WWUTT 863 Many Disciples No Longer Walked With Him?

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There were many who turned away from Jesus and no longer followed him. And Jesus said to them, this is why

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I told you, that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the

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Father, when we understand the text. This is when we understand the text, studying

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God's word to reach all the riches of full assurance in Christ. Thank you for subscribing, and if this has ministered to you, please let others know about our program.

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Here once again is Pastor Gabe Hughes. Thank you, Becky. We come back to our study of John chapter 6, and finishing up the chapter today,

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I'll once again read from verses 60 through 71. The apostle

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John wrote, when many of Jesus' disciples heard what he had said, they replied, this is a hard saying, who can listen to it?

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But Jesus, knowing in himself that his disciples were grumbling about this, said to them, do you take offense at this?

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Then what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? It is the

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Spirit who gives life, the flesh is of no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.

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But there are some of you who do not believe, for Jesus knew from the beginning who those were who did not believe and who it was that would betray him.

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And he said, this is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the

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Father. After this, many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him. So Jesus said to the twelve, do you want to go away as well?

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Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.

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We have believed and have come to know that you are the Holy One of God. Jesus answered them, did

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I not choose you, the twelve? And yet one of you is a devil. He spoke of Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, for he, one of the twelve, was going to betray him.

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So yesterday we focused mainly on the verse where Jesus said, the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.

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But there are some of you who do not believe, as remember, Jesus searches mind and heart.

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He knows the hearts of these disciples, which ones are truly for him and which ones are not.

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He did not reveal himself to those who were with him when he divided up the loaves and the fish and fed the five thousand.

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But he revealed himself to his disciples when he came walking to them on the water, specifically the twelve whom he put in a boat and sent to the other side.

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And he did that for the purpose of being able to show his majesty to them in this way, that he was the one who created wind and sea and therefore had the power over them, that he could even walk upon them and speak a word and they would be calm.

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And this was how Jesus showed himself to his twelve, those whom the father had given to him and those

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Jesus had specifically called out to himself. These other disciples, they followed him, but they were not truly believers in him.

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They listened to what he said, but they did not understand that it is his words that give life.

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They just thought, hey, we can follow Jesus and we've got a rabbi that can teach us. And oh, look, he does some miraculous things.

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This is pretty impressive. But while they wanted to see the things that Jesus did and hear what it is that he taught regarding the law in particular, they did not want to hear that he was the one who had been sent from heaven.

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And only by feeding upon Christ, filling yourself up with his word and the knowledge of him can a person be saved.

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They wanted to be appeased in their flesh, whether it was Jesus showing them another miracle or it was a believing that they could do something by their works and therefore be saved.

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But Jesus said to them that the flesh is no help at all. Whatever it is that you're trying to satisfy in your flesh is not going to lead you to eternal life, not your works, not the treasures of this world, not the interesting philosophies that you might latch yourself onto.

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Certainly not any of the other world's religions, but it is only my faith in Christ that we come to this salvation and him alone, not sharing that glory with anyone else.

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For Jesus said, I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the father but by me.

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And if anyone tries to get to eternal life any other way, then they are saying that they don't believe the words of Christ.

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Doesn't matter if you believe 99 percent of what he says. But, you know, there's this little bit. I don't really believe it so much.

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So I'm going to chase after this other thing until I find myself fully satisfied in my spirit with all that I think that I need in order to get by.

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Well, that is a person who says that they do not believe in the word of Christ, any part of it.

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And so Jesus knew from the beginning, he says, there are some of you who do not believe.

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For Jesus knew from the beginning who those were who did not believe and who it was who would betray him.

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Now, Jesus had selected Judas because this he was going to use Judas to bring about the salvation of those who would believe in him.

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So the words that he was speaking here at this moment was not meant to drive Judas away.

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Judas still had a purpose that he was going to serve a little bit later on. But in the meantime, Jesus was indeed whittling down those who truly believed in him and those who did not.

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Remember that in Matthew chapter 10, verse 34, Jesus said, Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth.

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I have not come to bring peace, but a sword for I have come. I've come to set a man against his father and a daughter against her mother and a daughter in law against her mother in law and a person's enemies will be those of his own household.

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Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.

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And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.

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Whoever finds his life will lose it. And whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

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And so the words that Jesus says will divide. Now, now, certainly they unify and there is a unity in Jesus words.

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There is a unity in the body of Christ when the when the body of Christ loves the word that Jesus has proclaimed.

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And that unity is incomparable. There is nothing on earth like it. You will never find a group of people more unified to one another than you will find among the people of God who love the word of Christ and listen to it and meditate on it and grow according to it.

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And and fill their lives up with it. And it dictates their lives. And they they guide their lives according to what it is that Jesus has said or they orient their lives.

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I put it that way. So they walk according to what it is that Jesus has said. They live according to it.

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You will find a unity among those people that you will not find anywhere else on earth.

