What Unbelieving Looks Like (7/29/18 The book of John #35)

ATTN: When I was a youth pastor, I had special insight into the lives of the respected deacons and even some pastors at the church I served that others didn’t. How? Their children would tell me all about how they really were at home. Public persona is one thing but the private, perhaps true self, could be entirely another thing I realized, so much so that at times I had to ask, “Wait, are we talking about the same person? Are you serious that’s how he is at home? I would’ve never guessed. Oh my…!”

Now, to be fair, I realized later that not all of what the teenagers told me about their parents were right. It is foolish to listen only to the opinions of the children to assess how the parents are because the children are just as sinful and selfish as the parents are. And even later, I realized that even if the parent were to be perfect, the children will find fault in them. Case in point is the Israelites with God. God is a perfect Father. Yet the Israelites found fault in Him. Their complaining and grumbling in the desert soon after the Exodus showed that. But also in the New Testament, their refusal to believe in Jesus and trust Him further showed that imperfect children will find fault in a perfect parent.

Today, as we are continuing on the John series, we get a unique insight into the family life of Jesus. Jesus had blood brothers and sisters. Now, if you grew up Catholic, then this is pretty shocking because they believe virgin Mary stayed a virgin until the day she died. But the Bible makes it pretty clear that Mary had other children after Jesus. Of course, they were half-siblings of Jesus. Jesus had a different father – in God the Father – but the same mother in Mary. Now, I believe one of the surest evidences as to the identity of Jesus as the Son of God is that his own brothers believed Him to be God. If you can convince your own brothers that you are God, well, that’s pretty convincing. I thought about what it would take me to convince my younger brother that I’m God. By the way, he’s pretty smart. He rejected Stanford university to go somewhere else for grad school… First, I need to zap him with a memory erasing device to erase out of his memory all the stupid things that I made him do when we were children, and then somehow create fake memories that will make me look like a hero to him!

These brothers of Jesus later faced their death proclaiming and preaching that their brother, Jesus, was the messiah and the son of God. No amount of money or incentive will result in that unless they were absolutely convinced that their brother Jesus, one they grew up with, slept with, played with, ate with, was indeed the Son of God. However, what is fascinating is that they did not believe Him to be so until after His resurrection. So, while growing up, and while Peter and the 12 disciples were following Him and He was doing great miracles, the brothers did not believe that He was the Son of God. v. 5 for not even his brothers believed in him.

How did they act such that John the gospel writer would say that they did not believe? What are the signs of unbelief? If we can answer that question, then we can deduce from that what it means to believe – just do the opposite!

[he who did not spare his son]

1. They dictated to Jesus how He should be and what He should do, thinking that their way is better.
2. 3.So his brothers said to him, “Leave here and go to Judea, that your disciples also may see the works you are doing. 4 For no one works in secret if he seeks to be known openly. If you do these things, show yourself to the world.”

They are dictating to Jesus what He should do. They are saying to him, “Hey bro, you’ve got this gift. You should not waste your gift on this backwoods of Galilee. You should go to Jerusalem, a big city, so that kings and queens can see you. You can be prime time!”

Why are they telling Jesus what to do? Because they thought they had a better grasp on what life is about and what will make it fulfilling. So, we have a ridiculous situation here a mere creation dictating to the Creator how He should act! That’s me giving tennis tips to Roger Federer, the greatest tennis player ever.

Why would they do that? It’s because they didn’t believe Jesus, their brother, was the Messiah, the Son of God. (John 20:31) If they believed that He truly was the Son of God, then they would not be dictating to Him what he should do or not do.

APP: That is what the unbelieving does even today. They try to dictate how God should be, what He should do and complain about the God of the Bible for not meeting their ideals.  

They say things like, “Well, if God exists, then why is there so much evil in this world? Why doesn’t He get rid of them with the snap of His finger? If God is there, why doesn’t He simply show Himself to everybody in the world physically? Then, there would be no atheists. If God is love, and all powerful, how can He let this happen to me and my family? He should have prevented it from happening!” They think they have a better idea of how the world should be ran. What are they really doing? They are putting themselves in the supreme seat of judgment. “If I were God, I would do a better job,” is what they are really thinking.

