John Chapter 7:14-34

Do you know what's going to happen next week? Do you know what's going to happen next year?

Reality is no, you don't. A lot of awesome promises in this book, guys. Do you understand tomorrow is not one of them?

But here's something that should come for you. Jesus knows. He knows what's about to happen in your life. He knows what's going to happen tomorrow and next week and next year. He knows.

You can trust that. Welcome to Cross the Bridge with David Magee. David is a senior pastor of the bridge in Kernersville, North Carolina. Today, on our verse-by-verse journey through the book of John, we're in chapter 7 with the message, Reality. We also have D.A.

Brown in the studio with us. Welcome, brother. Bob, you know living for Jesus isn't something that we can put on layaway.

We don't know what's going to happen tomorrow. Today we should seek Jesus, and today we should live for Him. Here's David Magee with part two of his teaching, Reality. We're in John, chapter 7, verse 14. One righteousness is in Him. He who seeks the glory of the One who sent Him is true. You understand that what Jesus is doing is He's calling us to a reality of a life in God. Jesus calls us to the reality of a life in God.

It is about relationship. It's not about religion, and it's about God being real. Do you understand God is real?

Amen? God is real. And you sit there, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. But no, no. Is God real to you?

Or is it just something you do on Sunday morning because the game hasn't started yet? God is real. God wants to become real to you. And it's interesting because, you know, history reveals that religious systems always persecuted the person who came in talking about the reality of a life in God. Why?

Because it kind of toppled their kingdom. And this is what's going on here. Jesus is coming in. He's being radical, and He's, you know, hey, this is a different thing going on, calling us to a reality in Him, just like He was then, calling people to a reality in Him. And the sad thing is that's not always received well, but that's okay. That's okay.

History set the precedent that it won't always be received well. Verse 19, did not Moses give you the law, yet none of you keeps the law? Why do you seek to kill me?

Man. So here's Jesus being seeker friendly again, I guess, huh? Don't get me wrong. We want to reach people. There's certain things that the church has done that makes it difficult for them to reach people.

Some places have emphasized reach so much they forgot to teach. They emphasize reach so much that, you know, their whole Sunday morning is built around seeing people get saved. The only problem with that is 80, 90, 95, 98 percent of the people that are listening are already saved. What are you giving them?

If you're just giving them the gospel, they're not getting milk, they're not getting meat. And so it's important to have that balance. And things that are getting, that are non-essentials that are in the way of reaching, they got to go, guys.

They got to go. And I don't want any walls built. So, you know, I want comfortable chairs or good coffee or whatever the thing is, but I'm not going to water down the truth. I'm not going to make it, well, you know, if I put it just like such a certain way, it'll be easier to swallow. Can't do that because then I've betrayed my king. Jesus says here, none of you keeps the law. He said that to people who were very, very, I understand, very religious, very devout. But Jesus said, you know what, none of you guys are keeping the law.

You understand the same word applies this morning? None of us are keeping the law. None of us. All of us are missing it or messing up in one area or another.

Every one of us. How did the church go from what Jesus said to people thinking that it's about their goodness, that they can earn their goodness into heaven, that if they're good enough for long enough, they get in. And if you think this is a misconception, ask people around you. Ask other people who go to church, hey, you think you're going to heaven? Oh, you betcha.

Why do you think that? Well, you know, because I'm a pretty good person. That's very unbiblical. Or, but you know, well, I go to church.

Oh, okay. My goodness, if you go to church, you must be a Christian. You know, the analogy, if going to church makes you a Christian, then I guess going to Krispy Kreme makes you a donut.

It doesn't. Well, I've kept most of the 10 commandments. Most of them.

It says that if you've offended, if you've broken the law in one place, you've broken every place. Romans 3 10 says that as it is written, there is none righteous. No, not one. Nobody in here, guys, is righteous.

Not one. Romans 3 23 says, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Now look at the word all. Do you know what the word all means in the Greek? It means all.

That's right. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Understand that. Understand that every single one of us under the law stands condemned. Now you're just sitting there going, well, that's not very affirming, Pastor David. I'm not feeling good about me right now. That's the bad news.

See, the good news has to start with the bad news. If you don't realize you're condemned under the law, you won't realize you need a Savior. But if you realize that there's none righteous, no, not one, that you need a Savior, then you begin to look. Okay, who can save me?

Well, there's only one. And that's Jesus. And you know what's awesome? He's willing. He's willing this morning to make a deal with you. He stands there with a nail scarred hand and looks at you this morning and says, you know what? The offer still stands. What will you do?

What will you do? The law was to be a schoolmaster, to point us to Jesus. It was never meant to justify us.

We were never meant to be justified by the law. Paul talks about that in Romans. In verse 20, the people answered and said, you have a demon.

