GRACE BLOGS COLLECTION
There’s a story that John tells in chapter 6 of his gospel about Jesus feeding thousands of people with 2 fish and 5 loaves of bread. After everyone ate, there were 12 baskets of food collected. Take a moment to imagine that, enough food to fit on a large plate fed thousands of people and then turned into 12 baskets. That’s our God! His idea of meeting your need is exceedingly, abundantly above what you can even imagine!
The next day, many from that crowd found him and asked for more food. He begins a dialogue where he tries to turn their thinking from carnal to spiritual. He uses their hunger for bread to present the idea that he can give them something that will give them life forever instead of for a day. When these Jews ask him for this bread he makes a confusing statement.
I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world. John 6:51
Say what, Jesus?
Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them. Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. John 6:53-57
You’d think he’d explain the spiritual implications of this radical concept but he didn’t, he left that up to the Holy Spirit to bring revelation to those whose hearts were open to receiving him.
Read this entry from the Expositor’s Greek Testament.
He (Jesus) becomes as truly assimilated to the life of the individual as the nourishing elements in food enter into the substance of the body. The believer abides in Christ as finding his life in Him (Galatians 2:20); and Christ abides in the believer, continually imparting to him what constitutes spiritual life. For in Christ man reaches the source of all life in the Father (John 6:57),The living Father has sent Christ forth as the bearer of life. He lives, not equivalent to, through or by means of the Father, but “because of,” or “by reason of the Father”. The Father is the cause of my life; I live because the Father lives. The Father is the absolute source of life; the Son is the bearer of that life to the world. Every one that eateth Christ will by that connection participate in the life of God.
We understand that the body and blood or life of Christ are fed to us in our inner man, to our hearts from his spirit that dwells in believers. This spiritual life in us is not just a theological doctrine, it’s an actual force or presence that nourishes our emotions, our minds, our bodies and teaches us to think and see the world through God’s eyes. When we allow his spirit to be assimilated into every aspect of our being it acts just like physical food for the body, it brings life. As we learn to partake of the life of God flowing in us we can experience the same zoe (quality of life) that is in the Father.
Jesus says he lives because the Father lives. He understood that he was in the Father and the Father was in him. The same is true for us. Just like a branch of a tree receives the same nutrients that the roots of that tree draw from the soil, so do we draw life from God because we are in an eternal union with him in Christ.
Discussion questions:
Enjoy this free full length message on this topic:
Message Titles:
These are some of the most powerful and concise messages I have given on the subject of Jesus Christ’s death, burial and resurrection. I go into much detail about the old testament day of atonement sacrifice and how it points to Jesus.
To fully understand the depth of which Christ cleansed us in his sacrifice we must look at the type and shadow detailed under the Levitical priesthood. These messages will give you razor sharp understanding of the cross and overwhelm your heart with compassion for all that Jesus accomplished on our behalf on the cross, in the grave and in his ascension.
These are my messages from the “Three Days that Changed the World” conference in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada with Dr. Jim Richards.
The post The body and blood (life) of Christ is real food for us appeared first on Forward Ministries.
I recall the basics of an instance that occurred in our second pastorate in Western Australia. An English couple had started attending the church with their children. One Sunday morning before the service started, I was astonished to see the husband almost carrying in his wife and setting her down on the pew in the… Read More
The post Don’t Wait Until Sunday! appeared first on Positive Words.
Luke 4:18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised
Jesus is speaking under God’s authority and he declares God’s will to the brokenhearted, the captive and those who have lost their way. The will of God for those who identify is freedom. The will of God for those who are bruised or stuck in life due to trauma or emotional pain is emancipation. Jesus’ declaration is deliverance from the dulness and depression of life.
Salvation is best understood in sacrifice. Sacrifice is best understood as exchange. Jesus carried your sorrows, he absorbed your grief. Jesus became your failure and underwent the necessary penalty for your deliverance. You are qualified for joy and happiness because Jesus has traded places with you.
Yes, you’ve experienced failure and pain but Jesus has secured your salvation. Behold him in his glorious state and personalize his victory. He became your pain, now become his joy.
This is a season where our past is inescapable for some. Christmas is truly a wonderful time of year but it comes with baggage. I find myself still having to make the choice to let go of the past in certain Christmas situations. Of course, it’s all about Jesus but there’s still stuff to deal with. I encourage you in this season to remember why he was born, to rescue from death and the power of sin, to set you free from your failures and heal those wounds that seem to never heal. He is with you, he is for you, he knows what it’s like to be you and he is pouring his grace into you heart as you read this.
I pray you find peace in his finished work and open your heart to let healing flow.
The post Has Your Heart Ever Been Broken? appeared first on Forward Ministries.
