Controversial Christ part 2

Pastor Mike will be speaking on Controversial Christ part 2. He will be in John 7.

The controversy of Christ continues. Some say that He is Jesus. Some say that He is not in any way. Where will you fall today? Will you believe in this Savior who is controversial? Will you embrace Him and follow Him and proclaim Him to the ends of the earth?

This is Pastor Mike Sanders. We are delighted that you have tuned in this day to hear us and we hope today’s message will continue to strengthen you in your walk for the Lord Jesus Christ. Last week we started this study called The Controversial Christ and truly Jesus is controversial and He really caused controversy among the religious elite.

They did not like Christ and they did not like Christ identifying Himself as God Himself. And they certainly didn’t like Him teaching with authority and they didn’t like that He was so bold and courageous.

So today as we look into this study, we’re going to learn more about how the controversial Christ dealt with those who opposed Him and just the courage that He had. And I hope that it will in turn cause you and I to be a courageous people for the Lord Jesus Christ in the days ahead.

So let’s get into our study today in the Gospel of John chapter 7. The Pharisees heard that the people murmured such things concerning Him and the Pharisees and the chief priests sent officers to take Him.

Then said Jesus unto them, yet a little while I am I with you and then I go unto Him that sent me. You shall seek me and shall not find me. And where I am thither, you cannot come. Then said the Jews among themselves, will he go?

That we shall not find him. Will he go unto the dispersed among the Gentiles and teach the Gentiles? What manner of saying is this that he said, you shall seek me and shall not find me and where I am thither you cannot come?

Jesus Christ encountered controversy, not only from his family and not only from religious leaders but just the everyday crowd. This controversy resulted in confusion about who Jesus Christ really was and is.

In verse 25 of John chapter 7 you’ll note that the Bible says, then said some of them of Jerusalem, is this not he whom they seek to kill? Is he not the person that they’re looking for? the crowd could not get a fix on Jesus.

They couldn’t clearly understand who He was because Jesus did not fit their concept of a Messiah. And the reason that He did not fit their concept of a Messiah was not because the Bible was not clear about the characteristics of the Messiah, the coming of the Messiah, the credentials of the Messiah, but rather because of the traditions and the false teaching of the religious leaders that had warped and clouded who the Messiah would be and how He would come into this world.

It is a reminder of what the apostles said in Romans 10 -2, for I bear them record that they have a zeal of God but not according to knowledge. Not the knowledge of man was Paul criticizing the religious leaders, but rather the knowledge of God.

This is what we have to be careful in our walk and journey of faith is that as we are serving Christ that we understand His identity not based upon traditions, not based upon emotions or hearsay or what we think and want God or Jesus to be, but rather what the Bible reveals Him to be.

And that’s what happens is that in my life is that I get concepts of Jesus based upon what I want Him to be for me and it’s not the real Jesus and it messes up my theology, which messes up my thinking, which messes up my behavior, which messes up my choices.

And so it’s important for me. A .W. Tozer said the most important thing about your life is what you think about God. And when you have the wrong understanding of who Jesus is and you you don’t really grasp his identity as revealed in the scriptures, you might be zealous, and you might have passion for religion, and you might have passion for a God that does not exist, but only exists in your mind,

but is not the God of the Bible, is not the Jesus of the word of God, but it is not according to the knowledge of God, it is simply according to your own knowledge of what you think it should be. Jesus entertained all kinds of opinions about him.

Even in our text in John chapter seven, there were many that thought he was a good man, others felt that he was insane, that he had really lost it. They questioned his credentials and said, you’re not really a person that is qualified, you didn’t even go to the right school to be able to stand before us and teach us.

And then they had this belief about Jesus. If you’ll notice in verse 27, it says, how be it we know this man whence he is. Meaning that in the Old English kinda clouds it a little bit there because we don’t speak Old English.

But they are saying this, we know where this man’s from. And they in their mind said, we know where he’s from. So then they go on to say in the text, when Christ or the Messiah comes, no man knows where he comes from.

But that’s not what the Bible teaches, right? I mean, we know the Bible teaches that Jesus, the Messiah would come and be born very specific about his birthplace, very specific about his genealogy, very specific of his works, very specific of what he would accomplish, very specific of even his characteristics.

And the Bible’s so clear about that. But here’s what happened is that the rabbis began to teach a false theology that we will not know where the Messiah comes from. They knew that Jesus came from Nazareth.

Certainly they knew that he was born in Bethlehem. Some certainly knew that. But in their mind, because what they had been taught, the false theology by the rabbis, they believed that he could not be the Messiah because they knew where he came from.

