Jesus Is the Bread of Life
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John 6:29–40 (ESV)
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.”
Opening Prayer
Opening Prayer
Setting the Stage
Setting the Stage
Jesus has been performing miracles…
John calls them signs…
Because they were not miracles for miracle sake.
They weren’t to draw crowds so people would offer flattering words to Jesus.
They were performed because they were to be the signs that the people have been taught in the OT to look for in order to recognize the Messiah.
But, the people have a huge misunderstanding of the purpose of the Messiah.
And, they have a huge misunderstanding of the personhood of the Messiah.
And, that misunderstanding falls on their own backs because God tells us repeatedly to seek Him and you will find Him.
If someone honestly searches the Scriptures and honestly calls out for God to grant understanding God will not withhold it from that person.
The reality of it is that…
No one seeks God no not one.
And, so God has to intervene.
And we will be addressing this very truth as we work through this discourse.
Hard Truths
Hard Truths
Over the next few weeks we will be hearing some hard truths that Jesus taught repeatedly and explicitly throughout His ministry.
We will engage more hard teachings as we continue through the gospel of John…
And, really as we work through the Bible each Sunday morning.
These truths are taught throughout Scripture.
But, they are not easy truths to wrap our minds around.
There is within us, even as Christians, a desire for autonomy…
And, a desire to be the Captain of our destiny.
So, I’m going to ask that as we hear from Jesus that we pray that God would open our minds and hearts to receive this truths as He intends.
And, that we will surrender our hearts and be willing to let God be God…
And, that however God defines Himself and His purposes…
That we accept and praise Him for them.
In the Synagogue
In the Synagogue
Well, we find ourselves in the synagogue in Capernaum.
Jesus is teaching the people about Himself…
And the eternal life that has been granted by His Father to give to whomever He chooses.
And, that Jesus’ choices are identical with the Father’s choices.
Now, let’s pick up in some verses we looked at last week.
I want us to notice something we did not have time for last week...
Notice the Expansion of Who Salvation Includes
Notice the Expansion of Who Salvation Includes
John 6:32–33 (ESV)
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.”
Who did God sustain temporarily with the manna?
—> The Nation of Israel
Who is God giving the bread of God that grants eternal life to?
—> The World
Now, this is very important to hear…
This is a prime example of the importance of using proper hermeneutics.
If you take world as being every single person that has ever been born.
—> Or every single person alive at this time…
—> Or every single person alive at this time and anyone born after…
Will receive the bread of God that nourishes unto eternal life…
You not only misinterpret the text, you logically fall into some sort of universalism.
So, let’s think about this…
So, let’s think about this…
Does the Bible allow for universalism of any sort?
—> Not even close.
Is Jesus saying that God is giving this type of life to the whole world?
Will every single person alive will receive this eternal life that Jesus has come to give?
Or does the context show us that since Jesus is speaking to Jews, who believed that Israel was the only Nation that was worthy of rescuing…
Is Jesus teaching them that the covenant that He brings includes both Jew & Gentile, not just Jew as they believed?
Now, when you interpret this according to context, who Jesus is speaking to and what they believed at this time…
Along with the rest of Scripture, I think it is explicitly clear that what Jesus is teaching is that the salvation He brings…
And, the new covenant that He brings will include people out of every tribe, nation, and tongue.
But it does not include every person from every tribe, nation, and tongue.
I think everyone in here would agree with that.
There’s a qualifier placed on all people regarding who will receive this nourishment unto eternal life…
From both Jew and Gentile alike, it is those who believe upon the Son whom the Father has sent.
Those and only those will be given eternal life.
So, the salvation offered by Jesus to both Jew and Gentile is only given to those who believe in Jesus.
And, only those who believe upon Jesus for salvation from their own sinfulness and condemnation before the Law of God.
Now, do they pick up on the spiritual distinction that Jesus has been laying out so graciously.
John 6:34 (ESV)
34 They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.”
Their Response Shows their Deadness to Spiritual Truths
Their Response Shows their Deadness to Spiritual Truths
…Which is exactly what Jesus tried to teach Nicodemus.
