The Bread of Life

The Bread of Life

Book of John Chapter 6

We should understand that by the time we reach that age when we can determine right from wrong we soon also find that our soul is craving for fulfillment and we cannot know the end of that craving until we meet the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Book of Genesis teaches us the Jehovah God, our Father in Heaven is the giver of life.

Gen 1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

Mankind in the image of God(not looks) separate from the animals but God gives life.

Gen 1:30 And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so.

Gen 1:31 And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

Gen 2:7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

Keeping these things in mind we will better understand the Lord Jesus Christ is indeed, the "Bread of Life"!

As I have already said as humans we have this hunger for life down deep in our soul!

*****Joh 6:25 And when they had found him on the other side of the sea, they said unto him, Rabbi, when camest thou hither?

On the previous day the Lord had miraculously fed many more than just those 5000 men. We already know there were some children among them and probably some women but to feed 5000 is still a great miracle.

This horde of people had decided that if Jesus was indeed the Messiah, then He should be King according to the Scriptures.

It was not time for this to take place because Jesus had first come to save.

Jesus had placed the 12 disciples in a boat and sent them back to Capernaum while He walked further up into mount.

We know that that same night, Jesus had walked on the water and joined His disciples in the midst of the Lake Galilee.

Joh 6:15 When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take him by force, to make him a king, he departed again into a mountain himself alone.

Joh 6:16 And when even was now come, his disciples went down unto the sea,

Joh 6:17 And entered into a ship, and went over the sea toward Capernaum. And it was now dark, and Jesus was not come to them.

Joh 6:18 And the sea arose by reason of a great wind that blew.

Joh 6:19 So when they had rowed about five and twenty or thirty furlongs, they see Jesus walking on the sea, and drawing nigh unto the ship: and they were afraid.

Joh 6:20 But he saith unto them, It is I; be not afraid.

Joh 6:21 Then they willingly received him into the ship: and immediately the ship was at the land whither they went.

It is now that we can pick up with our lesson.

These large group of men had determined that Jesus would join His disciples even though they could not understand how, so they too went to Capernaum and Jesus was there.

Their thoughts were not about life, they could only think of that next meal that they would not have to work for. If Jesus was the Messiah, then surely He to, could rain down manna from Heaven as they had given credit to Moses rather than the Heavenly Father.

They had surmised that with Jesus as King, everyone would live not ever having to work because the Messiah would feed them.

God has this saying that stills true through today.

2Th_3:10 For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.

Here again we see a comparison to the America of today where many who live have decided that everything should be free and given to them without them having to work for it! (It’s called Socialism)

We don't need Socialism, we need a Theocracy where God is in control of all things concerning life.

We must understand that when we are to be witnesses for Jesus, we must also be willing to rebuke all those pretending to be Jesus or Christian.

These people were not committing to be disciples of Christ they were hypocrites seeking only to fill their own bellies!

The truth is we all have a great need of the Messiah.

We must acknowledge this need.

We must realize that it is only Jesus Christ who can fill this need!

It is in all our best interest that we seek Jesus Christ until we find Him!

Isa 55:6 Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:

It is time to quit trying to find out how Jesus did the things that He obviously did and just accept Him as our Messiah and our Savior, and our Redeemer!

*****Joh 6:26 Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled.

Notice how Jesus sees right through their hypocrisy and tells them exactly what they are.

Very few churches are so direct to their flocks today because they might hurt their feelings.

We must seek Jesus for the right reasons! let's get real even when we get to God's paradise, God's Heaven we can be sure there will be some work for us to do but much of our time will also be used to worship our Heavenly Father! I said time but time as we know will not exist!

We must understand that when we get the opportunity we will all try to find the easy way and the easy way very seldom contains "faith"!

Most all of us care to much about ourselves than to allow the Lord Jesus to work in our hearts!

The Lord Jesus Christ can certainly meet all our needs and He promises to do so for those who believe upon His name.

We do not need miracles to convince us to follow the Lord. Our greatest miracle is when we are "Born Again" into the family of God!

The Lord our Savior is not some tool to be used but a person to be sought after and loved!

Someone who can take 5 loaves and 2 small fishes and feed 5000 certainly has the power of God, this was not a fluke or some magic trick!

