As I read the Word of God, you follow along with your eyes. Remember, this is God's very own Word.
It is inspired, inerrant, infallible, clear, and it is sufficient for you and for me today.
Let's read.
After this, Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias.
And a large crowd was following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing on the sick.
Jesus went up on the mountain, and there he sat down with his disciples.
Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was at hand.
Lifting up his eyes then, and seeing that a large crowd was coming toward him,
Jesus said to Philip,
Where are we to buy bread so that these people may eat?
He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he would do.
Philip answered him,
Two hundred denarii worth of bread would not be enough for each of them to get a little.
One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon's brother, said to him,
There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are they for so many?
Jesus said,
Have the people sit down.
Now there was much grass in the place, so the men sat down, about five thousand in number.
Jesus then took the loaves, and when he had given things, he distributed them to those who were seated.
So also the fish, as much as they wanted.
And when they had eaten their fill, he told his disciples,
Gather up the leftover fragments, that nothing may be lost.
So they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves left by those who had eaten them.
When the people saw the sign that he had done, they said,
This is indeed the prophet who is to come into the world.
Verse 15,
When evening came, his disciples went down to the sea, got into a boat, and started across the sea to Capernaum.
It was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them.
The sea became rough because a strong wind was blowing.
When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat.
And they were frightened.
But he said to them,
It is I.
Do not be afraid.
Then they were glad to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going.
Verse 22,
On the next day, the crowd that remained on the other side of the sea saw that there had been only one boat there,
and that Jesus had not entered the boat with his disciples, but that his disciples had gone away alone.
Other boats from Tiberias came near the place where they had eaten the bread and after the Lord had given thanks.
So when the crowd saw that Jesus was not there, nor his disciples, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum seeking Jesus.
When they found him 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, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves.
Do not work 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?
Jesus answered them,
This is the work of God, that you believe in him who he has sent.
So they said to him,
Then what sign do you do that we may see or believe you?
What work do you perform?
Our fathers ate manna in the wilderness, as it is written.
He gave them bread from heaven.
Verse 32.
Jesus said to them,
Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave 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.
They said to him,
Sir, give us this bread always.
Jesus said 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 do not believe.
All that the Father gives me 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 the last day.
This is the word of God.
Thanks be to God.
You may be seated.
Well, let's pray.
As we sung a moment ago,
Speak, O Lord, as we come to you,
to receive the food of your holy word.
Take your truth,
plant it deep in us,
shape and fashion us in your likeness.
May now through the sermon,
May the light of Christ be seen by everyone here today who has an ear to hear.
Amen.
Well, beloved congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ,
the message for today is the best news I can bring to you for the new year.
There is food from heaven for your hungry soul.
Look at verse 35.
Jesus says,
I am the bread of life.
Whoever comes to me shall not hunger.
And whoever believes in me shall never thirst.
So my proposition for us today is exactly that.
Your soul will hunger until you feast on Christ.
We see in this chapter,
our Lord moving mightily upon the earth.
And then he moves mightily over the waters.
He takes a little boy's Lunchable and he distributes it to feed a multitude,
20 to 25,000 people.
If there are 5,000 men,
20 to 25,000 people as they follow him and his disciples along the bank of the Sea of Galilee.
Your creator knows what your soul needs to live.
He made you.
He knows.
And he built you with a hunger in your soul that only he can satisfy.
So I want to show you today two things.
Number one,
the manner in which you must come to Christ.
There's a certain manner in which those who come to him get fed.
And then secondly,
number two,
the means by which you feast on Christ.
We see these two things in this passage.
So first,
the manner in which you come to Christ.
How do you go to Christ?
Well,
first you go to Christ with a hungry soul.
That's simple truth.
It was those that came hungry that Christ fed.
There were probably others that stayed back in the city.
They had plenty.
Their souls were not hungry and they did not get fed by the Lord Jesus.
They did not get to be a participant in the great work he was doing.
New creation work.
And I need you to get the setting in your mind.
If you can travel to Jerusalem in your imagination.
So here's this sea.
They call it a sea because they're a desert people.
They're not used to much water.
The great sea is the Mediterranean.
This sea we see in verses one,
two,
three,
and four.
This is the sea of Galilee.
And the big city on the west side of the seam is Tiberias.
Now I'm going to give you some context here that will be significant.
I believe for what Christ teaches.
