 The sermon title this morning is wrong plan wrong time wrong choice Wrong plan wrong time wrong choice, and we're approaching this section of scripture now that begins with John chapter 7 and verses 1 through 13 and of on the heels now of John chapter 6 and the great Apostasy or the great departure as we discussed and as we have studied the gospel so far together We've seen several themes now that have been presented by John the evangelist To us so that he might to us reveal the Lord Jesus Christ Those hearing the gospel having the Lord Jesus Christ revealed to them might believe in him for everlasting life As we started the gospel together We began with a prologue in John chapter 1 and if you remember John chapter 1 provides for us a stark contrast between this wicked sinful and depraved world And the Lord Jesus Christ and who the Lord Jesus Christ is if you remember that We've heard from the beginning. Jesus is the word of God. He's the word of God who was with God and is God He was in the beginning with God He made the world and yet this world in stark contrast did not receive him He became flesh he dwelt among us and yet they would murder him to take him out of the world He is the light of the world and yet this dark world It says there cannot comprehend him and because the world cannot comprehend him this world hates him John 1 presents a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ as this world being ignorant of him ignorant of God's plans Ignorant of God's works and because their fallen hearts and fallen minds are set upon the things of the earth and Not on the things above They do not know him Colossians chapter 3 beginning in verse 1 the Bible says if then you were raised with Christ Seek those things which are above where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God Paul charges set your mind on things above and not on things on the earth for you died And your life is hidden with Christ in God We have to be reminded that we're not our own. We were bought with a price We're to set our mind on things which are above where Christ is We often as Christians don't we need a shift in our priorities if you're here today You've never put faith in Christ. You've never turned from your sin. You need a shift in your heart You need to shift in your mind you need to shift in your thinking you need an entire new body makeover So to speak you need to have your heart made over made new we even as Christians We need a continual renewing of our minds to set our minds on things which are above In the scriptures and particularly here in John We see a perfect example of the heavenly mind in this that we're to have in the Lord Jesus Christ in his life in his work his mind Constantly and consistently set on things above always thinking always teaching from a spiritual perspective speaking not on his own authority and Always doing the will of the father who sent him always heading where God wants him to go always at work to Accomplish the mission that God has given him to accomplish and always done at the time at which God wants him to do it Just perfectly following the will of God always moving ahead to finish the work that the father has given him to complete With all of that in mind Constantly heart mind sight on his appointed hour in Jerusalem His priorities always in perfect focus and so the contrast then is set before us We have the contrast between this dead world and the Lord Jesus Christ The glorious splendor of the diamond against the black backdrop right the brilliant star Against the black sky in other words here the brilliance the majesty the excellency of Jesus Christ offset against the wickedness of this unbelieving world The Lord perfectly doing the will of the father pressing on Accomplishing his work teaching spiritual truth right preaching the kingdom of God and then this fallen world unable to discern anything spiritual Pressing on in their ignorance pressing on in their earthly mightiness pressing on in their worldliness in their godlessness and their self-interest Ultimately pressing on in unbelief And so far in the gospel of John as we've walked through these chapters We've seen many examples of this many examples of unbelief and that unbelief displayed in worldliness in earthly mind in this and worldly thinking in ignorance If you remember John the Baptist or witness of him in the wilderness He said behold the Lamb of God who takes away the center of the world faithfully in John John's ministry faithfully Pointing everyone that he spoke to everyone within the sound of his voice pointing them to Christ Pointing them to the Lord and yet there were there were many at that time. They just continue to follow John around despite John's ministry John Not by his own will but kept garnering disciples to himself He was pointing people to Christ and the people were following him They were even envious of Jesus and his disciples their clubs bigger than our club, right? Chapter three after having to testify John testifying listen I am not the Christ. He admits a few verses later that no one receives his testimony Or remember in John chapter 2 when the Lord turned water into wine at the wedding at Cana Those servants there at the wedding saw the same miracle That the disciples saw and at a different response and listen. It's not enough to say wow what a miracle It's not enough God is Sovereignly at work behind that miracle to point to Christ To reveal him as the Christ the son of God that believing in him. We might have life in his name Or in John chapter 2 When those at the Passover in Jerusalem saw the many miracles that he did Jesus Christ cleared the temple with his own authority Clear the temple of those who bought and sold and exchanged money there wickedly many of them Simply looking on in ignorance The people saw miracles they believed in him so to speak but did not put their faith in him Jesus knew exactly what was in their unbelieving and worldly heart Or think about Nicodemus Nicodemus in John chapter 3 the teacher of Israel and yet Nicodemus comes and couldn't understand spiritual things Simply could not think