No One Ever Spoke Like This Man

John 7:1-52 February 2, 2025 Pastor Chris Oswald

Thesis Jesus Christ speaks with unmatched authority and offers unmatched promises—the forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit—to all who believe in him, and therefore we must adore, trust, and obey him.

Series

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Type

Expository

Tone

didacticevangelisticpastoralcelebratory

Method

grammatical-historicalredemptive-historicalcanonical

What's in this sermon

The shape of the argument

28 units across exposition, application, illustration, theological claim, and conclusion. The pastor's argument is built from these moving parts.

Pastoral correction · unit #21

"The pastor addresses non-believers with an evangelistic appeal framed around spiritual thirst. He identifies the longing for meaning and significance as ultimately a longing for God, diagnoses human condition as spiritually dead apart from grace, and urges those feeling conviction to respond by coming to Christ rather than resisting the Spirit's work."

Doctrinal loci· 9 surfaced

Christology · 13 Soteriology · 9 Pneumatology · 5 Bibliology · 3 Ecclesiology · 3 Eschatology · 3 Hamartiology · 3 Theology Proper · 3 Sanctification · 2

Bible citations· 15

Illustrations· 2

cultural reference · unit #2 — The pastor uses contemporary cultural references to 'GOATs' (greatest of all time) in sports to establish a frame of reference for greatness. Muhammad Ali's poem serves as a vivid example of confident self-assertion, setting up the contrast with Jesus' greatness that will follow.
personal story · unit #16 — The pastor uses a personal analogy of sending his sons to deliver books to illustrate how God the Father sent Jesus into the world. Just as his sons come with his authority and bear gifts for others' good, Jesus came with the Father's authority bearing truth.

Theological claims· 4

Jesus came to save sinners, not to establish an earthly kingdom, though he had the power to do so. unit #8
Jesus' teaching was God's teaching, and his motivation was the glory of God, not his own glory. unit #12
Jesus' claim to know God, come from God, and be sent by God is unprecedented in all world religions and philosophies, and proves his unique identity. unit #17
Jesus thirsted on the cross so that those who believe in him would never thirst again. unit #24

Quotations· 7

"This is the legend of Cassius Clay, the most beautiful fighter in the world today. He talks great deal and brags in Deedee of a muscular punch that's incredibly speedy. This brash young boxer is something to see, and the heavyweight championship is his destiny. This kid fights great. He's got speed and endurance, but if you sign to fight him, increase your insurance. This kid's got a left. This kid's got a right. If you hit him once, you're asleep for the night. As you lie on the floor while the ref counts to ten, you pray you won't have to fight me again. The fistic world was dull and weary, but with a champ like Liston, things had to be dreary. Then someone with color and someone with dash brought fight fans a run with plenty of cash. For I am the man this poem is about. The next champ of the world, there isn't a doubt. I am the greatest. I am the greatest." — Muhammad Ali (Cassius Clay) (unit #2)

"I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord for his sake I suffer the loss of all things and count them as rubbish in order that I may gain Christ" — Paul (unit #9)

"the rabbis spoke from authority. Jesus spoke with authority." — Leon Morris (unit #13)

"he taught them like a sovereign and not like the rabbis" — C.H. Dodd (unit #13)

"his word was power from God" — Justin Martyr (unit #13)

"Jesus appealed to no other authority other than his father as he spoke to men the deep things of God" — Leon Morris (unit #13)

"there's a river that flows from deep within there's a fountain that frees the soul from sin so come to this water there's a vast supply come to the river that never will run dry" — David Sapp (unit #21)

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Full transcript

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0 · The pastor opens with a warm welcome to the congregation and visitors, establishing relational connection and framing the worship gathering

You're listening to a sermon recorded at Providence Community Church, Truth and Beauty in Community. If you are in the Kansas City area, please consider joining us in person next Sunday. We meet in Lenexa, Kansas at 10 a.m. every Lord's Day. Until then, we pray that as you open your Bibles, the Lord will open your heart to receive His Word. And for the benefit of our guests, anyone here today for the first time, my name is Dov Cohen, I'm a pastor here at Providence Community Church, and it is good to have you here, it's good to worship the Lord together.

1 · The pastor announces the sermon title, text, and main thesis upfront

And for this morning, we've already been talking a lot about Jesus' words, and from what you can see from the screen, the title of today's message is No One Ever Spoke Like This Man. No one ever spoke like this man, so based on John 7. So we're going to be going through the full chapter of John 7 today. I won't read it all at once, but we're going to go through chunks, but we are going to be going through John 7 today. And the main idea, I'm just going to give away the main idea, or from the beginning, the main idea of today's sermon, just like the title says, No One Ever Spoke, No One Ever Spoke Like the Lord Jesus Christ. May we adore, trust, and obey him. May we adore, trust, and obey him.

