Perspective on Jesus' Hard Words

Let me just pray for us as we begin. Lord, I just wanna echo the prayer that we just all prayed a few moments ago. Show us Christ. And speak to us this morning the words of eternal life.

We hear so many words, Lord. Hundreds of thousands of words probably this past week, but you have the words of eternal life and may those words from you come. Through me this morning. To all of our eternal spiritual benefit.

We ask these things in Jesus' name. Amen. Well, let me invite you to turn in your Bibles this morning to John chapter 6. And for those of you that are visiting with us today, we're doing a verse by verse study through the Gospel of John and as we continue in our study of this gospel, we come this morning to John chapter 6 verse 59.

And our goal this morning is to cover verses 59 through 71. and the title of the message is perspective on Jesus Hard words. Perspective on Jesus' hard words, and it's Jesus who's going to give us perspective on some of the hard words that he has already spoken earlier in John chapter 6. But as we begin this morning, I want you to imagine me preaching a sermon this morning in which I say.

Something that is so bad. That hundreds of people in this auditorium are so offended that they pack up their stuff and get up and walk out of the room in the middle of my message. And imagine that maybe only 50 people of my staunchest supporters are left in the room, but even they are offended by what I have said and they're grumbling to each other over what I have said in my sermon, and I see that and I sense their discomfort and I. I try to explain myself to those remaining 50 people, but upon hearing my explanation, most of those 50 people get up and walk out of the room.

Leaving about 12 people. Every preacher has what's called the Monday morning blues where they replay the sermon from the previous day and second guess themselves. I can't imagine what my Monday would be like. If that happened to me today.

And I share this scenario with you for, I guess, 2 reasons. Number 1, don't walk out on me this morning. Or I'm in for a hard Monday tomorrow, but secondly, I share this because this is very close to what happens. Here in John chapter 6, and amazingly, though this is happening to Jesus in John chapter 6, he's not experiencing any Monday morning blues of second guessing and regret, but he seems at peace and seems almost as if he intentionally sought to bring about.

This mass exodus away from himself. As you guys will recall, Jesus has been pursued by a crowd of people who want him to repeat the miracle of the previous day. Jesus had miraculously fed 5,000+ people from 5 loaves and 2 fish, and many of these people have followed him across the sea, hoping to get more bread from him. And in response, Jesus challenges them to stop pursuing earthly bread and start pursuing the spiritual bread that comes down out of heaven from God and endures to eternal life.

He tells them that he himself is that bread of life. If you look in verse 35, he says, He who comes to me, I'm the bread of life, he who comes to me will not hunger, and he who believes in me will never thirst. But then he begins to tell them how he's going to give his flesh for the life of the world, leaving them asking in verse 52, how will he give us his flesh to eat? And Jesus responds by telling them in verse 53 that unless they eat his flesh and drink his blood, they will have no life in themselves.

But if they do eat his flesh, and if they do drink his blood, they will have eternal life, and they will be raised up by him in the last day. All this time that this exchange has been going on. We have not known where it was taking place other than in the city of Capernaum, but John tells us in verse 59, look at the text, these things he said in the synagogue as he taught in Capernaum. The Jewish synagogue back in this day served many purposes, but essentially it was the building where the Jews would gather on the Sabbath very much like how we're gathered right now in this building for our worship service on a Sunday morning.

And the Jews would gather on the Sabbath in order to hear the law being read and expounded from. And so this location stamp that John is providing for us here in the narrative, it may indicate that this crowd of people had come across the sea and they found Jesus in the synagogue, and this entire exchange in John 6 has been taking place in the synagogue from the very outset. But it could indicate that what we have in John 6 is a running conversation that started elsewhere but culminated in the synagogue in this moment where Jesus says what he says in verses 53 through 58.

Either way, I'm going to read the words of these verses to you, and as I read these verses to you, I want you to imagine these words being said by Jesus in a setting.

Very much like what we're in right now with Jesus in front and speaking to an audience in a, what was essentially a worship service in the synagogue. Beginning in verse 53, Jesus says, 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 yourselves. He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink.

He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me and I in him. As the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so he who eats me, he also will live because of me. This is the bread which came down out of heaven, not as the fathers ate and died. He who eats of this bread.

