Cite Your Reference | John 7:14-18

About the middle of the feast Jesus went up into the temple and began teaching. The Jews therefore marveled, saying, “How is it that 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 am 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. — John 7:14-18 This is an interesting moment. What has happened is Jesus has secretly gone up to the Feast of Booths. Once he gets there, he conceals his identity. Yet crowds of people are debating about who he is. Right about the middle of the eight-day feast, he starts teaching on the Temple grounds. So he reveals himself. And the audience is mesmerized by him. But they notice something different about his teaching style. He doesn't teach like the other Jewish teachers. And what's different is that Jewish teachers would constantly cite other teachers as a show of their education and development. But Jesus doesn't do that. And this was odd because a student formally trained at one of their 30 local rabbinical schools was trained to teach this way. But Jesus doesn't do that. He simply cites scripture. So the crowd begins to conclude that he is uneducated. But it's right at this moment Jesus cites his source. His source is God. And with this, he drops the mic on them. He declares they assume he is uneducated because they don't know his source. They don't know his school and they don't know his teaching style because they don't know God or his Word. Thus he uses their own methodology and teaching practices against them to point out a major flaw in their educational system and personal beliefs. Gentlemen, all the schooling you need is in God's Word. The Word of God is our source for teaching, reproof, correction, and training in righteousness. (2 Timothy 3:16-17) Reading from other sources is not like reading the bible. This is because the bible is not an ordinary book. It is the spoken Words of God to us. In it, we find God's will to us and for us. And when we read it, hear it, and obey it we will speak it, teach it, and live it like Jesus. ASK THIS: What of God's will are you eager to know? DO THIS: Go find it in God's Word and live it. (Hint: Try using Google). PRAY THIS: God, help me hear and obey. PLAY THIS: The Gospel. Check out other all Vince Miller's videos and audios for small groups at: https://beresolute.org/ Get Vince's most widely read resources The Daily Devotional at: https://beresolute.org/mdd Check out more ALL IN products like the one Vince is wearing at: https://beresolute.org/product-category/all-in-hats/ ____________________________________________________________________________________ Connect with Vince socially: FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/millervince INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/vinceleemiller LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vincemiller TWITTER: https://twitter.com/vinceleemiller