Choosing Christ When Others Walk Away

Jul 26, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: The Red Thread of Earthly Life in an Eternal Rope

A rope stretching endlessly through galaxies holds a crimson fragment representing our brief earthly existence. This vivid image confronts our tendency to obsess over temporary comforts while neglecting eternal realities. Jesus redirects His followers from chasing bread to embracing the Bread of Life. Every decision gains weight when measured against eternity’s timeline. What we cling to now determines where we’ll spend forever. [31:54]

“Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:12-14, ESV)

Reflection: Where does your daily energy flow more naturally—toward maintaining the “red thread” of earthly comfort or investing in eternal realities? What practical choice today could shift that balance?

Day 2: When Hard Teachings Empty the Pews

Crowds dissipate as Jesus declares radical claims about eating His flesh and drinking His blood. The uncomfortable truth about spiritual surrender exposes fairweather followers. Some retreat to safer philosophies; others dig deeper into the mystery. Christ’s words remain spirit and life even when they chafe against our preferences. Eternal nourishment often comes wrapped in difficult instructions. [39:07]

“When many of his disciples heard it, they said, ‘This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?’ But Jesus, knowing in himself that his disciples were grumbling about this, said to them, ‘Does this offend you?’” (John 6:60-61, ESV)

Reflection: When has a biblical truth initially offended or confused you? How did working through that discomfort deepen your relationship with Christ?

Day 3: To Whom Else Would We Go?

Peter’s raw confession erupts as others abandon Jesus—not from full understanding, but from recognizing there’s no alternative to life-giving truth. The disciples choose lingering mystery over comfortable falsehoods. Their loyalty isn’t based on cleared-up theology but on the undeniable reality that Christ alone holds eternity’s keys. [40:41]

“Simon Peter answered him, ‘Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.’” (John 6:68-69, ESV)

Reflection: What current cultural alternatives to Jesus tempt you? How does Peter’s declaration strengthen your resolve to stay rooted in Christ?

Day 4: Asking “What Now” Instead of “Why Me”

Crisis shifts focus from unanswerable whys to actionable whats. When tragedy struck John’s followers, Jesus redirected their gaze forward. This pivot transforms victims into missionaries, mourners into messengers. Every trial becomes soil for eternal purposes when we ask what God wants to grow through it. [36:13]

“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28, ESV)

Reflection: What unresolved “why” question might God be inviting you to convert into a “what now” obedience? How could this shift alter your next step?

Day 5: Heavenly Minds Fuel Earthly Good

Contrary to popular belief, eternal focus doesn’t create useless dreamers but compassionate warriors. Those anchored in heaven’s realities pour themselves out most freely on earth. The disciples’ post-Pentecost boldness flowed from their fixed gaze on Christ’s eternal reign. Our best service springs from seeing beyond the red thread. [29:46]

“If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” (Colossians 3:1-2, ESV)

Reflection: How does your eternal hope concretely affect one area of earthly responsibility this week? What mundane task gains new meaning through heaven’s lens?

Sermon Summary

John the Baptist had a finish line, and God used him to prepare the way of the Lord. John saw Jesus and said, “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world,” and John knew something new was about to happen. John’s disciples felt shock, anger, fear, and grief when John was killed, but John had already pointed them away from himself and toward Jesus. Jesus met those hurting followers with compassion, just like he met the woman at the well, the woman caught in adultery, Zacchaeus, and Mary and Martha.

Jesus fed the five thousand, but Jesus knew the crowd needed more than food in their stomachs. The crowd wanted a bread king, a Jesus who would take care of the red part of life and make things comfortable. Jesus told them he was the bread of life, and his words pushed them past the physical into the spiritual. His call to eat his flesh and drink his blood sounded hard because their minds were stuck on this life, not eternal life.

John 6 says many disciples grumbled because the saying was hard. Jesus did not soften the truth to keep the pews full. The Spirit gives life, and the flesh is no help at all. The words of Jesus are spirit and life, even when they cut across what people want Jesus to be.

The red part of the rope shows how short life on earth really is. Eternity stretches on forever, and the little red part determines where a person spends forever. Paul presses on toward the goal because Christ Jesus has taken hold of him. The tension between asking “why” and asking “what” matters because many why questions will not be answered until heaven, but the next faithful step still stands in front of a disciple.

Jesus promises trouble in this world, not a trouble free red part. Jesus also promises forgiveness, presence, and eternal life. Jesus’ truth creates two reactions: some walk away because they want a better deal, and some stay because there is nowhere else to go. Peter’s answer gets it right: “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” Judas and Peter’s failures show that disciples stumble, but failure is not the same as walking away. Christ forgives sin, casts it away, and keeps calling people to follow him. The day of the Lord will come, and Jesus will say, “Come on home to the Father. The battle’s over. Christ has won.”

