The Book of John - 39

Introduction - There are four groups of people to whom the Lord addresses in this dialogue in John 6.

There is the multitude who is searching for the Lord, found in verse 25.

There is a group referred to as ‘the Jews’, found in verses 41 and 52.

There is a group that are called disciples but turn away found in verse 60.

Then there is the group of true disciples who declare their belief in the Lord, found in verses 67-69.

The trouble that we discover in this chapter is that many were disillusioned with who the Lord is, and attempted to press the Lord into their mold of who they thought He should be.

Turn with me for a moment to Mathew chapter 11.

I would like for us to read a small portion of that passage that I believe would help us to understand how the multitudes are attempting to influence the Lord rather than submit to Him.

In Matthew chapter 11, the beginning part of the chapter, the Lord addresses some followers of John who were sent to Jesus to validate who He was.

We would remember that chronologically the feeding of the 5000 takes place after the death of John the Baptist (See Luke 9:7-9)… So this passage precedes what we find in John 6.

Notice with me in verses 2 and 3, the Bible says, Matthew 11:2–3 “Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples, And said unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another?”

John in his current situation (in prison) was having some doubts. Perhaps he did not understand why he was still in prison, or why the Lord had not immediately establish His Kingdom.

Whatever the reason, John sent these messengers to question the Lord.

The Lord Jesus Christ pointed John to the same things that you and I should look at when facing doubt.

He told them to report to John the fulfillment of His Word. (Matthew 11:4-6— See Isaiah 35:5-6, 42:7, 61:1, also Psalm 146:8)

In other words, this is what is happening and this is what the Bible says. A solid affirmation of one’s salvation is founded upon the Word of God.

Then the Lord begins to give a very complimentary address concerning John the Baptist in verses 7-15.

But I want us to read verses 16-19 and 25-30. In 16-19 we see the same attitude that we see in John 6 concerning the multitude (and might I say in our modern day as well—for man has not changed.)

In verses 7-15, we have a comment on those who truly believe the Lord.

Let’s read verses 16-19.

Matthew 11:16–19 “But whereunto shall I liken this generation? It is like unto children sitting in the markets, and calling unto their fellows, And saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned unto you, and ye have not lamented. For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, He hath a devil. The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold a man gluttonous, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners. But wisdom is justified of her children.”

Matthew 11:25–30 “At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes. Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in thy sight. All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him. Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Let’s now turn back again to John 6.

In verse 35 (and repeated in verse 48) we are given the first of many “I AM” statements found in the book of John.

The Lord is declares who HE is.

“Christs employment of these titles as once identifies Him with Jehovah of the Old Testament and unequivocally demonstrates His absolute deity.” (Pink)

In this passage He states,

I AM the Bread of Life. (vs. 35)

The Lord calls Himself the True Bread from heaven. (vs. 32)

He also states, He is the Bread of God. (vs. 33)

He is the Living Bread. (vs. 51)

As John Phillips stated in His commentary, verse 35 “is the key statement in this discourse. All the imagined difficulties in the startling symbolism that followed, and which so startled and horrified the Jews as well as many of the Lord’s followers, are resolved when we see that the Lord is equating believing and receiving with eating and drinking.” (Phillips)

Let us once again read verses 35-40.

Let’s pray.

Amen.

This discourse came a result of the miracle which the Lord performed and the folks who followed Him to Capernaum.

The crowds were looking for more physical bread.

The Lord was telling them of something greater, eternal life which “…the Son of man shall give…” (vs. 27)

The crowds ask what they are to do tο work the works of God, to which the Lord replies, “…believe on him whom he hath sent.” (Vs. 28-29)

In verses 30-31, the multitude requests a sign. They compare Jesus to Moses.

In our last lesson we discovered that: (1) God was the one who gave the bread which the children of Israel received in the wilderness. It was physical bread—of which they called Manna-meaning what is it? It was temporary.

(2) That the True Bread—- the superior bread is Jesus Christ Himself.

In verse 34, the crowd states, “…evermore given us this bread.”

As the Lord closes out this section on the Satisfying Truth, He states, “37 All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.”

Some would focus on one half of the verse without the other, “All that the Father giveth me shall come to me;…”

While others focus on the last half of verse 37 only, “… and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.”

Those who profess to follow the theological system referred to as Calvinism or Hyper-Calvinism as it is labeled would point to this verse as irrefutable proof that God has set in motion “irresistible grace” for those who were chosen by God.

In other words, their ability to choose is really is no choice at all, but God forces some to be saved and alienates others to damnation.

I want you to understand this morning that Salvation is a gift of God. There is no doubt about that.

