Jesus, The Heart Reader
John 2:23-25

Thus far we have seen some truly amazing truths about Jesus.
He is enough God to create the world
He is enough Savior to light the world
He is enough Man to be God incarnate
He has enough humility to become flesh
He has enough wisdom to follow
He has enough compassion to save a wedding
He has enough zeal to cleanse a temple
Jesus is truly amazing, and Jesus is truly enough

This morning we are reminded yet again
Of another vitally important truth about Jesus,
It is how Jesus reads people.

I find this fascinating and vitally important for the world today.

1 Samuel 16:7 “But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”

Jeremiah reminded us of this penetrating truth.
Jeremiah 17:9-10 “The heart is more deceitful than all else And is desperately sick; Who can understand it? “I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind, Even to give to each man according to his ways, According to the results of his deeds.”

And it was David who taught us how to accurately apply this truth.
Psalms 139:23-24 “Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts; And see if there be any hurtful way in me, And lead me in the everlasting way.”

The truth is that when God looks at a person
He does not look at the outward appearance.
God looks much deeper.

This is also the way that Jesus looks at man.

Perhaps no story illustrates this better than the healing of the paralytic.
Matthew 9:1-7 “Getting into a boat, Jesus crossed over the sea and came to His own city. And they brought to Him a paralytic lying on a bed. Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralytic, “Take courage, son; your sins are forgiven.” And some of the scribes said to themselves, “This fellow blasphemes.” And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, “Why are you thinking evil in your hearts? “Which is easier, to say, ‘ Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, and walk’? “But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins” — then He said to the paralytic, “Get up, pick up your bed and go home.” And he got up and went home.”

Jesus didn’t evaluate anything by face value, Jesus looked deeper.
He always does.

In our world of hypocrisy and phony religious antics,
It does us good to remember that we can get caught up in outward religion all day long, but it will not impress Jesus in the least.

No amount of fancy singing, no amount of fancy preaching,
No amount of religious excellence will ever do a thing to impress Jesus.

There is only one thing Jesus looks at, and it is the heart.

Leo can sing like a canary…
I can preach like I really know something…
You can be involved continually…
But if our heart isn’t right, Jesus isn’t impressed.

Jesus doesn’t look at the outward appearance,
Jesus looks at the heart.

We have already seen this to some degree.

When Simon approached Jesus…
John 1:42 “He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon the son of John; you shall be called Cephas” (which is translated Peter).

When Nathanael approached Jesus…
John 1:47 “Jesus saw Nathanael coming to Him, and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!”

It was this that caused Jesus to continually reject
The Pharisees, the Scribes, the Priests, the Rich Young Ruler,
Yet continually accept the prostitutes and tax collectors.

Jesus looked deeper than the surface and saw the heart.
IF YOU DESIRE TO PLEASE JESUS,
YOU MUST SOLIDIFY THIS TRUTH IN YOUR MIND
Jesus isn’t looking for you to be religious, Jesus is looking for you to be righteous.

I want you to see this morning the reason many people fail to truly come to Jesus.

There are 3 truths I want you to see this morning.
#1 THE FASCINATION THAT SURROUNDS JESUS
John 1:23
“Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name, observing His signs which He was doing.”

Here again, we find Jesus ministering in Jerusalem.
He is doing so during one of the most popular times in Jerusalem.
He was ministering during the Passover.

Again we see that Jesus was not dodging confrontation,
He had nothing to hide, He was in the thick of things.

And John reveals that He must have been performing more signs.
Not just miracles, but signs that proved He is the Messiah.

And as the people saw these signs,
They were believing in His name.

We see here a truth that follows Jesus throughout the Bible, Jesus was continually surrounded with fascination.
People were constantly amazed with Jesus.

Matthew 4:25 “Large crowds followed Him from Galilee and the Decapolis and Jerusalem and Judea and from beyond the Jordan.”

Matthew 8:1 “When Jesus came down from the mountain, large crowds followed Him.”

Matthew 13:2 “And large crowds gathered to Him, so He got into a boat and sat down, and the whole crowd was standing on the beach.”

Matthew 15:30 “And large crowds came to Him, bringing with them those who were lame, crippled, blind, mute, and many others, and they laid them down at His feet; and He healed them.”

Matthew 19:2 “and large crowds followed Him, and He healed them there.”

Many use this to prove how successful Jesus was in ministry,
But that doesn’t really prove that.
If the presence of the crowd proves that Jesus was successful in ministry then what does the anger of the crowd that crucified Him prove?

The mobs continually surrounding Jesus proves only one thing,
That people were fascinated with Jesus.

John says that “many believed in His name”

This means as Jesus was wowing the people,
They were signing up left and right as followers.

We will see this same type of thing happen again, later in John
After Jesus feeds 5 thousand men with only 2 fish and 5 loaves.
John 6:14-15 “Therefore when the people saw the sign which He had performed, they said, “This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world.” So Jesus, perceiving that they were intending to come and take Him by force to make Him king, withdrew again to the mountain by Himself alone.”

Jesus walks on water and reaches the other side, and the mob finds Him again.

John 6:24-29 “So when the crowd saw that Jesus was not there, nor His disciples, they themselves got into the small boats, and came to Capernaum seeking Jesus. When they found Him on the other side of the sea, they said to Him, “Rabbi, when did You get here?” Jesus answered them and said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. “Do not work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you, for on Him the Father, God, has set His seal.” Therefore they said to Him, “What shall we do, so that we may work the works of God?” Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.”

You can hear it in the crowds voice.
They aren’t truly surrendering to Jesus,
They are just signing up to be fascinated by Him.

Even today, Jesus is fascinating to people.
People flocked in groves to watch “The Passion of the Christ”
People will flock in groves to watch, “The DaVinci Code”

One of the biggest marketing fads to hit stores in the last decade was:
WWJD (What Would Jesus Do?)

Face it, Jesus is still a hot marketing topic.
Jesus is fascinating.

But in that comes a tragedy.
MANY PEOPLE NEVER MAKE IT PAST FASCINATION

Their relationship with Jesus never becomes anything more than a fascination with the power that He has, or with the grace that He shows.

They get fascinated with Jesus, and it stops right there.

There is never obedience…
There is never submission…
There is never trust…

It is what Jesus spoke of with the Rocky Soil.

Luke 8:13 “Those on the rocky soil are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no firm root; they believe for a while, and in time of temptation fall away.”

It is seen very clearly in John 6.
This same crowd that was ready to make Jesus King,
Would soon completely abandon Him.

John 6:60-66 “Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this said, “This is a difficult statement; who can listen to it?” But Jesus, conscious that His disciples grumbled at this, said to them, “Does this cause you to stumble? “What then if you see the Son of Man ascending to where He was before? “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life. “But there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who it was that would betray Him. And He was saying, “For this reason I have said to you, that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted him from the Father.” As a result of this many of His disciples withdrew and were not walking with Him anymore.”

For many, even though they claim to believe in Jesus,
They really never do.
They are fascinated with Jesus,
But it never goes any farther than this.

This is the case here, and we know that because of the next truth.

First, The Fascination that Surrounded Jesus
#2 THE HESITATION THAT DIRECTED JESUS
John 2:24
“But Jesus, on His part, was not entrusting Himself to them, for He knew all men,”

The crowd is fascinated with Jesus and Jesus is less than excited.

