02-08-09 Sermon Review

Walking with Jesus
John 6:13-31

A while back, I remember a famous pop star coming out with a song called "Jesus Walk with Me" and so many Christians were extremely excited about it. I listened to the song and found it to have no Biblical grounding. It was simply a song that makes one "feel good" at the thought of someone being there with them. It takes sin and discipleship lightly. It is nothing like the biblical idea of walking with Jesus. The fact that many Christians find nothing wrong with such a song makes me think that many Christians simply do not understand what it means to walk with Jesus. I enjoy the Gospels because it shows us what it was like to really walk alongside Jesus. Our text for today will do just that.

The big question regarding this topic is not "Is Jesus walking with me?" The question is "Am I walking with Jesus?" Jesus is not a motivational speaker, a psychological crutch, or even a friend who believes you can do everything. He is the sovereign Lord, and walking with Him means we are following after Him. In the text for today, we will see that walking with Jesus meant that his disciples will be tested, confronted, and finally, demanded a response.

You will be tested. - The text starts off with something interesting: Jesus "compelled" his disciples to go on without him. What's interesting is that they are sent by themselves into the sea on Jesus' initiative. Not Satan's, not our own, but Christ's. By this time, the disciples would have already seen many signs and miracles pointing to the divinity of Christ. In fact, they had already seen Jesus calm the sea. So here was the test: Would the disciples trust in Christ and in His Sovereignty in the midst of a dangerous storm? They didn't. They were scared. Instead of crying out to the one who could save, they relied on their own strength. Yet Jesus did not abandon them. As you walk with Jesus, be sure to be tested by Him through carious trials. And indeed, you will fail many times. This is not to depress you, but rather to move you to put more trust in Jesus Christ. And there will be times where you pass, and it will be a time of great rejoicing. Please keep in mind that you are put under these trials so that your faith "may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed" (1 Peter 1:7).

You will be confronted. - Jesus does not take sin lightly. Jesus also does not take sinful motives lightly. Any sinful motive in following Jesus will be confronted by the master Himself. Any who follows Christ for some other goal rather than for Christ Himself is following Christ for the wrong reason. All of us will be confronted on this issue. When the crowds came to Jesus, they showed great zeal. They crossed over the sea to where Jesus was and even called Him by the respectful title "Rabbi." Yet, Jesus confronts them and brings out their true motive in following Him: full stomachs. They were not interested in the Messiah but the power to stop their phsyical hunger. Jesus does not even commend them. He clearly rebukes them. Why are you following after Jesus? Not all who desire to "walk with Jesus" will walk with Him. Only those who are ready to follow Him for who He is will walk with Him.

You will need to respond. - Jesus' rebuke ends with a exhortation. What a heart our Savior has for the lost! Rather than condemning them out right, He gives them yet another chance to repent and walk with Him rightly. He calls them to do works for "food that endures to eternal life." He does not say it's okay, He demands a response, a call to repentance. The crowd responds with a seemingly "godly" question: "What must we do to do the works of God." Jesus responds by telling them to belive in Him. You see, it all boils down to your response to the person of Christ, and you need to make a decision. We cannot take a middle position. Those who are not for Him are against Him (Matthew 12:30). The crowd then replies with another demand for signs. Rather than accepting what Christ demands, they wanted to push him until they received something that was palatable to them. Walking with Jesus is a matter of obedience to the Lordship of Christ. Jesus made it clear what His demands are. We need to respond with joyful obedience.

Walking with Jesus is not what our pop stars and media (and even some of our churches) make it out to be. It is a very serious matter, a matter of life and death. It is something that Christ takes seriously. All those who are walking with Him must remember that they will be tested, confronted, and demanded to follow His leadership. That is what walking with Jesus looks like. It is a life of discipleship that conforms us more and more into the image of Christ. It all starts with our trust in Him as the Lord of lords. Those who walk with Him have truly found it to be far greater than what the world offers. Will you ask yourselves today, "Am I walking with Jesus?" I pray that you already are. And I pray you are coming to love Him more and more as you are transformed into the image of the One who saved you with His death on the cross. Stay strong in the Lord and God bless!