I will never be the same as a result of the 40 Day Prayer challenge. Many I’ve
talked to feel the same way.
And, WE will never be the same… The corporate results of the 40 Day Prayer
challenge:
Bloomington build team– we prayed for a dozen…we got dozens plural
London – visas obtained, support raised…mission accomplished!
baptisms – we are well over 200 in 3 months alone (many are doubling down
on the 500)
$15 Million in new commitments – although that has yet to be realized…20 +
families have committed an extra 1 Million as a matching challenge to the
rest of us.
o It’s why we’ve pushed gathering the cards to April 23-24. To give us
(2600 who haven’t committed) a chance to do so.
Sermon
Let’s talk about belief. Specifically let’s talk about belief in Jesus. Belief in Jesus is
all kinds of messed up.
For years belief in Jesus has been marginalized into some kind of intellectual
exercise. An affair of the brain.
And lately belief in Jesus has become a sideshow in this circus of a political
process we’ve been forced to endure.
Belief in Jesus is all kinds of messed up. So in this series we’ve been trying to unmess it up. To make belief in Jesus crystal clear so that you can decide whether
INDEED you do actually believe in Jesus.
Here is what we’ve learned to date:
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We started here: Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name,
he gave the right to become children of God-- John 1:12
Belief is specifically about Jesus not some generic belief in God.
Belief is about receiving Jesus into your life in much the same way as you
receive a guest into your home
Belief is about stepping into a relationship with him – “…to those who
believed into his name…”
Belief is about making a 180 turn with your life and becoming born again
We learned belief in Jesus is the one…the singular thing we must do to be in
relationship with God
o don’t have to jump through religious hoops
o don’t have to try to find ways to please God
We also learned about the results of belief:
o Receive zoe – the life of God
o Barry reminded us last week that it is “life, the way it was meant to be”
o When we believe “death is little more than a bump in the road” .We
are granted safe passage to eternity .
And, in a kind of bizarre wonderful way, when we believe into Jesus, we start
to see things!
o We receive a kind of sixth sense of the world around us
o When our spiritual eyes are opened, we start seeing God everywhere
we look. We see the image of God in others. We see his fingerprints in
creation. We see God-ordained opportunities all around us. Batterson,
Draw the Circle
o …and things happen around us in our community
healing, whole community is made alive
So, yeah, we’ve kind of learned a lot – haven’t we!
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Which is great and all but…what if you’re just not havin’ it? You just don’t believe.
Well, you may have your reasons for not believing in Jesus but be forewarned…
The longer you wait, the harder it is to believe.
Let’s see why that is true… John 12:37 page __________
Even after Jesus had done all these miraculous signs in their presence, they still
would not believe in him. John 12:37
Context:
Walking on water, feeding of the 5000, numerous healings including the
raising of Lazarus from the dead.
And the Triumphant Entry into Jerusalem…
Even after Jesus had done all these miraculous signs in their presence, they still
would not believe in him. John 12:37
“They” = probably referring to the masses and many of the religious leaders
“Still would not” = persisted
“believe into” – would not surrender
Why do people choose not to believe in Jesus?
1. Some people choose not to believe in Jesus because they are concerned
about their reputation.
42 Yet at the same time many even among the leaders believed in him. But because
of the Pharisees they would not confess their faith for fear they would be put out
of the synagogue; 43 for they loved praise from men more than praise from God.
John 12:42-43
So, apparently some hedged their bets on believing in Jesus because they were
afraid of repercussions like:
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Excommunication – being “put out of the synagogue” (42)
o There is much speculation about the nature of this…but all agree it was
a very big deal.
Probably meant being cut off from all but family
would mean death to business and relationships
o They could not risk it so they chose not to believe
Reputation and word on the street
o (43) they loved “praise from men”= glory. It implies self-image and
approval.
o I think this may be your problem… You who have chosen to not believe.
You have concocted in your mind what kind of reputation you would
have if you became a believer.
Here’s another reason…
2. Some people choose not to believe out of intellectual hang-ups.
44 Then Jesus cried out, "When a man believes in me, he does not believe in me
only, but in the one who sent me. 45 When he looks at me, he sees the one who
sent me…
49 For I did not speak of my own accord, but the Father who sent me commanded
me what to say and how to say it. 50 I know that his command leads to eternal life.
So whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say." John 12:37-50
Jesus constantly had to deal with a persistent theological hang-up…that He and
God were not related…he was not who he claimed to be – the son of God. That’s
why he had to say over and over things like: Vs 44 “When he looks at me, he sees
the one who sent me.”
