Go ahead and be seated. Welcome to Grace Point. So happy that you guys are here. We're going to be in the Gospel of John this morning in the 7th chapter. in the seventh chapter. And as we come to this passage, as we approach this passage this morning, the mood is chaos, absolute chaos. It is the last great day of the Feast of Tabernacles. And things have gotten out of hand. What started out as a typical well-organized ceremony, a celebration of what God has done and what he will do for his people, well, it's fallen into complete disarray. Where there was order, now only confusion and chaos. And that confusion is bringing a lot of frustration to the leaders of the Jews. Because you see, the confusion and the chaos is caused by this Jesus. He's the cause of the chaos. He had the temerity to inject himself into their final ceremony. He used that pouring out of the water at the very end of the ceremony as his opportunity to cry out to the crowd. That water, as everyone in the crowd knew, the water that was being poured out, it represented the Holy Spirit. It represented the life-giving power of the Holy Spirit. And here is this Jesus connecting himself to that power. saying, if anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. He's connecting himself to that water, connecting himself to the Holy Spirit. And this is causing mass confusion. And as the feast comes to a close, these actions of our Lord, well, they cause the Pharisees to draw a line in the sand. Let's pick it up in John chapter seven, in verse 45. The officers then came to the chief priests and the Pharisees, and they said to them, why did you not bring him? The officers answered, never has a man spoken the way this man speaks. The Pharisees then answered them, you've not also been led astray, have you? No one of the rulers or Pharisees has believed in him, has he? But this crowd, which does not know the law, is accursed. Now Nicodemus, he who came to him before, being one of them, said to them, Our law does not judge a man unless it first hears from him and knows what he's doing, does it? They answered him, You're not also from Galilee, are you? Search and see that no prophet arises out of Galilee. Let's look to the Lord. Heavenly Father, as we approach your sacred word this morning, we pray as we always do that you would be present in a mighty way, that you would, through the Holy Spirit, open our eyes and our hearts and our minds to the truth that you have within this passage. Father, use me as an instrument for truth. Do not allow me to be a stumbling block in my own nature, but Father, speak through me and let's open this passage that we could all understand what it is we are to learn. We'll give you all the praise and all the glory. In Jesus' name we pray, amen. Now what's the setting here? We are about six months from the crucifixion. Six months from the murder of Jesus Christ. And what we see in our passage this morning is the utter confusion that is permeating the Jewish nation at this moment. It's all about to close, it's all about to end. And the Jewish nation is in complete confusion, complete chaos. The people don't know what to make of Jesus. As we just read, the temple guards don't know what to make of Jesus. And even one of the Pharisees has no idea what to make of Jesus. The only people here really who are dead set on their opinion are those of the Sanhedrin. We see in verse 45, they talk about the chief priests and the Pharisees. And whenever the Bible puts those two groups together, because the chief priests and the Pharisees did not get along, they did not get along. The chief priests would have been Sadducees. They did not agree with the Pharisees. So they established a council, and it's called the Sanhedrin, where they get together. Remember, we talked about this, it's like the Democrats and the Republicans coming together in Congress. They don't get along, but they try to set stuff aside to advance. And that's what the Sanhedrin is. It is the Sadducees, the chief priests, and the Pharisees coming together to try to promote God within the nation of Israel. So whenever you see chief priests and Pharisees in the Bible in one of the Gospels, it's the Sanhedrin. So they're the only ones, this council, this group, they're the only ones that are dead set on their opinion of Jesus Christ. They're the only group who has a conviction of who they think He is. Now, they're dead wrong, and we know that, but they're the only ones who are steadfast in their belief. Everyone else is confused. They simply don't know what to make of Jesus. And that's what John wants us to see here in this passage. What's illustrated for us is a building frustration within the Sanhedrin, within these Jewish leaders. Their frustration is growing. And it's growing over the fact that the people are not outright rejecting our Lord. They're not just outright rejecting this Jesus. See, to them, to the Sanhedrin, to the chief priests and to the Pharisees, they believe themselves to be the smart ones. They believe themselves to be the educated ones, the only ones who knew the things of God. So to them, it was extremely disturbing that so many of the people are leaning towards Jesus. And they're not just simply outright rejecting Him based upon their say-so. They've tried everything. They've tried everything they knew to convince these people, this crowd, that this Jesus was an imposter. That He was not who He says He is. But in spite of their best efforts, He just isn't going away. He just isn't going away, and worse, the people are listening to Him. And it all boils over here in our passage, and that's my great prayer this morning, is that I can show you how that boils over here. It comes to a head, and insults start to fly. Let's just look at this, break it