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5 hours ago
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. 1st 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 2nd 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 1st 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 1st 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
7 days ago
7 days ago
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
Wednesday Jun 03, 2026
Wednesday Jun 03, 2026
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 2nd 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 1st 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 1st 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:
Monday May 25, 2026
Monday May 25, 2026
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?
- 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 carrot that loses strength
- The egg that becomes hard
- Or the coffee bean that transforms the world around it
“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.
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.
- Worries of life
- Deceitfulness of wealth
- Desires for other things
- 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.
In the New Testament it says that “I (Jesus) am come that they might have life and have it more abundantly.”
Remember back in Mark 4:9 it says “let them who have ears to hear, let them hear”?
Why are their eyes seeing and their ears hearing?
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.
Satan can steal the Word when we refuse to hear.
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;
Again, these individuals did not trust the Seed.
(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
(23) If any man have ears to hear, let him hear.
"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.
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?
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.
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.
He said a curt "No!"
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!"
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!
INVITATION
Wednesday May 20, 2026
Wednesday May 20, 2026
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 2nd 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
Tuesday May 12, 2026
Tuesday May 12, 2026
The Food That Perishes
John 6:16-29
INTRODUCTION: Good morning church. We said at the beginning of this series that John’s focus was writing so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God and that by believing you may have life in His name. We want to put effort in learning from John, for within this gospel is much information we can use when we teach others about the Lord.
Today we will continue our study with the second part of John’s lesson in chapter 6. Please keep in mind that this is one story John records for us. In the first 15 verses, we saw the miracle of the feeding of the 5,000. These thousands now have been fed. 5,000 men, and who knows how many women and children.
This amazing miracle has taken place. Now let’s read John 6:16-21 – “16. When evening came, his disciples went down to the sea, 17. got into a boat, and started across the sea to Capernaum. It was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. 18. The sea became rough because a strong wind was blowing. 19. When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they were frightened. 20. But he said to them, “It is I; do not be afraid.” 21. Then they were glad to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going.”
I wondered why this story is in this location, it seems out of place. This chapter is about the bread of life. Yet, right in the middle, we have this story about Jesus’ walking on the water. Why is this here? Why did John record it? On the surface it seems out of place, other than depicting it as what happened next.
We will note John’s account of this is extremely brief and leaves out key parts like Peter walking on the water and sinking. There is nothing about Jesus stilling the storm. But somehow this story of Jesus on the water is useful and part of the story about Jesus as the bread of life. We need to be wise students, understanding that God did not give just one narrative and John writes with purpose. Too many commentators say this is just stuck in here and it is out of place. We know better than that. Far greater things are being developed.
Thinking back on what we have learned so far, remember that our story is colored by the Passover - exodus sequence. We noted the parallels to the Passover and exodus in the first three verses of this chapter. We noticed how the exodus scene is very much imaged, with Jesus crossing the sea, going to the other side, going up on the mountain, and then feeding the people in the wilderness—just like the exodus.
We've said before as we study John's Gospel that John is showing us that Jesus is the Son of God, so that all may believe, because Jesus does what God has already accomplished before. He's mirroring God.
The sea does play a major role in the exodus account. God rescues Israel at the Red Sea and shows His power and deliverance in that miracle. The psalmist, in recording the exodus scene at the Red Sea in Psalm 77:19, writes these words of God’s deliverance: “Your way was through the sea, your path through the great waters; yet your footprints were unseen.” The deliverance from Egypt and parting of the Red Sea is pictured as God walking through the sea and the great waters. This is how the Jewish people, the Israelites, understood the exodus scene. Jesus walking on the water would have brought that to mind.
It was a concept of God leading the people, and the idea that He passed through the waters. God walked through the sea as He led them into the promised land. There is a connection to what's happening here. It is again looking to the exodus, a connection to show that it is a time of deliverance. Jesus has come, and He has come to save. He is going to deliver His people. As we look at the story now, we can see how that is played out.
I. Jesus Has Come To Save – We start with verses 16-17, “When evening came, his disciples went down to the sea, got into a boat, and started across the sea to Capernaum. It was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them.” You will remember the crowds intended to make Him king. Jesus withdraws and goes up on the mountain. He has not returned and the disciples leave in a boat. They are going back across the sea to Capernaum.
A. Verses 18-19, “The sea became rough because a strong wind was blowing. When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they were frightened.” Here is the picture. It is late, and it says they've rowed three or four miles. They're about halfway across. They are in the middle of the sea and now the wind comes up, and the sea becomes rough. Then they see Jesus’ walking on this turbulent sea, and they are afraid.
B. Verses 20-21, “But he said to them, “It is I; do not be afraid.” Then they were glad to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going.” The story here focuses on the disciples. It doesn't focus on Peter walking on the water or Jesus stilling the winds and sea. Not the point of the story. The point of the story is in verse 21. When they knew who Jesus was, they received Him into the boat.
C. That's the whole story. Once they knew who this person was who was walking on the sea, their response was… they gladly received Him into the boat. That's what John wants us to focus on. Then notice in verse 21 something that none of the other gospel accounts tell us. Immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going.
D. John says in these verses, they're in the middle of the lake, and now suddenly they've come to their destination. I believe this connects with what Jesus is trying to teach. In verse 12 after the 5,000 are fed, Jesus gave this command only recorded in John's gospel. “Gather up the leftover fragments, that nothing may be lost.” This is the thread being carried here in this chapter.
E. Jesus has come to save so that none may be lost, and He may bring them to their final destination.
1. He has come to save, He has come to deliver. John leaves out the walking on water by Peter because he's not concerned about how Jesus stills the sea and quiets the wind. He just wants you to focus on two things. When the disciples knew it was Jesus, they welcomed Him into the boat, and as soon as He was in, they got to port.
2. I find this a fascinating sequence in the way John records it. He presents this to us so we can contrast this with what's about to happen in the rest of the story. Those who are true followers of Jesus, those who have true faith, when they see Jesus, they welcome Him. By doing so, they are delivered and brought to their final destination.
3. The rest of the story is going to show how most people don't do that. It's a contrast between those who are truly disciples and those who seem to be disciples. They claim they are followers, but they're not really followers. Watch what happens now at verse 22, and you'll see why John has shown this and how it connects together.
II. Love The Savior – The crowd is still on the East side of the sea where Jesus fed the 5000. John 6:22-25 - “On the next day the crowd that remained on the other side of the sea saw that there had been only one boat there, and that Jesus had not entered the boat with his disciples, but that his disciples had gone away alone. Other boats from Tiberias came near the place where they had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks. So when the crowd saw that Jesus was not there, nor his disciples, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum, seeking Jesus. When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you come here?””
A. When they found Him, they said to Him, “Rabbi, when did you come here?”
1. Think about this scene. No doubt they know Jesus did not get in the boat and go with the disciples. The disciples have left on their own. They probably saw Jesus go up on the mountain and they watched the disciples leave.
2. They get in boats and go to Capernaum and somehow Jesus is there, and they are certain He didn't take a boat! They also know He couldn't have walked all the way around the sea. So, they asked that question, when did you get here?
B. Listen to how Jesus responds to this mass of people following Him in verse 26. “Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves.” He clearly identifies a problem, and it is a problem that John has observed for us many times in this gospel. Jesus knows the hearts of the people, and there are those not following Him for the right reason. Those people did not see Jesus as God-with-us. They did not see Jesus as the light coming into the darkness. Rather, they are following Him because they want to be fed.
1. Here is the sign, but you do not understand it. Instead, you saw the sign, and you said, Wow, that was great, we got a free lunch. We know they saw the sign of feeding of the 5,000. But He's saying, you don't really see the sign. Yeah, you see the outcome, but you aren't getting the connection.
2. You don't grasp what this means. You don't understand who I am. You're into it simply because you can get something out of it.
3. They say we're going to follow you. Jesus is saying, truly, you aren't following Me. You are not true disciples. Their enthusiasm is not for who Jesus is. Their enthusiasm is for what He gives. Jesus is identifying them by saying, you're not coming to Me because you understand who I am. They do not understand Him to be the Messiah, the Christ, the Lord, the Savior, the Deliverer, the prophesied one who was going to save the people from their sins.
C. Jesus does not accept that. Jesus does not accept people coming to Him for what they are going to receive. We need to consider that there is a great difference. A great difference between wanting Jesus and wanting what materialistic things Jesus gives.
