Sermon

The Bread Of Life

Sewee Bay Baptist Church Sermons

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  1. If you would, please open up your Bibles this morning to John chapter 6.

    John 6 chapter mention

  2. John chapter 6. We've been walking through John's Gospel together and every week I encourage you to have your Bibles open.

    John 6 chapter mention

  3. I don't want you just to hear the words from me in my mouth. I want you to see it with your eyes on the pages of Scripture and see what he says.

  4. So if you would, turn there now, John chapter 6. If you're using the pew Bibles there in front of you, I'm thinking this is around page 835, 836, but it'll be there for you to read.

    John 6 chapter mention

  5. So we're going to read John chapter 6 verses 35 through 51 this morning. Follow along with me as I read.

    John 6:35–51

  6. Jesus said to them,

  7. I am the bread of life.

  8. Whoever comes to me shall not hunger,

  9. and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.

  10. But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe.

  11. All that the Father gives me will come to me,

  12. and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.

  13. For I have come down from heaven not to do my own will,

  14. but the will of him who sent me.

  15. And this is the will of him who sent me,

  16. that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me,

  17. but raise it up on the last day.

  18. For this is the will of my Father,

  19. that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him

  20. should have eternal life,

  21. and I will raise him up on the last day.

  22. So the Jews grumbled about him because he said,

  23. I am the bread that came down from heaven.

  24. They said,

  25. Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph,

  26. whose father and mother we know?

  27. How does he now say I've come down from heaven?

  28. And Jesus answered them,

  29. Do not grumble among yourselves.

  30. No one can come to me

  31. unless the Father who sent me draws him,

  32. and I will raise him up on the last day.

  33. It is written in the prophets,

  34. and they will all be taught by God.

  35. Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me.

  36. Not that anyone has seen the Father,

  37. except he who is from God.

  38. He has seen the Father.

  39. Truly, truly, I say to you,

  40. whoever believes has eternal life.

  41. I am the bread of life.

  42. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness,

  43. and they died.

  44. This is the bread that comes down from heaven,

  45. so that one may eat of it and not die.

  46. I am the living bread that came down from heaven.

  47. If anyone eats of this bread,

  48. he will live forever.

  49. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world

  50. is my flesh.

  51. Church, the grass withers and the flower fades,

  52. but the word of our Lord endures forever.

  53. If you would, let's bow once more and pray.

  54. Father, we ask again,

  55. as we open up your word,

  56. that my voice would go out,

  57. and that my voice would become small,

  58. and your voice would become great,

  59. that I would decrease,

  60. that you would increase,

  61. that what is true and helpful

  62. would land on fertile soil,

  63. and what is unhelpful would bypass their ears.

  64. God, we pray that your truth would build up this church.

  65. In Christ's name, amen.

  66. How do we understand the miracle of salvation?

  67. One of my favorite things to do as a pastor here at Seaweed Bay

  68. is to hear your stories of how you came to faith in Christ.

  69. And for the most part,

  70. at the basic level at least,

  71. the stories are all the same.

  72. You at one point heard the gospel,

  73. maybe one time,

  74. maybe two times,

  75. maybe ten times,

  76. maybe a hundred times,

  77. but at a certain point,

  78. you heard that gospel truth,

  79. and by the grace of God,

  80. you believed it.

  81. But in the specifics of how exactly that came to be,

  82. those stories are all diverse,

  83. and unique,

  84. they're different,

  85. and they're fascinating to me.

  86. I love to hear the stories of your salvation.

  87. I want to share with you

  88. the story of somebody named John Wesley this morning.

  89. I read his conversion story again this week.

  90. John Wesley is not a member of our church.

  91. He is best known for being the founder of Methodism,

  92. but I want you just to listen closely to his testimony

  93. of how he came to Christ.

  94. John Wesley was at the age of 20.

  95. He was, from all outside appearances,

  96. very religious.

  97. He was devout.

  98. If you and I looked at him,

  99. observed his life,

  100. you and I would say,

  101. without a doubt,

  102. this man knows the Lord.

  103. He is a believer.

  104. His journals,

  105. they say that he set apart an hour or two

  106. every day for religious retirement.

  107. This is how they spoke back then.

  108. For religious retirement,

  109. he communicated every week.

  110. He watched against all sin,

  111. whether in word or deed.

  112. He aimed and prayed for inward holiness.

  113. He was, by all accounts,

  114. a devout religious man.

  115. But despite all of this,

  116. by his own admission,

  117. he was not yet converted.

  118. Twelve years later,

  119. when he was 32 years old,

  120. he set out as a missionary

  121. to the Indians of Georgia.

  122. And when he was asked,

  123. why?

  124. Why are you going?

  125. Why are you doing this?

  126. His answer revealed a lot.

  127. He said that he had hopes

  128. of saving his own soul.

