Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:21):
Well, here we go. I want to welcome you all
to Fifth Avenue Baptist Church. I got ready to say
hi long Baptist. I won't get it, and I was
there for so long. But anyway, welcome to Fifth Avenue.
Those of you that are in the sanctuary and those
that are watching by online or streaming, Welcome. Also, if
(00:45):
you're new to us, you might see one of these cards,
this blue card in the pew in front of you.
If you would like to fill that out and give
it to us, put it in an offering plate on
the back. If you have a prayer request, then fill
that out for the prayer request. And during staff meeting,
(01:08):
which we have on Monday, we pray for the people
who have handed these in and people in our church.
A few announcements. Wednesday night we have started back with
the dinners. Dinner is at five point thirty. Then the
group study is at six point fifteen. And also tonight
(01:30):
we have four Sunday watercolors at three and recovery point
night at six o'clock. Also, the youth are going to
have a cookout tonight and it starts at six. As
far as people in the hospitals or are people who
need our special touch. Pray for Leonora Sutfold and her
(01:53):
family with Jerry's passing. Also, Joe Barnett has been transferred
out of the hospital and he's over at Legacy. One
other announcement, well, a couple of First of all, as
many of you all know, we're short staffed. We have
just lost vond and we've lost Katie and they have
gone to other churches. They're now pastoring other churches. Lord
(02:16):
has called them away from here, so we are kind
of shorthanded as far as the staff is concerned. All
of us are now part time. So if you have
a problem, anything that you need us for, call the
office and one of us will be there. Hopefully there's
one day that we only have one person there. I'm
(02:37):
gonna change that up. But anyway, if you have somebody
that you need to report that's in the hospital or sick,
or somebody who needs prayer, let us know. Sometimes we
don't get those announcements until it's too late. Also, just
keep in mind that we are shorthanded, and so please
(02:58):
be patient with us if we make mistakes. I made
one the other day and.
Speaker 2 (03:05):
That's yeah, I believe it or not.
Speaker 1 (03:07):
I did, and so those of you that know me
know I'll make a lot of anyway. Uh, Let's focus
on what the Lord has for us to do today.
And we of course have a special guest speaker. I
don't call her a guest because I mean she should
be here, but anyhow, that's my opinion. Let's focus on
(03:30):
what God has for you.
Speaker 2 (03:32):
Thank you.
Speaker 3 (07:00):
Morning.
Speaker 4 (07:01):
Please join me in the caudal worship.
Speaker 5 (07:05):
Be strong in the Lord, look to God, and be
strengthened by God's power.
Speaker 4 (07:10):
But on the whole armor. Put on the whole armor of.
Speaker 5 (07:12):
God, so that you may be able to stand against evil.
Speaker 4 (07:18):
For our struggle is.
Speaker 5 (07:19):
Not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against
the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present age. Therefore,
take up the whole armor of God, so that you
may be able to withstand evil, and, having prevailed against everything,
to stand firm. Stand and build your waste with truth,
(07:44):
and put on the breastplate of righteousness. Lace up your
shoes with the spirit of peace. Protect yourself with a
shield of faith, a helmet of salvation, and the sword
of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. Pray
at all times, lift up your prayers with thanksgiving, and hope,
(08:06):
live boldly, overcome evil.
Speaker 6 (08:09):
With good.
Speaker 7 (09:01):
To S.
Speaker 2 (09:08):
S T C.
Speaker 7 (09:24):
S SO.
Speaker 8 (09:36):
St pray with us. Lord.
Speaker 9 (10:03):
Our hearts are full of gratitude for the faithful believers
we encounter in your word and also in our daily walk.
May we learn from them with open hearts, modeling our
own walk with you on their example. We pray that
you breast blessed Jana today as she enliss as how
(10:29):
Jesus is our daily sustainment, Father, and we may your
word seek a permanent lodging place in each of our
hearts and minds, as has your model. Prayer that we
you not in this morning, Our Father, who art in heaven,
how would be thy name like kingdom?
Speaker 8 (10:52):
Come?
Speaker 10 (10:53):
Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily brand, and forgive us
our truspasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us,
and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,
(11:13):
for thine as a kingdom and the power and the
glory forever.
Speaker 7 (12:16):
Stace S S I think, so so s.
Speaker 3 (13:47):
To its song.
Speaker 7 (14:00):
Comes, so speaks S.
Speaker 2 (15:00):
S S.
Speaker 7 (15:32):
One s.
Speaker 2 (15:37):
S S S think.
Speaker 1 (16:35):
Please pray with me, Father God, Thank you for being
who you are. Thank you for sending your son Jesus
and providing salvation for us. Thank you to War for
all that you have provided. Now that we have the
opportunity to worship you with our tithes and offerings, maybe
we realize that all that we have has come from you, Lord,
(16:58):
I pray that we return some of it that you
have provided us. May we be faithful members as members
in the past, and faithful members that we are today.
