We have been looking at the role of death and life in the life of the Christian. And death is important for the believer in Jesus Christ: the substitutionary death of Jesus Christ on the cross and the death of self in order to better follow and love God. Believers are to set aside their desires in order to follow God’s desires and commandments. This means that believers are to mortify their members in order to accomplish God’s will in their lives. And believers are to mortify the deeds of the body in order to follow God.

Romans 12:1-2 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. (2) And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Romans 12:1, 2 are very well known verses and let us compare something about them with Romans 6:13.

Romans 6:13 Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.

The word that is translated as “present” in Romans 12:1 and the word that is translated as “yield” in Romans 6:13 is the same Greek word. And the idea is the same in both verses: as believers in Jesus Christ we are to present ourselves before God and we are to yield before God. One day, believers will stand before Jesus Christ at the Judgment Seat and our works will be tried in fire as to our obedience to Christ.

1Corinthians 3:12-15 Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; (13) Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. (14) If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. (15) If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.

But remember, we are to present ourselves to God everyday as a living sacrifice to Him. The idea here is that we are to yield to Him – let our will go in order to follow His good, acceptable, and perfect Will. Consider how a sacrifice was made during the Old Testament: a man would come to the Brazen Altar and present a bullock or a lamb to the priest for sacrifice on the altar. The animal would be slain and placed on the altar for burning. The sacrifice of the animal would temporarily atone for the man’s sins. The man had to present the animal to God and he yielded the animal to God – it became God’s to use as God wished, not how man wanted. God wanted the sacrifices performed as a sweet savor to Him. God had no need for the animals, what He wanted was man’s obedience to Him. God wants us to yield ourselves to Him and present ourselves to Him on a daily basis. I repeat the quote by Francis Schaeffer that I read last week. We are to live by faith now as though we were now dead, as though we have already died. We are to live now by faith as though we have now already been raised from the dead [Francis Schaeffer]. It means: That in our thoughts and lives now we are to live as though we had already died, been to Heaven, and come back again as risen [Francis Schaeffer].

That requires, as Paul stated in Romans 12, that we do not conform to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of our minds to the things of God. That can only happen when we yield ourselves to God and not to sin. Yielding ourselves to sin will not renew our minds or bring us closer to God. Romans 6:13 Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. When believers go back to the things of the old man, they are yielding to unrighteousness. When believers go back to the things of the old nature, they are yielding to sin. Once sin is yielded to, it is hard to get back under control. Charles Spurgeon wrote: An officer in India had tamed a leopard. From the time when it was a kitten he had brought it up, till it went about the house like a cat, and everybody played with it. But he was sitting in his chair one day asleep, and the leopard licked his hand. But as he licked, the skin was broken, and the taste of blood came to the leopard. It rushed forth to kill, and was no more at ease till it reached the jungle. That leopard, though tamed, was a leopard still. So a man, sobered by moral motives but unchanged in heart, is a fallen man still, and the taste of blood, I mean the taste of sin, will soon reveal the tiger in him.

As believers, we have to choose to whom or what we are going to yield to – to whom or what are we going to present ourselves to? The old man or to God? Paul wrote:Romans 6:6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. Someone wrote about this verse: One of the best men I ever knew said, at eighty years of age, “I find the old man is not dead yet.” Our old man is crucified, but he is long at dying. He is not dead when we think he is. You may live to be very old, but you will have need still to watch against the carnal nature, which remains even in the regenerate [Spurgeon]. As believers in Jesus Christ we must yield ourselves to Him and not to sin.

And our yielding or presenting to God is to be heartfelt and sincere. God does not want us to be hypocritical with Him or anyone else. Going through the motions may fool everybody here on earth, but God knows the thoughts and intents of the heart. And what are your actions or inactions saying to others around you? What are your actions or inactions saying about what is important to you? And what are your actions or inactions saying to God about what is important to you? Turn to Isaiah 66.

