Okay, if you would, let's go ahead and get started. Turn to John 6, John 6. John 6, I'm gonna read 52 through 58.

The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat? 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. As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father, so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me. 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 forever.

I mean, what do you suppose Christ meant when he said to Peter, feed my sheep? He meant what's been being talked about right here in this passage. Those who have no eyes to see, spiritual eyes, they will look at this as physical only and something done by our physical sight.

What is it that these here were thinking? It says, the Jews therefore strove among themselves saying, how can this man give us his flesh to eat? They are thinking along the lines of cannibalism. I know it sounds kind of outlandish to us, How could they think of him giving them a piece of his flesh? But this world will quarrel over the words of Christ. It says they strove among themselves. His people simply believe what he says. They argued because they wanted to be right. If he says unless you eat his flesh and drink his blood, you have no life, we believe that by his grace.

But God's people also know the one who is saying this, because he knows them, Walker. It reminds me of the one born blind. What did he say to those who were trying to trip him up? In John 9, 25, he says, he answered and said, whether he be a sinner or no, I know not. One thing I know that, whereas I was blind, now I see. He knew the one that had met him had opened his eyes. He knew that.

What is the difference about Jesus Christ's flesh? It is perfect. It is the flesh of God. What is different about his blood? It's what his blood accomplished because of who he is. And I just want to say this, this is not talking about how one gets life when it says, hath eternal life. This is talking about the manifestation of life, or the proof of life, if you will. A dead man will not eat or drink anything. We are all by nature the natural man, dead in trespasses and in sin. We have to be given life. It says, Walter read last week, the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness unto him, for they are spiritually discerned. He must make you spiritual. He must open your dead blind eyes, open your dead deaf ears, and give a new heart which will attend to his words.

So let's talk about today his flesh, His blood, and what does it mean if you eat His flesh and drink His blood? So His flesh. First of all, we read in John 1, 14, we read this, and the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us. And we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us. That word is logos, and it means something said. But it also means this, and I really like this. Because of, especially about, because of who it's talking about here, it means this. The divine expression. God the Father says to us, this is my beloved son, hear ye him. So the divine expression, you know, where we read, let there be light, that one, was made flesh. It says, and God said, let there be light. God was made flesh and God dwelt among us.

But what else do we read? Just dwelling amongst us is not the whole purpose of him being made flesh. We read that he is that living bread, verse 51 of our text. I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If any man eat of this bread, he shall live forever. And the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.

This living bread, which is the divine expression, came down. So he was somewhere higher than we are. But he says the bread is his flesh. But what do we see about his flesh? He is going to give his flesh for the life of the world. His world, not every human being, because we are told he shall save his people from their sins, not every single individual. His people was who he came down to save, and who were they? They that eat his body and drink his blood.

He is that living bread that came down from heaven. His purpose is or was was to give that flesh for the life of the world. We read it. He gave his flesh being made a curse and sin for his people so that they might have life. His line, his genealogy, if you will, was this, Romans 1, 3, concerning his son, Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David, according to the flesh. It's in fact traced back forth for us in Matthew. So he was made like unto his brethren, the scripture says, and came for this one purpose, Galatians 4. four and five. But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.

So redemption is the whole purpose God came down to save his people. But it was not just his body he gave. So next we have his blood. First of all, as it pertains to salvation, the pardon of sin or sin being purged, the only way for that to come to pass is for blood to be shed. But the blood cannot be or could not be just any blood. It had to be from flesh, yes, but it had to be from someone who was spotless with no blemish. This blood had to come from someone who was absolutely perfect in and of themselves. Who else is there but God, who is this?

We read of this redemption again, and Joe's been going through this in Ephesians. Ephesians 1, 5-7 we read, having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of the glory of his grace wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved, in whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of his grace. And I'm just giving you a few of these scriptures that tell us this kind of thing. It's throughout the whole book that we read of this. His blood being shed or his blood redeeming some people. It's either in type in the Old Testament or it tells us straight out in the New Testament like we've just read.

His blood bought for us the pardon of sin. This is something we could not pay. We did not have the blood that would do such a thing, because we are fallen in Adam. It could not be the blood of animals, bulls or goats. The animal sacrifices that we read of, they picture Christ. We read in Hebrews 11 and 12, but Christ being come and high priest of good things to come by greater and more perfect time and not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building, neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us." God's whole purpose for creation was to give himself glory. He did this by coming down as a man and dying on that tree to pay for people's sins. That's why we exist, for his glory. God suffered the wrath of God to pay for his people's sin, and I cannot explain it, but I do believe it.

But next, we have what does it mean to eat his flesh and drink his blood? I'm just telling you what's in the passage. That's all I'm going through is what this passage tells us. Those who do this, as Christ has said, those who eat his body and drink his blood, it manifests some things about them. We're told right here in this passage.

First of all, life. He says that whoso eateth his flesh and drinks his blood hath, not will get, hath. He hath eternal life. And as I've already said, we are born into this world dead in trespasses and in sin. And dead means dead. We have no spiritual life, and because we have no life, we cannot eat his flesh and drink his blood. Now, it might be that we eat his flesh and drink his blood before we know we are dead, but we are dead nonetheless. It takes the power of God to give life from the dead. He calls us by name, Lazarus, Life comes to us, we take a first spiritual breath, if you will, when He, the Word incarnate, the divine expression, calls our name. Jesus Christ knows His people, and He knows me to the point where one day He said, Paul, come forth. And you know what happened? I came forth, just like Lazarus did. I then had folks taking all the grave clothes off of me so I could move about without hindrance, as it was given in the account of Lazarus.

