Now I've chosen John 3 tonight and we're
going to read from verse 14 because in
this little narrative that I'm going to read
you will find the word belief over and
over again.
So it's John 3 and I'm going to
commence reading at verse 14.
And as Moses lifted up the serpent in
the wilderness even so must the son of
man be lifted up that whosoever believes on
him should not perish but have eternal life.
For God so loved the world that he
gave his only begotten son that whosoever believes
in him should not perish but have everlasting
life.
For God sent not his son into the
world to condemn the world but that the
world through him might be saved.
He that believes on him is not condemned
but he that believes not is condemned already
because he has not believed in the name
of the only begotten son of God.
And this is the condemnation that light has
come into the world and men love darkness
rather than light because their deeds were evil.
For everyone that doeth evil hateth the light
neither cometh to the light lest his deeds
should be reproved.
But he that doeth truth comes to the
light that his deeds may be made manifest
that they are brought in God.
Now would you kindly turn to the last
two verses in that chapter verse 35.
The father loves the son and has given
all things into his hand.
He that believes on the son has everlasting
life and he that believes not the son
shall not see life but the wrath of
God abides on him.
Now would you turn please to another portion
Hebrews chapter 11 and we read the first
few verses of that chapter and here it
speaks often of the subject of faith and
belief.
Hebrews 11 commence reading of verse one.
Now faith is the substance of things hoped
for the evidence of things not seen for
by it the elders obtained a good report.
Through faith we understand that the worlds were
framed by the word of God so that
things which are seen were not made of
the things which do appear.
By faith Abel offered unto God a more
excellent sacrifice than Cain by which he obtained
witness that he was righteous.
God testifying of his gifts and by he
being dead yet speaketh.
By faith Enoch was translated that he should
not see death and was not found because
God had translated him for before his translation
he had this testimony that he pleased God.
But without faith it is impossible to please
him for he that comes to God must
believe that he is and that he is
the rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
Now I am sure God will bless the
reading of the Bible.
Question comes to us and I'm sure you've
been challenged can you expect modern people today
to believe.
Man is so advanced in science he has
got to the moon and now he's about
to explore Mars.
It's going to take him two and a
half years to get there and two and
a half years to get back.
In the realm of medical science we can
now transplant kidneys, livers, lungs and heart.
In the realm of the computer they have
almost produced a machine that can almost think
for itself and therefore people are saying something
like this can you expect us to live
a life of faith in a materialistic world.
Now these are some facts.
A little baby would never walk without the
principle of faith.
Parents would be in a state of nervous
exhaustion when they released their children to go
to school if they didn't think they were
coming back.
A young man couldn't sit an examination if
he did not have some confidence.
He would be a mental wreck.
When two young people get married they must,
they must have confidence in each other.
It is absolutely essential and so there's faith.
But even in the realm of business how
could a businessman sell his wares if he
did not believe in the object that he
was selling.
And when we come to the realm of
science an astronaut would never venture into the
realm of the unknown if he did not
believe his capsule was going to return to
the earth.
So can you see one of the main
ingredients of life is faith.
Take away faith and you would be in
serious trouble.
Ah but now I've got to get to
the scriptures.
There is a vast difference between natural faith
and natural confidence and the confidence that's spoken
in scripture.
And that's what I want to share with
you.
And I'm just going to give you one
simple scripture.
It's clear, it's concise and I feel that
for about 25 minutes if I can sow
this in your mind each one will get
a blessing.
And it's this.
He that believes on the sun has everlasting
life.
Now isn't that wonderful.
First of all you will notice that faith
is personal.
It's he or she.
You cannot have faith for your children.
I cannot have faith for my children.
And my children certainly cannot have faith for
me.
It is an individual matter.
Now that is vital.
But then we're up against the problem.
Someone said to me in London, I believe
in God but I don't believe that God
is interested in all of us.
He said do you know the world's population?
I said yes.
Nearly six billion that's right.
How can one God be interested in six
billion of us?
Now where did he go wrong?
He was saying something like this.
I can be interested in a hundred and
no more.
How can God be interested in six billion?
Well my dear friends the answer is quite
simple.
God is six billion times bigger than what
we are.
You see there are more than six billion
stars and they all have their own orbit.
And I'm glad he's interested in every one
of them otherwise there would be a great
collision.
Ah but you will say a human being
is smaller than a star.
Yes in quantity but not quality.
A star never thinks.
A star never communicates.
A star cannot create.
There's something about you that's small but that
soul, that personality is bigger than the world
in which we live.
