What are you hungry for?

OPEN: Doomsday preppers; stockpiling food (25 -30 yr shelf life) and building bunkers. Well, at least the billionaires are buying bunkers in New Zealand.

TRANSITION: Most folks are looking for stability and security in what is increasingly a troubled world. Sadly, the doomsday preppers’ solution is woefully inadequate. True fulfillment and security is found solely in a relationship with Jesus

The Natural Person focuses on the physical and the temporal, but Christ focuses on the Spiritual and the Eternal (vv. 26-27)

Explanation: The crowd follows Jesus to Capernaum the day after the miraculous feeding of the 5K. When they arrive, they ask an irrelevant question. Jesus, discerning their true motive, ignores the question and calls them out. He tells them that they aren’t interested in knowing Him more fully, they just want more bread to eat

Illustrate: last day of mission trip in Honduras - a flood of children. They weren’t interested in the message, they just wanted gifts from the Americans

Argument: many folks say they are seeking truth, but they really already know what they want. They are captive to the pursuit of winning in this life, and they are self-centered. Even if they are in the church, the attitude is “what’s in it for me?” rather than having the mindest of “how can I please Jesus through serving others?” Compare with

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Application: Where is your focus? Are you simply seeking the benefits of Christ rather than Christ Himself?

The Natural Person wants to work for his justification, but Christ declares to believe on the One the Father sent (vv 28-29)

Explanation: Jesus tells the crowd to stop striving and working to gain mastery over the physical. Instead, He tells them to “work for the food that endures to eternal life.” The people misunderstand what He said, and show their confusion by asking what they can do to be justified before God.

While Jesus did make use of the word work in the previous verse (v. 27), He was using it to contrast the physical with the spiritual. He did not mean that there are actions or deeds that would justify a sinner before God (cf. )

Illustrate: Having a meal payed for by someone else, and we have a desire to leave a tip. We want to contribute

Argument: Jesus clearly tells His listeners that justification before God is accomplished through belief. No sinner (and all of us are) can do enough to be righteous before God (). The Gospel message is “Repent and believe (), and we receive it as a gift ()

Application: Are you living under a system of works, or have you received the gift of God? Share Allan Blume’s story of the pastor who preached message on the necessity of faith. A week later he talks with man and asks the EE diagnostic question and man’s response is “if the good outweighs the bad.”

The Natural Person pursues material needs , but Christ states that He is the Provision of God (vv. 30-35)

Explanation: In spite of what He is saying, the people still don’t get it and they demand another sign (remember they have already seen His miracles). The Jews had an understanding that when the Messiah showed up He would provide them with Manna like Moses did. They are still focused on their material needs: They want more bread! He points them to Himself

Argument: Jesus corrects their misunderstanding of the source of the Manna: it came from God, not Moses. He also tells them that Manna is not the True Bread from heaven, but that actually, He, Jesus is the Bread of Life. This is the first of the 7 I AM statements in the Gospel of John. Reflect on the author’s purpose for writing his Gospel: “but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” ()

The use of the phrase I AM would take a Jew back to where the Living God revealed Himself to Moses as the I AM. [This is another personal declaration by Jesus of His divinity] For each of the 7 statements, Jesus fills in the blank. This blank is filled by the bread of Life. Jesus tells them He is their answer. The longing and searching will be fulfilled by Him and Him alone; nothing but Jesus will fill the God-shaped vacuum in the human heart.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

Application: Are you still striving, working & planning or are you resting in Jesus?

The Natural Person seeks security, but Only in Christ is true security (vv. 36-40)

Explanation: We live in a stressed out, anxiety prone time. Our ancestors would undoubtedly be shocked by all that we have access to in the way of material things. But more than that, I think they would be blown away by the uncertainty and insecurity we live with constantly. We have stuff and we work to get more stuff, but we still lack peace. Could it be that we are looking in the wrong place? I believe so.

Illustrate: Consider how most of us minimize risk, either through warranties, money back guarantees, or fixed limits of loss.

Argument: Jesus promises a 100% guarantee of security. He tells His listeners that even though they are struggling with unbelief, He will have persons to trust Him and follow Him. He can say this because of the Sovereignty of God: all that the Father gives will come to Him. And of those who come to Him, Jesus will lose nothing of all that He has given. Twice, Jesus speaks of the Last Day and the reality that He will raise up those who have come to Him. This is a guarantee that the mission for which God sent the Son will be successful!

Application: Outside of Christ, there are no guarantees of security like this. For the believer, this teaching provides hope and encouragement. It is not up to me to hang on, Christ will see it through! (). I didn’t work to get saved, and I don’t work to stay saved. I work and serve because that’s what I was created for (Eph 2:10)