1. "No one is barred from coming to God except those who reject God. That's what sin fundamentally is, rejection of God."

2. "Jesus doesn't say whoever cleans themselves up enough and comes to me, not whoever has all their questions answered and comes to me with enough faith. Jesus simply says, whoever."

3. "The worst sinner you know is the person you see in the mirror."

4. "If there's hope for Tom, there is hope for you. Anyone can come to Jesus."

5. "Matthew was a tax collector who loved Rome. Simon was a Jewish zealot who hated Rome. They came to Jesus with radically different political views yet found unity in Jesus. Matthew learned to love Rome less. Simon learned to love Rome more. They both learned to love Jesus most."

6. "Brothers and sisters, have you cast out of your heart a fellow church member whom Jesus has welcomed into his because they differ from you?"

7. "It is not your place to disinvite anyone from this party that you did not plan nor pay for."

8. "Greater than any of our differences are two things we all have in common. Number one, we're all made in God's image. And number two, we're all in desperate need of Jesus."

9. "On the cross, Jesus experienced to an infinite degree what Adam and Eve experienced when they sinned. Exile from fellowship with God."

10. "Brothers and sisters, we're only saved once, of course, but we keep coming to Jesus. We don't ever leave. Where else would we go? He has the words of life. What else would we do? He's done it all."

Observation Questions

1. In John 6:37, what two distinct promises does Jesus make regarding those who come to Him?

2. According to John 6:37, who gives people to Jesus, and what does Jesus say will happen to all those who are given to Him?

3. In Psalm 27:10, what contrast does the psalmist draw between human relationships and the Lord's response to the forsaken?

4. In John 6:28-29, when the people ask Jesus what they must do to perform the works of God, how does Jesus answer them?

5. According to 2 Kings 17 as referenced in the sermon, why did God cast Israel out of His sight?

6. In Luke 15, how does the older brother respond to the father's welcome of the prodigal son, and what does this reveal about his heart?

Interpretation Questions

1. Why is the word "whoever" in John 6:37 so significant for understanding the scope of salvation, and how does this connect to Article 6's statement that salvation is offered "to all"?

2. How does Jesus being "cast out" of God's presence on the cross explain why He will "never cast out" those who come to Him in faith?

3. What does the example of Matthew the tax collector and Simon the Zealot following Jesus together teach us about the nature of Christian unity and the diversity of Christ's followers?

4. According to the sermon, why is it important that salvation requires no preconditions like self-improvement, sufficient faith, or a certain age—and yet still involves "stipulations" of submitting to Christ's will?

5. How does John 6:29—"This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent"—challenge common assumptions about what it takes to be right with God?

Application Questions

1. The sermon asked, "Do you share the gospel as if anyone can come to Jesus?" Who is someone in your life you've mentally written off as unlikely to believe, and what would it look like to pray for them and share the gospel with them this week?

2. Is there a fellow church member or believer whom you have "cast out of your heart" because they differ from you politically, culturally, or socially? What specific step can you take to pursue unity with them?

3. The sermon emphasized that Christians don't just come to Jesus once but keep coming to Him continually. What is one area of your life right now where you are tempted to rely on your own strength instead of coming to Jesus in dependence and faith?

4. How might the truth that "the worst sinner you know is the person in the mirror" change the way you view others who seem more obviously sinful, and how should this affect your conversations and attitudes this week?

5. Jesus's invitation is simple: "Whoever comes to me I will never cast out." If you are not yet a Christian, what is holding you back from trusting in Jesus today? If you are a Christian, how can you communicate this simple, surprising invitation to someone in your life?

Additional Bible Reading

1. Acts 10:1–48 — This passage shows the surprising inclusion of the Gentile Cornelius in the people of God, illustrating that "whoever" truly means anyone can come to Jesus.

2. Luke 15:11–32 — The parable of the prodigal son and his resentful older brother demonstrates both the Father's radical welcome and the danger of excluding others from God's party.

3. Ephesians 2:11–22 — Paul explains how Christ has broken down the dividing wall between Jew and Gentile, creating one new people united in Him, reinforcing the theme of diverse people coming to Jesus.

