← Back to sermon library

You can turn with me in your 
Bibles to John's Gospel. We're in John chapter 6. John 6, I'll pick up reading 
in verse 25. John 6, beginning in verse 25, 
when they found Jesus on the other side of the sea, they said 
to him, Rabbi, when did you come here? 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 Son of Man will 
give you, because God the Father has set his seal on him. Then 
they said to Him, What shall we do 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 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 
said 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 have 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 at the 
last 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.' The Jews then complained 
about him, because he said, I am the bread which came down from 
heaven. And they said, Is not this Jesus, 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 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 feeds on me 
will live because of me. This is the bread which came 
down from heaven, not as your fathers ate the manna and are 
dead. He who eats this bread will live forever. These things 
he said in the synagogue as he taught in Capernaum. Amen. Well, let us pray. Our Father, 
we thank You for Your Word. We thank You for the fact that 
it reveals to us the gospel of our salvation. And we pray now 
that You would fill us with Your Spirit and guide us as we consider 
this Bread of Life discourse. As well, God, we pray for any 
and all here that are dead in their trespasses and sins, that 
You would awaken them, that You would cause them to see their 
own sin before a holy God. And as well, let them see the 
glory of Jesus Christ, who is the Bread of Life. And Father, 
we pray that you would be glorified in this glad hour. We pray that 
you would be worshiped and adored. As well, God, we pray that you'd 
help us to make much of our blessed Savior, who is altogether lovely 
and chief among 10,000. Forgive us for all sin and anything 
that defiles our minds and our understanding, and grant us the 
grace to think your thoughts after you. And we pray through 
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Well, we remember that 
this is one long discourse, and it comes on the heels of a miracle. 
Jesus made bread into, or made a few loaves into a lot of bread, 
and then he made some fish into a lot of fish. He fed the multitudes, 
5,000 men. besides women and children. So 
upwards of 10,000 people ate five loaves and two fish. So 
on the heels of that, then Jesus, no pun intended, walks on the 
water and displays his sovereignty and power over nature in those 
two places. But then he comes to Capernaum 
and he is in a synagogue of the Jews and he is teaching the word 
of God here. And the specific background is 
obviously the multiplication of the loaves and the fish. The 
people, according to verse 15, saw that they wanted to seize 
him by force and make him a king. For certainly if a man can multiply 
bread and fish, then he would be a good king for us to subjugate 
our enemies and to make sure we had everything that we need 
in order for life and health. So in this discourse, the Lord 
Jesus Christ is dealing with a people that are somewhat hostile. Whenever they respond, whatever 
they express indicates they're not believers in Him. And this 
picks up a theme in John's gospel that will increase. There is 
a growing enmity against the Savior. There's certainly persons 
that believe on Him, certainly persons that want to follow Him, 
certainly persons that want to identify with Him, but as well 
there is great resistance and opposition to Him in His ministry. So while this is discourse, it's 
not strictly a monologue, Jesus is rehearsing, or rather, reacting 
or speaking to what they say in response to the various things 
he teaches. Now I want to look at verses 
35 to 40 this morning under three considerations. First, the identification 
of the bread of life in verses 35 and 36. Secondly, a declaration 
of the sovereignty of God in verse 37. And then finally, the 
revelation of the will of God in verses 38 to 40. Now let's 
notice first the identification of the bread of life in verses 
35 and 36. This is another I am statement. Notice what he says in verse 
35, I am the bread of life. There are seven such in John's 
gospel where Jesus says I am and then he gives a predicate 
or something concerning himself. Here, he is the bread of life. 
In John 8 and 9, he is the light of the world. In John 10, he 
is the door of the sheep. In John 10, he is the good shepherd. 
In John 5, or rather John 11, he is the resurrection and the 
life. John 14, the way, the truth, 
and the life. And then in John 15, he is the 
true vine. So again, he says, I am, and 
then he gives a statement concerning his identity. And these are metaphorical 
in nature, designed to speak to specific truth. Now in the 
context, remember they're talking about bread. These people want 
bread, physical bread for their bellies. So Jesus feeds the 5,000 
in verses 1 to 15. He then rebukes them in verse 
26 because they prize their bellies over their souls. Notice what 
he says in verse 26. Most assuredly I say to you, 
you seek me not because you saw the signs. The signs are designed 
to lead them to faith in the Savior. He says not because you 
saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. 
So already he rebukes this particular audience. And then in verse 27, 
he says, do not labor for the food which perishes, but for 
the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man gives 
you, because God the Father has set his seal on you. They then 
issue a challenge in verse 30. They say, Moses fed our people, 
our fathers in the wilderness, not just one meal, but he fed 
them for 40 years. So Jesus rebukes them again. 
