Jesus Unfiltered - Follow - Jesus, Miracles, and You, Part 2

You can do a you know what you are kid if you can do a do over in your life what would it be a business decision without a poor choice. During this time the college may be addiction that you just can kick if you long for a do over there so Jesus has a work you today stay with welcome to this Edition of Living on the Edge Sugar Grove serves as our teacher is feeling discipleship outreach debris today just continues. Follow volume 2, series Jesus on filter ever thought to yourself. God, I really need a diligently ensure why receiving a miracle the best solution. Problem and how reassuring it is to remember that God knows all things that his goodness never changes that his plan for you is better than anything you could imagine for yourself. So let's join trip for part two of this message from John chapter 6 is you look at your notes.

Just look at the structure.

The miracle requested is you make this outrageous claim. Give us a miracle. The explanation is miracle I'm giving is better than Moses. His was manna bread. I am the true bread of God eternal life. Jesus clarifies that in the notice in your notes. The promise made. I am the bread of life translation only, and relationship with me with your deepest needs ever be fully satisfied and then he gives another explanation, just in case they didn't get on the bread of life is the father's will. It's open, you can have it to hear the grace they're missing the point in the next section. The people resist his invitation.

Look at verse 41 at this, that the Jews began to grumble about this he says I'm the bread of life he came down from heaven they said is this not Jesus the son of Joseph, his father and mother we know how can he say I came down from heaven, and other words are questioning his identity.

All the miracle say this is who years but their logic and the person with a second, you know, I know Mariano Joseph you know that they do not have the virgin birth and all that stuff in their mind and their and their miracles say this, but what about that part of his or hearts are open, but by the way people's lack of response to the truth of God is almost always a moral issue and not intellectual issue that they they're disregarding the facts. They don't understand it all, but they rejected verse 43 through 51 Jesus repeats his offer. They reject him, then noticed his grace picking up in verse 43 stop grumbling among yourselves. Jesus said no one can come to me unless the father who sent me draws him and I will raise him up at the last day is written, the profits will all be taught of God.

Everyone who listens to the father and learns from him comes to me this is radical if you really believe in the father you would come to me.

No one is seen the father except the one who is from God. Only he who is seen the father and in this phrase again. I tell you the truth, literally.

It's the phrase, amen, amen or verily, verily, poor, bold, bold, listen up.

Third time is used.

Few believes in me has everlasting life. When I talk about stuff timeout religion and then is going to describe so what's it mean to believe in him. I am the bread of life. Your forefathers ate the manna in the desert and they died. But here's 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.

Listen carefully.

If a man eats its Aris tents point in time makes a specific decision. If a man eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world and he speaking about dying on the cross to pay for your sin and my sin and the sins of the whole world. Now you have to be offering grace again. I watch very carefully as the people take him at surface value and miss the point. Jesus now amplifies the condition of his offer. Here's the condition. Verse 52 then the Jews began to argue sharply among themselves. How can this man give his flesh to eat will go to literal guys.

Jesus said to them, I tell you the truth, or amen amen or verily, verily, 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 on the last day for my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink, and 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. This is the bread that came down from heaven.

Our forefathers ate man and died but he who feeds on this bread will live forever. He said this while teaching in the synagogue at Capernaum on hearing it. Many of his disciples said this is a hard thing. Who can understand not hard to understand. This word means it's hard to swallow. It's the implications are too grave and I'll explain what he means by eat my flesh and drink my blood in just a minute, but there there realizing this belief this alive believe in Jesus and feed me and and make my life work out in being a spiritual consumer is in an and in the note, this is about intimate relationship. Everyone has bread you have bread I have bread and you need to ask what bread are you chasing C bread is the substance of life.

Bread is what delivers you get up to earn bread your work for bread. It's why you work, it's what you do, it's what you think about is what you dream about us were your strategy comes from what your goals are all about, and it is either about things that are temporal, its or its him and what he saying is following me isn't like intellectually believing something about me having some religious activities in a store like here's the part of your life in Jesus is the slice, he said, eating my flesh and drinking my blood is I am your life that everything your life revolves around me and our relationship and be out of our relationship.

Your time and priorities in money and relationships in all of life.

Low because I'm God and I'm your Savior and I came and I and the only one that you will be ever satisfied with and so following goes up in the words of the apostle Paul. He would later say I'm crucified with Christ.

Nevertheless I live yet not I but Christ lives within me and this life I now live. I live by faith in the son of God who loved me and gave himself for me later on Hill Hill describe what this means in terms of eating his flesh and drinking his blood and tissues. A simple word. It will be abide to be stay connected.

He's talking about.

