Shalom to you all, dear brothers and sisters. Our study today is found in the Gospel of John, And we are today dealing with the last portion that is found in John chapter 7, beginning with verse 37 and ending at the end of the chapter, verse 53. And so if you will please open your Bibles with me and let us read together the portion that is found in this seventh chapter. A wonderful portion that we find Yeshua, Jesus, the Messiah, is in the city of Yerushalayim doing the Feast of Sukkot, the Feast of Tabernacles, Booth. And here he's presenting himself to the nation, right there at the temple. And again to remind us all beloved brothers and sisters that the main theme of the Gospel of John is the deity of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah who claimed to be equal with the Father, God the Son, Divine Person, yet entered into this world through the Virgin Miriam, He was born in the city of Bethlehem, lived in the city of Nazareth, ministered in the Galil and in the city of Yerushalayim.

And now we find him as we are drawing towards the end of his life, really, because now he is in the middle of his ministry to the nation, to our nation of Israel. And there he is at the Feast of Booth, which is a fall season sometime in September, October. It's beginning on the 15th day of the month of the Hebrew month of Tishrei, and here is Yeshua presenting himself to the people of Israel during the Feast of Sukkot, the Feast of Tabernakas. And so we read in verse 37, in the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus, Yeshua stood and cried saying if any man thirst let him come unto me and drink he that believeth on me as the Scripture hath said out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water but this he spake of the spirit which they that believe on him should receive for the holy Spirit was not yet given because that Yeshua Jesus was not yet glorified many of the people therefore when they heard this saying said of a truth this is the prophet others said this is the Christ the Mashiach but some said shall Christ shall Messiah come out of Galilee has not the Scripture said that Christ cometh of the seed of David and out of the town of Beit Lechem where David was so there was a division among the people because of him and some of them would have taken him but no man laid hands on him.

Then came the officers of the chief priests and Pharisees, and they said unto them, Why have ye not brought him? The officers answered, Never men spake like this men. Then answer them, the Pharisees, are ye also deceived? Have any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed on him? But these people who knoweth not the law are cursed. Nicodemus says unto them, He that came to Jesus by night, being one of them, Doth our law judge any man before it hear him, and know what he doeth? They answered and said unto him, Art thou also of Galilee? Search and look, for out of Galilee rises no prophet.

And every man went into his own house, and I'm going to read verse 1 of chapter 8, Yeshua went unto the Mount Of Olives. So I read John chapter 7, verses 37 to 53, and I added, included John chapter 8 and verse 1, so we can see the flow, beloved brothers and sisters, of the reading of the text here in John chapter 7. This is a fascinating passage, because here in this seventh chapter, at the conclusion of this chapter, we can see how Yeshua, the Messiah, is presenting himself before our people of all the people of Israel during and at the end of the feast of Sukkot now to remind you beloved brothers and sisters that in the previous portion of our study together of the gospel of John we have already seen the debate about who Yeshua is in the midst of the feast of Sukkot, the feast of tabernacles.

Remember that the whole chapter began with the fact that his brethren, his physical brethren, namely the sons of Miriam. From Yosef who were his half brethren they approached him and said to him that he should go to Yehudah to Judea and there present himself before everyone that everyone will know who he was show yourself unto the world this is John 7 and verse 4 and his brethren said for neither did his brethren believe on him in other words his brethren did not yet believe that he was the Messiah so they saw the many miracles that he has done and therefore they wanted Yeshua to present himself before the multitude that Jerusalem and the whole world will see who he was because of the miracle that he has done they did not understand as many in the days of all did not understand and we can say today many do not understand the necessity of our Lord Yeshua Jesus the Messiah to die and to become the Lamb of God which will take away the sin of this world and so while they wanted him to present himself before everyone and that everyone will realize that he is that miracle worker Yeshua the Messiah did want.

Them to see that he did not come only to provide miracles and signs upon the face of this earth but he came to provide redemption for sinful men for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God the wages of sin is death but the gift of God was eternal life and is eternal life through our Lord Jesus the Messiah the one who would provide redemption so we are now have arrived to the final day of the feast of a sukkot now we have enjoyed over our life the feast of Sukkot with our families and friends it is one of the most beautiful feasts in our Jewish life because it reminds us of God's provision in the wilderness how God brought our forefathers out of Egypt and brought them into the promised land and the feast of Sukkot is a fascinating feast in fact in Leviticus chapter 23 God reminded the children of Israel who just came out of the land of Egypt from being in bondage he reminded them in verse 33 of Leviticus.

