ARE YOU READY TO BE A DISCIPLE OF CHRIST?
JOHN 6:1-70
I. IT IS EASY TO BE A DISCIPLE OF CHRIST WHEN JESUS SERVES US, AND LIFE IS GOOD.
1.) It was easy to be a disciple of Christ when he had fed the 5,000.
A.) There was likely never a time that Jesus was as popular as this day, unless it was possibly the day of His Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem..
aa.) Jesus just fed the 5,000.
ab.) After such a poweful feeding Jesus was very popular.
2.) It is easy to be a disciple of Christ when we can feel His presence with us.
A.) Today, as Christians, there are times we can really feel the presence of God with us.
B.) There are times when everything seems to be going our ways, and God seems so close.
ba.) When we can feel the closeness of God within our very being it is a relatively easy thing to have faith in God.
bb.) There are times that God is so close, and so much a part of us, that there can be no doubting whatsoever of his closesness.
3.) It is easy to be a disciple of Christ when we are experiencing an abundance of God's blessings.
A.) This is Thanksgiving weekend. A time when we reflect on how God has so richly blessed us.
B.) We have times when we can feel many blessings of God.
ba.) Those times when we can feel and experience readily the blessings of God, it is so easy to have faith in God.
bb.) There is no question of the presence of God, because the blessings from His hand are so abundant, and plentiful.
4.) It is easy to be a disciple of Christ when the answers to prayer are quick and obvious.
A.) As Christians, I am sure that each one of us spend time in prayer.
B.) There have been times when I have prayed, I could almost feel the answer to prayer, and the blessing of God upon me, even as I was praying to Him.
ba.) At times like that it feels good to be a Christian.
bb.) When God is answering my prayers and particularly in the manner in which I feel God should answer my prayers, it is not only easy, but exciting to be a Christian.
C.) But as good and wonderful as it feels when God works that way, that is not always the case.
II. IT IS MUCH HARDER TO BE A DISCIPLE OF CHRIST WHEN JESUS DOES NOT SERVE US, AND LIFE IS HARD.
You see, there are times, and I am sure each person here can testify to those times in your own life when God seems much more distant. There are times that Jesus does not serve us by answering prayer in the time and mannner in which we feel He should answer our prayers. There are times when it seems as though the blessings of God are being withheld from us.
1.)It is harder to be a Disciple of Christ when God teaches us to remember the blessings of yesterday, instead of new ones today.
A.) One difficulty of the Christian life, is that we do not always see the blessings of serving Christ.
aa.) There are those on the tv and radio that preach a health and wealth Gospel.
aa-1.) That if you come to a saving relationship with Christ you will have great wealth, and health, and happiness, and there will be no problems in your life.
aa-2.) That is the kind of salvation, and Gospel Iwant. That is exciting.
aa-3.) As much as that I the salvation package I would like to have, the reality, is that is no where's promised in the Scriptures.
aa-4.) Not only is that not proclaimed in the Scriptures, it is not seen in the lives of the majority of Christians.
B.) There have been many times that I have waited for answered prayer, and blessings from God that I have not received what I was looking for.
ba.) There have been times that God has chosen to allow me to remember the blessings and the answered prayers of yesterday without new blessings or answers for today.
ba-1.) In fact there are times that God chooses to hold back in order to test us and strengthen us in Him.
bb.) Looking back, there have been things that God has not granted me, and prayers that He has not answered, that at later times Iwas very grateful for those dry times, and unanswered prayers.
bc.) But during those times when God was not blessing me, it was much harder to be a Disciple of Christ.
C.) Not only have there been times that God has witheld blessings from me, but there have also been times I have questioned on the presence of God, or if He even cared what was going on in my life.
ca.) I am sure that most everyone here have also experienced times like that.
2.) It is harder to be a disciple of Christ at those times we do not feel His presence with us.
A.) Any of us would like to say there is never a time we do not feel the close presence of the Lord with us.
aa.) Unfortunately, there are times that we cannot feel that close presence of God with us.
aa-1.) Sometimes there is sin on our parts, that cause us to drift away from God a bit.
aa-2.) At other times, we can be in perfect fellowship with God, and God may be testing us.
ab.) This experience is not new to us. In the history of man, every generation, every family, and even every person has had these times.
ab-1.) Ps. 22:2”O my God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer, by night, and am not silent.”
ab-2.) Ps. 83:1 “O God, do not keep silent; be not quiet, O God, be not still.”
ac.) The pitiful cries of these two Psalmists are not isolated accounts.
ac-1.) The reality is that probably every person on the planet at one time or another could say those same words.
ac-2.) Just the same, those times when God seems so distant, it is very difficult to trust that He is there, and that He still cares.
ac-3.) When we come to wonder if God is really there, or if God really cares, it makes it more difficult to be a Disciple of Christ.
– Yet at those times, God is testing us, and refining us, and strengthening us to trust Him, even when He seems far away.
