Bread from Heaven

John 6:24-27
24 when the people therefore saw that Jesus was not there, nor His disciples, they also got into boats and came to Capernaum, seeking Jesus. 25 And when they found Him on the other side of the sea, they said to Him, “Rabbi, when did You come here?” 26 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. 27 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.”

This passage takes place just after Jesus feeds a multitude of people with just a few loaves of bread and some fish. They went seeking after Jesus after this only because Jesus met a physical desire that they had. The people wanted to eat! So Jesus fed them. They didn’t really care about who Jesus was or why He was there, they liked hanging around a guy who would give them a free meal that tasted good!

In a lot of churches today this is the attitude that people have. They want to be fed, but they don’t care about the spiritual food or spiritual bread of life that is in Jesus. They just want to go to church because they can get a free meal out of it. I’m not talking just physical food here, but any need or want that the person has. Many times people just go to church to appease their conscience, because they feel that it is the right thing to do. Or they go just to hang our, or because there is free coffee before service. But these people are going for all the wrong reasons.

The purpose of going to church is to be spiritually fed by the Word of God. If the person does not go for this reason then they will not be fed, and if the church pastor doesn’t make the Word of God the center of the church then he will not feed them. While the church body is getting fat on physical food and good feelings, they are spiritually starving.

How sad that these people who came up to Jesus, their creator and God, the only one who could forgive them of their sins, and all they wanted was some physical bread! How they were so close yet they missed the main attraction! It is like going to see the president of the United States, when you have a back stage pass to dine with the president personally, but after you come and get your T-shirt saying you were there, and a cookie, you just leave. How often do the people of the world focus on such minor things and miss the great reward that is freely available to us. Instead of a cookie you can have a full 7 course meal and a personal relationship, but they just don’t care…

John 6:28-29
28 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.”

I wish more people would have the attitude of “What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?” We all should be asking what we can do that we may work the works of God. And Jesus’ response is so simple… Believe in Jesus. Not just believe that Jesus existed… even the demons believe that; but believe IN Jesus, put your faith and trust in Him. That is the only way that we can do the work of the Father, because without Jesus in our lives, following God is an impossible task.

John 6:30-40
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.” 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. 36 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.”

Here is another crazy thing.. Jesus just fed thousands of people, with a couple of loaves of bread, with 12 baskets left over, and they still need a sign? Wasn’t that enough of a sign? They are seeking something similar to bread from heaven, or manna, but what Jesus has, is true bread from heaven, the bread of everlasting life which is only found in Him.

Jesus made it clear and easy to have eternal life, to have our sins forgiven, to have a relationship with God, we just need to follow Jesus! So simple, yet so many people refuse to follow the simple task. They would rather lead their own lives and eat the bread of this world, which only fills their belly for a short time. And when their spiritual lives are starving, they try to feed it with false religions, which is like trying to drink ocean water when you are dying of thirst. All you are doing by drinking ocean water is satisfying your tongue, but your body is still dehydrated and dying.

If Jesus, being God, came not to do His own will, but the Father’s will, how much more should we being humans focus on doing God’s will in our lives instead of our own? Jesus only wants the best for us and to keep us, but He is loving enough to leave that decision in our own hands. If you are not a Christian, you can be, come to the cross of Christ and give Him all of your sins and follow Him. If you are a Christian, are you living your life by YOUR will, or by God’s will? Are you living in sin still, trying to hang on to that which temporarily satisfies, or did you give all of your sin up to Jesus so that He can satisfy your spiritual needs eternally?

All through the old testament God shows how much He hates sin… do why on earth would we want to continue in it? God hates it, it destroys our relationship with God, and it destroys us and those around us, nothing good comes from living in sin.

There is only one source of life that we can get and that is through Jesus Christ who died on the cross and rose again that we might partake in the life giving bread of heaven.

John 6:39-40
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.”

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