To Whom Shall We Go?

And we'll hop around quite a bit, focusing mostly on that last portion that I just read, verse 60 through 69. All of the scriptures point to Christ. We know this to be true. This is an interesting one. I really enjoyed this a lot, because it points not only to Christ, It shows us that we need to look to Him only in a very unique way. This is an interesting story, unique because it reveals the glory of Christ through something we would never expect.

First of all, there's a miracle. There's a couple miracles, and they're amazing miracles. Miraculous is the correct word. They are incredible miracles, what he did to feed, it says, 5,000 men. And then there's family there, too, so some people think up to 10,000, 15,000 people were fed with just a couple fish and a couple loaves of bread. And then later that night, he walked on water. Incredible miracles, but the part that we're focusing on today the part we don't expect.

And a lot of times we don't even connect the two, but they happened simultaneously, that following those incredible, miraculous signs of who he was and what he's capable of was a mass exodus. Everybody left. Don't expect that. I mean, and we don't often talk about that. It's part of the exact same story, same group of people, the people who tasted that bread and tasted that fish and saw that there were 12 baskets left over when there was hardly a basket to begin with, just 24 hours later didn't like what they were hearing to the point where they turned around and walked away.

And that is not outside of God's control. That is exactly a part of God's plan. Thousands of people walked away from Christ. And not in a spiritual sense that we would say nowadays, they physically were with him, turned and walked away. Now, if we would have been there, we would have expected the opposite, right? After all, just one day earlier, Jesus had performed some of these incredible miracles.

Five loaves, two fish, more than 5,000, up to 15,000 people were fed and satisfied. No one questioned whether the miracle had occurred. They all saw it. They all tasted it. They had eaten the bread. They had experienced it for themselves. If miracles alone could create faith, these people would have kept faith, would have had faith, abundant faith. If physical evidence can create faith, these people would have had faith. If what we take in physically through our five senses, Sight, they saw Christ. Hear, they heard the high priest preach. Taste, touch, feel, all of it. If those aspects of our existence can create faith, this group of people would never have left.

Instead within 24 hours the crowd is gone That should make us wonder why Often you hear these types of things I need more evidence Or if I would have seen a miracle I would totally believe This proves proves otherwise These people had seen it all miracles, teachings, Christ himself. These people didn't need more evidence. They had all of it.

What these people needed was a new heart. They needed spiritual life. and a stony heart cannot turn to flesh through the experiences of this world, no matter how amazing they are or how convincing they might be. Imagine seeing the things that they saw, and yet it is not enough to turn a stony heart.

It is not. It's proven here. The stony heart of man's natural native existence will withstand any miraculous sign. We are farther gone than that. So they needed a new heart. The greatest problem facing mankind has never been a lack of evidence in Christ. The greatest problem is that apart from the grace of God, we don't like the Christ that the evidence is pointing to. And we see that happen in this very chapter. They have all the evidence, and then he explains what it means.

And not only do they not love it, they leave. That's how contrary the gospel is to the nature of man. You can be shown everything you would imagine you would need to convince, if that's what you have to do. If you're convincing a man to believe, you're wasting your time. We cannot be convinced to believe on Christ. We have to be changed completely. We have to be brought from dead to alive. That cannot be done through the aspects of this world.

Miracles can draw in, but what we see here is once you're drawn in and told the truth, the truth can still offend. And the only people that are not offended by the truth are the people of God. And that has nothing to do with them. And we'll see that later, too. Matter of fact, it's beautiful in the way that later on Peter responds. He doesn't even understand what's happening. But you don't have to. The Spirit doesn't turn your cold, dead heart alive and say, now you have to pass a test. Now you have to learn a certain amount. You're alive.

So this chapter opens with the feeding of the 5,000. These people are astonished. They're excited. John even tells us that at one point, Jesus kind of sneaks away because he knows that they would try to make him king by force. That's how much this group of people, this group of 5,000 plus, was excited and energized and emotional about what they had seen. They wanted to go out and forcefully, immediately make Jesus king. That sounds impressive, but Christ knew they were not captivated by who He was. They were captivated by what He had done.

And the next day they crossed the sea looking for Him, and the crowd came back. And the very first thing He says to them after they find Him and say, where did you go? He says, very truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not because of the signs I performed, but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. They weren't seeking a savior, they were seeking another meal. They were impressed. Let's go see that again. They loved what Christ could give them. but they did not love Christ himself. And there's a big difference. Many people still now come to Christ wanting peace, or wanting relief, or wanting help with anxiety, or even more tangible things, wanting help with a relationship, or blessings for their family.

And none of these things are wrong to want or desire. But if a person wants those things more than they actually want Christ, they have missed the gospel. Believing in Christ is not about having gifts. Believing is actually having Christ. Because everything, including all blessings and gifts, flow through Him. Forgiveness is in Christ. Peace is in Christ. Joy is in Christ. Hope is in Christ. Eternal life is in Christ. If you remove Christ, there is nothing left.

And that is exactly where Jesus takes this conversation. And that's why it turns for the people that are listening. The people asking, they actually are asking for more bread. And we shouldn't laugh at them. We would do the exact same thing. They had no idea. And Jesus tells them, I am the bread of life. Not, I know where more bread is or I can provide bread. He says, I am the bread.

