Turn to the book of John, if
you would. Chapter 7. I'm sorry, chapter 6. John chapter 6. And mark that
page. John 6. Mark the page where verse
59 is. We'll begin with verse 59. But
before we get to John, Chapter 6, I want to talk to you about the
Gospel. The Gospel is either cherished
or it's hated. The true Gospel. I'm not talking
about religion. I'm not talking about the holier-than-thou. I'm talking about the gospel,
the good news to sinners. Those who struggle. Those who are going through life
right now struggling with what's inside of us. I wished I didn't have the thoughts
that go through my mind. I wished I didn't do the things
that I do that I shouldn't do. I remember once where a guy cut
me off on the freeway. And being a supposedly a professional,
with my wife in the car, I just turned into a monster. I did something about the dumbest
thing any professional driver could do. I got mad and I chased
the guy down. Afterwards, I hated myself for
it. And I'm ashamed to admit these things to you. But you
need to know who it is that's talking to you up here at the
pulpit. I'm a singer. I do things contrary to my Lord
every day. If you don't, then this isn't
a place for you. The gospel message are for sinners
who need a Savior. Who can't do it on their own
because we know we just, we blow it. I can't do it. Last week, we had several visitors. And I got to tell you folks,
To see you come walking through that door, that blessed my heart more than
I can express in words. To see my dear friend and coworker
for many years come through the door just blessed my heart more
than I can express in words. Don't get me wrong, brothers
and sisters, I love you folks. I love you very much. We've come
to know each other so well. The folks that are with us online
right now, I love you all. I'm not saying I don't love you.
I'm not saying you don't bless me seeing you. I'm just saying
we don't see visitors come back very often. We had a young woman
and her two daughters come last week. We had another young woman
and her two sons here last week. And they can't be with us today
or for whatever reason they're not with us here today. This
is what the Gospel does. It divides. It divides those
who are holier than thou with those who have no holiness at
all. And can't find it and can't get it. Because we know by nature
we're sinners. The gospel divides. When the gospel of free and sovereign
grace found in Christ Jesus alone is preached, the results are
always purposed by God. Everything is purposed by God,
or we're wasting our time. He's not God. That God that the religions preach
about that say he's hanging everything out there and now it's up to
you to make something happen? That's just a figment of man's
imagination. It's a way for man to control
their God, the God of their hearts, which is exactly what it is.
It's their God. And each and every one of us
who used to have that same God in our hearts know what I'm talking
about. Some of you came out of religion.
I came out of religion, the religion of John. It was all about me. It was all about what I could
do with my life and make myself what I am, what I want to be. Listen to the Word of God in
Hebrews 4 verse 12. For the Word of God is quick
and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword. Picture
that in your mind. Two-edged sword. That's a sword
that you've seen them in the battles of the old. You know,
they got both hands holding on to it, slinging it around. It
cuts both ways. Whoosh! It cuts that way, or
it cuts that way. That's the gospel, according to God's word. It cuts two ways. Either it's
a blessing, either it's precious, or you hate it. And natural men
come into this world Hating it. I hated it. I grew up with it.
Went to church all the time when I was a kid, and I hated it.
Couldn't wait to be 18 years old and say, I'm not going to
church with you anymore. Fine, get out of my house. OK,
I'm gone. It's a two-edged sword piercing
even the dividing asunder of This is God's Word. This isn't
me making things up. I'm not giving you an interpretation.
The Lord's Word says His Gospel divides the spirits. It separates
the spirits and the souls of men and women. And it separates
according to God's purpose. It so much separates the joints
and the marrow. You know what the marrow is?
That's the stuff inside of the bones. That's where all the nutrients
flow through the bones to give nutrition to bones. And is a
discerner of thoughts and intents of the heart. Isn't that something? That's the Spirit of God talking
to people. And He doesn't talk to everybody the same. Truth is, most are offended by
it. Most will not even hear the truths of God. They will not
even hear the truths revealed in God's Holy Word. These words
are an offense to the world. How dare you take my free will
away from me? How dare you tell me I don't
have a choice? I'm not telling you that at all.
