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Fred Chapman

Westside Baptist Church | 22 sermons

April 2008

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by Fred Chapman

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John 7.doc;40-44

John 7:40 – 44
 
In preparation for this message I came across this excerpt from a book written to help people become more effective witnesses for Jesus Christ. The author asks the following questions.
 
What makes people hesitate to share their faith? Here are some of the fears that have been mentioned to me:
 
·        “I am afraid I might do more harm than good.” 
·        “I don’t know what to say.” 
·        “I may not be able to give snappy answers to tricky questions.” 
·        “I may seem bigoted.” 
·        “I may invade someone’s privacy.” 
·        “I am afraid I might fail.” 
·        “I am afraid I might be a hypocrite.” 
 
Perhaps the most common fear, however, is that of being rejected. A survey was given to those attending training sessions for the Billy Graham crusade in Detroit. One question asked, “What is your greatest hindrance to witnessing?”
 
·        Nine percent said they were too busy to remember to do it. 
·        Twenty-eight percent felt the lack of real information to share. 
·        None said they didn’t really care. 
·        Twelve percent said their own lives were not speaking as they should. 
·        But by far the largest group was the 51 percent whose biggest problem was the fear of how the other person would react! None of us likes to be rejected, ridiculed, or regarded as an oddball. 
! Good News is for Sharing, Leighton Ford, 1977, David C. Cook Publishing Co., p. 15
 
As this survey reveals, most of us are nervous about sharing the gospel with others, because we are afraid of what they might say. Though these fears may be natural and even legitimate, we must overcome them. God commands us to do so, and the souls of our friends, family, and coworkers depend on it.
 
 \\ Read John 7:40 – 44
 
Background for these verses. Jesus had been in Jerusalem for what was known as the “Feast of the Tabernacles”.  This is a Jewish feast that commemorates temporary shelters (tabernacles) that the Israelites lived in during the Exodus from Egypt.
 
This feast lasted for seven days, and during that time Jesus took the opportunity to talk to people, and in effect witness to them. One of the many names given to Jesus in the scriptures is that of  “faithful witness”. He never hesitated or backed away from any opportunity to share the Gospel. In fact, just prior to the beginning of the feast His own brothers rejected His message and refused to believe. This did not deter Jesus from taking advantage of the next opportunity.
 
With the example set for us by Jesus, take a closer look at verses 40 – 44. If our greatest fear of witnessing is not knowing what the result will be, these verses should help. They tell us what the results could be, thus the uncertainty is gone.
 
First we see that some of the people said that Jesus must be a prophet. This reaction to what Jesus said was not a complete rejection of Jesus Himself. By calling Him a prophet, they were acknowledging that His message was from God. They saw Jesus as a man, divinely chosen by God to deliver the message of the coming Messiah. The rejection here, was not of Jesus the Man, but Jesus the Messiah. 
 
We can see similar reactions by people today. As we share the Gospel some will acknowledge that the message is good, but refuse to accept Jesus being the only way to salvation. The messenger is not thought of negatively, nor is the message. 
 
Second we see that some said He was the Christ or Messiah. They accepted Him for who He was, based on what he said and did.
 
 \\ Today we would say these folks got saved. The important thing to remember is that they are not saved because of anything other than having faith in Jesus Christ. That faith is not something our witness gives them. Paul tells us in Ephesians that saving faith is from God. God just uses us to bring it to their attention.
 
 
 
You Forgot My Soul
You lived next door to me for years; \\ We shared our dreams, our joys, our tears. \\ A friend to me you were indeed, \\ A friend who helped me in my need.
My faith in you was strong and sure; \\ We had such trust as should endure. \\ No spats between us e’er arose; \\ Our friends were like—and so, our foes.
What sadness then, my friend, to find \\ That, after all, you weren’t so kind. \\ The day my life on earth did end, \\ I found you weren’t a faithful friend.
For all those years we spent on earth \\ You never talked of second birth. \\ You never spoke of my lost soul \\ And of the Christ who’d make me whole.
I plead today from Hell’s cruel fire \\ And tell you now my last desire. \\ You cannot do a thing for me; \\ No words today my bonds to free.
But do not err, my friend, again— \\ Do all you can for souls of men. \\ Plead with them now quite earnestly, \\ Lest they be cast in Hell with me.
! Reprinted from Christian News

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