And there's something about man that's infinitely precious
to God and I want to share that
with you.
Ah but you say how do we know
in a matter-of-fact way right down
to earth you know the nitty-gritty of
things that God is interested in us.
Now my dear friends if I can prove
that to you from the scripture and you
can leave those doors knowing that God, the
almighty God is interested in you, you will
never be the same again.
God was so concerned that we should know
this fact that God became involved.
You say what do you mean?
God came down with flesh and blood we
call it the incarnation and when Jesus Christ
came into the world he was God manifest
in the flesh.
The greatest mystery.
That's why you can never become a Christian
until you believe that fact that God was
manifested in the flesh.
And if you've got a question mark on
that you will never never become a believer.
Now we must ask ourselves some questions.
Was the Lord Jesus the son of God
the mighty Emmanuel?
Was he interested in the crowds?
Yes you find him speaking to thousands.
Was he interested in groups societies and families?
Often you find him with the disciples and
speaking to families.
Ah but was he interested in individuals?
Now note this.
He walked by foot on one occasion 40
miles through a hot burning wilderness to speak
to a prostitute because he loved her.
He actually walked 19 miles to a despised
city called Jericho to speak to a tax
gatherer that nearly everybody hated.
When he was actually on the cross and
he was doing his dying and in that
dying he was going to make the great
atonement in the midst of his sufferings he
turned to a malefactor and said today you
shall be with me in paradise.
When he went back to heaven he saw
upon our earth a son of Africa an
Ethiopian searching for God with every fiber that
the Lord had given him.
He had traveled 300 miles in order to
find him.
He thought that he might find him in
the great temple at Jerusalem but found him
not.
And you know what God did?
There was a man by the name of
Philip who was seeing a mighty revival hundreds
were believing in fact the whole city believed
and he took him from that place of
revival and he put him right down in
a desert called Gaza so that this man
might pass by him and Philip led him
to the Lord.
Now I know you will find this hard
to believe but it's true.
If God has sent me to Australia for
one soul it's worth it.
It's worth it.
And dear friends this is the thrilling thing
about preaching.
You might be that soul tonight and just
as you sit there the Lord Jesus will
find you and claim you for himself.
Thank God it's he that believes.
Secondly the nature of faith.
Now I've been looking at you very carefully
and I believe my assessment may be correct.
I would say 99% of you believe
in all the facts of Christianity.
That meant if we had a cup of
tea together and we were chatting and I
said do you believe in the triune God?
Oh yes.
Father, Son, Holy Ghost here.
Do you really believe that?
Oh yeah.
Do you believe that God sent his son
the Lord Jesus into this world to save
sinners?
Oh yeah believe that.
Do you believe that when he came into
this world he came to die upon the
cross and he did it and on that
cross he bore the sin of the world?
Do you believe that?
Oh yeah believe that.
Always believe that.
Do you believe that God raised him from
the dead?
Literally?
Physically?
Oh yes I believe that.
Do you believe then that God has received
him back into heaven and given him all
power and all authority and he is the
Lord and the coming King?
Yeah believe that.
So that makes you a believer?
Oh no.
That's believing with the head.
Now don't misunderstand me.
When you become a Christian you never commit
intellectual suicide.
You must know the facts of the gospel
and it's good to know those facts but
knowing those facts is not real New Testament
belief.
For instance I was telling you the other
night we had a master who used to
teach us history hard but by name and
he trained us with a boxing glove and
you know he used to dish out the
dates 410 AD the Romans came.
55 BC the Romans came.
Forgive the blunder.
410 AD they left.
1066 the battle of Hastings.
Now you see my memory for dates is
appalling but he knocked those three in.
Mind you one of them I muddled already.
And lots of people learn their Christianity like
that and they think right I'm a believer.
Now that head belief is good but it's
not what this word means.
Now the word of the Lord says this.
If thou shall confess with thy mouth the
Lord Jesus and believe in thine heart that
God has raised him from the dead thou
shalt be saved.
Now all the facts I've been sharing with
you are head belief but now that head
belief has got to come right down to
the heart so that you really trust him.
Now so the scholars inform me that the
word belief in the Greek is Pistuan and
it has three meanings.
To know intellectually what you believe.
Now we've dealt with that.
To trust implicitly what you believe.
Thirdly to be totally abandoned to what you
believe.
And may I give you a simple illustration.
When the apostle Peter was in that boat
and it was being rocked by the waves
and they were in a very dangerous situation
when the Lord Jesus called out it is
I be not afraid and Peter challenged him
and said Lord if it's you bid me
come the Lord just said come.
