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You can turn with me in the Bibles 
to John chapter 7 to continue our exposition of John's Gospel. Our focus will be on verses 1 
to 13, but I do want to read beyond that just to set the context. So beginning in John 7 at verse 
1. Now the Jews' feast of tabernacles 
was at hand. His brothers therefore said to 
him, depart from here and go into Judea, that your disciples 
also may see the works that you are doing. For no one does anything 
in secret while he himself seeks to be known openly. If you do 
these things, show yourself to the world. For even his brothers 
did not believe in him. Then Jesus said to them, My time 
has not yet come, but your time is always ready. The world cannot 
hate you, but it hates me, because I testify of it, that its works 
are evil. You go up to this feast. I am 
not yet going up to this feast, for my time has not yet fully 
come. When he had said these things to them, he remained in 
Galilee. But when his brothers had gone 
up, then he also went up to the feast, not openly, but as it 
were in secret. Then the Jews saw him at the 
feast and said, Where is he? And there was much complaining 
among the people concerning him. Some said, He is good. Others 
said, No, on the contrary, he deceives the people. However, 
no one spoke openly of him for fear of the Jews. Now about the 
middle of the feast, Jesus went up into the temple and taught. 
And the Jews marveled, saying, How does this man know letters, 
having never studied? Jesus answered them and said, 
My doctrine is not mine, but his who sent me. If anyone wills 
to do his will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether 
it is from God or whether I speak on my own authority. He who speaks 
from himself seeks his own glory, but he who seeks the glory of 
the one who sent him is true, and no unrighteousness is in 
him. Did not Moses give you the law? Yet none of you keeps the 
law. Why do you seek to kill me? The people answered and said, 
You have a demon. Who is seeking to kill you? Jesus 
answered and said to them, I did one work, and you all marvel. 
Moses, therefore, gave you circumcision, not that it is from Moses, but 
from the fathers. And you circumcise a man on the 
Sabbath. If a man receives circumcision 
on the Sabbath so that the law of Moses should not be broken, 
are you angry with me because I made a man completely well 
on the Sabbath? Do not judge according to appearance, 
but judge with righteous judgment. Now some of them from Jerusalem 
said, is this not he whom they seek to kill? But look, he speaks 
boldly and they say nothing to him. Do the rulers know indeed 
that this is truly the Christ? However, we know where this man 
is from, but when the Christ comes, no one knows where he 
is from. Then Jesus cried out, as He taught in the temple, saying, 
You both know Me, and you know where I am from. And I have not 
come of Myself, but He who sent Me is true, whom you do not know. But I know Him, for I am from 
Him, and He sent Me. Therefore they sought to take 
Him, but no one laid a hand on Him, because His hour had not 
yet come. And many of the people believed in Him, and said, When 
the Christ comes, will He do more signs than these which this 
man has done? The Pharisees heard the crowd 
murmuring these things concerning him, and the Pharisees and the 
chief priests sent officers to take him. Then Jesus said to 
them, I shall be with you a little while longer, and then I go to 
him who sent me. You will seek me and not find 
me, and where I am you cannot come. And the Jews said among 
themselves, where does he intend to go that we shall not find 
him? Does he intend to go to the dispersion among the Greeks 
and teach the Greeks? What is this thing that he said, 
you will seek me and not find me, and where I am you cannot 
come? 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 he 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. And 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 of 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 is doing? They 
answered and said to him, Are you also from Galilee? Search 
and look, for no prophet has arisen out of Galilee. Amen. Well, let us pray. Our God and 
Father, we thank you for your word. We thank you for the gospel 
of our salvation, the life, the death, the resurrection of our 
blessed Savior. And as we come to this passage 
now, we pray for ears to hear and hearts to receive your truth, 
and for the ministry and the power of the Holy Spirit to guide 
us and to lead us into all truth. The bare reading of this scripture 
shows the division among the people concerning Christ, and 
we know that division continues on to this day. We suspect that 
there may be some in our midst today that are not in Christ, 
and we pray that today would be the day of salvation, that 
they would hear of Him who is altogether lovely and chief among 
10,000, and by grace may they believe in Him. And God, forgive 
us now for all of our sin and all unrighteousness and transgression. 
And again, fill us with your spirit. And we pray through Jesus 
Christ, our Lord, amen. Well, the last time we were in 
John's gospel, we were in Capernaum. Remember in John chapter six, 
the Lord Jesus is teaching in a synagogue in Capernaum. And 
there he gives the bread of life discourse, underscores the absolute 
necessity of belief in him for salvation. Well, here chapter 
seven focuses on the Feast of Tabernacles, which was about 
six months later. in terms of the timeframe. And 
what we'll see in this passage, as I said, division among the 
people concerning Jesus. There's rising skepticism, there's 
rising animosity and enmity that is directed to our Lord. But 
along the way, you see people that do believe, people that 
have closed with Him, people that come to know Him as Lord 
and Savior. Well, in this first section in 
chapter seven, we see Jesus and His earthly brothers. And at 
this particular time, according to verse five, they were unbelievers. And so we need to consider what 
it is that they say in terms of their suggestion to Christ 
to go to the feast. We'll look first at the Feast 
of Tabernacles in verses one to two, just to set this context. Secondly, we'll notice the brothers 
of our Lord in verses three to nine. And then finally, the division 
among the people in verses 10 to 13. But notice in the first 
place, the setting. The connection to chapter 6, 
verse 1 says, after these things, Jesus walked in Galilee. So again, 
chapter 6 dealt with his teaching in a synagogue in Capernaum. 
And then the time frame between the Passover, if you look back 
at chapter 6, verse 4, it says, now at the Passover, a feast 
of the Jews was near. And then in chapter 7, we see 
in verse 2, now the Jews' Feast of Tabernacles was at hand. So 
the Passover was roughly in our April, and the Feast of Tabernacles 
was in our September or October. So there's been about a six-month 
gap between chapter 6 and 7. And we see the threat that was 
posed with reference to our Lord. So verse one, after these things, 
Jesus walked in Galilee for he did not want to walk in Judea. 
