This is Not a Covert Operation

Live Out Loud

Many Believed — Most did not place faith in Jesus as their Messiah but some did. Many of these were vocal followers of Jesus (Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimethea are two) but others, fearing excommunication from the synagogue remained silent.

Silent Christians — John chides these silent Christians in verse 43 by citing their desire for the praise of men more than they desired the praise of God.

Praise (from men) — To speak of something or someone as unusually fine and deserving of honor; to praise, glorify

Praise (from God) — Honor as an element in the assignment of status to a person; honor, respect

It is seemingly insane when we consider it like this but the choice to remain a silent Christian is the decision to place greater importance upon human beings considering us honorable and praiseworthy rather than our life’s work actually being assigned honor or declared honorable by God.

Would you rather men think you are praiseworthy and honorable or have God declare you to be praiseworthy and honorable? Many believers, throughout history have made it their first choice to be well thought of by men.

God makes a person of honor — Let us actually be made to be men and women of honor rather than simply thought of as such.

The world often declares those whom God declares honorable to be people of dishonor. Christians in our own culture are increasingly thought of as racist, bigoted, intolerant and hate filled because of our faith in Christ.

Bernie Sanders — During a confirmation hearing for Russell Vought, who is President Trump’s nominee for deputy director of the Office of Management and Budget, Senator Bernie Sanders had some harsh words relating to a piece Vought wrote defending his alma mater, Wheaton College, a Christian institution for firing a professor who expressed solidarity with Muslims. In that piece, he wrote, “Muslims do not simply have a deficient theology. They do not know God because they have rejected Jesus Christ his Son, and they stand condemned.”

Sanders took issue with that, saying, “In my view, the statement made by Mr. Vought is indefensible, it is hateful, it is Islamophobic, and it is an insult to over a billion Muslims throughout the world.”

Vought affirmed the worth of all people. He clearly stated that all should be loved and affirmed in their worth as human beings but that he believed salvation came only through Christ. His orthodox Christian beliefs were too much for Sanders who declared he would vote no on Vought’s nomination.

In that piece, he wrote, “Muslims do not simply have a deficient theology. They do not know God because they have rejected Jesus Christ his Son, and they stand condemned.”

Amazingly, Senator Chris Van Hollen of Maryland added: “I’m a Christian, but part of being a Christian, in my view, is recognizing that there are lots of ways that people can pursue their God...No one is questioning your faith ... It’s your comments that suggest a violation of the public trust in what will be a very important position.”

I’m sorry Senator Van Hollen but Sanders was questioning not only Vought’s faith but the faith of every orthodox Christian in the world. And you sir are either no believer at all or a covert one of the likes John refers to in verse 43.

A priest once said, “We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience.” We do well to remember this! The priority of our life should be who we are in Christ and the work he has given us to do while we exist these very few years upon the earth. We must keep our eyes on what is real and what matters most.

For what or whom are you living? How do your words and actions answer this question? Whose praise are you living for God or man?

Being a vocal Christian will come with a price. If you back the Gospel message you will be thought a hate monger, intolerant and bigot. If you believe in scriptural definitions of holiness and righteousness you will hated, attacked and considered an obstacle which needs to be removed so that equality and social progress might be achieved.

The highly emotional, closely contested nature of the voter referendum created a political maelstrom that was unusual in intensity for its time. After closely passing, the backlash from those who opposed Proposition 8 was widely covered by news media and was considered highly controversial. Anti-Proposition 8 activists looked up supporters in state-government-required donation documentation, then posted their names and personal information, and organized protests at their places of work.[3] Many religious buildings were vandalized and Proposition 8 supporters received death threats, were mailed envelopes of white powder resembling anthrax, or lost their jobs or businesses.

Stand for the Gospel. Speak God’s Word and never back down. Stand up for the Gospel...man’s depravity, God’s grace and eternal life through Jesus alone. Don’t settle for being a covert Christian who loves to hear the praise of men rather than have the praise of God. Love God and live for His approval instead.

Believe and live in such a way that people know you believe!

Love the praise of God most! Love God’s approval, respect and honor of you most. When He calls you a man or woman of honor it doesn’t matter the world’s opinion of you…you are who He says you are.

And what do we believe???

