Everyday Courage • Part 4 with Tony Jennings

Welcome to the Southside Church Podcast, weekly content that inspires all of us to follow Jesus.

Join us each week for a message from one of our fantastic communicators that provide practical ways to grow our faith, challenge ourselves, and to love others more.

And now, this week's message.

One, I'm so glad that you are here.

But also, you're jumping into a very good time in the series because we're closing out our Everyday Courage series and we're going to talk about something that feels almost impossible at times to do.

So I'm going to make this statement that I believe is true for many of us, or maybe even true for someone you know.

And it's this leaving is easy.

And there are so many reasons why leaving is easy, and you're probably processing some of those reasons right now.

But one of the simplest reasons is that we've got options.

When we don't receive the desired outcome, guess what?

We just leave.

When the tension becomes frustration and anger, we leave.

And when expectations aren't met, we leave.

And when the date doesn't go as planned, you should run.

You should run because if they've got you outside in 90-degree heat in Georgia at the park and you're currently um sitting with mosquitoes, sitting with uh uh flies, you should probably just run.

You should probably leave.

Right?

But no, but no, here's the thing.

Before we jump in any further, I want to be absolutely clear.

When I talk about leaving, I am not talking about leaving situations and circumstances where where you're being abused, where you're being mistreated, where you are being taken advantage of.

I'm not talking about those.

Those situations and circumstances are probably circumstances you should leave, and we would all understand and we'd probably say that they're wise and necessary, and probably the most courageous thing you can do.

So I'm not talking about those.

But I'm talking about the moments, the moments where fear, uncomfortableness, and discomfort get in the way of you simply being obedient to the call, to the thing that God is asking you to do.

The thing that God is calling you to faithfully pursue and faithfully commit to.

So we're gonna take a look at John's gospel.

And in John's gospel, he shares this incredible, incredible moment uh what Jesus is teaching to a multitude of people.

But before we get there, I'm gonna get a get give you a little bit of context to how we got there.

And before we do that, y'all, the teaching monitor went out.

Okay, so I'm gonna get a table here, I'm gonna bring it up, and I'm gonna bring a stool up, and we're just gonna have a conversation.

Does that sound good?

Sounds good.

Let's do it.

Thanks, Angelica.

And if you grew up in church, you're probably used to this.

And this this is your first time here.

Welcome to something new called pivoting.

We are we are pivoting and we are adapting.

And can we turn the lights on just a little bit more?

So we're gonna think about this as if we're at a coffee shop.

Okay, so if I say something funny, feel free to laugh so that my wife can know that I'm funny.

Um, and if I say something thought-provoking, it's okay to go, hmm, like we're sitting at coffee.

Okay, so let's just let's jump in here.

Right, so we have this moment when Jesus had just fed thousands and thousands of people.

He takes this kid's uh fish and some bread, and he feeds multitudes of people with stuff left over enough to for all of the disciples to have baskets filled.

Right?

And then there's this moment where Peter ends up walking on water, and we talked about that a few weeks ago.

And then they get to this point where the people who had just been fed by Jesus, they go searching for him because Jesus went away.

He and the disciples they wanted to go away to pray, to be alone, and they're searching for him.

They're looking for Jesus, and they're not looking for Jesus because he's Jesus, they're looking for Jesus because, well, they want their bellies full.

They're looking for Jesus because he met their physical needs.

And and what's different about the ancient world, our ancient neighbors, compared to us, we can go down the street and we can find food.

We can go to Kroger right now rather than going to publics because public sometimes is a little bit more expensive, right?

Unless they have the BOGO.

The BOGO guys, the BOGO.

It is incredible.

Okay.

Um, but they can't find, they couldn't find food the way we can now.

So to find someone that can meet their physical needs, jackpot.

So we're gonna follow him because hopefully he can do it every single day for us.

And you know what's interesting about that?

I think if I were to ask all of us in here if your physical needs are met, does that equal satisfaction?

You don't have to answer that now.

But for many of us, we we probably think um, if only I could have blank, I would be satisfied.

If only I could have a different relationship, if only I can have a better relationship, if only I can have that job that I've been longing for, if only my dreams could come true, if only I could have the new house that I have been praying and working so hard for, if only I can have that new car that I've been wanting to get because my engine light has been on for three years.

If if only, if only, if only I can have it, I would be satisfied.

And they are they're following Jesus for the same reason.

They're hoping that he can meet his physical need.

