John 6:60-66

I get the privilege of preaching from two passages at the end of John chapter 6, one today and one next Sunday, Lord willing.

John 6 · chapter mention

! I have an amazing passage that communicates some very encouraging truths.

!

Today I will be reading the entire section because there's a sense in which they're both intertwined.

But each one does stand alone and has a chiastic center that we'll be looking at.

So today let's look at the whole passage and then we'll be focusing just on the first.

John 6, 60.

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.

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.

And he said, this is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the father.

After this, many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him.

So Jesus said to the twelve, do you want to go away as well?

Simon Peter answered, Lord, to whom shall we go?

You have the words of eternal life.

And we have believed and come to know that you are the Holy One of God.

Jesus answered them, did I not choose you, the twelve?

And yet one of you is a devil.

He spoke of Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, for he, one of the twelve, was going to betray him.

Heavenly Father, we look to you and your word this morning, asking that your spirit would move among us, illuminate us,

allow us to breathe the fresh life that your word provides.

Help us to see your truths and cling to them, cling to Christ,

instead of drifting away.

Through your spirit, feed our souls and strengthen our faith today.

In Jesus' name.

Amen.

There are a few passages in scripture that show the divide between true and false disciples as well as this one does.

In the midst of a crisis of faith,

where many of Jesus' disciples turned away from following him,

Peter makes an amazing, faithful confession.

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.

Now, I believe that confession is a clear demonstration of the drawing love of the Father,

the life-breathing breath of the Spirit,

and the keeping power of our Savior.

This same kind of faith and divine preservation can be seen throughout the history of the church.

Through the crises of faith that happened in each generation,

and though from generation to generation that crisis or crises differed,

God has continued to preserve a remnant of true believers who remained faithful to him.

And you don't have to look far around you to see the same contrast in our generation.

We've seen pastors, worship leaders, Christian authors,

even friends or family members who once professed faith,

now saying,

I am no longer a Christian.

Their reasons vary.

Some talk about suffering.

Some talk about unanswered prayer.

Church hypocrisy.

Unanswered peace.

The difference between science and the Bible.

Apparent contradictions in the Bible.

Moral restrictions.

Divine justice.

And the exclusive claims of Jesus Christ.

And they can use any kind of new terminology they want to justify it,

but it is simply unbelief.

At the same time,

the church is still alive and growing and in many places thriving.

God's faithfulness to his people is unchanging.

And he wants to strengthen you today to endure well.

The question I believe this text puts before us this morning

is how do we respond when Jesus's words confront us

or when others walk away?

And the wisdom I believe this passage also provides is this.

When confronted with Jesus's difficult teachings,

he wants you,

he wants me to hold on to his words,

to be strengthened by the life that the spirit gives through them.

I believe this text shows us at least three reasons

to cherish and hold on to Christ's words.

One,

because they expose your sin.

Two,

because they are your life.

And three,

because he

holds on

to you.

So let's start

with considering the first reason

to hold on to Jesus's words.

Verses 60 through 62.

Hold on

to his words

because they expose your sin.

When many of his disciples heard it,

they said,

this is a hard saying.

Who can listen to it?

But Jesus,

knowing in himself

that his disciples were grumbling about this,

said to them,

do you take offense at this?

Then what if you were to see

the son of man ascending

to where he was before?

Now,

verse 60

introduces us

to another group

of people.

They weren't just the crowds

that followed

because of the signs.

They weren't

the religious leaders

from Judea

called in this passage

the Jews

who were

already

predisposed

to find fault with Jesus.

No,

these were his disciples.

People who had committed

to follow him

and to learn

from his teachings.

But they found

Jesus' words

hard.

The term used here,

skleros,

translated hard,

doesn't mean

hard to understand.

It means

hard to accept.

they obviously

didn't understand

all that he was saying.

But they resisted

what they did understand.

John's use

of the term

grumbling

in verse 61

puts these disciples

in the same category

as the unbelieving

children of Israel

who grumbled

in the wilderness

when the manna,

when they

got tired

of the manna.

the claims

Jesus made

earlier

about coming

from heaven

and his superiority

to Moses

most likely

bothered them

as well.

And his words

about eating

his flesh

and drinking

his blood

provoked them

and exposed

the true state

of their hearts.

They really

didn't

believe.

this is what

Jesus knew

in himself

when he responded

to their grumbling.

He then says

to them,

do you take

offense

at this?

Then what

if you were

to see

the son

of man

ascending

where he was

before?