Isaiah 66:1-4 Thus saith the LORD, The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: where is the house that ye build unto me? and where is the place of my rest? (2) For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the LORD: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word. (3) He that killeth an ox is as if he slew a man; he that sacrificeth a lamb, as if he cut off a dog’s neck; he that offereth an oblation, as if he offered swine’s blood; he that burneth incense, as if he blessed an idol. Yea, they have chosen their own ways, and their soul delighteth in their abominations. (4) I also will choose their delusions, and will bring their fears upon them; because when I called, none did answer; when I spoke, they did not hear: but they did evil before mine eyes, and chose that in which I delighted not.

God wants us to be good stewards of what He has given us, but remember, the earth is His footstool. The earth is not as important to Him compared to His children. The Lord asks, where is the house that ye build unto me? and where is the place of my rest? The earthly temple could not contain God. Solomon declared: 1Kings 8:27 But will God indeed dwell on the earth? behold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house that I have built? God does not need an earthly home, for He is far beyond that. So where is at least some of His dwelling place today? In the blood bought, born again believer in Jesus Christ.

1Corinthians 3:16-17 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? (17) If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.

2Corinthians 6:16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

Every believer is the temple of God, so shouldn’t we act that way? In 1 Corinthians 3:17, Paul wrote that the temple of God is holy, so shouldn’t we be holy? Believers are the temple of the living God, so believers should act that way! There should be a difference in our lives and we should behave that way! D.L. Moody said: A holy life will make the deepest impression. Lighthouses blow no horns, they just shine.

Isaiah 66:2 For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the LORD: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.

God is looking to use men and women that realize who they are before the all holy God. God wants men and women that are contrite or broken hearted about their sin and the sin of others. God wants men and women that tremble at the Word of God and have the proper fear and respect of Him. God wants men and women that are obedient to Him, not out of obligation, but out of love for Him.

Isaiah 66:3 He that killeth an ox is as if he slew a man; he that sacrificeth a lamb, as if he cut off a dog’s neck; he that offereth an oblation, as if he offered swine’s blood; he that burneth incense, as if he blessed an idol. Yea, they have chosen their own ways, and their soul delighteth in their abominations.

This verse really stuck out to me this week. God wants our sacrifices to be true. If we are presenting ourselves as living sacrifices to Him, then our sacrifices to Him must be true, not hypocritical. Our sacrifices must be done His way, not our own way. Look at again at what the LORD said in verse 2: Yea, they have chosen their own ways, and their soul delighteth in their abominations. The Israelites were performing the sacrifices that God had asked for, but they also offered up sacrifices to other gods as well. And when they did sacrifice to the LORD, they chose to do them their own way, not God’s way. Sadly, they were not truly presenting themselves as a living sacrifice to God and they were not yielded to God like they should have been. They were half-heartedly serving God because they were also serving idols and false gods. Half-heartedness consists of serving God in such a way as not to offend the devil. And we do the same today. Are you delighting in what God would call an abomination? Is your heart set on following God and loving Him with all of your heart and soul? Or is your delight in things that are not godly? Or is your time spent in forsaking time with God for other delights? Some people can talk Christianity by the yard, but they cannot walk it by the inch. Look at what God said He would do to those that act as in verse 3:

Isaiah 66:4 I also will choose their delusions, and will bring their fears upon them; because when I called, none did answer; when I spoke, they did not hear: but they did evil before mine eyes, and chose that in which I delighted not.

God called for them, but they were so busy with their false sacrifices and false living, that they did not hear. God called, but they did not answer. They chosen to yield themselves to unrighteousness and present themselves to sin rather than to God, so when He came calling, they were not able to answer. Why? Because they were busy doing evil before God’s eyes and chose to do that which God takes no delight in. Note whose standard God is using: His Standard! Too many of us justify our actions, or our words, or our thoughts and use our own standards and pretend they are God’s standards. God has His Own Standards and they are written down in His Book so there can be no mistaking them! Believers must follow His standards, not our own standards. Sin is sin and you hate sin just insofar as you love Christ. Relevation 3 has a similar passage to Isaiah 66:4.