I also want you to understand that man without the influence of God would not seek the Lord. (vs. 44)

It is not us that seeks Him, but rather He sought us.

But I also want you to understand that man must repent, believe and receive the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior.

The problem lies in our perspective versus God’s perspective.

We attempt to view God as bound in time, but the our Lord God is not bound by time.

Now surely the Word did become flesh and dwelt among us, but He is still God.

Let me read quickly this quote from John Phillips skillfully explaining this truth. He states, “Whatever is to be said about the sovereignty of God in human salvation, God never sets up arbitrary, impossible, and wholly unobtainable terms for our coming to Christ. Nor does He violate our moral accountability by ravishing anyone’s human will in certain cases (by so-called irresistible grace). The solution to the problem suggested by some, built around such texts as John 6:37, lies in the omniscience of God and in the timeless mode of His being.

God knows all who accept Christ and He knows them because He knows everything. Moreover, God dwells in the eternal present tense (hence he describes Himself as the I AM). So, from God’s standpoint of events, His choosing and our choosing are simultaneous acts. They both occur at the same moment in God’s eternal present.” (Phillips)

In other words, both statements are true, we choose God, and God chooses us. Therefore what “John is saying here is that God who knows “all who will come to Christ” gives them all to Christ. (Phillips)

One of the major thrusts of the book of John is the supremacy and deity of Christ.

That God the Father gave the Son all who believe is spoken about several times.

I think for you and I as we look at the verse and the last three in this first section that follow there are several items to make note of:

vs. 37 Christ wants believers to take heart and to be assured of their salvation. (POSB)

Christ will not reject any that come to Him. All those who believe and receive Him, He will in no wise cast out.

For Peter the apostle, this was a comfort when the Lord spoke to Him after His denial.

For Paul the apostle, who was a persecutor of Christ and a murder of Christians, this was a comfort to Him when He encountered the Lord Jesus Christ on the road to Damascus.

For you and I, who were sometimes enemies of God, dead in trespasses and sins, these words are of great comfort and hope.

Jesus, the Christ, is able to save them to uttermost all that receive Him as Savior.

vs. 37 We must let God be God.

God is the One who saves. God is the One who open our eyes to the truth of the Gospel. We cannot counterfeit the work of the Holy Spirit.

This is repeated again in John 6:44 “No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.”

Our responsibility as Christians is the preach the Gospel.

Man’s responsibility is to respond to the truth of the Gospel; repent and believe in Christ.

vs. 38 Christ assures these present that He is unwavering concerning His commitment to accomplish God the Father’s will.

There was no schism in the Godhead.

Remember the Lord’s words in John 5:19 “19 Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.”

Hebrews 13:8 “8 Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.”

vs. 39-40 No one who comes to Christ will ever be lost.

You will notice the phrases, (vs.39) “…all which he hath given me I should lose nothing…”

And again in verse 40, “…every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.”

In the ‘last day’—we would say in God’s end time program — the Lord promises He will raise Him up.

No one who trust in Christ misplaces their trust, for Christ has and will keep everyone.

One expositor stated, “The Lord’s salvation is complete, ultimate, and final. No matter the trials, the heartaches, the hurts, the attacks of the enemy and the evil persecutors, Christ will save His dear follower through all; and He will raise him up at the last day.”

So far we have seen:

The Savior’s Advice vs. 26-29

The Sign Requested vs.30-31

The Satisfying Truth vs. 32-40

Now we come to the latter part of this chapter. We first see:

Their Sour Thoughts vs 41-42

John 6:41–42 “41 The Jews then murmured at him, because he said, I am the bread which came down from heaven. 42 And they said, Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? how is it then that he saith, I came down from heaven?”

I think about this, how sour are the thoughts of those who disbelieve. Those without Christ are most miserable indeed.

Their sour thoughts are thoughts of disbelief.

Disbelief toward God always leads to sour thoughts.

The Lord had peeled back the veil of mystery.

He reveled to them truth.

He gave to them the mystery of the Gospel. He tells them I AM the Bread of Life.

Verse 36 tells us that they believed not.

And this in manifest in what we see here, that they murmured at him.

It is evident at this point that their problem was with who He purported to be.

The Lord had said, He had come “…down from heaven.” (vs. 33)

Yet they reasoned, we know this Jesus. Is this not the son of Joseph? Is not this the son of Mary? How then can He say He had come down from heaven?

Matthew Henry stated, “One would think that, like Israel in Egypt, when they heard that God had thus visited them, they should have bowed their heads and worshipped; but on the contrary, instead of closing with the offer made them, they murmured, quarrelled with what Christ said, and, though they did not openly oppose and contradict it, yet they privately whispered among themselves in contempt of it, and instilled into one another's minds prejudices against it.”

