Do you believe?

Subject: Have you heard?

Verse: John 10:24-30

Please stand for the reading of God’s word. Turn to John 10:24-30

1. Introduction Filling our lives with God

1. Since the early prophets, the Jews had been waiting for their savior. The Book of Isaiah is full of prophecy prclaiming the coming of God’s messiah. There is a never ending debate about “religion” and wether it is real. We would be hard pressed to find people in the world today that haven’t at least heard about Jesus, but yet the Christian faith is shrinking. Jesus himself delt with disbelief, we can see in the gospels of Matthew and Mark Jesus infact was limited in the miracles He did in Nazareth, because of thier lack of faith.

2. Our world is crumbling before our eyes because of this disbelief. Everywhere we look the little bit of God that remains is being torn out. Marriage has been redefined, genders is ever changing. If we are honest, we could say that culture has completely removed God. But we sit here today, praising and worshiping God, claiming faith in Christ Jesus; but do we have the faith required to have life in Jesus? Do we understand the Christianity isn’t a religion? Most of the World does not, are we different?

Let’s Read, say Amen if you are there: John 10:24-30

John 10:24–30 (NASB95)

24 The Jews then gathered around Him, and were saying to Him, “How long will You keep us in suspense? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly.”

25 Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe; the works that I do in My Father’s name, these testify of Me.

26 “But you do not believe because you are not of My sheep.

27 “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me;

28 and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand.

29 “My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.

30 “I and the Father are one.”

Opening prayer:

2. Tell us plaining that Jesus is the Christ

1. From history past God set forth His plan to send us Jesus. We can read through the Old Testament and find this plan. For hundreds of years the prophets had been broclaiming this truth and the religious leaders knew this. This plan had been in place so long that the people started to have expectations. Thier view of the messiah got out of alignment with Gods plan. Before Jesus was born God sent John the Baptist. His purpose in life was to procliaim the coming messiah. John 1:6–8, “There came a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to testify about the Light, so that all might believe through him. He was not the Light, but he came to testify about the Light.”

We can recall that John’s dad was a priest performing his duties in the temple when and Angel of the Lord told him of his Son. We don’t know how long John preached and proclaimed the coming Christ, but he did it in the spirit of Elijah. God unfolded this miraculous plan, and droves of people came to repent and be baptised. Mark 1:5, tells us “all the country of Judea, and all the people of Jerusalem; were being baptized, confessing their sins.”

Before this chapter in John’s gosple, Jesus had been performing some rather incredible miracles. He turned water into wine, healed the officials son, healed the lame man, fed the 5 thousand, and healed the blind man. These were all done in public and all of Israel knew of these miracle. All the while Jesus is proclaiming Himself to be the messiah and to be equal with God. Even with all of this taking place, these “leaders”, had the audacity to say, “How long will You keep us in suspense? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly.”

What would it take for them to believe? Today I ask us the same question, what will it take for us to believe? This world is full of those who refuse to believe. See, there isn’t enough evidence to convice them. Believing that God sent Jesus is just to far a stretch, how could anyone belive such an impossible thing? There are still people to believe the World is flat! There is mountains of evidence but no one can persuade them otherwise. See, Church, it isn’t the evidence that makes people believe; it is their hearts. Only God can give someone a heart to believe in Jesus Christ.

3. You do not believe

1. Are we not in the same position as those asking Jesus for proof? How many people still doubt that Jesus Christ is the son of God? There is more historical data supporting Christ’s birth, ministry, death and resurection than most early historical events. We have a reliable collection of historical documents, collected by eye witnesses, during the lifetime of other eye witnesses. 2 Peter 1:16–19, “16 For we did not follow cleverly devised tales when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty. 17 For when He received honor and glory from God the Father, such an utterance as this was made to Him by the Majestic Glory, “This is My beloved Son with whom I am well-pleased”— 18 and we ourselves heard this utterance made from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain. 19 So we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts.”

