5 28 2023 Jesus Feeds The Five Thousand

Thank you. God blesses those bless. ministry. Thank you for their testimony us. Thank you for your Thank you guys. All right, if you have your Bibles, go ahead and open to Luke chapter 9.

Um, we are continuing in our Luke series. Um, we not dismissing the kids. I think Marshall's Is Marshall gonna stay? Is Marshall gonna stay? I'm sorry to call you out. Okay, Marshall is gonna stay.

He's the only three to five. So, we will be worshiping as a family together. Um, so if you have your Bibles, go and open till Luke chapter 9. We'll be continuing on. Want to give one more announcement on June 22nd. This kind of ties in with uh being able to share with uh both Greg and Kate this morning.

Um the rights will be hosting a night of nations that the park will be be leading um and we will be having um manuel Sanchez in uh video, Skype, Zoom, whatever we're going to use uh to just kind of share what he's doing down in the Dominican Republic. Um if you're not familiar with Manuel, he came and preached and we uh support his church plant down in the Dominican Republic for the last couple of years. Um and he's going to share what God is doing down in their church um as well as how you can partner with him. Um and then that'll also be a night of prayer uh to be able to pray for the nations and what the Lord is doing throughout the world. Um and so June 22nd in the evening um at the rights, we'll make sure to put that in the email as well as on our app. You guys can see all of that information as well.

Um so if you would like to be able to join, you can see talk to the rights, talk to the Parkers, we'll be able to to get you all of that information um to you. So again, jumping back into Luke, um we are taking a look at uh really um a passage that a lot of us probably know and have heard of. Um or if you have even sniffed like the idea of church, you've probably heard of this story. Uh it is the story of Jesus feeding the 5000. Uh it's like one of those stories that uh most people uh are familiar with. Uh like David and Goliath, Jonah and the fish eating him.

Um, and so what I hope that we see from this passage this morning, and even something that has been challenging me through this week, is that we don't look at this passage just as something that we're familiar with, but we ask the Lord to give us light and see uh what he would teach us through this miracle and how we can have more assurance and certainty that he is Christ of God. Um, and that's what we'll see next week is um the disciples answer the question, who do you say I am? But in this miracle, we we see Jesus giving us that answer and how he provides for uh these people in front of him who are in desperate need and a desolate place much like we once were before he saved us. And so let me go ahead and pray and we'll jump into this passage here. Uh Lord, you are good and we are so thankful for your grace and your mercy and you are worthy of our praise. Over and over again, we see in your word your grace, your compassion, and your care for sinners like us.

Lord, it is humbling and often baffling that you are mindful of us, that you care for us, and that you provide for us. And Lord, you don't just provide, but you provide in a generous and abundant way. Even as we heard the story and testimony of the Isaacs this morning of your faithfulness to them, it reminds us of how generous you are. Lord, give light, oh Lord, to our text this morning. Help us have ears to hear and the wisdom to receive your word so that we may trust you as king of our lives and that we may have certainty that the things that we have been taught about you are true and that we may grow in our maturity and love for you. Lord, as your servant this morning, use me.

Speak through me and let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you. Oh Lord, my rock and my redeemer. It is for your glory and our joy that we praise you this morning. For it's in Jesus name I pray. Amen. So, up until this point, if you've been here with with us walking through Luke in the last couple of weeks, even through the last couple of months, we have seen Jesus's power and authority on display.

We have seen it specifically through miracles of Jesus calming storms, of him removing a demon from a demon-possessed man. Uh, we saw Jesus heal a woman who had a blood disease for over 12 years. We even saw him resurrect Gyrus's daughter. And all of this pointed to his power and authority over creation. And up until this point, Jesus's miracles have really been numerous, right? We have walked through a la the last year and a half of Jesus's ministry in Galilee and we have seen him perform miracles in such a way that point to his power and authority over creation.

But we also see that his care is involved, his compassion is involved for those people that he is healing. And as we'll see today, that same compassion is present as he provides this wonderful miracle of feeding the 5000. But we'll also we'll also start to see a shift as we saw a couple weeks ago in the beginning of chapter nine. Jesus takes the power and authority and delegates it to the disciples for them to go out and preach the kingdom of God to heal the sick to remove demons from people and and then if people don't receive the kingdom of God to dust their feet off and move on. So, we start to see this shift of Jesus delegating his power and authority and the miracles will begin to recede and we'll see Jesus start more towards the cross as we see in Luke 911. Jesus sets his face towards the cross in which the rest of his ministry is focused on moving towards Jerusalem.

