Bread of Life

Introduction

If we have not had the pleasure of meeting my name is John Colunga and I have the privilige of serving as lead pastor here at New Day Pasadena

I also have the privilige of bringing this weeks sermon

So if you have your Bibles, please turn to John 6:25-30

If you forgot your Bible please use the one in front of you and if you dont have a Bible at all, please take home the one in front of you as a free gift to you

Sermon Series

Meet the Real Jesus

A sermon series talking about who Jesus is

What did Jesus do?

Why is he important?

See Jesus clearly through the proper lenses

Goal: Believers to understand deeper and feel confident to share who he is

Goal: Unbelievers to know him and follow him

I AM

John gives 7 I AM statements of Jesus

Metaphors that point to Jesus as God, as the messiah, as the way to eternal life, as the sustainer, as the caretaker

The metaphors are all about Jesus, the reason why he was on earth, and they were used to point and direct the peoples attention not to the physical, but to the spiritual

I Am the bread of life

I Am the light of the world

I Am the door

I Am the good Shepherd

I Am the way, the truth, and the life

I Am the vine

Non - metaphor

John 8:58 “Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.””

John 18:4–5 “Then Jesus, knowing all that would happen to him, came forward and said to them, “Whom do you seek?” They answered him, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus said to them, “I am he.” Judas, who betrayed him, was standing with them.”

If you are able to stand, I ask that you please do so for the reading of God’s word. I’ll read it as you follow along,

[25 When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you come here?” 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.” 28 Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” 29 Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.”] 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.’ ” 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. 36 But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. 37 All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. 38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. 39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. 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.”]

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Jn 6:25–40.

This is the Word of the Lord - You may now be seated

Context

While we have the full context of scripture, the people living in that time did not

But they had the Messiah right in front of them doing miracles

Jesus just fed 5,000 people with 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish

And after, they had 12 baskets worth of food

At the end : 14 When the people saw the sign that he had done, they said, “This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world!” 15 Perceiving then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Jn 6:14–15.

Now the people didnt witness this but then we find Jesus walking on water to the boat of the disciples

and when they get to the other side, there are others who followed him there

And they know there was only one boat and they know Jesus didnt leave in that boat with the disciples

So how in the world did he make it here?

And so the people are perceiving that another miracle had occurred

And so they are asking about this miracle

but we need to remember that the only reason that Jesus was doing miracles was to love and serve others and point to himself as the Messiah

And the people are taking the love, they are taking the service, but they do not understand him to be the Messiah

And while we may in a different time period and have the whole scriptures

We live in a world that still has many different perceptions about who Jesus is

Why do you follow Jesus? or Why should you follow Jesus?

Context: Mixed ractions among the people - some wanted to see miracles, some wanted food, some wanted material wealth,

Modern Issues: Genie, Well thats what my parents did, fix their life, still want to see miracles

The same not so good reasons why people were following Jesus in that day are the same not so good reasons people follow him today

Truth: There is a good primary reason for following Jesus and that is because Jesus brings eternal salvation

Jesus loves us - Jesus came to make us right with God - Out of his love and work, we can love and follow him

Key Verses: “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.” 28 Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” 29 Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.”]

Application: Jesus already proved he is God - the people saw the miracles but did not grasp the significance of them

And in Jesus response to them, he doesnt answer their question in the physical

Rather he points to a spiritual work

Yea, these earthly miracles are great

Yea, you were fed by the miracle

But the true miracle, the true sign that you should be looking for, is the eternal one

And so Jesus is pointing them to the near future work he will do

That because he is God, He has all authority, and being the perfect sacrifice he woul lay down his life

And then rise from the dead on the third day

And conquering sin and death on the third, reigning victorious as king,

He is the seal to be reconciled to God the Father

Historically speaking, seals have been used to show ownership and authentication

Lets say I would send a letter, I would seal/stamp the letter with the family seal

It shows that the letter is authentically from me

And that the letter is mine to give to another

Seals are still used by counties and states to authenticate, affirm, and prove that the names on the certificate presented own the certificate and threfore whatever the certificate states concerning the people is true

And so Jesus is telling the people to look for eternal food found in the son of man

Because on the Son of Man God has set his seal

Jesus is subtly telling and revealing to the people that He is the Son of Man, He is the seal of God

And so the people ask a quesition after Jesus says this

Remember, Jesus said do not work for food that perishes

And so now they ask 28 Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” 29 Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.”]

And so lets be clear - The key reoccuring word here in these first sentences is “work”

And it is clear that it is not the people who actually do the work

But it is the work of God

It is the work of God who does the saving because only God can

And because God has done the work, the natural overflow from that is “belief”

To believe that Jesus is God, sent from God the Father, to live the perfect life that only God can do, and to pay the penalty of sin which only God can do, and to believe that Jesus can bring you eternal life

We contribute nothing to our salvation but because of God’s work and the changing of our hearts we can “believe”

That when we put their faith and trust in Jesus, then we believe, we are sealed for heaven

Now, many times, in our own pride, we dont want to just believe

How do we try to test Jesus? lack of faith

Context: They wanted a sign - a constant sign like the mana from God

They were fed once, while in the exodus the people were fed daily

And so they are basically testing Jesus

We want to see more, we need to see more to believe,

Modern Issue: Make promises if, only pray when things are going wrong,

Illustration: I remember growing up I would make promises or deals with God all the time

God, I know I didnt study for this test like I should have, but if you would give me some supernatural wisdom for this test I promise I will study for the next one

God, I know I lied and my parents are about to find out but if you make them have mercy on me and not punish me I promise I wont lie again

And sometimes, these promises or deals we make, or want even manifest as adults

God, if only you would heal my son or daughter I promise to believe in you

God, if you get me out of this bad circumstance I promise I will dedicate the rest of my life to following you

Truth: We can try to test all we want but the (work/evidence/testing) has already been done. Nothing left to prove. Yet, God is faithful and Jesus is sufficient

Key Verses: 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.”]

