Good morning! Eric, one of the pastors. If you have a Bible, we’ll be in John 7 today. And if you don’t have one, we’ve got a few paperback Bibles at the Connect Table in the back—feel free to go grab one and consider it our gift to you.¹

[v. 1] – After this Jesus went about in Galilee. He would not go about in Judea, because the Jews were seeking to kill him. 2 Now the Jews’ Feast of Booths was at hand. 3 So his brothers said to him, “Leave here and go to Judea, that your disciples also may see the works you are doing. 4 For no one works in secret if he seeks to be known openly. If you do these things, show yourself to the world.” 5 For not even his brothers believed in him.

Even Jesus knows what it’s like to have unbelieving family members. He also knows whatit’s like to have family members who offer their unsolicited career advice. And that’s painful in different ways.

[v. 6] – Jesus said to them, “My time has not yet come, but your time is always here. 7 The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify about it that its works are evil. 8 Yougo up to the feast. I am not going up to this feast, for my time has not yet fully come.” 9 After saying this, he remained in Galilee.

[10] But after his brothers had gone up to the feast, then he also went up, not publicly but in private. 11 The Jews were looking for him at the feast, and saying, “Where is he?” 12 And there was much muttering about him among the people. While some said, “He is a goodman,” others said, “No, he is leading the people astray.” 13 Yet for fear of the Jews no one spoke openly of him.

Let’s start with some context: If you remember, in John 6, Jesus spends two days feeding and teaching thousands—only for most of them to walk away because they didn’t like that Jesus taught them to eat his flesh and drink his blood.

[John 7:1] tells us that after that, Jesus spent the next six months doing ministry in Galilee. He wasn’t doing anything in Judea (which is where Jerusalem was). Why not? Because the religious leaders were already plotting to kill him. Which sounds like a good reason not to gosomewhere.

But what got the Pharisees so worked up in the first place? Well, the last time Jesus wasin Judea, he healed a man on the Sabbath, and people didn’t like that.

But [John 5:18] says what really made the Pharisees mad is that “…not only was [Jesus] breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God. And let’s be honest—if someone isn’t God but claims to be, that’s a big deal. Andif he’s not God, but people believe him, that’s a big problem.

Now, [v. 2] tells us the Feast of Booths was about to happen, which was one of the majorJewish festivals the people were taught to celebrate in the OT. It was a festival that coincided with the harvest season, but it was also meant to be a reminder of the time Israel lived in tents for 40 years as God led them through the wilderness. So it’s connected to God’s provision, his presence, and his promise.

See, during the Feast, people would go up to Jerusalem for a whole week to camp out intents to remember that God still provides, he still desires to dwell with his people, and one day he’ll fulfill his promises by coming to save them.

The Feast of Booths was also one of three celebrations that all Jewish men were expected to attend.² So naturally, the religious leaders were watching for Jesus. It would’ve been the perfect time to arrest him.

And so, all of that’s in the background as Jesus prepares to go up to the Feast. See, at this point, Jesus is an influential person, but he’s also a controversial one. Which means everybody and their brother has an opinion about him, and I bet you do too.

But rather than get into debates, the question I really want to ask is: What if you really believed in Jesus?

This whole sermon series is about Beholding & Believing in Jesus. To behold means that you have a real encounter with the living Jesus. And when we say believe, it’s not just a passive acceptance of the facts. To believe in Jesus means to repent, obey, and abide inhim. And the Feast of Booths is a great occasion to consider why it’s important to count the cost as we do that.

1.  Following Jesus isn’t an opinion you hold; it’s a life you live.

People have all kinds of opinions about Jesus, and that’s one of the major threads woven throughout the chapter. The opinions about Jesus are as diverse as the people of Ampang.

