To Whom Would We Go? | John 6:43-69; I Thess. 4:14-17

Opening Remarks: We’re back in John 6 this morning, and my plan is to be here again tonight as we wrap up this incredible chapter.

1. It started with feeding thousands of people with five loaves and two fish.

2. Then Jesus walked on the water to His disciples during a storm.

3 Then the multitude followed Jesus to Capernaum to get more food because they were hungry again.

4. That’s when Jesus looks these Galileans in the face and says, “You’re only here for the bread. But let me tell you about spiritual bread. Food that actually satisfies.”

5. And that sounds fine, until He says “I am the bread of life. Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.”

That’s when the crowd said, “Time out. What?”

6. They were so focused on material things that they missed the spiritual lesson.

He wasn’t saying “Be a cannibal.” He was saying, “Just like food and drink are necessary for life, believing on me for forgiveness of your sin is the only way to have eternal life.”

He was saying, “You need to eat to live. It’s essential to your physical life. But belief in me alone is essential to your eternal life. It’s time to eat.”

That was last week’s message. And today’s text shows us the fallout of that very difficult message.

READ John 6:59-71

TITLE Peter’s words serve as a wonderful reminder to us this morning. “To Whom Would We Go?”

PRAY

INTRODUCTION

Have you ever been faced with a decision between two options and both were equal? That’s a difficult decision, isn’t it? Maybe in buying a car, or choosing a house, or taking a job.

If both options are equal, that’s hard.

But one if one option is clearly and unquestionably superior?

What if one job pays $9 per hour and there are no benefits and you don’t get to choose your shift, but the other pays $20 per hour with full benefits and you pick your own hours?

Some decisions are so obvious. Only a fool would choose an option that is clearly worse.

Well this story is about many people choosing the lesser option.

I. Jesus has said some things that the disciples are clearly struggling with.

You don’t just throw out things like “Eat my flesh” and “Drink my blood” without raising eyebrows.

Even though He explains that the lesson is spiritual, they still don’t get it.

A. And we see the first mistake the disciples make in Vs. 60-61.

Vs. 60 says they asked a question, but it doesn’t seem like they’re asking Jesus to get an answer, because Jesus calls it “murmuring.” Not seeking. Murmuring. Grumbling.

Illustration: Don’t you love it when people ask questions, not to get an answer, but to make a point? They don’t want information, they want to use a question to voice a complaint or be critical? That’s what’s happening here.

Jesus wouldn’t have been upset by hard questions, as long as they were questions. But these Galileans didn’t have teachable spirits. They were grumbling. They were thinking, “This is the kid from Nazareth. We know His parents. What does He mean eat His flesh and drink His blood?”

This happens often in our hearts. When we don’t understand something, rather than ask to learn, we put up a guard and refuse to be teachable.

Not understanding something is okay. But not being humble enough to be teachable is not okay.

We often simply reject because something doesn’t make sense or maybe it goes against our culture or background.

There are a lot of difficult subjects being dealt with today, whether it be matters of gender or sexuality or even the existence of a literal hell. The problem is not that it’s hard and we don’t understand, the problem is having a hardened heart that doesn’t want to understand.

Their first mistake was murmuring rather than seeking.

B. Their second mistake was immediately rejecting Jesus simply because they didn’t understand.

Ultimately, many of the disciples left and never came back (66). But it’s not like the Lord didn’t give them opportunities to understand.

Vs. 61 - Offend means to “cause to stumble.” A stumbling block. We get the word “scandal” from this Greek root. This was scandalous. This message tripped many people up.

Vs. 62 - Jesus is saying, “You’ve so far been offended by everything I’ve taught. I claimed to come down from Heaven and you didn’t like that. I tried to explain salvation by using the example of eating and drinking, and you’re offended by that. You’re so sensitive right now, that I could ascend back to Heaven and prove my deity and you’d be offended by that.”

They were so quick to criticize that it didn’t matter what He did at this point. They were going to be offended by everything except being fed. Which is why He tries to clarify that His message was spiritual, not material. Look at vs. 63.

Jesus says, “This isn’t about flesh and blood. This is a spiritual truth using a physical illustration.”

It’s interesting, they said this was a hard saying, but Jesus says, “Actually, this is a wonderful and life-giving truth. I’m offering you eternal life.”

Vs. 64 - He looks at the crowd and knows their hearts. Jesus knows who refuses to believe, but He also knows those who claim to believe but will betray Him. He’s talking to Judas.

And I wonder if He looks over this crowd of people today and sees three categories. Those who believe, those who refuse, and those who say they believe but do not.

We must consider which category describes us this morning and say, “Lord I don’t want to reject you simply because it’s hard.”

Look at vs. 65, because Jesus reiterates a truth He’s already mentioned. Vs. 65

This points back to vs. 44 when Jesus said the Father “draws.” Salvation is not an outward act. It’s a response to an inward movement of God in our hearts. Conviction about sin. A recognition of guilt before a holy God. It’s a spiritual decision, not an outward action.

