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Alright. This world is my hold. No. Heaven, oh, heaven is where I belong. Yes, heaven, oh, heaven is where I with Jesus.
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My Jesus is where I belong. With Jesus, my Jesus is where I belong. You may be seated.
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Good morning. A warm welcome to you on a cold, frosty morning. We're glad you're here at First Baptist Church especially if you're visiting us for the first time. So, a very warm welcome. We're going to continue worshiping in song.
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We're going to of course hear from pastor Ray from the word. We've got a few announcements. I wanted to get you thinking about. First one is that the Solid Rock Youth Group is back on. Been taking a break for Christmas and New Years and with school starting back up and jobs starting back up, lots of things are kinda getting back on their normal schedule including Solid Rock at 05:30.
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In a couple weeks, right here in between services, we're going to have our annual congregational meeting. There's going to be election of some of the new officers, folks filling the very important roles that we've got to keep the church running and as well as of course an update from the the church leadership. So, in between services, 10:00 on January 20. Men's fraternity is one of those other programs that's starting back up this week, Wednesday mornings. It's an exciting time to get together with other guys and and learn from God's word and encourage each other.
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A big part of that is our our snowmobile retreat that's coming up on February 15. So, think there's a a slide for that too but I'd encourage you to sign up for that guys. That's a very fun time. On Thursday morning, we've got the precept Bible study. That's starting anew this this semester.
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Talk talk with Jane Cranenberg for more details about that. And finally, let's get to let's get back to worship. If you're like me and my family, we've got a total of six of us. There's pretty good odds that on a Sunday morning, at least one of us is going to be kind of grumpy and it's going to be kind of hard to get everybody out the door and to church on time and you come sliding into church and sit down and go, duh. Well, that's not really what we want this morning to be about.
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So, take just a second to quiet your heart. Be be glad to be able to meet with God amongst friends. If you'd stand up now and welcome those around you, find a new friend, a new face, make em feel welcome. We'll get back to worship.
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Songs. Let thy goodness like a feather bind my wandering heart to thee prone to wonder lord I feel it prone to leave the God I love. Here's my heart, oh, take and seal it, seal it for I thy courts above. Amen. You guys sound wonderful this morning.
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You're the God of this city. You're the God of these people. You're the God of this nation. You are. You're the light in this darkness.
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You're the hope to the hopeless. You're the peace to the restless. You are. There is no one like our God. There is no one like our God.
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Content on my pride. You may be seated.
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Amen. If I could have the offering team come forward, please. You'll see in the side of your bulletin, there's a whole long list of of prayer requests, folks from our congregation and elsewhere that are are ill, that need our prayers in lots of different ways. The God that we serve is active and living and and hears those prayers. As we get ready to give our tithes and offerings, let's let's come before him this morning.
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Father God, you are rich in love. The only way that we can respond is to to pour contempt on our pride, to make much of you and make ourselves little. Lord, we return to you a small portion of what you've given us. I pray that you'd bless the giver and the gift this morning that you're your word would go out here in town and up through the whole world. We pray that as we gather this morning, as we sing our praises to you, as we learn from your word, that you would be glorified, that our hearts would be focused on on you and your glory.
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And that as we leave here, we'd be better equipped and encouraged to spend our whole week praising you and walking closely with you. Lord, we pray these things in your name. Amen.
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Music is beautiful this morning. My goodness. Thank you, Cal. I have a little more time than usual and to stop putting into that beautiful music, I'm going to sing one real quick.
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The love of God is greater far than tongue or pin can ever tell. It goes beyond the highest star and reaches to the lowest hell. The guilty pair bowed down with care. God gave his son to win. His erring child, he reconciled and pardoned from his sin.
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When years of time shall pass away and earthly thrones and kingdoms fall when men who hear refuse to pray on rocks and hills and mountains call God's love so sure shall still endure all measureless and strong redeeming grace to Adam's race the saints and angels sung oh love of God so rich and pure how measureless and strong it shall forevermore endure the saints and angels song. Listen to this verse. Could we with ink the ocean filled and were the skies of parchment made, were every stalk on earth a quill, and every man a scribe by trade to write the love of God above, would drain the ocean dry, nor could the scroll contain the whole, though stretch from sky to sky oh love of God how rich and pure how measureless and strong it shall forevermore endure the saints and angels song
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amen God, thank you for the beauty of your love and thank you for working out a plan by by which you may show it to us. God, thank you. Thank you for sending your son and Jesus. Lord, father, savior, redeemer. Thank you.
