Taste and See! Dr. Rob Richey, Blackhorse Ministry

Transcription

1 Taste and See! Dr. Rob Richey, Blackhorse Ministry 35 Jesus said to them, I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. 36 But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. 37 All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. 38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. 39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. 40 For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. (John 6:35-40) There are few things in life more enjoyable that a good meal. Historically, food has always been the center of mankind's daily existence and mealtime the heart of social intercourse. The biblical record is filled with example and illustration of the significance of nourishment for both body and soul. Modern times have not altered its importance although types of food as well as mealtime's routine have changed. More than not, pizza and burgers and burritos have replaced the "sit down family meal with all the fixins'." Still, a television drama like "Blue Bloods" reminds us that gathering around the dinner table can provide a special and satisfying experience rarely rivaled in our culture. But to move on, note well the Lord Jesus' consideration of "food." INTRODUCTION When I read this text, my mind races backwards to yet another time when God s people needed food bread, no less! The children of Israel had been driven from their residences in Egypt into a dangerous and unwelcoming wilderness. It was a wasteland with none of the comforts of ancient Cush even one of slavery and bondage. The pits of their stomachs cried out for relief - there were not even crumbs for hungry mouths. Read about it in Exodus 16: They set out from Elim, and all the congregation of the people of Israel came to the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had departed from the land of Egypt. 2 And the whole congregation of the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness, 3 and the people of Israel said to them, Would that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the meat pots and ate bread to the full, for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger. (Exodus 16:1-3) Now, can you picture this in your mind s eye? See the children of Israel. Their plight was one of desperation if not despair. All of nature seemed to call out, Death, death, DEATH!!! But, it doesn t end there, does it? No! Rather the grace and greatness of GOD can be clearly beheld. Read on!

2 4 Then the Lord said to Moses, Behold, I am about to rain bread from heaven for you, and the people shall go out and gather a day's portion every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in my law or not. 5 On the sixth day, when they prepare what they bring in, it will be twice as much as they gather daily. 6 So Moses and Aaron said to all the people of Israel, At evening you shall know that it was the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt, 7 and in the morning you shall see the glory of the Lord, because he has heard your grumbling against the Lord. For what are we, that you grumble against us? 8 And Moses said, When the Lord gives you in the evening meat to eat and in the morning bread to the full, because the Lord has heard your grumbling that you grumble against him what are we? Your grumbling is not against us but against the Lord. 9 Then Moses said to Aaron, Say to the whole congregation of the people of Israel, Come near before the Lord, for he has heard your grumbling. 10 And as soon as Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of the people of Israel, they looked toward the wilderness, and behold, the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud. 11 And the Lord said to Moses, 12 I have heard the grumbling of the people of Israel. Say to them, At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall be filled with bread. Then you shall know that I am the Lord your God. 13 In the evening quail came up and covered the camp, and in the morning dew lay around the camp. 14 And when the dew had gone up, there was on the face of the wilderness a fine, flake-like thing, fine as frost on the ground. 15 When the people of Israel saw it, they said to one another, What is it? For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, It is the bread that the Lord has given you to eat. 16 This is what the Lord has commanded: Gather of it, each one of you, as much as he can eat. You shall each take an omer, according to the number of the persons that each of you has in his tent. 17 And the people of Israel did so. They gathered, some more, some less. 18 But when they measured it with an omer, whoever gathered much had nothing left over, and whoever gathered little had no lack. Each of them gathered as much as he could eat. 19 And Moses said to them, Let no one leave any of it over till the morning. 20 But they did not listen to Moses. Some left part of it till the morning, and it bred worms and stank. And Moses was angry with them. 21 Morning by morning they gathered it, each as much as he could eat; but when the sun grew hot, it melted. (Exodus 16:4-21) GOD will not be mocked. In the midst of the children s doubts and grumblings, He proclaims Himself to be YHWH Jehovah Jireh, the LORD who provides. From heaven comes a heavenly food to nourish a supply that is choice and adequate and scrumptious and appropriate! Though death harkened from every corner venomous snakes and scorpions and piercing heart and starvation and thirst GOD proclaims, Life, life, LIFE!!! Truth be told, time alters conditions very little. Move forward into Jesus day, and the scenario is the same: sinners are still wandering in a wilderness that would claim their lives this time, though, such lives are not so much physical but rather of an immortal nature. And, they, too, are found complaining. 22 On the next day the crowd that remained on the other side of the sea saw that there had been only one boat there, and that Jesus had not entered the boat with his disciples, but that his disciples had gone away alone. 23 Other boats from Tiberias came near the place where they had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks. 24 So when the crowd saw that Jesus was not there, nor his disciples, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum, seeking Jesus. 25 When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, Rabbi, when did you come here? 26 Jesus answered them, Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me,

