Jesus the Bread of Life/Lords Supper

If you have your bibles this morning, please open them up to John Chapter 6. Starting in verse 22 today. As you turn there this text we will be in for the next two weeks. Looking at it with two different perspectives. One with the perspective of Jesus being the bread of life. Which I have titled the message this morning as Jesus the bread of life, and next week looking at it from the Jewish side and there rejection of Jesus as the bread of life. But before we get into the text this morning I want us to go to the Lord in Prayer. Let us pray. John 6:22-59 says this…

John 6:22–59 ESV

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.” 41 So the Jews grumbled about him, because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” 42 They said, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does he now say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?” 43 Jesus answered them, “Do not grumble among yourselves. 44 No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day. 45 It is written in the Prophets, ‘And they will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me— 46 not that anyone has seen the Father except he who is from God; he has seen the Father. 47 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. 48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. 50 This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one 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. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.” 52 The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” 53 So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54 Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. 55 For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. 56 Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. 57 As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me. 58 This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like the bread the fathers ate, and died. Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.” 59 Jesus said these things in the synagogue, as he taught at Capernaum.

Main Idea that I want you to get this morning is this.. : Everyone who believes that Jesus is the bread of life has eternal life.

There is two verses from this powerful text that I just read that echo that very idea at least of Jesus being the bread of life.

Verse 35 most notably is the first official I am statement in the book of John. Its the first of 7 I am statements, The other six (plus minor variations) are: I am the light of the world (8:12), the gate (10:7, 9), the good shepherd (10:11, 14), the resurrection and the life (11:25), the way and the truth and the life (14:6), the true vine (15:1, 5).

The I am statement’s are important in the Gospel of John, because they point out the idea that Jesus is God, and he is in control. Last week I said we know Jesus is Lord over everything, but its nice to be specific what he is Lord over. This week we begin to highlight the Idea of Jesus being the great I AM.

These I am Statements help us better understand who God is, and what he can do.

And verse 35 says John 6:35

John 6:35 ESV

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.

This doesn’t mean that when you are saved you don’t hunger or thirst anymore, but it does mean that those who come to Christ are fully satisfied. They dont need to find satisfaction in other gods, or other means of salvation.

I love what one man said about verse 35. “This does not mean that people have to attain some standard in order to be satisfied. He is not teaching that people must arrive at their goals for growth in personal holiness to be saved. Jesus is everything anyone will ever need. Jesus is altogether adequate, satisfying, nourishing, life giving. Those who go to Jesus and believe in him need nothing else. He is enough.

He is truly enough something the people of Israel missed over and over again. He is the bread of life.

and as Verse 48 says.

John 6:48 ESV

48 I am the bread of life.

Jesus the bread of life. And Everyone who believes that Jesus is the bread of life has eternal life.

Now there are four things that magnify that main this morning, and help us understand more about the bread of life, and the first is this.

1. The bread of life testimony is true.

Verse 27 says God the Father has set his seal on the son of man. Most of you might read over this statement and not think much of it. Now the fact that God the Father sets his seal on Jesus is important. Now this seal means that his testimony is true. That its validated by the most hight…

Listen to one speak of the importance of a seal.

John A Sealed Promise

In the old Robin Hood movies, there was usually a scene in which the king would send his henchmen to the town square to nail up a “wanted” poster announcing a reward of five hundred ducats or some such figure for the capture of the bandit. At the bottom of the edict there was usually a wax impression that bore the image of the royal signet ring. That impression authenticated that the announcement came not from the village blacksmith, the tanner, or the tinker. The impression was the seal of the king; it indicated that the edict carried royal authority. Therefore, the promise was sure.

That is what Jesus was saying about eternal bread, the bread that doesn’t perish. He said: “I, the Son of Man, will give you this bread because the Father has put His seal on Me. He has authenticated, by these miracles, that I have come from Him, and I speak nothing on My own authority, but He has given to Me all authority in heaven and on earth, and I have the authority now to give eternal life to you.” Jesus is authorized to give bread that comes from heaven, and His promise is utterly sure for all who believe in Him.

The seal set upon Jesus is clearly from God. Clearly from a higher authority, and Jesus came from God and God alone, everything he has done proves that is testimony is true. He has given them signs, and the Father has testified of him, the Holy Spirit testifies of him! These people who are interacting with him at that very moment seen the great miracle of the feeding of the 5000. Ate of heavenly bread of the man who came down from the presence of heaven to dwell among his own. And he came to do the work of his father in heaven. Rock solid true testimony of one who is the bread of life.

