Why Christians Go Back

Why Christians Go Back

By: Dr. David E. Walker

John 6:22-71

22 The day following, when the people which stood on the other side of the sea saw that there was none other boat there, save that one whereinto his disciples were entered, and that Jesus went not with his disciples into the boat, but that his disciples were gone away alone;

23(Howbeit there came other boats from Tiberias nigh unto the place where they did eat bread, after that the Lord had given thanks:)

24 When the people therefore saw that Jesus was not there, neither his disciples, they also took shipping, and came to Capernaum, seeking for Jesus.

25 And when they had found him on the other side of the sea, they said unto him, Rabbi, when camest thou hither?

26 Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled.

27 Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.

28 Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?

29 Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.

30 They said therefore unto him, What sign shewest thou then, that we may see, and believe thee? what dost thou work?

31 Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat.

32 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven.

33 For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.

34 Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread.

35 And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.

36 But I said unto you, That ye also have seen me, and believe not.

37 All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.

38 For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.

39 And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.

40 And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.

41 The Jews then murmured at him, because he said, I am the bread which came down from heaven.

42 And they said, Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? how is it then that he saith, I came down from heaven?

43 Jesus therefore answered and said unto them, Murmur not among yourselves.

44 No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.

45 It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me.

46 Not that any man hath seen the Father, save he which is of God, he hath seen the Father.

47 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.

48 I am that bread of life.

49 Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead.

50 This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die.

51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.

52 The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat?

53 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.

54 Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.

55 For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.

56 He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.

57 As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me.

58 This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever.

59 These things said he in the synagogue, as he taught in Capernaum.

60 Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is an hard saying; who can hear it?

61 When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples murmured at it, he said unto them, Doth this offend you?

62 What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before?

63 It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.

64 But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him.

65 And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father.

66 From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.

67 Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away?

68 Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.

69 And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God.

70 Jesus answered them, Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil?

71 He spake of Judas Iscariot the son of Simon: for he it was that should betray him, being one of the twelve.

A Theological Note on verses 37,44, 64 and 65

To those who insist verses 37,44, and 65 advocate Calvinism take note:

1. Nowhere in the passage is a reference made to a time prior to the foundation of the world.

2. This “age” under discussion is a transitional age before the crucifixion of Christ.

3. The context is Jewish discipleship, not a person trusting in the finished work of Christ on the cross. The Lord had not gone to the cross yet!

4. The fact that the Father draws those who come to Christ (verse 44) in no way cancels out the free will of men to come to Christ.

5. The phrase “from the beginning” in verse 64 refutes the Calvinistic “before the foundation of the world” argument. This was a reference to the beginning of his ministry. See: John 2:11; 8:25; 15:27; 16:4 etc.

6. The Fathers will (that Calvinists claim is “irresistible”) is found in verse 40.

John 6:40 And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.

7. If the Fathers will cannot be turned down or refused because God is “sovereign” (a word which does not appear anywhere in the Bible), why does Jesus say, “Ye also have seen me, and believe not.” (verse. 36)?

Introduction

Our main text in this sixth chapter of John is verse 66. And as usual with 666, the context is not a good one – departure from Jesus Christ. Even though “the day following” (vs. 22) they had experienced a great miracle (feeding of the five thousand), they were now at a point of drawback; a place where they would rather leave Christ than be with Him. Verse 66 marks a time during the ministry of Christ where “many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.”

How often is this true of people you and I have known and watched over the years. They start off following the Lord Jesus, but over time they grow cold and indifferent to the things of God. They don’t just quit coming to church, they stop praying, witnessing, and being the open, unashamed Christian that they once were. Now, instead of seeing them come out of the church house, you see them exiting a bar. Instead of hearing them praise the Lord in their everyday conversation, they are cursing and talking about worldly, carnal things. Now instead teaching their kids to grow up as Christians, they allow them to partake of wicked, devilish things. Their testimony is shot; they are living like they used to preach against; they have quit following the Lord, and are now chasing after the world like everybody else.

What happened to them? Why did they become a “castaway” (1 Cor. 9:27)? Could this happen to you? Why or why not?

We are going to examine this text and see why these people decided to leave the Lord Jesus and go “back” where they were before they met Him.

They wanted a King they could control.

15 When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take him by force, to make him a king, he departed again into a mountain himself alone.

26 Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled.

27 Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.

After these people experienced that the Lord could satisfy their needs in the desert, they were ready to make Him King. They had enough proof that He would be a good person to have in charge. After all, He was a miracle worker – for their benefit! He could fill their bellies, heal their sick, and provide all of their physical and material needs. He should be King.