So if you have your Bibles, we're gonna jump in at John 6, 25.

If you got your phone, feel free, feel free to pull those out.

And if not, like it'll be on the back screen behind us, okay?

So I'm gonna give you a minute.

John is um after, we've got Matthew, we've got Mark, and we've got Luke, and then there's John.

So let's jump in.

Verse 25.

And it reads, When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, Rabbi, which means teacher, when did you get here?

And let's just make this clear.

They're looking to Jesus because he can meet their physical need.

Let's keep reading.

Jesus answered them, Very truly I tell you, you're looking for me.

Not because you saw all the signs I perform, but because you ate the loaves and had your fill.

Basically, you're looking for me because you just want more fish and more bread.

You're just simply looking to have your bellies fill.

And Jesus, he goes on to say this do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you.

And we'll we'll talk about eternal life a little bit later.

For on him, God the Father has placed his seal of approval.

And y'all, they still don't get it because the next thing they ask shows that they don't get it.

They're not comprehending who and what Jesus.

So they asked him, What must we do to do the works that God requires?

Basically, they're asking, what can we do to make sure that we get more food?

And Jesus answered, the work of God is this to believe.

To believe in the one He has sent.

So, first let's let's address this word work, and then we'll address what must we do.

Basically, they are asking, like, what are some of the laws that I need to follow?

And you gotta understand, for this Jewish community, um, they followed laws and they had a ton of them.

So it's like, what laws do we need to do?

How many times do we need to do them?

What do we need to give?

How do we need to serve?

Where do we need to go?

How many times can we go and do this?

They're looking for laws, they're looking for rules in order to get more food.

That's what they're searching for.

And in in Jesus, in his kindness, he doesn't share a multitude of works.

He simply says to believe.

And you know what this communicates to you and I, to all of us here today, and to those back then, that there is nothing we can do to achieve what is unachievable.

There's nothing we can do, we can perform.

None of that matters.

None of that solely matters to God because what He's giving us is free.

But all it takes is for us to believe.

And then they ask Jesus after he'd already performed miracles, healed the sick, right?

And just before this fed thousands and thousands of people.

They go, hey, what what other sign can you do for me?

Like, think about that.

He had already done a ton of stuff.

And then they go, hey, what else can you do to show me that you're the one that God sent?

To show me that you're the son of God.

And then some of the Jewish people that were there, scripture tells us that they started to go, hmm, how can he be the son of God?

Like, we know his mom and dad.

Isn't this Mary and Joseph's son?

Like, there's no way that he could be the son of God.

And then Jesus makes this declaration.

He says, I am the bread of life.

Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.

And then he continues to teach why he's here, the reason behind it to do his father's will.

He unpacks that, and which we don't have a ton of time to unpack that today because I want to get you out of here by lunch, or else we'll be here to next week.

Um, but if we were to go down to verse 47, if you're tracking with me, verse 47 he says this very truly I tell you, the one who believes and has eternal life, I am the bread of life.

Then he goes on to say that your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died.

Now, this word manna, manna, what he's referring to is this extraordinary moment that happens.

And maybe you've watched Prince of Egypt before.

Oh, I'm showing my millennial age.

Some of my Gen Zs in the room are like, what?

What is that?

Um but but it's this moment where Moses is asked to lead the children of Israel out of Egypt, out of slavery.

And he does so.

He goes to Pharaoh and he says, Hey, Pharaoh, let my people go.

And then a ton of extraordinary moments happen, and God showed up in a marvelous and a miraculous way.

But then they end up in the wilderness, wandering the wilderness for 40 years.

And they're asking, hey God, can you provide?

And so he does.

He provides what is called manna.

And it's basically a bread from heaven that would fall.

And they would eat on it daily, daily, and he would provide daily, daily.

And even with that bread, Jesus is saying, even with that bread that they were eating that sustained them day after day after day, your ancestors still died.

But the bread of life that he's offering is eternal.

And they would have known this story.

So this would have caused a little bit of confusion for them.

So then Jesus goes, but here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which anyone may eat and not die.

Now I want you to track with me.

They know that they have been called to be God's chosen people, to represent his image on earth to the nations around them.

So they had expected that a Messiah would eventually come to save them, to restore the glory for the nation of Israel.

That's what they were expecting.

But they only expected it to be for them.

And Jesus makes this clear distinction that it is for anyone, for Jews and non-Jews, for those back then and for you and I today.

And then he continues to read: 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.

Then the Jews begin to argue, right?

