[RECAP last week’s sermon taken from Luke 9:57-62]
Jesus wants us to be His disciples, who understand the heart of our Father and are willing to commit to doing His will on earth.
• To do that well we need to be prepared for what we are getting ourselves into.
• Jesus gave advices to the 3 men who wished to follow Him.
(1) COUNT THE COST, be prepared to commit.
Luke 9:58 Jesus said, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”
(2) CONSIDER THE PRIORITY, some things carry values that last beyond this life.
Luke 9:60 – to the one who wants to bury his father, Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God."
(3) CLEAR THE DISTRACTIONS, stay focus
Luke 9:62 – to the one who wants to go back and say goodbye - Jesus replied, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the Kingdom of God."
The Lord did not dissuade them nor did He reject them. It’s a choice they’ve to make.
• Jesus prepares them for success. It’s wise to heed these advices if we want to finish the race and finish it well.
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Today I want to answer the question, WHY DO WE WANT TO COMMIT OURSELVES? Why do I want to be His disciples?
• If there is a cost to discipleship, if it requires commitment and my time, then why should I even consider being a follower of Jesus?
• We will try to answer these questions from John 6. Let’s read John 6:60-69.
Let me say on the onset that no one is forced to follow Jesus.
• Jesus issues a call. It is always an invitation. You can choose to leave. Many did leave throughout Jesus’ ministry on earth.
• He asked to His disciples: “You do not want to leave too, do you?” (John 6:67)
John 6 begins with the feeding of the five thousand men, with a little boy’s lunch.
• That night Jesus left with the disciples and sailed across the lake. 6:24 says many of those that had been fed trailed Jesus.
• They were looking for more free meals. Jesus said in 6:26-27 “… you are looking for me, not because you saw miraculous signs but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. 27Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you.”
They were driven by self-interest, by personal gains. They were motivated by what Jesus can do for them, what Jesus can give them.
• But they have to go beyond that. Their concern must be more than just the physical.
Jesus went on to deliver a discourse - the “spiritual” bread that they need to feed on.
• 6:27 “Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you.”
• It was a call for them to put their trust in Him, to feed on this “bread”.
Verse 35 Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life.”
Verse 41 “I am the bread that came down from heaven.”
Verse 48 “I am the bread of life.”
Verse 51 “I am the living bread that came down from heaven.”
The crowd finds this difficult to accept. They see only the hear-and-now, the physical needs they have.
• It is the same today. Many people are caught up by the here-and-now, by the needs of the moment. They are unable to see beyond the present.
• We need to see the SPIRITUAL more than the PHYSICAL. The spiritual is more real than the physical, because the physical once did not exist. The world was created, out of nothing. The real thing is the spiritual.
• Pray that we will be able to see the spiritual in the physical. To see the presence of God and His work in our midst. To understand the will of God for our lives on earth.
Many find this irrelevant. John 6:66 “From this time many of His disciples turned back and no longer followed Him.” They were unable to see their spiritual need.
• It was at this point that Jesus turned to ask the Twelve: “You do not want to leave too, do you?” (John 6:67)
Peter’s answer was significant. It stood out from the rest.
• He might not have understood everything that Jesus was teaching, but he recognised Him – the Person! He saw WHO He is. He knew WHAT He has.
• Peter: "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69 We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God." (6:68-69)
These must be our reasons today, why we choose to FOLLOW Jesus no matter what.
(1) JESUS IS GOD – “You are the Holy One of God.”
Who else can we follow? You are God! Peter saw something that the rest did not.
• Jesus isn’t just a miracle-worker; He is the Son of God. He is not here giving some nice teachings; He is telling the truth.
Matt 16:13 recorded Jesus asking His disciples: "Who do people say the Son of Man is?"
• 16:14-15 "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets." 15 "But what about you? Who do you say I am?”
• Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."
• 16:17 Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven.”
Peter sees the SPIRITUAL while the crowd sees only the physical, the outward, and the miracles.
• Peter says I’m not leaving. I’m following you! And it’s not because you are a good teacher, not because you have great wisdom, or the power to heal and do miracles. I follow you because you are God!