They had a perverted view of the Lord Jesus Christ, and He knew that. Their attitude was one of “name it claim it!” or “blab it, grab it!” They thought like some today who take John 14:14 (If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.) out of context: If I ask Him, He will provide. Not always!

You’d better be careful with your attitude as a Christian. If you think you are living on this earth, so God can answer your every beckon call – you are a selfish, carnal, innately evil, desperately wicked, backslidden FOOL!

You, as a Christian, are here for the pleasure of God. You are saved to be a servant of God; not the other way around!

These Jewish “disciple wanna bees” had motives of personal gain and satisfaction in their foresight. They wanted Jesus for material reasons – bread and fish:

1. They are temporary.

2. They don’t satisfy – get hungry again.

3. They are going to be destroyed – “perish” vs. 27.

The Christians who fall back into the world, are the ones who get to a place where material things are of more importance than spiritual things. You say, “Preacher, you don’t want to be so heavenly minded that you’re no earthly good.” HOGWASH! God commands you to have your heart and mind set on things above, NOT ON THIS EARTH:

Phil 3:20 For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:

Phil 2:5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:

Matt 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

If you’re mind is on God and the things that it should be, you will be of more earthly good than if it were on the JUNK down here!

Why do Christians all of a sudden “backslide” into the world? The answer may shock you: they don’t. No Christian suddenly goes back into the world. You may all of a sudden see some evidence of them going back into the world by something they do, or don’t do on the outside. But they don’t leave Christ suddenly, they actually left Him long ago on the inside before you ever see it manifested.

What happens is simple. They say they are seeking Christ, but are not. They make an outward profession of seeking Christ, but the heart is seeking something entirely different. The heart is seeking after material things; after things that will be destroyed; after things that are satisfying to the flesh – all while the mouth is professing something else.

A Christian who professes one thing but desires another has no spiritual perception. They don’t understand that Jesus is the Master and we are the servants. They falter in their Christian life because they have a warped view of how it is supposed to be. [This may be partly blamed on the plethora of false teachers who pervert the gospel and Bible doctrine (just tune in to TBN or mainline Christian broadcasting).]

The Christian life is not:

1. A guarantee that you will be healthy if you live a holy life!

2. A warrantee against financial disaster.

3. A default against marital and family problems.

4. A “quick fix” to all of life’s common injustices.

Is your relationship such with the Lord that you could say with Job:

Job 13:15 Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him.

Now, let’s look at another reason they went back and left the Lord:

They couldn’t endure sound doctrine.

60 Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is an hard saying; who can hear

it?

61 When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples murmured at it, he said unto them, Doth this offend you?

When the word of God goes out, several things happen:

1. People get saved (Rom. 1:16).

2. People get encouraged (Acts 20:32)

3. People get mad (Acts 7:54).

4. People don’t believe (Acts 28:24).

5. People get offended (John 6:61).

Now, it is no coincidence that the same people who left the Lord were the ones who were offended at what He said. These kind of people are the ones who will go along with the Lord while it is convenient to them. But, when the word goes contrary to what they believe and understand – lookout!

The problem that enters is the fact that Bible doctrine requires some responsibility on our part. In other words, the Lord expects you to DO the things that He asks of you. You are the servant and you are REQUIRED to be obedient and faithful to the Lord’s will:

1 Cor 4:2 Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.

People don’t mind if the preacher “preaches a good one” as long as he don’t step on their toes; as long as he don’t preach on their sin; as long as they can just SIT THERE! Modern Christians are kind of like the Israelites that Ezekiel had to preach to:

Ezek 33:31-32

31 And they come unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit before thee as my people, and they hear thy words, but they will not do them: for with their mouth they shew much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness.

32 And, lo, thou art unto them as a very lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice, and can play well on an instrument: for they hear thy words, but they do them not.

Christians today are more concerned with how nice the preacher sounds than with what he is actually saying. They want to feel good about themselves after they leave church. They want a nice preacher who gives good positive advice with a touch of “situation ethics.” Brethren, that is NOT preaching. Preaching is not always comforting. As a matter of fact, some preaching should not comfort the afflicted, but afflict the comfortable.

If you are going to avoid being a “used to be Christian,” then you had better love the truth at all cost. Don’t be so thinned skinned. Don’t get offended at every thing the preacher says. If he is preaching the truth, you had better love him and appreciate him, because not many are these days. Look, your preacher is not perfect. He will say some things that will get under your skin from time to time. A man can’t stand in front of a congregation 156 times a year and not say something offensive!

You should love the truth whether you are obedient to it or not! You should love the truth even if it hits you square between the eyes and you don’t “like” it. You are a believer, and your job FIRST as a Christian is to “believe God” (Acts 27:25)! Why did these people leave the Lord – they were offended at His words. You had better watch this in your own personal life!

