The Real Reason Christians Stay Silent | Mysteries in the Gospel of John

for a second because I think the Lord will use it in some of your lives to bring deliverance to you. Here's the question. What's the real reason that you're so timid about sharing your faith in Jesus with others? It's the real reason that you don't share your faith in Jesus so oftentimes with other people. Father, we ask you right now to reveal your love for us in Yeshua's name. I want to bring you to the Gospel of John. It's coming to the end of Jesus' ministry before he goes to the cross. John just got done recounting how even though Yeshua had done so many miracles, many, many people were still not believing in him. He'd done so many miracles and they're missed and yet despite all the miracles, despite raising Lazarus from the dead, despite the healings, despite all the witnesses, the Holy Spirit, people still were not believing. But there were others, John told us, that did believe, but because of their fear, which gets back to what I asked you a moment ago, what's the real reason so many people that truly love Jesus in their heart aren't sharing their faith? And John says next brings revelation about this. So let's see what John says. Nevertheless, many even of the rulers believed in him, but, get that word but, because of the Pharisees, they were not confessing him. That's what it means to be a witness for Jesus, to confess him, right? So it says yet because of the Pharisees, they were not confessing him, listen now, for fear that they would be put out of the synagogue. So the first truth that we uncover here, the first revelation we have as to why people that believe in Jesus don't confess him, why many of those that call themselves Christians are not witnessing, we find that the real reason for that, the first reason we're going to uncover today is right here, because it was going to cost us something. These rulers believed in him, but they didn't confess him, for fear John tells us that as a result, they'd be put out of the synagogue.

Listen again, nevertheless, many even of the rulers believed in him, but because of the Pharisees, they were not confessing him for fear, they would be put out of the synagogue. To confess him was going to cost those rulers that believed in him something. It was going to cost them their social standing. They were going to be put out of the synagogue. It was going to mean that they were going to be rejected. It would mean that they would face the hostility of the Pharisees that rejected Jesus. So here were these rulers that believed, they really believed, they believed just like some of you, but they didn't confess him because they realized confessing him would bring a world to hurt on their lives. They'd be put out of the synagogue, they'd be rejected by their peers, but you know what Jesus said that if you put man first above seeking God's approval, you yourself will end up being rejected by God because friendship with the world means hostility with God. Continuing on in the text here, "For they love the approval of men rather than the approval of God." So let's think about this. Let's open our heart. I know this is hard for many of us to hear and we don't want to hear it because it really makes us kind of uncomfortable because so many Christians, they're not sharing their faith with people, they're not witnessing for Jesus. They avoid it. The only time many people that call themselves Christians ever confess Jesus is when they feel safe. They do it when they're surrounded by other people that they know believe in Jesus. Then they'll talk about Jesus, but whenever you are in an environment perhaps, where you're surrounded by people that don't believe in Jesus or you don't know whether they believe in Jesus or not, you dare not bring up His name. Why? Because you're afraid of what it's going to cost you. But Jesus said if you do that, if you behave that way and continue to behave that way,

you're going to end up being severed from the Lord because you're placing your life on looking for man's approval rather than God's approval. wouldn't confess Him, 'cause He said, "For they love the approval of men "rather than the approval of God." So let me ask you, dear Christian friend today, are you living your life as one who's put the approval of men before the approval of God? If you're not sharing your faith with that waitress, with your doctor, with that check-out person at the grocery store, with your hairstylist or barber, with the person that's doing work on your home, with your next-door neighbor, wherever you go, if you're not looking for a way to bring the light of Jesus into the conversation, every conversation, it doesn't have to be a full-blown gospel presentation, maybe just means you sang out loud, praise Jesus, or God answered my prayer, you're just bringing up Jesus, you're bringing God's light into the vicinity of your space, in your surroundings, wherever you go, you're being light by lifting up the name of Jesus and talking about the love of God and the glory of God. Sometimes it might lead to a full gospel presentation, so sometimes it just might be saying to that person at the grocery store that's checking out, God bless you today, Jesus loves you. Sometimes it's leaving a nice tip at a restaurant and saying I'm leaving you this tip in the name of Jesus, He loves you today.

