Jesus' Most Outrageous Sayings - Unless You Eat My Flesh and Drink My Blood - Part 5

You know, one of the great things about going to the holy land is you get to see all the places up close that you have read about in the Bible for so long and it, make your Bible reading, come alive. It kinda makes it become three-dimensional when you come back one of my favorite places in the holy land is found on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee is a little town called Tomko and here years ago excavators found a church from the fourth century A.D., all today.

Almost 1600 years old and when they on earth. Although the rubble underneath. They found a mosaic for that was there from the original building of the church that was still intact. The focal point of that mosaic floor is what I'm going to show you on the screen now and you say lawn. What is that it looks like to fish and like a basket or something. Well, that's right, it's a basket of bread because this is the site where Jesus took two fish and five little loaves of bread instead. The 5000 were to talk about that today because it was right here in connection with this miracle Jesus said one of the most outrageous things anybody has ever said, remember were doing a series called Jesus his most outrageous sayings we covered for already. Remember what were doing were going to the New Testament. Looking at the most radical things Jesus never said and spending a week on each one asking the question. Well, so what. And if you missed any of those for you can pick up the tape for the CD in the bookstore today were ready for outrageous thing number five and so if you brought your Bible. I like to ask you to open it to John chapter 6 Matthew Mark Luke John in the New Testament, chapter 6, if you did not bring your Bible I want you to reach under the armrest right next to your chair.

If you're here in our main auditorium and you'll find a copy of the Bible really the on page 755, page 755 in our copy John six in your copy and were going to start right at the beginning of the chapter verse one. So here we go. John chapter 6 verse one sometime after this Jesus cross to the far shore. That is, to the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee were taught for yesterday and a great crowd followed him because they saw the miracles he performed for the six verse five and when Jesus saw the great crowd.

He said to Philip, where shall we buy bread for all these people to eat.

Verse seven Philip said, Lord, what are you kidding eight months wages would not buy enough bread for every one of these people to have a bite verse eight, another of his disciples, Andrew, spoke up and said will you know there's a boy here with five barley loaves and two small fish, but more how formal this goal. Among so many people. Verse 10 Jesus said, had the pay have the people sit down so the men sat down about 5000 of them in Jesus took the loaves, and gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish, inasmuch as they wanted and when every body had had enough. All they can eat he said to the disciples gather the pieces that are left over, and they filled 12 baskets full with the pieces left over. Now you understand of course what happened here.

Jesus took those five little loaves of bread in those two fish and he prayed and he said Baroque. I taught an ally Elohim novella column, mostly less than a minute. How are or less and are you, Lord our God, King of the universe who brings forth bread or food from the earth and after blessing the food Jesus started handing out pieces of bread and fish to the crowd.

He kept on handing it out more and more and more until there was so much food that nobody could eat anymore. As a matter fact the Greek word here that we translated every body had had enough. Literally means they had gorged themselves. These people worked out. If you understand what I mean. And there were still 12 baskets of food left over while I can relate. Maybe you can, you know, I took a cruise with my wife a number of years ago and the thing I love about these cruises of the meal you get as much as you want and so one night we had lobster tail and filet mignon for dinner and I had to cut through the casino. On the way to dinner and watched all the people for a moment playing blackjack and so every time I play got empty. I knew exactly what to say to the waiter. I just said it again hit me again hit me again. I have five complete meals of lobster tail and filet mignon. I had to resort to that night. I want you to know, and I walked out of there. Peter and I had somewhere in the range of $200 worth of food, maybe more, and I felt like I had beat the house. Some say one thing, it was wonderful. Well I don't know if you're like I am booking somebody's offering the free food my appetite. I find, just jacked up about six levels in these people Jesus was feeding were the exact same way Jesus is offering them an all-you-can-eat buffet and they sat down and ate until they literally could not hold any more food. The only reason the Jesus stop handing out bread and fish is because nobody could eat anymore. He could've fell out of bed, 5000 million people if he wanted to that day still on how you explain that friends. I don't explain it. It's a miracle it's a suspension of the natural laws of nature in this world and you know what it God made those natural laws.

