Bread of Life
Notes
Transcript
John 6:22-40
John 6:22-40
Bread provides a substantial portion of the nutrients essential for growth, health maintenance, and overall well-being. It is an excellent source of protein, vitamins, minerals, fiber, and carbohydrates. Furthermore, it is low in fat and cholesterol. The composition of the dry matter in wheat varies significantly based on factors such as soil, climate, and genetic differences among wheat varieties. In New Zealand, wheat has an average protein content ranging from 8% to 13%. It also has a high carbohydrate content, accounting for about 83% of the weight of a kernel.
Other parts of the wheat grain consist of bran and germ. Bran, the outer layer or "shell," is abundant in B vitamins and minerals.
The wheat germ or embryo is a rich source of B vitamins, oil, vitamin E, and fat. It must be discarded during milling because the fat can become rancid during storage. However, it is still very valuable and is used in many products.
The minerals found in wheat include calcium, phosphorus, potassium, iron, magnesium, and sodium.
Vitamins like thiamine (B1), riboflavin (B2), pantothenic acid, inositol, P-aminobenzoic acid, folic acid, and vitamin B6 are also found throughout the wheat grain.
All the nutrients in wheat make bread an essential part of the diet. Bread is one of the the least expensive, high-quality nutritious foods in New Zealand. It not only offers many essential nutrients but is also low in fat, cholesterol, and sugar.
In the morning, I enjoy coffee and a bagel with cream cheese, which energizes me for the day ahead. Why is bread essential in our diet? For people before and after Christ’s time on earth, bread was easy to carry with you and allowed you to have a meal when needed. We use chemicals to help us work out, continue throughout the day (energy drinks), and even put processed foods with chemicals to enhance their flavor. Do you know that your body takes what it does not recognize and turns it into fat? The diet industry is a multibillion-dollar industry.
How many different diets are there? Thousands! Who benefits? The diet industry (pharmaceuticals), insurance, the food industry, and the government. How many different lies are told about one’s ability to enter heaven? Thousands. Just like the countless diets, there are many beliefs about attaining eternal life. Jesus is the only way to heaven. He is also the only diet you need or should have for a healthy life. He gives us the dietary facts in these passages and the entirety of the Bible.
First, labor for His food. Second, seek the Bread from heaven. Lastly, rejoice in Him.
Labor:
Labor:
How many of you know the story of a woman who asked for help with tilling her field to plant wheat? Nobody would help. She asked again for help to grow her crop. Nobody would help. She asked again for help with treading the grain. Nobody would help. She asked again for help with the baking the bread. Nobody would help. The smell of the bread rising went out of her window into the town. Everyone came to have a slice. But nobody received one; why? Nobody wanted to partake in labor, so they would not participate in the bread.
We labor for things that have no value. It has no nutrients; therefore, it causes us to get fat and lazy. Jesus is warning them and us not to labor for things that perish but for everlasting food. What is this laboring of bread? It is doing the will of the Father by believing in His Son and spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ. It is working for the Kingdom of God and not for self. Look at the difference between the Samaritan woman we read about last week and the Jews we read about now.
The Samaritans sought the truth, while the Jews sought material possessions. The Samaritan woman perceived He was “The Prophet” after He told her about her relationship error. The multitude perceived after he fed them. The woman was given the truth from God and believed; the crowd was fed by God and believed—the woman, through conviction, the crowd, through materialism. The Samaritan saw the Messiah; the crowd (Jews) saw the One who could restore their kingdom. The woman knelt her heart; the Jews pushed out their hands.
Seek
Seek
The other day, I was looking for my old golf shoes. Jenefer and I looked everywhere for them. We knew that I had put them in a black shoe bag, but that was it. I knew where they were, but they were not there when I first looked in the closet. She eventually had to leave to take her car to the dealership. I kept looking and became frustrated because I knew I had put them in the closet. I went back to the closet and found them in the cornerback of the closet. I went outside and was about to load the truck when I thought, why will I try and play in this weather? Instead, I wanted to spend the day with my wife. There is more value than playing golf in the rain and cold.
My point is that we sometimes turn to old things to distract us from the essentials. We should only seek Jesus. We seek preservatives instead of nutrients. We can seek after God because of what Christ did for us.
The Jews wanted a sign like the manna that came down from heaven, a substance with a limited shelf life. Their malnourished soul blinded them, so they could not see the True Bread of Life before them. Why? They ate unhealthy for such a length of time that their sight was decaying.
The point is that they ate the bread, which temporarily curbed their appetite, but they missed the miracle of Jesus crossing the sea. They were moved not by full hearts but by full bellies (Leon Morris). They sought Him because of the signs but did not grasp their significance. They sought Him but for the wrong reasons. I know I have, and we can all seek Him for our desires. This is no different from them seeking Him.
Our seeking of Him is for eternal life through Him. If we eat His bread, we should grow in our faith and understanding of Him. What bread should we eat? It is His Words that we have in front of us. Remember when Satan tried to tempt Jesus? Matthew 4:3-4
Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.”
But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’ ”
Our appetite for worldly possessions is curbed when we fill ourselves with His word. We seek after Him because of learning to grow closer to Him. His Word fills us, and it comes to us when we need to hear Him. Anytime I am in a pickle or need to listen to Him, you know what happens? His Words started to come to me. With Gracelynn, He flooded me with Psalm 23 . When I am persecuted, Isaiah 54:17 . When unsure, Psalm 46:10 . No otherworldly nutrients have the Power like His Word. He is the “BREAD OF LIFE!”
A Psalm of David.
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters.
He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the Lord Forever.
No weapon formed against you shall prosper, And every tongue which rises against you in judgment You shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, And their righteousness is from Me,” Says the Lord.
Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!
Application
Application
1. Seek Him. I want to challenge everyone here. I want to see each of you on Tuesday for prayer and fellowship. If you are traveling out of town, I understand. Other than that, be here.
2. Read His Word more than you watch TV.
