Sunday Night-Free Lamb

Sunday Night-Free Lamb

Place: BLCC

Date: 5/7/17

Text: John 6.22-24

CT: We follow Jesus to know Him not about Him.

FAS: A common theme in modern Christianity has been that head knowledge is how one becomes more adept at following Christ: the more you know, the better you'll do. But in fact, that hasn't proven to be true.

Instead, it seems the Christian life is more like being a baseball shortstop: A young player can watch videos, read books by the greatest shortstops of all time, and listen to coaches lecture on what makes a good shortstop; but what will make him a truly good shortstop is getting out on the field and practicing. The only way he'll really get a feel for the game is to field ground ball after ground ball, to figure out when to play the ball on a short hop, when a pull-hitter is at bat, and how far to cheat toward second base when the double play is on. The more practice he has, the better he'll be.

Getting a "feel for the game" in following Jesus is much the same. You can listen to innumerable sermons and read countless books, but the true transformation happens only when you practice the disciplines that lie at the heart of the faith. As the disciplines are practiced, your life becomes more attuned to God's life, and you become more "at one" with the rhythms of creation. Like a finely trained athlete, you can anticipate the movement on the field; like a world-class pianist, you actually inhabit the music as you take notes on the page and give them life; like an expert carpenter, you run your hands over the grain of the wood and see what this rough cut can become.

Tony Jones, The Sacred Way (Zondervan, 2005), p. 31

LS: Following Jesus is more than knowing about Him, it is about knowing Him. We must become like Him.

John 6.22-24. On the next day the crowd that remained on the other side of the sea saw that there had been only one boat there, and that Jesus had not entered the boat with his disciples, but that his disciples had gone away alone. Other boats from Tiberias came near the place where they had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks. So when the crowd saw that Jesus was not there, nor his disciples, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum, seeking Jesus.

Jesus had become a pretty popular guy. People were swarming around him to see and get some of what he was giving away.

Free food still draws people today. He had just fed thousands of people. You can bet the news of this was spreading like wildfire. When Jesus disappeared the people found boats and starting seeking this Jesus with all the goodies and great miracles He had.

They knew what they wanted. They saw this Jesus as their genie in a bottle. They wanted him to grant their every wish.

They didn’t really care too much about all this talk of God and sure weren’t thinking of serving Him.

They wanted to be served. They wanted free fish and bread and were even wondering if the menu might be expanded a little bit.

You know some lamb chops possibly. Someone had heard that he was bringing the Lamb of God. He even talked about they were to eat this Lamb. They were all about it so they were seeking this Jesus. Free lamb, free show. What more could they want. But they wanted more I guess.

When Jesus began to explain to them what it would take to follow Him they started to back up real fast. Here is what happened.

35 Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. 36 But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe. 37 All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. 38 For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. 39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. 40 For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.”

(What is Jesus saying here? He is saying he is as important as God?)

41 At this the Jews there began to grumble about him because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.”