  129. He hoped that by bringing the gospel to others,

  130. that he might obtain the holiness

  131. that he so desperately desired.

  132. And then he,

  133. by bringing the gospel to others,

  134. would be made right with God.

  135. Well, the story goes that

  136. there in Georgia,

  137. he met a Moravian pastor,

  138. a guy named Augustus,

  139. who began to talk with John,

  140. and he asked him some very pointed questions.

  141. Does the Spirit of God

  142. bear witness with your spirit

  143. that you are a child of God?

  144. He asked.

  145. John had no answer.

  146. Do you know Jesus Christ?

  147. He asked.

  148. To which John said,

  149. I know that he is the Savior of the world.

  150. But do you know that he has saved you?

  151. I hope he has died to save me,

  152. John said.

  153. He continued to minister there in Georgia,

  154. preaching the gospel

  155. as an unconverted minister of Christ.

  156. And almost three years later,

  157. he wrote this in his journal.

  158. He said,

  159. That is a good question,

  160. isn't it?

  161. How could anyone,

  162. a man so religious,

  163. so devout,

  164. so eager to please the Lord,

  165. yet by his own admission,

  166. not be converted?

  167. And not see the truth clearly?

  168. Well, as we read in John chapter 6 this morning,

    John 6 chapter mention

  169. what we see here is a similar situation.

  170. Jesus is in the middle of a conversation

  171. with a group of Jews.

  172. And there in verse 35,

  173. Jesus makes this incredible statement.

  174. It's an incredible promise.

  175. He says,

  176. I am the bread of life.

  177. And whoever comes to me

  178. shall not hunger,

  179. and whoever believes in me

  180. shall never thirst.

  181. So this is a promise of

  182. eternal satisfaction

  183. for your soul,

  184. for any who would come to Christ

  185. simply by believing in him.

  186. And he extends that invitation

  187. broadly and widely

  188. to any who would come to him in faith.

  189. Any who come to me

  190. will lack nothing

  191. and will be satisfied in God forever.

  192. But then we get to verse 36

  193. and there's a problem.

  194. Do you see it?

  195. He says to the Jews,

  196. But I said to you,

  197. you have seen me

  198. and yet do not believe.

  199. How can that be?

  200. Well, this is a shocking issue

  201. when you see it.

  202. Apparently,

  203. you can be face to face

  204. with the living God.

  205. You can hear his words

  206. week in,

  207. week out.

  208. You can see his works

  209. unfold in real time.

  210. You can be zealous

  211. to obey the Lord

  212. and yet you can still miss it.

  213. You can still not truly believe.

  214. You can mistake familiarity

  215. with Christ,

  216. with faith in Christ.

  217. So the answer that I,

  218. the question that I want

  219. to let Jesus answer

  220. for us this morning

  221. is how does anyone

  222. truly come to believe

  223. in Christ?

  224. How does anybody

  225. truly actually come to him

  226. and receive what he's offering

  227. to us here in the gospel?

  228. How is anyone saved?

  229. And what I hope

  230. you'll come away convinced of

  231. and assured by

  232. and strengthened of

  233. this morning

  234. is the good news

  235. that God must do it.

  236. God must do it.

  237. We're going to see

  238. three answers

  239. to that question

  240. this morning.

  241. How is anyone saved?

  242. If you're a note taker,

  243. this will help you

  244. to follow along.

  245. Three answers

  246. to the question,

  247. how is anyone saved?

  248. First,

  249. answer number one,

  250. we see that salvation

  251. is arranged in eternity.

  252. Look there to verse 37,

  253. John 6, 37.

  254. Here we see the roots

  255. of our salvation.

  256. This is the basis

  257. of our salvation.

  258. You know how sometimes

  259. you ask somebody,

  260. hey, tell me your story,

  261. and they go like way back

  262. to when their parents

  263. were born

  264. and how their parents met

  265. and their grandparents' story.

  266. They go way,

  267. way, way, way, way back.

  268. Well, Jesus here,

  269. he goes back further

  270. than that.

  271. He's going all the way back

  272. to an arrangement

  273. that happened

  274. in eternity past,

  275. before time,

  276. as we know it,

  277. began.

  278. Look there.

  279. Now, Jesus says,

  280. all that the Father gives me

  281. will come to me,

  282. and whoever comes to me

  283. I will never cast out.

  284. So, before you existed,

  285. before I existed,

  286. before the world existed,

  287. what we see here

  288. is that God the Father

  289. gave a people

  290. to God the Son.

  291. And the result

  292. of that giving

  293. in eternity,

  294. look there what it says,

  295. the result of that giving

  296. in eternity

  297. is their certain coming

  298. to Christ

  299. at some point in time.

