[0:00] This message was recorded at Vision Baptist Church in Alpharetta, Georgia. This is the next message in our series on the book of John entitled Jesus is God.
[0:14] All right, take your Bible if you would and open it to the book of John chapter 6. How many of you have enjoyed the evening? Say amen. Enjoyed hearing from the missionaries, enjoyed hearing from the ladies and then the blog, and I hope you have had a good time tonight.
[0:27] In the book of John chapter 6, we move now into verse, we'll start in verse 43 and read down to verse 51. And if you take notes, write this down somewhere.
[0:39] We want to help them here. We want to help them here. John chapter 6, verse 43, the Bible says, Jesus therefore answered and said unto them, murmur not among yourselves.
[0:51] No man can come to me except the Father which has sent me draw him, and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the prophets, and they shall be all taught of God.
[1:02] Every man therefore that hath heard and hath learned of the Father cometh unto me. Not that any man has seen the Father, save he which is of God, he has seen the Father.
[1:13] Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that believeth on me hath everlasting life. I am that bread of life. Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness and are dead. This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof and not die.
[1:27] I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If any man eat of this bread, he shall live forever. And the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.
[1:39] Father God in heaven, challenge us as believers to carry the gospel and to witness to people, to give out gospel tracts, to pray for lost people, and to be concerned about getting the gospel around the world.
[1:52] God, challenge us as a church tonight to have a heart to reach people with your gospel, and I will give you great praise and honor and glory for all that you do. We love you and thank you in Jesus' precious name.
[2:03] Amen. If you got your ink pen, go with me to verse 48 and circle this. I am that bread of life. I am that bread of life. Jesus is the bread of life.
[2:14] He is very special. This passage makes a comparison between the bread of life and between the manna that was given in the Old Testament. We'll look at that in just a minute. Then go down to the end of verse 51 and put a circle around this, the life of the world.
[2:30] Now, Jesus came, it says in verse 51, I'm the living bread which came down from heaven. If any man eat of this bread, he shall live forever. And the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I give, I will give for the life of the world.
[2:45] Don't you praise God? You serve a God that cares about everybody on this planet. If you do, you like that? Amen. What a wonderful truth. What a wonderful, wonderful message. But here's the, here's a goer sender message right out of John chapter six.
[3:00] And that is number one, people are drawn to the Lord by the preaching of the word of God. Go with me to verse 44 again. And I want you to write that down. People are drawn by the preaching of the word of God.
[3:13] God uses his word to teach people so they can be saved. Verse 44. No man can come to me except the father which has sent me draw him and I will raise him up at the last day.
[3:24] It is written in the prophets and they shall all be, they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard and hath learned of the father cometh unto me. All are to be taught the word of God.
[3:37] Did you, would you underline that in that verse? All taught. So his, his goal, his heart in the Old Testament, probably talking about the nation of Israel. But you know what? In the New Testament, he makes it clear.
[3:48] Take the gospel to the whole world. Matthew chapter 28, verses 18 through 20. Take it to the world. Mark 16, 15. Take it to the world. The last chapters of Luke. Take it to the world. It is our God's will and gospel that the world hear the gospel message of Jesus Christ.
[4:04] The only way to be saved is to hear the truth and to learn it. Look if you would at Romans chapter 10, verses 9 through 15. You really ought to look this up. I know it'll be up here behind you.
[4:14] Let me show you Romans chapter 10, verse 9. This is a missionary night. We talk about sending the gospel around the world. And look what the Bible says. And most of us have spent plenty of time in verses 9 through 13.
[4:26] The Bible says, Now you've seen these verses and you know these verses.
[4:58] But look, here's what he says in verse 14. Look at verse 14 and consider what we do as a church. What we're doing tonight as we talk about being senders and as we talk about being goers. Look at what we do.
[5:09] Look if you would in verse 14. How then shall they call on him whom they've not believed? They have to call. They have to believe or they can't call. It's not just saying the words.
[5:20] They've got to believe in their heart and make confession with their mouth that said up there earlier. And then it says, And how shall they believe in him whom they've not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach except they be sent?
