In this sermon, the preacher uses various examples to illustrate the concept of belief. He tells a story of a tightrope walker who asks the audience if they believe he can push a wheelbarrow across a cable, and then asks for a volunteer to get in the wheelbarrow. The preacher emphasizes that belief becomes personal when we are asked to trust Jesus with our lives. He also mentions biblical stories such as Jesus walking on water and calming a storm to demonstrate the power of belief. The sermon concludes with the preacher highlighting the responsibility each individual has to not let Satan blind their minds from believing in the gospel.

I want to wish the peace of God and the grace of God with each one of you tonight. The scripture that Dan read earlier was interesting. It says that the God of this world blinds the minds of who? Those that believe not. So, there is a certain responsibility that lies with each one of us as we listen to the gospel. So that Satan will not blind our eyes, or our minds rather. I'd like for you to turn with me tonight to John chapter 6. Saint John chapter 6. I'd like to read verses 28 and 29. And you'll notice that we continue with the theme that Daniel presented to us tonight, and that of believing. Saint John chapter 6 verse 28. Then said they unto him, What shall we do that we might work the works of God? Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent. Seems very simple as we read it over the first time perhaps. But when we stop and meditate, we find that Jesus' answer to the Jewish people was very profound. They came to Jesus and said, What shall we do that we might work the works of God? And I believe that's a normal human response as we think of our relation to God. What can we do to please him? You know, it would be relatively easy if we could just give people a formula and say, If you do this and that, you'll please God. You'll have your ticket to heaven secured by doing. But Jesus didn't say that. He just turned around and said, The work of God is that you believe on him whom he hath sent. Now the Greek term that's translated believe here is a, if I understand correctly, it's a weighty term. It's more than just a mental assent to truth. It's more than just an acknowledgement of the rightness of something. If I understand correctly, it means more that we have faith. It means to be persuaded. It means to be convinced. It means that we be so sure that we have such a strong confidence that it compels us to trust our lives to give ourselves to that truth. In 2 Corinthians 4 verse 13, Paul says, I believed, therefore have I spoken. You know, we ask ourselves the question, what was it that compelled Paul to give his life to the cause of Christ to the extent that he said, I have the sentence of death in myself and I die daily. What was it that compelled Paul to go on preaching after he had been stoned and left lying in the road for dead? When the Roman officials took him and lashed him 39 times. If I understand correctly, that was not a Sunday school picnic. What was it that moved Paul, in spite of all his suffering, to say, I count not my life dear unto myself, but I've given myself to the cause. He says here, it's because I believe. The word believe is found over 86 times in the book of John. And I'd like to look with you this evening at John's purpose for writing his gospel. And then I would like to have you tonight just walk with me through the gospel of John and allow John's purpose to capture your heart and to lead us to belief. Let's go to chapter 20 of John. And we find there John's purpose for writing. John 20 and verse 31. He says, but these are written that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing ye might have life through his name. This was the purpose that motivated John to sit down and write his gospel. That ye might believe. Not just that we give recognition to the fact that Jesus is the Son of God, but that that fact will grip our hearts and persuade us and convince us to the point that we're willing to entrust our lives into the truth that he came to share. You know, John when he was writing his book was not just writing a biography of Jesus' life. He says in chapter 21, and I think it's about verse 25, he said that if that would have been his purpose, he says, I suppose that not even all the world could contain the books that we could write. He says, I didn't even come close to writing all the details of Jesus' life here on earth. But John very carefully selected the parts of Jesus' life, the events, by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, to bring us to his purpose that we might believe. You know, we often look at the Jewish people and we say, what a hard-hearted group of people that when Jesus came they did not accept him, they rejected him. But when we really stop and think and try to put ourselves into their shoes, and as we put ourselves into the shoes of the Gentile people, and even perhaps as we think about ourselves today, why should anyone have believed that Jesus was the Christ? If I would come here this evening and stand behind this pulpit and tell you that I am the Son of God, and that I am here and my words are going to give you eternal life, what would you say about me? I don't think you'd allow me in your pulpit again. So why should