Everything in this world will pass away some day and the only thing that can be done to prolong this time it to give our lives to God right now!

Not even tomorrow is guaranteed!

These is not one thing upon this earth that will satisfy anyone forever not even all the riches that we can possess.

Eze 33:31 And they come unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit before thee as my people, and they hear thy words, but they will not do them: for with their mouth they shew much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness.

All those people that think this world will last forever do not see with their own eyes that our world is aging, and it will not last!

*****Joh 6:27 Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.

I believe it could be said that God hates the hypocrite!

The truth is we must be sincere when we are seeking the Lord. If we seek the Lord just for the things that He can provide, then that certainly is the wrong reason.

There are many benefits in serving the Lord but only after we have invited Him into our heart, filled with the Holy Spirit and become a Temple of the Lord.

1Co_3:16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?

1Co_6:19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?

2Co_13:5 Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?

We are not the children of God until we have been filled and sealed with the Holy Spirit!

We are fools to spend our lives trying to accumulate things that will perish, many of them in a very short time!

It is only "Faith", "Grace", and "Love" which will endure to everlasting life!

Our only work is to believe and then once "Faith" has guided us to the Lord, we need to work for life as well as from life.

These things can come only by the Lord Jesus Christ because this is what Jehovah God sent Him to do!

You see it is God the Father who guarantees His Son is the Messiah.

It is God the Father who gives things that last forever. There is no other way to obtain the truth of God!

1Th 1:3 Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father;

1Th 1:4 Knowing, brethren beloved, your election of God.

Jesus Christ has a Heavenly appointment!

Jesus Christ is the answer to every question we may have about life!

*****Joh 6:28 Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?

Joh 6:29 Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.

As we have grown up in the baby boomer age, we have found that we can have nothing without working for it.

We have learned that salvation is the free gift of God and sometimes we think this wonderful gift cannot be free but it is. It is free with "Faith"!

Today we live in a nation where most everyone expects things to be free, but the free gifts of God are rejected more than ever. Who could figure that one out?

Those doing good works will not impress God one little bit and will not get you saved!

Those doing all bad works is an abomination to God and these people cannot be saved until they accept the Lord and repent of their evil.

Those doing some good and some bad works also cannot be accepted.

You see doing any sort works to impress God will not work at all!

The problem being, we just cannot get our minds to think right!

Gal 2:16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.

Eph 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

Eph 2:9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

The truth is, we must believe on the One who God sent, Jesus Christ!

Joh 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Joh 3:17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

Joh 3:18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

We must understand that there no amount of works we can do to impress God if we do not believe that He is God!

There is only the "One Work" that we can do and that is to believe all the words God has written to us!

The "One Work" we can do to impress God is to believe Him!

There is no sustainable life in anyone until they meet and then trust in the Savior!

There is no sustainable life in anyone until they accept the truth of life in the Book of Genesis!

Our world had a beginning and it was not billions of years ago but just as God has said!

Without our "Faith" in the things of the Messiah, the things of our Creator, and the things of our Savior, we are simply living a life of death that will end in eternal death for ever separated from our Creator.

There are far greater things that come by the Messiah than ever came by Moses to the Jews.

The things Moses did for the Jews cannot compare to the things the Lord Jesus Christ has done for whosoever will believe Him!

When we acknowledge our Creator in Spirit and in Truth we are then pleasing to our God!!!!!

Do we need a sign from God for Him to prove Himself? There are signs all around us every day and we ignore them!

*****Joh 6:30 They said therefore unto him, What sign shewest thou then, that we may see, and believe thee? what dost thou work?

Joh 6:31 Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat.

We should remember that just one day before Jesus is asked to do this thing, He fed over 5000 people with the 5 small loaves and 2 small fish. The lunch that a loving mother had fixed for her child.

Jesus had also made some mighty claims.

The one thing we should understand about proof. Proof is useless unless it is accepted as the truth!

After Jesus had fed the 5000, He was gladly received as King by these same people but to be the Messiah, they wanted more proof!

The truth is we get so attached to the things around us in this world, the physical pleasures and the material goods we are blinded to the truth of God, yet none of these things are permanent as is all the things of God!

