Food For Life: John 6:41-51

Summary

In this sermon, the preacher delves into John chapter 6, exploring the metaphor of Jesus as the 'bread of life' that provides eternal sustenance. Addressing the grumbling of the Jews, Jesus emphasizes that no one can come to Him without the Father's drawing, and that those who believe in Him will have eternal life. The sermon highlights the concept of grace, the role of God's Word in salvation, and the transformative power of faith in Jesus Christ. It concludes with an invitation to partake in communion, symbolizing the believer's trust in Jesus' sacrificial atonement for the sins of the world.

Takeaways

• 📖 The sermon focuses on John chapter 6, emphasizing the importance of understanding the 'bread of life' as a metaphor for spiritual nourishment rather than physical sustenance.
• 🛐 The preacher invites the congregation to open their Bibles and follow along with the scripture reading, highlighting the significance of engaging with the Bible personally.
• 🕊 The 'bread of life' is identified as Jesus Christ himself, who offers eternal life to those who believe in him, contrasting with the temporary sustenance of physical bread.
• 🤔 The sermon addresses the grumbling of the Jews in the scripture, who question Jesus' claim of being the bread from heaven, illustrating the human tendency to doubt divine claims.
• 🔑 Jesus' response clarifies that no one can come to him unless drawn by the Father, teaching the concept of divine election and the role of God's grace in salvation.
• 📝 The preacher underscores the importance of God's Word as central to the believer's life, spiritual growth, and understanding of salvation.
• 🌐 The sermon touches on the concept of grace, explaining that salvation is a gift from God, not something that can be earned through good deeds or religious observance.
• 🕊️ The preacher discusses the spiritual significance of the Lord's Supper, or communion, as a celebration of Jesus' sacrificial death and the eternal life he offers.
• 🧬 The sermon briefly explores the concept of biological aging (senescence) and contrasts it with the eternal life offered through faith in Jesus Christ.
• 🙏 The preacher encourages the congregation to read, study, memorize, teach, pray, sing, and share the Bible, emphasizing its role as the source of life and spiritual guidance.
• ⛰️ The sermon concludes with an invitation to partake in communion, while also acknowledging that it is a privilege reserved for believers who have accepted Christ's sacrifice.

Q & A

What is the main theme of the sermon in the provided transcript?

The main theme of the sermon is 'Food for Life,' focusing on the spiritual nourishment provided by Jesus Christ as the 'bread of life,' as discussed in John chapter 6.

Why did the Jews grumble about Jesus' claim of being the bread that came down from heaven?

The Jews grumbled because they knew Jesus as the Son of Joseph, and they could not reconcile this human knowledge with his divine claim of coming down from heaven.

What does the term 'senescence' refer to in the context of the sermon?

In the sermon, 'senescence' refers to biological aging, the gradual deterioration of the body's functions due to cellular reproduction becoming sloppy over time.

How does the sermon relate the concept of gerontology to the spiritual teachings of Jesus?

The sermon relates gerontology to spiritual teachings by contrasting the temporary life extension through caloric restriction with the eternal life offered by Jesus, the 'bread of life.'

What is the significance of the phrase 'marinating in this chapter' used by the speaker?

The phrase 'marinating in this chapter' signifies a deep and prolonged engagement with the scripture, allowing for a rich understanding and absorption of its teachings.

How does the sermon explain the concept of salvation by grace through faith?

The sermon explains salvation by grace through faith as a free gift from God, where believers are drawn to Jesus by God's grace, and through faith in Jesus, they receive eternal life.

What is the role of God's Word in the believer's life according to the sermon?

According to the sermon, God's Word is central to the believer's life, providing spiritual nourishment, guidance, and life. It is through God's Word that believers are taught, hear, and learn about God.

Why does the sermon emphasize the importance of the scriptures in understanding the gospel?

The sermon emphasizes the scriptures' importance because they are God's speaking, and it is through the scriptures that faith comes, leading to eternal life in Christ.

What is the connection between the bread of life and eternal life as discussed in the sermon?

The connection is that Jesus, as the bread of life, offers eternal life to those who believe in him. The bread represents his body given for the life of the world, symbolizing the sacrificial giving of his life for believers' eternal life.