The word “believed” (23) and the word “entrusting” (24) is the same word.
PISTEOU – “to trust”
John said they were trusting Jesus, but Jesus wouldn’t trust them.

BUT I THOUGHT WE LEARNED A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO THAT JESUS ACCEPTS HIS FOLLOWERS?
He does – when they really follow Him.

Matthew 5:8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”

But when you come to God without a pure heart, don’t count on it.

When your fascination with Jesus is nothing more than a selfish desire to be amazed, don’t count on it.

It is worth reminding ourselves a very important truth.

YOU DON’T COME TO JESUS IN SELFISHNESS,
YOU COME TO JESUS IN SUBMISSION.

Matthew 16:21-24 “From that time Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised up on the third day. Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “God forbid it, Lord! This shall never happen to You.” But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s.” Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.”

Jesus wasn’t just seeking people
That would buy tickets to His miracle show.
Jesus was seeking people
Who would lay their lives down for Him.

We as a church must remember this.
I firmly believe there is a right way and wrong way to evangelize.

The wrong way is to appeal to people’s selfishness.

The right way is to proclaim Jesus call for submission.

When you see Jesus sending His disciples into the world,
Look at what He told them to preach.
Matthew 28:19-20 “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Mark 16:15-16 “And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. “He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned.”

Luke 24:45-47 “Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and He said to them, ” Thus it is written, that the Christ would suffer and rise again from the dead the third day, and that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.”

Call them to repentance, call them to obedience, call them to faith

Jesus doesn’t just want people to flock to Him,
Jesus wants people who will sell out for Him.

And these people in Jerusalem wouldn’t,
So Jesus would not entrust Himself to them.
“for He knew all men,”

He knew their loyalty was like that of the people in Hosea’s day.
Hosea 6:1-4 “Come, let us return to the LORD. For He has torn us, but He will heal us; He has wounded us, but He will bandage us. “He will revive us after two days; He will raise us up on the third day, That we may live before Him. “So let us know, let us press on to know the LORD. His going forth is as certain as the dawn; And He will come to us like the rain, Like the spring rain watering the earth.” What shall I do with you, O Ephraim? What shall I do with you, O Judah? For your loyalty is like a morning cloud And like the dew which goes away early.”

These people claimed loyalty, but Jesus knew better.

Jesus looked into a man’s heart
If they were not fully sold out to Him,
He was hesitant to entrust Himself to them.

Luke 9:57-60 “As they were going along the road, someone said to Him, “I will follow You wherever You go.” And Jesus said to him, “The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” And He said to another, “Follow Me.” But he said, “Lord, permit me first to go and bury my father.” But He said to him, “Allow the dead to bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim everywhere the kingdom of God.”

Jesus is looking for people who will sell out for Him.
He is looking for people who will count the cost and follow anyway.

Look at this familiar illustration.
Luke 14:25-33 “Now large crowds were going along with Him; and He turned and said to them, “If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple. “Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. “For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it? “Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who observe it begin to ridicule him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’ “Or what king, when he sets out to meet another king in battle, will not first sit down and consider whether he is strong enough with ten thousand men to encounter the one coming against him with twenty thousand? “Or else, while the other is still far away, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace. “So then, none of you can be My disciple who does not give up all his own possessions.”
In order to truly have salvation,
You must move from fascination to full surrender.
Jesus NEVER accepted anything less.

And there is a reason why.
#3 THE EDUCATION THAT ENLIGHTENED JESUS
John 1:25
“and because He did not need anyone to testify concerning man, for He Himself knew what was in man.”

We just learned that Jesus wouldn’t entrust Himself to these people in Jerusalem because He knew they weren’t real.

BUT HOW DID HE KNOW THAT?
DID SOMEONE RAT ON THEM?

Of course you know the answer. He is God.
“He did not need anyone to testify concerning man, for He Himself knew what was in man.”

Psalms 139:1-16 “O LORD, You have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I rise up; You understand my thought from afar. You scrutinize my path and my lying down, And are intimately acquainted with all my ways. Even before there is a word on my tongue, Behold, O LORD, You know it all. You have enclosed me behind and before, And laid Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is too high, I cannot attain to it. Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend to heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the dawn, If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea, Even there Your hand will lead me, And Your right hand will lay hold of me. If I say, “Surely the darkness will overwhelm me, And the light around me will be night,” Even the darkness is not dark to You, And the night is as bright as the day. Darkness and light are alike to You. For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb. I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth; Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; And in Your book were all written The days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was not one of them.”

Jesus knows men.
He saw every thought of the Pharisees…
He saw through every trick of the Scribes…
He forecasted Judas’ betrayal…
He predicted Peter’s denial…

Jesus knows men.
That is why when men come to Him and claim to want to follow Him, He looks deeper. He looks at the heart. Jesus is the Heart Reader.

HE HAS BEEN READING YOUR HEART AS WELL
He hasn’t been watching your attendance so closely…
He hasn’t been reading your appearance…
Jesus is watching your heart.

When we sing songs like “I Surrender All”, He listens to your heart.
When we pray over an offering, He listens to your heart.

Jesus is reading your heart.

Hebrews 4:12-13 “For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.”

You see Jesus knows you.

WHAT HAVE YOU REALLY DONE WITH JESUS?

Are you just caught up with fascination over this One who can meet all your needs?

Or do you genuinely want to surrender your whole life to Him?

Jesus is not looking for empty profession,
Jesus is reading your heart to see if you confess Him as Lord.

Titus 1:16 “They profess to know God, but by their deeds they deny Him, being detestable and disobedient and worthless for any good deed.”

James 2:14 “What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him?”

1 John 2:4-5 “The one who says, “I have come to know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him:”

Matthew 7:21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.”

All of those verses have one thing in common.
They don’t care what your lips say,
They are only concerned with what your heart is saying.

WHEN JESUS READS YOUR HEART, WHAT WILL IT SAY?

Do you, with all your heart, long to surrender all to follow Him?
Do you, with all your heart, long to leave sin and self behind?
Do you, with all your heart, long to obey Jesus every waking hour?
Do you, with all your heart, long to see Him glorified?
Or do you just say so?

Jeremiah 17:9-10 “The heart is more deceitful than all else And is desperately sick; Who can understand it? “I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind, Even to give to each man according to his ways, According to the results of his deeds.”

Jesus, The Zealot

John 2:12-22

Zeal – “Eagerness; enthusiasm; ardor; fervor”
Zealot – “One who is zealous, esp. to a fanatic degree.”

As we study the Biblical Jesus,
I have been excited to get to this text,
Because I believe it to show a side of Jesus that is not often shown.

This is a Jesus that no one ever really talked about to me.
I was always shown a controlled, saddened, pacifying Jesus.

I LIKED PAUL

But for some reason I had trouble with Jesus.
All that I had been told about Jesus
Didn’t match these new passions in my heart.

I was more like the Jesus I had been told about before I got saved.

I had a problem.
Until I started preaching through Matthew.

I noticed a Jesus I had never heard of.
I NOTICED JESUS, THE ZEALOT.

Tonight in our text we are going to look at this Jesus
So that you may see
That those passions in you may just be from God,
And that you do not have to sit back in apathy
Just because people frown on you for being fanatical.