Chapter 23 and the Lord speak unto Moses saying speaking to the children of Israel saying the The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the Feast of Sukkot, tabernacles, for seven days unto the Lord. On the first day shall be a holy convocation. Ye shall do no servile work therein. Seven days ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord. On the eighth day shall be a holy convocation unto you, and ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord. It is a solemn assembly, and ye shall do no servile work therein. A little bit later, towards the end of the 23rd chapter of the book of Leviticus, Leviticus chapter 23, we read, and ye shall keep a feast unto the Lord for seven days in the year it shall be a statute forever in your generation ye shall celebrate listen to this ye shall celebrate it in the seventh month this is the month of Tishrei and notice verse 42 and verse 43 and 44 of Leviticus chapter 23 ye shall dwell in Sukkot in Booth in tabernacle for seven days all that are Israelis born shall dwell in Sukkot in Booth that your generation may know that I made the children of Israel to dwell in Booth when I brought them out of the land of Egypt I am the Lord your God in Leviticus 23 conclude with verse 44 and Moses declared unto the children of Israel the feast of the Lord beloved friends dear brothers and sisters the Chag Sukkot the feast of tabernacle is one of the most joyous feasts in the.

History of our people it's a celebration as we are looking back to remember God's faithfulness how God had provided for our forefathers to bring them out of the land of Egypt but even more it also speaks prophetically about the future day when God is going to restore the people of Israel and establish a kingdom that shall never end when a Mashiach is reigning and ruling God is overall king of Kings and Lord of Lord it is amazing how there is the anticipation and the anticipation and here it is it is the Messiah himself in the feast of sukkot in the midst of the people of Israel presenting himself before the nation will Israel accept him well we know very well that as it was predicted by Isaiah that Israel will not receive the Messiah at his first coming and he will have to be fulfilling the Passover the feast of Passover and he will become the Lamb of God and Israel will only receive him at his second coming and so we read in verse 37.

Just after Yeshua said to the leaders of Israel in the temple he said to them and if you remember in verse 33 yet a little while and I am with you and then I go unto him that sent me ye shall seek me and shall not find me and where I am thither you cannot come in other words he said this to the spiritual leaders of Israel who did not want to acknowledge that he was that promised Messiah. And there in the temple, he had spoken to them and he said to the spiritual leaders, you are going to seek me. I'm here only for a little while.

And I'm going back to where I came from. He came from heaven. The eternal God, the Son, was born here as a man, took union humanity with his divine nature, was born to the virgin Miriam. And now he's going to return via the cross, via the death and burial and resurrection, via this shameful punishment that God had to judge him on behalf of us all. He had to go through the cross and then he will die and will be resurrected and ascended and going back to where he came from. And then we read, ye will seek me, and ye will not find me, and where I am, thither ye cannot come.

And so the Jews, this is the Jewish leaders, the Pharisees, spoke among themselves, verse 35, they asked, where is he going to go? Will he go to the dispersed among the Gentiles? And teach now the Gentiles, where will he go? What manner of saying is this, where he said, ye shall seek me and shall not find me, and where I am, thither ye cannot come? Right there and there, beloved brothers and sisters and dear friends, the Lord Jesus, the Messiah, still appeals to the nation. He's appealing to the people of Israel and here to the spiritual leaders of Israel, which are often called the Jews. The Jews high Yehudim in the book of John about 70 times specifically applied to the spiritual leaders of Israel so here is the word of the Lord he's crying with a loud voice in verse 30 a seven and notice how beautiful in the last day that great day of the feast Jesus stood and cried saying if any man thirst let him come unto me and drink he that believeth on me as the Scripture has said out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water in other words just after he said it to the spiritual leaders of Israel yet a little while i'm with you and then i go on to him that have sent me you shall seek me and shall not find me And where I am, thither he cannot come.

Because he knew when they reject him and didn't accept him, the spiritual leaders of the day, they will not be able to come to where he is going to be because in order to come to that place in glory in heaven, one must believe on him. And that's why at the last day, that great day of the feast, he cried this amazing cry. Notice, if any man, if any person, and we can add, if any man, if any woman, if any boy, if any girl, if any person is thirsty, let him come unto me and drink. That's the call of the Lord, the invitation of the Lord to come to him and get refreshment spiritual refreshment and it is not coincident beloved brothers and sisters where the Lord Jesus the Messiah said let him come unto me and drink he that believeth on me as the Scripture has said out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water now notice this It is very interesting because during the last day of the feast of Sukkot, to remind you that the whole setting is an Israeli Jewish setting, Sukkot has an eight-day celebration.

