Spiritual Food for Women

John 6:58-61

58 This is the bread which came down from heaven—not as your fathers ate the manna, and are dead. He who eats this bread will live forever.”

59 These things He said in the synagogue as He taught in Capernaum.

60 Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this, said, “This is a hard saying; who can understand it?”

61 When Jesus knew in Himself that His disciples complained about this, He said to them, “Does this offend you? 

“Does the Truth Offend You?”

Jesus, the Master Teacher, reviews the key point of His entire sermon in verse 58. Paraphrasing, “I, who stand before you, am the bread which came down from heaven. I am not the bread like the manna that your fathers ate to keep their physical bodies alive for they are now dead. Anyone who eats this bread, which is My flesh and My blood, will live forever.” The people whom Jesus had fed with the 5 loaves and 2 fish the day before had gone looking for Jesus that day, not because they wanted fulfillment of their souls, but fulfillment of their bellies. They found Him in the synagogue. I am sure there were Jewish leaders, teachers of the law, and scribes present who were listening as well. 

Verse 60 was really eye-opening for me. I had never thought about people who were already disciples doubting and complaining about Jesus. I have read the book of John more than once, but failed to see the significance of this before. What is a disciple? According to Blueletterbible.org, a disciple is a learner or pupil. These people who were supposedly His “disciples”, said that Jesus was saying a “hard saying”, and they were asking the question, “who can understand it?”. They were supposed to be committed students of the Master Teacher. Obviously, they were not true disciples. True disciples realize that they can’t live without Jesus. True disciples would be defending their teacher’s words, not doubting them. True disciples are dedicated, and nothing anyone could say would be able to stifle that dedication. 

In verse 61, we see that Jesus reads their thoughts, and asks “Does this offend you?” This question is very significant. Here is the statement and question that the false disciples said, “This is a hard saying; who can understand it?”. This was not actually what they were thinking. They understood what Jesus was saying to them. They wanted to act like they didn’t understand, but they did. Or else why would Jesus ask if He had offended them? Wouldn’t He have said, “Do you not understand?”, if they had truly been confused. The word “hard” means offensive, stern or intolerable. (blueletterbible) It did not mean it was difficult to understand. In today’s language, verse 60 means, “I’m out guys! This Jesus fellow is expecting too much from me! This is too hard. Who can even do what He is asking us to do?” The bottom line is this…..Jesus was speaking the truth to them, and they were offended by the truth, just like so many people today are offended by the truth. 

So, was Peter a false disciple when He denied Christ those three times? No, because he knew he was wrong, and he repented of it. Peter messed up, but he made things right, and came back stronger than ever before. We all mess up as disciples of Christ. But, the “many” disciples who complained about Jesus’ words were false disciples. They played the part for a while, but eventually the truth came out, and their true colors were shown. It is significant that John includes this, because there are false disciples today…..sitting in pews…..pretending. I am ashamed to say that I have been one of those in my past. We are not disciples of Jesus just because we show up to the church building. It is an “every day, all day, commitment” of “eating His flesh” and “drinking His blood”. Is this a “hard saying”? It can be hard, but it is not hard to understand. Being a disciple of Jesus is truly realizing that Jesus is all we need. He is our bread. A “hard saying”? Yes, at times it is. But we don’t give up. We continue to follow Jesus, come back to Jesus when we fall, and look to Him when we are struggling. We continually learn from Him, because that is what a disciple is…..a pupil of Jesus. These people in verse 60 gave up on Jesus. We can fail at following Jesus at times. We absolutely will fail sometimes. But that doesn’t mean we aren’t disciples anymore just because we fall short. All have fallen short (Romans 3:23). Jesus knows if my heart is right with Him. And if I’m honest with myself, I know if my heart is right with Him. This makes me think of the word “abide”…..a powerful word. If we abide in Him, we are most certainly His disciples (John 8:31). 

God means for everyone to learn what the Bible teaches about how to be saved. It only takes an open heart for Jesus, and a willingness to put away what we’ve been taught in the past, and truly read what God’s Word says for ourselves…..and then accept what it says and obey it. If I can help you in any way, I would love to! Are you walking in the light? Are you in Christ? Are you saved? If you aren’t or you are not sure if you are, I’d love to help you. Are you a member of the Lord’s church, but are struggling spiritually in your walk with Christ? If you are…..believe me, I’ve been there many times, and I’d love to help you. If you have any questions, please reach out. 

I love God’s Word. It challenges me to be better…..to do more in His service. It is interesting and keeps me on the edge of my seat wondering what is going to happen next. It gives me confidence and builds me up, and it brings me to my knees when my soul needs convicting! Thank you Father for the wonderful gift of Your Word!

God’s Plan of Salvation

Below is the plan that God has set forth in His Word, for humankind to receive His grace that leads to salvation and an eternity with God in heaven. This plan is straight from the Bible. 

We have to hear His word. (Romans 10:17) 

Upon hearing the message of Jesus, we believe it. (Mark 16:16) 

Then, we confess Jesus’ name before men. (Matthew 10:32) 

Next, we repent of our sins. (Acts 2:38, Acts 3:19) 

Finally, we are baptized into Christ for the remission of our sins.  (Acts 2:38, Matthew 28:18-20, Mark 16:16, Romans 6:3-4, Acts 22:16, 1 Corinthians 12:13, Galatians 3:26-27) After baptism, God adds us to His church. (Acts 2:47)

John 6:54-57

54 Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. 

55 For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. 

56 He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. 

57 As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me.

Jesus gave His flesh and blood for us…..to save us from our sins. We would be lost for eternity without the sacrifice of the flesh and blood of Jesus. In verse 54, Jesus says that He will raise up whoever eats his flesh and drinks his blood. We see this same language back in verse 40 of this same chapter where Jesus says, “And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.” Also, in verse 44, Jesus says, “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.” So, how do we get Jesus to raise us up “at the last day” to life eternal? These three verses combined give us a clear picture of what is expected of us. We “see the Son and believe in Him”. (vs. 40) This is the beginning. Belief leads to obedience. When we believe and obey Jesus, we are “drawn by God” to Him. Obeying the words of Jesus as we are drawn by God to Him means we are symbolically feeding our souls with His flesh and blood. This is how we will be “raised up at the last day”! 

In verse 55, the word “indeed” means “of a truth” or “truly”. I like the way the ESV translated this verse. “For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink.” (John 6:55) There is no other food or drink for your soul other than the flesh and blood of Jesus. What Jesus gives us is the real thing…..the genuine article…..the one and only, true food and drink that will forgive our sins and save our souls. When Jesus was scourged by the ruthless Roman soldiers with those horrible scourging weapons, His blood was shed as His flesh was torn away from His body …..for us. His blood was shed as a crown of sharp thorns was forced and beaten down upon His head, nails were driven through His hands and feet, and a sword was shoved into His side…..for us. It only makes sense that Jesus would symbolically refer to His flesh and blood as our “true food” and “true drink”. We have to have food and water to survive physically. In the same way, we have to have spiritual food and water to survive spiritually. Our physical bodies have to have a balanced diet of healthy foods and plenty of pure water with limited “junk food” in order to function properly. If all we ate was “junk food”, we would eventually kill our physical bodies. In the same way, when we turn to the world to solve our problems or fill our voids, it is like we are feeding our souls “junk food”, instead of the “true food” and “true drink”…..the “flesh” and “blood” of Jesus. Sometimes I find myself turning everywhere for satisfaction, except the true food and true drink that I need. When that happens, I have to RESET!

