I Am Series
The Bread of Life
John 6:32-35, 48-51
In seven different places in the book of John, Jesus gives us a description of Himself that begins with the words “I am”. Those seven statements are intended, not so much to describe Who He is, but to show us what He does. For the next several weeks I want us to consider these statements and how they impact my life and yours in a personal way.
Now before we read the first I AM statement of Jesus, I want to put a phrase in your mind and I want it to be at the forefront as we study these statements. Here it is:
''I AM changes who I am.''
So how does I AM change who I am and what is it about us that He changes? That’s what I want us to discover.
When we hear Jesus first use this phrase, our minds are taken back to Moses and his call to ministry.
You may remember Moses had an encounter with God through a bush in the desert that was burning, but wasn’t consumed. That bush was actually the attention-getter that caused Moses to get out of the routine of his life and listen to the voice of God.
Listen to what God said to Moses from that burning bush.
Exodus 3.6
Then God told Moses that he was to lead the children of Israel out of their bondage in Egypt and into the Promised Land.
We pick up the conversation in
Exodus 3.13-14
Now in so many words, God was telling Moses,
''I AM the God that was, I AM the God that is, and I AM the God that always will be! That's who is sending you!'' And the reality of that is whatever you need, I AM.
So when Jesus picks up that phrase and declares His identity using this I AM identifier, don’t miss what He is saying. He is declaring Himself to be God. He is Jehovah in the flesh. The same God Who spoke to Moses centuries ago through a burning bush is now using the same phrasing to describe Himself again.
So that’s what it means in general to use these two little words, but more to the point, Jesus adds seven different specifics to that general statement and through those we get to see what He desires to do in our lives. Remember, “I AM changes who I am!”
I don’t know that there is an order to these statements or if they should be considered in any certain sequence, but I wouldn’t be surprised if there is so we’ll just consider them in order of appearance. The first one is in chapter 6 where we hear Jesus saying, “I am the Bread of Life”.
John 6.32-35; 48-51
So what does it mean for us when Jesus says, ''I am the bread of life?'' How does Jesus saying: ''I am the bread of life'' change who I am and who you are? Let’s thinks think about it under three headings.
First of all, as ''the bread of life,
1. Jesus Saves Us
verse 32
It’s not surprising that we find the setting of this statement is Jesus talking about Moses and the manna God provided. . After all, that’s where the first usage of “I Am” occurs.
I think it also important to note that on the previous day, Jesus had fed a multitude of people with five barley loaves of bread and two small fish. It was a massive miracle, so much so that the crowd wanted to make Him king and enjoy all the free bread He could provide.
But Jesus wasn’t about free bread and physical needs. There is much more to what He desires to provide for us. That’s what this statement is all about. “Moses didn’t give you the bread of heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven.''
So what's that all about? Look with me again to Exodus, but this time to chapter 16 where we read of Moses and the manna. The children of Israel had only been gone a month from Egypt and already complaining against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness.
Verses 4, 14-15, 31, 35
One thing about mealtime in the wilderness: nobody ever had to ask what was for breakfast or supper! They knew manna was on the menu!
Lisa and I have been limiting our carbohydrates and sugars trying to lose some weight and along about lunchtime we just ask, “So where do you want to get your chicken today?”
In fact, by the end of those 40 years they sounded like ‘ol Bubba and his shrimp in Forrest Gump!
Video
They must have had a recipe book called “A 100 ways to Cook Manna!”
*Broiled Manna *Braised Manna *Baked Manna *Fried Manna *Barbeque Manna *Sauted Manna
*Hot Manna *Cold Manna *Cooked Manna *Raw Manna *Breaded Manna
You name it, they tried it!
Every day, for as long as they were in the wilderness, they ate the manna God supplied. It was a divine provision and it was provided daily to meet their need.
In fact, that manna was the original Wonder Bread! But I want you to see what Jesus says about the manna in our text.
If we were to back up a few verses we would find the crowd wanting more food like Jesus had provided when He fed the multitude. But Jesus tells them that’s not what real life is all about.
Verse 27-29
In verse 30 they ask for a sign so they will know He’s the One they should trust. Never mind all the miracles He’d already done, just show us something else. After all, verse 31, Moses gave His people a sign from heaven by giving them bread to eat.
That’s what prompts the comments Jesus makes in verse 32 and following about being the bread of life.
Notice how he corrects what they way about Moses.
First of all, Moses didn’t give you the bread." What did we read a moment ago in Exodus 16? God gave the bread. Moses just gathered it up. He just organized the collection, that's all.
Secondly, manna isn’t real bread, at least not the heavenly kind. Only God can give the real bread and that bread is Me.
Third, Moses' bread had a very short shelf life. One day and it was gone. It offered no permanent solution to the hunger problem. It can’t give life.
Fourth, manna was only for Israel. What does verse 33 say? The true bread is for every man and every age and every place. It’s for the whole world."
Now here’s the point: The manna God provided to the Jews was simply a picture of what Jesus is for everyone. He is God’s gracious gift.
He’s the real answer to the hunger problem of mankind and when He fills you, you will never need anything else to satisfy your spiritual hunger. And the good news is, He is available to all who come to Him.
Verses 48-51
That’s how I AM changes who I am!
As the bread of life, Jesus saves us! Here’s the second thing.
