Study of JOHN 6:

John 6:22-35 JESUS: THE BREAD OF LIFE
Sermon from Alan Carr

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?