The Bread Of Life Series

Names of God: " the bread of life". WBC 4 Dec 2005 pm. John 6:25-51

A man was a regular diner at a restaurant. The owner always did his best to please him. One day he complained that he only received one piece of bread with his meal, so the waiter promptly brought him four slices.

The man said, "That’s good, but not good enough. I love bread!" So, the next night he was given six slices with supper. He said, "Good! But aren’t you still being a bit frugal?" Even a basketful the next day didn’t stop the complaints. Finally, the owner decided to end this for good. The next night he had a colossal loaf of bread baked. It was six feet long, three feet wide. It took the manager and two waiters to carry it to the complainer’s table. When they laid it on the table the huge loaf took up five place settings. They stood there and smiled, waiting for the man’s reaction. The man looked at the gigantic loaf of bread and said, "So, we’re back to ONE piece again?"

From Rusted Wealth James 5:1-6 a sermon by Michael Deutsch www.sermoncentral.com

Here we are still looking at the names of God- and we’ve moved into the season when we look at the Names of God the Son, Jesus- building up to "Immanuel" and "Saviour" as we get near Christmas

- Jesus described Himself as ’the bread of life’

Now, no doubt you’ve heard sermons on this. Even recently. So I want to make this incredibly practical tonight. Straight to the point. Let me ask you

- how is your soul? How goes it with your soul? Your inner life?

o APPRAISE YOURSELF. Take a moment to think about

" Your spiritual health PPT

" Your inner peace

" Connection with God

" Your love/devotion to Jesus

Rate yourself. Marks out of 10 in each area. Ask yourself- why is this? What’s helping/impeding? Then ASK GOD the same Questions!

4 mins silence. Then pray

"Lord, show us tonight how we can find health and food for our souls. Feed us with the bread of life"

- How did that go? Anyone want to share anything?

HUNGER

Well- what were the symptoms these folks exhibited?

Concerned about

- "what must we DO" v28

- signs! Show us a sign. V30 Seeking after the dramatic. Sensational. The Buzz

- They were restless. "they seek him here, they seek him there"

o V12 had bread. V15 wanted to make Jesus king. V23 went across the lake. Came back. Went to Capernaum. V34- want the latest bread Jesus is talking about

o Seeking the latest, newest

- Then they are grumbling v43

- V53 onwards- getting uptight about theology. Then leaving!

- And through it all… they are constantly hungry. For something

Their souls were not healthy. Maybe these are some the symptoms we exhibit

- I do

- Understandable. When your soul is hungry- you start looking in all the places where you believe you can find satisfaction/food

Are you hungry? What are you hungry for?

Well- lets look at what they were hungry for. Maybe we can learn something

- basically they got their bellies filled in ch 6:15

- tried to make Him king

Jesus sees… and exposes… what they are really searching for, instantly (v26)

- He’s not being unkind in doing this

- They… we… can only have a TRUE understanding of what DOES satisfy our souls… if we let go of false ideas, and those things that DON’T

He says- "You are looking for physical bread". That’s really where you are hungry. You’re trying to feed yourself in the physical, political (king)… through what you DO

- and your souls are dying… withering… in the process

- your spiritual life is drying up

I have seen all kinds of things kill people’s souls… beings… relationship with God… spirits

- their jobs. Work. Distractions. Doing up the house. Money. Partners. Latest love.

- Seriously: every 2 weeks someone says to me of the ’new thing’ that has entered their life… and they are going to be devoting themselves to for the ’next little while’….

- … and I leave them praying ’Oh Lord- don’t let this good thing distract them and destroy their soul"

Many times in the NT it says "Watch out!". For this, That

- Peter summarises it all in 1 Pet 2:11 "watch out for things that war against your soul!"

o What does it profit someone if they gain the whole world and yet lose their soul

What are you hungry for?

- EXTERNALS ….. OR

- The bread of life. What can feed your internal life?

Biblical commentator Ravi Zacharis writes:

Jesus’ words were intended to lift the listeners from their barren, food-dominated existence to the recognition and acknowledgment of the supreme hunger of life that can only be filled with a different bread. Food and power blind the mind to the need for nourishment and strength of soul. Unfortunately, many fail to pause here long enough to really hear what Jesus is teaching and understand the life-transforming power contained in this truth."