MidWeek Lenten Service - John 6 - I AM that Bread of Life. NT Greek Follows Service - John 6 Reviewed in Greek

Midweek Lenten Service, 

7 PM Central Standard Time

Pastor Gregory L. Jackson

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/bethany-lutheran-worship

Bethany Lutheran Worship, 7PM  

The Hymn #479          Zion Rise                                 
The Order of Vespers                                             p. 41

The Psalmody                   
The Lection                            The Passion History

The Sermon Hymn # 657      Beautiful Savior                      

 I AM That Bread of Life

 
The Prayers

The Lord’s Prayer

The Collect for Grace                                            p. 45

The Hymn #558            All Praise To Thee

John 6

29 Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.

30 They said therefore unto him, What sign shewest thou then, that we may see, and believe thee? what dost thou work?

31 Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat.

32 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven.

33 For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.

34 Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread.

35 And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.

36 But I said unto you, That ye also have seen me, and believe not.

37 All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.

38 For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.

39 And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.

40 And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.

41 The Jews then murmured at him, because he said, I am the bread which came down from heaven.

42 And they said, Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? how is it then that he saith, I came down from heaven?

43 Jesus therefore answered and said unto them, Murmur not among yourselves.

44 No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.

45 It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me.

46 Not that any man hath seen the Father, save he which is of God, he hath seen the Father.

47 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.

48 I am that bread of life.

49 Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead.

50 This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die.

51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.

I AM That Bread of Life

John:35 And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.

The normal way of considering these justly famous sermons in John is to number them as seven, but there are many more examples if we look closely. People look at the passages as if we are dealing with English texts, but the Gospel of John is really a commentary on Exodus, that is, giving us those foreshadowing passages meaning by fulfilling all that was promised.

Simply put, I AM is the Name of God, and Jesus is I AM. He said so in John 8 when the religious opponents said, "We are children of Abraham." Jesus responded, "Before Abraham was, I AM. So clearly he was not using those words to say "I am that person."

Moses asked, Exodus 3, Who is sending me? When they ask Your Name, what shall I say? The Angel of the Lord said, "Tell them - I AM sent me." The Angel of the Lord is the Son of God, before His incarnation. His Name is I AM, so the Jewish opponents knew Jesus was identifying Himself as God and accused Him of calling Himself the Son of God.

Although "I am" can be understood in our normal sense, the predominant sense is I AM - the Name of God.

So here we have two divine declarations connected with God. He who comes to the Savior will never hunger and never thirst. Sceptics have trouble meshing Matthew-Mark-Luke with John, but we can see the connection here. Matthew 6:6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

And what is the pointed accusation made by Jesus? You believe not. His purpose is to teach forgiveness through faith in Him (Justification by Faith). Righteousness can only come through trust in Him. Therefore, the worst sin, the foundational sin, is not believing in Jesus. Nor should anyone be indifferent about that foundational issue.

The connection with bread shows what a universal truth faith in Him is. Bread is that basic and satisfying food which all mankind manufactures from various foods, from gluten free rice, to whole grains. 

40 And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.

41 The Jews then murmured at him, because he said, I am the bread which came down from heaven.

This is one of the most beautiful passages in John, connected to many others. Connecting this with God the Father in the Old Testament - He sent Jesus as the incarnation of His will, His Word, His grace and mercy. Believing in Jesus is believing in the One Who Sent Him. Every person who sees the Son (the eyes of faith) and believes in Him has everlasting life. But the Jewish opponents murmured because He connected Himself with the manna coming down from heaven.

That is a powerful comparison for people brought up on the Exodus and the miracles that took place on that journey. Were they not all prefiguring of Christ? In fact, He followed them on that journey.

51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.

As Luther commented, the Gospel of John repeats the same word or phrase and takes us higher and higher with its meaning. That makes it basic to all Christian knowledge, but also an ideal book for studying any given language. We have given at least six Spanish copies of John away in this area, to medical people who want to learn Spanish. Several asked for the English version.

Simply by looking at this chapter we see that believing in Jesus not only means forgiveness of sin but also eternal life. Some like to argue as Luther did, that this is not a discourse on Holy Communion. That claim came from the debate with Zwingli, who wanted to make the Lord's Supper as merely spiritual, using John 6. So Luther set aside that chapter as support for Zwingli.

I have always read this as a sermon about faith and about connecting the manna from heaven with Holy Communion in the future.

This passage from John really begins with the Old Testament, which we might take for granted in reading this as Christians of the last days. Some try to re-create that Old Testament experience, as Christian Jews and so forth. But what we need is not to become Jews again but to see how powerful these words were for people brought up on the Passover Meal, the spotless lamb sacrificed for that meal, and the miracles of that Exodus.

