Jesus Unfiltered - Follow - Jesus Offers Satisfaction, Part 1

Would it be great if you could just flip a switch somewhere and be instantly and completely satisfied I meet satisfied with your life relationship, job circumstances, I made you flip the switch and while you got no that's not possible. But what is possible is to hear directly from Jesus exactly how to satisfy the deepest needs in your life that's today welcome to this Edition of Living on the Edge trip at your finger tips are Bible teacher was daily discipleship program motivating Christians to live like Christians know we all long for fulfillment request we can really pursue, but as many of us know true satisfaction remains elusive matter how hard we try this program shift continues with the second volume of the series Jesus on by considering what genuine lasting fulfillment. Looks like you got and if you're looking for more practical guidance on this topic.

Stick around after today's message for some additional thoughts from Jim okay if you have a Bible turn now to John chapter 7 as we join Chip for today's message. What are you most thirsty for today.

Not a whole lot just today what you most thirsty for what you wish what you hankering for what you long for second, there are days where it seems that events, circumstances, answers to prayer relationships. It really does feel like it's a wonderful world and you feel satisfied. Everything about what the word means to be satisfied is the feeling experience when one's wishes are met when your content, we are delighted when you're happy when there's enjoyment, gladness, gratification, it's just a moment and you relish the moment, she will have times where we thirst for certain things. It's human and there's times where we experience deep deep satisfaction. So let me ask you what, what's really been satisfying for you lately. What event, what person what moment in the last 2448 hrs. or we could say it was good.

It is a beautiful world and then finally, life is always what we like it to be snotty than what God would always wanted to be in the word dissatisfied means not to be content, not happy, not pleased with something not pleased with someone to be dissatisfied is to be miserable aggravated gloomy melancholy, despondent, restless, annoyed if you had to come up with the one thing right now that your dissatisfied, you really dissatisfied. What would be could be a person could be a relationship could be a job could be a circumstance could be something about your health but where you dissatisfied see the fact matter.

If you don't process and begin to ask yourself you know what I desire what will I wish where my passions where my thirsty for where am I really satisfied where my dissatisfied and what happened you just go through life juggling Jesus made an outrageous outrageous promise to quench our thirst and to satisfy us at a very deep deep level that would be completely independent of external things will look at this a little bit later. It followed along. As I read John chapter 7 if anyone is thirsty, come and drink of me and in case you don't know what that means he's going to say. For everyone who believes, to come to him and to drink is to everyone who believes, relies on who depends on who trusted me out of his innermost being will flow rivers continuously of living water. Speaking of the Holy Spirit that would come in the in the relationship of actually knowing God, not knowing about God, but knowing and being connected deeply to Solomon was the wisest man in the world. He took over for his father David and he was pretty uptight about a big job that he could handling God came to him and said what what you requested me and he he had a great moment hit a few bad ones later but had a great moment and he just said this is John's way bigger than me, give me wisdom and God answered his prayers that I'm to give you more wisdom than any person before you who's ever lived and I'm gonna give you more wisdom than any person that will ever live after you and the Hebrew word for wisdom is not just intellectual or cognitive. The word literally means skill is understanding how all of life and have relationships with people in and priorities and money in decisions. It's how has God designed life in the skill or the wisdom to do life according to God's path in order that he might bless you and prosper you and give you that joy and peace and love and that things would work in a way that your life works in a way that points up to him and this is what he said. Proverbs chapter 2 I just this desire for satisfaction. This verse that you have there is a way to quench and talk about how you can experience that Solomon would write my son if you receive my words and treasure my commands within you make your ear attentive to wisdom and incline your heart, understanding to stop a moment as the wisest man of the world he speaking to his son to us.

He says receive my words treasure me like in a safety deposit box like super precious my commandments where within you. And then there's this attitude make your ear attentive, or literally incline your heart to understanding then notice verses three and four. He talks about a passion and commitment to desire a thirst if you cry out for discernment.

Lift your voice for understanding, literally pray I may ask come after it.

If you seek for her as silver, and search for her as for hidden treasure. But here's the result, then you discern the fear of the Lord who he really is and you'll discover the knowledge of God not get this discover this is knowing about God. This is it like you have a textbook and said this is what God is like.

