Sermon Video

Sunday, March 27, 2011

Discovering Jesus Pt 32 - John 13:1-17 (part 2)



In this second installment of "The Master's Model of Ministry" we discover 4 more essential ministry principles from Jesus.  Having already discovered that Ministry:
   1. is Guided by Discernment;
   2. is Motivated by Love; and
   3. Comes from a Position of Security;

we move on to discover that:
   4. Ministry is an Expression of Humility;
   5. Ministry is Received as a Gift not an Entitlement;
   6. Ministry Requires both Words and Actions; and
   7. Ministry Produces a Blessing.


Discovering Jesus in the Gospel of John pt 32
The Master’s Model of Ministry part 2
John 13:1-17
27/03/2011


4. Ministry is an Expression of Humility
…he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. 5 After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.
If the culture of the day said that such a task was beneath the dignity of a rabbi or even of a Jewish servant if a Gentile one could be found, how much more is it beneath the dignity of the Creator of the Universe?  Is it fitting for God to wash the feet of men?  Doesn’t it seem to be against the very nature of things?
Later this year Perth will be hosting the Commonwealth Heads of Government meetings.  Can you imagine the Queen coming over to launch the conference and then surprising some householder in the suburbs by turning up for tea?  Having the Queen in your home would be quite an honour wouldn’t it?  You would be pretty concerned to serve Her appropriately.
How would you respond if she were to hop up after the meal and start stacking dishes, taking them to the sink and preparing to wash up?  You’d be shocked!  Surely such labour is beneath Her Majesty!  Surely she should not be clearing away your dirty dishes – it just doesn’t seem fitting.
That doesn’t begin to compare to the scandal of the Lord of Heaven and Earth washing the dusty feet of His disciples.
This demonstrates the humility of Christ, that He does not hold on to His position but chooses to be a servant.
There is no excuse in the church of God for people demanding to be served rather than desiring to serve.  It doesn’t matter whether you are the leader of a church of thousands or a denomination of millions, humility is the hallmark of leadership.  Ministry without humility is just pride in disguise.
I’m sure we’ve all seen that.  Jesus identified it in the religious leaders of His day who loved to be observed and admired.  Their supposed service to God and others was really self-service. 
In the church we try to be very careful about people who are ambitious for positions or for roles of public leadership.  On the other hand we look for people who desire to serve, and these are the ones we entrust with leadership.  Any time you have a leader who considers certain tasks beneath them you have a problem.
If washing feet is not beneath Jesus, can anything be beneath the dignity of you or I?
A preacher without humility is not content to be a hard-working messenger who faithfully delivers His master’s message.  He wants to be an entertainer, an orator, an authority on every subject.  He wants to be cool, or dignified or whatever because it’s all about him.
A leader without humility considers their own opinions and preferences as more important than the needs of others.  He or she must be respected and obeyed because they are God’s appointed person.
A church member without humility does not listen to guidance or correction from others.  They criticise leaders and other members while being very sensitive to criticism themselves.  They prefer to evaluate others rather than personally doing any real work.  They have more problems, more demands on them and more important things to do than others in the congregation; and should therefore not be expected to do much at all to serve others’ needs.
In contrast to this a person of humility sees a need and meets that need by the grace of God at work in them.  Whether the work should have been done by someone else is not the point.  Whether the work is considered by others to be beneath them is not the point.  Whether any recognition follows the service is not the point.  All that matters is serving others in love.  That’s humility in action.
Genuine ministry is an expression of humility.

5. Ministry is Received as a Gift, Not an Entitlement
6 He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”
7 Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”
8 “No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.”
Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.”
9 “Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!”
10 Jesus answered, “A person who has had a bath needs only to wash his feet; his whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.” 11 For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean.
Imagine you were that householder I mentioned and the Queen was starting to clear away your dishes.  Wouldn’t you object to that?  You’d say “Please don’t worry yourself with that Ma’am, I’ll take care of it” or something similar.
That’s what Peter does with Jesus.  He knows that it’s not appropriate for Jesus to serve Him in this way and he’s very uncomfortable about it.  He doesn’t want to allow Jesus to do it, but Jesus is determined to teach His disciples about His own character of Humility and His expectation that they will follow suit.
Jesus is also foreshadowing His own death on the cross for our cleansing from sin.  Unless we accept His act of service for us in dying in our place, we cannot enter His kingdom.
Peter would have accepted foot-washing from a servant.  In fact he would have felt entitled to it.  But accepting it from His master was a completely different matter.
When a brother or sister serves us in love, we must be careful to never feel like we are entitled to it, rather we must receive it as a gift that is undeserved and be thankful for it.
In humility we must consider the one serving us to be greater than ourselves, just as in their humility they are considering themselves to be our servant.
Peter responds to the correction of Jesus in his usual exuberant manner, and invites Jesus to wash his hands and head as well if that meant a greater participation in Jesus’ Kingdom.
Jesus again corrects Peter and points out that the physical washing is not really the point here.  They’ve had a bath and only need their feet washed to be physically clean.  However physical cleansing does not cleanse the soul, and one of those present who had received the washing of his feet still did not really belong to Jesus.  Rather, as we know, he had followed the temptation of Satan to betray Jesus.