4. Romans 10:9–17 — This passage emphasizes that salvation is available to "everyone who calls on the name of the Lord" and highlights the role of believers in proclaiming the gospel so that others may come.

5. Isaiah 55:1–7 — God's invitation to "everyone who thirsts" to come freely without cost echoes the sermon's emphasis on the freeness of salvation offered to all.

Sermon Main Topics

I. The Year 2020 Has Been Surprising and Introduces Our Study of Article 6

II. Article 6: The Freeness of Salvation Explained

III. Anyone Can Come to Jesus (John 6:37)

IV. Different People Will Come to Jesus

V. You Can Come to Jesus and You Should

Detailed Sermon Outline

How would you finish the following sentence? The year 2020 has been fill in the blank. How would you fill in that blank?

Friends, a group this large could offer lots of different answers, and some of them would represent polar opposites. So you might say, for me, the year 2020 has been my best year. Someone else might say, the year 2020 has been my worst. At the risk of speaking for you, though, I think most of us could agree 2020 has been so far a surprising year. That's how I would finish the sentence.

The year 2020 has been surprising, to say the least. Proverbs 27:1 has never seemed more true. Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring.

In the Bible, we find obvious verses like that one in Proverbs, and we also find surprising verses like the one we'll look at in John six. Before we turn there though, let me give you a breakdown of this sermon, because like our circumstances these last few months, this sermon will be a bit different than a normal exposition. And here's how. I'm gonna briefly explain the article from our statement of faith we're considering today, and then we're going to focus in on one phrase of that article in light of a phrase, really a word in John 6:37. So I'm going to briefly explain the article and then I'm going to deal with a chunk of it as we deal with a chunk of John 6:37.

Alright, so here we go. On the statement of faith in our article for today. For the past six weeks as a church, we've been going through the most important document in our church outside of Scripture, our statement of faith. Visitors, if you want to know what this church believes, this is the best document for you to find. It's on our church website.

The members of this church may disagree on some things, even important things outside of this document, but every member of this church believes these important doctrines. And so the statement of faith is the chief document of unity within our church, second only to the Scripture It summarizes. Today we're thinking about Article 6 in our statement of faith, which we confessed earlier, of the freeness of salvation. And it speaks to how widely God offers salvation. The good news of the gospel is not just that salvation is free, but that it's free to all, for all.

Here's a summary of this article in a sentence. No one is barred from coming to God except those who reject God.

No one is barred from coming to God except those who reject God. That's what sin fundamentally is, rejection of God. All of us have sinned. All of us are without excuse before God and so we deserve God's wrath. Now, beloved, I recognize this is a hard word, but it being hard makes it no less true or less good for us to hear.

Yvette said, I know this article can lead to many good questions, hard questions, and while we can have fruitful conversation about those questions, brothers and sisters, let me encourage you to mentally park any thorny questions may be about what this article means for someone else. Because after all, I'm not here to talk to someone else. I'm here to talk to you. And my friend, I have good news for you. This article is not primarily hard, but sweet.

How?

Turn to John 6. Turn to John 6. There we find Jesus who has walked on water and just miraculously fed 5,000 people. And he goes on to explain that he, not the food he supernaturally gave them, but he is their greatest need. And yet his own people did not believe him.

Which brings us to what Jesus says in our verse, John 6:37.

Let's read it now. The Lord says, All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.

Whoever comes to me I will never cast out. Whoever comes to me. Whoever.

Friends, that word whoever is the word I want us to meditate on as we think about the blessings of salvation which are made free to all by the gospel. Those words to all are the chunk of Article 6 we'll meditate on. So if you're taking notes, circle that word whoever in John 6:37. And those words to all in the first line of Article 6. Those are the words we'll think about as we meditate on the freeness of God's salvation.

What can we learn from such meditation? Three things. Number one, anyone can come to Jesus. Point number one, anyone can come to Jesus. Jesus said, Whoever comes to me, not whoever cleans themselves up enough and comes to me, not whoever has all their questions answered and comes to me with enough faith, kids.

Kids, you might like that car, but check this out. Jesus doesn't say whoever is old enough can come to me. No, kids, friends, Jesus simply says, whoever.

