John 12:37-50 - The Rejection Of Jesus & Acceptance As King
Introduction
1. The Unbelievers (37-41)
a) Unbelievers Act Illogically (v.37-38)
(1) They Reject Miracles (v.37).
In fact, Christ performed so many miracles that if they should be written, “one by one, even the world itself could not contain the books” (John 21:25). The Greek tense for “they did not believe in Him” is continuous: meaning even while Jesus was ministering & demonstrating such compassion and power, their hearts were shut:
"The Jews then gathered around Him, and were saying to Him, “How long will You keep us in suspense? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly.” Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe; the works that I do in My Father’s name, these testify of Me"… (John 10:24-25)
"“If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do them, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, so that you may know and understand that the Father is in Me, and I in the Father.”" (John 10:24-25, 37-38)
"“Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me; otherwise believe because of the works themselves." (John 14:11)
"“If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would not have sin; but now they have both seen and hated Me and My Father as well." (John 15:24)
"And He did not do many miracles there because of their unbelief." (Matthew 13:58)
(a) The Demon possessed son is delivered (Mark 9:14-29).
(2) They Reject Revelation (v.38a). rev is linked toi appliation (Jn 7,15-53
Isaiah had proclaimed the report or the message of God, yet the people did not believe. Their unbelief cut deeply and broke the heart of Isaiah. Filled with compassion and hurt for the people, Isaiah cried out to God, “Who has believed our report?” The cry was the beginning of the greatest prophecy ever made about Jesus.
(a) The “report” was from God Himself, His revelation to the world.
(b) The “report” was both the words and deeds of Jesus. All that Jesus did through preaching and teaching revealed the truth; however,
(c) The “report” was Jesus Himself the revelation of God to the world. Yet despite the fact that God sent His own Son into the world to proclaim His “report” or His revelation, men still do not believe. They reject Jesus Christ, denying the report.
(3) They Reject the Arm of the Lord (v.38b). This is a fulfillment of prophecy (Is.53:1).
(a) The “arm of the Lord” means “the strength of God”, His power to save and deliever & to give life.
(b) It can also mean the “Savior Himself”. The arm that saves and gives life is Jesus.
“If You are the Christ, tell us.” But He said to them, “If I tell you, you will not believe" (Luke 22:67)
“He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”" (John 3:36)
“I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst. “But I said to you that you have seen Me, and yet do not believe" (John 6:35-36, NASB95)
“Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.”" (John 8:24, NASB95)
"Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God." (Hebrews 3:12, NASB95)
b) They Results of Unbelief: A Just Judicial Rejection By God (v.39-41).
When God has loved the world and done so much for man, man cannot deny God’s Son and expect to suffer no consequences. The consequences of unbelief are clearly spelled out, and awful fate for a person to suffer:
(1) God Blinds The Eyes Of The Unbeliever (v.40a).
(2) God Hardens The Heart Of The Unbeliever (v.40b).
(3) God Condemns The Unbeliever To Be Lost (v.40c).
(4) God Condemns The Unbeliever To Be Unhealed (v.40d).
(5) The Unbeliever Never Sees the Glory of God (v.41).
Now for an important question: Does this mean that God causes the unbelief of a man and condemns that man to be lost before he is ever born? No! Scripture shouts a thousand “No’s!” A man is not lost...
· apart from his will.
· against his will.
A man is lost only because he chooses to have nothing to do with God and to be lost
(1) The Key word in this section is believe. It is used 8 times. They would not believe (v.37-38), they could not believe (v.39), they should not believe (v.40-41).
(a) The Lord Jesus presented Himself to the Nation of Israel and they rejected Him. He came back to them with the offer of salvation but they kept saying “No”.
(b) The more men reject the gospel the harder it becomes to receive it. 9/10s of all the people choose to receive or reject Jesus in their teen years.
c) Why Is It That Some People Refuse To Believe In Jesus Christ?
(1) Men love darkness rather than light because their deeds are evil (John 3:19-21).
(2) Some are afraid of the cost (Luke 14:25-30).
(3) Many Times Miracles Only Lead To A Hardened Heart.
(a) Pharaoh hardened his heart (Exodus 4:21; 7:3-4, 14, 22-23; 8:15, 19, 32; 9:34-35)
(b) Finally, God hardened the heart of the Pharaoh (Ex.9:12).
(i) The Hebrew word used for “hardened” means “not willing to learn information”, implying the information would change the response to a situation.
(ii) When it declared that God hardened the heart of the Pharaoh, is different than when Pharaoh hardened his heart.
(iii) When God hardened his heart the word literally means “made stiff the heart of Pharaoh”.
(iv) You can over and over again harden your heart to the things of God but there finally comes the day when God will step in and make stiff your resolve against Him.
(v) It is possible for you to come to a place where you “cannot believe”.
(vi) That means that you will be hopelessly and irretrievably lost.
Men would simply say that the more a man does anything, the more he conditions himself to do that thing. The more he does it, the more it becomes a habit. (Cp. smoking, eating, or anything else.) This is what the Bible is saying:
(a) if a man hardens his mind and heart to the truth, he becomes conditioned more and more against the truth. His openness and sensitivity to Jesus Christ dwindles more and more, and it can dwindle so much that it is gone forever. Therefore, the more a man rejects Christ, the more he decreases his sensitivity and chance of ever accepting Christ.
(b) What Scripture teaches can be summarized under what might be called the law of judicial blindness and rejection. This simply means that the person who rejects God’s Son chooses to be blind and to harden his heart. Therefore, he is given over to a just punishment.
d) The Reasons & Danger of Unbelief & Hardening the Heart.
