John 6:35-37
"Jesus said to them, 'I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.'"
"I'm not really a religious person," he said, "but there was just no other avenue for me to explain anything or to experience anything. So I asked for the chaplain on the Navy ship. I saw him and the cross on his chest, and I broke down in tears. I don't think humanity has evolved to the point of being able to comprehend what we're looking at right now, because it was otherworldly."
— Reid Wiseman, Artemis II
Colossians 1:15-22
"He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.
And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him."
"No man ever saw Christ truly and was left unchanged."
— Charles Spurgeon
"I looked back at the previous ten years of VeggieTales videos and realized that a lot of what we were teaching kids was: 'God made you special, and He loves you very much.' That's true. But it's not the whole story. We weren't teaching kids that they were sinners, or that they needed a Savior."
— Phil Vischer, Creator of VeggieTales
Zacchaeus, the Witness Who Was Never the Same
Luke 19:1-7
"He entered Jericho and was passing through. And behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector and was rich. And he was seeking to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was small in stature. So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was about to pass that way. And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, 'Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.' So he hurried and came down and received him joyfully. And when they saw it, they all grumbled, 'He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.'"
What is needed in order for a person to first see Jesus rightly?
Sin.
Jesus, Friend of Sinners
Luke 19:9-10
"And Jesus said to him, 'Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came…'"
Jesus came to:
- "To show people what a good person looks like."
- "To teach people how to get to heaven."
- "To die on the cross for the sins of the world."
Luke 19:10
"For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost."
"We know nothing aright in religion, if we think the sense of sin should keep us back from Christ. To feel our sins, and know our sickness is the beginning of real Christianity… Happy indeed are they who have found out their soul's disease! Let them know that Christ is the very Physician they require, and let them apply to him without delay."
— J.C. Ryle
The Danger of Spiritual CIP (Congenital Insensitivity to Pain)
Congenital Insensitivity to Pain (CIP): a rare genetic disorder where a person cannot feel physical pain.
Jesus, the Great Physician
Luke 19:8-10
"And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, 'Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.' And Jesus said to him, 'Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.'"
Luke 18:22
"When Jesus heard this, he said to him, 'One thing you still lack. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.'"
"What does 'coming' mean? It means that movement of the soul which takes place when a man, feeling his sins, and finding out that he cannot save himself, hears of Christ, applies to Christ, trusts in Christ, lays hold on Christ, and leans all his weight on Christ for salvation. When this happens, a man is said, in scriptural language, to 'come' to Christ."
— J.C. Ryle
Jesus, the One Who Never Leaves
"No, wait" — we say, cautiously approaching Jesus — "you don't understand. I've really messed up, in all kinds of ways."
I know, he responds.
"You know most of it, sure. Certainly more than what others see. But there's perversity down inside me that is hidden from everyone."
I know it all.
"Well — the thing is, it isn't just my past. It's my present too."
I understand.
"But I don't know if I can break free of this any time soon."
That's the only kind of person I'm here to help.
"The burden is heavy — and heavier all the time."
Then let me carry it.
"It's too much to bear."
Not for me.
"You don't get it. My offenses aren't directed toward others. They're against you."
Then I am the one most suited to forgive them.
"But the more of the ugliness in me you discover, the sooner you'll get fed up with me."
Whoever comes to me I will never cast out.
— Dane Ortlund
"No man ever saw Christ truly and was left unchanged."
— Charles Spurgeon
John 6:35-37
"Jesus said to them, 'I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.'"