Jesus, The Unwilling One

John 7:1-13

Based upon that title, you have to be just a little curious.
Jesus; unwilling? No, never.

He was the most willing person I ever saw. He always accepts, always saves, always comes through with a peak performance.

You can’t say Jesus is unwilling.
Except for the fact that
That is exactly how John described Jesus in verse 1 of chapter 7.

“After these things Jesus was walking in Galilee, for He was unwilling to walk in Judea because the Jews were seeking to kill Him.”

Now if you will notice, it doesn’t say that Jesus was afraid to walk in Judea.
It says He was unwilling.

It denotes someone must have had a desire for Him to walk in Judea, otherwise it would have said, “for He was not allowed to walk in Judea”.

The amazing point we see here is that there was actually a place that wanted Him that He was unwilling to go.

In fact, this entire passage is saturated with
The “unwillingness of Jesus” to do what is asked of Him.

First in verse 1 He is “unwilling to walk in Judea”, but that isn’t all.

In verse 3 “Therefore His brothers said to Him, “Leave here and go into Judea, so that Your disciples may see Your works which You are doing.”

But the answer they get from Jesus in verse 8 was, “Go up to the feast yourselves; I do not go up to this feast because My time has not yet fully come.”

Then again we see a disappointed crowd in verse 11, “So the Jews were seeking Him at the feast and were saying, “Where is He?”

Jesus wasn’t doing anything that anybody wanted.
This certainly brings a point of curiosity to our minds, and warrants some explanation.

FIRST, WE HAVE TO ASK OURSELVES, “WHY DID THE PEOPLE WANT JESUS AROUND?”

Well, you and I both know the answer,
But it is also seen in the statement of His brothers.

Verse 3-4, “Therefore His brothers said to Him, “Leave here and go into Judea, so that Your disciples also may see Your works which You are doing. “For no one does anything in secret when he himself seeks to be known publicly. If You do these things, show Yourself to the world.”

They wanted a magic show.

And let me tell you why.

Up to this point , most of Jesus miracles had occurred in Galilee.
He turned the water to wine
He healed the royal official’s son
He fed the 5,000
He walked on water

To this point, the only miracle Jesus had performed in Judea was healing the man at the Bethesda pool.

The point His brothers were making was a simple one.
Jerusalem was the acid test. That was where the validity must happen.

Anyone could get those ignorant, hot-headed Galileans to get excited, but the true test would be the verdict of the Sanhedrin.

If you can convince them, then you can convince us.

Jesus brothers wanted Him to work miracles.

But here in John 7, Jesus is unwilling to do so.
WHY?

Because miracles was not the point of Jesus ministry.

Contrary to popular belief, Jesus did not come
Just to cure all the social ills of mankind.

But so many think that is why He came.
They want God to heal their sickness…
They want God to fix their finances…
They want God to restore their comfort…

Yet many of them have found Jesus unwilling.
WHY? Is it because Jesus doesn’t care?

The reason Jesus is often times unwilling to show up with miracle power,
Is not because Jesus doesn’t care about your problems,
But because Jesus cares more about your spiritual problems than any other.
Jesus main concern was never curing social ills,
It was always preaching the truth.

Mark 1:37-38 “they found Him, and said to Him, “Everyone is looking for You.” He said to them, “Let us go somewhere else to the towns nearby, so that I may preach there also; for that is what I came for.”

Matthew 4:17 “From that time Jesus began to preach and say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

Look for example at the setting were some of His most famous miracles occurred.

Remember Jesus healing the paralytic. That didn’t start out a healing service.

Mark 2:1-3 “When He had come back to Capernaum several days afterward, it was heard that He was at home. And many were gathered together, so that there was no longer room, not even near the door; and He was speaking the word to them. And they came, bringing to Him a paralytic, carried by four men.”

Remember Jesus feeding the 5,000? That didn’t start out a healing miracle show.

Mark 6:34 “When Jesus went ashore, He saw a large crowd, and He felt compassion for them because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and He began to teach them many things.”

Jesus concern was always teaching the truth.
In fact, Jesus continually taught the importance of sacrificing the physical or temporal, for the sake of the spiritual and eternal.

Mark 9:43-48 “If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life crippled, than, having your two hands, to go into hell, into the unquenchable fire, [where THEIR WORM DOES NOT DIE, AND THE FIRE IS NOT QUENCHED.] “If your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life lame, than, having your two feet, to be cast into hell, [where THEIR WORM DOES NOT DIE, AND THE FIRE IS NOT QUENCHED.] “If your eye causes you to stumble, throw it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, than, having two eyes, to be cast into hell, where THEIR WORM DOES NOT DIE, AND THE FIRE IS NOT QUENCHED.”

The way to push Jesus away is not to doubt His power,
It is to disregard His preaching.

Mark 6:1-6 “Jesus went out from there and came into His hometown; and His disciples followed Him. When the Sabbath came, He began to teach in the synagogue; and the many listeners were astonished, saying, “Where did this man get these things, and what is this wisdom given to Him, and such miracles as these performed by His hands? “Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? Are not His sisters here with us?” And they took offense at Him. Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and among his own relatives and in his own household.” And He could do no miracle there except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. And He wondered at their unbelief.”

In a world where we treat God like Santa Claus who is obligated to fix all our problems and make our lives run smooth.

People need to know that those problems are allowed by God, some of them even caused by God, and they are there because He is more concerned with your soul than your comfort.

This is why Jesus was so unwilling to work any miracles here.

Matthew 12:38-42 “Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to Him, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.” But He answered and said to them, ” An evil and adulterous generation craves for a sign; and yet no sign will be given to it but the sign of Jonah the prophet; for just as JONAH WAS THREE DAYS AND THREE NIGHTS IN THE BELLY OF THE SEA MONSTER, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. “The men of Nineveh will stand up with this generation at the judgment, and will condemn it because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and behold, something greater than Jonah is here. “The Queen of the South will rise up with this generation at the judgment and will condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, something greater than Solomon is here.”

The point is, if you aren’t willing to listen to the truth of Jesus,
Then don’t expect the hand of Jesus on your life.

And the text we are about to look at shows us this very thing.

Three reasons why Jesus refused to show up
And work miracles for these people.

He did eventually go up (after the streets were clear), but look why.
Vs. 14, “But when it was now the midst of the feast Jesus went up into the temple, and began to teach.”

Jesus wasn’t going to play the magician game.

And so what we see is 3 reasons why Jesus was unwilling to show His power to people, and it all has to do with the way these people treated the truth He preached.

If you treat the truth of Jesus the way these people did,
I can promise you won’t experience His power either.

#1 DISDAIN FOR IT’S VERACITY
John 7:1

Veracity means “accuracy or precision”

These people showed disdain for the accuracy or precision of the truth that Jesus preached.

NOW WE ARE TALKING ABOUT JUDEA, WHEN DID THEY HEAR IT?

Remember the story of Jesus healing the man at the Bethesda pool. Well you remember they had qualms with Him doing that on the Sabbath.

John 5:16 “For this reason the Jews were persecuting Jesus, because He was doing these things on the Sabbath.”

But notice they were only persecuting Him for that.

WHY DID THEY WANT TO KILL HIM?

John 5:17-18 “But He answered them, “My Father is working until now, and I Myself am working.” For this reason therefore the Jews were seeking all the more to kill Him, because He not only was breaking the Sabbath, but also was calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God.”

It was the truth of Jesus that made them want to kill Him.

He wasn’t unwilling because they scolded His compassion.
He was unwilling because they hated the truth He preached.

If you are not willing to accept the truth of Jesus,
Then don’t expect Him to hang around working miracles.

He came to preach the truth,
To expose and convict your sin,
And to lead you to repentance and salvation,
But if you won’t submit to that,
Don’t expect Him to hang around working miracles.

John 12:35-36 “So Jesus said to them, “For a little while longer the Light is among you. Walk while you have the Light, so that darkness will not overtake you; he who walks in the darkness does not know where he goes. “While you have the Light, believe in the Light, so that you may become sons of Light.” These things Jesus spoke, and He went away and hid Himself from them.”

Many of you need to know this is why
It seems like God isn’t answering your prayers.

WHY?
Because God is trying to show you something else,
And He is moving until you listen.

I loved Leo’s testimony this morning. God wasn’t helping with anything until Leo learned to spell Guatemala.

GOD ALWAYS PUTS THE SPIRITUAL AHEAD OF THE ETERNAL
So first, if you have disdain for the veracity of His truth He can become unwilling.

#2 DISREGARD FOR IT’S VALUE
John 7:2-9

Another reason is if you treat lightly the truth you have already received.

If you refuse to digest what you have been given,
Why would you expect God to give you anymore?

This certainly is the boat His brothers were in.

They wanted Jesus to work more miracles. If possible to get the approval of the Sanhedrin so they would feel safe in believing.