In Jesus name, we pray.
Speaker 4 (17:13):
Amen, Let us pray, God of all creation. We thank
(20:47):
you for joining us together in hearts and minds this morning.
We thank you for your gift of a new day,
for the way you wake us up gently. We thank
you for your love and your grace in each and
every one of those moments. This morning, we take time
(21:08):
to pray for those who need us the most to
pray for them. We pray for Leonora Something for the
grief that she is experiencing with the loss of her husband.
I pray God that you will surround her with your
Holy Spirit, and that you will surround her with people
that love you and love her and her time of grief. Father,
(21:32):
I pray that you will continue to be with Joe Barnett,
give him strength each and every day. And God, we
are so grateful for a successful surgery for Pastor Tim Moore,
and we pray in the days of Head that you
will strengthen him so that he can continue to strengthen
this congregation. And Lord, we are so grateful for Jim
(21:55):
Isaac and the team who is leading the church through
this time. God, I pray for him as he prepares
for surgery on Wednesday. God, I'm so grateful for the
ministry of Katie and Vaughan, and I pray God, as
they go out of this place, that you will bless
their ministries and that you will bless the people that
(22:15):
come in contact with them. Lord, we pray that you
will be with the children as they start a new
school year. We pray protection over them.
Speaker 2 (22:25):
God.
Speaker 4 (22:25):
We pray that they will learn and they will grow,
but also God, that they will be a blessing to
the world where you have placed them. In all of this, God,
we place it all in your hands, and we pray
that we will be united in your heart and your
ministry here in Huntington and beyond in Christ's name. Amen.
Speaker 7 (23:32):
Times School so cast so.
Speaker 3 (23:47):
S s S no f S S.
Speaker 7 (23:58):
Time Shine out sign I know to be shot, so
(24:25):
songs to pass, Sid said, I did.
Speaker 2 (25:18):
S to S S.
Speaker 7 (25:47):
S Sax sun time, sax time.
Speaker 3 (26:30):
Some stream.
Speaker 7 (26:35):
The shot show.
Speaker 2 (26:38):
On, So.
Speaker 4 (27:29):
Thank you, choir. I think this is the first Sunday
they've been back this summer, so welcome back. And I
know everyone is certainly glad that they our back, singing
praises in that way. Today we're going to start in
John chapter six, so if you want to follow along,
we'll be in verses fifty six through sixty nine. Whoever
(27:53):
eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me,
and I in them, just as a living father sent me,
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 ancestors
(28:14):
ate manna, and then they died. But whoever feeds on
this bread will live forever. He said this while teaching
in a synagogue and calpurnium. On hearing it, many of
the disciples said, this is hard teaching. Who possibly can
accept it. Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this,
(28:37):
Jesus said to them, does this offend you, Then what
if you see the Son of Man ascending where he
was before. The spirit gives life. The flesh counts for nothing.
The words I have spoken to you, they are full
of the spirit and of life. Yet there are some
(29:02):
of you who do not believe. For Jesus had known
from the beginning which of them did not believe, and
who would betray him. He went on to say, this
is why I have told you that no one can
come to me unless the Father has abled them. From
(29:23):
this time, many of his disciples decided to turn back
and no longer chose to follow him. You do not
want to leave, two, do you, Jesus asked the twelve Simon.
Peter answered, Lord, to whom shall we go? You have
(29:45):
the words of eternal life. We have come to believe
and to know that you are the Holy One of God.
Let us pray this morning, God, as we look at
your word, maybe be filled with your spirit. Lead us
(30:10):
through our time in Christ's name. Amen. Thank you to
everyone who has already led and worshiped this morning. This morning,
we're going to spend some time in the Gospel lectionary
text for today. I have always appreciated the guidance of
the lectionary that it gives us to process through and
(30:32):
grappling with teachings where Jesus has a turning point for
many of his followers to grasp our scripture today, it
is important to go back and look at what took
place prior to where we ended up at the end
of chapter six. At the beginning of chapter six, we
(30:56):
read one of the most recognized miracles of Jesus, the
feeding of the five thousand, and after the feeding of
the five thousand, Jesus sends his disciples on a boat,
and later that evening his disciples see him off in
the distance, walking on water towards them. The disciples hear
(31:20):
the words of Jesus, it is I do not be afraid.
The next day, when the many people that were fed
by Jesus realized that he had left and were no
longer with them, they too got in a boat and
sailed to meet him in Calpurnium, seeking after Jesus. When
(31:43):
they found him on the other side of the sea,
they said to him, Rabbi, how did you get here.
Jesus knew the reason they were coming after him. It
was not because they were wanting a relationship with him,
but because they had eight and they were filled through
(32:04):
the temporary provision of the loaves and the fish. It
is in this moment that Jesus declares that he is
the bread of life. I am the Bread of life.