6. Ministry Requires Both Actions and Words
12 When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. 13 “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. 14 Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. 15 I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. 16 I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him.
We’ve covered these principles as we’ve moved through the story this morning, but the thing I want to especially note here is the questions of Jesus: “Do you understand what I have done for you?”
Earlier in the evening He had spoken to them about these exact principles, and He followed that conversation up with the powerful demonstration of washing their feet.  Once finished, He still did not assume that they had gotten the point.  He explained it to them again.
I have often heard people use a quote based on the teachings of St Francis of Assisi, which goes “Preach the gospel at all times.  If necessary use words.”
This is a great quote in terms of highlighting the importance of our actions.  Our actions must be consistent with our message, or else we are shown to be hypocrites and liars.
However our actions alone do not communicate truth.  Actions can be interpreted in all sorts of ways.  The Bible commands us to use words – to speak the truth in love.
I don’t want people to come into this church and get the idea that it’s full of lovely people.  I want people to know the truth, which is that we are very ordinary, sinful people who have been saved by a wonderful God and are being changed to be more like Him.  There’s no way actions can show that, it needs to be explained.
A lot of us would rather serve unoffensively and have someone else use words to share the truth.  We know that the truth of God is in sharp contrast to the philosophies of this world, and speaking God’s truth can get us in all sorts of hot water.  Yet it is when we speak the truth that people have an opportunity to hear it, believe it and so be saved (Romans 10:14).
John Stott shares the following story from 1958 when he was leading a university outreach in Sydney, Australia. The day before the final meeting, Stott received word that his father had passed away. In addition to his grief, Stott was also starting to lose his voice. Here's how Stott describes the final day of the outreach:
It was already late afternoon within a few hours of the final meeting of the mission, so I didn't feel I could back away at that time. I went to the great hall and asked a few students to gather round me. I asked one of them to read … "My grace is sufficient for you, for my strength is made perfect in weakness," (2 Corinthians 12:8-9). A student read these verses and then I asked them to lay hands on me and … pray that those verses might be true in my own experience.
When time came for me to give my address, I preached on the [broad and narrow ways from Matthew 7]. I had to get within half an inch of the microphone, and I croaked the gospel like a raven. I couldn't exert my personality. I couldn't move. I couldn't use any inflections in my voice. I croaked the gospel in monotone. Then when the time came to give the invitation, there was an immediate response, larger than any other meeting during the mission, as students came flocking forward …
I've been back to Australia about ten times since 1958, and on every occasion somebody has come up to me and said, "Do you remember that final meeting in the university in the great hall?" "I jolly well do," I reply. "Well," they say, "I was converted that night."
Stott concludes, "The Holy Spirit takes our human words, spoken in great weakness and frailty, and he carries them home with power to the mind, the heart, the conscience, and the will of the hearers in such a way that they see and believe."
That’s not just true for preachers.  It’s true for you and me.  It’s true of words spoken from a stage and words shared over a cuppa.  If we really love people and want to serve them we will be prepared to do it with actions and with words.