(1) Reason: Deceitfulness of Sin and Unbelief (Heb 3:7-19).
(2) Reason: Rebellion & Resisting God’s Spirit (Acts 7:51).
(3) Danger: The Law of Sowing and Reaping (Galatians 6:7-8)
(a) Entertaining Thoughts That Are Displeasing To God (2Cor.10:5).
(b) Entertaining these thoughts will lead to committing the sin (Prov.23:7 cf. Matt.15:19)
(c) Continual repeating of sin will make you callous to the Word & Spirit of God
"Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts… "For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural… God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper," (Romans 1:24,24,28)
"But My people did not listen to My voice, And Israel did not obey Me. “So I gave them over to the stubbornness of their heart, To walk in their own devices." (Psalm 81:11-12, NASB95)
"A man who hardens his neck after much reproof Will suddenly be broken beyond remedy." (Proverbs 29:1, NASB95)
"Walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk… because of the hardness of their heart; and they, having become callous, have given themselves over to sensuality for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness" (Ephesians 4:17-19)
(d) Justifying the sin – pointing to other peoples sin saying, “well he or she does it”
(e) Resisting Reproof – as soon as you’ve recognized your sin, ask for forgiveness. Time does make a difference to yielding to God’s Spirit.
(f) Refining or Reconstructing Your Testimony – you say things that make you feel better.
(4) Danger: Will Be Punished With Everlasting Destruction ( 2Thes.1:9; 2:11-12).
2. The Silent Believers (v.42-43)
a) They Fail To Confess Jesus Christ (v.42a)
"Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven. “But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven." (Matthew 10:32-33)
"And I say to you, everyone who confesses Me before men, the Son of Man will confess him also before the angels of God; but he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God." (Luke 12:8-9)
b) They Fail, Fearing Personal Loss (v.42b)
"For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?" (Matthew 16:26, NASB95)
"Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth." (Colossians 3:2)
"If we endure, we will also reign with Him; If we deny Him, He also will deny us;" (2 Timothy 2:12, NASB95)
"You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God." (James 4:4, NASB95)
c) They Fail, Loving the Praise and Acceptance of Men More Than God (v.43)
“How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and you do not seek the glory that is from the one and only God?" (John 5:44, NASB95)
“Yet no one was speaking openly of Him for fear of the Jews." (John 7:13, NASB95)
“The Fear of Man Brings a Snare (Prov.29:25).
(1) Peer Pressure—The Fear Of Rejection:
(i) Pilate’s Fatal Choice (Luke 23:13-25).
(ii) Aaron yielded to the desire of the people to make them a god that they might worship (Exodus 32;1-6, 23-24).
(iii) Peter failed to stand up for what is right (Galatians 2:11-13).
"But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”" (Revelation 21:8, NASB95)
(2) Intellectually Convinced but Spiritually Uncommitted.
"For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away from it. For if the word spoken through angels proved unalterable, and every transgression and disobedience received a just penalty, how will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? (Hebrews 2:1-3).
"For in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame." (Hebrews 6:4-6, NASB95)
"For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a terrifying expectation of judgment and the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries." (Hebrews 10:26-27)
3. The True Believers (v.44-46).
a) Believes on God—through Jesus, the Mediator (v.44).
"He who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life." (John 5:24)
"Therefore they said to Him, “What shall we do, so that we may work the works of God?” Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.”" (John 6:28-29)
"I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me." (John 14:6)
"He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father’s who sent Me." (John 14:24)
"For the words which You gave Me I have given to them; and they received them and truly understood that I came forth from You, and they believed that You sent Me… "that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me." (John 17:8,21)
"This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony given at the proper time." (1 Timothy 2:3-6)
b) Sees God—through Jesus, the Mediator (v.45).
"If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you know Him, and have seen Him.” Philip *said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” Jesus *said to him, “Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? “Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works." (John 14:7-10)
"He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation" (Colossians 1:15)
c) Is delivered from darkness—through Jesus, the Light (v.46)
"In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it." (John 1:4-5, NASB95)
"“This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. “For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. “But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.”" (John 3:19-21, NASB95)
"Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.”" (John 8:12, NASB95)
"So Jesus said to them, “For a little while longer the Light is among you. Walk while you have the Light, so that darkness will not overtake you; he who walks in the darkness does not know where he goes. “While you have the Light, believe in the Light, so that you may become sons of Light.” These things Jesus spoke, and He went away and hid Himself from them." (John 12:35-36, NASB95)
"The night is almost gone, and the day is near. Therefore let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light." (Romans 13:12, NASB95)
"If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth;" (1 John 1:6, NASB95)
4. The Unbeliever—his Judgment (v.47-50)
a) Judged not by Jesus: He came to save, not judge (v.47).
"For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them" (Luke 9:56)
"For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him." (John 3:17)
"“For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”" (Luke 19:10)
b) Judged by the words of salvation: The very words he rejected will stand as a witness against him (v.48-50)
(1) Because Jesus’ Words Are God’s Commandment (v.49).
"This is His commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as He commanded us." (1 John 3:23, NASB95)
(2) Because God’s Word Is Life (v.50a).
"“It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life." (John 6:63, NASB95)
"Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life." (John 6:68, NASB95)
"“Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he will never see death.”" (John 8:51)
(3) Because The Words Of Jesus Are The Truth (v.50b).
"“For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God; for He gives the Spirit without measure." (John 3:34, NASB95)
"“He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father’s who sent Me." (John 14:24, NASB95)
"for the words which You gave Me I have given to them; and they received them and truly understood that I came forth from You, and they believed that You sent Me." (John 17:8, NASB95)