Two Biblical Metaphors for True Life

The Bible is filled with metaphors. We heard some in the sermonette from Mr. Lucas a while ago. A metaphor is a comparison that equates two things without using the words like or as. That's the basic English class definition. I'm not going to quiz you on that, I promise. That's just for your information. Metaphors often make surprising statements, and oftentimes they are intended to do so to make one think, to make one pause and wonder what does that mean. The more we dig into it and look at it, the more that seems to be revealed to us. They are not meant to be understood literally, but they are used as a sort of word picture. They are helpful for us because sometimes metaphors and other figurative language convey meaning to our minds and our hearts in a way that just plain literal language statements do not quite do the same way. Of course, God uses both types of language in His Scripture. Let's look at an example of a metaphor. Let's go to Psalm 18, verse 2 to begin. Psalm 18, verse 2. Let's get there first. I'm going to ask you a question. Psalm 18, verse 2. This is from a psalm of David. And what strikes you as more meaningful? David's metaphors are the statement I'll give you afterwards. Here's the metaphor from Psalm 18, verse 2. The Lord is my rock and my fortress, my deliverer, my God, my strength, in whom I will trust, my shield, in the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. Which is more meaningful to you, that metaphor or the statement, God is our protector? They both are very powerful statements. One is figurative, colorful in that way. The other is a statement of fact. Psalm 23, 1 through 3. Let's look there as well. Just by way of introduction to my topic today. Psalm 23, 1 through 3. You're probably quite familiar with this psalm. So which makes more meaning for you? The first three verses of Psalm 23 are this statement, God is our provider. Here's what David wrote. The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in the paths of righteousness for his namesake. So there's the metaphor, and there's a more trimmed down statement, God is our provider. Which one may mean more to you? Of course, they're both very meaningful. We're going to talk a little bit about metaphors today, but not so much in worrying about the English class definition.

But we're going to study, look at two biblical metaphors for the important spiritual lesson they give us. These two biblical metaphors remind us of vital spiritual action that we need to be applying now and always.

And they are, I am the bread of life and put on Christ. I am the bread of life and put on Christ. We're going to look at those metaphors, study them today, and as we do, we'll be considering how can remembering these two metaphors help us maintain a right relationship with God and a right relationship with our neighbor, especially our brethren.

We're also going to consider how they can help us to avoid worrying so much. You ever notice there seems to be more to worry about in this world? I'm sure that might not be true, but maybe it seems that way for us. How can knowing these metaphors help us to avoid the excessive worry Jesus talks about in his sermon in Matthew 6, for example? We'll also consider that today. I've entitled the sermon, Two Biblical Metaphors for True Life. Two Biblical Metaphors for True Life. Of course, there's many we're going to look at, too, today.

The first metaphor, then, is I am the bread of life.

That has been at the center of our thoughts and actions since Passover and throughout the days of Unleavened Bread. As we're reminded, the Unleavened Bread we ate each day for a week represents our need to be eating of the true bread of life, and also rejecting leaven, which can represent sin.

Let's turn to John 6 and we'll begin in verse 32-35 and read how Jesus used this metaphor and its variations in addressing the multitudes and disciples who followed him on that occasion. Now, we did read a few of these verses we're going to look at today on the night of Passover at a Passover service.

Again, we'll turn to John 6, verses 32-35.

Here we read, Jesus said to them, this multitude of people who had been following him, Then Jesus said to them, Most assuredly I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. From the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world. And then they said to him, Lord, give us this bread always. And Jesus said to them, I am the bread of life. He who comes to me shall never hunger, and he who believes in me shall never thirst.

Now, the response of Jesus' audience there in verse 34, Lord, give us this bread always, it seems to suggest that they took his words in a rather literal fashion. That is, they wanted to eat the physical bread from heaven. They're interpreting it in a literal sense. Now, just to understand why that shouldn't surprise us too much, we need to understand that Jesus had fed many of these people the day before. He had just fed many of these people the day before through a miracle of loaves and fishes. And so if you notice, let's look at verse 26, same chapter, John 6, verse 26, we see that Jesus understood that. Jesus answered them and said most assuredly, I say to you, you seek me not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. And then he adds this, do not labor for the food which perishes, 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. And so we put pieces together here and we can understand that many of this audience were more interested in eating more literal physical food than in grasping or trying to understand his more spiritual meaning here, his figurative meaning through his words. We see more of their literal interpretation of his meaning in verse 47.

