A Study of the Book of John
"That You May Believe"
Sermon # 21
"The Living Bread”
John 6:34-40
Previously in John chapter six we looked at how many in the crowds who followed Jesus seemed to be experts at “missing the point.” They had witnessed his miraculous feeding of the 5,000 with five small loaves and two small fish and all they seemed to be able to do is make a physical connection. They wanted Jesus to continue to meet their physical need for food. In fact in (v. 30) they say that “if” he will provide a suitable “sign” they will believe that He is the Messiah. This suitable sign in their minds was for Jesus to once again provide manna from Heaven as they believe Moses did for the Children of Israel in the wilderness. They believed this because they had been taught by the Rabbis that the coming Messiah would again give them manna. Therefore the people were challenging Jesus to produce the bread of God (the manna) in order to prove His claim to be the Messiah.
Jesus corrected their thinking (vv. 32-33) by pointing out errors in their thinking.
First, He dealt with their error in believing that it was Moses that provided the manna, it was not Moses but God who provided the Manna.
But perhaps most important of all that
Jesus told them was that the manna was not really the bread of God it was only the symbol of the bread of God (v. 33). The bread of God was a person, and that person gives life to the world and that person was Jesus!
The crowd may not have understood everything that Jesus was saying, but they understood at least part of it. The bread they wanted did not come for Moses, it came from God. They also understood that to some extent that He was talking about something beyond the mere physical. So they said to the Lord in verse thirty-four, “Lord, give us this bread always.” (35) And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst. (36) But I said to you that you have seen Me and yet do not believe. (37) All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out. (38) For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. (39) This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day. (40) And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.”
This morning I want you to see four things this passage tells about Jesus!
First, Jesus Is The Source of Life
“I am the bread of life” (v. 34)
To understand the impact of what Jesus said, when he uttered the words “I am the bread of life:” we must travel back in the Old Testament all the way to the moment when God revealed his personal name to Moses in Exodus 3:14. There God told Moses to tell His people that “I AM has sent you.” From that time forward the Jews associated this phrase as a claim of deity. When Jesus declares in John 8:58 that “before Abraham was, I AM” he absolutely shocked his listeners, for they understood that He was saying, “I AM God!” At this point His enemies wanted to stone Him for blasphemy, and understandably so, for either this was true or He was deluded and it was a lie. Seven times in the Gospel of John Jesus said who He was and each time He deepens our understanding of His provision for us.
Jesus said,
“I am the bread of life.” (6:35)
“I am the light of the world.” (8:12, 9:5)
“I am the door.” (10:7, 9)
“I am the good shepherd.” (10:11, 14)
“I am the resurrection and the life.” (11:25)
“I am the way, the truth and the life.” (14:6)
“I am the true vine.” (15:1, 5)
Clearly John has gathered a collection of the statements of Jesus which plainly show that the Savior of whom he writes is the one and only God. As the opening “I AM” statement John tells us that Jesus asserts “I AM the Bread of Life.” What a statement! It is no coincidence that Jesus was born in Bethlehem, which means “the house of bread!”
He is claiming to be that which one needs in order to have life and continue to live. Without Him there is existence, but not life! Christ gives eternal life. He not only has life in Himself, but He gives life to all those who will come to Him!
Not Only Is Jesus the Source of Life but…
Second, Jesus Is The Sustainer of Life
When Jesus spoke of Himself as being the bread He was using an image that everyone understood. In Jesus’ day bread was more than a common part of the daily diet, it was “the” stable of the common man’s diet. In the model prayer (Luke 11) Jesus taught his disciples to pray, “Give us this day our daily bread.” (Lk 11:3) If he did not have bread, he did not eat, if he did eat, he died, it was that necessary. The implication is that Jesus like the physical loaves of bread, is sufficient for the need of mankind. Jesus is the all-sufficient Savior.
Not Only Is Jesus The Sustainer of Life But…
Third, Jesus Is The Satisfaction In Life.
I would not be surprised to learn that some of the most dissatisfied people in the world live in the developed countries of the world. The sad truth is that there are people all over the world who have more than enough to eat and a comfortable place to live yet they are not satisfied. They are people who are hungry for more than just a full belly and a comfortable existence. There is a restlessness which says, “There has to be more to life than this.”
The point I want to make is that God does not want anyone to get the end of their earthly existence to find that it has all been futility and mistakes. The Lord spoke of His being the bread of life to rescue us from the emptiness of life without Him.
In verse thirty-five Jesus said, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.”
A double negative is used here to emphasis just how emphatic this statement is, “He who comes to me shall never ever hunger again.” In fact in addition to the double negative there is an added adverb so that it would literally be “He who comes to me will never ever at any time hunger.” Jesus is affirming in the most dramatic way possible the satisfying nature of the life He brings.
