The Gospel According To John

by Richard St.James

It Is The Spirit That Quickeneth

John 6:48 “I am that bread of life.
49 Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead.
50 This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die.
51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.
52 The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat?
53 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.
54 Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.
55 For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.
56 He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.
57 As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me.
58 This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever.
59 These things said he in the synagogue, as he taught in Capernaum.
60 Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is an hard saying; who can hear it?
61 When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples murmured at it, he said unto them, Doth this offend you?
62 What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before?
63 It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.
64 But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him.
65 And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father.
66 From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.
67 Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away?
68 Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.
69 And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God.
70 Jesus answered them, Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil?
71 He spake of Judas Iscariot the son of Simon: for he it was that should betray him, being one”

1. The Living Bread

In verse forty-eight: “I am that bread of life.”

Then verse fifty-one: “I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”

Jesus Christ is the TRUE BREAD. [Remember verse thirty-two!] This true bread is unlike the [physical] bread for the belly given to Israel in the wilderness. This true bread is also, unlike the [physical] bread given to feed their bellies [the feeding of the five thousand] earlier in this chapter [John six]. This BREAD is different!

The BREAD of LIFE is Jesus Christ. This BREAD is for the SOUL. Jesus Christ is that LIVING BREAD that we must eat if we are to be saved from the wrath of GOD and obtain eternal life. The EATING here is equated to RECEIVING, and it is a reference to receiving Jesus Christ as the SON of GOD [supernaturally] through FAITH [BELEIVING]. EATING equals RECEIVING by BELEIVING [on HIS NAME] through FAITH by GRACE. Do you have it now? The reason why I ask you this is because we must account for the HARD SAYING.

2. The Hard Saying

Verse fifty-three through fifty-six: “Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.” Verse sixty-one: “When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples murmured at it, he said unto them, Doth this offend you?”

Something that is SPIRITUAL is not PHYSICAL. Something that is figurative is not literal. The [eating] here is not literally for the belly which will only pass out to the draught, but is symbolic and is pointing to something that is unseen. Those who are hearing what Jesus Christ is saying here in John chapter six are not really HEARING what HE is SAYING. Their hearing is such that they hear a HARD SAYING, and as a result are offended. The hard saying results because they think Jesus Christ is advocating CANNIBALISM.

Today in the year 2007 many see it the same way. The Roman Catholic Church teaches this “eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood” is [LITERAL], that is, they teach that this means eating the very flesh, and drinking the very blood of Jesus Christ through the Catholic MASS performed each week.

[The Church of Rome calls this "transubstantiation", meaning the priest has the power to change the bread and wine into God Almighty (the literal, actual body, soul and blood of Jesus Christ.) Roman Catholic Canon Law and Dogma by reason of ordination, has given the Priest two powers: to forgive sins and to perform mass.]

ERROR! In spite of the teaching of the Roman Catholic Church these verses do not mean we need to literally eat the body or the flesh of Jesus Christ. [Leviticus 3:17]

3. Who Can Hear It?

Verse fifty-nine and sixty: “These things said he in the synagogue, as he taught in Capernaum. Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is an hard saying; who can hear it?”

[Isaiah 29:10] “For the Lord hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep, and hath closed your eyes: the prophets and your rulers, the seers hath he covered.”

The Jews here stumble over who Jesus Christ is … the Messiah. They talk to Jesus Christ, and answer HIM as they answered HIM in the book of Jeremiah. In Jeremiah’s day, the LORD laid it out to Israel this way, that if you want “rest for your souls” here – on earth [blessings] then here is what you need to do. [Jeremiah 6:16] “Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls.”

What was their answer? “But they said, We will not walk therein.” Then, what did God say? Here is HIS answer! [Isaiah 30:9] “That this is a rebellious people, lying children, children that will not hear the law of the Lord.”

In the New Testament in the book of Romans we find this summation by the Holy Ghost.

[Romans 11:7-10] “What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded. (According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear;) unto this day. And David saith, Let their table be made a snare, and a trap, and a stumblingblock, and a recompence unto them: Let their eyes be darkened, that they may not see, and bow down their back alway.”

The people milling around Jesus in his days on this earth had already gone to sleep to the invisible things of God. Blindness had been imparted to them. For the last two thousand years their eyes [Israel] have been darkened to the truth [that Jesus Christ is the SON of GOD].

There is more. We in America today [in the 21st century] have this same problem. We have left the old paths, and we refuse to go back. We are the people!

• Those who can hear are those who have not gone a sleep.

• Those who can see are those who can see by faith those things prepared by God for them.

The Spirit Quickens

Verse sixty-two and three: “What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before? It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.”

Ultimately … all that matters in the end is if we have come to terms with God concerning his SON Jesus Christ. That is the sum of it in a nutshell.

Now when we come to terms with God [by RECEIVING Jesus Christ] it results in something called QUICKENING, which leads to this question. How do we receive? Here is the answer! This RECEIVING is by BELEIVING [on HIS NAME] through FAITH by GRACE. [Romans 8:11] “But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.” Quickening involves making alive from the dead by the operation of the HOLY GHOST. This is done by Spirit of God according to THE WORD OF GOD or BY THE WORD OF GOD. Turn to Psalms 119.

• [Psalm 119:25] “My soul cleaveth unto the dust: quicken thou me according to thy word."
• [Psalm 119:154] “Plead my cause, and deliver me: quicken me according to thy word.”

Being QUICKENED in this dispensation [the Church Age] is being BORN AGAIN. Being BORN AGAIN is accomplished BY THE WORD of GOD. Now turn to First Peter and see how it comes together.

