Sermon – When Following Jesus Gets Hard, Follow Jesus!
Scripture - John 6:66-69 “At this point many of his disciples turned away and deserted him. Then Jesus turned to the Twelve and asked, “Are you also going to leave?” Simon Peter replied, “Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words that give eternal life. We believe, and we know you are the Holy One of God.”
Introduction: “Follow me and I will make you a fisher of men” sounds so simple, and almost too easy. Without knowing where, how far or how long, without knowing the cost or the sacrifice, these disciples were so convinced, they left all to follow Jesus. What an exciting adventure! What happens when following Jesus gets hard? It is easy to join a crowd. We all want to be a part of something big and exciting. Many rejoiced to see his miracles and listen to his parables, but now Jesus speaks plainly. The crowd had just finished eating a banquet of fish and loaves, shaking their heads at such miracle. Then Jesus shocked them with these words in John 6:56-59,
“Anyone who eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him. I live because of the living Father who sent me; in the same way, anyone who feeds on me will live because of me. I am the true bread that came down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will not die as your ancestors did (even though they ate the manna) but will live forever.” He said these things while he was teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.” Many turned from following Him.
Although Jesus’ words “I am the bread of life” are familiar to many Christians, in this passage the disciples declare this to be a “hard saying.” Jesus is teaching in the synagogue where he is interpreting a passage of scripture that was introduced by the crowd in verse 31. They ask Jesus for a sign similar to the one Israel experienced in the wilderness, “as it is written, ‘he gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” Jesus goes on to interpret this verse about the manna, and declares himself to be manna, the “bread of life”. Just as manna gave life in the wilderness, so also Jesus gives life.
Although the crowd was initially enthusiastic about the idea of Jesus as one like Moses who could provide this miraculous bread, they reject the idea that Jesus himself was the manna. Jesus’ own disciples declare his teaching to be “hard,” and many of them turn away from him. What do you do when following Jesus get hard? Although modern readers are conditioned to hear Jesus’ words about those “who eat my flesh and drink my blood” as the Lord’s Supper, the disciples at the time would have no knowledge of the Eucharist. They were offended by the idea of eating his body and drinking his blood. Just as Israel in the original manna story, had a mixed response to God’s salvation, this crowd of Jesus had a mixed response. Israel immediately begins to “grumble” or “complain” against God and Moses in the wilderness because they do not trust God to take care of them. Over and over, with questions of water, food, and physical safety, the Israelites play out the same drama of whether they will trust God to care for them.
Similarly, the group following Jesus initially receives the miraculous food supply and heralds Jesus as a prophet. But they also begin to “grumble” against Jesus following his teaching about the manna. Like the Israelites, they have experienced God’s miraculous provision, but they do not trust that God will continue to provide for them something more as they feed on Jesus. To partake of Jesus as manna involves a reliance on God. One way John expresses this throughout the Gospel is through the word “abide.” The idea of “abiding” appears throughout John’s Gospel, although it is often translated “remain”: “Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood remain in me and I in them.” Feeding on Jesus as manna means remaining or abiding with Jesus. It is through this abiding in Him that Jesus brings life to those who feed on Him.
But “abiding” with Jesus is difficult. Staying with Jesus and learning from him is a long process. For many, a quick fix would be more attractive. The crowd was initially attracted to Jesus when they saw him as a Moses figure — one who could work miracles and provide political victories. As they continue with him, they learn that Jesus is not offering an easy victory but the long road of discipleship.
The twelve decided to stick with Jesus even though his teaching is difficult. Here, they recognize Jesus’ words as life giving and do not turn away. In doing so, they represent what it means to trust in God’s provisions. They stick closely to Jesus, who is the manna, and they listen to his words. This is their only real option — much like the Israelites stuck in the wilderness, whose only option is to return to slavery: “Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words of eternal life”. John’s Gospel is written in a way that mirrors this need to “abide” with Jesus. As His believing Children, we feed on Jesus as manna, and “abide” in His presence to learn of Him that we may come to understand what John is getting at here.
Jesus' teaching challenged their beliefs about who he really was and what he can to do. These words of Jesus did not match their understanding of who He was and what he came to do. Today preaching has a way of domesticating Jesus to fit our mold. Many tend to compartmentalize follow Jesus to acts of worship on the Sabbath day. Others caricaturize Jesus into a God that came to make them happy and comfortable. They create a version of Jesus that is unreal. This simple plain teaching of Jesus was too much to bear. Rather than change their minds, they walked away. This is the fundamental reason people reject Jesus Christ and walk away today.
Seeing their excitement about physical food, Jesus turns their attention to spiritual food. All must feed on Him to become what he is. Many people want blessings, happiness, and fulfillment, and most expect a certain amount of ease. Jesus does promise blessing and fulfillment to those who follow Him, but many people have been surprised that the way of Christ is not as easy as they had hoped. Sometimes, following Christ can be downright difficult. Believers are called to deny themselves, pick up their cross daily and follow Him. That means when we deny ourselves and submit to Jesus, we do not return to rebellion for a time, then consider whether we will deny ourselves again. Every day, we need to make a definitive decision to follow Jesus and not back away. The phrase "When Following Jesus Gets Hard, Follow Jesus!" emphasizes the importance of persevering in faith even when faced with challenges and difficulties. It's a reminder that true discipleship requires commitment and sacrifice, and that the path of following Jesus may not always be easy.
