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morning everyone welcome back to free grace Baptist Church and any visitors with us this morning we do welcome you it is I say this every time but it is nice always to have visitors with us in this church so we welcome you a warm welcome from the people of free grace Baptist Church hopefully it'll be a joy for you to be with us in the worship of our triune God here this morning just a couple of announcements before we begin worship just a reminder pastor Butler is on sabbatical so you can keep him in your prayers that to get some relaxation some refreshment some reenergize again see takes his much needed and deserved sabbatical he will be back Lord willing January the 2nd to full duties here at free grace Baptist Church as well just a reminder it is the first Sunday of the month so it is the lord's supper this evening so we will be observing that command that blessed command in joyful obedience to our Lord this evening in the taking of the supper in his remembrance well let's begin our worship then if you'll turn with me to Isaiah 55 our call to worship will be a reading of Isaiah 55 verse 1 to verse 7 Isaiah 55 beginning in verse 1 this is the word of the living and true God o everyone who thirsts come to the waters and you who have no money come by and eat yes come buy wine and milk without money and without price 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 let your soul delight itself in abundance incline your ear and come to me hear and your soul shall live and I will make an everlasting covenant with you the sure mercies of David indeed I have given him as a witness to the people a leader and commander for the people surely you shall call a nation you do not know and nations who do not know you shall run to you because of the Lord your God and the Holy One of Israel for he has glorified you seek the Lord while he may be found call upon him while he is near let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts let him return to the Lord and He will have mercy on him and to our God for he will abundantly pardon amen well let's stand and sing as a church our first ham if you'll turn into your larger Trinity hymnal we're going to sing 2 2 0 that's him 2:20 let's stand and sing together [Music] let's go to our God in prayer let us pray Heavenly Father we rejoice now is your gathered assembly in this place gathered in the name of Jesus Christ our Savior that we can sing the praises of Father Son and Holy Spirit and truly Lord God Lord God we again hallow your name and we pray for your help you might attend unto our spirits that our souls might be stirred to high and heavy thoughts of our God that we might return unto you the praises the honours and all that is due unto your most high name do help us to worship you a right in this place it we might rejoice in the gospel of Jesus Christ that we might rejoice in your Lord's Day Sabbath given to us in loving condescension we thank you that we can sow gather now in freedom and in Liberty with full Bibles in our hands to worship you our God we know that many of our brothers and sisters in Christ throughout the world do not enjoy these liberties and we do praise you for this fact that we can gather together unhindered by the government unmolested by those of our own nation that we can gather for your worship and to fellowship with one another rejoicing in the gospel of saving and Amazing Grace and would you just pray Lord God that you would help us to count this a high and heavy honor a high privilege that we can gather in the name of Christ and worship you Father Son and spirit we do pray that you'd help us now to reflect with great joy and with that measure of proper oh and reverence and the fact that Christ Jesus came into this world sinners to save we rejoice in the gospel of Jesus Christ so the Bible says there is a faithful saying that is worthy of all acceptance and it is this that Jesus Christ came into this world sinners to say we do pray that you'd cause us to rejoice in this truth today knowing that we are not saved by deeds of righteousness which we have done but according to your mercy you saved us and we thank you Lord God for that precious truth that our salvation depends solely and alone upon the perfection of the saving work of Jesus Christ our Redeemer and our kin we thank you that he lived a life of perfect obedience unto your law in the place of all who believe in his name we thank you that he died upon Calvary's cross in a substitutionary sacrificial death perfectly securing the salvation of a multitude that no man can number we rejoice that he rose again the third day that he has ascended unto your right hand where he ever lives to make intercession for his people where he rules and reigns over his enemies and from where he subdues the hearts of his elect by the sending forth the Spirit of God and we thank you that in your appointed and in your accepted time you brought us forth from the deadness and the darkness of sin to life and light in Christ Jesus the Lord so do help our hearts to sing this morning Lord God help us to sing the praises of amazing and victorious Grace and do forgive us afresh of all of our transgressions wash us in the blood of the Savior help us by your grace and for your glory in this lower world to conduct ourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of grace we do pray God that you'd be with those who need prayer for physical things as we receive many updates this week we pray for Bev we do pray that you'd be with our dear sister there in the hospital strengthen her embody Lord God we pray that you would just help her to make gains and growing in health and and in strength and we do pray Lord God though that she is away from us that she would I nevertheless be with us in spirit rejoicing we pray that she would in the hospital be singing the praises of her God rejoicing in her Christ even from even from the the bed in the hospital there we do just pray that in the midst of suffering in the midst of physical trial as she would reflect with great joy upon the glories and the mercies of her God we do pray Lord that you'd be with Dawn Neufeld we pray that you just watch over this brother that you'd strengthen him as well we pray that all would come together for for good for the for his procedure in December we do pray that those dealing with his case would have a precision of hand and craft as they deal with them that you would as the great physician bring about healing and and bring about good things with regards to these these Providence's and we do just pray that you'd cause in the midst of this to rejoice in his God to be resigned to your will we