[0:00] And we're going to turn to John and chapter 6. John and chapter 6, and we're going to begin reading from verse 25.
[0:16] And if you've got one of the New International versions, it'll have a subtitle, Jesus, the Bread of Life. We'll read down through to verse 58 or 59.
[0:30] So John chapter 6, here is God's Word, and it's faithful and true. And just to put you in the setting, Jesus has, the day before, fed the 5,000 with the two fish and five loaves.
[0:43] And the next day, the people are looking for him and trying to find him. When they found him on the other side of the lake, that's Lake Galilee, Sea of Galilee, they asked him, Rabbi, when did you get here?
[0:58] Jesus answered, I tell you the truth, you're looking for me, not because you saw miraculous signs, but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you.
[1:17] On him, God the Father has placed his seal of approval. Then they asked him, what must we do to do the works God requires? Jesus answered, the work of God is this, to believe in the one he has sent.
[1:32] So they asked him, What miraculous sign will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do?
[1:44] Our forefathers ate the manna in the desert. As it is written, he gave them bread from heaven to eat. Jesus said to them, I tell you the truth, it's not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it's my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven.
[2:00] For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world. Sir, they said, from now on give us this bread. Then Jesus declared, I am the bread of life.
[2:12] He who comes to me will never go hungry. He who believes in me will never be thirsty. But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe. All that the Father gives me will come to me.
[2:25] And whoever comes to me, I will never drive away. For I have come down from heaven, not to do my will, but to do the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day.
[2:42] For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. At this, the Jews began grumbling about him, because he said, I am the bread of life that came down from heaven.
[2:58] They said, is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, I came down from heaven? Stop grumbling among yourselves, Jesus answered.
[3:11] No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the prophets, they will all be taught by God.
[3:22] Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me. No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God. Only he has seen the Father. I tell you the truth.
[3:34] He who believes has everlasting life. I am the bread of life. Your forefathers ate the manna in the desert, yet they died. But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which a man may eat and not die.
[3:49] I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.
[4:00] Then the Jews began to argue sharply among themselves. How can this man give us his flesh to eat? Jesus said to them, I tell you the truth. Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.
[4:15] Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him, just as the living Father sent me.
[4:31] And I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your forefathers ate manna and died, but he who feeds on this bread will live forever.
[4:48] Well, we thank God that he speaks to us in his word, and we trust he'll help us to understand and apply what Jesus has to say to our lives. So, in the Gospel of John and Chapter 6, and verses 25 and following, and it'd be good if you had that passage open, we'll be looking at that and picking up particularly the words of the Lord Jesus.
[5:15] I'm sure many of you know, Jesus in the Gospel of John said, on seven occasions, I am so and so, the bread of life, the gate, the good shepherd, life, the resurrection and the life, and so on.
[5:29] And so, this is the very first of the seven I am sayings, as they're called, of Jesus. I am the bread of life. And I want us just to unpick that a bit this morning, and to understand and realize what that means.
[5:41] Clearly, there was a lot of confusion when Jesus said it. In fact, when Jesus spoke about it, such was the response by many, that they left Jesus, who'd been following him, and turned away from him.
[5:53] So, it's something which is not mundane. It's not something which is innocuous. It's something which is vitally, vitally important, and divisive, if I'm going to put it that way. Divisive, and dividing all of humanity.
[6:07] But just an illustration to start with. In the days when it was before jets, and before being able to cross the Atlantic on Virgin, or British Airways, or whatever, the only way across was on an ocean liner.
[6:20] And a man decided he would go to America, bought himself a ticket. Now, being a very canny Yorkshireman, he decided to save money on food, and therefore, he took with himself a load of crackers, and some cheese, and some fruit, thinking that will last me the several days, long days, to cross the Atlantic.
[6:40] The law went well, of course, a bit mundane, a bit nasty, to eat just crackers, cheese, and fruit, but he got through it, until of course, by the end of the fourth or fifth day, any crackers he had left, had become rather stale, cheese had become rather moldy, and the fruit had become muzzy, that's furry, and all that sort of thing.
[7:00] Finally, he had nothing left to eat, and so he thought, well, you know, it's the last day tomorrow, we get into New York, I'll spend some of my meager amount, because all Yorkshiremen only have a very little amount of money, as you know, and they do very well, and they eat it out, and anyway, he decided, I'll spend what I've got on a good meal, in the restaurant upstairs, on the liner, and so he enters the restaurant, and goes and discovers, that all the food, that he could eat, is included in the price of his ticket, he could have had three meals a day, for all the days of his journey, if only, he'd realized, for nothing.