In fact, if you remember, we just read in Leviticus chapter 23, when the Lord spoke unto Moses, he said, Seven days ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord. And then notice verse 36b of Leviticus chapter 23, on the eighth day shall be a holy convocation unto you. So there are 7 plus 1, 8 day long feasts of celebration, of giving thanks to God. And the culmination is the time in which the 8 day have arrived. The 7th day, or the last day of the Feast of Sukkot is called in Hebrew, The Hoshana Rabbah. Hoshana in Hebrew means. Hoshiana means save now. And the word Rabbah simply means great.

God provides this great salvation. Save us. Save us and provide great salvation. This is being called by the people of Israel on the seventh day during the feast of Sukkot. But then we notice, according to Leviticus chapter 23, that there is an eighth day in verse 36, and on the eighth day it will be a holy convocation. And that expression, holy convocation, in Hebrew is mikra kodesh. Mikra means a calling or a convocation, a calling to everyone. And it's a holy convocation where the whole nation would gather together in the city of Yerushalayim, in the temple in Yerushalayim and there the whole nation, specifically the male man will come forward and will call on the Lord will call on the Lord Hoshana Rabbah saved now on the seventh day and the following day in the Hebrew text it's called Shmini Azeret Shmini Azeret and that is the eighth day that there will be that atzeret the calling out the convocation the calling of all and everyone gathered together and they are rejoicing in God's provision and it is so interesting because the Lord Yeshua the Messiah is using the occasion that existed there some two thousand years ago of the pouring of the water as a libation unto the Lord praising him giving thanks to him as the water had been drawn out of the pool of shiloach and brought up into the to the temple and poured out as an offering before the Lord and having all sort of lights there and and it's representing before the nation of Israel.

Reminding of a day that is yet to come in a future day when there will be a celebration when Israel as a nation will be restored nation it reminds us of course of the prophet Isaiah who himself predicted the future day of the coming of the Messiah in Isaiah chapter 12 look what we read what Isaiah wrote in Isaiah chapter 12 we read therefore with joy shall ye draw water here it is with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation this is what verse 3 says and if we read from verse 1 of Isaiah chapter 12 and in that day looking to the future to the national restoration of Israel.

In that day thou shalt say, O Lord, I will praise thee. Though thou wast angry with me, thine anger is turned away, and thou confronted me. Behold, God is my salvation. I will trust and not be afraid, for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song, And he is become my salvation. Therefore, verse 3, with joy shall he draw water out of the wells of salvation. As the prophet Isaiah looking forward to the future day when Israel will be singing that song of redemption. When God will turn the captivity of the nation of Israel and restore them. And they will sing. What a beautiful song.

Behold, God is my salvation. I will trust and not be afraid. For the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song. He also become my salvation. Therefore, with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation. And again, beloved brothers and sisters, these are the words of Isaiah that wrote some 750 years by the word of the Lord for the nation of Israel to have them understand that there is a day coming and the drawing of the water represents the Holy Spirit of God that will restore and revive the nation and give a new birth to the nation of Israel. A nation shall be born in a day.

But here the Lord Yeshua is calling. Who is the one that will be redeeming the nation of Israel if not the Messiah himself and here we find him in chapter 7 and verse 37 so precious this passage in the last day that great day of the feast Yeshua stood and cried saying if any man thirst thirsty for forgiveness thirsty for relationship with God thirsty for assurance of salvation thirsty because we live in a dry and weary land thirsty to be spiritually right with God if any man thirst let him come unto me and drink beloved brothers and sisters the Lord Jesus the Messiah. Is calling anyone in the days of old of course but today to come unto him and drink you remember Matthew 11 come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden and i will give you rest i will give you rest so the Lord is inviting in the midst of the feast of sukkot you might say at the last day while there is the climax of the feast he's inviting those that are thirsty to be right with God to receive forgiveness of sins and he's calling the nation and individuals from among the people of Israel to turn to him and drink and notice what he said in verse 38 he that believeth on me again brothers and sisters remember that the theme of the gospel of Yohanan the gospel of John is the divine nature of Yeshua the Messiah the one that came down to this world to become a man who would take upon himself the sin of this world in order for one to receive forgiveness.

