The passage this message was preached from, in full, with every other passage it reached for.
Psalm 84quoted at the opening to lead into worship: 'the Lord God is our sun and our shield, and he gives us grace and glory'
1 How lovely are your dwellings, Yahweh of Armies!
2 My soul longs, and even faints for the courts of Yahweh. My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.
3 Yes, the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may have her young, near your altars, Yahweh of Armies, my King, and my God.
4 Blessed are those who dwell in your house. They are always praising you. Selah.
5 Blessed are those whose strength is in you; who have set their hearts on a pilgrimage.
6 Passing through the valley of Weeping, they make it a place of springs. Yes, the autumn rain covers it with blessings.
7 They go from strength to strength. Everyone of them appears before God in Zion.
8 Yahweh, God of Armies, hear my prayer. Listen, God of Jacob. Selah.
9 Behold, God our shield, look at the face of your anointed.
10 For a day in your courts is better than a thousand. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness.
11 For Yahweh God is a sun and a shield. Yahweh will give grace and glory. He withholds no good thing from those who walk blamelessly.
12 Yahweh of Armies, blessed is the man who trusts in you.
cited by the Gideon speaker as the scriptural basis for the Gideons' purpose of spreading God's word
11 so is my word that goes out of my mouth: it will not return to me void, but it will accomplish that which I please, and it will prosper in the thing I sent it to do.
the main sermon text covering Jesus at the feast of tabernacles, the popular debate about who he is, and the officers sent to arrest him
1 After these things, Jesus was walking in Galilee, for he wouldn’t walk in Judea, because the Jews sought to kill him.
2 Now the feast of the Jews, the Feast of Booths, was at hand.
3 His brothers therefore said to him, “Depart from here, and go into Judea, that your disciples also may see your works which you do.
4 For no one does anything in secret, and himself seeks to be known openly. If you do these things, reveal yourself to the world.”
5 For even his brothers didn’t believe in him.
6 Jesus therefore said to them, “My time has not yet come, but your time is always ready.
7 The world can’t hate you, but it hates me, because I testify about it, that its works are evil.
8 You go up to the feast. I am not yet going up to this feast, because my time is not yet fulfilled.”
9 Having said these things to them, he stayed in Galilee.
10 But when his brothers had gone up to the feast, then he also went up, not publicly, but as it were in secret.
11 The Jews therefore sought him at the feast, and said, “Where is he?”
12 There was much murmuring among the multitudes concerning him. Some said, “He is a good man.” Others said, “Not so, but he leads the multitude astray.”
13 Yet no one spoke openly of him for fear of the Jews.
14 But when it was now the middle of the feast, Jesus went up into the temple and taught.
15 The Jews therefore marveled, saying, “How does this man know letters, having never been educated?”
16 Jesus therefore answered them, “My teaching is not mine, but his who sent me.
17 If anyone desires to do his will, he will know about the teaching, whether it is from God, or if I am speaking from myself.
18 He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory, but he who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true, and no unrighteousness is in him.
19 Didn’t Moses give you the law, and yet none of you keeps the law? Why do you seek to kill me?”
20 The multitude answered, “You have a demon! Who seeks to kill you?”
21 Jesus answered them, “I did one work, and you all marvel because of it.
22 Moses has given you circumcision (not that it is of Moses, but of the fathers), and on the Sabbath you circumcise a boy.
23 If a boy receives circumcision on the Sabbath, that the law of Moses may not be broken, are you angry with me, because I made a man completely healthy on the Sabbath?
24 Don’t judge according to appearance, but judge righteous judgment.”
25 Therefore some of them of Jerusalem said, “Isn’t this he whom they seek to kill?
26 Behold, he speaks openly, and they say nothing to him. Can it be that the rulers indeed know that this is truly the Christ?
27 However we know where this man comes from, but when the Christ comes, no one will know where he comes from.”
28 Jesus therefore cried out in the temple, teaching and saying, “You both know me, and know where I am from. I have not come of myself, but he who sent me is true, whom you don’t know.
29 I know him, because I am from him, and he sent me.”
30 They sought therefore to take him; but no one laid a hand on him, because his hour had not yet come.
31 But of the multitude, many believed in him. They said, “When the Christ comes, he won’t do more signs than those which this man has done, will he?”
32 The Pharisees heard the multitude murmuring these things concerning him, and the chief priests and the Pharisees sent officers to arrest him.
33 Then Jesus said, “I will be with you a little while longer, then I go to him who sent me.
34 You will seek me, and won’t find me; and where I am, you can’t come.”
35 The Jews therefore said among themselves, “Where will this man go that we won’t find him? Will he go to the Dispersion among the Greeks, and teach the Greeks?
36 What is this word that he said, ‘You will seek me, and won’t find me; and where I am, you can’t come’?”
37 Now on the last and greatest day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink!
38 He who believes in me, as the Scripture has said, from within him will flow rivers of living water.”
39 But he said this about the Spirit, which those believing in him were to receive. For the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus wasn’t yet glorified.
40 Many of the multitude therefore, when they heard these words, said, “This is truly the prophet.”
41 Others said, “This is the Christ.” But some said, “What, does the Christ come out of Galilee?
42 Hasn’t the Scripture said that the Christ comes of the offspring of David, and from Bethlehem, the village where David was?”
43 So there arose a division in the multitude because of him.
44 Some of them would have arrested him, but no one laid hands on him.
45 The officers therefore came to the chief priests and Pharisees, and they said to them, “Why didn’t you bring him?”
46 The officers answered, “No man ever spoke like this man!”
47 The Pharisees therefore answered them, “You aren’t also led astray, are you?
48 Have any of the rulers believed in him, or of the Pharisees?
49 But this multitude that doesn’t know the law is accursed.”
50 Nicodemus (he who came to him by night, being one of them) said to them,
51 “Does our law judge a man, unless it first hears from him personally and knows what he does?”
