Jesus Authoritative Teaching - His Claims of Being Christ

I'll take your Bible this morning, turn with me to the Gospel of John, John chapter 7. We have been in this series for quite some time and we're learning and I look forward to how much more we're going to learn. I was telling Brother Keith this morning, the first six chapters have been very, very rich, doctrinally rich. We've learned so much that's very applicable to where we are today. Now this morning we will be in verses 14 through 24.

We started chapter 7 last week and if you know your biblical geography, you know that Jesus moved from Galilee, which was in the north and he most likely journeyed through Samaria all the way down to Judea there in Jerusalem to the feast. The Feast of the Tabernacles or the Feast of the Boots. Now Jesus is in a new ministry setting and we will see this new ministry setting in chapter 7 and in chapter 8. We're going to see Jesus experience a lot more rejection, even more violence acted out against him. We saw last week that he even had rejection from his own family. His own family.

Now an application right here, I want to say to you for some of you to come to Christ, you will experience rejection from your family. I've seen that. Jesus experienced rejection from his own family. Of course we know they were converted later, but I've seen that. Some of you here, if you were to be converted and we trust that you are, you would literally face rejection from your own family. If that's the case, Jesus knows exactly how you feel. Now in last week's message we saw that Jesus would not allow the world to influence his ministry, his brothers, his siblings were really speaking from a worldly perspective.

In verses 1 through 13 we saw those unbelieving brothers. Remember that language? They tried to push him. They tried to push him to make himself known there at the feast, but Jesus refused. He did not go down to the feast with them publicly, but he did go down. He went down secretly alone. Now we will be with Jesus at the Feast of the Tabernacles for quite some time. If you know your Bible from verse 10, which we covered last week, all the way through the verse 44, they record Jesus at the feast doing what he did the last time he was in Jerusalem and that is teaching. Remember the last time he was in Jerusalem was in chapter 5.

He leaves Jerusalem, he goes to the north, goes through some area and he goes up to Galilee. But now he's back down in Jerusalem and he's going to do the same thing. He's going to teach. He's going to continue to teach with great authority and he's going to continue to make claims about being the Christ. We will see him be even more direct with the Jews and of course we will see them, the Jews, reject him even more. Now before we dive into our verses, I want us to look at verse 14 for a moment. Look right there in your scripture.

Verse 14, "But when it was now the midst of the Feast of the Jews, Feast of the Tabernacles, Jesus went up into the temple and he began to teach." Let me speak for a minute about background. Previously in verse 10, we saw that Jesus slipped into the celebration. Now here in verse 14, we see that he goes, we see when he goes. He goes in the middle of the celebration, the feast. As a matter of fact, if you study the original language, the wording here really means in the middle, meaning that Jesus went down around day 4 or day 5. Remember that was an 8 day event. The 8th day was the apex of the pinnacle of the feast.

But now we see that he goes from secret to very public. He goes from slipping into the feast to making a very public stand very quickly. Here we see that Jesus goes into the temple and he begins to teach. Now this is very important for you to see. Jesus was assuming the place for the Jewish rabbis or the Jewish teachers by doing this. I give you an example in our modern day church setting. When someone steps up behind this pulpit, you see them as the one who's going to preach and deliver God's Word. You know that's our habit here.

And I'm sad to say that in many churches, there are all types of dog and pony shows that go on behind this holy desk. But this is a holy desk. It's not meant for just anyone. And when someone stands up behind this pulpit, they are coming to preach and declare the Word of God to give testimony as to the workings of the church and the workings of missions around the world. I say that because many times Brother Luke will stand behind here and speak about his missions activities and declare the Word to you. So you understand that this place is ordained for the leaders in God's church to minister and to lead you.

So if someone were to step up here and they did not belong here instinctively, immediately you would know it because of what's been taught here and modeled here. See the Jewish leaders, they were amazed because all of a sudden instantly Jesus is there in the place of the teachers and the Jewish leaders were amazed. They were shocked not only by his appearing in this fashion, but also what and how he taught. It would have been an understatement to say that the Jews were baffled by this situation and it happened very quickly. So with that context, that background in mind, I'll go ahead and give you the title of the message.

