Why Some People Believe in Jesus and Others Don't
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Intro—SHORT
Intro—SHORT
Evangelism is hard.
How do you get someone to believe something they don’t already believe?
It feels like the burden is on you to be winsome.
Small Groups Oikos Discussions
There are theological issues with the way we see belief. If we understand these issues, I believe it will help us to be better at sharing with other people about Jesus.
Today we are going to look at two reasons for lack of belief, two ways that belief is hindered, and two components of authentic belief.
Lack of Belief
Lack of Belief
Parable or illustration of the sower and the soils.
Seed = Gospel
Sower = Evangelist
Soil = Hearer
Jesus said that the first reason for a lack of belief is…
The Devil
The Devil
Sometimes when we tell someone about Jesus, the seed never takes root in their hearts. It’s as if they didn’t even hear what they were told.
Jesus said,
Sometimes when we tell someone about Jesus, the seed never takes root in their hearts. It’s as if they didn’t even hear what they were told.
“Listen! Consider the sower who went out to sow. As he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it.
He taught them many things in parables, and in his teaching he said to them: “Listen! Consider the sower who went out to sow. As he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it.
It’s like the words just disappear before they reach the ears of their hearer.
It’s like the words just disappear before the reach the ears of their hearer.
Then he said to them: “Don’t you understand this parable? How then will you understand all of the parables? The sower sows the word. Some are like the word sown on the path. When they hear, immediately Satan comes and takes away the word sown in them.
The sower sows the word. Some are like the word sown on the path. When they hear, immediately Satan comes and takes away the word sown in them.
Mark 4.13-
The sower is the person who is talking about Jesus.
The seed is the message or Gospel of Jesus.
The soil (the path) is the person hearing.
NOTE: The word is ‘sown in them’ — it is understood
But, Satan takes it away.
Who is Satan?
The deceiver (, cf. deceit of the Garden) and father of lies (John 6.44).
Who is Satan?
What does it mean that Satan takes it away?
What does it mean that Satan takes the message away?
You forget about it, “When you hear Satan takes it away.”
Why does he want to take the Word away?
Jesus is destroying his work, so Satan wants to destroy Jesus’s work.
The one who commits sin is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God was revealed for this purpose: to destroy the devil’s works.
Joh
Jesus is destroying his work, so Satan wants to destroy Jesus’s work.
How does he take the Word away? Does Satan have power to deter God’s purposes from you?
No
He deceives
He lies (BIGGEST LIE EVER: You’re good enough the way you are.)
For some reason we come to believe that to desire good is the same thing as actually doing good.
If I feel sadness for people who suffer, that means I’m a good person and God loves me because I feel bad that they suffer.
He distracts
The world is a busy place with lots of things to distract.
As Christians we have a hard time being faithful to Sunday morning none less to other important things like Small Groups, discipelship, conferences, outreach, etc.
The first reason for a lack of belief is the Devil The second is a…
Hardened Heart
Hardened Heart
This isn’t part of the parable itself, but is the context of the parable.
Then he said, “Let anyone who has ears to hear listen.”
Jesus had a conversation with the disciples about why he spoke in figures or parables.
When he was alone, those around him with the Twelve, asked him about the parables. He answered them, “The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to those outside, everything comes in parables so that they may indeed look, and yet not perceive; they may indeed listen, and yet not understand; otherwise, they might turn back and be forgiven.”
Jesus said that he spoke in figures to keep the secrets of the Kingdom of God secret to those who do not belong in the Kingdom of God.
Epiphany: God strategically chooses not to save some according to His sovereign will and purpose.
Isn’t that unjust? No for two reasons…
This was for a time. It had to do with the punishment of the Israelites for abandoning worship of the Lord and worshipping other gods.
Epiphany: One of the reasons people don’t believe is that God himself strategically chooses not to save some according to His sovereign will and purpose.
Isn’t that unjust? No for two reasons…
1) Justice is sending EVERYONE to hell. (ILL: If I get one kid a treat.)
ALL salvation is according to the mercy of God.
No one goes to hell for any other reason than that they are enemies of God and have sinned against Him.
2) The Jews actually chose this fate through hundreds of years of rebellion against God.
What about the individual Jew who wants to follow Jesus? — Many Jews did! This is a statement against national Israel not individual Israelites even if most of the Jews refused to follow Jesus.
Jesus is playing out through parables what has already happened in the hearts of the people.
Partial Hardening of Israel ()
The Israelites’ hearts were hardened due to their idolotry, “Bowed down to Baal.”
It was only partial as God preserved a remnant who would not bow to Baal.