Who is seeking to kill you? That's always a quick solution, accuse them of having a demon, right? 21, Jesus answered and said to them, I did one work and you all marvel. Jesus had done other works, but he's talking about the fact that he healed on the Sabbath and how freaked out they got about it.

Now, understand some of these people around were trying to kill him and they were trying to cover it up. Because if we go back, remember John chapter 5 verse 16 says, for this reason the Jews persecuted Jesus and sought to kill him because he had done these things on the Sabbath. And they were upset with Jesus for healing somebody on the Sabbath.

You understand how twisted that is? Jesus healed somebody on the Lord's day and they got freaked out about it. But before we start throwing stones at them, knowing that they were in legalism and that they were in bondage and that they weren't offering hope to people, let's think about what the church in America looks like today. Are we offering hope? Are we offering freedom? Are we offering healing to people?

Or are we condemning them with legalism and whatnot? Verse 22, Moses therefore gave you circumcision. That is not that it is from Moses but from the fathers and you can circumcise a man on the Sabbath. If a man receives circumcision on the Sabbath so that the law of Moses should not be broken, are you angry with me because I made a man completely well on the Sabbath? See their laws, you had to be circumcised on the eighth day and if that eighth day fell on the Sabbath, they said, well it's okay if that eighth day is on the Sabbath that somebody would be circumcised. And Jesus is pointing out the hypocrisy of that. And he says, you're willing to circumcise somebody on the Sabbath but you're going to get mad at me that I healed somebody on the Sabbath? You can't understand the concept, there's rabbinical law and Levitical law. Levitical law is the scriptural concepts of what to do on the Sabbath, what not to do on the Sabbath as it's contained in the Bible. But what had happened is they had rabbinical law where they developed like 38 volumes on how to interpret the law.

You can't do this, you can't do that, you can't do this, you can't do that, you can't do this, you can't. And again, before we throw many rocks, you ought to think about what traditions we've picked up. Because we've picked up quite a bunch, haven't we? Verse 24, do not judge according to appearance but judge with righteous judgment. Man, that's a challenge to us. Do not judge according to appearance. Why is that a challenge to us?

Because we judge according to appearance, we do. Every day. Every day. I love this story, this guy in Texas walks in, he's got cowboy boots kind of scruffed up and dirty and jeans and t-shirt with holes in it and he comes in the, you know, and he notices everybody's kind of looking at him weird and, you know, but he's in there, he's in there to hear from the Lord. You know, after the service pastor comes up and he goes, son, we're glad you're here. But I would ask if you plan on returning that you would ask the Lord what you should wear when you come into the house of the Lord.

The guy said, okay, I'll do it. Well, the following Sunday guy shows up and once again he's got cowboy boots on, kind of scruffed up, you know, jeans, holes in the knees, t-shirt holes in it. The pastor's a little bit confused. He sees him after the service and he says, now son, I thought I'd ask you to talk to the Lord and see what he would have you to wear to this house of God.

The man looked at him and said, well, you know, I asked him and he said he'd never been here either. But now understand, obviously we're, we dress, we have casual dress. You can, you know, I'm just happy people are here. I'm happy if they're wearing shorts. I'm happy if they're in a suit and a tie.

I'm happy they're here. You know, amen. And if, and if wearing a suit and a tie is your thing, praise God, wear a suit and a tie.

If it's not your thing, then don't. But don't look at people in shorts if you wear a suit and a tie and go, what are they doing here dressed like that? But neither, and this might be more applicable word for us, don't look at a person in a tie and think, oh my goodness, look at them. They're wearing a tie.

Don't do that. Cause that's the danger that we run here because we do dress casually. As a matter of fact, just to make people, you know, feel comfortable that occasionally wear ties, don't be surprised.

I'm not saying this is going to happen, but don't be surprised if one morning I bop out here in a tie. Don't be completely freaked out by that. See, some of your faces just went white.

Oh my gosh. Yes, I own a tie. I do.

And I have a couple suits. Don't judge by appearance. Judge with righteous judgment. We'll be right back with more from David McGee on Cross the Bridge. Right now, here's a word from associate pastor D.A.

Brown. Bob, we want to take a minute to pray for our listeners in a few cities in Florida, Panama City, St. Mark's, Tallahassee, West Palm Beach, and also in Georgia, Athens, Blue Ridge, and Brunswick. God, we thank you for those listening today.

We know that you have a special word just for them. And God, we pray that they would be encouraged in following you, that today they would put their trust in you with no holding back, and Lord, that they would be an encouragement to others with what you're doing in them. Lord, we pray for the pastors in these cities, that you would give them wisdom and discernment, and that you will be honored in the midst of that. In Jesus' name, amen. Amen.