from a spiritual perspective the Lord Jesus Christ had to respond. Listen. I'm teaching you earthly things How are you gonna believe if I teach you heavenly things? Nicodemus just simply earthly minded worldly in his reason using human logic We just saw a staggering example of unbelief in John chapter 6 When after performing an astounding miracle feeding upwards of 20,000 people The feeding of the 5,000 men there around the Sea of Galilee Many went back and followed him no more We'll see it even more glaringly obvious now as we work from John chapter 7 through the end of the gospel as We're presented in the gospel of John With an astounding revelation staggering evidence as to who the Lord Jesus Christ is We are also at the same time presented with astounding staggering accounts of unbelief of worldly thinking earthly Mideness and again, we're just reminded from John chapter 1. This world doesn't know him It doesn't comprehend him and it doesn't receive him and just like people today when you try to share the gospel with them sometimes that Failure to comprehend him is expressed in plain-spoken rejection other times. It's just out and out hostility out and out hate We're gonna see that as we work through John 7 Now follow me for a moment. There are two basic reasons why John writes this gospel One to reveal Jesus as the Christ the Son of God to there's an evangelistic purpose that those who See him believe in him as the Christ the Son of God might have life in his name To reveal Jesus as the Christ the Son of God and to to bring people to believe in him for eternal life But now in the context of accomplishing that mission in the context of revealing Christ for who he is With the end that we might believe John at the same time also frequently shows us the earthly Mindfulness the warliness the ignorance the hostility the plain unbelief of those that do not believe And sometimes we even see the disciples true disciples struggling with some of this as well We have to remember in that that these things were written for our admonition. They're written for our example The point is of this and other passages like it is listen don't be unbelieving like they are Don't respond with unbelief with ignorance with worldliness with earthly mindedness like they do don't follow their example Don't be earthly minded as they are don't be ignorant as they are and consider this consider the absurdity of Their response of earthly mindedness rejection hostility Consider the absurdity of that in light of who they are rejecting here when John presents Christ in Technicolor splendor so to speak consider who you are rejecting Don't respond as they did John doesn't have to say here. These people are foolish unbelievers. Don't respond like they do It's it's obvious from the account Don't respond as they do you can see it for yourself And in all of this this should challenge your heart should challenge your thinking If you're here today, and you've never turned from your sin You've never put saving faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you're still living your life for yourself Living it up until you're gonna die and go to hell Don't be unbelieving it should challenge your unbelief So as we come here to John chapter 7 John's writing with the same twofold purpose to reveal Jesus as the Christ and then to bring people to believe in him for eternal life So when revealing Christ as the Messiah in John chapter 7 We're gonna see great themes like the sovereignty of God the providence of God expressed in his Perfect timing for the Lord Jesus Christ to go up to the feast We're gonna see Jesus perfectly waiting on the plan of God perfectly doing the will of the father boldly and authoritatively confronting those who stand in opposition to him again with his mind ever set on his ultimate Mission in Jerusalem the purpose for which he has come into the world But now as we work through the chapter at the same time We're also going to see these glorious themes intentionally offset against the fact that even his brothers here don't believe in him We're gonna see the ignorance of the crowd The hostility of the Jewish opposition now in John chapter 7 through about John chapter 12 Continuing to ramp up against him We're gonna see the appalling lack of faith and eventually we're gonna see him betrayed by one of his closest uncrucified So as we can see up to this point the ministry the Lord Jesus Christ is having an impact There are few though that come to him in genuine repentance and faith. They simply won't set their mind on things above They have their mind stuck in this world What about you this morning? What impact so far is John's gospel having on you on your thinking on where your heart is Would you consider this morning that you're worldly? Or that you're earthly minded. How do you know? What does that look like? Maybe you're here today, and you've never put your faith in Christ. You're lost You're lost and this morning you're on your way to hell. There's a judgment that is hanging over your head John says you are condemned already The point of this passage this morning is to say to you Don't be unbelieving as they are Don't respond the way they do don't be unbelieving if you're here this morning, and you're a Christian and You're a Christian the point of this passage to you is don't be unbelieving as they are Put your faith in Christ walk in faith Worldly mindedness earthly mindedness Basically is thinking and living as if there is no God You basically think you walk through your day-to-day life. You live as if there is no God It's a devotion to earthly things rather than a devotion to spiritual things You look and you think like you're a citizen of this world not like you're a citizen of heaven The Romans chapter 8 verse 5 Paul explains those who live according to the flesh Set their minds on the things of the flesh. It's your mind this morning set on the things of the flesh Where's your heart? In other words stop allowing your flesh Stop allowing the world the devil to dictate your priorities and plans Stop allowing the world to dictate your thinking Paul