JOHN 6:60-69 “GOING AWAY FROM GOD – PART 2”
A) Imagine the stir when Jesus announced to the crowd, “Unless you eat My flesh and drink
My blood you will not possess eternal life!”
* Now, the day before, on the other side of the lake, Jesus had taken a boy’s lunch and fed 5000
men, and the disciples had picked up twelve baskets full of leftovers.
* The crowd was impressed … In fact, they intended to make Him King by force.
* But Jesus slipped away by Himself into a mountain alone.
B) The disciples that evening got a boat and began to make their way to Capernaum, on the
other side of the lake!
* That night, Jesus met His disciples in the middle of the lake and immediately, they arrived at
their destination. * When the crowds found Jesus, they wanted to know how He got there.
* They had come to the conclusion that it was physically impossible.
* Jesus cuts through their small talk and immediately begins to criticize their narrow outlook on
life … And I can easily visualize the exchange.
C) “You are looking for Me because you get free meals and entertainment!”
* “Life is bigger than that … Why don’t you spend your energy on things that matter for eternity.”
* “Sure,” they say, “Whatever, just tell us what to do.” * And Jesus says, “Believe in Me.”
* “OK, but just to be sure, give us a miracle so we know that You’re really the right guy … Moses
gave the people manna in the desert … Can You do something like that?”
D) “You guys are always thinking of food … I’ll tell you something about food!”
* “It only satisfies temporarily … God has sent a loaf of bread from heaven that when you eat it
once, it lasts forever.” * “OK, forget the miracle … Give us this special bread instead.”
* “It’s Me … I’m the bread that’s eternal … I came down from heaven to accomplish the mission
given to Me by My Father.”
E) Now the Jews who had known Jesus from His childhood began to mumble among themselves!
* “This guy is not from heaven … His mom and dad are our neighbors … We know where He
grew up … From heaven? … Right!” * And Jesus replied …….
* “I tell you the truth … I am the bread from heaven … Unless you eat My Flesh and drink My
blood, eternal life is not a possibility for you.”
* This exchange between the crowds and Jesus marked the end of His popularity, and His large
following became much smaller. (v.66)
F) I mean, the idea of eating human flesh and drinking blood is both shocking and repulsive!
* So they “went back and walked no more with Him!” * Many are doing just that today!
* I mentioned this morning in my first point that “America is going away from God!”
* Homosexuality … Same sex marriage … Abortion … (When the life of a dog means more than
the life of a baby, something is definitely wrong with the priority of America)
(2) CHURCHES ARE GOING AWAY FROM GOD!
A) Do you know that churches today are ordaining queers and lesbians into the ministry?
* Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori, who was elected June 18, 2006, as the new leader of the U.S.
Episcopal Church, said she (quote) “believed homosexuality was no sin …….”
* “And that homosexuals were created by God to love people of the same gender.”
B) Modern science has clearly rejected and been unable to prove that anyone is “born gay!”
* IT IS A CHOICE … People choose to engage in homosexual behavior!
* Like all sin, once you do it long enough, it may seem natural, but it’s still a choice.
* You are born black or white … You are born with blue eyes or green eyes … You are born male
or female … Taking off your pants to have sex is a CHOICE!
C) To have a church that accepts this sinful choice … To have a ministerial body that ordains
people into the clergy who makes this choice …….
* You must reject the inspiration, inerrancy, and authority of God’s Word.
* Having a church that accepts those who make the choice to engage in homosexual behavior is the
same thing as having a church that would accept those who make the choice to commit adultery.
* How popular would that church be?
D) It makes me sick every time that I hear of a church that accepts homosexuality as an
acceptable sexual choice …….
* And even more sick when I hear of a denomination or ministerial organizations that accepts
people who choose to engage in this type of sinful sexual behavior to be in spiritual leadership.
* Such a church is a stench in the nostrils of God!
* If a church or denomination is even debating such a non-debatable issue, you should be very
concerned … BECAUSE THERE IS NOTHING TO DEBATE!
E) Some churches are even performing divorce ceremonies in the church to become unmarried!
* There are churches who have bars in the basement of their church, not only to store their wine,
but to have socials and do their social drinking in their fellowships!
F) Churches today have no standards of holy living anymore! * They’re going away from God!
* Judges 17:6 “In those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which was right in
his own eyes.”
* Prov. 21:2 “Every way of a man is right in his own eyes: but the LORD pondereth the hearts.”
* Prov. 16:25 “There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways …”
(3) HOMES ARE GOING AWAY FROM GOD!