You’ve got people saying:

• “He’s a good man” [v. 12]
  • “He’s leading people astray” [v. 12]
  • “He’s the Christ” [vv. 25, 31]
  • “He has a demon” [v. 20]
  • “No one ever spoke like this man” [v. 46]
  • “Why didn’t you arrest him?” [v. 32, 44]

[v. 13] – Everyone’s got an opinion about Jesus, but no one has the courage to say whatthey think out loud because they fear what might happen to them if they do.

See, it’s not enough even to have the right opinion about Jesus if it doesn’t lead to any meaningful change in your life. I don’t know how else to say this: Following Jesus means, at some point, you actually…follow him. You confess with your tongue and confirm with your life that the claims about him are true.

Jesus is an all-or-nothing proposition. Either he’s God in the flesh who died to save you from the penalty of sin, or he’s not. And trust me, I’m fully aware that that’s a big drop off.

If Jesus is God, then all of life begins to reorder around him, along with everything that comeswith it. And if he’s not, then…we should all just go home.

Now, let’s go back to Jesus’ conversation with his brothers and notice the difference between someone who follows God’s will and someone who doesn’t.

Jesus’ brothers want him to make a name for himself, probably selfishly, because they don’t believe in him either. And on the one hand, it’s commendable because it sounds like they want a reason to believe. But Jesus is going to show them the real problem isn’t that youdon’t have good reasons to believe, it’s that you have a heart that hates God.

[v. 6] Jesus says, “My time has not yet come, but your time is always here. 7 The world cannot 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 going up to this feast, for my time has not yet fully come.”

See, following Jesus means asking and waiting on him. Jesus isn’t swayed by the peerpressure of his brothers. He wasn’t moved by their

agenda—he was waiting on God’s. He prayed, he listened, and he trusted the Father’s timing over anyone else’s.

Now, at first, it sounds like Jesus is saying he’s not going to the Feast at all. But what he really means is that he’s not going with everyone else—the Father is leading him to wait and go in private, after the crowds have already arrived.

Is that because he’s afraid of the people who want to kill him? No. Jesus doesn’t do anything out of fear. He’s always under control because he’s always following his Father’s will.

And the same should be true for us. Trusting Jesus doesn’t mean there won’t be realreasons to fear. People wanted to arrest and kill Jesus. Those would be good reasons to fear. But God’s presence with us drives out fear.

Jesus waited because it wasn’t the right time. There was a day coming when he’d ride into Jerusalem as King, ready to lay down his life. But this wasn’t that day. And the way hediscerned the difference is by seeking and waiting on the Lord.

[v. 14] – About the middle of the feast Jesus went up into the temple and began teaching. Not something a person motivated by fear would do…

[v. 15] – The Jews therefore marveled, saying, “How is it that this man has learning, when he has never studied?” 16 So Jesus answered them, “My teaching is not mine, but his who sent me.

Following Jesus means knowing and trusting his Word. Now, most of the Rabbis would have grounded their teaching in the Rabbinic tradition, but Jesus doesn’t get his authority from man. His authority comes from God. And the same can be said for Jesus’s disciples.The people ask, Who can teach like this? And the answer is anyone with a humble spirit who’s willing to be led by God. You also can learn to teach others the truths about God.

A similar comment gets made about the disciples in the Book of Acts. [Acts 4:13] says – Now when [the religious leaders] saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus.

See, the same thing gets said about Peter and John after they’ve received the Holy Spirit.Because when you spend time with Jesus in his Word, you start to think and act like Jesus.

[John 7:17] – If anyone’s will is to do God’s will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority. 18 The one who speaks on his ownauthority seeks his own glory; but the one who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true, and in him there is no falsehood.

Every step of Jesus’ ministry is an act of obedience to the Father. Which is why people reject him. Similarly, every step of the Christian life is meant to be an act of obedience toJesus. But [v. 17] says you can’t do that without first confessing that you have a heart of rebellion toward him.

That was true for Jesus’ brothers and that’s true for us.

