In Search of the Authentic Christian - John 6:41-71

1:12Apathetic and authentic. The spelling's not that much different. So we looked at in search of the apathetic believer. And then today we're looking at in search of the authentic Christian. And after all these 71 verses, there's really only two out of all of them that get To the point of what Jesus' message is all about. And we're going to see that here in a moment. So we're looking at the, in search of the authentic Christian. Normally, I would read the entire section here, but you know what? There's just too much there. And so, what I want to do is just make reference to particular passages along the way as we go through the text. So, John 6, we see that Jesus is repeatedly giving free food to the people. He's repeatedly healing the people. And he's repeatedly giving them the gospel over and over again. And we're going to see more of that in John 6:64 through 66. He just keeps telling them the same thing. Well, the signs that Jesus performed tell the world that he is the Christ. It tells the world that he is the Son of the living God. The purpose for this gospel, according to John, is John 20:31. These things are written for a reason, so that you may know that you have eternal life. And it talks about all the signs and all the miracles that he did that authenticated his message. And so, when he feeds these people, he's doing it for a reason, and so that people can understand that what he's saying is the truth. As I mentioned, John 6 opens up with Jesus preaching essentially to about 15 or 20,000 people. We might say this is a mega church. This is a huge congregation, and they are following him from sea and land to get more of his free stuff. Starts with. Preaching to maybe 20,000 at the very end of it, he's not directly addressing 20,000, he's directly addressing only 12. Only 12. That's not a very good plan for church growth. You send all those people away. You've got 12 left that you're directly speaking to. I said this last week, I'll say it again. Just because you consider yourself Jesus' disciple doesn't mean that you're an authentic believer. That's a pretty bold statement. But you know what? Jesus referred to these false disciples, these people that were following him, as those who were disciples, but clearly they weren't saved. So what's different about them than maybe you or I? We know this because in John 6, there were people that Jesus referred to in this manner, and they considered his words, do you remember it? Unkind.

3:49They thought his words were very unkind. They thought his words were cruel in verse 66. They concluded that the free food and the free health care, it wasn't worth it. They followed him for this food, but they had to listen to his preaching, and they didn't want to hear the preaching, and so they walked away from him. They'd rather starve than follow that man. Wow. You know, I probably get four calls a week at Emmanuel, people asking for food or ways to meet their needs. And you just wonder, do they know the gospel message? That, yeah, they say they're believers, but do they really... No, Christ, the way he's presented in John 6.

4:36Last week, let me just break this down because there aren't, we had a great Sunday night last week. We could have sat in a small circle and had a great time, but many of you weren't there. So let me just give you a rundown from last week. Apathetic believers, they search for Jesus, sure enough. You see that in verses 22 through 25. A true shepherd tells the truth. He tells them exactly what they need to hear in terms of the truth. And in verse 29, if you'll take a look at verse 29, that's really the essence of the whole chapter. This is what he's driving for. Verse 29, Jesus answered and said to them, This is the work of God that you believe in him whom he has sent. They wanted to work something. They wanted to do some marvelous thing for God. And they said, well, here's God's work. Believe in him. Well, they didn't like that. But Jesus told the truth. We know that false disciples are demanding, they keep begging for more miracles, more stuff, more free food. And then last but not least, we saw in verses 35 through 40 that a shepherd explains God's will. He says in verse 40, For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who beholds, that's an ongoing, continuous beholding, watching Jesus, everyone who beholds the Son and believes in him will have eternal life, and I myself will raise him up on the last day.

5:55Well, so that's last week. And as I said, since our text is so long, I just want to walk through this and mention particular verses to bring them into view. But if you want to know how to apply this message today, if you want to know what is the takeaway, what do I need to do with what I'm about to hear? And you can see it on the screen. You must understand that as you listen to and learn from the Father, he will draw you to him, and you will come to him, or else you will walk away from him forever. You'll leave him forever. And that's what happens to most of the people at the end of this chapter. Well, there's four scenes that portray the search for the authentic Jesus. There's four of them. You'll notice here that three of the scenes, we see how bogus disciples treat their shepherd. And in one of the scenes, we see how an authentic Christian listens to and learns from his shepherd. So you see, the first one is the apathetic Christian, they grumble about the bread of life. Jesus says, I am the bread of life, and they grumble about that. Second, phony Christians are offended by the bread of life. Well, they were certainly offended by him. You'll see that clearly here in a moment. And then, third, false Christians walk away from the bread of life, verse 66. And then authentic Christians believe that Jesus is the Holy One of God. Well, let's deal with these one by one. Glance down at verse 41 again. And let me just read it. I want you to really pay attention to that word, therefore. It says, Therefore, the Jews were grumbling about him, because he said, quote, I'm the bread that came down out of heaven.