Side note…..Is everything in the secular world “junk food” for the soul? Am I saying that we can’t enjoy anything in the secular world? Not at all. I have lots of things that I enjoy that are secular. It is fine to enjoy sports, music, books, movies, shows, vacations, cooking, etc., just as long as I am not turning to those things for true satisfaction for my soul, and as long as they don’t pull me away from Jesus. Jesus has to be at the center of everything in my life, and He has to regulate what secular things/activities I allow myself to participate in, and how much time I put into them. We can’t let our secular things that we enjoy become our main focus. We can’t become the thorny ground where Jesus is choked out of our lives. Believe me, this can happen before you know it. It has happened to me before, and I have had to get my priorities in order more than once. If we have a good balance with Jesus as our number one priority, we can be a good influence and make a positive impact on  people in the world as well as our sisters and brothers in Christ.

In verse 56, Jesus lets us know that “eating His flesh” and “drinking His blood” is not a one time thing. It is an ongoing way of life. We have to abide in Him no matter what we are doing. He should consume our lives. The beautiful part of this is that as we abide in Him, He abides in us. We can’t become a Christian, and then not nourish ourselves with God’s Word. We won’t grow, and we will eventually die spiritually. 

In verse 57, Jesus says that He lives because of the Father. This means that He lived to do the Father’s will. We have already established that Jesus was with God from the beginning, and was not a created being. Jesus was God. Jesus was completely consumed by the will of His Father, because they are one. Jesus’ food is fulfilling His Father’s will as He said in John 4:34, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work.” The last part of verse 57 says that “he who feeds on Me will live because of Me”. Just as Jesus’ life was consumed with the Father, our life should be consumed with Jesus. Jesus is our spiritual nutrition. We are spiritually starved and malnourished without Him. Am I getting enough spiritual nutrition? 

God means for everyone to learn what the Bible teaches about how to be saved. It only takes an open heart for Jesus, and a willingness to put away what we’ve been taught in the past, and truly read what God’s Word says for ourselves…..and then accept what it says and obey it. If I can help you in any way, I would love to! Are you walking in the light? Are you in Christ? Are you saved? If you aren’t or you are not sure if you are, I’d love to help you. Are you a member of the Lord’s church, but are struggling spiritually in your walk with Christ? If you are…..believe me, I’ve been there many times, and I’d love to help you. If you have any questions, please reach out. 

I love God’s Word. It challenges me to be better…..to do more in His service. It is interesting and keeps me on the edge of my seat wondering what is going to happen next. It gives me confidence and builds me up, and it brings me to my knees when my soul needs convicting! Thank you Father for the wonderful gift of Your Word!

God’s Plan of Salvation

Below is the plan that God has set forth in His Word, for humankind to receive His grace that leads to salvation and an eternity with God in heaven. This plan is straight from the Bible. 

We have to hear His word. (Romans 10:17) 

Upon hearing the message of Jesus, we believe it. (Mark 16:16) 

Then, we confess Jesus’ name before men. (Matthew 10:32) 

Next, we repent of our sins. (Acts 2:38, Acts 3:19) 

Finally, we are baptized into Christ for the remission of our sins.  (Acts 2:38, Matthew 28:18-20, Mark 16:16, Romans 6:3-4, Acts 22:16, 1 Corinthians 12:13, Galatians 3:26-27) After baptism, God adds us to His church. (Acts 2:47)

John 6:50-53

50 This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die. 

51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.”

52 The Jews therefore quarreled among themselves, saying, “How can this Man give us His flesh to eat?”

53 Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. 

“How Can This Man Give Us His Flesh To Eat?”

Remember in John 6:49 when Jesus said, “Your fathers ate manna in the wilderness, but are dead.”? Well, He continues this thought process in these next verses tying it all together beautifully. He compares the physical bread that God provided for His people, to the spiritual bread that God sent to earth in the person of His Son. In verse 50, paraphrasing, He continues, (Your ancestors died in the wilderness after eating the manna), BUT, “this (meaning Himself) is the bread that has come down from heaven. If you eat this bread, you won’t die.” Then in verse 51, Jesus explains this in more detail. Paraphrasing, “I am the living bread from heaven. If one eats this bread, he will live forever; the bread that I give is My flesh. I offer My flesh so that the world will live forever.” Jesus is going to give His body so the entire world can live forever. This statement throws the Jews for a loop. They had already been told by Jesus not to murmur earlier in this conversation. But at this point, they weren’t murmuring. They were actually fighting amongst themselves as they tried to figure out how “this Man” could give them His flesh to eat! (vs. 52) These are the people who have murmured against Jesus and questioned Him at every turn, just like the Israelites of old did to God in the wilderness. The apple doesn’t seem to fall far from the tree. The thing that is most bothersome about the attitude of these people is not that they don’t understand. Anyone can “not understand” and need more clarification about what is being said. It was normal that they didn’t understand everything Jesus was saying. It is that they don’t want to understand. They listen with no intention of believing anything He has to say. They didn’t ask Jesus questions with honest hearts wanting to know the truth. They questioned Him in a condescending way. They wanted to prove that Jesus was crazy and make Him look foolish. But Jesus never backed down. He didn’t try to make it easier to understand. He went even deeper in verse 53. In other words, Jesus dropped a spiritual bomb on them in verse 53. Paraphrasing, “Absolutely, listen to Me, unless you eat My flesh and drink My blood, you have no life in you. You are dead.” And why does Jesus not back down? Because of the great love that He had for those people’s souls. Oh, if they only knew! Jesus showed us the example of not backing down. We have to follow His example and not back down today. We get ridiculed by the world for what we believe…..sometimes by people we love the most. We have to continue to stand up for the truth for the same reason Jesus did…..because we love the souls of the lost, whether we know them personally or not. 

Now, interpreting verse 53 might be a bit confusing. The language in the verse sounds like He could be referring to the Lord’s Supper, but He isn’t. Here are some reasons that I found that support that this verse is not about the Lord’s Supper. First, the word “flesh” is not used where the Lord’s Supper is written about. The word “body” is used instead. They are two different Greek words. Second, the people listening would have no understanding of this memorial because it hadn’t been established yet. And third, if this verse were about the Lord’s Supper, then Jesus is saying that taking the Lord’s Supper is the only thing we need to do to gain eternal life. I can see how this could be confusing, but it just doesn’t make sense for this passage to be about the Lord’s Supper. 

