[0:00] If you are someone here tonight who has children in your house, whether it's grandchildren or children or brothers or sisters or whatever, you probably still have the remnants of various chocolate shells, eggs that have been given to the children in the past few weeks.
[0:23] And these chocolate eggs that are exchanged, that come in great number upon the houses of those who have children, these eggs are supposed to remind us about Easter.
[0:35] What's Easter all about? Well, it isn't about chocolate eggs. It's not about chickens and bunnies and buns. Easter is all about the fact that he, Jesus, he has and he is risen.
[0:56] But even if you're not one who fits these categories, even if you're not one who has children in the house, even if your home is a children-free and a chocolate-egg-free zone, even if Easter came and went and passed you by virtually unnoticed, today is the Lord's day.
[1:15] And this is the day that has been set aside so that we will very deliberately remember that he, Jesus, he has risen from the dead.
[1:33] And that is the pinnacle of the gospel message. That is what should thrill our souls. That is what should light up our faces. That is the good news.
[1:49] The gospel. What is the gospel? We are commissioned to go out with the gospel. Not only those who stand here, but every believer.
[2:01] It's commissioned to go out into all the world and share the gospel. What is the gospel? Sometimes I think we make the mistake of believing that the gospel is about us.
[2:14] And our experience of when Jesus met with us. Now, when Jesus meets with us, it may be an awesome experience. It will be an awesome experience.
[2:24] And the change he brings into our life is a wonderful thing. And to be able to give a testimony of that is a real privilege. But that's not the gospel.
[2:39] The gospel that we are called to share is the good news about Jesus Christ. Not about you.
[2:50] Not about me. Not about how we feel. But all about Christ. The fact that he, the God-man, came from glory to this world.
[3:05] And lived a sinless life that you and I could never live. And died the sinner's death that we deserve to die. But death could not hold him.
[3:20] And as we sang with our eyes upon the cross. We give thanks for the fact that the faithful and the holy one. He did not see corruption.
[3:32] He did not see decay. Because on the third day, Jesus rose from the dead. Just as he said. That's the gospel.
[3:45] That is the good news about Jesus Christ. And these gospel truths, they may have happened thousands of years ago. And they may have happened thousands of miles away from where we are.
[3:59] But they are not remote from us. They are not disconnected with us. What Jesus did in dying and rising, it changes everything. Everything.
[4:12] Everything. Do we realize? That because Jesus died. If we confess our sin.
[4:27] No matter how heinous our sin may be. We are forgiven. On account of the punishment that he took. For us.
[4:38] We are saved. And we are saved from the coming wrath. We are saved from eternal death. We are saved from hell. Because Jesus died.
[4:50] For our sins. And because he rose to new life. We can live. We can live abundantly.
[5:04] We can live fully. We can live joyfully. We are saved. We are saved. From hell. From sin.
[5:15] From Satan. From death. And we are saved into eternal life. Verse 47.
[5:29] Of John 6. Jesus says. Truly. Truly. I say to you. Whoever. Believes. Has.
[5:43] Present tense. Has. Eternal life. Not may have. Not may have. Not has a chance.
[5:54] Possibly. But has. Eternal life. And that eternal life. That Jesus gives.
[6:06] To those who come. In faith to him. We enjoy the beginnings of here. As we come into relationship. With Christ. Christ. And then we will enjoy.
[6:19] In fullness. In perfection. In the hereafter. Eternally. So I was preparing.
[6:32] The quote. That I shared with you. Just a few months back. Although it seems like a lifetime ago. It came back to my mind. The quote from Spurgeon. Spurgeon says this.
[6:44] In relation to Psalm 23. He says. We have suffered. Bereavement. After bereavement. But we are going to the land. Of the immortal. Where graves do not exist.
[6:58] Here sin is a constant grief to us. But there. We will be perfectly holy. For there will be nothing.
[7:09] In heaven. To defile it. What a day. What a promise. What a prospect.
[7:22] For the Christian. To be. In that place. Where we will be with Jesus. Intimately.
[7:33] And eternally. To be in that place. Where we will be like. Jesus. And not battling with this sin.
[7:47] That is so ugly. That day. When Jesus returns. As judge. And king. To lead.
[7:58] His people. His bride. To that new heaven. And that new. Earth. Will be someday. And that place.
[8:13] That Jesus. Has prepared. For the people of God. Will be some place. So let me ask you.
