Bread Of Life | John 6:26–42

Opening Remarks: Back in John 6. Taking is slow because of how rich this is. We’ll be covering some of what we dealt with last week, and then coming back to some of it next time.

TITLE: Bread Of Life

PRAY

Introduction: Africa trip

Things just aren’t the same

Hard to find certain products like we’re used to here

Do the best they can, but sometimes you can’t find exactly what you need

Grocery shopping in Ghana becomes more of a scavenger hunt than anything

Here many people go to two places, like Aldi and Walmart

You can pretty much find what you need in two places and go home

In Ghana, it’s an adventure

Show pictures:

Market photo

Certain places in the market for fruits and vegetables

Certain fruits and vegetables from people they trust in the market

Meat from a reputable source

Another common sight in Ghana was Bananas

Banana Stand Photo

Banana trees everywhere

But they bought bananas from a specific stand on a corner

Even the Ruckmans had a banana tree in their yard

So it was interesting to see how they shopped

But one food item that caught our attention was the bread

The bread was fresh and homemade, and even though multiple people sold bread, they only bought it from this place

SHOW PICTURE

Of all the places they could buy bread, they’ve found the best spot

It was freshly baked

The ladies selling it were very friendly

They have a relationship with the Ruckmans

There’s no reason to buy anywhere else

Illustration:

But Imagine having this option and the Ruckmans choosing to shop somewhere else

They know the place where the bread is fresh

They know it’s trustworthy because they’ve had it

No one else makes bread that tastes better

No other shop is so reliable

But one day they say, “I don’t feel like going all the way over there today, so I’ll buy from somewhere else”

So they do, and you get home, and it doesn’t touch the bread they normally get.

It’s dry, it’s not fresh, it doesn’t taste as good

In fact, just for comparisons sake:

Let’s say the average bread place makes loaves that look like this

But the best bread place makes loaves that look like this

There’s no comparison: One passes the eye test, is freshly made and tastes wonderful

The other I’m not sure anyone would eat.

But can you imagine continuing to buy this bread (bad) when you could have bought this (good)?

That question is at the center of today’s sermon:

Why choose bad bread when better bread is available?

That’s the choice that Jesus Christ poses to the people in John 6.

REVIEW

Chapter 6 is an incredible chapter. It begins with Jesus feeding the 5,000 men (10,000 with women and children). He used 5 loaves and 2 fish to do it.

By the time everyone had eaten to the full, there were still 12 baskets of food leftover.

I’m convinced that this would have been the best fish and bread meal these folks have ever tasted.

What makes me say that? First, they ate to the full. They didn’t just eat, they gorged themselves. It must have been life-changing.

Illustration: London Fish and Chips, it was fantastic, fresh fish and perfectly fried “chips,” but as good as it was, I don’t think it touches what Jesus served on that hillside.

They’re so enthusiastic about it that they came searching for Him. But when they find Jesus, He kind of pours cold water on their zeal.

Vs. 26 - “You are only seeking me because of the food.”

You want your bellies full.

Illustration: How many foodies in here? Foodies will go a long ways to get good food. When you find something you like, you can justify any distance for a road trip.

We have some Chick-fil-A fans here, but if you live on the east side like I do, it’s an easy 20 minutes to get to the west side, not to mention having to brave 41st street just to get some chicken. It’s a good thing I like what they stand for (like not being open on Sundays) or it would be hard for me to justify going.

By the way, why is it that the day I crave Chick-fil-A the most is on Sundays. It’s like the Devil uses Chick-fil-A on purpose to make me discontent on the Lord’s Day.

If you’re a foodie, you understand what the crowd was doing. They want food, and Jesus calls them out for it.

I. They Have A Seeking Problem

That’s what Jesus says in Vs. 26.

“You seek me for the wrong reason.”

We touched on that last week - They were seeking Christ for the perks like food.

They were seeking temporary things. They looked at Jesus and saw “bread” rather than looking at the bread and seeing “Jesus.”

Their minds were focused on material things.

Jesus says it this way in vs. 27, “Labor not for the meat which perisheth.”

“You’ve gone to great lengths for material things. Fish that feeds you one day, but leaves you hungry again the next day.”

You could say it this way, “Moldy bread. Bread that goes bad.”

So He says, “If you would give the same enthusiasm and energy toward the things that matter in eternity, your lives would be changed. You’re so consumed with satisfying your flesh, but it won’t last. So give your lives to eternal things.”

And they’re not opposed to the idea. In vs. 28, they say, “What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?’

I believe they sincerely want eternal things. After Jesus talks about eternal bread, they say in Vs. 34, “Lord, evermore give us this bread.”

They were seeking. But they were seeking on their terms. Oh, we’ll follow, but we want to call the shots.

So He says in Vs. 29 - “The work will be done by God. The only requirement of you is to believe.”

Salvation is a work of God available to us if we make the choice to believe.

Salvation is available to all of us. It was available to them. It’s available to you. It’s available to us. But it’s not based on our works. It’s based on our believing in the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross. We simply must believe.

