John 6:60­–71 - Cameron Jungels - Sun AM March 2, 2014

“Abiding in the Word of Life” (John 6:60­–71) (Eastside Baptist/Sun AM/March 2, 2014)

⁴⁷ Very truly I tell you, the one who believes has eternal life.  ⁴⁸ I am the bread of life.  ⁴⁹ Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died.  ⁵⁰ But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which anyone may eat and not die.  ⁵¹ I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world."  ⁵² Then the Jews began to argue sharply among themselves, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?"  ⁵³ Jesus said to them, "Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.  ⁵⁴ Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.  ⁵⁵ For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink.  ⁵⁶ Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them.  ⁵⁷ Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me.  ⁵⁸ This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your ancestors ate manna and died, but whoever feeds on this bread will live forever."  ⁵⁹ He said this while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.  ⁶⁰ On hearing it, many of his disciples said, "This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?"  ⁶¹ Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, "Does this offend you?  ⁶² Then what if you see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before!  ⁶³ The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you-- they are full of the Spirit and life.  ⁶⁴ Yet there are some of you who do not believe." For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him.  ⁶⁵ He went on to say, "This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled them."  ⁶⁶ From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.  ⁶⁷ "You do not want to leave too, do you?" Jesus asked the Twelve.  ⁶⁸ Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.  ⁶⁹ We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God."  ⁷⁰ Then Jesus replied, "Have I not chosen you, the Twelve? Yet one of you is a devil!"  ⁷¹ (He meant Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, who, though one of the Twelve, was later to betray him.) (John 6:47–71, NIV)

1. Sometimes those who initially profess faith in Jesus Christ walk away and abandon Christ.

Then the Jews began to argue sharply among themselves, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?" (John 6:52, NIV)

⁶⁰ On hearing it, many of his disciples said, "This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?"  ⁶¹ Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, "Does this offend you?  ⁶² Then what if you see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before!  ⁶³ The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you-- they are full of the Spirit and life.  ⁶⁴ Yet there are some of you who do not believe." For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him.  (John 6:60–64, NIV)

From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him. (John 6:66, NIV)

2. Those who abandon Christ demonstrate that they were never truly his followers.

Yet there are some of you who do not believe." For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him. (John 6:64, NIV)

²³ Now while he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Festival, many people saw the signs he was performing and believed in his name.  ²⁴ But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all people.  ²⁵ He did not need any testimony about mankind, for he knew what was in each person. (John 2:23–25, NIV)

To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. (John 8:31, NIV)

Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour. (1 John 2:18, NIV)

²² Who is the liar? It is whoever denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a person is the antichrist-- denying the Father and the Son.  ²³ No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also.  ²⁴ As for you, see that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you. If it does, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father.  ²⁵ And this is what he promised us-- eternal life.  ²⁶ I am writing these things to you about those who are trying to lead you astray. (1 John 2:22–26, NIV)

They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us. (1 John 2:19, NIV)

Then Jesus replied, "Have I not chosen you, the Twelve? Yet one of you is a devil!" (He meant Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, who, though one of the Twelve, was later to betray him.) (John 6:70–71, NIV)

While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled. (John 17:12, NIV)

3. True faith is abiding faith, because it is accomplished by a supernatural work of God’s grace that does not fail.

Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them. (John 6:56, NIV)

He went on to say, "This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled them." (John 6:65, NIV)

All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. (John 6:37, NIV)

And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. (John 6:39, NIV)

For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day." (John 6:40, NIV)

"No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day. (John 6:44, NIV)

4. True, abiding faith remains in Christ because he is the Word of life.

From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him. "You do not want to leave too, do you?" Jesus asked the Twelve. Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God." (John 6:66–69, NIV)

Main Idea: Not all that appears to be faith is really faith; true, grace-wrought faith abides in Jesus the Word of life.