But what a problem.
Put yourself in that boat.
I feel that most of us would say
calm it down a little then I might
come.
But no he said come.
When Peter looked at the water if water
could speak it would say if you tread
on us you will sink like a brick
that's the law of gravity.
But faith says all things are possible only
believe.
Now when he stepped out of that boat
it wasn't nodding belief.
When he stepped out forgive the excitement he
was totally absolutely completely abandoned to the Lord.
In other words he was saying something like
this I'm coming Lord and if I think
it's your responsibility.
Total abandonment.
Now when a person believes it's not just
nodding your head at all the dates and
facts about Christianity.
It's a real heart faith in the Savior.
A young man he wanted to be a
paratrooper.
Why I don't know.
I suppose because he was six foot two
and had a hefty body.
He wanted to go in for that kind
of life.
He went to school at Vista and with
40 others they sat an examination and he
was the top pupil.
But that didn't make him a paratrooper.
Gave him all the information that he needed
but just having the information in the head
didn't make him a paratrooper.
Then with 40 others he had to go
up into a Hastings aircraft and one by
one they were called.
They had to turn around and then they
watch for the green light.
And when they saw the green light they
heard the sergeant major saying jump.
When it was his turn he couldn't jump.
Knew all about it.
Top pupil.
But the idea to step out and give
himself completely to the parachute.
No he couldn't do it.
He went up three times and they failed
him.
And stupidly he argued with the sergeant major
that he was the top pupil.
And unfortunately he told him in good old
army language.
It didn't matter what was in his novel.
If he didn't step out he would never
be a paratrooper.
And they let him go up once more
with another fellow.
And this is what happened.
He was called for the last time.
He was told to turn around and he
did.
And his knees were knocking.
Some of you ladies just imagine you're there.
And then he saw the green light.
And then he had a little prayer.
And he stepped out.
And when he stepped out he realized he
was totally dependent upon the parachute.
Nervously he counted 10.
And he pulled the string.
And then he saw a red parachute opening.
And being a Christian he said praise the
Lord.
And he had to trust him all the
way down.
Now there comes a moment in a gospel
meeting when the Lord challenges you to believe.
And it's not now listening to the preacher.
He says right you know all that about
Jesus.
Now I want you to take the step
of faith and trust it.
And right now sitting in that seat you
could become a believer by trusting the Lord.
Ah but there's a problem.
One old Cockney woman and thank God for
this.
As we were speaking on this subject he
said you're lucky.
You were born with a religious spoon in
your mouth.
We are down to earth people.
How do you get that faith?
And then she said again you're lucky.
Well dear friends I wasn't born with a
religious spoon in my mouth.
I never even had any teeth.
And dear friends none of us are born
with faith.
Please grip that.
But she says how do you get faith?
You always get faith by an objective.
Now if you look inside you and you
look at your motives and you look at
your principles and you will look at yourself
carefully.
All you will find is this that the
heart is deceitful above all things and desperately
wicked.
None of us would like our thoughts exposed.
None of us would like a tape recorder
strapped to our throats and all the bad
words we've said in the last 10 years
played back to us.
Lots of us have got many things to
cover but my dear friends if you look
within you will never get faith.
You've got to look somewhere else and this
is what the Bible says.
He that believes here it comes on the
Son.
The Son.
The Son of God.
That's why unless you believe that Jesus was
co-equal with God you will never become
a Christian.
It's believing on the Son.
And therefore he that believes on the Son
hath everlasting life.
Allow me now to introduce you to the
Lord Jesus.
There was only one man who ever lived
who never sinned.
Only one.
And that was Jesus Christ.
In fact he was so beautiful he was
so pure that God watched him for 30
years and God couldn't keep quiet.
And as he saw him coming up from
the waters of Jordan after his baptism he
said publicly this is my beloved Son in
whom I find all my delight.
The perfect Christ of God.
There was only one man that claimed co
-equality with God when he said that all
men should honour the Son as they honour
the Father.
Only one man and that was the Lord
Jesus.
And he demonstrated in a realistic way his
deity.
There was only one man that had the
ability to die for the sins of the
world and may I let out a hallelujah
he did it.
And he went to the cross and on
that cross instead of the judgment of God
coming upon us because we have broken his
laws and sin profusely his Son bore all
the judgment for us.
And the prophet says he was wounded for
our transgressions and bruised for our iniquity.
There was only one man that the Lord
raised from the dead never to die again
and he raised him in mighty power so
that the Lord Jesus would become eternally the
Saviour.
And that was the Lord Jesus.
