Chardon church of Christ

Seeking The Glory of The Father
John 7:1-19

INTRODUCTION: Good morning church. We're starting John 7 today. We're going to talk about seeking the glory of the Father. John's Gospel has been written so that we may believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. I think by now we have observed that John is not writing simply to say, I hope you believe in Jesus. He is using these events to invoke true belief in contrast to false belief.

There are many people who think they believe, who think they have a faith in Christ. To help us recognize the situation John has been teaching us what false belief looks like in contrast to true belief. We will see that again in this chapter where John shows us two states of unbelief, two situations of unbelief. At the same time, he is showing us the great faith of Christ and how that is seen in our true faith. John begins in this chapter with telling us that things are going south for the ministry of Jesus in terms of His reception in Jerusalem.

I. Evidence of Unbelief — Self-glorification. We will begin by reading John 7:1-5. “1. After this Jesus went about in Galilee. He would not go about in Judea, because the Jews were seeking to kill him. 2. Now the Jews' Feast of Booths was at hand. 3. So his brothers said to him, “Leave here and go to Judea, that your disciples also may see the works you are doing. 4. For no one works in secret if he seeks to be known openly. If you do these things, show yourself to the world.” 5. For not even his brothers believed in him.”

A. We notice in verse 1 that Jewish leaders have great hostility toward Jesus. We've seen that back in chapter 5 and we will note it again as we move through this chapter. What we are seeing is aggressive hostility, aggressive unbelief against Jesus. He can't even go to Judea now without persecution and an attempt on His life.
B. In verse 2 we are told the Jewish Feast of Booths was at hand, and His brothers told Him He should go to Judea and show the mighty works He was doing. If you do these things, show yourself to the world. We have two backdrops then, aggressive hostility and The Feast of Booths or Feast of Tabernacles.

1. Remember chapter 6 was set in the tone of the Passover feast and that colored our understanding about John’s writing in that chapter. We should now use the Feast of Tabernacles as the lens through which we look at this text. The Feast of Tabernacles is an eight-day feast, and what every family did was build a temporary structure, what we would probably think as a tent.
2. If you had a home that had access to the roof, which is typical, you might erect it on the roof. All of the male Jews would be coming to Jerusalem for this event. This is one of the three events where all the male Jews were to come to Jerusalem. The purpose was to remind them how they lived in the wilderness after being slaves in Egypt. How God had delivered them through the Exodus, through the Red Sea, how they'd come to Mount Sinai, and how they had dwelled in tents for those 40 years until they came into the promised land.
3. It also had an association with the harvest. It was in the fall after all the harvest was done. This was a time of reaping of all that they had planted. It marks the conclusion of the agricultural year, functioning as both a thanksgiving for the fall harvest and a spiritual reminder of the past. A remembrance of how they were nothing, they were in the desert in tents, had been slaves in Egypt, but God brought them to victory, to the promised land.
4. It was also a time of hope when the Messiah was going to come and fulfill the great promises to Israel. There were messianic overtones to the Feast of Tabernacles at this time. They're not just simply dwelling in tents and remembering the past, it was also a time of hope for the future, just as when they were in tents in the wilderness, they were hoping for the promised land, now they are in their tents waiting in hope for the Messiah who will liberate them and usher in the glorious kingdom.

C. That's why the brothers say what they say in verses 3 and 4. You need to go to Judea for the Feast of Tabernacles. Perhaps they thought it was the best time to prove Himself. Everybody's hoping for a Messiah. This is what we're looking forward to as we're in these tents and thinking about the hope of Israel to come. They suggested this now is the time to show Himself. Everybody's thinking about Messiah. Everybody's thinking about the kingdom.

1. His brothers are saying, “If you're the Messiah and you're doing the works of the Messiah, show everybody that you are the Messiah. There’s no better time than this.” It sounds like the brothers have great belief, right? Notice verse 5 though, and how John's couching all this. “For not even his brothers believed in him.”
2. That is staggering. I would expect that Mary would have told those boys about their older brother, yet, His brothers do not believe. They are not saying these things because they believe He truly is the Messiah, that He is the Christ who's come to save. There's a bit of mockery here perhaps. Go to Jerusalem and show yourself. Let's get this started.
3. What we are seeing is a type of unbelief. We are told in verse 1, about one form of unbelief – aggressive. If He goes to Jerusalem, the Jews are trying to kill Him. Here is passive unbelief. The brothers are not trying to get Him killed. They just don't believe anything He has to say. They're not believers. They're not going to follow Him. They're just kind of neutral to Him.
4. If you really are who you say you are, you ought to show it. Signs are a theme in John's Gospel. Show us a sign so that we'll believe. Everybody wants signs.

D. I think it's important for us to recognize that unbelief is not just simply being antagonistic to Christ. Unbelief is also not fully giving your life to Christ. There's no middle ground. If you are not fully believing in Christ, fully devoted to him, fully following him, you are in unbelief. We like to create a neutral middle ground, don’t we? I'm not against Christ, but I'm not dedicated to Him either. I'm just kind of alright with Him.

1. So are the brothers. The brothers are kind of alright with Him too. We have seen in chapter 1, the world does not believe. We see that Jesus has come to His own people, the Jews, and they do not believe. He has talked to His disciples and in chapter 6, many of them do not believe and they're leaving. We're seeing now that even His own family doesn't believe.
2. Most people do not believe, is what John wants us to see. John is showing us that unbelief is not simply being aggressively against Christ. It also is just simply not being for Christ passionately and devoutly.

II. Evidence of Unbelief — The World Does Not Hate Us. Look at the next few verses John 7:6-13 – “6. Jesus said to them, “My time has not yet come, but your time is always here. 7. The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify about it that its works are evil. 8. You go up to the feast. I am not going up to this feast, for my time has not yet fully come.” 9. After saying this, he remained in Galilee. 10. But after his brothers had gone up to the feast, then he also went up, not publicly but in private. 11. The Jews were looking for him at the feast, and saying, “Where is he?” 12. And there was much muttering about him among the people. While some said, “He is a good man,” others said, “No, he is leading the people astray.” 13. Yet for fear of the Jews no one spoke openly of him.”

A. The first thing we see is how Jesus responds to His brothers who were saying essentially; “you need to put your power on display. Capitalize on the moment. Show yourself.” Reminds us of the temptations that Satan gave to Jesus. What His brothers are doing is trying to get Jesus to prove who He is in a way that they can comprehend. Show them who you are. Bring glory to yourself.
B. Jesus responds, “My time has not yet come, but your time is always here.” In due time, Jesus would reveal Himself in Jerusalem, by means of His death and resurrection; but that would have to await for the time appointed by the Father. The true Passover Lamb would be sacrificed on Passover, not at the Feast of Tabernacles.

1. Jesus is saying that my purpose and my time is not for me, but to bring glory to the Father. That is powerful considering He's God. Think about that answer. It's not about when it's good for me. It's not my time because I'm on the Father's timetable. I'm on the Father's schedule. I'm not on my schedule. He's committed to the Father's will.
2. He's not about bringing attention to Himself because that's a symptom of unbelief. What a picture that is for us. Unfortunately, with us it is often about bringing glory to ourselves. Jesus is teaching us with a powerful example.

C. Then He says in verse 6, but your time is always here. Jesus says in verse 7. "The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify that its works are evil."

1. In this picture of unbelief, we first see unbelief is all about me, not about the glory of God. Second, we see if the world doesn't hate us, that also is a picture of unbelief. He tells His brothers you can go to Jerusalem whenever you want. Your time is always there. You can do whatever you feel like, for the world doesn’t hate you.
2. What is being implied there? The world hates Me - because I'm testifying about the ways and the teachings of God and telling the world that its deeds are evil. What's implied? You're not. That's why you can safely go to Jerusalem. I must go on God's schedule not on My own schedule. The world hates me because I'm taking a stand and declaring that its works are evil. That's a powerful declaration to us because the scriptures repeatedly tell us we should expect the world to respond negatively to us.
3. We should not be surprised at that. I'm not sure why we keep being surprised. We do though. We keep being surprised that the world doesn't like what we're teaching, and they don't like the way we're living. They don't like the way we act either. Don't be surprised.
4. He's saying, brothers, the problem is you don't believe in Me. You'll do whatever you want to do. The world doesn't hate you. If you believed in Me, you would take a stand for the Word of God and declare that the world's deeds are evil.

D. We should also realize that this doesn't mean we're seeking persecution. It doesn't mean that we are intentionally inflammatory. It doesn't mean that we are caustic in our words. However, it does mean that we are going to teach the truth of God's word no matter the scenario, no matter the lack of political correctness or niceties that come with that. No, we're not seeking to generate anger or stir up wrath, yet we are going to tell people the way God says it.

1. If we fit in with the world, if we fit in with its teachings, with its thinking, with its words, Jesus says there's something wrong. There is absolutely something wrong.
2. Jesus says “the world hates me”. Why? “Because I take a stand against the world”. That is what we're called to do as well. We are to reflect the glory of God. To show people what is wrong with the world and what the teachings of Christ are. Representing Christ is going to bring about all kinds of hostility. Don't be surprised if the world hates you. They killed our Lord.
3. It's not going to go any better for us. I think, why am I getting such a negative reaction? Am I the only one? I just get mystified. Why is it that nobody likes what I'm saying? Why don't they like to hear messages of morality and virtue from God's word? Because the world hates that. Don't be surprised.
4. However, if we begin to mold our lives, mold our words, and mold our teachings to fit in with the ways of the world, we are exhibiting unbelief. We are showing we do not believe in the power of the word of God and what He has told us to do. Instead, we are going to adjust it.
5. I quickly turn away from speakers that try to “modernize” the word of God, bring it into the 21st century, and make it apply to today’s culture. God's word is timeless. We are to conform our words, our lives, and our thinking to the word of God. God is not outdated. We are out of place, and we need to get in line with His teachings.

E. Jesus is telling them, if you act like the world and speak like the world, no one is going to give you a problem based on your morality or lifestyle or words. However, when we speak like the very oracles of God, as Peter commands us to, and we take on a devotion toward God, try to model our lives on Christ and seek the glory of the Father -- there will be a reaction. People will not like it. We should expect that.

1. I would do a double check on myself if negativity doesn't happen though. We need to check if we're actually modeling our words and our lives to what Christ has taught us. We can say and believe we love Christ, but when we get in with the world with its pressures, we might mask that. Peter illustrated that for us during Jesus’ “trial”. That should not happen. We must always be representing Christ in all that we do.

III. Evidence of True Belief - That leads us to John 7:14-18. “14. About the middle of the feast Jesus went up into the temple and began teaching. 15. The Jews therefore marveled, saying, “How is it that this man has learning, when he has never studied?” 16. So Jesus answered them, “My teaching is not mine, but his who sent me. 17. If anyone's will is to do God's will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority. 18. The one who speaks on his own authority seeks his own glory; but the one who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true, and in him there is no falsehood.”

A. In the middle of the feast, Jesus goes into the temple and begins teaching. The Jews marveled, and I note a few things here. John uses the term “The Jews” to indicate religious leaders. The phrase “This man …” has the intention to place Jesus on a lower level than the rabbis and priests. Recall in John 3:2 Nicodemus having a higher opinion of Christ, referred to Him as "Rabbi". I also note the bigotry of their question that said in effect, "How could he know anything if he did not learn it from us?"

1. They can't believe how He teaches. He doesn't teach like everybody else. He teaches as if He possesses authority. What the teachers did back then is they would either quote Scripture or quote rabbis and say, rabbis so and so said this, and that's why I have this position. Jesus doesn't have to do that. When He speaks it is the authoritative word of God. Nobody can do that, and they're blown away by that. He doesn't have to cite anything. He's just teaching like He's God. No kidding, that's the whole point. He is God.
2. Jesus then says in verse 16, "My teaching is not mine, but he who sent me." Again, Jesus is turning things back to the Father. By this, Jesus claimed that His own words were the words of God. It was this quality of identifying His teachings as God's teachings that infuriated the leaders.

B. Verse 17 – “If anyone's will is to do God's will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority.” He gives them a test.

1. If you really want to do the will of God, you will recognize that it is God's will, and not my own, that I am proclaiming. You would see My authority coming from God. If you truly had the belief that God wants you to have, if you had true faith, your will in your life would not be your own will, it would be the Father's will. Your care and your concern would be exclusively to do God's will.
2. The source of knowing God's will is the Bible; reason, intelligence, experience, obedience, and love are some of the instruments by which true wisdom can be won from its sacred pages. Even more important than those instruments, is the human will - DESIRING to know the truth. Many accept blindly whatever teaching they received as a child without ever striving to know if it was really God's will that they learned.
3. I want us to see why that's so valuable. Being a disciple of Jesus is not about embracing certain ideas alone. It's not just saying, I shouldn't think this anymore, I should think like that, or I shouldn't believe that way anymore but this way. I need to pray more. Those things are good but that's not the entire scope of being a disciple. Discipleship is about converting our will so that it reflects the will of the father.
4. That is a powerful picture to us because we want life to be all about us. I think the human heart problem is we want our own will. We want to do what we want to do. Since we are empowered to run our own lives, go the direction that we want to go, we will live how we want to live, and we will speak how we want to speak. I want to have certain things, certain results and so I will take certain actions.

C. Jesus says, True believers do not do that. The will of true followers is the will of the Father. In fact, verse 18 amplifies it. “The one who speaks on his own authority seeks his own glory;…” People think it is all about me. My own power, my own will, my own comfort, my own desire, whatever is good for me, whatever works for me.

1. Jesus is saying that you are seeking the wrong thing, and that is a picture of unbelief. See how Jesus describes Himself in verse 18. “…but the one who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true, and in him there is no falsehood.”
2. We are inclined to seek our own glory. I want people to pay attention to me. I want respect. I want honor. I want people to think of me as something.
3. Jesus does not do that; He is directing all glory and all attention to the Father. What brings glory to the Father is the purpose of life. That is what should be our intention, and that is what will create in us the will to do the Father's will.
4. We are sinning because we are not seeking the glory of the Father. I am doing what I want to do. I am looking out for myself. I am looking out for my glory and that sends us down the wrong path. When I am seeking the glory of the Father, concerned about His will, that becomes guardrails in the road of life that I need to keep me on the right track. Discipleship, faith, true saving belief in Jesus Christ, is to seek the glory of the Father alone. Let me put it this way, we should love to see God glorified.
5. If Jesus, who as God deserved every ounce of honor, could have accepted the glory but deflected it to the Father, how much more we as servants should be seeking the glory of God?

Let me end with one thought then.

CONCLUSION:
How can we do this? How can we develop and increase our love for the Father's glory? If you reflect upon it for a minute, how do you develop a love for anything in life? How do you increase your love for anything? Be involved. To develop an appreciation for something, you learn about its details, practice it, and look for what makes it unique. This turns unfamiliar things into favorites.

One suggestion I found gives some steps you can follow to start appreciating something new:

• Learn a little bit about it. Find out how it works or why it was made. It is hard to care about something you do not understand.
• Look for the tiny details. Notice the unique parts.
• Give it time. Your brain needs time to get used to new things.
• Notice the effort. Think about the work that went into it. This helps you value something.
• Keep an open mind. Stop comparing it to things you already know. Let it be its own thing.

That's how we develop a love for the glory of the Father. Spend time gazing upon His goodness. Study how good He is and spend time with others who are doing that. It helps to be in a class with other people. Don’t be involved in isolation.

