The Bread of Life Part 2 - Assurance is found in the Bread of Life

Welcome & Introduction

Blessed Assurance

One of my favorites

Blessed Assurance Jesus is mine

Oh what a foretaste of glory divine

Heir of salvation purchase of God

Born of the Spirit, washed in His blood

Amen

Please open your bibles to the Gospel of John 6:35-40.

And that is exactly what we will be talking about this morning

The assurance that comes through Christ

in fact our message this morning is titled

“Assurance is found in the Bread of Life”

So please stand as we read the word of God

we will be picking up with the same verse we ended on 2 weeks ago

John 6:35–40 (CSB)

35 “I am the bread of life,” Jesus told them. “No one who comes to me will ever be hungry, and no one who believes in me will ever be thirsty again. 36 But as I told you, you’ve seen me, and yet you do not believe. 37 Everyone the Father gives me will come to me, and the one who comes to me I will never cast out. 38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me. 39 This is the will of him who sent me: that I should lose none of those he has given me but should raise them up on the last day. 40 For this is the will of my Father: that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him will have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”

Let us Pray!

Illustration

Have you eve doubted your salvation?

have you ever wondered

How do I know if I am saved?

what is someone asked you

how do you know you are saved?

No, generally when people are asked this question they respond with

I think so

or… I hope so

Or, I prayed a prayer when I was a kid so I am pretty sure

things like that

ok… now hold on to that idea

Now suppose someone came up to me and asked me

Pastor Tj, are you married?

and suppose I say

well, I think so

or I hope so…

you may respond with

what!

you either are, or you aren’t

you would think that I am losing my mind

we both know that I am married, my wife is sitting right there

and how do I know I am married,

because I was there at my wedding day

I was there when we exchanged our vows

how do i know I am married, because my life was forever changed after that event

how do i know I am married,

because my wife chose me, and I chose her

and I am so glad

because I was a knuckle head

and I did not deserve her love

So, what I am getting at is this,

We when come to Christ we made a vow to follow Him

and our lives were forever changed

And that is something we should not take for granted

We have all sat back and wondered if we are good enough for God

or gone through trials and tribulations and thought

wow, If I were really a Christian, i wouldn’t think these things

If I were really a Christian I wouldn’t have responded that way

If I were really a Christian why did that happen to me

This is a question that gets asked a lot

and unfortunately it is asked for a reason

see, many are uncertain if they are saved

many wrestle with their assurance

But I am here this morning to reinforce the fact through scripture

that we have security in our salvation

that we can rest assured that it is not based on anything we can or cannot do

it is based on the fact that assurance is found in the bread of life

We are going to discuss something pretty substantial this morning

And that is the fact that we have security in God’s

provision, predestination, and His will

in fact those are our 3 points this morning

See Scripture after scripture describe the fact that

God is sovereign over all things

including our salvation

in fact it is him that draws us to that very salvation

But…

The bible also teaches that we have personal responsibility as well

not in the fact that we can save ourselves

but in the fact that once our eyes have been opened to our sinfulness and we have seen God’s grace

witnessed the Gospel and teachings of Christ

then

we are turn from our sin and believe in Him

see we are responsible for responding in faith

and faith is not a work

we are to respond to the Holy Spirit pulling at our hearts

and we can respond with either belief, or rejection

So, Does God choose, or do we choose

Did God hand pick us from all of eternity past

Or are we responsible…

the answer is ..Yes

Well how do you explain that… you may ask

And I will answer like this

Adrian Rogers, a fantastic preacher, says it like this

“We do not live and are not saved by explanations..

we are saved by promises “

How do we reconcile Gods complete sovereignty in our salvation

as well as hold to the fact that we are held personally responsible

It is not something we can fully explain,

But it is promised by God

Spurgeon put it this way

and Spurgeon was a Calvinist by the way

Charles Spurgeon said that free will and election are like two parallel lines that don't ever seem to touch.

he said that if you follow them far enough, all the way up to Heaven, then they do meet each other.

When asked how he reconciles free will and election, Spurgeon replied 'You don't have to reconcile friends!"

In other words, we look at the issue down here and think there is no way that both can be true but the great Bible teachers knew that both were true and they held both.

And in eternity we shall see that the two thoughts were not against each other but were friends!