pray that you be with Karen and with the children as well we do just pray Lord that you would comfort our brother in the midst of this physical trial we would ask Lord God that you would be as well with with Andy's father with Karen's father and we pray that you would grant much strength and much growth and in health we we know that the Oder man decays and so we do pray in the midst of that this that you would deal with the inner man uplifting them in the midst of these trials and we do though pray that you'd bring healing and that you would bring 2-year Saints Oh reliefs from pain and discomfort sand all of those things associated with disease and with the failing of the body and we pray for each and every one Lord God that is affected in our midst with physical trials the do uphold them strengthen grant healing we pray Lord as we prayed for all of these brothers and sisters that you would cause them in the inner man to rejoice in Christ Jesus resigning in the midst of physical affliction to the fact that the God of all the earth does right for his own glory and for the good of his Saints we do pray for the our brothers and sisters around the world Lord there's many persecuted that Christians and nations outside of our own nations where the government's and their own citizens even their own family members lord persecute them even unto death we do pray that you would be near them that you would strengthen our dear brothers and sisters in Christ in the midst of these in the midst of opposition and tyranny that you'd strengthen them that you would be near to them their God of all comfort that you would cause them as it were to look away from the madness and the folly of their persecutors and to look with eyes of faith upon the risen King upon the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world that they might find comfort and joy and courage in the king of kings and in the lord of lords we do pray God that you would deal with those who do persecute your people we do pray that you would bring temporal judgment upon them we know that on that great and fearful day those who oppose you those who have opposed your church those who are outside of Christ will be cast in to the lake of fire reserved for the devil and his angels we do pray though for temporal judgment now you would cause those who bring violence upon the people of God we pray that you would bring them to justice we pray that you would cause the the civil magistrates in these various places the police the government we pray Lord God that you cause them to deal righteously with those who would bring violence upon your people and we do pray Lord that you would save many who are presently opposed to you and engaged in these persecutions as the Apostle Paul so many years ago was dragging men and women from out of their houses dragging Christians from out of their houses to be praat brought to persecution and death and yet you conquered his heart by amazing and victorious grace we pray that you would do the same with many of these persecutors that you would bring them from the madness of their idolatry and the folly of their persecutions to the religion of Jesus Christ that they might bend a knee to Jesus Christ the Lord that you might remove hearts of stone replace them with hearts of flesh and cause them to rejoice in our Savior we do pray Lord God for all who would oppose you unto their dying breath and in this lower world those in the ranks of government and those in nations who are bringing persecution upon your people and we do pray that you would cause them to stumble like drunken men that they may no longer bring violence upon the people of Christ and do be with us now in worship Lord God we pray for Michael Kirkpatrick we pray for pastor Kirkpatrick as he brings the word this morning we ask Lord God that you'd strengthen him in the pulpit they give him all that he needs to proclaim with great confidence with great joy and with precision the word of the living and true God and might you give him much from on high and be with us in the pews your Saints your Christians your believers in this place nourish us defeat us help us to rejoice in you help us to learn of our God in His Christ help us to leave this place by your grace and for your glory say conducting ourselves in a manner worthy the gospel of grace knowing that we are saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone empower us and equip us to live as lights in a crooked and perverse generation and Lord God finally we pray that you would be here by the power of amazing and victorious grace bringing forth dead sinners to life by the proclamation of the gospel and by the power of the Holy Spirit do be glorified do be honored and do be exalted upon the praises of this gather Church we pray in Jesus Christ the Lord amen well let's stand and sing again this time we're going to sing for 19 if you'll stand with me and sing for 19 together [Music] you can turn in your Bibles to our New Testament scripture reading which is Luke three 21 to 28 Luke 3 21 to 28 I begin reading in verse 21 once again in Luke 3 this is the word of the living and true God when all the people were baptized it came to pass that Jesus also was baptized and while he prayed the heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon him and a voice came from heaven which said you are my beloved son in you I am well pleased now Jesus himself began his ministry at about thirty years of age being as was supposed the son of Joseph the son of heli the son of matthat the son of levi the son of melchi the son of jana the son of joseph the son of mat Athiya the son of amos the son of Nahum the son of esli the son of nag i the son of math the son of mat Athiya the son of samay the son of joseph the son of judah the son of jonas the son of race' the son of zerubbabel the son of shealtiel the son of Neri the son of melchi the son of a die the son of kösem the son of el madam the son of err the son of Joh se the son of eliezer the son of jor-el the son of matthat the son of levi the son of simeon the son of judah the son of joseph the son of Jonah the son of Eliam the son of malaya the son of menon the son of matt Athiya the son of nathan the son of david the son of jesse the son of Obed the son of Boaz the son of Selman the son of nahshon the son of a minute dad the son of RAAM the son of hezron the son of perez the son of judah the son of Jacob the son of Isaac the of Abraham the son of terah the son of Nahor the son of Sarah the son of rayou the son of peleg the son of a burr the son of Shayla the son of cainan the son of Arphaxad the son of shem the son of noah the son of Lamech the son of Methuselah the son of Enoch the son