Confessing that you oppose God and need his help to change is a necessary first step infollowing Jesus. That’s what moves you from opinion to belief—it’s not just saying, “I was wrong about Jesus.” It’s admitting, “I was against God.” And my life needs to change. Lord, help me.

Following Jesus isn’t an opinion you hold, it’s a life you live.

2.  Following Jesus means your life won’t always make sense to the people around you.

And why would it? Jesus’s life didn’t make sense to the people around him.

• He didn’t make sense to his brothers, who thought he should use the Feast as an opportunity to make a name for himself.
  • He didn’t make sense to the Jews, who thought he was paranoid that anyone would want to kill him.

Jesus says in [v. 19] – Has not Moses given you the law? Yet none of you keeps the law.Why do you seek to kill me?” 20 The crowd answered, “You have a demon! Who is seeking to kill you?” The Jews outside Judea wouldn’t have known anyone was trying to kill Jesus. But the Pharisees were looking to kill him because he didn’t make sense to them either.

• Jesus didn’t even always make sense to his disciples. They’re not even mentioned inchapter 7. Maybe they questioned his decision to go to the feast at all because they didn’t want him to risk getting arrested.

But Jesus didn’t need his life to make sense to fulfill his purpose because he wasn’t following the patterns of this world; he was following the will of God. And the will of God wasfor people to know the truth about Jesus and to believe in him for salvation.

That’s why, for example, Jesus tells his brothers he’s not going to follow their advice. He’snot interested in their opinion because they’re aligned with the world, and he’s aligned himself with God.

And don’t you think the things the world does and the things God does will conflict?

And if you commit to following Jesus, that means sometimes your life won’t make senseeither, not because you don’t make sense, but because people don’t understand the Jesus you follow.

I’ll give you an example. Sarah and I were both 21 when we got married. And I’m notsaying that’s what everyone should do, but that’s what the Lord

called us to do. And we didn’t decide to do that in secret. We had godly people who were olderand wiser than us advising and encouraging us.

But in that season leading up to getting married, we also had people tell us, “I don’t think that’s a good decision.” Including members on both sides of our immediate families. And every time I heard that, I had the same response—I don’t need this to make sense to you for me to be confident I’m doing what the Lord has for me.

Now, that’s not an easy thing to do. It’s hard to have fundamental differences with some of the people you love the most. And it can even happen among Christians. You profess the same faith, but sometimes human tradition and cultural opinion hold more sway than whatGod says, and we don’t realize it because it’s a blind spot. Some said:

“You need to be older.” I’m sure we do, but you know, the other day I asked Sarah if she had any regrets about getting married young, and she said, “Not at all.” Which means if anyregrets come later on, it’ll be because of the fool she’s married to in her 30s, 40s, 50s, and not the fool she said yes to in her 20s.

“You should live together first.” No, I’m going to trust the Lord on this one. The reason I’m committing myself to another person is to be a signpost to the gospel of Jesus Christ to the world around me. So why would I treat our relationship like I would testing out a new car tomake sure it’s what I want before I buy it? Those are different values.

I’m not interested in doing what the world says is most important, and I’m not interested insubmitting to cultural norms if they don’t align with gospel purposes.

Now, that’s not a license to do whatever you want or an encouragement to forge your own path. The point is that when you surrender your life to Jesus, you’re no longer the one who’s leading your life. You make a fundamental shift from leader to follower.

Which means you’ll make decisions based on the values of the kingdom and not the values of this world. We should seek God in Word and prayer, ask for godly counsel, and use wise discernment when making big decisions. And we do that as a way to follow the Lord’sleading, but people who don’t follow Jesus will question the decisions you make because they make no sense to them. The world will say:

• Why would you give your firstfruits to the church? You should prioritize yourself. Because I value God’s Church and her mission, and I’ve found that when Iput myself first, I often don’t have anything left to give to the Lord.

• Why would you save sex for marriage? God doesn’t care what you do with yourbody. And besides, how will you know if you’re sexually compatible? Because God calls me to a life of purity and holiness in every way, and he designed sex as a good gift to be shared in a committed relationship between a husband and wife.

