Sermon Central
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The Bread Of Life Series
Contributed by Dennis Davidson on Aug 4, 2008 (message contributor)
Summary: Jesus’ claim that He is the Bread Of Life & that the way to eternal life comes by Him were not what the crowd wanted to hear. They rebelled against Him & His claims. They felt they already knew who Jesus was.
JOHN 6: 41-51
THE BREAD OF LIFE
Jesus’ proclaimation that He is the Bread Of Life and that the way to eternal life comes by Him were not what the crowd wanted to hear. They rebelled against Him and the claims implied in His words. They felt they already knew who Jesus was. In the face of such opposition Jesus emphatically repeats what He has said and takes the thought further by speaking of the bread which He will give as His flesh.
I. THE BREAD OF HEAVEN, 41-43.
II. DRAWN TO JESUS, 44-46.
III. THE LIVING BREAD, 47-51.
The response of the synagogue leaders to Jesus’ amazing claim is found in verse 41. Therefore the Jews were grumbling about Him, because He said, “I am the bread that came down out of heaven.”
When John says Jews he is referring to the Jewish leaders, for both Jesus and John were Jews. The Jewish leaders were hostile toward Jesus, just waiting for Him to say or do something they could jump on and talk up to others. They had it. Just who does this guy think He is. So they grumbled about Him. They were angry and in opposition. Their forefathers grumbled about manna in wilderness that they now say they want also.
As verse 42 indicates, they had no inking about the Incarnation that Isaiah prophesied. They thought of life and Jesus on a purely human plane. They were saying, You can never understand life or Jesus on a human plane “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does He now say, ‘I have come down out of heaven’?”
The leaders saw Jesus as a carpenter/mason’s son from Nazareth. They refused to listen with an open heart despite what He had done b/c they could not tolerate His message.
Many people say they reject Christ because they cannot believe He is the Son of God the Creator, but in reality the demands that Jesus makes for their loyalty and obedience are what they cannot accept. So to protect themselves from the message, they find fault with the messenger and reject Him.
In verse 43 Jesus answered and said to them, “Do not grumble among yourselves.
Jesus tells them to cease their murmurings among themselves. That is not the way to learn divine truth. If they had questions they should ask Him in a respectful and sincere manner.
II. DRAWN TO JESUS, 44-46.
In verse 44 Jesus repeats the teaching of verse 37 but in a stronger manner. “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day.
Now Jesus proclaims that no man “can” come unless the Father draws him. The thought of divine initiative is one of the great doctrines of the gospel. Men like to feel independent. They think they can come to Jesus of their own volition. Jesus asserts that this is an utter impossibility. [Morris, NIC, pp. 373.]
God, not man, plays the most active role in salvation. When someone comes to Jesus and receives Him as Savior and Lord he or she does so only in response to the leading, the urging of God’s Holy Spirit. God does the urging, then we can decide whether to believe or remain in unbelief. No one can place their faith in Jesus without the personalize work of the Father.
A man was telling a friend how Christ removes the LOAD OF SIN when a person becomes a Christian. "I don’t feel any weight of sin,” said his friend. “I can tell you why,” responded the believer. "A dead person can discern no pressure put on him, even if it were a thousand-pound weight. So also, many who are spiritually dead in sin feel no burden of guilt."
We may have witnessed to unsaved family members and friends, only to have our words fall on deaf ears. We must cling to the hope expressed by J. R. Naylor in the following poem: "Dear Lord, I have a friend who’s lost; without Thy love and care. I have a friend who’s lost tonight - out in the dark somewhere. 0 Shepherd of the sheep, there’s one not in the fold. O Shepherd of our souls, help my friend to find the way! Dear Lord, I cannot help my friend, who’s lost and deaf and blind, but Thou the great Physician art the Savior of mankind. And so I bring my prayer to Thee in earnestness of heart that Thou who draws men to Thyself -will bring him in from the dark. [adapted]
One who knows he’s going to heaven will not want to go alone. Do you have an unsaved friend or family member? How often do you pray for that one’s salvation? Have you asked God for an opportunity to speak to him or her about Christ? Don’t despair over your unsaved loved ones. Keep on lovingly speaking the truth of God’s Word. Above all, continue to pray that the Holy Spirit will convict them of their need and draw them to Jesus.