Luther called the Books of Moses "the goldmine" from which the divinity of Christ is fashioned in the New Testament.

Greek Lesson - I AM the Bread of Life - John 6

Parser 

6³⁵ ειπεν δε αυτοις ο ιησους εγω ειμι ο αρτος της ζωης ο ερχομενος προς με ου μη πειναση και ο πιστευων εις εμε ου μη διψηση πωποτε

³⁶ αλλ ειπον υμιν οτι και εωρακατε με και ου πιστευετε

³⁷ παν ο διδωσιν μοι ο πατηρ προς εμε ηξει και τον ερχομενον προς με ου μη εκβαλω εξω

³⁸ οτι καταβεβηκα εκ του ουρανου ουχ ινα ποιω το θελημα το εμον αλλα το θελημα του πεμψαντος με

³⁹ τουτο δε εστιν το θελημα του πεμψαντος με πατρος ινα παν ο δεδωκεν μοι μη απολεσω εξ αυτου αλλα αναστησω αυτο εν τη εσχατη ημερα

⁴⁰ τουτο δε εστιν το θελημα του πεμψαντος με ινα πας ο θεωρων τον υιον και πιστευων εις αυτον εχη ζωην αιωνιον και αναστησω αυτον εγω τη εσχατη ημερα

⁴¹ εγογγυζον ουν οι ιουδαιοι περι αυτου οτι ειπεν εγω ειμι ο αρτος ο καταβας εκ του ουρανου

⁴² και ελεγον ουχ ουτος εστιν ιησους ο υιος ιωσηφ ου ημεις οιδαμεν τον πατερα και την μητερα πως ουν λεγει ουτος οτι εκ του ουρανου καταβεβηκα

⁴³ απεκριθη ουν ο ιησους και ειπεν αυτοις μη γογγυζετε μετ αλληλων

⁴⁴ ουδεις δυναται ελθειν προς με εαν μη ο πατηρ ο πεμψας με ελκυση αυτον και εγω αναστησω αυτον τη εσχατη ημερα

⁴⁵ εστιν γεγραμμενον εν τοις προφηταις και εσονται παντες διδακτοι του θεου πας ουν ο ακουσας παρα του πατρος και μαθων ερχεται προς με

⁴⁶ ουχ οτι τον πατερα τις εωρακεν ει μη ο ων παρα του θεου ουτος εωρακεν τον πατερα

⁴⁷ αμην αμην λεγω υμιν ο πιστευων εις εμε εχει ζωην αιωνιον

⁴⁸ εγω ειμι ο αρτος της ζωης

⁴⁹ οι πατερες υμων εφαγον το μαννα εν τη ερημω και απεθανον

⁵⁰ ουτος εστιν ο αρτος ο εκ του ουρανου καταβαινων ινα τις εξ αυτου φαγη και μη αποθανη

⁵¹ εγω ειμι ο αρτος ο ζων ο εκ του ουρανου καταβας εαν τις φαγη εκ τουτου του αρτου ζησεται εις τον αιωνα και ο αρτος δε ον εγω δωσω η σαρξ μου εστιν ην εγω δωσω υπερ της του κοσμου ζωης

⁵² εμαχοντο ουν προς αλληλους οι ιουδαιοι λεγοντες πως δυναται ουτος ημιν δουναι την σαρκα φαγειν

Billy Graham: Influential US evangelist dies at 99 - BBC News

 Billy Graham - I taught at his School of Evangelism
in Wheaton, Illinois. We went there several times while in the LCA. Paul Kelm was sending WELS students there in the 1980s, but their favorite places were Fuller and Trinity Divinity.

Billy Graham: Influential US evangelist dies at 99 - BBC News:



"US evangelist Billy Graham - one of the most influential preachers of the 20th Century - has died aged 99.

Graham became one of the best-known promoters of Christianity, preaching to audiences worldwide in large arenas, beginning in London in 1954.

He died at his home in Montreat, North Carolina, a spokesman for the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association said.

In a 60-year career, he is estimated to have personally preached to 210 million people.

Graham reached millions more through TV."



'via Blog this'

***

GJ - The LCA clergy really hated Billy Graham, but The Lutheran magazine ran enormous ads for his crusades. Why? The LCA members and clergy wanted to hear the Gospel that was denied so often in the official outlets.

I recall the LCA clergy shunning me for going to Wheaton College for the School of Evangelism. Mrs. Ichabod and I went several times, and I taught there once. We saw and heard the entire Graham circle in South Bend, where they taught at a local church and appeared at the ND stadium. One of his supporters paid for pastors and wives to attend together - how kind, thoughtful, and wise of him.