What verse 53 actually means is that we symbolically partake of Jesus’ flesh and blood by giving our entire lives to Him. We are supposed to hunger and thirst for Jesus so much that we are continually “eating His flesh” and “drinking His blood” symbolically by the lives that we lead. Jesus is the Word, right? (John 1:1) The Word became flesh, right? (John 1:14) So…..God’s Word is Jesus’ flesh and blood! Don’t you just love connecting the dots of Scripture? It is amazing! When we study God’s Word, we are “eating His flesh” and “drinking His blood”. In fact, everything we do as Christians for the cause of Christ is “eating His flesh” and “drinking His blood”. It is obeying Him in repentance and baptism, and then living a faithful life in service to Him. Jesus is the all-consuming center of our very being. To symbolically “eat His flesh” and “drink His blood” means that we have consumed God’s Word so much, that we have it “hidden in our hearts” so that we carry Jesus (the Word) with us everywhere, and His Word helps us stay away from sin, and stay true to God. (Psalm 119:11) 

God means for everyone to learn what the Bible teaches about how to be saved. It only takes an open heart for Jesus, and a willingness to put away what we’ve been taught in the past, and truly read what God’s Word says for ourselves…..and then accept what it says and obey it. If I can help you in any way, I would love to! Are you walking in the light? Are you in Christ? Are you saved? If you aren’t or you are not sure if you are, I’d love to help you. Are you a member of the Lord’s church, but are struggling spiritually in your walk with Christ? If you are…..believe me, I’ve been there many times, and I’d love to help you. If you have any questions, please reach out. 

I love God’s Word. It challenges me to be better…..to do more in His service. It is interesting and keeps me on the edge of my seat wondering what is going to happen next. It gives me confidence and builds me up, and it brings me to my knees when my soul needs convicting! Thank you Father for the wonderful gift of Your Word!

God’s Plan of Salvation

Below is the plan that God has set forth in His Word, for humankind to receive His grace that leads to salvation and an eternity with God in heaven. This plan is straight from the Bible. 

We have to hear His word. (Romans 10:17) 

Upon hearing the message of Jesus, we believe it. (Mark 16:16) 

Then, we confess Jesus’ name before men. (Matthew 10:32) 

Next, we repent of our sins. (Acts 2:38, Acts 3:19) 

Finally, we are baptized into Christ for the remission of our sins.  (Acts 2:38, Matthew 28:18-20, Mark 16:16, Romans 6:3-4, Acts 22:16, 1 Corinthians 12:13, Galatians 3:26-27) After baptism, God adds us to His church. (Acts 2:47)

John 6:46-49

46 Not that anyone has seen the Father, except He who is from God; He has seen the Father. 

47 Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life. 

48 I am the bread of life. 

49 Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and are dead.

Have You Had Your “Bread” Today?

Jesus continues talking with these people to whom He fed the bread and fish the day before. In the previous verses, He basically told these Jews that they did not have a relationship with God. God had not drawn them to Himself. They were not “taught of God” and had not “heard and learned” from God. Don’t you know this was shocking to these people who thought they were God’s only chosen people? Jesus was God in the flesh, so He was speaking the Words of God. He was God, and they refused to listen and learn from Him. How many people today think they are in a relationship with God, but haven’t truly been taught by God through His word?

In verse 46, Jesus makes it clear again that no one has seen God, except He who is from God. Jesus is the only one who has ever seen God. Humans can hear and learn from God through His Word, but no one has ever been able to see the full glory of God, except Jesus. 

In verse 47-48, Jesus comes back to His main point of this whole scenario…..the miracle with the loaves and fish, and the aftermath…..the conversation with these same people that He fed. He says, paraphrasing, “You will absolutely, 100% for sure, have eternal life if you believe in ME.” He again compares Himself to the bread that He had miraculously fed them the day before. He says, “I am the Bread of Life.” Food is energy for our physical bodies. Jesus gave the people energy (food) to sustain their physical bodies for a short time. But Jesus is trying to get them to understand that He can provide them with spiritual energy that will last an eternity…..spiritual food that will keep them full and satisfied spiritually forever. The spiritual energy that Jesus provides us, gives us the strength to live out His purpose for us in this physical life, as we endure the trials, temptations, and turmoil that we may go through while here. His energy sustains us spiritually to get us through this life. That spiritual energy will then transform us on that last day, and stay with us as we pass on into an eternity with Him. Isn’t that a beautiful thought?

Then, in verse 49, He again makes a comparison to the manna from the old testament. “Your fathers ate manna in the wilderness, and are dead.” God provided manna to the Israelites to sustain their physical bodies during the 40 years that they were wandering in the wilderness. Those people died in the wilderness after eating the manna that God had provided them all those years. Why did they die? Because of their unbelief in God’s power and promises. How do we know they didn’t truly believe in God’s power and promises? Because, they did not trust God to keep His Word, and bring them into the promised land of Canaan. How do we know they didn’t trust Him? Because of their continuous grumbling and complaining against Him. Just listen to Hebrews 3:16-19, “For some, when they had heard, did provoke: howbeit not all that came out of Egypt by Moses. But with whom was he grieved forty years? was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcases fell in the wilderness? And to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not. So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.” Why could they not enter? Unbelief!

I have always wondered…..after all they had seen God do for them already, why couldn’t they trust Him? That is hard for me to understand. God continued to show grace to them in the wilderness, and provide them with physical food, but they died in the wilderness, never getting to experience or even see the promised land of Canaan. These people whom Jesus was speaking with in this chapter are in the same boat as their fathers. They were miraculously fed physical food to sustain them by Jesus. They also saw Him heal the sick. Yet, they still grumbled and complained against everything Jesus tried to teach them. They are following the pattern of their fathers before them. And they would not experience the spiritual promised land…..heaven, if they didn’t change their hearts. It was a heart problem. We can have heart problems today if we aren’t careful to keep God first in our lives, and trust Him to take care of us no matter what happens in this life. Complaining is something that I have to continually fight against. It is habitual, and can cause me to become negative. Ultimately, it will hurt my relationship with God if it goes unchecked. We are all human, and we all complain sometimes. It is when our complaining leads to a negative spirit that hurts our relationship with Jesus, and stifles our effectiveness in saving the lost. The lost need to see that we are satisfied and content just belonging to Jesus. Why would a lost person want to be a Christian if we appear to be miserable?

I noticed that Jesus repeated Himself in these verses. He had said these things before to these people…..”no one has seen the Father, except He who is from God”, ”he who believes in Me has everlasting life”, and “I am the bread of life”. Why is Jesus repeating Himself? Because Jesus is the master teacher, and teachers repeat the  information that is most relevant so the students will sit up and take notice of those things. 

Just as a side note, when I think of repeated statements, I think of Galatians 1:8-9, when Paul said, “But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, if any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.” Wow! Paul’s repeating of the words, “let him be accursed” makes an impact doesn’t it! He said it twice…..back to back! How can you miss the impact?

As a teacher myself, I want the important stuff to sink in with my students so they will remember it. These people needed these truths repeated over and over so they would hopefully sink in. Did they sink in? I’m sure it did with some of them, and with some it didn’t. Just like today…..some get it immediately, some don’t get it immediately but eventually do, and sadly, some never get it. How about us? We get it, right? But don’t we still need repetition? We need the truth of God’s Word repetitively to keep our minds renewed daily. We are to be living sacrifices, transformed by the renewing of our minds. (Romans 12:1-2) This is not a “one and done” thing. We will become spiritually stale, and eventually we will die spiritually without God’s Word continually renewing our minds. I encourage you to find a way…..form the habit…..make the time to get into God’s Word every day. Some days are more hectic than others. Believe me, I get it. But…..there is always time to let God speak to you through His Word, and for you to speak to God in prayer. Our lives are empty with Him. Our day is empty without Him. It doesn’t matter if we have 5 minutes, 15 minutes, an hour, two hours, or more. It is different every day for me, depending on the day. But, regardless of how busy my day is, I need my “Bread” every day, and you do too…..whether you realize it or not. Have you had your “Bread” today?