Now, the beauty in election and God’s sovereignty in our salvation is the assurance that comes with it

So, as we pick our way through these next 5 verses I pray that we don’t look at these concepts as an either or

but as a great mystery that we are so blessed to receive

So, with that

Lets begin with our first point of the morning

Assurance is found in His Provision

John 6:35 “35 “I am the bread of life,” Jesus told them. “No one who comes to me will ever be hungry, and no one who believes in me will ever be thirsty again.”

Jesus had performed two substantial miracles up until now

He fed the 5,000 or 15,000 and he also calmed the storm

One miracle he did in public and one for just his disciples

But in each of these he proved his provision for them and for us

He then uses those miracles to set up this discourse

Where He delves into his first “I Am” statement

in fact he called himself the

“True Bread”

The Bread of God

and the Bread of Life

Now, bread does at least 4 things

it nourishes or sustains life

is satisfies

it energizes

and it creates the desire for more and more

we love our carbs right

And we can see a couple of distinct points that arise from this

#1 - is they asked for it, or requested it, because they had a craving for life and to find life

and that craving can be found in each and everyone of us even today

# 2 - that if a man comes to Christ as it says in V 35

yes I said comes to Christ, this is part of our personal responsibility

then he will no longer crave

see this craving I mentioned just a minute ago

this starving we all have is to live a life that is

full and satisfying

nourishing and sustaining

energizing and fulfilled

and once we find this life we will keep wanting more and more of it!

because as we are filled with Christ we will keep wanting more and more

and just as our hungers are met so are our thirsts

See with Christ as the bread of life and our sustainer - our needs are more than met

Not only is our hunger for life satisfied

but our thirst is quenched as well

Every need of life, every nourishment, every longing is met

See when we come to Christ and Believe

(now believe is a continuous act not a one time thing)

remember that it will come up again

every need will be met and they will continue to be met

it isn’t a one time thing

as we mature with Christ as we come to know him more and more

he will continue to provide and we will continue to grow

We are Saved from our hunger and thirst

by coming to Christ and believing in Him

and with that he says,

you will never be hungry again,

you will never thirst again

Matthew 5:6 “6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.”

John 4:14 “14 But whoever drinks from the water that I will give him will never get thirsty again. In fact, the water I will give him will become a well of water springing up in him for eternal life.””

as this continues to evolve we will see how substantial that is

when it comes to our assurance in our salvation

But, we will soon see, that that provision only goes so far

As Jesus cannot make someone believe

because in V36

John 6:36 “36 But as I told you, you’ve seen me, and yet you do not believe.”

These Jews, these people, saw everything that Jesus had done

They heard him preach

they heard him teach

they heard all of his claims

they even witnessed the miracles he did

which supported or authorized the claims of who he was

yet, they rejected him

and we see so many reject this very thing even today

See, any of these people could have easily come to Christ

Yet they sat there, heard the glorious news, and still did not believe

they were without excuse

which is why way back in John 1:11 “11 He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.”

and we will see more of this rejection next week in V 41 and 42 when they start grumbling

But for now, lets note the fact that they rejected Jesus

See V36 helps us define both the divine and the human side of coming to salvation

See both are actually needed for the full effect of salvation to be experienced

and this does not negate God’s sovereignty in this

see the human side occurs when we come and believe

but only after

God has drawn us to Christ (v44)

through the Holy Spirit

which works through the preaching, teaching, and reading of his word

pearcing our hearts and allowing us to see our sin

Then, we are given to Christ as seen in V37 and V39

then we are kept secure in Christ V40

But here in V36 we see that the crowd refused to believe

even though they had seen what Jesus said and did

they saw his provision

yet they demonstrated the same unbelief as those

we have already read about

They saw the signs and even asked for more

but they failed to understand or accept what he said

They made their decision

and that was to come and NOT believe

Here we see the proclamation of the word

straight from Jesus

and the unreceptive nature and response of the crowd

their guilt was front and center

and it would not be forgiven

So brothers and sisters do not fret about your salvation

because if you have come to Christ and Believe

that he is the son of God

that he is in fact God

that He died for your sins

as your substitute

rose again and ascended to the father

if you believe this with all of your heart

then rest assure, that the provision of Jesus Christ

is secure within you

Place your assurance in the fact that Jesus Christ provides

the bread of life

so that you may have eternal life

. Our second reason we can have assurance is in

His Predestination

In V37 we will see just how great this plan of salvation is for us through the words of Jesus

