Just Believe
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Look Back
Look Back
6 There came a man sent from God, whose name was John.
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. 5 The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
7 He came as a witness, to testify about the Light, so that all might believe through him.
7 He came as a witness, to testify about the Light, so that all might believe through him.
John doesn’t hold his cards close to his chest. He comes out strong.
Link Back to Genisis 1:1
was creation of man and is recreation of man
8 He was not the Light, but he came to testify about the Light.
Heaven and Earth colliding
Jesus Creator Of All Things
Jesus Creator Of All Things
9 There was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man.
10 He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.
Existential Angst:
Created by Jesus for Jesus
Not created by our work for our work
Not created by our spouse for our spouse
11 He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him.
Not created by our money for our money
Not created by our job for our job
Not created by our hobby for our hobby
Our souls will never find complete rest until we rest in Jesus!
Light in the Darkness
Light in the Darkness
In the coming of the Word, in the coming of the incarnation of God in Jesus Christ...
There is a light that shines in the darkness and the darkness did not overcome it.
The Powers of Darkness arrayed against Jesus on the cross:
Power of sin and death
Satan and demonic principalities
Power of Government
Power of Religious establishment
Power of failing disciples
When Christ rose from the grave “And the light shines in the darknes...”
This is the First Present Tense Verb in the Gospel of John “And the light shines in the darkness...”
It is not like at the ressurection the light shone in the darkness and now you and I are in a lot of trouble...
It is that the light did shine and continues to shine all the way up until today...
So if the darkness in your life is because of:
The power of sin and death - A light shines in the darkness and the darkness will not overcome it.
The power of Satan and demonic principalities -
The power of a secular scheme -
Power of sin and death
Satan and demonic principalities
The power is religious -
And check this out, if the darkness in your life is related to your own personal failures as a disciple of Jesus Christ
Anybody relate to that this week...
Power of Government
- A light shines in the darkness and the darkness will not over come it.
The Witness
The Witness
6 There came a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness, to testify about the Light, so that all might believe through him. 8 He was not the Light, but he came to testify about the Light.
There came a man sent from God, whose name was John.
He came as a witness, to testify about the Light, so that all might believe through him.
He was not the Light, but he came to testify about the Light.
There was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man.
He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.
He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him.
But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name,
who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
Power of Religious establishment
This talking about John the baptizer (not the first Southern Baptist)
There came a man sent from God, whose name was John.
He came as a witness, to testify about the Light, so that all might believe through him.
He was not the Light, but he came to testify about the Light.
: 6-13
Front runner ahead of Jesus.
Pointing toward Jesus.
This language would have been eye opening for the Jewish people.
How did God communicate with them in the Old Testament? Through prophets.
They hadn’t heard from a prophet in about 400 years! They had been in darkness concerning God. That is why you see later in the chapter in verse 19 the religious leaders send people to ask him are you a prophet.
John is pointing toward Jesus, the Light of the world.
John 1:6-
One of the dangers about being a messenger of the light is people will mistake the messenger to the light as the light.
John bears witness with his life and testifies with his mouth…WHY?
So that we might believe.
Circle the word believe each time you see it in the the Gospel of John.
John tells us this why he wrote the book:
30 Therefore many other signs Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.
Pre Jesus John coming saying Jesus is coming, He is the Son of God, light is found there, life is found there...
Then you have a post assention John saying Jesus is the Son of God, Jesus is the light, Jesus is the life...
Both bore witness to the death...
Message is the same, just believe in Jesus.
Believe never has an adjective or adverb added to the word...
Never radically believe, with your whole heart believe…this makes us seem like we have to add something to it.
God doesn’t accept the currency of us trying to add something our belief.
Most of us just want to be told what to do don’t we? It is definitely how I have felt as a Christian and what I have seen in others as a pastor.
Please God just tell me what to do!
This isn’t new to us, it is what it is like to be human.
*Miracle of Jesus feeding the 5000*
Then the crowd wanted to follow him around.
26 Jesus answered them and said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. 27 “Do not work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you, for on Him the Father, God, has set His seal.” 28 Therefore they said to Him, “What shall we do, so that we may work the works of God?” 29 Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.”
