John chapter 6. Today we reach the last section in John and the last discussion of the discourse of the bread of life.
! Let's read together verses 66 through 71.
After this, many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him.
So Jesus said to the twelve, do you want to go away as well?
Simon Peter answered, Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.
And we have believed and have come to know that you are the Holy One of God.
Jesus answered him, or them, did I not choose you, the twelve? And yet one of you is a devil.
He spoke of Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, for he, one of the twelve, was going to betray him.
Father, as we look at this passage today, we ask especially that you would illumine our hearts by the Holy Spirit you have given us.
Help us, Lord, to grasp what Jesus was communicating to his disciples and grow by that.
Father, we thank you for your loving, nourishing, strengthening care for us.
And we ask that we would respond appropriately and fully with thanksgiving and praise and growth.
In Jesus' name.
If anyone could have taken ordinary young men and prepared them to change the world, it would have been Jesus.
If anyone could take fishermen, a tax collector, a political nationalist, and possibly farmers or tradesmen,
and prepare them to bring the gospel to places like Rome, Mesopotamia, Persia, India, Egypt, and Ethiopia,
it would be Jesus.
If anyone could take self-reliant, ambitious, insecure, and fearful men and prepare them to endure rejection, betrayal,
and the eventual martyrdom that would crown their service, it would be Jesus.
And he did just that with those men that he had chose and sent out.
And he did it by preparing them through strengthening their faith and establishing their knowledge of him.
I believe Jesus is preparing people in the same way today.
We might not have the same ministry that the apostles had,
but we face the same pain and temptation to self-pity that they did.
And though the Spirit is still strengthening faith by directing us to consider and look to him.
The passage we read this morning reveals Jesus' gracious care in helping his followers endure the widespread desertion
and eventual betrayal of one of their own.
He did this through a contrast of false and genuine faith,
showing that true endurance begins with genuine faith and knowing him.
I believe this morning Jesus wants to strengthen you to endure, to remain, to abide,
even if all others fall away,
as you focus on him as the source of your life.
And so, we will look at this passage in three parts,
highlighting these truths.
You must look to Jesus alone because,
one, no one else can give you eternal life.
Two, because he alone is the Holy One of God.
And three, because only grace produced faith in him endures.
So, first of all,
when others are unfaithful all around you,
you must look to Jesus alone because,
no one else can give you eternal life.
Let's look at verses 67 and 68 again.
So, Jesus said to the twelve,
Do you want to go away as well?
Simon Peter answered him,
Lord, to whom shall we go?
You have the words of eternal life.
Now, after many of Jesus' followers had turned away,
he turned to the twelve that he had specifically chosen.
And he questioned them,
Do you want to go away as well?
Now, that question didn't arise from insecurity.
No, it was designed to test and strengthen their faith.
In Greek, the negative particle in that sentence
anticipates a no answer.
Literally is,
You don't also want to go away, do you?
Instead of correcting or rebuking them
or challenging them,
Jesus is inviting them
to reaffirm their faith in him.
Now, we don't know exactly how the twelve felt
after hearing Jesus' hard sayings
about eating his flesh and drinking his blood,
but we can imagine their confusion.
Yet, even when they didn't understand,
they stayed.
And Peter, speaking for the group,
gave one of the most beautiful confessions in Scripture.
Lord, to whom shall we go?
You have the words of eternal life.
The disciples recognized here
that there was no one else like him.
Moses couldn't save them.
The prophets couldn't redeem them.
The philosophers of the age could not give them life.
Only Jesus could.
And that truth is echoed again and again
in the New Testament.
Later on in John,
he writes,
he writes
the words of Christ
when he said,
I am the way
and the truth
and the life.
No one comes to the Father
except through me.
In Acts,
when Peter was arrested
and faced the Sanhedrin
because he was preaching
Jesus resurrected from the dead,
he declared to them,
there is no salvation
in anyone else.
