Lord, to Whom Shall We Go?

Q: What does the Bible say about eternal life?

The Bible teaches that eternal life is found in Christ and is a gift to those who believe in Him (John 6:40). Eternal life, as presented in Scripture, is a profound concept rooted in the person and work of Jesus Christ. According to John 6:40, Jesus declares that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him shall have everlasting life, emphasizing that this life is a divine gift rather than a reward for human effort. This assures believers that their salvation and eternal life are secure because they rest solely on Christ's sacrifice and righteousness, not their own works.

Q: How do we know God's sovereignty in salvation is true?

God's sovereignty in salvation is affirmed in Scripture, particularly in verses like John 6:37, which states that all the Father gives to Christ will come to Him. The sovereignty of God in salvation is foundational in Reformed theology, and it is supported throughout Scripture. In John 6:37, Jesus states, 'All that my Father gives me shall come to me,' highlighting that the initiative of salvation belongs entirely to God. This truth underscores the belief that salvation is not based on human will but on God's divine purpose and grace. Additionally, this assurance offers comfort to believers, knowing that those whom God has chosen will be saved, reinforcing the idea that genuine faith is a result of divine calling rather than mere human decision.

Q: Why is believing in Christ crucial for Christians?

Believing in Christ is essential for Christians because it is the means by which they receive eternal life and fulfill the work of God (John 6:29). In the Christian faith, belief in Christ is not just an intellectual assent; it is the means through which individuals receive the gift of eternal life. As articulated in John 6:29, Jesus states, 'This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.' This signifies that faith in Christ is of paramount importance, as it is through this belief that one is connected to the saving work of Jesus. Furthermore, this belief results in a transformed life—bringing about assurance, peace, and a relationship with God. The focus of a believer's life must therefore be the person and work of Christ, as He is the source of spiritual nourishment and ultimate fulfillment.

Q: What does it mean to eat the flesh and drink the blood of Christ?

Eating Christ's flesh and drinking His blood symbolizes receiving Him spiritually and believing in His sacrificial death for eternal life (John 6:53-54). The metaphor of eating Christ's flesh and drinking His blood, as expressed in John 6:53-54, is a profound illustration of the deep relationship between believers and Jesus. This passage highlights that truly participating in the benefits of Christ's sacrifice involves more than just a physical act; it represents a spiritual reality where one fully embraces and appropriates Christ for salvation and life. Believers are nourished by Christ—not only through His physical suffering but also by believing in and relying on Him for their spiritual needs. This communion with Christ is what sustains believers in their journey of faith, emphasizing the necessity of a personal relationship with the Savior.

Q: Why do some people turn away from Christ?

People may turn away from Christ due to offense taken at His teachings or a lack of genuine belief (John 6:66). The issue of individuals turning away from Christ is addressed in John 6:66, where many disciples 'went back and walked no more with Him.' This response often stems from offense taken at the hard aspects of Christ's teachings, particularly the notions of divine sovereignty and the total dependence on Him for life. Additionally, there may be underlying issues of insincerity in faith—those who follow for material gain or personal comfort may abandon the faith when confronted with its more challenging doctrines. This separation reveals the distinction between true believers, who are drawn by the Spirit to persist in faith, and those who are merely following out of curiosity or self-interest.

