Life Truth Network Master Feed

More on Job. Preached on January 5, 2020 at Antioch Missionary Baptist Church in Houston, AR by pastor Nathan Caldwell. Text starts at Job 22.1

This wraps up a long chapter, probably the longest chapter in the New Testament. For some background, we review some high points in the events and Jesus's sermon about his being the bread from heaven.

* Jesus fed 5000.

* He fled, but walked on water that night. Seen only by his disciples.

* The crowd finds him and wants to know how he got across the lake.

* Jesus redirects attention from being fed physical bread to his eternal spiritual bread.

* He declares, you cant work your way into heaven. It's about faith, belief.

* But the crowd demanded a sign, like Moses did in the wilderness. Did they think the miracle feeding would continue daily, as it did with mannah in the wilderness?

* Jesus redirects again about the true bread from heaven.

* They saw but didn't believe it.

* His listeners were stuck on the earlier claim about descending from heaven. They seem to have missed eternal security, and gods desire to reconcile.

* They knew his parents, how can he say he came from heaven?

* Jesus really rocks their boat as he gets to the difficult part. He restates he is from the father and has seen him.

* Mannah had a temporary benefit, but those who ate it are dead. Jesus is bread from heaven, eaters will not die.

* Wait. What? Eaters of his flesh? What does he mean by that?

* His claim is that his believers should eat his flesh to receive eternal life.

* The Jews had to deal with what he meant. What does he mean, eat his flesh?

* He is the source of life. Apart from him, our life is not self-sustaining.

Spine of a Bible ca. 2001, "Used with permission from Microsoft."

John 6:60-71

60 When many of his disciples heard it, they said, "This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?"

Disciples. Not limited to the 12, but students at large, an adherance.

It wasn't only the Jews and religious leaders who had a hard time with this concept, even some of his disciples had trouble understanding.

Jesus was polarizing. His messages were Not always about peace and love. If he was all about good vibes, he would never be crucified. His puzzling, difficult saying served to separate the men from the boys, the true followers from those in name only.

But what about the 12 closest disciples?

61 But Jesus, knowing in himself that his disciples were grumbling about this, said to them, "Do you take offense at this?

He heard their grumbling, trying to figure out what he meant, but Jesus knew their hearts. The concept of this spiritual bread is a foundational belief about Jesus. As difficult as it is, how can the disciples receive later, more difficult things to be understood?

62 Then what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before?

aThis seems to be Jesus's way of prophesying to them, about what they would see. Men can't save themselves. Eternal life isn't in them. We have nothing but needs. It takes trusting in the atoning price Jesus paid for our eternal life.

Going by the question Jesus asked, was the disciples hung up on his descending from heaven, and not so much on the eating of his flesh as the bread of life?

Something to note. None of the gospels record his ascension. It appears Only in Acts.

63 It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is of no avail. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.

Jesus short circuits the issue of eating flesh by claiming it is the spirit that gives life. Spiritual bread. The flesh is nothing. Spirit is everything. Again, we are not self-sustaining. No pulling up by bootstraps. The Holy Spirit is central to the bread of life conce...

Here’s a shortlist of questions, intended as conversation starters to ask people about God.

Do you ever get stumped on what to ask people about their beliefs in God? Maybe you have trouble in how to guide the conversation along? Try these on your family, friends, and even your kids. There are no right or wrong answers, so don't be critical of responses. At least you'll have a good idea of where your friend stands in their beliefs, and where to go in later discussions.

* Who or what is God?

* How did you arrive at that conclusion (How did you learn about God)?)

* What do you think God wants for us?

* What is the problem that keeps us away from him?

* How can we overcome sin and death?

Credits

consider supporting the podcast through our

Get to know another of the podcasters on the Christian Podcast Community. Eric Luphold has recently transitioned his podcast from Two Guys and the Bible to Governed by God. He shares how he got started in podcasting, and where his new show hopes to go.

"Used with permission from Microsoft."

We discuss the general theme of government in our lives, especially for the believer. Topics include where the ideas and authority of government come from (hint, it is in scripture). There are overlapping levels of governing authority, from the national level down to the family. The lower down the scale of power, the more direct affect authority has on our lives. For example, parents and rules in the family impact our children more consistently than laws at the state or federal level.

"Used with permission from Microsoft."

