“WITH OR WITHOUT"
(John 6:16-21)
Sunday, July 22, 2012
MULTICULTURAL CHRISTIAN CHURCH
EDMONTON, ALBERTA, CANADA
multiculturalchristianchurch.com
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“With Or Without"
(John 6:16-21)
( PART I )
Introduction:
The passage we just read is preceded by the familiar story of Christ feeding the 5000. It is at the climax of Christ's popularity as a preacher. At this point, multitudes are flocking to Christ, hoping to either have a miracle performed for them, or else, at least, to see a miracle performed by Him.
John 6:2 says a GREAT MULTITUDE followed Him.
John 6:15 says they were going to attempt to force Him to become their king. THAT'S SOMETHING!
We have all heard of people who tried to force their way into power or prominence. HERE, THE PEOPLE WERE GOING TO ATTEMPT TO FORCE CHRIST TO BE KING, EVEN IF HE DIDN'T WANT TO BE! He was VERY popular. But, by the time this chapter is finished, the popularity is over. No one, except the disciples were left to follow Christ. Popularity is a fleeting thing! If you base your life on the popular thing, guaranteed, you will be in for a roller coaster ride!
Anyway, this story is one of the very last events in the life of Christ, while He was still considered popular to the multitudes. I have given this message the title WITH, OR WITHOUT CHRIST.
The story begins with the disciples out, in a boat, without the Lord. That is never a good position to be in! Without the Lord. Notice, while they were without Christ:
1. IT WAS DARK vs. 17 There is nothing as dark as being without Jesus! He is the true light that lightens the world!
In heaven, there is no need of the sun, because Christ is the light of it! He is a literal light! Remember when Saul of Tarsus met Christ in Acts 9? It was noon, but the presence of the glorified Christ was brighter than the noonday sun. So bright, Saul was thrown from his horse. And even blinded by the brightness. Revelation 1:16 says the countenance, or overall appearance of the glorified Christ is as the sun shines in strength. So, to be without Christ, a person is really in the dark.
A. They have no hope. All the hope of heaven and earth rests upon the person of Christ. He gives us the hope of a purposeful life. He gives us the hope of forgiven sins. And He gives us the hope of an eternal home in heaven. Take away Christ, and all a person has to hope in is whims and wishes. With Christ, there is a solid hope, based on the fact that Jesus died AND ROSE AGAIN!
B. They have no truth. All that is Christ is true, all that denies Christ is false. The educators of the world, the scientists and great scholars, are ever learning, but without Christ, never coming to the knowledge of the truth.
C. They have no direction. Jesus said, "I am the WAY, the truth, and the life. No man cometh unto the father, but by me." Jesus provides directions in life. He also provides the only directions to heaven. You take away Christ and a person is really in the DARK!
2. The Winds Blew. Vs. 18. Wind is an "invisible thing" that holds great power. You can't see it. Yet you can feel it. And if it is strong enough, it is as dangerous as anything this world knows. It reminds me of
A. The winds of doubt and fear. You can't see doubt and fear, but you sure can feel them. And when they are strong enough, they can cause great problems. Imagine a person, lost, without directions, and in the absolute dark. At first, some doubts begin. "I don't know if I can find my way out of this." And then the fears begin, "I am going to die!" That is exactly what happens to a person without Christ. There are the doubts. "Can I ever pay for these sins? Is there really a hell that sinners go to? " And pretty soon, panic sets in " I HAVE NO HOPE! I CANNOT GET OVER MY SINS! I WILL SUFFER IN HELL!" Bring Christ into the picture and those doubts and fear are all wiped away!
B. There are the winds of False Doctrine. Without Christ, the way is open for every type of false doctrine imaginable to blow up! At someone’s house, they only have little trees. Eventually they will be big enough to protect them from the winds. But not now. Because they have no trees, and they sit up on top of that hill, whenever the wind blows, they really take a beating! There is nothing to stop the winds. Listen, Christ stops the winds of false doctrine, but without Christ, those winds have nothing to slow them down and they go crazy! And without Christ, and because of the winds,
3. The Sea Arose Vs 18. The turmoil of life we face. All of them, ARE BECAUSE WE ARE SO OFTEN WITHOUT CHRIST!
A. Illness is because we are without Christ. When Jesus was on this earth, He healed the sick. And when we get to heaven, those of us who are saved, the Bible says there is no sickness, death or pain there.
B. War and Rumors of Wars are because we are without Christ. James 4:1-2 >From whence come wars and fighting among you? Come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain; ye fight and war; yet ye have not because ye ask not. Ye ask and receive not, because ye ask amiss that ye may consume it upon your lusts. How different the world will be when Christ is the KING! All of the fighting that goes on between nations is the result of a world without Christ! All of the fighting and crime and turmoil we see within our country are the result of a nation without Christ. Even the fighting we have in many of the churches is a result of the fact that we live in a world where Christ is not always present.
C. The Trouble we have with family is because we are without Christ. Oh what a wonderful day it will be when Christ is with us in body, and not just in spirit! Children WOULD obey parents then! Husbands and wives would get along right! You see, all our problems are directly attributed to the fact that we are so often without Christ!
( PART II )
But notice with me now, what happened to the disciples when Christ came:
I. WHEN THEY SAW CHRIST - THEY WERE AFRAID. vs. 19.
I have found that many people are afraid when they first find out about Christ! The first time they hear Jesus preached. The first time a soul winner comes to their home. The first time they are invited to accept Christ as Savior. A lot of people are afraid!
