____________________________________________________ THE GOSPEL OBSERVER ____________________________________________________ "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations...teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:19,20). ____________________________________________________ June 15, 2003 ____________________________________________________ "Lord, To Whom Shall We Go?" (Part 1 of 2) by Tom Edwards I thank Steve Wolfgang for many of the main points in this article that I have built from. In 1983, I rode along with him to the Goochtown church of Christ near Eubank, Kentucky, where he was holding a gospel meeting; and for one of his sermons, he preached on the above topic, which I took notes on. According to John 6:60-69, to many of the Lord's disciples, some of His teachings were not an easy thing to accept and because of that, they were deserting Him. Jesus then asked His apostles, "You do not want to go away also, do you?" Peter then answered with a powerful statement of faith: "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life. And we have believed and come to know that You are the Holy One of God" (vv. 68,69). Backing up in chapter 6, we can read of the miraculous feeding of the 5,000. With merely 2 fish and 5 barley loaves, Jesus multiplied them to the extend that they would not only satisfy the hunger of each person present, but do so with even a surplus of 12 baskets (of leftovers) remaining. Christ's popularity was at an all-time high, and the people wanted to make Him their king (v. 15). Unfortunately, most of them were not seeking Jesus for the right reason; for they appear to have been led more by merely their stomachs rather than their hearts: "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"' (v. 26). To stress the need to put the spiritual above the physical, Jesus then states, "Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him" (v. 27). This is an "emphasis passage." It does not mean that man should not have a secular job to be able to meet his needs (which would contradict 2 Thessalonians 3:10-12 and 1 Timothy 5:8); but, instead, Jesus is emphasizing an even more important work -- and one which profits eternally. The Bible shows that the true faith a believer has in the Lord does require effort; so, therefore, saving faith implies action or work. Jesus states in John 6:29, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent." One is to believe, but not like the "...many even of the rulers" who "believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they were not confessing Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the approval of men rather than the approval of God" (Jn. 12:42,42). Nor not like "...those Jews who had believed Him" (Jn. 8:31), but who were still seeking to kill Jesus (v. 40), for Christ's word had no place in them (v. 37). Rather, to fully believe in Christ to the saving of our souls requires a faithful commitment to Jesus. We acknowledge Him by our words and by our deeds and become His humble servants who willingly comply to His righteous demands. Both of these Bible examples serve to illustrate the spiritual inefficacy when one falls short of submitting to the Lord's commands -- even though the believer does give "mental assent" toward the reality of Christ's deity. As James agrees, "...faith without works is dead" (Jms. 2:26). And Jesus Himself warns that "Not everyone who says to Me, `Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven" (Matt. 7:21). So it is by our faith and obedience that we can truly feed upon that spiritual "bread of life" (John 6:48-51); and, in doing so, we will not have "believed in vain" (cf. 1 Cor. 15:1,2). Even Christ, who sets forth an example for us all, was one who had to feed upon the spiritual food while upon our planet. When the Lord hadn't eaten physical food for a while, the apostles were concerned; but Jesus said to them, "I have food to eat that you do not know about" (Jn. 4:32). As they wondered among themselves as to how He could have received that, Jesus explains, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to accomplish His work" (v. 34). This also reminds us of the Lord's statement in Matthew 4:4 that "Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God." If man, however, were merely an animal -- a creature without a soul -- then bread alone would suffice; but man has an eternal soul (or spirit) that must be fed. And nothing else can help it grow, but the word of the Lord. Jesus makes one of His "I am" statements in John 6:51: "I am the living bread that came down from heaven." He goes on to say that "If anyone eats this bread, he will live forever. This bread is My flesh, which I will give for the life of the world." He, of course, is not talking about cannibalism -- nor is this a reference to merely taking of the Lord's supper. Rather, it includes our adherence to all His commandments. For we "eat" this "living bread" by hearing Christ's word; but it must also be assimilated by our believing and obeying it that our souls will truly be nourished and sustained thereby -- and so that we won't be "...merely hearers who delude themselves" (Jms. 1:22). And just how much spiritual "nourishment" is in God's word? "The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life" (Jn. 6:63). "Truly, truly I say to you, if anyone keeps My words he shall never see death" (Jn. 8:51). Christ had pointed out in John 6:26, however, that many had been following Him (at least for a while) because they were more concerned about the food than even the miracles He performed: "...you are looking for Me, not because you saw miraculous signs but because you ate the loaves...." Is this indicating that seeking the Lord to see His miracles would have been an acceptable reason to follow Him? Apparently so. Miracles were an important part of Christ's ministry. They enabled the true seekers to believe in Him: "But the witness which I have is greater than that of John; for the works which the Father has given Me to accomplish, the very works that I do, bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me" (Jn. 5:36). Elsewhere, Jesus states, "but if I do them, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in Me, and I in the Father" (Jn. 10:38). And similarly: "Believe Me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me; otherwise believe on account of the works themselves" (Jn. 14:11). Many people had personally listened to Jesus and had witnessed His miraculous works. Mark 1:32-34 speaks of "all the city" as having been present to behold the various miracles that the Lord was performing in their community. The text shows that "all who were ill" of "various diseases" were being brought, including those who were "demon-possessed" (v. 32); and the Lord was healing them and casting out the demons. Many of the Jews witnessed the resurrection of Lazarus (Jn. 11:44,45) when Jesus merely spoke the word -- "Lazarus, come forth" (v. 43) -- to His friend who had been dead for four days; and he came