There are three truths I want you to see about Jesus here,
And they are three truths that we will see about Jesus all throughout the gospels.
#1 JESUS SOUGHT OUT CONFRONTATION
John 2:12-14

Now you know the culture we live in.
If you seek out confrontation you are a trouble maker,
And you are frowned upon.

We have heard the statement
“Tolerance is our greatest virtue”

That is not true,
“Tolerance is the virtue of a man without convictions.”
But we are frowned upon for being confrontational.
People run their finger up our nose and say,
“You’re nothing like Jesus.”

Oh yeah, let’s see.
Verse 13 says, “The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.”

1) JOHN SHOWS THE CENTER OF JESUS MINISTRY AS JERUSALEM NOT GALILEE
2) JOHN PLACES THIS EVENT OUT OF ORDER

In our text, John is making a point about Jesus
That he will stick with throughout the remainder of his gospel.

He wants you to be familiar with this Jesus who did not shy away from confrontation, but who sought it out.

We know this because of what He does while in Jerusalem.
Verse 14, “He found in the temple those who were selling oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers seated at their tables.”

Allow me to quickly fill you in.
You brought two things with you to the Passover
1) An Unblemished Lamb
2) The Temple Tax

They were using God’s feast to take advantage of people.

Something needed to be done.
And look what happens.
“He found” them.

It wasn’t as though He got cheated and then started making a fuss.
He went and found them.

You say, “That’s still a little coincidental to say Jesus actually sought out controversy.”

Ok, look with me for a second at Mark’s gospel.
Mark 11:11-16 “Jesus entered Jerusalem and came into the temple; and after looking around at everything, He left for Bethany with the twelve, since it was already late. On the next day, when they had left Bethany, He became hungry. Seeing at a distance a fig tree in leaf, He went to see if perhaps He would find anything on it; and when He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. He said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again!” And His disciples were listening. Then they came to Jerusalem. And He entered the temple and began to drive out those who were buying and selling in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who were selling doves; and He would not permit anyone to carry merchandise through the temple.”
This was a premeditated action by Jesus.
My point is Jesus sought out confrontation.

Preacher, “That’s just one story”

Luke 6:6-11 “On another Sabbath He entered the synagogue and was teaching; and there was a man there whose right hand was withered. The scribes and the Pharisees were watching Him closely to see if He healed on the Sabbath, so that they might find reason to accuse Him. But He knew what they were thinking, and He said to the man with the withered hand, “Get up and come forward!” And he got up and came forward. And Jesus said to them, “I ask you, is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the Sabbath, to save a life or to destroy it?” After looking around at them all, He said to him, “Stretch out your hand!” And he did so; and his hand was restored. But they themselves were filled with rage, and discussed together what they might do to Jesus.”

Luke 13:10-17 “And He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. And there was a woman who for eighteen years had had a sickness caused by a spirit; and she was bent double, and could not straighten up at all. When Jesus saw her, He called her over and said to her, “Woman, you are freed from your sickness.” And He laid His hands on her; and immediately she was made erect again and began glorifying God. But the synagogue official, indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, began saying to the crowd in response, ” There are six days in which work should be done; so come during them and get healed, and not on the Sabbath day.” But the Lord answered him and said, “You hypocrites, does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the stall and lead him away to water him? “And this woman, a daughter of Abraham as she is, whom Satan has bound for eighteen long years, should she not have been released from this bond on the Sabbath day?” As He said this, all His opponents were being humiliated; and the entire crowd was rejoicing over all the glorious things being done by Him.”

Luke 14:1-6 “It happened that when He went into the house of one of the leaders of the Pharisees on the Sabbath to eat bread, they were watching Him closely. And there in front of Him was a man suffering from dropsy. And Jesus answered and spoke to the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath, or not?” But they kept silent. And He took hold of him and healed him, and sent him away. And He said to them, “Which one of you will have a son or an ox fall into a well, and will not immediately pull him out on a Sabbath day?” And they could make no reply to this.”

John 5:8-10 “Jesus said to him, “Get up, pick up your pallet and walk.” Immediately the man became well, and picked up his pallet and began to walk. Now it was the Sabbath on that day. So the Jews were saying to the man who was cured, “It is the Sabbath, and it is not permissible for you to carry your pallet.”

John 9:14 “Now it was a Sabbath on the day when Jesus made the clay and opened his eyes.”

John 7:14 “But when it was now the midst of the feast Jesus went up into the temple, and began to teach.”
If He wasn’t confrontational, then why go to Jerusalem to teach?
If He wasn’t confrontational, then why not heal some other time than the Sabbath?
If He wasn’t confrontational, why did He go to His home town and confront them?

I’m telling you Jesus sought out confrontation.
HE COULDN’T LEAVE SIN UNCHALLENGED

He could not just allow hypocrisy to continue uncontested.
Jesus was a zealot.
He did not come to allow sin to remain.
He did not come to approve false religion.
He came to confront it and drive it out of the temple.

Don’t let someone tell you that you aren’t like Jesus
Simply because you confront sin.

Matthew 18:15-18 “If your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother. “But if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so that BY THE MOUTH OF TWO OR THREE WITNESSES EVERY FACT MAY BE CONFIRMED. “If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. “Truly I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.”

Jesus was a zealot, He sought out confrontation.
#2 JESUS SIGNED UP FOR COMBAT
John 2:15-17

Once Jesus found these hypocrites in the temple, He did the unthinkable.
He didn’t just confront them, He went plum Holy on ‘em.

These three verses list 5 things Jesus did.
1) “He made a scourge of cords”
2) “drove them all out of the temple”
3) “He poured out the coins”
4) “and overturned their tables”
5) “He said, “Take these things away”

CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT?
What if a person did that in church today?

IS IT EVER ACCEPTABLE TO USE SUCH AN AGGRESSIVE DISPLAY IN ORDER TO MAKE YOUR POINT?
JESUS DID
He saw what was going on, and He knew talking wouldn’t work.
They needed to get whipped.
(Illus. My dad kicked in a door)
Jesus not only sought confrontation He signed up for combat.

And by the way, it was prophesied that He would.
Verse 17, “His disciples remembered that it was written, “ZEAL FOR YOUR HOUSE WILL CONSUME ME.”

He didn’t just confront falsity, He fought it.
It wasn’t as though He was just refusing to stay quiet,
Jesus went on the offensive.

Matthew 11:20-24 “Then He began to denounce the cities in which most of His miracles were done, because they did not repent. “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles had occurred in Tyre and Sidon which occurred in you, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. “Nevertheless I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon inthe day of judgment than for you. “And you, Capernaum, will not be exalted to heaven, will you? You will descend to Hades; for if the miracles had occurred in Sodom which occurred in you, it would have remained to this day. “Nevertheless I say to you that it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for you.”

