Will you please pray with me?
Lord, even as we have just sung,
now, Lord, I pray that you would fill our hearts.
Lord, with the knowledge of you and your love
and your grace and your mercy in Christ.
And Lord, we pray that your Holy Spirit
would be at work in us to receive your word
and be transformed by it.
Lord, I ask for your help this morning,
that you would give me words,
Lord, that would bless and edify,
that would faithfully teach your word.
Fill me with your spirit, I pray this morning.
We pray these things in Jesus' name.
Amen.
We're gonna continue this morning
in our series in the book of John.
And I don't know if you've been enjoying it
as much as I have been,
but we have, one of the things we've noticed
as a pastor is that the passages
keep getting longer and longer and longer.
John 6 has 71 verses in it.
We're not gonna read all of those this morning,
but we're gonna walk through it a little bit.
And as we read through it,
we're gonna, I'll pick out some parts of it
that we're gonna, to focus.
But at the beginning of John 6,
John moves the scene to another place.
He's moved north from Jerusalem up to Galilee.
And this gives us another indication
that John was probably not as interested
in a chronological and triptych sort of story
of how Jesus taught,
but more thematic one.
And we hear, and we see in John 6,
one through 15,
a very well-known story
that Jesus was teaching.
A crowd of people had come out to see him.
They were out in the wilderness,
away from the towns.
They didn't have any food.
The crowd was huge.
Probably 20,000 maybe would be an estimate.
And Jesus miraculously feeds them.
Taking the loaves and the fish
from a young boy who had brought his lunch,
Jesus miraculously multiplies it.
I wanna ask the question in the beginning,
to begin our time today,
I was saying,
what were those people looking for?
Certainly, they were looking for a teacher
to help them to know God better.
That's why they were there.
By the end of the day,
they were looking for someone
to help them get food too,
for they were hungry.
It also says at the end of the passage,
verse 14 says that the crowds responded
to the miracle saying,
this indeed is the prophet
who's come into the world.
And then verse 15 says,
perceiving then that they were about to come
and take him by force to make him king,
Jesus withdrew to the mountains by himself.
So these people were looking for a teacher,
they were looking for a meal,
but they were also looking for a leader,
for someone to speak to them from God,
for someone to lead them out of slavery
and into life.
They came seeking many things that day.
You know, one of the words that we use
to think about the things that we seek for
in our lives is we're hungry for them.
A sports team is hungry for another championship.
A new recruit to a business
may be hungry to climb the corporate ladder
and so forth.
What about you this morning?
What are you hungry for in your life?
It might be lots of things.
Maybe you're hungry for success in your career,
for power, for money.
Maybe you're hungry for a good family
and a calm and peaceable home.
Maybe you're hungry for the respect
of the people around you who you care about.
Maybe you're hungry for pleasure.
Maybe you're on the trip with Stanley Tucci
to find the perfect Italian food.
If you haven't been watching TV,
this is a thing.
Stanley Tucci is leading people through Italy
looking for the perfect Italian food.
Sometimes the things we're hungry for
are darker as well.
Sometimes it's late night,
alone with our computer
looking at illicit videos.
And sometimes it seems perfectly benign.
Maybe it's another workout,
another mountain climbed,
another plane jumped out of,
another adrenaline rush.
We might be hungry for lots of things
in our lives.
We also might be hungry
religiously for things.
We may be here this morning
because we want to be a good Christian.
This is what good Christians do,
and we want to be seen as such.
We want to be a good citizen.
Sometimes we're here because
we're going through a really hard time,
and we know we need God's help.
Sometimes we're here because
we just need the confidence
that in the end,
we're going to be on the right side of history,
that we're going to be with God in heaven.
Maybe some of us are here
because we want to be right before God,
and we don't know how to do that.
There are lots of motivations in our hearts.
There are lots of things
that drive our actions
and our thoughts.
But this hunger is a metaphor
that we use
to describe the things
that our souls long for,
a passionate pursuit,
a consuming desire,
the things that we are
wholeheartedly committed to.
People came seeking these things
from Jesus,
seeking something.
