Do you Believe This? (John 14:6)
Notes
Transcript
6 Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.
Do you REALLY believe this?
Do you REALLY believe this?
Raise your hand if you believe this...
Why? Why do you believe this?
How many of you with your hands up have been baptized?
What happens to those who chose NOT to follow Jesus?
We know from Scripture that there is reward for those who choose to follow Jesus and punishment for those who do not.
When we choose to follow Jesus we have a better life now, and the promise of eternal life after we die.
39 And this is the will of God, that I should not lose even one of all those he has given me, but that I should raise them up at the last day. 40 For it is my Father’s will that all who see his Son and believe in him should have eternal life. I will raise them up at the last day.”
Resurrection lines...
25 “And I assure you that the time is coming, indeed it’s here now, when the dead will hear my voice—the voice of the Son of God. And those who listen will live. 26 The Father has life in himself, and he has granted that same life-giving power to his Son. 27 And he has given him authority to judge everyone because he is the Son of Man. 28 Don’t be so surprised! Indeed, the time is coming when all the dead in their graves will hear the voice of God’s Son, 29 and they will rise again. Those who have done good will rise to experience eternal life, and those who have continued in evil will rise to experience judgment. 30 I can do nothing on my own. I judge as God tells me. Therefore, my judgment is just, because I carry out the will of the one who sent me, not my own will.
25 Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. 26 Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die. Do you believe this, Martha?”
In our context we can assume people have heard SOMETHING about Jesus. But, it is our responsibility to share the RIGHT things about Jesus.
YET… We don't know, for certain, what happens to people who have NOT heard about Jesus
There is something about being judged on the basis of the faith that we have (Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob did not know of Christ, yet they followed God).
HOWEVER we do know there is judgment upon those who knowingly REFUSE Jesus.
How many of you have shared the Gospel with someone, just 1 person, in the past 3 months?
How many of you have shared the Gospel with someone, just 1 person, in the past 3 months?
Raise your hand again if you believe Jesus is the Way the Truth and the Life...
Now, IF you have shared the Gospel, the Good News of Jesus Christ, with 1 Person in the last three months (since our last Baptism service) keep your hand up. If you have NOT shared the Gospel, lower your hand...
The Gospel REQUIRES urgency!
The Gospel REQUIRES urgency!
There is an URGENCY in the Gospel, therefore!
Many say they believe. Yet, not many share their belief. Do they REALLY believe???
If you KNEW that there was a catastrophe coming andit would injure, or do worse, to your neighbor… if you chose NOT to say anything YOU WOULD BE HELD RESPONSIBLE!
Yet, we know there are high stakes with the Gospel, and many times we remain SILENT!
1 As God’s partners, we beg you not to accept this marvelous gift of God’s kindness and then ignore it. 2 For God says, “At just the right time, I heard you. On the day of salvation, I helped you.” Indeed, the “right time” is now. Today is the day of salvation.
The Gospel Requires OUR Participation
The Gospel Requires OUR Participation
We often think of the Great Commission in Matthew 28...
18 Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. 19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Yet we also forget The Great Commission MUST propel us into the world because SOULS ARE AT STAKE!
EVERY Gospel has a great commission given to the Disciples of Jesus! That’s Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, AND even Acts.
18 Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. 19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
15 And then he told them, “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone. 16 Anyone who believes and is baptized will be saved. But anyone who refuses to believe will be condemned. 17 These miraculous signs will accompany those who believe: They will cast out demons in my name, and they will speak in new languages. 18 They will be able to handle snakes with safety, and if they drink anything poisonous, it won’t hurt them. They will be able to place their hands on the sick, and they will be healed.”
44 Then he said, “When I was with you before, I told you that everything written about me in the law of Moses and the prophets and in the Psalms must be fulfilled.” 45 Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures. 46 And he said, “Yes, it was written long ago that the Messiah would suffer and die and rise from the dead on the third day. 47 It was also written that this message would be proclaimed in the authority of his name to all the nations, beginning in Jerusalem: ‘There is forgiveness of sins for all who repent.’ 48 You are witnesses of all these things. 49 “And now I will send the Holy Spirit, just as my Father promised. But stay here in the city until the Holy Spirit comes and fills you with power from heaven.”
8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
19 That Sunday evening the disciples were meeting behind locked doors because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders. Suddenly, Jesus was standing there among them! “Peace be with you,” he said. 20 As he spoke, he showed them the wounds in his hands and his side. They were filled with joy when they saw the Lord! 21 Again he said, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.” 22 Then he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive anyone’s sins, they are forgiven. If you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”
Also, of note, these Commissioning passages are tied to the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. They are given to the Disciples AFTER Jesus is resurrected...
It's as if the Gospel writers wanted to constantly remind us that since Jesus is resurrected it IS OUR MESSAGE to share with the world.
Baptism, as we will witness today is the PUBLIC PROCLAMATION of those who choose to believe. They have responded to the message of Jesus Christ and have declared that they will follow Jesus. However, it is also a reminder to CONTINUE partnering with the Spirit to be propelled into the world as missionaries who proclaim the Good News that Jesus is THE WAY, THE TRUTH, AND THE LIFE and NO ONE CAN COME TO THE FATHER EXCEPT THROUGH HIM!
So... there is the reminder that if we DON'T share will THEY hear? Will THEY know?
9 If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved.
13 For “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” 14 But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? 15 And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, “How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!”
… AND HOW CAN THEY BE SENT IF THEY ARE UNWILLING TO GO...
How Beautiful are YOUR feet?