So rather lengthy message, we're going to see Jesus authoritative teaching. His claims of being Christ. We know that word Christ means the Messiah, the promised one, and he is continuing to step into that role claiming to be the Christ. We're going to see that he is very authoritative. We will be in verses 14 through 24 and you see the main truths that we're going to study. The source of the teaching out of verse 15 through 18, the challenge to the Jews, those Jewish leaders, verse 19 through 20, and the sign which was given, verse 20 through 24.

We'll see that Jesus will go back and pick up with what he did in chapter five, that great healing miracle, and it'll all tie together. The source of his teaching, the challenge to the Jews, and the sign which was given. Let's look at these verses together. I hope you have your Bible with you. I trust that you do. Let's look at the scriptures, verse 14. But when it was now the midst of the feast, Jesus went up into the temple and he began to teach. The Jews therefore were marveling saying, "How has this man become learned having never been educated?" Jesus therefore answered them and said, "My teaching is not mine, but his who sent me.

If any man is willing to do his will, he shall know of the teaching, whether it is of God or whether I speak from myself. He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory, but he who is seeking the glory of the one who sent him, he is true, and there is no unrighteousness in him." Verse 19, "Did not Moses give you the law, and yet none of you carries out the law? Why do you seek to kill me?" The multitude answered, "You have a demon. Who seeks to kill you?" And Jesus answered and he said to them, "I did one deed and you all marvel." Now he's talking about what he did in chapter five. "I did one deed and you all marvel.

On this account, Moses has given you circumcision, not because it is from Moses, but from the fathers or the patriarchs. And on the Sabbath, you circumcise a man. If a man receives circumcision on the Sabbath that the law of Moses may not be broken, are you angry with me because I made an entire man well on the Sabbath? Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment." For some of you, it'll help you to see that Jesus is going to go all the way back to chapter five when he healed that man by the pool of Bethena. This is a continuing message.

Of course, there's a little time, a little distance between chapter five and chapter seven. So let's look at main truth number one, the source of his teaching. The source of his teaching. Verse 15, "The Jews therefore were marveling." All of the translations say marveling, saying, "How has this man become learned, having never been educated?" They are amazed. The Jewish leaders could not believe not only that Jesus, whom they hated, was teaching, but how he was teaching. They did not understand where he received this ability. What did they say? He has not gone to our schools and our seminaries, and he's not received our education.

Now we see this in other places in the Gospels. I'll give you a text to study later, Matthew chapter seven, verse 28 and 29. And it came to pass when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine for he taught them as one having authority, not as describes. So the people could not understand how he could have this spiritual authority, but yet he was not educated in the ways of the Jewish teachers, the Jewish scribes. But here in these verses, we will see Jesus, he reveals the source of his teaching. First and we're going to look at three things out of these two verses. First, the debate over his teaching.

The debate over his teaching. Now I already commented that the word marveling is in all of the translations that we study. The English standard, the King James, the new American, but they were debating over his teaching. The Jews, they were marveling. How has this man become learned? He's never been educated, verse 15 says, and Jesus therefore answered them and said, my teaching is not mine, but his who sent me. There's this little debate there. There's a debate over his teaching. The Jewish leaders, they declared they could not understand where he got his ability. He had not been to their schools for training.

He had not been to their schools like their teachers and they were not claiming that he had no ability to teach, but that, that they did not know where he got his ability to teach. Jesus answered them by saying that his teaching was from his father. Isn't that what he says in verse 16, my teaching is not mine, capitalized him in the new American, but his who sent me. The Jewish leadership, they would not have seen that for they were blind to Jesus' abilities and they were blind to his source. They would not have recognized what he said. Now it is important to see that Jesus' teaching came from God, came from God the father.

He knew God the father and God the father had enabled him to teach. The Jewish teachers, it was their custom to quote the past teachers of the law. They would have quoted the past traditions and the past explanations from their Jewish fathers. And it was only when they could sufficiently recite the traditions of the elders that they could offer their own opinions. So one in that day would have been very schooled in the ways of the traditions and the ways of the elders and then they could give their opinion. But Jesus, he jumped straight in with his views without mentioning the traditions. But remember, his opinions on the law were God's.