7:34Therefore, it tells us, that word therefore tells us what they were grumbling about. They were grumbling about verse 33. Take a look at verse 33. We looked at this last week, but just to refresh our memory, here's what they grumbled about. He says, For the bread of God is that which comes down out of heaven and gives life to the world. They didn't like that he said that. They didn't like that at all. They grumbled about it. They griped about it. They moaned about it. Remember, the Jews refused to believe that Jesus came from the Father in verse 29. They didn't want to believe that. Jesus' metaphors became increasingly difficult. They became increasingly harsh. The more they pushed back, the more his metaphors intensified. They were offensive. The word therefore in verse 41 tells us the reason the Jews grumbled is that Jesus said that he came down from heaven. He's the bread of heaven. They quote Jesus, and we just read it in verse 33. They quote him. And this was a grumbling that was taking place. This was not a loud, cacophonous sound. It was sort of on their lips, and he picked up on what they were saying. So back in verse 41, John identifies the Jews as those who had been grumbling. Grumbling is a, it's described as a muttered kind of low-volume annunciations of low tones that they were complaining that Jesus couldn't possibly come down from heaven. There's no way he could come down from heaven. Well, why couldn't they believe that Jesus couldn't come down from heaven? Do you see it in verse 42? They give the reason. It's right there. The Jews, they know Joseph and they know Mary. They know his parents. How on earth could Jesus be one who comes down from heaven? We know who gave him birth. That's what they're saying.

9:24He can't come from heaven. We know his mother and his father. But it seems they'd forgotten about the sign that they should have known very well out of Isaiah 7, 14. It's still the Christmas season, right? That a virgin would bear a child. This shouldn't be a shock to them. Isaiah wrote about it. Maybe they just didn't know that passage. Maybe they didn't like that passage. So they refused to accept that Jesus was born of a virgin, and so they grumbled about the notion that Jesus came from heaven. Makes sense, right? If you're them, it makes a whole lot of sense. So in verse 43, Jesus rebuffs them for grumbling amongst themselves. You need to remember that Jesus challenged, they challenged Jesus to give them more food than Moses. We saw that last week in verses 30 through 34. You see, Moses, he fed the nation for an entire amount of 40 years, right? They said to Jesus, hey, you're calling yourself one who comes down from heaven. We want to see another sign. Why don't you feed us breakfast, Jesus, and maybe we'll believe in you?

10:30Really, a sarcastic thing that they were asking for. He says, it wasn't Moses who fed you, it was my father who fed you. And they were asking for a better miracle than Moses. It's like, hey, Jesus, you fed maybe 15,000, 20,000 people one meal. Well, Moses, that guy, why don't you serve us a better breakfast than Moses did? He did this for 40 years. Set us up for life, Jesus, and then maybe, that's the phraseology, maybe we'll just believe in you. It's like a temptation for Jesus to just prove who he is.

11:06So they challenged him. And since the Jews mentioned Moses, Jesus reminded them about how Israel grumbled before they received the food, the free manna. That's in Exodus 16. And then they grumbled after they received the manna. They were in disgust about the manna that God had given in Numbers 11. So, in effect, Jesus says, You're just like the wilderness wanderers, you're just like them, whining and moping and grumbling and griping and complaining. They want something better than what Jesus had given them the previous day, which was bread, barley loaves, that he created right from the palms of the disciples as they handed them out. You see, God, out of his grace, provided free food to sustain the people, but they grumbled about it. That's what false disciples. Disciples do. They grumble over what God gives them. It's never enough. It's never good enough.