1. Let me illustrate. Do you want your spouse to love you because of who you are, the person that you are, or because of all the things that you do for them? There is a big difference.
2. How about your children. Do you want your children to love you for who you are, or do you want your children to love you because of all the things you do for them? There is a big difference isn’t there? This is what Jesus is pointing out to this crowd. You're coming to me for what I can give you.
3. If we are in a relationship with God, with our spouse, for what we receive… that is, by definition, selfishness. If I am married for the only reason of what I get out of it, then it is selfishness. If I am obedient to my parents only for what they will do for me, then it is selfishness. If I only serve God because of the perceived physical benefits, then I serve out of selfishness. What someone gives—cannot be the object of our affection.
4. I submit to you this is an enormous truth, and it explains massive failures in marriage. So many marriages fall apart because the commitment is not to the person. The commitment is to what they will receive from the person. When they stop receiving from that person what they expect, they give up. True love is in the person, not in what that person does for you.
D. Jesus identifies this problem to them to get them to understand. Will you love me for Me or will you love Me only for the gifts that I give? Is that the only reason you are going to follow me? Is that the only reason you are going to seek after Me? This is, I think, such an important truth today because so much so-called Christianity has been built on the idea that Jesus is here for all your whims. He is here to fulfill all your needs.
1. Jesus came to change your focus from physical desires to spiritual desires so you would seek after Him properly. Changing the selfish seeking of physical comfort and desires to godly desires. We cannot turn God into “what will He do for me?” Yet, we know that's the primary motive of many who claim to be “followers of God” these days.
2. What is God going to do for me? What is my benefit? What is God going to accomplish for me? What program is there for me? That's selfishness. That's not what God seeks. I submit to you that Jesus will give you nothing if that's the only reason you seek him.
3. Look at what happens here. Does Jesus perform another miracle and give them the bread that they are looking for? No. You're not coming to Him for the right reason... If you are coming to him for the selfish purpose of fulfilling your physical desires, Jesus does not respond to that. We need to love Him for who He is.
E. This chapter is all about the concept of seeing who Jesus is and loving Him for who He is. Not just what He will give us. I wish people would hear this truth! It seems so often it is all about our self-interest. What will Jesus do for me, what will Jesus give to me? He will give you nothing if you are seeking Him for what He gives. Do not love Him for His material gifts. Love Him for He is our loving Savior and Lord.
1. If this truth were to sink into people’s hearts, then it would end any notion of asking; if we have to assemble at all services: if we have to worship: if we have to serve: if we have to give, and so forth. Those questions represent a heart that is not in love with who Jesus is, but merely in love with what Jesus gives.
2. You all have heard these things. -- Why should I have to do anything? Why do I have to get baptized? Do I really have to do good to my neighbor? Do I really have to serve somebody? Do I have to attend worship services instead of just praying at home? What do those questions suggest about a person’s personal relationship with God?
3. We are not the focal point, He is the focal point, and that's what leads into what Jesus says in verse 27.
III. Labor For Lasting Food – “Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.” Do not work for the food that perishes. That makes me stop and ask an obvious question.
A. What are we working for? What is our purpose? Why are we here? What is our quest? What are we doing? What are you laboring for? What is all your effort geared after? What are you doing here on this earth? That's a very important question and it is very important to answer this honestly. What are we doing here?
1. Jesus is calling for us to stop focusing on the physical. Stop focusing on the material. That is… stop focusing on the things of this world. To truly receive Jesus, to truly be a follower of Him we need to move away from trying to fulfill physical and material wants. Don't labor for the food that perishes He says. That labor is not going to give you the joy that God is looking to give you.
2. Isaiah prophesied of that in Isaiah 55:2 when he asked the question, “Why do you spend money for what is not bread, and your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, And delight yourself in abundance.”[NASB] When we see who Jesus is and we understand why we are following Him, and we don't follow out of selfishness, then that is going to change everything about how we live our lives.
3. We are no longer going to be driven by occupation, wealth, comfort, lust, position, power, or success. We're not going to be driven by any of those things because we'll recognize that that is food that perishes.
4. Why would we labor for those things? Why would we put so much effort into getting those things when they do not give us the joy that we think they're going to give us? Do not labor for the food that perishes. Why put effort into these things that are not of value to your soul?
B. Verse 27 continues; but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. There's only one food, only one thing that will satisfy eternally and that is Jesus. Jesus is the only one that satisfies. Jesus is the only one who gives true bread. It cannot be found anywhere else.
C. For on him God the Father has set his seal. The Father has authenticated and declared this is where true life is. John 5:26, “For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself.” [ESV] He has given authority to the Son to give life to whomever He wills. True life, true joy, true satisfaction is only found in Christ.
D. This causes those people to ask the really important question in verse 28. “Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?””
1. All right. Don't labor for the food that perishes, labor for the eternal food, so what work must we do to be able to do that? What work must I do to have this eternal life? I think the NIV words this very well, “What must we do to do the works God requires?”
2. Important question. Since we're not supposed to labor for the food that perishes, the physical things, the material things, what must we do?
E. Notice the answer that He gives here in verse 29. “Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.”” That's quite an answer. You will note that He doesn't give them a long list. I want you to notice how He words that.
1. They said, what's the work that we need to do to do the works of God? Jesus replies, “This is the work of God…” God's already accomplished this. God has already done the work. There's no amount of work that you're going to accomplish to be able to say… now I have eternal life because I've done A, B, C, D, X, Y, and Z. See, He's working with this Jewish mind set of, what must we do?
2. No, you don't understand. You don't understand that God has already accomplished a mighty work through His Son. He has accomplished the work. I love how the Apostle Paul words that in Colossians chapter 2 when he speaks of the circumcision not made with hands and how you're buried with Him in baptism through faith in the powerful working of God. It's God's work. God's done the work. We haven't done the work. God has accomplished the work.
F. What then is expected of His people? What is He looking for in these people? The rest of verse 29. “… that you believe in him whom he has sent.” What have we learned about believing? We might put it this way; “This is the work of God: that you believe [i.e. adhere to, trust in, rely on, and have faith] in the One whom He has sent.””
1. He's getting at seeing Jesus for who He is. To recognize that this is the Savior, and let that change who you are. All that I do is for nothing if it doesn't come from the knowledge, and love, that Jesus is precious and that He is all I need. That must be the basis.
2. He is the Savior, He is the treasure, and now I labor for Him and not for the food that perishes. I do so because God has accomplished an amazing act of mercy and grace through the sacrifice of His Son. Therefore, I will labor for Him, I will give my life to Him, and I will not work for the things of this world. I will work for that which truly satisfies.
CONCLUSION:
We see how this thread all came together and why the walking on the water scene was important to John defining the need to receive Jesus. The disciples on the Sea of Galilee saw Jesus as the Savior and received Him into their boat and they arrived at their destination. The crowds saw Jesus as a means to fulfill their physical desires and therefore did not have true saving faith in Him.
There's a distinction being made between His disciples and the crowd that seems to be following but they're not really disciples. Think about how that relates throughout the book. In John 1:12 we learned that believing in Jesus is to receive Him into your life. We learned that whoever believes in Him would not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16). In the context of chapter 3 Jesus is describing being born again. We learned we must have a spiritual birth, being born from above, to have eternal life. Only when we see Jesus for who He is, will we truly receive Him into our lives. By receiving Him into our lives we experience the new birth that leads to eternal life from the Son.
A very important concept that John has been driving at. It is not just simply, I believe. He becomes everything to your life. You follow Him and nothing else. He is the treasure and nothing else. Go back to chapter 1 and read these sorrowful lines and see how John has been working with this.
John 1:5 says, “The light shines in the darkness and the darkness did not comprehended it.” Notice it again a few verses later.
John 1:10. “He was in the world and the world was made through Him, yet the world did not know Him. He came to His own and His own did not receive Him.”
This has been the theme of this Gospel. Will you see that He is the light and will you receive Him for who He is? Or will you just simply look at Him as somebody who does some neat things, who satisfies my desires, who makes my life a little better, and so therefore I use Him that way. Jesus wants people who will follow Him for who He is.
The object of our affection is not the gifts. It is the giver of the gifts. We love Him and serve Him for Him. May we develop that strong faith, and may we work to have that kind of love to see Him as He truly is and love Him for who He really is.
The message is yours. If you are in need of baptism or prayers we invite you to come while we stand and sing the invitation song.
