To Whom Shall We Go? (John 6:60-71)

Summary

In this video, Pastor Luke shares his recovery from COVID-19 and expresses gratitude for prayers. He discusses the mission of making disciples and preaching the gospel, inviting newcomers to engage with the church through 'Start Here' and 'Rooted' classes. Reflecting on the Gospel of John, Luke emphasizes Jesus' challenging teachings that led many disciples to turn away, but also led to his own conversion. He encourages viewers to fully commit to Jesus as the only source of eternal life, highlighting the transformative power of genuine faith.

Takeaways

• 📖 The speaker, Luke, one of the pastors and part of the preaching team, shared his recovery from COVID-19 and expressed gratitude for the prayers and support from the congregation.
• 🙏 Luke emphasized the importance of prayer and community support during challenging times, highlighting the collective concern for his health and the well-being of his family.
• 🌱 He expressed excitement for the year ahead, focusing on the mission of making disciples, preaching the gospel, and being loving neighbors, anticipating God's work through the church's organized and organic ministry.
• 🏫 For newcomers interested in getting involved with the church, Luke recommended 'Start Here' as a first step and 'Rooted' for those wanting to serve and connect more deeply with the community.
• 🎉 The church celebrated its 10th anniversary, noting the formation of a multi-congregational entity called Redemption Church two years after its inception.
• 📈 The launch of the 10th congregation at Redemption North Mountain was mentioned, with Luke reflecting on the smooth start and the congregation's prayerful support for him.
• 📖 The sermon focused on John 6:60, where many disciples found Jesus' teachings hard to accept, leading to a deeper discussion on why Jesus can be challenging to follow.
• 🚫 Jesus rejected the political hopes of his followers, emphasizing that his kingdom is not of this world, and that he should not be used for political agendas.
• 🍞 Jesus wanted to meet more than just the physical needs of his followers, using the feeding of the multitudes as a metaphor for spiritual nourishment and the true bread from heaven.
• 🙏 Jesus claimed to be more than the religious understanding of his time, challenging the reliance on Moses and the law, and offering himself as the bread of life.
• ✝️ The sermon concluded with the message that Jesus is the only hope for eternal life, inviting listeners to surrender completely to him, regardless of the circumstances.

Q & A

What was the main reason for Luke's absence after Christmas?

Luke was absent because he tested positive for COVID-19 and was in recovery.

How did Luke describe his experience with COVID-19?

Luke described his experience as about 12 days of body aches and a low-grade fever, which was not fun but he has fully recovered.

What is the significance of the 'Start Here' program mentioned by Luke?

The 'Start Here' program is a recommended first step for newcomers to understand what the church is about.

What is the purpose of the 'Rooted' class according to Luke?

The 'Rooted' class is designed to help individuals think through what it looks like to put down roots in the church, connect in community, and be in relationship.

Why did Luke mention Matthew Brazelton's reflection on political hopes and Jesus?

Luke shared Matthew's reflection to emphasize that Jesus rejects being used for political agendas and that Christians should live a counter-cultural life focused on love and self-sacrifice.

What was the main theme of Luke's sermon on John chapter 6?

The main theme was that Jesus is hard to follow but He is our only hope, highlighting that Jesus challenges our political hopes, physical needs, religious understanding, and calls for total commitment.

What did Luke mean when he said Jesus 'rejects their political hopes'?

Luke explained that Jesus does not support the use of His name or teachings for political power or agendas, emphasizing that His kingdom is not of this world.

How did Luke describe the reaction of the disciples to Jesus' teachings in John chapter 6?

Luke described the disciples as being offended by Jesus' teachings, with many finding His words harsh and ultimately deciding to no longer follow Him.

What is the 'Bread of Life' discourse in the context of Luke's sermon?

The 'Bread of Life' discourse refers to Jesus' claim to be the source of eternal life, emphasizing that those who believe in Him will never hunger or thirst spiritually.

What did Luke mean when he said 'Jesus seems too extreme'?

Luke was referring to the offensive nature of Jesus' teachings, such as the metaphor of eating His flesh and drinking His blood, which signifies total reliance on Jesus for spiritual sustenance.

What was the turning point for Luke in his personal faith journey?

