Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/Sermons/zz20050925.htm

JOHN: TRUSTING JESUS AS MESSIAH AND GOD
Part XIX: Following Jesus In Heeding God's WAYS And MEANS
(John 6:14-15 with 18:33-37 and 18:3-11)

Introduction: (To show the need . . . )

How are we to respond if (a) many parties urge us (b) or strongly urge us to take a path (c) that has a good result, BUT the WAY is NOT Biblical ?! Consider the following illustrations:

(1) According to the September-October 2005 issue of The Biblical Evangelist, p. 2, over fifty years ago, noted fundamental evangelists John R. Rice and Bob Jones, Sr., the founder of Bob Jones University along with other Christian fundamentalist leaders pleaded with Moody Press to stop publishing the book, True Evangelism by Lewis Sperry Chafer, the founder of Dallas Theological Seminary. They claimed Chafer's book caused men to leave the ministry of soul winning as evangelists, meaning good results were thus curbed!

Checking Dr. Chafer's book, we can see why they were concerned! His chapter on "False Forces in Evangelism" critiqued many of today's evangelistic practices! For example, (a) Chafer wrote that for an evangelist to hold a "revival meeting" in a local church is not a New Testament practice! Rather, he held evangelists were to reach the lost outside the Church, and pastors were to disciple new converts in the church in a faithful ministry of the Word, p. 6-9. (b) Chafer also charged that making lost people do public acts in a meeting such as raising a hand or walking an aisle to receive Christ implied their salvation was by faith plus the courage to do these acts, and that violates Scripture at Galatians 1:8-9 with Galatians 5:1-2!

Well, since noted evangelists John R. Rice and Bob Jones, Sr. and others strongly opposed Chafer's work because it discouraged men from "soul winning", are we at Nepaug to reject Chafer's work today?

(2) A young man from our Church recently began attending a Christian college in New England where he was told that if he ate food after 8:30 p.m., he would be kicked off of the basketball team!

Well, no Bible passage I know presents such a rule, but since that school holds to that rule for its athletes, are we to tell athletic youth at our Church God does not allow them to eat after 8:30 p.m?



If MANY parties direct us, or if we are STRONGLY urged to go a certain route, or if the RESULTS of going in a direction seem good, but the direction appear to be UNBIBLICAL to WAYS and MEANS, WHAT are we to DO?

(We turn to the sermon "Need" section . . . )