Now, as we just saw and we well know, our salvation is provided by Jesus

He is the bread of life as he just said

So along with that provision for salvation

comes the assurance that provides us the security of knowing our future is sealed with Christ

Because God chose us

He predestined us to be in Christ from Eternity past

John 6:37 starts with “37 Everyone the Father gives me will come to me,

So here, we see the reception by Christ - of the ones given to him

and the ones the Father gives Him are the very ones that came and believed

remember that from earlier

This very verse is one of the key verses in all of scripture on the issue of election and predestination

but what is interesting is that it portrays both election, predestination

and personal responsibility in the same verse

so lets look at the first half first

Jesus says, everyone the father gives me

the ones He gives to Jesus are His elect, his chosen ones

the ones he predestined for salvation

as Ephesians 1:4 “4 For he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless in love before him.”

This assurance we have as believers

is drawn from God’s predestination

now unfortunately this word can sometimes put a bad taste in folks mouths. Some are even hostile to it

But it shouldn’t, predestination is a biblical doctrine

Lets take a minute to look at it biblically

Romans 8:29–30 “29 For those he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, so that he would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. 30 And those he predestined, he also called; and those he called, he also justified; and those he justified, he also glorified.”

Eph 1:5 and 11 declare, He predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will…In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will.”

Matt 24:22, & 31, Mark 13:20, 27 Romans 8:33, 9:11, 11:5-7, 28, Eph 1:11, Col 3:12, 1 Thess 1:4, 1 Tim 5:21, 2 Tim 2:10, Titus 1:1, 1 Peter 1:1-2, 2:9, 2 Peter 1:10 all speak of predestination and election

***There is a list of those references in the back if you would like a copy***

So brothers and sisters

election and predestination are biblical

And it is also personal and relational,

Predestination is not fickle, erratic, or arbitrary

God doesn’t just point his finger around and say I choose you but not you

and he doesn’t pick us based on anything we have or have not done

that isn’t how it works

See God’s predestination is not disconnected from the rest of God’s unchanging character

it is connected to His Foreknowledge but not based on his foreknowledge (Rom 8:29, 11:2

it is based upon His love Eph 1:4-5

it is based upon His plan and pleasure Eph 1:5.

and remember

Gods desire is that all would be saved and come to repentance 1 Tim 2:4.

Now you could say that is unfair

but remember, none of us deserve to be saved

it is by grace and mercy that we are saved

and mercy is defined as undeserved favor

Now, you may also ask

If God predestines us, doesn’t that undermine our free will or as I have been calling it, our personal responsibility

and the answer is no, and I hope that I have been making a case for that thus far

See the bible also says that we also have the choice

See the rest of verse 37 says… and the one who comes to me I will never cast out.”

See ALL who believe in Christ will be saved John 3:16 “16 For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.”

Lets also look at

Romans 10:9–10 “9 If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 One believes with the heart, resulting in righteousness, and one confesses with the mouth, resulting in salvation.”

Romans 10:9–10

now lets bump down to Romans 10:13

Romans 10:13 “13 For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

The Bible never describes God rejecting anyone who believes in Him or turning away anyone who is seeking Him (Deuteronomy 4:29).

The truths of God’s sovereign predestination and also man’s responsibility are not mutually exclusive

God predestines who will be saved,

and we must choose Christ in order to be saved.

Both facts are equally true.

See our destination is eternal life with God

and that eternal life is secure because it comes from the Father

the stress of this passage isn’t that God picks some over others

the stress of this passage is the fact that Christ wants us

as believers, as “His elect” to know

that our salvation is secure

And that should provide us with assurance

see our salvation is secure because

Jesus said he will not cast out any of us that have come to him and believed in Him

Christ wants us as believers to take heart and to

be assured of our salvation

to know that our assurance and security are held firm in His word

and those of us that come to Him as the bread of life

can rest assured that

Jesus will receive us into Gods family

He will feed us, nourish us, satisfy us, and full-fil us

He will not cast us out

and he will keep his Word with every generation until the end of time

Brothers and sisters we have assurance in our salvation because God grants us that salvation

It comes from him

I lose my car keys 10 times a day

so trust me

if I could lose my salvation

or is salvation was up to me

I would be lost a goose

But it isn’t, my salvation is secure because God said so!

and Because Jesus will never cast us out!