• It’s alright to say we follow Jesus because He is our Saviour, our great benefactor. He is our strength; He is our helper and provider…
• But ultimately, we choose to FOLLOW Him for more than these – these reasons can still tainted with self-interest, thinking about what we can get from Him.
• We follow Jesus because He is the Son of God! That alone calls our allegiance.
That alone deserves our worship. Jesus is God! He’s the King of Kings & Lord of Lords.
• That’s the preoccupation in heaven – worship! We see the angels, the elders, the living creatures in heaven singing and worshipping the Lord continually.
• We pledge allegiance to Him because He is our God.
Peter did not choose to follow Jesus because it was convenient, it was a good career move, or because he wants to become successful and rich.
• He chose Jesus because Jesus is God. Until and unless we acknowledge Jesus as God and Lord, something will always be missing in our lives.
• We will not follow Him seriously. We will not be a faithful disciple like Peter.
Is Jesus your God? It’s not, ‘Is He God?’ That is easier to answer. But ‘Is He your God?’ Do you see Him as your Master and Lord?
• If you do, it will show. It will show in our conduct, our mannerism, our schedule, in the things we say and do. Make Him Lord.
Peter answered, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life." (6:68)
(2) JESUS IS THE TRUTH – “You have the words of eternal life.”
John 14:6 “I am the way and the truth and the life.” He is the ANSWER to life.
• John 6:36 - Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.”
• What man needs is not the “food that spoils” but “the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you.” (6:27)
Peter says, “Where I can go to get this? You have the words of eternal life.”
• There is no other option. Peter was convinced of this.
• He recognised Jesus as the SOURCE of truth, the revelation of God.
Peter might be impulsive and he has his weaknesses, but he believes in Jesus.
• He might have denied knowing Him with his lips, but deep down in his heart, he KNEW Him. He repented.
• Many have it the other way around. They profess to know Jesus with their lips. But DENY Him in their hearts. They pay lip service.
Peter was convinced that Jesus Christ alone has the answer to man’s needs.
• Do you? I believe if we do, we will stick to Jesus and follow Him, no matter what.
• The crowd goes for the temporary, Peter goes for the eternal. The crowd goes for the physical, Peter goes for the spiritual.
This week I baptised a 73 yrs old lady at Singapore Christian Home for the Aged. Her husband passed on many years ago and so she is alone now with no family or relative. We were visited our church member and got to know her. We wanted to share Christ. She said she is a Christian, came to know Christ in her young days when in Penang. When she migrated here, did not get a chance to go to a church. She longed to be baptised. This was two years back. The HOME has since moved to Sembawang from TTSH area.
I thought that was the end of the issue. This week she told the nurse that she wanted to get baptised. So the home requested our help. When I briefed her on the Gospel, she was actually telling me what it means. I am gladdened by her faith, despite the many years of not being able to go to church. She has a bible on the side table and an audio bible by the bed, a gift from the staff.
I told my dad while driving back. It’s so nice to see her having this simple faith in Jesus and staying so committed and devoted to Him all these years, despite her circumstances. Although she is 73, her convictions remain strong.
That’s the conviction we need today. That’s Peter’s conviction.
• Jesus Christ is our only hope. No one and nothing can truly satisfy us. The answer is with Jesus. Receive Jesus as your personal Saviour today, if you have not done so.
• He is the bread of life. Feed on Him and you will never go hungry. Believe in Jesus and you will never be thirsty. (cf. 6:36)
See the way Peter sees Jesus.
Notice something. The crowd sees only WHAT Jesus can do - the outward, the miracles and the healings. Peter sees the WHO of Jesus – WHO HE REALLY IS - the Source of truth and life, the Son of God.
• Get to know WHO He is. When you KNOW Him, you’ll fall in love with Him. You’ll be willing to FOLLOW Him all the way.
• Focusing on ‘WHAT He can do’ can lead us, sometimes, unfortunately, to a self-serving cause. We are only thinking about WHAT He can do for me.
• If we focus on the WHO, we think about WHAT I CAN DO FOR HIM.
To whom shall we go? The answer must be "Jesus!" He is "...the Christ, the Son of the living God”. He alone has "...the words of eternal life".