This was simply a false teaching. There’s nowhere in the Old Testament to support that. The Jews believed that the Messiah would just emerge out of nowhere. And yet, he truly is the Messiah. That’s how false theology can mess with the Messiah.

up your understanding of who Jesus is. That’s why you have to be a student of the Word. That’s why you have to saturate your life with God’s Word and not just take a teacher or a preacher’s Word for it.

You have to search the Scriptures and see if the things that the pastor says is true and lines up with the Bible. I welcome that kind of a Bible student, amen? I encourage that in you that you are researching the Scriptures like the Bereans.

The crowd was confused. Here’s a question. Are Jesus’ claims true? Are they true? Are His claims unique? Because Jesus didn’t just say, I’m a teacher and I’m here to help you and I want to do some nice things for you socially and I want to lift you up and help you to be more positive about your life.

and I want you to be encouraged every day as you walk through the struggles of life. That’s not really the message of Jesus, and that’s not why he came. Certainly those things are byproducts of faith in Jesus, but listen to me.

Jesus was clear about his identity. He said he was God. He said he was sent from the Father. He said he was the Son of God. He said, if you lift me up, I will draw people unto me. Jesus promised redemption and forgiveness for all who would believe in him.

Jesus made claims that only the Messiah could make. But are these claims unique? Think about it in your own mind, because so many people are confused about the identity of Jesus. Buddha never claimed to be God.

Confucius never claimed to be God. Muhammad never claimed to be God. The prophets of the Old Testament never claimed to be God. You can do all the research you want to in all of the major mainline religions of this world, and you will find that none of their leaders have ever claimed to be God.

Not a one of them. Only Jesus. And what’s not only amazing about this, that Jesus claims to be God, he’s clear and bold and upfront about his identity, is that Jesus backs it up, amen. For Jesus not only backed up his claims that he was God in the fact that he performed miracles, he granted forgiveness to people, he did things that are unbelievable walking on water and feeding the thousands and raising up the dead.

But if that was not enough, and it wasn’t for some people, go figure that one. But when they crucified Jesus, Jesus, He prayed that God would forgive them, for they know not what they do. And then when they laid them in a tomb, a borrowed tomb, they laid them in there.

Three days later, Jesus put the stamp of affirmation that He is truly God. When they came to the tomb, He was not there. He was alive and risen, and if they somehow thought that maybe somebody stole the body, you know that Jesus appeared.

He walked on the earth 40 days after His resurrection, and He interacted with His disciples. And you say, well, you know, only the disciples knew that. No, Jesus went beyond the disciples, and Paul tells us that over 500 people interacted with Jesus.

The Bible says after two or three witnesses let every word be established. And Jesus always making our cup run over and always doing more and way beyond what we ever anticipated. Jesus Christ presented himself to over 500 people.

And listen, he did not just come as some kind of a spirit or some kind of a ghost, but rather he was in bodily form. They held him, they touched him and get this, Jesus sat down by the beach and he had fish with them.

I don’t know if french fries were around, but if they were, he probably had some french fries. Because you can’t have fish without french fries, right? But all I’m saying is that Jesus ate with them, he interacted with them, he talked to them, and then before their eyes, he ascended into heaven.

Are his claims unique? Absolutely. No one else makes these kind of claims. And not only do they not make these claims, they don’t even come close to trying to back up any kind of deity or divinity. Jesus makes it very clear.

He cuts through the confusion. And it is because he is so bold that people are upset. Jesus encountered controversy which led to confusion, but it also led to conviction in people’s hearts. Two sides of this conviction, I want you to see in verse 30 and verse 31, the Bible says then they sought to take him.

Now this is not the religious leaders. These are the people that are upset at Jesus. But no man laid hands on him because his hour was not yet come. And so Jesus, though he’s in this crowd, and they’re getting upset with him, no one laid their hands on him because God is sovereign.

God is in control. And Jesus was not. it was not his time to go to the cross, but I love verse 31. You might want to put a star by it. Many of the people believed on him and said, when Christ comes, will he do more miracles than these which this man has done?

In essence, man, he’s backing up what he’s saying. And they’re saying, look, look at all the things that Jesus has done. And of course, the whole gospel of John is that John is showing us seven different miracles.

As we’re going through the gospel of John on Sunday mornings, we’ve already seen some of those miracles. He turned water into wine, right? He healed a man on the Sabbath day. You remember that. He walked on water.

