John 6: 24-35
August 9th, 2009
“Taught by God”
At my former church there was a drug and alcohol rehab place right next door. At any given time there were 45 or more men in recovery living in this facility. It was called “The House Inc.” It was an excellent program and this facility was one of 7 they owned and those first entering the program started there.
Within a half mile circle around the church there were more than 400 men and women in recovery. So, as you might guess many wound up in our church and involved in our ministries. I worked with several in the youth program as counselors and several played in our Contemporary band.
Our relationship with the House was so good that when we found the loaner Master key to our church was missing we would walk over next door and pick it up off the desk in their office.
I talked and walked with many who were in recovery and for those who achieved sobriety through their faith in Jesus Christ I observed that for some God completely took away all desire for drugs and alcohol but for others it was truly a day to day struggle.
One day I found a bent spoon in the parking lot and picked it up. I was always finding used hypodermic syringes, spent ammunition and shells and once even a shotgun outside my office.
I showed the bent spoon to the director of the House who himself was a recovery heroin addict. We had crossed paths in the parking lot. He said to me, “Do you know what that is? It is for cooking up black tar heroin and you do not know the desire that brings up in me to use again.” I hid the spoon.
The director and I had lots of conversations. One of the things he told me was how basic the teaching they had to have with some of their clients. Some had spent almost their whole lives on the street.
Though they were in recovery and that great demon was being exorcized from their life they needed to learn such basic living skills as to not throw away their metal forks, knives and spoons after eating. He had to teach them to wash them. In fact for many he had to teach them how to wash dishes and these were all adults.
Once we come to Jesus or believe in Jesus, God’s education of us is not finished. And in most cases once we come to Jesus our life as Christians, our education as Christians is just beginning and it is very basic.
Now I want to make something clear here in our scripture “to come to Jesus” is synonymous with “believing in Jesus.” That is why Jesus uses both words in verse 35. “Whoever comes to me will never be hungry and whoever believes in me will never thirst.” I will also use these phrases and words interchangeable today.
Now many “come to Jesus” or “believe in Jesus” as fire insurance. Many think that Jesus and belief in him only has to do with the life hereafter. In verse 44 Jesus says, “No one can come to me unless drawn by the Father who sent me; and I will raise that person up on the last day.” And again Jesus says in verse 47, “Very truly, I tell you, whoever believes has eternal life.”
Now to “come to Jesus” or to believe in Jesus is the result of letting ourselves be taught by God. In verse 45 Jesus says, “It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me.”
All in this world are invited to come to Jesus, “the Spirit has been poured out on all flesh.” As Acts 2 says. God has spoken his presence and purpose to all human beings. He has taught all in some way of his existence. All have listened to God in some sense, but not all have learned from God.
Some decide to listen and learn from God, “to be taught by God” and others resist God. Jesus here is definitely showing us that we can and must choose if we are to have life.
Now for those who listen and learn and then believe the Bread of Life becomes part of them, the Spirit of God is within them. The Bread of Life becomes part of us as we read the scripture and hear it expounded upon in Bible studies, sermons, prayers and songs. As these teaching become part of our memories, and guides to our lives, the Bread of Life lives in us.
One way John also puts this that can help us understand what Jesus means by eating his flesh is that in the first chapter of John it says “the Word became flesh”. As we take the words of the “the Word become flesh” more and more into our minds and being, Jesus becomes more a part of us and we live out of his life within us.
Bread is a symbol of life and when we have the Bread of life within us we have life here and hereafter.
Now I want to say a word to those who have long known Jesus. Maybe you have grown up in the church and feel a certain distance from the church and maybe even disbelief as concerns Jesus. Maybe you have a loved one who has turned away from the faith and you don’t know why.
Here Jesus gives us a clue. Sometimes we become too familiar with Jesus and the things of God and so we quit listening to God. In verse 42 it says, “They were saying, ‘Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?”
Often those who have grown up in the church or a particular church cease to listen and be taught by God, because they listen with a critical ear, or a feeling of superiority (I know it all and have heard it all over the years), or we become indifferent to the wonderful awesome gift we have been given in Jesus.
It is like people who have grown up rich, they can become indifferent to wealth and the poverty of others. It is always a great danger in practicing the faith from an early age.
We begin to “grumble” or “complain” like the Israelites in the wilderness who became indifferent and critical of the miracles of God. Like the people who were complaining and critical of Jesus in our scripture today.
In fact the word “complain” in our scripture today is the same as the word “grumble” in the Old Testament story of the Israelites “grumbling” in the wilderness.
