(Clip) Christ Wants Our Reaffirmation to Him
Tim Conway emphasizes the importance of reaffirming our commitment to Christ amidst challenges and the departure of others from the faith.
This sermon focuses on the moment in John 6:66 where many disciples turned away from Jesus, highlighting how Jesus did not try to stop them or renegotiate terms but instead asked the remaining disciples if they wanted to leave too. The emphasis is on the need for a fresh commitment and full allegiance to Jesus, even when others walk away, as He desires surrender of everything from His followers.
Full Transcript
John 6.66 Again, we get this feel for Jesus of Nazareth, the historical Jesus of Nazareth. 6.66, After this, many of the disciples turned back and no longer walked with Him. Jesus said to the twelve, Do you want to go away as well? Simon Peter answered Him, Lord, to whom shall we go? Oh, you have the words of eternal life.
And see, here's the thing, He not only let many of His disciples walk away that day, He even looked over at the inner circle. Isn't that amazing? You guys want to go too? He not only was not trying to keep all the other disciples from going, He wasn't saying, well, hold on guys, hold on. Maybe we can renegotiate terms here.
If you didn't like something I said, maybe we can tone that down. He never did that. He laid it out there.
They didn't want it on His terms. They didn't accept Him for who He was. They didn't accept what He was calling them to.
And they walked. He didn't argue. He didn't debate.
He didn't deliberate. He didn't throw Himself in the way. In fact, what He does is He looks over at the other guys who aren't walking and He says, Do you guys want to go too? I mean, put yourself in that place.
Here you are, Peter. He looks at you. He's like, Lord, I wasn't walking.
We weren't going. Why are you directing your attention to us? But you see, that's what He always does. You know what He wanted? A reaffirmation right there.
Are you guys totally in? And see, He does that. We can watch other people walk away. You can watch people leave your church.
You can watch people turn their backs and they go away. And see, we can stand there. But even there, the Lord is not going to let us be spectators.
Because He's going to turn right to you and say, are you all in? Can you affirm? Am I your all? Am I the only answer? Full allegiance to Me? All in or all out? That's what He was looking for in these guys. He wants them to reaffirm. Are you still all in or not? His question to you.
Do you want to go away as well? What's He looking for? Fresh commitment. So therefore, any one of you who does not surrender, all that he has cannot be My disciple. What does Christ want you to surrender? In a word.
One word. Everything.
Sermon Outline
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I
- The historical context of Jesus' teaching
- The reaction of the disciples
- The significance of their choice
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II
- Jesus' approach to those leaving
- The challenge to the inner circle
- The call for reaffirmation
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III
- The importance of full allegiance
- The question of commitment
- The necessity of surrender
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IV
- Understanding what it means to be 'all in'
- The implications of discipleship
- Christ's demand for everything
Key Quotes
“Do you want to go away as well?” — Tim Conway
“He wants them to reaffirm. Are you still all in or not?” — Tim Conway
“One word. Everything.” — Tim Conway
Application Points
- Reflect on your personal commitment to Christ and what it means to be 'all in'.
- Consider the implications of discipleship and what you may need to surrender.
- Encourage others in your community to reaffirm their faith and commitment to Jesus.