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Sermons

"WHOSOEVER BELIEVETH IN HIM"
GOSPEL SCRIPTURE TEXT:
JOHN 3:16(C)

DAVE RING, PASTOR
LOS ALAMOS 1ST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
SUNDAY MORNING, AUGUST 24, 2008

Prayer: "Lord, for the third time I'm presenting the heart of Your Word to Your people. Help me ever to present it Your way -- with love. Amen."

The Word of God: "FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD THAT HE GAVE HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON, THAT WHOSOEVER BELIEVETH IN HIM SHOULD NOT PERISH, BUT HAVE EVERLASTING LIFE."-- John 3:16 (King James Version)

Message: Two weeks ago we began a serialized study, in sermonic form, of the greatest and best-known verse in all God's Word -- John 3:16. My purpose in this series is to return us to the basics, the core, the ground of our faith -- as we attempt to continue the mission outreach of the Church of Jesus Christ during the opening decade of the third millennium A. D.
When we began this, two weeks back, I likened my approach to that of a television miniseries. In the second installment - last week -- I started with a reference to the old television serial, "Dallas." Afterward, someone from the congregation wisely pointed out to me that a series on John 3:16 could be better compared to the most watched television miniseries of all time, the epic "Roots." I agree -- for in John 3:16 we are examining, truly, the deepest, most solid root of our Christian faith.

Let's review, briefly, where we've been. We began by concentrating upon the first short phrase of this marvelous verse: "For God so loved the world." We found here the rightful primacy of God in all human affairs, the love of God which is the key to His essential nature, and the focus of God's love, which is each and every human being -- Praise God! -- including every one of us here today.
Then, last Sunday, we turned our thoughts to God's supreme sacrifice on our behalf: "That He gave His only begotten Son." God's greatest gift -- abundant, eternal life in Jesus - was, unfortunately, twisted and spurned by humanity. When we left John 3:16 last week, it was with Jesus hanging upon a cross, a Divine Sacrifice, even unto death, for the many sins of rebellious, misguided human beings -- like us.

Today we're going to complete John 3:16 by examining the final portion of God's greatest verse to us: "That whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." Although I love portions of the Bible in the King James Version, I don't regularly speak "King James English" so I trust you'll forgive me if, from here onward, I change "whosoever" to "whoever," and "believeth" to "believes."

"Whoever believes in Him..." Whoever believes in Him. We already know what whoever implies -- because we've considered the unlimited extent of God's great love for our world. Whoever is exactly that -- any and all human beings, regardless of location, or heredity, or environment, or age, or sex, or economic status, or language, or color, or whatever. Whoever is unconditionally every human creature made by God -- and there are none made by any other.
"Him," conveniently capitalized in older versions of the Bible, obviously refers back to the sublime subject at hand -- Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God. So it remains for us to consider these two words -- "believes in." What does it mean to "believe in" something -- or someone? What does it mean to believe in Jesus Christ?

What does it mean to believe in Jesus Christ? That question has been asked for centuries by hundreds of millions of persons the world over. The answer to that important question comes in many forms; in fact, there are probably as many answers, each distinct and unique in some special way, as there are individual persons for whom Jesus becomes the basis of belief. Belief in Jesus may involve affirming that He is the Son of God, that He is the Savior of the world, that He has forgiven one's personal sins, that His teachings are the basis for one's personal conduct of life. Belief in Jesus should include obedience to His commands, the following of His teachings, witnessing His saving power to others, giving one's life to His service -- any and all of a thousand-thousand possibilities.

To some of you, that may sound like too complex, too broad, or too "liberal" an answer to what you consider to be a simple, straightforward question. But I would contend that it is not. Some years back, when I was a "new" Christian, I thought I knew the exact, precise, and only answer to what it really meant to believe in Jesus. It meant exactly what I thought it meant, and I wanted everyone else to share exactly the same set of beliefs about Jesus that I held. One day, an older and wiser Christian told me a story -- almost a joke, really --that caused me to re-evaluate my thinking. I may have shared it with some of you in another sermon, but it's worth hearing again, even if you already know it:

"There was a certain man who had never taken much interest in God, or Jesus, or the Church. Although many had talked to him about these important matters, he had, like so many others, always shrugged them off. One day, he was walking in his backyard when suddenly the ground gave way, and he fell into a deep hole. Unbeknownst to him, an old well on the property, long abandoned, had been covered over -- and this man's weight had caused the grassy covering to give way. He found himself knee deep in mud, eighteen feet below ground level, staring up at a small patch of sky.

For a while, he tried to dig himself out, but it was too wet and too slippery. Then he tried shouting until his voice almost gave out, but no one heard. Finally, in desperation, he prayed: `Jesus, if you really exist and you'll get me out of here alive, I'll serve you faithfully for the rest of my days.' Well, within a few minutes a neighbor who had just returned home noticed that his neighbor's back door was open, walked into this backyard to check, saw the situation, and lowered a rope to pull the man out, safe and sound.

