ONE BREAD OF LIFE

TEXT JOHN 6: http://www.biblica.com/bible/verse/?q=John5&niv=yes

PARAPHRASE JOHN 6:25-50


THE MESSAGE John 6:15-59

25 When they found him back across the sea, they said, "Rabbi, when did you get here?"

26 Jesus answered, "You've come looking for me not because you saw God in my actions but because I fed you, filled your stomachs—and for free.
The Bread of Life

27 "Don't waste your energy striving for perishable food like that. Work for the food that sticks with you, food that nourishes your lasting life, food the Son of Man provides. He and what he does are guaranteed by God the Father to last."

28 To that they said, "Well, what do we do then to get in on God's works?"

29 Jesus said, "Throw your lot in with the One that God has sent. That kind of a commitment gets you in on God's works."

30-31 They waffled: "Why don't you give us a clue about who you are, just a hint of what's going on? When we see what's up, we'll commit ourselves. Show us what you can do. Moses fed our ancestors with bread in the desert. It says so in the Scriptures: 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'"

32-33 Jesus responded, "The real significance of that Scripture is not that Moses gave you bread from heaven but that my Father is right now offering you bread from heaven, the real bread. The Bread of God came down out of heaven and is giving life to the world."

34 They jumped at that: "Master, give us this bread, now and forever!"

35-38 Jesus said, "I am the Bread of Life. The person who aligns with me hungers no more and thirsts no more, ever. I have told you this explicitly because even though you have seen me in action, you don't really believe me. Every person the Father gives me eventually comes running to me. And once that person is with me, I hold on and don't let go. I came down from heaven not to follow my own whim but to accomplish the will of the One who sent me.

39-40 "This, in a nutshell, is that will: that everything handed over to me by the Father be completed—not a single detail missed—and at the wrap-up of time I have everything and everyone put together, upright and whole. This is what my Father wants: that anyone who sees the Son and trusts who he is and what he does and then aligns with him will enter real life, eternal life. My part is to put them on their feet alive and whole at the completion of time."

41-42 At this, because he said, "I am the Bread that came down from heaven," the Jews started arguing over him: "Isn't this the son of Joseph? Don't we know his father? Don't we know his mother? How can he now say, 'I came down out of heaven' and expect anyone to believe him?"

43-46 Jesus said, "Don't bicker among yourselves over me. You're not in charge here. The Father who sent me is in charge. He draws people to me—that's the only way you'll ever come. Only then do I do my work, putting people together, setting them on their feet, ready for the End. This is what the prophets meant when they wrote, 'And then they will all be personally taught by God.' Anyone who has spent any time at all listening to the Father, really listening and therefore learning, comes to me to be taught personally—to see it with his own eyes, hear it with his own ears, from me, since I have it firsthand from the Father. No one has seen the Father except the One who has his Being alongside the Father—and you can see me.

47-51 "I'm telling you the most solemn and sober truth now: Whoever believes in me has real life, eternal life. I am the Bread of Life. Your ancestors ate the manna bread in the desert and died. But now here is Bread that truly comes down out of heaven. Anyone eating this Bread will not die, ever. I am the Bread—living Bread!—who came down out of heaven. Anyone who eats this Bread will live—and forever! The Bread that I present to the world so that it can eat and live is myself, this flesh-and-blood self."

52 At this, the Jews started fighting among themselves: "How can this man serve up his flesh for a meal?"

53-58 But Jesus didn't give an inch. "Only insofar as you eat and drink flesh and blood, the flesh and blood of the Son of Man, do you have life within you. The one who brings a hearty appetite to this eating and drinking has eternal life and will be fit and ready for the Final Day. My flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. By eating my flesh and drinking my blood you enter into me and I into you. In the same way that the fully alive Father sent me here and I live because of him, so the one who makes a meal of me lives because of me. This is the Bread from heaven. Your ancestors ate bread and later died. Whoever eats this Bread will live always."

59 He said these things while teaching in the meeting place in Capernaum.


I. FIRST CENTURY READERS

A. CIT: John told his first century readers that when the crowd asked Jesus who he was, He told them he was the Bread of Life (vv 35, 48).