Matthew 12:33-37 “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for the tree is known by its fruit. “You brood of vipers, how can you, being evil, speak what is good? For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart. “The good man brings out of his good treasure what is good; and the evil man brings out of his evil treasure what is evil. “But I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment. “For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

Matthew 15:1-9 “Then some Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, “Why do Your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread.” And He answered and said to them, “Why do you yourselves transgress the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? “For God said, ‘HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER,’ and, ‘HE WHO SPEAKS EVIL OF FATHER OR MOTHER IS TO BE PUT TO DEATH.’ “But you say, ‘Whoever says to his father or mother, “Whatever I have that would help you has been given to God,” he is not to honor his father or his mother.’ And by this you invalidated the word of God for the sake of your tradition. “You hypocrites, rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you: ‘THIS PEOPLE HONORS ME WITH THEIR LIPS, BUT THEIR HEART IS FAR AWAY FROM ME. ‘BUT IN VAIN DO THEY WORSHIP ME, TEACHING AS DOCTRINES THE PRECEPTS OF MEN.'”

Luke 11:45-48 “One of the lawyers said to Him in reply, “Teacher, when You say this, You insult us too.” But He said, “Woe to you lawyers as well! For you weigh men down with burdens hard to bear, while you yourselves will not even touch the burdens with one of your fingers. “Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets, and it was your fathers who killed them. “So you are witnesses and approve the deeds of your fathers; because it was they who killed them, and you build their tombs.”
John 8:43-47 “Why do you not understand what I am saying? It is because you cannot hear My word. “You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies. “But because I speak the truth, you do not believe Me. “Which one of you convicts Me of sin? If I speak truth, why do you not believe Me? “He who is of God hears the words of God; for this reason you do not hear them, because you are not of God.”

And let’s not forget Matthew 23 where Jesus continually said, “Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites…”

The point is Jesus signed up for combat.
He continually fought against heresy.
He continually fought against hypocrisy.

We are called to do the same.
Jude 3-4 “Beloved, while I was making every effort to write you about our common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints. For certain persons have crept in unnoticed, those who were long beforehand marked out for this condemnation, ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.”

We live in a day that thinks it is wrong
To confront or fight against anything.
If you tell someone they are wrong, then you are wrong for doing it.

Don’t think for a second that Jesus was passive.
He was active against sin,

And don’t allow people to use Jesus against you
When you stand for what is right and drive out what is wrong.

People say, “You shouldn’t use blunt, offensive speech when confronting heresy in the church.” I agree, “Jesus used a whip”.

Jesus sought out confrontation Jesus signed up for combat
#3 JESUS STIRRED UP CONTROVERSY
John 2:18-22

WE HAVE SEEN THIS BEFORE HAVEN’T WE?
They asked John the Baptist the same thing.

What authority do you have for doing such aggressive and offensive things?

It is the same thing the world says to us today when we show our zeal.
They throw the old, “You shouldn’t do such things” in our face.
They questioned Jesus’ authority.
Most importantly they wanted to see a sign.

Now, Jesus could have done nothing…
He could have apologized…
He could have explained the biblical truth to the Passover…
He could have done a lot of things.

In stead He chose to stir the pot a little more.
“Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”

Now, the disciples learned that He meant His body,
But the Jews didn’t know that.
And Jesus offered no explanation.

CAN YOU IMAGINE THE BUZZ WHEN HE LEFT?

We know they didn’t get over it,
For that was one of the charges they used against Him.
That was one of the charges they used against Stephen.

That place was different when He left.
In fact, Jesus left every place different when He left.

He started out to the country of the Gaderenes,
But He ended up casting a legion of demons into a heard of swine
And the people asked Him to leave.

He started out preaching in His hometown,
But the people tried to throw Him off a cliff.

His disciples go to town to buy bread
Jesus ends up talking to a Samaritan woman

The religious leaders bring a guarantee guilty adulteress
Jesus ends up taking her side

Jesus comes to town
And chooses to stay at the house of short little tax collector

Matthew 9:10-13 “Then it happened that as Jesus was reclining at the table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were dining with Jesus and His disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to His disciples, “Why is your Teacher eating with the tax collectors and sinners?” But when Jesus heard this, He said, “It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick. “But go and learn what this means: ‘ I DESIRE COMPASSION,AND NOT SACRIFICE,’ for I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
Luke 15:1-7 “Now all the tax collectors and the sinners were coming near Him to listen to Him. Both the Pharisees and the scribes began to grumble, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.” So He told them this parable, saying, “What man among you, if he has a hundred sheep and has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open pasture and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? “When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. “And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!’ “I tell you that in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.”

Luke 20:45-47 “And while all the people were listening, He said to the disciples, “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and love respectful greetings in the market places, and chief seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets, who devour widows’ houses, and for appearance’s sake offer long prayers. These will receive greater condemnation.”
(he spoke very controversial to all the people)

John 7:25-31 “So some of the people of Jerusalem were saying, “Is this not the man whom they are seeking to kill? “Look, He is speaking publicly, and they are saying nothing to Him. The rulers do not really know that this is the Christ, do they? “However, we know where this man is from; but whenever the Christ may come, no one knows where He is from.” Then Jesus cried out in the temple, teaching and saying, “You both know Me and know where I am from; and I have not come of Myself, but He who sent Me is true, whom you do not know. “I know Him, because I am from Him, and He sent Me.” So they were seeking to seize Him; and no man laid his hand on Him, because His hour had not yet come. But many of the crowd believed in Him; and they were saying, ” When the Christ comes, He will not perform more signs than those which this man has, will He?”

Jesus was controversial.
He didn’t do the things that were expected by the religious elite,
He did the things that were expected of Him by His Father.

That is our calling.
Where in the Bible do you find that we are to be politically correct?
Where in the Bible do you find that Christians should never be controversial?

Jesus is controversial.
If you try to cut out controversy,
You are going to have to cut out Jesus.

AND THERE WE HAVE IT

We are so afraid of confrontation
We painted a Jesus who would do no such thing.
We are so afraid of combat
We painted a Jesus who never offended anyone.
We are so afraid of controversy
We painted a Jesus who only does what is always expected.

I want you to know,
If you are ok to leave sin unchallenged…
If you have no problem allowing a falsity to remain…
If you just want to keep from stirring up controversy…

THEN DON’T CLAIM TO BE A FOLLOWER OF JESUS
If He was like that, they would have had no desire to kill Him.

Jesus was a zealot.

C.H. Spurgeon, “If you never have sleepless hours, if you never have weeping eyes, if your hearts never swell as if they would burst, you need not anticipate that you will be called zealous. You do not know the beginning of true zeal, for the foundation of Christian zeal lies in the heart. The heart must be heavy with grief and yet must beat high with holy ardor. The heart must be vehement in desire, panting continually for God’s glory, or else we shall never attain to anything like the zeal which God would have us know.”

JESUS WAS A ZEALOT, ARE YOU?

Are you ready to step up to sin, make a whip, a drive it out?

Are you ready to snatch from the flame your friends who are deceived in their sin and traveling the road t hell?

Are you ready to take up the cross of Jesus and command that men forsake themselves and join in the cause?

Are you ready to put on the zeal of the zealous One?

Matthew 10:24-25 “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a slave above his master. “It is enough for the disciple that he become like his teacher, and the slave like his master. If they have called the head of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign the members of his household!”

Jesus, The Essential one

John 2:1-11

We are in the midst of studying the book of John
In order to see the Biblical Jesus.

2 Corinthians 11:3-4 “But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ. For if one comes and preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted, you bear this beautifully.”

We are not interested in the Jesus of the culture,
We are interested in the Jesus of the Bible.

