How profound the love of Jesus! He is talking about his impending suffering and all the Twelve can think and talk about is the glory they expect to get out of it, and whether someone else might be getting more and therefore too much! Wouldn’t you think that at least when he is describing his coming Passion he would get a little attention, just a bit of sympathy? But no! The perversity of the best of us is indeed deep and profound. But the love and compassion of the Savior is a thousand times deeper and more profound! He does not cast them off; he does not cast us off either. Instead he patiently demonstrates his love and bids us once more to be concerned only with receiving it and then imitating it.

Today is the second of six Sundays focusing on The Depths of God’s Grace! Jesus wants to so deepen our understanding of his grace that he becomes all in all to us. In this series, we will see how truly gracious God is.

• September 17 – An Understanding of God’s Grace Begins With a Heart of Faith
• TODAY – God’s Grace is Focused Outside of Himself
• October 1 – God’s Grace is Found Under His Protective Care [Festival of St. Michael and All Angels
• October 8 – God’s Grace is Found in the Family
• October 15 – God’s Grace is Found in Wealth
• October 22 – God’s Grace is Abundant

Faithfulness and obedience to the Word of God are not merely one aspect of life out of many. They are the all-important matters of life that should be reflected in all of the rest of life. There is a life-and-death struggle going on with us, as Satan strives with all his might to pull us back into sin and unbelief. The only help that avails in that life-and-death struggle is the help of God’s own Word, the covering of the gospel and the confidence of faith which comes from it. Armed with the promises of God, we storm the gates of heaven with our prayers for assistance, in the certainty that God will hear us and in his Word answer us. May our awareness of the battle and of the victory Christ gives permeate all that we do at work and at play, at home and away, in our lives with family, with friends, with foes as well. 
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Over the next six Sundays, we focus on The Depths of God’s Grace. Jesus wants to so deepen our understanding of his grace that he becomes all in all to us. In this series, we will see how truly gracious God is.

• TODAY – An Understanding of God’s Grace Begins With a Heart of Faith
• September 24 - God’s Grace is Focused Outside of Himself
• October 1 - God’s Grace is Found in Under His Protective Care [Festival of St. Michael and All Angels]
• October 8 - God’s Grace is Found in the Family
• October 15 - God’s Grace is Found in Wealth
• October 22 - God’s Grace is Abundant

Today we conclude our series, Jesus and Our Daily Bread. “But Pastor, that just isn’t the way I see it! I think…” What pastor hasn’t heard that a thousand times from the outsider? It is the natural response to every doctrine in the Bible and most importantly, with the chief doctrines of the Bible. Jesus knows that very well. He even delights in it. And so he tells us things in his Word that by ourselves we would never believe. Are the beautiful truths of the gospel, not least those taught by Jesus in John 6, easy for us to grasp? Not at all! In fact for the natural man and his fallen reason they are impossible. But the gospel is not just one religious tradition among many; it is the only truth that gives life and salvation. 

For four Sundays, we have spent our time in the Gospel of St. John, chapter 6. In this chapter, Jesus has shown and taught us that he is “the bread of life.” We have seen the way he provides for our physical needs and heard how he provides for our spiritual needs. Last week we saw how we must fight against putting the needs and wants of this world first. Finally, this week we will see how the message of the Gospel, despite being hard to believe, is the only way to eternal life.