2 · The pastor uses contemporary cultural references to 'GOATs' (greatest of all time) in sports to establish a frame of reference for greatness

So to start out, kick it off, I want to talk about goats. Talk about goats for a second. Not sheep and goats, but goats. G-O-A-T-S's. Goats. Greatest of all times. There was a lot of discussion today about goats going on. A lot of debate about who's the greatest in various areas of life and culture. So we'll start out. How about basketball? Is anyone here an MJ guy or lady, or has LeBron surpassed Michael Jordan? All right. All right. So how about gymnastics? Simone Biles. Anyone? Simone Biles? The goat. She's got a little wristband on her wrist with the goat picture on it. How about football? I won't mention Deflategate. I won't mention Tom Brady and Deflategate. I know that's dangerous. I'm not a huge, great expert on boxing. I'm not a great expert on boxing, but I have seen and read and heard enough to know that Muhammad Ali was a tremendous boxer and maybe the goat. Maybe the goat. And six months, in 1963, six months before he beat Sonny Lissan to become the heavyweight champion of the world, he wrote a poem. He wrote a poem. And I want to read it for you guys. A little taste of Muhammad Ali, Cassius Clay at the time. So he wrote, This is the legend of Cassius Clay, the most beautiful fighter in the world today. He talks great deal and brags in Deedee of a muscular punch that's incredibly speedy. This brash young boxer is something to see, and the heavyweight championship is his destiny. This kid fights great. He's got speed and endurance, but if you sign to fight him, increase your insurance. This kid's got a left. This kid's got a right. If you hit him once, you're asleep for the night. As you lie on the floor while the ref counts to ten, you pray you won't have to fight me again. The fistic world was dull and weary, but with a champ like Liston, things had to be dreary. Then someone with color and someone with dash brought fight fans a run with plenty of cash. For I am the man this poem is about. The next champ of the world, there isn't a doubt. I am the greatest. I am the greatest. Now, that's high literature right there. I know some people in the crowd like to read literature, and so I want to give you a little taste of that. Clearly, Muhammad Ali, Cassius Clay at the time, did not lack confidence in his boxing prowess. He did not lack confidence in his boxing prowess. And it was rightly placed, I mean, six months later, he would win the heavyweight championship of the world against Sonny Liston. He beat Sonny Liston to become heavyweight championship of the world.

3 · The pastor pivots from Muhammad Ali's earthly greatness to Jesus' eternal supremacy, outlining the four-part structure of the sermon

Now, for Ali, as great as he was, as great as Ali was, at this point, he's passed. He's no longer with us. He's dead. Today, we're going to talk about, learn about, and ultimately worship the heavyweight champ of the world, but not the heavyweight boxing champ of the world, but the champ of all time, the champ of all existence, Jesus Christ. And we're going to exalt him and lift him up. And we're going to see four, we're going to see a lot of him today, but we're going to see four sites of his greatness. Four sites of his greatness in John 7. First, his agenda. He came to save sinners. He came to save sinners. Second, a claim of his, that he taught God's teaching. That he taught God's teaching. Third, an assertion of his, another claim of his, that he had come from God. That he had come from God. And fourth, sign of his greatness, that he would send the Holy Spirit to anyone who would believe in him. That he would send the Holy Spirit to anyone who would believe in him. So the four signs of his greatness we're going to see, and ultimately we'll see, that no man ever spoke, including Muhammad Ali, no man ever spoke like this man, like the Lord Jesus Christ. And we will worship him for it. We will worship him for it.

4 · The pastor prays for the Holy Spirit's illumination of Scripture and divine revelation of Jesus

Before we get too far, though, let me pray. Let's pray together. We need the Holy Spirit to see this. So let's pray. All right, dear God, we praise you because you are a speaking God. You're a God who loves to reveal yourself to your creatures and ultimately to sinners like us. So this morning, would you please reveal yourself to us? Jesus, would you reveal yourself to us? God, would you reveal your Son to us in whom we see you? And would you send your Holy Spirit and illumine the word in which all our conferences place, all our conferences place in your word, not in ourselves, but in your word. So we pray that you would illuminate it to us, show us great things of Jesus this morning. We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen.

5 · The pastor provides rich historical and personal context for the Feast of Booths, drawing on his own Jewish upbringing to make the setting of John 7 vivid and accessible

All right. Now, to lay the scene, before we get into the text, I want to lay out the context for us, the context of John 7. We are journeying with Jesus to the Feast of Booths. This is more of the Feast of Booths. Now, what's the Feast of Booths? Well, for me, I got to grow up Jewish, you know, going to synagogue and stuff, and got to celebrate a bunch of the Jewish holidays. So we'd celebrate Shabbat and Hanukkah and Passover and Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, all the Jewish holidays. And one of the holidays we got to celebrate was Sukkot. Sukkot, which is the Feast of Booths. The Feast of Booths. And what is this holiday? For me, it was a really happy, joyous celebratory holiday. It was coming right after Yom Kippur, right after the Day of Atonement. It's one of the harvest festivals. It's described in Leviticus 23, and so I'm going to tell you a little about what it talks about in Leviticus 23. And it was just fun and memorable. I've got a couple pictures up here of an lulav and an etrog. So the lulav is that green kind of palm branch stalky thing. And we would hold it and we would shake it. As a kid, I'd be like eight years old, and we'd be in City of Atonement. We'd be shaking the lulav and that etrog, the lemon citrusy kind of fruit. We'd smell it, and you're eight, and it's fun. And so that's what we do. And so my family, some of them still celebrate Sukkot. And so we've got a picture of a sukkah up here. It's a temporary booth. It's a temporary booth or hut, similar to what the Jews would use in their trek from Egypt to Canaan. When they were trekking over the, we learned last week, the 38-year trek. We call it 40-year trek, but, you know, as Chris preached, 38-year trek from Egypt to Canaan. They would live in something like this. I don't think it had the circle, loop-y, colorful things in the desert, but something like this. So this is called a sukkah. And all of it pointed to remembering what the Jews went through when they were exodus-ing from Egypt to Canaan. So that was my experience of sukkot growing up.

