Believe It Or Not?
John • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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· 1 viewBelief in Christ is the only thing that keeps us from judgment and brings us to God.
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Transcript
I enjoy the “Get Smart” shows and movies. The bungling Maxwell Smart finds himself in some very problematic situations. He will usually try to talk his way out of them by coming up with some bizarre, nearly impossible explanation and concludes with “Would you believe it or not?”
Interestingly, mankind has gotten itself into a horrible situation, starting with Adam, and is forced to make a decision on the incredible, out-of-this-world offer that Jesus presents.
Yes, it is true that humanity has obliterated many of the illnesses and diseases that used to cut short many lives over the centuries. The strides in medical technology continue to increase exponentially.
Interestingly, there has also been a continual search for something that will help people to live longer and more fully. Many expeditions have been launched searching for the fountain of youth or for some key which extends life.
However, there is nothing that can be done by even the most brilliant of minds that can stop death. Once Adam bought into Satan’s lie, death became a part of the life of humanity. Yet, Satan keeps dressing his lies up in various outfits, trying to convince mankind that we are able to improve ourselves and experience the best for ourselves with our own abilities or other means which are not real.
Thus, no matter how many times we read the Bible or give of our offerings, we cannot avoid spiritual death. No matter how many times we do wonderful things for others or perform good works, we cannot avoid spiritual death. No matter how many times we make a new decision or become more disciplined for Jesus in our own power, we cannot avoid spiritual death.
That is what Nicodemus had heard from Jesus in the verses previous to today’s passage. Nicodemus had been told that all of his religious activities, his esteemed position and his disciplined efforts, were worthless in avoiding spiritual death. We saw that his response was one of disbelief and confusion. We already know one negative truth. Unbelief is the sin that brings judgment and will keep us from God.
So what truth will we discover today? Belief in Christ is the only thing that keeps us from judgment and brings us to God.
Familiarity Breeds Unbelief. - John 3.11-12
Familiarity Breeds Unbelief. - John 3.11-12
We’ve heard the phrase, “Familiarity breeds contempt.” It would seem to be that the worst form of contempt is unbelief in Someone Who loves you more than any human possibly could and Who has done so much for you and has the best of plans for your future.
“Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know and testify of what we have seen, and you do not accept our testimony. If I told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?”
Speaking and testifying relate directly to the ideas of knowing and seeing. We see these words used throughout the Gospel of John. These verses seem to be a follow-up by Jesus as He elaborates on what He means. The problem Nicodemus seemed to have is the same problem many have today. When it comes to the issue of placing one’s faith and trust in Jesus Christ and accepting the Bible and all that God has to say in it, the majority of people cannot bring themselves to that point. That would mean that, just like Nicodemus, they will not believe it. One does not accept what they do not believe.
As Jesus’ speaks, we miss out a little bit by the English translation. The pronoun “you” is actually a plural pronoun. It would seem that Jesus is referring, not just to Nicodemus, but to all of unbelieving Israel. Those who were steeped in their tradition and religion would not believe what Jesus was stating. It was just too far beyond their willingness to comprehend. They would rather stay with that which they thought they understood and had been doing for centuries. Their familiarity was indeed breeding unbelief.
There are many today, just like Nicodemus, who will mentally give acknowledgement to Jesus, or at least to the familiar idea of God. However, they stop short of actually accepting Jesus as God. If they do that, they would have to admit that all of humanity is hopelessly lost as sinners who need a Savior. For anyone, especially those who thought they were pretty good in a religious sense, to admit this would have required a great deal of humility. And it seems, the human race doesn’t enjoy humble pie.
But did God give up on Nicodemus and the Jewish people? Does He give up on humanity today? If unbelief brings judgment, what can possibly change that situation? Let’s see what Jesus says next.
Whoever Believes In Christ Is Saved. - John 3.13-17
Whoever Believes In Christ Is Saved. - John 3.13-17
Nobody but God knows what heaven is like. I don’t care how sincere people might be in their story-telling and book-writing, unless a person has left this planet in death, they have not seen heaven. And they certainly don’t get the opportunity to come back and talk or write about it. Just these verses here should remind gullible Christians that some of the stuff in the marketplace that purports to tell about going to heaven and coming back is untrue. Lest someone start emailing me or calling me, telling me that I’m being judgmental, please read what Jesus says here.
“No one has ascended into heaven, but He who descended from heaven: the Son of Man. As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.”
Even Proverbs 30.4 states: Who has ascended into heaven and descended? John 1.18 states: No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.” I also understand that the Bible does have a couple of unique exceptions with some of the saints raised from the graves on crucifixion Friday, as well as Lazarus. Those are unique. If people will not believe what God Himself, Jesus Christ, states, why should they believe someone who shares a supposed personal experience who is not God? And Christian, please don’t tell me that you are now convinced of the reality of heaven because someone just like you experienced it. If so, you’ve placed that person’s authority and word above that of God Himself.
What Jesus is stating, is that He is the only One who knows what heaven is truly like. To help make His point, Jesus brings them back to the serpent which Moses lifted up in the wilderness. (By the way, bronze was often used to symbolize judgment.) It would not have made any sense to the normal person that looking upon a snake was going to save them. Yet, they were not told to kill the snakes or develop some antibodies or move away from that location. However, if they wanted to live, they had better do exactly as God had told them. That was the only option. You may be thinking to yourself, what does that have to do with belief in Christ?