Will live forever. Now once Jesus says what he says, And these verses that I just read to you, John tells us in verse 60, look at the text. Therefore, many of his disciples, when they heard this, said, this is a difficult statement. Who can listen to it?

John's reference here to his disciples, here is a reference to the 12 plus a number of other people. Who liked Jesus and thought of themselves and even called themselves his followers or his disciples. And this broader group of his disciples, including the 12, hear Jesus' words and say, this is a difficult statement, who can listen to it? Now what is said in the next verse is gonna make clear that they're not saying these words to Jesus directly, but they're saying them to one another in a way that they didn't think that Jesus could hear.

So imagine them whispering to one another out of earshot of Jesus saying, this is a difficult statement. Who can listen to it? Literally, they're saying this is a hard statement. Who can listen to it with acceptance is what they're asking.

And speaking these words, these disciples of Jesus are not saying that Jesus' words are hard in the sense that they are hard to understand, although they are certainly having trouble understanding the full scope of what Jesus is saying. Their problem with Jesus' words is what they do understand. Which makes it hard for them to listen to Jesus' words with acceptance. And think for a moment about why some of these disciples, and many of them supposed disciples would find Jesus' words so difficult to accept.

First of all, many of them were interested in physical food. That's why they were there. Yet Jesus is speaking to them about their spiritual needs and the spiritual provision that he wants to provide for them. Secondly, they don't like Jesus talk about eating his flesh and drinking his blood in order to have eternal life in them.

That sounded to them like cannibalism. And they didn't think that their situation was that desperate to where they would need to resort to eating someone's flesh and drinking their blood. They also didn't like being told by Jesus that they had no life within themselves. After all, they were Israelites who descended from Abraham.

Yet Jesus is telling them that they are in the same boat as the Gentiles, unless they eat his flesh and drink his blood. So they say to one another, this is a difficult statement. Who can listen to it with acceptance. And what follows beginning in verse 61 is Jesus' response.

To this complaint and this question. As we see, and this is how we're gonna break things down this morning, as we see Jesus making 5 efforts to shape his disciples' perspective on the words that he has been speaking. And the first effort that we see of Jesus to shape their perspective on the words he has been speaking. is number one, he points them to his coming ascension.

He points them to his coming ascension as the Son of Man. Observe what Jesus does in verses 61 and 62. And look at this carefully, verse 61, but Jesus and the new American standard says, conscious that his disciples grumbled at this. Literally, the Greek reads, but Jesus knowing in himself.

That his disciples grumbled at this, and that indicates that this is supernatural knowledge as he's reading their hearts. But Jesus, knowing in himself that his disciples grumbled at this, said to them, does this cause you to stumble? What then if you see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? The word translated stumble is the Greek word scandaliso.

From which we get our word scandal or scandalize, this word means to trip over something or to be scandalized by something. And Jesus is saying to his disciples, does what I have been saying to you about my having come down out of heaven and about giving my flesh for the life of the world, and the fact that you have no life in yourselves unless you eat my flesh and drink my blood, does me saying those things cause you to stumble? If so, what will you do when you see the Son of Man ascending?

To where he was before.

Why does Jesus bring up his ascension here? Well, Jesus' bodily ascension to the Father. is going to end up proving to be an even greater paradigm exploding event than what he's just been talking about in the preceding verses. So if his disciples are stumbling over his talk of his giving his flesh for the life of the world, and the separation of his flesh from his blood through death, and the need to eat his flesh and drink his blood for eternal life.

How will they ever begin to grasp the bodily ascension of his flesh and blood self? Back to the right hand of the father. When that happens What will they do with their unbelief and offense? Then, when they see Jesus ascending to the Father where he was before he came to earth.

Notice how Jesus refers to his ascension as something that happens to him as the son of man. Which points us to the words of Daniel 7:13 and 14, where Daniel is seeing in the night visions one like a son of man coming up to the ancient of days. And being given dominion and glory and a kingdom that all the peoples, nations, and men of every language might serve him. In an everlasting kingdom that will never be shaken.

And Jesus here is saying, I am the Son of Man of Daniel, chapter 7, and what will you do when you see me undergoing this ascension? foretold in Daniel 7:13 and 14. Also, there, there's no way. That we should be thinking of Jesus' ascension to his Father that he's speaking about here.

