The heart of the Gospel
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Review
Last week my limited amount of ability and human knowledge attempted to explain to you the exceptionally complicated and mysterious challenge of sovereign election. We continue this week in part 2 of this theme. The reason why is because the text requires it. We have look at a series of questions and answers by our Lord. In today’s text, we read the crowd grumbled at the thought of Jesus coming down from heaven. Jesus will again respond to them, but not directly to their inquisition about his humble family origin. The crowd can’t move past his humanity. It’s like they didn’t even hear his statement about salvation! And so we are faced again with a reason for this, because if anyone, any people would know the christ, it would be students of Jewish religion, who directly witnessed miraculous, God ordained events, and were directly told that they were looking at the Messiah from Heaven (sarcasm added)!
curious thought: the virgin birth apparently did not make the news in this area around capernaum, as they all assume that Joseph is the birth father of Jesus
We focused on v. 37 last week, and the implication of the verb ekballo and how we discern from the context that it is used in other places in the bible. To “cast out” means there must already be something already in. And this is the protecting nurturing capacity of Jesus Christ. Christ will not lose one of whom the Father has given him.
Also, I’d like to remind you of Christ’s perfect confidence in his Father. The same God of the universe you and I say we put our trust in. This is a theme I would have liked to remind of us last week, but instead we will look at today. Confidence in our God.
Today I’d like to begin with a focus and on v. 44. Jesus uses an inverse of v. 37. Before it was that he would not cast out. In v. 44, one is drawn, and no one can come unless the Father initiates that event. Jesus backs his statement by quoting Isiah 54:13
All your children shall be taught by the Lord, and great shall be the peace of your children.
All your children shall be taught by the Lord, and great shall be the peace of your children.
The word draw, Helkyo, is the same word used in Acts to describe when Paul was taken by the guards and thrown into prison. It is an active verb, in the present tense, used to show a “snapshot” of time. It has been argued many times in many ways that this is not the meaning to compel, but rather a “wooing”, a here kitty kitty analogy. I think many arguments put that precept to bed. (draw water out of a well analogy)
Other places in scripture:
the Lord appeared to him from far away. I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you.
I led them with cords of kindness, with the bands of love, and I became to them as one who eases the yoke on their jaws, and I bent down to them and fed them.
But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him.
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live,
And why does Jesus continually repeat this concept? The listeners continually MISS his point. First they want bread forever, literal bread, to feed their bellies. Second, they cant get over that they know his parents, his plain and ordinary parents. Third, they cant get over the the statement about eating his flesh, and continually miss his discourse about salvation, his Messiahship, and his deity. (reference , John’s purpose is to testify that Jesus is the Christ)
The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.
Whats the main point to understand: (or to ponder if you find yourself in disagreement with the doctrine of election)
This is for our education, that our view of scripture, when we look at the bible’s narrative throughout redemptive history, from creation, fall, consummation in the Death of Christ and restoration, need to be made complete in this view of man and salvation. Last week I mention Pelagious and Augustine, during the reformation there was Luther and Erasamus, Luther wrote the book “The Bondage of the Will” in order to answer the theological impropriety of erasamus’ argument. And in later times Jacobus Arminius and John Calvin, from which we receive the Doctrines of Grace.
All this to say, there is debate, and I can but merely parrot what I know and in simpler terms at that. I believe that the camp of those who subscribe to the free will of man and his response to God in salvation are misinformed. To believe man can respond to God in his fallen state is to trust in one’s own righteousenss! Now, do I want to trust in myself, or do I want to trust in God?
The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.
Luther did not deny that man had a will or made choices. He denied that sinful man does anything “freely”. The essential question for Luther was “whether sinners are wholly helpless in their sin; whether God is to be thought of as saving them by free, unconditional, invincible grace, or whether in the last analysis Christianity is a religion of utter reliance on God for salvation and all things necessary to it, or of self-reliance and self effort”
A.W. Pink Comments on this portion of scripture with this explanation for our ears: The drawing of God...
John, Volumes 1 & 2 Drawn by the Father
is the power of the Holy Spirit overcoming the self-righteousness of the sinner, and convicting him of his lost condition. It is the Holy Spirit awakening within him a sense of need. It is the power of the Holy Spirit overcoming the pride of the natural man, so that he is ready to come to Christ as an empty-handed beggar. It is the Holy Spirit creating within him an hunger for the bread of life.
Jesus calls the crowd and none respond. Jesus calls Matthew, Phillip, Nathaniel, Andrew, Peter, the rest of the future apostles, and Paul. Your and my call to recognition of the Gospel of God is intimate and personal, because a God who knew you before time revealed to you your sinful state and how wretched man is before a holy god, and revealed to us the path of righteousness through Jesus Christ.
This, again from Martin Luther speaking personally:
John, Volumes 1 & 2 Drawn by the Father
Luther spoke boldly and profoundly when he wrote:
I frankly confess that, for myself, even if it could be, I should not want “free-will” to be given me, nor anything to be left in my own hands to enable me to endeavour after salvation; not merely because in face of so many dangers, and adversities, and assaults of devils, I could not stand my ground and hold fast my “free-will” (for one devil is stronger than all men).… But now that God has taken my salvation out of the control of my own will, and put it under the control of His, and promised to save me, not according to my working or running, but according to His own grace and mercy, I have the comfortable certainty that He is faithful and will not lie to me, and that He is also great and powerful, so that no devils or opposition can break Him or pluck me from Him.
