In the sermon 'No Man Ever Spoke Like This Man' by James Lundquist, the speaker explores the profound impact of Jesus' words during the Feast of Tabernacles as recorded in John 7. Jesus proclaimed that those who believe in Him would have rivers of living water flowing from their hearts, referring to the Holy Spirit. This declaration caused division among the people, with some recognizing Him as the prophet and others questioning His origins from Galilee. The Pharisees, despite being religious leaders, were unable to accept Jesus' authority and teachings, revealing their self-deception. Nicodemus, a member of the Sanhedrin, challenges the leaders' judgment, highlighting their failure to adhere to the law. The sermon emphasizes the unique authority of Jesus' words as the incarnate God, encouraging believers to reflect on the effect of God's Word in their lives and the divisions that may arise because of their faith. The ultimate division, according to the sermon, will be determined by Jesus Himself as He separates the sheep from the goats in the final judgment.

John 7 beginning in verse 37. On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out saying, if anyone thirsts let him come to me and drink. He who believes in me, as the scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water. But this he spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in him would receive, for the Holy Spirit was not yet given because Jesus was not yet glorified. Therefore many from the crowd when they heard this saying said, truly this is the prophet.

Others said this is the Christ. But some said will the Christ come out of Galilee? Has not the scripture said that the Christ comes from the seat of David and from the town of Bethlehem where David was? So there was a division among the people because of him. Now some of them wanted to take him but no one laid hands on him.

Then the officers came to the chief priest and Pharisees who said to them, why have you not brought him? The officers answered, no man ever spoke like this man. Then the Pharisees answered them, are you also deceived? Have any of the rulers or the Pharisees believed in him? But this crowd that does not know the law is accursed.

Nicodemus, he who came to Jesus by night being one of them, said to them, does our law judge a man before it hears him and knows what he's doing? They answered and said to him, are you also from Galilee? Search and look for no prophet has arisen out of Galilee and everyone went to his own house let's pray God we thank you so much that we have in your Word the words of Christ that we see here that no man ever spoke like. God, we pray your blessing on this time now, God, that you would open our minds that we would understand the scripture. God, help us to see clearly your truth.

God, make our hearts ready to receive the seed. God, that you would save souls through the preaching of your gospel today. May you be glorified for all that you are. In the powerful name of Christ we pray, amen. So we're at the Feast of Tabernacles.

We're ending actually this week-long feast of rejoicing of the Feast of Tabernacles. For a time marker we're about six months from the crucifixion. So the rest, the final two-thirds of John, will be these last six months and about the last third is the last week. And we know that Jesus arrived mid-week and taught and preached for about two to three days. Jesus has been at this feast.

The title of this sermon is, No Man Ever Spoke Like This Man, right? From verse 46. Jesus is there teaching for two to three days. Go ahead and put in your mind the best preacher you've ever heard, the best conference, pretend that best preacher preached ten messages at the best conference you've ever had, and that is nothing compared to Jesus teaching for two to three days at the feast of tabernacles. Not even close.

No man ever spoke like this man. In many ways it seems like an understatement. No, no man ever said this is God. This is God speaking to you, the incarnate God. And so you think on those words and hear the responsibility of the preacher is to try to explain and teach words that have never been spoken with the power and the authority that Jesus can speak them of because he is God.

It's a very humbling task, so let's pray for help, for listening and talking. Our God, you have given us words unlike any other words ever written, ever spoken. It is your holy word, and we praise you for it. We praise you for giving us the Holy Spirit to help us understand and learn. God, please help us understand, help us learn, guard our thoughts, guard our minds, guard our speech, guard what is taken in.

Oh God, would we only hear your truth, would you be glorified. Amen. So let's have two points. The first point is out of verses 40 through 44. There is division among the people because of him.

Taken right from verse 43, There is a division among the people because of him. Let me read verses 40 through 44. Therefore many from the crowd, when they heard this saying, said, Truly this is the prophet. Others said this is the Christ. But some said, will the Christ come out of Galilee?

Has not the scripture said that the Christ comes from the seed of David and from the town of Bethlehem where David was? So there was a division among the people because of him. Now some of them wanted to take him, but no one laid hands on him. There's a division here we see, but This isn't the first time we see it. There's a division at this feast.

There was a division already before Jesus even arrived. Look back at verse 12 of chapter seven. This is before Jesus has arrived. It says, and there was much complaining among the people concerning Jesus, concerning him. Some said he is good, others said no.

On the contrary, he deceives the people. So there was already this wondering, who is Jesus? They were anticipating Jesus coming. In fact, his brothers asked him to come, but Jesus sent them ahead. They're anticipating Jesus to be there.

Is he good or is he a deceiver? So there's already a division. People are already talking about him. His fame from healing people and the great miracles, it is expanding His teaching, his influence, and there's already a division there. Now in our verses, verse 40, it says, Therefore many from the crowd, when they heard this saying...

