to John chapter 6 one more time
this afternoon. John chapter 6. Let me just read
beginning here in verse 41 again. Through verse 45. John chapter
6 and verse 41. The Jews then murmured. The version
Wayne read out of says grumbled. They grumbled. at him because
he said, I am the bread which came down from heaven. And they
said, Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and
mother we know? How is it then that he saith,
I come down from heaven? Jesus therefore answered and
said unto them, Murmur not among yourselves. No man can come to
me except the Father which hath sent me draw him, and I will
raise him up at the last day. It is written in the prophets,
and they shall be all taught of God. Every man, therefore,
that hath heard and learned of the Father cometh unto me." I
want us to look at these passages this evening. We saw this morning
that the Lord Jesus has set Hisself forth as the only way of salvation. The only way to be saved from
sin and have eternal life is through the body of Jesus Christ
that is broken and His blood that is shed. And he is speaking
here of that atonement that he should make. Here in verse 51
that Wayne read to us. He says, I am the living bread
which came down from heaven. If any man eat of this bread
he shall live forever and the bread that I will give is my
flesh. That is the bread of life. He
tells us in Hebrews 10 that the Father prepared Him a body. And in that body and in His soul,
He suffered for our sins and put them away by the sacrifice
of Himself. This man, after he had offered
one sacrifice for sin forever, sat down on the right hand of
God. And Colossians chapter 1, and
you that were sometimes alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked
works, yet now hath he reconciled in the body of his flesh through
death. The body, his broken body upon
the cross of Calvary is what reconciled us to God and makes
us holy and unblameable and unreprovable in his sight. And here in verse
53, he said this is my blood of the New Testament. This is
my blood that is poured out, except you drink my blood, you
have no life in you. And he is talking about that
blood that was shed as an atonement for sin. I have given you the
blood upon the altar, for it is the blood that makes an atonement
for sin, having made peace through the blood of His cross. much
more being reconciled, being justified by His blood, we shall
be saved from wrath through Him." His broken body and His shed
blood is what He is setting forth here to these people. What is
left to be done but coming to Jesus Christ and to God by Him
and receiving at His gracious hands And what does it mean to
come to Him but believing in Him? Coming and believing is
the very same thing. In verse 35, He said, I am the
bread of life. He that comes to Me shall never
hunger, and he that believeth on Me shall never thirst. And it's here we find out that
there's more that is needful to be done. Not in the way of
atonement. The atonement has been accomplished.
The table has been set. Supper is ready. He's killed
his fatted calves. Everything's ready. But something
more has to be done in the sinner's heart for him to come and eat
and drink of this supper. And that's what verses 44 and
verse 45 is about that we want to deal with just for a few minutes.
And my first point is this. Here in verse 4, the Lord Jesus
says before us that absolute impossibility. No man can come
to Me. And what He simply said, no man
can savingly believe upon Me. The natural man can do a lot
of things, can he? He can do a lot of things. He
can pray. The Pharisee stood on the street
corner and prayed. He can fast. They fasted often. A natural man can give. They
even paid tithes of their mint and cumin. The natural man can
be baptized. Simon the Saucer was baptized.
They can go to public worship. The Jews stayed in the temple.
They can do many wonderful works. There are many things that a
lost natural man can do. And all of these he may do without
coming to the Lord Jesus Christ and being saved by Him. Coming
to Christ is not a physical coming. Coming to Him is not even seeing
Him physically. He said, You have seen Me and
you believe. Coming to Jesus Christ has nothing
to do with this body. Coming to Him is the heart. It is the eyes of the soul looking
to Him. It is the feet of the soul coming
to Him. It is the heart believing in
Jesus Christ and Him crucified. But the Lord Jesus is not telling
us here what men can do. There are many things that they
can do. But He is telling us what we cannot do. There is one thing that we absolutely
cannot do. No man can come to Me savingly. No man can believe on Me savingly. Now that's an absolute impossibility,
isn't it? And there's no exceptions to
that rule, he said. No man can come. And it tells us the Lord knows
the heart of man better than they know their own hearts. He
knows their utter depravity. He knows the heart of man that
it is utterly adverse to come in. Because he said in chapter
5 in verse 40, you will not come to me. You will not come to me. Is that so about a man? That
his heart is so adverse to Christ that you can set forth the gospel
so plainly and so freely to him and he will not come? Fallen
man is a strange creature indeed who had rather starve and perish
than to come and eat and drink and live forever. He will not
come. And the Lord knows their utter
inability because He says here, no man can come. Sin has not
only corrupted the heart morally, He's left it without any ability
to keep the law, but it's worse than that. Sin has stripped us
of any ability, of any strength to come to that only source. who has the power and grace to
save us. And that's Jesus Christ. I don't
know of any place, brothers and sisters, where man's inability
is discovered any more than here. If you say he cannot keep the
law, we can understand that, can't we? But he cannot come
to the One who kept the law. He cannot save himself, but now
we learn that he cannot come to the One who can save him.