Jesus claims that he is the only one who can
offer satisfaction for the spiritual that we hunger for. Just
(32:31):
as the bread is a staple of life, Jesus is
necessary for spiritual subsistence. Jesus, being the bread of life,
is the life giving food. He is not just the dispenser,
and that the life he offers is spiritual and eternal,
(32:53):
not just physical and temporary. Did you know that bread
shall up four hundred and fifty two times correction, four
hundred and ninety two times throughout scripture. It also has
become the central and consistent theme in our worship services
(33:14):
that we experience today. This morning, we have already referenced
bread in our worship through the invocation we recited together earlier,
the Lord's prayer. We said in unison, give us this
day our daily.
Speaker 6 (33:35):
Bread.
Speaker 4 (33:37):
We ask the Lord to provide for us physically, mentally,
spiritually through his daily provision of our daily bread. When
I think of bread, I a certain smell comes to
my mind, and I'm wondering if it does for you.
I don't remember the date, but I I do you
(34:00):
remember the first time I drove down Adams Avenue around
the thirteen hundred block, and all of a sudden I
was overcome by the delicious smell of homemade bread. I
am certain that each of you have experienced that as well.
Is that right when you walk down or drive down
(34:23):
Adams Avenue and all the sudden you smell Heiner's Bakery,
it will always be Heiner's Bakery to me? It is
certainly something to experience.
Speaker 2 (34:37):
You know.
Speaker 4 (34:37):
In that location, there is the dissolving of the sugar
and warm water being mixed together, and then the yeast
mixed with salt and oil, the kneading of the bread dough,
the bread that it takes to rise, the time it
takes for it to rise, and then placed in a
(34:59):
warm up and then it comes out perfectly golden to perfection,
cooled and cut into slices and sent all over the
region for individuals to enjoy. In the book The Art
of Eating, mk Fisher writes, the smell of good baking
(35:20):
bread is like the sound of lightly flowing water. It
is indescribable and it's invocation of essence and delight. Bread
making is one of those most soothing of businesses. Like
a dance from some ancient ceremony, it leaves you filled
(35:41):
with one of the sweetest worldly smells. There's no chiropractor treatment,
no yoga exercise, no hour of meditation in the music
throbbing chapel that will leave you emptier of bad thoughts
than this homely ceremony of baking bread. Bread is also yummy?
(36:05):
Anybody agree? I remember when I was a little girl,
my mom would tell me stories that before I could
even walk, I would scoot on my bottom to the
bottom of the bread shore and open it up, and
she would find me on the kitchen floor opening up
a loaf of bread. Bread is yummy, It's delightful. In
(36:32):
recent years, there has been a renaissance of the art
of making sour dough bread. I've had several friends of
mine who have asked me if I wanted to get
a starter so that I could start my journey. My
answer has always been consistent, no, thank you, and why
(36:53):
because the work, the effort, the care, the tending to
in order to make it thrive is not something I
am willing to invest in. Frankly, I would rather somebody
else put in the effort for me to enjoy its creation.
(37:17):
I think that is what Jesus was saying to the
people who followed him back in Calpurnium that day. He
asked them, why are you here? Is it because of me?
Or is it because of what I provided for you today?
(37:42):
I wonder how often I and maybe you look to
Jesus to provide our temporary needs. Just as Jesus points
out the people were doing on the day after that
miracle took place, he reminds them, and he reminds us
in his words, I tell you the truth. You are
(38:06):
looking for me, not because you saw miraculous signs, but
because you ate the fill of the loaves. Do not
work for food that spoils, but for the food that endures,
for eternity, for eternal life, which the Son of Man
(38:27):
will give you. How often have we seen God's fulfill
a physical need in our own lives? How often have
we prayed and asked for God's provision in providing our
daily needs, and God has shown up to take care
of us anybody? How often have we prayed for healing
(38:53):
of the sick and disease, and God has answered our
prayers in the way that we requested. We ask for protection,
for blessings, for daily bread, for God to provide and
protect others that we deeply love, and God provides those
physical needs. We even may have times in our lives
(39:16):
for God allows us to be participants in providing the
physical needs of others in His name and in for
His service in our vulnerability. When we need God, we
ask him and we search for Him, searching for something
that is beyond ourselves. What we realize in those times
(39:42):
also is that all of the temporary soon will disappear.
There will be a time when we ask for something
and it is not received. There are times when a
test comes back that we didn't anticipate. Temporary is not absolute.
(40:04):
It is only in the short term provisional, something that
is not always going to last forever. If bread is
not eaten in a certain period of time, it will mold,
becoming inedible. And Jesus is providing something different for us.
