WHO IS OFFENDED AT BEING SAVED ETERNALLY?: THE LEGALISTS AND THE WRONG FOCUS

WHO IS OFFENDED AT BEING SAVED ETERNALLY?: THE LEGALISTS AND THE WRONG FOCUS

Our discourse will be from John 6: 25 - 71 but I need to do this build up.

1 Cor 1:

22 For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom:

IT WAS OKAY FOR THE JEWS TO SEEK A SIGN. THEY KNEW GOD ENOUGH TO KNOW HE GIVES SIGNS.

For instances,

Exodus 8:23

And I will put a division between my people and thy people: to morrow shall this sign be.

1 Kings 13:3

And he gave a sign the same day, saying, This is the sign which the Lord hath spoken; Behold, the altar shall be rent, and the ashes that are upon it shall be poured out.

Isaiah 37:30

And this shall be a sign unto thee, Ye shall eat this year such as groweth of itself; and the second year that which springeth of the same: and in the third year sow ye, and reap, and plant vineyards, and eat the fruit thereof.

Isaiah 38:7

And this shall be a sign unto thee from the Lord, that the Lord will do this thing that he hath spoken;

Luke 2:12

And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

EVEN MOSES KNEW THE PEOPLE OF GOD ENOUGH TO KNOW THEY WOULD REQUIRE FROM HIM A SIGN THAT GOD TRULY CALLED HIM. GOD DID NOT HESITATE.

Gen 4:

8 And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe thee, neither hearken to the voice of the first sign, that they will believe the voice of the latter sign.

9 And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe also these two signs, neither hearken unto thy voice, that thou shalt take of the water of the river, and pour it upon the dry land: and the water which thou takest out of the river shall become blood upon the dry land.

SO IT WAS OKAY FOR THE JEWS TO ASK JESUS FOR A SIGN.

THE PROBLEM IS; JESUS CAME ARMED WITH ALL THE SIGNS BUT THEY (JEWS) WERE NOT SEEING IT.

Hear what Jesus said;

John 6:26 NIV

26 Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw the signs I performed but because you ate the loaves and had your fill.

THEY DID NOT 'SEE' THE SIGN. THEY SAW THE MIRACLE.

Luke 8:10

And he said, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand.

THE SIGNS WERE THERE.

BUT THEY WERE BLIND. JESUS SAID SO.

Luke 6

39 And he spake a parable unto them, Can the blind lead the blind? shall they not both fall into the ditch?

IN THE REAL SENSE, THEY WERE BLINDED.

HOW ?

B Y T H E L A W !

See it here;

2 Cor 3:

14 But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which vail is done away in Christ.

15 But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the vail is upon their heart.

IN THE READING OF THE OLD TESTAMENT...

VERSUS

IN CHRIST.

THEY WERE BLINDED BECAUSE THEIR FOCUS WAS WRONG.

THEIR FOCUS WAS THE OLD COVENANT NOT THE NEW.

THEIR FOCUS WAS MOSES, NOT CHRIST.

SO JESUS' MINISTRY WAS FULL OF THE SIGNS THAT AFFIRM HIM AS MESSIAH, BUT THE JEWS WERE BLINDED BY THE LAW.

THIS IS THE LOT OF THE LEGALISTS TODAY.

THEY HAVE THE WRONG FOCUS.

AND SO ARE BEING BLINDED FROM SEEING THE SIGNS OF GRACE.

#Expectmore

- Adeolu O. V