“Why do you come to Church?” John 6:16-35 (Jan 18th, 26)

When the crowd chases signs and provisions, the central claim is clear: Jesus himself is the point. The narrative moves from a crowd fed to fullness to disciples wrestling through a storm, and then to a confrontation about motivation and meaning. The one who walks on the water speaks the divine name—“It is I”—and thereby demonstrates sovereign authority over the created order; only the God who truly rules can give life that endures. Earthly bread, like all temporal blessings, comforts for a night but cannot satisfy the soul’s deepest hunger.

The proper labor is reoriented from striving after perishable things to seeking the life that lasts through the age. That life is offered not by human merit but by faith in the one whom the Father has sealed and sent. Belief is described not as a passive checklist but as an active reception: Jesus likens himself to bread because he must be taken in, digested, and internalized so that his life becomes the believer’s life. Genuine faith transforms desires, reorders priorities, and produces a way of living shaped by humility, love, dependence, and repentance.

Signs and wonders authenticate Jesus’ identity, but they are not an end in themselves; the Scriptures and the Father’s seal point to a Savior who gives himself as sustenance. The crowd’s appetite for repeated miracles reveals a hardened hunger for commodities rather than covenant fellowship. The remedy is a renewed hunger for Christ himself—present now and promised forever—so that believers walk by trust and rest even as they live out the work of faith. The assurance of salvation comes not from moral effort or transient comforts but from receiving the bread of life and letting it become one’s strength in the storms.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Attend church for Jesus alone Church gatherings exist to worship and receive Christ, not to serve entertainment, social comfort, or convenience. When attendance is driven by peripheral benefits, worship becomes consumerism and the Body’s purpose is lost. True church life orients people toward Christ’s presence as the indispensable good worth both living and dying for. [01:15]
• 2. Jesus declares himself the I AM The phrase “It is I” identifies Jesus with the divine name and signals that his authority transcends nature and necessity. Recognizing Christ as the sovereign Lord reframes suffering and providence: storms do not indicate abandonment but the stage where God’s rule is revealed. Such confession demands trust that the One who commands the seas also secures eternal life. [06:50]
• 3. Jesus is the bread of life The bread imagery insists on ingestion—Christ must be internalized, not merely admired. Spiritual nourishment requires ongoing appropriation of Christ so his life informs desires, decisions, and moral formation. A faith that does not feed on him remains hungry; taking him in reshapes appetite and sustains through trial. [24:23]
• 4. Faith secures life, not works Eternal life is received by trusting the Son whom the Father has sent, not by human achievement or moral calculation. Yet genuine faith is living: it rests in God’s gifting and produces a life aligned with Christ’s ways. Believers are called to the paradox of resting in grace while actively living out faith in love, humility, and obedience. [17:30]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [00:36] - Concerts, Crowds, and Church Comparisons
• [01:15] - Why Church Must Be For Jesus
• [02:21] - Reading John 6 Together
• [03:09] - Jesus Walks on the Sea
• [06:50] - “It Is I”: Claiming the Divine Name
• [12:04] - Miracles, the Shore, and Meaning
• [17:30] - Faith: The Work God Requires
• [24:23] - I Am the Bread of Life Explained
• [29:46] - Assurance from the Bread of Life
• [30:31] - Closing Prayer

Bible reading

John 6:16–35 (ESV)
16 When evening came, his disciples went down to the sea, 17 got into a boat, and started across the sea to Capernaum. It was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. 18 The sea became rough because a strong wind was blowing. 19 When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they were frightened. 20 But he said to them, “It is I; do not be afraid.” 21 Then they were glad to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat was on the land to which they were going.

22 On the next day the crowd that remained on the other side of the sea saw that there had been only one boat there, and that Jesus had not entered the boat with his disciples, but that his disciples had gone away alone. 23 Other boats from Tiberias came near the place where they had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks. 24 So when the crowd saw that Jesus was not there, nor his disciples, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum, seeking Jesus.

25 When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you come here?” 26 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. 27 Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.” 28 Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” 29 Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” 30 So they said to him, “Then what sign do you do, that we may see and believe you? What work do you perform? 31 Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” 32 Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” 34 They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.”

35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst."

Observation questions

1. In verses 17-19, what were the specific environmental conditions the disciples faced while rowing toward Capernaum, and how did they react when they saw Jesus? [05:55]
2. When Jesus identifies himself to the disciples in the storm, what specific phrase does he use, and why is that phrase significant in light of the Old Testament? [06:50]
3. According to verse 26, what does Jesus identify as the crowd's true motivation for seeking him out? [03:42]
4. When the crowd asks what they must do to perform the "works of God," how does Jesus define the "work" that is actually required? [04:09]

Interpretation questions

1. Jesus uses the phrase "It is I" (or "I AM") while walking on the stormy sea. How does this claim of the divine name reframe the way a believer should view suffering or "storms" in their life? [07:56]
2. Jesus makes a distinction between "food that perishes" and "food that endures to eternal life." What are some examples of "perishable food" in a modern context—things people labor for thinking they will find satisfaction? [14:32]
3. Why is the imagery of "bread" so vital to understanding faith? What does it imply about the difference between merely admiring Jesus and actually "taking him in"? [24:23]
4. The crowd asks for a sign similar to the manna Moses provided. How does their request reveal a "hardened hunger" for commodities rather than a desire for fellowship with God? [22:54]

Application questions

1. People often attend church for the music, the social atmosphere, or the convenience of the programs. If the "extras" were stripped away and only Jesus remained, would you still find a reason to be there? [01:15]
2. The disciples were rowing with all their strength against the wind before Jesus appeared. In your current life "storm," are you relying on your own "rowing" (effort and control), or are you looking for the sovereign "I AM" who is already present? [11:27]
3. Faith is described as the "work" of God. Do you find yourself treating Christianity like a checklist of moral achievements, or are you resting in the "work" of simply believing in the One the Father has sent? [17:30]
4. Taking in the "Bread of Life" means his life begins to reshape our appetites. What is one worldly pleasure or "taste" that has lost its appeal to you as you have grown in your relationship with Christ? [25:03]
5. We often ask God, "What have you done for me lately?" instead of trusting what He has already spoken in His Word. How can you practically prioritize reading the Scriptures this week to "feed" on Christ rather than waiting for a new "sign" or feeling? [21:31]
6. Salvation is linked more to rest and trust than to striving. Where are you currently "laboring" to earn God's favor, and how can you move toward a posture of "resting" in the grace that Jesus has already provided? [27:07]
7. Like the boys in the story who slept soundly because they held a piece of bread for the morning, do you have the assurance of eternal life today? [29:46] How does having the "Bread of Life" in your hand change the way you face your fears about the future? [30:05]