What It Means To Believe In Jesus – Dr. Charles Stanley

in trusting God with today the 365-day

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in touch the Teaching Ministry of Dr

Charles Stanley reaching the world with

the Gospel of Jesus Christ next on in

touch what it means to believe in

Jesus what does it mean to believe in

Jesus Christ All Through the Bible you

not find these verses at talk about

believing in him but what does that

mean it’s very evident in the scripture

that in order for a person have their

sins forgiven in order to be saved as we

would say in order to go to heaven a

person must Place their faith in Must

Believe must Place their trust in Jesus

Christ but what does it mean to believe

in Jesus well that’s what I want to talk

about in this message because there are

so many people who think they believe in

Jesus Christ but who do not really and

truly understand what that means so I

want you to turn if you will to John

chapter 3 and that verse of scripture in

John that’s the most familiar of all

John 3:16 you say well I know that one

by heart well I’m sure that most of you

probably do but I want you to turn there

if you will for a moment I want us to

read this verse Jesus was talking to a

very knowledgeable man Nicodemus about

his relationship with God and he said to

him except a man be born again you

cannot see the kingdom of God and so in

the course of that discussion Jesus

comes down to say in verse 15 that

whosoever believes may whosoever

believes may in him have eternal life

and then he says in verse 16 for God so

Lov the world that he gave his only

begotten son that whoever believes in

him should not perish but have eternal

life or everlasting life but what does

it mean to believe in Jesus Christ well

that is the purpose of this message and

what I want to do is to explain from a

Biblical point of view what does it mean

to place your trust in him

how do you know that you’ve done that

and so it’s interesting in scripture how

very clear God has made it for example

he says in John chapter 1 if you’ll turn

there for a moment in John chapter 1 in

the 12th verse he says but as many as

received him to them gave he the power

or the right to become children of God

even to those who believe in his name

now to believe in his name for example

the name represents everything a person

is so when a person Believes In The Name

Of The Lord Jesus Christ that is the

same as believing in him you’ll recall

for example in Acts chapter 16 verse 31

when the Philippian Jayla and uh Paul

were talking he said what must th do to

be saved and Paul said believe on the

Lord Jesus Christ and you’ll be saved

you recall in Romans chapter 1 Paul said

I’m not ashamed of the gospel of Christ

because it is the power of God and the

Salvation to all who believe that is the

gospel of Christ who all believe in him

for example he said in Romans 5:1

therefore being justified by faith which

means to be declared no longer guilty

but now righteous saved in the eyes of

God therefore being justified by faith

we have peace with God he said in

Ephesians 289 fold by Grace you saved

through faith that not of yourselves it

is the gift of God not of Works lest any

man should boast you and I could go all

the way through the New Testament verse

after verse after verse every single

time it is placing our trust believing

in the Lord Jesus Christ so the question

is it’s very clear that’s what you have

to do but what does it mean well I think

there are a lot of people out there who

are very

deceived who really and truly believe

that somewhere along the way they have

believed in Jesus Christ and therefore

they are safe they are comfortable

they’re saved so what I’d like to do is

to think for just a moment with you

about what these people are thinking and

how they think when they say yes I do

believe well I think there’s some people

who genu ly would say to you yes I

believe the Bible I I believe in God I

believe in Jesus Christ and therefore

they think that they’re saved what

they’re saying is I believe the facts

that is this is the Bible this is God’s

word I believe the Bible does teach

about God and the Bible does teach about

Jesus I believe all those things they’re

talking about believing facts then

someone comes along and says well I do

believe oh sure I believe in Jesus my

mother believed in Jesus my grandmother

believed in Jesus my whole familyes

believed in Jesus sure I believe in

Jesus what they’re saying is I do

believe in the fact that there was such

a man is Jesus Christ now the truth is

their degree and the quality of their

belief is the same as if you said to

them you went to school yes you studied

history yes do you believe there was a

man named George Washington yes I do you

believe there was a man named abam

Lincoln yes I do you believe there’s a

person named Jesus yes I do same

category same level and quality of

belief they’re believing facts about

about a person that is not New Testament