As we gather this morning,
we want to start with the question,
what are you seeking
as you are here?
Here in the sanctuary,
here on the live stream,
what is it that you are hungry for
this morning?
This passage in John 6
will speak to us.
Jesus will speak to us this morning,
and he will say,
you hunger for more than you know,
and what you have come for
ultimately is me.
This is the central thought
of John 6.
We're going to break it down.
The teaching section,
the story goes on.
Jesus walks on water
to show another miracle,
another way in which
he's going to be the king,
and then the crowd
is looking for him
because he's not where
they expected him to be.
And then,
starting in verse 25,
we'll see the first section
of how Jesus responds
to these people
who are seeking him.
And he responds to them
in 25 through 34
by saying,
you are seeking something
greater than what
your fathers knew.
Let's read that passage
if you have your Bible,
John 6, verse 25 and following.
We're going to read
this part together
as we start this section.
John 6, 25.
When they found him
on the other side of the sea,
they said to him,
Rabbi, when did you come here?
And Jesus answered them,
Truly, truly,
I say to you,
you are seeking me
not because you saw signs,
but because you ate
your fill of the loaves.
Do not labor
for the food that perishes,
but for the food
that endures to eternal life,
which the Son of Man
will give to you.
For on him,
God the Father
has set his seal.
Then they said to him,
What must we do
to be doing the works of God?
And Jesus answered them,
This is the work of God,
that you believe in him
whom he has set.
And they said to him,
Then what sign do you do
that we may see
and believe you?
What work do you perform?
Our fathers ate the manna
in the wilderness.
As it is written,
he gave them bread
from heaven to eat.
And Jesus said to them,
Truly, truly,
I say to you,
it was not Moses
who gave you the bread
from heaven,
but my Father gives you
the true bread from heaven.
For the bread of God
is he who comes down from heaven
and gives life to the world.
And they said to him,
Sir, give us this bread,
always.
Jesus begins,
as he interacts with this crowd,
they come and say,
How did you get here?
And that's related to the miracle
of how he got across
the Sea of Galilee
by walking on water.
But he shows them,
he begins by revealing
what he knows
about their hearts.
They say,
Why did you come here?
Jesus doesn't answer the question.
He says,
You know what?
You're here for a reason,
aren't you?
But it's not a good one.
You're here because yesterday
I fed you food.
And you're going to come back today
and you're going to want
more of the same.
He says,
You're not even here
because I've done miraculous signs.
Your sights are set
on such basic things.
And Jesus is going to begin
this process
throughout this whole section
of raising their hearts,
raising their eyes
to a greater desire,
tuning their hearts
to long for something
more important.
Jesus says,
Don't look for food
that's going to feed you today
but not tomorrow.
There's another kind
of food out there,
a food that endures
to eternal life.
There's a food
that comes from the Son of Man
who has come from God.
There's a food that can come
that you can gain.
And they say,
How do we gain this?
What work do we have to do?
He says,
It's not a work
that you have to do.
You have to come
and believe in me.
And they push back
and they say,
What signs have you done
that we should believe in you?
Which, if you think about it,
is ridiculous.
Think about what we just talked about.
He's just fed 20,000 people
out of nothing.
He's also managed
to transport himself
across the Sea of Galilee.
What other signs do they need?
And this, I think,
reveals their hard-heartedness
and their dullness
about the things
that they were most made
to long for.
They're still pushing back.
Jesus, what signs
are you going to do
to see these things?
They go on and they say,
Look, our forefathers,
they knew great signs.
The story that Carolyn read earlier
from Exodus 16.
As God had miraculously
delivered them from Egypt,
brought salvation
from the slavery
that they were in,
and now was taking them
through wilderness
to a promised land
that he had said
was going to come.
And as soon as it got difficult,
as soon as it was hard,
they started to grumble.
God, how can you be good?
You've led us out
into this wilderness to die.
I wish we were back in Egypt
and then at least
we would die full
instead of hungry.
Isn't that better
if we're going to die anyway?
Forgetting all the miraculous things
that God had already done for them.