the Jewish people have just automatically accepted the fact that Jesus said, I'm the Messiah? We need to be a little careful as we criticize the Jewish people for having rejected him. At the same time, if they would have been open to truth, I believe that the scriptures very clearly would have pointed to the fact that Jesus is who he said he was. But John's purpose in this book is to bring us face to face with Jesus. And when we do that, you and I are called upon to deal with who he is. Because we have to come to certain conclusions. Jesus was either crazy, or he was a fraud, or he was who he said, or he is who he said he was. And we have to come to grips with Jesus. We have to decide for ourselves who he is. And I think if we allow the Holy Spirit, as we go through the book of John, to capture our hearts and to convince us of truth, it's going to compel you and I as well to entrust our lives to him. And as we do that, as we yield our lives to him, Jesus will bring eternal life to our souls. So tonight I would just like to briefly look at the life of Jesus and the truth of his life to capture our hearts. So if you will, let's go to this book and let's see what we can learn about him. In chapter 1, I would like for us to notice Jesus' impeccable character. John chapter 1, verse 14. It says, And we understand that the word here means or describes Jesus. The word was made flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. Let's go to verse 17 and 18. It says, But grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. No man hath seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him. Now as we observe Jesus as he lived from day to day, what do we see? One of the things that stood out among the people was the fact that Jesus' life and his character radiated a grace and as he spoke, we hear truth that made people aware that they were in the presence of divinity. There was a heavenly righteousness and glory that radiated from Jesus' life that made people aware of the presence of God. No one could ever come away from having met Jesus being the same. No one could ever accuse Jesus, although many people did, but no one could ever accuse him with truth of anything wrong. Jesus' presence made people aware of their own imperfections and their own sinfulness and in an attempt to protect themselves, they would accuse Jesus, but when people really faced themselves, they recognized that Jesus' life portrayed the Father. In Matthew 27, verse 54, it says that the Roman centurion that was in charge of Jesus' crucifixion, I don't know how long he was in the presence of Jesus. He obviously took him from Pilate's hall and led him to Mount Calvary and there he was in charge of nailing him to the cross. And the Bible says there in Matthew that as the Roman soldiers sat around the cross waiting for him to die, the centurion looked up and he said, truly, this man, there was something about Jesus that captured his attention and there was something about Jesus that was different. I'm sure he had been in charge of the crucifixion of probably, I don't know, numerous criminals. And enemies of the Roman state. But that day, he met Jesus and he said, truly, this man is different from any man I've ever seen. There was something about Jesus that made him think of God. And he was a pagan. I don't know how many different gods he worshipped, but something in Jesus' character caught his attention and he said, this man is the son of God. He believed. You know, just the fact that Jesus, after he had fed 5,000 with a few loaves and some fish, the people came and they tried to make Jesus, the idea was they were going to make him king by force. All at once, here was the possibility of power and prestige and fame. But Jesus just rejected all of that. There was no interest whatsoever in any carnal lifting up in pride of himself and attaining power and glory of men. Jesus escaped into the wilderness. How many of us would have done that? As Jesus was walking down the road one day and a multitude of people were following behind him, I can just about imagine what my initial response would have been to something like that. Look at all the people that are following after me. But what did Jesus do? He turns around and he says, what are you following me for? If any man wants to follow after me, let him deny himself. Take up his cross and follow me. Jesus was not out to get people to follow him and to lift him up. He was here to glorify the Father. Jesus' impeccable character was something that was strange and made him stand out among the people. Secondly, as we follow Jesus, we notice the purity and the authority with which he taught and the purity of his message. In chapter 7 of John, verses 15 and 16, verse 14, it says, Jesus went up into the temple and taught. And the Jews marveled, saying, how knoweth this man letters having never learned? And then verse 28, I'm sorry, it's Matthew 28. At the end of the Sermon on the Mount, the people who had been listening to the message, it says, and it came to pass when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine. For he taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes. Listeners recognize the truth in what Jesus taught. I think the truth of his teaching and the quality of his character gave his words authority that