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You can turn with me in your 
Bibles to the book of John. We work our way through John's 
gospel. We're in chapter 12, which brings 
us to the conclusion of his public ministry. We'll see that, God 
willing, next Sunday. We have a bit of a theology of 
unbelief in our section this morning. Our section this morning 
under consideration will be verses 34 to 41, but I do want to pick 
up reading in John 12 at verse 20. Now there were certain Greeks 
among those who came up to worship at the feast. Then they came 
to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, 
Sir, we wish to see Jesus. Philip came and told Andrew, 
and in turn Andrew And Philip told Jesus. But Jesus answered 
them, saying, The hour has come that the Son of Man should be 
glorified. Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat 
falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone. But if it dies, 
it produces much grain. He who loves his life will lose 
it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for 
eternal life. If anyone serves me, let him 
follow me, and where I am, there my servant will be also. If anyone 
serves me, him my father will honor. Now my soul is troubled, 
and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour. 
But for this purpose I came to this hour. Father, glorify your 
name. Then a voice came from heaven 
saying, I have both glorified it and will glorify it again. 
Therefore, the people who stood by and heard it said that it 
had thundered. Others said, an angel has spoken 
to him. Jesus answered and said, this 
voice did not come because of me, but for your sake. Now is 
the judgment of this world. Now the ruler of this world will 
be cast out. And I, if I am lifted up from 
the earth, will draw all peoples to myself. This he said, signifying 
by what death he would die. The people answered him, we have 
heard from the law that the Christ remains forever. And how can 
you say the son of man must be lifted up? Who is this son of 
man? Then Jesus said to them, a little 
while longer, the light is with you. Walk while you have the 
light, lest darkness overtake you. He who walks in darkness 
does not know where he is going. While you have the light, believe 
in the light that you may become sons of light. These things Jesus 
spoke and departed and was hidden from them. But although He had 
done so many signs before them, they did not believe in Him. 
That the word of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, which he 
spoke, Lord, who has believed our report, and to whom has the 
arm of the Lord been revealed? Therefore, they could not believe 
because Isaiah said again, he has blinded their eyes and hardened 
their hearts, lest they should see with their eyes, lest they 
should understand with their hearts and turn so that I should 
heal them. These things Isaiah said when 
he saw his glory and spoke of him. Amen. Well, let us pray. Our gracious God and Holy Father, 
we thank you for this day. We thank you for the day of God 
and the house of God and the people of God and the privilege 
that is ours to gather together. We ask that you would be glorified 
in this glad hour. We pray that you would be worshiped 
and adored, that as we come to the Father through the Son and 
the power of the Holy Spirit, God would be all in all in this 
place. We pray now for the ministry 
of the Spirit, that he would guide us and direct us and lead 
us as we consider this passage of Holy Scripture. And may we 
ponder the importance of such a text in terms of unbelief. 
We know that sinners are told to look unto the Lord Jesus Christ 
in faith that they may have everlasting life. And we pray that even today, 
God, you'd open hearts, that you would give the graces of 
faith and repentance. so that sinners may in fact close 
with you and know the joy of being found in the Lord Jesus. 
We pray that for our meeting together here. We pray that for 
churches throughout this city and this nation and to the uttermost 
parts of the earth. We pray that today would be a 
day of salvation for a great multitude from every tribe and 
tongue and people and nation. Do forgive us now for all of 
our sin and all unrighteousness. Build us up in our most holy 
faith and we pray in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, amen. 
Well, it's probably helpful for us just to review the major sections 
in John's gospel at this particular point. So in John 1, verses 1 
to 18, we have what's called the prologue. And essentially 
what John does is he locates the work of the Lord Jesus Christ 
in terms of the triune God. In the beginning was the Word, 
and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And then in 
1.14, it says, that Word, who was with God, who was God, became 
flesh and dwelt among us. And then in John 1 at verse 19, 
all the way to John 12 at the very end, we have what's called 
the Book of the Signs. In other words, it's the life 
and ministry of our Lord Jesus when He goes about doing those 
signs, doing those miracles, and calling upon sinners to believe 
on Him. And then from 13.1 to the end 
of chapter 20, you have the Book of the Passion. And so we are 
coming to that place where we're finishing or concluding the earthly 
ministry of our Lord Jesus and entering in, as I said, to the 
Book of the Passion. And you see specifically in chapters 
13 to 16 what we call the Upper Room Discourse, and then Jesus' 
High Priestly Prayer in John 17, then of course the Arrest, 
and then the delivering up to the cross. So that's sort of 
an outlook as to where we're going. But here, as John reflects 
upon the unbelief of the Jews, I don't think it's just connected 
to the immediate context. I think he is musing, as it were, 
on Jesus' ministry as a whole. As I said, there'll be a concluding 
portion in chapter 12 that we'll look at, God willing, next week. 
But when John goes back to the prophet Isaiah to try to provide 
the rationale as to why Jesus came to his own and his own received 
him not, he's musing on the broader contour of Jesus' ministry. And I would like to encourage 
all of us to understand that it's not just a reflection upon 
Jesus' contemporaries who rejected Him, who did not believe the 
gospel, but there's certainly our contemporaries today. We 
preach the gospel and not all men believe. Not everybody comes 
to the Lord Jesus. Not everybody looks to Him in 
faith and understands the joy of being found in Him. So if 
you this morning are conscious of that reality, then I would 
encourage you to listen to the words of life. The Lord Jesus 
very much pointedly says, believe on the light. Come to the light, 
namely himself, so that you may become children or sons of the 
light. So again, this isn't just a problem 
confined to the first century and the repudiation of our Lord 
Jesus by the Jewish unbelievers there. but it's certainly a situation 
that we face today. So let's look first at the Lord's, 
rather, the question concerning the Messiah in verses 34 to 36, 
and then the explanation of their unbelief in verses 37 to 41. In terms of the immediate context, 
remember that in John 12, in verses 20 to 26, Jesus announced 
the arrival of the hour. Notice that he says that in verse 
23. But Jesus answered them, saying, The hour has come that 
the Son of Man should be glorified. That refers to his death on the 
cross, his life, his death, his resurrection, the means by which 
we have everlasting life. We need the forgiveness of sins 
as a result of his shed blood, but we need the life of obedience 
for that imputation of Christ's righteousness, which is received 
by faith alone. So the hour had come upon him. 