[8:27] Are you going to that place? Where you will be. Eternally with. Christ. And with those.
[8:39] Who are in Christ. How can we know? Can we know? Can we be sure? Well we can be sure.
[8:52] The definitive question is. Have we come to Jesus? Have we asked for forgiveness? Have we received his grace?
[9:10] Verse 37. Jesus says. All that the father gives me. Will come to me. That we may raise our hand. And say. How do I know?
[9:21] If I am one that the father has given to the son. How do I know? If I am one of these people. Or do you see Jesus? With your eyes of faith?
[9:36] Do you see that cross? Where he died? Do you see the reason why he died? Do you see the sin? In yourself? And the need that you have for a savior?
[9:53] If you see that. That is a revelation. Of the Holy Spirit. That is God who opens our eyes to see that. And why does he show us?
[10:04] He shows us. Not to be cruel. And withhold that from us. He shows us. So that we will come. Come. All that the father gives me.
[10:18] Will come. To me. And whoever. Comes to me. I will never cast out. Is there anyone here who thinks.
[10:32] That they are too ugly. Too far gone. To come. Listen to what. J.C. Ryle says. He says this.
[10:44] What. Did our Lord mean. By saying. I will in no wise cast out. He meant that he will not refuse. To save anyone. Who comes to him.
[10:56] No matter what. He may have been. His past sins. May have been very great. His present weaknesses. And infirmity. May be very great.
[11:08] But does he come to Christ. By faith. Then Christ will receive him. Graciously. Pardon him freely. Place him.
[11:19] In the number. Of his dear children. And give him. Everlasting. Life. All.
[11:31] That the father. Gives to me. Will come to me. And whoever. Comes to me. I will in no wise.
[11:44] Never. Cast out. Not today. Not tomorrow. And not on that day.
[11:57] When Jesus returns. Christian. Do you often think.
[12:09] Upon that day. That. Great day. When Jesus. Will return. Today.
[12:20] I think we are busier. Than we've ever been. We have calendars. In our pockets. Days. That are rammed. With appointments. And events. We have more days.
[12:32] Marked. Than we. Than we care to know. But are we thinking. Day by day. About that. Great day. Martin Luther.
[12:45] Famously said. There are only. Two days. In my calendar. This day. The day. That the Lord. Has given me. And that day.
[12:58] The day. When the Lord. Jesus. Will return. And the question. I would like to think about. In the short. Time that we have.
[13:10] Left. Is how do we live. Between. That day. And this day. We are in that.
[13:21] In between. Period. How do we live. If we are Christians. And if we look back. At John 6. Let's look particularly. At verses 51.
[13:32] To verse 58. Fear not. That wasn't. A very lengthy introduction. We're not. In the first five minutes. Of the sermon. We're moving. To a conclusion. But let's look at.
[13:44] John 6. Verses. 51. To 58. Jesus says. I am the living bread. That came down from heaven. If anyone eats. Of this bread. He will live forever. And the bread.
[13:54] That I. Will give. For the life of the world. Is my flesh. The Jews. Then disputed. Amongst themselves. Saying. How can this man. Give us his flesh. To eat.
[14:05] So Jesus said to them. Truly. Truly. I say to you. Unless you eat the flesh. Of the son of man. And drink his blood. You have no life in you. Whoever feeds on my flesh.
[14:17] And drinks my blood. Has eternal life. And I will raise him up. On the last day. For my flesh. Is true food. And my blood. Is true drink. Whoever feeds on my flesh.
[14:29] And drinks my blood. Abides in me. And I in him. As the living father. Sent me. And I live because of the father. So whoever. Feeds on me. He also.
[14:39] Will live. Because of me. This. Is the bread. That came down from heaven. Not like the bread. The fathers ate. And died.
[14:50] Whoever. Feeds on this bread. Will live forever. Two questions for a moment. About these verses. First of all.
[15:05] Who is Jesus. Revealing himself to be. This is the recurring question. In John's gospel. This is the whole reason. That John is written. Who is Jesus. Revealing himself to be here.
[15:17] Well he's revealing himself. To be. The living bread. The source of life. Now bread. Back in. The day of. Writing here. That was the staple food.
[15:29] There was no great selection. In their larders. In that day. There was a children's stock. In that day. The bag wouldn't have had. Cans of tuna. And packets of jelly. And packets of crisps. It was very basic.
[15:42] What was on the menu. In Christ's day. There was bread. There was fish. That was. The majority of it. For the common man. There were no foodies.
