Jesus Unfiltered - Believe - Jesus - Launches a Movement, Part 1

When you think of Jesus. What comes to your mind. How do you picture him in your mind better is the picture in your mind an accurate picture of the real Jesus. How do you know that's today living on the thanks for joining us for this Edition of Living on the Edge with survival feature of this international discipleship program continues to believe volume 1 of the series Jesus on for some fun the rest of our traditional impressions were Jesus was like disciples and the religious leaders in order to have all kinds of preconceived notion. The question is probably true. Are impressions accurate answer those questions. Trip goes to the gospel of John and today he reveals a picture of Jesus that may surprise you. If you have a Bible open it now to John chapter 2 nearly every single weekend. The weekend now and then this doesn't happen just about every weekend. Someone's traveling from around the country or someplace other in the bay area and I have been listening to the radio for three years or 10 years or 15 years and that usually say all I know you I recognized your voice and then they look at me and and some of them say something but even when they don't. I know what they're thinking not have this conversation. I mean scores of times in the last decade go something like this all you don't look anything like you sound not for real. And then someone, some will be really honest like you're way taller on the radio. I guess you tell basketball stories and make assumptions are this one.

This is a true story and a lady sincerely and you could tell she was deeply disappointed.

So for some of you guys. I don't have here you be very encouraged little she looked at me because all I thought you were bald. Sorry. And I like this one all you sound so much younger radio soul guy talking to me now and I loved it. This one person said you know something when you listen to someone, but you don't see you come up with a mental picture in your mind.

And that sort of becomes who you think they are and you take what ever they say and you put it to the filter or the lens of this mental picture and what I want to suggest is is that we all have a filter or a mental picture of Jesus that we've gotten through life and even when we read the Bible when we hear a message it goes through this mental filter, and the fact the matter is, is that I'm really sorry I'm not taller. I'm really sorry I'm not younger. I'm sorry I'm not bald for those people. But personally I'm kinda glad for who I am as is my wife. But what if were doing the very same thing with Jesus that people do with me because the fact matters they hear my voice, but they really don't know who I am.

Could it be that our filters are blinding us to the real Jesus of the Bible, could be that you just have unconsciously thought about him in such a way just like those people unconsciously thought about me.

I got news on not that tall. I'm not bald and I am older, but that's me and I got news for you. Jesus laughed deeply, Jesus celebrated life.

Jesus was a radical revolutionary Jesus was strong and bold and courageous in a moment of outburst of righteous anger was violent. And that's not the Jesus that we have and will picture books so working to discover the unfiltered Jesus and John chapter 2, and so what I like to do. Let's just start and asked this question, what does John chapter 2 and then write the word say what is it say this, what actually does it say. The context is chapter 1 ended after we heard about his preexistence and his deity. He recruits five disciples so is chapter 2 opens up. Jesus has just started his ministry. He's recruited five business disciples and he's traveling and there following along with him as you read the entire chapter you would see there's two very specific sections. Section 1 is Jesus with his five disciples go to a wedding feast and will learn about it and a miracle happens is the first miracle section 2. He goes to Jerusalem to the Passover. And where there is first a wedding, then there's a whipping he takes some cords together and he drives out money changers. He turns over tables. He is livid with what's happening there.

So what I want us to do is I want it member if you do observations you want to read through it quickly. First, and all we want to do is just get an overview together on the third day there was a wedding in Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there and Jesus was invited to the wedding with his disciples. When the wind ran out.

The mother Jesus said to him have no warning. And Jesus said to her woman. What does this have to do with me. My hours not yet come.

His mother said to the servants, do whatever he tells you.

Now there were six stone jars there for the Jewish rights of purification holding about 20 or 30 gallons each. Jesus said to the servants fill the jars with water and they fill them to the brim and he said to them now draw out some and take to the master the fee so they took it out when the master of the feast taste of the water now that it become wine and he didn't know where it came from. Though the servants who drawn the water knew the master the feast called the bridegroom and said to him, everyone serves the good wine first and when people have drunk freely.