[5:32] So God's plan is that we send and that somebody goes and teaches and preaches. And they hear and they believe and they get saved. So we have a responsibility tonight.
[5:43] God wants everyone to hear. God wants people to be saved. He wants people to go to heaven. There's goers in verse 14. They're going to go and they're going to tell the word.
[5:54] They're going to be the preacher of the gospel. They're senders in verse 15. Except they be sent. So you and I are going to get involved in getting the gospel of Jesus Christ to the world.
[6:04] I hope as a church we'll help them here. I hope we'll help them here right here in this area. I hope we'll get the gospel out where they can hear the gospel here. And I hope that we'll get the gospel out to the world.
[6:16] John chapter 5 and verse 24. Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that heareth my word. He that heareth my word and believeth on him that sent me hath everlasting life.
[6:27] Romans 10 to 17. Right there where you are. Look at what it says. So then faith cometh by what? Hearing. We are to help them hear. We're to help them hear. We want to take the gospel message to them.
[6:40] Yes, it's the Holy Spirit that will convict them. Yes, they come to the Father through Jesus. But we're commanded to take the gospel to them. Let me just ask a couple of questions to us tonight. Do you share the gospel with your family and your friends and the people around you?
[6:54] Do you ever give out gospel tracks to people where you are? The places you go, the restaurants, the guy at the store. Do you have a gospel track? Do you invite people to church? You don't have to be pushy to invite them.
[7:05] We just heard the story that Scott told tonight. Do you invite people? Do you share the gospel? Do you try that we want them to hear? Do you support the ministry of this church? So help us be faithful and through your faithful giving.
[7:16] Do you pray that God will send out laborers? Do you pray for mysteries? Are you taking part in our missionary offering? It is God's will that they be drawn through the preaching of the word. That's what this whole church is about.
[7:27] Every Sunday school class, the children's church, every ministry of the church. Tell somebody about Jesus. Now look at verse 46. Go back to John chapter 6 and verse 46.
[7:37] First, they're going to hear and learn and come. Verse 46 says, but nobody's seen the father but Jesus. And so here's what I wish you'd write down.
[7:50] People will only see the father through Jesus. Nobody will ever see the father except through Jesus. There's only one way to him. Verse 46 said, not that any man has seen the father, save he which is of God.
[8:02] That's Jesus. He's seen the father. John 14, 6. I'm the way, the truth, and the life. No man comes to the father but by me. Just for the sake of time, just let me say to you real quickly.
[8:13] Do you understand that probably the harshest and boldest claim that Christianity, true Christianity makes it this? That you can only be saved through Jesus. People all over the world are offended by that.
[8:25] What's wrong with Islam? What's wrong with this religion? What's wrong with that religion? Only one way to get saved, but that's what Jesus said. Jesus said in John 14, 6. I am the way, the truth, the life.
[8:38] And no man comes to the father. They got to hear. We have to get the gospel to them. I wish it was possible that they could all get saved. I wish it was possible that everybody believed whatever they believed would all get there.
[8:49] But the Bible simply doesn't say that. Can you say amen? They need to hear. We want to get the gospel to them. They need to see the father. How do they see the father? They see the father through Jesus. Let's look at what it said in John chapter 14, verses 8 and 9.
[9:02] Philip said unto him, Lord, show us the father. And it sufficeth us. Jesus answered. Jesus said unto him, have I been so long with you? And yet thou hast not known me, Philip?
[9:13] He that has seen me has seen the father. How sayest thou then? Show us the father. Philip, if you see Jesus, you see the father. Here's the problem.
[9:24] The great majority of the people in the world have not seen Jesus. We are to go. We are to tell. They got to hear. They got to learn. And we ought to sin.
[9:35] Now look with me. The last thing, if you would go to John chapter 6 and verse 47. John chapter 6 and verse 47. The Bible says, Let's remind you where we are in the story.
[10:14] In the Bible, what's happened is he's fed all these 5,000 men, not counting the women and the children. It's been a great miracle. Then they still doubted who he is. And then when he tells them who he is and he tries to get it across to them, they say, Hey, not that big a deal that you can breed down bread and feed 5,000 men, not counting women and children.