All they are doing is repeating the original sin – “… when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like god.” And they did. What is that but an attempt at being a god of their own lives. Rather than being dictated by someone else, someone who designed them so beautifully and wonderfully and cared for them so dearly, they wanted to throw that off and be their own boss. They thought they knew better than God.

That’s the way the brothers of Jesus thought. They thought they knew better. They thought that their way was better than His. So, they dictate to Him what He should do. That’s unbelief.

APP: Do we sometimes go to God insisting that certain things must happen? Do we pray in such a way to force God to make certain things happen in our lives or else? How quickly do we submit to God’s will when our will is broken? When what we asked for was not given, how long does it take to accept it was for the better? Do we truly believe the words, “God works all things for the good of those who love Him, how have been called according to His purpose”? Do we trust His way or does it have to be our way? Do we rest in Him and be at peace or are we anxious because it must go our way and we don’t have any control over it?

2. They were simply doing what was natural for them rather than supernatural.

Unbelief led them to do what was natural for them, which was to follow the ways of the world. In this case, it was to make the most of the opportunity given to you and show yourself to the world to gain fame and fortune. Jesus had that opportunity. He had a gift. He could heal. He could make bread out of nothing. And the crowd was noticing Him. Can you imagine how famous and rich you would be if you had that gift today? Just imagine what the family members of the loved ones who were terminally ill would be willing to pay if a healing could come. If your child was dying of cancer, what would you be willing to pay? Your whole life-savings! Jesus had power to heal.

         So, what the brothers are suggesting is “Let’s capitalize on this talent. Let’s make the most of it. Show yourself to the world and you will be a star!” This is not just a 21st century phenomenon. The people in the 1st century thought the same. Today, you read the stories of all the famous actors and athletes and what do they have in common? When the opportunity came, they grabbed it by the throat and made the most of it. They used their 15 min of fame to the maximum effect, capitalizing on it. Maximize your potential. Go to the big pond and hang with the big fishes.

The table was set for Jesus. All He had to do was show up. But this, He doesn’t. He says to them, v. 6, “My time has not yet come, but your time is always here. 7 The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify about it that its works are evil. 8 You go up to the feast. I am not going up to this feast, for my time has not yet fully come.” What time is He talking about? Jesus made the reference to this “time,” or the “hour” many times. That hour is referring to the hour of his death. That is what He came to earth to do. To give His body as a ransom to save us from our sin. In the Garden of Gethsemane, the night he was to be taken and crucified, He prayed, “Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. John 17:1

But in today’s conversation, Jesus is saying it’s not that time yet. But to the brothers, anytime was good for them. Any opportunity, such as the feast where a lot of people would gather, would be a good time to show Him to them to gain fame and fortune. But Jesus was on a time-clock. He wasn’t dictated by the opinions of the people. No, he was being dictated by the God His Father. “I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me.” John 5:30

So, here’s the contrast. The brothers were doing what was natural for them, which was to do what made sense to the world – to pursue fame and fortune. But Jesus was following the dictates of His Father, biding for the right time. He was dictated by the supernatural.

APP: What about us? Are our lives only natural or do they have supernatural quality to them? We are to walk by faith and not by sight. “Sight” as in what makes natural sense, how the world operates, rather than what God says and how He leads. Now, when we are at the crossroads between following our sight or following God, I used the term “crisis of belief” to describe. But the life of believing in Christ, must be one of supernatural rather than natural. Wouldn’t you agree? So, let me get personal with you: What decisions have you made in your life that make sense only if you are living by faith? What shows your faith, in other words? Is it possible that you are a Christian atheist?