He or she must recognize the thirst that they have and come to drink from the person of the Lord Jesus to believe on him to come to him he that believeth on me as the Scripture has said out of his belly shall draw rivers of living water and so as we read the passage here out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water Yeshua the Messiah made a reference to the Scripture you notice what we just read as it says in verse 38 he that believeth on me as the Scripture said which Scripture well Isaiah 12 and verse 3 therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the well of salvation the Scripture said that God himself will be the one who will provide salvation behold God is my salvation I will trust and not be afraid for the Lord my God is my strength and my song he also has become become my salvation Isaiah later on continued to say In chapter 44, and verse 3, For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground.

I will pour my spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring. God is saying to Jacob and to Israel, as Isaiah 44, and verse 1 said, Ye now hear, O Jacob, my servant, and Israel, whom I have chosen. Thus saith the Lord that amaze thee and form thee from the womb which will help thee. Fear not, O Jacob, my servant, and thou, Yeshurun, whom I have chosen. I will pour water upon him that is thirsty and floods upon the dry ground. I will pour my spirit upon thy seed and my blessing upon thine offspring. Everything is pointing to the restoration of Israel in the power of the Spirit of God when they will become as a nation to trust in Yeshua and Jesus the Messiah, God the Son who became a man and paid for the sin of this world.

This is so fascinating. Remember, beloved brothers and sisters, this is now spoken before the Lord Jesus, the Messiah, died. He knew he will be rejected, but he's calling, he's calling the nation, an individual from among the nation of Israel to come to him and believe on him and recognize that he is the Messiah, the Redeemer. Isaiah continues in chapter 51, and he says in verse 1, Hearken unto me, ye that follow after righteousness, ye that seek the Lord, look unto the rock whence ye are hewn, and to the whole of the pit whence ye are digged. He wanted Israel to come to him and to look to him and to turn to him as Isaiah have said here in this passage.

He wanted them to turn to him and come to know him as the Messiah, their Lord and their Savior. A little bit later on in the very same book of Isaiah in chapter 55, we read, O everyone that is thirsty, come ye to the water. And ye that had no money, come ye buy and eat. Ye come buy wine and drink. And notice that, without money and without a price. God says, come, make it your own. You don't need to pay for that. Come to me and get your thirst quench without money and without price. As Isaiah chapter 55 and verse 1 tells us. One more verse in Isaiah chapter 58, very beautiful verse.

Isaiah 58 and verse 11 we read, And the Lord shall guide thee continually and satisfy thy soul in drought and make fat thy bones, And thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not. Again and again, the Scripture has said, as the Lord Jesus the Messiah is presenting himself before the spiritual leaders of Israel. And so, beloved friends, as we continue, in our chapter, Yeshua is inviting. If any man is thirsty, let him come unto me and drink. He that believeth on me, as the Scripture has said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. The rivers of living water is always applied to the person of the Holy Spirit of God.

It is very interesting that when the Word of God applied to water that's standing, it always has a reference to the Word of God. But whenever the Word of God is speaking about water that is moving, it always applies to the person of the Holy Spirit of God. And this is interesting because once and again, the Lord presents Himself as the one that will be providing the Holy Spirit of God to those that will believe on Him. You remember in chapter 4, when the Samaritan woman had a conversation with Yeshua the Messiah, Yeshua said unto her, if you know the gift of God, and who it is that saith unto thee, give me to drink, thou wouldst have asked of him, and he would have given thee living waters.

And the woman says unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and a well is deep. From whence then hast thou that living water? Are thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle? Notice what Yeshua said to her. Yeshua answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again. But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst. But the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. And he is speaking about the well of water that will be springing up into everlasting life.

This is the person of the Holy Spirit of God that will come to indwell everyone that have trusted in the person of the Lord Jesus the Messiah. And so as we continue, we can see how John, by divine design, explained there immediately after the words that the Lord Yeshua spoke in verses 37 and 38 of John chapter 7 then we read in verse 39 this he spoke this Yeshua spoke he spoke of the spirit the person of the spirit Ruach ha-kodesh which they that believe on him should receive and any ed for the holy Spirit was not yet given because that Yeshua Jesus was not yet glorified now beloved friend it is very very important to understand what we read here in this passage you see the holy Spirit of God in Hebrew always working here in this world in fact already in Genesis chapter 1 if you remember what we read in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth and the earth was without form and void and darkness was upon the face of the deep and the Spirit of God and the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the water.