tells the Philippians in chapter 3 in verse 19 that those who set their minds on earthly things are enemies of the cross of Christ Their God is their belly in other words their God is their appetites their lusts their desires their end is Destruction they cannot understand spiritual realities Don't be unbelieving as they are set your mind set your heart on Christ set your heart on things above And John chapter 7 verses 1 through 13 we're gonna see tragic unbelief Exhibited in our narrative in three ways one wrong plan to wrong time three wrong choice So let's look first at the wrong plan versus one through five John chapter 7 verse 1 the Bible reads after these things Jesus walked in Galilee For he did not want to walk in Judea because the Jews there sought to kill him Now the Jews feast of tabernacles was at hand and his brothers therefore said to him Depart from here and go into Judea that your disciples also may see the works that you are doing For no one does anything in secret while he himself seeks to be known openly If you do these things show yourself to the world for even his brothers did not believe in him So verse 1 now says after these things We begin here on the heels of the account in John chapter 6 and after the events of John chapter 6 here We have a marker in verse 2 of the timing of where we're at and that's the Jewish feast of tabernacles there We know based on the calendar the Jewish Cabin the calendar that the feast of tabernacles or the feast of booze the in gathering took place about six months after The events in John chapter 6 the feeding of the 5,000 So it's after these things about six months later and here this is the end of the Lord's Galilee and ministry He's going to be coming out of Galilee soon And it'll be the last time that he goes there won't go back to Galilee And we saw at the end here of his ministry in John chapter 6 Many of his disciples it says there left him and walked with him no more But isn't it the grace and mercy of God here in verse 1? That Jesus here doesn't stop walking that word there for walked means he continued walking around Galilee in other words he didn't go hiding off in a corner somewhere He didn't camp out in a home to wait it out until he went to Jerusalem. The Lord here is still about his ministry Still about his people. He's out accomplishing the mission. He doesn't stop walking So still among the people still doing the work that he gave that the Lord gave him to do That's a good example for us If there's difficulty you keep walking just like the Lord did when trial comes you keep walking when everyone else seems to fall Away around you like those disciples in Capernaum that day you keep walking You just keep serving the Lord. You keep obeying him. You don't stop But one of the reasons that he stayed here in Galilee Was that it became too dangerous for him to move around freely in Jerusalem in Judea? It says there that the Jews Saw it to kill him that phrase again the Jews is a reminder of that opposition That is at work against Christ and it's not the people's distinguished from the crowd These are those Jewish authorities the scribes the Pharisees the Sanhedrin those that were against him If you turn back just a couple of pages we came across an example of this back in John chapter 5 and Look down at John chapter 5 at verse 16 Here the Lord's in Jerusalem and He's healing a lame man on the Sabbath and he comes in contact with this exact same group look at verse 16 Says there for this reason the Jews it's the same group Persecuted Jesus and sought to kill him why because he had done these things on the Sabbath and Jesus answered them My father's been working until now and I have been working Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill him now because he not only broke the Sabbath But also said that God was his father making himself equal with God So this hostility that started in John chapter 5 actually started before that is now continuing to expand It's a larger group now, and it's ramping up. It's just getting that much more a harsh against him The thing about this for a moment There are a lot of people in looking at this passage that then accused the Lord Jesus Christ of cowardice here or fear Why wouldn't the Lord go into Judea because he was scared that something was gonna happen to him there? That's not what is going on in this passage. This is a great example here of the Lord not willfully Putting himself in danger. In other words, you don't intentionally go seeking after it You don't seek after persecution you flee persecution. The Lord here is not willing to die The purpose for which he came to the world is to die So he's not here fearful of dying. It's not the right time It's not the right time and so Lord again considering the father's will Considering the father's plan for him doesn't head into Judea too soon where the Jews they're actively seeking to kill him and to Just not the time to go his appointment with Jerusalem is later And so it would have been the wrong plan to head into Judea at that time John Calvin wrote this He said although Christ avoided dangers. He did not turn aside a hair's breadth from the course of his duty Lord would have obeyed the father to his death and did but now one of our markers for time is this feast of tabernacles We see in verse 2 This was this feast of tabernacles also called the feast of booths or the in gathering Was a feast of Thanksgiving originally the Thanksgiving was for the harvest and so in Jerusalem and Israel the land You would have had a harvest in April through June for grain, but then there would have been a harvest in September October for grapes and olives So this feast came at the end of the year near the end of September into early October and this was to celebrate the harvest Thank the Lord for the harvest now It was called the feast of tabernacles or called the feast of booths because originally in Leviticus chapter 23 or in Deuteronomy chapter 16 The Lord instituted the feast for the people of Israel to commemorate God's deliverance to celebrate God and God's Delivering them out of bondage in