We become a very foolish people when we ask things of God that He simply will not do. Nothing is impossible for God, but God has no desire to prove Himself over and over again especially when the proof is in the promises He makes and the Word He has given to us!

It all boils down to "Faith"!

Things that we see with our eyes can truly be deceitful!

When we give credit to some man for the things God has done we are also doing wrong.

Moses was chosen by the Lord to be a great leader of these Jesus and He was, but it was not Moses who rained the manna from Heaven. These who faced the Lord this day did not have a clue about the manna other than what was said about it in the Word of God.

Just the word "manna" indicates it was a gift from God!

Deu 8:16 Who fed thee in the wilderness with manna, which thy fathers knew not, that he might humble thee, and that he might prove thee, to do thee good at thy latter end;

Deu 8:17 And thou say in thine heart, My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth.

Deu 8:18 But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day.

When we demand that we first see a miracles just, so we can approve of them we go against the truth of God.

The biggest gripe of this people was that the manna fell from Heaven every day and everyone got all they wanted to eat every day. They had witnessed Jesus feed the 5000 but it was just a one-time event and they were hungry again.

Sounds just like the world of today. "Give me, give me, give me, until I am satisfied"!

It would take much more than this for them to believe that Christ was the Messiah, which Christ did offer when He said it was He who was the true "Bread of Life". They then became "religionist"!

The truth is man never has enough to quench their desires to have much more. This is why riches are so dangerous to our soul!

There is an emptiness within each of us, a vacuum, a lack of purpose that can only be filled with the Lord Jesus Christ!

You will not realize this until it happens!

Jesus Christ is the only source of "Spiritual Satisfaction"!

How did the Lord respond to these false beliefs?

*****Joh 6:32 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven.

It is obvious that we can see a fault of mankind. Mankind just has this great craving for someone to continuously give to them. In America it is the theme behind hypocritical leaders and higher education gone a muck.

They exploit this fault, this craving in most all mankind that cannot be satisfied. The emptiness of man that can only be satisfied by the filling of the Holy Spirit.

As for the Lord, these people were foolishly trying to compare Moses to Him and there can be no such comparison.

1) We must not get confused. Moses did not lead this nation through the wilderness. They were led by a cloud by day and a fire by night. Moses was only the first follower.

Exo_13:21 And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night:

Exo_13:22 He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people.

Exo_40:38 For the cloud of the LORD was upon the tabernacle by day, and fire was on it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel, throughout all their journeys.

2) These people were talking about the "Manna" that also came from the Lord.

Exo_16:15 And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, It is manna: for they wist not what it was. And Moses said unto them, This is the bread which the LORD hath given you to eat.

This "Manna" was of course for their nourishment and the proof is in the people who survived those 40 years in the wilderness but there was a lesson involved that was being taught by Jesus this day with these who had followed Him.

This "Manna" could only bring temporary life and the true "Bread of Heaven", is indeed the Lord Jesus Christ who brings with Him eternal life!

It is only be Jesus Christ that all our cravings can be met!

It is only by Jesus Christ that our hunger can be satisfied!

It is only by Jesus Christ that we can be at peace with this world and at peace with God!

We must look beyond this life we have in this world, which is limited.

We must look beyond the things of this world which are only temporary.

The true "Bread of Life" is not physical but it is "Spiritual".

God does promise to provide for our physical needs just as He did those Jews who traveled for 40 years in the wilderness and just as He does today.

We seem to forget that this body of flesh we live in will one day perish but the soul is eternal, and it is the soul that is so valuable to our Heavenly Father.

Psa_30:3 O LORD, thou hast brought up my soul from the grave: thou hast kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit

Psa_42:2 My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?

As the soul is permanent, then the food for the soul must be permanent.

*****Joh 6:33 For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.

We see that the "Bread of Life" is a person and not food.

We all as humans must have nourishment to survive this earth and it does not matter what part of life we come from.

Ecc 5:9 Moreover the profit of the earth is for all: the king himself is served by the field.

Our Heavenly Father is the source of all things upon this earth because it is His rain and His sunshine and His seasons that allows this life to succeed but we also know our life span is just too short.

The "Bread of Life" is something else entirely!

Jesus Christ is that "Bread of God" that came down from Heaven and can preserve our soul from eternal death!

