Hello, my ‘Walking with Jesus’ friends on this last Friday of January,
I left you yesterday standing in a crowd of people on the shoreline of the Sea of Galilee listening to Jesus say some shocking and remarkably HOPEFUL words. Do you remember?
Jesus had begun by comparing Himself to the manna which fell from heaven early every morning in the wilderness and fed 1 million Hebrew slaves whom Moses had led out of Egypt, many centuries before! God had fed them daily for 40 years, keeping them alive in a desert with a daily bread delivery from heaven! (Exodus 16) Jesus declared that in a similar way God had sent Him from heaven to earth and Jesus said these stunning words: “I am the Bread of Life. Whoever comes to Me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in Me will never be thirsty.” (John 6:35) We dissected what Jesus meant by that, yesterday.
We also looked closely at the fact that Jesus said anyone who comes to HIM comes in response to the personal, active drawing of God the Father. And furthermore, all who come to Jesus can be certain that Jesus will NEVER drive them away, never, for any reason! And furthermore, Jesus promised He would NEVER LOSE any who come and entrust their lives to Him, but Jesus would in fact “raise them up at the last day.” (John 6:37-39)
I have no doubt the crowd was flabbergasted! Their heads were spinning as these ordinary people tried to comprehend the incredible and eternal implications of what Jesus was saying. I hope our explanation yesterday is still resonating in your minds and hearts! If you missed yesterday, I urge you to go to the WWJ Archives and engage it.
But Jesus wasn’t finished and today let’s look at what He said next: “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) Once again do you hear Jesus claiming that Almighty God is His heavenly Father?
Do you hear Jesus declaring that God the Father has a strategic and specific PLAN, which is God’s will for our human race? And do you see how God’s will for humanity directly depends upon Jesus Christ fulfilling His unique, God given assignment during His brief incarnational tenure here on earth?
Pause… did you ponder each of those questions, wrestling with their implications and declaring your position on each question? If not, if you just buzzed through them, I urge you to go back and wrestle with them. They have very significant implications for you, your family, your city, our human race!
But do you see two more very powerful statements Jesus was making?
First… “everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life!” So, look closely, my friends, at that statement. What is the qualifier? Who is REWARDED with God given eternal life and who is EXCLUDED from God given eternal life? Yes, it’s obvious, isn’t it? Anyone and everyone is eligible, but ONLY those who fully trust in Jesus Christ will receive from God eternal life with Him!
A few months later, as Jesus was in the upper room with His disciples, only hours before going to the cross, Jesus repeated this again, but this time with definitive and exclusive clarity: “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except by Me.“ (John 14:6)
No, ALL roads do not lead to God! God Himself has designed ONLY ONE pathway to a lifesaving, life transforming relationship with Him… that’s ONLY THROUGH Jesus Christ, God the Son! Yes, God is always loving, but His love declares and demands that we come to God by His prescribed pathway and that pathway is ONLY Jesus!
And do you see the second definitive statement Jesus made here: “and I will raise them up at the last day.” And you’re asking, but didn’t Jesus say that once already in John 6:39? YES, and when God repeats Himself, especially in two successive verses, I pay close attention and I urge you to do the same!! God wants humanity to understand something profound.
Earth is the only planet in the universe which God created for mankind to exist. Our human journey lasts, at most, a century or so, but at the end of our earthly life there is still eternity for living, but not here on earth. Where?
Only two options… both places God has prepared for billions of people to spend eternity, an infinite length of time, far more than a few years on planet earth. What two places? Heaven, with God the Father and Jesus Christ and all holy angels, and all people of all time who have believed in God and trusted Him and His truth.
The other place… well, that’s for those, including Satan and his demons, who don’t like God’s way and want to do it on their own, apart from God. And so, in Hell all who have refused God’s way and tried to find another way to God apart from Jesus, will spend eternity together apart from God.
Now my friends, the people in the crowd that day who were listening to Jesus responded very much like much of the world in our day. They resisted and refused. John tells us they grumbled and some said: “Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph and Mary whom we know? How can He now say, ‘I have come down from heaven?” (John 6:41,42) I’m so glad John spends much of chapter 6 bringing us into this story and giving us important details.
Do you see here that Jesus was well known as a local boy, who had grown up in Nazareth and His family was well known by many people? But do you also see the people had either never heard of or had decided long ago to reject any notion of what we call the Christmas story!? That is why Jesus did so many miracles… to prove the truthfulness of what He claimed about who He really is!
And so, we need to pause once again and ask ourselves these important questions:
1. How do I respond when the Bible records something that I don’t like or maybe even some truth from God that I don’t agree with? What if it’s something Jesus is reported to have said or done? Do I insist that I like or agree with something God says before I will accept it as God’s truth?
2. If Jesus was the son of Joseph and Mary, then how is it possible He did all the miracles? You see my friends, in the end we are left with only three possibilities with Jesus. He is either a LUNATIC or a LIAR or He is LORD over all! Each person has to choose and your choice defines your relationship with God and your destiny for all eternity!
As always important “lessons learned” notes for deeper reflection are at the link below as is a worship song drawing us to Jesus, and tomorrow I’ll be here waiting for you!
Today’s Scripture: John 6:40-44.
Choose below to read or listen.
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Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.
Pastor Doug Anderson
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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