of Jared the son of Mahalalel the son of cainan the son of enoch the son of Seth the son of Adam the Son of God amen not sure if you notice but I didn't take a breath there but back to sacred things we see here a couple important things and the first thing that we see not the first thing but one of the things that we see here is we notice in verse 22 as Jesus is baptized here again not for the forgiveness of sins but to fulfill all righteousness the Son of God and Son of Man this one Christ is holy harmless and undefiled sinless without blemish without spot but he's baptized as other narratives give us and he is fulfilling all righteousness and we see here in verse 22 and the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon him and a voice came from heaven which said you are my beloved son in you I am well pleased and there's much that's contained within this statement we see Christ as the divine son he is the son of God not according to our natural or creative generation but he is eternally begotten of the father of one substance with him who begat him god of God light of light true God from True God begotten not made one in being with the father he is the son the beloved son he is also the son who has come to do with that first created son of Adam couldn't do he has come to fulfill all righteousness the first Adam failed this second this last Adam has come to perfectly fulfill the will of the father the father is well pleased with the son and the rest of the narrative shows us and immediately after this genealogy we have Christ going into going into the wilderness going into the desert to be tempted by the devil and we see there that he comes out victorious unlike the first Adam who wasn't victorious in a garden this last Adam is victorious in a wilderness before the tempting z' of the devil and we see the narrative continuing Christ the righteous one Christ the perfectly obedient one for the sins of his people and this genealogy perhaps some of you as as we were reading this you're like okay when you know when is this going to end and is that it doesn't need to be this precise does it need to be this extensive make no mistake these are choice insertions by God through the superintending of this human author Luke but these are choice words in a choice section of scripture given to us to show that this is the promised price remember that we said when we opened up this gospel that Luke doesn't start out by saying you know once upon a time in a fairy land of unicorns there was a Christ who did some things the Bible comes to us with the tenor and flavor a voracious truth of historical certainty and it opens up with that certainty with that infallibility and this is showing both the genealogical and the legal lineage with respect to Jesus Christ the Son of God who has come forth from the Father in order to redeem his people from their sins all of this is wrapped up to show this is the second Adam this is the seed of the woman this is the seed of Abraham and seed of David God man one Christ the mediator between God and man who came to redeem his people from their sins we rejoice in this genealogy because it's God through Luke showing us that this is the promised Christ and he has saved his people from their sins let us pray Heavenly Father we thank you for the truth of Holy Scripture we rejoice in your word we thank you for what it discloses concerning your glory in the perfect salvation of Jesus Christ our Savior we do pray that you continue to help us in worship we Lord God bring before you Jim and Rebecca as they travel we pray that you'd watch over them and I give them times of refreshing and relaxation a husband and wife together enjoying their time we pray that you'd watch over pastor Butler on his sabbatical that you give him strength that you would restore him and give him many gains as he looks forward to coming back to a ministry in January 2nd after his sabbatical we do just pray during this time that you'd give him give him much and give him much joy with his wife and with his family as he relaxes and we pray that you would bring him back stronger ready to go about the task of of preaching and Proclamation and pastoring in this church and we do pray that you keep us prayerful for him we pray Lord God for those in our midst who have lost loved ones and we pray that you would be with them and be with their families we pray Lord God that you would cause them to rejoice in the judge of all the earth who does right we pray that you would cause them to be resigned with great joy and with great solemnity in the will of God who does according to his wise counsel and be with us now in worship strengthen us help us defeat us by your word strengthen us by your spirit and cause us Lord God to rejoice and so great a God and so great a gospel and we pray in the name of our Savior Jesus Christ the Lord amen our final him before the preaching is going to be 501 in your larger Trinity hymnal so let's stand as a church and sing 501 [Music] John chapter 6 began reading at verse 22 and on the following day when the people who were standing on the other side of the sea saw that there was no other boat there except the what that one which his disciples had entered and that Jesus had not entered the boat with his disciples but his disciples had gone away alone however other boats came from Tiberias near the place where they ate bread after the Lord had given thanks and when the people there first saw that Jesus was not there nor his disciples they also got into boats and came to Capernaum seeking Jesus and when they found him on the other side of the sea they said to him rabbi when did you come here and jesus answered them and said most assuredly I say to you you seek me not because you saw the signs but because you ate of the loaves and were filled do not labor for the food which perishes but for the food which endures to everlasting life which the which the Son of Man will give you because God the Father has sent has set his seal on him then they said to him what shall we do that that we may work the works of God jesus answered and said to them this is the work of God that you believe in him whom he sent therefore they said to him what sign will you perform then that we may see it and believe you what work will you do our fathers ate the manna in the desert as it is written he gave them bread from heaven to eat then jesus said to them most assuredly I say to you Moses did not give you the bread from heaven but my father gives you the true bread from heaven for the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world then they said to him Lord give us this bread always and Jesus said to them I am the bread of life he