Introduction: Weddings are a time for great celebration. As a former wedding photographer, I have been to hundreds of wedding receptions and Celebration is the word of the night. However, more times than I care to remember, what should have been a time filled with celebration, was instead filled with conflict.

<!--[if !supportLists]--><!--[endif]-->          I have personally witnessed more then one mother of either the bride or groom punch out someone in the other side of the family…bringing the police and an end to the celebration.

 

I could go on with example after example of what should have been a time of celebration but instead it was a time of ruined by conflict…like family gatherings at the holidays…need I say more?

 
When conflict comes, we often lose sight of what we have been celebrating.

 
Background: In our text this morning, everyone is going to Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles. This was one of the three main feasts that all Israel was commanded to participate in…to celebrate.

 

The Feast of Tabernacles or Festival of the Booths had three main purposes:

<!--[if !supportLists]--><!--[endif]-->        It was to remind the people that God was present with their ancestors as they traveled through the wilderness and  lived in temporary booths or tents.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->     It was a harvest celebration thanking God for his abundant provision.

<!--[if !supportLists]--><!--[endif]-->        It was a time to look forward to the promised kingdom of the Messiah.

 

Transition: During a time of such great joy and celebration, comes even greater conflict and many are distracted so that they can’t see that the fulfillment of this celebration, this feast is standing right in front of them. Turn in your Bibles to John 7:1 (page 715 in the church bibles) where we will see conflict in the midst of celebration. And how many people lost sight of what they were celebrating because they were enmeshed in conflict.

 

1. John 7:1-9               Conflict Among Brothers
Read: John 7:1-9

 

Here’s the picture.

<!--[if !supportLists]--><!--[endif]-->    The words ‘After this’ covers about 6 months between the end of John 6 and the beginning of John 7. Jesus knew the religious leaders wanted him dead so he decided to stay out of the limelight, stay out of Jerusalem, until it was the right time for him to make his move.

<!--[if !supportLists]--><!--[endif]-->    The Feast of Tabernacles came and Jesus brothers, yes brothers, contrary to Catholic teaching, Jesus had younger  brothers and sisters. Anyway, Jesus’ brothers came to give him some advice on how to properly promote himself and his ministry.

              -Another way to put what they told him would be ‘If you really are determined to go ahead with this                                      thing, then get on with it. Go to  for the celebration. There will be lots of people there. Do your miracle
               thing and see if you can convince any of them that you are the Messiah.’

<!--[if !supportLists]--><!--[endif]-->    You see, up to this point Jesus’ brothers didn’t believe he was the Messiah. But Scripture tells us they will believe after his resurrection.

<!--[if !supportLists]--><!--[endif]-->    Jesus responds by saying thanks, but no thanks. It’s not yet the right time for me to go. He didn’t say he wasn’t going; just that right now and in the way they were suggesting wasn’t the right time or the right way.

<!--[if !supportLists]--><!--[endif]-->    Jesus also told them that it was the right time for them to go because while the world, the unbelieving world, hated him, it didn’t hate them. Why would he say that?

              -The unbelieving world hated Jesus because he was exposing sin and condemning it. He was telling them                 of their need for a Savior.

              -The unbelieving world didn’t hate his brothers because they were part of it because they didn’t confront sin
                nor did they condemn it.

              -Jesus was saying that the unbelieving world can’t hate you because you are  in agreement with it and
               accepting of it, and I’m not.

              -Jesus said this to his brothers because he wanted to challenge their lack of faith in him.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->But, they didn’t seem challenged or offended by what Jesus said, the text tells us they just left for the festival leaving Jesus behind.

 Application:

          First, God’s ways are not usually the unbelieving world’s ways. Jesus’ brothers were using proven marketing strategies of their day …and ours…But Jesus discerned it wasn’t what God wanted. We need to be sensitive to what God wants, even if it flies in the face of current, worldly trends and teaching. 

         Second, Jesus causes conflict in families. Matt. 10 tells us that Jesus knew that believing and following him would bring conflict into families…was he right? Ever experience conflict in your family because you’re a Christian and try to live like one? Be comforted in that Jesus knows what it is like to be rejected by his family, to have conflict when there should have been celebration.

          Third, we need to lovingly challenge the lack of faith in those closest to us. Not to be combative, but because we care where they spend eternity.

 Transition: Jesus’ brothers are off to the celebration in Jerusalem. What does Jesus do?

 2. John 7:10-13 Conflict Among the Jews
Read: John 7:10-13

Jesus leaves for Jerusalem and the celebration after his brothers go. Because he didn’t want to make a public display of his powers as his brothers suggested, he went quietly, and by himself.  But, everyone in Jerusalem were looking for Jesus to show up. It seems the religious leaders somehow prohibited the people, from speaking about Jesus as the text tells us they were whispering about him.