Without appreciating the route that he took in that ascension. Which was right through the depths of the cross. And then from the cross to the very heights of glory. Think of a diver.

At a swimming pool who is wanting to jump to a great height from that diving board. Is it not true that the diver's ascent. Begins with him first descending to the lowest point that the diving board will allow. So that from that lowest point he can then spring.

To a great height. That's the way it was with Jesus assent to his heavenly Father. If you ask Jesus, he would tell you that the process of his ascent started with his descent to the cross. And then from that lowest place he sprang to the very heights of heaven.

So let's make sure we understand that the cross is embodied in what Jesus is saying here about his ascent, meaning that Jesus is essentially saying, if you guys are offended by my words now, what will you think when you see the particular route. That I will take in my journey of ascent to where I was before. Well Jesus asked these questions of those who thought of themselves as his disciples. And he doesn't even wait for an answer.

He continues speaking, which leads us to the 2nd effort of Jesus to shape his disciples' perspective on the hard words that he has just been speaking. Number 2, he reminds them that his words are spiritually profitable and life giving. He reminds them that his words are spiritually profitable and life giving. Listen to what Jesus says in verse 63.

It is the spirit who gives life, the flesh profits nothing. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and our life. So Jesus is saying a few things here. First of all, he says it is the spirit who gives life.

He's speaking of the Holy Spirit who gives life to people, even to the point of bringing them life to even understand the words that Jesus is speaking. Jesus' statement here that it's the spirit who gives life. Means that we have the whole trinity. Mentioned in Jesus' words in this chapter, it is Jesus who saves.

And Jesus teaches in this chapter that it is the Father who must draw a person to Jesus for them to be saved. And now here Jesus is saying that it is the Holy Spirit who regenerates that person by giving them life. We learn in John chapter 6. That it takes the whole Trinity.

To save every individual human soul that is saved. That ought to encourage you, by the way, it means that the triune God is all in. On your salvation. If you have believed in Christ.

In verse 63, Jesus then says the flesh profits nothing. Which is an interesting statement. Jesus has just been speaking of how he will give his flesh for the life of the world and how people must eat his flesh and drink his blood to have eternal life. But here, Jesus isn't talking about his flesh.

He's talking about the flesh. Speaking of anything that comes from merely human capability and effort. According to these words from Jesus, anything that is of the flesh, anything that represents human self effort and human strength, ultimately profits a person nothing before God. And speaking of the flesh here, Jesus is also in part at least speaking of biology.

These Jews prided themselves on the fact that they descended from Abraham, and they thought that their salvation lay in the fact that they were Jews. But Jesus is saying here that the flesh. And who you are in the flesh profits you nothing. He's also saying that were he to simply speak fleshly words that people wanted to hear, in the end, those words would not profit his hearers at all.

Yeah, such fleshly words would tickle the ears of people. And make them feel good about themselves. And it would garner a bigger following for Jesus in the moment, but ultimately those words would not profit them. Spiritually at all.

In contrast to fleshly words though, Jesus' words are profitable. At the end of verse 63, Jesus says, the words that I have spoken to you, that you guys are stumbling over, the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and our life. The words that I've just spoken to you about me being the bread of life that has come down out of heaven from God and about the need to eat my flesh and drink my blood to have eternal life, these words are spirit and they are life. In other words, they are from the spirit.

And they are imbued with the spirit, and they give life to those who receive them. These words come from a completely different realm than the human realm. And Jesus is saying, the words I've spoken may not be what you want to hear in the moment. You may even find them hard to accept.

These words may be deeply disturbing and unsettling to you, but these words that I have spoken to you are from the spirit, and they give life to those who listen to them with acceptance. The truth of what Jesus has just now asserted means that something else is true. Which brings us to the 3rd effort of Jesus to shape his disciples' perspective on the hard words that he has been speaking. Number 3, if you have your notes, you can fill in the blank.

He reminds them that no one can come to him unless the Father grants it. He reminds them that no one can come to him, truly unless the Father grants it. As Jesus looks upon this very group of people. who considered themselves his disciples.

He says to them in verse 64, but there are some of you who do not believe. In other words, there are some of you who think you are my disciples. Yet you do not believe the words that I am speaking to you. Which means that you are not believing in me.