Not that there were no Jews in Galilee, the Northern region 
of Israel, but Galilee was also populated with Gentiles. You 
can go back to 2 Kings chapter 17 to see that particular situation 
unfold. But at this time it is noticed 
or rather called Galilee of the Gentiles. You see that in Matthew 
chapter four, where the apostle there is quoting from Isaiah 
nine. So Jesus remains up in the northern part of Israel, 
and then the reason is given in verse 1, for He did not want 
to walk in Judea because the Jews sought to kill Him. The 
land of Galilee did in fact have Jews, but they were primarily 
populating their Judea. And we see already that there 
is this growing animosity to our Savior. And Christ knows 
this, Christ has a particular timeframe in view, and he's not 
going to hasten that. He must go according to the father's 
plan, not the suggestions of his earthly brothers, not the 
suggestions of his apostles, but rather he must conduct himself 
in obedience to the divine will. And so that's what we see unfolding 
here, but there is this reluctance on his part to go down to Judea 
because they want to kill him. Now, when it says the Jews sought 
to kill him, it is a reference to the Jewish leadership. It 
is a reference to those men that had charge with reference to 
Israel's theological and political situation. If you look at verse 
10, it says, when his brothers had gone up, then he also went 
up to the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret. Verse 
11 says, then the Jews sought him at the feast. That would 
be the non-religious leaders. That would be the hoi polloi. 
That would be the common folk. But in verse 1, the Jews sought 
to kill him is a reference to the Pharisees and to the members 
of the Sanhedrin. You'll notice that. Look at verse 
32 in our context. The Pharisees heard the crowd 
murmuring these things concerning him, and the Pharisees and the 
chief priests sent officers to take him. Notice as well in 47 
and 48. Then the Pharisees answered them, 
are you also deceived? Have any of the rulers or the 
Pharisees believed in him? But this crowd, that's the hoi 
polloi that does not know the law, is accursed. So Jews is 
doing double duty in verse one, and then again in verse 11. So 
in verse 11, it's the general population, they're interested, 
they're intrigued, they want to find Jesus. But with reference 
to the Jews who are seeking to kill him, it is the religious 
leadership. If you go back to John chapter 
5, after he heals that man in the pool of Bethesda, we pick 
up in verse 16. For this reason, the Jews persecuted 
Jesus and sought to kill him because he had done these things 
on the Sabbath. But Jesus answered them, my father has been working 
until now, and I have been working. Therefore, the Jews sought all 
the more to kill him, because he not only broke the Sabbath, 
but also said that God was his father, making himself equal 
with God. So this animosity is on the increase. This rising opposition is growing. And again, the context in chapter 
7, at the Feast of the Tabernacles, describes the very same situation. Look at 7.19. Did not Moses give 
you the law? Yet none of you keeps the law. 
Why do you seek to kill me? Moses gave the law. that prohibited 
murder, and yet you guys want to murder me. Notice as well 
in verse 25, now some of them from Jerusalem said, is this 
not he whom they seek to kill? So this was a prevalent thought 
at this time. They already knew that there 
were persons, religious persons, leadership persons, that wanted 
to dispatch Christ. They wanted to get rid of Him. 
Now notice the particular feast in view, verse 2. Now the Jews' 
Feast of Tabernacles was at hand. The significance or the Old Testament 
background of this feast is Leviticus chapter 23 and Deuteronomy chapter 
16. And there were three reasons 
why, or three things that we need to observe about the feast. 
First of all, it was a seven-day feast. Notice that when Jesus 
arrives, it's in the middle of the feast. And then on the last 
day, according to verse 37, he makes that declaration, if anyone 
thirsts, let him come to me and drink. There are persons who 
think that there is a contradiction in our passage under examination. Because Jesus tells his brothers, 
I'm not gonna go to the feast, and then he actually goes to 
the feast. Brethren, if that is the thing that undoes the 
messiahship of the Lord Jesus Christ, that is absolutely positively 
ludicrous. He is talking again about timeframe. He is talking about the messianic 
agenda. He is talking about the divine 
plan to save his people from their sins. He's not gonna go 
and perform a dog and pony show at this Feast of Tabernacles. 
His unconverted brothers want him to go and gain maximum exposure. It's not time for maximum exposure. It's time for the Messiah to 
fulfill the law of God as stipulated for us men and for our salvation. And so the Feast of Tabernacles 
was a seven day feast. As well, it was a feast that 
recalled Yahweh's deliverance of Israel from Egypt. You see 
that again in Leviticus 23 and in Deuteronomy chapter 16. It 
was also thirdly, a time of great feasting, a time of celebration, 
a time of joy. Brother, you have to appreciate 
that about Israel's calendar. God commanded his people to be 
happy. God commands his people to rejoice. God commands His people to celebrate. We're not supposed to walk around 
like we've just ate lemons. We're not supposed to walk around 
like we are the most miserable lot on the face of the earth. 
There is joy to be had in the Savior. There is joy to be had 
in the triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We have the 
altogether lovely. We have the chief among 10,000. 
It's a time for celebration. David said, I was glad when they 
said unto me, let us go to the house of the Lord. Kids, if you 
see something contrary to that, forgive your parents, forgive 
the adults. We should exemplify a heartfelt 
joy in coming to the house of God. We should exemplify heartfelt 
joy when we celebrate the things that God has given us. There 
is guilt, grace, gratitude, and that gratitude is expressed in 
the public worship of God, and at the times when the church 
engages in baptism in the Lord's Supper. So this was a time of 
great festivity on Israel's calendar, and so this is the context. Now 
notice, secondly, the brothers of the Lord. They make a suggestion 
in verses 3 to 5, and then Jesus responds in verses 6 to 9. But 
first of all, their identity. Notice in verse three, his brothers 
therefore said to him, these are the half brothers of our 
Lord Jesus Christ. According to the flesh, they 
had the same mother in Mary, but of course, Jesus was conceived 
by the power of the Holy Spirit. So his earthly father wasn't 
directly responsible in terms of the whole situation. You got that. It was a virgin 
birth. And so these were his half-brothers. 
They're identified for us in Matthew's gospel, specifically 
in chapter 13 at verses 55 and 56. Is this not the carpenter's 
son? Is not his mother called Mary? 
And his brothers, James, Josie, Simon, and Judas? And his sisters, 
are they not all with us? Turn back to Matthew's gospel, 
Matthew chapter one, at the birth narrative of our blessed Savior. 
There is a point to be made here that we need to take heed to. 
