Good evening, everyone. Turn
with me in your Bibles, please, to the Gospel of John, Chapter
6. The Gospel of John, Chapter 6. While you're turning there,
let me just tell you a little story of me and my children when
we were much younger. I'd sit on the front porch, and
especially, I guess I'm kind of a nut or crazy or whatever.
Yeah, I guess I am. But I've said I love to watch
the storms come in. Watch the lightning strike and
the thunders roll. But my children didn't necessarily
like that. And I can remember time and time
again sitting on the front porch and the thunder and the lightning
in the distance was beginning to come. And then all of a sudden
there would be a strike of lightning and a crack of thunder that just
about bounce you off the chair. And here come the kids. And they
would come running and they would jump in the lap and on the side,
each side of me, and they'd squeeze in. And if they could have gotten
inside of me, they probably would have. They were trying so hard
to get close to Daddy and to be safe from that storm. When things happen in your life
and my life, to whom do we go? The title of my message tonight
is, To Whom Shall We Go? Look at John chapter 6 and let's
start with verse 66. Jesus had just preached his message
on being the bread of life, and that you would have to partake
of him in order to have eternal life. And verse 66, from that
time many of his disciples went back and walked no more with
him. Then said Jesus unto the twelve,
will you also go away? Then Simon Peter answered, Lord,
to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal
life, and we believe and are sure that Thou art the Christ,
the Son of the living God. To whom shall you go? Those children
would come running, the first clap of thunder, and jump in
Daddy's lap, snuggle up against him, sometimes shaking like a
leaf from fright of what they've just heard or seen. Sometimes
it's because they were out playing in the yard and they got hurt.
And they want to see Mommy or Daddy when they get hurt. I don't
know what mommy or daddy can do for me if it's a big hurt
but most of the time it was a kiss and I love you and that took
care of everything. When I think about it and when
I'm hurt I go to him and sometimes it's just a kiss and I love you
and that's all I need. How about you? Sometimes they get excited. They
come running to daddy. I remember one time when Rachel
was two years old. We were at a restaurant somewhere
in Indiana. And she saw a coloring book that
evidently attracted her attention. She grabbed it off the rack.
I was sitting at the table finishing up a drink or something there
before we left. And she picked that coloring
book up and held it over her head and ran. Daddy! Daddy! Daddy! Everybody in the restaurant
heard. And the table behind me, I heard
somebody say, you can't help but get it for her now. Where do you go? Where do you go when the troubles
of life come? Do you go to the world counselors? Some people would. Like Job's
counselors. We were just reading about Job
there. They had the right, many right things to say, but they
said them in the wrong light. They were talking about work
salvation, but many of the words were just right. but not the
sentiment, not the truth. You see, the wisdom of this world
is foolishness with God. You don't go to the world counselors
for help. Now, I'm not saying they're always
wrong. What I'm saying is they're in the flesh just like us. How about the educational world?
We'll run to them. We'll get educated, get more
educated, get more degrees after our name. We'll get the bachelor's degree, the master's
degree, the doctor's degree. after our name, and then we go
to those kind of people for help? Well, you know what? The scripture
says that some people are ever learning and never able to come
to the knowledge of the truth. It's not always there that you'll
find the help that you need. We go to the religious world.
They've got the right words to say, just like Job's counselors. They've got right words to say,
but they're words that they have adjusted to their own thinking,
to free will believism. They've adjusted those words.
Paul talked about those people in Galatians that had another
gospel, which is not another, he said. There's only one gospel. Only one. And these people are
wolves in sheep's clothing. That's what Paul said about them. All these are sons of Adam. All these are fleshly, just like
you and me. To whom shall we go? To whom
shall we go? Are we going to run to our neighbors, brothers and sisters? And I'm
not saying any of these things are wrong. I have used brothers
and sisters and neighbors when things begin to crush in on me.
