Scripture: John 6:47-66
Introduction
- As we move closer and closer to the cross and Easter Sunday it seems timely to ask this question.
- My daughter, Tana, inspired this sermon when she gave me some profound insight.
- We were discussing some complex relationships in our lives and how they vary from person to person.
- The group calls us to be together, but if the group is fractured, are the relationships lost?
- Without the group dynamic, the individual relationships are on shaky ground.
- You see PERSONAL relationships are not defined by groups and institutions,
- Allow me to explain: we form relationships based on our membership in groups.
- We have friends who we work with; friends that we go to church with; school friends.
- But what happens when we leave the group? Is the relationship still intact?
- Sometimes relationships survive leaving the group, but mostly … they don’t.
- We cannot rely on groups for important relationships that we want or need to preserve.
- We cannot think that just because someone belongs to a church, that they are saved.
- Salvation comes from a personal relationship with Christ – not a relationship to a group.
- Churches are groups and groups sometimes unravel or fall apart so church isn’t enough.
- We need to keep our focus away from the group and emphasize connecting with Christ.
- John presents us with two things about a personal relationship with Jesus:
- Jesus is the bread of life
- Not everyone is going to get it
1. Jesus is the bread of life
- This whole idea of Jesus’ body and blood being edible was troubling for people.
- Today we celebrate the Lord’s Supper that commemorates the Last Supper.
- People got so hung up with the literal interpretation of Christ’s words.
- Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.
- Well how in the world are we gonna eat His flesh and drink His blood?
- You’ve got to be kidding me Jesus! What are you talking about?
- You are the “bread of life” and I’m supposed to eat you to be saved?
- He even compares Himself to the manna from heaven that God gave the Hebrews.
- Unlike the manna from heaven, He says “I am the bread of life.”
- Unlike their ancestors who died even after eating bread from heaven, eating from His body will give them everlasting life.
- This was tough to take. They started to argue among themselves, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?”
- Can you see where a literal and strict interpretation of Jesus can be a problem?
- The Bible is important for teaching the Gospel, but it can be misused.
- It can particularly be misused whenever it divides people and prevents a relationship with Christ.
- It really drives people away when you use it to beat them over the head.
- The Word is a useful weapon though; it’s a weapon to use against the evil one.
- Does anybody think that Jesus meant for people to LITERALLY eat His flesh or drink His blood? NO we aren’t vampires.
- The Catholics decided to split the difference and created TRANSUBSTANTIATION
- It is a fancy way of saying they pretend that the Communion elements are real.
- The priest ritually turns bread and wine into body and blood as though it is real.
- What we see happening in this story is people missing the real point He is making.
- Jesus is telling us that He is the bread of life and we need to consume Him
- In modern terms, we would say that we need to INTERNALIZE Jesus.
- The more we fill ourselves up with Christ, the more we become like Him.
- We are much more abstract thinkers now than our friends from 2000 years ago.
- Jesus had to make His point in concrete terms that His people would understand.
- Even so, there were those who understood and those who did not.
2. Not everyone is going to get it
- On hearing it, many of his disciples said, “This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?”
- Jesus explained this phenomenon when He said in verse 65:
“This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled them.”
- How do you think the Father enables people to get it? Through the Holy Spirit
- God uses the Holy Spirit to speak to us and explain and interpret things for us.
- But the Holy Spirit doesn’t speak loudly; He has a still, small voice. 1 Kings 19:11-12:
And, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake: and after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.
- This is the way the Lord communicated with Elijah and this is how He speaks now.
- You can’t hear that still, small voice unless you pay careful attention.
- At the very least, you need to turn off some of the noise in your life.
- The enemy gets it. He does everything he can to distract and obscure the Spirit.
- In verse 63, Jesus says in His own words regarding the Spirit:
The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you—they are full of the Spirit and life.
- As we partake in our monthly remembrance of the meaning of the bread and the juice, let the Holy Spirit guide you in your understanding and strengthen your relationship with Jesus.
- As for me, I proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ crucified.
- I know that I will step on some toes and make some people uncomfortable.
- I know that through me, the Holy Spirit will convict some of us in our behavior.
- I know that I hear the voice of the Holy Spirit and I listen for guidance.
- God has called me and each of you to proclaim the truth about His Son, Jesus Christ.
- Not everyone is going to get it and some will turn away. John tells us this in verse 66:
From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.
- The key point here is that this does not refer to the beginning of a gradual departure.
- The Greek translation implies an immediate mass exodus of people leaving Jesus.
- We have to realize that some will reject our message and turn away from Jesus.
- Some will be convicted to their core to accept Christ.
- Either way, the message remains the same and God’s Word never changes.
- What is the Holy Spirit telling you today?
- What do you need to change to become closer to Jesus Christ?
- Don’t let your relationship with Christ depend on your church group.
- Seek out a personal relationship with Christ on your own terms.