LIFE WORDS
John 6:57 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. 59 These things said he in the synagogue, as he taught in Capernaum. 60 Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is an hard saying; who can hear it? John 6:61 When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples murmured at it, he said unto them, Doth this offend you? 62 What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before? 63 It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life. 64 But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him. 65 And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father.
Words that are spirit! Words that are life! Who can hear such words?!? Even some of the “disciples” (disciplined ones) walked away from the Lord upon their expression! John 6:66 From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.
But this is the very reason that his true disciples remained with him! John 6:67 Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away? 68 Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.
Only those with ears to hear may understand these words. John 10:25 Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do in my Father’s name, they bear witness of me. 26 But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you. 27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: 28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
The reality of these words causes us to face the fact that here, we are not just joining in with a religious movement! These words bring one into the shocking reality that we are dealing with the Spirit-God Himself! John 4:23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. 24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
His Word, along with the breath of his mouth, called the entire creation into existence! Heb. 11:3 Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear. This is also how the new creation, the born again souls, are created! James 1:21 Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls. 1 Pet. 1:23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.
Therefore our Lord reveals a matter of pure spirit in this message. He reveals in verse 57, that as he lived by the Father, so it was that his true disciples would live by him! Carnal imagination fails here! But never-the-less, this is how it is in the Spirit-God! And this is how it shall be in those sought to worship him in spirit and in truth!
There will be no grocery stores, nor restaurants in eternity! The eternal continuance of our souls shall wholly be maintained by our drawing essence from the Son as our living bread, even as he derives his oneness with the Father!
This oneness with the Father, and with the elect is the same subject in the prayerful communion between the Son and the Father! John 17:20 Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; 21 That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. 22 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: 23 I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me. 24 Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.
Natural Example
Romans 1:20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: But what example in the things that are made do we have that could possible be used to set forth the invisible, spiritually sustaining of life from the Father to the Son, and from the Son to the true church? Eating! Eating??? Yes, eating!
Have not you parents and grandparents ever played with the giggling child, talking that silly ‘baby talk’ with them and suddenly exclaimed, “I could just eat you up?” Sure you have! Well, it is in that delight that the Godhead relates to it’s Persons!
The Son reveals this to us concerning his Father’s relationship to himself. Prov. 8:30 Then I was by him, as one brought up with him: and I was daily his delight, rejoicing always before him; And then in the very next verse he reveals that this was also the Son’s relationship to the elect of God! Prov. 8:31 Rejoicing in the habitable part of his earth; and my delights were with the sons of men.
In our passage he has just presented himself as that bread of life, and the living bread (John six 48 & 51). The Psalmist had also set this forth in his age! Psalm 34:8 O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him. The Prophet Isaiah had used this in his presentation of God to those who would believe! Isaiah 55:1 Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. 2 Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness. 3 Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David. He presents the receiving of the word of God by both eating bread and hearing with the ear!
This is the way the Lord set forth to the disciples as how to identify the true church after his ascension. Matt. 24:28 For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together. For those who mount up with wings as eagles, and soar into the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, will be those gathered around the spiritual feast in the breaking of the Bread of his body, and the receiving of him as poured out wine!
We Are Appetites!
In Genesis 2:7, upon the account of the forming of man, we have a very telling word set forth. Here is the verse. And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. The word we refer to is the word, soul! Notice first that man does not just possess a soul. But it clearly states that man IS a soul! Our culture is based on the identifying of ourselves by what we see in the mirror! But you can’t take one eye lash, one toe nail, or one single hair of that natural body with you when you die! The undertaker gets all of that! So we are primarily an eternal soul!
But what is so significant about that word soul? We are familiar with that verse, so what is so telling about that word? That Hebrew word, here translated into English as soul, is translated both in Proverbs 23:2 and Ecclesiastes 6:7 as – – appetite! Wow! The Lord God stretched himself out over that form he shaped in the virgin soil and breathed out from his nostrils into the nostrils of that lifeless shape the very breath and spirit of God! And in doing so he formed man into a blessed hungry soul! And Himself was foreordained to be the Living Bread!
Now we understand why he said in Matthew 5:6, Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. The one thing that the new born infant knows how to do is eat! That little piglet will find the faucet! That little man child will find his mother’s breast! And, without fail, the new born soul – that spiritual appetite – will always come to Christ as his living bread!
The Resurrection
Let’s not fail to take notice of verse 62 listed above. It seems to be a changing of the subject. We are reading about Christ being the Bread of heaven, and believing being compared to eating. But this verse suddenly sets forth the resurrection. But he is not just referring to his bodily resurrection. This is absolutely essential to our spiritual resurrection now, and bodily raising later! But he is saying that unless one has part in the spiritual resurrection – regeneration – he cannot understand these spirit words! {John 5:24,25 speak of the resurrection of regeneration, whereas John 5:28,29 speak of the resurrection of the body at the end time.}
Listen to the effect upon spiritual understanding with the combination of Christ’s bodily resurrection and the disciples spiritual resurrection in regeneration. John 2:22 When therefore he was risen from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this unto them; and they believed the scripture, and the word which Jesus had said.
So our verse 62, listed above, is not a disjointed verse. It is telling us that we need the awakening of the Holy Spirit in order to effectually hear the spiritual words that our Lord is speaking! Only those born anew by the Spirit and the Word have the hearing ears as Christ’s sheep.
We see this in other passages as well. Colossians 3:1 If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. 2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. This can’t possibly mean being raised bodily in the general resurrection at the end of the age! It is stricttly referring to the resurrection of regeneration.
Revelation 4:1 After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter. 2 And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne. These poor verses have been twisted and butchered in every way imaginable. But what we have here is the effectual invitation to the true church by her Sovereign King to no longer look at natural, visible things now that the Spirit has been given. They are to rise up in their awareness, seeing that which is invisible and spiritual! (2 Corin. 4:18). For they alone, who are borned again, can now both see and enter the kingdom! (John 3:3,5).
And how do we continue to develop in this spiritual understanding? We do so by the continued look at Christ! 2 Corinthians 3:18 But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. We grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord by keeping our spiritual appetites feeding from him. We are then being changed from one degree of glory to another.
2 Peter 3:17 Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness. 18 But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.
1 Thessalonians 4:3 For this is the will of God, even your sanctification,…
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