And then in verses 27 and following, he explains the significance 
of that hour. In other words, why is this important? Why is it at this hour that the 
Son will be glorified? Why in the glorification of the 
Son is the Father going to be glorified in this glad hour? 
Well, I think Jesus explains it very effectively and essentially 
says that in this hour what we have is the defeat of the devil, 
we have the defeat of the world, and we have the defeat of sinners, 
and I don't mean them complete destruction, but their rebellion 
against him is fixed as a result of the gospel. Notice in verse 
30, he says, this voice did not come because of me, but for your 
sake. Now is the judgment of this world. 
Again, he's highlighting the significance of the hour. Now 
is the judgment of this world. Now the ruler of this world will 
be cast out. He takes care of the judgment 
of the world. He takes care of the ruler of this world, even 
the devil. And then he goes on to underscore the power of Christ 
relative to the sinfulness of man. He says in verse 32, and 
if I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all peoples to myself. This, he said, signifying by 
what death he would die. So the death of the Lord Jesus 
Christ brings that judgment upon the world. The death of our Lord 
Jesus Christ brings that judgment or that casting out of the devil. 
And then that death of our Lord Jesus Christ answers to man's 
sin problem. It's through his life, it's through 
his death, it's through his resurrection that we have justification. Now 
notice on the heels of that the question concerning the Messiah 
in verses 34 to 36. Now, that John tells us they 
did not believe helps us to understand sort of their mindset or the 
manner with which they ask these questions in verse 34. Notice, the people answered him, 
we have heard from the law that the Christ remains forever. And 
how can you say the Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is this 
Son of Man? Now if it sounds like I'm speaking 
in a way that is a bit derogatory, that's their mindset. Again, 
John's going to explain that they were not believing. John's 
going to provide the rationale with reference to the prophet 
Isaiah. But notice specifically, we have heard from the law. Here 
I think law refers to the entirety of the Old Testament. It refers 
to everything that we see in the Law and the Prophets and 
the Writings. We have heard from our Bibles. We have heard from 
the promise concerning Messiah. We have heard concerning the 
promise of the Son of Man, that this Christ will last forever. 
He will live forever, and they were not wrong here. If you look 
at the nature of their question, they're not wrong, they just 
don't have a full-orbed understanding of Old Testament prophecy. We 
have heard from the law that the Christ remains forever. If 
you turn back to the book of Psalms, specifically in Psalm 
72, we see a reference to the eternality, the foreverness of 
the Lord Jesus, of the Messiah, of God Almighty. Psalm 72, specifically 
at verse 17. His name shall endure forever. 
His name shall continue as long as the sun, and men shall be 
blessed in Him. All nations shall call Him blessed. And then turn over to Psalm 89. Same emphasis in this covenant 
Psalm concerning David's greater son, even our Lord Jesus Christ. So notice in Psalm 89 at verses 
36 and 37. His seat shall endure forever 
and his throne is the sun before me. It shall be established forever 
like the moon, even like the faithful witness in the sky. 
Turn over to Psalm 110, that promise concerning, again, David's 
greater son. And in Psalm 110.1 we read a 
Psalm of David, and then you have this powerful statement 
that's either quoted or alluded to in the New Testament more 
than just about any other passage in the Old Testament. In other 
words, Psalm 110.1 was the battle cry of the ancient church while 
she was suffering under the oppression of the Roman Empire. She didn't 
whine, she didn't retreat, she didn't go lick her wounds, but 
she cried out that blessed reality that God said to my Lord, sit 
at my right hand till I make all of your enemies your footstool. 
And then notice with reference to the eternality of Christ in 
verse four, the Lord has sworn and will not relent that you 
are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek. 
And then of course that prophecy in the prophet Isaiah at chapter 
nine, verses six and seven. There is a statement concerning 
the king and a statement concerning his kingdom. And in 9.6 we read, 
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the 
government will be upon his shoulder, and his name will be called Wonderful 
Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. of the 
increase of his government and peace, there will be no end. 
Upon the throne of David and over his kingdom, to order it 
and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, 
even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts 
will perform this. So going back to our passage, 
when they say to Jesus in verse 34, the people answered him, 
we have heard from the law that the Christ remains forever. They 
were right. But they were neglectful because 
when they go on to question him and challenge him, they betray 
their own ignorance with reference to their scriptures. So back 
to verse 34, we have heard from the law that the Christ remains 
forever, and how can you say the Son of Man must be lifted 
up? Who is this Son of Man? So again, they got part of it, 
but they didn't get all of it. Go back to the book of Genesis, 
in Genesis chapter 3. We not only have the promise 
of a Messiah that will be victorious, but we have the promise of a 
Messiah that will be victorious, predicated upon his own suffering 
and death. See, the Jews at Jesus' time, 
they liked the exaltation, they liked the glory, they liked the 
majesty, they liked the power. In other words, they liked the 
crown, but they didn't like the suggestion that there was a cross. Well, in Genesis 3.15, that first 
announcement of the gospel, "...and I will put enmity between you 