Then they serve the poor wine but you have kept the good wine.

So now this.

The first of his signs literally miraculous signs.

Jesus did it Cana in Galilee and manifested his glory and something happened to the disciples and his disciples believed in him.

And then there's a little segue after this he went down to Capernaum will learn became his headquarters with his mother and his brothers and his disciples and they stay there for a few days.

See number two the Passover, the Jews was at hand. And Jesus went up to Jerusalem and the temple he found those who were there selling oxen and sheep and pigeons and moneychangers were sitting there and making a whip out of cords, he drove them all out of the temple with the sheep and the oxen and he poured out the coins of the moneychangers and he overturned their tables and he told those who sold the pigeons take these things away. Do not make my father's house a house of trade his disciples remembered what was written actually in Psalm 60 990 for your house will consume you. So the Jews said to him, what sign do you show us for these doings. Jesus answered them, destroy this temple in three days I will raise it up. Then the Jews said it took 46 years to build this temple in your raise it up in three days, but he was speaking about the temple of his body, when therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he said this and they believed noticed the Scriptures and the word that Jesus had spoken after he clears the temple notice there's a little sidelight something he hung around now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover feast, many believed in his name when they saw literally the signs are miraculous signs that he was doing.

But Jesus on his part did not entrust himself to them because he knew the people and he needed no one to bear witness about him, for he himself knew what was in man get the overview. And so what you do. The overview then the next thing you want to do, what does it say observation. So let me just go through and quickly make some observations that you with a legal pad for eye with a legal pad and an open Bible. I mean this isn't rocket science is not something spiritist. What does it actually say. So let's look and see what it says. What we learned in the wedding section is a host friends online. Jesus mother request help.

Jesus instructs the servants.

The water supernaturally turns to wine only the disciples and the servants are aware of the miracle. The miracle is Jesus. Very first miracle is called a sign that will learn a little bit later there's four different words for miracle wanted to sign others. I wonder if there's two other Greek words and they all have a different emphasis or saying something supernatural happened, but as will learn a little bit later this supernatural thing happens but it's not just to turn the water into the wind is a pointer. It is a sign it's communicating a deeper spiritual truth.

The disciples see Jesus in a new light and they believe now we know what member the context we we found the Messiah so they believe intellectually. They talk with him. He tells him some things.

There's five of them and they're walking with him so they believe that one level and now they seen a miracle. Now they're believing it yet a deeper level as their beginning to see his power as well as his words make sense your listing to Living on the Edge with will get back just a second.

It was Living on the Edge as a teaching ministry dedicated to helping Christians really live like Christians or more of chips, teaching, download the free shipping. Remap now here's trip with the rest of his message seen at number two.

What can we observe in the whipping. Jesus goes to the Passover in Jerusalem.

By the way, every adult male, 19 years and older who live within 15 miles of Jerusalem was required to attend. Jesus drives out the animals in the moneychangers. Jesus calls the temple his father's house.

His authority is challenged by the Pharisees and religious leaders. Jesus performed many miracles. Many people believe on his name. And Jesus knows men's hearts all all I want you to see if you are going to get the unfiltered Jesus, the real Jesus not the Jesus that you created in your mind, not the Jesus you've heard someone teacher talk about, not the Jesus in a book that the Jesus in the novel, not the Jesus of your church background but the Jesus that is unfiltered. The God that came to earth and lived as a little baby and live the perfect life was born of a virgin, died upon the cross rose from the dead is living and sitting at the right hand of the father and who will come again, and who lives on the earth and came what do we learn in him was the life and the life was the light of men, and that he came to his own with those who were zone rejected him, but to as many as received him, he gives the right to become children of God, and now in John we have the real story of the real Jesus who he really is why he really came and what's that mean to you. So step one is you just say what does it say but you can't stop there.

