The Bread of Heaven: Consuming Christ
Journey Through the Gospel of John • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Introduction
Introduction
As we continue our study of John 6, we see that the Jews are outraged with Christ. The second half of this chapter records His conversation with the Jews in a synagogue in Capernaum. Throughout this dialogue, Christ presents Himself as the true bread from heaven. This discussion arose after the Jews sought Him out following the miraculous feeding of five thousand people with five loaves of bread and two small fish. That meal was incredibly satisfying, leading the crowd to desire more. However, they pursued Christ not because they believed He was the promised Messiah but rather for their physical gratification.
Recognizing their true motivation, Christ taught them about Himself and offered them something far more fulfilling than physical bread: eternal life and spiritual nourishment. The only requirement for this gift was their belief in Him. Unfortunately, they were blinded by this world's temporary satisfaction and men's traditions. They insisted that only their forefathers had tasted the true manna from heaven. In response, Christ asserted that He was the true bread from heaven, contrasting Himself with the manna their ancestors had received.
We ended last week with this last statement from Christ.
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.
Note now the reaction of the Jews.
52 The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat?
As you can imagine, Christ stating that a person must eat His flesh would cause quite a stir. It did with these Jews. They were quite beside themselves to the point of arguing among themselves. Perhaps some of them considered Christ quite mad at this point. Who in their right mind would offer cannibalism as a path to eternal life? Perhaps others debated whether His words had a much different meaning than literally eating His flesh. Whatever controversy erupted over His words, it must be noted that they were arguing and debating “among themselves.” This is an indication that they were not openly confronting Christ. However, Christ, being God, knew what was in their hearts and what was coming out of their mouths, even if it were in secret conversations. What is truly amazing is how Christ answered them. He did not explain Himself or even offer any illustration. Instead, He doubles down on it by saying...
53 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.
54 Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.
55 For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.
56 He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.
57 As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me.
58 This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever.
Like those who heard these words that day, we are left to grapple with what Christ was truly saying. I must admit that even when I read these verses, it may seem as if Christ was advocating cannibalism. But is that His message? Or is Christ simply using an analogy to capture our attention?
In last week’s message, I spoke about internalizing Christ.
He clearly states that we must incorporate Him into our lives by believing in Him. Believing in Him means recognizing He is the sole source of eternal life and spiritual nourishment.
This point is emphasized repeatedly throughout the discourse in John 6. In our text today, Christ not only reiterates that we must internalize Him, but He also provides us with a deeper understanding of what that looks like.
Additionally, in last week’s message, I discussed the act of eating. I pointed out that eating has several essential characteristics that can be applied to incorporating Christ into our lives. Eating is necessary if we want to enjoy the food set before us. It is often a response to the felt need of hunger. Eating is also an act of appropriation as we internalize what we consume. Furthermore, eating is a personal act. With these thoughts in mind, we can continue exploring the idea of appropriating Christ, the true bread of Heaven.
Here is what I believe God wants us to understand about incorporating His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, as Heaven's true bread. First, we...
Internalize Him by Believing in Him
Internalize Him by Believing in Him
53 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.
First, we must note that this verse amplifies what Christ stated in verse 51.
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.
Christ came to earth with a singular purpose: to offer Himself as the only sacrifice to God that could atone for our sins. No other sacrifice was sufficient. God required a holy and perfect sacrificial Lamb without blemish. No one, except for the Son of Man, Jesus Christ, could meet this requirement. Therefore, Christ was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, and laid down His life sacrificially for all humanity, both Jew and Gentile.
However, His death can only be accepted and internalized through a heart of faith. In other words, you must believe in and accept Him as the sacrificial Lamb who has atoned for your sins. You must "eat the flesh" and "drink the blood" of Christ. If you do not, there is "no life." As I prepared for this message today, I thought of a particular verse.
14 For it is the life of all flesh; the blood of it is for the life thereof: therefore I said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall eat the blood of no manner of flesh: for the life of all flesh is the blood thereof: whosoever eateth it shall be cut off.
This verse may explain why the Jews were shocked by Christ's statement. God prohibited them from consuming meat that was bloody or from drinking blood itself. God reasoned that blood represents life, a concept supported by medical science. Without blood, we would all be dead; as long as blood flows through our veins, we are alive. Therefore, God established that blood signifies life when He created us.
Christ is telling them, and us today, that whoever drinks His blood will have life. Conversely, those who refuse to eat His flesh and drink His blood do not possess life.
True eternal and spiritual life can only be found in Jesus Christ.
Additionally, there is another interesting point that Christ makes in this verse. Again, He states...
53 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.
Reflect for a moment on the story of the Garden of Eden. We know the account of Adam and Eve. God placed them in a beautiful garden filled with trees and fruit for nourishment. Within that garden were two trees of great significance: the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God encouraged Adam and Eve to eat from the tree of life, as doing so would sustain them indefinitely. However, He forbade them from eating the fruit of the other tree.
As the story goes, Satan tempted Eve, convincing her that God was withholding the truth. He suggested that eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil would make her as wise as God. Eve looked at the fruit and noticed that it seemed reasonable to eat. Do you remember what happened next? She, alongside Adam, ate the fruit. This act of consuming the forbidden fruit is what brought spiritual death to all humanity.