And so we come to this passage today kind of at the end of these numerous miracles that Jesus has been showing us. And this miracle that we find of Jesus feeding the 5000 is one of two miracles that all the gospel writers show us. This miracle of feeding the 5000 as well as the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead are miracles in which the gospel writers are trying to show us the importance of who Jesus is and who he is claiming to be in these stories. Jesus is teaching us something significant about himself in this miracle. so significant that it surpasses just him feeding the 5000. It surpasses just him providing for these people in the crowd.

He is teaching us. He's teaching the crowd. He's teaching the disciples that he is the Christ of God. that he is the great prophet who has come to free and heal and satisfy the longing of our souls. He is, as John 6 would say, the bread of life. So, I was challenged this week by this passage as I prepared to teach it.

And and I think this is a challenge that we we all can find ourselves in. How often do we find ourselves in a place where we aren't really sure if Jesus is going to provide? As the Isaac shared this morning, I'm sure all of you have a testimony as well. You're you're not sure when Jesus or you're not sure if Jesus will provide for you. And I asked that same question this week of Jesus here is providing for the 5000, but does this mean or can I truly believe that he's going to provide for me today? And just like we sang in Come Thou Found, we are prone to wander, prone to leave the God we love.

So we have oftentimes spiritual amnesia where we forget that God is a good provider, that he is a generous provider. And I think that's what Luke is showing us today through this passage. And the focus of this text is not so much the miracle itself, but the one who performs it, this great savior who is a generous provider. And so this is my main point this morning that I want you to see. And I'm going to try to make it easy for you because there's going to be four Ps that we're going to try to remember. But Jesus being a generous provider through this text shows us that he provides his presence, his prudence, his power, and his provision.

So I want you to see that again. His presence, his prudence, his power, and his provision. And I hope that you can see through this text how generous Jesus is in providing for his people. and that you can leave this morning knowing and believing and trusting that Jesus will and does delight in providing for his people. And so I hope that your affections can be stirred to the truth this morning. So let's take a look at verse 10 and see as the disciples are returning from their ministry that they've been sent out on.

Verse 10 says this. On their return, the apostles told him all that they had done. And he took them and withdrew apart to a town called Bethada. And when the crowd learned it, they followed him and he welcomed them. And he spoke to them of the kingdom of God and cured those in need of healing. So Jesus provides his presence.

Now I want you to see the significance of this because this is where the gospel writers and the stories of Matthew, Mark and John help us give a good framework or a picture of what's going on here in this town of Bedada. The book of Matthew and Mark tell us that Jesus had withdrew to a city because he had just found out that his cousin John the Baptist had been beheaded. We even learn in verse 7 from a couple weeks ago, Herod the tetrarch heard about all that Jesus was doing and he was perplexed because some had said that this was John raised from the dead. And so Luke kind of tells us that John had just passed away. Matthew and Mark tell us that Jesus withdrew because Jesus or because John the Baptist had just been beheaded. And Jesus needs to mourn and grieve the love of his friend, his family, the man he said was greatest in all of mankind, the one who came before him to point others to his ministry and what he would do on the cross.

And so he was retreating and withdrawing to grieve. Not only was he grieving, but also we see that he's taking the disciples away because he recognized the highs and lows of ministry often provide a a lot of weight. And he knew that they needed to rest after all they had been sent out to do. And so Jesus is bringing the disciples in as he's also grieving a loss of a loved one. And yet in all of this, Jesus gives the crowd his presence and shows compassion towards them. We see as the crowd finds him and follows him, he welcomes them in.

Matthew and Mark tell us that he had compassion on the crowd because he saw that they were like sheep without a shepherd. William Hendrickson, the great New Testament commentator, says this about this passage. He says the needs of people sick, ignorant, without comfort and hungry meant far more to him than his own convenience and ease. So he healed their sick. This in spite of his own need for rest and their earthly materialistic motivations. It must not escape us that by doing this under such circumstances, he was also setting an example for his disciples and in a sense for the entire church through the ages.