How does the sermon interpret the phrase 'the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh'?

The sermon interprets this phrase as a prediction of Jesus' sacrificial death on the cross, where he would give his body (flesh) for the sake of the world's eternal life.

What is the final message of the sermon regarding the believer's response to the gospel?

The final message is an invitation for believers to celebrate the life that Jesus gave for them through communion, and a reminder that salvation is by grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone.

Outlines

00:00

📖 Bible Study Introduction

The speaker invites the congregation to open their Bibles to John chapter 6, where they have been studying for the past few weeks. They acknowledge the length of the chapter and the depth of its content, which they are taking time to explore thoroughly. The speaker also offers the use of a Bible in the pew for those who don't have one and begins reading from verse 41 to 51, discussing the Jews' grumbling about Jesus claiming to be the bread from heaven. The summary includes a prayer for understanding and ends with a brief mention of gerontology and senescence, introducing themes of life and aging.

05:00

🍞 The Metaphor of Spiritual Nourishment

The sermon delves into the metaphor of bread as spiritual nourishment, contrasting it with physical food. The speaker discusses how Jesus fed a crowd with limited food, a miracle that led to his popularity but also to a misunderstanding of his purpose as people sought more physical bread rather than spiritual fulfillment. Jesus teaches that he is the 'bread of life,' and that true satisfaction comes from spiritual nourishment, not physical sustenance. The speaker emphasizes that Jesus is the provider of all spiritual needs and that faith in him brings eternal satisfaction and life.

10:03

🙏 The Role of Grace in Salvation

The speaker addresses the concept of salvation by grace through faith, explaining that it is a gift from God that cannot be earned. They discuss the religious leaders' misunderstanding and rejection of Jesus as the bread of life, due to their preconceived notions and expectations. The sermon explains that people are drawn to Jesus by God, and that understanding and accepting this truth is essential for eternal life. The speaker contrasts the self-effort of religion with the free gift of grace in Christianity, highlighting the transformative power of faith in Jesus.

15:09

⛰️ The Gospel and Human Inability

The sermon explores the human inability to reach God through our own efforts, likening it to a mountain that cannot be climbed by the spiritually dead. It emphasizes that God, in the form of Jesus, comes to us, offering life and salvation. The speaker refutes the idea of earning God's favor through religious deeds, stating that grace is a gift that cannot be controlled or earned. They explain that grace levels the playing field, making all people equal before God, and that true faith comes from God's drawing and teaching.

20:10

📜 The Centrality of God's Word

The speaker highlights the importance of God's Word in the process of salvation, noting that faith comes from hearing and learning about God. They stress the role of the scriptures in teaching about Jesus and the necessity of God's Word for spiritual life. The sermon encourages engagement with the Bible through reading, studying, memorizing, and sharing, asserting that God's Word is essential for spiritual growth and vitality.

25:12

🍞 The Bread of Life and Eternal Life

The sermon focuses on Jesus as the 'bread of life,' emphasizing that consuming this spiritual bread leads to eternal life. The speaker contrasts the temporary sustenance of physical bread with the everlasting life offered by Jesus. They discuss the significance of Jesus' words and actions, particularly his promise to give his flesh for the life of the world, foreshadowing his crucifixion and its redemptive purpose. The sermon concludes by reinforcing the idea that faith in Jesus leads to eternal life.

30:12

🔪 The Sacrifice of Jesus for Humanity

The speaker discusses the sacrificial death of Jesus on the cross, explaining that he gave his life to provide eternal life for sinners. They explore the concept of Jesus taking on the sins of the world and offering his perfect life in exchange, emphasizing the grace and love behind this act. The sermon also touches on the idea of communion as a celebration of Jesus' sacrifice and a reminder of the believer's reliance on his grace.

35:12

🍇 Communion and the Assurance of Salvation

The sermon concludes with an invitation to partake in communion, reflecting on the significance of Jesus' sacrifice and the believer's response of faith. The speaker distinguishes between those who trust in Jesus and those who do not, cautioning the latter against partaking in communion without genuine faith. They encourage believers to celebrate the life Jesus gave for them, offering a stark contrast between the certainty of salvation through Christ and the uncertainty of relying on one's own efforts.

