Saturday, January 28, 2017



2017.01.22                                  John 7: 53- John 8: 12
         Jesus at the Feast of Tabernacles
               I am the Light of the World
As we come to the text this morning… Remember that the day before… Jesus had cried out in the Temple and said… If anyone thirsts let him come to me and drink… John 7: 37… Jesus was pointing to Himself as the only source for life giving water… Living Water to transform  hearts and minds… Jesus was offering grace and mercy to anyone who saw their need for a Savior… The people were divided in their opinion about Jesus… some believed… Many did not…
The leaders were also divided about Him…   And again they determined to Kill Jesus…. They tried to arrest Him again… But even the Temple Police were amazed at His Words of Life… They did not arrest Him… The Scribes and Pharisees were very upset… They hated Jesus… And only Nicodemus defended Him… It is late at night now as we pick up the text… John 7:53…
John 7: 53 + John 8: 1-12            NKJV slt 2000
53 And everyone went to his own house.
1 But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.
2 Now early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people came to Him; and He sat down and taught them. 3 Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, 4 they said to Him, “Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. 5 Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?” 6 This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear. 7 So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.” 8 And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. 9 Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. 10 When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, “Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?” 11 She said, “No one, Lord.”And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.” 12 Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”

53 Und so ging jeder in sein Haus. 1 Jesus aber ging an den Ölberg.
2 Und früh am Morgen kam er wieder in den Tempel, und alles Volk kam zu ihm; und er setzte sich und lehrte sie. 3 Da brachten die Schriftgelehrten und Pharisäer eine Frau zu ihm, die beim Ehebruch ergriffen worden war, stellten sie in die Mitte 4 und sprachen zu ihm: Meister, diese Frau ist während der Tat beim Ehebruch ergriffen worden. 5 Im Gesetz aber hat uns Mose geboten, daß solche gesteinigt werden sollen. Was sagst nun du? 6 Das sagten sie aber, um ihn zu versuchen, damit sie ihn anklagen könnten. Jesus aber bückte sich nieder und schrieb mit dem Finger auf die Erde. 7 Als sie nun fortfuhren, ihn zu fragen, richtete er sich auf und sprach zu ihnen: Wer unter euch ohne Sünde ist, der werfe den ersten Stein auf sie! 8 Und er bückte sich wiederum nieder und schrieb auf die Erde. 9 Als sie aber das hörten, gingen sie — von ihrem Gewissen überführt — einer nach dem anderen hinaus, angefangen von den Ältesten bis zu den Geringsten; und Jesus wurde allein gelassen, und die Frau, die in der Mitte stand. 10 Da richtete sich Jesus auf, und da er niemand sah als die Frau, sprach er zu ihr: Frau, wo sind jene, deine Ankläger? Hat dich niemand verurteilt? 11 Sie sprach: Niemand, Herr! Jesus sprach zu ihr: So verurteile ich dich auch nicht. Geh hin und sündige nicht mehr! 12 Nun redete Jesus wieder zu ihnen und sprach: Ich bin das Licht der Welt. Wer mir nachfolgt, wird nicht in der Finsternis wandeln, sondern er wird das Licht des Lebens haben.
v53… And everyone went to his own house.
v1… But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives… Everybody went to his own home… Jesus didn't have his own home… He went to the mount of Olives… Most of you know that the Mount of Olives is just to the East of the Temple…
v2… Now early in the morning He came again into the temple. And all the people came to Him. And He sat down, and He taught them…
The Greek shows us that it is before dawn… Jesus came again to the temple to teach… There are already many people there… Even very early… It was the time of the morning sacrifice… He's in the court of the women…
Slide
Court of the Women
Treasury
Huge lights
Court of the Gentiles Scroll down and Look at v3-5…
v3,4… Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery…
v4… Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act… They caught this woman and maybe they were taking her to the Chief Priests when someone had an Idea… Let´s test Jesus…
v5… The law of Moses says to stone her… What do you say…  They don't really care about the broken commandment at this point... What they care about is they want to trap Jesus… They want to put Him between a rock and a hard place…  If He says stone her… He will lose His reputation as the friend of sinners…
But if he says no… don't stone her… then they can accuse Him of breaking the law… I can imagine that they are high fiving each other… Gotcha… They think that they have Him trapped… But Jesus acts like He doesn't even hear them... He just starts writing on the ground… But they keep at Him… Immediately Jesus points at the heart of the Matter…. Once again He shines the light of truth on their motives… He shines the Light of the Gospel on their hearts… Scroll down v7… 
v7…he who is without sin among you, let him throw the first stone."