belief so you come along in somebody you

say well well do you believe do you

believe in God yes I do believe in God

I’ve always believed in God grandmother

believed in God I believe in God I’ve

always believed in God don’t think I’m

an atheist I believe just because I

don’t live like you want me to live

doesn’t believe I don’t believe in God

so I feel very comfortable when I die

I’m going to heaven I believe in God you

ask somebody else they say well and what

they’re saying is I believe in the god

that you’re talking about in the Bible

and so you ask somebody else do you

believe well here’s what I believe

believe I believe there’s a God let

there be no doubt about it I don’t

believe in this whole idea of evolution

I believe there’s a God and therefore I

believe that if I believe in God then

I’m okay and I’m safe and I’m going to

heaven because I believe in God there is

a difference in intellectually affirming

the truthfulness of a fact or

intellectually affirming uh the truth of

what you say and placing your trust your

faith in Jesus Christ as your savior all

the difference in the world now the

question comes that is what’s the cause

of this kind of deception that people

live in well I think some people

genuinely do not understand they

misunderstand the scripture when it says

believe they just put that on the level

of daily belief yes I believe that piano

is sitting there yes I believe I’ll be

able to get up and go to work tomorrow

morning yes I believe my car will start

uh when I put the a key in the ignition

and so they just put all that kind of

belief in the same category my friend

that’s not what we’re talking about and

so they genuinely misunderstand a second

reason is this I believe that people

purposely deliberately limit listen

limit what their faith encompasses and

so here’s what they decide here’s what I

believe I believe there’s a God I

believe he’s a good God I believe one of

these days when I die I’m going to

heaven just as like anybody else because

I think I’m just as good as anybody else

is and therefore I believe in God and so

what do they do they don’t want to get

into the scriptures they don’t want to

get into this thing about Jesus Christ

and being born again

they deliberately limit the quality and

the degree and listen they

limit the stretch of their faith they’re

only going to limit it to what to their

lifestyle if I am expected to believe

something that interrupts My Lifestyle

if I’m expected to believe something

that uh limits the way I want to live

then my faith is limited to believing in

God and in Jesus the kind of person I

think he was and the kind of person I

think God is and therefore they

misunderstand it is a deliberate

misunderstanding and my friend listen

You’ll Never Get To Heaven if that’s

your idea of belief in Jesus

Christ then there are those people of

course who’ve been

misled they go to church and I think

this is so uh very important this is why

I’m spending this time today in this

message because for example often times

children go to Sunday school to Bible

School to Vacation Bible School often

times in Bibles and things get all

hopped up and heaped up and the precious

on Just As I Am Without One Plea but

that thy blood was shed for me and

somebody’s calling him to come on to

Jesus come on to Jesus believe in Jesus

and often times the invitation is so

nebulous the invitation is so far

removed from a scriptural invitation

that people walk down the aisle they’re

not sure what they’re supposed to

believe just believe in Jesus well you

know if I sitting that there and

somebody said if you just believe in

Jesus and come on down here and tell us

you believe in Jesus you’ll go to heaven

you die man I’d run down here if I was

lost if that’s all it took because you

see most of the time the idea is you

believe in him as a fact that is

believing the fact that he was and he is

and so forth that will not do it often

times people being misled now I’m not

saying that somebody would deliberately

mislead him I’m simply saying this we

have to be very

careful when a child for example says uh

I want to be saved that we help that

child understand what is meant by being

saved and what it means to believe in

Jesus Christ because any child is going

to grow up in with parents who love the

Lord and bring their children to church

say Do You Believe In Jesus sure I

believe in Jesus my mother believes in

Jesus my father believes in Jesus my

pastor believes in Jesus I believe in

Jesus what does it mean to believe in

him according to the scriptures so often

times a person is misled and so they

don’t really and truly understand what

they believe now so we have to ask

ourselves the question then what does it

mean to place your trust in Jesus Christ

for the Forgiveness of your sin and have

the Holy Spirit Come to live inside of

you and live in your life what does it

mean to know in your heart that you are

