No Man Ever Spoke Like This Man!

NO MAN EVER SPOKE LIKE THIS MAN!

John 7:31-32, 45-46

INTRODUCTION

A. HUMOR: Difference btw Perception & Reality

1. There was a poor shop-keeper who was next door to a French restaurant. Every day at lunch time, he would go out the back of his shop and eat his baloney sandwich while smelling the wonderful odors coming from the restaurant's kitchen.

2. One day, he was shocked to receive a bill from the restaurant for ‘enjoyment of food.’ So he went to the restaurant and said, “What’s this?” The manager said, "You’re enjoying our food, so you should pay us for it."

3. The shop-keeper refused to pay and the restaurant sued him.

At the hearing the restaurant presented their case that the shop-keeper sat outside their kitchen & smelled their food while eating his lunch. “We’re providing added value to his poor food and we deserve to be compensated for it."

4. The judge turned to the shop-keeper and said, "What do you say to that?" The shop-keeper said nothing; just stuck his hand in his pocket and rattled the few coins he had inside.

5. The judge asked him, "What’s the meaning of that?"

The shop-keeper replied, "I’m paying for the smell of his food with the sound of my money.”

B. TEXT

31 And many of the people believed in Him, and said, “When the Christ comes, will He do more signs than these which this Man has done?”32 The Pharisees heard the crowd murmuring these things concerning Him, and the Pharisees and the chief priests sent officers to take Him. 45 Then the officers came to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, “Why have you not brought Him?” 46 The officers answered, “No man ever spoke like this Man!” (NKJ)

C. THESIS

1. Have you ever wondered what it would be like to live during the time Jesus walked on the Earth and to have gotten to see and hear Him yourself?

2. How would He compare to anyone else you've ever met?

3. We're going to look at what happened when a group of men who were prejudiced against Him actually heard Him for themselves.

4. The title of this message is, "No Man Ever Spoke Like This Man!"

I. CIRCUMSTANCES OF THIS STATEMENT

A. JEWISH LEADERS TRY TO ARREST JESUS

1. It was the Feast of Tabernacles. The chief priests and Pharisees were contriving how to stop Christ. Despite its being the greatest Day of the Feast, these “spiritual leaders” didn’t bother to attend; they were holed up in the council chamber, waiting for the soldiers to arrest Jesus and bring Him in.

2. The men sent were professional soldiers, tough guys that were used to having to do unpleasant jobs, like beating people, arresting people, hearing people beg -- and they learned to harden their hearts and do their job.

3. They were trained to obey orders. Not arresting someone would lead to them losing their job and probably being punished for letting a fugitive escape.

4. For several days, these incognito soldiers mingled with the crowd, waiting for an opportunity to arrest Jesus. During that time, they heard Him speak. When officers returned without Him, all they could say was, “No man ever spoke like this Man!”

5. The behavior of these men -- coming back empty handed, saying what they said -- indicates the magnitude of the supernatural experience they had. All their training and professional behavior was swallowed up in the wonder of the person of Jesus!

6. YOU SEE, THEY COULDN’T ARREST JESUS, BECAUSE JESUS ARRESTED THEM FIRST!

B. WHEN THE SKEPTIC HEARD WHITEFIELD

1. It reminds me of the true story of a hardened skeptic who one day decided to go and see the famous preacher George Whitefield. Whitefield had become extremely popular and the skeptic wanted to see what this man looked like.

2. When the skeptic arrived at the field, Whitefield was already surrounded by hundreds of people, so the only way for him to see him was to climb a nearby tree.

3. He climbed up, nestled in a branch, and then put his fingers in his ears. He wanted to SEE Whitefield, but didn't want to be influenced by his preaching.

4. However, after a few minutes a fly landed on his nose. He tried several methods to scare the fly away; none worked. At the precise moment he pulled his fingers out of his ears to flick the insect away, Whitefield shouted out, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear."

5. Impressed by this coincidence, the skeptic kept listening. Whitefield was speaking on people refusing to hear God's voice.

6. After much soul searching, the skeptic embraced the Christian faith and became a devout Christian. He often wondered what would’ve happened if that fly hadn't landed on his nose!