Just as the father and I have life in unity with one another in my life and his in the same way he's going to say followers of me are not some sort of I do things for them or they believe a set of principles for the following formula but it's the same kind of relationship I am them in them and me that I have with the father. That's what he's talking about when he says eat my flesh and drink my blood is talking about intimate relationship aware of this. The disciples were grumbling about this and Jesus said to them, does this offend you obviously so he sent you six times of talk about the Son of Man coming down because it are you ready for this with what if you see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before, but if you get to see at the right hand of the father. I now think is important. Interpretation is not being literal with eating his flesh and drinking his blood. Verse 63. The spirit gives life. The flesh counts for nothing. The words I've spoken to you are spirit, and their life. Get some of you who do not believe for Jesus knew from the beginning which one of them did not believe in who betray him, and he went on to say, this is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the father is unable the condition here if you want to jot it down is to eat his flesh and drink his blood and can I just say like on the front that that's it. That's a pretty strong gross.

I wonder what's going on statement right wing. Doesn't that sound like sore spiritual cannibalism or something. What it meant.

Then notice this is written in 90 A.D. the church is been in existence for roughly about 30 years, a New Testament Christian would read this and remember that passage and now they have the benefit of taking the Lord's supper as they gather and they would very clearly know all this is, he was predicting his body would die for us and there would be his blood shed for the new covenant. If I was a Greek gentile and I read this I would think of the mystery religions where in the mystery religions they had done a number of different things I didn't sort these wild exercises, but a part of their exercises they would offer food to a God and believe that the God and I can't go into all the background but that the God would actually partake of the food digested and then they would eat the food when they leave in and believe that the God had taken up residence in them.

It was this idea that your whole life. Your whole life would be focused around the relationship with this God and if you are a good Jew and you heard someone say eat my flesh and drink my blood you repulsed in an and Jesus was saying to them the words I've given you their spirit in their life they're not there not here. You don't go back into the womb.

They're not here.

It's not that you know have a bucket you don't have to draw Samaritan woman what I'm talking about is that intellectually agreeing that I'm the Savior of the world, and trying to use me for what I can give you is not following me a genuine follower. I am your life when you make a decision you ask me all member the miracle also provide for you miracle in the seat. I'll protect you. I care about you. I don't want you to talk to me just when your kids are in ICU or your finances go upside down or when you get laid off. I want to be at the very heart and the fabric effective. The apostle Paul was explained to us in our day. What's it mean now what's it mean now to eat his flesh and drink his body ready he would say, I urge you, therefore, my brothers, in view of God's great mercy to all for your body point in time as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable with him. This is your spiritual service of worship.

This is what it means to be a follower and in the everyday life.

Don't be conformed any longer to this world, the bread of this life, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, your life how you actually live your lifestyle could prove or test or demonstrate to you and to others what God's will is really like that which is good, acceptable and well pleasing and perfect. That's what it means to be a that's what he saying he says I don't want part of you. I want all of you because I'm giving all of myself to you as you turn the page you notice there's two very vivid responses those who saw the miracles, the disciples the Jews the crowds the multitudes, he brought into a crossroads. He's asking you really believe in God you really believe on the way you understand the cost you understand the implications. These multitudes coming your rockstar when your work in my life out for me my way the disciples of convenience, you can write the word they defect notice verse 66 from this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him one of volume will be a fanatic believe in God will even Jesus, but on in my whole life revolving around this relationship. I think that's a bit much. I think I'll do life my way. Notice the text Jesus with tender compassion, says do you want to leave you do not want to leave to you, says it the Peter to the disciples, he asked the 12 Simon Peter said 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. We believe the notes in the perfect tense. What that means is literally a very clear translation but we have already believed at a prior point in time and we have absolutely settled and know in our hearts. You of the holy one of God earlier uses the word eat my flesh and drink my blood is the tense of the verb that is at a point in time. Later he says if you continue to feed on me. He's talking about is a different word for eat is a word for nourishing or eating or continuing and it's in the present tense. It means we keep on building and developing our relationship with him. And so what he says is want you to follow me and this miracle is on what you know that what you need. I gave I am the bread of life, but I said you bread what's going on in your life would you invite me into where you have a need and then he says you know I don't know what's going on in your life but would you invite me into the storms and the difficulties that miracles to let you know I will enter and I will help you. I will rescue you will either take you out of it or I'll take you through it were, in some cases, you are so precious I'll take you and myself the very end of this passage says and Jesus said I have a not chosen you the 12 you want to view the devil meant this because Jews and Judas Iscariot was one of the 12 would later betray him. The point is you can be exposed. All the truth you can see all kind of miracles. But the issue of the heart of being a follower really begins with surrender and I just would ask where you as I read this chapter. It was truth and grace, truth and grace, truth and grace and I just marked it all the way through the very end parallel passage all and because I feel it would be disingenuous not to let Jesus close our time in Mark chapter 8.

In this setting, Jesus would say to the crowds and the disciples if anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me to get you can follow deny yourself that your agenda mine cross instrument of death and then he gives the reason it's it's gracious.

It's kind it's hard but it's kind for whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses itself for me in the gospel will save it mean if you want to control your life. You want your agenda. You do your thing you want your temporal bread, you'll lose your life. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul. What can a man give in exchange for his soul because just it's a logical's final words. One that I think we should heat. He says if any one is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his father's glory and the holy angels. I just cannot just be pastoral just for moment, I think we've gotten to where we are so fearful of either what people think or the implications of our life. But unlike the apostle Paul.

