Skip to content Guarding against Deception: John 7 Aug 12 · 12 min ...more
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Family Research Council is serving in the kingdom of God by championing faith, family, & freedom in public policy and the culture from a biblical worldview.
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Discerning Biblical Truth 0:10 Good morning. Welcome to Stand on the Word. Today, we are in John chapter 7. So how do you know when someone's proclaiming biblical truth or nicely packaged propaganda? Well, the0:22 answer's coming up. Verse 18 of chapter 7. He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory, but he who seeks the glory of the 1 who sent him is true, and no unrighteousness is in him.0:33 We're gonna look at that a bit more later. Now there are 4 events or details of events that we find here in the book of John in John chapter 7 that are unique to his gospel0:45 account. Verse 1, after these things, Jesus walked in Galilee, for he did not want to walk in Judea because the Jews wanted to kill him. Now the Jews' feast of tabernacle0:57 tabernacles was at hand. His brothers therefore said to him, depart from here and go to j Judea that your disciples also may see the works that you are doing. For no 1 does anything in secret while he himself1:09 seeks to be known openly. If you do these things, show yourself to the world. Now we see here in the next verse why Jesus did not listen to their counsel. Look at verse 5. For even his1:21 brothers did not believe in him. So we need to be very cautious about where we seek advice and guidance. Now it's not necessarily the platform that matters. I mean, social1:32 media, the radio, television, they can all be used for good to convey biblical truth just like this devotion, but they can also be used to convey, deceptive1:45 messages. So we need to make sure that those that we listen to, whether it's on a platform or whether it's in person, we need to know that they're rooted in the word of God. And and1:56 especially on these in social media, we see these catchy phrases and sayings that sound biblical, but in fact, they are not. That kinda reminds me of the the play or the2:08 movie Fiddler on the Roof where the main character, Tevye, is always coming up with these sayings. You know what the good book says? You know, 1 of them, he said, was, as the good book says, if you spit in the air, it2:18 lands in your face. Well, study and know the scriptures to make sure what is being said is actually from God's book. Next, Jesus knew his2:30 purpose and the consequences of fulfilling that purpose. Look at verse 7. The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify of it that its works are evil.2:42 You go up to the feast. I'm not yet going up to this feast, for my time has not yet fully come. When he had said these things to them, he remained in Galilee. And we'll see in just a moment that he2:54 actually did go up secretly in to to Jerusalem. But first, we're gonna read here where the thought the the plot against Jesus is thickening. Verse 11.3:06 Then the Jews sought him at the feast and said to him, where is he? Now when we see here John saying the the Jews, he's actually referring to the rulers. He talks about the people. That's just the general3:18 people. But when he says rulers, he's talking about the religious crowd that was after Jesus, envious of Jesus, wanted to kill Jesus. Verse 12. And there was much complaining among the people concerning him.3:30 Some said he is good. Others said no. On the contrary, he deceives the people. However, no 1 spoke openly of him for fear of the Jews or of the leaders. So there's a lot of, you know,3:41 quiet conversations going on. Now Jesus shows up. Verse 14. Now about the middle of the feast, Jesus went up into the temple and taught. And the Jews marveled, saying, how does3:53 this man know letters having never studied? So in other words, he had not been programmed by the religious institutions of man. He was speaking the unadulterated truth of4:05 god, and it captivated them. Verse 16. Jesus answered them and said, my doctrine is not mine, but his who sent me. If anyone wills4:17 to do his will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on my own authority. So Jesus did not teach or preach his4:29 doctrine, but the doctrine of the father of God. Now Jesus then provides really the acid test. How do we know if someone is teaching the word of God, the doctrine of God and4:41 not their own message? Verse 18. He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory, but he who seeks the glory of the 1 who sent him is true, and no4:52 unrighteousness is in him. Now we'll we'll see this, in the next chapter, but let me jump ahead for just a moment in John 8 verse 28. Then Jesus said to them, when you lift up the son of5:04 man, then you will know that I am he and that I do nothing of myself, but as my father taught me. I speak these things, and he who sent me is with me. The5:16 father has not left me alone, for I always do the things that please him. Now Paul wrote to the Corinthians about the character of his ministry in second Corinthians chapter 4 verse 5.5:28 For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus the lord, and ourselves your bondservants for Jesus' sake. For it is the God who commanded light to shine out5:40 of darkness, who has shown in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. Then he writes to the Philippians. He told them