November 16, 2014
Scripture:
Hymn 358 - Tell me the Story of Jesus
Prayer
Last time, we read two “I AM” verses. In the gospel of John there are seven “I AM” verses, and we will look at another one of these today. A little while ago we had “I am the Door” and “I am the Good Shepherd.” Both of these are a figure of speech. In our hymn we had the line “Tell me the story of Jesus, write on my heart every word.” That is another figure of speech: you are not expecting someone to literally write on your heart. The Lord is the door to salvation, and any one that enters in will be saved. Also, a shepherd takes care, protects, and feeds His sheep, but the Good Shepherd did something else that no other shepherd did for his sheep. He gave His life for them. These figures of speech are interesting because if you meditate on them and look deeper into their meaning you can gain a whole lot more from them.
John 6:32-41
Here we have “I am the Bread of Life.” It’s another figure of speech. When you see Jesus, you won’t be expecting to see a loaf of bread, but rather a very precious Person. But what would this mean if it wasn’t a figure of speech? He would mean, “I give and sustain life.” He keeps us in that life, and He sustains us.
Now let’s look at it as a figure of speech. Most of us eat and enjoy bread. Jesus said He is the Bread of Life. He can be Someone we feed on and enjoy. When you come down for breakfast you usually are hungry and wondering what is for breakfast. Have you ever found yourself hungry for the Bread of Life? We feed our soul by reading God’s Word. You can come saying, “What can I enjoy from the Bible today, to feed my soul with?”
You need flour to make bread. Flour comes from wheat which must be ground. Jesus said that He was the Bread of Life and to be that He needed to go to the cross and experience that suffering for us. If He had just said that He was the giver and sustainer of life, that’s all it would mean; but He said that He is the Bread of Life, and that is so much more.
Acts 20:1-16
Paul abode in Greece for three months, then left for Syria by way of Macedonia. He left Greece because the Jews were lying in wait for him, probably wanting to stone him. Saul had been one of the top Jews back in his day, even going to the extent of persecuting Christians. When he joined the Christians, the Jews felt deserted, and many would have gladly gotten even with him.
It would have been a difficult time to be a Jew. At one time, what they believed was right. Because of their failure to keep the law, though, God moved on. He sent His Son to earth, and He kept the law perfectly—and even made it stricter. What He did change was the basis of man’s relationship with God from keeping the law to grace. The Jews were still operating under the old system, though.
Luke was apparently with Paul during this time. There were a few other people that traveled along with Paul, and some went ahead to Troas. Paul had passed through Troas before, and there was now an assembly there. Paul not only saw that people were saved, he also saw that they gathered to the Lord’s name. Even then he often visited them and wrote them letters.
The disciples came together on the first day of the week to break bread. It’s precious to see that what we do today has its roots all the way back in Paul’s day. At any time we can remember—in our minds—the Lord and what he has done for us. We must come together as an assembly, though, to break bread. That proper, collective, remembrance cannot be done alone; it must be done together. It’s an action that not all present partake in. All present can remember the Lord, not all present break bread.
In Troas, Paul preached a long sermon. Eutychus wanted to listen, but fell asleep while sitting in the third story window and fell out. He was taken up dead, but Paul went down, fell on him and embraced him, and declared that his life was in him. Some don’t feel that this was a miracle, but rather that Eutychus had fainted or become unconscious. Even though the sermon had lasted until midnight, the disciples hadn’t broken bread yet. They went back upstairs, broke bread, and Paul continued preaching until day break.
Paul continued toward Jerusalem, on foot, while the others took ship to the next stop. They kept traveling from there until they came to Miletus. There Paul called the elders of Ephesus, and had an important talk with them. We’ll look at that next time.
Hymn 346 — Jesus, who lives above the sky
Prayer