Feast on the Bread of Life
Gospel of John • Sermon • Submitted • Presented • 35:58
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· 5 viewsAs the Bread of Life, Jesus satisfies the hunger of our souls. He is the only bread that satisfies for all eternity.
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KEY TEXTS:
KEY TEXTS:
REFLECTION:
4 Who has ascended to heaven and come down? Who has gathered the wind in his fists? Who has wrapped up the waters in a garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and what is his son’s name? Surely you know! 5 Every word of God proves true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.
MEMORY VERSE: Matthew 5:47-48
47 And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? 48 You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
BENEDICTION: Romans 11:36 (all month long)
36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.
INTRODUCTION
There is a lot going on in John 6.
There is a great deal on the surface right in front of our eyes...
Jesus feeding the multiplied thousands of people with 2 fish and 5 loaves of bread.
Jesus withdrawing from the crowd that would imagine that they could “make him ruler by force”
Jesus walking on the water to reach the disciples in the midst of the storm
And now, we come to the Bread of Life discourse…Jesus further revealing himself as the true Messiah - the only way to life!
THAT’S A LOT ALL BY ITSELF!
But beneath the surface here there is another layer.
Now, I’m not suggesting something hidden or secret...
But sometimes, Bible reading can be “collecting” the dots.
When we slow down, ask the Holy Spirit to help us and give us understanding, God shines the light on His Word in a way that draws us to Him!
Norm alluded to this last week, but there are a lot of callbacks to Moses in our text this morning.
4 For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.
11 Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come.
As we study, we discover that the Jews’ reverence for Moses is the background for John 6.
Moses was mentioned at the end of chapter 5 when Jesus told the religious leaders they failed to believe Moses because Moses wrote about him (v. 46).
One day Moses himself would condemn these men for their failure to believe on Jesus.
In this chapter, we discover God sent a greater Moses to rescue his people. The first few verses of chapter 6 set the context that Jesus is to be understood as a Moses-type figure.
First, Jesus is leading a crowd just like Moses did.
Moses was the leader of Israel when Israel escaped from slavery in Egypt.
When we think of Moses, we think of a man leading a large crowd from Egypt to the promised land.
Second, the crowd is following Jesus because they saw the signs he did.
Why did the crowd follow Moses? They saw the signs he did in Egypt.
Moses was the one God used to bring the ten plagues on Egypt.
Those signs authenticated his role as one sent by God.
Third, Jesus and his disciples went up on the mountain.
After performing signs and leading Israel out of Egypt, Moses and his servant Joshua went up on the mountain to receive the law from God.
Fourth, these events took place during the Passover, a yearly Jewish festival celebrating when God rescued his people from Egypt.
But really, anyone could have led a crowd up a mountain at Passover. That by itself wouldn’t make a person like Moses.
TRANSITION
The miraculous feeding of the people is where we turn the corner of distinction.
ISRAEL: Think back with me to Israel’s incredible exodus from Egyptian bondage. How would they eat?
God provided miraculously for them.
Manna from Heaven. It was BREAD from Heaven.
Every morning on the ground - it was enough to meet their daily need. NO EXTRA - that would spoil overnight.
JESUS: just like in Moses day, God feeds the people.
this time its at the hands of Jesus
there are extras - 12 baskets full
Another big turn is Jesus walking on the water...
ISRAEL: Think bank with me to Moses leading the children out of bondage from Egypt, they encountered the Red Sea.
One Gospel Artist who wrote the song, “He’s An On Time God” said it this way:
You can ask the children of Israel
Trapped at the Red Sea
By that mean ole Pharoah
and all of His army
They had water all around them
and Pharoah on their tracks
But from outta-nowhere
God stepped in and made a highway just like that
He’s an On Time God Yes He Is
JESUS: By contrast, Jesus sent his disciples out ahead of him.
A high wind was blowing against the disciples.
Exodus 14:21-22 tells us that God “drove the sea back with a powerful east wind all that night and turned the sea into dry land.”
Jesus walks out on the water and rescues them.
Now, the people have found him. Verses 22-24, tell us how they (the crowd) got into boats and went to Capernaum, seeking Jesus.
These Crowds wildly pursued Jesus because he had supplied them with the material things of life.
They liked the idea of a fish maker and bread baker—someone who could give them the material things they wanted.
Jesus calls them on it:
26 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves.
They didn’t realize that this one (unlike all others) who could miraculously supply bread was also the only One who could meet the deep spiritual longings of their lives.
But the world is full of people who would be just fine with Jesus meeting their earthly needs, as long as he doesn’t make any eternal demands on their lives!
The church is also full of folks who are chasing after an ATTRIBUTE OF GOD - instead of God Himself.
1. WE NEED THE BREAD OF LIFE!
1. WE NEED THE BREAD OF LIFE!
26 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. 27 Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.”
