Jesus, The Bread of Life
John 6:52-59
As you know, we have been studying the book of John
In search of the Biblical Jesus.
Most recently our search has found us in the sixth chapter of John
As Jesus is butting heads
With some of the hardest hearts you will find throughout the Bible.
Despite all He has done, they cannot and will not see past the temporal.
All they want is for Jesus to pull more rabbits out of His hat
And continue to feed them literal bread.
They just want their bellies full,
And because of that they are completely missing Jesus.
Their refusal to see the truth brought about
The first of 7 “I Am” statements of Jesus.
John 6:35 “Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst.”
As the Jews were desperately seeking more bread from Jesus,
He plainly tells them that He is the true satisfaction of their souls.
Of course you know that they would not see it.
Instead they began to challenge Him and question Him.
First they wanted to see a sign and then they allow their own human logic to supplant the truth and determine to remain blind.
This led Jesus to state the matter again.
John 6:51 “I am the living bread that came down out of heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread also which I will give for the life of the world is My flesh.”
But instead of submitting to the truth, they once again question it.
And so we see their 6th statement or question of the chapter.
Vs. 52, “Then the Jews began to argue with one another, saying, “How can this man give us His flesh to eat?”
You can hear it in their question.
They are doubting everything about what Jesus has said.
Not only do they doubt the ability of Jesus to feed them His flesh, But you can also hear them doubting their need for it.
“How can this man give us His flesh to eat?”
That’s a pretty good question we ought to deal with a second here.
In verse 53 Jesus says, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in yourselves.”
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO EAT THE FLESH AND DRINK THE BLOOD OF JESUS?
To eat the flesh and drink the blood of Jesus means to believe.
THEN WHY DOESN’T JESUS JUST SAY BELIEVE? WHY USE THIS RATHER GROTESQUE ANALOGY?
If you will remember, ever since feeding the 5,000,
This crowd has had tunnel vision.
They were so excited they wanted to make Him king.
Since that time, all they have done is badger Him for more bread.
They constantly wanted bread.
They constantly wanted Jesus to rain down miracle bread from heaven.
That was all they could think about.
Therefore Jesus took their own passions and made a comparison.
If they would seek Him like they seek bread…
If they would trust Him like they trust bread…
If they would accept Him like they accept bread…
Then they would have life.
The flesh of Jesus speaks of His humanity.
John 1:14 “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
Hebrews 2:14-15 “Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives.”
When we feast on the flesh of Jesus,
We are focusing on the fact that He became a human.
It is so important John would later say this:
1 John 4:2-3 “By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God; and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world.”
The blood of Jesus speaks of His life.
Leviticus 17:11 “For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood by reason of the life that makes atonement.’
Hebrews 9:22 “And according to the Law, one may almost say, all things are cleansed with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.”
To feast on Jesus flesh is to accept the fact that He became a man.
To drink His blood is to accept the life that was within Him.
But when you put the two together, it leads us to focus on the atoning sacrifice of Jesus to lay down His life in our stead.
To eat His flesh and drink His blood
Is to fully place your trust in the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross.
Hebrews 9:11-14 “But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation; and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?”
THE POINT JESUS IS MAKING IS THAT
IT IS NECESSARY TO ACCEPT THE SACRIFICE OF JESUS
It is necessary to identify with it.
It is necessary to focus on it.
It is necessary to submit to it.
And so as these Jews question Jesus in verse 52 by saying, “How can this man give us His flesh to eat?”
They don’t see the necessity of His sacrifice
So He points out to them and to us 5 truths about His atoning sacrifice.
I am going to show you 5 attributes about the sacrifice of Jesus
In hope that you will determine to feast on the body and blood of Jesus.
#1 THE SACRIFICE OF JESUS IS ESSENTIAL
John 6:53
He doesn’t so much tell them how good life will be with His sacrifice
As much as He shows them how bad life will be without it.
“unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in yourselves.”