And so the sour speech was speech that lacked faith in the Word of God… and how it ever is the same.

Man—questions the Word of God. Man— reasons — this is what I believe—this is what I can mete out.

They supposed the lie of others that Jesus was no more than a mere man. Had He openly accepted there offer to be king, they would have rejoiced.

So we see their sour speech, but the Lord’s reply shows the singleness of the Savior.

The Singleness of the Savior vs 43-51

The Lord begins this section, verses 43-51 by saying murmur not among yourselves.

At this point you can imagine the hushed talking from one to another—-

“The religionists rebelled against the claims of Jesus. They murmured (gogguzete) against Him. The word refers to the murmuring, the buzzing, the discontent that arises from a crowd that is upset and confused; that is, misunderstanding, rejecting, and opposing a speaker. They radically disagreed with Jesus’ claim that He had come “down from heaven.”

Leadership Ministries Worldwide, The Gospel according to John, The Preacher’s Outline & Sermon Bible (Chattanooga, TN: Leadership Ministries Worldwide, 2004), 144.

How can man believe truth except the Lord reveal it to Him?

The Bible says in John 6:44 “44 No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.”

Romans 3:10–18 “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips: Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: Their feet are swift to shed blood: Destruction and misery are in their ways: And the way of peace have they not known: There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

Romans 3:10-18 appears to be in part quoted from Psalm 14:1–3 “The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, There is none that doeth good. The Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men, To see if there were any that did understand, and seek God. They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: There is none that doeth good, no, not one.”

The drawing of God is required for any man to come to Christ. (vs. 44) We ought to be grateful for the ministry of the Holy Spirit.

“A man is a dead spirit; therefore, he can do nothing spiritually just as a dead body can do nothing physically. The natural man prefers self and sin; therefore, if a man with a dead spirit is to come to Christ, he has to be acted upon and drawn by God. Both God and man have a part in salvation.”

Leadership Ministries Worldwide, The Gospel according to John, The Preacher’s Outline & Sermon Bible (Chattanooga, TN: Leadership Ministries Worldwide, 2004), 144.

“Coming to Christ from the human side requires an action of human will and from the divine side an action of God’s will.” (Phillips)

Not only that but we see that a man must be drawn by God, but the Lord lays emphasis on a future bodily resurrection.

Notice the Lord states, “…and I will raise him up at the last day…” “Jesus lays great emphasis on His resurrection as completing His work for those who come to Him…He cannot rest until the whole of our complex nature shares in the emancipation and fullness of His salvation. A transfigured manhood and a glorified body must be the crown of His service to His own. By His mighty power, He will raise them up in the likeness of His glory, that they may share His royal and exalted state. Nothing less will satisfy Him, or undo the ruin that sin has introduced.” (FB Meyer)

This was not something new, but was prophesied. Jesus tells us this.

Notice what the Word of God says in verse 45.

John 6:45 “45 It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me.”

Isaiah 54:13 says, “13 And all thy children shall be taught of the Lord; And great shall be the peace of thy children.”

God has never changed His plan.

Here the Lord was teaching— did they hear and learn? Some did, some did not hear and learn.

He then states in verse 46, “46 Not that any man hath seen the Father, save he which is of God, he hath seen the Father.”

I want you to notice that the Lord presents His credentials to speak about God’s plan because He is of “of God” - His being of God means He is of the Godhead— no man hath seen the Father save He who is of God. Therefore who could declare reveal the Father to the world? The Son.

Hebrews 1:1-3 makes clear this God hath spoken unto us in these last days by Jesus.

Hebrews 1:1–3 “1 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, 2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; 3 Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;”

In John 1:18 we find the same.

John 1:18 “18 No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.”

After presenting His credentials He then states, “47 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.”

Some may get the idea that God’s plan is shifting based on the movement of humanity or based on the attacks of the enemy, but this is not the case.

The Word of God is preached and is taught. The Gospel is proclaimed.

The Holy Spirit of God reproves the world of righteousness of sin and of judgment.

The lost are drawn by God, the sinner has a choice, having been revealed truth, having conviction in His heart.

The Lord’s assurance is that He will not cast them out.

And before we look at the final words in this section, I am reminded of one encouragement here—- the Lord’s singleness of heart ought to encourage every Christian to just keep on presenting the Gospel. Here we see a crowd of folks, who over the course of this dialogue are presented the same truth over and over again.

The Lord did not weary of delivering these words of life, but bore long with these folks.

Some will believe and receive salvation and some would not.

Let’s read the last of these words in verses 48-51.

John 6:48–51 “48 I am that bread of life. 49 Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead. 50 This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die. 51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”