• Why do you talk so much about faith? There’s more important things to talk about. Because Jesus isn’t just a helpful add-on to me; he is my life. And even though I still struggle in lots of ways, I want him to have full control over everything.

Following Jesus will make your life incompatible with the values and traditions of this world.

That’s why it’s so important to be rooted in your identity in Christ. Because…3. FollowingJesus means that at some point, you’ll face rejection.

At some point, people will push back against you because of your faith. For some of us, following Jesus might mean breaking from the traditions we grew up with because they clashwith a genuine commitment to Jesus. And that can leave you feeling like an outsider within your own family.

Maybe people you love will oppose your faith by shaming and discouraging you. Or maybe they’ll oppose your faith by trying to discredit Jesus.

In [v. 25] – Anyone who’d been around Judea knew the Pharisees hated Jesus. They’re surprised to see Jesus’ boldness when he stands up to teach, but they’re also surprised noone stops him. They say, “Is not this the man whom they seek to kill? 26 And here he is, speaking openly, and they say nothing to him! Can it be that the authorities really know that this is the Christ?”

Now, many people still reject Jesus’ teaching, but [v. 31] says, “Yet many of the people believed in him. They said, “When the Christ appears, will he do more signs than this man has done?”

Even with all the doubt and questions, some people still believe Jesus might be the Christ—even if they don’t fully understand what that means. But watch the response…[v. 32] – The Pharisees heard the crowd muttering these things about him, and the chief priests and Pharisees sent officers to arrest him. 33 Jesus then said, “I will be with you a little longer, and then I am going to him who sent me. 34 You will seek me and you will not find me. Where I am you cannot come.” 35 The Jews said to one another, “Where does this man intend to go that we will not find him? Does he intend to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks andteach the Greeks? 36 What does he mean by saying, ‘You will seek me and you will not findme,’ and, ‘Where I am you cannot come’?”

Jesus is talking about going back to the Father in glory. And even as the crowd comes toarrest him, no one lays a hand on him, because it’s not his time yet.

There is a time coming when people will seize Jesus. He’ll be arrested, not because they trapped him, but because he came to lay down his life to save sinners. He’ll die and riseagain on the third day. And then he’ll return to the Father in glory, just like he said he would.

But think about this: What do you think would’ve happened to his disciples’ faith if Jesus had been arrested here?

We don’t have to wonder that much, do we? They would’ve panicked. They would’ve fled. Peter said he would die for Jesus, but when the heat of the moment came, he denied Jesus three times. He couldn’t even stand up to the high priest’s servant girl. In [John 18:17] she says, “You also are not one of this man’s disciples, are you?” He said, “I am not.”

Have any of you ever felt like a fraud in your faith? Cause Peter’s been there.

But here’s the plot twist—what Jesus’ enemies meant to use against him, God used to fulfillhis plan. The Cross wasn’t the defeat it looked like. It was the way God chose to save us.

And Jesus promises this: If you’re ever rejected or mocked for following him, you won’t be put to shame. He will be enough for you in the face of every new rejection.

Back in [v. 7] Jesus tells his brothers, “The world can’t hate you” because you still belong to it. But later in [John 15:19], he tells his disciples, “…I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. 20 Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater thanhis master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you.

IOW, if you follow Jesus, expect to be treated like Jesus.

But here’s the good news—he doesn’t leave us to face the world alone. He promises the Holy Spirit. And when the Spirit comes, everything changes.

Remember Peter? Before receiving the Spirit, Peter couldn’t even defend Jesus to a servant girl. But after being filled with the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, he boldly stands to preach the gospel to the nations.

Why? Because his life had become like a river of living water. He’d been joined to Jesus bythe power of the Spirit. And Jesus promises the Spirit to anyone who believes.

