INTRODUCTION
• What is it going to cost? What will this do for me? Why do I need this? These are some questions most of us have whenever someone is trying to get us to buy into something.
• We watch the television infomercials. I stayed up late when we were on our trip to Wyoming watching the Jack Lalain juicer infomercial. They were telling me all the reasons I needed to purchase that juicer. They were trying to make me think that all my health problems would be solved for just 4 easy payments of $39.99 or something like that.
• The real question people want answered is, “What is in it for me?” This is the question people want answered whenever we are trying to get them to consider giving their lives to Jesus.
• Jesus has shared some insights with the crowd during this lengthy sermon that was very hard for them to grasp or accept.
• Jesus has told them a couple of times He was the bread of heaven which came out of heaven.
• Jesus is trying to get the people to make Him their Lord and Savior. As Jesus’ sermon continues, He is now about to answer the question, “What is in it for me?”
• Whenever we share our faith with other people with an eye towards trying to get them to become Christians, we must be able to answer the same question Jesus answers in this section of His sermon.
• When you talk to people about Jesus, they are going to want to know the benefits of accepting Jesus. Today we are going to look at four benefits of belonging giving our loves to Christ that Jesus shares with us.
SERMON
BACKGROUND
• READ JOHN 6:51-58
• Before we get into the benefits Jesus shares with us, we need to take a look at what Jesus was saying when He told the crowd that unless they drank His blood and ate His flesh they would not receive any benefit from Him.
• You have to put Jesus statement about eating flesh and drinking blood in its’ proper context.
• Some would say that Jesus is literally speaking of people eating His flesh and drinking His blood. They appeal to the Lord’s Supper which was instituted a year after this sermon was given. When Jesus says take, eat, this is my body and drink, this is MY blood for the covenant.
• Some churches teach that during communion the loaf and the cup turn into the actual body and blood of Jesus. Some will say that will only happen during a Latin mass. This phenomenon is called Transubstantiation.
• Without knowing the historical context of what Jesus was saying, you could conclude Jesus was being literal when He spoke of eating His flesh and drinking His blood.
• In the days of old it was thought when an animal was sacrificed that the god whom they were sacrificing to entered into the animal, therefore; when a person ate some of the sacrificed meat, they were eating the god.
• To the Jew “blood” was life. When the blood flowed from something so did the life. It was further believed the blood belonged to God. Jesus is saying we are to take on His life as ours.
• Now see what Jesus is saying-"You must drink my blood-you must take my life into the very center of your being-and that life of mine is the life which belongs to God." When Jesus said we must drink his blood he meant that we must take his life into the very core of our hearts.
• The Passover was approaching which would have added more meaning to what Jesus was saying.
• During the Lord’s Supper Jesus said that He was being sacrificed for the sins of many in Matthew 26:26-ff.
• The loaf and the cup represent the sacrifice Jesus made for us and so when we partake communion in a figurative sense Jesus enters the loaf and the cup and when we partake we are taking Jesus into us.
• Now let us look at the benefits Jesus gives to us!
I. ETERNAL LIFE (53-54, 58)
• In verse 53 Jesus says that unless we eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. The word for “eat” and “drink” denote a one time past act with continual results. He is speaking of the time that we accept Him as our Lord and Savior.
• In verse 54 Jesus uses a different word for “eat” and “drink”. The words here are ones that mean to continually eat and drink and to do it eagerly. Jesus here is saying that if you are feeding on Him continually you will be raised up on the last day.
• When he told us to eat his flesh and drink his blood, he was telling us to feed our hearts and souls and minds on his humanity, and to revitalize our lives with his life until we are filled with the life of God. (Barclay)
• It is like a house full of food. The food will not nourish you until you eat the food. The Word of God will not penetrate your heat until you read it. Jesus will not work in your heart unless you take Him in. Our growth is a day by day process!
• When Jesus speaks of having no life in us unless we take Him into ourselves, what is He saying?
• He is saying that we will not possess real life!
• READ Ephesians 2:1-7
• READ Colossians 2:8-13
• When Jesus speaks of life, He speaks of eternal life. Without Jesus we are separated from God. Without Jesus we will not go to heaven. For many people whenever we start speaking of heaven, it is not a big concern for them at this time because they think that possibility is a long way off.
• Is life more than just living and dying? Is there more to life than the time between the birth date and death date on the tombstone? Is life just about making money, working, accumulating stuff and entertaining yourself? I used to go to a lot of estate auctions. It is sad to see people rummaging through stuff you worked hard to get. Without eternal life, life itself many times is not worth the trouble.
• Where is the hope in this life? What is the purpose to this life?
• Jesus says that if we belong to Him we will possess eternal life!