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Thank you. For obediently following that which the father wanted. God, I pray that we would all be doing just that today. Holy Spirit, empower us, guide us, show us how to do that. It's in your son's precious name that I pray lord.
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Amen. I've got a stack of books up here today. This ridiculous volume is like 608 pages, 600 and something pages long. In the front cover, a buddy of mine, when I graduated from seminary, he said, just whatever seminary graduate wants. So, six zero eight page book.
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There will be a quiz. Congratulations. This is a book about Dietrich Bonheifer. Carl's giving me the high sign. Children that have not already dismissed themselves to children's church.
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Y'all can go right now if you'd like. Thank you, Carl. This is a book about Dietrich Bonhoeffer and I'm only into about the second chapter of it. It's wonderful. If you don't know who he is, the title says, pastor, martyr, prophet, spy.
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How is that for stirring up? Pastor, prophet, or pastor, martyr, prophet, spy. He was involved in the resistance against the Nazis from inside of Germany during World War two. It's a fantastic book but why would somebody write a book that has already been written? Because Bonhoeffer people have covered his life over and over and over and over and over and over again.
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There are tons of books written about him. He had written five or six books himself and they're wonderful. The cost of discipleship. Oh my goodness. If you haven't read it, just don't listen to me.
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Go find it and read it. It's that good. Life together. Fantastic. Wonderful.
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I'll get back to something some of the things that he has said and some of the quotes from Bonhofer himself but why would somebody, I got to thinking about this. Why would somebody write a book that has been written over and over? The main reason I got to that point is because we're doing the study in John and John wrote his gospel later than all of the other gospels, Matthew, Mark, and Luke that are included the synoptics, the ones that had seen together. Their focus is slightly different than John's and that's why I would argue that John wrote his book. He wants to get past the details, past the particulars, and see the forest and not the trees.
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Those other gospels are great and their scripture and they're sufficient but John wants to get it down to the point of the matter and that's why we call it in the in the study that we've been calling it over and over is the gospel of belief. What you believe matters. Now, put on your running shoes because we're going to go through a lot today. Review, I presented a prologue, the opening credits of the drama, and it introduces the major themes. Chapter six is where we're going to be today and all of those major themes are going to come up.
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Divine Lagos, light and life. The period of consideration, John's presenting the evidence. So, we've got prologue and period of consideration. He presents evidence, gives eyewitness testimony. All of these people are actual people.
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He chose stories from among many to accomplish his purpose and his purpose as we all should know by now because I've said it a thousand times. John twenty thirty one says, these things I have written so that you may believe and believing have life in his name. So, period of consideration where all of those things, we covered that many of em from the pulpit. The period of controversy went over the man at the pool and the claims of Jesus and Doug did a great job from what I hear of covering the witnesses a few weeks ago. Doug Wacham did that one.
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Today, we're going to cover the rest of those on that list. I'm the bread come down from heaven. It's John six verses one through 71. Now, I'm not going to read it all to you. A lot of it will be very familiar to those of you who grew up in church or those of you who have done much study because just six one, three, seven, really?
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He's going to do 71 verses. This is the same guy that two weeks ago did three verses. It took him forty minutes. So, we're going to cover all three of those today. The feeding of the the 5,000 men.
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I'm not going to go through the story but I want you to know this. This is the only miracle of Jesus that's recorded and highlighted. It really brings it out. It gets attention in all four of the gospels. The story is very similar in all of em.
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They don't have anything that contradicts one another but the focus is different in each one of them. So, why would someone retell a story that has been told? Why would someone, Eric Mataxis, feel the necessity to write a six zero eight page book about a guy that's been dead for going on seventy years, sixty something years? Well, he may feel that the story was not told well. That's possible.
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But he's got a long bibliography in the back. He's read everything everybody has written or it may not have been received well and that's a different thing. You might tell a story wonderfully or preach a sermon fantastically. You might do it great but if it was not received well, if they weren't listening to the point of the story, then you feel like it warrants telling again. They may feel that they have uncovered something of significance whereas previous generations might have missed it.