Sometimes it's gonna be praying for people. So again, these rulers were keeping their faith in Jesus a secret because they were seeking the approval of men rather than God, and they were fearing what confessing Jesus would cost them, and some of you need to repent today. Because you consider yourself a Christian, you go to church, you feel like you love Jesus, but if you're honest with yourself, you're not doing what Jesus told us to do at the end of the book of Mark and Matthew. His last work and commission to the church was to go into the world and preach the gospel to all creation, making disciples of all nations. Jesus said, "He that's ashamed of me before men." Okay, now let's ask ourselves. Are we ashamed of Jesus before men? Is that the reason we're not witnessing? 'Cause we're ashamed of Jesus before men, 'cause the world makes you feel ashamed when you bring His name up. But understand, it's not a man that's making you feel ashamed, it's really the devil. 'Cause the devil's the one that's working through people to make you feel ashamed. So you have to make a decision, are you gonna accept that? Are you gonna accept the devil shaming you through people and let it stop you? Or are you gonna see God's approval

even if someone does try to shame you, and it's the devil that's at work that's trying to shame you, are you gonna be willing to suffer that rejection and scorn from humanity to be approved by God? So this is why Jesus said, "He that's ashamed of me and my words "in this wicked and adulterous generation, "I'll be ashamed of Him when I come again "in the glory of my Father and the heavenly angel." So you see, you really do have to make a choice because the truth is, some of you that are listening right now, you are that person that I'm talking about. You are that person. You love Jesus, that's why you're watching the show right now. But you haven't exercised boldness in being a witness even though God's commanded you to do it and commanded me to do it. Again, it doesn't mean you have to know the Bible backwards and forwards. I mean, I encourage you study the Bible every day, even if you're just reading a chapter or day, study the Bible. But you don't have to be qualified to be a witness, to confess Jesus, you just have to love Him. You just have to have received Him into your life. You just have to believe that God is good and God is loved and that Jesus died in the cross for your sins and that He's the way, the truth, and the life for all humanity. You just need to be convinced by that.

And then you go into the world and you'll be a lot, you say to that person at the grocery store that's Jackie, Jesus loves you. That's all, you're being a lot, you're confessing Him, right? So many ways you pray for people. Somebody's talking to you about their problems, their health, their children, their grandchildren. What do you do? Can I pray for you? When people are desperate, they'll receive prayer. You pray for them then in Jesus' name. Okay, so Jesus told us the reason that these Pharisees weren't confessing Him. He said, because they loved the approval of men rather than the approval of God. Continuing on in the text here. And Jesus cried out and said, "He who believes in me does not believe in me, "but in Him who sent me. "He who sees me, sees the one who sent me. "I have come as a light into the world "so that everyone who believes in me And so, again, we're talking about being delivered out of the darkness, listen to what Jesus said. "I have come as a light into the world "so that everyone who believes in me "will not remain in the darkness." Wow, that's good news. You know probably that the word gospel means good news. This is good news.

What an awesome task that God's given us to share the good news. "He that believes in me," Jesus said, "will not remain in the darkness." Now, let's think about this in a two-fold way. First of all, this applies to you and I. If we believe in Jesus, and how do we believe in Him? By receiving Him, receiving His word, and acting on His word, right? His word is truth. So if you take Jesus into your life, feed on His word, eating His flesh, drinking His blood by absorbing it, and then acting on it, what's gonna happen? Listen, you, my precious, beloved brother and sister and friend, will be delivered out of darkness. You'll be delivered out of the darkness. As you move forward in Jesus, you're gonna be progressively delivered out of darkness and brought into His light. I mean, I can speak for my own life. I have so much longer to go. But it's like every year that goes by, every week, every month, I'm more and more cleansed and being brought into more and more light and more and more revelation. And of course, I've been walking with the Lord now for 45 years and I've overcome so much, but still so much more to go. But it's real, it's happening.

And that's what happens when you or I, beloved, believe in Jesus. Not just believing Him intellectually, right? We know that's not the way. I mean, James said even the demons believe in crumble. They know the truth. We're talking about receiving Him as our Lord and acting on it. That's what the Bible says. If we believe in our heart, that God raised Jesus from the dead and confess with our mouth, Jesus as Lord will be saved. So the first thing is that we believe in the power of God. We believe that God raised Him from the dead and we believe that that same power that raised Yes from the dead is active and involved and wants to be involved in our life today. We believe in the power of God in the here and now. We believe in the power of God in the here and now. That's what faith is. Faith is for the now. The same power that raised Yes from the dead is at work in the lives of those that are His that have come to Him. We believe that. And then the scripture of this and we confess Jesus as Lord. What does it mean to confess Jesus as Lord? Is it just saying Jesus as Lord? No, beloved.