Key Takeaways

1. Grief still needs direction. John’s disciples were hurt, confused, and afraid after John was killed, but John had already pointed them toward the Lamb of God. Grief can make people feel like sheep without a shepherd, but faithful grief remembers where the old shepherd pointed. The loss was real, but the direction was still Jesus. [25:45]
2. The red part is short. The rope image makes earthly life look as small as it really is beside eternity. The red part matters, but it is not all there is, and it must not become the whole point of existence. A life spent only making the red part comfortable forgets that forever is coming. [31:54]
3. Truth may empty the pews. Jesus told the truth, and many disciples turned back because they did not like what his words demanded. The hard saying revealed whether they wanted Christ himself or only what Christ could hand out. Real discipleship begins where the bread king fantasy dies. [38:46]
4. Faith comes through the Word. Miracles can amaze people, but miracles do not create saving faith by themselves. Faith comes as the Holy Spirit uses the Word of God to kindle trust in Christ. The heart is not argued or entertained into the kingdom; the Spirit gives life. [40:21]
5. Failure is not walking away. Peter denied Jesus, and Judas betrayed Jesus, so discipleship is not built on personal perfection. Sin is deadly, but Jesus forgives failures, stumbles, and wandering desires when sinners are brought back to him. Falling is not the final word when Christ still has the words of eternal life.

## [41:28]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[21:34] - Opening Prayer and Setup
[24:11] - John Points to the Lamb
[25:25] - Grief After John’s Finish Line
[26:24] - Jesus Feeds and Reorients
[28:11] - Wanting a Bread King
[29:46] - Heavenly Minded, Earthly Good
[30:10] - John 6 and the Hard Saying
[31:22] - The Rope and Eternity
[34:00] - Living for the Red Part
[36:13] - Asking What Comes Next
[38:46] - When Truth Makes People Walk Away
[40:41] - Peter’s Answer to Jesus
[43:06] - No Other Place to Go

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

John 6:60-69
“When many of his disciples heard it, they said, ‘This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?’ But Jesus, knowing in himself that his disciples were grumbling about this, said to them, ‘Do you take offense at this? Then what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. But there are some of you who do not believe.’ (For Jesus knew from the beginning who those were who did not believe, and who it was who would betray him.) And he said, ‘This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.’ After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him. So Jesus said to the twelve, ‘Do you want to go away as well?’ Simon Peter answered him, ‘Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.’” [30:10]

John 1:29
“The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, ‘Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!’” [24:39]

Philippians 3:12-14
“Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” [33:34]

Psalm 103:12
“As far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.” [42:02]

Observation questions

In John 6, what reasons do the people give for struggling with Jesus’ words, and what two different responses happen in the crowd and in the Twelve? [30:10]
After John the Baptist was killed, what kinds of emotions did his followers feel, and where had John already directed them to look? [25:25]
What does the red part of the rope represent, and what does the rest of the rope help us remember about life and eternity? [31:54]
In Psalm 103:12, how is God’s forgiveness described, and how does that picture speak to the burden of sin? [42:02]

Interpretation questions

John called Jesus “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.” Why would that title have mattered so much for grieving disciples who had just lost John? [24:39]
Jesus says, “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all.” What does that mean for people who mainly want Jesus to fix the physical and comfortable parts of life? [39:29]
Many people wanted a bread king, but Jesus kept pressing them toward eternal life. How can a person tell when they are seeking Christ himself and when they are mostly seeking what Christ can hand out? [28:11]
Peter stayed, Judas betrayed, and Peter also later denied Jesus. What is the difference between stumbling badly and truly walking away from Jesus? [41:17]

Application questions

Grief can leave people feeling like sheep without a shepherd. When loss, confusion, or disappointment hits, where does the heart naturally turn first, and what would it look like to turn again toward the Lamb of God? [25:51]
The red part is short, and eternity is long. What parts of life most tempt a person to live as though the red part is all that matters—money, comfort, health, retirement, reputation, control, something else? [34:00]
Jesus does not promise a trouble-free life, but he does promise his presence. In a current trouble, is the heart asking mainly “why did this happen?” or “what is the next faithful step?” [36:13]
Some people walked away when Jesus’ words became hard. What teachings of Jesus feel hardest to trust or obey right now, and what makes them hard? [38:46]
Peter’s words are simple and strong: “Lord, to whom shall we go?” When other voices offer a better deal, a more comfortable path, or an easier version of faith, what helps a believer stay with Jesus? [40:41]
Failure is not the same as walking away. Where is there a need to receive Christ’s forgiveness instead of hiding in shame or pretending everything is fine? [41:28]
Jesus has the words of eternal life. What would it look like this week to live like that is really true—in schedule, priorities, conversations, and prayer? [43:18]

