Having times of doubt and discouragement aren't exclusive to unbelievers or new believers. Even long-standing Christians can experience uncertainty.
So, how can we be confident that our salvation is secure even in shaky times? Aleister Begg addresses this issue today on Truth for Life. He's teaching from John chapter 6.
So we begin at verse 35. I found this hard to lay it out in a way that has immediate points. But we have this amazing declaration in verse 35. Jesus said to them, I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me, I shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me will not thirst.
Well, this is a metaphor, isn't it? I am, he says, the bread of life.
Now I want us to notice, because it is important now and will be, That it is the person who comes to him who does not hunger. Not the person who eats him. And it is the person who believes in him. who does not thirst. Not the person who Who drinks him?
Now we're not going to delay on this, but it is important because we're going to come to this metaphor when we get to verse fifty three, and therefore this helps us, it makes preparation at least for us in our understanding. It's important also that we recognize the twofold whoever that is here in verse 35. Whoever comes to me, And whoever believes in me. This is in keeping with what we've already been seeing. John 3 and 16, For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but should have eternal or everlasting life.
Now With that said, let's be very clear that what Jesus is saying in this statement, in verse 35, is that the core emptiness of the human soul. is answered in him. The essential vacuum in the life of an individual spiritually is answered in Christ alone.
Now Jesus is going on. To speak about the vast reality and wonder of saving faith. And despite the clarity of his signs, Despite the impact of his words, look at verse 36. But I said to you, that you have seen me. And yet You do not believe.
Back in chapter 5, he had said to them as well, You search the scriptures, which is good, because you think that in them you have eternal life, and it is they that bear witness about me. Yet you refuse to come to me. that you may have life. And we've seen this, haven't we? That what Jesus has done in this amazing sign, most recently, well, in chapter five, the healing of the man at the pool of Bethesda, and then here in six, the amazing provision of food for these thousands of people.
But what has it done for these folks? It's merely aroused their curiosity. It stirred their political ambitions. They immediately said, Well, this would be a good person to have as our king. Maybe he will overthrow the Romans.
Maybe he will be the one to champion us and help us on our way.
So they became curious. They became, if you like, stirred. But there was no evidence of faith. At all.
Now that ought to cause us just to say to ourselves, this is truly amazing, isn't it? This the teacher Of this material is Jesus, the incarnate Son of God. The signs that he has done are unmistakable and they are also unavoidable. Nobody who was in the community could ever avoid the fact that the people were going home saying, you will not believe what happened. That man for 38 years sitting there has just been walking and jumping all around the temple courts.
Surely not. Yes, and you know what? I was part of the group. The following day, when, along with thousands of others, we were fed. The people said, My, my, that's very interesting.
But they didn't believe.
Well Why would we be surprised then? when entrusted with the privilege of teaching the Bible. People respond to the Bible when you proclaim it to them and say, well, that sounds very interesting, but it's totally irrelevant to me. I don't have any interest in it at all. I can see some people are excited about it.
In fact, at the end of chapter 6, there's a mass exodus. Because Jesus has spoken so clearly, the crowd is not expanding, the crowd is diminishing. This is a strange church growth strategy, isn't it? That the more you preach and the more you teach, the fewer are the people that are there. It's not just that people don't come, it is that those who come start to go away.
This is a hard saying. I don't like to hear that. I think I must go somewhere else. I'm going to take my baseball bat and go and find another diamond, so to speak.
Sort of a metaphor.
Now, in verse thirty-seven as we follow along. If 35 gives us a declaration from Jesus, 36 gives us the reaction of the crowd. And in thirty-seven Uh we come back once again. to this Further declaration. All that the Father gives me will come to me.
And whoever comes to me I will. not cast out.
So, the confidence of Jesus in his, if you like, evangelism. is not gauged by the response of the crowd. That's not the determining factor for him. What is the determining factor? is the will of his Father.
That's what he's saying. I am operating, he says, From all of eternity On the basis that the father has a company that he gives to me. It's as if Jesus is saying, you know, your unbelief doesn't really move me, it doesn't really surprise me. It can't prevent the purposes of my father from taking The fact. No What this is affirming Is the fact that that God from all of eternity Has chosen to have a people that are his very own.