Let me read my text tonight from
the sixth chapter of John, John chapter six. Now this is where, this is where
I am heading and I hope to get to this particular part of the
sixth chapter of John in this message. John 6, let's read verse
66, John 6, 66. And from that time, from that
time, many of his disciples, followers, learners, people who
were listening to him, they went back and walked no more with
him. No more. Then said Jesus unto
the twelve, Peter, James, John, the inner circle, will you also
go away? Then Simon Peter answered him,
Lord, to whom shall we go? That's my text tonight. Lord,
to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal
life, and we believe and are sure. That's not the order in which
we usually put things, is it? If we're sure, then we'll believe.
But he said we believe, and as a result, we're sure. that Christ, the Son of the living
God. Now, if there were some way that
I could stir up here tonight an uncommon, unusual interest
in the sixth chapter of John, I would do everything in my power
to do it. to get you interested in reading
this chapter. Not just reading it, but reading
it over and over and over and over again. There's so many subjects
dealt with in this sixth chapter of John. It's remarkable. Amazing. So much divine truth in this
chapter. It's a full treasure chest. It's
one of those chapters you open up and it just keeps coming out. Treasure after treasure after
treasure, the unsearchable riches of God's grace in Christ. Stop
just about anywhere you want to in this chapter, just about
anywhere, and preach for an hour. I could do that so easily. Let's
start with verse 25. Let me just look at some things
here. Verse 26. Verse 26. And Jesus answered them and said,
Verily, verily, I say unto you, you seek Me. You seek Me. Who's He talking to? Well, He
had fed this great crowd of people on one side of the sea. Thousands
of them. They had eaten. They're full. Plenty was left over. And our
Lord spoke to them. And then He left them. And the
disciples went down and got on a boat and went across the sea.
And they knew the disciples left, but they didn't know where Christ
was. And they began to look for Him. That's when He walked on
the sea, you remember? And went to the other side. He
didn't take a boat. He walked over. on the sea. And these people kept looking
for him and couldn't find him, so they took boats, too, and
went to the other side. And that's when they came here
in verse 25, and they found him on the other side, and they said,
How did you get over here? That's what they asked him there.
They said, Master, Rabbi, when camest thou here? And that's
when he looked at them and said, You seek me, but you seek me
for the wrong reason. You seek me for the wrong reason.
And this is the plague that's made our religious generation
sick. They're seeking Him for the wrong
reasons. There was one crowd that sought
Him because of the miracles. They saw the miracles. And they
clamored after Him, and He wouldn't reveal Himself to them. In John
2, you remember, He would not reveal Himself to them. He said,
You seek me because you saw the miracles, and He would not reveal
Himself to them. And these people were seeking
him because they wanted prosperity and plenty, materialistic ambition. And that's the reason he said,
verse 26, you folks seek me. And you're not among those that
seek me because you saw the miracles, but I'll tell you why you seek
me, because you did eat the loaves and were filled. You listened to the average prayer
request. Doesn't matter where you are. Doesn't matter what
flavor church you're in. 99 and 44 100 percent of the
prayer requests have something to do with this flesh. Something to do with this flesh. People want to use God for materialistic
advantage, and that's what they're interested in. And that's when
he said to them, verse 27, don't labor for the meat that perisheth. Brother Ronnie Lewis and I were
talking today. We were walking around the park. We were trying
to get a little exercise, you know. We both have too much appetite
and take too little exercise. But I'll tell you this, and we ought to use some judgment
about how we eat so forth and so on. But you're not going to
add one year to this life. Not one year. Our bounds are set. Our days
are determined. We're going to leave here. It's
appointed unto men once to die and after that, judgment. And
we need to spend our time not laboring for a longer life on
this earth. Laboring and seeking eternal
life. Lay hold on eternal life. Oh, that we might spend as much
time taking care of our souls as we do taking care of our bodies.
I said one time in a message, I wonder how many people who
go to worship on the Lord's Day spend as much time preparing
the heart to meet God as they do preparing this body to meet
the people. Don't answer that, I don't want
to see any hands raised. Oh, he said, you seek me because
you ate the loaves. Don't labor and give your time
and effort and zeal and all these for the meat that perisheth,
but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which
the Son of Man shall give unto you. For him hath God the Father
sealed. Oh, that we might spend our time
seeking Christ, examining ourselves. Well, let's move on. I want to
get to my text. In verse 29, our Lord made a
statement. Like I said, you can stop about
anywhere, but look at verse 29. Jesus answered and said unto