Jesus continued speaking, saying, most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in me has everlasting life. I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness and are dead. This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I shall give is my flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world. In many ways he's revealing what he was going to be soon doing. But again, they didn't quite grasp his meaning.

Verse 52, the Jews therefore quarreled among themselves, saying, how can this man give us his flesh to eat? It's a huge puzzle. Now, as amazing as it may seem to us, the Jews seem to have had very little spiritual understanding of his meaning. They couldn't quite wrap their minds around it.

Some obviously must have thought that Jesus spoke literally, not figuratively. And he meant that they would need to eat his flesh in a somewhat rather cannibal fashion. Of course, that would not have been acceptable. That would have been very upsetting to them.

Continuing in verse 53, And he keeps on with this extended metaphor, this explanation of blood and flesh.

These are very important words.

And my blood is drink indeed.

Now, if we would pause and understand, if we only understand Jesus' statements here in literal fashion, if we tried to read this just literally, I think we can understand why many of the Jews were upset and angered. Because it does sound like he's talking about cannibalism of some sort. And that would explain why they were confused, many were offended and angered. But he was speaking about our need to surrender ourselves totally in faith to God and Christ.

They could not grasp his meaning, for he was speaking figuratively about spiritual matters.

In verse 60-63 tells us the response of many.

This is very difficult. Who can understand it?

And of course, we know that did happen. That would later happen.

Now, if you'd hold your place here, let's look at John 12, verse 49-50.

To help us understand a little bit more about what he means by saying, the words I speak to you are spirit and they are life.

It helps to understand, in John 12, verse 49-50, that the words Jesus spoke were not of his own, but they came from God the Father. They came from God the Father. John 12, verse 49-50. Jesus said, For I have not spoken on my own authority, but the Father who sent me gave me a command, that I should say what I should say and what I should speak. And I know that his command is everlasting life. That's what God wants.

Therefore, whatever I speak, just as the Father has told me, so I speak.

What this would tell us is that Jesus' instruction about the kingdom of God, about eternal life, it came from the source of life.

It came from God the Father. And that gives us one other reason we're talking about in a little bit, why we must nourish ourselves from God's Word every day. The Bible, his Holy Scripture. These words came to us from God the Father, ultimately, the original source.

And also, we need to understand that only with the help of God's Holy Spirit can we understand the full and true meaning of his words. We need the help of God's Holy Spirit to understand the full and true meaning. We can gather a lot of wisdom from Scripture, but to get to the depth of things that are difficult, that are hard to understand, even as the people in Jesus' audience said, you need the help, we need the help of God's Holy Spirit.

And so this helps to explain that without God's help, those who heard Jesus speak that day on these things could not comprehend him. They are befuddled and amazed and angered by what he said.

Now let's go back to John 6.

And again, we read the response of his audience now in verse 66, turning actually to verse 66. In here we're told, John says in his narrative, he says, from that time, many of his disciples, many of Christ's disciples, went back and walked with him no more.

Many of them stopped following Jesus. He spoke the words of true life, but most could not understand him. And they turned away. But what's encouraging here, that was not true of his closest disciples. Verse 67.

And then Jesus said to the twelve, to the twelve, do you also want to go away? Do you want to leave me too? And notice Peter's wonderfully correct answer, verse 68. This is part of our answer in response to. But Simon Peter answered him, he said, Lord, to whom shall we go? To whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. Also, we have come to believe and know that you are the Christ, the Son of the living God.

