Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of (the Israelites); their bodies were scattered over the desert. Now these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did. Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written: “The people sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in pagan revelry. We should not commit adultery, as some of them did—and in one day twenty-three thousand of them died. We should not test the Lord, as some of them did—and were killed by snakes. And do not grumble, as some of them did—and were killed by the destroying angel. These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come. So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it. 1 Corinthians 10:5-13
The apostle Paul listed for his friends in Corinth various sins that Israel committed during their years in the wilderness. There were two things all their sins had in common. Firstly, all the Israelites who committed them had seen God going with them, working for them, and providing for them in impossible situations. They didn’t suddenly forget these things had happened. They didn’t suddenly stop believing in God. They were just trying to believe in God and enjoy a little sin on the side at the same time. The second thing all these things have in common is that they didn’t get away with it. God noticed, and he didn’t just let it go.
Paul wanted to warn the Christians in Corinth and us about how quickly someone can stray into a sinful path. Israel was proof of that. So were the people in Corinth and each one of us.
But Paul didn’t leave his friends dwelling on their unfaithfulness to God. He pointed them to God’s faithfulness in loving and forgiving us. “God is faithful,” Paul wrote. God was faithful in sending the Savior promised long ago. He was faithful in providing the sacrifice that would forgive every sin. He was faithful in conquering death for us. And he will be faithful in leading us safely through every trial and temptation.
Prayer:
Father in heaven, may my focus always be on your faithful love in Christ Jesus. Amen.
The Source of Spiritual Food for Spiritual Strength and Life
St. John’s & Emmanuel Ev. Lutheran Churches
Montello & Mecan, WI
Pastor Peter Zietlow
August 14, 2021
4:30p.m. St. John’s
August 15, 2021
8:00a.m. Emmanuel
10:00a.m. St. John’s
St. John’s Ev. Lutheran Church 313 East Montello St. Montello, WI 53949
Emmanuel Ev. Lutheran Church W1568 Evergreen Lane Montello, WI 53949
WELCOME TO OUR CHURCH We extend a warm welcome to everyone worshiping with us today! We ask God that he fill our hearts with peace, joy and understanding as we praise Him together.
WORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES † Sunday: 8:00a.m. at Emmanuel 10:00a.m. at St. John’s † Saturday: 4:30p.m. at St. John’s
Each worship service is posted to our website. If you don’t have internet access or are unable to attend today’s service, DVDs, sermons and the bulletin are available for your use at home. You may pick them up in the office or request them to be mailed. Please contact our secretary Ciara Neuhauser at the church office or Pastor Zietlow.
HOLY COMMUNION Communion is offered at both Emmanuel and St. John’s on the 2nd and 4th Sundays of the month and at St. John’s on the Saturdays before those Sundays. Private communion by request is also available from Pastor Zietlow or a church Elder at your home. Please call Pastor or the church office to schedule private communion.
GOD’S WORD FOR TODAYJesus Gives the Bread of Life That We Might Fulfill the Impossible – Have you ever been faced with an impossible task? When a job seems impossible, it’s difficult and frustrating to even attempt fulfilling it. For Christians, trusting in Jesus, believing his promises and loving others as he loves us sometimes seems impossible. But in today’s lessons we are shown how Jesus gives us the ability to fulfill impossible tasks by giving us the Bread of Life. Apart from Jesus, we can do nothing (Jn 15:5). But with God, nothing is impossible (Lk 1:37).
†P R E P A R A T I O N F O R W O R S H I P †
We prepare ourselves to worship the one Savior God by expressing our humble repentance, offering our fervent prayers and singing our thankful hymns of praise.
*Saturday, St. John’s and Emmanuel, please proceed to bulletin page 5 and begin with Divine Service II.
†H O L Y B A P T I S M A T S T. J O H N ‘ S ·S U N D A Y †
This order incorporates Holy Baptism into congregational worship combining the sacrament of baptism with the confession of sins. Martin Luther said that confessing sins and receiving forgiveness is nothing else than a reliving of baptism. Thus this order provides opportunity not only to baptize but also to recall the lasting blessings of baptism.
HYMN CW 296:1-2, “Our Children Jesus Calls”
M: The grace of our Lord †Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you.