who comes to me shall never hunger and he who believes in Me shall never thirst but I say to you that have to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe all that the father gives me will come to me and the one who comes to me I will by no means cast out for I've come down from heaven not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me this is the will of the father who sent me that of all he has given me I should lose nothing but should raise it up the athil day and this is the will of him who sent me that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life and I will raise him up at the last day but then the Jews then complained about him because he said I am the bread which came down from heaven and they said is this not Jesus as the Son of Joseph whose father and mother we know how is it then that he says I have come down from heaven Jesus therefore answered and said to them do not murmur among yourselves no one can come to me unless the father who sent me draws him and I will raise him up at the last day it is written in the prophets and they shall all be taught by God therefore everyone who has heard and learned from the father comes to me not that anyone has seen the Father except he who is from God he has seen the father most assuredly I say to you he who believes in Me has everlasting life I am the bread of life your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness and are dead this is the bread which comes down from heaven that one may eat of it and not die I am The Living bread which came down from heaven if anyone eats of this bread he will live forever and the bread that I shall give is my flesh which I shall give for the life of the world the Jews therefore quarreled among themselves saying how can this man give us his flesh to eat then jesus said to them most assuredly I say to you unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood you have no life in you whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life and I will raise him up at the last day for my flesh is food indeed and my blood is drink indeed he eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me and I in him and as the living father sent me and I live because of the father so he who feeds on me will live because of me this is the bread which came down from heaven not as your father's ate the manna and our dead he eats this bread will live forever these things he said in the synagogue as he taught and Cooper in Capernaum amen well let's go to our God in prayer the Lord God Almighty though we hunger though we thirst we thank you for the bread of life Jesus that those who eat those who feast those who believe on him shall have everlasting life well the God we thank you that you are pleased in your sovereignty we are pleased in your counsel according to your will to call forth your people for no one believes the one comes to you unless the fun lest you draw them Oh father God we pray that you would continue to draw your people even this day that you would work by your spirit with the word that they might come to saving knowledge in Jesus Christ that they might believe be raised on that last day and know that they have eternal life this time father God we thank you that this is true for this bread of life we thank you for this food that does not perish we thank you that is found only in our Lord Jesus Christ who is fully God and fully man in one person this great mystery even as he comes he reveals something of the great work of the triune God Father Son and Holy Spirit to save sinners in Christ the Lord we thank you for this truth o God may you cause us to think of these things cause us to be in awe of your truth to it being all of your great mercy and grace and that you're the one who draws your people and father God we pray that you would work in the hearts of your people as we see O God that is you only who it is you only who draws your people that you'd work in the hearts and lives of people out people today so they might come to saving knowledge that they might believe on the bread of life and be satisfied O God never hunger never thirst knowing they have everlasting life for those that know Christ O God may we meditate on the bread of life often may we pray to the bread of life often may we realize that we have the present possession of everlasting life now O God may this cause us to give you praise and honor may this cause us to sing praises that resound resound to you O God for you have saved us according to your great grace great mercy and your sovereignty we thank you O God that you are pleased to do this through the preaching and we pray that your spirit with me would be with us now help us to understand these things O God give us eyes to see and ears to hear the words that you would say O God that you would work in the hearts and lives of your people and that you would even be pleased to save sinners the Father God we pray in all things that you would be glorified in the name of Christ amen well just like first John John also gives us the purpose for why he writes the Gospel of John in John chapter 20 verse 31 John says he writes these things concerning the Christ that you might believe in him he's seen 1st John John is assuring his hearers that they are saved that they have faith that they have the true and the Living God but when it comes to the Gospel of John John is calling sinners to believe calling sinners to look to this Christ and find everlasting life and it's one of the ways that highlighting who we should believe in one of the ways John does this is through this I am statements there are seven I am statements with a predicate that describes something concerning the Lord Jesus Christ and there's several statements that just have I am you see that in 620 when Jesus is walking on the water he says it is I or perhaps best rendered it is I am and in other places in in John 8 he says before Abraham was I am that is he is Yahweh of Israel he is the true in the Living God He is God he is the all sufficient one and this perhaps in the house in the background Exodus 3 4th 3:14 where God says to Moses I am Who I am and so Jesus is saying I am I am God I am y'all way and then in several statements in John we have recorded several metaphors to describe something concerning our Lord Jesus Christ and today we're gonna look at I am the bread of life you see there's a problem that we see in John 6 people are thinking with their stomachs instead of their hearts people are thinking with their guts instead of looking to Christ in faith they are hungry they want something they're seeking something to fill their lives but they're looking to temporal things instead of looking to eternal things