Hard Sayings

What is Hard Sayings?

The disciples in verse 60 say, “This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?” They were responding to what we read last week. They were having trouble comprehending the fact Jesus is the bread of life.

All of scripture can be seen as hard sayings. Why is that? The answer is found in verse 53. “The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.” Everything in the Bible is of the spirit.

To understand the Bible you must read it under the power of the Holy Spirit.

1 Corinthians 2:14 says:

1 Corinthians 2:14 ESV

The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.

You can draw meaning from Scripture apart from God, but you going to be looking at it through fuzzy eyes, so things are going to get contorted. When we get saved our spiritual vision gets aligned how it should be.

Don’t let a blind and dead word control how you see the Living Word.

The world loves to try to tell you the Bible is outdated, homophobic, anti-science, anti-woman, pro-slavery, hateful, etc.

But are any of those things true? No, when we look at Scripture all these worldly points are proven false.

When the world comes to Scripture they see what they want to see, not what the ought to see.

God allows us as believers to see Scripture the way it is meant to be seen. Scripture is hard sayings when you don’t know the God who says them. The closer you grow to the God who says the words, the more clarity you get.

Worldly things can be distracting and blinding. Matthew 26:41 says:

Matthew 26:41 ESV

Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

All of us know a lot of about how we should live, but does that mean we always run to doing right.

Responding to Hard Sayings

Their are so many ways we can respond, some helpful and some not.

Grumbling. Many times when we find ourselves struggling with some hard sayings, instead of addressing heart issues going on, we start grumbling. We point to circumstances, what others done, things from our past, we grumble about the hard work to bring change, etc.

Grumbling distracts us from dealing with our heart issues.

Do you take offense at this? Many times we get offended because the hard sayings hit a nerve. The words convict because of something going on in your life. So you get defensive and begin to fight the words of God instead of letting Him work on your heart.

Don’t fight the hard sayings, let them mold your heart.

English Standard Version Chapter 6

(For Jesus knew from the beginning who those were who did not believe, and who it was who would betray him.)

Sometimes people within the “Christian” community struggle with hard sayings because they were never truly members at heart.

Jesus knows your heart, and rather or not you respond with your heart.

Many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him. Some people when they start hearing sayings that get too hard cost too much decide to bail and flee. They don’t realize fleeing from God their whole lives will leave them trapped under the wrath of God for all eternity.

Your time of fleeing God is limited. One day you will have to stand before Him.

Finally we come to the words of Simon Peter in verse 68

English Standard Version Chapter 6

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.”

Peter realized the power of the words. that Christ is the one true God. Peter might not could understand all the sayings, but he knew he could trust the one who said it. You don’t have to completely understand somebody to trust them. Do you always understand your parents? Do you understand completely how an airplane that weighs anywhere from 150,000 to 1,000,000 stays thousands of feet up in the air. But you exercise faith in those things. Greater should be our faith in the God of the universe who holds it in his hand.

Placing our faith in God is the only way to approach hard sayings.

How to Understand Hard Sayings

Approach scripture with an attitude of prayer

James 4:2–3 ESV

You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.

Spend quality time with God

Practice good Bible study habits

Context

Reading a passage more than once

Interrogate your Bible

Don’t be afraid to ask questions

Always ask how the passage is connected to Jesus

Be Jesus centric, not you centric