Now that I have your attention,I regret to inform you that this is not a message about the antichrist or the mark of the beast.Don't know who he is or where he is coming from. Nope. The Apostle John tells us that the spirit of antichrist is already here doesn't he?
1 John 4:3 (ESV) 3 and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already.
However this message isn't about the antichrist,but it is about 666. Let me try and explain. Look at this.
John 6:66 (ESV) 66 After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him.
There,however,is a corollary here don't you think? John 6:66 After this many of His disciples turned back and no longer walked with him. What happened to these disciples. They had just seen the Lord Jesus feed thousands of people with a few loaves of bread and a couple of fish.He,(Jesus) had recently healed a man lame and invalid for 38 years. Why did these folks turn back on this miracle worker? And herein lieth the lesson.
Hard sayings. Huh Ronnie? What did you say? Hard sayings.
The sixth Chapter of John is chock full of controversial statements and actions. Whole theologies have been built around some of the statements made in this Chapter. You look at vss.37-40 and you can begin to build a case for eternal security.Skip around to vs.44 and vs.65 to start a defense of predestination. Turn the page back to vs.15 and one can debate the merits of revolution and civil disobedience. Vs.53-54 center around blood covenants and what not. But,by and large these are theological discussions,doctrine if you will. While they represent differing viewpoints,they are just that ...differing viewpoints.
However,in vs.60 we discover why the disciples turned and left. Look at that verse.
John 6:60 (ESV) 60 When many of his disciples heard it, they said, “This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?”
A hard saying.
The disciples had a difficult time digesting Jesus' statements about His flesh and blood. He likened it to food for sustenance. His flesh and blood,Jesus said, was the very essence of their life. Unless they ate His flesh and drank His blood they would have no life in them. Now whether or not the disciples took that literally is up for grabs.No matter how they took Jesus' words,to them it was a "hard saying." But,it was not the difficulty of the statement that's important. It was their response to that difficulty.
"..............who can listen to it?" Basically what this is saying is,this is too much for anyone to accept.It was a matter of unbelief.They didn't believe what Jesus was saying to them so they passed the buck. "Jesus,this is too difficult to understand. It is too difficult to believe.NO ONE can accept this!" But,and this is the point,Jesus wasn't concerned whether or not the disciples thought it hard. Neither was He concerned whether or not they UNDERSTOOD IT. His ONLY care was whether or not they BELIEVED it.
I can't believe how those disciples reacted. Can you? Have they lost their mind? Did they not see the miracles! Do they not have any faith at all?! As Lee Corso says,"Not so fast Ronnie my friend."
You see brothers and sisters,we are all faced with difficult decisions aren't we? If we name the name of Jesus,we are confronted daily with hard sayings. Whether we will believe God or try another way.
We don't have to understand His ways do we? We just have to BELIEVE what He says and TRUST Him,understanding or no understanding. Ya feelin' me here?
Many times we are confronted with hard sayings from Jesus aren't we? It's hard to love that person who just stabbed you in the back. It's hard to forgive that one that mistreated and abused you isn't it? My flesh or my natural mind doesn't understand any of that. All it wants to do is strike back. To defend myself or take vengeance.But,God says "No. Do it my way. "I don't know about you,but as for me,THAT IS A HARD SAYING! And they all said.....
It's a HARD SAYING to keep our heart and mind fixed on Jesus IN PERFECT PEACE when the world is accusing you unjustly. When that co worker is rude and obnoxious and scraping on our LAST NERVE!!
It's a HARD SAYING to give our tithe and offering when there are unpaid bills laying on the kitchen table. It's a HARD SAYING to consider others interests before our own.
It is a HARD SAYING to have patience and keep praying for and loving a wayward child.To believe God in the face of contrary and conflicting circumstances. It is a HARD SAYING to quit trying to fix everything. To remove our hand from a matter and give it all to God. You gettin' my drift here?
Unfortunately child of God we live in a fallen world. We are constantly faced with the HARD decisions to trust and believe God or to do it our way.As for me,sometimes I make the right call,sometimes not. BUT,God is faithful isn't He?
Occasionally we just have to take a deep breath, grab ourselves by the collar and RUN not walk, to the altar of God;and like Peter before us confess to Him.
John 6:67-68 (ESV) 67 So Jesus said to the Twelve, “Do you want to go away as well?”
68 Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life,
Do we know God in such a way that we trust Him even when we do not understand His words and deeds?
Keep believing child of God.
Psalm 128:1 (ESV) 1
God Bless
No comments:
Post a Comment