But God graciously responds.
He says,
I know you're hungry.
I see your need.
And I will bring to you
what you need.
And so he brings this,
what is it?
This manna from heaven
provided miraculously.
And friends,
I don't know if you've thought about this,
but this went on for 40 years.
It didn't just happen then.
It happened throughout
the whole wilderness experience.
God provided for his people
until they entered
into the promised land.
Jesus says,
you're looking for another Moses
who's going to bring you
another bread
that's going to feed you
for another day?
No, you need to set your eyes
to something higher.
Look at verse 32 with me
if you're looking at the Bible.
Jesus then said to them,
truly, truly,
I say to you,
it was not Moses
who gave you
the bread from heaven,
but my Father gives you
the true bread from heaven.
Jesus is turning their sights.
Don't look back
and think about
what God has done
in the past
through those things,
but look ahead
because God right now
is giving you
something greater.
A manna greater
than the ones
that your forefathers experienced.
A leader greater than Moses.
A prophet greater
than these things.
You need the bread of God
which comes from heaven.
and gives real
and eternal life.
And that's what Jesus is doing.
He's redirecting their thoughts.
Friends, I wonder
if we need to have
our thoughts redirected
this morning.
The things that we long for,
the passions,
the desires,
the hungers of our lives,
many, many of those things
are good
and even the most twisted ones
have in them a seed
of something
that God created for us
to long after in Him
even when we look
to other places.
If you haven't read
C.S. Lewis'
Weight of Glory
recently,
you should go back
and read it
if you've read it
and if you haven't read it,
you should look it up.
You can find it online.
You can find it in bookstores.
It's one of the most
penetrating arguments
about what it means
to live the Christian life.
The Weight of Glory,
it's a great one.
But in it,
one of the things
he talks about
is a place of desire
and hunger
and how the things
of earth are meant
to be signposts
for what we were
truly created for.
He writes this,
a man's physical hunger
does not prove
that a man
will get any bread.
He may die
of starvation
in a raft
in the Atlantic.
But surely,
a man's hunger
does prove
that he comes
of a race
which repairs
its body
by eating
and inhabits
a world
where eatable substances
exist
in the same way.
Though I do not believe
that my desire
for paradise
proves that I shall enjoy it,
I think it is
a pretty good indication
that such a thing exists
and that some men
will find it.
Do you see
what C.S. Lewis
is saying?
He's saying that
the hunger
that we have
is meant
to point us
to something greater
and it speaks
to our souls
that we long
for something
greater than ourselves
when we look
for pleasure,
when we look
for joy,
when we look
for meaning,
when we look
for God.
All of these things
are signs
that perhaps
we were made
for God
and that there
is a God
and that He
is a God
who wants to come
and bring us
this life.
Friends,
how often
we confuse
the gifts
and the giver,
how often
we take
the good things
of our lives
and make them
ultimate
and obscure
the ultimate things
that focus
on Jesus.
And this is what
Jesus is trying
to help the crowd
that He's speaking to
and help us to say.
Having shaken up
their expectations
and redirecting
His thoughts,
He gets then
to the heart
of the matter
in verses 35
and following.
So let's look at those
for a few minutes.
I'm going to read this
35 through 51
is the next section
in this passage.
Remember verse 34,
they've expressed
this hunger.
Yes,
we want that.
What is it?
And Jesus says
to them,
I am the bread
of life.
Whoever comes
to me
shall not hunger
and whoever
believes in me
shall never thirst.
But I said
to you
that you have
seen me
and yet you do
not believe
all that the
Father gives me
I will come to me
and whoever
comes to me
I will never
cast out.
For I have
come down
from heaven
not to do
my own will
but the will
of Him
who sent me.
And this is
the will
of Him
who sent me
that I should
lose nothing
of all that
He has given me
but raise it up
on the last day.
For this is
the will of my
Father
that everyone
who looks
on the Son
and believes
in Him
should have
eternal life
and I will
raise Him up
on that last day.
So the Jews
grumbled about Him
because He said
I am the bread
that came down
from heaven.
