John 6:60-71 “The Curious, The Committed, & The Called”

1:14John 6 is also complicated. Jesus withdraws to the mountain by himself to avoid being made king, only to later walk on. Water. Jesus talks about the bread of life, spirit, flesh, blood, ascending, betrayal, coming to him, choosing the twelve, and a devil. Many of his disciples grumble and choose to turn back, only to have Peter later provide a beautiful defense of why the 12 could not leave Jesus. There is simply a lot going on in this chapter. This morning, to simplify our text, I would like to focus our attention on a single concept: commitment.

2:25Every leader faces difficult times. During those times, leaders, whether they're in a business, a non-profit, or a ministry, whether they are paid leaders or volunteer leaders, whether the role is modest or large, leaders are called to do all they can to ensure the continued success and the growth of the organization. Organization that they are leading. In John 6, Jesus appears to be doing exactly the opposite. Jesus seems to be doing all he can to drive away as many people from his ministry as are possible.

3:24Children, young people, listen to this analogy. Imagine you are responsible for the hiring and firing of the senior pastor. The church is doing great. There are 5,000 people attending this church. The senior is a great guy. People like him. He's a captivating speaker. He's theologically sound, and he's even known to tell a joke every once in a while. Then one day he gets up and he says something so offensive that 4,988 people leave the church. The church drops from 5,000 to 13 in one day.

4:20Young people, what would you do to a senior pastor who did that? Fire him? When John 6 Opens. Jesus has 5,000 people following him. When the chapter closes, he only has 12 men with him, and one of them will betray him. So what is Jesus doing in the synagogue at Capernaum, which is where chapter 6 takes place, during the Fassover feast, one year before he goes to the Passover at which he dies? At a minimum, I would argue, Jesus is issuing a call to commitment.

5:17As mentioned by Steve Doyle last week, Jesus knew that many of his followers were only following Jesus for what they could get from Jesus, for what they could get for their flesh. In this passage, Jesus lays down a gauntlet and calls for every believer to commit to him and to him alone. Now, his call to commitment kind of has a two-fold outcome. First of all, it will clarify his call, his mission, and his ministry for those who would follow him.

5:57And number two, it will purify. The ranks of the disciples weeding out those who did not have genuine faith or commitment. So, what I'd like to do this morning is to look at this passage by looking at two responses to Jesus' call to commitment and one theological fact: the curious, the committed, and the called. The curious, the committed, and the call. And along the way, we will identify practical truths that we can apply to ourselves. First, let's consider the curious. Verse 60.

6:46When many of his disciples heard it, they said, this is a hard saying. Who can listen to it? The reference to the disciples in verse 60 must be distinguished from the 12. John writes in John chapter 2, starting in verse 23. Now, when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover feast, many believed in his name. Many believed in his name when they saw the signs that he was doing. But Jesus, on his part, did not entrust himself to them because he knew all people and yet. Needed no one to bear witness about man, for he himself knew what was in man.

7:37So just as there is belief and belief in John chapter 2, there are disciples and disciples in John 6. In fact, Jesus will make it clear in John 8 that only those who continue in his word, the passage reading, if you abide in my word, are truly his disciples. So many of the disciples described here in verse 60, that is, the curious, do not remain in his word because they find Jesus' teaching to be hard or harsh or an unpleasant word. The amplified version captures what the curious are thinking.

8:33When his disciples heard this, many of them, the curious, said, this is a difficult and strange saying. This is an offensive and unbearable message. Who can stand to hear it? Who can be expected to listen to such teachings? Notice very carefully, to the curious, Jesus's words are not hard to understand. Rather, they are clearly understood, but they are objectionable and offensive. Verse 61. But Jesus, knowing in himself that his disciples were grumbling about this, said to them, Do you take offense at this?

9:30What was it that offended the curious? It is possible that the curious were more interested in political messiahism or food or miracles than in the spiritual realities to which the feeding miracle had spoken to. Or it is possible that they were unprepared to relinquish their own sovereign authority in religious matters. We saw that in verses 41 through 46. Or it is possible that they were offended at the claims Jesus advanced, claiming to be greater than Moses, uniquely sent by God, and drinking and authorized to give life.

10:21Or it is possible that they found the extended metaphor of the wine and the bread offensive because it assaulted. Clear taboos of eating flesh and drinking blood. So, whatever the reason, the curious were offended. And if you doubt that Jesus is making a call to commitment, look at what Jesus does next. Instead of calming their fears and trying to bring them back into the fold, Jesus speaks another hard truth, verse 61b. Do you take offense at this? Then what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before?

