The Rest of The Gospel

September 8, 2002 Preacher: Randy Smith Series: John

Scripture: John 2:23–25

Transcript

The Rest of The Gospel

John 2:23-25
Sunday, September 8, 2002
Pastor Randy Smith



A schoolteacher lost her life savings in a business scheme that had been elaborately explained by a swindler. When her investment disappeared and her dream was shattered, she went to the Better Business Bureau. "Why on earth didn't you come to us first?" the official asked. "Didn't you know about the Better Business Bureau?" "Oh, yes," said the lady sadly. "I've always known about you. But I didn't come because I was afraid you'd tell me not to do it."

In addition to financial deceptions, greater deception is lurking in the corridors of society. Millions of men, women and children have bought the greatest lie that has ever been told. And though they are aware of the source of truth, they refuse to go there in fear of what they might be told to do. Their own selfish pursuits take precedence, resulting in devastating consequences both here and in the life everlasting.

Obviously, I am not speaking about the Better Business Bureau, but the Bible. The Bible says, "For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse" (Rom. 1:20). "And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men, by which we must be saved" (Ac. 4:12). "He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him" (Jn. 3:36).

The inerrant Word of God is our Creator's inspired message to humans. It is love letter from the Deity that outlines His redemptive purposes to bring mankind back to Himself. His character, His expectations and His glorious plan of salvation are clearly outlined in this authoritative Book. We're in football season; this is life's playbook! This is a "how-to-do-it" instruction manual from our Creator! There is no excuse for our deception as the truth is printed plainly in black and white.

However, countless souls created to find pleasure in God, have sadly rejected the Bible on various grounds. They meet with hostility those who try to speak forth this Word and adamantly defend their self-concocted god with great zeal. They would much rather serve the god created in their image, then turn to the refreshing waters of the Living God who brings true satisfaction. They know that they are accountable, but would rather live the lie, than bow their knee and submit to the agenda of righteousness.

What deception! Just as the woman I spoke of earlier, multitudes would rather follow their selfish pursuits, than turn to the truth out of fear of what might be said. It is often too late before they realize the magnitude of their life's deception.

Beloved, apart from those in Christ, the world lies in great deception. Would you not agree? But maybe there is even a greater deception than this. Not a deception among those who reject the Savior, but a deception among those who think they have received the Savior, but haven't. A false sense of security among those in the physical church who will hear those terrifying words at the judgment seat, "Depart from Me…I never knew you" (Mt. 7:23).

The Scriptures make it crystal clear that those who die apart from the asbestos covering of Jesus Christ will be subject to the wrath of God. But the Scriptures are also clear that some, who profess Christ, may not know the Savior and (whether they know it or not) are living a life of deception. Possibly one of the clearest texts on this frightening matter is our Scripture for this morning: John 2:23-25. The text makes it cleat that Jesus did not entrust Himself to some "believers." Just as Paul said not all of Israel is Israel, Jesus is about to say not all of the church is the church.

"Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name, beholding His signs which He was doing. But Jesus, on His part, was not entrusting Himself to them, for He knew all men, and because He did not need anyone to bear witness concerning man for He Himself knew what was in man" (Jn. 2:23-25).

I ask you to listen carefully as this sermon might be the most relevant, important and timely message for the weak 21st century evangelical church. I am confident that there is no greater message that we can deliver to the average religious, "church-goer" in America. And no greater message that the Evil One would prefer I not preach. Satan thrives on deception, but Jesus Christ wants His children to be assured that they belong to the family of God. What about you? Do you have that assurance? Do you belong to the family of God? And on what basis do you find your confidence?

1. DID THE PEOPLE REALLY BELIEVE? (2:23

Our 3 verses at the end of chapter 2 find us in the author's transition. Looking back, throughout this chapter, Jesus performed a number of signs in Jerusalem which all brought forth a response regarding His Messiahship. First He changed water into wine. Then He cleared the temple. And verse 23 reports He did many other signs, not specifically recorded in the gospel. And like the other accounts, the verse indicates that "many believed in His name" in response to the signs He was doing. Looking forward, verses 23-25 also serve as an introduction to the interviews that follow with Nicodemus and the Samaritan woman mentioned in chapters 3 and 4.