If we are here, we have been called of God. God's Spirit is working with us and in us. We would say the same thing. Shouldn't we? To whom shall we go? Christ has the words of eternal life. And we have come to believe and know that you, he is the Christ, the Son of the living God. Only Jesus had and has the words of eternal life. And they came from God the Father. These twelve disciples believed and accepted in faith that only his gospel, his teachings, would give them eternal life. In other words, they did believe what Jesus said, whereas the others did not. They believed that he was and is the true bread of life. And more than that, they had also come to see that Jesus was the Christ. And actually, if you want to jot a note there, I said they had come to see, but Matthew 16-17 tells us that the Father had revealed it to them. Matthew 16-17 said, Jesus answered Simon Peter, and said, You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said to him, Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, Simon, Son of Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. He had the help of God's Holy Spirit, working with him. And so Jesus was not telling the multitudes to eat and drink his literal flesh and blood, but to believe and to accept in faith his total sacrifice, which he would give for their sins. Moreover, his sacrifice and his gospel, the kingdom of God, the promise of eternal life, was the way by which they could have true and eternal life. He was asking those then who had an ear to hear, if they had an ear to hear, he was asking them to believe and follow him, to believe and follow me. If we want to have life true and eternal life and never more be limited by these, well, these really are wonderful bodies God has provided for us, but we also know they are frail, aren't they? And many of us are ready to move on to the next stage. These are wonderful bodies, and yet they are frail. And if we want eternal life, then we need to believe God and submit ourselves totally to Him. That's part of what we learned, we were learning about, through Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread. It's what we're going to be learning more about in the other holy days as we proceed through the year. And yes, we do need to believe simply, not so simply because it's a challenge and it's hard work, we need to believe Matthew 4.4 and strive to be doing what it says. Matthew 4.4 says, man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. Those are good marching orders, aren't they? So because Jesus Christ is the bread and life and the only way unto salvation, we do need to trust Him and stay connected to Him. And although this is a different metaphor, it is very important, John 15, verse 4-5, we also need to consider these words deeply and to remember them. Jesus said to abide in Him, and He brings it up here again in John 15, verses 4-5. And we did read these at the Passover service. There He says, abide in Me and I in you, John 15, verse 4, as a branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in Me. I am the vine. You are the branches. He who abides in Me and I in Him bears much fruit. And this last part here, for without Me you can do nothing. You can do nothing, no thing, nothing.

Our existence, we must not forget, our existence depends totally upon the mercy and compassion of God, as does our future eternal existence. We need to keep correct understanding of life and reality, not as it's dished out to us from the world, but as the truth is stated in Scripture. Our existence depends totally upon the mercy and compassion of God. Without God our Father and Jesus Christ, we can do nothing. We are nothing, and we have no hope. But only through Christ living in us, through God's gift of His Holy Spirit, can we conquer sin and can we begin and be producing the fruits of righteousness, living by faith. And all this is very pleasing to God, and it allows us to become more like Jesus Christ. A very important part of understanding the meaning of eating the bread of life. How do we eat the bread of life?

We can't go down to Brookshire's, down the road, or to River's Market, and go to the bread shelf and buy a loaf of bread of life. Now, they probably have a loaf called that. It's probably full of whole nuts and oats and all these good things, but that is not what we're talking about today, is it? No. How do we keep eating the bread of life?

We must be internalizing. We must be internalizing the mind of Christ. We must be enriching our minds with the mind of Christ. We do that by studying God's Holy Scripture. In John 1717, you've heard it spoken many, many times from this microphone, this lectern. John 1717, your word is truth. God's word is truth. Scripture, His Holy Scripture, is truth. We need to study it, and it reveals the mind of God. Scripture reveals the mind of God. That's what we must be internalizing. Let's notice 1 Peter 4, verse 1 through 2. 1 Peter 4, 1 through 2, here Peter encourages us to keep repenting from sin, because as we repent from sin, we are also then equipping ourselves with the mind of Christ. In the New King James Version, it uses arming ourselves with the mind of Christ, which is another interesting mix of metaphor. 1 Peter 4, 1 through 2, we need to equip ourselves with the mind of Christ. Therefore, Peter wrote, since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind. We need that same mindset. For he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh for the lust of men, but for the will of God. We must be repenting. It's part of what we learned during Unleavened Bread. And we must be moving forward, putting on the mind of Christ. We must be internalizing the bread of life. That means we must try harder, always, to make God's will our will, not the other way around. I think what we see now in the world, people telling us what God actually meant. And so suddenly what God obviously says is sinful and wicked is old-fashioned. No, no, that's good now. That's not what it says. We must make God's will our will. We must use God's Holy Scripture, eating that bread of life, to examine ourselves for sin so we might repent and not allow sin to destroy us. The wages of sin is death. We can't practice that way. God's inspired word must be our guide. God's inspired word must instruct our thoughts and opinions. We are welcome to our own thoughts and opinions, but we probably do not want to be contrary to what God says our thoughts and opinions should be. We certainly need to be careful of internalizing the thoughts and opinions of this world. They are not of God. We must eat of the bread of life through daily prayer, Bible study. We fast to be humble and teachable. We need to be reflecting thoughtfully upon God in His instruction. More than these many important things, these mental things, you might say we do, to pray and study and be humble and teachable from God's word, and to reflect thoughtfully, all those are critical to help us internalize God's word. But the internalizing fully happens when we actually live it. We have to put it into action. We must do more than merely know and think about God's way. We must be living it. And that can be the challenge, isn't it? That can be the challenge. Jesus Christ is the only true bread of life. There is no other bread, no other source, which can give us eternal life. Without eating this bread, by surrendering ourselves totally in faith to God and Christ, we can do nothing, and we are and will be nothing.

