Pastor Ralph Posted December 10, 2015 Report Share Posted December 10, 2015 Q2. (John 6:51; 15:1-5) What do Jesus’ teachings on the Living Bread and the True Vine teach us about drawing from his life? What happens to our vital Life when we rely on ourselves, and stop relying on him? Why is it so hard for us humans to learn the lesson of dependence and trust? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IvoryEagle Posted March 5, 2016 Report Share Posted March 5, 2016 Q2. (John 6:51; 15:1-5) What do Jesus' teachings on the Living Bread and the True Vine teach us about drawing from his life? What happens to our vital Life when we rely on ourselves, and stop relying on him? Why is it so hard for us humans to learn the lesson of dependence and trust? IT IS AS SIMPLE AS FOOD TO THE HUMAN BODY. Everybody wants to lose weight but no one wants to stop eating. Unlike losing weight; He is not asking us to stop eating. Like losing weight, He is asking us to partake of the right food to get the right result. IT IS HARD FOR US AS HUMANS BECAUSE WE CRAVE PLEASURE. Eating the wrong thing will bring the wrong result. Pleasure is always present and presentable until you succumb to it and then the regret. Satan always blurs out the aftermath of taking him up on his offer. The desire blurs our ability to think rather than act. It is why the Bible says take every thought captive. If he can get one thought in; like drugs, you will get addicted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JanMary Posted March 5, 2016 Report Share Posted March 5, 2016 Q2.(John 6:51; 15:1-5) What do Jesus' teachings on the Living Bread and the True Vine teach us about drawing from his life? Bread must be consumed in order to be beneficial. The branch dies if disconnected from the vine. His teaching tells us that in order to function in the world as He intends for us, He must be IN us and we must rely on His strength and His life giving power by yielding to His Lordship and control. What happens to our vital Life when we rely on ourselves, and stop relying on him? We live fruitless lives...existing, but not living. Dim, diminished, and depleted, or like the appliance that won't function because it's unplugged. Why is it so hard for us humans to learn the lesson of dependence and trust? We are born with a tendency to pride. Humility is required In order to admit "I need help and can't do it on my own". Many of us have had parents who were untrustworthy and failed to show by example that it can be safe to trust another. We can't "see" Jesus, so it may feel like jumping off a cliff into thin air if we let go of control. By nature, we want the sure thing, the guarantee...unless we have the dysfunction of enjoying the adrenaline rush of risk. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeannieG Posted March 6, 2016 Report Share Posted March 6, 2016 Q2. (John 6:51; 15:1-5) What do Jesus' teachings on the Living Bread and the True Vine teach us about drawing from his life? My Answer: "I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh." (John 6:51) "Living bread that came down from heaven" is a comparison with the manna in the Wilderness. Though the title doesn't appear in the Bible, Jesus could be thought of as the Living Manna. Jesus' parable of the Vine and the Branches in John 15:1-17 is also a parable of the life-giving nature of the vine. "I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener." (John 15:1) "I am the vine; you are the branches." (John 15:5) Life flows through the vine to the branches and from them to the fruit. What happens to our vital Life when we rely on ourselves, and stop relying on him? My Answer: As a branch that is separated from the vine withers and dies, we lose our strength when we stop drawing on His power by relying on ourselves. Why is it so hard for us humans to learn the lesson of dependence and trust? My Answer: We are stubborn and believe we are the center of the universe, that everything revolves around us, that we are in control as long as we rely on our own strength. Many of us have also been let down by others that we depended on and trusted so now we have built walls to keep others from being able to cause us pain and heartache. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
haar Posted March 7, 2016 Report Share Posted March 7, 2016 Q2. (John 6:51; 15:1-5) What do Jesus' teachings on the Living Bread and the True Vine teach us about drawing from his life? What happens to our vital Life when we rely on ourselves, and stop relying on him? Why is it so hard for us humans to learn the lesson of dependence and trust? Jesus is the Living Bread (His Word) that we need to nourish our souls. Obedience to His Word leads to salvation. Likewise, we need to abide in Him ie. continue to trust in and depend on Him for sustenance of our souls. Thus if we rely on our selves or on any other source, we will starve to spiritual death. Because we are Adamic in nature and thus prodigal sons that wrongly believe we can get sustenance elsewhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hanks Posted March 8, 2016 Report Share Posted March 8, 2016 Q2. (John 6:51; 15:1-5) What do Jesus' teachings on the Living Bread and the True Vine teach us about