They weren't his because he perfectly had the mind and the heart of the father in these matters. So they were debating where did he get this ability? He does not teach like we do, but yet clearly he has an authority and an ability. We see that reiterated in Matthew seven. Second, I want you to notice Jesus' confidence in his teaching. Look at verse 17. "If any man is willing to do his will, he shall know of the teacher whether it is of God or whether I speak from myself." What is he doing? He is saying, he is declaring a confidence in his ability, in his teaching.

Here Jesus is saying that if one is willing to humble himself before God, he will know that his teaching is from God. So he's not being arrogant. He's saying if you will humble yourself, you will know where my teaching is coming from. He's humbled before the father, but confident in what he is teaching. Third, notice Jesus' selflessness in his teaching. Look at verse 18. "He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory." Now he turns, "But he who is seeking the glory of the one who sent him, he is true and there is no unrighteousness in him." What is he doing? Jesus is speaking of his selflessness in his teaching.

He has confidence in his teaching because it came from the father and he is selfless in his teaching. Jesus is differentiating between himself and the false teachers. He says that teachers who speak of themselves seek their own glory and they seek glory for themselves and they are false. But Jesus is saying of himself that he seeks the glory of the one who sent him. He is selfless. So here in these verses, Jesus is boldly asserting himself as from God. He is saying that his teaching and authority to teach come from God. And we will see that not only do they question his ability, but they make very strong accusations later on in the message.

Now what does this mean for you and for me? How does this apply to us? We must see that the source of our teaching must come from God. That's why we must be thoroughly biblical in everything that we do. We must be thoroughly biblical in all of the workings of the church, especially the preaching and the teaching ministry of the church. Now we're all fallible. We all have problems. We're not going to be perfect at everything that we do. But if we will be faithful to the preaching and the teaching of the Word, to the diligent study of the Word, then any wrinkles that we may have, they will be ironed out. They will be dealt with.

They will be corrected. And if we will humble ourselves before God, we will let the preaching and the teaching of the Word, listen, do its good work in us. So we must see that our teaching, it must be biblical. But there's something else that's here that you might not see. Our teaching also must be anointed. Now that is a confusing word for some. It is a misunderstood word for some. There are some that view an anointing as nothing more than emotionalism. As a matter of fact, there are some that they have these just emotional fits and they blame God and the Holy Spirit for it. And God is a million miles away from it.

That's not what I'm advocating. But Jesus had a clear anointing. He had an authority that could only come from God. And we cannot deny that. There is an anointing that comes from teaching the Word. Now any old joblo can get up and read the Word, but that does not mean they're anointed. And so the preachers and the teachers of the Word of God must seek to be right with God and walk with God and have an anointing and an empowerment that can only come from God because something supernatural must take place. Something supernatural must take place between this holy desk and your heart, between this Bible and this declaration and your life.

There must be an anointing that comes to enable these truths to be appropriated into your heart and into your mind. And listen, that speaks of the source of this teaching. How many sermons will be doctrinally straight, theologically sound? How many sermons will be preached and they will be accurate according to the Scripture, but yet they will come from dead men and they will bring dead sermons? Our land is full of them. And so we must see the source of this teaching. It was from God, but Christ had an authority, an anointing that can only come from God. I've heard different people explain this anointing before.

It's all types of explanations, but I heard of the country preacher that said it like this. I can't tell you what it is, but I can tell you what it ain't. I've seen a lot more unanointed preaching. No power, no authority, dry, lifeless. And so Jesus, we see the source of his teaching. It was from the father, but yet there was an anointing. There was an authority that came with it. And that's why we see it's do its powerful work. So second, let's move on. Let's notice the challenge to the Jews. There is a challenge to the Jews. Look at verse 19 and 20. "Did not Moses give you the law? And yet none of you carries out the law.