6 · The pastor expands the exposition of the Feast of Booths, emphasizing the water ritual and its connection to the wilderness rock

For Jesus, it was even more celebratory. It was even more joyous. So it was a seven-day festival where all the Jews living in Judea would descend upon Jerusalem at the time. They'd all come to Jerusalem, and they'd all be in Jerusalem for seven days. Really, seven days plus one, and we'll talk about that. But for seven days, and over the seven days, it would be a festive assembly, and the highlight of every day was when the priests would get some water from a golden jar, and they would get some water from the pool of Siloam, and they'd take it to the altar, and they'd pour the water on the base of the altar. And all that was reminiscent of the water flowing from the rock in the desert. If you remember that, in the exodus, the water flowing from the rock in the desert, it was all reminiscent of that. And then on the eighth day, the eighth day was a huge, big, huge celebration. So the booze would be dismantled, sacrifice would be made, songs of Hallel would be sung, and all this looked forward to the restoration of the nation of Israel, when Israel would no longer be under Roman rule, and then the ingathering of the nations to come and worship God, where all the nations would come worship God. It all pointed to that. That's what Sukkot was all about. And it was into this celebration that Jesus spoke. It was into this celebration that Jesus spoke. So keep all that stuff in mind. It'll connect to what he's going to say, to his words. So that's the context. That's the context.

7 · The pastor expounds John 7:1-9, exposing the tension between Jesus' brothers' worldly motivations and Jesus' heaven-guided agenda

Let's get into the text. So we're going to look at John 7, 1 through 9 to start, and we're going to see this first sight, or the first sight of Jesus' greatness, of four sights we're going to see today. The first sight is Jesus' agenda. Jesus' heaven-guided agenda. He came to save sinners. He came to save sinners. So let's look at John 7, 1 through 9. It says, After this, Jesus went about in Galilee, he would not go about in Judea, because the Jews were seeking to kill him. Now the Jews' feast of booze was at hand. So his brothers said to him, Leave here and go to Judea, that your disciples also may see the works that you are doing. For no one works in secret if he seeks to be known openly. If you do these things, show yourself to the world. For not even his brothers believed in him. Jesus said to them, My time has not yet come, but your time is always here. The world cannot hate you, but it hates me, because I testify about it that its works are evil. You go up to the feast. I'm not going up to this feast, for my time has not yet fully come. After saying this, he remained in Galilee. He remained in Galilee. All right, so now what's going on here? What's going on here? Well, first, Jesus' brothers are calling Jesus to go and celebrate Sukkot in Jerusalem. They're calling him to go and celebrate the feast of booze, and really to reveal himself to the nation. We saw that. They want him to do great works in front of everyone in Jerusalem. And all this, all this appears good, right? All this appears good. Jesus' brothers want him to be known and seen, and for him to reveal himself, for him to be adored. But something's off. Something's off. Look at verse 5. Look at verse 5. It says, For not even his brothers believed in him. That's kind of surprising. They want him to reveal himself, but it says that they don't even believe in him. So something's off with Jesus' brothers, and Jesus calls it out. Jesus calls it out. He says, My time has not yet come. So verse 6. John 7, verse 6. My time has not yet come, but your time is always here. The world cannot hate you, but it hates me, because I testify about it, that its works are evil. You go up to the feast. I'm not going up to this feast, for my time has not yet fully come. For my time has not yet fully come. Does that sound familiar to anyone? When Jesus says, My time has not yet fully come. I just remember John 2, with the wedding at Cana, back in December, when Jesus' mother comes to him, and says, Can you do a miracle here? We need some wine. We've run out of wine. We need a miracle. And Jesus said, What does Jesus say? He says, Woman, my time has not yet come. My time has not yet come. So all this, this theme of Jesus' time, or agenda, all of that points to, well, first of all, it's going to pop up throughout the Gospel of John. We see throughout the Gospel of John, Jesus is going to say, My time is not yet, my time is not yet, my time has come. At the same time, it's going to reflect Jesus' understanding of his heaven-guided agenda. It's going to reflect why Jesus came. His brother's motivation, Jesus' brother's motivation, they wanted Jesus to reveal himself for worldly reasons. They wanted liberation from Rome. They wanted power. They wanted riches. Jesus, as we know, Jesus came to save sinners. Jesus came to save sinners.

8 · The pastor makes a clear doctrinal assertion about Jesus' first advent purpose

He easily could have come and taken over in a worldly way. The devil tempted him. Jesus could have gotten riches and power and whatever he wanted. But that's not why he came. That's not why he came this first time. He came to save sinners. His time was not yet.

9 · The pastor applies the exposition by posing a diagnostic question to test the congregation's motives: Do we use Jesus for worldly gain, or do we use worldly things to gain more of Jesus? He contrasts worldliness with Paul's radical Christ-centeredness and offers confession as the remedy

Now, as point of application, as point of application, I know that those, you guys in this room, you love Jesus and you want to follow Jesus. Let's test our hearts. Do we have any worldliness in our hearts that are like Jesus' brothers? They're like Jesus' brothers in any way. I got a question to help us to test our hearts. I got a question to test our hearts. So, do we use Jesus to get more of the things of this world or do we use the things of this world to get more of Jesus? I'll say it again. Do we use Jesus to get more of the things of this world or do we use the things of this world to get more of Jesus? it's challenging it's a challenging question let's be careful we're more like the apostle Paul who said in Philippians 3 I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord for his sake I suffer the loss of all things and count them as rubbish in order that I may gain Christ in order that I may gain Christ Paul everything for Paul he would use everything in life to get more of Jesus to glorify Jesus to bring more joy to people in Christ so let's make sure let's just test our hearts and if we see any worldliness in our hearts today it's just an opportunity to confess to the Lord 1 John 1 9 confess to the Lord know that he's faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness let's be careful we're more like the apostle Paul than the brothers of Jesus brothers of Jesus who wanted to use Jesus to fulfill their worldly desires