them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he
hath sent. Why did he say that? Well, back in verse 28, these
folks asked him, they said to him, verse 28, well what shall
we do that we might work the works of God? What is the work of God? What
shall a man do to please God? Please God. Right now, tonight,
right here in this congregation. This is what these people are
asking. What shall we do that we might work the works of God?
What shall I do to please God? How can a man truly serve God? How can a woman serve God? That's
what they're asking. What shall we do that we might
work the works of God? Tell us. Now, they're asking
the Master this. They're asking God this. Christ
is God. If you ask the average person,
That, He'll give you something to do. Join our church. Pay your
tithe. Go out and knock on doors. Bring
people to church. Be here every service. Help us
build a building. Organize a school. He'll give
you something to do, won't He? Well, you know what the Lord
said? He said to them, he answered when they said, well, how can
we please God? How can we serve God? How can we do the works
of God? He said, this is the work of God. That you believe on Christ whom God has sent. You want to please the Father?
Believe on Christ. You want to honor the Father?
Honor the Son. You want to worship the Father? Worship the Son. Actually, if I were interpreting
this, I would say the Lord is saying to them, sit down at my
feet like Mary of old and look into my face and receive my word
and believe on me. That's the work of God. Be still and know that I'm God. That's too much, actually, there's
just too much fleshly activity in religion, and that's what's
got us in the mess we're in. It's not the worshipers that
have got us in the mess we're in, it's the talkers. One of our men was talking to
me just before the service. I told him, I said, keep talking.
You're giving me a lot of preaching material. That's my second point
in my message. He said, I can't preach like
Brother Henry, and I can't sing like Brother Mike, and I can't
pray like Brother Jim. He said, but I can be a sheep. And I said, that's it. That's
it. It's the talkers that have got
us in the mess we're in. It's not the Mary sitting at
Christ's feet. It's not the dear woman breaking
the alabaster box in worship on His head. It's not the harlot
kissing His feet. It's not those who are sitting
at the feet of Christ. It's the folks out there popping
off about God, talking about things they don't know anything
about. You want to do the work of God? Believe on Christ. Believe on Christ. I want to
read you a letter that I got today. I don't know whether this fits
right in with my message or my message fits in with this. I'm
going to read it just like it is. I've never met this person,
but I've heard from this dear woman many times. She orders tapes, watches the
television program, and sends an offering every month for years. Dear Brother Mahan, I guess This
is the first time I've ever written you to tell you how much I enjoy
your sermon tapes. I enjoy them more every day while
I study the Word of God. I am overwhelmed with the Gospel
of Christ. I am overwhelmed with the Gospel
of Christ. I can't put it into words. I'm
not much of a writer, never could put my thoughts on paper. But
I thank God for his word and I thank God for you. Please send
me some reading material of some of the old preachers of the gospel. I'll buy them or borrow them
either way. Now listen. I'm 76 years old and I'm crippled,
but in all my years I've never been at peace as I am now." Isn't
that wonderful? It took a long time, didn't it?
But this is where God brings his sheep. I'm 76 years old and
crippled, but in all my years I've never been at peace as I
am now. Now, to me, that's work in the
works of God. There's a disciple that's been
brought by the Spirit of God through the gospel which has
overwhelmed her to the feet of Christ. And she's crippled. She can't do much going and knocking
and talking and rattling, can she? But she can be at peace
in Christ. And I'll tell you, that's working
the works of God. And don't ever, I don't care
who we are, who you are, rest in Him and find your delight
in Him. And let's not be discontent with
who we are or where we are. God put us there. And that's,
He delights in His sheep and their love for Him. All right,
look at verse 32. He said something else to them.
He said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not
that bread from heaven. Moses didn't give you the bread
from heaven. You know, folks talk about Moses,
and I love Moses. I'm grateful to God for Moses.
But Moses and the Old Testament law and the Old Testament dispensation,
now listen. Nothing that Moses ever wrote,
nothing that Moses ever gave ever satisfied a sinner's heart
or gave life to a lost sinner. Never. Anything Moses wrote or
anything Moses worked or anything Moses did, all of the miracles
and ordinances and laws of Moses were but shadows of the Christ
to come. They are but types. Don't go
over there and get bogged down in a Sabbath, or bogged down
in a tithe, or bogged down in dietary laws, or bogged down
in holy days. Those things never satisfied
and never gave life when they were in command. They were pictures and types
to shut us up to Christ. Isn't that right, John? He said,
Moses didn't give you that bread from heaven. They ate that bread