This is like you would actually meet and experience Jesus at the last night that he lived. He said this is eternal life. You might know him experientially in his son, whom he is sent. Speaking of himself for God gives wisdom he gives the skill disability to know how to live in such a way to quench the deepest thirst of your life and just before we turn the page and learn how. Where does Jesus say, look, look at the notes. Where does Jesus say this thirst gets quenched. Streams of water with you see what I'm going to suggest is when I ask questions about what are you satisfied about what you dissatisfied about for most of us were thinking there's something out there. If that happened or that wouldn't have happened if this person or that person of this job or the self so much of us look to satisfy our thirst out there, and Jesus is going to teach us that you know what you can get this you can gain this you can do this, you can have that but pretty soon the new car gets all the new job gets all the relationship you thought would never ever have a problem he's gonna say. Let me quench your thirst from within with me first.

And when that happens all the rest will get an order make sense now turn the page. If you will want to talk about how do you get that wisdom literally how to unearth spiritual wisdom from God's word, and here's what I want what you get. Solomon said you got it did you get a search you gotta seek you gotta treasure you cry out, there's a wisdom that leads to quenching the deepest thirst of our live and it comes out of God's word but it's not just on top the ground you did get there has to be a passionate pursuit.

God wants to know do you really want to know me and here's my experience I believe most Christians really don't know how to open the written word in order to experience the living word where you have a relationship where when you have a decision to make or you don't know what to do when you're really down my experiences most Christians don't know how to get into this written word.

So the spirit of the living God begins to speak very personally and passionately and clearly to give you the wisdom to not just address big problems to be on a path that you were made to be on to do what he made you to do to bring the greatest joy the greatest peace in your life. And so what I'm to suggest is there is a there's a truth here and the truth is that the spirit gives life. The flesh counts for nothing and then underline this the words I have spoken to you and then circle the word are spirit and they are life. Jesus said the actual words written down now, but his actual words. The words in the New Testament there spirit in their life. I want to give you tools and teach you how to actually open and study the Bible, where you can learn it as well or better than me early on when I read it I couldn't understand much of it. I want you to know you can. And that's the key to quenching your deepest thirst. Three tools total number one is context as you read to the Bible the context. In other words, what informs this passage to read in just a minute that Jesus goes during this time.

He's been out in the context is he's out and out in a rural area because there seeking take his life.

The timing as it is six months before the crucifixion, his popularity was blown out of the doors that he set the bar and said if you're willing to follow me deny yourself, take up your cross and follow me in a great many of his disciples that when I can follow anymore and so there's this big piece of the feast of Tabernacles in the context of this want to give to you. Just before he read it. The context is is there's three great feast in the Old Testament Jewish law. This was the happy one, that it was called the feast of Tabernacles because what it was, as member, they were delivered from Egypt crossed the Red Sea then there in the wilderness. It's really desert and God. There was a cloud by day and a fire by night. So he guided them. He provided the manner of the food they ran out of water. There was water out of the rock. He did all these miracles, and yet when he gave him the chance to go to the promised land member. They wouldn't believe this is really important because what can happen and when I finally would believe. Actually, the whole generation took 40 years they die and then those that were under 20 and above. They go into the promised land.

The Jordan parts there's Jericho. It's a formidable city. They walk around it seven times, each for seven days and then they shout according to what God says because you want to know he's going to be the victor, not them. The walls crumble and have this amazing land of milk and honey in promising vineyards that you didn't plant and houses and so got God in the promised land becomes a reality. After that happened, feast of Tabernacles was you would go get some sticks and some leaves and you would make a little lean to and you put on the roofs were flat back then you would do it on your roof did in the streets that in the courtyard of the temple and if you were 20 years old and older is a male and you live within 15 miles you had to is an obligation to come to this feast in downtown Jerusalem. So here's the picture. There's all the sticks and all these people. The kids are going. We camp out for seven days. This is great okay that thousands of people come and it's also is often called the feast of ingathering so the grapes are coming in the we just come in the fruit trees. Everything is blooming. So there's music. There is food it seven days. It's a party celebrating remember our 40 years in the desert remembering God did this and he brought us. We have the promised land and member of the water that came out of the rock, and I mean is just the seven days of this and then on the seventh day. This'll be really important. The chief priest released one of the head priest would take a golden vessel and there would be a parade and he would go down to the pool of silo in Jerusalem and he would fill up with water and they would follow him and he would come back in and you walk around the altar seven times take the water he report out reminding them that God gave water out of the rock in the big celebration in your mind. Remember this.

Here's what happened on the last day of the feast right after that happened.

Okay there remembering promised land.

All that God did okay. Jesus steps up the waters been poured on the altar.

Everyone's remember in the Memorial of what God has done and what it says a loud voice, the literal word is he cries out first come and drink of me. Whoever believes in me relies on me.