Application: Dont try to test, dont try to strike a deal, rather out of faith - out of belief

Comes life and sustainment

It wasn’t Moses who sustained the Israelites in the desert,

Rather the bread that was given by God

And now God has given the “true bread”

So again, Jesus is pointing back to belief

Don’t rely on what you can see,

Don’t rely on what does happen or doesnt happen

Don’t rely on the physcial

But do believe in the bread of life!

The people still dont understand

The people still dont get it

They want a physical bread that if eaten, gives eternal life

And so they ask Jesus for this

And it is upon this request that Jesus makes it abundantly clear

Bread of Life

I Am the Bread of Life “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.

And in verse 40 Jesus points back to belief and faith

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.”]

We did not read verses 41-51 but it is in this section that there is grumbling because Jesus has essentially said that He is the bread from heaven

When we are praying for the lost - when we pray for those who do not know and believe in Jesus as their Lord and Savior

Why is it that we pray for the Lord to soften their hearts, to open their eyes, and their ears to the beauty and the glory of Jesus?

Why don’t we pray for God to open up the mind?

It is because only God can do the work

It is because God the father has to draw them

And in the context of our passage today, God had not done it

The peoples minds were closed, they wanted to test Jesus

And even after Jesus explicitiely tells them that he is the Bread of Life

They grumble

But Jesus comes back and says wethere you believe it or not its true

And it may not be the truth you like - but unless the Father works in your heart

And opens your eyes and ears - youll never know me

Why? because they are trapped in their mind and unbelief!

Eating Jesus

And so Jesus in 52-59 talks about eating the bread of life

And since Jesus is claiming to be the bread of life

And because the people are trapped in their mind and unbelief

they still dont understand and are talking about eating Jesus physcial body

But Jesus makes a clear distinction

55 For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. 56 Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. 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.”

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Jn 6:54–58.

Application

Do you follow Jesus or will you follow Jesus

Not because your parents did, not because you are going through a hard time

But because the God of the universe became flesh and he paid it all for you

Will you believe in Jesus as your Lord and Savior?

Context: they wanted physical bread, Jesus is everlasting bread

Modern Issue: emotions are fleeting, chasing after worldly things never satisfies,

The difference between knowing about Jesus and believing in him is your heart condition

Illustration: What Jesus wants is your heart - not your brain, not your hands, not your money

Truth: Jesus Christ wants your heart, Christ fulfills, Christ Christ holds onto you

Application:

When you have him, you cant help but want to know more of him

And as you seek to grow in you relationship with Him, he never leaves you empty

Why? because you are abiding in him

56 Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him.

This directly ties with another I Am statement

John 15 Jesus states

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3 Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

As you abide and grow in Jesus

You follow Him and the beauty of how he has orchestrated our path

Dont miss this, this is beautiful -

Jesus is the seal from God that you are his

When you have faith in Jesus you are sealed into heaven

But there is an outward sign and seal that you are part of the New Covenant of God

That you are his disciple

That you are part of His church

And that is baptism

We are baptized as Jesus was to display to others that I follow Jesus

Further, being a part of the Bride of Christ

We observe communion (The Lords Supper)

We didnt read it but Jesus directly talks about eating of his flesh and drinking of his blood

This is not literal - it’s pointing to the spiritual

Jesus instituted the Lords Supper where we eat bread that is a representation of Christ’s body

and we drink grape juice or wine in representation of Christ’s blood

And Jesus instituted this before he went to die on the cross

This is the beauty of Jesus and following Him

Everything has a purpose - Everything has meaning

We are sustained and satisfied

Parents/Grandparents/Spiritual Parents

We truly believe that kids are a gift from the Lord

And we are to help build a foundation for them that is built on Jesus

We are to be praying to God asking him to continue to reveal himself to them

To soften their hearts and open their eyes and ears so that one day

Through God’s glorious work, everything just clicks

It somehow makes sense

That the Jesus - mom and Dad have taught me is the Jesus of the Bible

And this Jesus loves me, he died for me, I have done wrong and God is perfect so I need to ask for forgiveness and trust in Jesus who forgives me!

Parents, you have a beautiful and weighty task

And the responsibilities of this world is weighty enough

But that is why our primary responsibility is to the Lord first

God I dont exactly how this whole parenting thing is going to work but I trust you

God I cant save my son or daughter only you can but I can ask you

God I need your strength, wisdom, perseverence to do this thing called parenting

Moms

And this is why we love you moms so much! Because often times dad’s only want to assert physical strength

Sometimes dads impatience can get in the way of wisdom

And sometimes dads can feel the weight of the family on his shoulders

And moms you step up! You speak out! You give the words of encouragement, correction, and accountability

You love your kids so tenderly and kind hearted

Moms you are needed and valued

Keep and always point your kids to the Bread of Life

He is the only one who can change hearts

He is the only one who reconciles

He is the only one who gives eternal life