Tiberias was a new city.
It wasn't founded and didn't begin being constructed until about the year 20 AD.
So Christ during his lifetime would have seen the city of Tiberias being built up.
The emperor of Rome at the time was named Tiberias.
The Roman Empire dominates this region.
And they put a puppet,
a vassal king over the region in the north of Galilee.
And it was no longer Herod the Great.
Herod the Great was truly great.
I mean,
what he did with architecture and aqueducts,
he created a mini Rome inside this Galilean region.
Herod the Great was incredible.
He was twisted and cruel and killed his own family,
but he was a pretty good dictator.
Now there are other dictators that were lesser.
And so his son was Herod Agrippa.
Herod Agrippa was a fool.
And it was Herod Agrippa who started this city of Tiberias.
Herod Agrippa is important at this time,
even though John here doesn't go into detail.
Herod Agrippa was throwing a feast for the wealthy and for the elite.
And at his feast,
there was drunkenness,
debauchery,
and a teenage girl practicing sensual dancing.
And because John the Baptizer accused Herod Agrippa of his sin,
of taking his brother's wife,
Herod Agrippa has John the Baptist beheaded.
It's that same Herod Agrippa who built this city of Tiberias.
Jesus is traveling in this region.
And so that's our setting.
Now notice we see in our context,
verse 3,
we're told Jesus went up a mountain.
Well,
there are no mountains in this area.
Verse 3,
we read that they were preparing for the Passover.
Well,
the Passover happens in the spring.
That's when we celebrate Easter now.
And so we know that in the springtime,
the waters of the Sea of Galilee,
which was also now changed the name to Sea of Tiberias,
the waters in the springtime recede.
And it leaves a silt plain
where fertile grass will grow on a wide area right next to the sea.
And then climbing up of that,
the bank coming out of the lake
is what you could call a mountain.
So as Jesus and his disciples are in this region,
we get from the other gospels
what else they had been doing.
In Matthew,
we're told that Jesus had just sent his disciples out
on a ministry mission.
He sent them out proclaiming the gospel.
And by his power,
they were performing miracles as well.
Well,
with every disciple that went out,
a group came back following them
and spreading the word to others.
We read in Luke that even as the crowd was following him,
Jesus was performing miracles,
healing and,
you know,
taking care of these sick,
lame and infirm people.
Now,
remember,
this is ancient Israel under the Roman Empire.
And it's about a thousand,
eight hundred years before medical diagnoses existed
or psychological issues
and all kinds of ways in which the human body is broken.
They had no way to be cured of that.
They would die early.
Children were infant mortality,
it was extremely high.
So all those different types of infirmities,
you can imagine this vast multitude
following the disciples in Christ.
It's their only hope.
And these would be the poor.
While here at Agrippa's over here,
having this luxurious feast,
lavishing his wealth on his little inner circle,
the poor,
they're just living a subsistence life.
I mean,
to have a little bit of protein
and a little bit of carbs
to get them enough energy for tomorrow
is all that they really can hope for.
Can you picture that scene on the side of the lake?
Now,
what's the manner in which you go to Christ?
You go to Christ hungry.
These people were hungry physically.
They were also desperate for someone
to reverse this broken system.
Could there be hope beyond my next meal?
And you see,
with the Passover approaching,
these are Jews.
What would they be thinking about with the Passover?
They would be preparing themselves
for a reminder
that we serve a God who will deliver us.
And it's not Egypt any longer.
It's Rome.
And we need a second Moses figure.
And you see the,
how John is painting with these broad strokes
with the scene,
the crowd needing deliverance,
thinking about the Passover.
Jesus goes up a mountain,
we can call it,
and he's teaching them.
In fact,
we read in Mark chapter six,
the same account,
right before he feeds the multitude.
Jesus said to them,
to the disciples,
come away by yourselves to a desolate place
and rest a while.
Jesus was physically tired.
The disciples were tired.
They needed a break.
And for many,
we're coming along and going
and the disciples and Jesus
had no leisure even to eat,
we read in Mark.
And they went away in the boat
to a desolate place by themselves.
Now,
many saw them going and recognized them.
And they ran there on foot
from all the towns
and got ahead of them.
And when they went ashore,
they saw a great cloud,
crowd.
The disciples and Jesus
saw this great crowd coming.
And Jesus had compassion on them.