It wasn't Moses, but rather it was God the Father who sent that 
man up. And then he says that the bread 
of God is he who is sent into the world according to verse 
33 in order to give life to the world. Notice, for the bread 
of God, verse 33, is he who comes down from heaven and gives life 
to the world. Then they said to him, Lord, 
give us this bread always. He moves from the general, he 
moves from the out there to now identifying specifically that 
he is the bread of life. He is the one that he is speaking 
of in verse 26. Don't labor for the food which 
perishes, but rather get that food which endures to everlasting 
life. Don't be satisfied with one meal, 
but rather be satisfied with the one who fulfills all of the 
longing of the human heart, the one who is able to bring that 
health and that healing. So the context makes clear why 
he identifies himself as the bread of life in verse 35, but 
the metaphor is appropriate. Without bread, we die. Without 
water, we die. If we don't have that physical 
sustenance, then we die. So Jesus parallels that physical 
and temporal condition with the eternal and spiritual condition 
facing us. If we don't have Him, if we don't 
come to Him, if we don't receive Him, if we don't rest upon Him, 
if we don't believe in Him, if we don't do what He says later, 
eat His flesh and drink His blood, which is more metaphor for believing 
the gospel, then we will perish eternally. Just like if you don't 
eat bread now and you don't drink water now, you will ultimately 
die. So the metaphor is most appropriate 
and fitting to demonstrate the great need that man has and to 
demonstrate the great sufficiency that is in the Savior who brings 
these gifts to his people. Again, verse 33, the bread of 
God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the 
world. Give us this bread always. And then he says, I am the bread 
of life. And after he declares that or 
announces that, notice the promise that he attaches to it. I am 
the bread of life, he specifies in verse 35. He then goes on 
to say, he who comes to me shall never hunger, and he who believes 
in me shall never thirst. Again, he uses that language 
synonymously. What does it mean to come to 
Jesus? It means to believe on him. What does it mean to receive 
Jesus? It means to believe on Him. What 
does it mean to eat His flesh and drink His blood? It means 
to believe on Him. Guess what? If you're not a believer 
in Jesus Christ today, you should believe on Him. Because the bottom 
line is, without Him, you will hunger. Without Him, you will 
thirst. and not in the temporal, not 
just today, not just tomorrow, but for eternity. We need to 
be prepared to meet our God. We need to be prepared to stand 
before our God. Jesus refers to the last day 
in verse 40. Are you prepared for that last 
day? Have you by grace taken hold 
of, laid hold of, Jesus Christ who is the bread of life and 
seen or verified that your spiritual longing, your hunger and your 
thirst has been satisfied by the one the bride describes as 
altogether lovely and chief among ten thousand. So he makes this 
promise, the one who comes to Christ will never hunger. Now 
that doesn't mean there's never going to be challenges, there's 
never going to be heartaches. There's never any trials. David 
makes this observation in Psalm 37, I've been young and now I'm 
old, and I've never seen the righteous starve. He's not talking 
about an absolute certainty. It's not the case that there's 
never a time where the righteous suffer. He's not talking that 
there's never any hardship or never any affliction, but rather 
he's saying there's never a severity in the life of God's people, 
even if it's brought by hunger or thirst, or it's brought by 
an oppressive government, or it's brought by, you know, foolish 
friends or whatever. The bottom line is that we are 
satisfied at the most basic level of our soul. Christ fulfills 
every longing of the heart. He is indeed what Paul says in 
Ephesians 1.3. He brings us every spiritual 
blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, and that's what he 
emphasizes here. I am the bread of life. He who 
comes to me shall never hunger, and he who believes in me shall 
never thirst. It is most glorious. It is most 
excellent. It is most beneficial. Again, 
not that there's no hardships in our lives, but even our hardships 
work out for our good according to Paul in Romans chapter eight 
at verse 28. We know that God causes all things 
to work together for good, to those who love God, to those 
who are the called according to his purpose. We might ask 
the question, how does this affliction, how does this trial, how does 
this tribulation, how does this difficulty, how does this government 
ultimately work for my good? Because God most high is sovereign 
and he's in the business of conforming us under the image of his blessed 
son. And sometimes that conforming 
comes through the school of hard knocks. It comes through difficult 
experience. It comes through affliction. 
As one has well observed, grace grows best in winter at times. A sailor is ultimately proven 
in a time of storm, not when everything is calm. So Jesus 
is not promising the health, wealth, and prosperity gospel. 
Jesus is not promising some golden egg Easter hunt on Saturday, 
where everything's just joy and frolic and happiness. Jesus is 
promising to satisfy the longing of the soul at the level of the 
most basic requirement. Peace with God through faith 
in our Lord Jesus Christ. So he makes this statement or 
declaration, he then attaches this promise, and then notice 
he rebukes them in verse 36. But I said to you that you have 
seen me and yet do not believe. Now brethren, he knows this according 
to his divinity, to be sure. He is the second person of the 
Trinity. In the beginning was the Word, 
the Word was with God, and the Word was God. That Word became 
flesh and he dwelt among us. But with reference to this statement, 
it's probably according to his humanity. He hears their argumentation. He hears their responses. He 
sees that they are not with him. When he says, you have seen me, 
you've seen the signs. You've seen the miracles. You've 
seen his lordship over nature in terms of multiplying the loaves 
and the fish. You have seen all these things, 
but you don't believe. You resist it. You reject it. 