The Finale

This is the last story of Jesus’ public ministry in the Gospel of John. The rest of the book will be focused upon His ministry to His disciples and His passion.

“He who believes in me believes in the one who sent me!” — Jesus’ ministry was not of human origin. His words were not the words of a man. He was not simply a good teacher. He was the Son of God, an agent of the Father; His life and words were the actions and words of deity. If you believe in Jesus you believed in God…to reject Jesus was to reject God.

So we believe that Jesus is the Second Person of the Trinity. He is God. His words are absolute truth and must be believed.

Light and Darkness — Jesus is the light…He is the complete and total opposite of darkness (the realm of sin and evil).

Light — The word used here for Light is one used in relationship to some source of light. So Jesus is using this phrase piggybacking on the previous verse. Jesus is from the Father…God is the source of Light…He and the Father are One

Believe — Anyone who places complete trust and reliance upon Jesus, those who have faith in Him, can be delivered from darkness and no longer live enslaved to its consequences and power. Those who have faith in Jesus do not continue in or remain in darkness.

Jesus rescues us from the evil that is the darkness!

Galatians 1:3–4 ESV

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father,

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Galatians

For the genuine believer in Christ, sin is an anathema!

1 John 3:5–6 ESV

You know that he appeared in order to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him.

So we believe in the reality of sin and evil, which Scripture refers to as darkness. We believe Jesus is the Light who came in the world to deliver us from sin and evil.

Summary — Mankind is in darkness (sin, evil and death). Jesus=came in order to deliver mankind from darkness and did so through His sacrificial death on the Cross.

Jesus is the only means by which a person may move from darkness into light

So what do you do with all of this???

Love Love Love

Jesus shared the message of the Gospel; some believed and others did not. However, He did not judge those who rejected Him.

Judge — To form an opinion or conclusion about. Pronounce and determine guilty or condemned.

It was not the time for unbelievers to be pronounced guilty and condemned. Of course they stand condemned already but that condemnation is not yet pronounced over them. There will come a day when that happens but now was/is not that time.

A young woman, who had been brought up in a Christian home and who had often had very serious convictions in regard to the importance of coming to Christ, chose instead to take the way of the world. Much against the wishes of her godly mother, she insisted on keeping company with a wild, hilarious crowd, who lived only for the passing moment and tried to forget the things of eternity. Again and again she was pleaded with to turn to Christ, but she persistently refused to heed the admonitions addressed to her.

Finally, she was taken with a very serious illness. All that medical science could do for her was done in order to bring about her recovery, but it soon became evident that the case was hopeless and death was staring her in the face. Still she was hard and obdurate when urged to turn to God in repentance and take the lost sinner's place and trust the lost sinner's Saviour.

Finally, she was taken with a very serious illness. All that medical science could do for her was done in order to bring about her recovery, but it soon became evident that the case was hopeless and death was staring her in the face. Still she was hard and obdurate when urged to turn to God in repentance and take the lost sinner's place and trust the lost sinner's Saviour.

One night she awoke suddenly out of a sound sleep, a frightened look in her eyes, and asked excitedly, "Mother, what is ,?"

John 3:18 NASB95

“He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

One night she awoke suddenly out of a sound sleep, a frightened look in her eyes, and asked excitedly, "Mother, what is ,?" Her mother said, "What do you mean, my dear?" She replied that she had had a most vivid dream. She thought there was a Presence in the room, who very solemnly said to her, "Read ,." Not recalling the verses in question, the mother reached for a Bible. As she opened it, her heart sank as she saw the words, but she read them aloud to the dying girl:

Her mother said, "What do you mean, my dear?"

Ezekiel 7:8 ESV

Now I will soon pour out my wrath upon you, and spend my anger against you, and judge you according to your ways, and I will punish you for all your abominations.

She replied that she had had a most vivid dream. She thought there was a Presence in the room, who very solemnly said to her, "Read ,." Not recalling the verses in question, the mother reached for a Bible. As she opened it, her heart sank as she saw the words, but she read them aloud to the dying girl:

Ezekiel 7:9 ESV

And my eye will not spare, nor will I have pity. I will punish you according to your ways, while your abominations are in your midst. Then you will know that I am the Lord, who strikes.

