Bible is the book of John, and there I'd like for us to turn our attention to verses 66 through the end of the chapter. We will be looking at other verses of this chapter, but I wanted to consider John 6, 66-71 as our beginning point. From that time, many of his disciples went back and walked no more with him. Then said Jesus unto the twelve, will ye also go away? Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life. And we believe and are sure that thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. Jesus answered them, have not I chosen you 12 and one of you as a devil? He spake of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, for he it was that should betray him, being one of the twelve. Our Father, again, we are thankful for this day, thankful for the ability and the desire to be assembled here. I thank you, Father, personally for this assembly and those that make it up. what they mean to me, and Father, I just thank you for them, and I thank you for the fellowship and the warmth that I received from them this week. Bless this body, use them, and have thy way in them, Father, to accomplish those things you have them to do in this area. We thank you, Father, and ask your blessings and your mercy and your forgiveness for Christ's sake. Again, I'd like to read verse 66. From that time, many of his disciples went back and walked no more with him. Understanding that a disciple is a student, You know the scripture speaks of the twelve as being disciples. It speaks of them as being apostles or the apostles. But there are a lot of people that come under the teaching of God's word. But they never get beyond the disciple stage or actually they don't even stay in the disciple stage. They do as those here in verse 66, walk no more with him. They leave the Lord. They leave his word. Church members, they leave the fellowship of that assembly and do not unite someplace else. The return to that which they were most comfortable with, the things of the world. But let's look at some of the things that the Lord has said in this chapter that brings us up to verse 66 and the fact that there were those that determined they wanted no more to walk with him. Let's begin with verse 26. Jesus answered them and said, verily, verily, I say unto you, ye seek me not because you saw the miracles, but because you did eat of the loaves and were filled. You seek me for your own selfish desires. Your own selfish considerations. You weren't even impressed enough with the miracles that you saw. They had a very fleeting effect on you. And I want to go on record to say that miracles don't save. Miracles may get people's attention. Miracles show forth the power and the might of our God. but miracles don't save people the gospel does but here the Lord says you seek me not because you saw miracles but because your bellies were full you got satisfied we also find verse 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. That kind of speaks or flies the face of common human reasoning. I do the things that I do because I want to do. I have a free will to come and go and do as I please. And it could be the mind even though it's in verse 26. I used my free will and I came and I got what I desired. And the Lord tells him, no man can come except my father which hath sent me draw him. and I raised him up the last day. Two things have to take place. The father had to send the son, and the father had to draw them to the son. Make no mistake, there's not a one of us in this room, there's not a one person that can say they know the Lord Jesus Christ under the saving of their souls, that can say I did this, I came because I wanted to. You can say I came because I was led to, because I was apprehended to, but there's a force outside of you acting upon you that brings you to Christ. And we sometimes wonder, why does it happen to some and not to all? And the best answer I can give is even so it seemed good unto him. That's the way God purposed it. But not only must you be drawn, but the Lord emphasizes the drawing. Look at verse 65. And he said therefore, said I unto you, that no man can come unto me except it were given him of my father. You're drawn and then you're given the ability to come. You know, the Lord, with just these two verses, really knocks the props out from under man's ego, man's sense of self-worth, and man's sense of control over his destiny, over his life, where he goes, what he does. But the Lord also told them about himself and who he was. And this evidently offended many of them. Go back to verse 38. And in verse 38, I'd like for us to read from 38, down to including 42. For I came down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him that sent me. 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. And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the sun and believeth on him may have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. The Jews then murmured at him, Because he said, I am the bread of life, which came down from heaven. And they said, is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How is it then that he says, I came down from heaven? They were offended at the fact that the Lord Jesus Christ have the audacity to tell them that he came from heaven. He came from his Father. I noted earlier this week how many times we are told in the book of John by the Lord Jesus Christ that he was sent from the Father. He voluntarily came. He willingly came. He desired to come, but the Father sent him. He declares his origin is not earthly. He is not limited to the earthly limitations that men and women such as we are. He came from the Father. I don't think, in fact I know good and well, knowing the Lord Jesus Christ, knowing the real way of salvation, that I'd be very comfortable with a naturally born, naturally conceived savior. Because they're all going to have the shortcomings and the weaknesses and the frailties that I