7. Ministry Produces Blessing
17 Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them. [1]
Don’t swallow the lie of Satan that says satisfaction is found in the pursuit of selfish desires. 
Blessing is found in serving others.  As Jesus is quoted in Acts 20:35 “It is more blessed to give than receive”.
I have some bad news for you.  The fact that you have sat there and endured listening to this message does not mean you will be blessed.  Thousands listened to Jesus preach the sermon on the mount, and at the end of it He said these words:
Matthew 7:34-27
24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”
Blessing comes from obedience.
In the case of today’s lesson, blessings will come your way when you do something about being a minister patterned after the teaching and example of Jesus.
When you work on developing a discerning mind;
When you work on cultivating a heart of love;
When you work on fully grasping your security in Christ;
When you work on learning true humility of spirit;
When you work on receiving ministry from others as a gift not an entitlement;
When you work on serving both in actions and in words;
Then you will be blessed.
Ministry is a blessing.  Count on it, it’s a promise of God.
Are you living as a servant of Jesus and of the people of God?
Can you say today that you are living in obedience to Jesus?
What is the Holy Spirit saying to you today about how you need to grow in this area of your life?


[1]All Scriptures from The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984. Grand Rapids: Zondervan.

Monday, March 21, 2011

Discovering Jesus Pt 31 - John 13:1-17


(sorry, we lost our video feed toward the end but the audio is OK!)


In part 1 of a study in "The Master's Model of Ministry" from John 13:1-17 we look at 3 crucial ministry principles contained in the story of Jesus washing the disciples' feet.

We observe from Jesus' teaching and example that:
1. Ministry is Guided by Discernment
2. Ministry is Motivated by Love
3. Ministry comes from a Position of Security


Discovering Jesus in the Gospel of John pt 31
The Master’s Model of Ministry part 1
John 13:1-17
20/03/2011

Introduction

  • Our U.S. Trip for the Shepherd's Conference – the hospitality of our hosts was amazing!
  • Profile of our cleaners Ian & Hans in the Chronicle

These people all prove the last point of this message which we will get to next week - ministry produces a blessing.
There are times when serving others doesn’t feel like a blessing, and we’ll talk about that later on, but the promise of Jesus and the example of Jesus is that ministry produces blessings for you and for those you serve.
It’s a great life principle, and it’s particularly appropriate given the youth service we have enjoyed so much today.  If you can learn this principle while you’re young you will save yourself from a lot of dissatisfaction that comes from pursuing selfish gain – you will never gain enough!  You will never have enough stuff, you will never get enough recognition, you will never have enough time to do what you want to do, you will never feel good enough about yourself….
But if you learn to find joy in serving others, you will have an abundance of joy in your life.
So let’s learn about this life of ministry from the Master Himself.

1. Ministry is Guided by Discernment
It was just before the Passover Feast. Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father.
The timing of this event – Jesus washing His disciples’ feet – is one of the things that makes the event so important and so powerful.
John simply tells us that it was “just before the Passover Feast” which was in the process of being served (v.2).  We know that the meaning of the Passover feast was about to be fulfilled by the events of the next few days which we will be discussing in coming weeks.  Jesus knew that His arrest, torture, crucifixion and resurrection were fast approaching and He is planning to once again explain these things to His disciples so they would know that none of these things were an accident but all were according to God’s plan for our salvation.
You could expect that knowing the horrors that were fast approaching Jesus would withdraw into Himself and concentrate on preparing Himself for what was coming.  You would expect that He could even get frustrated that no-one among His disciples had taken the initiative to serve Him by washing His feet in readiness for the meal.
You see the task of washing the dust off a person’s feet was considered to be very demeaning in that society (as we might expect).  If you were hosting people for a meal you should at least provide the water and towels, but a good host would also have someone to actually do the washing and drying of the guests’ feet.  It was a task given to the lowest-ranking person in the household.  Preferably it was done by a Gentile slave, because it was considered too demeaning a task even for Jewish servants.
There was a very famous incident that occurred several decades after this story, where a highly respected Jewish rabbi was effectively taken to court by his mother about this.  She wanted to wash his feet before He went to the synagogue, but he thought it was not fitting for her to do so.  She claimed it was an honour to do so and won the case!  It’s a pretty funny story because the rabbi (Rabbi Ishmael) is considered one of the greatest scholars in Judaism and famous for his noble and kind character, yet he was taken to court by his own mum and was defeated by her argument!
If a Gentile slave was not around to do the job for a rabbi, it should have been done by the lowest ranked of his students – probably the youngest.  Jesus had the right to expect that one of His disciples would have done this for Him, yet none had.
In the gospel of Luke we read of a conversation Jesus had with His disciples during the evening, most likely as the meal is being served.  They all have dusty feet.  One of them should wash Jesus’ feet at the very least, but who is the least among them who should take up that task?
Luke 22:24-30
24 Also a dispute arose among them as to which of them was considered to be greatest.
I can just imagine how this dispute might have started.  “John, you’re the youngest.  Wash Jesus’ feet, then we can all get on with washing our own”.  John might have replied: “I’ve been with Jesus from the start, longer than you have Matthew.  And I’m one of the guys always chosen for special tasks with Jesus.  You do it.”
Jesus could have saved them from this trouble by simply filling the basin and washing His own feet.  Then they could have happily followed by washing their own in turn.  But He doesn’t do that. 
 25 Jesus said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them call themselves Benefactors. 26 But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves. 27 For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the table? But I am among you as one who serves. 28 You are those who have stood by me in my trials. 29 And I confer on you a kingdom, just as my Father conferred one on me, 30 so that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
Jesus knows that there’s a lesson that His disciples need to learn.  They are going to be the leaders of the Church, but they will not be qualified to lead unless they know that leadership is service.  If they continue in a worldly pattern of thinking they will not be able to lead in the Church.
As Jesus prepares to wash His disciples feet He is aware that His time with them is short, and He is aware of what they need from Him at that moment.  He puts His own needs aside in order to minister to them according to their needs.
In the same way you and I need to be guided by discernment.  We need to keep in mind that our time here is short – there is no time to waste.  After the Apostle Peter wrote to believers about the Lord’s return in 1 Peter 1, he states this in verse 13: “Therefore, prepare your minds for action”