A christian atheist is someone who claims a belief in God and yet lives as if God does not exist. I believe many, if not most, American “Christians” are practical atheists. They sincerely believe they are Christians – all the right doctrines – but live as if God does not exist day to day…

Here are some questions to discern whether we are:

1. Do I seek God to get things or use things to get at God? (Is God your ultimate goal or are things?)
2. Do I take risks that will lead to a certain failure if God is not in it? (e.g. Taking a pay cut to follow God’s calling)
3. When I am making a major decision, do I weigh the pros and cons mostly (What will be good for me?) or ask for God’s will (What will be good for the kingdom?)?
4. Are my prayer requests mostly physical/material in nature or are they spiritual? (Do I ever pray for God to open my eyes to see Him as more beautiful than money, house, cars?)
5. Do I serve/help those who cannot pay me back, knowing that God will pay me back?

The way Jesus was operating didn’t make sense to his unbelieving brothers. It is through death that we gain life. When we are weak, we are strong. We become free by being slaves to God. none of these make sense except to those who have the spiritual eyes to see.

So, we ask. Lord, help me see! Lord, help my unbelief!

 

3. They believed only partially in Jesus.

The third evidence that the brothers didn’t believe in Jesus is that they believed in certain things about Him, but not certain others. For one, they believed Jesus to be a genuine miracle worker. They weren’t saying to Jesus, “hey, Jesus, we know you are a fake. We’ve seen you practice all these magic tricks in the garage to deceive people. You better quit before you get found out!” Rather they said, “Leave here and go to Judea, that your disciples also may see the works you are doing. 4 For no one works in secret if he seeks to be known openly. If you do these things, show yourself to the world.” They believed His miracles to be legit! That’s the part they believed. However, they didn’t believe that He was the Son of God.

But what about it? Is that a big deal? If we believe Jesus was a miracle worker and even the Savior of the world, do we have to believe that He was the Son of God? Yes. the whole point of the book of John, the reason why these things are written is so that we would believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. (John 20:31)

Have you realized that Jesus is the only man who died for who He is and not what He has done? Most people die for the crime they’ve committed. But Jesus was killed because who He claimed to be. He claimed to be the son of God. He would’ve never been killed if he simply claimed to be a good moral teacher. Or a miracle worker or even a prophet. But what got Him killed was the fact that He claimed to be equal with God.

The Jews answered him, “It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you but for blasphemy, because you, being a man, make yourself God.” John 10:33

This is what makes people divide over Jesus. In the 1st century and also in the 21st century. Jesus claimed to be God! If Jesus simply claimed to be a good moral teacher, then we wouldn’t have to divide over Him. If you agree that his morals were good, then you follow His teachings. If you believe otherwise, then don’t. You can follow someone else. No problem. But the problem is that Jesus claimed to be God and that forces us to choose. Either He was right or wrong in claiming to be God. If He was wrong, then you have two choices. Either He was a madman or a great deceiver. He really thought he was God but wasn’t, so that would make him a madman. Or He knew He wasn’t God, but He passed Himself on as God, and that would make him a deceiver. So, if you don’t believe Jesus to be God, then there are your choices. Jesus was a madman or a deceiver. But if He was right…. If He really was God, then that changes everything.

If he is God, what He said is absolute truth. There is no arguing whether what He said and doing it His way will be good for us or not. He is God. He is the designer. He knows more than us. So, we follow Him absolutely, doing it His way rather than our way.

APP: Those who say, “I believe Jesus to be a great example, but I don’t believe He was God,” are unbelievers. “I think Jesus said a lot of good things we should follow, but I disagree with some other things He said.” That’s unbelief. Jesus, by claiming to be Son of God, forces us to either reject Him entirely or follow Him entirely. It is all or nothing. He leaves no room for half-way disciples. “I will pick and choose what will work for me and overlook the rest… ” That indicates that you are the god of your own life and not Him. if you decide that he is God, truly God, then you must submit to ALL of his teachings and ways – that includes money, sexaulity, and how we raise our children. “If He is not the lord of all, He’s not the Lord at all.” If He is not your Lord, then you are your Lord. Can you trust yourself?