John 6:25-35 “And
when they found Him on the other side of the sea, they said to Him, “Rabbi,
when did You come here?” Jesus answered them and said, “Most
assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but
because you ate of the loaves and were filled. Do not labor for the food
which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which
the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on
Him.” Then they said to Him, “What shall we do, that we may work the works
of God?” Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God,
that you believe in Him whom He sent.” Therefore they said to
Him, “What sign will You perform then, that we may see it and believe You?
What work will You do? Our fathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is
written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’ ” 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. For
the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the
world.” Then they said to Him, “Lord, give us this bread always.” 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 last Sunday, Pastor
Obie continued the sermon series through the book of John, asking “How does the
Bread of Life affect our life?” Unlike in today’s culture, bread was the main
course of a meal in Jesus’ time and was vitally important because bread was a
core item in the development of nations at that time. Bread symbolizes
life-giving substance. So, the Bread of Life is not a side-dish, but the main
course of life. This is why the feeding of the five thousand by multiplying the
two fish and five barley loaves in John 6:1-14 was so significant. All of
Jesus’ “I Am” statements in the book of John showed His divinity. The "Ego Eimi" – translated: “I am who I am, meaning I am God.
We need to keep the main
thing (Jesus Christ, the Bread of Life), the main thing in our lives. Therefore,
we need to ask ourselves three “Am I” questions of ourselves. (1) Am I seeking
Jesus because I love Him or because I want or need something from Him? These
people in John 6:25-27 sought Jesus for the wrong reason and with the wrong
motive, to provide them benefits. Our life is not about “wanting things”, but
about “wanting Him”. It is about a personal relationship with the Lord.
(2) Am I living for that
which perishes or that which eternally endures. What are we living for? Life
will pass; only what we do for Christ will last. In Matthew 6:9-13 told us, “In this manner,
therefore, pray: “Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your
kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.” In Matthew 6:19-21, Jesus
instructs us, “Do not lay up for
yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves
break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where
neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and
steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” So,
invest in the spiritual life more than the physical life. Humans are a triune
being, made up of mind, body, and soul. Spirit is defined as the soul of man;
the intelligent, immaterial and immortal part of human beings. There are two
words for life. (a) “Bios” meaning physical living and (b) “Zoe” meaning
spiritual/eternal life (aka “Living Water”). Invest in that which has a soul.
Let's continue Pastor Obie's message on the Bread of Life" in the next post.
In Christ, Brian
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