Unlike Jesus, we don’t know how much time we have before we go to be with the Father.  So we need to be prepared for it to be any time.  What would you say, what would you do for those around you in order to bless them if you knew your time was short?  Maybe those are some things you need to say or do this week.  Be discerning about the temporary nature of life in this world and the eternal nature of the life to come.  Let that discernment prepare your minds for action.
Secondly be discerning about the needs of those around you so that your service and your speech might be well suited to their needs.  On this occasion Jesus disciples needed to learn a vital life lesson about leadership, humility and the different-ness of God’s Kingdom to the world, so Jesus provided that for them.  What do people around you need this week?
The prophecy of Isaiah 52&53 which talks about Jesus’ suffering for our sakes begins with the phrase “See, my servant will act wisely” (Is 52:13) and then goes on to describe what He would do for us.  Ministry is guided by discernment.

2. Ministry is Motivated by Love
Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love.
Why did Jesus bother?
Why did He bother with teaching His disciples a lesson on leadership while He was in the middle of such a traumatic time personally?
Why did He bother with all the hard work of His earthly ministry?
Why did He bother going to the cross for us?
The opening words of John 3:16 echo in our minds: “For God so loved…
Ministry is motivated by love.
What is love?
Faced with this question I did what almost everyone else does in our society – I googled it!
The answers that came in were very interesting but really all they proved was that our world is extremely confused on the subject!  There is no consensus on what love really is.
Even if you do a study of the Greek word that is used here and find out what it meant to people at the time that John’s gospel was written, you will not really understand love in the way that Jesus loves and commands us to love. 
What you need to do is study the way the Bible itself explains it.
When the Bible uses the Greek word “agape” to talk about love, it is describing not a feeling but an attitude of mind and a decision of the will.  It is the choice to consider someone or something precious to you.  God demonstrates it by choosing to consider us precious to Him, regardless of what we have done to offend Him and reject Him.  This kind of love is not earned but given.
This kind of love is sacrificial, because it seeks the good of the those it loves rather than itself.  It places the needs of others before its own.
The word used in this verse is a variation of “agape” – “agapao”.  It’s a verb – a “doing” word.  It points out that to choose to have an attitude of love is to choose to do something loving.  Love is not passive, it is active.  It always drives us to some kind of action.
If people say “I love this church”, what do they really mean?  If they mean that they enjoy it because the music’s great, the teaching helpful, the people friendly and the whole thing really gives them a boost, then they are not really saying “I love this church”, rather that the church makes them feel good and they appreciate it.
If you say “I love this church” what you are really saying is that these people are precious to you, and as a result you long to serve them.  That’s the real meaning of that phrase.
Jesus considers His disciples so precious that He wants to clean the muck from between their toes before they eat – not just so their meal will be more pleasant but so they can learn a vital life principle and pass it on to all those who will follow after them in the Church.
Later on in the evening Jesus says this to His disciples as we read in John 13:35-36
34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
This command was very real for them considering the way Jesus had demonstrated His love.  It would become more significant when He gives an even greater demonstration of His love on the cross.  That’s the way He wants us to love – to consider others so precious that we will give ourselves in service to them.
He’s not asking us to feel all warm and fuzzy about each other.  Most of us are still annoyingly sinful and frustratingly different to each other.  How we react to others is not the point.  Our feelings toward them will eventually change once we make the decision to love and put that decision into practice.
How are you loving those around you?  How are you loving this church family?  Are you following the example and command of Jesus, or do you have a worldly idea of love that falls short of God’s standard and His character?
Remember that love is a fruit of God’s Spirit, that you cannot produce on your own.  If you are struggling to love first immerse yourself in God’s love for you, and then let His Spirit cause that love to overflow to others.
Whenever I am struggling to love someone I remind myself of my own unloveliness and the fact that God still loves me.  I think of all the people who by the grace of God really love me despite my faults,  then it’s not so hard to do that for others.
Ministry is motivated by love.  It’s an inevitable expression of love.