🤔 An Invitation to Reflect and Respond

In the final part of the sermon, the speaker extends an invitation for reflection and response, particularly to those who may not yet be Christians or are unsure of their faith. They offer to discuss questions and clarify doubts, emphasizing the importance of genuine belief in Jesus for participating in communion. The speaker also expresses hope for those who are not yet believers, suggesting that they may one day join in the celebration of Jesus' sacrifice.

Keywords

💡Bible

The Bible is the sacred scripture of Christianity, consisting of the Old and New Testaments. In the video, it is the primary source of the sermon's content and is used as a guide for understanding the teachings of Jesus. The preacher encourages the congregation to open their Bibles and follow along with the reading from John chapter 6, which discusses the metaphor of Jesus as the 'bread of life'.

💡John 6

John 6 is a chapter in the New Testament of the Bible, specifically in the Gospel of John. It is the focus of the sermon in the video, where Jesus performs the feeding of the five thousand and introduces the metaphor of himself as the 'bread of life'. The preacher delves into the chapter's verses to explain the spiritual nourishment offered by Jesus.

💡Bread of Life

The 'Bread of Life' is a metaphor used by Jesus in John 6 to describe himself as the spiritual sustenance that gives eternal life. The sermon emphasizes this metaphor, explaining that the physical bread Jesus provided to the crowd symbolizes the spiritual nourishment available to those who believe in him.

💡Eternal Life

Eternal life, in Christian belief, refers to a state of everlasting life with God after death. The sermon discusses this concept as a gift from God through faith in Jesus Christ, who is presented as the source of eternal life in the 'Bread of Life' metaphor.

💡Grace

Grace is the unmerited favor of God, a central theme in the sermon that emphasizes salvation is a gift from God, not something earned by human effort. The preacher explains that grace is 'offensive' to those who believe in a system of works-righteousness, as it undermines the idea of earning God's favor.

💡Senescence

Senescence, in the context of the video, refers to biological aging, the gradual deterioration of the body's functions over time. The preacher uses this term to contrast the temporary nature of physical life with the eternal life offered by Jesus.

💡Manna

Manna is a substance that, according to the Bible, God provided for the Israelites to eat during their 40 years in the wilderness. In the sermon, it is contrasted with the 'Bread of Life', highlighting that while manna sustained the Israelites physically for a time, it did not grant eternal life as Jesus does spiritually.

💡Religious Leaders

In the video, the term 'religious leaders' is used to describe those who challenged Jesus' claim to be the 'Bread that came down from heaven'. The sermon discusses how these leaders, representing religious tradition and authority, failed to recognize Jesus' divine nature due to their preconceived notions and expectations.

💡Communion

Communion, also known as the Lord's Supper, is a Christian ritual that commemorates the Last Supper of Jesus with his disciples. The sermon concludes with an invitation to partake in communion, symbolizing the believer's participation in the body and blood of Christ, and reflecting on the sacrificial love of Jesus as the 'Bread of Life'.

💡Faith

Faith, in the context of the sermon, is the belief and trust in Jesus Christ as the source of salvation and eternal life. The preacher emphasizes that faith is a gift from God, not a result of human effort or merit, and is central to receiving the spiritual nourishment offered by Jesus.

Highlights

Introduction to the sermon on John chapter 6, emphasizing the importance of the chapter and the need for a slow, thoughtful approach.

Invitation to open Bibles to John chapter 6, with an offer to use the provided Pew Bible for those without one.

Reading of John 6:41-51, setting the stage for the sermon's focus on the metaphor of bread as a spiritual provision.

Explanation of the Jews' grumbling about Jesus claiming to be the bread from heaven, contrasting their skepticism with the spiritual truth of his statement.

Jesus' response to the grumbling, emphasizing that no one can come to him unless drawn by the Father.

Discussion of the concept of senescence, biological aging, and its contrast with the spiritual life offered through Jesus.

Connection between the physical act of eating bread and the spiritual act of accepting Jesus for eternal life.

The role of God's Word in teaching and drawing people to Jesus, and the importance of scripture in the believer's life.

The sermon's main idea, 'Food for Life', derived from the closing phrase of the passage, emphasizing the eternal life offered through Jesus.