You refuse it. You will not come to eat that 
bread of life such that you may have everlasting life. It does 
underscore for us John 3, doesn't it? Remember in John 3 verses 
1 to 10, Nicodemus comes by night and Jesus says, unless a man 
is born again, he shall not see the kingdom of God. Well, Jesus 
upholds that same sovereignty in John chapter 6. Jesus upholds 
that same conviction in John chapter 6. And that leads us 
to verse 37 and the declaration of God's sovereignty. Christ 
knows that those people are not believing on him. Christ knows 
that those people have seen his mighty miracles and yet they 
are rejecting him. And so he makes this statement 
in verse 37, all that the father gives me will come to me. And 
the one who comes to me, I will certainly not, or I will in no 
wise cast out. Why does he put that there? Well, 
I think there's various reasons. So we've moved on from the identification 
of the bread of life, verses 35 and 36, to now the declaration 
of the sovereignty of God in verse 37. So at the end of verse 
36 he says, but I said to you that you have seen me and yet 
do not believe. So verse 37, all that the Father 
gives me will come to me. That's a blessed, wonderful statement 
to people like us. Not to them. They probably were 
offended by that. They may have been upset by that. 
Well, we know, according to verse 41, then the Jews complained 
about him and said, because he said, rather, I am the bread 
which came down from heaven. And they said, is not this Jesus, 
the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How is it 
then that he says, I have come down from heaven? And then turn 
over in the chapter to verse 60. Therefore, many of his disciples, 
when they heard this, again, the whole discourse in context, 
this is a hard saying, who can understand it? So back in verse 
36, he identifies their problem. I am the bread of life. He who 
comes to me will never thirst. He who believes in me, or hunger, 
he who believes in me will never thirst. But I know you. You have 
seen me, you've seen the works that I've done, you've heard 
the teaching that I've engaged in, but you don't believe. So 
verse 37 comes on the heels of that to underscore that their 
rejection of Jesus Christ does not mean that everyone will reject 
Jesus Christ. So while there's rising opposition 
to Jesus, while there's an expressed enmity to Jesus among the Jews 
and the unbelievers, there is nevertheless a faithful remnant 
according to God's election. There is nevertheless those persons 
who embrace Jesus, who ingest Jesus by faith in terms of the 
bread of life. As well, the rejection of Christ 
does not mean that Christ will fail in His mission. Look back 
at verse 33. The bread of God is He who comes 
down from heaven and gives life to the world. Well, there's these 
people that aren't believing in Him. There's these people 
that aren't eating this bread. There are these people that aren't 
receiving this bread. And so we need to understand 
that this does not reflect upon the Savior. It's not that he's 
faulty. It's not that he doesn't know 
what he's doing. It's not that he's bad at his job. But then 
I think the third thing that it expresses is that their rejection 
of Christ, their unbelief, their refusal to eat this bread of 
life does not impinge upon God's sovereignty. It doesn't mean 
that God can't do something in terms of the life of the world. Actually, contrary to that, it 
describes or demonstrates God's sovereignty. While these persons 
reject, while these persons don't eat this bread of life, nevertheless, 
God is not shaken. God is not thwarted. God is not 
frustrated. God's purpose will succeed in 
the earth. And that purpose is expressed 
by Jesus, all that the Father gives me will come to me. Now 
notice in verse 37, Christ's certainty of his mission. Christ's 
certainty of the success of his mission. He's not going to fail. 
Brethren, there are people that teach that persons can lose their 
salvation. You've heard of those persons. 
They're called Arminians or Pelagians or humanists or whatever. With 
reference to salvation. If a sinner who's actually saved 
can lose his salvation, that reflects upon the Savior. And 
the Savior doesn't lose. The Savior isn't frustrated. 
The Savior isn't thwarted. The Savior isn't stopped. Remember, 
I've told you before, there's that famous painting of Jesus 
knocking on the door of the sinner's heart. It's not Jesus, it's some 
ancient Near Eastern man that looks especially effeminate, 
and he's standing at this door and he's knocking. Well, curiously, 
in this particular piece of artwork, there's no handle on the door. What's the emphasis? It's the 
free will of the sinner on the other side of the door that has 
to open it up and let Jesus in. That is horrible theology. Christ Most High is not frustrated. When he comes to save his people, 
he does it. Jesus Christ came to seek and 
to save that which was lost, so he has this absolute certainty 
in the Father's purpose. all that the Father gives me 
will come to me. The theological framework for 
this particular statement is the covenant of redemption. The 
Father gave a people to his Son. The Son covenanted to come into 
this world, take on our humanity, live for us, die for us, and 
be raised again for us. And again, Throughout John's 
gospel, what's Christ's emphasis? My will is to do the, or my need 
is to do the will of him who sent me. I always do the will 
of the father who sent me. So he's on this particular mission. 
It's in a theological framework, a covenant of redemption. So 
he's able to say all that the father gives me will come to 
me. The giving of a people by the father to the son is not 
unique to this passage. Turn over to John 10, John chapter 
10. We see the same emphasis in the 
teaching of our Lord Jesus. John chapter 10, specifically 
at verses 15 and 16. As the Father knows me, even 
so I know the Father, and I lay down my life for the sheep, and 
other sheep I have which are not of this fold, them also I 
must bring, and they will hear my voice, and there will be one 
flock and one shepherd. Again, he knows this with certainty 
that there's other sheep. He knows this with certainty 
because the Father has given to him a particular identifiable 
body of people. And then look at chapter 10 at 
verse 26. Look at the rebuke here. You do not believe because 
you are not of my sheep, as I said to you. See, Jesus couldn't have 
said that if he was an Arminian. Jesus couldn't have said that 
if he was a Pelagian. Notice what he doesn't say. It 
isn't a reversed statement. He doesn't say, you're not of 
my sheep because you don't believe. No, you don't believe because 
you're not of my sheep. All that the Father gives me 
will come to me. That means that God the Father 
does something prior to the coming of the ones given by the Father 
to the Son. In other words, it's Ephesians 
1, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the 
world, in love, having predestined us unto adoption as sons. That 
we should be only and blameless is with the verse 4 election. 