But where do you go? Where should I go? I should go to the Lord. I should
go to Him. I should take all my cares. As
a matter of fact, He said, casting all your care upon Him, for He
careth for you. There's no one who cares for
you like the Lord Jesus. So where do we go? My help is
from the Lord, David said, which made heaven and earth. That's
where my help comes from. That's where I should go. We go to his word. That's what
Peter said here. He said, Lord, to whom shall
we go? Thou hast the words of eternal
life. He has the words of life. We
go to the word of God. You want to go somewhere? Get
yourself in the book. Begin reading, studying, memorizing,
meditating on. Go to the Word of God. He has
the words of life. These are the words of life. As a matter of fact, John said of Jesus Christ, He
is the Word, and the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us. When you're studying this, you're
going to Him. This is the writing all about
Him. His story. History. That's what this is. This is
God's beloved Word. He has the words of life. That word, according to David,
is forever settled in heaven. Where else would you go? There's
nothing like that around here. There are some old, old manuscripts
of old, old books, but there's nothing like His word that's
forever settled in heaven. His word doesn't return void. It accomplishes just exactly
His purpose. Where else would you go? His
word is a powerful word. He speaks and it's done. He said, seek my face. And what
did I do? I sought His face. When He speaks,
it's done. He makes them willing in the
day of His power. It's that sure word of prophecy. The sure word that's being preached
here in this pulpit time and time again. It's the sure word
of prophecy. It's the word that is inspired
by God. What a mystery that God would
take 40 some men and through their personalities
and education or whatever write 66 books and they all speak the
same thing. They all tell about Jesus Christ. What a mystery. This is the inspired
Word of God. The word inspired that Paul told
Timothy, that word, means God breathed. Just like God breathed into man's
nostril the breath of life and man became a living soul, God
breathed into those writers and they wrote the inspired, the
written Word of God all about Jesus Christ. Where else would
you go? Let God be true. Every man a
liar. Where else would you go? Do we
go to psychiatrists? We go to analysts? We go to our
analysts and tell us not to see our psychiatrists anymore? I
mean, what kind of business is this world got? The Lord Jesus said, search the
scriptures, for in them you'll find eternal life. Search the
Scriptures. We go to the Lord through His
Word. And along with that, we go to
the Lord in prayer. We speak to Him. We turn to Him. Saul the king kept going out
on his own. And he kept getting in trouble
deeper and deeper. Because he would not consult
with the Lord. As a matter of fact, he took
upon himself the priesthood at one time. And God turned him
away. David tried it a few times. Instead
of going to the Lord, he did what he wanted to do. And it got him in trouble. What
I'm saying is, when troubles Come when the hurts come. Go to the Lord. Go to the Lord. He's right there. As a matter
of fact, He's here with us where two or three are gathered, He
said. He's right there with you at home where two or three are
gathered and talking about Him. Remember I said this morning
the Father delights in His Son and He certainly delights in
those who delight in His Son. He loves it when you're talking
about Him. We go to Him in prayer, casting
all our cares upon Him, because He cares for us. We go to Him
in fellowship with other believers. Sometimes I don't feel like it.
40 miles away, it just couldn't be so easy to say, well, I'll
just stay home. I haven't thought about that
tonight, but I thought, no, I can't do that. Sometimes you just feel like
you're just gonna, just stay home. Forget about it. But when the hurts, when the
troubles are coming, and they are, and they do, One of the
best places we can be is right here. Doesn't it cheer you up? Doesn't it comfort your heart?
