The Bread Which I Will Give
The sermon explores the profound meaning of communion as a daily reception of Jesus' life necessary for eternal life.
G.W. North emphasizes the profound significance of the communion instituted by Jesus, urging that it should not become a mere ritual devoid of meaning. He highlights that Jesus offered His flesh for the life of the world, and true participation in communion requires a deep, daily relationship with Him, rather than just a superficial belief. North warns against the dangers of believing without truly receiving Christ's life, stressing that eternal life comes from a continual exchange of our lives for His. He asserts that without possessing Jesus' eternal life, one cannot rightly partake in communion, as it would lead to spiritual condemnation.
Text
On that dreadful day when the Lord instituted the communion in the upper room, He hoped beyond everything else that those men would understand what He was saying. They witnessed what He was doing, but could He make them see what He meant by it? O that the living truth may reach their hearts and never lose its meaning to them lest it fall into deadening formality and carnal repetition. He had earlier said, 'the bread which I will give is my flesh which I will give for the life of the world; whoso eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood hath eternal life and I will raise him up at the last day'.
However, although at that time He was opening up truth relating to the Communion, He was not then directly speaking of the Communion. He was informing His hearers of the basic facts and means of eternal life, warning them of the dangers of mere believism, that is of believing without receiving. Man can only live by eating and drinking Him every day. The daily exchange of our life for His -- the constant preference for, choice and appropriation of His life above and instead of our own -- is the only continuing means of eternal life.
Although there is an association of ideas linking these two things together, to do this is quite a different thing from partaking of the elements of the communion, and is much more important. Without this, the Communion of the body is utterly impossible, for except a man already has Jesus' eternal life, he has no place at the Lord's communion table, and if he should attend, only eats and drinks damnation to himself.
Sermon Outline
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I
- Introduction to the significance of communion
- The hope of understanding among the disciples
- The importance of living truth
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II
- The meaning of 'the bread which I will give'
- Connection to eternal life
- The necessity of receiving, not just believing
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III
- Daily exchange of life for His
- Choosing His life over our own
- The essence of eternal life
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IV
- Distinction between communion and true participation
- The danger of mere ritual
- The requirement of having Jesus' eternal life
Key Quotes
“The bread which I will give is my flesh which I will give for the life of the world.” — G.W. North
“Man can only live by eating and drinking Him every day.” — G.W. North
“Except a man already has Jesus' eternal life, he has no place at the Lord's communion table.” — G.W. North
Application Points
- Reflect daily on how you are receiving Jesus' life in your own.
- Avoid the trap of ritualistic participation in communion without true understanding.
- Make a conscious choice each day to prioritize Christ's life over your own.