BELIEVING THE UNBELIEVABLE
#164 BELIEVING THE UNBELIEVABLE
Scripture John 3:16-21 NIV Orig. 3/3/1963 (2/1977)
Rewr. 5/15/1988
Passage: 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 eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. 19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. 21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.
Purpose: To share with my people the great discovery of new life in Christ.
Keywords: Belief Christian Life Salvation Renewal Redemption
Christ as Saviour
Introduction
Well over a half century ago, H.G. Wells published his anthology “The Outline of History.” He was a man, by the standards of many evangelicals of today, who would be perceived to have been an atheist: even more so by the standards of his own day. Yet, his writing presents a provoking picture of Jesus.
To Mr. Wells, Jesus was one whose closest followers and friends did not understand him. Consider texts like:
John 1:10 “He was in the world and the world was made by Him, and the world knew Him not.”
Luke 11:15 “But some of them (people) said, He casteth out devils through Beelzebub the chief of devils.”
John 13:2 “And supper being ended, the devil now having put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray Him.”
John 16:32 “Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave me alone.”
It is so clear that what they expected was for Jesus to miraculously set himself up as king. The Messiah they expected was to be a warrior/priest.
John 1:49 Nathaniel: “Rabbi, thou art the Son of God, thou art the king of Israel.
But Jesus did not perceive Rome as His principle enemy. He saw the despotic tendency of Israel herself as His chief antagonist.
Mark 11:15 “Jesus went into the temple and began to cast out them that sold and bought . . . He taught, saying, ‘My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer. . . .’ And the scribes and chief priests sought how they might destroy Him.”
Thus, according to Mr. Wells, the crucifixion was nothing more than these Hebrew religious bigots attempting to rid themselves of an embarrassment and a misguided zealot, to whom the people listened.
Luke 20:19f “And the chief priests and the scribes the same hour sought to lay hands on him . . . and they watched him and sent forth spies that they might deliver him into the power and authority of . . . government.”
Is it so unbelievable that God would do so unseemly a thing as to provide for man’s salvation and deliverance from the burden of sin?
I. Well, Let Me Remind You that Believing the Unbelievable Begins with a Rightful Appraisal of Sin. V19 “This is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men love darkness rather than light, because their deeds are evil.” It is our natural course to live in sin. One of the major mandates of God’s Word is in this declaration.
There are purveyors of filth who accuse the Bible of being pornographic. It is an honest portrayal of human corruption. But it is to the end that man might be delivered from himself and his kind. The honest presentation of sin pictures even the high and mighty. David’s sin with Bathsheba. How refreshing when church leaders are honest, and prayerfully entrust such honesty to their pastor.
The Old Testament prophets spoke out with vehemence against the nation’s sin. Isaiah 5:20f “Woe to them that call evil good, and good evil. . . . Woe to them that are wise in their own eyes and prudent in their own sight.”
And what more could warn us of man’s corruptible nature than our changing times. Increasing numbers living out of wedlock. Grade school children in increasing numbers involved in drug and alcohol traffic. I recently read the sad commentary that 75% of all college students admittedly cheat on exams. It is reported that 15-20 million sex magazines are sold monthly. I read several years ago that 51% of all of the world’s divorces are in the USA.
II. If One Is to Believe the Unbelievable We Must also Consider the Nature of God. V16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in Him, should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
The nature of God is as revealed in Christ. Recent Sunday evening message on the incarnation (#130) adoption, kenosis (that Jesus emptied himself of His own desires), docetism (that Jesus only appeared to be human).
No matter how powerful, or technically correct our words, we can’t do justice.
Jesus and the Samaritan woman, John 4—Other Jewish men were abusive; Samaritan men treated her like the prostitute she was, their wives treated her worse. Jesus treats her as a person deserving His time and His kindness.
The story of the adulterous woman, John 8—The men in the story brought her not to try her, but to try Jesus. Jesus quickly turned their pride back on their own heads: “Let the one without sin cast the first stone.” He set her free, urging her to “sin no more.” He convicted them that God knew their sin also.
His purpose though these stories and so many others is helping us experience what God is really like. Jesus told the parable of the vineyard (Mark 12). Leased to tenants, a servant went to collect for the owner. He was beaten. Another injured critically. Another killed. Others were sent. Finally, in one unbelievable move to reconcile, he sent his son. He was killed. “What do you suppose the owner will do?” Only one answer. It is obvious. But Jesus told them they were wrong. They don’t know God. V10 “The stone which the builders rejected became the head of the corner.” Not revenge, but reconciliation through restitution.
The nature of God demands the response of personal faith. Our own nature contradicts this. Thus, we must break with our nature if we are to honor God’s nature. L.E. Maxwell,(1) Born Crucified, p51: “Self dies hard. In final captivity and awareness to the “carcass” of self we are brought to cry out, “O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death?”
It is believing the unbelievable.
“A Christless cross no refuge were for me;
A crossless Christ my Saviour could not be.
But, O CHRIST CRUCIFIED, I rest in Thee.” (B85p51)
III. Thus, Believing the Unbelievable, We Come to Terms with the Nature of Redemption. V21, “He that doeth truth cometh to the light that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.” Living Bible “Those doing right come gladly to the light.”
For redemption to begin at all, it must begin with God. We see the gist of this in creation. Genesis 1:27 “And God created man in His own image.” We see the finality of it in reconciliation. Colossians 1:21 “You, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works yet now hath He reconciled.”
And that redemption is made manifest on the cross. I Peter 1:18f “. . . ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold . . . but with the precious blood of Christ.” How can one excuse himself for disdaining such unbelievable love? How can a Christian withhold our fullest commitment and service in the face of such expectation?
Conclusion (Swindoll, p 103)
The world is full of contradictions. We show ourselves wise, not by speech but silence. Society is not based on more rules, stricter laws, but greater trust. Those who give from the heart have much more than those who keep by stealth. Believe the unbelievable.
(1) Maxwell, L.E. (1945). Born Crucified. Moody Press.