Chardon church of Christ

Back to The Garden — Forever

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Patience and Kindness

Patience and Kindness

John 8:1-20

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Feed On My Flesh

Feed On My Flesh
John 6:48-59

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

E. Jesus does not explain Himself here in a way that makes this scene simpler. Verse 53. “So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.”” Did that make it easier to understand?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Reference: Brent Kercheville

They Will All be Taught by God

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Reference: Brent Kercheville

The Bread of Life

The Bread of Life
John 6:30-40

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

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

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

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

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

I. Demanding Christ’s Service – Let’s start with John 6:30-31, “So they said to him, “Then what sign do you do, that we may see and believe you? What work do you perform? Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’”” I think we can see what they are doing in this fascinating question and statement to Jesus.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Reference: Brent Kercheville

Watchfulness in a World on the Brink

Watchfulness in a World on the Brink
Revelation 16:15

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

How Do We “Watch” Today?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

INVITATION:

What Kind of Soil Am I?

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

 

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

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

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

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

 

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

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

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

After a few minutes, they pulled them out.

 

 

The carrot went in strong, firm, confident.

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

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

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

 

 

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

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

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

 

 

But the coffee bean did something different.

It didn’t become weak like the carrot.

It didn’t become hard like the egg.

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

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

 

 

Jesus says the seed is the Word.

The soil is the heart.

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

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

The difference is not the heat.

The difference is the heart.

When life heats up, which one are you?

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

And even more importantly: Which soil are you today?

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

 

IN MARK 4:1-20…

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

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

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

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

The question is “Which soil am I today?”

 

 

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

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

 

 

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

 

 

The Four Soils show the Four Heart Conditions

The 1^st is a Hardened Path

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

This is the heart that hears but cannot receive.

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

 

 

The 2^nd is a Rocky Ground

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

This is the emotional but shallow heart.

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

 

 

The 3^rd is a Thorny Soil

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

Jesus names the thorns:

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

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

 

 

And, the 4^th is the Good Soil

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

This is the open, honest, surrendered heart.

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

Good soil is not found. Good soil is formed.

So, How Do I Cultivate Good Soil?

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

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

Not what soil you wish you had.

Not what soil others think you have.

What soil is actually there?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

 

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

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

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

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

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

 

 

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

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

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

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

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

That’s how much you are worth to God.

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

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

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

I was hoping you would have something better than that.

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

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

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

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

How do I get it?"

INVITATION

 

Failure is Part of Success

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

Famous People Who Became Successful After Numerous Failures.

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

1. Abraham Lincoln

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

2. J.K. Rowling

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

3. Oprah Winfrey

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

4. Thomas Edison

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

5. Walt Disney

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

6. Michael Jordan

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

7. Steve Jobs

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

8. James Dyson

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

 

What These Stories Teach Us

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

 

The Fail-tastic Proverb.

“Fall seven times, stand up eight.” 

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Peter said, “Never! Not me, Lord!”

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

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

 

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

 

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

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

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

 

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

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

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

Remember these three phrases do deal with sin.

Admit it. Quit it, then Forget it.

Admit it: confess it to God.

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

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

 

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

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

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

 

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

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

 

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

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

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

John said, “It’s the Lord!”

 

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

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

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

 

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

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

 

It doesn’t mean I’ve accomplished nothing;

it just means I’ve learned something.

 

It doesn’t mean I’ll never make it;

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

 

It doesn’t mean God has abandoned me;

it just means He has a better idea!”

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

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

Remember, failure is NOT THE OPPOSITE OF SUCCESS

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

 

 

 

Sermon

Contributor : David Dykes

 

The Food That Perishes

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

Fighting Against the Flames

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 3^rd 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