by Senior Pastor, Denis Beausejour.
Series: Practicing the Presence of Jesus - Encounters that Renovate the Heart

Message: Feeding on the Bread of Life -III
Text: JOHN 6:48-71

- Jesus is not condoning cannibalism! His meaning is not literal
- the word used for body in communion passages is (soma) - the word used here is flesh (sarx)
- The Word became flesh for the salvation of the world John 1:14
- verse 51 "for" the world means "substitution"
- He is demanding our total commitment - a consuming passion for him!
- Eat my flesh - relates to the sacrifice to be made by the Passover Lamb of John 1:29
- Drink my blood - He was looking ahead to the Cross (blood was forbidden - Leviticus 7:26-27)
- note how verse 54 parallels verse 40 exactly - "eating" equates to "believing"
- These themes will be the foundation for communion celebration in the Church
- verse 56 foreshadows the idea of "mutual indwelling" that will be taught again in chapters 15 and 17
- net: Jesus wants his disciples to be all in, even in difficulty
 
Application: Understanding and appreciating communion!
 
 
 
The Rich Meaning of The Lord's Supper: (See W. Grudem, Systematic Theology , pages 989-91)

1. We symbolically proclaim Christ's death - 1 Corinthians 11:26
2. We participate in the benefits of Jesus' death - as we take his body (Matthew 26:26) we remember
3. We gain spiritual nourishment - John 6:53-57 the encouragement of our faith
4. We celebrate the unity of believers with one another - 1 Corinthians 10:17
5. Christ reminds me of His love for me - Romans 5:8
6. Christ's greatness and his sacrificial death to free me strengthens my faith - Colossians 1:15-20
 
Views of Communion: (See Grudem, pages 991-996)
 
1. Roman Catholics: Transubstantiation - The bread and wine are transformed into the actual body and blood of Jesus. The elements are worshiped as the priest lifts them at the moment of transubstantiation. The mass is a valid sacrifice. Only a properly consecrated priest may perform the transubstantiation.
 
2. Lutherans: Consubstantiation - Luther disassociated himself from Catholic teaching, but not very far, coming up with a very modest change. Jesus, according to Luther, was present "in, with, and under" the elements. To make this work, Luther needed to add the non-biblical idea of the "ubiquity of Jesus' human presence"  (see 1 Corinthians 10:16 which was a key text for Luther's position, but it is clearly analogy)
 
3. The Rest of Protestantism: Symbolic Presence - While there are minor differences in details, the rest of the protestant church follows a symbolic presence interpretation. Jesus was clearly speaking metaphorically in the Scriptures (John 6), not literally, and the letter to the Hebrews (9:25-28, 10:12) clearly says Jesus' death was once and for all - not a repeating sacrifice. We receive the presence of Jesus by faith through the taking of the elements, feeding on Him in our hearts, with thanksgiving. A "properly consecrated priest" is not required by the Scriptures, in fact all believers are part of Jesus' "royal priesthood" (1 Peter 2:9) and we are now permitted to enter the Holy of Holies (Presence of God) freely as believers. (Hebrews 4:16, 10:19-22)
 
Comment: These interpretation differences might miss the main point. Jesus is present in every believer through the Holy Spirit. Jesus is present when two or three gather in his name. He said he would always be with us. Paul wrote to the Colossians (3:11) that "Christ is all, and is in all". So when we join with another believer for worship, even quiet worship at home, work, school, or church, Jesus is there. When we celebrate communion in those settings, Jesus is present in and around us. He made the grapes and the wheat that we partake, and has decreed them to be "holy" for this purpose. So it is a God-ordained time to receive His presence and grace! Can I hear a hallelujah?
 
The Early Church: Based on Jude [verse] 12, we know that communion was called a love feast. Other sources indicate it was called "the Agape". It was always a full meal, and was not officiated by "clergy". The clergy/laity vocabulary is not in Scripture and is counter to Ephesians 4. The bread was passed around before the meal, then at the end of the meal, the wine was passed around. The practice was discontinued possibly due to concern with unbelievers taking the elements. By the fourth century, "love feasts" were being prohibited, even amongst Christians! (See Pagan Christianity , by Viola and Barna (Page 192-193))
 
MCC Practice: Protestant churches celebrate communion weekly, monthly, quarterly, and one denominations sees it as so important, they only celebrate it once per year! At MCC we have communion twice a month, normally (with some exceptions) on the first and third Sundays. Here is our reasoning:
 
- We believe it is a vitally important experience for the believer, which signifies our ongoing participation in the new covenant Body of Christ initiated by Jesus.
- We want to celebrate communion as often as possible, but we never want to become "rote" in this precious opportunity to obediently practice the presence of Jesus. This is why we change the format of communion at times, to make sure we are always thinking deeply about its meaning.
- Communion is a celebration, and we often accompany communion with joyful worship music.
- We almost always precede communion with an opportunity to reflect and prepare our hearts
- Finally, we encourage small groups and families to celebrate communion at home, in the context of a communal meal with believers, prayerfully following the directives in 1 Corinthians 11:23-34.

 
 
2. Two kinds of disciples (vs. 60-71):

Jesus' ministry caused division (see Luke 12:51ff) and he taught that there would be different kinds of soils - see Matthew 13:4-23 and parallel passages in Mark 4 and Luke 8
 

a. Those who fall away - verses 60-66
 

- offense is taken as Jesus turns up the intensity of his teaching
- The Cross is often offensive (John 16:1-4, 1 Corinthians 1:23-25, Galatians 5:11, 1 Peter 2:8)
- the grim death of Jesus was unthinkable for those with political, material, and miracle working ambitions
- they loved their own autonomy and were unwilling to surrender (what will you do for us Jesus?)
- they were offended at Jesus' claims to be greater than Moses
- they were offended at the metaphors of faith because they insulted their religious expectations

 
b. Those who remain faithful - verses 67-71
 

- Jesus is well aware of their committed hearts and begins with a statement to stretch them further
- They knew Jesus was special, the Holy One of God, and his words were spirit, truth, and life
- They believe him......and they know him! (verse 69)
- Looks aren't everything!
- Jesus knows and is in control  

 
Apostasy examples in Scripture -  John 6:66, John 15:1-6, Hebrews 6:4-6

- Back to our Calvinists and Arminians - what do they say?
- The debate is only whether the people in question were true believers in the first place
- Calvinists say losing salvation is impossible (offering security to those who may not be Christians)
- Arminians say you can lose salvation (producing neurotic and fearful Christians)
- The truth is that we should warn one another when signs of genuine faith are lacking
- What are the signs? desire for worship, for the Word, for disciple-making, for growth, for fellowship
- Net: The Centrality of Jesus must be growing or you are likely dying!
- The goal - to become a "Knower" as well as a "Believer" - God knows his elect and his elect Know Him

Application:   Follow Peter's advice - "make your election sure" - 2 Peter 1:10 -11 - how's my "fruit"?