Matthew chapter 1, we have the announcement of the coming King, 
we have the announcement of the birth of Christ, we have those 
instructions from the angel in terms of Joseph's responsibility, 
in terms of what Mary's going to do, and it culminates in verse 
21. You shall call his name Jesus, 
for it is he who will save his people from their sins. Now pick 
up in verse 22. So all this was done that it 
might be fulfilled, which was spoken by the Lord through the 
prophet, saying, Behold, the virgin shall be with child and 
bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel, which is translated 
God with us. Then Joseph, being aroused from 
sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to 
him his wife and did not know her till she had brought forth 
her firstborn son, and he called his name Jesus. Brethren, it 
would have been sinful. It would have been rebellion. 
It would have been transgression. It would have been a lack of 
conformity under God's law if Mary would have maintained perpetual 
virginity. Now, this is a tenet of Roman 
Catholicism and it's simply incorrect. It is inaccurate. It is wrong. 
Hebrews 13.4 tells us that the marriage bed is undefiled. It's 
blessed by God for the provision of sexual joy and happiness within 
the context of marriage and for giving birth to children. And 
so Mary was a virgin when the spirit comes upon her, but she 
doesn't remain so. And so she has other children 
and our passage underscores that in verse three. His brothers 
therefore said to him, Now later, thankfully, the brothers, or 
at least a couple of them, are converted. You can see that in 
Acts 1 at verse 14, and then 1 Corinthians chapter 15. And 
then the mention of James as the leader in the church in Jerusalem, 
and as the one I take as the author of the epistle of James, 
there's some debate concerning that, but James was the half-brother 
of our Lord. And so at this time, however, 
they weren't converted. And brethren, if you ponder this 
for just a moment, Jesus has a reluctance to go into Judea 
because he knows that the Jews want to kill him. And here the 
brothers are urging him to go into Judea. Now, I hope that 
they did not know of his reluctance because the Jews sought to kill 
him. If they did and they were urging him to go in there, that's 
pretty ghoulish. and that's pretty wicked and 
that's pretty bad. Now, I'm not suggesting they're 
any worse or more wicked or ghoulish than I am, but if you make that 
connection, and we have no reason to verify one way or the other, 
but Jesus has a reluctance to go and they're urging him to 
go. But the fact that they urge him 
to go, again, evidences that they're not thinking God's thoughts 
after him. They want Jesus to engage in 
a dog and pony show. They want him to go out and perform. 
They want him to go out and win the crowds if that is what he 
thinks he can do. So notice that there's suggestion 
in verses three and four. His brothers therefore said to 
him, depart from here and go into Judea that your disciples 
also may see the works that you are doing. For no one does anything 
in secret while he himself seeks to be known openly. If you do 
these things, show yourself to the world." Now, verse 5 is explanatory. Verse 5 sets it in the proper 
framework. These aren't even keeled sort 
of innocent suggestions that the brothers are giving to him. 
You know, Jesus, just go ahead and do your Do your whammy over 
there at the Feast of Tabernacles. You'll get a lot of exposure. 
The fact that John explains for us in verse five, for even his 
brothers did not believe in him. And then notice Jesus' rebuke 
in verse seven. The world cannot hate you. Why? 
Because they themselves are of the world. So this isn't some 
sort of innocent suggestion from his earthly brothers, just go 
down to this Feast of Tabernacles and do your thing and expose 
yourself in a way that hopefully brings glory to you. No, they 
are more like the devil in the wilderness that tempted our Lord 
Jesus. They're more like Peter when 
he was not speaking well, when he forbid or sought to forbid 
the Lord to go into Jerusalem to die. How does Jesus respond 
to that? He says, get behind me, Satan. In Matthew 16, Jesus asks, who 
do men say that I, the Son of Man, am? So they give all these 
answers. And then he says, but who do you say that I am? And 
Simon Peter answers and says, thou art the Christ, the son 
of the living God. And he says, blessed are you, 
Simon Barjona, for flesh and blood did not reveal this to 
you, but my father who is in heaven. So on the one hand, blessed 
are you, Simon Barjona. Drop down into that passage. 
Jesus announces he must go to Jerusalem. He must be tried, 
he must die, ultimately at the hands of these wicked men. And 
Peter says, forbid it, Lord, may it never be. And that's when 
Jesus rebukes him and says, get behind me, Satan. So from Blessed 
Art Thou, Simon Barjona, to Get Behind Me, Satan. What is typical 
with reference to Peter in that instance, the devil in the wilderness, 
and these brothers? They all think that Jesus has 
come in terms of a political messiah, in terms of subjugating 
the Roman Empire, getting this big glorious kingdom, and making 
sure everybody has enough to eat and enough to drink. Look 
back at chapter 6 and verse 15 in the messianic expectation 
there. After he feeds the multitudes, verse 15, therefore when Jesus 
perceived that they were about to come and take him by force 
to make him king, he departed again to the mountain by himself 
alone. Why would they want to do that? Because he just multiplied 
fish and loaves. He just solved their inflation 
problems. He just lowered the gas prices. And certainly if this man can 
do this in terms of the multiplication of fish and loaves, he's the 
man that should function as our king. Again, they're thinking 
in an earthly capacity. They're thinking in a manner 
that is inconsistent with God's plan for the Messiah in his first 
coming. The first coming of the Messiah 
was not to set up this earthly kingdom and shatter all opposition. The first coming of Messiah is 
Matthew 1, 21. For he shall come, or he will come, to save his 
people from their sins. They missed that. They didn't 
get the memo. They hadn't read the prophets 
properly. Isaiah 53 tells us about the 
coming of the servant of the Lord. He'll be a man of sorrows. 
He'll be acquainted with grief. We'll hide, as it were, our faces 
from Him. There's no form, there's no comeliness, there's no glory 
evident in Him that we would want to esteem Him. No, rather, 
we rejected Him. John announces that in the outset 
in the prologue. He comes to His own, but His 
own do not receive Him. They're not thinking the way 
God taught them to think in the Old Testament. The messianic 
expectation in the first century was for regal power, the subjugation 
of the Roman Empire, and for bread and loaves and fish to 
be in everybody's fridge. That was what they were expecting. So notice the suggestion of the 
brothers. First, their desire for him to 
go to Judea. Again, we have no affirmation 
that they knew why he was reluctant, but if they did, that's pretty 
wicked. Notice as well the desire for him to get maximum exposure. They say that in verse three, 
depart from here, go into Judea that your disciples also may 
see the works that you are doing. And then again, at the end of 
verse four, if you do these things, show yourself to the world. The 
devil did the same thing in Matthew 4. After the baptism of our Savior, 
the Spirit drives the Savior out into the wilderness, there 
to be tempted by the Lord. Just parallel to David. Jesus' father in the earthly 
sense was David. What happens to David in 1 Samuel 
chapter 16? The Spirit comes and then the 
problems begin. And the same happens with Jesus. 