So if Jesus is indeed God in human flesh the way he claim to be for him to decide to suspend them is not a problem for many. Maybe it's a problem for you is not a problem for me it's a miracle, pure and simple.

Now that evening, Jesus walked a few hundred yards down the shore of the Sea of Galilee to his headquarters town Capernaum and spent the night there. Verse 24 and in the morning when the crowd realize Jesus was not incompetent anymore. They went to Capernaum in search of Jesus and Jesus said when he when they found him you're looking for me because you ate the loaves and had your fill Jesus do not know why you looking for me. You want more phone do not work for the food oils. Jesus said, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you Jesus said work for the food that will bring you eternal life.

In other words, you should be more concerned about the food, it gives eternal life guys then your about the food and just physical life, and this is not the first time Jesus has ever said this, he said in Matthew 16.

What good is it if a man gains the whole world and loses his own soul, but the people here were not sure what Jesus would say they were little confused. They said to him, how do we do this what we have to do the work for this kind of work we have to do for the sixth eternal life food.

So Jesus answers and says, verse 29 the work of God for this eternal life. Food is this to believe in me, the one whom God has sent how do you work for the food that endures to eternal life. Jesus said what you have to do to get eternal life. Jesus that is very simple.

You have to believe in me looked down at verse 40 Jesus and everyone who believes in me shall have eternal life looked down at verse 47 Jesus said the person who believes in me has eternal life (the problem is that this word believe is one of those easy to misunderstand what it really means words mean what kind of believing exactly, does a person have to do in order to activate Jesus's promise of eternal life will Jesus goes on to answer that question. He uses the miracle of the bread, the multiplying of the bread he uses that as a teaching tool to explain to these people. What, believing they got.

I have watched now, he says, verse 48 I am the bread of life. I am the living bread that came down from heaven.

If anyone eats this bread me, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will deal for the life of the world. Verse 52 then the Jews began to argue sharply among themselves, saying, how can this man give us his flesh to eat.

And Jesus said to them. Verse 53.

Here it comes.

One of the most outrageous things that anybody has ever said verse 53 Jesus said, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man, meaning himself and drink his blood, you have no eternal life in you.

Verse 54 whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise that person up at the last day for my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink while long. That's kind of a really weird thing for somebody say back on that kind of a disturbing thing for somebody to say what you write that you're not the first group of people to feel that way you not the first group of people to have trouble with what Jesus said here you know between the death of Jesus and 33 a day or so and the conversion of Emperor Constantine in 312 A.D. during those 300 years.

As you know, the Roman Empire persecuted Christians mercilessly tortured them, kill them and one of the excuses. One of the justifications that the Roman government gave her why it was doing this is that if said the Christians were accountable based on this verse right here in John chapter 6, if it it accused the Christians in the Roman Empire of getting together in their secret clandestine meetings and eating the flesh and drinking the blood of one another, especially their own children, and they told Roman citizens at large.

If you allow these Christians to survive and you allow them to gain power there to take your children to keep your children to. That's why were killing is they want. That's ridiculous that it will. Jesus. Jesus is talking about being accountable here while I know what is he talking about Solano. It is talking about.

It's easy he's talking about communion. He's talking about the Eucharist is talking about the Lord's supper where we symbolically eat his flesh and where we symbolically drink his blood is not right. No that's not right is the one with friends look whatever Jesus is talking about here when he said eat my flesh and drink my blood.

Whatever he means.

It's clear that the people standing here in front of him. In John chapter 6 could do it right then and there.

Right at that moment when you know what the Eucharist and communion hadn't been invented yet. It happened at the Lord's supper, which is a couple years down the road.

