I AM - I AM the Living Bread
May 20, 2018
John 6:51 (p. 744)
Introduction:
Jesus said, “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats this bread they will live forever. This bread is my flesh which I will give for the life of the world.” (John 6:51)
Last week we talked about Moses’ encounter with God on the far side of the desert. Standing shoeless on Holy ground before God in a burning bush, Moses is called by God to go and deliver a message of freedom to Pharaoh and to the Israelites.
If the Israelites asked Moses who has sent him God says, “Tell them I AM sent you…This shall be my name forever. It was who I was to your forefathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and it will be who “I AM” to you. It will be who I will be to all generations.”
Moses doesn’t take this message to Egypt…to both Pharaoh and to the Israelites. But it takes 10 plagues demonstrating God’s power for Pharaoh’s hard heart to relent…the last of which being the most horrible…the death of every first born son in Egypt…including Pharaoh’s.
But even after he lets them go, Pharaoh changes his mind…chases down the Israelites with his army and chariots. As God divides the Red Sea, and the Israelites pass over on dry land, the Egyptian army follows…and God brings the waters crashing down on them.
Moses and the Israelites begin their journey to the promised land from Mount Sinai after God has given them His laws and commandments…He leads them with a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. His presence is visible at all times.
But they get hungry and grumble…and God does something amazing again…He sends down bread from heaven every morning…it’s white like coriander seed and tastes like honey…they call it “manna” which means “what is this?” God’s answer…“Bread from heaven!”
Every Jewish little boy and girl knew this story…It was an essential part of their history…Jesus’ audience in John Chapter 6 knows about “Manna from heaven…sent by God to supply His people’s needs.”
Jesus has just performed a miracle that did much the same thing…He’s used a little boys lunch of 2 small fish and 5 barley loaves to feed a crowd of 5,000 and there are 12 baskets of leftovers…God’s Word says “After the people saw this miraculous sign that Jesus did they began to say, ‘Surely this is the prophet who is to come into the world…and knowing they intended to come and make Him King by force, withdrew again to a mountain by Himself.” (John 6:14-15)
But they find Him on the other side of the lake and the crowd wants another free meal.
It is here that Jesus, the Great I Am in the flesh, reveals that He is much more than a prophet or a caterer…He is the Living Bread from heaven itself.
I. JESUS ISN’T FAST FOOD…HE’S THE FOOD THAT FILLS US FOREVER
Jesus has taken care of the physical hunger of more than 5,000 people…They want more…but Jesus tells them something important.
Listen to His Word…
JOHN 6:26-35 (p. 744)
Without a doubt Jesus understands human nature…Many will seek Him with selfish motives…Give me, give me, GIVE ME MORE!!!
Kyle Idleman wrote this to introduce his great book…“Not a Fan.”
“Jesus has a lot of fans these days. Fans who cheer for him when things are going well, but who walk away when it’s a difficult season. Fans who sit safely in the stands cheering, but they know nothing of the sacrifice and pain of the field, fans of Jesus who know all about him, but they don’t know him. But Jesus was never interested in having fans. When he defines what kind of relationship he wants, “Enthusiastic Admirer” isn’t an option…The biggest threat to the church today is fans who call themselves Christians but aren’t actually interested in following Christ. They want to be close enough to Jesus to get all the benefits, but not so close that it requires anything from.” (25)
When this crowd asks Jesus for another sign in verses 31 and 32 and they mention “The manna their forefathers received…What sign do you think they want from Jesus?”
They want fast food…they want another meal…They want Jesus to be the drive through window and fulfill their order for a Manna Burger.
They don’t really want to follow Jesus as His disciples…they just want the benefits of being near Him. They want to be fans.
But that’s not why “the living bread” came down from heaven. Jesus might understand our human nature that desires “give it to me now” fast food, but He will not leave that attitude unchallenged. It leaves people spiritually fat, lazy and immature.
Jesus says, “Go for the food that endures to eternal life which the Son of Man will give you…on that person God the Father has placed his seal of approval.”
Just like the Samaritan woman who met Jesus at the well, thought her life would be so much better if she never had to come draw water again…Jesus knew she was thirsty for living water. She’d tried fast food relationships…He was offering her real ones through the Holy Spirit…and the Messiah.
Jesus was telling this hungry crowd the same thing…You’re physically hungry…I met that need…but there is a more important meal… “I AM the Living Bread.” “Your ancestors ate Manna and died, but whoever feed on this bread will live forever.” (John 6:58)
The question is “Do we hunger for a relationship with Jesus?” Do we long for His Word, and His will to fill us up completely? Do we love Him or do we just love what He can give us?