That's what we're doing. We are coming together and appreciating the glory of the Father and we are studying it. When you expose yourself to it, and allow that exposure to your heart, you'll see transformation. God's word is powerful. You will find a love that seeks the glory of the Father. Not our own glory, not somebody else's glory.

The invitation is to come to Jesus and see the glory of the Father and give Him the honor and the praise that He deserves. You do that with a life of full submission and full of love for His son, Jesus Christ. He sent His son to reveal the will of the Father. No one has ever seen the Father, but His Son was sent so that we could see God.

To appreciate that, and let it soak that in, dwell on Him, and read about Him. It will change your life. When you recognize that you need to have true belief, true faith, then turn away from a life of sin, away from a life of self-glory. Now is a time to live for God and take the steps to receive God's grace. Take that walk with him.

Now you have true belief. Now you can turn away from your sins. Now truly confess that Jesus is the son of God, and He will be the Lord of your life, and you will obey him. Be immersed in water to have your sins washed away.

Enter into that relationship so you can have the great hope of being with the Father in heaven eternally. What a great hope and motivation that we have, to go home and be with our God.

Won't you come now..

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Reference: Brent Kercheville, James Burton Coffman

Responding to The Bread of Life
John 6:60-71

INTRODUCTION: Good morning church. A quick review of where we are in John 6.
We're at a point in John's Gospel where we have been reading of the light coming into the world, light revealing itself to darkness, and darkness not receiving it, not comprehending it, and rejecting it. That has been the thesis of John's Gospel. As we saw in chapter 1, He came to His own and His own did not receive Him. We have seen that illustrated throughout this section in John 6. After the miracle of the feeding of the 5,000, the people seek Him with only selfish motivation, the physical motivation of having their bellies filled.

At this point many disciples are turning away from Jesus, and it is not just the hard-hearted people that are rejecting Him. Even disciples who have been following Jesus are turning away. Why are these disciples turning away? What has happened to cause them to turn from following Jesus? We are going to look at John 6:60-71 and consider why these disciples are leaving and the warning for us.

John 6:60-71. “60. When many of his disciples heard it, they said, “This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?” 61. But Jesus, knowing in himself that his disciples were grumbling about this, said to them, “Do you take offense at this? 62. Then what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? 63. It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. 64. But there are some of you who do not believe.” (For Jesus knew from the beginning who those were who did not believe, and who it was who would betray him.) 65. And he said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.”
66.After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him. 67. So Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you want to go away as well?” 68. Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, 69. and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.” 70. Jesus answered them, “Did I not choose you, the twelve? And yet one of you is a devil.” 71. He spoke of Judas the son of Simon Iscariot, for he, one of the twelve, was going to betray him.”[ESV] We will look at this final scene in the chapter that spends time on the bread of life, and we're going to notice two aspects.

I. Reaction of the False Disciples - The first aspect that we're going to notice is the reaction of the false disciples. We have seen in this story how there is a mirror to the wilderness wandering.

A. Jesus made the parallel that - I am the true bread that has come down from heaven. I am the one who gives you true life. Those who were in the wilderness, ate the manna and they died in the wilderness. Another parallel that is just as strong is the reaction of the people. Grumbling. There has been disputing and grumbling.

1. We saw in verse 41, the Jews are grumbling about what Jesus said, that He is the bread of life that has come down from heaven. It happens again in verse 61. Jesus knows within Himself that His disciples are also grumbling. They say in verse 60. “This is a hard saying and who can listen to it?”
2. What they are saying is not… Jesus just said something that I do not comprehend. -- What they're saying is what Jesus just taught is unacceptable. We do not receive what He has just told us. The reason why we know that is because of Jesus' response to it. He says, “Do you take offense at this?”
3. They understood exactly what Jesus is saying. The problem is they don't like what He's saying. Do you take offense at this? Is this a problem for you? Is this too difficult for you to recognize and accept Me as the bread of life?

B. Recognize what Jesus is doing here. Jesus has been, throughout this chapter, underlining what the true call of discipleship looks like. Jesus has repeatedly shown that you are not able to casually seek Him to simply consume the blessings that He has to offer.

1. That's how this all started. These people have come looking for Jesus because they want Him to feed them again. Jesus simply will not cave into that because their motive, their heart is wrong. They are not seeking Him for the right reason.
2. He is showing that being a disciple is not simply just looking for Jesus and enjoying His blessings. True discipleship is not about obeying the part of what Jesus is saying that you like, and then disregarding and ignoring the things He says that you don't like.
3. Jesus has said, unless you eat my flesh and drink my blood, you're not going to inherit eternal life. You're not going to be part of the kingdom of God. You're not going to be raised up on the last day. He has taught that our lives are to be consumed with Christ, that we are to eat, drink, breathe, live Christ, that everything about us is all about Christ. People say that's too much. What you have called for us to do is unacceptable. Jesus is showing that true discipleship is not about obeying the laws we like and disregarding the laws that we don't like.
4. It seems to me that many people today think that is the way Christianity is. Find the church where you like the rules they keep, the preaching is easy, and then go there, and you'll be happy. If you don't like what they say, that's OK too. Just find someplace else where they have what you like. That is not how discipleship works. You don't get to pick and choose how you follow Him. We are seeing in this that discipleship is not just saying you're a follower.

C. These people seem to be disciples. The text even calls them disciples. How long have they been following Jesus? We don't know, but here they are simply different than the rest of the group. They are not unbelievers. They are not of the world. They have been following him. They've been listening to him. They have seen the miracles.

1. Yet, we see that simply saying that we are a follower and belonging to a group of disciples does not make us a disciple. What Jesus says here is going to thin the herd in a hurry as many turn away. Jesus is looking for faith. He's looking for trust, obedience, love, and service. Even in the face of challenging teachings and the difficult concepts that He would give.
2. In the scriptures we sometimes highlight the things that are important to us. We tend to focus on the things that are easy for us. However to talk about things that are difficult and zero in on texts that give us trouble, that point out our sins, that is hard. Both Mark and I find we profit the most when we work on lessons that are more difficult.
3. Also, it's important for us to recognize that Jesus is calling us to have Him as the only answer. He is the bread of life, even when what He says is not popular, is seemingly unacceptable, and is very difficult to obey. There's a lot of things that Jesus tells us to do that are very difficult. Things like forsaking your father and your mother, putting Christ first and leaving all else behind. Very difficult things, and yet this is the call for true disciples.

D. Here is the picture of disciples who do not accept what Jesus is saying. With Jesus response in verse 61, John clues us in with some interesting information. “But Jesus, knowing in himself that his disciples were grumbling about this, said to them, “Do you take offense at this?” I recall that in John 2:23-25 we read; many believed in his name when they saw the signs that he was doing. But Jesus on his part did not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people. He knows they're not true disciples. This is another group where He knows what is in their hearts, and He does not entrust Himself to them.

1. Jesus does not simplify His message. He does not water down His teaching to make sure that these disciples don't leave. The message is the message. The results of that message are what they are. I love how He says it at verse 62, “Do you take offense at this? Then what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before?” You think it's hard to consider Jesus as the bread of life, how about Him being the eternal divine God? Watching Him return to the very place where He belongs, and sitting down on the throne that He deserves, and taking up the glory that is rightly due to Him. He makes it more difficult. Rather than simplifying the message, He is trying to break through our spiritual dullness.
2. In verse 63 Jesus explains why His disciples are turning away from Him. He says, “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all.” Here's the reason why you're turning away from me. You don't understand what it means to be a disciple. The flesh is of no help at all in this matter. It is about the Spirit who gives life. We recall earlier in this chapter that He's expressed this idea twice. In John 6:28. “Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.”” What are the works that we need to be doing? Here's the work of God, believe in Him whom He sent, believe in Jesus.
3. Then again in verse 44, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up on the last day.” Now He gives a similar statement. The Spirit is what gives life. The flesh is of no help at all. He's trying to help them see what they are lacking, and I believe He is referencing Ezekiel 36.

E. If you put a marker in John 6 and turn to Ezekiel 36, I’m going to look at a couple of verses, but I think the whole paragraph is important.

1. The context in Ezekiel 36 is a declaration of the wickedness of the people. You can look back to verse 17, where He speaks of how they've defiled the land with their sins and their wicked ways. God says, now because of your sins, here's what I'm going to do. It is not because you are good people deserving of anything, but for My own sake. You see that in verse 21.
2. Then continue reading at verse 22 and I’m not going to read this entire text because of time constraints.
3. In verse 22-23 God begins with; this isn't about you. This is about God. God's name must be vindicated, and God's holiness must be seen. You've desecrated My name with your sins, and I'm going to act for My namesake and not for you.
4. Continue to read the powerful message Ezekiel gives in verses 24-32.

F. Thinking about what Jesus is doing in John and what is here in Ezekiel, we see the concept of the spirit being put within people. An extremely rare concept in the Old Testament. Note the message, particularly from verses Ezekiel 36:27-28 where God says, I'm going to put a new heart in these people. There's going to be a new heart and a new spirit within them.

1. We also notice in verse 27, that God says He would cause His people to walk in His statues. What God is going to do is put His laws in their hearts and cause them to obey Him. This is going lead to a whole new, different kind of people, not like the people that He's dealing with in Ezekiel.
2. God is going to do something resulting in a new heart in these people, a new spirit will be within them, His laws will be on their hearts, and it will cause them to walk in His ways. Think about that along with what we're reading in John 6. The Scriptures indicate many times that we're not going to find life by simply willing the flesh to “do” the law.
3. Why do we have the idea that if we tried a little harder, we'd be able to obey all the laws of God? The Old Testament has given us a record of how that doesn't work. Part of what the law of Moses does is show we can't keep it perfectly. We should, but we don't. Hebrews 8:7-8. “For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion to look for a second.” What was the fault? “For he finds fault with them…” verse 8. The problem is us. The problem is we don't do it.

a) The problem is we listen to our flesh. Our flesh does not want to do the will of God. Our flesh wants to do the will of the world, the will of Satan, the will of sin. We have a problem. We come to Christ and then say; isn't it wonderful that Christ has saved us? Now perfectly obey the law.
b) That's a great ideal, something to strive for, but it's not going to happen. It didn't happen before, and it's not going to happen now. Something radical must take place that goes beyond just saying, okay, today I'm going to obey the law of God.
c) If that's all that is needed, then why are we failing so much and so often? Because we have a flesh problem. The Spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. Paul in the book of Romans talks about the war that goes on within us and the issues that stand before us. I think this is exactly what it means in verse 63 when it says, it is the Spirit who gives life, the flesh is no help at all. It's recognizing where we stand. We need God's intervention.

G. Jesus is talking to Jews who are coming from the law of Moses who think that they are good, righteous, moral people. They're doing A-OK, and they don't need a Savior. But they are not ok. They, and we, need God to intervene. What Jesus is teaching here is valuable. He says it is the Spirit who gives life. Think about what Ezekiel said. What is going to happen? I'm going to have a new group of people in this new covenant.

1. These people are going to have a heart that is responsive to the laws of God. They are going to listen to what God has to say so that God will be able to etch His laws onto their heart. These people in the old covenant haven't done that. They have not been listening to God. They have not been responsive to God and their sins are filled to the uttermost.
2. Imagine if you were there in the days of the law of Moses and under that covenant, how is that going to happen? What is God going to do that's going to radically change everything so that we will obey? So that we will have His law on our hearts and we will follow Him? Verse 63 gives the answer. “The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.” That is a powerful statement.
3. Jesus says, “The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.” my words are spirit and life. Christ was going to come and teach the ways of God and exemplify the laws and ways of God and act in such a way so that we will be compelled to want to follow Him. It's the essence of the cross.

H. Every week we look at the cross and think about what He's done. We remember, and that is such a massive motivation. It's no longer we'll do the law because God said to do the law. That's pretty hard. Just do it. Okay, but I fail constantly.

1. What is going to be the transforming act that would cause me to want to obey God's law? Christ is. His love, His death, His resurrection, and in particular what Jesus is highlighting here, His words. Ezekiel says God's going to put His spirit in His people. How's God going to put His spirit in His people? Magically? Mystically? No. Jesus gives a clear answer. By His teachings. My words are spirit and life.
2. Never underestimate the power of the words of Christ. We need to let the words of Jesus rest in our heart. Meditate on them, focus on them, so that we will desire Him and want to consume our lives with Him. This is the means that God has given. We know that when you tell people - what you need to do is read your Bible more, that usually is turn-off. But it is the answer to; What do I need to have deeper faith? What do I need to do to draw closer to God? What do I need to do to feel like I'm in His graces? What do I need to do to experience His mercy? What do I need to do to be part of His grace? What do I need to do to experience the Kingdom of God? – His words are spirit and life.
3. People don't often like that answer. We want magic pills or a list of, do this, say this, act like that, and it will all be easier. Throughout this chapter, God is underlining over and over again the way that you belong to Christ, have a relationship with the Father and participate in His Kingdom, is to consume the bread of life and that life comes through His Word. That is how God writes on your hearts.

I. The more you learn about Him and grasp His love, listening to what He has to say, the more you will be compelled to follow Him. It will no longer be simply; there's the rules I've got to keep the rules. Rule keeping does not work with human beings very well.

1. What's going to change? God is going to display His immense love through His Son on the cross and reveal the amazing message of grace to radically change people's lives to desire Him and follow Him. If we do not have this love to consume him, then it shows that we are merely practicing external righteousness which does not give life. Jesus and His words alone give life.
2. False disciples of Jesus do not cling to God’s word. They do not recognize how wonderful it is to consume Christ. If we do not respond to the bread of life by desiring him, consuming him, and having His law in our heart, then we are not true disciples but false. The words of Jesus are the vehicle of the transformation of the heart from stone to flesh that gives us life and spirit.
3. If we're not desiring God, not consuming Him, and if our life is not wrapped up in Him, desiring His laws, desiring to learn about Him and consume all that He has to say, it is an enormous red flag for discipleship. We may think and say we are a follower of Him but simply practicing external righteousness, without the heart that seeks Him and desires Him and loves Him - will not bring us life. We cannot turn what Christ has done for us into simply saying, if I do X, Y, and Z, I'm A-OK.

J. That's what this is about and Jesus highlights this in John 6:65-64.

1. First reading verse 65. “And he said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.”” He said that in verse 44. It's not going to be possible for us to come to Christ unless the Father does something. Then shows how are we drawn by the Father to Christ. They will all be taught by God. Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me.
2. We need God to give us a solution, and that is Christ, in Christ's sacrifice, and in His words. It is the Word of God that does it. Look at verse 64. “But there are some of you who do not believe…” John then explains; “For Jesus knew from the beginning who those were who did not believe, and who it was who would betray him.” Judas. What made Judas different from the rest of the apostles? Why talk about him right now? We are talking about false and true disciples.
3. Judas heard the teachings of Christ, just like the other 11. He saw the miracles of Christ. How could Judas do what he did? He was right there.
4. He did not allow himself to be taught by God. There is a way to hear the message of Christ, hear His words, and yet it will do absolutely nothing to our lives. It can just be words on a page, and it doesn't penetrate the heart. Think of the parable of the different types of soil.
5. The Word of God is seed that's being cast everywhere, and it in those who are the good soil where it begins to sprout and grow and bring in the fruit. Judas listened, He's seen, but he hasn't been taught by God. He hasn't allowed it to become transformative to him, and the point in verse 66 is the same. “After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him.”