have. And they're going to have their own problems they have to deal with. You know, the Lord was able to focus his total and complete attention on the folks that God sent in to save. For the folks that God sent him to call. For the folks that God sent him to prepare for the day that he shall raise him up at the last day. He had nothing else to do. He didn't have to go to the GM plant to go to work. He didn't have to go out in the fields and work. He had nothing else to do and nothing else to worry about. He knew from the very beginning when he came what was going to happen. He knew the people that were going to believe. And he focused all of his attention on what the Father sent him to do. There's not a pastor or preacher in this room that will not tell you. He has to fit time in for studying. Along with his family duties, his work duties, and just the cares of life. The Lord Jesus Christ didn't have those hindrances. He had a single purpose. and that was to satisfy God's will completely. Lastly on this line, I want us to look at verses 53 through 58. 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, you have no life in you. Whosoever eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him. and the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father, for he that eateth me, even so he shall live by me. This is that bread which came down from heaven, not as your father did eat manna and are dead. He that eateth of this bread shall live forever. Humanly speaking, that's very distasteful to think of. Eating someone's flesh and drinking someone's blood, that's the stories of horror movies and horror flicks. But the Lord's not talking about physically eating him. He's talking about truly taking an end to yourselves. Him becoming a part of you. These folks were greatly offended at these things. And they determined within themselves, I've had enough of this nonsense. He isn't quite what I thought he was going to be. He isn't the man I thought he was going to be. Let's go look for something or someone else. And they left. But then Christ asked a question. of the twelve. Then said Judas unto the twelve. Now I'm guessing there are other people around but he singles out these twelve and he says will ye also go away? Will you also walk no more with me? Well strange thing is The Lord knew the answer to that question already. Look at verse 64. He said, but there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were, they believe not, and who should betray him. I draw attention to part of that verse to let anyone know who thinks that they are fooling God because they fooled the people in this church. Because others in this church believe you to be saved, believe you to truly be believing in Christ, when in actuality, you may not. Now, that may not be the case here. And if it's not, I thank God for it. But there are those that think that because they put on a good show, they say the right words, they go to the right places, they spend time with the right people, that they might even fool Christ. Christ knows from the beginning. He said, all that the Father giveth me shall come. And he knows every single one of those that the Father has given you. Do not think you're going to deceive the father or the son. And be not deceived yourself. Christ said he's going to raise up some in the last day. He will not raise up anyone at the last day that did not believe in him until their last day. It must be a true and legitimate faith in Christ. Not hypocrisy, not showmanship, but true faith. Let me say true religion. But not all men have that, not all women have that. Now I want us to know Peter's answer to our Lord's question. Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? There's no place else to go. There's nobody else to go to. Not even Moses was there. But you know the Lord Jesus Christ was prophesied even to Moses. They were going to raise up one to the nation of Israel like unto Moses. And that's still the one that we could go to. That's the only one that Peter could go to or anyone else can go to. But it not only says there's no one else we can go to, but thou alone hast the words of eternal life. You have the answer. You have the formula. You have the directions. You know what we need to hear to have eternal life. Men and women don't have that in themselves. They have religion. There's not a country in this world that doesn't have some form of religion. The most barbaric backwards of people have some form of religion and some form of a way to appease, to satisfy, to placate, to do whatever it takes, the God that they worship, that he will be favorable to them. But the only one that can actually accomplish that task is the Lord Jesus Christ. And he goes on and says, and we believe and are sure. We believe that thou art the Christ. Thou art the anointed son of God. Thou art the one that the living God prophesied to come way back in the beginning. That one that will bruise the serpent's head. You are that one. There's no place else that we can go. But he also says, we believe and are sure. I've had people tell me, you can't be sure that you're going to be saved until the end. I don't believe that to be true. John, in one of his later epistles, I write these things that you might know. that you have eternal life. The security of the believer is not just based in down in the future. The security of the believer exists today. If we are not trusting God for every single day of our lives, Looking for the day that the Lord Jesus Christ returns and calls unto himself or we leave this life in death. If we are not sure every single day that he that began this work in me is going to fulfill it. He that chose me for the foundation of the world is going to keep me until the end. If we're not sure, that what we have in Christ cannot be taken away from me. There's no one that can pluck us out of the Lord's hands. The Father gave us to him. He's