Sermon Clips

53s

#EternalLifeNotComfort

“``People then and now wanted wanted a bread king. But Jesus came to give you something far better. He came to give eternal life. He came to die on the cross for the forgiveness of sins to save people from hell. And too often, we only think about the red part. And we're hoping that and praying that the Jesus that we believe in will make all the bad stuff in our life good and change our troubles and the joy and make it so we won't have to have a care in the world, but Jesus doesn't promise that. He does promise to make good out of bad for all things do work together for good for those who love the lord and are called according to his purpose. We know that. But he doesn't promise the absence of bad, of trouble.”

46s

#ThinkEternally

“So I want you to think spiritually. The day of the Lord will come. And Jesus, when he returns, he will say, come on home to the father. The battle's over. Christ has won. On that day, either the day of your death or the return of Jesus Christ, you will say, Lord, I followed you because you have the words of eternal life. There's no other place to go.”

44s

#FollowJesusAlways

“And Jesus turns to his inner circle, the 12 disciples, and he says, do you wanna go away as well? Do you wanna leave too? It was a pivotal moment in their lives. And then Peter steps up, good old Peter, and he says, Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have believed you have come and come to know that you're the holy one of God. And even though Peter might not fully understand what who Jesus was, he spoke the truth. And Peter, the rest of the disciples made a choice to to follow the path behind Jesus and stick with him no matter what.”

53s

#ForgivenAndFree

“And when they weren't perfect, they weren't perfect. Remember Judas betrayed him and Peter denied him. So what does that tell us? That tells us we're gonna make mistakes too, and it's a struggle. But just because we fail doesn't mean we give up because Jesus forgives our failures. When we're tempted to follow our own path, Jesus says, I can forgive that. When we stumble in our discipleship, Jesus says, I forgive that. When sin becomes more important to us than our faith, Jesus says, I can forgive that. He can take your sin and cast them in the wind. As far as the East is from the West, he says, I won't remember them no more.”

50s

#LiveInLightOfEternity

“One of the things I've discovered is that when tragedy happens, when things happen beyond our control, we ask the question why when we should be asking the question what. We ask the question, why did this happen? But the question really is, what does this mean now? What is next? What are we to do now? And I know in life that a lot of the why questions won't be answered till you get to heaven. Is that true? You won't know the answer to that question. So let me ask you. Are you living in your life in light of eternity? Are you living your life in light of eternity? Are you just focused in on this red part?”

67s

#InvestInEternity

“Now what blows me away that is that some people, all you think about is this red part. All you think about is this red part. You're consumed by this red part. And you say to yourself, I'm gonna work hard here and here so that when I get here when I get here, I can I can save, save, save, and really enjoy this part of my life? But all this other part that you have here is before you, and this part determines where you're gonna spend eternity. Ever thought of it that way? So why would I spend all my resources on this red part to make myself comfortable, enjoy my life as much as I can when I know that this is coming? Eternity is coming. We get one chance in life, and it could end for us any day.”

42s

#CreatedForEternity

“And as pastor Jason said last week, Jesus was telling the people, you're settling for too little. You're missing the bigger picture. The human heart was created for something eternal. The most unnatural thing you'll ever do in your life is die. That's totally unnatural. You were created to live forever, but when Adam and Eve brought sin into the world, they brought death with it. So when death seems so foreign to you, it should seem foreign to you because you weren't created to die. You were created to live forever.”

33s

#WhoDoYouSayJesusIs

“You see, what they wanted was a bread king. Jesus fed them and they were like, wow, you know, this is pretty cool. And they wanted a Jesus to complete all their physical needs. And their idea of what Jesus was like was not who Jesus was. And sometimes we create a Jesus in our own thinking. So who do you think Jesus is? And then we come up with some sort of interesting answer for people. But Jesus tells us who he is.”

39s

#NoTimeToWaste

“We can't waste another single minute of our day. There's a world dying out there, people going to hell because they have yet not heard the good news of Jesus Christ. We can't waste another single day. In John chapter six, Jesus seems to be doing when you first read this, he drives people away with his words, and evidently, he didn't read the church growth books that I've read. Okay? You know, you gotta suck up to people and make them feel comfortable in worship, you know, and but Jesus told the truth. He told the truth. And when he told the truth, some people walked away.”

39s

#FaithNotMiracles

“You know, Jesus says this, what if you would see the son of man ascending to where he was before? And what Jesus is saying is is that he did ascend into heaven. Remember that? But he's saying, what if he saw me do that? Is that gonna make you believe? Miracles don't make people believe. Faith comes from hearing the word of God. Faith comes to the work of the holy spirit. We believe in Jesus Christ because the holy spirit used God's word to kindle faith in our hearts.”