11:17For the Apostle John, the ascension was actually the culmination of a series of events. The crucifixion, the resurrection, and the ascension were all one thing. And it resulted in Jesus' full glorification when he returns to the right hand of the Father and the glory he had enjoyed from the beginning. For Jesus, he said, if the curious were going to stumble at my earlier teaching, how much more are they going to be distressed when I make my claim of pre-existence by ascension and my glorification?

12:04So, knowing that the curious were offended, Jesus provides two spiritual explanations undergirding their unbelief. First, verse 63: It is the Spirit who gives life. The flesh is no help at all. Jesus' teaching presupposes the need for the work of the divine Spirit within us. Only as the life-giving Spirit informs us, may we understand these words. Jesus is not concerned with the good that people may produce by the best efforts of the flesh. Those whose lives are taken up with material things, things of the here and now, that is the flesh, simply cannot understand Jesus's teaching. So, Jesus continues: The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.

13:13In his commentary, D.A. Carson notes: strictly speaking, the Spirit does not come upon the disciples until after Jesus' ascension. But already, Jesus Himself is the bearer of the Spirit, the one to whom God gives the Spirit. Spirit without limit, and who therefore speaks the words of God, which is why Jesus can now say, the words I have spoken to you are spirit and life. In verses 64 and 65, Jesus provides a second explanation undergirding the unbelief of the curious. Verse 64. But there are some of you who do not believe. For Jesus knew from the beginning who those were who did not believe and who it was who would betray him. And he, Jesus, said, this is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted by the Father.

14:18Let me repeat what I said earlier. These verses do not say that the curious do not understand. These verses say the curious did not believe. This is because unbelief is to be expected apart from a divine miracle. It is impossible for anyone to come to Christ unless the Father gives the grace to do so. We saw that also last week in John 6, 44. No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent me draws him.

15:07So it should be noted, brothers and sisters, that this pattern of unbelief came as no surprise to Jesus. He knew from the beginning not only who did not believe, but also the supreme example of unbelief. Verse 36, 66. After this, after a better translation of after this is, as a result of this, or for this reason, or from this time, many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him. The curious wanted to be with Christ. They wanted to hear him, but they really wanted something to satisfy the flesh. They wanted something from him.

16:03They really didn't want him. They wanted something from him. So Jesus begins to talk to them about what belief is and what belief does. Unfortunately, that word that he spoke about what belief is and what belief does was too hard, too harsh. Unpleasant, it was not what they wanted to hear. And as a result, or from that time, the curious went back to their ordinary pursuits, their former way of thinking and living, with no intention of returning to Jesus Christ.

16:51This brings us to our first practical application for the day. Not everyone can handle the truth. When truth is revealed to us, there are only two possible reactions: we can agree and receive it, or we can disagree and reject it. There are many reasons why many reject the truth. Alan Carr, in his sermon on this passage, noted many. I'm just going to highlight four that he commented on. Number one, some people misunderstand the truth. Nicodemus thought Jesus was talking about gynecology when he was actually speaking of the new birth. The woman at the well thought Jesus was talking about plumbing when he was actually talking about himself, the water of life. The man at the pool of Bethsaida thought Jesus was talking about a rescue mission when he was actually talking about placing faith in Christ.

18:02This trend of misunderstanding the truth continues today. The curious join the church, they study the Bible, they listen to sermons, some may even choose to get baptized without ever being saved. And why? They simply misunderstand the truth. Number two, some people are opposed to the truth. As Jesus revealed himself and his demands in this chapter, the Jews were not able to accept his deity, his impending death, or his claims of lordship. It's no different today. Many find Christianity to be kind of this positive lifestyle, but they are opposed to the truths that the scriptures actually say. It's almost like I agree with a lot of this, but they go through it. I don't agree with this comment that Jesus made, and this comment that Jesus made, and this comment that Jesus made. They want to agree with most of it, but not all of it.

19:20Jesus' call to commitment goes against the modern day's curious desire to live. For self, they want to live their way. They'll embrace that which they agree with and cast off which they don't agree with. Some people are simply opposed to the truth. Number three, some people are blind to it. The curious had already seen Jesus feed 5,000 people with five loaves and two fish. They had already surmised that he somehow had miraculously crossed the lake. Yet, they were blind to who he was and what he was doing. And when he makes his claims and issues his call to commitment, they were unable to see the truth because they were blind. And it is no different today.

20:22All men are blind to the truth until their eyes are supernaturally opened by the intervention of God. Number four, some people want the experience but not the expectation. The curious want an experience. They're looking for something that satisfies their flesh, makes them feel good about themselves, makes them peaceful, makes them comfortable, meets a need in their life. They wanted in that time, they wanted miracles and the sensational. But when Jesus began to talk about his expectations and excuse me, issued a commitment, they turned away from him and walked away.