God means for everyone to learn what the Bible teaches about how to be saved. It only takes an open heart for Jesus, and a willingness to put away what we’ve been taught in the past, and truly read what God’s Word says for ourselves…..and then accept what it says and obey it. If I can help you in any way, I would love to! Are you walking in the light? Are you in Christ? Are you saved? If you aren’t or you are not sure if you are, I’d love to help you. Are you a member of the Lord’s church, but are struggling spiritually in your walk with Christ? If you are…..believe me, I’ve been there many times, and I’d love to help you. If you have any questions, please reach out. 

I love God’s Word. It challenges me to be better…..to do more in His service. It is interesting and keeps me on the edge of my seat wondering what is going to happen next. It gives me confidence and builds me up, and it brings me to my knees when my soul needs convicting! Thank you Father for the wonderful gift of Your Word!

God’s Plan of Salvation

Below is the plan that God has set forth in His Word, for humankind to receive His grace that leads to salvation and an eternity with God in heaven. This plan is straight from the Bible. 

We have to hear His word. (Romans 10:17) 

Upon hearing the message of Jesus, we believe it. (Mark 16:16) 

Then, we confess Jesus’ name before men. (Matthew 10:32) 

Next, we repent of our sins. (Acts 2:38, Acts 3:19) 

Finally, we are baptized into Christ for the remission of our sins.  (Acts 2:38, Matthew 28:18-20, Mark 16:16, Romans 6:3-4, Acts 22:16, 1 Corinthians 12:13, Galatians 3:26-27) After baptism, God adds us to His church. (Acts 2:47)

John 6:42-45

42 And they said, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How is it then that He says, ‘I have come down from heaven’?”

43 Jesus therefore answered and said to them, “Do not murmur among yourselves. 

44 No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day. 

45 It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught by God.’ Therefore everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me.

“God Draws Us To His Son…..IF We Allow Ourselves To Be Taught by God”

In verse 42, we find the Jews “murmuring” or grumbling within their circle about how they know that Jesus is the son of Joseph, and that they know Joseph’s parents.”How can He say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?” Question: Why aren’t these Jews thinking about Isaiah’s prophecy that the Messiah would be born into this world of a virgin? (Isaiah 7:14) They are supposed to be experts on the Old Testament, and know it like the back of their hand. Jesus had obviously already proven Himself by performing miracles right in front of them, but nothing He did seemed to matter to them. 

In verse 43, Jesus tells them to stop their grumbling among themselves. Evidently, they were having a conversation among themselves that didn’t include Jesus even though He was nearby. I wonder…..were they trying to be discreet so Jesus wouldn’t hear them “murmuring” about Him, or did they low-key hope that He heard them. You know what I’m saying…..someone talks about you to someone else in a somewhat low tone, ONLY still loud enough for you to hear them, BUT for some reason they want to pretend that they don’t know you are listening. Either way…..it didn’t matter, because Jesus could read thoughts anyway. Jesus knew what they were going to say before it came out of their disrespectful mouths. I sometimes shutter when I think about how Jesus knows my every thought. Whew! 

In verse 44, Jesus makes an important statement, “No one can come to Me, unless the Father who sent Me draws him/her.” This statement ties directly to the statement made earlier in verse 37, “All those whom the Father gives Me will come to Me” and again in verse 39, “…..of all He has given to Me, I should lose nothing”. No one comes to God unless He first draws the person to Him. We don’t come to Jesus on our own. We come because God draws or calls us. This does not mean that we are predestined or forced against our will. We have the free will to listen and answer the call. But if we never hear the voice of God, can we come to Him? I think not. 

Think of all the beautiful songs about God/Jesus calling us: “God is Calling the Prodigal”, “Jesus Calls Us”, “I Can Hear My Saviour Calling”, “I Am Thine, Oh Lord (I have heard thy voice)” and many more. Here are some examples from scripture that further prove that God draws us or calls us to Him: 

Acts 2:38-39   Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.”   

Who gets forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit? “Am many as the Lord our God will call.”

Galatians 1:6   “I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel…..”

Who called them in the grace of Christ? God called them.

1 Peter 1:15  “…..but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct…..”

1 Peter 2:9  “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light…..”

Who called us out of darkness? God did.

Romans 8:28  “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”

We are “the called” of God. We have been drawn to God to love Him and live for His purpose. 

There are many more examples in God’s Word that prove that God draws us to Him. But how does God draw or call us?

In verse 45, Jesus quotes the old testament scripture Isaiah 54:13, when He says, “And they shall be taught of God”. When we are taught by God, we are drawn to or called by God. Jeremiah 31:33 also alludes to this idea when God says, paraphrasing, “I will put my law in the their minds, and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.” Doesn’t this sound like God is drawing the people to Him by teaching them His law? The last part of verse 45 is the key to the whole passage. Jesus says, paraphrasing, “If you have heard and learned from the Father, then you have come to Me.” We have to allow God to teach us through His Word. We have to “hear and learn” from His Word. Romans 10:17 says, “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.” Being called by or drawn to God is not an actual voice that we can physically hear that no one else can hear. I’ve heard of denominational preachers who say that the spirit led or told them to say this or say that, and they mean this literally. But, if that were the case, wouldn’t this mean that God is a respecter of persons? It certainly would if He spoke one thing to one person, and something else to another. And we know from Romans 2:11 that He is not a respecter of persons. God speaks to everyone through His Word. His Word is a gift…..a living and powerful gift. (Hebrews 4:12) But…..it is up to us to open up His Word, read and study it, obey it, apply it to our lives, and teach it to others. (2 Timothy 2:15) This is how God draws us to Him. In many denominations, the preacher is the authority on what the Bible teaches, and people just take his word for it without studying for themselves. The preacher is put on a pedestal as a “man of God” whom God has spoken directly to, and told what to say. This is all wrong. The scriptures do not support this at all. A preacher has no more of a right or privilege to be “taught of God” than I do or anyone else does. He simply has the talent to “rightly divide the Word of truth” so that we can all gain a better understanding of the Word.  I am so thankful for gospel preachers who say, “Turn with me to ______, and let’s read from God’s Word”, or they have the scriptures on the powerpoint for us to turn to and read for ourselves. I have heard so many gospel preachers and teachers say, “Don’t take my word for it. Look up the scripture, and make sure that I am right.” I love that. It is the same way with brothers and sisters who are bible class teachers. They have the talent to research and explain God’s Word, and also question us and make us dive deeper into the context of verses and meat of the Word. No one is responsible for my spiritual education as an adult except for me. Once we are called by God, we each use our individual talents to help each other grow, and grow the body of Christ. And that is why God gave us all different abilities and talents to work together to “hear and learn” God’s Word, and share it with the world. 