We have seen thus far some amazing truths about Jesus.
He is the Living Word of God (eternal, supernal, supernatural)
He is the Light of the World (though often rejected)
He is the Incarnate One (“Word became flesh”)
He is the Revealed One (“This is My Son”)
He is the One to Follow

We saw our text end last Sunday night
With a wonderful statement by Jesus to Nathanael.

John 1:50-51 “Jesus answered and said to him, “Because I said to you that I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You will see greater things than these.” And He said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see the heavens opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”

“You ain’t seen nothin’ yet”

That statement is the logical lead in to the story we read here.
IT IS THE FIRST SIGN OF JESUS.

Verse 11, “This beginning of His signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory, and His disciples believed in Him.”

This was more than Jesus just wowing the crowd,
This was about Jesus revealing who He is.

John 5:36 “But the testimony which I have is greater than the testimony of John; for the works which the Father has given Me to accomplish — the very works that I do — testify about Me, that the Father has sent Me.”

Last week we learned Jesus was revealed by the Father.
Here we see a second way Jesus is revealed.

John 7:31 “But many of the crowd believed in Him; and they were saying, “When the Christ comes, He will not perform more signs than those which this man has, will He?”
Through this miracle Jesus is sending a statement
That He is the One the world had better not miss,
And as we see in verse 11, the disciples didn’t.

Verse 11, “This beginning of His signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory, and His disciples believed in Him.”

After seeing His power, they trusted in Him.

To put it plainly, the disciples realized that in Jesus
They had found something that they could get no where else.

In short, Jesus is Essential.
He is Irreplaceable (Light)
There is no “bargain brand” Savior
There is no “imitation” Salvation

And so this morning I want us to see why Jesus is so essential,
And see what He was revealing about Himself through this first sign.

#1 IT IS BENEFICIAL TO INVITE JESUS
John 2:1-2
“On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there; and both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding.”

Talk about an important invitation.

Of all the people that were invited to the wedding,
None proved to be more essential than Jesus.
He is the One who would save the day.

IT PAYS TO INVITE JESUS
“When Jesus is present, anything can happen!”

So you run out of wine, no big deal, Jesus is there.
So you don’t have enough fish or bread, no problem, Jesus is there.
So a demoniac runs through your wedding, no problem, Jesus is there.
So the groom is blind, no problem, Jesus is there.
So the bride is barren, no problem, Jesus is there.

It doesn’t matter the circumstance,
When Jesus is present, anything can happen.

BUT IMAGINE THE TRAGEDY OF NOT HAVING JESUS PRESENT
What would you do without Him?
You would drink dishwater, that’s what you would do.
(Those pots were to wash your feet and hands)
Without Jesus the power is gone.
John 15:5 “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.”

Imagine Peter with and without Jesus.
Peter with Jesus:
John 18:10 “Simon Peter then, having a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s slave, and cut off his right ear; and the slave’s name was Malchus.”

Peter without Jesus:
John 18:17 “Then the slave-girl who kept the door said to Peter, “You are not also one of this man’s disciples, are you?” He said, “I am not.”

THE COMPANY OF JESUS IS ESSENTIAL

THINK ABOUT HIS PRESENCE IN REGARD TO MINISTRY
A sermon written without the presence of Jesus is just a speech.
A sermon delivered without the presence of Jesus is powerless.
A Bible read without the presence of Jesus is confusing
A witness shared without the presence of Jesus is unconvicting
A worship service without the presence of Jesus is a meeting

The presence of Jesus is essential.
Consider the lukewarm nauseating fake church of Laodicea.

Revelation 3:15-17 “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot. ‘So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth. ‘Because you say, “I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing,” and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked,”

Of course the reason for their ineffectiveness…
Revelation 3:20 “Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.”

THINK ABOUT HIS PRESENCE IN REGARD TO MARRIAGE
We have many in our day who invite Jesus to their wedding,
But leave Him out of their marriage.

It is no wonder 50% of all marriages end in divorce.

Psalms 127:1 “Unless the LORD builds the house, They labor in vain who build it; Unless the LORD guards the city, The watchman keeps awake in vain.”

All is vanity if Jesus isn’t there.
ONLYJESUS CAN HEAL A MARRIAGE

Jesus can fix your marriage.
(MARRIAGE WAS INTENDED TO MODEL HIM ANYWAY)
THNK ABOUT HIS PRESENCE IN REGARD TO LIFE IN GENERAL
Where do you go for joy?
Where do you go for peace?
Where do you go for comfort?
Where do you go for forgiveness?
What do you do with sickness?
What do you do with death?
What do you do with trials?
Who is your source of strength?
Who is your source of grace?
Who is your source of truth?
Who is your guide?

I’m here to tell you, the company of Jesus is essential in your life.
Imagine this wedding in Galilee if Jesus hadn’t been invited.

#2 IT IS BENEFICIAL TO APPEAL TO JESUS
John 2:3-5

This is a rather interesting couple of verses.
The wine runs out and Mary comes to Jesus.

She comes to Jesus and says, “They have no wine”.

But then notice Jesus’ response, “Woman, what does that have to do with us? My hour has not yet come.”

Now, you can read that passage just like I can.
At the very least, you can see that Jesus is hesitant to grant her request.

But then notice what Mary says to the servants.
“Whatever He says to you, do it.”

DID I MISS SOMETHING?
I never heard Jesus say that He would do anything.
It sounded to me like Jesus said no.

But Mary remembered a vitally important truth in regard to Jesus.
WHEN YOU NEED JESUS, JESUS COMES THROUGH.

It is beneficial to appeal to Jesus.
In fact, this is one of the downfalls in our life.

We often don’t call on Jesus.
James 4:2b “…You do not have because you do not ask.”

What a tragedy when we don’t seek God’s counsel.
Remember Joshua and the Gibeonites?
Joshua 9:14-15 “So the men of Israel took some of their provisions, and did not ask for the counsel of the LORD. Joshua made peace with them and made a covenant with them, to let them live; and the leaders of the congregation swore an oath to them.”

HOW IMPORTANT IT IS TO APPEAL TO JESUS.
VITALLY IMPORTANT IN MINISTRY
Jeremiah 10:21 “For the shepherds have become stupid And have not sought the LORD; Therefore they have not prospered, And all their flock is scattered.”

Amos 5:4-7 “For thus says the LORD to the house of Israel, “Seek Me that you may live. “But do not resort to Bethel And do not come to Gilgal, Nor cross over to Beersheba; For Gilgal will certainly go into captivity And Bethel will come to trouble. “Seek the LORD that you may live, Or He will break forth like a fire, O house of Joseph, And it will consume with none to quench it for Bethel, For those who turn justice into wormwood And cast righteousness down to the earth.”

VITALLY IMPORTANT IN MARRIAGE
Couples will seek all sorts of things to heal their marriage.
Marriage counselors, Seminars, but they never seek Jesus.

Your marriage can’t last if you don’t appeal to Jesus.

VITALLY IMPORTANT IN YOUR LIFE
Where do you find guidance apart from Jesus?

When Jesus died, His followers were like sheep without a shepherd
They were lost, and they didn’t know what to do.

Do you know where we find them?
John 20:19 “So when it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and when the doors were shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.”