You may have formerly thought of yourselves as believers in me, but you were merely believing in what you hoped me to be, not in who I really am. You believed in a version of me of your own making, and now that I'm talking to you in a way that contradicts. What you would prefer to believe about me. You're stumbling over my words.

Revealing that you don't believe. In me Why did Jesus speak this way to these supposed disciples? Look at verse 64 where John says, for Jesus knew from the beginning, those. Or who they were who did not believe and who it was that would betray him.

Jesus knew this from the beginning. This is not some epiphany that Jesus is having right now from the very outset of every person that began to follow Jesus. Jesus knew the ones who truly believed in him and those who did not believe in him. And it seems, guys, that Jesus has been waiting.

For the right moment to separate the wheat from the chaff. And to give those who don't really believe in him an excuse to walk away from him. And as John says here in verse 64, Jesus also right now and knew from the beginning who it was that would betray him. Jesus knew who would betray him from the very first day that that betrayer began to follow him.

And John will circle back around to this in the coming verses. So, a question though, is, does the fact that Jesus observes that many of his disciples did not believe in Jesus, does that cause Jesus, like does it bum him out and cause him to think that his mission somehow is in jeopardy and that it might be a failure? No, listen to what he does in verse 65. And he was saying, for this reason, I have said to you that no one can come to me unless it has been granted him.

From the father. Part of what Jesus is saying here is that coming to him in faith is a privileged act. That can only be performed by those to whom it has been granted by the Father. Every human person, if they do what comes naturally to them and what they want to do naturally, rejects Christ, and they will be judged eternally for that rejection of Christ.

But there are those whom the Father mercifully grants the supernatural ability to come to Jesus in faith. And unless the Father grants it to a person to come to Jesus. A person will not come to Jesus in true faith. I know of no other way to understand.

What Jesus is saying here. This is what Jesus is saying here and in what he says. He does not alleviate the grumbling of many who formerly had thought of themselves as his disciples. In fact, his words here only increase the frustration.

That they have with Jesus. I love the way the commentator FF Bruce describes the supposed disciples as they're interfacing right now with Jesus and what he is saying. And Bruce says what they wanted, he would not give. What he offered.

They would not receive. And as a result, observe what happens in verse 66. Some people describe this as the saddest verse in all of the Bible. As a result of this, many of his disciples withdrew.

And we're not walking with him. Anymore Keep in mind that John is speaking of a wider group of disciples than the 12. But he is speaking of the group of people who had formerly been the most kindly disposed toward Jesus, and they liked him enough to have acted like his followers and disciples and even behave like that to some degree for a time. And John is telling us now that they are withdrawing from him and not walking with him anymore, meaning that they are walking away from Jesus and returning to a life without Jesus.

As the commentators Carter and Redberg say, and I quote, they left. They stopped, they quit. They went out, they fell away, they turned back and no longer walked with Jesus. Unquote And this thing happens to this very day.

As people who. Once called themselves disciples of Christ, abandon him and renounce him and return. To their own way. What should we make of such people when this happens?

Well, John tells us in 1 John 2:19 where John says they went out from us. But they were not really of us, for if they had been of us they would have remained with us, but they went out so that it would be shown that they all are not of us. So let us not be like those who fall away. Let us continue to follow Jesus even when what he says is hard for us to hear.

Even when he says things that rattle our cage. Even when he says things that disagree with what we prefer to believe, right? I heard a pastor say once that whenever Jesus, just a good rule of thumb, whenever Jesus ever says anything that you disagree with. You're the one who's wrong.

And he's right, and you need to bring yourself into alignment with him. And that's the way we need to be. Thankfully, as many of these supposed disciples of Jesus are withdrawing from him. It seems that the 12 disciples of Jesus are standing their ground, though I'm sure that even they themselves were experiencing turmoil in their own hearts and grumbling a bit at what Jesus has just been saying.

And so it's at this point of the narrative where Jesus turns to the 12 and addresses them directly, which brings us to the 4th effort of Jesus to shape his disciples' perspective on the hard words that he has been speaking. Number 4, he gets his 12 disciples. To declare. Whether they will leave him.

Or stay with him. He gets his 12 disciples to declare whether they will leave him or stay with him. Observe what Jesus does in verse 67. So Jesus.