One more thought……after we “hear and learn”, and God draws us to Him through our obedience, is it possible for us to fall away from God? Yes, it certainly is possible. We have to continue to be “taught of God” and “hear and learn” from God’s Word in order to stay “drawn” to God. James 4:8 says, “Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.” We have to do our part once God draws us to Him, and have the desire to draw near to Him out of pure love for Him. We do this through attending services of worship and bible study, through personal bible study, through our personal prayer life, through our ministry to our fellow Christians, and through our mission to help save the lost. Those are all equally important, and not in any order of importance. Everything we do matters to God once He calls or “draws” us to Him. Have you been “drawn” to Him through His pure Word? 

God means for everyone to learn what the Bible teaches about how to be saved. It only takes an open heart for Jesus, and a willingness to put away what we’ve been taught in the past, and truly read what God’s Word says for ourselves…..and then accept what it says and obey it. If I can help you in any way, I would love to! Are you walking in the light? Are you in Christ? Are you saved? If you aren’t or you are not sure if you are, I’d love to help you. Are you a member of the Lord’s church, but are struggling spiritually in your walk with Christ? If you are…..believe me, I’ve been there many times, and I’d love to help you. If you have any questions, please reach out. 

I love God’s Word. It challenges me to be better…..to do more in His service. It is interesting and keeps me on the edge of my seat wondering what is going to happen next. It gives me confidence and builds me up, and it brings me to my knees when my soul needs convicting! Thank you Father for the wonderful gift of Your Word!

God’s Plan of Salvation

Below is the plan that God has set forth in His Word, for humankind to receive His grace that leads to salvation and an eternity with God in heaven. This plan is straight from the Bible. 

We have to hear His word. (Romans 10:17) 

Upon hearing the message of Jesus, we believe it. (Mark 16:16) 

Then, we confess Jesus’ name before men. (Matthew 10:32) 

Next, we repent of our sins. (Acts 2:38, Acts 3:19) 

Finally, we are baptized into Christ for the remission of our sins.  (Acts 2:38, Matthew 28:18-20, Mark 16:16, Romans 6:3-4, Acts 22:16, 1 Corinthians 12:13, Galatians 3:26-27) After baptism, God adds us to His church. (Acts 2:47)

John 6:38-41

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 the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day. 

40 And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.”

41 The Jews then complained about Him, because He said, “I am the bread which came down from heaven.”

“Jesus Doesn’t Want To Lose ANYONE”

In verse 38, Jesus reiterates His origin and purpose. He is from heaven, and He is on earth to do God’s will only, not His own will. Jesus’ will and God’s will are one. 

Back in verse 37, Jesus said that all those whom the Father gives Him will come to Him. In verse 39, paraphrasing, Jesus says, “My Father’s will is for all people whom He has given Me to not be lost.” Who are the people that the Father has given to Jesus that He won’t lose? Verse 40 tells us that it is those who see Jesus for who He is, which is the Son of God, and believe in Him. Belief in Jesus includes obedience to Him. We know from previous verses that those who truly believe in Jesus, see Him as their spiritual bread and find complete satisfaction in Him. Those are the people whom God gave to Jesus for Him to NEVER lose. Those are the people who truly COME to Him like verse 37 said. We are to go to Jesus for satisfaction instead of the world. If we do that, He will never lose us. 

In both verses 39 and 40, we are told how Jesus will save these people that He will never lose. He will save them by raising them up at the last day, which is judgment day. In verse 41, we see the Jews complaining about the things Jesus is saying. The Jews have a history of being complainers or murmurers that goes way back to the wilderness wanderings. In my own words, I can just picture and hear their conversation with each other, “Bread from heaven? How can he make such a claim? We know his family! How can he come down from heaven when we know perfectly well that he is from Nazareth?” Sadly, they just didn’t understand, or they didn’t want to understand. 

Let’s look back one more time at verse 39. God’s will is for none to be lost. We know that God sent Jesus as a gift to the world. 2 Peter 3:9 says, paraphrasing, “God is patient, not wanting anyone to be lost, but wants all to repent and obey the gospel, before it’s too late.” This is why the world has been allowed to continue up to this point…..because of the patience of God. God wants to “give” as many to Jesus as He possibly can. God’s full measure of grace through Jesus Christ is still working in the lives of people every day. I know it gets discouraging for us to live in such a world of darkness. But we are not of the world. We are only in it for a short time, and we can’t lose heart. Galatians 6:9 says, “Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary.” More are being saved and snatched out of the fire every day. (Jude 1:23) God doesn’t want to lose a single person who is meant to be His. He knows every person who will “come” to Jesus in the future. No matter how bad it may look out there in the world sometimes, the future is still bright, because souls are being saved. There is so much work to do. No one is a hopeless case. Every person has the potential to be a Christian. It is our commission to plant seeds or water, and God will give the increase. (1 Corinthians 3:6) We just have to stay the course, keep the faith, and finish the race. (Hebrews 12:1-2, 1 Timothy 4:7, Philippians 3:12-14) And, as God’s vessels here in the world, we are to help save as many as we can along the way, so that Jesus will not lose them on the last day. 

God means for everyone to learn what the Bible teaches about how to be saved. It only takes an open heart for Jesus, and a willingness to put away what we’ve been taught in the past, and truly read what God’s Word says for ourselves…..and then accept what it says and obey it. If I can help you in any way, I would love to! Are you walking in the light? Are you in Christ? Are you saved? If you aren’t or you are not sure if you are, I’d love to help you. Are you a member of the Lord’s church, but are struggling spiritually in your walk with Christ? If you are…..believe me, I’ve been there many times, and I’d love to help you. If you have any questions, please reach out. 

I love God’s Word. It challenges me to be better…..to do more in His service. It is interesting and keeps me on the edge of my seat wondering what is going to happen next. It gives me confidence and builds me up, and it brings me to my knees when my soul needs convicting! Thank you Father for the wonderful gift of Your Word!

God’s Plan of Salvation

Below is the plan that God has set forth in His Word, for humankind to receive His grace that leads to salvation and an eternity with God in heaven. This plan is straight from the Bible. 

We have to hear His word. (Romans 10:17) 

Upon hearing the message of Jesus, we believe it. (Mark 16:16) 

Then, we confess Jesus’ name before men. (Matthew 10:32) 

Next, we repent of our sins. (Acts 2:38, Acts 3:19) 

Finally, we are baptized into Christ for the remission of our sins.  (Acts 2:38, Matthew 28:18-20, Mark 16:16, Romans 6:3-4, Acts 22:16, 1 Corinthians 12:13, Galatians 3:26-27) After baptism, God adds us to His church. (Acts 2:47)

John 6:34-37

34 Then they said to Him, “Lord, give us this bread always.”

35 And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst. 

36 But I said to you that you have seen Me and yet do not believe. 

37 All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.

“I AM THE BREAD OF LIFE”

In the previous verses, Jesus told the people that the bread from God would give “life to the world”, Then the people demanded that Jesus give them the bread “always”. (vs. 34) The “always” part sticks out to me. They don’t want just one meal. Jesus had already provided them with one meal. They were not satisfied with that. They wanted to be physically fed “always”. Also, they called Him, “Lord” which is supposed to be a sign of respect, but I can’t help but think that this was just another ploy to manipulate Jesus into thinking that they were showing respect, when in reality it wasn’t genuine. Again, these people are spiritually blind, and materialistic. Hasn’t this been all of us at one point or another? Aren’t we all materialistic at times? Don’t we all worry too much about the things of this world at times, instead of setting our “minds on things above”? (Colossians 3:2) Personally, I know that this is something I struggle with, pray about, and fight against. Also, haven’t we heard someone else say something similar to this to Jesus before? In John 4:15 when Jesus spoke of living water that quenches thirst for eternity, the Samaritan woman said, “Sir, give me this water, that I might not thirst, nor come here to draw.”  She also was thinking of physical water to begin with, but she showed a change of heart as she continued to listen to Jesus. She went and told everyone she saw about her encounter with Jesus, the Christ. She hadn’t seen any miracles. She only knew that He had told her things about her life that He couldn’t have known. These people had seen miracles, and were still shallow-minded and unbelieving. 