He says to them… Are you fit to condemn her…? Only if you are perfect…  You have to be [anamartétos] (an-am-ar'-tay-tos)That's the Greek word for without sin… If any of you is without sin… That means that you never even thought of sinning… Then go ahead and throw the first stone…
Jesus spoke directly into their hearts and showed them their sin and pride and rebellion… They were all convicted… look at v9-11…
John 8: 9-11                      NKJV    
9 Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. 10 When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, “Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?”11 She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.”
What Words of Life… Is Jesus being light on sin? No.
The words that Jesus said point to  exactly what this woman needed…
Because He saw her heart… He knew that she believed in Him and was repentant… He showed her grace This woman who was  embarrassed and ashamed… Receives mercy and grace from Jesus… He is so gentle with her… That kindness caused her heart to turn toward Jesus… and to trust Him… Then He said… Stop sinning 
The Bible says… it's the goodness of God that leads a person to repentance… Romans 2: 1-4… For Temple leaders and the Pharisees… This lady was a very obvious sinner… It was easy to condemn and make an example of her…
But the big sinners present that morning… Were the Pharisees… They pretended to be perfect… They were secret sinners… The very religious Pharisees were careful to obey every detail of the law… It is very human to love rules… We love our rules… Ordnung… But rules and laws cannot change our hearts… We can determine with training and hard work to perfectly obey the rules… I grew up across from the Mormon Temple in Mesa Arizona… They look so good… But they are not Christians… We can become very legalistic… But Legalism is not righteousness… It is secret pride… And It causes a Hypocritical judgment of others…  As these leaders  heard and watched Jesus… They were also convicted… The text says that they were convicted in their hearts… They dropped the stones… and they went home...
Here again is the division that happens in every heart as we are confronted with the Words of life… As the Light of truth shines into our hearts and shows us our sin… We come to the light…  we hide from the light…
This woman was convicted of her sin… She saw the truth about her sin was truly repentant… Her desperate need and desire for forgiveness drew her to Jesus… The leaders and Pharisees were convicted of their sin too…  
But the truth of their sin and pride and rebellion… Truth that they refused to repent of… drove them away from Jesus… Sometimes a person will come to church and hear the truth and become convicted…. But instead of repenting…  They hit the panic button and say… I have got to get out of here… I am not going to listen to this…   
What they're feeling is guilt… It  should lead them to Christ... but they will not repent…  Others hear the truth and It pierces their hearts… They say I will come and drink of the water of life… I need to be forgiven by this Jesus… And it's that goodness and gentleness of God that draws them in…
You know as we study this…  We get a really good picture of how sinners treat sinners… It is not pretty…  We sinners are not nice to other sinners around us... We are experts at pointing fingers at other people… but we do not want to examine our own hearts…
We judge and condemn others and give ourselves a free pass… Blinded  by our Pride… We give ourselves  a fake Divine get out of jail free card…
The purpose of the law is defeated by our pride and rebellion… The law shows us our sin… Look at Romans 3:20… 
Romans 3:20   NLT   Neues Leben
20 For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are.
20 Denn niemand wird in Gottes Augen gerecht gesprochen, indem er versucht, das Gesetz zu halten. Im Gegenteil, je besser wir Gottes Gesetz kennen, desto deutlicher erkennen wir, dass wir schuldig sind.
The Law shows us our disease… It is fatal…. We cannot survive the death sentence caused by our sin… But the Law has no power to cure it… There is no cure for the disease of sin in the law…
Plus… We cannot obey the law…. Not perfectly from the heart… The Pharisees and chief Priests pretended to be perfect… And the people honored them as Godly leaders… They knew that they did not love God with all of their heart and soul and strength… And that is just the first  commandment… They were hypocrites… That is why they walked away… And when Jesus showed them the truth…. They hit the road… What a tragedy that they refused to repent and come to Him… Grace and mercy and forgiveness was right there for them… Like them…. Like this woman…. We all need mercy and grace… Look with me at Galatians 2…v16…
Galatians 2: 16               NLT   Neues Leben
16 Yet we know that a person is made right with God by faith in Jesus Christ, not by obeying the law. And we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we might be made right with God because of our faith in Christ, not because we have obeyed the law. For no one will ever be made right with God by obeying the law.“
16 Und doch wissen wir, dass der Mensch vor Gott nicht durch das Halten des Gesetzes gerecht gesprochen wird, sondern durch den Glauben an Jesus Christus. Wir sind zum Glauben an ihn gekommen, damit wir durch diesen Glauben von Gott angenommen werden, und nicht etwa, weil wir dem Gesetz gehorcht haben. Denn durch das Befolgen des Gesetzes wird niemand vor Gott gerecht.