  300. All that the Father gives me

  301. will come to me.

  302. Now, the order here

  303. is important, isn't it?

  304. We sometimes tend to think

  305. in the opposite direction.

  306. We read these verses backwards

  307. as if it said,

  308. all that come to Christ,

  309. well, that's who the Father

  310. will give to him.

  311. If we come,

  312. then he gives.

  313. That's not what it says.

  314. I just want you to look

  315. at what the verse says.

  316. He says,

  317. all that the Father gives me

  318. will come to me.

  319. So, how is anyone saved?

  320. Well, if we zoom out,

  321. get ourselves out of the picture,

  322. zoom out of our own experience,

  323. zoom out of our lives,

  324. if we had the whole picture

  325. of eternity in mind,

  326. as Christ does,

  327. we would say that

  328. your coming to Christ,

  329. believer, in time,

  330. was a direct and certain result

  331. of God's giving you to Christ

  332. before the ages began.

  333. Now, I want to show you

  334. two other places in John

  335. where we see this.

  336. Because this is not

  337. a one-off comment.

  338. It's all throughout

  339. the Gospel of John.

  340. This is not the first time

  341. Jesus says something like this.

  342. This is where Jesus

  343. roots our salvation.

  344. It's not ultimately

  345. an hour willing,

  346. hour working.

  347. He roots salvation

  348. ultimately in God's working,

  349. God's willing,

  350. God's planning,

  351. God's arranging.

  352. So, two places here in John.

  353. Mark this down.

  354. You can go digging in here

  355. a little later this afternoon

  356. if you'd like.

  357. John chapter 10

    John 10 chapter mention

  358. and John chapter 17.

    John 17 chapter mention

  359. John chapter 10

    John 10 chapter mention

  360. and John chapter 17.

    John 17 chapter mention

  361. John chapter 10,

    John 10:26–29

  362. verses 26 through 29.

  363. Jesus says,

  364. You do not believe

  365. because you are not

  366. among my sheep.

  367. My sheep hear my voice

  368. and I know them

  369. and they follow me.

  370. I give them eternal life

  371. and they will never perish

  372. and no one will snatch them

  373. out of my hand.

  374. My Father,

  375. who has given them to me,

  376. is greater than all

  377. and no one is able

  378. to snatch them

  379. out of my Father's hand.

  380. Notice what he doesn't say.

  381. The order here,

  382. again, is important.

  383. He doesn't say,

  384. You are not among my sheep

  385. because you do not believe,

  386. although that is true.

  387. What does he say?

  388. He says,

  389. You do not believe

  390. because you are not

  391. among my sheep.

  392. My sheep hear my voice.

  393. Why?

  394. Because the Father

  395. has given them to Christ.

  396. Example number two,

  397. John 17, 6 through 10.

  398. Listen to the words of Jesus,

  399. how he prays.

  400. I have manifested your name

  401. to the people

  402. whom you gave me

  403. out of the world.

  404. Do you hear that?

  405. Yours they were

  406. and you gave them to me

  407. and they have kept your word.

  408. Now they know

  409. that everything you have given me

  410. is from you.

  411. For I have given them

  412. the words that you gave me

  413. and they have received them

  414. and have come to know in truth

  415. that I came from you

  416. and they have believed

  417. that you sent me.

  418. This is a glorious truth,

  419. Christian.

  420. And when we begin

  421. to understand

  422. the big picture

  423. of our salvation,

  424. this is a glorious truth.

  425. Do you see what this means

  426. for your salvation?

  427. When we begin to understand

  428. the miracle of salvation

  429. in this way

  430. as the outworking

  431. of the eternal plan of God,

  432. there is joy

  433. and there is confidence.

  434. Our salvation

  435. does not depend on us.

  436. It does not depend

  437. on our strength,

  438. on our willing,

  439. on our working,

  440. on our goodness,

  441. on our knowledge,

  442. on our ability

  443. to muster up the strength

  444. to believe today.

  445. Our salvation

  446. is rooted

  447. in the unshakable,

  448. eternal plan

  449. of an unchanging

  450. and faithful God.

  451. God,

  452. a few months ago,

  453. I was sharing this

  454. with somebody.

  455. We took our boys

  456. to Legoland

  457. and it was awesome.

  458. But of course,

  459. a trip like that,

  460. we don't just do

  461. spur on the moment.

  462. Okay?

  463. Amanda and I

  464. had planned it out

  465. far in advance.

  466. We purchased the tickets.

  467. We booked the hotel.

  468. We planned the exact day,

  469. the exact moment

  470. we would go.

  471. All of this

  472. before we told

  473. the boys anything.

  474. And then when

  475. the time was right,

  476. at the moment

  477. of our choosing,

  478. we revealed to them

  479. all of the incredible plans

  480. that we had made

  481. for them.

