I want to speak to you from the verse that's on that little slip. John chapter 6 and verse 42. If you've got a Bible, it's on page 892. That might help you to follow along. John 6 and verse 42.
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Isn't that a great question? And they're listening to Jesus and they say, we know he comes from down the road, but he says that he comes from heaven. How are we going to put this together? And I think that that's the problem that lots of people have at Christmas time.
They think about Jesus, they think he's harmless, but they fear that he's powerful. They would like a way to forget about him, but for some reason they just can't forget about him.
So you notice it with Christmas concerts, don't you? Christmas concerts, they lurch from Harper Herald to Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. They go from, I'm a commonly faithful, straight into Jingle Bells.
There's a disjunct, isn't there? Will they go somewhere else or will they go his way? Will we go in the opposite direction from him or will we go towards him?
And I think that's what's going through the minds of the people who are asking this question.
And I want to show you just in a few moments that number one, it's a question. It's a good question. It's a bad question. And it's a key question.
And I don't want to waste your time this morning. I hope for those of us who do believe in the Lord Jesus, it'll cause you to be thankful and rejoice again.
And I'm hoping for those of you who don't yet belong to the Lord Jesus, that you'll be attracted to him.
So just look at the statement again, the question again. Can you see it's a question and not a statement?
And the people are thinking, aren't they? And a question means they want more information.
You go to your doctor and your doctor says, what's the problem?
And you say, I've got a headache. I've had it for about a week.
And he says, let's take some x-rays.
The thinking person says, is there a problem?
Are you afraid of something, doctor?
The unthinking person walks out the door and asks the way to the x-ray room.
The thinking person asks for more information.
And here's a question. Jesus has performed a miracle.
A miracle. He's fed probably about 10,000 people.
5,000 men, it says.
But there would have been women and children there too.
And he's fed them all with a packed lunch.
They didn't question the miracle.
They didn't say, did it happen?
Or didn't it happen?
They knew it happened.
They questioned the message that came after the miracle.
Because Jesus has said to them, the bread that I gave you yesterday when I fed you from that packed lunch,
that keeps going for about a day.
But he says, I am the true bread which comes down from heaven.
And if I enter your life, you'll live eternally.
And so they ask the question, what is this bit about coming down from heaven?
So they're not making a statement.
They're not just saying to one another, listen, he's just from Joseph's house.
We know his dad.
Forget about the come down from heaven bit.
They don't do that.
Lots of people do that today.
And they don't know what Jesus said exactly.
They don't listen to what he said.
They don't care for much of what he said.
But they say in their brain, he's nothing special.
So just let him go.
Don't let him get to you.
Don't let Christians get to you.
Jesus is just an option.
If you like him, well that's fine.
If you don't like him, that's fine.
And that's the way people think.
They make a statement.
But these people in Jesus' day, they don't yet follow him.
They don't yet completely understand him.
They don't particularly like him.
But they're awake enough to ask a question.
The second thing is it's a good question.
Because the issues are so big.
I read about a question this week from a man who was taken to Ohio in the U.S.
And he was taken to Ohio in the U.S. to be shown a postmodern building.
It was a postmodern building built by a postmodern architect.
And a postmodern architect is one that celebrates meaninglessness.
Meaninglessness.
And so they've built this building in Ohio.
It's called the Wien Center.
And it's a center, I think, for performing arts.
And the architect has built into the building meaninglessness.
So there are pillars which support absolutely nothing.
There are staircases that go nowhere.
What would you say if you were being shown this building?
Well, this man asked a very important question.
A clever question.
He said to the architect, he said, you've played with the pillars.
And you've played with the stairs.
My question is, did you play with the foundations?
And that's a really good question, isn't it?
Because you can play with pillars and it doesn't matter.
And you can play with the stairs and it's no big deal.
But you can't play with the foundations.
There is stuff in life that you can muck around with.
And there's stuff that you can't muck around with.
And that is a good question, isn't it?
Now the question on your sheets in John 6.42 is a good question.
Because Jesus did actually grow up down the road.
He was born to Mary.
He was a local boy.
He'd been an apprentice in a carpenter shop.
He didn't just turn up suddenly.
But then he says, I've come down from heaven.
And it seems ridiculous to talk like that.
But again, Jesus is no ordinary boy, is he?
The day before, he's fed 5,000 to 10,000 people with a few loaves and fish.
So these people are trying to do something really important.
They're trying to weigh up what they see and what they know.
And you've got to do that.
And they're also trying to weigh up what Jesus says and what Jesus does.
And you've got to do that.
If you're going to make an intelligent decision, a decision of integrity about Jesus,
you'll have to weigh up what you see and what you know.
And you'll have to weigh up what he says and what he does.
And that is what these people are seeking to do.
So he does come from down the road.
And he does say, I've come down from heaven.
And how are you going to bring those things together?
Everyone who faced Jesus in the New Testament was wrestling with those sorts of questions.
And everyone who uses their minds today when they think of Christianity and Christ is going to have to wrestle with those questions.