This is a very important truth that all of humanity must grasp.
Humans in this world are literally dead men walking.
Without Jesus, even though the body may be alive,
The Spirit is 100% and completely dead.
Ephesians 2:1-3 “And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.”
They don’t recognize the things of the Spirit,
They don’t understand the things of the Spirit.
1 Corinthians 2:14 “But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.”
This is why it breaks my heart to hear people make statements like,
“I just don’t get anything out of that.”
“I just don’t see where God is working here.”
They are condemning themselves.
They are admitting that they do not recognize the things of the Spirit.
Though the body is alive, the soul is dead.
And every human without Jesus is in this condition.
Without the sacrifice of Jesus, man is literally a spiritual FRANKENSTEIN.
A lump of organs with no life.
“you have no life in yourselves.”
This makes the sacrifice of Jesus ESSENTIAL.
HOW CAN YOU HAVE LIFE WITHOUT IT?
Hebrews 10:26-27 “For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a terrifying expectation of judgment and THE FURY OF A FIRE WHICH WILL CONSUME THE ADVERSARIES.”
If you reject the sacrifice, what will you do?
John 14:6 “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.”
Acts 4:12 “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.”
Matthew 26:39 “And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.”
The sacrifice of Jesus is essential.
Your soul cannot have life apart from feasting upon it.
#2 THE SACRIFICE OF JESUS IS ETERNAL
John 6:54-55
Now you will notice what Jesus said here.
“He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood HAS eternal life, and I WILL raise him up on the last day.”
Once you feast upon the sacrifice, you immediately have eternal life.
Your dead soul has instantly become a living soul that will never die.
1 Corinthians 2:14-16 “But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised. But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no one. For WHO HAS KNOWN THE MIND OF THE LORD, THAT HE WILL INSTRUCT HIM? But we have the mind of Christ.”
Just as the soul is dead apart from the sacrifice of Jesus,
The soul that has received the sacrifice of Jesus is alive,
And will take part in the resurrection some day.
You can seek bread, but as we mentioned several weeks ago, bread doesn’t have the ability to give life. Bread can only sustain life.
But the sacrifice of Jesus gives life forever.
1 John 5:11 “And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.”
1 Peter 1:3-5 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”
And I really like what Jesus says next.
Because at this point, people could say, “So what?”
“Every religion promises eternal life”
I don’t know a single religion that doesn’t promise life after death.
WHY SHOULD WE BELIEVE THAT THE SACRIFICE OF JESUS IS ANY DIFFERENT?
Vs. 55, “For My flesh is TRUE food and My blood is TRUE drink.”
Jesus just took a shot at every other false religion in the world.
“Yeah I know Muhammad claims to have eternal life, but Mine is true.”
“Yeah I know Joseph Smith claims to have eternal life, but Mine is true”
I want you to realize something.
According to Jesus, there’s only One way to have eternal life
If Jesus is right, then everyone else is wrong.
If anyone else is right, then Jesus is wrong.
For Jesus claims absolute exclusivity.
SO WHAT IS IT THAT MAKES JESUS RIGHT AND EVERYONE ELSE WRONG?
Acts 2:22-24 “Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through Him in your midst, just as you yourselves know — this Man, delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death. “But God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power.”
Acts 2:32 “This Jesus God raised up again, to which we are all witnesses.”
Romans 1:4 “who was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead, according to the Spirit of holiness, Jesus Christ our Lord,”
When Jesus offers eternal life, we know He is true
Because He is the only to ever hang a “vacancy” sign on His own tomb.
The sacrifice of Jesus is the true feast.
Everything else is like eating wax fruit.
And that doesn’t just include false religions.
People in this world feast on all sorts of things other than Jesus.
People think money will do it, people think fame will do it, people think relationships will do it, but none of those things are true food or drink.
