A Sermon For You
A Ministry of Huckaby’s Evangelism
Today’s Sermon Title
Few Are Saved, Multitudes Are Lost
By-Evangelist Gary Huckaby
We take our text today from John 6:67-68; "Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away? Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life."
We have two heart searching questions from our text today. 1- "Will ye also go away?" 2- "To whom shall we go?" There are many miracles which Jesus did during His earthly ministry. His first miracle was changing water to wine in John chapter two. Matthew tells us that Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching, preaching, healing all manner of sickness, and disease among the people,Matthew 4:23. The next verse says that He healed sick folks, and demon possessed people, and the lunatic people, and those that had palsy. He healed a leper in Matthew 8:2-3. A centurion’s servant was healed in Matthew 8:5-10. A man which had a withered hand in Mark 3:1-5.
Three times it is recorded in the Bible that Jesus raised the dead. Then John says, that there are many other things which Jesus did the which, it they were written every one, the world could not contain the books that should be written. John 21:25. In John 20:30-31, we read, "And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book: But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name."
There is one miracle, however, that all four of the Gospels record in detail. The record of the feeding of the five thousand men besides women and children. No other miracle is recorded in all four of the New Testament first four books. Let us look at John’s record of this miracle today, for in it we shall see that there are many lessons to be learned. It surprises me when I come to the conclusion of John six, that i see five thousand men with the women and children sitting on the hill side on the grassy slopes near the sea of Galilee. I see them behold the miracle of the feeding of this multitude from the hands of Jesus when He broke the bread and fish and filled them all. Then instead of this multitude falling at His feet, they divided into two groups, one a large group, the other a small one. The large group then turn their backs on Him, and walk away, back to the communities from which they came. Then I see the small group of thirteen men standing on the grassy slopes, as Jesus saw the multitude walk away, He turned to those twelve men and said; "Will ye also go away?"
his is a picture that is set forth in literally dozens of places in the Bible. God divides the world, God divides the human race into two groups. They are not equal groups, for one is large, and the other a small group. This was true in Noah’s day. A small group was saved by an ark, a multitude perished. True in the days of Sodom and Gomorrah; a large group destroyed, and only a small group guided out by an angel.
It was true in Jesus day. Look at those who knew of Him during His public ministry. The small group to whom He said; "Fear not little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give to you the kingdom." It was also true when Jesus said; "Enter ye in at the straight gate; for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because straight is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it." Matthew 7:13-14.
The same is true in our day, few are saved, multitudes are lost. This will be the case when Jesus returns from heaven. Only the few will be raptured away; and many left behind to suffer in the tribulation. This is why the prophet Joel said; "multitudes, multitudes, in the valley of decision" Joel 3:14.
But why did the multitude go away from Jesus, and only a few stayed with him? If we read carefully the sixth chapter of John, we will find several reasons why people went away from Jesus. Today they go away for the same reasons. I can see the same scene today that Jesus saw when with a broken heart and tear stained face, He watched the multitude go away in rejection, and then He turned to his little school and said; "Will ye also go away?"
They Went Away Because of His Teachings
They went away then, and they go away now because of His teachings. There are four things in John’s Gospel, chapter six which Jesus taught that day which are hard for people to accept.
(1) Jesus Taught that He Must Be Sought For spiritual Reasons.
John 6:26, "Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled." They did not seek Jesus because of the miracles He did, but merely because they were fed without cost. The crowd sought Jesus for physical reason not a spiritual one. If you will notice when reading the New testament, Jesus preformed many miracles but only a few followed Him. Miracles today bring many after Christ, but only a few to Christ. "Will ye also go away?"
(2) Jesus Taught That the Father Must Draw Men to Him.
John 6:44, "No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day." Here we see how people can come to Jesus. there is but one way. No one can come to Jesus except he is drawn of god. One might have their emotions stirred, and in the midst of excitement you might have your will moved upon to come to God, but "No man can come to God except the Father draw him." there is only one way to come to Jesus and only one holy, divine purpose for coming, and that is to come to be saved and to come called of God’s Holy Spirit. Any soul winning ministry must be a Spirit filled ministry because only the Holy Spirit can draw men to God.
(3) Man Must Partake of Jesus To Be Saved.
John 6:53, "Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you." Jesus here goes on with his strong teaching. I don’t believe He is teaching the doctrine of transubstantiation, or that the elements of the communion turn into the actual body and blood of Jesus, but I believe that Jesus here is saying, "except you partake of the Son of god, and He becomes a part of you and comes to live within you as a person in your physical temple, your body, that you have no life in you. In order to be saved men must be partakers of Christ. Hebrews 3:14, says, "For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the
beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end;" Look at what Peter says in 2 Peter 1:4, "Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust." This is strong teaching from Jesus, and this kind of teaching might cause you to lose your crowd. True evangelism is that which brings people to a personal Christ and not merely to a program or denomination.
(4) Jesus Taught that Flesh Profiteth Nothing, But the spirit.
John 6:63, "It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life."
I believe here that Jesus made the strongest statement that any teacher or preacher could ever make. "It is the spirit that quickeneth (make alive) the flesh profiteth nothing." dear friends; Jesus taught that it is the Spirit of God that gives life; and without the holy Spirit of God, the flesh and all that it can produce profits nothing. People can join a Church, be baptized, sit at the Lord’s Table, carry a bible under their arm, engage in religious activities; but without the Spirit of God in their heart, the flesh profits nothing.
Romans 8:9, says, "But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his."
this is the kind of preaching that Jesus did, so don’t you say that it comes from narrow and bigoted and uneducated persons, because it is the kind that Jesus preached. Strong preaching! Seek Christ for a holy purpose, you can’t come to God except God calls you. You must partake of the Son of God. All flesh is unprofitable, and without the Spirit of God in you, you have no life.
When the crowds walked away, they went away because they objected to His teaching. There is nothing sadder today than these so called modern preachers. There is nothing modern about them. They are as old as the day when Satan in his serpentine form went with his subtle unbelief into the garden of Eden to bring about the fall of the human race. They say, "we believe in the teachings of Jesus. We do not believe in a gory, slaughterhouse, bloody religion. We believe in the ethics of Jesus and the teachings of Jesus." Please remember my friends, it was Jesus Himself who said, "Ye MUST BE BORN AGAIN!" It6 was the spotless Son of God who said, "Except ye eat of the flesh of the Son of Man, and drink His blood, ye have no life in you." Do not say you believe in the teachings of Jesus unless you believe in salvation through the medium of the bloody cross, and the Son of God nailed to it. Don’t say you believe in the teachings of Jesus unless you believe in being born Again from above by the regeneration miracle of God’s Holy Spirit. Don’t say you believe in the teachings of Jesus unless you believe in a literal, bodily resurrection, and empty tomb, and occupied throne, and the coming of Jesus in the clouds of glory.
The teachings of Jesus was the strongest teachings that this world has ever heard. No one ever spoke stronger than Him. No wonder they turned away. He spoke in love, but He spoke the truth. Today people are "heaping to themselves teachers having itching ears." They don’t desire the truth whole heatedly all the time. The multitude wants their ears tickled, their conscience salved, their hearts appeased but not cleansed. So they went away! What about you today? Will ye also go away?
Come to Jesus Christ for eternal salvation from sin today. Do it Now, for your eternal sake.
Huckaby’s Evangelism
P.O.Box 1011
pine mountain, Ga. 31822
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