Trust me follows me out as a innermost being will continually flow living water. You got the context let's let's read what I want to do is I just want to give you three just the first 13 verses because I want you to now. With that in your mind. Think about what was happening. Chapter 7 verse one after this after what after he fed 5000 in many of the disciples are following him Peter and his disciples the Lord. Where would we go you get the words of eternal life were in were all in. After this, Jesus went around and gallantly purposely staying away from Judea because the Jews were waiting to take his life. When the Jewish feast of Tabernacles that I just described was near Jesus brother said to him you want to leave and go to Judea so that your disciples may see the miracles that you do. No one who wants to become a public figure acts in secret.

Since you're doing these things, show yourself to the world for even his own brothers did not believe in him, not about you because we pause for just a minute if you had a brother in your family that you really cared about and you knew that they were trying to kill them in Jerusalem. I'm not sure the most loving kind thing you've ever done is hey you know you doing these miracles. If you really think you got it all together want to go do a few miracles.

So the first group that doesn't believe are the people have grown up with his own brothers. Therefore Jesus told them the right time. Literally the word for time.

Here's opportunity the right time for me is not yet come for any time is right for you.

The world cannot hate you, but the world hates me because I testify that what the world is as evil.

You go to the feast. I'm not yet going up to the feast because for me the right time is not yet come. Having said this, he stayed in Galilee to his brothers go.

However, after his brothers had left for the feast. He went also not publicly, but in secret. Now the feast of the Jews were watching for him and asking where's that man among the crowds.

There was widespread murmuring. It's actually the exact same word used in the Old Testament when they were getting ticked off with God and things were on their way so that the people murmured, some said he's a good man.

Other said no, he deceives the people. But no one would say anything publicly about him for fear of the Jews. If you say Jesus was a good man or the Messiah you get kicked out of the synagogue and you're gone and you're alienated now you can have the context you get the idea of of what's happening here. Let me tell you why this is so important.

If an NMI can please hear all I'm saying is I love you all. I want to help you if you're sort of routine is you and I renal devotional and then I read a couple verses and read the daily bread. Or, you know, I going you version in a real something here's in there and I don't maybe once a week maybe twice a week and I don't really know what's going on.

I sort of want to get a little nugget for the day. You never you have streams of living water coming out of your heart and life.

You get to know what it says when you were learning to write code you didn't go to class every seventh day when you were learning an instrument which are great at right now. You didn't say I like to learn to play the clarinet of the guitar, the piano work. I took two voice lessons. I think I got it.

I went when you were deciding that you would be an artist or an athlete or when your kids are doing that you didn't say you want to go to the first practice and then you will go to the game later know you don't really need all that stuff when some of you said and I want to do a startup he didn't say you know you I think every couple book you know let's see essentialism that sounds like a good one and maybe I made the lean startup you who needs an MBA right needs to study physics needs a study technology just wing it right as it does anyone to life like that.

But here's the thing. Unconsciously that's how we approach the Bible, and yet we expect that God's going to speak and give us wisdom and direction because you don't know the context. Now let me take something to some of your same budget where you get all that stuff about the tabernacle and I don't get on where you get stuff about your technical area books right the first one I started with this.

This is called the daily walk Bible.

It has an overview of every book. It has the background of every book you have to stay right on track.

What you read to the Bible every year I did it for first 15 years of the Christian in a gated background in the context so that a thinking person who didn't grow up in a Hebrew culture in New Testament times. You can actually do anybody send you a one line email this just filled with I am absolutely ticked off with you email otherwise not a really good way to communicate emotions but and it was like. And this is a really good friend. It was about a very important situation and he really was very ticked off with a like who you know like I need to pray before I talk to this guy so it was about a situation that we need to do it. Living on the Edge and some action we took in and he was pretty close to it from another vantage point and so you know I got myself prayed up made a call got on the phone and he's a godly guy so I said hey let's just start with this. Want to really tell me that was a very short email, but I'm I'm not the smartest guy that you're really not so once you tell me what's really on your heart. He did did this one about this.

What about that, I can't believe you know and said okay cannot I just can you step back and exits your okay here's the last three months, you may not be aware but with this particular situation we work with this person. We did this this this and this. On top of that, even when we had to make a very hard situation with this person out there. What we did is we you provided this this this and this. We told them no matter what we would keep continue and you not getting the whole context and it was really silent on the phone and he said oh you know what sorry I I just assumed you probably didn't do it like a B and C before we got to date. Actually, now apologize. Knowing what I know now I think you guys handled just exactly what he should do you understand how many times you can jump on a verse or think God saying this, or make a decision that's really important, but you don't know the context of what the Bible is really saying you can miss the second thing is context is important. The next is content in my content that this is what I mean is, what's the basic flow of information. Okay, just the basic flow. I mean if you're if you're studying physics and there's a whole chapter on quantum physics.