Now this

response

might not

be easy

to understand

but I believe

it is

instructive.

he refers

to himself

as

the son

of man

a messianic

title

and he

speaks of

ascending

to where

he was

before

another

affirmation

of his

pre-existence

both

things

that they

had

trouble

believing.

Yet

he used

those words

to indicate

that their

offense

was

unfounded.

In

essence

he was

saying

if you

can't

accept

my

words

now

how

will

you

respond

when you

see me

exalted?

And

perhaps

understand

that that

exaltation

had to

come

through

death

and

resurrection.

And

what's the

greater

offense

anyway?

The

image of

eating

flesh and

blood

or

of

death

of the

Messiah

king

through

envy

and

jealousy.

Their

offense

wasn't

just a

metaphor,

wasn't

just about

the

metaphor,

it was

about his

identity

and his

mission.

He had

said earlier,

don't work

for the

food that

perishes,

but for the

food that

endures to

eternal

life,

which the

son of

man will

give you.

They

couldn't

accept that.

They

couldn't

accept that

he was

the son

of man

from heaven

and they

couldn't

accept what

he was

saying about

their own

misplaced

priorities.

Whether

they could

understand it

or not,

Jesus was

simply saying

that eternal

life comes

through

believing in

and partaking

of him

as the

one

who gives

his

flesh

and blood

for the

life of

the

world.

The

apostle

Paul

refers to

the

preaching

of the

cross

as a

stumbling

block

to the

Jews

and as

folly

to the

Gentiles.

But he

adds that

those who

are called

both Jews

and Gentiles,

Christ is

the power

of God

and the

wisdom

of God.

But these

disciples

considered

hard and

couldn't

believe is

that God

has provided

for you

to live

through

Christ.

Even when

we don't

fully understand

his words,

we must hold

on to them

for our

own

eternal

good.

How do

you respond

when

Jesus'

words

expose

your sin?

Do you

receive them

with faith

or do you

struggle

with them?

Every

difficult

teaching

of

the

Bible

exposes

what's in

our heart.

It shows

us where

we're at.

And let

me tell

you,

after 40

years,

it doesn't

get any

different,

any better.

When you

open your

Bible and

the words

cut deep,

someone said,

remember,

they are

words that

heal.

God's

truth is

like a

surgeon's

scalpel.

It may

sting,

but it

never cuts

to harm.

It cuts

to heal.

And so,

when confronted

with Jesus'

difficult words,

hold on

to them.

When they

show you

your sin,

take them

before God

in prayer.

So that's

the first

reason,

then,

to hold

on to

Jesus'

words because

they gracefully

expose our

sin.

Now the

second reason.

Hold on to

the words of

Jesus because

they are

your life.

for 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.

In this

verse,

we come to

the central

verse of

the passage,

the chiastic

center,

what some

have called

the interpretive

heart of

the passage.

church.

And Jesus

really is

continuing his

response to

their offense

as well as

expanding on

the teaching

of the way

to life.

The disciples'

unbelief had

blinded them

to the most

significant part

of Jesus'

teaching.

Their focus

on the

flesh and

blood imagery

and the

idea of

coming from

heaven caused

them to miss

the entire

point of

his message.

He had been

showing them

the way

one gains

eternal life

and that was

centered in

him.

The word

life is

mentioned

directly and

alluded to

in various

ways 25

times or more

in this

chapter alone.

It speaks

of never

hungering,

never thirsting,

never being

cast out,

being raised

on the last

day, never

dying and

living forever.

Now, in

this passage,

he adds,

it is the

spirit who

gives life.

Well, that

thought echoes

Ezekiel 37.

If you remember

Ezekiel's vision

of the valley

of dry bones

where God

tells Ezekiel

to call to

the corners

of the earth

for the

breath to

come and

it did

and brought

those bones

back to

life.

And then

God interprets

that vision

for him,

saying this

is the

spirit of

God and

the spirit

breathes

life into

the people

of Israel.

And then

again in

John 3,

we saw

that there

Jesus tells

Nicodemus,

you must be

born of

the spirit.

The flesh

is no help

at all.

No amount

of human

effort,

reasoning,

or religion

can produce

eternal life.

Only the

spirit can.

And with

this word,

Jesus addresses

the real

issue that's

in the heart

of man,

self-reliance.

D.A.

Carson

writes,

this phrase

sums up

the entire

problem of

human self-reliance.

