December 6, 2009
Evening Service

St. Jn. 6

 

Review:

1.       In chapter 5 we are taught that Jesus is on an equal with God the Father.

• Equality with God in nature.
• Equality with God in power.
• Equality with God in authority.

2.      Then we saw more witnesses.

• John Baptist again.
• Witness of the Father.
• Witness of the works that He did.
• Witness of the Scriptures.

 

We closed this morning with this Scripture:  Joh 5:46-47 ISV  For if you believed Moses, you would believe me, for it was about me that he wrote.  (47)  But if you do not believe what he wrote, how will you believe my words?"

 

Chapter six:

 

·         Verses 1-14;  tells of the miracle of the 5 barley loaves, and two small fishes.  They fed 5000 people with these.  They also collected twelve baskets of bread that was left over.  After this miracle the men that were fed said this:  Joh 6:14 ISV  When the people saw the sign that he had done, they kept saying, "Truly this is the Prophet who was to come into the world!"

·         15-21 The second miracle Jesus does in chapter six is to walk on the water.  “Do not be afraid, it is I.”

 

Joh 6:22-59 ISV  The next day, the crowd that had remained on the other side of the sea noticed that only one boat had been there, and no other, and that Jesus had not gotten into that boat with his disciples. Instead, his disciples had gone away by themselves.  (23)  Other small boats from Tiberias arrived near the place where they had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks.  (24)  When the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into these boats and went to Capernaum to look for Jesus.  (25)  When they had found him on the other side of the sea, they asked him, "Rabbi, when did you get here?"  (26)  Jesus replied to them, "Truly, truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate the loaves and were completely satisfied.  (27)  Do not work for the food that perishes but for the food that lasts for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For it is on him that God the Father has set his seal." 

• What is the food that lasts for eternal life?  I think Jesus summed it up in Matthew when He said, “lay not up treasures for yourselves on earth where moth, and rust can corrupt it, but lay them up in Heaven where moth, and rust can not corrupt them.”
• Our treasures on earth will perish with the cleansing fire from God, but all the good deeds you do are sent up to Heaven and will be there for a witness for you to God.

(28)  Then they said to him, "What must we do to perform the works of God?"  (29)  Jesus answered them, "This is the work of God: to believe in the one whom he has sent." 

• A good friend of mine, Dwight Dunbar, ministers at a fellowship called the work of God.  I often wondered why it was named that, and one day I read this, then I saw why.

(30)  So they said to him, "What sign are you going to do so that we may see it and believe in you? What work are you performing?  (31)  Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, just as it is written, 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'"  (32)  Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly I tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven.  (33)  For the bread of God is the one who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world."  (34)  Then they said to him, "Sir, give us this bread all the time."  (35)  Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life. The one who comes to me will never become hungry, and the one who believes in me will never become thirsty.  (36)  I told you that you have seen me, yet you do not believe.  (37)  Everything the Father gives me will come to me, and the one who comes to me I will never turn away.  (38)  For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of the one who sent me.  (39)  And this is the will of the one who sent me, that I should not lose anything that he has given me, but should raise it to life on the last day.  (40)  For this is my Father's will, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him to life on the last day."

• And this is one of the Scriptures used to teach eternal security.  But what Jesus says here it true.

 

(41)  Then the Jews began grumbling about him because he said, "I am the bread that came down from heaven."  (42)  They kept saying, "This is Jesus, the son of Joseph, isn't it, whose father and mother we know? So how can he say, 'I have come down from heaven'?"  (43)  Jesus answered them, "Stop grumbling among yourselves.  (44)  No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him to life on the last day.  (45)  It is written in the Prophets, 'And all of them will be taught by God.' Everyone who has listened to the Father and has learned anything comes to me. 

• All shall be taught by God!  1Jo 2:27  The anointing you received from him abides in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. Instead, because his anointing teaches you about everything and is true and not a lie, abide in him, as he taught you to do.

• This is the witness of the Spirit of God in your life.  The Holy Spirit will quicken the truth in your heart, and mind, allowing you to say amen.  You will not be able to amen something that is not in the Word.

(46)  Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who comes from God. This one has seen the Father.  (47)  Truly, truly I tell you, the one who believes in me has eternal life.  (48)  I am the bread of life.  (49)  Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness and died.  (50)  This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that a person may eat it and not die.  (51)  I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats this bread, he will live forever. And the bread I will give for the life of the world is my flesh." 

• What would you have thought?  This is what we mean when we say “if you don’t understand something in the Scriptures, put it on the altar, and God will reveal it in time.”

(52)  Then the Jews debated angrily with each other, saying, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?"  (53)  So Jesus told them, "Truly, truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life in yourselves.  (54)  The one who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him to life on the last day.  (55)  For my flesh is real food, and my blood is real drink.  (56)  The person who eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him.  (57)  Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will also live because of me.  (58)  This is the bread that came down from heaven, not the kind that your ancestors ate. They died, but the one who eats this bread will live forever."  (59)  He said this while teaching in the synagogue at Capernaum.

• And of course we are so blessed that “all things that pertain to life, and Godliness have been given unto us.”  We have the complete revelation of God.   At least everything He wants us to have. 
• We can read and understand what Jesus said at the last Passover meal He had with His disciples;

Mat 26:26-29  While they were eating, Jesus took a loaf of bread and blessed it. Then he broke it in pieces and handed it to the disciples, saying, "Take this and eat it. This is my body."  (27)  Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you.  (28)  For this is my blood of the new covenant that is being poured out for many people for the forgiveness of sins.  (29)  I tell you, I will never again drink the product of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom."

 

And then Paul teaches us this:  1Co 11:23-26  For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you-how the Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took a loaf of bread,  (24)  gave thanks for it, and broke it in pieces, saying, "This is my body that is for you. Keep doing this in memory of me."  (25)  He did the same with the cup after the supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood. As often as you drink from it, keep doing this in memory of me."  (26)  For as often as you eat this bread and drink from this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.

 

Joh 6:60-71  When many of his disciples heard this, they said, "This is a difficult statement. Who can accept it?"  (61)  But Jesus, knowing in himself that his disciples were grumbling about this, said to them, "Does this offend you?  (62)  What if you saw the Son of Man going up to the place where he was before?  (63)  It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is useless. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.  (64)  But there are some among you who do not believe." For from the beginning Jesus knew those who wouldn't believe, as well as the one who would betray him.  (65)  So he said, "That's why I told you that no one can come to me unless it be granted him by the Father."  (66)  As a result, many of his disciples turned back and no longer associated with him.  (67)  So Jesus said to the twelve, "You don't want to leave, too, do you?"  (68)  Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words of eternal life.  (69)  Besides, we have believed and remain convinced that you are the Holy One of God."  (70)  Jesus answered them, "I chose you twelve, didn't I? Yet one of you is a devil."  (71)  Now he was speaking about Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. For this man, even though he was one of the twelve, was going to betray him.