(40:24):
In providing the temporary, he is pointing to something eternal,
something that will last. Jesus invites us up to a
seat at the table to rest our feet and to
see his abundance, and to take part in something that
is literally beyond this world. He's inviting us to consume
(40:49):
not only physical food. He is inviting us to something
so much more, to savor, chew and be intimately involved
in the ongoing relationship with him. He has come down
from heaven and all to partake fully in both this
life and beyond, to come in the physical and in
(41:13):
the spiritual. And this is where we see a shift.
This is where we see something change in this passage
of Scripture. This is when people decide that this teaching
is too hard for them to hear it. When Jesus says,
(41:38):
whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life,
and I will raise them up on 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 them, just as a
(41:59):
living father sent me, 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 ancestors ate manna, and they died, but whoever feeds
on this bread will live forever. He said this while
(42:22):
teaching in the synagogue. When he said this, it was
just too much. You see the people there that day.
They could get behind the miracle that took place where
they were physically fed. They could get behind hearing that
Jesus walked on water to reach a boat. They could
(42:47):
even get behind Jesus saying that he was the bread
of life. But when Jesus took it one step further
to share what it meant to feast on the real food, feast,
not just eat, feast on the real food that would
last for eternity. That's when the rubber met the road
(43:12):
and they chose to turn away. In Eugene Peterson's book,
Eat This Book, he writes that the words of scripture
are not external to our lives. The short use list,
a grocery list, a computer manual, French grammar, and basketball
(43:37):
world books. These words the scriptures are intended, whether confrontational
or not, to get inside of us. I love that,
to get inside of us, to deal with our souls,
to form a life that is congruent with the world,
(44:00):
the world that God created, the foundation and salvation that
he was enacted and the community that he has gathered
to get inside of us to deal with our souls.
(44:20):
So what caused those disciples to turn away that day?
Let me offer you three things that I think might
be why and maybe why some of us choose to
turn away now. Number one, we sometimes turn away, or
(44:41):
maybe we do turn away, when we don't get what
we ask for. The followers are coming after Jesus to
meet their physical need. They were not looking for a
change of what they were seeking the temporary. Jesus was
providing soul work, not the physical work. We turn away
(45:05):
from Jesus when we don't get what we asked for.
Number two, when God doesn't show up the way we
think he should. When Jesus fed the five thousand, that
was a way we wanted him to show up, right,
we're hungry feed us. When he walked on water to
(45:27):
meet his disciples, and he said to his diples, don't
be afraid. We don't want to be afraid. But what
happens when we are What happens when we want God
to show up and he doesn't show up the way
that we want him to is it then when it's
(45:48):
just too hard and we turn a different direction. Number three,
when we get offended by his teaching, when something is
said or done that we inside have to wrestle with
within ourselves, our motivation or why we're searching for after
(46:12):
coming after Jesus. When we hear something we just don't
want to hear in the word, when we have to
do the soul work, and sometimes it becomes too hard.
I think this morning, I want to just take some
(46:33):
time to think about that. What caused them to turn away?
Why do we stay faithful even when it's hard? And
Jesus saying we must eat his flesh and drink his blood.
(46:55):
He is asking us if we are truly believing that
he is the sword of life, the Alpha, the Omega,
the beginning and the end, the one who was sent
by the Father so that we may have life, to
teach us how to live, to love, and to enter
into eternity. It is not through our own doing. It
(47:20):
is out of a deep relationship between the father and
son that he is offering to all who believe in him.
And Jesus is inviting us to drink him in, to
find our substances, our substance in him, and to accept
the grace that he has offered through his life, death
(47:42):
and resurrection. Jesus asked us, are you coming with me?
Are you coming with me? Will we be faithful as
Peter was, for all who do not walk away? Lord,
(48:05):
to whom can we go? You have the words of
eternal life. We have come to believe and know that
you are the Holy One of God. Let us pray,
Almighty and everlasting God. We thank you that you are
the same yesterday, today, and forever. We can come to you.
(48:33):
We can trust in you. We can know that when
things don't make sense, or when we have to do
the hard soul searching work, that you are there to
guide us and direct us. God help us to not
focus just on the temporary, but to focus on your
eternal word and your eternal work that you want to
(48:58):
do in and through us. Thank you God for your
love and your grace. In Christ's name, Amen, we will
stand and sing him Number for one, the Church's one Foundation,
as our final hymn. If you have a decision to
make or you would like to be prayed for, we
(49:20):
will stand down here to welcome that. Let's stand and sing.
Speaker 2 (50:02):
So so.
Speaker 3 (50:31):
S S.
Speaker 2 (50:43):
S S S S.
Speaker 7 (51:12):
S choch.
Speaker 4 (51:31):
Chan as we leave this place. May we hear Jesus'
(52:21):
question to all of us, are you coming with me?
May it be a yes. Amen.