Look at His priestly prayer in . Again, many allusions to those whom the Father gave him, those whom He kept safe and protected, those whom he delivered the word of God to.
since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God;
So, since salvation depends on God, we must use methods that are commanded by him and that alone have power to bring spiritual life, especially the preaching and witness of the gospel.
since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God;
My conversation with the mormon missionaries. Darkness of heart, unwilling to trust the bible, my assertion to them about dropping everything but scripture.
So we apply this doctrine by #1 the preaching of God’s word. And how freeing is is for me. I cannot allow my own pride to overtake me because of any success or failure, because it is God’s power that makes dry bones live.
And #2 evangelistic prayer. If God is the one who will make an effectual call on my children, parents, spouse, friend, family member or co-worker, then I must be diligent in asking God to bring new life to those who hear his word…Amen?
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#3: Do not despair, don’t say, ‘this person cannot be saved’ Instead, keep preaching God’s word, keep pointing to Christ, and live in a way that commends our witness and let us keep praying and never give up on anyone, because if someone is even pondering and considering your words, then folks, I believe God is working in them that all they need to do is believe in the Christ and eternal life is granted.
And finally, look at the analogies of the sheep and the shepherd. Sheep characteristics are used to describe us, humans! We invented cars and iphones for crien out loud! But he compares us to helpless sheep, who without the help, care and protection of the shepherd couldn’t even find something to eat and would starve to death!
And finally, look at the analogies of the sheep and the shepherd. Sheep characteristics are used to describe us, humans! We invented cars and iphones for crien out loud! But he compares us to helpless sheep, who without the help, care and protection of the shepherd couldn’t even find something to eat and would starve to death!
And finally, look at the analogies of the sheep and the shepherd. Sheep characteristics are used to describe us, humans! We invented cars and iphones for crien out loud! But he compares us to helpless sheep, who without the help, care and protection of the shepherd couldn’t even find something to eat and would starve to death!
And finally, look at the analogies of the sheep and the shepherd. Sheep characteristics are used to describe us, humans! We invented cars and iphones for crien out loud! But he compares us to helpless sheep, who without the help, care and protection of the shepherd couldn’t even find something to eat and would starve to death!
And finally, look at the analogies of the sheep and the shepherd. Sheep characteristics are used to describe us, humans! We invented cars and iphones for crien out loud! But he compares us to helpless sheep, who without the help, care and protection of the shepherd couldn’t even find something to eat and would starve to death!
But we must move on!!
Jesus makes some important points.
He reminds his listeners that the Israelites of the exodus complained about their manna and revolted and died. These present listeners are making the same mistake. An entire generation witnessed the miracles of the Exodus and subsequently died because of their sin.
This point is all the more poignant since the timing of this discourse is during the Passover.
The contrast Jesus makes between bread and manna. One is for the body, one is for the soul.
v.51: this bread that would be given for the life of the world is Jesus’ own flesh. Now, there are several things this is not an allusion to. Due to time, I will tell you what it is an allusion to. The people are agitated at his statement of eating flesh. The people lack spiritual understanding. Jesus is making clear his own substitutionary offering of himself on the cross. His flesh is the bread that gives life to the world. This is not a reference to the Lord’s supper. But they both point to the same thing: (taking the Lord’s supper does not make one saved) Rather both Jesus’ teaching here and the Lord’s supper teach that we are saved only through faith in his death for our sins.
The word used here “hyper” for “for” means “on behalf of” or “in place of” and is was in this way that Jesus gave his flesh and blood on the cross. And it is in future reference: “i will give”.
Faith in Christ is necessary. You get no benefit from bread unless you eat it.
Faith is perosnal: No one can eat it for you. I don’t eat for my children or my wife. they must eat on their own
Faith in Christ is foremost in the cross. You cannot just admire or appreciate the teaching of Christ. To believe in Jesus is to trust that he died the death that your sins deserved.
V. 56. Abides in me.
When you partake of the bread of Jesus, that is you come to faith in his cross, you will live in him and he in you.
2 pet 1:4
by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.
this doesn’t mean we will all become little gods, as my mormon visitors asserted from this verse. Rather, as Jesus told nicodemus, we will be born of the spirit, and the Spirit conveys to us within us righteousness, peace and joy, (rom 14:7)
Lastly, the words anyone and unless.
You know the implications of the word anyone, we have covered this. Salvation is no longer only for the Jews, but no also the Gentiles. And not just the worthy according to society, but all, whoever.
Contrary, unless you come to the cross, you will die, in hell, eternally. There is no life outside Christ and his crucifixion. This is the Grace of God. This is the mystery of the spirit, the spirit gives life, the flesh is no help at all. The flesh craves the things of this world. The life of this world is not true life. The spirit gives food that will not perish and will endure to eternity.