right related to him in such a way that

when you die you can die singing Amazing

Grace how sweet the sound that saved the

Wretch like Me I once was lost but now

I’m found was blind but now I see with

Absolute Total perfect Assurance

somebody says well can a person ever

really and truly be that assur turn to

First John Revelation Jude 3D 2 1 John

listen to what John says he says this is

the reason that I’m writing this epistle

to you to those who were to be his

readers he says for

example verse 13 of 1 John chapter 5 he

says these things I have written to you

who believe in the name of the son of

God in order that you may know that you

have eternal life very important we

understand what believe means because

our eternal life depends upon it listen

to what he said now verse 1 these things

all that he’s written his first five

chapters these things I’ve written to

you who believe in the name of the son

of God in order that you may know he

says he says that you may know that you

have eternal life God wants us to place

our trust in him for his salvation God

wants us to know he wants us to have

absolutely unwavering unquestionable

assurance that we have a relationship

with him that absolutely cannot be

tampered with by the devil or anyone

else AB absolute assurance that is the

will of God for us now that being the

case then we go back to what he said in

John chter 3 verse 16 he says whosoever

listen whosoever believes in him what

what would not perish but have

everlasting life

now I want you to jot three things down

I want to give you three words and you

can jot them down on something but you

need to keep these somewhere put them in

the back of your Bible somewhere this is

not the ultimate uh um definition I want

to give you but it’s a very important

part what does it mean to believe in

Jesus well first of all if I’m going to

believe in something I’ve got to have

some knowledge first word is knowledge

if I’m going to believe in something

believe in what what is this why is this

where did it come from what’s the origin

of it what am I to believe first of all

if I’m going to place my faith in Jesus

Christ as my personal savior I’ve got to

believe something what is it that I am

to believe so first of all there’s got

to be knowledge there are some very

basic things that are absolutely

essential for me to believe if I am

going to be saved if I’m going to trust

Christ as my savior if I’m going to

heaven when I die number one is this I

must believe that Jesus Christ is deity

that he’s God if you do not believe that

here’s what happens now watch this if

Jesus Christ is not

God he is not listen he is not sitting

upon the throne with the with the

heavenly father you know what he was he

was no more than a man who is here on

the same level with all the rest of us

men who have our naturalness and who

have our sinfulness and who walk at

times in the flesh that is if he is not

deity then what could he do for me but

if he were just the man so I must

believe that Jesus Christ is God second

thing I must believe is is this that I

am a sinner and my sinfulness has

separated me from God and my only hope

of Salvation must come through God that

is I must believe and recognize that I

am a sinner I must believe that Jesus

Christ is deity that he’s God I must

believe that my sinfulness has separated

me from God the Bible says our sins have

separated us from God I must believe

that the third thing I must believe is

this I must believe that Jesus Christ

died on the cross for my sin and that

when he died he paid for my sin in his

death now you say but how much of this

am I was I supposed to know when I say

I’m coming to that just what just hold

that first of all I must

believe I must believe without a shadow

of a doubt Jesus Christ is God secondly

I must believe that my sinfulness has

separated me from him and that I need to

be saved by something he’s going to do

for me I can’t do for myself number

three I must believe that Jesus Christ

went to the cross and died for my sin

the fourth thing I must believe is that

Jesus Christ not died for my sin but he

was resurrected from the grave because

you see if Jesus only

died he can’t do anything for me today

listen he died for my sins and he’s

resurrected and his resurrection

validates every single thing he claimed

to be and everything he did so the first

word first thing is necessary for True

New Testament Bel is knowledge second

word is conviction that means to simply

be truly listen fully convinced of

something so therefore when we talk

about believing in the Lord Jesus Christ

what I I I believe I am listen I am

fully con I am fully convinced and

persuaded that what the Bible says about

him is true I am fully convinced and

persuaded that he is who he says is I am

convinced and fully persuaded that he

will do what he says convicted that is

if there’s no conviction for example

fully persuaded what he says about my

sin that I’m separated from God fully

