John 6:22-35 JESUS: THE BREAD OF LIFE
Intro: As this great chapter opens, we find Jesus preaching to a hungry
multitude. As He finishes His message, He is aware that they are in need of food for their
bodies, so, He does that which only God Himself could do. He takes 5 small loaves, and 2
small fishes and feeds a multitude that probably neared 15,000 people. After all the
people were satisfied the disciples took up 12 baskets filled with the fragments of this
miracle. One basket for every doubting disciple!
This remarkable miracle served as a life sized illustration for a sermon
that Jesus was about to preach, a portion of which we have just read. In this passage, we
are presented with a new portrait of the Lord Jesus Christ. In this passage, Jesus is
presented as The Bread Of Life.
This is an interesting portrait of Jesus, since bread is a substance
known and used by every society on the face of the earth. From the American who goes the
store to buy his bread to the savage who cooks his daily ration of bread on a stone beside
his fire, bread is consumed by people everywhere. By the same taken, most people enjoy
their bread. While some like meat and others don't, or some like greens and others don't,
most people like bread. Bread is one of the few foods that can be tolerated by most
digestive systems. Also, bread has a satisfying quality that few other food products have.
Anyway you slice it, bread is good and it is a food that most people need, use and enjoy.
When all this is taken together, it becomes clear why Jesus is portrayed as The Bread Of
Life.
This morning, as we take the time to dissect these words of our Lord, I
want you to see that Jesus is still The Bread Of Life. He is what the whole world needs,
He satisfies all those who partake of Him, there isn't a person on the world who can't
tolerate Him, and there isn't a person who won't enjoy Him when they meet Him. Therefore,
let's spend a few minutes this morning in these verses an look together at Jesus: The
Bread Of Life.
I. THE PERSONALITY OF HEAVEN'S BREAD
A.. V. 34-35 Heaven's Bread Is A Person -
According o these verses, the Bread of Heaven is not a system or a denomination, but He is
a Person. This truth simply serves to remind us that we can never be saved by some
religious system or method. Salvation comes through Jesus and Jesus alone! Acts 4:12.
B. V. 35b Heaven's Bread Has Power - This
Heavenly Bread has the power to save, secure and satisfy every sinner who comes to Him by
faith.
(Ill. This is what separates Jesus from all the religions and
self-proclaimed messiahs of the world. While they promise great things, they can deliver
only death, Pro. 16:25. Jesus, on the other hand, promises life, salvation, security,
satisfaction and absolute safety for the soul of man. And, He delivers every time! I don't
know about you, but that is the kind of Savior to which I want to give my heart.)
C. v. 47-51 Heaven's Bread Has Promise - These
verses tell us that Heaven's Bread will give man life. Physical bread can sustain human
life for long periods of time. However, after a time, the body will still die, even though
it has been well fed. Jesus, on the other hand, is bread that gives everlasting life. When
Jesus is received, He gives a salvation that lasts for all eternity. Nothing can ever take
that away from the saint of God. The simple fact is this, ever person ho places their
faith in Jesus for salvation is going to live forever!
D. V. 53 Heaven's Bread Has A Price - Before
Heaven's Bread can be enjoyed by the sinner, it must be received by the sinner. This is a
simple enough thing, but many seem to stumble right here. They can believe that Jesus was
real, that He died on the cross, and even that He arose from the dead. However, to make
His sacrifice, and the salvation He offers a reality in your life, you must come to Him by
faith and be born again!
(Ill. Imagine that you are invited to my house for dinner. I pass you a
plate of Hot buttermilk biscuits. I pass them to you and say, "Have a biscuit?"
You say "Yes, thank you, I would love one." But, instead of reaching out and
taking it, you simply sit there and smile. I say, "I thought you wanted a
biscuit!" You respond, "Oh I do!" My response would be, "Well, if you
want it, you are going to have to reach out and take it for yourself. I am not going to
put it on you plate for you!")
(Ill. Salvation works the same way. Jesus has already done everything
that is necessary to save the sinner. He died on the cross, He rose from the dead and He
calls the sinner to come unto Himself. He has done all that He can do. Before you can be
saved, you are going to have to come to Him by faith. It won't cost you a dime to be
saved, Isa. 55:1; Rev. 22:17, but it does require that you receive Him by faith. Notice
verse 47 - To be saved, you have to "believe" in Jesus. This word simply means
to "rest the totality of your weight upon." It isn't Jesus plus this or that, it
is Jesus alone that saves the soul of man!)