Thank you, brother. And now, let's get back to David McGee as he continues teaching verse by verse. Verse 25. Now, some of them from Jerusalem said, Is this not he whom they seek to kill?

26. But look, he speaks boldly, and they say nothing to him. Do the rulers know indeed that this is truly the Christ? These guys know.

They know. Now, understand, when we think Christ, we think, Oh, okay, Christ, that's kind of his name. No, no, no, no, no. His name was Jesus. The Hebrew word is Yahshua. Now, we translated that from the Hebrew to the English, Yahshua goes into Joshua.

Okay? But when Yahshua goes into the Greek, it becomes Jesus. That was his name. Christ was a designated term, Christ from Christos in the Greek, or anointed one, the anointed one, not a anointed one, the anointed one. And they're saying right here, Do they understand that this is the God, that this is the anointed one? The life lesson here is, Do you know that Jesus is the Messiah? Do you know that Jesus is the Messiah?

Not just the Savior of the world, but your Savior? Do you understand that? And I'm not talking about, Oh, I understand that in my head. I understand who Jesus was and who he said he was.

No, I mean, do you know? Do you know in your heart? There's a lot of people walking around that have the knowledge in their head, but they don't have it in their heart. They don't have it in their heart. I am not interested necessarily in what this denomination teaches or what that denomination teaches or if they think this, if they think that. Outside of the central issue, do they realize that Jesus is the anointed one?

Do they realize he's the Messiah? That is the number one question. If the answer is no, if they're teaching another way of salvation, I can't fellowship with them.

I have to reject that. But that is the real question for each and every one of us. And do you understand? Do you understand this is the Christ who provides the finished work of salvation that we can enjoy the benefits and the blessings of?

Every one of us has to make that decision. Verse 27, However, we know where this man is from, but when the Christ comes, no one knows where he is from. Now, what they're doing is they're mixing their tradition with the scriptural expectations of the Messiah. They're mixing their superstition and the man's wisdom and a little bit of Word of God.

And what do they come up with? They come up with error. And that's what happens every time we mix our wisdom, our superstition, our rituals with the Word of God. See, part of the process for us when we get together, it's awesome to learn the Word of God, but you know what we also have to do? We have to unlearn. Because see, we've picked up stuff along the way, has nothing to do with the Bible.

We've picked up stuff along the way, has nothing to do with the character of God. And then we absorb that and we go, well, this is truth. Well, how do you know it's truth? Well, because they told me it was truth.

No, that's the wrong answer. The only way you know something is truth is if it's in this book. Then you can be assured it's truth. Why we believe this? Well, it's according to this verse.

Why we believe that? Well, it's according to that verse. See, because what's happening in the church today is there's a lot of integration of this and that and this truth and that truth and all and none. And look, we've come up with a new and improved gospel. Wait a minute. A new and improved gospel?

Gospel doesn't need any improving, does it? No. And this is, guys, quite frankly, it's an attack of the enemy. And this is the same thing he's been doing for years and years and years. If you remember back to the garden in Genesis 3.1, when the enemy's talking to Eve, he says, did God really say this? That's still a very successful tactic. Oh, it was, the gospels were written centuries after it happened.

No, they weren't. And it's been historically proven with archeological stuff and all sorts of stuff and yet still the enemy's in there, does the Word of God really say? And some churches, some seminaries teach now that the Word of God is not the literal Word of God. And I totally reject that. I totally reject that.

And there's stuff in the church today that has no biblical basis. And guys, there's so much in here that we need to see and we need to be doing. Why would anybody add more stuff? Well, we got to do this. We got to do that.

Where's that? What's not in there but we added it. Man, you know what?

I'll be honest with you. I've got plenty to do with what's already in here. I'm still working on that love thy neighbor thing, you know?

It's not, it's the basic stuff in here that gets to me. Mark Twain said, it's not the part of the Bible that I don't understand that bothers me. This is the Word of God. And so we've wandered and we've weaved and all this stuff has found its way and you know the southern saying of, well as the good book says. Now generally when somebody uses that phrase understand, what they're getting ready to tell you is not scriptural.

Well as the good book says, the Lord helps them that help themselves. That's not in there. Well as the good book says, cleanliness is next to godliness. That's a nice saying.

It's not in there. This is the Word of God. And their tradition and their pride was keeping them from the reality of Jesus in their life. In verse 28, then Jesus cried out as he taught in the temple saying, you both know me and you know where I'm from and I have not come of myself but he who sent me is true whom you do not know. So the Lord is saying, you know what?

You don't know my father. Verse 29, but I know him for I am from him and he sent me. Therefore they sought to take him but no one laid a hand on him because his hour had not yet come. And many of the people believed in him and said, when the Christ comes he will do more signs, will he do more signs than these which this man has done.