The turning point for Luke was when a friend challenged him about being a hypocrite and using Jesus for his own image, leading Luke to a period of deep reflection and ultimately a genuine commitment to Christ.

Outlines

00:00

📖 Pastor Luke's Recovery and Church Mission

Pastor Luke begins by greeting the online congregation and expressing gratitude for their prayers during his recent bout with COVID-19. He shares his full recovery and excitement for the year ahead, focusing on the church's mission to make disciples and preach the gospel. He invites newcomers to 'Start Here' for an introduction to the church and encourages long-time attendees to deepen their roots through the 'Rooted' class. The pastor also celebrates the 10th anniversary of Redemption Church and the launch of its 10th congregation, reflecting on the importance of unity in the church.

05:00

🗣️ The Challenge of Following Jesus

In this paragraph, the focus shifts to the difficulty of following Jesus, as illustrated in John 6:60, where many disciples find his teachings hard to accept. The text discusses how Jesus' message was offensive to those with political aspirations, as he rejected their hopes for a Messiah who would fulfill their earthly desires. The paragraph delves into how people often misunderstand or take offense at Jesus' teachings, particularly when they challenge conventional religious understanding or when they demand a complete commitment to him.

10:01

🕊️ The Subversive Path of Jesus

The speaker contrasts the worldly approach of seeking cultural reform through power with Jesus' countercultural method of embodying love, self-sacrifice, and weakness. Matthew Brazelton's reflection is shared, advocating for the church to abandon the pursuit of cultural dominance and instead live a life that reflects the kingdom of God. This involves a shift from using Jesus to fulfill personal or political agendas to wholeheartedly following him, even when it requires relinquishing control and embracing humility.

15:02

🍞 Jesus: More Than a Provider of Physical Needs

The discourse continues with Jesus' rejection of being merely a provider of physical sustenance, as shown in John 6:26. Jesus seeks to fulfill spiritual needs, offering himself as the 'bread of life' that provides eternal nourishment. The paragraph emphasizes the spiritual reality behind Jesus' miracles and warns against reducing faith to a transactional relationship where God is seen as a vending machine for material benefits.

20:05

✝️ The Offense of Jesus' Exclusive Claim

The text in John 6 presents Jesus as making exclusive claims about his identity and role, which many found offensive. Jesus' assertion that he is the bread of life and that belief in him is akin to eating his flesh and drinking his blood was seen as extreme. The paragraph explores how Jesus' teachings challenged traditional religious understandings and demanded a total commitment that many were unwilling to give, leading to some disciples turning away from him.

25:06

🛑 The Consequences of Conditional Faith

This paragraph examines the consequences of conditional faith, where followers of Jesus might abandon him when their expectations are not met or when faced with hardship. The speaker recounts a personal experience where he was challenged about the sincerity of his faith, leading to a period of introspection and ultimately a deepened commitment to Jesus. The paragraph highlights the transformative power of genuine faith and the risks of a faith that is only skin-deep.

30:07

🙏 Peter's Declaration of Unwavering Faith

In a direct address to Jesus, Simon Peter affirms the disciples' faith and commitment, acknowledging that Jesus alone has the words of eternal life. Peter's declaration is presented as a response to Jesus' challenge and a testament to the realization that Jesus is unique and irreplaceable. The paragraph underscores the idea that Jesus is not one option among many but the sole source of hope and life.

🌟 The Invitation to Surrender to Jesus

The final paragraph concludes with a prayer and an invitation for those who have been on the periphery of faith to fully surrender to Jesus. The speaker prays for faith to be granted to those who are watching or present, urging them to stop using Jesus for their own ends and instead to follow him wholeheartedly. The paragraph emphasizes the grace and life-giving spirit of God, inviting a complete commitment to Jesus as the path to eternal life.

Keywords

💡Discipleship

Discipleship in the script refers to the process of learning from and following Jesus Christ. It is a central theme of the video, emphasizing the commitment to Jesus' teachings and example. The pastor discusses how some people may find Jesus' teachings hard to follow, yet they are essential for spiritual growth. For instance, the disciples grumble about Jesus' 'hard sayings,' indicating the challenge of embracing his teachings.