Speaker 3 (52:33):
H I hear love making the makers to meet. The
(53:10):
DA left afternoon
Well, here we go. I want to welcome you all
to Fifth Avenue Baptist Church. I got ready to say
hi long Baptist. I won't get it, and I was
there for so long. But anyway, welcome to Fifth Avenue.
Those of you that are in the sanctuary and those
that are watching by online or streaming, Welcome. Also, if
(00:45):
you're new to us, you might see one of these cards,
this blue card in the pew in front of you.
If you would like to fill that out and give
it to us, put it in an offering plate on
the back. If you have a prayer request, then fill
that out for the prayer request. And during staff meeting,
(01:08):
which we have on Monday, we pray for the people
who have handed these in and people in our church.
A few announcements. Wednesday night we have started back with
the dinners. Dinner is at five point thirty. Then the
group study is at six point fifteen. And also tonight
(01:30):
we have four Sunday watercolors at three and recovery point
night at six o'clock. Also, the youth are going to
have a cookout tonight and it starts at six. As
far as people in the hospitals or are people who
need our special touch. Pray for Leonora Sutfold and her
(01:53):
family with Jerry's passing. Also, Joe Barnett has been transferred
out of the hospital and he's over at Legacy. One
other announcement, well, a couple of First of all, as
many of you all know, we're short staffed. We have
just lost vond and we've lost Katie and they have
gone to other churches. They're now pastoring other churches. Lord
(02:16):
has called them away from here, so we are kind
of shorthanded as far as the staff is concerned. All
of us are now part time. So if you have
a problem, anything that you need us for, call the
office and one of us will be there. Hopefully there's
one day that we only have one person there. I'm
(02:37):
gonna change that up. But anyway, if you have somebody
that you need to report that's in the hospital or sick,
or somebody who needs prayer, let us know. Sometimes we
don't get those announcements until it's too late. Also, just
keep in mind that we are shorthanded, and so please
(02:58):
be patient with us if we make mistakes. I made
one the other day and.
Speaker 2 (03:05):
That's yeah, I believe it or not.
Speaker 1 (03:07):
I did, and so those of you that know me
know I'll make a lot of anyway. Uh, Let's focus
on what the Lord has for us to do today.
And we of course have a special guest speaker. I
don't call her a guest because I mean she should
be here, but anyhow, that's my opinion. Let's focus on
(03:30):
what God has for you.
Speaker 2 (03:32):
Thank you.
Speaker 3 (07:00):
Morning.
Speaker 4 (07:01):
Please join me in the caudal worship.
Speaker 5 (07:05):
Be strong in the Lord, look to God, and be
strengthened by God's power.
Speaker 4 (07:10):
But on the whole armor. Put on the whole armor of.
Speaker 5 (07:12):
God, so that you may be able to stand against evil.
Speaker 4 (07:18):
For our struggle is.
Speaker 5 (07:19):
Not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against
the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present age. Therefore,
take up the whole armor of God, so that you
may be able to withstand evil, and, having prevailed against everything,
to stand firm. Stand and build your waste with truth,
(07:44):
and put on the breastplate of righteousness. Lace up your
shoes with the spirit of peace. Protect yourself with a
shield of faith, a helmet of salvation, and the sword
of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. Pray
at all times, lift up your prayers with thanksgiving, and hope,
(08:06):
live boldly, overcome evil.
Speaker 6 (08:09):
With good.
Speaker 7 (09:01):
To S.
Speaker 2 (09:08):
S T C.
Speaker 7 (09:24):
S SO.
Speaker 8 (09:36):
St pray with us. Lord.
Speaker 9 (10:03):
Our hearts are full of gratitude for the faithful believers
we encounter in your word and also in our daily walk.
May we learn from them with open hearts, modeling our
own walk with you on their example. We pray that
you breast blessed Jana today as she enliss as how
(10:29):
Jesus is our daily sustainment, Father, and we may your
word seek a permanent lodging place in each of our
hearts and minds, as has your model. Prayer that we
you not in this morning, Our Father, who art in heaven,
how would be thy name like kingdom?
Speaker 8 (10:52):
Come?
Speaker 10 (10:53):
Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily brand, and forgive us
our truspasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us,
and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,
(11:13):
for thine as a kingdom and the power and the
glory forever.
Speaker 7 (12:16):
Stace S S I think, so so s.
Speaker 3 (13:47):
To its song.
Speaker 7 (14:00):
Comes, so speaks S.
Speaker 2 (15:00):
S S.
Speaker 7 (15:32):
One s.
Speaker 2 (15:37):
S S S think.
Speaker 1 (16:35):
Please pray with me, Father God, Thank you for being
who you are. Thank you for sending your son Jesus
and providing salvation for us. Thank you to War for
all that you have provided. Now that we have the
opportunity to worship you with our tithes and offerings, maybe
we realize that all that we have has come from you, Lord,
(16:58):
I pray that we return some of it that you
have provided us. May we be faithful members as members
in the past, and faithful members that we are today.