You don't read the first two pages and site. I've got you read the whole chapter. What are we talking about in this chapter and then you go back after you get the flow and then you get it. We have a thing that we do every two years.

Patrice and I save up. I have four grown kids between the have 10 grandkids. And so every two years.

We find a place on the lake replace near the beach and we bring all of our kids in all of our grandkids for seven days of let's make memories. Let's remember all one family love one another and have these two daughter-in-law's coming.

Some of this play, who were tennis or skier whiteboard or you know everyone takes a turn making a meal. It's a blast, but have these two daughter-in-law's.

They find either big table and they bring these puzzles with 5000 pieces so you know I like take one or two pieces you know and I'm just like frustrated. I just can't do that. I don't get it. You know I why would anyone want to do it.

I mean, that's just my personality. You know you can do it fast.

I don't get it. Well, when you want to do this because you and I want to also hang out with them size like I got I got it. So what you do if you want to get 5000 pieces where you start the engines yet you know what the one thing I it was like hey I can do this and then put the blue pieces over here and read pieces over here. I want you to know if you want God to speak to you when you are looking through a chapter or section just get the border just just get the quick overview like this. Chapter 7 I just read it, probably five, six, seven times quickly quickly quickly quickly quickly because I just wanted to get the big picture before I started trying to answer okay that's what it says but what does it mean you gotta know what it actually says. I took three or four pages on on a yellow sheet of paper just to say it so I gave you my yeah I gave you my notes of what you find is Jesus because of the feast verses 1 to 13 right just read that second. Jesus teaches in the temple. Verses 14 to 21 found a walk-through and just suck it but just just an overview. He goes to the temple and he teaches and when he teaches theirs to responses the Jewish leaders go wow effect look good looking your Bible look like, 14, 15 Jewish leaders go where the sky learn this like he's an expert in the law. He's amazing communicator has all this authority, but he didn't go to any of our seminaries and so in Jesus and since the issue is his identity. Jesus says to them, if any man is willing to do my will. He'll know the teaching whether I speak for myself or from God.

So then what he says to them is that you can't hear me you can't hear God's voice because you know you don't obey the law, you're not obedient and he says you don't even obey Moses he speaking to religious leaders and think Moses is like the greatest personal world, but Moses said what thou shall not murder in their heart had already determined that they were going to murder him no trial, no justification is already saying to them is that I come from above my authorities from God who sent me, and so so what you need to know. She goes to the feast. He speaks there amazed and when he says this you're trying to kill me while some of the crowd isn't in on it.

So look and expect to look out about the verse 20.

This is your demons asked where we are trying to kill you.

Your wacko man and so he becomes out of this real controversy during this feast. Then Jesus defends himself. Look at verse 21 is that I did one miracle and you're all astonished because Moses gave you circumcision, though it actually wasn't Moses.

It was the patriarch you know Abraham and Isaac, and Jacob said you know if you have a kid that on the days when the law demands that you circumcise your son if that happens on the Sabbath. You circumcise him, and yet here's a guy member in the pool of silo 38 years.

He's an invalid. I don't just obey the law. I heal him and you guys are uptight and angry because he's walking with a little Matt instead of rejoicing that God actually the whole point of the Sabbath was a gift to you wasn't some rigid legalistic thing and so he corrects the notices is what he says to them. Look at verse 24 stop judging by mere appearance and make a right judgment basic you guys don't get you are you are so off you. You just take your little view in your lens of the Scripture and the truth and you missed the heart of God in the notice.

After that, and he's this big point of controversy to look at verse 25.

At this point some of the people just begin to ask second, isn't this commander trying to kill and yet he speaking publicly no one trying to get him so they're gone.

So maybe maybe the Pharisees really think he is the Messiah, but then they get civil over not sure because when the Messiah comes, no one will know where he's from that that was a rabbinic tradition.

The rabbis would say there's three mysterious things, not words that come out of the blue Messiah is one thing. This is an oral tradition, a godsend.

You know were to get some money or something happens. It's comes out of the loop and the third is a scorpion and their point was I member camping. One time had a sleeping bag and I opened it up and there's a scorpion and expect that came out of nowhere. The point was that no one would ever know where the Messiah comes from the Bible and so they're rejecting him based on tradition instead of the truth and so people get little uptight because some of same.

Or maybe he really is.

So look at verse 30 at this they tried to seize and literally the word is to arrest him, but no one lays a hand on it but is the center of controversy.

Now, they said, when Christ comes.

What would he do more miracles than this one did.

