Yogi Berra is one of the most famous and successful baseball players of our time.
He played nearly 2200 games in the major leagues. – mostly for the New York Yankees
75 of those games were world series games.
His success is marked with statistics, but his fame outside of baseball grew because of what he said and how he said it.
His colourful, pithy and sometimes absurd sayings made him one of the most quoted sports celebrities ever.
Whenever Berra would spill a crazy line, reporters would jump on it and it would be in the newspaper the next day guaranteed.
Here is a small sample of what have become “Yogiisms”
“You’ve got to be very careful if you don’t know where you’re going, because you might not get there.”
I knew I was going to take the wrong train, so I left early.”
“Baseball is 90% mental – the other half is physical.”
He said of a certain restaurant in New York – “ Nobody goes there anymore; its too crowded.”
“You should always go to other people’s funerals; otherwise, they won’t come to yours.”
“You can observe a lot… just by watching.”
When ever famous people or politicians say something unexpected or absurd - or misspeak, you can be sure it will be recorded and repeated with much delight. … probably in the news.
For instance former Vice-President Dan Quayle made the following statements:
“A low voter turnout is an indication of fewer people going to the polls.”
“It isn’t pollution that’s harming the environment. It’s the impurities in our air and water that are doing it.”
“I believe we are on an irreversible trend toward more freedom and democracy - but that could change.”
The Mayor of Washington DC claims “Outside of the killings, Washington has one of the lowest crime rates in the country.”
Councilman John Bowman disagrees, I think, because he says, “if crime went down 100% it would still be fifty times higher than it should be.”
Regardless of who is right, I think we can all agree with former president Gerald Ford when he says “things are more like they are now than they have ever been.”
But that is Washington eh? In Philadelphia Frank Rizzo, the mayor, declares “the streets are safe in Philadelphia – its only the people who make then unsafe.”
We like to poke fun at famous people. Perhaps its because we think they have a lot of money.
Pete Incavigila, who plays ball for the Texas Rangers, resents that attitude. “People think we make 3 million and 4 million a year.” He says, “they don’t realize that most of us only make $500 000.”
But being rich and famous does have its privileges.
Britney Spears, a popular singer boasts, “I get to go to lots of overseas places, like Canada.”
You can just see the buzz of the reporters when someone of great stature makes a wild claim or misspeaks or produces an absurd comment.
I can imagine the excitement the day Al Gore proclaimed to the world that he invented the Internet.
Imagine the stir when Jesus announced to the crowd. “Unless you eat my flesh and drink my blood you will not possess eternal life”
Now, the day before, on the other side of the lake Jesus had taken a boy’s lunch and fed 5000 men.
The disciples had picked up twelve baskets full of leftovers.
The crowd was impressed. In fact they intended to make Him King by force.
But Jesus slipped away.
The disciples that evening got a boat and began to make their way to Capernaum, on the other side of the lake.
That night Jesus met his disciples in the middle of the lake and immediately they arrived at their destination.
When the crowds found Jesus they wanted to know how he got there. They had deduced that it was physically impossible.
Jesus cuts through their small talk and immediately begins to criticize their narrow outlook on life.
I can easily visualize the exchange.
You are looking for me cause you get free meals and entertainment. Life is bigger than that. Why don’t you spend your energy on things that matter for eternity.
Sure, they say. Whatever , just tell us what to do.
Believe in Me.
OK, but just to be sure give us a miracle so we know that your really the right guy.. Moses gave the people manna in the desert… can you do something like that?
You guys are always thinking of food. I’ll tell you something about food. It only satisfies temporarily. God has sent a loaf of bread from heaven that when you eat it once it lasts forever.
OK forget the miracle. Give us this special bread instead.
Its me. I’m the bread that’s eternal. I came down from heaven to accomplish the mission given to me by my father.
Now the Jews who had known Jesus from his childhood begin to mumble among themselves. This guy is not from heaven. His mom and dad are our neighbours. We know where he grew up. From heaven… right!?
I’m telling you the truth I’m the bread from heaven. Unless you eat my flesh and drink my blood eternal life is not a possibility for you.
This exchange between the crowds and Jesus marked the end of His’ popularity. And His large following became much smaller.
Its not hard to imagine why. Many would give Him up to insanity. Others were so confused that they simply lost interest. Even the disciples were bewildered.