In verse 35, Jesus makes the first of His seven “I am” statements. He promised spiritual satisfaction to all who come to Him and believe in Him. He didn’t promise to give them bread and water. He says “I am the bread of life”. Jesus is the “bread from heaven” and the “living water”. When Jesus says “come to me”, it means “believe in me”. These people were coming to Jesus, but not in the way that Jesus means in this verse. They are coming to Jesus for selfish reasons, and not because they believed in Him…..not because they desired to obey Him. In Matthew 5:6, Jesus says, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled.” Hungering and thirsting after righteousness is believing and obeying Jesus. Jesus is the definition of righteousness. Do I hunger and thirst for Jesus? Nothing in this world can give us satisfaction except “the Bread of Life”. There is no inner peace without Him. Think about it this way. How do we feel when we are physically hungry or thirsty? We are uncomfortable until we are satisfied with food or drink to take away that feeling. When we are spiritually hungry or thirsty, we have no inner peace, no rest, and no satisfaction. We constantly worry about the future. We have nothing to trust in except the world, which is actually nothing. There is nothing in the world to put our trust in! What misery! Jesus is looking for the hearts that find complete contentment, and confidence in Him no matter what happens in their lives. I may be stripped of everything, but as long as I have “the Bread”, I will still be full. Of course, I fail miserably at this. I am human. I complain and fret over things that, in the big picture, really don’t matter. That is why I need “the Bread”…..the perfect “Bread from Heaven” who came to save an imperfect me. I do want to be content in Him. That is my goal. 

In verse 36, we see Jesus again reading their thoughts. These people have seen Jesus heal the sick and turn 5 loaves and 2 fish into a meal for thousands, yet they still don’t truly believe in Him. Later in John 20:29, Jesus will say to Thomas, “Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed.” I think about us. We haven’t seen Jesus with our eyes or heard Him with our ears, but we believe in Him with all our hearts. Jesus says we are “blessed”. Peter speaking to the “pilgrims of the Dispersion” in 1 Peter 1:8-9 says this referring to Jesus, “whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls.” Heaven is our “end game”, because we love,  believe in and obey Him without having seen Him. 

In verse 37, Jesus says, “All (those) that the Father has given me will come to Me.” If a person truly belongs to God, then he/she will believe in His Son. In John 5:43, Jesus says, “I have come in My Father’s name, and you do not receive Me.” God and Jesus are a package deal….one and the same. These Jewish people claim to be God’s chosen people, and they most certainly were! God had a purpose for them, and that purpose was fulfilled in Jesus coming from their lineage. However, they are now cutting their ties with God the Father,  by not accepting God the Son as the “Bread of Life.” Jesus ends this verse by stating that anyone who comes to Him will not be “thrown out” or “cast out”. The word “cast out” is a forceful word. When Jesus would “cast out” demons, He would cast them out by force. He will never do this to anyone who belongs to Him. God doesn’t want anyone to be lost, so He sent Jesus, the Bread, down to earth to secure all who come to Him. Remember, Jesus had the disciples gather all the leftover pieces of bread so that none would be lost. We are His disciples, and we are to try to gather as many lost souls as possible while we are here. In Matthew 8:12, Jesus spoke of those who would be “cast out into outer darkness”, where there would be “weeping and gnashing of teeth”. He said this after the centurion came to Him begging Him to heal His servant. Jesus told the man that He would come to his house and heal his servant, but the man said, “Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed.” Jesus marvelled at this centurion’s faith. This is the faith that Jesus is looking for…..the kind of faith that will lay everything precious at Jesus’ feet, and trust Him to take care of it all. Basically, Jesus is saying that if we don’t have the kind of faith of the centurion, then we will be cast out. Lord, help me have that kind of faith. 

God means for everyone to learn what the Bible teaches about how to be saved. It only takes an open heart for Jesus, and a willingness to put away what we’ve been taught in the past, and truly read what God’s Word says for ourselves…..and then accept what it says and obey it. If I can help you in any way, I would love to! Are you walking in the light? Are you in Christ? Are you saved? If you aren’t or you are not sure if you are, I’d love to help you. Are you a member of the Lord’s church, but are struggling spiritually in your walk with Christ? If you are…..believe me, I’ve been there many times, and I’d love to help you. If you have any questions, please reach out. 

I love God’s Word. It challenges me to be better…..to do more in His service. It is interesting and keeps me on the edge of my seat wondering what is going to happen next. It gives me confidence and builds me up, and it brings me to my knees when my soul needs convicting! Thank you Father for the wonderful gift of Your Word!

God’s Plan of Salvation

Below is the plan that God has set forth in His Word, for humankind to receive His grace that leads to salvation and an eternity with God in heaven. This plan is straight from the Bible. 

We have to hear His word. (Romans 10:17) 

Upon hearing the message of Jesus, we believe it. (Mark 16:16) 

Then, we confess Jesus’ name before men. (Matthew 10:32) 

Next, we repent of our sins. (Acts 2:38, Acts 3:19) 

Finally, we are baptized into Christ for the remission of our sins.  (Acts 2:38, Matthew 28:18-20, Mark 16:16, Romans 6:3-4, Acts 22:16, 1 Corinthians 12:13, Galatians 3:26-27) After baptism, God adds us to His church. (Acts 2:47)

John 6:30-33

30 Therefore they said to Him, “What sign will You perform then, that we may see it and believe You? What work will You do? 

31 Our fathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’ ”

32 Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven. 

33 For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”

“The True Bread of God…..Jesus”

“What sign are you going to do for us so that we will believe You?” Never mind the fact that He had just fed these same hungry people the day before! Seriously? So…..feeding 5000+ people with only 5 loaves and 2 fish was not enough of a sign for them to believe that Jesus was the Messiah? Plus, in John 6:2, it said that the reason the multitude followed Jesus in the first place was because of the sick people that He had healed. That blows my mind! They had plenty of proof! This was nothing more than a manipulative ploy by a selfish and spiritually blind group of people who wanted to get all the personal gain they could out of Jesus. They were still looking for physical satisfaction from Jesus, and looking at Him as an earthly king. 