We must put our faith and trust in God into action. And that takes us to the second metaphor, which is the second vital spiritual action we must be applying in our lives.

I Am the Bread of Life is directly related to the second metaphor, put on Christ. To put on Christ does not make sense literally. It's not a suit of clothes we put on. It's not a sweater. It's not a jacket.

To put on Christ does not make sense literally, but its meaning is powerful, figuratively and certainly in its full spiritual sense. Let's be turning to Galatians 3, verses 26-28. The phrase put on Christ appears here in Galatians 3, verses 26-28.

Paul writes, For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

It continues, There is neither Jew nor Greek, neither slave nor free, neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

A variation of this phrase also appears in Romans 13, verses 12-14. Romans 13, verses 12-14. A variation of the phrase put on Christ. Romans 13, verses 12. Paul writes here, again, it's kind of a call to action statement. Again, contrast of what we should be doing.

Now, the Greek word that is translated in English as put on, the Greek word is endio, and it's spelled E-N-D-Y-O, endio, and it means to clothe. It means to clothe, to put on clothes, and hence our English phrase there, to put on.

To put on Christ, interestingly then, means to be clothed in Christ. Now, if you follow that metaphor, that would suggest to be clothed in Christ, suggest living one's life in Christ outwardly. Living one's life in Christ outwardly for others to see, for others to witness, not for us to brag about, but for others to see Christ in us. And again, that would be to the glory of God, our Father. In contrast, to eat the bread of life suggests internalizing Christ within one's heart and mind. So when we take the two metaphors together, the two metaphors together convey the idea of living in Christ according to His righteousness inwardly, from our very core of being, and outwardly towards all people. And that's where it starts impacting our relationships with every other human being. And it certainly will impact our relationships with one another as members of the body of Christ, all of us doing the same thing, working together, putting on Christ together.

So, how does one put on Christ? How does one put on Christ? We've already seen the hint at the answer. Simply put, one must be undergoing the process of conversion. To put on Christ, one must be undergoing the process of conversion.

So we understand, let's be turning to John 644. How does that process begin? The process begins with the Father, with God the Father calling us. John 644. John 644, when I was first called many years ago, I can't tell you if I ever read that Scripture before.

But it has become very familiar to me through the years. I thought I called myself an incidence. Nope. It may seem that way. That's not the way Scripture tells us. John 644. Jesus said, No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day.

In essence, John 644, Jesus' words are kind of suggesting the beginning and the conclusion, or I don't know if it's really a conclusion, beginning of Father calling us and then raising us up at the last day, resurrection to eternal life. Of course, life just keeps going on. It will never end. So God the Father calls us. That's how it begins, putting on Christ. As the process goes on over time, as we continue, if, and hopefully we would continue to respond positively to God's calling, we will increasingly become more convicted of our sin.

We will come to hate many aspects of ourselves, despise what we are, what we have done. We will come to see that our only hope for forgiveness and to avoid sin's penalty of death is to place our total faith in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ died in our place for our sins, of course, for all humanity's, but it's a very personal sacrifice. He died for you. He died for me. Only Christ shed blood. His sacrifice can remove our death penalty. Baptism is the outward symbol of our repentance from sin and total commitment to live a new life, a new life of faith and obedience to God.

And so then, as we read earlier in Galatians 3, 26, 27, For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for as many of you, as were baptized into Christ, have put on Christ. Let's also look at Acts 2.38. Acts 2.38. There we can see that we must be baptized in our sins forgiven. We must be in the process of repentance before we can receive God's gift of His Holy Spirit.