Many people make promises to God in crises that they don't keep, but this man was as good as his word. He professed his faith in Christ, joined the Church, and became a dedicated soul-winner. However, his method was a bit strange. Every time he wanted to witness to a prospect, he would invite that person to his home, walk with him into the backyard, and push him down into that old well. Since that's how he found faith in God, he figured everyone else should do exactly the same."
As I read God's Word, I find Jesus meeting and talking with many kinds and types of persons. His call to each was always, in effect, the same: "Follow me!" But the ways in which those who followed responded were as unique as the individuals themselves. Peter came to know and believe in Jesus slowly and erratically, with two steps backward for each one forward. Phillip and Nathaniel simply accepted Jesus as Lord on the basis of one encounter each. Zacchaeus came to Christ through an act of public repentance and restitution for his past sins. Paul's conversion was spectacular, while his friend Timothy's was slow, studied, and methodical.

The point is clear -- there is no "cookbook method" for belief in Jesus to be found in the Bible. The Christ gladly meets any man, woman, or child where they are -- speaking distinctly and personally to their particular needs. He gladly accepts any and all on the basis of whatever faith commitment there are able to make at the time of meeting Him. Some can open their entire lives to Jesus in an instant; others begin by allowing Him only a tiny corner of themselves -- but it's a start. Some have faith that can move mountains; others barely claim to trust Him at all.

No matter -- faith and belief are primarily gifts -- of God's grace -- just like the basic gift of His Son to the world. For every small step we take toward Him, Jesus will make ten giant leaps toward us. If you approach Jesus with even the slightest, weakest, most hesitant belief, He'll meet you there. And He'll take you on a journey of growth in faith that will carry you all the way -- to eternity. That's a promise -- not from me, but from Him. "Whoever believes in Him:" John 3:16 is our notice of God's acceptance--and that "whoever" can be you!

"Whoever believes in Him -- should not perish, but have everlasting life." Should not perish, but have everlasting life. Pollster George Gallup tells us that Americans are great believers in life after death: fully 96% of us believe there is such. Church membership or lack thereof makes no difference in this; 96% among both the churched and the unchurched believe there is life beyond this one. When questioned further, 89% of the American people go on to say they believe in Heaven in the life beyond, but only 30% believe there is a hell. Here, church membership does make a difference -- fully 99% of the "churched" believe in Heaven, but only 50% believe there is a hell, the Bible's many references to such notwithstanding. And now the really interesting figure: Fully 82% of the American people expect to go to Heaven after death, whether or not they be practicing believers in anything. Another 12% don't know what will happen to them and, sadly, 2% acknowledge that they are on the road to hell.

Life after death -- Heaven, hell -- the biggest mystery of the ages. Almost every human ever born has pondered the riddle of life beyond the grave. One thing is sure: We all must die. Many have tried to cheat death, to somehow avoid it. The latest gambits in this regard are quite creative, albeit futile. Some folks are having their heads frozen at the point of death, hoping that a future generation of smarter humans will figure out how to revive them. Some others are trying to download their consciousness onto a computer DVD-ROM, thereby preserving themselves electronically. How foolish -- and ultimately, how sad!

Death is a reality we must all face. Even Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, had to undergo death. In my last message to you, that's where we left Jesus: dying, on a cruel cross, for the many sins of the world. Just as each of us must -- Jesus died -- and was buried.
But here the saga of John 3:16 takes an unexpected, unimagined surprise change of script. For Jesus Christ, alone among all who ever lived -- and died -- didn't stay dead. Three days after they buried Him Jesus was back, among the living. And from that moment forward, death is no longer final. Jesus has opened the way to overcome death. By the power of God, He was resurrected.
The promise of John 3:16 is that you and I can also be resurrected -- to everlasting life -- with Jesus. No one ever needs to "perish" -- unto hell, or oblivion, or whatever you choose to call it, ever again. I'm really not all that concerned that only 50% of American church members believe in hell. My desire is that 100% of you come to believe in Jesus, and then hell won't be an issue.
Jesus knows the way to life everlasting. He's traveled the road, through death and back -- and He stands ready to show all of us the way He went. No one else can promise everlasting life; only Jesus has the firsthand experience to take men and women, boys and girls to it.

The sum total of the message of John 3:16 is what we in the church call salvation. Salvation is available to us, right now, through the love of God revealed in Jesus Christ, His only begotten Son. And salvation is available to our friends, our neighbors, our world. It's our job to extend God's "John 3:16 love" to them, as missionaries in the service of Jesus Christ.
Would you repeat the scripture aloud with me as we complete this sermon series, and, as you do so, ask yourself two questions: First, do I believe what it says to me? And second, will I tell my world? -- "FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD, THAT HE GAVE HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON, THAT WHOSOEVER BELIEVETH IN HIM SHOULD NOT PERISH, BUT HAVE EVERLASTING LIFE." Amen.

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