And this company is then given to Jesus the Son. The Sun saves them completely.
So, as to present them blameless before the glory of the Father one day in heaven.
Now let's just turn for a moment to John 17 and the prayer of Jesus, his high priestly prayer as we often refer to it. I just want to galvanize this thought in our minds by listening to what Jesus is saying here. 17 and 1. When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven and he said, Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that the Son may glorify you.
Since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. Down to verse 6. I have manifested your name to the people. whom you gave me Out of the world. Yours they were.
And you gave them to me. And they have kept Your word. Verse 9, I am praying for them. I'm not praying for the world. But for those whom you have given me, For they are yours.
I think we've got the picture now, but just two more. Verse 11. I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me. While I was with them, I kept them in your name.
Which you have given me. I have guarded them. Not one of them has been lost. Except the Son of Destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled.
So what we're dealing with here is the amazing Great, deep, Truth. of God's election. The appointment to life of a people out of the world. Men and women Do not come to Christ. because it seems to them like a good idea.
If you check with friends who perhaps have come to know Jesus along the journey of life, maybe later in life. And you asked them about how it was from their understanding. That they ever came to trust in Jesus. They'll tell you all kinds of things. But the one thing that you're not going to hear them say if they have truly come to Christ is: well, I just thought it was a good idea.
I mean, there are a lot of options out there, and I thought I would. I would try the the Jesus thing.
Well It's never happened. And it never will happen. Because the fact of the matter is, and what the Bible makes perfectly clear, and you have this in Romans chapter 8, which I'm quoting. The heart of man The human heart is at enmity with God. The human heart is at enmity with God.
The human heart does not please God, nor can the human heart please God.
So that when God manifests His glory, The reaction of people is actually negative. And the natural inclination. It is to find ourselves substitute gods, create little idols for ourselves. Chapter 5 again, making this the very point here, chapter 5 and verse 43, is it? I have come in my Father's name.
And you do not receive me. If another comes in his own name, you will receive him. That's exactly what has happened. How can you expect to receive glory if your only focus of glory is bounded by the limits of your own horizons? Oh, it's so straightforward.
When We acknowledge That men and women, and we say this all the time, I stole this line, as you know, because I quoted it the first time from David Wells. When we say, that men and women cannot access God in their own time or on their own terms. Right? They can't just say, oh yeah. That's fine.
When they when we say that We are In accord. with what Jesus is saying here. In the words of the late Professor Murray, It is a psychological Intellectual. and moral impossibility For a man to come to Christ Except by the secret and efficacious drawing which is the gift of God. The Father.
You see that down in 44. No. 6:44. No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. This is immense, is it not?
You see We have complete freedom of choice. But our wills are held in bondage By sin. They're held in bondage by sin. We make our decisions, yeah. But by nature We just don't say.
Well, I think it'd be a good idea. Uh to become a Christian. that the Father gives me will come to me. See what's being said here? The Father gives the person to Christ.
But it is the person themselves Who comes? All that the Father gives me will Come to me. This is actually a divine necessity. You see, there are a number of impossibilities that are contained in these verses. One is, first of all, the impossibility our by nature simply laying hold on Christ.
Then When we do lay hold on Christ. It is as a result of a divine necessity. It doesn't say, oh, look at the verse again, all that the Father gives me. may come to me. It doesn't say all that the Father gives me has the opportunity to come to me.
It doesn't say all that the Father gives me is able to come to me, but all that the Father gives me will come to me. I have spoken to you, he says to these folks. You have seen my signs, you have heard my word, and still you do not believe. But listen, all that the Father gives me. will come to me.
Now this is a great mystery in this, is there not? And I hope this will help to make sense of some of the things that I say with regularity. Namely, I know you hear my voice. But do you hear the voice of Christ? The voice of the preacher, which is an external voice, knocks at the human heart.
Knocks at the human heart. It is the inner call of God. That internal voice. which unlocks the heart, and opens it. This is what God does.
us.