💡Partisan Politics

Partisan Politics is mentioned in the context of people using Jesus for their political agendas, which the pastor strongly opposes. The script argues that Jesus' kingdom is not of this world, and his teachings should not be used to further political gains. This is illustrated by the pastor's reflection on the events at the Capitol and the misuse of Jesus' name in political contexts.

💡Counter-Culture

Counter-culture, as discussed in the script, is the idea of living a life that is contrary to the prevailing cultural norms, especially in terms of power and influence. The pastor shares Matthew Brazelton's thoughts on how the church should live a subversive, counter-cultural life characterized by weakness, self-sacrifice, and love, rather than seeking power and cultural dominance.

💡Spiritual Reality

Spiritual reality in the script denotes the deeper, non-physical truths that Jesus' teachings convey. The pastor explains that Jesus' miracles, such as the feeding of the multitudes, point to spiritual realities rather than merely addressing physical needs. This concept is central to understanding Jesus' identity as the 'bread of life,' which provides spiritual nourishment.

💡Religious Understanding

Religious understanding in the video script refers to the traditional or conventional beliefs about God and religious practices. The pastor points out that Jesus challenged the disciples' understanding of religion, which was rooted in the law and the works of Moses. Jesus introduced a new way of relating to God, not based on human effort but on faith and belief in him.

💡Extreme Faith

Extreme faith, as mentioned in the script, is the idea of having an unwavering commitment to Jesus, even when it seems radical or extreme. The pastor discusses how Jesus' teachings can be seen as extreme, such as the metaphor of eating his flesh and drinking his blood, which signifies a total dependence on Jesus for spiritual life.

💡Eternal Life

Eternal life is a key concept in the script, representing the spiritual life that believers receive from Jesus. The pastor explains that eternal life is a gift from God, available to those who believe in Jesus. It is the promise of life beyond physical death and is closely tied to the acceptance of Jesus' teachings and identity.

💡Sacrifice

Sacrifice in the script is the act of giving up something of value for the sake of something else, often referencing Jesus' ultimate sacrifice on the cross. The pastor reflects on Jesus' betrayal and crucifixion, highlighting the depth of his sacrifice to atone for the sins of humanity.

💡Betrayal

Betrayal is used in the script to describe the act of disloyalty or treachery, particularly in the context of Jesus' crucifixion. The pastor mentions Jesus being betrayed by those close to him, which is a pivotal event leading to his death and resurrection, underscoring the theme of sacrifice and faithfulness.

💡Transformation

Transformation in the video script refers to the change in a person's life brought about by embracing Jesus' teachings. The pastor's own testimony illustrates this, as he recounts his journey from a superficial understanding of faith to a deep, committed relationship with Jesus, leading to a transformed life.

💡Authentic Faith

Authentic faith is the genuine belief and commitment to Jesus, which is the core message of the script. The pastor challenges viewers to examine their motives for following Jesus, urging them to pursue a faith that is not based on convenience or self-interest but on a sincere desire to follow Jesus at all costs.

Highlights

Pastor Luke shares his recovery from COVID-19 and expresses gratitude for prayers and well wishes.

Luke emphasizes the importance of the church's mission to make disciples, preach the gospel, and love neighbors.

Introduction of 'Start Here' and 'Rooted' classes as entry points for newcomers and those looking to serve and connect.

Celebration of Redemption Church's 10th anniversary and the launch of its 10th congregation.

Luke's personal testimony of how a specific passage in John 6 led him to Jesus.

The two main truths from John 6: Jesus is hard to follow, but He is our only hope.

Discussion on how Jesus rejects political hopes and the misuse of His name for political agendas.

Reflection on the church's role in cultural reform and the need to live a counter-cultural life of weakness and love.

Jesus' desire to meet more than just physical needs, pointing to a spiritual reality beyond material sustenance.

The challenge of Jesus' claim to be more than the traditional understanding of religion based on Moses and the law.

The 'hard saying' of Jesus being too extreme, like eating His flesh and drinking His blood, explained as total reliance on Him.

Jesus' uncompromising stance and the reality that faith requires more than human understanding or effort.

The moment of truth when many disciples turned back, revealing the cost of following Jesus.

Peter's confession of Jesus as the Holy One of God and the source of eternal life, despite the challenges.

The universal human quest for meaning and the invitation to find it in Jesus, who is presented as the only hope.

A call to surrender and faith, urging individuals to stop using God for personal gain and instead follow Him wholeheartedly.

