Faith Test
John • Sermon • Submitted
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Introduction
We’ve been working through the Gospel of John.
Jesus said some pretty wild things.
Let’s take a look at some of Jesus’ wild statements
Today I want you to think about your faith - as we read these wild remarks by Jesus where is your faith at today?
Matthew 20:26-28
It is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave; just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”
Mark 10:21
Looking at him, Jesus felt a love for him and said to him, “One thing you lack: go and sell all you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”
Luke 6:22
Mark 20:21
Blessed are you when men hate you, and ostracize you, and insult you, and scorn your name as evil, for the sake of the Son of Man.
Matthew 6:25
“For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?
Following Jesus means following some pretty radical statements.
Let’s review John 6:41-71
John 6:41-71
:41-
Therefore the Jews were grumbling about Him, because He said, “I am the bread that came down out of heaven.” They were saying, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does He now say, ‘I have come down out of heaven’?” Jesus answered and said to them, “Do not grumble among yourselves. No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day. It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught of God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father, comes to Me. Not that anyone has seen the Father, except the One who is from God; He has seen the Father. Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread which comes down out of heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread that came down out of heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread also which I will give for the life of the world is My flesh.”
Then the Jews began to argue with one another, saying, “How can this man give us His flesh to eat?” So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in yourselves. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For My flesh is true food, and My blood is true drink. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats Me, he also will live because of Me. This is the bread which came down out of heaven; not as the fathers ate and died; he who eats this bread will live forever.”
These things He said in the synagogue as He taught in Capernaum.
Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this said, “This is a difficult statement; who can listen to it?” But Jesus, conscious that His disciples grumbled at this, said to them, “Does this cause you to stumble? What then if you see the Son of Man ascending to where He was before? It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life. But there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who it was that would betray Him. And He was saying, “For this reason I have said to you, that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted him from the Father.”
As a result of this many of His disciples withdrew and were not walking with Him anymore. So Jesus said to the twelve, “You do not want to go away also, do you?” Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life. We have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God.” Jesus answered them, “Did I Myself not choose you, the twelve, and yet one of you is a devil?” Now He meant Judas the son of Simon Iscariot, for he, one of the twelve, was going to betray Him.
Let’s Pray
The disciples heard what Jesus said about eating His flesh and drinking His blood, and said, “This is a difficult statement; who can listen to it?”
John 6:61-64
But Jesus, conscious that His disciples grumbled at this, said to them, “Does this cause you to stumble? What then if you see the Son of Man ascending to where He was before? It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life. But there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who it was that would betray Him.
john 6:6164
What causes us to stumble?
Jesus telling us to eat his flesh and drink his blood?
Jesus telling us to sell and give to the poor?
Jesus telling us to deny ourselves and pick up our cross daily?
Jesus telling us to humble ourselves?
Is there something that Jesus has said that causes you to stumble?
And He was saying, “For this reason I have said to you, that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted him from the Father.”
And He was saying, “For this reason I have said to you, that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted him from the Father.”
As a result of this many of His disciples withdrew and were not walking with Him anymore.
When Jesus said these things - people started leaving Him.
They watched miracles - they partook in miracles - they ate miracle food - and yet they stopped walking with Jesus
Have you ever thought about what would cause you to leave your faith?
Maybe you have had a crisis of faith where you have left the faith?
Traumatic death?
Maybe you lost a loved one.
Maybe you lost four close friends.
Let’s take a quick look at a video on the Insanity of God from the International Mission Board
VIDEO
150 Christians down to four Christians.
Four of Nik’s friends were all executed on the same day
Does our western Christianity match that of our brothers and sisters around the world?
John 6:67-68
So Jesus said to the twelve, “You do not want to go away also, do you?” Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life.
Where would we go?
Have you ever thought about that question?
If Jesus is not for you, where would you go?
Muslim? Hindu? Jew? Buddha? Atheist?
Where would you go?
John 6:69-71
We have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God.” Jesus answered them, “Did I Myself not choose you, the twelve, and yet one of you is a devil?” Now He meant Judas the son of Simon Iscariot, for he, one of the twelve, was going to betray Him.
John 6:
Conclusion
When John wrote his Gospel he had been thinking about it for years.
He knew that Judas was going to betray Jesus and he remembered the words of Jesus - as His followers were walking away from Jesus.
There are many things that Jesus said that will challenge us = the question is, is our faith worth it?
Thousands stopped following Jesus that day - just because of His words
They saw His miracles, they partook of His miracles, and yet they simply walked away because of what He said.
What about you - if you were challenged like Nik Ripkin was in Somalia or experienced extreme persecution - where would you say your faith is at today?
Are you like Reter - “Where would we go?”
Or are you closer to the crowds today and if things got tough walk away.
Let’s Pray