[10:31] Moses did it all the time. Happened every day. And so Jesus looked at him and said, well, let me just go ahead and tell you something. Moses brought down bread that you ate and you died. You ate it every day, but you died.
[10:41] I am living bread. And if you eat this bread, you don't die. This is not Moses. This is not manna. This is not a little piece of bread you eat and fill your belly. I have gospel message for you.
[10:54] I am the bread of life and I give my life on a cross that you can be saved. Salvation and eternal life comes by believing in Jesus. We're believing that he is the bread.
[11:06] We're believing that he did come down from heaven. We're believing that he did give his life on the cross to save us. We believe that he gave his life for the world. Verse 51 says, I am the living bread, which came down from heaven.
[11:20] If any man eat of this bread, he shall live forever. The bread I give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world. They ate manna. They died. Manna came down from heaven.
[11:31] Yes, God was good, but that was a temporary thing. And Jesus is far better than manna. Jesus is eternal life. If you put your faith and trust in him, it was not the same, but there is a little bit of a correlation.
[11:46] Look at a couple of things about the manna. It was kind of like a little picture of Jesus. Number one, it came from heaven and salvation comes from heaven. Number two, it came down to people that didn't deserve it. Those are the people that were rebellious and didn't take and obey God and go to the promised land.
[11:59] And yet he was still good to them. He also made it where all they had to do was reach down and pick it up. It was free. It cost them nothing. It came like grace. Isn't that sweet? Not only that, if they rejected it, they walked on it. Just like you do.
[12:10] If you reject Jesus Christ, they could have ignored it. So let me just say this. They need to hear. Can you imagine something so wonderful as Jesus Christ down on the cross of Calvary and taking all the debt of all the sin and all the world for all the people so that we could all be saved?
[12:27] Nothing like it. They have to hear. They have to hear. Oh, we don't just have to hear. One of the problems with a goer-sender thing, I like the idea we got goers and senders, but senders can never forget we're goers too.
[12:39] Amen. We're goers too. We got to tell people about Jesus and we got to share the gospel and we got to get the word to people. Jesus gave his life so we could have life.
[12:49] He gave his life so we could have life. He dies for the world. John 3, 16, for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son. Jesus died.
[13:00] First John 2, 2. He didn't die just for us. He didn't die just for us. He's a propitiation of our sins, but not ours only, but for the sins of the whole world. He's a loving God and a kind God and he sends Jesus to die and pay the price.
[13:14] He gave his life for the world. We must preach the good news to the whole world and it starts right here where I live. Get the gospel to those around you.
[13:25] Pray for people to be saved. Witness as you go through life. Invite people to church. Get involved in discipleship. Start gospel conversations, but share Jesus with people.
[13:35] Are you doing that? We're a missionary church. But the last thing I want us to be is a bunch of old people sitting around here talking about all the young people. We start off the mission field as we all get older. We quit winning people to Jesus.
[13:46] We tell people about Jesus. Amen. We invite people to church. We invite people to know Jesus. We share the gospel. And I'd like to talk to you just a second about being senders in that. As you get the gospel to those around you, I want you to start seeing how you can help the others.
[14:01] I hope our church, I hope all of us become more soul conscious. I want to be more soul conscious. I want to invite people. I want to give out tracks. I want to talk to people about Jesus.
[14:12] I want to do what we want them to do. Do you agree with that? Amen. Let's share Jesus with people. Share him where you work. Be praying for him. Know who's hurting. Know who needs something.
[14:22] You say nobody's ready to listen. Well, God's ready to listen while you pray for him and while you watch for every open door. And the time will come if you'll keep your eyes open, they'll be ready to listen if you'll share the gospel with them.
[14:33] Let me just say something about being senders. We need to develop real, genuine fellowship and friendship with our missionaries. You don't understand maybe some of this. I do understand a little bit about it.
[14:45] But Lori got up and she talked about being home. Several of them mentioned being home, but Lori talked about two and a half months and they leave. And Lori talked about spending Thanksgiving with the family and being here for Christmas and being in the church.
[14:57] Do you understand in two and a half months, they may be gone. If they stay gone as long as they said the last time, it's going to be five, six, seven years before we see them again. That means you got two and a half months to work at being a friend. You got two and a half months to work at building a relationship because we want to build that relationship.