  482. And it was amazing.

  483. Then we got them

  484. in the car.

  485. We packed up

  486. all their stuff.

  487. We drove them

  488. safely to the park.

  489. Their coming

  490. was a direct result

  491. of our planning.

  492. All that the Father

  493. has given me

  494. will come to me.

  495. Now let me ask you something.

  496. What kind of a father

  497. would I be

  498. if when we arrived

  499. there at the park,

  500. we got to the gate,

  501. we got ready to go inside,

  502. if I turned around

  503. to them

  504. and I said,

  505. what are you doing here?

  506. I changed my mind.

  507. You're not coming

  508. to the park today.

  509. I'm not bringing you

  510. inside.

  511. You thought you were

  512. coming inside here.

  513. Forget it.

  514. What kind of father

  515. would I be

  516. if I turned them away?

  517. That would be ridiculous,

  518. right?

  519. Why would that

  520. be ridiculous?

  521. Because at the root,

  522. at the basis

  523. of this whole thing

  524. was my arrangement

  525. to make it happen.

  526. It was my plan.

  527. It was my gift

  528. to them.

  529. Why would I

  530. turn them away?

  531. This was their confidence

  532. and their joy

  533. that this would happen.

  534. It was their freedom

  535. in receiving this gift.

  536. It was because mom

  537. and dad had planned it.

  538. They had purchased it.

  539. They told us it's happening

  540. and we believe it.

  541. Now we get to enjoy it.

  542. Christian,

  543. this is the confidence

  544. that we have

  545. in our salvation.

  546. Your salvation,

  547. your assurance,

  548. your confidence,

  549. your joy,

  550. your hope

  551. is rooted

  552. in the unshakable

  553. will of God.

  554. This is good news.

  555. Look there to verse 38.

  556. You might ask,

  557. what is that will?

  558. What is the will of God?

  559. Look to verse 38.

  560. Jesus says,

  561. For I have come down

  562. from heaven

  563. not to do my own will,

  564. but the will of him

  565. who sent me.

  566. And this is the will

  567. of him who sent me,

  568. that I should lose

  569. nothing of all

  570. that he has given me,

  571. but raise it up

  572. on the last day.

  573. For this is the will

  574. of my Father,

  575. that everyone

  576. who looks on the Son

  577. and believes in him

  578. should have eternal life

  579. and I will raise him up

  580. on the last day.

  581. But how will we look?

  582. And how will we believe?

  583. This is the second answer

  584. to our question this morning.

  585. How is anyone saved?

  586. Second,

  587. salvation is applied in time.

  588. Salvation is applied in time.

  589. Look there to verse 41.

  590. Because the Jews

  591. didn't like what they heard.

  592. It seems like they pretty much

  593. just ignored everything

  594. that Jesus had just told them

  595. about salvation,

  596. about the will of God,

  597. about what he's come to do

  598. because they were so hung up

  599. on what he said

  600. in verse 35.

  601. It says the Jews

  602. grumbled about him

  603. because he said,

  604. I am the bread of life

  605. that came down from heaven.

  606. They said,

  607. Jesus,

  608. what are you talking about?

  609. You didn't come from heaven.

  610. We know your father.

  611. We know your mother.

  612. Isn't this Jesus,

  613. the son of Joseph?

  614. We know Joseph.

  615. We know Mary.

  616. How does he now say,

  617. I've come down from heaven?

  618. See,

  619. they still don't get it.

  620. They still can't perceive

  621. the truth

  622. that's standing there

  623. right there in front of them

  624. explaining the gospel.

  625. They're so close to Christ,

  626. yet they still don't get it.

  627. Maybe you can think of a friend,

  628. a family member,

  629. a co-worker,

  630. someone that you know

  631. and that this sounds

  632. a little bit like,

  633. someone that you have

  634. attempted to communicate

  635. the gospel to.

  636. You've spoken the words

  637. of Christ to them.

  638. You've tried and tried

  639. to articulate it

  640. as clearly

  641. as you possibly can,

  642. but they still just

  643. don't get it.

  644. Why?

  645. Why is that?

  646. It's because our sin

  647. runs so deep in us

  648. that until we are born again

  649. of the Spirit of God,

  650. we cannot see

  651. spiritual truth clearly.

  652. This is what Jesus told Nicodemus.

  653. You might remember

  654. from John chapter 3.

    John 3 chapter mention

  655. He said,

  656. unless one is born again,

  657. he cannot see

  658. the kingdom of God.

  659. Again, he says,

  660. unless one is born of water

  661. and of the Spirit,

  662. he cannot enter

  663. the kingdom of God.

  664. This is the necessary condition

  665. of spiritual life

  666. and here we see another

  667. unless, don't we?

