BETROTHED TO CHRIST
Part 1
Seven weeks from tomorrow evening, we will be gathering together to keep the Passover for 2004. It doesn’t seem like it was more than a couple of weeks ago that I first began to mention this year that we would be looking forward to Passover; and, at that time, there were 13 weeks remaining. Now we are down to just seven weeks from tomorrow evening.
The last two sermons that I gave here were titled OUR AWESOME DESTINY, if you remember. In those two sermons, we were reminded of our part in that great plan as God has revealed it to us. We took note of the incredible opportunity we have in God’s plan and what our part is. We have been specially called by God to become part of His very Family.
There are some who have changed the wordage of that somewhat. They are not any longer saying that we can enter into God’s Family—but rather that He has a Family that we can enter into. There is a difference there, and they are making a distinction. They don’t want to go so far as to say that we can literally enter into God’s Family.
But these scriptures in this Book clearly reveal that is our destiny. We have an opportunity to enter God’s very Family as the wife of His Son. It’s an incredible opportunity that we have to become the Bride. Individually, of course, we are just a part of the Bride because the Bride will be made up of all of the firstfruits. Collectively, all of the firstfruits will make up Jesus Christ’s wife.
We were reminded in those two sermons that, in order for us to become the wife of Jesus Christ, we have to go through an incredible change. It is very obvious that we can’t become His wife now—as we are now. It is going to require an incredible change. We have to be made to be like Him—like Jesus Christ. The Scriptures are very clear about that.
As we mentioned in those two sermons, Christ will never take anyone to be His wife that is not on the same level of existence that He is—no more than you, as a man today, would take a wife of anything less than a human being. You just wouldn’t.
Let’s begin in Philippians 3:
Philippians 3:17-19 Brethren, join in following my example, and note those who so walk, as you have us for a pattern. 18) For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: [Now, how did they get in that position?] 19) whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame—[notice this last part then] who set their mind on earthly things.
Their focus, in other words, is on earthly things. It is very difficult for any of us to get beyond that. It is very difficult for us to get beyond putting our focus on earthly things—on physical things. Most of us are involved in one way or another in making a living on this earth, in which we have to be involved in the earthly—in the physical. And it is so hard to get our focus off of that and on to something much higher.
Colossians 3:1 If then you were raised with Christ [Here Paul is speaking about their baptism.], seek those things which are above…
So, if you are among those who have been called in this age and have come to the point of baptism so that is in your past now, then he is writing to you in these words. He is saying:
Colossians 3:1 If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God.
We talked about that in those two sermons—about where Jesus Christ is now. He is sitting beside His Father—beside “the Majesty on high” as Hebrews puts it. He is sitting there now. He is at the right hand of God.
This word seek here, I think we could all imagine what that means. It means to seek after, to seek for, to aim at, to strive after. So what we should be setting our minds on and striving for—or seeking—is that which is above (not that which is on the earth).
Colossians 3:2 Set you mind on things above, not on things on the earth.
Once again, it is very hard for us to do that. I think I began the first sermon of that 2-part series by mentioning that. I think I posed a question: How many of us daily think about what our destiny is? How many of us do that? Is that what we are focused on? Is that what we spend our time thinking about? Or do we spend the vast majority of our time thinking about those things on the earth? I think most of us do. Many of us do. But here Paul is clearly saying:
Colossians 3:2-4 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. 3) For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4) When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.
And we talked about that in those two messages. What an incredible destiny we have been called to! Jesus Christ is speaking in Revelation 3:21:
Revelation
In order for us to set our minds on things above, it is very important for us to attempt to get our minds around what we have been called to. We talked about that in those two messages. It is very important for us to be able to do that. Yet it is very difficult for us.
Colossians 3:4 When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.
You will appear at His side, as His Bride. Again, this is incredible! It is incredible what we have been called to.
Back in Ephesians 3:20, he is talking about some others who set their minds on earthly things here.
If we truly are “the called” according to God’s purpose, then this includes all of us.
Our destiny truly is awesome!
Romans
I am going to come back and comment on that in a moment.