looking to the Lord something that can satisfy you see temporal thing only satisfy for a moment but eternal things satisfy for everlasting life and so perhaps we can ask is there something or in someone where we will never hunger and thirst and the answer that question is yes it is in Christ I am the bread of life and so we will look at John 6 43 verses 50 40 verse 43 to 51 under three headings we look first of all at the participants of the bread of life in verses 43 through 45 secondly we look at the identity of the bread of life in verses 46 through 48 and lastly we'll look at the benefit of the bread of life in verses 49 through 51 so the participants the identity and the benefit or perhaps we could say who participates what they eat and why they should eat it and so let us look then first at the participants of the bread of life who feasts who eats but we have to set the context for us a little bit because you see John 6 is all tied together with respect to what's going on and John 6 1 through 14 we see the feeding of the five of the 5,000 Christ gives them temporal bread temporal food but it is a great miracle because they do not have very much food so nonetheless Christ engages in this miracle and then he crosses the Sea of Galilee he walks on water in another miracle John records for us and then we see the people seeking after him they want him they want more of what he's given but they seek temporal things they even want to make him a king according to John 6:15 it's kind of even like today even back then people wanted someone who gave them things they want a leader who gave them things like pretty much like today we want governments that give us handouts the same was true than as well so they seek after Christ and they find him in the synagogue and that's we know that according to John 6 59 and Jesus says to them in John 6 26 most assuredly I say to you you seek me because of the signs you saw but because you ate of the loaves and were filled John Fusco summarizes this well he says they wanted food in their bellies rather than Christ in their hearts that's what they're seeking after but Christ says in John 26 verse vs. 26 or 27 do not labor for the food which perishes but for the food which endures to everlasting life which the Son of Man Yule Man will give you because God the Father has set his seal upon him then they asked further in the following verses will give us this and he says you must believe and then he's tells them about this this food that that never ends and then he describes how he is the bread of life the one who's come down from heaven but then we see in John 6 41 some Jews grumbling and complaining to themselves now Jews here I think describes the religious leaders you see there's three people that he's speaking to in the synagogue he's speaking to the crowd who's seeking after him to fill their guts he's speaking to the Jewish leaders who want to seek and kill him and he's also speaking to his disciples you see he's gonna repeat things often throughout John six to three different audiences so he says he comes down from heaven and then John 641 they mumble and grumble to themselves the word carries with it the idea of grumbling amongst one another perhaps if someone says something interesting or you're out of concert or you're you're at a speaking engagement you don't like what someone says perhaps you slipped to the neighbor next to you knew grumble to one another you whine and complain about what he's saying and they're grumbling and complaining he says I am the bread which came down from heaven and they say who is this is this not Jesus the son of Joseph the suzhen father and mother we know how is it that he says he can come down from heaven you see he says I am the bread of life yet they do not believe him they grumble and mumble and complain and perhaps these Jewish leaders would have participated in that some of the temporal blessings he's given if they don't believe they whine and grumble and complain which is the response that we should expect from the people of Israel you see if you've been perhaps you've been paying attention in first John first John in first John John alludes the Old Testament often and even here in John 6 he refers back to the Old Testament explicitly so when he talks about mumbling and grumbling and complaining that harkens back to the people of Israel in the wilderness they're given manna from heaven if they rumble and grumble and want to go back to Egypt back to bondage back to slavery they hunger and thirst with their stomachs but they do not believe by faith and so they mumble and grumble and complain I think John is right his is showing us in reminding us back in Exodus and even numbers 11 as well this is the expected response perhaps we could save for the nach unless the darkness they see no need of coming to Christ nor anything in him worth coming for they are prejudiced against him and their hearts are set on other things don't we see this with the religious leaders and besides coming to Christ and believe in Christ being the same thing it is certain faith is not of man's self but is the gift of God and the operation of his spirit as one brother said what does a dead person do nothing nothing we need God the Father to draw us to the son that we might believe you know it's interesting this phrase this this language is repeated in the context to the crowd in 637 all that the father gives me will come to me and no one who comes to me will and the one who comes to me I will by no means cast out to these Jewish leaders in 44 no one comes to me unless the father who sent me draws him then also 665 with respect to speaking to his disciples and he said therefore I've said to you that no one can come to me unless it has been granted to him by my father he's repeating it several times they should end this your reading do you understand this do you see what's going on here do you see what that what the writer is doing what John is doing what Christ is doing you see Christ is a master theologian but he's a master rhetorician he's a master speaker as well highlighting and showing and pointing out why these people don't understand he's pointing out for us why they don't believe they don't see it they don't know they don't look to Christ because they have not been drawn and he's highlighting that for us here brothers and sisters as readers as we read it three times in a row do we understand what's going on no one comes to the Father unless or no one comes to me unless the father draws him and notice what he says further I will raise him up at the last day again repetition in this chapter in verse 39 this is the will the father who sent me that of all he has given