We considered the context as
we read a good portion of this chapter a moment ago, but notice
again verse 59. Our Lord's encounter with these
people is drawing to a conclusion. It's going to end as we saw shortly
after this, but in verse 59, these things said he in the synagogue
as he taught in Capernaum. What Christ taught, what he said
to these people caused this. There was a division. We read
those very words in chapter 7, just shortly after this. There
was a division among the people because of him, because of Christ. Well my, I thought Christ was
such a jolly good fellow that all men are attracted to him. Oh no, didn't he say, I've not
come, I've brought a sword, I've come to bring division. Men were
divided because of Christ, as these were. Verse 60, many therefore,
that is because of what he said, that's the reason. Therefore
of his disciples, those who profess to be disciples in word, when
they had heard this, the things he taught, they said, this is
a hard saying. Who can hear it? Who can hear
it? And there was a parting of the
ways. There was a division because of him. I like Don's comment
from A message he preached here a couple years ago. From John
chapter 4, the woman at the well, the Lord said, go call your husband. Go call your husband. Don said,
speaking of the necessary work of conviction of sin, that's
what our Lord was doing. Put his finger right in her heart
at the very point of her rebellion. Go call your husband. And Don
said, in that regard, many imagine that such talk is unkind, that
preachers ought never to make people feel uncomfortable. Preaching these days. And this
is exactly right. I couldn't agree more. He said,
preaching these days is intentionally evasive. evasive on purpose. If evil is dealt with, it is
dealt with in such a general ambiguous term that no one feels
as if the preacher might be talking to them. Is that not so? Is that not so? Verse 61. Here's our Lord's answer to their
response that this is a hard thing. His teaching is just too
tough. Verse 61, when Jesus knew in
himself that his disciples murmured, grumbled, complained, he said
unto them, does this offend you? Does this offend you? Now our
Lord asked that question of these professing disciples, the multitude
of men and women. He says, does this offend you?
But I want to ask myself, concerning these things that he taught.
Does this offend me? Does it offend you? Does it offend
you? If what Christ teaches and what
he taught concern God's sovereignty, we'll mention more about that
in a moment. I mean, you can go through the chapter and see.
He taught something about God being God, about who God is and
what man is. They were offended by that. If what Christ teaches offends
me or you, I've got a serious problem. If the gospel of God's grace
upsets me, offends me, I've got a problem. Something is bad wrong. If these things that our Lord
taught does that, then I'm in trouble if I'm offended by it.
These disciples had eaten the bread that he multiplied. What
an experience. Can you imagine that? I mean,
nobody today has experienced such a thing. I mean, there were
thousands of them and they didn't have enough to feed them and
our Lord made them sit down just as orderly Just as calm as if
this thing had been planned? Well, it had been planned. Purpose
from eternity. Jesus knows what he will do.
We read there in those verses concerning the miracle. Andrew
didn't know. Philip didn't know. The multitude
didn't know. But bless God, Jesus knew what
he would do. That's our comfort. Say, oh,
I don't know what I'm going to do. That's exactly right. And I don't either. Oh, but my
comfort doesn't lie in what I know what I will do, but my comfort
lies in knowing that Jesus knows what he will do. What an experience. They sat down and were fed. Fed the bread and were filled
by the bread and the fishes. But then shortly thereafter,
The day or so after, they turned their back on He who performed
that miracle, that that literal bread represented He who is the
spiritual bread, the bread of life. They were offended. They had
come to Him physically, with their feet, but never spiritually. Isn't that I was going to say
ironic, but actually isn't it sad that most churches encourage
sinners to do this very thing, come with your feet? And these
people that had come that way, our Lord said, you've not come
to me at all. You've not come to me. You haven't
really come. And they were offended. They
stumbled. Brothers and sisters in Christ,
when our Lord asks this question of you and I, does this offend
you? Does this offend you? These things
that he taught about God being sovereign, about man's inability,
about what salvation really is, God's work and not man's. If you hear these things, Him
teaching what we are. Bankrupt sinners. And I don't
have a problem with that. He's exactly right. He's exactly
right. And I'm thankful that that's
so. When He tells me of my inability, oh, but then tells me of God's
absolute sovereign grace into salvation of such a needy sinner,
I'm not offended. I'm not offended. I'm glad that
it's so. Oh, if you're not offended in these things, give thanks
unto God, because it's only His grace that's made you to differ.