Sharply among themselves.

We don't argue, guys, right?

We never argue up here.

How can this man give us his flesh to eat?

If this is your first time here, or first time in church in a long time, I don't want you to check out.

Because this could be shocking and confusing, and you're like, this sounds a little weird.

Why am I here?

I don't want you to check out.

I want you to track with me because I'm gonna explain exactly what it is.

And although it feels complex, when we boil it down, it is very, very actually simple.

But I need you to do me a favor, everyone here, even if you're a follower of Jesus and you've read this story a thousand times, and if you're not a follower of Jesus, I need you to do me a favor.

I need you to imagine.

Imagine that you're living during this time.

And this guy is saying to you that he wants you to do this.

And a little bit more of what we're about to read.

I need you to imagine this for a moment.

And I want you to have your first response, but I don't want you to hold it in.

I want you to say the first thing that comes out that comes to your mind.

Can we do that?

Okay, okay, here we go.

All right.

So he goes, 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.

Then the Jews begin to argue sharply among themselves, how can this man give us his flesh to eat?

Then Jesus said to them, Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh, the Son of Man, and drink his blood, you have no life in you.

Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.

My flesh is real food and my blood is real drink.

Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I am them.

Right?

Right?

I mean, imagine if you guys didn't know me, and the first thing I came and I said this, you'd all would probably run out of here.

And I wouldn't blame you.

But I'll explain exactly what Jesus meant a little bit later.

But yes, this sounds a little bit uncomfortable.

Sounds a little weird and sounds as if this is something I probably shouldn't do or follow or be a part of.

But Jesus continues in verse 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.

This is the bread that came down from heaven.

Your ancestors ate manna and they died.

But whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.

And he said this while teaching in the synagogue in Coperna.

I want you to understand something.

When Jesus is talking about telling them to eat, telling them to drink, he's not talking physically.

We can all breathe.

He's not talking about physically, but for those of you who've been following Jesus for a while, this reminds you a little bit of something.

Communion, right?

A little bit.

Take a deep breath.

That's that's not what he's asking.

He's talking spiritually here.

What he's saying is that he wants you to take him in.

He wants you to abide in him, he wants you to dwell in him.

And when you take more of him in, when you make the decision to believe in him, you you you take a consequence of that, a beautiful consequence of that, is that you take him in.

You take more of his presence, more of his kindness, more of his love, more of his gentleness, more of his compassion.

And you do that by spending time with him in prayer, in worship, listening to music, out in solitude, journaling, being around a community of other people who are developing their faith and growing their faith in Jesus.

It's when we take him in, we become, guess what, more like him.

My mom used to tell me, because I love potatoes, specifically French fries.

With ranch?

Oh, y'all, come on.

I see some head knots.

Yes, we're friends for life.

But she used to say, You are what you eat, Tony.

Keep on eating those potatoes.

You're gonna be uh y'all must have been hanging out with my mom.

But the more we draw near to God, the more we come close to him, he comes close to us.

James 4.8 says that.

So when we take him in, when we abide in him, we become more like him.

So this is important.

If we're gonna address our physical needs, we've got to also address our spiritual needs.

And he is the answer to both.

A better way to say this is he is the answer to all of our needs.

So if the answer, if he is the answer to the question, right, then the decision we have to make, that we get to make, is this.

What do we believe about Jesus?

Do we believe that he is the bread of life?

Do we believe, as Paul writes in Philippians 4.19, and my God will meet all your needs according to your riches and glory in Christ Jesus?

Do we believe, as John 3.16 says, for God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life?

And I'll explain the eternal life in a moment.

So now they're sitting there feeling the same thing we felt, and probably a little bit stronger of how uncomfortable it is for Jesus to say, take me in, eat more of me, drink my blood.

It's like, whoa, what is what is happening here?

It was okay for you to perform miracles, that's fine.

It's okay for you to do to do the miraculous, to feed all of us and to heal the sick.

That's fine.

But this, I don't know.

And verse 60 says this.

On hearing it, many of his disciples said, This is a hard teaching.

And when we talk about this word disciples, we're not talking about the 12, his close followers.

We're talking about the multitude of people who followed Jesus because they wanted to get something from him.

He was intriguing, he was interesting, he was the new thing on the block, right?

He says, This is a hard teaching.

Who can accept it?

And aware that uh his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, does this offend you?

What a question.

This is a side note just for followers of Jesus.

Um, when you make the decision to truly believe and follow Jesus, you're gonna offend some people.