A. They are afraid of the changes they might need to make. Most of us know we do things we shouldn't do. And most of us would like to forget that we do them! We are afraid to have to try to quit. We know that no wrong habit, no sin practice, none of that gives up easily in our lives! We are afraid that we will have to change those habits and sinful practices, and that will not be easy to do! All I can say is, Jesus will desire you to "go and sin no more." But He will also give you the grace to change as Time goes by.
B. We are afraid to face death and hell. Jesus brings us face to face with the fact that we are going to die someday. He doesn't let us get away with the fact that we are sinners. He tells us straight out that after we die we face the judgment. And He goes on to tell us that our sin will send us to hell if not forgiven! None of that is pleasant news! We are afraid to face it!
C. We are afraid of what our friends will say. I wonder how many people are in hell today because they were afraid of what their friends would say if they became Christians? I imagine the number is large! I think that because I know so many people alive today who are not Christians for that very reason!
D. We are afraid of the commitments that Christ will ask us to make. Everybody who is lost knows that Jesus not only asks us to get rid of our sins, He asks us to do some things for His service. When the disciples first saw Christ coming to them, they were afraid too! But, notice with me secondly that
II. WHEN THEY KNEW IT WAS CHRIST, THEY RECEIVED HIM INTO THE SHIP.
And, I am confident that even those who are the most afraid, if they knew who Jesus really is, would not be so afraid! We are talking about the Only Begotten Son of God the express image of God the Father The way, the truth and the Life. We are talking about the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world The first and the last, the alpha and omega, the beginning and the ending. When we talk about Christ, we are talking about the Lion of the Tribe of Judah the lamb slain from the foundations of the world the bright and morning star the lily of the valley the rose of Sharon
A. Jesus Christ is God! That means He is all mighty! He is able to do anything he desires to do. He is able to bring water out of the rock Bring manna down from heaven Bring quails from the east wind He is able to part the Red Sea stand up the Jordan river hold still the sun and moon, and turn back the clock And, Jesus is able to forgive sins rescue a lost soul from hell, and make each one of us a mansion in heaven! That also means He all knows. Jesus knows the number of hairs on your head the thought and intents of you heart the deeds you do in this life whether good or evil. Jesus also knows every need you have every fear you have every concern you have I am telling you HE IS GOD!
Not only that
B. Jesus Christ is Good. And that means that the One who hold all knowledge and all power. Plans to use it for all good!
Romans 8:28 says And we know that all things work together for good, to them that love god, to them who are the called according to His purpose.
Think about that! When you have received Christ into your life, He promises that ALL THINGS WILL WORK TOGETHER FOR YOUR GOOD! Whenever there is a storm in your life, he'll use it for good. Whenever there is a problem in your life, He will turn it out for good! I think about Joseph, in the Old Testament. You talk about a guy who had a string of bad things happen to him! First, his brother caught him and threw him into a pit. Then, they sold him as a slave to Egypt. From there, the master's wife got angry with him for wanting to do right and had him thrown into prison. While there, a man he had helped forgot about him and left him there to rot. But, while none of those things were good in themselves, they were a part of God's plan. And, because Joseph stayed true to the Lord through it all, God eventually made him the second in command of Egypt, at that time the most powerful nation in the world, and used him to save the whole nation of Israel. Later, when talking to his brothers, who had originally sold him as a slave, he told them to relax, that he was not angry with them, for they had meant those things for evil, BUT GOD MEANT THEM FOR GOOD! Jesus Christ is God and And Jesus Christ is Good Why wouldn't you then receive Him? Every fear you have about Christ will be settled if you will only ask Him into your life! But see that they willingly received Him in, He won't force His way into your life! YOU must choose to ask Him in!
III. WHEN THEY RECEIVED JESUS IN, THEY WERE SAFE ON THE LAND. vs. 21
When Jesus the moment you let Christ into your life, three things happen:
A. We are safe from the storms. That does not mean no more storms will come. Nor does it mean you won't suffer some in this body from them. But it means that none of those things can hurt us eternally. And none of them will be used for anything BUT your good! Romans 8:28 becomes a promise to US immediately after we receive Christ into our life!
B. We are secure from your sins. 1 John 1:1 My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. As soon as we receive Christ into our life, He becomes our LEGAL COUNSEL before the throne of heaven. Christians ought to quit their sins. Christians ought to live soberly, justly, righteously, and godly in this present world (Titus 2:12) But we are not perfect. And sometimes we mess up! When we do, Jesus Christ is right there to make things right with God the Father! That verse right there proves a real Christian cannot lose his salvation!
C. We are settled in heaven. Ephesians 2:6 says God has; "... raised us up together, and made us to sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus." That verse is all written in the present tense. It does not say that we will some day sit together with Christ. It says we are already sitting together in heavenly places in Christ. If Christ could ever be kicked out of heaven, then we would have a chance of losing our place up there. But, since that isn't going to happen. The very moment you ask Christ into your life, YOUR PLACE IN HEAVEN IS ALREADY SETTLED!
Conclusion:
Without Christ it is dark, the winds are blowing and the seas are rising. With Christ it is safe, secure and settled - Which are you? Which would you rather be?
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