The second question you need to ask is what does chapter 2 mean were talking about interpretation and what's it really mean well when you want to know what something means you need to start asking questions of the passage because member. There were two boxes we talked about first century. John is writing to a group of people. What did it mean to them on that day when he wrote it in the scrolls were sent to all the churches and 90 A.D. and then little bit later. We can ask ourselves okay great. We need to fully understand what it meant the author's intent and then what are the timeless principles. What does it mean to us. And so here are some questions that I began I had a few more as I was studying but here's just some questions if you can understand about the wedding here some questions.

Probably we should address why did Jesus launches movement here wine Cana wine a gallon wine, a village he's literally launching his movement.

He's got five disciples. He's now a rabbi. He now has the following fetuses first miracle. Why would he do it here second question is what are we to make of the conversation with his mother. I read it purposely in the it's a pretty literal translation. The ESV woman, what does this have to do with me. It sounds, like Jesus and mama have little to if you don't understand about the background. So what was best to make that conversation third question would be what significance is there in the six stone jars.

What were they use for why what is the author tells there six of a four what underlying spiritual implications are we to grasp if the miracle is a sign were supposed to learn something more than to there's two stories going on.

This is what happened, but there's something behind it. What is God want to say about what's it mean historically it happened. It occurred, but he wants the disciples then to learn something about what is really doing and he wants to disciples us now to learn something significant as well and then finally, how did this miracle position or launches ministry with the disciples notice as you look at the passage. Here it says on the third day, there's a wedding. Linda give you a picture of what wedding was like it was the most joyous occasion, especially in a village, most villages were pretty poor wedding can last anywhere from one or two days to seven days. So this huge feast is coming and it was just like a huge big party for seven days now in a culture like this is not many of these occasions.

This is like the pinnacle of what happens now.

According to Jewish law. If the girl was a virgin, which is almost always the case and that day the wedding was to be on Wednesday and so we can even get some time documentation you realize okay this is when Jesus got the disciples, the wedding is already started, so it's probably middle or late in the week of festivities when you read the passage carefully. It says Jesus was invited to the wedding. The word invite is singular. Okay Jesus was invited. Have you ever invited someone like to party and they come with five other friends right. This is what happened to run out of drinks and run out of chips. We can run on and Mary probably is either related or very very close friend and in Eastern culture.

There is nothing more humiliating or embarrassing than not to be able to offer hospitality. In fact, lavish hospitality, and so running out of wine is not like you know someone run down the 7-Eleven or the minimart gets numb and and and and everyone was to bring wine and bring oil now Jesus comes with five friends. He's coming near the and and they're out of stuff and Mary's is this is a crisis because when you run out the bride and the bridegroom would suffer humiliation and shame in front of the whole village so it's it's it's a big issue. Notice the text said woman actually it wasn't impolite at all when he says woman NIV it says dear woman because they want to give you the sense it was a kind expression of respect and when he it's an idiomatic expression what you have, what does this have to do with me.

It's not harsh.

Literally, I wrote down the literal rendering would be something that goes like this. Your concern and my concern are not the same thing my hours not yet come to use that same phrase five more times in the book and then toward the end of the book member when he prays father, my hour has come. Jesus wants us to know from the very beginning. There's a very clear path in a very clear purpose for his life. His mother clearly knows who he is.

From day one. She knows now here's the rabbi. He now has a following you know fix this problem. Her concern is wine and embarrassment. He said were on different pages. My concern I'm going to launch a movement I'm gonna do my thing my way to fulfill my agenda and so she kind of you know whatever he says. And so he says to them, the six water jars there out of sight. You might wonder cultural context. If you came to this party.

You have sandals in your fee would be dusty and dirty.

These these six are big jars. About 30 gallons each 20 to 30 gallons and they would wash their feet with them and then later before he would eat you would ceremonially wash your hands and then in between each course you would wash her hands again and it was about Jewish purification. It was about germs. I didn't know about germs. It was about this is what you do to be holy. There six jars okay now. Some even start to connect seven is a word of perfection in Judaism six is a word of unfinished that unit 666.