12:08Or whatever God has not given them. And I sometimes find myself in that group too. I grumble, God, how come I don't have, well, fill in the blank for yourself. How come I don't have what so-and-so has? And so we get upset because other people have the things we want, and God's dealing with us in a different way. Have you ever noticed that entitlement societies are never satisfied with what is given to them? They always want more. It's a matter of greed. The rich are greedy. The poor are greedy. People complain for lack, and then it's not long until they grumble about the free thing that they've been given isn't good enough. They want more. What happens when the grumblers who are voters outnumber the voters who are the givers? What happens to a society? And that's kind of like what's going on in John 6 here. Remember, they wanted to make Jesus king. If they could make him king, then he could provide all the food and all the health care they needed while they fight off Rome. He wasn't going to be their political king. The signs that Jesus does authenticate his message. Jesus said in verse 41 that I am the bread that came down from heaven. Metaphorically speaking, the ingredients that make up Jesus are unlike the ingredients that make up everybody else. He's the bread from heaven. Nobody else does this. Nobody else creates this bread that he creates, this food that he creates. Nobody does the healing that he does. And so his ingredients are different.

13:44In effect, he's saying, stop grumbling about Joseph and Mary. Get on with the program. Watch what Jesus does because his works. We need to understand this because this is the message of the text. The message of the whole book is that his works prove his words. They authenticate his words. And so he's preaching to them. Jesus isn't like us. He's fully human and he's fully God simultaneously. The metaphor drives them to see that since he provides free food and healing, they need to understand how much more critical it is for them to embrace the message that he's giving them. And he gives it with great clarity until they question him. They don't like his words. He makes it a little more difficult. Verse 43, Jesus tells them to stop whining. Verse 43, we can read the words. Jesus answered and said to them, Do not grumble among yourselves. And in verses 44 and 45, he drops the metaphors. Remember, we talked about the metaphor of the cookies on the lower shelf. Grandpa likes to put cookies on the lower shelf for the little buddies, right? Because they want to be his friends and he wants to be their friends. And so he puts the statements, the cookies on the lower shelf. He gets them to be engaged. In what he's saying, and so he does this. He gives them a crystal-clear understanding about how salvation takes place. In verses 44 and 45, we see components revealing how salvation comes about. Two components to salvation. Two of them. God's role in salvation and then man's responsibility in salvation. These two topics are intertwined throughout this whole chapter. Man's responsibility and God's sovereignty. Let me just read verses 44 and 45. It says this, And it is written in the prophets, and they shall be taught of God. Everyone who has heard and has learned from the Father comes to me. Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God. He has seen the Father. Let me read verse 44. No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up on the last day.

15:59So we can see the clarity here without the metaphors. Jesus came down from heaven, but in verse 44, no one is capable of coming to Jesus unless the Father draws him. That's the sovereignty of God in salvation. Now, I want you to focus in on that word draw for a moment. The word draw. It only appears in the New Testament eight times, and so it's not hard to figure out how it's used in other contexts. The word draw literally means to pull an object from one location to another location. John 18, 10. 10, Peter drew his sword, and what did he do with it? He cut off Malchus' ear. Well, Jesus put it back on, but that's the idea. He drew the sword, he drug it out of its sheath, or whatever it is they had back then. John 21, verse 6, disciples hadn't caught enough fish, so what did Jesus do? He said, well, cast the net to the other side of the boat.

16:51Now, they'd been fishing all night, didn't catch anything, so what good is it to throw it to the other side of the boat? Well, they did, and it was so heavy that guess what? They couldn't drag it onto the boat. They couldn't draw it onto the boat. They had to haul it to the beach because they couldn't get it into the boat. That's how that word is used in verse 44. In John 18, is it one or four?

