The REAL Manna

What do you need?

A simple yet profound question. Sometimes I ask it like this, “how can I best serve/help you? We must get good at helping people discern what they really need. There are plenty of different models to describe our human needs. Here are some categories: power/achievement, freedom/independence, fun/enjoyment, survival, belonging.

Our culture blurs the lines of “needs” and “wants”.

We live in a very capitalistic and consumeristic culture. Many times we can unintentional, and sometimes intentionally, start to believe that we need more stuff in order to find fulfillment. Yet, every funeral I have done this year, totalling 9, I have yet to see a coffin overflowing with money and stuff. We probably need less stuff and more Jesus.

Jesus is teaching in the synagogue.

This is the setting for our text this morning and I think this is important to remember. He is no longer out by the sea or on the hillside but right in the heart of the Jewish faith.

Religion sometimes gets in the way of seeing Jesus.

We must be careful if we think this is not true.

Jesus has the seal of approval.

Jesus is the exact representation of God. Jesus has the Holy Spirit signifying He is who He says he is. We can trust Jesus!

Every good gift comes from above.

The Gospels teach this but also the OT. The giver of manna in the wilderness was not Moses, he was only the intermediary. The gift always came from God.

Jesus is the real source of life—I AM the bread of life.

Jesus is the new manna but even better than the manna of Old.

We must want Jesus not the things Jesus gives!

There are blessings to being connected with Jesus. Yet, we cannot start to think the blessings and gifts are what matters. All that matters is Jesus, and Him alone!

Jesus provides security.

Read verse 37 and know that for those who truly believe who Jesus is we do not need to worry about being thrown out. The key is do we truly believe Jesus is God and teh source of all life?

We must do the will of Jesus.

Jesus did not his own plan but the plan of the one who sent him.