and died. That bread was a picture. Let
me tell you something. If I could go somewhere out there
and find that pot of manna, I wouldn't bring it here. I'd destroy it. Oh, brother man, if we had that
pot of matter, you mean the matter that fell from heaven on the
ground and they picked it up, you wouldn't like to have a little
bit of that? Oh, I sure wouldn't. I'm too idolatrous as it is. I just got over, when I was a
kid, carrying a rabbit's foot. Most of you still got horseshoes
on your barns. I tried. Break a mirror and get
shook up. I wouldn't have it. Nothing Moses
gave, nothing Moses wrote, nothing Moses ever set forth as an ordinance
ever satisfied a sinner. All the blood of bulls and goats
on Jewish altars slain could never put away one sin or put
away one stain. That's right. Oh, we need to, that's what,
see back here in verse 31, verse 30, they said to him, they said,
well, what sign showest thou that we may see? See, that's
what started this. What sign are you going to show
us that we may believe you? What dost thou work? Our fathers
did eat manna in the desert. Manna fell from heaven, as it
is written, he gave them bread from heaven to eat. What are
you going to give? That's what he said. I say unto
you, very truly, truly, Moses gave you not that bread from
heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For
the bread of God is he that cometh down from heaven and giveth life
to the world, and the bread of God. See that? And the bread. Oh, don't you ever. That's what
the whole book of Galatians is about. The whole book of Galatians
is about don't go back. Don't turn back to that taste
not, touch not, handle not, holy days. Don't you go back to those
things. You don't begin in the spirit
and are perfected with the flesh. That's another gospel. Don't
do it. Don't do it. All right. Now then,
let's go to verse 37. And then right in the center
of this discourse, our Lord would have the whole world understand
something, that God cannot fail, that God will not fail. He does
that quite often. Matthew 11, he did that. He talked
about John the Baptist, talked about the cities in which many
of his works were done and how that God's condemnation was upon
them because they did not believe. And then toward the end of the
chapter he told, he said, coming to me all you that labor in a
heavy laden, I'll give you rest, take my yoke upon you. But right
in the middle of that, he stopped and lifted his eyes to heaven.
And he said, I thank thee, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because
thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast
revealed them unto babes. All things are delivered unto
me of my Father, and no man knoweth the Father save the Son, and
he to whom the Son will reveal." He said, in all that you're learning
and studying and looking at, remember one thing, God's will
shall be done. His sovereign purpose will be
accomplished. And that's what he said in verse
37. Right in the middle of this discourse on the bread of life,
he said, you remember this, verse 37, All that my Father giveth
me shall come to me. And him that cometh to me I will
in no wise cast out. For I came down from heaven not
to do mine own will. He's speaking here as the servant,
as the Christ, as the Messiah. as the Redeemer, as the one in
subjection to the Father. I didn't come to do my will.
I came to do the will of Him that sent me." And watch this,
"...and this is the Father's will which has sent me, that
of all which He hath given me I'll lose nothing, but I'll raise
it up again at the last day." Now look at this statement, "...I'll
raise it up again at the last day." He says this three times.
I'll raise it at the last day." Now, blessed and holy is he that
hath part in that resurrection. Paul said, when he said, O thou
may win Christ, that I may know Christ, that I may attain unto
this resurrection, I'm going to raise him up, raise him from
the grave, raise him at the coming of the Lord. The dead in Christ
shall rise first. The dead in Christ shall rise
first. Three times he says, I'm going
to raise these people. And I'll tell you how they're
identified. Verse 39 says this, This is the Father's will which
hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I'll lose nothing,
but raise it again at the last day. Those people whom he's going
to raise are those the Father gave him. You know what that
says? Now look at verse 40, And this
is the will of him that sent me, that every one that seeth
the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life. And
I'll raise him up at the last day. Who are these people he's
going to raise? The ones the Father gave him,
and the ones that heard the gospel, saw his redemptive work, and
believed it. Isn't that what it says? I'll raise them up. And so the
Jews murmured at him because he said, I'm the bread that came
down from heaven. And they said, is not this Jesus? Isn't he just a man? No, he's
the God-man. Is this the son of Joseph, whose
father and mother we know? How is it then that he said,
I came down from heaven? And the Lord Jesus therefore
answered and said to them, murmur not among yourselves. No man
can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him,
and I'll raise him up at the last day." Richard, who's he
going to raise? Those the Father gave him, those
that believe him, and those that come to him. Have I missed that