Closing prayer for faith, surrender, and new life in Christ, highlighting the grace of the Father and the Holy Spirit.

Transcripts

good morning and those of you joining

online uh thanks for being here thanks

for tuning in

my name is luke i'm one of the pastors

and i'm part of our preaching team

and some of you heard that uh after

christmas i tested positive for kovid

and i'm fully recovered and i'm doing

great and i uh

yeah thanks i really i really do

sincerely appreciate your prayers i know

a lot of you that found out

uh were praying for me and for our

family no one else in the family got it

none of my wife or kids or my parents

didn't get it

it's all kind of strange how you know

different people react differently to

stuff and we just have a saying in our

house the

virus get a virus and you just can't i

can't explain it and uh

but it was about for me it was about 12

days of kind of body aches and low grade

fever and

um not super fun it really wasn't great

but i'm glad to be back

and i do appreciate your prayers and i'm

i'm excited for this year i'm looking

forward to 2021 i'm looking forward to

pursuing the mission god's given us to

make disciples and to preach the gospel

and to be

loving to our neighbors i just i think

that what god's going to do

through the organized ministry of our

church as well as through the scattered

organic ministry as you go out and you

love your neighbors and you love the

people you work with and you

proclaim the good news of jesus in

relationship i just think god's going to

do

really sweet things and i'm i'm looking

forward to that if you want to be part

of that

if you want to be part of what we're

doing as a church if you're new the very

first best step for you to take is to go

to start here there's information about

it

in your program on the online program

but go to start here that's a great kind

of first step into what the church is

about if you've been around a while and

you kind of go you know what i actually

really want to get in the game i want to

start to serve

i want to be connected in community i

want to know people i want to be known i

want to be in relationship

rooted is the class for you that's

really a four week class helps you kind

of

think through what it looks like to put

down roots here and we'd love you to do

that we'd love to partner in ministry

with you

in that both those classes are coming up

soon so please do look into that

last sunday was our 10th anniversary as

redemption church 10 years

not this congregation is older than that

we're about 12 years old

but two years into it a bunch of

churches came together to form this

multi-congregational thing that we now

call redemption church and so

last week was 10 years of that it was

pretty cool that the 10th anniversary

on january 10th we launched our 10th

congregation i actually got to be there

at redemption north mountain

last sunday afternoon and it was sweet

they

had the problem is they did too good of

a job

like there were no snafus there were no

problems our first sunday the power you

know we overloaded the

power circuit and you know so we have

all these cool memories they don't have

any

then how great it was right so um but

they took some time at the end and they

prayed for me and they prayed for us and

it was just a really sweet

uh moment so i had had planned a message

last week related to that related to why

we're still better together

after all these years i'm going to go

ahead and do that message

next week so that's what we'll do next

week but today

we're going to continue in our study

here in the gospel of john we're at the

end of john chapter 6

and i'm especially excited to preach

this passage because this passage that

we just read

this is the passage god used to bring me

to jesus

and so i just am excited about what the

lord might do through that

and through this this text today so

let's let's pray and then

we'll get into it father we thank you

for your love for us

for your commitment to us for your word

that helps

us know you the way you reveal yourself

to us and we pray god that today

you would reveal yourself to us that we

would see jesus

as a treasure and we would see jesus

as one that's worth being sold out for

that our affection for him would not be

conditional but it would be

unwavering use your word

send your spirit speak today to your

people

feed us nourish us we ask in christ's

name

amen well this is a pretty short passage

especially

compared to last week holy smokes that

was a long one last week so i get the

shorter one today

and just kind of overview of what's in

this text is really two main truths

the first is that jesus is hard to

follow the second

is that jesus is our only hope jesus is

hard to follow

but it's worth it because he's our only

hope so first let's look at this truth

uh that that jesus is hard to follow

that's the idea that we get

in chapter 6 verse it says when many of

his disciples heard it they said this is

a hard

saying who can listen to it now you have

to understand in chapter 6

jesus had fed multitudes of people maybe

as many as 10 or 12 or 15

000 people a bunch of those people stuck

around

to hear what he had to say um and what

we find

in the rest of john chapter six is that

this this larger group of people john

just calls them the jews

kind of the crowd were grumbling about

stuff in verse 41 the jews grumbled

about him because he said i'm the bread

that came from heaven verse 52 the jews

then disputed among themselves

he's just talking about the kind of the

whole group but now in verse 60

the grumbling comes to the disciples now

when we hear disciples we think of the

twelve

but actually john's gonna distinguish

between this larger group of disciples

and the twelve

he'll distinguish that in this passage

so what we have here in verse 60

is this larger group of people who've

developed some kind of affection for

jesus they're they kind of maybe

consider themselves followers that's

what disciple means a follower they're a

learner they're

they're kind of hanging on the words of

jesus and going oh yeah i'm interested

in this i want to know more this isn't

just the crowd these are people who have

some kind

of connection some kind of commitment to

jesus even that they're called disciples

and it says when many of his disciples

heard it they said

this is a hard saying who

can listen to it now that word hard

doesn't mean hard to understand

doesn't mean too complex it doesn't mean

too complicated

what it means is harsh or offensive

so they're not there saying ah this is

too complex this is too hard i don't get

it

no they're saying this is offensive

this is a harsh saying this is an

offensive saying i don't i don't

like this it's interesting how often we

hear something that we don't like

and we say well i don't understand it i

don't get it the reality is a lot of

times we get it

we just don't like it

these guys at least they're honest they

say this is a hard this is harsh

who can listen to it they say other

translations say who can accept it

who can who can swallow this pill this

is a tough pill to swallow

i don't know if i like this

all right like i this is this is just

i can't believe this i can't embrace

this

i'm not interested well what was it that

was so offensive well

if you look back in chapter six you

actually find that there were four

things that were very offensive

and all four of these things are

actually things that are still offensive

today what were they taking offense at

what did they view as

is the hard unacceptable saying well the

first thing they found offensive was

that jesus rejects their political hopes

jesus rejects their political hopes look

at verse 15

if you have your bible you can scroll up

to verse 15.