down, this passage, okay? In verses 45 and 46, we see the confused temple guards. the confused temple guards. Then we see the condescending Pharisees in verses 47 through 49. And then it turns and we finish with the contemplative Nicodemus. So we have the confused, we have the condescending, and we have the contemplative. Those are the three different pictures that we get here. And John is including this in his gospel in order to show us There's a disparity going on. There's a disparity that existed, and it wasn't just in the city. Remember, this was the Feast of Tabernacles, so Jews from all over the known world were in the city for the feast. It was one of the three required feasts. So this is nationwide. This is throughout all Judea and beyond. There's a massive disparity between the people and the rulers. And that's what John is building here. That's what he wants us to see. Now, these people were not coming to Christ out of faith. They were not truly believing in him. We've seen that several times in this gospel, how people believe in him or believe in his name, but he regarded them not, for he knew what was in man. But they were believing to a certain degree. What did we learn last time we were together? They were believing he was either the prophet or the messiah, but not the savior, not the eternal savior of the soul. They're drawn to him, though. They listen to him. They're learning from him. And nothing could have frustrated the Pharisees more because everything that this man taught went against their teachings. He was disputing everything they were teaching and they were listening to him. And so we can see the frustration here. And we can see really how this is all gonna lead to the events that'll take place in just six short months. Last time we were together, we saw the confusion begin with the people, right? Do you remember? We saw this confusion begin with the people. Some were thinking that Jesus was the great prophet, the one that was to come, the one that was to point to the Messiah, point to his coming. Others were saying that, no, this Jesus is the actual Messiah himself. And he had come to set up his earthly kingdom. He had come to overthrow the Romans and to free the Jewish nation. And still others rejected both of those theories and they concluded, you know, this Jesus, he couldn't be the Messiah. He couldn't be. We know our scripture. He's not from the right place. He doesn't meet scriptural qualification. So there's confusion among the people. And then the anger starts to build among the people. And it boiled up to where they once again tried to seize him in verse 44. And that's where we ended last time we were together. This morning, we see that this confusion that's among the people, the crowds, it starts to boil over onto the temple guards. A few weeks ago, we saw the temple guards being sent out. It's in verse 32. The Pharisees heard the crowd muttering these things, and the chief priests and the Pharisees sent officers to seize him. That was in the midst of the feast, if you remember. That wasn't this day. That was about two or three days ago. The chief priests were sent out to arrest Jesus. And here we are now on the last day of the feast, and they have not yet arrested Jesus. What's going on? Why haven't they arrested him? That was the plan. The Pharisees wanted to put an end to this whole thing right now and right here. He just wanted to get it over with. They wanted to put an end to Jesus, but no one laid hands on him. Why? Because his hour had not yet come. God's timing was not yet fulfilled. There was still things for Jesus to do. Of course, the Jewish rulers, They had no idea about God's plan. That was not of interest to them. They had their own plan, and that plan was to arrest Jesus. And so the temple guards are sent, and they're sent to wait and watch for the perfect opportunity. Wait until this guy puts his foot in his mouth. Wait until he says something blasphemous. Wait until he says something that you can arrest him. But that perfect opportunity never came. Let's pick it up in verse 45 again. The officers then came to the chief priests and Pharisees, and they said to them, why did you not bring him? And the officers answered, never has a man spoken the way this man speaks. That perfect opportunity never came. And it never came because Jesus spoke as no man had ever spoken before. That's why the temple guards didn't arrest him, because of the way he spoke. You see, there was something about the way Jesus spoke that just stopped these officers, these temple guards, from seizing him. Now let's just take a step back and let's put a human face to these temple guards. Who are they? Are they some sort of police force? Yes. However, they are just as qualified to be priests as the priests. They were Levites. They worked in the temple right alongside the priests. Remember, it was to the tribe of Levi that the priesthood was given. Only Levites could be priests. But not all Levites became priests. Some became temple guards. And some became other things. Some became scribes. But they all had the training of the priests. But these officers, these guards, were never called to the office of priest. They knew everything that the priest knew. And here's the thing, they understood the ways of the law. They were surrounded by the priests and the Pharisees on a constant daily basis. They were to think like the priests. They were to think like the Pharisees. They were to believe the same things. So why then are they caught up in this confusion? Why did they not arrest Jesus? Well, there was something about the way he spoke. These officers, I mean, they weren't impressed with the miracles. They weren't caught up in the show of it all. But as they're going about, for these last couple of