August 18, 2024
Morning Service

Jesus’ fame is growing and last week we saw a crowd of people show great effort to seek Him out, but for the wrong reasons. They were not seeking Him to be fulfilled spiritually, but only physically as they were part of the five thousand He had fed the previous day.  He encouraged them, and us, to “labor for the food which endures to everlasting life.”  In other words, seek after Jesus with the same or more diligence as we seek the things of this world.  Today Jesus further explains the meaning of this spiritual food and many of them will not accept His teaching because of their unbelief.  We begin today with evidence of their lack of faith as they ask Jesus give them a sign.

Joh 6:28-34 Then they said to Him, "What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?"  (29)  Jesus answered and said to them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him Whom He sent."  (30)  Therefore they said to Him, "What sign will You perform then, that we may see it and believe You? What work will You do?  (31)  Our fathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written, 'HE GAVE THEM BREAD FROM HEAVEN TO EAT.'"  (32)  Then Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give 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)  Then they said to Him, "Lord, give us this bread always."

            Jesus instructs them to simply believe in Him Whom God has sent to them, but they display their lack of faith in asking for another sign.  They had just been fed the day before in a miraculous way, but that was not enough in their mind revealing their heart as well (their why).

 They bring up their ancestors in the wilderness and how God had fed them every morning with manna, the bread from heaven.  Jesus begins to use their words to try to explain again the spiritual side of who He is.  They seek only bread that gives life sustaining nourishment for that day, but Jesus is offering the “true bread from heaven which gives life to the world.”  He now begins to reveal to us the need we have to turn our focus from seeking to be satisfied with the things of this world to seeking the spiritual nourishment He offers to us.

 

Joh 6:35 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.  

            This is the first of the seven “I AM” statements of Jesus that John uses to convince us who Jesus is.  Jesus reveals to us that He is the spiritual nourishment we need for our soul to be satisfied.  We are all created with a hunger and thirst for a relationship with God to complete us; an empty void within us that only He can fill.  Many of us try to satisfy those needs with the pleasures of this world, but we find out no matter what we achieve or attain the void remains.  The things of this world that we work so hard to get do not satisfy us or complete us, but leave us longing for something else that we know deep down we are missing.  Jesus tells us here the cure for our emptiness as He says; “He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.” Paul tells us in Colossians that “You are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.” (Col. 2:10) We all need to strive within ourselves to truly accept the fact that in this life we only need Jesus.  He completes us leaving us lacking for nothing.  We work and worry about the many cares of this world, but in the end Jesus is all that really matters.  Are you able to be satisfied/complete with only Jesus this morning?  I venture to say that if your life is in chaos, then the answer to that question is “no, I feel I need more than Him.”  Jesus addressed this in the Sermon on the Mount.

 

Mat 6:25-34 "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?  (26)  Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?  (27)  Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?  (28)  "So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; (29) and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.  (30)  Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?  (31)  "Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?'  (32)  For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.  (33)  But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.  (34)  Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

            If we are complete is Jesus, why do we spend so much time worrying about the things of this world?  The proper perspective is to be sure our priorities are in the proper order by “seeking first after the kingdom of God and His righteousness.”  That is where many of us struggle.  We do things backwards.  We work and worry about our worldly needs and desires and then give God what is left over.  That leaves us lacking on both fronts.  When we seek God first, then He will be sure the other things fall into place (all these things shall be added to you).

 If your life is in turmoil this morning and it seems nothing is going right, be sure your priorities are right first of all.  Is God first in your life?  Really, or are those just words you say?  It takes faith, effort, and a sincere commitment to place Him first as we must be able to deny ourselves daily pick up our cross and follow Him.  We must believe in Him and know that He is calling us to a life with Him and about Him; to abide in Him.  A life in which He completes us and we will no longer hunger and thirst because abiding in Him satisfies those needs.  Listen as Jesus again addresses the crowd in John 6 and take note of the promises He is making that apply to each of us this morning.

 

Joh 6:36-46 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."  (41)  The Jews then complained about Him, because He said, "I am the bread which came down from heaven."  (42)  And they said, "Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How is it then that He says, 'I have come down from heaven'?"  (43)  Jesus therefore answered and said to them, "Do not murmur among yourselves.  (44)  No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.  (45)  It is written in the prophets, 'AND THEY SHALL ALL BE TAUGHT BY GOD.' Therefore, everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me.  (46)  Not that anyone has seen the Father, except He who is from God; He has seen the Father.

            Jesus came for a purpose, to do the will of His Father.  He promises that all who come to Him, “will by no means be cast out.”  He also promises that “everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life and He will lose none of us whom the Father has given unto Him.”  These are promises for us.  This is the hope we have in Him through faith.  When we accept His call to follow, He takes our hand and NEVER lets go!   Realize this also that He values you, His purpose in coming to earth is to offer you salvation.  He has chosen you.  You can only come to God IF “the Father who sent Me draws him.”  We in ourselves are helpless and hopeless.  We are not able even to come to God by ourselves.  BUT GOD begins to work in our life and our heart drawing us, calling to us:

 

Mat 11:28-30 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden (hungry and thirsty), and I will give you rest.  (29)  Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  (30)  For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."

It is up to us to answer that call and accept Him as our Lord and Savior.  God is calling to you, but you must choose to answer the call. Has life left you weary, hungry, and thirsty this morning?

The pulling in your heart and the truth you see in the scriptures is God calling you directly this morning.  He alone is the “Bread of life,” only He can fill that empty void in your heart, meet those needs, and complete you.  Choose today to follow and to seek Him first in your life.

 

Heavenly Father, thank You for sending Jesus to be our Savior and Lord!  Open our minds and hearts to fully understand that we are complete in Him and if we feel we are lacking, only He can satisfy us.