Why do you seek to kill me?" The multitude answered, "You have a demon who seeks to kill you." Now Jesus was fully aware of the Jews desire to kill him. He knew that. He states this fact here in verse 19. But what is interesting here is that Jesus makes a direct challenge to the Jewish leadership and he does this with their own beloved law of Moses. Now I don't want to say that in a sarcastic manner. They revered the law of Moses. They worship the law of Moses. So Jesus takes this law of Moses and he turns it around and he uses this as a very stern challenge. I can say it like this, he challenges them with their own medicine.

Two things out of these verses. First, his direct accusation. His direct accusation. Verse 19, "Did not Moses give you the law? Yet none of you carries out the law." That is an in your face accusation to those Jewish leaders. There's a little bit different reading. The English Standard Version reads, "Yet none of you keeps the law." The New American, it says, "Carrys out the law." It means the same thing. You shouldn't have a problem with that. Now Jesus' accusation comes in the form of a question. He asks what's called a rhetorical question. One he never intended them to answer and his answer is the great accusation. Go back.

"Did not Moses give you the law? Yet none of you carries out the law." He didn't wait for an answer. Why do you seek to kill me? You see? Now, what is he doing here? What is he doing? He is showing them their utter sinfulness. Even though they value the law, they could not keep the law and they totally missed it. The law of Moses was to reveal sin to man and end man, but yet they thought that the law was their source of life. They missed it. They did not see the purpose of the law, nor were they able to keep the law. I give you two passages of scripture that speak to this. Write these down for your own study.

Romans chapter 3 starting in verse 9. All the way down to verse 20. We won't read all of those verses for the sake of time, but what does Paul say? Concerning the law. What then? Question, verse 9. Are we better than they? He's talking about Jew and Gentile. Not at all. For we have already charged that both Jews and Greeks are all under the law. As it is written, there is none righteous, not even one. There is none who understands. There is none who seeks for God. All have turned aside together and they have become useless. There is none who does good. There is not even one. Their throat is an open grave.

With their tongues they keep deceiving. The poison of asps is under their lips. That's just down to verse 13. You might say, "Pastor, the book of Romans has not been written yet." Oh, but if you know your scripture, Paul is doing nothing more than quoting Psalm chapter 14 verses 1 through 3. These religious leaders would have been familiar with the book of Psalms. So they should have seen. They should have understood. They should have known what Psalm said, but yet they missed it. They missed the purpose of the law. Therefore, they missed the fact that they could not keep the law. I'll give you another passage.

Galatians chapter 3 starting in verse 10. Verse 10, verse 11. This Galatian church had gone back to a form of legalism trying to keep the law. They had moved away from by grace through faith. Paul, what does he say? For as many as are of the works of the law are under a curse, for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who does not abide by all things written in the book of the law to perform them." Now that is a quotation from Deuteronomy chapter 7 verse 26. That the scribes and the Pharisees, those Jewish leaders, would have known.

Verse 11, "Now that no one is justified by the law before God is evident for the righteous man shall live by faith." Now why do I read you those verses? Those verses help us understand the purpose of the law and the law shows the terrible deficiency of all mankind. And this is a direct accusation. Jesus is telling them that they misunderstood the purpose of the law and they did not and they could not keep the law. They puffed out their chest and they said, "We have the law of Moses." Thinking that that was giving them life when actually it was an indictment. And this is a direct accusation. Powerful in their face.

And then second, notice their outrageous allegation. Look at verse 20, "The multitude answered, 'You have a demon.' Who seeks to kill you?" Here we have their rebuttal to Jesus' direct accusation. The original language is simple. It reads, "You have a demon." There's no turning it around. This is their way of calling him a paranoid, self-inflated, crazy man. That's what they were saying. You're a lunatic. You're a spiritual loon. You're an idiot. That's what they're saying. Jesus had a direct accusation but yet they had an outrageous allegation by saying he was demonically possessed and a spiritual, crazy man.

