Nov 23, 2021 Three Weeks In John 6 – Words of Grace – November 19, 2021
I’ll let you in on a preacher’s dilemma. Sometimes it’s just as difficult to figure out how to preach a passage as it is to figure out what the passage means.
John 6 is a great example of this dilemma. By biblical standards, this is a long chapter (71 verses). And the more I read it and meditate on its message, the longer a possible sermon on this chapter becomes in my mind. Along with the main point, many other sub-themes emerge that can be helpful to our faith in Christ and ongoing discipleship.
Add to this my personal proclivity for wanting to be thorough, and the fact that I have about 35 minutes for the sermon each Sunday… well, what’s a preacher to do?
Solution? Preach a mini-series.
John 6 has one main point, and that is that Jesus is the bread of life. But this chapter also includes the miracles of Jesus feeding a multitude of people with one boy’s lunch, walking on water to get to the boat where his disciples are rowing on a rough sea, a long discourse on the nature of spiritual food, and a final confession by Peter that Jesus has the words of life.
Since the apostle John, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, included all this material to make the one main point, I want us to hear it all and see how it fits together. Mostly, I want us to see Jesus as he is: the bread of life.
So, for the next three weeks we will consider the sign that points to Jesus as the bread of life (verses 1-15), the teaching about Jesus as the bread of life (verses 22- 59), and the response to Jesus who is the bread of life (verses 60-71).
Why am I telling you this in advance? Because I believe that congregations become spiritually healthy when they are reading, hearing, discussing, and praying over the word of God together. My goal is not to show up as a preacher and deliver a sermon and then move on to the next one. My goal as a pastor is to live in the truth of the word of God together. I want to involve our congregation in prayer and conversation about the gospel and the truth of Christ. I hope sermons become catalysts for discussion and encouragement among us to love the Lord with all our hearts and follow Christ with all our strength.
The next three weeks will be a time for Grace Community Church to live in John 6 together. This weekend, take it up. Read it slowly. Pray from it for yourself, other people, and our congregation.
There is no need to be in a hurry, for there is nowhere else to go because no one other than Jesus has the words of life (John 6:68).
I look forward to seeing you Sunday.
-Scott