Believing is Seeing
Notes
Transcript
Big Idea: Faith leads to seeing the evidence of Christianity not the other way around.
For many of you that have come to faith at an older age you probably have had this similar experience: You didn’t recognize the real world evidence for Christianity until you opened up your heart to the possibility of faith. Before coming to faith you couldn’t see how it could be true. Now that you are a disciple of Christ you see the evidence of your faith everywhere you look.
For the everyday person this seems like a backward process. How does this work? How can I believe before I see the evidence? Our culture demands evidence before we believe, but we see that isn’t often how God works. (God speaks to the heart and the brain follows).
7 For we walk by faith, not by sight.
So then if this is true what examples from scripture do we have to show us this truth?
This morning we are going to look at a few examples of this that will help explain this idea and in this I hope today you will leave here with God’s perfect peace.
Trans: The first example we see is:
I. Faith Precedes Understanding
I. Faith Precedes Understanding
26 An angel of the Lord spoke to Philip: “Get up and go south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” (This is the desert road.)
27 So he got up and went. There was an Ethiopian man, a eunuch and high official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of her entire treasury. He had come to worship in Jerusalem
28 and was sitting in his chariot on his way home, reading the prophet Isaiah aloud.
29 The Spirit told Philip, “Go and join that chariot.”
30 When Philip ran up to it, he heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, “Do you understand what you’re reading?”
31 “How can I,” he said, “unless someone guides me?” So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.
32 Now the Scripture passage he was reading was this: He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb is silent before its shearer, so he does not open his mouth.
33 In his humiliation justice was denied him. Who will describe his generation? For his life is taken from the earth.
34 The eunuch said to Philip, “I ask you, who is the prophet saying this about—himself or someone else?”
35 Philip proceeded to tell him the good news about Jesus, beginning with that Scripture.
36 As they were traveling down the road, they came to some water. The eunuch said, “Look, there’s water. What would keep me from being baptized?”
38 So he ordered the chariot to stop, and both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized him.
39 When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord carried Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him any longer but went on his way rejoicing.
Notice with me this morning that his Ethiopian Eunuch could not see or understand the scriptures that were right in front of him. Eunuchs were often well educated starting their lives in the cult of a god in one of the many temples. As they grew the best and the brightest would be used for government service.
This Eunuch was obviously out on official business and would have been a trusted member of the Ethiopian government. When we think of Ethiopia we don’t think about it being a large and very influential kingdom with castles and royalty. So he was most likely a vey educated man. Yet he couldn’t understand the book of Isaiah. Education alone wasn’t enough for him to grasp The Word of God. He needed a person of faith to explain it to him.
Which by the way. Is the modern work of a priest. We believe in the priesthood of every true disciple of Christ. This means, that every believer has direct access to God through Christ and the Holy Spirit. Because of this privilege, our occupation is one of a priest to those who are outside the faith. We explain and proclaim to the people the things of God.
This is what Philip was to this Ethiopian, he acted as a go between man and God. He was leaning into his identity as a priest when leading this man to Yahweh God through Christ.
But we see that education is no guarantee of understanding. God sent Philip to the Eunuch because he wanted to understand. The scriptures tell us Jesus said
32 As for me, if I am lifted up from the earth I will draw all people to myself.”
God is drawing all men to himself but the Ethiopian Eunuch has positioned his heart to hear the voice of God. To desire to know the truth.
Which brings us to the next point:
II. Faith precedes the recognition of the evidence/truth.
II. Faith precedes the recognition of the evidence/truth.
4 In their case, the god of this age has blinded the minds of the unbelievers to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
Listen to this next example told to us by Jesus and recorded for us in scripture.
19 “There was a rich man who would dress in purple and fine linen, feasting lavishly every day.
20 But a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, was lying at his gate.
21 He longed to be filled with what fell from the rich man’s table, but instead the dogs would come and lick his sores.
22 One day the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried.
23 And being in torment in Hades, he looked up and saw Abraham a long way off, with Lazarus at his side.
24 ‘Father Abraham!’ he called out, ‘Have mercy on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this flame!’