days, they're going around, they're following Jesus, they're following the people. They're looking for this perfect time to seize him. And as they're going around, guess what they're doing? They're listening. They're listening to what he's saying. They heard his words, they heard his teachings. And as they listened, they were stunned with his words. And they were stunned with the way he spoke. You know, back in the Gospel of Matthew, we see this as well. We see the people are astounded at the way the Lord taught. And it says there, because he spoke as one having authority. You see, when the rabbis spoke at temple, or when the Pharisees spoke to the crowds, or when any of the other religious leaders, the scribes, when they spoke to the crowds, they did so with zeal. They used logic. They used reasoning. They used past traditions. They really tried to persuade and to convince people. But when Jesus spoke, There was something unique. Jesus didn't try to persuade anyone. We've seen that. He pushes the crowd away. He limits. He doesn't try to persuade. He doesn't use logic. He doesn't use reasoning. Jesus spoke the words of God, and he did so plainly. But when he spoke, there was an unmistakable sense of authority. There was an undeniable sense of truth, and that truth came across to those who were listening. You see, Jesus taught with a sense of inherent power and legitimacy. He did not rely on the authority of others, as did the rabbis. He did not rely on established traditions, as did the Pharisees. He spoke the words of God. And his words carried weight and conviction. And they led people to be astonished and to recognize, you know what, there is a divine source behind these words. Now this authority, it was rooted in the very fact that he's the son of God. He has a direct connection to God's will. And that connection came across. He is the source of all truth, we know that. His words, well, they were more than words. His words were spirit and life. And that came across to anyone who heard. And evidently, it came across to these temple guards, because they were also amazed at the words of Jesus. You see, they went out to arrest Jesus, and it was Jesus who arrested them. He arrested their hearts, and he arrested their minds. And it left them confused. So they didn't arrest him. They did not seize Jesus. And when they came back to the Pharisees and they were empty handed and they were questioned about that, they had no legitimate excuse. So they just told the truth. No one has ever spoken like this man speaks. That's the only answer they had. You see, they went out with a mission and that mission changed. They were left unable to arrest the Lord. And they walked away just as confused about Him. as the crowd was, just as confused. So this confusion, it's boiling over. It's becoming greater. And this infuriated the Pharisees. Listen, even their own are now starting to listen to this man. It is one thing for the people. But now even those inside the temple walls are starting to listen to this man. How could that be? How could these men who were raised as Levites, who were raised to respect and follow the law, who were raised under the same traditions, how could they be so confused? Has this man, has this Jesus actually gotten to some of our own? Let's pick it up in verse 47. The Pharisees then answered them. You have not also been led astray, have you? No one of the rulers or Pharisees has believed in him, has he? But this crowd, which does not know the law, is accursed. Here we see, oh man, just the seething arrogance. and condensation of the Pharisees. They take these temple guards and they try to humiliate them. They're pitting their own brilliance, their own authority, their own position as leaders. They're pitting all of that against the peasants, against the crowd. They said, did this man get to you as well? We thought better of you. Did they get to you as well? You want to throw in with the rabble? You want to be like the common people? You come here and you tell us you didn't arrest him because of the way he spoke? Well, what about the way we speak? Are we not impressive? What about the authority that we have? Don't you know who we are? We are the Pharisees. We are the rulers. They're the rabble. And you're gonna side with them? Notice they say in verse 47, they say, led astray. Think of the perspective it would take to say that. Has this man led you astray? You see, these Pharisees truly believed that they were God's standard bearers. They truly believed that Jesus was a liar, a con artist, a troublemaker, and now this con artist is leading people away from God, away from their teachings, away from the law. That's what they believed. And they put it to the guards in no uncertain terms. They say, are you gonna side with us or are you gonna side with them? It's us or them. Look at us, none of us believe. We're the smart ones, we're the ones that know. We know God, we know the word of God. We don't believe. Those people believe. And what do they say about those people? They're accursed. They're accursed, and now that's an interesting word. Aparatos in the original Greek. It means under, divine, Condemnation. Or deserving of judgment. Essentially, the Pharisees, they're giving the temple guards a choice. They're saying, stand with us or risk going to hell. Stand with us or be accursed. Risk going to hell. You see, to the Pharisees, anyone who believed in Jesus was accursed. They were under divine condemnation. Anyone who followed Jesus would fall under divine judgment. They would go to hell. That's strong language. That is strong language coming from these Pharisees. They're frustrated. You can hear the anger and the frustration in these verses. They're beside themselves. They're at their end. They don't know what