Be Who You Are

Today, we'll be working through another of Jesus' conversations. We've looked at other conversations that Jesus had. There was Nicodemus, the Samaritan woman, the people who enjoyed the miracle of the bread, as well as some others. This time it's a conversation with his brothers. So, another conversation and another opportunity to see a bit more clearly who Jesus is. Our text is John 7.1-10.

We find that Jesus' brothers are offering him some advice. 'Hey, big brother, if you want to make a splash with your disciples you really should go to Jerusalem for the feast. Let them watch you do your thing. Don't hide here at home, away from all the action. Go to Jerusalem.' Jesus responds to this. And one thing that he talks about, interestingly enough, is time.

My time has not yet come, but your time is always here. ... You go up to the feast. I am not going up to this feast, for my time has not yet fully come.

It's important to know that the original word translated 'time' is one of several that could have been used. This word for 'time' isn't about 'one moment and then the next' kind of time. That's a different word. This word is about an apt moment for something to happen. This is about an appointed time.

This is where it would be helpful to tie this to some Old Testament. So, consider this familiar passage from Ecclesiastes.

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace.

The writer of Ecclesiastes is making an important point here. God orders life. He establishes the apt time for one thing and the appointed time for another. And in a book like Ecclesiastes this is a note of hope. Because of this, there is more than a little wisdom in submitting to God's timing. He decides the right time for something, whether that is weeping or laughing - or even going up to a feast in Jerusalem. That's what Jesus is talking about. He has been sent by the Father. And so, he submits to the Father's timing. The Father decides what and when. And by submitting to the Father in these things Jesus will be able to accomplish the mission he was sent on.

When Jesus makes his comment about time he is pointing out a difference between himself and his brothers. Unlike him, they do not have any notion of submitting to God's timing for their lives. He even says so.

My time has not yet come, but your time is always here.

Jesus submits to the Father's timing for his life. But his brothers do not. For them, any time is a good time to act. So, it's no big deal for the brothers to tell Jesus what he should do next. It seems obvious to them. The time to act is always present to their way of thinking, since each person decides for himself his own course of life. Jesus rejects that kind of thinking. He submits to the Father's timing.

That's the first contrast in our text: a sense of timing that the Father directs. There is a second contrast. This one has to do with the word 'world'. The brothers tell Jesus,

Leave here and go to Judea, that your disciples also may see the works 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.

Do you see what the brothers are telling Jesus? 'Show yourself to the world, Jesus. Let everyone see you. Do some of your miracles, your works, in Jerusalem. How else are you going to succeed?' Is it good advice? John answers that question for us. Listen to the next thing that he writes:

For not even his brothers believed in him.

Please note that first word, 'For...' Their advice comes out of their unbelief. They want Jesus to succeed, as they understand that. But there are things that they do not understand about what real success looks like for Jesus and how he is to achieve that success. They are well-intentioned, but their unbelief gets in the way.

Jesus responds to their advice to show himself to the world. This is where he reveals something of the brothers' error.

The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify about it that its works are evil.

Back to vocabulary. Here we have two of the several ways in which the word 'world' is used in John's Gospel. When the brothers use it they mean 'everybody'. 'Jesus, let everybody see you.' But Jesus uses it in a different way. There are times in John's Gospel when this word has an evil sense to it. Listen to a couple of places where this sense is in play.

Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out.

I have given them [his apostles] your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.

'World', in this sense, is about the hostility that fallen humanity has against its Creator. And that's why its works are evil. And Jesus exposes that evil. As a result, the world hates him. It hates him enough to want to kill him. And that is exactly what they do. The brothers are part of the world. And that worldly attitude plays a role in their decision-making and how they understand success, all of which affects their advice.

Now understand how Jesus exposes the evil of the world. He doesn't walk down the street saying, 'That's evil. And that over there is also evil. And so is that thing you just did.' No, we never see him doing anything like that. Jesus exposes the evil of the world just by being good and doing good. The contrast between how he lives and how the world lives becomes obvious. So, something else from John's Gospel fits here.

And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed.

Anyone with even just the remnants of a conscience was aware of what was going on when he watched Jesus. Such people could feel the contrast and how it made them look bad. They may or may not act against the good, but they sense the difference and hate it. That's what was going on with Jesus and the world. And his brothers didn't understand that.

So, we've seen some things about who Jesus is. He has been sent on a mission by the Father. Because of that he submits to the Father and that includes the timing of what he does. He does all of this in the context of a world that hates him because he exposes its evil just by pursuing his mission. That's what's going on in our text.

Now it's time to show you how this connects with you. One of the themes in the letters of the New Testament is the exhortation: Be who you really are. It's never stated in just that way, but time after time that's the point being made. 'Jesus has rescued you. He has changed you. Now live accordingly. Be who you really are.' I think that this is very clear in those letters. There can a problem in heeding this exhortation. If a Christian doesn't know who he really is, he can't live like it. This morning's text helps to deal with that. It explains something of who you are. It can do that because a disciple is like his master. You are like Jesus and becoming more like him every day.

So, for one thing, just like Jesus, you are someone who has been sent on a mission. Consider some bits of Scripture.

So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's.

Your life does not belong to you. It belongs to another. The Father has bought you. You belong to him, and he has work for you to do. You are someone on a mission.

Now, what does that mission look like, and how are you to pursue it? Again, just as in Jesus' case, the Father calls the shots. It's his timing to do this or that that matters. The choices before you won't have anything to do with attending a Jewish feast. But there are lots of other choices that you have to make about lots of other things. And as you face those choices the Father calls the shots.

So, consider yourself. Who are you? You are someone who is on a mission from the Father, someone who will accomplish that mission by submitting to the timing of the Father. That's who you are. And as you grow in understanding who you are, you can make some more progress in actually being who you are.

