Greetings Beloved,
It is because of the LORD’s mercies that we are not consumed, and His mercies are new every morning. In today’s homily, we will be coming from John 6:66-71.
And it reads;
66. From that time many of his (Jesus) disciples went back, and walked no more with him. 67. Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away? 68. Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69. And we believe and are sure that you art that Christ, the Son of the living God. 70. Jesus answered them, Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil? 71. He spake of Judas Iscariot the son of Simon: for he it was that should betray him, being one of the twelve.
May God add a blessing to the readers, hearers, and doers of His Word. Before we delve into the subject matter of the text, it is imperative that we seek to understand the context of this scripture. In this passage of scripture, we find that Jesus is questioning the twelve apostles after suffering abandonment from many of the other disciples. In John 6:64-65, many of the disciples left, because they did not believe. In John 6: 48-65, Jesus had just preached a difficult message that many disciples did not understand. He was trying to let his disciples know that He was the Bread of Heaven, and that there is no life outside of Him. He was teaching about the importance and sacredness of the Holy Communion which is the eating of His body and drinking of His blood.
The Communion Sermon
The symbolism that Jesus used in his parables and teachings were so heavy that many of the disciples could not understand. He taught His followers that they must eat of His body, and drink of His blood. However, the drinking of his blood and the eating of his body is symbolic of the lives that we must live in Jesus Christ. In John 6:57, Jesus explained that He himself lives by the Father which means that He lived his life totally submitted to the Father. And just as He lives by the Father, we must live by Him our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. For, outside of the body of Jesus Christ there is no life. The Bible teaches us that Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. So, this is what He means by the eating of his body and the drinking of His blood. We must live how He has taught us to live in Scripture, and in doing so we drink His blood (the wine) and eat His body (the bread).
It is only by the blood of Jesus Christ that we can be saved. The book of Hebrews teaches us that there can be no remission of sin without the shedding of blood. The tenth chapter of Hebrews teaches us that prior to the sacrifice of Jesus Christ (The Totally Innocent Lamb of God) animals were sacrificed. Hebrews 10 also teaches us that the sacrifices of the Old Testament were only done to remind the children of Israel of their sins. Furthermore, Hebrews 10 teaches us that it is not possible that the animal sacrifices of the Old Testament could take away sins. Yes, the Bible says that it is impossible that the sacrifices of animals could take away sins. The tenth chapter of Hebrews identifies that there is one man that offered one sacrifice for sins forever, and now He is sitting down on the right hand of God. And this one man is Jesus.
Since Jesus has offered Himself as that one sacrifice, He is now waiting till His enemies be made his foot stool. For by one offering he hath forever them that are sanctified (He has perfected those that are set apart for His glory). When Jesus was teaching that He is the Bread of Heaven given by the Father, he was teaching about the Holy Communion which consisted of the eating of His body (the bread) and the drinking of His blood (the wine). When He was teaching about these things, He was teaching his disciples about a New Covenant. He was teaching them about a new covenant where there is no more need for animal sacrifices.
This is a lot of information to consume, but its truth is still a reality regardless of its depth. In this New Covenant, God says, “I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; And their sins and iniquities I will remember no more.” That’s what it means to eat of His body (the bread) and to drink of His blood (the wine). It means that we have accepted the sacrifice that God made through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It means that you will live your life holy unto God, because of the teachings of Jesus Christ. It means that you will totally sanctify yourself unto God, and you do this because you owe God your life. I owe God a holy and separated life, because He bled and died for me. I owe God a holy and separated life, because He Himself declared that He will remember my sins no more. A few weeks ago my pastor was teaching from the book of Revelation, and that’s where Jesus proclaimed that “They overcame by the word of their testimony and the blood of the Lamb. That Lamb is Jesus Christ!
Jesus Being Betrayed
As we further examine text, we find that the words of God in Christ Jesus were so spiritual and profound that many of the disciples could not understand. Yes, the bible reveals to us that they could not understand. Because they could not understand, they did not receive it. Because they could not receive it, they could not believe it. Because they did not believe it, the Bible tells us that they left Jesus Christ our Lord. Yes, they left Jesus! And Jesus was questioning whether or not His chosen twelve apostles would leave Him like the other disciples did, and in the other portion of the passage we see Jesus is making it known to the disciples that there was a devil among them.
The devil that Jesus was talking about was Judas Iscariot. Yes, Judas is called the son of perdition by Jesus Christ our Lord. The word perdition means hell or eternal punishment. Therefore, Judas was a son of hell and eternal punishment. Jesus called Judas the son of perdition, because He knew that Judas would leave Him. Jesus knew that Judas would betray Him. I have come to warn you that it is devilish to run from Jesus. Just like Judas! Judas left Jesus and betrayed Him to gain thirty pieces of silver. Just like Judas, many people leave Jesus, because they cannot see how Jesus can benefit their lives. Some people leave righteous leadership, because they are too prideful. There are many that believe that they are righteous in themselves, and this is pride.