C: And also with you.
CONFESSION OF SINS
M: Our Savior Jesus Christ commanded baptism when he said: “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” All of us are born into this world with a deep need for baptism. From our parents we inherit a sinful nature; we are without true fear of God and true faith in God and are condemned to eternal death. But Jesus took away our sin by giving his life on the cross. At our baptism he clothes us with the robe of his righteousness and gives us a new life. Our sinful nature need not control us any longer. We recall what baptism means for our daily lives as we speak these words:
C: Baptism means that the sinful nature in us should be drowned by daily sorrow and repentance, and that all its evil deeds and desires be put to death. It also means that a new person should daily arise to live before God in righteousness and purity forever.
M: As baptized children of God we confess our sins:
C: Holy and merciful Father, I confess that I am by nature sinful, and that I have disobeyed you in my thoughts, words, and actions. I have done what is evil and failed to do what is good. For this I deserve your punishment both now and in eternity. But I am truly sorry for my sins, and trusting in my Savior Jesus Christ, I pray: Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner.
M: God, our heavenly Father, has been merciful to us and has given his only Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. Therefore, as a called servant of Christ and by his authority, I forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son †and of the Holy Spirit.
C: Amen.
The Rite of Baptism continues at the font.
SACRAMENT OF BAPTISM
M: In obedience to the command of our Lord and trusting in his promise, you have brought this child to be baptized. Jesus told us: “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.” It is in baptism that God grants the new life of forgiveness, joy, and peace to little children. By the power of God’s Word, this gracious water of life washes away sin, delivers from death and the devil, and gives eternal salvation to all who believe.
The minister applies water to the person presented for baptism as he says:
____, I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
The Almighty God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—has forgiven all your sins. By your baptism, you are born again and made a dear child of your Father in heaven. May God strengthen you to live in your baptismal grace all the days of your life. Peace be with you.
Please stand.
EXHORTATION
M: Brothers and sisters in Christ:
Our Lord commands that we teach his precious truths to all who are baptized. Christian love therefore urges all of us, especially parents and sponsors, to assist in whatever manner possible so that ____ may remain a child of God until death. If you are willing to carry out this responsibility, then answer: Yes, as God gives me strength.
C: Yes, as God gives me strength.
M: Let us pray:
Merciful Father in heaven, we thank you for the blessing of baptism by which you offer and grant the forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation. Help us to regard our baptism as the robe of righteousness we are to wear all the days of our life. Look with special favor on ____ and grant him a rich measure of your Spirit that he may grow in faith and godly living. Make us willing to carry out our responsibilities to those who have been baptized, so that all of us may finally come to the blessed joys of heaven, through Jesus our Lord.
C: Amen.
Please be seated.
HYMN CW 296:3, “Our Children Jesus Calls”
†D I V I N E S E R V I C E II †
Divine Service II is a version of the historic liturgy of the Christian church.
HYMN CW 108, “Jesus, Refuge of the Weary”
Please stand.
INVOCATION
The name of the triune God and the sign of the cross remind worshipers of their baptisms.
M: In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
C: Amen.
CONFESSION
M: Friends, let us approach God with a true heart and confess our sins, asking Him in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to forgive us.
C: Lord of life, I confess that I am by nature dead in sin.
For faithless worrying and selfish pride, for sins of habit and sins of choice, for the evil I have done and the good I have failed to do, You should cast me away from Your presence forever. O Lord, I am sorry for my sins. Forgive me, for Jesus’ sake.
ABSOLUTION
The use of the keys is that special power and right which Christ gave to His church on earth: to forgive the sins of penitent sinners. John 20:21-23
M: Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again. In His great mercy, God made us alive in Christ even when we were dead in our sins. Hear the Word of Christ through His called servant:
I forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
C: Amen.
LORD, HAVE MERCY
Kyrie: Kyrie is the Greek word for Lord. The expression “Lord, have mercy” is one of the oldest worship responses in the Christian church. Mark 10:47
M: In peace, let us pray to the Lord.
For the well-being of all people everywhere, that they may receive from You all they need to sustain body and life, hear our prayer, O Lord.
C: Lord, have mercy.
