In this sermon we see that every Christian should be a member of a local church as this kind of vital connection to Christ and His local assembly of followers was assumed of New Testament believers and is vital, not tangential, to both individual believers and Christ's universal Church.

At the Feast of Booths, the Jews recalled the shining glory of the Lord come down from Heaven to dwell among them and lead them to their promised land. Jesus announced that he himself is the light they claimed to be celebrating, and only those who follow this light will have eternal life. In light of this, believers are repeatedly commanded to be the light of Christ in the world.

Jesus claims to fulfill the Old Testament promise of the new age where the blessing of the Holy Sprit would be poured out on all God's people and change them from the inside out. Here He beckons us to come to Him and receive this blessing that is brought about through His glorification (death, burial, resurrection, ascension) and find real satisfaction and life change that only He can provide.

People responded to Jesus in various ways, from rightly worshiping Him as Lord, to curiosity, to confusion, to false belief, to anger, to outright rejection. Since Jesus was treated thus in His earthly ministry, we ought not be surprised when we receive similar treatment and we must be willing to proclaim Christ crucified to all people regardless of the consequences.

True faith begins with God's gracious election/choice of sinners and works itself out in believers living their lives in union with Christ, who preserves them to the end. We must therefore believe in God's heaven-sent bread, abide in Him, and humbly rejoice in God, knowing that He has chosen us and will preserve us to the end.

People follow Jesus for many reasons; however, this passage challenges us to follow Him because He is the Divine Son of God. By feeding the 5,000, Jesus demonstrates that He is the never-ending, eternal bread of life, and that whoever believes in Him will have eternal life.

God the Father provides an impressive string of witnesses who

Jesus defends His claim of equality with God (5:17-18) by pointing to His unique relationship with the Father (equal, yet submissive), demonstrated in His authority to grant life and to judge all people. It is therefore vital that we believe in Jesus, honor Him in all we do, and live our lives in light of the truth that He will judge our every deed.

In this sermon, we see that God has appointed a plurality of male elders to govern, shepherd, and teach His people in local churches, so that all might be built up to maturity in their faith and equipped to share in the work of ministry.

What are elders? Why should a church have a plurality of elders? What are the qualifications for elders? What do elders do? Why does God give our churches elders?