I'm just telling you that God says, if you choose on your own,
you're going to go to hell. Either He chooses you, or you
choose damnation. Some of the Word is precious,
because it shines with grace. What is grace? Grace is unmarried
favor. Grace is that love that God has
for a people. I will have mercy, he says, on
whom I will have mercy. To a true sinner, we know that
if it wasn't for God having mercy on us, we would receive exactly
what we deserve. One who has been given a true
understanding of their condition before a holy God. The grace
and the love of God is more precious than any gold or any silver or
any shiny stone. Here are the words of Holy Scripture
inspired to be written by Apostle Peter. He says in 1 Peter 2.8,
a stone of stumbling. That's talking about the Gospel.
It's a stone of stumbling to most. It would be a stone of
stumbling to you and I if it wasn't for God's mercy. It would be a rock of offense
even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient whereunto
also they were appointed. You mean God appoints some to
damnation? I'm telling you. He appoints
all of those who were to be saved according to His good pleasure. Just before Peter wrote those
very words, and a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense, just before
that he says in verse 7, unto you therefore which believe
He is precious. The unregenerate man hates God,
he hates His Word, he hates his son, and he says in his Word,
they will not come to me that they might have life. That's in John chapter 5 verse
40. In the 10th chapter of John we
read these words, You know what, turn over there if you would.
Before we go to John 7, I'm going to come back to John 7, so keep
your place marked there. Go over to the 10th chapter,
just a couple pages to the right. We're talking about the Word
of God, the Gospel, the Good News. being a two-edged sword
that cuts to the asunder of death and cuts to the asunder of life.
Now look at the difference here in John chapter 10 beginning
at verse 24. Then came the Jews round about
him and said unto him, How long dost thou make us to doubt? They're
talking to the Creator of all that is. They're talking to the
one who put them in their mother's womb. They're talking to the
one who put their mother in her womb. How long are you going to make
us to doubt is what they're saying to him. That's pretty uppity, wouldn't you say?
To speak to God that way? You know why? Because they don't
know who God is. We didn't either. until through
the preaching of His Word, He taught us, as we see in Romans
chapter 10, He taught us to call upon Him. Let's go on, shall
we? How long does it stop making
us to doubt? If thou be the Christ, tell us plainly. Now listen to
verse 25. Look what the Lord says to him.
He says, I told you. He did. We've been studying the
book of Matthew. He was never shy about who He
was, folks. That's why everybody got mad
at him. That's why they tried to kill him so many times. Because
he was always telling the truth about everything. I'm the boss. I'm the son of God. The son of
the living God, the creator of all that is. I'm equal with God
the Father, he said. I told you, and you believed
not. The works that I do in my father's
name, they bear witness of me. He fed 5,000 people on a mountain
one time with just a small basket with some fish and some bread in it. 5,000 people saw that. And most of them followed him
around after that because they were hungry. Not because of the
miracle. All the things our Lord did when
He walked this earth. Do you realize that every religion
in the world has heard and speaks of Jesus Christ? Not in the way
they should. No, they don't. Most don't. Very, very few do. I only know
of three out here on the West Coast that do. I'm not saying
that's all there is. I'm saying I only know of three
that do. Look at verse 26, but ye believe
not, he says again. Folks, Jesus Christ preached
the gospel. He preached himself. Everything
he spoke of was about him. And they believe not, because
ye are not my sheep. That's what the Word of God says. You and I could possibly not
be His sheep if it wasn't for His grace. We could be going
to that church across the street, damned for hell. We could be going to heaven and
going through that door marked death and standing there before
God saying, didn't I do this? Didn't I say this? Didn't I act
this way? Didn't I go to church every Sunday?