They want to betray the leader so they can take his spot. Many refuse Jesus Christ, because they view themselves as Christ. They worship themselves instead of Jesus Christ. Woe unto that wicked man and woman. Many people today are leaving Jesus, because of the carnality of their flesh and the wickedness in their hearts. I’m troubled when I hear people speaking evil things about the church? So many people say that "they are tired of the church." So many people are saying that "they are tired of church people." They find any excuses to run from the church of God. They find excuses to run from Jesus. They are running away from God, because they have been lead away by their own lusts.
Woe unto you that run from God! Woe unto you that run from righteous leadership! Woe unto you that blaspheme the church of God which is the Bride of Christ! What is the penalty for blaspheming the Church of God?! Woe unto you that blaspheme the servants of God! Woe unto you that blaspheme God! Woe unto you that blaspheme Jesus Christ! It’s time to repent, and turn to Jesus . Woe unto you that run from the churches of God! The churches of God teach Jesus and they teach holiness. Many are running away from the churches of God and the servants of God. I’ve come to let you known that if you are running from God, you are being deceived of the devil.
The devil has also deceived many into believing that he doesn’t exist. You many wonder “Why would the devil spread that type of deception?” The devil will deceive you into believing that he doesn’t exist so that you will never believe that there is a being that seeks to destroy you. However, the devil is the one that wants to destroy you. John 10:10 teaches that, “the thief comes only to steal, kill, and destroy.” The devil is a being that seeks to destroy you, and rob you of the salvation that God has made available to you. The devil will lie to you, and tell you that no one in the church loves you. He will tell you that no one cares about what you’re going through, but I dare you to tell the devil to SHUT UP! It is okay for you to tell the devil to SHUT UP! Yeah, you ought to tell that devil to shut up in the authority of Jesus Christ’s name, because there is so much on the line in this spiritual warfare. If you are running away from God, the bible reveals that you are being wicked. The bible says, that “the wicked flee when no man pursues, but the righteous are as bold as lions.” That means that the wicked run away when no one is chasing them. It’s time to stop running away from God. It’s time for us to stop turning our backs on God.
Running to Jesus
I can hear the concerned Jesus asking his disciples, “Are you gonna leave me like everyone else?” I love the response of the Apostle Peter gave when he answered Jesus saying, “Lord, to whom shall we go? For, you have the words of eternal life.” Ultimately, there is nowhere else we can go to find life. Life is in Jesus, because Jesus is Life. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. In conclusion, let me tell you the story of lady named Ruth. Ruth was one of the daughters-in-law of an Israelite woman named Naomi. Naomi had two daughters-in-law who were named Orpah and Ruth. Orpah and Ruth were both Moabite women that the sons of Naomi married in the land of Moab. They lived in the land of Moab, because there was a famine in the land of Judah. Naomi and Ruth became friends. The bible says that Ruth loved Naomi. Naomi taught Ruth how to carry herself as a woman of God. This small part in the story teaches us that we ought to love the ones that teach us to be children of God. The time came about when both of Naomi’s sons died, and Ruth and her sister-in-law became widows. So, one day Naomi was preparing to go back home to the land of Judah, and she went and told her daughters-in-law to go back to their own people and go back to their own gods, because she had no more sons that they could marry in the place of her departed sons. And that’s when Ruth told Naomi “Intreat me not to leave you. Don’t make me stop following you. Where you go, I will go. Where you live, I will live. Thy people shall be my people. And your God shall be my God.” This is the way we should love Jesus. Jesus desires us to turn to Him, and repent. He desires to destroy no one, but the absence of the Most High (which is manifested in Jesus Christ) is the absence of hope. Let us pray,
Heavenly Father,
Lord, forgive us for every time we left you! We ask you Lord, don’t cast us away from your presence. Give us clean hearts and renewed spirits. Let your people be our people! Where you tell us to go, that’s where we will go! The way you lived in the life of Jesus Christ, is how we will live. Forgive us Oh Lord. For, we have sinned in running away from you. Our hope is built on nothing less than the blood of Jesus Christ and His righteousness. Outside of you, there is no hope of salvation. We stretch our hands to you, and there’s no other help we know. If thou withdraw thyself from us, where can we go? You have the words of eternal life! We confess Jesus Christ as LORD, Savior, and Master of our lives. We believe that you raised him from the dead with all power in his hands. We believe you raised him to give us power to become the children of God; In Jesus Christ mighty name we pray, Amen.
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