17:20Peter drew and hauled out that sword. He drew, excuse me, he hauled out the net and drag it to the beach. What about this one? In Acts 16, 19, it's a fascinating passage. Paul and Silas were violently dragged by the city authorities into the prison or into court. They dragged them. It's the same word that is used in verse 4 there, to draw. In James 2, 6, we see that the rich oppress you and they personally drag you to court. Again, that word's only used eight times in the New Testament. There's a flavor of them. The word draw, it's a Pulling. It's a dragging activity whereby God's grace is so powerful that he woos us to himself. We want to come because we love what he's saying. We love the truth of the scriptures. We love the truth of what he's saying. But these folks in John 6, they're not drawn. What are the characteristics of those who are drawn by God? You ever wonder if somebody's drawing God? What does it look like? What's different about them? How are they described? In other words, how can we possibly know who God is pulling to himself? Good news is it's right here in our text. Look at verse 35. Here's how you know who God is pulling to himself. Jesus said to them, I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will not hunger, and he who believes in me will never thirst. So there's a coming involved. There's a coming that is involved to Christ. Verse 37. All that the Father gives to me will what? Come to me, and the one who comes to me, I will certainly not cast out.

18:58They're a gift from God to Jesus, and Jesus isn't going to throw them out. Verse 39: This is the will of my Father who sent me, that all that he has given to me, I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day. Those who are coming to Christ are given to Christ by the Father. Verse 40: For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in him will have eternal life, and I myself will raise him up on the last day. This is God's pulling action. This is God working in the life of a person. To bring him to himself. Verse 44, no one can come to me unless the Father draws him, and I myself will raise him up on the last day. Verse 47, truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes has eternal life.

19:47So the answer to the question is, who is God drawing to himself? It's these people that are coming to him, and they're coming to him because God is drawing them to himself. So it's the same message that Paul gives, that he preached in Romans 10, verses 8 through 10, and verse 17. How are they going to get saved? How does salvation take place? Salvation comes by hearing. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. How are they going to hear unless people go? And through that message, people come. And through that message, God draws people to himself. They want to come because they love the message. They love the messenger. So what does all this mean? Well, a characteristic of people drawn to the Father are those who have learned to confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. They've learned to confess their sin. They have a longing for this. They long to believe that God raises people from the dead. Put another way, people who are grumbling about the bread of life, they don't believe this stuff. They find it offensive. They don't want to believe that, and so they walk away. They're not learning from God, and they're not being drawn by God because they don't care what God has to say.

20:56Notice what happens in verse 48. Verse 48. Jesus says, I'm the bread of life. Pretty clear. I'm the bread of life. Jesus shifts from straightforward language from the bread metaphor. Notice the ingredients that make up the bread of life. What are these ingredients? This ingredient is different than the manna that we notice in verses 49 through 51, the manners that the fathers ate in the wilderness. Why is it different? Well, they ate it and it prolonged their lives, but they died in the wilderness. Their bodies ceased to exist. They were buried. They still died, but that ingredients and that manna only gave them physical life, longevity, and physical life. The message in verses 49 through 51 is that when people believe verse 29, the Father sent the Son, they will live forever. But you see, the metaphorical cookies were too high on the shelf for them. So they resorted to grumbling. They resorted to griping and complaining and arguing. In verse 52, we read these words. Then the Jews began to argue with one another, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat? That sounds ridiculous.

22:20So they're arguing about it. And since they don't like Jesus' metaphors, notice what he does next. Verses 53 to 58, the cookies are moved. To a higher shelf, he makes it more difficult for them. Let's look at these words, 53 to 58. He ratchets it up. He says this: So Jesus said to them, Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in yourselves. He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood is 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 will also live because of me. This is the bread which came down out of heaven, not as the fathers ate, not the manna in the wilderness. He who eats this bread will live forever. It's a metaphor, right? He's not handing them his arm and saying, start munching, right? It's a metaphor. It's a metaphor of what he's already communicated in verse 33 and in verse 29 believe that the Father sent the Son. He's trying to help them to understand this. Unless you consume what I'm saying, you have no place with the Father. You have no place with me. Consume it. But they repudiated his words in 29 and 33. So he tells them to eat his flesh and drink his blood. Wow.

23:47That's a little hard to accept, isn't it? It was hard for them to accept, but it's a metaphor. Metaphors should help them understand the seriousness of the message authenticated by the signs. I mean, think about it. In John alone, He turned water into wine at the wedding at Cana. He healed people. He restored people. He fed thousands of people. It's his words that authenticate the message. They want more miracles. And he says, you're not getting any more. No more free food. No more free health care. But you know what? They ignored the signs, and they got all wrapped around this metaphorical axle. A few metaphors of my own here. They got wrapped around the metaphorical axle about the bread. Such a great word picture. Well, there are four lessons to be learned here. Four lessons. The more you reject Scripture, the more you dismiss God's word. The more you look for lame excuses to get rid of God's Word because you don't like what he says. Second, when you dismiss God's Word, you find that he turns you over to believe what is false. We see that repeatedly throughout Scripture.

