Sunday Gathering - John 7 : 25-36 - Cornelius Tanis - Sermon Only

Cornelius Tanis continues a sermon series through the Gospel of John, preaching from John 7:25-36 on 20 September 2026. Six months after the events of chapter 6, Jesus has gone up to Jerusalem during the Feast of Tabernacles and is now teaching publicly in the temple. The crowd and religious leaders are divided: some wonder if the leaders believe He is the Messiah, others argue that since they know where He comes from He cannot be the Christ. The Pharisees and chief priests send temple guards to arrest Him, but no one lays a hand on Him because His hour has not yet come. Many in the crowd believe, while the leaders remain hostile and puzzled by His statement that they cannot go where He is going. Tanis sets the scene by recapping chapter 6 — the feeding of the 5,000, walking on water, and the bread-of-life discourse — noting that many disciples left and Peter confessed Jesus as the Christ.

Tanis frames the passage around the question “Is Jesus the Christ?” and deepens it by exploring the significance of the Feast of Tabernacles, the last of Israel’s three great pilgrimage feasts. The feast celebrates God’s presence dwelling among His people — the tabernacle was God’s tent in the desert, where He promised, “I will be your God and you will be my people,” a phrase repeated roughly thirty times throughout Scripture. Jesus, God in flesh, now stands in Jerusalem at this very feast, yet His people reject Him just as the Israelites rebelled in the desert. Of the entire exodus generation, only two entered the Promised Land because they did not believe God’s promises of provision, guidance, and protection. Jerusalem itself is central — mentioned hundreds of times from Genesis to Revelation, the place where God will ultimately take up His dwelling.

The preacher then turns to the Christological debate: Is Jesus man or God? He notes that even the early church wrestled with this until the Council of Nicaea (around AD 325) affirmed that Jesus Christ is God and man. He quotes Philippians to underscore that Jesus, being in the very nature of God, made Himself nothing and became obedient to death on a cross. Tanis warns that Jesus’ words — “you will search for me, but not find me, and where I am, you cannot come” — constitute a solemn condemnation for those who do not believe, and he ties this directly to John 3:16, where Jesus says whoever believes in Him has eternal life while whoever does not believe stands condemned already. He closes with a direct appeal for anyone who has never received Jesus as Savior to come forward and not remain an outsider.

Bible passages

• John 7:25-36
• John 7:26-27
• John 7:31-34
• John 3:16
• John 1:14
• Micah 5:2
• Zechariah 8:3
• Revelation 21:2
• Philippians 2:5-8
• Luke 15

Key points

• Jesus stands alone in Jerusalem at the Feast of Tabernacles, rejected by the religious leaders and debated by the crowd.
• The Feast of Tabernacles celebrates God’s presence dwelling among His people, a theme repeated from Exodus to Revelation.
• The Israelites’ unbelief in the desert — only two entered the Promised Land — parallels Jerusalem’s rejection of Jesus.
• Jesus is both God and man, a truth affirmed at the Council of Nicaea.
• “I will be your God and you will be my people” is the heartbeat of the covenant, appearing throughout Scripture.
• Failing to believe means being unable to go where Jesus is going — a warning and a call.
• Belief is the gateway to all of God’s promises: provision, guidance, protection, and eternal life.
• Christ means anointed one; Jesus means God who saves — the title “Jesus Christ” carries immense weight.
• Jerusalem is the city where God will ultimately take up His dwelling, and Jesus loves it despite its rejection.
• The early church prayer “Maranatha” — Come, Lord Jesus — reflects the longing for His return.

Calls to action

• For those who have never professed faith: come forward and receive Jesus as Savior; do not remain an outsider.
• For the sick or unwell: come forward for prayer and anointing with oil.
• For all believers: surrender to Jesus, trust His direction, and wake up to the reality that He is God and man.
• Do not be standing on the outside like the people of Jerusalem — believe and receive the promises of God.

Watch the video: https://youtu.be/iErTaHMfBdY