Let's read Acts 2.38. These are Peter's words. Peter said to them, this was on the day of Pentecost, at first Pentecost, and they received the pouring out of God's Holy Spirit in that magnificent way. Acts 2.38. Then Peter said to them, Repent. He wanted to know what shall we do, and he said, Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission, the forgiveness of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Then in Acts 8.17, we read how the Holy Spirit is given through the laying on of hands. Acts 8.17. Here, the context is Peter and John laying hands, and they laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit. They had been baptized, they laid on hands, and they received the Holy Spirit, the gift from God. That is part of the process of conversion. Now let's turn to Romans 6, verses 3-4. Again, we're rehearsing what it means to put on Christ.

Romans 6, verses 3-4. It's important to know that upon baptism, our old sinful way of life, Paul refers to the old man that way, or the continuing tugs, the old man symbolically is buried, and our past sins are forgiven. That's what baptism symbolizes, but at that point of baptism, we do believe God does forgive. He does forgive our sins. They are forgiven, our past sins. We are raised up to begin our walk with God toward the kingdom, toward salvation. At that point, we have made the commitment to live a new life.

We must remain committed to living a newness of life. That's what Paul talks about here in Romans 6, verse 3. Romans 6, verse 3. Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized in Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? Therefore, we were buried with him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so, we also should walk in newness of life. Newness of life. This walk in newness of life is not easy. It's a narrow path and a difficult path. It's not easy because we are still prone to those temptations of the flesh.

We are still very much human. We still will sin, even after baptism, even after receiving God's Holy Spirit, because we are still victims, you might say, to our carnal nature, in temptation, and we sin. The fact is, the old man in us doesn't want to stay buried, as we have often heard in that watery grave of baptism.

He doesn't want to stay there. And we might also add this thought, the old man in us doesn't want to be clothed in Christ.

He does not want to be clothed in Christ. He does not want to put on Christ. He resists that. The old man in us, our old way of life, wants to keep on the filthy rags of sin. You might think of it that way. That old way of us wants to keep on the filthy rags of sin.

But thankfully, God gives us the gift of His Holy Spirit, so we can truly put on Christ. Romans 13, verses 11-14. Romans 13, verses 11-14. Paul also makes clear that putting on Christ and staying clothed in Christ doesn't happen by accident. But it takes deliberate effort. It takes conscientious effort. And here's where it starts connecting to this idea of internalizing eating the bread of life. We have to be internalizing the mind in Christ so that we can be more conscientious of our need to repent and more conscientious to make right choices, yielding to those right choices with the help of God's Word and His Holy Spirit.

Romans 13, verses 11-14.

Romans 13, that's better. It's the right chapter. Romans 13, verses 11. Paul makes clear that putting on Christ is something we must take on with an urgency about us. The idea is we have no time to waste.

Some of us may be young and think, I've got the rest of my life to wait. I can put off being baptized. I can postpone for a little bit. Some here and some in the webcast may be thinking that. But the fact is, if you haven't fully realized it yet, we might not have tomorrow.

We've been learning that more than perhaps in the past, these last few years. We might not have tomorrow. So Paul says, Romans 13, verse 11, and do this, do this, call to action, knowing the time. It's getting short. That now it is high time to awake out of sleep, for now our salvation is clearer than when we first believed.

The night is far spent, the day is at hand. We must remember these words, cast off the works of darkness, let us put on the armor of light. And as we read, let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry, dark drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy, but put on the Lord Jesus Christ.