convinced and persuaded what he says

about the consequences of my sin that

I’ll die without Christ and be eternally

separated from him because you see

without any conviction I’m not going to

move I’m not going to budge it’s not

enough to have knowledge factual

knowledge about Jesus Christ who he was

and who he is and what he says he’ll do

it’s not even enough to be fully

persuaded fully convinced that these

things are true though it is very

important because when you think in

terms of uh of of conviction you recall

that uh Jesus said in John uh he when

he’s talking when he’s talking about the

Holy Spirit coming he says the holy

spirit will come and he will come to do

what to con to convict the world of sin

of our sinfulness to convict the the

world of the righteousness of Christ

which means that he was so right so holy

and so pure that he was able to die for

our sins and to convict the world of the

judgment to come what does that mean it

means that when the Holy Spirit comes to

your life and my life and begins to work

in us what’s he going to do one of the

first things he’s going to do is convict

us convince us fully persuade us that we

are sinful and we need God he’s going to

fully persuade us that the death of

Jesus Christ was adequate to pay for our

sin fully persuade us that there is a

judgment to come and the only thing

that’ll get me ready for that judgment

is to have a right relationship with

God therefore first of all there must be

knowledge what’s the second word

conviction so give me the first two

words first word is what knowledge

second word is what conviction what’s

the third word third word is

trust third word is trust now now we

said first layer is

knowledge absolutely essential second

layer conviction so what I I have now I

have the knowledge i’ I’ve got the facts

secondly something something’s going on

inside of me I’m under conviction I’m

fully persuaded that this is the truth

I’m fully persuaded that that for me to

be saved something’s got to happen in my

life so here’s what happens here’s where

trust comes in when I trust here’s what

I do I move from the facts and

conviction I move from being an

interested Observer to becoming involved

in a personal relationship with Jesus

Christ and so what have I done I’ve

moved from just knowing the facts

knowing that I ought to do something

knowing that God is trying to do

something in my life now I have I have

moved

into a personal

relationship I have moved into a

personal involvement with the person

Jesus Christ you see

it’s always believe in him believe in

his name not listen not just believe the

gospel only but believe in the person of

the Gospel you see in all these verses

verse after verse after verse what do we

find we find him talking about placing

our trust in him for God so loved the

world that he gave his only begotten son

that whosoever believes in him not just

believed in what he said believes in him

as a person and so therefore it’s not

enough for me just to believe in what he

said is being true but I must but I must

place my trust in him now so you must

have three things what’s the first word

knowledge the second word conviction and

the third word is what trust now I want

to give you a simple

definition I want you to write it down

now whether you write it or your husband

writes it your wife writes it your

children write it get it down and I’m

going to say it and then I’m going to

come back and say it very uh short in

short phrases so that you will

understand I ask the Lord help me to

enable me to to say it in a brief way so

that you can say to someone here’s what

it means to believe in Jesus Christ all

right so get your pencil out you ready

because I want you to J I want I want to

encourage you to put it uh I want to

encourage you to put it in uh the back

of your Bible if you put on a piece of

paper on a bulletin you go home lay it

down somewhere and nobody will be able

to find it I want to encourage you say

well now should you write in the Bible

absolutely Mark words color them up

whatever you want to listen that’s what

makes it

precious I lost my favorite Bible I

didn’t lose it somebody stole my

favorite

Bible had in a briefcase and the only

thing I had in was my Bible in a Greek

New Testament and a pin somebody stole

it offered $500 that’s a lot of money

back then $500 for any college kid who’d

go through all the dumpsters or someone

find my Bible nobody did well what

difference did it make I’ll tell you

because it was so written up and all

kinds of dates and things now that I’d

put in there because it was especially

precious to me because it said something

about what God was doing and had been

doing in my life write in your Bible

don’t worry about that aren you ready

we’re talking about now what it means to

believe in Jesus

Christ to believe in Jesus Christ is to

have a confident

conviction that he is who the Bible says

he is he will do what he promises and

upon placing my trust in