He thousands and he out of a little boy’s lunch and Jesus performed these amazing miracles and the Bible says that there was a group that said will the Messiah do more miracles in this guy and the point is no and the point is that he’s got to be Christ he’s got to be the one that the prophets have prophesied and proclaimed about he’s got to be the one because he’s going around making some bold statements see it leads you in a dilemma C .S.

Lewis brings this dilemma so succinctly when he tells us that Jesus was not ambiguous about his identity and so you really only have three choices with your understanding of who Jesus is he is either a liar or a lunatic or Lord you see what you say well he’s a good teacher he’s a moral man he had a good cause he was very religious seems like he did some great things he did some social stuff help people out but listen what kind of a good teacher goes around telling people that he’s God and then if we say well you know he says he’s God I know I grasp that then you have to say well if he is not the Lord then maybe he’s a crazy man maybe he’s off his rocker maybe he’s not really emotionally stable and maybe he really needs some extra help because he’s all messed up and he’s just a crazy person he’s a lunatic and he we really can’t trust what a lunatic says can we and if you’re not going to choose that he is a liar and if you’re not going to choose that he’s a lunatic you’re only left with he’s Lord that’s your choices that’s your options and so what What I’m saying is that in verse 30 and 31,

we see the conviction of two hearts. We see the conviction of unbelievers who said they sought to lay hands on Him. They were so angry with Jesus, they were so convicted in their hearts that He was a liar or a lunatic that they wanted Him to suffer and be killed.

But then you see the conviction of those who say, you know what, we see the evidence and all that He’s claiming to do and all that He’s claiming that He is, He’s backing it up. He’s not all talk. His walk backs up the talk and when we see His life and we see those miracles and the lives that are changed, it cannot help but cause us to believe on Him.

Now, Jesus claims force people to decide. about Him. And as a result of that, people deciding where they felt and what they believed about Jesus and how they understood Him to be, it led to division.

That’s what Jesus was saying in Mark or in Matthew chapter 10 verse 35. I have come to set a man at variance against his father and the daughter against her mother and the daughter -in -law against her mother -in -law.

What is Jesus saying? Jesus is not saying he’s coming to wreck your family. No, no, no, no, no, no, no. He is saying that people have to make a decision about me. And when people make a decision about me, it leads to division.

And sometimes that conviction of faith that you have in your heart has led your family to say, don’t be bringing those religious nuts to thanksgiving, amen. Sometimes there have been people in your life that do not want to be a part of your life because of your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, because of your loyalty and your love to Him and your dedication to Him, and you seem like an oddball to them.

And that’s what Jesus is saying, is that there really is no in -between. And the question is, Jesus, the Messiah or not, is a question that we all have to answer. It doesn’t matter. You cannot be neutral.

You either believe that He is the Messiah, or you do not believe that He is the Messiah. If you are struggling and you’re trying to figure it out, look at the evidence. The scriptures are clear, but there is so much more information, so much of what God is doing to show us that Christ is really the Son of God.

And He is the one who goes to the cross and dies for our sins and brings forgiveness and salvation to all who trust in Him. And my friends, it is the hope of the world. No, it is Jesus Christ, do you believe that church?

And yet some don’t. Some are very strong in their conviction about lack of faith. A little insight to Mike, which you may not like or like, I don’t know. But when I’m up and getting going, I like to watch Fox and Friends.

Now I’m not making any political statements, so calm down. But I watched them and this morning they said that there was some politician. I didn’t catch the name because I was trying to get things going and ready.

But they are mad because of the fact that we have this phrase in God we trust as our motto. And I thought about how that lined up with my message because there are some people that are very convicted.

I mean they have the conviction. I should say they have the conviction to do everything they can to make this country as atheistic as they can right and They are devoted to it and buddy. They are not ashamed of it in the past They hid in the past they work behind the scenes in the past They didn’t really want to tell you in the past they use different terminologies But buddy now they just come out and say we don’t believe in God and we don’t want this forced on our kids And we don’t believe that we’re a nation that was founded on Judeo -Christian Principles and they have an attitude of unbelief and they’re not ashamed of it And what’s so sad is that Seems like believers are ashamed of Jesus and I’m saying to you look let’s be a voice in the wilderness.

I’m not here to be abrasive I’m not here to hurt your feelings, and I’m not here to attack you, but I do like Franklin Graham He gets up, and he speaks up, and he stands up, and he’s not ashamed to tell people that Jesus Christ is the only way to heaven Amen, I Love Franklin Graham if you don’t like him.

