WHOEVER
Scripture: John 3:16; Matthew 9:20-21; Luke 23:39-43; Acts 15:28-29
Introduction
We often use the term “whoever” in our conversations. “Who” is defined as “what or which person.” “Whoever” is the emphatic form of “whom”, giving it that extra emphasis. I remember hearing this term a lot as a child when my parents would say something like “Whoever made this mess had better get in here and clean it up.” Of course no one volunteered to be the “whoever” because “whoever” left the mess would have to explain why they did it. As a parent I have often made the same statement in my home. My message today is very simple and it focuses on the fact that you and I are one of the “whoevers.” The "whoever" I am referring to come from one of the best known Scriptures in the Bible, John 3:16. It says “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that WHOEVER believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.”
The bible is full of “whoevers” (yeah I know it’s not a word). In the beginning there was Adam and Eve. Adam and Eve had no past in the beginning yet because of them, according to Genesis 3:15, God set in place a plan for our redemption. There was also another Old Testament whoever named Noah. From all indication, Noah was minding his own business when God called upon him to build an ark something that is still debated today as to whether or not he actually did it. Believe it or not there are many people out there who do not believe he built it. God could have used anyone, but He chose Noah. Then there was Abraham, a man living with his father whom God called out to establish a very unique relationship with causing him to leave his father for a strange land. Why did God pick Abraham the bible does not tell us, but what we know is that Abraham was a “whoever”. Then there is Daniel. All of you know the story about Daniel being cast into the lion’s den. There were guys who did not like Daniel so they conspired against him which led to him being thrown in the lion’s den. Because Daniel was an Old Testament “whoever” God closed the mouth of those lions and Daniel was saved. All of these and many more Old Testament “whoevers” died without fully realizing the promise made to all whoevers. According to Hebrews, they all died in faith, before the fulfillment of the promise. This brings me to my focus for today, what am I referring to when I talk you whoevers.
I. For God So Loved The World
I shared with you earlier the Scripture from John 3:16. For all of you out there who have accepted the gift that God gave us, you are one of the “whoevers” this verse is talking about. There were no entry criteria or fee that had to be met. There was no exam that had to be passed. There were no interviews, applications, physical fitness test, medical exams, etc. All that was required was a simple acceptance of the gift. Once we heard and accepted, we became a “whoever.” That was the same for all those New Testament “whoevers” whose lives were changed after they had an interaction with Christ.
In the New Testament, there were many people that became “whoevers” with backgrounds that were as varied as you’d expect. For example, Matthew 9:20-21 records “And behold, a woman who had been suffering from a hemorrhage for twelve years came up behind Him and touched the fringe of His cloak; for she was saying, ‘If I only touch His garment, I shall get well.” This woman was in need and to get her need met she sought out Jesus. She did not walk up to Jesus; introduce herself; explain her condition; filled out an application for assistance to request help. No, she walked up to Him and took what she needed. Her desire to be healed was so strong that she convinced herself that if she just touched His garment, she would be made whole. You know what happened? She was healed. She was healed because she believed. She was healed because in her thought process, she accepted who Christ was thus becoming a ‘whoever.” Then there was the thief who was crucified with Jesus.
When Jesus was hanging on the cross, paying the ultimate price for you and I, there were two other men hanging beside Him. One of the men, probably after hearing stories of Jesus, recognized that Jesus was not guilty of what had been charged against Him. This man compared himself to Christ and found himself lacking. This man had a desire, a desire to become a whoever. This man realized that he had wasted his life and his time was up. Luke 23:39-43 says “And one of the criminals who were hanged there was hurling abuse at Him, saying ‘Are You not the Christ? Save Yourself and us!’ But the other answered, and rebuking him said, ‘Do you not even fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we are receiving what we deserve for our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.’ And he was saying, ‘Jesus, remember me when You come in Your Kingdom!’ And He said to Him, ‘Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise.” Of the two men who were crucified with Jesus, one apparently thought that “if Jesus was the Christ” then He could save them all. He did not care that Jesus was innocent, only that Jesus could be his way to freedom. His partner, the one I mentioned earlier, had a repentant heart. He believed and became a “whoever”, right there on the cross.
And of course my example would not be complete without briefly mentioning you and I. Each of us became a “whoever” when we accepted Christ. God loved us so much that He sent His Son to die for us. You, me and everyone else received a wonderful gift of love. What is so amazing about this gift is that it was given freely. The gift was made available even to those who refuse to accept it. Everyone has the opportunity to receive this gift, it’s all about acceptance. Lives have been changed because people had an interaction with Jesus. Those that I mentioned earlier, as well as you and I. Your change could have been great or small, but if you had an interaction with Christ, you have been changed. It is not possible to interact with Him and not be changed by it. So my questions to you today is this: “If each of us became a ‘whoever’ based on grace, our accepting Christ and believing that He died for our sins, why do we make it so hard for others to accept Him? Why are we so aware of the flaws in others that we believe we have the right to say who is and who is not a Christian?