going to keep us. There is surety. We can be very much assure of our salvation if it be true. Now, that does not mean that we do not wonder from time to time, how and why would God save me? Why would he keep me? I believe Steve and I have had this conversation with each other several times over the years. What did the Lord see? What was it the Lord wanted? What was the Lord thinking? He was thinking that I want him. I want her. For a reason known only unto him. But we're sure. Because his word tells us it's sure. The Lord says further, to go along with the words of eternal life, turn to the book of Luke chapter 4. In Luke chapter 4, I'd like for us to read verses 17 through 18. I think we'll read verse 19 as well. And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he opened the book, he found the place where it was written, The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, the recovering of sight to the blind, To set at liberty them which are bruised, and to preach the acceptable year of the Lord. The Lord Jesus Christ was given a very great word to be preached, to be declared. The words that are needed, and no one else could do them but him. It's interesting they handed him the scroll of the book and he turned to the place wherein he could read to those in his audience, this is who I am. And he could sit down and say, at least in this group, you have no question as to who I am. I'm the fulfillment of those words. I'm the fulfillment of that book. That's who the Lord Jesus Christ is. I will go so far as to say that in truth, the Lord Jesus Christ is the gospel himself. If there was no Jesus Christ, if there was no Jehovah's salvation, and sent to us, anointed by God to come to us, there would be no salvation. The Lord Jesus Christ is the gospel himself. And we draw to a close. I want us to consider those who did not stay. I want to consider those found in verse 66 who walked no more with him. There is a very big difference between those who abide with Christ and those who leave. The word abide means more than just to live. It means to remain. It means to continue. It means to stay. I think most of us have dwelled in more than one house, except maybe the children. So it's got to go beyond dwelling. It means staying. Staying for the long haul. Let's look at a few portions of scripture, or at least one that deals with this fact. We'll look at two. Hebrews chapter 10. Hebrews 10, 38 and 39. Hebrews chapter 10, verses 38 and 39. Now the just shall live by faith. But if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. But we are not of them that draw back unto perdition, but of them that believe to the saving of the soul. There are those that draw back. I alluded to them from the beginning. And I want to return to this fact. There are those that do not stay the course. There are those that do not believe under the saving of the soul. There are those that do not endure until the end. I believe John chapter, 1 John chapter 2 is what I want here. No, it's not. I want 1st 2nd Peter chapter 2 2nd Peter 2 And I'm sorry this might be a little lengthy reading I Said I'm sorry, but The picture just doesn't develop if you break in any place earlier than verse after verse 9 So 2 Peter chapter 2 verse 9, it's at the end of the chapter. The Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptation and reserve the just under the day of judgment, I'm sorry, and to reserve the unjust under the day of judgment to be punished. But chiefly then they'll walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness and despise government. Presumptuous are they. self-willed, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities, whereas angels, which are greater in power and might, bring a railing accusation against them before the Lord. But these as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and to be destroyed, speak evil things that they understand not, and shall utterly perish in their own corruption. and shall receive the reward of unrighteousness as they count it pleasure to arrive in the daytime. Spots, they are, and blemishes sporting themselves with their own deceivings while they feast with you. These are folks that are among believers. They're there. having eyes full of adultery and they cannot cease to sin, beguiling unstable souls and heart they have exercised with covetous practices, cursed children, which have forsaken the right way and are gone astray, father of Balaam, the son of Bozor, who love the wages of unrighteousness. but was rebuked for his iniquity. The dumbass speaking with man's voice forbade the madness of the prophet. These are wells without water, cows that are carried with a tempest, to whom the mist of darkness is reserved forever. For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they are lured through the lust of their flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error. Again, folks, I want to note, these are among the people of God. While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption. For whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought into bondage. For if after they have escaped the pollution of this world, through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandments delivered unto them. But now Peter explains why this happens to them. But it has happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog, it returned to his own vomit again. And the sow that was washed to a wallow in the mire. Those that fall back, those that walk away were dogs. or they were like the dogs, returned to the garment. All they're doing is going back to where they came from. The place they actually never left. In their hearts, they never really left it. They tried to. They tried to pretend. They tried to fool Christ. We found earlier, he knew who was going to believe and he knew who was going to betray him. Don't think for one moment you're fooling God. Brother Wayne.