[The following is a full manuscript of my sermon delivered on Sunday morning, the 22nd of May, 2016. Look for the video on our Vimeo channel, http://vimeo.com/pilgrimreformedchurch.]
Jesus entered the city of Jerusalem one last time, arriving to the shouts of Hosanna! – Save me! All the people turned out to see the King as He approached. They threw flowers and palm branches at His feet.
But Jesus knew this celebration would be short lived. He knew the people would soon turn on Him. He knew their hearts would be hardened, no matter what He did. And He knew this because it had all been foretold hundreds of years before.
Listen and follow along as I read to you from the 12th chapter of the Apostle John’s Gospel, verses 37 through 45, from the New Living Translation…
But Jesus knew this celebration would be short lived. He knew the people would soon turn on Him. He knew their hearts would be hardened, no matter what He did. And He knew this because it had all been foretold hundreds of years before.
Listen and follow along as I read to you from the 12th chapter of the Apostle John’s Gospel, verses 37 through 45, from the New Living Translation…
37 But despite all the miraculous signs Jesus had done, most of the people still did not believe in Him. 38 This is exactly what Isaiah the prophet had predicted:
“Lord, who has believed our message?
To whom has the Lord revealed His powerful arm?”
39 But the people couldn’t believe, for as Isaiah also said,
40 “The Lord has blinded their eyes
and hardened their hearts —
so that their eyes cannot see,
and their hearts cannot understand,
and they cannot turn to me
and have me heal them.”
41 Isaiah was referring to Jesus when he said this, because he saw the future and spoke of the Messiah’s glory. 42 Many people did believe in Him, however, including some of the Jewish leaders. But they wouldn’t admit it for fear that the Pharisees would expel them from the synagogue. 43 For they loved human praise more than the praise of God.
44 Jesus shouted to the crowds, “If you trust Me, you are trusting not only Me, but also God who sent Me. 45 For when you see Me, you are seeing the One who sent Me.”
--John 12:37-45 (NLT)
Let us pray… Father God, we come into Your presence this morning to worship You and to listen to Your word. Please help us receive and understand the message You have for us so that our eyes may not be blinded, our hearts may not be hardened. In the blessed name of Your Son Jesus we pray. Amen.
Have you heard the story about the pastor who had a kitten that climbed up a tree in his backyard but was afraid to come back down? The pastor coaxed with milk and gentle words, but the kitty would not come down. The tree wasn’t sturdy enough to climb, so the pastor decided that if he tied a rope to his car and drove forward, bending the tree down, he could reach up and grab the kitten.
So that's what he did, all the while checking his progress in the car mirror. At one point he figured if he went just a little further, the tree would be bent enough for him to reach the kitten. But as he inched ahead the rope broke, the tree went "boing!", and the kitten sailed through the air and out of sight.
The pastor felt terrible! He walked all over the neighborhood asking people if they'd seen a little kitten. No one had seen any stray cats, so he just prayed, "Lord, I just commit this kitten to your keeping.", and went on about his business.
A few days later he was at the grocery store, and met one of his church members. He happened to look into her shopping cart and was amazed to see cat food. This woman was a cat hater and everyone knew it, so he asked her, "Why are you buying cat food when you hate cats so much?"
She replied, "You won't believe this," and went on to tell how her little girl had been begging for a cat but she kept refusing. Then a few days ago, the child begged again, so the Mom finally told her little girl, "Well, if God gives you a cat, I'll let you keep it." She continued: "I watched my child go out into the back yard, get down on her knees to pray, and - really Pastor, if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes - a kitten suddenly came flying out of the clear blue sky and landed right in front of her!"
Miracles do still happen but do we always recognize their source? This woman clearly believed that God gave her little girl that kitten. What do we believe when we see or hear of a miracle?
When someone is healed, is it a miracle of modern science, or the handiwork of the Great Physician? Is it the good work of the weatherman when it rains in the middle of a dry spell, or God answering prayers? Is it easier to believe the messages we receive through our television sets that we can find happiness if only we run out and buy a new car, or the message of our Bible that true happiness can only be found in a solid relationship with Jesus?
Do we still see, or have our eyes been blinded? Do we still feel, or have our hearts been hardened? We use the words, “In God we trust”, but do we really? Let me give you an example of trust I think everyone can relate to.
You get really sick one night and someone takes you to the hospital emergency room. There you are seen by a doctor whose name you don’t recognize and whose credentials you cannot verify. This doctor gives you a prescription you cannot read. You take it to a pharmacist you have never met who gives you a chemical compound you do not understand. And you go home and take that medicine according to the instructions printed on a label of the bottle.
That is trust - that is faith. If we put our mortal lives into the hands of people we know very little about, why can’t we put our eternal lives into the hands of the One who made us, and who we can learn all about in our Bible?
Has anything really changed over the years? Apparently very little changed in the more than 400 years between the time Isaiah spoke his prophecy for God and John wrote of these last days of Jesus’ life. And now, over 2000 years later, the words of both Isaiah and John still hold true.
