Eternally Fresh Bread

John 6:22-33

Eternally Fresh Bread

Read John 6:22-33, CAMERON Reads

Pray

Intro (Picture of bread.) Some people love to eat bread. Bread stick, pretzels, yeast rolls, home made cinnamon rolls, cakes, pastries …

-My youngest is a bread person. She loves the crust on pizza as much as the rest.

You bread people know who you are.

If you are sitting next to a bread person, poke them with your finger.

In our culture we don’t eat as much bread as in Bible times.

Bread in Bible times is what like rice is to Asia. Essential.

In Bible times bread was 80% = of the average person’s calories.

They had to have bread … or they would starve.

Bread was so critical that,

-Jesus said to pray, “Give us this day our daily bread.”

90% of the people were poor and had to find the means to make bread almost every day.

-Bread didn’t have preservatives, so it went bad quickly.

Transition - In our passage today, Jesus talks about the bread that spoils quickly and the bread that lasts for eternity.

vs. 22-25, The Set Up

There was a crowd of people ...

vs. 22, This is the same crowd of the Feeding of the 500/20,000.

-The day previous, Jesus created several thousands pounds of fish and bread for 20,000 people to eat.

-Because of this and other miracles Jesus did, the people wanted to make Him King and overthrow Rome.

-During the night, Jesus sends His disciples across the Sea of Galilee. The disciples get caught in a storm where Jesus approaches them walking on the water.

Today’s passage is the very next next day.

This is a crowd that shows up on the other side in Capernaum crossed the lake and was looking for Jesus.

They have high expectations.

-They wondered if … The man who could be our king might give us another free miracle meal.

Transition -

As Jesus engages with the crowd.

Jesus ignores all the rules about being a southern gentleman.

He doesn’t ease into conversation.

He hits them with a confrontation.

I. vs.26-29, Confrontation of False Belief

vs, 26 Jesus answer, He speaks directly to their spiritual condition, straight call you out confrontation.

What does Jesus confront?

A belief that was wrong?

What was the belief?

Their materialistic view of God and His Kingdom.

-They think God’s Kingdom is made up of big meals, miracle working kings, and cities with unbreakable walls. They are looking for an earthly Kingdom.

-This is their dilemma...

-The Jews wanted God’s Kingdom to fit their earthly agenda.

-Meet their need for food and the abolishment of Roman occupation.

-Jesus confronts them and says, you want me to feed you again, that’s why you want me.

-BUT you don’t want me. You want what I can give you.

Illustration - Wrong Ingredient

A Pastor Friend of mine, his wife was baking cookies for a school event. She was going to bake home made sugar cookies. When she was done with both batches they were really good looking and beautiful.

-One of her kids snuck one when mom wasn’t looking and the child yelled out in horror. “These are terrible!” They tasted the cookies. They were terrible.

-Some how, mom accidently used a cup of salt instead of sugar.

-Things can look right on the outside and be wrong on the inside.

-You can have what looks like God’s Kingdom and miss it all together.

We do this in our own lives today.

-In our Republican Christian View we think God is building His Kingdom when Christians are:

-Successful business people

-Athletes speaking up for God

-Conservative Politicians

-have walls filled with respectable academic accomplishments.

While these things in and of themselves are not bad.

This is not a sign of God building his kingdom.

The most powerful movements of God are happening today in countries where to speak up for Jesus means jail, beatings, and decapitation.

The most powerful movements of God are happening today in places where witnessing to someone could have you sent to a concentration camp.

Where being caught worshiping in a secret house church means you lose your business, all your academic accomplishments are stripped from you, and you are shamed.

In the book of Acts many people became Christian, publically professed Jesus, and then were martyred. They became a Christian and then died.

-Was God building His Kingdom? Absolutely.

God’s kingdom is found where people are trusting Jesus, and they are growing in Him. (X2)

God’s Kingdom is spiritual. It is eternal. It doesn’t value what our culture values.

Here is the temptation, (I want you to download this into your mind.)

“We get sucked into allowing our culture to define what a win is for a Christ Follower.”

