The Folly of Unbelief

The Folly of Unbelief

Hopewell Baptist Church

January 5, 2019

Opening Illustration: Back when Roni and I served as house parents at the Rodeheaver Boy’s Ranch in Central Florida, there was this young boy, Allen, who was in our care while we were there. This kid was a good kid, we even took him on a family trip to Disney once. However, whenever we would drive into town, there was a green sports car parked in a parking lot, same spot, every time. And Allen was convinced it was yellow. Heated discussions would ensue regarding this, and it turned out he had some level of partial color blindness. However, regardless of what he said or thought, his thinking (or even seeing) it was yellow did not make the car yellow.

Transition: In the same way, many people have even more differing opinions on Jesus. And, we will see some of those opinions manifest them in unbelief. But we must remember that regardless of what we think, Jesus is God.

, Pray

I. Jesus gives us the reason for unbelief –

a. v.22-23 – Feast of Dedication – Not a required feast per OT, took place in the wintertime

i. Brings us within 5 months of the Crucifixion

b. v.24 – The people want to know if Jesus is the Christ..

i. “If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.”

ii. But the thing is, Jesus has told them plainly!...

c. v.25 – I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name bear witness about me,…

i. , – The woman at the well

ii. – Witnesses to Jesus

iii. – Jesus feeds the 5,000

iv. Etc.

d. v.26 – Unbelief – “but you do not believe because you are not among my sheep.”

i. One’s unbelief in Christ is a direct result of not being one of Christ’s sheep.

1. The sheep hear and know the Shepherd’s voice, and follow Him (v.2-3)

2. Just as Jesus says His sheep won’t follow a stranger, neither will sheep not of His fold follow Him, for to them, Jesus is a stranger… (v.5).

ii. Jesus very bluntly confronts their unbelief, telling them that they don’t believe (already) because they are not of His flock.

II. Jesus gives us the consequence for unbelief –

a. v.27 – My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me

i. Those that aren’t Jesus’ sheep hear the voice, but don’t know it, and they don’t follow Him. He is a stranger to them

b. The Doctrine of Perseverance of the Saints

i. v.28 – I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.

1. Those that aren’t of His flock don’t have this eternal life and will suffer a spiritual death, a separation from God. They were never in His hand to begin with…

ii. v.29 – My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.

1. God the Father doesn’t “give” everyone to Jesus. We must remember – the potter makes vessels for righteousness and destruction from the same lump.

2. One cannot snatch something from someone who doesn’t have them.

iii. v.30 – I and the Father are one. – Jesus is God.

1. “one” – used of a single unit or thing; not two or more.

2. If one cannot snatch from Jesus, one cannot snatch from God, and vice versa.

3. Here, Jesus is making one of the rare, “plain” statements regarding His deity.

a. Hypostatic Union- Jesus is 100% man and 100% God.

b. JESUS IS GOD.

iv. One obvious thing regarding this situation and the unbelief of those who “gathered around” Jesus is that they are looking for the ammunition, for the lack of a better term, to get rid of Jesus.

1. v.31 – “The Jews picked up stones again to stone him.”

2. We see that they had no intention of truly wanting to believe.

III. Jesus shows us the folly of unbelief –

a. He shows them their folly by reminding them of what they have already seen and heard: Jesus’s works and God’s Word (v.32)

i. I have shown you many good works from the father, for which of them are you going to stone me?

1. Water into wine –

2. Healing of the officials son in Capernaum –

3. Paralytic at Bethesda –

4. Feeding the 5,000 –

5. Jesus walks on water –

6. Blind man from birth –

7. And many others: ,

ii. v.33 – It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you but for blasphemy, because you, being a man, make yourself God.

1. The Jews here conceded that the works Jesus has been doing are, in fact, “good” works.

iii. v.34-36 God’ Word – Scripture cannot be broken.

1. Here, Jesus beats the Pharisees at their own game of logic.

a. , “I said=, “You are gods, son of the Most High, all of you;”

i. This is in regards of the Judges of Israel, not because they are gods, but because they are doing the work of God.

b. So, if Jesus is doing the Work of God, which they conceded to in v.33, how is it they can find fault in saying that He is one with God (v.30)?

b. v.37-38 – If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me; but if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.”

i. With v.32-36 leading up to this, Jesus lays out the conclusion that if they truly believed in the works that Jesus did, the works they said were “good”, they would believe in Jesus. They would believe in Jesus as the Messiah, the Son of God, God the Son, as prophesied in Scripture.

c. This is the Folly of Unbelief. Regardless of who we think Jesus is or is not, Jesus always has been, is, and always will be God.

IV. Application – So what?

a. Because Jesus is, always has been, and always will be God…

i. We, as Christians, know that Jesus is the ONLY true Shepherd of God’s sheep.

1.

2. In so many religions, the gods call their followers to sacrifice their lives to gain eternity. In all reality, God sacrificed His life so His people would obtain salvation.

ii. We must be keenly aware that many of the people we see on a regular basis may never be seen (by us) in eternity.

1. – When he has brought out all His own, i.e. His sheep. Not everyone is going to be of His fold.

2.

3.

V. Invitation

a. Repent and Believe

b. Be baptized

c. Surrender your life to ministry