I AM the bread of life

I AM The Bread of Life

I.                    Introduction:

A.      We are in the middle of the I AM series, 7 statements that Jesus proclaimed His deity in the book of John. Charles spoke on I am the good Sheppard and I am the resurrection and the life in the previous weeks, today I will cover John 6:22-40, I am the bread of life.

B.      First I would like to start with a Story: Napoleon and a friend were discussing life. It was night and therefore dark outside. They walked to the window and there were some distance stars, little more than pinpoints. Napoleon had great eyes sight, but his friend was a little dim-sighted. Napoleon pointed toward the sky and said “do you see those starts”, his friend responded “no, I cannot see them”. “That”, said Napoleon “is the difference between you and me.” The man who is earth bound is living half a life. It is the man with vision, who looks to the horizon and sees the stars, who is truly alive.

**If you can and chose, please stand for the reading of God’s word

John 6:22-40  (22)On the next day the crowd that remained on the other side of the sea saw that there had been only one boat there, and that Jesus had not entered the boat with his disciples, but that his disciples had gone away alone.  (23)  Other boats from Tiberias came near the place where they had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks.  (24)  So when the crowd saw that Jesus was not there, nor his disciples, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum, seeking Jesus.  (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.”

Prayer **************************************

II.                  The Search John 6: 22-27

A.      (22)  On the next day the crowd that remained on the other side of the sea saw that there had been only one boat there, and that Jesus had not entered the boat with His disciples, but that his disciples had gone away alone (23)  Other boats from Tiberias came near the place where they had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks. (24)  So when the crowd saw that Jesus was not there, nor his disciples, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum, seeking Jesus. (25)  When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you come here?”       It starts with the phrase

                                                              i.      “On the next day”, tying it to the beginning of chapter 6

1.      The feeding of the five thousand

2.      Jesus walks on water

                                                            ii.      The people are looking for Jesus without luck

1.      The night before His disciples left in a boat without Him

2.      There were no other boats

3.      They knew it would have taken too long to walk around

4.      They got on a boat to cross the sea of Galilee toward Capernaum

                                                          iii.      They find Him and the first thing they ask “Rabbi, when did you come here”,

B.      Jesus did not responded to this question, rather he said  “ (26) 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.”

                                                              i.      The beginning of these verses speak to two types of hunger

1.      Physical – the food that perishes -the Jews were interested in their material needs, Jesus provided food

2.      Spiritual – the food that endures - Jesus pointed to the fact that these people were only interested in material satisfaction, they received a meal, they saw the miracle that fulfilled the physical, but they forgot the sermon that was preached prior to the meal, they did not recognize the sign that they needed to fulfill the spiritual hunger. 1 Timothy 2:5 For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, 

a.      We hunger for truth – In Christ alone is the truth of God

b.      We hunger for life – In Christ alone is life abundant

c.       We hunger for love – In Christ alone is love that outlast sin and death

3.      Jesus, although He fulfills our spiritual needs is ultimately more concerned for our spiritual needs

                                                            ii.      The closing of verse seven For on him God the Father has set his seal.”

1.      In the days of Christ, it is know that a document is not valid without the seal of the one that sent it, the seal was pressed into soft wax on the end of the document, to hold the document closed, but also to be a sign of authority, of truth.A person would not accept what was written as truth, without the seal

2.      Today we notarize things, but there is still a seal  

3.      Rabbis had a saying “The seal of God is the truth”

a.      A story written in the Talmud  “a record of rabbinic debates on the law, philosophy, ethics, customs, history, and other topics. The story says that the Jewish experts in the law were in the synagogue weeping, praying, and fasting, when a small scroll fell from the firmament. There was one word written on it Ameth,  meaning the truth, which is written in three letters

                                                                                                                                      i.      Aleph – the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet , min -the middle letter and tau – the last letter

                                                                                                                                    ii.      The truth of God is the beginning the middle and the end of life

b.      God set His seal on Jesus as the truth of God

III.                The Works of God John 6:28-34

A.      John 6  (28)  Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?”  The Jews were keyed into a work that would gain God’s favor

B.      (29)  Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.”

                                                              i.      Belief is synonymous with faith, it is through faith that we have a deep relationship with God. We have to know Him to trust Him, and that knowledge will show us

1.      God is love – We must have love and forgiveness that reflects God

2.      God is holiness – We must have purity that corresponds to the holiness of God

3.      God is wisdom – We must have submission and trust corresponding to the wisdom of God

                                                            ii.      Jesus said the first commandment is Matthew 22:37  “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.  The essence of Christianity  is our relationship with God, this is the work of belief in God and it enables us to perform as a Christian

C.      The Demand John 6: 30-34

                                                              i.       (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.’”

1.      In the statement Jesus made, belief in Him who He has sent, the Jews understood that he was pointing to Himself as the Messiah. As I mentioned earlier, they see the feeding for the five thousand as a miracle, but not a sign. When they think of bread from heaven they think of the manna provided in the wilderness and there was a traditional thought that some of that was set aside in the arc. When the temple was destroyed, Jeremiah took the manna and hid it, in order for it to be brought out when the Messiah came

2.      The felt the manna was the bread of God, and was provided by Moses (the first redeemer), through his works. The Messiah (the second redeemer) would then surpass Moses by causing the manna to fall.

3.      The Jews were challenging Jesus to produce this bread, they did not consider the feeding of the five thousand a response because earthen bread was reproduced, not the manna from heaven they expected.

                                                            ii.      Jesus then said to them, (32) “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.”

1.      Jesus first reminded them that it was not the work of Moses providing the Manna, it was a gift from God.

2.      He also tells them the manna was merely a symbol of the bread of God. The manna gave temporary satisfaction, were Jesus is the bread that came down to give real satisfaction

IV.                The bread of Life John 6:35-40

A.      Jesus said to them, (35) “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. 

                                                              i.      Bread - has a few meanings

1.      Money – this term was not used back then, but even the richest of our world today as not fully satisfied

2.      Physical sustenance – most of the third world, bread is a stable,  man can live for some time off bread and water

3.      Spiritual life – This is brought forth with a relationship with God, a love, trust and obedience  and is made possible only through Jesus. Without Jeus, we may have existence, but it is meaningless  

                                                            ii.      Water – this relates back to the woman at the well. John 4:13-14 (13) Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, (14) but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” 

B.      In the last verses we are opened to Jesus John 6:36-40 - (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.”

                                                              i.      We see can see the signs that Jesus is the Messiah

1.      In the pages of the Bible

2.      Teachings of the Church

                                                            ii.      Having seen Him we come to Him, not as a hero, or a character in a book, but as a savior, Lord, and friend

V.                  Conclusion  

A.      Napoleon did not mean that the inability of his friend to see the stars was what separated them, it was much deeper.

B.      Jesus, although He takes care of our physical needs, it is much deeper. He wants, more than anything, for us to believe in Him.

C.      If you remember one thing today, remember 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.”