[15:54] There was no master chef competitions. Where the perfect souffle. Was baked. They ate to live. They had a different perspective. And bread was what sustained them.
[16:06] And Jesus' claim. Repeatedly and clearly. Was. To be the living bread. The one. Verse 51. Who came down from heaven. The son of man.
[16:17] Verse 53. The son of God. Jesus in verse 51. When he said. I am. The living bread. Those listening. Far quicker than us.
[16:29] Would have made that connection. With Exodus 3. They would have recognized. That Jesus was taking. That saying. I am. The name of God. To himself.
[16:43] They would have recognized. That Jesus was not. Claiming. Celebrity status. But he was claiming. Deity status. And verse 52.
[16:56] Tells us. It caused an argument. Back then. And as we listen. To our culture. We hear. That it still continues. To cause an argument today.
[17:09] In government. In schools. This very point. May be. Causing an argument. In the secret place. Of your heart.
[17:21] As you wrestle. With the question. Of who Jesus is. And how. You should respond to him. This very question. May be causing. A dispute.
[17:32] In your home. Amongst your family. As consideration. Is given. To the question.
[17:42] Of who is Jesus. Well Jesus. Reveals himself. To be. The living. Bread. The life.
[17:54] Giver. The great. I am. Jesus. Reveals himself. To be not. Just a man.
[18:05] Not just a prophet. Not just a teacher. Not just a miracle maker. But the promised Christ. God the son.
[18:18] The savior. John's. John's whole purpose. In writing. The key verse. In this gospel. Is in chapter 20. And in verse 31.
[18:30] Why does John write? He writes. He tells us. That you may believe. That Jesus. Is the Christ. The son. Of God. And that by believing. You may have life.
[18:43] In his name. Do you believe. Are you trusting. In Christ.
[18:55] Have you come to him. In faith. Do you have life. In his name. Jesus was telling them.
[19:09] Who he was. And is. In these verses. And secondly. Jesus. In these verses. Was telling them. What he was going to do. Why he was there.
[19:22] His purpose. In coming to this world. And he makes clear. In verse 51. That he was going to. Give himself. His flesh. For the life of the world.
[19:32] It was a pointer. Forward. To Calvary. Where his body. Would be broken. And his blood. Would be shed. For the life. Of the world.
[19:43] The bread. That I. Will give. For the life. Of the world. Is my flesh. Says Jesus. And note that phrase. The world. So often.
[19:54] We read it. In John's gospel. Jesus loved the world. John 3.16. For God. So loved the world. The problem with the world.
[20:06] Is not. The world. That God created. The problem with the world. Is the sin. That came in at the fall. When God created the world.
[20:16] It was good. We're told in Genesis. It was perfect. It was glorious. Jesus loved.
[20:28] Jesus loves the world. That he made. He will return. Romans 8. To redeem. To redeem. A world. That groans.
[20:38] Under the weight. Of sin. So. If you're a Christian. Here tonight. How do you view the world? Don't hate the world.
[20:55] Sometimes. We meet people. Who have this kind of. Hyper puritanical. View. And it's almost like. They hate. Everything. In the world. Don't have that perspective.
[21:09] Don't withdraw. From the world. Into some. Monastic existence. Don't become. Piously. Detached. From the world. Hate sin.
[21:20] Yes. Hate Satan. Yes. As we see the effects. Of all that he has done. But be encouraged. To love the world.
[21:32] As Jesus did. And to love life. As Jesus did. And to live in all. Fullness. As Jesus.
[21:43] Has commanded us to. In John 10. 10. Until he comes. So how can we do that?
[21:56] How can we. Live. Life. To the full. How. Can you and I. Live life. In a way. That glorifies God. How can we live.
[22:08] This day. And every day. That God gives us. In a way. That anticipates. And looks forward. To that great day. Three practical.
[22:21] Applications. To close. First of all. Be satisfied. With Jesus. And be thankful.
[22:31] For the gifts. That he allows. You and I. To have. See the crowd. That came to Jesus. They had it the wrong way around. They go looking for some more.
[22:42] Free bread and fish. And they overlook Jesus. And Jesus knows that. As they come. In a great throng. When they found him.
[22:52] Verse 25. On the other side of the sea. They said to him. Rabbi. When did you come here? Jesus answered them. Truly. Truly. I say to you. You are seeking me.
[23:04] Not because you saw signs. But because you ate. You're full of the loaves. And then in verse 31. Even though Jesus.