Revelation 3:19-20 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. (20) Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.

This is not a salvation verse – this is Jesus Christ speaking to believers. Are we listening for Him? Are we looking for His knock? Are we following Him the way He wants us to follow Him?

Romans 6:22-23 But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. (23) For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

The wages of sin have never been reduced and when believers regularly remember what our sin cost, then believers will look to regularly follow God.
Sin, when viewed by scripture light,

Is a horrid, hateful sight;
But when seen in Satan’s glass,
Then it wears a pleasing face.

For the past few weeks we have looking at the importance of death in the life of the believer in Jesus Christ. In Romans chapter 6, the apostle Paul contrasts what everyone was before salvation, and what believers should be like after salvation. The blessing for the believer is that they no longer have to fear physical death, but now they must die to self – to mortify their members (body parts that can lead to sin) in order to walk in obedience to God. That does not mean believers literally slay their members, but that the believer should set aside their fleshly desires in order to follow God’s desires.

Colossians 3:5 Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:

Note that Paul points out that covetousness is also idolatry and really, all sin is idolatry because the sinner has decided that they know what is the best way for them to go. The believer should flee from sin in order to properly follow God. However, the Christian life is not about NOT doing certain things. The person cannot declare that they are right with God because they do not do certain things or that they DO certain things. The believer must have the right motivation for the things that they do and have the right motivation for the things they do not do. And that motivation must be because they love God and want to honor and glorify Him. A believer cannot do that if they have idols in their life.

Romans 8:13 For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.

Thankfully, God has given every believer the means to be able to properly follow God. That means is the Holy Spirit. People are able to mortify their members and the deeds of their body, their people that can lie down on a bed of nails believing that action brings closer to their god. Some people live in monasteries and nunneries and deny themselves marriage and wear uncomfortable clothing believing this brings them closer to God. But God does not require these types of actions by the believers in Jesus Christ. These actions are going beyond what is taught in the Bible. God gives the believer to not sin if they would follow the leading of the Holy Spirit. The believer can have triumph of sin if they would continuously follow the Holy Spirit.

J.N. Darby wrote: For there is power of life in Christ to enable us to triumph over sin and death, and not to live unto ourselves, but unto Him who loved us, and died for us, and is now seated at the right hand of God. We are already risen in Him and to be manifested with Him in the glory. Shall I, then, allow any wretched object or idle vanity to occupy me instead of Christ? It may be perhaps some folly, or some piece of self-importance, or some evil disposition, or even the cares of this life!

Ephesians 4:29-30 Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. (30) And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.

When believers are not following the Holy Spirit, they are grieving the Holy Spirit. To grieve the Holy Spirit, means to bring pain to Him because we are not following His leading. The Holy Spirit will lead the believer, but the believer must be willing to be led. D.L Moody said, “I believe firmly that the moment our hearts are emptied of pride and selfishness and ambition and everything that is contrary to God’s law, the Holy Spirit will fill every corner of our hearts. But if we are full of pride and conceit and ambition and the world, there is no room for the Spirit of God. We must be emptied before we can be filled.” Think about this: if you take a dog out for a walk, the dog will want to decide where it wants to go. If the dog is big enough and determined enough it will pull the dog walker all over the place even if it has a leash. The dog will dash to one spot because something smells interesting and then will want to quickly run elsewhere because something has caught its attention. But if the dog is properly trained, no matter how big the dog, the dog walker will be able to decide where the dog will walk. And the first thing that happens is that the dog is trained to follow the will of the walker not the desires of the dog. The dog is trained to obey the dog walker. The same is true for the believer in Jesus Christ – the believer must be trained to follow the Holy Spirit’s leading and go where God wants. The believer must humble themselves and walk where God wants, not where the believer wants to go. The believer must be willing to say to God, “Not my will, but thine.”