I’m sure you’ve said or heard someone say something to the effect of, “How can anyone not believe in God when…” and then add something that is a sign of God’s existence. How can we not believe in Jesus when we read of all He did? His resurrection alone should prove His Godhead. After all, hundreds of people saw and heard Him during the 40 days after His death and burial before He ascended into heaven, yet not one of them ever contested the reports of His appearances in the flesh. How can people still not believe?
Well, Isaiah tells us how. Their eyes have been blinded and their hearts hardened. We can read of a similar situation when the Jews were still captive in Egypt and Moses was trying to get Pharaoh to let them go. Listen to this passage from the Book of Exodus, chapter 4, verse 21…
Have you heard the story about the pastor who had a kitten that climbed up a tree in his backyard but was afraid to come back down? The pastor coaxed with milk and gentle words, but the kitty would not come down. The tree wasn’t sturdy enough to climb, so the pastor decided that if he tied a rope to his car and drove forward, bending the tree down, he could reach up and grab the kitten.
So that's what he did, all the while checking his progress in the car mirror. At one point he figured if he went just a little further, the tree would be bent enough for him to reach the kitten. But as he inched ahead the rope broke, the tree went "boing!", and the kitten sailed through the air and out of sight.
The pastor felt terrible! He walked all over the neighborhood asking people if they'd seen a little kitten. No one had seen any stray cats, so he just prayed, "Lord, I just commit this kitten to your keeping.", and went on about his business.
A few days later he was at the grocery store, and met one of his church members. He happened to look into her shopping cart and was amazed to see cat food. This woman was a cat hater and everyone knew it, so he asked her, "Why are you buying cat food when you hate cats so much?"
She replied, "You won't believe this," and went on to tell how her little girl had been begging for a cat but she kept refusing. Then a few days ago, the child begged again, so the Mom finally told her little girl, "Well, if God gives you a cat, I'll let you keep it." She continued: "I watched my child go out into the back yard, get down on her knees to pray, and - really Pastor, if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes - a kitten suddenly came flying out of the clear blue sky and landed right in front of her!"
Miracles do still happen but do we always recognize their source? This woman clearly believed that God gave her little girl that kitten. What do we believe when we see or hear of a miracle?
When someone is healed, is it a miracle of modern science, or the handiwork of the Great Physician? Is it the good work of the weatherman when it rains in the middle of a dry spell, or God answering prayers? Is it easier to believe the messages we receive through our television sets that we can find happiness if only we run out and buy a new car, or the message of our Bible that true happiness can only be found in a solid relationship with Jesus?
Do we still see, or have our eyes been blinded? Do we still feel, or have our hearts been hardened? We use the words, “In God we trust”, but do we really? Let me give you an example of trust I think everyone can relate to.
You get really sick one night and someone takes you to the hospital emergency room. There you are seen by a doctor whose name you don’t recognize and whose credentials you cannot verify. This doctor gives you a prescription you cannot read. You take it to a pharmacist you have never met who gives you a chemical compound you do not understand. And you go home and take that medicine according to the instructions printed on a label of the bottle.
That is trust - that is faith. If we put our mortal lives into the hands of people we know very little about, why can’t we put our eternal lives into the hands of the One who made us, and who we can learn all about in our Bible?
Has anything really changed over the years? Apparently very little changed in the more than 400 years between the time Isaiah spoke his prophecy for God and John wrote of these last days of Jesus’ life. And now, over 2000 years later, the words of both Isaiah and John still hold true.
I’m sure you’ve said or heard someone say something to the effect of, “How can anyone not believe in God when…” and then add something that is a sign of God’s existence. How can we not believe in Jesus when we read of all He did? His resurrection alone should prove His Godhead. After all, hundreds of people saw and heard Him during the 40 days after His death and burial before He ascended into heaven, yet not one of them ever contested the reports of His appearances in the flesh. How can people still not believe?
Well, Isaiah tells us how. Their eyes have been blinded and their hearts hardened. We can read of a similar situation when the Jews were still captive in Egypt and Moses was trying to get Pharaoh to let them go. Listen to this passage from the Book of Exodus, chapter 4, verse 21…
21 And the Lord said to Moses, “When you go back to Egypt, see that you do all those wonders before Pharaoh which I have put in your hand. But I will harden his heart, so that he will not let the people go."
--Exodus 4:21 (NKJV)
We see words like “Pharaoh’s heart was hardened” many times over the next 10 chapters, until in Exodus chapter 14, verse 17, we find out why…
So that when it all worked out to God’s plan, God would get the honor and the glory.
I believe that story of the Exodus and what befell the Egyptians serves as a good example of what happens when God’s patience runs out. A few more can be found in the Book of Genesis. Remember the Great Flood? God looked down and saw how wicked man had become and He regretted ever putting man on the face of the earth. And we can surely see an impatient God at work in His reaction to the evilness of man and His destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.
And then there are the times the Israelites rebelled against God and were conquered and carried off into captivity. But Isaiah and John provide us with the saddest result of God losing His patience with us: a hardened heart and all hopes for eternal salvation lost.