somewhere? Isn't that what that says? I want to attain unto the resurrection.
I want to be raised on that great day. Well, Christ said, I'm going
to raise some people from the dead. I'm going to raise those
first, verse 39, that the Father gave me. I'm going to raise those
who believe on me. I'm going to raise those that
come to me. You want to be raised? Well, there she is. Verse 45
says it's written in the Prophets, they shall all be taught of God.
Every man therefore that hath heard and learned of the Father,
what does he do? He comes to me. He comes to me. He comes to me. Now people can
hear of us preachers and learn of us preachers and run to the
front. They can hear from the preacher
and learn of the preacher and run to the pool. They can hear
from the preacher and learn from the preacher, and they run to
the church and join the church. They run to the law, they run
to the Sabbath day, they run to all these things. But those
that hear from the Father and learn of the Father, they come
to Christ. And they find in Christ all they
need. All they need. Now then, verse
51, And here's the whole religious
world needs to camp here. You see, my friend, salvation
is not in reformation. The average person is still of
the opinion in this world in which we live, in America, that
a person who is saved, a person who is a Christian, is a person
who does certain things and doesn't do other things. In other words,
the average person believes that salvation is in reformation.
Well, a person that's saved will be a new creature in Christ,
but a man can reform and not be saved. He can change his life. He can turn over a new leaf.
He can cease to do certain things and do other things and not know
God. The Pharisees boasted of their
morality. They boasted. of their integrity,
they said, we're not like other men. We fast, we pray, we give
alms, we tithe, we're not extortioners, we're not adulterers, we're not
like the publicans, we're moral men. And they boasted in that. They boasted in their righteousness,
but they didn't know God's salvation, not in creeds and confessions.
I hear preachers say, if you'll come to the front and confess
Jesus, say, Jesus is Lord, God is Savior. That's not so. You
can say that all you want to. Now, it's another thing to believe
it in here. He said, you call me Lord with
your lips, but your hearts are far from me. That was the whole
problem with the Jews. They called Him Lord with their
lips. That's what these repeat after me, God be merciful to
me a sinner. They didn't do you any good to
repeat after me, or before me the one. You can put words in men's mouths,
but you can't put faith in their hearts. That's where the problem
is. Teach a parrot to confess Jesus
to be Lord, Salvation is not in reformation
and turning over a new leaf and adopting a creed or a confession
or making a profession of faith. It's not in works or faithfulness
to your tradition. It's not even in correct doctrine. You can leave your son your library,
but you can't leave him your faith. Some of you men got some good
libraries. Gil and Spurgeon and Newton and Toplady and all the
rest of them. And your kids can believe everything
in their heads that you believe about doctrine and perish. That's right. Here's the problem. Christ said
in verse 51, I'm the living bread which came down from heaven.
If any man eat of this bread, he'll live forever. And the bread
I'll give him is my flesh, which I give for the life of the world."
The Jews, therefore, strove among themselves. They couldn't handle
this. They couldn't do anything with it. How can this man give
us his flesh to eat? There they are, materialistic
again, see. Tom, they're not thinking spiritually
at all. Then Jesus answered and said
unto them, Truly, truly, I say unto you, except ye eat the flesh
of the Son of Man, 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. For my flesh
is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. And he that
eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and
I in him." Well, preacher, how about telling me what that means? Well, where did we start? We
started with Israel in the wilderness. And God gave them bread. That's
how this whole thing started. They said, Moses gave us bread
from heaven. He said, no, he didn't. I'm the
bread from heaven. You ate that bread. Your fathers
ate that bread and died. If you eat this bread, you live
forever. All right, when Israel was in the wilderness, They had
nothing to eat and nothing to drink. That wilderness was a
barren, dry, parched, impossible place to live. It provided nothing,
absolutely nothing. There were two or three million
of them. They got nothing from the land. They were passing through.
They were living in tents. There was nothing but rocks and
sand and dirt. It gave them nothing. They would
have died in the wilderness. God gave them bread. and that
bread sustained them. God smote the rock, that rock
is Christ, and they drank that water. And that's how they had
physical life, by drinking that bread, or eating that bread and
drinking that water. And in this wilderness of sin,
whether you're in the church, whether you're in the study,
whether you're in the choir, whether you're the sitting by
the instruments, whether you're reading the Bible, wherever you
are, this world cannot afford you any spiritual food. It cannot
make one contribution to your spiritual life. It cannot give