We read from Mark six.
Because why?
Why did Jesus have compassion
over this multitude?
Because they were like sheep
without a shepherd.
So Jesus begins to feed them,
to look over their souls.
We read in Mark
that he began to teach them
many things.
You know,
when Jesus gave
what's called the sermon
on the mount,
a great multitude gathered.
He went up on a mountain
and sat down.
It's the same language.
Jesus is
the true and greater Moses.
He is the second lawgiver.
He's coming to
declare
the new kingdom of God.
That God is now
inaugurating spiritually.
And what was it
that Jesus proclaimed
in the sermon on the mount?
Matthew 5, 6.
You're blessed,
he said.
Blessed are those
who hunger
and thirst
for righteousness,
for they
shall be
satisfied.
That's what Jesus
is teaching.
Will he be good
to his word?
Will he satisfy them
if they come to him
hungry?
Jesus said
in verse 26
of our text,
Truly, truly,
I say to you,
you are seeking me
not because you saw signs,
but because you ate
your fill of the loaves.
So even as they
continued to follow him
along the coast
of the lake,
they were seeking Christ
with hungry eyes.
They wanted to see signs.
And with hungry stomachs,
they needed food again
the next day.
Just keep following him
around.
He'll provide.
And Jesus
calls true believers
to hunger for him
with your soul.
That's the first way
in which you
come to Christ
is with a hungry
soul.
The second way
you go to Christ
is confessing
your need
of his provision.
We learn this lesson
from a dialogue
between Jesus
and one of his disciples
named Philip.
Look at verse 7.
Picture Jesus
and the disciples.
They're tired.
They're fatigued.
And they had not
had anything
to eat themselves.
We just read.
So he sits there
in the bank
and he looks
at the disciples.
And now we know
his heart is to have
compassion
for the multitude.
And he's fed them
and taught them.
But now he turns
to the disciples
and he asks them,
how are we going
to feed these people?
And Philip says,
we couldn't even do that
with 200 denarii.
How much is that?
If we convert
that currency,
it's one year's wages
for a skilled worker.
And he says,
even then,
they'll just barely
have enough to eat.
We cannot do that,
he says.
Well,
Jesus brought Philip
to confess
his need
for Christ to provide.
See,
he wanted him
to put in his words
what would be very obvious
to everyone else.
Because when Christ
did provide
and multiply the food
and nourish this crowd,
he didn't want Philip
or anyone else
to forget
that they could not
do it on their own.
On their own,
they had a deficit.
They had more than nothing.
They had starving themselves.
They were hungry.
They didn't have enough
for themselves,
much less anything
to give to others.
One ancient commentator,
Chrysostom,
said the reason
he has this dialogue
with Philip
is to drive away
the memory
that he had confessed
so that Philip
could never say,
I forgot that I actually
confessed that to you.
And he would learn
by contrast
the greatness
of the miracle.
Think about it like this.
Jesus has compassion.
He knows these sheep
need food.
They need a shepherd.
And if these are like
the spiritual children
that many will believe in him,
they will be adopted.
He knows the love
of the father.
And he knows the father
wants to nourish his children,
these babies in the faith.
But he will not pour
his father's milk
into cups
unless those cups
are empty.
If those cups
are full of everything else,
then they can't take
the milk that he's going
to provide
from the loving father.
So Philip confesses,
we can't provide.
God must do it.
My encouragement to you
is the same.
Maybe you're feeling
your soul is empty.
your soul is depleted
and it's in need.
That is a blessing.
Blessed are those
who hunger.
You will be satisfied.
If Christ has caused
your soul to hunger,
it's because he is
preparing you
to receive
his provision.
But first,
you must come
to the end
of yourself.
And you must do
like Philip.
You must confess
your deficit
that you need
the provision
of God.
That's really
the simplest
way to explain
what is saving faith.
John Calvin
described faith
like this.
Faith
is a poor beggar's
empty hand
outstretched to God.
That's what faith is.
You don't bring
anything to God
except for your
empty beggar's hand
hungry for him
to provide.
So you must come
to Christ
with a hungry soul.
You must come
to Christ
confessing your need
of his provision.
And number three,
you go to Christ
with faith
in his power
to provide.
Why would you
go to him
if you don't trust
that he will
meet your every need?
Look at verse nine.
They say,
there is a boy here
who has five
barley loaves.
