Ye Believed Me Not John 10: 28 CLICK TITLE FOR AUDIO

In Jn 10:25, Jesus said, “I told you, and ye believed not.”  He told you in Jn 3:16 that if you would believe on him, you would not perish but have everlasting life.  In Jn 1:12 he told you that to believe on him you must receive him and thereby become a child of God.  And in Jn 16:24 he told you that you receive him by asking, “ask and ye shall receive.”  And yet in our text Jesus said, “I told you, and ye believed not.”  That’s why Jesus said the Holy Spirit must reprove the world of sin, “because they believe not on me,” [Jn 16:8-11].

Why not take him at his word?  Because of:

Pride – You say, “I don’t need that” – Lou Ferrigno told me in theTulsa airport many years ago, “I don’t want nothing to do with no God.” – Prov 16:18 says, “Pride goeth before destruction” – and Job 41:34 shows us that the devil is the king over the children of pride.

Religion – the Pharisees were the most religious people during Jesus’ ministry – and Jesus said to them, “Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition,” [Mk 7:9] – and the result was that “this people honoureth me with their lips but their heart is for from me,” [Mk 7:6] – Cain, who was more religious than Abel, killed Abel.

Ignorance – Acts 17:30 – people often ask what God is going to do with the heathen in Africa – don’t concern yourself with how God is going to deal with their ignorance; worry about what God’s going to do with your understanding and subsequent unbelief.

Complacency – You say, “I don’t want that” – I’m perfectly satisfied the way I am – I don’t want to be bothered with that right now – but Paul said, “Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation,” [2 Cor 6:2].

Education – Many have been educated out of believing – Solomon said, “Cease my son from the instruction that causeth to err from the words of knowledge,” [Prov 19:27] – Jesus said, “I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes,” [Lk 10:21] – read it for yourself and take him at his word.

Fear – People are always afraid of “the catch” – but with Christ “the catch” is at least as good as the offer of salvation – “He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?” [Rom 8:32] – and people are also afraid of what other men are going to say once they get saved – I’d rather have men making fun of me down here than God making fun of me up there.

Bondage – When you are in bondage to sin, the sin will dictate your response to Jesus’ offer of salvation because it doesn’t want you to quit serving it – Jesus said, “Ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.” But the Pharisees replied, “We be Abraham’s seed and were never in bondage to any man.”  Jesus responded, “Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin … if the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed,” [from Jn 8:32-36] – when men turn that down, often, their sin is doing the talking.

Conclusion: You just need to put away all the things that are contributing to your unbelief and take Jesus at his word – when you do, your sin debt will be paid in full.