The Sermons of S. Lewis Johnson – John 6:41-51
“Human Inability, Divine Ability”
This is one of my favorite Dr. Johnson Sermons, where he mentions the term God’s Sovereign Sovereignty, and teaches how the three persons of the Holy Trinity worked together for the purpose of our Salvation. I’m glad I found these again in one place. I remember them from my study of his sermons. There is another sermon I’m looking for where he clearly teaches that God Decrees concern not only the end (and of course the beginning, as scripture teaches) and the means of all things.
Gen 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
Jhn 1:1-3 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 The same was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
And what this teaches this passage, is the sovereign sovereignty of God.
Most people who read the Bible at all will tell you that they believe in the sovereignty of God, but then when you ask them what do you mean by the sovereignty of God, it is obvious that they all have different ideas of what it means. It’s like people saying, “I believe in God.” They don’t necessarily believe in the same God. People who say they believe in the sovereignty of God don’t necessarily believe in the same sovereignty. And what this teaches this passage, is the sovereign sovereignty of God. And I think that you will see that as we go through these verses that when we say that we believe in the sovereignty of God there is a certain understanding of that sovereignty that makes it sovereignty, and it is possible to speak of the sovereignty of God and not really believe in the biblical sovereignty of God. So lets turn to John chapter 6, and I want to read verse 41 through verse 51 for our Scripture reading.
Well suppose we say, “We must exercise faith.” That’s true. We must exercise faith. Faith is however the coming and that faith is given. So everyone who is given to me shall come. He shall exercise faith. Faith itself is the result of the giving of God. In the ages past in the counsels of the eternal Trinity, the Father elected a people of God. The Son of God agreed to come and execute the work of redemption laying the foundation for their salvation, winning for them eternal life and the gift of faith by which they would receive it, and the Holy Spirit also covenanted to apply that gift to the people of God. That is what is meant when we read, “Everyone given shall come and no one can come unless he’s given.” This, my dear friends, is the doctrine of the prophets. It is the doctrine of the ambassador of the King. It is the doctrine of the apostle to the Gentiles. It is the doctrine of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is the doctrine of heaven, and unless we bow to this doctrine we shall not understand the teaching of God. “No man can come to me,” Jesus said, “unless the Father who sent me draws him.” But when we come by the grace of God he will raise us up at the last day. Hallelujah, Hallelujah, what a doctrine, what comfort, what assurance we have in all the experiences of life. We are given by God the Father to Jesus Christ as the people of God.
Jhn 6:41-51 The Jews then murmured at him, because he said, I am the bread which came down from heaven. 42 And they said, Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? how is it then that he saith, I came down from heaven? 43 Jesus therefore answered and said unto them, Murmur not among yourselves. 44 No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day. 45 It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me. 46 Not that any man hath seen the Father, save he which is of God, he hath seen the Father. 47 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life. 48 I am that bread of life. 49 Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead. 50 This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die. 51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.
Rainbow Trout 