The Living Bread

Title: THE LIVING BREAD/BETTER THAN MANNA

Preliminary Reading: John 6:49-58

John 6:51 (KJV) I am the living bread which came down

from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever:

and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for

the life of the world.

Text: John 6:51, "I am the living bread which came down from heaven:

if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and

the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for

the life of the world".

Intro: Earlier message discussed God’s greatest gift.

We broke down that gift into understandable parts.

The parts were:

Bread of Life

Door

Gate for The Sheep

Good Shepherd

King

Life

Light

Resurrection

Vine

Way

Let us focus on The Living Bread.

My imagination sees:

1. a dislocated , disillusioned, multitude in a wilderness

gathering round wafers (Manna, Bread from Heaven).

2. A Levite Priest waving sheaves of grain before the Lord

in a ceremonial fashion--Feast of Weeks, Heave Offering,

First Fruits.

3. 5,000 or more folk eating divinely multiplied bread

(from five barley loaves).

4. Christ’s broken, bleeding body on the cross-Ps. 34:7. <---

Theme: Participation in Communion is an outward expression of

our inward partaking of Christ, The Living Bread.

I. His Divine Origin

II. His Wondrous Character

III. His Great Mission

IV. His Assuring Promise

V. His Universal Offer

I. His Divine Origin

A. Only Begotten (unique, only one of its kind) of The Father

B. "...came down from Heaven."

1. someone found

2. term repeated seven times in chapter in chp six

D. down a distance than cannot be measured

1. from glory to poverty

2. from exhaltation (nobility) to shame & death

3. so we could be spiritually-

a. rich

b. recoginized

c. resurrected

II. His Wondrous Character

A. Jn. 10:10, life-giving

B. life satisfying

1. never hunger

2. Jn. 6:35. "...I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me

shall never hunger; and ...never thirst."

C. The bread that gives spiritual & eternal life.

III. His Great Mission

A. address the World’s need

1. blinded by sin

2. Unhealthy diet that will never satisfy.

B. give the gift of His flesh

1. John 6:51

2. "...for the life of the world."

IV. His Assuring Promise/Guarantee

A. He that has the Son has life.

1. satisfying life

2. eternal life

3. vibrant, lively life (not mere existence)

B. Jn. 14:19, "...because I live, ye shall live also."

1. Rom. 5:10

2. 1 Cor. 15:20

3. 2 Cor. 4:10

V. His Universal Offer

A. Jn. 6:51, "...if any man eat of this bread,

he shall live forever:..."

B. within the reach of all

1. must be appropriated (taken in/received)

2. must be digested

Conclusion: Divine Origin, Wonderful Character, Great Mission,

Gurantee, Universal Offer

Wherefore do you spend money for that which

is not bread? And your labor for that which

satisfies not. Hearken diligently unto me, and

eat ye that which is good, and let your soul

delight itself in fatness ( Isa. 55:2, paraphrased ).

Inivation: Come freely to the Throne of Grace.

Accept, Jesus, the Living Bread

that is better than Manna.

Taste the Lord and see that He is good.

Have another heaping helping of Heaven’s

hospitality.