• The March 1985 issue of Omni magazine reported a study by Dr. Maurice Rawlings (at the time a devout atheist), cardiologist and professor of medicine at the University Of Tennessee College Of Medicine in Chattanooga and author of the book “To Hell and Back”. He and his emergency room colleagues are constantly treating such cases. It is now standard that those who have near death experiences later speak of having experiences of light, lush green meadows, rows of smiling relatives and tremendous peace. However, in his study, also reported in his book Beyond Death’s Door (Thomas Nelson Inc., 1979), Dr. Rawlings obtained new information by interviewing patients immediately after resuscitation while they are still too shaken to deny where they have been. Nearly 50 percent of the group of 300 interviewed reported lakes of fire and brimstone, devil-like figures and other sights hailing from the darkness of hell. He says they later change their story because most people are simply ashamed to admit they have been to hell; they won’t even admit it to their families. Concludes Dr. Rawlings, “Just listening to these patients has changed my whole life. There’s a life after death, and if I don’t know where I’m going, it’s not safe to die.”
• No tears, no pain, no suffering, eternity with the one who created you! Jesus says the first benefit of belonging to Him is you have eternal life!
• In John 14, Jesus tells us He is preparing a place for us! Do you want to go to that place when your life on earth is over! Got Jesus?
II. TRUE SATISFACTION (55)
• I am not going to spend a lot of time on this point other than to say that Jesus will not leave you empty. When we eat junk food, we want more and more because the junk food really does not satisfy our true physical hunger.
• The things of the world are junk food that will never satisfy our soul. How many times have you bought something and you feel really good, only later to find out what you bought did not really satisfy you? How many of you want to waste your life on something that doesn’t satisfy?
• Through Jesus we can have true strength, peace, happiness, joy, love, patience, goodness, security, and courage.
• Jesus says if we come to Him we will never thirst again!
II. SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD (56)
• To abide means to dwell or live in. Jesus tells us one of the benefits of belonging to Him is that we have a special relationship with God. He lives in us!
• When we are immersed into Christ according to Acts 2:38, we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit within us. (Ephesians 1:13, Galatians 3:2 for indwelling).
• Since Jesus abides in the Father, when we belong to Jesus, we also have God abiding in us.
• We have a special bond with God that we would not have without Jesus.
• When we have the power of God within us, we will be able to conquer the things that we struggle with.
• READ ROMANS 8:31-39
• Notice that verse 37 says not only will we conquer all the things in verse 35, but we will OVERWHELMINGLY conquer them through Jesus!
• When we belong to Jesus, Jesus enters our life!
• Religion is all about trying to connect people with God. The only way that we will connect with the one true God is through Jesus!
• When we belong to Jesus, He will be working in our lives through the good times and the bad.
• ROMANS 8:28 And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.
• Our special bond gives us a special position with God that allows us to bolding go to His throne!
• ROMANS 8:15 For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, "Abba! Father!"
• GAL 4:6 And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!"
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IV. PURPOSE AND DIRECTION FOR YOUR LIFE (57)
• Have you ever wondered why you are alive?
• Jesus says His life was about living for the Father, doing His will. Scripture after scripture reminds us that Jesus was aware of the purpose for His life.
• The Apostle Paul, once he gave his life to Jesus understood the true purpose for his life.
• PHI 1:21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.
• GAL 2:20 "I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.
• 2CO 4:11 For we who live are constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested (made known or revealed) in our mortal flesh.
• Many Christians are still searching for purpose in their lives because they have never done what Paul has done, submit their lives to Jesus.
• How is Jesus shining through your life? How many ways has Jesus shined in your life this week?
• When we belong to Jesus, our lives take on a new purpose. We are called to live for Jesus!
• We live to serve and bring glory to Jesus. We are ambassadors for Jesus. The world around us should see Jesus and His live shine through our lives!
• Many people spend their whole lives searching for purpose in life. Solomon who was the richest king that the nation of Israel ever saw tried everything in life. In the book of Ecclesiastes he finally concluded what the meaning of life was. In “ECCLESIASTES 12:13 Solomon wrote, “The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person.”
CONCLUSION
• What is in it for me? This is what people want to know.
• Salvation, true satisfaction, a special relationship with God and a special purpose for your life.
• If you are without Jesus, you do not possess these things. Do you want them?
• Jesus not only benefits you when you die, but He benefits you right now.
• Jesus changes lives; Jesus gives an abundant life that begins when you are buried with Christ. (Romans 6)
• IF you belong to Jesus, I want to challenge you to keep your focus or get your focus on Jesus.
• If you do not belong to Jesus today we give you the opportunity to accept Him as your Lord and Savior.
• What’s in it for me? Jesus!
