In John 6:44 we are told that God the Father “draws” people to Jesus!

Then in John 12:23 Jesus says that He Himself will “draw” men unto Himself. Excuse the redundancy please.

And in John 15:26 the Holy Spirit is clearly said to “testify” of Jesus, implying an act of drawing men and women to Christ as Saviour! The Spirit also “convicts” (“reproves”) people of sin as well, luring them toward Jesus! See John 16:8 for proof.

The Trinity, the Godhead … loving, nudging, wooing humankind to Salvation!

No wonder the Bible has so many great “whosoever will may come” verses! Romans 10:13 is coming to mind.

The New Testament verb for “drawing,” used twice in the above cited References … is spelled “helkuo.” It means “to lead,” particularly in a non-abusive way.

But I read a little note (I forgot to say) by a distinguished Bible scholar and able linguist who remarked that “helkuo” in the New Testament (found only 8 times in all) always implies opposition to the leading the verb represents!

The the good Doctor added … “opposition that can be resisted!”

Wow!

Yes, I see in the Bible times when men and women were clearly drawn to the Lord, only to turn and walk away!

Grace that is resistible!

God loves us enough to allow us to choose!

Something else I left out of our Bible Study video on John 6:41-51 … Jesus claims for Himself “Bread of Life” Status four times between verses 35 and 51! This Title or Name for Jesus must be critically important!

Our Paragraph here also uses the word “murmuring” (grumbling) a couple of times. Complaining like the Jewish people did long ago in the wilderness, under Moses’ leadership.

In Exodus 15:24 they grumbled about no water! In Exodus 16:3 they murmured about no bread, no food!

So Jesus names Himself as “living water” in John chapter 4 and as “living bread” in John 6.

Yet these Jews are still unhappy!

It just seems that in a 30 minute Bible Class one can’t say all that should be mentioned, hence this Article today.

Study with us.

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

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We have been studying (in our “Evening Meditation” Bible Classes) John chapter 6. It contains a total of 71 verses, and a lot of red ink in my Bible! (Which expresses all the Words of Jesus in that bright color, to mark them as vitally important.)

Come to think of it, John chapters 3 and 4 and 5 are loaded with “red” as well! As will be (our next chapters to study, the Lord willing) John 7 and 8 and 9, etc. (Nearly the rest of the Book of John until Jesus’ arrest and crucifixion.)

Jesus’ very Words!

I say Jesus’ Words, but He said … “The words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me.” John 14:10, so God the Father’s Very Words!

But what about those Words?

Why a Lesson on the Website (“I forgot to say”) about their significance? These “red Words?”

Something Paul wrote one day.

In 1st Timothy 6:3 he called Jesus’ Words “wholesome words!” The adjective here (spelled in Greek “hugies”) gives us the common English word “hygiene!” And it does mean “wholesome,” but in this sense … “sound” or even “healthy!” 

This at least identifies Jesus’ Words (though all the Bible is divinely Holy-Spirit inspired) as particularly “helpful.”

But Paul says even more in 1st Timothy 6:3 … “Wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness.”

Wow!

Now our Lord’s Words are both “wholesome” and prone to produce “godliness” in our lives!

Doubly powerful!

They are here said to both keep me clean (on the outside) and keep me holy, godly (on the inside)!

That’s why, two reasons anyway, Jesus’ Word are often (in many Bibles) distinguished in some visible way.

I though this point was well worth making, since I forgot to say it in our current video Bible Study!

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

What a Saviour we have!

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That’s what one writer called the “issue” in John 6:25-31. (We have a 30 minute video Bible Class available on this Text on our YouTube channel.) He called the spiritual disease the Jews (not all Jews, primarily their leaders) had in John 6 … “more-ism!” (Actually he did not hyphenate the word, “moreism.”)

Specifically John 6:26 lays the foundation for our discussion … “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.”

They were not searching simply for Jesus’ Sake! Just because He is the Son of God! Because He is the Saviour, the Only One Who forgives sin! Not because of God’s Glory, either!

They were searching for their own sake. They wanted more “food” to eat! More “free” benefits! More days “off” work! They wanted a divine ‘hand-out!”

They wanted MORE than just Jesus! They desired Him not for Who He is, but for what He could do! What He could do for them!

Hence the term “moreism!”

Question this morning …

Is Jesus enough for you?

By the way, “moreism” is the basis for the modern day “Prosperity Gospel.” Also now called the “Health and Wealth Gospel.”

“Get saved, the blessings are phenomenal, tons of benefits, always healthy bodies, swelling bank accounts, and much more!” So they promise, preach, emphasize.