1. Following Jesus Gets Hard Because Hardship and Blessing are a Part of the same Journey. Hardship and Blessing are not mutually exclusive. The disciples “left everything” to follow Christ, and the Lord promised them “a hundred times as much” blessing in return. (Mark 10:28-30). Jesus warned that all who follow Him must deny themselves and bear a daily cross (Luke 9:23). Hardship, to be sure, but hardship with a purpose and leading to the joy of the Lord.
2. Following Jesus Gets Hard Because of Worldly Resistance and our spiritual Adversary. Followers of Christ will face resistance from the world. “In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Timothy 3:12). Jesus did not promise His disciples that everything would be easy for them; just the opposite—He promised that they would have trials in this world (John 16:33). “But take heart!” He told them, “I have overcome the world.”
1Peter 5:8 “Be ye sober, and wake ye, for your adversary, the devil, as a roaring lion goes about, seeking whom he shall devour”
Our enemy the devil desires to devour us, to cause real and lasting harm. The Greek word here is katapiein, literally meaning to "swallow," or to "drown." Peter has made it clear that our place in eternity with our Father is secure. The devil cannot take that from us, but he does seek to damage our faith. Believers must constantly cast every care on the Lord, who cares for us and knows our struggles.
3. Following Jesus Gets Hard Because of Our Fleshly Desires and our Awakened Conscience. God’s moral laws have been written on the heart of every human – giving all people a conscience to aid them in determining wrong from right.
Romans 2:14-15, “Even Gentiles, who do not have God’s written law, show that they know his law when they instinctively obey it, even without having heard it. They demonstrate that God’s law is written in their hearts, for their own conscience and thoughts either accuse them or tell them they are doing right.”
When a person becomes a follower of Christ, he not only has God’s laws in his heart, but he also has the indwelling Holy Spirit to compel him toward living righteously. This in no way means the Christian will stop sinning, but it does mean the Christian will become more aware of his own personal sin and have a genuine desire to do what is pleasing to Christ.
Romans 8:11-16, “The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you. Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. For if you live by its dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children.”
Following Jesus gets hard because hardship and blessing are not mutually exclusive; because we face worldly resistance, and because of our own fleshly desires. In many ways, it is after a person is saved that the struggle against sin really heats up in his life. All people are born with a nature that is bent toward sin, which is why children do not need to be taught how to misbehave – that comes naturally. When a person is converted, the sin nature does not disappear – and so the internal conflict begins in the life of every believer.
The apostle Paul, who called himself a “bondservant to Christ,” writes of the struggle with his sin nature in Romans 7:14-25. In verse 15 he says, “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do” (Romans 7:15). Christians engaged in this battle have a true desire to avoid sin, but they also have a natural desire to indulge the flesh. They become frustrated when they find themselves “doing what they don’t want to do.” And to further complicate matters, Christians not only do not want to sin, they hate sin. Yet, they still sin.
Paul goes on to write, “It is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me” (Romans 7:17). Paul is referring to the contradiction caused by the new birth – Paul is a “new man” through Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). But he still sins because sin is still alive in the human flesh – the sin nature survives the new birth. Paul calls the internal strife a “war,” as the new man battles the old man. Paul found the battle quite distressing because he wanted to do right. “What a wretched man I am,” Paul cries out in his distress. Every Christian who is attempting to live righteously is called to this battlefield for his entire life. We are in a spiritual battle. But in grace and mercy, God gives the faithful believer an entire suit of armor for the fight.
4. When Following Jesus Gets Hard, Remember We Are equipped to Do It Hard. The Christian life is never easy, but the difficulties do not negate the joy. We consider Jesus, who “for the joy set before him . . . endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2). God has set us free from the slavery to sin. The victory is ours.
2 Corinthians 2:14, “Now thanks be unto God, which always causes us to triumph in Christ, and makes manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place.”
If it gets hard, we are equipped to do it hard. Through the Holy Spirit, believers receive encouragement, strength to persevere, and reminders of their adoption into the family of God. We know that our “present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed” Romans 8:18 Paul says, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is going to be revealed to us...” Then in Romans 8:28, Paul says, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”
When following Jesus gets hard, and it will, we must remind ourselves that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. Be encouraged that our earthly trouble is nothing compared to the glory of Jesus Christ who will be revealed in us through the process.
That day in John 6, Jesus’ message was hard. To eat His Flesh and to drink his blood meant feeding on the words of Jesus, taking on the mindset of Christ and living to do His will. It means that “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.” When following Jesus gets hard, we must choose to still follow. John 6:66-69, “At this point many of his disciples turned away and deserted him. Then Jesus turned to the Twelve and asked, “Are you also going to leave?” Simon Peter replied, “Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words that give eternal life. We believe, and we know you are the Holy One of God.” The disciples decided to keep following Jesus! Songwriter, Leslie B. Tucker say it this way:
I have decided to follow Jesus; I have decided to follow Jesus; I have decided to follow Jesus; No turning back, no turning back.
2. Tho' none go with me, I still will follow, Tho' none go with me I still will follow, Tho' none go with me, I still will follow; No turning back, no turning back.
3. My cross I'll carry, till I see Jesus; My cross I'll carry till I see Jesus, My cross I'll carry till I see Jesus; No turning back, No turning back.
4. The world behind me, the cross before me, The world behind me, the cross before me; The world behind me, the cross before me; No turning back, no turning back. Amen. Amen.
