John chapter 12, I commence reading from verse 36. While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of the light. When Jesus had said these things, he departed and hid himself from them. Though he had done so many signs before them, they still did not believe in him. so that the word spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled. Lord, who has believed what he heard from us? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? Therefore they could not believe, for again Isaiah said, he has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts. lest they see with their eyes, and understand with their heart, and ten, and I will heal them." Verse 41. Isaiah said these things because he saw His glory and spoke of Him. Nevertheless, many, even of the authorities, believed in Him, but for the fear of the Pharisees they did not confess it, so that they would not be put out of the synagogue. For they love the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God. Amen. We are back in our study of the book of John. Last Lord's Day, we considered verse 35 and verse 36 of chapter 12. And what we saw in those verses was a solemn warning, but also a gracious appeal from the lips of the Lord Jesus Christ. And the solemn warning was that if you do not walk in the light, darkness will overtake you. And the gracious appeal was that while you have the light, believe in the light that you may become sons of light. This morning we move from verse 37, we move to verse 37 all the way to verse 43. And our passage for consideration this morning brings out three realities or three facts about why the Jews of the day of the Lord Jesus Christ's time rejected Him. But also those three realities are also true today as to why people continue to reject the Lord Jesus Christ. And as we open up, you'll see that these verses are as relevant today as they were in the days when John recorded them, or even in the day of the Lord Jesus Christ. These are the many reasons or some of the reasons that people give as to why they do not believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. And as we are seated here this morning, you really need to ask yourself the question as to what reason do you have for not believing in the Lord Jesus Christ? What is it that you give as an excuse as to why you are still wallowing in your sins? What is it that is deep down your heart that causes you to fail to see the evidence right before you concerning the amazing grace of God? And my plea is that you may heed the gracious warning of our Lord Jesus Christ to believe in the light and turn to Him and seek Him while He may be found. So let's open up those verses and draw lessons this morning. Reality number one, or fact number one for unbelief is that many dismiss the evidence Many dismiss the evidence of God's amazing grace. And this is what we see in verse 37. And this is what the Bible records for us. Though, that's referring to the Lord Jesus Christ, though He had done so many signs before them, they did not believe in Him. Though he had done many signs before them, they did not believe in him." And what we see from the onset there is that many people simply would not accept the evidence of God's saving grace, even when it is put right before them, or even when it stares them in the testimonies of those around them. The unbelief of the Jews is a repeated theme throughout the Gospel of John. And so it should not surprise us that as John brings to close the account of the public ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ, he reminds us once more of this repeated theme throughout his gospel. And that's the response of the Jews to the Lord Jesus Christ. the response of the Jews to the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ. And the unbelievableness of Israel is inexcusable. Israel's unbelief is inexcusable. These men lived in light of the Old Testament prophecies and they knew or had some understanding of what God's messengers had said concerning the Messiah. They were longing and looking forward to his coming. They knew and heard of what he was going to do. And they knew that Jesus is this Messiah who had been prophesied about. One who the prophets said that he would do mighty acts in their midst. But here John records for us this unbelief. And we see this unbelievable belief of the Jews, the people of the day of the Lord Jesus Christ. And John records for us there that the Lord Jesus Christ had done many signs. And when you read the Gospel of John, verse 37, John uses the term sign, and then the next time that word sign occurs in the remaining half of the book of John is in chapter 20 verse 30 and 31, basically verse 30. And in chapter 20 verse 30, John is giving a summary statement of the ministry and the life and the work of the Lord Jesus Christ. And he says, now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples which are not written in this book. But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing, you may have life in His name. And so John here wants us to see the shift, to notice that Jesus was publicly ministering, performing signs and wonders. But the unbelief of the Jews concerning him was inexcusable. They saw, they heard, and the last of these signs in the Gospel of John was the raising of Lazarus from death. The bringing back to life of Lazarus. And it was something that was talked about. Lazarus was well known, and they could even see the one who was brought from the dead. But yet here we see, that though he had done all these things, many did not believe. And John, in chapter 20, verse 30, records for us that what is written in his gospel, these were not the only signs that Jesus did. In fact, he did many that if they were to be recorded, there would be no room to record all that Jesus had done. And so, John, in his gospel, he picks those signs that speaks of the nature and the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. So that as you go through these accounts, you too may be brought to this conclusion. Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that you might believe in Him and have life. And so, when John uses the term sign, it is a manifestation of God's glory in Jesus Christ. God was manifesting Himself in God the Son who had come into this world to identify himself with the joys and the sorrows of people who had come into this world to die for sin and sinners, who had come into this world to be the savior of the world. And so these signs attest to the exalted character of the Lord Jesus Christ. But despite these signs, many refused to believe in Him. Many refused to acknowledge Him. Many did not have the mind to understand that truly this is the promised Messiah who had come into the world. The rejection of the Son of God was not because of a lack of evidence, but it's simply that they dismissed the evidence that was staring them in the eyes. This evidence that was right before them. The problem was not lack of evidence, but a willingness to turn from sin and to put their hope and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. And so, they dismissed all the signs that Jesus had done and continued in their sin. And this is the sad reality even today, that many dismiss the evidence of God's amazing grace even when it's right before them. And the issue is not lack of evidence. The issue is this this unwilling heart, a lack of unwillingness to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of their sins. Jesus is a historical figure. He lived in this world. He walked this earth. And the Christian faith is a historical movement. The accounts recorded for us in the Scriptures, they are not verbal fabrications or ideas that have been made up by men, no. It is eyewitnesses who recorded what the Lord Jesus Christ had done. And this has been passed on from generation to generation. And as if that's not enough, the Lord Jesus Christ Himself continues to save people from their sins even today. What we have are not myths or legends. but solid facts. Jesus walked this earth and He was hanged on the cross. And no one has come up with any evidence to dismiss what the Bible says about the Lord Jesus Christ. History itself records that yes, they lived such a one. But even what is most staring in your eyes is the fact that this Jesus saves people from their sins. and people around you can testify of God's amazing grace. You know of individuals who once upon a time were a complete write-off. No regard whatsoever. There was no regard from their own family members, their communities. They were just a complete write-off. Useless as it were. No one even dared or bothered to listen to such a one. And then one day from nowhere, such a person comes and says, God has changed me. He has saved me from my sins. And everyone around thought, probably it's mockery or just storytelling. But yet every day, People around can say there is something that has changed about this person. Every day they are growing in Christ-likeness and once upon a time they were a write-off and now everyone can look at them and give them as an example. And surely you can't say this is not evidence enough. Even your own friends that you know, you did wrong things together. And once upon a time, one day, they came and said, you know, God has saved me. And there you are, you tried to mock them as it were, but still you begin to see that there's been a total transformation in this person's life. And now, you are pulled apart, not because they don't want to be your friends, but because their life condemns your sinful lifestyle. And this is God's evidence before you. I was reminded of a person. I've not seen them for years. I'm not even sure if they're still alive. Growing up in Kituwa, there was a man who was notorious. He was a criminal. He would beat up people, rob people, did all kinds of things. And I remember it was around 1994 and there was a crusade in a school in Kana East and it was Victory Ministries then. And at that crusade, the Lord saved that man. Those of us who knew him did not believe it. And the man would go around now sharing the gospel, we did not believe it. You know, being naughty, we decided with my friends, you know, let's see whether this guy's truth is changed. So, we'll pick a fight. So, as he was going around in Kanai street sharing the gospel, so we would throw stones at him, seeing how he would react. He wasn't reacting. One of us, not that it was me, went near and snatched the Bible, just hoping that He would react. And as He turned around and looked at us, and He says, you know, the Lord has truly saved And I'm not going to react, but I want to tell you about this God. Now, all of us were shocked. Now, at that time, we didn't want to hear about His God. I mean, we used to go to church. We thought we were better off than Him. And just threw the Bible back at Him. But as Jesus continues to grow, all of us were able to say, look, something has happened. We cannot explain, but something has happened. A group of us, at that time there were seven of us, three years later, the Lord saved me. And I understood what had happened to that man. And here you are this morning. From your friends, you can tell the Lord has saved them. through your parents' testimonies, your guardians. You've read so many historical accounts of God's amazing grace. And you just dismiss all this evidence and you continue to call in your sin. And the reality, deep down in your heart, you know That is simply because I'm not willing to surrender my life to this Jesus. And that's the reality of your life. But fact number two, or reality number two, is at the rejection of the Lord Jesus Christ. So the unbelief of people is a fulfillment of what the Scripture says. It's a fulfillment of the Scriptures, verse 38 to 41. so that the word spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled. Lord, who has believed what he heard from us? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? Therefore, they could not believe For again Isaiah said, He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, lest they see with their eyes and understand with their heart, and 10, and I will heal them. Israel's rejection of the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ, did not mess up God's plan of salvation. But it's just a confirmation of the truthfulness, the veracity and the accuracy of God's words. Their rejection confirmed what the prophets had prophesied earlier on, even before Christ came into this world. And John focuses on the fulfillment of that prophecy and he points out that the people's rejection of the Messiah was prophesied by Isaiah. When you read Isaiah 52, Isaiah speaks about the servant of the Lord. And as he speaks about the servant of the Lord, I would be despised and rejected. In chapter 53 verse 1, he asks the question, Lord, who has believed his message? Or to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? And as Isaiah was prophesying and seeing Israel's hardness, Israel's rebellion, he was able to see that this is concerning the Messiah, the one to whom was the solution of the problem of sin. And yet, as he was going to be in this world, they would reject him, they would despise him, and they would kill him. But in their rejection, they were fulfilling what God had said through his prophets. And John records and shows us that what they are doing was fulfilling what God had said through his servants. Isaiah 53 talks about the work of the servant of God who vicariously suffered and died for sin, and they rejected his message. And John continues in developing his arguments. Again, he quotes from Isaiah 6 and verse 10. Isaiah 6 and verse 10. He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, lest they see with their eyes and understand with their heart and turn and I will heal them. The quotation from Isaiah chapter 6 verse 10 is found in a number of places in the New Testament. In Matthew chapter 13 verse 14 and 15, Matthew quotes from Isaiah, Mark chapter 4 verse 12, Mark quotes from Isaiah 6, Luke chapter 8 verse 10, Acts chapter 28 verses 25 through to 27. And in Romans chapter 11 verse 8. And all these are quoting Isaiah chapter 6. And you know the context of Isaiah chapter 6, King Uzziah dies and then the Lord reveals himself to Isaiah. And Isaiah saw the glory of the Lord. And then the Lord says, whom shall I send? And Isaiah said, I am Lord, send me. And then God said, I'm sending you to a people who your message you had in their hearts. they will not listen to you. If they will not obey, they will not return. But I'm still sending to you." And Isaiah sees this being fulfilled in the Messiah, for his prophecy was pointing to the coming of the Messiah. And here John says that all this Isaiah did because he saw the glory of God. It was for the glory of God. Isaiah is equipped and commissioned to go and speak about the coming of the Lord's servant. And what John is bringing out here is that, yes, what is happening here, on one hand, it's God's sovereignty. On the other hand, it's human responsibility. Yes, God had prophesied that this is what would happen, but what is happening here, on the other hand, is the fact that these who saw and heard the preaching of the Lord Jesus Christ hardened their hearts. They were responsible for their choices and their actions, and therefore, God gave them over to their corrupt minds. God who's sovereign, glorious in his holiness, full of grace and love, sends his servants to save sinners. And they rejected him. They rebelled against him. And they fulfilled the truth of what God had said through his prophets. Now, this is a fearful teaching for all of us because it shows that unbelief is not merely a bad choice, but unbelief is also God judging a people. God judges a people in that that which begins as rebellion intensifies until it becomes nothing less than settled unbelief. God was patient with them. He did all these things to draw them to himself. And yet their unbelief was slowly, increasingly becoming a settled unbelief. Their rebellion was progressing and they rejected anything and everything to do with the Messiah. Pour notes in Romans chapter 1. Verse 21 and 22, that people become futile in their thoughts, professing to be wise, they became fools. And because of that, God gave them over to their debased minds. And this is a fearful thing to note, that on one hand, They were in rebellion and God gave them over. God allowed them to continue in their rebellion and therefore their hearts have been hardened because of their sin. There is this blindness, this judicial blindness that God permits to