10 · The pastor transitions from application back to the main theological point and then forward to the next section of the sermon

so that's just some application from this specific text the major point though the major point of that section of scripture is ultimately let us be amazed that Jesus Christ the second person of the Trinity would make it his agenda to save sinners Jesus made it his agenda to save sinners sinners like me and like you he came to save that's the main point of that passage ultimately in Jesus speaking that way no one ever spoke like the Lord Jesus no one ever spoke like the Lord Jesus let us adore trust and obey him let's adore trust and obey him alright so that's the first sight of Jesus' greatness

11 · The pastor introduces the second site of Jesus' greatness and reads John 7:14-18

second sight of Jesus' greatness that we're going to see in this passage Jesus claimed to teach God's teaching Jesus claimed to teach God's teaching and that's you'd think it's pretty obvious it's not doesn't sound mind-blowing but just think about it we're going to think about it for a couple minutes Jesus came to teach God's teaching let's look at John 7 14 to 18 John 7 14 to 18 it says about the middle of the feast Jesus went up into the temple and began teaching the Jews therefore marveled saying how is it this man has learning when he has never studied so Jesus answered them my teaching is not mine but his who sent me if anyone's will is to do God's will he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I'm speaking on my own authority the one who speaks on his own authority seeks his own glory but the one who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true and in him there is no falsehood in him there is no falsehood

12 · The pastor draws three theological observations from the passage: Jesus claims his teaching is God's, obedient hearts will recognize this, and Jesus sought God's glory rather than his own through his teaching

alright so a few observations a few observations from that that passage first Jesus claims clearly that his teaching is God's teaching look at verse 16 Jesus claims clearly that his teaching is God's teaching look at 17 he says if anyone's will is to do God's will Jesus' teaching will prove to be God's Jesus' teaching will prove to be God's if your will is to do God's will we'll talk about that for a couple seconds what that means in a second we'll talk about that and then a third major observation from that passage verse 18 Jesus sought God's glory through his teaching just look at the purity of his heart he sought to glorify God through his teaching

13 · The pastor develops a sustained exposition on Jesus' teaching authority, contrasting it with rabbinic teaching methods

so as a sub point look at verse 17 it says if anyone's will is to do God's will he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority so as a sub point of application just think about if you want to know that the Bible is God's teaching and who doesn't want to know that the Bible is God's teaching but if you want to know that the Bible is God's teaching you must humbly submit yourself to it you must humbly submit yourself to it if you stand as a critic or as a judge over God's teaching over the Bible well the Bible doesn't doesn't offer a lot of good promises there but if we are humble and we desire to obey and believe the scripture as we read it well verse 17 if anyone's will is to do God's will if anyone is humble and is looking to obey to believe and obey the scripture then he will know that the teaching is from God or whether Jesus speaking on his own authority will know whether the teaching is from God if we are humble and we submit ourselves to the Bible we don't stand over the Bible we submit ourselves under the Bible so that's a sub point of application but the major point of observation I want to bring out through this section of the passage is just notice that Jesus and I love how Jared talked about this Jesus taught with authority Jesus taught with authority he didn't speak on his own authority he taught on the authority of God but he taught with authority there's an illustration to this anyone here remember Shaquille O'Neal Shaq yeah Shaq played basketball with authority I mean he like lived life with authority he's still like he's got like I don't know 500 five guys and Taco Bells and and car wash he's an amazing man what he's done but if you just look at how he played basketball how he dunked the ball he didn't just kind of put the ball in the rim you know like he slammed it with authority Jesus he taught with authority he's making truth slams here in his teaching he didn't teach like the rabbis how did the rabbis teach back in the day what did they say they said things like well in the words of Rambam or as Rashi said or as in the teaching of Gamliel is that how Jesus taught no he said I speak the words of God he said I speak the words of God he spoke in the authority of God himself Jesus claimed to teach God's teaching look at this quote from Leon Morris the rabbis spoke from authority Jesus spoke with authority Jesus spoke with authority those who heard him were astonished at his teaching for he taught them as one that had authority not as the scribes C.H. Dodd renders he taught them like a sovereign and not like the rabbis I love that he taught them like a sovereign and not like the rabbis Justin Martyr said his word was power from God thus says the Lord is typical of the Old Testament but Jesus characteristic expression is truly truly I say to you the difference is significant Jesus appealed to no other authority other than his father as he spoke to men the deep things of God as he spoke to men the deep things of God no one ever spoke like this man no one ever spoke like this man let us adore trust and obey him

14 · The pastor transitions to the third major section of the sermon, introducing Jesus' claim to have been sent by God

alright so that's the second sign of Jesus' greatness that we see here in John 7 third sign third sign is that Jesus clearly claimed that God sent him Jesus clearly claimed that God sent him

