Message

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Thank God for helping us to study John 21 and Deuteronomy 6 and have a clear direction to truly Jesus and feed his flock of sheep. May God help us to go deeper into the devotion of loving God, which is the greatest commandment. We return to John’s gospel study. The title of this message is “Choose to do God’s will.” In our lives choice is very significant, and life is the continuum of choices. Today let’s think about choosing God’s will based on the passage, John 7:1-24. First, seeking the right time (1:10). In John chapter 5 Jesus healed a 38-year invalid man in Jerusalem. It revealed God’s power and love for a totally hopeless person. However, the Jews were not happy with this fabulous work of God. Rather, they were waiting to take his life. So Jesus went around in Galilee, purposely staying away from Judea. Then suddenly his brothers made an appearance. Look at verse 2. “But when the Jewish Feast of Tabernacle was near, Jesus’ brothers said to him.”The Feast of Tabernacle was to commemorate Israelites’ living in the desert for 40 years. They could survive in the wilderness during those years because of God’s provision and care. They tried to remember this grace of God by keeping the Feast of Booths or Tabernacles. Jesus’ brothers did not think of the meaning of the Feast of Tabernacles. They also did not know Jesus’ situation in danger. They said to Jesus, “You ought to leave here and go to Judea, so that your disciples may see the miracles you do. No one who wants to become a public figure acts in secret. Since you are doing these things, show yourself to the world.” They must have seen Jesus’ performing miracles and have been fascinated by his miraculous power. Now they thought that it was the very time for Jesus to go to the capital city and bring a sensation among the people there through performing miracles. They were egging him on. They probably thought that was the way for Jesus to become the Saviour of the world. In truth, they were filled with worldly desire for success and human recognition. They were blind to see the person Jesus and his wondrous life as the Son of God. They were young, poor Galilean country men but very ambitious people. They wanted success in the world even by virtue of Jesus. “Show yourself to the world,” seems to be the catchphrase of the people of the world in time past and present. Especially, our time is the time of self-propaganda. TV programs and things around us arouse young people’s desire for worldly success and fame. Right way or path does not matter. They express their desire to be famous and popular even through making their outward appearances impressive. Human beings’ desire for fame and human recognition is strong. Then how can we overcome the trend of the world and our own human desire? The author commented about Jesus’ brothers in verse 5: “For even his own brothers did not believe in him.” They did not know who Jesus was. They did not know Jesus’ way of living. They did not see the true way of living shown in Jesus. They only knew the standard of the world. What did Jesus say to his ambitious brothers? Look at verses 6-8. “Therefore Jesus told them, ‘The right time for me has not yet come; for you any time is right. The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify that what it does is evil. You go to the Feast. I am not yet going up to this Feast, because for me the right time has not yet come.’” Here Jesus taught his brothers his way of living. Jesus did not live according to people’s demand, even his own brothers’. He sought the right time, that is God’s time contrary to man’s time. To Jesus there was God’s time schedule for his each day’s life and each movement of his daily living, not to mention for the critical times. And Jesus lived and moved according to God’s time schedule, aiming at the final time of fulfilling God’s purpose for him. Each day and each moment he sought God’s time and his leading and followed it, though it meant disappointing people. (Jesus’ popularity at one morning.) He sought the right time and the best opportunity to please God and eventually accomplish God’s purpose for him. We also believe that there is God’s timetable for each of us (Ps 139:16). The people of the world do not like us, even hate us when we do not conform to the pattern of this world. However, God wants us to follow his time and his leading. The wonder of a Christian life is indwelling of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is in us to live with us and guide us at every step of life. However, it is very easy for us to ignore him and just live as if he were not there in us. Ephesians 4:30 says, “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God…” God wants us to be aware of the dwelling of the Holy Spirit and strive to sensitively and rightly follow his leading each moment and each day. We must do so especially in critical times in life. It is the same as living according to God’s time schedule shown in Jesus’ life. May we follow Jesus’ example so that our lives be true and productive and fruitful in God’s sight and eventually fulfill God’s purpose for us. Second, choosing to do God’s will (11-18). Look at verses 11-13. Jesus was very clear in his speaking and acting. From the first to the last he showed himself, who he was and how he lived. However, people’s response to him was split. Some said, “He is a good man.” Others replied, “No, he deceives the people.” Why? It was because their desires are different. Titus 1:15 says, “To the pure, all things are pure, but to those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure. In fact, both their minds and consciences are corrupted.” Not until halfway through the Feast did Jesus go up to the temple courts and begin to teach. The Jews were amazed but they did not put their faith in him. They were contradictory to themselves. They showed their strong unbelief by raising a despising question, “How