They couldn't take the Lord's supper standing near the Lord's supper and exist. That is not what Jesus is talking about is that while with that is what he's talking about and what talking about. Well let me let me explain that to you. Follow me carefully. Now, here. Look at the connection. Jesus makes in verse 29 in verse 40 and in verse 47 we just saw Jesus said, believe in me, and you will have eternal life correct okay now in verse 54 Jesus says in the same chapter, eat my flesh and drink my blood and you will have eternal life point is whatever Jesus means by eating his flesh and drinking his blood. It is synonymous in Jesus is mine with believing in him or to put it. In other words, Jesus uses this phrase eat my flesh and drink my blood to explain to these people standing there to elucidate for them to amplify for them to clarify for them exactly what kind of believing he's talking about exactly what kind of believing you and I have to do in order to activate God promise of eternal life. Does everybody see that jealousy that is short because I go back and start over will see that okay now is a lot I do see that but that leaves me with one other question and my other question is ready. 1231. So what I see that I follow you thinking, but I don't understand what difference in the world is not make to me. How does that touch my life at all. Let's talk about that for a moment.

Remember what I said earlier I said earlier that the word believe is one of those easy to misunderstand what it really means words to see Jesus knew that one of the ways of understanding the word believe is to understand it as strictly ahead thing as strictly an intellectual thing. In other words a person could stand around and say look, I believe the Jesus was born.

I believe that Jesus was the son of God. I believe that Jesus died on the cross. I believe that Jesus is the Savior of the world. In other words, I believe all that in my head, but friends that isn't the kind of believing that Jesus is talking about here in John six that isn't the kind of believing that brings people eternal life that is not saving faith that is not redeeming faith. Jesus that I'm talking about a kind of believing follow me now that's like eating Salam get it.

What would he mean by that.

Well, when we keep food. What do we do with food we ingest for.

We digested we absorb it. We take it, not just into our head, but we take it into our very being. We assimilated we break it down and we distributed to every cell in our body. It gives life to every cell in our body and it becomes an inseparable indistinguishable part of that's what we do with food. The point is that our relationship with food is not an intellectual relationship.

Our relationship with food is an experiential relationship and intensely personal relationship. Now this is for me.

I love food.

I had a weight problem.

All my life I was raised in a dysfunctional family and I learned to eat my pain away. You know I went one time I was watching on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson and Ed McMahon. And you know Johnny was always skinny and Ed was always not skinny and they were talking about this that was on another diet. Johnny turns to him and says that you know what your problem is. I'll tell you there are two kinds of people in the world and there are people who eat to live, that's me. And then there are people who live to eat. Ed that's you and that's why you have a weight problem welcome. I just tell you I live on Solomon him in the same category as Ed McMahon. I live to eat you know as soon as I get the wood breakfast. I*think it was a lot in the minute I get to enlarge something to what we doing for dinner and after I dinner when I go to bed. I'm already planning practice now. Maybe you're not like I am, but that's how I am and that's why 15 years ago I ballooned up to 215 pounds 35 pounds more than I am today. So I decided I was going to lose 35 pounds while was abhorrent all my guys I try to become a guide to could think of. I tried the Slim fast shakes.

You know those things and you know actually I found out they weren't all that bad. In fact, they go great would not close. I found out that they were wonderful so anyway. Then I tried one of these starving yourself with one meal a day sort of diet you know when you cut out all snacks.

All junk food. All we and I had a friend she told me she said you know lawn after a week you won't even notice the hungry will. That's not true friends. After a week I was a little late and after we and by God's wonderful grace right at that moment in time, I had the doorbell ringing at the front door was a Girl Scout so I got and I said to her cool young lady. I think you're going to win the to New York right here could say now why did my weight go to 215 pounds.

Why did I have to put myself through that. Let me tell you why, because I do not have an intellectual relationship with food. Who wants an intellectual relationship with hunting you can sit at a table and say wow I purchased the food I prepared the food I smell the food.

I see the food I can touch the food. I know he would taste good friends all that's in your head for the food to do you any good when he got a new yacht got heated which I'm good at, you know what Jesus said Jesus said you want to believe correctly.