I. The Personality Of Heaven's Bread
II. THE PRESENTATION OF HEAVEN'S BREAD
A. V. 1-13 Illustrated By The Miracle - In
feeding the 5,000, Jesus presented a type of Himself. He is shown caring for the
multitude, providing for the multitude and satisfying the multitude. The implication is
that Jesus, like the physical loaves and fishes, is sufficient for the need of mankind.
Jesus is the all-sufficient Savior. Notice, every man took "as much as they
would", v. 11, then after they had filled themselves, there was still an abundance
left over, v. 13.
(Ill. Even though hundreds of millions have been saved by the grace of
God, there is always grace for one more! Jesus is sufficient for the needs of the entire
world! Men wear themselves out trying to placate God through religion and religious
practice, but Jesus is the answer for the need of mankind. He is received, just like the
bread on the mountain, by simple faith. All the multitude had to do was take what the
disciples passed their way. It works the same for the sinner! All the lost man has to do
is receive Jesus by faith and salvation is the result, Eph. 2:8-9)
B. V. 30-33 Illustrated By The Manna - The Jews
come to Jesus and request a miracle, (What did they call the feeding of the multitude?),
and they remind Jesus of the Old Testament miracle of the Manna. They tell Jesus that
Moses gave the children of Israel Manna, and they want to know what He is going to do.
Christ's response is to remind them that Moses was not responsible for the Manna, but that
it was the provision of God. He goes on to tell them that the true bread from Heaven is a
person. In fact, it is Jesus himself who is the Bread of Life, v. 33. What Jesus is saying
is that the Manna was a type of Himself. Notice the various ways that the Manna speaks of
Jesus.
1. It Was Small - Exodus 16:14 - This speaks of
Christ's humility. He wasn't born in a king's palace, but in a manger. He never employed
the riches at His disposal, but lived a poor life all the time he was in this world, Mark
8:20. He came this way in order to identify Himself with the sinners He came to save.
2. It Was Round - Exodus 16:14 - This speaks of
Christ's eternal nature. Jesus did not have His beginning in Bethlehem, but He has always
been, John 1:1. Jesus is the eternal Son of God! There has never been a time when He
wasn't, there will never be a time when He will not be! He is the I AM!
3. It Was White - Exodus 16:31 - This reminds us
of the sinless, holy nature of the Lord Jesus Christ. He was born without sin, lived
without sin and died without sin. He was absolutely impeccable in His character. Jesus is
the sinless Son of God - 1 Pet. 2:22; 2 Cor. 5:21.
4. It Came At Night - Exodus 16:13-14 - Jesus
came to a world lost in spiritual darkness and gave them light and life.
5. It Was Misunderstood By Those Who Found It -
Exodus 16:15 - They called it Manna which means, "What is it?" Jesus was
misunderstood by the very people He came to save - John 1:11; John 10:20. (By the way, He
is still misunderstood today! He is more than a teacher, a prophet, a poor unfortunate man
who got Himself killed. He is the Son of God! He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords!)
6. It Was Sufficient For Every Man's Need -
Exodus 16:17-18 - This reminds us that Jesus is the all-sufficient Savior. He meets the
need of man's soul. Some go deep in the Christian life, others get in but chose to play
around the edges, but wherever you find yourself, as long as it is in Jesus, you will find
that He is sufficient to save your soul. (Ill. God gave them approximately 240 boxcars of
Manna per day for 38 years. What a God we serve!)
7. It Was Sweet To The Taste - Exodus 16:31 -
Those who partook of the Manna found it sweet and satisfying. By the same token, all those
who receive Jesus as their Savior find Him to be sweet to the soul and satisfying to the
life. That is why we are encouraged by David to "taste and see that the Lord is
good." Psalm 34:8.
8. It Was To Be Kept And Passed On To Others -
Exodus 16:32 - Jesus is the same way, He is to be shared with those who cross our path. We
are to be certain that we share Him with the next generation, because we are only one
generation away from extinction as a people at any given time. (Ill. 2 Tim. 2:2)
9. There is more that could be said about he Manna, but that is enough
to let us see that it is a perfect type of Jesus.