They said
is this not
Jesus
the Son of Joseph
whose father
and mother
we know?
How does He
now say
I have come
down from heaven?
And Jesus
answered them
do not grumble
among yourselves
no one can come
to me
unless the Father
who has sent me
draws him
and I will
raise him
up on the last day.
It is written
in the prophets
and they will
all be taught
by God.
Everyone who
has heard
and learned
from the Father
comes to me
not that anyone
has seen the Father
except he who
is from God
he has seen
the Father.
Truly, truly
I say to you
whoever believes
has eternal life
I am the bread
of life.
Your fathers
ate the man
in the wilderness
and they died.
This is the bread
that comes down
from heaven
so that one
may eat of it
and not die.
I am the living bread
that came down
from heaven.
If anyone
eats of this bread
he will live forever
and the bread
that I will give
for the life
of the world
is my flesh.
There's a lot
of argument here.
There's no way
unless we want
to be here
until 12
that we're going
to cover
all of the intricacies
of this passage.
But the main point
is exceedingly clear.
Jesus says
I am the bread
of life
that has come
down from heaven
to give you life.
And of course
this is one of the
first of seven
of the great
I am statements
in the gospel
of John
where he says
I am the door
I am the shepherd
I am the resurrection
and the life
and so on
and so forth.
Jesus is explaining
this is who I am
and this is why
I have come.
He says
I am the bread
from heaven
that is God
has sent me
to provide
for you
the thing
that you most
need
the thing
that your soul
most hungers
for
and thirst
for
and I will
satisfy you.
This is the core
of what Jesus
is saying
in this section.
He's saying
I am the bread
for your soul
that is able
to bring life.
And this remember
if you remember
two weeks ago
when Pastor Greg
preached about
Jesus and the
Samaritan woman
when he offered
her water
from the well
do you remember
what he said?
This water
if you drink of it
it will be in him
a well that springs
up to eternal life
in your soul.
And the woman says
yes give me this water
so I don't have to come
and draw from the well
anymore.
She didn't understand
it initially
any more than
these people did.
But this is what
Jesus is consistently
saying
I am here
to bring you life.
think about what
bread and water
are for us.
When we have
when we incarcerate
people
when we are doing
every
when we are
treating people
as basically as
possible
what do we give them?
We give them
bread
and we give them
water
because those
are the things
that if they have
those things
they will live.
And Jesus says
I am going to be
like that
for your soul.
I am bringing
everything that you
need.
I am here
to bring you
life.
And this life
is a future
life.
Jesus says it
four times
in verse 39
and verse 40
and verse 44
and then in verse 51
I will raise him up
that is whoever
comes to me
I will raise him up
in the last day.
You will not die
but you will live
forever
because you believe
in me.
But he also says
I am your satisfaction
now.
You will no longer
be hungry.
your soul
will be satisfied
with me
now.
This is what he says
in verse 35
and it's what he says
in verse 50
and 51
as well.
And he says
I am the bread
of life
and how do you
get it?
By believing
in me.
Now look friends
we traffic
in a weak
understanding
of belief
today
in our world
don't we?
we often think
that belief
is a sort of
casual ascent
to an idea
that really
doesn't change
our lives.
But when the Bible
talks about belief
it talks about
trusting
it talks about
belief
it talks about
identifying with
it talks about
throwing your whole
the whole weight
of your being
into something.
Right?
It's the
it's the great
you know
it's trusting
in the great
Zamperini
or whatever his name
was
who carried you
across
the Niagara
the Niagara Falls
on his back
you're trusting
in him
to save your life
as you cross
the water
the waterfalls.
This is what it is.
It is not a weak thing
but it is a strong thing
and Jesus is using
this imagery
of eating
to say
you have to take
this in.
Belief is not just
something that's out there
but belief is something
that becomes
a part of you.
Jesus also says
that what he is
providing here
is from heaven
and they grumble
about it.
Did you notice that?