you spiritual drink. You live and are nourished on
the life of Jesus Christ, on the righteousness of Christ and
on the blood of Christ Jesus. He is my meat and He is my drink. Do you understand that? Christ
is my life. I feed on Him. It's not the power
of positive thinking, it's the power of a purposeful Savior. That's right. My thinking is
not very positive most of the time. Is yours? I cannot survive. The church
in this world lives on Christ's flesh, lives on Christ's obedience,
lives on Christ's life. The world, the church in this
world, our drink is His blood atonement and nothing is supplied
from any other source as far as spiritual life is concerned.
And if those people in the wilderness had not eaten that bread, they
would have perished. If they had not drunk that wok,
they would have perished. And that's what I say to everybody
who will listen to me, feed on Christ or perish. Drink Christ
or perish. That's what he said. All right,
verse 60. Then the trouble began. Then
the trouble began. Many therefore, verse 60, of
his disciples, when they heard this, they said, this is a hard
saying. Who can hear it? Which part was
the hard saying? Eating his flesh, drinking his
blood? That's part of it. God's sovereignty and salvation,
that's part of it. Laboring not for the things that
perish, but for eternal life, that's part of it. Whom he would
raise, that's part of it. All the way through. You see,
Charles Spurgeon said one time, the natural man is offended by
every part of the gospel. There's no one part, it's all
of it. It's the glory of Christ. It's the lordship of Christ.
That's what's offensive. Spurgeon had an outline. The
sovereignty of God offends man's pride. We talk about our own
inability in sin, we offend man's dignity. The gospel coming by
sovereign mercy and revelation offends man's wisdom. Grace alone
offends man's reputation. Commitment offends man's love
of self. Well, they were offended. So
verse 61, when our Lord knew in himself that his disciples
murmured at what he had said, he said to them, does this offend
you? Does this offend you? And it does. The gospel's offensive. When we talk, as he did, about
God on the throne, God on the throne not only in creation and
in providence, but salvation, saving whom He will. When we talk about man in the
dust, in the grave, in his inability in sin, it's offensive. When we talk
about the effectual gospel coming in the hands of the Holy Spirit
to give life, it's offensive. When we talk about the glory
of Christ, Christ is all and in all. It's offensive. But now listen to how he replied
when he found out, when he knew they were offended. Verse 62,
he said, What? What and if you shall see the
Son of Man ascend up where He was before you? Listen, if the preaching of the
glory of Christ His majesty, His power, His glory
is offensive. Just the preaching of it, the
telling of it. Think what it will be when we
see Him exalted in that majesty. If we can't stand the thought
of Christ on the throne, how could we stand the sight of it? That's what He's saying to them,
if I'm just telling you, about my glory is offensive. What would
you do if you saw Him? Every knee shall bow. God hath
given Him a name above every name that is the name of Jesus
Christ. Every knee will bow in heaven,
earth, and under the earth, and every tongue will confess, He's
Lord! I see in these television programs
written up here, Jesus is Lord. And then I hear the preacher
say to the people, now He wants to save you if you let Him. Take
down your sign. That's no Lord. I see them, there's
a sign, Jesus is Lord. And then they say, now He's got
a wonderful plan for your life if you'll just let Him work it
out in your life and surrender to Him and let Him have His way.
Take down your sign. That's no Lord. That's a peanut
God. Jesus is Lord, I see up there
over there, preacher's head, and then I hear Him say, now,
if you folks don't give and tithe and support, we're going to have
to close up, take down your sign. That's no Lord. Any sinner that has to depend
on another sinner doesn't have a Lord. Oh, if it offends you to hear
about who He is, You couldn't take it if you saw it. Just couldn't
take it. But I'll tell you this, in the
heart and life of a true believer, you can't magnify, exalt, or
praise the Lord Jesus Christ too much for Him. He sits there and says, Preacher,
you're doing the best you can. But you hadn't got Him where
He is yet. Keep trying, come on! Lift him higher, as high
as I lift him." Well, you hadn't got him up there where he belonged.
We'll just have to wait till we see it. Ah, but verse 63, it's the Spirit
that quickeneth. Flesh never profited anything
yet. The words that I speak unto you, they're Spirit and they're
life. But there's some of you that believe not. Some of you
that believe not. But Jesus knew from the beginning
who they were that believed not, and who should betray Him. And
He said, Therefore I said unto you, No man can come to Me except
we were given him of My Father. And from that time many of His
disciples went back and walked no more with Him." There will
always be a parting of the ways sooner or later. Now you take
this from one who knows. I've been standing here a long
time, almost a half a century. in the gospel ministry. And I
tell you, there are always tares and wheat, and they'll be parted
sooner or later. They cannot stay together. There'll always be tares and
