John 6:22-71                      Bethel                                    2-7-10

Jesus Tests His Disciples

Intro.  As we read the gospels, we find certain times when Jesus’ popularity was very high and his followers very numerous.  At those times we see Him working to qualify the true followers and expose the false.  He refused to play political games.  He would not allow the crowd to make him a king, nor would he back off any teaching that placed him in danger of being stoned!  We see certain instances where he was challenged on a point by some group, and, instead of softening his message, He repeated and even augmented the controversial issue with such dogmatism as to guarantee polarization.

No, Jesus did not come to this earth as a diplomat.  His goal was not to unify opposing parties.  His words were not designed to build numbers for numbers’ sake or to gain fans.  He came to speak the truth of God.  He came specifically with the intent to polarize the population, not on political, social, ethnic, or academic grounds, but on the trueness of ones heart toward receiving God’s Son.  He came to save souls.

He tested His disciples in the areas of:

I.  Hard Doctrines.

            A.  Spiritually Deep Truths:  He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood…  Only the spiritually enlightened would understand this!

            B  Divinity:  He called God his Father making himself equal with God.  John 5:17-23

John 14:9  “He that hath seen me hath seen the Father…”

John 10:30  “I and my Father are one.”  At this the Jews picked up stones to stone Him!

II.  Heart Devotion.

Christ Must Be Above All Others:  Luke 14:25-26  “And there went great multitudes with him: and he turned, and said unto them,  If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.”

Surely, even considering that Jesus sometimes spoke with divine hyperbole for emphasis, it is clear that He demands 1^st place in our hearts.  Matt. 10:34-39 tells us that Jesus understood that the gospel would divide people!

III.  Harsh Demands - Mat 10:38-39  And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.  (39)  He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.

In Jesus’ day, “taking up the cross” was not a metaphor!  It meant that you were going to your execution!

            A.  Jesus told one young ruler to sell what he had, give to the poor, take up his cross and follow Him.

            B.  Jesus told one would-be follower that “foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests but the Son of Man had not where to lay his head.”

            C.  Jesus told another, when he mentioned he needed to bury his father, “Let the dead bury the dead, follow thou me.”

IV.  Honest Declaration - Luke 12:8-9  “Also I say unto you, Whosoever shall confess me before men, him shall the Son of man also confess before the angels of God:  (9)  But he that denieth me before men shall be denied before the angels of God.”

How can one meet the qualifications for discipleship?  How can we, as individuals, deny our own selves and be willing to live for Jesus and if called upon to die for Jesus?

The same way the early Christians did.  Surrender!  They surrendered to Christ and became dedicated, unashamed, zealous believers in Jesus Christ as Messiah, Savior and Lord!  They were willing to be different than their neighbors, different than their national leaders, different than their religious leaders and even different than their unbelieving family members!

They met together in true Christian love and formed a community of blood washed disciples of Jesus Christ that met together to worship God, fellowship with one another, work together to spread the gospel, and help one another to grow in Christian graces.

The local church is the result of the ongoing work of the gospel.  Jesus died for it, built it, commissioned it, empowered it, equipped it and guides it with the same Holy Spirit that He preached with when He was here on earth!

While our softened version of Christianity may have changed from its original state, we must renew our sense of devotion to Christ lest we weaken to become what Jesus would never let His assembly become, namely the powerless handmaiden of an apostate society or worse, the prostitute of the political machine!

No, Jesus, when He assesses His church, will:

Examine it before he Expands it.

Inspect it before he Increases it.

Purify it before he Promotes it.

How unlike modern church growth theory today which seems to practice the exact opposite of what Christ practiced.

Instead of challenging the church’s critics, they join in with them.

Instead of emphasizing the preaching the cross, they mostly offer up helpful guidelines for success.

Instead of teaching the hard truths, they shelve them.

Instead of addressing the controversial issues, they avoid them.

Instead of selflessness they promote selfish individualism.

Instead of surrender they offer empowerment.

Instead of sanctification they promote sensuality.

Yet the traditional churches fail also!  While the pragmatic churches may meet the sinners where they are, they fail to bring them to where they need to be.  But traditional churches may seek to take sinners where they need to be, but fail to meet the sinners where they are. 

We must first meet sinners where they are and, like Christ, speak the whole truth in love with an anointing worthy of the gospel message.