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And I think that that's what happened with John. I think that John was seeing some of the ways that heresy was beginning to grow from the particulars of Matthew, Mark, and Luke's story. Now we know Mark's story is traditionally, we believe that Mark's story, Mark wrote down Peter's story. And Peter was into the particulars. He remembered a lot of things.
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But Matthew had a slightly different take and wanted to pay it to a slightly different audience. Luke wanted an orderly account and so he wanted for everything to be included. Luke says a lot longer than the others but John felt like, okay, fellas, that's all great and it's wonderful and everything that you've said is true but in his purpose statement, he says, I've written these things. When I read, when I was singing that song, I I sang it. Could we would ink the ocean fill where the skies of parchment made?
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Every stalk on earth a quill and every man ascribed by trade to write the love of God above would drain the ocean dry nor could the scroll contain the hole that stretch from sky to sky. John says, if we wrote everything about Jesus, all the books in the world couldn't contain it but what he did was got there. Okay, there's Bonhofer. If don't know what he looks like. How does the chunk break down?
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The feeding of 5,000 is very first. Seriously, put on your running shoes. We're going quick today. Feeding of the 5,000 men. The men in this time period would have meant just heads of household.
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That's probably just as many women if they're heads of household and their wives are still living and probably at least as many kids and maybe as many as double or triple as many kids. So this puts a number between 15,020 maybe more than that. Have you all ever been to a place where there are 15,000 or 20,000 people? Ever been to a place where 15 or 20,000 hungry people? Yes.
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I won't go over that one. All four of the gospels cover it. You can read that one at home if you want to. It's a beautiful story and it's true. Verse 14, I will read.
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Verse 14, he is recognized as being the prophet. Now, we've heard this before in John already about three times. A prophet or the prophet. So, getting to John six. John six fourteen says, from the New King James just because that's what I have up here.
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Then, those men, when they had seen the sign that Jesus did said, this is truly the prophet who has come into the world. That calls back to Deuteronomy eighteen fifteen where Moses said, God is going to raise up for you a prophet and he will be out of your midst and he will tell you all of these things and you need to listen to him and so they were looking for this. Do you remember the Samaritan woman we covered a few weeks ago? Samaritan woman says, I I perceive that you are a prophet and then she changed that and she said, I know when the Messiah comes, the anointed one, the prophet. Same guy, the king, same guy, prophet, priest, and king.
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He's, I know that when the Messiah comes, he will tell us all things and we need to listen to him. They recognize that he was the prophet and the very next verse says, therefore, when Jesus perceived that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, he departed again to a mountain by himself alone. So, Deuteronomy eighteen fifteen through 19, the prophet, Moses spoke of been closely linked to the Messiah, prophet, priest, and king and in Samaritan history too. That's what she recognized in him and when she went and she told all the people in her village, come see this guy who's told me everything I've ever done. They knew.
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They picked up on that. They went back and they accepted it. So, that's what we have underlying this. That's in chapter four. Next thing, this is how it breaks down.
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Jesus slips away. He walks on water and he calms the storm. My goodness. How long does that take to tell? That's a that's a pretty good.
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He slips away from the crowd. He walks on the water, calms the storm. Timing is everything. Jesus's hour had not yet come. John's mentioned that several times in the gospel already.
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We'll mention it several other times. The time for him to show his prophet, priest, king, Messiahship is on the cross. The glorification comes towards the end of this gospel. He had to slip away. Zealot politics at this time would have lifted him up as their king and they would have had a powerful rallying force.
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His this time period, the the late Galilean ministry is what we call it, is almost exactly a year before the crucifixion. This is the height of his public acclaim. After you feed 5,000 people, 5,000 men, 20,000 people, who knows? After you feed that many people, you know, a lot of our politicians are a chicken in every pot, hope and change. We want for things to get better.
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Everybody wants for things to get better and now he's generating food for the masses. That's a pretty popular guy. He's going to get to be popular by filling people's bellies. But he realized that that was not the primary purpose for which he had come and John realizes that and I'm going to get to it at the end more but if you look past the details of the story and see, he could have had a revolution forming but that's not why he came. He came for spiritual reasons, not for the physical reasons.