In Isaiah 55:1-3 (NIV) we read,
“Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters;
and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. (2)Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare.(3) Give ear and come to me;
hear me, that your soul may live…..” (NIV)
Obviously what is being promised here is a satisfaction of our spiritual hunger; the hunger for meaning; the hunger for peace, the hunger for contentment. It is in the Lord and the Lord alone that we find lasting satisfaction for our inner desires. All other sources, fail to satisfy. Wealth can satisfy for a while but it can never give us real peace. Fame can satisfy for a while but can never give a lasting sense of meaning to life. Even success can only give momentary content-ment.
The alternative to this satisfaction found in Jesus is given in verse thirty-six where the word “but” introduces a strong contrast, “But I said to you that you have seen Me and yet do not believe.”
“But” those who do not choose to believe, and as a result have not come to Him, accordingly they have not received the satisfying life He is offering. Their failure to believe was the critical factor that cut them off from the blessings He was offering.
But by “believe” more is meant than just an assent to the truth of what He is saying. One can believe that Jesus was a real person and that He died on the cross and even believe that He arose from the grave and still not be saved. To receive what He is offering one must “come” by faith and be born again.
Not only is Jesus The Satisfaction In life but
Fourth, Jesus is the Security of Life Eternal (vv.37-40) He is our guarantee of our security.
Many doubt the truth of the doctrine of
“security of the believer” or what is some-times called “once saved always saved.” I really believe that this is the result of two things. First, it is the unfortunate result of watching the behavior of some individuals who erroneously think that this is some kind of license to sin. They believe because they have walked an aisle or prayed a prayer or joined a church, that transaction is a guarantee that regard-less of what they do, they will always be saved. And while it is true that they are not saved or lost by any action on their part, if they are saved then the Bible says “if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation, old things have passed away, all things have become new.” (2 Cor. 5:17) That tells me that if a person is truly saved they are changed, and although they can still choose to sin, they will never again be happy in it!
Secondly, I believe that some people reject the doctrine of security of the believer because they do not truly understanding what this means. They doubt security because they believe their security depends on them and what they can do. Since I could never do anything to save myself in the first place and there is nothing I can do to keep myself saved, my salvation and my security rest in the hands of Jesus.
Notice three things about Jesus being our security for life in eternity.
• All Who Are Chosen Will Come. (37a)
“All that the Father gives Me will come to Me...”
This verse obviously speaks of the sovereignty and election of God, that those who are chosen will come. Yet, God is not standing on the sidelines a helpless spectator until we decide we want to believe; and only then does he come into the process. The truth is that no one can come to Jesus unless the Father draws him (6:44). From the first to the last our salvation is something that God brings about. Yes, we are called upon to repent and believe but the process begins with God.
•All Who Come Will Be Welcome. (37b)
“…and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.”
There is the assurance that those who come to Jesus receive only the warmest of welcomes. Again we have an emphatic double negative, “Him who comes to me I will never, ever cast out.”
•All Who Come Are Safe Forever!
(vv. 38-40) “For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. (39) This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day. (40) And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.”
Not only does Jesus not cast anyone away who comes to Him, but He sees to it that no such person is ever lost. This is the will of the Father and Jesus always sees that the will of the Father is done. Father and Son always work together. It is God the Father who loves the world so much that He sent His only Son. It is Jesus that son who died on the cross to secure salvation. It is the Father who when we believe has chosen us and drawn us and it is the Son who will never cast us out. It is the will of the Father who sent His son into the world, that none of those he gives the Son shall be lost.
F.B. Meyer stated it this way, “He stands between us and all assailants, whether they be the righteous demands of the … law or the dark and malignant powers of hell. Ever … He is inserting Himself between our enemies and ourselves: covering us …: acting as our shield and buckler and receiving into His own royal heart the blows meant for our worthless selves. We cannot be lost, unless we very Judases, who deliberately open our hearts to admit the prince of hell.” [F.B. Meyer. “The Life Of Love.” Masters of the Word Series. (Old Tappan, NJ: Fleming Revell Co., 1987) p. 118]
Let me close this morning with the one of my favorite images of how secure the believer is in Jesus. A little later in John’s gospel (10:28-29) we read, “And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. (29) My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand.”
The imagery is that the believer is doubly protected, that those who are given to Lord by the Father are not only enclosed in the hand of Jesus but also in the grasp of the hand of the Father.
Conclusion
•Jesus Is The Source Of Life.
•Jesus Is The Sustainer Of Life.
•Jesus The Satisfaction In Life.
•Jesus is The Security Of Life Eternal
"The Living Bread”
John 6:34-40
First, Jesus Is The ___________ Of Life.
“I am the bread of life” (v. 34)
Second, Jesus Is The _________ of Life.
Third, Jesus The ____________ In Life.
(v. 35) “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.”
(Isaiah 55:1-3)
Fourth, Jesus is the _________ Of Life Eternal (vv.37-40)
•All Who Are Chosen Will _______.
•All Who Come Will Be ___________.
•All Who Come Are Safe __________!