Egypt and when he brought them out into the wilderness They were said to live in these booths that were made of palm branches You know of tree limbs these makeshift lean twos if you will that the people of Israel lived in and so when they Would come to the festival in Jerusalem It was a pilgrimage festival and so all men were required to come yearly to this festival They would for the eight days that they were there They would have lived in these makeshift lean twos made with palm branches and leaves and tree limbs If you were a city dweller and you lived in Jerusalem You would have made one of these booths or tabernacles and for that eight days You would have stayed in that booth that tabernacle while the festival was going on So it was a great equalizer right rural from out of the country rich poor in the city everyone One commentator said it was like the discomfort and merriment of a picnic You know it was uncomfortable, but a joyous time of celebration celebrating the Lord. Now. What's the significance here? as The Jewish people as the Israelites practiced faithfully the feast of the tabernacles the feast of booths it became a reference to God's blessing on the people in His presence with them in the original tabernacle in the wilderness in the original booth in which God was Said to have dwelt so the people of Israel began to view it as the blessing of God's presence among them. Now think about the significance of that here for a moment God first displayed his presence to them in the tabernacle Then he displays his presence to them in the temple that replaced the tabernacle and here in Jerusalem at this time you have the feast of tabernacles celebrating the presence of God When no more perfectly and no more fully could the presence of God ever be displayed than in the Perfections of the Lord Jesus Christ walking among them at that time as the Messiah and yet they completely missed it They completely missed it. We'll go forward a few verses in John chapter 7 They're gonna be people debating on whether this is the Christ because that because he comes out of Galilee They say isn't the Messiah supposed to come out of Bethlehem Five minutes where the research would have cleared that up. This is a Messiah Yeah, they missed him and they missed him because they were willfully ignorant. They did not comprehend him They missed him because they were worldly minded caught up in the idea that Jesus Christ is gonna come back as a conquering king And so when he comes back as a suffering servant servant, they miss it They miss their Messiah now think about it for a moment God no longer in dwells tabernacles You know no longer in dwells the temple. Where does God dwell today in the hearts? Of his believers in the hearts of his people by faith Don't miss it Think about that God in dwelling the hearts of his people look at the change lives Look at what the power of the gospel to transform a wicked sinner into a child of God It's staggering. It is astounding evidence. I Grew up in churches false churches preaching a false gospel. I don't think I ever saw a saved person Well when I walked through the doors of this church for the first time and I saw the spirit of God at work in his people I was struck It was an astounding example to me and that's what a Christian looks like. That's how a Christian loves That's how a Christian serves the Lord. That's how a Christian fellowships with other people. That's how that's what a Christian looks like Don't miss it. That's the power of God in the gospel to transform a heart And just like these at this time if you miss that you may miss the gospel Cry out to God. There's power in the gospel. God will change your heart Lord Jesus Christ his spirit will be at work in you. He'll cleanse you from all your filthiness He'll turn you from all your idols He'll give you a heart of flesh and he'll cause you to obey him and joy from the heart That's the power in so many today. Listen so many today want to strip the gospel of its power to change And if all you do is just walk and I'll say a prayer make a decision Well, maybe all you're gonna get No change at all and you walk away Placating your guilty conscience There's power in the gospel in here. Don't miss it. Don't respond as they did. Don't be unbelieving unbelieving as they are Set your mind on things above and behold the power of God believers So we come to verse 3 We see that in addition to the Jewish opposition here and in addition to all those that turned away from him in John chapter 6 Even his own brothers don't believe him. Even his own brothers don't believe him. Look at verse 3 His brothers therefore said to him Depart from here go into Judea that your disciples also may see the works that you're doing now Opposed to what the Catholic Church teaches These are here the other sons of Mary and Joseph The actual physical offspring of Mary and Joseph these are his all his younger brothers Matthew 13 even gives their names their James Joseph Simon and Jude those brothers Although they don't believe it this time his brothers would eventually come to believe in him two of them wrote epistles James and Jude right and James became eventually the leader of the church the church in Jerusalem But here in John chapter 7 they've got their own ideas about the way that his ministry should run Got their own ideas about what he's supposed to do in fact all of that is generated because they are spiritually blind They're earthly minded. They're worldly. They don't have their mindset on things above They have their mindset on the things of this earth and so they're telling him here what what to do and it's clear From their reasoning they have fallen human minds fallen human hearts his brothers were basically telling him listen Jesus Go to Jerusalem Jerusalem is the biggest possible stage on which to you for you to display What you're doing? It's during one of the biggest events the Festival of Tabernacles the Feast of Tabernacles was the most popular Feast of the year It's during one of the biggest events Jesus you go up to Jerusalem where the capital is while the action is taking