K. A grave warning to us. Is consuming Christ too much to ask? The disciples that leave say; Who can listen to this? It's too difficult. Who can receive what He's just taught? The answer is… many cannot. This is a serious challenge. What they wanted, Jesus was not going to give. They wanted things to be easy. They wanted the physical. What Jesus is willing to offer, they won't receive. He wants to give them life, and they will not take it.

II. Reaction of True Disciples – The second aspect we look at is the reaction of the true disciples. Verse 67, “So Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you want to go away as well?”” Imagine watching this throng of disciples all just quitting and walking away. I wonder what the twelve felt like as they watched this enormous crowd just dwindle down.

A. Jesus is asking, has My call for discipleship been too difficult for you too? I love Peter's response. Verse 68. “… “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.””
B. Peter's answer. Where are we going to find eternal life but in you? Who are we going to turn to but you? It doesn't matter how challenging Jesus is. There's nowhere else to go. What a great statement that Peter makes. He understands exactly where he stands. I know they're all leaving Lord, but you have the words of life. Where else are we going to go? Your words give life transformation. Your words give us hope. Where are we going to turn? – We must believe that truth. There is nowhere else to go but Christ.

CONCLUSION:
We are looking at the distinction between the false disciples and the true disciples. What can we do to see Jesus as the bread of life and let God write His law on our hearts?
First - we need more prayer. Pray to God for a softening of your heart. Prayer is so important to the Christian walk. Pray to God the words a father declared to Jesus. “I believe; help my unbelief” (Mark 9:24). Tell God your weaknesses and your struggles.

Second - what we've seen throughout this chapter is read the Word of God, but don't just read the Word of God. Read it with purpose. Read it with great intention. Take just a few verses, read them and think about them. Meditate on them. Pray about them. I suggest that is important to letting the Word of God into your heart. It is so easy to treat the Bible like a novel. Read it as fast as you can. Don't do that. Slow down.

Pick a Gospel and read through it slowly. Read a few verses and think about what is being said there. Don't just read over it, let it soak in. What does that mean? What is happening here? What is God trying to teach you? These are the things that God has given us for greater faith. Give yourself more time in prayer and give yourself more time in God's Word. You will deepen your faith.

His words bring us to faith, and His words help us grow. May we see that God has given us everything we need for life and godliness through a knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness.

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Reference Sermon: Brent Kercheville

Back to The Garden — Forever
Revelation. 22:1-5

What do you think about when you think about heaven?
I read the story of a little girl who was outside with her dad one night. The only lights were the dazzling stars in the sky. And she turned to her dad and said “If this the wrong side of heaven, and it’s so beautiful, what do you think the right side of heaven will look like?”

Now the book of Revelation tries to paint a picture of the beauty of heaven, it speaks of streets paved with gold, and gates and walls of precious stones and jewels. And the point of all that imagery was to help us understand that – heaven is going to be one of the coolest places you’ve ever seen.

Today, numerous songs we sing declare that same excitement: One of those songs is “I'm satisfied with
just a cottage below, a little silver and a little gold.
But in that city where the ransomed will shine.
I want a gold one that's silver lined.
(Chorus) I've got a mansion just over the hilltop,
in that bright land where we'll never grow old.
And some day yonder we will never more wander,
but walk on streets that are purest gold.”

When we hear songs like that - there’s something about the music and the words of those songs that declares:
HEAVEN IS A PLACE TO GET EXCITED ABOUT.

Revelation 22:1–5 reveals the end of the story — and it looks strikingly like the beginning. God restores what was lost in Eden, but greater, eternal, and unbreakable. Humanity is healed, creation is renewed, and God dwells with His people face to face.

1 “The river of the water of life, clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb.”
     • The river is a symbol of God’s life-giving presence
     • In Eden, a river watered the garden; here, it flows from God Himself
     • No barriers, no distance, no drought — pure, unfiltered life

2 “On each side of the river stood the tree of life… yielding fruit every month.”
     • Humanity was banished from the tree in Genesis
     • Now the tree is accessible, abundant, and eternal
     • Its fruit never runs out; its leaves bring healing to the nations
God doesn’t just forgive — He heals. He doesn’t just restore — He multiplies.

3 “No longer will there be any curse.”
     • The curse of Genesis 3 is fully reversed
     • No more decay, division, disease, or death
     • The world is finally as God intended
We live in a world still groaning, but Revelation promises the curse has an expiration date.

4 “They will see His face.”
     • The deepest longing of the human soul is fulfilled
     • No veil, no temple, no separation
     • God’s name on our foreheads means identity, belonging, and ownership
Heaven is not about a place — it’s about a Person.

5 “And they will reign for ever and ever.”
     • Humanity’s original calling (Genesis 1:26–28) is restored
     • Not passive existence, but active partnership with God
     • Eternal purpose, eternal joy, eternal authority
God doesn’t just save us from something — He saves us for something.

Revelation 22:1–5 is God’s final promise:
The story ends in life, not loss.
In healing, not hurt.
In glory, not grief.
Eden is not just restored — it is perfected.

A little 6-yr-old girl came home from VBS one day and excitedly said: “Mom, God’s so neat, and heaven’s so great. Could me and Gloria go there for a sleep-over on Saturday?”
That little girl understood what heaven’s all about – GOD’S NEAT… AND HEAVEN’S GONNA BE GREAT.
Now there are some people who don’t believe that. They say they believe Heaven will be boring, monotonous, and dreary.

A popular Irish Playwright named George Bernard Shaw, observed, “Heaven, as conventionally conceived, is a place so inane, so dull, so useless, so miserable, that nobody has ever ventured to describe a whole day in heaven…”

Revelation 19:1-7 tells us “After this I heard what seemed to be the loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, crying out, "Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God, for his judgments are true and just” …
And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who was seated on the throne, saying, "Amen. Hallelujah!" And from the throne came a voice saying, "Praise our God, all you his servants, you who fear him, small and great." Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out, "Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns.
Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready…”

People pay good money to go to concerts where things like that happen. Concerts where people are just jumping up and down with excitement.
I mean - that kind of thing is not boring… UNLESS you don’t like the music, or unless you don’t like who’s onstage.
There are many in the world today who aren’t going to like the music in heaven – because it’s all about Jesus and worshipping God. And they won’t like who’s onstage - because that would be Jesus. So, of course they’re going to be bored.
They’ll be bored out of their minds.

But, there’s going to be a lot more than singing & rejoicing going on in heaven.
Revelation 22:5 says that “(We) will see his face, and his name will be on (our) foreheads. And night will be no more. (We) will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be (our) light, and (we) will reign forever and ever.”
We’re going to REIGN, and that means we’re going to be doing SOMETHING. I don’t know what exactly WHAT we’ll be doing, but I’m pretty sure it’s gonna be enjoyable.

Back in the book of Genesis, we read that “The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, "You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die." Genesis 2:15-16

WHAT’S THAT SAYING?
It’s saying that God gave Adam and Eve work to do.
And God gave them the Garden of Eden … which was THEIR place to look after and to take care of.
In that Garden, they REIGNED as King and Queen.
Now, is that what’s going to happen in Heaven?
I don’t know. But I DO know this:
when God gave Adam and Eve a place to reign… it wasn’t boring. It was a time of joy and pleasure.
And when Jesus returns God promises we will REIGN, and that will be a time of joy and pleasure.

ILLUS: Randy Alcorn — wrote a book called Heaven … and he wrote “Our belief that Heaven will be boring betrays a heresy — that God is boring.
There’s no greater nonsense.
Our desire for pleasure and the experience of joy come directly from God’s hand. He made our taste buds, our adrenaline, our nerve endings, etc. which convey pleasure to our brains.
Likewise, our imaginations and our capacity for joy and excitement were made by the very God we accuse of being boring. Are we so arrogant as to imagine that human beings came up with the idea of having FUN?”
OF COURSE NOT!

There’s an old hymn that says “Heaven is WONDERFUL place, filled with glory and grace. I’m gonna see my Savior’s face, cause heaven is a wonderful place.”
And heaven’s going to be a wonderful place… partly because of what’s NOT going to be there; and partly because of what WILL be there!
So, what’s NOT going to be there in heaven?

Well, Revelation gives us a list.
Revelations 21:3-5
“I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.
He will wipe every tear from their eyes.
There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."
He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!"

We can keep a list of things he know WON’T be in heaven.
In heaven “there’ll be no more cancer. No more divorce.
No more rejection or loneliness. No more depression.
No more wheelchairs or pacemakers.
No more radiation or chemotherapy.
No more crosses along the side of the road.
No more child abuse. No more rape.
No more funeral homes or orphanages or nursing homes.
No more treatment centers. No more Pink slips or foreclosures. No more quarantines or face masks or social distancing.”
That’s a lot of stuff that’s NOT going to be going on in heaven.

Now, there’s going to be ONE thing in heaven that will make it all worthwhile.
BACK TO VERSES 3-5 of our TEXT
“The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads.
There will be no more night.
They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light.”

What’s going to be there in heaven? GOD!
The one thing that will make everything worthwhile in heaven will be God. He will be there waiting for us, and He’ll make EVERYTHING new!
Jesus said “Let not your hearts be troubled.” But why would we be troubled? Because this is a hard world… and it hurts to live here. But then Jesus goes on to say:
“Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms.
If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?
And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.” John 14:1-3

What Jesus was saying was this: I’m coming back for you.
And when I come, I’ll have a place prepared JUST FOR YOU.
One of the main themes of Revelation is this: God’s coming back. And He’s coming back for you.
And when He comes back you’re going to have everything you didn’t have on earth.

CLOSE: The story is told of the days when doctors visited their patients at home. It was obvious the patient didn’t have long to live and as the doctor was about to leave, the sick man called out to him: "Doctor, I am afraid to die.
Can you tell me what lies on the other side?"
The doctor was very quiet for a moment and then said, "I don’t know."
"You do not know?
You are a Christian and you do not know what is on the other side?"
The doctor’s hand was on the doorknob… and on the other side of the door there was the sound of scratching and whining. It was the doctor’s dog which he had brought with him. And as he opened the door the dog leaped into the room and jumped up on him…
and eagerly licked his face.
Suddenly the Doctor realized how to answer the man’s question.
"Did you see what my dog just did?
He’s never been in this room before.
He didn’t know what was inside. He just knew that I was here … and that was enough. When the door opened, he pushed through – excited that I was here.
Now, I know very little of what is on the other side of death, but I do know one thing: I know my Master is there, and that is enough. And when the door opens, I’m going in.”

Patience and Kindness

John 8:1-20

Good morning, I hope everybody's enjoying the weather. It's starting to get hot, so I should take advantage of it. It's been a cold June, and it's been annoying.

Over the spring, I had the opportunity to work with 6th graders in a math class at Eisenhower Intermediate School near Toledo, Ohio. This was one of my placements. During that time, I was told to make a lesson and instruct it with these students. I grouped them up and had them go through various activities. At one of these activities, there was a group of 6. They were all working on a problem.

The problem required them to get a tape measure, write down all their different heights, and find the answer to the question doing that. There was this one group of about 6 students, who was getting really heated. They were arguing, going back and forth about how to get the answer.

I tried not to step in unless it seemed like I really needed or they asked me a question. The arguments go on for a few minutes.

They ask Professor, Mr. Allen, will you come and help us out? I come over, and there's are two different camps that have different ideas on how to solve this question. I come over, and I see all of them are wrong. Not one of them is on the right track. They all are missing the mark and failing to answer the question right. I helped them out. That's just a good point that we are not just like those children.

We, as people, often are wrong. We will bicker and argue, do this and that, and we will often still not be close to the mark. Today, this sermon will be going over John 8:1-20 specifically.

If you'd like to turn to there, that is where the bulk of this sermon will be. To start, I will read verses 1-4.

Now, early in the morning, He came again into the temple, and all the people came to him. And He sat down and taught them. Then the scribes and the Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, they said to him, Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act.

The first thing that came to my mind when I was reading this passage was when Jesus was with the woman at the well in John 4. This was the Samaritan woman He had shown grace when He was talking to her, and it was very out of place because she was a Samaritan. He's not supposed to be seen with her, yet He was with her.

In verses John 4:16-18, it says, I have no husband, she replied. Jesus said to her, you are right when you say you have no husband. The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband.

What you have just said is quite true. This shows that Jesus, before this point in the Bible, had already dealt with adulterous women, women who were with men that were not their husband. He had already shown how He was going to act with these kind of women before. When He was with the woman at the well, He showed patience, kindness. He was not quick to condemn her. He merely pointed out her sin. And here in John 8, a group of men had brought Him a woman in a similar position.

Moving on, verses 5-6 say, Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. What do you say? This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus stopped, stooped down, and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear.

From what I can find, this is likely referencing Deuteronomy 17:1-7. What the Jews are telling Him is Moses' law.

That says, and it is told you, and you if hear of it, then you shall inquire diligently, and if it is indeed true and certain that such an abomination has been committed in Israel, then you shall bring out your gates that man or woman who has committed that wicked thing and shall stone to death that man or woman with stones. Whoever is deserving of death shall be put to death on the testimony of two or three witnesses. He shall not be put to death on the testimony of one. The hands of the witness shall be the first against him to put him to death, and afterwards the hands of all the people. So you shall put away the evil among you.

This shows what the old law commanded. You have more than one witness to put to death people that do these types of sins, adultery, idol worship, the old law was ruthless and clear. Destroy the sin from your society. That is why God flooded the world, or just why He decimated Sodom and Gomorrah for their transgressions, so should His people destroy the sin.

Let's move on. Verses 8 through 9 say, so when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first. And again, He stooped down and wrote on the ground, Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest, even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.

None of them threw stones. Why? In Deuteronomy it's very clear we should be stoning these people. They should be killed for their transgressions.

Let's quickly look at Matthew 7:1-5. When all the time there is a plank in your own, you hypocrite. First take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from others.

This is not too dissimilar to those children who were bickering and arguing and calling each other names because they thought they were right and their other classmates were wrong. Are we, like those little kids when we were pointing our fingers at our fellow man. How horrible of you to commit this sin. How awful of you to do this thing. That same finger could be turned around and pointed at you.

In Romans 3:23 it says, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. That is all. It is very clear. All of us have fallen short. Imagine one day the Cleveland Browns called you and asked you if you wanted to be their new GM. Or a restaurant asked you to come in and be their chef. I don't know about you, but I have no idea how to run either of those things. I'm not qualified to do that. How am I qualified to do those things when I have no idea? None of us have any idea on how to go through life in a pure and perfect way by ourselves.

Let’s move on again, to verses 10-11, when Jesus had raised himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you? She said, no one, Lord. And Jesus said to her, neither do I condemn you. Go and sin no more.

Jesus did the same thing here that He did with the woman at the well.

He didn't deny her sin. He didn't say this didn't happen or you're not wrong for doing this thing, but He showed patience. He showed understanding. He showed that though you may have done this, there is hope for you yet. There is salvation. He asked her to go and commit no more sin.

I want to focus on something she said too. No one, Lord. She is acknowledging who He is. That is something many of the Jews that were coming to Him would not do as we will see later in this very chapter. They question Him and who He is, but this sinner, this adulterer, is the one that is clearly showing that she believes who He says He is. She believes what He says.

Let's look at John 3:16-21 real quick. For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him. Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.

This is the verdict. Light has come into the world, but people love darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates light and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by truth comes into the light so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.

Jesus did not come down here to stone each and every one of us for the sins we have committed. He has not come down here to set us afire and call in a great flood to wipe us all away. He has come here to save us. He has come here to wash away our sins in His blood. He has come here to take our punishment for us so that we might be saved and offer us the gift of life. When Jesus came to the earth, that old law, that old creed that stood, that told people to stone the adulterers was done.