It takes more faith to not believe than it does to actuall believe. We don’t question Socrates, Plato, or Aristotle. There are less supporting documents for theses three people combined than there are for the gospel.

2. Illustration:

Bob Morey, who had an apologetics ministry in Southern California (d. 2019), was once asked by an aggressive atheist to prove the Bible's truthfulness.

Bob responded, "You prove the Bible to me every time you open your mouth."

Shocked, she asked how this could be true.

He asked her, "Do you fear God?"

She answered, "No."

"Well," he said, "you just proved that Romans 3:18 is true. 'There is no fear of God before their eyes.'"

He proceeded, "Is the gospel foolishness to you?"

"Yes!"

He explained, "Well, you just proved 1 Corinthians 1:18. 'The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing.'"

He continued, "Do you want your own way instead of living according to God's way?"

She retorted, "I don't want God's way—I'll do as I please!"

He responded, "Well, you just proved Isaiah 53:6. 'Each of us has turned to his own way.' Every time you open your mouth you confirm the Bible by saying what it said you would say. Thank you for making me a stronger Christian."

Even unbelief confirms the truth of what we believe!

3. Application:

This World screams of God and shows His majesty in it’s beauty. Those of us who do believe are called to show others, to teach otheres the love of God. We are God’s light in this world, the light on the hill. If we were to be honest, do we live like we belive? The Bible is the inherent word of God, as Christians we profess to believe this; so, why don’t we live it? Romans 3:4, “let God be found true, though every man be found a liar,” Our lives tell God we think He is a liar. We listen to what our parents taught us, to what our professors think, we let our friends over ride the truth of God’s Word.

We tell God, I need your healing power, I need your blessing here and there, but your are wrong about marriage. I need the promotion at work, but please don’t come into my house because your wrong about what I should be watching. The World says sexual relations are okay whenever and where every we would like them, so we tell God His Word is wrong and listen to the World. Are we any different than these unbelievers? I would argue we are worse; they are just saying God doesn’t exist, we are actually calling Him a liar!

1 John 4:20, “If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen.” It is evident that most people live thier lives as though God is liar; how do we think that is going to go at Judgement day? Do we think God will be okay with being called a liar? I assure, that will not go well. We have God’s Word to guide us, to teach us, we just need to put down our pride and pick up a little humility, and bow to the king.

4. Verse 26 “But you do not believe because you are not of My sheep.”

1. How do we know if we are Christ’s sheep? We know this through love and obedience. Everyone is okay with the Love part, but not so much with obedience. John 14:15, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” This is a profound statement by our Lord, this is as simple as it gets. Children can understand this but us adults can’t for some reason. Now, let’s look at what Paul has to says about how we should be living. Ephesians 4:29, “Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear.” Maybe we can do better with this one? Philippians 2:3, “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves;”

I hear you, those are kind of hard, they must be for the super pious saints. What about the church of Colossea? Paul wrote this letter to the Christian who originally had a strong faith. With time they were being decieved with theology and cultural matter. This entire letter is how our relationship with God through Jesus Christ affects us in the workplace. This communinity is what inspired the letter to Philemon, which is about slavery. These Christians had as many if not more worries than we do, and Paul directs them to stand tall and stay true to God and His Word.

2. Illustration

3. Application

5. My sheep follow me

1. In less than 300 years, Christs church not only shared the Gosple but they changed the Roman government. The worst persecution of the church was under Rome. For fun the Romans would use Christians as game peices in the colosseum and woul murder them for fun. By 325 AD the counsel of Nicaea took place. This was meeting with church bishops, preachers and leaders and Roman Emperor Constantine. “In the year 313 CE, Constantine issued a decree making it legal to worship the Christian god again. He had churches built, and according to tradition, he even allowed himself to be baptized on his deathbed.”

2. Illustration

3. Application

7. In closing

1. Summarize what you’ve taught.

2. Present a call to action—what should your congregation do, now that they’ve learned these truths from God’s Word?

8. Pray