The Spirit comes upon him at the end of Matthew chapter 3. 
We turn to Matthew chapter 4 and what happens? Then the Spirit 
drives him out into the wilderness, there to be tempted by the devil. 
Listen to what the devil says to Jesus in one of the temptations. 
It says, He showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their 
glory. All these things I will give you if you will fall down 
and worship me. It's the similar mindset. They 
are projecting. If Jesus has the ability to do 
miracles, And they seem to be suspicious of that in verse four. But if Jesus has the ability 
to do miracles, if they had that ability to do miracles, they'd 
go to the Feast of Tabernacles. They would celebrate that power. 
They would gain maximum exposure. They would gain that earthly 
glory that sinners crave. But that's not what Jesus craved. The meat of our Lord was to do 
the will of him who sent me. The food was to obey the Father 
at every point, and that's what he's expressing in this particular 
situation. Notice as well the rationale 
behind their words in verse 4a. For no one does anything in secret 
while he himself seeks to be known openly. Again, brethren, 
they are thinking just like you and I do, and we're converted. 
We like maximum exposure. We like to display our good works. 
Just look at Facebook statuses. Just look at Twitter. Just look 
at our lives. They're like open books. Everybody 
has to know everything I'm ever doing, especially when I do it 
right. That is so contrary to the mindset 
of the Messiah, who is not seeking maximum exposure, but obedience 
to the Father. So because they themselves would 
have gone to the Feast of Tabernacles, they assume or project that therefore 
Jesus must go to the Feast of Tabernacles and do these signs 
and wonders so that he can expose himself as this one. The lack of understanding of 
the messianic mission is obvious. And again, look at verse 4. For 
no one does anything in secret while he himself seeks to be 
known openly. If you do these things, there's suspicion there, 
They doubt him. They're wondering. It's up for 
debate. There's a potential or a possibility 
that what he had done he really didn't do and that he was a deceiver 
and a liar. Before you say, well, that would 
never come up in their minds, that's precisely what would come 
up in their minds. When he gets to the feast, there's 
divided opinion about it. Some say he is good. Others say 
he's a deceiver. And likely, the background to 
that statement, he is a deceiver, is Deuteronomy 13, specifically 
1 to 5. Deuteronomy 13 is a curious passage 
of scripture. It is one that most Christians 
want no part of, because it calls for and demands the death of 
anyone who would solicit us away to commit apostasy. So in the 
middle of the passage, it deals with family members. If the wife 
of your bosom seduces or entices you to worship other gods, then 
deliver her up to the courts and she should be executed for 
that. Again, we don't like that. We think that's unkind. We think 
that's untoward. The last part of Deuteronomy 
13 talks about another city. Another city that's in open rebellion 
against Yahweh. How do you deal with that? You 
just say, well, they have a different view over there. and we're going 
to just let them do their thing. No, you neutralize the threat 
because that is treason. That is traitorousness against 
the living and true God. But the first section deals with 
the prophet. It deals with a man who has the 
ability to actually engage in miracle working. But he is a 
liar and a deceiver. And if he's a liar and a deceiver, 
then he must be put to death. So they're trying to build their 
case. They're ginning this up. And so this suggestion or this 
sort of suspicion on the part of the brothers makes one wonder, 
they're just like all the other unconverted Jews at that particular 
time. If you do these works. What do 
you mean, if? You don't believe that he fed 
the multitude? You don't believe that he did the things that he 
says he's done and that others have testified? And then notice, 
with reference to this, show yourself to the world. Drop down 
to verse 18. He says, He who speaks from himself 
seeks his own glory, but he who seeks the glory of the one who 
sent him is true, and no unrighteousness is in him. You see brethren, 
Christ has a plan, Christ has a time frame, Christ has an agenda, 
He has a divine mission, and it is always His delight to do 
the will of the Father who sent Him. And then as I said, notice 
their unbelief in verse 5. It says, for even his brothers 
did not believe in him. That's not just a bit of addenda 
there so you can say, oh, they must have been unconverted. It 
helps you to understand the nature of their suggestion. They're 
thinking like unconverted men. They project that thought process 
onto our blessed Savior, and it's our Savior who now responds 
to them in verses 6 to 9. Notice in the first place his 
reference to time. His reference to time, my time 
has not yet come. Now, when you look at John's 
gospel, there are references to his hour. You see that in 
verse 30. Therefore they sought to take 
him, but no one laid a hand on him because his hour had not 
yet come. So the reference to time, the 
use of my time and my hour. Hour, again, is often used with 
reference to his death. 730, 820, 1223, 1227, 1301, 1632, and 1701, the hour of his death. I don't think he's using it that 
way here in verse six. Then Jesus said to them, my time 
has not yet come. The messianic plan, the agenda. Jesus wasn't like us. Now, us, 
when we're off. Most of us, when we're not on 
vacation, have a plan. We get up at dark 30, we brush 
our teeth, we have our coffee, we have our shower, we do our 
thing, and then we go to work. But, you know, vacation time, 
there's kind of this undefined-ness about it. And we often think 
that that's kind of how Jesus was. You know, he just woke up, 
he had his coffee, he brushed his teeth, and he just sort of 
meandered about wherever, you know, the wind would take him. 
He had an agenda, brethren. In Luke 9, when he sets his face 
like a flint to go to Jerusalem, this is all according to plan. 
This is all prophesied. This is all consistent with the 
ministry of the Messiah. And so he has this time that 
he's operating according to. It's not the earthly brother 
suggestions, but it's the divine timeframe that God has laid upon 
his son in order to save us men and to bring us salvation or 
bring us that joy. So the reference here, with reference 
to his time, is Messiah-ship. And then notice he says, your 
time is always ready. Why? Because you're of the world. 