15 · The pastor expounds John 7:28-29, emphasizing that Jesus' knowledge of God is not academic but personal, experiential, and eternal

look at John 7 28-29 so Jesus proclaims he taught in the temple you know me you know where I come from but I not come my own accord he who sent me is true and him you do not know I know him for I come from him and he sent me alright now couple observations from that passage first Jesus knows God and came from God and Jesus doesn't just know God like he read J.I. Packer's knowing God he doesn't know God like that Jesus knows God personally experientially relationally Jesus knows God Jesus second person of the trinity spent eternity past fellowshipping with God and that wasn't broken when he was on earth so Jesus knows God personally and experientially and God is delighted in Jesus from all eternity and God sent Jesus here to teach and then ultimately to die to save us as we know

16 · The pastor uses a personal analogy of sending his sons to deliver books to illustrate how God the Father sent Jesus into the world

now as an illustration for this a lot of you guys know that I love books I love to read and I love to get people into reading good books so sometimes I'll bring a book for somebody on a Sunday morning or I'll try to get it to them but sometimes I'm tied up and I can't get it to them so what do I do I give it to one of my boys ask one of my boys can you deliver this for me can you give this to so and so for me so when I do that I'm sending one of my sons to deliver a book to someone they come with my authority they come with my authority they come bearing a gift on my behalf ultimately they come for the good of someone so they can dig deeper into God's truth that's my heart I want them to dig deeper into God's truth

17 · The pastor completes the analogy by making the doctrinal assertion explicit: God the Father sent Jesus just as the pastor sends his sons, but infinitely greater

and in the same way the way that I send my sons to deliver some kind of truth to people that's just a small little picture small little taste of how God sent Jesus how God the father sent Jesus into the world to teach his teaching Jesus came of his father's accord and Jesus knew that it was his father who had sent him and that he come from his father in all the world's religions or philosophies has anyone spoken like like this and been sane or honest no again Jesus claimed to know God to come from God to be sent by God no one ever spoke like this man let us adore trust and obey him

18 · The pastor transitions to the fourth and final major section, signaling heightened significance by announcing extended treatment

alright for sight of Jesus greatness is our final sight of Jesus greatness and we're going to camp out here a little bit because it's just such a rich promise but I want to tease it out and think about it for a little bit Jesus offers the Holy Spirit Jesus offers the Holy Spirit to anyone who would believe in him anyone who would believe in him

19 · The pastor expounds John 7:37-39, emphasizing Jesus' dramatic public proclamation at the Feast of Booths

let's look at John to now in this passage Jesus is at the feast of booze remember the feast of booze that we talked about with the lulav and the etrog and the booth and the water being poured out and Jesus he doesn't just kind of whisper or talk kind of politely he he says if anyone thirsts let him come to me and drink whoever believes in me as the scripture has said out of his heart will flow rivers of living water 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 Jesus not yet glorified Jesus exclaimed that he stood up in the temple and exclaimed that he offers the Holy Spirit to those who would believe some observations first Jesus offered the Holy Spirit to whoever believed in him he offers rivers of living water to flow from our hearts previously think about it think about the Old Testament we're going through it in Sunday school the Holy Spirit it was poured out on a Moses or Elijah or a Samson but it wasn't poured out on everyone it wasn't poured out on the whole nation it was poured out on individuals it was a little trickle of the Holy Spirit a little trickle of the Holy Spirit look at this picture I've got a picture of a dam it's not a real picture but but just as an illustration just think about it and I didn't make it off of AI or whatever I found this on the internet but just look at how there's just a little flow of water through that dam that's before Jesus when Jesus comes and he dies and then he rises and he ascends to heaven what does he do well it's like he takes dynamite blows up the dam and rivers of living water are now flowing holy spirit is now flowing on us his church praise god we have the holy spirit we have rivers of living water flowing from our hearts because of Jesus so this dam is blown up it's a river flowing Jesus offers it to all who would believe listen to Joel to and it shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out my spirit on all flesh your sons and your daughters shall prophesy your old men shall dream dreams and young men shall see visions even on the male and female servants in those days I will pour out my spirit again myriads of people before Jesus spoke like no one else he offers the Holy Spirit to anyone who would believe no one ever spoke like this man let us adore trust and obey him

20 · The pastor signals the shift from exposition to application and identifies two distinct audiences for the closing applications: believers and non-believers

and on closing application got a couple closing applications based on this promise of the Holy Spirit for those of us here today who are of Christ and for those of us today here who do not yet follow Christ so the promises I got I've got application for for both sets we're going to start with those who do not yet follow Christ

21 · The pastor addresses non-believers with an evangelistic appeal framed around spiritual thirst

my question today to you is are you thirsty are you thirsty do you long for meaning and for significance for something weighty for something glorious in your life ultimately do you long for God do you long for God if you do come and drink drink of Jesus drink of the Holy Spirit read the word sing to him obey him pursue a relationship with him Jesus and the Holy Spirit God the Father the Trinity the Holy Spirit can satisfy your longing heart can satisfy your longing heart everyone is looking all over for satisfaction everyone is looking all over for satisfaction everyone is thirsty everyone is thirsty and ultimately for God ultimately for God and the great news is that Jesus is the answer to that thirst because he will give you the Holy Spirit if you believe in him and if you do feel that tug if you do feel that thirst or that desire for meaning for significance for weightiness for glory for God well that's a gift of God that's an evidence of God's grace that God is calling you and that God is working in your heart and giving you that longing for him apart from that we're dead in our trespasses and sins we're on the bottom of the ocean we're not looking for God but if he's giving you that stirring in you that stirring in you that's God's grace don't quelch that don't harden your heart to that Instead quench your thirst quench your thirst on Christ as David Sapp has written there's a river that flows from deep within there's a fountain that frees the soul from sin so come to this water there's a vast supply come to the river that never will run dry so if you're here today and you don't yet know Christ and you haven't yet tasted of a living relationship with him seek him quench your thirst on Christ