Isaiah 55:1-2 “Ho! Every one who thirsts, come to the waters; And you who have no money come, buy and eat. Come, buy wine and milk Without money and without cost. “Why do you spend money for what is not bread, And your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, And delight yourself in abundance.”
Only Jesus has the power to redeem a soul and give life eternal, Nothing else is true.
Psalms 49:5-9 “Why should I fear in days of adversity, When the iniquity of my foes surrounds me, Even those who trust in their wealth And boast in the abundance of their riches? No man can by any means redeem his brother Or give to God a ransom for him — For the redemption of his soul is costly, And he should cease trying forever — That he should live on eternally, That he should not undergo decay.”
The sacrifice of Jesus is essential The sacrifice of Jesus is eternal
#3 THE SACRIFICE OF JESUS IS ENJOYABLE
John 6:56
You say, “Preacher, I’ve seen The Passion of the Christ, there isn’t anything enjoyable about that at all.”
If I follow Jesus He says that I have to take up one of those crosses
And follow Him up that hill.
I DON’T THINK THAT WILL BE ENJOYABLE EITHER.
The Christian life is a struggle. The Christian life is a lesson in perseverance.
The Christian life is a marathon.
AND YOU KNOW, YOU ARE RIGHT.
Christianity can be very costly.
It cost me most of my friends.
It cost me all of my music.
At bare minimum it costs me 10% of my money every month.
Several times it has cost me my reputation.
It quite often costs me my comfort.
It often costs me my free time.
And I suspect that it could very likely cost me my physical life some day.
The sacrifice of Jesus is hard.
BUT LET ME TELL YOU.
If I had known before I took up the cross, what I know now,
I would have come to Him quicker.
The cost has been real, but it doesn’t even compare to the joy.
THE BENEFITS HAVE BEEN AMAZING.
And Jesus reveals two of them here.
Then Jesus says, you will abide in Me.
That means wherever Jesus is, we get to go.
Ephesians 2:4-7 “But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.”
That verse says I am seated in Christ in heaven.
I get to share on the benefits He receives.
HOW?
Through the Holy Spirit.
John 16:14-15 “He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you. “All things that the Father has are Mine; therefore I said that He takes of Mine and will disclose it to you.”
I get to enjoy the things that Jesus enjoys.
I get to rejoice when a soul gets saved.
I get to rejoice when God’s people worship Him.
I get to enjoy listening to God.
I get to enjoy communion with God.
When you abide in Jesus, the Bible promises joy.
John 15:4-11 “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. “If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned. “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. “My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples. “Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love. “If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. “These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.”
Not only do we abide in Jesus, but He abides in us.
“and I in him.”
Not only do I get to share in His benefits,
He willingly shares in my difficulties.
Colossians 1:26-27 “that is, the mystery which has been hidden from the past ages and generations, but has now been manifested to His saints, to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”
John 14:16-17 “I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you.”
CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?
You heard the song by Casting Crowns on the video last week.
“But the power of Christ in me, makes me strong.”
John 10:10 “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”
The sacrifice of Jesus may appear awful,
But I am here to testify that it is enjoyable.
The sacrifice of Jesus is essential. The sacrifice of Jesus is eternal.
The sacrifice of Jesus is enjoyable.
#4 THE SACRIFICE OF JESUS IS EFFECTIVE
John 6:57
I want you to know beyond a shadow of a doubt that
The sacrifice of Jesus works.
The feast of Jesus has the proper effect.
Sometimes we eat food here that does not have the proper effect.
The sacrifice of Jesus has the proper effect.
If you feast on His sacrifice, you WILL have eternal life.
HOW DO YOU KNOW?
Because the same power that worked to raise Jesus from the dead
Is the power that will give you eternal life.
“As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats Me, he also WILL LIVE BECAUSE OF ME.”
John 14:19 “After a little while the world will no longer see Me, but you will see Me; because I live, you will live also.”
Revelation 1:17-18 “When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. And He placed His right hand on me, saying, “Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades.”