But there's something that precedes the coming of sinners to the 
Lord Jesus Christ. The Father gives them to the 
Son. The Son comes to rescue them. 
And in time, the Spirit applies that redemptive work such that 
those chosen by the Father, those predestined by the Father, those 
given by the Father to the Son will come. They'll believe, they'll 
receive. Verse 26 makes that obvious. Notice, you do not believe because 
you are not of my sheep, as I said to you. Turn to Acts 13 for a 
very similar statement. Acts chapter 13, it's speaking 
about the reception or rejection of Jesus in the synagogue at 
Pisidian Antioch. There was absolute rejection 
on the part of the Jews in that synagogue, and so Paul and Barnabas 
turned their attention to the Gentiles. They turned their attention 
to those non-Jews. They turned their attention in 
light of the prophet Isaiah. Notice in verse 47, For so the 
Lord has commanded us, I have set you as a light to the Gentiles, 
that you should be for salvation to the ends of the earth. You 
get the gist, right? They come to a synagogue of the 
Jews. They preach Jesus as the Messiah. The Jews say, no, we 
don't want Jesus as the Messiah. So they see their mission in 
light of the servant song of Yahweh, wherein not only the 
servant himself is a light to the Gentiles, but his faithful 
apostles are that. And that's what they invoke there 
in verse 47. But then notice in verse 48, now, when the Gentiles 
heard this, they were glad and glorified the word of the Lord. 
And as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed. Notice it's not they believed 
and therefore they were appointed to eternal life. All that the 
Father gives me, Jesus says, will come to me. There is something 
that happens prior to a sinner's coming to Jesus. There is something 
that happens prior to a sinner's closing with Jesus. It goes back 
to eternity. It goes back to just as He chose 
us in Him. It goes back to in love, having 
predestined us. That's brought to fruition in 
time when the Holy Spirit causes the new birth, John 3, verses 
1 to 10, and that then presents the sinner, now was dead, he's 
now alive, he has the grace of faith, such that he comes, such 
that he believes, such that he knows the joy of being found 
in Jesus. So going back to John chapter 
6, Jesus is declaring the sovereignty of God. Don't let the unbelief 
of the Jews, don't let their resistance to the bread of life, 
don't let their desire to starve to death when it comes to spiritual 
things, set the tone how you read scripture. Christ has come 
in the language of verse 33 to give life to the world. Christ 
has come in light of John 3, 16, because God so loved the 
world that he gave his only begotten son. We're not supposed to think 
that God is frustrated. We're not supposed to think that 
God is thwarted. We're not supposed to think that 
God is somehow going to lose in this endeavor. And incidentally, 
verse 37 is the positive, verse 44 is the negative. So he says 
the same truth, underscoring the absolute sovereignty of God 
and the absolute necessity of God's grace for salvation in 
the sinner's life. Verse 37 is positive, all that 
the Father gives me will come to me. Verse 44, no one can come 
to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. See, the emphasis 
throughout John 6 is on the power of God, not on the free will 
of man. The emphasis in John 6 is on 
the bread of life, not on our hunger and thirst. The emphasis 
in John 6 is on the glory of the Savior and the sufficiency 
of the Savior, such that everyone who looks to Him in faith will 
have everlasting life. And that's what he goes on to 
say in verse 37. Notice, he displays his power. So God's sovereignty is evident 
in verse 37a. All that the Father who gives 
me will come to me. The power of the Savior is evident 
in verse 37b. And the one who comes to me, 
I will by no means cast out. I think this particular passage 
can go two ways. The first, it's an evangelistic 
axiom. It's an evangelistic axiom. If 
I were to say to you, sinner, look to the Lord Jesus Christ 
in faith, and he will not cast you out. I'm not lying. We have 
all found that by experience. Everyone in here conquered by 
grace. Everyone in here who's been born 
again. Everyone in here who's been given the gift of faith 
and repentance knew, know, can confirm and verify that when 
we came to the Savior for salvation, He didn't resist us. He didn't 
reject us. He didn't say, oh no, you're 
too far gone. You're just too wicked. You're too vile. Sometimes 
people think that. They say, well, I'm too sinful 
for Jesus to save. That's precisely who Jesus came 
to save. Remember Paul in 1 Timothy 1, 
this is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation that 
Christ Jesus came into the world to do what? To save sinners. 