This is exactly what you gonna do with me.

You can look around all day and say I know Jesus came. I know we got on the cross on the Wii was the Savior I know his blood paid for me, but friends until you eat until you ingest that until you digest that until you assimilated into every part of your being and make it an inseparable part of you, Jesus. This you have not believed the way it takes to get eternal life, and that's why Jesus talked about eating his flesh and drinking his blood. He was trying to communicate to those people in the what the, believing is you and I've got to do to really grab eternal life. We gotta take Jesus in the wake we take food in economy Savior here today and you never trusted Jesus in real and personal way. This is really important for you to know what I'm saying here today you can go to church all your life you can read your Bible on July you can go through every sacrament the world you can sit around all day and confess with your head that Jesus did everything the Bible says he did.

But until you ingest him digest him milady him and make him an inseparable part of your being in your life, until it gets to that personal. You have not believed in the way that brings eternal life. This is why here at McLean Bible church. We talk about having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. This is why we talk about inviting Jesus personally into your life, taking him in like food. And if you've never done that my friend is a simple thing to do. Maybe nobody ever told you you needed to do that. Well, I'm telling you here today. I'm not telling you Jesus is telling.

He wanted to get to the place where you can say Jesus is the Savior, he's my Savior.

Jesus wants to get to the place where you say he didn't die for the world, for he died for my sins.

Jesus wants to get you to the place where you don't say Jesus came to redeem the world, he came to redeem me because I am taking names inside of me contested him into my life assimilated him into my being on his now and he's mine were so separated, you can't tell one from the other. If you've never done that, my friends, I urge you, I urge you to do that. All you have to do is bow your head close rise in a few minutes we were done and asked Jesus to come in like food that you know though if you're here and you're a follower of Christ or something wonderful in John chapter 6 for you and me as well, and that is here in John chapter 6, Jesus tells us that he intends this kind of intimate personal ingestion connection of Christ, not just to be a salvation experience. The people have, but rather he extends intends this to be an everyday experience for every follower of Jesus Christ and how does he make that point he makes it by comparing himself to the man that the Israelites ate in the wilderness in the Old Testament wants first 49 Jesus says your forefathers ate manna in the wilderness, and they died but I in the living manna. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Remember the Old Testament.

Exodus 16 God would drop manna from heaven every single day for the Israelites to eat and they would go out and gather it every single day and remember the story.

Sometimes there were four there were but Israelites and tried to store a bunch of it all and it wouldn't store no matter how much you support it or how well you stored it the next day, it was always moldy and rotten and smelly. In other words, God was trying to teach the Israelites in point he was trying to teach them.

You can't live on yesterday's manna you need fresh manna every single day and that very same thing is true for us as followers of Jesus Christ. Just as the Israelites had to gather fresh manna every single day.

As followers of Christ friends. We have to ingest a fresh supply of Jesus, the living manna into our lives every day. If we want to be here actually helping as followers of Christ we can't live on yesterday's manna either. We need a fresh filling of the Holy Spirit every day. We need a fresh experience with the living God every day. We need to eat a fresh meal from God's word every day to get the strength we need to love our spouse to love our children to live biblically to act righteously to hate soon to love righteousness to pursue personal holiness if we don't feed ourselves on fresh manna every day.

Let me tell you what happened. We become Michael Sampson.

Remember him in the Bible, the guy with the long hair. You know Sampson's problem was, every once in a while he would need a good spiritual meal and in between.

He would try to run on few and as a result his life demonstrated the kind of the original instability. The kind of spiritual inconsistency.

The kind of spiritual failure that columns from only eating spiritual food on an occasional basis. Remember what Jesus said in the Lord's prayer. He said give us this day our what is a weekly ditty. He didn't say monthly ditty.

He didn't say quarterly or twice a year. Bread ditty give us our daily bread, and friends. If you're here and you're follower of Christ today. The comparison Jesus makes with manna is critical.