me I should lose nothing but should raise him up at the last day verse 40 and this is the will of him who sent me that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life and I will raise him up at the last day then we see it in 44 and also 54 whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life and will Ray I will raise him up at the last day he's repeating it again he's repeating something else again then we might understand what's going on if you believe on Christ if you look to Christ if you've been drawn by the father you will be raised up on that last day you see there's an intimate connection between what we call predestination in eternity faith in history and glorification you see those whom the father plans or those whom the God predestined before the foundation of the world are those who will believe in history and those who believe in half faith will be raised at the last day and have everlasting life so he repeats it several times and again the crowd doesn't understand the religious leaders don't understand and the disciples do not some of the disciples do not believe there are examples in the text for us of those who do not understand he's pointing this very serious thing out for us so perhaps we should ask the question who is it that participates in the bread of life it is those whom the father draws and he further highlights this or draws upon this using the Old Testament in verse 45 notice he quotes Isaiah 54 he says it is written in the prophets and they shall all be taught by God therefore everyone who has heard and learned from the father comes to me you see the blessing of the New Covenant is it's not based on external things it's not those who are part of the New Covenant and what's interesting here these Jews these leaders should have known this they should have understood what was going on what Jesus is saying here is the last days have arrived the Messiah has come the days are here and I am going to bring in Jew and Gentile for there is no discrimination in the people of God that's what Christ is saying and they don't understand they do not see it because they are unwilling to learn from God they do not see they do not look they have not been taught by God even though they think they know the things concerning the Lord God but those who participate are those who know God therefore everyone who has heard and learned from the father comes to me believers know God believers who have been predestined before the foundation of the world know God believers shall have everlasting life and you see this highlights for us the sovereignty of God in salvation that's liberating isn't it God is the one who saves people God is pleased to work through means but God is the one who draws forth his people through the word through the teaching of the word through his spirit you see there are some today that say they would believe if they saw a sign the crowds show us that that's not true the crowd saw a sign to the crowd John records for us to signs that we might see if they did not believe because it doesn't matter where signs come about whether pulpits levitate or whether pianos levitate or some other sign that comes about people will not believe unless the father draws them you see you want proof that Christ exists you want proof that Christ is God you want proof that you must believe look to the Word of God you don't need a sign you don't need some sort of miracle to happen you need the Word of God and it's right here right before you I am the bread of life Christ says and you must believe on this one that's recorded for us in the Word of God to have everlasting life you don't need no sign you need the Word of God it's God who's sovereign who draws his people through the Word of God so those are though the participants of the bread of life namely those whom the father draws namely those who have faith let us then look secondly at the identity of the bread of life in verses 46 to 48 notice what John or Christ says not that anyone has seen the Father except he who is from God he has seen the father you see this language I think refers back to John 1:18 John 1:18 no one has seen God at any time the only begotten Son who is in the bosom of the Father has declared him you see perhaps we should even think back further in the biblical record to exodus 33:20 because I think that's what's in the background can anyone see God and live what's Christ saying here can anyone see God live no one can see God except he who is from God he has seen the father Jesus is describing the asserting for that he is God he is truly God he's in the bosom of the Father according to John 1 he is fully God and fully man he is the one from everlasting to everlasting he is I am Yahweh of Israel he is this one and even in John 7 29 you both know me and you know where I am from I have not come of myself but he who sent me is true whom you do not know but I know him for I am from him he sent me he is fully God and fully man he is the one to believe on and to look on and again this is repeated for us in the text noticed in 629 jesus answered and said to them this is the work of God that you believe in him who he sent in 635 I am the bread of life he who comes to me shall never hunger he who believes in me shall never thirst and then also verse 40 and this is the will of him who sent me that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life excuse me then verse 47 sorry verse 40 then it will it and then further on invert notice verse 47 most assuredly I say to you he who believes in Me has everlasting life John 660 therefore many of his day and following notice especially in verses 62 and following what then if you do not see the Son of Man I said where he was before it is the spirit who gives life the flesh profits nothing the words that I speak to you are spirit and they are life but there are some of you who do not believe for jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe and who would betray him again he's repeating things isn't he no one comes to me unless the father draws him but you must believe to have everlasting life you must believe to be raised up that's exactly what he's saying you must believe in the one whom the father has sent you must believe in whom you one whom you shall never thirst never hunger you must believe that Christ is the son you must believe in me according to 647 and you shall be saved that's the thrust that's the point you see when he talks about eating when he talks about feasting it's synonymous for faith in Christ that's the point that's the thrust to believe on Christ and be saved to never hunger never thirst that is the focus and language of the bed you see people try to satisfy