52 They answered him, “Are you also from Galilee? Search, and see that no prophet has arisen out of Galilee.”
referenced as the story of the pool where Jesus healed a man on the Sabbath, the 'one deed' he alludes to in John 7
1 After these things, there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
2 Now in Jerusalem by the sheep gate, there is a pool, which is called in Hebrew, “Bethesda”, having five porches.
3 In these lay a great multitude of those who were sick, blind, lame, or paralyzed, waiting for the moving of the water;
4 for an angel went down at certain times into the pool, and stirred up the water. Whoever stepped in first after the stirring of the water was healed of whatever disease he had.
5 A certain man was there, who had been sick for thirty-eight years.
6 When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he had been sick for a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to be made well?”
7 The sick man answered him, “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, but while I’m coming, another steps down before me.”
8 Jesus said to him, “Arise, take up your mat, and walk.”
9 Immediately, the man was made well, and took up his mat and walked. Now it was the Sabbath on that day.
10 So the Jews said to him who was cured, “It is the Sabbath. It is not lawful for you to carry the mat.”
11 He answered them, “He who made me well, the same said to me, ‘Take up your mat, and walk.’”
12 Then they asked him, “Who is the man who said to you, ‘Take up your mat, and walk’?”
13 But he who was healed didn’t know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, a crowd being in the place.
14 Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, “Behold, you are made well. Sin no more, so that nothing worse happens to you.”
15 The man went away, and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well.
16 For this cause the Jews persecuted Jesus, and sought to kill him, because he did these things on the Sabbath.
17 But Jesus answered them, “My Father is still working, so I am working, too.”
18 For this cause therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill him, because he not only broke the Sabbath, but also called God his own Father, making himself equal with God.
19 Jesus therefore answered them, “Most certainly, I tell you, the Son can do nothing of himself, but what he sees the Father doing. For whatever things he does, these the Son also does likewise.
20 For the Father has affection for the Son, and shows him all things that he himself does. He will show him greater works than these, that you may marvel.
21 For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son also gives life to whom he desires.
22 For the Father judges no one, but he has given all judgment to the Son,
23 that all may honor the Son, even as they honor the Father. He who doesn’t honor the Son doesn’t honor the Father who sent him.
24 “Most certainly I tell you, he who hears my word, and believes him who sent me, has eternal life, and doesn’t come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.
25 Most certainly, I tell you, the hour comes, and now is, when the dead will hear the Son of God’s voice; and those who hear will live.
26 For as the Father has life in himself, even so he gave to the Son also to have life in himself.
27 He also gave him authority to execute judgment, because he is a son of man.
28 Don’t marvel at this, for the hour comes, in which all that are in the tombs will hear his voice,
29 and will come out; those who have done good, to the resurrection of life; and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of judgment.
30 I can of myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is righteous; because I don’t seek my own will, but the will of my Father who sent me.
31 “If I testify about myself, my witness is not valid.
32 It is another who testifies about me. I know that the testimony which he testifies about me is true.
33 You have sent to John, and he has testified to the truth.
34 But the testimony which I receive is not from man. However, I say these things that you may be saved.
35 He was the burning and shining lamp, and you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light.
36 But the testimony which I have is greater than that of John, for the works which the Father gave me to accomplish, the very works that I do, testify about me, that the Father has sent me.
37 The Father himself, who sent me, has testified about me. You have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his form.
38 You don’t have his word living in you; because you don’t believe him whom he sent.
39 “You search the Scriptures, because you think that in them you have eternal life; and these are they which testify about me.
40 Yet you will not come to me, that you may have life.
41 I don’t receive glory from men.
42 But I know you, that you don’t have God’s love in yourselves.
43 I have come in my Father’s name, and you don’t receive me. If another comes in his own name, you will receive him.
44 How can you believe, who receive glory from one another, and you don’t seek the glory that comes from the only God?
45 “Don’t think that I will accuse you to the Father. There is one who accuses you, even Moses, on whom you have set your hope.
46 For if you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote about me.
47 But if you don’t believe his writings, how will you believe my words?”
The message in order, in a few minutes of reading.
This message came from John 7, set at the Feast of Tabernacles about six months before the crucifixion. Pastor Carl walked through the public debate over who Jesus is, the climactic appeal Jesus makes to the crowd, and the rejection that follows from the religious leadership. The passage ends with Jesus standing up on the last and greatest day of the feast and crying out an open invitation to anyone who is thirsty.
What was said
Jesus tells his brothers he is not going up to Jerusalem for the feast, then slips in quietly, not through the normal route but through Samaria. By the time he arrives, the crowds are already whispering about him, some saying he is a good man and others saying he is a deceiver. No one is willing to say it out loud, because everyone knows what the leadership will do if they hear about it.
When Jesus does appear in the temple and begins to teach, the immediate reaction is not wonder at his message but a question about his credentials. He had not been educated in Jerusalem, so how could he possibly have anything worth hearing? Pastor Carl noted that this kind of snobbery, educational and regional, did not stay in the first century.
Jesus answers the credential challenge by making an audacious claim: his teaching is not his own but comes from the one who sent him, and anyone willing to do God's will can verify that for themselves. He then presses further and says there is no unrighteousness in him, which Pastor Carl pointed out is a direct claim to sinlessness. He connects it to the healing at the pool on the Sabbath, arguing that if the law permits circumcision on the Sabbath, making a whole man well is no violation at all.
The crowd begins to fracture. Some conclude he must be the prophet Moses promised in Deuteronomy. Others think he looks like a strong candidate for the Christ. Others dismiss him on regional grounds because no one important comes out of Galilee. When the religious leaders send officers to arrest him, the officers come back empty-handed and say they have never heard anyone speak the way this man speaks. The Pharisees respond by accusing the officers of being led astray, the same charge the crowd had been making about Jesus himself.