And when you operate with the world, that's a consistent expression 
of your time. You do what you do. You do you, 
boo, as he is saying to them in terms of carrying out whatever 
it is that they are inclined to do. He's answering their particular 
suggestion. Now notice the opposition of 
the world. He says, the world cannot hate 
you, but it hates me because I testify of it that its works 
are evil. There he's showing his hand, 
there he's evidencing, there he's indicating something of 
what we've seen in 1 and 2. There was a reluctance on his 
part to go into Judea. Why? Because the Jews wanted 
to kill him. And now he's highlighting or 
exacerbating that reality. The world does not oppose you. 
Why? Because you're of the world. The world loves its own. But 
for Jesus to go on this track according to their suggestion 
and not according to the divine plan, he would find opposition, 
enmity, a desire to do him in. And it wasn't his time for that 
yet. There's ministry he must fulfill, 
there's works he must engage in, there's disciples, specifically 
in chapters 13 to 16, he must instruct and prepare before he 
goes back into heaven. There is an agenda that he has 
subscribed and he must carry it out for the glory of the Father. So the world cannot hate those 
who are a part of it, like the unbelieving brothers. The world 
does hate Christ because he is not of it. He is opposed to that. And then notice specifically 
the reason that he gives. Verse 9, or verse 7, he says, 
the world cannot hate you, but it hates me. Why? Because I testify 
of it that its works are evil. Why the growing animosity to 
Christianity in our own day? It's just like that. When we 
say, you know, it's not right for you to murder babies or murder 
old people. It's not right for you to, you 
know, engage in self-mutilation and become something God didn't 
make you. It's not right for you to cripple an economy by 
debasing the monetary policy. It's not right for you to do 
that. How do they receive that? Oh, you guys are right. We better 
stop murdering babies. You guys are right. We better 
just, you know, toe the line ethically in terms of biblical 
religion. Oh, yeah, we should, you know, give back all the money 
that we have stolen from our subjects. They don't do that. 
They increase in their animosity. What do they do? They seek to 
silence us. They seek to remove us. They 
seek to marginalize us. Well, the same is true here. 
They hated Jesus. Why? Because He shined the light 
upon their depravity. They hated Jesus because He shined 
the light upon their wickedness. He's already said this in John 
chapter 3. You can turn there. His discussion 
with Nicodemus concerning regeneration then leads into this statement 
concerning Him being lifted up as the Son of Man. Those who 
believe on Him will have everlasting life. And then notice in verse 
18 in chapter 3, he who believes in him is not condemned, but 
he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed 
in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, 
that the light has come into the world. And men loved darkness 
rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone 
practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, 
lest his deeds should be exposed. That's what he says in chapter 
7. The world doesn't hate you. Why? Because you don't shine 
the light upon their wickedness. They'll accept you, they'll receive 
you, they'll have truck with you, they'll do whatever it is 
you want to do. But when you shine the light 
of God's Word upon their depravity, upon their wickedness, upon their 
unrighteousness, guess what you get? Away with him, away with 
him, crucify him. We will not have this man to 
rule over us. You get Psalm 2, the nation's 
rage and the people's plot of vain thing against Yahweh and 
against his Christ. Why? We don't want him to constrain 
us. We don't want his cords on us. We don't want to have to toe 
the line with the sixth, the seventh, the eighth commandments. 
We don't even think about the first table of the law in the 
church anymore, and man's responsibility duty, commandment to not be idolaters, 
to not be blasphemers, to not be Sabbath breakers. We don't 
even ponder that. But in terms of low-hanging fruit, 
we see the absolute detestation of the sixth, seventh, and eighth 
words all throughout society today. Brethren, this isn't haphazard. This isn't accidental. They didn't 
just wake up one day and say, you know, we hate God and we 
hate religion. It started as a result of God's 
word in Genesis 3. I will put enmity between you, 
between the seed of the woman and your seed. He will crush 
your head, you'll bruise his heel, but there'll be this competition 
throughout time and history between the wicked and the righteous. 
And so Jesus says to his brothers, they don't hate you, but they 
hate me. Now notice then his instruction to his brothers in 
verses eight and nine. Verse eight, he says, you go 
up to this feast. I am not yet going up to this feast for my 
time is not yet fully come. So he instructs the brothers 
to go. Notice in verse 8, it says, I am not yet going up to 
this feast. Do you have that? If you've got 
the King James tradition. The non-King James tradition, 
because of the textual variant, doesn't have yet there. There's 
probably a whole host of ways we could engage in terms of reading 
this or synthesizing the data. But suffice to say, there's no 
contradiction. Again, Jesus manifests that in 
verse 19. Did not Moses give you the law? Or verse 18, no unrighteousness 
is in him. He's not yet ready. That's a 
good reading. He'll go according to the plan 
of God. But something a bit more curious 
is the way that he refers to it as this feast. Think about 
that for just a moment. Not the feast. This may be a 
small incidental point, but it may connect with the larger context 
in John's gospel. This feast that they're engaged 
in is not good. Think back to John 2. I know 
it's been a long time since we've been there, but we saw there 
that temple worship was in a bad state. Remember, Jesus goes into 
the temple and he drives out the money changers, he drives 
out the beast, he flips over the tables, and then he invokes 
Psalm 69, zeal for your house is consuming. There's that desire 
for purity in the house of God. This was an impure situation. 
Their worship, their profession, their leadership, their feast 
observance, it was all hollow. It was all a sham. It was all 
empty. This feast is not functioning 
the way the feast was supposed to. Think again about the larger 
context of John's gospel. The word became flesh and he 
did what? He tabernacled among us. This was the feast of tabernacles. It was a time when the Israelites 
would celebrate in booths or in tabernacles, we call them 
today tents, And they would refer or remember with great joy and 
satisfaction that Yahweh had delivered them from Egypt. Well, 
that was typical, wasn't it? Pointing to this new exodus that 
would be not just bringing people out of Egypt, but bringing them 
out of the bondage of sin. So the word became flesh and 
tabernacled among us. There might be this indictment 
on the part of the Savior concerning the religion of the Jews at that 
particular time in his use of this feast. This feast is a sham. This feast is not what it's supposed 
to be. This feast is not doing what 
it was designed to do, not only celebrate the first exodus, but 
point to the Christ of the second or new exodus, wherein he would 
save his people from their sins. So everything about this was 
a sham. Everything about this was wrong. 
