Because He Knew All Men
A new sense of the holiness of God on the part of Christians; and second, a new sense of the sinfulness of sin on the part of Christians.
Go home, lock yourself in your room, kneel down in the middle of your floor. Draw a chalk mark all around yourself and ask God to start the revival inside that chalk mark. When He has answered your prayer, the revival will be on."
BECAUSE HE KNEW ALL MEN
John 2:23-25
I. Introduction
A. Él sabía exactamente lo que había en el corazón de cada uno de estos hombres. Ninguno tenía que decirle; ninguno podía esconderlo; no negarlo (JESÚS SABÍA)
B. Nosotros sabemos eso -- si, lo sabemos -- pero nuestra naturaleza no quiere reconocerlo
1. "Se puede mentir a los hombres pero no a Dios"
a. Pero mienten
2. Escondemos cosas de los hombres C nuestros padres, los ministros, los hermanos C (cuando el Juez ve y sabe todo!
3. Decimos A"creo en Jesús" cuando en nuestro corazón abundan pensamientos malos, actitudes malas que niegan nuestra fe
C. But this morning, I want to remind us of the foolishness of denying what we are or what we do.
D. Here were people who believed, this man is from God, He has power, indeed He is the Son of God
E. But Jesus did not commit Himself unto them
1. Jesus did not believe in them. Jesus knew better. He knew what was in their heart, no one else did perhaps, and they didn’t need to tell Him, and they couldn’t hide it, Jesus knew!
F. You look fine this morning, we believe in His name, scenario repeated over and over. What does Jesus know about me? Everything, my actions, my convictions or lack of them, my affections, my interests, my motives, my attitudes, Does He believe in me?
G. These people believed in his name when they saw the miracles He did.
1. They were impressed, it appealed to their sensations, their emotions
2. They were impressed with the power this man had, to heal diseases that no doctor could ever cure, to provide food for 5000 people with a few meager loaves of bread and fishes
3. They had a mental conviction that this man was the Son of God, a head knowledge of that, an intellectual belief, that was not enough
4. They were seeking Jesus for what a person could get out of Him, their faith did not lead them to a commitment with Him.
H. Jesus did not believe in them
II. Examples from the book of John
A. Many examples in the book of John of God’s infinite knowledge of man, we want to look at some of them and be impressed and warned this morning.
B. 1:42— Note the word “beheld”. Means to look upon with an intense, earnest look, to concentrate, to stare and gaze upon
1. Looked into the innermost being of Peter.
2. Jesus “beholds” a man: studies and knows him intimately. This is both a comfort and a warning, depending upon man’s response.
3. Jesus sees the potential within a man and longs to change that man to make him everything he can become.
a. Peter and Cefas mean rock. It took a great deal of work for Jesus to transform weak Simon into a rock, but He did it!
C. 1:47 - Jesus knew his beliefs. This is seen in Jesus calling Nathanael an “Israelite indeed.” He was the epitome of an Israelite, everything an Israelite should be. He believed the promises of God. He tried to live up to the covenant name, the standard God had set for Israel, and he was looking for that blessed hope and glorious appearing of the Messiah. Jesus Christ knew Nathanael’s beliefs.
1. And He knows ours, what we really believe. Our convictions, if what we say what we believe is really what we believe.
1. How sincere you really are. Whether you just conform or whether your heart is really in it.
2. A true Christian, where your heart really is. If he has first place, the pleasures of the world, the love of money, are really where your interests are
3. Jesus knew his character
a. God knows our weaknesses and our strengths, when we cast ourselves upon Him, He will help us by meeting that need
b. There are those who are real good at disguising their real self, their real character
(1) husbands who really wouldn’t want people to know how they really treat their wife—or vice versa
(2) shrewd business men who would be embarrassed for others to know some of the deals they made
(3) “in whom is no guile”
(4) pride, anger, jealousy, envy, covetousness, bitterness, things we can hide
(5) He knows our true character this morning
c. Por qué se viste cómo se viste; Why you spend your money on the things you spend it on. Por qué hace lo que hace. We may have all kinds of reasons and excuses, but Jesus really knows, Does He believe in you?
D. 4: 18, 29
1. 16-18, Jesus surprised this woman. Any other man would have believed her, she technically was not lying.
a. Do we ever do that, not tell all the truth, some things we would rather not have others know
b. El ministerio, sus padres
(a) v. 29 - someday we will face this same person - He also will tell us everything we ever did.