The person of the holy Spirit of God is always working upon the face of this earth but what does the Lord Yeshua Jesus the Messiah say to us here that will happen uniquely after his death and resurrection because he said here as we read that he said he that believeth on me out of his belly shall flow rivers of living waters and then he said but this he spake of the spirit this is the person of the holy Spirit of God which they that believe on him should receive and notice for the holy Spirit was not yet given why because Jesus Yeshua was not yet glorified we learn here a tremendous lesson beloved brothers and sisters and dear friends while the person of the Holy Spirit of God always worked here upon the face of this earth because every person in the history of God's people always were guided by the Holy Spirit of God the Spirit of God came upon the servants of God for the nation of Israel many times it came.

Upon Shaul the king then it left him came upon king David and king David was used by the Lord to serve the people of Israel and you remember when David sinned David actually prayed in Psalm 51 he asked the Lord not to take from him the person of the holy Spirit he said in verse 11 of Psalm 51 cast me not away from thy presence and take not thy holy Spirit from me restore unto me the joy of thy salvation and uphold me with thy free spirit in other words the Spirit of God the person of the Holy Spirit of God always came upon the servants of God when they served him because anything and everything was done in the history of God's service was always done in the power of the Holy Spirit of God but what we learn here beloved brothers and sisters that now that the Messiah came and soon enough he was going to go to die on that shameful Roman cross he's going to.

Pay for the sin of this world Israel as a nation will not accept him yet many Jewish people will accept him but as a nation Israel will not then the future kingdom that is promised through the feast of Sukkot will be postponed to the second coming of the Messiah and the church age will come to fruition there will be a period of time between the first coming and the second coming of the Messiah where the Lord will build the assembly the ecclesia and the unique period of time during this age is when the person of the Holy Spirit not only that he will be used to regenerate a person as he always did.

Every person that ever believed in God was born again. But not only that he will use servants of God to serve him because if anybody have ever served God throughout history it was always in the power of the Spirit of God. But what we learn here, that we are coming to a time in which the Spirit of God not only is going to regenerate believers, and not only going to be coming upon servants of the Lord for the service, but now the Lord is really giving us, you might say, a hint here that the Holy Spirit of God was not yet given. Why? It was not yet given to indwell believers.

Why? Because Yeshua, Jesus, was not yet glorified. And this is very important for us, my dear brothers and sisters and dear friends, to understand that in this present day of the church age, which only began after Yeshua, Jesus the Messiah, died and was buried and rose again and was ascended to heaven and sent the Holy Spirit of God, It is only in this unique age which the Holy Spirit of God is going to be indwelling every individual that have accepted the Lord Jesus the Messiah and become part of the assembly, the ecclesia, the called out ones out of the nation of Israel and out of the nations of the world.

Let me just read to you a verse in act chapter 2 right at the beginning when the church age had begun the Spirit of God came and took residence not only among all believers but indwelt every believer this is the uniqueness of this present day of the church age in which we live in today we read in act chapter 2 actually is the whole 13 verses but i just want to read a few verses to show us when the Spirit of God descended the person the person of the holy Spirit of God now came to indwell individual believers as well as collective among the saints of God and so we read, it says here in Acts chapter 2 and verse 1, when the day of Shavuot, weeks, was fully come, Pentecost, they were all with one accord in one place and suddenly there came a sound from heaven as a rushing mighty wind and it filled all the house where they were sitting.

Notice what it says in verse 4, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, they began to speak with other languages as the Spirit gave them utterance. This is the time when the church was born after Yeshua died, was buried and rose and ascended to glory. And then he sent the person of the Holy Spirit of God to come to indwell individual believers who are part of the Ecclesia. And that's why we read. But this he spake of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive. Verse 39, and then he says, for the Holy Spirit was not yet given. Why? Because that Yeshua, Jesus, was not yet glorified.

And how beautiful it is that the Lord have already promised this before he died. In John chapter 14, that very same book which you and I are studying together, verse 16 and 17, before he died, Yeshua said to these Hebrew believers in the upper room in Yerushalayim, he said to them, and I will pray the Father, verse 16 of John 14, and he shall give you another comforter, peraklitos in the Greek. Even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him. But ye know him, listen to this, for he dwelleth with you, and notice, shall be in you. So the Spirit of God dwells and guided the disciples, but as it says here, he was not yet...

