Whitehall Baptist Church
September 6th | John : Jesus is God | John 6:60-71

      • Hebrews 10:24–25KJV1900

      • Romans 15:13KJV1900

      • Psalm 148:1–2KJV1900

      • Psalm 148:13KJV1900

  • Praise Him! Praise Him!
  • Praise His Name (Psalm 148)

      • Psalm 113:2–3KJV1900

  • Blessed Be the Name

      • Philippians 2:8–9KJV1900

  • Jesus, Thank You!

  • JOHN 6:60-71 | WHAT WILL YOU DO WITH THE MESSAGE?

    ILLUSTRATION: Last week I shared of how I grew up listening to a lot of different preachers.
    And when you grow up going to church, you find that there are a lot of different responses to messages that were preached.
    I’ve seen people cry in response to messages
    I’ve seen people come a pray at an altar.
    I’ve also seen people fold their arms and sit stone faced in response to the message.
    One of the most memorable responses to a message that was preached took place when I was in Bible college.
    I don’t honestly remember much about the message.
    There are some messages that really stick with you and others that just don’t.
    This message was one of the second kind.
    What I do remember is we were approaching the conclusion of the message, and the preacher was giving a passionately plea to all of the students.
    And he was asking the students a rhetorical question: “Who will surrender to God and be used by Him”
    “Who will say ‘I will’?”
    Now, a rhetorical question is a question that isn’t really asking for an answer… the answer is understand or should be answered internally.
    But on that day, I remember the preacher asked that question, and all of the sudden, there was a guy sitting in the seats in front of me, and he stood up all of the sudden and he said, “My name is Ben Muldoon and I will.”
    I think the preacher was as surprised as I was, because he just stopped preaching and looked over at Ben with a somewhat shocked look on his face.
    And then all of the sudden, another guy stood up, “My name is… and I will!”
    And then another and another.
    Now this may seem like it would have been a very moving moment… but the problem was, outside of the initial Ben, I don’t know if anyone else was even listening.
    Before long, most of the guys in the building were standing, volunteering for whatever everyone else was volunteering for, because we didn’t want to be the guy who didn’t stand.
    That for me, was one of the most memorable of all responses to a message I ever experienced.
    EXPLANATION: Well, last week we heard a message from the greatest preacher Who ever lived.
    And if you weren’t here last week… no it wasn’t me… it was a message from Jesus.
    From v.26-58, Jesus had sat in the synagogue, and preached a powerful message.
    He dealt with the fact that God through the OT Scriptures had pointed to Jesus.
    But we saw as the people that were there listening just missed it!
    And then Jesus explained that He was going to give his life for the world in v.51
    But once again, the crowd missed it.
    Every time Jesus tried to give them an earthly example to portray a heavenly meaning, the people got stuck on the earthly part and never saw the heavenly.
    Jesus wanted them to see with spiritual eyes, and they could only view from their earthly lenses.
    And as Jesus concluded His message, He called on them to believe on Him… to accept Him into their lives.
    It’s almost as if the invitation is given.
    And they were given the opportunity… what would they do with the message?
    In response to the greatest preacher to ever preach we find 3 responses to His message.
    APPLICATION: In a very practical way, you are given the same opportunity from a far lessor preacher each week you come to WBC.
    You see we reach the end of the message and you are given an opportunity to respond.
    We call it “an invitation”
    Because the purpose of preaching not just to make you feel good about yourself or to entertain you for about 40 minutes.
    The purpose of the preaching of God’s Word is that you can walk out of here changed from when you arrived.
    So nearly every week the Gospel is given from this pulpit.
    For those who have never accepted Christ as their Savior, my number one goal is to try to make the message as clearly as possible:
    You are a sinner
    There is a payment for your sin
    Only one payment is acceptable: death and separation from God
    So, Jesus Christ came a died on the cross in your place to pay for your sin.
    Your sin was placed upon Christ and for the first time in eternity, Jesus and God the Father were separated as the Father could no longer look on the Son because your sin and my sin that covered Him
    He cried out, “Father, why hast thou forsaken me… and the answer is because of my sin and yours.
    But 3 days later Jesus rose from the grave demonstrating His power over death and making clear He was the satisfactory payment for your sins.
    And now, today, you have to do as Jesus preached in His message, you must believe on Jesus Christ.
    Trust what He did by taking your place.
    Ask Him to forgive your sins and trust in Jesus as your Savior.
    Each week, that is the number one goal of the message… if you don’t know Christ as Savior, I want you to know Him.
    Then the secondary goal of the message is whatever else in your life is between you and God, I want you to get it right so you can enjoy a sweet relationship with Him!
    We saw it on Wednesday night as we are discussing the importance of the church:
    Ephesians 5:25–27 KJV 1900
    Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.
    God wants you to come and sit and soak under the Word of God and allow it to cleanse you and wash you so you can be presented without spot and glorious before Him!
    So this morning, the question is simple: What will you do with the message?
    EXPLANATION: For a few moments, we are going to look at 3 responses to a message preached by the greatest preacher that ever lived.
    And maybe you’ll find yourself in the story as well!