Jesus recognized that it was more important to show compassion on these sheep that had no shepherd than to grieve or to rest. And what I want to ask us this morning is we believe the same is available to us today that Jesus would show us compassion or that he would have time for us. Because oftentimes we can think of our own lives and our own situations and our own circumstances and our own sin that we haven't repented of or that we keep falling into and we don't think that Jesus has time for us because we keep messing up or that he doesn't have time for us. He doesn't show compassion to us because we keep falling into the same sins or that our life isn't as important as someone else around us. And so he of course he's not going to show us compassion or of course he doesn't have time for us because there's somebody else out there that needs it. And yet Jesus in the midst of loss and trying to give his disciples time of rest for their kingdom work sees the crowd and instead of pushing them away, he shows compassion on them.

He welcomes them. He teaches them. He heals them. And ultimately he feeds them. He generously provides his presence and care not just for their physical needs but also their spiritual needs. I love what Lincoln Duncan says about this passage.

When we are in circumstances that tempt us to doubt the compassion of God for us, we underestimate him. Because if in these circumstances he could look out on a crowd of people that he did not know and had no relationship with and have this kind of compassion on them, can you possibly doubt Jesus's compassion for you? Brother and sister, if you are here this morning thinking that Jesus doesn't have time for you or that all you bring to the table is garbage or things that he would not want to welcome you in, meditate on this verse, this character of Jesus found in Matthew 11:28 where he says, "Come to me all who are who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your soul. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. There is no burden too heavy, no trial or storm too strong that our generous Savior cannot provide comfort for you.

And he invites you to draw near to him because he is generous with his provision and presence and he cares for you. And yet all of this sets the stage for the miracle that we're about to read. But something interesting happens before this miracle. The Lord provides his prudence or his wisdom. And he does this through a very interesting test. Take a look at verse 12 with me.

Jesus says, "Now the day began to wear away, and the twel came and said to him, send the crowd away to go into the surrounding villages and countryside to find lodging and get provision, for we are here in a desolate place." But he said to them, "You give them something to eat." They said, "We have no more than five loaves and two fish, unless we are to go and buy for all these people. for there were about 5,000 men. I want to take a quick poll this morning. How many of you resonate with come thou fra or verse prone to wander prone to leave the god I love?

Anybody here? All of us. Right? Most often times pastors or theologians will call this spiritual amnesia. We forget what the Lord has done. We forget the Lord's past faithfulness to us.

That's why I love that we have a night of Ebenezer every year to remind us of the good and faithfulness of God. We also in taking communion is a we have a reminder of what Jesus has done for us on the cross. But it is so easy as we leave this room, as we walk away from the the people of God and go to our workplaces, our families, we can often forget due to our circumstances, the goodness and faithfulness of God. We forget the power of prayer. We forget that we need to operate in dependence on the Holy Spirit and not in our own flesh. We forget God's love for us as sons and daughters.

We forget that God's ways, as Isaiah 55 says, are better than ours. His thoughts are higher than ours. And when we do this, we have spiritual decline. Our actions and faith can become a chore or even nothing at all. And we can find ourselves in the midst of loneliness, discouragement, or even anxiety. How easy is it for us to forget?

How easy is it for us to forget and wander like the song says, especially in times of desperation or when we're in the wilderness as these people were. This is why I believe James starts his book off encouraging people to count it all joy when they walk through trials. But then in that same passage, he says, "Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers, for every good and perfect gift comes from the Father above. Do not be deceived in the midst of trials to forget God's goodness and faithfulness to you because it is there in which the devil will try to have you forget. And here's why I love this scripture and this truth and this passage this morning is that the disciples are no different than us. Right?

If we think about what they had been given just a few verses before, all the power and authority of the kingdom of God to heal the sick, to cast out demons, to preach the good news of the gospel, all of that power that we saw in chapter 8 of Jesus over creation is now given and delegated to them. And yet when they're in the midst of a circumstance that they find themselves in here, they forget all that had been given to them. They had spiritual amnesia and they came to Jesus wondering what to do. Now I do believe they give him a pragmatic solution. Send the people away. but also believe that in their weariness and tiredness and the fact that they didn't get any rest that Jesus was pulling them aside.

There may be a hint of we want Jesus to ourselves, send them away. But the point of this passage and what Luke is trying to get us to see and what Jesus is trying to get the disciples to believe is that this type of miracle, this type of situation is in fact impossible. You in fact cannot do this on your own. You need to rely on me. You need to have full dependence on me. There are times where Jesus will test our faith in order to draw us nearer to him.