E. 8:3-11
1. These Pharisees, religious men, zealous to obey the law, to destroy the sin that existed among them
2. A woman, caught red-handed in the act of adultery. She was guilty, she had no defense, she had nothing to say
3. But Jesus-knew what was in man
a. The evil motives of these men, their lack of love, their condemning attitude, their pride, their self-righteousness, their hypocrisy, He saw a heart just as wicked or perhaps more wicked than the heart of this woman
b. I believe he saw in the heart of the woman repentance, sorrow for sin, the decision and determination to never do it again, a heart of brokenness and humility
(1) go and sin no more
4. The reason that Jesus and the apostles warn us so many times against judging—that critical attitude of others
a. Mt. 7:1-5;
b. Romans 2:1 Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things.
c. 1 Cor. 4:5 Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God.
d. Why do we criticize others
(1) There are several reasons why people tend to judge and criticize.
(a) Criticism boosts our own self-image. Pointing out someone else’s failure and tearing him down makes us seem a little bit better, at least in our own eyes. It adds to our own pride, ego, and self-image.
(b) Criticism is simply enjoyed. There is a tendency in human nature to take pleasure in hearing and sharing bad news and shortcomings.
(c) Criticism makes us feel that our own lives (morality and behavior) are better than the person who failed.
(d) Criticism helps us justify the decisions we have made and the things we have done throughout our lives. We rationalize our decisions and acts by pointing out the failure of others.
(e) Criticism points out to our friends how strong we are. Criticism gives good feelings because our rigid beliefs and strong lives are proven again. Proven how? By our brother’s failure.
(f) Criticism is an outlet for hurt and revenge. We feel he deserves it. Subconsciously, if not consciously, we think, “He hurt me so he deserves to hurt, too.” So we criticize the person who failed.
e. These attitudes go completely contrary to the teachings of Jesus about love, preferring others above ourselves, the thoughts of Phil. 4. Might Jesus see things in our heart, in our motives when we criticize others that may just as bad or worse than what is in the heart of the person we criticize?
(1) pride, a lack of love, self-righteousness, revenge
f. Stg. 4:11, 12
(1) Christians must not act like God in passing judgment. We never know all the facts in a case, and we certainly never know the motives that are at work in men’s hearts. To speak evil of a brother and to judge a brother on the basis of partial evidence and (probably) unkind motives is to sin against him and against God. We don’t like when others do that to us. We are not called to be judges; God is the only Judge. He is patient and understanding; His judgments are just and holy; we can leave the matter with Him.
(2) evil of the law -- Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself -- judge the law -- that’s not right, it’s not the way to do, it’s stupid
men working -- 40 mph -- you say that’s not for me, I’m in a hurry, that’s dumb -- it’s not put there for you to judge it -- you are to be a doer
a. Stg. 5:9: The Judge that knows your heart will judge you. That’s what happened to these Pharisees.
b. Abraham Lincoln once said, “He has a right to criticize who has a heart to help.”
F. We could look yet at Judas and Peter, men whom Jesus told before they did their evil deeds what was in their hearts.
G. Other verses
1. Luke 12:1-3
a. Every act—whether done behind closed doors, in the dark, placed in a file or deposit box, or written in a book, pamphlet or letter—will be revealed and known.
b. The disciples’ words were to be exposed. There is no word that will not be heard and proclaimed for all to hear. Every word—whether spoken in the dark or whispered in the ear of someone or just conceived in the mind—will come to light.
2. Hebreos 4:13—Every time I take a plane to a meeting, I must surrender myself and my luggage to a special inspection, and I am happy to do so, because this inspection helps to detect bombs. I have never been afraid to walk through the “detection tunnel” or have my luggage pass through the X-ray equipment, because I have nothing to hide.
1. Jeremiah 17:9, 10
2. Psalms 139:2, 3
3. Ecl. 12:14
Conclusion
The complete vanity and foolishness of denying what is in the heart, of trying to hide it
Jesus knows what is in me
1. He will be the judge
a. He will judge the secrets of men
b. What confidence for the Christian
1 John 2:28 -- And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.
a. But what fear for the sinner
I Tim. 4:24, 25
Went before because they confessed it
If not confessed it will be discovered
A. It is my prayer that we would always be open before God and keep our life in such a condition that he can believe in us - in you, in me. God help us.