Jesus is the true source of life: As Preached by Mark Dowling at Elmers End Free Church (26/10/21)

The vision, the valley, the destination of life’s journey is this - Jesus Christ Himself. We make no subtlety about that. We have been singing about it for years - “The churches one foundation is Jesus Christ, our Lord”. I do wonder though... What does that actually mean? It’s a fab hymn and the statement sounds quite meaty but if we were to put that meaty statement of Jesus being our foundation in the boiling pot of reality, then what kind of meal are we actually participating in? What is the church really made of if Jesus is its foundation? AND - by church - I mean YOU! What are YOU made of? What are you feasting on? Who is energising your life? Does Jesus really make a difference to how you approach life and the things you face in your life? Be honest! John 6 is a fantastic chapter in the bible - Its full of the miraculous, full of drama and full of strong arguments of divine wisdom! Its especially great for the “foodies” amongst us! “Foodies” are those of us who have that

strange addiction to taking pics of the food we eat before we eat it, those who are eager to try new food and those who love browsing through recipes or the local supermarket fridges! Well... FOODIES! Look no further than the pages of scripture - This chapter is baked with bread and water! Fishes and loaves of... can you guess? MORE BREAD!

In John 6:9-13, We read of Jesus, by the sea of Galilee, chilling with His Pals, suddenly approached by a HUGE crowd - 5000 in number, wanting to hear Jesus speak and perform miracles for them. Jesus, not flinching or anxious at all, asked His pals where they could buy bread to feed this great number. Jesus’ pals, most probably laughing and taking the mick out of His naivety, said - not even 6 months pay could feed this crowd a crumb big enough to stop their tummy grumble! Nonetheless, They found a lad in the crowd who had some grub and they took it to Jesus. Jesus then took this poor lads Tesco meal deal - five barley loaves and 2 fish - Anyone had that combination here? (I really feel for the lad. He probably thought - “I came here for a show and a good moral story and now I’ve been robbed! What’s becoming of this world? Even the clergy nick your fish!).

Jesus gave thanks to God for the food, and, in an instant - a miracle of multiplication took place! There was now more than enough for the crowd and even basketfuls leftover! This miracle was the perfect scene setter for Jesus to discuss what was really on His heart for the huge JEWISH crowd that gathered around him by that sea! Those gathered would have been very familiar with a similar miraculous event that had happened to their ancestors long ago! When manna flowed from heaven upon those travelling Israelites in the day of Moses, headed to the promised land, with naught but the finger of God guiding and providing for them every single day - more than enough for their every need!

Jesus, later on, cuts deep into the hearts of his Jewish audience, speaking of that historical event, and alluding to a future event - “It wasn’t Moses who gave you bread from heaven. It was my Father who gave you the true bread from heaven. Gods bread, you see, is the one who comes down from heaven to give life to the world” (V 34 & 35). NOW - return to the opening question; What does it mean that Jesus Christ is the centre and foundation of the church?

It means that He is the sole provider of its very life! What is life? Everyday stuff is life! Stuff we eat, drink, do, people we meet, the ground we walk on. AND God almighty embodies it all, is in, within, around, about, upon, it all! In the words of John 6 v 35 - “I am the bread of life. The one who comes to me will never be hungry and the one who believes in me, will never be thirsty.” Jesus - The God man - claims to be the bread from heaven that was foreseen in Moses’ day through the manna. Here, Jesus, says that He has, like the Manna, come down from Heaven, by the will of His Father, to provide sustenance, nourishment and life to His special people! Notice that v 35 is not exclusively evangelical (you get me?) Its not solely talking about people coming to Jesus like folk at an evangelistic crusade writing decision cards to follow Jesus and join a church. Its more than that!

Its this - Come to me and I will continually feed you, continually provide you with drink. I will never ever ever let you be known as hungry or thirsty again! Breathe that in! It is reality. Perhaps you’ve been a christian for years, but in this season, you feel malnourished or empty. Let me remind you of Jesus’ words - “NEVER hungry. NEVER thirsty”. He has promised and keeps His promises. He does not lie. Therefore, we must conclude that it is the truth and the problem lies with us.

What’s our problem?

In Johns gospel, we find a repeated word - “believes” (so from chpt 1 up until 6 v 37 - we find approximately 22 times - the word BELIEVE!) There is a call here to RIGHT believing! Believing the right things, rejecting the false. You can change the direction of your Christian life right now by choosing to believe (amplified bible adds - “relying upon, wholly trusting in”) Jesus’ promise that He will be your bread and water - that is not just spiritual! In fact, as I have been reminded of recently - there is no such thing as a spiritual! That is a human construct - We categorise to provide ourselves with order (or another word - to CONTROL) our view of the world. The truth is that behind everything that we consider natural, there is a spiritual reality which is completely entwined within that tangible reality (think of Elisha and His servant - Naturally, things were looking terrible but Elisha saw what his servant could not).