They wanted Jesus to go up and offer more proof.

But Jesus makes a startling point.
Verse 6, “So Jesus said to them, “My time is not yet here, but your time is always opportune.”

The word “time” translates KAIROS
It indicates an opportunity.

Right now is not His best opportunity,
HOWEVER Jesus brothers always had the opportunity.

HE WAS RIGHT THERE IN FRONT OF THEM.
They didn’t need Him to work any more miracles, all they had to do was look at Him.
They grew up with truth incarnate, and failed to see His value.

And Jesus continues His rebuke in verse 7, “The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it, that it’s deeds are evil”

They didn’t understand why Jesus couldn’t go up
Because they didn’t understand the hostility that He faced.

They were of the world, and as John adds in verse 5, “For not even His brothers were believing in Him.”

A good way to keep God from working more in your life
Is by suppressing the truth that you do have.

The comedian Red Skelton He said, “I got her a cemetery plot last year, and she didn’t use it, so I ain’t getting her nothing this year.”
Matthew 13:10-13 “And the disciples came and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?” Jesus answered them, “To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted. “For whoever has, to him more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him. “Therefore I speak to them in parables; because while seeing they do not see, and while hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.”

Hebrews 6:7-8 “For ground that drinks the rain which often falls on it and brings forth vegetation useful to those for whose sake it is also tilled, receives a blessing from God; but if it yields thorns and thistles, it is worthless and close to being cursed, and it ends up being burned.”

Disdain for the veracity of His truth
Disregard for the value of His truth will turn Him away in a heartbeat.

#3 DEBATING IT’S VALIDITY
John 7:10-13

Now you will notice this crowd wanted to see Jesus (obviously to see more signs) but they found themselves disappointed.

And then the debating began.

Some thought Him to be good, others thought Him to be bad.
Both were wrong.

There are many ways to describe Jesus, but “a good man” is not one of them.

They had missed the mark on Him completely.
But the real problem wasn’t that they had a faulty understanding
The real problem was what it was going to take to get them to believe in Him.

You will notice none of them would do anything.
Vs. 13, “Yet no one was speaking openly of Him for fear of the Jews.”

They wouldn’t take a stand for truth until it was endorsed by big-wigs

They weren’t concerned about truth,
They were concerned about being accepted.

John 12:37-43 “But though He had performed so many signs before them, yet they were not believing in Him. This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet which he spoke: “LORD, WHO HAS BELIEVED OUR REPORT? AND TO WHOM HAS THE ARM OF THE LORD BEEN REVEALED?” For this reason they could not believe, for Isaiah said again, “HE HAS BLINDED THEIR EYES AND HE HARDENED THEIR HEART, SO THAT THEY WOULD NOT SEE WITH THEIR EYES AND PERCEIVE WITH THEIR HEART, AND BE CONVERTED AND I HEAL THEM.” These things Isaiah said because he saw His glory, and he spoke of Him. Nevertheless many even of the rulers believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they were not confessing Him, for fear that they would be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the approval of men rather than the approval of God.”

DO YOU KNOW WHY PEOPLE DEBATE THE TRUTH?

Because they don’t want to accept it.
They don’t want to accept it is because it costs too much.

If you are wondering why God isn’t showing up in your life,
It may be because you have been teetering
On what God is telling you.

So many times God clearly tells me what He wants from me,
And then I go to debating with Him.

WHY IS GOD NOT WORKING?

Am I showing disdain for the veracity of the truth?
(Did I refuse to believe what He told me?)

Am I disregarding the value of the truth?
(Is there something He told me that I have not acted on?)

Am I debating the validity of the truth?
(Am I putting off obedience on something He has said?)

If you are treating truth like that, then don’t expect Jesus to come and bail you out of your temporal dilemma.

He will allow you to remain there as long as He needs to if that is what it takes to get you to see the truth.

He is much more concerned with the state of your soul than with the state of your bank account.

Matthew 5:29-30 “If your right eye makes you stumble, tear it out and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. “If your right hand makes you stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to go into hell.”

Jesus, The Chief Cornerstone

John 6:66-71

This morning we saw how Jesus not only serves in the role of Savior, But sometimes He is the very thing that keeps people lost.

The Scandal of the cross, and the Offense of the truth
Can be the one thing they never seem to get past.

As we saw with the multitude this morning.
They were stumbling
They were suppressing
They were scheming

In short they did not love the truth and therefore, they rejected Jesus.
They were a picture of fraudulent disciples.

And tonight we see their 8th and final response to Jesus.

Vs. 66, “As a result of this many of His disciples withdrew and were not walking with Him anymore.”

Their 8th statement is unspoken, but every bit as loud.
What they did spoke much louder than anything they had thus far said.

And that leads Jesus to His eighth and final point
Vs. 67, “So Jesus said to the twelve, “You do not want to go away also do you?”

Now there is much we need to see at this point.

First I want you to see what Jesus didn’t do.
He didn’t go after them.
He didn’t cater to their demands.

If there was ever a time for Jesus to play to the people, this was it.
He was watching His entire ministry go down the tube.
He was losing all of His followers.

Imagine if this happened in a church setting.
Where, after preaching a sermon, people took such offense that nearly everyone left your church.

It is a fear of this that has caused many ministries,
In my opinion, to take wrong turns.

So many have tried to make
The cross less scandalous and the truth less offensive.

So many look at the truth as a dilemma to get around,
Instead of the power to lead to salvation.

It led to a MARKET-DRIVEN, CULTURALLY RELEVANT, SEEKER SENSITIVE ministry approach.

If you have learned nothing from Jesus in this chapter,
You should at least be able to notice
That Jesus was not nearly concerned about numbers
As He was about the truth.

It is dangerous when we get too concerned with attracting people, and thus are tempted to down play the offense.

Jeremiah 23:28-29 “The prophet who has a dream may relate his dream, but let him who has My word speak My word in truth. What does straw have in common with grain?” declares the LORD. “Is not My word like fire?” declares the LORD, “and like a hammer which shatters a rock?”

In Jesus day, the word, “cross” was a derogatory term.

And Yet Paul said,
Galatians 6:14 “But may it never be that I would boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.”

1 Corinthians 2:2 “For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.”

What I want you to see is that Paul’s theology
Was right in line with Jesus’ theology.
Neither was willing to sacrifice the truth in order to maintain a crowd.

AND OF COURSE THERE IS A THEOLOGICAL REASON FOR THIS.

Matthew 15:12-14 “Then the disciples came and said to Him, “Do You know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this statement?” But He answered and said, “Every plant which My heavenly Father did not plant shall be uprooted. “Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. And if a blind man guides a blind man, both will fall into a pit.”

“Every plant which My heavenly Father did not plant shall be uprooted.”

WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?
Well, that means you can produce all the converts you want, but if God isn’t doing it, then they won’t last.

We do a very good job of assimilating people into church.
We show them how to walk, how to talk, how to dress, where to sit, when to cry, when to laugh, and how to put the fish on the tailgate of their pickup.

But if all of those things aren’t coming
From an inner conviction from God, they won’t last.

Jesus knew that,
That is why He was not afraid of running these people off.
Jesus knew if He could run them off, then they weren’t real anyway.

That leads to the second thing you need to see about this verse.

After this crowd leaves.
Vs. 67, “So Jesus said to the twelve, “You do not want to go away also do you?”
Jesus turns to the twelve and offers them the door as well.
He gives them opportunity to leave.

WHY?
Because Jesus knew if they were real, they weren’t going anywhere.

So in essence what we have occurring here is
Jesus contrasting the fraudulent crowd with the faithful one.
This morning He put the phonies on display,
Tonight He puts the faithful on display.

Tonight we see 3 characteristics of those who believe.
The Non-Believers Stumbled, but the Believers:
#1 TASTED
John 6:68

Now there is a great statement, and one that stands alone quite well.

But as Jesus offers the disciples the door, Peter refuses.
He knows Christianity will be tough.
He knows that what Jesus said was difficult to accept,
But where else was he supposed to go?

We tried to talk John-Paul out of salvation
“Yeah, but that’s the only way to be saved.”

And of course Jesus is completely comfortable
With you making such a logical decision.

Matthew 16:26 “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?”

Jerry Vines listed three reasons why you ought to come to Jesus.
1) You don’t want to go to hell.
2) You DON’T WANT TO go to hell.
3) YOU DON’T WANT TO GO TO HELL.

Peter had a similar motivation.
“To whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.”

The cost didn’t matter to Peter.
The cross didn’t cause him to stumble.
He was willing to hang around and taste whatever God had for him.

Psalms 34:8 “O taste and see that the LORD is good; How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!”