Didn't I get baptized? And the Lord would say to us,
I never knew you. I never knew you. He says, My sheep hear My voice,
and I know them, and they follow Me. The day I sat over here in
that pew and heard the first time the truth of who God is,
what He's done for His loved ones, how His people shall be
saved, I heard His voice. not through the ears of his head,
but through the ears of the heart. He says, and I will give unto
them eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall any
man pluck them out of my hand. My Father which gave them me
is greater than all, and no man is able to pluck them out of
my Father's hand. Now, our Lord told these men
of the world, these religious Jews, these self-righteous men,
the gospel of free and sovereign grace, and listen to their reaction
in verse 31. Then the Jews took up stones
again to stone him. You see that sword? See how that
sword cuts? This is the same message that
I stand up here and tell you. This is the same message that
Gene Harmon told all of his people all those years. This is the
same message that Wayne Boyd preached for the last three days
up in the Dalles, Oregon. This is the same message that
Rick Warda is preaching over there in Yuba City today. And I'm not guessing. I will listen to his message
later, but I have no doubt that that's exactly what I'm going
to hear about is that my sheep hear his voice. And then the Jews took up stones
again to stone him. The irresistible, sovereign,
electing love of Christ Jesus the Lord is as a two-edged sword. It's an edge of offense to most
and an edge unto grace. To some, you're either offended
by these words or they are precious to your heart. What are these
words to you this day? Does the Word of God offend you?
Go back to John chapter 6 and look at verse 59 with me if you
would. John 6. beginning at verse 59. These things said He in the synagogue
as He taught in Capernaum. These very things that He's talking
about up here in verses 44 through 58. And we don't have time to
go through those today, but it's the Gospel. It's the same message
that I just brought to you from John chapter 10. Verse 60, Many
therefore of His disciples when they had heard Who can hear it? All they heard, if you look at
verse 53 and 54, Then said Jesus unto them, Verily, verily, I
say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of Man, speaking
of Him, and drink His blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso
eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life,
and I will raise him up at the last day. Folks, Jesus is not
talking about cannibalism. Christ spoke in spirit. We're going to come to the table
here in a couple minutes from now. And for those of you who
are visiting, if you want to join us, you're welcome. You
don't have to. Don't feel like you have to,
but if you want to, you're welcome to join us. Those who participate
in this are acknowledging in their heart, not to me, Not to
anyone here in the room, but in your heart, that Jesus Christ
is Lord of all. And that when He died on the
cross, He died for all of my sin, or your sin. So eating of
His flesh and drinking of His blood is simply this, that we
feast on Christ. He's my life. You want to know
whose life I was before the Lord saved me? Talk to this man right
back there. He's known me for 40 years almost. He knows. He knows who John Reeves used
to be. The guy who would drink so much he'd fall underneath
his car and sleep there all night long. Am I a better person now that
I don't do those things? No! I'm worse! I know what sin is now. I know what it is to shake my
fist and say, I'm going to do it my way, not His way. Oh, folks. Are you offended by this? Are
you offended? Or is the blood of Christ and
the body that God prepared for a sacrifice for the sins of His
people, precious to Him. Verse 61, when Jesus
knew in Himself that His disciples murdered, added He said unto
them, Doth this offend you? I ask you, does it offend you? Our Lord goes on to say, what
and if ye shall see the Son of Man ascend up to where He was
before. Folks, Jesus Christ is God Almighty
in the flesh. He's always been the Son of the
Living God. He is the Eternal Son of God. He just didn't have a body. He
had to have a body prepared for Him. One that had no sin in it. One that could not sin. One that
was perfect in every way. So much so that it couldn't even
be born of the seed of Adam. That's why He was born to a virgin.