24:58They don't want to believe his word, so in 2 Thessalonians 2.11, he turns them over to believe what is false. 2 Thessalonians 2.11. Well, that's exactly what's going on in verse 58. Jesus' message is repetitious. He keeps saying the same things over and over again, and he continues providing his rejectors with the truth. He does so by repeating what he's been saying all along. You must believe the message of salvation, that God sent Jesus for your redemption. 3. Jesus is the bread of life. He says, you must believe in him if you desire to see or even enter the kingdom of God. That's what he told Nicodemus, the teacher of Israel. You want to go to heaven, Nicodemus? Number one teacher in Israel? You ain't going to see it. You ain't going to enter it.

25:48Well, if you're beginning to desire him, number four, then the Father might be drawing you to him. Now watch this. The Father might be drawing you to him if you're desiring his word. If you come to him, what a great promise. He will never cast you out. John 6.37. He'll never cast you out because the Son doesn't cast out gifts that the Father's given him. Well, now there's a second scene that we need to consider here. Second scene. Phoney Christians are offended by the bread of life. They're offended. And there's four components to this. Four components to their offense. Their offense is recognized. Jesus recognizes their offense.

26:30The offense itself is magnified. The offense is clarified. And then, of course, the primary purpose for the offense is listed. So the offense is recognized in verses 60 through 61. Verses 60 to 61, we see these words. Therefore, many of his disciples, when they heard this, said, this is a difficult statement. Who can listen to it? But Jesus, conscious that his disciples grumbled at this, said to them, Does this cause you to stop? Stumble? Does the gospel cause you to stumble? Do you have a hard time with this? The word disciple there simply means student. If you're taking piano lessons, you're being discipled by your piano teacher, right? It simply means learner.

27:18If you're learning a trade, you're a disciple of the one who's teaching you that trade. Many people learn from Jesus, but they refuse to believe that the Father sent him. Nevertheless, they're still his disciples, they're still his students, albeit unsaved students. The disciples Jesus interacts with here are much like those believers, quote-unquote, in John 2, 23 and 24. They believe some Jesus facts and God trivia in John 2, 23 and 24, but Nicodemus represented that crowd in chapter 3, and Jesus tells him about the plan of salvation. Jesus says that he doesn't believe in those people who believe in him in John 2, 23 and 24.

28:03Something about their faith that wasn't right. These unbelievers, these unbelieving disciples in John 6, 60 are further identified in verse 66 as those who keep walking away from Jesus. So in verse 60, we see their reason for their grumbling. Why is it that they grumbled? Here's what they said. This is a difficult statement. Who can listen to it? It's a hard statement to listen to. Little words in the Bible mean a lot in these kind of contexts. The word this in verse 60 points back to Jesus' sermon. Here's just a few highlights about his sermon. You've already heard John 6, 29, right? That's the central focus. This is the work of God that you believe in the one whom he has sent.

28:50What else were they offended about about his sermon? Verse 33. For the bread that comes down out of heaven and gives life to the world. This is the bread that comes down to heaven and gives life to the world. Verse 37, you get the idea here. I'm being repetitive. He's repetitive. All that the Father gives me will come to me, and the one who comes to me, I won't cast them out. Verse 40, for this is the will of my Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in him will have eternal life, and I myself will raise him up. He kept repeating these things. Verse 58, this is the bread that came out of heaven, not as the fathers ate and died. He who eats this bread will live forever. He who consumes what I'm telling you, Jesus says, will live forever. The false disciples were offended by Jesus' choice of words. Remember, that word for difficult, as we've said a few times here, it means harsh. It means very unkind. It means downright cruel. That's what they said about his words. His words were politically incorrect. They were intolerable for them to hear and downright unacceptable.