So some people look at this verse 31. Many put their faith in him. When the Pharisees respond is always in the country, dispersing way that we can probably hear I'm he's done these miracles he's had his popularity.

Now he's here right in the middle of feast and then we gotta get rid of the sky. Some people believing him. So they send the temple guards verse 32 to arrest him. Jesus that I'm only here for a short time and now and the next few verses. He's going to get a failed expression of the resurrection that's going to come and he'll go ahead, you can scan the verses and extra for verses there verses 33 through about 36 and he goes I'm going to go to a place where I go you can't come in course they don't get it.

They just listen.

Literally, though, so you can go preach to the Greeks, you can go to the Gentiles in trip you know where I'm going, you can't come you can't come because I'm going to the father join the series to this application.

Just a minute, listening to the first art of his message. Jesus offers satisfaction, which is from the second volume of his Jesus unfiltered series titled follow.

When Jesus called his disciples used to simple words follow me about phrases since changed the lives of countless people throughout history.

So what is it look like to follow Jesus today. In the second volume of trip series Jesus unfiltered were continuing our study of the Gospel of John in chapter 6 through 10 sheepdogs into topics like living without shame. Understanding the miraculous and finding true contentment and how those subjects relate to the practice of following Jesus, you're not going to miss a single program for complete information about our resources or to check out the other volumes of our Jesus unfiltered series is LivingontheEdge.org Listeners, special offers ship in the series you're revealing a few of the common lies believers bought into about Jesus for themselves, and how those false ideas are ruining our relationship with God. So to help us refocus on the truth.

I know we've created a set of cards that debunk those lies with God's word.

Could you illustrate how they work.

Yet they what's being challenged here is what we believe as we call these truth cards. Let me give you an example. The lie says there are many paths to God, and no one really knows what God is like, and you put a stop sign on the bottom of that, and I flip that card over and right there in John chapter 1 verse 18 no man has seen God at any time.

But Jesus, he has explained him literally the word is he exegete it him. He explained him full of truth and grace what I want you to know is that you can quench the lies and fill your mind with God's truth in a way that literally is transformational. So what we would love to do is put these in your hands so you can just review my time doing it at night before I go to bed not trying even to memorize just pondering and thinking and doing three or four or five cards you do if you had those before you go to bed. It goes into your subconscious mind.

It's amazing how your mind is renewed because what we all know what did Jesus promise in John chapter 8 you shall know the truth and the truth will set you free.

I hope you order a set of these cards for you and maybe someone you love as well. Thanks. Trip was order these truth cards go to LivingontheEdge.org or call us at AAA 333-6003 there are 21 cards in this set, each with a common lie or spiritual battle we all face on one side and the Scripture passage from the Gospel of John, on the other. Our prayer is that you will use these cards to renew your mind with the truth of God's word. Let me encourage you to get a set for yourself, and then maybe another one or two for those in your life again to order your truth cards call AAA 333-6003 or go to LivingontheEdge.org that's AAA 333-6003 or go to LivingontheEdge.org app listeners tap special offers.

As we close today's program.

You kinda heard the coach and me come out when I started talking about the priority of God's word in your life, and we simply can't read a little devotional or spend five or six minutes here or there and ever really learn God's word and more importantly, the whole purpose of God's word is a relationship and it's the priority coming.

Jesus makes this out Landy's claim that our relationship to the Lord will be revealed in our relationship to his word and I think you know we long for satisfaction. We want purpose. We want peace we want our lives to work and we look in so many different places, but the fact of the matter is, is that he wants to speak to you he wants you to hear his voice.

He he wants to give you direction and the promises around God's word is that Hill teaches.

He'll lead us who encourage us to correct this kill love the self fetus. In other words, it's when you get into God's word and I understand it's hard understand you won't understand it all, but what I want you to know is that you become like the people that you hang out with. There are so many ways. If you really want to begin to hear God's voice to the Scriptures, then let me encourage you. Here's your application development plan. Decide what you can read when you didn't do it and where you can do it all right and I will guarantee this God will meet you and he will speak to you make a point decide today I will be a man, a woman, or student of the word of God thanks trip.

If you're looking for a practical way to deepen your relationship with God. Let me encourage you to sign up for the daily discipleship with Chip. This is a free video resource was created or you can study the Bible alongside ship for the entire course will spend no more than 10 minutes with chip in a particular passage of Scripture and then he'll challenge you to spend 10 more minutes on your own.

It's so easy it will be blown away by how much you learn about God and his word so sign up for any of our daily discipleship sessions today just go to LivingontheEdge.org app listeners just tap discipleship until next time, this is Dave Drew saying thanks for listening to this Edition of Living on the Edge