If He'd have been born of the seed of Adam, He'd have been
condemned, because the curse was upon Adam, which was upon
all mankind. There's a reason why Christ was
born to a virgin. He was of the seed of the Holy
Spirit. He was the Holy Spirit that moved
upon Mary and made her pregnant. What and if ye shall see the
Son of Man ascend up to where he was before? It is the Spirit
that quickeneth, the flesh profiteth nothing. The words that I speak
unto you, they are Spirit, and they are life. But there are
some of you that believe not. Do you see that sword? The only difference, folks, between
you and I is God has caused that sword to swing in a way that
brings His blood to our heart. We could be left right where
we were before. We could be left worshiping whatever
is our heart's desire, just as we were before. You know what
that's called? That's called fulfilling the
flesh, as it says in Ephesians 2, verse 3. We fulfilled the
flesh. It's not just this body. It's
the mind, it's our feelings, it's everything. We fulfilled
the flesh. Going on in verse 64, it says,
For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not,
and who should betray Him. And he said, therefore said I
unto you that no man can come unto me, except it were given
unto him of my father. From that time, many of his disciples
went back and walked no more with him. Who maketh us to differ? Who is it that's the potter? We're the clay. That's all we
are. We're the clay. Who are we to question God whether
he makes a vessel into honor or whether he makes a vessel
that's been made for destruction? Who are we to question God? We
think we know so much in this world, don't we? We try to use logic for so much. It's so difficult to just accept
God for His Word. We looked at this in the Bible
study today. His ways are not our ways. That's the problem
with the flesh, is we try to think of God in our way, instead
of thinking of it in His way. This is the inspired Word of
God. He inspired all these different men through all of the different
times that the Scriptures were written. This goes all the way
back to Moses. Moses all the way to John who
wrote the book of Revelation. All these different men spread
out over all time. If you go into Scriptures and
everywhere you look you see Christ That's because God has been gracious
to you. If you see all this other stuff
about how, well, I could be righteous if I would just do this, then
you're not seeing the truth of what he's talking about. Everything
in this book points us to Christ. Everything. Well, how does that
stuff that we can't do point us to Christ? I can't do it.
That's how it points me to Christ. Because He did it. Perfectly. He established the law perfectly. Does this offend you? Before we consider what things
offended these disciples, and it won't take me long to get
through it, let's consider this. Don't put stock in the word disciple. Many of his disciples walked
no more. Judas of Ascariot was a disciple.
Look down here at verse 70. It talks about this. Jesus answered
them, having, have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is
a devil? Did you ever think about that?
Did you ever stop and think about that? The Lord chose Judas, even
though he was a devil. He chose him to be a disciple.
So don't put any stock just because the Bible talks about one being
a disciple. In other words, being a disciple
does not make you saved. Just as there are false prophets
of which the Word of God speaks much of, so are there false disciples. The word disciple simply means
a student. Now what are these things that bothered these religious
people? Turn back a page and look with
me at verse 25 and 27 of chapter 6. Turn back a page from where
we were there, 27 and 26. Or 25 through 27. And when they had found him on
the other side, this is a group of folks that had been fed. If you go back to I think, right here, chapter
6, verse 1, and you read those first verses there, you'll see
this is a multitude that was fed. He said, and when they had
found him on the other side of the sea, they said unto him,
Rabbi, which means teacher, when camest thou hither? Jesus answered
them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, in other words,
truth, truth, I say unto you, ye seek me not, because ye saw
the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves and were
filled, labor not therefore the meat which perisheth, but for
that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which is the
Son of Man, which the Son of Man shall give unto you for Him
hath God the Father sealed." Here's the Creator of all that
is. And you can read that in John chapter 1 verses 1-3 and
then verse 14. The very Creator of all that
is, that is in the beginning, was the Word and the Word was
with God and the Word was God. And He's speaking to them, He's
telling it like it is. To those very religious people.
He says, I just brought about a miracle. I did it before your
very eyes, a miracle no man could ever commit. Remember we talked
a few moments ago? He says, I told you plainly.