The miracle had never been the destination. The miracle was not the point. The miracle was pointing to him. Every miracle Jesus performed was saying the same thing. Look to me. But this crowd stopped at the miracle. They admired his power. They admired his person. And that's possible today. A person can still be moved by emotion or excitement.

Happens all the time. But it never lasts. Not if it's a worldly movement. Nothing here lasts. If your faith is built on something that has no foundation, then your faith would be built on something that never stops moving, changing. Those things cannot actually change the human heart. Only God can do that.

And if the feeding of the 5,000s filled the hillside of people, the sermon that followed it emptied it. Jesus had just performed one of the greatest public miracles of his ministry. The crowds were at their very largest. We're talking, like they said, 5,000 men plus their families. Possibly 15,000 people following him around. It's like five Rock Valleys. The crowds were at their largest. You would think momentum, right? In a human perspective, wow, things are really, starting to get somewhere. By every worldly measure, this was a moment to capitalize on, right?

But Jesus never came to gather a movement or gather admirers. He came to save sinners. So instead of giving them another miracle that they demanded and asked for, you want us to believe in you? Show us another miracle. Instead he gives them the truth. And the truth is offensive. He told them he was the bread of life. He told them that no one can even come to me on their own. Only through the Father. He told them that, he says in Later on in the later 60s, he says, the flesh counts for nothing. Those exact words.

And suddenly that excitement, because they were excited, they wanted to make him king, that excitement disappears. Listen to verse 60, it says, on hearing it, many of the disciples said, this is a hard teaching. Who can accept it? Notice the word accept. It's not who can understand it. It's not hard in the way that they couldn't understand. It was hard in the way that they didn't want to. Who can accept this? I mean, Jesus was remarkably clear. The problem wasn't the truth was hard to understand. The problem was that the truth was hard to accept. He wasn't inviting them to improve themselves. He wasn't asking them to add to what he was gonna do for them. He was telling them that apart from him, they have nothing. I am the bread of life. Your flesh counts for nothing.

And we've talked about this, but beyond the spirit of God, that is an incredibly offensive thing for humankind to hear. We hate it. It is clear in this story that they hated it to the point where a massive crowd of people was pushing to make this man king by force, they said. That's how excited and revved up they were to just a few hours later after him just telling them the truth of their circumstance. Your flesh counts for nothing. I am everything. They went from up here to cold as a stone. Man is never offended because Jesus was too difficult to understand. He is offended because Jesus leaves no room for them.

Our flesh always wants to contribute, even just a little bit. We want to believe that we're better than some people. We have something to offer. I'm not judging, I feel this. We want to believe that we're not as sinful as the Bible says we are. We want to believe that we can earn at least a little of God's favor. And Jesus, in these words, removes every one of those hopes. He says, no one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them in. I mean, not only can we not bring something to the table, we can't even approach the table.

And then a few verses later, he says, the spirit gives life and the flesh counts for nothing. That's devastating to human pride. The flesh counts for nothing, not a little, nothing. Clear. What you have counts for nothing. Our morality cannot save us, our religion cannot save us, our sincerity cannot save us, our heritage, our families, what church we belong to, what denomination we belong to, our good intentions, all of it is the flesh and all of it counts for nothing. Salvation belongs to God. From beginning to end, the Father draws, the Spirit gives life, and the Son saves. There's no room for boasting. There's no room for you.

And that's why the crowd was offended. They want a Messiah who would feed them. Jesus told them they were spiritually dead. They wanted another miracle, and instead Jesus preached the gospel. And today's churches are very concerned with being less offensive. You see it all the time. Less demanding, more appealing. more entertaining, more accommodating to different points of view, trying to make sure that that crowd stays. Was Christ concerned with the crowd staying?

Not at all. He sent them away. He knew. It says that He knew who would believe and who would not. that the sheep would hear their father's voice and the goats would scatter. Which is why when we preach, we preach Christ, and we preach his truth, and who stays, stays, and who leaves, leaves. Christ did the exact same thing.

Jesus preached the gospel, And Jesus never measured success by a size of a crowd. He only cared about the truth. And he only cared for those people who he came to save. When the truth offends people, he didn't soften it. He didn't, when the place emptied, he didn't say, well, hold on, you're misunderstanding. Come back, let me try to explain that again. He didn't rewrite a sermon. When people walked away, he didn't chase them with a different message. Why? Because Christ was not here to put on a show, to attract people through music or entertainment.

He was here to save every one of the people that God has chosen. Only the truth of Christ and him crucified can do that. So that's all he was concerned with. Then in verse 66 it says, from this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him. So the Son of God is standing before them. The Son of God. Jesus Christ himself is standing before this crowd.

The one who heals the sick. The one who fed the multitude. The one who spoke existence. and the people gathering started gathering their belongings and quietly turned around and walked away. The crowd had filled the hillside, slowly disappears over the horizon.