Verse 41
Jesus is telling them
all these wonderful things
I have come for you
to do all these things
but you're not
receiving me
and they're like
yeah
we're not really happy
because we know you
we know where you came from
you're from West Haven
you know
I mean that's the
that's the
you know
we know
we know your mom and dad
you can't
you claim to come from heaven
and bring this
tremendously great gift
how is that possible?
They were looking
for something
and it's no way
that some local boy
could provide that.
They could not believe
that Jesus was God's
provision
but what Jesus says
is the thing
that you're most seeking
is not something
that you're going to know
and be able to be
in control
about understanding
where it comes from
and how it's given to you
because it's not going to come
from this earth
it's not going to come
from these things
it's going to come
from heaven
but the thing
that you're most longing
for this bread of life
will not come
from growing wheat
but it will come
from receiving
from God
one that he has sent
into the world.
What they are seeking
God is drawing them
to understand
and receive
and what they need
is beyond achieving
they must simply
accept it
as having come
from God.
Jesus then
concludes this section
verse 51
I am the living bread
that comes down
from heaven
if anyone eats
this bread
he will live
forever.
We'll get to the second part
in just a minute
of that verse
but I want to sit there
for a minute.
I want to ask you
a question
what is the diet
upon which your soul
feeds today?
Where do you turn
to find life
on a daily basis?
Maybe you can ask yourself
the question
in these ways
what do you fill
your discretionary
time with
to gain meaningful
life?
Where do you find
joy and meaning
when life grows
stale and dull?
What do you trust
in when things
get really difficult?
It's pretty easy
for us
to feed ourselves
on lesser things
and so
C.S. Lewis
again reminds us
it would seem
that our desires
are not too strong
but too weak.
We are half-hearted
creatures
fooling around
with drink
and sex
and ambition
when infinite joy
is offered us.
We are like
an ignorant child
who wants to go on
making mud pies
in a slum
because he cannot
understand what
is meant by an offer
of a holiday
at the sea.
How often
we look
to other things
for the life
that Jesus says
he alone
has come
to bring
to us.
Friends
is our diet
a healthy one
or do we have
far too many
pop tarts
and Doritos
in our spiritual diet?
Have we allowed
our life
to pursue
dissipation
and momentary
fleeting pleasures
when the bread
of life
is standing
before us
saying
I have come
to give you life?
It's the season
of Lent.
We're a Baptist church
we don't tend
to make a big deal
of it
but I think Lent
is a really useful
thing.
Helps us prepare
for Easter.
It helps us
remember the gospel.
It helps us
think about
the depth
of our sin
and the greatness
of the need
of humanity
that allows us
to enjoy
the wonders
of the love
of God
shown to us
in Jesus Christ.
Lent is
traditionally
a season
of repentance
and confession
of sin.
Friends
I wonder
whether you
might consider
examining your
life this morning
maybe there are
things that you've
been feeding on
that your soul
has been feeding on
that you need
to let go of
for a while
and they may be
good things
that you just
need to take
a step back
from and fast
from so that
you can experience
your deeper hunger
for Jesus
and meet him
in that.
Maybe there are
things that you
just need to let
go of and repent
of and turn away
from forever
and not go back
to.
Jesus says
I am the bread
of life
and he invites
us to come.
The last section
Jesus pushes
his audience
and pushes us
how is it
that this bread
that Jesus
brings us
will bring us
life?
The end of
verse 51
he says
a striking thing
and this bread
that I will give
for the life
of the world
is my flesh.
How does this bread
give us life?
Is the final section
and if you think
about it
right up until now
Jesus has been
saying generally
some pretty positive
things.
I have come
to bring you
life.
You don't believe
but the father
is going to bring
you and he is
going to keep
you and this
is going to be
a great thing.
But in verses 52
and following
Jesus explains
what it means
for him to be
able to bring
this life to us
with language
that is shocking
and surprising.
The Jews
in verse 52
complain and say
how can this man
give us his flesh
to eat?
That sounds pretty
weird doesn't it?
Because to a
first century Jew
in fact to a Jew
today
eating the flesh
of a person
is repulsive
eating any flesh
that has blood
in it would also
be repulsive.