Said to the 12. You do not want to go away also, do you? DA Carson, the commentator, as Jesus saying to his disciples, surely you don't want to go away too, do you? This is a legitimate question that Jesus is asking, but the way that it's structured in the Greek indicates that Jesus is expecting a good answer, because he knows the hearts of his disciples.

The form of Jesus question indicates that he's expecting them to say, no, we don't want to go away from you, Jesus. And because Jesus already knows the answer. That he's gonna receive from them, he isn't so much asking this question because he needs to hear it or for his own benefit as much as he is asking this question for his disciples benefit. For this is a moment.

When they need to confess out loud the fact. That they are sticking with Jesus. Thankfully, upon hearing Jesus question one of the disciples. Decides to answer and guess who that disciple is.

I'll give you one guess, Peter. who never seemed to be without something to say. He always seemed more than happy enough to speak for himself, and if you let him. He would be more than happy to speak for you too.

But observe what happens beginning in verse 68. Simon Peter answered him. Lord To whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.

We have believed and come to know that you are the holy one of God. Do not imagine Peter just feeling serene and perfectly at peace and confident speaking these words. His heart is in turmoil. He was no doubt among those grumbling and taking just a little bit of offense at what Jesus was saying, and he's struggling at what Jesus has said, and yet, though he has that turmoil in his heart, he's saying Jesus, to whom shall we go?

You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed and come to know that you are the Holy One of God. Jesus has asked the 12 if they will also walk away from Him, and Peter responds. And says, Lord, to whom shall we go? And the funny thing about Peter's question.

That he's asking here is that it reveals that Peter had actually given this matter some thought. And upon further analysis concluded there's nowhere else to go. And Peter is saying to Jesus, Lord, I've, I've already run through these options in my head. If we deserted you, who would we go to?

We may not always understand. What you say and do, we certainly don't always live up to what we ought to be as your disciples. We may not even like what you say or do in any given moment, but being with you, Jesus has forever ruined us for anything and anyone else. If we don't stay with you, there's literally nowhere else that we Could go, and no one else that we could go to that would make any sense for us.

He then says to Jesus, you have the words of eternal life. And in saying these words, Peter is parroting what Jesus has just said about his own words back in verse 63, and uttering these words, Peter is saying to Jesus, we may not understand your words to the fullest extent. Your words may leave us rattled and scratching our heads, but we understand. You and your hard words enough to know that we agree with you when you say that your words are life, we believe.

That somehow, some way if we really understood what you're saying. We would find how true it is that your words. Are the words of eternal life. And no one else speaks words like you do, Jesus.

Consequently, in verse 69. Peter says we have believed and come to know that you are the Holy One of God. Now, if you have the King James version or the new King James. Version of the Bible in front of you, your translation of verse 69 has Peter saying something like, you are the Christ, the Son of the living God.

Those are certainly absolutely true words. The older manuscripts have Peter saying to Jesus, you are the holy one of God and so that is the reading that the new American Standard and the new International Version and the English Standard Version go with in their translations. And that's what we'll roll with this morning and saying what he says here, Peter is saying. Jesus, we come to a point of believing.

And knowing in the past with the abiding result that we're right now still believing and still knowing. That you are the Holy One of God. You are the utterly sanctified one. The set apart one of God.

You're not just a holy one of God, but you are the Holy One of God, the ultimately holy One of God. You can write these references down in Luke chapter 4, verse 34. A demon in sight of a man is gonna speak to Jesus and say, I know who you are, the Holy One of God. And later in Acts 3:14, Peter's gonna stand in the temple.

In Jerusalem and refer to Jesus as the holy and righteous one. So here's Peter talking here in John 6, and this is a messianic title that Peter is using here in this verse as he refers to Jesus as the Holy One of God. And it's important to note that Peter is not merely speaking for himself here. Look at what he says in the text.

We have believed. And have come to know that you are the Holy One of God. This is a A wonderful moment on many levels. That no doubt had all the other disciples nodding with Peter in agreement.

And given the fact that so many people have just now been walking away from Jesus, one might think that Jesus would hear Peter's confession. Of faith and be overjoyed and maybe gather the 12 in for a big group hug. But Jesus' mood is still quite sober. And he needs to say a few things in response to Peter's confession.