All have sinned. If people don't come to him, they will be condemned regardless. Why would you want to rush it? Why do it now when you could give those people time and they could be saved?

Moving on to verse 12. Then Jesus spoke to them again saying, I am the light of the world. He who follows me shall not walk in darkness but have the light of life.

Verse 13 says, the Pharisees therefore said to him, you bear witness of yourself. Your witness is not true. He bears witness of himself. He's the one saying these things. He's the one saying I am the son of God. How can we just believe your word? How can we take your word for truth and fact? How can we trust you? Back in the Deuteronomy, it said do not convict someone with one witness. You need two or three. Jesus is not just one person. At this point in His life, He had already committed dozens of miracles. He had already turned water into wine. He had already healed many individuals.

Let's look to see how Jesus answered in verses 14 through 18. Jesus answered and said to them, Even if I bear witness of myself, my witness is true. For I know where I came from and where I am going, but you do not know where I come from and where I am going. You judged according to the flesh. I judged no one. And yet if I do judge, my judgment is true. For I am not alone, but I am with the Father who sent me. It is also written in your law that the testimony of two men is true. I am one who bears witness of myself and the Father who sent me bears witness to me. It's not just His word. It's not just His eyes that bear witness. As He says Himself, His Father bears witness as well.

Let's look back at verse 15. You judged according to the flesh. You judged based off your own earthly beliefs, based off your own earthly impulses. You were letting the flesh guide you, not the spirit, not the soul. Jesus said, I judged no one. I did not judge by the flesh, yet if I do judge, my judgment is true. Because He is with the Father. Jesus has made it clear at this point that He is the Son of God.

Moving on again, in verses 19 it says, then they said to Him, Where is your Father? Jesus answered you know neither me nor my Father. If you have known me, you have known my Father also. I wonder what Jesus felt at this moment. Do you think He was annoyed or confused by the question? Was He just tired of their constant redundancy because they keep asking the same thing over and over again. This isn't the first time He's been questioned like this. I'm quite sure this isn't the first time that these very people have asked this question.

Was it not made clear that He was the Son of God before this? When He had turned water into wine, when He had healed the lame? Were the miracles He performed in the Father's name not enough to satisfy?

Whenever I read passages like this one, I just think of all the Christmas movies I watched as a kid with Santa Claus. Where people would be like, Oh Santa, why don't you just show yourself to the world? Then everyone would believe in you. Then all their problems would be fixed. They would always respond with seeing is not the same as believing.

Many of these people that questioned Jesus in that time got to see these miracles, see His works firsthand. They bore witness to His greatness and who He was, yet they did not believe. They were the ones to cast the stones. I guess that just tells me that I must be diligent. Because if people who were there in that day could not overcome their own flesh, could not let go of their own earthly desires for the Lord that was standing right in front of them, how easy of a time will I as a sinner with just the Bible in front of me have as well? How diligent do I need to be to properly follow the Lord my God? Even the apostles struggled at points. Very much so.

Moving back to verse 20 says, These words Jesus spoke in the treasury as He taught in the temple, and no one laid hands on him, for His hour had not come yet.

I want to look at Joshua 1:9 real quick. It says, Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid. Do not be discouraged. For your Lord, your God, will be with you wherever you go. Jesus and the Lord will be with you as you go through life. Jesus knew He was safe here. He could keep on preaching, keep on saying His word, keep on professing the Lord's commands. He knew He'd be safe because He knew that the Lord was with Him and that it was not His time.

He knew He still had time on this earth. Do not be afraid as we go through life. Do not be afraid as we go through trials and tribulations.

We can be assured that God is with us. We may not be capable of making the right decision.

We may get into arguments. We may point each other and say, We are right. We have the answer. We have the solution. Then God will come around like I did to those sixth graders and say, No, you're both wrong. But with God in our ear, with God on our side, we have a guide and an advisor greater than any other. We will be wrong. If we listen to His word, to His testament, to His guidance, we can be confident that He will point us in the right direction. We can be confident that He will witness it all. When the time comes for us to stand before judgment, Jesus will stand with us proclaiming that we proclaimed His name.

I ask, If you have not come to the Lord in baptism, why wait any longer? He has already given you so much time, more than many others. Thankfully, this is not the day where if they found you guilty of a certain sin, they would stone you. You have more time than that. You have more time to come to him.

If you have not been baptized for the remission of your sins, I ask that you do not wait, that you come to the Lord. If you wait too long, it may be too late.

Feed On My Flesh
John 6:48-59

INTRODUCTION: Good morning church. John chapter 6. John has told us that his purpose in writing has been to instill true saving belief in the reader. We left off last time in John 6:47 where Jesus says, “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life.”[ESV] This is what John wants the reader to see.

John is also teaching us what false faith looks like. Our observation has included various people in encounters with Jesus, the Samaritan woman, Nicodemus and the paralyzed man at the pool.

Jesus is now in the synagogue at Capernaum. The crowds have come across the Sea of Galilee to be fed just like they had been fed miraculously the day before with the miracle that fed the 5000. Jesus tells them that He is the bread of life who has come down from heaven and the reason they do not come to Jesus is because the Father has not drawn them (6:44). In John 6:47-52 we're in the middle of this story as Jesus is having this discussion, and He has an audience that is full of unbelief. They are disputing against Him because of describing Himself as, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” For Him to have come down from heaven as the bread of life means He's the son of God. He is the Messiah.

I. Continuing Unbelief (John 6:48-52) – “48. I am the bread of life. 49. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. 50. This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. 51. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.” 52. The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?”” Let's stop there. This first section shows us the problem of continuing unbelief.

A. They still are not listening to what Jesus is saying as He continues to try to teach them. He's trying to bring them into a spiritual understanding, trying to get them to understand that the ultimate problem is their spiritual death. Notice how He words that in verse 51 – “If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever.” Obviously, He is not talking about physical life here.

1. If you will see Me as the bread of life, if you will understand who I am, you will have spiritual life, eternal life. You will live forever if you comprehend this.
2. He's trying to show them the superiority of who He is as “the bread of life” in contrast to what the Israelites received in the wilderness under Moses. Those people all died.

B. Let’s think about the wilderness for a moment. Why did the fathers who ate manna in the wilderness die? Obviously, they were going to die physically anyway. I don't care if they ate the manna in the wilderness or not, everybody is going to die at one point or another. Why they died in the wilderness is what Jesus is driving at.

1. I’m sure you remember the story. Read with me Hebrews 3:16-19, “For who were those who heard and yet rebelled? Was it not all those who left Egypt led by Moses? And with whom was he provoked for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, but to those who were disobedient? So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief.”
2. When we read the story of them in the wilderness what is the thing that we read about them doing over and over? They are complaining and grumbling.

a) They come to the Red Sea and complain - Moses, you took us the wrong way. We are all going to die out here. Then the miracle of the Red Sea.
b) What are we going to eat? We are in the middle of nowhere. Here comes the manna.
c) We are sick and tired of eating mana, here comes the quail. There is no water.

3. They are complaining constantly, why? Because they are filled with unbelief. They don't believe that God is going to provide what they need. Unbelief is why they are grumbling. We can make a couple of observations here.

II. Grumbling is a symptom of continuing unbelief – Back in verse 41, what are the people doing about Jesus? It says “So the Jews grumbled about Him…” Why are they grumbling? They are grumbling because of their unbelief.

A. John 6:36. “But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe.” John in his gospel continues to use imagery from Israel’s history recorded in the Old Testament to show Jesus is the Son of God. Here we see Israel is acting toward Jesus the exact same way it acted toward God when they were in the wilderness in the days of Moses.

1. The people are persisting in unbelief as seen in their grumbling and… the result will be the same. They will miss out on the life the Father is offering through Jesus.
2. Grumbling is symptomatic of unbelief because it shows that we do not have faith in God. It shows that we do not believe that God will provide, do not believe that God has our best interests at heart and that God is not paying attention to our circumstances. That is what we are saying to God when we grumble and complain.

B. Verse 51 sums up the message. Jesus is the living bread that came down from heaven. Jesus has said this more then once but now He is going to be very direct about what it means for Him to be the living bread. “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.” “And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.” Jesus is going to give His body as the means of life for the world. This throws the crowd completely out of sorts.
C. Verse 52. “The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?”” Every time Jesus gives a declaration in this chapter the response is; you've got to be kidding me. Here they do it again. How can He say that we're supposed to eat His flesh? Again, we are seeing the author showing us the lack of spiritual depth in this audience. Repeatedly throughout these six chapters we are observing people whose minds and hearts are in darkness, do not care about God and cannot receive what God is teaching because they're blinded by the world.
D. They're unwilling to think through what Jesus is saying. Jesus shows this in so many places.

1. We see that when we study the parables. Remember when the disciples come up to Jesus and say why do you always tell these parables? His response is “I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.”
2. Parables acted as a sort of spiritual filter. People with calloused hearts and preconceived notions could hear the literal story and dismiss it, while the humble would be drawn in and seek for deeper meaning. I'm seeing who is going to try to learn and understand what I'm saying.

E. Jesus does not explain Himself here in a way that makes this scene simpler. Verse 53. “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 you.”” Did that make it easier to understand?

1. Watch how it keeps going. “54. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. 55. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. 56. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. 57. As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me. 58. This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like the bread the fathers ate, and died. Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.” 59. Jesus said these things in the synagogue, as he taught at Capernaum.”
2. Did Jesus make it easier to understand? He just made it even harder and more challenging. They are continuing to take it at surface level, not thinking, not receiving, not listening to what Jesus is saying. Which leads us to our second observation.

III. Lack of spiritual seeking and spiritual depth - Our first observation was grumbling, complaining is symptomatic of continuing unbelief. A lack of spiritual seeking and a lack of spiritual depth - is also a symptom of continuing unbelief. The inability to want to dig in and try to figure out what Jesus is saying.

A. Sometimes people need the sledgehammer of the word of God to knock us out of this shallow, physical, material existence and perception and to open our eyes to something far bigger. Life is busy and at times intense, and focused on that, we are not seeing the greater thing. We're not seeing the spiritual plane. We're not listening to the word of God with spiritual ears and spiritual hearts.
B. We take scripture on the basic level of just the words and do not see what it is telling us, (often more plainly than we think), as an aggregate. God did not make His word so hard that people can not understand it, but it can be challenging.

1. Nicodemus, you must be born again. How can I go back into my mother's womb? Come on now Nicodemus, get off the physical plane here. Come up to the spiritual level and think this through.
2. Woman at the well. Wouldn't it be great to not ever have to take a bucket and go to get water out of the well? Come on lady, come on up to the spiritual level. We are talking about the fountain of living water.

C. There is an important lesson here before we continue. We learn that the goal is not to dumb down the scriptures and oversimplify everything God said. God’s word is challenging not because God makes things hard but because our hearts are spiritually dull. When we hear things that are hard or confusing, we should not give up but dig deeper. We should not want sermons dumbed down to watery mush.
D. We don’t want our Bible classes to be plain and basic. Jesus never did that. He never dumbed down God’s teaching. I know there are times when the teaching feels like it is over our heads. Don’t let that be discouraging but awe-inspiring and fill you with a desire to learn it. That is why I really like our type of bible class where everyone is involved and can ask questions about anything.

IV. What True Belief Looks Like (John 6:53-59) - Let's look at what Jesus means by all this because in this final section from verses 53 to 59, Jesus is now explaining what true belief looks like.

A. He's done it in a way that on the surface looks complicated. “… unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.” What do you mean by that? Far from modifying the startling metaphor Jesus had adopted, He extended and restated it dogmatically.

1. Taken literally, the passage would be cannibalistic and repulsive, therefore requiring a spiritual understanding of it.
2. What He's doing is showing symptoms of continuing unbelief. You're grumbling and complaining and you lack spiritual depth and insight when I'm trying to teach you these things.

B. Over the years many well-respected commentators have voiced differing views about these verses. One popular opinion is that Jesus is talking about the Lord’s Supper. We can quickly see why this would be an attractive interpretation. Eating His flesh and drinking His blood sounds very much like the memorial of the Lord’s Supper where we take the bread to remember Christ’s body and take the fruit of the vine to remember Christ’s blood that was shed to establish the new covenant. Others say that is not the case.
C. Let’s look at this idea for a moment. Jesus in these verses is referring to bread and saying I am the bread of life.

1. In Hebrew “bread” has two meanings. First a food composed of flour mixed with water and baked and second meaning is food of any kind. What does food do? It sustains life. We can readily see that He is comparing Himself as the bread of life with something we all know, food to support physical life. After all, they came to Him looking for more food as with the feeding of the 5000.
2. He also tells them to seek the food that endures for eternal life, and He says the Father gives you the true bread from heaven. The implication is this has something to do with the spiritual. Jesus is metaphorically comparing the food we take into our bodies which the body then uses to support physical life with Himself as spiritual food which supports our spiritual life unto eternity. Simplistically, and I think more accurately stated, we need food for physical life, and we need Christ for spiritual life.

D. Next, we see Jesus is using the idea for how we take in physical food to describe our need to take Him in. How do we take in spiritual food? To start with Peter writes in 1^st Peter 2:2, “like a newborn baby, desire the pure milk of the word. Nourished by it, you will grow into salvation,”. The Hebrews writer in Hebrews 5:13-14 says, “Everyone who lives on milk is not used to the word of righteousness, because they are babies. But solid food is for the mature, whose senses are trained by practice to distinguish between good and evil.”
E. Next let’s look at the Lord’s Supper. Jesus instituted this with His followers, “Jesus took bread, blessed it, broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, “Take and eat. This is my body.” He took a cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from this, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many so that their sins may be forgiven.” (Matthew 26:26f) And with the command “Do this in remembrance of me”.
F. In the 6th chapter of John Jesus is using the Metaphor of taking in food for physical sustenance to taking in Him for spiritual sustenance. In the Lord’s Supper Jesus is instituting for His followers, an ordinance to remember His sacrifice and death. You might say the first illustrates a need and the second is a reminder of what is accomplished by fulfilling that need.
G. He says in verse 53, “… unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.” The subject is still eating, still food and it is a spiritual subject. True faith is a life that is completely consumed by Christ. That's what He's simply expressing.
H. In verse 40, Jesus said that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in Him should have eternal life. Same construction when then He says here, whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life. Are these two different ideas? Not at all.

1. It is a metaphorical reference to the soul-saving benefit procured on behalf of the human family by Christ's atoning death on the cross and the shedding of His blood. The eating and drinking refer to the soul's proper appropriation of that benefit.
2. If you understood who I am, you would consume me. You would just eat, drink, breathe and live everything about Jesus because He is the one who will give you eternal life.

V. True Food - That's what verse 55 continues with. “My flesh is true food and my blood is true drink.” Jesus is truly what you need. He is what you need for living now. He is what you need for eternal life. He is what your soul needs. He is everything you need. He is that true food and for Jesus to say I'm the true food means there's no other food that's of any value or usefulness.

A. I thought about it like this, what would happen to us if all we ever ate were donuts? I mean besides the smile on our face that is. If all you ever ate were donuts, is that true food? It's food, but it is incomplete, and things are not likely to go well for you. It might be delicious and you might enjoy it, but your health is likely to suffer and, in the end, shorten your life. Yet, it is food.

