Bread of Life 		John 6: 25-40

DAY 1-3 - SEEING BEYOND THE PHYSICAL INTO THE SPIRITUAL

In John 6:1-15, we have seen that Jesus fed the five thousand.  Now, in
John 6:25-40, we will see that Jesus taught that we had to move from the
PHYSICAL bread to the SPIRITUAL bread.  Let us recap what has been
captured in our study for the past 3 weeks:
* John 6:1-15:  Jesus fed the five thousand
* John 6:16-24: Jesus withdrew from the people and he walked on the
water to join his disciples in the boat.  Verse 24, "Once the crowd
realized that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into
the boats and went to Capernaum in search of Jesus."
* John 6:25-40.  Verse 25-27, "When they found him on the other side of
the lake, they asked him, "Rabbi when did you get here?"  Jesus
answered, "I tell you the truth, you are looking for me, not because you
saw miraculous signs, but because you ate the loaves and had your fill.
Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal
life, which the Son of Man will give you.""

Here in Verse 27, Jesus said that "Do not work for food that spoils, but
for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give
you."  Jesus started to teach the crowd to see beyond the physical needs
into the spiritual needs, but the crowd did not understand.  They even
went back to the bread that Moses gave to the Israelites, that was,
"manna."  They still could not move beyond the physical needs.  Again,
patiently, Jesus explained in verse 33, "It is not Moses who has given
you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who 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."

Now, we start seeing the transition that the crowd was going through.
They started to move beyond the physical needs into the spiritual
needs.  In verse 34, they said, "Sir, from now on give us this bread."
This opened up the opportunity for Jesus to share about the spiritual
HUNGER and THIRST that could only be satisfied by the Son of Man,
Jesus.  In Verse 35, Jesus said, "I am the bread of life.  He who comes
to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be
thirsty."

When you see a person at work, on the street, at the local grocery
stores, in the TV, etc., can you see that they need more than just the
physical needs to be met, but also the spiritual needs?  There is a
hunger and a thirst that every person has.  This kind of emptiness and
longing for a relationship can only be satisfied through a relationship
with God.  This kind of emptiness was purposely put there in every human
heart, so that we can start searching for the One that can fulfill that
hole, that emptiness.

Have you have your hunger and thirst be satisfied?

DAY 4 - SUBSTITUTES for the HUNGER and THIRST
Yesterday, we have seen that we have to be able to move beyond the
physical needs into the spiritual needs.  God has put this spiritual
need in everybody's heart, so that each person can be persuaded to find
the ANSWER to this longing, to this emptiness, to this hole that they
have in their hearts.

Now, let us look at the alternatives/substitutes that people use to try
to fulfill that emptiness.  People have been known to use wealth, sex,
family as a means to substitute for the SPIRITUAL hunger and thirst
that
they have.  Many people thinks that if they are just a little bit
wealthier, have just a little bit more financial security, able to meet
more financial needs, then their life will be FULFILLED and happy.  But
the truth is, material things do NOT SATISFY.

Then when we realize that material things do not satisfy, then we think
that having a family and having a good relationship will definitely
FULFILL our lives.  To have a good spouse, good children and good
family
must be the key to happiness.  Yet, after a while, the truth is, even
good family and good relationship can not satisfy the emptiness and the
longing that we have deep down in our hearts.

So, what can SATISFY?  There is a CRY deep down in our hearts for some
fulfillment, satisfaction, a sense of purpose in life, a sense of
significance and ABUNDANCE.  Let us see what Jesus said in John 6.
Verse 27:  "Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures
to eternal life, which the son of Man will give you."  Move from
physical hunger and thirst to spiritual hunger and thirst.
Verse 33:  "For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and
gives life to the world."   Bread of heaven is the solution for
spiritual hunger and thirst.
Verse 35:  "I am the bread of life.  He who comes to me will never go
hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty."  Jesus Christ
is the bread of life that can satisfy the spiritual hunger and thirst.

Having a relationship with Jesus Christ will fulfill the longing, the
emptiness and the hole in our hearts.  Having a relationship with Jesus
Christ will give you a purpose in life, significant and abundance.  All
of these will bring joy, peace, love and happiness in life.

DISCLAIMER
This material is a summary of the message that was preached by Pastor
Jack Graham at Prestonwood Baptist Church.  The writer of this EBS
(Electronic Bible Study) made some changes and added some personal notes
that is necessary to customize this material into an electronic media, a
daily reading material and to better fit the audience.  The Prestonwood
Baptist Church is not affiliated in anyway with the Indonesian Christian
Fellowship of Fort Worth.