[15:12] And one of the problems in our church is we don't have just one missionary. I knew of a missionary that surrendered to go to the field and his church gave him like $25,000 and one offer and they were so deeply in love with him, but he's the only one they ever saw.
[15:23] But around here we got so many, we're lucky to give them 25 cents. Amen. But you see, you need to develop a friendship. We're senders. We want them to hear. We want to send people to make them here, but we want to make sure that we work at our friendship.
[15:36] Pray for them on a regular basis. Give like you would want somebody given if you were the missionary. You know, that'd be an interesting thing, wouldn't it? When I first arrived in Peru, I was talking to the young people about being in the ministry and I was talking to the young men and they said, man, our parents do not want us to be in the ministry.
[15:52] And everybody I talked to, mother, mama's hated me. Daddy's hated me. Because if anybody's going to be in the ministry, it's going to ruin their life and ruin their future. Because they know nobody pays preachers good. And so I said, well, do you know who you're condemning?
[16:06] You're condemning you because you're the guys that are supposed to be paying them. And you know what? What if we treated these mysteries like we'd like to be treated? What if we treat these mysteries like we would? Would you want to visit?
[16:17] Would you want somebody to care? Would you want somebody to pray? Would you want somebody to get in touch with you? Would you want somebody to visit you on the field? Keep up with all that's going on in their lives. Help them and spread the word.
[16:28] You know, I just, you know, here's the deal. They got to hear, they got to learn, and they'll come to Jesus. They got to hear, they got to learn, and they'll come to Jesus. It's not my part on the coming to Jesus part.
[16:40] That's not my part. I can't make people come to Jesus. But I can tell the gospel and pray God will help them hear and understand what's going on. I can send missionaries to get the gospel around the world. I can do a part to get the gospel around the world.
[16:52] Our church is a missionary church, and we want them to hear. But tonight's goer sender, and it's a lot about the goers. And the truth is that Aaron Vance's letter is a lot more bleak than what I just read to you.
[17:05] I just didn't want to make it look as bleak as it looked. Because it embarrassed him to make it look as bleak as it looks, to be blunt honest with you. And I want to say to you that you and I, I hope you get in your heart.
[17:19] Man, I'm going through these guys at our church. Those guys that stood at the front, I'm going through them. I will preach in Morocco. I will preach in South Africa.
[17:29] I will preach in Burkina Faso. I will preach in China. I will preach in South America and Argentina and Bolivia and Chile and Colombia and Ecuador. I'll preach in all those places because the missionaries, I'll preach there.
[17:42] But you know what? If they're going to go take my place, I want to really get involved in helping them get the gospel message. Here's what he said. I'm the bread. Go back to the scripture.
[17:52] I want to get you in line a couple of things and I'll be through. Right here it is. He said, I'm the bread of life. Look, if you would, look, if you would in verse 45, all taught, y'all underline it. They're going to all be taught, all taught.
[18:04] Every man. And then it says, heard, learned, cometh. Look at that. Every man taught, heard, learned, and cometh. Verse 46, they see the father.
[18:15] Verse 47, you believe and you have everlasting life. Verse 51, I am the living bread. You eat of me and you shall live forever.
[18:26] Forever. And here's the beautiful thing. He gave his life for the whole world. And tonight I know that I can stand anywhere in the world and open the Bible and share the gospel message. And no matter how wicked the sinner is, he can trust Jesus and his sins be forgiven.
[18:39] I know that nobody any more wicked than me lives on this planet. I know that he is big enough and great enough to save everybody, everywhere. I want to carry the gospel of Jesus Christ. I want to be a church that sends the gospel of Jesus Christ.
[18:52] God, vision was started with the premise that we would be real missionary senders. I hope you'll get involved in that. Father, I love you and I praise you and I thank you for what you're doing.
[19:04] I pray, God, that you might bless and work in the lives of our missionaries and the lives of the folks that stay here. Help me to be a better sender. Help me to care more about our missionaries. God, I just pray that your name would be honored and glorified.
[19:15] And I'll give you great honor and praise.