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- Preaching the Living WORD through
the Written WORD - 2 Tim 4;:2 - |
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GOSPEL OF JOHN Grace Bible Church,
Gillette, Wyoming Pastor Daryl Hilbert 5. Bread of Life Discourse 6:36-71
(Cont.) [09 - (Jn 6:36-71) 1/27/10] i) Those Given by the Father (36-43) (1) Jesus
knows the hearts of all men. He knows that the crowds were following Him
merely because of the miracles and the food (Jn 6:26). In addition, the
crowds were challenging and comparing Jesus’ miracles to the manna in the
wilderness (Jn 6:29-30). Therefore Jesus said they have seen Him (vs. 35 -
the Bread of Life, i.e. the Son of God), and still they do not believe (36). (2) Jesus compares this crowd against those who
will come to Him to believe on Him (37). However, He begins with an
interesting statement, namely that, all that the Father gives Him will come
to Him. And those who come, Jesus will not ever (ou
mê – double negative for emphasis) cast out (ekbalō exō
– lit. “cast out and away”). (3) John is the only Gospel that uses the
phrase, “all that the Father gives Me” quoted often by Jesus (Jn 6:32, 39;
10:29; 17:2, 9, 24; 18:9) and it carries the same idea every time. It is a
phrase that directly communicates God’s election. Election is God’s sovereign
and specific choice of salvation for some of those already destined for Hell.
(4) Looking at the specific verses in John
chapter six, we can make some logical deductions about election and security: Given (37a, 39a) à will come (37b) à lose none (39b) à raised up (39c)
Come (37b, 44a, 65a) à not cast out (37c) à drawn (44b) à raised up (44c) à granted (65) (5) Such
deductions are consistent with the Scriptures teaching on election. God’s
election was predestined before the foundation of the world (Ep 1:4 cp. Ro
8:29-30). (6) The “elect” (eklektos
= ek –out & legō-select,
select out or choose) are those whom God selected (Mt 24:24, 31; Mk
13:20, 22, 27; Lk 18:7; Ro 8:33). (7) The “chosen” (eklektos)
are those whom God elected to salvation (Mt 22:14; Lk 12:32; Jn 13:12; Col
3:12; 2Th 2:13; 2Ti 2:10; Ti 1:1; 1Pe 1:1; 2:9; 2Jn 1:1) and appointed to
eternal life (Ac 13:48). (8) Jesus was sent down from heaven by the
Father to do the Father’s will (38). The Father’s will is that the ones given
to Jesus, will not be lost by Him one of them but raised them up in the last
day (39). The ones who Jesus will raise up are the ones who behold Him and
believe on Him. They believe on Christ because they have been chosen, given
to Jesus, and secured in Christ (40). (9) The crowd, not listening to Jesus, was
still grumbling about His previous statement "I am the bread that came
down out of heaven” (41). The crowd was grumbling because they thought that
Jesus was just an ordinary carpenter’s son (42-43). j) Those
Drawn by the Father (44-47) (1) Jesus
expressly states that not even one person is able to
come to Jesus unless the Father draws him. The word “draw” is helkō and means to attract, draw, or
drag. It can refer to fish being drawn or hauled in a net (Jn 21:6) or
someone forcibly dragged (Ac 21:30). Either way, the picture is someone being
drawn not by their own will but by the Father’s (cp. Jn 1:12-13). (2) God sovereignly uses His Word to enlighten
and draw men as seen by Jesus’ reference to Is 54:13, where in the Millennial
Kingdom everyone will be “taught by the Lord” and “know the Lord” (Je 31:34).
Those who come, are those who have had a divine
awakening from the Father (Ep 2:5). (3) Jesus knows these things because He alone
has seen the Father and is revealing the Father and the Father’s work behind
history (46). In simple terms, He who believes has eternal life, because God
has predestined, called, justified, and glorified (47 cp. Ro 8:29). k) Jesus the
Living Bread (48-59) (1) Jesus
returned to His original Bread of Life Discourse. His first great “I AM”
statement (“I am the Bread of Life”) was reiterated four times (Jn 6:35, 41,
48, 51). (2) Jesus now takes up their argument of the
manna in the wilderness. Their fathers who partook of it died because that
manna only gave temporal life (49 cp. 58). (3) On the other hand, Jesus is the “living” (zaō – opposite of dead - apothnêskō) bread, that comes down from heaven
(divine Son of God), and gives eternal life. (4) Jesus explains His meaning of “bread.” It
is His life (“flesh”), which is sacrificed on the cross for a sinful world
(51). Like Nicodemus and the woman at the well, the people did not understand
(52). Jesus emphatically said that a sinner has to eat His flesh and drink
His blood to have eternal life and be raised on the last day. Jesus gave the
context for the interpretation. Those who raised on the last day: (a) are given
by the Father (39b) (b) will not be lost (39c) (c) are drawn by the Father (44b) (d) believe on Christ (40b) (e) By the context then, those who eat His
flesh and drink His blood are those who believe on Christ. It cannot mean
communion: a) because communion had not been instituted yet, b) otherwise
anyone partaking of communion would receive eternal life, and c) Salvation
would be gained by works. l) Response
of the Disciples (60-71) (1) Many of
the people grumbled and grappled with Jesus’ statement (60). Jesus’ statement
was not hard, rather it was difficult for them to
believe. Jesus challenged them by asking what will they
do when they see the Son of Man ascending to heaven (62). Furthermore, what
will they do when they find out Jesus’ words were spirit and life (63) (2) Jesus already knew their hearts, knew their
unbelief, and knew they were not chosen by the Father for He said, “For this
reason I have said to you, that no one can come to Me unless it has been
granted him from the Father.” (65). Therefore, many of those who might have
been thought to be disciples, and were not true disciples, left (66). (3) However, Peter said there was no other one
to turn to because only the “Holy One” (Messiah, Son of God cp. Jn 20:31) had
the words of eternal life (68-69). (4) Jesus affirms His deity by saying that He
chose the twelve disciples. Eleven of the disciples had been chosen for
salvation and one was raised up to be the betrayer (cp. Jn 13:18; 17:12). |
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