Believe

A sermon delivered to All Saints Anglican Church on August 2, 2009 at the Convent Chapel of St. Mary's Medical Ctr., Huntington, WV and based on John 6:24-37


So when the crowd saw that Jesus was not there, nor his disciples, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum, seeking Jesus.

25 When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you come here?” 26 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. 27 Do not labor for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.” 28 Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” 29 Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” 30 So they said to him, “Then what sign do you do, that we may see and believe you? What work do you perform? 31 Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” 32 Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” 34 They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.”

35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.


I believe it will rain today…

I can’t believe I found a parking place right by the door!

I believe you’re right about that …

My neighbor believes in reseeding his lawn every fall.

You wouldn’t believe how long it took me!

The undersecretary for congressional obfuscation replied, “I believe so, Senator…”

We use the word ‘believe’ in many different ways, some of them casual and offhand, some of them more thoughtful and considered. Throughout the Bible, God tells us to believe in Him. Today we’re going to consider some of the consequences of Belief and Unbelief in this message entitled “Believe!”

Our Gospel lesson today ends with Jesus’ powerful assertion:
“I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.”

He addresses this statement to a crowd whom he had just fed miraculously the day before and who had sought Him out to get some more of that good free food. He calls them out on their transparent greed and admonishes them to labor for the food that endures to eternal life - food that He himself will give them; the food from Heaven, which they are to receive as they do the work of God, namely to believe in him whom God has sent – Jesus.

As always, the crowd displays amazing spiritual depth and insight as they ask, …”what sign do you do, that we may see and believe you? What work do you perform?”

They don’t realize that they are reenacting the same error that their ancestors made in the wilderness. They just got done eating the loaves and the fishes, the manna from heaven if you will – and they haven’t the slightest clue that pita bread ain’t the real Bread that God has to offer. They saw the sign, but seeing didn’t see!

This crowd illustrates the tragicomic effects of unbelief: spiritual dullness, preoccupation with the belly, and eventual death through lack of true spiritual food.

Jesus is trying to help them understand the blessings of belief in him – Life and Fullness – but they just don’t seem to get it. They are spiritual blockheads. But lest we be too judgmental, let us consider that those of who say we believe may actually struggle with truly believing ourselves.
In the latest issue of Christian Counseling Today magazine, Josh McDowell writes about the “The Beliefs that Impact Everyday Life” He reports about the “Third Millennium Teens” study done by the Barna Research Group, which reveals some startling information. Among the group of teens surveyed, religious beliefs and spirituality were found to be very important. 70% surveyed attended some church youth group and 80% claimed to be Christians.

The Vast majority [of this group] (80%) believes that God created the universe and 84% believe that God is personally involved in people’s lives. Yet in spit of these orthodox views:

63% also believe that Muslims, Buddhists, Christians, Jews, and all other people pray to the same god, even though they use different names for their god.

87% believe Jesus was a real person who came to earth and 78% believe He was born to a virgin;

yet nearly half (46%) believe He committed sins, and over half (51%) say He died but did not rise from the dead!

48% of teenagers today believe that it doesn’t matter what religious faith you associate with because they all believe the same principles and truth;

58% believe that all religious faiths teach equally valid truth.

67% suspect that there is ‘no way to tell which religion is true”!

Religious Smorgasbord

McDowell comments that these teens are “putting together their own religious canon in a smorgasbord style, believing it is best to pick and choose from the various ideas, concepts of God, and religions around them and construct a tailor-made ‘faith’ that’s just right for them. That way, it will be theirs personally and will offend no one.”

“….the majority of young people have been conditioned to believe that truth is not true for them until they choose to believe it. That’s why 81% claim that ‘all truth is relative to the individual and his/her circumstances.”

Their pragmatic idea that ‘what works right now is right for now’ will eventually lead them down a path of self-destruction” says McDowell. (Quoted in Christian Counseling Today Vol. 16, No. 3.)