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Reference: Brent Kercheville
Monday May 04, 2026
Monday May 04, 2026
Fighting Against the Flames
Daniel 3:1–30
A person once said that there are only two things that you need to worry about:
Whether you are healthy, or whether you are sick!
If you are healthy, you have nothing to worry about BUT if you are sick you have two things to worry about:
Whether you are going to get better, or
whether you are going to get worse!
If you get better, you have nothing to worry about BUT if you get worse you have two things to worry about:
Whether you’re going to live, or
whether you're going to die.
If you live then you have nothing to worry about, BUT if you die then you have two things to worry about:
Whether you're going to heaven, or
whether you're going to hell.
If you're going to heaven, you have nothing to worry about, BUT if you're going to hell, you have two things:
WHETHER IN Utter darkness or IN THE MIDST OF THE FIRE!
This morning, we will be addressing the idea of fighting against the flames. I would like to look at an event that we are all familiar with that happened many years ago. Our text this morning will be from the 3rd chapter of Daniel.
Daniel 3 beginning in Verse
1 Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, whose height was sixty cubits and its width six cubits. He set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon.
2 And King Nebuchadnezzar sent word to gather together the satraps, the administrators, the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the judges, the magistrates, and all the officials of the provinces, to come to the dedication of the image
which King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.
3 So the satraps, the administrators, the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the judges, the magistrates, and all the officials of the provinces gathered together for the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up; and they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up.
This is a little bold, isn’t it? What purpose is this going to have? Look at the size of it. It’s made to brag…. TO SHOWOFF.
He invites all these people to come see it. The king doesn’t want anyone to miss this monument that is being set up for him.
We think about our own lives.
I’m sure we come in contact with people today that view themselves a little more important than others. More importantly, they view their own actions as important. Anytime they say to you, “I can do whatever, I want.”
What are they saying about God in their lives? They’re viewing themselves more important than anyone else—including God, our creator.
In verse 4 Then a herald cried aloud: “To you it is commanded, O peoples, nations, and languages,
5 that at the time you hear the sound of the horn, flute, harp, lyre, and psaltery, in symphony with all kinds of music, you shall fall down and worship the gold image
that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up;
6 and whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast immediately into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.”
When you hear these instruments playing, you need to fall down and worship the golden image.
Notice how PERSONALLY the King gets involved in this. He goes to all the trouble of having a HUGE idol built where everybody can see it. That’s pretty plain. Not only is the image there, you are to be in awe: O, Nebuchadnezzar, how powerful you are! There are examples of false gods, but this king, Nebuchadnezzar, himself has made this image that he wants people to worship.
We think about people in our lives today who may value their car more than anything. They value their jobs more than anything. It would really be the same thing as this golden image. If we let something stand in our lives that is more important than our worship to God, if it is more important than what we realize what God deserves.
Then he sets aside a special day when everybody is to come and bow down to that idol. And then he makes a major musical production to announce when everyone should bow down. This musical extravaganza was all about glorifying an idol.
Apparently Nebuchadnezzar isn’t sure that his command will be obeyed. He’s not sure everybody is going to bow down to his idol, so he makes absolutely sure that everybody
knows that if they DON’T bow down to this idol...
there’s a price to be paid. You see, this isn’t just about an idol. This is about a King and his desire to force his VALUE SYSTEM on his people.
at verse 7: So at that time, when all the people heard the sound of the horn, flute, harp, and lyre, in symphony with all kinds of music, all the people, nations, and languages
fell down and worshiped the gold image which King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.
He’s IMPOSING his pagan lifestyle on an entire people.
And he’s doing it because he can. He’s rich and powerful and he can definitely hurt you if you oppose him. It’s kind of like the powerful people of our day who say –
You WILL accept homosexuality.
You WILL accept foul language in everyday conversation.
You WILL accept public shaming, sarcasm, and acts of revenge.
You WILL accept all kinds of immorality.
Because if you don’t except these things then... there will be a price to be paid. You’ll do it or it’ll cost you your job or maybe your business or maybe your income.
The rich and powerful in our society tell us that if we don’t bow down to THEIR altar... they WILL DESTROY YOU.
And so everybody bows down. It’s not worth the hassle and they don’t want to pay that kind of price for saying “NO”. Everybody bows down. Everybody, that is, except 3 YOUNG MEN from Judah – Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
REMEMBER WHAT Isaiah 5:20 SAYS: They call evil good, and good evil!
Now, I’m going to drop down to verse 12 of our text in Daniel 3 There are certain Jews whom you have set over the affairs of the province of Babylon: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego; these men, O king, have not paid due regard to you. They do not serve your gods or worship the gold image which you have set up.”
Hum? Tattletales! People saying, “Do you know what they’re doing over there? There are people that don’t worship.” So Obviously…. there are some people blabbing to the king. Basically, they’re saying, “Do you know that there are people who don’t follow your god.”
Notice Nebuchadnezzar’s reaction in verse 13. Then Nebuchadnezzar, in rage and fury, gave the command to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. So, they brought these men before the king.
If you’re Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and you’re brought before the king you might be thinking “Uh oh!”
He is the king.
So, I am sure we would immediately start thinking about REASONS WHY WE DIDN’T OBEY THE KING’s DECREE LIKE EVERYONE ELSE!
We didn’t because…
You’d be thinking of all different kinds of reasons why you didn’t do it.
Things like -
We didn’t because we didn’t hear the sound.
Or, we didn’t know the decree APPLIED TO US ALSO.
We think about people today.
They give every reason why they do what they do.
In verse 14 Nebuchadnezzar spoke, saying to them,
“Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the gold image which I have set up?
SO HERE YOU ARE in front of the king.
You’re asked a straight forward question.
Is it true that you chose to ignore my decree?
What would your response be?
Today we may be asked
just a simple question by our own friends—are you a Christian?
Or, do you think that you really need to attend services?
Or, just any type of question like this?
The king is asking: Did you ignore my decree?
In verse 15, Now if you are ready at the time you hear the sound of the horn, flute, harp, lyre, and psaltery, in symphony with all kinds of music, and you fall down and worship
the image which I have made, good! But if you do not worship, you shall be cast immediately into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.
And who is the god who will deliver you from my hands?”
Notice again the question King Nebuchadnezzar asked Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego – at the end of verse 15.
This question and how Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego answer that question is the focus of the entire story.
“Who is the God who will deliver you?”
And how did they answer the question?
Their SO IMPORTANT ANSWER to the KING is found in Verse 17 “OUR GOD whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king”
(PAUSE)
Do you believe that?
Do you believe that your God is mighty to save?
Do you believe that your God is able to deliver you?
When the king threatens them, their response is one of the most powerful declarations in Scripture:
“Our God is able to deliver us… But even if He does not, we will not bow.”
This is mature faith:
- Faith that trusts God’s power
- Faith that submits to God’s will
- Faith that refuses to compromise
The reason why so many church goers struggle in their faith is because ... they don’t. They don’t believe in a God who will have their back. They don’t believe in a God who cares.
They don’t believe in a God who is able TO DO ANYTHING, so when trials and struggles come along they can’t stand up.
All they can do is kneel in submission.
If you don’t believe God can do things in your life... you can’t win. You have already lost. And Satan has already won.
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were saying in vs 18 “We may not win... but we WILL NOT lose. Our God IS able to deliver us.
And then they said: “BUT IF NOT (if God decides that He isn’t going to save us today) be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”
Even if God decides not to rescue us from our fiery furnace we will not bow down. We will NOT surrender. We will NOT dishonor our God no matter what the price.
Our God is mighty to save. Our God is able to deliver us.
And when God steps up to defend us, there’s no power on the face of the earth that can withstand Him.
Romans 8:39 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
I can visualize Nebuchadnezzar sitting in his throne smugly watching as Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego are thrown in the fiery furnace. I can see him smile as he believes he has won. He was so angry with them for choosing to obey THEIR GOD instead of him he had the furnace increased to seven times its normal heat BUT then he glances through an opening in the furnace and ... he begins to rise from his seat. A look of shock crosses his face as he asks if they’d only thrown 3 men into the fire.
Someone says “yes, only 3.” But as he looks into the furnace and he sees FOUR MEN. Where’d the 4th guy come from?
The king heats the furnace seven times hotter — because the world always increases pressure when you refuse to bow.
But notice what happens:
1. They are thrown in bound… but the fire sets them free. The ropes burn off, but their bodies are untouched.
Sometimes God uses the fire to burn away what was holding you.