Now the word
loaves,
in Greek
it's arpos.
It's really
a barley wafer.
So you can picture
like a little
barley cracker
that's not going
to perish.
You could carry
it with you
for several days
and it would
still be a good
way to get
some carbs.
And the two fish
most likely
are sardines.
On the lake
of Galilee,
the Sea of Tiberias,
just north of
Tiberias,
is a town,
you can search
it now on your
map.
It's a town
called Migdala
and that's
where Mary Magdalene
is from.
And that city
imported salt
from the Mediterranean
Sea and they
would take
all the fish
that were fished
out of the
lake of Tiberias
or the lake
of Galilee
and they would
stack it
with layers
of salt
and it would
drain out
the moisture
out of the fish
and it would
preserve it
kind of like
beef jerky,
like dried fish.
And even today,
half of all the fish
that is fished
out of the
same Sea of Galilee
is sardines.
And so picture a boy,
it's exactly a lunchable.
It's five little
barley crackers
and two little
dried fish.
That's all he's got.
So the disciples,
I mean,
I'm sure it was
even humorous.
You look out
the crowd,
5,000 men,
20,000 adults.
That's if the ball arena
where the Nuggets
play is packed.
20,000 people.
We have,
you picture the disciples,
we have a lunchable.
You know,
it's a joke among them.
And John,
he doesn't upplay
this miracle.
See,
here's the thing.
No one,
no one at this time
or later discredits
the miracle.
It was obvious
that Christ performed
a miracle.
20,000 witnesses
not only saw it,
they participated in it.
They tasted it.
No one says
it was not a miracle.
What they have an issue
with is Christ
and his teaching
and his claims.
So this miracle happened.
Again,
as Christians,
we are unashamed
supernaturalists.
And you just,
you have to trust
that God,
taking this little lunchable,
he began distributing
it to them.
That's all John says.
He distributed.
And everyone's eating.
And I bet it was,
it was delicious.
You know,
he's just enjoying it.
And everyone kept eating.
And these are starving,
hungry,
poor people
following him around.
And everyone had their fill.
And there are 12 baskets
left over.
See,
not only does Christ provide,
he shows you,
I have much more
in reserves for you.
If you just come to me hungry,
I will satisfy you.
You come to Christ trusting
he has the power to provide.
See,
what Christ is doing
is fulfilling this pattern
that has been set up all along.
Adam and Eve banished
out of the garden
into the wilderness.
But yet,
even in the wilderness,
God provides.
There's food
they can shepherd.
When God calls Abraham,
he leaves the luxury
of his wealthy father's home.
And he becomes a sojourner,
a man with no land,
traveling in the wilderness.
With Moses,
the people of God
travel in the wilderness.
And God feeds them.
He provides manna.
He even brings birds
that they can eat meat.
Well,
the prophets,
Elijah,
Elisha,
they're chased away
by the wicked kings
living in the wilderness.
And God provides.
So God loves to provide
for his people
in the wilderness.
We're told
by the New Testament apostles,
this life in Christ
right now
for our flesh,
for our body,
it's the wilderness.
But Christ will provide
for you,
his people.
He will feed your soul.
He loves to provide
for you
in the wilderness.
Deuteronomy 8.3 says,
here's why God does that.
He humbles you
and he lets you hunger,
but he feeds you
with manna,
which you did not know,
nor did your fathers know,
that he might make you know
that man does not live
by bread alone,
but man lives by every word
that comes from the mouth
of the Lord.
Our Jesus himself,
our Lord,
experienced this.
And that's exactly
what he recited back
to Satan
under attack
and temptation
in the wilderness.
So you must trust
in his abundance
to provide pardon
for your sins,
to clear your conscience,
to restore your soul,
to reform your life.
He can do it.
He is not a God
who is scanty
and miserly.
He is a God
who has reserves
in store
waiting for you
to come to him
that he can feed you
once again.
Milton Vincent,
a pastor,
reflected on this gospel truth
of God's provision.
He said,
God's heart pulses
only with passionate grace,
which jealously wants me
back in his embrace.
See, forgiveness
has been in God's heart
all along.
And when I approach him
to make right my wrong,
he runs up to greet me
and draws to me near,
embracing and kissing
and ready to clear.
What a generous God we serve.
Your soul will hunger
until you feast on Christ.
Christ.
Well, the fourth observation
on the manner
in which you go to Christ
is you put your body
where Christ will feed
your soul.
Let's read that passage
in John 6,
verses 16 through 21.
When the evening came,
the disciples went down
to the sea.
They got into a boat
and started across the sea
to Capernaum.
See, Capernaum is further north
on the Sea of Galilee.
Remember, they are tired
and this crowd
keeps following them.
And we read that Jesus
had gone out away
into the wilderness
to a desolate place
by himself.
Now the disciples,
they also need to get away
from these crowds
so they get in the boats
to travel north
along the Sea of Galilee.
We read that it was dark now
and Jesus had not yet
come to them.
Verse 18.
The sea became rough
because a strong wind
was blowing.
We know about strong winds
in Colorado.
They'll push over anything.
And the Golem Heights
are just a little bit further
to the north of this region
and it forms a perfect
little tunnel
where the winds gather.
They pick up speed
and they come shooting through
onto the lake
and it creates massive waves.
Now these were Roman fishing boats
and what we know of those
is that they would have had sails
and when the winds were favorable
you could use them.
But with mighty winds
that are against you,
the winds coming
from the north like that,
it's going to send you
in the wrong direction.
They would have put their sails away
and we read them,
they had rowed
about three or four miles
against the wind.
Because you might be wondering,
what does this little story
in the middle of the feeding
of the multitude
have to do with each other?
Are they related or not?
Well, you get the scene.
The disciples too
had to come to the end
of themselves again
and trust God
to be their Savior
and their provider.
They've been rowing.
They've been in fear
and they've had the stress
of laboring in this little fishing boat
not making any progress.
And then they saw Jesus
walking on the sea
and coming near the boat.
What was their reaction?
They were even more frightened.
They used to be afraid of the sea
and they're going to drown.
Now they're afraid
of this appearance
that's walking toward them.
Now remember,
these are fishermen.
They'd seen their buddies
probably die in the waters drowning.
And you know,
fishermen have all kinds of myths
they believe.
We know that this Greco-Roman world,
they believed
and the bodies
of those who had died at sea
would come back as ghosts
and haunt those on the ships.
So for them,
this is probably like
one of their worst nightmares,
a ghost walking on the waters
toward them.
Now notice what Jesus says to them.
Verse 20,
It is I.
Do not be afraid.
In the Greek,
Jesus says to them
what they've heard him say
two other times.
I am.
And then we're told
the waters settle
and instantly the boat
is where they needed to be.
Do you get the picture?
The multitude came empty.
They've got nothing on their own.
He's their only hope.
The disciples,
empty.
Christ,
you are our only hope.
And yet in the midst of that,
I am.
in the image of Christ,
moving on top of the waters.
That should take you back
to Genesis 1 and 2.
The Spirit of God
hovered over
the surface
of the deep.
Jesus Christ,
I am.
The new creation
is coming.
Hear the words of life
from God himself.
He walks
among you.
What did the multitude do?
That's what I want to
apply for us.
Look at verse 24.
When the crowd saw
that Jesus was not
there
in this region
where they were in the south,
nor his disciples,
what did the crowd do?
Here's what we must do.
They themselves
got into the boats
and went to Capernaum
seeking Jesus.
Jesus.
See, as empty as they were,
as messed up
as their lives were,
their bodies were so broken
by the fall,
they found a way
to put their bodies
where Christ could feed them
once again.
And that's the application
for us.
You and I,
we need to put our bodies
where we know Christ
will feed our soul.
Your flesh will fight it.
You won't want to do it.
You keep putting your body
where you need to be.
He will show up
to satisfy you
again and again
faster than you can
confess your need of Him.
He will meet you
every time
when you're on your knees
through your tears.
And you will say,
just like the disciples
did in verse 25,
where did He come from?
Where did He come from?
You go to Christ empty.
So let me recap
our first point.
In what way
do you seek Christ?
If your soul is hungry
for more of God,
this is God's kindness
to you.
He only stirs up
hunger in your soul
that He will also satisfy.
Don't let your mood
or your weak body
command how your life goes,
but by faith
in Christ's strength,
take the steps you need
to get fleeing
from temptation
and running instead
to Christ.
Believe that promise
in verse 35,
I am the bread of life.
Whoever comes to me
shall not hunger.
Whoever believes in me
shall never thirst.
Your soul will thirst
and you will hunger
unless you are feasting
on Christ.
This was true of Eve
in the garden,
wasn't it?
Eve believed that lie.
The lie was this.
My soul won't be satisfied
unless I eat
that forbidden fruit.
It's so good
to look at.
My heart desires
to take it
and eat it
more than anything else.
You see how powerful
the deceit of sin is?
And the cost
is so high.
Think about the result
for Adam and Eve.
They were banned
by the sword of God
from reentering
the garden
where all the fruits
of the garden
that God himself
placed there
for their enjoyment
were laid out for them.
That's a high cost
of their sin.
And because of that
curse of sin,
your soul too now
hungers
unless you feast
on Christ.
But the good news
for us is this.
That sword
that stood between
sinners
and the garden
where bounty
and abundance
of food existed,
Christ took that sword
for you and for me
who believe in him.
Christ took the sword
on the cross
and he became
the gate
back into the garden
to his father's garden.
And in his garden
are the trees
the spiritual fruit
of heaven
already opened up
and ready
for you
to eat.
He is the gate
into the orchard.
The curse of sin
is still so strong
that we often feel
like eating garbage
rather than
the spiritual fruit
of heaven.
And the filth
of sin
it tempts
our fallen flesh.
Just like Eve
the secrecy
of stealing
the forbidden fruit
makes us feel
like we're free
if I could just do that.
And then we can do
whatever we want.
That's the lie.
And the slimy
slithering
Satan
smiles
because
that's exactly
how he
enslaved
God's image bearers
to sin
by deceiving them.
And then the stench
of sin
sticks to people.
And then Satan
accuses you
even worse.
And he says
God the Father
he does not
love you.
He doesn't
want you around.
You stink.
You smell like sin.
You can't be near
the holy God.
You are
like the trash
you eat.
But Jesus
came to repel
the lies
of Satan
and to unveil
to you
the true nature
of his Father.
Look at verse 32.
Jesus says
truly truly
I say to you
it was not
Moses who gave you
the bread from heaven
but my Father
my Father
gives you
the true bread
from heaven.
that's what
my Father
is really like.
So you come
to God hungry
and knowing
that your soul
needs provisions
that only he
can give.
And his Father
gives in the
present active tense
he gives you
the bread
of heaven
Jesus Christ
himself.
So that's why
you need to put
your body
where you know
he will feed
your soul.
And even
through our bodies
fallen as we are
God can stir
our hearts
and our affections.
Some of our liturgy
you know when we
stand out of
reverence for
God's word
that's our body
telling your soul
this is good
for you
you need this.
And when we
get low
even down
on your knees
it's you saying
look I am
under the
lawmaker
the lawgiver
Jesus Christ
I need to
receive from him.
And when you
receive the
benediction
we stand
with open arms
because it's
our body
telling our
soul
believe
this
spiritual
truth.
It is
food for
your soul
and your
soul will
hunger
unless you
feast
on Christ.
Well I want
to
I promise
to do this
quicker.
I'm going to
do the four
ways
the four
means by
which you
need to
come to
Christ.
Okay
I don't
want you
leaving here
feeling like
you can't
access him.
You can
and he
tells you
exactly
how.
What are
the means
by which
you feast
on Christ?
Number one
you feast
on Christ
when you
hear his
word.
Look at
verse 33
he tells
you exactly
what it
is.
The bread
of God
is he
who comes
down from
heaven
and gives
life to
the world.
How do
you feast
on God?
By the
bread of
heaven
by Jesus
Christ.
Well how
do you
know Jesus
Christ?
By the
word of
God.
Jesus
is the
bread
from
heaven.
The
work he
did in
his
flesh,
in his
body,
it is
the
substance
of the
spiritual
life for
your soul.
And they
said to
him in
verse 34,
Sir give
us this
bread
always.
This is
the same
truth that
God has
always
revealed
and always
shown to
believers who
he's given a
hunger for
him.
It's what
Jeremiah
confessed in
Jeremiah 15
16.
Your words
were found
and I ate
them and
your words
became to
me a
joy,
the delight
of my
heart,
for I
am called
by your
name,
O Lord
God of
hosts.
How do
you feast
on God
through his
word?
Well you
take a
copy of
the ESV
Bible right
there from
the book
table,
you go
home today
and you
turn to
Philippians
and you
read
Philippians
1 today
as slow
as you
like.