There's only one man that's gone back to
heaven in manhood and he's gone back to
heaven with all glory and with majesty and
power.
So that when he came to the gate
of heaven he sang that great anthem.
Lift up ye heads so ye gates and
be ye lifted up ye everlasting doors and
the King of Glory shall come in.
Who is the King of Glory?
The Lord of hosts the Lord the one
that's mighty in battle.
And when he went back to heaven he
took all the spoils of Calvary with him
and God made him both Lord and Christ.
Now that's the one that you trust.
My dear friends don't look inside you.
Look to him.
You see men can make a blunder but
here is someone and I want to say
this with great care who is totally infallible.
And therefore he says in the word he
that believes on the Son get your faith
in him.
But then I can hear someone say and
with this I'll close.
How do I know I've got this heart
faith?
Supposing I've just got this mechanical faith.
Will I be saved?
Can I say this gently?
No.
Gotta be a heart faith.
That's why some of us can have a
shock when the Lord comes.
But how do I know when I've got
this heart faith?
Can I test myself?
Yes.
And what is the test?
You test everything by the cross.
And when by faith you come to the
cross and you quietly say this Lord Jesus
Christ did you die there for my sins?
And when you see your sins causing that
death heart faith causes a broken heart.
You'll weep as you've never wept before.
Let me illustrate.
A young man was given a sports car
before he reached the age of responsibility.
He was warned over and over again that
there would be a fatality.
He was careering along the feed road to
the M1 in London and he felt a
hefty bang on his wing.
He never even bothered to stop.
Thought it was a large bird.
He came home at half past nine and
he noticed a policeman on the doorstep and
the policeman looked at him and said is
this your house?
Yes.
Is this the number of your car?
Yes.
Were you driving along such and such a
road round about half past nine?
Yes.
Didn't you feel a bump on the wing
of your car?
Yes.
What was it?
I think it was a bird.
Not a bird.
A three year old little girl.
He couldn't believe it.
Forgive the drama.
It hit him like that.
Foolishly he went to the funeral and he
saw two hundred people smashed and broken and
he knew blood was on his hair.
He will never drive again.
Never.
When you stand at the cross and see
the son of God bearing your sins your
lies, your bad temper everything that you do
that's wrong and you say for my sins
my dear friend you'll be broken and you'll
want to turn from sin once and for
all but he won't leave you there.
Could you imagine the mother coming to that
broken boy and seeing him so broken up
eventually she goes home and she provides him
with a beautiful present and gives it to
him why that would break him even more.
When you look at the cross and hear
the Lord saying to you he loved you
and gave himself for you so that you
say in your own language Lord Jesus are
you hanging there upon that cross bearing my
sins to show me that you realistically love
me and when the answer is yes you're
broken and blessed and something like this will
be in your heart they put a crown
of thorns on your head I want you
now to receive the crown of my life
and you will make him your saviour and
your Lord but there's one more thing I
must share with you if I'm in the
spirit and I trust I am dear brothers
and sisters I feel that there is someone
here tonight and you've seen that Christ has
died for your sins and you've been broken
you see that he loves you and on
many occasions you've gone to your bedroom or
to your private room and you've knelt down
and you've said a prayer like this Lord
thank you for dying for me I believe
it with all my heart Lord Jesus save
me and forgive me but nothing happens then
you come again and you hear another message
that spurs you and that once again the
cross comes to you and you see the
saviour dying there for your sins and you
believe it and then you go home again
and this time right from your heart with
tears you ask the Lord to forgive you
and save you and you feel you're taking
that step of faith nothing happens and you're
sitting there tonight you've asked but no feeling
how can I be sure I'm right with
God now please note this and I'll close
when you trust you first of all trust
the Lord Jesus and you trust him because
of his work the mighty son of God
you trust him because of his work he
died for your sins and then you trust
his word his word and his word says
this he that believes on the son the
word says has everlasting life and so you
take the word you allow it to become
living in your heart and life and you
say Lord according to your word you have
given me eternal life thank you Lord I
trust the work I trust the word and
it's yours now my dear friends all of
us are going to stand before the Lord
and we're going to give an account of
himself ourselves to the Lord and you will
stand before the Lord as I will stand
before him and if we are going to
be sure we shall have to say something
like this Lord I believe that you died
for my sins good I believe that God
raised the Lord Jesus from the dead good
I trusted you Lord Jesus and then I
trusted your word and what does the word
say he that believes on the son has
everlasting life can he go against the word
can he go against the word and that
gives you the absolute assurance may God help
someone now to give that heart faith to
the Saviour