44s

#ChooseToStay

“And I wanna end on the question Jesus asked his disciples. Do you wanna go away as well? And many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him. But here's the good news. Not everyone turned their back on Jesus. In fact, was a turning point for a lot of people, and they they made a total commitment to the Lord for their lives, and I hope that's you. On the other hand, some people heard the demands and walked away, and and and they went off in search of a better deal.”

54s

#BreadOfLifeMeaning

“And in order to get people to think spiritually, Jesus says to them, and this is in the verses before our text for today, this they were totally taken by surprise. Jesus said, You need to eat his flesh, drink his blood. And what they were thinking physically, that's heavy. I don't know if we can do that. But Jesus was saying, No, I am the bread of life. I'm talking spiritually, and you are stuck in the physical world. I can't imagine what would happen later on when Jesus says, you need to take up your cross, which was a death instrument at that time, and follow me. So Jesus was trying to get them to think spiritually, not physically.”

30s

#HeavenlyMindedEarthlyGood

“You ever heard this that you're so heavenly minded you're no earthly good? You ever heard that? That's not true. I find out I find that the people who are the most heavenly minded are the most earthly good. Let me say that again. The people that are the most heavenly minded are the most earthly good. So let's get into our story from today. It's in John chapter six. It's printed out for you in your bulletin.”

69s

#FollowTheLamb

“I'm going to spring off of pastor Jason's sermon last week when you heard pastor Jason say, have you ever noticed this in life that there's always another finish line? John's John reached his finish line, and he said, you know, I reached my finish line because something new was about to happen. Something new was about to happen, and that's why John was looking forward, not backwards. And even though it was according to God's plan, the people that were with John, his disciples, they fell into the depression when John was killed. There was shock, anger, fear. Are we next? They were like sheep without a shepherd. But in the midst of their grief, they remembered what John had told them, the lamb of God. Go follow him. I must decrease and he must increase. Something new was happening.”

44s

#JesusMeetsYou

“But before we get into our text this morning, I want to encourage that if you feel lost, confused ever, you feel hurt, Jesus says, you know, I'm here with you always. And he will meet you where you're at and love you to himself. And he did that with the followers of John the Baptist. He did that with the woman at the well. He did that with the woman caught in adultery. He did that with Zacchaeus, the tax collector. He did that with Mary and Martha who lost their brother, Lazarus. And he will do the same for you, which brings me to the sermon title this morning, when people walk away.”

48s

#FeedBothBodyAndSoul

“And he pointed into the lamb of God and they followed Jesus, and Jesus had compassion. But remember what the disciples said, they wanted Jesus all to themselves. And he said, Jesus, it's getting late. Tell them to go find something to eat. 5,000 of them. And what did Jesus say? You give them something to eat. You give them something to eat. But they were at a loss of how to do it. And so Jesus fed the crowd in in the midst of their their loss and their pain, and he met their physical needs. But what he really knew in his head is that they really needed their spiritual needs And that's when he told them that he was the bread of life.”

64s

#LifeVsEternity

“One of the best illustrations of this scripture I've ever heard comes from a pastor named Francis Chan. You're wondering what this was. Why is that rope up there? Imagine that this rope rope goes on forever. I mean, it goes out into the Gulf. It circles around the world a million times, and it goes out into outer space into infinity and beyond. Okay? Now you see this red part? red part represents your life here on Earth. In comparison to eternity, it's not very not very long, is it? This represents your timeline on Earth. You have a few short years on Earth, and then you will spend eternity somewhere else. So this is your existence.”

36s

#PrayForFaith

“Lord god, heavenly father, we thank you for being our savior who died on the cross. We thank you for being our lord whom we follow. And if there's someone here this morning that this is totally foreign to them, I pray that your holy spirit would kindle faith in their hearts. And, father, that your word and your holy spirit will bring them to faith in you for something that we cannot do on our own. It's something that only you can do.”

33s

#ShineYourLight

“And, we pray that you will continue to bless this ministry at Hope on the Beach and all who come here, that they will always hear the good news of Jesus who died for them, who rose for them, who lives for them, who prepared a place for them. And, we ask that, as we go about our day to day, you have called us to be light of the world. Shine your light through us, Lord, that people, when they see us, will see you.”

46s

#JesusWithUs

“In fact, Jesus says just the opposite. In this world, you will have trouble. Do we have trouble in this world? Yeah. We do. In our personal lives, in the church, The United States, in politics, in Iran. I could go on and on. During those downtimes, because we will have good times and downtimes in our lives, We can remember Jesus is with us we have so much work to do.”

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