To learn more about Eric, his books, and other of his online activities and ministry, visit: www.ericluppold.com

Make sure you contact him, and let him know you heard him on the podcast.

Credits

consider supporting the podcast through our

Our guest is a book author, youth pastor, sports writer, coach, and dad, Tyler D Smith.

Note: I have to apologize to listeners for the poor audio quality in the episode. We had to resort to low tech methods to record.

"Used with permission from Microsoft."

Tyler shares some of his background, and journey to where he is today. His new book, Seeking for Seven is an easy read for high school students, on up to all ages. He addresses some tough topics like pain and suffering in the world but makes the answers easy to understand.

The book title, Seeking for Seven, has a double meaning. Each chapter is a stand-alone topic to help you grow closer to God every day. Study questions in the back of the book make it an ideal resource for a personal, or small group study. Seven is also a number of God and sometimes means perfection. Seeking for seven also means seeking his perfection on a daily basis.

Check out the book, and other work that Tyler does at:

Searching for Seven.

Searching for Seven: The Journey of Seeking God Seven on Amazon.

Searching for Seven on Facebook.

Credits

consider supporting the podcast through our

Matthew 5:1-9

Wrapping up our look at Jesus's sermon where he declares that he is the bread of life. Things go from the gentle claim that to eat of it means to not hunger for eternity. (Who wouldn't want that? Give us this bread.) To a more intimate commitment.

Jesus then gets specific. "I'm not Moses, who called on God to send bread. I am the bread. Sent from the father. Descended from heaven." The Jews responded by murmuring, "Wait? What? We know your parents. How can you say that?"

Jesus countered with, "Stop, you're missing the point. It's about spirituality, not the body. It's about the will of the father, not mine. It's about belief, not experience."

As we continue, Jesus lays it on and gets graphic.

Spine of a Bible ca. 2001, "Used with permission from Microsoft."

John 6:45-59

6:45 Jesus quotes from the prophets, a source that would be familiar to his audience. He claims all will be taught directly by god. All the believers, the elect that is, those who are watching and hearing him preach.

How can we believe, if we weren't alive back then to see or hear him? Even those not alive to see Jesus have a direct word from God through scripture, and the chain of testimony of believers through the years. If you are among that crowd of "All" who hear, you can count yourselves among Jesus students. Because you come to the father, through Jesus.

Why through Jesus?

6:46 No man has ever clearly seen the father. The exception is the one who started out with the father. Jesus is claiming his authority.

Jesus is declaring his divine nature. Is this clear enough yet?

6:47 "amen amen I say to you," Jesus tells it truly, with his highest authority that the one who believes in him will live eternally.

Not just having knowledge of him, but the one expressing, exercising faithfulness in him, and putting that faith into action, it's that person who will live forever.

6:48 Jesus again claims "I am the bread." Not that he will ask for it, or he will send it, but that "I am the bread."

6:49 The forefathers of the Jews had been eating manna. It kept them alive during the time in the desert. Now they are all dead.

Jesus wants to get back to the topic of living bread.

6:50 Jesus backs up and runs at it again. He doesn't explain what this bread from heaven is, He explains what it does. The one eating from it does not die.

Are the people getting it? Do they understand? Jesus is about to take it to the next level.

6:51 Jesus again claims to be the living bread, descended from heaven. Got it? Good.

He repeats his promise that the person eating the living bread will have a lifetime in heaven's eternity.

Get ready, buckle your seats. Just what is this living bread? Jesus says, "it's my flesh."

He gives over his flesh to cover the world (the cosmos). It's a voluntary gift. One powerful enough to blanket the globe.

Here it comes. How did the Jewish listeners accept this news?

6:52 Grumbling? No way. The word is warring. The Jews went into a huddle and were at war among themselves. They heard right. Eat flesh? Does Jesus mean to eat his own flesh? This was, and still is a detestable thing among any civilized culture.

Mind blown. But Jesus has more.

6:53 Jesus continues with his mind-blowing statement. Truly, if you do not eat, or do not drink, there is no power for life. We don't have the power, or authority inside us to achieve eternal life on our own.

Jesus gets repetitive to emphasize his point.

6:54 There's a subtle word change. Not just eat, but to crunch. Or to be corrosive like rust. Jesus restates its the eater and drinker of his body and blood who wil...