Posted on August 11, 2026 Posted By: Jenni Nikolakakis Categories: Message Notes, Weekly Program

Believe! The Gospel of John

WK 22– “Are you headed in the Wrong Direction?”

John 7:25-39 NASB

August 16, 2026

Justin Scarberry

“He is speaking publicly, and they are saying nothing to Him.”

– John 7:25-26

All bark and no _______ – The religious leaders were among the people listening to everyone murmuring about Jesus. He was there teaching, in front of everyone, and they had ____________ to say.

“When the Christ comes, no one knows where He is from.”

– John 7:27

“No one knows where He is from?” – There were several ________________ of the coming Messiah.
The Old Testament said He will be of the tribe of ___________ (Genesis 49:10) and lineage of ___________ (2 Samuel 7:12-16); fulfilled in Matthew 2:1-6.
The Old Testament said He will be born in __________________ (Micah 5:2) and announced by a _________ (Numbers 24:17); fulfilled in Matthew 2:1-6.
These people took Malachi 3:1 “The Lord, whom you are seeking, will suddenly come…” and developed a tradition regarding the coming ______________. They were expecting someone to come _______________, almost magically.
They also hadn’t bothered to ask Jesus Himself yet! They formulated their own unverified opinions and never bothered (until the very end in Mark 14:60-62) to ask Him directly!

Then Jesus cried out in the temple…

– John 7:28-29

He was telling them He came from ____________, they didn’t know about Heaven, and they didn’t know about God the Father who sent Him.
The Greek for _________ out is krazō – the sound a raven makes, shrieking out.
He wasn’t crying out because He was ___________, but because He had a heart for the people. Jesus even has a heart for the people who _____________ Him.

No one laid a hand on Him, because His hour had not yet come.

– John 7:30

“His hour had not yet come” – With God’s divine plan, what God wants to happen will happen ____________ the way He ordained it, ______% of the time!
His “__________” is a general term which refers to the time He will spend being wrongfully accused, wrongfully arrested, wrongfully judged and sentenced, and wrongfully beaten and crucified for crimes He did not commit.

But many of the crowd believed in Him

– John 7:31

Many saw through all the ________ about Jesus and understood who He was.
It’s a hard thing to do, to go against the ___________! It’s easier just to go with the flow like most of the ____________.
Jesus tells us we should enter through the ___________ gate (Matthew 7:13-14).
Many will choose to go with the flow on the ________ highway of what the world has to offer. It’s exciting and full of thrills, until the ride ends (Proverbs 14:12) and that broad road leads to _________ and destruction (Matthew 7:13-14).
We all get to choose that narrow path that leads to life. None of us are _____________ to make that decision. It’s easy to choose the _____________ path (Proverbs 16:25)!

The Pharisees heard the crowd whispering these things about Him

– John 7:32

The religious leaders were listening to the ____________ about Jesus but not the ______________ from Jesus!
Don’t focus on gossip; instead focus on ___________!
Satan wants to ___________
_____________ is tempting but can do lasting spiritual damage. – Proverbs 18:8
The Bible warns us not to bear __________ – Exodus 20:16
We are told to not even _______________ with a gossip. – Proverbs 20:19
Joining in on gossip is assassinating someone’s ______________. – 18:21
Don’t spread gossip or slander. The Bible’s clear; this is a ____. – Leviticus 19:16
The ____________ will divide and eventually collapse a church. – James 3:6
Shut it down! Shut down the ____________ before you hear it. – Ephesians 4:29

“Where I am, you cannot come.”

– John 7:33-34

“You cannot come” – Jesus was telling these devoutly religious people, “I am going to _____________, and you cannot come!”

“Where does this Man intend to go that we will not find Him?”

– John 7:35

The Jews were also out dispersed among the “______________” in the world.

What is this statement that He said?

– John 7:36

“And you will seek Me and find Me when you ____________ for Me with all your _____________” – Jeremiah 29:13
No such thing as a ______-Chrisitan. You either have the Spirit of God living in you or you do not. It’s clear from Scripture that God wants your whole ________!
He is a ____________ Father and doesn’t want to share us with any false gods. – Exodus 34:14

“If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink.”

– John 7:37

At the Feast of Tabernacles there would be a lot of ____________ people.

“The one who believes in Me… will flow rivers of living water.”

– John 7:38

Jesus said __________ in Him and they’ll have a ________ coming out of them!

**The Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.**

– John 7:39

In the next book, the book of ________, Jesus will ascend to be with the Father, and He will leave His followers with the ___________ (The Pentecost).
All believers, since that day, have the Spirit of God living ___________ of them!

FINAL THOUGHTS

How many times are we like the religious leaders and we make assumptions before digging into the truth? How many times do we form opinions without going to the source to try and discover what is really going on?

Jesus has a heart for the people, even the people who reject Him. Can you say the same about your love for others? Jesus has a heart for a lost and dying world. Shouldn’t we pray to develop the same heart?

Heading fast in the wrong direction? – Repent! Turn back to God.

Are you a Gossip? Are your words building someone up or tearing them down?

Community Garage Sale- August 22

Bring items to Paul & Paulette’s House

All sales will go to Church Ministries

Mid-week Bible Studies

Monday: Bible Study at Paul & Paulette’s 6pm

Wednesday: Women’s Bible Study at church 7pm

Thursday: Men’s Bible Study at church 6pm

Youth Group Wednesday

Paul & Paulette’s. Food Provided. Bring Friends! 6-8pm

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Psalm 130:5 NIV

I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits,

and in His word I put my hope.

What are some of the Holidays the Jewish people celebrate in the Bible?
What is the feast of Booths/Tabernacles (what was celebrated?)?
Where does the Bible say that the coming Messiah (in Jesus’ time) would be from?
Read John 7:25-30, why is Jesus called “the Christ” in the Bible (verse 27)?
Does Jesus ever say He is the Messiah in the Bible? Does Jesus ever say that He is the Son of God? If you were not sure and wanted to look up these questions, how would you do that?
What does it mean to have compassion? Can you be a Christian and not have compassion? Why or why not? What are some things that Jesus does in the gospel’s that show His compassion?
Read John 7:31-38, who are the Pharisees? What does Jesus mean in verse 36 when He tells the people “where I am, you cannot come”? What are the “rivers of living water” in verse 38? Can anyone have this experience? Why or why not? What are some of the groups of people who are against Jesus?
What does the bible say about gossip? What are some ways you could look for a specific topic such as gossip, in the Bible?
What is communion? Can everyone be a part of communion? Why or why not?

August 16, 2026 Sermon Notes and Questions