Peter, and the rest of the 12, we were willing to give it a chance.
John 1:35-39 “Again the next day John was standing with two of his disciples, and he looked at Jesus as He walked, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. And Jesus turned and saw them following, and said to them, “What do you seek?” They said to Him, ” Rabbi (which translated means Teacher), where are You staying?” He said to them, “Come, and you will see.” So they came and saw where He was staying; and they stayed with Him that day, for it was about the tenth hour.”

Matthew 4:18-22 “Now as Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon who was called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. And He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Immediately they left their nets and followed Him. Going on from there He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and He called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him.”

I have always loved the story of Lazarus. When Jesus decided to finally go down to where Lazarus was, one of His disciples had this to say.

John 11:16 “Therefore Thomas, who is called Didymus, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, so that we may die with Him.”

Now of course they didn’t die there, but they didn’t know that.
They were willing to try it, they were willing to taste it.

This is a characteristic of the believing.
They don’t stumble over the truth, they try it out, they accept it.

The Non-Believers Suppressed, but the Believers:
#2 TRUSTED
John 6:69a “We have believed…”

Where the fraudulent stumbled, these guys followed…
Where the fraudulent doubted, these guys had faith…
They didn’t suppress.

Hebrews 3:12-13 “Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God. But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called “Today,” so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.”

They had faith.

Hebrews 11:6 “And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.”

Luke 5:4-8 “When He had finished speaking, He said to Simon, “Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.” Simon answered and said, “Master, we worked hard all night and caught nothing, but I will do as You say and let down the nets.” When they had done this, they enclosed a great quantity of fish, and their nets began to break; so they signaled to their partners in the other boat for them to come and help them. And they came and filled both of the boats, so that they began to sink. But when Simon Peter saw that, he fell down at Jesus’ feet, saying, “Go away from me Lord, for I am a sinful man!”

Peter messed up a lot of times, but this wasn’t one of them.
As he fell on that pile of dead fish, Peter only smelled one stink,
And that was himself.

This is a characteristic of the faithful. They trust God.
John 14:15 “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.”

The Non-Believers Schemed, but the Believers:
#3 TESTIFIED
John 6:69b
“and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God.”

This is a beautiful thing that is taking place here.
After having the faith to stick it out with Jesus, and the willingness to believe,
We see that now they have even gone a step further.

They are now testifying as to the conclusion they have drawn.
This also is a characteristic of those who believe.

We have talked many times about this verse.
Luke 8:16-17 “Now no one after lighting a lamp covers it over with a container, or puts it under a bed; but he puts it on a lampstand, so that those who come in may see the light. “For nothing is hidden that will not become evident, nor anything secret that will not be known and come to light.”

Think about Peter for a second.
There was one time in life that he wanted to cover his light.

Matthew 26:69-75 “Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard, and a servant-girl came to him and said, “You too were with Jesus the Galilean.” But he denied it before them all, saying, “I do not know what you are talking about.” When he had gone out to the gateway, another servant-girl saw him and said to those who were there, “This man was with Jesus of Nazareth.” And again he denied it with an oath, “I do not know the man.” A little later the bystanders came up and said to Peter, “Surely you too are one of them; for even the way you talk gives you away.” Then he began to curse and swear, “I do not know the man!” And immediately a rooster crowed. And Peter remembered the word which Jesus had said, ” Before a rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” And he went out and wept bitterly.”

Peter tried like crazy to cover his light, but it just couldn’t be concealed

Remember when Peter healed the beggar?
Acts 4:13 “Now as they observed the confidence of Peter and John and understood that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed, and began to recognize them as having been with Jesus.”

After arguing with Peter and John, the chief priests got in a huddle and said,
“Oh! It’s like arguing with Jesus!”

The point was the light was coming out.
But not only that, Peter wanted his light to shine.

Acts 4:19-20 “But Peter and John answered and said to them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to give heed to you rather than to God, you be the judge; for we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.”

Paul was the same way.
Acts 21:13 “Then Paul answered, “What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound, but even to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.”

And Paul was a true miracle since the first portion of his life was characterized by fighting against the truth.

Now, not even his close friends could convince him not to testify

That is because true believers testify about the truth.
Even if they could contain it, they wouldn’t.

These guys were the real deal.
They tasted, They trusted, and They testified.

And that leads Jesus to make a statement.
Vs. 70-71, “Jesus answered them, “Did I myself not choose you, the twelve, and yet one of you is a devil?” Now He meant Judas the son of Simon Iscariot, for he, on of the twelve, was going to betray Him.”

Jesus points out that the reason these guys were real
Is the same reason why the fraudulent followers weren’t.
Those fraudulent followers were fake because, “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him.”

That stands to reason that the reason these guys were real is because, “Did I Myself not choose you?”
Salvation comes from God.

Matthew 16:13-18 “Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, He was asking His disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; but still others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. “I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.”

You will notice why Peter is saved.
Because the Father revealed it to him.

Conviction comes from God, Persuasion comes from man.

Men can convince you to do certain things, and say certain things,
But only God has the means to plant His truth down inside your heart And make you convinced about it.

2 Timothy 1:12 “For this reason I also suffer these things, but I am not ashamed; for I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day.”

I like the story later, when Paul was a prisoner on the ship that would soon be torn apart by the sea, but an angel told Paul not to worry, for all lives would be spared.

Acts 27:25 “Therefore, keep up your courage, men, for I believe God that it will turn out exactly as I have been told.”

Paul had this conviction because God told him it would be ok.

That is exactly why Peter was blessed.

But tonight I want you to see what Jesus says next.
Peter confessed Jesus as the Christ, and then Jesus responds:

“I also say that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.”

Now you see what we are talking about.
Jesus as the Christ is the rock upon which the church is founded.
The entire basis, the entire existence of the true church,
Rests upon the conviction that Jesus is the cornerstone of our faith.

Ephesians 2:19-22 “So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.”

1 Corinthians 3:11 “For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.”

That is a statement that should echo through our minds.

False believers all over the world
Try to make anything other than Jesus
The foundation upon which their hope rests.

Many rest their hope upon the fact that they go to church, but that isn’t a suitable foundation.

Many rest their hope upon the fact that they prayed a prayer, but that isn’t a suitable foundation.

Many rest their hope upon the fact that they were baptized, but that isn’t a suitable foundation.

THERE IS ONLY ONE FOUNDATION!

Isaiah 44:8 “Do not tremble and do not be afraid; Have I not long since announced it to you and declared it? And you are My witnesses. Is there any God besides Me, Or is there any other Rock? I know of none.'”

Psalms 18:31 “For who is God, but the LORD? And who is a rock, except our God,”

1 Samuel 2:2 “There is no one holy like the LORD, Indeed, there is no one besides You, Nor is there any rock like our God.”

You see the point is that Jesus is “The Chief Cornerstone”
He is the only One who is a suitable foundation for salvation.

You can run to other things, you can try other avenues,
But there is no other rock.

To all those who refuse Him,
He becomes the rock they stumble over,
But He is still the only rock.

But to all those who taste, trust, and testify, He is the chief cornerstone
That is a wonderful concept for you and I to grasp.
We don’t worship One who is a faulty foundation.
We don’t worship One who is incapable to save.
We band our lives upon the rock.

“And the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.”

I would ask you tonight again.
WHICH ROCK IS JESUS IN YOUR LIFE?
IS YOUR LIFE CHARACTERIZED BY:
Stumbling, Suppressing, & Scheming
OR
Tasting, Trusting, & Testifying?

It will be far better to stand upon the rock than to trip over it.

Isaiah 26:4 “Trust in the LORD forever, For in GOD the LORD, we have an everlasting Rock.”

Psalms 144:1-2 “Blessed be the LORD, my rock, Who trains my hands for war, And my fingers for battle; My lovingkindness and my fortress, My stronghold and my deliverer, My shield and He in whom I take refuge, Who subdues my people under me.”

Psalms 18:1-3 “I love You, O LORD, my strength.” The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised, And I am saved from my enemies.”

 

Jesus, The Stumbling Stone

John 6:60-65

In the Old Testament we are constantly given glimpses of the coming Savior.

Abraham saw the Lamb caught in the thicket

We saw the blood of the Passover Lamb

In the Law we saw the blood sacrifices

Not only that but the prophets spoke of a Savior who was to come.
David in Psalm 22 Isaiah in Isaiah 53

And so as we read the Old Testament,
We are always encouraged by God’s promise to send a Savior.

However, there is another truth that is regularly seen
About this Savior who was to come.

Isaiah 28:16 “Therefore thus says the Lord GOD, “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a tested stone, A costly cornerstone for the foundation, firmly placed. He who believes in it will not be disturbed.”

Isaiah pointed out that this Savior would be the very foundation of life,
So long as you would believe in Him.

However, we know that not all would.
As Daniel foresaw the coming Kingdoms of the world in a dream.