Some intuitive readers have observed a possible interesting connection between John chapter 2 and the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness. Jesus will not turn stones into bread to satisfy His own hunger, but He turns water into wine to meet the needs of others. Jesus will not leap from the pinnacle of the Temple in order to capture the popular approval, but He does the unpopular thing of cleansing the Temple. Jesus will not fall down and worship Satan in order to gain worldly power, but He insists that people follow him for spiritual power.

Well let's dive into these 3 specific verses at the end of chapter 2. The end of verse 23 makes mention of the signs Jesus was performing. John gives us no indication of what these signs entailed. Elsewhere in the gospel he justifies his lack of detail. "And there are also many other things which Jesus did, which if they were written in detail, I suppose that even the world itself would not contain the books which were written" (Jn. 21:25).

We have already learned that John preferred to call the miracles of Jesus, "signs." He rightly viewed these insightful demonstrations as living narratives that illustrate a profound truth. Christ's actions pointed beyond themselves to a significant lesson He wanted the people to learn about Himself and His kingdom. His signs served a great purpose, but unfortunately, His signs led many people to misunderstand His true intentions. Some simply wanted to be part of the "Jesus show." They were into the latest thrill or the demonstration of power. Others looked to an earthly kingdom they hoped Jesus would bring, causing the abolition of Roman rule (Jn. 6:14). Whatever the case, Jesus began to gather a large following in the earlier years of His ministry. But how many of these were sincere followers, and how many were focused on the sign and not the Savior?

Some churches today still put great emphasis on signs and wonders. Unfortunately, they fail to understand that only the Holy Spirit can create saving faith. As a matter of fact, the Bible most often records increased unbelief or hardened hearts toward Christ after witnessing the signs He performed. John 12:37, "But though He had performed so many signs before them, yet they were not believing in Him." The Bible most often records Christ refusing to perform a sign when requested. Matthew 16:4, "'An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign ; and a sign will not be given it, except the sign of Jonah.' And He left them, and went away." And the Bible most often records those of weak or nonexistent faith as the ones who frequently ask for a sign. John 4:48, "Jesus therefore said to him, 'Unless you people see signs and wonders, you simply will not believe.'" How ironic is it today that those who claim to perform signs and those who demand signs see themselves as having superior faith?

If you scan the biblical history, you realize that God did not consistently display the ministry of signs and wonders. They seemed to only come during 3 specific periods, all periods that introduced new eras of revelation: The ministry of Moses and Joshua, the ministry of Elijah and Elisha and the ministry of Jesus and the Apostles. I believe Jesus performed these signs during His ministry to teach and validate Himself as the true Son of God. I believe the apostles were gifted to perform signs to validate themselves as God's authoritative spokesmen prior to the written Word of God. I am not a strict cessationist; God may still choose to perform a sign (I believe He performs a miracle every time someone is saved). However, I do not believe that we have entered another era in the past century where this gift among His children has suddenly reappeared in normative form after being dormant for the past 1,900 years. Additionally, nearly everything the New Testament about signs and wonders in the latter days is a warning against false teachers who will use these miracles to deceive (Mat. 24:24-25; 2 Thes. 2:3, 8-9).

Therefore, since signs are not the normative method of God today and since they are not effective to produce saving faith, one, because they most often harden hearts and two, because they do not contain the basic truths of the salvation message which a person must believe in order to be saved, then how is God drawing men, women and children to Himself? The answer is found in the Word. The Holy Spirit uses the Scriptures to present the complete truth of the gospel and impart faith and repentance. "Faith comes from hearing and hearing by the Word of Christ" (Rom. 10:17). The Gospel, not signs and wonders, is the "power of God for salvation" (Rom. 1:16). True saving faith will occur in the absence of any sign. True saving faith will be sustained in the absence of any sign. Because true saving faith is based on the Word, testifying to not what is seen, but what is unseen (2 Cor. 5:7).

