Jesus: The Eternal Bread of Life

They are killing us from our kitchens. This omnous statement was said to me years ago coupled with what I grew up hearing. You are what you eat in North America. Whether you are grocery shopping or ordering takeout or sitting at a fivestar restaurant in North America. We don't know what's in our basket. We don't know what's on our plate. All of these ingredients, some we recognize, some we don't. But it is a sad commentary for people today. who are suffering with disease, health issues, ailments. And to think that it's not something hereditary as much as it is what you are consuming from a kitchen. [00:02:30]

No longer can we just consume without thinking through what we are actually putting into our bodies. The good news of this passage that I've called your attention to, this bread is pure bread. This bread will never go stale. This bread will never mold. This bread is eternal bread. [00:05:12]

John chapter 6 verse 35 that I've read into your hearing is a unique set of statements that are given by by Christ. I've said it once I bear repeating it again. Um, whenever you see red writing, you know the boss man is talking. And and and in John chapter 6, contextually, um, I've said this, you'll hear me reference it over and over again. Words are like people. They're known by those whom they associate themselves with. If you want to understand a word in context, you need to consider its larger context. Any text out of its context is a con. [00:06:06]

So this particular set of verses that surround verse 35 are unique in the fact that all four gospel writers tell of the miracle that serves as the context for this statement that Christ makes. It is the feeding of the 5000. Christ performed signs, says John. The common vernacular amongst the synoptic gospels, they label them as miracles. People had been following Christ all day and and it had become evening time. It had become time for them to to return so they could have quote unquote supper slashd. And and Jesus thought to himself that that instead of sending the people away, Lord help me, that he would feed them physically, are y'all with me, he had he had been feeding them all day spiritually, but he decided that he was going to feed them physically before they left his presence. [00:07:39]

You must seriously consider this little boy turning over his lunch to the master. And and and the larger crowd has no idea where the fish and and and these crackers have come from. All they know is that everyone was able to eat until their hearts were content. Jesus Jesus is teaching his disciples. Here is the line that you read in this miracle of the 5000 being fed by Christ. He he asked his disciples, "What do we have?" And he he receives all of these variables of responses. But none of the disciples, none of his learners, none of his followers, none of his students, none of his proteges say, "Lord, we don't know, but we know you know." [00:10:04]

They say it's it's too late and and and we can't even run to town and go get something and bring it back so we could have a picnic on this grassy hillside. All we have is this little boy's lunch and and and and you you know the story. He took what they had. He lifted it up. He thanked God for it. He had them organized sitting in companies of 50. And he gave it to his disciples. And his disciples distributed the fish and bread. And everyone, here's the word I want you to hold on to, was satisfied. [00:11:21]

All 5,000 people that participated in this picnic with the Messiah, they were hungry the next day. Hold on to that. They they were fed till they were satisfied. But the following day, they were hungry all over again. [00:12:38]

And Moses is on the back side of this Meridian desert and and he is tending his father-in-law's sheep and he notices this particular day in Exodus chapter 3 a bush that was burning but it was not consumed. He goes to investigate the bush and a voice comes emanating from from the bush and says, "Take off your shoes for you're standing Lord help me on holy ground." God is commissioning. God is sending God is using this moment for Moses to go back to a place that he is a fugitive of. And Moses asked this very important question. Here's the connection to John 6:35. Moses says, "Who shall I say sent me?" [00:13:56]

And the voice from this burning bush. Oh Lord, I wish I had time to stay there. This is a fire like you've never seen before. Fire is heat and light. It illuminates and it burns up. And this is the way in which God chooses to communicate to Moses. And the voice from the flames says, "I am that I am." That may mean nothing to you, but verse 14, chapter 3 of Exodus, this is the deity. This is a divine name. This this name is God's dominance over everyone and over everything. He essentially says to Moses, "I am that I am." Tell them that's that's my name. Whatever you need me to be. [00:15:23]

Let me say to you, whatever you need, God is that Please hear me. I didn't say what you want. I said what you need. God is fat. He's the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. And he's his self disclaimer, his designation for himself. I am that I am. [00:17:08]

John is arguing that Jesus is God with skin on him. You you you want to see God, look at Jesus. You you want to hear God, listen to Jesus. You You want to touch God, get close to Jesus. There's a reason why Jesus is a feature, the focus, and a function of all that we say and do. He is what we're told at Christmas time. He's Emmanuel. He's God in flesh. So this is not some mere man. This is the hypostatic union. He's all God and he's all man at the same time. [00:19:41]

He's totally adequate for for our salvation because he's the son of God, which teaches us he has God's perspective. He knows what God's desire is. He knows what God's intent is concerning us. But he's also the son of man. He understands our dilemma. He can identify with He knows what it's like to be cold, to be hot, to be sleepy, to be tired, to be betrayed. He knows what it's like to cry. He He's fully human, but he's 100% holy. [00:20:56]

The bread is indicative of his body. He adds there, "Shall never thirst." That's indicative of his blood. Hold on to that. He's talking about himself. Echo me. That's Greek. I am the bread of life. How do I get this bread, Jesus? How do I get a hold of this? Where can I find this this bread? Come to me. Come, come to me. Well, how how can I consume your blood? Believe in me. Believe in me. [00:22:59]

He's not talking about cannibalism. He's He's not He's not talking about taking his flesh and ripping it from his anatomy and consuming He's he's he's not talking about piercing his flesh and drinking literally his blood as some in the text. He is saying consume me and be consumed by me. Maybe I said that too fast. Consume me and be consumed by me. Maybe you already caught it. Christ is looking for fanatics. Christ is looking for devotees. Christ is looking for people who are sold out for him. [00:24:54]