Illustration of the miracle of feeding the crowd with a small amount of food, drawing a parallel to Jesus' miracle in John 6.

Teaching on the difference between physical bread and the spiritual bread that Jesus represents.

The concept of salvation by grace through faith, and how it is a gift from God, not something earned by works.

The role of God's grace in drawing believers to Jesus, and the idea that this is unmanageable and uncontrollable by human effort.

The centrality of God's Word in the believer's life and the importance of engaging with scripture for spiritual growth.

The promise of eternal life through Jesus, and the contrast with the temporary life provided by physical bread.

The invitation to participate in the Lord's Supper as a celebration of Jesus' sacrifice and the gift of eternal life.

A clarification for non-believers or those unsure of their faith, explaining the significance of the Lord's Supper and its place for believers only.

Transcripts

John chapter 6 it is my honor and

privilege to invite you to open your

Bibles to the Gospel of John once again

we are in John chapter 6 as we have been

for the last three weeks will be for out

Lord willing one or two more weeks in

John 6

I'm sure you'll forgive me it is a 71

verse long chapter and there's just too

many good things there to just breeze

through it so we're kind of marinating

in this chapter and that's a good thing

if you don't have a Bible by the way

there's a pube I belen the there's a

Bible in the Pew ahead of you you'll

you're welcome to follow along if you

like the one page 892 of the Pew Bible

I'll go ahead and read the passage this

morning and then we will work our way

through it verse by verse and I'll pray

at the end and we will celebrate the

Lord's table together John chapter six

beginning at verse 41 and reading down

to verse 51 so the Jews grumbled about

Jesus because he said I am the bread

that came down from heaven they said is

not this Jesus the Son of Joseph whose

father and mother we know how does he

now say I have come down from heaven

jesus answered them do not grumble among

yourselves no one can come to me unless

the father who sent me draws him and I

will raise him up on the last day it has

written the prophets and they will all

be taught by God everyone who has heard

and learned from the father comes to me

not that anyone has seen the Father

except he who is from God he has seen

the father truly truly I say to you

whoever believes has eternal life I am

the bread of life your father's ate

manna in the wilderness and they died

this is the bread that comes down from

heaven so that one may eat of it and not

die I am The Living bread that came down

from heaven if anyone eats of this bread

he will live forever and the bread that

I will give for the life of the world is

my flesh let's pray together

he who has ears let him hear Lord and

father give us ears so that we would

hear the words you speak and help us now

Holy Spirit to understand the words of

Jesus take what is of him and declare it

to us share him with us

let us hear him let us see him let us

believe in him

may we be convicted of our sins and

maybe turn to Christ alone who has given

up his flesh for the life of the world

in Jesus name Amen

bye Oh gerontology is the field of study

that seeks to understand and to reverse

condition called senescence senescence

is terminal and you all have it because

senescence is the word that means

biological aging the gradual

deterioration of the functions of your

body senescence happens because those

little parts of your body called cells

they get sloppy when they reproduce

themselves eventually they become sloppy

enough that your body has to step in and

say stop reproducing because you're

getting sloppy and you aged bio

gerontologists have identified several

things which caused cellular senescence

one of them is food ironically calories

give life and cause death every time a

cell reproduces it becomes less able to

do it again and scientists have

elongated the life of mammals by up to

30%

simply by starving them well in the

quest of elongated human life you can

imagine starvation is a hard sell turns

out however there is a food that gives

life and extends life forever but it's

not the kind of food that you would

think and you don't eat it in the same

way you might think this is a different

kind of food the title of my sermon this

morning is food for life and the main

idea I take from the closing phrase in

the in our passage if anyone eats this

bread he will live forever food for life

now as I said we've been in John 6 for 3

weeks and the subject matter of this

whole chapter has really been about food

bread to be specific but not the kind of

bread like you eat with peanut butter

and jelly a different kind of bread and

this all this discussion about bread it

began with a crowd about half the size

of Piqua who got hungry and the only

food they could find was from a little

kids lunchbox and so they were hungry a

similar crisis happened last weekend at

the church picnic we had ordered

something like 300 chicken strips and as

we saw y'all line up and then I looked

at the hungry in your eyes we channeled

the disciple Philip and we decided this

thing gonna be enough food for everyone

so regrettably your pastor does not have