Let me show you 2 examples from this gospel. John 4:39-42, "And from that city many of the Samaritans believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified , 'He told me all the things that I have done.' So when the Samaritans came to Him, they were asking Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days. And many more believed because of His word ; and they were saying to the woman, 'It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves and know that this One is indeed the Savior of the world.'" John 20:26-29, "And after eight days again His disciples were inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors having been shut, and stood in their midst, and said, 'Peace be with you.' Then He said to Thomas, 'Reach here your finger, and see My hands; and reach here your hand, and put it into My side; and be not unbelieving, but believing.' Thomas answered and said to Him, 'My Lord and my God!' Jesus said to him, ' Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed .'

I think of all the saints mentioned in the eleventh chapter of Hebrews. Some call that chapter the "Hall of Faith." The saints are commended for their faith, not because of signs, but simply due to their trust in the Word and the promises of God. True faith does not depend on signs. True faith is brought forth and strengthened ultimately by the Word of God.

Let me illustrate: We had a few evangelistic events the past 2 weeks where we diligently beseeched the Lord for unbelievers to trust Christ. At both of these events we solely depended on God to use His Word to change an individual's heart. We didn't base the success of any conversions on our door prizes or emotional stories or fear tactics or worldly wisdom. We merely taught God's Word in the songs and personal testimonies and trusted the Spirit to accomplish His purposes in regeneration.

But let's pretend that I had the ability to perform all types of signs and wonders, even the ability to bring people back from the dead and make them appear on the Boardwalk. Do you think we would see more visitors? (definitely!). Do you think we would see more true converts? (no!)

Turn if you would to Luke 16. Luke 16:19-31 "Now there was a certain rich man, and he habitually dressed in purple and fine linen, gaily living in splendor every day. And a certain poor man named Lazarus was laid at his gate, covered with sores, and longing to be fed with the crumbs which were falling from the rich man's table; besides, even the dogs were coming and licking his sores. Now it came about that the poor man died and he was carried away by the angels to Abraham's bosom; and the rich man also died and was buried. And in Hades he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and saw Abraham far away, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried out and said, 'Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool off my tongue; for I am in agony in this flame.' But Abraham said, 'Child, remember that during your life you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus bad things; but now he is being comforted here, and you are in agony. And besides all this, between us and you there is a great chasm fixed, in order that those who wish to come over from here to you may not be able, and that none may cross over from there to us.' And he said, 'Then I beg you, Father, that you send him to my father's house--for I have five brothers--that he may warn them, lest they also come to this place of torment.' But Abraham said, ' They have Moses and the Prophets (the Old Testament Scriptures); let them hear them. ' But he said, 'No, Father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent!' But he said to him, 'If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be persuaded if someone rises from the dead. '

My paraphrase: "If they do not listen to Mike Pardo, Andrew Rappaport, Jim Freda and Rick Renna preaching the prophetic Word of Christ crucified in their testimonies, they will not listen or repent if Randy Smith conducts 5 resurrections." Oh if I brought back 5 people from the dead we'd have a church of 5,000 by next Sunday, all of whom would be excited about the Lord Jesus Christ. Most of them would "believe" in Him! But how many of them would be true converts if their faith were based solely on the miraculous signs?

Verse 23 in the second chapter of John records that many people saw the signs of Christ and "many people believed in His name." In the same way that I could attract many followers due to my signs without a single convert, Jesus Christ gathered a large following fascinated by the signs He was performing. Yet at this point, my ministry and Christ's ministry would drastically depart. I am forced to see followers based upon their verbal profession; Christ is enabled to see followers based upon the truth in their heart.

2. DID JESUS REALLY REJECT? (2:24-25)

John 2:24-25 "But Jesus, on His part, was not entrusting Himself to them, for He knew all men, and because He did not need anyone to bear witness concerning man for He Himself knew what was in man."

Despite the fact that many believed in His name, John said that He did not entrust Himself to them. Or if we catch his word play in the original Greek, "Though many believed in Him, He did not believe in them." That great scholar D.A. Carson recently said of this account, "The people believed in His name, even though their faith was spurious. To exercise faith on the grounds of having witnessed miraculous signs is precarious. Miracles cannot command faith…(Jesus knew) their faith was spurious. Unlike other religious leaders, He cannot be duped by flattery, enticed by praise or caught off-guard in innocence. He therefore did not entrust Himself to these converts. By implication, Jesus wonderfully promises to entrust Himself to those who truly trust Him."

