Authentic Jesus

John 7:14-18 Not until halfway through the Feast did Jesus go up to the temple courts and begin to teach.  The Jews were amazed and asked, “How did this man get such learning without having studied?” Jesus answered, “My teaching is not my own. It comes from Him who sent me. If anyone chooses to do God’s will, he will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own. He who speaks on his own does so to gain honor for himself, but he who works for the honor of the one who sent him is a man of truth; there is nothing false about him.

Pastor JJ preached his next challenging installment in the “Amazed by Jesus” Sunday sermon series. Here’s what I took away from his message. You sure hear the term “authentic” today, as people are looking for the “real thing” in a world of counterfeit “knock offs”. People sure know how to “fake us out” today, with a convincing presentation that looks like the “real deal”. The “Confidence Man” (aka Con-man or con artist), is a swindler who uses a fraud perpetrated by taking advantage of trust placed by the victim in the bilker. They pretend to be genuine to deceive the credence (belief, faith and trust) of the target listener for their prideful will and personal gain. Jesus explained this truth to the Jews at the Feast of Tabernacles (which commemorated God’s goodness to the people during the desert wanderings after the Israelites were saved by the blood from the Angel of death on Passover, and then set free from slavery in Egypt by the Exodus). The Lord’s message and example is applicable to our generation also. Be authentic for God.

John 17:17 “Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.”

The teachings from our heavenly Father, found in the pages of the Bible, opens our knowledge and understanding of genuine truth that we can stand for and build our lives on. As Jesus choose to do the will of His Father, we need to align our will to do the will of the Father also; tuned into God’s Holy Word. The child of God does this by knowing and putting God’s teachings into practice, which includes, by faith, surrendering our lost will and putting our complete faith in God for our life, for all the days of our life. Abraham Lincoln say, “You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time.” And I’d add that you cannot fool God anytime. Do we hold onto what we have and chase what’s in front of our eyes for our instant gratification, or obey the God that proves His authentic faithfulness to us? Do we take our faith seriously and seek Him, and the kingdom of Heaven? We need to “do” the will of the Father in order to understand the will of the Father by experience. We need to stop playing games and making excuses with our lives. Trust and follow God.

John 14:23-24 Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me.”

Was Christ’s life about Himself? No, He obeyed the Father. Is life about you and I? The authentic life that Jesus offers us is the “real life”, the “real thing” and the “real deal”. Shall we not offer our life to Him to use for His glory? It’s our choice to obey or ignore. You can tell a Con by who benefits by the Con. Trust, obey and follow the authentic Jesus, and be amazed.

John 5:19 Then Jesus answered and said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.”

In Christ, Brian