3. Ministry Comes from a Position of Security
2 The evening meal was being served, and the devil had already prompted Judas Iscariot, son of Simon, to betray Jesus. 3 Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; 4 so…
So we’re getting ready to eat, the disciples have had their dispute about who’s the greatest and Jesus has decided to show them His love for them by washing their feet – even the feet of Judas who was to betray Him.  How can you serve someone who at that moment is in the process of causing you so much agony?
Verse 2 gives us one clue – it reminds us that Judas did not act on his own, rather he was prompted by Satan the father of lies.  I’ve seen people do some truly horrible things in my lifetime, and the temptation is to be full of hate toward them and seek to punish them for their crimes.
Have you ever been hurt by someone?  Betrayed?
We all have, right?
The Bible has a lot to say about how we are to respond, but one vital truth is mentioned here – remember who the real enemy is.  It’s not those who hurt us, it’s the one who leads the rebellion against God and the war against God’s people.  People who get caught up in Satan’s schemes are victims too.  They are not on the pathway to abundant life.  Even Christians who are heading for heaven sometimes fall for his traps and do things that hurt others.  They are not the enemy – they’re our brothers and sisters.  They need to be lovingly restored.
Reminding ourselves who the true enemy is also reminds us of the victory we have over him.
Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under His power, that He had come from God and was returning to God.  Nothing Satan could do would interfere in God’s good plan.  In fact the evil intentions of Satan would actually work to fulfil the loving intentions of God.  Satan’s apparent victory in having God the Son killed on a cross was actually his ultimate defeat as by His death Jesus delivered us from Satan’s power.
When you are secure in who you are in Christ, you find that you can love people and serve people without being consumed by bitterness and resentment, because nothing anyone can do is able to get in the way of God’s good plans for you.  Satan is defeated.  Anything that God allows in your life will only serve for your strengthening and His glory as long as you allow Him to do that work in you. 
Are there people you struggle to love?  Are there resentments in your heart toward others that make it impossible for you to long to serve them?
Remember your position in Christ.  Remember that your accountability is to Him, not to others.  Remember your security is in Him and no-one and nothing can overcome Him.  Remember that your power to love the unlovely comes from Him.
That's it for this week - we'll cover the remaining 4 principles next Sunday.  In the meantime, ask God to show you of the ways that He wants you to follow the teaching and example of Jesus as we've explored it so far.  How can you grow in your discernment of the needs and opportunities around you instead of being consumed with your own "stuff"?  How can you be motivated by a heart of genuine love for others that causes you to consider people as so precious to you that you will sacrifice yourself for them?  How can you grow in your security in Christ so that you can serve the even the most unworthy without being sidetracked by bitterness or fear of exploitation?

Sunday, March 13, 2011

Discovering Jesus Pt 30 - John 12:35-50

Discovering Jesus in the Gospel of John part 30
John 12:35-50
13/03/2011
Colin Beavis

Introduction

In the passage we are dealing with today, we read some of the most terrifying words; some of the most tragic words in the whole of the Bible.

And they are John 12 verses 39-40

 “He has blinded their eyes and He hardened their heart so that they would not see with their eyes and perceive with their heart and be converted and I heal them.”

What do these verses mean?

As we go through this passage this morning we will find out what they mean and what a tragedy it is for those who allow themselves to get into this position.

Two weeks ago Michael gave us a message from the verses immediately prior to the ones we are dealing with today.

He reminded us of how Jesus had set his eyes on the cross and would not be sidetracked.

