John 6:60-71 | Picking the Right Architect

New sermon series, A Firm Foundation:

explore how the Bible serves as the blueprint for a life that stands strong in every season.

Analogy: building a house, each message will highlight an essential aspect of relying on God’s Word.

Today: Picking the Right Architect. There are only two architects: Jesus or You

How this message came about

October 7, 2024 | NCD Pastors’ Teaching Conference.

First Session: Why People Are Leaving Church: Analyzing the De-Churching Trend and Finding Paths to Renewal (Findings from a book titled, The Great Dechurching: Who’s Leaving, Why Are They Going, and What Will It Take to Bring Them Back by Jim Davis and Michael Graham

“In the United States, we are experiencing the largest and fastest religious shift in the history of our country, as tens of millions of formerly regular Christian worshipers nationwide have decided they no longer desire to attend church at all. These are what we now call the dechurched.

About 40 million adults in America today used to go to church but no longer do, which accounts for around 16 percent of our adult population. For the first time in the eight decades that Gallup has tracked American religious membership, more adults in the United States do not attend church than attend church.” Jim David & Michael Graham, The Great Dechurching

De-churched - Someone who attends church less than once per year (seldom or never).

Two groups: The casually de-churched and the church casualties

30 Million left for casual reasons:

Moved away and did not look for a new church

• Stopped going to church during the Covid pandemic and never went back

• Too busy with other Sunday morning activities

10 Million de-churched casualties

They experienced frustration and pain that led them to lose hope in the institution of the church or the Christian faith altogether.

A great number of these 10 million claim to have deconstructed their faith.

Defining Deconstruction

The word deconstruction can mean different things in different contexts.

“I’ve deconstructed my faith”

“I’m in the process of deconstructing my faith”

Inigo Montoya: “You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.” When terms are not clearly defined and/or understood, we can end up having two different conversations.

Some say that you can differentiate between Good deconstruction vs bad deconstruction or healthy deconstruction vs. unhealthy deconstruction.

Alisa Childers and Tim Barnett wrote a book titled, The Deconstruction of Christianity: What It Is, Why It’s Destructive, and How to Respond. They discovered that the deconstruction community argues that you cannot claim that you have deconstructed your faith if you still remain a historical Christian or hold to Biblical authority.

“Faith deconstruction is a postmodern process of rethinking your faith without regarding Scripture as a standard.” Alisa Childers and Tim Barnett, The Deconstruction of Christianity

For the sake of communication, I’m going to be using deconstruction synonymously with departing from the faith.

*There are Christians who are questioning and examining their Christian beliefs to see if they match what the Bible teaches. There is a better word for that: doubting or disentangling.

Is deconstruction of the faith or departing from the faith something new? People deconstructing or departing from the faith is nothing new.

Deconstruction in the Bible

Let’s open our Bibles to see one of the places where this took place:

John 6:60–71 “60 When many of his disciples heard it, they said, “This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?” 61 But Jesus, knowing in himself that his disciples were grumbling about this, said to them, “Do you take offense at this? 62 Then what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? 63 It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. 64 But there are some of you who do not believe.” (For Jesus knew from the beginning who those were who did not believe, and who it was who would betray him.) 65 And he said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.” 66 After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him. 67 So Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you want to go away as well?” 68 Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, 69 and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.” 70 Jesus answered them, “Did I not choose you, the twelve? And yet one of you is a devil.” 71 He spoke of Judas the son of Simon Iscariot, for he, one of the twelve, was going to betray him.”

In this passage we find two groups of people when it comes to Jesus and his words: Those who received it and those who reject it.

MAIN IDEA: In a world of competing plans, Jesus the Architect offers the only blueprint for a life that truly stands

Everybody is a builder. We are building our lives everyday. The question is not whether you are building, but how are you building. Whose design are you following?

We will do well to pay attention to Paul’s words when he wrote, “Let each one take care how he builds upon it.” ( 1 Co 3:10)

In our passage today we see Jesus’ disciples being shocked by what he says. This group of disciples are also referred as the “the crowd” in John 6. It’s worth noting that Jesus would draw a crowd because of his teachings and the miracles he would perform. In John 6 we see Jesus feeding a crowd of 5,000 people.

However, we discover a massive shift in John 6:66 “After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him.”

Why would they do that? What did Jesus do or say that would cause someone to walk away from Jesus?

A few verses earlier we read in v.60 “When many of his disciples heard it, they said, “This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?”

It’s a hard saying not because they are having a hard time understanding what Jesus is saying. Rather, they find Jesus’ word “harsh” and “offensive.” As D.A. Carson puts it, “These ‘disciples’ will not long remain disciples, because they find Jesus’ word intolerable.”

In John 6 we discover six ways Jesus offended his disciples

(1) Jesus refuses to follow their plans and expectations:

John 6:26 “Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves.”

They were interested in Jesus to the effect that he is useful to them.

The crowd wants Jesus for what he has to offer not for who he is.