the people were not accustomed to listening to. Jesus' teachings met the needs of people's hearts. People saw their needs. They understood their problems. And he taught with a deep understanding of human nature. In John chapter 7, verse 46, the scribes and the Pharisees once sent the, I believe it was like the temple police, to capture Jesus. And he says, when they came to the temple, Jesus was teaching. And at the end of the message, they went, him. And their answer was, never man taught like this man. I don't think Jesus put up any resistance. I don't think Jesus ran away. But there was simply something in his teaching that they just couldn't go up and arrest him. Never man taught like this man. There was authority in his words. He spoke from a deep understanding of what he was teaching. Not just parroting the Old Testament, as perhaps the scribes and the Pharisees did. Jesus' teaching was, caught people's attention. When he was 12 years old, when his parents lost him, and they found him after three days in the temple, it says that he was asking the teachers of the law. They were asking him. They were in deep conversation. And they were astonished that this 12-year-old boy could hold these types of conversations with the theologians of his day. Thirdly, Jesus' insight into people's needs. Chapter 2 of John, verses 24 and 25. But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all men. And needed not that any should testify of man, for he knew what was in man. Chapter 5, verse 42. Jesus said to the scribes and the Pharisees, he said, I know you that you have not the love of God in you. Here were these very religious people, teachers of the law, preachers, leaders of the people. He said, I know you. Under all your religiosity, the love of God is not there. Jesus knew people. After feeding the 5,000, the next day people came by throngs looking for Jesus. He just stopped them right there. He said, I know you're not interested in God. You came not because you saw the miracle. You came because I filled your belly yesterday. When the rich young ruler came running to Jesus, and he said, what must I do to gain eternal life? Jesus began. He said, keep the commandments. Oh, I've done all that from my youth. So Jesus knew what the problem was. He said, go, sell everything you've got, give it to the poor and come follow me. He went away sorrowful. Jesus just went right to the center of his being and put his finger right on his problem. His love for things of this world. The Samaritan woman came to the well looking for water. And Jesus knew exactly what her problem was. Go, call your husband and come. I have no husband. You've had five husbands. The one you're living with today is not your husband. The adulterous woman, Jesus looked at her heart and he saw the repentance and the sorrow for her sin. And he says, neither do I condemn thee. Go, sin no more. Zacchaeus, sitting up there on the branch of a tree, he probably never expected Jesus to ever see him. He looked at his heart and Jesus stopped. He said, come down. Today I must abide at thy house. And salvation came to Zacchaeus that day. Jesus knew the hearts of people and it drew people to him or separated people from him depending on the condition of their hearts. We can look at the testimony of others. In John chapter 5, verse 31, the witness is not true. And we could go on. Let's go on reading a little bit. He says, there is another that beareth witness of me and I know that the witness which he witnesses of me is true. Ye send unto John and he beareth witness unto the truth. Let's go to chapter 1 and we notice the testimony of John. Chapter 1, verses 6 through 8. It says, there was a man sent from God whose name was John. He was sent to bear witness of the light that all men through him might believe. He was not that light but was sent to bear witness of that light. Verse 29, the next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him and he saith, behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world. Verse 26, John answered and said unto them, saying, I baptize with water but there standeth one among you whom ye know not. Whose shoe latchet I am not worthy to unloose. Then verse 33, John says, let's begin in verse 32, John bare record saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove and it abode upon him and I knew him not but he that sent me to baptize with water the same said unto me upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending and remaining upon him the same is he which baptizes John gave testimony to the fact that Jesus is the Son of God. Chapter 5 verse 46, Jesus says that Moses, you trust in Moses, Moses is your hero and Moses prophesied of me. You believe in Abraham, he said you trust in Abraham as your father and Abraham saw my day and rejoiced. Even God himself, the father, gave testimony to who Jesus was. On three occasions at least when Jesus was baptized as he came up out of the water a voice from heaven said this is my beloved son, hear him. When Jesus was transfigured on the mount again the voice from heaven came and said this is my beloved son. Just before Jesus was crucified he prayed and he said glorify your name. The voice came and said I have glorified it and I will glorify it yet again through the death of my son. We have