The Danger of Worldly Belief

The crowds were buzzing about Jesus. Some said He was a good man, others whispered He was leading people astray. But here's what's striking - even those who defended Him missed the point entirely. Today we'll examine the dangerous territory of believing in a Jesus of our own making rather than the Jesus of Scripture.

John 7:5 "For not even his brothers were believing in him."

This verse should stop us dead in our tracks. Jesus's own brothers - the ones who watched Him turn water into wine, feed the multitudes, heal the sick - they didn't believe in Him. Wait, what? How is that possible?

Here's the bomb John drops on us: they believed in Jesus, just not as He said He was. They believed in the Jesus of their imagination, not the Jesus who revealed Himself through Scripture. They had their own agenda, their own expectations, their own version of who Jesus should be.

Sound familiar? Because it should.

Listen, there's a type of belief that damns, and it's when your belief in Jesus contradicts the biblical Jesus. Jesus's brothers believed He could work miracles - no question about that. They'd seen the power firsthand. But they wanted Him to be a political revolutionary, a guy who would overthrow Rome and set up an earthly kingdom where they could ride His coattails to glory.

They were frustrated with Him. "Jesus, unleash! The time is now! Let's go! We're your campaign managers!" They couldn't understand why He wasn't leveraging His power for worldly success. If they had Jesus's powers, they'd be kings by now.

But here's the thing - Jesus didn't come to give you your best life now. He didn't come to make you successful, wealthy, or politically powerful. He came to die for your sins and give you eternal life. That's a very different mission than what most people want from Him.

The world today is full of people who believe in Jesus but not the biblical Jesus. They believe in a Jesus who affirms their lifestyle choices, who never calls them to repentance, who exists to bless their plans rather than transform their hearts. They believe in a Jesus who's more like a cosmic butler than the Lord of lords.

But friends, you can't have Jesus on your terms. You either submit to Him as He is - the holy, righteous, sin-condemning, life-transforming Savior - or you don't have Him at all. There's no middle ground.

The question isn't whether you believe in some version of Jesus. The question is: do you believe in the Jesus of Scripture? The Jesus who said He's the only way to the Father? The Jesus who demands you die to yourself and follow Him? The Jesus who calls sin what it is - sin?

Real faith isn't found in a whisper of approval when it's convenient. Real faith is unashamed and unapologetic. It doesn't hide in the shadows when the cost gets high. It stands firm even when the whole world thinks you're a fool for believing what the Bible actually says.

Stay dialed in.