Jesus is a good teacher in the areas that I find acceptable and tolerant.

I like a Jesus who lines up with my needs and preferences.

Their plan was simple: Use Jesus to gain more political power, more food, and more miracles (John 6:15; 26, 30).

(2) Jesus confronts their performance-based religion with the gospel of grace.

John 6:29 “Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.””

(3) Jesus claims to be greater than Moses

Under Moses you eat physical bread that came from heaven.

I am THE bread that come down from heaven

John 6:35 “Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.”

The disciples refuse to believe this (v.36) even though they have seen Jesus.

They were offended that Jesus challenged their religious system through his claims. How can Jesus be greater than Moses?

John 6:32 “Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven.”

John 6:58 “This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like the bread the fathers ate, and died. Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.””

(4) Jesus claims to be of divine origin.

I have come down from heaven (v.38)

John 6:41 “So the Jews grumbled about him, because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.””

“Tragically, just as God’s people grumbled over the provision of the first manna, so now, as he offered the eschatological bread from heaven, some in the crowd did the same (Num. 11:1–15; John 6:43).” (ESVGTB)

(5) Jesus claims to be the only source of eternal life.

John 6:51 “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.””

They were not willing to receive Jesus for who he was: The true bread of life from heaven (Jn 6:35)

They grumbled about Jesus

They refused to put their faith on someone from their own hometown who claimed to be of divine origin.

Jesus challenges them to build their lives on him, they want nothing to do with it.

(6) Jesus makes an unsettling declaration about his flesh and blood.

“The life of the world is my flesh.” (v.51)

Reaction: Shock! (v.52)

“Unless you eat my flesh and drink my blood, you have no life in you.” (v. 53)

The crowd misunderstood the metaphor. He wasn’t talking literally, he was talking figuratively.

The reaction: This is offensive!

The result: one of the saddest sentence in the Bible: “After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him.” (Jn 6:66)

Transition: Times have not changed

Reasons why people deconstruct or depart away from the faith:

Deconstruction is not a one-size-fits-all. Every story is unique just as each individual story is unique.

“If deconstruction is the explosion, then crisis is the burning fuse that detonates it.”

Sexual choices and lifestyle

Suffering

Abuse

Hypocrisy

Suffering

A pathway for processing questions and doubts

Lessons from the life of John the Baptist

Matthew 11:2–4 “2 Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples 3 and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” 4 And Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see:”

(1) Acknowledge you questions and doubts

This is John the Baptist!

(2) Share your questions and doubts in community

Acts 17:11 “Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.”

Disentangling or reforming

Jude 22 “ And have mercy on those who doubt;”

The Message of 2 Peter and Jude 1. Be Merciful to Those Who Doubt (22)

Our response to such questioning should not be to cast the questioner as a heretical unbeliever! In some Christian settings there is such a zeal for pure doctrine that it is very hard for people to admit that they have questions and misunderstandings, and it is difficult to find a friend who will sit and listen and talk things through.

Application: 30 minute Q&A after each sermon

(3)Jesus welcomes your questions and doubts

Mark 9:24 “Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!””

Conclusion:

In a world of competing plans, Jesus the Architect offers the only blueprint for a life that truly stands.

My story: “I will not let go of you until you bless me.”

When many of the disciples turned back and no longer walked with Jesus, Jesus proceeded to ask the twelve: Do you want to go away as well?

Peter’s word stand out:

John 6:68–69:“Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.”

December 18, 2013. It was an exciting Wednesday because our church was having an Ugly Sweater Christmas Party. I have bought what I thought was the “ugliest” sweater. It was also an exciting time for our family as we were expecting the arrival of our fourth child. The baby’s due date was May 22. That same Wednesday, my wife Sarah had gone to the doctor that day for her 18th week check-up.

While I was waiting for the church event to start my wife called my cellphone to let me know how the appointment had gone. She sounded calmed as she said, “The doctor couldn’t find a heartbeat. The baby is dead.”

Our lives…

Communion:

Now, let’s narrow in on the immediate context of John 6 — which was a discussion regarding bread — because it contains more clues to what Jesus meant by, “Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life” (John 6:54).

“Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.” Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” (John 6:27–29)

“The bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.” Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe.” (John 6:33–36)

This is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. (John 6:40) Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. (John 6:47)

The Lord’s Supper is spiritual eating and spiritual drinking.

“The Lord’s Supper is remembering the saving grace we have received through the Lord’s death and proclaiming the offer of that saving grace to our own souls and to others — until he comes.”

Unused material

“Deconstruction is a crisis of faith that leads to the questioning of core doctrines and untangling of cultural ideologies that settles in a faith that is different from before.” Ian Harber, Walking Through Deconstruction.

Jesus & Scripture

He used it to fight temptation. He said, “It is written”

He used it to settle arguments: “Have you not read?” (Matt 19:4)

He attributes God as the author of the OT (Mark 7:9-13)

Trust the words of Jesus and his commandments (Matthew 28:20)