John 6:51-58 Risky Business sermon

John 6:51-58 Risky Business sermon

An elderly woman walked into the local country church. The friendly usher greeted her at the door and helped her up the flight of steps. "Where would you like to sit?" he asked politely."The front row please." she answered."You really don't want to do that", the usher said."The pastor is really boring.""Do you happen to know who I am?" the woman inquired."No." he said."I'm the pastor's mother," she replied indignantly."Do you know who I am?" he asked."No." she said."Good", he answered

In the beginning was the Word. Those are the first words of the gospel of John. The Word was with God and the Word was God. The Word was Jesus. He is saying that Jesus has always been here and will always be here for us in scripture and life.

Do you remember the movie Risky Business? Tom Cruise skating across the hard wood floor in his underwear…Not really the picture I want to see now, but he was very cool back then. In the movie he needed money and quick. He came up with a business idea that was so outrageous it was truly unbelievable. It was kind of extreme, like most movies are of course.

Jesus’ clarification to the Jews is just that…extreme. Eat my flesh; drink my blood. Could it be that Jesus saying this is a graphic way of saying “receive me”? I’m not here to offer you a religion. I’m here to offer you a relationship. One with the true God.

Why would he be so extreme?? Because following Jesus is extreme. The Christian life is easy right? Right? NO. The Christian life is impossible without the Spirit.

Jesus was being extreme, because the Christian life is often sold as ‘cheap grace’. “name it and claim it” prosperity preaching. All you have to do is believe and have more faith and you will receive more.

God does not call us to be successful. He calls us to be faithful. Faithful to him and not the world. That does not mean abandon the world. You can’t. But you can strive to make it better.

Do you have kids? PAUSE Has this happened to you? You tell your kids to do something, then tell your kids to do something, then tell your kids to do something, then tell your kids to do something. Finally you raise your voice above the noise of everything else in their lives so you will be heard and they will listen.

I think Jesus was yelling at the Jews. Remember the movie, “A Few Good Men.” Another Tom Cruise movie. In the court scene, he is interrogating Jack Nicolson. Here’s how it goes. “You want the truth?” Tom says “I think I deserve it.” “You want the truth? You can’t handle the truth!”

Jesus started by saying, “I am the living bread. Thru me you will live forever.” That was not enough. They still had all the noise of traditions filling their ears and they could not hear the truth speaking. Our kids have the distractions of TV, internet, radio, peers, school.

We adults have the distractions of bosses, spouses, kids, washing machine breaking, PTA, church. All these things keep their arms up blocking our view of God.

We recite the Lord’s prayer. How many can say the words without looking?? PAUSE. How about the apostles creed? “I believe in God the father almighty, maker of heaven and earth……” I mentioned going thru communion last time that I could sit in the pew and go thru the whole communion ritual without even opening the book. We get so distracted by the everyday stuff, that Jesus has to knock us ‘off center’ to get us to listen.

The Jews had been chewing on the old model all their lives. You know what that is…Moses and the Sanai covenant. Jesus was offending them because he wanted to change the old model to a new model. They saw the current way as the best way.

That’s the way we’ve always done it. Why change. Moses said. The old model was lacking though. The new model was completing. Jesus said “I have come not to destroy the law, but to fulfill it.”

What was the purpose of the old covenant?? To get God’s people to live in relation with him. All these rituals and all these covenants the Jews had, were to get closer to God and HERE HE WAS. IN THE FLESH.

In being offensive, Jesus is trying to love them ‘off-center’ because God is not where they are. Chew on my flesh. Naw on my bones. The other way was not working guys. Look back in history.

In the scriptures before this, the Jews were asking for a miracle as proof. Basically they were saying “Do a trick for us monkey. Come on and do a trick”. POW, Jesus hits them with eat my flesh and drink my blood. And they are going “oh my gosh, I can’t believe he said that.” You want one part of me and I will give you all of me.

You don’t get just the “miracles” part, but you get everything. Take it all until you’re not only consuming me, but I’m consuming you.
Jesus isn’t saying cannibalism is right. No Jesus wants you to desire all of him. You can’t know Jesus until you live on him, consume him, experience him, desire him.

And in that desire and experience, you will be transformed into a new creation. The old you will pass away. A new you will be reborn. That God shaped hole in your heart will be filled.

Life which was temporal is now eternal. Death which was immenant is now defeated. As you daily feast at the heavenly banquet of Christ and feed on the word, you will grow more fully from the sustenance provided.

The greatest proof that Jesus Christ rose from the dead and is alive today should be YOU. Let me say that again. The greatest proof that Jesus Christ rose from the dead and is alive today should be YOU.

We had a PPR meeting last week. It was a time to get together and think about what our expectations are and some planning. Bryan asked me a great question that got me thinking. “How are you doing spiritual retreat and study?

”My immediate answer was I’m not doing enough. But I started to think about the question and my spiritual life and what I do. Unless I have a strong spiritual life, I can’t lead you into any deeper spiritual meaning. But then I realized, I pray all throughout the day.

I don’t have a specific prayer time, but I pray throughout the day and I pray for each of you many times. Before worship I come in and pray over the sanctuary. I ask God’s Spirit to come into the building and be with us here and bring more people.

Why do you come to worship on Sunday morning? That’s what I want to know. Could it be that you’re wanting to get a word of hope from God, to get your Spiritual Resavior filled, so then you can go out and tackle another week of life. Your boss yells at you, you have to go to your kids school for another meeting, the car breaks down, your husband is demoted or worse loses his job, floods in west Texas, drought here at home, terrorism trying to come in our neighborhood, global warming.

What else can happen this week.

You have these huge pack loads on your back that are so bulky and so heavy they push you down to your hands and knees and you wonder if you will ever be able to get back up.

But then we read today’s scripture and in discussing it we realize that the only way that we will truly live is to feed on Christ constantly.

You need to be filled on the feast that he provides for you. You need to consume him and let him consume you. Take the Word and read short chapters at a time. Go alone on a walk or in a room and talk to God. Come back on Sunday night for prayer time (alone or with me or another leader) and take communion.

When you are down on your knees from the heavy load, and you feast on Christ, he sends out a spiritual hand to lift you up. That hand could look like an angel or it could look like the guy sitting in the pew close to you. Feast on him more and the sustenance will pick you up.

Jesus knows your heart aches and the pain and suffering you are going thru. He knows what is happening in your life. He is telling you to come and eat with him. Let him be a part of your life to transform this life.