D.L. Moody was to have a campaign in England. An elderly pastor protested, “Why do we need this ‘Mr. Moody’? He’s uneducated, inexperienced, etc. Who does he think he is anyway? Does he think he has a monopoly on the Holy Spirit?” A younger, wiser pastor rose and responded, “No, but the Holy Spirit has a monopoly on Mr. Moody.” D.L. Moody desired to be sold out for God and he determined to follow God, not fight God.

Each believer in Jesus Christ must not grieve the Holy Spirit, because when that happens they lose discernment. The longer the believer grieves the Holy Spirit, the less and less discernment they will have in their lives. They will have trouble knowing what is right or wrong in the eyes of God, because they will have stopped praying and have stopped reading their Bible. When the believer grieves the Holy Spirit, then sin is working in the believer’s life and makes it more difficult for him or her to follow God. Sin begets sin and the believer’s neck will stiffen and their heart will harden about the things of God. The believer’s spiritual sense will dim and sin will lead the believer further away from God. This is why the believer must daily die to self and humble themselves before God so they can be led by the Holy Spirit and follow God in love and obedience. The believer must decrease so the God can increase.

Speaking to a large audience, D.L. Moody held up a glass and asked, “How can I get the air out of this glass?” One man shouted, “Suck it out with a pump!” Moody replied, “That would create a vacuum and shatter the glass.” After numerous other suggestions Moody smiled, picked up a pitcher of water, and filled the glass. “There,” he said, “all the air is now removed.” He then went on to explain that victory in the Christian life is not accomplished by “sucking out a sin here and there,” but by being filled with the Holy Spirit. Go back to Romans 6.

Romans 6:12-13 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. (13) Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.

In verse 12, Paul warns that believers should not allow sin to control them. Sin is never full for long, once it starts it will continue to grow if the believer does not realize the sin and repent of it. Believers cannot allow sin to control them nor allow it a foothold in their lives. There’s an old story about a man who tried to save the city of Sodom from destruction by warning the citizens. But the people ignored him. One day someone asked, “Why bother everyone? You can’t change them.” “Maybe I can’t,” the man replied, “but I still shout and scream to prevent them from changing me!

In verse 13, Paul warns the believer to decide who or what they are going to yield to: sin or God. Believers have the choice and Paul is urging them to yield to God’s will and not their own will. Believers must look to follow God and not their own desires that are contrary to God. This can only happen when believers humble themselves and do not grieve the Holy Spirit. This means that the believer needs to grow and mature in Jesus Christ and not remain stagnant. J. Vernon McGee wrote: A little girl fell out of bed one night and began to cry. Her mother rushed into her bedroom, picked her up, put her back in bed, and asked her, “Honey, why did you fall out of bed?” And she said, “I think I stayed too close to the place where I got in.” And that’s the reason a great many of us fall, my friend. It is because we are actually yielding ourselves to our old nature. We’re following the dictates of the old nature; that is what gets us into trouble.

Believers are always going to have a sin nature, but believers do not have to choose to yield to it. Remember that: we choose to sin, but we do not have to sin. Romans 6:4-6 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. (5) For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: (6) Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.

The believer’s old man is his or her sin nature – that desire to please the flesh – but the believer does not have to be the servant of sin. Please remember that sin does not serve us, because sin does not have our best interests at heart. We become servants of sin because once we start, we desire to add to it and build it up. Sin becomes our every thought and our every imagination.

Please remember that the Christian life is not a matter of simply following certain rules and avoiding certain things. Keeping the Law that Moses delivered does not save anyone. J. Vernon McGee wrote: The Christian life is not following certain rules; you can follow rules and regulations and still not be living the Christian life. Somebody asks,”The what is the Christian life?” The Christian life is to be obedient unto Christ. It means communication with Christ. It is not how you walk, but where you walk – are you walking in the light, walking in fellowship with Christ? Sin will break the fellowship, of course, and then we are to confess our sin. The Lord Jesus said to Peter in the upper room, “If I wash you not, you have no part with me (John 13:8)”. We do not have fellowship with Him unless we confess our sins to Him as we go along. Our part is confession; His part is cleansing (see 1 John 1:9). The important thing for you and me is to have fellowship with the Lord Jesus Christ and to obey Him. Then we will be living the Christian life.

