I Am The Bread of Life
John 6:35People will do anything to be satisfied in life. In fact, people are searching for life and meaning in life. The drunkard is looking for life. The drug addict is looking for life. The adulterer is looking for life. The humanist is looking for life. The corporate climber is looking for life. Even the American redneck, whatever that is, is looking for life.
In each person, God has created a void. That void is the desire for meaning and fulfillment in life. Even though all persons are looking for life, many are searching in all the wrong places.
Jesus is the life people are looking for in life.
If you are searching for the real Jesus and on a quest to know Him, then a great place to start is the gospel according to John. In fact, that's why the Spirit of God led John to record his 21 chapters! Here's what he tells us in chapter 20.30-31, ''And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.''
If you were to take a poll and ask a simple question: Who is Jesus? You would probably get a multitude of answers. In fact, if you
asked a thousand people their opinions about Jesus, you would probably get a thousand different answers. In the end, what really matters is not what other people say about Jesus, but what Jesus says about Himself.
Our lives our often controlled by our physical desires and needs. This we discover as we study the word of God.
- When we are hungry, we eat. - When we are tired, we sleep. - When we are sick, we seek relief.
- When we are happy, we share our joy.
Have you noticed though that no matter how good the food is or how much of it we eat, we still get hungry again? Ever had a Thanksgiving when you over did it? You sat 2 inches from the table and ate till your stomach touched, and you thought to yourself, ''I never want to eat again. I'm so stuffed it hurts.'' But what happens 3 or 4 hours later? You're hunting through the refrigerator looking for leftovers. It didn't keep you satisfied.
The truth is that doesn't just happen with food. Some of us have been on a search for something that will satisfy our souls, and we've come up short. We've tried partying, relationships, buying things, moving to a new state, or getting a new job! Sometimes we look at other people and we think, ''Well, if I had what they
had, I'd be satisfied. If I had their success, if I had their marriage, if I had their life, if I had their looks, I'd be satisfied with that.'' But it's not true.
There is a difference between being stuffed and being satisfied, right? I mean, they were physically full, but they weren't truly satisfied. Most of us would have to admit that we have our lives so stuffed that we don't have room for much more, but in the end we have to admit often times we're really not that satisfied.
Here is the question: What is it that really brings satisfaction? What's the one thing that will truly satisfy? Well, that's the heart of what Jesus is going to teach us today when He says in John 6:35, ''I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.'' Jesus is talking about real satisfaction that lasts forever.
But before we get to that, you need to understand what's leading up to Jesus saying this.
At the beginning of John 6, Jesus has a huge crowd all around Him. John says there were 5,000 men, so with women and children, there was an excess of 15,000 people in this huge crowd. At some point in the day, Jesus realizes that this crowd is getting hungry. Hungry people aren't usually happy people, amen?
You know the story. Jesus feeds excess of 15000 people with two loaves of bread and five fish. Then to top that off they take up twelve baskets of leftovers.
Jesus knowing the heart of the people knew that they would try and take Him and make Him King. He disappears through the crowd to a mountain to pray and the disciples enter a boat to cross the sea of Galilee. During their journey they encounter a storm in the middle of the night and Jesus shows up walking on the water to rescue them. He calms their fears enters the boat with them and immediately they are on the other side. The next day people start showing up and they are wondering how Jesus got there. Now the questions start coming and the discussion begins.
In studying for this message, I have discovered four truths that will helps us to appropriate “The Bread of Life to Our Life and find satisfaction in life.
Here is the one underlying truth we need to understand.
I Am changes who I am. I want to repeat that, “I Am
Changes who I am!” Amen
Let me share four truths with you this morning.
A. There is a Misunderstanding about the Physical and the Spiritual.
John 6:26-27 (NKJV) (26) Jesus answered them and said, "Most
assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. (27) Do not
labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him."
We put more emphasis on the physical than we do the spiritual. Please understand I am not advocating that we don’t take care of ourselves; I’m not advocating that we quit caring about how we look. This is important; however we sometimes do this while neglecting the spiritual side of our life.
I have had many tell me they wouldn’t attend church because they didn’t have make to put on. Yet these same people will go to the grocery store to buy groceries or other items. They do this while church id going on. I can’t go to church without make up but I can go shopping.
B. There is a Misunderstanding about the work of God.
John 6:28-31 (NKJV) 28) Then they said to Him, "What shall we
do, that we may work the works of God?" (29) Jesus answered and
said to them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent." (30) Therefore, they said to Him, "What sign will
You perform then, that we may see it and believe You? What work will You do? (31) Our fathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is
written, 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.' "
C. There is a Misunderstanding of the Origin of Life and of
Jesus.
John 6:41-42 (41) The Jews then complained about Him, because
He said, "I am the bread which came down from heaven." (42) And they said, "Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How is it then that He says, 'I have come down from heaven'?"
A. They recognized His earthly existence. B. They could not grasp is Divine Existence.
C. There was a point and time when God became man.
Galatians 4:4-5 (NKJV) (4) But when the fullness of the time had
come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, (5) to redeem those who were under the law, that we might
receive the adoption as sons.
D. However, there was never a time when He was Not
God.
II.
A Satisfaction for Our Hunger and Thirst.
John 6:34-35 (NKJV) (34) Then they said to Him, "Lord, give us
life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.
A. They wanted Jesus to take care of them while at the same
time neglecting their spiritual need.
John 6:27 (NKJV) (27) Do not labor for the food which perishes,
but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him."
B. Jesus pointed out their spiritual need was more important
than the physical need.
C. Are we not guilty of this at times? We would rather have a
handout from God that would gratify our physical needs while neglecting the spiritual.
D. Many today seek the hand of God but not the face of God.
III.
An Acceptance of the Revelation given
Through the Word.
John 6:36-40 (NKJV) (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 the one who comes to Me I will by no means 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) This is the will of the Father who
sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day. (40) And this is the will of Him who
sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day."
Acceptance of the revelation will give us.
A. Acceptance
B. The Will of God. The will of God is that we have. 1. Security
2. Future Hope
IV.
An Affirmation of the Truth.
John 6:67-69 (NKJV) (67) Then Jesus said to the twelve, "Do you
also want to go away?" (68) But Simon Peter answered Him, "Lord,
to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. (69) Also
we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."