Nicodemus, the Pharisee who had come to Jesus at night in John 3, raises a procedural objection: the law requires that a person be heard before any judgment is passed. The response he gets is the same regional dismissal, you must be from Galilee too, and the passage ends with everyone going home while Jesus goes to the Mount of Olives.
On the last and greatest day of the feast, with Isaiah's words about drawing water from the springs of salvation still in the air, Jesus stands and calls out that anyone who is thirsty can come to him and drink. Pastor Carl tied this directly back to the conversation with the woman at the well, and noted that Jesus says this in reference to the Holy Spirit, who had not yet been given because Jesus had not yet been glorified. The invitation was open, the response was divided, and the pattern has not changed: people hear the same words and come away with yes, no, or not yet.
Doing a Bible study?
Here is a guide we have prepared for you: the passages
in order, questions for the group, and room to write.
The pastor pointed out that the crowd at the feast had two very different opinions about Jesus, yet most of them were afraid to say anything openly. When have you found yourself holding back what you actually believe about Jesus because of what others around you might think?
Jesus told the crowd that if anyone is willing to do God's will, that person will come to know whether his teaching is from God or not. What does it look like in practice to approach Scripture or a hard question about faith with that kind of willingness rather than with your mind already made up?
Hey. Good morning, church. How are we? It is good to see you. It is very good to see you.
Glad you're here. And what do you say we worship together in song to begin? Warm up to the Lord. Here's a a good word from Psalm 84 to lead us into worship. It's for the Lord God is our son and our shield, and he gives us grace and glory.
Isn't that good news? Will you stand and sing with me? We'll we'll start by singing. This is amazing grace. Thank you, lord, for the grace that you give us, your favor.
Who breaks the power? Who breaks the power of sand and darkness? Whose love is mighty and so king of glory, the king above all kings. Who is a nation with truth and justice, shines like
Hey, y'all. There we are. I got a few announcements here. Monday night at first b is happening tomorrow night, Carl.
Yep. So we're in Mark two and three where Jesus is showing mercy over sacrifice. He's showing what it really means that the law of the law to love people. It is good. It's exciting stuff.
We'll be down the hall.
That's happening. At the same time as Awana in this room, we're having a food drive. You can see it out there. I'm kinda hurrying through the announcements. Do y'all mind?
This is my least favorite part of the service. There's plenty going on. I'm glad for all that stuff, but I'm gonna roll through them. Food drive is happening October 23 to November 19. So, we're working on that.
That's this week. If you wanna bring something in for that, it's in the back back there. Operation Christmas Child is on. There are boxes back there. Instructions, packing party is this week, November 16.
That's Wednesday. Have your boxes to us by the nineteenth to get em out with everything else. Christmas children's choir. Don't want to skip this. Lisa Landis.
Where is she? There she. Would you stand up? Most of you know her but that's Lisa Landis. She is going to be directing a children's choir for December 18 service.
There'll be combined service at 10AM but that practice is starting today between services. Is that right? So, downstairs about 10:00, there are lots of kids in this church who love to sing. Please, please, please, connect with Lisa and get em in that children's choir. There is a women's Christmas luncheon coming up December 7.
It'll be twelve noon at the Snow King Ballroom. That's coming. You can know that. Connect hour is happening. It's down the hall right now and Nancy T has set out a pretty amazing array of items down there.
So, feel free to go have breakfast. That's the last announcement announcement I have. Have I skipped anything? I've given some of them the short shrift but I think you know what was going on. If you don't, talk to us afterwards.
We won't do it. I'm going to invite up Anders and Brooke and they have a little presentation. So, Anders grew up in this church. Brooke is his wife and if you don't know her yet, get to know her quickly. Okay?
Here's Anders.
Hey, y'all. Yeah, thank you. Like Grace said, I'm Anders Olson. This is my wife Brooke. We are super excited to be here.
We met at a summer camp in Northern California called Kitter Creek. It's a Christian based adventure camp. And, yeah, my affiliation with First Bee is I feel like I grew up here. This is my home church. I have super vivid memories of running around with laser tag guns with, Carl and Renzi, and I even played the clown in a Christmas play.
Yeah. We are starting a summer camp in Zambia. We're super excited. Brooke is going to share more about it.
Yeah. Tazan? Okay. So we're leaving November 28, so it's coming up quick. And so the how I got involved, I grew up in Central Coast Of California, and I've always had a heart for international missions for a long time, and especially youth.
And so in 2019, I was given the opportunity to do a program called The World Race, which is an 11 country, eleven month mission trip where you get to travel around to a bunch of different countries and kind of work with local organizations there for a month just to kind of see what's going on in the world. And so in my third month, I was in Zambia, and I was working with an organization called JZone. And I fell in love with the way they did their ministry and especially when the founders, were talking to us about their dream to start a summer camp. I've been working at Kitter Creek since 2016, and so camp was just a huge part of my life and something I was kinda mourning when I was giving my life to Christ to do international missions. So when they told me I could do both, I was like, oh, okay.
Got it. I see you. And so JZone was founded in 2006 by a Zambian couple with the mission to train, equip, and send the next generation of Christian leaders in Africa. And so in order to do that, JZone has evolved into three branches, the first being JZone Water. So J Zone owns its own drilling rig and is contracted out around the town of Livingston that we live in to drill wells for people and then in return use that money to go out and drill wells in rural areas, to provide clean water to villages and to whole communities of people.
So wherever we drill a well, the next thing we do in that community is do our J Zone rural discipleship, which is the next branch. We plant like a discipleship hub is what we call it, and we spend about a month there getting to know them and their community and then raise up one of their own local leaders to take over as we leave. And then we continue to work with them about three times a year. We do like big leadership trainings where we bring all the people in from the villages and work on curriculum and all of that kind of stuff with them. And then our last branch is the branch that we'll be working with the most, and that's J Zone Youth.
