Whoever Believes...
Gospel of John • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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John 12:37-50.
In our study today, we will look at some of the most thought provoking verse in Scripture.
It is well documented across all the gospels, the fact of God’s appearance in the world He created through the Incarnate appearance of Jesus Christ.
Yet in spite of the fulfillment of OT prophecy, attesting to the miracles, John and his audience also see this all soundly rejected by the majority of the Jewish people.
This takes us back to the Book of Deuteronomy in Moses Farewell speech to the Israelites, before they crossed over the Jordan River into the Promised Land.
And Moses summoned all Israel and said to them: “You have seen all that the Lord did before your eyes in the land of Egypt, to Pharaoh and to all his servants and to all his land, the great trials that your eyes saw, the signs, and those great wonders.
But to this day the Lord has not given you a heart to understand or eyes to see or ears to hear.
So John begins this section with a profound question-
Which, in various forms has been echoed down through time...
Though he had done so many signs before them, they still did not believe in him, so that the word spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: “Lord, who has believed what he heard from us, and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?”
As John has brought us to this point, we pause to examine all that has taken place so far.
Jesus’ public ministry is now completed
The Miracles have happened in full view of the people He was reaching out to.
His many Teachings have been delivered and documented for all time.
And yet the miracles and the teachings have been largely rejected.
The very people God sent the Messiah to as His messenger, have failed to grasp hold of the Truth before them.
Although John stated early on in John 1.11
He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.
He also confirmed in John 1.5
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
How does John’s readers, years later see this as anything other than failure? The Church today, still struggles with this question
Did God actually fail? Has darkness really prevailed over the Light?
Has evil won the day?
It would have appeared so at the time...And John certainly has some explaining to do for his audience.
And to look at the world today, At first glance it may seem difficult to see Gods plan of Redemption, Salvation and Reconciliation at work in any positive manner.
How do we reconcile the idea of God’s sovereignty with human free will, especially in light of the widespread rejection of Jesus despite His miracles?
1. Prophecy Fulfilled, Hearts Hardened
1. Prophecy Fulfilled, Hearts Hardened
Therefore they could not believe. For again Isaiah said, “He has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart, lest they see with their eyes, and understand with their heart, and turn, and I would heal them.” Isaiah said these things because he saw his glory and spoke of him.
Nevertheless, many even of the authorities believed in him, but for fear of the Pharisees they did not confess it, so that they would not be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God.
John now takes us to Isaiah 53, The earliest description we have of the image of the SUFFERING SERVANT.
Jesus has been rejected by the very ones He was sent to save.
Next we read in Is 6.10
Make the heart of this people dull, and their ears heavy, and blind their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.”
This passage has become the classic NT verse to explain Israels rejection of Jesus.
Apostle Paul cites it in Acts 28, Matthew, Mark and Luke all quote this verse as the reason the crowds, largely did not understand His parables.
But Isaiah did not fail anymore than Jesus Christ did.
God told Isaiah to prophecy to the people- But told him in advance they would not listen.
The people would hear, but not understand. They would see but not comprehend.
So Isaiah did not fail- He delivered Gods word to the people.
He also bore witness to having seen Jesus “In His Glory” in a vision in Isaiah 6, where the Prophet saw the Lord, “High and Exalted” and Surrounded by His Glory.
Likewise, Jesus did not fail either.
Jesus’ message was far more profound than Isaiah’s, but also so much more inpactful.
But why are hearts hardened? The text suggests a complex interplay between divine action and human choice. We're told that "they could not believe" because, as Isaiah had said,
"He has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart." This difficult passage challenges our understanding of free will and God's sovereignty.
It's not that God arbitrarily decides to prevent people from believing, but rather that continued rejection of the light leads to an inability to see it.
Interestingly, John notes that even among the authorities, there were those who believed in Jesus. Yet fear of social consequences – being put out of the synagogue – kept them from confessing their faith openly.