The verb "believed" (pisteuo) from verse 23 is in the aorist tense. The aorist tense denotes a one-time action often occurring in the past. The aorist tense is unlike the present tense, which denotes a continual action. Therefore these many people came to a decision at a point in time (aorist tense faith), but obviously failed to have the ongoing faith (present tense faith) necessary for salvation.

Here is where we have gone wrong with the current gospel message. Countless Christians today are busy pleading with unbelievers to "invite Jesus into your heart." They are asking for a one-time (aorist) faith, which is absent of ongoing faith, repentance and total surrender. To verify my point, all you need to do is ask professing Christians today why they are saved. I guarantee 9 out of 10 will say because they prayed a prayer or walked an aisle or signed a card at a certain point in their past. Now, please don't misunderstand; every true Christian has a beginning of their faith (aorist tense faith), when they acknowledge their sin and trust Christ for salvation. But every true Christian must also exhibit ongoing faith (present tense faith) for a lifetime to be saved. My salvation is based not only on what I did in the past, but also on where I am right now!

You may be wondering, are there any biblical accounts that illustrate someone initially putting their faith in Christ and then failing to continue in belief. Yes, they are all over the place! How about 1 John 2? "They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out , in order that it might be shown that they all are not of us " (1 Jn. 2:19).

Or how about Acts 8? "And even Simon himself believed ; and after being baptized , he continued on with Philip; and as he observed signs and great miracles taking place, he was constantly amazed…. Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was bestowed through the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money, saying, 'Give this authority to me as well, so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.' But Peter said to him, 'May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money! You have no part or portion in this matter, for your heart is not right before God . Therefore repent of this wickedness of yours, and pray the Lord that if possible, the intention of your heart may be forgiven you. For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bondage of iniquity .'" (Ac. 8:13, 18-23).

Or how about Matthew 13:18? "Hear then the parable of the sower. When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it , the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is the one on whom seed was sown beside the road. And the one on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, this is the man who hears the word , and immediately receives it with joy ; yet he has no firm root in himself, but is only temporary, and when affliction or persecution arises because of the word , immediately he falls away . And the one on whom seed was sown among the thorns, this is the man who hears the word , and the worry of the world , and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful . And the one on whom seed was sown on the good soil, this is the man who hears the word and understands it; who indeed bears fruit, and brings forth, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty" (Mt. 13:18-23).

Or how about John 6? "As a result of this many of His disciples withdrew , and were not walking with Him anymore " (Jn. 6:66). Or how about James 2? "You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe , and shudder" (Jas. 2:19).

There can be no doubt that many people receive Jesus with great joy, but soon fall away on account of persecution or worldliness or a failure to consider the cost. Some according to our account this morning will come to Jesus for the spectacular, but then fall away when the miraculous signs cease to appear or fail to progress in dramatics. On the other hand, true saving faith has a point of origin and then continues for the duration of one's lifetime nurtured by the words of faith (1 Ti. 4:6). True saving faith does not trust in one's own merit or even one's own faith for salvation. True saving faith continually trusts in the finished work of Jesus, which He accomplished at Calvary to pay the penalty for sin. And true saving faith (the truest sign of God's elect) will always be perseverance to the end. Mark 13:13, "And you will be hated by all on account of My name, but the one who endures to the end , he shall be saved .

So you may be wondering, do I need to wait until I die to find out if my faith is sincere and Christ is currently entrusting Himself to me? Absolutely not! What a horrible way to go through life! Who could ever sleep at night if this were the case! God wants you to know for sure as to whether you have been truly converted right now, and He has provided biblical characteristics to verify authentic faith. For example, allow me to give you a personal checklist of 10 aspects.