1. There are all kinds of things in this world that are food. Jesus says I'm the true food. If you immerse yourself in all those other foods and all those other things that this world has to offer and you engage in that in this life, you might think you're satisfied just like eating donuts.
2. Eating donuts makes me happy and comfortable. I have joy from that, but it's not true food. Sooner or later, it's going to kill you. You're going down the wrong path.
3. Jesus comes along and says He is the bread of life that comes down from heaven. He says I'm the true food. There is nothing else but me. I'm the only thing that will satisfy your life. I'm the only thing that will give you life. I'm the only thing that will spare you from the disaster to come. Consume me. Follow me.

B. He is telling them to be immersed in Him. Eat, Drink, Live, and Breathe Jesus.

1. That's what true belief looks like. Verse 56 continues that. “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in them.” This is a great picture. It shows you are in a relationship.
2. Jesus told them earlier that the reason they could not believe was because the father had not drawn them, they had not been taught of God. They have not learned. We talked about that last week.

C. You have no relationship with me. You think you're close, but you're far away. You haven't been taught by me. Now apply what we see in these verses. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood, whoever eats, drinks, breathes, lives Christ, abides in Christ and Christ abides in them. This teaches us that the life of Christ is not about externals.

1. We cannot point to something in our life and say, I was baptized on X date and since I'm baptized, therefore I'm saved and I'm fine and I'm good. No. Your life must be consumed with Christ. That's what true saving faith looks like. Breathe Christ. Live Christ. That is the picture of what a true disciple looks like.

D. The message that He wants them to understand is they think they have a relationship with God. They think that they have true saving faith, but they do not because they do not see Jesus as the all-satisfying God who provides all that you need for life and godliness.

1. Instead, they are consumed by the things of this world. Therefore, Jesus says, feed on my flesh and drink my blood so that you can abide in me. If you do that you have a relationship with the father.
2. There's a relationship with Jesus when we are consumed by Christ. Notice verse 57 amplifies that. It gives the explanation perfectly. “As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father,…” Stop right there in this parallel. How does Jesus live because of the father? What He's saying is my life is completely consumed in the will of my father. I live because of my father. Everything I do is about my father. What my father says, what my father wills, my father's purpose, I live for that. I live because of that.
3. Apply that to us and that's what He's telling us as well. Our life is to be consumed in Christ.
4. Think back to chapter 4. They are in Samaria and the disciples have gone away into the city to buy food. Remember when the disciples come back and they're bringing Him food and Jesus says I've already eaten. They ask each other, who brought Him food? Notice the spiritual boldness that John points out repeatedly. Jesus says some amazing words here, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work.”
5. That's how Christ lives. That's how we live and everything about our life is completely about Christ. That we live and we are consumed in Him and our joy and satisfaction are found in Christ alone.

CONCLUSION:
That's what true saving faith looks like. A couple thoughts from verse 53 where He says, “… unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.” Unless we are consuming Christ we have no life. We have nothing to stand on by ourselves. The only way we can possibly have life, the only hope that we have of life, is to be consumed with Christ. It is not our righteousness; it is not our goodness that gives us life.

When we attach ourselves to a relationship with Jesus, everything changes. We need the bread of life. We're dead in our sins. We are in the misery of our sins, but complaining and grumbling shows unbelief. We need to look at our lives and be cautious about this.

All the terrible difficulties that sometimes we complain about are really nothing. Or as Paul said, they're nothing to be compared with the glory that's to be revealed to us. Do we believe that God will carry us through? Do we truly believe that God is with us? Do we believe that He will carry us home? Of course, He will.

Second, lacking spiritual depth reveals our unbelief as well. Faith is all about a life consumed in Christ. Faith is all about obedience to him, loving Him, consumed by Him, because He is more precious than anything. He is true food. We must open our eyes and recognize there is nothing else more valuable, more useful, or more important than Jesus. He is your life.

We're singing an invitation song. Those who have come to Jesus as well as those who have not, take stock of your life. Do you see Him as the all-satisfying God? Do you see Him as your bread of life?

The world tells us there's all kinds of good food. God says, my son is true life. He is true bread. He is true food. Eat, breathe, and live Jesus Christ. Lift up your eyes from the things of this world.

Pray to God to say, I need to see you as all-satisfying. I need to see you as the bread of life. Read His word and see how good the Lord is. Start moving toward a deeper relationship with Him. To stop remaining on the present level that we may be spiritually.

If you have not seen Jesus as the all-satisfying bread of life, we invite you to turn away from your sins. Be immersed in water to have your sins washed away and begin that walk with Him. A walk that gives you eternal life. A walk that gives you hope and life that you do not have otherwise.

Whatever your need we invite you to come while we stand and while we sing.

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Reference: Brent Kercheville

They Will All Be Taught by God
John 6:41-47

INTRODUCTION: Good morning church. We are in the midst of a study of the sixth chapter of John’s gospel. Jesus is teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum telling the people that He is the bread of life. Jesus has come to give life, but the people have come to Jesus for the wrong reason. They have come for free food. They have come for what He will do for them, and not because of who Jesus.

They are so consumed in their physical desires that they cannot see their spiritual needs. They do not recognize their spiritual hunger and are blind to the offer Jesus is making.

In verse 40 Jesus has made a tremendous statement and an amazing offer. “For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.” Whoever will come to Jesus will never be cast out, will not be lost, and will be raised up on the last day. Let’s notice the people’s response to this amazing offer.

I. The People Complain – John 6:41-42 “So the Jews grumbled about him, because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” They said, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does he now say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?””

A. Verse 41 tells us the Jews grumbled. Here is Jesus saying I'm going to give you everything you need and they just start complaining because He said I am the bread that came down from heaven. We know His father Joseph so how can He can say I've come down from heaven? They reject that idea. They do not believe and we have seen this before in John's gospel, people will not believe.
B. The light has come into the world. The Life has come into the world. I am the bread of life, and their response is in unbelief. They don’t want to believe who this Jesus is and what He is offering.

II. Drawn By The Father – John 6:43-44. Jesus answer to this I think is quite amazing and I submit to you quite challenging. I ask for you to bear with me as we go through this response that Jesus gives, verse 43, “Jesus answered them, “Do not grumble among yourselves.” Jesus did not answer their grumbling by performing some kind of miracle. He could do something to deal with this unbelief. Instead, He says, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.”

A. There is a challenge in what Jesus just said. I'm going to read that again. I want the challenge of what Jesus said to sink in. No one can come to me unless the father who sent me draws him. That was a very big statement, and He continues, and I will raise him up on the last day.

1. This phrase has caused all kinds of writings and divisions. Take a moment and recognize that we just cannot pass these words off. We cannot come across a scripture that doesn’t fit easily into our mind’s view and just simply pass it off.
2. There is an answer here that we need to look at. Look at it as a challenge to our understanding. Jesus is saying something very bold to these people. He's telling them, you can't come to me on your own. The Father has to draw you in. Our problem is what He's trying to explain to them.
3. What is at stake? He is trying to get them to grasp where their unbelief comes from. I know in my own study when I find something like this I have a tendency to kind of whiz over those statements and pay attention to other parts of the sentences.

B. I also notice that in my own studies, and you might too, when reading a verse you've known all your life, you might miss particular details because you're used to hearing a certain point.

1. For example, Acts 2:38, one you probably know very well. “And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off,…” Don't just end the sentence there. Keep looking, “everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.””
2. It's the same thing Jesus just said here in John 6. You can't come to me unless the father draws you to me. Peter describes it in his sermon, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.
3. Galatians 1:6 says, “I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel"
4. 1^st Corinthians 1:2 says – “To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours:” and in verse 9 “God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.”
5. We have been studying Jude. How does Jude begin? “Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James, To those who are called, beloved in God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ:” There are statements that are being made here, that we have been called by God. Christ comes to these people who are in unbelief and says, I don't want you to grumble. I want you to recognize there is a problem.

C. The problem is you can't come to Me unless the father draws you. What does that mean? How are we drawn? What does that look like? What is He trying to teach them?

1. There are those who use this sovereign act of God’s calling, to suppose that God draws some and not others. Doing that however would be to suppose that God is partial and unjust (see Acts 10:34). The murmurers in this passage had rejected the teaching of God relative to the lowliness of the Messiah, thus denying God's drawing of them unto Himself. The fact of rejection by some does not nullify the promise; the ones who respond will still be raised up on the last day. What is important for us to do in our study is to not stop studying here in verse 44 and build our doctrine. This whole chapter must be considered because it is one conversation with the Jews who saw the miracle of the feeding of the 5000.

III. How Are We Drawn? – He's explaining what this means in verse 45. “It is written in the Prophets, ‘And they will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me— then he gives this almost parenthetical comment—not that anyone has seen the Father except he who is from God; he has seen the Father.”

A. We might put it this way; Understand what I mean, “taught by God” is not talking about God directly teaching you. No one has seen the father. I'm not talking about that kind of teaching, but only those who have been taught by the father can come to Christ.
B. In verse 44 Jesus makes this important declaration. Nobody comes to Christ unless the father draws him. When you look at the next verse what He is saying is; The people who come to Christ, are those who have heard and learned from the father. In other words, everybody who does come to Christ will have learned from God, have been taught by God. Jesus then quotes the prophets.

1. He uses Isaiah 54:13 as His proof text. “All your children shall be taught by the Lord,…” They will all be taught of God. The point is; He is saying that being taught by God is how a person is drawn by the father to Christ.
2. What does that look like? What exactly does that mean? Those who have heard and learned from the Father come to Christ. Hearing and learning from the Father is how the Father draws us to Christ, and how we come to salvation.

C. Listen to 2^nd Thessalonians 2:13-14. “But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, (Notice that same kind of language) through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth. To this he called you (How?) through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

1. Paul says I give thanks always about you because you have been taught by God. How did that happen? He called you through our gospel. We proclaimed the gospel to you and that is how you were drawn by the father. That is how you came to faith.
2. Think of that familiar verse, Romans 10:17. “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” Faith only comes one way. Through the hearing of the word of God. That's the only way faith comes. Mark talked about hearing recently and quoted “He who has ears to hear, let them hear” meaning to listen not just as to sound but for the meaning. In Matthew 15:10 when Jesus was teaching a multitude, He said “Hear and understand:”

D. These Jews believe that they are part of God's family, that they are in a covenant relationship with God, and Jesus is telling them, there is a problem. You haven't been taught by God. You have not been drawn by the father. Faith comes by hearing the word of God. No one in this room came to faith without the word of God. Nobody.

1. You can't have faith in Christ without the word of God. That's the way the world wants to have it though. If you just go up on a mountain somewhere and meditate for a while, you can know all you need to know about God and you'd be on your way to spiritual salvation and enlightenment. No, you won't.
2. If you would just do these exercises, if you do this, that or whatever, then you would have spiritual enlightenment. If you'd watch this or that TV personality enough, then you'd have all the enlightenment that you could possibly need.
3. Jesus said, nobody comes to Me unless the father draws him. Paul worded it by saying; It’s the gospel that called you. He would write to the Romans, Your faith came by hearing the word of Christ. That's how your faith came. You had to know the word of God. I think that's very important to understanding what verses 44 and 45 are saying.

E. Jesus words make quite a comment about these people’s knowledge of the scriptures. You are not coming to me because you have not been taught by the father. To say that to a Jew is a very big deal. Having somebody tell you haven't been taught by God at all, is quite insulting and quite challenging.

1. We can put these two sentences side by side and see clearly what Jesus is saying.
“No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him” (6:44).
“Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me” (6:45).
2. Therefore, being taught by God is how the Father draws us to Christ. Hearing and learning from the Father is how the Father draws us. This is also what the rest of the scriptures teach.

F. By the way, this is exactly Jesus’ point in John 5:46 – “For if you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote of me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?”” You are the people of God. You were given the oracles of God. You should know scriptures. You were given all those things, and you haven't been taught by God.

1. Did they know the law? Did they have it memorized? Did they have the scrolls? Did they have the teachings? Did they recite the law? Did they read it in the synagogue on a regular basis? Did they worship and offer sacrifices?
2. All this yet Jesus says, you haven't been drawn by the father, you haven't been taught of God. Why? Because you haven't learned from the father. That is why you don't come to me. It's why you can't see Me as the savior, why you can't see Me as the bread of life.

G. God revealed His will, nature, and commandments to humanity by speaking through chosen prophets. This is exactly what Jesus is trying to get across. This is really the message. God, even in the scriptures, as He spoke in the prophets, said, this is the way I'm going to bring people to myself. Imagine if God had not done that. If God had not revealed one word to humanity, would we be able to come to the father? No. God had to intervene. That's the issue. He's trying to tell these people you're not okay. You're not right with God. In fact, you're far away from God.
H. I’d like to look now at Jeremiah 31 where through the prophet God tells of the New Covenant. Jeremiah 31:31, where Jeremiah writes, “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the Lord.”

I. He says, new covenant, not like the law of Moses. Here's what this covenant is going to look like. Verse 33, “For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.””
J. What does it mean that God himself would put His law within them and write His law on their hearts? You will be taught by God. You will hear and learn from the Father. Think of what the writer of Hebrews says in Hebrews 4:12, “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword…” He is describing the ability of the word of God to penetrate the complex inward nature of man, to convict him of sin, to expose his hidden motives, and to judge the very nature of life itself.

1. Paul says in 1^st Thessalonians 4:9, “Now concerning brotherly love you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another,” – The word of God is living and active.
2. God is drawing people to Christ through these words because this is where the power lies. These are the words of the father that are given to bring life and those who do not know these words will not find life. They will not come to the son. How have those Thessalonians been taught by God? Paul preached to them. He proclaimed to them the word of God.

K. Let me ask the question the other way so that we can see what Jesus is doing with these Jews. If Paul had not proclaimed the gospel to the Thessalonians would they have been loving one another as God commanded? To put it another way, do you of your own nature without knowing anything about God, love one another like you're supposed to? No. You love because God showed you how. This is His revelation to the world. Here's what love looks like. Here's how we're supposed to live. Here's what we're supposed to do.

1. On our own we don't do that. Even though we have the word of God, do we do exactly what He says? No, we still don't and if He had not revealed it to us, we certainly wouldn't have.
2. Romans 3:23, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” We've all separated ourselves from God. There's none righteous no, not one. We've all walked away from God.
3. Isaiah 53:6, “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way;” If God did not intervene first, we are utterly lost.

L. Growing up I heard the idea that if I was really good and did right, that's what got God to love me. Everything was OK. God loved me because I loved Him first. No. God loved me first and intervened and revealed His will and sent His son. It is because of those things that I come to faith, and how I come to know God. That's how I have a relationship with Jesus Christ.

1. Remember in Luke 18: how the ruler comes up to Jesus and says; “Good Teacher…” “And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God”
2. When we don't see our sinfulness, when we don't see that we are far away from God, then we will never come to him. This is what Jesus was dealing with. You say you've come down from heaven. You're offering salvation and forgiveness of sins and life. They don't see that they need that.

M. He doesn't have to do a miracle to prove that He is the bread of life that comes from heaven. Jesus' argument is simply this. If you know the Scriptures properly and it is written on your heart the way it ought to be, you would know who I am and you would see me as the bread of life.

1. Peter in 1^st Peter 1:23 writes, “since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, (how?) through the living and abiding word of God;”
2. That is how you find salvation. That is how you are taught by God. That is how you hear and learn from the Father.
3. Peter goes on, “for “All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls," No one likes to hear that, "but the word of the Lord remains forever.” Now look at the end, "And this word is the good news that was preached to you.” How did you come to faith? The word of God. The word of God was preached to you.