place And you display yourself before the world let them know you are the Messiah in other words give them a sign And after chapter after chapter after chapter how many times have we seen this wicked generation asking for a sign always asking for a sign and Here his brothers are telling him to do the very same thing They might have been disheartened by the results that they saw in Galilee and Jesus coming out of Galilee basically with no one But the 12 around him or they were thinking about Jesus as a conquering Messiah like others had thought of him Whatever the case they were thinking to themselves is something we're gonna happen It's gonna happen in Jerusalem and that's right Eventually there will come a time when the Lord Jesus Christ will go into Jerusalem when that time comes the time will be right That's his appointed hour at the cross, but the time is not right at this point Certainly they thought things were not going to happen in Galilee besides listen to verse 4 besides No one does anything in secret while he himself seeks to be known openly if you do these things Show yourself to the world in other words if you're claiming to be the Messiah, and you have to make yourself known publicly You know just on a side note there's a false dichotomy there a false separation between things that are good and righteous and holy and just and known and Public and seen there's a false dichotomy between that which is glorious and that which should be seen or known I Tell you there are Faithful Godly loving brothers and sisters who just faithfully serve the Lord day in and day out and no one knows anything about it So it's just a false. It's again worldly thinking earthly minded thinking that Glory comes from being known publicly just not the case here and the Lord Jesus Christ isn't gonna give it one minute of notice He says basically get yourself your brother the brothers say get yourself to the authorities in Jerusalem There's something else here though at the end of verse 4 that I want you to see AWP here calls it a slightly veiled taunt Look at that last sentence if you do these things show yourself to the world In other words if you are who you claim to be if your works are genuine then get out of the sticks here in Galilee Get yourself up to Jerusalem get yourself up to the Capitol and let them test your claims Now let me ask you. What does it sound like at the end of verse 4 there? What does it sound like when he says if you? Jesus if you Sounds like Satan. That's right. It's like Satan at his temptations If you command these stones to be turned to bread, right? If you throw yourself off the pinnacle of the temple sounds like Satan you almost expect here at the end of this Verse I get behind me Satan a response from the Lord Jesus Christ Sounds like Satan. This is a taunt. This is a challenge. Now. Don't miss this It's in the language. You can miss it. This is other Lee Contemptuously disrespectful of the Lord This is it had a tone to it even that challenge at the end of verse 4 There's just a tone to it the only way that you can explain how they talked in with disrespect, right with Ignorance, but at the same time indignant Just spitefully speaking to the Lord their own worldly thinking their own ignorance The only way that you can explain that is verse 5 for even his brothers did not believe in him It's the only way to explain the way that they spoke to him They didn't bother to ask him He's claiming to be the Messiah He's claims to come from God and yet they're going to tell him how it's gonna be even his brothers didn't believe him You know, there's a messianic psalm psalm 69 And in verse 8 psalm 69 verse 8 says I have become a stranger to my brothers and an alien to my mother's children It's a messianic psalm several messianic prophecies there and one of those this that he's gonna become a stranger to his brothers On the part of the brothers here. This is a wicked plan. This is a wicked plan. It's a worldly plan altogether It is the wrong plan wrong plan. They challenged him. They insulted him. They disrespected him. They completely Failed to consider anything to do with his wishes his plan so prideful so self-will No consideration whatsoever given to seek the Lord's direction They didn't ask him his opinion and these are guys that grew up in the same household with him So they were in this world They were of this world bathing in the world's reasoning bathing in earthly mindedness Completely ignorant of God's plans and the mission that Christ came to accomplish in all of that a product of a worldly Depraved heart a depraved mind depraved logic So what's the purpose? What's the point in displaying this in John chapter 7? Don't be earthly minded as they are Don't be unbelieving as they are. Don't be worldly like they are Don't be worldly in your thinking. Don't be worldly or unbelieving in your service to the Lord Your plans apart from the Lord are meaningless Man can make his plans, but what the Lord directs his steps So seek the Lord you may say I'm gonna go into this town or that town and make a profit when you should have asked What would the Lord have me do? There are many today who follow that same path think about the preachers the churches the people That compromise the gospel to draw a crowd The compromise the truth of God's word to make a paycheck to get wealthy Think about the preachers who compromise God's word to get famous It's all the other day Creflo dollar wanting a 65 million dollar jet Give me a break All of them it says in Ezekiel are false teachers because every one of them are given to covetousness False shepherds that will be judged by God What about this they abandon the methods taught in the Bible? Because they want to come up with their own culturally accepted methods like Don't just share the gospel with someone you can't cram it down their throat get to know them for a couple of years first Right have them to a barbecue give them a beer Let them get to know you and then share the false methods. That's twisting scripture That's not trusting God for results and following God's plans. That is man's reasoning