Need: "If I see Scripture directing me down a certain path, but MANY others, or others STRONGLY urge otherwise, or state good RESULTS will arise if I use some OTHER way to the goal, how am I to respond, and WHY?!"
  1. When Jesus saw the crowd He had miraculously fed wanted to make Him their king, He SQUELCHED their effort, John 6:14-15:
    1. Those whom Jesus had miraculously fed the loaves and fishes recognized from this event that Jesus was the Prophet Moses had predicted would come, John 6:9-11, 14 with Deuteronomy 18:15.
    2. From the reaction of Jesus to their awareness, we know these men intended forcibly to make Jesus their king, John 6:15a; they looked for the promised Messiah forcibly to throw off their political oppressors, the Romans (Leon Wood, John [New Int. Com.], p. 346).
    3. However, Jesus squelched their effort, John 6:15b,c:
      1. Jesus had originally been up on a mountain when He had first spotted the crowds coming after Him, John 6:3-5.
      2. Thus, He had descended to teach and miraculously feed them.
      3. Yet, when they realized by this miracle that Jesus was the Prophet Moses predicted would come, and they planned to come and forcibly make Him king, Jesus "again" ( palin) climbed back up the mountain to escape from them, John 6:15b KJV, NIV, ESV with U. B. S. Greek New Testament, 1966 ed., p. 343.
      4. This effort SQUELCHED their plan to make Him king, for the words, auton monos at the end of John 6:15c mean "Himself alone," and are "very emphatic;" Jesus thus transported Himself away from all other human beings so the plan to make Him king could not in any way be implemented, Ibid., Wood, ftn. #30; Ibid., U. B. S. Greek New Testament.
  2. Now, this SQUELCHING effort by Christ COUNTERED the work of MANY who pushed STRONGLY for a GOOD RESULT:
    1. Those who wanted to make Jesus a king were those who witnessed His miraculous feeding in John 6:11, so Jesus COUNTERED the will of FIVE THOUSAND men, a group of MANY people, (John 6:10)!
    2. The throng wanted to crown Jesus "by force" (KJV, NIV, ESV), meaning they STRONGLY wanted to crown Him, John 6:15.
    3. In making Him king, the ENDS were GOOD, for Jesus Himself in John 18:37 KJV told Pilate He was "born to this end" of being king!
  3. However, Jesus was OPPOSED to the crowds' WAY of GAINING the crown, that of getting there WITHOUT the CROSS, so He opted for the FATHER'S WAY of FACING the CROSS BEFORE being installed in the FATHER'S plan and power as KING:
    1. When Pontius Pilate later asked Jesus if He was the King of the Jews, Jesus asked if his question rose from his " . . . own Roman viewpoint (sayest thou this thing of thyself ) or from a Jewish viewpoint (or did others tell it thee of me?)," Ibid., Ryrie, ftn. to John 18:34.
    2. Pilate's response reveals he was "concerned only about a rival political kingdom to Rome (v. 35)," one that would use human force to rebel against Rome, Ibid, ftn. to John 18:36!
    3. Jesus responded that His kingdom was not of this world or His servants would fight to rescue Him from harm, John 18:36.
    4. Jesus proved He heeded this belief back in the Garden of Gethsemane: when His disciple, Peter assaulted a servant of the high priest, cutting off his right ear with a knife in an effort to rescue Jesus from unjust arrest, Jesus countered, telling Peter to put up His weapon as it was His Father's will that He take the "cup" of suffering, John 18:10-11.
    5. Accordingly, though MAN'S WAY of gaining the throne was for Jesus to DISOBEY GOD as to METHOD and gain the throne WITHOUT FIRST FACING THE CROSS (cf. Satan's temptation on this issue in Matthew 4:8-9), Jesus opted for the FATHER'S WAY -- to suffer the CROSS to pay for our REDEMPTION BEFORE coming in God's glory and power to reign, cf. Matthew 24:29-30.
  4. Thus, REGARDLESS of the push by MANY so STRONGLY to make Him KING, a GOOD END, Jesus SQUELCHED their effort since their METHOD was UNBIBLICAL, John 6:14-15! As the result, WE have salvation due to the CROSS, Romans 3:23-26!
Application: May we (1) trust in Christ as Savior from sin since He heeded God on the WAY He was to gain the throne, and so BECOME a child of God, John 1:11-12. (2) Then, may we FOLLOW Jesus' example, achieving good objectives' in GOD'S WAY versus MAN'S WAY, and that though (a) MANY may (b) STRONGLY push us otherwise, (c) arguing a good ENDS is involved! (3) We like Jesus will be blessed and be a blessing!

Lesson: Jesus SQUELCHED the effort by MANY who STRONGLY wanted to make Him their king, a GOOD END, so as to serve God's will as to the RIGHT MEANS! As a result, He provided salvation for us who believe in Him that WE might JOIN Him in His COMING KINGDOM!

Conclusion: (To illustrate the sermon lesson . . . )

 In our sermon introduction, we asked questions on two issues that have risen on whether we should heed the urgings of many or the urgings of others who strongly impel us or who urge us to go down a certain path because the ends are good, but directions that may err in method. We now answer these questions in light of this message:

(1) We noted that over fifty years ago, noted evangelists John R. Rice and Bob Jones, Sr., the founder of Bob Jones University along with other Christian leaders pleaded with Moody Press to stop publishing the book, True Evangelism by Lewis Sperry Chafer, the founder of Dallas Theological Seminary. They felt Chafer's book wrongly caused men to leave the evangelistic ministry, and so stop their good results of "soul winning"!

Well, Dr. Chafer's reasons ARE BIBLICAL! Chafer correctly revealed that nowhere in the New Testament does an evangelist ever hold a "revival meeting" in a local church of believers or tell the lost to raise their hand or walk an aisle to receive Christ. In fact, Paul worked hard in Galatians 1:8-9 with Galatians 5:1-2 to counter the false gospel that men were saved by faith PLUS such a practice! We then may not confuse the unsaved into thinking that to enter heaven, they must trust in Christ PLUS raise their hand in a "revival meeting" or walk down a church aisle or do any other activity! Chafer RIGHTLY defends the true Gospel of salvation by grace through faith alone opposite what heeding the direction suggested by John R. Rice, Bob Jones, Sr. and other notable Christian leaders would produce!

(2) On the issue of an area Christian college's prohibition of eating food after 8:30 p.m., Colossians 2:20-23 warns us not to submit to the nonbiblical practices of men! Since this stand by this school is a mere rule of men that has no Biblical basis, we do NOT heed it at Nepaug Bible Church even if that SCHOOL does!



No matter how MANY people urge us to go down a certain path, or how STRONGLY they feel about it or if they think the RESULTS will be worth our taking the direction they suggest, we must heed Scripture as to the right METHOD above all such suggestions to the contrary. Only then will we like Jesus gain God's blessing and be a blessing to others!