30:01Watch this. Now, these false disciples hadn't walked away from him yet. They continue to listen to him because they think maybe they can get some food out of him. But Jesus, the faithful shepherd, has a few more intolerable things to say before they walk away. Look at verse 61. He asked them if these things caused them to stumble. Stumble, it sounds in Greek. It sounds like the word scandalize. It's a fascinating word. I thought they were scandalized. Does this cause you to stumble?

30:32Does what I say shock you or offend you? That's what Jesus is saying. Or you could put it this way. Does what I say cause you not to believe? Remember, his words were offensive. They were cruel. That word stumble describes a crooked stick inside a baited trap. The animal hits the crooked stick. You know what happens? The trap falls. They're scandalized. They're stuck. They're trapped. Jesus knows that his words have trapped them. All of a sudden, the free food and the free health care isn't worth the message anymore. They'd rather walk away. It's not worth being fed to receive salvation by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. They'd rather work something for the Father. So the unbelieving disciples, they are offended by the faithful shepherd who continues to pile on more words of truth. He's not done yet. Words that become even more offensive with the utterance of every syllable. Well, there's a second component to their offense. The offense is magnified. He makes a big deal out of it. Jesus intensifies their aggravation with him.

31:41Look at verse 62. What then, if you see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? You say, he's saying here, if you think my words are unpleasant, if you think the things that I'm uttering are mean and unacceptable, how are you going to react when you see me ascending to where I was before? You think you're scandalized by my words? Wait till you see what happens in the future here. When I go back to where I came from, this isn't the first time they hear about Jesus' origin, right? John chapter 6, verse 38, we read these words, For I have come down from heaven not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me. They've already heard this, that Jesus comes from another place. How could that possibly be? We know his mother and father. We know Mary and Joseph.

32:32But in verse 62, Jesus emphasizes the ascending back to heaven. You say, well, what's so scandalous about that? And him going back, wouldn't that shock them enough to be saved if he goes back to where he came from? Why would these false disciples be offended by Jesus ascending back into heaven? Shouldn't their reaction be just the opposite of this? Think about it. Before Jesus ascends back to heaven, what has to happen to him? He's nailed to a cross. He's got a crown of thorns put on his head. He has a spear going through his side. They wanted this man to be their king.

33:11They're ready to make him their king, and he's dying like a common criminal. He says, you think you're offended by my words? Wait till you see your king dead on a cross. You'll be offended by that. They didn't think of Jesus as a spiritual savior. They thought of him as their commander-in-chief. He's like their Santa Jesus, who gives them endless supplies of free food and health care. And they think that Jesus is a militaristic society who could overcome Rome as their government, as their king. So Jesus says, you think that believing in the Father, that he sent the Son is offensive, then what are you going to do when your supposed king is dying on a cross? We say the cross.

33:58The cross is the tool leading to his ascension. Their king is going to be crucified. All the offensive words that Jesus used in John chapter 6, they continue to pile up. And they're seeing their king dying like a common street criminal. The cross is the highway that takes Jesus back to where he was before. He doesn't ascend back to heaven until he ascends the cross. There's a third component to the false disciples' offense. It's clarified. Third component is clarified in verse 63. I'll just read it again. It is the Spirit who gives life. The flesh profits nothing. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.

34:45It's about the Trinity, isn't it? It's about the Trinity. Verse 63 says the Spirit gives life. John 5, 21 says the same thing to indicate that the Father gives life and the Son gives life. And in John 6, 63, these offensive words that the faithful shepherd utters give life. This is yet another claim to Jesus' deity. We ought to think that these disciples, they're following Jesus because his actions make their life comfortable. They like the food, they like the health care, but his words, they offend them. His words are the very source of life, and they're censored at the cross. Temporarily, aren't they? I mean, censored in the effect that he was killed, but it's temporary because he came back to life. There's a fourth component to these false disciples' offense, and it's the primary purpose of their offense. What is it? You can see the purpose of their offense in verse 64.

35:47But there are some of you who do not believe. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were, who did not believe, and who it was that would betray him. That word for there is important. Text there. It means because, for, or because there are some of you who do not believe, they aren't offended because Jesus's words might be true. They're offended because his words are harsh and they don't like what he's saying. They're not arguing with whether or not they're true. They just don't like them. Look at verse 65. And he was saying, For this reason I have said to you, No one can come to me unless the Father, it has been granted to them from the Father. It's verse 65.