And then Paul says, of whom I am chief. So my thought is that 
if God, the Lord, can save the chief of sinners, then workshop 
change. He can certainly save you. He 
can deliver you from your sin. So there's an evangelistic axiom 
in the text. The one who comes to me, I will 
not cast out. He uses a double negative here, 
which is legit in Greek. A double negative for us in English 
is a positive, right? But in Greek, a double negative 
means a double negative. I will certainly not cast him 
out. There's no way I will cast him out. The sinner comes to 
me in faith, I'm not going to cast him out. What's the point? 
He's not going to cast you out. But there's also a theological 
axiom here that in some sense works better in the context. 
There is safety. There is security and there is 
preservation by God in Christ. Notice verse 37, all that the 
Father gives me will come to me and the one who comes to me 
I will by no means cast out. Remember as the bread of life 
He delivers in such a way that you'll never hunger again, you'll 
never thirst again. And then notice in the context 
when he speaks of the will of God with reference to the Son 
of God, he says, this is the will that I lose nothing. So here's the point, sinner, 
come to Jesus and He will not cast you out. But here's the 
point as well, sinner and saint. Once you've come to Jesus, He 
will never cast you out. It's a most glorious and wonderful 
thing. It's not conditioned upon our 
performance. It's not conditioned upon our 
holiness. It's not conditioned upon our law-keeping. Justification 
is an act of God's free grace wherein He pardons all of our 
sins and accepts us as righteous in His sight only for the righteousness 
of Christ imputed to us and received by faith alone. The Lord Christ 
says, coming to Him, He won't cast you out. He'll welcome you 
in, and once you're in, you're in. You're there for the long 
haul. You're there through trial, through 
affliction, through hardship, through pain. You're even there 
through, and I don't like to say this because people might 
get emboldened, you're even there through sin. In the justification 
of sinners, that forgiveness is for past, present, and future 
sin. Now it's the diabolical among 
us that will reason this way. What shall we say then? Shall 
we continue in sin that grace may abound? No, may it never 
be. Paul answers in Romans chapter 
6. If you've been conquered by this grace, if you've been justified 
freely by this grace, if you understand being in Christ is 
the most blessed thing, you don't want to sin, you don't want to 
run around and rebel, you don't want to engage in vileness and 
lawlessness and wickedness. Certainly you do that. There 
is remaining corruption according to Romans 7 and Galatians 5, 
but that's not the overarching principle in the heart of the 
believer. They want to do what Christ says. They want to obey. 
They want to glorify. They want to honor Him. But notice, 
the blessed promise, the one who comes to me, I will by no 
means cast out. John Gill comments on verse 37. Excuse me, he says, the three 
glorious doctrines of grace, of eternal election, efficacious 
grace and conversion, and the final perseverance of the saints 
are clearly contained in these words. He's right. All that the 
Father gives me will what? They may come to me. They might 
possibly show up. No, all that the Father gives 
me will come to me. That's an inevitability. That 
is a certainty. Again, God is not frustrated 
or thwarted in his plan to give life to the world. Now let's 
look thirdly and finally at the revelation of the will of God 
in verses 38 to 40. Notice the mission of the Son, 
verse 38, and then the will of the Father, verse 39 and 40. 
Notice the mission of the Son in verse 38. For I have come 
down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of Him 
who sent me. Now the coming down out of heaven by the Son is a 
reference to His incarnation. It's the reference to what we 
find in John 1, 14. The Word became flesh and dwelt 
among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten 
of the Father, full of grace and truth. It is the incarnation 
that we see in verse 33 of John chapter 6. Now the identification 
of His mission according to the will of God is language associated with his 
role as mediator. Notice again, verse 38, I have 
come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will 
of him who sent me. You think, wait a minute, he's 
the son of God. Don't they have the same will? 
Yes, according to the divinity. In the beginning was the Word, 
the Word was with God, and the Word was God. We've seen in John 
chapter 1, verses 1 to 18, the consubstantiality of the Son 
with the Father. So He has the same eternity, 
He has the same power, and He has the same will. When he speaks 
of him doing the will of him who sent me, again, it's according 
to his humanity. It's according to his function 
and role as mediator. You see this in the Garden of 
Gethsemane. Remember, Jesus' soul is exceedingly sorrowful, 
even unto death. He knows the cup of God's wrath 
lay on the other side of Gethsemane. And he prays to the Father, if 
it is possible, let this cup pass from me. But he says, even 
so, father, thy will be done. So he commits himself as the 
mediator, as the prophet, priest, and king to the will of the father. 
So that's what he's doing here in verse 38. It's underscoring 
that as the mediator, as the prophet, priest, and king, as 
the savior, he does specifically what was enjoined upon him by 
his father according to the covenant of redemption. So he says, for 
I have come down from heaven not to do my own will, but the 
will of him who sent me. And part of that again was the 
assumption of our humanity. The union of the two natures 
in the one person. The subjecting himself to the 
law of God in order to fulfill it for us men and for our salvation. Subjection to the death of the 
cross in order to give us forgiveness for us men and for our salvation. 
