Sermon Series Blog: BELIEVE Pt.1
Belief That Confronts the Heart
“Believe” is one of the most common words in Christianity—and one of the most misunderstood.
We say we believe. We sing about belief. We post quotes about belief. But belief doesn’t always lead to change. People believe things all the time that never reshape their lives.
That raises a dangerous question:
What kind of belief actually saves?
In John 20:31, John tells us exactly why he wrote his Gospel:
“These are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”
John isn’t inviting us to admire Jesus. He’s not asking us to agree with Jesus. He’s calling us to entrust our lives to Jesus.
Because not all belief is saving belief.
And not all excitement is surrender.
From Celebration to Confrontation
In John 2, Jesus turns water into wine at a wedding in Cana. It’s joyful. It’s abundant. It’s celebratory. That first miracle reveals His glory—where Jesus is present, emptiness is replaced with overflowing grace.
Belief looks beautiful.
But then everything shifts.
Jesus enters the temple during Passover—a sacred celebration of God’s deliverance—and instead of admiration, He brings confrontation.
He makes a whip.
He flips tables.
He drives out corruption.
Why?
Because worship had become transactional. What was meant to help people worship had replaced worship itself. Convenience replaced conviction. Image replaced intimacy.
This wasn’t emotional outrage. It was righteous justice.
There’s a difference.
Human anger protects ego.
Jesus’ anger protects God’s glory and people’s hearts.
As James 1:20 reminds us, “Human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.”
Jesus wasn’t venting. He was restoring.
And that forces us to ask:
When we claim righteousness, are we protecting God’s glory—or our preferences?
Authority: Liking Jesus vs. Submitting to Him
After clearing the temple, the religious leaders ask Jesus, “What sign can you show us to prove your authority?”
They want credentials. Jesus gives them prophecy:
“Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.”
He wasn’t talking about a building. He was talking about His body.
Authority was no longer tied to a location—it was tied to a Person.
And here’s the tension for us today:
It’s easy to like Jesus.
It’s harder to submit to Him.
Influence is optional. Authority is not.
Authority says:
I get to correct you.
I get to say no.
I get access to every part of your life.
Belief that truly saves doesn’t just quote Jesus—it bows to Him.
So the question becomes:
Does Jesus have influence in your life—or authority over it?
Shallow Belief vs. Surrendered Belief
Later in John 2, many people “believed” because of the miracles. But Jesus did not entrust Himself to them.
Why?
Because belief based on what Jesus does for you collapses when He doesn’t do what you expect.
They wanted miracles, not mastery.
Blessing, not lordship.
It’s possible to admire Jesus and still resist surrender.
To attend church and avoid dependence.
To believe—and yet remain unchanged.
Revelation 3 describes the church of Laodicea as self-sufficient. They believed, but they didn’t need Him.
And self-sufficient faith never moves the heart of Jesus.
He isn’t drawn to impressive belief.
He’s drawn to dependent belief.
What Tables Need to Fall?
Jesus doesn’t flip tables to embarrass us. He flips tables to heal us.
He doesn’t cleanse temples He plans to abandon.
He cleanses what He intends to fill.
So here’s the personal question:
What table is Jesus flipping in you right now?
What comfort have you defended?
What habit have you protected?
What version of faith have you settled for because it costs you nothing?
Because belief that never confronts the heart will never transform the life.
The call isn’t just to believe.
The call is to surrender.
And on the other side of surrendered belief is a life filled with His presence, shaped by His authority, and transformed by His power.