Now the immediate context is 37 and 38. But over these two to three days Jesus said way more than what we have here in chapter 7 but we have what God gave us and what we need to know if anyone thirst let him come to me He who believes in me as the scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water." This is causing division. They've never heard words like this before. Somebody offering life, living water. They've never heard this before.

So in this section, I want to talk about four divisions that we see in this section. Four divisions. The first is in verse 40, a division over Jesus being the prophet. Therefore, many from the crowd, when they heard this saying, said, truly this is the prophet. There's the division over some thinking that he's the prophet.

This isn't the first time that we've seen that people are wondering if Jesus is the prophet. Back in chapter six, right after the feeding of the 5, 000 in verse 14, says, "'Then those men, ' the people that ate, "'when they had seen the sign that Jesus did said, this is truly the prophet who is to come into the world. They started seeing that there. Now where are they getting this idea of a prophet? Well we saw this when we preached on on John the Baptist.

It was referenced, we'll go back to it, in Deuteronomy 18. In Deuteronomy 18, verses 15 and 18 is where the people are learning this from. In verse 15, this is Moses' talk. He says, The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me, like Moses, from your midst, from your brethren, him you shall hear. And the Lord said in verse 18, I will raise up for them a prophet like you, like Moses, from among their brethren, and will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command them." So they're looking for a prophet like Moses.

They're looking for a prophet like Moses that delivered them from Egypt, led them faithfully to the promised land where they would have their own land and they were feared by all the people around them. They're looking for that to happen again, for a prophet to come that would deliver them from the Romans, give them their land back, and they'd be feared again. So you can understand why people, often we say, hey, they were looking for the wrong person, but you can understand why. You can see where they might have gotten that. Now, they didn't make the link between the prophet and the Christ.

We saw this with John the Baptist. Are you the prophet? No. Are you the Christ? No.

They weren't making this link. They weren't making this link. But we have the blessing, the privilege of all of scripture to help us make the link and turn to Acts 3. Peter and John are in Solomon's porch, it was called Solomon's porch, and a crowd has come around them. Peter starts preaching.

Here's what he says. Peter helps us make this connection between the prophet and the Christ, starting in verse 18 of Acts 3. But those things which God foretold by the mouth of all His prophets, that the Christ would suffer, He has thus fulfilled. Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord. And that he may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before, whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.

For Moses truly said to the fathers, and here's Deuteronomy, The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brethren. Him you shall hear in all things, whatever he says to you. And it shall be that every soul who will not hear that prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the people. Yes, and all the prophets from Samuel and those who follow, as many as have spoken, have also foretold these days. Your sons of the prophets and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying to Abraham, and in your seed, a direct link again to Christ, all the families of the earth shall be blessed.

To you first, God, having raised up his servant Jesus, sent him to bless you in turning away every one of you from your iniquities. How great it is that we're able to live on this side and have a clear direction, clear understanding that the prophet is the Christ that is Jesus. So yes, these people are right in that believing that this is a prophet, but we do have a problem. They don't link him to being the Christ. They're not saved.

You can believe he's a prophet, you can believe he's a great teacher, but There are many prophets. Just because a prophet like Moses doesn't mean they're saved in this. No salvation. So the second division, this brings us to the second division, is division over Jesus being the Christ. So truly this is the prophet, many thought, then others said this is the Christ.

This is wonderful. With all the opposition that's going on, with all the divisions that are going on, with all the turmoil, with there being an arrest worn out for Jesus, people wanting to kill Jesus, there are some that believe and know Jesus is the Christ. Now unlike those that thought he was the prophet, that are not saved because they didn't see him as the Christ, I am perfectly fine without them knowing he's the prophet, without making that connection. What is the only requirement for salvation? Repent and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation.

It's not Repent and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation. It's not repent and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and understand all the types and shadows. It's not that. You don't have to know all the imagery and all the feasts. You don't have to know all the imagery and all the sacrifices.

You don't have to know all the shadows to be saved. Great if you do, it helps you, it encourages you, it helps you see more in scripture. But how many of us knew a prophet like Moses when we were saved, right? I venture none of us knew that. I definitely didn't when I was a young man.

I didn't know all the shadows and types. All right, you don't need it. So let that concern you at all. And they're not better. It's just because God's drawn them that they know this.

Just because God's drawn them as we've seen in chapter 6. And just like other people that have declared, and I probably didn't know everything, like Nathaniel, you're the son of God, or the people of Sychar. We know this indeed is the Christ that saved your world, or Peter, you are the Christ, the son of the living God. God is drawing people in the midst of all this turmoil, this opposition. He's drawing people and he does that all the time.

Don't let your heart be troubled when we hear wars and rumors of wars. God will save his people. He will not let a single sheep be led astray. He's gonna take them all. He'll get them no matter where they are.

His ways cannot be thwarted. So that's the second division. The third division we see here in verses 41 and 42 is the division over Jesus' birthplace. The division over Jesus' birthplace, the end of 41 and 42. Will the Christ come out of Galilee?