M: For the spread of Your life-giving Gospel throughout the world, that all who are lost in sin may be brought to faith in You, hear our prayer, O Christ.
C: Christ, have mercy.
M: For patience and perseverance in this life, that we may not lose the hope of heaven as we await Your return, hear our prayer, O Lord.
C: Lord, have mercy.
M: Lord of life, live in us that we may live for You.
C: Amen.
GLORY BE TO GOD
Luke 2:14 (sung to the tune of Hymn 152 “I Know that My Redeemer Lives”. Christians praise God by proclaiming the great things He has done to accomplish our rescue from sin. “Glory to God in the Highest” has been a Christian song of worship since the fourth century.
All glory be to God on high! Your name, O Lord, we glorify;
We praise You for Your peace and grace, Your favor toward our fallen race.
Our grateful thanks to You we bring, for Your great glory, heav’nly King,
For all, O Father, You have done, through Jesus Christ, Your only Son.
O Lamb of God, to You we pray. You take all human sin away.
Have mercy, Lord; receive our prayer; from God’s right hand, Your mercy share.
You, Christ, are holy– Lord alone; the Father’s glory You made known.
We by Your Spirit sing again: “All glory be to God!” Amen.
†T H E W O R D †
SALUTATION
This greeting has deep roots in Christian worship and marks the beginning of the Word section of this service.
M: The Lord be with you.
C: And also with you.
PRAYER OF THE DAY
M: Let us pray. Almighty and everlasting God, you are always more ready to hear than we to pray, and to give more than we either desire or deserve. Pour upon us the abundance of your mercy, forgiving us those things of which our conscience is afraid, and giving us those good things for which we are not worthy to ask, except through the merits and mediation of your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Please be seated.
FIRST LESSON 1 Kings 19:3-8 (today’s sermon text)
Summary: An angel strengthens Elijah
Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, while he himself went a day’s journey into the desert. He came to a broom tree, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, LORD,” he said. “Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.” Then he lay down under the tree and fell asleep.
All at once an angel touched him and said, “Get up and eat.” He looked around, and there by his head was a cake of bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank and then lay down again.
The angel of the LORD came back a second time and touched him and said, “Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you.” So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God.
PSALM 34
Saturday: sing in unison.
Sunday: men sing 1st line, women sing 2nd line, all sing refrains and Gloria.
Taste and see that the LORD is good;*
blessed are they who take refuge in him.
The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous*
and his ears are attentive to their cry.
The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him,*
and he delivers them.
Refrain
The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them;*
he delivers them from all their troubles.
The LORD is close to the brokenhearted*
and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
The LORD redeems his servants;*
no one who takes refuge in him will be condemned.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son*
and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning,*
is now, and will be forever. Amen.
Refrain
SECOND LESSON Ephesians 4:30–5:2
Summary: Spiritual living flows from God who has forgiven us
And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.
VERSE OF THE DAY Hebrews 11:1
Alleluia. Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. Alleluia.
Please stand.
GOSPEL LESSON
M: The Gospel according to John 6: 41-51.
C: Glory be to You, O Lord.
Summary: Jesus is the Bread of Life, the True Source of Spiritual Food
At this the Jews began to grumble about him because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” They said, “Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, ‘I came down from heaven’?”
“Stop grumbling among yourselves,” Jesus answered. “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the Prophets: ‘They will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me. No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God; only he has seen the Father. I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life. I am the bread of life. Your forefathers ate the manna in the desert, yet they died. But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which a man may eat and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”
M: This is the Gospel of the Lord.
C: Praise be to You, O Christ.
Please be seated.
HYMN OF THE DAY CW 446“I Am Trusting You, Lord Jesus”
SERMON 1 Kings 19:3-9
“We’ve Got Nowhere To Go But To God”
Giving up (3, 4)
Getting help (5-7)
Going on (8)
Please stand.
NICENE CREED
Public confession is faith’s response to God’s saving Word. Christians composed the Nicene Creed in the fourth century to defend the Bible’s teachings that both Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit are true God, equal to the Father in one eternal, undivided Trinity.
C: We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one being with the Father. Through Him all things were made. For us and for our salvation, He came down from heaven, was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary, and became fully human. For our sake He was crucified under Pontius Pilate.
