

    Jesus has said that his flesh is true food and that his blood is true drink and he has also said that a person must eat his flesh and drink his blood. 

    There have been the rebukes Jesus has given to the crowd, which may not have been well received.

    Jesus cut against the grain of their own expectations for the Messiah which could have driven some people away. 

    Jesus has made divine claims in continually talking of himself as one who has come from heaven, and he’s also made claims that he is greater than Moses. 

    And so when they say it’s a hard saying, after hearing all that Jesus has said, they’re not saying that the words themselves are hard to understand, but that his teaching is hard for them to accept. 

    The crowd has acknowledged the difficulty of Jesus’ teaching, and Jesus response: 

    Verse 61-62:

    “Do you take offense at this? 62 Then what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? 

    Another challenging statement. 

    I think D.A. Carson’s explanation of these verses is helpful. 

    There are two interpretations for what Jesus is saying. 

    One is that “if you think what I’m saying is hard to accept, how will you begin to accept the resurrection when that happens?”

    The other interpretation of this verse is that Jesus is saying the opposite. That his teachings might be hard to accept, but seeing the risen Christ will actually make it easier to believe in him. 

    So which view is correct? 

    I think it depends on the person. 

    I think for this group to whom Jesus is speaking, it’s the first interpretation. That they’re not convinced in the authenticity of who Jesus is after hearing him teaching, explaining his ministry, seeing his signs, and that nothing will convince them. 

    If his teachings are confounding to the group, to an even greater degree, his crucifixion will be. 

    And indeed, the cross is difficult. 

    1 Corinthians 1:18-19: 

    18 For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.” 

    Paul will say a few verses later in verse 23: 

    but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles,

    The idea of the cross is crazy in the eyes of the world.  The idea that a dead man could live again is crazy. And the idea that humanity would even need Jesus to die for us is equally absurd. 

    And for the crowd to whom Jesus is speaking, if they can’t handle his teachings, they will struggle with his resurrection which is far more radical, far more scandalous, far more unfathomable, and far more unpredictable. 

    But again, I take that phrase both ways that it’s also referring to the resurrection as the supreme faith builder for those who follow Jesus. We’ll get back to that idea at the end. 

    With either interpretation, when Jesus talks of himself as the Son of Man ascending, I take the ascension to also have a double meaning. 

    I think it’s referring both to Jesus “ascending’ in the sense that he was lifted up on the cross when he was crucified.

    It’s a similar idea to when Jesus refers to being lifted up in John 3:14: 

    as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up

    I also think when Jesus talks of his ascension, he’s referring to when he ascended into heaven after the crucifixion. As he says in our passage: the Son of Man ascending to where he was before. 

    Jesus came from heaven. 

    And that is truly a unique thing that Jesus can claim compared to other religious figures. Not only that Jesus would be in heaven, but that he had come from heaven. 

    Jesus came from heaven. As the opening of this gospel tells us, Jesus was in the beginning with God and in fact was God (John 1:1-3). 

    John 1:18 says: No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known. 

    Jesus is fully God and man and came from heaven into the world so that men could go to heaven. That points to his sovereignty, authority, and divinity. 

    As the passage continues, we learn more what false discipleship looks like. 

    Verse 63-64. Jesus says:  

    It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.

    Let’s unpack this. Jesus has said that it is by the Spirit that we are given life. 

    That’s already been established in this gospel. 

    When John the Baptist saw Jesus, he said that he baptized with the Holy Spirit in 1:33. 

    When Jesus talks to Nicodemus, he says in 3:5-6: 

    “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

    We are born again through the Spirit. 

    Jesus says “the flesh is no help at all.” 

    It is not a naturalistic change that happens. It’s a Spiritual change. 

    1 Corinthians 2:12, Paul says: 

    Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God.

    Paul will also say in verse 14: 

    14 The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned

    Life comes from the Spirit, and the Words of Christ point to the Spirit and the regeneration and new life that is offered. 

    It’s easy to accept a teaching here or there from Jesus. It’s easy to accept some moral values that he gives us. 

    It’s hard to accept that a person must be born again and that his gospel allows us to become a new person, Spiritually. 

    Even what Jesus had said in the previous section about being the bread of life who’s flesh we must eat and blood we must drink is heavily Spiritualized language. 

    But the words of Christ point to life. 

    Jesus points out that there are people in this group who do not believe. 