We cannot

produce

spiritual life

through human

means.

But notice,

the spirit

gives life

through

the words

of Christ.

the words

I have

spoken to

you

are spirit

and life.

The words

themselves,

even the

difficult

ones,

are spirit

and life.

Andreas

Kostenberger

writes,

Jesus'

words are

spirit because

they are

animated

by his

spirit

and communicate

spiritual

truth.

They are

life

because

they

mediate

the life

of the

kingdom

to those

who receive

them

by faith.

J.C.

Ryle

adds this,

the Christ's

words,

when received

and believed,

quicken the

soul,

feed the

heart,

and sanctify

the life.

life.

The same

spirit who

gave life

to sinners

then works

through the

word of

God

today.

You cannot

separate

spiritual

vitality

from the

word of

Christ.

When you

receive his

word in

faith,

the spirit

uses it

to awaken

and sustain

life in

you.

So,

what if

you feel

spiritually

dry?

Don't look

to something

novel.

Don't look

to the

wisdom of

this world.

Look to

Christ.

Go to

Jesus.

Hold on

to his

words.

Feed your

soul on the

word of

God because

his words

are spirit

and life.

Read the

scriptures daily.

Meditate on

them deeply.

Obey them

joyfully.

Someone once

said,

if your

Bible stays

closed,

your faith

will grow

cold.

But when

you feed on

the word,

the spirit

will breathe

life into

your soul.

And I

believe that's

what God

intended when

he said,

man shall

not live

by bread

alone,

but by

every word

that proceeds

from the

mouth of

God.

So,

hold on

to Jesus'

words because

they expose

your sin,

because they

are your

life,

and now

thirdly,

hold on

to the

words of

Jesus because

he holds

on to

you.

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.

And he

said,

this is why

I told you

that no one

can come to

me unless

it is granted

to him

by the

Father.

After

this,

many of

his disciples

turned back

and no

longer

walked with

him.

Jesus

states

plainly

what we

have

assumed

all along

that

there are

some of

you

who do

not

believe.

And John

comments that

Jesus knew

this all

along.

And knowing

this,

I think it's

interesting that

he didn't

soften his

message.

he didn't

try somehow

to eliminate

the

response,

the

offense.

You see,

unbelief

is more

than doubt.

It is

resistance.

It is

rebellion

against the

truth.

It's not

just

innocent

doubt.

It's

rejection.

rejection.

And John's

gospel

portrays

unbelief

in various

ways.

It's the

rejection

of the

light.

It's the

love of

darkness.

It's

the

hardness

of heart.

And yet

Jesus knew

also

that this

unbelief

would serve

God's

plan.

He knew

who it

was

who would

betray him.

God's

And at

this point

we are

told

that many

turned

away from

him.

Unbelief

results

in that

apostasy.

But Jesus'

final words

in the

section are

both

challenging

and

confronting

or comforting.

Yeah,

they're both

that too.

No one

can come

to me

unless it

is granted

him by

the

Father.

These

words

are also

hard words

for many.

No man

can come

to me

unless it

is granted

him by

the Father.

He stated

that once

before and

he's telling

them that

this is the

reason why

I said it

before and

he repeats

himself.

And the

context in

which he

said that

before was

the grumbling

of the

Jews.

How can

this man

give us

his flesh

to eat?

And his

answer was

no one

can come

to me

unless the

Father draws

him.

And here he

says it a little

different.

No one can

come to me

unless it's

granted to

him by the

Father.

Now those

words challenge

our pride.

It challenges

us deeply

because the

implication here

is that it

really has

nothing to do

with you.

And I have

to admit that

this is probably

one of the

in the

what is it

40 years

that I've

been a

Christian

probably one

of the

most

difficult

words I've

heard people

complain about

Christians

complain about

this idea

that no one

can come

to him.

And the

objection is

well how

can God

not give

you and

me a

choice?

And that

is the

implication

here that

these people

who walked

away really

didn't have

a choice.

But that's

not true.

All it

says is

that no

one can

come to

me unless

it's

granted to

him by

the

father.

You see

these people

had a

choice.

They made

that choice

and their

choice followed

the natural

inclinations of

their unbelieving

heart.

God.

They were

free to

choose and

they chose

what they

wanted.

And it's

still true

today.

To come

to Christ

requires more

than

a simple

choice.

It requires

the grace

of God.

God.

Because all

men have

inherited our

father's

Adam's

nature.

And that

nature is a

nature of

sin and

death.