It's only His grace that enables you to stand and say, Lord, to
whom shall we go, instead of jumping in that crowd and walking
away. God's grace has done that. Oh, may He enable us never to
forget it. Look again at verse 37. I thought
of this when John was teaching us how the word all is used in
scripture so often. Usually, you have another case
of it right here. He said, verse 36, let's read
that too. But I said unto you that ye also
have seen me, and believe not. All that the Father... All that the Father gave. You've
seen me and don't believe. You've come, but you've really
not come. You've eaten the bread, but you really haven't eaten
the bread of life. Oh, but all that the Father giveth me, they'll
come. They'll come. All that the Father
giveth me without exception, they'll all come to me. And him
that cometh to me, all that the Father gave, I'll in no wise
cast out. Oh, blessed be God. And I tell you what, even as
I say those words, I'm pricked in my conscience, asking myself,
Larry, how much do you really mean it? How much do you really
mean it? You're standing here saying,
blessed be God, but how much do you really mean it? How much
do you feel in your heart of hearts Do you appreciate that
grace that has enabled you to say, Lord, to whom shall we go? Do you appreciate that miracle,
that miraculous work of the triune God that has revealed to your
heart, you worthless, needy, unworthy sinner, you know who
the Son of God is. Do you really appreciate that?
Lord, to whom if so, if so, give praise to God. Paul said when he was wrapped
up, swallowed up, covered up in religious tradition, he said
there was a time when my whole reason for hope My whole idea
of that which made me acceptable before God, everything that I
trusted in that would do that, would recommend me to God, didn't
amount to nothing but things. Things, plural. And Paul talks
about them in Philippians chapter 3. The thing, I imagine Paul
could sit down to Saul of Tarsus, could have sat down and talked
for hours and days about the laws of God, about the sacrifices,
about the holy days, about the Passover, and thought that the
Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, our Passover, was a deceiver. Paul trusted in things. Oh, but then, but then, King
Jesus, King Jesus, appeared to him on the Damascus road, and
Saul of Tarsus was brought down. The Lord of Glory appeared to
him. And after that, from that day until Paul was beheaded,
from that day until he drew his last breath, it wasn't things
anymore. It wasn't things anymore. It
was one, Jesus Christ himself. And that's what he says in Philippians
3 and 7. But what things were gained to
me, all those other things, those I counted lost for what? Singular. Christ. Christ, period. Oh, that I might know Christ.
That I might be found in Christ. That I might be conformed to
Christ. That I might win Christ. It's
one thing now that consumed the Apostle Paul. God Almighty had
changed his tune, didn't He? That's what I want. I want God
to perform a work of His mighty grace. I, in my children and
yours, I don't want them to be deceived by some cheap counterfeit. No, no, no. I want them to experience
the true grace of God that's in Christ Jesus. I want God Almighty
to change their tune. Like he did Saul of Tarsus. Like he did the psalmist who
said, he brought me up out of a horrible pit, out of the Murray
clay. and set my feet upon a rock and
established my goings. And what did he do? He put a
new song in my heart. And the name of that tune is
Christ is all. Christ is all. Jesus paid it
all. All to him I owe. He put a new
song in my mouth. Even praise unto our God. Paul said in that same chapter
of Philippians 3 One thing. One thing I do. One thing I do. I'm pressing toward the mark
of the high calling of God, that prize, that glorious prize of
the Lord Jesus Christ. You remember when he met the
elders of the churches at Ephesus on his way to Jerusalem? He meets
with them and he says, I go bound in the Spirit and to Jerusalem,
not knowing the things that shall befall me there, except this,
that the Holy Ghost witnesseth in every city, saying that bonds
and afflictions abide me. And Ananias, go to him, tell
him what great things he must suffer. I'll show him what great
things he must suffer for my name's sake. It's one of my favorite
verses. It encourages me and rebukes
me at the same time. Paul said, but none of these
things, imprisonment, death, beatings, slander, betrayal by
false brethren. Timothy, I'm alone. And my first answer, no man stood
with me. They all forsook me. And it's
cold, Timothy. It's cold in this dungeon. If
you come, would you bring my cloak? The great apostle didn't
even have a coat to wrap himself in. And he said, but none of these
things move me. I'm not deterred. I'm not going
to be turned aside. I'm not moved by these things,
neither count my life dear unto myself that I might finish my
course with joy. These things don't move me from
this one thing, singular, that I might finish my course with
joy in the ministry which I have received of the Lord Jesus to
do what, Paul? To testify the gospel of the
grace of God. Period. There's a period after
that. Not to be a marriage counselor,
not to be a fundraiser, not to be whatever, but to do this very
thing to testify the gospel of the grace of God. That glorious message that's
about Jesus Christ himself, and again, I refer to it, In 2 Timothy
chapter 4, Paul says, Timothy, my departure's at hand. I'm soon
to be offered up, but don't you be ashamed. He said prior to
that, Timothy, don't be ashamed of me, the Lord's prisoner, or