He suffered death and was buried. On the third day He rose again in accordance with the Scriptures. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and His kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who in unity with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets. We believe in one holy Christian* and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Amen.
Please be seated.
†O F F E R I N G S O F G I F T S & P R A Y E R S †
THE OFFERING
Members of this congregation show their thanks to God for all he has done for them by returning a portion of their income to the Lord. Through these free will offerings, this congregation and its ministries are maintained. Guests need not feel obligated to contribute. The plate is located in the church entryway.
PRAYERS
The Offering Prayer, Prayer for Delight In God’s Word Both His Laws and His Promises and Intercessory Prayers are spoken by pastor. Please see announcement details of today’s Intercessory Prayers.
Please stand.
LORD’S PRAYER
All: Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen.
HYMN CW 473:1-3,“Savior, I Follow On”
CLOSING PRAYER & BLESSING
M: The Lord bless you and keep you.
The Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you.
The Lord look on you with favor and give you peace.
Next week’s theme: August 22, 2021 The 13thSunday after Pentecost: Eating Spiritual Food Equals Believing in Christ
8:00 a.m.
Emmanuel Worship with communion
10:00 a.m.
St. John’s Worship with communion
† C H U R C H N E W S †
INTERCESSORY PRAYERS (read by pastor)
– For those hospitalized, ill, shut-in and facing trials: Jim & Caryl Bassett, Mike Brown, Ed Buchholz, Darlene Burrough (Judy Fandrey’s niece), Sharon Crook, Jan Dahlke, Don Ebert, Reinold Eckelberg, Ken & Sally Elmer, Mike Farrell, Kelleen Grucza (Judy Fandrey’s daughter), Marian Heller, Louise Hillmer, Roger Hillmer, Jerry & Darlene Hunter (Bonnie Chapman’s parents), Xzander Jahr, Ellie Kendall, Arden Klimke, Robert Lederer (Jackie & Jeanne Buchholz’ father), Thomas Marcelain (Dawn’s son), Neil Miller, Phil Nelson (Melanie Zuehls’ step-father), Kathy Ninneman, Al Pompa (Pete & Lucy Laun’s brother-in-law), Karen Radke, Don & Doris Smith, Mary Smith, Tom Stempniak (Carol’s husband), Dennis & Ramona Wacholtz, Linda Lou Wacholtz, Kathy Weinfurter (Ken Pabelick’s mother-in-law), Shirley Wilkens (added this week: Louise Hillmer, Roger Hillmer, Arden Klimke, Kathy Ninneman, Shirley Wilkens)
– For the family of our St. John’s member, Liola Crown, called to her heavenly home Wednesday evening (8/11)
– For Salem Adonis Michael Bignell, the son of Michael Bignell and Destiny Thome, baptized today (8/15) at St. John’s
– For blessings received
NATIONAL HYMNAL SUNDAY, SEPT. 19 There will be sign up sheets for the National Hymnal Sunday celebration on September 19, to help Ladies Aid plan on how many people will be attending the potluck luncheon. At Emmanuel the sheets will be in the hallway. At St. John’s they will be in the linkway on the table where the display is. The sheets will out starting the weekend of August 28 and 29 and the final date for sign up will be September 12. If you miss signing up, we encourage and welcome you to join and attend the celebratory potluck on Sunday, September 19.
CHRISTIAN ONE LINERS (from a member) “Well, this explains a lot! A pastor said: “You need to join the Army of the Lord!” My friend replied, “I’m already in the Army of the Lord, Pastor.” Pastor questioned, “How come I don’t see you except at Christmas and Easter?” He whispered back, “I’m in the secret service.”
CROSSES The Time of the Church is the longest season of the church year. Green represents growth-growing the Church through witnessing and missions-becoming “fishers of men.”
This season appears 1st and 2nd Sunday of Epiphany and ends Transfiguration Sunday just before Lent. It reappears the 2nd Sunday after Pentecost and ends on Reformation Sunday.
Please pick up your ribbon today! If you are in need of a cross or would like to gift to someone, please help yourself. They are available and both Emmanuel and St. John’s. Thank you again to Gene Crook (Emmanuel) and LuAnn Zieman (St. John’s) for creating and coordinating!