“do you find it hard to believe I’m the one” Jesus asked His disciples.
“what if you saw me where I was before and where I am going to return …
to sit at the right hand of God in Glory and honour and majesty. … then would you believe?
Perhaps you too find it all a little confusing.
A bit too much to wrap your head around…
Hopefully that will change.
Imagine an ancient ghetto. Little shelters crowd a hillside a short distance from a large city stretched out along the bank of a great river.
The ghetto is populated by a couple of million Jews.
They are slaves to the city people.
For years they have been dreaming about freedom only to be rewarded with more and harder work and more abuse.
Recently an obscure and eccentric foreign Jew has appeared promising to deliver freedom.
But has failed on nine previous attempts to convince the slave drivers to give up their workforce.
Of course, I am referring to the story of Moses and the deliverance of the Jews from Egypt.
And even under the stress of national and catastrophic events delivered as divine retribution, Egypt refuses to free the Jews.
But Moses persists at God’s command and instructs the Jews to take a lamb that is without defect – a one year old first born male, and slaughter it.
The blood of the lamb to be painted on the door posts and beam and the rest of the lamb roasted and eaten.
That same night as planned, the Angel of the Lord passed through Egypt and slew every first born male in Egypt – human and animal alike.
But those who were in the houses with the blood-washed doors – those who had eaten the lamb were passed over by the Angel.
The Lamb was the substitute – the sacrifice.
The event is relived every year by Jews to this day as the feast of Passover.
This is the point. – Jesus is the sacrifice, the substitute.
Only those who are covered by the blood of the sacrifice and consume it, enjoy the freedom that it buys.
Jesus alludes to the same theme on the night He was betrayed.
He held up the cup of redemption and said “this is my blood, drink it.
And with the bread… this is my body. Take it and eat it. I’m giving it to you. I’m laying my life down for you.
The idea of eating human flesh and drinking blood is both shocking and repulsive.
But it speaks boldly of the grotesque and ugly mission that Christ willingly accepted on our behalf.
He was pierced through for our transgressions. He was crushed for our iniquities
The punishment that brought us peace fell on Him and it is by his bloody stripes that we are healed.
The image of consuming the body of Christ also speaks of the extent to which Christ needs to be given in our lives.
Intellectual assent to the teaching of Jesus will not secure eternal life.
You need Him in you. We need to be continuously in relationship with Him.
Jesus, speaking to His disciples another time said “I am the vine and you are the branches. If you remain in me and don’t betray me you will have eternal life.
But if you become disconnected with me you will be picked up and thrown into the fire.
Eternal life is found only in relationship with Jesus Christ based on His sacrifice for our sins.
This is what people found so hard to comprehend before the crucifixion of Christ.
They had dreams of a messiah king that would build an army and defeat the occupying Romans
and build a Successful Jewish state that would endure forever.
They wanted political freedom, wealth, power and the happily ever after.
They were concerned about the here and now.
They did not have in mind the salvation of billions of Gentiles
or a once and for all sacrifice that satisfied the justice of God and would make it possible for anybody to find right relationship with God.
They wanted a better lifestyle, a more prominent place in society, a nicer house. A better car.
And Jesus’ response to them is the same as His word to us today.
That stuff doesn’t mean anything in eternity. “the flesh counts for nothing.
All those things that you can touch and see and smell and taste. It’s all temporary. Why not work for eternal rewards?
I had the opportunity to talk to Rob Luxton recently, who works with World Vision.
World Vision is working extensively with AIDs affected countries in Africa in a number of ways.
Education and Medical aid is part of World Vision’s role in AIDs infected Africa.
However, one of the programs that World Vision is running is a visitation program for AIDs infected people who are in the latter stages of the disease.
They have only pain and death to look forward to.
The program simply involves a World Vision member visiting the patient, spending time with them and then praying with them.
He reported to me that AIDs infected people throughout Africa were begging World Vision to send the visitation workers to pray with them.
The common petition is heard repeatedly, “Don’t’ bother sending a docter. Send someone to pray”
What’s really important?
Why do we work so hard for things that don’t last ?
I would suggest to you that the most important things in life are invisible.
Love, trust, hope, peace, joy, achievement,
You can’t put those things in a box or in a window to display.
They are invisible. If you try to explain them to someone you must resort to examples, storys analagies and comparisons.
That’s what Jesus was doing in John chapter six.