It's really a personal confession of our own heart's disposition that He's our Lord. So when the scripture says and when we confess Jesus as Lord will be saved, it's not just a glib intellectual confession, I believe. Now it's that we have confessed Him. Listen now, as our own Lord. And what does that mean? What does Lord mean? Lord means master. We say in Hebrew, Adonai, it means master. We say in Hebrew, in the beginning of our prayers, Baruch, Ata, Adonai, so many Hebrew prayers, Baruch, Ata, Adonai, Elohenu, Melachalom. What does that mean? Baruch, Ata, Adonai, blessed are thou our Lord. So what does it mean when you confess Jesus as Lord? It means you're confessing that He's your Lord. And if He's your Lord, that means you obey Him. That's why Jesus said, "Why do you call me Lord, Lord?" And then don't do what I say. So if we want to be delivered out of the darkness, what do we do? We believe in the power of God. We believe in Jesus. You said, "If you believe in me and believe in the light, you're gonna be delivered out of the darkness." And we believe that the power of God is here and now for us and that we respond by obeying Jesus as our master, which getting back to the early portion of this message today

would most certainly involve confessing Him as our Lord in the earth, even when it means we're gonna be rejected and quote, "Put out of the synagogue." Remember the Pharisees, the rulers wouldn't confess them 'cause they were looking for the approval of men rather than God. They couldn't bear dealing with the fact that they were gonna be rejected and put out of the synagogue and it stopped them. I don't believe they're going to heaven. I mean, God's God, I don't know, but I mean, it's the implication seems clear that they weren't willing to obey. So once again, Jesus cried out, "He who believes in me does not believe in me, but in him who sent me, he who sees me, sees the one who sent me." not remain in darkness. Oh, I love you, my friend. I love you. We all need to be delivered from the darkness. It's a progressive deliverance, right? It's progressive. We go from glory to glory. We go from strength to strength. We go from faith to faith where progressively being washed and sanctified and being brought into more and more light, the depression begins to be broken off. The anxiety begins to be broken off, the lack of peace begins to be broken off and peace begins to come a little at a time, more and more and more, just like the Lord said to Israel. He said to them, I'm bringing you into the promised land, the Lord told them, but I'm

not going to drive out your enemies all at once. You wouldn't be able to handle that, but I'm going to drive them out. The Lord said, little by little, little by little, the Lord drove out Israel's enemies and eventually brought them fully into the promise on that's the way he delivers out of darkness as we obey Jesus and believe in him. Let's keep going. Jesus says, if anyone hears my sayings and does not keep them, I did not judge him for I did not come to the judge rule, but to save the world. All these things that Jesus is saying, he's not saying to judge anybody, he's hoping that somebody's going to repent. I did not come to judge rule, but to save the world. He rejects me as sure continues and does not receive my sayings. We've got to get that, does not receive my sayings. We've just got done covering a lot of his sayings. Will you eat his flesh and drink his blood? Will you say yes? Will we get into agreement and repent and say, yes, Lord, I have not been sharing my faith in you. I repent. I'm going to do that now. It's just that simple. It's just that simple. Yes or no. He rejects me and does not receive my sayings as one who judges him. The word that I spoke is what will judge him at the last day. So we have a choice right now. Will we obey and move forward in him or will we make an excuse? The devil will try to trick you to get mad at me right now. Some of you, you're feeling all of a sudden, you're feeling hostility and animosity towards me.

You don't even know why. You're not even conscious of attending. But some of you are. Why? The devil doesn't. Why you to receive Jesus' words? He doesn't. Why you to receive what I'm saying? He doesn't. Why you to receive the word of Jesus that I'm teaching? He wants to keep you separated from Yeshua. He wants to keep you trapped in the darkness. He wants to hold on to you. So recognize the devil's player. Don't let the devil trick you. And keep you from receiving what I'm saying and the necessity of your repentance by sidetracking you, making you feel animosity towards me. Don't let that trick happen to you. Jesus continues, "These sayings," He said, "They're not just mine." He said, "For I did not speak of my own initiative, but the Father Himself who sent me has given me the commandment as to what to say and what to speak. And I know that His commandment is eternal life, therefore the things that I speak, I speak just as the Father told me." And so friends, it's really plain and simple. We've got eternity right now, staring us in the face. I mean, we have eternity right now, staring us in the face. We have just heard words of eternal life that directly impact how we should respond and whether we respond right now. You have a choice to make about everything that I've said right now that is in correspondence with the words of Jesus.

What will you and I do about it? I just pray, Father, for everyone right now that recognizes the weightiness of the decision that they need to make right now. Father, we make a decision to repentance right now. We make a decision to come to you. Father, we break off the spirit of seeking the approval of man rather than the approval of you. Jesus, we will be your witnesses. We will repent. We will eat your flesh and drink your blood. We choose you. We love you, our Messiah, and thank you in Jesus' name, Father. In the book of Numbers, chapter 6, the Lord gave instructions to Moses and Aaron to speak this blessing over his people, and the Lord said, "When you speak these words over my people, I will place my name on them and bless them. And receive the impartation of the Lord's blessings. the Lord bless you and keep you the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you the Lord lift you up by his countenance and the Lord give you beloved one his peace God bless you and shalom