the ability to multiply chicken strips

as Jesus might have so we had to leave

and we we did it might have been a

miracle we we handed a thin little piece

of plastic to a person who then handed

us chicken but we were able to come back

and you were able hopefully I pray to

eat to your fill and afterwards we

gathered up the leftover fragments into

baskets there I didn't count them there

were probably twelve of them I don't

know but in any case I didn't do a

miracle but Jesus did a miracle for this

hungry crowd II fed a crowd and many

came back to Jesus this made him very

popular as you might imagine but they

were coming to Jesus after that not

because they wanted to see Jesus but

because they wanted more bread and Jesus

used that opportunity to teach these

people that the bread that he made for

their physical needs was just symbolic a

metaphor of the bread that he is for

their spiritual needs the bread that

Jesus gives is the bread that Jesus is

he taught that he alone was the all

satisfying provider and the provision of

all that they would ever need and if

they had come to Christ they would never

cease to be satisfied in Jesus because

Jesus is infinitely satisfying God's

people we learned what we're given to

Jesus by God the Father satisfied in

Jesus and Jesus will keep them safe we

learned this last week that the rock

solid foundation of your eternal

security is in God the sons obedience to

God the Father you were given to God the

Son and God the Father went to God the

Son and said keep them and he said I

will keep them so you are as safe in

Christ as Christ is obedient to his

father which is pretty safe well that's

been John 6 so far and I don't know

about you but as I have meditated on

these truths I have found them to be

tremendously life-giving tremendously

fear eradicating and tremendously

confident building now the Lord hones in

on another element of

those who are in Christ another element

of this sort of life-giving fear melting

confidence-building element of gospel

and it happens through an objection from

some folks that John calls the Jews it

is a term that John usually uses to

refer to religious leaders they take

issue with Jesus calling himself the

bread that came down from heaven so the

first thing that Jesus teaches us he

teaches us three things as far as I can

tell this is the first thing

believers are drawn to God to come to

Jesus so lean in to verse 41 and

following and we'll see if we can follow

where the Lord is going so the Jews

grumbled about Jesus because Jesus said

I am the bread that came down from

heaven you see in Israel's history they

went into the wilderness and they didn't

have any food in the wilderness and so

God sent bread from heaven to kind of

fall and kind of show up on the ground

and they went out and they gathered

bread and that's what kept him alive in

the wilderness they called this bread

manna and Jesus is saying the bread that

came from heaven the gret the bread that

gods that was me I am the bread from

heaven that's a pretty lofty claim and

they had a problem with this how can you

say that this is this is Jesus his

father's Joe like we play cards on

Friday night down at the club his mom is

on the PTA with my wife and his his

sister is friends with my daughter this

is Jesus I know this guy he's not from

heaven he's from Nazareth it's in

Galilee I can take you there

and so they have a problem with Jesus

because he's saying I'm the bread that

came down from heaven but they can't see

that because all they see is he's not

the Son of God he's the son of Joseph

the problem was blindness it was the

same problem by the way that the crowd

had with Jesus see the crowd was blinded

from seeing the true Jesus because all

they could see him as is the efficient

bread guy that they wanted to make their

king

you see they were blinded by their belly

what they wanted to get out of Jesus

they wanted Jesus to make them more

bread they wanted Jesus to give them an

easy life well the the religious leaders

they had the same problem as the crowd

except their blindness was their

religion this was not the Son of God but

the son of Joseph Jesus claimed he was

bread sent by God to give eternal life

and when you follow his dialogue in John

6 you find that he gives away this

eternal life for free there's nothing

you have to do you just have to come to

Jesus and believe in Jesus and then

you'll have eternal life Jesus is

teaching something that we now call

salvation by grace through faith and

this cornerstone is offensive to

religious people grace is offensive to

religious people you see this is because

religious people see God as if he lived

atop a mountain and every person exists

at the base of the mountain and these

religious people believed that God had

given a very specific set of

instructions to the Jewish people on how

they were to make their way up the

mountain as far as they can understand

it the better they were and obeying

those instructions the further they

climbed up the mountain the closer they

were to the God atop of the mountain

this system which we call religion this

is a very comfortable system listen

everyone in this room likes that system

very much the system of do this and this

way it is very manageable

it's very controllable it's measurable