In verse 31, they brought up the manna that their fathers ate in the wilderness by quoting Exodus 14:6. Why did they quote this scripture? Well, back in John 6:14, the people had already claimed that Jesus was the “Prophet” that Moses spoke of in the old testament. If you read between the lines, this is what they actually meant by quoting that verse…..“Moses made sure our fathers had bread from heaven for 40 years while they were wandering in the wilderness. You have only given us one meal. If you are the “Prophet”, surely you can give us more than Moses gave our fathers.” But Jesus made sure to remind them in verse 32 that Moses did not provide them their bread from heaven. God was always the provider of everything that Israel needed while in the wilderness. Then Jesus switches gears in the middle of this verse, and speaks in the present tense. He says, “But My Father gives you the true bread out of heaven.” We know that Jesus was speaking about Himself as the “true bread”. The physical manna was only a shadow of the spiritual manna that had come in the person of Jesus. 

In verse 33, Jesus goes on to say that this “true bread” from heaven is capable of giving life…..eternal life, to the whole world. The manna from heaven in the Old Testament was reserved only for the people of Israel, and fulfilled their physical hunger temporarily. Jesus is the “True Bread” that will satisfy our spiritual hunger for a lifetime, and on into eternity. If we want to gain access to the “True Bread”, we must be willing to believe in who the “True Bread” is, and obey Him. 

We live in a spiritually hungry world, and the sad thing is…..most people don’t realize that they are starving for the “True Bread”. They are starving for something that only Jesus can give, which is hope and salvation. They are looking in all the wrong places for satisfaction, but it all leads to emptiness. When I look back on my life, I remember that empty feeling that comes from being starved for the “Bread of Life”. It is much worse than physical hunger. I never want to be in that starving condition again. Are you starving for the “True Bread”? Our eternal souls cannot survive without it. Please reach out for help if you are in need of a Bible study. I will help you in any way that I can, or put you in contact with someone who can. 

God means for everyone to learn what the Bible teaches about how to be saved. It only takes an open heart for Jesus, and a willingness to put away what we’ve been taught in the past, and truly read what God’s Word says for ourselves…..and then accept what it says and obey it. If I can help you in any way, I would love to! Are you walking in the light? Are you in Christ? Are you saved? If you aren’t or you are not sure if you are, I’d love to help you. Are you a member of the Lord’s church, but are struggling spiritually in your walk with Christ? If you are…..believe me, I’ve been there many times, and I’d love to help you. If you have any questions, please reach out. 

I love God’s Word. It challenges me to be better…..to do more in His service. It is interesting and keeps me on the edge of my seat wondering what is going to happen next. It gives me confidence and builds me up, and it brings me to my knees when my soul needs convicting! Thank you Father for the wonderful gift of Your Word!

God’s Plan of Salvation

Below is the plan that God has set forth in His Word, for humankind to receive His grace that leads to salvation and an eternity with God in heaven. This plan is straight from the Bible. 

We have to hear His word. (Romans 10:17) 

Upon hearing the message of Jesus, we believe it. (Mark 16:16) 

Then, we confess Jesus’ name before men. (Matthew 10:32) 

Next, we repent of our sins. (Acts 2:38, Acts 3:19) 

Finally, we are baptized into Christ for the remission of our sins.  (Acts 2:38, Matthew 28:18-20, Mark 16:16, Romans 6:3-4, Acts 22:16, 1 Corinthians 12:13, Galatians 3:26-27) After baptism, God adds us to His church. (Acts 2:47)

John 6:26-29

26 Jesus answered them and said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. 

27 Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him.”

28 Then they said to Him, “What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?”

29 Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.”

“Believe in the One Whom God Sealed……That is Your Work of God”

In verse 26, we find Jesus answering the people whom He had just miraculously fed, but He isn’t answering the question that He was asked…..which I find a bit comical. In the previous verse, they wanted to know when He had come there. Remember, they were confused because they hadn’t seen how He got across the sea since He didn’t leave with His disciples. But, that is not what is important to Jesus. Jesus is there to challenge and teach them. Jesus says, paraphrasing, “Most certainly, I know that you have been looking for me, but not for the right reasons. You didn’t recognize the deeper meaning (signs) that I was trying to teach you. You are looking for me, only because you got your physical hunger fulfilled.” Again, here is that shallow belief that Jesus has spoken of before. The “what is in it for me” type of belief. They loved what Jesus could do for them, but didn’t love Jesus, the person. Let’s think of it in this way. How do we want others to love us? Our husbands? Our children? Our friends? Our fellow Christians? Do we want them to love us because of what they can get from us? This is not really love at all. It is selfishness. A marriage cannot be based on this. A friendship can’t either. No relationship will thrive if one or both parties are only looking out for number 1…..themselves. Remember what Paul said in Philippians 2:3-5, “Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus…..” Question: Do I have the mind of Christ in that I put others ahead of myself?

In verse 27, Jesus expounds on what He was trying to teach them with the loaves and fish. He says, paraphrasing, “Don’t put all your focus and hard work on physical/worldly/temporary things that don’t last. Put your focus and hard work on the things that last forever…..things that will fulfill and save your soul…..things which only the Son of Man can give you, because God has put His seal or stamp of approval on His Son so that through Him, you can have eternal life.” Jesus was trying to teach them that there is more to life than physical food and material things. All the physical food in the world will not save their souls. Yes, we have to eat. Yes, we need jobs so that we can make our way in the world. Yes, we need clothes. Yes, it is fine to have a comfortable home and a car to get us from place to place. Yes, we can go on vacations, and enjoy fun activities in this life. However, we need to always remember who has provided everything we have. Nothing is truly ours! And may we never forget that all these “things” are nothing compared to heaven. May we never let worldly things become our focus. May we always keep Jesus and His purpose at the center of our lives as our main focus. What do we work for in this life? Is our focus on the temporary material things of the world or the permanent/eternal things that come from Jesus? Remember the verse, “What profit do we have if we gain the whole world, and lose our soul to the devil?” (Mark 8:36) Jesus is “sealed” by God to be the only way to gain eternal life. This will never change. The tomb was sealed where they buried Jesus after His crucifixion, but that man-made sealed tomb couldn’t hold Jesus. Man-made seals can be broken, but nothing and no one can break the seal that God has put on Jesus. Hebrew 13:8 says, “Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today, and forever.” When we obey Jesus in baptism, we are sealed by God through the blood of Jesus. We will remain in that sealed relationship with Jesus unless we make the decision to willfully disobey Him or leave Him. May we all walk in the light so that we can remain in our sealed relationship with Jesus.  

In verse 28, the people are trying to figure out Jesus’ words, so they ask, paraphrasing, “What are the works that God wants us to do?”. Jesus is getting them to dig deep. I’m sure they are thinking, “So, we are not supposed to work for physical food, we are supposed to work for the things of God which lead to eternal life, but what work do we do? What is required of us?”. I can see how they might be confused. But Jesus……gives an amazing answer, simple…..but amazing! In verse 29, Jesus answers them, paraphrasing, “God has done the work. You just need to believe in the One that He sent. That is your work of God.” I love this. Eternal life is God’s work that He has accomplished. Our work is to simply believe in and obey Jesus. No amount of work can get us to heaven if we don’t believe in and obey Jesus. This is an extension of everything that we have learned so far in the book of John. We have to be “born again” spiritually as Jesus told Nicodemis. We have to drink the “living water” that He offered the Samaritan woman. We have to trust Jesus the way the nobleman did when he immediately returned home 20 miles after Jesus told him his son “lives”. It took trust for that father to take Jesus at His word that his precious son was healed. We have to eat of the “bread”, the spiritual food, that Jesus offers through His Word. We have to let Him in our “boat” so He can help us through the storms of life, and get us to land…..the eternal shore of heaven. Are you headed toward that eternal shore? Is Jesus the “bread” of your life? Have you been sealed by God through Jesus? 

