This week’s suggested reading: John 7
This week’s question to ponder: What are you “waiting” on God to do? What are some truths about God you want to remember when you’re struggling to accept his timing?
God's timing is not our timing. But he's always on time.
I don’t like to wait. You? I can’t count the number of times I’ve actually had the nerve to say to God, “Ok, God, it’s time. Time to do your thing. Time to answer this prayer.” As if I’m hyping him up for a big game. He’s so patient with me.
But God’s timing is not our timing. His ways are not our ways. He sees the beginning and the ending of everything. He’s working all things together for the good of those who love him. He’s trustworthy, faithful, and perfectly loving. And he stays on his eternal timetable…which often doesn’t align with our short-sighted timeline.
There have already been a number of times in these early chapters of John that we read statements like, “My (Jesus’) time has not yet come…” (John 7:6a; see 7:30) Jesus moved and lived on the Father’s timeline. Jesus didn’t push ahead or lag behind of God’s timetable. People couldn’t force him to do something outside of the Father’s timing. Why? Because Jesus knew that God’s timing was perfect. And until it was God’s time, it wasn’t time.
We may not always like God’s timing. We may not understand it. But I have learned to trust it…often after a momentary freak out. Because our God is always on time.
Jesus' claims naturally cause division.
We’re starting to see how Jesus’ claims naturally cause division among people. As if we couldn’t see that even today in our own cultural context.
“And there was much muttering about him among the people. While some said, ‘He is a good man,’ others said, ‘No, he is leading the people astray.’ 13 Yet for fear of the Jews no one spoke openly of him.” (John 7:12-13)
Then further in the text, “When they heard these words, some of the people said, ‘This really is the Prophet.’ 41 Others said, ‘This is the Christ.’ But some said, ‘Is the Christ to come from Galilee? 42 Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the offspring of David, and comes from Bethlehem, the village where David was?’ 43 So there was a division among the people over him.” (John 7:40-43)
Bottom line, the gospel message is divisive. Jesus’ claims naturally cause separation among people because he says some difficult things. He explains the state of mankind as condemned before a holy God, in need of a Savior. He confronts those who claim to know God, yet are missing the point. He calls people to believe in him for salvation, rather than religiously “working” their way to good standing with God. All of those things can be divisive.
But just because the gospel message of Jesus is divisive doesn’t mean we should be divisive. What do I mean? Welp, take a quick stroll down Facebook lane. In 2.3 seconds it’s obvious, we live in an extremely divisive culture. Nauseatingly. But as followers of Jesus, we’re called to unity. We’re called to love, not fighting and quarreling.
“What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? 2 You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.” (James 4:1-3)
Jesus’ claims are naturally divisive because people don’t like to be told…well…anything. But the calling on us as followers of Jesus is unity, not division. We’re called to share the message of Jesus in love because it’s out of love he came to save.
The Holy Spirit indwells believers.
When I was at seminary, I remember saying to God, “God, I feel like I’ve started to know you as Father. I feel like I’ve started to know Jesus your Son. But I don’t know you very deeply as Holy Spirit. Will you teach me?” He’s kind to answer that prayer.
“37 On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, ‘If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’ 39 Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.” (John 7:37-39)
Jesus tells us in this text that those who believe in him would receive the Holy Spirit. I don’t have time to go into a long dissertation on the doctrine of the Holy Spirit, though that would be fun. But I do think it’s vitally important to remind us that the Holy Spirit literally comes to live within those who believe in Jesus. Literally.
We read about the first coming of the Holy Spirit in the book of Acts. He came after Jesus ascended into heaven. And he came with great power. The Bible teaches that the Holy Spirit comes to “seal” followers of Jesus, permanently. When we put our faith in Jesus, the Holy Spirit makes his home within us. He then guides us. He comforts us. He strengthens us. He empowers us. He’s truly an invaluable gift from God, given to help us walk out our days on this earth with love and grace.
He’s living water to the soul.
Jesus came to earth at the exact right time with the message of God’s love and salvation. Yes, his message caused division, just as it does today. But if we’ve put our faith in him, the Holy Spirit comes to indwell and empower us as we aim to live out our faith in love. And that’s what the world desperately needs.