the testimony of others that tells us who Jesus was. We have the testimony of scripture in John chapter 5 and verse 39. Search the scriptures for in them you think that you have eternal life and they are they in chapter 12 verse 38 I'm sorry I don't think verse 41 these things said yes when he saw his glory and spake of him. The Old Testament scriptures prophesied of the Messiah in such a way that the Jewish people should have been able to identify Christ and yet they did not. Someone has said that there were eight prophecies that were fulfilled to the letter during his lifetime here on earth. Someone I guess did some kind of a study and they say by the law of probability the possibility of eight prophecies being prophesied hundreds of years before a person lives 100 quadrillion. I'm not sure when you talk about numbers like that I'm not sure how they come up with those probabilities but be it any amount of zeros less the fact that there were 300 prophecies that were fulfilled to the letter should make us stop and consider who Jesus is. We look at Jesus' miracles. Now what is a miracle? Today we hear a lot about miracles. You know the a lot of the charismatic groups today I don't know if they do that in Ireland but in Costa Rica you see these big banners flying come to you know some kind of a convention where there will be divine healing you'll see miracles but when we see the miracles actually happen I want to be careful because I do believe in miracles. I believe we still live in a day of miracles we have a God of miracles but what we see happening so often today I'm not sure that we can put into that category exactly but let's look at you know what is a miracle? God set into motion certain physical laws that are constant and allow us to predict cause and effect and if I understand correctly a miracle is when some higher power intervenes and overrides these physical laws and the effects we see are not according to the physical law that was established. In other words something overrides that and the effect is different. Jesus' miracles were physical impossibilities and we must recognize that there was a higher power behind them that caused them to happen. I remember one day I was in San Jose our capital city and there was this preacher had a crowd of people there around him inviting people to come forward to be healed. This older lady came up and she was having back problems so he laid her down on the park bench and he grabbed her feet and he pulled them a little bit and he said see one leg is longer than the other and then he prayed over and pulled around again and he said now they're the same length. I can change the length of people's legs when they're lying down and I pull one a little harder than the other. Some people seem to be convinced that God was at work. I wasn't so sure I wasn't convinced but anyway Jesus' miracles were not that way. In chapter 2 we find Jesus without touching anything saying to certain people fill certain jugs with water. They went out and they filled them with clear mountain water brought them in Jesus said now draw and they drew out wine that was of top-notch quality. Explain that one. That's an overriding of physical law. That can't happen and yet when Jesus comes to the scene it can happen. One day Jesus came down to the pool and there was a man lying there that for 38 years was not able to get to his feet was not even able to pull his way over to the pool fast enough to get in before others when the angel troubled the water. Jesus said rise take up that bed and walk and he did. He just jumped up grabbed his bed and went home. That's a physical impossibility with what was it five loaves and two fishes. Jesus feeds 5000 men without counting women and children. I don't know how many people that's a physical impossibility until Jesus arrives on the scene and then it becomes possible. And not only did he feed them but there were 12 baskets full of crumbs left over. There was more left than he had at the beginning. One night the disciples were out on the lake in their boat and someone comes walking along beside them on the water without the benefit of any life jacket or boat or he was simply walking on the water. A physical impossibility. Jesus did it. There was that night when the disciples were out on the lake in their boat again. Jesus was in the boat with them he was sleeping and a storm came up and it crashed over the boat and the boat was being filled with water and they were afraid they would drown. And they called Jesus and he just stands up and he says, peace, be still, crashed for the last time and there was a complete calm. And not only that but immediately they were at the other shore. I don't know if the disciples knew that there was a man that was blind from birth he was 40 some years old and when he met Jesus he received his sight. There was a man that had the withered hand and Jesus said, stretch forth that hand and it became like the other. But when things really become complicated is when Jesus comes to Lazarus' tomb and he says, Lazarus, come forth. And he came forth still wrapped up in the grave clothes. Jesus said, loose him and let him go. When that happened that was the straw that broke the camel's back. The Jews said that a miracle was performed we can't deny it. I mean, this is