Remember, this is a description of teens who mostly identify themselves as Christians! The study goes on to describe the practical effects of unbelief in teens’ lives. Young people who lack a basic biblical belief system are:

· 36% more likely to lie to a friend.
· 48% more likely to cheat on an exam
· 200% more likely to steal
· 200% more likely to physically hurt someone
· 300% more likely to use illegal drugs, and
· 600% more likely to attempt suicide

When the Bible says ‘The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23), this is what it looks like. And while this study described teenagers, it doesn’t take much imagination to extend this description out to adults. We see it all around us in the constant public scandals and swindles that come to light almost every day. Overt Unbelief is harmful to individuals and to our society as a whole. But the Postmodernist smorgasbord approach to spiritual things that accepts anything as true is also harmful because it rejects Ultimate Truth altogether. Postmodern Relativism is very absolute about the idea that ‘All truth is relative’. Practitioners of this philosophy says things such as:

“The crisis of this moment has … do with the great Western heresy - that we can be saved as individuals, that any of us alone can be in right relationship with God. It’s caricatured in some quarters by insisting that salvation depends on reciting a specific verbal formula about Jesus. That individualist focus is a form of idolatry, for it puts me and my words in the place that only God can occupy, at the center of existence, as the ground of all being.” (Kathryn Jefferts Schori in an address at the recent Convocation of the Episcopal Church).

Any belief system is acceptable to relativists – Buddhist, Hindu, Green - except one that insists on personal belief in Jesus Christ as the only Savior and Lord. When it comes to an exclusive belief in Christ, this must be denounced as heresy and ruthlessly pushed out.
Our own Fr. Peter Schoew has experienced this first hand, having been deposed as a priest in the Episcopal Church for not renouncing his ordination vows when he and his colleagues were found to be too conservative. This is only the most blatant form of persecution. What we must grieve over is the more subtle effects of this intolerance on those who are left to live in this toxic environment.

Here are a few points to emphasize about unorthodox beliefs:

· Heretical, non-orthodox beliefs are corrosive to vibrant faith.
· Continued exposure to unbelief deadens the spirit and leads us away from the Lord.
· Ongoing, undiscerning exposure to unbelief leads not only to deadening of true faith, but to persecution of those who really do believe.
· We must stand for truth for our own sake so that we may experience the fullness of what God has for us – Intimacy with Him, and being fed and watered by His Spirit.
· We must stand for Truth for the sake of those whose faith has been eroded through merciless destruction of True Belief.
· We must remember that those who sit under false teaching suffer.

Example: Our friends in the Worldwide Church of God for almost 30 years. There were captive to a legalistic and false doctrine and they are still grieving over it after coming out 15 years later!

God Himself grieves over those who are being lead astray.

We must pray for them that God might open the eyes of their hearts so that they might experience the Joy of Knowing and Loving Jesus.

But we must also pray for ourselves – that God would daily renew our faith and help us to act upon what we say we believe.

When Jesus says Believe, it is not a suggestion; it is a command. Failure to believe results in eventual hardening of the heart and death – eternal separation from God. As you are hearing this message, the angels are recording your receipt of it and you will be held accountable.

But that is to focus on the negative. What I’d like to leave you with today with are
Three A’s of Belief:

Assent
Accept
Apply

Intellectual Assent means agreeing with God or ‘confessing’ - ‘saying the same thing’ about the Gospel message. Assent acknowledges the plausibility of Belief.

Acceptance goes beyond Assent and opens the door of the heart to Jesus, who stands knocking and waits for admission. Acceptance means placing my trust in Christ as a trustworthy Savior.

Finally, Applying belief means taking the message I have heard and applying the principles to my life in concrete ways. The apostle James says, ‘Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works ‘(Jas 2:18). In other words, put your money where your mouth is. If you say you believe in Christ as your Lord and Savior, prove it by your actions.

Belief in God and Jesus Christ is very important. Despite what some Marine Biologists may say, Belief in Christ in not heretical. In fact Believing is mentioned 84 times in the book of John alone. Listen to a few of the references from John Chapter Six:
John 6:35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.
John 6:40 For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”
John 6:47 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life.

Belief is what makes you a Christian!

So having said all this, the only thing left to do is to extend an invitation. If you have never believed in Christ, never placed your faith and trust in Him to be your Savior and Lord, now is the appointed day of Salvation. I invite you to pray silently with me this prayer for the Salvation of your soul:

“God, I believe that you exist and that You reward those who diligently seek You. I believe that you sent Jesus Christ to live and die for me so that I shall not perish but have everlasting life with you. Please forgive me of all my sins. Cleanse me and renew a right spirit within me. Give me the joy of your salvation and send your Holy Spirit to live within me. Make me your disciple Lord. Change me and use me as you will – and all for your Glory, through Jesus Christ and in His name I pray.”

If you prayed that prayer with me, rejoice for your name is written in the Book of Life and all the angels in heaven are rejoicing over you right now! Please let me know of your assent and acceptance of Christ so that we might begin to help you apply your new belief in Christ.

AMEN.