And then to be raised up again and exalted to the right hand 
of the Father. So he's underscoring his compliance. He is underscoring 
his willingness to do the will of Him who sent me. And then 
in verses 39 and 40, he speaks or reveals the will of the Father, 
first for the Son and then for the sinner. Notice for the Son 
in verse 39. So after making that statement 
that he comes to do the will of the Father in verse 38, he 
then gives us this revelation of the will of the Father in 
verse 39. Notice, 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 at the last day. That's Christ's 
job, if you will. That's why he is called the surety 
of a better covenant in the book of Hebrews. That's why we have 
this blessed savior, because he does what the father gave 
him to do. He undertakes all things necessary 
in order to save us from our sin. Again, the incarnation and 
all that is associated with his incarnation, a life of obedience 
to the father, a death on the cross as a substitute, as a curse 
bearer, as an atoning sacrifice, not as an example first and foremost. 
And then he's raised again the third day so that we may have 
everlasting life. So the will of the father for 
the son in his role as mediator is that the father sends the 
son, the father gives a people to the son, the son saves those 
people, and he doesn't lose any of them. Again, the context, 
the idea of somebody having been saved and losing it ultimately 
reflects upon the Lord Jesus Christ. Verse 39, this is the 
will of the Father who sent me, that of all He has given me, 
I should lose nothing. But then notice that last statement, 
but you raise it up at the last day. He has spoken to this in 
John 5, look over there. John 5, specifically at verse 
28. Do not marvel at this for the hour is coming in which all 
who are in the graves will hear his voice and come forth. Those 
who have done good to the resurrection of life and those who have done 
evil to the resurrection of condemnation. I cannot myself do nothing as 
I hear I judge and my judgment is righteous because I do not 
seek my own will but the will of the Father who sent me. So 
Christ is that judge on that last day. For those whom the 
Father has given Him, they don't have anything to worry about. 
They're not going to be found out on that last day and say, 
well, you know, you just didn't make the cut. We were in chapter 
11 this morning in our confession study, and that chapter's called 
Of Justification. And one of the things that's 
most blessed about the doctrine of justification is not only 
the fact that God forgives us of our sins. I mean, there's 
enough in that statement for us to just spend the rest of 
the day in praise and worship and honoring God, right? Our 
sins are forgiven. But in justification, we also 
get the righteousness of Jesus Christ. It's imputed to us. It is given to us. It is received 
by faith alone. So what does that mean? It means 
when we stand before God in judgment on that day, we will hear by 
grace, well done, good and faithful servant. A moment's reflection 
upon your own life, or use me for a moment, a moment's reflection 
upon your own life should indicate none of us should ever hear that. 
But we will because of Christ. We will because of the champion. 
We will because of the mediator. We will because of Him whose 
will was to do the will of Him who sent Him. And so Christ says, 
I'm not going to lose anyone. on that last day. I'm going to 
raise them up and I'm not going to lose them on that last day. 
And then he ends this section with the will of the Father for 
the sinner. The will of the Father for the sinner. Again, the declaration 
of the mission in verse 38. But then the will of the Father 
specifically for the Son in verse 39. This is what the Son must 
undertake in terms of the covenant of redemption. But what's the 
will of the Father for sinners like you and I? Well, verse 40 
contains that. Notice. And this is the will 
of Him who sent me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes 
in Him, that's the will of the Father. That you see the Son, 
now that doesn't mean physically, it means through preaching, it 
means through reading your Bible, it means through family devotions, 
it means through listening to the Bible. When you see the Son, 
what's the absolute requirement, or what's the necessity rather, 
is that you believe the Son. That you don't reject Him or 
resist Him, that you don't fall in league with these Jews who 
see the Son and yet do not believe. The will of the Father, with 
reference to the Son and the sinner, is that the sinner sees 
the Son and believes on Him. And then look at the will of 
the Father with reference to the sinner in verse 40. And believes 
in Him may have everlasting life. Again, the same emphasis from 
John 1 to John 21. That emphasis is true. Those 
who believe the Son have everlasting life. They pass from death unto 
life. They're called out of darkness 
into marvelous light. They receive the blessings, the 
every spiritual blessing, in the heavenly places in Christ. 
So believe in the Son, have everlasting life, and then have this confidence 
that Christ will raise you up at the last day. See, brethren, 
I think at times the Christian Church does demonstrate a bit 
of Gnosticism. Gnosticism was an emphasis upon 
the Spirit alone. And while we emphasize the Spirit, 
and Jesus does do this in this passage, don't labor for the 
food which perishes, but rather labor for the food which endures, 
Gnostics only saw life in terms of the spiritual. But the Christian 
knows that God is not at war with nature. God is not at war 
with creation. God is at war with sin. God is at war with distortion. We believe in the resurrection 
from the dead, not just the spirit, but the body, and then blessing 
in the presence of God forever and ever, world without end. 
The emphasis in the scripture is on the fact that the creation 
groans until that day of redemption. The creation itself is subject 
to that groaning. But under Christ, the last Adam, 
not just the creation out there, but the creatures who have been 
saved by grace will be raised bodily and soul. They'll be reunited 
in terms of soul and body, and we will be with the presence 
of God Most High. The ancient creed said it this 
way, I believe the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting, 
amen. That's the apostles. The Nicene 
says, and I look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the 
world to come, amen. The Athanasian creed, from whence 
we shall come, Or whence he shall come to judge the quick and the 
dead, at whose coming all men shall rise again with their bodies, 
and shall give account for their own works. And they that have 
done good shall go into everlasting life, and they that have done 
evil into everlasting fire. So that's the will of the Father 
for you, that you see the Son in the preaching of the Word, 
in the reading of the Word, in the hearing of the Word, in the 
family devotional hour. You see the Son as He's presented 
in the scripture, and you believe the Son. And it's when you believe 
the Son, by God's grace, you have everlasting life. And then 
you have that blessed confidence that Christ will raise you up 
on that last day to bring you into that place of which Bunyan 
said, when we've been there 10,000 years, bright, shining as the 
Son, We've no less days to sing God's praise than when we first 
begun. That's because of the bread of 
life. That's because of the Savior. 