And, what Jesus will be teaching here in this discourse and later discourses in this gospel.
They’re still thinking of physical bread.
They’re still thinking their greatest need is physical and temporal.
Do you remember the Samaritan’s response to Jesus telling her about living water that will make her thirst no more.
It was the same wasn’t it?
John 4:15 (ESV)
15 The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I will not be thirsty or have to come here to draw water.”
She had the same spiritual blindness as those Jesus is speaking to here in Chapter 6.
A famous song that we love to sing…
Amazing grace how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost, but now I’m found,
Was blind, but now I see.
I remember one day, as a young Christian, it dawned on me that the only way that all Christians can truly sing that song is if it were true of all of us.
Of course, Jesus restored the sight of some who suffered physical blindness.
But, for every Christian there was something we’ve all been healed of and that is spiritual blindness.
Spiritual truths fall deaf on spiritually dead people…
Spiritual truths fall deaf on spiritually dead people…
Isn’t this a message that is repeated over and over throughout the whole of Scripture?!
1 Corinthians 2:14 (ESV)
14 The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.
Until someone is made alive spiritually, one cannot understand spiritual truths…
The gospel being made up completely by spiritual truths.
This is the exact truth that Jesus taught Nicodemus…
John 3:3 (ESV)
3 Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
see = perceive, know, understand
The gift of understanding is the new birth…
Which is a gift of the New Covenant.
By the power of the Spirit of God, we were awaken to the beauty and majesty of God.
And, once awaken to see the beauty, majesty and holiness of God.
We were willing to come to the Lord.
As a matter of fact, we ran to Him upon the new birth granted by the Spirit…
Obtained by Jesus.
But, they’re not running Jesus.
They’re not acknowledging their blindness to spiritual truths.
In their arrogance, they choose to remain blind.
Well, let’s see how Jesus handles their misunderstanding of spiritual truth…
Jesus Defines the Bread of Life
Jesus Defines the Bread of Life
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.
You cannot get any clearer that Jesus’ words here.
He clearly and explicitly tells them that He is the bread of life.
And, the gift from the bread being eternal life is gained in one way and one way alone.
—> By coming to Jesus…
Which is further defined in His second phrase as…
—> Believing in Jesus.
You just cannot get any clearer than how Jesus states this.
It cannot be anymore explicit than this.
Jesus does something else in this response here…
Jesus does something else in this response here…
Jesus distinguishes again between what they want —> give…always
give us this (in their mind) physical food repeatedly, as we want.
Contrasted with what Jesus gives once…
A nourishment unto eternal life that is a once for all provision.
Now, by contrasting the two He once again seeks to draw their attention to the infinite difference and significance between the two.
Jesus says if you are nourished by Me, you will not need that type of nourishment ever again.
What is he speaking of?
—> Eternal life.
It is granted once and it does not end.
It is granted based on the perfection of the merit of Jesus Christ.
There are no imperfections or nor anything lacking in the person and work of Christ.
Therefore, nothing needs to be added to it…
And, nothing can be taken away from it.
Now, with the clarity of what Jesus has told them He now let’s them know that they will continue to reject Him…
John 6:36 (ESV)
36 But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe.
It’s Not the Lack of Proof, It’s the Hardness of the Human Heart
It’s Not the Lack of Proof, It’s the Hardness of the Human Heart
It is our preference to sin and our self preferred deception that we are righteous in and of our self that keeps us from coming to God.
The only hindrance to a person coming to Christ is the hardness of their heart.
And, all people stand on that same footing.
And as we move forward through this discourse…
We will learn more about what it takes for us to see and believe.
Let’s think about this…
Let’s think about this…
We are about to participate in the Lord’s Supper.
And it is a reminder that we have feasted on the person and work of Jesus Christ.
And, that feasting has granted us eternal life…
And a seat at the great Wedding Feast of the Lamb of God.
Closing Prayer ——> Lord’s Supper
Closing Prayer ——> Lord’s Supper