Here we see that Jesus reveals them. Now listen, "For not only what they have done and do, but for who they are." You see? Now what have they done? They were lawbreakers. That's what Jesus is saying. You've not kept all of Moses. You're a lawbreaker and they do not even understand the true purpose of the law. But what about who they are? They are haters of Jesus. They are lawbreakers, therefore they are haters of Christ. You see? Jesus is revealing what they have done but who they are. And it is very important for us to see an application that men and women, lost individuals, are lawbreakers.

I don't care how clean cut they are or what family they come from. They are enemies of the cross, enemies of Christ, and they do not even know it. They might be religious. They might sit in a Sunday school class. They might be a deacon or a leader in the church. But if they are outside of Christ, they are an enemy of God because they are a lawbreaker and they are an enemy of the cross and an enemy of Christ. And listen, if you're here this morning and you are unconverted, whether you know it or not, you are a lawbreaker and an enemy of God. Your religious actions and your religious affections do not do you any favors. You're an enemy of God.

You're a lawbreaker and you're a hater of Christ. And listen, the only thing that keeps you from doing the heinous deeds that come into your mind and heart, it is the grace of God. Look at the religious leaders. The grace of God allowed them to act out the way they acted out. Why? Because it was part of the sovereign work of God. They exercised their responsibility, but only under a sovereign hand of God. It was God's will that they reject Christ. And we don't understand the tension between the two.

What it is is they rejected God, they rejected Christ, they were enemies of God, they were lawbreakers and finally God said, "All right, I'll give you what you want." And let me give you a warning. This is very important. If you resist God and if you resist God's work, if you resist God's work around you, if you resist the teaching of the truth of the word of God, if you resist the church and the work of grace, if you resist the works of God around you in your mind and your heart, eventually God will give you what you want. And you will find yourself acting out on the very things that you used to meditate on in secret. Why?

Because you're a lawbreaker. You're an enemy of God. This was a challenge to the Jews and listen, I want to challenge you. If you are not converted, do not rest for one moment. Do not rest in your efforts. Do not rest in your religious affections, your religious desires. Listen, see yourself truly for who you are. You're an enemy of God and you better hold on to grace and you better cry out for grace and you better seek Christ while he may be found because if you stay in that unconverted state finally and eventually God will give you what you want. That's exactly what the Jews did. You see this challenge?

See people have say today, you can't preach and teach to people that way. Listen, that is the only thing that will bring people to the point of knowing their need for Christ. You see? This challenge to the Jews. Let's move on. Let's notice truth number three. Notice the sign which was given. Starting verse 21, we'll go down to verse 24. Jesus answered and he said to them, I did one deed and you all marvel. On this account, Moses has given you circumcision, not because it was from Moses but from the fathers. Talking about the patriarchs. And on the Sabbath, you circumcised a man.

If a man receives circumcision on the Sabbath, that the law of Moses may not be broken, are you angry with me because I made an entire man well on the Sabbath. Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment. Now we will see the sign was given in verse 21, but verses 22 on down to verse 24 apply to this sign that was given. And here we see that Jesus simply ignored what the Jews said about him being demon possessed. And without any explanation, he connects what is currently going on between them and what happened the last time he was in Jerusalem, which was chapter five.

Remember he came to the pool of Bistata and he healed that crippled man and they rose up against him because he healed the man on the Sabbath. We're going to look at four things out of these verses. First, the previous miracle or sign that was performed. I've read you the verse, verse 21. It's a very short verse. Jesus answered, "I did one deed and you all marveled." He is referring to that man that was healed. Remember the issue wasn't the healing, but the fact that Jesus healed on the Sabbath. That goes back to chapter five, verses nine and ten. And we must see that this was a sign to his deity.

This was sufficient proof that he was the Christ, the promised Messiah, but yet they rejected him. They plotted even to kill him, chapter five, verse 18 says. So there's the previous miracle that he's speaking of in verse 21. He's going all the way back to chapter five. And then second, Jesus points out their hypocrisy. We get verse 22, "On this account, Moses has given you circumcision, not because it was from Moses, but from the fathers, the patriarchs. And on the Sabbath you circumcise a man. If a man receives circumcision on the Sabbath that the law of Moses may not be broken.

