Jesus - The Bread of Life

Christian Standard Bible Chapter 6

26 Jesus answered, “Truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate the loaves and were filled. 27 Don’t work for the food that perishes but for the food that lasts for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set his seal of approval on him.”

28 “What can we do to perform the works of God?” they asked.

29 Jesus replied, “This is the work of God—that you believe in the one he has sent.”

30 “What sign, then, are you going to do so we may see and believe you?” they asked. “What are you going to perform? 31 Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, just as it is written: He gave them bread from heaven to eat.”,ac

32 Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, Moses didn’t give you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is the one who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”

34 Then they said, “Sir, give us this bread always.”

35 “I am the bread of life,” Jesus told them. “No one who comes to me will ever be hungry, and no one who believes in me will ever be thirsty again.

26 Jesus answered, “Truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate the loaves and were filled. 27 Don’t work for the food that perishes but for the food that lasts for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set his seal of approval on him.” 28 “What can we do to perform the works of God?” they asked.

26 Jesus answered, “Truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate the loaves and were filled. 27 Don’t work for the food that perishes but for the food that lasts for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set his seal of approval on him.”

28 “What can we do to perform the works of God?” they asked.

29 Jesus replied, “This is the work of God—that you believe in the one he has sent.” 30 “What sign, then, are you going to do so we may see and believe you?” they asked. “What are you going to perform? 31 Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, just as it is written: He gave them bread from heaven to eat.”

30 “What sign, then, are you going to do so we may see and believe you?” they asked. “What are you going to perform? 31 Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, just as it is written: He gave them bread from heaven to eat.”,ac

32 Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, Moses didn’t give you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is the one who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”

34 Then they said, “Sir, give us this bread always.” 35 “I am the bread of life,” Jesus told them. “No one who comes to me will ever be hungry, and no one who believes in me will ever be thirsty again.

Introduction:

35 “I am the bread of life,” Jesus told them. “No one who comes to me will ever be hungry, and no one who believes in me will ever be thirsty again.

Earlier in chapter 6, Jesus had performed the miracle of feeding the multitude. After this, he sent the disciples in a boat to the other side o the sea of Galilee while he dismissed the crowds and wend alone to the mountain to pray. He meets the disciples in the middle of the night walking on the water to them in the middle of the sea of Galilee. The crowd had been trying to keep up with Jesus. They traveled across the sea in boats to Capernaum looking for Jesus. They found him on the other side and were curious as to how he had gotten there since they did not see him get in the boat with the disciples and that there was only one boat. Jesus has the power and sufficiency to meet their deepest need, but they had to made aware of that first. First of all notice:

“Truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate the loaves and were filled. Don’t work for the food that perishes but for the food that lasts for eternal life, which the son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set his seal of approval on him.”

These crowds were furiously seeking after Jesus because of the material sustenance he was providing. They were missing the real problem and need that they had. This problem was not physical, but spiritual. The issue is:

Spiritual Emptiness (v.26)

Hungering for the Wrong Bread (v.27)

C.S Lewis states,

This crowd had missed the sing in the miracle. The miracle was pointing to a greater reality. It was pointing to the emptiness of their life spiritually and to the reality of who Jesus is. That Jesus is the one who can meet their greatest need. He is the one who can rescue them from their emptiness. The people had a works based mentality when it came to fulfillment in life. Therefore they reference back to the works of Moses (in their view) of providing manna from heaven for their ancestors in the wilderness.

, “ 14 When the layer of dew evaporated, there were fine flakes on the desert surface, as fine as frost on the ground. 15 When the Israelites saw it, they asked one another, “What is it?” because they didn’t know what it was.

Their use of scripture however is incorrect, it was not Moses that had provided the bread in the wilderness. Jesus clarifies this for them in verse 32, “Truly I tell you, Moses didn’t give you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven.” In other words, the main subject of the Exodus manna passage was not Moses, but God’s provision for his people for their hunger. What God had done in the past for they physical he is now doing in the present for the spiritual. The emptiness of their heart was their greatest need now, not physical food or material miracles.

God had sent bread to his people in the wilderness to meet their physical need. This manna or bread from heaven was a sign pointing forward to the bread of heaven, Jesus, that God would send to meet the spiritual needs of his people.

Hungering for the Wrong Bread (v.27)

“Don’t work for the food that perishes...”