Jesus had come to die on the cross and although His followers wanted to see Him take over His kingdom immediately Jesus knew He had come to die that we may be saved.

In fact He said in verse 24 of this chapter 12 of John:

“Truly, truly I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies. It remains alone, but if it dies it bears much fruit.” 

Then Michael reminded us that we need to die to self, to serve Jesus and in this way we will bring glory to God in our lives and then we too will bear much fruit.

The last 2 verses Michael dealt with in that message were John 12: 35-36 and I will read them again:

 35So 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.

 36"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.”

I want you to note particularly  These things Jesus spoke, and He went away and hid Himself from them.”

As this was to be the:

THE DAY THE LIGHT  WENT OUT

This was the end of the public ministry of Jesus as far as these people were concerned.

It was the finish of His appeal to the religious leaders and to the people of Israel of that day.

But it was in these final words to these people that Jesus again was appealing to them to turn to Him as He was telling them there was still the Light.

Jesus had a relentless love for these people. After all He came into the world to save sinners. So here He is making a final plea, a final invitation.

For three years He had been telling them He was God, that He was the Living Christ. That He was the Living Water, that He was the Bread of Life, that He was the Light of the World, that He was The Good Shepherd and that He was the Resurrection and the Life.

He substantiated these claims with many miracles- Turning water into wine, giving sight to the blind, making the lame walk, causing the deaf to hear, stilling the waters, calming the winds, walking on water, raising the dead.

And yet they still refused to believe on Him or acknowledge Him.

In fact they doubted Him, they resented Him, they denied Him, they hated Him, they tried to kill Him, they plotted His execution, and finally they did execute Him

And even at this time, with only a matter of hours before He went to the cross Jesus in all His love for mankind makes a final plea to these people.

The light was about to go out for these people.

From this point on His ministry will be with those who already know Him and love Him even to His death and His resurrection.

How long have you heard the truth and refused to believe?

That’s an important question because the Bible tells us in Genesis 6:3,

God says, “My spirit shall not strive with man forever.’ And then again in Psalm 103:9 it says, “He will not always strive with us.”

And God meant what He said because we read that after he said what was said in Genesis He sent the flood which destroyed all but 8 people.

There other times I could quote but it is suffice to say God does not endlessly strive with man. There comes a time when grace is over, and when grace ends and judgement begins.

So we see that despite all the miracles:

THEY WOULD NOT BELIEVE    In Verses 37-38  we read 37But though He had performed so many signs before them, yet they were not believing in Him.

 38This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet which he spoke: "LORD, WHO HAS BELIEVED OUR REPORT? AND TO WHOM HAS THE ARM OF THE LORD BEEN REVEALED?"

That passage says “despite all the miracles “they were not believing in Him.”

In the NIV translation it says, “They would not believe in Him.”

What a tragedy!

Jesus had taught so persuasively and had done so many miracles but they still refused to acknowledge Jesus as the King of Kings and Lord of their lives

And John is, in these verses making us fully aware of our responsibility to respond to the claim Jesus has on our lives.

You and I have been given a free will to either accept or reject Jesus and if we reject Him we have no-one but ourselves to blame for the consequences.

And that consequence the Bible tells us is eternity in hell.

If we reject Him if we end up in eternal damnation we have nobody else to blame but ourselves.

But there is another part to this passage. Verse 38 says,

 “This was to fulfil the word of Isaiah the prophet which he spoke: “LORD, WHO HAS BELIEVED OUR REPORT? AND TO WHOM HAS THE ARM OF THE LORD BEEN REVEALED?”

Here it says, they would not believe in order to fulfil the word of Isaiah the prophet found in Isaiah 53:1 which says:  LORD, WHO HAS BELIEVED OUR REPORT? AND TO WHOM HAS THE ARM OF THE LORD BEEN REVEALED?"

Just what is being said here? And remember it was 700 years before Christ.

Firstly we have the question, “Who has believed our report?” And we find Isaiah is prophesying  about all the things Jesus would do and say, all the miracles He would perform. And he asks the question “Who believes all this.” And the simple answer is very few. 

Then we have the question, again by Isaiah “And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed.” Meaning to whom have these miracles been revealed” And the answer is the people of Israel.

So in affect what was said is: “That the arm of the Lord was revealed to the people of Israel and yet only a few believed.”

And then in Verse 38 it says “this was to fulfil the word of Isaiah the prophet”

What does this mean?