Daniel 2:31-35 “You, O king, were looking and behold, there was a single great statue; that statue, which was large and of extraordinary splendor, was standing in front of you, and its appearance was awesome. “The head of that statue was made of fine gold, its breast and its arms of silver, its belly and its thighs of bronze, its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay. “You continued looking until a stone was cut out without hands, and it struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay and crushed them. “Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver and the gold were crushed all at the same time and became like chaff from the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away so that not a trace of them was found. But the stone that struck the statue became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.”

Daniel saw the head of gold as Babylon
The breasts and its arms of silver was Medo-Persia
The belly and thighs of bronze was Greece
The legs of iron were Rome
Then the feet of iron and clay were the hybrid kingdom of the Anti-Christ
But then Daniel saw a rock that would come and strike the Anti-Christ’s kingdom and destroy it.

This rock was of course the coming King.
However even Daniel saw a unique characteristic about this stone.
This stone “was cut without human hands”
The stone God selected was rejected by the builders.
This was the same thing that David prophesied.

Psalms 118:22 “The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief corner stone.”

And of course Isaiah had a similar vision of the Messiah in mind
When he prophesied.

Isaiah 8:13-15 “It is the LORD of hosts whom you should regard as holy. And He shall be your fear, And He shall be your dread. “Then He shall become a sanctuary; But to both the houses of Israel, a stone to strike and a rock to stumble over, And a snare and a trap for the inhabitants of Jerusalem. “Many will stumble over them, Then they will fall and be broken; They will even be snared and caught.”

Isaiah shows us a picture of Jesus, not as Savior, but as a “stone to strike and a rock to stumble over”

Jesus would either be the one fact to bring salvation
OR
Jesus would be the one fact to keep men from being saved.

As we have been studying through John
We have seen many aspects of Jesus as the Savior of God.

Even in John 6, Jesus repeatedly says, “I am the bread of life”

But John 6 is not the fulfillment of God’s promise of salvation.
John 6 is the fulfillment of God’s promise of stumbling.

For with this obstinate group we see:
Jesus would not prove to be the One who would save them,
But the One who would condemn them.
He became to them “a stone to strike and rock to stumble over.”

LAST WEEK JESUS REVEALED THE IMPORTANCE OF HIS SACRIFICE
Essential, Eternal, Enjoyable, Effective, Exclusive

A person must partake in the sacrifice of Jesus.
As Paul would put it.

Galatians 2:20 “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.”

Galatians 6:14 “But may it never be that I would boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.”

BUT IN THIS CROWD WE SEE A DIFFERENT RESPONSE
Verse 60, “Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this said, “This is a difficult statement; who can listen to it?”

IMPORTANT NOTE:
Just because they are called “disciples” doesn’t mean they were saved.
A disciple is merely a learner.
We have many today who sit in churches and learn
Without actually submitting to Jesus.

We are called to “make disciples” because only God can make a person saved.

Instead of submitting to Jesus, these phony disciples are grumbling saying, “This is a difficult statement, who can listen to it?”

The word “difficult” translates (SKLEROS) = “rough”

They aren’t complaining that His teaching is hard to understand, They are complaining that this teaching is hard to accept.
THIS HAS BEEN MY OBSERVATION ABOUT JESUS TEACHINGS

People say, “I just don’t know what God wants me to do.”

My problem is not that I don’t know God’s will,
My problem is that I know God’s will all too well.
i don’t usually have difficulty with knowing God’s will,
If I struggle, it is with obeying God’s will.

They understood what He wanted.
He wanted from them the same thing He wants from you.
Humility, Brokenness, Repentance, Faith, Submission, Obedience, Perseverance

But these people responded much like many do today.
“This is difficult” (We don’t want to do that much)

It is the response of selfishness.
It is the response of those who are unwilling to give their all to Jesus.
It is the response of those who want to go to Heaven but not to Calvary.
It is the response of the wide road,
It is the response of the weedy soil,
It is the response of man-made religion at it’s best.
It is just as RAMPANT and ROTTEN today as it was in Jesus day.

And so as we see this 7th response of the multitude,
We also see the 7th point to Jesus sermon.
(Focus, Faith, Figure, Famished, Follow, Feast) – FRAUDULENT
And as Jesus responds to these fraudulent disciples,
He will point out 3 characteristics of the unbelieving everywhere.

#1 STUMBLING
John 6:61

After this crowd openly admits that the requirements of Jesus are too difficult,
Jesus hits them with this question, which is really a statement.

“Does this cause you to stumble?”
The word “stumble” translates (SKANDALIZO) = “to be offended”

It carries the idea of being offended so as to quit following,
Or to stumble so as to quit following.

(John the Baptist)
Matthew 11:2-6 “Now when John, while imprisoned, heard of the works of Christ, he sent word by his disciples and said to Him, “Are You the Expected One, or shall we look for someone else?” Jesus answered and said to them, “Go and report to John what you hear and see: the BLIND RECEIVE SIGHT and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the POOR HAVE THE GOSPEL PREACHED TO THEM. “And blessed is he who does not take offense at Me.”

(His Hometown)
Matthew 13:54-58 “He came to His hometown and began teaching them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished, and said, “Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers? “Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not His mother called Mary, and His brothers, James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? “And His sisters, are they not all with us? Where then did this man get all these things?” And they took offense at Him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and in his own household.” And He did not do many miracles there because of their unbelief.”

(The Pharisees)
Matthew 15:8-14 “THIS PEOPLE HONORS ME WITH THEIR LIPS, BUT THEIR HEART IS FAR AWAY FROM ME. ‘BUT IN VAIN DO THEY WORSHIP ME, TEACHING AS DOCTRINES THE PRECEPTS OF MEN.'” After Jesus called the crowd to Him, He said to them, “Hear and understand. “It is not what enters into the mouth that defiles the man, but what proceeds out of the mouth, this defiles the man.” Then the disciples came and said to Him, “Do You know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this statement?” But He answered and said, “Every plant which My heavenly Father did not plant shall be uprooted. “Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. And if a blind man guides a blind man, both will fall into a pit.”

This is what happened to this crowd.
The cost of following Jesus is too high,
It offended them that Jesus would require so much from them.

People today don’t even realize what they are saying
When they get offended when someone tells them the truth..
THIS CROWD STUMBLED
Because stumbling is an attribute
Of those who are unwilling to follow Jesus.

1 Peter 2:7-8 “This precious value, then, is for you who believe; but for those who disbelieve, “THE STONE WHICH THE BUILDERS REJECTED, THIS BECAME THE VERY CORNER stone,” and, “A STONE OF STUMBLING AND A ROCK OF OFFENSE”; for they stumble because they are disobedient to the word, and to this doom they were also appointed.”

AND PEOPLE HAVE BEEN STUMBLING OVER JESUS FOR YEARS

Romans 9:30-33 “What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, attained righteousness, even the righteousness which is by faith; but Israel, pursuing a law of righteousness, did not arrive at that law. Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as though it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone, just as it is written, “BEHOLD, I LAY IN ZION A STONE OF STUMBLING AND A ROCK OF OFFENSE, AND HE WHO BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED.”

1 Corinthians 1:23 “but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness,”

John MacArthur writes a book called, “Hard to Believe: The high cost and infinite value of following Jesus.”

His point is that the message of Jesus is “hard to believe”
It requires self-denial, and repentance, and sacrifice
And therefore many today have not fully yielded to Jesus.

Instead they yield to a less offensive Jesus.
(A happy Jesus, a tolerant Jesus, a complacent Jesus)

THAT IS WHY WE ARE PREACHING THROUGH JOHN
I want you to see the Jesus of the Bible is hard to believe in
And He makes men stumble.

The Jesus of the Bible requires you to completely forsake you,
And to be crucified to the world, and to follow Him.

Luke 14:25-27 “Now large crowds were going along with Him; and He turned and said to them, “If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple. “Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.”
This is a difficult truth, and many will not listen to it.
It caused the Rich Young Ruler to go away sad.
It caused His hometown to reject Him.
It caused the religious elite to conspire against Him.

HOW ABOUT YOU?
Have you been crucified with Christ, or is it just too hard to believe?
I don’t want to give up my money…
I don’t want to give up my time…
I don’t want to go on some mission trip…

The lives of the non-believing are characterized by stumbling.
#2 SUPPRESSING
John 6:62-64a
“What then if you see the Son of Man ascending to where He was before? It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are Spirit and are life. But there are some of you who do not believe.”

Now it is obvious that the first characteristic of this crowd is stumbling.
They readily admitted to that.

However Jesus takes their hypocrisy a step further.
They weren’t just stumbling over truth, they were suppressing the truth.

I WANT YOU TO UNDERSTAND SOMETHING ABOUT LOST PEOPLE.
Every single person who is lost is suppressing the truth.