Wicked human logic. They're going to hell. Give them the gospel Or they twist scripture so that a woman can be a pastor Or they twist scripture so that it's fine to get an abortion. You know, that's increasing among evangelicals The notion that it's okay with God to have an abortion They twist scripture so that evolution isn't godless or they twist scripture so that it's perfectly fine to be a gay Christian What about on a personal level? You and I we need to guard ourselves against this you may think to yourself listen I'm going to take that job move to that side of town. I'll worry about church later It's worldly thinking earthly mindedness besides God's gonna be okay with it that extra money is gonna help me provide for my family better Is that what God would have you do? I'm too busy to go evangelizing besides I'm evangelizing my kids at home Or you don't have to be a are you gonna go to small group to be a Christian? There's like you hear some of these things and listen don't think legalistically about that What I'm saying is not legalistic these things come out of the heart and Their excuses this is just a minor lapse into apathy. I'll get out of it eventually besides. I'm a Christian My prayer life is fine. I pray on and off My Christian life is just fine. I go to church every Sunday Is that what it means to be a Christian? Just too busy to have time in my Bible. I'll read it when I can So the Christian life looks like examine yourself according to God's word What happens what happens when the word of God? Isn't reigning and prevailing in your heart and mind. I think about it for a moment with this world your flesh and the devil against you What happens to you when the word of God isn't reigning and prevailing in your heart? I'm talking about Christians. You're lost. You have no hope You need to turn to Christ and get saved turn from your sin and be saved But if you're a Christian you have the spirit of God in you what happens when the word of God isn't prevailing in your heart and mind You fall into sin You fall into sin your faithfulness to God goes out the window Your fruitfulness for God goes out the window. Why? Because you're grieving the Holy Spirit in your sin your sanctification comes to a screeching halt your disobedience Halt every conformity the Lord might have in you to Christ There's your sanctification your Christian life comes to a halt Are you worldly are you earthly minded is the word of God having rule and reign in your heart by his spirit? Examine yourselves. It's a good test to take when we talk about heaven when we talk about heaven. What comes to your mind? What comes to your mind you think of heaven? Is it um, no more pain? No more pain. No more tears. No more worry. I think of all the golf. I'm gonna get in right? Um, don't have to worry about working that lousy job anymore You know, that's earthly minded. It's all entirely focused on you when a genuine Christian informed by the word of God and dwelt by his spirit thinks about heaven. What do you think about? Christ Serving Christ loving Christ worshiping Christ free from sin The glories and excellencies of Christ Worshiping and praising him for all eternity with the innumerable number of saints in heaven Worshiping God free from sin with the angels in heaven The glories and majesties and excellencies of Christ And pleasures forevermore and joy Does that sound mundane to you? If it sounds mundane to you then you're earthly minded. You're worldly. You notice how our person is Minded you're worldly. You notice how our perception of heaven one can be entirely focused on you earthly mindedness or the other can be entirely focused on Christ You know a fish a fish can swim through water its entire lifetime and never wear itself out But you put a man in the water and within moments he can wear himself out Right a man is of the world not of the water But are you of the world and not of the spirit the spiritual things Bore you are they burdensome to you are they mundane to you An earthly minded person will wear themselves out Complaining over the least of spiritual duties Bible says do this and you're like Right Because you're of the world You're not in the spirit How little difficulties seem to constantly discourage them every molehill is a mountain A things of God just aren't as sweet as they once were that's a good test If you turn from your sin put your faith in Christ and you set out and the things of God so sweet to you So precious to you if today they are less sweet less precious Then you have succumbed to worldly mindedness You are turning back to the things of this earth. You don't have your mind and heart set in God's word And therefore set on the things above Just worldliness Back in john chapter seven The brothers of jesus here worldly they've got the wrong plan and because out of the overflow of their heart the mouth speaks They're giving him terrible advice here But in addition to being the wrong plan here. It's also just the wrong time Wrong time in verse six Jesus said to them My time has not yet come but your time is always ready The world cannot hate you but it hates me because I testify of it that its works are evil You go up to the feast. I'm not yet going up to the feast for my time is not yet fully come When he said these things to them he remained in galley Jesus was certainly not going to follow their plan for him his will his joy His daily food as he once said is to do the will of the father But he's also here not going to follow their timetable and again in contrast were Reminded that god Sovereignly orchestrates all things to happen according to his plan according to his Decree and according to his timetable and it's simply not the time yet for jesus christ to head into judia And his brothers weren't going to get him off track Now in contrast to that if you look at verse six in contrast to that the brothers Being lost having their minds set on the things of the earth not considering the things above Really have no concept of god's providence. They really have no concept of god's timetable And so to them one time to go up to the feast