B. INTER: What did John tell his first century readers the Bread of Life was?

C. ANS: John told his first century readers the Bread of Life was the:

1. One Sent by God vv 29, 32-33, 38, 41, 46, 50-51, 57-58
a. His Seal of Approval v 27
b. His Everything v 37
c. His Taught vv 37, 44-45

2. One Giving Life to the World vv 33, 51
a. His Living Bread vv 35, 40, 47
b. His Flesh & Blood vv 51-54, 56-58
c. His True Bread & Drink vv 55

3. One Doing God’s Will vv 27, 38-40, 47, 50-51, 54, 56-58
a. His Will vv 39-40
(1) His losing no one v 39
(2) His Eternal Life vv 27, 40, 47, 50-51, 54, 56-58
(3) His Raising Up on Last Day vv 39-40

4. One to Believe in vv 28-29, 35-36, 40, 47
a. His Work vv 28-29
b. His Fulfillment of Hunger & Thirst vv 35-36

II. US TODAY

A. CIT: John tells us today that when the crowd asked Jesus who he was, He told them he was the Bread of Life (vv 35, 48).

B. INTER: What does John tell us today the Bread of Life is?

C. ANS: John tells us today the Bread of Life is the:

1. One Sent by God vv 29, 32-33, 38, 41, 46, 50-51, 57-58
a. His Endorsement v 27
b. His Everything v 37
c. His Believers vv 37, 44-45

2. One Giving Life to the World vv 33, 51
a. His Spiritual Food vv 35, 40, 47
b. His Crucifixion vv 51-54, 56-58
c. His True Relationship v 55

3. One Doing God’s Will vv 27, 38-40, 47, 50-51, 54, 56-58
a. His Will vv 39-40
(1) His Completed v 39
(2) His Eternal Life vv 27, 40, 47, 50-51, 54, 56-58
(3) His Resurrection vv 39-40

4. One to Believe in vv 28-29, 35-36, 40, 47
a. His Work vv 28-29
b. His Fulfillment vv 35-36

PRAYER

Our Father, Thank You, for sending Your Son into the world.

Our Father, Praise to You, for Your Son’s life giving Death and Resurrection.

Our Father, Glory to You, for Your Son’s obedience to Your Will.

Our Father, Honor to You, for the eternal relationship we have through Your Son.

We ask this in the Name of Your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Amen.


freefoto.com http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/

THE GREATEST FOCUS, HEART & LIFE

I. The Greatest Commandment: Matthew 22:34-40

22:34 Now when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they assembled together.

22:35 And one of them, an expert in religious law, asked him a question to test him:

22:36 “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?”

22:37 Jesus said to him, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’

22:38 This is the first and greatest commandment.

22:39 The second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’

22:40 All the law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.”

II. Paraphrase: Matthew 22:34-40

“Not Who, But What’s the Greatest”

Despite having been stunned by Jesus after hearing how He had made the Sadducees speechless, the Pharisees had one of their religious law experts try to test His knowledge and comprehension of the entirety of Scripture by asking him which commandment was the greatest. Quoting from Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18, Jesus responded by saying the first and greatest commandment is, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. And, that the second was like it, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” He told them that these two commandments form the basis for everything else Scripture has to say.

III. Teaching: Matthew 22:34-40

Not willing to say die, despite being stunned by Jesus’ answer about paying taxes to Caesar and despite the Sadducees being left speechless by Jesus’ interpretation of the what God said with respect to the resurrection in Exodus, the Pharisees put their best religious law expert up to testing Jesus’ knowledge and understanding of everything Scripture has to say by asking him what the greatest commandment was. He told them that everything in God’s Word is based on and held together by two commandments which are inseparable. He quoted from the Book of Deuteronomy (6:5) that the first and greatest commandment was to, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.” And then quoted from Leviticus (19:18) that the second was to “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

They were inseparable in that if you aren’t able to love your neighbor as yourself, then your heart hasn’t changed as a result of loving God with all of your self, e.g. the man who was thrown out of the wedding banquet celebration was thrown out because instead of loving God with all of his being, he feared God with all of his being as a result of his selfishness, i.e. thinking only of himself - not the king, the king’s son, or the king’s servants when he rejected the invitation to attend the king’s celebration - something that was clearly visible (in his not being dressed in wedding clothes).