Romans 6:7 For he that is dead is freed from sin.

When the believer is dead to sin, then they are free from sin. Why? Because a dead man cannot sin! Furthermore, because the believer has died with Jesus Christ on the cross, was buried, and rose with Jesus Christ, the believer is no longer under the penalty for sin. God looks upon the believer has has declared him or her righteous. The believer is declared not guilty, why? Because Jesus Christ has paid the penalty for the believer.

Romans 6:8-9 Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: (9) Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him.

Remember, the three steps for the believer: rejected, slain, risen. Every believer must go through those steps, just as Jesus Christ did for the believer. If the believer died with Jesus Christ then they will also be risen with Him. The believer has newness of life now and the believer will be resurrected one day after they have physically died. Look at verse 9 – what is the first word? Knowing, not hoping, not maybe, not possibly, but KNOWING. Paul wants the believer to realize that they should KNOW death no more has dominion and that Jesus Christ forever lives. As Jesus Christ told the apostle John: Revelation 1:18 I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive forevermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.

Romans 6:10-12 For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. (11) Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. (12) Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.

Jesus Christ died once and will never die again. The believer has the same promise. The believer must realize that they are dead to sin and do not have to choose to sin. If the believer chooses to not sin, then they will live a fuller life following God in love and obedience. That does not mean they will live an easier life, but it will be a life more satisfying. Charles Spurgeon wrote: We are one with Jesus being both dead with Him, and risen in Him; ours therefore it is to live the new life, and view ourselves as dead to all the sinful joys of our former lives. Of for grace to carry this out to the full.

Paul is telling the Thessalonians that the Holy Spirit is restraining the devil and his plans, but a day is coming when the Holy Spirit will be removed and the devil will be let loose on earth. Verse 7 shows us that because the “he” refers to the Holy Spirit and when the Holy Spirit is taken out of the way, then the devil’s plans can go forward unimpeded. When will this happen? We simply do not know other than it could happen at any moment. Right now believers should be focused on spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The harvest is ready, but the workers are few.

James 5:7-8 Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. (8) Be ye also patient; establish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.

God is patient and wants everyone to come to Him, but not everyone will. Right now He is trying to draw everyone to Him, but not everyone will come. 2Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. God is long-suffering and patient with us, but that patience will end at His discretion. He wants everyone to repent of their sin and place their faith in Jesus Christ, but not everyone will. Sadly, I believe that there will be less people that will be raptured out than people expect. When the rapture happens there will be people left behind because they only had a head knowledge of Jesus Christ and had not truly placed their faith in Him.

2Thessalonians 2:8-12 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: (9) Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, (10) And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. (11) And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: (12) That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

Believers do not know when Jesus Christ is coming, nor should we. It will be a surprise and you know why? Because if we knew when Jesus Christ is coming, we would wait until the last minute before trying to let people know. Remember as children, if your parents left the house and they left you chores to do, did you do them right away or did you wait? Most people tend to wait and then at the last minute hurry to wash the dishes or mow the lawn or whatever the chore was. “Why do today what you can put off till tomorrow?” Believers in Jesus Christ will not see the revealing of the antichrist. We simply will not know the time of His coming. It will be a surprise. We will not see the Antichrist make his covenant with Israel. We will not see the Antichrist stand in the temple and announce himself as God. We will not see the mark of the Beast forced upon the world. We will not see the great judgments poured out. We will not see the northern power of Ezekiel 38-39 descend upon Israel and be destroyed by God. We will not see the armies of the world congregate in the middle east to stand against Christ at Armageddon.

The Apostle Paul warned us that there will be many false teachers and false prophets in the world. These false teachers will lead people astray. What is even sadder yet, is the many that are lead astray actually willing to be led astray. They will pursue their own desires rather than God’s desires. They will decide upon their own version of holiness rather than follow God’s holiness.