For there is no other name
under heaven
given among men
by which we must be saved.
And then John,
in his first epistle,
in writing about the testimony
that God had given
about his son,
he said it this way,
and this is the testimony
that God has given us
eternal life.
And this life
is in his son.
Whoever has the son
has life.
Whoever does not have the son
does not have life.
It's all focused
in Christ.
And that's what the disciples understood.
Where,
to who else would we go?
And I think Jesus
could be asking us
the same question.
At moments
when we're shaken
by trials and temptations,
you don't
also want to go away,
do you?
At that moment,
is your answer
the same as Peter's?
There have been surveys
over the last few decades
questioning Christians
about their beliefs.
And their conclusions
are interesting.
And they found
that a great number
of those who claim
Christ
as their
Savior
also believe
that there are
other ways to God.
They also believe
that there
are other ways
to receive
eternal life.
percentages
that range
they range
from about
a third
to two thirds
depending on how
the questions
are assembled
and
who's included
in the term
Christian.
But
even at its
lowest percentage
this is tragic.
This is not
what the Bible
says
a Christian
must understand.
Jesus Christ
is the only way
to life.
When others
fall away
or look elsewhere
Jesus wants you
to have the same
deep conviction
that says to him
you alone
have
words
of eternal life.
So
first
you must
look to
Jesus
because he
has the
words of
life.
And second
when all
others
are unfaithful
all around
you
you must
look to
Jesus
alone
because
he alone
is the
Holy One
of God.
This really
answers why.
Peter
continues
in verse
69
the
chiastic
center
of the
passage
the one
that
the Apostle
John wanted
us to
grasp.
He says
and we
have
believed
and have
come to
know
that you
are the
Holy One
of God.
With this
verse we
reach the
heart of
Peter's
response
and it's
the genuine
disciples
confession
believing
and knowing
who
Jesus
is
who he
truly
is.
the two
verbs
have
believed
and have
come to
know
describe
their
experience.
Together
these words
reveal something
more than
simple
recitation
of facts
learned in
a lesson.
One
theologian
called it
a settled
conviction
about
Jesus'
identity.
faith comes
first and
knowledge
follows.
You don't
have to
wait
until you
understand
everything about
Jesus to
believe in him.
You believe
and he
helps you
understand.
Knowing who
Jesus is
comes through
faith
and it
is essential
to life.
At this
point in
the journey
in their
journey with
Christ
the twelve
don't fully
understand who
he is.
Their
understanding
is limited
but it
is true
what they
know
what they
have
experienced
was gripping
to them.
They had a
firm conviction
you are
the holy
one
of God.
Now to
call Jesus
the holy
one of
God
isn't
entirely
clear
because
it
really
wasn't
that
commonly
expressed
in the
Bible.
Perhaps
it was
common
in the
day
but we
only
have
one
other
occurrence
of it.
But the
word
holy
one
in
scripture
is more
prominent.
It refers
to God
himself.
It refers
to the
one
who is
set
apart
who is
pure
and
sovereign.