An utter impossibility. And he says, No man, no man. I mean, if holy Daniel was here,
he'd raise his hand and he'd say, I'm not an exception. If
Samuel the prophet was here, he'd raise his hand. I'm not
an exception. Peter said, I'm right there.
No man can come to me. What an utter, absolute impossibility. This is the estimation of the
Son of God concerning the entire human race. And has He accurately
judged us? Is His estimation of us true? Do you think it's too harsh? It will only be too harsh if
it's not true. But if it's true, it's not too
harsh, is it? How do we learn to estimate ourselves? Do we believe our own hearts?
How often has our hearts deceived us? Coming to Christ to be saved
by Him is the most crucial thing in this world. If we don't come
to Him, we'll perish. This is the most important thing
any of us could be confronted with, isn't it? Coming to Christ. If we don't come to Him, we'll
never live. If we don't eat of Him, we'll
die of hunger. And here He tells us in this
very thing that's so crucial and so essential, we have no
ability to perform. We must be depraved. We cannot
come. It's not that He keeps us away.
It's not that He refuses us access. But the whole problem rests with
us. We're not only adverse by nature
to coming to Him, But we have absolutely no ability to come.
Not only has sin corrupted us and brought guilt upon us and
eventual damnation, but it has rendered us powerless to come
to Jesus Christ, the only Savior of sinners. Now, a man can put
whatever tag on that he wants to. He can call it total depravity
and spend a lot of time fussing and arguing with men about what
total means, about what depravity means, but we can go to one little
verse where the Savior says, No man can come to Me. That is the first thing we have.
And that brings us to this wonderful part of verse 45, and here we
have an absolute promise, absolute impossibility, But here we have
an absolute promise. Look in verse 45. It is written
in the prophets. What is written? This promise. They shall be all taught of God. This tells us something. The
necessity of the work of God the Holy Spirit making us to
know our need. Creating a hunger in us. Because
it's only the hunger that eat. Creating a thirst in us because
it's only the thirsty who drink. Creating a burden in our hearts,
a burden for the sense of being saved by Him. I tell
you, I remember when He first made me to know my need of Him.
It created a burden in my heart that never was satisfied until
He relieved that burden to know Him. He healed those who had
need, but we are sick and don't even know it until He shows us. Man's sinful heart is like the
earth way back yonder in the beginning that was without form
and void, and the Scripture says darkness was upon the face of
the deep. And then he said, the Spirit
of God moved upon the face of the waters, and God said, Let
there be light. Ain't that the way it happened?
I mean, we were in darkness, weren't we? And God the Holy
Spirit simply spake and said, Let there be light, and there
was light. And the Bible says that's the
first day of creation. And when the Lord comes to our
darkened mind, and the Holy Spirit enlightens us to our need of
Christ, and He shows us our Savior, that's the first day of a new
creation, isn't it? That eternal creation. Our text
doesn't say that the Holy Spirit might do this, but He assures
us of an absolute promise. They shall be taught of God. What a promise! What was wrong
with these people that went away? They were ignorant. How can these
things be? They said, this is a hard saying. We don't understand. Isn't this
Jesus of Nazareth? Isn't this Joseph's son? They
were so ignorant. But what does the promise set
forth to us? They shall be taught. That's our whole need, isn't
it? To be taught. And I tell you, God can teach
a man. Boy, He can teach a man. We can't teach ourselves, can
we? But He can teach a man. They shall be taught of God. Our Lord Jesus found such great
comfort in this promise. He knew many would go away with
their darkened understanding and their murmuring lips. But
He knew also the Father had given this precious promise long, long
ago. And though some would go away,
many would go away, but thank God not all would. Not those
who are taught of God. Aren't you thankful for such
a promise? While every elect soul lay dead in his trespasses
and sin and lives his days in spiritual darkness away from
the Savior who redeemed him, he had no idea that this promise
was made concerning him. You lived all those years in
false religion, and you had no idea that here was a promise
concerning you. He shall be taught of God. Herbert W. Armstrong is teaching
him now. But God is going to un-teach
him. And God is going to teach him the truth. And he is coming
to Christ. And that promise was there all
along. And none of us knew it. They shall be taught of God.