My question to us this morning is do we find this as a gift or do we curse God or get frustrated with him? Can we like Charles Spurgeon say, "I have learned to kiss the wave that throws me against the rock of ages." Throughout the scriptures, we see that the Lord will test us in this way, not as wrath, but as love to grow our dependence and reliance on him. We just saw this with Gyrus and his daughter, as well as this woman who needed to be healed. He tested their faith to grow it stronger and have more dependence on him. So we know as believers, all things, as Romans 8 tells us, are working out for our good to grow us into the image of Christ.

All things, including our trials and our hard circumstances, are being used to conform us to the image of Christ to help us rely on the Lord. And sometimes it's hard for us to remember that this is God's sanctifying work in us that he would use or even give us tests to depend on him. But dependence on him and him alone is our greatest joy. It's there we find true satisfaction and comfort. I love one of the stories my friend um Tommy actually shared with me just recently. um he has a 5-year-old son and they have a backyard full of trees and oftentimes he will take his son out to work and pick up these sticks and sometimes as a 5-year-old will do he'll get a little arrogant like daddy I can move all of these sticks and so what he does is sometimes he'll take him over to a big stick knowing that his son can't take it and his son will try and pick it up and he was telling me how u eventually his son is like daddy I can't do this on my own and Tommy comes over and he says of course you can't do it on your own you need my help and he brings the stick along with him.

And he told me the reason that he does that one is to help his son see that he can't fully rely on himself in all things, but also that he can at all times call upon his father to come bring this help. And I thought, man, this is what the gospel shows us and brings us is that the father will test us to rely more on him. Because oftentimes we rely on our own wisdom, our own strength, our own power to try to fix things and solve things and even put our own sin to death. And yet the scriptures constantly remind us that we have to live more in our weakness so that his power may be made perfect. And we rely when we rely on him, it's there that we find true and full satisfaction. and he delights.

He delights to help us. Let's look now how he delights to provide for these people. Verse 14, Jesus continues. He says to the disciples, "Have them sit down in groups of about 50 each." And they did so. And he had them sit down.

And taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing over them. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd. Once again, we have Luke giving us a display of Jesus's generous compassion and power over creation, making seemingly the impossible possible. I love what JC Riyle says about this passage. The Savior of sinners is almighty. He calls those things which are not as though they were.

When he wills a thing, it shall be done. When he commands a thing, it shall come to pass. He can create light out of darkness, order out of disorder, strength out of weakness, joy out of sorrow, and food out of nothing at all. From five loaves and two fish, don't miss this. Through the power of prayer, he feeds 10,000 people, maybe even 20 or 30,000, because they don't even count women and children in this story. But he provides them through his power.

And he doesn't just provide them to where they are kind of full. They are satisfied. There is an abundance of food left over. Should this not cause us to marvel and be in awe of God's power? I think if we're not careful, we can overlook this amazing miracle as something we have heard so often, and we're not amazed at the abundance of provision that Jesus gives to these people. as he provides through the power of prayer an abundance of providence or abundance of provision.

It reminds me of the story of George Mueller. And some of you may know that name, may not, but if you want to know how to pray better or if you want to have a desire or an affection of prayer grown, read his biography, Delighted in God. I'm going to read a little section and you may be familiar with this story, but George Mueller is a was a pastor in England in the 1800s and he was often found praying and relying on God to meet every single need he had from his family to his bills to the orphanage that God would call him to. He provided people, furniture, food, clothing, everything that they needed. And he did it in an abundant way. And I love as you walk through the biography, you realize that George Mueller doesn't even share with people how much or what he needs.

He just goes to the Lord in prayer. There it can be said maybe one time each year he would give kind of a here is our budget for what this orphanage needs. But anytime else he doesn't go to people and ask them for money. He goes to the Lord in prayer. And so one of the famous stories that maybe if you're familiar with George Mueller, you've heard this before, but I absolutely love it and I think it speaks to not only the power of prayer, but the provision of God for his people. In the biography, it writes, "There was one morning their children were getting dressed and they're all ready for school and there was no food to be found.

So the house mother of the orphanage informed George Mueller and George asked for her to take the children into the dining room and have them sit at the tables where he would thank God and wait. George knew God would provide food for the children as he always did. And within minutes a baker knocked on the door and said, "Mr. Mueller, last night I could not sleep. Somehow I knew you would need this food. And I got up and baked three batches of bread for you.

