I Am the Bread of Life

This week's theme is I am the bread of life. And shortly after feeding 5000 people with one boys lunch and John 16 has identifies himself as the bread of life. He says this in response to request to repeat the miracle second. Big point we're going to be looking at today is that Jesus offers a kind of nourishment that goes beyond physical bodily needs. Jesus is the object of our deep hunger and only after being reconciled to him. Are we return Ali satisfied?

Let's think about bread for a minute.

Bread, it's something used to hold the main part of a sandwich together right side items go along with the main meal bread and modern Western culture is not really in the in fact. Mini low carb diet plans and career just to avoid it altogether. You can function quite easily without bread. So we see Brad as optional. not so in Bible times very center of life during the times of Jesus and earlier stood the stocks of grain that sustain life from day to day without bread. There was no life. Listen to a quote from an author who grew up and Siri and you get a sense of the importance of bread to the ancient mindset. He wrote as the son of a Syrian family. I was brought up to think of bread Is possessing a Mystic sacred significance. I never would step on a piece of bread falling in the road, but would pick it up press it to my lips for reverence and then place it in a wall or on some other place where it would not be walked upon.

This view of bread comes because bread also speaks of Covenant. This is what happened when Abraham was greeted by the priest Melchizedek in the Book of Genesis. We also see it in Psalm 41 when David wrote even my close friends someone I trusted one who shared my bread has turned against me.

You know, we see that the breaking of bread was a seal. It was a reminder, you know, they didn't just have a good meal together. They made a sacred Covenant and the breaking of bread was to seal a reminder of their commitment to each other. This is what Jesus was referring to it. The Lord's Supper. Jesus was making a sacred oath of our covenant illegal contract. He was expressing a sacred oath with his disciples. According to the ancient tradition he broke bread with them. So that sealed the Covenant. And what is are part of this Covenant eat remember and receive the full provision of Christ who dwells in you, richly? Now fast-forward to John chapter 6 Jesus has just fed the 5000 with the miraculous multiplication of Five Loaves and two fish. Now he has withdrawn to the other side Lake to get away from the crowds, but they follow him to the other side from his conversation with them. We learned three things about human nature. First thing is we always we're always hungry for the wrong things. John chapter 6 verses 26 and 27 Jesus answered very truly. I tell you you're looking for me not because you saw the signs I perform but because you ate and had your fill

Do not work for food that spoils but for food that indoors. To eternal life which the son of man will give you four on him God. The father has placed his seal of approval.

Another words don't just work to make your bellies full. Work so that you may seek and find God. In Matthew chapter 6 verses 31 through 33. We also see Jesus saying so, you know, so do not worry about what shall we eat or what shall we drink?

Or what shall we wear for the pagans run after all these things in your heavenly father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well.

Uno's Believers in Christ me to ask yourself this question every day. What do I really want? What am I really hungry for? What am I working for? What am I striving for in this life? Not just the superficial needs of food clothing and shelter, but the deeper spiritual needs that distinguish humans from all other creatures created by God.

You need to learn to measure our wealth not by the things that we have but by the things for which we would not take all the money in the world. Those things that are Priceless to us.

second we expect God to provide us with those wrong fix. And these people were running after Jesus hoping he would perform another miracle of multiplication. Just so they could have their stomachs built. And Jesus called the mud. He knew they were not seeking God but rather the same say a joke. Could do for them. They just wanted a free lunch.

How about you? Quickest way to Noah's to check your prayer life. What do you ask for most often? Do you want God more than anything else like a deer panting for streams of water to seek his presence his life flowing within you.

Or do you want the same stuff? Everybody else wants? Or at least more of it and you hope God will give it to you.

Third thing we can learn about human nature. Is that were always demanding that God prove himself to us again and again and again? We see this with crowd and John 6:30. They say what miraculous sign will you give that we may see it and believe.

Now, I remember that the day before they were part of the crowd of 5,000 people that have been fed with just five small Loaves and two fish.