it. We can kill Jesus. But perhaps the greatest miracle of all Romans says that teaches us without a doubt that Jesus is the Son of God was when he himself had been dead for three days and there was power within himself to rise from the dead. The resurrection of Jesus became the central message of the apostles through the book of Acts through the New Testament. The resurrection of Jesus proves to us that he is the Son of God. And not only does it prove that he is the Son of God it proves to us that he did not have the sentence of death upon himself. Jesus did not have to die for his own sin. It proves to us his innocence and it proves to us that he has the quality of the Son of God. on one occasion came to the cemetery and found a man that was demon possessed. He had been bound many times with chains and he always broke them asunder. And he lived among the tombs. And when Jesus came he met the man and he says, who are you that live in this man? He said, we are legion. There are many of us. Jesus cast him out when the people came they saw him clothed in his right mind and sitting at the feet of Jesus. The people believed. Jesus did give testimony of himself. In chapter 5 of John verse 18 Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him because not only had he broken the Sabbath but he said also making himself equal to God. The Jews said, blasphemy because he made himself equal to God. You remember the time when he healed the man with the withered hand he said, stand forth. First of all he had asked is it right to do good on the Sabbath day or not? They didn't answer so he said, stand forth. He said, your sins are forgiven you. The Jews said, that's blasphemy. Jesus said, which is easier to say? Your sins are forgiven you? This was a man that was I forget now what his problem was. He said, is it easier to say that sins be forgiven you or rise, take up your bed and walk? He said that you might believe rise, take up your bed and walk. So he did. Now for God one is as easy as the other. He had just as much power to say your sins are forgiven you as he did to say rise, take up your bed and walk. The Jews caught on. They said, he's making himself equal to God. And that's true. That's what he was doing. He was trying to help people see who he was. I'd like for us just to look briefly at people's response. Chapter 2 of John, verse 11. After Jesus had turned the water into wine in Cana of Galilee. Says, this beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee and manifested forth his glory and his disciples believed on him. When they saw the miracle that Jesus had done, they recognized that there was a power in Jesus that was beyond physical law. And thus said, it has to be the power of God. This man has the power of God. Chapter 2, verse 23. Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover and the feast day, many believed in his name when they saw the miracles that he did. In chapter 4, after Jesus had spoken to the Samaritan woman, after she had gone back into town, she had talked to the woman, she said, there's someone out here who told me all that I ever did. He said, is not this the Messiah? And they came out to see Jesus in verse 39. And many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him for the saying of the woman which testified, he told me all that I ever did. But now in verse 41 and 42, they besought him that he would tarry with them a few days. He was with them two days and many more believed on him because of his own word. And said unto the woman, now we believe, not because of thy saying, for we have heard him ourselves and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world. After listening to Jesus, many people in that city said, now we know that this is the Messiah. He has captured our heart. He has compelled us to believe and to trust our lives to him. Not because of what you said. In chapter 4, verse 53, after Jesus had healed the nobleman's son, says, so the father knew that it was at the same hour in which Jesus had said unto them, thy son liveth and himself believed and his whole house. In chapter 6, verse 68, many people had been leaving Jesus because they found his sayings too hard. And Jesus looked at his disciples one day and he said, will you also go away? You're going to leave me too? Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast words of eternal life and we believe and are sure that thou art the Christ, the son of the living God. Peter says, we can't leave because you've captured our hearts. You have words of eternal life. There's no place else to turn. Your sayings are hard. We don't understand them all. But he said, we have no place else to go because we believe. When Jesus came to Mary and Martha's house after Lazarus had died, Martha ran out to meet him and Jesus said, Martha, don't you know that I'm life? And Martha said, yea, Lord. She said, I believe that thou art the Christ, the son of the living God. The blind man that was healed. When Jesus met him later, he said, do you believe on the son of God? He said, I don't know who he is. Jesus said, I who speak unto thee am he. And he said, I believe. And he worshipped him. One of the examples that always catches my attention is that of Thomas in chapter 20. I suppose Thomas catches my attention because I believe, probably