is just as good as any other time to go up to the feast It's inconsequential to them. So their time is always ready. It says simply to them didn't matter They didn't have to be concerned here with the persecution that the lord had to be concerned with And then he explains that jesus explains that by saying It hates me because I testify that this works or evil in other words the brothers You're in the world and you're of the world and the world loves its own You love the world lord jesus christ is in the world not of the world And because he testifies of it that its works are evil the world is hostile towards him and hostility expressed in hatred And listen if you're of the world Then the world is gonna love you too And you're gonna love the world and there won't be any hostility towards you or hatred towards you But the bible says second Timothy 3 12 All who desire to live godly in christ jesus will suffer persecution If you're in the world, but not of the world Then you as christ will testify of it that its works are evil That's called bringing the law of god and evangelism And it's gonna hate you too Sinners don't like to be rebuked for their sin And that Displeasure with the rebuke expresses itself in hatred. They're gonna hate you too just like they hated christ hate is the inevitable result But you have to bring the good news You give him the bad news and you bring the good news and the lord will save through the gospel So he tells his brothers then to go up to the feast in verse eight and to go up without him He's not gonna go because the time is not right verse eight. You go up to the feast I'm not yet going up to the feast for my time has not yet fully come Going up in the beginning of the feast would have put jesus christ right in the middle of the caravan heading up to jerusalem Right in the middle of all the people would have made him extremely obvious going into jerusalem to those seeking to kill him So it just wasn't the right time and besides the lord jesus christ is not following their program to display himself to the world All the timing is not right here. It's the wrong time He hasn't appointed time in jerusalem that time hasn't come yet for him It would come at exactly the right time that god ordains So jesus here decided he would not go with them in the way and at the time that they asked him to That doesn't mean it doesn't mean that the lord jesus christ wasn't going to go at all There are many who read this passage who believe here that the lord is fickle They can't make up his mind. I'm not gonna go and then he goes Listen, it's exactly the opposite The lord jesus christ has resolved And determined in his heart and mind that he's going to do exactly what the father wants him to do And at the time that the father wants him to do it. This isn't fickle here This is the lord jesus christ waiting on the father waiting on the plan so to speak And so in verse nine when he had said these things to them he remained in galilee It's a reminder for us too with the example of the lord. Don't push Don't rush You get an offer. It looks like an offer. You can't refuse Seek the lord There are many examples when joshua and the israelites failed to seek the lord before going into battle against ai They lost that battle lost the lives of 36 of their men and israel was defeated And then they're on their face crying. Why did it happen? Right? They didn't seek the lord ahead of time Or when joshua the israelites made a gibbianite treaty That false treaty that wicked treaty with the gibbianites because they didn't seek the lord ahead of time How many times have you gotten yourself into hot water because you didn't simply wait on the lord and seek him before making a decision You're not your own Those decisions are to come from the lord wait on the lord pray seek the lord Read the bible make sure that what you're doing is biblical Don't rush ahead. Psalm one says blessed Blessed is the man who walks not in the council of the ungodly Nor stands in the path of sinners nor sits in the seat of the scornful But his delight is in the law of the lord and in his law. He meditates day and night Don't be worldly minded as they are Don't just take that wicked council seek the lord But thirdly It's the wrong plan. It's the wrong time third. It's the wrong choice. So many wrong choices. Look at verse 10 When his brothers had gone up Then he also went up to the feast not openly not as they intended for him But as it were in secret in other words, he went up incognito, right? Not trying to draw attention to himself But he was going to jerusalem His brothers here did the natural thing the worldly thing Here is their brother jesus He is claiming to be the messiah and he's backing it up with all kinds of evidence Irrefutable irrefutable evidence. And so what do the brothers do? They leave the lord jesus christ behind and go up to a festival go up to a feast You know, there's many people do that every single week They depart from the lord jesus christ in their hearts in their minds and they follow their ritual Follow their religious ritual We need christ choose christ. So it's a wrong choice Stay with christ worship christ. Praise him serve him. It's a wrong choice in verse 10 then jesus says he's not going to go up initially not publicly But then god sends him and again him waiting for the father verse 11 It says Uh there i'm sorry. He's not fickle. It's exactly the opposite. He's resolved himself To following the lord and here the whole idea that his brother's had of showing himself to the world He just flatly rejects that not trying to draw attention to himself verse 11 Then the jews the same group again sought him at the feast and said where is he literally it's where is that man? It's got a tone to it right. It shows exasperation shows some frustration with him And so the jews here searching for him Based on that word based on the tone. This was a hostile searching They had hostile intentions against him wrong choice Wrong choice. They had all the evidence all the evidence they needed they rejected him flatly Eventually here we're going to see in john 