2. A fourth man appears in the fire.
Nebuchadnezzar sees someone “like a son of GOD.”
God doesn’t just rescue from the fire — He joins His people in it.
You may feel like you’re in a furnace right now:
- A furnace of stress
- A furnace of grief
- A furnace of pressure
- A furnace of uncertainty
But the God of Daniel 3 still steps into furnaces.
We read in verse 25 of the text “He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth
is like the Son of God.”
The Bible tell us, when we’re faced with our own fiery trial, God will be there beside us.
Here in THIS BIBLICAL ACCOUNT is a king basically saying, who is that God that shall deliver you?
He was putting fear into them. There’s no way that your God is going to deliver you from what I can do to you!!!
Isn’t it ironic that the TITANIC which had the statement made about it that even God Himself couldn’t sink it? This ship never made it to its destination on its maiden voyage. Hum? A little irony there.
In verse 16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter.
We are going to do what God wants us to do.
How would you answer the question
who is your God that is going to help you?
Do they know the final ending?
Do they know that there will be no harm to them? No.
Do they know that the king is going to be upset? Yes.
Do they know that there’s a decree saying they will be thrown into a fiery furnace? Yes.
I can only IMAGINE what the heat would be like IN THE MIDDLE OF THE FIRE.
This was a “God moment” – this was a time when I believe God was setting them up. He was putting these guys in a position where they had to make a choice.
And God does that a lot in Scripture.
I hope you noticed that they come out without even the smell of smoke.
God doesn’t just deliver — He restores.
Some people go through fire and carry the scars forever. These men walked out without the smell of what they survived.
God can bring you through something so completely that people won’t believe you ever went through it.
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were faced with a harsh decision, a time when God
had set them up to endure for righteousness.
Deuteronomy 31:8 tells us of a promise that God makes repeatedly throughout the Bible
“It is the LORD who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed."
This is a promise you can rely on. But this promise is only yours if you are His child. If you’ve sensed the need for a God who will stand there beside you.
God’s offer is simple to accept:
Believe in Jesus, repent of your sins, confess Jesus as your Lord and Master and then be buried with Christ in the waters of Christian baptism In the name of the FATHER, SON, and HOLY SPIRIT for the REMISSION of your SINS.
INVITATION
Monday Apr 27, 2026
Monday Apr 27, 2026
The All-Providing King
John 6:1-15
INTRODUCTION: Good morning church. We completed our study of chapter 5 last time and as we return to John's Gospel, I want to spend a few minutes reminding ourselves of some of the important concepts that John has set forward in this Gospel.
First, we need to remember the purpose John stated for writing. It is always important as we study the Gospels to keep in mind the inspired author's purpose. There's a reason behind these things. It's not just simply four narratives, but it is an argument based on the author concerning Jesus. John said that he wrote “so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” Now we are going to go on to the 6th chapter where John records for us the miracle of the feeding of the 5,000.
Second, we have observed in this Gospel, that John is showing us that Jesus does what God has already done. Remember the parallel between how the Bible begins, the first book, Genesis, in the beginning God, and then we have John's Gospel in the beginning the Word. Right at the start John tells us the Word is God. Then he continues in the following chapters showing us Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, by observing how Jesus is accomplishing and doing what God has already done.
Third, keep in mind that in this Gospel John has been talking about signs. His Gospel is unique in how John emphasizes the necessity of signs. He only records seven miracles and he calls those miracles signs, which means that we are not supposed to step back and just say, wow, that was a neat miracle. The miracle is to communicate something deeper. There is a deeper message, a deeper concept than just simply, He did a miracle and that makes Him God.
There is something intrinsic in the miracle that causes it to be a sign. It is a symbol, it is a communicating device to the reader, so that you will know that Jesus is the Christ, not only by His power, but also in what He does.
Please keep those things in mind as we study this 6th chapter. This chapter is one solid story, but to do 71 verses in one lesson is just not going to happen. We need to break it into pieces. First, there is the fourth great sign (John 6:1-14); then the people's efforts to make him King (John 6:15); the fifth of the seven signs (John 6:16-21); next the discussions on the other side of the lake and the extended metaphor of the bread of life (John 6:22-51); then the "hard saying" regarding the eating of His flesh, etc. (John 6:52-59); and the downward turn in the Lord's popularity (John 6:60-71).
As we go through this chapter, please keep in your mind that this is one story, one event that John has put together concerning who Jesus is.
Before we introduce this chapter, let's read the first 15 verses, get a feel of what John is recording for us, and then we'll break it down into the pieces that John wants us to understand.
John 6:1-15 – “After this Jesus went to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, also called the Sea of Tiberias. A large crowd kept following him because they saw the signs that he was doing for the sick. Jesus went up the mountain and sat down there with his disciples. Now the Passover, the festival of the Jews, was near.”
“When he looked up and saw a large crowd coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?” He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he was going to do. Philip answered him, “Two hundred denarii would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little.”
One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him, “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish. But what are they among so many people?” Jesus said, “Make the people sit down.”
“Now there was a great deal of grass in the place, so they sat down, about five thousand in all.” Then Jesus took the loaves, and when he had given thanks he distributed them to those who were seated; so also the fish, as much as they wanted. When they were satisfied, he told his disciples, “Gather up the fragments left over, so that nothing may be lost.”
“So they gathered them up, and from the fragments of the five barley loaves, left by those who had eaten, they filled twelve baskets. When the people saw the sign that he had done, they began to say, “This is indeed the prophet who is to come into the world.” When Jesus realized that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain by himself.”[ESV]
I. Overview – Let’s first have an overview of what is going on. We want to make some observations before we get into the details of what John is teaching us.
A. The first thing I think worthy of observation is that this is the only miracle recorded in all four Gospels. The synoptics record this sign as the culmination of a series of wonders, but John seems to have presented it for the sake of the discussions that flowed out of it; and it also fitted his objective of stressing Jesus' deity.
1. Since this is the only miracle that gets treatment by all four, what makes John’s viewpoint distinct? What is different about this recording of the miracle than the synoptic Gospels? I believe we do a great disservice when we take the Gospel accounts and try to harmonize them, to blend them together and make them one. If God wanted one singular narrative, He certainly could have given us one singular narrative.
2. There is a reason that John's Gospel has some different details, that are not found in the other Gospels. As I read I often wonder, why did John say that here? How come this is different than Matthew, Mark and Luke's Gospels? What is John trying to get us to understand?
B. The second thing that we need to see is this is filled with Exodus overtones. Notice all the Exodus imagery that is found here. For example, John goes out of his way in verse 4 to point out it's the Passover that's coming. The Passover was given to Moses and the people of Israel when they were slaves in Egypt, and it was observed the night before the Exodus. The great Passover when God struck down the firstborn who did not have the mark on the doors. The Passover is memorial about the Exodus and how God had led the people by a mighty hand from their slavery.
1. We also notice the picture how Jesus crosses the sea and goes up the mountain. Which is exactly what Moses does in the Exodus as he crosses the Red Sea and then goes up to Mount Sinai. John records this but none of the other Gospels do.
2. John also tells us that there's a great multitude following Him as He goes. Which is what Moses did. Moses led the mighty number of Israel as he takes them across the Red Sea to Mount Sinai and into the wilderness.
C. The wilderness is the third parallel. Jesus goes to the eastern side of the Sea of Galilee (Tiberias). That is the side of the sea that is known for its barren hillside. The other Gospel accounts just say it's a desolate place.
1. This is observable geographically and doesn't have to be stated by John. We know that's not like the west side where there's Capernaum and there's all those cities and towns.
2. This is a desolate area as is made clear by Jesus’ question to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread…” The point is they are in the middle of nowhere and there is no place near to buy food. It's a desolate place. Just as when Moses leads the people into the wilderness.
D. The Exodus symbolism continues with Jesus’ question. None of the other Gospel accounts tell us that Jesus asks the question, “Where are we to buy bread…”. It is always the question of the disciples. This is a strong parallel to what Moses asks in Numbers 11:13 – “Where am I to get meat to give to all this people?...”
1. We can see what John is showing us here, feel the weight of Passover, of Sinai and wilderness as we read this chapter. It's only going to get stronger as we read and I suggest you read the whole chapter and see for yourself though we will not get past verse John 6:15 today.