In Jesus name, we pray.
Speaker 4 (17:13):
Amen, Let us pray, God of all creation. We thank
(20:47):
you for joining us together in hearts and minds this morning.
We thank you for your gift of a new day,
for the way you wake us up gently. We thank
you for your love and your grace in each and
every one of those moments. This morning, we take time
(21:08):
to pray for those who need us the most to
pray for them. We pray for Leonora Something for the
grief that she is experiencing with the loss of her husband.
I pray God that you will surround her with your
Holy Spirit, and that you will surround her with people
that love you and love her and her time of grief. Father,
(21:32):
I pray that you will continue to be with Joe Barnett,
give him strength each and every day. And God, we
are so grateful for a successful surgery for Pastor Tim Moore,
and we pray in the days of Head that you
will strengthen him so that he can continue to strengthen
this congregation. And Lord, we are so grateful for Jim
(21:55):
Isaac and the team who is leading the church through
this time. God, I pray for him as he prepares
for surgery on Wednesday. God, I'm so grateful for the
ministry of Katie and Vaughan, and I pray God, as
they go out of this place, that you will bless
their ministries and that you will bless the people that
(22:15):
come in contact with them. Lord, we pray that you
will be with the children as they start a new
school year. We pray protection over them.
Speaker 2 (22:25):
God.
Speaker 4 (22:25):
We pray that they will learn and they will grow,
but also God, that they will be a blessing to
the world where you have placed them. In all of this, God,
we place it all in your hands, and we pray
that we will be united in your heart and your
ministry here in Huntington and beyond in Christ's name. Amen.
Speaker 7 (23:32):
Times School so cast so.
Speaker 3 (23:47):
S s S no f S S.
Speaker 7 (23:58):
Time Shine out sign I know to be shot, so
(24:25):
songs to pass, Sid said, I did.
Speaker 2 (25:18):
S to S S.
Speaker 7 (25:47):
S Sax sun time, sax time.
Speaker 3 (26:30):
Some stream.
Speaker 7 (26:35):
The shot show.
Speaker 2 (26:38):
On, So.
Speaker 4 (27:29):
Thank you, choir. I think this is the first Sunday
they've been back this summer, so welcome back. And I
know everyone is certainly glad that they our back, singing
praises in that way. Today we're going to start in
John chapter six, so if you want to follow along,
we'll be in verses fifty six through sixty nine. Whoever
(27:53):
eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me,
and I in them, just as a living father sent me,
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 ancestors
(28:14):
ate manna, and then they died. But whoever feeds on
this bread will live forever. He said this while teaching
in a synagogue and calpurnium. On hearing it, many of
the disciples said, this is hard teaching. Who possibly can
accept it. Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this,
(28:37):
Jesus said to them, does this offend you, Then what
if you see the Son of Man ascending where he
was before. The spirit gives life. The flesh counts for nothing.
The words I have spoken to you, they are full
of the spirit and of life. Yet there are some
(29:02):
of you who do not believe. For Jesus had known
from the beginning which of them did not believe, and
who would betray him. He went on to say, this
is why I have told you that no one can
come to me unless the Father has abled them. From
(29:23):
this time, many of his disciples decided to turn back
and no longer chose to follow him. You do not
want to leave, two, do you, Jesus asked the twelve Simon.
Peter answered, Lord, to whom shall we go? You have
(29:45):
the words of eternal life. We have come to believe
and to know that you are the Holy One of God.
Let us pray this morning, God, as we look at
your word, maybe be filled with your spirit. Lead us
(30:10):
through our time in Christ's name. Amen. Thank you to
everyone who has already led and worshiped this morning. This morning,
we're going to spend some time in the Gospel lectionary
text for today. I have always appreciated the guidance of
the lectionary that it gives us to process through and
(30:32):
grappling with teachings where Jesus has a turning point for
many of his followers to grasp our scripture today, it
is important to go back and look at what took
place prior to where we ended up at the end
of chapter six. At the beginning of chapter six, we
(30:56):
read one of the most recognized miracles of Jesus, the
feeding of the five thousand, and after the feeding of
the five thousand, Jesus sends his disciples on a boat,
and later that evening his disciples see him off in
the distance, walking on water towards them. The disciples hear
(31:20):
the words of Jesus, it is I do not be afraid.
The next day, when the many people that were fed
by Jesus realized that he had left and were no
longer with them, they too got in a boat and
sailed to meet him in Calpurnium, seeking after Jesus. When
(31:43):
they found him on the other side of the sea,
they said to him, Rabbi, how did you get here.
Jesus knew the reason they were coming after him. It
was not because they were wanting a relationship with him,
but because they had eight and they were filled through
(32:04):
the temporary provision of the loaves and the fish. It
is in this moment that Jesus declares that he is
the bread of life. I am the Bread of life.