As the Bread of Life,
2. Jesus Satisfies Us
Verse 35b
There are some things I can eat that never fully satisfy my hunger. For instance, I can eat popcorn and it never satisfies me. There are other things I eat, like pancakes that only satisfy my hunger for a short time. Did you ever notice that? They’ll fill you up but in just a little while, you’re hungry again.
In fact, that is true of any food, no matter how nutritious or well-prepared it is. There is no physical food that completely and eternally satisfies your hunger.
Did you know the same thing is true spiritually? We try satisfying our deepest hungers with things that either never fully satisfy us or only satisfies us temporarily.
Even though they may be good things, there is no satisfying substitute for the Bread of Life. People may try to satisfy their hunger with church activity or family or their job or a million other things. But nothing satisfies outside of Christ.
Listen to how the prophet Isaiah describes it in
Isaiah 29.8
Here's a man satisfied only in his dreams. He dreams of having a satisfied soul but then he awakes to discover that his soul still craves!
Isaiah continues that thought in a later chapter by asking this question:
Isaiah 55.2, ''Why do you spend money for what is not bread, and your wages for what does not satisfy?''
Listen: There are a lot of people that have been saved by the Bread of Life, but they’ve never learned what it means to be satisfied by the Bread of Life.
They’re always looking in other places for satisfaction rather than looking to the One who saved us. Learn this today: the same one who saves us, is the one who satisfies us.
That’s exactly what the Psalmist said in
Psalm 107.9
“He satisfies the longing soul, and fills the hungry soul with goodness.''
May I ask you a personal question: is your soul satisfied or is it longing? Is your soul filled with the goodness of God?
I want you to take a moment to dwell on the promise found in
verse 35
I think about those thousands of people Moses was leading through the wilderness for forty years. God saw to it that every day they woke up hungry that they went to bed full.
Listen to
Psalm 78.23-25, 29
Nehemiah even spoke of it Nehemiah 9.15, ''You gave them bread from heaven for their hunger ..''
Have you ever considered hunger a gift from God? Well, it is! He causes us to become hungry so that He may fill us! Listen: if you never grew hungry, you would starve to death! Hunger pains of our body tell us that our stomachs are empty and we need food!
The hunger pains of our life tell us that our souls are empty and desperately need God! We need to be filled and satisfied with what only He can provide!
“For He satisfies the longing soul, and fills the hungry soul with goodness.'' Jesus is more than enough! What bread is for the physical body, Jesus is for our hungry hearts!
He is the saving bread! He is the satisfying bread!
And as the Bread of Life ,
3. Jesus Strengthens Us
For those 40 years in the wilderness, the Israelites were strengthened and sustained by that manna.
Think of the physical strength they needed in that desert just to put one step in front of the other as they journeyed.
They had to deal with the natural elements. They had to learn to get along with one another. They faced attacks from their enemies. They dealt with discouragement and disobedience and death. You talk about needing strength!
And yet God gave them everything they needed. Every day they arose to a brand new portion of the provision of a loving God.
Where do you get your strength? To what do you look for your provision? Are you trusting the stock market? Do you depend on the doctors and medications you’re taking?
Where do you find the strength to face the attacks from your enemies? How do you deal with discouragement and loss and even death?
Where will you find the strength to be live godly in Christ Jesus? Where will you find the provision to be a man or woman of God? Just as that manna provided them strength for the challenges of each day, Jesus, the bread of life, gives us strength to meet the challenges of each day.
Make Psalm 119.28 your prayer:
''Strengthen me according to Your word.''
I love the promise of Isaiah 41.10, ''Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I WILL STRENGTHEN YOU, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.''
Are you listening? Jesus is more than enough! He is saving bread! He is satisfying bread. He is strengthening bread.
Verse 35, ''I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.''
Verse 51, ''I AM the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever.''
I AM changes who I am!
Just a couple of things to think about and I’ll be through.
Eating is necessary. If you want eternal life, eating is necessary. You can’t just come. You can’t just admire. People do this all the time. Oh yeah, I have a lot of respect for Jesus. He was a good man or a great teacher.
But you can’t just come and admire. It’s like sitting at the restaurant reading the menu. You have to eat. In Scripturally terms, that means to trust Jesus as Savior and Lord of your life. Now eating is in response to hunger.
The people who eat are the people who are hungry! So what is spiritual hunger? It’s the aching of the heart of one who knows he’s empty. That’s the work of the Holy Spirit to make the heart hungry. That’s where the Father starts to draw. The hungry heart sees the bread and consumes it.
By the way, eating is personal. It’s not a group event. You can all go out to dinner, but the food has to go in your mouth. Lots of people can do lots of things for you. They can come over and change the curtains, fix the room. People can do a lot of things to help you. But you have to eat for yourself.
Eating is necessary. Eating is in response to hunger. Eating is personal and eating is transformational. If you don’t eat physically, you will die. If you eat, food you take in transforms you, and that’s what Christ does. The Bread of Life will save you.
Maybe you need to be satisfied. Stop searching in every back alley and store window the world provides and come to the Bread of Life. Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, they will be filled. Let the Bread of Life satisfy you today.
And perhaps you need strength. He will sustain and energize you to do His will and be victorious in doing it. Come eat of the Bread of Life today.
Remember, I AM changes who I am. May that process begin today in your life.
Let’s pray.