 In the midst of this great celebration, there was a growing conflict among the people. Who was Jesus? The answers fell into to camps. Jesus was…

<!--[if !supportLists]--><!--[endif]-->    a good man as some were saying. He healed the sick, taught with authority and was basically a nice guy.

<!--[if !supportLists]--><!--[endif]-->    or he was a deceiver as other claimed.  He was taking advantage of the mindless masses, the common people by filling their heads with false hopes and promises he can’t keep?

<!--[if !supportLists]--><!--[endif]-->   Those who heard Jesus couldn’t remain neutral. They decided one way or the other…Jesus was the Son of God or he was a fraud.

Application: The conflict among people as to who Jesus is continues today. But many people have added a third possibility for explaining Jesus. They don’t believe he was the Son of God but they don’t want to say they outright reject him either. So they say he was a great moral teacher. But common sense declares that Jesus could not be a great moral teacher and not be God, because a great moral teacher wouldn’t teach that he was God, if he wasn’t.

 ILL: Christian author C. S. Lewis said ‘You must make a choice. Either this man was and is the Son of God; or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon; or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God. But don’t come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great moral teacher. He hasn’t left that open to us. He didn’t intend to.’

 It comes down to this…either Jesus is the Son of God or a fraud…there is no other alternative.

 Transition: In the midst of the celebration at the Feast of Tabernacles, there was conflict among the people concerning Jesus’ identity. I believe it took the focus off what they were celebrating.

 If they had looked at what they were celebrating, instead of getting engaged in the conflict, they would have see Jesus was the fulfillment of the Feast of Tabernacles.

<!--[if !supportLists]--><!--[endif]-->   He was announced as ‘Emmanuel, God with us’

<!--[if !supportLists]--><!--[endif]-->    He was proclaimed as the Lamb of God who provided forgiveness for sin.

<!--[if !supportLists]--><!--[endif]-->    He himself said he was the Messiah, and that the Kingdom of God is at hand.

 But alas, the feast continued and so did the conflict.

 3. John 7:14-24 Conflict in the Temple Courts
Read: John 7:14-24

 Halfway though the Feast, the time was right. Even though Jesus  knew the religious leaders were looking to kill him, he boldly yet humbly went into the Temple courts to teach, as rabbi’s of his time regularly did.

 
The Jews who heard him were amazed at his knowledge of Scripture, especially since he didn’t study under a great rabbi of the time. Jesus, knowing their minds and hearts tells them that his teaching comes from God, himself. He said them that if they chose to do God’s will, they would know that he speaks the truth, that his words come from God.

 So the problem of disbelief, Jesus is saying, is not intellectual. It is not that the people don’t know about him and where he comes from, he’s been telling them. It’s a problem of the will.  And they are not willing to follow God so they are not able to know the mind of God. They are so caught up in the conflict they refuse to see him for who he is.

 Back to the Feast. It seems there were some visitors to Jerusalem who didn’t know of the plot by the religious leaders to kill Jesus and they question he paranoia.

<!--[if !supportLists]--><!--[endif]-->    Jesus gets to explain how the religious leaders approve of breaking the Sabbath laws when a baby needs to be circumcised on that day. And if a rabbi can break the Sabbath law by making a baby partially whole by keeping the law of circumcision, then Jesus was arguing that it should be ever more right to completely heal a man on the Sabbath.

<!--[if !supportLists]--><!--[endif]-->  Jesus recognized a double standard and the people’s conflict with Jesus clouded their ability or desirability to see it.

<!--[if !supportLists]--><!--[endif]-->    Jesus told them that their approach to God’s law was superficial and missed the point.

 Application: First, it’s not enough to know about Jesus, intellectually. It is not enough to be amazed at what he said or how well he said it. It’s not enough to admire his teaching ability…you must believe in his ability to save.

          Second, don’t be a legalist when it comes to the law, especially when it comes to what you can or can’t do on the Sabbath. Remember, the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.

          Third, do God’s will, follow what God says and he will confirm his presence in and with you. Do God’s will and he will assure you that what you read in the Bible is the absolute truth.

          Forth, notice that conflict went on right in the Temple, in the midst of celebration. I think we should learn that conflict will take place here at CBC. Even in the midst of God’s blessing and our faithful service…some will bring conflict. But, we should never allow conflict to distract us from celebrating God’s plan for his church.

What is God’s plan for his church? To celebrate Jesus by worshiping the one true and ever living God and by leading and encouraging others to worship him too.

Conclusion

Let’s close the worship service celebrating Jesus Christ.

<!--[if !supportLists]--><!--[endif]-->   Whatever conflicts that may be in your life right now, lay them aside, put them away.

<!--[if !supportLists]--><!--[endif]-->    Ask God to remove them from your thoughts so that you can honor God by celebrating what He has done for us in Jesus Christ.