Romans
All of what has taken place on this earth in the development of God’s plan is happening according to a very well orchestrated predetermined plan. God is working it out, and it is right on schedule. From the very beginning, the plan required the calling of certain ones to become the wife of Jesus the Christ. That was predetermined. It was predetermined that the Word would give up His status, become a human being, and fulfill a major step in His great plan.
But then it was also predetermined that the Word would take a wife. The plan involved the increase of His Family, and it required His Son to take a wife. The Word was not His Son [originally]. The Word became His Son when He gave up His status and became a human being. He became the only begotten Son of God in the sense that He was begotten both physically and spiritually as a human being on this earth. But it was predetermined. God’s plan required that the Word take a wife.
Those determined by God to be called for this role would have to be conformed to the image of the Son. That is what this is telling us. “For whom He foreknew”—He had predetermined that certain ones would be called. And those certain ones who were predetermined to be called were “predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son.” This had to take place. This was part of the plan that He predetermined would happen.
In Philippians 3:21, we just read there about how we will be conformed to His body. This would involve the changing of this earthly body into a form like Christ’s body. That was involved in this. However, it would involve a lot more than just that. That is not only what was required in this conforming to Jesus Christ’s image. A change in our body had to take place, but there was more that had to take place as well.
II Corinthians
11:1-2 [Paul is writing to the
brethren at
This word betrothed in the King James Version is rendered “espoused.” “Betrothed” and “espoused” mean virtually the same thing. The Greek word that they are rendered from means this: to join, to fit together. This is the literal meaning of the word. To join, to fit together, (and now notice the little addition here, the little clarification to that meaning) to adjust to fitly join. So it is talking about this betrothal, or this espousal, is a joining together. And, if the two parts don’t mesh perfectly, it also involves the adjustment that is required in order for them to fit together.
I think that most of us know that in the Jewish traditions—the customs regarding marriage that were in place when Paul wrote this—a betrothal was involved. In our day, we don’t have a period just like this. We do have a period that, I guess you could say, might be somewhat similar to it, but it is not spelled out. It is not designated as a required period of time like it was back then.
This betrothal was a period of time once a young lady was determined to become the wife of a particular young man. She was to enter into a period of time in which she would make adjustments to become compatible with this young man. She would go through a period of time, in other words, preparing to be that particular young man’s wife.
Now, you might think that is either right or wrong. It doesn’t matter. The reason why that custom was established was because it all pointed to this Marriage that we are talking about—between Jesus Christ and the church. And there we—those of us who are going to become the Bride of Jesus Christ—must go through a period of adjustment. We must go through a period of preparing to be His wife. We must become compatible with Him. We must become prepared to complement Him. We are to be made ready, in other words, to become His wife.
You read there in Revelation 19:7, which we have read a couple of times just recently, where it says:
Revelation 19:7 Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.
You see, this is referring to the betrothal period. It is referring to the period that a physical bride would have gone through—typical of what this spiritual Bride is to go through. That is, a betrothal period in which the Bride is made ready to become the bride of that particular man—in this case, the church becoming ready to become the Bride of Jesus Christ.
Christ’s Bride, as we have already pointed out, is made up of all the firstfruits. Collectively the church—the firstfruits—will be made ready to become the wife of Jesus Christ. If you want to give a title to this message, the title will be BETROTHED TO CHRIST - Part 1, because I think we will probably want to continue on with this a little bit more than just today.
Now, I want to go back to Romans 8 again.
Romans
Go to Hebrews 2 right now, where we were last time as well. Again, we are going to draw on some material here at the beginning that was covered in those two last messages; and I want to go back to this particular point here. Speaking of Jesus the Christ, [it says]:
Hebrews
So many sons are going to be brought to glory in order to fulfill this role of becoming His Bride.