drawing from His life? What happens to our vital Life when we rely on ourselves, and stop relying on Him? Why is it so hard for us humans to learn the lesson of dependence and trust? We learn that He is the Giver of real life, the life that overcomes the effects of death upon our spirit and soul – eternal life. But this only occurs when we repent and trust in Him as our Saviour. We then, stop relying on ourselves and start relying on Him; spending time in prayer, reading and obeying His Word, fellowshipping with His people, and being continually conscious of our union with Him. We are so self-centred that we always want to be in control of our lives. This makes it is most difficult for us to depend on someone else. Never mind trusting that person. This is what Jesus demands - a total commitment from us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jwmk Posted March 8, 2016 Report Share Posted March 8, 2016 Q2. (John 6:51; 15:1-5) What do Jesus’ teachings on the Living Bread and the True Vine teach us about drawing from his life? What happens to our vital Life when we rely on ourselves, and stop relying on him? Why is it so hard for us humans to learn the lesson of dependence and trust? Apart from Jesus, we can do nothing but if we ask through him we will be able to do so much more. That's a promise we ought to claim instead of depending on our helpless selves yet it's not easy. The tendency is to try all available options before turning it to Jesus. How disappointed he must be with us. Those who hope in God will not grow weary. Our performance in life deteriorates because we grow weary. We need to keep attached to the vine for continuous nourishment. It's our pride that makes us self reliant that's why God brings down the proud and uplifts the humble.Feeding on the bread of life (God's word) is not optional for a christian. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jen Posted March 9, 2016 Report Share Posted March 9, 2016 Q2. (John 6:51; 15:1-5) What do Jesus' teachings on the Living Bread and the True Vine teach us about drawing from his life? What happens to our vital Life when we rely on ourselves, and stop relying on him? Why is it so hard for us humans to learn the lesson of dependence and trust? If Jesus is the bread (He is!) of life and the True Vine (He is!) then we must feed on His Word and pray daily and we should have a desire to nourish our Spirit for it is life to us. If we rely on ourselves and don't rely on Him through His Word and prayer our spiritual life will shrivel up and die and we will become as others who have not Christ (the walking dead). I don't think it is hard to be dependent and trust in this world because before we know Christ we are of this world and think as the world. When we know Him we do easily forget, the world offers many distractions and people easily buy into the world and what it offers so we need to practice spiritual discipline of reading the Word and prayer until it becomes part of us and not just part of our day. God Bless! Jen Romans 15:13 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clarence Posted March 9, 2016 Report Share Posted March 9, 2016 Q2. (John 6:51; 15:1-5) What do Jesus’ teachings on the Living Bread and the True Vine teach us about drawing from his life? What happens to our vital Life when we rely on ourselves, and stop relying on him? Why is it so hard for us humans to learn the lesson of dependence and trust? Jesus life giving illustrations of the bread and the vine is in reference to spiritual life. However, there is a question in my mind regarding this- how much do I depend on God and Jesus for my physical life also? God promises -and there is a theme in the bible that he will provide for my physical needs also (Phillipias 4:19 and John 3:27). There is a sense of life being in vain (all for nothing) when we stop trusting in God for every need (1 John 2:16,17). It is hard to trust in God because mankind has an inbuilt bias of independence from God-a common theme also in the bible, leading to eternal dam nation and trouble Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lighthouse2014 Posted March 10, 2016 Report Share Posted March 10, 2016 Q2. (John 6:51; 15:1-5) What do Jesus’ teachings on the Living Bread and the True Vine teach us about drawing from his life? What happens to our vital Life when we rely on ourselves, and stop relying on him? Why is it so hard for us humans to learn the lesson of dependence and trust? In John 6:51 Jesus tells us "I am the living bread that came down from Heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world". We that believe in him and partake of the Lords supper will have eternal life. John 15:1-2, Jesus tells us "I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. he cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful". If we depend on the Lord for his guidance and obey his commands we will be strengthened in our belief and faith. If we rely on our virtual self with the worlds knowledge, we are denying ourselves of the life offered by Christ. If we stop relying on Jesus we are doomed to fail in life and possibly forfeit our eternal life with him. It is very hard for humans to learn to trust and depend on God, we are