Doesn't it give you strength? And the Lord said, now you are
clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. And when
God's word is spoken, whether you feel like it or not, you're
being cleaned, cleansed. We go to Him in fellowship with
others around the gospel. His church, His people, His bride,
His body. It's all about Him. Where does
the world go? Where does the world go? They
have no God. They have no hope. Where do they
go? Their counselors are just like
them. Now what Isaiah said in Isaiah
chapter 6 verse 5. Woe is me for I'm undone. I'm
a man of unclean lips and I live in the midst of a people of unclean
lips. The counselors are just like
them. Where would they go? No wonder there's so many psychiatrists
and analysts and all these other things. Because the world has
no hope but in themselves. So where do we go? We go to the
Lord, which made heaven and earth. We go to the Lord who has the
words of life. Turn back a few pages to Matthew
chapter 16. Matthew chapter 16, beginning in verse 13. When Jesus came into the coast
of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do
men say that I the Son of man am? And they said, Some say thou
art John the Baptist, some Elijah, others Jeremiah, or one of the
prophets, he saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and
said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. Who do we go to? We go to the
Christ, the anointed one, the one who is prophet, priest, and
king, the sovereign God who made all. We go to the one who is
life. He is life. I'm the way, the
truth, and the life, he said. I'm the resurrection and the
life. And he prays to his father. Father, let's look at it so I
can get the exact quote there. John chapter 17. John chapter
17. Our Lord Jesus lifted up his
eyes to heaven and said, Father, the hour has come. Glorify thy
son, that thy son also may glorify thee, as thou hast given him
power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as
many as thou hast given him. And this is life eternal, that
they know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ. whom thou seest. He's the anointed
one. He's God's Son, the Son of God. Thou art the Son of the living
God. He is life. All that belongs
to God belongs to Him, to Jesus Christ. All that God is, Jesus
Christ is. As a matter of fact, Jesus said,
I and my Father are one. One of the same, one unit, you
see one, you see the other. No man has seen the Father at
any time. The only begotten of the Father, the only, His Son,
He hath declared Him. All that you see. in Jesus. Philip said, Father, show us
the Father, and it surprises us. Philip, have I been so long
time with you and you've not seen the Father? He that has
seen me has seen the Father. Where do you go? I'm not going to be long with this,
but that was all introduction. But it was good, wasn't it? Oh,
it blessed my heart when I studied it. And I'm not tooting and bragging
about me tooting my own horn. I just enjoy it. Where do I go? I go to the Lord. I go to the
one whose name is I Am. Not a very big name. Not a very
long name. Not a hard name to remember. but it's an all-inclusive name. I am that I am. When Moses was told to go down
to Egypt and to lead the children of Israel out of bondage, he
said, whom will I say has sent me? Tell them, I am has sent
you. The self-existing one, the one
who does not need me, But praise the Lord, He purposed to have
me. Wow. What a comfort. What a strength. What a knowledge
that God would give to me and say, you're mine. I choose you. I have chosen you. You're mine. I go to the I am. Where else could I go? Is there
any greater one that I can go to? God has highly exalted Him and
given Him a name which is above every name that at the name of
Jesus Christ every knee should bow and every tongue should give
Him the glory. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15,
28, He is all and in all. He's everything I need. Where
else would I go? He's got it all. He's complete. He's perfect. and He makes us
complete in Him. Where else would I go? He's the
one that does His purpose, His pleasure, His will, His degree. He's the one who does it all.
He has His way in the armies of heaven, the inhabitants of
the earth. No man can stay His hand. And who can say, what are
you doing? Why are you doing that? I go to Him who's sovereign,
who is the I am. I go to the one who never changes. We're changeable people. Let a little hurt get to you
and you'll see how quick you change. We're changeable people. But
He never changes. He never changes. No matter what goes on in this
world, and this world is ever changing, but he's the one who
makes those changes because he's the first cause of everything. But when I go to him, he's one
that Never changes. I am the Lord. I change not. The same yesterday, today, and
forever. I go to Him because He's the
just one. If I want justice, that's where
I go. But if I get true justice, I'm in trouble. But He's not only the just one,
but He's the Savior too, isn't He, Isaiah said. So I go to Him
because He is my Savior. He's the one who forgave me all
my sin. He's the one who shed his precious
blood for me. I go to him because, like Esther,
in the book of Esther, she goes before King Ahasuerus. You're
never to go before that king unless you are called. She stands
at the door and he holds out the golden scepter. which says,
come on in. Come on in. I go to the one who's
holding the golden scepter, who said to me, come on in. I don't care what your problem
is, I took care of it. I don't care what the hurt that
comes to your life, I brought it to you and I'll see you through
it. I'll give you strength. Paul
learned that when he prayed three times to get rid of a problem.