    Verses 64-65: 

    64 But there are some of you who do not believe.” (For Jesus knew from the beginning who those were who did not believe, and who it was who would betray him.) 65 And he said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.” 

    Because of sinfulness and unbelief, Jesus is fully aware that there will be many who reject him. 

    And we see the response of the crowd. 

    After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him.

    They walk away. 

    Just as people today can be drawn to various aspects of Christianity, or religion, there are also those who turn away from the gospel because they don’t like its teachings, or demands, or exclusivity, or savior. 

    This group turns away, not because Jesus lacks grace, but because they don’t like what Jesus has to say. 

    But what’s popular isn’t always right. 

    The false disciple can go one of two ways. 

    Either, they will walk away from Christ because they don’t accept the truth of Christ, who he is, what he did, and why he came. 

    Or the false disciple will continue to seek out churches and pastors who tell them what they want to hear. 

    I’ll remind us again of 2 Timothy 4: having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, 4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.

    That’s why we must all be students of the Bible and know the Word of God and use that to guide us in doctrine and to consider what we believe about God, theology, and the gospel in light of scripture. 

    We must come to Jesus for who he is. 

    There’s the famous hymn “Just as I am” 

    Just as I am, without one plea

    But that Thy blood was shed for me

    And that Thou bid’st me come to Thee

    O Lamb of God, I come! I come

    And the point is that God accepts us for who we are. 

    We need to trust in Jesus for who he is. 

    So that’s our first group. False disciples. 

    To reference the Parable of the soils, where the farmer sows his seed and some lands in good soil and produces a great yield, but other seed falls among thorns, or is scattered and eaten by birds, or falls in poor soil. 

    They’ve heard the words of Christ, but the word did not take root. 

    And that brings us to our second point and our second group: true disciples. 

    In this passage, we see that false disciples struggle with Jesus’ teachings and walk away from Christ. True disciples receive his teachings and have reverence for Christ. 

    True disciples 

    This crowd has seen the eternal God, they have the light of the world, they have the truth in their midst, they have one who has seen God with them, they have the one who provides living water and the bread of life, but they don’t like what he has to say and so they leave him. 

    Verse 67: 67 So Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you want to go away as well?” 

    It’s a rhetorical question. 

    All throughout this passage, John has been pointing to the divine knowledge Jesus has. 

    Verse 61, when Jesus is talking to the false disciples: Jesus, knowing in himself that his disciples were grumbling

    We see his knowledge again in verse 64: Jesus knew from the beginning who those were who did not believe, and who it was who would betray him

    And we’ll actually see it at the end of the passage in verse 70 when Jesus refers to Judas as his betrayer: Did I not choose you, the twelve? And yet one of you is a devil.”  He spoke of Judas the son of Simon Iscariot, for he, one of the twelve, was going to betray him. 

    So Jesus is clearly aware of what’s what. Also in verse 70, Jesus says that he had chosen the twelve disciples. 

    And so when he asks them if they also want to go, he knows that they’re not going to. He knows exactly what will happen. 

    He doesn’t ask that in a sense of being insecure or needy. 

    It’s more like a challenge. 

    Are you with me? 

    Peter responds. When the disciples are together as a group, it’s generally Peter who speaks up and answers on behalf of the group in the gospels. 

    68-69: 

     Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, 69 and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.”

     The disciples never have a perfectly worked out theology, and they still have much to learn during the ministry of Jesus. 

    We see that even in some of the wording Peter uses. 

    For instance, the phrase “the Holy One of God” is interesting, because that phrase seems to actually speak to Peter’s lack of theological acumen. 

    That is not a phrase used in the Old Testament and it’s used one other time In the New Testament, and it’s a man who’s possessed by a demon who calls Jesus “the Holy one of God.” 

    Despite the novelty of the title, it’s appropriate. Jesus indeed is the Holy one of God. 

    For Peter and the disciples, they’re still learning about who Jesus is but they’re following him. And that’s how the entire Christian life goes. 

    We too become his followers, but we don’t have it all figured out. 

    Peter responds in faith and makes three affirmations. We’ll talk about these briefly. 

    1. Jesus is the only one to whom we can go who has the words of eternal life. 

    Again, that is what we have seen again and again throughout this gospel. 

    That’s the reason why John wrote this gospel. The thesis statement of this whole gospel is found in chapter 20:31: 

    these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. 

