What Jesus Says About Belief & Unbelief | John 12:37-50 | Darien Gabriel
Series: Signs & Glory
Title: What Jesus says about belief & unbelief
Scripture: John 12:37-50
Isaiah 6:1-11; 10:16-21; 52:13-15; 53:1
Mark 4:9-12
John 1:9-12; 3:16-18
Acts 2:23; 28:26
Romans 11:7-25
Bottom line: Jesus tells us that belief requires God to sovereignly act and people to respond by grace through faith.
INTRODUCTION
CONTEXT
SERMON OUTLINE
CONCLUSION
NOTES
OUTLINES
QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
MAIN REFERENCES USED
Opening prayer: Lord God, help us grow to be and do like Jesus, while abiding in him and leading others to do the same.
INTRODUCTION
Imagine a chess grandmaster playing against an amateur.
The amateur makes his own moves—freely, willingly, even thinking he’s clever.
Yet every move he makes only brings about the outcome the grandmaster already foresaw and planned.
The grandmaster isn’t forcing the amateur’s hand; the amateur plays by his own desires. But every move still accomplishes the grandmaster’s strategy.
In the same way:
The people in John 12 made real choices—they saw the signs and would not believe (responsibility).
Yet their choices fulfilled Isaiah’s prophecy, because God had already declared the outcome—they could not believe apart from His sovereign purpose (sovereignty).
Like the master chess player, God is never surprised. Even unbelief fits into His strategy to reveal His glory in Christ.
Bottom line: Jesus tells us that belief requires God to sovereignly act and people to respond by grace through faith.
OUTLINE (w/ help from Outline Bible)
Jesus & the Passover Crowd (12:30-50)
The first session (12:30-36) LAST WEEK
Jesus tells them both the world and Satan will soon be judged (12:30-31)
He will save men by way of the cross (12:32-34)
They need to accept him before it is too late (12:35-36)
The second session (12:37-50) THIS WEEK
The prophecy (12:37-41): Jesus tells the Jewish crowd their unbelief was predicted centuries before by Isaiah (Isaiah 53:1; 6:10)
The praise seekers (12:42-43): Some Jewish leaders believe Jesus is the Messiah but will not confess him, for they love men's praise more than God's praise.
The promise (12:44-50): To accept Christ is to accept the Father, which leads to life everlasting.
NOTE: FF Bruce says that John is summarizing the main themes of Jesus' public ministry in 44-50 and
Reflects the lack of positive response he had from the Jews.
Jesus explains why this happened--it was prophesied to.
He withdraws now to prepare for his inner circle--those who do believe.
John prepares the reader for this lack of positive response in John 1:11.
It's not Jesus' purpose to judge but judgment is coming. "It's not the purpose of the sun's shining to cast shadows, but when the sun shines, shadows are inevitable."
CONCLUSION
How to break a hard heart according to Ray Comfort: Use the 10 Commandments.
Chat GPT says, "Ray Comfort’s style is very direct, urgent, and law-to-gospel focused. He often uses the Ten Commandments to expose sin, then pivots quickly to the cross of Christ. Here’s a summary of how he might say it:
Many people think they’re good enough for God. But let’s test that by the Ten Commandments. Have you ever told a lie? That makes you a liar. Have you ever stolen anything, no matter how small? That makes you a thief. Have you ever used God’s name in vain? That’s blasphemy. Jesus said if you look with lust, you’ve committed adultery in your heart. By your own admission, you’re a lying, thieving, blasphemous adulterer at heart—and that’s just four of the commandments.
When you stand before a holy God, will you be innocent or guilty? Guilty. And if God is just, He must punish sin. The punishment is eternal separation from Him in Hell.
But here’s the good news: God loved you so much that He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to take your punishment. He lived the perfect life you could not live, and then died the death you deserve. On the cross, He bore your guilt, and then He rose from the dead, defeating sin and death.
If you repent—turn from your sin—and put your trust in Jesus alone, God will forgive you, give you a new heart, and grant you eternal life. Not because you’re good, but because Jesus is good, and He paid it all. That’s the mercy He offers you today.”
Illustration:
In 1912, when the Titanic struck the iceberg, there weren’t enough lifeboats. Hundreds were left in the freezing Atlantic waters. One survivor later testified that while clinging to debris, she heard a man swimming from person to person, shouting, “Are you saved? Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved!” That man was John Harper, a Scottish pastor. He gave away his life jacket to another passenger, and with his last breaths he pleaded with people to turn to Christ before they slipped under the waves.
Connection to Sermon:
Like those passengers, every one of us is sinking without Christ. The signs have been given, the call is clear—Jesus is the light of the world, sent not to condemn but to save. His words are life, but they will also be our judge. Don’t harden your heart. Step into His light today while there is still time.
INVITATION
What about you?
Peter puts it all in perspective in his first sermon:
““Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.” When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.”” Acts 2:36-39 NIV
How do we respond? Answer 2 questions:
Take out a card or piece of paper right now. Write down the answer to these questions:
What is God saying to me right now?
What am I going to do about it? Write this down on a sheet of paper.
What I hear you saying, Lord, is ___________________.
[my name] is going to believe/do __________________________________________________ as a result.
Finally, share this with your Home or Mission group this week when you gather as a testimony about what God is doing in your life. You don’t have to get too specific to give him praise.
Lord's Supper, 1 Cor 11:23-26 is good passage.
Also, say something like, "Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again." (past, present, and future)
Pray
NOTES
Passage Flow
Persistent Unbelief (vv. 37–41)
Despite so many miraculous signs, people still don’t believe.
John interprets this through Isaiah 53:1 and Isaiah 6:10—hard hearts, blinded eyes.