And the Lord said, My strength is made perfect in weakness.
My grace is sufficient for thee. That's the one I go to. Do you know what? He's never
let me down. He has never let me down. There are times, it's been a
year since we put the body in the ground, Miss Peggy. There are times that the hurt
was well up in me. So what do I do? Now it's much
easier for me just to open up the book, say, Lord, I need you. I need your help. And you know
why? He's always there. Never failed
me yet. I go to the Lord because He is
the I Am. I go to the Lord because, and
some of this will be a repeat from this morning, but I'll quickly
go through it. I go to the Lord because He shed His precious
blood for me. how great a love He has for His
own, that He would die for them, give His life for them. He covers
my sin. He washes me white as snow. He gives me forgiveness. He'll
not remember them against me again. He put away those sins. As far as the East is, from the
West He's removed those sins. I go to Him because He is the
I Am. I go to Him because He shed His
precious blood for me. I go to Him because of His priceless
redemption. No one can put a price on something
that cost us nothing but Christ everything. It's priceless. There's nothing
like it. He obtained that eternal redemption
for us. He is the near kinsman that did
it for us, willingly, with all the ability that was necessary. Great is the mystery of godliness. God became a man to do this. And Christ is our sacrifice.
He's the high priest who made that offering for sin. He's the
altar on which that sacrifice was made. He is the sacrifice
that was made for our sins. And He's the God who accepted
it. All in one. That's who I go to. Now those
words are not mine. We heard the pastor say those
a few weeks ago. I just copied them down. Aren't
they good? I go to Him because He merited
perfect righteousness for me. Not only did I need to have my
sins forgiven, but I needed to have a righteousness which I
could not muster up or get in any way, shape, or form by myself. But Jesus Christ did. He obtained
it. He lived a perfect life and then
He was made to be sin for us who knew no sin that we might
be made the righteousness of God in Him. He's the Lamb slain from the
foundation of the world. Perfect righteousness. When Adam
and Eve sinned against the Lord, They stood there naked with just
fig leaves covering themselves. After the Lord made judgment
upon them, He killed some animals and put skins on them. He robes us with His own righteousness. So one day I'll stand before
the Lord Guilty. Guilty. Guilty. That's who I
am. I have no hope in myself. And I stand before Him in judgment. There will be one there who will
say, Father, you can't do anything to that boy. He's got my righteousness. I've
covered him with it. I've covered him with the blood. All that I am, He is now. And the father will say, welcome
home. Welcome home. I go to Him because He is the
only peaceful reconciliation. Let's look at a couple of scriptures
on that. Let's start with Colossians chapter 1. Because man sinned, he was separated from God. No hope of getting back on his own. Colossians chapter 1 and verse
19. For it pleased the Father that
in him, Jesus Christ, should all fullness dwell. And having
made peace through the blood of the cross, by him to reconcile
all things unto himself, by him, I say, whether they be things
in earth or things in heaven, you that were sometime alienated
and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled. There is one mediator between
God and men. The man, Christ Jesus. He made the reconciliation. Ephesians
chapter 2. Just a couple pages back. Ephesians
chapter 2. Beginning with verse 13. Ephesians
2.13 But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off
are made nigh by the blood of Christ for he is our peace. That's why I go to him. That's
why I go to him. He is my peace. In Him, I'm adopted
as a son. In Him, I'm accepted by the Father. In Him, the great I am. Where do you go? To whom shall
we go? Heavenly Father, we thank You
for Your Word tonight. Thank you that we have some place to go, someone
to go to. And thank you, Lord, that it's
you. You have the words of life. You are life itself. Thank you,
Lord, for your word tonight. Bless these folk. Meet every
need of their lives. And when we hurt, when trouble
comes, may we be quick to turn to the Lord. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.