it says this is after he fed the crowds

he said perceiving then that they were

about to come and take him by force to

make him king

jesus withdrew again to the mountain by

himself see these people had political

hopes they were hoping that

embracing jesus as the messiah meant

that this was going to be a takeover

we're going to overthrow rome we're

going to overthrow the people that

neglect us we're going to overthrow the

people that don't like us we're going to

become in power now and jesus says no no

i'm not willing to be used for your

political hopes

you know there are people today who

still use jesus

for their partisan political hopes

one of the last days that i was feeling

sick was the day that the

thing at the capitol happened i mean

normally on a wednesday i wouldn't be

sitting home watching tv but i was

sitting home watching tv i didn't have

anything else to do

one of the most heartbreaking things

about it was all the signs

about jesus

a lot of people doing what they were

doing in the name of jesus

i got to tell you jesus had nothing to

do

with what was happening there jesus said

my kingdom's not of this world

if it were of this world my disciples

would fight

but my kingdom's not of this world

see people back then people today want

to use jesus for their political agenda

jesus says i'm not willing to do that

people find that offensive

in late november uh matthew brazelton

one of our pastors he's one of our

elders we were talking and we were just

having a conversation

about kind of how we lament how how much

as christians we get sort of

sucked up into this we have to take

control

narrative and we were kind of talking

about that and had a he made just a lot

of really great points at the end of it

i just said hey will you just write

down what you kind of just said to me

because i think that i would just i'd

love to be able to reflect on it more

and so he wrote it down

and i've been thinking a lot about what

he said and i want to share it with you

because i think it relates to this idea

of jesus rejecting their political hopes

here's what

matthew brazelton wrote he said i've

been thinking about the shift

the church needs to make in light of the

current national moment this was before

the capital

thing this was in november

for a long time american evangelicalism

has viewed its fight for cultural reform

through sanctified cultural means

politics music

media etc we were culture warriors

a moral majority using our power and

influence

tools of the world to push the way of

jesus

onto our culture however jesus never

modeled changing culture through power

instead he laid aside his power and he

came in weakness

he changed our world not by fighting

culture with power

but by living a subversive

counterculture of weakness

self-sacrifice and love

evangelicals now exist on the cultural

margins

we've lost much of our power and direct

influence

to pretend differently is foolish if

power is our only hope then we have no

choice but to form unholy alliances with

other power structures

in order to continue our misguided

mission

however if we see our mission as not

changing the existing culture

but living in an entirely different

counter-cultural the kingdom of god

we can take a new path we can live

quietly and let love be our banner

we can do the lord's work the lord's way

amen amen to that

we will not use jesus to get what we

really want which is political power

and when jesus pulls the rug out from

under that there's a lot of people go oh

i don't like this

that's the first thing that was

offensive the second thing that was

offensive in john 6

was that jesus wants to meet more than

just their physical needs

look at verse 26 in verse 26 uh jesus

answered them truly truly i say to you

you're seeking me not because you saw

the signs

but because you ate your fill of the

loaves you're not impressed

really by wow who can turn this much

bread into like

leftover bread like that you don't even

care about that you just want the bread

you're like oh man we found this vending

machine guy we just follow him around

we'll never

you know we'll never ever work another

day in our life we'll have all the food

we need

jesus says no no i want to meet more

than your physical needs

this physical miracle was pointing to a

spiritual reality

and if you just want to use me as kind

of a vending machine god i'm not

interested

in that one of the most penetrating

questions somebody asked me once is they

said

what if you could have heaven

you could die and go to heaven and in

heaven you'd have

all the things you ever hoped heaven

would include right

it would be amazing meals all the best

golf you could play

like the best tools

you know the greatest reconnection with

family and lost friends and

you just have everything you ever want

the weather's perfect

right no summer no arizona summer

every day feels like march right you can

have all that

but no god he's not there

do you want it

and the reality is if you say well yeah

i kind of think i'd be okay with that

then what jesus is saying is too hard

and at the

moment's gonna come when you're gonna

walk away because jesus isn't okay with

that jesus isn't okay with just kind of

meeting all your wants and your dreams

and your physical desires

he wants to be what meets your needs he

wants to be the bread of life that you

feed on he wants to be

the one who sustains and fuels and

strengthens you he wants to be your

everything

if you go i don't know if i want that

then you'll probably

walk away from jesus at some point

here's the third thing in

chapter six that was so offensive is

that jesus claims to be more

than their understanding of religion

their understanding of religion

was all based on moses and the law and

in verse

32 jesus says to them truly truly i say

to you it was not moses who gives 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 they said to him

