John 7:14-18 • How do you know if a teacher is from God or just pushing their own agenda? Jesus gives us two clear tests to discern truth from deception.

⛪ Preached at Pilgrim Baptist Church • Cookeville, TN • February 1, 2026.

📚 Part of our verse-by-verse expository series through John

When Jesus showed up at the temple, the religious leaders demanded, "Where's your degree? Who authorized you?" They valued credentials over truth. We face the same trap today—celebrity preachers, gatekeeping systems, and teachers who seek their own glory instead of God's.

This exposition of John 7:14-18 provides two biblical tests to discern any teacher (including your pastor):

TEST #1 - THE WILLINGNESS TEST (v. 17): "If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself." Are you willing to obey what God shows you? The issue isn't your intelligence—it's your willingness.

TEST #2 - THE GLORY TEST (v. 18): "He that speaketh of himself seeketh his own glory...but he that seeketh his glory that sent him, the same is true." Who gets the credit? True teachers decrease so Christ can increase.

This sermon walks through John 7:14-18, 1 John 2:27, Acts 4:13, and 1 Thessalonians 2, explaining:

• Why religious gatekeepers demand credentials instead of truth

• The Holy Spirit's anointing in every believer (1 John 2:27)

• Why God chose "unlearned and ignorant men" (Acts 4:13)

• How to discern if teaching magnifies God or man

• The difference between seeking God's approval vs. human applause

• Why willingness to obey unlocks understanding

• What trajectory to watch in any teacher's ministry

⏱️ Timestamps:

0:00 - Introduction: Jesus at the Temple

2:16 - John 7:15 - "Where's Your Degree?"

4:28 - 1 John 2:27 - God's Anointing Needs No Human Approval

6:23 - Acts 4:13 - Unlearned Men Who'd Been With Jesus

19:14 - Test #1: The Willingness Test (John 7:17)

26:07 - Are You Looking for Truth or Permission?

30:42 - Test #2: The Glory Test (John 7:18)

40:17 - Watching the Trajectory of Any Teacher

45:07 - Conclusion: Are You Willing to Do His Will?

📖 Key Scriptures (KJV):

"But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him." — 1 John 2:27

"Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus." — Acts 4:13

"If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself. He that speaketh of himself seeketh his own glory: but he that seeketh his glory that sent him, the same is true, and no unrighteousness is in him." — John 7:17-18

⛪ About Pilgrim Baptist Church:

We're a family integrated church in Cookeville, Tennessee where families worship together under verse-by-verse expository preaching from the King James Bible. At Pilgrim, we believe in serious teaching for strong families built on biblical authority.

Families worship together. No entertainment. No shortcuts. Just faithful, verse-by-verse Bible teaching that transforms families.

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