VITALLY IMPORTANT IN REGARD TO SALVATION
How will you be saved if you don’t seek Jesus?

Romans 10:13 “WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED.”

Romans 10:9-10 “that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.”

Matthew 11:28-30 “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. “For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
You will notice that part of salvation
Is you humbling yourself before Him and crying out to Him.

Our world is filled with people who are content in their own goodness and because of that never cry out to Jesus.
Luke 18:10-14 “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. “The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. ‘I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’ “But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’ “I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
One was humble – One was arrogant
One cried out – One was content
One was justified – One was condemned

It is beneficial to appeal to Jesus,
Because Jesus is compassionate.

When you come to Him, when you call on Him, He answers.
Mary knew this, that’s why she went to him with Her problem.

John 6:37 “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out.”

Matthew 7:7-11 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. “For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. “Or what man is there among you who, when his son asks for a loaf, will give him a stone? “Or if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he? “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!”

It is beneficial to invite Jesus because the company of Jesus is essential.
It is beneficial to appeal to Jesus because the compassion of Jesus is essential.
#3 IT IS BENEFICIAL TO OBEY JESUS
John 1:6-10
I LOVE THESE VERSES
Verse 7, “Jesus said to them, “Fill the waterpots with water.” So they filled them up to the brim.”

Verse 8, “And He said to them, “Draw some out now and take it to the headwaiter.” So they took it to him.”

Very simply, they just did whatever Jesus said to do.

Of course this was Mary’s command.
Verse 5, “Whatever He says to you, do it.”

But look at this from a logical standpoint.

Jesus says, “Go fill up the feet washing pots”
WHAT DOES THAT HAVE TO DO WITH THE WINE PROBLEM?

Some times we don’t obey
Because we think the command doesn’t make sense.

Remember Namaan?
He was captain of Aram’s army, and he was a leper.
He was sent to Elisha for healing.

2 Kings 5:10-14 “Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh will be restored to you and you will be clean.” But Naaman was furious and went away and said, “Behold, I thought, ‘He will surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, and wave his hand over the place and cure the leper.’ “Are not Abanah and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?” So he turned and went away in a rage. Then his servants came near and spoke to him and said, “My father, had the prophet told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more then, when he says to you, ‘Wash, and be clean’?” So he went down and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God; and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child and he was clean.”

Sometimes we don’t obey because
We don’t think the command makes sense.
“Husbands love your wives…”
“Wives submit to your husbands…”
“Turn the other cheek to him also…”
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth…”

BUT OH HOW IT PAYS TO OBEY JESUS
ALL BECAUSE OF OBEDIENCE:
The Groom was honored
The Servants were relieved
The Water was Wine
Jesus was glorified

THIS WAS WHAT JESUS WAS REVEALING ABOUT HIMSELF
He can take what is dirty, foul, and useless,
And turn it into something wonderful.

You just have to INVITE Him
You have to APPEAL to Him
You have to OBEY Him

BUT THIS IS OFTEN WHERE WE BLOW IT
Not only do we fail to invite Jesus…Not only do we fail to appeal to Jesus…
We often fail to obey Jesus when He answers.

You don’t have to search hard in the Bible
To find the devastating effects of failing to obey.

See Jonah sinking to the bottom of the ocean…
See Samson getting his eyes gouged out…
See David holding the dead son that he conceived with Bathsheeba…
See Moses looking at the Promised Land from a distance…
See Adam and Eve leaving the garden…
See the children of Israel turning around and leaving the Promised Land…

And imagine this wedding if they had failed to obey.
They would have missed a blessing indeed.

I want you to know something, Jesus is essential.
You cannot handle life without Him.

It is essential that you INVITE Him
It is essential that you APPEAL to Him
It is essential that you OBEY Him.
IF YOU DON’T, YOU WILL NEVER SEE A MIRACLE

Remember Jairus’s daughter?
Matthew 9:23-26 “When Jesus came into the official’s house, and saw the flute-players and the crowd in noisy disorder, He said, “Leave; for the girl has not died, but is asleep.” And they began laughing at Him. But when the crowd had been sent out, He entered and took her by the hand, and the girl got up. This news spread throughout all that land.”

But I’m here to tell you,
If you don’t invite Jesus,
If you don’t appeal to Jesus,
If you don’t obey Jesus,
You will miss the greatest miracle of all.
Mark 6:1-6 “Jesus went out from there and came into His hometown; and His disciples followed Him. When the Sabbath came, He began to teach in the synagogue; and the many listeners were astonished, saying, “Where did this man get these things, and what is this wisdom given to Him, and such miracles as these performed by His hands? “Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? Are not His sisters here with us?” And they took offense at Him. Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and among his own relatives and in his own household.” And He could do no miracle there except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. And He wondered at their unbelief.”

Mark goes out of his way to show that Jesus was working some miracles.
He had astonished the people, He had healed some of the sick.

But yet Mark said, “He could do no miracle”
We aren’t talking about temporal miracles, He did those.
We are talking about the eternal miracle of salvation.

I want you to hear me very closely.
You can have church without Jesus…
You can have preaching without Jesus…
You can have a marriage without Jesus…
You can live your life without Jesus…
BUT YOU CANNOT HAVE A MIRACLE WITHOUT JESUS

Jesus is essential if you want to see eternal results.
It is essential that you INVITE Him into your life…
It is essential that you APPEAL to Him for your salvation…
It is essential that you OBEY Him no matter what He says…
SO HOW ABOUT IT?
Matthew 16:24 “Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.”

ARE YOU MISSING THE ESSENTIAL INGREDIENT TO LIFE?
He is the One who turns dirty feet water into flowing wine.
He will do it in your life as well.

You must come to Him in REPENTANCE, confessing your sin, turning from your sin, and yielding to Him.

You must come to Him in FAITH, trusting Him, and Him alone to save you and change you. Forsaking all others placing all on Him.

You must come to Him in OBEDIENCE, fully surrendering your life, your ministry, your marriage to His will so that He can work.

This morning
If you are ready to leave your sin and live for Jesus,
You come.

 

Notes unavailable for this sermon…

Jesus, The Revealed One
John 1:19-34

As we have been studying the Jesus of the Bible, we saw some amazing truths about Jesus in John’s opening segment.
Jesus is the Living Word of God.
Jesus is the Light of the World.
Jesus is the Embodiment of Glory.
Jesus is the Epitome of Greatness.
Jesus is the Essence of Grace.
Jesus is the Exponent of God.

He truly is the greatest phenomenon
That has ever walked across the stage of this world.

This morning we see another fundamental truth about Jesus
He is the revealed one.

Jesus is not the recognized One, as though He was some figure in history that we have decided to elevate.

Muhammad was recognized by men as a prophet
Joseph Smith has been recognized by men as a prophet
Buddha was recognized by men as a prophet
Gandhi was recognized by men as a prophet
Confucius was recognized by men as a prophet

Jesus is not the recognized One
Jesus is the Revealed One.