and the woman, and between your seed and her seed. He shall bruise 
your head, and you shall bruise his heel." Well, how does he 
bruise his heel? It's through his suffering and 
death on the cross for us men and for our salvation. See, they 
miss that part. They miss Genesis chapter 22 
when God tells Abraham, take your son, your only son, the 
son of your love, up to Mount Moriah and sacrifice him. What 
was the take-home message from that particular day? Well, Abraham 
said it well to Isaac. The Lord will provide for himself 
the ram, or the lamb, of God that will take away the sin of 
the world. You get to the prophet Isaiah. Some refer to Isaiah, 
the prophet, as the fifth gospel. And I don't think that's without 
warrant. Isaiah 53, one of the passages that John's going to 
cite in just a few moments, Isaiah 53 talks about the death of the 
Lord Jesus. He was a man of sorrows. He was 
acquainted with grief. It pleased the Lord to bruise 
him. He has put him to grief. We've 
got that messianic reading in Daniel chapter 9, the cutting 
off of Messiah. Again, they saw the prestige 
and glory and eternality associated with Messiah, but they didn't 
see his death. And so when Christ comes along 
and says, I must be lifted up, it's because of this lifting 
up that I'm going to draw all men to myself. That's what evokes 
from them this particular question. We have heard from the law that 
the Christ remains forever. And how can you say the Son of 
Man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of Man? The questioners 
are not sincere. They're not looking for additional 
information. They have the information from 
Jesus. They're just calculatingly showing 
their disapproval of his particular message. The questioners are 
scandalized at the prospect of a crucified Messiah. It is simple. Very simple Paul comments on 
this in 1st Corinthians 1 21 to 23 He says for since in the 
wisdom of God the world through wisdom did not know God it pleased 
God through what the foolishness of the message preached to save 
those who believe and then he says to the Jews a Stumbling 
block and to the Greeks foolishness, but to us we're being saved Christ 
is both the wisdom and the power of God what does he mean by scandaling 
and a scandal or a scandaling block. He means that the Jews 
were scandalized at the prospect that their Messiah must live 
like us, must be delivered up to death, and must suffer that 
shame and that curse. They missed that part. But the 
Old Testament clearly portrays that. The Old Testament clearly 
teaches that. So it was ignorance on their 
part. It wasn't a mis-teaching on the part of the Savior. So 
they pressed Jesus with this particular question. Now notice 
the way that Jesus answers in verse 35. The function of his 
response here is ethical. It's ethical. He doesn't satisfy 
their curiosity for more data. He doesn't say, well, look at 
Genesis 3, verse 15. Look at Genesis 22 and see typologically 
that the Son of God must suffer and die. A Son of God must be 
delivered up and die. Or 2 Samuel 7. Or Isaiah 53. He doesn't do that. He is pressing 
upon them now the necessity to come to Him. See, he's not just 
providing more information, he is getting ethical in terms of 
the response that he tries to elicit from them. Turn back to 
Luke's gospel in Luke chapter 13, where you see a similar convention 
used by our Lord to press upon His hearers the necessity to 
examine themselves and to close with Him. In other words, don't 
just ponder the particulars involved in the theology behind the answer. 
We must certainly do that. Much of the pulpit ministry here 
is tasked with that particular charge, to explain the theology 
of the cross, explain the theology behind the word that was made 
flesh, that came down for us men and for our salvation. There's 
a sense, brethren, where we've got to own that theology experientially. We've got to lay hold of it by 
that hand of faith. Notice in Luke 13 at verse 1, 
there were present at that season some who told him about the Galileans 
whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And Jesus 
answered and said to them, Do you suppose that these Galileans 
were worse sinners than all other Galileans because they suffered 
such things? I tell you, no. But unless you 
repent, you will all likewise perish. or those 18 on whom the 
tower in Siloam fell and killed them. Do you think that they 
were worse sinners than all the other men who dwelt in Jerusalem? 
I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise 
perish. And then look over at verse 23, 
well, verse 22. And he went through the cities 
and villages, teaching and journeying toward Jerusalem. Then one said 
to him, Lord, are there few who are saved? And he said to them, 
strive to enter through the narrow gate. What's he saying? Somebody 
asks the good theological question. Is post-millennialism right? 
Are there a few that will be saved, or are there going to 
be many that will be saved? What does Jesus say? He says, you 
need to think about you. You need to consider your place 
before this thrice holy God. You need to ask the question, 
have I believed on Him? Sometimes we hear sermons. I 
think we're probably all guilty of this. Maybe I'm projecting 
here. I know when I've heard sermons, 
this is one of my proclivities. Oh, I'm glad so-and-so is here, 
because he or she really needs to hear this. You know, it's 
a sermon on, you know, wives being submissive to your own 
husbands as to the Lord. And I'm thankful my beloved is 
here, because she needs this word from on high. We tend to 
do that, don't we? These guys are just asking the 
simple question, how can you say that the Son of Man must 
die? What's Jesus do? He presses their consciences. He calls upon them to make a 
decision. I'm not an Arminian. I'm not 
a Pelagian. Anybody who chooses for Jesus 
does so because of the effectual grace of God Most High. But that 
does not mitigate the reality that from time to time in our 
Bibles, you see Jesus, you see apostles, and you see prophets 
press their hearers. You need to respond to this. 