No flesh will ever become righteous by keeping the law… Practical application time… Why are we so hard on each other… Why are we so hard on our kids then?… Hold that thought... I will try to get back there in a minute…
This wonderful text also shows us how Jesus treats sinners… How do we break through our tendency to lie to ourselves?… How do we face the truth so that we can come to Him and find the grace and mercy and forgiveness that we so desperately need…
John describes Jesus as full of grace and truth… John 1:14… Jesus is the first and only perfect keeper of the law… He is our only hope… Look with me at John 8 v12…
John 8: 12                  NKJV slt 2000
12 Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”
12 Nun redete Jesus wieder zu ihnen und sprach: Ich bin das Licht der Welt. Wer mir nachfolgt, wird nicht in der Finsternis wandeln, sondern er wird das Licht des Lebens haben.
I am the Light of the World… Remember where Jesus is… His is standing in the Court of the Women where the huge lights had been lighting up the city every night during this feast… He is once again using this teaching moment to point to Himself as savior and redeemer… And when He said…. I am…. Everyone knew that He was proclaiming Himself as Immanuel…. God come in the flesh… The hope and the Light of the world… This is the incarnation… God in His Sovereign Power and Unfailing love… Chose to send a Savior… A redeemer to deliver us from sin and death…
How do we break through our tendency to lie to ourselves?… How do we face the truth so that we can come to Him and find the grace and mercy and forgiveness that we so desperately need…  We come to Him and walk in the light of His love and grace…
Jesus speaks to us here in His Word…. He says Stop walking in darkness…. Come to me…. I am the Light of the World!...
And all of this is taking place in the background of the Feast of Tabernacles… Here as we listen as Jesus   offers living water to us... We hear Jesus Words of life…  We are witnesses to a miracle… A heart transformed… As Jesus shows grace and mercy to this sinner… We begin to understand the Radical forgiveness that Jesus offers anyone who comes to Him and drinks… This is the Scandal of Grace… That is exactly how the Pharisees think of Jesus actions….. Scandalous
How can He simply forgive this woman… You know once… He let a rotten sinner… A prostitute touch Him and wash His feet… Luke 7:39… He knew all about her…. He forgave her and offered her mercy and forgiveness…
Jesus knew their sin that day just like He knows our sin… He knows every bad motive and thought… He sees our hearts… The scripture reminds us that we don´t even understand our own hearts… And yet we often sit in Judgment on the thoughts and intentions of others... We are in desperate need of a Savior… We need to be forgiven… There are none righteous…  We need to have our hard stony hearts transformed by the Lord Jesus…  We are all guilty sinners… The wages of sin is death… Romans 3:23… We all deserve to be condemned… As far as the leader and Pharisees were concerned… This woman deserved to be condemned…. It was Scandalous that Jesus would forgive her… What gave Him the right to set aside the verdict that she deserved… She deserved Death… remember… That is the same penalty that you and I deserve too?...  The Answer is the Cross… He knew that he would pay for her crime… He stands ready to pay for our sin and pride and rebellion too…
CLOSE
Jesus offers life… to all that cry out to Him… This is the Good News of the Gospel… This is the Scandalous Good news…. This is the Gospel that we proclaim to you… We see the Gospel in a very distilled form we see the Gospel in Ephesians…
In chapter 2 we are reminded that God accomplished our Salvation and redemption all by Himself… While we were dead in sin and rebellion… Beginning in Ch2 v1… We see that God did this because of His Grace and Mercy… He made us alive… We who were dead in sin… He intervened in our lives…  We were dead…. And without hope… But God… He  stepped in and by His Grace changed everything… look with me at Ephesians ch 2…v4,5…
Ephesians 2: 4,5         NLT   Neues Leben
4 But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, 5 that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead.
4 Doch Gott ist so barmherzig und liebte uns so sehr,5 dass er uns, die wir durch unsere Sünden tot waren, mit Christus neues Leben schenkte, als er ihn von den Toten auferweckte. Nur durch die Gnade Gottes seid ihr gerettet worden!