Graham and his team taught faith in Christ, which is more than the officials of WELS, Missouri, and the ELS can say. The Graham emphasis was Scriptural and religious - never about denominations, demographics, marketing, and gimmicks.

Graham and his associates taught some very good lessons about spoken and written communication. I use them to this day.

President A. Panning had a Graham poster on his door - for the Graham School of Evangelism. A note on it said - "See Paul Kelm about this." I learned from Professor Balge's son Jon that WELS sent people to Fuller, Trinity Divinity, you name it, for continuing education. His father said, "How about mentioning this seminary?"  That was so revelatory.

I already despised Fuller Seminary and the Church Growth Movement. Imagine my shock when I discovered WELS had 10,000 rules about fellowship while going to Fuller, lying about it, and promoting the school's anti-Gospel marketing and occult (Cho) delusions.

When Will the Clergy Start Listening to the Laity Who Study These Issues?

A Reader Had This Conversation with Me - Slightly Edited. His Comments Are in Blue, Mine in Black and White

 I had some free time today...

"Objectively speaking, without any reference to an individual sinner's attitude toward Christ's sacrifice, purely on the basis of God's verdict, every sinner, whether he knows about it or not, whether he believes it or not, has received the status of a saint. What will be his reaction when he is informed about this turn of events? Will he accept, or will he decline?"

lf I didn't know any better.... isn't this UOJ some sort of backdoor to Decision Theology???

There's nothing spoken here of faith or the Holy Spirit at work....just man's decision. And they were worried about personal faith being a work? Seriously?

Welcome to the Southern Baptist Conference.....

---

Repeating this often enough in WELS will get a guy published,
promoted, and protected as he acts out this foul dogma.

GJ - In fact, Walther's statement is very much the same, but JP "improves" on it. Mission creep, I guess. I added Valleskey's graphic. I will be dealing with him in reviewing Brenner's book Jars of Clay, in the future.

One pastor said that WELS members should join a Southern Baptist church if they move to where there are no WELS churches. (He made a point of attacking me too, although I do not know him.) When I published that, I think only on email, he retracted it right away. Not that I believe his retraction.

Your comments have spurred some additional emails about UOJ. 

 Bivens bragged about going to Fuller Seminary, as Valleskey did, but both buddies denied it. They called me a liar, etc, etc.
David Koenig was angry that I told the truth about Valleskey's confession. Every UOJ leader is a smirking double-talker, but God will judge.

---

Exactly.  I had Walther's Easter message in mind when was staring at Meyer's quote.

I'm glad people are talking about that last email.  For here is where the rubber meets the road -- how UOJ affects doctrine and practice in the parish.  Why?  Because doctrine and practice has a direct impact on faith of our brothers and sisters in the body.  I believe this is vitally important.  Bad doctrine (heretical doctrines) can damage faith.  I believe Luther understood that, and that was one was, at least one driver behind his catechisms.

Faith...in the end, that's the only way we'll leave this world alive.  Buildings fall, churches burn, institutions fail, but if one has faith in God's promises in His word, it will all end well for the individual.

This is why doctrine is so vital -- because doctrine can keep faith healthy or kill it.  For this reason, your polemics don't bother me in the least.  With your background in the LCA tradition, I wonder how you coudn't be furious at the faithless pastors who led their flocks astray in your lifetime.  Indeed, I have contempt for what I have seen as well.

---

 When people discuss Walther's stupidity in teaching against Justification by Faith, the SynCons respond that Schmidt objected "for personal reasons" (Brenner) and "because he did not get the call" (Servant of the Word) that Walther maneuvered for Pieper (as revealed by L. Fuerbringer). How do they explain everyone else who left the rationalistic Halle Pietism of Walther? They do not bother to explain that.

GJ - Lately I have been getting emails and messages from various laity and a few (very few) pastors. Their plain-spoken messages reach other laity quite well, but the clergy remain hardened and blinded against Justification by Faith.

The issue is not fidelity to Luther as much as it faithfulness to the Scriptures. The Gospel of John reveals that Jesus clearly and constantly taught faith in Him as forgiveness and salvation.

The WELS radicals, led by 20 graduates from St. Louis, guided the movement away from the Scriptures and Confessions. At the same time, they were jealous and envious of the Missouri Synod, so they wanted to be peculiar, different, and elite - at least in their own eyes. G

By killing off any inquiry into this blasphemous dogma, WELS succeeded in aligning itself with ELCA, Fuller Seminary, and the worst of the crackpot mega-pastors. I recall many hilarious examples of LCMS and WELS clergy speaking low to me lest they be heard on the streets of Gath. But no one seems bothered by the "conservative Lutheran" clergy venerating C. Peter Wagner and other prime examples of fraud, exploitation, and peculation. They could build mission churches simply by placing a tax on each Lutheran student of Fuller Seminary, Trinity Divinity, or Willow Creek. Call it a "sin tax."