him I enter into a

personal Eternal relationship with the

Son of

God to believe in Jesus is to have a

confident conviction that is a

compelling conviction within me I must

believe this that he is who the Bible

says he is he will keep his promises

that he will he will do exactly what he

says he’ll do and upon placing my trust

in him committing myself to

him I’m entering

into a personal Eternal relationship

with the Son of God now I could say a

lot about forgiveness of sin going to

heaven that that’s all of that is all of

that is is is the result of placing my

trust in him all that is the result of

believing in him to say I place my trust

in him that means I’m I’m betting on him

I I am affirming that what he says is

true and I’m willing to risk my whole

Eternal future on that

all right there are three things that

are absolutely necessary for me to

believe what’s the first word knowledge

second word conviction and the third

word is what TR trust now now let me ask

you this

question how many of you can look back

in your life and

say I know that when I joined the

church I had enough

knowledge that I do believe that Jesus

Christ was the son of God

and that I understood what it meant to

place my trust in him and to accept him

receive him as my savior but as many as

received him not

facts as many as receive him to them

gave he the right to become the sons of

God are you certain that you’ve ever

placed your trust in him now as I said

I’m not being critical I’m just simply

saying this you may believe a lot of

things as

facts but have you ever moved from

being an

observer a distant kind of believer to

entering into a personal relationship

with Jesus Christ by placing your trust

in him as your personal savior have you

ever said Lord Jesus or

Jesus I do believe that you’re the Son

of God I know that my sins have

separated me from

you I am asking you to save me and I

placing I’m asking you to save me based

on the fact that you did die at Calvary

and I do believe that you died for my

sins and I do believe that when you died

for my sins it makes it possible for me

to be fully forgiven and when I die to

go to

heaven however you may have put it in

your words have you ever told him

that have you ever done

that or have you been one of those

persons who said I believe as long as

you believe something that’s all it

matters no that’s not all it matters

here’s what matters it matters this that

when you die you will stand in the

presence of a holy God and give an

account for your

life no excuse will be acceptable

because you see God so loved you that he

gave his only begotten son sent him into

this world to live among men in the

flesh without sin to go to a cross and

be crucified and upon Him placed all the

sin debt of yourself in the entire world

he loves you that much then to reject

his

son to say no to his son to ignore his

son when according to the Bible the

whole listen God’s whole Redemptive plan

is wrapped up in the cross it’s all

there that’s why that’s why the Apostle

Paul said it’s the only thing in life

I’d boast of is the cross why that’s

where Jesus made it possible for you and

me to be forgiven of our sin and to have

abs assurance that when we die we’re

going to spend eternity in heaven with

all the Glorious things that God has

provided for

us have you ever said to

him yes I do believe the testimony of

scripture I do believe that you’re the

Son of God I do believe my sins have

separated me from you I do believe you

died on the cross I do believe that you

rose from the dead do believe that you

seated the father’s right hand even now

I’m asking you to forgive me of my sins

and I’m placing my trust in you that

you’ll do what you said you’ll forgive

me and you’ll make me one of your own

the moment you do it that quickly you

become living child of God saved forever

and ever and ever remember the

definition entering into a personal

Eternal relationship with Jesus

Christ father how grateful we are that

you can take a verse like John

3:16 and cram and jam so much truth that

in a lifetime we will never be able to

exhaust the meaning of that verse if we

took it word by word never be able to

exhaust it there is so much of

yourself your love for the world your

provision of Salvation your gift of

eternal life and thank you that you said

that you so love the world which was

your way of saying I do I do I do which

was your way of describing the

incomparable love inestimable love

immeasurable love that you have for each

one of us so that all of us are the

objects of your

love and you said that you would pay the

full price in the death of your son so

that there is no price for us to pay no

work for us to do to be saved but simply

to place our trust in you to believe

that you’re the god you say you are you

will do exactly what you say you will do

and that that faith alone will bring

about our acceptance our Salvation our

eternal life we bless you in Jesus name

amen