Intellectual knowledge of God and experiential knowledge of God are not the same thing. Jesus spent the majority of His remarks from John 7 poking holes in the hypocrisy of the Jew’s. They professed to know about God, and yet didn’t know Him at all. In order to know God, you must have a right relationship with Christ. 

Six months after the Passover, Jesus was expected to return to Jerusalem for the Feast of Booths. While awaiting His return, the people grumbled and muttered amongst one another asking, “Where is He?” And “Who is He?”

Jesus Christ is the provider of our salvation — (through faith and feasting on the Bread of life).

He is also, the protector of our redeemed souls—

Christ provides us with the means for salvation, and then protects us from ever losing it.

Last week we learned that Jesus is our Provider and our Protector.

In this week’s text we looked at three statements He makes in His “Bread of life discourse,” where He says I AM, I will, and You must. 

I AM the Bread of Life,

I will satisfy your souls,

You must behold and believe.

The feeding of the 5,000 is evidence of Christ’s humility and hospitality to a people who would call for His death, undeserved. For the believer, Jesus not only provides for our physical wants, but also our spiritual needs. He is both our provider and  protector.

In John’s first epistle, the beloved disciple helps the believer to know that they have eternal life. In today’s message, Brother Tim prayerfully selects three questions from the book which we must ask ourselves in order to have assurance of our salvation.

What do we hate? What do we love? Who do we know?

When Jesus made the defense for His deity in John 5, He didn’t just stop at His own personal claims. In accordance with Levitical law, He also provided 3 witnesses: John the Baptist, His works, and Scripture.

There are two types of people in the world: those who are dead in sin, and those who are alive in Christ. Your perspective of Jesus is evidence of which one of those people you are. 

Have you ever thought about the correct way to respond to God’s miraculous workings in your life? In our text this morning we look at how the man at the pool of Bethesda, and the Jewish elite, responded in the wrong way to Jesus’ physical healing.

Biblical faith is not based solely in the works of God. Although physical miracles may lead us to Him, they shouldn’t be our only concern. Likewise, although the Word of God leads sinner’s to a saving faith, we must be rooted in more than just words on a page. Genuine faith, a faith which desires to grow, is based on the evidence of God’s works, and God’s Word, and the Person of God. Without an understanding of who God is, we can never full appreciate what He does and what He says.