Read vs. 27

The world says -

Get rich, but your business will perish

Get smart, but your educational degrees will perish

Be athletic, but your sports record and accomplishments will perish

Have experiences, but your vacation experiences perish

Build a fancy house, but your fancy house and decorations will perish

Have political opinions and let people know, but your political opinions perish

-Even this wonderful building, this church house, will perish.

Jesus says,

Do not work for the food that perishes.

Work for what lasts into eternity.

Work for what God loves.

Col 3:1-3

Read Colossians 3:1-3 “1 If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. 3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.”

What does not perish

-Food that endures to eternal life.

-What is that food?

-Jesus is that food. He is the Bread of Life.

Is 55:1-3, says this in poetic language about buying what lasts.

“1 “Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. 2 Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food. 3 Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live; and I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David.”

says this ...

As Christ followers, our call in life is to give ourselves to the things that last for eternity.

To do that we have to confront our cultures beliefs that we have bought into.

Transition - The people who were following Jesus were having a tough time wrapping their heads around this. We see this with their desire to consume.

Section vs. 30-31, Desire to Consume

Read verse 30-31

Teaching

Deuteronomy 18 Gives a prophecy that points to Jesus.

It was prophesied that one greater than Moses would appear

When you read Exodus as part of your daily time with the Lord, you will see that as God’s people are in the wilderness, God provided the people a miracle food for them called Manna.

Every morning when the people woke up there would be small round bits of sweet bread on the ground.

They would collect this and eat this sweat bread daily.

God would provide for them.

The Jewish people had a major misunderstanding.

Moses had given them Manna - bread.

-Now Follow The Logical Progression...

Since Jesus was supposed to be greater than Moses, guess what the people wanted Jesus to give them? Manna - Bread.

-They desires to be provided with something that the could consume.

They were not looking for a spiritual Messiah to give their life to.

They were looking for someone who would meet their physical wants.

Don’t we experience this same temptation of consumption?

-We make musical worship time at church about how good the music sounds and not the worship.

-We make the sermon about entertaining illustrations and not about the greatness of God.

-We make our daily Bible reading time about how it made us feel and not how it transforms us?

-We want to consume our spiritual experience and be stimulated, but we are resistant to being transformed.

Can I tell you a little secret?

-Every mature believer that I’ve talked to about this has agreed that...

The more you consume Jesus and allow Him to transform you, The more your experience in knowing Him is brings higher joys, and greater intensity. When you consume Jesus a bi-product is a fuller experience.

But it starts with taking in, consuming, The Bread of Life.

Transition - In our passage, Jesus takes the focus off eating bread and points the attention to His Father. We see this with a … ????

Section vs. 32-34 “Confession to His identity”

Read vs. 32-34

Vs. 32, the Father gave in the wilderness, not Moses.

The Father gives the TRUE bread of eternal life.

Vs. 33, Jesus says, I am the bread.

Illustration - I find it fascinating in Mid-evil art or Renaissance Art that some times someone in the picture is pointing. Sometimes it is someone pointing up, drawing attention to heaven. Sometimes, its a King and Queen, and the King is pointing to the Queen - indicating she is the one who is ruling, not him.

Jesus - Points to His Father.

vs. 32, The Father gives the True bread. Get your focus off of Moses and eating and focus on the Father.

And by the way

Vs. 33, The Bread is the one who gives spiritual life.

Jesus gives spiritual life.

The Father has placed His stamp of approval on Jesus (vs. 27)

Transition - Since Jesus is the bread that brings spiritual life, how do I feast on Him?

In Application - How do I feast on Christ?

Christ Follower - If Jesus is the bread, and we are to feast on Him…

How do we feast? How do we get more of us deeper in us in faith.

Regular time in God’s Word

Regular Time in Prayer

Meet with a group and build spiritual relationships

-Get in a group where there is spiritual sharing, conversation, confession, accountability, encouragement, and relationship.

-If you are not in a Sunday School class, or a spiritual small group, or discipleship group - find one.

-If you are not in one, this needs to be your next spiritual step.

As a Christ Follower we -Feast on Jesus alone and we also Feast on Him with others.

Gospel

If you are not a Christ Follow. If your sins have not been forgiven, take Jesus into your deepest places by fully trusting that He has made a payment for your sin.

-Turn to Jesus, confess your sin, except His great love for you, and follow Him.

Let’s Pray.