The partial hardening was to make room for the Gentiles who would be Israel by faith to come in, in the place of unfaithful Israelites.
I don’t want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers and sisters, so that you will not be conceited: A partial hardening has come upon Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.
ILL: olive branch
Jesus wasn’t saying that the Jews were not allowed to believe. But, he wanted them to be humble enough to listen and to seek Him first.
We are called to be listeners—he who has ears.
Mark 4.
Then he said, “Let anyone who has ears to hear listen.”
The Israelites’ hearts were hardened due to their idolotry, “Bowed down to Baal.”
It was only partial as God preserved a remnant who would not bow to Baal.
The partial hardening was to make room for the Gentiles who would be Israel by faith to come in, in the place of unfaithful Israelites (ILL: olive branch).
I don’t want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers and sisters, so that you will not be conceited: A partial hardening has come upon Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.
Hardening of heart is done to people who are not willing to listen—who have prejudged Jesus and will not believe.
God doesn’t harden the heart of anyone who hasn’t first hardened his or her own heart against God. (ILL: Pharoah)
Hardening is for the purpose of the progression of the Gospel.
Should I be afraid God will reject me because of hardness of heart?
Absolutely not, if you believe and follow. — or will
If you are here and you are concerned that your heart might be (or has been) hardened towards God, that concern is evidence that your heart has not been hardened.
It may be that you are suffering, not from a lack of belief, but of…
Hindered Belief
Hindered Belief
Other seed fell on rocky ground where it didn’t have much soil, and it grew up quickly, since the soil wasn’t deep. When the sun came up, it was scorched, and since it had no root, it withered away.
Mark 4.
And others are like seed sown on rocky ground. When they hear the word, immediately they receive it with joy. But they have no root; they are short-lived. When distress or persecution comes because of the word, they immediately fall away.
Converts to Christianity sometimes fail to follow through on discipleship because their faith is hindered by distress or worry.
I’m not saying it’s not someone else’s fault.
But circumstances, including other people, can hinder our belief if we let it.
Critical issue:
Is faith momentary?
No.
Belief grows and does not always take root.
cf. Agricultural illustrations (dinky apple tree with one withered apple on it)
The first thing that can hinder belief is…
So, the first thing that can hinder belief is…
Distress
Distress
Can also spark belief!
Jesus compared distress in our lives to rocky soil.
Other seed fell on rocky ground where it didn’t have much soil, and it grew up quickly, since the soil wasn’t deep. When the sun came up, it was scorched, and since it had no root, it withered away.
The person in distress receives the message of Jesus with Joy, but then it withers in the sun because it has no root.
Jesus’s interpretation:
And others are like seed sown on rocky ground. When they hear the word, immediately they receive it with joy. But they have no root; they are short-lived. When distress or persecution comes because of the word, they immediately fall away.
Mark
Here’s the correlation. If you come to Jesus to fix your rocky soil and the rocky soil never goes away, then your faith is short-lived. Even if there is a period of relief for a time, when distress returns, the person with no root, no maturity in Christ, will fall away. You cannot endure.
It’s back to the bottle or the the pills.
It’s back to lying and cheating or criminal activity.
It’s back to pornography or prostitution or adultery.
It’s back to whatever ‘god’ you think will make the distress feel better.
If you believe in Jesus in order to relieve your distress, that’s not real faith. It won’t endure.
Watch out for the rocky soil. But, there is an ugly step-sister of distress to watch out for also. It’s called…
Worry
Worry
Worry is what happens in your brain when the distress isn’t here yet, but you know it might be coming.
As a caveat, we aren’t talking about clinical anxiety disorders where you worry for no reason; but about conscious worry relating to specific situations.
Notice the danger of worry.
Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns came up and choked it, and it didn’t produce fruit.
Worry makes the believer not produce fruit in their lives—peace, joy, patience as well as the fruit of evangelism
Jesus explained:
Others are like seed sown among thorns; these are the ones who hear the word, but the worries of this age, the deceitfulness of wealth, and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.
We worry about all sorts of stuff. Specifically Jesus mentioned some worries of this age or life:
the deceitfulness of wealth
if I just had a little more money I could…
if I just got one more promotion…
when I’m tenured…
when I pay off this bill…
when the kids move out then I can afford…
LIES — it’ll never be enough; wealth is deceitful; it traps us.
the desire for other things — other people, even Christians, have these things, why not me?
Faith in these times (worry and distress) is fragile and it can be fleeting. If you believe to comfort your distress or to ease your worrying, you are going to be let down when life gets hard. That is, unless you progress to…
Authentic Belief
Authentic Belief
There are two components of authentic belief. The first is…
There are two components of authentic belief. The first is…
God
God
By that I mean that Authentic Belief is God-given.