So can I let you into a secret?
I don't lose any sleep over Santa anymore.
There was a time in my life when I lost some sleep over Santa.
Things appeared in my pillowcase at the end of my bed.
And I heard that Santa got round to every house in all the world in one night.
And I had to wrestle with that.
But I've kind of worked it out.
I don't want to give too much away, but I've worked it out.
So I don't lose any sleep over Santa.
His cause does not occupy my brain.
Now let me be honest with you.
I don't lose any sleep about Buddha.
Or Mohammed.
I've read some of their works.
I've read accounts of their lives.
I've read about their deaths.
I don't see that there's a compelling case why I should take notice of them.
But when I come to the person of Jesus,
and when I see the things that he did,
when I see the feedings and the healings and the raising
and showing himself to be the complete master of the world
and his raising on the third day to show that death is defeated,
and I look at his claims,
that he says, I came down from heaven,
and he says, I predate the world,
and I will judge you at the end of the world,
and I can forgive you so that you can face me safely.
And your future and eternity depends entirely upon me.
I weigh up those claims and those deeds,
and I cannot dismiss him.
He deserves a decision,
and that is why this question is a good one.
What are you going to do with this person?
He comes from just down the road,
born in Bethlehem,
but he says he comes from heaven.
And we live in a culture, don't we,
where lots of people don't think.
Somebody has said that the motto of the 21st century is whatever.
That we're moving away from thinking.
That same writer says,
we're all in danger of acting like tiny little children
who make emotional decision after emotional decision,
and then if necessary,
we look for a rational explanation to back it all up.
There's a bus advert in Greenford,
as I was walking through it recently,
which said, live now, think later.
That's exactly the message, isn't it?
Live now, think later.
The problem is,
it's a self-defeating advertisement.
Because it's telling me that
I've got to think about that.
I've got to think about the message
in order to not think.
Well, the people in Jesus' day are thinking,
and I like that they're thinking.
I would rather much rather than somebody was thinking
and angry rather than just asleep.
These people in Jesus' day,
there are two possible backgrounds for Jesus.
There's house of Joseph
or heaven.
He seems pretty natural,
but he talks supernaturally.
He's born of Mary,
but he seems to imply he's been sent into the world.
He did come from inside Mary.
He was in a manger,
but he says he was an outsider.
And I like the fact that they just won't share of the issue.
It's a great thing to ask the question.
Especially on the person of Jesus,
because the issues are so big.
So the third point is this.
It's also a bad question.
Because it's a prejudiced question.
If you hear your Bibles open on page 892,
you'll see that in verses 43 and 44,
it's a question that's really grumbling.
Jesus says,
stop grumbling.
No one can come to me
unless the Father who sent me
draws them to me.
And Jesus is saying to this crowd,
he's saying,
you are distancing yourself from me.
The problem is not me,
the problem is you.
And sadly,
these people who are asking this question,
they don't want,
they're not attracted to the Lord Jesus,
they want out.
And when they say this is Joseph's son,
that is what they want to go with.
They just want him to be Joseph's son.
And so we ask the question,
why is there so little attraction
to Jesus in the world?
If you look at his life,
he's the greatest person that ever lived.
He consistently did good.
And he offers infinitely more
to those who trust him.
Where is the repellent part of Jesus?
What is repulsive about Jesus?
He feeds a massive crowd.
He's obviously kind.
He offers himself for eternity.
He doesn't say,
I hate you.
He doesn't say,
do better.
He doesn't say,
be religious.
He doesn't say,
save yourself with a thousand bits
of religious ritual.
He says,
I've come to give you life.
I've come to give myself.
I've come to give you hope.
It's yours.
If you will take it.
And I think the reason is obvious.
It's because he's a king.
Because he's a rival.
I've been thinking about the Christmas chapters.
I wonder whether you do that.
I wonder whether you think today,
who are you most like
in the Christmas narrative?
Don't say the donkey.
Who is the person
who is most like you?
I'll tell you the person
who is most like me.
King Herod.
You know King Herod?
He's the one who believes in Jesus.
He knew that he'd been born a king.
Please tell me where he is
that I may go and worship him too.
And of course,
he's not planning to worship him
one little bit.
He's planning to get rid of him.
Because he saw Jesus to be a rival.
And deep down,
that's what I'm like.
Deep down,
that's what I'm like naturally.
I'm dismissive and rejecting of Jesus
because he comes to us as a rival.
It's one of the reasons
why atheism is so popular,
isn't it?
Atheism is not
kind of intellectual revolt.
As if Christianity
has suddenly been exposed
in the last 50 years
and our eyes have been opened.
No.
Atheism is also
a moral revolt.
It's not that Jesus
is unbelievable.
It's just
he's uncooperative.
Dinesh D'Souza wrote this.
He said,
he's an Indian writer.
He said,
in his book,
What's So Great About Christianity?
He says this,
if you want to live
a degenerate life,
God is your mortal enemy.