their hunger with other things of the world but those things perish and thus Christ describes again for himself I am the bread of life in verse 40 hate in him you shall never hunger never thirst in him there is eternal sustenance that is not saying you're never gonna have trials in this life but you have everlasting life and what's interesting - I don't think sometimes we understand the reality of hungry and thirsting do we truly Walmart and sayvon and all those wonderful places that we get to go to and food stocked but you see in the ancient world that would have been different so Christ says I am the bread of life see they're even coming after him because they hunger and thirst you see bread was the primary source of nourishment in that day so he says I am the bread of life he's describing himself as the only sustenance using that language they were hungry and thirsting so we I don't think understand it as greatly as we these brothers and sister these crowds would have it been very significant for him to say that yet they still do not look by faith they still think with their guts and the whole point again is to believe on the bread of life that's what he's saying the one comes to me but you must believe on him he's calling how he's showing how the father draws them through preaching through teaching through the call to repent and believe on the truth you see some of you here hear the call every Sunday you are like the crowds friends you are like these you like the crowd that and the disciples hearing the same call each and every week to believe on the truth and you should believe on the truth you should look to the Lord in faith and never hunger and never thirst perhaps some of you only want what the Sun gives in the Sun himself isn't that true sometimes even for believers in our daily battles and struggles what Christ gives rather than Christ himself we want the feelings that are attached perhaps with the things that Christ give then what actually communing with the lord of heaven and earth we should want the Christ the bread of life then just the satisfaction that comes with that we you know even here we you think of this believe on the bread of life we need to think even of what is offered not just temporal tangible things but eternal things this is offered in the bread of life believe and you shall never be hungered you shall never be you shall be satisfied never hunger never thirst if you believe on this Christ this bread of life and that really is the benefit is eternal life everlasting life which leads us to a third and final point the benefit of the bread of life in verses 49 through 51 and notice how he contrasts the manna that was in the wilderness with the true manna with the true bread of life notice in verse 49 your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness and our dead that's what he's highlighting that they died that they ate this and did not live and he does even refer to this is again repeated this comparison with the bread of life with the manna is even found in verses 30 through 33 33 they come to him and said what sign will you perform see they still want a sign that you may see and believe what work will you do our fathers ate the manna in the desert as it is written he gave them bread from heaven to eat they're actually taunting him here what they're saying is Moses was a better leader because he provided for us but what's John doing he's saying Christ is the better Moses Christ is greater Moses Christ has the bread from heaven even that's what Christ says in verse 32 most assuredly I say to you Moses did not give you the bread from heaven but my father gives you true bread from heaven for the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world this manna is a type it's an example that points to the true bread of life it points to the true bread that never hungers that that will satisfy as John Fusco says again he says when God rained bread on a rebellious people he was giving not only an act of kindness and grace but also a shadowy portrait of sending his son to sinful humanity that they might eat of this heavenly bread and live forever that's what Christ is saying this bread in them in the wilderness is perishable it dies they eat of it and are dead but if you eat of this bread the bread of life the bread of Christ you shall have everlasting life and notice he goes on to say in verse 50 this is the bread which comes down from heaven the one may eat of it and not die and then verse 51 I am The Living bread which came down from heaven if anyone eats of this bread he will live for ever he is the bread that has come down from heaven notice this is still a response to what those Jewish leaders said in verses 41 and 42 notice he doesn't soften what he says he just reiterates the truth he just says it inion enhances it further I am the bread that came down from heaven whether you believe it or not that is true and the reason you don't believe is because you have not been drawn and he's even further highlighting that drawing that out that they do not believe because he's reiterating it brethren do you understand what he's saying he's saying I am the bread of life he's saying I am God Almighty I am the one in whom you shall find satisfaction eternally that is what he is saying these ones they mumble and they grumble but he reiterates that he is still the one who came down from heaven whether they believe it or not Christ reiterates that truce truth for them and the benefit really is as he said is this everlasting life as Vasco says again faith is the mouth of the soul and we must look to Jesus by a god-given faith that we may have eternal life and this bread that has given Christ highlights for us the bread that I shall give is my flesh which I have to give for the life of the world the word became flesh and dwelt among us according to John 1:14 and he came to give his body that you and I might never hunger and never thirst he came to give his body that you and I though we do not deserve to be fed and satisfied that we might be satisfied he came and offered himself to die for his people the language of world here describes perhaps Jew and Gentile perhaps this ties in with what is said in John 6:45 when he quotes Isaiah 54 as pastor can read this morning in Isaiah 55 that's an instance where he talks about the nation's coming and then further in Isaiah 56 calling the Gentiles in the world here does not refer to every single person without exception but every city but every single person without distinction we do not discriminate Jew and Gentile can come and believe come all you are weary and heavy-laden and you shall find rest come you who are thirsty and you shall be quenched