3 not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. 27 Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal. 28 Then they said to him, What must we do, to be doing the works of God? 29 Jesus answered them, This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent. 30 So they said to him, Then what sign do you do, that we may see and believe you? What work do you perform? 31 Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat. 32 Jesus then said to them, Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world. 34 They said to him, Sir, give us this bread always. (John 6:22-34) Just the day before, five thousand men had been fed (and, we may rightly suppose their families as well!) physical bread given in a supernatural way! Hence, they came back to Jesus for MORE! His gracious offering had satisfied them for a day! But now, they returned with more need, only this time their motives were not so pure; and Jesus calls them to account for it: Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Indeed, the venomous snakes and scorpions of sin find their ways into men s lives at every era and place. Moses time, Jesus time, and ours, too! The heat of iniquity scorches the flowers of God s own image to wither and die; the starvation of men s souls shrivels the crown of creation; and the thirst in decaying hearts craves quenching but to no avail mouths dry out like dust. A DOCTRINAL SMORGASBORD It is into this scenario, however, that our Savior comes and sends us blessed manna the Bread of heaven! Yes, it is here that Jesus is Himself that Bread Provision from above! He is man s nourishment, supply, choice bread that is so adequate and ever so scrumptious, appropriate for every need! The psalmist declares, Taste and see that the Lord is good! And so I implore you to do the same: taste and see for yourself the goodness of GOD!!! But, before we go there, let me take you to a buffet of the finest gourmet morsels on our Lord s table of Truth that there is! In this brief passage before us only six verses! one can find the most abundant array of doctrines found in the entire Scriptures. Indeed, no less than eleven foundational truths twelve, if you consider the Christological considerations of Jesus as the Bread of life - are mentioned in this succinct discourse. Come and sit around Christ s table and sample these treats. Perhaps, it s like a sorbet before the meal begins i.e., that which sweetens the pallet so that the main courses may be fully enjoyed. In verse 35b and c, regeneration is alluded to: whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall not thirst. In verse 37a, election is spoken of: All the Father gives In verse 37b, effectual calling is addressed: will come to me In verse 37c and 39b, respectively, the perseverance of the saints is supported: and whoever comes to me I will never cast out, and that I should lose nothing of all that he

4 has given me In verse 38a, the Incarnation is attested to: For I have come down from heaven Next, in verse 38b, submission to GOD and obedience to His will is stated: I have come not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. In verse 39a, divine decrees is mentioned: And this is the will of him who sent me In 39b and 40b, respectively, the resurrection of the redeemed is upheld: but raise it up on the last day, and I will raise him up on the last day. In verses 39b and 40b, respectively, final judgment and heaven are seen: the last day is mentioned in both verses. And in verse 40c, saving faith is noted: everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him And, let us not forget the doctrine of the Trinity which is alluded to in verses where Jesus continually references the Father and Himself. Now, it would be easy to spend all our moments on any one (or, perhaps, several) of these indeed, it is a preacher s paradise (an expositional Disneyland of sorts!)! Any young pastor would do well to simply start a series with his people herein let this brief text itself furnish and produce a sumptuous banquet of sound theology. A FIVE-COURSE FEAST But, let us move on to the meat (pardon the pun!) of our sermon today. Note first the use of Jesus metaphor that is, bread. Of all items He could have used, this is the most mundane, the most common of all. Yet from bread, His lesson is potent and poignant. Today we measure calories and carbs, but to the eastern mind, bread meant survival (both literal and figurative [for they all remembered the manna in the wilderness!]). Bread was sacred so much so, that it was never wasted. Even that which was discarded due to spoilage was not trampled under foot but rather placed on a ledge so that the birds might feast. Jesus uses the common word for bread herein NOT the word that is used for all types of food that may be physically ingested. Rather the term designates necessity, thus, eternal matters. This Bread is life (from the Greek term, zoa) which is to be understood as the principle of ALL life plant, animal, and human. Therefore, it is not something that satisfies mere temporal want. No, for while other foods were accessories, bread was considered as needed to sustain life. Certainly for Jesus day (from an eastern understanding) bread was far more than any add-on to a meal; it was the sine qua non of existence! So too, Jesus Christ, the Bread of life, is our nourishment! Not an accessory, not a luxury, but life Himself!!! Without Christ, there is no life! Does not Paul acknowledge such in Acts 17:28a: In him we live and move and have our being? And, this is especially so because eternal life is found only in Christ. He is not subject to spoilage or ruin.