He's trying to tell you and me that we need just like the Israelites did to go out and we need that intimate personal eating of Christ every day in our life as well.

We can be like NASCAR Christians and try to run on fumes of the last possible moment friends in the written word of God, the Bible, Jesus serves up spiritual manna every day and we need to be eating it every day on our knees in prayer. Jesus serves the his personal presence and power to us every day and we need to be ingesting that every single day and so as we close today. If you're follower of Christ. Here I got a question for you. My question is, how is your daily time with the Lord's long now, but are you gone from preaching to Medlin friend. Well that's my job. My job is to meddle in your life is why you come here for me to meddle in your life, and upon stepping on your toes will God bless you, it's probably because you're in the wrong place that my job so let me go back to my question. How is your daily time with the Lord. How is your daily Bible reading your daily prayer time, your daily connection with Jesus Christ. My question is are you running on new fresh manna every day, or friends or you try to run on yesterday's manna last week's manna last month manna last year's manna well with your life as a follower of Christ exhibits spiritual instability if your life is a follower of Christ. The exhibits spiritual inconsistency if it is exhibits spiritual failure more than you want, I can tell you one of the reasons why that's probably true, it's probably because you're not running on fresh manna every single day and you know there's a lot of folks who come to church once a week and they trot is taking all the manna they need for the whole week they try to put it in a big job. You know he is Monday's lawn Tuesday lawn Wednesday lawn Thursday lawn and friends.

I will work that gets rotten and smelly and bad you can't run on on on on on Sundays. Manna on Thursday. You can't do that and I really find there are so many of us as followers of Christ who gives so much in a hurry in our priorities get so out of whack and we have so much pressing in on us that the thing we sacrifice the thing we need the most, which is a fresh Auto manna every day from the Lord Jesus. Otherwise, the rest of it done get done right so I want to challenge you here. I want to remind you that abiding in Christ is a moment by moment, day by day. And if you don't do it that way your Christian experience in my Christian experience will not work right so I want to challenge you to take a hard look at your priorities here today a hard look at your schedule here today because I suspect that for many of us. We need a course correction in our schedule a course correction in our priorities. This is a naughty town. This town goes a thousand miles an hour you know that I know that if you're not careful the pace of life in this town will rob you of the manna you need every day to live in a successful way for Christ to let that happen. Friends Sampson do you know he met Delilah you want to meet the Lilo in your life, whatever he or she looks like or it looks like the way to do that to stay connected with Jesus daily.

So I want us to take a moment let's bow our heads if we will close our eyes. If you need to do business with God in these couple of moments I want you to do it. If you're here in your not a follower of Christ and you want to take Jesus into your life like food today. This is your moment. You tell the Lord inviting in and if you're here today in your follower of Christ, and you need a course correction in your scheduling your priorities. Then you take a moment to tell God that and asked for his help in beginning that change starting tomorrow morning. Let's take a moment to talk to Lord Jesus remind us what you said in John 15, you said abide in me and I will abide in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself, it must abide in the vine. The trunk, neither can you bear fruit unless you abide in me, for apart from me you can accomplish nothing of real spiritual value for those are haunting words when you live in Washington when you live with the pace of life, and we live to take the time every day to abide in Christ to take the time every day to spend time in the word of God and in prayer in eating fresh manna is a challenge. Big challenge, the Lord, you know it's interesting to me that the Bible never changes. You don't change your rules for people who live in Washington you rules of the same abide in you, and you will abide in us and so I pray today that many of us here.

This will be the beginning of a whole new way of living a whole new lifestyle and schedule one that has fresh manna every day is the nonnegotiable event of the day. Everything else can go but not for Jesus teach us that we can't live on yesterday's manna Lord help us to stop trying and crown our lives as we do live on fresh manna with the joy and power you want to give us each and every day is your representatives in this town, change our life as we were here today, Lord change the very way we live and we pray these things in Jesus name God's people said a man. Thanks for being here