it's a very comfortable system we like

this system very much the economics make

sense if I do this for God then I get

this

from God it gives us a sense of control

over our outcomes if there's something

that I want from God I know the plan the

things that I can do to get it from him

but if my life ends up with something I

don't like then I can look backwards and

say I did this and this was the result

therefore next time I'll make

corrections and that what happened to me

again is very manageable

it's very controllable it's very fair

more than that though these what

religion does we appreciate religion

because it gives us the ability to

measure others we not only see ourselves

on the side of the mountain we can look

at others below us and say they're below

us and we can act in such a way is that

they could look up to us and say you're

above me and we like that very much but

that is not the gospel that is not the

gospel the message of the gospel God is

on top of a proverbial mountain you are

at the base of this mountain but here's

where the metaphors break apart no one

is trying to climb the mountain up to

God the Bible says that we are dead in

our sin and trespasses and dead people

in my experience don't climb mountains

people who are not believers they don't

want God they don't want to come to the

light you remember what Jesus said

earlier in John you do what John said

earlier and John is that they love the

darkness they don't want the light they

don't want to climb the mountain they

don't want to go where God is Romans 3

no one seeks for God no not one not even

one person

does good the message of the gospel is

that if God is atop a mountain and we

are at the base of the mountain this God

wrapped himself in flesh and came down

off the mountain down to where we are

and he gave us life and he placed us on

his back and he carried us up the

mountain that's what the gospel teaches

not that we have to climb our way up the

mountain but that God carried us his son

carried us up the mountain all of him

all of his power all of his grace and

religion hates that message because this

message of the gospel it strips every

man woman and child of their boast it

eliminates our ability to compare

ourselves to one another because it

levels the playing field no one deserves

to be here no not one we are all equally

powerless and grace is unmanageable when

you have a God who comes off of the

mountain and carries you on his back up

the top of mountain that's that's not

controllable that's not manageable

because if listen if he's carrying us on

his back up the mountain then he can he

can carry you wherever he wants to carry

you you get us he could carry you to

China he can carry you to Congo he can

carry you to Turkey he can carry you to

pick you up or Honda he can carry you

through marital unfaithfulness he can

carry you through infertility he can

carry you through wounds he can carry

you through hurt he can carry you

through cancer and all of his carrying

is for your good because it goes up the

mountain

well religion doesn't like that message

and so they don't like that Jesus

teaches grace for free

and this may be the reason why Jesus

gives us this answer in verse 43 do not

grumble among yourselves no one can come

to me unless the father who sent me

draws him you don't climb the mountain

on your own I come to you and that will

raise him up on the last day no one

finds God God finds us you see what

Jesus is saying is that if you are in

Christ you're in Christ because God gave

you to Jesus because God drew you to

Jesus and you stay in Christ because

Jesus is keeping you in Jesus all of

this by the way of grace and this is

what religion doesn't understand you

don't get right by God by doing right by

God because no one does right by God you

get right by God by trusting in the only

one who did do right by God and

therefore you get right by God the

opposite of religion is not secularism

its grace drawn by God we come to Jesus

and we gave him no reasons to do this he

did it all on his own all Grace and it

means those who are his those of you who

are trusting in Christ you are you

belong to God but you are undeserving of

that grace you were ill deserving of

that grace it was all God's sovereign

grace so now Jesus turns and it explains

how this happened

taught by God to believe in Jesus verse

45 it is written in the prophets Lord

says and they will be taught by God all

of them everyone everyone who has heard

and learned from the father comes to me

not that anyone has seen the Father

except he was from God he has seen the

father truly truly I say to you whoever

believes has eternal life so

look at these verses and trace the

actions of God through those three

verses taught by God the Father here God

the Father learn God the Father come to

God the Son and believe for eternal life

taught of God heard from God learned

from God come to Jesus all of grace all

of God what stands out to me in these

verses is the centrality of God's Word

notice the centrality of the scriptures

in God's plan of salvation those three

words taught and heard and learned they

all relate to God's speaking knowledge

not feeling knowledge well everyone in

the world regardless of where they grow

up whether it's China or Kongo wherever