We don't mind fanaticism. We don't mind devotees. We don't mind people being sold out as long as it's not for Christ. Just drive around our city and and I'm I'm telling you you don't see so many Jaguar jerseys. Those are devotees. They'll never go to lunch with Travis Hunter. Never. They'll be sitting in the hot sun in the nosebleleed section, kissed by mother nature's son and happy to still be burning up just in. Come on, Sue, help me out. You know I'm not. And happy to be in the stadium. [00:26:28]

We don't have problems with fanaticism or people who are devotees or people that are sold out. But when somebody says, "For God I live and for God I die. It's Sunday morning I'm going to church. It's Wednesday night I'm going to Bible study. It's Sunday morning I'm on my way to Sunday school." They say, "Wait a minute, baby. You're doing too much. You going to give him a dime out of every dollar? You going to that church again?" Why is it that we struggle in being fully devoted followers of the Lord Jesus Christ? The reason we struggle is because of our sin nature. [00:27:44]

Your faith will never become real. Your faith will never become vibrant. Your faith will never be all that it is meant to be until you become satisfied with Christ. This is why all of our singing is about him. This is why all of our testifying is about him. This is why all of our Bible studies is centered around him. Whether you know it or not, the whole entire 66 books, even the maps are about him. [00:32:38]

In in Exodus with Moses, God provided there's a million plus people that come out of Egypt following Dr. Moses. Moses is a type of Christ. Let me hear you say type. He's the greatest leader. He's the one God is using. God is using one man to deliver all those people. And he's going to use that one man to deliver all those people on one day with one rod. He's going to not only deliver the people, he's going to he's going to destroy their enemies on that same day. Who does that sound like? Christ is greater than Moses. [00:33:39]

God God in Exodus rained down mana. They called it mana in the Hebrew. It really is way before the candy whatchamacall this literally what mana means. The definition of mana in the Hebrew is we don't know what this is. They didn't know what to call it. These heavenly wafers, pancakes in the desert, God's flexing, God showing off a million plus people. And God has enough to feed everyone. No microwave, no oven, and way before Door Dash, it was it was it was falling down right at their tent store and they all were able to eat. [00:34:56]

They had to have this bread every day. Do you know they got tired of this bread? I mean, it's meals on wheels. They ain't got to work for nothing. God is providing for them. And we want something else. This had to be our cousins. This had to be We were related to these people. They They were not satisfied. Part of what fed Moses anger is because they kept murmuring. They kept complaining. He couldn't satisfy them. Watch your disposition. Watch how turned on you get and watch how turned off you get. [00:36:30]

If if you are a person that is like a EKG, you up this moment and you're down this moment and you're up this moment and you down this moment, maybe you need to go into your private prayer closet and ask the Lord, "Save me. You emotionally all over the map. You're an emotional wreck. Are you satisfied with Christ? This lifegiving bread principle number one is offered to those that are Christ followers. This lifegiving bread is offered to those that are Christ followers. Come to me. [00:37:30]

This lifegiving bread is offered to those who are famished. You're not tired of this world. I mean, you spend all your hardearned money and and you you buy a vehicle and the moment you drive it off the lot, come on now. You you you got to get the latest fashion, you know. You got to look right. You got to look certain way and and and you get the latest clothes and then you turn on your television and say, "Oh, that's out of style. Everything that this world has to offer, it doesn't last. [00:38:46]

Because this bread is free. East coast, west coast, humble or humble, you choose. But it's free. Not cheap, but free. You couldn't buy it if we pulled all of our res resources together. We couldn't purchase it. So, he has to give it to us. Look how generous he is. And who is this bread for? To everyone that comes to me. To everyone that believes in me. [00:39:50]

Religious people, they don't get Christ. Just keep in mind, it's not gangsters that killed Christ. It's religious people. Some of the nastiest people you ever want to meet are religious. Keep looking straight. Nobody knows. It's just me and you. Ain't nobody here but me and you. Some of the meanest people are religious. I trust God but won't speak to nobody. I love God bite your head off. I'm a child of the king and won't shake a child's hand. [00:40:47]

He not only saves, he not only sustains, he not only strengthens, he satisfies. [00:32:07]

For my flesh is true food. My blood is true drink. Whoever feeds on my flesh. 56. And drink my blood abides in me and I in him. Thank you. Sermon's over. Are you consuming Christ? Are you consumed by Christ? I'll ask it another way. What are you feeding on? What are you feasting on? What's your meal of choice? Remember, you are what you need. You can't listen to gossip all day and not become a gossiper. [00:44:50]

You can't hang out with just angry, mean, contankerous people and you not become one of them. It says of my mama. He said, "Birds of a feather." No, mom. It wasn't me. It was them. But but you hang out with them. You are one of them. You talk like them. You act like them. You dress like them. What are you feasting on? This is not some ritualistic rule that I'm trying to impregnate you with. Listen, here's what I want you to do. When I asked you to be a fully devoted follower of the Lord Jesus Christ and and devotionally read the scriptures and devotionally sing praises unto the Lord and devotionally meditate on the word of God, this is not to check a box. [00:46:04]

This to get you more in Christ and to get Christ moreover more in The more you hang around a person, the more you talk to a person, you begin to take on their attributes. You begin to take on their characteristics. Anybody want to be like Christ? [00:47:18]