God means for everyone to learn what the Bible teaches about how to be saved. It only takes an open heart for Jesus, and a willingness to put away what we’ve been taught in the past, and truly read what God’s Word says for ourselves…..and then accept what it says and obey it. If I can help you in any way, I would love to! Are you walking in the light? Are you in Christ? Are you saved? If you aren’t or you are not sure if you are, I’d love to help you. Are you a member of the Lord’s church, but are struggling spiritually in your walk with Christ? If you are…..believe me, I’ve been there many times, and I’d love to help you. If you have any questions, please reach out. 

I love God’s Word. It challenges me to be better…..to do more in His service. It is interesting and keeps me on the edge of my seat wondering what is going to happen next. It gives me confidence and builds me up, and it brings me to my knees when my soul needs convicting! Thank you Father for the wonderful gift of Your Word!

God’s Plan of Salvation

Below is the plan that God has set forth in His Word, for humankind to receive His grace that leads to salvation and an eternity with God in heaven. This plan is straight from the Bible. 

We have to hear His word. (Romans 10:17) 

Upon hearing the message of Jesus, we believe it. (Mark 16:16) 

Then, we confess Jesus’ name before men. (Matthew 10:32) 

Next, we repent of our sins. (Acts 2:38, Acts 3:19) 

Finally, we are baptized into Christ for the remission of our sins.  (Acts 2:38, Matthew 28:18-20, Mark 16:16, Romans 6:3-4, Acts 22:16, 1 Corinthians 12:13, Galatians 3:26-27) After baptism, God adds us to His church. (Acts 2:47)

John 6:22-25

22 On the following day, when the people who were standing on the other side of the sea saw that there was no other boat there, except that one which His disciples had entered, and that Jesus had not entered the boat with His disciples, but His disciples had gone away alone— 

23 however, other boats came from Tiberias, near the place where they ate bread after the Lord had given thanks— 

24 when the people therefore saw that Jesus was not there, nor His disciples, they also got into boats and came to Capernaum, seeking Jesus. 

25 And when they found Him on the other side of the sea, they said to Him, “Rabbi, when did You come here?”

Do I Seek Jesus With My Whole Heart?

“Where is He? He didn’t get in the boat with His followers, so where did He go?” At least these people were seeking Jesus! They may not have been looking for Him for the right reasons or with the right heart, as we will see in the next few verses, but they were seeking Him. They knew Jesus hadn’t gotten into the boat with His disciples, but He also wasn’t on the mountain anymore. So they went searching for Him. Faith has to start somewhere. I also think about how they wanted to take Him by force in the earlier verses! I wonder…..were they still of this mindset? Verse 25 says that they found Him. If we look forward to John 6:59, we see that they found Him in the synagogue. They wanted to know when He came across the sea ….”Teacher, when did you come here?” I’m sure they were curious. How did He get across the sea?! Jesus is going to speak to them in the next two verses, but doesn’t bother answering their question. Their question is irrelevant. It didn’t matter how He got across the water. However, it did matter that they were seeking Jesus. And Jesus was ready to speak to them. Are we seeking Jesus? Are we seeking Him with the right motives?

When do we seek Jesus? 1 Chronicles 16:11 and Psalm 105:4 both say that we are to “seek His presence continually”. We are to never stop seeking Jesus. We can’t just seek Him on Sundays and Wednesdays when we attend services, and then seek after the world the rest of the time. 

How do we seek Jesus? We are to seek Him “with our whole heart”. (Jeremiah 29:13, Deuteronomy 4:29) He should be at the forefront of our minds constantly. He is our reason for everything we do. He is at the core of every decision we make in our lives. 

Why do we seek Jesus? Hebrews 11:6 tells us that Jesus is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. Obviously, we seek Him because we want the reward of heaven. We certainly don’t want the other option. But that is not all…..we seek Jesus continually with our whole heart, because it is the only way to stay on the narrow path. If we don’t seek Him, we will fall away, and we will lose the reward of heaven. Psalm 119:10 says this very thing, “With my whole heart I have sought You; Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments!” We seek Jesus, because He came to earth to seek out each one of us, and save our souls. (Luke 19:10) We seek Him, because we love Him with all our heart, soul, and mind. (Matthew 22:37) We seek Him because He is our creator. (John 1:3) If we seek Jesus just for the reason of going to heaven and not going to hell, then we are no different than the people who were following Him because of His miracles. We seek Him because He loved us so much that He was willing to suffer and die for us. “We love Him, because He first loved us.” (1 John 4:19) 

Where do we seek Jesus? First and foremost, we seek Jesus through the Word of God. Psalm 119:11 says, “Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You.” Seeking Him includes attending worship and bible study services, personal bible study, looking for opportunities to tell others about Jesus, talking about Him in our day to day lives, and praying to Him throughout each day. We seek Jesus in other people when we look for the good in others without focusing on the negative. Seeking Him is a combination of all of these things. We seek Jesus everywhere…..in every opportunity. 

Question: Am I seeking Jesus continually, with my whole heart? 

God means for everyone to learn what the Bible teaches about how to be saved. It only takes an open heart for Jesus, and a willingness to put away what we’ve been taught in the past, and truly read what God’s Word says for ourselves…..and then accept what it says and obey it. If I can help you in any way, I would love to! Are you walking in the light? Are you in Christ? Are you saved? If you aren’t or you are not sure if you are, I’d love to help you. Are you a member of the Lord’s church, but are struggling spiritually in your walk with Christ? If you are…..believe me, I’ve been there many times, and I’d love to help you. If you have any questions, please reach out. 

I love God’s Word. It challenges me to be better…..to do more in His service. It is interesting and keeps me on the edge of my seat wondering what is going to happen next. It gives me confidence and builds me up, and it brings me to my knees when my soul needs convicting! Thank you Father for the wonderful gift of Your Word!

God’s Plan of Salvation

Below is the plan that God has set forth in His Word, for humankind to receive His grace that leads to salvation and an eternity with God in heaven. This plan is straight from the Bible. 

We have to hear His word. (Romans 10:17) 

Upon hearing the message of Jesus, we believe it. (Mark 16:16) 

Then, we confess Jesus’ name before men. (Matthew 10:32) 

Next, we repent of our sins. (Acts 2:38, Acts 3:19) 

Finally, we are baptized into Christ for the remission of our sins.  (Acts 2:38, Matthew 28:18-20, Mark 16:16, Romans 6:3-4, Acts 22:16, 1 Corinthians 12:13, Galatians 3:26-27) After baptism, God adds us to His church. (Acts 2:47)