But God… Here we see The Scandal of God´s grace… It is not only a great Theological term…. Grace is real and active in our lives… We were dead… But God gave us life… How?… look down at verse 8-10… These 3 verses are our focus for the rest of our time this morning… ch 2 v8-10…
Ephesians 2: 8-10              NLT  Neues Leben
 8 God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. 10 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.
8 Weil Gott so gnädig ist, hat er euch durch den Glauben gerettet. Und das ist nicht euer eigenes Verdienst; es ist ein Geschenk Gottes.9 Ihr werdet also nicht aufgrund eurer guten Taten gerettet, damit sich niemand etwas darauf einbilden kann.10 Denn wir sind Gottes Schöpfung. Er hat uns in Christus Jesus neu geschaffen, damit wir zu guten Taten fähig sind, wie er es für unser Leben schon immer vorgesehen hat.
The Gospel according to Grace is wonderfully shown to us in these verses… And when it is all said and done… It is the grace of God that does it all… His unfailing love transforms our lives… We are saved by Grace… We cannot boast about it… 
And so my dear friendsIt is absolutely necessary that we understand grace… When we understand what God Has done for us… When we understand that He has poured out His Love on wicked and sin filled people like me… Like us…
We should become deeply thankful… In Ephesians Paul is explaining God´s character and nature to us…
When I understand the miracle… that I have been forgiven… It will affect every aspect of my life… It will affect the way I respond to God… It will transform the way I relate to others…  It will transform the way I disciple my children… Jesus gave this woman Grace and mercy exactly at the point where she had been discovered in her sin and shame… This is the Scandal of Grace… What Hesed…. What Unfailing love… Never gonna give up on you…. Never gonna leave you… Never gonna stop loving you… This is the Kind of Love that only Jesus can offer… This is the way Jesus handles sin and sinners… This is the way we should treat our own family… He is willing to say to you and I… I don't condemn you… Go and sin no more… That is Grace… And Grace is what I need… Grace is what our children need too…Christians are sometimes a bit crazy… We know that we are saved by grace through Faith…. And yet we lay down the law for our own children… We demand perfect obedience from them… We shame them… We hold out the possibility that we might stop loving them… What… Is that How Jesus treats us… He offers us grace and mercy…
How about us? How will we treat the people in our lives… Will we lay down the law…. Or will we show them the same grace and mercy that we have been freely given in Christ Jesus… Let´s pray…

Sunday, January 15, 2017



2017.01.08                         John 7: 1-24
     Jesus at the Feast of Tabernacles Part 1
Good morning everyone… I am glad that you are here… I have good news for you…. His name is Jesus… I trust that you had a good Christmas Season… As most of you know we study the Word of God verse by verse… We want to know and understand our great God and Savior the Lord Jesus Christ… We are studying the Gospel of John and will pick up where we left off… John ch 7… Look with me at v1…
John 7: 1-5                              NLT  Neues Leben
1 After this, Jesus traveled around Galilee. He wanted to stay out of Judea, where the Jewish leaders were plotting his death. 2 But soon it was time for the Jewish Festival of Shelters, 3 and Jesus’ brothers said to him, “Leave here and go to Judea, where your followers can see your miracles! 4 You can’t become famous if you hide like this! If you can do such wonderful things, show yourself to the world!” 5 For even his brothers didn’t believe in him.
1 Jesus blieb noch eine Weile in Galiläa und zog von Dorf zu Dorf. Er mied Judäa, denn dort schmiedeten die führenden Männer des jüdischen Volkes Mordpläne gegen ihn. 2 Doch die Zeit des Laubhüttenfestes rückte näher, 3 und seine Brüder drängten ihn, zum Fest nach Judäa mitzugehen. »Geh doch nach Judäa, damit deine Jünger deine Wunder sehen können, die du tust!«, spotteten sie. 4 »Wenn du dich so versteckst, wirst du nie bekannt werden! Falls du wirklich so wunderbare Dinge tun kannst, dann beweise es vor aller Welt!« 5 Denn selbst seine Brüder glaubten nicht an ihn.
1a… after this… or after these things… What things or events is John talking about??