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He he validated it through the physical. The walking on the water. Sermon after sermon after sermon has been written about Peter stepping out of that boat and going to Jesus and sinking and looking back up and they're all good. It's great. Carl's going to preach one tomorrow night.
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As a matter of fact, on just that subject and it's worth it. John doesn't even mention Peter at all. He didn't mention Peter getting out of the boat. Calm in the storm is barely incidental. It's only three verses that he covers this whole section right here.
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Slipping away, walking on water, calming the storm. The crowd seeks Jesus. That's the very next thing. I know this is a verse by verse commentary for some of you so far. The crowd seeking Jesus.
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This has got to be a good thing, right? They're not the 12. These at this point are considered his disciples. On the following day, this is after the day that he fed him. This is after the day that he slipped away.
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On the following day, when the people were standing on the other side of the sea, saw that there was no other boat there except the one When the people therefore saw that Jesus was not there nor his disciples, they also got into their boats and they came to Capernaum. They were seeking Jesus. They were looking for him. That's a good thing. They're clamoring for him.
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When they didn't find him, they knew where he ought to be. Capernaum was home based for Jesus. So, that's where they went looking for him. This is where we ought to find him. The next thing that we see is where they find him and question him and we see later on in this.
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Now, this is the longest passage I'll spend a little bit more time. You got your running shoes on? Everybody's still with me. This is the longest part of the passage and when they find and question him, it is in the synagogue. Or at least further down it says that he was teaching these, teaching them these things in the synagogue at Capernaum.
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So, when they find and question him, this section, it there's a lot more to this. Jesus questions them back and in 25, when they found him on the other side of the sea, Rabbi, when did you come here? And Jesus answered them and said, most assuredly, I say to you, you seek me not because you saw the signs but because you ate of the loaves and you were filled. Don't labor for the food which perishes. You can hear the love.
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If you, it it's it's not condemnation. This is not condemnation. This is love. Don't labor for the food which perishes but for the food which endures to everlasting life which the son of man will give you because the father has set his seal on him. And just like human beings, just like we are today, their next question was, what shall we do?
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What can we do? Give me something to do. Give me a list. I want to check something off the list. I want to know what it is that I have to do that we may work the works of God and Jesus answered and said to them and this is this is John right here.
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He's getting to the point. This is the work of God. Jesus says this, this is the work of God that you believe in him who he sent. That's the simple gospel. Over and over and over and over again in the book of John.
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It's the simple gospel that believing is what matters. That's what John comes back to over and over and over. He tells the incidentals, his time frame, his particulars are the same ones in a lot of cases that are in other gospels, one or two of em. In this case, it's all of em mention this but John follows it up with this next thing. It's the bread of life discourse.
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They want to know what they can do and Jesus brings it back to believe. Being does not follow doing. You'll probably hear me say this over and over and over and over again. Being does not follow doing. Does that make sense?
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Doing follows being. Doing flows out of being. You do according to that which you are and you are according to that which you believe. It's the longest section of the chapter. It's known as the bread of life discourse.
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Jesus teaches them about himself but notice this, he does it using their chosen topic. So, verse 30, therefore, they said to him, what sign will you perform? Then, that we may see it and believe in you. Now, he just fed twenty, zero people. The day before, just right before this, he just fed 20,000.
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They're like, okay, what are you going
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to do? What are you going
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to do to prove it? He just produced from five little loaves and a fish or two. You know, just a few, just a little handful and they had 12 baskets left over after feeding all these people. What are you going to do now? And their chosen topic was, our fathers ate the manna in the desert as it is written, he gave them bread from heaven to eat and Jesus said, most assuredly I say to you, Moses, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven but my father gives you the true bread from heaven.
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For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world. And they said, lord, give us this bread evermore. We want it every day. We want free to feed us every day. And Jesus said, I am the bread of life.
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He who comes to me shall never hunger. He who 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 the one who comes to me, I will by no means cast out. For I have come down from heaven not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. This is the will of the father who sent me.
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That all he has given me, I should lose nothing but should raise it up at the last day and this is the will of him who sent me that everyone who sees the son and believes in him may have everlasting life and I will raise him up at the last day. And what did they do? In verse 41, they grumble. It says, they grumbled and they complained. My goodness, they grumbled and complained and then verse 42 says, and the reason together, they got together to discuss it.