In them because Yeshua hasn't died as yet. Hasn't been buried as yet. So the Comforter, the Perakletos, the Ruach HaEmet, the Holy Spirit of God, hasn't come as yet. Why? Because Yeshua didn't finish the walk of redemption yet. He's still on earth and he's still ministering there and inviting in the Temple of Jerusalem. The individuals to come to him and turn to him so he promised later on in the upper room to the disciples that the Spirit of truth will come and shall be in you not upon you only but in you this is the regeneration and also the dwelling of the person of the holy Spirit of God he's another comforter one of the same kind Yeshua was going to depart through the cross but he's going to send another comforter another person of the Godhead will come to dwell among and within every believer in Yeshua the Messiah later on in John chapter 15 we read another verse that is so precious beloved brothers and sisters in verse 26 we read but when the comforter the helper the paracletos is come whom i will send unto you from the father even the Spirit of truth which proceedeth out of the father he shall testify of me he shall testify me the person of the Holy Spirit of God testifying concerning the person of Yeshua Jesus the Messiah.

John 16, Yeshua Jesus. Continued to tell them in chapter 16 and verse 7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth, it is expedient for you that I go away. For if I not go away, the Comforter the Perakletos, the Holy Spirit will not come unto you, but if I depart i will send him unto you and when he notice it is a person the Ruach hakodesh the holy Spirit of God is not merely a wind it's not an it but it is a he it's the one of the persons of the Godhead God the holy Spirit he when he's come he will reprove the world of sin and of righteousness and of judgment what a promise now to remind you that these Jewish people in the temple did not have the information that you and i have today they were much more limited to what you and i have today nevertheless we learned this tremendous truth that the Messiah promised to send the holy Spirit of God but the holy Spirit of God could not yet come because Yeshua was not yet glorified.

And he will only be glorified after he will die on that shameful cross in anticipation of his death the Lord Jesus the Messiah said in John chapter 17 and verse 5 and now father glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which i had with thee before the world was he was anticipating to go to the cross he was going to die he was going to be buried he was going to rise he was going to ascend to heaven and then he would go sit at God's right hand and he will send another person of the Godhead, namely God the Holy Spirit, to indwell every true believer in Yeshua the Messiah.

And I trust today that you belong to Him. And if you belong to Him, you accepted Him, you confessed your sin, you repented from your sins, you turned to Yeshua Jesus the Messiah, accepted Him as your Savior, and the moment you have accepted Him, you receive the person of the Holy Spirit of God, which is indwelling every person who have trusted in Jesus the Messiah. The Apostle Paul said in Ephesians chapter 1, he said, in whom ye also trusted, this is the Messiah, After that ye have heard the word of truth of the gospel of your salvation. You have heard the message of salvation. You have trusted in the person of the Lord Jesus the Messiah.

And then we read in verse 13b. In whom also, after that ye believe, ye were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise. Ye were sealed with Ruach ha-Elohim, Ruach ha-Kodesh, and it is the promise, God gave a promise that he will send the person of the Holy Spirit of God, so now if we are back now to our chapter, John chapter 7, notice what we read there from verse 40 on, we find out that the people were divided and had many opinions concerning the person of Yeshua Jesus the Messiah again it is in the feast of sukkot the feast of booth people heard him crying that cry if any man thirst let him come unto me and drink he that believeth on me as the Scripture has said and out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.

So we read in verse 40, many of the people, therefore, when they've heard this saying, said of a truth, this is the prophet. And when they use that expression, this is the prophet, to remind you that it's always in a reference to the prophet that God had promised to raise in the midst of the nation of Israel. As it is found in Deuteronomy, Where God said to Moshe, in verse 18, I will raise them, namely to Israel, up a prophet from among their brethren. Like unto thee, to remind you, brothers and sisters, Yeshua, Jesus, the Messiah, rose from among his brethren, the nation of Israel. He was one of among our people of Israel.

In the fullness of the time, Galatians 4, verse 4, God sent for his son made of a woman, made under the law. Yeshua was one of the nation of Israel who was under the law like all the Jewish people when he came to this world. He came to redeem Israel from being sinners who need forgiveness. He came to redeem them. And he came to redeem you and I. So I will raise them up a prophet from among their brethren like unto thee, and I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak unto them all that I shall commend them. And so when they said, this is the prophet, this is one group.

But then others said, this is the Messiah. You see, there are others who recognize that this is the Christ. This is the Messiah. This is just a reminder of what we read in John chapter 4, that a Samaritan woman knew when she said to the Messiah, to Yeshua, in John chapter 4 and verse 42, we know and said unto the woman, Now we believe not because of thy saying, for we have heard him ourselves and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Messiah, the Savior of the world this is what the samaritan woman said unto the woman the woman also know that she said in verse 25 the woman says unto him i know that the Messiah will come which is called the Christ and when he's come he will tell us all things so there was the anticipation of the coming of the Messiah and here some did believe of course some thought of him only as a prophet others recognize that he is the Messiah in fact in John 6 verse 69 and we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ that Messiah the son of the living God the 12 apostles said.