wheat, believers and unbelievers. Believers will never quit. Unbelievers
always quit. Sooner or later, they've got
to go. Sooner or later. They take a long time, they may
follow Him a long time, but sooner or later, they're going to be
offended. Offended with Him, offended with
His Word, offended with His glory, offended with His purpose and
His will, because two wills cannot exist together. That's right. It's got to be
Thy will, not my will. I don't care what he says, I
will be done. And that's got to come to that.
Otherwise, see, two can't walk together except they be agreed.
They can start out together. But there's going to be a parting.
Well, you say, butcher, why don't you root up the tares? I don't
know them. He said, you'll get some wheat,
old boy, because you're not able. You don't see the hearts of men.
You know what? I'd pull up wheat and leave tares
if you would. That's right. All right. Then the twelfth, he turned to
the twelfth, and I'll close with this. He turned to the twelfth
and he said, it'll be all right if you leave too. You see, and
here's what he's implying. Listen to me. All of our Lord's
servants are willing servants. He has no unwilling servants.
He makes them willing, but they're willing. Our Lord's bride is
devoted to Him. Our Lord keeps men by His grace,
but never against their wills. He makes them willing. That's
right. They're not there because they
have to be, they're there because they want to be. And you can't
run them off. Not with the gospel. You can't
run him off. You can't run one of his children
off. He's at home. He'll tell you to leave. He's
at home. He's in his father's house. He's not a servant, he's
a son. I live here. This is my father's
house. And you can't make me mad bragging
on my father. So the great object is contemplated. They said, will you go away?
Will you go away? Now wait a minute. What are we
contemplating? Think of the great object contemplated.
The forgiveness of sin, a righteousness and acceptance before God, the
satisfying of God's justice, the resurrection of my body,
no condemnation at the judgment, and eternal conformity to Christ.
Now that's what we're contemplating. And he asked me if I'll go away. I'm like Peter, I said, to whom
shall I go? And I'm looking for these things, forgiveness of
sin, righteousness before God, acceptance with God, satisfaction
of justice, resurrection of the body, no condemnation at judgment,
eternal glory with God. Peter says, well, to whom shall
we go? Shall we go to the law? Shall we go to nature, try to
be evolved? Shall we go to a religious organization? See if the Pope can give you
those things. Run down to the front and see
if you can find those things down there. Shall we go to our
works? I tell you, listen to me. Let
me read you something I wrote here. The awesomeness of my sins My inability, my ignorance, my
corruption and decay, death, judgment, and hell in
the light of His majesty, power, and glory makes my situation
impossible for me or anybody else to meet. My friends, I'm talking about
life from the dead. I'm talking about light out of
darkness. I'm talking about beauty out of ashes and dust. I'm talking
about glory out of shame. And he says, will you go away?
To whom? Where? Where am I going to find
this? No place to go. So I say, Lord,
to whom shall I go? You have the words and the promise
of eternal life. And I believe and I'm sure that
you're the Christ. And all I need is found in Him. My dear friends, that's the gospel. I just can't get over that letter. Can you? I hope
everybody here tonight can say, I'm 26, 46, 56, 66 or 76 and I'm old and by nature I'm
crippled. But in all my years, I've never
been at peace as I am now. And I'll tell you, He's my peace.
He's my peace. Is He your peace? Am I telling the truth? I'm telling
the truth. That's what Charlie Payne told
me last thing he said to me. You told us right. The Lord's
my shepherd, I shall not want. I don't mind giving an account
for what I preach to you tonight, because that's the gospel. It's
in Him. Lord, to whom shall we go? We don't need to go anywhere
else, and we don't want to. We've found everything in Him.

Lord, to Whom Shall We Go?

What does the Bible say about eternal life?

How do we know God's sovereignty in salvation is true?

Why is believing in Christ crucial for Christians?

What does it mean to eat the flesh and drink the blood of Christ?

Why do some people turn away from Christ?

Sermon Transcript

About Henry Mahan

Comments

Joshua

Articles

Featured Authors

Podcast

Sermons

Featured Preachers

Books

Browse by Format

Music

Recent Comments

About

Legal

Subscribe

Account

Articles

Featured Authors

Podcast

Recent Comments

Sermons

Featured Preachers

Books

Browse by Format

Collections

Music

About

Legal

Subscribe

Lord, to Whom Shall We Go?

What does the Bible say about eternal life?

How do we know God's sovereignty in salvation is true?

Why is believing in Christ crucial for Christians?

What does it mean to eat the flesh and drink the blood of Christ?

Why do some people turn away from Christ?

Sermon Transcript

About Henry Mahan

Comments

More from Henry Mahan

Related Sermons

Same Scripture

Articles by Henry Mahan

Books by Henry Mahan

Joshua

Where this book stands in the tradition

Plato

Augustine

The Western Christian Tradition

This Book