It's a timeless illustration of how the fear of man can overpower the fear of God, how the temporary glory that comes from human approval can eclipse the eternal glory that comes from God.
It is clear that John’s point is this:
True belief in Jesus requires not just seeing miracles but a heart willing to trust in His saving grace, revealing that faith is a deeper commitment to the light He embodies.
The Gospel of John is consistently held together by the combining of God’s sovereignty and Man’s Responsibility.
Jesus calls people to believe, and many do.
Throughout Johns Gospel, there is no compromise on Jesus’ demand for Decision and Faith.
The social pressures of the time were immense- For some it meant losing position, prestige, power and authority.
All things that the human heart strives for- But runs contrary to the Self-Sacrificing lifestyle Jesus calls all believers too.
With Jesus as our guiding Light, we should not shy away from declaring His message to the world.
We have the support of the Holy Spirit that calls us to speak boldly and with authority, helping those around us see that faith cannot be suppressed by fear.
With Jesus being the Ultimate fulfillment of Prophecy, we can encourage each other to move from the need of signs and miracles to a deeper and more open declaring of our faith to all that will listen.
2- The Purpose Behind the Promise.
2- The Purpose Behind the Promise.
John 12: 44-50.
The leaders of the Early church struggled with the unbelief of the people, just as we do today.
The Apostle Paul explained it this way in,
I am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit— that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart.
For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh.
They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises. To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen.
Paul is saying that he, recognizing the special place the Jewish nation held in God’s heart, He grieved greatly and it tore at his own heart, that so many of his fellow Jews had rejected Christ as their Messiah.
Paul was willing to be accursed, himself, and be cut off from the Glory of Christ for the sake of his own kindred Jews.
He understood, the fullness of Gods promise to them, the glory of Gods presence, the purpose of the Law, the worship and ultimately, the Promises of God made to Israel.
Paul would have given up his place in eternity if the Jews of his time would just listen and believe in Jesus.
Outside of Jesus own willingness to die for all humanity, This is the single greatest statement of self sacrifice in the NT.
This section of Johns Gospel now closes with a plea to the people, directly from Jesus, himself, for belief in Him.
The theme now should be familiar to those listening:
Jesus has been sent by Their Heavenly Father.
God, the Father is the sole Authority in Christ’s ministry
He is the Light shining in the darkness
His only purpose is the bring Salvation,
And Eternal life, to those who have faith and believe in Him
But there is also a warning attached here as well,
As we learned last week, the time of the corporate sacrifice is ending, and as Jesus, very clearly states:
The one who rejects me and does not receive my words has a judge; the word that I have spoken will judge him on the last day.
The age of personal accountability has begun.
Jesus clarifies His role and leaves no doubt that He is the Final Revelation of Gods Word and is the Light of the World.
Hearing AND receiving of the Gospel message are vital to living a life fulfilled in Christ.
And we must have clear understanding that God does not purposely harden the hearts of some people.
However, those that reject God’s act of Compassion and sacrifice open the door to their own judgment.
Those that have chosen to walk in the ways of evil have sealed their fates, already.
Confronted with unbelief today- More so than ever before- It does not signal that God has lost control…
Rather:
John chapter 1 though 12 is not only a description of the nature of the incarnate Messiah,
But of the very nature of a loving and caring God. This Light of God has been shining into the darkness of the world since the eviction of Adam and Eve from the Garden.
NO, God has not lost control, instead, He allows mankind to make a choice- to choose between the Light of Gods love or to live in the self-serving depravity of the darkness of sin.
The mistake humanity has made, and continues to make, is to see the Light and reject it. Humanistic thinking causes men and women to think they can reject the Light of our Messiah and somehow maintain a Spiritual connection to God.
In reality, when we are confronted with the Light of the world, when we see Jesus, when we make our decision about Jesus-
We are really making our choice about God.
The choice you make today, WILL have eternal effects on your life
So, chose wisely.
