Message Notes

SUNDAY SCHOOL SPECIAL 10 October 2021

Text: John 7:31-36

Subject: Evangelism

Focus: “You will seek Me and not find Me”

INTRODUCTION

1. There was much confusion concerning:

a) The Identity of the Lord Jesus

b) The Deep teachings He gave

2. Why the Confusion?

a) Lack of knowledge

b) Lack of faith

c) Fear of the consequences of believing in the Lord

d) Opponents who stopped at nothing to prevent people from believing

THE MURMUR OF THE CROWDS

1. Many believed in Him (John 7:31a)

2. Many were still halting in their decision. 

They had questions that awaited a definite answer.

a) “Is this not He whom they seek to kill?” John 7:25

b) “Do the rulers know indeed that this is truly the Christ?” John 7:26

c) “When the Christ comes, will He do more signs than these which this Man has done?” John 7:31b

THE REACTION OF THE RELIGIOUS LEADERS

1. The Pharisees (John 7:32a)

2. The chief priests (John 7:32b)

3. Their plan:

a) They sent their officers

b) Their task was to take (arrest) the Lord Jesus (John 7:32c)

A CRYPTIC WORD GIVEN

1. The concluding earthly Ministry of the Lord Jesus

2. The First word

a) “I shall be with you a little while longer” John 7:33a

b) “And then I shall go to Him who sent Me” John 7:33b

c) This was uttered with reference:

i) To His earthly life

ii) To His earthly ministry

iii) The Lord Jesus would return to God who had sent Hin

3. The Second word

a) “You will seek Me and not find Me” John 7:34a

b) “And where I am you cannot come” John 7:34b

i) This is a reference to His death

ii) He would return to God in heaven

iii) These enemies would not make it to heaven!

THE TYPICAL REACTION OF THE JEWS

1. All they did was to:

a) Ask questions

b) Ask the wrong questions

2. Their problem

a) They had rejected the Lord Jesus

b) They had never bothered to understand what He taught

c) Their frame of mind was very fixed

d) They did not seek understanding

e) They fell back on their traditional way of thinking though that had not stood them in good stead all this while

THE SPURIOUS QUESTIONS OF THE JEWS

1. Questioning the statement Lord Jesus

“You will seek Me and not find Me” John 7:34a

“Where does He intend to go that we may not find Him?” John 7:35a

a) They thought that the Lord Jesus would hide Himself

b) But they were arrogant. They were sure that there was no place where He could hide Himself from them

2. Derogative approach

“Does He intend to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks?” John 7:35b

a) The Jews in Jerusalem despised those who were in the Dispersion

b) Israel had been exiled for 70 years

c) Many had returned home to Israel to rebuild their nation

d) But there were many Jews who did not return

These were called The Diaspora (The Dispersion/ The Dispersed)

e) The Dispersed Ones spoke Greek more than Hebrew

f) Their presence in Jerusalem was more tolerated than welcome

3. Despising attitude

“What is this thing that He said, ‘You will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you cannot come’?” John 7:36

a) The Jews could not find any answer

b) They did not ask the Lord Jesus to explain

c) They remained in the dark

d) They were in danger of being swallowed by the darkness of Evil

e) They were oblivious of the dark significance of what the Lord said

CHALLENGES

1. Questions are not “wrong or evil” to raise up

To many questions, the Lord Jesus always gave an adequate answer!

2. A sense of Urgency

a) Time is not on our side

b) Let us be challenged to search for answers to our questions 

3. Dealing with a Negative attitude

a) Despising

b) Destructive

4. The danger

a) Our mind may no longer be interested in spiritual things

b) Our hearts may become too hardened to respond