 I am very glad that you asked… When we study the life of Jesus we need this whole book… Old and New we need all of it...  and especially we need the 4 Gospels for the events of His Life and Ministry here on the earth… They fit together and show us a more detailed picture…  In order to help us today... I want to do a very quick review of the events leading up to John ch7… You need to read the accounts in Matthew and Mark and Luke to get the full picture… But we can note a few important events by looking back at John as well… As we look at ch 4… Jesus has been ministering in Galilee and as we pickup John 5… v1… It is Passover and Jesus goes up to Jerusalem… In v 5 Jesus heals a man who had been lame and crippled for 38 years… And because this man was healed on the Sabbath… the news of it spread like wildfire throughout Jerusalem… And it became known by the leaders of the Temple as well… That is why the leaders began to plot to kill Jesus… John 5: 16…
Jesus proclaimed the Gospel to everyone everywhere… Even His enemies heard him tell them the truth about their sin and pride and rebellion... He reached out to the Jewish leaders as well… He was showing them Grace... Even though they were trying to kill Him… That´s grace…
And so He reveals the truth about Himself to the priests and Pharisees…
Jesus reveals that He is the long promised Messiah… He reveals the fact that as Messiah... He is God incarnate… Immanuel…. God come in the flesh…. God with us…  He offers eternal Life to all who will repent and believe the Good News… v24... Then  in v 39-40 He says... Search the scriptures that you say you believe… They testify of me…  Then He makes the first of the famous “I am” Statements… I am the bread of life… John 5: 48… Then in John 6 Jesus goes back to Galilee and ministers there for about 6 months… Remember... The purpose of John´s Gospel is the give us Jesus´ Words of Life…. John presents them in the context of the events in Jesus ministry… Ch 6 included the feeding of the five thousand... and a very long section of Jesus teaching… He focused on His revelation that He is the true bread come down from heaven… Luke ch9 fills in the picture even more... Luke tells us more of Jesus´ Words of LifeLike The cost of true Discipleship… Luke 9:23… He reminds us that Jesus repeatedly prophisies His death and resurrection…. Luke 9:22….9: 44… He tells us about the incredible events that occurred during this time… Events like The Transfiguration… Luke 9: 27-36… 
This is where we find ourselves as we read Ch7… v1… After this…
 By the way we are now entering the last 6 months of Jesus Earthly ministry as we get to Ch7 v1…
v1b… He wanted to stay out of Judea, where the Jewish leaders were plotting his death… It was not a lack of courage that made Jesus stay in Galilee... He knew that the shadow of the cross was over the cradle on the day he was born...  He had already Prophesied of His death and resurrection... but it was not time yet...
v2… soon it was time for the Jewish Festival of Shelters… This is the Feast of Tabernacles celebration that was celebrated very fall… It  was a joy filled, weeklong celebration…  It was THE FEAST… One Jewish historian described it as ‘the holiest and greatest east of all... Everyone was expected to live in temporary Shelters during this celebration... and these shelters were set up all over the city… Zech 14… Is about the future of this feast… it is very interesting…
 Symbolism                                           Tabernacles slide
The feast of Tabernacles reminded them of God´s provision in the past… And it also pointed to the future... God called for this feast… To remind them of the 40 years in the Wilderness… and most importantly to remind them of God´s promise to Dwell with His people… John uses the Feast of Tabernacles as the framework for the next 2 chapters.... That´s 118 verses of his Gospel account… One important feast to represent a great promise...  
John Wrote about the future fulfillment of this promise in Revelation ch21… V3,4… look at it with me...
Revelation 21: 3,4                        NKJV   slt 2000
3 And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. 4 And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.“
3 Und ich hörte eine große Stimme von dem Thron her, die sprach: Siehe da, die Hütte Gottes bei den Menschen! Und er wird bei ihnen wohnen, und sie werden seine Völker sein, und er selbst, Gott mit ihnen, wird ihr Gott sein; 4 und Gott wird abwischen alle Tränen von ihren Augen, und der Tod wird nicht mehr sein, noch Leid noch Geschrei noch Schmerz wird mehr sein; denn das Erste ist vergangen.