C.S. Lewis had a great statement on this: “It seems that … our Lord finds our desires not too strong but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures fooling about with drink, and sex, and ambition when infinite joy is offered us. Like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.” We think we want this lesser bread.

Physical bread doesn’t last forever. I can remember my mother going to the grocery store as a child. Me and my brother were growing boys, and we liked to eat, a lot. I can remember Momma would go the grocery store and it seemed like it was no time before me and my brother were complaining that there wasn’t anything in the house to eat. Physical food may be earned by work, yet spiritual food, our deepest need, comes from God. He is the “food that lasts for eternal life...”

The people here in were hungering for the wrong bread. People still hunger for the wrong bread. We are captives to our desires. Even when we attend church we are captive to our desires, our wants and preferences. We are constantly thinking about what we want and what we like. I am of the conviction that the reason there is so much fruit basket turnover in the church today, people leaving the church and what not is because we are hungering for the wrong bread.

Compare that to how so many give so little thought to the spiritual needs that they have. Do we even stop to consider what will truly satisfy us? Perhaps the reason we get bored with church or restless in our lives is because we are expending so much time and energy pursuing things that cannot satisfy…another vacation a promotion at work, more money, sports achievements or hobbies, fancy experiences

Essentially, what the people are saying to Jesus here in verses 26-34 is, “Hey you did a big miracle the other day, now do a bigger one! Give us bread from heaven every day!” People are no different today. We forget what God has already done for us in Christ and we seek after “the big one”. A new experience, better music or better preachers. Bigger and better…something new to excite us and move us forward. In the end, we are never satisfied, because we are seeking after the wrong bread.

You were made to know God and glorify him. It is “in him we live, and move, and have our being.” () And your soul will never be satisfied apart from the Lord Jesus Christ.

C.S Lewis stated, “I cannot find a cup of tea which is big enough or a book that is long enough.

You Can Eat the Best Meal - but you Will look for a better one tommorrow

You can have the nicest clothes but you will grow tired of them

You can buy a new truck, car or bass boat but will soon be looking for another one

You can attend a church and before long you will look for another better one with better music or a better preacher suited to your tastes or wants

And on and on the list could go…

, “ Why do you spend silver on what is not food, and your wages on what does not satisfy?”

“I am the bread of life”, Jesus told them. “No one who comes to me will ever be hungry, and no one who believes in me will ever be thirsty again.”

Jesus has basically said to the people, “The bread you are after won’t last, it is only temporary, you are still going to need more bread and then you will still die.”The things that we think give meaning and substance to our lives are never enough. There is not enough physical food or medicine in this world that will keep us alive forever. But in Jesus, we find satisfaction that is complete and eternal.

Christian Standard Bible Chapter 6

47 “Truly I tell you, anyone who believes has eternal life. 48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. 50 This is the bread that comes down from heaven so that anyone may eat of it and not die. 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread he will live forever. The bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”

, “47 “Truly I tell you, anyone who believes has eternal life. 48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. 50 This is the bread that comes down from heaven so that anyone may eat of it and not die. 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread he will live forever. The bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”

Jesus is the bread of life and he provides life that is both abundant and eternal. This life Jesus gives will never fail or fade away.

We Must Receive the Bread of Life (v.35, v.47, 53-57)

You either believe Jesus or you don’t. When you truly believe you commit. The only way to be satisfied physically when you are hungry is to internalize the food, to chew it and swallow it, receive it into your body. You will not satisfy physical hunger by thinking about food or knowing the nutritional information on the back of the food’s packaging. You will not be satisfied by food by understanding where it comes from or how it is made. Likewise, thinking about Jesus will not save you or satisfy you, it is not the same as believing. Knowing information about Jesus is not believing.

Jesus says some hard things in verses 53-57, “53 So Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life in yourselves. 54 The one who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day, 55 because my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink. 56 The one who eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him. 57 Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me.”

Jesus is using metaphorical language here to make a spiritual point. To eat means to believe. We have cheapened what it means to believe in contemporary Christianity. To believe means to commit, to embrace fully the truth about who we are as sinners and who God is and what he has done for us in Christ and to cast ourselves upon his grace and mercy. It is placing all of your hope on Christ and Christ alone.

53 So Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life in yourselves. 54 The one who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day, 55 because my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink. 56 The one who eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him. 57 Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me

Augustine said, “You made us for yourself, and our hearts find no peace until they rest in you.”