Does this mean the people of Israel didn’t have a chance because God in His sovereignty had decided beforehand to stop them from believing?

The answer to that could be yes. God is God. He is sovereign. He can if he so wishes choose to do precisely that.    But, is that what is happening here?

I believe that God in His sovereignty knew what was going to happen. And so the verse could be written this way: “They believed not; consequently the saying of Isaiah was fulfilled.”

John’s point in this verse is not that God made them disbelieve, but rather we should not be surprised by their disbelief, because God had prophesied it, long before it happened.

Anyone, who is away from God is away because of his or her own desire, will and decisions.

From as far back as Adam mankind had departed from God and remained cut off from God because they preferred their own free will to God’s will

Now we come to those tragic words I mentioned at the start and these are found in verses 39-41, where we see:

THEY COULD NOT BELIEVE –Verses 39-41 39For this reason they could not believe, for Isaiah said again,

 40"HE HAS BLINDED THEIR EYES AND HE HARDENED THEIR HEART, SO THAT THEY WOULD NOT SEE WITH THEIR EYES AND PERCEIVE WITH THEIR HEART, AND BE CONVERTED AND I HEAL THEM."

 41These things Isaiah said because  he saw His glory, and he spoke of Him.

These words are from Isaiah 6:9-10. 700 years before John’s writing of the book of John. Words that God had given Isaiah to prophesy.

Suffice to say that again God in His sovereignty knew beforehand His plans and that the people of Israel would reject Jesus. That they would reject His son. That they would reject the Messiah

First they would not believe and now they could not believe. It was of their own free will that they would not believe. 

Despite all the miracles Jesus performed. Despite all the words Jesus spoke. Despite all His teachings they just would not believe.

How did this happen? They were the chosen people of God and yet as we read the Bible we see time and time again they rejected Him. They sinned against Him. They ignored Him. They went their own way.

Time and time again God had to deal with them.

And now they were so used to rejecting Him and His word and His truth.

They thought they understood all the prophecies but they didn’t. They had it all wrong. They thought they were getting a King who was going to get rid of their oppressors, one who would get rid of the Roman opressors, one who was going to rule then and there.

But they had mistaken and misread all the prophecies. They had disobeyed God so many times and now the truth has come they were in no position to see it or understand it.

The people of Israel now had such a history of disbelief they just would not believe.

And now we see the words.

“ 39For this reason they could not believe, for Isaiah said again,

 40"HE HAS BLINDED THEIR EYES AND HE HARDENED THEIR HEART, SO THAT THEY WOULD NOT SEE WITH THEIR EYES AND PERCEIVE WITH THEIR HEART, AND BE CONVERTED AND I HEAL THEM."

 41These things Isaiah said because he saw His glory, and he spoke of Him.

What do these words mean and how are we to understand them?

Verse 39 says,”for this reason.” What reason? Because they would not believe, and as a result God has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts.

It is simply this. For centuries Israel had hardened their hearts against God and now God hardened them so they could not believe.

God had given them chance after chance but they kept turning from Him.

The Bible tells us that God can, and will and does harden the hearts of people today, so they cannot believe.

I know that may sound extremely harsh. But we need to remember God is sovereign and if man constantly rejects Him and defies Him then God may act in this way.

As examples i mention:

In Romans chapter one, Paul says on 3 occasions, “God gave them over or God gave them up.”

In the book of Exodus God hardened the heart of Pharaoh. But it can be noted that 10 times Pharaoh hardened his own heart and 10 times it says God hardened Pharaoh’s heart.

Now we come to another disturbing statement. Verses 42 and 43 which say:

42Nevertheless many even of the rulers believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they were not confessing Him, for fear that they would be put out of the synagogue;

43for they loved the approval of men rather than the approval of God.

Did you note that?

THEY LOVED THE APPROVAL OF MEN RATHER THAN THE APPROVAL OF GOD

Again, what a tragedy!

These men, rulers even, believed in Jesus, but I want you to notice three very important words used here. And they are believe, confess and love.

The Bible tells us quite clearly if we are to be saved we need to believe and in fact that is what we have been talking about this morning.

And it says in verse 42 that many of the rulers believed in Him. But when we come to the other 2 words they tell us a lot about these men.

Firstly they would not confess Christ for fear they would be put out of the Synagogue.