[7:39] We know there are some of us as Christians, who, in that sense, live like that, when it comes to the Lord Jesus Christ, the bread of life, in Jesus, is the most luxurious banquet, in Jesus, is the greatest good nourishment, for our souls, for our spirits, for our lives, so that we who eat, and feed on him, are satisfied, and full, and experience the fullness, of life itself, but sadly, many people, Christians included, don't eat of the Lord Jesus, don't take of the bread of life, he offers, don't enjoy the fullness, of all that he has for us, in fact, the majority of people, particularly those, who are not Christians, rather feed on the dry crackers, of some passing pleasure, or the rotten fruit, of materialism, and consumerism, rather than come to Jesus, and be satisfied, the things of this world, around about us, dear friends, if you haven't found out already, they just don't satisfy, they just don't last, winning the lottery, little pools, having money, having great experiences, and pleasures, they all pass, they all go, until you look for the next one, the bigger one, nothing seems to really, satisfy, the world in which we live, is,
[8:55] I'm sure you'd agree, a world of discontentment, but that shouldn't be the case, on two occasions, as Jesus speaks here, he calls himself, the bread of life, I am the bread of life, and on both occasions, as he speaks about this, people grumble, and complain, about what he says, how can we eat this flesh, how can he say, that he came down from heaven, they grumble, and complain, and in fact, one of the sad things, is that many people, who eat dry crackers, and muzzy fruit, who look for satisfaction, and look for contentment, in all the things, of the world around about us, when they're confronted, with the truth of Jesus, basically say, what a load of rubbish, what's that got to do, with anything, and dismiss, and throw aside, the claims of Christ, and I hope that you will stop, this morning, and think about, what Jesus has to say, and not just dismiss, what he says out of hand, because you think, it's unimportant, or irrelevant, or of no good to you, to miss out, on the Lord Jesus Christ, is to miss out, on the greatest opportunity, of life,
[10:02] Jesus promises, to every single person, who eats of his bread, that they shall have, life everlasting, life which is full, in fact, though Jesus just says, I am the bread, of life, just once or twice, or twice rather, he does speak about himself, as the bread, again and again, and again, it's the whole emphasis, isn't it, he says, I'm the bread, that came down from heaven, he says, I'm the living bread, the true bread, I'm the bread of God, it's obvious, that Jesus is pressing home, something vitally important, to us, that if we miss it, we miss it at our peril, at our loss, he wants us, to grasp hold, and take hold, of this truth, and the reason, that Jesus calls himself, the bread of life, is in response, really to the attitude, of the people, the crowd, as I said at the beginning, crowds had come to see him, because the day before, he'd fed 5,000 of them, in a miraculous way, two fish, and five loaves, and you know, let's be honest, most of us like a good meal, a free meal, and so they decided, to follow Jesus, all the way around, the lake of Galilee, he went across, on a boat, as well as walking, we won't go into the walking, just for a moment, and they come seeking him, and Jesus says to them, look, all the reason, you're seeking me for, is you just want more food, you just want something, tangible, as it were, but really, he says to them, look,
[11:26] I want you to set your sights, higher, I want you to see, that there's something, much better, than just food, and what you can touch, and what you can see, so much more satisfying, which I can provide you, as he says there, in verse 27, do not work for food, that spoils, goes off, but for food, that endures, to eternal life, which the son of man, will give you, but then the people say, well, you know, why should we trust you, why should we believe in you, give us a sign, give us a miracle, bit like people, perhaps today, say, well, I'd believe in God, if I could see Jesus, or I'd believe in Jesus, if he appeared to me, or if he did something for me, or if this happened, or if that, and we put down stipulations, as it were, and the crowd says, why can't you do something, a bit like what Moses did, in the wilderness, in the wilderness, when the Israelites, had left Egypt, and they were 40 years, in the desert, and God provided for them, this manna, this incredible food, that appeared every morning, for them, you do something like that, and we'll put our trust in you, and so Jesus takes up, that link between the manna, which was in one sense, the bread that they ate, through the wilderness, and with himself, and he says, look, the manna that they ate, was just a symbol, it was just pointing to me, pointing to God's greatest gift, his greatest provision, so he says in reply, tell you the truth, it's not Moses, who's given you the bread, from heaven, but my father, who gives you the true bread, from heaven, for the bread of God, is he who comes down, from heaven, and gives life to the world, it's me, and we need to see, that I am the bread of life, and me providing you with food, is not going to satisfy, what you're really looking for, it's not going to give to you, what you need most of all, what you need is the bread of life, and we can understand, this comparison between Jesus, and bread, can't we, nearly all of us eat bread, sometime during the day, each day,
