EAT, DRINK, AND ENJOY ETERNAL LIFE (Outline)

June 2, 2019 - Easter 7 – John 5:48-58

INTRO: Once again in our text Jesus emphasizes the spiritual and heavenly over the earthly. This is
always a challenge. We are earthly people. Our attention is focused on the here and now. We have
many attractions that distract our heavenly attention. The Lord uses the example of food and drink to
help change our earthly thinking into heavenly mindedness. "Come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk
without money and without cost. Why do you spend money on what is not bread, and waste your labor on
something that does not satisfy? Listen carefully to me, and eat what is good. Satisfy your appetite with rich food”
(ISAIAH 55:1b, 2). May we listen carefully. Our souls will be satisfied. EAT, DRINK, AND ENJOY
ETERNAL LIFE. I. Christ is real food and drink. II. Christ is our eternal salvation.

I. CHRIST ALONE IS REAL FOOD AND DRINK

A. Verse 48. “I am the Bread of Life.” Jesus’ message is very clear.

1. Verse 51a. “I am the living bread which came down from heaven.”
2. John chapter 6 has the miracle of the feeding of the 5,000 men (+ women and children).
3. The crowds wanted Jesus as an earthly, bread king. Jesus was much more. Living Bread.
B. Verse 51c. Jesus gave of himself. Human flesh would die on the cross. Bread – flesh - living.
1. “The bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.” Sounds strange even to our ears.
2. Verse 52. The crowds argued among themselves about Jesus’ words: “his flesh to eat?”
C. Verse 55. “For my flesh is real food, and my blood is real drink.” Jesus simply stated spiritual truth.
1. Verse 56. “The one who eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him.’
2. Spiritually partake of God’s Word and be intimately united to the Savior. Remain in Jesus.

D. The Word of God is alive. Christ is the Word become flesh. God’s Word is active. Only the
powerful Word of God can and does change hearts. Minds. Lives. Forever. The power of God’s
Word has changed our hearts of stone into hearts of flesh. We do not miss too many earthly meals. Or
snacks. We know how vitally important the Bible is for the feeding of our souls. But how easy it is to
skip that meal. Busy lives. More important things to do. No time. We know the excuses all too well.
Satan, the world, and our sinful flesh constantly conflict with our desire to be strengthened in faith. "I
devoured your words when they were found. Your words became a joy for me, and a delight for my heart, because I
bear your name, LORD God of Armies" (JERMIAH 15:16). God’s Word “became” a joy and delight for the
prophet Jeremiah. We may struggle in our daily readings. Do not quit. It will become a joy for you.

E. Jesus speaks of his flesh as real food. His blood as real drink. Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ
lovingly invites us to be united to him body and soul. In today’s gospel (JOHN 17:20-28) Jesus prayed
that believers would remain in him. We partake of God’s Word: real food and real drink. "They all ate
the same spiritual food and all drank the same spiritual drink, for they drank from the spiritual rock that accom-
panied them—and that rock was Christ!" (1 CORINTHIANS 10:3, 4). Our Rock is Christ. Living water!

F. When we hear bread and blood we think about the Lord’s Supper. This is not a direct reference to
the Lord’s Supper. Jesus had not yet instituted the Lord’s Supper. In the Lord’s Supper Jesus speaks of
body and blood. Here Jesus uses bread instead of body. Jesus is here teaching of a spiritual union in
knowing him as the living Bread. Believing. Grace. "For the kingdom of God does not consist of eating and
drinking, but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (ROMANS 14:17). Righteousness, peace,
and joy are spiritual gifts. These are living Bread gifts from Jesus, our real food and our real drink.

“EAT, DRINK, AND ENJOY ETERNAL LIFE” Christ alone is our real food and our real drink.
II. CHRIST ALONE IS OUR ETERNAL SALVATION

A. Jesus used opposites to teach the crowd deep spiritual truths.

1. Verse 49. Manna in the wilderness. Fathers ate and died. Earthly nourishment.
2. Verse 50. Christ is the bread from heaven. Eat and not die. Divine sustenance.
B. Verse 51b. “If anyone eats this bread, he will live forever.” Jesus as real food and drink gave eternal life.
1. Verse 54. Repeated the gift concerning eternal life for those eating, drinking real food, drink.
2. The Lord Jesus would also raise up believers on the Last Day. Eternal life guarantee.
C. Verse 57. Jesus connected himself and his teaching to his heavenly Father.
1. Eternal life came from the Father through Jesus for partakers of real food and real drink.
2. Verse 58. Manna yielded death. This living Bread brought perfect eternal life.
3. The crowds left Jesus because of this truth. 5,000 + decreased to the 12 apostles.

D. The Lord God of Armies inspired John to write in a very simple, straightforward manner. Christ is
our life. Without Christ we do not have real food to eat. No real drink to enjoy. Certainly no eternal
life to endlessly praise our loving, heavenly Father. Our text from last week brought out this powerful,
saving truth. "This is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. The one who has the
Son has life. The one who does not have the Son of God does not have life” (1 JOHN 5:11, 12). Opposites once
again help us understand deep, spiritual truths. With the Son is life. Without the Son there is no life.

E. Without the Word of God we are lost. We would wander aimlessly with no real purpose in life. We
would not have any meaningful future. On our own we are truly wretched. Lost. Condemned
creatures. Helpless. Our sinful thoughts accuse us. Our wicked words convict us. Our evil actions find
us guilty of disobedience. Even worse, we are unable to save ourselves. There is nothing we can do to
earn eternal life. We cannot bribe our way into heaven. “But no one can by any means redeem himself. He
cannot give God a ransom for himself—(Yes, the ransom for their souls is costly. Any payment would fall short.)”
(PSALM 49:7, 8). We do not deserve God’s gracious gift of salvation. Our Savior Jesus Christ freely
and willingly pays the price of our redemption. His flesh and his blood are the price for our eternity.

F. The wickedness of the world increases every second, minute, hour, day, month, and year. Centuries
of sinning have hardened peoples’ hearts. The love of many has grown cold. The Word of God has
been shoved aside for worldly wisdom. Mankind’s foolishness. As God’s children we readily recognize
the importance of remaining students of God’s Word. We recognize the importance of having an
intimate relationship with the Father who created us. The Son of God who saved us. The Holy Spirit
who gave us faith. “Whoever has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is
victorious I will give the privilege to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God" (REVEL. 2:7).

CONC.: Christ is our real food. Christ is our real drink. Christ is our eternal life. What more could
anyone need? Our loving, heavenly Father has freely and graciously provided us forgiveness. Jesus is
the only Way – the only Truth – the only Life. We learn this saving truth only from Holy Scriptures, the
Bible. "Like newborn babies, crave the pure milk of the word so that by it you may grow up with the result being
salvation. Certainly you have tasted that the Lord is good!" (1 PETER 2:2, 3). Each one of us has tasted that
the Lord is good? Our real food. Our real drink. Our eternal life. Jesus invites to continue tasting the
Lord’s goodness! EAT, DRINK, AND ENJOY ETERNAL LIFE. Amen. Pastor Timm O. Meyer

EASTER 7 rdgs.: ACTS 16:6-10; REVELATION 22:12-17, 20; JOHN 17:20--26; (PSALM 8)
SERVICES: 7:45am @ McCook (Sun) / 10:00am @ Redeemer (Sun) / NCF 1:00 Min. (Sat) & 12:00 Med. (Sun)
BIBLE STUDIES: 11:15am @ Redeemer (SUN) / 5:45pm (Med) + 7:30pm (Min) @ NCF (TUES.)
/ Sunday radio broadcast @ 9:00am on KQNK 106.7FM or 1530AM