N. This tells us something so important about the nature of the word of God, and it gives us a responsibility to proclaim it. People are not going to wake up in their homes today, and out of the blue say; I believe in Jesus and I'm going to go to church and I'm going to follow Him with all my heart. They must hear the word of God.

1. We have a great responsibility before us to understand the power of God's word, to see what it does, because this is God's means of revelation to save the world. It's not going to come in a dream, it's not going to come in a vision, nor will you hear some kind of whisper in your ear. You're not going to see something or think something out of the blue. We are all taught by God because He has revealed Himself and that revelation brings us to faith.
2. Jesus is telling them don't grumble because the problem is you don't know the scriptures. He is not the problem; their problem is not knowing the scriptures beyond just the words.

CONCLUSION:
As I spent more time in John’s gospel, I saw it would be easy to read of the people Jesus met and think, “Wow! How did they miss that?” Then I realized we could memorize this book, come on Sunday and worship and still not be taught of God. There is a way to come every Sunday, sit in the pew, read the Bible every day, pray every day, try to be moral and right and still not be taught by God. That was their problem.

They knew the law but were not taught by God. Jesus is trying to teach them, when you believe you will have eternal life, and that is going to come from the knowledge of the scriptures. That saving faith is generated from knowing His word.

A preacher put it this way;
“I learned the scriptures from my youth, and I could quote to you every verse, but I had not been taught by God. These words were not yet written on my heart. They were not put within me. They were words on a page that did not have strength that I had not given it yet. It is not just merely academic knowledge. The Jews certainly had that.”

Consider: were the Jews ignorant of the scriptures? Of course not. They could quote the Torah. They knew the law of God. While they were worshiping God, offering their sacrifices, and reciting the law in the synagogue, they were not taught of God. Many today worship the same way. They attend, they participate, and they contribute.

God is drawing you through the scriptures to His Son. Why should you read the Bible? Reading and listening to the scriptures, gaining the knowledge they offer is how God’s law is written onto our hearts. If the Father is not drawing you to Christ, then you are wandering away. Will you listen to God’s drawing you to Him and receive Jesus as the bread of life, becoming your only pursuit?

Hear His words, listen to His calling. Listen to the great hope. Let us not be like these people who heard the great message of salvation and forgiveness of sins and eternal life and pursue false satisfaction saying to Him, Jesus I want a meal today, what are you going to do for me physically? I see Jesus shaking His head and saying, I am giving you the food to live an eternal life.

Take your eyes off the physical and come to the bread of life. Turn away from your sins and be immersed in water to enter that relationship with Him. Won't you come while we stand and sing.

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Reference: Brent Kercheville

The Bread of Life
John 6:30-40

INTRODUCTION: Good morning church. A quick review of where we are in John 6. On the previous day Jesus performed an amazing miracle, the only miracle recorded in all four Gospels, the feeding of the 5,000 with five loaves and two fish, and at least 5,000 men were there.

The next day, these people who were on the east side of Galilee, came back in the morning wanting to be fed, and did not find Jesus there. They cross the Sea of Galilee, find Jesus in the synagogue in Capernaum, and they say basically, hey, we want to eat some more, perform some more signs for us.

Jesus, in verse 26, identified that the reason that they had come was not because they understood who Jesus was, it's not because they understood the meaning of the sign that Jesus is the Savior, that He is the Messiah, come to redeem the world.

They've only come for what Jesus will give them, and that is physical bread. They've come for breakfast and they want it free. It was on the basis of this that Jesus enters into a discussion with them. He told them not to put their effort or their labor into the food that perishes, but to labor for eternal life… labor for that food. He calls on them to believe in verse 29, saying that, this is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.

What Jesus is calling for them to do, is to recognize that God has accomplished a great work, He has accomplished their salvation, and by necessity they are to then put their faith in the one whom God has sent—Jesus. That is where we pick up the story now, and we'll find that Jesus and this crowd have a lot more to say about these things. John 6:30.

I. Demanding Christ’s Service – Let’s start with John 6:30-31, “So they said to him, “Then what sign do you do, 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 from heaven to eat.’”” I think we can see what they are doing in this fascinating question and statement to Jesus.

A. What sign do you do so that we may believe you? We need a sign so that we may see for ourselves and know who you are and believe you. I suspect any of us who have read the story would think that what they had seen the day before was a really big sign! Five loaves and two fish, feeding thousands and thousands of people. This makes me think of Bill Engvall’s book, “Here’s Your Sign”.
B. What they are asking for, and what we see in what they're saying, is something more. It is not simply that they did not remember what happened yesterday. Remember what the people have observed in him. In John 6:14 they recognized this is indeed the prophet who has come into the world. This is the one that Moses prophesied about. There would be one like him, that would rise and deliver the people.

1. What the people are saying is that Moses gave the people food to eat every day for 40 years. Moses provided manna every day. If Jesus is the new deliverer and savior of the people, then at least He could feed them every day with bread like Moses did.
2. It can even be argued that they would expect something greater than what Moses did since He claims to be the Son of God. If you are the new Moses, then you should at least do this for us. That is the implication behind them saying we want to see a sign. John is showing us their thinking. If you are just like Moses, then every day we can come out here and you will give us food.

C. Jesus' response to this is interesting. John 6:32-33. “Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.””

1. This is an interesting response because it corrects and contrasts with what they said. They said in verse 31, quoting the scripture, “Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’”
2. Jesus responds to that with a number of statements in this sentence that defy the understanding of these people. He tells them Moses didn't give you bread. Yet, that's not the whole point. You will notice there's a changing of tenses. “… it was not Moses who gave you the bread…”, but then He doesn't say, the father gave you bread. That's was not the point.
3. He says, “but my father, present tense, gives you the true bread from heaven.” The implication is not to say, it wasn't Moses, it was God. The implication is; what you received then wasn't the true bread at all. The father is giving you that bread now.
4. The father gives you the true bread. What Moses gave you wasn't the real bread. That was only for your physical need. The father is offering you the real bread, the true bread that you ought to be looking for. It is the bread that sustains the soul, provides spiritual growth and leads to eternal life.
5. Jesus drives that very carefully and says in verse 33, “For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” I see another implied contrast here. The manna was not for the world, that manna was for the people of Israel, and was not the true sustenance. The father is going to give you true bread and it will not be only for you as the physical bread in the wilderness was. It will be for the whole world.

D. There is something subtle in what Jesus says, and it seems the audience misses it. Notice in verse 33 that the bread of God “… is he who comes down from heaven…” Jesus speaks about Himself and declares that He gives life to the world. Jesus is offering something far greater and far superior to what was given in the wilderness… Himself. Notice the people completely miss this.

II. I Am The Bread of Life – John 6:34, “They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.”” As we read that, we see they don’t get it. We should not be surprised though because throughout this gospel we have seen the spiritual blindness of people that Jesus has encountered.

A. It's almost as if they didn't hear that part. What they heard was the bread of God is what comes down from heaven and gives life. That sounds great! Bread comes down and gives us life! Sir, give us this bread always.

1. John continues to paint these audiences in spiritual blindness, darkened in the heart. We saw this with the Samaritan woman in 4:15. Jesus speaks of the living water, then she says to him, sir, give me this water so that I will not be thirsty or need to come and draw water.
2. Notice the parallel. 4:15, Sir, give me this water. 6:34, Sir, give us this bread. They are simply not understanding what Jesus is offering.
3. There is a consistent theme in this gospel. The people are spiritually blind and so consumed by pursuing their physical desires, wants and needs that they fail to recognize what is being offered to them.
4. The crowd wants this bread every day so that they can be physically fed by doing nothing. Are people like that today? Something for nothing? Something for minimum effort? Certainly. Advertisers know it, politicians know it. - Satan knows it.

B. Jesus is trying to get their minds on a spiritual plane. Stop laboring for the food that perishes. Stop worrying about your physical desires. Stop concerning yourselves with materialistic pursuits. Don't pursue Jesus for what He can give you. Pursue Him for who He is. Labor for the food that leads to eternal life. Here Jesus gets blunt, just as He did with the Samaritan woman, and He gets to the point.

III. Believing – Verse 35, “Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.” What a beautiful picture that He's trying to get them to understand.

A. He's trying to help them understand what Jesus offers them. He says, whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. I think we can recognize those statements are parallel. He is describing the answers to needs, spiritual needs, and He's offering them true satisfaction of those needs. If you will come to Me not for what I will give you, but for who I am, the bread of life, you will never hunger and thirst again after righteousness.

1. This is the same concept as with the woman at the well in chapter 4. John wants us to think about that concept again. When you come to Jesus, all that your soul, spirit and mind yearn for, require, need, look for, clamor for—will be completely satisfied.
2. He will fill what you truly need so that you won't look everywhere else in the world for it. Jesus says in verse 35, I am the bread of life. He doesn't say, I give the bread. He says, I am the bread. This is the first of seven “I am” statements in this gospel.

B. Jesus is your bread - Jesus is communicating; I am not the giver of bread to satisfy your whims, physical needs and desires, not your genie in the bottle for whatever you need. He has been sent by God from heaven. He parallels the manna. Just as God rained down manna in the wilderness in the days of Moses, now the father has sent His Son to be the bread of life. Those who truly believe and will come to Him understand who He is.

1. The implications of this “I am” statement are far reaching and we must come to Jesus with our eyes open recognizing Him. He is the place where thirst is quenched, and where hunger is filled.
2. We do not come to Him to satisfy all our desires. We've already seen that in the last lesson. It is not, I need this or that and I have these desires and there’s God; He can give me all the happiness and all the joy of life that I want. Fill up my wallet and give me good health and I'll serve you.
3. Think about this, when are you comfortable? When you're not hungry, and you're not thirsty. When you're hungry, or thirsty, you do something about it don’t you? Otherwise, you're uncomfortable. You address those needs, so you are no longer hungry or thirsty.
4. Jesus uses that picture. Until you come to Jesus as the bread of life, as the fountain of living water, you will never be satisfied. You'll always be in discomfort. Seeking something and looking in philosophy, astrology, fortune telling, other people and a myriad of places that never satisfy. You're not going to find what you're looking for because only He can satisfy. Nothing else in life can.

C. We could say we were built to find our satisfaction in God. That's how we were created. We were created to find our satisfaction in God and Satan uses this lack of satisfaction as an opportunity to lead us to try to find that satisfaction elsewhere. You will be happy and have a good life if you will just do this.

1. If you made a lot of money. If you only had more power, if you had a promotion, if you were married, if you had children, if you lived in a different place. All the things that we hear in our ears that we need and would satisfy us. The point is, there is nothing that compares to Jesus. He's the only thing that satisfies.
2. Let me make a silly illustration. Let’s say you feel hungry. Should you go out to the garage and try to eat a tire or go to the refrigerator and eat some food? Obviously, you eat the food. All right, if you want true satisfaction, you go to the only source, Christ. If you go anywhere else, it doesn't make any sense. It won't work. It won't satisfy.

D. That's what He wants them to see. They've come to Him on the physical plane looking for other things to satisfy them. He's telling us that we cannot live for the bread of this world. It's not true bread.

1. Look at Isaiah 55:1-3, “1. Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. 2. Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food. 3. Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live; and I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David.”
2. Isaiah poses this in the form of a question. Why would we take these other avenues looking for satisfaction? Why go elsewhere when Christ is the one who satisfies? He is the one that offers the true bread of life for He is the true bread. Why would we labor for that which does not satisfy? It is an amazing concept; what Jesus wants them to understand is that nothing else is really bread but him. The world offers no satisfaction and any satisfaction they claim is a lie. That should be pretty life changing.

E. Deuteronomy 8:2-3, Moses explains about their hunger in the wilderness, “… the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not. 3. And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.”

1. Sound familiar? It should. In Matthew 4:4 when Satan tried to use Jesus’ hunger as a weapon it says, “But he answered, “It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”” This highlights that there is more to human existence than simply fulfilling basic, material needs. It means we stop seeking peripheral things, no longer focus on the physical, the things that we see with our eyes or think that we need for our flesh. Solomon finally figured that out didn’t he. Ecclesiastes 12.
2. John 6:36 is staggering. “But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe.” How often does this happen! Jesus says, I'm standing right here in front of you and I'm willing to give you the very life that you need, yet you do not believe even though you've seen me. They see Jesus, but they don't really see Him for who He is.
3. That crowd has witnessed God at work. They've seen the divine revealer right there in their midst, but rather than having their faith aroused and seeking Him because of who He is, all that has been aroused is curiosity, their appetites, desires and political ambitions to make Him king over Judea.
4. There's a world of people who see Jesus that do not see Jesus. There is a world of people that have heard of Jesus, recognize Jesus, sit in pews every Sunday believing that they believe in Jesus, but they do not believe in Jesus because they do not see Him as the bread of life.

IV. Receiving Life – We continue with verses 37-40. “37. All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. 38. For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. 39. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. 40. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.””

A. That’s a great finale. Here's what we look at today. At John 3:35 we were told – “The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life;…” Now Jesus says in 6:37; “. All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.” Then in verse 39 He says; “this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day.”

1. He's driving at a point here to His audience, a very important point. If you belong to the father, if you truly belong to God, then you will come to Jesus. Here you are in the audience of people who have come to Him simply seeking physical bread.
2. Conversely, since you won't come to Jesus, you don't belong to the father because the father has given all to Jesus. Refusing to come to Jesus proves you do not belong to the father. He gives them this warning: these Jews could not claim any allegiance or any life in God because they were not coming to Jesus as the bread of life.

B. We see a great hope given in verse 37, “All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.” He goes on to emphasize this point in the next few verses.

1. The son isn't driving anybody away. Those who will come to Him as the bread of life and see Him for who He really is, He does not cast away. He has come to do the father’s will, and it is God’s will that He lose nothing of all that God has given Him but raise it up on the last day.
2. This has been, I submit to you, the primary message of this miracle. This miracle of the loaves and the fish is that Jesus is the bread of life and those who come to Him will not be lost. Remember John records this strange command when He tells His disciples to go gather all the fragments so none may be lost.
3. There is a great confidence for those who have come to Jesus, He will never cast them out. There will not be any concern, nor should anyone fret about their salvation if they understand what this is saying.

C. I think that leads to the final question; who has been given to Jesus? He is very clear, verse 37, All that the Father gives me… refers to all who shall be saved, none being excluded, so long as they truly come to Christ, that is the thrust of the second clause. Significantly, this verse makes no reference to faith like the previous verse; but this does not exclude faith, the verses are supplementary to each other. One must believe and come to Jesus to be saved. Coming to Jesus is equivalent to entering His kingdom; and entering requires one be born of water and of the spirit (John 3:5). Therefore, coming to Jesus means being born again. No subjective experience can be substituted for the new birth. "Coming" is something that one does, not something that he thinks, believes, or feels.
D. Notice that verses 39 and 40 are parallel statements. For example, verse 39, And this is the will of him who sent me… Who sent Jesus? The father.
Verse 40, For this is the will of my Father…
Verse 39, …but raise it up on the last day.
Verse 40, … I will raise him up on the last day

1. These two verses are in concert with one another and verse 40 explains verse 39.
2. What Jesus is describing for them, trying to get them to recognize is… who are truly in the kingdom, who truly belong to Jesus, who will endure to the end? Who are the ones that are going to hear the words of salvation? Who are the ones that will not be cast out?
3. The answer is; those who see Jesus as the bread of life, those who come to Him and do not look for their satisfaction in the world, do not labor for the food that perishes, but labor for the bread that leads to eternal life.