I’m sorry that you are feel that way But I want to tell you this every time I’ve heard him do an interview. He tells people how to get saved I like him He’s on my team. I’m on his team probably but anyways the point being is that we’re all trying to get as many people to heaven as we can But it’s amazing this controversy not only leads to confusion and conviction, but it leads to contempt So we jump down to verse 33 The Bible says then Jesus said unto them yet a little while I am with you and then I go unto him That sent me The religious leaders they’d had enough and they dispatched their temple police to bring Jesus in but the guards were unable to do it The people,

the unbelievers, when they heard what Jesus had to say in verse 33 and 34, they were very infuriated again. Who does this guy think he is? Telling us that we’re never going to see him again. Is he going to go among the Greeks where the scattered Jews are?

And is he going to go down there and try to teach them? There was great contempt in their hearts. What makes him think that he’s going to somehow just disappear and we’re never going to be able to find him?

Jesus says in verse 34, you shall seek me and shall not find me. And they took that on as a challenge, I guess. That upset at them and they became even more angry with Jesus. The difference between faith and unbelief.

is that when we read that we know what Jesus is saying, right? We have spiritual understanding and we know that Jesus is saying, I’m going to go to the cross, I’m going to die for the sins of mankind, and then I’m going to be resurrected, and then I’m going to ascend back into heaven with my Father.

It was a spiritual truth that they could not grasp because they had become so angry with God, so angry with Jesus that they could not see clearly what God was saying. Jesus was not trying to escape, He was not trying to run, He was not trying to be some kind of a criminal that could not be found, but rather He was letting them know His mission.

But they became contempt about it, they became angry about it, and they became deeper in their unbelief. The good news is this, is that you don’t have to be contempt towards our Savior. You don’t have to be angry towards Him.

For the Scripture tells us that for those who are truly seeking God, Isaiah 55 verse 6, seek the Lord while He may be found and call upon Him while He is near. That is my message to you this morning that do not misunderstand who Jesus is, and once you know who He is, that He is the true Messiah, by faith seek Him, and by faith believe in Him, and by faith receive Him into your life, and my friends,

He is available to all who will call upon Him, and He is available to any who would believe in Him, and if you would believe in Him today, you can have eternal life through Jesus Christ. Can God’s people say amen?

I think it’s like the days of Noah, Jesus talked about that. In the days of Noah, In the days of Noah, he built an ark, an ark of safety, an ark of grace, an ark of salvation. And he preached righteousness and he preached salvation and he preached redemption for any who would join him and they would get into the ark of safety.

His words fell on deaf ears for 120 years. Only his family responded. My fear is that you do not understand the days that we live in, for these are the days of Noah. And the judgment of God is coming upon this world.

And the opportunity of salvation is near and it is now. For today is the day of salvation and I invite you to come into the ark of redemption and the ark of grace and the ark of safety. By faith in the Lord, Jesus Christ.

Christ, seek him because he can be found. Trust him because he will save your soul. Call upon him because he is listening and ready to forgive you and I of our sins. But do not become contempt. And do not resist him.

And do not turn away from him. The world is not delivered entirely from the enemy’s grasp. But one day it will be. And only those who believe in Jesus Christ will find salvation. Because so many are in the grasp of Satan, the controversy of Christ continues.

Some say that he is Jesus. Some say that he is not in any way. Like God or that they say he’s not God. Where will you fall today? Will you believe in this savior who is controversial? Will you embrace him and follow him and proclaim him to the ends of the earth?

Sometimes when Jesus spoke, it did cause confusion, not because he was unclear, but because people had this difficulty of aligning their paradigms and their own minds about who they thought God was and the Messiah was to the truth and the reality of what Christ taught and who he is.

And as a result, that conflict created anger and frustration in many of the religious elite and some of the crowds that listen. But the main thing for us is that when we come to… to the Gospels and we begin to understand who Christ is, it’s important for us to be submissive to the word of God, obey God, and to recognize that whatever understandings or concepts that we have about who Jesus is, that if they are not aligned with the word of God,

then they’re nothing more than false images and gods that we have created in our minds about who Jesus is. And the most important thing is that we align our hearts and our thoughts with the word of God and that we worship the true Jesus that is revealed in the scripture.

Now, I don’t know if you know this or not, but Hope Worth Having is on social media. We’re on Facebook and we want you to go check us out on Facebook, we want you to learn more about our ministry, and we got a lot of stuff that we’re putting out there and I hope you’ll take advantage of it.

And so go to Facebook .com, type in Hope Worth Having and there you’ll see us, like us. and begin to communicate engage and get involved and learn and let God’s truth change your life transform your life into the image of the Lord Jesus Christ.

This is Pastor Mike Sanders reminding you that in Christ there is hope worth having.