Has not the scripture said that the Christ comes from the seed of David and from the town of Bethlehem where David was? So Jesus, I can understand this, Jesus was known as Jesus of Nazareth in Galilee. Nazareth is one of the towns in Galilee. He was known as being from Galilee, being from Nazareth. That's where it's headquarters was.

That's where When you read the Gospels, most of his ministry takes place. We know that he comes down to Jerusalem for feasts, he goes to Samaria, but most of it takes place in Galilee. So understand why there would be questions. That I understand. And it's good that the people are right about this.

Unlike the Pharisees that rebuke them for not knowing the law, being uneducated, we're finding they really are pretty educated about the law, pretty educated about what's supposed to happen. They mentioned Deuteronomy. I'll say something about Isaiah. Here they know that the Messiah is supposed to come out, not of Galilee, but Bethlehem. They know Micah.

Micah 5 2, but you, Bethlehem, Ephrathah. Though you are little among the thousands of Judah, Yet out of you shall come forth to me the one to be ruler in Israel, whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting. They know Isaiah 11.1. There shall come forth a rod from the stem of Jesse." that's David's father. They know this.

So these are, in some ways, are the right questions to ask. Right questions, as long as they are honest questions and not just questions back from the people to say to the Christ saying, really, he's from Galilee though, he can't be the Christ. As long as they're honest questions, These are good questions if they're trying to seek it. For us, we know in Matthew 1, it says, now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, so Jesus is born in Bethlehem, then Matthew goes on to quote Micah 5, too. Makes that direct connection between Jesus and Micah that Jesus has fulfilled that.

Now the Jews we know are big in genealogies. Some of the hardest sections of scripture to read, especially out loud, are the genealogies, right? We just pick a name and roll with it, and we go with it. So we know they're meticulous about genealogy. We saw that in Ezra and Nehemiah, where We're talking about who can even go back to the land and who can live in the city.

Your genealogy had to line up perfectly to be able to do certain things, to be a high priest, to be a priest even. You better have that genealogy of you being a Levite or that's not happening. So they're big on that. We have, even though the genealogies of Matthew and Luke that show that even Jesus' parents, both parents, Mary and Joseph, came through the Davidic line, the King's line. Now although they have all that, although they can research all that, they didn't have to even do all that.

They're at this feast. They really want to know where Jesus is from. Who's there? Jesus is there. You can ask him, he's accessible.

Who else is there? His disciples? Who else is there? His brothers are there. And they've been there longer than Jesus.

If they really wanted to know, they have plenty of people to ask. They don't have to go to the archives and search at all. They don't have to go to the census that was taken in Bethlehem to find out. All they have to do is some simple inquiry. That's it.

The people may just have pure ignorance or willful ignorance, but they are responsible for their ignorance. They are responsible for their unbelief. Yes, they have horrible teachers. Absolutely, they're taught horrible things. But they're the ones responsible.

They're not innocent bystanders. That's all of us. They're not innocent. They are responsible. They have heard Jesus preach for three days.

That's what they're responsible for. They've heard this. They've heard Jesus say, If anyone thirsts, let them come to me and drink, plus much more. They are responsible for what they have heard. Now the fourth division in verse 44 is a division overtaking Jesus.

A division overtaking Jesus. Now Some of them wanted to take him, but no one laid hands on him. From John 7.25, back in verse 25, the people knew that the Pharisees wanted to kill Jesus. Now some of them from Jerusalem said, Is this not he whom they seek to kill? So they knew that the Pharisees wanted to kill him, and even in verse 30, some of them wanted to take him back then.

Therefore they sought to take him, but no one laid a hand on him because his hour had not come. They may have even heard about the arrest warrant. They may have even been willing to take Jesus to the guards or create a circumstance where the guards can come and easily take him. But as been said the last couple messages, this is not their calendar, our calendar is not our calendar, there's one calendar that really counts as the divine calendar. And right now what God is doing, you say, not yet, not yet, that's six months down the road, I'll let you do that.

This is God's sovereign timing. He is sovereign over all. He's sovereign over what your anger can even accomplish and what you wanna do. So there's a division over the taking of Jesus. So let me give you an application here.

I'm gonna give you a couple at the end, but I want to give you an application while we're here from these verses. The application based on verse 43, so there was a division among the people because of him, because of what he said, because of what he was saying. No man has ever spoke like this man. Turn to Matthew 10. Turn to Matthew 10.

Let's see what Jesus says about this division. No man's ever spoke like this man, So let's see what Jesus says about division. John 10, verse 34. Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.

If you learn just that verse and quote that to people all over the place, it's going to be a lot of trouble, a lot of division. So all they want to know about Jesus is peace on earth, peace on earth, peace on earth, and that's fine. We want peace. But don't forget this one. Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth.

I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a man's enemies will be those of his own household. He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me. And he who loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me." We are not to have division about anything, just about anything you can think of.

Here's the application. Any divisions with others should be primarily because of Jesus. And the more I think about it, I should probably drop the primarily. Any divisions with others should be because of Jesus. Not a division because of your sin.