John 6:26-29
Jesus is saying you are following me not because you love me but you are following me because I filled your stomachs.
Coming to Jesus not to want Jesus but b/c you want Jesus to do something for you.
Using Jesus not loving Jesus:
Power of failing disciples
I want my marriage to be better
I want my kids to behave
I want a promotion at work
I want...
I am coming to you Jesus b/c I want you to do these things for me.
And Jesus calls them out...
How uncomfortable is this?
Imagine how that must have felt when Jesus said let me tell you why you are here…your intent is not to follow but you just want your stomachs full.
When Christ rose from the grave “And the light shines in the darknes...”
Look at their question:
“What must we do that we do the will of God?”
When we get convicted, when we get busted treating Jesus like a gennie or Santa Claus our first response is usually OK, you got me…tell me what to do.
Then Jesus answered:
29 Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.”
This isn’t cheap grace.
John 6:
Solo Fede: we don’t add anything to faith
When we simply believe, the Spirit of God indwells us and we become transformed and we begin to want to do what Jesus wants us to do and we start to hate our sin.
Then we have conversion and morality becomes an outward manifestation of an inward transformation.
Not an outward works leading to a love for Jesus.
What you need to get near the light is BELIEVE, not radically believe not intensely believe just believe...
And believers become children of God.
John
John 1:
12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name,
We become children of God by belief:
But how?
How not:
not by our blood line: God has no grandchildren. Our parents may have put kindling around our heart that the Holy Spirit ignited. but you parent’s faith is your parent’s faith.
not by the will of the flesh: so our white knuckled I am going to try harder, I am going to do better cannot save us. Our best efforts to clean ourselves up is not acceptable to God when it comes to salvation.
God doesn’t look at you and go, you know you used to smoke pot and now you don’t or you used to look at porn and now you don’t, you used to do this and now you don’t. You know what, looking around at everyone else you are so much better than them, come on in.
Doesn’t work this way.
If you believe you become children of God and it is by no work of your own.
John 1:10-
10 He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. 11 He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him.
10 He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.
Unrecognized Revelation
The creation cries out and bears witness
The Psalmist and Paul write about this extensively.
It is why people seek out the grand things of creation to stand beside them and feel small.
Unwanted Revelation
When Jesus in fleshed and lived among us some people didn’t recognize Him...
But others didn’t want Him.
This is usually due to 1 of 2 factors:
Idea that we don’t need Jesus:
I am doing alright so I don’t really need what He has.
You and I believe the type of money God accepts is morality.
We look around and see how others are doing and compare ourselves to others and think we are better than them so I don’t need Jesus.
The prophet Isaiah says this is filthy rags...
I don’t do cheat on my wife so I don’t need Jesus.
I don’t cheat on my taxes...
I don’t do this or that...
God is going to reject me so I am going to reject Him first.
You don’t know what I have done so there is no way Jesus could forgive me.
This is probably the more arrogant position.
Somehow you have out sinned the cross and resurrection of God.
Bible is a who’s who of people who have “out sinned” us.
David
Moses
Paul
God pulls them in and uses them why?
Because we are not children of God by our own might but by God’s power.
We tend to not want the revelation because we don’t think we need Him or we don’t think He is powerful enough.
The tragedy of humanity in the Bible is God moves close to us and we move away/reject Him, so He moves close and we do the same thing...
Because we feel the need to add something to our belief.
Growing up very legalistic…which leads to saying just forget this it too hard, I can’t do it.
Then we come back to God after wasting years of our lives b/c we don’t want our kids to get lost or something.
I am saying with John and John, just believe.
Maybe you don’t even know how to do that, my favorite prayer in the Bible
24 Immediately the boy’s father cried out and said, “I do believe; help my unbelief.”
Jesus didn’t rebuke this guy.
He didn’t look down on him.
Jesus hears the prayer and answers it.
God doesn’t accept your morality as currency for salvation...
All He accepts is belief...
Don’t bank on your morality.
What about this and that?
No just believe.
Like someone without a kids asking what to do with a 12 year old boy.
We just believe and God will be enough to answer each of the questions in our lives.
Believe
Believe
Believe
Believe