did this man get such learning without having studied?” They despised Jesus for lacking even basic human education. How did Jesus answer them? Look at verses 16,17. “…My teaching is not my own. It comes from him who sent me. If anyone chooses to do God’s will, he will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak my own.” Jesus gives a clear answer to the timeless, controversial question, “How can we know Jesus’ teaching is true? Or how can we know the Bible is true?” This has been a big question not only in our time, but all times in history. How can one have discernment for this? According to Jesus, anyone can have the answer: “If anyone chooses to do God’s will.” One’s desire, choice and decision give discernment. People try to find the evidence of the truthfulness of the Bible and Jesus’ teaching through earnest research, archeology or any other scientific proof. Their hard effort itself is recommendable. Yet, unless they have no desire to do God’s will, they cannot have right answer, and they cannot believe. Even great theologians cannot believe the words of the Bible despite their great knowledge, whereas ignorant grandma-like people can believe and find spiritual secrets. One’s choice and decision leads to faith. One who chooses to do God’s will knows the truthfulness of Jesus’ words and can contend for the truth of God. When Peter followed Jesus with top priority, it was his choice to do the will of God. Then he could accept and believe Jesus’ words and confess, “You have the words of eternal life,” while many others complained and left. He could grow deeper and deeper in the school of Jesus. To put one word into practice is the way of belief. Obedience to the word of God leads us into the deep world of God’s truth. In his creation, God gave men freedom as his best gift to them. Man has freedom of choice, which is too precious to handle. Some people use this most precious gift well; others misuse it. We can say one’s happiness and greatness can be determined by how he or she uses this most valuable gift of God. Jesus said, “If anyone chooses to do God’s will…” What a grace it is that not only humanly great people but also any ordinary person can choose to do the will of God. It means anyone can have strong faith and a great life, if he chooses to do God’s will. We wonder how St. Paul could have such a strong faith and live a great life. We learn newly that it was because he was determined to do God’s will and complete it in his life. He said in Acts 20:24, “However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace.” John said in 1 John 2:16, “…The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.” Jesus chose to do God’s will. It was the path to the cross, and finally to die on the cross for the sins of the world. But Jesus chose to do God’s will because he loved God. Then he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him (Heb 5:9). We remember the Lord’s prayer, “…your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven…” God’s will is to save all people of the world. God’s will of world salvation is revealed from Genesis. God promised to Abraham that all peoples on earth would be blessed through him” (Ge 12:2). Then in Exodus God spoke to the Israelites, “…you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” In this will of God we pray to raise disciples from among U of T students and for Toronto to be a holy city. May God help us to renew our life direction to do the will of God living in this land. Look at verse 18. “He who speaks on his own does so to gain honour for himself, but he who works for the honour of the one who sent him is a man of truth; there is nothing false about him.” Not many people truly speak and work for the glory of God. We need to continually purify our lips and our hearts to speak and live for the glory of God. One who speaks and works for God’s honour is a man of truth. Jesus is the undeniable example of one who spoke and worked solely for the glory of God. Third, making a right judgment (19-24). Now Jesus points out the contradiction of the Jews. He said, “Have not Moses given you the law? Yet not one of you keeps the law. Why are you trying to kill me?” Jesus was a man of truth. There was nothing false about him. The Jews’ trying to kill such Jesus showed how far they went. They were proud of Moses’ law, claiming that they were people of law and truth. But in fact they did not keep the law. So they were contradictory and became like lawless people. The crowd responded, “You are demon-possessed. Who is trying to kill you?” They did not know what they were saying and what they were doing. Jesus helped them to the end. He said, “I did one miracle, and you are all astonished. Yet, because Moses gave you circumcision (though actually it did not come from Moses, but from the patriarchs), you circumcise a child on the Sabbath. Now if a child can be circumcised on the Sabbath so that the law of Moses may not be broken, why are you angry with me for healing the whole man on the Sabbath?” As for Jesus, healing a 38-year invalid man was God’s will, and he carried it out at the risk of his life. It was also a right thing to do according to Moses’ law. Jesus was truly keeping the Sabbath law by saving life on the Sabbath. They judged Jesus according to Moses’ law. However, their judgment was superficial and wrong. So Jesus said, “Stop judging by mere appearances, and make a right judgment.” How can we overcome superficiality in judgment and make a right judgment? It is a good and serious question. According to this chapter, those who choose to God’s will can know the truth of God and so make a right judgment. Only when we have God and his will in our hearts can we make a right judgment. May God help us to newly choose to do God’s will so that we may have unwavering faith in Jesus’ words and contend for the words of God’s truth and live up to them for the glory of God.

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