    Jesus is the savior of the world. He is the christ. He is the holy one of Israel. He is the word who became flesh. And it is Christ and Christ alone through whom we have the promise and assurance of eternal life. 

    1. Peter speaks of belief in Jesus.

    we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.”

    They do see truth in who Jesus is. 

    They believe in Jesus, who he is, and the message that he came to bring into the world. 

    1. The final affirmation Peter makes is to the identity of Jesus. 

    Again, while the title “Holy One of God” is not common in the Bible, it’s no less true.

    Jesus is God on earth in whom we have the promise eternal life through faith in him. He has been sent by the father. He is perfectly holy and righteous. 

    What do you believe? 

    Are you with the crowd who walked away? They couldn’t get on board with his teachings, his ministry, and his gospel. 

    Or are you with his true disciples who know that Jesus has the words of eternal life and that he is the Holy One of God? 

    That is the most important thing that a person can know. 

    So we’ve seen true disciples and false disciples. 

    It’s the third kind of person. A fake disciple. 

    Fake disciples 

    The first group left Jesus, the second group is the twelve who stays with Jesus. But the passage concludes: 

     70 Jesus answered them, “Did I not choose you, the twelve? And yet one of you is a devil.” 71 He spoke of Judas the son of Simon Iscariot, for he, one of the twelve, was going to betray him. 

    Judas will be important later in this gospel, but here he is introduced by name. 

    He had already been alluded to in verse 64, when speaking of Jesus’ divine foreknowledge: 

    Jesus knew from the beginning who those were who did not believe, and who it was who would betray him

    And the passage ends by telling us that it would be Judas who would betray Jesus. 

    In that, we see the sovereignty of God’s plan. It was no surprise in the divine plan that Jesus would be betrayed. In fact, it was part of the divine plan. 

    We talked about perseverance and eternal security a few weeks ago. And the Bible is clear that a person cannot lose salvation. Judas was not saved and then lost it. It’s that he was never saved to begin with. 

    Just because someone is around the church does not mean that they’re walking with the Lord, serving the Lord, or that they truly know the Lord. 

    Judas isn’t the only example in the Bible of a person who pretends to be faithful but is actually just a predator out only for his personal gain. 

    1 John 4:1 warns us about false prophets: 

    do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.

    Matthew 7 talks about the wolves in sheep’s clothing. People who pretend to serve Christ but are doing just the opposite. 

    15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.

    Matthew 7:21-23: 

    21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’ 

    Matthew 24:11 says that many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. 

    Sometimes it’s people who exploit the church to prey upon the church. I see some of these high profile pastors who fall from grace and some of the horrendous abuses that happen in churches and I wonder if they were ever truly walking with the Lord. 

    But that’s for the God to know and to decide. 

    But what the Bible does teach is that there are those in churches who wish to bring harm and seek their own personal gain. Judas would go on to betray Jesus for 30 pieces of silver. 

    Another important lesson from Judas is that a person can be in the very inner circle of Christ, one of the 12, and not truly be saved. 

    Just because you were baptized, just because you prayed a sinner’s prayer, just because you go to church every week, just because you know the Bible, that is not your salvation. 

    Jesus had said in verse 40: 

    For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.” 

    That is where salvation is and if your hope is anything else, or anyone else – including in yourself or your perceived goodness – then you are not in Christ. 

    No matter how close to Jesus someone is, there is no hope of eternal life without faith. 

    The fake disciple might speak the right churchy language and go through the motions, but he or she does not actually believe in Jesus. 

    The true disciple, the false disciple, and the fake disciple. 

    I’m reminded of a verse earlier in this passage when Jesus was talking. 

    In verses 61-62, Jesus had said to the whole group: “Do you take offense at this? 62 Then what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? 

    He was challenging them with how they would respond to the cross. 

    For many, the cross is foolishness, the cross is a stumbling block. 

    But to those who are being saved, it is the power of God. 

    To those who believe in Jesus, it is the place of greatest victory, the place where Jeus said “it is finished,” the place where sin was defeated. 

    What is your response?

    Hebrews 12;2 points to Christ’s death on the cross: 

     2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. 

    Which type of disciple are you? 

    Again, the world wants to rely on works and our goodness. The Bible says we cannot. 

    Paul writes in Galatians 6:4: 

    far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.

    We look to Jesus as Our Holy One of God, we believe in him and the death he died to sin and the life to which he was raised, and in that we have eternal life, to the glory of God.