John 6:66 At this point many of his disciples turned away and deserted him. 67 Then Jesus turned to the Twelve and asked, “Are you also going to leave?” 68 Simon Peter replied, “Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words that give eternal life. 69 We believe and know you are God's Holy One. 70 Then Jesus said, “I chose the twelve of you, but one is a devil.” 71 He was speaking of Judas, son of Simon Iscariot, one of the Twelve, who would later betray him.
Jesus turned to the twelve after many other disciples turned away and deserted Him and said, "Are you also going to leave?" To which Peter replied, "Lord, to whom would we go? Jesus chose the twelve, and they were seeing all of these other disciples leave, so it must have been a tumultuous time for them in their hearts, "Do I stay, or do I go?" Then Jesus tells them, "I chose you," and you will be with me. At that point, Jesus says, "One of you is a devil," He spoke of Judas, who would later betray Him. Jesus knows who is for Him and who is against Him. We can still be guilty of betraying Jesus if we ignore the Spirit's call in our hearts. That call sets us on mission for God. There is a lot of talk about these being the last days before Jesus' return for His church. In Matthew 24, Jesus speaks of the last days and what will happen during those days. Matthew 24: 4 Jesus told them, “Don’t let anyone mislead you, 5 for many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah.’ They will deceive many. 6 And you will hear of wars and threats of wars, but don’t panic. Yes, these things must take place, but the end won’t follow immediately. 7 Nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in many parts of the world. 8 But all this is only the first of the birth pains, with more to come.
9 “Then you will be arrested, persecuted, and killed. You will be hated all over the world because you are my followers. 10 And many will turn away from me and betray and hate each other. 11 And many false prophets will appear and will deceive many people. 12 Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold. 13 But the one who endures to the end will be saved. 14 And the Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all nations will hear it; and then the end will come. 15 “The day is coming when you will see what Daniel the prophet spoke about—the sacrilegious object that causes desecration[d] standing in the Holy Place.” (Reader, pay attention!)
Pay attention to the fact that we will face persecution, and the experience of many followers of Jesus will fall away. They will not only fall away but they will betray each other and hate each other. He then goes on to say that sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love many will grow cold. Then He says, "endure to the end!" Also, the Good News will be preached throughout the entire world so that all nations will hear it; and then the end will come.
The question is "Where Can I Go?" Peter's reply to Jesus is ours as well. Everything is about Jesus and sharing His message to others. If you follow Jesus then "you are in the deep end." Being in the deep end is awesome for those following Jesus, but do not despair. God is there with us. The Psalmist said it this way Psalms 42: 5 Why are you in despair, my soul? And why are you restless within me? Wait for God, for I will again praise Him For the help of His [i]presence, my God. 6 My soul is in despair within me; Therefore I remember You from the land of the Jordan And the peaks of Hermon, from Mount Mizar. 7 Deep calls to deep at the sound of Your waterfalls; All Your breakers and Your waves have passed over me.
Here is where I go. I have to go to Jesus, and guess what? He is there just waiting to give me hope to live my everyday life because He knows what it means to live on this ole sinful earth, and Jesus says, "Keep going." What else can I do, but keep going. Keep going with me and we can handle the pressures of this life with Jesus and with each other.
Today's Message,
David Warren
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