And that's what Jesus does in his response to these particular 
men. So going back to John 12, notice in verse 35, then Jesus 
said to them, a little while longer, the light is with you. A little while longer, the light 
is with you. Walk while you have the light, 
lest darkness overtake you. He who walks in darkness does 
not know where he is going. While you have the light, believe 
in the light that you may become sons of light. These things Jesus 
spoke and departed and was hidden from them. Now, light and darkness 
has come up a lot in John's gospel. Light is associated with the 
kingdom of heaven, and darkness is associated with the kingdom 
of darkness. Pretty simple. So what is Jesus saying, in essence, 
to them? He's saying to them, you don't 
have a billion years here. You don't have an endless age 
here. You know, sometimes we act like we're eight foot tall 
and bulletproof. Nothing can ever happen to me. I'll make 
my peace with God when I'm older. But when I'm 17 or 18, I've got 
lots to do. I've got a lot of things to undertake. You don't have that particular 
luxury to know that there is a tomorrow. In fact, James condemns 
such an attitude. He says, if the Lord wills, we 
will go to such and such a city, we will traffic and trade and 
make profits. Well, Jesus is pressing these 
hearers, and notice what he says specifically in terms of his 
press. He says, the people presently 
had the light. While you have the light. I think 
that simply refers to Jesus' earthly ministry. While he is 
there, while he is preaching, while he is teaching, while he 
is conducting miracles, while he's engaging in those signs 
and wonders, You should pay attention. You should listen. You should 
observe these things and you should lay hold of these things 
by faith. And you shouldn't let go of them 
because Jesus Christ, the son of God, the word of God comes 
into this world, sinners to save. And so he presses them on that 
reality. And then notice the caution that 
he gives them. He says very clearly, walk while 
you have the light, lest darkness overtake you. When our children 
were little, we went through the book of Exodus, and in order 
to demonstrate Pharaoh's hardness of heart, we took a piece of 
bread and we laid it out on the counter. And each night we'd 
look back at that bread, and you know what we never noticed 
was that that bread got soft. that that bread got malleable, 
that that bread got to a place where you'd want to put it into 
your mouth. It just got hard, it got crusty, it got to the 
point where you could bang it, and it would shatter into so 
many pieces. Pharaoh hardened his heart. God hardened his heart. And we're going to see some of 
that movement in our own passage. The longer you resist, And I'm 
not trying to scare anybody here. I'm not trying to make you feel 
bad, unless that feeling bad leads you to go to the Lord Jesus 
Christ. Resisting Christ doesn't end with a softer heart. It doesn't 
end with a more malleable mindset. Oh yeah, I'm open to the belief 
on the Lord Jesus Christ. No, the more you resist and the 
more you reject. Spurgeon well said, the most 
foolish of sinner is the gray-head sinner. That man who has resisted 
and rejected as a matter of course of life. I'm not saying he's 
outside the boundaries of God's grace. God can't save and humble 
a gray-headed man. But I am suggesting that when 
you learn and you practice and you revel in patterns of unbelief, 
it's darkness that ultimately overtakes you. It's not neutral. It's not passive. You're not 
just kind of there, you know, either A or B. If you are not 
with Christ, you're against Christ. And as those against Christ, 
it only rises up more and more, gets harder and harder, more 
difficult, more resolute. More of this reality that whatever 
the preacher says, whatever my parents say, whatever my friend 
may say, whatever my husband or wife may say, I'm just going 
to resist it. I'm going to reject it. That 
never ends well. And that's what Jesus is pressing 
them with on this occasion. So he says, while you have the 
light, lest darkness overtake you. Notice, he who walks in 
darkness does not know where he is going. He's not enlightened. This isn't a positive thing. 
The atheist, the God-hater, the rebel, the rejecter of God's 
truth, the person who says, there's no God, there's no accountability 
on high, there's no everlasting hell and no everlasting heaven 
and no everlasting punishment, that's all just a bunch of myth 
and fairy tale. That man's in bondage, brethren. 
He's not a free thinker. He's not liberated. He is in 
darkness. He has an axe to grind with the 
living and the true God. And the Lord Jesus underscores 
that with his contemporaries, his audience. He says, he who 
walks in darkness does not know where he is going. He's trying 
to arouse them. He is waking them up. He is, 
as it were, shaking them by the shoulders and saying, you need 
to reckon with these things. You need to look to me in faith. 
And then he says as much in verse 36, While you have the light, 
believe in the light that you may become sons of light. That's 
the continual emphasis in John's gospel on the way of salvation. Notice that John 1 does not start 
with, in the beginning was the Word, the Word was with God, 
and the Word was God. And that Word has come to tell 
you the five things you need to do in order to earn your favor 
with God. That's not it. The Word became 
flesh. He dwelt among us, and we beheld 
His glory. The glory as of the only begotten 
of the Father, full of grace and truth. Well, why does He 
do that? Again, to live in our place, to die in our place, and 
to be raised again on that third day. So the gospel of our Lord 
Jesus Christ is the revelation of God's grace through faith 
in Jesus of that so great a salvation. So from John 1 in the prologue 
all the way to the thesis statement of the book, we see this emphasis 
on belief. Notice in 1.11, He came to his 
own and his own did not receive him, but as many as received 
him. How does that work? To them he 
gave the right to become children of God. To those who what? Believe 
in his name. You receive Jesus and his benefits 
by belief in his name. It's not works. It's not law-keeping. 
It's not merit. It's not you just reforming your 
life and adding a few religious duties. You reforming your life 
and stopping a few particular vices. And then God will say, 
well, good on you. I'm glad you cleaned up your 
act. I'm going to receive you unto myself now. No. It's faith 
in Christ. That is the means whereby we 
appropriate Jesus and his benefit. And then notice in John 20. There's 
lots of passages in between. You probably know the text, but 
look at the summary statement in John 20 at verses 30 and 31. And truly, Jesus did many other 
signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written 
in this book. But these are written, notice. 
that you may believe. Again, I'm not here to pick on 
you, but I am trying to encourage you to pay attention to what 
John is doing. John wants us to reflect upon 
the unbelief of Jesus' contemporaries, but he doesn't want us to do 
it simply out there. He wants you to reflect upon 
your own heart, your own condition, your own place before him. Am 
I with Christ or am I against Christ? So these are written 
that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, 
and that believing you may have life in his name. It is by grace 
alone, through faith alone in Christ Jesus alone. That is the 
constant refrain. So going back to our text in 
John 12, Jesus says that in verse 36, while you have the light, 
believe in the light, that you may become sons of light. These 
things Jesus spoke and departed and was hidden from them. So 
what we have there is something of a parable, something of a 
sort of a confirmatory statement. When it just says he was hidden 
from them, yes, he was no longer immediately present with them. 
That's a commentary on what Jesus' ministry is doing. If you don't 
close with Him, if you don't believe on Him, if you don't 
trust Him, if you don't take His Word as He speaks it, sees 
it as the truth, and then lays hold of it by faith, there's 
that departure. There is that lack of access. And that's what's underscored 
here. Now that brings us to John the Apostle's reflection on their 
unbelief in verses 37 to 41. Essentially what he's saying 
is, you ought not to be surprised about this. In fact, we already 
read it in John 1 10. He came to his own and his own 
did not receive him. In other words, it was always 
the case that there was going to be these renegades, these 
rebels, these rejecters, these unbelievers. It wasn't going 
to be the case that the moment Jesus touched down in this world, 
that everybody would flock to Him in faith, bow to Him, and 
confess Him as Lord and Savior. That's just not the nature of 
the event. Now there's every tribe, every tongue, every people, 
every nation. There's a great multitude that 
no man can number assembled before that throne in the book of Revelation. There's a lot of unbelief as 
well. And so what we find here is John the Apostle explaining 
this unbelief. We might ask the question, well, 
Jesus was right in their midst and they didn't believe in him. 
