Timeless truth

This message was preached by American Church Leader, John Piper, a year before my conception (for those of you who are trying to do the math, December '80)

And I loved how he explains so clearly the importance of listening to what God says through the bible (his word). So I'll share it! Remember, you may have to read this twice (or 3 times if you're like me) if you want to fully comprehend the message. But, no exercise for the mind is a waste of time!

And let me preface what I have to say with a warning so as to awaken you to the seriousness of listening to the Word of God. When Jesus spoke and no one believed, John explains their unbelief like this (John 12:38-40):

It was that the word spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: 'Lord, who has believed our report, and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?' Therefore, they could not believe. For Isaiah again said, 'He has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart, lest they should see with their eyes and perceive with their heart and turn for me to heal them.'

That is from Isaiah 53:1 and 6:10. There is another passage in Isaiah that helps explain how God blinds the eyes and hardens the heart. It is Isaiah 64:7 where the prophet laments, "There is no one that calls upon Thy name, that bestirs himself to take hold of Thee; for Thou has hid Thy face from us, and has delivered us into the hands of our iniquities." Therefore, the way God blinds and hardens is not by coming into a person's life and making it evil, but by withdrawing from the person's life and leaving him in his own sin. Only when we see this will we give God all the glory not only for providing a way of salvation through the death and resurrection of Christ but also for effectually applying that salvation to our lives by drawing us to Christ in faith. "No one can come to me," Jesus said, "unless the Father who sent me draws him ... No one can come to me unless it is granted him by my Father (John 6:44, 65).

So the warning is this: Believers, give God all the credit for drawing you into the Kingdom of Christ, and let the truth of Christ stir you up to greater reliance on Him; do not boast over the lost sheep as if you did not have to be carried into the fold yourself. Unbelievers, give heed to the Word of God and pray that God might open your eyes and soften your heart lest you be found blind and hardened and without hope. Pray, I say, and listen, because God has spoken these things that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and believing have life in His name.