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Revelation Knowledge
John 6:45, '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.'
JOHN 6:40-45
The Old Testament prophets prophesied of a new covenant where we would all be taught of God. This is speaking of revelation knowledge that comes from within, through our spirit. Under the Old Covenant, God dealt with the Jews through the outer man. He did this because an Old Covenant man (who was not born again) could not perceive the spiritual truths revealed in the New Covenant by the Spirit (1 Cor. 2:14). This difference between the old and new covenants is the reason why there had to be two covenants.
The Old Testament man was...
FEEDING OUR SPIRIT
Bread Of Heaven
John 6:34, 'Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread.'
JOHN 6:31-35
It is probable that these Jews were expecting Jesus to rain down manna on them the way God did before in the wilderness. After all, anyone who could feed five thousand men with one small lunch should be able to produce manna. They were still thinking of physical food.
The word 'manna' means literally 'what is it?' The children of Israel said, 'It is manna: for they wist (or knew) not what it was.' (Ex. 16:15) Manna was a nutritious food which appeared on the ground every morning shortly after the children of Israel left Egypt and began their 40-year wandering in the wilderness. Moses called it 'bread which the Lord hath given you...
Dead Works
John 6:28, 'Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?'
JOHN 6:24-29
All throughout history, mankind has been seeking ways to do the works of God. Everyone has a knowledge within them of the reality of God (Rom. 1:18-20), and a desire to be right with Him. However, just as with these Jews, few agree with the Lord as to how to do it. These Jews were willing to do something to obtain salvation, but they were not willing to commit themselves to Jesus and accept His gift.
This is one of the major differences between Christianity and the religions of the world. Religion is willing to make sacrifices to obtain right standing with God, but Christianity recognizes our complete inability to...
Self Seeking Not God Seeking
John 6:26, 'Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled.'
MATTHEW 14:34-36; MARK 6:53-56; JOHN 6:22-39
Jesus knew the hearts of all men and therefore, He did not commit Himself to this crowd. Just the day before, these same people tried to take Him by force and make Him their king, but He withdrew and spent the night in prayer.
This crowd looked like they were seeking Jesus, but they were actually trying to use Jesus to seek their own end. It is true that there are many personal benefits to be reaped through serving the Lord, but the benefits are never to become our object. In all...
BE SURE YOU KNOW THE TRUTH
Salvation: A Relationship
Mark 6:54, 'And when they were come out of the ship, straightway they knew him,'
MARK 6:53-56
The word 'know' can mean many things from as little as 'to perceive with the senses or the mind' to a much deeper meaning of 'a thorough experience with.'
This knowing, then, is not just intellectual, but a personal, intimate understanding. Jesus defines eternal life as knowing God the Father and Jesus Christ. Eternal life is having an intimate, personal relationship with God the Father and Jesus the Son. This intimacy with God is what salvation is all about. Forgiveness of our sins is not the point of salvation. This intimacy with the Father is. Of course, Jesus did die to purchase forgiveness for our sins...
Sensitivity To The Right Things
Mark 6:52, 'For they considered not the miracle of the loaves: for their heart was hardened.'
MARK 6:45-52; JOHN 6:15-21
Most of the time, we think of a person with a hard heart as being someone who is in terrible rebellion to God. While it is true that a rebellious person does have a hardened heart, in this instance, the Word is referring to the disciples' hearts being hardened. They were, 'sore amazed in themselves beyond measure, and wondered' at Jesus walking on the water.
The word 'hardened' as used here, means 'to make calloused, unyielding or cold in spirit, or insensitive to.' The disciples were not God haters, but rather they had become so sensitive to the natural world and its limitations...