I don't think the average follower says, for I'm not ashamed of the gospel of Christ and we will have to be bold and loving and winsome and show people that whatever their caricature of Christianity is wrong and what will need to love and powerful powerful ways but we will have to be bold and unashamed stand at the coffee shop.

You gotta stand that you support time you got a scan in this carpool she got a stand at work and you gotta know that there is a living God who will do miracles and were living in a season of history.

He will intervene and supernatural ways because when ever there is a lull whenever there's a time in history where people were drifting far from God, he will choose to intervene because you know what he's going to authenticate his word.

He's got authenticate his teaching. He's going authenticate his heart.

He's gonna reveal his power, but he's going to do it to regular people like us who are unashamed. I don't mean bossy. I don't mean praise the Lord. I don't mean preachy I mean unashamed and passionately loving people who realize you haven't thrown your brains in the trash and you can say intellectually, I don't know what you're basing your life on what bread you're going after.

But I believe that Jesus is the son of the living God, he's my Savior is the Lord. He's the creator of the universe. And guess what I than actually intelligent person on the value when the facts I'm his follower. I'm not just a believer.

I'm his follower.

He will be absolutely shocked, absolutely shocked the people that you think that never would be open that are waiting for one person. They respect you to be public and ashamed to be right back with this application but if you just waiting Living on the Edge Chip Ingram chips message today is from his series, Jesus, unfiltered, volume 2. Follow Jesus unfiltered is a study through the gospel of John exploring topics like what does it mean to believe in Jesus and what does it mean to follow Jesus.

Those phrases mean different things to different people.

So Chip goes right to the source to find out what Jesus would say if you were asked to check out all four volumes of Jesus unfiltered. Just visit us online at http://livingontheedge.org or tap special offers on the app weld chip you were to take a minute here a what's on your mind. One of the great joys of my life is the letters, emails, Facebook messages that I get from people literally all around the country and all around the world and they tell me these amazing stories of how Living on the Edge has been a tool used by God to change their life. Maybe you're one of those people that have really been impacted by the ministry. I mean I hear from people from every age, profession background, every person imaginable and what I hear is this same constant drumbeat of God spoke to me. I took a step of faith.

Now God's using me and what I want you to know is that that's the heart of our ministry. We want to put teaching tools in small group materials and downloadable things that we actually give away to help people, not just live like Christians but be ambassadors and agents of change and grace in their homes, their schools and their workplaces. If you're one of those people that God has impacted you and actually you're impacting others because of Living on the Edge. I have a very specific request. Would you consider becoming a monthly financial partner and of course it helps us practically no doubt about it.

It would really help us to know that X amount of dollars are coming in from a monthly partner, but literally, even more than that.

It's about a group of people saying we want to be a part of this mission to make a difference in the crazy world that were living in. We want to make impact. We want to make impact with you all. God spoken to us. God's changed us.

We want to help you help others, and so here's my request today. Would you pray and just simply say, Lord, if this is part of your desire for me to partner with Living on the Edge on the monthly basis we you show me and then show me what that looks like and how much what I will say is what ever amount that is it's perfect. Whatever God shows you but what I long to see is people who partner that are on the team a part of the family and we make a difference together each and every day. Thank you in advance for doing whatever God chose you to do. Will that mission resonates with you.

We'd love to have you join us, making a godly impact helping people find the saving grace of God's love will change them and the world of those around them to give a gift today.

Just tap the donate button or give us a call at 1-888-333-6003. If you prefer to give online you can donate securely by going to LivingontheEdge.org.

Thanks in advance for following God's lead without. Here's chip with a final thought we learned in today's passage that you can be exposed to the truth. I mean here the truth directly. Right from the mouth of Jesus. You can see him heal people feed 5000 raise people from the dead, but the issue is always the heart. We don't come as consumers we don't use God. He is the king and the Lord of the universe. He's the Savior of the world and even as you hear my voice right now he is speaking to you to say I love you. I've died in your place. I rose from the dead, your sins are forgiven, but what you must do is believe on the work that he has done in your place.

The gospel is clear that you and me and everyone in all the world fall short of being perfect of measuring up to the glory and the perfection of God and therefore were alienated from him were his enemies were not his friend, Jesus came and died in our place paid the price hung upon the cross, your sin, my sin, the sins of all the world were placed upon him.

He absorbed them and covered them the good news is you're already forgiven, will you turn from your sin and receive it. It's a very simple proposition, Lord Jesus, I'm honest and real with you right now my life isn't what it needs to be. I turn away from my sin.

I trust in you only Lord Jesus come into my life. I believe you died in my place and rose from the dead and now I want you to be my Lord and my Savior and I want to follow you today. If you prayed that with me in your heart you need to text or call the greatest Christian you know then go to our website and we have some information there to help you begin to grow in your new relationship with Christ, if you just brayed along with Chip. I hope you'll take a minute and call us at 1-888-333-6003. We love to talk with you and get some free resources in your hands specifically chosen to help you get started on your new journey of faith. Until next time, this is Dave Drury saying thanks for listening to this Edition of Living on the Edge