I wanted us to read that again for the emphasis of what we must be doing as a process of conversion. And while we're doing that, he continues, verse 14, make no provision for the flesh to fulfill its lust. That's part of our continuing walk with Christ as we continue to walk toward salvation with God. Let's look at Colossians 3 next, please. Colossians 3, Paul describes in greater detail how putting on Christ really will change our relationships with other people. And for the better, and for the better, it may not always seem for the better. We may feel like we get more trouble for giving up some of the things we now will come to understand we should give up. If we haven't been, didn't grow up in understanding these truths of God, it may seem strange to be putting on these new ways of Christ. Perhaps we have family and co-workers and friends who think we may have gone a strange and radical way. But according to the world, of course, this is a radical way to follow the ways of God. It's truly radical. But here Paul describes in greater detail how our relationships with others will change. And again, it's a call to action. And he leads up to his call to action here in verse 1, Colossians 3.1, by urging us to stay focused on God and what He's done and is doing for us. If then you were raised with Christ, again, in reference to baptism when we began in part of that process of putting on Christ, if you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. In just these few sentences, Paul's reminding us of that conversion process of start to finish. And of Christ, too, is now our advocate, sitting at the Father's right hand, intervening on our behalf. He also tells us through baptism, with God's Spirit in us, our lives are hidden with Christ. He has us covered. He has us covered. One of the meanings of to be clothed is to have a covering. And just as Christ lived, He helps us to live so that we, too, will experience resurrection and appear with Him in glory. Continuing on to verse 5, Paul urges us to put to death the carnal flesh, the old ways of life, no longer be living or practicing those old ways, put them off and put on the new man, verse 5-10. Therefore, put to death your members which are on the earth, fornication, sexual immorality, we see around us everywhere it seems anymore, uncleanness, passion, another word here for passion, is lust, lustful, wicked desire, evil desire, covetousness, which is idolatry. Because of these things, the wrath of God is coming. It is coming. That's part of our motivation to be putting on Christ as well. The wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience, in which you yourselves once walked when you lived in them. But now you yourselves are to put off all these. Look how our lives change when we would put these off, as we put these off. Anger, wrath, malice, hatred, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds. We're no longer practicing that way of life.

And then verse 10, you have put on the new man. We've done that upon baptism. We're continuing to walk that way. You have put on the new man who's renewed in knowledge, according to the image of him who created him. Again, it's a call to action. We must keep striving according to God's instruction, Christ's instruction from Scripture, guided by the Spirit. Continuing in verse 12, how will Christ's presence in us be revealed? How will people notice? How will we notice? How will others notice that we are putting on Christ, that we are clothing ourselves in Christ? What will it look like? It'll start showing by how we interact with others by applying God's love, how we talk with other people. Maybe before we started putting on Christ, we were negative all the time, hypercritical about everything. Maybe we stopped being that way. Here's some things that change our speech, behavior, actions. Verse 12, here's what putting on Christ looks like. In example, therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, and longsuffering, bearing with one another. Maybe people will find out, wow, so-and-so is so much more patient, so-and-so is so much more kind than before. We become more forgiving of one another. Even as he can plan against another, even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. But above all these, put on love, which is a bond of perfection. We're all practicing God's way of love. We're going to have greater unity, greater harmony among ourselves. And let the peace of God, verse 15, rule in your hearts. Don't let the ways of the old man rule on us, but the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which you are also called in one body. And then Paul adds, and be thankful. Be thankful that we can be clothed in Christ, that we can change, that we no longer have to be the way we used to be. And aren't we glad for that? When Christ lives in us by the power of God's Spirit, then at the return of Christ we shall be clothed with immortality and glory, as we're welcomed into the kingdom of God. And don't we want to be clothed with that? 1 Corinthians 15, verse 51 through 58, salvation, eternal life, kingdom of God, becoming members of God's divine family, the purpose for which God invited us to salvation, he called us. 1 Corinthians 15, 51-58, this is the goal. Behold, I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed. And I just love these next words. In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption. It's the same word as clothed. For this corruptible must be clothed, must put on incorruption. This mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, and shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your sting? O Hades, O grave, where is your victory? One of the great poets in English literature wrote centuries ago in one of his sonnets, O death, thou shalt die. That's kind of cool.

We're to be putting on Christ so that we might put on immortality at his return. Two very important metaphors. And so in every aspect of our lives, these metaphors help us to understand from the inside outward, in every aspect of our lives and best as we can, we must be practicing living faith. And when we are doing that, we will not need to feel overwhelmed with worries. I'm not saying we'll stop having worries.

We are still human, after all. But the fact is, we need not to be so overwhelmed by the worries that can just eat us out from the inside. We don't have to be that way. We have God to trust in. We have faith in Christ's sacrifice. We have that hope in the kingdom of God, and that we can move forward. We don't have to be stuck the way we were. We can keep getting better and better.

These two metaphors then do lend deeper meaning to the words Christ taught in his Sermon on the Mount. And there, Christ spent some time talking to us, talking to the people listening to him then. He still talks to us today through his Sermon on the Mount. Matthew 6, 25-34. I'd like for his turn there. These two metaphors, understanding a little more deeply their significance, can help us draw even more meaning from the Sermon on the Mount here in Matthew 6, 25-34.