born in a world of sin and what it has to offer. To give all this up and trust the Lord who we can not visibly see is hard. This is where our faith and belief come in. To trust God for all our sustenance and being, to know that he is with us where ever we go is faith indeed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taz Posted March 11, 2016 Report Share Posted March 11, 2016 Q2. (John 6:51; 15:1-5) What do Jesus' teachings on the Living Bread and the True Vine teach us about drawing from his life? What happens to our vital Life when we rely on ourselves, and stop relying on him? Why is it so hard for us humans to learn the lesson of dependence and trust? From the first day that Adam and Eve were driven from Eden, mankind has endeavored to be self sufficient. Genesis 3 The former residents of Eden were told that from that day forward, life was going to be hard, filled with sorrow, pain and suffering. They had to work for every bite of food, every bit of comfort, and at the end of their days, the grave waited, from dust to dust. And until the first living person died, they didn't even know what that meant! You can be sure they taught their sons to be self reliant. And in that self reliance came pride, jealousy and murder! When Cain and Seth had children, that the self reliance was passed on and continued through all generations. Genesis 4 I come from a long line of self reliant Scots. No dependency mentality in my family. Even as a little girl, my parents encouraged me to be independent. And that mentality has been, and still is, the hardest thing for me to "bring into captivity to the obedience of Christ." 2 Corinthians 10:5 Even when we are born again we struggle with self achievement, self awareness, self satisfaction, just plain old SELF. And the world is always encouraging self esteem. But if we are concerned with self, we are not relying on Him the way He wants us to. In John 6:27-28, Jesus told those who had followed Him not to "labor for food which perished, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because GOD the Father has set His seal on Him. Then they said to Him, "What shall we do, that we may work the works of GOD?" The first thing I noticed about their question was that it was all about "self." They had just heard Him say that He, the Son of Man, the One on Whom GOD Himself had set His seal, could give them "food which endures to everlasting life." And instead of falling on their faces and asking Him for that food, they asked instead what they themselves had to do in order to do what He was doing, what GOD could do. As the "bread of life" (John 6:48-51) Jesus was offering eternal life, but all they could think about was a bit of personal glory. It reminds me of the verses in Mark 10 where James and John asked Jesus to do for them what they asked, which was that they each be given a seat next to Him in His glory. How presumptuous was that? And in Luke 9 we can read of the argument between His disciples over who would be the greatest. Again, such presumption. As Christ Himself tells us that He is 'the true vine" (John 15) and every branch must bear fruit, we can see what He expects from us. But it can't be accomplished unless we "abide" in Him, that is remaining in Him, regardless of what is going on around us. There are at least seven verses in the Book of Proverbs that speak to us of the dangers of pride. But in my thinking the greatest verse is Proverbs 16:18, "Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall." And the moment we cease to depend on Him for every thing in our lives, we have begun to walk in pride which will lead only to destruction, to a fall. There is nothing more tragic than a Christian who believes that their path, the footsteps they lay out for themselves will accomplish something for GOD, or for their own success for that matter. In Philippians 2, the Apostle Paul says (vs 3-4), "Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others." As Paul continues, he explains true humility as it is exemplified by our LORD Jesus Christ, Who, without hesitation, gave up the right to use His deity on earth, making Himself "of no reputation", that is, seen only as a man, "being found in appearance as a man. He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross." (vs 8) Though it is the most difficult thing to do, because we are by nature rebellious and disobedient, if by and through His Word, we will direct our minds, seeking and striving to do as the apostle says to do, that is, "let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus" (vs 5) allowing His humility to rule us in the place of our own interests and plans, "bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ" (2 Corinthians 10:5), GOD's good will, His benevolence which is His pleasure, will be accomplished in us! (Philippians 2:13) What greater satisfaction can a Christian have than to know that GOD's work in us has brought Him pleasure and delight! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