    V.60-66, SOME REJECTED

    John 6:60–66 KJV 1900
    Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is an hard saying; who can hear it? When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples murmured at it, he said unto them, Doth this offend you? What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before? It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life. But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him. And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father. From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.
    EXPLANATION: As Jesus concludes His message, we find the first group of people and their response.
    Now, don’t forget who this is standing before Jesus.
    These were the people who had crossed the sea to come to Jesus.
    There were the people who had experienced the blessing of the bread the day before
    These are people who claimed to be followers of Jesus.
    But in v.60, they respond by talking amongst themselves and saying, “This is a hard saying; who can hear it.”
    Now, here is the key in understanding… when they said it was a “hard saying” they weren’t saying it was hard to understand.
    After all that Jesus had said, they finally comprehend what He was saying…
    But the phrase “hard saying” meant that while they understood it, they didn’t like it.
    They double down when they ask the question, “who can hear it.”
    The Greek word meant “who can accept it”
    They said, “We get it, but we don’t like it, and we don’t want to accept it.”
    They weren’t rejecting because they were confused… They were rejecting because they did understand what Jesus was saying.
    They were willing to come, they were willing to see, but they didn’t want to believe!
    Jesus knew what was going on, so He asks them in v.61, “Doth this offend you?”
    It means to stumble.
    As they were following Him, they were more than happy to follow when things were good and He was feeding them.
    But when Jesus dives into the hard parts… they were being tripped up in their following.
    APPLICATION: You know, people are good with following Jesus when things are good or when we focus on the blessings alone.
    I mean, who wouldn’t want to go to heaven?
    Who doesn’t like to hear that God loves them?
    Who doesn’t like to be made to feel good and told how good they are.”
    But when the preacher preaches against their sin… well that’s when it’s time to find a new church.
    That’s when it’s time to find some place that isn’t so “judgmental”
    And they get “tripped up” in their following.
    EXPLANATION: Jesus then dives deeper in v.62
    “If you’re struggling with me telling you that I have to die for you… what are you going to do when I go back to heaven?”
    They could at least comprehend Jesus dying… but if they were struggling with that, who were they going to deal with Him going back to heaven?
    And then Jesus gives the key to the entire passage in v.63
    John 6:63 KJV 1900
    It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.
    The whole way through Jesus had been speaking of spiritual things, and they had only been seeing physically.
    When they finally began to understand, they didn’t want to accept it.
    And Jesus knew many weren’t going to believe, because they weren’t truly following the Father.
    John 6:64–65 KJV 1900
    But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him. And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father.
    God had drawn them to Jesus through the OT prophets and writers.
    They wouldn’t have known Who Jesus was if God hadn’t pointed to Him throughout the entire OT
    All the arrows pointed to Christ.
    And then we find one of the saddest verses in the entire Bible.
    John 6:66 KJV 1900
    From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.
    One preacher called this the devils verse.
    Everything in chapter 6 has been leading up to this verse…
    Last week we talked about how God had given enlightenment and understanding through the OT.
    The light had been turned on and it was drawing people to Christ.
    Here were people who had followed Christ, standing in the light, and yet now they were choosing to walk away from it.
    They pursued Him when He gave them Physical bread, and they forsook Him when He offered them the Bread of life.
    They understood the message… they just decided to reject it.
    ILLUSTRATION: Over the past few years, Jayce and Jaxon have started wrestling in the little guy wrestling program.
    It’s been fun to watch them and to learn, because I didn’t grow up wrestling.
    One thing I have learned about wrestling, at it’s absolute simplest explanation, you are trying to get the other person to submit to what you want him to do.
    So, the boys try different moves and different angles to try to get the other kid down.
    But the other kid is going to do anything and everything he can to refuse to give in to his opponent.
    And so whatever the angle that is taken by Jayce or Jaxon, he is going to try to counter it with a different angle.
    No matter what is thrown at him, he is going to do his best to counter it and reject that move.
    EXPLANATION: Jesus had come at them from a lot of different angles… and they resisted at every turn.
    And now, here at the end of the message… they rejected the message and walked away.
    APPLICATION: I can’t understand the depth of pain that Jesus felt.
    Jesus knew and understood so much deeper than I could ever fathom.
    But I can say, there have been many times there have been small glimpses of that heartbreak that I’ve experienced.
    As I’ve poured over a message from God’s Word
    I’ve prayed over the message from God’s Word
    I’ve delivered it as passionately and clearly as my abilities would allow
    And to know that there are some that are going to hear it, and they are going to reject it.
    It’s breaks my heart.
    But I know if it happened to the greatest preacher Who ever lived, it’s certainly going to happen in response to the messages I preach.
    Jesus finished His message, and Some Rejected
    But there is hope

