From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him. “You do not want to leave too, do you?” Jesus asked the Twelve. Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.” John 6:66-69 NIV
This week, Pastor Rurel continued in the sermon series, Loudmouth – The Call of a Loudmouth. A look at the chosen leader, Simon Peter. Here is the link to last week’s notes:
In this message, we find the crowds coming out to find Jesus. He had just got done with feeding the 5000, and He and the disciples crossed over to Capernaum.
Once the crowd realized that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into the boats and went to Capernaum in search of Jesus. John 6:24 NIV
Jesus the day before had just taken care of their physical hunger, but Jesus did not come to take care of our physical needs. He came to start to rebuild His Kingdom. And building His kingdom has everything to do with changing our hearts, not by providing us comfort and fulfilling our physical needs.
The biggest lie that is told to us repeatedly is that this world and the things of this world will fulfill everything we need. But the things of this world are fleeting at best. As a matter of fact, Peter will later write in his epistles that what we see will eventually be destroyed.
‘But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare. ‘ 2 Peter 3:10
Jesus has healed people; He fed people. And the crowd comes back for more. But Jesus is about to give them a “truth” bomb that will separate the true followers from those who are just there for the “free” food.
When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, “Rabbi, when did you get here?” Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw the signs I performed but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.” John 6:25-27 NIV
Jesus explains that they are not there for Him, but they are here simply for what He has provided. He has fed two large crowds and has healed many people from some serious ailments and demon possession.
Then they ask the question that every one of us will have to answer for, and Jesus provides the answer.
Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?” Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.” John 6:28-29 NIV
“The work of God is this: to believe in the one He has sent.”
The real question here is: What does it mean to truly “believe” in Jesus?
If you say that you believe in Jesus, but your life is the same as before “believing” in Jesus, something is not quite right with your belief in Jesus. James wrote this in his epistle:
‘You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder. ‘ James 2:19
True saving faith will change you.
You will have a desire to be in God’s Word.
You will have a desire to be around God’s people.
You will have a desire to spread the Gospel.
If I didn’t have these desires in my heart, I would be on my knees asking Jesus to change my heart, and I wouldn’t stop until it happened.
So they asked him, “What sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do? Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’ ” Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” John 6:30-33 NIV
The pushback was, “what more are you going to do to make us believe in you?” As if what He hadn’t done was enough.
When we look to the things in this world for our provision, we will never be satisfied.
God sent Jesus to fulfill all of His promises.
‘For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God. ‘ 2 Corinthians 1:20
As you read through this interaction with Jesus and the crowd, you will find what is common in these cases; there will be many excuses and misunderstandings.
‘Keep reminding God’s people of these things. Warn them before God against quarreling about words; it is of no value, and only ruins those who listen. Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. Avoid godless chatter, because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly. ‘ 2 Timothy 2:14-16
God’s Word is clear to those with an open heart to understand it. Our job is to study continually.
On hearing it, many of his disciples said, “This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?” Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, “Does this offend you? Then what if you see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before! The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you—they are full of the Spirit and life. Yet there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him. He went on to say, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled them.” John 6:60-65 NIV
By God’s grace, He provides the faith for us to believe in Jesus. What a blessing that is. But accepting that faith comes with a price.
“This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?”
And with that, many decided that they would go back to their old lives. Being a Christian will not be easy, and it will require us to get out of our comfort zones.
From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him. “You do not want to leave too, do you?” Jesus asked the Twelve. Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.” John 6:66-69 NIV
As the others started to leave, Jesus turned to the twelve and asked them if they would leave too. And Peter said it all:
“Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and to know that You are the Holy One of God.”
Peter was “all in.”
He wasn’t turning back.
The life of a Christian gets hard. From tempering our desires to dealing with the people of our past and living in a world that wants none of what we have to offer, we have to stand firm in our faith.
Heavenly Father, thank You for sending Jesus to show us the way.
Thank You for Your Word. I pray that You will help us understand Your Word and let it shape our lives to be in service to You.
Thank You for the Pastors who faithfully preach Your Word every week.
Please give us the faith and courage to live a life completely devoted to Your Word.
In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray, Amen!! 🙏❤️
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