of the glorious gospel of the blessed God. In 2 Timothy chapter
1, listen to this. writing to his beloved son in
the faith, Paul says, Be not thou therefore ashamed of the
testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but be thou
a partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the
power of God, who has saved us and called us with the holy calling,
not according to our works, but according to his own purpose
and grace which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world
began. Stay right there, Timothy. And in the very last chapter,
he tells Timothy, I charge thee, verse 1 of chapter 4, before
God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and
the dead at his appearing in his kingdom, preach the word. Preach the word. Nothing else. Be instant, in season and out
of season. Timothy, preach the word. Mr. Spurgeon said that the time,
he felt that the time would come when instead of shepherds feeding
the sheep, the church will have clowns entertaining the goats. Spurgeon said that. Very prophetic. Very prophetic, exactly describes
our day, does it not? Preach the word. Timothy, when
they love you for it or when they hate you for it, when they
flatter you or whether they slander you, when they listen, when they
come listening, craving a word from God, feeling their need
of Christ, when they listen, when they hang on to the words
of the glorious gospel of the blessed God or whether they sit
there and sleep, preach the word. Preach the word. Augustus Toplady,
I think he only lived, he died before he was 40, 38 or 39 years
old. I was reading in his memoirs
just the other evening and when he was on his deathbed, when
he was dying, John Wesley who hated the gospel
that Top Lady preached, spread the rumor that Top Lady had recanted
the sovereign grace of God, the doctrines of grace. That Top
Lady on his deathbed said he renounced it. He renounced it. Top Lady got up when he heard
that. He got up from his deathbed went
to the service at his church and told everyone, it's not true. It's not true. And even after
he died, Wesley claimed that he had recanted and had died
a terrible death without hope. And these men signed a paper
with the nurse, her signature is on it as well, that attended
Top Lady in his dying hour and said, that is not so. He died as he lived, expressed
in the words of the hymn that he himself wrote when he said,
while I draw this fleeting breath, when my eyes shall close in death,
when I soar the world's unknown, and behold thee on thy throne,
O rock of ages, clap for me. Let me hide myself in thee. Does this offend you? It does many. Jesus knew. in verse 61, and yet he spoke
the truth. He was more concerned about God's
glory than pleasing man. He told him the truth about who
God is and they were offended. He told the truth about himself
and they were offended. And he told the truth about them
and they were further offended. Paul said, I bear the truth in
Christ. I have a burden for my brethren,
my kinsmen after the flesh, because they have a zeal for God, but
not according to knowledge, because they're going about to establish
their own righteousness and have not submitted themselves unto
the righteousness of God. Christ is the end, the fulfillment,
the consummation, the purpose of the law to everyone that believeth. Everyone. The other morning,
old self-righteousness. Somebody said, that's a wicked
weed that will grow anywhere. The other morning, I met one
of the fellas I golf with on occasion at Burger King. We were going to have breakfast
before we went to play. I've invited this man to serve
us here. I don't know how often. Give
them a schedule of the special services we have twice a year
with Don and then others. Always an excuse. Can't come.
Can't come. Can't come. On the golf course, he calls
me Brother Larry. Brother Larry. But he's never
come. He goes nowhere. Has no interest in the gospel
of God. But we're sitting there to have breakfast, having pancakes. And I'm ready to stick my fork
in. And all of a sudden, he grabs my hand and starts praying. He had friends sitting around.
One of them, I guess, showed him he was religious. Oh, the more things change, the
more they stay the same. God hasn't changed and man hasn't
changed. And man's attempts to save himself
by his own work hasn't changed. Brothers and sisters in Christ,
there's just too much at stake. to deny the glorious gospel of
the blessed God, is there not? Your souls are too valuable,
and hell is too real, and eternity is too long, and our lives are
too short. And my accountability when I
stand before God is too weighty a matter. As Paul said, woe unto
me if I preach not the gospel. Nothing more, nothing less, and
nothing else. Does this gospel of God's free
grace offend you? It has some. Some left us because
they refused to bow to the Lord Jesus Christ. They were offended,
these people, by their supposed ability when our Lord said, you
don't have any. Whose choice is it? God's or
man's? Religion says man's choice, but
Christ said, no, you've not chosen me, but I've chosen you. Does this offend you? It did
them, and it does most in religious circles today. That's why they've
invented a so-called election that's based upon man's foreseen
fate. Has anybody ever told you about
that? Oh yes, we believe election. We believe God saw who we believe,
so he chose them to believe. What a bunch of nonsense. That
sounds like child's play or something, not the work of the triune God. Oh no. Blessed, blessed wonder. Another marvel of God's matchless
grace. He chose me, the salvation. He loved me, Christ, and gave
himself for me. The blessed truth of redemption.