Hebrews
This word that is rendered “author” here in the Greek is archegos. We spent a little bit of time with that last time, and I want to spend a little bit more time with it today. Archegos means originator. It means founder. Probably in our modern vernacular, the next way that it can be defined here is probably the best. It conveys best what He is when it says it means trailblazer. Originator, founder, trailblazer, leader, chief, first. In other words, it means one who takes the lead in anything and thus affords an example. But beyond that, an archegos is one who begins something in order that others may follow. That is what a trailblazer is. A trailblazer blazes the trail so others can follow. And that is what Jesus Christ has done. He is the trailblazer. He is the archegos of their (or our) salvation.
Now, what does that involve? When
we are talking about us being betrothed to Christ, what does that involve? He
is the archegos. He led the way. He is the first, but we are to follow
Him. In I Peter
I Peter
Again, as we have pointed out so many times, he is writing to the elect (if you go back to I Peter 1:2).
I Peter
Christ suffered. Now, what does this word suffered mean? It is pascho in the Greek. It means to experience evil. Jesus Christ experienced evil—up close and personal. He died as a result of evil. He suffered a great deal of physical pain as a result of evil. Here it says that He set the example we are to follow. Now, let’s go back to Romans 8 again.
Romans
This word suffer here is a little different than the one we just read in I Peter. It has sum- in the front of it. Sum-pascho. What the sum- means is to suffer together with. So we are to suffer as He suffered. Well, why did He suffer? We read in Hebrews (and we pointed this out just recently) that, in order for Him to become the perfect High Priest that He is, He experienced these things. He experienced the things that we experience. Therefore, He can be the perfect High Priest.
Well, we are to be priests. Right? What about Revelation 20? We are going to be kings and priests with Him for a thousand years. Do we need to suffer too, like Him? Is this part of being conformed to the image of the Son? We are to become like Him in this sense.
I said we were going to come back to Romans 8:28 and comment on it. Notice what this says:
Romans
Some of the things we experience are very, very difficult. Many are going through very difficult times right now. Mr. Lee addressed this somewhat in his sermon last time. This is all for a purpose. Human beings are to experience evil, it is a requirement that God has placed on us. Not just those whom He is calling to become the Bride of Jesus Christ, but all humanity has been destined to suffer evil. That is, to suffer the experience of evil. We have all had the experience. We have all gone through very difficult times. We have all been tempted to sin, and every one of us has given in.
As we have pointed out before, Jesus Christ—although He is a perfect High Priest because He experienced the things (It says He was tempted in all points as we are.)—He didn’t give in and sin, you see. He didn’t experience the effect of sin personally. He experienced the effect of your sins and mine. He suffered incredibly as a result of our sins. But He didn’t suffer as a result of His own sins. He never had that experience, which we have. The Bride will have experienced that as well.
“All things work together for good.” We have all thought, so many times, “How in the world can some of these things be good?” They may not be good now. While you are going through them, they are not good. These are very horrible things that we have to go through in this life, and they are not good. But they are going to serve a good purpose. I believe that is what Paul is saying here. “We know that all things work together for good.” This only applies to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. That is who it applies to.
And it is going to serve a good purpose. As the Bride of Jesus Christ, we are going to be able to provide a service to those who have experienced all of these things down through time. Conforming to Christ’s image is a process, and all of this is involved in it. We are to serve in a very important role as the Bride of Jesus Christ. You know, politicians sometimes appoint figureheads. They are given an appointment—not really to have an integral job to do, or role to play, that is important. Rather, they are just given a name that they can put on the door; and they can sit behind the desk, more or less. That is NOT what the Bride is going to do, brethren. The Bride is going to serve a very important role in the Family of God; and we are being prepared for that, in ways that many of us don’t realize. We are being prepared. We are being made ready.
Now, in Revelation 19:7, it states that in such a way that, if you just superficially read it without putting a lot of other information together with it, you’d think that the Bride is doing it all herself. That “the bride has made herself ready.” That she has done it all herself! No. There is a lot more involved than that. The Father is involved. The Son is involved. We’ll see that as we go on. But the Bride is being made ready.
When we see here that those whom He foreknew He’s predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son—that is happening to us to some degree individually; but, more than that, it is happening collectively. The Bride is being conformed to the image of the Son. And that conforming has been going on now for a long time, and it is going to continue right up to the return of Jesus Christ. It goes all the way back to Abel. We have talked about this before. Abel, apparently (from what we read), is going to be part of the firstfruits. It began with him. And a lot of people are being made ready to fill this very important role.
Let’s go to James 1:16 now. We can get so hung up on physical things. It is very easy for us to get our minds, and our focus, off of what we have been called to. I think there are times that we ought to just stop and think about these things—who we are, and what we have been called to. I am going to come back and look at these verses in more detail in just a moment; but I want to get down to one particular point right now.
If you have the Authorized Version, I think you’ll see that it is rendered “Of His own will begat He us.” Actually, in this particular case, I believe the Authorized Version is a clearer, or better, rendering than the New King James Version. Not “Of His own will He brought us forth” as if the birth has already happened here—because this is not talking about a birth. It is talking about a begettal actually. The Authorized Version has it correct, I believe, where it says “Of His own will begat He us.” This “brought us forth” or “begat” in the Greek means to be made pregnant or to begat. That is what it means.
James
If you look into the Greek, this word “creatures” here means that which is created. There are different ways this is rendered by other translations. I want to read Phillips, and notice how they render this particular verse. They render it this way:
James 1:18 (Phillips) By His own wish He made us His own sons through the Word of truth, that we might be, so to speak, the first specimens of His new creation.
Others render this
merely showing that we are the firstfruits of His creation—in other words, of
those He has created. But Phillips renders it in such a way that he is talking
about a new creation. And we know that the Bible speaks of a new
creation. Let me just read II Corinthians
II
Corinthians
Now, in those two messages that I just gave, we talked about how Elohim made man in Their image. Remember back in Genesis, where Elohim said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness. So Elohim created man in His own image. In the image of God He created him. Male and female He created them.” So physical human beings were created physically in Elohim’s image. We spent some time talking about how human beings are so different from the animals—having minds that operate the way God’s mind operates except very limited, on the physical plane. Yet human beings are created in the image of God in that sense.
That creation was incomplete. The human creation was incomplete in the terms of what God’s ultimate destiny for human beings is. Human beings were to go through a process of a further creation—a spiritual creation that was to begin with another begettal. That is, a spiritual begettal. And a spiritual creation was to develop that would culminate at the resurrection of the dead. God is now, within the firstfruits, bringing that creation to completion. He is developing it. And He is in the process of bringing it to completion.
Philippians 1:3-6 I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, 4) always in every prayer of mine making request for you all with joy, 5) for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now, 6) being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will [as the Revised Standard Version has it] bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.
This work that God is in the process of doing begins at our spiritual begettal and is completed at the resurrection of the dead. But there is a work that God is doing—within the firstfruits. In other words, this conforming to the image of Jesus Christ isn’t something that we are doing on our own and by ourselves. There are things that we have to do; but the Father is involved, and the Son is involved.
Galatians
“Until Christ is formed in you.” What is interesting about this is that the meaning of the Greek word translated formed is “to form or fashion” and was originally used of artists who shaped their material into an image. We read in Isaiah about us being clay and God being the Potter, and how He forms and shapes us. In Job 14:14-15, we read last time how Job said:
Job 14:14-15 “If a man dies, shall he live again? All the days of my hard service I will wait, till my change comes. 15) You shall call, and I will answer You; You shall desire the work of Your hands.”
Of course, this is the verse that we read at funerals. Now let’s go to Ephesians 5.
Ephesians 5:25-27 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for it [Or, gave Himself up for it—as we’ve pointed out so many times before.], 26) that He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of the water by the world, 27) that He might present it to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that it should be holy and without blemish.
So Jesus the Christ is very much involved in this process. The Father is involved, and the Son is involved. Now let’s go back to James 1 again, and I want to spend a little bit more time going through about three verses here.
James
Now, if you go back to James 1:1, James begins the book by addressing it to someone. Notice what it says:
James 1:1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad.
It seems as though
it is being written to the physical descendants of
James 1:16-17 Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. 17) Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.