to5:52 walk in humility as Jesus did, bringing glory not to themselves, but to God. Look at, Philippians or listen. I'll read it. Philippians 2 11. And that every tongue should confess that6:04 Jesus Christ is lord to the glory of god the father. So we know here's the acid test. We know if someone is preaching the words of god, if what?6:17 If god is being glorified. Right? It it and not lifting up a ministry, not lifting up a man or a person, not exalting them, but lifting up the lord Jesus6:29 Christ in bringing glory to the father. Because if the son is lifted up, the father is glorified. Now go to verse 37 for another unique aspect of, John. As John6:40 explains this reference to the holy or as he explains this, this refers to the Holy Spirit who would come after Jesus's departure. But there's actually more here, a profound declaration6:52 that we miss when we just read this passage without knowing Jewish tradition. Verse 37. On the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out saying, if anyone thirsts, let him come to me and7:04 drink. He who believes in me, as the scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water. But this he spoke concerning the spirit whom those believing in him would7:16 receive for the Holy Spirit was not yet given because Jesus was not yet glorified. Now the Holy Spirit would come after Jesus, his death, burial, resurrection, and as he ascended into7:27 heaven. We know that the the Holy Spirit came at Pentecost. But we don't what we also see here, there's another layer here. What we don't find we don't find this in the Old Testament, but the Jews had a ceremony of7:38 carrying water from the pool of Siloam and pouring it into a silver basin at the, by the altar of burnt offering each day of the first 7 days of the feast7:50 of Tabernacles. On the eighth day, the final day, the great day, it was not done, making Jesus's offer here of the water of eternal life from himself on that eighth day powerfully8:02 revealing. Alright? Okay. This next passage, I I kinda have to chuckle at this. Verse 45, then the officers came to the chief priest and the Pharisees who said to them, why have you not brought him? So8:14 they sent these officials out to to, I guess, arrest Jesus, bring Jesus back. The officers answered, no man ever spoke like this man. Then the Pharisees answered them, are you8:26 also deceived? Those who actually listened to what Jesus was saying, we see this over and over again. They marveled at his words. He spoke8:38 with authority and with insight, something they had not heard before because it was not religious ritual. It was about a relationship with a personal god, and it made all the difference in the world.8:50 Now look at the benchmark the religious crowd was using to determine truth. Okay? This don't miss this. Verse 48. Have any of the rulers of the Pharisees believed in9:01 him? Themselves. They made themselves the benchmark of truth. It's it's what we see today, moral relativism. You have your truth. I have my truth. Have any of us believed in him? Well, that's9:13 not the defining standard of truth. It's the word of God that is the truth. And if they would have truly studied with the with an open9:25 mind the word of God, the holy spirit would have enlightened them, and they would have seen that he, in fact, fulfilled the scriptures. Now look at their arrogance. Verse 49. But this9:37 crowd that does not know the law is a curse. So they were saying the the people follow him, but they're a curse. They don't know the law. Well, they didn't know that they didn't know the word of god either as the9:48 religious leaders. Now this last part is, 1 of the portions, another 1 of these portions that's unique to John verse 50. It's the story of Nicodemus. Nicodemus, he he who10:00 came to Jesus by night, being 1 of them, said to them, does our law judge a man before it hears him and knows what he is doing? They answered and said to him, are you also from Galilee?10:12 Search and look, for no prophet has arisen out of Galilee. And everyone went to his own house. So this is Nicodemus speaks up for Jesus. He is he had had that conversation with Jesus, and and10:24 now he's in the midst, and he's speaking up. They couldn't answer him, and so everyone went to his own house. This last verse kinda reminds me of the Old Testament references to everyone going to their own10:36 tent, meaning they did what was right in their own eyes. Alright. Father, we thank you for your word. We thank you for the holy spirit that we have today.10:49 As Jesus said, would just be this this everlasting water, this, source of life for us.11:00 And we pray that, lord, we would be discerning in what we listen to, what we hear, and certainly, lord, what we believe, that we would believe that which bears witness of11:12 Jesus and brings glory to your name, and may our words do the same. Continue to guide us on this journey. We thank you for your word, and we pray this in the name of Jesus. Amen. Alright. Thanks for joining11:24 me this morning. And until next time, keep standing on the word.11:31 Today's study comes from the stand on the word bible reading plan available for free at f r c dot o r g slash bible. By following along in just a few minutes a day,11:43 you can read through the entire Bible in just 2 years. Learn more and request the free reading guide at frc dot org slash bible.In this video 0:00 Discerning Biblical Truth
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