sir give us this bread always see they

still don't get it

jesus says verse 35 i am the bread of

life whoever comes to me shall not

hunger whoever believes in me

shall never thirst their understanding

of religion was that

that it was all about moses and it was

all about the law and it was all about

the synagogue and the temple and the

sacrifices and it was all about what you

did to keep god happy

it was all about your works it was all

about your effort it was all about your

goodness

and jesus says no no this isn't about

you trying to get to god this is about

how god has come down to you

and i'm him and

and you feast on me you believe in me

you trust in me

and i'm enough

see there are some today still who jesus

messes with your understanding of

religion you think that

the point of god and the point of jesus

and the point of church and the point of

all this stuff is just

be a good person that's why you're here

you're hoping that i will inspire you i

will

give you something positive to think

about so that you can go out there

and be good or at least

be better than them

and i just i'm here to tell you that's

false religion

jesus came and he said you could never

be good enough

you have to look to me i'm the only one

who's good enough

here's the fourth reason why they take

offense and i think this is especially

what's in mind here

when they say in verse 60 this is a hard

saying who can listen to it here's the

here's the fourth reason is that jesus

seems too extreme

he just seems too extreme i want a

moderate religion i want to sprinkle

this in i want god to be my co-pilot i

don't want god to take over

and jesus just seems to extreme

here he is in john 6 talking about that

believing in him is like eating his

flesh

and drinking his blood and not only does

that

sound weirdly cannibalistic but it's

just extreme

and yet here i want you to make sure you

see what jesus means when he says

eat my flesh and drink my blood so put

these verses up this is

verse 40 and notice the parallels

between these verses in verse 40

jesus says 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

now notice this next verse

how similar the language is

whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my

blood has

eternal life and i will raise him up on

the last day

so in both verses somebody has eternal

life

is on the last day in the first one it's

whoever believes

in the second one it's whoever eats and

drinks eats my flesh and drinks my blood

so

question is jesus advocating cannibalism

no another question is jesus saying

that the only way you can have eternal

life is if you eat communion

if you take the mass no what he's saying

it's an illustration he's saying

believing in me

is like eating my flesh and drinking my

blood it's like finding

all your sustenance and your nourishment

and your flavor

and your enjoyment in me

that's extreme

this is not just asking jesus to come

into your heart to

help you a little bit

it's saying jesus take over jesus be

everything

that's a hard offensive

saying to say you don't have goodness in

you

you can't satisfy yourself

you'll try you'll look you'll pursue

you'll go

but you'll never ever find it

that's offensive notice that jesus then

doesn't afterwards soften his message he

doesn't say whoa

wait you didn't understand

this is one of things i just so admire

about jesus right in a world where

so many of us as leaders and other

people who lead right

there's always this like well what did

people think

you know take the temperature which way

is the wind blowing

gee's not interested in that he's going

like here it is

take it or leave it because it he knows

they're grumbling he says do you take

offense at this verse 62 then what if

you were to see the son of man ascending

to where he was before

he's going i showed you an unbelievable

miracle when i turned all that bread

into more bread and fish into more fish

and i

fed all these people then i walked on

the water like what what more do you

want to see

this isn't going to help you verse 63

it's the spirit who gives life

the flesh is no help at all the words

that i've spoken to you are spirit and

life but there are some of you who do

not believe

verse 65 he said this is why i told you

no one can come to me unless it's

granted to him by the father

jesus going i'm not surprised that you

don't like this you don't have the

spirit of god

you can't just rationalize your way into