CHURCH NEWSLETTER The St. John’s church newsletter will be sent out via email to the congregations. Need to sign up on our mailing list? Please call the office. If you wish to receive a hard copy, we offer a yearly subscription for $10.00.
GIFTS FOR SPECIAL PROJECTSPlease consider making a gift towards the following church or school projects. Your gift, to the project of your choice, will be recorded under your member account in our Shepherd’s Staff program unless you specifically request it be recorded as anonymous. Donor names and gift amounts are not published. Your gift can be placed in the offering plate, the locked drop box by the office, or mailed. Please contact the church/school secretary, Ciara Neuhauser, if you have any questions.
Project Name & Brief Description Amount Needed
School HVAC Purifying System (air purifying system installed for classrooms) $1,770.00
Church & School Computer Server Upgrade (costs for replacing server) $10,351.64
House Demolition (costs related to tear down of old Little Lambs house) $9,500.00
Ministerial Tuition Assistance (assistance for members pursuing the ministry) No limit in place
Outreach Activities (church and/or school outreach supplies, fees) No limit in place
School Athletic Fund (jerseys, equipment, tournament fees) No limit in place
St. John’s School Tuition Assistance (assistance for parents of students) No limit in place
School Technology Fund (maintain teacher and student computers, smartboards) No limit in place
† S C H O O L N E W S †
Jesus Gives the Bread of Life
That We Might Fulfill the Impossible
The Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost – B
God’s Word for Today
Have you ever been faced with an impossible task? When a job seems impossible, it’s difficult and frustrating to even attempt fulfilling it. For Christians, trusting in Jesus, believing his promises and loving others as he loves us sometimes seems impossible. But in today’s lessons we are shown how Jesus gives us the ability to fulfill impossible tasks by giving us the Bread of Life. Apart from Jesus, we can do nothing (Jn 15:5). But with God, nothing is impossible (Lk 1:37).
First Lesson (1 Kings 19:3-8)
What was Elijah grumbling about?
What did the Lord command Elijah to do?
Second Lesson (Ephesians 4:30 – 5:2)
What model of love does Paul present in these verses?
How is that love going to manifest itself, according to Paul?
Is it easy to show this type of unconditional love to others?
Gospel (John 6:41-51)
With what statement of Jesus were the people have difficulty and why? How did Jesus react?
What important truth about our Christian lives does Jesus make clear in verses 44-45?
Answers:
Elijah was complaining about his life as a prophet of God. He was being chased by wicked Queen Jezebel (1 Kgs 19:2), and now he simply wanted to die.
The Lord wanted him to get up and eat. He sustained Elijah when the prophet thought that his situation was impossible.
Paul encourages us to love others just as Christ loves us. Jesus’ love is a sacrificial and forgiving love.
Paul gives an extensive list in 4:31-32.
For sinners like us it is impossible to have this type of love for one another unless Jesus gives us the Bread of Life, his Word of forgiveness. Jesus’ love and forgiveness for us moves us to love others in similar ways.
They grumbled at the fact that Jesus called himself the “bread that came down from heaven.” His claim that he was from heaven seemed to be blasphemous. Jesus told them to stop their grumbling.
Jesus points out that apart from the working of his heavenly Father, we are unable to believe in him and come to him. The Father does this work of winning and wooing us to faith through the Holy Spirit (cf. 1 Co 2:9-10). The Holy Spirit brings us to faith by supplying us with the Bread of Life, the truth about Jesus our Savior. Apart from the working of the Holy Trinity, our faith in Jesus would be an impossible task for us.