A) Four-year-old Suzie had just been told the story of Snow White for the first time in her life!
* She could hardly wait to get home from nursery school to tell her mommy.
* With wide-eyed excitement, she retold the fairy tale to her mother that afternoon.
B) After relating how Prince Charming had arrived on his beautiful white horse and kissed
Snow White back to life, Suzie asked loudly: “And do you know what happened then?”
* “Yes,” said her mom, “they lived happily ever after.”
* “No,” responded Suzie, with a frown, “they got married.”
* Getting married and living happily ever after are not necessarily synonymous.
C) The devil has launched an all-out attack on homes around this world!
* He knows if he can destroy homes, he can destroy churches!
* The sad thing of it is, couples are letting the devil have the reins of their home!
* Eph. 4:27 “Neither give place to the devil.”
D) Homes are going away from God … Just look at the divorce rate in America!
* Husbands are not fulfilling their responsibility … Wives are not fulfilling theirs.
* Homes are going away from God and the devil is very happy!
* No prayer in the home … No Bible reading … It’s “every man and woman for themselves.”
E) I’m convinced that husbands and wives don’t know one another anymore!
* One wife, as she wanted to just show her husband she loved him, said “I tried to massage my
husband’s neck,” and all he said, “I’ll save you time … My billfold’s on the dresser.”
F) There is also no commitment in marriages today!
* When commitment breaks down, so do marriages. * There must be commitment.
* There must be the telling and showing of love one to another. (Computer screen Sat. morning)
* Please keep criticism to the minimal … Now, you don’t have to be a football fan to know this
very important principle … You don’t tackle the guy who wear the same color uniform!
* Listen … Your spouse is your teammate … Easy on the criticism.
G) And for heaven’s sake … Don’t argue all the time, especially in front of the children!
* One Sunday a minister was finishing up a series on marriage.
* At the end of the service he was giving out small wooden crosses to each married couples.
* He said, “Place this cross in the room in which you fight the most and you will be reminded of
God’s commands and you won’t argue as much.”
* One woman came up after the service and said, “You’d better give me five of ‘em.”
* Yes … Homes are going away from God!
(4) PROFESSING CHRISTIANS ARE GOING AWAY FROM GOD!
A) I’ve never seen it as bad as it is today of keeping people in love with Jesus!
* Rev. 2:4 “Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.”
* Look at v.60-61 ……. * People get offended because the preacher tells it to them straight!
* Isn’t it amazing how quickly people can turn away from Jesus nowadays?
B) When that happened here in our text, Jesus turned to the twelve and said, “Will ye …”
* Simon Peter answered Him and said, “Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of …”
* I have thought about those words, “Lord, to whom shall we go,” time and time again.
C) To whom shall we go for salvation? * There is no salvation apart from Jesus Christ!
* Acts 4:12 “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven
given among men, whereby we must be saved.” * John 14:6 “I am the way …”
* If we leave Jesus, where would we go for salvation … He is our salvation!
D) To whom shall we go for help? * Isa. 50:9 “Behold, the Lord GOD will help me;”
* Psa. 46:1 “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”
* Heb. 4:16 “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and
find grace to help in time of need.”
E) To whom shall we go for strength? * Phil. 4:13 “I can do all things through …”
* Job 12:13 “With him is wisdom and strength,” * Psa. 28:7 “The LORD is my strength …”
* Psa. 18:2 “The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in
whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.”
* Psa. 29:11 “The LORD will give strength unto his people; the LORD will bless his people …”
F) To whom shall we go for peace? * Rom. 5:1 “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace
with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:”
* John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I
unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”
* Phil. 4:7 “And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and
minds through Christ Jesus.”
G) To whom shall we go for real love? * There ain’t nobody loves you like Jesus loves you!
* John 15:13 “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”
* If people knew you like God knows you, half the people you know wouldn’t love you!
* Rom. 5:8 “But God commendeth (demonstrated) his love toward us, in that, while we were
yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
H) To whom shall we go for grace? * 2 Cor. 12:9 “My grace is sufficient for thee:”
* God loves to give us His grace! * James 4:6 “But he giveth more grace.” * God’s divine favor!
I) Last, in closing: To whom shall we go for eternal life? * That’s what Peter asked in v.68 …
* 1 John 5:12 “He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.”
* It’s a sad day in America because America is going away from God. (Christian nation?)
* Churches are going away from God … Homes are going away from God …
* Professing Christians are going away from God. * Come to Jesus, don’t go away from Him!