Jesus claims that he is the only one who can
offer satisfaction for the spiritual that we hunger for. Just
(32:31):
as the bread is a staple of life, Jesus is
necessary for spiritual subsistence. Jesus, being the bread of life,
is the life giving food. He is not just the dispenser,
and that the life he offers is spiritual and eternal,
(32:53):
not just physical and temporary. Did you know that bread
shall up four hundred and fifty two times correction, four
hundred and ninety two times throughout scripture. It also has
become the central and consistent theme in our worship services
(33:14):
that we experience today. This morning, we have already referenced
bread in our worship through the invocation we recited together earlier,
the Lord's prayer. We said in unison, give us this
day our daily.
Speaker 6 (33:35):
Bread.
Speaker 4 (33:37):
We ask the Lord to provide for us physically, mentally,
spiritually through his daily provision of our daily bread. When
I think of bread, I a certain smell comes to
my mind, and I'm wondering if it does for you.
I don't remember the date, but I I do you
(34:00):
remember the first time I drove down Adams Avenue around
the thirteen hundred block, and all of a sudden I
was overcome by the delicious smell of homemade bread. I
am certain that each of you have experienced that as well.
Is that right when you walk down or drive down
(34:23):
Adams Avenue and all the sudden you smell Heiner's Bakery,
it will always be Heiner's Bakery to me? It is
certainly something to experience.
Speaker 2 (34:37):
You know.
Speaker 4 (34:37):
In that location, there is the dissolving of the sugar
and warm water being mixed together, and then the yeast
mixed with salt and oil, the kneading of the bread dough,
the bread that it takes to rise, the time it
takes for it to rise, and then placed in a
(34:59):
warm up and then it comes out perfectly golden to perfection,
cooled and cut into slices and sent all over the
region for individuals to enjoy. In the book The Art
of Eating, mk Fisher writes, the smell of good baking
(35:20):
bread is like the sound of lightly flowing water. It
is indescribable and it's invocation of essence and delight. Bread
making is one of those most soothing of businesses. Like
a dance from some ancient ceremony, it leaves you filled
(35:41):
with one of the sweetest worldly smells. There's no chiropractor treatment,
no yoga exercise, no hour of meditation in the music
throbbing chapel that will leave you emptier of bad thoughts
than this homely ceremony of baking bread. Bread is also yummy?
(36:05):
Anybody agree? I remember when I was a little girl,
my mom would tell me stories that before I could
even walk, I would scoot on my bottom to the
bottom of the bread shore and open it up, and
she would find me on the kitchen floor opening up
a loaf of bread. Bread is yummy, It's delightful. In
(36:32):
recent years, there has been a renaissance of the art
of making sour dough bread. I've had several friends of
mine who have asked me if I wanted to get
a starter so that I could start my journey. My
answer has always been consistent, no, thank you, and why
(36:53):
because the work, the effort, the care, the tending to
in order to make it thrive is not something I
am willing to invest in. Frankly, I would rather somebody
else put in the effort for me to enjoy its creation.
(37:17):
I think that is what Jesus was saying to the
people who followed him back in Calpurnium that day. He
asked them, why are you here? Is it because of me?
Or is it because of what I provided for you today?
(37:42):
I wonder how often I and maybe you look to
Jesus to provide our temporary needs. Just as Jesus points
out the people were doing on the day after that
miracle took place, he reminds them, and he reminds us
in his words, I tell you the truth. You are
(38:06):
looking for me, not because you saw miraculous signs, but
because you ate the fill of the loaves. Do not
work for food that spoils, but for the food that endures,
for eternity, for eternal life, which the Son of Man
(38:27):
will give you. How often have we seen God's fulfill
a physical need in our own lives? How often have
we prayed and asked for God's provision in providing our
daily needs, and God has shown up to take care
of us anybody? How often have we prayed for healing
(38:53):
of the sick and disease, and God has answered our
prayers in the way that we requested. We ask for protection,
for blessings, for daily bread, for God to provide and
protect others that we deeply love, and God provides those
physical needs. We even may have times in our lives
(39:16):
for God allows us to be participants in providing the
physical needs of others in His name and in for
His service in our vulnerability. When we need God, we
ask him and we search for Him, searching for something
that is beyond ourselves. What we realize in those times
(39:42):
also is that all of the temporary soon will disappear.
There will be a time when we ask for something
and it is not received. There are times when a
test comes back that we didn't anticipate. Temporary is not absolute.
(40:04):
It is only in the short term provisional, something that
is not always going to last forever. If bread is
not eaten in a certain period of time, it will mold,
becoming inedible. And Jesus is providing something different for us.