[23:17] Corrects them. Still their focus is on the bread. And they're reminding Christ. Of the manna. Account in scripture. That comes from Exodus 16.
[23:27] And what they're saying. Essentially to Jesus. Is. Your feeding of the 5,000. Was wonderful. We'd like to see. We'd like to see some more. Of that kind of thing. In the wilderness.
[23:39] Remember. The manna. It came down. Not just one day. But many many days. We're. We're kind of hoping. This might be a series. There may be.
[23:51] Sign after sign. And miracle after miracle. That we benefit from. As we gather around you. And Jesus lovingly. Corrects them. And he tells them. Satisfaction of soul.
[24:02] Comes not from the bread. Not from the manna. But from him. The living bread. The bread.
[24:13] And the fish. That they enjoyed. The day. Previous. It was a gift. Just like the manna. Had been a gift.
[24:25] To their forefathers. Not from Moses. But from the one. Who Moses looked to. The father.
[24:35] And Jesus. Is saying to them. Be thankful. To your father. For the gift. Of bread. That you enjoyed. But don't go looking.
[24:48] For satisfaction. From the bread. Don't think. That your souls. Are going to be satisfied. With a gift. Like.
[24:58] The bread. That you ate. Look for satisfaction. Rather. Not in the gift. But in the giver. The living bread.
[25:10] Christ himself. Verse 35. Jesus. Said to them. I. Am. The bread. Of life. Whoever.
[25:21] Comes to me. Shall not hunger. And whoever. Believes. In me. Shall never. Thirst. And you know.
[25:33] The lesson. For them. On that day. I think. It comes. With just as much force. If not more. To us. On this day. When we have.
[25:45] So much more. In the way of. Gifts. That we. Hoard. And look to. How do we live happy.
[25:57] And. Joyful. And fulfilled. God. And God. Glorifying. Glorifying. Lives. Today. And every day. Until Christ.
[26:07] Comes. Well. The answer is. Matthew. 633. 633. Most concisely. Seek. First. Jesus. And his.
[26:20] Kingdom. And his. Righteousness. Feed your soul. On him. And your soul. Will be satisfied. And all.
[26:33] The other things. That are part. Of our lives. Will be added. As the Lord. Sees fit. And they can be enjoyed. Truly. In their proper place.
[26:43] If we leave them. In their proper place. And so. I don't know. What bread. Signifies. In your life. As you don't know. What it signifies. In mine. Might be a desire.
[26:53] For money. Might be a desire. For success. In your workplace. It might be. A desire. For health. Or for love. Or for success. In sport. Or for land.
[27:04] And crops. And cars. And clothes. I don't know. What it is. These things. In themselves. They're not bad things. They're good things.
[27:18] They're gifts. That can be enjoyed. As long. As we are. Remembering. They're just. Gifts. And if we take. These good things.
[27:29] And we put them. In God's place. They will let us down. Every time. Because good things.
[27:42] Make bad gods. Because there is one true God. And he. Is the one. Who is speaking to us. If we put.
[27:53] Gifts. In God's place. Our wallets. And our bellies. May be fat. But our souls. Will starve. But if God comes first.
[28:09] We can enjoy. The gifts. That he blesses us with. In their right place. And our souls. Will find. True.
[28:20] Satisfaction. In him. Augustine. Augustine. In his. Confessions. Said.
[28:31] Our hearts. Are restless. Until they can find. Rest. In you. How do we live.
[28:47] Between. This day. And that day. Be satisfied. With Jesus. And be thankful. For the gifts.
[28:59] That he allows us to have. And secondly. Be still. With Jesus. Verse 27. Do not work.
[29:10] For the food. That perishes. But for the food. That endures. To eternal life. Which the son of man. Will give to you. Now this is not.
[29:20] A get. Out of work. Free card. Jesus worked. As a carpenter. For many years. He worked. Intensely. In ministry. Paul. Rebuked.
[29:31] The Thessalonians. And second. Thessalonians. For being lazy. And not. Giving themselves. To work. This is not an instruction. That we're given. To down tools.
[29:42] But this is a. A wise word. From Christ. As to what. We pour ourselves. Into. And what we are. Devoted to. And if I had time.
[29:53] And I don't have time. Because it's gone. We could go to Luke. Chapter 10. And there we see. Mary and Martha. And Martha. Is in the kitchen. And she's working. And Mary. Is sitting at the feet.