And the information that Jesus was sharing with the crowd that day, I believe, is the most important piece of information in the world.
- How to obtain eternal life in heaven. It is also invisible.
Everyone here needs to know and understand this piece of information.
There is no greater information in the world than this.
There is nothing more important to say than this.
Having a spiritual relationship with Jesus Christ is the only way to gain eternal life.
On the grandest scale possible, its not what you know – its who you know.
Nexus small group – those who havn’t heard this news are lost…. Yes.
My highest hope for you is that you will establish and/or maintain a relationship with Jesus Christ.
If that is all you succeed at in life it is enough.
It would not be fair of me to tell you that a relationship – a connection - with Jesus is necessary but neglect to tell you how to go about achieving it.
And so for those who may not have established such a relationship, I want to tell you how to initiate that connectivity with Jesus Christ in the plainest terms I can manage.
First. Believe. Believe that Jesus is indeed the Son of God capable of guaranteeing eternal life.
That he died to pay the penalty for sin and that he rose to life three days later and that He is alive now in heaven.
Second Pray and ask God to forgive your sins based on Jesus’ sacrifical death.
In other words you are asking God to take Jesus’ punishment as payment enough to atone for all your sins.
Jesus is the bread from heaven, given to humanity to consume, in order to gain eternal life.
Third, begin and maintain the spiritual connection with God by learning how He expects us to live and obeying it.
By communicating with him in prayer and learning to distinguish His voice in order to receive guidance.
There may be some who at this last point say “ahah!” there’s the heavy.
Christianity is just about rules that suck the fun out of life.
To you I say this: Christianity as a religion, I admit, has a reputation for dictating to people a way of life that is over and above what the Bible commands.
And has made up, sometimes, foolish rules for its members that in many cases are not substantiated by what the Bible directs.
So, when I say that eternal life through Christ involves obeying His commands – that may not be as exacting as you might imagine.
On the other hand – I would be hiding an important fact from you if I did not tell you
that living to please God will always involve an overriding our own carnal desires and cause an internal war of wills
and daily decisions to do what is right and good instead of doing what pleases you.
But remember, the flesh counts for nothing
TS Eliot adequately sums up the trade-off.
”He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”
Remember Yogi Berra’s advice, “you can observe a lot just by watching”?
The baptismal service that follows this service illustrates for us what is involved in the saving connection and relationship with Jesus Christ
because it is the public demonstration of that spiritual and invisible act.
It is a forshadowing of the resurrection.
When we die physically we will be raised to eternal life.
It is a portrait of Christ’s death and resurrection.
It is a public declaration “I understand that living a life in connection with Christ involves a type of death to my own sinful desires and a resurrection to a new life of following Christ.”
It is a picture of being born again into a spiritual life.
Who here has been baptized by immersion as a testimony of their relationship with Jesus Christ?
Raise your hands and keep them raised for a minute.
If you are getting baptized tonight raise your hands too.
Look around. These people have counted the cost of beginning and maintaining a relationship with Christ
and have made the decision to accept the bread from heaven.
You may put your hands down if you wish.
They have abandoned the idea that this life is all there is.
They have discounted the pleasures of this life in order to gain eternal life.
They have made a conscious decision to renounce everything in their life that is sinful
and are willing to regard their own carnal desires as dead so that they can live a life that is pleasing to God.
This is what they have staked their life on.
What about you?
What will you do with the bread from heaven?
Will you ignore the invisible but all important spiritual invitation to eternal life
or will you decide to accept it - consume it. Digest it.
Will you choose to believe Jesus’ incredible claim.
If you wait until you see Him seated at the Father’s right Hand in Glory with your own eyes it will be too late.
In a moment we are going to sing a chorus that acknowledges our need to be connected with Christ.
If you have not made a decision to believe and respond to the claims of Christ
and you feel the need to initiate a relationship with Him
I invite you make your way to the platform area as we sing.
You may sing the words to this chorus as a prayer acknowledging your need of Christ.
If you have already made that step but you have forgotten the importance of the spiritual life and the relative unimportance of this life,
as we all do from time to time, I invite you also, as we sing to come and pray.
Renew that connection to Jesus Christ as your saviour.
What will you do with the bread from heaven?
I invite you to respond in some way as we sing this chorus.
YOUR COMMENTS ON THIS SERMON ARE WELCOME
lyoung@cpc-ptbo.org