  668. Jesus answered them

  669. in verse 43.

  670. Do not grumble among yourselves.

  671. No one can come to me

  672. unless the Father

  673. who sent me draws him

  674. and I will raise him up

  675. on the last day.

  676. And so the necessary condition

  677. of anyone coming to Christ

  678. we see here

  679. is God must draw them

  680. to Christ.

  681. And so here's my question.

  682. What in the world

  683. does that mean?

  684. What in the world

  685. does it mean for God

  686. to draw someone to Christ?

  687. And there are, I think,

  688. two very clear possibilities here.

  689. Possibility number one

  690. is that this drawing to Christ

  691. is a sort of wooing.

  692. I had a friend growing up,

  693. I would go over to their house,

  694. every now and then

  695. they would have kittens

  696. under the porch

  697. and we would go down

  698. and try to call them over to us.

  699. Come here.

  700. Come on.

  701. Come on.

  702. Let me get you.

  703. Let me pet you.

  704. Come on.

  705. Come on out.

  706. And if that didn't work,

  707. when that didn't work,

  708. we would put out some milk,

  709. maybe put out some food.

  710. We would try to lure them out to us.

  711. But at the end of the day,

  712. we were powerless to make them,

  713. to call them,

  714. to bring them.

  715. We were powerless to bring them to us.

  716. It was hopeful drawing.

  717. That's how many think

  718. that God draws people to Christ.

  719. I'm going to argue for option number two here.

  720. Option number two

  721. is that this drawing is not hopeful,

  722. it is effective.

  723. What God has planned in eternity,

  724. He certainly accomplishes in time.

  725. All that God has given to the Son in eternity

  726. will come in time.

  727. Not one will be lost.

  728. All will come.

  729. Why?

  730. Because God Himself will draw them effectively.

  731. Think on your own story, Christian.

  732. If you're here and you are a believer in Christ,

  733. just think back on your own story,

  734. how you came to believe in the gospel.

  735. Some of you, I know,

  736. have a dramatic testimony.

  737. You were far from the Lord,

  738. living in sin,

  739. living in rebellion,

  740. and somehow,

  741. some way,

  742. you opened up a Bible,

  743. somebody came and shared with you,

  744. you turned on the radio,

  745. and you,

  746. whatever the tool was,

  747. you heard the gospel,

  748. and by the grace of God,

  749. you believed.

  750. Others of you have a story,

  751. like what I pray for my children.

  752. You have a very boring testimony.

  753. You know,

  754. I pray that my children have a terribly boring testimony.

  755. They grew up in a believing home.

  756. They heard the gospel from mom and dad

  757. over and over and over and over and over and over again.

  758. They came to church.

  759. They heard the gospel from dad

  760. over and over and over and over and over and over and over again.

  761. But at some point,

  762. something clicked.

  763. They heard it differently.

  764. Not just as information that they know,

  765. but truth that they cherish.

  766. They believe.

  767. They begin to trust that Jesus Christ is their Lord,

  768. and their God,

  769. and their Savior,

  770. and their hope.

  771. Do you know what happened in you, believer?

  772. That when you finally believe that gospel message,

  773. you heard it from someone,

  774. but you were taught the truth by God.

  775. Look there again to verse 44.

  776. Look what Jesus does.

  777. He says,

  778. No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him,

  779. and I will raise him up on the last day.

  780. And then he backs up this statement with Scripture.

  781. He says,

  782. It is written in the prophets,

  783. and they will all be taught by God.

  784. See, the way that God draws his people

  785. is by teaching them.

  786. And we see the result.

  787. Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father

  788. comes to Christ.

  789. This is a reference to what we call the new covenant.

  790. The new covenant.

  791. This type of teaching of God

  792. is not just information that touches our ears.

  793. It's transformation of the heart.

  794. It is the internal work of God

  795. in the hearts of his people

  796. where he himself writes the law of God on their hearts.

  797. It's no longer external.

  798. It's no longer outside of them.

  799. It is now in them.

  800. No longer familiarity with Christ.

  801. It is personal faith in Christ.

  802. God himself replaces their heart of stone

  803. and gives them a heart of flesh.

  804. God himself places his own spirit within them.

  805. God himself promises to be their God

  806. and for them to be his people.

  807. And when God teaches you in this way,

  808. all of a sudden you begin to see everything

  809. with new clarity that you didn't have before.

  810. You begin to see the worth and the glory of Christ

  811. like you've never seen before.

  812. You begin to open up the pages of scripture

  813. and see the glory of God

  814. in ways you've never seen before.

  815. You see your own sin and a desire to put it away

  816. in ways you've never felt before.

  817. You desire holiness to please the Lord

  818. in ways you've never felt before.