2Timothy 3:1-7 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. (2) For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, (3) Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, (4) Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; (5) Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. (6) For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, (7) Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.

The false teachers may even deceive themselves into believing they are following God but they actually going further away from God. As it says in verse 5: Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. These false teachers may appear to be holy and godly in some fashion, but ultimately they are known by their fruits. Listen carefully to what they say. Pay attention to what they do. That is what Jesus Christ warned:

Matthew 7:15-23 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. (16) Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? (17) Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. (18) A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. (19) Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. (20) Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. (21) Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. (22) Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? (23) And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

A man predicted that the end of the world was coming this weekend. It did not happen, not yet, but it will happen soon. Are you ready?

This passage takes place right after Jesus Christ has fed the five thousand and more people and has walked on the water to the boat the the apostles were in. The people have seen the miracles that He has performed and they still want more. But that is human nature: when we see or experience something sensational, we want to see it and experience it again and usually bigger the second time. The spectators had been looking for Jesus and had now found Him on the other side of the Sea of Galilee. They knew that He had not left with the apostles on the boat, and could not figure out how He got there.

John 6:25, 26 And when they had found him on the other side of the sea, they said unto him, Rabbi, when camest thou hither? (26) Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled.

Jesus Christ looks past their question of how and when He arrived and goes to their true motivation: they want more food. They want to experience something sensational and, as we will see, they want to do it without any effort on their part. They want full stomachs and they want it for free. They want to be able to come to the table and be fed without any work. That is how many people approach the Christian life: they expect to come to church and be fed without any work or preparation on their part. Believers need to be in prayer before coming to church. Believers need to be in prayer before going to work. Believers need to be in prayer every day in preparation for the day. Believers need to be in the Word of God daily to be ready for the challenges of the day. The Word of God is our armor and our sword and our defense against spiritual darkness! The Word of God is the answer to people’s problems and the Word of God is their hope!

1Peter 3:15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:

The people in John chapter 6 were looking to get their bellies filled again without any effort on their part. They wanted to come up to the table and be fed without doing anything ahead of time to prepare for it. Someone once called a preacher to say he wanted to place church membership. But, he went on to explain that he did not want to worship every week, study the Bible, visit the sick, or serve as a leader or teacher. The minister commended him for his desire to be a member, but told him the church he sought was located in another section of town. The man took the address and directions and hung up. When he arrived at that address, the man came face to face with the logical result of his own apathetic attitude. There stood an abandoned church building boarded up and ready for demolition.

John 6:27 Labor not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.

Jesus Christ is telling these people to stop trying to get food that will expire and to stop trying to get food that will not last. Instead, He is encouraging the people to get food that will last eternally, to get food that is everlasting. Jesus Christ is telling these people to stop seeking the stuff for today and focus on the eternal. That kind of nourishment can only come from Jesus Christ Himself. That is the meal that will endure for eternity. People need to stop focusing their lives on pleasing themselves right now and look to the Bread of Life. Paul wrote to Timothy that same concept:

1Timothy 4:7-8 But refuse profane and old wives’ fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness. (8) For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.

People need to get their spiritual lives in order first before focusing on their physical lives. On body without a spirit is just as dead as a spirit without a body. Jesus Christ is telling these people that they need to spiritually feed on Him and they will have eternal life. In John chapter 4, Jesus Christ tells the woman at the well that He is the living Water and in chapter 6 He tells the people that He is the Bread of Life. Water and Bread are two essentials for people to live. A person can live on one for a while, but they will not be fully nourished and will not grow. Man needs both bread and water to fully live physically and man needs Jesus Christ – the Living Water and the Bread of Life – to be able to fully live spiritually. How is He able to do this? Because He is the Word.

John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

John 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

Jesus Christ came down from the glory of Heaven and took on the form of man. He is 100 percent man and He is 100 percent God and He is the only source of truth and life.

John 6:28 Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?