What about the countries (a growing number) in the world where getting saved means jail time? Maybe even death, martyrdom?

I see no “moresim” there!

I just see love for Jesus!

Obedience to His Word!

Again I ask you … is Jesus enough!

After all, He is God’s ALL-SUFFICIENT Son!

Just Him!

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

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Jesus was such a supreme Student of Scripture that practically everything He did was based on some Old Testament precedent, some Type or Symbol in the Jewish Scriptures.

To me the following Paragraph from Psalm 107 almost predicts what Jesus did when He saw those 5,000 hungry men and their families, in John chapter 6.

Psalm 107:4-5 … “They wandered in the wilderness in a solitary way; they found no city to dwell in. HUNGRY and thirsty, their soul fainted in them.”

So look what Jesus did!

Psalm 107:9 … “For he satisfieth the longing soul, and FILLETH THE HUNGRY soul with goodness.”

Yes, He fed them!

Then later that same evening, actually in the middle of the next night (the 4th watch) … Jesus saw the Disciples aboard ship!

Psalm 107:23, another Paragraph … “They that go down to the SEA in SHIPS, that do business in great waters.”

Then the storm of John 6 …

Psalm 107:25-27 … “For he (the Lord) commandeth, and raiseth the STORMY WIND, which lifteth up the waves thereof. They mount up to the heaven, they go down again to the depths: their soul is melted because of trouble. They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their WITS’ END.”

What fear!

But Psalm 107:28-30 … “Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses. He maketh the storm a CALM, so that the waves thereof are still.”

Exactly what happened!

Then John 6 adds that “immediately” the ship was at the land!

Psalm 107:30 continues … “Then are they glad because they be quiet; so he BRINGETH them unto their DESIRED HAVEN.”

I may be “stretching” things, but Jesus is that amazing! Jesus and His Bible, what an example He has left us.

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

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A thought I did not have time to include in our online video Bible Class entitled “John 6:14-21 … Jesus Walking on the Sea!”

The Lord, in John 6:20, uses the great Phrase … “I AM!” It’s true that in English those two words are translated “It is I.” But the Greek Text our King James translators followed reads … “EGO EIMI.” No doubt meaning … “I AM.” (Please note … this is in no way a criticism of the beautiful King James Bible!)

John uses these Words of our Lord again and again in His Gospel. Reporting Jesus’ Speech verbatim. “I AM,” claims our Lord! “I AM” is our Lord! (Our King James Bible included … John 6:35 and 8:12 and 10:7 and 10:14 and 11:25 and 14:6 and 15:1, for starters!)

But in John 6 here Jesus adds another Clause … “It is I; be not afraid.”

Since Jesus was (still is) so seeped in the Word of God, the Old Testament included … I thought a search for that “coupling” would be profitable. “I AM” … along with … “FEAR NOT!”

I was amazed at the results of that endeavor …

Here they are … the “I AM” and “FEAR NOT” Couplets of Scripture …

Genesis 26:24 … And the LORD appeared unto him (Isaac) the same night, and said, I am the God of Abraham thy father: fear not, for I am with thee, and will bless thee, and multiply thy seed for my servant Abraham’s sake.

Genesis 46:3 … And he said, I am God, the God of thy father: fear not to go down into Egypt; for I will there make of thee (Jacob) a great nation …

Jeremiah 1:8 … Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee (the Prophet Jeremiah) to deliver thee, saith the LORD.

Jeremiah 1:17-19 … Thou therefore gird up thy loins, and arise, and speak unto them all that I command thee: be not dismayed at their faces, lest I confound thee (Jeremiah again) before them. 18 For, behold, I have made thee this day a defenced city, and an iron pillar, and brasen walls against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, against the princes thereof, against the priests thereof, and against the people of the land. 19 And they shall fight against thee; but they shall not prevail against thee; for I am with thee, saith the LORD, to deliver thee.

Jeremiah 42:11 … Be not afraid of the king of Babylon, of whom ye are afraid; be not afraid of him, saith the LORD: for I am with you to save you, and to deliver you from his hand.

Jeremiah 46:28 … Fear thou not, O Jacob my servant, saith the LORD: for I am with thee; for I will make a full end of all the nations whither I have driven thee: but I will not make a full end of thee, but correct thee in measure; yet will I not leave thee wholly unpunished.

The very practical point being … if the “I AM” is with you … the “FEAR NOT” is automatic!

Hallelujah!

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

With the help of some good commentaries and concordances!

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