We can see here a wonderful connection between The Feast of Tabernacles… And God´s Promise to be with us forever… We also see the restoration of everything that was lost in the fall in the Garden of Eden… Here we see this big picture idea in the presence of Jesus… The true bread come down from heaven… To save a lost and dying world… Tabernacles includes lots of symbolism… we will look only a few of them or else we will be here till midnight… The first is water Living water was familiar to each of them... It represented the Word of God with it´s power to cleanse and purify from the stain of sin… During this important feast… The Temple is also known as the House of Outpouring… The ceremonial pouring out of water on the steps of the Temple represented the    outpouring of the Holy Spirit…The second is light… The huge Candelabras in the Courtyards of the Temple… Represented the Light of the Gospel shining out to the heathen nations… The heathen nations were also a focus of this feast… There was also one special night of light as well… As the brief night of the great Temple-illumination closed… Solemn testimony was made before The Lord God against Godlessness… It must have been an unbelievable scene…
It was quite a week... Jesus will use these vents to proclaim the Good News... Back to John 7..v3...  
v3… Jesus’ brothers said to him…  Leave here and go to Judea, where your followers can see your miracles!  v4… You can’t become famous if you hide like this! If you can do such wonderful things, show yourself to the world!”   Essentially, Jesus' brothers are telling Him… "Take Your Miracle working power and show the leaders and rulers of the Temple... They say, "If You really do have all this miracle power, why don't You go to Jerusalem and make Yourself really famous?"
Sadly, they do not really believe in Jesus at this time...  V6...
John 7: 6-9               NLT  Neues Leben
6 Jesus replied, “Now is not the right time for me to go, but you can go anytime. 7 The world can’t hate you, but it does hate me because I accuse it of doing evil. 8 You go on. I’m not going[a] to this festival, because my time has not yet come.” 9 After saying these things, Jesus remained in Galilee. 6 Jesus erwiderte: »Für mich ist der richtige Zeitpunkt noch nicht da; aber ihr könnt jederzeit gehen.
7 Euch kann die Welt nicht hassen. Mich dagegen hasst sie, weil ich sage, dass ihre Taten böse sind. 8 Geht ihr nur hinauf zum Fest. Ich bin noch1 nicht so weit, zu diesem Fest zu gehen, weil meine Zeit noch nicht gekommen ist.« 9 Und Jesus blieb in Galiläa.
6… Jesus replied, “Now is not the right time for me to go…   but you can go anytime… Because Jesus was completely submitted to the will of the Father… the timing of God the Father was important… But for Jesus' brothers…  any time was fine!
John 7: 10-13                    NLT   Neues Leben
10 But after his brothers left for the festival, Jesus also went, though secretly, staying out of public view. 11 The Jewish leaders tried to find him at the festival and kept asking if anyone had seen him. 12 There was a lot of grumbling about him among the crowds. Some argued, “He’s a good man,” but others said, “He’s nothing but a fraud who deceives the people.” 13 But no one had the courage to speak favorably about him in public, for they were afraid of getting in trouble with the Jewish leaders.
10 Doch nachdem seine Brüder zum Fest aufgebrochen waren, folgte ihnen Jesus, allerdings heimlich und ohne öffentliches Aufsehen zu erregen. 11 Die führenden Männer des jüdischen Volkes ließen ihn suchen und fragten überall nach ihm. 12 Die Menschen sprachen untereinander heimlich über ihn. Ein paar sagten: »Er ist ein guter Mensch«, andere meinten: »Er ist nichts als ein Betrüger, der die Leute verführt.« 13 Aber keiner hatte den Mut, in aller Öffentlichkeit für ihn einzutreten, weil sie den Konflikt mit den führenden Juden scheuten.
v12… There was a lot of grumbling about him among the crowds. Some argued, “He’s a good man,” but others said, “He’s nothing but a fraud who deceives the people.” Jesus divides people… Jesus demands a choice…. No Neutrality… Either repent and believe or refuse to repent… and walk away from your only hope… When the time was right… Jesus went quietly up to the celebration… v14…
John 7: 14-18        NLT   Neues Leben
14 Then, midway through the festival, Jesus went up to the Temple and began to teach. 15 The people were surprised when they heard him. “How does he know so much when he hasn’t been trained?” they asked. 16 So Jesus told them, “My message is not my own; it comes from God who sent me. 17 Anyone who wants to do the will of God will know whether my teaching is from God or is merely my own. 18 Those who speak for themselves want glory only for themselves, but a person who seeks to honor the one who sent him speaks truth, not lies.