He was right there. He did signs and wonders right 
before their eyes, and they rejected that. They resisted that. What 
could possibly be a temptation? It could possibly be a temptation 
to say, well, that doesn't seem right. I mean, if Jesus is who 
Jesus says he is, then certainly everybody should respond to that. 
Everybody should believe on him. Everybody should own him as Lord. 
Everybody should put him up on a throne instead of a cross. 
No, this unbelief is the reality. I think it goes all the way back 
to that text in Genesis 3.15 again. What does God say there? 
He says, I will put enmity between you and the seed of the woman. Right? There's a God-imposed 
enmity between the righteous and the unrighteous. You see 
the Bible go in that particular direction. There are godly men 
who begin to call upon the name of the Lord, and then you've 
got men that are rebellious and wretched and will never come 
to the Savior. So John now muses on this unbelief. So he first gives a statement 
of it in verse 37, and then he gives the explanation of it in 
verses 38 to 40. But notice the statement in verse 
37. But although he had done so many 
signs before them, they did not believe in him. They did not 
believe in him. Now there is this abundance of 
evidence. Look at it. He had done so many 
signs before them. Huh. You mean if there's all 
these miracles, there's all these signs, there's all these wonders, 
that there's people that saw them? There were people that 
witnessed these things, and yet these people continued to disbelieve? They continue to try to upbraid 
Him? What's this teaching on the Son of Man having to die? 
Who do you think you are? The law tells us of the eternality 
of Christ, and now you've come and told us that there's going 
to be this death, They despised him, but they had seen his many 
miracles. The commentary here is on the 
entirety of Jesus' ministry. We've seen it working through 
John's gospel, the water and the wine, which, by the way, 
manifested his glory, the healing of the nobleman's son, the healing 
of the man at Bethesda, the feeding of the 5,000, the walking on 
water, the healing of the man born blind, and the raising of 
Lazarus. That's a lot of signs. That's 
an abundance of signs. That's a lot of data to sort 
of lay hold of. So look at what John says in 
verse 37. So it wasn't just that he did them, but it was before 
them. I think this language exacerbates their guilt. So it's not like, well, you know, 
they were in bed that day when Jesus did that thing, so they're 
off the hook. No, the text is very specific. 
He had done so many signs before that. And then notice as well, 
the rejection of that evidence. They did not believe in him. 
Keep your finger there and look at Matthew's gospel. Matthew 
chapter 11. Draw a point out of this that I think is most 
necessary. Matthew chapter 11, specifically 
at verse 20. Then he began to rebuke the cities 
in which most of his mighty works had been done, because they did 
not repent. Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to 
you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works which 
were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would 
have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I say to you, 
it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of 
judgment than for you. And you, Capernaum, who are exalted 
to heaven, will be brought down to Hades. For if the mighty works 
which were done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have 
remained until this day. But I say to you that it shall 
be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment 
than for you." So going back to our text and musing on this 
particular text as well, what do we learn? The evidence, the 
signs, the wonders themselves don't save a sinner, right? It's just that simple. You must 
be born again. Remember, we're in John's gospel 
here. Nicodemus comes by night. He 
says, teacher, we know that you're a man sent by God, for no one 
could do these signs unless God was with him. What does Jesus 
say? Well, I'm glad you recognize that. It shows something of my 
dignity and my identity. No, he says, unless you are born 
again, you shall not see the kingdom of God. In other words, 
evidences, signs, and wonders are all wonderful. I'm not suggesting 
otherwise. But in order for it to stick, 
in order for it to be received, in order for it to result in 
being a sun of the light, There must be God's power. There must 
be God's glory. There must be God's breaking 
in. There must be God's taking out that old stony heart, putting 
in a new fleshly heart, granting the graces of faith and repentance. 
Signs and wonders and miracles don't make theists, don't make 
believers. It is the grace of God Most High. Now, we present the signs, the 
wonders, the miracles. We show that to show them the 
dignity, the glory, and the majesty of our blessed Savior, trusting 
that God utilizes that data to affect their hearts in such a 
way that they, by grace, come to Him and know the joy of being 
found in Him. So these persons saw the signs, 
and yet they resisted, yet they rejected. John Gill says, they 
believed not on Him, the miracles done by Christ before their eyes, 
which they could not deny, nor disprove, and were so many and 
so great, were aggravations of their unbelief. And such indeed 
is the nature of that sin, and so deeply rooted is it, That 
is, that the most powerful means and mighty works will not bring 
a person to believe in Christ without the powerful and efficacious 
grace of God. So as I've said many a time, 
as we come here on Sunday morning and evening, we ought to pray 
for the ministry of the Spirit. Yes, we want people to understand 
the theology of the Bible. We want them to understand their 
own sin. Be convicted of it. See the Lord Christ as altogether 
lovely and chief among ten thousand. And by God's grace, believe on 
Him and receive those redemptive benefits through the empty hand 
of faith. That's the hope and the desire because the signs 
and the wonders don't make Christians. It's God who makes Christians 
through the new birth and through that gift of faith by which we 
receive his benefits. Now notice he goes on to explain 
this unbelief. He makes the declaration in verse 
37 and then he goes back to the Old Testament to show the rationale. So notice in verses 38 to 40, 
he first appeals to scripture. Verse 38, that the word of Isaiah 
the prophet might be fulfilled which he spoke. One man well 
said, these people did not believe, but it was not because Isaiah 
predicted this. Rather, Isaiah predicted this 
because they were not going to believe. That's the connection. In other words, when John tries 
to provide this rationale for unbelief, it's as if he's saying, 
trust God, he knew that this was exactly what was going to 
happen. And the prophet Isaiah spoke to this specifically in 
chapter 53 and then again in chapter 6. Notice that first 
quotation in verse 38, that the word of Isaiah the prophet might 
be fulfilled which he spoke, Lord who has believed our report 
and to whom is the arm of the Lord been revealed. The prophet's 
asking the same question. Lord, who's believed our report? The arm of the Lord, most likely 
Jesus himself, has been displayed. Jesus himself has come from the 
presence of the Father, not by a local motion, but by the assumption 
of our humanity. He comes to live amongst us. 