Everything about this was just formalistic. And so we see the 
emphasis. He then remains in Galilee, according 
to verse 9. And that brings us finally to 
the division among the people in verses 10 to 13. So verse 
10, but when his brothers had gone up, then he also went up 
to the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret. So when 
he says, I'm not going to the feast earlier, I'm not going 
to the feast in the manner in which you suggest. I'm not going 
to go there and change water into wine. I'm not going to go 
there and, you know, raise dead dogs. I'm not going to go there 
and engage in the sorts of things that you suggest I should. I'm 
not going to go openly. I'm going to go secretly. Why 
is that? Is he embarrassed? Is he ashamed? No, he's on a 
timeframe. It wasn't time for him to die 
yet. His hour had not yet come. The evangelist tells us that 
in verse 30, therefore they sought to take him, but no one laid 
a hand on him. Why? Because they had a change 
of heart? Because they were good? Because 
they were courteous? Because they rethought their 
position? Because they engaged in an act of charity? No, because 
God the Lord restrained them. It wasn't the hour yet. So they 
sought to take him, but no one laid a hand on him because his 
hour had not yet come. Remember Jesus before Pontius 
Pilate? Pilate's arrogance with his reference 
to authority? You'd have no authority unless 
it had been given to you by my Father. Unless it had come from 
above, you would have nothing. So remember, Jesus has a plan. Jesus has a timeframe. Jesus 
has a mission. And Jesus always does what is 
pleasing, not to the earthly brothers, not to the suggestions 
of his apostles, but to his father. So verse 10, he goes now. And 
again, it's a seven day feast. We learn according to verse 14, 
that it's in the middle of feast that he goes into the temple 
and talk. But now notice with reference to the division. The 
Jews sought him. Again, not the religious leaders, 
but the Jews of verse 11 are the hoi polloi, the common folk. 
Then the Jews sought him at the feast and said, where is he? 
Now ponder that for just a moment. There are these sort of snapshots 
along the way in John's gospel that I think are given for unbelievers 
to contemplate. Do you ever ask, where is he? 
Do you ever ponder that reality? Have you ever considered your 
own sinfulness and rebellion against a holy God? Have you 
ever known in your heart of hearts, and you do, that what you've 
done in your life is enough to land you in hell for an eternity? Well, have you ever sought out 
Christ? Have you ever asked the question, 
where is he? Turn over to John chapter 12. 
You see the Greeks, they want to see Jesus. John 12, 20. Now 
there were certain Greeks among those who came up to worship 
at the feast. Then they came to Philip who 
was from Bethsaida of Galilee and asked him saying, sir, we 
wish to see Jesus. That is a great, great desire. If you have not expressed that, 
if you have not thought that, if you've never asked, where 
is he? Let me tell you, he's at the right hand of his father. 
He accomplished everything that the father had given him. He 
obeys the law perfectly. He dies as a sacrifice and a 
substitute at the cross, and he's raised again the third day. 
He ascended on high. He led captivity. Captivity gives 
gifts to men. He's now enthroned at the right 
hand of the father, where he has universal and comprehensive 
sovereignty over all things. And there he is to receive unto 
himself sinners that come to the Father through him. He is 
able to save completely, in Hebrews 7, or to the uttermost, all those 
who draw nigh unto God through him. This is a great question 
that the hoi polloi asks. Where is Jesus? They're curious. They're interested. They've heard 
of his teaching. They've heard of his miracles. 
They themselves want some of that. You've probably heard of 
his miracles. You've heard of his teaching. 
You've heard sermons, whether here or at the family altar. 
You've had friends evangelize you. You've had people point 
you to Jesus. Have you ever asked the question, where is he? That's 
a good question to ask. And the Bible gives that answer. 
Come to him and you will be saved. So notice, the people are seeking 
out Jesus, verse 11, and then the division is indicated in 
verse 12. There was much complaining among the people concerning him, 
or disputing, or argumentation. There was division. They weren't, 
you know, they were actually interested, they were curious, 
they were wondering. But you had the testimony of 
some who said he is good, and obviously they were right. Why 
wouldn't they say he is good? Why wouldn't they? Why would 
anybody say, well, he's a deceiver? How do you know that? Have you 
put him under cross-examination? Have you asked him any questions? 
I mean, the fact that some said he's good based on the miracles. 
He fed people. That's good. Based on his miracles, 
he heals people. That's good. So this was the 
right report on the part of these particular Jews. So there is 
this division, it's growing, it's going to culminate in the 
latter chapters in what we call the passion narrative, where 
people will actually cry out, away with him, away with him, 
crucify him. So the stage is being set, the 
tension is building, and it is moving forward to that passion. 
But then notice finally in verse 13, however, no one spoke openly 
of him for fear of the Jews. Again, the hoi polloi, the common 
folk, were afraid of the religious leaders. Why? Because they had 
a cancel culture. Brethren, what we are seeing 
is not new in our own generation. Tyrants have always feared free 
speech. Tyrants have always sought to 
silence their opposition, whether political or in this case religious. Notice in chapter 9, Jesus heals 
the blind man. who was born blind, and that 
becomes, you know, scandalous in terms of the religious leaders. You know, I love that bit where 
they're asking him, you know, who did this? And he said, Jesus. 
And, you know, he just answers their question, and he says, 
you know, I don't know the theology, I don't know all the intricacy, 
I don't know what the answers are that you're looking for, 
but I was blind, and now I can see. And it's because of this 
Jesus. So how do they respond? Well, get away from here. You're 
totally in sin and you just don't know anything. Typical, brethren. The same sort of things that 
we face in our own generation are the same sorts of things 
the people of God have faced throughout the ages because of 
that enmity between the woman and the serpent. Notice specifically 
in chapter 9 at verse, we'll pick up in verse 20. His parents 
answered them and said, we know that this is our son and that 
he was born blind, but by what means he now sees, we do not 
know, or who opened his eyes, we do not know. He is of age, 
ask him, he will speak for himself. His parents said these things, 
notice, because they feared the Jews. For the Jews had agreed 
already that if anyone confessed that he was Christ, he would 
be put out of the synagogue. Therefore, his parents said, 
he is of age, ask him. See, already in, you know, midpoint 
of his ministry here in John chapter 7, there is such rage. Such enmity, such animosity against 
the blessed Lord Jesus that the religious leadership has already 
promised to drive you out of the synagogue if you affirm Him, 
if you confess Him, if you show any direction toward Him, they're 
going to silence you, stomp you out, and get rid of you. So brethren, 
I think a sideline application for this is to remember our Lord's 
words. We need to confess Him before 
men. We need to stand fast. We need to hold the line. While 
there's increasing opposition, God gives increasing grace. While 
there is intense enmity and animosity toward the people of God, we're 
not supposed to shrink back. We're not supposed to say, Lord, 
it's just too hard. Lord, I just can't do it. Lord, 
I must succumb. Lord, I don't want to lose my 
place in society. I don't want to lose my job. 