PAUSE

Now, so far we have seen that we can be assured of our salvation

through Gods provision of that salvation

and through his predestination of our salvation

and finally, in our last point we will see

we can be secure in our salvation because it is His will to do so

His Will

John 6:38 “38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me.”

Jesus’ solidifies his purpose with this verse

He came to do God’s will

Specifically he came from Heaven to do Gods will

Remember when we covered Jesus’ praying in the Garden

and he said not my will but yours be done

Jesus had a will and a mind that were separate from the Fathers

But, we see that Christ fully submitted to the Father

and every time that Jesus submitted to God’s will

we know he did it perfectly!

Jesus didn’t want to drink the cup of our wrath

His flesh didn’t want to take the punishment for our sins

Yet Christ was so in line with the will of God that He did

and thanks to his perseverance in that,

we are able to be washed clean through his substitution

So what is the will of God that Jesus is speaking about here..

we see it in V39 and 40

the will of the father in this aspect is

#1 That Jesus should lose none of us that have been given to Him

#2 and that those of us that see him and believe in him will have eternal life

Brother and sisters our salvation is so secure that the creator of the universe

the very one that created everything

the sun, the moons, the stars, the wind

the very one that created our hearts, our minds, and our souls

guarantees that once we are united with His son

we will never be lost again

we may stray, we may backslide, and we will not be perfect

but we will be perfectly held by the one that secures us

But lets make another comparison of these 2 verses

see in V39 the emphasis or the stress if you will is placed upon God’s will in choosing those that he gave to Christ

And those that he gave to Christ will never be lost

no fragment

no part

no person

not one given to him will be lost

it was true then while he was on earth

and it still is still true today

Because He will be giving them to Christ up until the very last day

and on that very last day we will raised with them

John 17:11 “11when Jesus prays he says I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by your name that you have given me, so that they may be one as we are one.”

Philippians 1:6 “6 I am sure of this, that he who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”

Now in V40 the the emphasis or stress is reversed upon man choosing Christ

and v40 says that everyone that sees the Son and believes will have eternal life

and the one that sees and believes upon the Son of God

will be assured of eternal life

they will be assured of victory over death

they will be assured of the resurrection

they will be assured that through all circumstances Christ will be there for them,

We know these 2 verses work in tandem because they end in the same fashion

See the one that God chooses

and the one that chooses God

will both be raised up on the last day and have eternal life

See God wills a great thing

He shall save every true believer

he shall help them to endure

even up to the final day

the final hour

The Lords Salvation is complete

Ultimate, Final

No Matter the trials,

the heartaches

the hurts

the attacks of the enemy

and the attacks of the evil one

Christ will save us and deliver us through all

because that is Gods Will!

Conclusion

Brothers and sisters, be encouraged by the fact that Salvation is secure through the God that grants it

and be encouraged by the fact that Jesus Christ, the bread of life provides that salvation

be encouraged that assurance is not found in our own works but in the creator himself

be encouraged that we must simply turn from our sins, see, and believe the Gospel

because we will be held responsible

either we will held responsible for our sins and rejection

or we will be washed clean by the blood of Jesus

So the next time someone asks you how you know that you are saved

you can tell them

You can tell them without a doubt

that you are saved because Christ provided that salvation

upon the cross

and that salvation is secure

because on the day you placed your faith in Christ

As your Lord and Savior

He promised never to let me go

He promised to never cast me out

And his promises last forever

Let us pray!

Time of Invitation

As we enter this time of invitation

Let us reflect on this mornings text

let us all feel the assurance that is provided by Jesus

if you would like to pray with me or one our of our deacons or pray here at the alter

now is the time

if you would like to pray there in your seats that is fine also

if you would like to talk about your salvation or join or church

now is the time to do that as well

Now

As we sing this hymn titled

The Nail Scarred Hand

Let us continue to rest assured that

our salvation is secure in those Nail Scarred Hands of Jesus

Thank you!