He comes to die. He comes to be raised again. 
And yet the prophet, Isaiah, says, who's believed our report? 
And that particular section in Isaiah 53, it concerns what two 
facets of the Messiah's work, his death and his exaltation. See, there's what's called servant 
songs of Isaiah. Four servant songs of Yahweh 
in the prophet Isaiah. They're in chapters 42, 49, 50, 
and then 53. Well, the end of 52, end of 53. We're most familiar 
with the 53rd chapter. were most familiar with the announcement 
of the Lord's champion, the Messiah that would be cut off, the Messiah 
that would die, the Messiah that it would please the Lord to bruise 
or crush. But on the heels of that suffering, 
there would be exaltation, there would be majesty, there would 
be glory, there would be triumph. And so in the midst of that prophetic 
statement, the prophet Isaiah asks the question, Lord, who 
has believed our report? Anticipating the actual coming 
of the Lord Jesus. When he is incarnate, when he 
does assume our humanity, when he does live amongst us and we 
behold his glory, and yet not everybody flocks to him. Not 
everybody believes in him. Remember, this is the passion 
week. By the end of this week, they're gonna be shouting, away 
with him, away with him, crucify him. give us Barabbas, give us 
the terrorist, give us the insurrectionist, but with Jesus, we want him hung 
on that cross and we want him crucified. These persons did 
not believe, but this was always known by our blessed God. So 
the servant of the Lord's song, specifically chapter 53, duplicates 
the situation that you find in John 12. Jesus announces his 
glory, Jesus announces his death, Jesus announces the triumph that 
will come as a result of that death. So Isaiah, or rather John 
invoking Isaiah, is essentially telling us this is what God said 
back then. This is what we should have expected 
back then. Again, when you turn to John 
1 and you say He comes to His own, or you read He comes to 
His own and His own do not receive Him, you think, what malefactors, 
what monstrous wretches, what horrible people, that the Messiah 
would come to His own and they would not receive Him? It's the 
sin problem. It's the in-Adam thing. It's 
the kingdom of darkness situation. It's the ruler of this age blinding 
the eyes and the minds and the hearts of sinners. The prophet's 
question and the evangelist's application indicate that it 
was not only the words of the Lord, but it was the words of 
the Lord. Lord, who has believed our report? Oh, I don't know. Reports like 
verse 36, while you have the light, believe in the light that 
you may become sons of light. So the Lord Jesus is rejected 
here, not only His outward works of signs and wonders and glorious 
things, but also His words. Paul invokes the same passage 
in Romans 10, when he's talking about Jewish unbelief. He uses 
10.16 to substantiate the reality, and it is this, this text, Isaiah 
53.1, and then he says in verse 17 there, so then faith comes 
by hearing, and what? Hearing by the word of God. In 
other words, they've rejected that word. They've resisted that 
truth. They've looked away. They have 
not gone after the Messiah the way that God calls them to. And 
then that brings him to the response of God. So we got the question 
in verse 38, Lord, who has believed our report? And to whom has the 
arm of the Lord been revealed? Notice in verse 39, therefore 
they could not believe because Isaiah said again, and now he 
goes to Isaiah 6, 9, and 10. He has blinded their eyes and 
hardened their hearts, lest they should see with their eyes, lest 
they should understand with their hearts and turn, so that I should 
heal them. So he's saying this to encourage 
us that the gospel is not failing. Christ's ministry is not for 
naught. Christ's ministry here is not 
one defined by losing. Christ's ministry is perfectly 
executed according to the plan and purpose of the Father who 
gave it to him. The response on the part of man 
is not a surprise. Again, brethren, we hate God 
by nature. You may think to yourself right 
now, well, you know, I'm not necessarily a believer, but I 
don't think I'm the worst person on the face of the earth. That's 
not my argument. There's always somebody worse 
than you. Always. You're not Paul Pott, so rejoice 
in that. But the bottom line is that the 
sin thing affects us totally. Our minds, our hearts, our bodies. We call it in theology the doctrine 
of total depravity. And so when Christ comes in the 
blaze of glory, doing these signs and wonders, and people don't 
believe in him, the conclusion is not, well, he must be failing, 
he must be losing, he must not be getting what he anticipated. No, he's going right according 
to plan. And now what John the Apostle is doing is quoting Isaiah 
the prophet to the effect that with reference to these persons 
that have been blessed and benefited with actually getting to witness 
the functioning Messiah before them, in their resistance, in 
their unbelief, guess what it leads to? further instances of 
God's judgment, further instances of God's hardening their heart. 
That's the emphasis there in Isaiah 6. Notice in verse 39, 
therefore they could not believe because Isaiah said again, he 
has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, lest they should 
see with their eyes, lest they should understand with their 
hearts in turn so that I should heal them. Now the context of 
Isaiah 6 is most instructive here. So by the time he's in 
Isaiah 53 and he says, Lord, who has believed our report? 
He's already built up quite the ministry and he has seen the 
unbelief by his contemporaries. So in Isaiah chapter 6, right 
around verses 1 to 5, Isaiah gets a vision of the glory of 
God. He gets this vision of the glory 
of God, the angel standing in antiphonal praise. Holy, holy, 
holy is the Lord of hosts. The whole earth is filled with 
his glory. And when Isaiah sees that, what's 
his response? Well, this is neat. This is really 
cool. I get to be privy to this kind 
of act. He says, woe is me, for I am undone. I'm a man of unclean 
lips, and I dwell amongst a people of unclean lips. Why? Because 
my eyes have seen the glory of the Lord. So then what happens 
on the heels of that? There's preparation for prophetic 
ministry. How does it come? Well, Isaiah, 
you need to go to prophet school, you need to learn all your theology, 
you need to understand your confession, and you need to get out there 
and start to bring it. No, he already had the theology, 
he just needed forgiveness. He needed atonement. And so the 
angel takes that white hot coal and puts it upon the tongue or 
upon the lips of the prophet to prepare him for ministry. 