Jesus was actually easy to believe in. in some ways:
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He was tangible, human, and he was right there making things happen. What
was not to like or believe in?
o healed people for instance , changed water to wine, multiplied food,
calmed storms
But…wait…what do you mean he was God in the flesh???? This was a problem for
people.
Jesus couldn’t possibly be a personification of the God of the universe!
Jesus was just a man…albeit a strange powerful man who somehow
channeled the power of God or spoke for God.
Today - People still struggle with this and other theological issues…
people today are still unwilling to do that:
o to equate Jesus with God or say
o “Jesus is just one way to God”…Jesus = Buddha = Mohammed = Dali
Lama
This is just one of the theological issues people have that keep them from
believing.
About a month and a half ago I had the privilege to speak at our Merge (high
School) retreat. The theme was doubt. During the retreat we asked them to
articulate some of their doubts and put them on little Google map pins. Here are
just a few… “Google Map pins” images
During the retreat I told them that contrary to what they might have been told or
thought…doubt is a very good thing. I explained doubt this way…
I believe
I wonder I doubt
I don’t care I reject
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So, doubt is a good thing….but what you do with it is crucial!
Explore your doubts! Talk to your friends about them!
Recommend a book to you – Finding God in the Ruins – Matt Bay
And let us help you!
So I’m going to assume that of the thousands of people listening to me right now
there are a good number who are at least skeptical about belief in Jesus. That you
are going to “maybe get around to it” at some point in the future.
That’s OK but let me remind you… The longer you wait, the harder it is to believe.
(37) Even after Jesus had done all these miraculous signs in their presence, they
still would not believe in him. 38 This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet:
"Lord, who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been
revealed?" 39 For this reason they could not believe, because, as Isaiah says
elsewhere: 40 "He has blinded their eyes and deadened their hearts, so they can
neither see with their eyes, nor understand with their hearts, nor turn--and I
would heal them..
OK…so let’s talk about what this looks like: Vs. 39 - ….they could not believe,
(because) "God has blinded their eyes and deadened their hearts, so they can
neither see with their eyes, nor understand with their hearts
What does that mean?
Wait…does that mean that God actually deliberately makes it impossible for
some people to believe? Some folks think so.
I don’t - I struggle to accept that interpretation … that God would condemn
someone to judgment and then make it impossible to escape it. That would
make God cruel and evil.
Instead I tend to agree with Augustine’s take on this: “God hardens simply by
letting alone and withdrawing his aid”. Augustine, 1st Century Christian Theologian
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So, you who are skeptical about belief in Jesus…or you who are unconcerned
about it…or you who are dinking around with religion with no real commitment…
The longer you wait, the harder it is to believe.
If you persist in leaving God alone he might well start to leave you alone. Persist in
skepticism and it will naturally devolve into agnosticism and eventually
atheism…because God will allow you to become calloused toward him.
This is what started happening to Patrick and to Mike.
Mike spent 36 years of his life “stiff arming God”
at age 12 a Sunday school teacher tore the bible out of his hands and
wouldn’t let him read it because he hadn’t been baptized.
from that point on he developed a chip on his should toward God
life became a matter of control – “me, me, me”
he lived life with a huge wall up and his fist clenched
Patrick similarly grew up in church…and was actually baptized at age 12
but his faith was all intellectual and he had many theological hang-ups
and then life turned tough: sister died, child born with special needs,
relationship with his wife struggled and he grew bitter.
he told me he devolved into an “agnostic and borderline atheist”
For both Mike and Patrick this was becoming true… The longer you wait, the
harder it is to believe.
But thank God both Mike and Patrick weren’t so far gone that they couldn’t
respond to God’s intervention in their lives.
Mike Oisten had a series of encounters and conversations and found himself
at Grace Church in July of 2013…where he “cried every Sunday”…and after
36 years of stiff arming God…he surrendered to Jesus Christ. Today you’ll find
Mr. Mike every Sunday loving a small group of kids in Grace Kids.
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Patrick Schooley – similarly had some unique interactions with God including
a viewing of The Passion of the Christ which unnerved him. And this near
atheist agnostic found himself at Grace Church…and just like Mike cried
every Sunday…until one Easter morning several years ago…Patrick responded
to the summons of God and surrendered his life to Jesus. You can find Patrick
now every weekend leading a group of Middle School boys.
For Mike and Patrick it wasn’t too late…after many decades of clenched fists and
closed minds they believed into Jesus. And so can you.
And so SHOULD you.
And because my words aren’t going to be sufficient to get you there…may I speak
on your behalf to the one who can change your heart?
Let’s pray…