to do. And so now they're attacking their own. And it sets up for us this great showdown that's coming in just a few months. Remember, Jesus really started the showdown earlier in the chapter, if you recall. He's the one a few days earlier that told them that they're the ones going to hell. Back in verse 16, when we were still in the midst of the feast, on the day that Jesus actually showed up to the feast. Remember where he was when he showed up? He was at the temple teaching. And he gave the standard by which truth is found. He said, I speak for God. Anyone who is of God, anyone who wants to do God's will, That person is going to know that I'm from God. I won't have to convince them. I won't have to persuade them. They will be taught of God and they will know. They'll know that I'm from God. They'll know that I speak for God. And then in verse 18, he pivots a little and he tells us this is what to look for in a false teacher. Here's a mark of a false teacher. Anyone who speaks for himself or from himself seeks his own glory. Isn't that exactly what the Pharisees are doing in our passage this morning? Seeking their own glory? They see these masses, this crowd, these people, they see them slipping through their fingers, slipping from their grip. This Jesus is leading them astray. He is diminishing their authority. He is diminishing their standing among the people. And that, beloved, was their glory. Their glory was how the people viewed them. Their glory was their standing among the people. They weren't concerned about God's glory, only about their own. And they were concerned about their own glory so much that they were willing to actually throw the crowd overboard. They were willing to esteem this crowd as accursed, as heading for divine judgment. because they wouldn't listen to them, but they were listening to him. If you follow Jesus, you're going to hell. That's what they're saying. It doesn't get much plainer than that. They kind of just spell it right out. Their message is very clear. They just drew a line in the sand. And this line that they drew, it went just a little too far for one of them. one of their own, a man named Nicodemus. He was listening to this whole exchange between the Pharisees, of which he was one, and the temple guards. And as this condemnation came down, this accusation of being accursed came down, Nicodemus' conscience was pricked. Let's pick it up in verse 50. Nicodemus, he who came to him before, being one of them, said to them, our law does not judge a man unless it first hears from him and knows what he's doing, does it? And they answered him, you are not also from Galilee, are you? Search and see that no prophet arises out of Galilee. Nicodemus had to speak. He felt like he had to say something. Do you remember Nicodemus from all the way back in chapter three? This is the one who came to Jesus at night and he wanted to know how to get into the kingdom of heaven. Now he didn't say that. All he said was, Jesus, we know that you're from God. because no one could do the things you do unless God sent him. Jesus, knowing his heart, picked it right up and started talking about being born again. That's how you get into the kingdom of heaven. You see, Nicodemus came into that meeting knowing that there was something about this Jesus that was true. Perhaps he was being taught of God at that moment. Perhaps God was beginning the drawing process at that moment because he too was very confused by the way Jesus spoke and he wanted to know more. And Jesus on that night told him more. Oh, he told him a lot more. A lot more than Nicodemus could probably process. Have any of you ever wondered if what Jesus said to Nicodemus back in chapter three, if it ever hit home. Because we don't hear again from Nicodemus. We're not given the results in chapter three. Have you ever wondered if all of those beautiful, wonderful, all the lessons that we learn in chapter three, do you ever wonder if any of that sunk in with Nicodemus? Right here we see. Right here it becomes clear that Nicodemus listened to Jesus that night and he was being persuaded. Now, I don't think he's all the way there yet. I don't think he's all the way there yet. That comes later. Do you know when we know that Nicodemus comes to faith? After Jesus is crucified, in John, I believe it's the 19th chapter, We hear about Joseph of Arimathea going to Pontius Pilate and asking for the body of Jesus. You remember that, right? Well, only in John, the other three gospels do not have this, but only in John, I believe it's chapter 19, it says that there was another man who also bought spices and helped Joseph prepare the body for the tomb, and that man was Nicodemus. So at that point, He would not have done that unless he was willing to declare his faith in Jesus, because that would have been a rather bawdy thing for a Pharisee to do at that moment. So that's when we know he came to faith. Here, I don't think he has yet, but he's being drawn. He's being taught of God. And right here, he does stand up for Jesus, just a little, just a little. He doesn't defend him, but he stands up for him. He says, wait a minute. You just said that anyone, I know he's thinking of himself because he's starting to believe as well. Anyone who believes this man is destined for judgment? Did I just hear you say that correctly? Because I don't know how you can say that without proof. We haven't even heard from him yet. I mean, don't you think we ought to hear what he has to say? If you want to follow the law, then you cannot judge this man until there is a trial. You see, what Nicodemus does in verse 51 is he calls the Pharisees out on their own standard. He points to the law. Isn't that what Jesus did a few weeks ago when we were looking and he says, you all just want