Leviticus 17
if you go back
and look at it
very clearly says
this is not
allowed.
Because life
is in the blood
and when you
eat flesh
it has blood
in it
you are taking
the life
of something else.
And the Old
Testament law
says this
we do not do
because God
is the one
who gives us
life
and we cannot
take it.
And Jesus
uses this image
and then in
verse 53
through 56
he ramps it up
four times
listen to what
he says
in these verses
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
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
and drinks
my blood
abides in me
and I in him.
Jesus
ratchets up
his offensive
language.
Why?
What does he
mean by this?
Well let's make
sure we start
this is not
zombie-dom
this is not
vampirism
this is not
cannibalism
it is very clear
that Jesus is
using a metaphor
here
nobody was
confused about
that in the
first century
so if it's
not cannibalism
then what is it?
Well
there's been
lots of
conversation
throughout the
church
history
about this
passage
particularly
as it relates
to the
Lord's Supper
maybe Jesus
is using
this language
because he's
instituting
in these passages
the practice
of the Lord's
Supper
which we will
have at the
end of this
service
where we will
eat a cracker
and drink
some juice
or wine
and in doing
so we
remember
and celebrate
Jesus'
sacrifice
for us
there is
again
so much
here
I'm not
going to
get into
the weeds
I'm going
to simply
quote
one of the
commentators
that I
thought
summarized
the way
I think
the best
way to
think
about
this
is
John 6
this passage
is not
about the
Lord's
Supper
but rather
the Lord's
Supper
is about
what is
described
in John 6
so both
this image
that Jesus
is using
in John 6
and the
Lord's
Supper
is pointing
to the
same
thing
well what
is that
it is
that
Jesus
came
the
word
became
flesh
so that
he might
die
on the
cross
for our
sins
so that
whoever
believes
in him
would not
perish
but have
eternal
life
why do I
say this
is what he
means by
eating and
drinking
well
verse 54
says this
whoever feeds
on my
flesh and
drinks my
blood has
eternal life
and I will
raise him
up on
the last
day
verse 40
if you want
to look
back
Jesus says
this
for this
is the
will of
my
father
that
everyone
who
looks
on the
son
and
believes
in him
should
have
eternal
life
and I
will
raise
him
up
on
that
last
day
the
parallelism
is exact
what Jesus
means by
eating his
flesh and
drinking his
blood
ultimately
is this
is a
metaphor
that's
picturing
belief
believing
in me
he who
looks to
and believes
in me
this is
what he's
doing
but he's
using
shocking
language
to try
to break
them out
of
a
misunderstanding
he's
using
words
of
ingesting
right
it's an
intimate
image
it's an
organic
one
it's a
personal
one
it's a
connection
now
think
we do
this
with
our
own
language
sometimes
we
drink
up
someone
else's
joy
and happiness
when we
enjoy
their
company
we
ruminate
on
someone's
ideas
as we
are
exposed
to them
and we
think
about
them
these
are
this
is
common
language
for how
we
take
things
from
the
outside
and
we
they
become
a
part
of
us
here
particularly
it is
a picture
of what
is called
the
doctrine
of
union
with
Christ
that
when
we
are
spiritually
joined
to
Jesus
Christ
by
faith
and
when
we
in
belief
we
take
him
into
ourselves
in a
true
and
spiritual
way
as
our
Lord
and
our
life
even
as
he
takes
us
into
himself
and
we
find
ourselves
as
a
part
of
his
body
and
these
are
all
images
that
talk
about
a
spiritual
reality
of
this
deep
spiritual
connection
with
Jesus
what
Jesus
is
saying
is
are
you
offended
by
this
image
of
eating
my
flesh
and
drinking
my
blood
friends
you
haven't
even
begun
to
be
offended
by
what
I'm