The people are asking Him, “What can we do so that we can do the same things?” They are looking to find out what they must do. People are always looking for something to do and eternal life is no different. People are looking to find out what is the minimum that they need to do to be saved. They wonder, “What is the least I can do to go to Heaven?” Again, people must put the spiritual before the physical. A certain family had two sons. The older said he must make a name for his family, so turned his face toward Parliament and fame. The younger decided to give his life to the service of Christ and turned his face toward China and duty. He was Hudson Taylor, the missionary, who died beloved and known on every continent. “But,” someone wrote, “when I looked in the encyclopedia to see what the other son had done, I found these words, ‘the brother of Hudson Taylor.’ ” It may be that some were inclined to ridicule him when he went to the mission field, but in the end, he was respected and admired. His mercifulness had not been in vain, even as far as the world was concerned. But the merciful also receive recognition and reward from God Himself. This takes place both in this world and, in its full measure, in the world to come.

John 6:29 Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.

This is where so many people get mixed in their beliefs: they believe that they must do something first for salvation. They believe that they must first be good enough or that they must pay enough or that they must go to church enough or that they must do enough good deeds to be saved. What they fail to realize is that they must see that salvation is a work of God FIRST, and then believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. A man once rose up in a meeting to give his testimony to the saving grace of God. He told how the Lord had won his heart and given deliverance from the guilt and power of sin. He spoke of Christ and His work but said nothing of any efforts of his own. The leader of the meeting was of a legalistic mind, and when this man’s testimony was ended he said, “Our brother has only told us of the Lord’s part in his salvation. When I was converted, there was a whole lot I had to do myself before I could expect the Lord to do anything for me. Brother, didn’t you do your part first before God did His?” The other was on his feet in an instant and replied, “Yes, sir, I clean forgot. I didn’t tell you about my part, did I? Well, I did my part for over 30 years, running away from God as fast as ever my sins could carry me. That was my part. And God took after me till He ran me down. That was His part.”

John 6:29 Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.

Jesus Christ is declaring that God is providing the Bread and the Water. God has prepared the meal, people need to accept it through repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. People need to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and follow Him. They must trust Him to provide rather than attempt to do things on their own. The point is that believers will trust in Jesus Christ in some areas, when they should be trusting Him in ALL areas. One night when an ambassador and his valet were obliged to sleep in the same room in a hotel, the valet noticed his master tossing and turning in bed. “Sir, what bothers you?” he asked. “Oh, I have so many things on my mind. The burden of my responsibility is hard to bear.” “Forgive me, sir, but do you think God has been governing the world up till now?” “Of course.” “And do you think He’ll manage even after you’ve left this world?” “Undoubtedly.” “Then don’t you think it’s possible for you to trust Him to do it even during your lifetime?” The ambassador got the point and was soon fast asleep.

When people rely on their own efforts and the efforts of others rather than rely on God, then all is in vain. God will not be glorified and the person will not be found obedient to God. Salvation is much than an outward act, it is recognizing God for who He is and what Jesus Christ has done on the cross for our sins. It is placing faith in Him and repenting of your sins and continuing to exercise that faith and repentance even after salvation.

The program committee for a national barber’s convention devised a graphic means of demonstrating the effectiveness of their profession. They found a social derelict on skid row with long, dirty hair. His face was unshaven and his clothes were ragged and filthy. His body reeked with odors of cheap liquor and filth. The barbers cleaned him up. They gave him a bath, shampoo, shave, haircut and manicure. They liberally sprinkled talcum powder on him and added spicy cologne. He was dressed in a new suit and was presented before the convention as a changed man. He certainly looked the part. However, within a week the man was back on skid row, back in the gutter, back in his former pattern of living. The barbers altered his appearance, but their tonsorial services had not changed his inward nature. Anyone who has the money to spend can put a man in a new suit, but only Christ can put a new man in the suit. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come.” Christ alters us from the inside out.

John 6:30 They said therefore unto him, What sign showest thou then, that we may see, and believe thee? what dost thou work?