to kill me? What was he doing? He was pointing to the Ten Commandments. Commandment number six, thou shalt not murder. And he knew that they wanted to murder him. So he pointed to the law when accusing them, and now Nicodemus is pointing to the law, the very law on which they hang their hats. The law by which they live has become their accuser. Now twice in this very chapter. And it really hits home to the Pharisees and they turn on Nicodemus. And now they're accusing him of being a follower of Jesus. They're accusing him of being one of the rabble from Galilee. Oh, you're not from Galilee too, are you? Now this was obviously intended as an insult to Nicodemus, but what does it tell us about how they viewed those from Galilee? the great unwashed, the losers from up north. They viewed anybody from the northern region as way beneath them, not worthy. Well, the stage is now set and the lines are drawn. Jesus had drawn a line earlier in the chapter and now the Pharisees have drawn a line. Their line is, stay with us, do as we say, or go to hell. Listen to us and follow the law, or listen to him and be accursed. The ultimatum was cast. And what I want you to remember is this entire narrative is centered around the way in which Jesus spoke. It's what confused the crowd. It's what confused the temple guards and it's what had confused Nicodemus. We can see Jesus, we can see his words are starting to penetrate. They're starting to work their way into the people. They're starting to work their way into people who even live and work inside the temple. They're starting to work their way. The way Jesus spoke was a dividing line between those who were of God and those who were of the world. Let's just think about this for a moment. Did Jesus give two different speeches? Did he speak to the Pharisees one thing, and then to the people another thing? Did he speak to the people one thing, and then when he saw the temple guards change and say something else? He spoke the same words, and yet it caused the Pharisees to reject him, and it caused the crowd to believe in him. The same words, but diametrically opposed results. What does this remind you of? This is a perfect illustration of the gospel. Because when the gospel is preached, it is living and active. When the gospel is preached, it acts as a two-edged sword. It pierces the listener. It goes down into them and it divides the soul and the spirit. It divides the bone from the marrow. When the gospel is preached, it judges the thoughts and the intentions of the heart. For those who are being drawn by God, for those who are taught of God, for those who have been given to Christ by God, this piercing of the sword, it is the death of one life and the birth of another. When the sword of truth, the sword of the gospel, enters the heart of one who will believe, it judges them, and it condemns them, and it reveals to them who they are. And then gloriously, it redeems them, and it restores them, and it quickens the soul of that new life. But when that same sword, the same sword pierces the soul of one who is of the world, one who loves the world, that same sword now becomes an instrument of not death unto life, but of eternal death. The hearer rejects it. The hearer rejects the gospel, rejects the Savior, and forfeits their soul. The way Jesus spoke is the way the gospel speaks. It is truth, it is life, it is spirit. The gospel is the word of God. Jesus is the word of God. When Jesus speaks, we hear the words of God. And just like that, when the gospel is given, when you share it, When you hear it from a pulpit, when you hear it on the radio, or when you are with a group of people who are spreading the word, the gospel, because it is God's word, it speaks to the heart, and it speaks the words of God, and it gives the opportunity for the Holy Spirit to take over. And he is now free to do his work in that heart. For some, that work results in redemption, and for others, that work results in condemnation. Some will hear and believe, but most will reject. And through it all, the glory goes to God. We serve an awesome God, don't we? We serve a God who will always prevail. We serve a God who stands firm and will not relent. Our God is a saving God. He is a loving God and he's a forgiving God and he will save all who are his own. Sometimes I'm just amazed that we're given the honor to be a part of that work. Jesus said, the very stones that cry out. But yet he chose us to cry out. How glorious that he chose us to be his ambassadors. I hope you appreciate that. I hope you appreciate not just your new life, but your new role in God's plan. What a privilege. What a God. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we thank you so very much for teaching us the beauty of your word today. We thank you, Father, that we can see the confusion and the angst and the frustration and the anger that's been building up during the Feast of Tabernacles. And we pray, Father, that the lessons that are contained within this passage, we pray that you would unlock those lessons in the hearts of everyone listening, and that through the Spirit you would apply it. to their life individually. Something I could not do from the pulpit. I could not apply these lessons to each and every individual's personal life. But Father, the Holy Spirit, through the Holy Spirit, that is exactly what you do. And so we thank you for that. We thank you that you take the words that you've given to us, and then you give them the power to change. Help us, Father, as we endeavor to use those words and to spread those words and to share those words. Help us with the courage and the conviction to do so. And then help us with the results. We'll give you all the praise and the glory. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.