Abbeville progress., 1914-06-06

- M@g@ blessed and multi
piled by the Mas
ter The multitude cared not for the
miracle-they were willing to follow
a man who could feed such a throng
with such a scant supply. Jesus uses
the occasion and their curiosity to
teach them that great lesson of which
the miracle of feeotng was only
faint shadow: Himself the only real
supply for the hungry soul-he that
cometh to me shall never hunger.
The indispensable Christ.
This is one of the familiar and ia
nous Il ans" found in this Gospel
by John. 6:35, am the bread of life;
S:12. l am the light of the world;
S:5S, before Abraham was, | am;
1919, / am the door; 10:11, | am the
good shepherd; 11:25. am the resur-
rection and the life; 1876, l am the
way. the truth, and the life; 1875.
am the vine, ye are the branches.
These pictures are parallels linking
Jesus with the vital fundamental
forces of the universe. setting forth
the tenderest and dearest sugges-
tions. touching the things We all
need, and assuring us Of safety, knowl-
edge, and fulness of life. II you are
a Christian and there is any lack in
your life. it is only because you have
not appropriated Christ for your daily
need. II you are not Christian. you
need wait no longer, for this same
Jesus is able to meet that need OF
yours. even to save unto the utter
most.
Think of him as the Indispensable
Christ. for that is what bread is to
us, the very staff of life. Here, in
the story of the miracle, Jesus says.
You marvel because l have fed the
body, and you would perish without
nourishment such as l have provided;
but your souls are In greater need.
and they will perish forever II they
are not fed: behold, am the bread OF
life; he that cometh to me shall never
hunger; he that eateth of this bread
shall live forever" Just as bread is
a necessity of our physical life, Jesus
is the real deep need of the human
soul No lesson is more important
than this, in a time when men are
trying everywhere else except in Jesus
to find satisfaction and sustenance and
safety.
Consider the process by which we
get Christ as the food for the soul.
Verse 35, He that cometh to me shall
never hunger: and he that believeth
on me shall never thirst; V. 81, II
any man eat Of this bread he shall
live forever; v. "a. Whose eateth my
flesh. and drinketh my blood. hath
eternal life; v. Sc. He that eateth my
In me. and 1 in him; v. 5S, He that
eateth of this bread shall live for
ever. Here we have a simple process
but a profound truth, and Christ sets
himself forth as the same food for
all souls; he Is not one thing to the
rich man and another to the man
who cannot afford the luxury-he is
the bread of life; just that to the man
who could pay a fabulous sum. and
just that to the man who has no
money. And yet the cost of bread
Is great: the seed is cast into the
ground and dies before the stalk ap-
pears; the grain must be cut down by
the reapers; there Is the severe proc
ess of grinding: and finally, the in
tense heat of the fire which perfects
and completes the process. Christ
could not be the bread of life apart
from the garden, the cross, the tomb
"Ye were redeemed with the
precious blood of Christ, as Of a lamb
without 'blemish and without spot"
The Place Of Faith.
If you come home at night, after the
severe toll of the day, how do you get
nourishment out of the bread set be-
fore you at the evening meal? By
discoursing about the constituent
parts which make up the loaf of
bread? By praising the love and the
skill of the hands which provided the
bread? By admiration of the form
of flavor of the loaf? No, no; but by
the homely but necessary process of
appropriation. Hereby learn a lesson
for that deep hunger which your soul
feels-appropriate Christ, who says. [
am the bread of life; he that cometh
unto me shall never hunger. Let
your faith lay hold Of him. His gra-
cious promise Is a present tense
Whose eateth my flesh, and drinketh
by blood, hath eternal life" You
say. this is hard to understand. Do
you hesitate about the appropriation
of daily bread because there are
things you cannot understand? IL you
do, you will die.
Once more: Can you understand how
bread builds you up? And faith in
Christ will make your soul grow,
though you do not understand the
mystery. Hear also that other pre-
cious promise: Him that cometh to
me | will in no wise cast out"
Wherefore do ye spend money for
that which is not bread? And your
labor for that which satisfieth not ?"
Answer for yourself: What will you
do without Jesus? Why not accept
him now? Lord, evermore give us
this bread" Give us, this day, our
daily bread"