Find Life by Faith in Christ

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John 6:51–59 (ESV)

51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”

52 The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” 53 So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54 Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. 55 For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. 56 Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. 57 As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me. 58 This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like the bread the fathers ate, and died. Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.” 59 Jesus said these things in the synagogue, as he taught at Capernaum.

Opening Prayer

Setting the Stage

First, I want to do away with a misappropriation of this passage.

Is this passage about…

Holy Communion? No!

Is Jesus teaching us about communion here?

Is Jesus telling us that to partake in Him we must eat His body and flesh and that occurs mystically at communion?

No.

Jesus is teaching how someone can have eternal life.

He is teaching how someone can be saved from their sins.

The eating and drinking here is the means of bringing eternal life.

So, would we ever believe that Jesus is saying that in order to be saved the one thing you must do is take communion?

No, that doesn’t agree with this passage at all.

Let’s not forget…

John 6:29 (ESV)

29 Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.”

He didn’t say that the work of God was to take communion.

Jesus said that the way to please the Father.

The way to be righteous in the sight of God…

Is to believe in Jesus, who was sent by the Father.

Let’s not forget…

John 6:40 (ESV)

40 For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”

Let’s not forget…

John 6:44 (ESV)

44 No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.

Would that be a true statement of Communion?

No, anyone is capable of taking communion.

If taking communion were being taught here why would Jesus say that no one can take communion unless the Father draws him?!

Taking communion is merely a physical act of putting bread in your mouth and a cup to your lips.

But…

faith in Christ

acknowledgement of being in a state of unrighteousness

confessing your need for the mercy of God

looking to Christ for your righteousness

Those are things the Bible teaches us that are impossible on our own, to the hardened heart of humanity.

Another point of dispute of Communion being taught here is in…

John 6:51 (ESV)

51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”

The verb came down is aorist meaning a single act of incarnation.

If anyone eats is aorist meaning a single act of appropriating Christ by believing in Him.

Just like the incarnation is not a repeating act.

So, the act of believing upon Christ for justification is not a repeating act.

We continue believing upon Christ, but at the moment you first believed you were justified.

We’re not being re-justified by God over and over for the rest of our life.

Jesus is speaking here of a single act of faith that justifies us before God, which grants eternal life.

That single act places us in a position of abiding in Him (cover more later).

So, what is Jesus teaching us here…

Jesus is Teaching His Incarnation & Atonement

Again, Jesus is pointing them to the OT…

Pointing them to the Word of the Living God.

Taking them back to the OT scriptures that they so vocally espouse to.

I have come down from heaven

Isaiah 7:14 (ESV)

14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. [God with us]

Isaiah is speaking of the Messiah here and prophecies that the Messiah should be understood as a Man, flesh…

Born of a virgin woman.

And, yet God.

God in the midst of us.

God dwelling among us.

Isaiah 9:6 (ESV)

6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

The Messiah, a son born of flesh, yet is prophesied with divine names. [Daniel 7, etc.]

Notice Jesus says in…

John 6:51 (ESV)

51 …And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”

Who is Jesus ministering to?

Not only Jew, but Gentiles as well.

What will it cost Jesus to give eternal life?

His flesh.

Meaning it will cost Him His life in order for us to gain life.

We’ll come back to that, but what happens is an…

Argument Ensues

John 6:52 (ESV)

52 The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?”

When we read the Jews disputed among themselves…

We read that there was a heated exchange of words.

Evidently, there were some that were arguing that Jesus was not talking about cannibalism…

While others, and evidently the majority, that were arguing that Jesus was speaking of cannibalism.

And, hence…

“How can this man give us his flesh to eat?”

IOW, surely Jesus is not teaching us to break the Law of Moses by literally eating his flesh like a dinner meal.

So, while they’re engaged in this heated debate…

Jesus says…

John 6:53–54 (ESV)

53 So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54 Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.

Notice that Jesus does not back off one bit from what He’s already said.