We all know what its like to be hungry.
New babies show up hungry!
Sometimes our kids can live in a perpetual state of hunger.
ILLUSTRATE: “What’s for Snack?”
We often hunger for the wrong things…the wrong bread. The quick fix in the natural, instead of the sustaining nourishment for eternity.
These people were moved by full bellies, not full hearts!
As God’s people, if we’re not careful, we can become captive to our physical impulses and longings, more than what we know is right for us Spiritually.
C.S. Lewis said, “I cannot find a cup of tea which is big enough or a book that is long enough.”
Do you understand what he is saying?
Nothing is ever quite enough.
Jesus stands in stark contrast to that! He is more than enough!
2. ONLY GOD GIVES THE BREAD OF LIFE
2. ONLY GOD GIVES THE BREAD OF LIFE
33 For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”
40 For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”
47 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life.
50 This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die.
51 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.”
54 Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.
57 As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me.
58 This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like the bread the fathers ate, and died. Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.”
LOOK WITH ME AT VERSE 28.
28 Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?”
The crowd asks, “what must we do to get on board with this”?
29 Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.”
Jesus replies, BELIEVE IN ME!
Suppose you invited another family over this afternoon for dinner.
It is a great meal.
You really put on the spread for them.
You fix their favorite meal, cooked exactly the way they like it.
You found out their favorite dessert and had that in the wings ready for when dinner was finished.
Wow! What a dinner!
Soon everyone is sitting back, patting full tummies.
Now imagine, when it comes time for your guests to leave, they take out their wallets and ask, “How much do we owe you for this?”
You would probably say, “You don’t owe me anything!”
But what if your guests respond, “We most certainly do! We are not freeloaders! How much do we owe you?”
They even throw you a couple of twenty-dollar bills.
Just a mention of payment in such a setting would be a grievous insult.
Jesus is offering them THE BREAD OF LIFE -THE BREAD THAT GOD GIVES…FOR FREE!
In other words, the bread that endures unto eternal life is the bread that is freely given and that we freely receive.
It comes through belief.
We do not pay for it ourselves.
We can’t earn it...
BUT WE MUST…feast on it!
The crowd doesn’t get it.
Look at 30-31
30 So they said to him, “Then what sign do you do, that we may see and believe you? What work do you perform? 31 Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’ ”
That little thing you did yesterday was really neat. But Moses fed hundreds of thousands with Manna...
Do something like that for us!
3. WE MUST RECEIVE THIS BREAD!
3. WE MUST RECEIVE THIS BREAD!
JESUS SAID TO THEM!
32 Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” 34 They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.” 35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.
skip to verse 47 with me
47 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. 48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. 50 This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. 51 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.”
It’s not enough to just want more of what God offers...
We need to come to Him on His terms.
You cannot have a relationship with God without Jesus as the ONLY MEDIATOR between you and Him.
You cannot experience a vibrant, Spirit-filled Christianity if your life is NOT CENTERED ON JESUS!
He’s everything!
To those that are hungry, he says, I am the bread of life!
Here we are again, going back to the beginning...
11 He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. 12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
Lauren’s Bread...
Most of us in the room have been blessed to receive a loaf of homemade bread from the Kappers family.
When Lauren looks around, she’s looking for someone to bless, to encourage, with a gift that points to the Bread of Life.
If you take a bite of that bread (especially when its still warm), it is something special.
You believe it’s safe for you to eat (it’s not going to kill you).
You can’t eat halfway and say that you’ve enjoyed it.
Chewing and spitting out like a toddler is not eating.
You either eat or you don’t.
The same is true of believing on Jesus.
You either believe him or you don’t.
You either trust he will give you life so you receive him fully and completely, or you don’t.
There’s no middle ground when it comes to believing on Jesus. When you eat, you internalize the food.
- Thinking about eating is not the same as eating.
- Knowing nutritional facts is not the same as eating.
- Understanding how food is processed by the body is not the same as eating.
To believe is to internalize the truth about Jesus. It’s to receive him into your soul.
- Thinking about Jesus is not the same as believing.
- Knowing facts about Jesus is not the same as believing.
- Understanding how Jesus saves a person is not the same as believing.
When we believe, we stake our life on the fact that the only way to live is to receive him.
It’s placing all your hope on him to sustain you.
It’s a deep sense that you will die and eternal death without him.
It’s placing all your confidence in him as the only one who can give you life and strength and a future.
And the best part of eating the bread of life is there’s no bill…and it completely satisfies.
All you have to do is receive it.
Brother/Sister, let’s constantly feast on the only bread that satisfies…and let’s share this LIVING BREAD with the hungry around us...
so they can...
TASTE AND SEE THAT THE LORD IS GOOD!
INVITATION