Message developed as part of series inspired by Max Lucado’s book 3:16, Numbers of Hope, study guide materials, and his sermon series by the same title.
Scripture: John 3:11-21; John 20:19, 24-25
Title: We Believe
Series: 3:16 (part 4)
Author: Steve Miller
Introduction
I hope that you’ve noticed that there is a progression in the titles of the sermons of this series. After the first sermon was introduced, there came…
He Loves, and He Gave.
Today is “We Believe” and next week is We Live. When you put them all together it sounds like a mathematical formula: He Loved + He Gave + We Believe = We Live. [Add the pluses and equal sign to the words on your bulletin]
Here’s how it breaks down:
God Loves (not that we loved him, but that He loved us first)
Then God Gave. (It took more than just the loving heart of God to redeem sinners. It was going to cost.)
Now we come to the first part of this equation that has a “we” part to it. So what is it that we bring to the table that will result in forgiveness and eternal life?
Is it “we love right back,” is it “we gave?” Actually no. No amount of love or sacrifice on our part added to the equation will result in the forgiveness of sins.
What we add to the equation is Belief and only belief. Simply put, if we are to live it takes God’s love, and God’s gift, and all we do is “We Believe.”
You say that’s too simple. It doesn’t add up. It should be “We Behave.” But the truth of the matter is that that is the truth of the Gospel of God.
If we want true life, then you must believe that God Loved and God Gave. But so many will not believe. In fact some of you here today most likely are unbelievers. And as surely as John 3:16 proclaims the Gospel, like all others who will not believe, your equation does not end in life, but eternal perishing.
For it says in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life. Friends believe on the One and Only Son of God, the Savior Jesus Christ and live.
Pray.
Transition Statement
Today we want to focus specifically on “believing on Jesus.” If our statistics about the lost population in North America are correct. If 3 out of 4 people are unbelievers, then believing on Jesus must be more than knowing about Jesus. Surely much more than a quarter of the population in North America know about Jesus. So, becoming saved has to be more than just knowing about Jesus. As we just said, it is about believing in Jesus.
I. Some People Know, But Don’t Believe
I want you to think about the background of John 3:16. Do you remember that it’s all about a ruling Pharisee of the Jews. He was a knowledgeable teacher of God’s Law in Israel.
He went seeking out Jesus one night. He knew about Jesus, In fact he says, “We know that you have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.”
So we see that Nicodemus knew Jesus, but there was something lacking. The problem was this: He knew, but He didn’t believe.
Skip to verse 11.
Jesus says “I know what I’m talking about.” In verse 13, Jesus adds that He is the only person who speaks what He knows about heaven and God from personal eye witness experience. “No one has ascended into heaven, but He who descended from heaven, even the Son of Man.”
In verse 11 it records Jesus telling Nicodemus, “We speak what we know and testify what we have seen”…”But,” says the last part of verse 11, “you do not receive our witness.”
“You won’t receive our witness.” IOW, you believe my teaching and signs are from God but you won’t accept the truth they point to. You know about me, but you don’t really believe in me.
That’s like the magic show we saw at First Baptist. You’re telling me that you’re going to make this ball disappear. And I can see you do it. But I don’t really believe that you actually made it disappear. I know there’s a trick to it.
But with Jesus. There’s no trick. He says He’s the Son of God. The things he says and things He does look like they’re from God. But the heart question is do I really believe this or not.
Will I accept the testimony or not? Nicodemus clearly had not. There was actually a time when one of Jesus’ disciples came to this point of deciding whether or not he would accept the testimony of others about Jesus. And he made the decision that so many today make. He refused to move his knowledge of Jesus to the next level of belief.
Illustration
We often call him Doubting Thomas, but a better name might be Unbelieving Thomas, because that is exactly what he was. His story is recorded by John in the 20th chapter. READ 20:19, 24-25.
We know that strain and grief and danger and disappointment all played havoc on the disciples’ emotions, but there is no doubting here. Thomas refused to believe the testimonies of others about Jesus. He clearly says, “I will not believe.”
Maybe you’re going through strain and grief and danger and disappointment. You may be filled with lots of doubt. But don’t fool yourself. You know enough about Jesus already. You aren’t having doubts. You either deciding to believe or not believe. You’re either a believer or you’re not. You either stay at a knowing level or you leap out onto the level of faith which says I believe. You either know Him as Lord and God or you just know about Him.
What’s great about Thomas’ story is that eight days later, he finally took that leap. Christ came to the disciples again, and this time Thomas was there with them. Christ specifically targeted Thomas’ unbelief. Read 27-29.
Maybe you’re waiting for Jesus to come to you in body. Maybe you’ve said like countless others that you won’t believe unless Jesus does more for you. That is unbelief.
Nicodemus didn’t truly accept the witness about Jesus, neither would Thomas. Don’t make the same mistake. Jesus is here now. He is in these words I’m speaking, He is in this eternal Word of God [Bible}. In fact, John goes on to say in the next verse, “Many other signs therefore Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book. but these have been written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.” I think he means that you must accept what he and the other disciples have brought to you as the truth about Jesus.