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42, Jesus therefore answered, oh and and they said, is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How is it that he says, I've come down from heaven? Now, they didn't have the benefit of the Luke two story. They didn't have the benefit of the Matthew two story. They didn't have the benefit of having seen plenty of Christmas plays with people walking the aisle dressed as shepherds and wise men.
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They didn't have all that. They had not that kind of understanding but grumbling and complaining to direct testimony of Jesus and Jesus therefore answered and said to him, do not murmur among yourselves. No one can come to me unless the father who sent me draws him and I will raise him up at the last day. He says it over and over. Do you get this?
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Do you all see that John's purpose is being fulfilled? It's on the lips of Jesus. He's saying, this is what matters. This is what matters. Yes, all that other stuff is fantastic but this is what matters.
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This is what matters and he does it with love and compassion. He gently rebukes and then clarifies. He simplifies and they completely missed the metaphor. Verse 52, then the Jews quarreled among themselves saying, how can this man give us his flesh to eat? Now, this is a confusing thing.
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When we use metaphors, we have to make sure that people are picking up what we're putting down. You know, we make sure that they understand what we mean by certain things and the whole question of flesh to eat. We're going to do communion in a few minutes and this is something that has plagued the church for centuries. What does it really mean? Is it really that when we take in this element, it magically becomes the actual body and that that magically conveys to us.
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Well, that's one view. Is it that God's grace comes along with it by our active faith? We're taking it in. That's one view. Is it that this is a symbol?
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You've told me to do this in remembrance of you, this do in remembrance of me. Is it that? That's one view. That's the one I go with. It's a symbol of taking in Christ, of ingesting him, of making it a part of your life.
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Bonhofer, I told you I was going to read a quote or two by him. He doesn't have, we does have some short quotes but they're usually taken from very long passages. This is the quote, prepare yourself. I'm to read as much of this as I'm reading scripture today. But I think it's because he picks it up from right here and lots of other places.
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Cheap grace means grace sold on the market like cheap Jack's wares. The sacraments, the forgiveness of sin, and the consolations of religion are thrown away at cut prices. Grace is represented as the church's inexhaustible treasury from which the showers bless from which she showers the church, from which she showers blessings considering where he was. The Nazi state in Germany consisted of the Christian church of Germany. Lutheran Church mostly, Catholic Church, some.
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Grace is represented as the churches inexhaustible treasury from which she showers blessings with generous hands without asking questions or fixing limits. Grace without price, grace without cost. The essence of grace we suppose is that the account has been paid in advance and because it has been paid, everything can be had for nothing. Since the cost was infinite, the possibilities of using and spending it are infinite. What would grace be if it were not cheap?
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Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance. Baptism without church discipline. Communion without confession. Absolution without personal confession. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship.
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Grace without the cross. Grace without Jesus Christ living and incarnate. Costly grace. Costly grace is the treasure hidden in the field. For the sake of it, a man will go and sell all that he has.
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It is the pearl of great price to buy which the merchant will sell all his goods. It is the kingly rule of Christ for whose sake a man will pluck out the eye which causes him to stumble. It is the call of Jesus Christ at which the disciple leaves his net and follows him. Costly grace is the gospel which must be sought again and again. The gift which must be asked for, the door at which a man must knock.
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Such grace is costly because it calls us to follow and it is grace because it calls us to follow Jesus Christ. It is costly because it cost a man his life and it is grace because it gives a man the only true life. It is costly because it condemns sin and it is grace because it justifies the sinner. Above all, it is costly because it cost God the life of his son. Ye were bought at a price.
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And what has cost God much cannot be cheap for us. Above all, it is grace because God did not reckon his son too dear a price to pay for our life but delivered him up for us. Costly grace is the incarnation of God. That's from the cost of discipleship. Jesus, when he simplified and called it back and then they missed the metaphor He called it back over and over.
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You see the very next thing that happened versus sixty to sixty six was defection among the disciples. 60, therefore, many of his disciples when they heard this said, what is this? It is a hard saying. Who can understand it? When Jesus knew in himself that the disciples complained about this, he said to them, does this offend you?