Isn't it interesting, brethren, that we read of the heroes of 
the faith in not only the Old Testament, but in the history 
of the church, and our hearts pound with joy when we see these 
men taking a stand for the Lord Christ. And yet in our own generation, 
we see people capitulate. and we demonize those who do 
take a stand. It's just absolutely contrary 
to what we find in terms of our history. We love the martyrs. We love those who confess unto 
death. We love those who hold the line 
and stand fast. But nowadays, it's like, well, 
we gotta do what the government says. Not unless the government 
is telling us to do that which is consistent with God's law. 
But to resist a tyrant, brethren, is obedience to Christ. And we've 
lost something of that. So this man, this man that was 
blind, that had been healed by Jesus, his parents are so, not 
afraid, but concerned because they understand the prevailing 
culture in which they live. They'll put us right out of this 
synagogue. They'll put us right into the bread line. They'll 
put us outside of society. It's a tough position to be in, 
but brethren, God gives the grace necessary for it. So back to 
7, verse 13, however, no one spoke openly of him for fear 
of the Jewish leaders. In conclusion, I want to first 
focus on the unbelief of his brothers. The unbelief of his 
brothers. I think it demonstrates for us 
a couple of things. First of all, the statement in 
verse five, for even his brothers did not believe in him, provides 
the rationale for how we're supposed to understand their suggestions. 
Again, it wasn't neutral. They're not just saying, hey, 
brother, go out there and do your thing. That's not what's 
in view here. John the apostle wants us to 
know that they were unbelievers at this time. They were unconverted 
men. And so their suggestions in verses three and four were 
not pure. They were not righteous. They 
were not good. Secondly, it is the fulfillment 
of scripture. Remember, zeal for my house has 
consumed me. They saw that in his turning 
over the tables and driving out the money changers in John 2. 
Well, that same psalm, Psalm 69, tells us in verse 8, I have 
become a stranger to my brothers and an alien to my mother's children. It was a messianic psalm, so 
this shouldn't surprise us, this shouldn't shock us, this should 
indicate to us that we see in this the fulfillment of Holy 
Scripture. The statement as well underscores the depravity of 
man. Sin is no respecter of persons. 
Well, you happen to live in the same household as Jesus, so you're 
gonna be pure. Remember in Matthew 11, I think 
it's at 20 to 24, Jesus upbraids the cities of his day because 
they saw his mighty miracles and didn't repent. He said, it's 
gonna be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment 
than for you. Why? Because they saw the mighty 
deeds of the Messiah and they did not repent. So what do we 
learn from that passage in Matthew 11, 20 to 24? Seeing a miracle 
does not make you a believer. Well, we learn in this passage 
that close proximity physically to Jesus does not make you a 
believer. Nor does close proximity to Jesus 
just by attending church. Remember Keith Green, the ex-hippie 
singer that died in a plane crash tragically? He said, going to 
church doesn't make you a Christian any more than going to McDonald's 
makes you a hamburger. It is not the case that proximity 
to Jesus makes you a believer. These men saw him grow up. These men surrounded him. These 
men probably played ball with him when they were boys. They 
did what boys did, right? didn't sin. Imagine that pressure, 
right? When the parents said, you should 
be more like your brother. They were the only parents ever 
authorized to be able to say that. None of us can. None of us have the ability to 
say, you need to be more like your brother. They could. You 
think that made them happy? Oh yeah, that's good. There's 
the backdrop of Genesis 37 here too. Remember the brothers of 
Joseph? Look at this dreamer. What's 
he gonna come and tell us now? They despised him. They disdained 
him. They threw him into a pit and 
munched their sandwiches while he is calling from the pit to 
be delivered. So when it comes to this particular 
passage, proximity to Jesus, whether physical or spiritual 
in terms of just being in church, that's not what makes you a believer. 
You must be born again. John chapter 3 is not a joke. You must be born of the Spirit. 
You must then believe the gospel because when the Spirit causes 
you to be born again, He grants you the graces of faith and repentance 
such that you'll close with Christ. And so the proximity of Jesus' 
brothers didn't make them believers. Proximity to Jesus without saving 
faith in Jesus does not make you a believer. There's people 
that say, well, you know, I think I'm okay because my uncle taught 
Sunday school. I think I'm okay because my wife 
goes to church. I think I'm okay because my children, 
they have coloring books and they do Sunday school lessons. That's not what is necessary. 
It is regeneration by the power of God, the Holy Spirit, such 
that when that occurs, you'll believe the gospel. You'll look 
on to Jesus, the Lord, and have everlasting life. The unbelief 
of the brothers in chapter 7 verse 5 underscores the teaching in 
the synagogue in Capernaum in John 6. Look at verse 37. All that the Father gives me 
will come to me, and the one who comes to me I will by no 
means cast out. Verse 44. No one can come to 
me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise 
him up at the last day. And then 65, therefore, I have 
said to you that no one can come to me unless it has been granted 
to him by my father. So the unbelief of Jesus' physical 
brothers demonstrates the sinful depravity that affects all the 
sons of Adam, but it also underscores the absolute necessity of divine 
grace. Apart from God, there is no salvation. It does not depend upon him who 
wills or upon him who runs, but on God who shows mercy. And some 
will take that and say, well, that's a despairing doctrine. 