And I brought and they and he brought it in. And soon there was another knock at the door. It was the milkman. His cart had broken down in front of the orphanage. And the milk would spoil by the time the wheel was fixed. And so he asked George if he could use some free milk.

It was just enough for 300 thirsty children. You read this biography and you see there are countless stories like this in George Mueller's life where being a man of prayer, he was reliant and dependent solely upon the Lord. And through the power of prayer and really the providence or provision of God, this orphanage and many other orphanages that he led were provided for. It said over 10,000 children went through some of his orphanages during that time and they all received food and clothing and education and were sent out into the world. It's in this power that Jesus prays and he invites us to do the same with our needs and our desires knowing and trusting that we have a generous provider and he is God over all creation. As Matthew 7 reminds us, he loves to give his children good gifts and he controls all things and he delights and invites us to pray to him and trust in this power.

Some of us in here, I think we often forget again the power that God has to change hearts and change lives and changes cities and villages, whatever it might be. We forget because it could be our circumstances. It could be something that feels impossible. But what this story reminds us is that God does the impossible. It is in his power that he can do all things. And it's through prayer that he invites us to be a part of what he's doing.

And finally, we see this beautiful provision. This generous provider gives good gifts, specifically food, here in this passage. Verse 17, he says, "And they all ate and were satisfied, and what was left over was picked up 12 baskets of broken pieces. They ate and were satisfied." They were full and satisfied. They weren't just like, "Okay, I could eat some more.

Maybe I have some room for dessert. No, this was they were unbuckling their pants. They were sitting on the couch like it's Thanksgiving. Meals over and they're ready to take a nap because it is they are full and it is done for them. They are satisfied. But did you even catch that there are enough for the weary, tired disciples as well?

Those 12 baskets, one for each disciple. Jesus not only provides for the 10 to 30,000 people that are there but he also provides for his own because in he is a generous provider giving abundantly. This generous savior delights in providing this way for his children and I think I've alluded to this. It is easy for us to forget. It is easy for us to grow weary because we have prayed and prayed and prayed and still no answer. But my encouragement through this passage this morning is don't give up.

Don't believe the lie or give into the temptation that the Lord doesn't care for you or that he will not provide for you. It may may not be what you want or at least you think you want or may not be in your timing. But it will be in his wisdom and he will give abundantly more than you can ever imagine. If I were to pull each and every one of you in here about the prayers that you have asked God and he provided for you, I believe each and every one of you would agree that he did it more abundantly than you even could have ever imagined. He is a generous provider and he loves to flex his muscles of power and provision for his children. So what does this miracle teach us?

This miracle does teach us that he's a generous provider. But I think one danger we can have when we get familiar with this passage is how does it apply to me today? And through his presence, his wisdom, his power, his provision, we can see that it is abundant. And this passage shows us that he cares not only for the physical needs of his people, but also the spiritual in his provision, in his care and compassion. He doesn't just give these people food, but he teaches the kingdom of God. Right?

Luke would tell us that they were there all day hearing about Jesus's kingdom and how it is coming to earth as he is the king and ruler over all this type of provision. Is this not what he has done for us? This abundant provision of grace and mercy for sinners like us. You see, like this crowd, like the disciples who are in a desolate place and have no way of providing for themselves, Jesus has provided a way for us. Because before him, we are in sin and in a dark and desolate place, desperate for salvation, desperate for a savior, desperate for someone outside of ourselves to come in and fill all that we long for. And it's in Jesus that we have this.

As Paul writes in Ephesians 2:4 and 5, but God being rich in mercy in love, even when we were dead in our trespasses and sin, he made us alive together in Christ. This is the good news of the gospel that this miracle points us to. that God is rich in mercy and rich in love and he provided a way for us to be satisfied and fully and eternally known in Christ. What good news. What good news that you and I no longer have to try to find our satisfaction in the temporary things of this world. In riches or security or power or relationships or children.

But we have found true satisfaction in Jesus. But God, Paul writes, but God. And notice what he says, God who is rich in mercy and love. We don't have to worry about the the the grace and the mercy that's given to us that it might be lacking from the Lord, that we have to do more things to add for it to be complete. No, God is rich and in mercy and love and he abundantly gives it to us in Christ. That is the good news of the gospel.

