God’s Favorite

John 6:47-71;

Jesus- Flesh and Blood

CIT: Jesus scares away disciples at Capernaum.

CIS: Jesus is unrelenting in his faith standard.

SO: The hearer will follow Jesus with all they have.

Follow along at d1.church/notes. 

Intro: This series is designed to show you through the eyes of John, the Person of Jesus, the Jesus of the Godhead, and the key moments of his life. John is not a chronological book. Some things happen out of order compared to the other gospels. The gospel of John is not about exactness; it is about a relationship between Jesus and “the one Jesus loved.”

My daughter and I were watching a TV show a few weeks back, and the characters were in a wildfire in a forest. They were police officers and they were trapped. Quickly, they acted, went to an area with little low foliage, covered their mouths with their shirts, used a fire-retardant blanket to cover themselves, and rode out the passing of the fire over them. My daughter said, “That wouldn’t have worked; they would be dead.” I told her about a fire safety thing I watched once that said if you are in that situation, to find a low place, burn a big circle around you, and get in the middle of the circle on the ground, cover your face with something like a towel, not wet, preferably. If you do that, the fire will not come to you because it has nothing to burn. Again, my daughter says, “I am not starting a fire in a fire to burn around me! I would probably die.”

My thought, “I am giving you the words of life, at least try.”

Just because we know what to do and have been told some far-fetched way to achieve our goal, many of us would just quit rather than try. It is easier. Maybe it is our personal belief in ourselves. Maybe it is against our very survival instinct. Whatever the reason, having the words of life or the right game plan is still subject to us doing it. 

Our faith in Jesus and the word of God is only as good as our actions. If we are unwilling to do the words of God before us, the words will not help us. 

Jesus gives us the words of life in this chapter, but many we will see cannot or will not accept them. Let’s pick up where we left off in John Chapter 6.

1. Recap last week (John 6:47-51).

Very truly I tell you, the one who believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life.  Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died.  But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which anyone may eat and not die.  I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”

EXP: Can I comment that I love that Jesus is the greatest communicator who ever lived? I mentioned last week that this was a two-part sermon. Jesus actually takes a moment in scripture to recap all the major points from last week. He starts with this truth: in case you weren’t paying attention, this is a summary of his remarks thus far in Capernum. 

Remember, the crowds had been recipients of the feeding of the five thousand, they had experienced healings, and in the middle, Jesus walked on water to get to the other side at the same time as the twelve. Bolstering their weak faith. 

ILL: Point 1: Anyone who believes in Jesus will have eternal life

Point 2: Jesus is the Bread of Life

Point 3: The bread (manna) from heaven was eaten, and those people died. God has now sent Jesus; those who accept this bread of life will live forever.

New Point: If you eat this bread, you will live. The Bread is Jesus’ flesh that he will sacrifice for the world. 

ILL: We talked about the word of God being revealed like layers of an onion last week. Jesus has introduced how to be saved. This is the point where the Holy Spirit comes into you and begins to reveal deeper truths that challenge us, as Christians, to live a better life. 

The tagline on your shirt today says this: “Change starts with Jesus.” If you desire change in your life, your city, your state, your workplace, that first begins with accepting Jesus in all of those areas. He cannot be separate from your family and bring change to your family. 

APP: Let’s pause for a moment and accept Jesus in our lives today. Pray this with me:

Jesus, I accept you as Lord and Savior of my life. I am a sinner in need of a savior. The father has sent you from heaven to bring about change in my life. You are the Bread of Life. Holy Spirit, come into my heart and help me to become more like Jesus. Amen. 

T.S.: John shows Jesus foreshadowing his death. I will lay down my flesh, so that you may live. It is about to get deep. 

2. Eat my flesh… (John 6:52-59).

Then the Jews began to argue sharply among themselves, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, 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 them at the last day. 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 them. 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. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your ancestors ate manna and died, but whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.” He said this while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.

EXP(1): I do not fault the crowd too much. If someone starts talking about Cannibalism in any way, I am most likely out of there if they don’t start making sense real quick. They ask, Are we really supposed to eat his flesh? Does he not want to live? 

Jesus doubles down on his bread-and-blood analogy and says, “Yes, this is very true!” Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you will have no life in you. 

ILL: I grew up attending some of the most Pentecostal camps that ever happened. I have seen God move in so many ways. Demons cast out, People healed of cancer, Mighty works of God. But the camp moment I remember most is an older lady from another church who stood up to give a word from God to our group of elementary students and Middle schoolers, and her message was loud and full of conviction. “God said, ‘If you don’t eat my flesh and drink my blood, you will have no part in me!” She was full of passion, it was “EEEEATTT My FLEEEESSSSSSHHH and DRIIIIINK MYYYYYBLOOOOOOODDDDD!” We students left scared and thinking she was insane. Imagine our surprise when we found out it was actually what Jesus said to people, and probably in much the same way she did. 