And notice this promise has no condition attached to it. It's
not in any way dependent upon man to be fulfilled. It's an
absolute promise sealed up in the pages of Holy Scriptures
that cannot be broken or ever go unfulfilled. They shall be. They shall be. Webster tells
us that that's the most definite word in the entire English language.
It means unavoidable, inescapable. They shall be taught of God. Not all men are taught of God.
If all men were taught of God, all men would come to Christ.
The promise is not made concerning all men without exception. It
wasn't made concerning these Jews who went away to walk with
Him no more at all. But it's a promise made concerning
every elect soul. They are born in sin, they live
in sin, they love their sins, they are ignorant of the Savior,
but there comes a time, God's time, when He breaks in upon
their conscience, according to His own will, the way that He
does it, and He sends light, and He reveals the Savior. Sometimes
He does it that quick, and sometimes just over a period of time, but
God is the One who does the teaching. And it is according to His precious
promise. My people shall be willing in
the day of my power. Willing and able through grace
to believe to come to Jesus Christ and be saved. An absolute promise. Thirdly, there is an absolute
certainty. Here in verse 45 we not only
have an absolute promise, we have an absolute certainty. They
shall be all taught of God, look at this, every man therefore
that hath heard and learned of the Father, he cometh unto me."
That absolute certainty. There is not a single person
that God so teaches but that they will come to Jesus Christ. I've often said if God taught
everybody like He taught me, Everybody would come to Christ.
Everybody would come to Christ. The promise assures they are
being taught. They shall be taught of God.
And this teaching assures that they will come to Christ. Let
that man or woman be who they will. It doesn't matter who they
will. It doesn't matter who they are,
where they are, the circumstances they find themselves in. It doesn't
matter how much they have stooped in immorality and in spiritual
darkness. Let them be who they will. If this promise is concerning
them, they will be taught, and they will come to Jesus Christ. I used to try to make things
so effectual, and it just bothered me and frustrated me, because
I never could make anything effectual. It would get me so upset and
I'd get mad. And you've done it, haven't you?
Get upset with people. Why, why, why? Why won't you
see this? Why won't you see that? But when you learn that's God's
work, then there's a comfort there because when He works,
it's effectual. They shall come. It may be a
blind beggar sitting on a dusty roadside, but he's coming to
Jesus. It may be a woman who is a sinner
in the town, but she's coming to Jesus. It may be a woman who
has seven devils or five husbands, but she's coming to Jesus. It
may be a master of Israel who knows nothing about the new birth,
but when God teaches him, he's coming to Jesus. It may be a
self-righteous Pharisee making havoc of the church, but when
God teaches him, he's coming to Jesus. It may be a tax collector
up a sycamore tree, but when Jesus is teaching them, He's
coming, is He not? The promise is, they shall be
taught. And the end of that promise is,
they come, they come unto Me. It may be a thief on the cross
in his dying hours, but I'm telling you, when God teaches him, he's
coming to Christ. He's coming to Christ. The Lord
Jesus, this Prince of Preachers, was so encouraged of this, and
by this He said this to them basically. He said, I know you
fellows. There's 5,000 of you and I know
you. I know what you think of me.
I know you don't believe me. And I hear you murmuring under
your breath. And I know you're going away
here in just a few minutes. And you're never going to walk
with me. But He said, I know more than that. And this is what
comforted him. This is what held him up. He
said, all the Father gives to me, they're coming to me. You're
not coming to me, but all those the Father gives to me, they're
coming. You go ignorant, grumbling against me, but those that the
Father teaches, they'll see their need of me and they're coming
to me. They're coming to eat of my flesh and drink of my blood.
Oh, wasn't that comforting? He took great comfort in that. And we ought to too. Not just
the preachers, but every child of God should take comfort in
that. That's what it takes to bring
a man to Christ. It sure does. Man can preach ever so sincerely,
earnestly. I'd hate to think that the Lord
Jesus wasn't speaking earnestly to these fellows. I don't think
he's speaking out of both sides of his heart and mouth, do you?
When he said there in verse 27, the Son of Man will give to you,
I think he was honest and serious about it. You come to me on my
terms. You can have me and all my benefits.
But they wouldn't come. God leaves a man to himself,
brother, and all the preaching in the world won't save you.