Even some leaders believe but won’t confess, because they love human praise more than God’s glory.
Jesus’ Final Appeal (vv. 44–50)
Jesus cries out publicly one last time.
To believe in Him is to believe in the Father who sent Him.
He came as light, not to judge, but to save.
Yet His word will judge those who reject Him.
His words are the Father’s words—life-giving and eternal.
Major Themes
The Tragedy of Unbelief: Signs are not enough if hearts are hardened.
The Cost of Secret Faith: Loving human approval more than God’s glory leads to compromise.
Jesus’ Mission and Authority: He came as light to save, but rejection of His word brings judgment.
The Father’s Voice in Jesus’ Words: To receive Jesus is to receive the Father Himself.
"These words from Isa. 6:10 constitute one of the most primitive Christian 'testimonies' from the OT, adduced at an early date to account for the problem of Jewish unresponsiveness to the gospel.
In Mark 4:12 and the two Synoptic parallels the passage is associated with our Lord's choice of the parabolic method in teaching; in Acts 28:26 f. it is quoted by Paul to the leaders of the Jewish colony in Rome, while its thought (and possibly its language) underlies Paul's exposition in Rome. II:7-2s of the partial and temporary 'hardening' which has befallen Israel. (Paul there uses the same word for 'hardening' or 'making obtuse' - G. poroo - as John uses here to render Heb. hashmen, strictly 'make fat', which is rendered more literally in the xx.
When Isaiah was commissioned to undertake his prophetic min-istry, he was warned in advance that the people to whom he was sent would pay no attention to him - that indeed all his words would be counter-productive and make them close their ears the more decisively. This would be the effect of his ministry, but it was not its purpose (its purpose was that they might turn and be healed'); it is expressed, however, as though God were actually sending him in order that his hearers would not listen to him. This Hebraic fashion of expressing result as though it were purpose has influenced John's wording - both in the introductory formula in order that the saying of Isaiah might be fulfilled' in verse 38 and again in the words "This is the reason they were unable to believe' in verse 39. Not one of them was fated to be incapable of belief; it is made plain below (verse 42) that some did in fact believe. But the OT prediction had to be fulfilled, and fulfilled it was in those who, as a matter of fact, did not believe. From the NT writers' point of view, the unreceptive hearing which Isaiah was promised was not exhausted in the circumstances of his personal ministry: it was experienced by one prophet after another and found its..." -FF Bruce
"In that sense God himself, through the prophet, hardens the heart of people - a point later recognized by the prophet when he begs the Almighty to display himself in more merciful ways (Is. 63:15-19). The assumption that God may judicially harden men and women frequently surfaces in the New Testament (e.g. Rom. 9:18; 2 Thes. 2:11).
If a superficial reading finds this harsh, manipulative, even robotic, four things must constantly be borne in mind:
(1) God's sovereignty in these matters is never pitted against human responsibility (cf. notes on v. 38);
(2) God's judicial hardening is not presented as the capricious manipulation of an arbitrary potentate cursing morally neutral or even morally pure beings, but as a holy condemnation of a guilty people who are condemned to do and be what they themselves have chosen;
(3) God's sovereignty in these matters can also be a cause tor hope, for if he is not sovereign in these areas there is little point in petitioning him for help, while if he is sovereign the anguished pleas of the prophet (Is. 63:15-19) - and of believers throughout the history of the church - make sense;
(4) God's sovereign hardening of the people in Isaiah's day, his commissioning of Isaiah to apparently fruitless ministry, is a stage in God's 'strange work' (Is. 28:21-22) that brings God's ultimate redemptive purposes to pass. Paul argues rather similarly in Romans 9:22-33." -DA Carson
OUTLINE
See above
QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER
What do I want them to know?
Why do I want them to know it?
What do I want them to do?
Why do I want them to do it?
How do they do this?
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Discovery Bible Study process: https://www.dbsguide.org/
Read the passage together.
Retell the story in your own words.
Discovery the story
What does this story tell me about God?
What does this story tell me about people?
If this is really true, what should I do?
What is God saying to you right now? (Write this down)
What are you going to do about it? (Write this down)
Who am I going to tell about this?
Find our sermons, podcasts, discussion questions and notes at https://www.gracetoday.net/podcast
Alternate Discussion Questions (by Jeff Vanderstelt): Based on this passage:
Who is God?
What has he done/is he doing/is he going to do?
Who am I? (In light of 1 & 2)
What do I do? (In light of who I am)
How do I do it?
Final Questions (Write this down)
What is God saying to you right now?
What are you going to do about it?
MAIN REFERENCES USED
“John,” by R. Kent Hughes, Preaching the Word Commentary, Edited by Kent Hughes
Exalting Jesus in John, by Matt Carter & Josh Wredberg
The Gospels & Epistles of John, FF Bruce
John, RC Sproul
John, Köstenberger
The Gospel According to John, DA Carson
Let's Study John, Mark Johnston
The Light Has Come, Leslie Newbigin (TLHC)
The Visual Word, Patrick Schreiner (TVW)
“Look at the Book” by John Piper (LATB)
“The Bible Knowledge Commentary” by Walvoord, Zuck (BKC)
“The Bible Exposition Commentary” by Warren Wiersbe (BEC)
Thru The Bible with J. Vernon McGee (TTB)
Outline Bible, D Willmington (OB)
NIV Study Bible (NIVSB) https://www.biblica.com/resources/scholar-notes/niv-study-bible/
Chronological Life Application Study Bible (NLT)
ESV Study Bible (ESVSB) https://www.esv.org
The Bible Project https://bibleproject.com
Nicky Gumbel bible reading plan app or via YouVersion
ChatGPT AI
Grok AI
Google Gemini AI