And it

takes the

grace of

God to

draw.

It takes

the grace

of God to

give us

faith.

faith.

In fact

that is

the

implication

of what

Jesus had

said earlier

as well.

I didn't

write this

down but I

have to

read it.

So let

me look

for it.

In

verse 35

Jesus

says

I

am the

bread of

life.

Whoever

comes to

me

shall not

hunger.

And whoever

believes in

me

shall never

thirst.

Now this

is an

example in

Greek of

a Hebrew

parallel

ism.

And it's a

synonymous

parallel.

It says

two things

that are

basically the

same.

One

whoever

comes to

me

shall not

hunger.

And two

whoever

believes in

me

shall

never

thirst.

The

parallels

are

come to

me and

believe in

me.

And

shall not

hunger

and never

thirst.

Both

references

to life.

God

and the

implication

there is

that

coming to

Christ

is the

same

as

believing

in

me.

And so

when we

read

this

chapter

here or

this

verse

here

where

Jesus

emphasizes

at this

critical

point of

a crisis

of faith

where he

could have

said

anything.

He could

have tried

to soften

his

message.

He could

have

tried

to

encourage

them to

faith

somehow.

He

basically

concluded

that

no one

can

come

to me

believe.

In other

words

believe

unless

it is

granted

him

by the

father.

Definitely

hard

words

but the

word of

God.

These

words

challenge

our

pride.

They

remind

us

though

that

salvation

is by

grace

alone.

And

they bring

us

comfort

assuring

us that

those to

whom the

father

draws

Jesus

will

never

lose.

That's

the

assurance

we have

verses

37

through

39.

All

that

the

father

gives

me

will

come

to

me

and

whoever

comes

to

me

I

will

never

cast

out.

This

is

the

will

of

him

who

sent

me

that

I

should

lose

nothing

of

all

that

he

has

given

me

but

raise

it

up

on

the

last

day.

This

is

why we

need to

hold

on

to

Christ's

words.

One of

my

favorite

psalms

is in

is

psalm

63

and

one of

my

favorite

verses

in that

psalm

my

soul

clings

to

you

your

right

hand

upholds

me.

Two

sides

of the

coin

my

soul

clings

to

you

your

right

hand

upholds

me.

Over

quite a

few years

now I've

had the

privilege of

holding

many

babies

in my

arm

14

of my

own

children

29

of my

own

grandchildren

plus

many

others

and I

learned

early

that

babies

have

and

Renee

tried to

tell me

it was

something

about a

moral

or

palmer

reflex

and she

wasn't

sure which

one it

was in

this

case

but

they

have

this

reflex

so that

when

you're

holding

them

and

if

you

were

walking

and

stumbled

a little

bit

they

would

react

and I

remember

one time

specifically

when one

of

my

children

were

holding

onto my

hand

while I

was

walking

and I

did

sort of

release

my grip

a little

bit

and I

felt

a strong

little

finger

hand

grabbing

onto

my

finger

and it

was a

it was

a great

feeling

to experience

that

and

and

I

realized

that if

I were

to slip

and release

that grip

would never

have held

that baby

there was

just no

way

but

he gripped

anyway

he gripped

because

that's

what he

needed

and this

verse

reminds me

so much

of that

experience

my soul

clings

to you

your

right hand

holds

me

take

heart

if you

belong to

Jesus

he will

not let

go

you

might

feel

weak

your

grip

might

slip

but

his

grip

never

does

when

others

walk

away

don't

interpret

that as

a failure

of the

gospel

it's a

an exposure

of

unbelief

when

you

abide

when

you

keep

holding

on

remember

it's

because

the

father

the

spirit

and

the

son

are

holding

on

to

you

so

what

is

Jesus

saying

through

this

passage

hold

on

to

my

words

even

when

they're

hard

when

they're

hard

they

reveal

truth

expose

!

sin

and

point

you

to

grace

hold

on

to

them

because

they

are

your

life

the

spirit

breathes

through

them

hold

on

to

them

because

I

am

holding

on

to

you

my

grip

is

stronger

than

your

weakness

when

others

walk

away

and

many

will

remember

what

Jesus

says

he

wants

you

to

endure

well

when

truth

offends

listen

when

faith

feels

weak

rest

in

his

strength

because

the

very

words

that

once

seemed

hard

are

the

words

that

give

you

life

hold

on

cherish

!

Cling!

Rely

on!

Never

let

them

go!

Let's

pray

together!