[13:25] Jesus is relating to, and thinking about, the bread of their day, it would be, that sort of, flat bread, unyeasted bread, that sort of, maybe like a non bread, that you might have, with your takeaway, with your curry, it wasn't something luxurious, it was a staple, of the diet, everybody in that day, would eat bread, because it was nothing, super special, it was just, what you needed, what you ate, none of us think of bread, particularly in a special way, do we, you know, if you were talking to somebody, and talking about your meal, this evening, or your meal at lunchtime, you said, oh, really, really looking forward, to this meal, oh, I've been waiting, for this meal, all week, it's something wonderful, it's special, well, what are you having, what are you having, for your meal, we're having bread, no, you wouldn't do that, would you, it's something, that you take for granted, it, but it's something, absolutely necessary, whether we're rich, or poor, whether we're influential, or, whether we're unimportant, whether we're good, or bad, famous, or unknown, celebrity, or not, clever, or stupid, we all eat bread, and we all need bread, we all need, to eat, to sustain, life, in other parts, of the world, of course, people, eat rice, as their staple diet, or maize, as their staple diet, the difference, apparently, between the English, and the French, is our attitude, to food, the English, eat, to live, but the French, live, to eat, yeah,
[14:56] English, eat, to live, French, live, to eat, I got that right, but in both cases, the fact of the matter is, we have to eat, to live, if we don't eat, we die, we've seen some terrible cases, of people, who starve themselves to death, anorexia, and other eating disorders, and other things as well, people starving themselves, the body, just can't last, without bread, it needs bread, it needs food, and so in one sense, what Jesus is saying, right at the start, here is this, you need, what I have to give you, you need me, nothing else, will do, you need me, to live, you need me, to have, life, in fact, Jesus makes that more plain, all the way through, about the, he talks about death, and life, verses 49, and following, he says this, your forefathers, ate the manna, in the desert, but they died, but here is the bread, that comes down from heaven, which a man may eat, and not die, yeah, ordinary bread, ordinary food, sustains us, it gives us life, so that our bodies, can continue to function well, but the truth of the matter is, no matter how well we eat, or how good our diet, or how many vitamins we have, and so on, our bodies can only be sustained, by food for a length of time, then we've got to die, no matter how young you are, no matter how old you are, the fact of the matter is, one day you will die, you can look after your body, and live to be, 95, 100, you can neglect your body, and not look after it, and live to be, 95 or 100, but the fact of the matter is, you're going to die, whoever we are, but Jesus promises, and says here, that he is the one, who gives everlasting life, eternal life, verse 51,
[16:45] I am the living bread, that came down from heaven, if anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever, this bread is my flesh, which I will give, for the life of the world, the eternal life, that Jesus is talking about, is life as God intended us to live, life in relationship to him, life that is full, but life that is beyond death, that's what eternal life means, it means living for eternity, it means cheating death, it means as Jesus promised, being raised up to life, with him, verse 40, I will raise him up, at the last day, in verse 54 the same, see physical death, is not the end, we don't just have, these four score year, is it three score, and ten years, or four score year, we don't just have this life, we don't just have this body, just for now, life is beyond, just what we have, in this world, for the Christian, for the person, who eats of Christ, and puts their trust in him,
[17:48] Jesus promises us, that we shall have, life everlasting, life which is in a body, more real than this body, but a body which is, untiring, a body which is, unpolluted, and uncorrupted, a body which is, never going to hunger, that's the real hope, and certainty of the Christian, that we have, but eternal life, also means more than that, it means not only, that we can face death, without fear, and no life everlasting, but it also means, that we can have life, and know it in fullness now, that we can have contentment, Jesus said, in one of his other, I am sayings, I have come that they might have life, and have life to the fullness, completely, wonderfully, the truth is, that none of us are living to the full, there's so many adverts, isn't there, on the telly, buy this car, and you'll live to the full, drink this drink, and you'll live, live a full life, buy this, whatever it may be, do this, do that, go on this holiday, and so on, but none of those things, satisfy, they all pass, they all grow old, they all get rusty, and so on, the only thing that satisfies, the only thing that gives us, lasting contentment, in this life, fullness of life, is living, in relationship to God, through Jesus Christ, if you've tried, some of those things, if you've gone down that path, and you've looked the way, that the world has looked, and other people have looked, you know full well, that's the case,
