Jesus calls Himself the bread of life. This means that we rely on Him for all things. And that He spiritually nourishes us. Today we will focus on what it means that God provides for us. And has given us the most life-fueling treasure in His Son Jesus Christ.
Hymn: # 18 Beautiful Savior
Confession/Absolution:
LORD - we pray to you also for the forgiveness of our sins. Have mercy upon us, most merciful Father.
In Your compassion forgive us our sins. Known and unknown. Things done. And left undone. And so uphold us by Your Spirit.
That we may live and serve you in newness of life. To the honor and glory of Your Name. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Almighty God have mercy on you. Forgive you all your sins.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ. And may He strengthen you in all goodness.
And by the power of the Holy Spirit keep you in eternal life. Amen.
John 6:35-51
35 Then Jesus said, “I am the bread that gives life. No one who comes to me will ever be hungry. No one who believes in me will ever be thirsty.
36 I told you before that you have seen me, and still you don’t believe. 37 The Father gives me my people. Every one of them will come to me. I will always accept them. 38 I came down from heaven to do what God wants, not what I want. 39 I must not lose anyone God has given me. But I must raise them up on the last day. This is what the one who sent me wants me to do. 40 Everyone who sees the Son and believes in him has eternal life. I will raise them up on the last day. This is what my Father wants.”
41 Some began to complain about Jesus because he said, “I am the bread that comes down from heaven.” 42 They said, “This is Jesus. We know his father and mother. He is only Joseph’s son. How can he say, ‘I came down from heaven’?”
43 But Jesus said, “Stop complaining to each other. 44 The Father is the one who sent me, and he is the one who brings people to me. I will raise them up on the last day. Anyone the Father does not bring to me cannot come to me. 45 It is written in the prophets: ‘God will teach them all.’ People listen to the Father and learn from him.
They are the ones who come to me. 46 I don’t mean that there is anyone who has seen the Father. The only one who has ever seen the Father is the one who came from God. He has seen the Father.
47 “I can assure you that anyone who believes has eternal life. 48 I am the bread that gives life. 49 Your ancestors ate the manna God gave them in the desert, but it didn’t keep them from dying. 50 Here is the bread that comes down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will never die. 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my body. I will give my body so that the people in the world can have life.”
Hymn: #19 Blessed Assurance Jesus is Mine
The passage we read this morning is a little bit different than usual.
Usually. The Gospel has stories. —Stories about Jesus. And his friends. Or stories that Jesus told when he was with his friends.
Today’s Gospel passage isn’t really a story. It’s part of a long talk Jesus gave. I want to talk to you about one thing. And that is what Jesus was trying to help people understand in that long speech he gave to his friends.
Why People Follow Jesus
One thing Jesus is explaining is why some people follow him.
I wonder if you’ve ever thought about why some people are followers of Jesus.
The reason some people follow Jesus is not that they are better than other people. Or smarter than other people. Or anything like that.
It isn’t even that someone convinced them that it was a clever idea to follow Jesus.
Here’s what Jesus said:
'No one can come to me unless drawn by the Father who sent me;'
People follow Jesus because God is doing something to make them want to be close to him. It isn’t so much our big decision. It’s God’s invitation inside our hearts.
How does God draw us to follow Jesus? He talks about three ways in this passage of the Gospel.
Believe
When you start to want to be close to Jesus, it’s a lot like when you meet someone who seems like they could be a really good friend.
When you meet someone who seems fun. Who seems kind. You start to trust them. The word we use for that trust is “believing.” We believe that our new friend will treat us well. And be good to be around.
That’s one of the words Jesus used for what we do when we belong to him. Jesus said, “believe in me.”
When God helps us see that Jesus is kind and good. That he’s reliable. And treats us well. We start to believe in him.
Eat
Another thing that happens when God is starting to draw us to follow Jesus is that we feel something inside. It’s like being hungry. We want more of Jesus. Just like we want a great big sandwich at lunch time.
Jesus said that he’s like the bread in that sandwich.
“I am the bread of life,” Jesus said. He said he was a special kind of bread. That came down from heaven to fill us up.
That’s actually an especially important idea. Jesus is like bread that fills us when we are hungry.
When God draws you to want to belong to Jesus. We start to want more of him inside. Just like we want bread when we’re hungry.
Come
A third thing Jesus said about how God, his Father, draws us close to Jesus is simply that we come.
“Come to me!” Jesus said.
If we draw close to Jesus. If we come to him. Then he feeds us inside.
The wonderful thing about Jesus saying we can come to him is that there are ways we can really do that.
Jesus says it helps if we try to learn from God, his Father. That’s why we read the Bible. We listen. And we watch. And we read. And inside we start to learn from God.
There is a very good way to come to Jesus, to draw close to him. It’s called praying.
Any time you want. You can turn your attention to Jesus. And talk to him. It can be in the morning when you wake up. Or when you are ready for lunch. Or at bedtime–Or any other time.
When you pray. You can tell Jesus anything you want to. You can tell him why you are grateful. You can tell him what you are mad about. You can tell him what confuses you about your friends or your family. And Jesus always listens.
The more you come to him in prayer, the closer you’ll be.[1]
Lord thank you for your love and care. Thank you for drawing us to you. Thank you for listening when we speak to you in prayer.
Words –1,260
Passive Sentences –0.7%
Readability –90..3%
Reading Level -2.7
Luther's Seal copyright Ed Riojas, Higher Things
[1] https://garynealhansen.com/a-childrens-sermon-on-john-6-35-41-51/
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