IV. Principles: Matthew 22:34-40

A. First Century Readers

1. CIT Matthew told his first century readers that when the Pharisees tested Jesus’ understanding of Scripture, He told them all of Scripture was based on Love. vv 34-40

2. INT What did Matthew tell his first century readers Jesus told the Pharisees about the basis of Scripture? vv 37, 39

3. ANS Matthew told his first century readers that Jesus told the Pharisees the basis of Scripture was -

A. Loving God (with all of “Them Self”) - v 22:37

B. Loving “Them Self” - v 22:39

C. Loving Everyone (as “Them Self”) - v 22:39


B. Readers Today

1. CIT Matthew tells readers today that when people test the Truth of Scripture, Scripture tells them that everything (in It) is based on Love.

2. INT What does Matthew tell readers today Scripture tells people (who test “It”) about “Its” basis?

3. ANS Matthew tells readers today that Scripture tells people (who test “It”) that “Its” basis is -

A.Loving God (with all of “Our Self”) - Deuteronomy 6:5 - Changed Focus

(1)Exodus 20:3 “You shall have no other gods before me.”

(2)Deuteronomy 11:1 “Love the Lord your God and keep his requirements, his decrees, his laws and his commands always.”

(3)Matthew 5:17 “Do not think I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.”

B.Loving “Our Self” - Romans 5:5 - Changed Heart

(1)1 John 4:10 “This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us…”

(2)John 13:34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.

(3)Romans 5:5 “And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.”

C.Loving Everyone (as “Our Self”) - Leviticus 19:18 - Change Life

(1) 1 John 4:19 “We love because he first loved us."

(2) Galatians 5:6b, 14 “The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.” “The entire law is summed up in a single command: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ ”

(3) 1 Corinthians 13:13 “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love."

(4) John 13:35 “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

SEEKING HIS PRESENCE

TEXT JOHN 6: http://www.biblica.com/bible/verse/?q=John5&niv=yes

PARAPHRASE JOHN 6:16-24

Jesus’ disciples went to the lake that evening and boarded a boat. Setting course across the lake for Capernaum it was now dark and Jesus wasn’t with them. Rowing 3-3 ½ miles into strong winds and rough waters, the disciples were terrified when they saw Jesus walking towards them on the water. After Jesus told his disciples not to be afraid they received him into the boat at which time they immediately reached the shore they were heading for.

The next day the crowds Jesus had fed on the opposite side of the lake began to realize that despite there being only one boat and despite having seen the disciples but not Jesus depart for Capernaum, neither remained with them. Getting into boats that had come from Tiberias, the people crossed the lake for Capernaum to look for Jesus.


PRINCIPLES John 6:16-24


I. FIRST CENTURY READERS

A. CIT: John told his first century readers that Jesus tested his disciples’ faith.

B. INTER: How did John tell his first century readers that Jesus tested his disciples’ faith?

C. ANS: John told his first century readers that Jesus tested his disciples’ faith by:

1. His not accompanying them on the boat vv 16-17

2. His disciples facing the wind and waves v 18

3. His walking to his disciples on the water vv 19-20

4. His presence immediately resulting in their arrival on shore v 21

5. His people crossing the lake to search for him vv 22-24


II. US TODAY

A. CIT: John tells us today that Jesus tests our faith.

B. INTER: How does John tell us today that Jesus tests our faith?

C. ANS: John tells us today that Jesus tests our faith by:

1. His not being visibly present to us vv 16-17

2. His having us facing trials in our journey of faith v 18

3. His presence being revealed to us when needed vv 19-20

4. His presence providing us immediate assurance v 21

5. His having us seek Him in our spiritual journey vv 22-24


PRAYER

Our Father, forgive us when we lack faith in Your Son’s presence in our life.

Our Father, forgive us when we lack faith in Your Son during the trials we face.

Our Father, Thank You for revealing Your Son’s presence when we need it the most.

Our Father, Thank You for providing the assurance we need of Your Son’s presence in our life.

Our Father, lead us safely to Your Son as we seek Him.

We ask this in the Name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Amen.



freefoto.com http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/