Rebelling against parents, not loving your spouse, hating your neighbor, not obeying scripture. Although sin can be because of Jesus, or can be division because of your sin and it's being called out, but 1 Peter tells us in chapter 2, for what credit is it if, when you are beaten for your faults, disciplined for your own sin, you take it patiently. You take it like you deserve it. But when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, This is commendable for God. Your division with people should be because of Jesus.

Your division with people should be because you are sane and you are living a life that Jesus is the only way, that He's the only truth. He's the only life. There is no other name given among men whereby you must be saved. That you must come to the Father through Him. That you have rivers of living water flowing out.

Let the divisions be because you have rivers of living water flowing out of you. You have rivers of love, rivers of joy, of peace, of patience, of kindness, of goodness, of gentleness, of faithfulness, of self-control. Let those rivers that are flowing out of you, of life, be why there are divisions among you with anybody. Not because you're Republican, Democrat, conservative, or liberal, But through the filter of the gospel, there are definite platforms, definite beliefs in Democrat, Republican, Conservative, Liberal, that because of the gospel, because of the perfect Word of God, we can say, no, that's wrong, and we're going to divide over that. Be willing to stand up for that and let that divide you because of gospel, because of Jesus, not because we just don't get along.

Let the visions be because of as much as it depends on you, live peacefully with all people. Having been affectionate, giving preference, and keeping coals of kindness on them, go read Romans 12. Talks about unity and what you're to do, and there might be division, but let it be because of the gospel. Any divisions with others should be because of Jesus. Continue back in John 7, second point.

Second point, verses 45 through 53, the leader's response. The leader's response, you read this. Then the officers came to the chief priests and Pharisees who said to them, why have you not brought him? The officers answered, No man ever spoke like this man. Then the Pharisees answered them, Are you also deceived?

Have any of the rulers or Pharisees believed him? But this crowd that does not know the law is accursed. Nicodemus, he who came to Jesus by night, being one of them, said to them, Does our law judge a man before it hears him and knows what he is doing? They answered and said to him, Are you also from Galilee? Search and look, for no prophet has arisen out of Galilee.

And everyone went to his own house. So in 45 and 46, we have these officers back again that were ordered to go take Jesus, go arrest Jesus. These are temple guards, but they're also probably Levites that have been raised in religious training. So in verse 32, back there we saw where they were ordered, The Pharisees heard the crowd murmuring these things concerning him, and the Pharisees and chief priests sent officers to take them. So they were sent to take them, and they're coming back without him.

They know they're going to be in trouble. They're men that understand authority. They know the law. They understand authority. They know that they are to take these orders and to obey them, and there are penalties for not obeying orders.

There are even people, as we saw in verse 44, that were probably willing to help them. And They don't have any excuses. They didn't say anything like, hey, there was a mob, we were fearful of the mob, we didn't know, there wasn't an opening, you just weren't there, you don't understand the situation. They were probably there, they may have seen what happened. No, these men say, no man ever spoke like this man.

No man ever spoke like this man. Whatever was they heard, at least what we see in chapter 7, They were awed, they were astounded, they were mesmerized. They were busy listening and hearing and maybe even forgot all about their task and what they were supposed to do. See, these officers as Levites, they've been religiously trained. They've heard lots of teaching, They've heard lots of preaching and lots of speeches and they're saying, you don't understand, no man has ever spoken like this man.

None of you have spoken like this. Did you hear what we heard? No man has ever spoken like this man. Are you hearing how the people are responding? Some think he's the prophet, some think he's the Christ.

Very similar to the people in Matthew 7 after Jesus' sermon on the Mount. They said the people were astonished at his teaching for he taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes. And in Matthew 13, it says when Jesus had come to his own country, he taught them in their synagogue so that they were astonished and said, Where did this man get this wisdom in these mighty works? Let me just go through some scripture real fast here. There's some things that we've already heard Jesus said.

We've seen his power, his wisdom, his authority, his compassion. John 2, destroy this temple and in three days I will rise it up. Pretty authoritative, pretty powerful. John 3, with Nicodemus, you must be born again. John 6, 35, I am the bread of life.

He who comes to me shall never hunger, and he who believes in me shall never thirst. John 6, 53, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. And then last week, 37 and 38, if anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. He who believes in me as the scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water. And yes, the officers are absolutely correct.

And no man has ever spoke like this man because they are hearing the incarnate God. They are hearing the voice of God. Up until Jesus came, very few had this privilege. And now think of the hundreds of thousands, millions that had the opportunity to hear the voice of God. They don't understand that's what they're hearing.

That's what they hear. Nobody's ever heard anyone speak like this before. But also the world has never seen a man heal, raise the dead, cast out demons, walk on water, turn water to wine, feed 5, 000, die and raise from the dead like this man. Because this is God. Jesus is God.

He is God and there is only one God and he is speaking. He is speaking with wisdom and authority and power and compassion and love and mercy and grace like no one has ever heard or ever will hear. We will never hear anything like this. You could piece together my best sermons, Jason's best sermons, Michael's best sermons, take the piece here and here and here. It doesn't hold a shadow to Jesus.