Romans 8:10-11 “If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.”
The sacrifice of Jesus works, and it works every time.
It is that powerful.
The sacrifice of Jesus is essential The sacrifice of Jesus is eternal
The sacrifice of Jesus is enjoyable The sacrifice of Jesus is effective
#5 THE SACRIFICE OF JESUS IS EXCLUSIVE
John 6:58-59
It is by no mistake that by now Jesus has moved into the Synagogue.
It is by no mistake that by now Jesus is talking to the religious folk.
These same people who claimed to want a relationship with God
Could not see past their carnal desires for literal bread,
And so Jesus again makes the statement.
“This is the bread which came down out of heaven; not as the fathers ate and died, he who eats this bread will live forever.”
DID YOU CATCH THE POINT?
We are here this morning to partake in the Lord’s Supper,
But don’t for one second think this passage is about the Lord’s Supper.
IT IS NOT.
This passage, this sermon, this service, is not about the Lord’s Supper.
IT IS ABOUT JESUS.
(HOLD UP THE JUICE BOTTLE AND THE CRACKER BOX)
If you think that is what God wants from you,
You have missed the point completely.
That is exactly what the Jews wanted.
They could not see past the bread.
God does not want you to eat grape juice and crackers,
God wants you to feast upon the sacrifice of Jesus.
You could try to replace that with this Lord’s Supper,
But it won’t work,
Because the sacrifice of Jesus is EXCLUSIVE.
These Jews missed Jesus because they could not see past their own carnal hunger, and my oh my how that hits home today.
All over America there are people in pews who can’t see Jesus
All they can think about is lunch and filling their stomachs.
What God wants from you and from me is for us
To hunger for Jesus even more than we hunger for bread.
Matthew 5:6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.”
John 6:27 “Do not work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you, for on Him the Father, God, has set His seal.”
It is all about the sacrifice of Jesus.
That being said, this morning we are going to take the Lord’s Supper.
This is nothing more than an outward symbol
Of what should have already taken place in your heart.
If you have never fully surrendered to Jesus,
This ordinance is of absolutely no value to you.
That being said, we are about to have a time or preparation.
The Bible says not to take this ordinance lightly.
1 Corinthians 11:23-32 “For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which He was betrayed took bread; and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” In the same way He took the cup also after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes. Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner, shall be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord. But a man must examine himself, and in so doing he is to eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For he who eats and drinks, eats and drinks judgment to himself if he does not judge the body rightly. For this reason many among you are weak and sick, and a number sleep. But if we judged ourselves rightly, we would not be judged. But when we are judged, we are disciplined by the Lord so that we will not be condemned along with the world.”
WHY AM I HERE? WHY AM I DOING THIS?
AM I FULLY TRUSTING IN THE SACRIFICE OF JESUS?
It is a time to prepare ourselves to partake of the table of the Lord.
Deacons come forward and fold the blanket.
John 6:53-58 “So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in yourselves. “He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. “For My flesh is true food, and My blood is true drink. “He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. “As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats Me, he also will live because of Me. “This is the bread which came down out of heaven; not as the fathers ate and died; he who eats this bread will live forever.”
Give bread to deacons.
Deacon prayer & pass out the bread
1 Corinthians 11:23-24 “For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which He was betrayed took bread; and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”
Partake of the bread.
Hebrews 9:19-22 “For when every commandment had been spoken by Moses to all the people according to the Law, he took the blood of the calves and the goats, with water and scarlet wool and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, saying, “THIS IS THE BLOOD OF THE COVENANT WHICH GOD COMMANDED YOU.” And in the same way he sprinkled both the tabernacle and all the vessels of the ministry with the blood. And according to the Law, one may almost say, all things are cleansed with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.”
Give juice to deacons
Deacon prayer & pass out the juice
1 Corinthians 11:25 “In the same way He took the cup also after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”
Partake of the Juice.
Sing a parting hymn.