E. We notice this next phrasing in verse 40, …everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him… and that takes us back to John 3:14-15. “as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.” You must look to Him in faith. You must fully believe in Him.

1. We wonder, hadn't these people come to him? They've crossed the sea, they have traveled far to come to Jesus. Haven't they come to Him? Jesus' answer is no. John has expressed this before.
2. In chapter 3 Nicodemus has come to Jesus, but he hasn't come to Jesus. These people have come to Jesus, but they have not come to Jesus as the bread of life. They have not come to Him in faith. They do not see him as the way to eternal life. He's just Jesus. What will He do for me? That's what Nicodemus did, that is what the Samaritan woman asked. That's the response of the crowd.

CONCLUSION: As you go through this week, think about the implications of what it means for Jesus to be your bread. What should that look like in our lives if He is truly the bread that will give us eternal life?

What does that mean I will do? What does that change in how I think and how I live? If He is the one who gives all satisfaction, what does that change for me as I go about my day? How does that change my attitude, how I handle trials? How does that change how I deal with difficulties and distress? How does that change how I deal with the people of the world? How does that change my pursuits in life?

Will I pursue God above all else? Will I see life in His words? Jesus says, I'm that life. I'm the bread of life. Find your satisfaction in me.

All that has been offered in the physical realm does not satisfy. It does not give life. God has sent down His son as bread, bread that you can respond to. You can receive life if you will put your faith in Him, if you will look to Him, come to Him, receive Him, believe in Him and put your very life in His hands, believing that He is the son of God. Knowing therefore that He is your everything that nothing else in this life matters. The only thing that matters, the only thing that gives true joy is the pursuit of Jesus with all your heart.

That is the call that Jesus is making to the crowd. It's the call that He made to the Samaritan woman. If you knew who I was, you'd be asking me for that living water and I'd give it to you. It's the same call He gave to Nicodemus. You need to be born again. You need radical transformation. Jesus’ call is still ringing. We invite you to come while we stand and while we sing.

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Reference: Brent Kercheville

Watchfulness in a World on the Brink
Revelation 16:15

A woman was taking her mother out for a drive and her mother scolded her every time she went over the speed limit. But it was HER car, and she was determined to drive as fast as she wanted to. Then she saw the flashing red and blue lights in the rearview mirror, and the policeman pulled her over and gave her a ticket. After the policeman left, she complained to her mother “That the policeman should have let me OFF WITH A WARNING.” But her mother smiled and said: “Joan - I gave you the warning. He gave you the ticket.”

Today, we’re beginning a series on the book of Revelation. Revelation is a massive book talking about the war between Good and Evil - between the forces of Satan, and the forces of Christ. And just in case you’ve never read the book… I’m gonna give the plot away – JESUS wins… Satan loses!

Now Revelation is also a book dedicated to assuring us that Jesus is coming back - and when He does, we who belong to Him, will live in a beautiful world where “(God) will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore.” Revelation 21:4

WE LIKE THAT!
WE WANT THAT!
But we need to understand that Revelation is not just a book of comfort - it’s also a book of warning.
In the first 3 chapters Jesus warns several churches about some of the bad choices they’ve made. And now - right here in the middle of Revelation – Revelation 16:15 you and I are being WARNED. Addressing Christians, Jesus declared:
“Behold, I am coming like a thief! Blessed is the one who stays awake, keeping his garments on, that he may not go about naked and be seen exposed!”

How do I know that Jesus is addressing Christians?
Well, because this is one of 4 times in the New Testament That talks about this. In Matthew 24:42-44:
“Jesus tells His followers: “Stay awake, for you do not know on what day YOUR LORD IS COMING. But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into.  Therefore, you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”

And in 2^nd Peter 3:42-44 we Christians are told:
“The day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed. Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought YOU to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! But according to his promise – we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace.”

ILLUS: I read the story of a Mother who caught her young son eating out of the sugar bowl. She told him:
“Don’t you ever let me catch you doing that again.” And her boy innocently replied: “I’ll try Mommy. But you often quietly sneak up on me.”
THAT LITTLE BOY HAD BEEN CAUGHT BY SURPRISE!
And when Jesus comes back, He’s gonna catch a lot of people by surprise. Now, it’s true that NON-Christians will be caught by surprise when Jesus returns because they’re basically not looking for Him to come back anyway. But it’s the church goers - the people who SAY that they believe in Christ - who need to realize that Jesus will come back when they’re not looking for Him. And for some of these folks, that’s NOT GOING TO BE a pleasant experience.

Again, I refer to Revelation 16:15:
“Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.”
This verse calls believers to watchfulness, readiness, and faithful living in a world that is spiritually dark and morally chaotic. The blessing is not for the clever, the powerful, or the well-connected—but for the one who stays awake and keeps his garments.

Right in the middle of demonic deception, global conflict, and the gathering at Armageddon, Jesus breaks in with a personal warning: “Behold, I come as a thief.”
This echoes His earlier warnings In 1^st Thessalonians 5:2-3 we read:
"2 For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. 3 While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape."
AND
Mark 13:33-36:
32 “But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33 Be on guard, keep awake.[a] For you do not know when the time will come. 34 It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his servants[b] in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to stay awake. 35 Therefore stay awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows,[c] or in the morning— 36 lest he come suddenly and find you asleep. 37 And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake.”

A thief does not announce his arrival.
A thief does not give a countdown.
A thief comes when people are distracted, sleeping, or unprepared.
Jesus is not calling us to fear His coming—He is calling us to be ready for it.

“Blessed Is He That Watcheth”
To watch means
     • Staying spiritually awake in a world that lulls people to sleep with comfort, entertainment, and compromise.
     • Living with expectation, not lack of concern.
Commentators note that this warning is given because the powers of evil are active and subtle.
Watching is not passive—it is active, intentional, disciplined.

How Do We “Watch” Today?

A. Guard Your Heart
Stay alert to the subtle drift of sin, compromise, and spiritual laziness.
B. Stay in the Word
Scripture keeps your garments clean and your eyes open.
C. Pray with Expectation
Prayer keeps your heart awake and your spirit aligned.
D. Live as if Jesus Could Come Today
Not in fear—but in readiness, joy, and purpose.

Revelation 16:15 is not a threat—it is an invitation.
An invitation to:
     • Wake up
     • Clean up
     • Look up
     • Stand up
     • Live up to your calling in Christ—Blessed is the one who watches. Blessed is the one who keeps his garments. Blessed is the one who is ready when the King appears.

I read the story of a little girl who’d heard in church about the Jesus’ return and she asked her mother:
“Mommy, do you believe Jesus will come back?”
“Yes dear.”
“Could he come this week?”
“Well, yes.”
“Could He come today?”
“Yes honey.”
“Could he come in the next hour?”
“Yes, He could that.”
“In a few minutes?”
About this time the mother kind of laughed: “Of course, dear.” The little girl paused and then said: “Mommy, would you comb my hair?”

Now notice, that little girl took Jesus coming back seriously.
She was AWAKE to the truth that Jesus was gonna return, and she wanted to be ready for Him when He did.
But she wasn’t afraid of Jesus coming back.
She had a sweet gentle faith that EAGERLY anticipated Jesus’ coming. She literally had a child-like faith.

I find it intriguing that in Revelation 16:15: we are told that we should be keeping (our) garments on, that (we) may not go about naked and be seen exposed!" In other words, don’t get caught with your pants down!
Now, what’s that all about?
Why is Jesus talking about what we wear?
Jesus is talking about the SPIRITUAL clothes we wear.

In Scripture, garments symbolize:
     • Righteousness (Revelation 19:8)
     • Character
     • Faithfulness
     • Identity in Christ
To “keep your garments” means:
     • Maintaining purity
     • Walking in obedience
     • Staying clothed in Christ’s righteousness, not your own

John Gill notes that to be found “naked” means to be exposed as one who lacked genuine righteousness or abandoned good works. In other words: Don’t let the world strip you of what Christ has clothed you with.

The Shame of Nakedness — A Warning to the Complacent “Lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.”
This is not about physical nakedness—it is spiritual exposure.
It is the shame of:
     • A wasted life
     • A faith that was only outward
This is the shame of being unprepared when Christ returns. So, what kind of SPIRITUAL garments should we be wearing?

Well, we should be wearing the Breastplate of FAITH and LOVE, and the helmet of the HOPE of our salvation. In other words – when people look at you and I - those are the messages they ought to see in our lives. When they look at us they should see our FAITH in Christ… and our LOVE for others. And they should be impressed by the fact that our HOPE of salvation isn’t based on our own personal righteousness… but on the blood of Jesus.
In 1^st Thessalonians 5:4-9 we’re told “You are not in darkness, brothers, for that day will surprise you like a thief. For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober… Let us… put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation.”

A preacher told about working in a machine shop for 4 1/2 years alongside a fellow named George.
George’s job was to sweep and clean the shop.
And he said George loved Jesus, and he loved singing hymns as he worked. Many of them had to do with the 2nd coming of Christ, such as
“In the Sweet By and By” and “When the Roll is Called Up Yonder.”
Well, late one Friday afternoon about 10 minutes to quitting time, the preacher said he looked at George and said, “George, are you ready?” And George said “Uh-huh.”
But he was all dirty. He was just obviously not ready.
And the preacher said, “Just look at you.
You’re not ready to go home” And George said, “Yeah, I’m ready.”

I said “Look at you! Man, you’re not ready.
You’ve gotta go clean up.” And George said, “let me show you something”… and he unzipped his coveralls and underneath the coveralls were the neatest, cleanest clothes you ever saw. HE WAS READY.
All he had to do when the whistle blew was just unzip and step out of that coverall and walk over, and punch the clock… and he was gone. He said, “You see, I stay ready to keep from having to get ready – just like I’m ready for Jesus!”

Well, how do you get ready to go to heaven?
What garments do you put on… so that, when the whistle blows and you punch that final time clock you’ll be ready go home to be with Jesus?

Well, you need to believe that Jesus is who He said He was.
He’s the God in the flesh who became a man so that He could die for our sin. And you should repent of your past and determine not to live like that anymore.
And you should confess Jesus as Lord and Master and turn your whole life over to Him.
And then you get baptized into Christ.
As Galatians 3:27 “For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.”

INVITATION:

What Kind of Soil Am I?
Mark 4: 1 – 20

 

·       Why do different people respond differently to the same message?

·         Why do some reject the Gospel of Christ and others accept it and live Christian lives?

Jesus provides an answer to this question in our text today.

As we begin to read Mark 4, we find Jesus teaching a large crowd from a boat. We are told Jesus taught them many things by parables. A parable is a comparison.

 

The same environment that breaks some things can strengthen others. Just like when the same seed falls on different soils, or how the same boiling water can affect each object differently.

A young person came to a mentor overwhelmed by life—pressure, trials, disappointments. “Why is life so hard?” they asked. “Why do I feel like I’m falling apart?”

The mentor didn’t answer with words. Instead, they placed a carrot, an egg, and a handful of coffee beans into three separate pots of boiling water.

After a few minutes, they pulled them out.

 

 

The carrot went in strong, firm, confident.

But after facing the boiling water, it came out soft, weakened, and easily broken.

Some hearts are like this. Life’s heat makes them lose their strength. They become discouraged, defeated, spiritually limp.

This is the rocky soil—it springs up quickly but withers under heat.

 

 

The egg went in fragile, with a soft heart inside. But after the boiling water, the inside became hard.

Some people go through trials and become bitter, closed off, hardened. Pain calcifies their heart.

This is the path soil—the heart becomes so hard that the seed cannot penetrate.

 

 

But the coffee bean did something different.

It didn’t become weak like the carrot.

It didn’t become hard like the egg.

Instead, it changed the water. The same boiling water that weakened the carrot and hardened the egg released the fragrance and flavor of the coffee bean. It transformed its environment.

This is the good soil—the heart that receives the Word, grows through adversity, and produces a harvest that blesses others.

 

 

Jesus says the seed is the Word.

The soil is the heart.

The heat of life—pressure, trials, temptation—reveals what kind of soil we truly are.

• Some hearts break down like the carrot.
• Some hearts harden like the egg.
• But some hearts transform like the coffee bean—bearing fruit 30, 60, 100‑fold.

The difference is not the heat.

The difference is the heart.

When life heats up, which one are you?

• The carrot that loses strength
• The egg that becomes hard
• Or the coffee bean that transforms the world around it

And even more importantly: Which soil are you today?

I challenge each one of us today to really evaluate which soil Jesus would say we are … and which soil do we want to be.

 

IN MARK 4:1-20…

Jesus’ parable teaches that the condition of the heart determines the fruitfulness of the Word.

The parable is not just about four different kinds of people. It’s also about four conditions that can exist in the same person at different times.

You can be good soil on Sunday morning and thorny soil by Wednesday afternoon.

The question is not “Which soil am I permanently?”

The question is “Which soil am I today?”

 

 

Mark 4:3 Hearken; Behold, there went out a sower to sow:
“Hearken” and “Behold” – he’s using two Words to communicate that whatever you are doing you need to stop right now and listen to what I’m about to say. Pay attention.

Notice also that the sower “went out”. This was a purposeful decision. What is my point? When it comes to sowing the Word, it’s not something we do haphazardly. We do it on purpose. And when you do something on purpose you make time for it. It’s not a passing fancy. You make time because you are doing it for a reason.

 

 

Mark 4:4 And it came to pass, as he sowed, some fell by the way side, and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up.
When a sower sows he reaches into his bag and flings out the Seed. He’s scattering the Seed.
(5) some fell on stony ground, where it had not much earth; and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of earth:
(6) But when the sun was up, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away.
(7) And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up, and choked it, and it yielded no fruit.
(8) And other fell on good ground, and did yield fruit that sprang up and increased; and brought forth, some thirty, and some sixty, and some an hundred.
(9) And he said unto them, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.

 

 

The Four Soils show the Four Heart Conditions

The 1^st is a Hardened Path

The seed falls on the path—packed down, walked on, impenetrable. Birds snatch it away.

This is the heart that hears but cannot receive.

Life has trampled it. Pain, cynicism, disappointment, pride—something has made it resistant. Jesus says Satan steals the Word before it can even sink in. Someone hears a sermon, nods politely, but nothing enters. The heart is closed for business.

 

 

The 2^nd is a Rocky Ground

There’s a thin layer of soil over stone. The seed sprouts quickly but has no root. When heat comes, it withers.

This is the emotional but shallow heart.

It loves inspiration but avoids transformation. Someone gets excited about God—until following Him costs something. Faith without depth collapses under pressure.

 

 

The 3^rd is a Thorny Soil

The seed grows, but so do the thorns. They choke the life out of the plant.

Jesus names the thorns:

• Worries of life
• Deceitfulness of wealth
• Desires for other things

This is the crowded heart—not hard, not shallow, just overgrown. Someone loves God but is too busy, too distracted, too entangled to bear fruit.

 

 

And, the 4^th is the Good Soil

This soil receives the seed, protects it, nourishes it, and produces a harvest—30, 60, 100 times what was sown.

This is the open, honest, surrendered heart.

Fruitfulness is not about talent, intelligence, or background. It’s about receptivity.

Good soil is not found. Good soil is formed.

So, How Do I Cultivate Good Soil?

