THOSE THAT LEFT HIM
Jn. 6:66 “From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.”
INTRO: We know that Jesus is the Son of God. His ministry here on earth was successful even unto the cross. But, his earthly ministry still wasn’t one without problems. We read many Scriptures about people that specifically told Jesus, “NO.” Others, as this Scripture tells us that many of his disciples no longer followed him. The interesting question is, “Why?” Why did disciples stop following him? This were individuals that had followed him already for more than a year. They were disciples! If they left him; will they also leave us?
I. WHY DID THEY LEFT HIM?
A. This is a hard teaching
1. Jn. 6:60 “On hearing it, many of his disciples said, “This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?”
2. We can’t compromise the Word of God
3. We love the sinner but hate sin
4. We do forgive, we do love everybody, we do restore individuals
B. Because He told them their true motives in following him
1. Jn. 6:26 “Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, you are looking for me, not because you saw miraculous signs but because you ate the loaves and had your fill.”
2. NOT because they believed in him
3. NOT because of the signs he did
4. It was only because He fed them
5. We cannot serve God by what He gives us or what am I going to receive of this?
C. They left him because they didn’t reach their carnal goals
1. Jn. 6:70-71 “Then Jesus replied, “Have I not chosen you, the Twelve? Yet one of you is a devil!” 71 (He meant Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, who, though one of the Twelve, was later to betray him.)”
2. 1 Pe. 5:8 “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.”
3. We have carnal goals and spiritual goals
i. Phil. 3:13 “Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead,”
4. When you set your eyes on the spiritual goals God will bless you
i. Mat. 6:33 “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”
5. Judas didn’t reach his carnal goals so he betrayed Jesus
6. People didn’t reached their carnal goals so they left
7. How many Christians do we know that committed themselves in serving the Lord only for love?
8. We have to understand where God wants us not where we want to be at!
II. WHY DID OTHERS CONTINUED FOLLOWING HIM?
A. He had the Word of God
1. Jn. 6:68 “Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.”
2. We cannot give more then the Word of God
3. We are to say only what God tells us not more
B. They knew that God was with him
1. Jn. 3:2 “He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him.”
2. They knew that God had appointed him not man
3. They were following a Man of God
C. Signs followed him
1.“Still, many in the crowd put their faith in him. They said, “When the Christ comes, will he do more miraculous signs than this man?”
2. God will support His servant
3. We have to prove with results that God is with us
D. His time was not fulfilled
1. Jn 7:8 “You go to the Feast. I am not yet going up to this Feast, because for me the right time has not yet come.”
2. God will not move you until His will is realized
3. We shouldn’t move before His time
III. WHAT DID THOSE THAT FOLLOWED HIM DO?
A. They started to take their family that were in need to Jesus
1. Jn. 1:40-42 “Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. 41 The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ). 42 And he brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas” (which, when translated, is Peter).”
2. He took him to Jesus not John the Baptist
3. We have to take them to the place we attend
B. They would take the friends that need a word from Jesus
1. Jn. 1:45 “Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”
2. How many of us have friends that need to know about Jesus but we don’t testify to them. Bring them with you
C. They would take those that needed a miracle or healing from him
1. Luke 5:17-20 “One day as he was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law, who had come from every village of Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem, were sitting there. And the power of the Lord was present for him to heal the sick. 18 Some men came carrying a paralytic on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus. 19 When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus. When Jesus saw their faith, he said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.”
3. We know of people that need to know that Jesus can:
i. Heal
ii. Do Miracles
iii. Do Wonders
CONCLUSION:
