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Bread of Life |
Dear Brethren,
Jesus said, "I am the Bread of Life:
he that cometh to me shall never
hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst." (John 6:35, 48) The
Lord's Passover is the most important and solemn Feast of the year. Without the
sacrifice of Jesus Christ, there is no forgiveness of our sins. Jesus is the
Bread of Life who gives us eternal life. As the True Passover Lamb, Jesus
sacrificed His body and blood to deliver us from the penalty of our sins and
give us eternal life.
Christians are commanded to observe the Passover each year. "Jesus
took bread,
and gave thanks, and broke it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which
is given for you: do this in remembrance of me." (Luke 22:19)
"Jesus said unto
them, Truly, truly, I say unto you, Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man,
and drink his blood, you have no life in you. (Passover is a salvational
requirement.) Whoso eats my flesh, and drinks my blood, has eternal life; and I
will raise him up at the last day." (John 6:53-54)
How is it possible to eat the flesh of Jesus, and drink His blood? If nothing
else, it poses a logistical problem: Jesus rose from the grave and ascended
into heaven nearly 2000 years ago (Acts 1:9-11). In an attempt to solve this
problem, the great superstitious Roman Church invented the concept
of transubstantiation - meaning, that bread wafers and wine are actually changed
into the literal flesh and blood of Jesus - and that by taking of the wafer and
wine, eternal life is assured. This ritual of the eucharist, (as they refer to
it), replaces the requirement on their part to embrace the Biblical teachings,
principles, and laws of Christ. They eliminate the meaning of Passover, while
substituting the pagan, Easter. Jesus said, "My Father gives you the True Bread
from heaven." (John 6:32)
What then do these Scriptural words mean, "Eat my flesh, and drink my blood?"
These are hard words, indeed, but we understand that they are a definite
and clear picture of the True Passover Lamb being consumed. Jesus is the True
Passover Lamb who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29). It is the words
and teachings of Jesus Christ that are able to give life. "It is the spirit that
quickens; the flesh profits nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are
spirit, and they are life." (John 6:63)
If we are to follow Him, we must put on Jesus Christ until He becomes the very
substance of our existence. His principles must be our principles. His words
must be our words. His thoughts must be our thoughts. We must willingly lay
down our lives for one another – just as He was sacrificed for us. We must
follow Jesus until we become exactly like Him in the way we think, reason, and
act. That is when Christ is in us, the hope of glory (Colossians 1:27). Paul
demonstrated this concept when he wrote, "It is no longer I who live, but
Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith
in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." (Galatians 2:20)
"Jesus took bread, and gave thanks, and broke it, and gave unto them, saying,
This is my body... This cup is the new covenant in my blood." (Luke 22:19-20)
The true "Bread of Life," Jesus Christ, must live within us, enabling us to live
an entirely new life. In the yearly New Testament Passover service, the
unleavened bread and wine are the gracious symbols that Jesus selected to take
the place of His flesh that was once sacrificed, and His blood that was once
shed. The wine is Jesus’ own chosen representation of His very life blood that
He shed once and for all – but He does not intend for the point to be lost on us
that it is only by His blood that we have the remission of our sins (Ephesians
1:7).
Passover originated with creation and the inception of the Plan of God. Jesus
was, "The Lamb slain from the foundation of the world" (Revelation 13:8). This
verse means that it was a foregone conclusion that Jesus would have to die for
the sins of the world. Jesus maintained the same original concepts of
deliverance and salvation in the New Testament Passover, that He incorporated in
the Old Testament Passover that He gave to ancient Israel. "The next day John
seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh
away the sin of the world." (John 1:29)
Jesus was the Passover Lamb, fulfilling the very meaning of Passover, and He
changed the New Testament symbols to bread and wine to represent His body and
blood. Jesus said of the bread, "Take, eat; this is my body..." just as He had
told the Israelites in Egypt to eat the flesh of the Passover lamb (Matthew
26:26, Exodus 12:7-8).
When we participate in the Passover service by partaking of the symbols of His
body and blood, we express our faith in Christ's death on our behalf, and
renew our commitment to allow Jesus to live His life in us. Jesus said,
"I will
not leave you comfortless: I will come to you...At that day you shall know that
I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you." (John 14:18,20)
Brethren, Passover is the most serious, important, and solemn Feast of the year.
Pray for one another that we may take of the Bread of Life worthily.
"Wherefore
whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily,
shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine
himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup." (1Co
11:27-28)
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Sermon: "Bread of Life"
This is #12 in the series: A Blending of the Gospel Accounts.
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