The very last part of verse 17 is rendered in the New International Version as “who does not change like shifting shadows.” This Father of lights, from whom we receive these good and perfect gifts, is consistent. He doesn’t change. He’s not like shifting shadows. He is absolute. He has a plan. He has a purpose. His plan is right on schedule. His purpose will be worked out right on schedule.
James
“Of His own will.” Go back to John 1, beginning in verse 11. Speaking of Jesus Christ, this Word (as he mentioned early, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”)—that Word became flesh.
John 1:11-13 He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. 12) But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: 13) who were born [Greek gennao, “begotten” in this case], not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
So God had a plan. God had a purpose. There were to be those who would become children of His; and, of His own will, He saw to it that process was begun. “Of His own will,” back here in James 1:18.
James
This is a spiritual begettal. It’s very obviously a spiritual begettal here that is being referred to. Notice that James is saying here that he was inspired to write this—that this begettal is by the Word of truth. Did you notice that? “Of His own will begat He us by the word of truth.”
Now, let’s go to I Peter 1:3. Peter, referring to that same begettal, [writes]:
I Peter 1:3-5 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4) to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, 5) who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
“Ready to be revealed” at the resurrection from the dead, when the work is complete. But the work begins with a begettal. Here Peter refers to it as being begotten again.
I Peter 1:22-23 Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, 23) [Notice this] having been begotten again [the same Greek word that is rendered “begotten” in verse 3], not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, [notice how he words it] through the word of God.
James says over here, “Of His own will begat He us by the word of truth.” Here Peter is saying, “Having been begotten again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God, which lives and abides forever.”
I
Peter 1:24-25 Because “All flesh is as grass, and all the glory of
man as the flower of the grass. The grass withers, and its flower falls away,
25) But the word of the LORD [the Eternal, in this case, rendered from
Isaiah 40:8] endures forever.”
If you go to Isaiah 40:8, it is rendered a little bit differently there. It has “the word of our God stands forever.” So the word of God, the word of truth, came down to us from the Father of lights. That Word is truth. Truth will always be truth. It doesn’t change. That is why it is rendered that way over in James 1:17. “Of His own will begat He us by the word of truth.”
I thought we were begotten by God’s Spirit. Why is it rendered this way here? Obviously, we are begotten by God’s Spirit. But why is it rendered this way? Let’s turn to John 14. I am having you turn to a lot of scriptures. I apologize for that, but I feel it is necessary that we go to these scriptures. Christ is speaking to the Eleven here, after that last Passover.
John
14:15-17 “If you love Me, keep My
commandments. 16) And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another
Helper [obviously speaking of God’s Holy Spirit], that It may abide with you
forever—17) [notice how It is described] the Spirit of truth.
Now, let’s go to I John 5.
I John 5:6 This is He [speaking of Jesus Christ] who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ; not only by water, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that bears witness, because the Spirit is truth.
So you can see that is why John and Peter could state what they did—that we are begotten by God by the Word of truth. But the actual begettal is the Spirit, which is truth. In order for us to be begotten, I think the reason why it is worded this way is because we must come to understand certain truth. You have to know certain things in order to get to that point. If you are ignorant of these things, it would be impossible for a person to get to the point of begettal. So we’re begotten by the Word of truth. We have to come to understand certain truth. Now, how much do we have to know? I don’t know. God determines that, and it may be different for different people. I don’t know. It doesn’t state that. But it is very obvious that we have to know certain things.
Now, let’s go back to a very familiar section of Scripture; and we’ll pretty much finish up there today—in John 6. Those who have been designated to be specially called to fill the role of Jesus Christ’s wife are being conformed to the image of the Son. Let’s notice a little bit more about how that process takes place.
John
The drawing process is initiated by the Father. The Father is the One who initially gets involved in the process.
John
6:44-45 No one can come to Me unless
the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day. 45) It is written in the prophets, ‘And they
shall all be taught by God.’ Therefore [notice how this is worded] everyone [everyone,
it says] who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me.