[19:16] Jesus tells us, that we have eternal life, not only in the future, but we have everlasting, and eternal life, that begins now, the Christian, this new life begins now, begins in the present, it's about enjoying, and rejoicing in, and delighting in it now, so what is it that happens, what does it mean, when Jesus says, we're to eat of this bread of life, this is the thing that, these people got confused about, what does it mean to us, but what happens, when you eat bread, or any other food, for that matter, well, something happens, doesn't it, we eat it, and we swallow it, and it becomes part of us, it's no longer separate from us, it's united to us, in fact, when we, they tell us, I don't know if I really want to look, and see inside my stomach, but in the stomach, the food is broken down, and it's digested, and it becomes part, of your body, part of you, into your blood stream, and so on, and of course, when we eat food, what, we receive something from that food, we receive energy, perhaps, or we receive vitamins, or minerals, things that give us health, and strength, the strength of the food, the power in the food, in one sense, the energy in the food, is translated into us, into our energy, well, in one sense, that's why Jesus uses, the illustration of bread, because what he's talking about, is this, is that when we, take Jesus Christ, as our saviour, and the Lord, when we take him, as the bread of life, we become one with him, and he becomes one with us, we become part of him, and him becomes part of us, and all the life, and the energy, which is his, because he is God, becomes a life, and energy, that we have ourselves, we share in everything, that is his, that's why Jesus says, as he gets to the end, whoever eats my flesh, and drinks my blood, remains, or abides, or is part of me, and I'm in him, that's the incredible thing, about being a Christian, it's not following a set of rules, it's not following a set of beliefs, it's not accepting certain things, to be true, it is being brought, into a living relationship, a dynamic relationship, with Jesus Christ, the son of God, so that he lives in us, his power is at work in us, and the things that he has done, in his life, become attributed to us, the things that he's accomplished, in his death, and his life, and his resurrection, become part of us, and the blessings, that he won, are our blessings, and so we think about his death, particularly, and Jesus clearly, was thinking about his death, in verse 51, he says, this bread is my flesh, which I will give, for the life of the world, elsewhere, when that phrase, of Jesus giving his life, it refers clearly, to the cross,
[21:58] God so loved the world, he gave his one and only son, later on, he talks about himself, as the good shepherd, who lays down his life, for the sheep, he's talking about his death, when Jesus died, upon the cross, he became a source, of great blessing, to everyone, who puts their trust in him, because he became, the substitute, for our sin, he became the one, who died in our place, you see, no matter how good, we might think we are, no matter how nice, we might think we are, the reality is, that every one of us, has broken the commandments, of God, God is the great law maker, he declares, what we must do, and how we should live, in relationship to him, and to others, love the Lord your God, with all your heart, mind, soul and strength, love your neighbor, as yourself, all of us fall short, in that way, we would all accept that, well God says, because we have sinned, in that way, and because we have chosen, to deliberately do our own thing, and go our own way, that has separated us, from God, but more than that, that has placed us, under God's justice, and judgment, when we break the law, of the land, we expect that, we will be brought, before the court, we expect that we should be tried, and we should be punished,
[23:07] God is no less just, and so every one of us, is a sinner before God, every one of us, is a law breaker, before God, but here's the great thing, about Jesus Christ, instead of you and I, having to stand, before God's court, and before his judgment, on that day, when we shall all, stand before him, and be punished, for our sins, which is everlasting punishment, Jesus God's son, with God the father, and the spirit, chose and purposed, and planned, before the world was made, that Jesus should come, as God's son, take on our humanity, and take the guilt, the blame, the judgment, the punishment, we deserve, and that's what happened, at the cross, that's why Jesus, on the cross, cries out, my God, my God, why have you forsaken me, in that moment, he tastes, and experiences, the punishment, your sin, and mine deserve, so that you and I, shouldn't have to, go through it, so that you and I, should be forgiven, so that you and I, should be right with God, and brought back to God, the God who made us, for himself, and when we become, one with Christ, we take of him, then all the blessings, all the things, that he won at the cross, become ours as well, but also of course, it's his resurrection too, isn't it, that's why Jesus, talks about raising up, several occasions,