"Now I will shortly pour out my fury upon thee, and accomplish mine anger upon thee: and I will judge thee according to thy ways, and will recompense thee for all thine abominations. And mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity: I will recompense thee according to thy ways and thine abominations that are in the midst of thee; and ye shall know that I am the Lord that smiteth."

The poor sufferer, with a look of horror on her face, sank back on the pillow, utterly exhausted, and in a few moments she was in eternity. Once more it had been demonstrated that grace rejected brings judgment at last.

The poor sufferer, with a look of horror on her face, sank back on the pillow, utterly exhausted, and in a few moments she was in eternity. Once more it had been demonstrated that grace rejected brings judgment at last.

Jesus came to save the world and He has left you and I on earth to do the same. We are ministers of reconciliation not condemnation. We proclaim His salvation and grace in our generation just as He and His disciples did in their own. This is our job. Judgement and condemnation were never a part of our job description.

Certainly we proclaim what God has judged right or wrong. We can call sin what it is. However, we should let God do the assigning of the sentence of sinners and instead do the business of praying and doing all we can to connect them to Christ through the Cross.

Let’s do this and leave those who reject our message to the Father’s judgement at the end of time.

Jesus was quick to denounce sin and encourage people to God’s way of doing things. He was quick to preach salvation through Himself. But pronouncement of judgement and condemnation He left for the end times.

Jesus let people know their judgement and condemnation were coming but the opportunity for salvation was here so they would not have to face such…should we not do the same?

Jesus denounced sin, no question of that. But, He was always calling the sinner to salvation, not condemning them to judgement.

There is a great nuance here…a great difference. Jesus looked at the sinners as one sick in need of a doctor. One lost who needed to be found. Someone in danger who needed salvation. If the lost rejected the offer for rescue He left the final verdict of their life for a later date…Shouldn’t we do the same?

We focus a lot on condemnation when in reality it shouldn’t be on our radar at all. We should love, love, love. Love those in darkness, pray for their salvation and continually share with them the message of the Light.

We should see the lost as fellow human beings in the grip of sin and in need of a Savior not our enemies. We were once a child of the devil and enemy of all that is good just as they are now. The lost are captives and in need of deliverance.

The way to such a deliverance has been entrusted to us…let us do as Jesus did…let us be instruments in the hands of God to save the world!

Conclusion

Are you scared to be outspoken about the Gospel? Are you worried people won’t like you? That they won’t honor you? That you might be considered a fanatic, racist, bigot or worse?

Friends…the world is lost…their approval means nothing…honor from them is dishonor in the eyes of God…love from a world at enmity (war) with God is not a kind of love we should ever want.

1 John 2:15–17 ESV

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. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.

We live in such a way to give them no legitimate accusation against us but they are still going to hate and persecute us for our love of Christ and faithfulness to His way of doing things.

John 15:18–19 ESV

“If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.

Jesus gives us a summary of His message in our passage today. John encourages us to boldly share it with a world desperately lost in darkness. A world headed for judgement and condemnation in hell.

Let’s choose to do what we are encouraged to do. Let’s not live for the praise of men. Let’s live for the praise of God

Let’s love God…love Him so much that we have to share Him with men. Let’s share our faith with people who are lost. Let them know God’s grace, forgiveness and salvation is for them. That God has something better than the sin sick living they have lived.

Let’s be bold enough to be hated…not for any judgement or condemnation on our part but for the Gospel and its message of offense to those living in the darkness of sin.

Let’s stop trying so hard to be liked by a world that hates everything for which our God stands. Instead of trying to be liked let’s love them in spite of their hatred toward us. Let’s never back down from the Gospel message and just love those who hate us, reject us, call us names and persecute us because of our relationship with and faithfulness to Christ.

Just be who you are and follow Jesus…love those who have declared themselves our enemy…and do so best when we pray for their salvation and share the Gospel with them in the face of their rejection and hate.

Don’t get caught up in the peripheries…make the main thing the main thing. Share Jesus, His grace, love, death, burial and resurrection…share the freedom from sin He gives…and never back down.

Johnny Cash Quote

If you thought being a Christian was walking around with your hands folded humming hymns you were wrong. We have continual peace and contentment in Christ.

We have joy in our hearts because of Him…But we are at war with the world and it is high time we remember it, stop making excuses for it and living for the Gospel message…Jesus has come…the world is lost in sin…He died on the Cross to save us and it is time to be born again.