14 Als das Fest zur Hälfte vorüber war, ging Jesus zum Tempel hinauf und begann zu lehren. 15 Die Juden waren zutiefst erstaunt, als sie ihn hörten. »Woher weiß er das alles, er hat doch die Schrift nicht studiert wie wir?«, fragten sie. 16 Da sagte Jesus zu ihnen: »Ich lehre nicht meine eigenen Gedanken, sondern die Gedanken Gottes, der mich gesandt hat. 17 Wer den Willen Gottes tun will, wird erkennen, ob meine Lehre von Gott kommt oder ob ich aus mir selbst heraus rede. 18 Wer nur seine eigenen Anschauungen vertritt, sucht Anerkennung für sich selbst. Wer aber den ehren will, der ihn gesandt hat, der ist glaubwürdig und ohne falsche Absichten.
v14… midway through the festival, Jesus went up to the Temple and began to teach Jesus avoided a grand entrance with spectacle and miracles... He  boldly proclaims the Good News of the Gospel... He is not afraid… This is Jesus... John describes Jesus as Full of Grace and truth… John 1: 14…
v15… How does he know so much when he hasn’t been trained? Jesus answer is profound…  
v16… My message is not my own; it comes from God who sent me…  Jesus doesn't point to His credentials… but to His teaching…   If the Jewish leaders listened carefully… they would know that it was all rooted in the Old Testament Scriptures… and that it was from God… Jesus was a gifted teacher… but He was not self taught…. He was God taught! So His authority was not from any Rabbi… But from His Heavenly Father….
John 7: 19-24                   NLT    Neues Leben
19 Moses gave you the law, but none of you obeys it! In fact, you are trying to kill me.”20 The crowd replied, You’re demon possessed! Who’s trying to kill you? 21 Jesus replied, “I did one miracle on the Sabbath, and you were amazed. 22 But you work on the Sabbath, too, when you obey Moses’ law of circumcision. (Actually, this tradition of circumcision began with the patriarchs, long before the law of Moses.) 23 For if the correct time for circumcising your son falls on the Sabbath, you go ahead and do it so as not to break the law of Moses. So why should you be angry with me for healing a man on the Sabbath? 24 Look beneath the surface so you can judge correctly.“
19 Keiner von euch gehorcht dem Gesetz, das Mose euch gab, ja ihr versucht sogar, mich zu töten! Mit welchem Recht?« 20 Die Menge erwiderte: »Du bist ja von einem Dämon besessen! Wer will dich töten?« 21 Jesus erwiderte: »Eine einzige Tat habe ich am Sabbat getan, an der ihr Anstoß nehmt. 22 Aber auch ihr arbeitet am Sabbat, wenn ihr einen Menschen an diesem Tag beschneidet, weil Mose euch das Gesetz der Beschneidung gab. Dabei ist der Brauch der Beschneidung älter als das mosaische Gesetz; er geht auf die Stammväter zurück. 23 Denn wenn der vorgeschriebene Zeitpunkt für die Beschneidung eurer Söhne auf einen Sabbat fällt, dann vollzieht ihr die Beschneidung, um das mosaische Gesetz nicht zu brechen. Warum also empört ihr euch und verurteilt mich? Weil ich einen Menschen am Sabbat geheilt habe? 24 Denkt darüber nach und richtet nicht nach dem äußeren Schein, sondern richtet gerecht!«
19 Moses gave you the law, but none of you obeys it! In fact, you are trying to kill me… Jesus out of love… exposes them as hypocrites…. He was not playing Gotcha with them…. He was offering them the chance to see the truth about themselves so that they would repent… remember it was Because He healed a man on the Sabbath…. That the rulers wanted to kill Jesus (John 5:16)…
v23… For if the correct time for circumcising your son falls on the Sabbath, you go ahead and do it so as not to break the law of Moses. So why should you be angry with me for healing a man on the Sabbath?... Here is the invitation to see their own hearts…
v24… Look beneath the surface so you can judge correctly… The NKJV Says...
John 7: 24                 NKJV  slt 2000
24 Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment 24 Richtet nicht nach dem Augenschein, sondern fällt ein gerechtes Urteil!   Jesus is inviting these leaders to stop being Hypocrites... To stop judging and condemning Him and each other... He is inviting all of us to examine our own hearts... That is where we must start... We have no business critiquing and condemning each other... We must start with ourselves... Richard Sibbes... That great Purtian Theologian wrote about this 400 year's ago...
I will paraphrase him... If true religion was only a matter of obeying rules and performing Good works... It would be easy to be a Christian.... That is a good description of the Pharisees... But that is not the Gospel... That is not Discipleship... Genuine belief is about our hearts…. It is discipleship… Luke 9:23… look at it please…
Luke 9: 23,24                      NKJV  slt 2000
23 Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. 24 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.