2. John is setting this up for us in the very beginning with Jesus crossing the sea, going up on the mountain. The crowds follow. They're in a desolate place. Jesus is acting just like Moses not only in His actions, but also in His words. We'll see the people draw that conclusion in verse 14. This is the one. This is the prophet like Moses that Moses said the Lord would raise up. (Deuteronomy 18:15-19).
E. One other thing I note here is the story also gives a warning for future trouble. Notice verse 2, “A large crowd kept following him because they saw the signs that he was doing for the sick.” The crowds were following Him because of the signs. We have observed that this has been a problem many times in the Gospel of John. The issue was first highlighted for us in John 2:23-25. “Many believed when they saw the signs he was doing but Jesus did not believe in or entrust himself to them because he knew what was in their hearts.” They believe because they see the signs. But there is not an inward faith that comes from seeing the signs.
1. Jesus condemned the people for this specifically in John 4:48, “Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe.” John has shown us the false, non-saving belief of Nicodemus in chapter 3 and the true, saving faith of the Samaritan woman in chapter 4. Now John is foreshadowing this same issue. He sets us the scene with the crowds coming for the wrong reason. Jesus must deal with the problem that their belief is shallow. It is not true saving faith.
2. They just simply are coming because of external events. Now let's get into the story and look at some of the things that are going on. In verse 5 we see Jesus asking the question.
II. The Test – John 6:5 Jesus asks Phillip, “Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?” John tells us the number of men were about 5,000 and Matthew says about 5,000 besides women and children. Feel the enormity of the situation! That is a lot of people and there is no place nearby to get supplies. Visualize thousands of people streaming toward Jesus and His disciples. That is a huge number of people. Can you picture the faces of the disciples when Jesus asks that question? You've got to be kidding me! Look at all these people.
A. Now we consider what Jesus is doing as verse 6 continues, “He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he would do.” Jesus is asking a question to see what the response of His disciples is going to be. This is a testing of faith; would they turn to Jesus and declare that He can resolve this situation. “You are the Son of God and you can do all things”.
1. Recall what Ezekiel said when God asked him something seemingly impossible, “can these bones live?” Ezekiel responds, “O Lord God, you know.”
2. Rather than looking to Jesus for the answer and trusting Him to provide, the disciples look to self-reliance. We don’t have enough money to fix the problem. We don’t have enough food to solve the situation.
3. Consider what Jesus is doing here. I suspect Jesus is not asking His disciples to solve this problem. He's not asking His disciples to look to themselves and come up with some kind of answer. He's looking for them to see Jesus as the answer. He wants them to turn to Him and say, we don't have an answer, but You can solve the problem. You are able to deal with the situation. You are the all-providing King, You can do something. — This is the test.
B. There is something important for us to recognize, we need to see our insufficiency. It's ultimately why we are tested isn’t it? It really doesn't matter what we're going through. It doesn't matter if it is the severest of severe trials. It doesn't matter if it's a minor ordeal. Ultimately, everything boils down to recognizing in the trial we are completely insufficient. We do not possess all the answers. We do not know how things are going to turn out. We cannot change the circumstances the way we would like in any event.
1. I need to recognize that I am insufficient but there is One who is all-sufficient. I am not to first turn to myself and say, well, let me see how I can solve my problem. Then if I can't solve my problem, shrug my shoulders and say, well, maybe God can do something.
2. Sad but true many of us, myself well included, turn to our own insufficiency first instead of God first. The disciples say they do not have enough money to buy the amount of food needed even if there was a place to get it from. As far as the food on hand they say; “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are they for so many?”
C. The scene continues in verse 10, and we see something interesting; “Jesus said, “Make the people sit down.”” Then John writes, “Now there was much grass in the place…” I read that and wondered. Matthew, Mark and Luke call this a desolate place, yet several of the gospels mention the grass where the people could sit. I think there is something that is being declared here in this highly symbolic gospel. It's desolate. But where Jesus is, there's green grass. Interesting.
1. Jesus has the people sit down. With the five small loaves and two small fish available, Jesus takes the loaves and fish, gives thanks to the Father, and then distributed the bread and fish. With 5000 men and an unknown number of women and children, the disciples begin to hand out the food. The disciples keep passing out the food until the crowd had eaten “as much as they wanted.”
2. This is not a snack. This is dinner for the crowd. The crowd eats until they are satisfied. He takes the loaves and gives thanks and distributes them to those who were seated. I try to imagine a grassy hillside with 5,000 men plus women and children all seated around and the disciples distributing the fish and loaves. How long does it take to feed a few thousand people? Visualize what's going on here. This must have taken quite some time, and it says they have as much as they wanted.
D. Then notice the emphasis is made in verse 12. “And when they had eaten their fill, he told his disciples, “Gather up the leftover fragments, that nothing may be lost.”” They ate until they were full! Jesus supplied an abundance of food. It's a great picture because it tells us that only Jesus can satisfy. There's a great image as the disciples see Jesus is the one who is sufficient. They are not sufficient for the problem in front of them. But here is the all-sufficient King who truly satisfies.
1. Everyone eats all that they want. They are completely satisfied. They are completely filled. It is a beautiful picture. It teaches us everything else is emptiness.
2. That void in your life you feel, that emptiness you have, only God fills. Here is that picture being done in the symbol. He is trying to communicate it to them in this imagery that He has come, and He brings satisfaction to the hungry and thirsty no one else can satisfy. Only Jesus can provide. Only Jesus is sufficient. Only Jesus can satisfy.
III. Nothing Lost - In verse 12 after they had eaten their fill, He told His disciples gather up the leftover fragments that nothing may be lost. This command is not recorded in the other accounts. There is a symbolism that exists here, and I want to stress I do not think the point is “even in abundance don't be wasteful”. Not the point at all. I want you to recognize the imagery that's being given to us.
A. That nothing may be lost. The bread that Jesus has offered to the people. He has come for the people so that no one will be lost. There is a deep meaning behind what has happened. He is accomplishing something here.
1. Look at verse 13, “So they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves left by those who had eaten.” Jesus has come so that life would be given and none would be lost. You ever wondered why Jesus made sure it was 12 baskets that were filled and not 4 or 7 or 10 or 40.
2. Why 12? Because Jesus has come to Israel and so that none of Israel will be lost. He has come to offer them life, to save them from their sins. Now, you might be thinking that this is reading too much into the text. But look at verse 14: this is a sign. “When the people saw the sign that he had done,…”
3. John identifies that there is a deeper symbolic message in the feeding of the 5,000 than the mere fact that Jesus used His divine power to fill bellies. Something greater is being taught and this message sets the tone for the chapter as Jesus will declare himself to be the bread of life. Jesus has come so that no one may be lost. He has come to gather Israel in for its salvation. All who are gathered to him will be saved. Those who are satisfied in Jesus are gathered in and will not be lost.
4. Jesus has come to offer the satisfaction that cannot be found anywhere else. Jesus has come to solve the problem of sin that we have and so desperately need someone to deal with. Jesus has come to solve that problem for us.
5. All who belong to Him will be saved or to put it another way, those who are satisfied in Jesus are gathered in and they are not lost. This is a tremendous message that we're going to see repeated in John's gospel over the next few chapters.
6. He has come to save. He has come so that none need to be lost. He has come to redeem. There is no reason for anyone to be lost because He is all sufficient, and He provides exactly what we need.
IV. False Expectations – Verse 14. “When the people saw the sign that he had done, they said, “This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world!””
A. They see the symbolism. All that John laid out about Passover and Exodus and crossing the sea and how he's just like Moses. He's the one. That's what Deuteronomy says. Moses said there'd be somebody like me who would rise up. The Jewish expectation was there would be another Moses who would deliver the people. He's doing it. He is the one. He is that deliverer. He is the prophet.
B. Then we see what Jesus does. Verse 15 - “Perceiving then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself.” Now, wait a minute. I thought they got it right. They're saying you're the new Moses, the new Exodus. You're the deliverer. You're the one, right? They've got it. But we've been told that Jesus knew the hearts of the people, He's able to read that they're drawing the wrong conclusion.
1. They do recognize an important truth. They have seen the sign that He is sent by God, and He is the prophet that Moses spoke of. Yet they are drawing a false conclusion because rather than coming to Him seeing Him as the savior from their sins and the life giver, they're coming to Him because they're wowed by the sign.
2. Wow, that was neat. Which is what we've seen repeatedly in this gospel. In fact, verse 26 of this chapter tells us that when they come to him, Jesus says, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves…”. You are coming for the wrong reason. You're seeing the signs, but you're drawing the wrong conclusion. You're not seeing me as the one who provides what you need spiritually.