36:32Notice John's comment, and he was saying. The word saying there is critical. The way it's presented to the original readers was, he kept on saying the same thing over and over again. It was repetitious. He was saying it over and over. Literally, the faithful shepherd was repeatedly saying the words of John 6:65. It tells us that Jesus kept on saying them. Notice what he kept saying. It's repetitious. We have to go back a few times again. John 6:37. He kept saying those things. John 6:39. John 6:44. No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up on the last day. John 6:65, he was saying, For this reason, I have come to you, that no one can come to me unless it has been granted to me. him from the father he was saying it over and over again jesus is very clear about their reason for their unbelief he used his words very carefully he used his words he chose them very carefully for this reason he says in the text for this reason what for this reason jesus says no one can come to me unless it has been granted to him from the father So according to Jesus, the very reason unbelievers in verse 64 unbelievers is because, quite frankly, the Father hadn't granted them to Jesus yet, hadn't given them to Jesus. So here again, Jesus reminds the people about the tension between God's sovereignty and salvation and man's responsibility. It's these two railroad tracks. They run side by side. If you remove one of the tracks and say it's only God's sovereignty, or you remove the other track and say man has nothing to do with this salvation, you've got a problem because the scriptures are so clear on that. Nobody comes to the Father without God drawing them. God draws them through the word, through the scriptures.

38:39That's the reason they were leaving. They didn't like what Jesus had to say. Here again, Jesus reminds the people about this tension. So let's consider the third scene that depicts false disciples, false Christians. They walk away from the bread of life. It's in verse 66. Watch this. It's so simple. So profound, so sad. It says this, as a result of this, many of his disciples withdrew and were not walking with him anymore. All that food, all that health care, all that compassion at the beginning part of chapter 6 and through the middle of chapter 6 caused this throng of people to track down this faithful shepherd. They came from a bunch of towns, a bunch of cities, the text says. And every time the faithful shepherd gives them the gospel message about their responsibility to believe and of God's sovereign role in salvation, they're offended. They're scandalized. But verse 65, the free stuff, wasn't worth it anymore. They were offended by his words, and so they didn't want the food. They'd rather be emaciated. They'd rather starve. They'd rather see a quack doctor than get healed than to believe his words. Look at verse 66 again.

39:57Little words mean a lot of things here. John notes that as a result of this, the word this is singular. First of all, John doesn't say as a result of these things. He says, as a result of this, plural. He writes, as a result of this. Well, what does that mean? The word this points back to verse 65, which encompasses all that Jesus had been repeatedly saying throughout the day. No one comes to me unless it has been granted him from the Father.

40:28So verse 66, the false disciples. Disciples, they finally understood the gospel message. They understood the faithful shepherd's words. And you know what? John tells us what false disciples do. They stopped walking with the faithful shepherd. It was over. Notice what the faithful shepherd didn't do. This is really blurrying off the text of Scripture. Notice what he didn't do. He didn't drag the people back to himself and changed his phraseology. He didn't try to be more clear. He didn't try to change words or any of that.

41:05He didn't drag them back against their wills, kicking or screaming, nor did he try to win them back with a different argument. They just kept walking away from him. The word walking there is continuous walking. They just kept going. We don't like the gospel. This is sad. This is why shepherding and discipleship in our church is so important. We want people to know the truth. We want, as a body of believers, to come around one another and help each other to understand what the scripture says, so that we're not the believers in John 2, 23, and 24, nor the believers that false disciples in John 6. We've got to tell the truth. I want you to notice something here. In the very beginning of the chapter, what are the 12 disciples doing?

41:52They're watching this whole thing play out. They're watching everything Jesus says, everything he does, and they're learning from him. The shepherd communicates with the false disciples and he continues to give them words. The faithful shepherd lovingly guides his disciples with the words of eternal life. He refuses to back down from his words that are harsh and unkind. And the disciples are watching this from the chief shepherd. They're watching what's going on. Let's talk about the last one here.