All those numbers it's it's it's the number of man. The jars are used for what external religious rights of that which is unfinished. The water miraculously turns into wine know who does he reveal it to servants and disciples the master of the ceremonies were near the end. Now get this.

This is really good and make some of the uncomfortable but others very very happy if a glass is 1/2 a pint and we go with the low equation he turns 150 gallons into wine. That's 2400 glasses of a half-point of the very best one.

This party is going to go on its lavish what what's underline what you say I'm to take back what you use for washing off the people think make them holy because of what they do on the outside and I'm going to lavishly graciously given something on the inside, and when you take wine in joy and wine were synonymous.

The rabbis would say there is no wind. There is no celebration. There is no life is the picture of prosperity of joy and gladness are just joining us, you're listening to Living on the Edge with shipping chips message today is from will you volume 1 series Jesus unfiltered in this series chips taking an in-depth look at Jesus walking us through the gospel of John. The authorized biography of Jesus of you will each of the Gospels has a specific purpose and in John we see his focus on the Lordship of Christ proves that Jesus is the son of God. Closer to home how Jesus wants to be your savior. Starting right where you're at today maybe listening more than once is the key to mastering the truths in these passages of John and hope you do that the audio resources are discounted and chips message notes are free.

You can use them to dig into the Scripture passages followed chips outline and take notes as you listen for complete details on the believe discounts and trips free message notes give us a call at 1-888-333-6003 or visit us online at http://livingontheedge.org will chip as we hear from listeners. I know they share lots of questions and affect those helped you create a resource to go along with the series. Could you walk us through how it works. I'll be right back in just a minute and you know as we study the first several chapters of the book of John, what's being challenged. Here is what we believe me, Jesus has come to explain the father and yet the culture the world my flesh.

The enemy is constantly bombarding my mind and my heart with lies. As I went back through and I take the key truth out of each chapter as we call these truth cards. Let me give you an example. Here's a lie in private moments, I sometimes have thoughts that make me question my faith did these doubts. Her thoughts mean that I don't really believe in Jesus and then at the bottom that card it says stop and back. There's a stop sign there and then we flipped the card over and it says everyone has doubts from time to time. We are bombarded by lies from the enemy, but the historical fact of Jesus resurrection, not my feelings on any given day is the basis of my faith and then right under that I have the core passage out of John chapter 20 is a 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, but strip will the Jesus unfiltered truth cards are available now while supplies last. When you go to your website. LivingontheEdge.org there a set of 21 cards like the one strip uses.

Each card is a common lie or spiritual battle we all face and on the flipside, it has a passage from the Gospel of John to help you renew your mind with the truth whether there for you or someone else. Order your set of Jesus unfiltered truth cards and get free shipping by calling us at 1-888-333-6003 or order online at http://livingontheedge.org without your strip with his application as we wrap up today's program.

I'm not sure what comes into your mind when you picture Jesus but he's more than this meek and mild picture that might be in the hallway at he's more than the Jesus who walks next to the lambs you know and those little picture flannel grass, the Jesus of the Bible is loving and kind and winsome and went to parties and the Jesus of the Bible is strong and powerful and hate sin deals with injustice and makes things right. You know, can I encourage you just to open John chapter 2 and read it with fresh eyes and realize this is a very real person with the emotions and heart and he loves you and really want you to get to know him will just before we close. I want to say thanks to those of you who were giving regularly to the ministry of Living on the Edge your monthly contributions help us plan and the commitments we couldn't do otherwise. So you're making a huge difference helping other Christians live like Christians of your enjoying the benefits of Living on the Edge, but are get on the team. We think about doing that today. You can set up a recurring donation by visiting our website LivingontheEdge.org or by giving us a call 1-888-333-6003 is our number. Thanks for doing whatever the Lord leads you to do X broadcaster continues a series Jesus unfiltered should request to join us for all of us here.

This is the very thing thanks for listening to this Edition of Living on the Edge