21:19The curious wanted to be carried away in the excitement of the moment with no commitment. That same mentality is developed within the church. There are many who wanted a religious experience, but they don't want to be expected to do anything. They want to serve God for what they can get out of that service without any concern for him, his glory, or his will. They want entertainment and excitement without the commitment that comes along with the proclamation of the truth. Practical application number one. Not everyone can handle the truth.

22:10Can you? That is the curious. Let us now consider the committed. Verse 67. So Jesus said to the twelve, do you want to go away as well? Actually, the way this reads, if you looked at it in the Greeks, Is, surely you don't want to go away too, do you? It should be noted that the very form of Jesus' question expected a negative reply. Jesus expected them, the disciples, to say, no, we don't want to go away. This is because Jesus needed to ask the question, expecting them to say no, more for their sake than his.

23:00The twelve needed to articulate a response more than Jesus needed to hear that response. Verse 68. Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed and have come to know that you are the holy one of God. Jesus addressed this question to all the disciples, but it doesn't surprise us that Peter is the spokesman. He often appears in this role. Peter is impetuous. He jumps to conclusions. He's capable of incredible ineptitude. But he is also capable of reaching astonishing heights. Peter states the impossibility of their forsaking Jesus by asking, To whom could we go?

24:04Then he shows that he has correctly understood Jesus's earlier words in verse 63 by stating, Jesus, to whom we go, you and you alone have the words of eternal life. No one else has it. And Peter goes on and says, and we, using the emphatic pronoun in the Greek, whatever be the case with the others, we, the twelve, have made our decision. Leon Morris, in his commentary, notes that the verbs believe and know are both in the perfect tense, and this should be given its full force.

24:49We have come to a place of faith and continue there. We have entered into knowledge and we will retain it. That is the response of the committed. Which brings us to our second practical application: genuine faith cannot walk away. I seriously doubt that Peter was any more aware of what Jesus meant or was any less confused than many of the people who actually leave. Yet, Peter knew one thing. He had no other option. Lord, to whom shall we go? You, and I should say, and you alone have the words of eternal life.

25:47Brothers and sisters, I think we need to be more like Peter in this regard. We need to come to a similar place in our life. Even though you aren't sure that you completely understand Jesus, particularly when things are falling apart all around you, we need to simply realize we have no other place we can go. The difference between the Peter and the 12 and the many who left was that Peter and the 12 were so committed they saw no other way.

26:33I want you to listen very carefully. Frankly, this is what God wants us to do. He is more interested in our commitment to following him than he is in our understanding him. Simply put, there will be a lot of things he teaches us, shows. us and asks us to do that we will not completely understand some of you young people will have mean classmates some of you are going to fail a class because of an unfair teacher some of us are going to experience death in our family with our loved ones illness, job loss, chronic pain, reduced faculties, difficult children.

27:38Yet, he calls us to follow him, whether we understand that completely or not. Back to Peter. Peter knew he had no other option, but Peter also knew how his life had been changed. And this enabled him to state with confidence that he would not walk away. Now we do know he turned on, he turned his back on Jesus for a time. But brothers and sisters, he did not walk away forever. Once you have felt the powerful touch of God, once you have walked in the light of his glory, once you have tasted of his goodness, Once you have been experienced His love, grace, and mercy, you will not be satisfied with substitutes and imitations.

28:43You may wander for a time, but you, like the prodigal son, will come to yourself. You will remember what it was like to live in the Father's house, and you will come home. And when you do, our Father will receive us with open arms and restore us into the family. That is because genuine faith cannot walk away. That is the committed. Let us now consider the called. Verse 70. Jesus answered, Did I not choose you the twelve?

29:27Embedded within this statement is an important theological fact. Jesus says this in response to Peter's confession. And in response to Peter's confession, Jesus attributes Peter's confession, this astonishing confession, not to Peter's magnificent faith, but as evidence that God moved supernaturally in his life. The truths spoken by Jesus cannot be embraced by anyone, only by those who God has enabled, verse 65, and God has chosen, verse 70. In other words, brothers and sisters, the twelve did not choose Jesus, Jesus chose them.

30:26Unfortunately, Peter's magnificent confession did not actually represent the inner convictions of every one of the 12. There was one exception. So that the 12 knew that the man who is this exception may never be able to say he was not warned, and that the others will never be able to think that the Lord was caught off guard. Verse 70. Jesus answered them, Did I not choose you the 12? And yet one of you is a devil. He spoke of Judas the son of Simon Iscariot, for he, one of the twelve, was going to betray him.