A Sunday School teacher told her class of 2nd graders the story found in Luke 16 of the Rich man and Lazarus. How that when they were here upon the earth the rich man had everything that money could buy and poor Lazarus had to beg for mere crumbs. But when they died, the rich man due to his selfishness went to a place of horrible torment while Lazarus went to a place of paradise. In conclusion, the teacher asked her students the question: “Now, which man would you rather be, Lazarus or the rich man?” One little boy’s hand shot up immediately and he said, “Well, while I’m alive I want to live like the rich man, but when I die I want to be like Lazarus.”
It doesn’t work like that does it? Although if we’re honest we treat Jesus like that at times…“Jesus give me the bread I want now…and then after I die I’ll take that eternal loaf!”
It’s easy to identify those who are hungry for Jesus, and those who just want fast food.
II. IT’S WHETHER WE’RE GRATEFUL FOR THE MEAL OR GRUMBLE ABOUT WHAT IS SERVED
Jesus has just said, “For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” (v. 34)
The crowd shouts… “Give us this bread.” “We want it!!!”
But Jesus wants to make sure they understand what He’s offering.
JOHN 6:35-43 (p. 744)
They thought they knew all about Jesus…Where He came from…who His parents were…Where He grew up.
The problem…They knew facts about Jesus, but they did not believe He was the Messiah. They would miss a feast for eternity by 18 inches…the distance between their head and their heart.
Just hours before Jesus has miraculously fed them physical bread and fish…but when He asks for them to believe He is the One who is sent from God above to give eternal life…they start to grumble and argue.
Standing right in front of them is “The Bread of Heaven,” but they can’t see Him through worldly focused eyes.
He’s offering an invitation…“Whoever comes to me I will never drive away. Everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life…and I will raise them up on the last day.” (v. 37, 40)
The Word of God in the flesh is calling them, but they’re too caught up in the box they’ve put Jesus in to hear Him.
I think one of the most powerful verses in Scripture is John 6:44 which says:
“No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them…And I will raise them up at the last day.”
I think this verse is very similar to when Jesus says in John 10…“I call my sheep by name and they know my voice.”
Unless God initiates this drawing us to Himself…Unless Jesus calls us…no one will be saved…no one…but when He calls we’d better recognize the message.
Back when the telegraph was the fastest method of long-distance communication, a young man applied for a job as a Morse Code operator. Answering an ad in the newspaper, he went to the office address that was listed. When he arrived, he entered a large, busy office filled with noise and clatter, including the sound of the telegraph in the background. A sign on the receptionist’s counter instructed job applicants to fill out a form and wait until they were summoned to enter the inner office.
The young man filled out his form and sat down with the seven other applicants in the waiting area. After a few minutes, the young man stood up, crossed the room to the door of the inner office, and walked right in. Naturally the other applicants perked up, wondering what was going on. They talked among themselves that they hadn't heard any summons yet. They assumed that the young man who went into the office made a mistake and would be disqualified.
Within a few minutes, however, the employer escorted the young man out of the office and said to the other applicants, "Gentlemen, thank you very much for coming, but the job has just been filled."
The other applicants began grumbling to each other, and one spoke up saying: "Wait a minute, I don't understand. He was the last to come in, and we never even got a chance to be interviewed. Yet he got the job. That's not fair!"
The employer said: "I'm sorry, but all the time you've been sitting here, the telegraph has been ticking out the following message in Morse Code: 'If you understand this message, then come right in. The job is yours.’ None of you heard it or understood it. This young man did. The job is his.”
You can’t hear God’s message if you’re grumbling with others…and when you hear it it’s time to walk through the door.
Let me end with this reminder:
III. THE BREAD OF LIFE HAD TO BE TORN TO SAVE US
God became flesh for one reason - The promised Messiah would be born of a virgin, go through childhood and puberty, as a teenager experience all the emotional roller coasters, and grow into an adult…
The Bread from Heaven entered the oven of humanity and understood it all…but He never failed…he never sinned.
As the Son of Man He understood all our temptations…As the Son of God He would die on a cross to pay the price for them.
It’s why Jesus shocks His audience by saying “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life and I will raise them up on the last day.” (John 6:53-54)
Jesus is saying…The Bread from Heaven came for one reason…To bleed and die on a cross for the salvation of all mankind.
Unless you take part in this death, burial and resurrection you have no life.
It’s not just juice and crackers on a Sunday…it’s having this salvation every single day. The cross was always Jesus’ destination
Jim Cymbala, the author of “Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire” has said “The cross, as poignant as it is, is understandable from a human perspective: an innocent man was murdered by crooked politicians and religious leaders. But the empty tomb - what can you say? Only a supernatural God could accomplish that.”
That is what we remember at communion, Jesus’ painful death on the cross. But we don’t remember it from a human perspective, but a divine perspective. We remember God sending his Son to the cross so that our sins could be forgiven. We also remember that all who believe on Jesus will one day join Him in His resurrection.
“For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection.”
The Living Bread was torn so all could partake of salvation…all who believe, but it also rose victoriously…that’s why Jesus says:
“So the one who feeds on me will live because of me.”
