If Anyone Chooses To Do God’s Will

John 7:1-24

Key verse 7:17

If anyone chooses to do God’s will, he will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own. 

In today’s passage, we learn that making the decision to do God's will is the key to understanding and following Jesus. 

Look at verse 1: 

After this, Jesus went around in Galilee, purposely staying away from Judea because the Jews there were waiting to take his life.

In the previous passage, many of Jesus’ disciples stopped following him because they didn’t like his message. Jesus’ message was that the will of God is to believe in him. Jesus offered them eternal life, but they were more interested in where their next meal would come from. Jesus continued to travel around teaching the people, but he stayed away from Judea because people there were waiting for a chance to kill hi. 

Look at verses 2-5: 

 2 But when the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles was near, 3 Jesus’ brothers said to him, “You ought to leave here and go to Judea, so that your disciples may see the miracles you do. 4 No one who wants to become a public figure acts in secret. Since you are doing these things, show yourself to the world.” 5 For even his own brothers did not believe in him.

During the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles, Jews came from many places to Jerusalem. Jesus’ brothers thought this would be a good chance for Jesus to do some miracles in front of a large crowd and become famous. So they advised Jesus to go to Jerusalem for the feast and show himself to the world. The passage says that they gave this advice to Jesus because they did not believe in him. At first, it is surprising that Jesus’ own brothers did not believe in him, but this was probably because they had known him all their lives and could only see him from a human perspective. How did Jesus respond to them? 

Look at verse 6: 

6 Therefore Jesus told them, “The right time for me has not yet come; for you any time is right. 

Jesus rejected their suggestion because “the right time” for him had not yet come. By contrast, anytime was the right time for his brothers. They could go where they wanted whenever they wanted because they were doing their own will. Jesus, however, went according to God’s time because he was serving God’s will. 

Most likely, when Jesus said, “my time has not yet come,” he meant the time for him to die on the cross for the sins of the world and rise from the dead. Jesus was not avoiding Judea because he was afraid of death, but he understood that there was still work for him to do before that time came. 

Look at verses 7-9:

7 The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify that what it does is evil. 8 You go to the Feast. I am not yet going up to this Feast, because for me the right time has not yet come.” 9 Having said this, he stayed in Galilee.

Jesus’ brothers could not be hated by the world because they went along with the flow of the world. Jesus, however, was hated because he testified that what the world does is evil. Jesus’ example shows that doing God’s will is not always the best way to make friends; no one likes to hear that they are doing evil, and whoever delivers such a message will not be liked either. 

Look at verse 10:

10 However, after his brothers had left for the Feast, he went also, not publicly, but in secret. 

Jesus’ brothers must have thought that Jesus meant that he was not going to the feast, but Jesus did not say that. He said, “My time has not yet come,” and he most likely meant that the time for him to enter Jerusalem publicly and die had not yet come. So he traveled to Jerusalem in secret. 

Look at verses 11-13:

11 Now at the Feast the Jews were watching for him and asking, “Where is that man?”

12 Among the crowds there was widespread whispering about him. Some said, “He is a good man.”

Others replied, “No, he deceives the people.” 13 But no one would say anything publicly about him for fear of the Jews.

There was a disagreement about who Jesus was. Some saw him as a good man who does good things. But others saw him as a deceiver. They debated about Jesus with hushed voices because they didn’t want the religious leaders to hear them talking about Jesus. In such an environment, it would be hard to know what the truth was.

Look at verses 14-15:

14 Not until halfway through the Feast did Jesus go up to the temple courts and begin to teach. 15 The Jews were amazed and asked, “How did this man get such learning without having studied?”

When Jesus finally showed up, people were amazed because Jesus was not formally educated. The religious education of Jewish rabbis was rigorous--many years of study. But Jesus was a better teacher than any of them. He studied the Bible himself and he understood it personally. The people who heard him could not see past Jesus’ outward appearance and human background. Overall, the people did not know Jesus.

Look at verses 16-19

16 Jesus answered, “My teaching is not my own. It comes from him who sent me. 17 If anyone chooses to do God’s will, he will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own. 18 He who speaks on his own does so to gain honor for himself, but he who works for the honor of the one who sent him is a man of truth; there is nothing false about him. 19 Has not Moses given you the law? Yet not one of you keeps the law. Why are you trying to kill me?”

Jesus says that if anyone chooses to do God’s will, he will find out whether his teaching comes from God or from himself. What does it mean to do God’s will? In John 6:40, Jesus says, “For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.” To do God’s will is to believe in Jesus. Those who believe in Jesus have eternal life and will be raised from the dead at the last day. Jesus, himself, did God’s will with resurrection faith. He knew that he would be killed, but he did not turn back from doing God’s will because he knew that God would raise him from the dead. This faith helps man not to be afraid of anything or anyone, but rise above the circumstances, and lead people to the kingdom of God, overcoming "all" hardships, difficulties, obstacles.

 

What does it practically mean to choose to do God's will? To “believe” may sound vague, but it practically means to believe that God sent Jesus to save us, to come to Jesus for life, to follow him, and to persevere in following Jesus to the end. 

Why do people not do God's will? There are several reasons. First, they are already pursuing the things of this world. They are ignorant that the flesh counts for nothing and that the things of this world will not last. 

Second, some people are driven by the desire to, as Jesus’ brothers said, “become a public figure” and “show” themselves to the world. 

Third, some people do not do God’s will because they are afraid of other people, just as many people in Jerusalem would not speak up because they were afraid of the religious leaders who wanted to kill Jesus. 

Fourth, some people live to gain honor for themselves rather than God. 

For all these reasons, people choose not to do God’s will. As a result, they remain ignorant about who Jesus is. 

However, if anyone chooses to do God’s will, everything is different. First, like Jesus, that person is able to teach the Bible with true understanding so that even critics will be amazed by his teaching. Second, those who choose to do God’s will can learn 'directly' from God. Third, that person is able to speak "not on his own" but 'in and through' God. Fourth, as a person chooses to do God’s will and speak God’s words, he will gain honor for God rather than himself, and God’s glory is revealed and God’s name will be honored. 

Therefore, let us choose to do God’s will. Let’s pray that God may raise up many Bible teachers for his glory. 

Look at verses 20-24:

 20 “You are demon-possessed,” the crowd answered. “Who is trying to kill you?”

 21 Jesus said to them, “I did one miracle, and you are all astonished. 22 Yet, because Moses gave you circumcision (though actually it did not come from Moses, but from the patriarchs), you circumcise a child on the Sabbath. 23 Now if a child can be circumcised on the Sabbath so that the law of Moses may not be broken, why are you angry with me for healing the whole man on the Sabbath? 24 Stop judging by mere appearances, and make a right judgment.”

Jesus challenged the people to make a right judgement. So far, they judged by mere appearances. Why did they do so? It was because they did not choose to do God’s will. When we pursue the things of this world and honor for ourselves, our understanding becomes superficial and our insight is dull. Even though we seem to serve God outwardly, our actions are full of contradictions. Only by choosing to do God’s will can we start making right judgements. 

Thorough this passage, we learn that choosing to do God’s will is the key to knowing who Jesus is and bringing glory to God. 

One word: If anyone chooses to do God’s will