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What then if you should see the son of man ascend where he was before? It is the spirit who gives life. The flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit and they are life. Again, imploring them almost but there are some of you who don't believe.
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For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were, who didn't. And who they were that would betray him. And he said, therefore, I've said to you that no one can come to me unless it has been granted to him by my father. And this is the saddest verse in the New Testament to me. Verse 66 says, from that time, many of his disciples went back and walked with him no more.
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That's the difference in cheap grace and costly grace right there. From that time, many of his disciples went back and walked with him no more. He wouldn't give him a list. He wouldn't say, okay, 10 is what it is. It's 10%.
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The tithe. That means 10% and you have to give 10%. That's it. He wouldn't give them the list. He wouldn't say, this is it.
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That you do this. If you look at the way that he treated people, if you look at the way he saw what people did, you'll see that there seems to be a sliding standard. God requires a lot where a lot has been given. That makes sense. The rich, young ruler, he says, sell all you have.
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Give it all to the poor. That's what that guy had. For the for the widow's might, he said that was she gave more than everybody else. Oh my goodness. This is confusing.
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It's because it is about a personal relationship. Personally, what you do with Jesus and these heard that and turned and went away. Defection among the disciples. The very next thing though, now let's go back. I'm not a linear thinker.
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Have you all noticed that? I used the PowerPoints to keep me on a line, a linear path. I think more in a lateral fashion. I'm going go back and do this because it's up there. I'm trying to keep with you.
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This was the absolute height of his ministry. He would never be anymore popular anywhere in his earthly lifetime than he was right there, right then. This was his moment. He provided for their physical needs, done everything they needed with gently, with love, and compassion, and he pleaded with them not to be despite everything he said. Most people did not receive his words.
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If you look at the cross, only one disciple remained with it. Even his real shown up disciples. They were confused by him. Their traditional mindset would not allow them to just accept what he was saying was true. They stumbled on it.
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But the very next thing is encouraging because he brings it to what? Matters. The next thing is, then, Jesus said to the 12, do you also want to go away? But Simon Peter answered him, lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.
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Also, we have come to believe and know that you are the Christ, the son of the living God. So, this is Peter's declaration and he declares it for the disciples. He says, we, not I. The we says, there's no one else like you. You have the words of eternal life.
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We have believed and come to know that you are the holy one of God. It's the only time the New Testament that that's used. The holy one of God. It's all over the Old Testament. Peter was ready to partake of the bread and drink of the cup.
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He knew what costly grace was and he was ready for it. The very next thing is John's narrative and Jesus statement about Judas. So, back that up for a sec. So, Peter speaks for everybody in the 12 and listen to what the very next thing is. That Jesus answered him and said, did I not choose you the twelve And one of you is a devil.
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He was saying, you can't answer for anybody else, Peter. It's a personal matter. This, you can answer for you but you can't answer for everybody else. 11 of you, yeah, you're right but there's that twelfth one and he spoke of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, for it was he who would betray him, being one of the 12. Now, getting back to my linear path.
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John is writing to clarify the essential question of Jesus's identity. That's what it's about is his identity. He's writing so that you may believe. He tells us that in verse, I mean, in twenty thirty one, he tells us that and believing have life in his name. In this chapter, he wants for you to hear from the lips of Jesus that he is the bread of life, the true bread that has come down from heaven, not manna.
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He says, particularly actually, not as your fathers ate. I am the true bread that come down from heaven and it is for you to take partake of me but not in the manner that your fathers ate. That's kind of against that whole idea that this is the magical side of. If you take me in once or repeatedly that you'll not have to fear anything else. It is following me, following my path, taking in the sacrifice that I am currently making and will make for you.
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In this chapter, that's what it is. John wants for you to partake of the spread of life. John is wanting for you to take care of this. I'm going read one more quote from Bonhofer and you can read it up there. I might have to read it from there.
54:30
That's tiny print. To understand reality is not the same as to know about outward events. It is to perceive the essential nature of things. The best informed man is not necessarily the wisest. Indeed, there's a danger that precisely in the multiplicity of his knowledge, he will lose sight of what is essential.