You're gonna offend some people because you're not choosing to just live up to the status quo.

You're choosing an uncomfortable path.

You are choosing an unknown path for a lot of people that they don't understand.

Like, why would you do this?

You're choosing um selflessness over selfishness.

You're choosing love over hate.

You're choosing kindness and you're choosing compassion, you're choosing to forgive first.

You're choosing to understand rather than uh create arguments, you're choosing to not choose a side, but only to choose the side of Jesus.

So you're going to offend some people.

But only like Jesus can.

He continues to try to unpack it over the next couple of verses and try to explain what he's meaning, and they are still not getting.

So Jesus went on to say, This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled him.

In verse 65, from this time, many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.

Again, this is the multitude of people.

This is not the twelve.

Okay?

But I think for many of us, it's safe to assume this.

It's safe to assume that they turned back because they may have realized that Jesus wasn't the Messiah and King they expected.

They expected again to come and overthrow the Roman Empire and re-establish the glory of Israel.

That's what they expected.

That didn't happen the way that they thought it was going to happen.

And then Jesus refused to give in to their self-centered request.

Hey, Jesus, can you give me more of those miracles that you've been doing?

Don't do the other things.

Don't convict me.

Don't try to challenge me to change.

Just just supply my physical need.

Maybe because they were offended by Jesus' teachings and decided that they've had enough.

Basically, many followers turned back when Jesus said he wasn't going to just give in to giving them more efficiently.

Sandwiches and healings.

That following him meant more than just getting something.

Doesn't this sound familiar?

Maybe you've experienced this in your relationship with Jesus, or maybe watching others' relationship with Jesus.

Hey, I'm done with this whole Jesus thing because God didn't heal my mother, or because God didn't answer my prayers.

I'm done with this whole Jesus thing.

I'm leaving, I'm turning back because tragedy has happened in my life, and it doesn't make any sense as to why.

I've been following Jesus, and my life hasn't gotten better or it hasn't changed the way that I expected it to change.

So what's the point?

What's the point?

And y'all, I can only imagine what's happening within the hearts and minds of those close 12 followers of Jesus.

Because you've got to imagine that they have been watching Jesus do this for a while now.

They're seeing him heal people and do all of these extraordinary things, but then all of a sudden, for the very first time, people are leaving instead of coming in droves to get close to him.

And they are leaving.

And Jesus, he turned to his 12 and he asked, Hey, um, you don't want to leave too, do you?

Jesus is very direct here.

No middle ground.

Make your decision to stay or to leave.

And for us in a world where we've got options, that's not an easy question to answer, is it?

But Peter, y'all, we all need friends like Peter.

Peter's outspoken.

I think he I heard an old pastor say years ago, uh, he said that Peter was the first one to create a concealed to carry license.

But Peter, he puts his stake in the ground.

I mean, he puts his stake in the ground and he answers this question not only for him, but the other 11.

He says it just like this Lord, to whom shall we go?

You have the words to eternal life.

We have come to believe to know that you are the holy one.

Peter makes a decision to stay.

And moreover, Peter answers a more fundamental question: where else would we go?

Yeah, this is hard teaching.

And and following you, gosh, y'all, we have cars and trains and buses and airplanes.

They had to walk from place to place.

So just physically following Jesus probably felt impossible.

But along with everything else, Peter says, where else would we go?

Yes, your teaching is hard sometimes, but where else will we go?

No matter what's happening, Jesus, you are the only person, the person that I need to follow, no matter what.

I've seen other leaders and people claiming to be from God.

And maybe for you and I, we've followed culture.

We've chased success.

And none of that has filled my life.

None of that has filled your life.

None of that was eternal.

And no other person or teaching or way was better than your way.

So, yes, this is hard teaching.

But I trust you.

And when Peter could have gone back to doing what he was doing before he met Jesus, he could have gone back fishing.

It probably would have been easier and more profitable.

There are many places that he could have gone.

And maybe it's time for you, like Peter, to answer the question: where else will you go?

Because maybe you've tried following other religions.

Maybe you've tried following culture, maybe you tried following politicians, maybe you've tried following social media, maybe you tried following celebrities, maybe you've tried following every single thing else, everything else.

And it still hasn't satisfied you.

And then Peter.

Peter says this you have the words to eternal life.

Now, what is eternal life?

It is life beyond time.

It is life outside of time, life within time.

And what Peter says here is what Jesus has been pointing to all along.