He represents a lethal danger
to your selfishness,
greed,
and lechery,
and hatred.
It's in your interest
to despise him
and do whatever you can
to rid the universe
of his presence.
There are powerful attractions
to life
in a God-free world.
And even those of us
who are here this morning
who trust in Jesus,
and we're so grateful for him,
we know deep down
that inside of us
there's something
that kicks against,
doesn't it?
We don't like the fact
that he is supreme,
that he's superior.
So why is it
that people don't move
towards Jesus?
The popular answer
is we don't want to.
And we think
that if we do want to,
well, we will
when it suits us.
But Jesus says
the exact opposite.
So let me read to you
from chapter 6,
verse 44.
He says,
no one
can come to me,
nobody comes,
unless the Father
who sent me
draws that person.
If you think of a magnet,
the magnetic tendency
of our heart
is against Christ.
We're repelled
from him.
unless God
changes the magnet
round
so that we're
pro-Christ.
This strange repulsion
that we have
to the most attractive
person who's ever
walked the earth.
But if this morning
we will send up
that little prayer,
Lord, help me,
this is not right.
There's something
wrong with me
and there's nothing
wrong with him.
Please help me.
But left to ourselves,
we have no desire,
no power
until God works in us.
And that's what
the Bible tells us,
that's what experience
tells us,
that's what my experience
in Christian ministry
tells me.
That people have no desire
and no power
to come to Jesus
until God changes us.
It doesn't absolve us
of our responsibilities.
He's given us
plenty of evidence
which we turn back to him.
And so we cry out
this morning,
don't we,
I hope?
You've done so much,
Lord,
so clearly.
Please help me
respond to this properly.
Can you see it?
The human heart
needs grace
from God
even to turn
all the evidence
that's been given us
into us being attracted
to the attractive
and stop this strange
repulsion
to the Lord Jesus.
And that's why
every Christian
here this morning
can say,
it's not that they
just figured it out.
It's that God
has done his work.
And we didn't deserve it,
but he brought us
out of our prejudice
and our gratitude.
gratitude.
The last question
before I finish quickly
is,
it's a key question.
It's a key question.
It's a good question
because the issues
are big.
It's a bad question
because they ask it
in a prejudiced way.
But it's a key question
because it brings up
the gospel
when you bring together
the heavenly boy Jesus
and the local boy Jesus.
And you bring them together
like two electrical currents.
two electrical wires
and the current of faith
goes through them.
Because Jesus did actually
leave heaven.
There was a moment
in history
where Jesus got off
his throne
and he came down
into the war zone
of a world like ours,
to people like us,
who are anti-him
and yet he still came down.
Because there's someone
behind this universe
who is better than anyone
could invent
or produce
and that person
is Jesus Christ.
And he is the maker
of the universe,
he is the lover
of the ungodly
and he is the lover
of the ugly.
And just like a parent
who's got the most
ungrateful children
in all the universe,
Jesus has come down
to us.
Unbelievable good
he is planning
for the ugly.
and he enters the world
as a man
so that he can suffer.
He can suffer
what we men and women,
boys and girls,
deserve.
Every single day
of Jesus' life
he was faithful.
He always said
no to sin
and he always said
yes to faithfulness.
So that he could
live a life
which he could offer
as a sacrifice
to God
and carry the weight
of my sin.
He carried my sin
as if it was his own.
He suffered
the worst possible experience,
not just crucifixion,
but he was forsaken
by God
and the anger of God
was upon him
because of my sin.
And then he raised,
was raised
on the third day.
He shows that
everything has worked,
that the payment
has been accepted
and the breakthrough
has taken place.
An eternity with Christ
can be a reality
and a gift
for those who put
their hope in him.
It takes about
five seconds to do.
The way you send up
a simple prayer
like the thief on the cross
and you say
I'd like to be yours.
So can you see
that the humanity
of Jesus,
100% humanity
makes him
the perfect substitute
and the 100% deity
of Jesus
makes him
the perfect saviour.
The two halves,
the son of Joseph
or at least
from the house
of Joseph
and down from heaven.
That is the solution.
The question,
therefore,
in question 6,
verse 42,
isn't this Jesus
who was born
and bred
in Joseph's house
gets the answer
yes.
And the question is
how can he say
that he came down
from heaven
gets the answer
because it's true.
How can he say
he came down
from heaven
because he did.
and he came down
from heaven
for people
like you and me.
And the whole plan
of God
which began
in his heart
to gather
a people for himself
must finish
in your heart.
It's no good
is it just saying
Jesus came into the world.
He must,
by his Holy Spirit,
come into your heart.
You must take
the bread of life
and it enter you.
Because unless
he enters you,
it hasn't gone
from heart to heart.
It's just gone
from heart to head.
It has to go
from heart to heart.
Is this Jesus,
the son of Joseph
whose father
and mother we know?
Yes.
How can he say
he came down
from heaven?
Because he came down
for men and women
and boys and girls
like you.
Let's pray together.
Amen.