they grow up they have a knowledge of a

certain knowledge of God that God has

placed in creation and in their

conscience but in order to be right with

God in order to be reconciled to God you

have to have faith and faith the Bible

says comes how by hearing and hearing

what the Word of God God always uses his

word to give life if you remember from

the first chapter in the Bible God

created the heavens the earth by

speaking let there be and there was God

breathed life into the first man the

breath from his mouth he gives eternal

life in the very same way first Peter

1:23 you have been born again by the

living and abiding Word of God the Bible

God's speaking and this is why we placed

a premium on God's Word in this church

simply because my words don't have life

don't ever rely on my words for life

on god's word for life and i will

endeavour week by week to preach his

word as it is the best as i understand

it

the enabling of God's Holy Spirit to

preach God's Word because that's where

life is and week after week we will

encourage you to read the Bible this is

why almost everything we you probably

everything we do is centered around the

scriptures Wednesday nights we teach a

class on how to understand the Bible are

living so discipleship groups they

gather around the Bible God's Word must

not be peripheral in your life or in

this ministry it must be central in this

ministry and in your life Spurgeon

Charles Spurgeon famously said that you

show me a man whose Bible is falling

apart and I will show you a man whose

life isn't and I think that's right if

you're spiritually weak it's because

you're biblically malnourished God uses

his word to give us life and he uses his

word to keep us having life imagine the

next time you take a flight as you reach

cruising altitude the pilot gets on the

intercom and says ladies gentlemen we've

reached cruising altitude and we've made

this flight five hundred times before in

the same aircraft and we've never had a

problem not even once these engines have

never failed us they're for the crew and

I have decided we don't need them

anymore we're going to cut the engines

what do you think is going to happen at

that moment a panic and then a crash

right because physics takes over an

eight hundred thousand pound metal tube

suddenly loses its magical ability to

fly through the air and it will crash

its track record not withstanding it

will crash the only way an eight hundred

thousand pound piece of metal floats is

because of those two engines and the

wings and the lift created

gravity is still working on that

airplane the entire time it flies it's

just that a stronger force has been

introduced than gravity and it floats

it's the same thing in your life the

Bible is that stronger force but if you

cut the engine gravity takes over your

sin takes over your flesh takes over and

you fall to the ground so much of the

Christian life has a very simple premise

read the Bible and don't stop so here's

what I recommend it's not complicated

read the Bible study the Bible memorize

the Bible teach the Bible pray the Bible

sing the Bible share the Bible if you

want to know about God go to the Bible

if you want to know what God is like

what he thinks about you go to the Bible

if you want to know how God feels about

you you go to the Bible if you want to

hear God's speak you go to the Bible if

you want to hear God speak out loud read

it out loud it's really that simple

God's Word is God's speaking be taught

by God hear from God and learn about God

from the Bible and in so doing you will

come to Christ believe in Christ and you

will have eternal life

believers are drawn by God to Jesus

believers are taught by God to believe

in Jesus and last point sent from God

life comes from Jesus verse 48 I in the

red of life jesus said your father is

the ape-men in the wilderness and they

died this is the bread that comes down

from heaven so that one may eat of it

and not die I am The Living bread that

came down from heaven if anyone eats of

this bread he will live forever we're

gonna save that last phrase for the end

coming in this passage in John 6 I think

probably through the whole Gospel of

John coming and believing and eating

they're synonymous I don't think the

Lord means for us in 1st I'm kind of

like

progression you know like as if coming

to Jesus is not the same as believing

and not the same as eating I think

they're all the same Jesus is the bread

of life the living bread and he's the

only bread that gives life but I think

as you're reading through John 6 and as

you're memorizing and as you're

meditating on this passage notice the

repetition there's there's got to be

some significance to this verse 27 do

not work for the food that perishes but

for the food that endures to eternal

life verse 33 the bread of God is he who

comes down from heaven to give life to

the world

verse 40 everyone who looks on the Sun

believes in him should have eternal life

and here I'm the bread of life that came

down from heaven if you eat me you will

live forever I think the Lord means for

us to some to know something about the

connection between him being bread and

eternal life he tells the religious

leaders your fathers ate manna and they

died they were in the wilderness they

ate the man of God and they died that