4. Following Jesus means being commissioned to live sent.

Jesus didn’t come only to save us—he came also to send us. He was sent by God to make God known to the world, and if you follow Jesus, he calls you to do the same.

He sends you into the world to make him known. And he says—expect rejection. Expect criticism. That’s how they treated him, too.

But go anyway. Because people are lost in their sin, and what they need most is the eternal life only Jesus can offer.

[v. 37] – On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said,‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” 39 Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

That means we’re not just recipients of God’s grace—we’re meant to share it. Jesus calls us to be like streams of living water, bringing life to people who are desperate for it.

See, Jesus came to feed the hungry. He came to give drink to the thirsty; to bring life to thedead. And he says the only way to truly drink is to believe in him by faith.

And so once you’ve tasted that living water, your job is to go show thirsty people where to find water. That’s what it means to live sent.

But just remember as you go—not everyone who’s thirsty is ready to admit it. [v. 40] says that as people encountered Jesus, they were divided about him. They heard the same thingsbut had different encounters and left with different conclusions. And I have no doubt that could be happening right now.

But what if you really believed in Jesus?

And this is why I want to end by talking about Nicodemus. Nicodemus first shows up inJohn 3. He’s the Pharisee who comes secretly at night to talk with Jesus and misunderstands what it means to be born again. He walks away in unbelief. But then he shows up again at the end of chapter 7.

[v. 45] – The officers then came to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, “Why did you not bring him?” 46 The officers answered, “No one ever spoke like this man!” 47 The Pharisees answered them, “Have you also been deceived? 48 Have any of the authorities or the Pharisees believed in him? 49 But this crowd that does not know the law is accursed.”[The Pharisees are mad that no one arrested Jesus, and they’re mocking anyone who’s compelled by anything he says.]

[50] Nicodemus, who had gone to him before, and who was one of them, said to them, 51 “Does our law judge a man without first giving him a hearing and learning what he does?” 52They replied, “Are you from Galilee too? Search and see that no prophet arises from Galilee.”

Nicodemus isn’t professing faith in Jesus here, but he is risking his reputation. His position on Jesus is a lot softer than his co-workers, and they insult him for it. It’s almost like he’strying to test the waters of faith to see how people might respond, but he’s too afraid to get in.

See, Nicodemus may not be ready to follow Jesus yet, but he’s also not aligned with his peers anymore. And I think that’s a big deal the church should be paying attention to.

I think we should be getting ready for the Nicodemuses trying to come to Jesus. Maybe there’s someone here this morning who feels like a Nicodemus—your beliefs about Jesus arechanging, and it’s uncomfortable for you. But what’s becoming even more uncomfortable is the idea of rejecting Jesus at all. Because deep down, you know he’s the Savior.

What happens when you stop seeing Jesus as someone to reject and start seeing him assomeone to trust? You’ll find that Jesus isn’t tame—you can’t control him or make him fit your agenda. But he is good, and you can trust him. You can hold onto him. And when you do, you need to know that the only reason you can hold onto Jesus is because he’s been holding on to you. That’s the power of God’s resurrection at work—bringing you from death to life.

Being a Nicodemus can be a lonely road to faith. And if that’s you, I just want to remind youthat we have the Holy Spirit and the family of God. Find community; get connected to one of our community groups, or one of our men’s and women’s groups. Find people who will encourage you to come drink from the river of living water.

As you follow Jesus, I think you’ll find him leading you to a place where you have the strength to say, “I’d rather be rejected by the world than reject my Savior.” That doesn’t mean you stop loving the people of this world. Jesus came because he loves the world—and if you’re walking with him, you’ll start loving the people he loves, too. And you’ll join him in his mission to help others find their way to Jesus.

¹ Works Consulted:

• The Gospel According to John – Carson
• “Feast of Tabneracles: How Sukkoth Points to God’s Provision” – Burris
• “The Search for Jesus Christ” – Keller
• “Thirsty” – Martin

² Along with Passover and Pentecost (Feast of Weeks).