Month: March 2024

THE BREAD OF LIFE

John 6

• Introduction:
  • In the East bread is primary, other articles of food merely accessory; while in the West meat is primary and bread is secondary.
    • Accordingly “bread” in the Old Testament from (Gen. 3:19) onward stands for food in general.
  • According to the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia , “The large pone or thick loaf of the West is unknown in the East.
    • The common oriental cake or loaf is proverbially thin.
    • The thin homemade bread is really named both in Hebrew and Arabic from its thinness as is reflected in the “wafer” in (Ex. 16:31; 29:23; Lev. 8:26; Num. 6:19).
  • “It is still significantly customary at a Syrian meal to take a piece of such bread and, with the ease and skill of long habit, to fold it over at the end held in the hand so as to make a sort of spoon of it, which then is eaten along with whatever is lifted by it out of the common dish (cf. Matt. 26:23).
  • But this “dipping in the common dish” is so accomplished as not to allow the contents of the dish to be touched by the fingers, or by anything that has been in contact with the lips of those who sit at meat.
  • “Such “loaves” are generally today about 7 inches in diameter and from half an inch to an inch thick.
    • Such, probably, were the lad’s “barley loaves” brought to Christ at the time of the feeding of the 5,000 (John. 6:9-13).
    • Even thinner cakes, of both leavened and unleavened bread, are sometimes made now as of old, especially at times of religious festivals.
    • Often they are coated on the upper surface with olive oil and take on a glossy brown color in cooking; and sometimes they are sprinkled over with aromatic seeds, which adhere and impart a spicy flavor.”
  • The ancients were very much aware of the Divine processes that were necessary to bring about a grain harvest and consequently regard bread as peculiarly “a gift of God.”
    • A day reminder of His continual and often undeserved care (Matt. 5:45) was reflected in Jesus’ prayer instructions (Matt. 6:11).
      • “Give us this day our daily bread.”
• I.   THE MIRACLE
  • The entire “bread of life” discussion is prefaced by the miracle of the feeding of the 5,000 (Matt. 6:1-14).
  • When Jesus compared Himself to bread, He must have had the entire bread making process in mind.
  • Before you can have bread there must be grain.
• A.  The seed was planted. (Jn. 1:1,14; 1 Pet. 1:23; Lk. 1:35)
• B. The seed sprouted. (Isa. 53:2; Lk. 2:40,52)
• C. The seed bore fruit. (Lk. 24:19)
• D. The fruit is cut down. (Isa. 53:8)
• E.  The grain is ground. (Isa. 52:14; 1 Pet. 2:21-24; Isa. 53:4-5)
• F.  The flour is baked. (Acts 2:27, 31)
• G. Life giving substance is the result. (Heb. 2:10; 1 John. 5:11,12)
• II. THE MANNA
  • The listening audience of Jesus desired a perpetual miracle (Matt. 6:31).
    • They had failed to see the obvious comparisons.
• A.The Type – It is interesting to study the Old Testament manna as a type or picture of Jesus Christ.
  • 1.       It came from heaven at night; Christ came, from heaven when men were in darkness.
  • 2.       It fell on the dew; Christ came, born of the Spirit of God.
  • 3.       It was not defiled by the earth; Christ was sinless, separate from sinners.
  • 4.       It was small, round, and white, speaking of Christ’s humility, eternity, purity.
  • 5.       It was sweet to the taste; Christ is sweet to those who trust Him.