Now that is easy to see in a weekly church attendee.

Matthew 11:20-24 “Then He began to denounce the cities in which most of His miracles were done, because they did not repent. “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles had occurred in Tyre and Sidon which occurred in you, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. “Nevertheless I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you. “And you, Capernaum, will not be exalted to heaven, will you? You will descend to Hades; for if the miracles had occurred in Sodom which occurred in you, it would have remained to this day. “Nevertheless I say to you that it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for you.”

Or take for an example those religious folk that crucified Jesus.
DID THEY DO IT BECAUSE THEY JUST DIDN’T KNOW?

Luke 22:70-71 “And they all said, “Are You the Son of God, then?” And He said to them, “Yes, I am.” Then they said, “What further need do we have of testimony? For we have heard it ourselves from His own mouth.”

We see this all over America.
People have heard the message of Jesus, but they act like it isn’t true.

Some even claim that they believe it and suppress it.
Titus 1:16 “They profess to know God, but by their deeds they deny Him, being detestable and disobedient and worthless for any good deed.”

But I want you to know that every lost person is suppressing the truth.
BUT WHAT ABOUT THOSE WHO HAVE NEVER HEARD?

Romans 1:16-25 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “BUT THE RIGHTEOUS man SHALL LIVE BY FAITH.” For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures. Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them. For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.”

I walked around China.
They are a land that teaches atheism to their children, and yet I have never seen a land with more idols in it, than in China.

They are a people who have never heard of Jesus, and yet they all seem to know who Buddha and Muhammad are.

You see God has made truth evident, but if a person persists in darkness, it is because they are unwilling to see it.

WHY?
“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness.”

They don’t want to have to depart from the sin that they love.

It doesn’t matter how much truth a person is given,
If they aren’t willing to listen to a little truth,
They will not be willing to listen to a lot of it.
Which is why Jesus asked, “What then if you see the Son of Man ascending to where He was before?”

Of course the answer to that question is still “NO”.
For look at what Jesus says next.
“It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are Spirit and are life. But there are some of you who do not believe.”
They had everything they needed to come to Jesus, but they refused.

DO YOU REMEMBER THE STORY OF THE RICH MAN AND LAZARUS?

Luke 16:23-31 “In Hades he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and saw Abraham far away and Lazarus in his bosom. “And he cried out and said, ‘ Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus so that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool off my tongue, for I am in agony in this flame.’ “But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that during your life you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus bad things; but now he is being comforted here, and you are in agony. ‘And besides all this, between us and you there is a great chasm fixed, so that those who wish to come over from here to you will not be able, and that none may cross over from there to us.’ “And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, that you send him to my father’s house — for I have five brothers — in order that he may warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’ “But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ “But he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent!’ “But he said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.'”

Men who are lost, are so because they suppress the truth.

SOME WOULD ARGUE, “THEN WHY GO ON MISSIONS?”
-if they have a testimony in creation
-if you can’t change their mind

Because some are crying out for truth, and God sends the answer
YOU

However, if a person is unwilling to see the truth,
No amount of preaching will change that.

Their lives are characterized by Stumbling, Suppressing
#3 SCHEMING
John 6:64b

DID YOU CATCH THE THIRD ATTRIBUTE OF THESE NON-BELIEVERS?
It is not enough that they don’t want to believe.
It is not enough that they don’t want to see it as truth.
THEY DON’T WANT ANYONE ELSE TO EITHER.

There are people all over our world who hate the truth,
And want it silenced.

Some will go to extreme measures (ACLU)
Some only do a little (gossip)

But the motivation is the same.
It is a hatred for the truth, and a desire to see it silenced.

Acts 4:13-18 “Now as they observed the confidence of Peter and John and understood that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed, and began to recognize them as having been with Jesus. And seeing the man who had been healed standing with them, they had nothing to say in reply. But when they had ordered them to leave the Council, they began to confer with one another, saying, “What shall we do with these men? For the fact that a noteworthy miracle has taken place through them is apparent to all who live in Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it. “But so that it will not spread any further among the people, let us warn them to speak no longer to any man in this name.” And when they had summoned them, they commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus.”

And there is a reason why lost people are like this with Jesus.
IT IS BECAUSE JESUS IS THE TRUTH

And you cannot simply disregard the truth.

The ACLU doesn’t fight against the tooth fairy.
Because that isn’t the truth, it disproves itself,
And they don’t have to do anything.

But when it comes to the truth,
You either have to fight it or submit to it.

That is why all who refused to yield to Jesus
Have declared themselves in opposition to Him.

Hebrews 6:4-6 “For in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame.”
You either cry HOLY or you cry CRUCIFY

Those who are lost are characterized by
STUMBLING, SUPPRESSING, and SCHEMING

And that prompts what Jesus says next.
Verse 65, “And He was saying, “For this reason I have said to you, that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted him from the Father.”

Men don’t come to Jesus on their own because:
The cross is scandalous; it causes people to stumble.

The light is irritating; it causes people to suppress it.

The truth is offensive; it causes people to scheme against it.

Jesus is a stumbling stone and a rock of offense to those who will not yield to the truth. Only God can change their heart.

But that doesn’t change the fact
That Jesus is the One you must come to.

Isaiah 28:14-18 “Therefore, hear the word of the LORD, O scoffers, Who rule this people who are in Jerusalem, Because you have said, “We have made a covenant with death, And with Sheol we have made a pact. The overwhelming scourge will not reach us when it passes by, For we have made falsehood our refuge and we have concealed ourselves with deception.” Therefore thus says the Lord GOD, “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a tested stone, A costly cornerstone for the foundation, firmly placed. He who believes in it will not be disturbed. “I will make justice the measuring line And righteousness the level; Then hail will sweep away the refuge of lies And the waters will overflow the secret place. “Your covenant with death will be canceled, And your pact with Sheol will not stand; When the overwhelming scourge passes through, Then you become its trampling place.”

It is Jesus that will either save or condemn every single man.
(THE LAMB’S BOOK OF LIFE IS ALL THAT MATTERS)

For some He is the Chief Cornerstone.
For others He is a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense.

For some He is the only way of salvation,
For others He is the One thing that keeps them from being saved.

JESUS WILL SAVE YOU, BUT
You must take up His cross and stop stumbling over it.
You must accept this truth is about you and stop suppressing it.
You must submit to the truth and stop fighting against it.

Luke 20:17-18 “But Jesus looked at them and said, “What then is this that is written: ‘THE STONE WHICH THE BUILDERS REJECTED, THIS BECAME THE CHIEF CORNER stone’? “Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces; but on whomever it falls, it will scatter him like dust.”

WHICH WILL YOU BE TODAY?

Will you fall broken on Jesus, or will Jesus break you by falling on you?
Is Jesus your rock of salvation, or the stone that makes you stumble?

1 Corinthians 1:22-24 “For indeed Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.”

Jesus, The Bread of Life

John 6:52-59

As you know, we have been studying the book of John
In search of the Biblical Jesus.

Most recently our search has found us in the sixth chapter of John
As Jesus is butting heads
With some of the hardest hearts you will find throughout the Bible.

Despite all He has done, they cannot and will not see past the temporal.
All they want is for Jesus to pull more rabbits out of His hat
And continue to feed them literal bread.

They just want their bellies full,
And because of that they are completely missing Jesus.

Their refusal to see the truth brought about
The first of 7 “I Am” statements of Jesus.

John 6:35 “Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst.”

As the Jews were desperately seeking more bread from Jesus,
He plainly tells them that He is the true satisfaction of their souls.

Of course you know that they would not see it.
Instead they began to challenge Him and question Him.

First they wanted to see a sign and then they allow their own human logic to supplant the truth and determine to remain blind.

This led Jesus to state the matter again.
John 6:51 “I am the living bread that came down out of heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread also which I will give for the life of the world is My flesh.”

But instead of submitting to the truth, they once again question it.

And so we see their 6th statement or question of the chapter.
Vs. 52, “Then the Jews began to argue with one another, saying, “How can this man give us His flesh to eat?”

You can hear it in their question.
They are doubting everything about what Jesus has said.

Not only do they doubt the ability of Jesus to feed them His flesh, But you can also hear them doubting their need for it.

“How can this man give us His flesh to eat?”

That’s a pretty good question we ought to deal with a second here.

In verse 53 Jesus says, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in yourselves.”

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO EAT THE FLESH AND DRINK THE BLOOD OF JESUS?

To eat the flesh and drink the blood of Jesus means to believe.

THEN WHY DOESN’T JESUS JUST SAY BELIEVE? WHY USE THIS RATHER GROTESQUE ANALOGY?

If you will remember, ever since feeding the 5,000,
This crowd has had tunnel vision.

They were so excited they wanted to make Him king.
Since that time, all they have done is badger Him for more bread.
They constantly wanted bread.
They constantly wanted Jesus to rain down miracle bread from heaven.
That was all they could think about.