EXP(2): Jesus triples down on his analogy. He is not just the Bread of Life but the Lifeblood that we all need. If we are going to follow him, we must be willing to take ALL of Jesus. Not just the parts that we want. But we must be willing to partake in every word of his teaching and go everywhere the spirit leads. This is taking up the cross and following him. His alliteration to the manna is something they had to do daily to stay fed. Jesus is saying this is now your daily cause. Seek me out, be in my word, and apply it to your circumstances daily. Even if you don’t understand or agree. 

***Many people have used this scripture to touch on communion and even use it to bolster claims that when you receive the bread and juice, it literally changes into his physical body. This is not what this scripture says in context.

ILL: The context is Jesus doubling, tripling, quadrupling down on this claim to say that you must put him above everything. 

What this has looked like in my life is me saying, “Jesus, I don’t understand why my brother had to die at 24 years old, but I’ll serve you anyway.” 

“Jesus, I don’t understand why you told me to marry my wife most powerfully, then caused us to walk through a time of separation, but I’ll believe your words are true anyway.”

“Jesus, I don’t understand why my beautiful daughter at 17 had a psychotic break that changed her life forever. But I will follow you, because you are our only hope.”

“Jesus, I don’t understand why you would put a spirit of entrepreneurship in my life and allow a business we attempted to start to fail miserably. But because you said so, I’m sticking with you.”

If you say things like I need this to be right if you are God, God will ensure you get the priority right. He will make it so you cannot put anything above him. He will have to be the focus moving forward. It can happen no other way.

APP: To understand that Jesus requires nothing less from us than total dedication. Daily feeding on his word and life. This is what Jesus is saying. 

T. S.: If you want to thin a crowd, start yelling, “Eat my flesh and drink my blood!”

3. To whom shall we go? (John 6:60-71).

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? Then 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—they are full of the Spirit and life. 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. He went on to say, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled them.” From this time, many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him. 

EXP(1): The followers at Capernaum received this word the same way we did at that camp. What the heck! Jesus responds with “Oh, this offends you? Boo hoo!” What if God himself took Jesus to heaven right now? He tells them they are stuck in the flesh (the reality of their circumstances), but the Spirit is drawing them to this new life. Jesus again, John tells us he knew who would betray him and who would stay. Jesus tells them that this is why you need the Spirit to understand. If you don’t, you will be stuck in survival mode and mess up the greater message of hope and peace. May disciples left and never followed Jesus again. 

ILL: I have a friend who is a long-time pastor, and he told me something not too long ago. He said when people ask to meet with him, he tells them, “You can meet with me, but you may not like what I am going to say.” He says this from experience. Many people want a Pastor to validate their effort, but following God is not about how hard you work; it is about doing the words of Jesus. The words of Jesus are life-giving, but sometimes they sting. 

Jesus, then, after the crowd thins dramatically, turns to his twelve closest disciples and says this.

“You do not want to leave, too, do you?” Jesus asked the Twelve. Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.” 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.)

EXP: The crowd thinned by a large percentage due to Jesus’ deep challenge to really believe in him. This would put many pastors and churches into shock mode. Jesus, unfazed and unwilling to back down on the commitment he requires, instead turns to the few left and challenges them to leave as well. Peter has come to the right conclusion: “Where would we go? You have the words of eternal life. You are God himself!” Jesus is on a tear; he tells them, “I chose you for a reason,” yet still one of you will betray me, and your faith will be tested when these words become reality. 

ILL: Jesus words leave us with only one understanding. What good is a large church if they don’t choose Jesus over everything else? What good is a life lived for Christ if every crisis leads you to question your belief in Christ? The even harder truth: You can receive healing and blessing and stay through hard words and still betray the church because of your own desires. 

APP: Church, today is a day of hard words. Today is a challenging day. Will you lean into the Spirit and set your faith on Jesus? Will you commit to taking up your cross daily, to bear your cross, and to follow him?

TS: I know this word is hard. But this is where we are in the book of John. John is a different book; he wants us to have the relationship he has with Jesus. This means putting him into the proper place. He is the God of heaven and deserves all the glory. 

Let me pray for three groups:

1. Some of you have been wavering in your faith. Times are tough; things are happening that make it hard to find Jesus. Today you heard the words and want to say, “God, I’m gonna stick with you, even though I don’t understand.”
2. I want to pray for you.

2. Some of you came to church today wanting a rah-rah word to encourage you. But today, Jesus reminded you that putting him in the proper place of priority is what you need to do if you want to put Jesus in his proper place today.

a. I want to pray for you.

3. Some of you, for the first time, heard that Jesus is the only way to receive eternal life. That you were set to die, just like all who went before you, but today, you heard the words of life. 

a. For you, I want to pray for salvation.

We are going back into a time of worship. The prayer teams are up front, and we want to lay hands on you and stand with you as you put Christ in his right place today.