• Break up the hard ground — through repentance, honesty, and vulnerability before God.
• Remove the rocks — commit to deeper discipleship, not just emotional moments.
• Pull the thorns — simplify your life, reorder your priorities, and confront what is choking your soul.
• Stay open to the seed — keep listening, keep responding, keep obeying.

If Jesus walked into your life today and looked at your heart, what soil would He see?

Not what soil you wish you had.

Not what soil others think you have.

What soil is actually there?

In the New Testament it says that “I (Jesus) am come that they might have life and have it more abundantly.”

And in Timothy it says God wants all men to be saved and come a knowledge of the truth.
Remember back in Mark 4:9 it says “let them who have ears to hear, let them hear”?

Let them hear. We all have ears, right? So, we are either making a decision to hear or not hear.
Why are their eyes seeing and their ears hearing?

It’s because they are letting their eyes see and their ears hear.

So when we read these verses in Mark 4, Jesus is not the one preventing them from seeing, Jesus is not the one preventing them from hearing.

They are not seeing and they are not hearing because of the hardness of their hearts.
Satan can steal the Word when we refuse to hear.

What does Jesus say in verse 9? “He that has ears to hear, let him hear.”

In other Words, let him hear and let him hold on to it.

 

 

So, if this is the criteria for hearing then what we see here in verse 15 are those who have heard the Word but refused to hold on to it.
15 Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them.
(16) And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard the Word, immediately receive it with gladness;

(17) And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the Word's sake, immediately they are offended.
Again, these individuals did not trust the Seed.

One of our greatest problems as Christians is that we read the Bible but we truly don’t believe what we read. When you don’t believe what you read, when persecution comes and people come against you and disagree with what the Bible says, you are not going to fight for what the Bible says.

The person who has not root in himself, they have no scriptural foundation. Why? He has ears… but is not hearing.
(18) And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the Word,
(19) And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the Word, and it becometh unfruitful.
Again, they did not trust the Seed. They did not trust

that the Word would do for them what the Word says it will do. And so the world came in and replaced the Word.
(23) If any man have ears to hear, let him hear.

 

 

Several years ago the following advertisement was placed in a New England area newspaper:
"Unknown item for sale. We know it's valuable; we just don't know what it is. If you can identify it, we'll sell it for $250.”
Sometimes it’s hard to decide what something is worth. Something is only worth what someone else is willing to pay you for it.

About 10 years ago, a man was browsing at a Music City Thrift Shop in Nashville. He found an old yellowed rolled-up document that had the Declaration of Independence written on it. It was priced at $2.48, so he bought it.

But he was curious about it because it looked so old, and so he did some online research. It turned out it was one of the 200 “official copies of the Declaration that had been commissioned by John Quincy Adams in 1820. The firm that examined it determined he could sell it for about $250,000.
The man ended up selling it to an investment firm for almost ½ a million dollars.
So, how much was that old, yellowed scroll worth?

Well... it was worth whatever someone was willing to pay for it.
Now, here’s a question: What are YOU worth?

Jesus compared your worth to a lost sheep, a lost coin and a lost Son. The Bible says you were worth so much that God gave His only begotten Son that whosoever should believe in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

That’s how much you are worth to God.

In this parable we are told that the sower is doing his job. He’s throwing the seed EVERYWHERE and he’s doing what he’s expected to do. He’s not wasting his time and he’s not wasting the seed. He’s doing his JOB!
But who is the sower? Who is this person in the parable who’s throwing all that seed around? Well, we’re not told, but I’ve got a pretty good idea. I think it’s YOU... and it’s ME. Anybody who LOVES Jesus is the sower of the seed.
So, it’s YOUR job. And it’s MY job to sow the seed.

I want to close with a story of a Christian who was on his honeymoon in the Bahamas.

He said a man walked up to him and said, "Would you like to buy some cocaine?

After taking it … You can tell everyone how much you really enjoyed the Bahamas."
He said a curt "No!"

 

But then he began to think about how Jesus would have responded if someone came up to him selling drugs.

Later that day, someone else came up to him also selling drugs and that gave him a chance to share Jesus with them in a most creative way.

After the drug dealer told him that he had the "good-stuff," the Christian asked him, "What have you got?" The dealer replied that he had some "Smooth Cocaine!"

The Christian man then asked him: "Is that all you have? I'm disappointed!

I was hoping you would have something better than that.

You see, I've got the real thing! What I have is all natural, pure and very powerful. And it makes me feel great all day and all night. And get this, it may be illegal in some countries, but not in this one, so you can't get arrested for having it!"

By this time the drug dealer was very curious and asked the christian... “what is this incredible "stuff" you’re was talking about?”
The Christian replied, "I'm talking about having Jesus in your heart! It's awesome what He will do for you when you get Him inside of you!

No drug in all the world is as good as having Jesus in you."

The man STOPPED SMILING and got this real serious look on his face and said, "I want what you have.

How do I get it?"

INVITATION

 

Failure is Part of Success
Mark 14:27-31, 66-72

Famous People Who Became Successful After Numerous Failures.

Did you know that even the great inventor Thomas Edison had his fair share of blunders? It took him over 1,000 tries to invent the light bulb. When asked about his failures, he quipped, “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” 

1. Abraham Lincoln

Lincoln endured multiple business failures, bankruptcy, and 26 political defeats before eventually becoming one of America’s most respected presidents.

2. J.K. Rowling

Before Harry Potter became a global phenomenon, Rowling was penniless, depressed, and rejected by 12 publishers. Her persistence turned her into one of the world’s most successful authors.

3. Oprah Winfrey

Oprah was fired from her first TV job and told she was “unfit for television.” She later built a media empire and became one of the most influential women in the world.

4. Thomas Edison

Edison famously failed thousands of times while trying to invent the light bulb. His philosophy: each failure was simply a step toward success.

5. Walt Disney

Disney was fired for “lacking creativity” and faced bankruptcy before creating one of the most iconic entertainment empires in history.

6. Michael Jordan

Cut from his high‑school basketball team, Jordan used failure as fuel to become one of the greatest athletes of all time.

7. Steve Jobs

Jobs was fired from Apple, the company he co‑founded. Years later, he returned and transformed it into one of the most valuable companies in the world.

8. James Dyson

Dyson created 5,127 failed prototypes over 15 years before finally producing the vacuum design that made him a billionaire.

 

What These Stories Teach Us

• Failure is not the opposite of success — it’s part of it.
• Persistence is the common thread across all great achievers.
• Rejection and setbacks often precede breakthroughs.
• Resilience, not perfection, defines long‑term success.

 

The Fail-tastic Proverb.

“Fall seven times, stand up eight.” 

 

Simon Peter was a leader among the twelve disciples. He was one of the first disciples Jesus called, and after Jesus ascended back into heaven, he was one of the leaders of the early church. However, I want you to imagine that night when Peter was sitting around the fire at the house of Caiaphas.

He was brave enough to follow the mob that arrested Jesus, but he was too afraid to identify himself as a companion of Jesus. While the illegal Jewish trial of Jesus was being conducted Peter was asked three times if he knew Jesus.

And three times, he denied Jesus. When we look at Peter’s life, we can see there were at least three steps on the downward path of failure. Simon says there are three steps that lead to failure. We need to know these steps, because they are the same steps to denial followers of Jesus take today.

A. His first downward step was disagreement with God’s Word.
When Jesus took the disciples on a retreat to Caesarea Philippi, He asked them what people were saying. They said, “Some say you are John the Baptist, Jeremiah, Elijah, or one of the prophets.” Then Jesus said, “But who do YOU say that I am?”

There was probably silence for a moment or two when Peter said, “You are the Messiah, the Christ, the Son of the Living God.” Jesus complimented Peter on his good understanding.

Then Jesus began to tell them He would be going to Jerusalem where He would be put to death. That was God’s revelation. But Peter disagreed with God’s word.

The Bible says in Matthew 16:22-23 “Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. ‘Never, Lord!’ he said. ‘This shall never happen to you!’ Jesus turned and said to Peter, ‘Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me.’”
Peter heard God’s plan straight from the mouth of Jesus, but he thought he knew better. He said, “None of this business about dying!”

In the same way, we are headed for failure when we start disagreeing with this book. When a person no longer consults this book for personal morality, then that person is heading for a fall. So, I challenge each of us personally to read and obey God’s Word.
There was a time when our national morality was based upon the morality of the Bible, but we have long since forsaken God’s Word as a source of right and wrong—and that’s one main reason we are in the mess we’re in.

B. Peter’s second step toward failure was overconfidence.
When Jesus predicted that all the disciples would leave him, Peter bragged that he would stick with Jesus. He said, “EVEN If I have to die with You, I will not deny You!”

But Jesus said, “Peter, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times.”

Peter said, “Never! Not me, Lord!”

The Bible has a strong warning against overconfidence in Proverbs 16:18, “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.”

Pride is a condition that blinds the person who has it.
Pride is an attitude that causes you to think you are incapable of sin. But we need to understand that any of us are capable of denying the Lord at any time.

 

C. The third step on the pathway to failure was peer pressure from the wrong crowd.
Peter sat and warmed himself at the fire with those who were hostile toward Jesus and anyone associated with Jesus. It’s hard to stand up and confess Jesus when you are with people who don’t share your beliefs.

 

We read in Mark 14:54 that Peter followed Jesus at a distance to the courtyard of Caiaphas’ house.

That’s an indication that we find ourselves in trouble when we don’t follow the Lord closely. Some of us may have at one time followed the Lord closely, but we have hung back and now we follow the Lord at a distance. And before long we find ourself hanging out with the wrong crowd. Soon we find ourself doing the wrong thing.

Falling away from the Lord doesn’t happen overnight. It happens gradually over a period of time.

I’ve always loved the words in the opening verse of psalms that talk about the characteristics of a righteous person.

It starts by revealing what a righteous person doesn’t do. Notice the progression.

Psalm 1:1, “Blessed is the one who does not WALK in step with the wicked or STAND in the way that sinners take or SIT in the company of mockers...”

 

Peter found himself walking with the wrong crowd. Then he stood with them, and then he sat down by the fire with them. If you find yourself walking with the wrong crowd, turn around. And for sure, don’t sit down with them.
Peter took those three steps: 1) disagreement with God’s word, 2) overconfidence and

3) he submitted to peer pressure until he denied the Lord.

A little servant girl said, “I’ve seen you with Jesus; you’re one of His disciples!” Peter said, “I am NOT!” A second person said, “Yes you are, you are one of the disciples of Jesus.” The second time, Peter said, “You are wrong, I don’t know Jesus.” Then one of them recognized his accent. One man said, “I can tell by the way you talk, you’re from Galilee. You are with Jesus.”
At that moment Peter lost it, AND a nearby rooster let out a cock-a-doodle do to end all cock-a-doodle do’s!

Then it crowed again, just to make sure Peter had heard it. Then Peter remembered the words of the Lord. The very thing Peter said would never happen had happened. Peter had denied his Lord. He was at rock bottom.

 

Maybe that’s where you’ve been before. Maybe it’s where you are now. Or you are afraid you may find yourself there soon. Rock bottom is a bad place to be, but it’s a good place to meet the Lord, because there’s only one direction you can go from there.

If you are a human creature, you’re going to fail and make mistakes. When we have sinned, we must recognize it and repent. God’s forgiveness doesn’t save us from the consequences of our conduct, but if we’ve abandoned the behavior and are willing to accept the consequences, God will still use us.

The thing that reveals the strength of your character is what you do AFTER you fall. If you stay down, then you wallow in your failure. But if you get up and keep trying to follow God, He can still use you. We looked at the steps that lead to failure. Now let’s consider how to move toward restoration. Peter says there are three steps on the pathway to restoration.

 

A.    The first step is to admit your failure.
As soon as the rooster crowed, Peter realized he had failed the Lord.

The Danish artist, Carl Bloch, captured a scene from the night when Peter denied Jesus.

Luke tells us as Jesus was being led out of the courtroom, he looked across the courtyard and looked into the eyes of Peter. Peter would see Jesus’ face was already beaten, his eyes swollen, and blood caked in his beard. That look must have made Peter’s blood freeze.

 

But I don’t think Jesus had a look of anger or disappointment toward Peter. I think it was a look of love. It was as if Jesus was saying, “I told you what would happen, now what are you going to do?”

 

In this moment you see the rooster crowing as Peter turns his head away from the gaze of Jesus. When it comes to failure and sin in your life, you have two options. You can try to hide it, or you can admit it. The Bible says in Proverbs 28:13, “Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy.”

 

Someone said, “To err is human; and to cover it up is too.” Once we have made a mistake one of the hardest things to do is to come clean and admit it. Is there an area of your life where you have failed the Lord, and you are in denial?

Remember these three phrases do deal with sin.

Admit it. Quit it, then Forget it.

Admit it: confess it to God.

Quit it: stop sinning; then forget it: accept God’s cleansing.

Admit it. Quit it, Forget it—it still works.

 

B. The second step is to repent of your sin.
The Bible says Peter went out and wept bitterly. The word “repent” means to have a change of heart that leads to a change of behavior. When the Holy Spirit convicts us of sin, it is often a painful experience. That’s why Peter wept. He was ashamed of his behavior.

When was the last time you wept over your sins? Sorrow and repentance often go together.

The Bible says in 2^nd Corinthians 7:10
“Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.”

 

C. The third step is to return to serve with God’s people.
Do you know the difference between Judas Iscariot and Simon Peter? Judas was sorry for what he did. He had regret, but there was no repentance. He went out and hung himself.

After Peter went out and wept, he repented and then he joined the disciples.
Jesus not only predicted Peter would deny Him, but He also predicted Peter would get back on track and would be the one to strengthen the other disciples.

 

In Luke 22:31-32 Jesus said, “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.” Peter failed the Lord when he denied Jesus, but his faith didn’t fail. Jesus wasn’t finished with Peter.

In John 21 Peter and the disciples were out on the lake in Galilee fishing.

They had fished all night and caught nothing. They saw a man standing on the shore who called out, “Caught any fish?” They grumbled, “Nope.” The man said, “Throw your net on the other side of the boat.” That should have rung a bell. Sure enough they toss the net and it is so full of fish that they have to drag it to shore.

John said, “It’s the Lord!”

 

Peter, who had denied Jesus a few nights earlier couldn’t wait for the boat to get to shore. When the disciples arrived, Jesus already had a fire going with fish cooking. So once again, Peter is looking at Jesus across a fire. Jesus asks Peter a question three times.

Peter do you love me more than these?
John 21:15-17, “15 So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?”
He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.”
He said to him, “Feed My lambs.”
16 He said to him again a second time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?”
He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.”
He said to him, “Tend My sheep.”
17 He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?”

Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?”
And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.”
Jesus said to him, “Feed My sheep.””

 

And four weeks later, we see Peter filled with the Holy Spirit standing up and preaching the Gospel on the Day of Pentecost. He had failed… BUT, he used this event to strengthen his life. He went on to become one of the leaders of the early church.

CONCLUSION:
John Maxwell wrote, “Failing doesn’t mean I’m a failure; it just means I have not yet succeeded.

 

It doesn’t mean I’ve accomplished nothing;

it just means I’ve learned something.

 

It doesn’t mean I’ll never make it;

it just means I have a reason to start over again.

 

It doesn’t mean God has abandoned me;

it just means He has a better idea!”

The Bible is full of stories of people who loved God and failed Him on a grand scale,

but they returned to God and God used them in a mighty way.

Remember, failure is NOT THE OPPOSITE OF SUCCESS

BUT is often the thing that LEADS TO SUCCESS!!!!

 

 

 

Sermon

Contributor : David Dykes