Wednesday, December 21, 2011

John 6 47 to 58

47 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.
48 I am that bread of life.
49 Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead.
50 This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die.
51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.
52 The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat?
53 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.
54 Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.
55 For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.
56 He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.
57 As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me.
58 This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever.

Key Observation:

He is life itself!

Memory Verse:
McGee says of this passage: “He came down to this earth: “the Word was made flesh” (John 1:14). He is going to the cross to lay that human life down there as a sacrifice to pay for your sins and my sins. Friend, when you partake of that, that is, when you accept that, you are saved. Someone may say, “Oh, that’s so vivid and so strong.” That’s what they said in that day, too.”

He further said: “This, obviously, is something that is not to be taken literally because He was right there before them. He is not saying for them to begin to eat Him and to drink His blood! What He is saying is that He is going to give His life. In that Upper Room He made it very clear that the blood is the symbol of life. “For the life of the flesh is in the blood … ” (Lev. 17:11). God had taught the Israelites that truth from the very beginning when He called them out of the land of Egypt. There at Mount Sinai Moses gives them this great axiom, “the life of the flesh is in the blood,” which is also medically true, by the way. The life of the flesh is in the blood. And Jesus is giving His life. He will shed His blood upon the cross and give His life. Salvation is by accepting and receiving Him in a most intimate way.”

I wonder about bread. I do remember the old advertisements Roman Meal had for their bread. They pictured soldiers marching all day long on bread, and thus brought the idea of complete nourishment to mind, hopefully increasing their sales. But the idea of bread being completely nourishing is one found in the Bible as well. Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word which proceeds out of the mouth of God. As McGee reminds me, the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us. When we believe Him, we partake of his sacrifice on our behalf. His blood and body being shed for us on the cross is vital to our being saved.

I have learned in my life of almost 60 years that as I gaze upon the Christ who gave Himself for me that the light of this world grows strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace. He does shine more brightly in my life with each passing day. I hope it is a truth which you have discovered for yourself.

McGee, J. Vernon (1990-01-30). Thru the Bible 1-5 (5 Volume Set) (Kindle Locations 101090-101096). Grupo Nelson. Kindle Edition.

McGee, J. Vernon (1990-01-30). Thru the Bible 1-5 (5 Volume Set) (Kindle Locations 101077-101080). Grupo Nelson. Kindle Edition.

Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus

1. O soul, are you weary and troubled?
No light in the darkness you see?
There's a light for a look at the Savior,
And life more abundant and free!

2. Through death into life everlasting
He passed, and we follow Him there;
Over us sin no more hath dominion
For more than conquerors we are!

3. His Word shall not fail you He promised;
Believe Him, and all will be well:
Then go to a world that is dying,
His perfect salvation to tell!

Chorus:
Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.

Lyrics: Helen Howarth Lemmel

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