Jesus Christ is the Author of our salvation.

Jesus Christ is the Supporter of our salvation.

Jesus Christ is the Maintainer of our salvation.

Jesus Christ is the 'Foundation" of our Salvation because it is He who is the Bread of God sent down for Heaven.

Heb_12:2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

What was the initial response because Jesus had not yet claimed to be that "bread of God"!

*****Joh 6:34 Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread.

The purpose of bread is to continue in a life that we already have.

Their request was for God to send them that "manna" from the time of Moses, for all their remaining days.

In other words they felt like they would be fine as long as they did not have to purchase their own food.

This life we now have will eventually lead us to death as our bodies age and we can no longer accept that nourishment into our bodies.

It is a fact that when we need the "Bread of God" we cannot obtain it except by the Lord Jesus Christ!

We can get nothing from God that is permanent until we can know His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ is our Lord!

We must submit to our Savior!

When this takes place we find out the truth!

*****Joh 6:35 And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.

The Lord Jesus Christ is the giver of all life because there no life without the Lord there is only death! By coming to the Lord means believing that this true, and it will be true.

The Lord also supports and maintains the life that he gives to each of us, physically and Spiritually!

It is an absolute fact that life is meaningless without Jesus Christ!

Jesus Christ is certainly the true "Bread of Life".

Jesus Christ is truly the "Bread of God" come down from Heaven.

Jesus Christ is the true Manna from Heaven that fits every need of each individual and each family!

Our soul hungers for the truth. We have a craving to know what we are missing. Both these things are settled the very moment we come to know the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior and our Redeemer.

We all crave life but at the same time many of us just do not understand life.

Every need of this life can be satisfied by Jesus Christ.

Every need of the next life is guaranteed by Jesus Christ.

Rev 22:17 And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.

These that followed Jesus almost daily had rejected Him and had refused the great wonders that Jesus had done right before their eyes.

1Jn 1:1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life;

1Jn 1:2 (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;)

1Jn 1:3 That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.

Christianity is so simple that many cannot take it into their heart because they expected much more.

*****Joh 6:36 But I said unto you, That ye also have seen me, and believe not.

If knowing the Lord Jesus Christ does not bring us to "faith" then we certainly cannot please God!

It is just not what we can get from the Lord. It is what the Lord promises us of our future plus what He provides until we get there!

If we need to see every little detail of the things that Jesus did, then where is our "faith".

Even the soon be apostles had witnessed the feeding of the 5000 thousand, but they did not see how that bread and the two fishes had multiplied.

The one thing certain was that more than 5000 had been fed and there were 12 baskets of leftovers.

Where was their faith.

Faith is not seeing things, so we can believe!

Faith is believing so we can see Spiritual things!

Christian "faith" is an act of trust by which a sinner commits themselves to a Savior!

Was Jesus Christ exactly who He said He was, absolutely.

Does Christ do every day exactly what He said He would do, absolutely.

Will the Lord provide our needs in such abundance that we can live the easy life and never work, absolutely not!

The Lord will provide our needs, but the Lord came to provide a gift so precious that it overpasses anything that we could have upon this earth!

Joh 6:39 And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.

Joh 6:40 And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.

The most important task we have is not so much to do good though this is a small part of it.

The most important task we have is not even to lead souls to Christ, so they can be saved but, it is another part of it.

The most important task we have after salvation is to do the will of our Father in Heaven just as the Son of God has done!

Jesus Christ did everything according to the will of His Father!

Jesus has one more task to do for the church before He returns to deal with the Jews.

Jesus will raise up that old sack of bones we left behind join it unto our glorified body.

These Jews only murmured in disbelief!

Jesus repeated Himself. A thing He only does to prove He is of the truth!

Joh 6:51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.

Simply put if we believe right up to the end of our days that Jesus will be saved from a sinners Hell!

The Lord Jesus Christ is indeed God come down from Heaven to save every believer in this world!

We must believe that Christ came down from Heaven and is the true Messiah.

We must believe that Christ came to this earth to deliver us from a Spiritual death.

We must believe that Christ gave His own life so that we may be saved.

We must believe that Christ gave His life for all the world!

We must believe that Christ Jesus is the God of the Bible and there is no other!

Amen

Let's Pray!