[24:26] I'll raise them up, I'll raise him up, Christ rose from the dead, that's a reality, it's not a myth, it's not a story, you just read the accounts, in Acts, of how many people, saw Jesus again, and again over 40 days, he spoke with them, he ate meals with them, 500 at one time, were with him, it's a credible fact, that Christ Jesus, who died, truly died, truly rose again, and is alive, and in that resurrection power, he has broken, the power of death, not only for himself, but for all, who put their trust in him, all who are united, and one with him, on Easter Sunday, he rose from the dead, and he lives now, and the full benefits, of that resurrection, are our blessing, and our enjoyment too, here's what Paul says, to the Christians, and about the Christians, as he writes them, in Ephesians chapter 1, he says, I pray that you may, understand, I pray that your eyes, and your heart, may be enlightened, in order that you may know, the hope to which God, has called you, that you might know, his incomparably, great power, for us who believe, that power, is like the working, of his mighty strength, which he exerted, in Christ, when he raised him, from the dead, whatever the world, has to say, about Christians, whatever it thinks, about us, that we're meek, and mild, or daft, or foolish, or whatever, the fact of the matter is, is that the power, of God, that raised Jesus Christ, from the dead, lives in us, that's why, we're able to live, as Christians, and persevere, as Christians, and go on, as Christians, that's why, we're able to trust God, in the most difficult times, in the painful times, that's why we know, that we shall be, in heaven one day, it's not our faith, that keeps us, but it's his power, in us, that sustains us, the trouble with sin, you see, is not just the bad things, that we do, that have put us, under God's judgment, but sin is like, an evil disease, frankly, that robs us of life, spiritual life, that's why, so many people, don't know God, and they can't believe, in God, and they say, well I can't see God,
[26:37] I can't understand this, I can't believe in him, well the Bible says, that's because, sin has blinded our eyes, and it's deadened our hearts, to God, so that we need, in one sense, a bit like somebody, on the table, needs a, needs a, I can't remember, the proper word for it, but I'll call it, a boomf, that's what we need, and that's the power of Christ, who does that in us, so that we can see, who we are, and we can see, what Christ has done for us, Christian is somebody, who's been raised to life, one of those incredible joys, is living daily, in the power, that God provides, so let's just, bring this to a close then, here's the big question, the big question is how, how do we eat, Jesus, the bread of life, how do we, how do we enter into, this, this relationship, this union with him, whereby, we impart of him, and he becomes part of us, this is the, this is the tricky bit, isn't it, for some people, and for the people, who are listening to Jesus, verse 53,
[27:40] I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh, of the son of man, and drink his blood, you have no flesh in you, sorry, no life in you, whoever eats my flesh, and drinks my blood, has eternal life, and I'll raise him up, at the last day, what does Jesus mean, his words are misunderstood, as we said here, this, people say, this is a hard teaching, who can accept it, some turned away, well one thing, definitely certain, that Jesus is talking about, is this, he's not talking about, communion, the Lord's supper, he's not talking about, what we're going to do, at the end here, when we eat, this bread, and drink this wine, those things are just, a remembrance, they're just a remembering, what Jesus has done, it's what he commanded us to do, do this in remembrance of me, he didn't command, do this so that you might have life, sadly some Christians, have mistakenly thought, that if you have communion, eat the bread and the wine, that will somehow, supernaturally make you a Christian, or make you right with God, as other religious things we do, that's a great difference, between Christianity, and every other single religion, in the world, every other single religion, in the world says, you must do these outward things, you must pray five times a day, you must go on pilgrimage, you must take the communion, you must be baptized, those are the things, that will make you a Christian, doing things, the Christian gospel, which Jesus proclaims here, is this, it's not about you, doing anything at all, it's about one simple thing, and it's the one thing, that Jesus constantly talks about, through this passage, see if you can pick it up, first of all, verse 29, the work of God, is to believe, in the one he sent, verse 35,