Attendance
Emmanuel
St. John’s
7-31
12
8-1
57
108
8-7
8-8
50
St. John’s Altar Committee for August 2021:Lucy Laun&Kathy North
●●● Welcome To Our Visitors! Find & Like us on Facebook Visit our website:www.stjohnsmontello.org Pastor Peter Zietlow: (608) 408-7830, E-mail:zietlowPL6@hotmail.com Little Lambs Director & Teacher Mrs. Lynn Sellnow: 616-826-0816 K, 1st & 2nd Grade Teacher Ms. Shelley Myers: 920-285-7554 3rd-5th Grade Teacher Ms. Katlynn Tindall: 262-352-7021 Principal & 6th – 8th Grade Teacher Mr. Larry Sellnow:616-822-6689, Email: principal@stjohnsmontello.org Church & School Secretary/Office Ciara Neuhauser: (608) 297-2866 Church & School Address/Mail: 313 E Montello St, Montello, WI 53949 Church & School E-mail:scsecretary@stjohnsmontello.org ●●●
For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers and sisters, that our ancestors were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea. They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. They all ate the same spiritual food and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ. 1 Corinthians 10:1-4
In his first letter to his Christian friends in the city of Corinth, the apostle Paul mentioned some of the most famous moments in Israel’s 40 years in the desert. He talked about the pillar of cloud God placed over them, the time God parted the Red Sea for them, and the miraculous ways God provided food and water in the desert every day of their 40-year desert wandering. But he mentioned one other important thing. Four times in these four verses, he used the word “all.” All of Israel saw the same things. They all saw God going with them. They all saw God working for them. They all saw God providing for them all, even in impossible situations.
If you compare the people of Israel with the people of Corinth, they were incredibly different—different genetics, histories, skin color, economic situations, music preferences, entertainment, and styles of clothing. But there was one important thing they had in common that Paul wanted them to value above everything. They had the same God. The same rock. And “That rock was Christ,” he said.
The apostle Paul would say the same to you and me two thousand years after he wrote his letter to the Corinthian Christians: Jesus Christ is our rock. This means that: wherever you live in the world; whether your skin is pale white, dark as night, or anything in between; whether the people around you treat you like a celebrity or a nobody, whether you are dirt poor or phenomenally wealthy, whether your sins are well-known to everyone or only to you, you can rely on Jesus. He is your rock.
Prayer:
Father in heaven, establish my feet firmly on the work of Jesus Christ, my rock, and my Redeemer. Amen.
In the desert the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the LORD’s hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death.” . . . The LORD said to Moses, “I have heard the grumbling of the Israelites. Tell them, ‘At twilight you will eat meat, and in the morning you will be filled with bread. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God.’” Exodus 16:2,3,11,12
Our bodies need food to live. That is just as true for us as it was for the nation of Israel during their 40 years of wandering through the wilderness. They needed food to live. So God gave them food. God literally made it rain bread. For 40 years. But the main reason he did wasn’t to fill their bellies. He told them he did it so that “you will know that I am the LORD your God.” When they saw the manna, God wanted them to see the kindness of the God who gave it to them. And, at first, they did. But eventually, when they got tired of eating the same food day after day, they started complaining that they wanted something different. They weren’t grateful to receive whatever God sent them. Rather, they wanted the right to tell God how he should be taking care of them. They didn’t want to see God as much as they wanted to be God.
Like the manna, there are a lot of very good things God gives us in our lives—food, health, job, relaxation, family, friends, money, and possessions. But if, like Israel, we start complaining when those gifts aren’t all we would like them to be, we commit the same terrible sin of telling God how to be God.
Jesus came to give us a better way to live. His work as our Savior allows us to live each day without wondering if we are forgiven for all the times we have told God how to be God. His work for us allows us to live each day knowing that our fragile existence has God’s undivided attention. And he will not fail to provide all that is needed as he leads us to the perfectly satisfying future that has already been prepared for us in heaven.
Prayer:
Father in heaven, thank you for all the gifts you graciously give me. Amen.
Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?” Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.” John 6:28,29
When Jesus promised the crowd a bread that would always satisfy and never spoil—they asked him a very natural question. “What must we do to get it?” We all ask what must I do in many categories of our lives.
What must I do to live a long and healthy life?
What must I do to have a good marriage?
What must I do to make sure my children turn out well?
What must I do to find the results for which I’m looking?
Those are important questions, and we are wise when we apply the best-known answers to our lives. But when the crowd asked Jesus what they must do in order to never feel hungry again, Jesus didn’t tell them to do anything. Instead, Jesus told them, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”
Jesus knows we cannot do the works that would make us worthy of eternal life. This is precisely why Jesus came into this world–to do the works for us that we could not do for ourselves.