3. You're seeing me as somebody who provides for you materially. Somebody who provides for you physically. Now we can have the food that we want. They are thinking physically and materially rather than spiritually. This has happened throughout this gospel. Think of the woman at the well. Jesus says “but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again.” She says, “Give me that water so I will not be thirsty or have to come here to draw water.”
C. When Jesus feeds the 5000, they want to make Jesus a physical king who will give them all that they want. We see this point clearly stated in John 6:26. This is why Jesus withdraws from them and returns to the mountain. Just as when Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the tablets of stone only to find the people acting sinful and returned to the mountain to receive the Law again, Jesus finds the wrong hearts in these people and returns to the mountain.
D. Jesus has come to be their lasting eternal satisfaction. The people just want to be fed. We will leave that thought there and consider it with greater depth in the future lessons from this chapter as Jesus will explore this problem with the people’s hearts.
CONCLUSION: That's what's being displayed for us here. Unfortunately, the people just simply wanted to be fed. By that I mean they just want their desires met. They want their physical needs confirmed and addressed. They do not see that their spiritual needs must be dealt with. How often God tests us to see if we will trust Jesus to be our all-providing king.
How often He will test us and stand back and see, will the first thing on our lips be, Jesus, you are the all-satisfying king, You can do all things. You have satisfied my needs to the utmost. You have come and dealt with my sins. You have set me free from that which I enslaved myself. You have taken my defilement and corruption and cleansed me. You have placed me in your glorious kingdom and made me to be a servant of yours. In fact, a glorious servant so that you call me brother and God our father. Unbelievable.
Will we see him as that, and have the heart to trust God, no matter what happens physically in this life? No matter what transpires in difficulty and hardship? Will we see Him as the one to trust? Or do we only turn to Him for the physical, wanting Him as a God of comfort and ease.
The Lord is looking for us to turn to Him in every circumstance, whether good or bad, so that we can belong to Him and receive the true life that we need. That's what Jesus is looking for. Looking for those who will have a true, transformed life, a true saving belief in who Jesus is, and not just merely a shell, a facade, a simple, yes, He's the one who does neat things.
I want to leave you with the words of the Apostle Peter, “His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence,…” That's the message of John. He has given us everything we need for godliness, for life, to give us all that we need. He called us so that none would be lost.
He has come to save you from your own foolish life and sinful ways. He’s come to redeem you and make you a child of God. That's what we need to pursue. If we keep that in our mind's eye, and keep that in our sight, that will lead to transforming faith. That will lead to the true belief that Jesus is looking for, to see Him as the one who provides everything we need.
Are you ready to do that? Turn away from your sins. Be immersed in the water for the forgiveness of your sins. Accept Him as the King. Submit to Him and turn everything to Him. Yield to Him and look to Him for all you need. Won't you come while we stand and sing?
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Reference Sermon: Brent Kercheville
Sunday Apr 19, 2026
Sunday Apr 19, 2026
More Than Just a Story
Mark 16:1–20
There’s a story about a wealthy man who was terminally ill. The doctor said, "There’s only “one thing” that will save you. “A brain transplant.” - It’s an experimental operation. And it’s very expensive." The wealthy guy said, - "Money is no object. Can you get me a brain?"
The doctor said, - "We have three available right now. The first one was from a college professor. But it’ll cost you $10,000." The guy said, "Don’t worry. I can pay; it will make me much wiser. What about the second brain?"
The doctor said, "It was from a rocket scientist. It’ll cost you $100,000." The man said, "I have the money. And I’d be a lot smarter too. But tell me about the third brain."
The doctor said, "The third brain is from a Politician. But it would set you back a million dollars." The man said, "A million dollars? Why so much for his brain?" The doctor said, "It is RARELY used."
We too have unused power in us, above us, around us, it is called The GOSPEL!
My wife keeps telling me I’m losing my hearing. Some husbands call it “selective hearing.”
An older couple was sitting outside in their rocking chairs one afternoon.
The wife looked at her husband of 60 years and said,
“I’m proud of you.” He turned to her and said,
“I’m tired of you, too.” She said, “Thanks!”
She looked around at the trees moving and said,
“It’s windy today.” He said, “No it’s not. It’s Thursday.”
She said, “Me too, I’ll go get us some lemonade!”
Hopefully we won’t be hard of hearing when it comes to listening to God’s Word. It says in Mathew 11:15 “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”
The resurrection story of Jesus:
• Is either the biggest fairy TALE ever invented;
• Or the greatest miracle and the most significant event in human history!
I believe it is the greatest miracle that the world has or will ever see!
• I don’t know if you have noticed this observation.
• But in the Old Testament when talking about the power of God;
• The writers always refer to creation.
• The miracle of God creating the world out of nothing.
• In the New Testament when talking about the power of God;
• The writers always refer to the resurrection of Jesus from the dead!
• Because there is nothing greater that you can compare with it!
So when you talk about the life of Jesus Christ words like WONDERFUL, UNBELIEVABLE, PRICELESS, AND “MIRACLE” are used.
• He entered our world in a miraculous way;
• Conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary.
• During his three years of ministry, the four gospels record 37 miracles of Jesus.
• Remember that John 21:25 tells us
“25 And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.”
• This means that Jesus performed many other miracles to these 37 that were not recorded.
• So Jesus entered our world in a miraculous way;
• He lived a miraculous life;
• And even in death, he has that word ‘miracle’ attributed to him!
Peter Larson writes:
• "Despite our efforts to keep him out, God intrudes.
• The life of Jesus is bracketed by two impossibilities: a virgin's womb and an empty tomb.
• Jesus entered our world through a door marked 'No Entrance';
• And left through a door marked 'No Exit’”
Mark shows Jesus appearing to people in different emotional states:
- Mary Magdalene — grieving
- Two disciples — confused
- The Eleven — doubting and discouraged
Jesus doesn’t wait for them to “get it together.” He steps into their grief, confusion, and unbelief.
This is the heart of the gospel: The risen Christ meets us in our real condition, not our ideal condition.
He doesn’t shame them for their fear or doubt.
He calls them forward. He transforms them.
Resurrection power doesn’t just raise Jesus from the dead—it raises His followers from despair.
Our text this morning is found in Mark 16:1-20.
Because the empty tomb was discovered on a Sunday morning, every Sunday should be a resurrection celebration.
The title of this message is “MORE THAN JUST A STORY”
The resurrection is more than just an historical event.
Jesus is a risen Savior, and salvation comes by
believing in Him and being obedient to his will.
Verses 1-8 of our TEXT tells us:
“Now when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene,
Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices,
that they might come and anoint Him.
2 Very early in the morning, on the first day of the week,
they came to the tomb when the sun had risen.
3 And they said among themselves,
“Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us?”
4 But when they looked up, they saw that the stone
had been rolled away—for it was very large.
5 And entering the tomb, they saw a young man
clothed in a long white robe sitting on the right side;
and they were alarmed.
6 But he said to them, “Do not be alarmed.
You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified.
He is risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid Him.
7 But go, tell His disciples—and Peter—that He is
going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him,
as He said to you.”
8 So they went out quickly and fled from the tomb,
for they trembled and were amazed.
And they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.”
It was The Dawn That Changed Everything
The 3 women were walking to the tomb at sunrise.
They carry spices, not hope.
They expect a corpse, not a resurrection.
Their biggest concern is the stone, not the Savior.
But God had already moved the stone.
Note: God works while we worry.
The women were anxious about a barrier that heaven had already removed.
Inside the tomb, they meet a messenger who declares the greatest announcement in history: “He is risen; He is not here.”
Those words didn’t just change their morning—
Those words changed the world.
And yet, verse 8 says they fled in fear.
Even good news can overwhelm us when it’s bigger than our expectations.
The resurrection is not just a doctrine; it’s a disruption.
It overturns despair, rewrites reality, and demands a response.
Then the angel gave them two sets of instructions.
These are the same instructions we should follow today.
He invited them to examine the tomb and look for the evidence. The tomb was empty, but it was full of significance.
In John’s account (Chapt. 20), we’re told the strips of cloth that had covered the body of Jesus were stacked up along with the sheet covering His body.
These women had to be wondering if this was a dream. They had seen the torture and crucifixion of Jesus. They watched as His body was removed from the cross and placed in the tomb. They knew He was dead.