  819. Where did this come from?

  820. It came from the teaching of God in your heart.

  821. I've got to share this story with you.

  822. I had the opportunity to speak with somebody

  823. in our home this past week.

  824. And this is a person who has gone to church for years

  825. and as we spoke,

  826. it just became clear that she did not understand the gospel.

  827. She did not understand the truth of the gospel,

  828. what we're talking about here this morning.

  829. In her own understanding,

  830. being right with God was about her works,

  831. what she knew,

  832. right and wrong,

  833. yes and no.

  834. So it was an improvement message for her.

  835. And so we talked about the gospel,

  836. those four parts that we talk about all the time.

  837. God, man, Christ, response.

  838. We walked slowly through each one.

  839. I said, I don't want to put words in your mouth.

  840. I just want to explain this and stop

  841. and see if you believe what I'm talking about here.

  842. And we talked about God.

  843. God is the creator of everything.

  844. He's good.

  845. He's worthy of our praise.

  846. She said, yeah, I believe that.

  847. We talked about sin,

  848. how all of us have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.

  849. All of us bear personal responsibility

  850. for our rebellion against the Lord.

  851. She said, you don't have to tell me that I'm a sinner.

  852. I believe that.

  853. And then we talked about Christ

  854. and how anyone who looks to the work of the Savior

  855. who came and lived in our place

  856. and died in our place

  857. and rose to offer eternal life

  858. to any who don't work for it

  859. to simply believe.

  860. That's how anyone is saved.

  861. And she said, I've never heard that before.

  862. Now, I know she'd heard it before.

  863. She sat under my teaching for about a year.

  864. I know she'd heard it,

  865. but she hadn't heard it

  866. until that moment

  867. when for the first time

  868. God opened up her ears

  869. and her eyes

  870. to perceive the truth of the gospel

  871. and to believe it

  872. with all of her heart and soul

  873. for the first time.

  874. She left that room,

  875. that moment,

  876. justified.

  877. This is the work of God.

  878. The work of God

  879. to draw sinners to faith in Christ

  880. by opening their eyes

  881. to see the glory of Christ

  882. in the gospel.

  883. You know, here's the thing, church.

  884. We don't know

  885. who God will draw.

  886. God alone knows

  887. who He will effectively draw

  888. to be His own in time.

  889. God alone knows

  890. who He will draw to Christ effectively.

  891. This is not ours to know.

  892. God alone knows

  893. whom He's given to Christ

  894. in eternity past

  895. and He will draw them in time.

  896. We have the privilege

  897. of seeing in real time

  898. the unfolding

  899. of the eternal plan of God.

  900. And not just seeing it passively,

  901. but church,

  902. we have the privilege

  903. of being actively used by God

  904. to bring salvation

  905. to the lost

  906. as we proclaim

  907. the message

  908. of the gospel.

  909. We have the joy

  910. of proclaiming

  911. our third point

  912. this morning.

  913. third and final point.

  914. That salvation

  915. is made available

  916. to all

  917. right now

  918. in the gospel.

  919. Salvation

  920. is made available

  921. to all

  922. in the gospel

  923. of Jesus Christ.

  924. If you're here

  925. this morning

  926. and you're not a believer,

  927. first I just want to say

  928. I'm thrilled

  929. that you're here.

  930. We welcome you

  931. to be here.

  932. I hope that you are

  933. hearing truth

  934. for the first time.

  935. I'm glad that you're

  936. sitting under the word

  937. this morning.

  938. You may be wondering

  939. what in the world

  940. we're talking about

  941. when we talk so much

  942. about the gospel.

  943. The gospel

  944. is the good news

  945. of Jesus Christ.

  946. And we believe

  947. that if sinners

  948. like me

  949. and like you

  950. if sinners like us

  951. are ever going

  952. to know God

  953. it is only

  954. through faith

  955. in Jesus Christ.

  956. This is what

  957. Jesus tells us

  958. here in verse 46.

  959. He says

  960. no one has ever

  961. seen the Father

  962. except he who is

  963. from God.

  964. He has seen

  965. the Father.

  966. So how can anyone

  967. know the Father?

  968. Well they must

  969. look to Christ.

  970. No one has ever

  971. seen God.

  972. The only God

  973. who is at the Father's

  974. side

  975. he has made

  976. him known.

  977. If we want to know

  978. what God is like

  979. we have to look

  980. to Jesus.

  981. If we want to know

  982. what it's like

  983. to be made right

  984. with God

  985. we have to listen

  986. and come

  987. to Jesus.

  988. And he tells us

  989. when we look

  990. at Christ

  991. with eyes of faith

  992. look again

  993. to what he holds

  994. out for us

  995. here in verse 47.

  996. Jesus says

  997. truly truly

  998. I say to you

  999. whoever

  1000. believes

  1001. has eternal

  1002. life.

