Desertion in the Ranks?

Studies in the Gospel of John #15
John 6:43-71

2 Timothy 4:9-11

“Do your best to come to me quickly, for Demas has forsaken me for love of this present world, he has deserted me and has gone to Thessalonica, Crescens has gone to Galatia and Titus to Dalmatia. Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you because he is helpful to me in my ministry.”

We don’t get spiritual stuff using our senses. The Bible teaches us that our minds, forever tainted by the Tree of Knowledge, which are filters for what we see, what we think, what we feel, what we hear, what we dream, what we imagine, can and will betray us.

Unaided by the Spirit of God and the mediating revelation of the Spirit known as the Word of God, we are incapable of recognizing and discerning God’s truth. That is why we cannot be moved by what we see, what we think, what we hear, what we smell, what we fear.

If we are to enjoy our inheritance, to live to the praise of his glory, we must be ever guided by the word of truth, the gospel of our salvation. Paul writes to the Ephesian church that it is this and this alone which enables us to be sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise.

Jesus was now in full throttle. He was laying it out on the line for all who would hear. Those who believe in me, who connect with me, have eternal life. He did not say that we would have eternal life. He said if we connect with him in faith, we have eternal life. I am the bread of life--The Living Bread--The bread that does not mold--The bread that does not get stale--The bread that never ends. Jesus flesh and blood--Jesus’ spiritual life.

We cannot have life unless we eat his flesh and drink his blood. The flesh, the bread he offers us is his very life for our life. His suffering and pain to remove our suffering and pain. His desecration on the cross to free us from the sting of death to live an eternal life, whose quality is everlasting. No decay. Only growth. No limits, only possibilities.

His blood is that which cleanses us from sin and guilt, from fear and failure. It is a sign of a new relationship between God and us. So we must eat his flesh, drink his blood; we must appropriate the saving merit of His blood. John Wesley taught and believed that the Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper is a spiritual reminder, of our taking of Christ into our lives.

Jesus continued to explain to them and to us the importance of feeding on the Christ of God.  (56) Whoever feeds on me shall live because of me. Whoever feeds on me lives in me and I live in her and him (58) Whoever feeds on me shall live forever.

But many missed it. Many tried to understand Jesus words using their natural senses. Many were not in tune, not open, not willing, not ready. The focus on things, on power, on people we perceive to be more important than ourselves--the idolatry of this world, and the things in this world, prevent us from getting the spiritual meaning.

“Demas has abandoned me for love of this present world. Only Luke is with me. Get Mark—because he his helpful to me in my ministry. Those who love the world will desert the ranks sooner or later. They may still appear to walk with Jesus. They may sit in the pews of churches.

In Matthew 15:7-9, Jesus quoted the prophecy of Isaiah 29:13, concerning those who would have a temporary and/or counterfeit response to the Christ:

“Ye hypocrites, well did Isaiah prophesy of you
saying, ‘This people draweth nigh to me with their
mouth, and honoreth me with their lips; but their heart
is far from me. In vain do they worship me,
teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.’”

Will there continue to be desertion in the ranks? Yes there will. As long as we embrace idols, both in the world and in the church, we will desert our first love, we will miss and ignore the Spirit’s pleading. We will end up forever taking notes, instead of taking note of the savior’s claim and place in our lives.

Living in accordance with dictates and ideas of human beings, of those who think they are power brokers both in the church and in the world, keep us ever separated from the life that is in Christ and Christ alone. Avoid and ignore the clique leaders, the bullies, those who intimidate and threaten for your loyalty both in the church and in the world. They can only bring a sword where there should be peace. They can only produce death where there should be life.

There need be no desertion in the ranks. We just need to know where our food, our nourishment, our life, our living, our joy, our security is to be—on Christ and Christ alone.
(66) And many of his disciples turned back and walked no longer with him. (67) So Jesus said to the Twelve, “Do you want to go away as well?” (68) Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, (69) and we have believed, and come to know, that you are the Christ of God.”

Paul wrote to Timothy (2 Tim 1:12) “But I am not ashamed for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that He is able to guard against that day, all that I have entrusted to him.”

On Christ the solid rock we stand. All other ground. All other ground. All other ground is sinking sand.