If you were guilty of sin, which all of us are, and were told you would be healed if you simply looked at this bronze snake, you would have to admit your guilt and show your faith in God’s forgiveness and healing by looking at the snake. Bringing it back to the point Jesus is making with Nicodemus, if anybody on this planet is going to be saved, they needed to understand that Christ had to die on the cross. God would accept what Jesus did on the cross when He shed His blood to purchase our salvation. He would provide us with Christ’s righteousness in His forgiveness if we would just believe on Jesus Christ. There is nothing we can do to make this happen; just as the Israelites did not have to do anything on their own except look at that bronze snake. John MacArthur worded it very well when he said, “Whoever looks in faith alone to the crucified Christ will be cured from sin’s deadly bite and will in Him have eternal life.”
I would be remiss If I overlooked John 3:16: ““For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” It is seen at many football games in the end zone. It is a verse quite often quoted by saint and sinner, alike. Yet, think about the huge commentary on God’s love. He chose to love us; not because we deserved His love. We were unlovely, wicked, evil, sinful, lost people who were at odds with God and opposed to God in every way possible.
Just in case someone gets the idea that this verse proves that everyone is going to heaven, let’s look at the context. If everyone were to go to heaven, then it is unnecessary and untrue that those who don’t believe will be judged. Very simply, it is only through Christ that anyone on this planet has the opportunity to be saved. And it is only those who believe in Him who will receive eternal life. If everyone were to be saved, there would be no need for evangelists; Christ’s commands and Paul’s pleading for us to be witnesses and ambassadors would makes no sense at all. Verse 18 needs to be erased from the Bible, as well.
As I look at the life of Nicodemus to this point, as well as that of Paul’s, Peter’s, and many more, I am reminded of the incredible magnitude of God’s love. Nicodemus and Paul, in particular, were pretty good, upright individuals. We should realize, God’s love reaches out to the person who is dead in their self-righteousness. It reaches, as well, to the person who was dead in their most awful, horrid sinfulness. And the wonder is, that even though we were the walking dead in our sins, we are told that we will never perish.
I am also reminded as I read these verses that Christ’s purpose in coming was to save the sinner. I am sobered by the fact that by His coming and providing this opportunity for salvation, that when the sinner rejects Christ, they have brought upon themselves judgment. I am so grateful that God’s salvation through Jesus Christ extended even to me; one who is not a Jew.
In the context, I find myself excited and grateful. At the same time, I find myself very troubled by the next section of verses which I’ll be sharing. Belief in Christ is the only thing that keeps us from judgment and brings us to God. But the very Light which came to bring life and light, people hide from in their belief in Satan’s lies. Satan has caused people to think that darkness is a good thing and that light is a bad thing. Listen to what John writes from Christ’s very words.
Belief In Christ Brings Light. - John 3.18-21
Belief In Christ Brings Light. - John 3.18-21
“He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.”
We see that first of all, for those of us who have believed, we are not judged. This applies from the moment we are saved, through eternity.
However, for those who do not believe, they are condemned already. This idea of belief is more than head knowledge. This is a belief that causes saving faith. It means that a person accepts and believes all that Christ presented about Himself, as well as a willingness and desire to deny oneself and surrender and submit to the Lord Jesus Christ. Some of the worst people on this earth have experienced salvation through Jesus Christ. Sadly, some of the very best people on this earth will experience hell and damnation in judgment because of their unbelief. It all comes to what a person chooses to believe. You can believe Satan’s lies and have unbelief about Jesus. However, the result will be eternity separated from God and spent in torture and torment in hell. Let’s look at this a bit more.
Jesus illustrates some of this with the contrast between light and darkness. It is not a matter of someone being accidentally in the darkness. It is a willful choice. It is purposeful and intentional. It’s all about a love for darkness. It’s about loving evil deeds rather than admitting them and coming to Jesus. Too many people think the temporary pleasures of this world are more meaningful and special than simply admitting that they are wrong and are dead without any hope. They would rather think they can do it all their way. There is a strange way of thinking that sinful humanity has, that if we stay in the darkness, nobody (not even God) will see our wickedness. They would rather experience a spiritually empty life with everything around them falling apart, thinking it looks fine to them, than go to the only One who is able to save them and bring them into the Light, Jesus Christ. If they would simply let the Light of Christ expose their evil deeds and simply seek God’s forgiveness, they could be saved.
The other side of the coin shows those of us who have believed in the Lord Jesus Christ. We hate sin because God hates sin. We love righteousness because God loves righteousness. We want to look like Jesus. We want to live like Jesus. The only way this is possible is if we have a saving relationship with Jesus Christ. Then He works in us through His Holy Spirit to make us the people we are to be.
Reflections
Reflections
Christian, we see throughout the Bible that if we are followers of Jesus Christ, it will be obvious by what we do. Why would we want to look and act like the world? How can those who are lost in darkness come to salvation through Jesus Christ unless we let the Light of Christ shine in us? One commentator put it this way, “What one does, reflects who one is.”
This passage is also a firm reminder that if we truly believe, we will be saved. And if we truly believe and are saved, our lives will be committed to God.
If we are content to be satisfied with religion and life according to what seems best to us, that familiarity will breed a contempt for Christ, which is unbelief, which only leads to judgment. However, if we are willing to accept and believe what Jesus has said He came to do and Who He said He is; regardless, of whether it makes sense to us, then we will have eternal life.
Yet, don’t think for a moment that this is all warm, fuzzy, feel-good teaching. The reality is that Jesus is the Light, and He will expose the sin of darkness in a person’s life. Unbeliever, you can run, but you can never hide from the Light of Christ. The judgment is set already, though the payment will come later. Christian, if you truly have the Light of Christ in you, then you must shine Christ’s Light for all to see. Your life will show that you belong to Him. Your belief will be obvious to all.
Belief in Christ is the only thing that keeps us from judgment and brings us to God.
