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| https://pureglory.net/2015/06/28/christs-kingdom-reigns/ |
John 6 Part 2-a HIS Kingdom is Not of This World
&
Part 2-b
This 2 part blog shows more of WHAT MAKES JESUS TICK. In this <7 min. read we see the Master going to great lengths to help his hearers bridge the gap from their natural, limited brain power to understanding Kingdom of God realities. When we discover God is beyond intellectual comprehension we can accept HIS infinite wisdom and love. His life then travels 18 inches.
Part
A:
“My Kingdom Is Not of This World”
John 6:14
After the people saw the sign
Jesus performed, they began to say, “Surely this is the Prophet who is to come
into the world.”
15 Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and
make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself.
The crowds’ reaction to Jesus feeding
the huge crowd was just so wrong. (See
previous blog). The King of the Universe came as a humble servant and never
sought an earthly kingdom. The people were willing to come under an earthly
king just based on a miracle. Jesus handled this situation with love and humility;
He just walking away. Later, He declares:
John 18:36
Jesus answered, “My Kingdom is not an earthly kingdom. If it were, my
followers would fight to keep me from being handed over to the Jewish leaders. But my Kingdom is not of this world.”
The next stop on His trip was to be
Capernaum. The disciples for some reason didn’t wait for Jesus; they got in the
boat and headed off on the sea. This next encounter is yet another example of
Jesus exhibiting a miracle, a phenomena that transcends natural laws.
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| https://www.htmlbible.com/kjv30/B43C006.htm |
John 6:18
Soon a gale swept down upon them,
and the sea grew very rough.
19 They
had rowed three or four miles when suddenly they saw Jesus walking on the water
toward the boat. They were terrified,
20 but he called out to them, “Don’t be afraid. I
am here!”
21 Then they were eager to let him in the boat,
and immediately they arrived at their destination!
The ending phrase of verse 21 shows another thing that is unique to God, HE lives outside of time. If you're a Sci-Fy junkie like me, you will recognize the jump in the Space-Time continuum.
Matthew’s Gospel has more detail of
what happened when the disciples saw Jesus walking toward them on the water.
Another familiar story, but when you read it in the context of learning what makes Jesus tick, we see more of
the reality that nothing is impossible
with God.
Matt. 14:25
About three o’clock in the
morning Jesus came toward them, walking on the water.
26 When the disciples saw him walking on the
water, they were terrified. In their fear, they cried out, “It’s a ghost!”
27 But Jesus spoke to them at once. “Don’t be
afraid,” he said. “Take courage. I am here!”
28 Then
Peter called to him, “Lord, if it’s really you, tell me to come to you, walking
on the water.”
29 “Yes, come,” Jesus said. So Peter went over
the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus.
30 But
when he saw the strong wind and the waves, he was terrified and began to sink.
“Save me, Lord!” he shouted.
31 Jesus
immediately reached out and grabbed him. “You have so little faith,” Jesus
said. “Why did you doubt me?” [NLT]
There is a scene in the movie “The
Shack” that vividly drives the point home. After the main character walked on
the lake with Jesus, he tries unsuccessfully to walk on the water by himself.
Jesus sees him and says, “It works better when we do it together.” There is
nothing impossible when we obediently walk in the Spirit.
Romans 8:1
-There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ
Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.
John 14:12 “I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in
me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am
going to be with the Father.
Part
2B
The Distance Between Heaven and Hell is The 18 Inches From Your
Head to Your Heart
Many from the crowd that Jesus fed on
the hillside got in their boats and came to Capernaum looking for Jesus. The
Lord paid no attention to their question about how He got there. Instead He
exposes their wrong motives and gets to the point of far greater importance.
Jesus doesn’t waste words on trivial incidentals; He was on a mission to reach
these people with the Gospel.
John 6:26
Jesus replied, “I tell you the
truth, you want to be with me because I fed you, not because you understood the
miraculous signs.