Nothing beyond the spirit of God can convince man of truth. You can't convince man to believe. Only the spirit of God can make what is dead alive. If anyone could be convinced, it was this group of individuals. They had every earthly reason to believe, and they did not. Our utter depravity and the glory of Christ is the truth of the gospel. And if the Spirit hasn't given you life, that will be the most offensive thing you can hear. your utter depravity and utter dependence.

So Jesus watches the crowds leave. He lets them go. He turns, not to the thousands leaving, but to the 12 that are still there with him. And he asks a question. I love it when Christ does this. He asks a question he knows the answer to. He doesn't not know the answer to anything. He spoke existence into being. So when he asks a question, you know there's something to learn. And he says, you do not want to leave too, do you? And I love Peter's answer. He says, Lord, to whom shall we go?

They're astonishing words, Lord, He doesn't say, Lord, we understand everything that you're teaching. We totally get it, and there's no way we're leaving. He doesn't say, Lord, yes, our faith has never been stronger. In fact, before long, Peter himself would actually deny Christ three times. Instead, he says, to whom shall we go? In other words, if we leave, we have nothing.

Who is left? Who can forgive sins? Who can reconcile a guilty sinner? Who can bear the wrath I know I deserve? Who can satisfy justice for me? Who else can conquer death? Who can open heaven? Who can save us? There isn't anyone else. And Peter knew that. Hence the answer. To whom else would we go? Lord, if we don't stay... He's saying, Lord, we don't stay because we've figured everything out. I stay because I've realized you're all I have. I don't understand everything. Peter's saying, I don't either. None of us do. We don't have every answer. The Spirit of God doesn't...

Open your mind in a way that you all of a sudden understand every aspect of how God works. That's beyond us. He simply makes you alive. Makes you one of his and never lets you go. And that's why Peter's answer is perfect. I don't understand this all. But I don't have to, Lord. I know you are what I need. It's not an earthly knowledge. It's not something I've been convinced of or learned. I don't even know how it got here. But I know you are where I need to be. Saving faith is not knowing the answer to every question. Saving faith is knowing there is no savior other than Christ. That's why I love Peter's wording. He doesn't say, notice this too, because Christ asked, will you leave too? And he doesn't say, well, where would we go? Because the natural way to answer that question would be about a location. Are you going to leave too? Well, where would we go? He doesn't say that. He says, to whom?

The world spends its entire life asking, where can I find peace? Where can I find purpose? Where can I find forgiveness? Where can I find hope? The Bible answers every one of those questions in the same way. It's not where, it's to whom. Peace is found in Christ. Forgiveness is found in Christ. Hope is only found in Christ. Life is only found in Christ. He is the only way. He has said it blatantly. I am the way. I am the resurrection and the life.

Salvation has never been about discovering the right philosophy, the right religion, the right program, or the right building on Sunday. Salvation is finding Christ, believing on Him, and placing your hope in Him only, and being found in Him. It has always been about being united in Christ. Everything God gives his people, he gives them in his son. There is no blessing that you get and receive that isn't in Christ. If you remove Christ, there is literally nothing left for you. Because Christ did not merely give salvation. Christ is salvation. And that's exactly what he told them. They came asking for more food and more signs, and he said, I am salvation. I am the bread of life. If you have me, you have life forever. If you don't, you have nothing. And they turned around and walked away. But not God's people. And if you hear that, and you believe it, and you don't have to say, understand it, because that's not the case.

But if you know, that is my Savior. I have nothing without Him. Praise God. Because that is a gift. That is a miracle. This crowd wants a miracle. There is no greater miracle than the dead stony heart given eternal life. If you can hear this gospel message that you are utterly depraved and utterly dependent on your perfect savior and that gives you joy Praise God. I mean it. It doesn't work that way for everyone. 15,000 of them.

If God has given you a soft heart, you are the most blessed human being that has ever lived. No matter what you're going through, what you're dealing with, how long your life is, how it ends, none of it matters. You have eternal life through the bread of life. And if you believe that with joy in your heart, you are so taken care of. It makes me just, sometimes I get overwhelmed with gratitude that I even believe this. Because I have no reason to. God loves you and loves you so much that he gave you the ability to believe this. And don't overthink it. Don't overthink it. Don't let yourself get involved. Do you need Christ? Go to Him. He will never turn one soul away, ever.

What a wonderful Savior, a wonderful Father we have. Let's pray. Our Father, we thank you so much for the opportunity to read your word and see your Son in it. to hear about his glory, his perfection, his love, his power, the grace and mercy that is shown us through him and in him. And Lord, we ask that you bless every single person that can hear your word and hear your gospel and your truth and that instead of turning away and having a hardened heart, that you would soften every heart and give them the ultimate blessing of knowing your truth and believing it. We pray that for everyone. We thank you for loving us, Lord. We thank you for showing it in so many ways, including this beautiful way of us to be able to believe on you Without understanding all of it, without studying and getting to a certain level, Lord, you expect nothing of us. You have made the way, you are the way, and we look to you, Lord, and we are so grateful for it. And we pray this in Jesus' name, amen. You take out your chorus books and turn them to number 16. He included me, and we'll stand together as we sing.

To Whom Shall We Go?

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To Whom Shall We Go?

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