John’s Account of Jesus

Review Jesus feeds 20,000 or so people with 5 loaves and 2 fish The people follow Jesus to Capernaum and demand more bread

Review Jesus offers the crowd satisfaction, security and contentment through faith in himself

Review When we overestimate our righteousness, we underestimate God's goodness Affects worship, attitudes of entitlement, etc.

Crowds and Commitment Today: Jesus drives away the megachurch, the religious leaders and some of his own disciples

Breaking In… “How can he say he’s the bread from heaven? We know his momma and his daddy…?” They are unclear…it doesn’t make sense

Crowds and Commitment No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God; only he has seen the Father. I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life. I am the bread of life. Your forefathers ate the manna in the desert, yet they died…

Crowds and Commitment …But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which a man may eat and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world…"

Crowds and Commitment …Then the Jews began to argue sharply among themselves, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?”- vs

Crowds and Commitment Does Jesus make truth more clear or less clear? Why?

Crowds and Commitment What the people want will not keep them alive What Jesus offers will not let them die

Crowds and Commitment Oftentimes, Jesus wants something greater for us than we want for ourselves But we don’t get it until we sacrifice what we want for what he wants

Crowds and Commitment To consider: will it stoke my passion for Christ or hinder it?

Crowds and Commitment Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats* my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day…

Crowds and Commitment …For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. Whoever eats* my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him. Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me…

Crowds and Commitment …This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your forefathers ate manna and died, but he who feeds on this bread will live forever.” He said this while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum- vs

Crowds and Commitment *Eats- trogo- gnaw, chew. “Progressive action that refers to the maintenance of a continuing state”- Expositor’s Bible Commentary

Crowds and Commitment Faith is taking God at his word and trusting him for the results If I can always explain what God is doing in my life, it’s not God

Crowds and Commitment Why is Jesus willing to lose the crowd?

Crowds and Commitment Truth always separates

Crowds and Commitment On hearing it, many of his disciples said, "This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?” Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, "Does this offend you?...

Crowds and Commitment …What if you see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before! The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life…

Crowds and Commitment …Yet there are some of you who do not believe." For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him- vs

Crowds and Commitment “Hard” teaching= severe, rough, unpadded

Crowds and Commitment “Offend”= skandalizei- cause to stumble, trip up, lit. “cause to lose faith” Jesus- “You ain’t seen nothing yet!”

Crowds and Commitment Principle- When God’s people compromise truth for the sake of acceptance, truth no longer becomes acceptable and human moralism supplants spiritual transformation

Crowds and Commitment He went on to say, "This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled him." From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him…

Crowds and Commitment …You do not want to leave too, do you?" Jesus asked the Twelve...

Crowds and Commitment Jesus goes from multiple Civic Center crowds to a few guys in an efficiency apartment…and then gives them the chance to leave, too!

Crowds and Commitment …Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God…"

Crowds and Commitment …Then Jesus replied, "Have I not chosen you, the Twelve? Yet one of you is a devil!” (He meant Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, who, though one of the Twelve, was later to betray him)- vs

Crowds and Commitment Spoon-fed people change nothing Challenged people might get offended, but they tend to change the world for Jesus

Crowds and Commitment Peter- “It makes no sense to us, but we trust you and we refuse walk away”

Crowds and Commitment It’s easy to start well

Crowds and Commitment God is looking for people who finish well (cf. James 1:12)

Takeaways: Who has God placed in my life who needs to hear truth? Have I compromised truth for the sake of acceptance?

Takeaways: Am I willing to see that as sin and repent? Am I willing to love enough to speak truth in love to the people God has placed in my life?

Takeaways: Am I willing to receive truth even though it might sting?

Takeaways: Honestly, am I living morality or transformation? Here’s how to tell: do I think I’m better/more righteous than anyone else?