Open your eyes - Jesus is the source of everything you need - not just in our compartmentalised faith but in the WHOLE of our lives - finances, health, purpose, relationships! If you do not see this, then you are missing out! God came down, in Jesus, the God man, to fill you and complete you. To do life with you! Revelation says that Jesus invites us to EAT with Him.

What does that look like in your life?

Now - Verse 37 - 40 provides us with an answer to a problem many Christians struggle with all the time - What is the will of God? A wise bloke in America said this - “Jesus is perfect theology”. If we want to know what our Father in Heaven is thinking, we need to look at Jesus because He is IN the Father and the Father is IN Him. They are one and the same but distinct. That's confusing but the point is - His will is made plain through the one who knows God the Father best. Jesus tells us exactly what God delights in doing.

What is it then?

Here are 2 points:

1) He destroys the Spirit of rejection - “All that the Father gives to me will come to me and I won’t reject anyone

who comes to me” (v 37). Another translation says, “I will never expel them outside”. I’m sure many of you have experienced some kind of rejection - a relationship, a job, a school, a house. I have. Its very painful! It makes you feel small, dirty, unacceptable, unworthy, incapable of change, hopeless, helpless, weak and lonely. Rejection often leads to depression - even anger. Disappointment. Stagnancy. Loss of purpose.

BUT remember what we have already established -

1) Jesus is your bread of provision for life forever.

2) Jesus is life itself meaning that your practical situation can be met and sorted as you talk with Jesus and allow Him to lead.

3) Our verse here calls us to remember that no matter how dirty, unworthy, unchangeable or hopeless we may feel. Jesus has accepted us just as we are and we can NEVER change that! Nothing can loosen His grip on you. God the Father has willed you to belong to the Kingdom of Jesus and now you are in - there is no going out! You're accepted. You have been sealed by God, our King! And, with God as your king, everything is subjected to Him!

If God decrees something, it will come to pass! God can change your situation by royal decree or he can call you to come closer to His throne to hold your hand and counsel you! You are not rejected. God the King, in Jesus, by the will of the Father, has accepted you!

2) Gods salvation is for now and forever - “This is the will of my Father, you see: that all who see the son and believe in Him should have the life of God’s coming age; and I will raise them up on the last day” (v. 40). God is concerned about your life now but it is not to be your focus. Jesus said that if he can clothe the flowers of the field, He can certainly look after you. Paul says that God has given you everything you need for life and Godliness. God does not have his head in the clouds - you can trust Him in the things you face on planet earth. Jesus, in chpt 6, however, calls the Jews to focus on heavenly bread and not earthly bread - “you shouldn’t be working for perishable food, but for food that will last to the life of God’s coming age - the food which the son of man will give you, the person whom God the Father has stamped with the seal of His approval” (v 27). Jesus is the answer to your concerns about the future- about whether you are even a Christian.

Assurance?

Many Christians (perhaps even you) struggle with this thing of ASSURANCE - am I saved? Will I go to heaven when I die? The answer is here - “all who see the son and believe in Him should have the life of God’s coming age; and I will raise them up on the last day” (v 40).

How is a person assured that they are a Christian, that they are in right relation to God?

Here is the answer - they “see the son and believe in Him”. How to see the son? The Bible! The word - that is what reveals to us the image of the son. We read the gospels (mt,mk,lk,jn) and we see Jesus, the God-man, the king, in human flesh, living like us, preaching and acting a controversial and counter-cultural message, a message so powerful that it lead rulers of faith and of land to look into this man! He was rejected, despised and crucified like a criminal BUT on the 3rd day, He. Rose. Again. We see the son in the gospels as MAGNIFICENT and GLORIOUS and WORTHY of our worship! What else? We must believe in him, rely upon him - as amplified puts it! He ALONE is our hope.

AND what is the promise?

1) They “have the life of Gods coming age” -

What is the coming age? The new heavens and new earth. The world at harmony - no tears, no death, no mourning. Every tear shall be wiped away. This is something that lives in us already. A life free from the fear of death, a life of abundant life - living with purpose and direction. Unafraid living because the presence of the King of heaven is within us. A capacity to be morally upright in all your relations with neighbour, work and finances. This is the kingdom truth and power that dwells within us right now!

2) “I will raise them up on the last day” -

God will take us from our death into His heaven. No. Death does not have the last word. We shall ALL be raised because, Jesus, as God-man, was the first to be raised from death. So too, we, in Jesus, shall definitively be raised from our sleep of death and reign with our God, clothed with immortality! What a promise!

Remember:

1. 1) Life is Jesus. Jesus is life. He is our source and our foundation.

2. 2) God, in Jesus, provides ALL that we need for this life and the next.

3. 3) There is ONLY acceptance in Jesus - You are not rejected by Jesus.

4. 4) You experience the privileges of Heaven now because He lives in you.

5. 5) You are assured of resurrection from the dead when you die.

REJOICE...