Jesus testimony as we have seen time and time again in this study of the gospel of John is true.

Second point I want you to take note of this morning is this…

2. The bread of life does not perish.

The manna that was given to the people of Isreal did in fact perish. You can read about this in Exodus 16 if you want more details. But just to summarize it for you God gave the people of Isreal manna from heaven for 40 years everyday except on the Sabbath. And He commanded the people that they get this manna in the morning as much as they needed, and if they did not do that very thing it would become Hot and worms would eat the bread, on the 6th day God would provide and keep the bread so they did not gather it on the day of rest, and the point of me saying this is the manna from heaven did parish, it did not last forever.

However, the bread of life does not perish. It is different from the manna. AND Jesus tells them do not work for food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the son of man will give you. We spend our whole lives working for food that has an expiration date. Food does not have a forever shelve life. However…

Jesus Christ gives you this food that does not parish. When we come to Christ for we dont have to see if there is an expiration date on it in order to partake in his goodness, because he does not perish.

And because he does not perish you can have eternal life.

And the people who heard Jesus wanted this bread.

John 6:34 ESV

34 They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.”

Even though they didn’t quite realize what they wanted it was a bread they needed. There mindset was give me something to eat that will never go bad, but Jesus said I can give you myself and those who believe in me will never perish.

Which brings me to my third point this morning and its this…

3. The bread of life came to give life.

John 6:29 ESV

29 Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.”

Faith is Jesus is essential to our faith. Without faith we cannot have life. But notice what the text says. This is the work of God that you believe in him whom he sent.

They were questioning Jesus, asking him what sort of work do I need to do in order to have this food to have this life, and Jesus tells them the work they must have is belief. Not any kind of works but belief in Jesus.

Dont’ spend your life thinking that the works you do justify you before the Lord // what gives you life is faith in Jesus Christ. Nothing else. He did the work, YOU must believe.

You go down a few verses and you see the same idea of Jesus giving life.

John 6:40 ESV

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.”

So you get two promises in this text… 1 that if you believe in the son of God you will have eternal life. Its that simple, but its more than that. You will also be raised up on the last day..

Not only do you have eternal life but there is a resurrection awaiting for you. two powerful truths for the believer.

Jump down a few verses to verse 47…

John 6:47 ESV

47 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life.

Jesus is reiterating the point. I am not lying to you. Truly if you believe in me you have eternal life. Don’t seek this food that perishes. Don’t work for things that don’t give life. Believe in me so you can have life. Have a Eternal life, a life that awaits when you leave this earth.

Need more evidence jump down to verses 53-57

John 6:53–57 ESV

53 So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54 Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. 55 For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. 56 Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. 57 As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me.

We may think that this is referring to the Lord’s supper and most scholars dont believe that is the case. Neither do I and this practice was not such as thing during Jesus ministry at that moment. Though we do remember him by partaking in the Lord’s supper.

However what is important for us to know is that faith in Jesus is what gives us eternal life.

We see in Hebrews 10:20 say this.

Hebrews 10:20 ESV

20 by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh,

Which means that Jesus in dying for sin opened up a new way of life. One main said, “the body of Jesus was crucified to give life to the world and open the way to the Fathers presence. Jesus gives his flesh for the life of the world in the sense that he gives himself up to be crucified on behalf of sinners.

Jesus is not asking people to actually eat his body, rather he is calling them to believe. And to believe in the finished work at the cross that is to come. Where his body was bruised for us.

The bread that once provided food for the people of Israel would become a bread that provides life to all those who believe in him. And bread that as v 35 remember said. to all those who come shall not hunger or thirst no more.

The bread of life came to give life.

Forth thing I want you to take note of is this…

4. The bread of life gives eternal security.

John 6:39 ESV

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.

The doctrine known as the perseverance of the saints. Is a doctrine that I have spoke of before, but Baptists have long held on to it, and that is if you are saved you are eternally secure. Meaning that you will not be lost if you are in Christ. He holds you fast, he keeps you in the faith.

Lets go down a few verses to see this point again. John 6:50-51

John 6:50–51 ESV

50 This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one 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. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”

Same idea. Verse 39 will be raised up on the last day, and verses 50 and 51 will live forever and not die. Now physical death comes to all of us, unless he returns, but when you are in Christ you will never die again.