That's because of the only begotten Son of God, who for us men and 
for our salvation came down from heaven. In conclusion, in the 
first place, we ought to meditate on the significance of the metaphor, 
the bread of life. The metaphor first demonstrates 
the necessity of Christ. If you go looking for satisfaction 
for the soul anywhere else, you'll always be unsatisfied, right? Sex, drugs, and rock and roll 
don't do it. Government certainly doesn't do it. Money doesn't 
do it. If you want soul satisfaction, 
there is one whose business it is to bring that. So the metaphor 
demonstrates the necessity of Christ. Secondly, the metaphor 
demonstrates the provision of Christ. Again, using that analogy, 
We have to have bread. We have to have water. But God 
in His grace and in His goodness gave us a bounty. He gave us 
steak. He gave us good things. He overfills 
us with multitudes of blessings. Christ brings that provision. Again, hear the prophet Isaiah 
55.1. Ho, everyone who thirsts, come. Those who have no money, come 
buy and eat. Let your heart be satisfied. 
He speaks of water for refreshment. He speaks of milk for satisfaction 
and nourishment. He speaks of wine for exhilaration. Yahweh brings the goods, Yahweh 
brings the benefits, Yahweh brings the blessings. That's what this 
metaphor sets forth in terms of Christ. The metaphor thirdly 
demonstrates the sufficiency of Christ. He alone is the one 
who brings this salvation. It's not all roads lead to heaven, 
not all roads lead to this everlasting life, not all roads will secure 
us in terms of favor with God. Christ alone is the way of salvation. And then fourthly, the metaphor 
demonstrates the sinner's dependence on Christ. Not just when you 
first believe and have everlasting life, but by grace, you continue 
to be looking to him. By grace, you walk in union with 
him. By grace, you're dependent upon his spirit. By grace, you 
live in light of his redemptive work and his plan and his benefit 
and his provision. And you acknowledge your dependence 
upon him. Look at what Peter says at the 
end of the chapter in verse 68. Simon Peter answered, Lord, to 
whom shall, well, verse 67, Jesus said to the 12, do you also want 
to go away? All these would be at least for 
a time disciples were following Jesus as insofar as he kept the 
bread coming, insofar as the fish was there, insofar as the 
physical things were there. They heard him speak of the sovereignty 
of God. And they said, no, we don't want anything to do with 
it. These are hard sayings. They offend our delicate sensitivities. So he says to his immediate, 
the 12, do you also want to go away? Simon Peter answers him, 
Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal 
life. Also we have come to believe and know that you are the Christ, 
the son of the living God. To whom shall we go, right? This 
blessed savior is the one upon whom we are dependent from now 
until he comes again in glory to judge the living and the dead. 
Secondly, we see the sovereignty of God. The sovereignty of God 
is obvious in the passage. All that the Father gives me 
will come to me. That's sovereignty of God. There's 
no debate, brethren. There is simply rejection out 
there. There's no debate necessary in terms of, is God sovereign 
or not? Does God choose some? Does God 
actually predestine? That's not a debatable topic 
in the scripture. You either receive it because 
God says it, or you fight against it and kick against the bricks. 
What will it be? God is absolutely sovereign. 
It's seen in the four ordination of psalm, the giving of the psalm 
to the son in order that he may come to save them from their 
sins. It is seen in the inevitability 
that all that the father gives me will come to me. It's seen 
in the inevitability that on that last day they will be raised 
up and enter body and soul into heaven to be with God most high 
forever and ever again. And then the third observation 
that flows from that one is the doctrines of grace. Remember 
what Gill said. He said, the three glorious doctrines 
of grace, of eternal election, efficacious grace and conversion, 
and the final perseverance of the saints, are clearly contained 
in these words. We call those the doctrines of 
grace. They're also commonly called the five points of Calvinism. Not because Calvin is our guru, 
not because Calvin is our king, not because Calvin is our God, 
but in history, in the historical development of Calvinism, or 
of theology rather, it's become called Calvinism. Calvin didn't 
develop the five points and say, hey, I'm going to teach this 
with the mnemonic of a tulip. And if you really want to know 
about God, I'm Calvin, and here's my tulip. He didn't come up with 
that. It was a response to the remonstrance. 
It was a response to the five points of Arminianism. But anyways, 
we call these the doctrines of grace, and they are represented 
by a tulip. The T is total depravity, verse 
44. No one can come to me unless 
the Father who sent me draws him. The second is the U, unconditional 
election. All that the Father gives me 
will come to me. We've seen it in Ephesians 1, 
4. Just as he chose us in him before the foundation of the 
world, that we should become holy and blameless. Not because 
we were holy and blameless. It's unconditional in terms of 
the sinner. It's not that God looks down the tunnel of time 
and sees who's going to believe and he chooses those for salvation. 