Which leads to the final effort of Jesus to shape his disciples' perspective on the hard words that Jesus has been speaking. Number 5, he reminds his 12 disciples that he had chosen them. Yet one of them was a devil. He reminds his disciples that he had chosen them.

Yet One of them was a devil. Observe what Jesus does in verse 70. Jesus answered them. Did I myself not choose you, the 12?

And yet one of you. Is a devil. Notice where the text says Jesus answered them. It was Peter that spoke.

But he spoke representing the 12, and they're all nodding in agreement and so now Jesus answered them. Did I not choose you, the 12, and yet one of you is a devil. There's a couple things That are happening here. First of all, Jesus is wanting to make sure that Peter and the other disciples do not for one second.

Think that their belief in him is something that actually came from themselves. Their belief in him has come from God, which is why Jesus says to them, did I myself not choose you? He's saying, Peter, the reason you and the others believe in me and are staying with me is not because you're better than other people. or smarter than those who are walking away from me, but because of my sovereign choice of you.

Your belief in me was birthed. From the matrix of my sovereign choosing of you. And the same is true for all of us. We can never pat ourselves on the back or give ourselves credit for the fact that we believe in Jesus.

Because our belief in Jesus was nurtured in and birthed from that matrix of God's sovereign choosing of us. Secondly, I think Jesus is delivering to Peter a helpful caution that's going to make Peter wiser. On one level, Peter has actually done a good thing to include the other disciples in his confession of faith in Christ. He could have simply stood up and spoken for himself and said to Jesus, I don't know about these other guys.

But I have come to believe. And know that you are the holy one of God. He's actually gonna talk that way about a year from now when Jesus is gonna say, all of you are gonna fall away from me this night, and Peter's gonna say, though all may fall away, though these other 11 may fall away, I will not. But this is a finer moment for Peter.

Where he speaks for the 12. And it shows something I think that is good and noble about Peter's high estimation of his fellow disciples that he would include them in his confession the way that he does here and I'm sure the other disciples appreciated that. However, Even in doing this, Peter must be very careful. About speaking too confidently for other people.

And what Jesus says next brings this corrective in a way that would be very helpful for Peter to hear. Peter thinks he knows the other 11 disciples well enough to speak for all of them, but he doesn't know the other 11 as well as Jesus knows them. In particular, he doesn't know Judas as well as he thought that he knew Judas. He definitely did not know Judas at this point as well as Jesus did.

And so Jesus replies to Peter saying, Did I myself not choose you, the 12, and yet one of you. Is a devil How sobering it must have been for Peter to hear these words from Jesus and for all the disciples to hear this announcement from Jesus. Peter has just Drawn a circle around the 12 and said to Jesus, we all believe the same way about you, Jesus, we're good. And Jesus says, no, you're not all good.

There's something you don't know, Peter. Neither Peter nor any of the other disciples knew which one of them would turn out to be a devil, but they later learned who it was, and so John. Adds this explanatory note in verse 71, and this is how this amazing chapter ends. Now he, Jesus, meant Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot.

For he one of the 12. was going to betray him. We all know who Judas is. He's the one who will betray Jesus and have him handed over to his enemies for the price.

Of pieces of silver. And by 3 p.m. the next day after that betrayal, Jesus will be dead on a cross. And shortly thereafter, Judas will be so overcome with remorse that he will go out.

And hang himself. Jesus doesn't right now identify Judas by name. But he does look at the 12 and say to them all, one of you. Is a devil.

And these words from Jesus would teach Peter to be very careful about assuming that he knows where others are spiritually with Christ, and his words would warn Peter and the other disciples that there is darkness that lurks even among the 12. And that one of them will later reveal himself for the devil that he is. This devil among them is so well hidden. That even a year from now the disciples will still not know who he is.

Judas will make so much of a good impression on these disciples that each of them will have an easier time believing that they themselves are the betrayer. Than to believe that Judas is the betrayer. For at the Last supper, when Jesus says to the 12, 1 of you is going to betray me, each of them will be saying to Jesus, Is it I That's what they're all gonna say rather than it's Judas, isn't it? So imagine Hearing this announcement and a year later, they still don't have a clue other than to know that one of them is going to betray Jesus.

