“THEY STILL DID NOT BELIEVE!”

John 12:36-43                                      (ESV)

“36 While you have the LIGHT, believe in the LIGHT, that you may become sons of LIGHT." When JESUS had said these things, HE departed and hid HIMSELF from them.

37 Though HE had done so many signs before them, “THEY STILL DID NOT BELIEVE” in HIM,

38 so that the word spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: "LORD, who has believed what he heard from us, and to whom has the arm of the LORD BEEN REVEALED?" 

39 Therefore they could not believe. For again Isaiah said,

40 "HE has BLINDED THEIR EYES and hardened their heart, LEST THEY SEE with their EYES, and UNDERSTAND with their HEART, and turn, and I would HEAL THEM." 

41 Isaiah said these things because he saw HIS Glory and spoke of HIM.

42 NEVERTHELESS, MANY even of the authorities believed in HIM, BUT FOR FEAR of the Pharisees they did not confess it, so that they would not be put out of the synagogue;

43 for they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from GOD.”

Why are we here on the planet Earth?  Why did an Omniscient GOD create us to live on a relatively small amount of matter that is in constant orbit around a ball of fire and let some of us not SEE that HE made all of this for HIS Glory?  Apparently HE wanted a few, select people who would submit to HIS authority to Praise and worship HIM as the GOD OF CREATION?  Since our EYES have been opened, we cannot help but sing the praises of GOD, while other cannot SEE HIS CREATION that they are even apart of???

We are CREATED to praise HIM, period!  All of CREATION was made to praise HIM (Romans 1:20), but humans are the only creatures that GOD gave a choice of PRAISING HIM, or rejecting HIM.  For those of us to whom THE LORD HAS BEEN REVEALED, praising HIS Name is apart of our fabric.   For those who can NOT SEE, “THEY STILL DID NOT BELIEVE” in HIM!  It doesn’t make them bad people, although some are, it does indicate that they will not be able to praise HIM for eternity.  

John 1:12-13 explicitly states “But to all who did receive HIM, who believed in HIS name, HE GAVE THE RIGHT to become children of GOD, who were born, NOT OF BLOOD NOR of the will OF the FLESH NOR OF THE WILL OF MAN, but (by the WILL) of GOD.”  GOD created me to PRAISE HIM!  If I choose to be of “this world” instead of praising HIM, I become as if the Pharisees are controlling me (v42), electing to avoid criticism and ridicule to live in obscurity and a fake-peace!  JESUS IS PEACE (John 14:27), but not peace that the world brings!  HE came to SEPARATE (Luke 12:39-43), to SET APART we who are CHOSEN from “THEY STILL DID NOT BELIEVE” in HIM!

Never get full of yourself because others do not Believe.  The aforementioned John 1:12-13 states that “HE GAVE THE RIGHT to become children of GOD”!  We did not CHOOSE HIM (John 15:16), but HE CHOSE US!!!  We are CHOSEN, not because of our Holiness, but because our EYES have been OPENED, because GOD fore knew that we would Praise HIM.  Don’t be like “THEY STILL DID NOT BELIEVE”!!!  Have you heard GOD CALL you yet?  Have you listened?  It is never too late while HE still gives you breath!!!