This whole crowd 8 off of one kids meal. And yet they say they need to see another miraculous sign so that they can believe. Obviously, they didn't get enough to eat. So they offer a suggestion still thinking of their stomachs apparently.

John 6:31, they say our ancestors ate the Manna in the wilderness as it is written he gave them bread from Heaven to eat.

So Jesus then identifies himself as the bread of life.

John 633 as for the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world. The crowd's response was her they said always give us this bread.

They still thought the Jesus was talking about mirror food. They haven't caught on to what Jesus is really talking about. They're still thinking physically materially, you know, like the woman in the well in Samaria that we talked about for water. When Jesus was talking to her about living water. She thought he actually meant water. And they're comparing it to Moses and the Man in the wilderness, but she has that was a miracle of God, but this is something entirely different that Jesus is talking about. So Jesus gets more direct with what he say. John 6:35, then Jesus declared. I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. Any offers this Challenge and John 636 but as I told you you have seen me and still you do not believe.

You know what is remaining new houses that everyone who was gathered there in that crowd has seen Jesus.

The same is true for all of us gathered here in this church today. We have all seen Jesus and one way or another that is we understand his claims to some degree. We understand that Jesus is the son of God the savior of the world.

And yet we don't believe it. How do I know that? We're still spending our money on things that don't satisfy. Still demanding that God prove himself to us. again

So after all this happens after this crowd address is Jesus after he identifies himself as the bread of life. What is the aftermath of all this?

Jesus said to them. Very truly I tell you unless you eat the Flesh of the son of man and drink his blood. You have no life in you whoever eats my flesh and drinks. My blood has eternal life and I will raise them up at the last day. You know in seminary cross-cultural classes, we talked a lot about these two purses because for non-believers and some other cultures that believe Christians are referring to cannibalism here. But that's not the case again. If you're thinking that way you're thinking physically materially not spiritually.

What was the result of Jesus making this odd statement?

John 662 lawn hearing it many of the disciple set. This is a hard teaching who can accept it. More literal translation of the Greek would be what the heck are you talking about?

The Jesus explains himself further and John 6:63. He says the spirit gives life.

The flesh counts for nothing the words I have spoken to you. They are full of spirit and life. In other words, I'm talking about spiritual reality not physical flesh and blood.

But it was still too much for some as we seeing John 6:66 where it says from this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed.

They simply decided it was too difficult. They didn't know if they could do it.

so Jesus draws a Line in the Sand

John chapter 6 verses 67 through 69

Jesus asked them. You don't want to leave to do you Jesus ask the 12 Simon Peter answered him Lord to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.

You know the disciples weren't the only ones who struggled with this. This is our Dilemma to it's What so many in Jesus's day. We're struggling with you know, Jesus wasn't who? They thought he would be who they wanted him to be. And we struggle with that to Jesus is not who we want him to be. He's not our Genie in a Bottle. He will not always meet your expectations of what you want God to do for you when you want God to do it.

But Jesus is the bread of life. The sustenance The Source the nourishment we need to grow. in our spiritual life with God

and you know, they're all these self-help gurus and fitness coaches out there that tell you you got to do this and like I said, if you watch the Super Bowl, they paid 7 million dollars for a 30 second advertisement to let you know your life would be so much better if you bought their product. The truth is there's no place else to go for real life other than God. You know, that's true and God will show up. And let you know that all the pain the failure the disappointment The Stumbling are all a necessary part of the mystery of faith. Because the Walk of Faith begins with a stump. They have to realize that only Jesus can provide the bread that feeds our deepest hunger our desire to know God and to know him completely.

my prayer is

that we will let the Holy Father know that we are hungry today. We come here before God aware of our physical needs and our human desires. We want God to make us aware of our deeper more important Hunter. We want more of God and more of his truth. I pray that every time we have communion we will remember the Covenant that it is meant to signify. Lord I pray that you will come and feed us today with the bread of life. amen