 Herman Otten thinks every pastor should be like Reuel Schulz, who sang the praises of Wagner and Fuller Seminary...and Otten, of course. Enthusiasm in the doctrinal sense (Luther) is so much the same in every flavor. Remember Fruit Stripe gum? Five colors, one flavor.

Lutheran World Missions - When You Care Enough To Send the Very Best Baptist

 What should really chap some hides is
how much is spent on how little.

Bethany is 100% political, which can be observed from 100% of the full-time faculty coming from a father and son. That might remind some of Bob Jones University, with a succession of Bob Jones (I, II, III) and John Brown University (JB I, II, III) and Ecclesia College (Oren Paris I, II, III). Not one of those institutions is noted for its academics.

Lawrenz anointed Witte,
Brandeis U. versus Gordon Conwell Seminary.

Bethany has its lectures, which they have now named after one of its few scholars, Bjarne Teigen, who was trashed by WELS and shunned by the ELS for showing how wrong they were about Receptionism.

Teigen showed their heresy to them in his book on the Lord's Supper.

The Asian Mini-Seminary is staffed with jokers:

• Michael Smith - Trinity in Indiana, with Baptist and Presby professors. Unaccredited.
• Dimm Steve Witte - Gordon Conwell Babtist Seminary.
• Dimm Matt Doebler - Gordon Conwell Babtist Seminary.

So why is WELS spending so much money to send non-Lutherans over to teach Asians about Church Growth.

Bethany Lutheran Seminary - Two Full-time Faculty - Father and Son Schmelings

        The two full-timer faculty at Bethany are Gaylin Schmeling and his son Timothy.

I noticed that Michael Smith accepted the call to the Asian Mini-Seminary. The most recent move there was Matt Doebler, to make room for Ski getting an insta-call to Patterson's district.

Smith is the son of Kincaid Smith, DMin in Church Growth from Concordia, Ft. Wayne, during Robert Preus' UOJ years there.

Michael Smith has an PhD from Trinity in Indiana, a Babtist, unaccredited online school. "We are not affiliated (accredited) with any regional or national accrediting agency..."

Here is the Trinity catalog PDF.

Tuition is very low at Trinity.

 In WELS/ELS, it is not who you are,
but who you say you are.

Wiki on Trinity, which seems to be mostly online, with plenty of faculty holding sub-par degrees from Trinity and Grace. I give Trinity credit for keeping tuition way down.

After all these years, WELS/ELS has forgotten that college graduates teach high school. People with graduate degrees teach college. Scholars teach PhD students, and DMins are not doctoral degrees. Fakey fakey Church Growth hucksters get DMins because they are too dumb to get real PhDs. But the DMins wear doctoral robes and insist on being called "Dr. Olson" and "Dr. Kelm" and "Dr. Parlow" and "Dr. Krause."

I propose that DMins be addressed as Dimms. "I have a question, Dimm Olson." Or, "We are honored to have as our guest plagiarizer today, Dimm Parlow. He has preached sermons from all over the Internet."

The Little Sect on the Prairie hit rock bottom when they hired John Moldstad to be the New Testament professor, without him bothering to finish college. That mean his suffering students were more qualified to teach, since a college degree was required, than their seminary professor - soon to be Pope John the Malefactor.

 In other news, Jay Webber's ELCA online seminary
is accredited. (Ukraine cat)

WELS MLC Professor Call Terminated, Effective Immediately

DP Patterson, here I come Yee-haw.

CALL TERMINATED

Pastors	Current call	Date effective
Prof David Sellnow	Martin Luther College New Ulm MN	2/14/20

No longer in the MLC directory. Page not found.

David Sellnow » Directory – Martin Luther College

https://mlc-wels.edu/directory/name/david-sellnow/

In service to the synod, Sellnow has served as a circuit pastor, district Parish Services committee chairman, and as a member of WELS Campus Ministry Committee (under the auspices of WELS Home Missions). He presently serves as an advisory member on WELS Commission on Youth and Family Ministry and as...

Fergie's Star Spangled Banner Disaster Began with Ski and Glende

Ski wore the same t-shirt my grandson wanted.
Fergie is famous for trying in vain to turn our National Anthem into a howling torch song.

 It started that early?

 Ski and MariQueen.

 I don't read books and magazines about royalty.

 Twelve years of WELS education.

 Bronzer, Febreze? Funny.

 How to get back on the call list and a divine call
from DP Don Patterson.