The Bread of Life

Recap - promise - to be with us, light, gate and shepherd.

Bible Verse - Shepherd and this week's bread

Opening prayer

Lord, thank-you that we can gather today to hear your word. May it be your words we hear, guided by the Holy Spirit. May we each humble ourselves to learn what it is in this moment you want to teach us. May todays message spur us on to be bold to declare Your good news to the people you put on our hearts. Amen

Reflect

Reading through John 6:25-58

What food do you eat most days? besides bread, is there any other food that most people in the world would eat?

Before today's passage, people saw Jesus feed the 5 thousand, His disciples saw him walk on water. Which of Jesus' miracles or signs most captures your attention? Why?

John 6:26 NIV

Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw the signs I performed but because you ate the loaves and had your fill.

Refers to the previous passages - walking on the water and being fed by 5 loaves and 2 fish to the 5 thousand.

Jesus not only performed a sign but it resulted in something they could feel and touch. He met a need you were hungry and I feed you. We work to meet this need.

What should we work for? to meet our needs or Kingdom outcomes

John 6:27 NIV

Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.”

Seal - A small engraved object used to make an image in soft clay or wax indicating ownership, authority, or authenticity—much like a modern signature.

Forms with a signature, they are not actioned until a signature is given

How much do we work to meet our own needs, how much do we work to serve Jesus

John 6:28–29 NIV

Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?” Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”

What work should we spend our lives working on?

answer - To believe in Jesus

To believe in the things Jesus taught, to believe that Jesus can make a difference in your life and in others. The crowd in this situation are Galileans, farmers, fishermen, hard workers that believe hard work will help them be greater.

Jesus confronting materialism. For the people, they are seeking things to be made easier. Jesus is not promising this, he is offering substance that will help endure what's next.

Ephesians 2:8–9 NIV

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.

Looking for another sign - a time God most turned up

v30 they ask for another sign

Jesus Response -

John 6:32–33 NIV

Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”

God provided for their needs in the wilderness.

This was not just one occasion, God is still feeding the earth. He gives life.

Feeling tired, each day he renews my strength. My prayer and the youth standing up. I feel it might be the same with the WIll graham festival.

older generations trusting God’s provision.

Stop to pray for each other - where the power comes from - a gift

Do you have a story of a time you felt tired, weak or afraid and God turned the situation around?

John 6:34 NIV

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

I love this short verse - it speaks so much about the very hunger the speaker wants to be filled.

always give us this bread.

John 6:35–40 (NIV)

Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.

Bread is for all - fig - He is the saviour of the world

We have come through a taught couple of years. people thought that their kingdoms/ their homes, filled with the latest gadgets, ability to connect online, people looked for all different ways to satisfy the needs they felt. Nothing will satisfy except for Jesus. Do we believe that? have you experienced this?

v38 For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me.

v40 For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.”

Jesus has come down from heaven - He is the answer to the needs of the human heart.

God’s will - to lose none of those God has given me. For everyone to look on Jesus, shall have eternal life. This is the security (Jesus with the father)we have, this is our destiny (eternal life)

Recognise

In today's passage what speaks to the security, destiny and identity we have with Jesus?

Eternity started the day you looked on Jesus, the day you believed in Jesus over your plans and desires.

and in the last part, we will look at our identity.

John 6:42 NIV

They said, “Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, ‘I came down from heaven’?”

Discounting because of what we think we know, a historical figure, who is not helpful for our day-to-day. Jesus response

Discuss the question - Do we see Jesus as more of a historical figure than someone that can impact the now?

John 6:45 NIV

It is written in the Prophets: ‘They will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard the Father and learned from him comes to me.

Isaiah 54:13 (NIV)

All your children will be taught by the Lord, and great will be their peace.

God will enable a way for us all to be taught directly by God, the priesthood of all believers.

If we know Jesus, then and only then do we know God

John 6:47–51 NIV

Very truly I tell you, the one who believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died. But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which anyone may eat and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”

Stop for communion

The Last Supper

Our identity

Jesus reminds us of God’s promises to be with us, this is our security, our destiny and our identity that we live life fully and not hunger.

John 6:53–58 (NIV)

Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.

Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.

For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink.

Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them.

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.

This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your ancestors ate manna and died, but whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.”

Using a practical need that feeds our soul but hungers again, Jesus is referring to the spiritual feeds our soul and never hungers again, it brings eternity to our soul.

Respond

What is Jesus actually saying, As we come to communion?

live with every part of you energised by Jesus, what does food do, gives you the substance to create action. Water and food need to be consumed in order to do this, so too the words of Jesus, our belief in Jesus needs to be part of us.

We are in Jesus and He in us.

Eternity starts today. As we live for Jesus our actions and life are eternal ones. We worship a living God, not dead, alive, alive in us, through us.

Not everyone is going to get it. Hard teaching - didn’t have communion as a reference

In the following verses 60 & 66, Jesus' disciples state that this is a hard teaching, to live a life of sacrifice, reliant on the body and blood of Jesus.

Communion is Jesus' regular reminder.

sit for a couple of minutes - eat the bead

What does living a cross-shaped life mean to you?

How do you or how would you like to daily feed on Jesus?

Craig will lead you to drink together and pray.

John 6:60, 66

John 6:60 NIV

On hearing it, many of his disciples said, “This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?”

John 6:66 NIV

From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.

Closing prayer

John 6:35 (NIV)

Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.