So once the Father gets involved, He brings that individual to Christ—in the way that it means here, when it speaks of someone coming to Him. No one can come to Him unless the Father gets involved; but, according to the way it is worded here, EVERYONE whom the Father gets involved with comes to Christ. It’s 100%. Once this happens, the work begins. That work that Paul talked about there in Philippians 1:6 begins. And it is a wonderful process that begins in a human being once this occurs.
Back in John 6:28, remember Jesus had fed 5,000 just a short time prior; and they had followed Him. Now they are here.
John 6:28-29 Then they said unto Him, “What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?” 29) Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.”
So, the work of God involves bringing one to a belief in Jesus the Christ. That is part of the “coming” process—of coming to Him. You must believe who He is. You must believe what He has done, what He is doing, and what He will do. You have to know something about Him. That has to be revealed, and God the Father is the One that initiates this process.
The work begins with the begettal, and it involves certain knowledge. Certain knowledge has to be in place at this time. If you want to call it a spiritual creation, or if you want to call it the work of God within the individual— this process continues all the way to the end of our lives. A work begins, and it continues all the way to the end of our lives. It won’t have its completion until we are either changed or we are resurrected from the dead (whichever would apply in our particular case). And what it is, to a great extent, is an educational process.
We are learning. We are growing in knowledge. We are growing in understanding. We are growing and increasing in experiences—all of which works towards, and is involved in the process of, conforming us to the image of the Son. Much takes place. It is not, as the Protestant world would say, an instantaneous thing where all we have to believe is that Jesus died for our sins and that’s all that we have to do. They say that’s all that has to be done, but it is far more than that. There is far more than that which takes place in a human being once this process begins—once God involves Himself in the process.
Brethren, can you see? Can you begin to understand the importance of the role that we are in, and the importance that God places on our part in His plan? The fact that He Himself personally involves Himself in initiating the process, and that He is involved. He is doing a work within us. It’s incredible.
John
That’s speaking of Jesus the Christ. So, in other words, this teaching over here—this hearing and learning from the Father—isn’t face to face. It isn’t direct. Rather, it is the result of those whom He sends. He sends specially designated individuals to convey this truth, and He brings us into contact with it. Notice what John writes to the brethren—speaking of himself, along with others, of these specially designated individuals.
I John 4:6 We are of God. He who knows God hears us; he who is not of God does not hear us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.
God’s Spirit, brethren, will inspire us to recognize truth. God’s Holy Spirit, which is truth, will inspire us to recognize truth. If you hear someone speaking the truth, doesn’t it just ring true? I remember so well, and I have related this to you before, that we were involved in the apostasy; and once we got separated from it and heard someone speaking THE TRUTH, it just rang true. You just recognized it. It was so obvious that this was TRUTH. What we had been hearing was from “the spirit of error.” But this was coming from “the spirit of truth.” And we could understand that.
So God sends specially designated individuals to convey this truth. Now, back to John 6:47. Jesus Christ is speaking.
John
If we just had this verse and had none other, we possibly could come to the conclusion of what I just said the Protestant world basically teaches. That is, that all you have to do is believe that Jesus Christ died. “If you believe in Me, you have everlasting life.” If you only had this verse and none other, perhaps you could come to that conclusion. But when you put it all together, you realize that this is the beginning of the process.
John
Once we come to understand who He is and what He has done, and we believe. That is, when God’s Holy Spirit leads us to the point of believing that’s when the process actually just begins. We are just beginning there. But it is part of the process that gives us everlasting life. That is the end result. That is when it is completed.
John
“I am,” He said, “the bread of life.” Over in verse 35:
John
Notice what He says. I never had really thought of this in the same way before, as it hit me last night.
John
Now, both the hunger and thirst need to be satisfied. If we are without food and we are without water, we need both. We need the thirst satisfied. We need the hunger satisfied. And notice that He associates the thirst with believing in Him, while He associates the hunger with coming to Him. What is the distinction? What is the difference? Is there a difference? “He who comes to me will never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.”
John 6:48-49 I am the bread of life. 49) Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and are dead.
He had mentioned manna back up in verses 32-34, prior to stating what He did in verse 35. “Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and are dead.” It was a temporary need that was satisfied by the manna. It satisfied their hunger at the time, but it was a temporary satisfaction. Then in verse 50, speaking of Himself:
John 6:50-51 This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die. 51) I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.