John 5:31-40 “If I alone testify about Myself, My testimony is not true. “There is another who testifies of Me, and I know that the testimony which He gives about Me is true. “You have sent to John, and he has testified to the truth. “But the testimony which I receive is not from man, but I say these things so that you may be saved. “He was the lamp that was burning and was shining and you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light. “But the testimony which I have is greater than the testimony of John; for the works which the Father has given Me to accomplish — the very works that I do — testify about Me, that the Father has sent Me. “And the Father who sent Me, He has testified of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time nor seen His form. “You do not have His word abiding in you, for you do not believe Him whom He sent. “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me; and you are unwilling to come to Me so that you may have life.”
Jesus testified about Himself,
John the Baptist testified about Jesus
Jesus works testify as to who He is
The Scripture testified as to who Jesus is.

And perhaps the most important of all.
Jesus was revealed by God Himself as the Savior of the World.

God revealed it at His baptism.
Matthew 3:13-17 “Then Jesus arrived from Galilee at the Jordan coming to John, to be baptized by him. But John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I have need to be baptized by You, and do You come to me?” But Jesus answering said to him, “Permit it at this time; for in this way it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he permitted Him. After being baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and lighting on Him, and behold, a voice out of the heavens said, ” This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.”

God revealed it at His Transfiguration.
Matthew 17:1-8 “Six days later Jesus took with Him Peter and James and John his brother, and led them up on a high mountain by themselves. And He was transfigured before them; and His face shone like the sun, and His garments became as white as light. And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him. Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, I will make three tabernacles here, one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” While he was still speaking, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold, a voice out of the cloud said, “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him!” When the disciples heard this, they fell face down to the ground and were terrified. And Jesus came to them and touched them and said, “Get up, and do not be afraid.” And lifting up their eyes, they saw no one except Jesus Himself alone.”

God revealed it at the Triumphal Entry.
John 12:27-32 “Now My soul has become troubled; and what shall I say, ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour. “Father, glorify Your name.” Then a voice came out of heaven: “I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.” So the crowd of people who stood by and heard it were saying that it had thundered; others were saying, “An angel has spoken to Him.” Jesus answered and said, ” This voice has not come for My sake, but for your sakes. “Now judgment is upon this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out. “And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself.”

God revealed it at His crucifixion.
Matthew 27:54 “Now the centurion, and those who were with him keeping guard over Jesus, when they saw the earthquake and the things that were happening, became very frightened and said, “Truly this was the Son of God!”

God revealed it through His Resurrection.
Romans 1:4 “who was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead, according to the Spirit of holiness, Jesus Christ our Lord,”

God will reveal it through His Return.
Psalms 2:7-9 “I will surely tell of the decree of the LORD: He said to Me, ‘You are My Son, Today I have begotten You. ‘Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Your inheritance, And the very ends of the earth as Your possession. ‘You shall break them with a rod of iron, You shall shatter them like earthenware.'”

And this is the reason why we have here the testimony of John.
John said in verses 33-34
“I did not recognize Him, but He who sent me to baptize in water said to me, ‘He upon whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining upon Him, this is the One who baptizes in the Holy Spirit.’ I myself have seen, and have testified that this is the Son of God.”

When we are talking about Jesus,
We are talking about the God-revealed Savior of the World.

It is not as though we just like Him and want you to like Him.
It is not as though we just want you to be like us.
It is not as though we just want to force our beliefs on you.
It is that Jesus is the Only way the Father has ever revealed.

There is only One whom God has ever declared
Savior of the World, and His name is Jesus.

And this morning in our text,
You will see the impact that this revelation had on John’s life.

I want you to see four points that John makes
In order that we may give Jesus the proper place in our lives.
#1 JOHN TOLD THE PURE: HE IS PERFECT
John 1:19-23
“This is the testimony of John”
If John were here, this is what he would want you to see.

John was a low profile, non-confrontational, feel good preacher.
He very simply told people, repent, or you will go to hell.

Luke 3:7 “So he began saying to the crowds who were going out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?”

And it didn’t matter if you were a common person, a wealthy person, an authoritative person or a religious person.

Luke 3:10-14 “And the crowds were questioning him, saying, “Then what shall we do?” And he would answer and say to them, “The man who has two tunics is to share with him who has none; and he who has food is to do likewise.” And some tax collectors also came to be baptized, and they said to him, “Teacher, what shall we do?” And he said to them, “Collect no more than what you have been ordered to.” Some soldiers were questioning him, saying, “And what about us, what shall we do?” And he said to them, “Do not take money from anyone by force, or accuse anyone falsely, and be content with your wages.”

This type of preaching flew right in the face of the religious elite,
So here in verse 19 we see the “good” people being sent to John.

“the Jews sent to him priests and Levites from Jerusalem”
These were the examples of purity and righteousness.

Certainly John, he would back off of his message.
But when they come asking John “Who are you?”
John doesn’t hold back.
He confesses he is not the King they are waiting for.
He confesses he is not Elijah whom they are waiting for.
He confesses he is not the Prophet they are waiting for.
You see, John was not interested in who he was,
Or who the people thought he was.
John was interested in only One person.

So when they say a second time in verse 22, “Who are you?”

John replies, “I am A VOICE OF ONE CRYING IN THE WILDERNESS, ‘MAKE STRAIGHT THE WAY OF THE LORD.”

If you are unfamiliar with what that meant,
When a King was about to arrive in a town,
He would send his HERALD AHEAD OF HIM TO PREPARE THE WAY.

That is what John was doing.
He was telling the people they were not fit for a King.

This may have been fine for the local rabble,
But John has the priests here before him.
Even they needed to clean themselves up.

We must realize Jesus is perfect. He is holy. He is righteous.
Jesus is perfect.

Throughout His stay on earth, He endured every single temptation, And yet never sinned one single time.

Hebrews 4:15 “For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.”

He was so perfect they couldn’t even lie about Him and condemn Him.
Mark 14:55-59 “Now the chief priests and the whole Council kept trying to obtain testimony against Jesus to put Him to death, and they were not finding any. For many were giving false testimony against Him, but their testimony was not consistent. Some stood up and began to give false testimony against Him, saying, “We heard Him say, ‘ I will destroy this temple made with hands, and in three days I will build another made without hands.'” Not even in this respect was their testimony consistent.”

When we talk about Jesus, we are talking about perfection.
And if we are to honor Him as He deserves, we must clean ourselves up.
The word is called REPENTANCE.
And Jesus deserves it.

IT IS TIME WE QUIT ASSUMING HE DOESN’T CARE ABOUT OUR SIN
IF HE DIDN’T CARE, THEN WHY DID HE SEND JOHN?
IF HE DIDN’T CARE, WHY DID HE DIE TO SAVE YOU FROM SIN?
We understand this about God.
Deuteronomy 23:14 “Since the LORD your God walks in the midst of your camp to deliver you and to defeat your enemies before you, therefore your camp must be holy; and He must not see anything indecent among you or He will turn away from you.”
We owe Jesus our repentance, He is perfect.

I WOULD ARGUE THAT THIS IS THE CHARACTERISTIC JESUS LOOKS FOR THE MOST IN PEOPLE.

To some He was extremely compassionate
(Woman at the Well, Woman caught in Adultery, Zaccheus)
To some He was extremely critical
(Pharisees – 10 times in Matthew calls them hypocrites)

WHAT WAS THE DIFFERENCE?
One was repentant, one wasn’t.

Think about the woman caught in adultery.
“Let he who is without sin, cast the first stone…”
“Go and sin no more”

You do not go to Jesus in arrogance, you go to Him in repentance.
This is why tax collectors, and sinners, and prostitutes found favor, But the religious elite did not.

