The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1891-08-19
SABBATH SCHOOL.
INTERNATIONAL LESSON FOR
AUGUST 23.
Lesson Text: "Christ the Bread of
Life" John vi, 26-4O-Goiden
Text: John vi, 34-Com-
mentary.

&C. "Jesus answered them and said, Verify,
verify, l say unto you, Ye seek Ne. not be-
cause ye saw the miracles, but because ye
did eat Of the loaves and were filed" Having
fed the hungry thousands He sent His disci-
| Piles away by boat across the sea while He
went away alone into mountain to pray.
Later He went to them walking Oh the sea,
In the midst Of great storm, and as soon as
they received Him into the boat they were
at the land. Next day the multitudes re-
turn across the sea seeking Him, and having
found Him they ask, rabbi, when camest
Thou hither?'
81. Labor not for the meat which per-
isheth. but for that meat which cndureth
unto everlasting life, which the Son Of Man
shall give unto YOU" Wo are reminded of
the question in lisa. w., g Wherefore do We
spend money for that which is not bread?
! And your labor for that which satisfieth note
Hearken diligently unto Me, and eat ye that
| which is good. and let your soul delight itself
| IN 1atness." Also Ps. xiii, s. My soul shall
| be satisfied, as with marrow and fatness."
| For Him hath God the Father sealed"
| This is given as the reason why the Son of
| Man is qualified to give the meat which en-
| dureth.
q. Then said they unto Him. What shall
we do that we might work the works of God?"
He spoke of giving them enduring meat as
His gift. They talk Of doing something, so
blind were they and so blind are we to
Gods way. How much had they done in
the matter of being fed little while before
on the other side OF the sea? Just so much
could they do and no more in reference to
obtaining this enduring meat.
29. Jesus answered and said unto them.
This is the work of God, that ye believe on
Him whom He hath sent" They spoke of
doing the works of God. He speaks of the
work OF God, for it is impossible for God to
work through instruments which He does
not control. To believe on Him is to receive
Him John j., 12) and no amount of knowl-
edge of Him will give life apart from re.
ceiving Him as Gods gift to U.S.
10. They said, therefore, unto Him.
What sign showest Thou, then, that we NAV
SEQ and believe Thee! What dost thou
work" 1t does not seem possible that those
who had so recently witnessed the multipli-
cation Of five loaves and two fishes to feed
five thousand men could ask for a sign, or
that those who had seen so many Of His
miracles tyerse two) could say, what dost
Thou worky Had they not seen enough?
And yet they ask that they may see. Are
they blind? Yes, truly their heart is waxed
gross. and their ears are dull of hearing, and
their eyes they have closed lest they should
see and hear and understand, and be con-
verted and healed.
81. "Our fathers did cat mamma in the
desert; as it is written, He gave them bread
from heaven to eat" Reminding Him that
in the wilderness the people were fed with
mamma every day, and doubtless saying in
their hearts, you fed us yesterday, it is
true, but now feed us again to-day, as Moses
did our fathers" Thus they proved that the
testimony OF Jesus concerning them was
true verso 26, that they sought Him only
because He fed them with food for their
bodies.
80 Then Jesus said unto them, Verify.
verify, 1 say unto you. Moses gave you not
that bread from heaven; but My Father
giveth you the true bread from heaven" He
would direct their thoughts not to Moses,
nor even to Himself, but to the Father in
heaven This He always did.
:3. "For the bread OF God is He which
cometh down from heaven and giveth h.e
unto the world Bread is mentioned in this
chapter sixteen times, and at least ten times it
! refers to the True Bread. By considering
verses 81, 81. "a, e, Al, 4S So 81, 50 and
their context, it will be seen that He is Him
SELF the True Bread and that we are to eat
Him, or eat His flesh and drink His blood
(verses $3.50, which, by comparing verses 81
and II. will be seen 10 mean that we are to
belieTc on Him, for there are not two ways
Of obtaining eternal lite.
34 "lhen said they unto Him, Lord, ever
more give US this bree d." Like the woman
at the we'll, VINO said. "!Sir, give me this
water, that thirst not, neither come hither
to draw" tchapter iv., l5), she thought only
Of natura! water, and they think only of
natural bread. Our temptation is to think
more of the gifts than of the giver, and to
be ever asking Him for that which we have
in Him.
35 And Jesus said unto them, am the
bread of life, he that cometh to Mo shall
never hunger, and he that believeth on Me
shall never thirst" Continuing the thoughts
o: the LAST verse tnae He is our forgiveness
our peace, our assurance. our salvation, read
such words as Eph. j., 6. Z: ii. Il; II Tim j.,
II: Iss., xii, y, and do as the people did
with the words of Hezekiah, rest yourself
upon these words tt Chron. xxxii.. 81 and
you will know the meaning of this verse Of
our lesson. Hunger and thrist' is phrase
embracing all individual needs and unsatis-
fled desires OF man, i'll all their variety.
g. But said unto you. That ye also
have seen Me and believe not" There are
some of you that believe not ''Ye will
not come to Me-" "How ctten would 1, and
yewould not" I'm returning and rest shall
ye he saved. and We would not They de-
spised the pleasant land; they believed nob
His word.H They could not enter in be
cause Of unbelief" verse a.; chapter v, ~.
Matt xiii, 81; Isa. Xxx, Is; Ps. cvi., ~;
Heb. ill.,, 1y. Such is the sad refrain ali
through Scripture, while the loving, tender
heart Of God is seen in such words as these:
lob, that My people had hearkened unto
Me, and Israel had walked in My waysl Il ~
He should have fed them also with the finest
OF the wheat. and with honey out of the
rock should have satisfied thee" (Ps. lxxxi.,
1915.
81. .tAll that the Father giveth Me shall
come 70 Me: and him that cometh to Me /
will in no wise cast out" The last part of
this verse is familiar to all Bible readers and
gospel hearers, and has given rest to many
soul which. having come to Christ, has gone
on rejoicing and saying, Thank God am
net cast out, have His word for it; and il
not cast out am cast in, I am saved" But
the first part we do not hear so much about.
for it seems to teach an election, some given
and some not given, and this troubles many
who will not open their eyes to see the whole
truth
IS For I came down from heaven, not to
do Mine OWN will, but the will Of Him that
sent Me-" He ught not His own, will but
the will of God the Father, which He de-
lighted to do .Ps. 1l., 81. He sought not His
own glory, but in all things glorlfed God
(chap. viii, 50: xvii. a..
39 ''And this is tho Fathers will which
hath sent Me, that Of all which He hath Civ
en- Me | should lose nothing, but should raise
it up again at the last day" The elect will
not enjoy perfect redemption till the resur-
rectiou Of the just at the coming of Christ
for His saints Luke xiv, IA; l Thess. iv., 10
1S). They may have perfect peace here and
now; they viii have at death as perfect bliss
as au unclothed spirit can have, but only
at the first resurrection will they have re-
deemed body and fully enjoy perfected re-