Here He is saying this a little bit differently. “I am the bread of life,” He said earlier; and, if you eat of this bread of life, you know you are going to live. But here He says, “I am the living bread.” This word living in the Greek means to have life, to be alive, or to be life-giving. “I am the living bread.” This bread gives life. This bread that He is referring to actually provides what is needed in order for the life to be attained. He gave Himself up that others can live. He says here, “If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.”
So this process could not begin without this sacrifice. I guess you could say this was the last major step in the completion of God’s plan that has been completed. That step is completed. He has completed it. The next major step is the firstfruits entering the Family of God. That’s the next major step that will be completed. It is in the process now. It is in the process of happening now, but it won’t be completed until the return of Jesus Christ.
John 6:52-53 The Jews therefore quarreled among themselves, saying, “How can this Man give us His flesh to eat?” [Obviously, not understanding at all what He was saying.] 53) Then Jesus said unto them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you.
As we pointed out before, if we understand this correctly, this was said right around the Passover. If you go back to verse 4 of chapter 6, you will see that Passover was near. So He was saying this in conjunction with the Passover season. And, if we understand it correctly, it was the Passover one year prior to His death that this particular incident happened. Perhaps He was referring here to what He would reveal one year later. You see, as far as the record is concerned, we don’t see it revealed that the Passover would be changed—that is, that the means of keeping the Passover would be changed—until it happened one year later. But here He is perhaps referring to the eating of the flesh and drinking of the blood of those symbols that He would introduce a year later. Perhaps He is introducing that to them in this way. I don’t know.
But it involves a lot more. What He is saying here, this consuming—this eating of the flesh and drinking the blood of Jesus Christ—involves more than just what He would introduce later). It’s talking about here the need to internalize Jesus Christ—to consume all that He is!
He is to come into us. Again, we referred to Galatians 4:19, where it talks about Christ being formed in us. The way that happens spiritually is that we come to understand Him. We understand what He is, what He taught (both by example and by word); and that is internalized within us. That way Christ is being formed in us. All that He is, all that He taught, is formed within us.
John 6:54-56 Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. 55) For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. 56) He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him.
The way we abide in Him is getting to know Him. This relationship, then, will begin to develop.
John
So, as this process develops, life—real life, permanent life—will be granted. We can actually enter into the Family of God, on Their level, possessing eternal life as They possess it.
John 6:63 It is the Spirit that gives life; the flesh profits nothing. [notice] The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.
What He taught—verbally, as well as by example—is what we are to internalize. That is the way Christ is formed in us.
John 6:64-66 “But there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who would betray Him. 65) And He said, “Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father.” 66) From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more.
They couldn’t get past the physical to strive for that which is above. That is, that incredible destiny that is being offered. Perhaps that was for a real reason—the fact that they hadn’t been called. God hadn’t involved Himself in their lives to the level that we are talking about here. And so I doubt that these were individuals who did understand and rejected it. Rather, they were individuals who were not called.
John 6:67-69 Then Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you also want to go away?” 68) But Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69) Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
So, even here, you see two things mentioned. “You have the words of eternal life”, but also “we believe that you are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Is that referring back to the two things back in verse 35? “He who comes to Me.” Does coming to Him involve consuming Him—consuming His words, and coming to understand these things? Is that what the hunger is connected with? And then “He who believes in Me shall never thirst.”
Brethren, we have been called to an incredible and awesome destiny! God has begun a process in us. He is doing a work. Jesus Christ is involved and is doing a work. But we are involved, and we have choices to make.
Basically, the
involvement we have is making choices—whether we will obey, or whether we will
disobey; and to pursue (to be able to see, really strive to set our minds on)
things above. That is, to see that goal and to truly desire it and strive
towards it. We have seven more weeks [until Passover]. We’ll continue, no
doubt, talking about things similar to this because we do have a long way to
go—a long way to go, until we are conformed to the image of Christ.
Transcribed
by plh, August 2004