Therefore Jesus took their own passions and made a comparison.
If they would seek Him like they seek bread…
If they would trust Him like they trust bread…
If they would accept Him like they accept bread…
Then they would have life.

The flesh of Jesus speaks of His humanity.
John 1:14 “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

Hebrews 2:14-15 “Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives.”

When we feast on the flesh of Jesus,
We are focusing on the fact that He became a human.

It is so important John would later say this:
1 John 4:2-3 “By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God; and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world.”

The blood of Jesus speaks of His life.
Leviticus 17:11 “For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood by reason of the life that makes atonement.’

Hebrews 9:22 “And according to the Law, one may almost say, all things are cleansed with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.”
To feast on Jesus flesh is to accept the fact that He became a man.
To drink His blood is to accept the life that was within Him.

But when you put the two together, it leads us to focus on the atoning sacrifice of Jesus to lay down His life in our stead.

To eat His flesh and drink His blood
Is to fully place your trust in the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross.

Hebrews 9:11-14 “But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation; and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?”
THE POINT JESUS IS MAKING IS THAT
IT IS NECESSARY TO ACCEPT THE SACRIFICE OF JESUS
It is necessary to identify with it.
It is necessary to focus on it.
It is necessary to submit to it.

And so as these Jews question Jesus in verse 52 by saying, “How can this man give us His flesh to eat?”

They don’t see the necessity of His sacrifice
So He points out to them and to us 5 truths about His atoning sacrifice.

I am going to show you 5 attributes about the sacrifice of Jesus
In hope that you will determine to feast on the body and blood of Jesus.

#1 THE SACRIFICE OF JESUS IS ESSENTIAL
John 6:53
He doesn’t so much tell them how good life will be with His sacrifice
As much as He shows them how bad life will be without it.

“unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in yourselves.”

This is a very important truth that all of humanity must grasp.
Humans in this world are literally dead men walking.

Without Jesus, even though the body may be alive,
The Spirit is 100% and completely dead.

Ephesians 2:1-3 “And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.”
They don’t recognize the things of the Spirit,
They don’t understand the things of the Spirit.

1 Corinthians 2:14 “But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.”

This is why it breaks my heart to hear people make statements like,
“I just don’t get anything out of that.”
“I just don’t see where God is working here.”

They are condemning themselves.
They are admitting that they do not recognize the things of the Spirit.
Though the body is alive, the soul is dead.

And every human without Jesus is in this condition.

Without the sacrifice of Jesus, man is literally a spiritual FRANKENSTEIN.

A lump of organs with no life.
“you have no life in yourselves.”

This makes the sacrifice of Jesus ESSENTIAL.
HOW CAN YOU HAVE LIFE WITHOUT IT?

Hebrews 10:26-27 “For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a terrifying expectation of judgment and THE FURY OF A FIRE WHICH WILL CONSUME THE ADVERSARIES.”

If you reject the sacrifice, what will you do?
John 14:6 “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.”

Acts 4:12 “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.”

Matthew 26:39 “And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.”
The sacrifice of Jesus is essential.
Your soul cannot have life apart from feasting upon it.

#2 THE SACRIFICE OF JESUS IS ETERNAL
John 6:54-55

Now you will notice what Jesus said here.
“He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood HAS eternal life, and I WILL raise him up on the last day.”

Once you feast upon the sacrifice, you immediately have eternal life.
Your dead soul has instantly become a living soul that will never die.

1 Corinthians 2:14-16 “But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised. But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no one. For WHO HAS KNOWN THE MIND OF THE LORD, THAT HE WILL INSTRUCT HIM? But we have the mind of Christ.”

Just as the soul is dead apart from the sacrifice of Jesus,
The soul that has received the sacrifice of Jesus is alive,
And will take part in the resurrection some day.

You can seek bread, but as we mentioned several weeks ago, bread doesn’t have the ability to give life. Bread can only sustain life.

But the sacrifice of Jesus gives life forever.
1 John 5:11 “And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.”

1 Peter 1:3-5 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”
And I really like what Jesus says next.
Because at this point, people could say, “So what?”
“Every religion promises eternal life”

I don’t know a single religion that doesn’t promise life after death.

WHY SHOULD WE BELIEVE THAT THE SACRIFICE OF JESUS IS ANY DIFFERENT?

Vs. 55, “For My flesh is TRUE food and My blood is TRUE drink.”

Jesus just took a shot at every other false religion in the world.
“Yeah I know Muhammad claims to have eternal life, but Mine is true.”
“Yeah I know Joseph Smith claims to have eternal life, but Mine is true”

I want you to realize something.
According to Jesus, there’s only One way to have eternal life

If Jesus is right, then everyone else is wrong.
If anyone else is right, then Jesus is wrong.
For Jesus claims absolute exclusivity.

SO WHAT IS IT THAT MAKES JESUS RIGHT AND EVERYONE ELSE WRONG?

Acts 2:22-24 “Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through Him in your midst, just as you yourselves know — this Man, delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death. “But God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power.”

Acts 2:32 “This Jesus God raised up again, to which we are all witnesses.”

Romans 1:4 “who was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead, according to the Spirit of holiness, Jesus Christ our Lord,”

When Jesus offers eternal life, we know He is true
Because He is the only to ever hang a “vacancy” sign on His own tomb.

The sacrifice of Jesus is the true feast.
Everything else is like eating wax fruit.

And that doesn’t just include false religions.
People in this world feast on all sorts of things other than Jesus.

People think money will do it, people think fame will do it, people think relationships will do it, but none of those things are true food or drink.

Isaiah 55:1-2 “Ho! Every one who thirsts, come to the waters; And you who have no money come, buy and eat. Come, buy wine and milk Without money and without cost. “Why do you spend money for what is not bread, And your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, And delight yourself in abundance.”

Only Jesus has the power to redeem a soul and give life eternal, Nothing else is true.

Psalms 49:5-9 “Why should I fear in days of adversity, When the iniquity of my foes surrounds me, Even those who trust in their wealth And boast in the abundance of their riches? No man can by any means redeem his brother Or give to God a ransom for him — For the redemption of his soul is costly, And he should cease trying forever — That he should live on eternally, That he should not undergo decay.”

The sacrifice of Jesus is essential The sacrifice of Jesus is eternal
#3 THE SACRIFICE OF JESUS IS ENJOYABLE
John 6:56

You say, “Preacher, I’ve seen The Passion of the Christ, there isn’t anything enjoyable about that at all.”

If I follow Jesus He says that I have to take up one of those crosses
And follow Him up that hill.
I DON’T THINK THAT WILL BE ENJOYABLE EITHER.

The Christian life is a struggle. The Christian life is a lesson in perseverance.
The Christian life is a marathon.
AND YOU KNOW, YOU ARE RIGHT.
Christianity can be very costly.

It cost me most of my friends.
It cost me all of my music.
At bare minimum it costs me 10% of my money every month.
Several times it has cost me my reputation.
It quite often costs me my comfort.
It often costs me my free time.
And I suspect that it could very likely cost me my physical life some day.

The sacrifice of Jesus is hard.
BUT LET ME TELL YOU.
If I had known before I took up the cross, what I know now,
I would have come to Him quicker.

The cost has been real, but it doesn’t even compare to the joy.
THE BENEFITS HAVE BEEN AMAZING.

And Jesus reveals two of them here.

Then Jesus says, you will abide in Me.
That means wherever Jesus is, we get to go.

Ephesians 2:4-7 “But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.”

That verse says I am seated in Christ in heaven.
I get to share on the benefits He receives.
HOW?
Through the Holy Spirit.

John 16:14-15 “He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you. “All things that the Father has are Mine; therefore I said that He takes of Mine and will disclose it to you.”

I get to enjoy the things that Jesus enjoys.
I get to rejoice when a soul gets saved.
I get to rejoice when God’s people worship Him.
I get to enjoy listening to God.
I get to enjoy communion with God.

When you abide in Jesus, the Bible promises joy.
John 15:4-11 “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. “If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned. “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. “My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples. “Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love. “If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. “These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.”

Not only do we abide in Jesus, but He abides in us.

“and I in him.”

Not only do I get to share in His benefits,
He willingly shares in my difficulties.
Colossians 1:26-27 “that is, the mystery which has been hidden from the past ages and generations, but has now been manifested to His saints, to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”

John 14:16-17 “I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you.”

CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?

You heard the song by Casting Crowns on the video last week.
“But the power of Christ in me, makes me strong.”

John 10:10 “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”

The sacrifice of Jesus may appear awful,
But I am here to testify that it is enjoyable.