But that life never ends because of the one who gave it. But then what else are we told? Raised up, we'll be raised up. There will come a time when we will see this flesh no more. Paul tells us that in this flesh dwelleth no good thing. So the believer wants to be rid of this flesh, which so much fights against us serving God, as we should, and we cannot do it in this life. We can serve him, and we do, but this flesh fights against us.

Let's turn over to Romans 7 and just read that again. It's very familiar to all of us, Romans 7. Romans 7, starting in verse 14. For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin. For that which I do, I allow not. For what I would, that do I not. But what I hate, that do I. If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good. Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. For I know that in me that is in my flesh dwelleth no good thing. For to will is present with me, but how to perform that which is good I find not.

So being a believer is not all a bed of roses, is it? There are thorns we have to deal with because of this flesh. The flesh and the spirit do this. Folks can call that schizophrenic if they want to. There is a war that goes on there. But we are told by Christ himself that he will raise us up again in the last day. He will free us from this body of flesh, because we are told in Philippians 3, 20 and 21, for our conversation is in heaven, from whence also we look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself. We will be raised one day. and it will be a glorious body just like his.

But we don't have to wait to be with him. Because what else he tells us that is manifest about those who eat his body and drink his blood? What are we told? Christ in you and you in him. Verse 56, that he that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood dwelleth in me and I in him. He does not leave us alone in this world. Partaking of Jesus Christ manifests that you dwell in Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the head and we are the body. But he also dwells in us.

Christ says in John 15, 26, but when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me. So if we know anything of Jesus Christ, it is because of the spirit of Jesus Christ in us, guiding us into all truth. We do not know the truth without the truth being in us. But if he is in us, we know without a doubt that it is because of him that we do anything or know anything toward this holy God.

Because then it also says this, and I want to distinguish here what it says. It says in verse 57, as the living father has sent me and I live by the father, so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me. So here we see that we live. And we see life here for sure, of course. But this is not talking about being given life, that initial life that he gives. He's already told us about that life being manifested, half eternal life. Here he is saying that all we do as a believer is because of him. We live, we go on living, in other words, by him.

Again, we see this in Romans, Romans 8, verses 1 through 4. There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus have made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

Those who he has given life are sustained in life by him. They are guided by His Spirit in their daily walk to serve Him. We cannot serve God on our own. We have to have Him. He says so. He tells us, without me you can do nothing. So we cannot do anything toward God, toward Jesus Christ, without Jesus Christ.

Acts 17, 28 we read, for in Him we live, we move, and have our being. As certain also of your own poets have said, for we are also his offspring. So we must eat his flesh and drink his blood, because if we don't, we have not been given life. We will not be raised up in the last day, and we are not in Christ, and he is not in us, and we cannot live to God. We are told in Acts 17, 28, for in him we live and move and have our being, as certain also of your own poets have said, for we are also his offspring.

So now, I've went through his body, his blood, what it manifests if we do eat his body and drink his blood, but what is it to eat his body and drink his blood? How do we do that? The Gospel of Jesus Christ and Him Crucified. Acts 20 verses 25 through 28 is what we read. This is Paul when he's about ready to go out of this world and he says, and now behold I know that ye all among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of God shall see my face no more. Wherefore I take you to record this day that I am pure from the blood of all men. for I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God. Take heed therefore unto yourselves and to all the flock over which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers to feed the church of God by that whole counsel of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood."

When he told Peter to feed his sheep, he wasn't telling them to make sure they had a hamburger or a nice salad. When that is done, those who have been given life will eat and drink when the gospel is proclaimed. He's telling us to preach Jesus Christ in him crucified, the gospel. But they will eat and drink and they look to do so as often as they possibly can because it's what sustains them.

The gospel is our spiritual food. It's that food that the natural man cannot partake of because it's spiritually consumed. But God be thanked, he is the one that makes us meet to be partakers of him. Colossians 1.12, giving thanks unto the Father which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light. He by His body and His blood has done everything needed to bring me to Himself. And I will come to Him as perfect, sanctified, and justified, and glorified as He is in Him. He is our inheritance, Walter. I can't really get that out of my mind. He is our reward. Where it says inheritance there, and I'm sure I said it wrong before. He is our reward and in Him is where we have our life.

Colossians 1 20 through 22 we read, and having made peace through the blood of His cross by Him to reconcile all things unto Himself, by Him I say whether they be things in earth or things in heaven. and you that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled in the body of his flesh through death to present you holy and unblameable and unreprovable in his sight. Who did he, Jesus Christ, make peace with? God Almighty himself. God no longer has wrath against his people. Because in wrath against his son, he has remembered mercy to his people and brought it forth. By what he has done, even while we were enemies against God, but by what he has done, he has enabled us now to have peace with him. We will and can, by his mighty power, lay down our arms against him. We no longer fight against God, but we embrace him by his grace. And we are in him and he in us.

I need his grace. I have to have his grace. I want to partake of him and everything he has done. Bring me the gospel. I don't want anything else. Don't bring me what I can do. That's nothing but rubbish. Salvation is not due, salvation is done. Bring me, feed me with what He has done, and I know that will fill my soul. And one last passage I want you to turn to, and that's Hebrews 10, Hebrews 10. And I'll close with this, with a few comments. Hebrews 10. And I'm just going to read verses 19 through 23. Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us through the veil, that is to say his flesh, and having an high priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering, for he is faithful that promised.

He is the reward. He is our profession. Who are we? but sinners saved by grace. Let us feed on Jesus Christ's body and his blood, amen.

Dear Lord God, thank you that we can come here to hear words of you, dear Lord. Dear Lord, we get to doing things as we leave here Sometimes it just seems like we forget about you, dear Lord. Don't let us do that, dear Lord. Cause you to be right in the forefront of our mind and to feed on you, dear Lord, your body and your blood. That will fill our souls, dear Lord, and we thank you for it and forgive us of our sins. All these things we ask in Christ's name, amen.