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In fact, Paul said in Titus chapter three that once we were hated by others and hating one another.

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But when the goodness and loving kindness of Christ our Savior appeared, he saved us not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own glory and goodness by the washing and regeneration of the

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Holy Spirit, whom he has poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ. So there was that division that existed between us and others before we came to Christ.

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There people are divided from one another. They are not unified. It is only in Christ that there is a true unity.

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But that is among those who love the word of Christ and they cling to it and they are defined by it.

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Those who do not know the word of Christ and do not love his words will be divided by his words.

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This is exactly the sword that is referenced by Jesus in Matthew chapter 10. I have not come to bring peace to the earth, but a sword.

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The words that Jesus speaks are not inherent peace to anyone who would listen to them as though they were listening for pithy little proverbs and quotes that they might cling to and write on a coffee cup or have on their happy verse calendar that they roll of rollover every day in their office.

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That's that's not what it means to love the word of Christ. Those who think of the words of Christ in such a way will be divided by his words, because once someone comes preaching what it is that Jesus has actually said, they will hate to hear it because it doesn't satisfy this fleshly longing that they have for something proverbial.

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And that's all Jesus words were good were good for just to have a little proverb for the day.

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But I don't actually want to spend time with Jesus and hear what it is that he has to say to me.

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Such a person is going to be divided by his word. They will not be unified by it. So there is indeed a deep unity that comes with loving the word of Christ.

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But for those who do not love his word, they will be divided by it. And that is what

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Jesus is doing here in the things that he is saying to these disciples, these who are described as followers of Jesus, at least in this fleshly sense, but not in the spiritual sense, because they don't understand what it is that Jesus has said and they're not willing to give up everything to follow him.

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Peter distinguishes himself from the rest of these other disciples who have walked away a little bit later on when he says, hey, we've given up everything.

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You have the words of eternal life and we have believed and come to know that you are the holy one of God.

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I'll address that answer from Peter here in just a moment. But Jesus, in the meantime, says to these disciples in verse 65,

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John 6, 65, he said, this is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the father.

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Why is it that these disciples have such a difficult time understanding what it is that Jesus has said?

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Because it has not been granted to them to understand it. I read to you again from from Matthew chapter 11, which

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I read from earlier this week, Jesus prayed to God and said, I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children.

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Yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my father and no one knows the son except the father and no one knows the father except the son and anyone to whom the son chooses to reveal him.

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So it is granted by the father that a person would hear the word of Christ and believe it. And no one can come to Jesus and truly come to him.

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Unless it has been granted him by the father. I told you no one can come to me unless it is granted to him by the father.

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A couple of chapters after that, Matthew 11, a couple of chapters later in Matthew chapter 13 is where we have the first parables of Jesus laid out.

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And when the disciples come to him and ask why he speaks in parables. The first parable is the parable of the sower.

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And when the disciples say, why do you speak to them in parables? Jesus answered like this. Matthew 13, 11 to you, it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them and has not been given.

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So Jesus speaks in parables that only those whom it has been granted to understand what it is that Jesus is saying will understand it to to the people who don't understand it has not been granted to them to understand it.

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Jesus says this in Matthew 13, he's repeating it again in John six. You cannot come to the father.

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You cannot come to Christ unless the father has granted that person to come to Jesus.

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Oftentimes, teachers will say that Jesus spoke in parables to give examples to help people understand.

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So we would provide a word picture or give some kind of a metaphor. Well, clearly, by what

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Jesus is saying here in Matthew 13, the purpose of the parables was not to make what it was that he was saying more clear, but to rather make it more hidden from those who were not meant to understand it.

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And only those to whom it was granted to understand will know what it is that Jesus meant by what he said in his in his parables.

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Those to whom it has not been granted to receive the kingdom or know Christ or know the father, they won't understand the parables.

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They don't get the parable. They don't understand what Jesus was saying here when he says, you must eat of my flesh and drink of my blood.

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And unless you do this, you have no life in you. The flesh is no help at all. The spirit is life.

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The words that I speak to you are spirit and life. The person who does not have the spirit of God cannot understand spiritual things and they don't understand what it is that Jesus is saying here.

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And he said, John 6, 65. This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the father.

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Now, verse 66, this is a paralyzing passage. I mean, this is something that really should strike fear in our hearts, lest we become like these disciples, these very ones who follow

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Jesus for a time, but then fell away. Therefore, the belief that they had was not truly belief.

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It was just a passing opinion and once presented with hard truths that they couldn't understand.

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They turned and walked away from him. John 6, 66. After this, many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him.

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It's ironic to me. I mean, it's providential, all things considered. It's by the providence of God.

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But it's ironic that this verse is John 6, 66. Why is that coincidental or why

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I would say that that is ironic? Well, it's because that's the mark of the beast that we have given to us in the book of Revelation, that the mark of the beast is the number of man.