The sacrifice of Jesus is essential. The sacrifice of Jesus is eternal.
The sacrifice of Jesus is enjoyable.
#4 THE SACRIFICE OF JESUS IS EFFECTIVE
John 6:57

I want you to know beyond a shadow of a doubt that
The sacrifice of Jesus works.

The feast of Jesus has the proper effect.
Sometimes we eat food here that does not have the proper effect.

The sacrifice of Jesus has the proper effect.
If you feast on His sacrifice, you WILL have eternal life.

HOW DO YOU KNOW?
Because the same power that worked to raise Jesus from the dead
Is the power that will give you eternal life.
“As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats Me, he also WILL LIVE BECAUSE OF ME.”

John 14:19 “After a little while the world will no longer see Me, but you will see Me; because I live, you will live also.”

Revelation 1:17-18 “When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. And He placed His right hand on me, saying, “Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades.”

Romans 8:10-11 “If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.”

The sacrifice of Jesus works, and it works every time.
It is that powerful.

The sacrifice of Jesus is essential The sacrifice of Jesus is eternal
The sacrifice of Jesus is enjoyable The sacrifice of Jesus is effective
#5 THE SACRIFICE OF JESUS IS EXCLUSIVE
John 6:58-59

It is by no mistake that by now Jesus has moved into the Synagogue.
It is by no mistake that by now Jesus is talking to the religious folk.

These same people who claimed to want a relationship with God
Could not see past their carnal desires for literal bread,

And so Jesus again makes the statement.
“This is the bread which came down out of heaven; not as the fathers ate and died, he who eats this bread will live forever.”

DID YOU CATCH THE POINT?

We are here this morning to partake in the Lord’s Supper,
But don’t for one second think this passage is about the Lord’s Supper.
IT IS NOT.

This passage, this sermon, this service, is not about the Lord’s Supper.
IT IS ABOUT JESUS.

(HOLD UP THE JUICE BOTTLE AND THE CRACKER BOX)

If you think that is what God wants from you,
You have missed the point completely.

That is exactly what the Jews wanted.
They could not see past the bread.

God does not want you to eat grape juice and crackers,
God wants you to feast upon the sacrifice of Jesus.

You could try to replace that with this Lord’s Supper,
But it won’t work,
Because the sacrifice of Jesus is EXCLUSIVE.

These Jews missed Jesus because they could not see past their own carnal hunger, and my oh my how that hits home today.
All over America there are people in pews who can’t see Jesus
All they can think about is lunch and filling their stomachs.

What God wants from you and from me is for us
To hunger for Jesus even more than we hunger for bread.

Matthew 5:6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.”

John 6:27 “Do not work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you, for on Him the Father, God, has set His seal.”
It is all about the sacrifice of Jesus.
That being said, this morning we are going to take the Lord’s Supper.
This is nothing more than an outward symbol
Of what should have already taken place in your heart.

If you have never fully surrendered to Jesus,
This ordinance is of absolutely no value to you.

That being said, we are about to have a time or preparation.
The Bible says not to take this ordinance lightly.

1 Corinthians 11:23-32 “For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which He was betrayed took bread; and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” In the same way He took the cup also after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes. Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner, shall be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord. But a man must examine himself, and in so doing he is to eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For he who eats and drinks, eats and drinks judgment to himself if he does not judge the body rightly. For this reason many among you are weak and sick, and a number sleep. But if we judged ourselves rightly, we would not be judged. But when we are judged, we are disciplined by the Lord so that we will not be condemned along with the world.”

WHY AM I HERE? WHY AM I DOING THIS?
AM I FULLY TRUSTING IN THE SACRIFICE OF JESUS?
It is a time to prepare ourselves to partake of the table of the Lord.
Deacons come forward and fold the blanket.

John 6:53-58 “So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in yourselves. “He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. “For My flesh is true food, and My blood is true drink. “He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. “As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats Me, he also will live because of Me. “This is the bread which came down out of heaven; not as the fathers ate and died; he who eats this bread will live forever.”

Give bread to deacons.
Deacon prayer & pass out the bread

1 Corinthians 11:23-24 “For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which He was betrayed took bread; and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”

Partake of the bread.

Hebrews 9:19-22 “For when every commandment had been spoken by Moses to all the people according to the Law, he took the blood of the calves and the goats, with water and scarlet wool and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, saying, “THIS IS THE BLOOD OF THE COVENANT WHICH GOD COMMANDED YOU.” And in the same way he sprinkled both the tabernacle and all the vessels of the ministry with the blood. And according to the Law, one may almost say, all things are cleansed with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.”

Give juice to deacons
Deacon prayer & pass out the juice

1 Corinthians 11:25 “In the same way He took the cup also after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”

Partake of the Juice.

Sing a parting hymn.

 

Jesus, The Discerning One

John 6:41-51

We’ve been studying the book of John in search of the Biblical Jesus. Who is the Jesus of the Bible?

Most recently we have been examining Jesus second sermon.

It all started one day when He was moved with compassion and fed a multitude of 5,000 men with just 5 loaves and 2 fish.

When they wanted to make Him King, He walked across the water.
JESUS MANIA SET IN.

The people were enamored with Jesus for all the wrong reasons,
And as they began to ask questions,
Jesus began to allow His sermon to unfold.

It started in verse 25.
Verse 25, “Rabbi, when did you get here?”

To that Jesus responded with His first point: FOCUS
Vs. 26-27, “Jesus answered them and said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. “Do not work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you, for on Him the Father, God, has set His seal.”

Jesus wanted them to focus on eternal things, not temporal things.

But the fact that Jesus used the word “work” caused them to miss the point.

Vs. 28, “Therefore they said to Him, “What shall we do, so that we may work the works of God?”

And that led to Jesus second point: FAITH
Vs. 29, “Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.”

God wants men to believe in Jesus, not try to earn their way in.

And at this point, the crowd understood Jesus point.
He was claiming to be the Messiah, but they would not believe it.

So that brought them to a third question.
Vs. 30-31, “So they said to Him, ” What then do You do for a sign, so that we may see, and believe You? What work do You perform? “Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘HE GAVE THEM BREAD OUT OF HEAVEN TO EAT.'”

And Jesus responded with His third point: FIGURE

Vs. 32-33, “Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread out of heaven, but it is My Father who gives you the true bread out of heaven. “For the bread of God is that which comes down out of heaven, and gives life to the world.”

They needed to seek the true bread, and not just the figure.

But again they missed the point.
Vs. 34, “Then they said to Him, “Lord, always give us this bread.”

Jesus was the bread of God right in front of their eyes,
And they couldn’t see it. They still wanted to literal physical bread.

And Jesus gave us the fourth point: FAMISHED
Vs. 35-36, “Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst. “But I said to you that you have seen Me, and yet do not believe.”

They were starving to death spiritually because all they could see was a temporal, selfish desire to have their bellies filled.

At this point, as Jesus gazed on their hardened hearts,
He gave us a mini-sermon that showed us His commitment to the Father, even when it seems like the Father’s plan isn’t working.

Even though this entire multitude had failed to “get it”
Jesus was still committed to the Father’s plan.

But in our text tonight,
We see that the crowd is not yet finished with their inquiries.
From this point on, we will see a tone change in the crowd.

They go from seeking the benefits of Jesus
To seeking how they can prove Him wrong.

So tonight, first we are going to see one of the major barriers that keeps people from believing in Jesus, and then we are going to see how Jesus ministered in the face of such a barrier.

Just as last week we saw that Jesus is the committed One, this week we learn another lesson from the example of Jesus.
And that is that Jesus is “The Discerning One.”

The work of Salvation was clear in His mind.

He knew what it took for people to get saved,
And He knew His role in their salvation.
This understanding allowed Him great confidence
In the face of an obstinate people.

After revealing that He is the bread that came down from heaven,
The crowd takes offense.

Vs. 41-42, “Therefore the Jews were grumbling about Him, because He said, “I am the bread that came down out of heaven.” They were saying, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does He now say, ‘ I have come down out of heaven’?”

It will help us to first see why these people won’t believe.
And we can sum it up in one word: LOGIC

Worldly logic is the enemy of faith.
All throughout the gospels, we see evidences of people who would not come to faith in Christ because they were too dependant upon their own logic.

John 7:48-49 “No one of the rulers or Pharisees has believed in Him, has he? “But this crowd which does not know the Law is accursed.”

Logic told them that majority and clout couldn’t be wrong.
We see this today.
(When I got fired at Crawford)
“I may not know him, but if Mike and Larry are that mad,
then there has to be something wrong.”

After Jesus healed the blind man and this blind man was put on trial they religious leaders gave four reasons why they would not believe in Jesus.

John 9:16-17 “Therefore some of the Pharisees were saying, “This man is not from God, because He does not keep the Sabbath.” But others were saying, “How can a man who is a sinner perform such signs?” And there was a division among them. So they said to the blind man again, “What do you say about Him, since He opened your eyes?” And he said, “He is a prophet.”