And so right now, J Zone Youth looks like two after school programs in a secondary school and a primary school once a week each, as well as traveling day camps to whatever villages have contacted us or our founders and said, hey. Like, we we need to get our youth involved. And so we'll go out and we'll do, like, a big hype day camp with games and dances and a message and a gospel message, all of that, and then stay for a little bit longer to kinda train their leaders so that they continue that once we leave and help them be good youth leaders. And so a lot of people ask us, why Zambia? Why youth in Zambia?
There's youth all over the world in America, all of that. And so a few statistics that I think are really powerful about the youth in Zambia is that the median age of the country is only 16. In comparison, the median age of America is about 38. The youth is the generation of Zambia right now, and so to make change in that nation, that's who we need to focus on. Another statistic that really hits me the hardest is that it's estimated that only half the births are officially documented because of births in villages and not access to health care.
Therefore, don't have birth certificates and aren't eligible for any sort of government assistance like public school or protection from trafficking or child labor. And so that's why we're really passionate about the youth and, are gonna start our next project.
Yeah. So through Kitta Creek, we have seen the impact that Christ can have on kids' lives through relationships and being a kid with no responsibilities. And that's what we wanna do with the kids in Zambia. So we are building a summer camp. This is our piece of land.
It's 66 acres in Livingston, Zambia. On our camp, we want to have a pool, overnight cabins, archery, ropes course, bike park, sports field, and many more super fun camp activities. But first, right now it's just a piece of land and we need to build things. We need funding. And so we have our phase one infrastructure construction goal of 185,000.
Our super basic needs are fencing and plumbing and wells and water tanks. We already have a solar powered well on the property. We need one more. We're super blessed to say that the green check marks indicate things that have already been donated, which we're super excited about. And our last financial need is our monthly budget.
This covers all of our monthly living expenses as well as the cost of our after school day camps and our traveling day camps. We're about 3,700 out of that 5,000 a month goal and we're leaving November 28. So we're trying to hammer down on those.
Brooke.
Yeah. So we're partnered with an organization here in The States called The Cause. So J Zone is a nonprofit recognized by the Zambian government, but it's not recognized by the American government. And so in order for donations to be tax deductible for American donors, we're partnered with really awesome organization that kinda is that umbrella for us. And so, yeah, on the screen, there's a QR code that goes right to our website.
You're allowed to take your phone out in church right now if you want to. It's really rare. I would take yes. And then as well as information how to donate via check.
Yeah. We are so thankful for our First Bee family. We appreciate all of you. Ultimately, are relying on God's provision through this entire thing, and we just ask that you would partner with us to further build his kingdom in Zambia. After service, we'll be in the back with some support letters and stickers and business cards, and we would love to talk to you.
Thank you so much.
And that's why I said get to know her quick because they're leaving November 28, okay? But thank you Anders and just seeing I've been here ten years full time, twelve years if you count the internships, right? And to see Anders growing up in this church and to see how much a lot of y'all have poured into him through Awana and through the youth group. It's just an amazing to see what God is growing up and sending out. So, that's great.
Would you stand? I'm going ask the band to come back up. We're going to do another one but I'm going let him go right before me. How about that? So, if you would, Stan, we're going to go live and hope.
We have a Gideon presentation. There's a lot of sugar to put in this bag, alright? We got 10 pounds of sugar in a five pound bag. We're going to do what we can. Enjoy and take the time to praise God together this morning.
He's doing great things. Amen.
Lord, this morning, I am so grateful that you are throwing the gates of heaven open to us, that you you are inviting us. And thank you, Lord, for that privilege. Thank you, Lord, for grace. Thank you for mercy. Thank you for forgiveness.
Lord, thank you for inviting us into relationship with you. What a privilege. What a privilege. You're gonna have a seat here for a moment. This is the the worship through giving part of the service, and I'll let the ushers to come on forward.
We're gonna sing savior and friend from John fifteen five. This is one of my my favorites here where Jesus says, I I no longer call you servants because a servant doesn't know his his master's business. Instead, I I call you friends. You're my friends. For everything that I've learned from the father, I've made I've made known
to you. I know.
Ray, would you pray?
Sure. God, thank you for thanks for doing your will and your way. Lord, we ask every Sunday. Pretty much every Sunday. During this prayer right here, we ask for you to do your will, Lord, and your way among us.
And today, Lord, we see real demonstrable evidence of the way that that is happening. I pray, Lord, for those that this body is sending out. And, Lord, I pray for the support that they would need. We, as a church, do put a lot out there in hopes that the gospel will go forward. Lord, we know that nothing ever done in your name is ever in vain.
Lord, would you keep us humble and obedient, listening for the sound of your voice as unusual as it might seem to us. Whatever it is that you want us to do, Lord, we want to be involved. We want to do it. So give us the direction and give us the strength to walk in that direction. In Jesus' name, Lord, I ask that you would take everything that is put into these plates, Lord, and that you'd multiply it to do your kingdom's work.
Would you allow us to be a part of what's going on and not get in the way. In Jesus' name. Amen. Amen. Jeff Corbett, I'm going to invite you to come up.
Jeff is a Gideon. Mike Mayer is here today too. He's a Gideon and actually before I went out on the mission field, before I became a clergy, I was a Gideon. I believe in the power of the word to change people's lives. If we will take it seriously in humility, it'll do the work.
Thank you, Jeff. You can grab one of the that red mic right there. Be good. That's better. Sorry.
While he was there at work, blizzard blew in, and they quickly realized he was not driving home. So we checked into the downtown hotel. And who knows, maybe the cable work worked in that day. But he looked around and found a a Bible that had been placed by the Gideons in the desk. And so he started reading it.
And sometime later, he wrote to the Gideon's headquarters in Nashville, Tennessee. And I quote from his letter. I read until 3AM before I asked Christ into my life. My life has never been the same. No, I did not become a celebrity nor did I get rich, but I did reach that goal in life spoken of by Paul in Philippians four seven.
