To Whom Shall We Go? (John 6:60-71)
Summary
TLDRIn 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
📖 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.
🗣️ 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.
🕊️ 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.
🍞 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.
✝️ 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.
🛑 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.
🙏 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.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Discipleship
💡Partisan Politics
💡Counter-Culture
💡Spiritual Reality
💡Religious Understanding
💡Extreme Faith
💡Eternal Life
💡Sacrifice
💡Betrayal
💡Transformation
💡Authentic Faith
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
浏览更多相关视频
Today's Gospel Reading & Catholic Reflection • Sunday, August 25, 2024 (w/ Podcast Audio)
John 6:60-69 When Jesus preaches, many take offense. Others live.
Daily Living 22 August 2021 (John 6: 60-69) "Hard Words"
John 6:56-69 | The Bread Of Eternal Life | Lectionary bible reading
Gospel of John Summary: A Complete Animated Overview (Part 2)
The Gospel of John: Overview | Whiteboard Bible Study
5.0 / 5 (0 votes)