    V.67-69, SOME ACCEPTED

    John 6:67–69 KJV 1900
    Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away? Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life. And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God.
    EXPLANATION: As the multitude walked away, 12 men remained before Jesus.
    And Jesus offers a question to them… “Are you going to reject the message as well?”
    And Peter speaks up and he gets it right this time…
    We got the message… We believe the message… You are God!
    It was a bright spot in the midst of the dust of crowd that was walking away!
    Some got it!
    ILLUSTRATION: I had the blessing of preaching at a teen meeting a few years back.
    I love preaching to teenagers, because usually they are more responsive than you old people.
    I had preached a message that had a heavy emphasis on going against the culture around them, and specifically in that message I dealt with the fact that God had created them the way they were.
    God hadn’t made a mistake when he made them a girl or a boy.
    In the midst of a culture that was gender confused, God wasn’t confused and He didn’t make a mistake.
    When we finished the message, the teens just got up and went and played their game, and I kinda felt like I just had missed the mark.
    Maybe I just didn’t connect as well as I thought I had or as I had hoped I had.
    It was the next day, when one of the young ladies came to Tressa and let her know that she had been thinking about that message.
    That young lady had been struggling with her identity, and questioning if God had made a mistake.
    But that night, God had confirmed in her heart that she was exactly who God intended for her to be!
    Can I tell you, I was praising God!
    Some got it!
    ILLUSTRATION: Paul experienced this very thing in His preaching!
    He had just finished preaching his message on Mars Hill in Acts 17, and as he concluded, the invitation was given, and the responses varied:
    Acts 17:32–34 KJV 1900
    And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked: and others said, We will hear thee again of this matter. So Paul departed from among them. Howbeit certain men clave unto him, and believed: among the which was Dionysius the Areopagite, and a woman named Damaris, and others with them.
    Praise God, some got it!
    APPLICATION: Friend, it’s a blessing when some get it!
    Can I encourage you, anytime God’s Word is opened and preached from, get something from it!
    There will be some messages that speak more to you than others, but if the Word of God is given, we should get something!
    Hear God’s Word and do something with it!
    Be changed by the truths of this book.
    At the start of the message when someone prays before the preaching, it isn’t the time for you to catch up on your sleep.
    It’s the opportunity for you to ask God to help you to get something from God’s Word today!
    Be someone who hears the Word of God, and accepts it!
    Some Rejected, Some Accepted