Here’s what Jesus said:
Still other seed fell on good ground and it grew up, producing fruit that increased thirty, sixty, and a hundred times.”
Further, he explained:
And those like seed sown on good ground hear the word, welcome it, and produce fruit thirty, sixty, and a hundred times what was sown.”
Note: faith is from God and the fruit comes from God so some people will bear more fruit than others.
The sense in the Greek is that the one seed that was planted in you bears fruit in 30, 60, or 100 new plants.
Not hard and fast numbers, but illustrations.
30 is not inconceivable for any authentic believer—but there should be fruit in reproduction
100 is not a scratch on surface of the fruit God will bear through some people.
Cf. Mustard tree
Mature faith can grow huge.
And he said, “With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable can we use to describe it? It’s like a mustard seed that, when sown upon the soil, is the smallest of all the seeds on the ground. And when sown, it comes up and grows taller than all the garden plants, and produces large branches, so that the birds of the sky can nest in its shade.”
The Apostle Paul also used agricultural language to illustrate the way faith manifests in people—how and why they believe.
I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.
I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his own reward according to his own labor.
NOTE: Some people plant seeds but never see the harvest first hand. That’s ok. Some people sow little fruit but disciple and see a great harvest. That’s ok too. But, know how you are producing fruit! And give thanks to God for it, because He brings the growth.
1 Cor ??? - I watered and so on…
Plants grow; likewise faith grows. It’s not a light-switch that’s on or off.
“The kingdom of God is like this,” he said. “A man scatters seed on the ground. He sleeps and rises night and day; the seed sprouts and grows, although he doesn’t know how. The soil produces a crop by itself—first the blade, then the head, and then the full grain on the head. As soon as the crop is ready, he sends for the sickle, because the harvest has come.”
And he said, “With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable can we use to describe it? It’s like a mustard seed that, when sown upon the soil, is the smallest of all the seeds on the ground. And when sown, it comes up and grows taller than all the garden plants, and produces large branches, so that the birds of the sky can nest in its shade.”
“The seed sprouts and grows, although he doesn’t know how.”
Speaks to the mystery of God’s working in salvation
also demonstrates the farmers humility and faithfulness
It’s God who is the primary agent in belief and faith. And the mark of authentic belief is…
Mature Faith
Mature Faith
Faith that works.
The sickle comes out to harvest the seed so that (A) the seed can go to work feeding the people and (B) the seed can go to work in the fields yielding more seed.
Mature faith shows.
He also said to them, “Is a lamp brought in to be put under a basket or under a bed? Isn’t it to be put on a lampstand? For there is nothing hidden that will not be revealed, and nothing concealed that will not be brought to light.
Who sees your faith?
If no one, then your faith is not maturing.
Mature faith grows.
If anyone has ears to hear, let him listen.” And he said to them, “Pay attention to what you hear. By the measure you use, it will be measured to you—and more will be added to you. For whoever has, more will be given to him, and whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.”
When you use your faith, God increases your faith.
If you have it God will give you more.
But, the warning is, if you don’t have faith because you belief is hindered by the rocks of distress or your faith is being strangled by the thorns of worry of the things of this world, then the promise is, that even the shadow of belief that you have will ultimately be taken away.
It’s not authentic belief even if you are claiming the name of Jesus.
Mature faith, authentic belief, is given by God.
It is a faith that is at work in the world and it shows.
It is a faith that is alive and growing.
And he said, “With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable can we use to describe it? It’s like a mustard seed that, when sown upon the soil, is the smallest of all the seeds on the ground. And when sown, it comes up and grows taller than all the garden plants, and produces large branches, so that the birds of the sky can nest in its shade.”
The mark of mature faith: Jesus taught on using your light.
EXH—DON’T GET LONG WINDED
EXH—DON’T GET LONG WINDED
In real life it’s hard to tell where the good seed is so we need to cast our seed wide.
There’s a mystery to God’s working because on one hand God has to give you faith and He hardens some people against the truth so that they will not turn and repent.
And yet there is an exhortation in this passage to level up.
If you don’t believe, then What do you believe?
No one whose heart is hardened against God is going to sit through a message like this, so if you don’t believe, then take today to consider the reality of Jesus.
If you believe, but your caught in the rocks or choked by thorns…
distress?
worry?
Consider that God is calling you to something greater.
ILL: Do you believe that I can do this? I believe, help my unbelief.
God is calling you to a living and active, vibrant and zealous faith.
One that waters
One that plants
One that bears fruit 30, 60, 100+
PRAYER FOCUS: Help my unbelief.