They were too familiar with him to truly hear Jesus and that is what happens often in the church. We quit listening to God. We hear but don’t understand. God tries to teach us and bring us into new life and new understandings but we grumble and complain and so we don’t listen & learn.
When I worked with youth some of the best supporters and participants in the youth program were those I recruited outside of the church and sometimes outside the faith. They had not developed a critical indifferent attitude to the wonderful blessings of God and the church.
The Old Testament story of the Israelites complaining in the wilderness and not accepting the scout’s report of the Promised Land is instructive here. At the very beginning of the Israelites wanderings God lead them almost directly to the Promised Land.
They sent scouts into the Promised Land who returned with a glowing report & yet noted the challenges. The Israelites grumbled and complained and refused to accept their report and so they had to return to their wanderings until all of them died and a new generation was born to inherit the promises.
The rabbis have a saying about this, “The generation in the wilderness has no part in the life to come.” If we refuse to be taught by God we miss out on the abundant life in this world and life in the world to come. If we look at the things of God with a critical heart and do not listen we miss out on the Promised Land.
But those who hear God, are drawn to Jesus and believe whether they come in a dramatic fashion and leave great sin behind or whether they have grown up in the church and never knew a time when God has not been present. All need to still be taught by God. To grow in their ability to live life abundantly now and in the future they need to continue to listen to God and learn.
Like I said at the beginning, “Once we come to Jesus or believe in Jesus God’s education of us is not finished. And in most cases once we come to Jesus our life as Christians, our education as Christians is just beginning.”
Our Ephesians passage shows us part of what life with Jesus, true life with Jesus in this life is like. This is a list of things to either bring into our lives or cast out of our lives to live an abundant life here on earth.
This is not an exhaustive list but for some today I believe it is what they need to hear. It is the Spirit that will help you decide. Some sermons God decides are for you and some are for your neighbor and some are teachings to be held in your heart for some future date. They are the bread of life within you!
I am going to go through this list at a pace to help you consider if an item mentioned applies to you and your life. If something doesn’t apply then move on, if you feel an item does apply than prepare yourself to work with it in the Holy Spirit’s power on it.
The challenge is to search your hearts. Turn now to page 2 in our bulletin and follow along. Underline the things you need to either cast out of your life or bring in. Remember all of us are different in terms of our strengths and weaknesses.
Vs. 25 “put away falsehood, let all of us speak the truth to our neighbors.” Is lying, distortion, deception part of your life? If so, cast it out and put on the truth. Tell the truth in love and do it for building others up. And don’t simply “tell the truth” as a cover for cruelty.
Vs. 26 “Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger.” It is ok to get angry, but what are you going to do with that anger? If you let it fester and don’t take care of it then it will harm you and come out in inappropriate, hurtful ways. Great marital advice is don’t go to bed mad.
Vs. 27 “Thieves must give up stealing; rather let them labor and work honestly”. Stealing is a big problem for some and it steals a person’s peace, because of the fear of getting caught and the conviction of the Holy Spirit. And we steal in so many ways. Do you give an honest hours work for an honest hours pay? Do you short people on goods, services intellectual property?
A big problem with the internet is the theft of intellectual and artistic property. Work honestly and hard so some of what you earn can be given away. Do you hoard it all? Then you will be unhappy.
Vs. 29 “Let no evil talk come out of your mouths,” most of us know what that means: no gossip, or slander or ridiculing of others, no foal language or jokes, criticism or “grumbling.” Instead practice saying things that build others up and include yourself in that. Practice compliments and positive words for others and yourself.
Vs. 31 “Put away from you all bitterness and wrath and anger and wrangling and slander, together with malice.” These are all angry words, thoughts and actions that steal your peace.
If you want to be unhappy, just stew on things that make you angry or seek to hurt or diminish others you feel have harmed you. If you do so I will guarantee you will ruin your day, your week and in some cases even years of your life.
Vs. 32 Instead “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you.” Do you hold bitterness towards someone you need to forgive? These are the keys to happiness, abundant life in this world and in the world to come.
Finally, vs. 33, “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us,” Is there someone you need to love? Is there someone you need to give up time for, part of your life for? If so do it and live. As Jesus said, “Those who lose their life will find it.”
I pray as you have listened to these verses that you have listened not to me, but to God. I pray you have been taught by God and listened and learned.
I pray that you have come to Jesus to believe and in reviewing your life in the scriptures you have found out an even better way to live.
May the Bread of Life richly dwell in your hearts and minds and grant you abundant life in this world and in the world to come.
In Jesus Name Amen