The miracles that I did in my Father's name, they proved who
I am. Remember that? The Lord is telling these folks,
I just performed that miracle. No man has ever been able to
commit anything like it. And all you look to me for is
to fill your bellies. Look on. Look at verse 28. Then said they unto him, what
shall we do that we might work the works of God? It is the old
self-righteous and natural men who are ever occupied with their
own doing. They suppose that they had to
do some kind of a good work, a good work for God in order
to earn his favor and his blessings. Natural men believe that salvation
comes to those who earn it. Men want to make God the debtor
and they reckon to the reward to be of the works and not of
grace. What must we do to be saved? There's something that
has to be done. I can change my eternal destiny
if I just change my destiny here on earth. Can I not always change
it in the heavens? Isn't that what those religions
tell us to do? If you'll just turn yourself over to God, if
you'll just make a decision today, if you'll just come down to the
front of the aisle and pray the prayer, if you'll just show up
on Sunday, if you'll just get in the baptismal waters. If you, if you, if you, instead
of God and God alone. Look at verse 29. Jesus answered and
said unto them, This is the work of God. What an answer! What can I do to be saved? This
is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent. That's telling us right there
that God and God alone is the only one who can do the work
of belief. Do you realize that that makes
your faith? You feel like your faith may
be small? You think you may have, oh, but my faith, I just, I don't
know that I believe. Don't think you're alone in that. When I think of some thoughts
in my own mind, I wonder, how can I believe God if I'm going
to think those kinds of thoughts? You talk about weakened faith?
Do you know Abraham was only strong for a moment? Look at how many times it shows
in the book of God how Peter fell over and over and over again.
He told Peter to his face, you're going to deny me three times
before the cock crew. I don't want God to tell me all
the things that I'm going to be weak in. It's going to be
too scary. Because if He tells me, I know
they're going to come true. Here we see our Lord calling
them to a work they never thought of. nor heard of, we are saved
by grace through faith. That's our work, and we can't
do it without God. Whosoever believeth on me shall
have everlasting life. I've shared this with some folks
just recently. A dear man has come to me and said, I just don't
believe anymore. In fact, I believe I hate rather
than love. I said, do you believe He's God? Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. Do you believe He's sovereign
of everything? Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. Oh, yeah. My faith is so small. I have
no faith. It's so small I can't even see
it anymore. If it's God giving faith, it
doesn't matter how small it is. Did you get the point that I
was trying to tell him? You can't believe that Jesus
is Lord of all if God is not doing a work in your heart. And
He doesn't do a work in everybody's heart. We've seen that already, haven't
we? You don't believe because you're not My sheep. That's what
He says. Ephesians 2 verse 8, For by grace
are you saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it
is a gift of God. the owning and the acknowledging
of Him to be the true Messiah, the true Deliverer, the embracing
and receiving Him as the only Redeemer, and trusting Him with
all the concerns of our souls. This is the one thing that God
requires of sinners, and that is that we believe on the One
whom He had sent in the world to save sinners. It says it over
and over again in John 17. Turn over there real quick and
I'll try to bring this to an end with this. Look over at John
17. To believe on the One that God
sent. Do you believe He's God? Do you
believe He was sent to God the Father to save His people? Look here at verse 4. No, verse
3. John 17, verse 3. And this is
life eternal that they might know Thee, the only true God,
and Jesus Christ whom Thou hast sent. Let's not stop there. Let's
go one more, shall we? Go over to verse 21. That they all may be one as Thou,
Father, and I in thee, that they also
may be one in us, that the world may believe that thou hast sent
me. One last one over verse 25. O
righteous Father, the world hath not known thee, but I have known
thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me. Who are these? Who are the these? Look over
at verse 9. I pray for them. That's the these. I pray not
for the world, but for them which Thou hast given Me, for they
are Thine." Does that offend you? Let me tell you something. Speaking from a sinner's point
of view, speaking for one who knows that if it wasn't for God's
grace, I'd still be that guy I was back in 1999. I'd still
be that one who Will knows very well. I'd still be that one that this
woman knew back then, if it wasn't for His grace. I declare
to you today that Jesus Christ the Lord is precious to this
man, because there's no other way to salvation. There's no
other way for me to be saved. If it's not for Jesus Christ,
I'm going to hell. I'm going to receive what I deserve.
And I don't want what I deserve. Christ took it for me. He has loved His people so much
so that He gave His only begotten Son to be our payment. And God received it. He accepted
it. He says it's good enough. What my Son has done for you
is good enough. There's no more condemnation
for you. That's good news. That's the
Gospel. Jesus Christ and Him crucified.