So
a holy
one
of
God
referring
to
Jesus
is an
amazing
title
and it
only
appears
in two
other
verses
both
describing
the same
situation
where
a
demoniac
cries
in fear
when seeing
Jesus
I know
who
you
are
the
holy
one
of
God
even
the
demons
recognized
his
identity
although
they
didn't
love
or
follow
him
Peter's
confession
is
different
the
demon
confessed
in fear
Peter
confessed
in faith
the
disciples
still
had
much
to
learn
especially
about
who
Jesus
was
and
the
cross
the
very
thing
Jesus
was trying
to
communicate
in
the
bread
of
life
discourse
but
at
this
point
they
knew
enough
to
trust
him
you
are
from
God
you
are
unlike
anyone
else
and
you
alone
have
life
your
endurance
in the
Christian
life
depends
on
what
you
truly
believe
about
Jesus
your
faith
is
based
on
emotions
temporal
interests
popularity
or
comfort
it
will
collapse
when
tested
but
if
it's
grounded
in a
settled
conviction
of
who
Jesus
is
it
will
stand
firm
so
I
encourage
you
today
to
anchor
your
perseverance
not
in how
you
feel
about
Christ
but
in
what
you
know
about
him
what
God
has
revealed
about
him
and
what
the
spirit
confirms
in
your
heart
about
him
daily
remind
yourself
Jesus
is
the
holy
one
of
God
he
is
divine
he
is
trustworthy
he
is
unchanging
when
doubts
whisper
when
circumstances
overwhelm
you
confess
the
truth
again
faith
begins
by
believing
that's
kind of
an oxymoron
faith
begins
by
believing
endurance
begins
by
believing
and it
matures
through
knowing
keep
learning
Christ
read
his
word
worship
deeply
talk
with
him
often
the
better
you
know
him
the
more
impossible
it
becomes
to walk
away
from
him
!
Now
in the
last
verses
70
and
71
Jesus
reminds
us
something
very
important
that
not
every
follower
of
Christ
is
genuine
only
faith
born
of
grace
endures
to the
end
so
here's
the
third
point
when
others
are
unfaithful
all
around
you
must
look
to
Jesus
alone
because
only
grace
produced
faith
in
Jesus
endures
look at
verses
70
and 71
Jesus
answered
them
did I
not
choose
you
the
twelve
and yet
one
of
you
is
a
devil
he
spoke
of
Judas
the
son
of
Simon
Iscariot
for
he
one
of
the
twelve
was
going
to
betray
him
now
we
might
be
a
bit
puzzled
at
Jesus
response
to
Peter's
confession
he
seems
to
skip
over
it
instead
of
affirming
it
or
praising
him
as
he
appears
to
do
six
months
later
when
Peter
makes
another
amazing
confession
of
Jesus
identity
he
says
here
did I
not
choose
you
the
twelve
and
yet
one
of
you
is
a
devil
these
disciples
were
likely
already
startled
by the
recent
events
the
defections
and now
they hear
Jesus
say that
one of
them
is a
devil
not
the
most
encouraging
response
to
Peter's
answer
and
why
might
he
have
said
that
one
reason
is
likely
that
he
wanted
them
to
know
that
Peter's
confession
was not
entirely
correct
one
of
them
did
not
believe
at
the
moment
the
others
had
no
clue
who
he
was
referring
to
but
John
much
later
writes
that
he
spoke
of
Judas
the
son
of
Simon
Iscariot
one
of
the
twelve
who
was
going
to
betray
him
this
Judas
walked
with
Jesus
heard
his
teaching
saw
his
miracles
but
he
never
truly
believed
he
looked
the
part
he
talked
the
part
he
acted
the
part
he
even
fooled
the
others
but
his
heart
was
never
changed
in
making
this
clarification
of
Peter's
confession
Jesus
likely
wanted
to
start
preparing
them
for
the
betrayal
he
wanted
them
to
know
that
the
unbelief
of
Jesus
did
not
mean
the
failure
on
his
part
he
had
chosen
the
twelve
knowing
fully
knowing
that
one
of
them
would
betray
him
but
the
statement
also
assures
us
and
them
that
God's
purposes
were
still
being
fulfilled
in
spite
of
that
Jesus
said
earlier
that
all
whom
the
father
had
given
him