• [1 Peter 1:23] “Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.”

When we receive Jesus Christ, which is by believing in HIS NAME, we instantly are quickened, or [BORN AGAIN – or spiritually made alive] by GOD … though we were DEAD in our SIN.

Let us take it further. Turn to the book of Ephesians and get it as concisely and as completely, and in the total precision of the HOLY SCRIPTURE.

[Ephesians 2:1-6] “And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.”

Quickening or being Born Again … is the supernatural work of the Spirit of God performed inside the sinner coming by repentance who comes to:

1. Eat The True Bread

2. Receive The SON

3. Believe on HIS NAME

This sinner will be:

1. Quickened

2. Born Again

3. Seated in Heavenly Places [and will indwelt, sealed, and kept by the Holy Ghost]

5. Will You Also Go Away?

Verse sixty-seven: “Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away?”

Let’s pause here. This causes me to remember something. I am remembering what the Apostle Paul said concerning Demas. Demas was a fellow laborer with Paul in the work of the ministry. Here is the sad note. He had forsaken Paul.

[2 Timothy 4:10] “For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica; Crescens to Galatia, Titus unto Dalmatia.”

What about you? You started well, and now will you end well? I do not know about you, but I do not want to be a Demas. What I have started [by getting saved] I want to follow on through till Jesus Christ comes for me. This is my prayer for you all.

6. We Believe And Are Sure

Verse sixty-eight and nine: “Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life. And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God.”

There you have it! To whom shall we go? There is no one else to turn to. There is no other salvation. [Acts 4:12] “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” We believe and are sure!

[1 John 5:11-13] “And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.” Amen!

The Hate Crime Of All Time

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The Gospel According To John

John 6:1 After these things Jesus went over the sea of Galilee, which is the sea of Tiberias.

John 6:2 And a great multitude followed him, because they saw his miracles which he did on them that were diseased.

John 6:3 And Jesus went up into a mountain, and there he sat with his disciples.

John 6:4 And the passover, a feast of the Jews, was nigh.

John 6:5 When Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and saw a great company come unto him, he saith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat?

John 6:6 And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do.

John 6:7 Philip answered him, Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little.

John 6:8 One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, saith unto him,

John 6:9 There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many?

John 6:10 And Jesus said, Make the men sit down. Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand.

John 6:11 And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would.

John 6:12 When they were filled, he said unto his disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost.

John 6:13 Therefore they gathered them together, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which remained over and above unto them that had eaten.

John 6:14 Then those men, when they had seen the miracle that Jesus did, said, This is of a truth that prophet that should come into the world.

John 6:15 When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take him by force, to make him a king, he departed again into a mountain himself alone.

John 6:16 And when even was now come, his disciples went down unto the sea,

John 6:17 And entered into a ship, and went over the sea toward Capernaum. And it was now dark, and Jesus was not come to them.

John 6:18 And the sea arose by reason of a great wind that blew.

John 6:19 So when they had rowed about five and twenty or thirty furlongs, they see Jesus walking on the sea, and drawing nigh unto the ship: and they were afraid.

John 6:20 But he saith unto them, It is I; be not afraid.

John 6:21 Then they willingly received him into the ship: and immediately the ship was at the land whither they went.

John 6:22 The day following, when the people which stood on the other side of the sea saw that there was none other boat there, save that one whereinto his disciples were entered, and that Jesus went not with his disciples into the boat, but that his disciples were gone away alone;

John 6:23 (Howbeit there came other boats from Tiberias nigh unto the place where they did eat bread, after that the Lord had given thanks:)

John 6:24 When the people therefore saw that Jesus was not there, neither his disciples, they also took shipping, and came to Capernaum, seeking for Jesus.

John 6:25 And when they had found him on the other side of the sea, they said unto him, Rabbi, when camest thou hither?

John 6:26 Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled.

John 6:27 Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.

John 6:28 Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?

John 6:29 Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.

John 6:30 They said therefore unto him, What sign showest thou then, that we may see, and believe thee? what dost thou work?

John 6:31 Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat.

John 6:32 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread
from heaven.

John 6:33 For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.

John 6:34 Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread.

John 6:35 And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.

John 6:36 But I said unto you, That ye also have seen me, and believe not.

John 6:37 All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.

John 6:38 For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.

John 6:39 And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.

John 6:40 And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.

John 6:41 The Jews then murmured at him, because he said, I am the bread which came down from heaven.

John 6:42 And they said, Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? how is it then that he saith, I came down from heaven?

John 6:43 Jesus therefore answered and said unto them, Murmur not among yourselves.

John 6:44 No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw
him: and I will raise him up at the last day.

John 6:45 It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me.

John 6:46 Not that any man hath seen the Father, save he which is of God, he hath seen the Father.

John 6:47 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.

John 6:48 I am that bread of life.

John 6:49 Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead.

John 6:50 This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die.

John 6:51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.

John 6:52 The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat?

John 6:53 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.

John 6:54 Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.

John 6:55 For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.

John 6:56 He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.

John 6:57 As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me.

John 6:58 This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever.

John 6:59 These things said he in the synagogue, as he taught in Capernaum.

John 6:60 Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is an hard saying; who can hear it?

John 6:61 When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples murmured at it, he said unto them, Doth this offend you?

John 6:62 What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before?

John 6:63 It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.

John 6:64 But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him.

John 6:65 And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father.

John 6:66 From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.

John 6:67 Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away?

John 6:68 Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.

John 6:69 And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God.

John 6:70 Jesus answered them, Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil?

John 6:71 He spake of Judas Iscariot the son of Simon: for he it was that should betray him, being one of the twelve.