That’s why Jesus didn’t tell the crowd to do anything but “believe in the one God has sent.” In other words, he wanted them to stop working so hard to find the acceptance, love, forgiveness, and approval from God that had already been given them in himself. Jesus tells us the same–trust that Jesus has done everything necessary for you to enjoy eternal life with him.
Prayer:
Father in heaven, thank you for sending Jesus, my Savior who never fails to satisfy my soul. Amen.
Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw the signs I performed but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him God the Father has placed his seal of approval” . . . Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” John 6:26,27,35
There is a park in Arkansas called Crater of Diamonds State Park. Inside is a 37.5-acre field in which anyone can go and look for diamonds, and you get to keep any diamonds you find. A few years ago, a woman found a 3.69-carat diamond. The diamond was worth about $20,000. The year before, someone found a 6-carat diamond. The largest diamond ever found was a 40-carat gem called the “Uncle Sam” diamond–worth over $50 million.
But these are the exceptions. Most people who look for diamonds in this large field don’t find anything, no matter how hard they look, no matter how long they stay. Everyone hopes to find the very best diamonds. But the vast majority end up disappointed.
The group to whom Jesus was speaking in John chapter 6 never wanted to feel disappointed again. One day earlier, Jesus used five loaves of bread and two small fish to miraculously satisfy the hunger of thousands. But do you know what happened the next day? The same thing that does the day after we eat even the most satisfying meal. Their bellies were hungry again. So they came to Jesus, who then promised them a food that would never fail to satisfy them.
But he wasn’t talking about food for their bellies. He was talking about nourishment that would never fail to feed their hurting hearts and sinful souls. He was talking about himself—the one who would feed their souls with forgiveness by his sacrificial death and fill their hearts with hope by his resurrection.
He was pointing them and us to the Bread of Life, who will never disappoint us.
Prayer:
Father in heaven, as I listen to your Word, feed me with the living bread that will never fail to satisfy. Amen.
Then Amaziah the priest of Bethel sent a message to Jeroboam king of Israel: “Amos is raising a conspiracy against you in the very heart of Israel. The land cannot bear all his words. For this is what Amos is saying: “‘Jeroboam will die by the sword, and Israel will surely go into exile, away from their native land.’” Then Amaziah said to Amos, “Get out, you seer! Go back to the land of Judah. Earn your bread there and do your prophesying there. Don’t prophesy anymore at Bethel, because this is the king’s sanctuary and the temple of the kingdom.” Amos answered Amaziah, “I was neither a prophet nor the son of a prophet, but I was a shepherd, and I also took care of sycamore-fig trees. But the LORD took me from tending the flock and said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to my people Israel.’” Amos 7:10-15
Remember when your mother sent you to tell your sibling that it was time to come in from playing outside, and your sibling said, “No, it’s not!” That’s a pretty good illustration of what was happening in the days of Amos the prophet. God sent Amos to warn the Israelites to turn from their sins. Amos assured them that “This is what the LORD says!” But, most of the people didn’t want to listen. Amaziah was a false priest who told Amos, “Get out of here! You’re a liar!” Amaziah didn’t like what God was saying.
Sometimes we don’t like what God says to us, either. We especially don’t like it when he warns us about our pet sins—our drunkenness, our materialism, our lust, our gossip. It hurts when God’s Word condemns our sins.
It may hurt to face the truth of our sins, but it will hurt much more and much longer if we ignore the reality of our sins. Instead, may God help us to confess those sins and then look to the cross of Christ where there is forgiveness. Because as serious as God is about telling us about our sins, he is just as serious about telling us about how he saved us from those sins. Let us listen carefully whenever God speaks to us through his Word!
Prayer:
Loving Father, thank you for your Word and for those who faithfully share that Word with me. Help me to listen carefully so that I might repent of my sins and find comfort in my Savior. Amen.
After the people saw the sign Jesus performed, they began to say, “Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.” Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself. John 6:14,15
Jesus had just fed more than five thousand people with five loaves of bread and two small fish. One can only marvel at Jesus’ power to feed so many people with such limited resources. It almost makes you think, “What if Jesus could do this every day?” Worldwide hunger could become a thing of the past. Next, sickness and homelessness could be eliminated.