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And when calculated, that number is 666. And it says in Revelation 13, 8, the all who dwell on the earth will worship the beast and everyone whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the lamb who was slain will follow the beast and will wear his mark.

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And what is it that we have here in John 6, 66, we have those who follow the beast, those who wear the mark that don't have the mark of Christ on their lives, but instead they reveal themselves to be disciples of Satan.

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After this, many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him.

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They never came back again. They walked their way to their own destruction. John 6, 6, 6, describing those people who did not follow

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Jesus, but instead followed in the way of Satan. That's an alarming passage that lest we become like them.

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And this faith that we claim that we have is merely a passing opinion. And it's, it's conditional.

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It's based on Jesus giving me the things that I want. And if he doesn't give me what I want or speak in ways that I like, if it's not interesting to me to worship

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God, the way that God has said that he is to be worshiped, then

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I'm going to fall away just like any of these disciples did here. Because apparently what

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I was worshiping for a time was just a God of my own making. It wasn't actually the God of the Bible. We must know

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God for who he says that he is not for what we want him to be.

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And these people here, these disciples, they were just looking for a vending machine, Jesus pop in a coin, give me what

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I want. Let me select the number and, uh, and get the, the, the candy, the sugar that it is, uh, that, that I want from you so that you might satisfy my taste buds and give me a sugar rush for a little while.

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But Jesus says you must feed on the true food that comes down from heaven and that he is the bread from heaven and that whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks of my blood, he will have eternal life.

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And when Jesus said these things, the people said, these sayings are hard. I don't understand what you're talking about.

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How can you come down from heaven when we know who your mom and dad are? How can you say heat of my flesh and drink of my blood?

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What are you a cannibal? What is this? And so Jesus said, this is why I told you no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the father.

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And after this, many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him. So Jesus said to the 12, do you want to go away as well?

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And Simon, Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed and have come to know that you are the

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Holy one of God. Now, how much Peter actually understood of the words that he just said?

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Well, we can only speculate because we know that later on, Peter is going to deny that he knew

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Jesus. He's going to say, Hey, even if all of these fall away, I will never fall away. I will go with you to your death.

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And Jesus said to him, Hey, Satan is asking to sift you like wheat, but I will pray for you that after all of this is said and done, you're going to come back to me and you're going to lead these others back to me as well, is what

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Jesus said to Peter. And so Peter may have just been giving his Sunday school answer here in response to Jesus looking for favoritism from Christ.

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But to say that he is the Holy one of God, at least indicates on Peter's part, and maybe the rest of the 12, with the exception of Judas, that they understood

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Jesus was being set apart for a specific work of God. That's what, that's what

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Peter meant when he said, we know you are the Holy one of God.

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You have been set apart for a, a specific work in God, and that is why we are following you.

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You have the words of eternal life. But even though Jesus turned to the 12 and said, are you going to go away as well?

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And Peter gives this very high exalting answer that the rest of those disciples didn't understand.

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Peter, at least in this particular moment is not told, uh, Hey, that's a great answer,

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Peter. And that comes from my father. That didn't come from your flesh for it was granted to you by my father in heaven.

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And that's the response that Jesus gives to Peter in Matthew chapter 16. But at least in the context of this particular passage, that's not the way that Jesus replies.

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Peter gives this answer that sounds like a teacher's pet sort of an answer. And how does

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Jesus respond? Verse 70 doesn't congratulate him. He says, did I, did

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I not choose you the 12? So don't congratulate yourself. Don't congratulate yourself for the fact that you follow me.

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I chose you. And he says, and yet one of you is a devil. So it's like Peter gives this,

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Hey, we know you're the son of God. That's why we're following you. And Jesus replies with, Oh yeah, well, one of you is a devil.

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And this is again, continuing to divide by his word, those who are genuine and those who are not.

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And in this particular instance, he spoke of Judas verse 71, the son of Simon Iscariot for he, one of the 12 was going to betray him.

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Jesus knew all this while, who it was, who is genuinely for him and who it was that would not believe and ultimately even betray him when it came to Judas.

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And yet all of these things were being done for the purpose of bringing about the salvation of all those who would believe in Christ.

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All of those who came to Jesus because it was granted to them by the father.

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Let us pray our heavenly father. We thank you that we have come to know and understand that Jesus Christ is the

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Holy one of God through whom you have revealed yourself, the whole fullness of God dwelt bodily in Christ through him and his death on the cross and resurrection from the grave.

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We have eternal life. All those who believe in him, may this transform everything about us.

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It transforms our outlook on life. We have hope and we have meaning and purpose in this life because we know that you are working all things together for good, for those who love

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God and are called according to your purpose. It has been granted to us by the father that we would believe and be saved.

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So to all, to you belongs all glory and honor and praise now and forever.

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Amen. You've been listening to when we understand the text of Pastor Gabe Hughes, Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, Gabe will be going through a new

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Testament study. Then on Thursday, we look at an old Testament book. On Friday, we take questions from the listeners and viewers.