25 “ ‘Son,’ Abraham said, ‘remember that during your life you received your good things, just as Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here, while you are in agony.
26 Besides all this, a great chasm has been fixed between us and you, so that those who want to pass over from here to you cannot; neither can those from there cross over to us.’
27 “ ‘Father,’ he said, ‘then I beg you to send him to my father’s house—
28 because I have five brothers—to warn them, so that they won’t also come to this place of torment.’
29 “But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; they should listen to them.’
30 “ ‘No, father Abraham,’ he said. ‘But if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’
31 “But he told him, ‘If they don’t listen to Moses and the prophets, they will not be persuaded if someone rises from the dead.’ ”
Notice this last statement that Jesus made in this account, “If they don’t listen to Moses and the prophets ( The Old Testament), they will not be persuaded if someone rises from the dead.”
Someone did rise from the dead. We literally have eyewitness accounts to this event recorded for us in scripture. We have other historical references about the uniqueness of Jesus and his influence on history.
You see evidence is not the problem. The rich man would not believe even if he saw a person rise from the dead because he loved his current lifestyle.
15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
16 For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride in one’s possessions—is not from the Father, but is from the world.
17 And the world with its lust is passing away, but the one who does the will of God remains forever.
In fact, the evidence is there both in history, scripture, and the universal experience that all true believers have when their eyes are opened to the truth. When a person is truly willing to see, they will see. Then all of the sudden all of the evidence comes rushing at them and the wonder how they missed it all this time.
No the problem is not with the evidence, but with the heart of the one refusing to see it.
As Jesus was alluding to....even his resurrection will not convince those who’s heart is cold and unwilling to repent.
7 For we walk by faith, not by sight.
1 Now faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen.
6 Now without faith it is impossible to please God, since the one who draws near to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
What does this have to do Advent and the story of Christ’s birth?
Because the story of God coming to earth in the form a baby, a baby that grew into a man, the God-man, then sacrificed himself on the cross for you and for me. Then rose again on the third day defeating sin and death is not a hard story to believe. Why is it so difficult to believe that an all powerful God could and would enact a simple plan for the rescue of all humanity.
But you will never see the evidence of Jesus birth, life, and death until you open your mind to the truth of it. The evidence is all right there in front of you but faith is the lens required to first see it. Faith peels away the scales that the enemy and your sin has put on your eyes. You don’t see it because you do not want to see it. This heart disposition it keeps you from knowing God and seeing him for who He really is.
But for those of us who do come. For those of us that will open our hearts to faith and and repentance not only do we see the evidence clearly but we also get something amazing.
Now just a few moments ago we lit the candle that represents peace. You see...
III. True Saving Faith Brings Peace
III. True Saving Faith Brings Peace
6 For a child will be born for us, a son will be given to us, and the government will be on his shoulders. He will be named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.
7 The dominion will be vast, and its prosperity will never end. He will reign on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish and sustain it with justice and righteousness from now on and forever. The zeal of the Lord of Armies will accomplish this.
10 But the angel said to them, “Don’t be afraid, for look, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people:
11 Today in the city of David a Savior was born for you, who is the Messiah, the Lord.
12 This will be the sign for you: You will find a baby wrapped tightly in cloth and lying in a manger.”
13 Suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the angel, praising God and saying:
14 Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to people he favors!
Not only does faith open our eyes to the evidence but it sets us on the side of peace.
This word peace here has the idea of a treaty being signed. A long awaited war between God and man is over. Jesus was the envoy of peace. Jesus is the peace on earth. You too can sign onto the this treaty if you will come by faith and repentance to Jesus Christ.
You can have peace with God.
No this story is not hard to believe. It’s recorded accounts have been scrutinized for centuries. Evidence is not your problem it is faith from a heart who is holding onto control and sin. By faith release it today and you too will see the truth.