It's unconditional as far as the sinner is concerned. The 
L is the limited atonement. The limited or definite atonement, 
who comes to the son? It's the ones whom the father 
gives him. It's the ones for whom the son sheds his own precious 
blood. Look at John 17, where it is 
very clear that this is in view. John 17 at verses two and three, 
Jesus has comprehensive authority over all things, and he gives 
life to those whom God had given him. Notice in John 17 at verse 
two, as you have given him authority over all flesh, that he should 
give eternal life to as many as you have given him. And this 
is eternal life that they may know you, the only true God and 
Jesus Christ whom you have sent. Now drop down to verse nine. 
I pray for them. I do not pray for the world, 
but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours. Pretty powerful statement. I 
don't pray for the world. I pray for those whom you've 
given me. What are the two functions of a priest? Everybody calls 
John 17 the high priestly prayer of Christ. Intercession, praying. Who's he praying for? He's praying 
for the ones whom the Father had given him out of the world. 
What's the second function of a priest? Sacrifice, atonement. offering. So when Christ goes 
to the cross, is he making sacrifice for the Jebusites and the Hittites 
and the Hivites and the other Canaanites? Is that what the 
high priest did in Leviticus 16 when he went into that Holy 
of Holies on the Day of Atonement? Was he making sacrifice and expiation 
for all the heathen and the pagan? He was making them for Israel. 
Christ intercedes for and Christ offers himself for all that the 
Father gave him. The L is present. So is irresistible 
grace. If you're following the tulip, 
T-U-L-I, irresistible grace. All that the Father gives me, 
what? They'll kick and scream, no, Jesus, or God makes them 
willing in the day of his power. He causes them to be born again, 
so they see that Christ is altogether lovely and chief among 10,000, 
and they run after him, they want him. Irresistible grace, 
all that the Father gives me will come to me. And then that 
last point, the P, can be broken down into two P's. There's the 
perseverance of the saints, seeing it from man's perspective, but 
there's the preservation by God. You know the Armenians, the one-point 
Calvinist Armenians, they talk about eternal security. And so 
we reject that terminology. I don't. I think it's quite helpful. 
I love it. Eternal security. It can be abused 
as the one-point Calvinist Armenian does, but we are eternally secure. Does anybody want to argue against 
that with reference to John chapter 6? I will lose nothing. I will 
raise him up at the last day and he will enter in. The five 
points of Calvinism aren't developed by theologians. The five points 
of Calvinism, again, it's just a simple moniker, a simple identifier 
to show us the doctrines of God's sovereign grace in the manner 
of salvation. And in conclusion, for those 
who say, well, that would inhibit the thought of me ever coming 
to Jesus. For after all, how do I know if I'm unconditionally 
elected? How do I know if Jesus died for 
me when he was on that cross? How do I know these things? Believe 
on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved. Let God do 
what God does and you do what God calls you to do. And that 
is very clearly specified in verse 40. And this is the will 
of him who sent me. This is, by the way, an answer 
to hyper-Calvinism. Well, you can't ever look to 
Christ and not do what I'm told to do by God. 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. The way that you know these things, 
and Peter makes that clear, make sure of your calling and election. 
How? Because by grace, you're looking to Jesus Christ in faith. 
It is faith that is the evidence. It is faith that is the demonstration. 
It is the faith that manifests. those whom the Father gave to 
the Son. So instead of curiously wondering 
whether or not, listen to the word today and believe on the 
Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved. Let us pray. Father, 
thank you for your Word, and thank you for the clarity of 
our Lord's teaching, certainly understanding what we understand 
in our own theological context. We know why many were perplexed, 
many were offended, and many did not follow Him any further. 
God, help us to embrace these things. We know that without 
the sovereignty of God, we would be dead in hell forever. So we 
give praise to you for these wonderful truths. We pray that 
more and more people would have their eyes opened by the power 
of the Holy Spirit, that they would behold Jesus Christ as 
the one sent by the Father to save his people from their sins. 
And may you today, wherever this gospel is preached, save from 
every tribe, tongue, people, and nation. And we ask in Jesus' 
name, amen. We'll close by singing number 
568, which is the doxology. We'll stand and sing praise to 
our God. He is the Lamb who for us He 
took, Raised Him only to see the King above. ♪ Praise to thee, O God, the heavenly 
host ♪ ♪ Praise to thee, O God, the heavenly host ♪ This is not technically a benediction, 
but it certainly seems appropriate. Now, it was not written for his 
sake alone that it was imputed to him, but also for us. It shall 
be imputed to us who believe in him, who raised up Jesus our 
Lord from the dead, who was delivered up because of our offenses and 
was raised because of our justification. Well, let us pray. Father, thank 
you again for the Lord's Day. Thank you for the house of God 
and for the people of God on the day of God, when we can worship 
you in spirit and truth. I pray that you would go with 
us now and cause your face to shine upon us, cause us to know 
your peace and to rejoice in your presence and communion. 
And we ask this through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. Well, 
please be seated for a brief time of meditation.