Introduction: Grace be to you and peace, from God our Father, and from our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ. Our text is the Lesson just read, from John 12. We begin with prayer.
Dear fellow disciples of our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ:
- In our text we read the Apostle John’s exasperation and pondering of “THE MYSTERY OF UNBELIEF.” While he quotes from Isaiah to gain some sense of peace and resolution over this great disappointment that so few believed in Jesus – and that even with some who believed in Jesus, they had greater loyalty to worldly principles and dynamics that to Jesus, God’s Son – we never do get a complete answer to this troubling reality, “THE MYSTERY OF UNBELIEF.”
- We also think about these things from time to time, why it is that with such a great gift of forgiveness, peace with God, and eternal life already given to all mankind in the suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, there are so many who “still do not believe in Him.” And we also have to contemplate the reality – that although we know and believe God’s great love for us, there are a number of things that we “love” more than “the glory that comes from God.”
- So this evening let us focus on the reality of His great gift of salvation in Christ Jesus, that we may be strengthened in our faith and trust in Him and also in our devotion to and love for Him. For:
I. Even Though Christ Is Now Glorified, Many Continue To Reject Him
A. His Signs And Miracles, His Death And Resurrection Are Clear Evidence Of His Deity, His Love, And His Work Of The Salvation Of The World
Text: “Though He had done so many signs before them, they still did not believe in Him.”
Rom. 1:2-4 “God promised beforehand through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures, concerning His Son, Who was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by His resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord.”
1 John 4:9,10 “In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent His only Son into the world, so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the blood atonement for our sins.”
B. And God’s Word Of Truth Is Powerful Evidence Of His Love And Of His Free Gift Of Salvation
Text: “So the Word spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: “Lord, who has believed what he heard from us, and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed.”
Num. 23:19 “God is not man, that He should lie, or a son of man, that He should change His mind. Has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not fulfill it?”
Is. 55:10,11 “”For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall My word be that goes out from My mouth; it shall not return to Me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.”
Statement: The coming of Christ, and all that He did is proof of the truth of God’s Word and His faithfulness. It is also guarantee of God’s love and His free gift of forgiveness and salvation in Christ Jesus. Yet for some reason, so many still today do not believe in Him and will not live at peace with God in His gracious love. It truly is a “mystery,” “THE MYSTERY OF UNBELIEF.”
Application: But we understand it some, for we too continue to have times of doubt and unbelief – and this restrains our love for God, our devotion to Him, and makes us vulnerable to the many temptations to love other things more than we love God. So let us consider the faithfulness of God carefully, and also His truthfulness and His faithfulness to His Word, so that there be no doubt or unbelief in us. For:
II. Although God’s Love Shines On All People For A While, God Hardens Those Who Rebel In Impenitence And Unbelief – As We Heard Jesus Warn Us In Our Text Last Week
John 12:35,36 “The light is among you for a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you. The one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going. While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light.”
Text: “Therefore they could not believe. For again Isaiah said, ‘He has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart, lest they see with their eyes, and understand with their heart, and turn, and I would heal them.’ Isaiah said these things because he saw His glory and spoke of Him.”
Statement: This explains somewhat “THE MYSTERY OF UNBELIEF,” that there comes a point in time when people who have rejected God and His great love are “blinded” by God and have their hearts “hardened” by Him, so that they simply cannot understand. This is also a mystery to us, because we know that “God is love,” and that He wills “all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”
Application: But whether mystery or not, we have to acknowledge that this is true – and humbly pray that God strengthen us in our faith in Him that we never fall away and into such blindness and darkness! And this is the good news in our text, that despite “THE MYSTERY OF UNBELIEF:”
III. Still, Many See Christ’s Glory And Believe In Him
Text: “Nevertheless, many even of the authorities believed in Him.”
A. Some, However, Remain Secret Disciples Out Of Weakness Of Faith
1. Some fear others, what they will think or even do
Text: “But for fear of the Pharisees they did not confess it, so that they would not be put out of the synagogue.”
2. Others are secret disciples, or less committed disciples, because they love something more than God and the glory He bestows
Text: “they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God.”
B. But Let Us Rather Believe Openly – Considering What Christ Has Done For Us – Regardless Of The Disdain Of Others, Regardless Of What We Might Lose Because Of Our Discipleship And Commitment To Jesus
Luke 9:22-24 “And He said, ‘The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.’ And He said to all, ‘If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.’”
Statement: It is also a form of “unbelief” when we allow fear to hinder our discipleship, or if we allow anything that we desire to weaken and erode our love for God and devotion to Him. Given what God has provided for us in His Son, and what Jesus has given to us through His suffering, death, and resurrection, surely we understand that we owe Him our wholehearted belief and commitment.
Application: So let us consider His many signs, and His great love, and see His glory as Isaiah did, so that we too come after Jesus and follow Him. Let us take to heart the Word of our Savior: “For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself? For whoever is ashamed of Me and of My words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when He comes in His glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.”
Conclusion: So let us avoid “THE MYSTERY OF UNBELIEF,” and cling to our dear Savior and Lord! God grant such blessedness to each of us, Amen.
Votum: And the peace of God, which surpasses all human understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds in the true faith, which is in Christ Jesus, even unto life everlasting, Amen.