  • 6.       It had to be taken and eaten; Christ must be received and appropriated.
  • 7.       It came as a free gift; Christ is the free gift of God to the world.
  • 8.       There was sufficient for all; Christ is sufficient for all.
  • 9.       If you did not pick it up, you walked on it; if you do not receive Christ, you reject Him and walk on Him (See Heb. 10:26-31).
  • 10.     It was wilderness food; Christ is our food in this pilgrim journey to heaven.
• B. The Materials
  • 1.       Barley – Barley was in early times, as it is today. The main bread – stuff of the poor people. This is a picture of the availability of Christ to everyone.
  • 2.       Wheat – Wheat was also widely used as a bread – stuff then, as it is now, the wheat of the Syrian plains and uplands being remarkable for its nutritious and keeping qualities.
    • Three kinds, or qualities, of flour, are distinguished, according to the way of making:
      • 1). A coarser sort, rudely made by the use of pestle and mortar, the “beaten corn” of (Lev. 2:14,16)
      • 2). The “flour” or “meal” of ordinary use (Ex. 29:2; Lev. 2:2; 6:15)
      • 3). The “fine meal” for honored guests (see Gen. 18:6), where Abraham commands Sarah to “Make ready… three measures of fine meal”) with which we may compare the “find flour” for the kings kitchen (I Kings 4:22) and the “fine flour” required for the ritual meal offering as in (Lev. 2:1; 5:11; 7:12; 14:10; 23:13; 24:5; etc.).
  • The idea is that Jesus Christ, the Bread of Life, reaches into every sector of life.
• III.          THE MESSAGE
  • What does Jesus mean by “eating” His flesh and “drinking” His blood?
    • HE IS NOT SPEAKING LITERALLY!
      • In (Jn. 6:63) He clearly says, “The flesh profiteth nothing.“
    • What gives life?
      • “It is the SPIRIT THAT QUICKENETH” (Jn. 6:63),
      • “THE WORDS that I speak unto you, THEY are Spirit and they are life.”
  • In other words, a person eats Christ’s flesh and drinks His blood – that is, partakes of Christ and receives Him – by receiving THE WORD as taught by THE SPIRIT.
  • Christ is not talking about the bread and cup of the Lord’s Supper.
    • The Lord’s Supper had not even been instituted, and when it was, Jesus clearly stated that it was a MEMORIAL only.
      • It did not impart fife.
      • To say that a man receives eternal fife by eating bread and drinking wine is to deny the very Word of God: “The flesh profited NOTHING. “
  • Jesus is the Living Word (Jn. 1:14) and He was “made flesh” for us (John 1:14).
    • The Bible is the written Word.
    • Whatever the Bible says about Jesus, it also says about itself
      • Both are holy (Lk. 1:35 and 2 Tim. 3:15);
      • Both are Truth (Jn. 14:6; 17:17);
      • Both are Light (Jn. 8:12; Ps. 119:105);
      • Both give life (Jn. 5:21 – Ps. 119:93);
      • Both produce the new birth (1 Jn. 5:18; 1 Pet. 1:23);
      • Both are eternal (Rev. 4:10; 1 Pet. 1:23);
      • Both are the power of God (1 Cor. 1:24; Rom. 1:16).
    • The conclusion is obvious: when I receive the Word into my heart, I receive Jesus Christ.
      • We “eat His flesh” by partaking of the Word of God.
      • “I am the living Bread,” said Jesus in (vs. 51); and in Lk. 4:4 He said, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every Word of God.”
    • Peter grasped the meaning of the sermon, for in (Jn. 6:68) he said, “To whom shall we go? Thou hast THE WORDS of eternal life.”