this faith god has to open your heart

god has to give you his grace god has to

pour out his spirit

you can't figure it out on your own it

won't make

sense without the spirit of god

and then this devastating verse in verse

66

after this many of his disciples

turned back and no

longer walked with him

there it is they had it that's enough

i'm out they turned

back and no longer walked with him let

me ask you

what would happen in your life

that might tempt you to turn back

we're saying you know what jesus i want

to follow you

if i stay healthy

if my life continues to be pretty

comfortable

if you answer the prayer for my grandma

in the hospital if

if but god if you don't

i might be out

what do you sense in yourself what is it

that might make you go

i'm out not out of the church not out of

this church out of jesus

and here's the thing i wish we could say

this was the last time this happened

but all of us who've been around

jesus for a while we know people

who turn back and no longer walked with

him

maybe it's because of some suffering

that happened it's interesting with

suffering

for a lot of true christians suffering

is the thing that draws them closer to

god that

fuels their heart for the lord that

keeps them going where they say you know

what

the worst thing in the world happened

and it actually turned out to be the

best thing god used it in my life

but suffering also for some other people

says you know what i didn't sign up for

this

i signed up for a good life with jesus

and this doesn't feel good and i'm out

what would make you turn back

this verse is the verse

that god used to save me after this many

of his disciples turned back and no

longer

walked with him i was a junior in high

school 17 years

old and i'd begun a relationship a

friendship with a guy who had just

finished college he lived a couple

houses up the street his name was jr he

was maybe 22 or 23

just just finished school and he was

real athletic he played football at

colorado

and i kind of i was an athlete so i was

kind of interested in

kind of who he was and and we kind of

built a friendship and he said well hey

what would you think about getting

together and

just reading through the gospel of john

together and i considered myself a

christian i was part of fellowship of

christian athletes and i went to church

sometimes and so i was like yeah

i'd be happy to do that that would be

great and so we didn't have a curriculum

no workbook nothing we just kind of

just opened the bible and we'd read it i

think we kind of read a chapter

each time we met and then we'd talk

about it well when we got to chapter 6

and we got to verse 66

he looked at me in the eyes and he said

luke

i think you might be one of the people

that would turn back

because i've gotten to know you a little

bit you're a good kid

your friends parents like you

your teachers like you but i kind of

wonder if you're

just using jesus to make yourself look

good

but if things really got hard i just i

just i'm not i wonder if you would be

sold out for him

no matter what

think of the courage it takes to say

that to somebody

and yet what love what grace

well i didn't feel that way at the time

i was mad

and i held it together because i could

do that

but i remember going home and being mad

how dare he say that he doesn't know

that

how does he how can he judge me he

doesn't know my heart

i was mad and you know why i was most

mad

because he was right

and my shtick my hypocrisy

had been exposed for what it was

and that began a wrestling match with

god

reflecting wondering thinking reading

god where

am i am i am i just following you when

it's convenient

what would it look like to be sold out

for you and i don't remember the exact

day or time but i remember

at some point in those next few weeks

god opened my heart

verse 65 happened and it was granted

to me by the father and i fell on my

knees and i said lord i want you

no matter what i want to be sold out for

you no matter what happens

i don't want to use you i want to follow

you

and god saved me i came to the

same place that peter comes to in the

next section which is this that jesus

is our only hope that was my conclusion

that was peter's

conclusion in the next verse in verse 67

jesus turns to the 12

and he asked them do you want to go away

as well i love this this is not an

insecure question

from jesus like guys we're down to 12.