To Yeshua the Messiah we believe that you are that Messiah they said so you can see there was many views because it was an amazing time in human history when God entered into this world in the person of the son but you notice that others said in verse 41 shall the Messiah come out of the Galilee out of Galilee has not the Scripture said that Christ the Mashiach cometh of the seed of David and out of the town of Bethlehem where David was now again to remind you beloved brothers and sisters that Yeshua was born in Bethlehem and he was the seed of David and he was the one that came from Judea and not from the Galil but after he was born you remember he fled with his parents because Herod wanted to kill him and then when his parents returned they went back to the north to the Galil to Nazareth so now when he was coming with his family down to the city of Jerusalem to keep the feast of.

Booth he is looked upon as one come from Nazareth but he was born in Bethlehem he was born as a seed of David he was born there in Judea and so it is fascinating to see this they did not recognize Apparently, according to verse 43, there was a division among the people because of Him. You know, every time we bring the person of the Lord Jesus, the Messiah, into conversation with friends and family and people, there's always an opinion. Always a division among the people concerning Yeshua, Jesus, the Messiah. In fact, we read in chapter 5, in verse 16, we read, Therefore did the Jews persecuted Jesus and sought to slay him because he had done these things on the Shabbat day.

And you remember there was also there a division. Some says, look at him. Look how he can do what he's done. Who is he? And others did not want to acknowledge that he is. So some say he is the prophet. Others say he is the Messiah. Others say, could it be that he is the Messiah? If the Messiah was supposed to come from the seed of David, and he was supposed to be born and be in the city of Bethlehem, well, notice, so there was a division among the people because of him. And we read there next in verse 44, but some of them would have taken him, but no man laid hand of him.

You see, here's the next group. Some really wanted to take him and to put him away. They did not want the nation to believe that he was indeed the Messiah. And so we read in the next verses, this is interesting, beloved brothers and sisters, because later on now as we arrive to verse 45 and the officers, we find now the officers is coming and they said in verse 45, they come to the chief priests and the Pharisees and they said unto them why have you not brought him because the officers were supposed to catch him and to bring him to the spiritual leaders but look at the statement of the officers never a man spake like this man never men spake like this man well he was the man of God's council he was the one that was God the son who became a man he was that holy one that was born to the virgin Miriam never a man could ever speak like him in the Psalm we read of him in the psalmist of Israel said my heart is indicting in good matter i speak of the things which i have made touching the king my tongue is a pen of ready writer.

And then notice what we read that the psalmist could say of the king that would come the Messiah Jesus himself thou art fairer than the children of men grace is poured into thy lips therefore God has blessed thee forever grace in Hebrew chesed grace is poured into thy lips what a statement concerning the person of the Lord Jesus never man spoke like this man and indeed my dear friend never man spoke like this man because he is the divine person in fact we read of him in Luke chapter 4 and verse 22 and all bear him witness and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth and they said is not this Joseph's son my dear friend whenever the Lord Jesus the Messiah spoke his words were so gracious his words were so sharp he was the one that spoke gently and graciously but firmly never man spoke like this man we read here in John chapter 7 and verse 46 no wonder they did not catch Yeshua the Messiah and the officers came empty-handed and yet the Pharisees.

And the priest says why have ye not brought him and they said never men speak like these men, they were fascinated with what he said and how he said and the way he behaved, Yeshua the Messiah he was the one that gave pleasure to God, never a man could speak with such an authority never a man could speak with such a gracious way to the multitude that heard him and so we read in the verse 47 the response of the pharisees the pharisees answered he said are ye also deceived are you deceived have any of the rulers or the pharisees believed on him in other words you officers were so impressed with him, are you deceived?

Look at us, look at us, never, no one of the rulers or the Pharisees believed on him in other words, we, the rulers, we are the spiritual leaders of Israel, we don't believe in him are you deceived like the many others who have said that this is the Messiah in verse 41 and this is the prophet in verse 40, are you deceived? And so how sad it is, how sad many are blinded to recognize the Messiah. And again, my dear friend, you and I were like this by nature. We would not have believed on him unless God had opened our eyes. But thank God he opened our hearts and opened our eyes to see that we are sinners and need forgiveness.