ADVOCATE

“My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:”1 John 2:1

Introduction:

• An advocate, according to the dictionary, is in its most general sense, “one that pleads the cause of another, esp. before a tribunal or judicial court.”
  • This is precisely the sense that the Word of God presents the Lord Jesus Christ in (1 Jn. 2:1).
  • The picture that the Bible paints is that of a courtroom and all the major characters are there –
    • The defendant is the sinner – [you and I];
    • The prosecuting attorney (or the “accuser” – Rev. 12:10; Job 1:9-11) is Satan, who brings the accusations of the sinner before the Judge, God the Father.
    • And the Advocate’s job is to defend the sinner in the “eternal courtroom.”
  • What are some of the qualifications of a good advocate? And how well does Jesus Christ fit the description of an adept defense attorney?
• I.THE ADVOCATE MUST BE RIGHTEOUS
  • It is important to note that this passage, where the word “advocate” is used, is the only passage where Jesus Christ is called “the righteous.”
  • It is critical that the advocate be, in all ways, righteous (2 Cor. 5:21).
• A.  He must be righteous to actually discern the truth.
  • Jesus Himself, in his illustration about correct judgment, says that unless a man is himself free from the deceitfulness of sin, he cannot see clearly to properly discern the sins of another, and be in a good position to help him. (Matt. 7:5)
• B.  He must be righteous to speak truthfully, and speaking truthfully is critical to the defense of the defendant.
  • He must not flatter to sway the court; he must not succeed in this case by some cunning sleight of hand maneuver in the trial, but by exposing the facts truthfully; otherwise, the victory is not real at all.
  • Jesus never had a word of guile in His mouth. (1 Pet. 2:22; Isa. 53:9).
• C.  He must be righteous and without sin to truly understand the power and ramifications of the sin of the defendant. (Heb. 4:15).
  • It is often thought in this day that the only way to know the power of sin is to give in to it.
    • (Oscar Wilde said, which summarizes the philosophy of the day, “The only way to get rid of the temptation is to yield to it.”), but the truth is just the opposite.
    • You don’t know the true power of the wind by lying down on the ground, you realize its true force by standing up to it.
    • The way to truly know the force of an enemy’s army is be fighting against it, not by surrendering.
  • Jesus Christ, because He never sinned, because He followed every temptation all the way through until He was the Victor, is the only One Who can fully understand sin
    • And therefore the only One Who can fully defend the man charged with sin.
• D.  He must be righteous to let all the hearers know that, He in seeking the justice and righteousness of the case for righteousness sake, is not a hypocrite.
  • He must, in His righteousness, quiet all the hecklers and people who are accusing Him of being insincere. (Jn. 8:46)
• II.   THE ADVOCATE MUST TRULY UNDERSTAND THE LAW UNDER WHICH HE FUNCTIONS
  • A.        Jesus Christ grew up with, and under, the Law. (Gal. 4:4; Lk. 2:27)
  • B.        His life was an adherence to, and a fulfillment of, the law. (Matt. 5.17)
  • C         He was known by all of His peers to have been familiar with it (even from His youth, Lk. 2:46-48), and He customarily read it to all. (Lk. 4:16)
• III.  THE ADVOCATE MUST CARE FOR SAFETY OF HIS CLIENT
  • A.        Jesus shows earnest concern for the client’s life. (Jn. 10:10)
  • B.        Jesus is very defensive about the protection of his clients. (Jn. 10:28,29)
  • C.        Since He cares, and the defendant knows it, the defendant can freely tell Him all the problems and concerns that relate to the case. (1 Pet. 5:7)
• IV.  THE ADVOCATE MUST KNOW ABOUT EVERY RELEVANT
• PERSON, AND EVERY RELEVANT CASE THAT SURROUND, AND
• CAN HELP HIM IN, HIS CASE
  • A.        He knows His clients by name. (Jn. 10:3)
    • (See also 2 Tim. 2:19; Acts 15:8,18)
  • B.        The knowledge of His clients is one of trust and intimacy. (Jn. 10:14)
  • C.        He has all of the facts at His disposal. (Prov. 15:3; Heb. 4:13)
  • D.        He knows the details of every case, and can skillfully sift the positive facts from the negative ones.
    • Concerning all of the seven churches in Revelation, Jesus Christ proclaims, I know thy works,” and goes on to analyze each one’s works objectively in the light of God’s word. (Rev. 2:2,9,13,19; 3:1,8,15)
• V.THE ADVOCATE MUST BE WISE TO THE TRICKS AND STRATEGIES OF THE PROSECUTING ATTORNEY
  • In the Bible, Satan is pictured as the prosecutor, or the “accuser” (Rev. 12:10).
    • Since Jesus knows the hearts of all, He knows every plan of attack that Satan is going to use, and, when defending us, utilizes this knowledge to His advantage at every turn.
    • We are told to watch out for the wiles of the devil, and to be wary of his tricks and schemes (1 Pet. 5:8; 2 Cor. 2:11).
    • Imagine how well our Advocate knows about them!
• VI. THE ADVOCATE MUST KNOW THE GROUND ON WHICH TO REST HIS PLEA FOR SUCCESS
  • The “propitiation” is mentioned directly in context with Jesus Christ and His role as the Advocate.
    • His propitiation is the faultless ground on which Christ rests His case for us.
    • With this plea, He will never, and can never, lose a case.
  • “Propitiation” is the atoning sacrifice offered to appease the wrath of God. – Websters Dictionary
• A.  The propitiation is powerful in scope (1 Jn. 2:2) –
  • It is powerful enough for any and all who will come to Christ.
• B.  The propitiation is powerful in love (1 Jn. 4:10,11).
  • Christ’s propitiation is one of the highest expressions of His love toward us.
• C.  The propitiation is powerful in its foundation.
  • There is nothing stronger than the blood of Christ. (Romans 3:25)

Mr. Spurgeon once preached what in his judgment was one of his poorest sermons. He stammered and floundered, and when he got through he felt that it had been a complete failure. He was greatly humiliated, and when he got home he fell on his knees and said, “Lord, God, Thou canst do something with nothing. Bless that poor sermon.”

All through the week he uttered that prayer. He woke up in the night and prayed about it. He determined that the next Sunday he would redeem himself by preaching a great sermon. Sure enough, the next Sunday the sermon went off beautifully. At the close the people crowded about him and covered him with praise. Spurgeon went home pleased with himself, and that night he slept like a baby. But he said to himself, “I’ll watch the results of those two sermons.” What were they?

From the one that has seemed a failure, he was able to trace forty-one conversions; from that magnificent sermon, he was unable to discover that a single soul was saved. The Spirit of God used the one and did not use the other. We can do nothing without the Spirit who helps our infirmities.

“But God hath chosen the foolish things … and God hath chosen the weak things .. .And base things … and things which are despised … and things which are not … That no flesh should glory in his presence” (1 Corinthians 1:27-29).

-The Gospel Standard –