22 · The pastor applies the promise of the Holy Spirit to believers by reframing spiritual disciplines as means of drinking from Jesus rather than mere duties

all right so for those of us here today who do follow Christ those of us who would consider ourselves believers in Christ Christians know this promise Jesus promises living waters to flow from your heart not just a trickle or a stream not just a trickle trickle trickle not just a stream but rivers a living water that can satisfy your heart and your soul so the question is how do we tap into this water how do we tap into it so first of all we got to know the promise and believe it that Jesus promises that and then second of all we need to drink deep of God we need to drink deep of God and we drink deep of God daily practical obedience obeying Christ in the little things that's a way to drink deep of God communion with other believers communion with the Lord and personal spiritual disciplines it's a way of drinking deep of Christ but think about it all these things are not just duties and obligations in the Christian life we want to reframe our thinking and thinking about daily practical obedience little things the other day we I don't the other day Chick-fil-A was giving away some free sandwiches And so we got three free sandwiches I had I had two of my sons and then me in the car with me and Christine was back at the house taking care of sick kids or something and so I don't know I don't make myself look too good but I could have eaten that third chicken sandwich and that would have certainly satisfied my belly but I knew Christine would have liked it and so I said no I denied myself and let her have the third chicken sandwich now I would have liked that chicken sandwich but it did satisfy me it did feel good to think I am loving my wife as Christ would love the church sacrificing myself giving up something for her so that she could enjoy a chick flay chicken sandwich that was an opportunity to take a little sip of obeying Christ so it's the little daily practical obediences where we can take sips and take drinks and satisfy our soul with obeying Christ so every time we work hard and honestly at your job or obey God in some hard self denial like giving up a chicken sandwich remember we're not just doing our Christian duties truly we're drinking from the rivers of living water that Jesus offers to us and as you sit down in small groups or huddles and discuss the Bible with other believers reframe your thinking of fellowship is not just duty or obligation it is truly drinking deep of Jesus and enjoying fellowship with him and the blessing the Holy Spirit will bring through that believers let us seek the Lord in daily practical obedience let us seek the Lord in corporate and personal spiritual disciplines and that let us drink of the living water that is the Holy Spirit

23 · The pastor issues a sobering warning to non-believers, escalating the urgency by detailing the eternal consequences of rejecting Christ

all right finally one final note for anyone here who is not a Christian for anyone here who is not a Christian one final note you are missing out you're missing out if you don't quench your thirst of Jesus you will be thirsty now and forever you'll be thirsty painfully you'll be thirsty eternally you'll be thirsty horrifically and you'll be thirsty alone

24 · The pastor makes a direct christological claim connecting Jesus' thirst on the cross to the satisfaction he offers believers

witness Jesus thirsts on the cross for you when he says John I thirst I thirst so that you would never have to thirst again don't waste that offer don't waste that offer drink deeply of Jesus

25 · The pastor issues a brief pastoral charge to the whole church to drink deeply of the Holy Spirit through both vertical fellowship with Christ and horizontal fellowship with one another

so Jesus promise from today's text the Holy Spirit church may we drink deeply of him through fellowship with Christ and with each other

26 · The pastor concludes by recapitulating the sermon's four-part structure and returning to the Muhammad Ali illustration for a final contrast

all right to wrap things up this morning we've seen four sites of Jesus greatness four sites of Jesus greatness and one he came to save sinners number two he taught God's teaching number three he asserted that he had come from God and number four he offered the Holy Spirit he offers the Holy Spirit to all who would believe in him Muhammad Ali we talked about earlier as great of a boxer as he was like we said he's passed he's no longer here he's he's dead he was a great boxer and he could talk a good game he could talk a good game Jesus he is a great savior and he is alive he is alive he could talk a great game too but his talk was good his talk was true his talk was beautiful and his is the talk of someone that we want to adore trust and obey let's pray pray dear Jesus we praise you because you are good it is just pleasant and good to think on who you are and what you've done and just fill our souls with joy so we thank you that we can adore you we thank you that we can trust you we thank you that we can obey you and doing those things we thank you that we can give you the glory that you deserve so we thank you that you are the one that we can come to and that you have the words of eternal life we pray this in Jesus name amen amen amen amen amen

27 · The pastor transitions to communion by rehearsing the gospel narrative from incarnation through ascension and Pentecost

for communion this morning I want to bring us back to Jesus agenda I want to bring us back to Jesus agenda Jesus came to save sinners he came to save sinners like you and like me and how do you do that well we know it's the old old story we know that it's the gospel well let's take two minutes and rehearse that and may sparks of the holy spirit fall in our minds and our hearts may we be warmed by remembering the gospel what Jesus has done for us so Jesus second person of the trinity took on human form became a man fully God fully man he lived a righteous life he fulfilled the law he loved God perfectly and he loved others perfectly and he died on the cross taking all of our sins upon himself his body was broken his blood was spilled He died for us but then he rose from the grave took back his life he got back up and then he ascended to the father where he sits now praying for us interceding for us serving as our advocate Jesus is praying for us even now as if he's in the other room he's praying for us in heaven and from heaven he sent the Holy Spirit so we can see him and we can enjoy him no one ever spoke like Jesus and no one ever accomplished anything like Jesus let us adore trust and obey him 1 Corinthians 23-26 For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you that the Lord Jesus in the night when he was betrayed took bread and when he had given thanks he broke it and said this is my body which is for you do this in remembrance of me in the same way also he took the cup after supper saying this cup is the new covenant in my blood do this as often as you drink it in remembrance of me for as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes come let us taste and see the Lord is good come to the table let's proclaim his death which has saved our souls

Where this fits

Recent preaching context

The three sermons immediately preceding this one in the preaching schedule.