forth, having once again been endowed with life! Nicodemus saw the Lord's miracles as God had intended; for this Pharisee (who came to Jesus by night) declared unto Him, "Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him" (Jn. 3:2). And Peter realized that only Christ had the words of eternal life. There was no one else whom one could turn to. Jesus states, "...'I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me"' (Jn. 14:6). I am reminded of the story of some people of China who out of their extreme poverty were making their own version of "bread" from an unusual substance. It filled their starving bellies, so they felt full; but there was no nutritional value in it, so they all literally died of starvation. If a man turns to merely science, human philosophies, or other religions, this might satisfy his mind's quest for things of interest; but it will not be the true food for his soul; and he will perish spiritually without the gospel. As pointed out, many people saw the miracles of Christ. They were astonished. They were also "...amazed at His teaching; for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as their scribes" (Matt. 7:28,29). They were highly impressed with His innocent life. So, why then did they forsake Him? And why do people leave the Lord today? Why Did Some Depart? 1) They Never Gave Themselves Fully to God We sometimes talk about "unconverted Christians," which truly sounds like a misnomer or an oxymoron, but it simply expresses one who seems to be merely a nominal Christian -- one in name only. But we must remember the words of Paul who warns, "They profess to know God, but by their deeds they deny Him, being detestable and disobedient, and worthless for any good deed" (Titus 1:16). In thinking about the 5,000 who were fed, but then soon departed, it is obvious that they were not truly converted to the Lord. When their free food ran out, so did they! Perhaps they never realized that "...the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking; but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit" (Rom. 14:17). 2) The Novelty of Following Jesus Wore Off Many people today are just like those whom we read of in Acts 17:19-21 who "...used to spend their time in nothing other than telling or hearing something new." Do we find a similar mentality in the church today? How many feel that the church "needs to be modernized: that it needs kitchens, basketball courts, pool tables, tennis courts, ping-pong tables, a family life center, a gymnasium, bingo games, and to throw a carnival once in a while, etc."? As if the gospel message is too old for our time, so we need to update it with various innovations. Many young people in the late 60's and early 70's had probably drifted into various religious beliefs (some even Eastern ones) as merely a trend for that time. Perhaps to some of these, religion was just one of the many avenues they had sought to pursue -- at least for a while -- in "trying to find themselves." Being a Christian, however, means being in for the "long haul." And for those who truly come to know the Lord, they also realize that Christianity is not a mere trend to temporarily pursue; but, rather, it is a way of life -- so, no more a mere fad than the rising and setting of the sun, the continual waves of the sea, or the revolving of our planet. To those Christians who diligently seek the Lord daily, the psalmist's words would certainly apply: "The Lord's lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, For His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; Great is Thy faithfulness. `The Lord is my portion,' says my soul, `Therefore I have hope in Him.' The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, To the person who seeks Him" (Lamentations 3:22-25). God's compassions are "new" every day, and "...those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary" (Isa. 40:31). 3) They Want to Only Receive -- and Not to Give of Themselves Does this sound like the way of the Lord? Christ teaches that "...'It is more blessed to give than to receive'" (Acts 20:35), and we shouldn't limit this to just money. We can also give of our time, our talents, etc. In that childhood story of "The Little Red Hen," the cow, the pig, and the lamb illustrate for us those who did not want to give of themselves to help out, but they certainly wanted to receive of the bread the hen made. The Bible tells us: "For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich" (2 Cor. 8:9). So much Christ was willing to give. He left the glories of heaven to come into our world. He left that previous glorified state in which all was perfect, in order to take upon Himself a human body that would grow weary, hungry, thirsty, suffer, and die. As Paul writes, Jesus gave of Himself "...to the point of death, even death on a cross" (Phil. 2:8). It is said that the Dead Sea (aka "Salt Sea") is several times saltier than the oceans or seas. Because of that, no fish can survive in its waters, nor vegetation grow along its banks. One of its characteristics serves to illustrate our present subtopic. For the Dead Sea, also, only receives, but doesn't give. Starting from four sources around Mt. Hermon, the water for the tortuous Jordan River, so full of life, winds its way down through Lake Huleh and the Sea of Galilee, to then flow into the Dead Sea (the lowest body of water on earth); but there it becomes stagnant and no value toward maintaining any living thing. If we only receive, but never give, will we not also become stagnant, unproductive, and of little value? How can we even think to give ourselves over to the Lord (for a life of service) without serving? Jesus states, "...whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave -- just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many" (Matt. 20:26-28). And in Matthew 16:24-26, the Lord instructs: "...'If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. For what is a man profited if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?" (Matt. 16:24-26). How can one give himself to the Lord, but not expect to give of himself? Since Christ, who is our greatest example, came to this world to be a servant among men then how much more do we need to be? It is also encouraging to hear Jesus say, "...if anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him" (Jn. 12:26). -- Concluded next week ____________________________________________________ News & Notes Typographical Error: The "Earl Robertston" mentioned in last week's bulletin (in the "News & Notes"), to solicit prayer for his physical condition, should have actually read as "Earl Robertson." I apologize for the oversight. ____________________________________________________ MYRTLE STREET CHURCH OF CHRIST 1022 Myrtle Street Denham Springs, LA 70726 (225) 664-8208 Sunday: 9:15 AM, 10:00 AM, 4:00 PM Wednesday: 7:00 PM evangelist/editor: Tom Edwards (225) 667-4520 e-mail: tedwards@onemain.com web site: http://home.onemain.com/~tedwards/go ____________________________________________________