Pastor's Corner: WHAT'S THE BIG IDEA?

  “I AM the Living Bread from Heaven” John 6:51-59 Introduction :   The miracles that Jesus did showed His power. He did things that only God could do. They were also glimpses of the Kingdom, pulling back the veil so that for those moments in the lives of those impacted they could get a little peek at the future God has planned for His children, a day when there would be no hunger or pain or sickness or death. But John wants us to understand that the miracles were “signs,” revealing the glory of Jesus to those who had eyes to see and a heart to understand. Augustine said: “You made us for yourself and our hearts find no peace until they rest in you.” The emphasis in John has been that Jesus is the Son of God, and He came to provide the Way to Life through faith in Him. He certainly did miracles which revealed His power and which were acts of compassion in meeting the needs of the people. But, as John Piper said, “Jesus did not come primarily to give bread, He came to be ...

  “I AM the Bread of Life (Part 3)” John 6:41-51 Introduction : This week we had our VBS. As an observer, I could see the gifted teachers and faithful workers connecting with the children. It was a tiring week for those who served, but I know that for them, and especially for the children, it was a rewarding week, blessed by God. I know of at least three children during the week who put their trust in Jesus. Whatever the age, something supernatural is happening when someone comes to faith, it’s like a lightbulb goes on, suddenly it makes sense, they understand the truth, and they believe, they put their faith in Jesus. In a different context Jesus said, “ Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God ” (Mark 10:14). In our passage from last Sunday Jesus said, “ All that the Father gives me will come to me …” Praise God for His amazing grace!        In our context in John 6 at least some of the crowd that ...

I AM the Bread of Life (Part 2) John 6:35-41   Introduction: John 6 is the longest chapter in this Gospel, and by now you might think it is getting longer each week! This paragraph confronts us with some deep theology, and it is certainly something that has divided many believers over the years. When I first came to faith in Christ, I quickly realized that sincere believers have strong opinions about God’s sovereignty and human responsibility. Those doctrines converge in this passage. I could simply skim over it, and hope there weren’t too many questions at the door or on Thursday night! No. We need to let the Bible speak for itself. We need to ask what is God saying to us and not try to make His Word say what we wish it said. His Word is truth .        We will take our time working through this chapter, but at the same time, we need to recognize that the mind of God is not something we will ever be able to understand exhaustively. He is God, we a...