My Flesh is Food Indeed - Jn.6:55

Pentecostal Church, Itarsi
Tuesday, 03 August, 2010. 7:15PM

My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed.

(Joh 6:55)

η γαρ σαρξ μου αληθως εστιν βρωσις και το αιμα μου αληθως εστιν ποσις

Sarx mou alethos estin brosis
Aima mou alethos estin posis

In other words, “My flesh is the real food, my blood is the real drink”
Are you eating something real today?
What is that food that really fills your hunger and the drink that really quenches your thirst?
That is the Bread of Life, that is the Liquid of Life.
The rest are intermediary.

Background
The speech was given in a Synagogue of Capernaum says John (v.59).
He’s talking about the Bread that gives eternal life.
Jn.6:35 – The Great Declaration = “I am the Bread of Life”.
JOHN’s Gospel is about LIFE
Jn.6:51 – The Great Transition = “the bread (artos) that I shall give is My flesh (sarx), which I shall give for the life of the world.”
Jn.6:53 – The Great Application = “unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you.”
He spoke of the real sacrifice of His body.
What did He mean by “eat My flesh and drink My blood”?

THE PASSOVER: “This is my body that is broken…”
Debate in Church History: Whether the Bread really became Flesh.

What did He mean by partaking of Him? Of course, the Lord’s Supper is a sacrament that reminds us of our partaking of His Body? But, what exactly does He mean by eating His flesh and drinking His blood?

The Answer is in the same chapter:
Joh 6:29 Jesus answered and said to them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent."
Joh 6:35 And Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.
Joh 6:40 And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day."
Joh 6:47 Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life.
Joh 6:57 As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me.

By Faith – believing – and looking to Him to the salvation at His Second Coming.
1Pe 1:8 whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory,
1Pe 1:9 receiving the end of your faith--the salvation of your souls.
2Tim 4:8 unto all them also that love his appearing.

And, what do we do in the Lord’s supper…
1Co 11:26 For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come.

Because He has promised that He’ll raise us up on the last day!

REV. 21:5 Behold, I make all things new!
No thirst, no hunger, no tears, no pain….
The power of the resurrection life.

1Jn.5:4 Faith overcomes the world

What is faith?
Faith is acting in accordance to what Christ has said.
Faith is exactly doing what Christ told us to do.
Faith is the act of partaking of the flesh and blood of Jesus Christ. When we do that we abide in Him and He in us. We become one with Him.

Joh 6:56 He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him.
Joh 6:57 As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me.
[[… Matt. 4:4 "It is written, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God."]]

1. The WORD became FLESH
Jn.1:14
THE BODY: TRUTH, GLORY, WILL (PURPOSE)
Made of Virgin Mary, Flesh & Blood like us (Heb.2)

a. Christ is the embodiment of the Truth of God – The Logical [Greek]:: Knowledge
PREACHING, TEACHING
b. Christ is the embodiment of the Glory of God – The Beautiful [Roman]:: Art, Order, Government, Power -HEALING, SAVING
c. Christ is the embodiment of the Will of God – The Good [Hebrew]:: Values
OBEDIENCE, FULFILLMENT

To partake of Christ is to partake of the Truth of God (In Him is hid all the treasure of wisdom and knowledge)
To partake of Christ is to partake of the Glory of God (justifying, consecrating, and enduement power)
To partake of Christ is to partake of the Will of God (He is the end of the Law)

In our flesh, there’s nothing good (Rom.7).
Christ the Good embodied in Flesh. Blameless, spotless; therefore, the perfect sacrifice.

2. The SON gave His FLESH
Jn. 6:51
THE ALTAR: WOOD, FIRE, SMOKE
a. FLESH ON THE WOOD – Curse of God. “Cursed is everyone that hangs on the tree” (Gal) The Son of God has taken away our shame and given us the Crown of Glory.
b. FIRE UPON THE FLESH– Judgment of God. The sting is removed. He became sin for us and abolished the power of death in His Flesh. The Son of God has taken away our sin and given us the Crown of Life.
b. SMOKE OF THE FLESH – Satisfaction, Fulfilment, Completion of the Divine Writ. The Wrath of God is appeased. The righteousness of God is fulfilled. The justice of God is satisfied. A way is made for us through the flesh – the TORN VEIL

OLD TESTAMENT - THE BLOOD IS POURED OUT IN THE BASIN BENEATH THE ALTAR
CRUCIFIXION - THE BLOOD FLOWED OUT OF HIS VEINS AS HE HUNG ON THE CROSS

3. THE FLESH-WORD IS THE BREAD OF LIFE
Jn. 6:51
THE TABLE: COMMUNION, NOURISHMENT, LIFE

a. COMMUNION of the SON through the SPIRIT. 1Cor.6:17; 12:13:: THE CHURCH IS THE BODY OF CHRIST. The distinction of belonging to CHRIST. Bought by His blood.
b. NOURISHMENT from the SON through the SPIRIT. Eph.4:15,16. CHRIST IS THE HEAD OF THE BODY. The 5-fold Ministry.
c. LIFE in the SON through the SPIRIT. Jn.6:63. Jn.1:4; 1Jn.5:11,12

1Pe 1:8 Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:
1Pe 1:9 Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.
1Pe 1:10 Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you:

APPLICATION
1. A PAST SUBSTANTIALITY
It’s not Lord’s Supper today.. But, it would be great to have it everyday. Look at the elements. The Body that was broken on the cross for us, The Sacrifice.  The Bread of Life. The Blood by which we are bound into the New Covenant. The Table that He has set before us. His BODY, the CHURCH, where we have fellowship with each other, where we grow, and where we experience the life of Christ through the Spirit of Resurrection.

2. A PRESENT EXPERIENCE
The inner witness, the inner strength, the communion of the Spirit, the power of His ministration, His outworking power, His peace, the eternal life dwells in us….

3. A FUTURE EXPECTATION
He said that He will raise us from the dead. A Kingdom of glory. An eternity with God.
Are we worthy of such a blessing? If Christ had not come….
Let’s rejoice in the salvation of God.

© Domenic Marbaniang, August 2010.