(40:24):
In providing the temporary, he is pointing to something eternal,
something that will last. Jesus invites us up to a
seat at the table to rest our feet and to
see his abundance, and to take part in something that
is literally beyond this world. He's inviting us to consume
(40:49):
not only physical food. He is inviting us to something
so much more, to savor, chew and be intimately involved
in the ongoing relationship with him. He has come down
from heaven and all to partake fully in both this
life and beyond, to come in the physical and in
(41:13):
the spiritual. And this is where we see a shift.
This is where we see something change in this passage
of Scripture. This is when people decide that this teaching
is too hard for them to hear it. When Jesus says,
(41:38):
whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life,
and I will raise them up on 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 them, just as a
(41:59):
living father sent me, 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 ancestors ate manna, and they died, but whoever feeds
on this bread will live forever. He said this while
(42:22):
teaching in the synagogue. When he said this, it was
just too much. You see the people there that day.
They could get behind the miracle that took place where
they were physically fed. They could get behind hearing that
Jesus walked on water to reach a boat. They could
(42:47):
even get behind Jesus saying that he was the bread
of life. But when Jesus took it one step further
to share what it meant to feast on the real food, feast,
not just eat, feast on the real food that would
last for eternity. That's when the rubber met the road
(43:12):
and they chose to turn away. In Eugene Peterson's book,
Eat This Book, he writes that the words of scripture
are not external to our lives. The short use list,
a grocery list, a computer manual, French grammar, and basketball
(43:37):
world books. These words the scriptures are intended, whether confrontational
or not, to get inside of us. I love that,
to get inside of us, to deal with our souls,
to form a life that is congruent with the world,
(44:00):
the world that God created, the foundation and salvation that
he was enacted and the community that he has gathered
to get inside of us to deal with our souls.
(44:20):
So what caused those disciples to turn away that day?
Let me offer you three things that I think might
be why and maybe why some of us choose to
turn away now. Number one, we sometimes turn away, or
(44:41):
maybe we do turn away, when we don't get what
we ask for. The followers are coming after Jesus to
meet their physical need. They were not looking for a
change of what they were seeking the temporary. Jesus was
providing soul work, not the physical work. We turn away
(45:05):
from Jesus when we don't get what we asked for.
Number two, when God doesn't show up the way we
think he should. When Jesus fed the five thousand, that
was a way we wanted him to show up, right,
we're hungry feed us. When he walked on water to
(45:27):
meet his disciples, and he said to his diples, don't
be afraid. We don't want to be afraid. But what
happens when we are What happens when we want God
to show up and he doesn't show up the way
that we want him to is it then when it's
(45:48):
just too hard and we turn a different direction. Number three,
when we get offended by his teaching, when something is
said or done that we inside have to wrestle with
within ourselves, our motivation or why we're searching for after
(46:12):
coming after Jesus. When we hear something we just don't
want to hear in the word, when we have to
do the soul work, and sometimes it becomes too hard.
I think this morning, I want to just take some
(46:33):
time to think about that. What caused them to turn away?
Why do we stay faithful even when it's hard? And
Jesus saying we must eat his flesh and drink his blood.
(46:55):
He is asking us if we are truly believing that
he is the sword of life, the Alpha, the Omega,
the beginning and the end, the one who was sent
by the Father so that we may have life, to
teach us how to live, to love, and to enter
into eternity. It is not through our own doing. It
(47:20):
is out of a deep relationship between the father and
son that he is offering to all who believe in him.
And Jesus is inviting us to drink him in, to
find our substances, our substance in him, and to accept
the grace that he has offered through his life, death
(47:42):
and resurrection. Jesus asked us, are you coming with me?
Are you coming with me? Will we be faithful as
Peter was, for all who do not walk away? Lord,
(48:05):
to whom can we go? You have the words of
eternal life. We have come to believe and know that
you are the Holy One of God. Let us pray,
Almighty and everlasting God. We thank you that you are
the same yesterday, today, and forever. We can come to you.
(48:33):
We can trust in you. We can know that when
things don't make sense, or when we have to do
the hard soul searching work, that you are there to
guide us and direct us. God help us to not
focus just on the temporary, but to focus on your
eternal word and your eternal work that you want to
(48:58):
do in and through us. Thank you God for your
love and your grace. In Christ's name, Amen, we will
stand and sing him Number for one, the Church's one Foundation,
as our final hymn. If you have a decision to
make or you would like to be prayed for, we
(49:20):
will stand down here to welcome that. Let's stand and sing.
Speaker 2 (50:02):
So so.
Speaker 3 (50:31):
S S.
Speaker 2 (50:43):
S S S S.
Speaker 7 (51:12):
S choch.
Speaker 4 (51:31):
Chan as we leave this place. May we hear Jesus'
(52:21):
question to all of us, are you coming with me?
May it be a yes. Amen.
Speaker 3 (52:33):
H I hear love making the makers to meet. The
(53:10):
DA left afternoon
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