  1003. life.

  1004. This is the

  1005. free

  1006. and broad

  1007. invitation

  1008. of the gospel.

  1009. Not by our

  1010. working

  1011. not by our

  1012. doing

  1013. not by our

  1014. knowing

  1015. not by our

  1016. believing

  1017. anything

  1018. other than

  1019. believing

  1020. and trusting

  1021. by faith

  1022. that Christ

  1023. is enough.

  1024. Whoever

  1025. believes

  1026. has eternal

  1027. life.

  1028. And this

  1029. life is

  1030. available

  1031. to you

  1032. right

  1033. now.

  1034. If you

  1035. would simply

  1036. come

  1037. by faith.

  1038. We often

  1039. read the words

  1040. of Isaiah

  1041. 55.

  1042. We read them

  1043. last week.

  1044. I'm going to

  1045. read them

  1046. again.

  1047. He invites us

  1048. come everyone

  1049. who thirsts

  1050. come to the

  1051. waters.

  1052. He who has

  1053. no money

  1054. come

  1055. buy and

  1056. eat

  1057. come by

  1058. wine

  1059. and milk

  1060. without

  1061. money

  1062. without

  1063. price.

  1064. Why do

  1065. you spend

  1066. your money

  1067. for that

  1068. which is

  1069. not

  1070. bread

  1071. and your

  1072. labor

  1073. for that

  1074. which does

  1075. not

  1076. satisfy.

  1077. Listen

  1078. diligently

  1079. to me

  1080. and eat

  1081. what is

  1082. good

  1083. and delight

  1084. yourselves

  1085. in rich

  1086. food.

  1087. Incline

  1088. your ear

  1089. and come

  1090. to me

  1091. here

  1092. that your

  1093. soul

  1094. may live.

  1095. How often

  1096. do we

  1097. ignore

  1098. the feast

  1099. that Christ

  1100. offers us

  1101. in the

  1102. gospel?

  1103. This is an

  1104. invitation

  1105. to stop

  1106. eating

  1107. not

  1108. bread

  1109. and to

  1110. stop

  1111. eating

  1112. that

  1113. which

  1114. does

  1115. not

  1116. satisfy

  1117. and to

  1118. stop

  1119. living

  1120. for that

  1121. which

  1122. will

  1123. never

  1124. fulfill

  1125. the

  1126. deepest

  1127. desires

  1128. of your

  1129. soul

  1130. and to

  1131. come

  1132. and partake

  1133. of that

  1134. which will

  1135. satisfy

  1136. your soul

  1137. forever.

  1138. Do you

  1139. see the

  1140. contrast that

  1141. Jesus makes

  1142. here in

  1143. verse 49?

  1144. God

  1145. did

  1146. something

  1147. miraculous

  1148. there in

  1149. the wilderness

  1150. for Israel.

  1151. He rained

  1152. down bread

  1153. from heaven.

  1154. Life-giving

  1155. sustaining

  1156. bread.

  1157. He fed

  1158. the Israelites

  1159. there for

  1160. 40 years

  1161. with this

  1162. miraculous

  1163. provision

  1164. of God

  1165. but it

  1166. was

  1167. temporary.

  1168. It was

  1169. a miracle

  1170. but it

  1171. had an

  1172. expiration.

  1173. They ate

  1174. it.

  1175. They were

  1176. filled.

  1177. They got

  1178. up.

  1179. They did

  1180. it again

  1181. over and

  1182. over and

  1183. over again

  1184. for 40

  1185. years and

  1186. then the

  1187. bread was

  1188. no more

  1189. and then

  1190. they died.

  1191. Jesus

  1192. says this

  1193. bread,

  1194. this bread

  1195. that comes

  1196. down from

  1197. heaven,

  1198. comes down

  1199. to feed

  1200. you forever

  1201. and if

  1202. anyone eats

  1203. of this

  1204. bread,

  1205. he will

  1206. live

  1207. forever.

  1208. This bread

  1209. is offered

  1210. freely to

  1211. any who

  1212. would come

  1213. and eat.

  1214. Eternal

  1215. life is

  1216. available to

  1217. any who

  1218. would come.

  1219. And what

  1220. is this

  1221. bread?

  1222. The bread

  1223. that I

  1224. will give

  1225. for the

  1226. life of

  1227. the world

  1228. is my

  1229. flesh.

  1230. This is

  1231. an incredible

  1232. promise at

  1233. an incredible

  1234. price.

  1235. The body

  1236. and blood

  1237. of Jesus

  1238. broken and

  1239. shed for

  1240. you.

  1241. Do you

  1242. believe it?

  1243. Are you

  1244. feasting by

  1245. faith right

  1246. now in

  1247. what Jesus

  1248. Christ offers

  1249. you in

  1250. the hope

  1251. of the

  1252. gospel?