Are you angry with me because I made an entire man well or clean on the Sabbath?" Jesus is pointing out their hypocrisy. Jesus has been defending his actions of healing the man on the Sabbath, and now he does so by pointing to their misinterpretations of the Sabbath regulations. Notice verse 22, and how Jesus inserts this remark that they even fail to remember that circumcision came before the time of Moses, but it came from the time of the patriarchs, Genesis chapter 17, starting in verse 10. You see that? Go back to the verse.

"On this account, Moses has given you circumcision, not because it was from Moses, but from the fathers." See, they like to brag that it came from Moses, but this was before Moses. So what is he doing? He inserts this remark because they fail to remember where circumcision came from. But I want to ask you a question. What was their hypocrisy? According to the law, every Jewish baby boy was to be circumcised when he was eight days old.

If this eighth day happened to fall on the Sabbath, these Jewish leaders, they would perform circumcision to fulfill the law, yet according to their misapplication of the Sabbath regulations, they actually broke the Sabbath. You see? And in their misapplication of the Sabbath regulations, they broke one law that is working on the Sabbath to uphold another law, and that is circumcision on the eighth day. That's a short explanation of what Jesus is doing. Let me go back to the verse. "On this account, Moses has given you circumcision, not because it was from Moses, but it came before Moses. And on the Sabbath, you circumcised a man.

And if a man receives circumcision on the Sabbath, that the law of Moses may not be broken. Are you angry with me because I made an entire man well on the Sabbath?" You see? He is pointing out their misinterpretation of Sabbath. And it is mildly important to see. The problem was not with the law, but their legalistic interpretation of the law. It was not sinful to circumcise on the Sabbath. According to the law of Moses, it was just that they had imposed rule after rule above and beyond what the original intent of the law said. So he's pointing out their hypocrisy. Then third, notice Jesus justifies their actions.

Look at the second portion of verse 23. "Are you angry with me because I made an entire man well on the Sabbath?" You see? He's justifying his actions. He says, "If you circumcise on the Sabbath to uphold the law, why are you mad because I made a man clean on the Sabbath?" You see? He's justifying his actions from chapter 5. And then fourth, Jesus' urgent appeal. Look at verse 24. "Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment." See they had an unrighteous judgment. Legalistic interpretations. And here Jesus is urging them to reconsider their approach to the entire situation.

He is trying to tell them that their rigid and legalistic approach to the law was wrong and unacceptable. MacArthur points out that they had a, and I'm going to quote him, "utter lack of moral and theological discernment." They were wrong. Here we see that Jesus is urging them to see the sign to his Messiahship. All the way back to chapter 5. He is urging them to see through their hypocrisy and to see that he was who he claimed to be. But we will continue to see that it was for no avail. To no avail. They never did see it. They refused to see it. Now, what does this apply to? How does this apply to us?

The Sabbath day, regulations, circumcision on the eighth day. How does this apply to us? We must see that there is an urgent appeal to be careful, now listen, about our traditions and about our convictions. Jesus was saying to them, "Your rules and your regulations go beyond what the Scriptures say, and you can't live by them. Your legalists is what he's saying, and you can't live by your standard. You judge me for my standard, and yet you do not live by your standard." That's what he's saying. And we must see that there is an urgent appeal here about our convictions. Be careful about our convictions.

Now, we live in a world today where people seemingly have no convictions. No convictions. Anything seems to go. Anything in the life of the church seems to go. But what is just as bad as no convictions are legalistic convictions. Because when we add legalistic convictions, we are adding to what God had said. Jesus, by healing on the Sabbath, was not violating the law of Moses in any way. But what they had done is they had added. And we have to be careful. Because listen, legalistic convictions, after legalistic conviction, after legalistic conviction, God's rule after rule after rule, and it never seems to work.

And just like it is very dangerous to take away from the Word of God, we must be careful not to add to the Word of God. I've experienced this. I've known legalists in my day. One of the greatest marks of a legalist, and you must watch this. A legalist can never live up to his own rules. Now, he will make sure you live up to the rules in your own life. All the while, there will be glaring hypocrisy in his own life. He can't live up to those rules. Never can. See? I've had my fair share of legalism in my face. I've had people come into my homes and sit down and try to tell me I'm not living my life correctly.