Don't even
need to
finish the
whole chapter,
it's not
homework.
When God
gives you
a truth
in his
word by
the help
of his
spirit,
you close
your eyes
and you
pray that
truth,
help him to
teach you
to understand
it and you
work your way
through the
book of
Philippians
and then talk
to me and I'll
tell you the
next thing I
want you to
read and you
take a book
from that book
table and you
know how much
of that you
read?
Just as little
as possible
until you have a
desire to go
read more of
God's word.
That's what
good books
do.
And you say
I'm not a
good reader,
I'm slow,
that's okay.
You can also
talk to me and
on our website
I'll send you
audio,
you can listen
to good audio,
you know how
much of a
good sermon
or audio
you listen
to?
Just as
little as it
needs to
until it
makes you
see I
need to go
spend time
with the
Lord in
his word
and in
prayer.
You're
feeding your
soul on
God's word.
Number two,
you feast not
only by his
word but you
must feast by
faith.
See it's
possible to be
very close to
Jesus and
starve your
soul.
Look at
verse 35.
Jesus said to
them I am the
bread of life
whoever comes
to me shall
not hunger
and whoever
believes in me
shall never
thirst.
But look at
verse 36.
I said you
have seen me
yet you do
not believe.
See putting
your body
near where you
know Jesus
will be feeding
is one part
but you
must receive
by faith.
You can be
that close to
him and not
believe because
you being in
church or you
spending time in
the Bible in
prayer that does
not save you
or me.
It's your faith
that unites you
to Christ.
That's the only
way you are fed
is through union
with Christ by
faith.
You know why
you come up here
in just a moment
and take the
Lord's Supper?
It's because the
Lord's Supper will
grow your faith.
It will strengthen
your faith where
you're weak.
That's what one
of our catechisms
says.
As bread nourishes
our temporal
life so too
his crucified
body truly
nourishes our
soul for eternal
life.
Through the Holy
Spirit's work we
share in his
true body.
All of his
suffering and
obedience are as
definitely ours as
if we personally
had suffered and
paid for our
sins.
You are united
to Christ by
faith and the
Lord's Supper
reinforces that
glorious truth
to you.
You feast on
his word.
You feast by
faith.
Number three,
you feast in
assurance.
Assurance.
You will taste
how the gospel is
a feast when you
have assurance of
your salvation by
grace alone.
That's when you
know that Christ
will never cast
you out.
Look at verse
37.
Jesus says,
all that the
Father gives
me will come
to me and
whoever comes
to me I will
never cast
out.
Never.
You go to
Christ again
and again and
yes again today
and you trust in
God's faithfulness.
Charles Spurgeon
said, we come to
him in weakness
and in sin with
trembling faith,
small knowledge,
and slender hope,
but still he does
not cast us out.
Look at verse
38.
I have come down
from heaven not
to do my own
will but the will
of him who sent
me.
And what is the
will?
Look at verse
39.
This is the will
of him who sent
me that I should
lose nothing of
all that he has
given me.
Spurgeon again,
we come with
prayer but those
prayers are broken.
We come with
confession but our
confession is faulty.
We come with
praise but our
praise falls short
of his merits.
Don't you feel
that even today?
We come diseased
and polluted,
worn out and
worthless.
We are no better
than that ancient
crowd.
But still he does
not cast us out.
Your soul will
hunger until you
feast on Christ.
Christ.
How do you know
that you are one
that the Father
gave to Christ?
How do you know
that?
You know it by the
evidence of
assurance.
What is the
evidence of
assurance?
It's your
sanctification.
And that's my
fourth point.
You feast on
Christ in
sanctification.
Sanctification is
not a burden for
this life.
It is preparation
for eternity.
Your soul will
dwell immediately.
The moment you
die, the moment
your body releases
your spirit, your
soul will be united
to Christ if you
are in him by
faith and you
will be with
Christ for
eternity.
That's what
sanctification is
preparing you to
dwell in such a
way with Christ.
Look at verse
27.
Jesus says,
now pay attention
carefully to his
words here.
do not work for
the food that
perishes.
But for, in
other words, you
do work to feed
your soul on
spiritual food.
What is that?
It's the food that
endures to eternal
life, which the
Son of Man will
give to you.
You work for that
that he is giving
to you.