There is darkness that lurks even among the 12. By the way, notice how the apostle John speaks at the end of this chapter saying now he meant Judas. This is with the benefit of hindsight, he meant Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, for he. One of the 12.

was going to betray him. John has been thinking about this for over 5 decades before he sat down to write this gospel account and he still seems incredulous that one of the 12 betrayed Jesus. I am sure that here in this moment. In John 6 that John and the others would have looked outward from the 12 and saw many dangers and evils outside that circle to be concerned about.

Little would John have realized, and the others have realized that a horrible evil resided in their midst. And would emerge. From that circle of the 12. An evil that would lead to Jesus being handed over to his enemies to be crucified.

And that leads me to one of the thoughts I want us to ponder as we wrap up this morning. It's so easy for us in the church to look outside the church. And see evils outside of our circles. Outside the church, but we should never underestimate our own capability for evil.

Even from among ourselves. And from among our midst. It's always good to be aware of the possibility that we have a Judas. In our midst Or Judas is in our midst.

People who will one day trade Jesus away for something else. People who right now present themselves as disciples of Jesus, but who will one day be a traitor to the cause of Jesus. And we each should ask with the disciples at the Last supper, is it I? Personally I see The Judas spirit.

In me Manifesting every time I choose sin over Jesus. The truth is that if God released his restraining hand from our lives. We would all have enough remaining sin within us. To go the way of Judas, if God let us.

It is his mercy every day. That he restrains us from that and does not allow us. In the end, we don't know who the Judases in our midst might be. But we should be sobered by the fact that it's highly likely that even among us seated in this room this morning.

Even among the young people in our youth group today. That some of our number will end up rejecting Christ and Trading him away for something else. And going their own way. And when that happens, We should not always automatically assume that it must be the church's fault somehow.

Though we should always be quick to examine ourselves. For even the perfect Jesus. Had a deserter Among his closest followers. And even the perfect Jesus.

Loses The vast majority of his professing disciples. Here in our passage today. And in the mind of Jesus, even those departures are a revelation. Of the sovereign.

Choices of God. Not the fact that his ministry methodology is faulty. Somehow. These people are falling away because they don't like the truth that Jesus is speaking about them and about himself.

And if they persist in that rejection of Christ, they will thereby reveal the fact that they are not among those to whom it has been granted to truly come to Jesus. Which brings us to another lesson we can learn this morning. Whatever the ultimate response of people might be to. The gospel message that we declare.

I think we can learn from Jesus' example in John 6 that we should be willing to speak. Truth, even hard truth to Our world, even if it makes our numbers fewer and may chase. People away From our midst. We should preach the truth about Jesus Christ, knowing that as we do that, some will be drawn by what they hear about Jesus while others will be repelled.

By what they hear. That's all, both of those things are under God's good sovereignty, and we should trust him with that and know that as a body of believers, we are well served by the repelling. That the truth accomplishes to some. And by the attracting that it does to others.

What we should never do is hold back from speaking the truth about Christ out of fear that some people might be turned off. And the most important truth that you and I ought to declare to the world is that he is the bread of life, that he did give his flesh for the life of the world and that through his death on the cross. He can provide atonement for sinners and give life to those who recognize their sin, confess their sins. Repent of their sins and believe in Him.

We should tell the world that unless they come to Jesus and believe in Jesus, they have no life in themselves. That's what Jesus says. And we must tell them that Jesus is their only hope, because that's what Jesus says. Such a message is a scandal to proud people.

But it is essential for life and for salvation. And we must not be afraid to speak this truth. To others We should also embrace what this passage teaches us about the biblical balance between our responsibility to speak the truth about Christ and God's sovereign election of souls revealed in their response to the truth. Think about what Christ does in this passage.

He speaks the truth about himself to everyone who is gathered. Many of them walked away and a few of them stayed. Jesus didn't go looking only for the elect to speak truth to. He spoke the truth to everyone and he let the responses of the people reveal the truth about themselves.

Does that make sense? Chuck Swindle tells about a. Time when he shared the gospel with a man that he had been burdened for for quite some time and finally as their friendship grew an opportunity presented itself and. Chuck Swindle says that he sees the opportunity and he pulled out a napkin.