Even when we read his words, I cannot read it with the authority and the power that Jesus has. May the Holy Spirit take his words and help us see it that way though. I'm not diminishing the power of the Holy Spirit. He saves through his words of life. There's an application here.

There's an application here based on how these guards, how these officers were affected. What is the effect of the perfect word of God on you? What is the effect of the perfect Word of God on you? What is the effect of the perfect Word of God on you? Not my teaching, I'm not talking about mine or anybody who stands up here's teaching.

I'm talking about God's perfect, holy Word. What is its effect on you? Is it a sweet, abundant life-giving aroma that has led you to repentance and belief in Christ alone for salvation to eternal life? Does his perfect Holy Word lead you in sanctification? Does it lead you in growing more in love for your sisters and brothers in Christ?

Does it lead you in more love for your Savior, for Jesus. What is the effect of God's Word on you? I'm not talking about the effect of any preaching you're up here on. I'm talking about the Word of God. What is its effect on you?

Or is it like the Pharisees, where it's a stench to eternal death? Oh, you look good on the outside, Pharisee, but you're full of dead men's bones. You're a whitewashed tomb. You are full of self-indulgence. All that comes out of Matthew 23 and the eight woes that God pronounces on the Pharisees.

Which one is it? How does the Word of God affect you? The Pharisees had the Word of God? Look how it's affecting them. Go for the abundant rivers of living water that's offered by Jesus in His holy Word in any way you can get it.

Not just for the moment of salvation, but that's for eternal life. Rivers of living water for all of this life into eternity. So let's get into how the Pharisees respond to the officers. No one's ever taught like this man. No one's ever spoke like this man.

There's three responses we see here in 47, eight, and nine, just boom, boom, boom, one after another. The first one is then the Pharisees answered, Are you also deceived? Are you also deceived? Now the officers deserve a reprimand. That's for sure.

They disobey their authority. They deserve a reprimand. They had no idea that they had no hope of obeying their authority because God's timing was not yet, but still they deserve their reprimand. But they're accused of not following orders because Jesus has deceived them. Here's what we'll see in these three responses.

It's the Pharisees that are really the ones that are deceived here. No man's ever spoke like this, man, and what do they hear? They want to kill him. Jesus is offering life and they want to kill him. He's expounding scripture better than anybody could ever possibly and they want to kill him.

It's the Pharisees that are really deceived, not the officers. They are full of self-deception. The second response is in verse 48. Have any of the rulers or Pharisees believed in him? In other words, we are wise, we are smart, we don't believe in him.

You have 6, 000 Pharisees, 70 Sanhedrin, 6, 000 Pharisees. None of us have believed in him. Look at us, how wise and smart we are. None of us have. You need to follow our example.

None that have studied like we have are believing. Only the uneducated are believing. You don't see us doing that. Turn to 1 Corinthians. God, through Paul, has a few things to say about this.

Self-deception, self-proclaimed wisdom. 1 Corinthians, starting in verse 18. For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, But to us who are being saved, it is the power of God. For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. Where is the wise?

Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For since in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God. In other words, you just need your own wisdom.

You don't learn God through your own wisdom. It pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached, comparing my preaching to foolishness, as best that I can do, explaining words that no man has ever spoken, preached to save those who believe. For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom. But we preach Christ crucified to the Jews a stumbling block, and to the Greeks foolishness. But to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.

Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty, and the base things of the world, and the things which are despised, God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in his presence. But of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God, the righteousness and sanctification and redemption, that as it is written, he who glories, let him glory in the Lord." These Pharisees that are saying, you're not wise. You're being foolish and not following our example.

They're the ones that need to be the ones humbling themselves and casting themselves before the mercy of God, saying, God, I am not wise enough to lead all these people. These are your people. God is here right before me. People, stop listening to me. Jesus is here.

This isn't going to happen forever. Stop. Turn. Listen. Listen.

This is a week of rejoicing. We have Jesus, the Christ, right in front of us. They should be humbling themselves, not pronouncing how great they are. Never, if that's ever the place you're in, turn right away. Turn right away.

And then the third response in verse 49, verse 49 back chapter 7, but this crowd that does not know the law is accursed. This crowd is cursed. Look, they don't even know the law and they just showed kind of sentient and scorn and disdain for the people. Well, we've seen here that the people are really the ones that have shown knowledge of the law way more, knowledge of the Old Testament way more than the Pharisees. They know Deuteronomy, they know Isaiah, they know Micah.

Just those have come up and what they've said here. They know this. It's really the Pharisees that are cursed. Once again, what they are declaring in their response to these officers, it's really them that have the problem. They're the ones that are really cursed.

They're still under the curse of the law. They're still blind to their sin. They're blind to their need for the Savior. And they've studied more than anybody. Now, I'm not downplaying the importance of study.

I think maybe Jason talked about this last week. I'm not downplaying that at all. It's important to study. No man's ever spoke like this man. No book is ever written like this book.