So he has a vision of divine glory, preparation of the prophetic 
ministry, but then the nature of his task. I've often thought 
about this, if a man was being sort of brought into gospel ministry, 
you know, we have our vote, and then we have our test, and we 
examine him, and then we can with absolute certainty say, 
you know what, your ministry is going to be a failure. It's 
just going to fail. Do you think that guy would be 
like, great, sign me up, throw me in, coach, I can't wait. This is what happens when God 
tells the prophet. God, the divine Lord says, who 
shall go for us? Who shall we send? The prophet's 
hand goes straight up. He says, here am I, Lord, send 
me. Okay, you wanna go? You're going 
to be to them a means of condemnation. You're going to be an instrument 
to them of woe. You're going to be a testimony 
against them for their rejection of God Most High and their having 
gone a whoring from Him to the gods of the nations around them. 
He tells them he's going to have a failure of a ministry. You're 
going to preach to them. They're going to hear you. Their 
ears are going to be dull. Their eyes aren't going to see. 
There's going to be this judicial hardening that obtains. And I 
think that is precisely the commentary here in John chapter 12. Not 
over all men everywhere. This isn't extensive to you and 
I, the elect of God, who by God's grace have believed, but to these 
first century Jews, to these Jerusalem sinners, to these men 
that are going to cry out, away with him, away with him, crucify 
him, there is judgment upon them. And that's the statement of the 
prophet Isaiah when he says, he has blinded their eyes and 
hardened their hearts, lest they should see with their eyes, lest 
they should understand with their hearts in turn, so that I should 
heal them. Go back one more time to Matthew 
11. Again, a very similar situation in Jesus' earthly ministry. We 
have this upbraiding of the nations or the cities around him that 
saw his mighty miracles and did not repent in verses 20 to 24. But then notice in verse 25, 
at that time Jesus answered and said, I thank you, Father, Lord 
of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things. In 
the context, these things are gospel truths. You have hidden 
these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them 
to babes. Now, Jesus isn't acknowledging 
there's a class of people out there that are wise and prudent. 
He's talking about these men that are wise and prudent in 
their own eyes. These guys that think they don't need divine 
grace. They don't need help from on high. They don't need salvation 
from the Lord's Christ. They can exercise their free 
will. They can add a few good works. They can stop going to 
bad places where they shouldn't go. the absolute emphasis upon 
divine grace? Come on! Jesus says, I bless 
you, I praise you, Father, that you have hidden these things. 
What happens to us when we read something like that? Don't say 
it, but you might think it. If you've been here for any time, 
hopefully you don't still think it, but you might go, well, that's 
not fair. It just doesn't seem fair, does 
it? I mean, we love fair, don't we? 
We don't love fair enough to opt for hell. Fair is that we 
all go to hell for our sins and rebellion against God Most High. 
So there's a sense where we don't want fair, but there's a sense 
where we do want fair, but it's always on our terms. It's not 
fair that God hides gospel truth. God is the divine judge of all 
the earth, and all that he does is right. And when God hides 
gospel truth from these people, it's an act of judgment. They're 
not neutral, sympathetic characters that are just trying their best 
in this first century situation. No, they're God-hating rebels 
that have rejected the Messiah sent from Yahweh and that will 
deliver him up to the cross under Pontius Pilate. So these are 
not neutral beings. By this time in our Lord's earthly 
ministry, the condemnation of Isaiah 6, 9, and 10 is perfectly 
appropriate for these wretches, for these resistors, for these 
rejecters. Paul says as much in Romans chapter 
9, where incidentally he's dealing with the issue of ethnic Jews 
not believing the gospel. Notice in Romans 9.14, what then 
shall we say, or what shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness 
with God? Certainly not. For he says to 
Moses, I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will 
have compassion on whomever I will have compassion. So then it is 
not of him who wills nor of him who runs, but of God who shows 
mercy. Now notice in verse 17, for the scripture says to the 
Pharaoh, for this very purpose I have raised you up that I may 
show my power in you and that my name may be declared in all 
the earth. Therefore he has mercy on whom 
he wills and whom he wills he hardens. Back to the text, let's 
try to tie this up and let's try to get real practical here. 
If it sounds like God's not fair, it's you that's got the problem. 
This happened in the prophet Ezekiel's day as well. God, through 
Ezekiel, condemns the people. You say, the way of the Lord 
is not fair. He knew that. He knew their complaint. He knew what they were saying 
in opposition to him. The way of the Lord is not fair. 
You know what God says through the prophet? Well, I'll try harder 
so that, you know, the human bar of reason can be satisfied 
with divine fairness. No. He says it's their way that's 
not fair. You are a people that have gone 
away from the living and true God. You've bowed to Baal. You've 
thrown your children in the arms of Molech. You have gone after 
all kinds of strange things and wickedness and violence. And 
you've got the gall, now I'm amplifying a bit, but you get 
the point, to call into question God's fairness? Brethren, we 
are wretched. We're not in any position to 
say, well, that's not fair. But back to our text, this is 
an example of God's hardening upon these people. So if you're 
here today, again, and you're not a believer in Jesus, listen 
to Jesus. I don't know how better to say 
it than what he says there in verse 36. While you have the 
light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light. Because if you don't, there is 
a running out time. There is an expiration date. There is a time when you're going 
to cross from this plane into another sphere of existence, 
and you're going to hear the accursed words of Christ Most 
High, depart from me, I never knew you, into everlasting fire 
prepared for the devil and his angels. So John is reflecting 
here upon the unbelief of the contemporaries of our Lord Jesus. 
I'm trying to get us to reflect upon that same unbelief that 
is rampant in the hearts of men, women, boys, and girls today. 
