Against All Evidence: Why Most Will Not Believe

Acts 2 puts a strange fact in plain sight. Pentecost shook Jerusalem, the Holy Spirit fell, Galileans preached in languages they did not know, and Peter declared that God had made the crucified Jesus “both Lord and Christ.” About 3,000 souls were saved and baptized that day. That sounds enormous, but with perhaps 100,000 people in Jerusalem, that was only about 3 percent. Against all evidence, most did not believe.

Peter’s word cut some to the heart, and the gospel still cuts where pride does not want to be touched. Jesus did not come so people could feel generally positive about him. Jesus came as King of kings and Lord of lords, born of a virgin, sinless in life, substitutionary in death, victorious in resurrection, and mighty to turn sinners into saints. The question is not whether Jesus seems admirable. The question is whether Jesus is Lord.

Pride stands first in the way. The sinner does not want to say, “God made me, and I have been a treasonous rebel sinner.” God opposes the proud and gives grace to the humble. Sin is not a small personal flaw. Sin is everybody’s problem, and denial of sin calls God a liar. Yet confession opens the good news, because God is faithful and just to forgive and cleanse through Christ.

Light stands next in the way. John 3 says light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their works were evil. Jesus is not unclear. Jesus is too clear. He exposes what sinners want hidden and calls for what sinners want to keep. The Pharisees feared losing their place and power, and many still run from the cure in order to insulate themselves from change.

False religion also stands in the way. Many make a bespoke Jesus, tailored by them for them, a Jesus who agrees all the time and never calls for repentance, sacrifice, or discipleship. Romans 1 names that exchange for what it is, the creature replacing the glory of the immortal God with something manageable.

Spiritual blindness stands behind all of it. The natural person is without God and without hope, blinded by the god of this world, unable to see Christ’s beauty without divine intervention. God alone says, “Let light shine out of darkness,” and gives the light of the knowledge of his glory in the face of Jesus Christ.

Romans 10 then presses the matter home. Saving faith is not a head full of facts. Saving faith confesses Jesus as Lord, trusts the risen Christ from the heart, and yields to his rule. Christ will be Lord of all, or not Lord at all.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Pride blocks the door of grace Pride does not merely make a person stubborn; pride places a sinner under the active opposition of God. The proud heart wants to sit on the throne of life and decide truth, guilt, and innocence for itself. Grace is not given to the self-exalted, but to the humbled sinner who tells the truth before a holy Creator. [35:06]
• 2. Light exposes beloved darkness Jesus does not leave hidden things politely hidden. His light names evil, disturbs comfort, and threatens the familiar arrangements that sin has learned to protect. Many do not reject Christ because he is vague, but because he is painfully clear about what must die. [42:58]
• 3. A handmade Jesus cannot save A bespoke Jesus can soothe the conscience, but he cannot carry sin, pay ransom, or raise the dead. The self-made savior always agrees with the sinner because the sinner made him that way. The biblical Christ stands outside personal preference, and that is exactly why he is able to rescue. [49:33]
• 4. Blind hearts need divine light Spiritual blindness is not a lack of religious data. The sinner can hear facts about Jesus and still remain unable to see his worth. Only the God who first said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” can shine into the heart and make Christ glorious there. [58:23]
• 5. Lordship is heart-level surrender Romans 10 does not describe a bare opinion about Jesus. The confession “Jesus is Lord” comes from a heart persuaded by the resurrection and reshaped in will, affections, and commitments. A Christian is not measured by sinless perfection, but by a real desire to honor Christ as Master.
  
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Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [20:44] - Acts 2 and the 3,000
• [22:19] - Only 3 Percent Believed
• [27:30] - Peter’s Call to Repent
• [31:23] - Pride Refuses to Admit Sin
• [38:32] - Confession and Forgiveness
• [41:42] - Jesus Exposes Hidden Things
• [47:44] - The Problem of a Fake Jesus
• [54:11] - Spiritual Blindness Is Real
• [57:46] - Divine Light Is the Only Cure
• [60:06] - Jesus Demands Worship and Surrender
• [62:43] - Confessing Jesus as Lord
• [65:16] - What It Means to Be Christian
• [67:38] - Prayer for Barriers to Fall

Bible Reading

Acts 2:36-41
“Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified. Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, 'Brothers, what shall we do?' And Peter said to them, '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. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.' And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, 'Save yourselves from this crooked generation.' So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.” [20:44]

Romans 10:9-10
“Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.” [01:02:52]

John 3:19
“And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.” [42:58]

1 John 1:8-10
“If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.” [38:32]

2 Corinthians 4:6
“For God, who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness,' has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” [58:23]

Observation questions

1. In Acts 2:36-41, what specific responses followed Peter’s declaration that Jesus is “both Lord and Christ”? What did the people ask, and what did Peter tell them to do? [27:35]
2. According to 1 John 1:8-10, what three different statements are made about denying sin, confessing sin, and calling God a liar?
3. In John 3:19, what contrast is drawn between light and darkness, and what reason is given for why people preferred darkness? [42:58]
4. In Romans 10:9-10, what two things are joined together in the description of saving faith, and where does Paul say belief takes place? [01:03:35]

Interpretation questions

1. Acts 2 says the people were “cut to the heart” before they asked, “What shall we do?” What does that phrase suggest about the way the gospel works on a person before real repentance begins? [27:50]
2. If people loved darkness rather than light because their works were evil, what does that reveal about why Jesus is often resisted even when his claims are clearly heard? [45:38]
3. If God alone shines light into hearts according to 2 Corinthians 4:6, how should that shape the way believers think about unbelief in friends, neighbors, and family members? [57:46]
4. Romans 10 connects confessing Jesus as Lord with believing in the heart that God raised him from the dead. Why is this more than agreeing with facts about Jesus? What kind of surrender is being described? [01:05:03]

Application questions

1. Pride keeps sinners from admitting they are wrong before God. Where does pride most often show itself right now: resisting confession, resisting correction, or resisting surrender? What would humble honesty look like this week? [31:23]
2. Jesus exposes what people want hidden and calls for what people want to keep. Is there anything being protected from his light right now—some habit, relationship, fear, or secret that is easier to manage in the dark? [41:45]
3. A handmade Jesus cannot save. Has there ever been a tendency to prefer a version of Jesus who never confronts, never corrects, and never asks for costly obedience? What helps a person tell the difference between a false Jesus and the biblical Christ? [49:33]
4. Spiritual blindness is real, so no one is argued into life by human power alone. Who comes to mind right now that needs divine light? How can that person be pursued with both prayer and plain gospel words this week? [56:46]
5. Confessing Jesus as Lord means more than saying the right words. In what area of life is it hardest to let Jesus be Master—money, time, relationships, reputation, ambitions, or something else? [01:02:43]
6. Confession opens the door to forgiveness and cleansing. What would it look like to practice a more honest rhythm of confession before God instead of minimizing sin or excusing it? [39:45]
7. A Christian is not marked by sinless perfection, but by a real desire to honor Christ. Where is there evidence of that desire, and where is there a need to seek fresh obedience? [01:06:26]