So we come to verse 66, after Jesus’ explanation in response to their murmuring. And you would hope that people would respond to the pleas of Jesus Christ by saying, “We believe. There are things we don’t understand, but you’re the Savior! We submit!”

But unfortunately, that’s not what happens. Vs. 66

The disciples of Jesus rejected Him because of the hard saying.

“Many of his disciples” - Scores of people left. Can you imagine people walking away from Jesus mid-sentence? Not one here or there. Droves.

I’ve had people walk out during my sermons before, and it doesn’t feel good. These were people Jesus knew. People that were called disciples.

Look at Vs. 67

II. Jesus turns to the twelve, the core, and says, How about you? Are you leaving too?

And before we think, “Why would He ask the 12 that? They’re committed.” You’d like to think they were, but they were also watching friends leave. Maybe family.

it’s safe to assume some of the 12 had second thoughts, not just Judas.

So put yourself in their sandals. You’ve been so sure to this point. You’ve been committed. You’ve believed His words. But then He speaks words that sounds strange and scandalous, and everyone else is leaving. For a moment you second guess yourself, then Jesus looks you right in the eyes and says, “Are you leaving too?”

Awkward silence. How many of you hate awkward silence? How many of you hate it so much that you start talking to fill in the quiet space, even if you have nothing to say?

Then you’re Peter! Congratulations!

Peter was that guy. Except this time what he says isn’t trite or silly or empty. His words here incredibly insightful.

He says, John 6:68 “Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.”

Wow. this rough fisherman had otherworldly insight for a moment. Peter says, “You are God. Where else would we go?”

A. There are two parts to Peter’s answer.

1. The first is he knows who Jesus is. Jesus the Messiah. He’s the Son of God. Jesus is the Savior.

2. But the second part is Peter is thinking about the alternative to Jesus Christ.

He’s thinking, “If Jesus is God, we won’t find something better by leaving.”

He’s watching hundreds of disciples leave, but he’s not just thinking about what they’re leaving. He’s thinking about where they’re going.

In his mind, he’s thinking, “Where are these people going?”

Back to the Pharisees?

Back to the law?

Back to their jobs?

Back to what?

“Jesus is right here.”

Peter understood the true dilemma. No matter how hard and difficult things got with Jesus, and they would get harder, he knew that rejecting Jesus meant you better have a superior alternative to go to.

It’s a question we need to ask, “If I reject Jesus, what would I replace Him with?”

Some things aren’t replaceable, and we’re talking about the Son of God.

He’s not just thinking about saying “No” to Jesus, he’s thinking about the fact rejecting Jesus means he would have to say “Yes” to something else.

And in thinking through that, he asks, “What would we leave you for? There’s nowhere better to go.”

III. The disciples that left were not just walking away from something, they were walking toward something inferior.

It wasn’t just about what they were leaving. They were replacing Jesus with something else

So Peter’s thought, “Why would I leave when I couldn’t find anything better?”

And even though following Jesus in this moment was very hard and very demanding, whatever Peter left Jesus for would also have its own hardships and its own demands.

But when those hardships came, you wouldn’t have Jesus to help you through them.

Many Christians are leaving Christ for something new these days.

The term is “deconstructing,” and many, especially young people raised in church, are walking through it.

They are essentially rejecting everything they’ve been taught growing up.

And I understand going through a process to make sure you’re settled, everyone goes through seasons of doubt.

But too many are saying, “All I know is I don’t want that anymore because it’s too hard.”

But what many fail to consider is that they’ll soon have to replace it with something else, and honestly, any replacement has its own hard.

And the question we need to ask is, “Will that replacement be better than what I had in Jesus Christ?”

IV. APPLICATION

A. Peter recognized this truth: Leaving Jesus Christ means replacing Him with something inferior.

If someone chooses atheism over Christianity, they’re not only rejecting God, they are trading Him for a different god. A different set of beliefs.

You don’t simply reject Christ. You trade Him for something else to live for. No one lives for nothing.

When someone says, “Science makes more sense to me, I’m going to follow that instead of faith.” They are replacing God and His teaching with a different set of doctrines and beliefs.

I understand how someone could enjoy the parts of science, the provable parts, and say, “That feels more real to me. I can’t just accept something by faith.”

But there are still a number of things about evolution, for example, that you have to accept by faith, unless you were there to watch it all unfold yourself. You’re still taking someone else’s word for it.

So if you’re going to take the step, just be sure that what you’re trading Christ for is superior to Him.

B. If someone is struggling about whether the Bible is true or not, that’s not really what it’s about.

They don’t just decide the Bible is false and then believe in nothing.

They replace it with a different set of beliefs that someone else came up with.

And many do that without considering, “The guy who came up with these theories has been dead for decades or centuries. How much confidence do I really want to place in someone who was as finite as I am?”

Is the explanation from a mortal individual really more trustworthy than a book that has only ever been confirmed by science and history?

C. YOU DON’T JUST REJECT GOD – YOU TRADE HI

You don’t just reject the Bible, you trade it for another source of beliefs.

