I WANT YOU TO BELIEVE - 1

INTRODUCTION

I AM GOING TO SAY SOMETHING TODAY THAT IS GOING TO SHOCK YOU. BUT I NEED YOU TO HEAR ME… LISTEN TO ME…GIVE ME A CHANCE TO EXPLAIN MYSELF

BELIEF IN YOUR JESUS IS DESTRUCTIVE AND IDOLATROUS (PAUSE)

- SOME OF YOU ARE SITTING HERE.. BELIEF IS IDOLATROUS … AND WILL SPEND ETERNITY SEPARATED FROM GOD

- REASON

o YOUR BELIEF IN JESUS IS SYNONYMOUS WITH BELIEF IN TOOTH FERRY…EASTER BUNNY… ETC.

- BELIEF IN YOUR JESUS… SEPARATION

- BUT BELIEF IN JOHN’S JESUS AND MY JESUS WILL SAVE YOU

JOHN WRITES THE FOLLOWING

John 20:30–31 ESV

Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

SERMON: “I WANT YOU TO BELIEVE”

THIS IS WHAT I WANT FOR ALL OF US HERE

UNBELIEVERS/SLEPTICS: TO COME TO BELIEVE

BELIEVERS: TO INCREASE IN THEIR BELIEF

I. THE CONTENT OF BELIEF

JOHN WRITES …YOU MAY LIVE

· IN THE BEGINNING GOD…BREATHED…LIVING SOUL

o (LIFE IS IN THE SOUL)

o LIFE IS RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD W/O INTRUSION OF SIN

§ TRULY LIVE

o YET…FALL…KICKED OUT OR PRESENCE OF GOD…SPIRTIAL DEATH

- SPIRITUAL DEATH BEING OUT OF PRESENCE OF THE LORD

- SPIRITUAL LIFE IS IN THE PRESENCE OF THE LORD

THIS WORLD IS FULL OF LIVING … SPIRITUALLY DEAD

· THEIR LIFE D/N LOOK IT

· BUT EVERYTHING ABOUT THEIR INNER LIFE – THEIR SOUL - RINGS TRUE TO THIS.

· SO THEY FIND SOMETHING TO BELIEVE IN

o MADE FOR THIS

o SOME EVEN BELIEVE IN JESUS

BUT JOHN WILL NOT LET BELIEF ALONE BE SUFFICIENT

THREE QUESTIONS WE NEED TO PONDER

A. FIRST: WHAT IS THE CONTENT OF BELIEF THAT LEADS TO LIFE?

JOHN TELLS US WHAT WE ARE TO BELIEVE - VERSE 31

WHAT THESE TERMS MEAN ARE DEEP AND WILL BE EXPLORED THROUGHOUT OUR SERIES, BUT LET ME SUM THEM UP THIS WAY CONSIDERING THE WORDS OF THOMAS IN VERSE 29 (EXPLAIN BRIEFLY THE STORY, THEN

John 20:28 ESV

Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!”

WE ARE TO BELIVE THAT JESUS IS GOD AND SAVIOR ALONE

We are to believe that Jesus is GOD and SAVIOR - ALONE

IN ORDER TO BE IN THE PRESENCE OF GOD FOR ETERNITY WE MUST BELIEVE THAT JESUS IS LORD AND GOD

BUT NOTICE SOMETHING ABOUT THOMAS’S STATEMENT: IT IS A BOOK END TO JOHN 1:1

CHAPTER 1:1 BEGINS THE BOOK BY STATING THAT JESUS IS GOD

John 1:1 ESV

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

CHAPTER 20 BRINGS THE BOOK TO ITS CONCLUSION BY STATING THAT JESUS IS GOD

John 20:28 ESV

Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!”

JOHN IS TEACHING US THAT BETWEEN THESE TWO CONFESSIONS IS A PICTURE (A NARRATIVE ABOUT JESUS) THAT WILL OPEN YOU EYES TO SEE HIS GLORY

- THIS IS WHAT THE GOSPEL WILL DO: IT WILL BEGIN AS A PROPOSITION TO THE MIND AND END WITH A PENETRATION OF THE HEART

AS MUCH AS JESUS IS THE LORD AND GOD THOMAS SAYS: MY LORD AND MY GOD

JOHN DOES NOT WANT YOU TO HAVE KNOWLEDGE ABOUT JESUS OR MERELY A BELIEF THAT HE EXISTS. JOHN IS TEACHING US THAT THE AIM OF GOD IS THAT MAN – THAT YOU AND I - MIGHT HAVE A PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS CHRIST..