bread sustain them for that day that

those calories gave them life but also

took it away from them weaken their

cellular regeneration they were not able

to live forever but this bread this

bread causes you to live forever you eat

of this bread and you will eat you will

never die there's one more one more

treasure that I want you to see in this

passage it's right there at the end the

very last sentence and it's a curious

phrasing just lean into this and the

bread that I will give for the life of

the world is my flesh two things I want

you to see first notice how Jesus

changes the tense

of his verb he shifts from a present

tense and a past tense to a future tense

the bread that I will give that's

curious also notice their word for there

you may not see this in English you

probably won't but in the Greek it's not

it's the word hyper which means it means

on behalf of means for the sake of so

then it would be totally appropriate to

read the Lord as say

I will give the bread that I will give

on behalf of the world is my flesh the

bread that I will give on behalf of the

life of the world is my flesh Jesus

saying that sometime in the future he

will give his flesh his body in exchange

for the life of the world he'll use that

same word that word that's translated in

English just for again in chapter 10 you

read it earlier I am The Good Shepherd

who lays down his life for the Sheep in

place of the Sheep

chapter 15 greater love has no one than

this then someone lay down his life for

in place of his friends I think the most

interesting use of this word appears

when high priest Caiaphas who was not a

friend of Jesus by any means said this

it is better that one man should die for

the people then that the whole nation

should perish theologian Karl Barth

called this the most important word in

the Bible it appears in my favorite

verse of the Bible 2nd Corinthians 5:21

for our sake

God made him who knew no sin to be sin

for us that we might become the

righteousness of God Jesus is predicting

that in a few short months he will go to

the cross and there he will be beaten

and there he will be mocked he will

suffer excruciating pain suffer

excruciating shame and he will be nailed

to a cross and he will exceed and he

will die the one who gives life will

have his life taken the question is why

why did Jesus do this why would Jesus

died perhaps a better question is what

did Jesus die for Jesus died for he says

the life

of the world in exchange for his perfect

life sinners can have eternal life God

took the rebellion of Hell deserving

sinners like you and I and he he placed

them on his son and he took in exchange

his perfect life and gave it to those

who trust in him all of this a gift all

of this by grace this is the bread that

Jesus gives the life that Jesus lived

the bread that Jesus is literally he

placed you on his back and he carried

you up the mountain and the reality is

those of you who are here who have

trusted in Christ when you get to the

top of the mountain on the back of the

Lord Jesus you will hear one of the most

preposterous things you'll have ever

heard in your entire life God the Father

will look at you and say well done good

and faithful servant and you will look

backwards and you realize I was carried

here the good the faithful he did that

and he gave it to me

no religion can offer you a promise like

that no rule keeping can give you a

promise like that but that is the truth

of the gospel of Jesus Christ and that

is the promise awaiting those who

trusted him and now if you are in Christ

if you are now trusting in him that he's

carrying you up the mountain we have the

privilege as a community to celebrate

the life that Jesus gave for us at the

Lord's table in communion Cory will you

come back and lead us as we prepare our

hearts to take communion in the early

days of gerontology there was a

scientist who wrote aging and death do

seem to be what Nature has planned for

us but what if we have other plans

despite those other plans that fella

died in 2001 at the age of 76 I'm

assuming it was the food that got him

the Bible says it is appointed unto man

wants to die and after that the judgment

the question is when you get to that

judgment who are you trusting are you

trusting in yourself to make it up that

mountain is friend that's not enough or

are you trusting and the only one who's

ever been to that mountain the only one

who's ever seen God Jesus Christ if you

are then I have the privilege of

inviting you in a few moments to come

forward to take the juice in the cup and

bring it back to your seat

and then together we will celebrate what

the Lord has done in shedding his blood

and giving his body for us I need to say

if you're not a Christian or if you're

not sure you're Christian but just just

pass this time this is something that we

get to do as believers don't want to

exclude you from this but if you don't

have a home church and you don't have a

pastor in your life or believers around

you to confirm that you are a Christian

let's just pass on that if you have some

questions about that be happy to talk to

you about that it's not a big deal but I

just don't want you to take the Lord's

Supper in celebration of something

that's not real yet hopefully we'll be

one day