It won't do it. The Father had a work to do back
yonder before the world was, and that was His election. The
Son had a work to do upon the cross, and now God the Holy Spirit
has a work to do in the hearts. And that is teaching us, enlightening
us, and bringing us to the Lord Jesus Christ. An absolute certainty. They are coming. They are coming.
And fourthly and lastly, here is an absolute miracle. Isn't
that an absolute miracle? When any man comes to Christ
to be saved by Him, it is a work of God. And it's a miracle of
God. My Father draws him. That's a miracle, isn't it? You
see a poor sinner coming to Christ, that's a miracle. That's a miracle
of grace. We look at those stars that God
hung in the sky back yonder, the mountains that He made and
the trees that were beautiful to the eyes, and we say, what
a miracle! I tell you a greater miracle
than that. When a poor sinner bows to the Savior and believes
on Him. That's a miracle. There's miracles
here tonight. I see some miracles. A miracle
of grace, a miracle of love. From the first time your heart
felt its need of the Lord Jesus to save you to this very day. Every time you come to Christ,
every time you look to Him, every time your heart groans for Him,
a miracle is taking place. Coming to Christ is a supernatural
act. I can't say it any better than
that. It is a supernatural And it's something that happens every
day, every morning, every day that you come to Christ. Every
time you come to Christ, you're doing something you can't do. And that's a miracle. You know
what a miracle is? It's when something happens that
can't happen. That's it, ain't it? You're coming to Christ,
that can't happen. He just said it couldn't happen.
No man can. But I did. Then that's a miracle. It's a miracle of God, the Father
has drawn me. The Lord Jesus went into the
temple one day and there was a man there with a little old
tiny hand on a little withered arm. Just all swiveled, can you
see? He just got you to wait and look.
And you know what He said? Stretch forth your arm! That's
impossible. But He did, didn't He? That was
a miracle, wasn't it? There was a man who lay for 38
years by the pool. No man can have Him and no man
can make Him whole. If He could have got up and walked,
believe you me, He would have never laid there for 38 years.
And the Lord Jesus said, Man, take up your bed and walk. Lord,
that's impossible. You know it is. Without a miracle. And coming to Christ is impossible.
You can't do it. You can't do it. But you've done
it. And you'll go home tonight and
do it. Right now you're doing it. That's a miracle. An absolute miracle of grace. He that believeth on me. What
a miracle. He that cometh to me. What a
miracle. What a miracle. It was a miracle of grace and
love that brought our Savior down to us to obtain our eternal
redemption. And it's a miracle of grace and
love that brings us to Him and receive Him and all His benefits. The church of old used to pray
like this, Draw me, draw me, and we will run after you. That's
our prayer, isn't it? Draw me, draw me. Oh, what a miracle. What a miracle. And the Lord Jesus says, They'll
not only come, but He says, I'll never cast them out. You know
what that word never means for any reason. Now think about that. This is something to go home
and chew on. And this will be a lot of comfort to you. When
you come to Him tonight and your conscience maybe is accusing
you, and your soul is burdened, you feel your unworthiness, and
the devil is tempting you and saying, don't even use you to
go, no sense for you to go. Look how you fell. Look at your
misery. Then go to Him and take this promise with you. He'll
not cast you out for any reason. Now there's a lot of reasons
you can think of, but none of them will stand. There's a lot
of reasons you can't think of, but none of them will stand either.
Because He will never cast you out for any reason. And you'll just keep coming to
Him and He'll just keep receiving you until the last day. and He'll raise you up. And you'll
really come to Him then. You'll really come to Him then.
Oh, your poor body and your soul will be reunited and you'll come
to Him and you'll bow before Him and you'll worship Him like
you longed to worship Him here and never was able. And you know these fellows right
here in our text that didn't come? They're coming too. They're
coming too. We've come now to Him for mercy. We've come to Him for salvation.
But these guys are coming. All men shall come to Him. Even
those who are incensed against Him, they're coming too. The
King is upon His throne and someday there's going to be gathered
before Him all nations of men. Everybody who's ever lived will
come to Him. But these fellows, they'll be
coming for judgment. for judgment. Aren't you glad
He drew you? And when He tells you that you
could not come, you've got no quorum for that, have you? He's
told you just what you are. You couldn't come, and you still
can't come. You still can't come. You know
better than yourself today than you were back then. You still
can't come. But He keeps drawing you, doesn't
He? He keeps a will in your heart encouraging you to come, making
you feel you need to come. Oh, what a great Savior. Let's
pray.