54:49
But on the other hand, knowledge of an apparently trivial detail quite often makes it possible to see into the depths of things and so the wise man will seek to acquire the best possible knowledge about events but always without becoming dependent upon his knowledge. To recognize the significant and the factual is wisdom. That's the short quote right there. To recognize the significant and the factual is wisdom. John recognized that after he fed all those people, he followed it up with the bread of life discourse and said, this is what that was about.
55:21
I am this bread. God sent Jesus to meet spiritual needs. That's the what's significant in this long chapter. Jesus is the true bread of heaven and the giver of eternal life. That has already been said in John about six times.
55:38
Your personal acceptance of these facts makes all the difference. That's what Peter's little confession there at the end. The other gospels have Peter confessing Jesus before this and saying, you're the Christ, son of the living God and that's the turning point in those gospels. This is the turning point here. He probably said it both places.
55:56
Don't get me wrong but John's leaves that out at that point and says, this is the point. This is where it is. Your personal acceptance of these facts makes all of the difference. So, don't miss the metaphor. When we are just about to and band, y'all can come on up if you'd like to and we're going to do communion.
56:16
Kale, if you would play something pretty when we get to that point, I appreciate it. When Jesus says that he is the true bread of heaven, don't grumble. Dig in. Accept what he is offering. Let loose your traditional mindset about the do's and don'ts.
56:35
What can we do? Well, in Mexico, you cannot wear blue jeans because Christian don't wear blue jeans. You know what I'm saying? It's let go of the traditional stuff and truly seek what it is that God wants from you individually and I would say that before we even start this whole communion, Lord's supper, that you would confess to God, that it would be a costly grace that you recognize. When you're taking in Christ, you're taking in the sacrifice that he's made.
57:04
You're giving it value. You're not just saying, oh, well, Christ died for that one. I don't have to worry about it. I can do that. No big deal.
57:11
God's forgiven me for all my sin, past, present, future. No biggie. Don't have to worry about that. Paul says, should I send more so that grace may abound? Mega noit though.
57:23
May it never be. No, absolutely not. If you've accepted Jesus as your spiritual sustenance, you're welcome to join in with this communion. So, if I can get the communion team to come down to the front, appreciate it elders. Now, I do have one more thing to say.
57:44
After this service, we're going to we're going to pass the plates here in just a few minutes with the bread and with the cup and we'll hold on to em until everybody has em and then we'll we'll take them together but if you have not accepted Christ, Paul gives us a pretty strong warning that if you you are not to have this meal unworthily, you should not do this. If you're drinking unto yourself condemnation, Paul says, if you do. So, I would say circumspectly, think about it. Have I really accepted Christ? Is he the Lord of my life?
58:18
Is he the one? Am I accepting his sacrifice? Do I stand before? Will I stand before the judgment seat of God with anything else in my hand saying, I did this for you because the only acceptable thing is Jesus Christ, perfect life, perfect death, perfect resurrection. Alright.
58:39
God, I pray a blessing over this physical bread, this cracker that we're going to eat together, lord. We are doing this in remembrance of you. God, I pray a blessing on that and on each person who partakes. Lord, on anyone who has to let this plate pass that they have never made you lord of their life. They've never accepted the truth that you are the bread of heaven.
59:01
Lord, I pray that they would come and come to know that and come to accept that. They would let loose whatever traditional notion they have about you or about religion in general and make it about a relationship. So, I pray a blessing as we pass these elements. Amen. Took the bread and after blessing it, he he gave thanks and he said, this is my body given for you.
1:02:34
God, we thank you for sending Jesus. Jesus, we thank you for coming, For your perfect life of obedience, God. We accept that righteousness, lord, not by anything that we've done. We realize that we're receiving God's riches but it was at your expense. It was a costly grace.
1:02:55
Lord, we pray right now a blessing on this cup as we pass it, that we would think of your blood, that we would think of what it cost you, your own life's blood, the life blood of God so that man may live. In Jesus name, we pray. Amen. And on the evening Jesus was betrayed, he also took the cup after supper and in the same manner. He gave a blessing and he said, this is my the blood of the new covenant.
1:06:50
Do this in remembrance of me. Amen. Would you all stand and celebrate this? It says that by doing this in remembrance of him that we celebrate his death until he comes but we want to celebrate the the rising of Jesus. Christ is risen from the dead.
1:07:15
Lead us, would you? God bless you and have a great week.