Now, again, just like Jesus, you pursue your mission in a context. And a big part of that context is the 'world', humanity in rebellion against God. And that makes life very interesting. For one thing, the world will give you its advice on how to succeed. In fact, it already has. This advice does not have to be ugly and disagreeable. Jesus' brothers were trying to be helpful. Many from the world will also try to be helpful to you by sharing their wisdom with you. They will even agree with you when it comes to some important commitments about life. Remember that the brothers had no problem believing that Jesus could perform miracles. They urged him to do his works, his miracles, in Jerusalem. They, like Jesus, believed in miracles. There are lots of people from the world who will agree with you on lots of things. And that, of course, makes it all the more challenging. Jesus ultimately did go to the feast just as the brothers advised. But it was based on a different way of doing things. It was based on the Father’s timing. You may very well do things that the world will suggest - and rightly so - but that will be based on a different way of doing things. You live according to the Father's timing.

Put that all together and life can be a little perplexing. It may well be that many of the things that the world does and advises you to do are fine. It's just that how the world does those things or why they do them reflect an attitude of independence from the Father, something that you cannot share. So, discerning what to do and when to do it will be a challenge. Life is simpler when it's just a matter of following the rules that are supposed to cover all the possibilities. It's more difficult when some things are fine to do at one time and absolutely wrong to do at another time. There is great need for discernment.

So, consider just one area of life. Those of you with children have heard lots of advice about how to care for them, things about their training, their education, their goals. Some of the things that you've heard are clearly wrong, and you already know that. But some of the things that you have heard can be right. But are they right in your situation? Are they the things that the Father wants you to do with a particular child of yours at this particular time? That's a hard question - but a necessary one.

The same is true in terms of something like career goals. You've heard lots of advice about that. And some of sounds really good - and it may be just fine. But what about the Father's timing in this area? Does he want you to continue in the course that you've been on for a while? Or is it time for you to choose a new course? Again, hard but necessary questions.

Life is simpler if it's just about following rules and going with the flow. But that doesn't make it better. And that kind of thinking can interfere with achieving the mission that the Father has given to you.

And what makes this all the more difficult is that there is still a little of the world's attitudes left in us. Jesus has rescued us. He has created a huge change in who we are. But there are still bits and pieces of the old us still hanging around. And that clouds things.

So, what are you to do? The answer is simple - not easy but simple. Believe the Gospel. So, first, that means be who you really are. Jesus has come. He has rescued you. He has delivered you from a deadly way of living and brought you to a new kind of life. In light of this, pursue the Father's calling for your life. Pursue the mission that he has you. Be who you are. Work hard at that.

But please understand what 'work hard at that' means. To start with, accept the fact that you will get it wrong. You're going to miss things you really needed to get. You're going to listen to the world's advice when you shouldn't. And there will be times when you are going to blow it royally. And what a mess that will be. These are not theoretical possibilities. These are facts. But 'work hard at it' means that in the midst of a life where to get it wrong you remember this: your sins are forgiven, all of them, even the ones where you blew it royally. They are forgiven. And, all the while, you remain the Father's beloved child - even when you get it stupendously wrong. That will not change the Father's attitude toward you. Not even a little. His love - his deep affection, his being totally for you, his passion to see you flourish - is something that is set in concrete, heavenly concrete, impossible to change. So, when you blow it, admit it to the Father, believe in his forgiveness and then get up and have at it again. Do not become timid. Do not give in to your fears. You are still loved just like before. Get up and have at it again. Be who you are.

And expect to do better. Expect that because it's true. You will do better. But understand why. There is a trap that too many fall into. They picture the Christian life something like a football game with themselves on the field. The other team is really good. They’re sure that they are going to get creamed. And where is God? He's on the sidelines cheering them on. 'You can do it. Just try a little harder. I know you can do it.' That's just a bunch of garbage. Yes, you are on the field and the opposing team is strong. [Remember who they are: the world, the flesh and the devil.] But where is God in all of this? He's not on the sidelines with some useless cheering. He is right there with you. (Immanuel.) Where is the Spirit of God? Doesn't he live within you? And what's he doing there? He's doing two things. First, he is telling you what to do, how to be who you really are. He is telling you about the Father's timing for this or that. He is right there telling you, 'You’re going to want to take a left at the corner. Ready? Now.' Part of the process of growing as a Christian is learning how to listen to him. And then there's the second thing the Spirit does. He gives you the ability to do what he tells you, the ability to be who you really are. It's great to have a perfect game plan. But what good is it if you can't run the plays? What if you don't have the ability? And that's why it’s important to remember this second thing that the Spirit does within you. Bit by bit he is giving you the ability not just to listen to him but also actually do what he is telling you. He does that slowly because we are so frail, but that's what he's doing. It's a process. And part of the process is getting it wrong and then learning why that was wrong so that you can do better next time getting it right. The Spirit is busy within you.

So, let me pull all of this together. There is work to be done, change that needs to happen. And that change needs to happen both within us as well as out there in the world, a world, remember, that hates Jesus. They may hate him politely, but they still hate him. We have a mission to change that, a mission to change the world. But we are never on that mission alone. Jesus makes sure that we have all we need so that we can pursue the mission and succeed. So, first, he has made us a new kind of people. He has changed us so that we are more like him than we are like the world. On top of that, he has made sure that we have forgiveness for our many sins - all of them - so that we can be free to act, free to make mistakes. And then, he has made sure that we have the presence of his Spirit first to tell us what to do and then to give us the ability to do exactly that. Jesus has given us all that we need. So, be who you really are. As you pursue that goal, you will be doing your part to change the world by the Gospel.