And the peace of God would pass us all understanding. Shall keep your hearts and minds to Christ Jesus. Now the Gideons, we don't have our own little church in the wild wood. We are members of individual congregations. But we believe that in getting out and spreading the word.
It's a international organization of business and professional men. We have two things in common. We believe the Bible is inspired word of God. We've accepted Jesus Christ as our lord and savior. The purpose is spread the Lord, spread the word of God as as outlined in Isaiah fifty five eleven and our goal is to win others to Jesus Christ.
Simple as that. There's a man named Curtis Oakes. He was a Gideon in North Carolina. He was reading the paper one Sunday and reading about a a man on death row in Florida by the name of Lester Ezell. And he he realized he knew Lester from high school.
So on his own, he drove down to Florida and visit with him during visitation. And sometime later, he gave he gave more of the little testaments. And sometime later, he received a letter from Lester. It's read. I quote, by the time you receive this letter, my life would have been taken.
I would have paid my debt to society for the wrong I have done. But I want you to know this, with that little testament and by the grace of God, I've led 47 people to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. I just want you to thank you for not giving up on me. You know, it's kinda funny, but when the Gideons organized in Moscow, I think it was in '92, one the requirements that you had to been in prison for your Christian beliefs. Fortunately, our local camp, we waive that requirement.
So we kinda overlooked that. So I'm here today not only to inform you, but to ask for your support. First and foremost, prayers. This organization was started in 1898, and we couldn't succeed as a volunteer organization without the prayers that we receive, that we pray every Saturday and that, we receive from the congregation. Second is membership.
It's a business and professional. There's a lot of loopholes. I was a teacher, and I was able to be a a member. So it's they want people who are willing to speak up and reach out. And you don't have to go and speak at the church.
It just we need people to pass out the Bible, the testaments, and the schools, and the hotels. And, and the others financial support. Now the dues that I and the other Gideons pay covers the overhead. The secretaries of stamps, the office, and whatever. So all the money that comes in from donation goes either for the printing or the shipping of Bibles.
The Gideons, we don't delegate that to somebody else to pass them out. We passed out all the Bibles ourselves. So there's no overhead as far as that. But we believe in putting our money where our mouth is. Annually, Gideon personal giving exceeds the money we collect from the churches all across the country.
Gideons have something. We just finished one in San Antonio, which I call a blitz for a large town. Gideon's from all over the country will come in and and help the the local camps pass out Bibles. In October, we just started back up in New York City. But a couple years ago, right before COVID, there was one in Stockholm, Sweden.
And we received an email this time. No more letters. I hope you continue with your missionary work. Even if it does not bear fruit immediately. Time does not mean anything to God.
Any when it comes to the salvation of the world.
It's not for children's
church. Yeah. Okay. It's not you. Okay.
I thought I was holding it too far away or something. Okay. And then in greeting in Jesus name, Hans from Sweden. And what I'm here today is to ask you to join with us. You know, we got a lot of demands on our life.
But join with us in helping others find that peace of God which passes all understanding. Thank you for your time.
Thank you, Jeff. I appreciate that. The Gideons, I, like I said, was a part of it and they, you know, they pay for the Bibles that they hand out for the most part. That's what those guys do. I didn't know that when I became a Gideon.
I wanted to get some free Bibles. No. That's that's not quite true. Okay. Speaking of God's word, lord, would you speak to us individually right now through this word?
In your name, lord, we wanna receive from you directly, individually, as if nobody else was here in this. God, would you speak to us? Give us direction and give us the power to walk in that direction. Some of us are floundering, and some of us are absolutely driven but in the wrong direction. God, would you arrest in us everything that would inhibit your word speaking to us today.
In Jesus' name, center us on your will and your way. Amen. Alright. Jesus is the feast of tabernacles. Now, the last time we talked, I told you Jesus' brothers didn't even believe in him at this time.
We're about six months out from the cross. This is probably mid October of the year that Jesus in the year before Jesus would be crucified in March, April. So Jesus and the feast of tabernacles. He had told his brothers, yeah, I'm not going up right now. But his brothers were like, come on.
If you're if want you to go to the big show, this is the big show. Everybody's talking about y'all around here but this is Galilee. Come on. You gotta go and Jesus like, my time has not yet come. We've heard that a lot in the book of John.
I've been doing a study from Matthew, Mark, and Luke, the synoptic gospels, but I think that John helps and he kinda gives you a glimpse of the moment six months out from the cross. He gives you a glimpse of the moment that you don't see in Matthew, Mark, and Luke in such a tight little space. So we're gonna do this. There's a popular debate. Who is Jesus?
That's who is he? What's it all about? And there are different opinions that arise. Jesus himself makes a climactic appeal. And then just like he has forecast for weeks on end, we've been talking about the son of man must go into Jerusalem and he will be rejected by the leaders.
Okay? So we've been seeing that in the other gospels. This time, we're gonna see that all in one. The popular debate starts like this. But when his brothers had gone up to the feast and gotten out of there and his brothers most likely would have gone down to the Jordan River and walked and gone down to Jericho and then up that long hill towards Jerusalem for the feast of booths or the feast of tabernacles.
This is the time where they're celebrating God's deliverance from Egypt, and it's a time where they're celebrating it by camping out like the like they did in the wilderness. You know, they're camping out for forty years. Well, it's several days of this. Camping out on the way down there is normal. You don't know where you're gonna stay.
But then when you get there, they would set up all around Jerusalem these little shanties, lean tos, and the tabernacles. It's what Peter had offered to build when they were on the Mount Of Transfiguration. Let us build three little booths right here. But when his brothers had gone up to the feast, then he himself also went up, not publicly but as though in secret. We found out last week that he, it looks like went through Samaria.
