“On hearing it, many of his disciples said, “This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?” Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, “Does this offend you? Then what if you see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before! The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you; they are full of the Spirit and life. Yet there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him. He went on to say, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled them.” From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him. “You do not want to leave too, do you?” Jesus asked the Twelve. Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.” John 6:60-69
I was thinking about verse 65 that reads, “He went on to say, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled them” and it reminds me of what the outcome is for those who turn away from Jesus; deny Him. In my simple thinking and worldly wording, ‘they will go to hell’. I shared that phrase in a message I gave back in 2004 at Christ Lutheran and there were a number of people who thanked me for saying that, as they hadn’t heard that painful reality very often and said they really needed to hear that more often; to be reminded.
Why is it so very important that we must urgently share the Good News about Jesus with those living in this sinful world? We don’t know when their last breath will be taken and above all, Jesus desires ALL to be saved from the fires of hell. The two girls in the attached photo know Jesus, accept Jesus as their Savior and their smiles can brighten a lost soul on the darkest path in their neighborhood with the message of salvation and Eternal Life.
Heavenly Father, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown. Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. Amen.
May God be with you…Jay