REJECTED CHRIST: IN OR OUT? part 2

Sermon Notes, February 7, 2016

Rev. Garry McGlinchy

Rev. McGlinchy preached the second sermon in his series titled “Rejected Christ: In or Out?”  Last week he talked about how Christ was rejected in his hometown.  At times we too are rejected in our own families. Then we need to allow the Holy Spirit to work through us so they can see what happened to us on the inside; we need to continue to be a positive role model, and remember to be patient with them.  We also reject Him by giving excuses as to why we don’t spend more time with Him or in the body of believers that He has called us to.  This week’s scripture reference is John 6:60-70. 

In v. 60 it talks about a hard teaching.  What was so hard to accept?  Go back to v. 48, where Jesus says He is the bread of life that came down from heaven, and that whoever eats this bread will live forever.  Then go on to v. 53-58 where He says that you must eat the flesh and drink the blood of the Son of Man to have eternal life.  Jesus wasn’t talking about cannibalism; He was saying that His life had to become their life.  This was hard to accept.  Jesus’ words caused many of his followers to doubt and to leave.

There are several reasons why the followers may have left.  One is because Jesus wasn’t the Messiah they were looking for.  They were expecting a warrior on a magnificent stallion to free them from the oppression of Rome.  This was not what Jesus did.  Another reason why many of his disciples left was because He refused to give in to their self-centered demands.  He put more of an emphasis on faith rather than deeds.  His teaching was hard to grasp, and in many ways offensive and convicting. 

As we continue to grow in our faith, there are times when the temptation to walk away from Christ will arise.  When these temptations arise we need to seek Him out and ask Him to bring understanding to what He is trying to teach us and how we can apply those lessons to our lives. Jesus references the Holy Spirit here (v. 63-65) It is the Holy Spirit that gives life.  Without the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives we fail to realize our desperate need for Christ!  This is where the question “Am I in, or am I out?” comes into play.

Remember, there is no middle ground when it comes to following Jesus.  When Jesus asked the twelve if they wanted to leave, He was giving them the opportunity to choose to whole-heartedly follow Him or to whole-heartedly reject Him.  The more Jesus spoke the truth, the more His followers divided into two camps: those that believed and followed Him, and those who rejected Him and walked away.  Are you in, or are you out?

Many deserted Jesus.  Some of the people deserted Jesus after hearing His teaching.  Others stayed and grew closer to Him, and as a result, their faith in Him increased and they fully believed.  Yet others stayed and followed Him, but only to try and use Jesus for personal gain.  They wanted to see what they could get out of a relationship with Him, (like Judas) instead of serving Him.  We see this same pattern today.  Some people flat out reject Him because His teaching is just too hard to follow.  Some dive in and never stop serving Him.  And yet, some stick around simply for selfish reasons. 

Are you in, or are you out?