23 Er sprach aber zu allen: Wenn jemand mir nachkommen will, so verleugne er sich selbst und nehme sein Kreuz auf sich täglich und folge mir nach.24 Denn wer sein Leben retten will, der wird es verlieren; wer aber sein Leben verliert um meinetwillen, der wird es retten.

We can never be good enough to earn God´s approval… He says following rules is easy in comparison to what is really necessary...
This is where I would like us to look as we apply this Word to our own lives... John describes Jesus as full of grace and truth... Jesus shows us the perfect balance of loving grace and the truth that sets men free... True discipleship is to take up the Word of God and let it have it´s way in our hearts and minds... To repent from our hearts…  Repent our sin and pride and rebellion... To submit ourselves to Him and His Word... That is discipleship... And that is very difficult... Because we do not want to Face the truth about ourselves... We love ourselves too much to admit that we need to repent... To let God change our hearts... Powerful  words, aren’t they? This statement touches the deepest issues of the Christian walk... Here is the truth… The problem with us Christians is that we love ourselves too much... Our pride and rebellion prevents us from looking in the Mirror of God´s Word... But it is the Word of God that we so desperately need… that is what we learn from Paul letters to  Timothy… look at 2 Timothy 3… v16,17…
2 Timothy 3: 16,17              NLT    Neues Leben
16 All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. 17 God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.
16 Die ganze Schrift ist von Gottes Geist eingegeben und kann uns lehren, was wahr ist, und uns erkennen lassen, wo Schuld in unserem Leben ist. Sie weist uns zurecht und erzieht uns dazu, Gottes Willen zu tun. 17 Durch die Schrift bereitet Gott uns umfassend vor und rüstet uns aus für alles, was wir nach seinem Willen tun sollen.
We study the Word of God and it shows us our sin and pride…. It shows us the raw truth…. We are not perfect…. We are not God´s gift to anyone…. We need help… We need a Savior… None of us wants to admit such things about ourselves… We don´t read the Bible for the same reason that I don´t look in the mirror… I don´t want to see the truth… We would rather deny the truth than face it… We would really rather not know…  And so we deny the truth… And the ugly truth is that we cannot think clearly about ourselves or others… Here is the question for today…
How do we help someone we love to think clearly... To see the truth about themselves...  How do we learn to see and think clearly…? You know the answer…
The Word of God... It is the mirror that shows us our hearts… And it is possible to with love and grace help our brothers and sisters to face the truth about themselves too… In fact that is what we are supposed to do for each other… Look with me at Col 3:12-17…
Colossians 3: 12-17                 NLT  Neues Leben
12 Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. 13 Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. 14 Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. 15 And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.
16 Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. 17 And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.
12 Da Gott euch erwählt hat, zu seinen Heiligen und Geliebten zu gehören, seid voll Mitleid und Erbarmen, Freundlichkeit, Demut, Sanftheit und Geduld. 13 Seid nachsichtig mit den Fehlern der anderen und vergebt denen, die euch gekränkt haben. Vergesst nicht, dass der Herr euch vergeben hat und dass ihr deshalb auch anderen vergeben müsst. 14 Das Wichtigste aber ist die Liebe. Sie ist das Band, das uns alle in vollkommener Einheit verbindet. 15 Euren Herzen wünschen wir den Frieden, der von Christus kommt. Denn als Glieder des einen Leibes seid ihr alle berufen, im Frieden miteinander zu leben. Und seid immer dankbar! 16 Gebt den Worten von Christus viel Raum3 in euren Herzen. Gebraucht seine Worte weise, um einander zu lehren und zu ermahnen. Singt Gott aus ganzem Herzen Psalmen, Lobgesänge und geistliche Lieder. 17 Doch alles, was auch immer ihr tut oder sagt, soll im Namen von Jesus, dem Herrn, geschehen, durch den ihr Gott, dem Vater, danken sollt!
We are talking about learning to know God in real life... We are talking about actively reflecting Jesus…. Full of Grace and truth…  Jesus loves us enough to tell us the truth about ourselves... Because of His grace and unfailing love... He comes to redeem sinful people... People like me and you...  in order to Transform us into children of God’s glory... And we are expected to help each other grow in Grace as well… That is discipleship… That is church in the best sense… doing life together… Helping each other grow in grace and in the knowledge of Him… Let´s pray…