come over a people who resist His mercy, His grace, who resist His patience, who resist His salvation. God gives them over to their blindness and allows them to follow the dictates of their corrupt minds. This proven rebellion on unbelief is seen every day. How that every day people even have the courage to say to God, I don't want you to do anything in my life. In fact, I don't want you to tell me how I should conduct myself or not. In fact, by the way, you claim to be wise but you are not as wise as you should be. Deep down my heart, deep down me, I think I should have been a man and not a woman. And as you hear these people argue about this genetics or all these things, and you're sitting there asking yourself, this is what the Bible says. God allows this judicial blindness and gives you over to your own corrupt mind and you begin to live like animals. No sense of direction. Claiming to be wise, you actually become fools. When a person starts to resist the light of the gospel, God begins to slowly leave them to themselves. so that they follow the dictates of their corrupt minds. And hence, John there according for us, he has blinded their eyes and he has hardened their hearts. Like Pharaoh in Exodus, God did all these miracles before him through his servant Moses, but Pharaoh hardened his heart. He still wanted to wrestle with God. And God will say, look Pharaoh, the very reason that you are even answering back or you are this defiant is because I've granted you my mercy, I've given you my life. I can snuff life out of you any moment. Seek the Lord, where he may be found. Call upon Him while He is near. For God can give you over to your corrupt mind if you continue in unbelief, in rebellion. And therefore, you harden your heart. Rejecting the Lord Jesus Christ results in progressive experiential hardening of the heart, where that you begin even to reason, because your heart is hardened by your sin. But the last thing we see, reality number three for unbelief is the fear and the love of the praise of men. the fear of men, the love of the praise of men. And that's what we see in verse 42 and verse 43. Nevertheless, many, even of the authorities, believed in him. But for the fear of the Pharisees, they did not confess it, so that they would not be put out of the synagogue. for they love the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God. John writes that the fear of men, the love of the praise of men is what makes many not to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. Again, throughout the Gospel you see John records for us that many believed in him. And this belief was not so much as a genuine belief Because what follows in each of those recorded accounts in John, you see that there was no saving faith in their hearts, but rather most of them were moved by the wondrous signs and acts of the Lord Jesus Christ. So when you read in chapter 2 of John and verse 23, you'll find that many believed just after the miracle he did at the wedding in Cana. Many believed. Again, when you read in chapter 7, chapter 8, chapter 10, chapter 11, chapter 12, John records time and again that many believed in the Lord Jesus Christ. And again, this shows us that the blame was not to be put on God's sovereignty. but on the choice of these hearers who consciously held on to their rebellion and refused to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. And so John would record that there were those who were really hardened in their unbelief and there were those who were moved for a short while by the wondrous works of the Lord Jesus Christ whenever they were done. From this account, soon you'll hear the multitudes that claim to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ crying out, crucify him, crucify him. And yet these are the people John say they believed. Although they were moved, by the signs, the works of the Lord Jesus Christ. That belief did not bring about experiential knowledge of knowing that your sins have been forgiven. And verse 43 sort of sums it up. For they love the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God. They wanted the allegiance, or rather the allegiance of the world and the religious authority. They wanted more to be in good books with the authorities than with God. They feared men. They loved the glory of men more than the love of God, more than the glory of God. They regarded being part of the synagogue more than being part of God. They preferred a good reputation among Jesus' opponents. than being in good books or being reconciled to the God of the universe. And John says here that even though they believed, they were not truly saved. And believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, is not merely an emotional experience. It's believing what Jesus says about himself as recorded in the Bible. He is the truth and the light. He is the saviour of the world. and it demands that we serve Him with our entire faculties, the whole of our beings. To believe in the Lord Jesus Christ is to live in light, to live in what He says, is to live in His truth. To believe in the Lord Jesus Christ is to confess Him in your life. as your Lord and Saviour. Confession and life are inseparable. You cannot say you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you don't want to confess Him in your life, in your conduct. To believe in Jesus Christ is to seek to follow Him in all he has commanded and to surrender our lives to him. Imagine a politician or a political candidate having supporters who say they believe