“LORD, TO WHOM WILL WE GO?” (Outline)
September 6, 2020 - Pentecost 14 - JOHN 6:60-69
INTRO.: Our human curiosity causes us to continue to learn. We live to learn. To understand what we once did not understand. It is the same with our faith-life. We start with God’s simple truths. We continue with God’s true facts to explain the more difficult teachings. We want to understand. There will always be some divine teachings that remain as mysteries on this side of heaven. “He has made everything beautiful in its time. Yes, he has also put eternity in their hearts, yet it is not possible for man to understand the work that God has done from beginning to end” (ECCLESIASTES 3:11). We do not understand everything of God from the beginning to the end.
“LORD, TO WHOM WILL GO?” I. Our flesh is no help. II. The Spirit gives life.
I. OUR FLESH IS NO HELP
A. Jesus fed the 5,000+. Crowds followed for more bread. Jesus taught: “I am the Bread of Life.”
1. Verse 60. Disciples thought this was “a hard teaching!” “Who can listen to it?” Mystery.
2. Crowd was thinking only about physical needs. Jesus teaching about spiritual necessities.
B. Verse 61. Disciples grumbling. Jesus asked if they would stumble in faith. Truth offend them?
1. Verse 62. What will happen when they see Jesus ascend into heaven? Truth offend them?
2. Verse 63a. “The flesh does not help at all.” Do not trust in sinful flesh. Think spiritually.
C. Verse 64. Jesus knew some would not believe. That was their bad choice.
1. Jesus even knew his betrayer. Judas, one of the twelve, would betray Jesus.
2. Even knowing this Jesus went to Jerusalem. Suffered. Crucified. Buried. Rose again.
D. The people of Jesus’ day struggled with the teaching that Jesus was the Bread of Life. They were stuck in the past. Moses. Manna. Both seemed more believable. Such mistaken beliefs take place when we put our trust in our human flesh. We cannot depend on ourselves. We are all sinful from the moment of our conception. We dare not put confidence in our own wisdom. Or the world’s wisdom. Worldly wisdom is continually changing. Not dependable at all. Our human strength fades as the years go by. And it fails. "This is what the LORD says. Cursed is anyone who trusts in mankind, who seeks his strength from human flesh, and who turns his heart away from the LORD" (JEREMIAH 17:5). Turning to ourselves or worldly wisdom turns our hearts away from the Lord.
E. Be thankful for the faith that asks the question: “Lord, to whom will we go?” This is a question of faith. Our world is no longer looking to the Lord God of Armies for guidance. Or wisdom. Or strength. The dark forces of this world are running and ruining the lives of all too many today. There is an abundance of darkness. Blindness. This fact is not new. Our society is ignorant concerning God’s truth revealed in his Word. "They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, due to the hardness of their hearts” (EPHESIANS 4:18). “Lord, to whom will we go?” We turn away from darkness. Christ is our Light. We are his children.
F. Our sinful flesh is no help. No help at all for our eternal welfare. Our sinfulness is in a constant conflict with God’s sinlessness. Righteousness. Holiness. We might think we are not so bad. At least we are not as bad as some other worse sinners. The truth is that we are all sinners. One sin makes us guilty of breaking all of God’s commandments. “Just as it is written: There is no one who is righteous, not even one. There is no one who understands. There is no one who searches for God” (ROMANS 3:10, 11). We are unrighteous. Our flesh cannot save us. Our flesh will not even search out God.
“LORD, TO WHOM WILL WE GO?” Our sinful flesh is powerless to help us. Or save us.
II. THE SPIRIT GIVES LIFE
A. Verse 63. Jesus is very clear: “The Spirit is the one who gives life….The words…are spirit…life.”
1. Jesus wanted the crowd to have eternal life. Wanted them to believe the truth.
2. Verse 65. Reminded them flesh was nothing. Only the Father empowered their faith.
B. Verse 66. A hard teaching. Who can listen? The crowd turned away. Left. Truth divided.
1. Literally hundreds (if not thousands) went their own way. No longer followed Jesus.
2. Verse 67. To the twelve: Do you want to leave also? What did their faith believe?
C. Verse 68. Peter’s confession question: “Lord, to whom will we go?” Also a conviction answer.
1. Peter and the other Apostles knew Jesus had and taught the words of eternal life.
2. Verse 69. Peter & the other Apostles believed and knew Jesus was the Holy One of God.
3. In today’s gospel (Matthew 16:13-20): The Father revealed this truth to Peter (v. 17).
D. By nature we are born as enemies of God. Only by the power of God’s grace are we changed into God’s children. We are saved completely by God’s divine power. Unlimited love. Mercy. Grace. We have hearts of stone. The Lord God of Armies powerfully changes our stony hearts in-to hearts of flesh. A miracle. "I will put my Spirit within you and will cause you to walk in my statutes, and you will carefully observe my ordinances” (EZEKIEL 36:27). This is the Lord’s promise. Eternal salvation is God’s work. God’s gift. We cannot save ourselves. Our flesh counts for nothing. Helpless. Hopeless. Ends in death. The Holy Spirit works faith in us. Gives us life. Eternal life.
E. We have life because Christ lives in us. We have life because the Holy Spirit lives in us. This is a miraculous mystery when we stop to think about it. How can the sinless divine dwell in any of us earthly sinners? By grace alone. Faith alone. Scripture alone. “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own for you were bought at a price. Therefore glorify God with your body" (1 CORINTHIANS 6:19, 20). Our mortal bod-ies are God’s temples. We are not our own. We belong to God. We glorify God with our bodies.
F. The Lord’s Supper is another miraculous mystery we can only understand by faith. Think of the disciples in the upper room. Jesus celebrates a new covenant with them. “He took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me’" (LUKE 22:19). Then Jesus did the same with the cup. Each one probably thought this is a hard teaching. Who can understand? Human reason cannot comprehend the deep mysteries of the Lord. The Holy Spirit who lives in us gives understanding. The Lord Jesus takes bread calls it his body. The wine he calls blood. We see, taste, and touch bread and wine. In, with, and under these earthly elements is Jesus’ body and blood. Jesus declares it to be so. It is so. Faith believes the truth. Important words also are “given for you.” Christ sacrificed himself for you. Gift!
CONC.: “Lord, to whom will go?” A very important question. Only a believer can ask such a question. It is a question of conviction. “You have the words of eternal life” is the simple answer. It is also a very powerful truth. Truth does divide. Many left Jesus. A few remained on the side of truth with the Truth, Jesus. By grace the Holy Spirit has worked faith in our hearts. We have come to know and believe and confess Jesus is the Christ. The Holy One of God. This is our time of grace to grow in understanding divine mysteries. “…continue in the things you have learned…that from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus" (2 TIMOTHY 3:14, 15). We have been made wise for salvation. Only through Christ. Our flesh does not help. The Holy Spirit gives life. We KNOW “TO WHOM WILL WE GO, LORD!” Amen. Pastor Timm O. Meyer
PENTECOST 14 rdgs: EXODUS 6:2-8; ROMANS 11:33-36; MATTHEW 16:13-20; (PSALM 34)
Sunday services: 8:00am @ Trinity, McCook, NE / 10:30am @ Redeemer, Norton, KS / Bible study follows worship
redeemernorton.org trinitymccook.com