[30:04] Of Jesus. And Martha. Is furious. Because Mary. Is not helping. So Martha. Confronts Jesus. And she says. Tell Mary. To help me. Working. And Jesus. Says no.
[30:17] Mary. Is chosen. To do the best thing. In listening to me. And being still. With me. See the lesson. Martha.
[30:30] Was working. At dinner. Mary. Was working. At her relationship. With Jesus. Dinner.
[30:42] Will come and go. But the relationship. With Christ. Will endure. Forever. Forever. And that's the perspective. You and I both.
[30:54] Have to maintain. Through life. The one. Relationship. We must not neglect. Is our relationship. With Jesus. The one labor.
[31:05] That we must prioritize. Above all things. Is to be still. With Jesus. Again.
[31:18] J.C. Ryle. This is what he says. How are we to labor? There is but one answer. We must labor. In the use of all. Appointed means.
[31:28] We must read our Bibles. Like people. Digging for hidden treasure. Do you do that? Do I do that? So we open our word. In the morning. God's word. Are we digging for treasure?
[31:41] We've taken a box. Ryle says. We must read our Bibles. Like people. Digging for hidden treasure. We must wrestle. Earnestly in prayer.
[31:52] Like people. Contending. With a deadly enemy. For life. We must take our whole heart. To the house of God. And worship.
[32:04] Is that our state presently? Our whole hearts. In the house of God. Engaged.
[32:15] In the act of worship. Or our hearts. Divided. And our minds wandering here. There and everywhere. This is the labor.
[32:26] Says Ryle. That we are to apply ourselves to. Our relationship. With Christ. Being still. With Christ. And when we get that right. When we ensure.
[32:38] That we are laboring. And taking time. To walk. With God. Every other labor. From. Joinery. To. Accountancy. To. Whatever it is you do.
[32:49] It won't suffer. But it will benefit. Because you have a new perspective. On work. You are working. Not for your employer.
[32:59] But you are working. For the Lord. And every relationship. Also benefits. Because Christ enables.
[33:11] You and I. To be the best fathers. And the best mothers. And the best sisters. And the best brothers. And the best children. That we can possibly be. So the time.
[33:21] That we invest. With Christ. Is time. That. Is invested. For eternity. And it's time. That enriches. Every pursuit. And every relationship. That we are. Part of.
[33:35] So be still. With Jesus. That's how to live. Be satisfied. With Jesus. Or. Finally. Be sad.
[33:47] Without Jesus. And you might say to me. What a terrible way. To end a sermon. And I might be inclined.
[33:58] To agree with you. But I end here. Because this is the note. The chapter ends on. There were those. Who determined.
[34:10] That this was the end. Of the road for them. In their following. And I've got that. In inverted commas. Their following. Of Christ. John 6.
[34:22] Marks the point of decision. And that sad. Verse. 66. Shows that many of them. Said this far.
[34:34] And no further. They turned back. They followed no more. They walked away.
[34:49] Did they walk away. With a spring in their step. No. They walked away sad. Just like the rich. Sean Lueur did. In Mark chapter 10.
[35:01] And when he came to Jesus. I want eternal life. He says. I have everything. Jesus sees the gods. That he's holding on to. And says. Sell them all. Follow me.
[35:15] He walked away sad. The price was too high. And here we find the crowd.
[35:26] A proportion of them. Walking. Away. Grumbling. The question. Is how will you walk.
[35:39] Away tonight. If you walk away. From Jesus. You may. Be successful.
[35:51] In many ways. In the eyes. Of this world. You may reach. You may reach. Good heights. In your workplace. Your bank balance.
[36:02] May be bursting. But you will be sad. All through your life. At that deep. Profound.
[36:13] Soul level. And then when your life. Comes to an end. You will be sad. Eternally. Because you will spend. Eternity. Apart from Christ.
[36:28] And apart from. Every good thing. Every blessing. That comes from the hand. Of Christ. So can I plead with you.
[36:38] To finish. Do not walk. Away. From Jesus. Because he alone.
[36:50] Has the words. Of eternal life. Rather come to Jesus. Because whoever comes to him.
[37:03] He will in no wise. Cast out. And as we come. And as we keep on coming.
[37:14] To be still with him. We will find that our souls. Are fully. Satisfied. In him.
[37:28] May that be our testimony. May that be. Our experience. And may God bless these thoughts. Upon his word to us. Let's pray.