27 But don’t be so concerned about perishable
things like food. Spend your energy seeking the eternal life that the Son of
Man can give you. For God the Father has given me the seal of his approval.”[NLT]
Something in that statement got
through to their hearts. The response reveals the hunger in their hearts for
more than miracle bread and fish.
John 6:28
They replied, “We want to perform
God’s works, too. What should we do?”
Jesus answers that question in such a
simple way a 10 year old would understand. But their response shows that they
still didn’t get it.
John 6:29
Jesus told them, “This is the
only work God wants from you: Believe in the one he has sent.”
30 They
answered, “Show us a miraculous sign if you want us to believe in you. What can
you do?
31 After
all, our ancestors ate manna while they journeyed through the wilderness! The
Scriptures say, ‘Moses gave them bread from heaven to eat.’”
What more could they need regarding a
sign? They all ate the bread and fish. They all saw the food multiply as the
disciples served it. They knew how much was left over after 15 to 20 thousand ate
all they wanted. What rational person would ask for another sign after being a
part of such a feast? OK, maybe they were simply looking for a free lunch. Jesus responds to their question by again
telling them Who He is and provides an opportunity for people to get saved.
John 6:32 Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, Moses
didn’t give you bread from heaven. My Father did. And now he offers you the
true bread from heaven.
33 The true bread of God is the one who comes
down from heaven and gives life to the world.”
34 “Sir,” they said, “give us that bread every
day.”
Verse 34 shows us that they still
didn’t understand that Jesus wasn’t talking about eating lunch. There is an old
saying that the
distance between heaven and hell is the 18 inches from your head to your heart.
Jesus continues to help them bridge this gap.
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| https://www.redeemerway.org/sermons/2018/2/23/i-am-the-bread-of-life |
John 6:35 Jesus replied, “I am the bread of life.
Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will
never be thirsty.
36 But you haven’t believed in me even though you
have seen me.
37 However, those the Father has given me will
come to me, and I will never reject them.
40 For it is my Father’s will that all who see
his Son and believe in him should have eternal life. I will raise them up at
the last day.
Now Jesus has them stirred up. They
are trying to figure out what He is talking about. Perhaps they were beginning
to understand the head – heart gap.
John 6:41
Then the people began to murmur
in disagreement because he had said, “I am the bread that came down from
heaven.”
42 They said, “Isn’t this Jesus, the son of
Joseph? We know his father and mother. How can he say, ‘I came down from
heaven’?”
Just as Jesus told Nicodemus about the
need to be born again, He continues to bait this crowd with statements that
cannot be intellectually understood. Just as the discussion with Nicodemus
didn’t come to closure, this doesn’t either. Jesus leaves them with the
following seeds of the eternal life Jesus came to provide to anyone who will
repent and believe.
John 6:56 Anyone who eats my flesh and drinks my blood
remains in me, and I in him.
57 I
live because of the living Father who sent me; in the same way, anyone who
feeds on me will live because of me.
58 I
am the true bread that came down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will
not die as your ancestors did (even though they ate the manna) but will live
forever.”
As the crowd dispersed out of the
synagogue door, we see that the seed was in their hearts. Though they walked
away, not all made a definitive rejection. Perhaps the most important thing
Jesus says at this point was,
John 6:63
The Spirit alone gives eternal
life. Human effort accomplishes nothing. And the very words I have spoken to you are spirit and life.
We don’t deserve it and we can’t earn
it. We can’t just make eternal life happen. But when we just open our hearts to
receive the words Jesus speaks, we go beyond intellectual assent. We receive
the spirit and life that those words speak of. Thank GOD that the disciples had walked across that bridge from the
head to the heart.
John 6:66
At this point many of his
disciples turned away and deserted him.
67 Then
Jesus turned to the Twelve and asked, “Are you also going to leave?”
68 Simon Peter replied, “Lord, to whom would we
go? You have the words that give eternal
life.
69 We
believe, and we know you are the Holy One of God.”
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