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"THAT YOU MAY BELIEVE"
They Did Not Believe In Him
INTRODUCTION
1. Despite evidence to substantiate the claims of Jesus, such as...
a. The testimony of the Father through signs
b. The testimony of the Father through Scripture
-- John records that many did not believe in Jesus - cf. Jn 12:37
2. In all fairness, those to whom John refers did not have the fullness
of evidence presented in the gospel itself...
a. They may have seen some of the signs, but not all
b. Some may have been ignorant of the Scriptures and their testimony
concerning Jesus
c. They had yet to be given the witness of the resurrection of Jesus
from the dead
3. But even with the fullness of evidence provided in the gospel of
John...
a. Many still did not believe in Jesus in those days
b. Many do not believe in Jesus today
4. Why? The reasons are many and varied...
a. John mentions several in the course of his gospel
b. Which may help us understand why many people do not believe today
[For example, one reason many failed to believe in Jesus was ...]
I. A LACK OF SPIRITUAL PERCEPTION
A. THEIR FOCUS WAS ON MATERIAL THINGS...
1. They were impressed by His feeding of the 5000 - Jn 6:14-15
a. They wanted to make Him their king
b. They saw in Him someone who could meet their material needs
2. But His discourse on the Bread of Life caused many to leave
- Jn 6:60,66
a. For He told them to work for the food which endures to
everlasting life - Jn 6:27
b. For He spoke of Himself as the true Bread of Life
B. MANY LACK SPIRITUAL PERCEPTION TODAY...
1. They are looking for material things
a. They want the church to provide for their physical needs
b. They want the church to entertain them or their children
2. If a church offers only the Word of God, to make them
disciples...
a. Which is the primary mission of the church - cf. 1Ti 3:15;
Mt 28:19-20
b. They look elsewhere, seeking to find "the church of their
choice"
-- Yet Jesus taught His disciples were to place their focus - cf.
Mt 6:33
[Not content with the spiritual nature of the kingdom (cf. Ro 14:17),
they are unwilling to accept the true demands of faith in Jesus. We
also read that many refused to confess Jesus because of ...]
II. FEAR AND MORAL COWARDICE
A. THEY WERE AFRAID OF WHAT OTHERS MIGHT THINK...
1. The multitude was afraid of what the Jews might think - Jn 7:13
2. So were the parents of the man born blind - Jn 9:20-22
3. Some of the rulers were afraid of the Pharisees - Jn 12:42-43
4. Pilate was fearful of what Caesar might hear - Jn 19:12-13
B. MANY FEAR WHAT OTHERS MIGHT THINK TODAY...
1. Afraid that their peers at school might ridicule them
2. Afraid that their coworkers might ostracize them
3. Afraid of persecution for being "politically incorrect" or
"religiously intolerant"
-- Yet Jesus taught His disciples whom they should fear - Mt 10:28
[Fearful of losing acceptance, and being outcast, has made many
unwilling to believe in Jesus. Then there were those who had...]
III. A MISPLACED LOVE
A. THEIR LOVE WAS FOR THE WRONG THINGS...
1. They did not have a love for God - Jn 5:42-43
2. Instead, their love was in such things as:
a. The things of darkness (evil), which they did not want to
give up - Jn 3:19-20
b. The glory of men, wanting to be praised by them - Jn 12:
42-43
c. Self and material things, as in the case of Judas - Jn 12:6
B. MANY HAVE A MISPLACED LOVE TODAY...
1. A love for family, popularity among friends
2. A love for wealth, hobbies
3. A love for immoral lifestyles which they do want to give up
-- Yet Jesus taught His disciples whom they should love and serve
- Mt 22:37; 6:24
[Misplaced love often blinds one to the evidence that is capable of
producing faith. There is also the problem of...]
IV. THE HARDENED AND PREJUDICED HEART
A. MANY WERE BLINDED BY PREJUDICE...
1. The Pharisees were hardened by their traditions, making them
blind to the miracle Jesus performed - Jn 9:13-16
2. So hardened by their prejudices...
a. They were willing to kill Jesus despite His signs - Jn 11:
46-47,53
b. They even were willing to kill Lazarus - Jn 12:9-11
B. MANY ARE HARDENED BY THEIR PREJUDICE TODAY...
1. Their prejudice for their traditions, creeds, denominations,
etc.
2. Their prejudice for their beliefs (e.g., evolution, humanism)
which justify their lifestyles
3. Making them unwilling to study the Bible, to see whether their
cherished beliefs are true
-- Yet Jesus warned about the dangers of hard hearts and blind
eyes - Mt 13:15
[Perhaps contributing to such prejudice and hardening of the heart is
another reason why many did not believe...]
V. INTELLECTUAL PRIDE
A. SOME WERE AFRAID OF BEING THOUGHT FOOLISH...
1. A tactic used to persuade the soldiers not to believe - cf. Jn
7:45-48
2. Thus an appeal was made to the "wisdom" of the rulers
B. MANY ARE HINDERED BY INTELLECTUAL PRIDE TODAY...
1. They don't want to be thought foolish by their professors in
school
2. They are impressed by the many "wise" and "mighty" people who
do not believe in Jesus
-- Yet God has purposely chosen foolish things to save man, to
confound the arrogant and proud "scholars" of the world - cf.
1Co 1:18-21,26-31
[Many of the same people who reject Jesus out of intellectual pride are
often guilty of rejecting Him for a reason that many people do...]
VI. IGNORANCE
A. SOME REJECTED CHRIST BECAUSE OF IGNORANCE...
1. They were ignorant of the facts, leading to wrong conclusions
- Jn 7:40-43
2. They thought Jesus was born in Nazareth, not Bethlehem
B. MANY REJECT CHRIST OUT OF IGNORANCE TODAY..
1. They have not read the New Testament
2. They have not consider evidences for the resurrection of Jesus
Christ
3. They have rejected misconceptions or caricatures of Jesus
Christ and His church
-- Unlike the noble Bereans, they make little effort to get all
the facts - Ac 17:11
CONCLUSION
1. Do you believe in Jesus? If not, why not...
a. Could it be a lack of spiritual perception?
b. Could it be out of fear or moral cowardice?
c. Could it be a misplaced love?
d. Could it be a prejudiced or hardened heart?
e. Could it be out of intellectual pride?
f. Could it be simply out of ignorance?
2. Don't you want to believe in Jesus? Remember what He offers you...
a. Fellowship with God ("No one comes to the Father except through
Me.")
b. Salvation from sin ("If you do not believe that I am He, you will
die in your sins.")
c. Guidance throughout life ("He who follows Me shall not walk in
darkness.")
d. Spiritual sustenance ("He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and
he who believes in Me shall never thirst.")
e. The abundant life ("I have come that they may have life, and that
they may have it more abundantly.")
e. Immortality ("I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes
in Me, though he may die, he shall live.")
Let the Word of God, in particular the Gospel of John, give you the
evidence necessary to believe in Jesus, that you might have life through
His name!
So then faith [comes] by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
- Ro 10:17
And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples,
which are not written in this book; but these are written that you
may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that
believing you may have life in His name. - Jn 20:30-31
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Executable Outlines, Copyright © Mark A. Copeland, 2009