Jan 19, 2025

When Depravity Meets Divinity

Jesus Christ is God Himself who came to progressively undo all the damage sin has inflicted upon humanity, and the only decision that matters is whether you will accept His offer of healing and eternal life.

Jan 21, 2025

Dov & Chris Talk Marriage

Christian husbands are called to love their wives as Christ loved the church by sacrificing for their sanctification, making marriage the highest human priority, and stewarding it diligently toward a mission that honors God and blesses generations.

Ephesians 5:25-33

Jan 26, 2025

The Menu is Not the Meal

Your eternal joy depends on your ability to distinguish between things that represent realities and the realities themselves, recognizing that Christ is the true substance to which all earthly goods point.

February 2 · This sermon

No One Ever Spoke Like This Man

Jesus Christ speaks with unmatched authority and offers unmatched promises—the forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit—to all who believe in him, and therefore we must adore, trust, and obey him.

John 7:1-52

Take it further

Discuss · apply · pray

Small groups

6 discussion questions

In John 7:1-9, Jesus' brothers urge him to go to the Feast of Booths and make himself known to the world, but Jesus refuses and says his tim…

Daily readings

5-day reading plan

This week we trace Jesus' unmatched authority through four declarations: his mission to save rather than to satisfy, his teaching as God's own words, his unique claim to know and be sent by God, and his promise to quench the thirst of all who believe.

Prayer

Rivers of Living Water

Father, we come before you marveling at the authority of your Son. Jesus spoke not his own words but yours, and his teaching came from you—n…

Family table

Living Water

Jesus made a stunning promise at the Feast of Booths: whoever believes in him will receive rivers of living water—the Holy Spirit. This prom…

Couples

Drinking Deeply of Jesus

What part of Jesus' claim in John 7 most struck you—his authority, his motive, his origin, or his promise of the Spirit—and why did that par…

Memorize

John 7:37-39

This verse captures Jesus' supreme promise and invitation—the offer of the Holy Spirit and eternal satisfaction to all who believe in him. It is the climax of the sermon's argument that Jesus speaks with unmatched authority and power, and the core of why we must trust and obey him.

Small-group discussion

6 questions for your group this week

In John 7:1-9, Jesus' brothers urge him to go to the Feast of Booths and make himself known to the world, but Jesus refuses and says his time has not yet come. What does this reveal about what Jesus came to do, and how does it differ from what his own family expected of him?

John 7:1-9; Philippians 3:7-8

→ Where in your own life are you tempted to use Jesus to gain something worldly—status, comfort, security—rather than using worldly things to gain more of Jesus?
When Jesus finally teaches at the feast (John 7:14-18), he makes a striking claim about the source of his teaching. What does he say about where his words come from, and what does that tell us about his authority compared to other teachers?

John 7:16-18; Matthew 7:28-29
Jesus says in John 7:17, 'If anyone's will is to do God's will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority.' What is Jesus claiming about the relationship between obedience and knowledge of truth?

John 7:17

→ How does this challenge the modern assumption that you must first be intellectually convinced before you obey?
In John 7:28-29, Jesus makes an astonishing claim: 'You know me, and you know where I come from. But I have not come on my own; he who sent me is true. You do not know him, but I know him because I am from him and he sent me.' Why is this claim—that he personally knows God and comes from God—so radically different from what any other religious figure in history has claimed?

John 7:28-29
In John 7:37-39, Jesus stands up and calls out to those who thirst, offering them rivers of living water—which John tells us refers to the Holy Spirit. What does it mean that Jesus offers this gift to 'anyone' who believes in him, and how does this promise reshape what it means to belong to Jesus?

John 7:37-39; Joel 2:28-29

→ What are you thirsting for right now—what longing in your soul is real and deep—and how might that thirst be God's gracious invitation to come to Christ?
The sermon notes that Jesus thirsted on the cross (John 19:28) so that those who believe in him would never thirst again. How does this connection between Jesus' death and his promise of living water change the way you understand what it cost him to offer this gift to us?

John 19:28; John 7:37-39; 1 John 1:9

→ In light of this, what would it look like this week to 'drink deeply' of God through obedience and spiritual disciplines—not as burden, but as joy?

Draft · pending review

Daily readings · Monday–Friday

5-day reading plan

Monday John 2:4

When Jesus' mother asked him to turn water into wine at Cana, he answered, "Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come." Jesus refused to be pressed into serving earthly comfort on anyone's timeline but God's. His mission was not to meet the world's demands for a political messiah or material provision—it was to lay down his life for the forgiveness of sins. We must ask ourselves: do we follow Jesus for what he will give us, or do we follow him because he alone is worthy?