and one of you is going to betray me i

mention that

so we're at 11. please don't go that's

not what he's saying

said what do you think guys you've heard

what i have to say

you've seen who i am are you out

i think this is actually the same gift

jesus gives to them is the gift that

jr gave to me is they really do believe

and they get to actually have a moment

where they say yeah we do and so simon

peter who's you know ready fire aim he's

always the spokesman whether he's

appointed it or not

he answers verse 68 lord

to whom shall we go you have the words

of eternal life

and we have believed and have come to

know that you

are the holy one of god

that's how i felt all those years ago

lord where else am i going to go

i don't i can't find life anywhere else

why would i just follow this when it's

convenient

you are god you are enough you speak the

words of eternal

life i love this

question lord to whom shall we go see

here's the thing

you will go somewhere

nobody's neutral nobody's heart is

neutral

you're going somewhere you're feeding on

something

you're looking for something you're

worshiping someone

where are you going to go because you're

going to go somewhere

are you going to worship yourself are

you going to

find your life in your bank account

are you going to find it in your social

status are you going to find it

in the health of your family are you

going to find it

in spiritualism and spirituality

and meditation are you going to find it

in the power of positive thinking

where are you going to find it because

you're going to look for it somewhere

and the invitation of jesus is find it

in me

i'm your only hope this is what i love

about what peter says

you have the words of eternal life

no one else does jesus you're not just

giving a few good moral tips to improve

our life

you are speaking the truth

why well because verse 69 we have

believed and have come to know

that you are the holy one

of god listen the word holy means unique

set apart no one's like him it's what

they're saying they're saying jesus

there's nobody

else like you

you're not one path of many

you're the path where else are we going

to go jesus

you're the holy one of god we believe it

we know it that's who you are

so let me ask you today what j.r asked

me

are you using jesus

to get what you really want

political hopes

needs met have a good religious life

have a moderate experience of jesus

or are you willing to come to him open

hands

on your knees say jesus i'm just gonna

follow you no matter what i'm gonna be

sold out for you no matter what you're

the holy one of god

you're the one who was betrayed it

mentions that twice betrayed

you were holy you were righteous you

were sinless you deserved to be

worshiped and adored

and instead you were betrayed and you

hung on a cross

for sins that you did not commit for

sins that you didn't deserve to die for

and yet you died

in my place for me and you were buried

and you were raised and you ascended

just like you said you would and you're

coming back jesus

where else am i going to go that's the

invitation of jesus that's the

invitation

today you could find life in him

you won't find it anywhere else you

won't get anywhere else you will seek

and you will run into walls it'll fit

for a while it'll feel good for a while

and then it won't

pay off jesus is offering us life

he's saying come to me

he's not insecure but he's asking where

are you going to go

come with me that's what he's saying

that's the invitation today come

follow me let's pray

father in heaven we thank you for jesus

we thank you for

the truth that he is the holy one of god

that there's nowhere else we could go to

find the words of eternal life there's

nowhere else we could go

to find the bread that truly

gives eternal life god today as we

reflect on this i pray that you would

give faith

i pray that there would be people

watching this online and people here

in the room who realize that

they've been adjacent to you

they've been around you they've been

kind of connected to you

but they haven't been surrendered to you

and god i pray that today would be that

day of surrender

i pray it would be the day of faith i

pray that it would be the day of new

life

i pray that it would be the day when we

stop using you

and instead we just follow you

god thank you for the grace of the

father for the pouring out of the spirit

that gives us life

we pray in christ's name amen