Signs: The Restoration Has Come!



What if the king we want isn't the king we need?  That's a question this week's message will explore. 

John 6:1-15 tells the story of the Jesus' feeding of the five thousand.  God intended it to be a sign of one thing, but the crowd around Jesus saw it as a sign of another.  They were looking for a material Messiah, who would meet their material needs and wants.  But Jesus was a spiritual Messiah, who focused on spiritual needs.  The people wanted physical bread, so they would always have plenty of food.  Jesus offered them spiritual bread that would give them eternal life.

We're a lot the same way.  Joel Osteen is much more popular than Mother Theresa!  The American Dream is more powerful than the dream of God's kingdom. 

Jesus' sign of the feeding reminds us of what we need and how Jesus had provided it.  That sign points back to the exodus of Israel and looks forward to the Lord's Supper.  It showed that Jesus was a new Moses, who brought deliverance and salvation that were far greater than Moses what gave. 

As we celebrate the Lord's Supper, we remember the exodus and the feeding of the five thousand, and recognize that salvation is a gift we receive, not a reward we earn.  We also see that eternal life begins now, as we begin our life in God when we receive the gift of Jesus and take him into ourselves.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

God's Dynamite: The Battle Within

Image
"It was on fire when I lay down on it."  Robert Fulghum wrote about reading this statement in a small town newspaper.   Smoke was billowing from a second story window.  The Fire Department arrived, broke down the front door, ran up a set of stairs, and pulled a man off a burning bed.  Later, when they asked him how he got in that predicament, he said, "It was on fire when I lay down on it." Why on earth did he do that?  We don't know, but his story reveals a human truth.  We often do self-destructive things.  We testify, "People told me not to do it, but I did it anyway."  "I knew it was wrong, but I did it." The apostle Paul wrote about our human propensity to sin and self-destructive behavior in Romans 7:14-25.  Verse 15 sums up his point, "I do not understand what I do.  For what I want to do I do not do and what I hate I do."   He describes an intense inner battle.  On one side is the "flesh," his
Read more

God's Dynamite: More than Conquerors

Image
One person goes through a terrible experience and emerges from it stronger, more mature, and more loving.  Another goes through a similar experience and emerges from it weaker, less mature, and bitter.   What's the difference? I think it has to do with what's in the person's heart.  It has to do with his or her faith and perspective of life.   In Romans 8:35-39, the apostle Paul asked, "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?''  Is there any person or place or experience that can remove us from Christ's loving presence?  Trouble? Hardship? Danger?  Sword? Paul could answer this question because he experienced all the above and more.  He said, "No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us."  We conquer all these things through Christ's love for us. To be sure, we can have times when Christ's love seems far away from us. In the depths of suffering in times like these, we can won
Read more

God's Dynamite: Resurrection Transformation

Image
Easter is about more than you going to heaven.  That's part of it, but not near all!  It's about your death and resurrection. In Romans 6, Paul was answering opponents.  Those opponents said that if salvation is by God's grace through faith, then you have no motivation for righteous living and good works.  Why not sin more to get more grace? Paul answered by using the image of baptism.  He said when the pastor plunged you under water, he symbolized your death in Christ.  Through faith you died on the cross with Jesus.  Your old self was a slave to sin and rebellion against God.   Paul said when the pastor raised you up from the water, he symbolized your resurrection in Christ.  Not just in the future but in the present.  In faith, you identify with Jesus' death and his resurrection.  You're raised to a new life, free from slavery to sin. So Easter is about more than personal salvation.  It's about transformation: dying to an old life and ris
Read more