5 Truly, Jesus is the choicest Bread that is to say, He is the perfect supply for mankind s soul hunger. There are none like Him! For, just as manna was sent in a definite daily allotment (thus, giving ideal health and strength to its consumers), so Christ was sent in the fullness of time to redeem those under the law, that we might receive full rights as sons. He is perfect for the sinner s needs. As fine of a Bread as there ever was, is, or will be! Diet fads, over- or under-indulging, binging or severe deprivation, organic or natural meals, dietary supplements pills and powders and syrups of all kinds are the snake oils of the new millennium. So, too, spiritual foods are offered to the masses daily saviors of some type and kind but they all fall far short. Not so with Christ. He is superior to all the counterfeit deities spurious demigods, if you will - offering true redemption from sin and the hope of eternal life. In Him there is no failure, no frustration, no falsehood. Jesus says, I AM the Bread of life. Take and eat! Jesus Christ, as the Bread of life, is also an adequate meal for sinners. Remember the Israelites as they traversed a dry and thirsty land? Well, the manna that GOD sent to them was able to build strong bodies bone and muscle and sinew and ligament and tendon as well as internal organs. Indeed, whatever nourishment was needed, manna supplied it. So it is with our spiritual bodies and Jesus as our Manna. He builds spiritual bone and muscle and sinew and ligament and tendon and internal organs indeed, all that we need to be holily healthy, Christ Jesus is ample. Too, our Lord is the most scrumptious Bread! How He satisfies our souls and delights our spiritual pallets! It is said that the manna in the wilderness tasted like a honey-wafer. That, in itself, would be a savory cordial! But some traditions hold to the belief that the manna tasted according to the individual like of the eater!!! Can you imagine such?!?!?! But that is how Christ is! He is all sweetness as the ol timey Mounds and Almond Joy commercial said, Indescribably delicious!!! For some who need His lovingkindness, He is such; for others, who need His mercy, He is that; for still others, who might need His guidance or strength or purity or justice, He is that, too! Finally, let us see that Jesus is an appropriate Bread - Christ Jesus alone is fit for salvation. To return to the children in the wilderness, it was the manna from GOD that enabled them to endure. It was easily digestible yet very healthy light on the stomach but loaded with nutrients. It was an athlete s dream! So is Jesus to the spiritual marathoner! Look into His qualifications the perfections of His being (His attributes, if you will), and you will see that they are impeccable. His mercy, His grace, His compassion, His love, His goodness, His longsuffering, His wisdom, His knowledge, His presence, His power, His justice, His holiness, His eternality one and all are apropos for men who are

6 desperately in need of spiritual nourishment to run the race so as to seize the prize! Men dying of sin s starvation may eat of this Bread and live! We each need to feed on Christ! He is the Bread of life choice and adequate and scrumptious and appropriate. But, note His other words to us in verse 35 whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. AN ELEGANT INVITATION: RSVP!!! Let us not miss the invitation to come and enjoy such a palatable feast! How is it that men can have set before them the best banquet with the best bread and still ignore such??? Yet, many have. Behold the Bread of life! But, it is totally useless without consumption! Bread as with any any other food cannot sustain life without its ingestion. If we don t eat, we die. It s that simple. No man ever looked upon bread and survived without eating it. Spiritually, the truth is the same Jesus, the Bread unto eternal life, is our choice, adequate, scrumptious, and appropriate meal. But, if we do not partake of Him, we will die. Note that our Lord speaks now of two things, coming and believing. First, there is a coming that is, we must all approach Jesus even though our sin is vile. Truth be told, we are all lost and undone, the chief of sinners, filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless, of which all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags, and whose every intent of the thoughts of [our] hearts are only evil continually. And, without Jesus, we are all dead in our transgressions and sins. Do you know this??? Thus, permit me to plead with you: Come to Jesus! Yet notice that while coming, you must, also, believe in Him. It is not a motion of your feet that counts but rather one of your soul. Assent, trust, and obey. Let your prayer to GOD be, I submit to Your authority in my life, I entrust myself without reservation to You, and I will follow You wherever You may lead. It is the essence of what the Lord Jesus said in Luke 9:23: If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily and follow me. CLOSING Several years back, I once knew and greatly admired a lovely and wonderful Christian man named Dr. Reginald Barnard. He was a seminary professor of mine, and one of the kindest and gentlest men I have ever met. As most seminary profs do, he served as an interim pastor at a small church on the eastern side of Arkansas. Such is God s calling to an Australian intellectual who

7 barely spoke above a whisper yet all held their breath and strained their ears to hear what he had to say! One day, as he offered an invitation to respond to the Gospel message, two young men seated in the back arose from their places, walked down the center aisle, and were greeted in front by Dr. Barnard. He asked them why they came forward, and their responses were, We have come to have this salvation you spoke of. Dr. Barnard then asked them this, So, have you come because it would be nice to have Jesus, or because it is necessary to have Jesus? Their reply was, It would be nice to have Jesus! whereupon Dr. Barnard dismissed them with, Well then, let me have you return to your seats, and when it becomes absolutely necessary for your to have Jesus, please come again and we shall talk of this salvation. Is Jesus an accessory for you, or is He the very Bread of life? This Savior of men invites you to come and sup with Him at His table as the psalmist said, Taste and see! for yourself! Break Thou the bread of life, dear Lord, to me, As Thou didst break the loaves beside the sea; Beyond the sacred page I seek Thee, Lord; My spirit pants for Thee, O living Word! Bless Thou the truth, dear Lord, to me, to me, As Thou didst bless the bread by Galilee; Then shall all bondage cease, all fetters fall; And I shall find my peace, my all in all. Thou art the bread of life, O Lord, to me, Thy holy Word the truth that saveth me; Give me to eat and live with Thee above; Teach me to love Thy truth, for Thou art love. Oh, send Thy Spirit, Lord, now unto me, That He may touch my eyes, and make me see: Show me the truth concealed within Thy Word, And in Thy Book revealed I see the Lord. (Mary A. Lathbury) To GOD be the glory Blackhorse Ministry