How Far Does Your Fatih Go?

To what lengths would you go to truly live out your faith?

There was once a tightrope walker who did incredible aerial feats. All over Paris, he would do tightrope acts at tremendously scary heights. Later on, in succeeding acts as his skills developed, he would put on a blindfold and go across the tightrope while pushing a wheelbarrow.

An American promoter read about this in the papers and wrote a letter to the tightrope walker, saying,

"Tightrope, I don't believe you can do it, but I'm willing to make you an offer. For a very substantial sum of money, besides all your transportation fees, I would like to challenge you to do your act over Niagara Falls."

Now, Tightrope wrote back,

"Sir, although I've never been to America and seen the Falls, I'd love to come."

Well, after a lot of promotion and setting the whole thing up, many people came to see the event. Tightrope was to start on the Canadian side and come to the American side. Drums roll, and he came across the rope which was suspended over the treacherous part of the falls – blindfolded and pushing a wheel barrow!! As predicted, he made it across easily. To prove his skills, he went back the other way with no effort at all. Finally, making his way back to the American side, he befuddled the crowd by pausing halfway across the tightrope and sitting down in the wheelbarrow! When he finally made it back to the American side, the crowds went wild.

The tightrope walker then approached the promoter in front of all the crowds and said,

"Well, Mr. Promoter, now do you believe I can do it?"
"Well of course I do. I mean, I just saw you do it."
"No," said Tightrope, "do you really believe I can do it?"
"Well of course I do, you just did it three times."
"No, no, no," said Tightrope, "do you believe I can do it?"
"Yes," said Mr. Promoter, "I believe you can do it."
"Good," said Tightrope, "then you get in the wheel barrow."

And although the promoter had been amazed and seen the tightrope walker perform the unbelievable, he could not bring himself to risk his belief with his eyes.

Such it was in Jesus time. In John 6, we see several scenes, beginning with Jesus feeding the 5000, Jesus escaping the crowd and walking on water, and then the ensuing pursuit of the once again hungry crowd in search for the man who fed them. When they finally find Jesus, he rebukes their empty stomachs and commands them to believe in what they have just witnessed. To that end, he calls himself the true bread from heaven; if a man eats of it(me), he will indeed never be hungry again. And after explaining who he was and with the crowds ready to follow him to the end, he tells them that in order to live by what they have seen and believe, they must be ready to eat his flesh and drink his blood – to live as he lives and to die and he dies. Upon hearing this, the once fervent among them hung their heads and walked away in shame and fear.

The word believe, in Greek can simply mean "to live by.” Just as the man was unwilling to get into the wheel barrow, so too, many of Jesus’ followers were unwilling to believe the miracle before them and trust that Jesus was the Savior of the world. The same is for us today: are we willing to fully commit ourselves to Jesus and what he has done in our own lives, or will we, sadly, refuse a deeper life afforded by eating the flesh and drinking the blood of our Savior?

As you worship this week:

Meditate – on the idea that Jesus is the Bread of Life, the True Bread from heaven.
Contemplate – on the miraculous things that you’ve specifically seen the Master do in your own life.
Seek – God’s strength that you would find the faith necessary to go deeper in relationship and commitment to Him
Find – the abundance and joy of living a life that pairs both belief and the radical faith through living by it.

Resounding Themes:

Trading Shame for Courage, Fear for Faith
The Blood that Saves Us
Freedom in Sacrifice

Getting READY to Worship

Ready, Set, READ

John 6

Ready, Set, MEDITATE

- What great miracle does Jesus perform before the people in John 6? What is the people’s immediate response? What did they intend for Jesus?

- When Jesus escapes the people and goes to the other side of the lake, they pursue and find him – what does Jesus anticipate they want? Does Jesus feed them again? If so, how? How does Jesus explain himself as the True Bread they really need?

- By what teaching did Jesus instruct the people that if they truly believed, they would have to do? What did the people think he was talking about? What do you think he was talking about? In the end, how did the majority of his disciples respond to such radical call to faith? Who remained? Why?

- How have you experienced Jesus as the True Bread? What first drew you to Jesus? What continues to draw you today? Are you willing to eat his flesh and drink his blood in order to have a part with him? What does that look like in your own life?

Ready, Set, PRAY

Mighty God, Whose amazing activity and creative purpose is evident all creation, we worship at Your feet. Lord, our hearts and our knees and our wills are bowed low as we eagerly anticipate what next You will accomplish in the world.

Lord, if our eyes were faith, we would be steadfast. If our memory was resilient, we would be obedient. And if our knowledge of Who You are was understood, how incredibly wise we would truly be. Yet, Father, we confess that our steadfastness is shaky under the weight of responsibility, our obedience lacks consistency, and our wisdom is not tempered with understanding. In truth, we cannot wear the mantle of discipleship because our shoulders are unsure of such a load.

Perfect us, Oh Lord! How light is the yoke of Christ when the burden is shared! May the blood of His purpose become the very quench of our inner destruction, and the bread of His flesh our only provision. And as we come along side the Savior, grant us the courage to stand firm and not desert his cross, run from his suffering, or flee from his sacrifice. Rather, would we be purified and sanctified and glorified through the power of Christ’s blood…given for the sins of the world…through which we pray.

AMEN.

Ready, Set, WORSHIP!