Accept the testimony that Jesus is who we proclaim Him to be. Make that transition from just knowing about Him, to really believing in Him.
Why? go back to chapter 3…verse 18. Why is it so important? Those who believe in Christ will have no judgment against them. But those who do not believe, even Jesus can’t stop the judgment you’re condemned for. There is life waiting for you when you believe.
Transitional Statement
Let’s continue in the third chapter… First we found that Sometimes people know, but don’t believe. But a little further down we find something else. While some people know, but don’t believe, here we find that sometimes people won’t believe because they don’t want to know.
II. Some People Won’t Believe Because They Don’t Want to Know.
READ 19-21
“This is the condemnation.” The NIV says, “This is the verdict.” Essentially this is how it comes down. John began his gospel by saying that in Jesus was life. And that life was the light of all who lived in darkness.
We may have the sunlight, but our spiritual lives are filled with darkness. We are blind to much of the sin in our lives, we don’t see reality as God sees it. We are virtually wandering in a dark spiritual world. So we “no one is righteous, not even one,” because the right ways are so dark we can’t even begin to walk the right way.
That’s very true, but there’s also another reason why we don’t choose the right way. John 3 says we don’t want to. The Father may offer us eternal life through believing in Jesus, but the truth of the matter is that we don’t want to walk towards the light of Jesus Christ because his light is so pure and bright that it exposes the sin for what it really is, and we don’t want to see that. We don’t want to feel guilty over our wretched sin that we love so much.
Verse 19 says that humans love the darkness. They cling to it rather than run away from it.
Don’t you love your darkness? Aren’t you comfortable with how you run your life? Sure there are a few things you would like to change, but most of the time you probably think that you’re better than ¾ of the population.
Verse 20 really gets to the heart of the problem, however. You not only love the darkness, but really you fear the light.
I’ve found this true in myself over the last two years. Jesus is pure exposing light. If I step just a bit into His brightness it’s not going to be like I need to change this habit and that sinful attitude. I will be completely exposed by Jesus, and everything will have to change right now!
Maybe you feel the same way. You’re afraid to give everything to Jesus because you know there’s no way you make such drastic changes. Maybe you think you want to give everything to Jesus, but you’re afraid of what He’ll want to do. You know who you are now, but you have no idea what Jesus will do with you once you step into the Light. Maybe he’ll make you give more, maybe everything. Maybe he’ll lead you to talk to someone about Him, maybe make you a missionary, maybe turn you into a fanatic.
Don’t you think celebrities are scared when it comes to news shows wanting to interview them. There’s a side that they don’t mind showing. In fact they like the attention. But they fear a tell-all expose. They don’t want so nut shining lights in all their closets.
And neither do you. You can’t afford that, right? You can’t spin all of that right? You can’t rationalize it all away. You can’t make up for it. You can’t keep expose it all and keep the rest of your life intact.
Verse 21 says, if you will believe you won’t have to.
Come to the truth of Christ in belief, and He will cast out every fear. He already sees all the things we want to hide, but now we see it too. And there’s nothing to fear because Jesus will forgive all, and start you new and fresh.
You say, it will take me changing. I’ve got to act better. I’ve got to behave. No. That won’t bring forgiveness and life. The only thing you can do to come into the Light of Christ today is believe.
Believe what? Believe that God loves you, and Believe that God Gave His only begotten Son Jesus. Romans 4:5 says, To the one who does not work, but believes in Him whojustifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness.
Concluding Illustration
Max Lucado tells the story in his book about Team Hoyt…
Team Hoyt consists of a father-son squad: Dick and Rick. They race. They race a lot. Sixty-four marathons. Two hundred and six triathlons. Six triathlons at Ironman distance. Two hundred and four 10K runs. Since 1975, they’ve crossed nearly a thousand finish lines. They’ve even crossed the USA in forty-five days.
Team Hoyt loves races. But only half of Team Hoyt can run. Dick, the dad, can. But Rick’s legs don’t work nor does his speech. At his birth in 1962, the umbilical cord wrapped around his neck, causing brain damage.
Rick’s body didn’t develop as it should have, but he was bright. In fact he entered public school, and even graduated from college.
He couldn’t bathe, dress, or feed himself, but Rick wanted to run. At age fifteen, he asked his dad if they could enter a five-mile benefit race. Dick was not a runner, but he was a father, so he loaded his son in a three-wheeled wheelchair, and off they went. They haven’t stopped since.
Young Rick Hoyt relies on his dad to do it all: lift him, push him, pedal him, and tow him. Other than a willing heart, he makes no contribution to the effort. Rick depends entirely on the strength of his dad.
God wants you to do the same. "Whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16).
We bring to the spiritual race what Rick Hoyt brings to the physical one. Our spiritual legs have no strength. Our morality has no muscle. Our good deeds cannot carry us across the finish line, but Christ can.
Lucado sites this source: David Tereshchuk, "Racing Towards Inclusion," Team Hoyt, http://www.teamhoyt.com/history.shtml.
Some people know, but don’t believe, and some people won’t believe because they don’t want to know. But to whoever will believe in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.