Kinda quiet. That's not a way that normal Jewish pilgrims would go and we saw that because who see going the
going to
the were looking for him at the feast and saying, where is he? He's been making the news quite a bit lately. He's been all up in Galilee and occasionally coming down, but all up in Galilee. And I heard he went to Decapolis. And I heard he was as far as Syrophoenicia, Tyre, and Sidon.
Surely, he's gonna come here. Where is he? This is the biggest thing that's going on for a lot of these Jews. Perhaps some of the people who had eaten the bread, the feeding of the 5,000. Those who considered that he is the prophet they've they were looking for.
Where is he? Where is he? Well, Jesus had not gone up at the time when his brothers went and he shows up a little late. He went, not publicly, but as though in secret, and they're looking, where is he? And there was a great deal of talk about him in secret among the crowds because they knew that he was a wanted man by the leadership.
Oh, is that the case? Religious leaders, said the pastor of the Baptist Church. The folks Jesus had the most difficulty with. There was a great deal of talk about him in secret among the crowds, and some were saying, he's a good man. He's a good man.
He healed my cousin. He's a good man. I saw him. I heard what he had to say. Others say, No.
On the contrary, he's misleading the people. Does this still exist? Or people have two examinations of the same individual and come up with vastly different dialogues about it or vastly different opinions? Yeah. However, no one was speaking openly about him for fear of the Jewish leadership.
Okay. There's a popular debate among among the people, but they know what's gonna happen if they mention it to the leadership. But when it was now the middle of the feast, Jesus had said to his brothers, I'm not going up. I'm not going up for this part of the feast. When it was now in the middle of the feast, Jesus went up into the temple area.
So, it's not in a booth and it's not feasting at the tables. He went to the temple and he began to teach. The Jews then were astonished saying, how has this man become learned not having been educated? We didn't train him, basically. The school in Jerusalem was a little snobby.
Does that still exist? Oh, really? Educational snobbiness. Yes. That still exists.
The Jews then were how has this man has become learned, having not been educated? So Jesus answered them and said, my teaching is not my own, but his who sent me. Now, he knows who sent him. They may not, certainly. He says they don't.
My teaching is not my own but it is his who sent me. If anyone is willing to do his will, God's will, then that man will know about the teaching whether it is from God or whether I'm just speaking from myself. He's saying that God is reaching out. He's reaching out through me and my message, Jesus says. And my sheep recognize my voice.
If they will listen humbly to what I'm saying, God will speak to them. The one who speaks from himself seeks his own glory, and that's what his brothers told him that he ought to be doing. If you're gonna do this, go to Jerusalem. Go to the big show. Make a name for yourself.
Gather a big crowd. This is the best place to do it. And Jesus, when he is in the midst of the temple, in the midst of the time with the big crowd, he says, listen, the one who speaks from himself only seeks his own glory. But he who is seeking the glory of the one who sent him, he is true, and there's no unrighteousness in him. If anybody ever says, Jesus never claimed sinlessness.
Yeah, he did. Right there, he did. He did it a few times, but right here, there's no doubt about it. He's true. There's no unrighteousness in him.
Did Moses not give y'all the law? And yet none of y'all carries it out? I think that this point in James, the book of James, James says that if you break the law in even one place, you've broken the whole thing. James is Jesus' brother, half brother. I imagine that James, believing in him at this point, is listening to this going, did Moses not give you the law and yet none of you carries it out?
Why is it that you're seeking to kill me? He's just said that he had no unrighteousness in him, that he had not done anything but deserved death. Either that's true or it's blasphemy. And so that's what they're thinking. Why are you seeking to kill me?
The crowd answered, you have a demon. Do we demonize the other side? Whatever side you're on, I don't care what side you're on. Yeah. We tend to do that.
And if they're saying something, especially if they start hitting close to home with a good point, you have a demon. I never see Jesus as a legalist, but sometimes he sounds a little Pentecostal. No. I'm just kidding. I meant the Pharisees, not Jesus.
Pharisees are obviously legalists, but now they've switched over to a little Pentecostal flavor. You have a demon. This is the only time in the book of John that a demon is mentioned. Isn't that something? That's kinda crazy.
You you have a demon. Who is seeking to kill you? What are you thinking? The crowd, the popular debate, they're wondering who he is and everything else. They know.
Jesus answered and said, I did one deed. I did one deed and you're all astonished. Now, Jesus has done tons and tons of miracles by this point. This one deed that he's talking about, he alludes to later on. He'd healed a man on the Sabbath.
He healed a man at the pool on the Sabbath. And man, it made waves. Jesus answered, I did one deed. You are all astonished. For this reason, Moses has given you circumcision.
Not that it's from Moses but it's from the fathers and even on the Sabbath, you circumcise a man, right? You do still do this. Even if it's the Sabbath and that's work but you do it, right? If a man receives circumcision on Sabbath so that the law of Moses will not be broken, are you angry at me because I made an entire man well on the Sabbath? I was helping him out.
I did one deed. This one thing ticked off your legalistic tendencies. It just made you mad, and you decided that I I have to be from Beelzebub. I have to be. There's no way.
You're denying the power of God. Don't judge by the outward appearance, but judge with righteous judgment. John five, that's the story of the Pool Of Siloam. I won't go into it. They actually it's a great story.
Go back and read John five sometime. We've got little gospels of John actually out there in the vestibule. If you wanna read one, it's just right there. It's a little paperback, easy to put in your pocket. We we'll get you a Gideon New Testament if you want to read the whole thing or a Bible if you want to read the
whole whole
thing. Some of the people of Jerusalem were saying, is this man not the one whom they're seeking to kill? They're starting to figure it out. And and yet, look, he's he's speaking publicly. And they're saying nothing to him.
At this point, the Pharisees were not saying anything to him. Sadducees were not saying anything to him. But he was having the chance in the midst of the crowd during the feast. He's kinda using that to shield him from that kinda resistance. And this is funny because I think this still happens today too.