You might say, “Then why does Jesus say, Labor not for the meat that perisheth, but for that meat which endureth. That sounds like He’s saying that we have to work.”

But that’s not what He’s saying at all. Like we talked about last week, the labor comes not before salvation but after it. We are created in Christ Jesus unto good works.

We believe to receive salvation, then we spend our lives laboring for meat that matters.

The only labor in salvation is the sometimes very difficult choice we face whether or not to believe.

For some, it is labor. It’s a struggle. It’s a fight.

Here’s why: What we are seeing in this exchange is the multitude being resistant to Jesus Christ as their Master.

They want the perks. They want eternal life. They like the attention that Jesus has. But they aren’t willing to believe because they know that believing means a lifestyle change.

Saying “Yes” to Jesus means we say “Yes” to a new Master.

When you get saved, you must submit to Him as your Master.

You must hand over the reins of your life and say, “Whatever you want, Lord.”

The struggle for many is not, “Do I want eternal life?” The struggle is more, “Do I want to give God control of my life?”

You will have to decide if you are willing to submit to God’s control of your life.

The perks of salvation are undeniable. You get to miss hell. You get to go to Heaven. You get to have eternal life.

That’s the easy part. What isn’t easy is seeking Christ with a humble heart that is willing to do whatever He asks.

I believe this entire struggle comes down to a crowd of people who want the perks, but aren’t willing to submitting to the demands.

Their motivation for seeking Jesus was all wrong.

They had a seeking problem. They sought the perks from Jesus, but they didn’t necessarily want the Person of Jesus.

II. Their Seeking Problem Led To An Unbelief Problem

Vs. 29-31 - The ability of the human heart to ignore clear evidence is striking.

They say to Jesus, “What sign will you give us to prove that you are from God?”

To that statement, I say, “What do you mean, what sign? (Are you blind?)”

No offense, Bro. James. But even Bro. James could see the signs.

Jesus turned 5 chunks of bread into food for thousands. He multiplied 2 fish to feed thousands. They ate the best meal of their lives and came back for more, and they have the audacity to ask, “What sign will you give to convince us of your identity?”

It makes me appreciate the honesty of Nicodemus in John 3, “No man can do what you do.” He was honest. He was humble. Even as a Pharisee.

But these are not humble. They’re saying, “Prove yourself. If you want us to believe and have eternal life, we need something more to go on.”

Vs. 31 - “Our fathers did eat manna in the desert…He gave them bread from heaven to eat.”

What they’re saying is, “Moses fed our forefathers for 40 years, but you’ve only given us bread once.”

“Feeding 2-3 million people for 40 years is much more impressive than feeding 10k one time. If you want us to believe based on yesterday’s bread, you’re going to have to do better than that.”

Look at Jesus’ response in vs. 32a, “Actually, that manna in the wilderness came from God, not Moses.”

“Don’t give Moses credit for the manna. Moses had to eat it too, or he would have died. He was just a man. That bread in the wilderness came from the Father.”

“And He gave it to you for two reasons: #1 - To keep you alive, and #2 - To give you a picture of eternal bread , which is what I’m offering.”

As good as manna was, they had to gather it again the next day.

It was temporal. It was limited. It couldn’t satisfy eternally.

It did its job, but Jesus is saying,

“That bread perished. But I’ve come offering you the best bread you could ever eat.”

“Bread that will sustain you for eternity.”

“Bread that will take care of your greatest problem, which is sin.”

“Bread that will give you eternal life.”

And look at what He says in Vs. 35, “I AM THE BREAD OF LIFE.”

In the first of many “I AM” statements from Jesus Christ, He states as clearly as possible that eternal life can only be found in Jesus Christ. That what He means when He says, “I’m The Bread Of Life.”

You’ve had good bread. Manna was good. The bread yesterday was good. But it’s temporary. It gets moldy. It runs out. It can satisfy your hunger for a meal, but it can’t save your souls.

Vs. 32b-33 - Jesus says, “Stop thinking about bread. If you focus on filling your belly, you’re going to miss what it’s all about. There’s a life beyond the physical life.”

“Manna fed your fathers. The bread yesterday filled your bellies. But the bread that the Father hath sent down (talking about Himself) can save your sinful souls.”

Jesus is offering them this kind bread. The good stuff. The better stuff. Bread that won’t get moldy. Bread that does more than feed you today. Bread that satisfies on an inward level.

And they even act interested. Look at Vs. 34.

They think, “Sounds good to us.”

But something changes when He says, “I am the bread of life.”

“If you come to ME you’ll never be spiritually hungry again.”

“If you believe on ME you’ll never be spiritually thirsty again.”

We’ll deal with some of the details in Vs. 36-40 next time, but look at Vs. 41-42.

They got mad that He claimed to be God.

They were upset that He claimed to be the Father’s Son.

They were furious that He claimed to be the only source of eternal life.

And they refused to believe because of it.

They were seeking Christ for the wrong reasons, which meant they had unbelief. Because they had a problem with unbelief…

III. That led to a problem with submission.

They came saying, “We will believe on OUR TERMS.”