The corrective or the answer is stop disbelieving. Believe! Look to Him in faith! And then notice what John says 
to confirm all that John has said about the divinity of our 
blessed Savior. How can you say the Son of Man 
must die? They didn't get the hypostatic 
union. They didn't understand the one 
person and the two natures. They didn't understand the Word 
became flesh and dwelt among us. But John the Apostle did, 
John the Evangelist does, John the Theologian does, because 
look at what he tells us in verse 41. So the prophet Isaiah was 
not only preaching the death of the Savior, but he was preaching 
the exaltation of the Savior. The Lord Jesus announces the 
arrival of the hour in 1223 with this language. The hour has come 
that the Son of Man should be glorify. John ends this section 
in verse 41, these things Isaiah said when he saw his glory and 
spoke of him. Now the NIV renders this well. You know that I'm not usually 
the biggest fan, but it says here Isaiah said this because 
he saw Jesus' glory and spoke about him. That's what John is 
saying. John is saying that in the year 
that King Uzziah died, when the prophet Isaiah was given that 
vision of the throne room of God Most High, when he saw the 
Lord of hosts, the one whose glory fills the entirety of the 
cosmos, it was the glory of Jesus that he saw. So not only does 
this unbelief on the part of the Jews not teach failure or 
a loss or some sort of, you know, breach in the system, but it 
underscores once again the glory of the Son of God, who loved 
us and who gave himself for us. It is a wonderful statement. 
The appeal to Isaiah 53 is concerned with the death and exaltation 
of Jesus, just like John 12. The vision in Isaiah 6 concerns 
the Lord of hosts, just like in John 12. It's not going to 
surprise you that next week, when we look at that concluding 
statement of our Lord, what do you think he does as he closes 
out his earthly ministry? He once again insists on His 
identity as the Divine Son and His authority as the Divine Son. In other words, in the beginning 
was the Word, the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And 
that Word became flesh and dwelt among us. And we beheld His glory, 
but not everybody did. There were rejecters, there were 
despisers, there were resistors, there were those who continued 
in their unbelief. That does not diminish His glory, 
that does not diminish His power, that does not diminish His majesty, 
but rather it is what the prophet Isaiah foretold. concerning that 
ministry of the Incarnate Son to save His people from their 
sins. In conclusion, we need to ponder the question concerning 
the Messiah that these men asked in verses 34 to 36. I would suggest 
they were carnal. They wanted a messiah that would 
give them prestige. They wanted a messiah that would 
break the backs of Roman oppression. They wanted a messiah that would 
put a car in their driveway, a summer house for them to attend 
to, and all kinds of geopolitical prestige. what the Jews today, 
unbelieving Jews, at least I think in theory, are still looking 
for. In a rejection of Jesus Christ as the Messiah, they are 
admittedly waiting for the Messiah to come and usher in a blessed 
time for ethnic Israel. That misses the boat by about 
a million miles. The church of Christ is the apple 
of his eye. It's the church of Christ that 
is the Israel of God according to Galatians chapter 6. It's 
not ethnic Israel in the future. It's the church of Jesus Christ 
right now. So these men were carnal. These 
men were duped. These men were looking for something 
that would only satisfy for the temporal. As well, the unbelieving 
Jews were ignorant. They saw Messiah's eternality 
and power, but they missed his suffering and death. That's a 
vital component announced throughout the law. You don't miss that. 
You're not supposed to miss that. That's why you read the Old Testament. 
And the unbelieving Jews ultimately were scandalized by the Lord 
Jesus Christ, but this did not take God unawares. This was what 
was prophesied in Isaiah 53 and in Isaiah chapter 6. And then 
in conclusion, I would suggest and encourage once again that 
you behold the glory of Jesus. You know, we get to that point 
and, you know, Christmas time is next month or the end of December, 
and we talk about Jesus' birthday. Yuck! Absolute yuck! Jesus' birthday seems to be Arian 
in some degree. There was a time when the sun 
was not. The incarnation isn't a birthday. It is the assumption of our flesh, 
the assumption of our humanity, with all the essential properties 
and all the common infirmities thereof, and yet without sin. 
And why does he assume that flesh? Again, so he can live in light 
of God's law. He doesn't renege. He doesn't 
shrink back. He always does what pleases the 
Father. Well, why does he do that? certainly 
to vindicate himself as the champion of God, as the one who wins this 
salvation, but it's manward as well. We need a righteousness 
that avails with God. One of the beauties of believing 
in Jesus is not only that you're forgiven of sin, which is a beauty, 
but you're also considered righteous in his sight. So the Lord Jesus 
Christ in the Incarnation takes on our humanity to live for us, 
to die for us, and to be raised again for us. So that everyone 
who looks to Him in faith will have everlasting life. You'll 
pass from death to life. You pass from darkness to light. 
You pass into the presence of God Most High after you breathe 
your last. Again, brethren, I'm not suggesting 
life on earth is always going to be temporally wonderful. You're 
only ever going to have good things. No, you might have misery. 
You might have pain. You might have suffering. The 
heretics of the so-called health, wealth, and prosperity gospel 
are just that. They're heretics. They're vile, 
wicked, pernicious men. The Bible teaches that all who 
desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will what? They'll suffer 
persecution. especially in an age which is 
growing increasingly anti-Christ, growing increasingly anti-God, 
against Yahweh and against His Christ. We are witnessing that. 
To the degree that we live in light of this word, to the degree 
that we live the way that Paul bids us in Ephesians 4 and 5, 
it is to that degree. We will know something of persecution 
and opposition. But once this present evil age 
passes, what do we have? and eternity with God Almighty. So do not resist, do not reject, 
listen to the Savior's words and believe in the light so that 
you may become sons of the light. Let us pray. Our Father in heaven, 
we thank you for your word. We thank you for the clarity 
that we find in both prophet and apostle in the explanation 
of unbelief. We know this is the case in our 
own generation, in our own day. So we appeal to you, God most 
high, the one who's able to crush the suitors of Lebanon by that 
powerful voice. We pray that you would come and 
crush hardened hearts through the proclamation of the gospel 
today, and may you bring a multitude forth, and may you grant them 
the graces of faith and repentance that they may have everlasting 
life. We pray for our children and for our young people. We 
commend them to you and to the word of your grace. and pray 
that you would capture their minds and hearts in their early 
age, that the darkness would not overtake them, that they 
would not get to that place of being irrecoverable. Just be 
merciful and be gracious, and we pray this in the name of the 
Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.