John 6:35 ESV
”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.’”
We eat physical food when we get hungry and it gives sustenance
to our bodies so that we have strength to do our work each day and so we can
live. But we are not just physical beings. We are also spiritual beings with
hearts, souls, and minds. There is the physical us, and there is the us that is
spirit.
So, not only must our physical bodies be fed physical food
so that we can live physically, but our souls (spirits, hearts) must have the
right spiritual food to provide life in the Spirit of God which then gives us
eternal life with God. And this only comes through faith in Jesus Christ, God
the Son.
Jesus Christ is the living Word of God. He is the one who
gives eternal life. And the way to life eternal with God that he provides is
through dying with him in death to sin so that we can live with him to his
righteousness. And it is through daily feeding on his Word and in doing what it
says to do (Lu 9:23-26; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-17; Eph 4:17-24; 1 Jn 1:5-9; 1 Jn
2:3-6).
For, it is the one coming (continuously) to him who shall
not hunger spiritually, and it is the one believing (continuously) in him who shall
not thirst for living water. Thus, this is why Jesus said we must abide
(continue, remain) in him and his word remain in us if we want eternal life
with him (Jn 15:1-11; cf. Col 1:21-23; Heb 3:6, 14-15; I Jn 2:24-25; Jn 6:35-69).
John 6:52-56 ESV
“The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, ‘How can this man give us his flesh to eat?’ So 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 was speaking figuratively here, not literally. He was
speaking of us partaking with him in his death and resurrection and in his
sufferings and therefore also partaking with him in his life. For his flesh and
his blood were given for us on that cross that we might die with him to sin and
live to him and to his righteousness (1 Pet 2:24; 2 Co 5:15, 21; 1 Co 6:19-20).
So, what happens in our lives when we believe in Jesus
Christ with God-given and divinely persuaded faith in him? We are crucified
with him in death to sin and we are raised with him to newness of life in him,
created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness (Rom 6:1-23; Eph
4:17-24).
Our old self is crucified with him in order that the body of
sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.
Sin no longer has dominion over us but now we are under the control of the Holy
Spirit who has come to dwell within us (Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-17).
But then we must walk (conduct our lives) according to (in
agreement with) the Spirit and no longer in agreement with the flesh, for if we
walk according to the Spirit, we will die in our sins, but if by the Spirit we
are putting to death the deeds of the flesh, then we will live (Rom 8:1-17; 1
Jn 1:5-9).
So, again, this is continuous faith. It is abiding and
active faith. For if we do not continue in him till the end, we don’t have
eternal life with God. If we don’t abide in him and his words abide in us, and
if we, instead, decide to live by the flesh, making sin our practice, then we
will die in our sins.
And this is why it says here in John 6 that it is the one
eating (partaking) of Jesus’ flesh and it is the one who is drinking of his
blood who has eternal life in him. For, this is not a one-time event which
takes place in our lives which secures us eternal life regardless of how we
live.
Jesus said that if anyone would come after him, he must deny
self and die daily to sin (take up his cross daily) and follow him in
obedience. For, if we hold on to our old self, we will lose our lives for
eternity. But if our old self is put to death with Christ, then we have eternal
life (Lu 9:23-26).
John 6:60-65 ESV
“When many of his disciples heard it, they said, ‘This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?’ But Jesus, knowing in himself that his disciples were grumbling about this, said to them, ‘Do you take offense at this? Then what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. But there are some of you who do not believe.’ (For Jesus knew from the beginning who those were who did not believe, and who it was who would betray him.) And he said, ‘This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.’”
But many people today also are saying, “This is a hard
saying; who can listen to it?” And it is, too, because they take offense at it,
because they don’t want to die to sin and self, but they still want to live for
self and for sinful and selfish pleasures.
But what Jesus said then still rings true today. It is the
Spirit of God who gives life, and we must do what he says if we want to have
eternal life with God. There are no shortcuts. There is no easy way. Well,
there is, but it will lead to hell, not to heaven.
Jesus said the flesh is no help at all. Amen! The way of the
Spirit is the way of the cross, but not just Jesus’ death on a cross, but us
participating with him in his death and resurrection, in us dying to sin and living
to righteousness in the Spirit and by the Spirit as we surrender to God.
But there are many who do not believe. And there are many
who say they believe, but what they believe is not the truth. It is not eating
Jesus’ flesh and drinking his blood. For they deny Jesus and his gospel, and
they make up their own gospel, which is of the flesh, so they continue in the
flesh and not in the Spirt.
And this is why Jesus said that no one can come to him
unless it is granted (given, gifted) to him by the Father. For, genuine faith
is God-given faith, and if it is from God, it is going to submit to Christ as
Lord, it is going to obey his commands, and it is going to die with Christ to
sin and live with Christ to righteousness all in the power of God’s Spirit
within us, and for the glory and praise of God. Amen!
It’s All You
Lyrics by Tosin Iyawo
Ogaga & Sue Love
Music by Sue Love @
Original Works
Vocals by Tosin Iyawo
Ogaga
May 31, 2019
You are the reason I want to dance.
You are the reason I want to sing.
You are the reason, expressing myself,
I serve You in all the ways You lead me.
You are the reason my heart gives You praise.
You are the reason that I am alive.
I bring out Your best moves
Just so I do embrace You;
Sing out loud as You lead just to please You.
Let myself follow You. I don’t care who watches me.
All I want to do is to make You smile.
Let every fiber of me bring You praise.
Your love has lifted my feet to dance.
Your faithfulness leaves me singing for joy.
You, Jesus, are the reason, it’s all You.
Your grace gives me life.
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