But they were confronted with an empty tomb.
In Acts 1:3 the Bible says Jesus offered the disciples many more “convincing proofs” that He was alive. If you are going to examine the evidence of the resurrection, you have to start with the empty tomb. Even the enemies of Jesus admitted the tomb was empty.
The angel told the women to go tell the disciples
that Jesus was alive and He would meet them in Galilee. However, as we mentioned, verse eight of the text tells us: trembling and bewildered they fled:
They didn’t tell anyone because they were afraid. I can’t really blame them. They were in shock. A little while later Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene
and she delivered the message.
We’ve been given the same command to “go tell” the world that Jesus is alive. How often have we been guilty of the initial behavior of the women? Like them, we are too often too afraid to share the Good News.
The best tool to use is our personal faith story. Just tell people naturally what the risen Lord has done in our life.
Verses 9-14 of the TEXT
“9 Now when He rose early on the first day of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had cast seven demons.
10 She went and told those who had been with Him, as they mourned and wept.
11 And when they heard that He was alive and had been seen by her, they did not believe.
12 After that, He appeared in another form to two of them as they walked and went into the country.
13 And they went and told it to the rest, but they did not believe them either.
14 Later He appeared to the eleven as they sat at the table; and He rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen.”
Mark mentions that later two other people show up claiming they had seen Jesus alive. In Luke 24 we read the story of Jesus appearing to two isciples who were walking from Jerusalem to Emmaus, a distance of about eleven miles. They didn’t recognize Jesus.
I would have loved to have been on that original walk to Emmaus, because the Bible says Jesus started with Moses (that’s Genesis) and took them all the way through the Old Testament telling how all the scriptures predicted the Messiah would suffer and die.
When they finally arrived at their house, they invited their companion to join them for dinner. Jesus, who was the guest, became the host, because the Bible says when He broke the bread, their eyes were opened and they recognized it was Jesus.
They were so excited they turned around and traveled eleven miles back to tell the disciples. I imagine they ran this time. Out of breath, I can hear one of them telling Peter, “We saw the Lord! He’s alive!” Mary probably chimed in, “See I told you!” But it says the disciples still didn’t believe.
I think we learn an important lesson from this episode.
The best proof of the resurrection isn’t an empty tomb.
The best proof of the resurrection is when you meet Jesus.
I know Jesus is alive not because of any of the arguments about the historical resurrection. I know He’s alive because He lives inside of me and I talk to Him all the time.We can say that Jesus feels alive because:
- We sense His presence in prayer
- Ww see changes in their our lives
- We experience peace, forgiveness, or purpose we can’t explain
“As true Christians, Jesus feels alive because we experience Him, not just read about Him.” The fact that billions of people across centuries have claimed life change through Jesus is part of the explanation.
For example:
- “If someone changes your life, they feel real to you.”
- “If someone’s influence continues long after their death,
we say their legacy lives on.
Christians go further—they believe Jesus Himself lives on.”
Now, back to Verses 15-18 of the text
Where Jesus then gives a mission that matches the magnitude of His victory:
“15 And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.
16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.
17 And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues;
18 they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.””
“Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.”
This is not a suggestion. It’s a sending.
Notice the scope:
- All the world — no boundaries
- Every creature — no exclusions
The resurrection is not private news. It’s public truth. It’s not for a select few. It’s for everyone. Jesus promises signs that will accompany believers—
not to glorify the believer, but to confirm the message. The point is not the spectacular; the point is the Savior. The power of God follows the proclamation of God.
The chapter ends with Jesus ascending to the right hand of God—a position of authority, victory, and intercession.
But the story doesn’t end with Jesus leaving.
It ends with the disciples going.
“They went out and preached everywhere,
the Lord working with them.”
That’s the pattern of the church:
- We go.
- He works.
- Lives change.
The resurrection leads to mission.
The ascension leads to empowerment.
The gospel leads to action.
What This Means for Us Today
A. God still moves stones.
The obstacles that intimidate us are often already handled by God.
B. Jesus meets us in our real struggles.
Doubt, fear, grief—none of these disqualify us from encountering the risen Christ.
C. We are called to go.
Every believer is sent.
D. We don’t go alone.
The Lord works with us. The resurrection is not just a past event—it’s a present power.
Conclusion: The Story Continues With Us
Mark 16 begins with fear and ends with boldness.
It begins with a sealed tomb and ends with an open world. It begins with omen carrying spices and ends with disciples carrying the gospel. The resurrection is not the end of Jesus’ story—it’s the beginning of ours.
He is risen. He is reigning. He is working with us still.
So let us go—into our homes, our workplaces, our communities—and proclaim the good news that changed everything.
Salvation isn’t knowing about Jesus; it is knowing Jesus.
JESUS GAVE US A JOB TO DO
In these final words of Mark’s writing, Jesus has given us three tasks to do.
Jesus said in Mathew 24:14, “And this gospel of the kingdom
will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.”
The Bible says our days are numbered and it is appointed once for a person to die.
GOD IS alive! Do you believe Him? Do you know Him?
Will you follow Him?
Sunday Apr 12, 2026
Sunday Apr 12, 2026
Things to Ponder
Ephesians 5:15–21
The text for this morning’s lesson is found in Ephesians 5 verses 15 thru 21. These few verses are very familiar to many of us because they remind us to:
Be careful how you live; don’t live foolishly but wisely. Use every opportunity because the days are urgent. Don’t be drunk with wine but be filled with the Spirit. Speak to one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, giving thanks to God, and submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.
A man named Bob heard a sermon on “walking wisely” and decided to take it literally.
The next morning he stared at his feet all day to make sure every step was “wise.” He was so focused on his walking that he walked straight into a mailbox. He apologized to it.
Later, he saw a grocery store sign that said, “SPIRITS ON SALE.” He gasped, “Revival has hit aisle 9!” Then he realized it was the liquor aisle and backed away like it was radioactive.
Determined to obey the verse about “speaking in psalms and hymns,” he answered every question in hymns for the rest of the day. At the checkout, the cashier asked, “Paper or plastic?” Harold sang, “I surrender all…” The cashier quietly chose paper.
That evening he tripped over his cat, spilled his groceries, and dropped his keys through the porch slats. But remembering “give thanks always,” he sighed and said, “Lord, thank You that the cat survived, the groceries mostly survived, and the keys… well… You know where they are.”
Did you realize all the things we do with time?
We “MAKE” time,
and we TAKE time, for things that are important to us.
We “SAVE” time with all kinds of gadgets and doodads.
We “MARK” time,
we “KILL” time,
we “RACE AGAINST” time.
AND (someone noted) that the worst thing you can do with time, is “WASTE” time.
As I mentioned earlier… Our text today is found in Ephesians 5:15–21
The first two verses of this text tells us:
15 See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, 16 redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
Wisdom is not merely knowledge; it is careful living. To “be careful how you live” is to pay attention to the small choices that shape character—how we speak, whom we trust, how we spend time and money. Wisdom notices the long-term consequences of short-term pleasures.
The world presses us with distractions that promise fulfillment but steal our days. Paul calls us to invest our hours in what lasts: love, justice, discipleship, and gospel witness.
Paul tells us to redeem the time…. but why? What’s so critical about time that it must be redeemed?
Most of us would think the reason time is valuable because we only have so much of it. Sooner or later, we’re all gonna die. Now, if you’re blessed you may live 80 or 90 or100 years, but sooner or later your time is gonna run out. So don’t waste your time!!! But that is not really what Paul says here. “Redeem the time... because the days are evil.”
ILLUS: What does that mean? Well, think about it this way. Do you have a bucket list? A bucket list is a list of things you want to do before you “kick the bucket.” Please take a moment to think about what items you would put on your bucket list.
You might have things like travel to Europe or Australia with a friend, swim with dolphins or go deep sea fishing, meet a famous person, make a HOLE IN ONE, go parasailing or jump out of an airplane.
There are all kinds of things you could put on your “bucket list” - and there’s nothing wrong with those things (except maybe jumping out of an airplane 😊).
And what people have on their bucket list tells you a lot about their priorities.
It’s a wish list, and I think that God is OK with that kind of thing. But He warns us not to be foolish. He warns us THAT THERE IS ONE THING THAT WE MUST MAKE SURE TO NOT LEAVE OFF that list.
What is that ONE THING we must not leave off our bucket list?
We find that one thing in verse 17 of our text this morning. Ephesians 5:17 “Therefore do not be foolish but understand what the will of the Lord is.”