Just as Isaiah foretold, despite all the miracles Jesus performed and all who witnessed them, so many people still refuse to believe in Him. Even when He said to trust Him was to trust God, too many people tend to put their faith in things or in others rather than in Jesus and our Father God. We refuse to forgive, and the resentment and bitterness we carry harden our hearts. Too soon we cannot turn to the One who can heal us.
John tells us that during his day, many people did believe in Jesus - even some of the Jewish leadership. But these “leaders” were afraid to admit their belief in public, lest the Pharisees kick them out of the church. They cared more about receiving praise and acceptance from other men than from God. They were more worried over how they looked in the eyes of man than in the eyes of their Creator.
Has anything changed? How many people do you know today that fit that description? How many fall prey to peer pressure, seeking the acceptance of their friends rather than God’s? How many don’t trust Jesus enough to stand up for Him in public?
Family, mankind must heed Jesus’ call. If we do indeed trust in God, like our currency says, then we must also trust in Jesus being His Son. To see Jesus, in our hearts, is to see God. To get to that point, we’ve got to put Jesus first in our lives. We’ve got to care more about what God thinks of us than what man thinks. We have to trust Him fully, completely, knowing He will be by our side no matter what, even if we face ridicule, or worse, for declaring Him as our Lord.
And we – mankind – must do so while our eyes can still see, while our hearts can still feel. For the time is coming when God’s patience will run out, when our eyes will be blinded and our hearts hardened and turned to stone.
Believe and trust in our Lord Jesus, the true Son of God.
Amen.
Let us pray… Father God, we’ve seen what can happen when Your patience wears thin, and it isn’t very pretty for mankind. Moses showed us the consequences of You hardening our hearts and blinding our eyes. Father, forgive us our moments of disbelief, our fear of not being accepted by our fellow man, our times of internal turmoil when we fail to trust fully in our Lord Jesus.
Hear us now, Father, as we come to You in the silence. Hear our prayers spoken directly from our hearts…
Lord Jesus, restore our sight that we might once again see Your truth. Soften our hearts to once again feel God’s Holy Spirit filling us, strengthening us, guiding us. We trust our Father God, and we put our faith in You. It is in Your blessed name, dear Jesus, we pray. Amen.
17 "And I indeed will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall follow them. So I will gain honor over Pharaoh and over all his army, his chariots, and his horsemen."
--Exodus 14:17 (NKJV)
I believe that story of the Exodus and what befell the Egyptians serves as a good example of what happens when God’s patience runs out. A few more can be found in the Book of Genesis. Remember the Great Flood? God looked down and saw how wicked man had become and He regretted ever putting man on the face of the earth. And we can surely see an impatient God at work in His reaction to the evilness of man and His destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.
And then there are the times the Israelites rebelled against God and were conquered and carried off into captivity. But Isaiah and John provide us with the saddest result of God losing His patience with us: a hardened heart and all hopes for eternal salvation lost.
Just as Isaiah foretold, despite all the miracles Jesus performed and all who witnessed them, so many people still refuse to believe in Him. Even when He said to trust Him was to trust God, too many people tend to put their faith in things or in others rather than in Jesus and our Father God. We refuse to forgive, and the resentment and bitterness we carry harden our hearts. Too soon we cannot turn to the One who can heal us.
John tells us that during his day, many people did believe in Jesus - even some of the Jewish leadership. But these “leaders” were afraid to admit their belief in public, lest the Pharisees kick them out of the church. They cared more about receiving praise and acceptance from other men than from God. They were more worried over how they looked in the eyes of man than in the eyes of their Creator.
Has anything changed? How many people do you know today that fit that description? How many fall prey to peer pressure, seeking the acceptance of their friends rather than God’s? How many don’t trust Jesus enough to stand up for Him in public?
Family, mankind must heed Jesus’ call. If we do indeed trust in God, like our currency says, then we must also trust in Jesus being His Son. To see Jesus, in our hearts, is to see God. To get to that point, we’ve got to put Jesus first in our lives. We’ve got to care more about what God thinks of us than what man thinks. We have to trust Him fully, completely, knowing He will be by our side no matter what, even if we face ridicule, or worse, for declaring Him as our Lord.
And we – mankind – must do so while our eyes can still see, while our hearts can still feel. For the time is coming when God’s patience will run out, when our eyes will be blinded and our hearts hardened and turned to stone.
Believe and trust in our Lord Jesus, the true Son of God.
Amen.
Let us pray… Father God, we’ve seen what can happen when Your patience wears thin, and it isn’t very pretty for mankind. Moses showed us the consequences of You hardening our hearts and blinding our eyes. Father, forgive us our moments of disbelief, our fear of not being accepted by our fellow man, our times of internal turmoil when we fail to trust fully in our Lord Jesus.
Hear us now, Father, as we come to You in the silence. Hear our prayers spoken directly from our hearts…
Lord Jesus, restore our sight that we might once again see Your truth. Soften our hearts to once again feel God’s Holy Spirit filling us, strengthening us, guiding us. We trust our Father God, and we put our faith in You. It is in Your blessed name, dear Jesus, we pray. Amen.
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