When you come to Jesus, you come in repentance,
I don’t care how pure you are, and John testified to this.

Isaiah 57:15 “For thus says the high and exalted One Who lives forever, whose name is Holy, “I dwell on a high and holy place, And also with the contrite and lowly of spirit In order to revive the spirit of the lowly And to revive the heart of the contrite.”
John told the pure He is perfect
#2 JOHN TOLD THE EXPERTS HE IS EXCEPTIONAL
John 1:24-28

Now we are given a little more light on the subject.
“they had been sent from the Pharisees”

We all know who the Pharisees were,
They were the legalistic, self-proclaimed experts on God.

They a little problem with John’s message.
Matthew 3:7-8 “But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? “Therefore bear fruit in keeping with repentance;”

I think we can all see why John wasn’t real popular among them.
They come questioning John’s authority to tell people to repent.
“Why then are you baptizing, if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?”

He quickly gives them an answer
And then forces the focus back on the One he is testifying about.

“I baptize in water, but among you stands One whom you do not know. It is He who comes after me, the thong of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.”

DID YOU CATCH WHAT JOHN DID?
He took the opportunity to tell these experts about the truly exceptional One.

The experts need to realize that there is One more exceptional than they.

We talked about Sunday night, that Jesus is the Epitome of Greatness.
John the Baptist was called the greatest man born of woman,
And John says I can’t even untie the sandals of this man.

JESUS IS EXCEPTIONAL.
He is not just WISE, He is wisdom incarnate. (Proverbs 8)
He is not just TRUE, He is the truth. (John 14:6)
He is not just MERCIFUL, He is the sacrifice for sin. (Romans 5:8)
He is not just a WAY, He is the only way of salvation. (no other name under heaven)

Jesus is exclusive and Jesus is exceptional.
You cannot find another to compare to Him throughout the course of history.

Put Him against any other, and watch them all fall to pieces.
Put the morality of Gandhi up against the righteousness of Jesus
Put the dreams of Joseph Smith against the prophecy of Jesus
Put the sacrifices of Buddha against the cross of Jesus
Put the intimidation of Muhammad against the power of Jesus

None of them ever walked on water
None of them ever commanded the storms
None of them ever gave sight to the blind
None of them ever healed the lame,
None of them ever conquered the grave

DON’T YOU DARE LUMP JESUS TOGETHER
IN SOME GENERIC POOL OF PROPHETS
JESUS IS EXCEPTIONAL!

John points that out to these experts.
They need to honor and glorify this One who is better than they.

The concept here is called WORSHIP
Jesus deserves to be worshiped, He stands alone
Philippians 2:9-10 “For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth,”
John told the pure He is perfect and deserves repentance
John told the experts He is exceptional and deserves worship
#3 JOHN TOLD THE MULTITUDES HE IS MERCIFUL
John 1:29-31

When he saw Jesus walk by, there was but one thing he could shout for the crowds to hear.

“Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”

He wanted the multitudes who had realized their sin
To see there was One who could actually take their sin away.

He told them that Jesus is the Lamb of God.
He is that sacrifice of God that atones for sin.

We often sing
“Are you washed, in the blood, in the sole cleansing blood of the Lamb? Are your garments spotless, are they white as snow, are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?”

I wonder if we have a person in here who doesn’t have a church background if they have a clue what we are talking about.

In the Old Testament sin was real and evident.
They had constant sacrifices
(Day of Atonement & Passover)
JESUS WAS NOW THE SACRIFICE

Garments represent character in the Bible.
His blood washes us clean.

Isaiah 1:18 “Let Us Reason” “Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the LORD, “Though your sins are as scarlet, They will be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They will be like wool.”

John was testifying that Jesus is the gracious One.
Jesus is MERCIFUL
Who but Jesus would have given Peter a second chance?
Who but Jesus would have prayed, “Father forgive them?”
Who but Jesus would have replaced the ear of the soldier?
Who but Jesus would have spoken to the woman at the well?
Who but Jesus would have given the hemorrhaging woman a second look?
Who but Jesus would have called tax collectors?
Who but Jesus would died on a cross for you and for me?
Jesus is Merciful
Jesus is the sacrifice for sin, and as such we owe Him our TRUST.

The pure still needed to repent
The experts still needed to worship
The multitudes still needed to trust
WE TRUST HIS SACRIFICIAL DEATH WAS SUFFICIENT

Jesus deserves TRUST.
Matthew 26:26-28 “While they were eating, Jesus took some bread, and after a blessing, He broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.” And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you; for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins.”

John told the pure He is perfect and deserves repentance
John told the experts He is exceptional and deserves worship
John told the multitudes He is merciful and deserves trust
#4 JOHN TOLD THE WORLD HE IS THE SON OF GOD
John 1:32-34
John just gives a blanket testimony of who Jesus is.

John said, “I have seen the Spirit descending as a dove out of heaven, and He remained upon Him.”

In other words, God has revealed that Jesus is His Son.
This indeed is the Son of God.

Sure we talked about His power over nature
His power to heal the sick, and raise the dead and conquer the grave,
BUT DO YOU WANT TO KNOW WHY IT IS SO IMPORTANT THAT JESUS IS THE SON OF GOD?

Mark 2:7-12 “Why does this man speak that way? He is blaspheming; who can forgive sins but God alone?” Immediately Jesus, aware in His spirit that they were reasoning that way within themselves, said to them, “Why are you reasoning about these things in your hearts? “Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven’; or to say, ‘Get up, and pick up your pallet and walk’? “But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins” — He said to the paralytic, “I say to you, get up, pick up your pallet and go home.” And he got up and immediately picked up the pallet and went out in the sight of everyone, so that they were all amazed and were glorifying God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this.”

DO YOU KNOW ANYONE ELSE WHO CAN FORGIVE SIN?
Only the Son of God can do that.

Jesus is the Son of God.
SO DO YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT JOHN EXPECTS OF YOU?
Surrender, Submission, Obedience
There is no other who on the face of the earth
That deserves your obedience more.

John 3:35-36 “The Father loves the Son and has given all things into His hand. “He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”

There is only One who has been revealed by the Father.
There is only One on whom God has stamped His approval.

Jesus is Perfect – He deserves Repentance
Jesus is Exceptional – He deserves Worship
Jesus is Merciful – He deserves Trust
Jesus is the Son of God – He deserves Obedience
DOES HE HAVE IT?

Have you ever cried out to Jesus for forgiveness of your sins?
Have you ever presented your life to Jesus in worship of Him?
Have you ever trusted Him with your soul for all eternity?
Have you ever surrendered your life to Him as Lord?

Have you ever given Jesus the proper place in your life?

Not only that, but
Jesus deserves for you to testify of Him just as John did.

He deserves for you to tell the world that He is:
Perfect, Exceptional, Merciful, & God made flesh

We are going to have a time of invitation.
I am going to ask you today to give your life to Jesus Christ.

By that I mean, to confess your sins, to worship Him, to trust Him and Him alone, and to confess that He is Lord

I am going to ask you to testify to that today,
And then to testify to that in this world for the rest of your life.

Today you can have Jesus Christ,
Can Jesus have you?

Matthew 11:28-30 “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. “For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”