We're told on every hand, Christ died for everybody. That takes
the offense off, doesn't it? You mean he died just as much
for Judas as he did for Peter? And we're told, yes, oh yes.
Well then let me ask you, what good is it? What's it worth? It didn't keep Judas out of hell.
If his death did no more for the one than the other, what
does it matter? Oh, but bless God, it's not so.
There was only one voice. one singular voice that cried
that day out of the darkness on Mount Calvary in sovereign
absolute majesty saying it is finished. And it wasn't my voice
or your voice or the voice of martyrs or Passover lambs. It
was the voice of the Son of God. He by himself attained eternal
redemption for us. Saw something the other day on
the news or, oh, I forget, on perhaps the internet. But Osteen. Man, he pikes. What is that place? Was it used to be a football
stadium or something? It's Pike to the Raptors. And
he gave his little motivational speech. And then he said, you
want to be born again? Say this prayer with me. That's
it. You're born again. Isn't that
sad? Isn't that sad that the marvelous
work of the triune God, the marvelous work of the Spirit of God in
making new creations in Christ Jesus is reduced to that? No, it's not so. It's not so. Blessed be God. Our Lord said
this is when a man is born again. This is how a man receives life,
spiritual life, eternal life. It's not the flesh. It profits
nothing. We read it here, didn't we, in
John 6? It is the spirit that quickeneth the flesh, profits
nothing, verse 63. How was a man born again? How
are dead sinners brought to life? Our Lord said in chapter 5, here
in John's Gospel, Verily I say unto you, the hour is coming,
and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of
God, and they that hear shall live. shall live. Oh, it's not what my hands have
done, or my feet, or my thoughts. Oh, Lazarus, our Lord cried,
come forth. And he that was dead came forth."
Can you imagine speaking to Lazarus after that glorious event and
saying, Lazarus, what happened? I just don't think he'll say,
well, it was easy. It was easy. I just took the
first step, and he took the rest. Oh, no, no, Lazarus, let me tell
you. There's a lot I don't know. There's a lot I can't explain.
But I know I was dead. I know I was blind. And now I
see. And I know Jesus Christ did it
all. Brothers and sisters, let me
wrap this up. I don't know how long that God
will allow this religious insanity to go on in which you and I live
today. But I encourage you, as Paul
said, stand fast, stand fast. Be not weary in well-doing because
in due season you shall reap if you faint not. Be not discouraged. I know we look around And we
see a crowd everywhere except Fairmont Grace Church. Well,
that's the way it was here, wasn't it? In John 6. How can so many
people be wrong, we're told? If you're right, if what you're
preaching is the truth, why are there so few there? Just like
here. The majority walked away. They weren't right. They were
wrong. They left Jesus, the Christ,
the Son of the Living God. But by God's grace, by God's
grace, I can't emphasize that enough, I'll stay right where
I'm at, in the minority. And when asked, Lord, when asked
by our Lord, will ye also go away? Oh, I would. I would, God would. In each of our hearts, each believer
here this very moment, I wish God would just overwhelm us,
impress us with the wonder of His grace that enables us to
respond in answer to the question, will you also go away? No, Lord. No. No. To whom shall I go? You have the words of eternal
life. I believe and I'm sure that you're the Christ. Don't
let me go and I won't let you go. Let me read you an article
entitled The Righteousness of Christ. It says a celebrated heathen
said, I wrap myself in my own virtue. I thank God that I'm
not like other men. A true believer has something
infinitely better to wrap himself up in. When Satan says, you've
yielded to my temptation. When conscience, your very conscience
says, thou has turned a deaf ear to my admonitions. When the law of God says, you've
broken me. When the gospel, even the gospel
says, you've neglected me. And when justice says, God's
justice says, you've insulted me. And when mercy says, when
God's marvelous mercy says, you've slighted me. Where's that marvel? Where's
that wonder? Where's that gratitude? Where's
that First love. You had, when you came to me,
nothing but sin. Fears within and fears without. And you fell down before me.
If you will, you can make me clean. And I said, I will. Oh, my soul. And at the same time, he said,
Thy sins be forgiven thee, all thy sins be forgiven thee. Oh,
you remember the wonder, the wonder. Oh, I can't get over
it. He saved me. He saved me. Let me tell you what Christ did
for me. And then after time, I'm afraid
the accusation is true. Mercy says, you've slighted me. Oh, even though all that may
be so, faith can say, this is true, but so is this, Christ
justified me. And though that man may say I
wrap myself up in my own virtue, my own righteousness, my own
will, my own works, whatever, I wrap myself up in the righteousness
of Jesus Christ. And before God, dressed in His
perfect robe of Christ's righteousness, I'm spotless without blame before
God. What a Savior. What grace. What a glorious salvation. God
bless you.