31:15So this brings us, brothers and sisters, to our final practical application. There is a difference between true faith and false faith. True faith believes that God Is holy, that God cannot be in the presence of sin. True faith believes that all men are sinners, incapable of cleansing themselves of sin through any merit or set of works. True faith believes that God sent Jesus from heaven to live a perfect life, to die on the cross, to pay for our sins, to atone for our salvation.

32:04True faith believes that one is only saved by placing their faith in Christ's perfect and complete work. False faith is quite different. False faith can excite the emotions. It can reform the outward man. False faith can attend church. It can memorize theology. It can cause someone to be a nice person. It'll cause you to be generous. It may even cause you to speak well of Christianity. But there are four things that false faith can never counterfeit. Number one, false faith can never produce a heart.

33:00Broken over sin. In Psalm 51, David says, Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love, according to your abundant mercy, blot out my transgressions. We need to quit talking about everyone else's transgressions. Start talking about our own. We need to say, Cleanse me from my sin. We need to acknowledge my transgressions. We need to say, My sin is ever before me. We need to say, I have sinned against you, O God. False faith does not talk that way.

33:57Secondly, false faith will never bow to the sovereignty of God in all things. It won't do it. It can't do it. It doesn't want to do it. It's too proud. False faith seeks to control God by binding Him to our needs, our desires, and our timing. False faith will reject the sovereignty. Of God. Third, false faith can never look to Christ and Christ alone for salvation. False faith can never rest, trust, believe, commit, or cast oneself, sink or swim on him and him alone. False faith will say, I can do better.

34:56I'll try harder, but it will always look to self for salvation. It will not look for the supernatural change that is needed to save oneself. False faith says, I believe in Jesus. I have attended church. I've made a profession of faith. But brothers and sisters, it is not that I did anything. Rather, it is, what did Christ do for me? He died in my place. He paid my penalty for sin. His Spirit opened my eyes and gave me the very faith that I exercised to believe. Salvation is all about Christ. For those who find this uncomfortable or repugnant, let me give you a clear example.

35:58Jesus saved a Just like he saved the thief on the cross. What did the thief on the cross do? Children, you know this story. There's the thief on the cross talking to Jesus. What had that thief done? What contribution did that thief make? He's an unclean outcast hanging on a cross. He had never been washed. He had never worked. He never walked afoot for Christ. He had never witnessed. He had never attended church. But our Lord said, Today, you will be with me in paradise.

36:48Salvation of that thief was totally, completely, and absolutely the work of Jesus Christ. Likewise, our salvation is totally, completely, and absolutely the work of Christ. Those who are given to Christ by the Father will come to Christ. And those who are given to Christ will place their faith in Christ's work. Those who trust in themselves will turn away. Fourthly, false faith. Can never persevere. Where there is true faith, there can be no departing from Christ, for true faith itself is of divine origin.

37:46False faith, on the other hand, is of human origin. False faith will quit. False faith will throw in the towel. False faith will walk away from the faith. Brothers and sisters, there is a big difference between true faith and false faith. This morning, we learned in this passage that there are two responses to Jesus' call to commitment: the curious and the committed, and one theological fact, the called. I pray that this sermon will be convicting, instructive, and for some an encouragement as we depart this morning. Let us pray.

38:50Father, I confess that as we approach you this morning, that this message. Was heavy. It was difficult to introduce levity because Jesus simply had reached the point where the masses that were following him, the curious, needed to hear a clear call to commitment. And that call was hard. It was perceived as harsh. It was not pleasant. But we recognized that that was intentional. So, as we gather and continue to worship, I ask that you will work in the lives of each person in this room. That if there be any who embrace a false faith, that they will clearly see that true faith can only be found in the gospel of Jesus Christ. One can only be saved if one says, I can't save myself by doing it. Anything, I must place my faith in Christ's work, which is alone sufficient for salvation.

40:41And for those of us who are believers, who have a desire to manipulate you to kind of do the things we want in the way we want, in the timing we want, will recognize that that's not what we are called to do. We will be called to bear a cross. We will have to endure the death of those that are in our loved ones and in our family. We will endure job losses. We will endure chronic pain.

41:17We will endure reduced faculties. And while we can't always understand exactly why, we do know this. We have no other place to go. And we will commit to following you, trusting that if not later we get an understanding of why we have to bear those crosses. We will one day, when we join you in heaven, we'll have a clear picture. But in the meantime, we love you. We are committed to you. And we will not throw in the towel and turn away. Because we as believers have no better place to go. And in fact, we want to walk with your Spirit who will give us the grace to walk through this sinful and at times hopeless world.

42:29May we worship you as we continue on this morning. For it's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Thank you for listening to the sermon audio from New Life Baptist Church in College Station, Texas. For more information or to support our ministry, visit us online at newlifecs.net.