42:24The fourth scene that portrays authentic believers. Authentic Christians believe that Jesus is the Holy One of God. They believe it. We need to take note of something very profound here. Again, the previous day there were 15,000 to 20,000 people hanging out following Jesus around the hillside. Now he's directly addressing 12. Doesn't mean there weren't more there. He's only talking to 12 now. You know what Jesus does? You can see it there in the text in verse 67. He asked them a very important question. Very important question.

42:59He says this, said to the twelve, you do not want to go away also, do you? The word want there can also be translated will. Jesus tenderly declares, what's your will in the matter? What would you like to do? Would you like to go away also? Is that what you'd like to do? For those questioning whether or not people have a free will to walk away from God, well, there it is. Jesus is saying, what's your will in the matter? You want to walk away with them too? You want to leave too?

43:30Very profound statement. The unfaithful disciples continually walk away from me, Jesus says, and they reject me. Is that your will, too? Just a few short verses later, Peter demonstrates his will, doesn't he, in the matter? Look at verse 68 and 69. Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? You alone have the words of eternal life. We have believed and have come to know that you are the holy one of God. A faithful disciple admits that he or she has no place else to go. A faithful disciple agrees with God's word that it's sufficient to give life. Peter understands John 6, 63. Do you remember John 6, 63?

44:21It is the Spirit who gives life, and the flesh profits nothing. The words that I have spoken are spirit and are life. Peter embraces that. He doesn't need metaphors. He embraces the truth. John 6.69, Peter emphatically restates John 6.29 in his own words without the bread metaphor. Notice 669 again. We have believed that you have come to know and have come to know that you are the Holy One of God. What does all this mean? True disciples exercise their will in four ways. I'll even put it on the screen for you. It's in the text. They stay with Jesus. True disciples, they trust Jesus' words. They continue believing in John 6:69. And they know that Jesus is the Holy One of God.

45:12Peter knows that Jesus is the Holy One of God, and he believes, verse 29, that God sent Jesus. We see from 64 and 65 that each one of these faithful disciples were capable of believing and coming to Jesus because the Father gave them to Jesus. That's the point. Notice how Paul implores the faithful disciples of today, you and me, today, in Ephesians chapter 4, verse 1, walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you've been called.

45:44Take your salvation and do something with it. You can't earn it, but you can sure minister to the hearts and minds of others, built into them. What have we learned today? We've learned this: that as you listen, as you hear from the Father, he will draw you to himself, and you will come to him unless you want to leave him forever. Four scenes that portray the search for the authentic Christian. The apathetic believer, they grumble about the bread of life, don't they? They complain about the words. They complain about particular parts of the Bible they don't like. Phony Christians are offended by the bread of life. Life. They don't like Jesus that he says he's the bread of life. False Christians, they walk away from the bread of life and they keep going. And Jesus doesn't change the gospel message for them. He doesn't water it down to fill up the pews.

46:46And authentic Christians believe that Jesus is the Holy One of God. There's salvation right there. We don't have to work some big work. No. Do we want to work some big work? Of course, because we want to build up Christ and make Him look good in our lives. Well, that's the message of John 6. So much more could be said from this passage, but we're out of time. How about if I close in prayer? And right after I pray, you are dismissed to fellowship. Have a good time with one another right here. Father, we're so thankful for the truth of your word that you have called us, Father, to be authentic Christians, to just admit that Jesus is the Christ, the Holy One of God, and that He is our shepherd. Even as we learned this morning, you've called us to care for one another, to encourage one another. Father, I pray that we would do what the disciples, the 12 disciples did who watched this. Of course, minus Judah. Who watched what Jesus did, and they went out to a world in need and desperate need, and they repeated the things that Jesus did. And they didn't water down the gospel. They told the truth. And when they were hated, they were hated because of you.

48:00And yet, Lord, people are encouraged. And yet, Lord, the world has been changed for 2,000 years. Your church continues to grow, and you continue to be honored. I pray, Father, that you would use Emmanuel Baptist Church right here in Bryan, Texas, to be a church that continues to not back down from the truth, but to proclaim it with great authority, that we could follow you and trust you with our lives. Lord, I pray for each one here that you would continue to work in each one of us, Father, to be faithful to you and to admit that Jesus is from God. It's that simple. And we thank you in Christ's name. Amen. And have a great evening.