C. V. 52-58 Illustrated By The Master - Jesus
says that He is the ultimate bread. The Israelites ate of the Manna in the wilderness and
eventually they died. The crowd was filled on the mountainside, yet eventually, they too
died! Jesus is the anti-type of the Manna. All that it was, He exceeds. Jesus is greater
than the bread given out on the mountainside. All who partake of Him will live forever.
His guarantee is that they will never die! His guarantee is one of eternal life to all who
come to Him, John 10:28; Ill. John 4:14. After all, Jesus is the real Bread!
I. The Personality Of Heaven's Bread
II. The Presentation Of Heaven's Bread
III. THE PERFORMANCE OF HEAVEN'S BREAD
A. V. 51 It Grants Salvation - Mn can try any
method of salvation he chooses. That is one of the great privileges of being a human. God
has created us with a free will. We have the ability to choose how we will live our lives.
However, regardless of how a man lives or what path he chooses for live. Salvation will
never be produced in the life of any person anywhere unless they come to Jesus Christ by
faith. That may seem narrowminded and simplistic, but that is what the Bible teaches and
that is how is will always be! (Ill. Acts 16:31; Acts 4:12; John 3:16)
(Ill. There are not many things in life that I can guarantee. I do not
know what will happen to the President. I do not know what will happen with the economy. I
do not know what will happen with the Y2K problem in the year 2,000. But, I do know that
every sinner who comes to Jesus by faith, repenting of his sins and accepting Jesus as
Savior, will be saved by the grace of God and will live forever in Heaven someday! I know
this because I have the word of the Lord on the matter.)
B. V. 35 It Gives Satisfaction - We've already
touches on this aspect of Jesus, but suffice it to say that those who come to the Lord
Jesus Christ are eternally satisfied. They no longer have to drink from the broken
cisterns of this world, (Ill. The methods and the activities of the world.), but find
themselves tapped into a source of life and blessing that never runs dry. There is
abundant satisfaction in the Person of Jesus.
(Ill. This world can never satisfy the longings of the human soul. Ill. In Greek mythology, King Tantalus was punished in the underworld by being
chained in a lake. Its waters reached to his chin but receded whenever he bent down to
satisfy his burning thirst. Over his head were branches laden with choice fruit, but they
immediately withdrew whenever he reached upward to satisfy his hunger. A symbol of utter
frustration, his name is immortalized in the English word "tantalize." So, too,
seeking to know God, or to satisfy the human soul apart from Christ is utterly futile.)
C. V. 37-40 It Guarantees Our Security - These
verses tell us beyond any shadow of a doubt that those who place their trust in the lord
Jesus Christ need never fear being cast away or forgotten about along the way, or in the
end. Faith in Jesus guarantees us perfect and absolute security in our salvation
relationship. Jesus didn't save us to lose us along the way, He saved us to take us home
with Him someday.
(III. Many doubt the security of the believer. They feel that their
security depends upon them and what they can do. They have the opinion that they are
responsible for maintaining their salvation and that if they let down on their guard, or
if they are guilty of some sin or the other they will lose what they have and will have to
get it all over again, if they don't die first. This couldn't be any farther from the
truth! Salvation is the gift of God. It is a forever work. Man has nothing to do with it.
Man cannot earn it, keep it or lose it. Salvation is totally a work of the Almighty. And,
when He gives it, He gives it forever! Those who are saved by the grace of God are
absolutely secure in their salvation!)
Conc: From these verses, it is plain to see that Jesus is the only hope
for the world. He is what the soul of man needs before it can experience eternal life. The
question that comes to us at this point is this: What have you done with Jesus? Have you
received Him into your heart and life? Are you secure in His salvation this morning? If
something were to happen to you and you died, where would your soul spend eternity? You
can only honestly say Heaven if you have eaten Heaven's Bread. What I mean is this: You
are only saved if you have come to Jesus as a sinner, have confessed your sins and have
placed your faith in Jesus alone for salvation. Do you know Jesus The Bread Of Life in a
personal way? If not, you can if you will come to Him right now. Will you do as He calls
you to do? Will you come to Jesus?