Soak it up. Soak it up. I'm not downplaying any formal education. Learn Bible in your school. Learn Bible continuing.

Take some Bible courses. I'm not doing that. I'm not saying not. These are the most learned men, learning and knowledge is on what saves you. That's the key there.

It can make you very proud though. It can. It's really the Pharisees who are on the curse. Let's go to verses 50 and 51 now. Now comes Nicodemus.

He has something to say and they're going to respond to Nicodemus. Verse 50 and 51. Nicodemus, he who came to Jesus by night, being one of them, said to them, does our law judge a man before it hears him and knows what he is doing? Let's just stop right there with Nicodemus. Nicodemus asking this question.

Now we saw, last time we saw Nicodemus was in chapter three. He comes to Jesus in chapter three and he says to him, this man, the Nicodemus, came to Jesus by night and said, Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him. Jesus answered and said to him, most assuredly I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." So last time we saw Nicodemus saying, perceive you're from God. He's not saying whether he's a prophet or the Christ. I'm not saying that Nicodemus is saved.

And Jesus talks, you must be born again. And then goes in and with compassion and care, explains to him what this means. It has this discourse, and there may be others around hearing that. We'll see Nicodemus again in John 19 when he's with Joseph of Arimathea, who's mentioned as a disciple, helping bury Jesus. But here, Nicodemus, Nicodemus it is thought, it is believed he's one of the Sanhedrin.

So that Sanhedrin are 70 Pharisees, the top 70 Pharisees that rule. And so you have, they rule over the 6, 000 Pharisees that Josephus says was probably around at that time. So you have this elite that are the rulers, called the rulers, and we see the rulers and the Pharisees are all Pharisees, some are just the Sanhedrin. He's there. I don't know what Nicodemus is doing, but I think maybe he just got his opening.

Maybe he was wanting to talk. He probably got his opening from 48 when the Pharisees drug him into this. Have any of the rulers of the Pharisees believed in him? Oh, you're going to mention the rulers? I think I need to step in as if you're saying that we're part of what you're doing.

I'm not saying that Nicodemus is stepping in because he's saved, not at all. He just has a point of order. If you're going to drag me into this, I've got a point of order for you. And it's a simple point of order that they are the ones that have now been caught not keeping the law. You're saying these people are accursed or the officers may be accursed.

A point of order here, point of order here says does our law judge a man before it hears him and knows what he is doing? The people that are supposed to be appalling law are caught not keeping the law. Now where might he get this from? It sounds good, sounds right. Deuteronomy, Deuteronomy 1, 16 and 17 says this, This is Moses speaking.

Then I commanded your judges at that time, saying, hear the cases between your brethren, and judge righteously between a man and his brother or the stranger who is with him. You shall not show partiality in judgment. You shall hear the small as well as the great. You shall not be afraid in any man's presence, for the judgment is God's." You have to be fair. You're not to show partiality to your Brethren or the Stranger.

Well, Jesus isn't a stranger, and it wouldn't take much for them to do this, to just do a little research, at least on the Galilee point. Whether they believe he's a Christ or not, okay. That takes God to draw you to do that. But anybody, saved or unsaved, could do at least a little research to say, okay, yeah. Even the most reprobate in our world will say, well, yeah, Jesus did live.

And many will say, yeah, he was a moral teacher, maybe a prophet. They can at least do that research. And Nicodemus calls them out. Hey, you're not being right here. You're not being right here.

Well, they don't like being called out. And so they have a response in 52. They answered Nicodemus and said to him, Are you also from Galilee? Search and look for no prophet has arisen out of Galilee. So these men are already enraged by the crowd, enraged by the officers not obeying their authority.

And so what do they do? Think about this. They're enraged over the people that are under their authority not obeying them. So what do these Pharisees do? When they're challenged by their authority, they push back on their authority.

Hypocrites, back to Matthew 23. Pure hypocrisy. They're enraged at this point. They've been called out on this point. They're not even called out of, hey, he's the Christ and you're not hearing this.

You need to humble yourself before God. Just called out on a small point of order of the law. And they're enraged right back at Nicodemus. Are you also from Galilee? Search and look, no prophets have risen out of Galilee.

So what they're doing here is they've doubled down on, we're not gonna research. We're declaring by saying, are you also from Galilee? We're declaring that Jesus is from Galilee. And we're letting everybody know this is our declaration. We are so wise, we have seen so much, we don't need to do any research, we don't need to hear the matter.

Jesus is from Galilee, you're siding with him, Jesus can't be the Christ. Everybody get that? All right, That's what they're saying. That's what they're saying. We don't need to hear him, we know.

Proverbs 18, 13. He who answers a matter before he hears it, it is folly and shame to him. All right? A word of serious caution, not meant for laughter, serious caution. Children, don't you dare use that verse against your parents.

Don't even think about it. Don't come to me using it. It's applicable here with these Pharisees and there are places where it's applicable. All right? One of them is, hear the matter from your parents.