Ps 119:165 Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them.

Not only could they did they want a King they could control; and they couldn’t endure sound doctrine; finally:

They didn’t have faith.

63 It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.

Where is the faith that you once had as a new Christian? When you believe what God said, were apprehensive to obey Him, but did it anyway because you were learning to exercise your faith? Have you stopped growing in your faith as a Christian?

You were saved by faith, and you are to live by faith:

Col 2:6-7

6 As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him:

7 Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.

Heb 10:38 Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.

Christians that are saved but “living like hell” got that way by letting their faith get weaker and weaker. They fed the flesh more and more, henceforth starving out the new man inside. It takes FAITH to say no to the flesh; it takes FAITH to say no to the world; it takes FAITH to stand for God; it takes FAITH to keep following the Lord day after day, week after week, month after month, and year after year!

Their lack of faith KILLED them essentially. In other words, they have no “life” (vs. 63) because they are not going to believe what Jesus Christ SAID! They are offended at the words of God and would rather DIE spiritually than to LIVE for God. Yes, the road that Jesus traveled was rough, tough and included a cross. But, we are called to suffer as Christians for the glory of God.

We refer to Abraham as “the father of faith” for a reason. He OBEYED and DID what God told Him. You see, God don’t give His word for no purpose. He gives it for you to believe and obey! If you are truly saved, you will NOT be happy in your Christian life, and you will ONE DAY depart from Christ (if you already haven’t) in your walk if you don’t exercise your faith!

Conclusion

Maybe you are a Christian that don’t want to wind up a casualty. You had better heed the warnings of this passage. Watch your motives. Search your heart. Why do you go to church, why do you teach Sunday school, why do you read the Bible? Is it all an outward show, or sincerely love for the Master?

Maybe you have already left the Lord, but just weren’t aware of it. Quit kidding yourself. You are saved and cannot lose your salvation, but you have lost your fellowship. Your prayer life consists of praying over meals and quick “Lord help me” prayers when you are in a jam. You even find yourself offended at hard, pointed biblical preaching. You enjoy the soft style teaching ministries of slick smooth “nice” preachers. You are in danger. You are deceived and don’t even know it. You had better wake up!

To those of you who are considering throwing in the towel; quitting on God; leaving church; or putting down the Bible. Let me ask you one question – vs. 68 – to whom are you going to Go? Who will treat you like Jesus? Who are you going to find to replace such a great Saviour? You are going to come up empty! Hang in there. Renew your faith and commitment to the Lord. Repent of your sins and get that fellowship restored!

Finally, to those of you who are faithful and steadfast in your walk (like the twelve). I wonder if Jesus would ask the same question He asked to them: “Will ye also go away?” (vs. 67) What if you quit? Jesus had reason to believe they would leave too or He wouldn’t have asked the question. Is there any question in the Lord’s mind that you are going to stay the course? Why or why not? Remember, it is not always what we do on the outside (even though that sometimes reflects what is going on); your fellowship with Him is what is important.

Folks, there is no where to go but Jesus! Peter answered Him right: “Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.” (vs. 68). Are you away from God – run to Jesus; are you out of fellowship – run to Jesus!

There's a story told of a painter who labored for years painting a picture of the Last Supper. It was a great picture and he wanted to get it perfect so he took care and took a long time to complete it. For each of the persons present, the artist went out to find just the right model beginning with someone to represent the face of Christ. After much searching he found a young man with a face of transcendent beauty, peace and purity so much so that he was immediately reminded of what Jesus must have looked like. And so he carefully painted it.

Slowly, bit by bit and face by face the painting took shape. He painted Peter and John, James and Bartholomew. He went out and found someone who he thought must have looked like Andrew and Thomas. And so on for all the apostles. Finally, the day came when he needed a model for Judas.

Once again he went out, but this time, he was unable to find someone just right. He employed casting agents, searched modeling schools and no face was right. Finally, almost in desperation, the artist went down into the heart of the city, into its dens of sin and vice. And there at last he found a man just right - a man whose face was so etched with bitterness and anger, lined with hatred and guilt that the face of Judas quickly came to mind.

As the man sat down to be painted, suddenly he spoke, "You know, you have painted me before," he said. "Surely not!" the painter replied. "I would have remembered you." "Oh, yes," the man said, "Yes, you have. Many years ago you painted me as the face of Christ. But not long after, a cruel accident claimed the life of my wife and my small daughter. I turned my back on God, cursed him and blamed him for allowing it to happen. I threw away my faith and turned to drugs and alcohol to drive away the pain and soon my life spiraled downward into sin and depravity. Look here now," he said pointing to his face. "See where it has led me."