1. Kamuning Bible Christian Fellowship
  2. Knowing Jesus
  3. I Am the Bread of Life

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I Am the Bread of Life

Text

John 6:25-40

Slide Presentation

Introduction

  • “I Am the Bread of Life” is the first of seven “I Am’s” of Jesus.
  • Many people get attracted to or come to Jesus through human needs. We hear of many testimonies of conversion that came about in the context of healing from sickness, provision of material needs, and resolution of grievous problems.
  • It’s not necessarily wrong for a start of one’s real encounter with Jesus. However, the danger is to focus on what Jesus can give rather than Jesus Himself – to focus on the gift and neglect the giver.
  • Our Lord Jesus is sufficient for real satisfaction of all our needs.

I. PEOPLE ARE LOOKING FOR SATISFACTION.

  • Review John 6:1-15: The feeding of the 5,000
  • The crowd wanted to make Jesus king by force. They wanted continuous provision of food that they don’t have to work for it anymore. Someone who can provide an unlimited supply of bread can mobilize the whole Jewish nation to overthrow the hated Roman overlords.

A. The people’s concern falls in three categories:

1. Physical

  • v. 26 – Jesus exposed the Galileans’ true motives in looking for Him. It was because they were fed along with the 5,000.
  • In 6:2, we are told that the crowd of 5,000 men came to Jesus because of His healing the sick.

2. Religious

  • By nature, people want to be in touch with and to be acceptable to God.
  • v. 28 – Doing good works to be acceptable to God

3. Excitement

  • v. 30 – People asked for a sign in order to believe in Jesus when He has just performed a miracle to feed the 5,000+
  • People always want God to do more for them.
  • People want spectacular entertainment.

B. People are looking for satisfaction from the wrong things

…and the Enemy is just too willing to present them the wrong options. Take note of Satan’s temptations to Jesus (Matthew 4) and Satan’s temptations to Eve (Genesis 3). See 1 John 2:16.

C. They focused on personalities as the giver of blessings.

They were looking at Moses as the giver of the manna (v. 32).

 

II. JESUS GIVES TRUE AND LASTING SATISFACTION.

A. Jesus knows all our needs and meets us where we are in our point of need.

  • Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. Basic needs should be met first before going to the higher needs.
  • Jesus fed and healed people. Balance between evangelism and social action.
  • Bread is the “staff of life”, the primary and universal source of nourishment for people.
  • Jesus was born in Bethlehem – “House of Bread”. Bread symbolizes God’s presence. In the Tabernacle was the Table of the Presence where the Bread of the Presence was placed continually (Ex. 25:30; 39:36; Numbers 4:7).

B. He provides lasting satisfaction.

  • v. 27- 29 – Food that does not spoil, but endures to eternal life. Faith in Jesus, not works, is what God requires.
  • v. 35 – “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.”
  • “… whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst” (4:14)
  • No matter how much we eat and drink, we eventually get hungry and thirsty again.
  • Jesus gives people what they need but not always what they want. “Many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him” (v. 66) because they did not get what they want when Jesus offered them what they really needed.
  • Jesus is the answer to all our needs.
  • Jesus alone can satisfy the heart.
  • There is a God-shaped vacuum in our hearts that only Jesus can fill. (St. Augustine)

III. WILL YOU REJECT OR RECEIVE HIM?

A. Jesus wants a relationship with us.

  • Jesus wants us to receive Him not for the gifts He can give us but for what He can be to us.
  • People want the gifts, not the giver. They want Jesus for what they can get out of Him.
  • The real meaning of “eating His flesh” and “drinking His blood” is to be in vital and intimate relationship with Him.
  • To have eternal life one must receive Jesus into his whole being and to be completely permeated with Him, empowered by Him, and submitted to Him.

B. Jesus does not adjust to our way of thinking.

  • The people remained in their materialistic and physical level of hearing His words.
  • Truth is offensive to the one who lives in self- deception. (v. 60-65)

C. He gives us the freedom to reject or to receive Him.

  • Question of free choice:

“You do not want to leave too, do you?” (v. 67)

  • Unequivocal answer:

“Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.” (Peter, v. 68, 69)

Discussion Questions

  1. What are your specific needs? What are your specific wants? How do you differentiate between the two
  2. Share with one another how Jesus met a specific need in your life that proved to you that He indeed is the Bread of Life.
  3. In reaching out to other people for the Lord, how can we share and demonstrate to them that Jesus is the answer to all our needs?

 

(Note: You may download the 4Ws file in PDF by clicking the download icon at the top of this page.)

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