come you who are hungry and you shall be satisfied as Christ came to die for his people but notice further the response from his disciples in 660 and following he says therefore many of the disciples when they heard this said this is a hard saying who can understand it and Christ further in 65 64 for jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe and who would be tray him and then even further in 66 from that time many of his disciples went back and walked with him no more this isn't referring to the twelve but referring perhaps to some other disciples expanding outside the twelfth they hear these sayings they hear these things they have a difficult time with it because they want the temporal things instead the eternal things you see this really isn't a church growth type of conference from our Lord Christ it really is to preach and teach the truth preaching Calvinism and yet they go away from it they desert him they leave him but nonetheless his closest disciples remain Simon Peter answered him in verse 68 Lord to whom shall we go for you have the words of eternal life you see in Christ is eternal life in Christ is that everlasting life as John says at the end of first John Christ is the true God the ever lasting life and so the benefit for us is everlasting life the hope is if you're not a believer you might believe and have everlasting life but if you're a believer realize you presently have everlasting life you presently have the bread of life for he says whoever believed in me has ever lasting life sometimes is difficult to think of eternal things isn't it we really are tangible beings beings that see but thankfully God in His mercy shows us and helps us and aids us to think of those eternal things so the hope is that we meditate and pray and think about the bread of life ponder it ponder our Lord often do eat meditate as often as we should the hope is that as we think about our Lord that would stir us on to pray as Ryle says he says the subject is one which it much concerns our peace to understand and one about which errors abound how many seem to think that forgiveness and acceptance with God are things which we cannot attain in this life that there are things which are to be earned by a long course of repentance and faith and holiness things which we which we may receive at the bar of God at last but must never pretend to touch we were well we are in this world it is a complete mistake to think so the very moment a sinner believes on Christ he is justified and accepted there is no condemnation for him he has peace with God and that immediately and without delay his name is in the book of life however little he may be aware of it he has a title to heaven which death and hell and Satan cannot overthrow happy are those who know this truth it is an essential part of the good news of the gospel our present possession of the bread of life as we think of the bread of life as we feast on the bread of life in many ways this text is focusing primarily on salvation he talks about eating coming believing it is synonymous with faith but nonetheless as we participate in the lord's supper this evening don't we participate by faith don't we feast on the Lord Christ by faith we don't believe the elements become the body and blood of Christ but we feast by faith it is more than a memory brothers and sisters it is spiritual nourishment for our souls it is as our confession says a means of grace by which we grow we really shouldn't absent ourselves from it it's the place where we come and think of their Lord and meditate on the Lord preached Christ crucified until he returns we believe and think and ponder the true bread of life in that moment again I don't think John 6 is highlighting the sacramental aspect of this it's primarily salvific but nonetheless we can still make that application with this with the Lord's Supper as we ponder and think of the Lord Christ the true bread of life well in conclusion how shall we have ever laughs how shall our everlasting hunger be satisfied it is in Christ alone who is the bread of life in whom those whom the father draws will neither hunger or thirst if you believe on the Lord you will be raised on that last day and you will have ever lasting life and if you know the Lord you have possession you shall never hunger and never thirst feed me till I want no more that bread of heaven bread of heaven and the hope is for unbelievers that you will believe on the bread of life that you will look to this one and find everlasting life look to this one and have hope he said the way in which the father draws his people is through the preaching and teaching of the word through the gospel by his Spirit the hope is you would look and believe look and live or you will hunger for eternity you will thirst for eternity you will hunger and never be satisfied you will thirst and never be quenched believe on this one and used your thirst shall be quenched and your hunger shall be satisfied believe on the bread of life and you shall have ever lasting life well let's go to our God in prayer the Lord God Almighty we thank you O God for Christ the bread of life we thank you that he is the one we can never hunger and never thirst that we can look to him and find everlasting life that he is the one who came down from heaven to save sinners that he is the one in whom we shall never hunger and never thirst that we shall never perish because of him we thank you for the everlasting life that is offered in the gospel Oh God we thank you that you are the sovereign Lord you draw your people you work with you work with the spirit to bring your people and we pray that you would continue to work by your spirit that you would draw sinners out of Darkness to believe on this truth that they might see the Lord Christ and for those that do know Christ O God may this be a comfort their reminder of who our Lord is we thank you O God that he came in the world to die on behalf of sinners to give his life for the world that his people may live and his people who would hunger and thirst would not probably God we thank you for this our Lord thank you for this great plan of redemption we thank you that Father Son and Holy Spirit are involved in this great plan of redemption we think that is the work of the triune God to save sinners in the Lord Christ we thank you the Father Lan's the son accomplishes and the spirit applies these things now you give us comfort oh god this day concerning these things for we thank you for your word as you've revealed yourself to us in your word and we pray O God that you would be glorified now in the name of Christ amen well we'll close the brief time of meditation then you're dismissed [Music] you