You don’t just reject Christianity, you trade it for another system that dictates how you live.

Materialism – life structured around stuff, possessions, or money

Humanism – man-centered structure

Hedonism – life structured around pleasure

All of us are believers; it’s just a matter of what we choose to believe.

You may not be a believer in what the Bible says. But you are a believer in something else. What someone else has said or some other way of thinking or even in your way of thinking.

Something dictates what you believe and how you live.

My question is simple this: Are you certain that what you traded Christ for is better than He is?

D. You are not choosing between Christianity and nothing

You are choosing between Christianity and something else.

You are choosing between what God reveals in the Bible or what others have revealed through their intelligence.

You don’t simply reject Christ. You choose something else to replace Him with.

E. Maybe this morning you’re saying, where is this coming from? Why would I choose something besides Christ?

Because that’s what we tend to do when things get hard.

Remember, this decision came after a hard saying.

And many Christians choose to say “I’m done with Jesus” when life gets hard.

Living for Christ can get hard. If you think it doesn’t, consider these disciples.

All of them except for John, the writer of this gospel, and Judas, were martyred for their faith.

Following Christ does not come with an “Easy Promise.”

F. It is the nature of disciples to face hardships

You will get hurt, maybe from a Christian

You will be treated unfairly

Some trials will seem endless

The way God works won’t always make sense to you

You’re going to get weary in well doing

You will fail.

There will be plenty of times of loneliness.

And if our tendency when things get hard is to say, “I’m done,” that leads to a decision to abandon all of it, just like these disciples.

We may not walk away outwardly, but we write the Lord off inwardly.

Some come to church in body, but their heart is not here.

We turn our attention to other things instead of Jesus Christ. He ceases to be a focal point in our lives. Noah, “Prominence or Preeminence.”

After a while, a separation of heart because an complete abandonment of faith.

G. When the Christian life gets hard, and it will, how will you choose to respond?

Will you also go away?

Will you say, “I need something easier.”

“There’s got to be something better.”

Be careful. Because if you decide that God isn’t involved in your life, then that removes any meaning you have for the suffering. At least with God, we have meaning for the difficulties.

People that don’t believe in God suffer too. How do they give meaning to it without God? That means that life is hard for no reason, rather allowing God to use the suffering to grow and change us.

Are you sure that having no meaning in the trials is better than having God work in the trials?

H. What would have to happen for the Christian life to get so hard that you also go away?

What level of loss in your life would it take?

What kind of offense would cause you say, “That’s it - I’m done?’

What amount of misunderstanding or doubt would be the tipping point?

See, once you define that, then you have to ask, “Is what I’m turning to better than Jesus?”

Is alcohol really better than Jesus?

Is no faith really better than Jesus?

Is believing in your own intellect better than Jesus?

Is money better than Jesus?

Is despair better than Jesus?

I’d like to answer that with a question: Have any of those things ever died for you?

If not, there’s nowhere to turn better than Jesus, even when things are hard, because He’s done more for you than what you could turn to.

V. What Helped Peter Come To This Conclusion?

Well, remember Peter didn’t just say, “Where would we go?”

He also said, “Lord, you have the words of eternal life. You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

See, when you’re tempted to throw in the towel, the best you can do is stop and rehearse all that Jesus Christ is.

He is Creator, which means He is sovereign and can handle anything we face

He is sinless, which means He is holy

He has no weaknesses, which means He is all powerful

He loves us perfectly in spite of our weaknesses

He is willing to forgive any time we ask for it

He made provision for us to have eternal life by dying on the cross

He knew what He was getting in us, yet He still die

He knows every answer, whether or not He gives it to us

And the fact that He’s proven His love on the cross means we can trust Him

We may not know it, but He always has a reason that makes sense

He has our best in mind

He is the Friend that sticketh closer than a brother

And He is the resurrection and the life. If for no other reason, you should stay with Jesus because He was dead and now He’s alive.

I’ll answer the question the way Peter did: “I will not leave, because I will find nothing better than Jesus.”

Where would we go? I don’t know, but one thing I do know is wherever I turn would be inferior to what I have in Jesus Christ.

Conclusion:

You know something has great value when it can’t be replaced.

Priceless. Invaluable. Irreplaceable.

That’s how you know the value of Jesus Christ. Because He’s irreplaceable.

Jesus Christ has no substitutes.

We have some folks in our church who have faced some very difficult things.

Health trials, loss of loved ones, tragedy, financial ruin, betrayal, a broken relationship.

And the ones who are still standing are here because of this truth: Jesus Christ has no substitutes.

There’s nothing better than Jesus Christ.

For Salvation - He’s irreplaceable

In Suffering - He’s irreplaceable

In Our Daily Lives - He’s irreplaceable

There’s no substitute for Jesus.

Have you been considering leaving?

Let me encourage you to stop listening to the noise out there, open God’s Word and be reminded of all the things Jesus Christ is that nothing else could be.

And unless you’re not asking to get an answer, your faith will be restored because you’ll be reminded “There is nothing better than Jesus.”