Now How then would it be? Because people then say, well, how do I know if I said? How would we know that we were part of the company? that the Father gives to the Son. By our coming to Christ.
By our coming to Christ. Because by nature we don't come to Christ.
Now we come to Christ. An old commentator says Faith in Christ. is a certain testimony of our election. Cleaving to Christ by faith. thou art sure of thy predestination.
Now here is another impossibility. that is in this text. All the Father gives me will come to me. and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. It's impossible.
It's impossible to be united to Christ. That the Father has given. You. to his son. who has died for you.
You have come to him. It is an impossibility. that the Lord Jesus would cast away Any person given to him. By the Father.
Now this should be a great comfort. because our past lives may have been very bad. Our present faith we may not regard as particularly strong. our repentance and our prayers. May not quite be up to par, even from our own perspective.
Our knowledge of Christian doctrine may be not that of the person that we would like it to be. But We have come to Christ. We have come to Christ. And he will not. Cast us away.
Now, verse thirty-eight. advances the ball up the field. Where Jesus, if you like, explains What's been going on? I have come down from heaven. Not to do my own will.
but the will of him Who sent me? And what is the will of Him who sent me? Twofold. Number one, And this is verse 39: the will of him who sent me. That I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up.
On the last day. Remember, we already seen that the Jewish response was, he seems to be claiming to be equal with the Father. He was exactly saying that, My Father is working and I am working. And they decided, well, we can't live with this at all. We'd like to have him in some measure, but we're not going to bow to him in this way.
You see, if you are here this morning and you've been caught out by what I just said, because you are one of the very small company of people who decided that the Christian pilgrimage is really going to begin because you've decided that it's a good idea. Let me ask you a question. What are you going to do when you wake up on a Tuesday morning and decide that it's not a good idea anymore? You got nothing left. No, salvation is grounded.
in the will of God. Given By the Father. Redeemed by the Son. and kept by him Raised up on the last day. This is the promise.
This is the ground of Christian security. Not depending on our human wills. Not for a moment.
Well, that is why I love when we sing, yeah, mine, mine, mine. Thou art a sinner's friend.
So I thy friendship claim. That's it right there. They wouldn't say, Well, I'm not a sinner.
Well, I I know you keep saying that. But I just don't accept it.
Well Pray God that He will come. And you hear his voice rather than mine. And the key is turned. And the heart is opened. And the life has changed.
What is the second part of the Father's will? Verse 40. For this is the will of my Father. that everyone who looks on the sun and believes in him. should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.
You see, this anticipation of a day when we will stand in the presence of God. One day, at the name of Jesus, every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. And in the words of the song that we sing in Townins' song. A shout of joy, a cry of anguish. As Christ returns and every knee bows low.
I will raise him up. On the last day. Notice Everyone. This is the will of my Father that everyone Does that mean everyone? It means everyone.
Everyone without exception. Capa, what did you just say? Apparently you just said that the father has a company that he has given to his son. How can the father have a company that he's given to his son? And then it says everyone.
Truths. that look contradictory. to us. are not contradictory. in the light of heaven.
The answer. to the paradox. is to live with a paradox. What do you need to know? You need to know this.
that everyone who looks and believes. Bishop Ryle says Commenting on that, here is a comfort for fearful, doubting sinners. The answer in the message of the gospel. A fool. And free Salvation.
For everyone. Who looks? and beliefs. Marie. in his masterful use of language says, It is on the crest.
of the wave. of God's sovereign grace. That the free overtures of the gospel break upon the shores. of lost humanity. And the reality of the sovereignty of God.
And there Responsibility. of the response of man. is not found Separated by fifteen books and a hundred and twelve chapters. Look, It sits side by side on the page. Today If you hear God's voice.
Do not. Hardy. your heart. Yeah. Um You're listening to Truth for Life.
Alastair Begg urging each of us to look to Jesus and believe so that we have everlasting life. You know, that's the core of the message of the gospel, and it's the good news we share every day on Truth for Life. And I want to mention that today is a very important day for our ministry and for other ministries. Today is Giving Tuesday, a day for all of us to appreciate. Ministries and non profit organizations like Truth for Life and the impact they have made in our lives.
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