    V.70-71, SOME PRETENDED

    John 6:70–71 KJV 1900
    Jesus answered them, Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil? He spake of Judas Iscariot the son of Simon: for he it was that should betray him, being one of the twelve.
    EXPLANATION: Jesus’s regular attenders consisted of 12 men.
    That number would fluctuate from week to week, but there were 12 who were consistent.
    They heard all the messages
    They were present for all the events
    They even served and participated in the services
    And sitting in the midst of Jesus’s congregation was one who did all the right things… said all the right words… even looked the part.
    But eventually the truth came out and he was a wolf in sheep’s clothing who turned on Jesus and betrayed Him.
    He was simply a pretender.
    ILLUSTRATION: You remember playing pretend when you were growing up.
    If you’re too far away, then maybe you’ve seen your kids or grandkids playing pretend.
    They’re an astronaut, a cowboy, a mommy, a dinosaur.
    They dress up, put on the hat or the costume and they pretend to be something
    We have people today who failed to grow up.
    In our confused society they still are pretending to be an animal
    The Bible says they worship and serve the creature more than the Creator.
    We hear about it or see it and we shake our heads and we say, “That’s so wrong”
    It shows the sinfulness of man’s heart and we do whatever we can to protect our children from those kinds of influences.
    APPLICATION: But could it be that some of the greatest pretender are sitting in the chairs and pews of churches on Sunday morning.
    They put on the act… they dress up in the clothes… they talk the talk…
    But it’s all just an act… it’s all just pretend.
    And the truth is someday the truth will come out.
    For some, it shows up in their life.
    A slip up here or there.
    The mask comes off and people get to see who you really are.
    James 1:8 KJV 1900
    A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.
    For others, the game of pretend my not end until the day you stand before God.
    But while you may fool everyone else, you will not fool God
    Matthew 7:21–23 KJV 1900
    Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
    Friend, if you are playing pretend with your eternity, one day the game will come to an end.
    And if you don’t know Christ as your Savior, one day you will stand before Him as your judge
    And it will be too late.
    If you are here today and you’ve just been playing pretend, stop pretending, and truly accept Jesus as your Savior!

    CONCLUSION

    ILLUSTRATION: You know, for a lot of years, I shared that story about Ben and it was kind of a joke, because the next semester he left the Bible college I was at and I never heard about him again.
    Most of the time when people left Bible college and you didn’t hear about them again, it was because they often went after the ways of the world and their story became a warning to those that knew it.
    I figured it was the same with Ben.
    But out of curiosity as I prepared this message, I decided I would try to look him up and find him so I could use his life as that final lesson for all of us to learn from… that final real life warning.
    When I looked him up, I found out something different.
    Ben didn’t leave the Bible college I was at and pursue the world… he went to a different Bible college!
    And since 2020 Ben Muldoon has been a missionary with his wife and kids with Silent Word Ministries, reaching the deaf people of Romania with the Gospel!
    They’ve established a local church and a training institute to help churches reach the deaf in that part of the world!
    You know… I guess on that night when Ben responded to that message and said, “I will” he really meant it.
    He accepted the challenge from the message.
    APPLICATION: Friend, I’m not looking for anyone to stand up in the middle of the message and say “I will”
    But maybe there would be some people during the invitation in a few minutes who would be willing to say in their hearts, “Lord, I will”
    Whatever you speak to my heart about from your Word… “I will”
    If I need to trust in Jesus as my Savior, “I will”
    If I need to surrender my life to the Lord, “I will”
    If there is sin in my life I need to confess and get right, “I will”
    If there’s a broken relationship in my life that God wants me to make right, “I will”
    If God is working on my life to serve Him in some way, “Lord, I will.”
    Friend, what will you do with the message?
    Don’t reject it… Don’t pretend…Accept what God is speaking to your life about… and respond to Him!
    This morning, tell the Lord, “I will”

      • John 6:60–71KJV1900

      • Ephesians 5:25–27KJV1900

      • John 6:60–66KJV1900

      • John 6:63KJV1900

      • John 6:64–65KJV1900

      • John 6:66KJV1900

      • John 6:67–69KJV1900

      • Acts 17:32–34KJV1900

      • John 6:70–71KJV1900

      • James 1:8KJV1900

      • Matthew 7:21–23KJV1900

Whitehall Baptist Church
whitehallbcmt@gmail.com
406.285.1003
http://wbcmt.org
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