Verse 32, the Pharisees heard the crowd murmuring these things concerning him and the Pharisees and the chief priests sent officers to take him. So you have to make a decision about who Jesus says. You have to make a decision about the truth. When you hear the truth, you have to make a decision to reject it or accept it. And Jesus tells them, verse 33, then Jesus said to them, I shall be with you a little while longer and then I go to him who sent me. You will seek me and not find me.

Where I am you cannot go. Do you understand that Jesus was addressing these people up on the Temple Mount and he understood that in less than 40 years that temple would lay in devastation. That the town would be under siege, that men and women and children were going to die. He understood that because Jesus knows what's next. He knows what's next in your life. See if I ask you this morning, what's next in your life? Now you could tell me your plans and we should make plans.

Don't get me wrong, well I'm planning on doing this and I'm planning on doing that and that's all well and good. But do you really know what's going to happen tomorrow? Do you know what's going to happen next week? Do you know what's going to happen next year?

Reality is no, you don't. There will be surprises, some good, some not good. A lot of awesome promises in this book guys. Do you understand tomorrow is not one of them?

But here's something that should come for you. Jesus knows. He knows what's about to happen in your life. He knows what's going to happen tomorrow and next week and next year. He knows.

You can trust that. But do you know Jesus? None of us knows what tomorrow holds but we can know who holds tomorrow as the saying goes. Do you know him? I'm not talking about a head knowledge. I'm talking about do you know him in your heart and are you passionately living out a life for him?

Because guys it's not enough just to say, yeah I know all these facts. But is your life making a difference as you live for him? See because if you really believe what he said, it should be making a difference.

It should be making a big difference. And just like Jesus looked around on that day and he saw what was going to happen in this city of Jerusalem, that they were going to be exiled for almost 2,000 years from this city. He knows what's going to happen in your life and at some point he knows that you're going to stand before him. Don't wait until that day to draw near to him.

Don't wait. Time is too precious of a thing. We've been given days by the Lord.

They're in his keeping. But every one of us has an appointment, a set point in time where we stand before the Lord. And we say, well I rejected you. Or we say, yes, I accepted you and I lived a life for you. You were the most important thing in my life. Is he the most important thing in your life? If he's not, you need to make him the most important thing in your life. You need to ask him to forgive you for letting other things occupy number one and number two and number three.

And once again make him number one. Because there's a lot of things I'm uncertain about. I'm uncertain about what's going to happen in my own life from this morning until that day. I surely don't know what's going to happen in your life from this moment until that day. But let me say with full assurance that day's coming.

I don't know what's in the middle, but I know you're here this morning, here in this, and I know that day's coming. Some of you may have been waiting to give yourself to the Lord, waiting for the right moment. Just now. Friend, do you know for sure that your sins have been forgiven?

You can know right now. I want to lead you in a short, simple prayer, simply telling God you're sorry and asking him to help you to live for him. Now God wants you to pray this prayer so much that he died to give you the opportunity and the ability to ask him to forgive you.

Please pray this prayer with me out loud right now. Dear Jesus, I believe you died for me, that I could be forgiven. And I believe you were raised from the dead, that I could have a new life. And I've done wrong things. I have sinned.

And I'm sorry. Please forgive me of all those things. Please give me the power to live for you all of my days. In Jesus' name.

Amen. Friend, if you prayed that prayer, according to the Bible, you've been forgiven. You've been born again. Jesus said he would not turn anybody away who comes to him.

And he came for those people who knew they needed forgiveness, those who were sick, not the righteous. So congratulations, friend. You just made the greatest decision that you will ever make. God bless you. If you prayed that prayer with David for the first time, we'd love to hear from you. You can visit crossthebridge.com to receive our First Steps package with helpful resources to help you begin your walk with Christ.

Or you can write to Cross the Bridge at P. O. Box 12515, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, 27117, and share how God is working in your life. Well, DA, before we go, what are some ways that we can bless our listeners? Each day you can wake up with encouragement from Pastor David through the Word of God with his email devotional, life lessons to consider, a daily reading plan, and a thought to meditate on throughout your day from the heart of David McGee. That sounds good, Pastor DA.

And again, it's been great to have you with us on the program today. But tell us, what else can our listeners find on crossthebridge.com? If you're not able to make it to your home church this Sunday, why not join us for our live stream at 10 a.m. Eastern Time, or on Thursday nights at 7 p.m. Eastern Time? Just visit crossthebridge.com and click on our live stream link. There, you'll experience a live service from David's home church, The Bridge, in North Carolina. Again, that website is crossthebridge.com. Thanks again for listening, and join us next time as David McGee continues teaching verse by verse in the Gospel of John.