THE BREAD OF LIFE
John 6:22-35
22. The day following, when the people which stood on the other side of the sea saw that there was none other boat there, save that one whereinto his disciples were entered, and that Jesus went not with his disciples into the boat, but that his disciples were gone away alone;
23. (Howbeit there came other boats from Tiberias nigh unto the place where they did eat bread, after that the Lord had given thanks:)
24. When the people therefore saw that Jesus was not there, neither his disciples, they also took shipping, and came to Capernaum, seeking for Jesus.
25. And when they had found him on the other side of the sea, they said unto him, Rabbi, when camest thou hither?
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.
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.
28. Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?
29. Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.
30. They said therefore unto him, What sign shewest thou then, that we may see, and believe thee? what dost thou work?
31. Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat.
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.
33. For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.
34. Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread.
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.
I. The BREAD of Life has a Personality
A.. The Bread of Life Is A Person -, the Bread of Heaven is not a system or a denomination, but He is a Person.Salvation comes through Jesus and Jesus alone! Acts 4:12.
B. The Bread of Life Has Power - This Heavenly Bread has the power to save, secure and satisfy every sinner who comes to Him by faith.
C. The Bread of Life 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.
D. The Bread ofLife Has A Price - Before Heaven’s Bread can be enjoyed by the sinner, it must be received by the sinner.
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.
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 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.
3. 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!
4. It Came in the Evening - 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!
III. THE PERFORMANCE OF HEAVEN’S BREAD
A. V. 51 It Grants Salvation - (Ill. Acts 16:31; Acts 4:12; John 3:16)
B. V. 35 It Gives Satisfaction –
C. V. 37-40 It Guarantees Our Security –
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?