Now, there are stipulations, to be sure. To come to Jesus in no spoiled part means we're signing up to do what he wants, even when it's not what we want. And we'll talk more about this later. But, friends, my question for you now is this. Are you surprised by that simple word, whoever?

Does it arrest you that in an official document of our church we say nothing prevents the salvation of the greatest sinner on earth?

Who is the greatest sinner you know? Don't look at them if they're here, just think about it.

And if you were tempted to look at someone else, I would submit to you, the worst sinner you know is the person you see in the mirror. That said, I understand in normal human experience, we all have a category for people who are more obviously a mess, who more obviously have a ton of sin in their life. Earlier I said all of us are sinners, and that's true, but it's also true, different sins lead to different natural consequences that manifest themselves more evidently, more tragically. So I think of a recent person I met at a boxcar tavern in Eastern Market. I had scheduled a lunch with a white man whom I didn't really know.

So in he walks, and he is as old as a grandpa and as sweet as one too. You'd never guess it from looking at him now, But decades ago, this man, Tom, was a member of the KKK.

He hated black people. He bombed the homes of Jews. He served time in prison. Now, we would all agree, Tom was a great sinner. But guess what happened?

Tom came to faith in a greater Savior in prison. The Lord Jesus Christ, who radically changed his life. And at our lunch, Tom and I talked about how happy we were to be brothers. And friends, if there's hope for Tom, there is hope for you. Anyone can come to Jesus.

And my question for you, brothers and sisters, is this. Do you share the gospel as if that's true? Do you pray as if that's true? Who are some of your evangelistic yahoos? Rights.

Like if someone put a megaphone to your thoughts we'd hear, yeah right, will that person ever come to Jesus? You know, Kimberly, that girl in my office who's drunk every weekend, you think she would come to Jesus? Yeah right.

Well beloved, if I looked at Tom's life, if I looked at Tom when he was making that pipe bomb, I would have said, Yeah, right.

But then again, if you would have looked at me, at my life when I was a freshman in college acting a fool, you too would have said, yeah, right.

But Jesus says, Whoever comes to me, anyone can come to Jesus. And as John 6:37 says, all the Father gives to the Son will come. And the means the Father uses for them to come is people like you and me sharing the gospel. So pray for surprising people. Scatter the gospel widely, because after all, we don't know who belongs to the Father and who doesn't.

Could be anyone. And anyone can come to Jesus. And that means different people will come to Jesus. What can we learn from meditating on the freeness of salvation? Point number two, different people will come to Jesus.

Jesus said, who ever comes to me not whoever among this particular political party, not whoever among this race or ethnicity, not whoever in this certain socioeconomic class. Kids, Jesus did not say whoever gets these grades in school. No, kids, friends, family, he simply says, who ever. Isaac and Tom, Maxine Zoff and Lois Watson, Jim Cox and Jacob Bannu, single Luke Holland and Scott Vanderham, who is not single and has lots of kids. You get it.

Different people come to Jesus. That's what King David showed us. You remember that passage our brother Steve read, how all those different types of people gathered around David? You know, that's not because David was nice on the harp. It's because David foreshadowed the ministry of a greater king to come who would have a diverse following.

The Jewish apostle Peter and the Roman soldier Cornelius, you can read about that in Acts 10.

And thinking of Peter, I think we would do well to think about Jesus's disciples. Because y'all, sometimes I think we can think of Jesus's disciples as if they were all cultural. We just think about them in the abstract, like they were just Jesus's friends, just a bunch of neutral dudes. But they were fallen humans, just like you and me.

Which means they had backgrounds and cultures and jobs and opinions and preferences and sin, which means they would wrongly elevate all those things about themselves. Just think of Matthew, the tax collector, the slimy servant of the oppressor Rome, and Simon the Zealot. Of the Robin Hood who worked against Rome. Two different men who came to the God man Jesus. And I love what our brother Garrett Kel said as he spoke about Jesus' diverse group of followers.

He said, Matthew was a tax collector who loved Rome. Simon was a Jewish zealot who hated Rome. They came to Jesus with radically different political views yet found unity in Jesus. Matthew learned to love Rome less. Simon learned to love Rome more.

They both learned to love Jesus most.