would
come
to
him
and
he
would
lose
none
of
them
Judas'
unbelief
did
not
undermine
the
plan
of
God
it
fulfilled
it
ultimately
Judas'
unbelief
and
betrayal
would
serve
God's
gracious
purpose
though
Jesus
willingly
laid
down
his
life
to
satisfy
the
demands
of
justice
against
us
he
did
it
by
submitting
to
the
envy
the
unbelief
and the
betrayal
of his
own
people
God
used
Judas'
unbelief
and
betrayal
to
bring
life
to
the
world
but
he
had
no
benefit
from
it
Jesus
said
later
at
the
last
supper
the
son
of
man
goes
as
it
is
written
of
him
but
woe
to
that
man
by
whom
the
son
of
man
is
betrayed
it
would
have
been
better
for
him
if
he
had
not
been
born
Jesus
was
preparing
his
disciples
to
endure
the
heartbreak
of
betrayal
he
wanted
them
to
understand
that
real
faith
genuine
faith
produced
by
grace
would
endure
even
when
others
fall
away
I
believe
Jesus
wants
us
to
know
that
false
disciples
exist
he
doesn't
want
us
to
go
looking
around
and
trying
to
figure
out
who
they
are
in
fact
he
told
a
parable
about
wheat
and
tares
saying
that
this
is
just
a
fact
and
at
the
end
of
the
age
God
would
sort
them
out
being
near
him
and
serving
him
are
not
the
same
as
knowing
him
there
is
a
time
when
those
unbelievers
will
be
exposed
but
it's
always
the
time
for
us
to
come
to
faith
in
Christ
to
examine
our
hearts
in
fact
the
Bible
tells
us
to
do
that
very
thing
in
2
Corinthians
13
5
it
says
examine
yourselves
see
whether
you're
in
the
faith
test
yourselves
or
do
you
not
realize
this
about
yourselves
that
Christ
or
Jesus
Christ
is
in
you
unless
indeed
you
fail
to
meet
the
test
for
the
believer
there
is
comfort
here
as
well
your
endurance
is
not
proof
of
your
own
strength
it
is
proof
of
God's
grace
Peter
stayed
Judas
left
the
only
difference
was
grace
so
thank
God
for
the
faith
that
holds
you
if
you
are
following
Christ
today
it's
because
his
grace
has
kept
you
if
you
struggle
with
doubt
look
again
to
him
for
assurance
his
grace
produces
and
preserves
true
faith
a
good
reflection
might
be
to
ask
yourselves
are
you
following
Jesus
for
who
he
is
or
for
what
he
gives
true
discipleship
flows
from
love
not
convenience
if
your
faith
is
born
of
grace
it
will
continue
so
I'd
like
to
conclude
by
asking
what
is
the
Lord
saying
to
us
through
this
passage
Jesus'
question
challenges
us
do
you
don't
also
want
to
go
away
do
you
it's
a
question
for
every
believer
every
church
every
generation
and
the
right
answer
has
never
changed
Lord
to
whom
shall
we
go
you
have
the
words
of
eternal
life
we
have
believed
and
have
come
to
know
that
you
are
the
holy
one
of
God
now
at
that
moment
that
was
a
true
understanding
of
Christ
for
the
disciples
but
looking
back
now
we
have
a
bigger
picture
of
Christ
don't
we
John
even
wrote
his
gospel
to
give
a
greater
picture
of
who
Christ
is
John
says
in
chapter
one
that
he's
the
divine
son
and
revealer
of
God
he's
the
giver
of
life
he's
the
great
I
am
he's
the
Messiah
and
son
of
God
he's
the
lamb
of
God
and
savior
through
the
cross
these
are
things
that
the
gospel
of
John
emphasizes
about
who
Christ
is
so
when
your
faith
is
tested
when
others
turn
and
drift
away
when
life
hurts
and
you
don't
understand
remember
you
must
look
to
Jesus
alone
because
no
one
else
can
give
you
life
he
alone
is
the
holy
one
of
God
and
only
grace
produced
faith
in
him
endures
so
this
morning
reaffirm
your
allegiance
to
Christ
if
others
turn
away
keep
your
eyes
fixed
on
him
the
giver
and
sustainer
of
life
say
with
Peter
and
with
confidence
Lord
to
whom
shall
we
go
you
have
the
words
of
eternal
life
and
we
have
believed
and
come
to
know
that
you
are
the
holy
one
of
God
let's
pray