Jesus is inviting us to share in God's eternal life, which is life where death has no power.

It is life where sickness and disease has no power.

It is life where shame has no power, where guilt and grief have no power.

It is a life where the culture and society, where they have no power, it is a life where shame and anxiety and worry and depression have no power.

It is a life where sickness and disease, where it has no power.

And God's unconditional love makes us whole and has all the power.

And y'all, what Jesus has been pointing to this whole time is that we can experience that in the here and now.

But I've got to admit that following Jesus will be challenging sometimes.

There will be tough lessons to learn, not because God wants to harm or hurt us, but because he desires us to be more like Jesus and to truly follow him.

And y'all, here's the reality.

The reality of following Jesus, following him will go against a lot of your desires.

It will go against a lot of what you've been taught, and you will be forced and you will be encouraged to renew your mind in Christ Jesus every single day.

And not because the goal is simply to know more about him, but because the goal is to take him in, to abide in him, to dwell with him, to be with him, to be more like him so that on earth, as it is in heaven, so that that happens.

So that the kingdom of heaven is reflected through us, through the work of what Jesus is doing in our hearts.

And it overflows into our marriages, into our friendships, into our relationships, into our schools, into our communities, into Faye County, into our country, and into our world.

But here's the thing: it is going to take the courage, the courage to stay.

Because there will be moments when following Jesus will be uncomfortable, will be confusing and frustrating and painful and inconvenient.

But sometimes courage means refusing to walk away.

So back to the list we started our conversation with today, when following Jesus gets uncomfortable, don't leave, stay.

When we don't receive the desired outcome, don't leave.

Stay.

When the tension becomes more frustration and anger, stay.

And when expectations aren't met, stay.

Because y'all, here's the thing.

Can I get your eyes for a second?

And this is the good news.

Because on earth, as it is in heaven, happens when a group of ordinary people like you and me make the decision to be committed, to stay, to stay committed to Jesus our King, Jesus our Savior, Jesus our Lord.

And maybe for you, you've never been asked a question or never been invited to following him.

And over the course of this series, we've been talking about everyday courage.

And maybe before you even make the commitment to stay, the commitment for you is to simply follow Jesus.

So that's you, and you're here, and you're thinking, okay, I've tried everything else.

Tried the other religions.

Tried the social media, I tried to become popular.

I've tried the career hunt.

I've tried to get the promotions, I've tried everything else.

I've tried to find fulfillment and eternal life in my success, in my career, in everything else, in my marriages and in my relationships, but none of that led to eternal life.

None of that has satisfied me.

You're ready to take a step in his direction.

To commit to simply following him.

And as a matter of fact, just in case you have someone sitting next to you who's thinking of taking this step, wants to say it out loud, but let's say it alongside them so that they too have the courage to commit to following Jesus.

Just repeat this simple prayer after me.

Jesus, I believe you are the Son of God.

I know I've missed the mark, but I believe you died on the cross for my sin.

I ask you to forgive me.

I believe you rose from the dead, and that changes everything.

So today I make the decision to commit to you.

I ask you to save me.

I give you my life.

I give you my heart, and I give you my all.

Amen.

Yeah.

And now there's another group in the room.

It's probably going to be all of us again.

Man, when life gets hard.

The easiest thing to decommit to.

The easiest thing to leave sometimes.

Feels like it's your relationship with Jesus.

It's so interesting that when when things get hard sometimes, it's easy for us to continue to go into Starbucks.

But man, to continue to trust in Jesus?

That's hard.

That's challenging.

So today I'd love for all of us to commit to stay.

So y'all, we're gonna read this together.

I'm gonna sit next to y'all and we're gonna we're gonna read this together.

It's gonna be on the screen here.

Sam, you ready?

Jesus, even when I don't understand, I'm staying.

Even when I'm uncomfortable, I'm staying.

Even when it costs me, I'm staying.

And even when I can't see the outcome, I'm staying.

Yeah.

Yeah, that's what we're getting excited about, right?

Well, because we all kind of read that together, guess what?

We're in this thing together.

We're gonna commit to staying together.

And so I'm gonna read this prayer of us.

Everybody, bow your heads for me.

I'm gonna read this over us.

Um I pray that out of his glorious riches, he may strengthen you with power through his spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.

And I pray that you being rooted and established in love may have power together with all the Lord's holy people to grasp how wide and long and how high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know his love that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be the glory, in the church, and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations.

Forever and ever.

Amen.