He gives it.
And you work for
what he's giving
you.
He gets all the
glory.
But you work for
what's going to
last for
eternity.
For on him,
God the Father
has set his
seal.
The hot wax is
poured.
The king's signet
ring stamped down
on the life of
everyone given
to Christ by
the Father.
So pay attention
to this.
Union to
Christ.
This is what it
all hinges on.
It is evidenced
by communion
communion with
Christ.
Union with
Christ.
That's the hope
of your soul
from life and
in death.
It's evidenced
by, here's the
fruit of assurance,
communion with
Christ.
Feeding your soul
on Christ is
evidence of union
to him.
If you are
united to Christ,
then God's, the
Father's seal is
upon your life.
And the will
of the Father
was what fed
Jesus.
In John 4, 34,
Jesus said,
my food is to
do the will
of my Father.
And if your
will is now
bound up with
his, that will
be your desire
as well.
Your will will
be to do the
will of the
Father.
Our remaining
sin is at
enmity with
God.
It hates to
do God's
will.
If you are
not saved by
grace alone
through faith
alone,
sanctification
sounds like a
lot of work
and your
flesh will
never want
to do it
and you
will be doomed
to fail.
So is there
any hope?
The hope is
this.
If God has
given you a
hunger in your
soul and he's
united you to
his son through
faith, you now
are his project.
He owns your
sanctification.
See, Jesus was
the carpenter.
He was a
builder.
Nazareth is
only about 11
miles from
Tiberias.
He saw the
city being
built.
He would
have contracted
out in all
the areas
surrounding that.
And it
probably annoyed
him when
someone would
start a
project and
then run
out of money.
But that's
exactly what
Herod Agrippa
did.
If you were
to travel
through Tiberias,
you would
have seen
these buildings
only half
built.
What a joke
that was
compared to
Herod the
Great, his
father, who
built amazing
things in the
style of Rome.
Herod Agrippa,
he would
abandon his
projects.
And for a
carpenter, a
builder, there's
nothing more
annoying,
unprofessional.
He knew
that.
And at the
same context,
Luke 14, 8,
Jesus says,
which of you
desiring to
build a
tower, probably
looking at
Tiberias in
this exact
moment, everyone
looking and
knowing exactly
what Christ is
talking about,
who doesn't
first sit down
and count the
cost, whether
he has enough
to complete it.
But listen to
what God says
in Philippians 1, 6
through Paul.
I am sure
of this, that
he who began
a good work
in you will
bring it to
completion on
the day of
Jesus Christ.
Your
sanctification is
his project.
He is building
you up as
his holy
temple, so he
will dwell in
you for
eternity,
church.
That's your
hope.
You do not
have to
fabricate your
own spiritual
food.
You do
feed your
soul on
the spiritual
food which
the Son of
Man will
give to you.
Trust that he
will.
Verse 27, he
will give you
the food that
your soul needs
every day.
Let me recap
this point.
By what means
can you feast
on Christ?
Number one, by
his word, by
faith, by the
evidence of
assurance, and
by your growing
and sanctification.
You feast on
the eternal life
that God has
laid out for you
like a banquet
feast.
Your soul will
hunger until you
feast on
Christ.
You rehearse the
gospel and your
soul is fed.
Milton Vincent
again, how shall
I thank God for
this gospel of
his, a gift that
keeps giving?
Each time I
rehearse, deserve
it, I don't on
my holiest day, but
this is salvation,
and herein I'll
stay.
I want this last
little illustration
to be impressed on
your mind to
remember this.
On a piece of
printer paper, blue
marker, these words
were written and
then taped outside
of a restaurant on
the alley side
facing the
dumpsters.
The sign read,
to the people eating
out of my garbage.
I have more love
for you than you
can think.
Please just come
in and tell me
you're hungry.
I will forever
give you a fresh
slice of pizza
and fresh water
to drink.
God bless.
your soul will
hunger until you
feast on Christ.
But Jesus says
to you,
I am the bread
of life.
If you come to
me, you shall
not hunger.
Whoever believes
in me shall
never thirst.
Enjoy the bounty
of God's kingdom.
Enjoy your fill
of every spiritual
fruit he provides.
make use of all
the means he has
given you and
feast until you
are completely
satisfied over
and over again
in Christ.
Christ alone
is heaven's food
for your hungry
soul.