- THAT WE MIGHT KNOW HIM INTIMATELY

- THAT WE MIGHT LOVE HIM AND ADORE HIM

- THAT WE MIGHT WORSHIP HIM AND OBEY HIM

JOHN TELLS US THE CONTENT OF BELIEF BECAUSE HE DOES NOT WANT US TO BE MISTAKEN THAT IT IS OKAY TO BELIVE JUST ANYTHING.

MAKING IT CLEAR …NO RIVALS AND THERE ARE NO EQUALS.

o THERE WERE COMPETING BELIEFS THEN/NOW

o BUT AS THEN, SO NOW –NO RIVALS ..NO EQUALS.

JOHN SAYS...WHEN YOU FINISH READING AND HEARING …SIGNS...YOU WILL HAVE SUFFICIENT KNOWLEDGE TO CONCLUDE THE SAME

YOU CAN HAVE A PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH THE SAVIOR. OR WE CAN SAY A PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH THE ONE WHO CAN RECUE YOU FROM SIN.

ALL OF US NEED TO BE RECUSED FROM OUR SIN – ONLY THROUGH BELIEVING IN JESUS AS LORD AND GOD WILL CAN YOU LIVE -.

JESUS SAID IN JOHN 3:36 THE FOLLOWING:

John 3:36 ESV

Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.

THEN HE SAID IN JOHN 5:22-24- THESE WORDS:

John 5:22–23 ESV

For the Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son, that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him.

John 5:24 ESV

Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.

IT DOES NOT MATTER

WHAT WE BELIEVE

WHAT WE HAVE BEEN TAUGHT

WHAT WE WANT TO BELIEVE;

IT DOES NOT MATTER WHAT “MY TRUTH” IS.

WE ARE CALLED BY THE CREATOR OF UNIVERSE TO BELIEVE THAT JESUS IS HIS SON, OUR SAVIOR AND OUR LORD.

THE TRANSFIGURATION - BEFORE PETER, JAMES AND JOHN, SO ASTOUNDING WAS THIS SIGHT THAT PETER SAID

Matthew 17:4 ESV

And Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.”

Matthew 17:5 ESV

He was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.”

B. SECOND: WHY SHOULD WE BELIEVE THIS CONTENT?

1. JESUS SAID IT

THERE ARE SOME WHO SAY THAT JESUS NEVER DECALRED HIMSELF TO BE GOD, BUT THE WITNESS OF JOHN IS DIFFERENT

- I AM THE I AM

- I AM ONE WITH THE FATHER - (John 10:30; 14:10)

John 14:10 ESV

Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works.

John 10:30 ESV

I and the Father are one.”

2. THE RELIGIOUS LEADERS UNDERSTOOD JESUS TO BE MAKING THIS CLAIM

a. JOHN 10:31-33-

John 10:31–32 ESV

The Jews picked up stones again to stone him. Jesus answered them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you going to stone me?”

John 10:33 ESV

The Jews answered him, “It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you but for blasphemy, because you, being a man, make yourself God.”

3. THE FATHER TESTIFIED TO IT

a. John makes this clear in his first letter (1st John)

1ST JOHN 5:10-

1 John 5:10 ESV

Whoever believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has borne concerning his Son.

b. God Testified By the Works Jesus Did

John 5:36 ESV

But the testimony that I have is greater than that of John. For the works that the Father has given me to accomplish, the very works that I am doing, bear witness about me that the Father has sent me.

c. Nicodemus believed it - john 3:2-

John 3:2 ESV

This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.”

d. God Raising Jesus from the Dead

John 20 -

Romans 1:4 ESV

and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord,

THE RESURRECTION IS GOD’S SIGNATURE ON THE WORK OF JESUS

MORE THAN 500 TESTIFIED TO THE RESURRECTION

1 Corinthians 15:6 ESV

Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep.

C. THIRD: WHOSE REPORT WILL YOUR BELIEVE?

c. JOHN’S POINT: THIS GOSPEL WILL BE SUFFICIENT ENOUGH TO

a. BE PROOF ENOUGH FOR SAVING FAITH OR

b. MAKE YOUR UNBELIEF WORTHY OF CONDEMNATION

c. JESUS IS NOT CONDEMNING – HE IS SPEAKING BUT YOUR AND MY RESPONSE TO HIS WORDS ILLUSTRATE FAITH OR UNBELIEF

CONCLUSION

TRY TO THINK OF AN ILLUSTRATION FOR THIS LAST POINT…THEN MAKE THE POINT

SO HERE IS THE CONCLUSION:

THERE ARE THE ONLY TWO OPTIONS SET BEFORE ALL OF HUMANITY:

a. UNBELIEF: JESUS IS A BLASPHEMER AND GOD IS LYING

b. BELIEF: GOD IS TRUE AND JESUS IS LORD

I HAVE SHOWN YOU TESTIMONY TODAY THAT CONCLUDES THAT JESUS IS THE TRUE GOD AND SAVIOR!