Bible Studies

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by Gary Sims
08/06/03
Not For Sale
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The Gospels
John 6:35, 41-51 – Eternity Reigns
Key Verses:

35: “Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.’” – A relationship with Christ will fill our spiritual hunger.

41: “Then the Jews began to complain about him…” – The religious leaders among the people gathered could not accept Jesus’ claim of divinity.

43-44: “Jesus answered them, ‘Do not complain among yourselves. No one can come to me unless drawn by the Father who sent me.’” – God instills in our hearts a desire to draw close to Christ. As we respond to that urging from God, we have the choice to believe or not to believe in Jesus as our Savior.

45: “It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me.” – Jesus is stressing the importance of not only listening to God but to learn from Him what He is teaching.

47-48: “Very truly, I tell you, whoever believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life.” – Whenever Jesus uses the phrase, ‘very truly’ or ‘verily’, He is asking that we sit up, set aside our distractions, and listen to what is about to be shared. Our salvation depends on it.

51: “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever’ and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.” – After reading this verse refer to John 1:14 where he tells us: “And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen His glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth.” To eat of this bread it means that we are to unite our selves with Christ, believing in His death as a sacrifice for our sins, and in His resurrection. In response we are to devote our lives to live as He would have us live.

Points to Contemplate:

Do you believe that God instills in us a desire to know Him? Are you hungry? Do you sense an emptiness in your life? Is there a void you are trying desperately to fill? Do you see how this emptiness can many times lead people to drug, alcohol and sex addictions if they choose to look in the wrong places for sustenance? How powerful can a relationship with Christ become when we decide to turn to Him for answers to the hurts, habits and hang-ups we face in our lives? Can you find hope in the promise from Jesus when He says you will hunger and thirst no more?
God draws people to Christ. How are you affected by that statement? Does it reveal some of God’s plan for your life when you realize that He brought you to Christ because He wanted you there? What about those that are still seeking? Do you see that God could be drawing them to you so that they can learn about Christ through you? Are you ready? Do you begin each day with the expectation that God will send people to you? If you are not ready, if you choose to focus on earthly issues and not on issues of God, then who will be there for those seekers God is drawing close? Do you see how their salvation depends on your readiness?
Are you being taught by God? In what ways? Have you experienced a time when you were provided an answer to an unresolved question or concern that you were struggling with? Are you amazed by how often devotional and scripture readings address specific issues of concern in your life? Do you feel that God is leading into new directions and opening up new levels of understanding for you in all areas of your life? Where do you think God could lead you if you were to give over more of your life to Him? If you were able to seek Him and His loving guidance at all times in your life?
When does eternal life begin? Why is the issue of eternal life so important? What does the promise of eternal life mean to you? Does the promise of eternal life that Christ is offering have more to do with our ‘quality’ of life than it has to do with our ‘length’ of life? As the “Bread of Life” do you see that Christ is offering Himself to you as spiritual nourishment to feed the emptiness and hunger that lies within? Do you see that within the promise of eternal life is the opportunity to experience the love, grace and nurturing of God right now? Have you experienced that as your relationship with God grows you begin focusing more on the present and the importance of building His kingdom today? Does this illustrate that “eternal life” has as much to do with today and how you respond to God’s call as it does with tomorrow?

Promises of the Gospel:

God fills us with a desire and a craving to know Him. Without His sustenance in our lives we remain cold and empty inside and we constantly seek ways to fill that emptiness we feel. But He does not leave us out in the cold, wondering why we feel the way we do. Instead, He teaches us and draws us close to His love. As we respond we begin to recognize the full impact of the nourishment He has to offer. When we come to Christ we are filled with His love, with an amazing forgiveness for our sins, and with the promise of eternal life. Eternity begins the moment we realize that Jesus is our “Bread of Life” and with this promise we are transformed into His disciples, called to build the kingdom of heaven here, right now, in the lives around us.

FUMC Devotionals

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