I say that because we typically will address Christ's instruction here, and we rightly should, as encouragement about not wearing, not to be fretting about our physical needs. We turn to these scriptures, Matthew 6, 25-34, as a great source of encouragement that God does take care of our physical needs. And if you could probably look at your life as I do mine, and yes, he has. He always has taken care of our needs. But now that we've considered how we are to eat Jesus Christ as our food and drink, and how we are to put on Christ as our clothing, perhaps we can understand his instruction here a little more deeply, with a little deeper spiritual significance, to go along with the physical meaning and significance.

Verse 25, Jesus says, he wrote, excuse me, he spoke, Matthew wrote it down here, he says, Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink. Don't worry about that.

Nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, in the body more than clothing? And after thinking of these two metaphors, I think we can readily say, yes, it certainly is. It certainly more than just the physical things we worry about. Yes, we need food, drink, and clothing for a physical life. But those two metaphors we've just rehearsed helps us understand how the true food and drink, true clothing, is so necessary for us too.

We do need to be eating the bread of life. We do need to be putting on Christ. He continues, verse 26, Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap, nor gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. A lot of us do with our bird feeders and the squirrels too. God's working through us. And so he asked, Jesus asked, Are you not more valued than these birds and the animals? And again, the answer is intended. The answer is yes, and absolutely yes. And that's why God provides us with physical food, because He does value us so much.

But do we now see how much God values us and loves us, because He has also provided for us that true bread from heaven, that spiritual food. Verse 27, Which of you by wearing can add one cubit to a stature? Of course, the answer is, well, we can't. So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow. They neither toil nor spin, and yet I say to you that even Solomon, in all his glory, was not a raid like one of these.

Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, they would bundle up the dried grass and use it for fuel. If God takes care of the grass that's here today and gone tomorrow, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? And here He brings in the topic of faith. Will not God clothe us and accures the answer?

The intended answer is a resounding yes. God will take care of our clothing. And He does. He gives us physical clothing, but again we now understand, perhaps more deeply, how He has also provided for us that clothing we need to put on through faith. The clothing we put on through faith, which is Jesus Christ, and ultimately the end of the conversion process, that glories in mortality, which God will raise us up into in the kingdom of God.

Verse 31, Jesus adds, Therefore, do not worry, saying, What shall we eat? Or what shall we drink? What shall we wear? For after all these things the Gentiles seek, for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.

And so, yes, God provides the physical, for the physical existence, He provides the spiritual food and drink and clothing for our spiritual existence. And it comes ultimately from God the Father and through Jesus Christ.

And then Jesus exhorts us to focus our hearts and minds and energies on what matters, must matter, foremost in our lives. Verse 33, we know these words, But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

And so, yes, worries and troubles will surely come, and we know it. Worries and troubles will surely come, but so will God's kingdom. So will God's kingdom. That, you see, is what we're to be focused on. Not the worries and troubles. That's what tries to insert itself into our hearts and minds foremost. But first and foremost must be our focus, the purpose of our calling, to become part and members of God's kingdom. And so Jesus' instruction here in Matthew 6 does give us great comfort. God does provide for our physical needs. We don't need to have unhealthy and needless worry. However, on a deeper spiritual level, I hope we can also see that we should be greatly comforted, knowing that when we eat of the bread of life and we put on Christ, we are seeking first God's kingdom, and salvation, and His righteousness. And we won't be filled with unnecessary worry when we trust in Christ to do those good works, and do those good works of faith and obedience which please and glorify our Father in heaven. We can then look forward with full assurance, without doubting, but look forward with full insurance and great anticipation to Christ's return when we will finally put off this flesh and put on immortality. We all definitely want to put on clothes ourselves with immortality available to us through God. And so, no matter what happens to us in this life, we must keep choosing to eat the bread of life and to put on Christ. Those two biblical metaphors are vital for us to remember. They are the metaphors to help us remember the importance to be internalizing the way of God and to be living it, externalizing it, in that sense, outwardly by putting on Christ. It's all together. We like to break things up in compartments, separate things, but it's all really one perfect, beautiful thing. So let us impress deeply upon our hearts and minds those two metaphors. I am the bread of life and put on Christ, and let's be living them now. Let's be living them forever.