All the while, they would be misinterpreting Scripture, misinterpreting Scripture, misinterpreting Scripture. See? Well, you say, "Pastor, how do we deal with convictions?" Listen, our convictions must derive from the principles of the Word of God. Go back to verse 24. "Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment." Listen, we must have the ability that can only come from God. We must have the ability to have righteous judgment based on the principles of the Word of God. We must have a moral discernment as to what the Word of God means. That is what MacArthur said. They lack moral and theological discernment.

And our convictions must lead us to worship Christ, and they must lead us to a relationship with Christ, and they can never be a dead end. You know, I've known people. They love their convictions more than they love Jesus and more than they love the Word of God. I'll give you an example. Sometimes I try to be careful with examples. There was a particular family that we had a chance to minister to, and they just had rule after rule, expectation after expectation. And they could not see through the rules. And what did it do? It led them to an unhealthy church situation, rule after rule, law after law, above and beyond what the Scripture said.

And they are living in a prison of rules, no freedom, no grace, no mercy, no freedom in Christ. Now, I'm not talking about this freedom to do anything you want, no. And they love their rules more than the Word of God and more than Jesus. And what is Jesus saying all along? Listen, I'm the Christ, I'm the Messiah, and you cannot even see it because you are more in tune to what some rabbi said decades ago. And I miss the sign. As we move on from these passages who begin to conclude, we must see what Jesus is doing here. The big picture, He is exalting Himself as Christ. He is reiterating His previous claims.

And in so doing, He is revealing the Jews for who they are. You see? He's showing them for who they are. He's proving that they're legalists, that they misinterpret the Scriptures, and they're wrong in every way. And He's exalting Himself. He's exalting Himself. He's exalting Himself. But below the surface, we must see that Jesus is refusing to accept legalistic religion. The Jews held on to their man-made rules and regulations so much that they ignored Christ Himself. It was a terrible danger. Now, I want to say something as we close, and it might seem out of place, but when I explain it, you'll see what I mean.

This is none other than a great evangelistic model. First of all, who does Christ exalt? He exalts Himself as deity, Christ. First of all, He has an overt and direct challenge to the sinfulness of man. And third of all, He chops out every, listen, prop under man, which is religion. See? He strips them of their legalism. He strips them of their religion. He strips them of their man-made efforts to be right with God. He's saying, "You worship the law, and you don't even understand the purpose of the law.

You're a lawbreaker, a rebel against God." He strips them of their religion, and He drives their sinfulness right into their face, and then He exalts Himself. And listen, that's the only way sinners will come to know Christ today. I don't care if they're righteous in man's eyes or wretched in man's eyes. That's the only way that people will come to know Christ.

And our reason, and our understanding, and the way we view things, we'll say, "No, that will drive people away." Yes, we think it will drive people away by our own understanding, but it is the only way that young people and men and women and law sinners, whether they're in the pew or outside of the church, it's the only way they will come to Christ. And listen, it does not matter what they're propping themselves up with. We are to tear those props down, tear those props down, tear those props down, and exalt Christ and reveal the sinfulness of man. And that's all He did.

And yet they still refused to believe and trust and see that He was the Messiah and accept Him. So what do we see? We see Jesus' authoritative teaching. See His authority? See His bold declarations? And His claims of being the Christ? What is He saying? I'm the Christ, I proved it to you in Chapter 5. And in an authoritative manner that comes straight from God the Father, I'm telling you exactly who you are. But it's sad. They reject it. And that rejection still goes on today. But listen, I trust by faith that there are people even here within the sound of my voice that God is going to call to Himself and He will use messages just like this.

So as I close, I want to say to you, if you are unconverted, please do not take comfort in your position. Be fearful because of what could happen if you miss Christ. Lord, thank you for the truthfulness of these verses, the power that's here. Lord, sometimes when we look at verses like this that deal with Judaism and words like circumcision, the law of Moses, we miss it. We don't understand it.