[29:24] I am the bread of life, he who comes to me, will never go hungry, he who believes, in me will never go thirsty, verse 40, my father's will, is that everyone, who looks to the son, and believes in him, shall have eternal life, verse 47, I tell you the truth, he who believes, has everlasting life, it's pretty straightforward, isn't it, there's no confusion, what Jesus is saying, he's not saying, you have to take part, in this ritual, he says you must have faith, faith, faith is the vital element, to having a everlasting life, faith is the vital element, to entering into, a relationship with Jesus Christ, is to come to Christ, and receive him, by faith, just as you take hold of, your food, or your bread, to eat it, so in one sense, by faith, you've got to take hold of Jesus, and trust in him, imagine you go home, this afternoon, or after this meeting, and you sit down at the table, and there's all the food, and there's all the, and it's lovely, oh my mouth's watering, unless you take hold of it, and eat it, it's going to do you no good, is it, and so it is, with the Lord Jesus Christ,
[30:28] I've sought, and as Jesus seeks, to before these people, the day before you, here's Jesus, this most wonderful bread, this most wonderful feast, this most wonderful provider, of everything that you need, it's no good just looking at him, saying oh what a great chap, this Jesus is, what a great message it is, what a wonderful person, that he should go and die, on the cross for me, isn't it marvellous, that he's alive, you've got to eat him, you've got to do something, not physically, but spiritually, inwardly, by faith, you've got to take hold of Jesus, and the way that you do that, dear friends, is first of all, you've got to be hungry, that's what Jesus says, he who comes to me, will never go hungry, I wonder, how hungry are you, how hungry are you, is there a deep rumbling, not in your belly, but in your heart, that says I really long, to know, what life is about, I really long to know, forgiveness for my guilt, and sins, I really long to know, that I do not need to fear death, but I shall have life everlasting,
[31:31] I long to know, that I'm right with God, is there that rumbling, within your heart, for a right relationship, to Christ, have you had your fill, of the mediocre things, of this world, have they still left you, unfulfilled, have they still left you, longing for more, then come to Christ, and be filled, come to him as you are, and feed on him, come to him as you are, and say Lord Jesus, I want to take you, as my bread of life, I want to know you, I want to be, I want you to live within me, I want you to dwell within me, and give to me, of all the things, that you've promised, and that you've done for me, in the cross, in your resurrection, and dear friends, if you're a Christian, this morning, let me urge you, let me encourage you, to daily, take of Christ, as your living bread, Jesus taught us to pray, didn't he, give us this day, our daily bread, yes we trust God, to provide for us, materially, but here's the wonderful thing, he provides for us, spiritually, we're to feed on him, every day, to spend time with him, in prayer, spend time with him, in his word, to enjoy the nourishment, for our souls need, he's the bread of life, some of you might think, well, this God, this Jesus, he may be a bit like, the owner of the workhouse, in Oliver, if you've ever read, the book of Dickens, probably you've seen the film, and there's little Oliver, and he's had his gruel, bless him, he's still hungry, so he goes up, to the workhouse, owner, he says, sir,
[32:59] I want some more, more, says the man, and he turns him away, with a beating, God's not like that, that's why we read, that wonderful encouragement, from Isaiah 55, and it goes all the way, through the Bible, come, all who are hungry, come, to those who are thirsty, why spend your money, on what is not bread, your labour, on what does not satisfy, listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul, will delight, in the richest, of fair, let me urge you, dear friends, if you've never, come to Christ, come and feed, and eat, and if you are a believer, then keep on, enjoying, feeding on him, the bread of life, daily, we're going to sing, a song together, as we prepare, and think about, coming to the communion table, it's going to come up, on the screen, reminds us of Christ, suffering for us, on the cross, oh to see the dawn, of the darkest day, so we're going to come, and sing, stand and sing together, we're just going to sing, the first two verses, okay, the first two verses, and then we'll come to communion, and then, we'll sing the final two verses, after that, let's stand,
[34:15] O to see the dawn, the dawn, of the darkest day, rise from the road, to the glory, try by sinful land, joy and peace of land, hail to a cross of the Lord, is the power of the cross, Christ became, saved for us, took the blame, o'er the rock, peace and glory, the land of the cross,
[35:34] Son, Thompson, faith andottic hall, should the grace, by grace, and where we see the pain, Every bitter cold, every evil deal, crowning your blood's sake crown.
[36:14] It's the power of the cross, Christ became saved for us.
[36:31] Turn the way, power of peace and forgiven after all.
[36:48] Now may God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
[37:01] The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it. Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.