(John 6:36-47)
Introduction
A. Summary of the story of the âProdigal Sonâ (Luke 15:11-24)
B. Jesus says, âWhoever comes to Me I will never cast outâ (John 6:37).
March 2014
- Jesus says, in essence, âNo matter what theyâve done â no matter where theyâve been â no matter what theyâve lost â if they come to Me like the prodigal son came to his father, I will receive them and love them, and will never drive them away.â
- Like the prodigal son, we deserve to be turned away. C. What is grace?
- âGraceâ (charis), used 157 times in the New Testament, refers to Godâs favor and loving kindness to sinners who do not deserve it.
- Repeatedly, the New Testament emphasizes that manâs salvation is a result of Godâs grace.
- Though our text does not use the word âgrace,â we see an example of it in verse 37 and 40. D. There is a temptation to present an unbalanced picture of Godâs grace to others.
- When talking to Christians with sin in their lives, it is tempting to play the âgrace cardâ in an effort to minimize the seriousness of their sin. As a result, some actually think that God will overlook the sins that they do not want to give up!
- When talking to non-Christians, it is tempting to only stress Godâs grace and Christâs love while minimizing their need for repentance. We fear we will run people away from the gospel if we talk about sin, so we try to keep the conversation positive.
E. Jesus did not believe in easy believe-ism; He taught exactly what was coming between them and Godâs grace. - When the rich young ruler asked what he needed to do to inherit eternal life, Jesus could have said, âItâs easy: God loves you, and I love you too! Just believe in Me and youâre good to go!â Instead, He pinpointed the manâs heart problem (Luke 18:22).
- Jesus told the unbelieving crowd that they must die to themselves (Mark 8:34-35).
- It turns out that following Jesus is not so easy!
F. Jesus never taught anything less than total commitment, and as a result, many left Him (John 6:66). G. What was keeping the Jews from coming to Jesus in faith?
I. Disbelief (John 6:36-40)
A. The Jews asked for a âsignâ that they might believe (cf. John 6:30). Yet, Jesus had given them more than a sign; they had listened to His Words and they had witnessed an astonishing miracle the day before (cf. John 6:1-15). Neither the miracle nor the sign influenced them to believe.
B. Their problem was not a lack of evidence, but stubbornness and reluctance of heart. C. An adequate amount of evidence is not always the answer to disbelief. - If one miracle were insufficient, what difference would a second miracle make?
- The rich manâs brothers had ample evidence from the testimony of Moses and the prophets (cf. Luke 16:27-31), and people today have plenty of evidence from Christ and His apostles.
- Miraculous âsignsâ are inadequate to the complete testimony of Jesus (cf. 1 Cor. 13:10). D. There must be a desire to believe the gospel; God will not force mankind to believe.
II. Wrong Attitudes (John 6:41-43)
A. Some were probably suffering from an attitude of over-familiarity with Jesus and His family. - Jesus, now in Capernaum (cf. John 6:59), might have lived with his family in Capernaum (cf. John 2:12). His audience was well acquainted with His earthly family.
- Some may have been thinking, âThe Jesus Iâve watched grow up couldnât be the Son of God!â 3. Based upon a false assumption, some today think, âJesus is too nice to condemn anyone
B. Some were probably suffering from an attitude of presumptuousness.
- They thought, âThereâs no way Jesus is from heaven, He has a mother and a father!â 2. Like Nicodemus, they were trying to fit Godâs ways into manâs ways (cf. John 3:10-12). 3. They were oblivious to Christâs virgin birth (cf. Luke 1:26-33).
C. Some were probably suffering from an attitude of dissatisfaction with Godâs plan. - Note the Old Testament parallel. God gave bread in the form of manna to Israel during the
days of Moses, and they grumbled (cf. Ex. 17:3; Num. 11:1). - God graciously provided for them, but they were still not satisfied (1 Cor. 10:9-10).
D. The wrong attitude certainly keeps many from coming to know Jesus today. - âStop grumblingâ (v. 43) is the only response Jesus directly gave to what the Jewsâ attitude.
He did not bother to defend Himself against their complaint. - Arguments from bad attitudes are seldom worth responding to (cf. Matt. 7:6).
III. Apathy (John 6:44)
A. These words would have been very sobering to anyone with a soft heart. B. Genuine belief in Christ is more than a casual response made on a whim. - For a matters of the heart, one must be led (âdrawnâ) to Christ by of God Himself through the penetrating power of the Gospel.
- There are many who have followed Christ for superficial or temporal reasons.
- Yet, a desire for God must be etched on the human heart for belief to be valid (Jer. 31:33).
IV. Ignorance (John 6:45-46)
A. Previously, Jesus stated, âNo one can come to Me unless the Father Who sent Me draws himâ (John 6:44). How does God draw men? Through the teaching of His Word. - Calvinists argue that God, through an obscure influence of His Spirit, âpicks and choosesâ who He will âdrawâ to Himself. Yet, if the term âdrawâ is an irresistible force, then all would be saved because Christ âwill draw all peopleâ to Himself (John 12:32).
- The âdrawingâ of (John 6:44) is a beneficial, yet universal, pull through the Gospelâs power. B. Jesus quoted (Isa. 54:13).
- Thus, all who learn properly of the Father come to Christ, for His teaching influences them and points them to His Son.
- All who are drawn to Christ by the Father are those who have believed the Law and the Prophets and (today) the teachings of the New Testament.
- God told Israel in the days of Jeremiah (Jer. 31:3).
C. The truth was given to the Jews, but they refused to be taught, and thus their ignorance was keeping
them from the Bread of Life (cf. Hosea 4:6).
D. How many today are lost, weak, or insecure in their faith because of ignorance of Godâs Word?
V. Stupidity (John 6:47)
A. Stupidity: âfoolish, senselessâ (Random House); âlacking common senseâ (Collins English Dictionary.â B. Jesusâ Jewish audience was suffering from stupidity because they were spiritually near-sighted; they
were not thinking about eternity, they were only thinking about their current physical condition. C. Jesus is the Bread of Life (John 6:35, 48), meaning believing and obeying His Word is essential for
eternal life with the Father (cf. John 3:16).
D. It is the highest degree of stupidity to not be concerned about oneâs eternal salvation.
Conclusion
A. Being saved by the Godâs grace is more than simply mentally acknowledging Jesus as the Son of God. 1. Faith apart from works is dead (Jas. 2:20-26) - (Mark 16:16; 2 Thess. 1:8)
B. Invitation