And Yeshua is indeed the one that came to give his life a ransom for many. We believe on him because he gave himself for us what a tremendous fact we can learn from this passage here in John chapter 7 and look at the end as we conclude with this seventh chapter we read in verse 49 but these people who knowest not the law are cursed you see sadly sadly people who know not the law the Pharisees said they are cursed now again to remind you my dear friends that the law spoke concerning the coming of the Messiah in the volume of the book it is written of me Yeshua said in the volume of the book he is the central he is the theme of the Scripture he is the center of the word of God in the volume of the book it is written of the person of our Lord Jesus the Messiah he is the one well if one knows the law and recognizes the law everything in the law in the Torah pointed to the coming of the Messiah in Genesis 3 15 he is the seed of the woman in Genesis 12 verse.

1 2 and 3 he is the seed of Abraham he is the seed of Isaac he is the seed of Yaakov Israel he is the seed of the tribe of Judah the scepter shall not depart from Yehudah and he is the seed of Jesse through whom King David will come and the scepter who shall not depart out of Judah but also the throne will be given to the house of David and the descendant of David is the one that is right before us here in this passage well but these people who knowest not the law are cursed and so we conclude here with the words of Nicodemus who came to Yeshua by night according to John chapter 3 and verse 1 look what we read in verses 50 to the end of this chapter Nicodemus says unto them he that came to Jesus by night being one of them does our Lord judge any man before it hear him and know what he doeth they answered and said unto him art thou also of Galilee search and look for out of Galilee arises no prophet.

Even though the prophet Yonah came out of Galilee yet he was not as important as the vast majority of the prophets of Israel but they said search and look for out of Galilee rises no prophet you see the misunderstanding that Yeshua was born in Bethlehem Ephrata and he was of the descendants of King David he was of the tribe of Yehudah and therefore they were mistaken by saying to Nicodemus Seamus, search and look, for out of Galilee arises no prophet. And every man went to his own house. We read in chapter 7 and verse 53. And really, chapter 8 should continue on. The break is not necessarily correct here because it says, And Jesus went unto the Mount Of Olives, to the Har Hazatim.

And here it's amazing that while we saw Nicodemus in John chapter 3, the Pharisees by the name of Nicodemus, verse 1, he came to Jesus by night. And he said to him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God, for no man can do these miracles that thou doest except God be with him. So he came to Yeshua by night. But now he's coming to Yeshua, you might say, by twilight, presenting and protecting him and saying he says here in verse 51 does our Lord judge any man before it hear him and know what he doeth in other words he came now by twilight he's not yet saying to everybody that he's a believer in him and yet you can see how nicodemus was drawn to him a little but later on at the end of the book of John in chapter 19 he will come by daylight so notice the progression in Nicodemus behavior first he came by night out of the fear of the spiritual leaders of Israel he who was a ruler in Israel now he is coming by twilight presenting here the fact that the Lord does not judge any man before he hears him and then later on at the cross after Yeshua's death he will come by daylight and assist in the burial of his Lord his Messiah Yeshua in whom he eventually trusted what an amazing passage beloved brothers and sisters and dear friend they answered and said unto Nicodemus.

He said are thou also of Galilee search and look for out of Galilee arises no prophet and the truth of the matter is that Yonah came from the Galil according to 2nd King 14 but nevertheless Yeshua Jesus the Messiah did come from Bethlehem Ephrata as we read according to Micah chapter 5 and of course Matthew chapter 2 that he was born in the city of Bethlehem king of the Jews where is he that was born the king of the Jews and so beloved friend how important it is for all of us to recognize that he Yeshua is inviting everyone if any man thirst let him come unto me a drink And he that believeth on me, as the Scripture has said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living waters.

May the Lord help us all, beloved friend, to turn to him, to trust in him, to receive forgiveness of sins, and to have the person of the Holy Spirit of God indwelling a believer, sealing the believer, giving us an assurance that we are going to be with him in heaven. The last verse, 53, says every man went to his own house. Sadly, everyone gone. Every man went to his own house. But Jesus went to the Mount Of Olives, to the Har Hazatim, where he will communicate with God the Father. And there he will oversee Yerushalayim, pray for Yerushalayim, long for the restoration of Yerushalayim, while every man went to his own house.

I trust that if you and I heard this message today, that you will go to your own house, but go to your own house rejoicing after you have this assurance that your sins are forgiven and you have trusted in the person and in the work of our Lord Jesus, our Lord Yeshua. The Messiah. Well, God bless you, my dear friend. And we say, until the next time, Shalom, Shalom.