Jesus work on the Cross was not just to give us an opportunity to try to save ourselves. It was redemptive in its work, and mission. When Jesus died on the cross it gave his children, who will believe the promise of salvation and eternal security. The cross was not some wasted effort it was a success. It saved all those who would ever call on the name of the Lord.

We must think much of the cross, and Jesus work compared to our short comings and in view of the cross they do seem so small. His work on the Cross believer means you are secure.

One more verse from this passage is this…

John 6:58 ESV

58 This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like the bread the fathers ate, and died. Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.”

I have already mentioned this before but its worth repeating. The bread of life who brings life is not like the bread they were eating. Those people died. If you eat this bread, meaning have faith in Christ you will live forever.

The Great I am is the bread of life. And for believers the application must be faith. Its a growing recognization that faith in Christ means eternal life for everyone who believes in him.

Its understanding that the testimony that Christ brings is in fact true. Folks Jesus is not without witness. scripture written 1400 years before Christ came was speaking about Jesus, the bread of life, who was to come and the Father’s testimony backs up this over and over again. Jesus testimony is rock solid and true.

The bread of life does not perish. There is no expiration date on Jesus the bread of life. We dont have to rummage through the bible seeing is this still good. Because the bread of life has no expiration date. Its message saves for all of eternity to those who believe.

The bread of life came to give life. Never forget that without Christ you could not have life, but because he came you can. All you have to do is have faith in Jesus Christ.

Finally the bread of life gives eternal security. For a lot of people this is something they wrestle with but trust that he will see you through as I have said several times so far during our study of John. When you God changes your heart and you believe in Christ as your Lord and Savior you are forever secure.

I must end today where I started focusing on Verse 35.

John 6:35 ESV

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.

The Jews had long focused on a bread there forefathers partook in. One that they did not experience for themselves. One that did not give them life, a bread from God through Moses. Now they could experience something far better, THE bread of Life. Notice I said The. There is 6 baptist seminaries and one of them is called The Southern Baptist seminary because they are the Original. Its from that seminary the others were formed. And I say this is because The bread of life is how we have eternal life. Its not the church, its not your baptism, its nothing else, except through Christ…

The Bread of Life was there in front of them who gave them bread to eat and they were satisfied. But they wanted more. Little did they understand the bread of life gives them eternal food and drink.

The bread of Life is THE only way. The bread of Life is the eternal God. The Eternal son provides life, and salvation to all those who believe.

And know this If you don’t know the bread of life by faith alone, do that today. Jesus said in his word today that if you believe in him you can have eternal life. Know that his body was given for his children on the cross he died a death that you and I deserve, and the death he died was not some ordinary death. It was painful, because the weight of sin, and the fathers wrath was upon him, and he did that knowing that he was giving life to all those who were his, and his children are those who come to him by faith alone.

The bread of Life is worthy to give us eternal life because of who he is and what he has done…

Trust in Christ today and you can have eternal life.

Every week we have a time of response. If you have made a decision to trust Jesus either in person or online let us know. We want to help you become faithful followers of Jesus. If you are a believer and have not been baptized and wish to do so, or join this church or just need prayer respond however the Lord leads you today.

Let us be a church who responds to the word of God.

Today is a special day where we get to respond to the Lord together as a church taking the Lord’s supper.

The Lords supper is one of two ordinances the Local church has the other is Baptism.

Luke 22:19 “19 And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.””

Its a reminder of the work of Christ on the cross, how his body and blood were shed for believers.

The Lords supper is an act of unity in the Body. Now before we take of this I want to be clear this is for believers only. So if there are any children or unbelievers who have not came to know the Lord yet this is not for them you, but can be a moment that we teach them about Christ.

Listen to the words of 1 Corinthians 11:27-32 “27 Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. 28 Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. 30 That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. 31 But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. 32 But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world.”

You can also take the Lord’s supper in a unworthy manner if you are living with some sort of un-repented sin. The Lord takes this moment very seriously, and so should we, and that being said let us take a moment to pray in silence for ourselves and our own standing with God, and I will close with pray in a moment.

The bread and the wine symbolize the body and blood of Jesus and I want to pray for each one before we take it.

Pray for body.

1 Corinthians 11:24 “24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.””

Pray for the blood

1 Corinthians 11:25 “25 In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.””

1 Corinthians 11:26 “26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.”