This is perhaps the saddest verse of the passage we have read today. These people have seen the feeding of the five thousand – that alone should have been sufficient for these people to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. They were not really interested in believing in the Jesus Christ, they just wanted to be fed some more. They wanted more evidence from Jesus Christ, as if miraculously feeding them was not enough. People are still that way today: they want to see more, they want to feel more, and they want to experience more. They focus on feelings rather than simple faith. They say, “It feels right therefore it must be right.” But that is not faith. Heb 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

A man once defined faith by saying, “Faith means Forsaking All, I Take Him.” Saving faith is leaving the spot where we are now standing and jumping into the arms of Jesus with full confidence that He is able to bear us up. It is like trying to swim. Swimming is work as we know. Before we can swim, we must believe that the water is able to bear us up; saving faith is believing on the Lord Jesus Christ first and then swimming in the great sea of His love and everlasting mercy. This is a faith that saves. As believers we must continue to exercise that faith daily in order to grow in the Lord Jesus Christ. Faith is not seeing, but still believing. Romans 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. Our faith grows by hearing God’s Word not by feelings or experiences. As I speak to you, you do not see the words coming from my mouth. When I am reading something, I hear my voice in my head reading the words as I read. Faith comes from following God’s Word and believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, not through the actions that others do or that we do.

Isaiah 30:9-11

A good shepherd shows the flock the boundaries. A good shepherd leads the flock and redirects those that try to go off the path. A good shepherd does not tell the sheep to go in any direction because they will all go in different paths. A good shepherd will direct the flock away from harmful things no matter how much the flock may want the thing. The false prophets of Jeremiah’s time were content keeping the people happy rather than looking to make God happy by obedient to Him.

Jer 23:21-24 I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran: I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied.  (22)  But if they had stood in my counsel, and had caused my people to hear my words, then they should have turned them from their evil way, and from the evil of their doings.  (23)  Am I a God at hand, saith the LORD, and not a God afar off?  (24)  Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the LORD. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the LORD.

Verses 22 and 23 are key here. God is declaring that if the false prophets had just listened to God (His counsel) and told the people God’s Words, then the people would have repented. Later on, when Ezekiel was prophesying in God’s name, the people of Israel had become even harder hearted and stiff necked.

Ezekiel 3:4-7 And he said unto me, Son of man, go, get thee unto the house of Israel, and speak with my words unto them.  (5)  For thou art not sent to a people of a strange speech and of an hard language, but to the house of Israel;  (6)  Not to many people of a strange speech and of an hard language, whose words thou canst not understand. Surely, had I sent thee to them, they would have hearkened unto thee.  (7)  But the house of Israel will not hearken unto thee; for they will not hearken unto me: for all the house of Israel are impudent and hardhearted.

God is telling Ezekiel that people in a foreign land who did not speak the same language as Ezekiel would listened to him better than the people of Israel. We see in Jeremiah 23:23 and 24 that God is a personal God. He knows everything that happens in the world and in men’s hearts. That is a blessing to know that God does care. What is not a blessing is those people who abuse God’s Word and falsely preach. This is the warning in Jeremiah 48:

Jer 48:10 Cursed be he that doeth the work of the LORD deceitfully

A curse from God is not something that should be taken lightly. We will close with Jeremiah 23:28-29

Jer 23:28-29 The prophet that hath a dream, let him tell a dream; and he that hath my word, let him speak my word faithfully. What is the chaff to the wheat? saith the LORD.  (29)  Is not my word like as a fire? saith the LORD; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces?

If person has a word from God, then they should speak up. If they do not, then they should not speak. Verse 29 shows the power of God’s Word. It is the Word of God that breaks men’s hearts. In Ezekiel 36 we read:

Ezekiel 36:26-27 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.  (27)  And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.

The Word of God is the hammer that breaks the heart of stone and reveals the heart of flesh that is sensitive to the things of God. It is the Word of God that reveals the false prophets for who they are. It is the Word of God that brings faith to hearer and comfort to the believer. God’s Word has endured when so many other things, inventions, and ideas have passed away.