in him totally. yet they are not prepared to stand with him and to stand upon his policies, rather to stand with him and agree in his policies and to help him to implement those policies. Yet behind the scenes they are saying, no, we believe in you, we are your supporters, And this is what we do. We claim to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. We say, yes, we support you. But yet we're not willing to stand upon his word. We're not willing to implement what he says. And yet all over the sins, we are busy saying, Jesus loves me. No, God is good. All the time and all the time, God is good. And yet when, where, it matters the most. to live what he says. We are not willing to do that. Many claim to believe in Christ. And when it comes to confessing Christ before the world, they are afraid. for the love of the praise of men. How many Christians have compromised their faith because of the fear of men? Yet on one hand, you say, I trust in a sovereign God. But when it comes to confessing Christ, Standing for what he says, we shy away and remain quiet. But John is saying the basis of this kind of fear is unbelief. In other words, John is saying a denier of God and his word is saying, I don't trust God. And when we read Revelation 21, Revelation chapter 21 and verse 8, there is a sobering list there showing the kinds of people who will suffer eternal condemnation. And on top of the list in Revelation 21 verse 8, it's the cowards. The fear that leads to cowardice. John is saying finds its origin in unbelief and in rebellion against God. Now, John is not saying that when it comes to confessing Christ, you must do it carelessly. He's basically saying that there's a fear that stems from unbelief. And those who are cowards, who fail to – who claim secretly that they believe in God, and yet fail to confess Him before the world. That is in rebellion against God. It's because they've not known this God in the first place. Those who believe in God, yes, for a while they might be fearful. But when it comes to confessing Christ, even if it's a matter of life and death, with the Holy Spirit in them, they will confess Christ before the world. We know Nicodemus was a secret disciple of Christ, Joseph of Arimathea, but later on when you read the Gospel, you begin to see that they publicly would be found with the other disciples of Christ, those who claim and follow the Lord Jesus Christ. The disciples were fearful when Christ was killed. They went hiding. But when the Holy Spirit came upon them, you hear Peter in Acts chapter 5 basically telling the authorities, who should we be afraid of, you or God? Because they are witnesses. They've experienced the grace of God. God, who is sovereign, has taken residence in their heart, in the Holy Spirit. And they would rather be killed than reject that which they've experienced. To trust in God. is to be willing to confess Him before a world that is dying in sin. It's willing to go against the public tie and say, I believe this God. And when the time comes, John is saying, those who are fearful, when that time comes, it's because they've never known the grace of God. They are not witnesses to His grace. They've not experienced that grace. Those who've experienced it, when the time comes, and they have no choice but to say that which they truly are, they will confess Christ. Because they know that to do other is to live a lie. God has saved them. and they will tell the world on top of the mountain, the highest places that Jesus has saved them. The passage we've been dealing with highlights God's sovereignty and human responsibility. Though you may recall recoil against this doctrine of God's sovereignty and human responsibility, you must be careful with your attitude towards God and what God says in His Word. Though we may never fully explain to the satisfaction of our minds how that a God who's sovereign can close us and hold us accountable for our deeds. Yet the Bible teaches that. And we must be brought to a point where we bow in full submission to this great God who is sovereign and yet holds us accountable for our sins. When Charles Adams Spajon was asked to reconcile God's sovereignty and human responsibility, his answer was, you don't reconcile friends, you reconcile enemies. God's sovereignty and human responsibility are two friends. like two parallel lines. From afar they look like they've gone over each other. But as you walk and draw closer, you discover that they are side by side. God is sovereign. You are responsible for your actions. And the reality is that you are not a Christian today because of your sin. You love your sins. You enjoy your sins. And the Bible is warning us that if you continue in that state of unbelief, that state of rebellion, God may actually give you over to your corrupt mind and leave you to your ruin. Seek the Lord while he may be found. Call upon Him while He is near. Because the time may come when you say to yourself, I find no pleasure in these things. God may just give you to your corrupt mind. Come to Him today. Sing with us the hymn we'll be singing in closing. Years I spent in vanity and pride, Caring not that my Lord was crucified, Knowing not it was for me He died on Calvary. Mercy there was great, and grace was free, Pardon there was multiplied to me, And there my burdened soul found liberty, at Calvary. Now I've given to Jesus everything, and now I gladly owe him as my own. And now my soul can only sing of Calvary. Oh, if you don't know this joy, seek the Lord while he may be found.