knowing myself, I wonder if I wouldn't have been somewhat like Thomas myself. I tend to be a skeptical person. I tend to be somewhat unbelieving, I guess. When people tell me things that are a little bit, you know, I wonder. People said, Jesus is alive. We saw him. Dead people don't rise. You know, that's just the way we think. No, no, no. Thomas said, unless I see in his hands the wounds, unless I see in his side, I saw the sword go in. The lance. I saw blood and water come out. Don't tell me he's alive. But that day when Jesus appeared, and he said, Thomas, come put your finger in these wounds. Thomas, come put your hand in my side. Thomas was awestruck. And he said, my Lord and my God. Something captured Thomas' heart there. And, you know, I give up. But, it's got to be true. And if we, we don't read much more of Thomas in the Bible, but if we read history, we find that Thomas' belief caused him to give his life for the cause. And there's a possibility that Thomas traveled as far as India, perhaps to the islands of Indonesia. Why? Why risk his life? If I'm not mistaken, he was killed in some far off country. Because he believed Jesus was his Lord and his God. Now the question for us tonight is, do you believe? Do I believe? As we look at Jesus' life, as we analyze these different aspects that we've been seeing in Jesus, does it do anything to us? You know, we've grown up from our mother's knee hearing all these stories, and oftentimes it just kind of goes over the top. But when we allow it to sink into our hearts, what happens? Do we believe? John said, I wrote these things that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. Acts chapter 4, verse 12, the disciples said, Neither is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given to men whereby you may be saved. They were convinced that there was only one way. Jesus himself said, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh unto the Father but by me. John 3, He that believeth on him should have everlasting life. When we truly believe, we yield ourselves to him in true confidence. You know, belief is something that becomes very personal. Someone told the story of the tightrope walker that came to Niagara Falls on the border between the United States and Canada. There's a river, there's a waterfall, a huge waterfall, and he stretched his cable from one end to the other of the fall right over the falls. Of course, a crowd of people gathered around to see what he was going to do. So he asked the people, do you believe that I can walk across this cable and come back? You know, not much response, a little bit of anxiety, but he steps out on the cable and, you know, went across, came back. And he goes over and picks up a wheelbarrow. And he said, do you believe that I can push this wheelbarrow across the cable and come back? By now, some of the people said, yeah, yeah, you can do it, you know. So here he goes with the wheelbarrow and he pushed it across. And he came back. He said, now, do you believe that I can put a person into this wheelbarrow and push him across and come back? Yeah, yeah, yeah, you can do it. Okay, who volunteers? Nobody said a word, you know. That's what belief does. Belief becomes very personal when we're asked to jump into the wheelbarrow and allow Jesus to push our lives. That's when we really know whether we believe or not. Chapter 1, verse 12, it says that to those who believe is given the right to become the sons of God. Believing brings the Holy Spirit into our lives and makes rivers of living water flow from us out to reach other people. Believing gives direction to our lives. Chapter 12, verse 46, which would imply obedience. Believing means that we obey, that we follow. When we believe, Jesus said, we're loved by the Father. God loves those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God. And we have a number of scriptures in John that says as we believe, God imparts to us eternal life. And the beautiful verse in chapter 6, verse 35, those that believe will never thirst and those that believe will never hunger. It brings satisfaction to our lives. We're satisfied when we know God. At the same time, if you do not believe, it says, he that believes not is condemned already. To not believe is to be under the wrath of God. To not believe, Jesus said, you will die in your sins. So believing is a matter of life and death. John said, these things have I written that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you might have life through his name. So this evening, do we have life? Do we believe? Is it a matter of life or death? Have we allowed Jesus to capture our hearts to the point where we're willing to commit our lives to him and to follow wherever that may be? It doesn't always follow human logic, what Jesus requires of us, but it does bring blessing to our lives. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, tonight, we stand in your presence in awe as we consider your Son Jesus and as we walk with him during his stay here on earth among us. And Father, tonight, we just want to tell you that you've captured our hearts and we want to yield our lives to you. We just ask, Lord, that you would accept our offering of ourselves and use us for your glory. So we commit ourselves to you tonight in Jesus' name. Amen.