12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:
Now, Christ offers spiritual life. Again, this gift of eternal life only comes by the act of eating. We must eat of His flesh and drink of His blood.
One last observation and then some practical application.
Note verse 54 of our text.
54 Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.
Now go back and read with me verse 47.
47 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.
There are some significant parallels to consider. In this verse, Christ states that whoever “believes in Me” is guaranteed “everlasting life.” Similarly, in our text today, verse 54, Christ emphasizes that whoever “eats” and “drinks” is also guaranteed “eternal life.” This is significant because believing in Christ for who He is and what He has done is equated with eating His flesh and drinking His blood. In other words, we internalize or appropriate Christ when we truly believe, with all our heart, soul, and mind, that Christ, the Son of God and man, is the only way to receive eternal life.Here is the practical application.
11 And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
12 He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.
Consider the sequence of these verses: Eternal life is a gift from God. This life is found in His Son. Therefore, whoever has the Son has life; conversely, whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. Eternal life is inseparable from Jesus Christ. To possess life, you must have Christ. Internalizing Christ is essential.
But how does one internalize Christ?
13 These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.
10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Internalizing Christ is completed by believing Him.
9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
No matter how you look at it, Scripture clearly states that the only way to be saved from an eternity without God and to receive everlasting life is to have faith. I cannot emphasize this enough: you must believe.
Additionally, Christ addresses one more important point in our text for believers. Once we have faith, we must continue to nurture our relationship with Christ. Here is my next point.
We must...
Continue Internalizing Him through Obedience
Continue Internalizing Him through Obedience
53 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.
54 Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.
In verse 53, we see the phrase, “Except ye eat,” in verse 54, Christ says, “Whoso eateth.” There are subtle differences in meaning between these two phrases in the original Greek. “Except ye eat” is in the aorist tense, which signifies a one-time action. It indicates that life cannot exist without this initial act of eating; once you eat, you receive life. Conversely, “whoso eateth” is in a perfect tense, suggesting a continuous action. This means that while you must eat to gain life, once you have eaten, you possess life. According to verse 54, anyone who continues eating will have eternal life and be raised on the last day. Does this imply that we must keep eating to maintain our eternal life? The answer is no. It means that those who partake in this act continue to eat, possessing eternal life and assurance of resurrection on the last day.
So, what is my main point? Spiritual and eternal life begins with the act of eating. Once you believe, you have eternal life, and no one can take that away from you.
Your spiritual life is secure through Jesus Christ. However, how you consistently feed on Christ will determine your growth and flourishing in this new spiritual life.
Think of it this way: as a believer, my spiritual life is sustained by my faith in Christ. I must continue to feed on Christ to grow and thrive in this new life. If I stop eating, I risk becoming weak and faint. This is the essence of what I believe Christ is conveying.
55 For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.
56 He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.
57 As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me.
58 This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever.
As we continue to eat His flesh and drink His blood, we are assured that He dwells in us, and we dwell in Him. Furthermore, by continually feeding on Him, we can thrive spiritually. He is the true bread of heaven, providing eternal life and sustaining and promoting our ongoing spiritual growth.
Spiritual stagnation is a great tragedy for believers.
Having eternal life and doing nothing with it is not just unfortunate; it's truly sad. Christ grants us spiritual life so that we can be active in our faith and grow stronger in Him. He expects us not only to believe but also to grow.
So, how can we thrive in our new spiritual life? We must feed on Him. But how exactly do we feed on Christ?
4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
If you couple that verse with what the Holy Spirit tells us in 1 John 3:23-24
23 And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.
24 And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us.
We can conclude that the spiritual life given to us through our belief in Him is enhanced by our obedience to Him.
Conclusion: A Flourishing Life in Christ
Conclusion: A Flourishing Life in Christ
Throughout this message, we've explored the concept of internalizing Christ, the true bread from heaven. We've seen that this internalization begins with believing in Him for who He is and what He has done. This initial act of faith grants us eternal life, a life secure in Jesus Christ.
However, our spiritual journey doesn't end there. Just as our physical bodies require ongoing nourishment to thrive, so too do our spiritual lives. We must continue to "eat" of Christ to flourish in this new existence. This continual feeding involves:
Obedience to His Word: As Matthew 4:4 reminds us, we don't live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from God's mouth. Studying Scripture, allowing it to shape our thoughts and actions, is a vital part of nurturing our relationship with Christ.
Fellowship with Him: Prayer is a two-way conversation. Talking to God, expressing gratitude, and seeking His guidance strengthens our connection with Him.
Living a life that reflects His teachings: As 1 John 3:23-24 highlights, keeping His commandments demonstrates our love for Him and fosters a deeper dwelling within each other.
Active participation in the Christian community: Surrounding ourselves with fellow believers, supporting and encouraging one another on our faith journeys, contributes to our spiritual growth.
By actively engaging in these practices, we move beyond simply having eternal life to a life flourishing in Christ. We become active participants in our faith, experiencing joy, purpose, and a deeper connection with God.
Remember, the most tragic aspect of having eternal life is living a stagnant spiritual life. Let us commit to continuously feeding on Christ, growing in Him, and becoming the vibrant, active believers He desires us to be.