848. They even said that he had a demon Wrong choice verse 12 We see there was much complaining gongudzo again same word much complaining among the people you've got the jews Wrong choice the brother's wrong choice now the people complaining about him wrong choice The people complaining about him some said he is good Others said no on the contrary. He deceives the people both of those are wrong When you come to face The lord jesus christ god in the flesh. He's not merely good He is god almighty in the flesh He is perfectly holy perfectly just perfectly righteous. He is deity He isn't merely good like you would say good of some of their man some of their teacher right some of their prophet He's more than that and they didn't know on the contrary the other opinion here He deceives the people back in that day the talmud after the after the lord jesus christ was crucified After his resurrection and ascension They wrote in the talmud to explain the lord jesus christ away That the lord jesus christ was a deceiver Who practiced sorcery and who led israel astray? That's what the jewish talmud says about jesus christ And here that accusation of deception already gaining a foothold However verse 13 No one spoke openly of him for fear of the jews wrong choice Wrong choice again The authorities at that time didn't want him to discuss publicly at all. They thought that If the people were talking about him that would make him more important in their eyes than what he needed to be More important than what they wanted him to be so just don't talk about this man at all And under threat of being kicked out of the temple kicked out of the synagogue and so they whisper about him here They don't speak openly. It's behind the scenes and they're complaining and grumbling. They whisper about him wrong choice How often today how often in your life If you're honest with yourself Then you can say this to your shame to my shame How often has a fear of man silenced our witness for the lord jesus christ? That godless wicked fear of man We're not to be fearful of man. We're to be bold for the lord jesus christ and sharing the gospel We're to be unabashedly bold unreserving In our witness for him and yet here silence Was brought about because of the fear of man Matthew chapter 10 verse 28 the bible says don't fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul Rather fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell Trust christ. Don't fear their faces. Don't fear man. Don't let a fear of man keep you from being faithful in evangelism faithful in talking about the gospel people need the lord Here again the point wrong time wrong plan wrong choice Don't make the same wrong choices Resolve in your heart resolve in your mind who it is that you serve And then serve him faithfully serve him boldly obey him. It's interesting by contrast here You know why did the lord jesus christ go up? He says he's not going to go up with him and then he turns around and he goes up. It's not fickle But why ultimately did jesus christ go up? Think about it for a moment God Leviticus 23 in Deuteronomy chapter 16 gives a command He gives a command that every male jew Pilgrimage to jerusalem for the feast of tavern heckles What if jesus had disobeyed this command? Certainly not right. This is not going to happen. The lord jesus christ perfectly Obeys the father and he goes up obeying the father father despite the conditions against him despite the consequences He goes up at risk of his own hurt But he obeys he he obeys he obeys the father to the point of death even death of the cross So certainly he's going to obey perfectly here He goes up to the up to the festival because god had commanded it was god's plan And he was going to fulfill all righteousness If you're here today, and you're not a christian consider Where your mind and heart is set And consider the the wicked trappings of that and the eventual end of all that it will mean The damnation of your soul it will mean your eternal torment. Listen to jeremiah boros Jeremiah boros says i may say to an earthly minded man those thoughts Cares affections and endeavors that you spend on the things of this world Had they been spent on the things of god they might have saved your soul to all eternity Now listen don't misinterpret him here You might have gotten christ. He said in heaven in eternity The lord would have gone along with you and you may come to say it's a great day when all things shall be open Before men angels men and angels had i spent those thoughts and cares and endeavors On understanding the ways and things of god and eternal life My soul might have been saved forever And he says not that our works will do it, but that god would have gone along together with you in those ways It's not a salvation by works here The lord says seek the lord your god with all your heart soul mind and strength if you seek the lord with all your heart You'll find him So seek the lord cry out to the lord If you're a christian here today, don't be earthly minded worldly minded Examine yourself turn from that sin and follow him faithfully fervently Otherwise it may be revealed that yours isn't of a saving your faith isn't of a saving nature Persevere to the end and be saved all of this in contrast with a perfect plan The perfect timing of god who works everything all things for his ultimate glory And for the good of his children who put faith in christ, amen Amen, let's pray father in heaven. Thank you for your word Now thank you for these examples that you give us and god Please find us faithful not to think not to respond not to be unbelieving as they are But to trust the lord to follow the lord and to wait on you God to follow your perfect plan your perfect timing god Well, we're unsure to seek you to pray to you to cry out to you god for wisdom for direction Lord help us to set our minds our hearts our very lives on things which are above Or to get our heads and minds and hearts out of the filth of this world For your glory god and for our ultimate good We praise you and worship you and thank you lord for these things in jesus name. Amen