J. D. Greear Sermon Archive The Shortsighted: John 6:14–65

He is the bread of life. You were created not for something, but Someone.

Your soul craves his glory. You were made for it. It’s what your soul hungers for. “Glory” is what takes your breath away in the beauty of the sunset or blows your mind in the majesty of the universe. It’s what you marvel at in the complexity of the atom or the human cell. It’s that hunger you can’t really describe but makes you long to be united with something that you see in those things.

John Piper says that we look around and we see the evidences of God’s glory all around us. Psalm 19 tells us that the heavens “declare” the glory of God! “He shouts with clouds. He shouts with blue expanse. He shouts with gold on the horizons. He shouts with galaxies and stars. He’s shouting, “I AM GLORIOUS!” Open your eyes! Do you see it? Do you love it? You were made for this. This is why (we) exist: to see that. Everything is pointing to that. All the glory that I thought was so attractive (in the world) is going there. This [empty world] is all husks and ashes.

That’s the bread your soul craves. To know that God and to know that he loves you, with the caring love of a Father. To know that love is eternal life itself.

The alternative is to have a starving soul … to enter into an eternal existence, hell, with your soul still famished and starving. Hell, a place of nothingness and fire but worst of all, with all traces of the glorious love of God removed. Like C.S. Lewis said, “God threatens terrible things for those who refuse to be infinitely satisfied in him.”

Conclusion:

Many people can’t believe in Jesus because they’ve never recognized they were made for this glory or known that they are missing it. They are so fixated on quick fixes, physical bread, that they’ve never understood what they are missing—God, and that the only way He could be restored to them was for God himself to have his body broken like bread and his blood poured out like water.

You’re so consumed with small things—wonderful things, but lesser things—like marriage and boats and cars and politics and world peace—that you miss the true bread from heaven, the God behind it all! The glory of Jesus that outshines the sun and bursts through every beautiful thing in the universe.

My invitation to you is to come and feast upon the glory of Jesus.

● If you’ve never believed, to take and eat right now.

● If you have received him, to keep believing, keep feasting upon him:

● To renew it each morning (why we set aside daily time to meditate on God’s word and pray)

● To help one another do it (by being in small groups).

Jesus is the bread of life. You were created not for something, but Someone. Your soul craves his glory. You were made for it. It’s what your soul hungers for.

He is the bread of life. You were created not for something, but Someone.

Your soul craves his glory. You were made for it. It’s what your soul hungers for. “Glory” is what takes your breath away in the beauty of the sunset or blows your mind in the majesty of the universe. It’s what you marvel at in the complexity of the atom or the human cell. It’s that hunger you can’t really describe but makes you long to be united with something that you see in those things.

tells us that the heavens “declare” the glory of God!

That’s the bread your soul craves, to know God and to know that he loves you, with the caring love of a Father. To know that love is eternal life itself.

The alternative is to have a starving soul … to enter into an eternal existence, hell, with your soul still famished and starving. Hell, a place of nothingness and fire but worst of all, with all traces of the glorious love of God removed. Like C.S. Lewis said, “God threatens terrible things for those who refuse to be infinitely satisfied in him.”

Conclusion:

The danger is that we are so fixated on quick fixes, physical bread, that they’ve never understood what they we are missing—God, and that the only way He could be restored to them was for God himself to have his body broken like bread and his blood poured out like water.

We can become so consumed with small things that we miss the biggest thing, we miss the bread of heaven.

Friends all around me are trying to find

What the heart yearns for, by sin undermined;

I have the secret, I know where ’tis found:

Only true pleasures in Jesus abound.

…

Jesus is all this poor world needs today.

● If you’ve never believed and received him, believe today and receive the bread of life, Jesus Christ.

Jesus is all this poor world needs today.

Blindly they strive, for sin darkens their way.

O to draw back the grim curtains of night,

One glimpse of Jesus and all will be bright!

—Harry D. Loes

● If you’ve never believed and received him, believe today and receive the bread of life, Jesus Christ.

● If you have received him, to keep believing, keep feasting upon him:

● To renew it each morning (why we set aside daily time to meditate on God’s word and pray)

● To help one another do it (by being in small groups).

Jesus - The Bread of Life

I. Confronting the Real Problem

II. Apart from Jesus Christ - Nothing Will Satisfy

III. Complete Satisfaction is Found in Jesus Christ (.v35)