Everything else you put on your bucket list is just for fun, but this one – this “understanding the will of the Lord... this one is serious. We live in a world of evil, and the choices we make have eternal consequences. And since God has saved you and I.... he asks us to shine our light into this dark world.
Ephesians 5:8 & 10 tells us “At one time you were darkness, but now you are LIGHT in the Lord. Walk as children of light... and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord.”
Jesus said “You are the light of the world”. That means you and I are called to reflect HIS LIGHT into this dark world, and the only way we’re going to do that effectively is to UNDERSTAND what God’s will is.
So, how do we do that? How do we learn God’s will?
Well, you’d think the answer would be - read your Bible. Memorize huge passages of Scripture. Meditate on God’s Word day and night. And that is good stuff because that’s what God expects of us.
But the problem is, if that’s all you do (immerse yourself in Scripture) you could end up like the Pharisees.
The Pharisees knew more of their Bible than most of us, but there was something missing in their lives. And so, in place of asking us to Memorize and Meditate... Paul writes this in verse 18 of our text Ephesians 5:18:
“... do not get drunk with wine, for that is sin, but be filled with the Spirit”
What? What’s he talking about here?
Well, he’s saying that in order for us to fully understand God’s will, we must be totally controlled by God’s Spirit. And then he makes an odd comparison: “don’t get drunk on wine” he says. That seems illogical until you understand what he’s trying to say.
The command to be filled with the Spirit contrasts two masters: intoxication and inspiration.
Paul’s image contrasts being controlled by wine with being controlled by the Spirit. One leads to loss of self and harm, the other leads to life, clarity, and communal worship.
ILLUS: Have you ever seen someone who’s been drunk?
How can you tell if they’re drunk if you’ve never seen them take a drink? Well, you can tell they’re drunk by how they walk, by how they talk, by how they think and by how they act.
Everything about their drunkenness is obvious by their behavior. They are FILLED with alcohol... and it controls them.
By contrast Paul says, don’t be filled with alcohol (don’t get drunk) but be FILLED with the Spirit. In other words, the Spirit should so fill you that it controls how you walk and talk and think and act.
That is crucial for Christians - we need to be so filled with the Spirit of God that people know it when they see our behavior!
The Christian life is not a set of isolated acts but a pattern. Small changes to your daily lifestyle become habits; small disciplines become sanctifying rhythms.
So, how do we get FILLED with the Holy Spirit?
Well, first we need to understand that we already have the Spirit inside of us. Acts 2:38 promises us "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.”
This is important to us as Christians because Spiritual fullness is not a private emotion; it produces public fruit—joy, gratitude, mutual encouragement, and submission rooted in Christlike love.
May we begin each day with a short prayer asking for the Spirit’s guidance.
Ephesians 1:14 tells us - God’s Spirit “is THE GUARANTEE of our inheritance.” You can’t be a Christian without God’s Spirit inside of you. So, first we need to realize we already have the Spirit inside of us.
But here in Ephesians it says we need to be “refilled” with Spirit. What’s that all about? Well, first let’s examine what Paul tells us to do, and then I’ll try to explain WHY this is so important.
First, Paul says in verse 19 of our text that in order for us to be filled with God’s Spirit we need to... SING. We should be “addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart” Ephesians 5:19
Paul instructs believers to speak to one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs—language that builds up, teaches, and reminds.
One of the greatest singers in the Bible was a little shepherd boy named David. The book of Psalms is a collection of 150 songs (or Psalms) that the Jews sang, and David wrote half of them.
He was so good at singing that people began to pay attention long before David ever confronted Goliath.
In the meantime, King Saul (the King of Israel) had decided to stop listening to God, and run his kingdom his own way.
So, God withdrew His Spirit from him and the King became plagued with an evil Spirit. He plunged into depression, and that EVIL SPIRIT so tormented King Saul that (on the advice of one of his friends) he sent for David to sing for him. And we’re told in 1st Samuel 16:23 that “David would take his harp and play. Then relief would come to Saul; he would feel better, and the evil spirit would leave him.”
Music has power over evil. And it has the power to bring peace to the heart and soul. So, when you’re depressed or struggling - find a song that glorifies God and sing it. I grew up with my grandma singing throughout the day various hymns as she completed housework.
ILLUS: One song we could sing in most any situation in life is “This World Is Not My Home.”
“This world is not my home, I'm just a passing through. My treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue; The angels beckon me from heaven's open door. And I can't feel at home in this world anymore.”
The chorus “O Lord, you know I have no friend like you, if heaven's not my home, dear Lord what will I do? The angels beckon me from heaven's open door, and I can't feel at home in this world anymore.”
Now, it doesn’t matter if you can sing well and with much power. The point is: find a song that glorifies God... and sing it.
Use the power of GOD’S music to lift your soul out of despair and sadness.
The gospel forms a community where worship is both vertical (to God) and horizontal (to one another). Our songs and words shape both holiness and practice.
Secondly - Paul tells us in verse 20, that in order to be filled with God’s Spirit, we need to be “giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” Ephesians 5:20
Now, quiz time: HOW OFTEN do should give thanks?
(ALWAYS)
and FOR WHAT should we give thanks?
(EVERTHING).
There’s a lot of people who have a hard time doing that.
ILLUS: Rudyard Kipling was a great writer and poet who made a lot of money for his writings. One time a newspaper reporter came up to him and said, “Mr. Kipling, I just read that somebody calculated that the money you make from your writings amounts to over a hundred dollars a word; Mr. Kipling raised his eyebrows and said, “Really, I certainly wasn’t aware of that.” The reporter cynically reached down into his pocket and pulled out a one-hundred-dollar bill and gave it to Kipling and said, “Here’s a hundred-dollar bill, Mr. Kipling. Now, you give me one of your hundred-dollar words.”
Mr. Kipling looked at that hundred-dollar bill for a moment, took it, folded it up, and put it in his pocket and said, “Thanks.”
He’s right! The word ‘thanks’ is certainly more than a hundred-dollar word. I would say it is more like a million-dollar word. Thank you is one word that is too seldom heard, too rarely spoken, and too often forgotten.
If we would all adopt an attitude of thanksgiving into our lives – our lives would be changed. We would cherish each day.
ILLUS: Studies have been done over the years where people have been asked to write down 10 things they’re thankful for and after an extended period of time the list is often still incomplete. Many people become so negative they struggle think of 10 things they’re thankful for. BUT, when given a tablet of paper and asked to write down things they were unhappy about, or disappointed with, or frustrated about, they could fill out an entire tablet of paper... and ask for another.
Why? Why are they so unhappy? Well, because most folks aren’t used to being thankful for what they have. For example, they don’t express thankfulness for the fact that they have 2 hands. Why should they? They’ve ALWAYS had those two hands.
And they’ve always had the ability to run and laugh and hear and see and sing. Why be grateful for those things?
As we say our evening prayers let’s try listing three things we thank God for each evening.
By contrast, these folks tend to focus instead on what they DON’T HAVE.
They dwell on the wanting of a better job, or a better car, or a better spouse, or a better ... whatever. And that’s why they’re so depressed – there is ALWAYS going to be stuff that they don’t have, or that they can’t possess! So they end up being miserable/unhappy people.
Philippians 4:4-7 says “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice... do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Learn to be grateful for what you have (and quit focusing on what you don’t have) and you’ll be so filled with God’s Spirit that it will change how you think and how you behave. And the world around you will notice.
CLOSE: I want to close by explaining WHY it’s so important to be “Filled” with Holy Spirit. We talked about HOW we could do that, but I promised to tell you why it was so critical to do that.
The Bible tells us that Spirit is a very powerful force. He teaches us, He comforts us, He helps us in our prayers when we don’t know what to say.
Romans 8:11 tells us that We have the same power living in us... that raised Jesus from the dead!!!! “If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.” Being “filled with the Spirit” is all about laying hold of the full power of the Spirit God has given us. You see, in order for the Spirit to operate fully in our lives, we’ve got to make our hearts decent places for Him to reside.
Gracious God, grant us eyes to see how we live, courage to redeem our time, and the fullness of your Spirit to shape our words and deeds. Teach us to sing to one another, to serve one another, and to submit to one another in reverence for Christ. Fill our homes, our workplaces, and our church with your wisdom and your joy. And it is in Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
Acts 2:38 tells us "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.”
Sermon Contributor : David Dykes