You Alone Have the Words of Eternal Life

John 6:60-71 You Alone Have the Words of Eternal Life Introduction: This is our fourth time looking at chapter 6 of John. Jesus has just preached his most controversial sermon ever. He has just finished telling this group of religious Jews that they must eat his flesh and drink his blood if they will have Deep, Long Lasting Life. We now come to the point in the sermon where the people respond to Jesus’ message. This crowd is about to turn back from following Jesus for good. It is amazing how fickle the human heart can be. Just the day before, this same crowd was about to make Jesus their king, which is most definitely the cause for Jesus bread sermon. (They need to understand who Jesus is and what he is really all about) Now that it’s understood they want nothing to do with him. I believe Jesus Bread Sermon is meant to draw a line in the sand. Jesus is no doubt pushing all those that are following him to make a decision about who he is and what they are going to do with him. This Sermon is no doubt recorded by John to do the same for us… Remember this is what John’s Gospel is all about- “the things that are written are written so that we might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God and that by believing we might have life in his name.” Let’s look at the crowds response and the response of the disciples so that we also can make a decision about who Jesus is and what we are going to do with him… 1. The Response of the Multitude. 1. “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. 2. John now records for us the reaction of the crowd. “When many of his disciples heard it, they said, “This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?” 1. But what is it about Jesus sermon that is so offensive to them? 1. The people are offended because Jesus is not who they want him to be, he will not fit into their political agenda to overthrow the ruling authorities, and this bothers them…Isn’t he the Messiah? Why doesn’t he care about Rome?? 2. Jesus puts himself in a class of his own. They are comparing him with Moses, but Jesus’ claim is that he is greater than Moses, because he is the living bread, that came down from heaven, the one who is able to give eternal life. 1. He is able, like no other to satisfy their deepest longing and settle their deepest fears. 3. He insist that unless they eat his flesh and drink his blood they will die. - he is exclusive, the only way to life. - again it must be remembered that Jesus is speaking about eating human flesh and drinking human blood to a strict kosher diet community/culture. -His party slogan might as well have been “Snap into a Slim Jim.” 2. As the crowd of followers begins to grumble and respond negatively to Jesus, rather than back peddling, or seeking to better clarify his claims and statements, he says, If you are offended by this, “just wait till you see the way in which I will ascend back into Glory”… Jesus here is speaking of the cross..his own path to coronation and glorification. 1. “If the disciples find Jesus claims, authority and his language offensive, what will they think when they see Jesus on the cross, his way of ascending to where he was before? That is the supreme scandal. However offensive the linguistic expression 'eating and drinking blood' may be, how much more offensive the crucifixion of an alleged Messiah.” - Carson 1. Jesus words about the Father drawing all who come to him and his ascending to where he was before are the last straw for this crowd. John says, “After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him.” 3. The Response of Peter and the Apostles - “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.” 1. To whom shall we go? 1. Every single human being is a believer in something or someone. Is there a more credible person in world history than Jesus of Nazareth? - Let’s consider some different options/views of where we can turn for words of life: We will consider from each: What is the purpose of life or the universe (creation); What is the problem with human nature(sin); and What is the solution (salvation/restoration). Taken from Tim Keller’s Gospel in Life. 2. Platonism 1. The Purpose: the physical world is shadowy and flawed, but the real world is the non-material realm of forms and ideals. The purpose of life is to know and live in accord with the perfect realm of ideals. 2. The Problem: The soul is good, but the body is bad. Even within the soul, the emotions and desires (tied greatly to bodily desires for comfort, food, sex) often war against the reason, which, if it is properly educated, is fixed on the realm of the “Forms.” The problem is that the body and it’s passions too often win over reason. 3. The Solution: We must educate people so that reason triumphs over their bodies and appetites. We must put the most educated citizens, the philosophers, in charge of society. 3. Traditional Religions 1. The Purpose: There are two worlds, the eternal and the temporal, and this temporal world is less important. Our purpose is to live a good, moral life and to prepare for eternity. 2. The Problem: Our problem is moral failure and lack of virtue. Because we do not live the good lives we should, the world has problems. 3. The Solution: With divine help and the help of the religious community, we make our greatest moral effort to become good and virtuous people who love our families and help the world. This will prepare us for the next world. 4. Scientific Naturalism 1. The Purpose: History is a linear movement linked by cause and effect. There is no reality beyond the physical. Everything is the product of biological evolution by means of natural selection. Everything about us is there because it helped us survive. That is the “purpose” of life- to survive. 2. The Problem: The problems of the world are basically due to competition that produces winners and losers. 3. The Solution: Empirical investigation and scientific implementation can eliminate many human problems, and in the end the process of evolution moves us “ahead.” 5. Psychodynamism (a catch all phrase for contemporary individualistic psychology growing out of Freud) 1. The Purpose: Though this view assumes the scientific worldview of naturalism, it also has roots in Romanticism, which stressed the purpose of individual freedom and discovering our inner self and passion. 