All right? Hear the matter from your parents. It might be simple, no or yes, without explanation, but you do it. Children obey your parents in the Lord, for it is right. It doesn't say Children obey your parents in the Lord for it is right.

It doesn't say children obey your parents in the Lord as long as you've heard the matter to your satisfaction. Alright. So it's one thing for the people not to research Jesus' birthplace. That's one thing. And they're responsible for that.

But it's really worse that the leaders are willfully ignorant. Willfully, this is willful ignorant. This is willful proclaiming that they may know it's false, they may not know it's false, but this is willful of them to make this happen and double down on it and tell the people. They said that the crowds were cursed for their ignorance, but it's the leaders who are the ignorant ones and will be judged for this false gospel. You'll be judged for your ignorance.

In heaven, you'll be judged. You're individually judged, and you'll have a judge. But there is a harsher judgment for those that teach. They teach false, they teach wrong. Whether it's willful or not, that would make, of everything, when it comes to being qualified for an elder and saying you want to be an elder, you better be fearful of standing up here and not sitting here saying, oh, yeah, I can preach.

Right? Able to teach. Yep, I can do that. Oh, are you really? Are you really?

Think about that. But don't let that hold you back in your homes. Teach. Teach. Search.

Honestly. Search. Be careful of how wise you think of yourself. You're not interested in being fair judges when a very simple inquiry would have answered the Galilean question for them. Then they say that there's no prophets that have come from Galilee.

Really? Really no prophets that have come from Galilee. Scripture's clear that Jonah was. It's also probably that Elijah, Elisha, Hosea, Amos, and Nahum were as well. So you've got of all of these, one, two, three, four that have books written after them, and two others, Elijah and Elisha, that are very, very prominent prophets.

This is what I think happened. They know this. I think they really do know that there are prophets that came out of Galilee. But I think what happened, the rage of the moment. Rage of the moment.

We can't back down now. We can't say anything good about Galilee. We can't say anything good comes out of Nazareth and make that happen. So in that moment, in the rage against Jesus and the officers and now Nicodemus, they were very foolish in their rage. Some very foolish things that they can't back up from.

They know this. They'll go back and maybe somebody will say, ah, maybe we should have clarified that. They said, no, if we would have said something else, the people might have believed that Jesus is the Christ, and we can't let them have that, and they could justify what they said. I don't know what exactly happened there, but what they said was wrong. And what they said would harden, I'm sure their intention is they would harden some people against Jesus.

So these Pharisees, They received some observation from Nicodemus. We told them, point of order, you're not doing this right, you're not keeping the law right, you're not being fair. So here's an application for you. How are you at receiving observations? Out Of all the things I continue to drum, this is one of them that just has stuck with me over the last 10 to 15 years that I'll continue to keep, continue to beat.

How are you at receiving observations? How are you receiving observations from your parents, from your brothers and sisters, your siblings, from the church sister and brothers? How are you at receiving observation from the Word of God? No man has ever spoken like this man. No book has ever been written like this book.

How are you at receiving observations? When you read the Word of God, what happens to you? How much do you push back? On Sunday nights, when Gary preaches, it's very common, he'll read stuff and he'll say, I believe it's all true, including the parts I don't quite understand, or even it sometimes even live like I believe it, but it's true, it's me that's wrong, not the Word of God. How are you receiving observations from the Word of God?

Is your initial reaction like the Pharisees? No, no, you're not right. You're not right without any consideration of if it could be right. You're pushing back like the Pharisees with rebuke, where you're really limiting the observation of yourself to yourself. You're being self-deceived.

You're saying, I got this. I know how I'm affecting others. I know my speech pattern. I know my mannerisms. I know my tone.

I know my words. I know exactly my motivations. I know whether I'm helping people or not, whether this is encouraging or not. I know my prayer patterns. I know my reading patterns.

Is that you? Instead of saying in your mind, wow God, thank you, whether it's from a Christian or not, but especially if it's from a brother, especially if it's from someone here at church, we've come in together, go back, read your covenant that we've made with one another, where we're going to think highly of one another. We're going to assume the best of one another. That somebody's brought this because they're caring for me, not meaning just to be hard on me. If you're a Christian and God brings observation in your life, especially through the Word of God, then you're going, that doesn't feel good, sit back and say, thank you God that you gave me something not to feel good about, that I'm gonna take this observation, I'm gonna think about it, pray on it.

And you know what, that person may be completely wrong. The word of God's not gonna be wrong. That person may be completely wrong. But they cared enough for you to say something. And if they said something to you that is diminishing Christ because of something they've seen you that they're concerned about, you should be absolutely concerned.

They may be wrong, But that was their perception. And they may be wrong, but it should really bother you that something happened that made someone consider that you weren't loving Christ and what you said or did. That should bring you concern. So how are you at receiving observations? In verse 53, everyone goes home.

Everyone went to his own house. There are no arrests. People are still divided. You have angry leaders. The feast is over.

They get back home. So again, this is God's divine calendar. God's divine calendar. There's a couple things going on in God's divine calendar that we know from the rest of scripture. He's going to continue to build up their rage for six more months and use their rage to be unleashed in a railroaded trial that is wrong to kill Jesus, that we can be saved.