  1253. And if

  1254. you are,

  1255. are you

  1256. bringing this

  1257. bread to

  1258. others that

  1259. they might

  1260. hear and

  1261. believe?

  1262. John

  1263. Wesley,

  1264. by the

  1265. grace of

  1266. God,

  1267. eventually

  1268. came to

  1269. know the

  1270. Lord.

  1271. And 285

  1272. years ago,

  1273. actually,

  1274. as of last

  1275. Wednesday,

  1276. he wrote in

  1277. his journal,

  1278. the date,

  1279. Wednesday,

  1280. May 24th,

  1281. 1738.

  1282. It was about

  1283. five o'clock in

  1284. the morning that

  1285. I opened my

  1286. testament upon

  1287. these words.

  1288. There are

  1289. given to us

  1290. great and

  1291. exceeding

  1292. promises,

  1293. even that

  1294. ye should be

  1295. partakers of

  1296. the divine

  1297. nature.

  1298. Just as I

  1299. went out,

  1300. I opened it

  1301. again upon

  1302. these words,

  1303. thou art not

  1304. far from the

  1305. kingdom of

  1306. God.

  1307. In the

  1308. afternoon,

  1309. I was asked

  1310. to go to

  1311. St.

  1312. Paul's.

  1313. The anthem

  1314. was,

  1315. Out of

  1316. the deep

  1317. have I

  1318. called unto

  1319. thee,

  1320. O Lord,

  1321. hear my

  1322. voice.

  1323. In the

  1324. evening,

  1325. I went

  1326. very unwillingly

  1327. to a

  1328. society on

  1329. Outersgate

  1330. Street,

  1331. where one

  1332. was reading

  1333. Luther's

  1334. preface to

  1335. the epistle

  1336. to the

  1337. Romans.

  1338. About a

  1339. quarter before

  1340. nine,

  1341. while he was

  1342. describing the

  1343. change whereby

  1344. God works on

  1345. the heart

  1346. through faith

  1347. in Christ,

  1348. I felt my

  1349. heart strangely

  1350. warmed.

  1351. I felt I

  1352. did trust in

  1353. Christ alone

  1354. for salvation.

  1355. And the

  1356. assurance was

  1357. given me that

  1358. he had taken

  1359. away my

  1360. sins,

  1361. even mine,

  1362. and he

  1363. saved me

  1364. from the

  1365. law of

  1366. sin and

  1367. death.

  1368. Do you

  1369. have a story

  1370. like that?

  1371. In just a

  1372. moment,

  1373. you see here,

  1374. we are going

  1375. to partake of

  1376. the Lord's

  1377. Supper.

  1378. we have the

  1379. body and

  1380. the blood of

  1381. Christ visibly

  1382. portrayed for

  1383. us here.

  1384. Believer, I

  1385. want to invite

  1386. you right now

  1387. before we

  1388. prepare to

  1389. partake, to

  1390. pause and to

  1391. reflect on the

  1392. gift of God

  1393. in your

  1394. salvation.

  1395. To praise

  1396. God for what

  1397. he's done in

  1398. giving Christ

  1399. for you,

  1400. for drawing

  1401. you.

  1402. to know and

  1403. to be

  1404. satisfied in

  1405. Christ.

  1406. Let's bow

  1407. and pray.

  1408. Jesus, the

  1409. offer is set

  1410. before us.

  1411. Come any

  1412. who are

  1413. hungry,

  1414. come any

  1415. who are

  1416. thirsty,

  1417. and find

  1418. true life

  1419. in you.

  1420. We thank

  1421. you, Lord,

  1422. for the

  1423. gospel, the

  1424. good news

  1425. that you

  1426. have come

  1427. down from

  1428. heaven to

  1429. give eternal

  1430. life to

  1431. any who

  1432. look to

  1433. you in

  1434. faith.

  1435. We pray,

  1436. God, for

  1437. strength and

  1438. encouragement,

  1439. for assurance

  1440. and confidence

  1441. for the

  1442. believer.

  1443. We pray for

  1444. conviction and

  1445. for drawing for

  1446. the non-believer

  1447. this morning.

  1448. We love you,

  1449. and we pray all

  1450. this in Christ's

  1451. name.

  1452. Amen.

  1453. Amen.

  1454. Amen.

  1455. Amen.

  1456. Amen.

  1457. Amen.

  1458. Amen.

  1459. Amen.

  1460. Amen.

  1461. Amen.

  1462. Amen.

  1463. Amen.

  1464. Amen.

  1465. Amen.

  1466. Amen.

  1467. Amen.

  1468. Amen.

  1469. Amen.

  1470. Amen.

  1471. Amen.

  1472. Amen.

  1473. Amen.

  1474. Amen.