  1. True Christians will demonstrate a separation from the world. "Do not love the world, nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. And the world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God abides forever" (1 Jn. 2:15-17).
  2. True Christians will demonstrate a daily process of self-denial (not self-esteem). "And He (Jesus) was saying to them all, 'If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me' (Lk. 9:23).
  3. True Christians will demonstrate continual repentance from sin. "I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish" (Lk. 13:5).
  4. True Christians will demonstrate spiritual growth. "Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it, that it may bear more fruit…If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch, and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned" (Jn. 15:2, 5).
  5. True Christians will demonstrate good works. "What use is it, my brethren, if a man says he has faith, but he has no works? Can that faith save him…Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself" (Jas. 2:14, 17).
  6. True Christians will demonstrate a life lived in the Spirit. "For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace" (Rom. 8:5-6).
  7. True Christians will demonstrate obedience. "And by this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. The one who says, "I have come to know Him," and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him" (1 Jn. 2:3-5).
  8. True Christians will demonstrate selfless love for others, especially other believers. "We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love abides in death" (1 Jn. 3:14).
  9. True Christians will demonstrate zeal for God's glory. "So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth" (Rev. 3:16).
  10. True Christians will demonstrate a genuine steadfast love for God. "As the deer pants for the water brooks, So my soul pants for Thee, O God" (Psm. 42:1). "And he answered and said, 'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself" (Lk. 10:27).

The list is humbling. Especially for the true believer! We see what God demands and realize how far we fall short of His expectations. However, we gain assurance when our spirit bears witness with the Spirit of God and we observe general traits that identify God working within us. Peter said, "Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you" (2 Pet. 1:10a).

But possibly there is one here who does not see these 10 traits as an ongoing characteristic in his or her life. Possibly there is one here this morning that walked into this church believing they were saved and now realizes due to the working of God's Spirit, that his or her conversion is not genuine. If so, I would humbly plead with you to turn from your sins and by faith trust in the finished work of Christ. Humble yourself and thank God that He revealed to you the truth before it was too late. For the Scriptures declare that many Christian imposers will not be as fortunate. Jesus said, "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven. Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.'" (Mt. 7:21-23).

I told the men during our last Saturday gathering, that I would rather face the Lord having shepherded a church of 50 who knew the meaning of true biblical salvation, than have led a church of 5,000 many of whom were on the broad road to hell, without knowing it and without being warned. Some may call this message "harsh." I hope the majority sees it as the most loving message a shepherd can preach to his flock.

Jesus did not entrust Himself to many of His followers because (as verses 24 and 25 teach), He knew what was in the heart of man. As humans we often cannot tell the difference between genuine and false conversions. Therefore, we do not make distinctions and accept all on the basis of their profession and lifestyle. However, Christ is different. Though He allows all (including Judas) to follow Him, He is able to see the truth in one's heart with His penetrating eyes of omniscience. He is none other than God in the flesh. There is no fooling Him. He knows those who have fully surrendered their lives. He knows those who are bent on walking as He did. He knows those who love Him with all their heart. He is reading our innermost thoughts like an open book. He demonstrated it in chapter 1 with Nathanael (1:48) and will demonstrate it again in chapters 3 and 4 with Nicodemus (3:11) and the woman at the well (4:17-18).

Jesus Christ is the only one who knows who's in and who's out. The prime example was Judas. Judas believed in Christ and even followed the Messiah throughout His earthly ministry. But Judas was an imposter. He fooled them all. Even at the Lord's Supper, the disciples were unaware of who the betrayer might be. Yet Jesus knew it all along. He knew it all too well. He knew that many of the individuals impressed with His miracles and waving palm branches as He entered Jerusalem would be the ones just one week later demanding His crucifixion.

True biblical belief is more than believing Jesus was a good man who existed a long time ago. We view George Washington and Abraham Lincoln that way. True biblical belief is fully trusting in Jesus Christ; trading all that you are for all that He is.

A group of visitors at the national mint were told by a workman in the smelting department that if the hand is dipped in water the molten metal might be poured from the ladle over the palm without burning it. "Perhaps you would like to try it," he asked a gentleman in the group. "No thank you," was the reply, "I prefer to accept your word for it." Then addressing the man's wife, "Perhaps madam, you will attempt the experiment." "Certainly," she replied, bared her arm and thrust it into a bucket of water, then held it out calmly when the metal was poured on it. "You see," said the workman to the gentleman, "You believed, but your wife trusted."

Have you simply believed, or have you really trusted Christ so He can entrust Himself to you? Only then will He begin to work His power in and through you, providing evidence of true conversion.


More in John

May 9, 2004

The Priority of A Disciple

May 2, 2004

From Fishermen To Shepherds

April 25, 2004

Fishing For Men