Here they logically concluded that because He didn’t respect their traditions they way they wanted them respected that He must be wrong.

John 9:24 “So a second time they called the man who had been blind, and said to him, “Give glory to God; we know that this man is a sinner.”

I like this excuse. But really, how did they know? They were willing to condemn Him based on hypothesis. People still do this today.

John 9:29 “We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where He is from.”

This is a really good one. Jesus didn’t have the proper training. We don’t know where He came from, or who taught Him, so He obviously can’t be trusted.

John 9:34 “They answered him, “You were born entirely in sins, and are you teaching us?” So they put him out.”

Here is another that people use. They fail to believe in Jesus because they can discredit those that witness about Him.

I was told by the underground church leaders that this is the #1 excuse they get from Chinese people not to believe. How can the westerner’s religion be so good when westerners have treated us so bad?

The point is that they allowed their logic to distort the truth.
Here in John 6 they won’t believe because they don’t see how a simple carpenter from Nazareth could actually be God.

Logic got in the way.
That is why the Bible says.
Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.”

LOGIC CAN BE A HUGE BARRIER TO SALVATION
Now don’t get me wrong,
I don’t have a problem with presenting facts to people.

Jesus certainly used logical facts as a means of evangelism.
Matthew 16:24-26 “Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?”

Paul also used logical facts.
Acts 18:1-4 “After these things he left Athens and went to Corinth. And he found a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, having recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to leave Rome. He came to them, and because he was of the same trade, he stayed with them and they were working, for by trade they were tent-makers. And he was reasoning in the synagogue every Sabbath and trying to persuade Jews and Greeks.”

There is nothing wrong with presenting facts to people,
But we must understand we will never prove anyone into the Kingdom of God.

1 Corinthians 1:18 “For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”

Man does not logically come to Christ.
You come by faith, not by sight.

That is why Jesus says what He does in verse 43.
“Jesus answered and said to them, “Do not grumble among yourselves.”

If their debating would have led them to salvation,
Certainly He would have encouraged it, but it doesn’t.

And here in our text, we see the 5th point of Jesus sermon: FOLLOW

JESUS IS NOT ASKING THEM TO DEBATE HIS EXISTANCE,
HE IS ASKING THEM TO FOLLOW THE LEADERSHIP OF GOD.

And we see Jesus miss an evangelistic pothole we often fall in.
We are often tempted to get down in the mud and wrestle with them.
BUT YOU WON’T FIND JESUS DOING THAT HERE.

What is the old adage? “You only have to wrestle with a pig in the mud for so long before you begin to realize that the pig is enjoying it.”

Matthew 7:6 “Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before swine, or they will trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.”

JESUS DOESN’T TAKE THEIR BAIT AND BEGIN ARGUING WITH THEM, INSTEAD HE REMINDS HIMSELF HOW SALVATION REALLY OCCURS.

If a person is going to be saved, it takes three things.
#1 THE SUMMONING OF THE SPIRIT
John 6:44

Salvation is the great work of God.
Psalms 3:8 “Salvation belongs to the LORD; Your blessing be upon Your people!”

Salvation is not ours to give. Salvation is not ours to offer.
We also have no power at all to lead a person there.

Flying back from China, I was allowed to speak with Nannon.
We talked a while, but I realized, if God isn’t tugging her heart, I will get nowhere.

So I stop and say, “Nannon, I’m just going to begin praying for you. Because I believe if God is big enough to save you, then He is big enough to tell you.”

There is no use arguing a point with a heart that is not being drawn.
“No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him.”

Without the conviction of the Holy Spirit,
You will never lead a person to Jesus.

In fact, this is why the Holy Spirit is so important.
John 16:7-15 “But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you. “And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment; concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me; and concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father and you no longer see Me; and concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged. “I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. “But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. “He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you. “All things that the Father has are Mine; therefore I said that He takes of Mine and will disclose it to you.”

It is important that you and I understand this
As we seek to win the lost to Jesus.

Remember Peter?
Matthew 16:13-17 “Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, He was asking His disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; but still others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.”

I can say this with 100% confidence.
I never met a truly saved person whose testimony did not include the moment when God confronted their heart.

One of the reasons we have so many phony Christians in our churches Is because our pews are full of people who were persuaded by their parents, or their friends, or their preachers to walk the aisle and pray a prayer. But there is no power in that.

NOW WHAT DO WE LEARN FROM THAT?

If we truly want to be effective in our witnessing to the lost,
We must be fully listening to the leadership of the Holy Spirit. You don’t evangelize on your own time table.

Just like a farmer can’t pick and choose when to harvest the grain
You don’t win souls to Jesus on your schedule, you do it on God’s.

The first person I ever led to Jesus was in the parking lot of my school when I was late for class.

The second person I ever led to Jesus was after being delayed at a gas station while trying to get home in time for a church meeting.

Very seldom has anyone ever come to Christ on my schedule.
It usually happens when I am busy doing something else,
Or when I am late, or when I am preoccupied.

If you want to lead people to Jesus
Then learn from Jesus and watch for where God is working.
Salvation requires the summoning of the Spirit
#2 THE SUBMISSION OF THE SINNER
John 6:45-47

In order to validate His claim that God must speak, Jesus quotes from the Old Testament where it was promised that God would speak.

And then Jesus makes a very crucial statement.
“Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me.”

If you don’t hear from the Father, you don’t come.
But also, if you don’t learn from the Father you don’t come.

If salvation is to occur in a person’s life,
They must first be drawn by the Spirit of God,
And then they must be obedient to that drawing.

John 5:24 “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.”

This is another area that is completely out of our hands.
We can’t save them if God doesn’t offer it,
And we can’t save them if they won’t submit.

We so often blow it in evangelism here.
God is drawing, and we try to submit for them.

1) We try to answer for them: (Tell them to repeat after me) HOW FOOLISH
2) Let them think that something less than what God is asking for is acceptable

Jesus didn’t. If they left, they left,
But they weren’t getting in without total submission.

Matthew 19:21-26 “Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” But when the young man heard this statement, he went away grieving; for he was one who owned much property. And Jesus said to His disciples, “Truly I say to you, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. “Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” When the disciples heard this, they were very astonished and said, “Then who can be saved?” And looking at them Jesus said to them, “With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

If salvation is to occur it requires the submission of the sinner to God.

But there is another crucial point to be made here.
Vs. 46-47, “Not that anyone has seen the Father, except the One who is from God; He has seen the Father. “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes has eternal life.”

What Jesus makes sure to remind us of here is that there is a mediator people must go through if they are to answer to God.

1 Timothy 2:5 “For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,”

This person must come to Jesus.
“he who believes has eternal life”

The point made here is simple.
If salvation is to occur, not only does God have to offer it, but the sinner must respond to God through Jesus on his own.

It requires the summoning of the Spirit
It requires the submission of the Sinner
#3 THE SACRIFICE OF THE SAVIOR
John 6:48-51

He reveals His part in the great work of salvation.

He is the sacrifice. He is the atonement.
Hebrews 9:22 “without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.”

There had to be someone to pay the price for sin.

And this is what Jesus says of Himself.
“I am the bread of life.” – I am the only One who can give life.

He is the provision of God for eternal life.
Vs. 50, “This is the bread which comes down out of heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die.”

Jesus is revealing His role in the salvation of man.
Vs. 51, “I am the living bread that came down out of heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread also which I will give for the life of the world is My flesh.”

If salvation was to occur, God had to draw men,
Men had to submit to God,
And Jesus had to pave the way through His shed blood.

Salvation is the great work of God.

But I do want you to understand.
This last verse is where Jesus outlines His role
In God’s great work of salvation.

Jesus role was to die for sinners.
While we are not a suitable substitute, we also have a role.

Romans 1:15-17 “So, for my part, I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome. For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “BUT THE RIGHTEOUS man SHALL LIVE BY FAITH.”

Jesus could have entered the argument, but He didn’t.
Jesus could have manipulated an answer, but He didn’t.
BECAUSE JESUS UNDERSTOOD HOW SALVATION WORKS

Salvation is the great work of God in the life of a sinner.
It only occurs when a sinner fully submits to God through Jesus After being summoned by the Spirit of God.

Salvation works when God draws a sinner
Salvation works when the sinner submits to God through Jesus

Our part is to share the gospel message on God’s time-table.

When we lose sight of this, we are tempted
To turn salvation into the work of the church.

Jesus reminded us that salvation is God’s job,
And we play a role when we are faithful to do our part.

I want to encourage you to be sensitive to what God is doing
It might not be in a familiar setting, but it might be the right setting.

John 5:19-20 “Therefore Jesus answered and was saying to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner. “For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself is doing; and the Father will show Him greater works than these, so that you will marvel.”