Some of the people were saying, is this man not the one whom they're seeking to kill? And yet, look, he's speaking publicly and they're saying nothing to him. The rulers don't really know that he's the Christ, do they? Conspiracy theorists still exist. That's what they're thinking.
People in power aren't telling us all that they know. Yes, that still exists. What do they know that we don't know? They're trying manipulate us. But they're listening to him speaking publicly.
However, we know this where this man is from. But when the Christ comes, no one knows where he's from. That was a popular misconception of the day. There was lots of prophecy about where he would be from. They were not really paying attention to that.
They had the popular notion of what the Bible said without really knowing what the Bible said. Does that still exist today? Then Jesus cried out in the temple teaching and saying, you both know me and you know where I'm from. Another translation of that could be sarcastic. Okay.
Oh, so y'all know where I y'all know who I am and where I'm from, That's one way of looking at it. Could be either. You both know me and you know where I'm from. I've not come of myself. I mean, I'm not hiding, but he who sent me is true whom you do not know.
In all of your religiosity, you don't know God. Y'all do know me because you see me and you hear where I'm from. I've not come of myself. I'm telling you that again but he who sent me is true, and you don't know him. Oh.
If you're humble before God and you hear that, I don't know him. But I I can't see this guy. I can see what he's doing. I can hear what he's saying. His message is resonating with me.
That's one way to accept it and others is how dare he say that? I don't know God. How dare he say, I do this, I do this, I do that, I do that. Born of these people, proud traditions carried on forward. He who sent me is true.
God is true, whom you do not know. I do know him because I'm from him and he sent me and he sent me on a rescue mission to you. So they were seeking to arrest him. How did they take it? They took it in pride rather than humility and when that happens, it just makes you angry.
So they were seeking to arrest him. And yet no one laid a hand on him because his hour had not yet come. That's a common theme in the book of John. My hour has not yet come. My hour has not yet come.
It wasn't time for him to be arrested. So they were seeking to arrest him and yet no one laid a hand on him because his hour had not yet come, but many of the crowd believed in him. You know, every time that you get a chance to present the good news of God's message and love and forgiveness, the gospel. Every time you get a chance to present that anytime, whether it's low key or up on a platform, people will either receive what you're saying or reject what you're saying or like Paul on the Areopagus, they'll say, this guy is interesting. I'll listen to him more later.
So it's either yes, no, or wait a while. Many of the crowd believed in him. And they were saying, when the Christ comes, he's not going to perform more signs than this one, I mean, he's he's he's looking pretty good as a candidate for Christ. When the Christ comes, he's not going to perform more signs than those which this man has done, will he? I can't imagine that.
I'm I'm tempted to believe in him. The pharisees heard the crowd whispering these things about him, and the chief priests and the pharisees sent officers to arrest him. The chief priests were Sadducees, and the pharisees were pharisees. They don't agree politically. When you see Sadducees and pharisees agreeing about something, it's a strange thing indeed.
You know, the only thing I've ever heard of our congress agreeing on is a 100% of them voted to not have daylight savings time anymore. That's the only thing I've ever heard of. That's a strange thing. Chief priest and the Pharisees, they sent off and said, just get him out of our hair. This is our big time.
Therefore, Jesus said, for a little while longer, I'm gonna be with you. About six months and then, I'm going to him who sent me. You're going to seek me and you will not find me. Where I am, you cannot come. The Jews then said to one another, where does this man intend to go where we can't go with him?
Where we won't even be able to find him. He doesn't intend to go to the dispersion among the Greeks, does he? I'm not going there. We're not going there. He doesn't intend to teach the Greeks, does he?
This is the universality of the gospel. It's funny that they're mentioning this. I think this is a little Joe Joannine, John's irony. It's like, yeah, that's exactly what we're saying he's gonna eventually do, but no. He's talking about his ascension.
Where does this man intend to go that we will not find him? He does not intend to go to the dispersion among the Greeks, does he? The people have been driven out from here and they're living among the Greeks. That sounds terrible. He's not going to go teach Greeks, is he?
What is this statement he said? You'll seek me and will not find me and where I am, you cannot come. Actually, he does this later on with the disciples. He's talking to him and Thomas raises his hand and says, what are you talking about? We don't know where you're going.
We don't understand. So Jesus, at this point, when people are there are some people who are beginning to believe in him, and there are others who reject him. And the Pharisees and Sadducees politically have gotten together in order to send soldiers to arrest him. And these are temple soldiers, not Roman soldiers, but they're gonna take him out. So here, on the last day, the great day of the feast, Isaiah is read on this last day.
Therefore, will joyously draw water from the pure springs of salvation. This is a prophet that's seven hundred years before Christ or so. And he's speaking and says, in that day, and he's talking about how this water will flow, and you'll joyously draw water from the springs of salvation. Jesus stands up in the midst of this and says in a loud voice, if anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Isn't that interesting?
If you're thirsty, if you feel that you're lacking, and this is the whole celebration about wandering in the desert, is wandering around in the wilderness, and water plays a big role in that. He says, if anyone, anyone individually is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. The one who believes in me, as the scripture said, from his innermost being will flow rivers of living water. This is the same message he carried to the woman at the well in Samaria. From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.
That peace that Jeff was talking about. Amen. Peace like a river. But this he said in reference to the spirit, those whom those who believe whom those who believed in him were to receive. He said this in reference to the Holy Spirit whom those who believed in him were to receive.
The spirit was not yet given. This is something that often when we read in the New Testament, we forget. Until the day of Pentecost, God's spirit didn't just come along just and stick with somebody. It lit from time to time. David, it said, was filled with the spirit.
When he sinned, he prayed, Lord, please don't take your Holy Spirit from me. But the disciples, as yet, had not been filled with the spirit. They were following Jesus. This he said in reference to the spirit whom those who believed in him were to receive for the spirit was not yet given because Jesus was not yet glorified. His hour had not yet come.