2. The Problem: Human beings are made up of basic primal desires for pleasure and an understanding that these desires must be limited to live in society. Unloving, repressive families and societies are to blame for the imbalance between desires and conscience, and between the individual and society. 3. The Solution: Become conscious of our true desires, and fulfilling them as much as possible, short of infringing on the freedom of others to do the same. 6. Post Modernism 1. The Purpose: Objective knowledge of the real world is unachievable. Properties of objects are creative human projections. This agrees with existentialism that we are free to create our own reality, but it says we cannot do this as individuals. All truth is socially constructed in communities. 2. The Problem: Community identity unavoidably defines itself by those who are “not us” or “the other.” This marginalizes and oppresses. All truth claims are really just power plays by one group or another. 3. The Solution: to undermine and deconstruct all truth claims by unmasking them as socially constructed efforts to maintain power. 7. The Christian Gospel 1. The Purpose: God made a good, beautiful world filled with beings to share in this life of joy and peace by knowing, serving, and loving God and one another. 2. The Problem: Instead we chose to center our lives around ourselves and on the pursuit of things, rather than on God and others. This led to the disintegration of creation and the loss of peace within ourselves, between people, and in nature itself. 3. The Solution: God entered history in the person of Jesus to deal with all the causes and results of our broken relationship with him. Jesus lived the life we were created to live and then died to pay the debt of sin incurred for the life we actually live. By his resurrection he showed that death is now defeated and he showed us the future - new bodies and a completely new heaven and new earth, in which the world is restored to full joy, glory and peace. Conclusion: Where else can we go? “Lord the alternatives are not good. If the crucified risen Savior is not God’s Word to the world, please, anyone, give us a more credible word. Look around. Test the alternative answers to the worlds major questions, and we, too, will come to Peter’s perfectly put questions and affirmation: Lord to whom shall we go? You have the words of deep, lasting life, and we have come to believe and so to know that you are the Holy one of God.” -Bruner "When the Bible speaks of Jesus as divine, that does not mean he has more of the divine spark of life that is found in everyone.To the Hebrews, God was not an impersonal force that is part of all being but a unique, personal yet infinite, immanent yet transcendent, eternal creator who, existed before and above all other beings. To call Jesus divine while holding that understanding of divinity was stupendous. Yet it is the lynchpin of Jesus’ own self-understanding and underlies everything he teaches. So you either have to say that Jesus Christ is, as the Bible claims, the unique Creator God who has come in the flesh (offering life through his death and new life) which makes Christianity a better revelation than other religions - or you have to say that he was wrong or lying, which makes him and his followers a worse revelation of God. But christianity cannot be a religion just like the rest.” - Tim Keller If we grant that any religion makes unique claims, then we must decide whether or not those claims are true. Often times we try to say that all religions are the same so that we can avoid the hard work of pondering, weighing it all and choosing. But life is filled with hard choices, and it is childish to think you can avoid them. What do we do with Peter’s claim? Think. Think intensely, use logic. How can all this be true? -The message of the Gospel is a major challenge to all paradigms and world views at all times and in all places. That a human being would be divine and give his life self sacrificially and rise again 3 days later to ascend into heaven only to return to set up an eternal kingdom….is there a better narrative for the world? “Lord”- to what other historical figure would we dare give this title? To whom? - does anyone even come close in comparison? “You have the words of eternal life” - hasn’t the bread sermon alone made that abundantly clear? The Bible speaks the most inline with the human experience. When we look around at the world the Bible aligns with what we see and experience. "I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.” -Lewis Express your doubt.. Dishonest doubts are both proud and cowardly; they show disdain and laziness. A dishonest doubt is to say, “what a crazy idea!, and then just walk away. “That’s impossible” or “that’s stupid” is an assertion not an argument. It’s a way of getting out of a hard decision. Honest questions are humble because they lead us to ask questions and not just put up walls. So please bring your true doubts before God before his word, before others believers… Surrender If I follow Jesus will I have to give up… will I have to pray, read my bible, give up sex, quit my Job. But here we are negotiating the cost rather than counting it. Usually we are willing to give up things, but we aren’t willing to give up the right to decide what those things are. Like Peter and the other disciples, we may not have all the problems solved—the problems of following Jesus and saying yes to his teaching and his Lordship and his saving work. He may confuse us at times, and baffle us with things he says, and provoke us, and offend us. “Your heart must say something like,” I do not know all that you are going to ask of me, Lord. But I’ll do whatever you say in your Word, whether I like it or not, and I’ll accept patiently whatever you send into my life, whether I understand it or not.” We cannot say to Jesus, you are my consultant, I will be happy to take your recommendations and I might even do some of them. No. if you want Jesus with you, you have to give up the right to self-determination. -Keller You need to think intensely, doubt openly and surrender completely That’s what this Sermon is meant to do.