II. Who Is A Christian?
Last week they held the funeral services for the Rev. Jerry Falwell who died May 15th. As you can imagine, there was a lot in the news papers about him, his beliefs and the impact his ministry had on the political issues in America. While writers were reflecting on his impact, they also began to look at other prominent Christian leaders who have impacted the political system. I was reading one article about the presidential candidates and whether or not they could gain the support of the “Christians.” In one article there was a discussion about the actor Fred Thompson and whether or not he was a Christian. Apparently James Dobson (Focus on the Family) made the comment that he would not support Mr. Thompson for president because he did not “think he was a Christian.” After the remark was made, Mr. Thompson came forward and said he had been baptized in the Church of Christ denomination and that he believed himself to be a Christian. Focus on the Family (Mr. Dobson) responded by saying that they were pleased to learn that he (Mr. Thompson) “professes” to be a ‘believer.” Now although that sound nice, you must understand that for some evangelicals, being a “Christian” is not the same thing as being a “believer” although many of us use the term interchangeably. To some, being a believer means that you believe that Christ existed but you have not accepted Him and allowed Him to rule in your life. To that end, Dr. Dobson would not back off of his initial statement although Mr. Thompson professes to be a Christian. I am not a huge fan of Mr. Thompson, but I was offended that someone who look at another individual and say with certainty that they were or were not a Christian. Only God knows that. I find it interesting that one person can believe that they have the right to say who is and who is not a Christian based on what they see and hear. I do not believe I can make that determination, even though I disagree with how you may choose to live, I believe your final destination is known only to you and God.
This is a case similar to what the early Gentile Christians experienced. The early Gentile Christians faced similar situations from their Jewish Christian counterparts. In Acts chapter 15 the council at Jerusalem had to meet to answer the question around whether or not Gentile Christians had to be circumcised. Some individuals (from the Pharisees sect) began to teach the new Christians that this was a requirement. (Remember circumcision was a requirement under the Law of Moses.) When Paul and Barnabas heard of this, they were angry. Paul, Barnabas and a few others were sent to Jerusalem to get an answer. Peter stood before the group and shared with them how God had saved some of the Gentiles just as He had saved them, without any additional “requirements.” He stressed that we are saved through grace and not through works. After much discussions, this answer was given: “For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay upon you no greater burden than these essentials; that you abstain from things sacrificed to idols and from blood and from things strangled and from fornication; if you keep yourselves free from such things, you will do well. Farewell” (Acts 15:28-29) In other words, they set the record straight that our salvation is through grace and not through our works.
If we are saved through grace, how is it then that I am in a position to judge another person’s salvation based on their actions? How is it that I have the right to decide who can be saved and who cannot? How is it that I can look beyond my own issues to bring to light the issues of others? If someone accepts Christ as their personal Savior, how can I tell whether or not they truly did so? Remember, John 3:16 said “whoever” believes in Him. As you are considering these questions, consider this point. Each of us at some point in our lives have judged the qualifications of others to be a Christian. Although we all came through the same way, accepting Christ as our Savior, some believe that their’s is more genuine based on their lifestyle. I believe that we should live a holy lifestyle, everyday trying to do what is right in the eyes of God. But we do this “not to get saved” but because we love God and we “are saved.” Today Churches discourage people from coming to church and discovering Christ because we have so many requirements. (By the way, the reason I said come to church and discover Christ is because many of us are not going out and telling people about Him so if they are going to hear they do so by finding their way to a church or hear something on TV.) We have dress code requirements – you’d better wear that Sunday going to meeting outfit if you do not want people staring at you. We have smell requirements – people better bathe before they come to Church. This is okay if you have a home and can take a shower. But what about the person living on the street and just happens to wander into our services, will they be accepted? We have money requirements. We have color requirements. We have talent requirements. All of our requirements yet John 3:16 said “whoever.”
Conclusion
When I was reading those articles, I was offended. I thought “How dare he make that statement about someone else and then question the person’s statement that they were a Christian! What gives him the right to say who is and who is not a child of God! Why do they think they have it al together and can determine who will be acceptable to God! And then it hit me. There have been times in my life that I was just like them. There have been times in my life when I judged someone else and their “qualifications and abilities” to be a Christian. There have been statements that I have made literally questioning how someone can call themselves a Christian when their actions speak otherwise. I am not saying that anything goes once you accept Christ, quite the opposite. When you have an interaction with Christ, your life will be changed. What I am saying is that we need to step away from sizing people up as to their qualifications to be a Christian and leave that to God. God knows who belongs to Him. There are two things we should worry about. First, do we belong to Him and second, are we concerned about those who do not know Him. When we look at ourselves first and gain surety around our salvation, then we begin to look outwards. We spend a lot more time trying to convince those who say they are a believer than we do reaching those who do not believe at all.
Okay, I am going to get off of my soap box. But before I close, I want to ask you one question. If you were not saved and I approached you with a superior attitude; one that said because I am saved I am greater than you; an attitude so superior that if it sprinkled rain outside I would drown because my nose was so stuck up in the air; would you listen to me as I told you about Christ? I am a “whoever.” I did not work for my salvation, it was a gift. Jesus did not judge me, He accepted me. What gives me the right to tell others they are not “good enough” yet to be classified as a Christian?
God bless and keep you.