As a matter of fact, He begins with…

Truly, truly = I tell you the truth

He’s saying, let me be deliberate because this is important that you understand this.

But Jesus now adds something to the eating of His flesh…

He adds, drink his blood.

He says it twice.

One as a conditional statement…

Unless you do this, you have no life in you.

The second time as a positive statement.

Whoever does this has eternal life and the promise of me resurrecting you unto that eternal life.

With Jesus stressing of the importance of what He is saying…

With the stress of Jesus saying it twice…

With the addition of the condition of drinking His blood…

What is Jesus teaching us here?

He’s expanding on v.51 that tells us…

That eternal life for us will take His flesh…

It will cost His life.

In other words, the gift of eternal life is…

A Costly Gift

John 6:53–54 (ESV)

53 So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54 Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.

Jesus is teaching His Death & Atonement.

The separation of the flesh from the blood…

Points to death.

Blood is the life of the flesh.

So, to separate the two would cause death.

Jesus is expanding on His meaning in v.51…

And, showing that He must die.

And the eating of His flesh and the drinking of His blood…

Is being defined by appropriating the person and work of Christ.

Let’s not forget what Jesus has just spoken to this crowd in…

John 6:35 (ESV)

35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.

Eating and drinking is coming to and believing in Jesus Christ.

It is through the death of Christ that eternal life is possible.

The spotless Lamb of God must sacrifice Himself so that atonement is made for His people…

Those given to Him by the Father…

And, a true, eternal, righteous life be gained on behalf of all those who come to Him.

Just as an additional note against the idea that Communion is being taught here…

Eat & drink are in the aorist tense…

Which pictures a once-for-all action…

Not a repeated eating and drinking which we get in communion.

Let’s read…

John 6:55–58 (ESV)

55 For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. 56 Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. 57 As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me. 58 This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like the bread the fathers ate, and died. Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.”

There are a few things here that I want to highlight:

#1 - The Intense Union Described by Jesus

There is pictured here that a true saving faith…

Christ Jesus appropriated correctly for salvation…

This appropriation to the inner core of oneself…

Being their true identity…

Begins the closest, most intimate relationship that one can have that is unending…

And, that relationship is with Jesus Christ.

#2 - Without Christ Your Searching For Satisfaction That Can Only Be Found In Him

Remember, what Jesus just said…

John 6:53 (ESV)

53 …unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.

Now he says…

John 6:58 (ESV)

58 This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like the bread the fathers ate, and died. Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.”

The state of fallen man is to pursue every avenue possible to humanity…

To find something that will ultimately satisfy.

And, the verdict is and has always been…

Nothing of creation does.

No matter what you find.

No matter what you purchase.

No matter what is invented.

Not long after, we are right back at it trying to make those things better…

Or to find a replacement for those things that will give the satisfaction we did not find in the very things we thought may possibly give us ultimate satisfaction.

Humanity’s story is a tragedy of searching for ways to prove that true life can be lived without God.

And, every search that has ended without God…

Has ended in death, eternally…

Under the judgment of God.

The only alternative that is true is this…

#3 - If You Have Christ You Have All You Need

John 6:58 (ESV)

58 …Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.”

Hear what Jesus is saying, dear Christian.

Your satisfaction has been met.

Your deepest longings have been met.

Your greatest needs have been fulfilled.

As Christians, in this life before the consummation…

We battle to recognize in our every day lives.

We lose sight of this precious truth.

But, deep down we know that when we have Christ…

—> We have it all.

Having eternal life means everything between you and God is good.

And, true proper life is ours as an inheritance for eternity.

We have true, satisfying, righteous, peace filled, joy-overflowing life awaiting us…

If we are in Christ.

And, it can only be found in Christ.

And it is because of the person and work of Christ.

And, we just put our empty, filthy beggarly hands out and accept the gift.

Hallelujah, what a Savior!

Closing Prayer