talking
about
he
goes
on
in
the
last
section
in
60
through
65
many
of
the
disciples
heard
it
and said
this
is
a
hard
saying
who
can
believe
it
and
Jesus
says
do
you
take
offense
then
what
if
you
were
to
see
the
son
of
man
ascending
to
where
he
was
before
and
if
you
pull
this
thread
through
the
gospel
of
John
what
Jesus
is
saying
is
if
you're
offended
by
this
image
there's
a
greater
offense
coming
that
I'm
calling
you
to
identify
with
the
greater
offense
is
that
the
son
of
man
the
son
of
God
the
word
became
flesh
will
be
crucified
buried
and
then
he
will
rise
from
the
dead
he
will
be
lifted
up
on
the
cross
then
he
will
be
raised
from
the
dead
and
then
he
will
ascend
into
heaven
to
go
back
from
where
he
came
from
to
affirm
that
he
truly
is
the
bread
of
life
because
this
is
the
gospel
we
know
isn't
it
friends
Jesus
died
on
the
cross
for
our
sins
in
our
place
his
body
was
broken
his
blood
was
shed
for
us
so
that
we
who
deserve
death
because
of
our
sin
don't
have
to
die
but
instead
can
experience
this
transforming
new
and
eternal
life
friends
this
is
the
good
news
of
the
gospel
this
is
what
Jesus
is
calling
people
to
believe
not
in
Moses
but
the
prophet
that
Moses
predicted
not
in
manna
but
to
the
life
the
manna
pointed
to
not
in
following
the
law
to
be
right
with
God
but
following
the
word
made
flesh
by
faith
in
the
crucified
son
who
came
to
give
us
life
this
is
what
we
are
being
reminded
of
in
this
passage
this
morning
and
the
last
passage
is
one
of
those
places
where
I
go
to
regularly
particularly
in the
hardest
times
particularly
when I've
faced
the worst
disappointment
the
greatest
loss
the
biggest
questions
many
disciples
turned
away
when
Jesus
used
this
shocking
language
they
no
longer
wanted
to
be
identified
with
him
and
they
no
longer
followed
him
Jesus
turns
to
his
disciples
the
twelve
says
do
you
want
to
go
away
too
and
Simon
Peter
answered
him
Lord
to whom
should
we
go
you
have
the
words
of
eternal
life
and
we
have
believed
and
come
to
know
that
you
are
the
holy
one
of
God
friends
the
disciples
saw
something
clearly
in that
moment
for
though
they
didn't
understand
Jesus
fully
and
they
wouldn't
until
after
the
resurrection
no
we
don't
understand
all
that
God
is
doing
in
our
lives
today
may
we
too
take
up
this
response
where
else
would
we
go
where
else
will
we
find
the
life
that
we
know
is
in
Jesus
he
alone
is
the
true
source
of
real
and
everlasting
life
he
is
the
one
who
is
able
to
truly
give
us
meaning
and
purpose
he
is
the
one
who
is
able
to
take
us
away
from
fear
of
death
and
judgment
he
is
the
one
who
allows
us
to
live
a
life
will
you
take
it
will
you
believe
in
him
today
please
pray
with
me
Lord
we
thank
you
for
this
word
and
we
thank
you
for
Jesus
and
we
thank
you
that
Lord
as
we
turn
to
the
Lord
supper
now
Lord
as
we
celebrate
this
Lord
that
we
are
reminded
that
you
have
come
to
bring
us
life
and
Lord
we
confess
our
sin
Lord
we
acknowledge
that
it
is
because
of
our
sin
that
you
had
to
come
Lord
that
the
wages
of
sin
is
death
and
Lord
that
apart
from
you
we
are
living
in
spiritual
death
but
Lord
we
praise
you
that
because
of
Jesus
we
will
not
die
but
live
forever
when
we
are
joined
with
him
by
faith
Lord
I
pray
for
those
this
morning
who
are
struggling
Lord
that
they
would
be
encouraged
and
strengthened
in
their
faith
in
you
Lord
we
pray
for
those
who
are
seeking
who
are
exploring
what
it
means
to
know
you
and
to
follow
you
that
they
might
have
their
eyes
opened
and
their
hearts
opened
to
you
that
they
might
believe
and
trust
in
you
and
your
work
for
their
salvation
Lord
strengthen
us
all
of us
with
these
words
today
we
pray
in
Jesus
name
amen