And this ends the Feast of Tabernacles, this feast of rejoicing that should have been such a great feast. Jesus was there. Something else that's happening with God's divine timetable, as we read the rest of John, we're going to see more people healed, more people healed, more people saved. That's part of God's divine timetable. You can't take Jesus yet because it's not yet time for him to die because there's more work to be done.

More preaching, more teaching, more healing, more compassion, more care, more rebuking that needs to happen. And a couple final, two final applications. The first one, you've heard this before, but I'm going to do a different focus on it. Any division with others should be because of Jesus. Any division with others should be because of Jesus.

Why? Because ultimately, the division between people isn't the ultimate division that's going to matter. It's not. Please turn to Matthew 25. Matthew 25.

All division is about Jesus because Jesus is the one doing dividing and there's going to be one last great dividing that Jesus does. Matthew 25, we have the parable of what's called the sheep and the goats. Clear divisions taking place. Starting in verse 31. When the Son of Man, that's Jesus, we know that's Jesus.

When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. And the nations will be gathered before Jesus, and Jesus will separate them one from another as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. And he will set his sheep on his right hand and the goats on his left. Then the king will say to those on his right hand, come, you blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. The sheep will be welcomed into heaven.

Come inherit the kingdom that has been set aside from the foundation of the world. Then in verse 41, he's talking to the goats. Then he will also say to those on the left, depart from me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels. Verse 46, and these will go away into everlasting punishment. But the righteous, the sheep, into eternal life.

For the sake of your eternal soul, are you a sheep or a goat? That's the ultimate dividing line. And here's your problem. That's settled, yes, from God way before time began, eternity passed, but that's settled before your last breath. Once you die, there's no hope for you.

You either die as a sheep or a goat. You don't become one or the other after death. Are you born again? Are you eating and drinking of Jesus with rivers of leaving water flowing out from you. You're written in the book of life.

Does Jesus know you? I would gather, unless the Holy Spirit is moving on some people, the vast majority, if not all of you, are going to say, Yes! Yes, I'm a sheep. I'm going to eternal life. Say yes, which probably, maybe all of you.

Here's a question for you. Why? Why do you say yes that you're a sheep? Why? If it's nothing short, if it's anything short of, I've repented of my sins and believed in Jesus Christ alone for salvation, and I need saving because God is holy, I am a wretched sinner, and I deserve the wrath of God, and Jesus lived the perfect life in my place, died the death I deserve, taking on the full wrath of God, died and rose from the dead that we could rise from the dead, conquering sin and death.

Is there anything really short of that? You're probably not a sheep. I'm not talking about whether you can explain it that well or not. We can get there. We can talk.

But ultimately, if it's short of the work of Jesus and none of you, you're not a sheep and you must know. Ultimately, Jesus will do the separating on the only day that matters. Are you a sheep or a goat? Jesus. Jesus says this.

This is Jesus' parable. No man has ever spoke like this man because He is God and He is warning you. He is warning you and encouraging you, Christians, that you will inherit the kingdom prepared for you. Number two, talked a little bit about this, but number two, You are responsible to search and know who Jesus is and what He says. You are responsible.

I'm not responsible for what you know and what you believe. I'm responsible to preach it faithfully. I'm responsible, The pastors are responsible to lead you carefully, lovingly, with compassion. Not lording it over you. But you're the one that's ultimately responsible for your own soul.

Ultimately. We'll have to give an answer for how we have treated your soul. But salvation is individual. I can't save all of you. I can't save myself.

Don't have any hope in me saving you. Salvation is individual. Judgment is individual. No man ever spoke like this, man. This is the incarnate Word of God.

You are responsible for this Word and what you believe about the Word of God. No matter what I say, no matter what parents say, no matter what friends say, no matter what the world says, no matter about your situation that you're in, you're responsible. No matter how little gospel you've had, no matter how much gospel is that, and you've had more than most anybody on the face of the earth. You are responsible to repent and believe in Jesus Christ for salvation and you're responsible for what you do with it. How does the Word of God affect you and your soul?

All that matters in the end is does Jesus know you as his sheep? No man's ever spoke like this man, no man ever will. So soak up what we have from this man, from Jesus, the Word of God. In the beginning was the Word, the Word was with God, the Word was God. Jesus has spoken all these words, had all these words written down, soak it up.

There's plenty more here than your lifetime could ever possibly soak up. Let's pray. Our God, thank you for this word that you've given us, Jesus. Wow, thank you so much for your humbling that you would come and give us these words of life that we could drink of your living water for all of eternity. How precious this is that you would spend your time on earth coming to be sacrificed to take on the wrath of God that you would spend it telling us about what it is to have eternal life and to give us these sweet, sweet passages to let us see.

So God give us eyes to see, would your word of God affect all of us far greater than we can possibly imagine to having rivers of living water flowing out of us to be used to spread your kingdom for your glory. In Jesus name, amen.