In John 9:22, We read

22His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews; for the Jews had already agreed that if anyone confessed Him to be Christ, he was to be put out of the synagogue.

The parents referred to were the parents of the man born blind. You will recall Chris speaking on this a few weeks ago.

Now we have these rulers being afraid of this very same thing. They would not confess Jesus for fear of being put out of the synagogue.

May I remind you of what it says in Romans 10 and verse 9:

“that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;

And also what Jesus said in Matthew 10 verse 32:

Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven.”

Were these people saved?  It certainly doesn’t appear so. They believed but would not confess as they were afraid of losing their position in the Synagogue.

What about you this morning? Where are you at? Do you believe but are afraid to confess for some reason or another?  

Is it because you may lose some friends?

Is it because you might miss out on a promotion?

Is it because you might miss out on a spot in some sporting team?

Whatever it is, it is not worth missing eternity for! It is not worth losing your own soul for!

Then the Bible tells us they would not confess for they (and here is that other word I mentioned). They loved the approval of men rather than the approval of God.

Here were these people, they had seen the miracles of Jesus, they had seen or heard of the calming of the winds, the walking on the water, the healing of the blind, the lame and the deaf, the raising of Lazarus from the dead and yet they sought the approval of men rather than the approval of God.

What about you this morning? What is stopping you from seeking the approval of God?

Is it your sport that you put ahead of God?

Is it your studies that you put ahead of God?

Is it your career that you put ahead of God?

Is it some relationship that you put ahead of God?

Or is it the applause of men that you put ahead of God?

Now we come to the last 7 verses in this chapter and time does not permit us to look at these closely. But there are some points I want to make.

The first is that Jesus is not actually at this time speaking to anyone in these verses, but rather John is quoting some of the statements Jesus made during His ministry.

These statements include verse 46 which says:

I have come as light into the world and that everyone who believes in me will not remain in darkness.

Then he makes a wonderful statement, telling of His love for you and me.

And that is: Verse 47:

"If anyone hears My sayings and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world.”

Right throughout His ministry Jesus in His love was seeking the lost. He was seeking mankind. He was seeking you and me. He did not give up on this. This was what He came to earth to do.

Remember back in verses 35 and 36, in these His last words to the crowds and to these religious rulers and before He went away and hid himself He was still pleading with people.

verse 35: 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 came to save mankind and not to judge them.

But He did also in love remind the people in verse 48 that if they did not accept Him that they will be judged.

In fact in the last few verses of John 12, Jesus uses the word “judge” four times.

This is another reminder to us not to toy with this matter of eternity. The Bible tells us of the coming judgement where heaven or hell will be decided for each one of us.

And we know from other passages of the Bible the destination of those who reject Him, is a Christless eternity.

CONCLUSION

These have been challenging verses to deal with today.

But, these words are from the Word of God, The Bible and out of love we must warn of the consequences of not believing and how that can lead to not being able to believe.

We must warn of the consequences of not wanting to confess for whatever reason and we must warn of seeking the applause of man rather than the applause of God.

Where are you at today?

Are you continuing not to believe in Jesus or to accept even though you know what He has done for you.

Are you continuing to take a chance that one day (and that could be today) you will be unable to believe because He has darkened your eyes and hardened your heart?

Friend there is no guarantee of tomorrow. There is no guarantee of today for that matter.

2 Cor 6:2 says, “Behold, now is "THE ACCEPTABLE TIME," behold, now is "THE DAY OF SALVATION"

Just a couple of weeks ago there was that dreadful earthquake in New Zealand. I wonder how many of the people who lost their lives, thought they had many years in which to turn to Jesus Christ?

Or do you go on your merry way because you are afraid to stand up and be counted as one of Jesus followers?

Or is it that you are seeking the applause of man rather than the applause of God.

Jesus is seeking you. He loves you. He died for you? He suffered ridicule and shame upon the cross that you might come to Him.

Will you accept Him as your Lord and Saviour this morning? Don’t put it off any longer. You don’t know whether you will ever have another chance

In 2 Peter 3:9 it says “God is not willing that any should perish.”

And in Isaiah 55 verses 6 and 7 we find these verses:

“Seek the LORD while He may be found;
         Call upon Him while He is near.
    7Let the wicked forsake his way
         And the unrighteous man his thoughts;
         And let him return to the LORD,
         And He will have compassion on him,
         And to our God,
         For He will abundantly pardon.”

Will you do that this morning? Will you return to Him?