It all sounds good, but is this why Jesus came? There were those who would have been happy to have Jesus just take care of them. Feed me. Make life easier for me. Be my king, and make my life free from effort, sacrifice, and problems.
It is tempting to make Jesus into a “bread-king” and have every want and desire filled. But what about my real needs? Who would respond to my need for forgiveness? Who would resolve my natural animosity toward God? Who would give me hope in the face of sickness and death? I need Jesus to be the Savior God sent him to be.
This is why Jesus came. He came to live for me, bleed for me, die for me, and rise for me. He came to answer my greatest need. He came to conquer my greatest fear.
It is easy to confuse what I want Jesus to be with what I need Jesus to be. When I am uncertain, I need to look to the cross. There I can see Jesus, the Savior I truly need.
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, thank you for being the kind of king I truly need. Amen.
When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.” So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten. John 6:12,13
Perhaps you have seen the picture that is a classic found on many dining room walls: a grandfatherly-type figure wearing a green flannel shirt. His hands are folded. His eyes are closed. And in front of him sits on fine china—a 16 oz. ribeye, baked potato, grilled asparagus, and an elegant tiramisu for dessert.
Ok, maybe that is not the classic picture. But the classic picture does have a grandfatherly-type figure wearing a green flannel shirt. And in front of him sits a bowl of soup and a baguette. That’s it. Yet his hands are still folded, and his eyes are still closed.
It would be nice to be so content! We live in a society that is constantly looking for more. And we get caught up in it. We need the newest phone, the trendiest clothes, the best latte. It’s easy to not be satisfied. But when we snap out of our materialistic mindset and stop comparing ourselves to others and start counting our blessings, we soon realize that the Lord has provided, and he’s provided us with plenty.
That lesson was not lost on the disciples at the feeding of the 5,000. After Jesus fed the crowd to the point that they had “as much as they wanted” (John 6:11), he turned the disciples into busboys to clear the grassy table. “They filled twelve baskets” (John 6:13) of leftovers. The people had more than enough, but so did the disciples.
But it’s not bread in our bellies that leads to contentment. The secret to contentment is not a what, but a who—that who is Jesus. Go back to the classic picture described above. I neglected to share one more item sitting in front of the grateful grandfather—besides the bowl and baguette was also the Bible. That’s what led him to fold his hands. That’s what led him to close his eyes in prayer. He had all this and Jesus, too.
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, open my eyes to see all the blessings in my life and give me a heart of contentment. Amen.
Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” There was plenty of grass in that place, and they sat down (about five thousand men were there). Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish. John 6:10,11
“Do you believe in miracles?” Ever since the 1980 Olympics, that phrase has been identified as one of the most famous play calls by a sports announcer. Long before Al Michaels ever said those words regarding a hockey victory, Jesus subtly implied the same question. Picture the scene: Jesus’ disciples are running around frantic. “How in all the world are we supposed to feed all these people? Do you know how much that’s going to cost? We have one little boy’s lunch, but how far will that take us?”
And what does Jesus do? Amid the chaos, he calmly says, “Have the people sit down” (John 6:10). It’s not written, but it’s certainly implied that when Jesus gives those orders to his disciples, he’s asking, “Do you believe in miracles?” He already has in mind what he is going to do. And he already has the means. In hockey terms, all that is left was to put the puck in the net. All that is left for Jesus is to complete the miracle. And that’s exactly what Jesus does, “Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish” (John 6:11).
While the miracle is the key point of this lesson, signaling that Jesus is exactly who he claimed to be, namely the Son of God, let’s not miss how Jesus sets up the miracle. It’s so easy for us to run around in chaos, wondering how we’re going to accomplish this task or pay for that task. But before Jesus steps in and shows himself, he calmly asks, “Do you believe in miracles?” And he instructs us to take a seat and watch him go to work.
“Have the people sit down.” What a beautiful reminder that it’s not our activity that brings about miraculous changes. It’s Jesus. Only Jesus. So grab a seat, hear him speak to you in his Word, and marvel at the miracles that our Savior has done and continues to do for you.
Prayer:
Lord, take the pressure off my shoulders and lead me to have a seat and ponder the miracles of your love and care. Amen.
Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.
Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.