Not even a little bit. God is in the business of saving 
sinners. God is in the business of assembling 
a great church made up from every tribe and tongue and people and 
nation. When you get to the book of Revelation chapter 7 and you 
see the population of the heavenly Zion, it is a multitude that 
no man can number. So this idea that it's despairing 
to tell somebody that it's all up to God, no, that's hope-filled. That's the basis and the ground 
for hope because God so loved the world that he gave his only 
begotten son, that whoever believes in him will not perish but have 
everlasting life. The brothers evidence these truths. As well, the opposition of family 
members is a difficult burden to bear. I don't want to moralize 
Jesus and get into his psychology here. It wasn't this tough. But 
certainly, we can see that in our Bible. Certainly, we can 
see that in our lives. You've got the Lord's words in 
Matthew 13. They're alluded to in John 4, 
44. But Jesus says, a prophet is 
not without honor except in his own country and in his own house. Again, the experience of Joseph. 
What was Joseph's crime? Being a prophet of God? Being 
a godly man? They despised him. They rejected 
him. Read Micah the prophet. In Micah 
chapter 7, when he sees societal decay, he sees that the family 
has become disintegrated. Why? Because the righteous are 
hated by the unrighteous. Brethren, the brothers of our 
Lord illustrate that. There's an analogy, there's a 
parallel. It's not always easy to traverse this lower world 
when those people that are closest to us, deep down inside, do not 
have our beliefs. Deep down inside, do not share 
our orientation. Deep down inside, they despise 
us. Now, they may not, you know, 
try to kill us or throw us into pits or do any of that. Typically, 
it's insult. Typically, it's marginalized. 
Typically, it's avoidance. It's those sorts of things. But 
those sorts of things are hard. Those sorts of things are difficult. 
I think there's an antidote that God gives to his people, the 
church. Brethren, you have the church. 
You've got brethren, sistren, you've got people in your church, 
you've got mothers in Israel, you've got fathers in Israel, 
you've got brothers, sisters, you've got a whole family of 
God. Turn with me to Matthew chapter 12. Just to see this illustrated 
in the life and ministry of the Savior. Again, I'm not moralizing, 
not psychologizing with Jesus. He's hurt, He's sad, He's pathetic. 
I'm simply saying from this passage we learn that there is a disparity 
between the righteous and the unrighteous. And sometimes the 
unrighteous are persons in our own family, persons that are 
nearest and dearest to us. Notice in Matthew 12 at verse 
46. It's not going to alleviate all 
the pain. It's not going to take away all the sting. It's not 
going to right every wrong that you face in this world from your 
fellows, but it does go a long way to encouraging and stabilizing 
and steadying the heart of God's people. When you come to church, 
not just for you know, not just for social interaction, but for 
familial connection, the one body-ness of the people of God. We are sons and daughters of 
the living and true God. We are brothers and sisters one 
to another. We are there for each other, to pray for each 
other, to encourage each other, to help each other along the 
narrow path. It is a blessed provision of 
our gracious and merciful God. And then I just want to close 
on this note. There is hope in Jesus. So verse five, for even 
his brothers did not believe in him. Turn over to Acts chapter 
one. Acts chapter one, verse 14. These all continued with one 
accord in prayer and supplication with the women and Mary, the 
mother of Jesus and with his brothers. Don't give up hope. Don't give up hope. I know that 
temptation. I know that tendency. I've told 
this person about the gospel more times than I can remember. 
I've prayed for this person. I've encouraged this person. 
I've urged this person. We almost just want to throw 
up our hands, don't we? Be faithful. Be steadfast. Be persevering. take them to 
the throne of grace, give them the truth as it is in Jesus when 
you're able and pray to God most high to give them that new birth, 
to open their hearts, to receive the things spoken such that they 
may hear of Christ and that by God's grace, they may believe 
on him and have everlasting life. Do not despair, do not disparage. While there is a breath in the 
lungs, I almost said lungs in the breath, while there is breath 
in the lungs, There's hope for sinners, and our God has shown 
us he's in the business of saving sinners. We're here, right? We're 
saved, right? We've been converted. I like 
to think this way. If God was able to save Paul, 
who was the chief of sinners, and he was able to save us, though 
we can't make that claim under inspiration, We'd probably all 
fight him or arm wrestle him for a stake in that claim. I 
too am a chief of sinners. He's able to save us. He's able 
to save our loved ones. And he does that with the brothers 
of our blessed savior. Animosity, man-centeredness, 
suspicion in his earthly ministry. But in Acts chapter one, there's 
Mary, there's his brothers, and they're in a prayer meeting with 
the apostles. Don't despair, don't give up 
hope, but press on in your praying and in your preaching and in 
your faithful witness to those around you. Let us pray. Our 
Father, we thank you for your word. We thank you for the encouragement 
that it affords to us. We thank you for the blessed 
Savior. And God, as we look at this Feast of Tabernacles in 
the first century, we see that growing opposition to our blessed 
Savior. We see the same opposition in 
our own day, in our own age. I pray that you would help us 
to be steadfast and hold the line, to be faithful in terms 
of your word and sound theology, and that we would indeed contend 
earnestly for the faith that was once for all delivered to 
the saints. And God, be glorified in the salvation of sinners today 
as your glorious gospel goes forth, conquering and to conquer. 
We rejoice in the good news of this new little one for Will 
and Tara. Bless her and give her health 
and safety. Bless our sister Amy and the 
little one in her womb as well. For we know that children are 
a gift given from you to us, and we rejoice in your loving 
kindness. As well, we pray for your blessing upon the remainder 
of this Lord's Day. Be glorified in our conversation 
and in all that we do. And we pray through Christ our 
Lord. Amen. Well, please stand and we'll 
close by singing 568. 568. Praise him always. ♪ Here we go ♪ ♪ Praise him above 
ye heavenly host ♪ ♪ Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost ♪ ♪ Amen 
♪ The Lord bless you and keep you. 
The Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you. 
The Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. 
Our Father, we thank you for this benediction. We pray that 
it would be true in our own hearts and lives, that you would indeed 
be with us, that we would see that the nearness of God is our 
chief good. And we just praise you for this 
local church, for all the brothers, the sisters, the fathers, the 
mothers, God, we thank you for the provision of children and 
just the good blessings that you give us on a daily basis. 
We ask now that you would be glorified in our midst, and we 
pray through Christ our Lord. Amen. You may be seated. We'll close with a brief time 
of meditation, then I'll come back up and we'll give thanks 
for the food, and then we can move upstairs to eat.