Some of the people therefore after they heard these words were saying, wow. This truly is the prophet. Now, I've mentioned this before. Deuteronomy eighteen fifteen, Moses says, you are to be looking for someone from among you that God will give you like he's given you. Me to you and he will be the one that you need to listen to.
This is the prophet. Be looking for him and that's what they're referring to right here. They've already said this in the book of John right after Jesus fed the 5,000. This is truly the prophet, the one we are supposed to be looking for. And it says, and Jesus, knowing that they were gonna make him king by force, slipped away from him.
Some of the people therefore after they heard these words were saying, this truly is the prophet. Others were saying, this is a Christ. But others were saying, but surely the Christ is not coming from Galilee, is he? Galilee. Oh, religious snobbery, educational snobbery, and then just prejudice.
Come on. Really? From Galilee? I mean, I know what it's like because of my accent. I know what it's like to start talking and have somebody just knock your IQ points down.
And that's the way it was. Surely, the Christ didn't come in from Galilee, is he? I mean, has the scripture not said that the Christ comes from descendants of David and from Bethlehem, the village where David was? Isn't that where he's supposed to come from? They didn't take the time to ask him.
Disciples knew. We see it. They didn't have the gospels written out for him at this point. Has the scripture not said that Christ comes from the descendants of David and from Bethlehem, the village where Dave was from? So a dissension occurred in the crowd because of him.
Oh my goodness. Does that still happen today? A dissension occurred in the crowd because of him. Some of y'all see Jesus gentle, meek, and mild, and some of you see him flipping over tables. And there's a disagreement about which one we ought to be doing today, right now.
A dissension occurred in the crowd because of him, and some of them wanted to arrest him, but no one laid hands on him. His hour had not yet come. Now, rejection by the leaders. No one laid hands on him. They had been sent to lay hands on him.
These chief priest and the that's sadducees and the Pharisees had sent soldiers and the officers then came to the chief priest and the Pharisees and they said to him, why didn't you bring him? What's he doing out there still teaching? You were supposed to arrest this guy. And the officers answered, never has any man ever spoken in this way. They were persuaded.
Foot soldiers. Never has a man spoken in this way and the pharisees replied to him, you haven't been led astray too, have you? Come on, people. It's probably because you came from the Sadducees. You haven't been led astray too, have you?
Not one of the rulers or Pharisees has believed in him, has he? Our team would never do that, would we? But this crowd that does not know the law is accursed. If you knew the law, you'd believe just like we believe. Does that happen today?
This crowd that does not know the law is accursed. If they knew the law like we know the law, they'd agree with us. Nicodemus, Pharisee, by the way, the one who came to him before at night in John chapter three, had the conversation with him early before all the conflict. We know that you've got to be from God because nobody can do what you do without being from God. Tell me more.
Oh, Nicodemus. That's where we get John three sixteen right in that. That's also where we get the the verse about the wind blowing where it will. The Holy Spirit. The wind of the Holy Spirit blowing where it will.
Y'all don't control where it blows, but you can either brace yourself against it or you could be blown along by it. Nicodemus, the one who came to him before, being one of them, a pharisee, he says to them, our law does not judge the person unless it first hears from him. He gets to testify. Right? We have a procedure for this and knows what it is that he's doing.
Does it? He lays it out there. It's a defense of Jesus in a way. It's a defense of Jesus saying, we really should allow this man to talk before we arrest him and hurt him and keep him or kill him. That's not the way we operate.
He's calling on their better nature. And they answered and said to me, you're not from Galilee as well, are you? I think I hear an accent. Come on. Nicodemus, what are you saying?
Examine the scriptures and see that no prophet arises out of Galilee. That's funny because there are lots of prophets that have come in our Galilee. Jonah was one of them. But there are more. I give you a list if you ask for.
I forgot to put in the slides. And everyone went to his home. That is a weird way to end this, it seems. Everyone went to his home, but Jesus went to the Mount Of Olives. Oh, Jesus is communing with his father on the Mount Of Olives.
He's stating truth. He's making an appeal for people to believe individually. He's asking for them to just be humble. He's laying it all out there. Actually, this is where the narrative of the woman caught in adultery starts.
I wanna go back to the climactic appeal here. Here we go. So, Isaiah, imagine you're at that feast. It's the last and greatest day of the feast and they've just read this Isaiah scroll and it is a time of political turmoil. It's a time of personal struggle and you've made the trip.
Ugh. Therefore, you'll joyously draw water from the springs of salvation, and then Jesus stands up. He says, if anybody's thirsty, if anybody's lacking, if anybody's unfulfilled, let him come to me. I'll give you what you need. The one who believes in me, even though you may have resisted in the past, even though you may question the leadership, heck, I do too.
As the scripture said, from his innermost being will flow rivers of living water. Some of them said this truly is the one we're looking for, and others rejected him. And others, I'm sure, would have heard him later. God almighty, pray right now, lord, that you just keep on speaking to us through your word, through our interactions. Would you give us a a settled conviction that that allows for peace, lord, that passes all understanding?
Would you allow us to speak truth into difficult and desperate situations? May we be motivated by your spirit and not by our own personal politics or opinion. May we be, Lord, ready to receive a word of love and grace, mercy, and forgiveness just like that woman that is caught in adultery, just like every one of us. In Jesus name, Lord, we ask that you would have your will and your way among us this morning. Amen.
Invite the band to come on back up. If God's moving and he's kinda speaking and you feel like I have resisted this for so long and I've resisted with good reason and I've got my beliefs but it looks like God is trying to break through. Would you let down your guard and let him break through? Amen.
Would you stand?
Just been taken in my head to this verse of I'll paraphrase. Jesus said, come on to me all you who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. Lord God almighty, we pray that we would recognize that we are heavy laden, and we've got a burden on our shoulders that we really cannot bear alone. I pray lord that you would take that burden individually today. Whatever it is, lord, that you'd lift it off of us and give us peace.