And this we should rejoice that we have a generous provider who doesn't just provide our physical needs here on earth but has provided the greatest need that we have and being separated because of sin. And in Jesus we are now reconciled and restored back to right relationship in him. We are forgiven and we are redeemed. So this miracle shows us the generous provision that God has given to us in Jesus for our spiritual needs. But as Phil Reichen also shows us or tells us in his commentary, this passage also shows us that we have a part to play. You see, the world is a desolate and dark place.

As Peter would remind us, there is a domain of darkness that we were called out of. And as believers in Christ, we are called to go back into that darkness with the gospel light. And I want you to see that as Jesus is handing out this bread, he doesn't just hand it out from the sky. He doesn't just put it in these crowds of 50 as if it's just going to be in the middle. No, he uses the disciples to go feed the people. Look back at verse 16.

And taking the five loaves and two fish, he looked up to heaven and set a blessing over them. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd. Jesus is using his disciples in order to satisfy the people in the crowd. And he still uses us and calls us to go and share the good news of the gospel so that people in this world can be satisfied in Jesus. This world is much like this crowd, desperate in a desolate place. And God is calling us to go and share the good news of the gospel.

That's why I love that we have people here that are able to give us testimonies of that. And we'll be able to share in the Night of Nations uh of a church planter in the Dominican Republic who is doing that. But God is calling us to much more. He's not just calling us to the the ends of the earth. He is calling us there, but he's also calling us to our neighborhoods, in the people around us, in our workplaces, at our coffee shops, wherever we are, we have a part to play in this gospel going forth. And the beautiful reality is when we are obedient to him, he gives us the tools and the resources and the words to say, we just have to be faithful to go.

As the great commission says, go therefore and make disciples of all nations. The Greek reminds us that it is as we are going, we are to make disciples. So what we are doing, we are to be a part of the kingdom growth and the kingdom advancement in our world. So we have a part to play in this. And that's what this miracle shows us. It shows us that Jesus has satisfied all that we need and that we have a part to play in order for people to hear the good news of the gospel.

So brothers and sisters, I want to challenge you. Do you believe that Jesus will provide for you today, tomorrow, in the coming weeks, in the coming months? And do you see that as believers, we have a part to play in this gospel truth? And do we believe that Jesus will provide all that we need even as we share the gospel with those around us? And do we believe the promises that the Lord gives us in his word that as we've heard this morning from Philippians 4 that God will supply every need of ours according to the riches and the glory of Christ Jesus. Do we believe that God is a good father who gives good gifts to his children?

Do we believe as second Peter says that we have all that we need for life and godliness? And then for those of you who have not put your faith in Christ this morning, do you believe or do you see this beautiful call that Jesus can satisfy the longing of your souls? That without this generous provision of God's grace and mercy through Jesus's righteousness, you are in a desolate place. that all you've been chasing, whether it's pleasure or financial status or security or respect or power, whatever it might be, Jesus offers you a greater and truer satisfaction or fulfillment through faith in him. That he cares not only for your physical needs, but most importantly, your spiritual need to be reconciled to the father and your sins forgiven and his righteousness given to you. If you're here today and the Holy Spirit is impressing upon you to place your faith in Jesus, please don't wait.

Come to him and see. He generously provides his life for yours, his righteousness for your unrighteousness, so that your sins may be forgiven and you may be washed clean. I want to close this morning as we take communion. The feeding of the 5000 should remind us of the bread and the juice that Jesus gives to his disciples before he goes to the cross. John 6 tells us this parallel passage of the feeding of the 5000 that the crowd came back again a second day and were looking for provision again from Jesus asking and thinking, "Are you the great prophet? Are you the one who is to come?"

And Jesus tells them, "I am the bread of life, but you must eat of my flesh and drink of my blood to be a part of my family." And they think he's crazy. They all leave except the 12 disciples where Jesus says to them, "Are you going to leave, too?" And Peter says, "No, Lord, you hold the words of eternal life." And this is what we celebrate every week in communion. That Jesus is the true bread of life.

That it is through the breaking of his body and the shedding of his blood that we are now forgiven and redeemed and his righteousness has been given to us who have put our faith in him. And so it is a celebration and it's a celebration that points us to the great banquet that is to come in glory that we get a foretaste right now being able to celebrate with believers here this morning of what it will look like when Christ returns and calls us home. So I'm going to invite you to the elements and then I'm going to give instruction for communion and then we're going to celebrate together. So please come and grab