Tuesday Matthew 7:28-29

When the crowds heard Jesus teach, they were astonished because he taught as one with authority, not as the scribes. The difference was not eloquence or polish—it was that Jesus spoke as God speaks, declaring truth with the weight of heaven behind his words. His doctrine was not borrowed from human teachers or shaped by desire for applause; it flowed from his intimate knowledge of the Father. Every word Jesus spoke aimed at God's glory, not his own reputation.

Wednesday John 7:28-29

In the temple, Jesus cried out: "You know me, and you know where I come from? But I have not come of my own accord; he who sent me is true, and him you do not know. I know him, for I come from him, and he sent me." No prophet in Israel, no philosopher in Athens, no sage in any tradition has ever claimed to *be sent by God himself* with such certainty and clarity. This claim stands alone in human history—either Jesus is God's Son, or he is a blasphemer. There is no third option.

Thursday Joel 2:28-29

Through Joel, God promised that one day he would pour out his Spirit on all flesh—sons and daughters, young and old, servants and handmaidens would prophesy and see visions. Jesus stood at the Feast of Booths and announced that this promise was about to be fulfilled through him. The living water he offers is not a metaphor for earthly blessing but the very presence of God's Spirit, dwelling in and flowing through all who come to him in faith. We do not thirst for this gift accidentally—the longing itself is God's invitation.

Friday John 19:28

On the cross, Jesus said, "I thirst," and was given vinegar. He experienced the deepest thirst—separation from his Father, the weight of all sin—so that we would never need to drink that bitter cup. Every spiritual thirst we feel, every longing for God, every hunger for meaning and home—these are met in him. To believe in Jesus is to drink from a well that never runs dry, to receive a gift that satisfies forever. Come to him today, and drink.

Draft · pending review

Memory verse this week

John 7:37-39

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. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, 'Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.'" Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were about to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

Why this verse: This verse captures Jesus' supreme promise and invitation—the offer of the Holy Spirit and eternal satisfaction to all who believe in him. It is the climax of the sermon's argument that Jesus speaks with unmatched authority and power, and the core of why we must trust and obey him.

Draft · pending review

Sunday-evening family table

Living Water

For the parent

Jesus made a stunning promise at the Feast of Booths: whoever believes in him will receive rivers of living water—the Holy Spirit. This prompt invites your family to think about what it means to be spiritually thirsty and what it looks like to drink deeply from Jesus rather than from lesser sources.

Jesus said, 'If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink.' What are some things people drink from or chase after when they're trying to fill an empty place inside—things that promise to satisfy but don't? And what do you think it means to come to Jesus and drink from him instead?

works for ages 8+

Draft · pending review

Pray together this week

Rivers of Living Water

Father, we come before you marveling at the authority of your Son. Jesus spoke not his own words but yours, and his teaching came from you—not from the desire for his own glory, but from a burning passion for yours (John 7:16-18). We adore him for the unmatched power and truth that flowed from his lips, a voice no human has ever matched. We confess that we have often treated Jesus as a means to our own ends—using him to gain comfort, security, or worldly advantage rather than using the world as a means to gain more of him. We have thirsted after significance and meaning in places that cannot satisfy, forgetting that we are thirsty because you have called us to drink of you.

We thank you that Jesus came not to establish an earthly kingdom, though he had the power to do so, but to save sinners—to forgive us and to pour out the Holy Spirit on all who believe in him. On the cross, Jesus thirsted so that we would never thirst again (John 19:28). The rivers of living water he promised flow now to every soul who comes to him in faith, and that promise is ours in Christ (John 7:37-39).

Grant us grace this week to examine our hearts—to notice when we are using Jesus to gain the world, and to repent and turn back to him. Make us thirsty for you, and teach us to drink deeply through obedience and prayer, through your Word and the Lord's Table, through the presence of your Spirit in our gathered church. We commit ourselves to you as our supreme treasure, counting all else as loss for the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus our Lord (Philippians 3:7-8). To him be glory forever.

Draft · pending review

Couples · three questions over coffee

Drinking Deeply of Jesus

What part of Jesus' claim in John 7 most struck you—his authority, his motive, his origin, or his promise of the Spirit—and why did that particular aspect arrest your attention?
Where in our marriage do we find ourselves thirsting for things other than Jesus—status, comfort, security, approval—and how might we redirect that thirst together toward him?
Jesus promises rivers of living water to all who believe and drink. What would it mean for us to drink more deeply of him together this week through obedience, prayer, or the Word, and how can we pray for one another in that?

Draft · pending review

Where this was preached

About the church

Providence Community Church

Lenexa, KS
Sundays · 10:00 AM
About us · What we believe

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# Providence Community Church

A church preaching expository sermons through the books of the Bible.

## Sermons
- [When Depravity Meets Divinity (2025-01-19)](/ProvidenceLenexa/sermons/2025/01/when-depravity-meets-divinity)
- [Dov & Chris Talk Marriage (Ephesians 5:25-33, 2025-01-21)](/ProvidenceLenexa/sermons/2025/01/dov-chris-talk-marriage)
- [The Menu is Not the Meal (2025-01-26)](/ProvidenceLenexa/sermons/2025/01/the-menu-is-not-the-meal)
- [No One Ever Spoke Like This Man (John 7:1-52, 2025-02-02)](/ProvidenceLenexa/sermons/2025/02/no-one-ever-spoke-like-this-man)

## About
- [About the church](/about)
- [Plan a visit](/visit)

The page itself ships with Schema.org Article + Church markup (with real geo coordinates), Open Graph + Twitter cards for share previews, and a canonical URL. Transcripts are server-rendered HTML — no JS dependency for the readable body.