“We will determine what terms are acceptable for belief.”

“We need more evidence from you before we submit to what you’re saying.”

So now they’re ignoring the evidence right in front of their faces.

They had heard Him teach and said “This man has authority like no one we’ve ever heard.”

They had seen Him do miracles.

They had tasted the bread.

They had eaten to the full.

But now they’re saying, “Not good enough. We need more signs. We need more bread. You can’t just claim to be the Bread from Heaven. That’s too far, sir.”

So they won’t submit to the evidence right in front of them.

If this doesn’t give us a glimpse into the pride of the human heart, I don’t know what does.

They’re so proud that they want the perks, not the person.

They’re so proud that they refused to believe the evidence.

They’re so proud that they refuse to submit because He’s not giving in to their terms.

Each problem they have is a matter of pride.

I want the perks. I need more proof. I won’t submit until you do things on my terms.

If you are seeking Jesus Christ, you must come on His terms. Not for the perks, but because He’s the Bread Of Life, and nothing else can fix your spiritual problem.

I would imagine in a room like there, there are those here who do not have eternal life.

I can’t say who you are, but you probably know.

You have evidence that Jesus is the Savior.

You say, “What evidence?”

How about the cross?

He came and died for the sins of mankind.

Romans 5:8 says that’s all the proof we need that He loves us.

Not only that, but He rose again the third day and was seen of above 500 of His closest friends who could confirm it was really Him.

Jesus Christ Himself is all the evidence we need to submit to salvation.

But this room is full of evidence.

You may see “Good church people,” but this room is full of people who used to be not church people:

People engaged in immorality

People who sold drugs

People in prison

People who failed at marriage

Drunkards who couldn’t put the bottle down

This room is full of people who once were bound for hell, but Jesus changed us.

And as much as you say, “I’m not sure I can believe Jesus. I don’t think I can submit to His claim to be the Son of God. I don’t know that I can trust Him when He says all I have to do is believe.”

Friend, you are surrounded by people whose lives can only be explained by pointing to the life-transforming work of Jesus Christ Himself.

You may not believe. You may not trust the evidence. You may struggle with Christ’s claims. But I say to you that anything good that has come from the life of this man standing in front of you can only be attributed to the life-changing grace of God through Jesus Christ and His work in me.

You have to make a choice between Bread today:

If you refuse the Bread of Life, you are choosing to live for temporary things. And it may appear okay for a while, but when you stand before God, He will say, “You lived for moldy bread.”

The choice is yours: It’s either moldy bread (material life), or the better bread (eternal life).

Might I say: If you choose the Bread of Life, submitting to Him as Master is worth everything you have to give up.

A lot of people are afraid of salvation because they know they’ll have to submit to Jesus Christ as Lord of their lives.

They don’t want to hand Him the reins. As much as I get that, that is simply pride convincing you that you can handle your life without the Bread of Life.

But that’s impossible. The only life worth living is the one with Jesus Christ as Master.

And you say, “But submitting is hard. But even giving up something you love is easy when you think about having eternal life or not.

Eternal life is better than anything you lose when you submit to Jesus Christ as Savior.

Christian, this applies to us as well.

Being a Christian is not a label, it’s a lifestyle.

It means your life is different.

You get to walk with the Lord.

You get to study His Word.

You get to grow and be like Christ.

You get to invest and serve in the church that He loves.

But you can’t eat of the Bread of Life and not have it change your life.

But many Christians try. They’re saved, but they don’t want to submit.

Making Him Master is hard. But do we really believe that we’re better off in life with us in charge or Christ in charge?

Conclusion:

It comes down to this choice: Do I want to live for Moldy Bread or the Best Bread?

If you refuse Christ, you are choosing to give your life to bread that cannot satisfy. Bread that perishes. Bread that can’t give you eternal life.

If you refuse to believe the evidence, you are placing your trust in bread that can’t feed you beyond today.

Partake of the Bread of Life. Say Yes to Jesus Christ. Would you do that today?

Christian, if you refuse to submit, you are living for Moldy Bread.

Jobs and money and careers and sports and education, it all has its place. But none of it can do for you what the Bread of Life can do for you.

Let go of your pride and say, “I’m tired of living for Moldy Bread. I want the Best Bread.”

Bread from Heaven. Bread that satisfies. Bread that never goes bad. Bread that won’t just feed me today, but every day of my life and even for eternity.

Have you ever bitten into Moldy Bread? It’s terrible. It doesn’t satisfy. It’ll make you sick.

Your life can be summed up by one of these loaves. Both are available, and many choose Moldy Bread. It’s a decision that makes no sense, but that our pride won’t allow us to submit to Jesus Christ.

Don’t choose THIS when you could have THIS.

Maybe you’ve come seeking today.

Like the crowd, you have interest in Jesus. But you’re not sure you like His terms.

If you don’t submit, you leave living for Moldy Bread. If you simple Believe you can the Bread of Life.

Moldy Bread or the Bread Of Life

The choice is yours. Submit and find out just how much it is.