Oh CHBC, may we love Jesus most. If we do, we will show a divided and dividing world a different world. But friends, we can't do that if we wrongly divide from each other over our differences. Brothers and sisters, have you cast out of your heart a fellow church member? Whom Jesus has welcomed into his because they differ from you?

Imagine this. Imagine your best friend is throwing a party, a feast, and at this party is your favorite food. So for me, it's fried calamari and Oreo milkshakes. Like, I'm just like, oh, this party's gonna be off the chain, right? Just imagine your favorite party with your favorite food, your favorite music, your favorite people.

Someone knocks at the door. You look up expecting to see another person you love walk in and in walks your enemy. And to make matters worse, your best friend who's throwing the party invited them and walks over to them and gives them a huge hug as big as a hug as they gave you. Friends, what would you be thinking?

I'd be standing there, jaw dropped, calamari falling out of my mouth, being like, what is happening? Now, imagine if I walked over to my enemy, grabbed them by the collar, and shoved them back out the door.

My best friend would rightly look at me and say, Isaac, who do you think you are? It is not your place to disinvite anyone from this party that you did not plan nor pay for.

But friends, isn't it scary how easy it is to throw people out of God's party if only in our own hearts when we don't like how they differ from us? When we, let's be honest, think we're better than them. Isn't that what we see in the prodigal son's brother in Luke 15? Isn't that what we see in Jonah scorning the Ninevites' salvation?

Friends, is this what you see in your own heart?

If it is, repent. And remember that greater than any of our differences are two things we all have in common. Number one, we're all made in God's image. And number two, we're all in desperate need of Jesus. So we might look at someone and think, oh, Republican, oh, Democrat, oh, white, oh, young, or try this one on for size, oh, only been at CHBC for a year and only plans on staying for another year.

Oh, We might say those things, but Jesus says, whoever comes to me, anyone can come to Jesus. Different people will come to Jesus, which means finally, you can come to Jesus, and you should. What can we learn from meditating on the freeness of salvation? Point number three, You can come to Jesus and you should. Jesus will never cast you out.

In Psalm 27, the psalmist writes, My father and my mother are the most foundational relationships in his life. My father and my mother have forsaken me, but the Lord will take me in. In 2 Kings 17, God explains the exile of Israel, saying he cast them out of his sight because of their sin. Friend, that is exactly what Jesus will never do to you if you come in faith to him. Why?

Because he was already cast out of God's presence on behalf of all those who would trust in him by faith. On the cross, Jesus experienced to an infinite degree what Adam and Eve experienced when they sinned. Exile from fellowship with God.

On the cross, Jesus, who lived the perfect life, the life you and I could never live. He died in the place of sinners by taking the wrath, the aggravated condemnation we deserve for our sins. And Jesus was raised three days later so that anyone who turns from their sin and trusts in him would be forgiven of their sins and welcomed into his fellowship forever. If you're here and you're not a Christian, hear this gentle but clear command from God. Come.

Stop trying to run your own life. Trust in what Jesus did on the cross in your place. Come to Him in faith today.

Doesn't matter how young you are. Doesn't matter how old you are. How bad you are. Jesus says, Ever. Meaning you.

Come. Come. And if you are a Christian, this is not a one-time deal. Like we come to Jesus and then we just go on with the rest of our lives. No, beloved, like the tide of the shore, we come back for more.

Brothers and sisters, we're only saved once, of course, but we keep coming to Jesus. We don't ever leave. Where else would we go? He has the words of life. What else would we do?

He's done it all. I love earlier in John 6 people asked Jesus, what must we be doing to be doing the works of God? Jesus answered them, this is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent. In other words, Believe in Jesus and keep believing in Jesus. Do you see the surprising simplicity?

If you asked a bunch of Capitol Hill types who didn't have God's grace, hey, how do you do the works of God? You get all these complicated answers full of ingenuity, but Jesus simply says, Believe in me.

And does it surprise you? The one who is so holy, Jesus, would always welcome you, me, it should.

But then again, the more we get to know Jesus, maybe it's not so surprising after all.

We are weak. We are wounded.

But whoever we are, we may come to this one who is full of pity, love, and power.

Let's do that now in prayer. Let's pray.

Father, Help us to honor your by coming to your Son, Jesus, in faith, in repentance. It is in his name we pray these things. Amen.