III. IT TAKES OUR ALL TO BE A DISCIPLE OF CHRIST WHEN WE REALIZE WHAT CHRIST WANTS FROM US.
1.) The feeding of the five thousand made Jesus very popular.
A.) The people sought Jesus the next day.
B.) There are times when Jesus spoke in parables, here he did not.
aa.) The problem in this passage was not that the people did not know what Jesus was saying, but rather that they know exactly what Jesus was proclaiming.
2.) Jesus revealed the motive of their hearts why they were so excited to see Jesus.
A.) John 6:26-27
B.) They were not looking for a relationship with Jesus Christ.
ba.) They were looking for the one who could satisfy the physical longings of their bodies, rather than the spiritual emptiness of their hearts.
3.) For just a moment, it seemed as though there was a
spiritual hunger that they also wanted to fill.
A.) John 6:28
B.) Everything soundes sincere: they asked what they had to do to in order to accomplish God's will in their lives.
C.) Jesus answers what seemed like a genuine longing.
ca.) John 6:29
cb.) Believe in the one Whom God sent.
4.) The question we must ask is did they understand that Jesus was speaking of Himself?
A.) The Answer is yes. They knew without a doubt.
aa.) This is further pointed out in the next verse when they ask him for a miracle to prove what He said.
B.) The Insincerity of their request is revealed by the miracle they ask for.
ba.) John 6:30-31
bb.) Give us a miracle: hint: Moses gave manna in the wilderness.
bc.) Background: it was only one day before this that Jesus fed 5,000 from a little boy's lunch of 5 loaves and two fish.
C.)If the heart had been sincere, the miracle which Jesus had performed 24 hours before this would have convinced anyone.
D.) But now one day later they were hungry, and their stomachs were growling, and told Jesus they would believe in Him if he could provide them something to eat.
5.) Jesus shows them again that He is the Messiah from heaven, and their Saviour.
A.) John 6:32-40
B.) Jesus identified His Father as God. (vs. 40)
C.) Jesus declared that He is the Bread of life that fills the spiritual longings of man. (vss. 35- 37)
D.) Jesus declared that He himself had come down from heaven.
E.) Jesus declared that God had given him the authority to bring men to salvation.
F.) Jesus stated he could give eternal life.
G.) Jesus became even stronger in his symbolism of who He is.
6.) This passage of Scripture shows us they not only understood who Jesus is, but were not willing to accept Him for who He is, and rejected Him.
A.) John 6:41-44;
B.) The people said all this teaching about Jesus was hard to accept, who could ever believe such a thing?
ba.) John 6:60
C.) Jesus further challenged them
ca.) John 6:61-61
cb.) What if you see Jesus go back up into heaven?
D.) Sadly, this was a major turning point in the ministry of Jesus.
da.) This was the point when many decided they did not want to follow Jesus.
db.) John 6:66
7.) Jesus wants the entire person.
A.) There has never been a time when it was easy to give one's all to God.
B.) To realize what Jesus wants and expects from any of us as His Disciples is powerful and challenging.
C.) As with these folks we have looked at in the Gospel of John it is a demand that is higher than many are willing to make.
IV. IT IS REWARDING TO BE A DISCIPLE OF CHRIST IF WE REMAIN FAITHFUL TO HIM.
1.) If we are true Disciples of Christ, we will be greatly blessed in this life.
A.) Eph. 1:3
B.) In the present life, we are blessed with every blessing of salvation and grace.
ba.) It is a wonderful thing to be able to go to bed at night knowing that our sins have been forgiven.
ba-1.) What assurance is ours when every day we know we have a clean slate before God, and live daily without the guilt of sin, separating us from the presence of God.
bb.) It fills the heart with joy knowing that whatever may happen today, that God is with us.
bb-1.) His Holy Spirit is there as our comforter and Counselor, and our guide.
bc.) Daily we live in the blessedness of having God's Spirit bear fruit in our lives, making us more like our Master each day.
bd.) Certainly, in just this life alone the blessings of serving Christ are tremendous.
2.) If We are true Disciples of Christ we will not regret it in eternity.
A.) John 3:16
aa.) One of the great aspirations of Christians is that of eternal life in the presence of God Almighty, and His Christ.
B.) What a different perspective. None of us can relate to the realm of heaven, having seen only the earth.
ba.) Yet at the same time, we have our focus on the ehavenly instead of the earthly.
ba-1.) 2 Cor. 4:18
“So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”
ba-2.) Phil 3:20-21
But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ,who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.”
A.) Today, as Christians, there are times we can really feel the presence of God with us.
B.) There are times when everything seems to be going our ways, and God seems so close.
ba.) When we can feel the closeness of God within our very being it is a relatively easy thing to have faith in God.
bb.) There are times that God is so close, and so much a part of us, that there can be no doubting whatsoever of his closesness.