van Posted March 11, 2016 Report Share Posted March 11, 2016 If we draw on His life we have no need for worrying about things in His material world because Christ provides for our needs. When we stop relying on Him all kind of things happen that takes us out of the comfort zone we were in when we relied on Christ. Because of our selfish nature that tells us we don't need anyone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Debra Grant Posted March 12, 2016 Report Share Posted March 12, 2016 The Life-GiverQ2. (John 6:51; 15:1-5) What do Jesus' teachings on the Living Bread and the True Vine teach us about drawing from his life? What happens to our vital Life when we rely on ourselves, and stop relying on him? Why is it so hard for us humans to learn the lesson of dependence and trust? 1.Of course, the phrase "bread of life" means "bread which brings life." "I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh." (John 6:51) He gave his flesh for us on the cross. It causes us to live for ever if we eat of the living bread. 2. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have Life. We then will no have Jesus and will be heading to hell. 3. People rather please the flesh and not obey God. If it feels good to the flesh and please others, they think that is satisfaction. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charisbarak Posted March 12, 2016 Report Share Posted March 12, 2016 The Living Bread gives us life and we do not hunger anymore. The branches need to be dependent on the vine. We branches are useless if we're disconnected from the vine. Our vitality and fruit disappear. The world worships independence--"you can do it yourself!" mentality. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stanley Tavaziva Posted March 15, 2016 Report Share Posted March 15, 2016 Q2. (John 6:51; 15:1-5) What do Jesus' teachings on the Living Bread and the True Vine teach us about drawing from his life? What happens to our vital Life when we rely on ourselves, and stop relying on him? Why is it so hard for us humans to learn the lesson of dependence and trust? "I am the Bread that came down from heaven" (John 6:41-51). The manna God provided for the Israelites during the Exodus is a picture of Jesus as the "living Bread." When God's people traveled through the wilderness, they had to depend on God to provide their food supernaturally. God provided the food in a way that would also teach the people something about their relationship with Him. Every day God gave enough food for that day. No one could gather more than a day's supply. There had to be a continual, constant dependence on God; He was the only source of sustenance. How can Jesus give us his flesh as bread to eat? To eat living bread means to accept Christ into our lives and become united with him. We are united with Christ in two ways: (1) by believing in his death (the sacrifice of his flesh) and resurrection and (2) by devoting ourselves to living as he requires, depending on his teaching for guidance and trusting in the Holy Spirit for power. Christ is the vine, and God is the gardener who cares for the branches to make them fruitful. The branches are all those who claim to be followers of Christ. The fruitful branches are true believers who by their living union with Christ produce much fruit. But those who become unproductive—those who turn back from following Christ after making a superficial commitment—will be separated from the vine. Unproductive followers are as good as dead and will be cut off and tossed aside. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annelle Posted March 16, 2016 Report Share Posted March 16, 2016 Q2. (John 6:51; 15:1-5) What do Jesus’ teachings on the Living Bread and the True Vine teach us about drawing from his life? Jesus teaches us that we desperately need Him for everything just like the leaves need the vine to survive we are totally dependant on Him. What happens to our vital Life when we rely on ourselves, and stop relying on him? Our spiritual selves wither and become a poorly mishapen dry twig. Why is it so hard for us humans to learn the lesson of dependence and trust? It is because of the selfish nature we carry with us. We are so worried that we will not get what want, and sometimes we do not even trust ourselves. We want to make our own decisions and walk our own perfect(in our eyes) road. Luckily God will help us learn dependance and trust if we allow Him to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Commissioned Posted March 27, 2016 Report Share Posted March 27, 2016 Q2. (John 6:51; 15:1-5) What do Jesus’ teachings on the Living Bread and the True Vine teach us about drawing from his life? What happens to our vital Life when we rely on ourselves, and stop relying on him? Why is it so hard for us humans to learn the lesson of dependence and trust? Jesus' teachings on the Living Bread and the True Vine teach us that if we eat of this living bread we will have eternal life, living forever. And once we’ve eaten of the living bread we can be sustained by staying attached to the branch that will feed us the true vine. When we rely on ourselves and not on the living bread and the true vine we will find ourselves weak and powerless to withstand the evil of this world and it could lead us to forfeit eternal life. True, it is sometimes hard for us to remain grounded in the place where we fully depend and trust in the Word of God and believe that all of His promises are yea and amen and that they are for us. We need only BELIEVE. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Jerry Posted March 29, 2016 Report Share Posted March 29, 2016 Jesus’ teachings on the Living Bread and the True Vine teaches us that we are to be living in Jesus and drawing our energy from him and staying in him at all times. When we rely on our vital Live we will wither and not be any good for Jesus. It hard for us humans to learn the lesson of dependence and trust because we want to be independent and want to do things on our own. We think that we can do it better then relying on God for our help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Godswriter Posted July 23, 2018 Report Share Posted July 23, 2018 The Living Bread is Jesus’ life and flesh. His flesh was meant to save the life of the world. Here our Lord plainly declares what His death will mean to the world. It meant His death would be vicarious sacrifice and atonement for the sins of the world. No soul could be preserved unless the bread of life was given meaning Christ’s life. In the discourse of the True Vine according to the Adam Clarke Commentary it states this: the Vinedresser will remove any unfruitful vines who don’t draw upon Christ at all. Our vital life dries up and we are pruned away from the vine because of unfruitfulness. It is so hard for us to learn because we long to self-sufficient and independent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lottie Posted July 28, 2018 Report Share Posted July 28, 2018 It teaches us that we cannot have true life without Him. We cannot get to heaven any other way. It teaches us that we cannot grow as Christians any other way then by getting spiritual food from Him. He “The Word” satisfies our inner spiritual hunger and thirst. We cannot grow unless we are attached to Him. When we rely on ourselves instead of Him we stop growing. We become discouraged and disheartened and lose hope. Then we fall back into our old ways and stop turning to Him. We are easily drawn into temptation and sin then. I believe it is hard because we want to do things on our own. We don’t want to rely on others or Him. We want to be independent and think that we know what to do. We are often prideful and think we know it all. We are often stubborn and rebellious just like the Israelites were. We don’t want to admit we are wrong or have failed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MICHELLE OXLEY Posted September 21, 2018 Report Share Posted September 21, 2018 The Names of Jesus.docx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rosegarden Posted August 20, 2020 Report Share Posted August 20, 2020 On 12/10/2015 at 2:39 PM, Pastor Ralph said: Q2. (John 6:51; 15:1-5) What do Jesus’ teachings on the Living Bread and the True Vine teach us about drawing from his life? What happens to our vital Life when we rely on ourselves, and stop relying on him? Why is it so hard for us humans to learn the lesson of dependence and trust? a. In the wilderness, God's people received Mana from Heaven which sustained them. We need to draw from Jesus, who is the 'True Bread from Heaven", who gives life and eternal life to those who receive Him. Jesus is the True Vine, we are the branches. Abiding in Him and staying connected to Him, we receive Life, apart from Him we can do nothing, in fact, we die spiritually disconnected from the vine. Like a tree, while the branch is connected to the vine, it bears abundant fruit. Only when connected to Jesus, we bear abundant fruit, which is beautiful to the eye and pleasant to the taste of those who eat of it. b. When we rely on ourselves and stop relying on Him, there is no life, we die, we depend on our flesh and not the Holy Spirit. We can try all we like, but all our ways and plans come to nothing. c. It is hard for us humans to learn to depend and trust because of pride, we always think we know better and can run our lives and we want control. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krissi Posted June 6, 2023 Report Share Posted June 6, 2023 The "living bread" and "true vine" are phrases which together bring to mind the eucharist -- the bread and the wine. During the eucharist we are told to "remember" Him, the opposite of thinking of ourselves. We rely on ourselves because we doubt Jesus will pull through for us; we doubt His love and concern for us. In short, we'd rather protect ourselves than trust Him. Yes, this is pride, but it's also an inability to know God as love. It derives from a fear that He will not answer prayer in a loving and good manner. Children naturally trust their parents. As life moves on, that trust becomes qualified. Events have happened that caused us to distrust, not only our parents, but other people in our lives. Trusting God, as an adult, is difficult. Very few of us have not been hurt by someone we had once trusted. Once let down or hurt, our trust become qualified and contingent. Then, we then project that distrust onto God. That's why it's so difficult for some people to trust God -- they've have learned to distrust and are then told to blindly trust again. It's not easy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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