And he drew a man on one side of a great chasm. And God on the other side of that chasm. And then Chuck Swinall labeled the gap in between God and that man as sin. And then he drew a cross bridging the gap.

And explained to this man. How Christ bridges the gap between God and man through the cross of Jesus Christ. And Chuck Swinall says, and I quote, When I finished, perhaps the clearest exposition of the good news I think I have ever given. My friend picked up the napkin.

And turned it over. And said, In a million years I could never believe that. In a million years. I could never believe that.

That man was right. He could never Believe the gospel. Unless the spirit. We to give him life.

And the father Were to draw him. To Jesus But I share this story this morning to say that we're all called by God to do what Chuck Swindall did in that moment. And that is present the gospel to people. We should obey this calling and then trust the results to God.

And then even if people do hear the gospel and they reject the gospel that we declare to them, we should remember that many of us did not believe the gospel the first time we heard either. And reminded of that, we should keep praying to God on behalf of that person who is rejecting the gospel in the hopes that the Father would touch them in his mercy and one day draw them to himself in salvation. The disciples are watching Jesus in action here. They're learning this very lesson that's gonna serve them well in the days to come.

If you go on and read the book of Acts, you'll see that these disciples are preaching the truth of Christ to everybody. And then observing by people's responses who the Lord was adding to their number. And those who the Lord was not. Adding to their number, and we need to do the same.

Finally, we should also realize that ultimately there are 3 responses that people have to Jesus. Some reject him outright. Others believe in him with the faith that is wrought by God in their hearts. And they persist in that faith.

Unto eternal life and then there are some who respond positively to Jesus and they believe in him with a faith, but their faith is not wrought of God and it won't endure. Sooner or later they will fall away and reveal themselves for the false. Disciples that they are. And I'm asking you this morning which of those categories.

Are you in? I very much appreciate the fact that all of you have stayed through the length of this sermon. I want to thank you. For that, for not walking out on me, but I'm more concerned to know how you're going to respond.

To Jesus Christ. Who gave his flesh on the cross in order. To die and shed his blood, to give atonement and salvation to sinners. Who recognize their sin and their need for a savior and come to Jesus and believe in him.

If God is speaking to your heart this morning, and he's tugging at you and drawing you to Jesus, yield to that drawing and come to Jesus. And believe in him. As your Lord and Savior and call upon his name for salvation, and Jesus would be delighted to immediately respond by saving you. And if you are here this morning and you think yourself to be a believer in Jesus, and you very well may be a genuine believer in Jesus, it doesn't matter.

Keep on coming to Jesus. And keep on believing in him, and abiding in him, and thereby eating his flesh and drinking his blood and feasting upon Jesus every day. Even when Jesus' words lay waste. To your dreams and leave you exposed and naked and troubled.

And in turmoil as you hear them. Jesus is the savior that won't always tell you what you want to hear. He gives you something better than that. He tells you what you need.

To hear. And his words always are spirit. And they are life. Do you believe that this morning?

Let's pray together Lord, I do pray that. for us in this room that if there's any here this morning, Lord, that needs to respond to you, Lord Jesus, and. Faith that you would draw them to yourself and enable them to respond as they ought in humble faith. And thereby experience your salvation this morning.

For thus, those of us who know you, Lord, we are. Just working through this chapter and looking at the words we see today, we're so thankful for your grace we're so thankful for. You're merciful working in our lives to draw us to Jesus. To enable us to believe in him and call upon him and to follow him day by day and when we repent and fall short and that you give us the grace to.

Or when we sin and fall short, you give us the grace to repent and. And fall at Jesus' feet. Confessing our need of him and experiencing his grace anew. Do not leave us to ourselves, Lord.

But continue to restrain us from all that we are capable of when it comes to evil. And quicken us, Lord, to produce the fruit. And do the good. That you have created us in Christ for.

Enable us to forever each day be looking to Jesus and believing in Him. And as you do that, Lord, we will give you all the praise. All the glory and take none of it for ourselves. Thank you for being a savior, Lord Jesus, who does not.

Just come to us and figure out what we wanna hear and then you just. Cater to that. Thank you for telling us what we need to hear. And that we can always count on you to speak the truth that we need.

And for always speaking words that our spirit. And life We give you the praise for the savior that you are this morning. And all God's people said. Amen.