If you were driving by a home one day and you saw a bunch of black smoke pouring out of the windows, what would be the logical thought that you would most likely have? That there is a fire in that house! You might not even see the flames but because of the thick smoke coming out you can know that there is indeed something on fire inside.
Some days in the winter here in Minnesota I will go outside and see some small tracks in the snow of a creature that passed by just a bit earlier. I never actually saw the animal itself, but I believed that it was there because of what I could see.
Not everyone is like this, however. Not everyone will have faith that something happened or that something exists unless they actually see it with their own eyes. This kind of action is not faith, but is unbelief.
Matthew 16:1-4 The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and tempting desired him that he would shew them a sign from heaven.
He answered and said unto them, When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather: for the sky is red.
And in the morning, It will be foul weather to day: for the sky is red and lowring. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times?
A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas. And he left them, and departed.
The Pharisees here wanted to see a sign from the Lord so that they might “believe in Him.” But Jesus had done so many other things already up to that point in time that had been witnessed by many people, yet they still remained in unbelief and Jesus told them that the only sign that they would receive was the sign of the prophet Jonah.
Jonah’s sign to the people of Nineveh was that the city would be destroyed in 40 days because it was a city filled with wickedness and sin. But the people of Nineveh believed in God and what Jonah had told them, and they repented of their wickedness. They heard the warning of the Lord, and they repented; as a result the Lord spared the city and they were saved. They changed their ways, because they had repented and believed.
So many people in the world today won’t believe in something if they cannot see it. They don’t believe in God because they can’t see Him or have any “proof” that He exists. We as Christians cannot point to a certain thing somewhere that proves that God exists, but we know that He does because we can look at all of the amazing things on this Earth and know that they could not have just “happened” and that it could only be the work of God.
Repentance is key in the life of a Christian as it is one of the very first steps that must be taken on the path to salvation. A person must acknowledge their sins so that they may receive forgiveness from the Lord, submitting themselves to the will of Christ. It takes faith though, faith in the Lord Who we cannot see, and being obedient to His teachings. If we can do this, if we can place our complete faith, obedience, and trust in Him, we will be saved.
There are more than enough signs already in place on the Earth for me to believe in Jesus Christ and His salvation that He offers, and it’s good enough for me.
In Christ
Andrew
Teufer Lake King James Bible Church 