The Bread of Life

Well, I'd like us to turn back together to John chapter 6, and we can read again at verse 35.

John 6 · chapter mention

Jesus said to them,

I am the bread of life.

Whoever comes to me shall not hunger,

and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.

As we said when we were picking up this reading,

this discussion that Jesus has with the crowds comes immediately after two of his most famous miracles.

The first part of John 6, you read about the feeding of the 5,000.

That's followed by Jesus walking on the water.

And these miracles, along with all of the other miracles recorded in the Gospels,

are testifying to the identity of Jesus,

helping us to see more of just who he is,

that he's no ordinary person,

and instead that in him,

everything that God has promised in the Old Testament is being fulfilled.

And the people around Jesus are starting to realize this more and more and more.

As the disciples witness these miracles,

they are one,

on the one hand, they're amazed at what they see,

and on the other hand,

they're shaken,

recognizing that this man that they are following is like no other.

And so the identity of Jesus is being revealed more and more in the miracles that are recorded in John's Gospel.

But alongside the miracles recorded by John,

we also have some key statements of Jesus that tell us more about his identity.

And chapter 6 onwards introduces seven great statements that are recorded in this Gospel.

These are known as the I Am Sayings,

and this is the first of them.

I am the bread of life.

Later, Jesus declares,

I am the light of the world.

I am the door.

I am the good shepherd.

I am the resurrection and the life.

I am the way, the truth, and the life.

And I am the true vine.

These great statements are helping us to see who Jesus is.

They're helping us to see what he's come to do.

And they're all drawing us to put our faith in him.

And I want us tonight to look at the first of these,

the great statement that Jesus makes in verse 35,

I am the bread of life.

And that's a very, very rich statement.

And this whole passage is bursting with amazing theology.

But it's also a passage that resonates with us

because it's using a very everyday object.

And it resonates a lot with me because I absolutely love bread.

And I don't know if you're like me.

I don't know if you ever go to a nice restaurant

and they come with a basket of bread.

There's all these lovely rolls.

I would just take that for my dinner

and forget everything else

and just eat all the bread for my meal.

The passage, in a way, is a bit like that.

It's a whole meal for us to chew on,

to think about, and to learn from together.

But sometimes passages like this,

and John's Gospel is perhaps a very clear example of this,

sometimes that can make it hard.

Because when you read through a passage like this,

you see the dialogue between Jesus and the crowds.

You see all the different things that are being said.

You see the allusions to the Old Testament.

And sometimes we can get lost.

And sometimes we can be tied in knots.

Passages like this are both wonderful and challenging.

Wonderful because there's so much to take in.

But also challenging.

Because it's hard to take it all in.

And I don't know about you,

but I know that certainly for me,

many times I've come to passages like John 6,

recognizing that these are amazing words,

but also struggling to think,

I can't quite follow everything that's being said.

I am not taking all of this in.

I hope that we can untie some of these knots

a little bit together tonight.

And when we find ourselves in that situation,

one of the best things that we can do

is just to try and keep things as simple as possible.

And this is something that we must remember

with the great I am statements that Jesus has made.

These are some of the richest theological statements

that you find in the whole Bible.

But they're also simple and clear statements.

And Jesus is using simple everyday language

to help us understand more about him.

And so first and foremost,

as we come to this great statement in John 6, 35,

Jesus is telling us that if we want to understand

more about who he is,

then we need to think about bread.

Bread is something that we need every day.

And that was particularly through the New Testament times.

It was just a basic staple diet

for people's day-to-day survival.

In other words, bread, food,

it's just talking about the daily nutrition

that we need every day in order to stay alive.

Bread is also something that we have access to.

So bread is not the food of the elite.

It's not the fancy, rare, specialist food

that you only get in certain places

or only certain times of year

or only if you've got loads of money.

It's not fancy.

It's not rare.

And unless something is majorly wrong

in a particular part of the world,

bread is available.

Bread is also something that,

to benefit from,

we actually have to eat it.

So bread is not nourishing us

if it's sitting in our cupboard.

It's not giving us what we need

unless we take it and receive it.

And if we refuse bread,

then we are being unwise

and we're being unhealthy.

And bread is satisfying.

It takes away our hunger.

It gives us energy and nourishment.

And a good, fresh loaf

that's just come out of the oven

is actually one of the nicest things you can eat.

It's so good and so satisfying.

All of these things are true of bread.

All of these things are true of Jesus.

And that's what I want us to see tonight.

We're going to go through these four things together.

The bread of life is needed.

The bread of life is available.

The bread of life has got to be received.

The bread of life is so satisfying.

So first of all, the bread of life is needed.

The whole discussion in this passage begins

with Jesus challenging the crowd

in terms of their motivation

for following him across the Sea of Galilee

back to Capernaum.

You see that in verse 26 and 27.

He says,

These are the people who've seen an amazing miracle.

They've been well fed

and they're thinking,

This guy's amazing.

Let's follow him.

And let's just keep getting

the provision that he can make for us.

Jesus responds to that

by majorly raising the stakes.

And he's saying to them,

Look, the thing that matters

is not your next meal.

The thing that matters

is eternal life.

Jesus is making them and us

stop and think about eternity.

About what matters more than anything else.

And that prompts the crowd

in verse 28 and 29 to say,

What do we do?

What should we do?

What must we do

to be doing the works of God?

And Jesus responds with the wonderful words,

This is the work of God

that you believe in him

whom he has sent.

But the crowd are getting a bit sceptical

and uncertain

and they respond with the question

that actually every one of us wants to ask.

In verse 30, they say,

Well, how do we know

that you're the one we should believe?

Verse 30,

They say to him,

Then what sign do you do

that we may see and believe you?

What work do you perform?

In other words,

they're saying the question

that everybody says

that when we're confronted

with the reality of who Jesus is

and the claims that the gospel makes,

we're like,

Well, how do we know?

How are you going to prove yourself to us

that you are the one

that we should trust?

And because they're still thinking about food

and about bread in the conversation,

they look back to the Old Testament

to the moment when God provided manna

for the Israelites in the wilderness.

Of course, this is referring back

to Exodus chapter 16

Exodus 16 · chapter mention

when God's people had been taken out of Egypt.

They were wandering in the wilderness

and they were very quickly confronted

by the fact that they had no food

and they realized that they were going to starve.

And God made a miraculous provision for them

that every morning when they woke up,

there was a bread-like substance

lying on the ground

that they were able to gather

and to eat for sustenance

and nourishment.

And that provision was made by God

every day

until they went into the promised land.

And so they're saying,

well, look, that's what Moses did.

What are you going to do?

As though Jesus needs to prove himself.

Jesus responds to this

by giving them and us a crucial lesson

in terms of how to understand

the relationship between the Old Testament

and the New Testament.

Jesus points out

that everything in the Old Testament,

including the manna,

is just a shadow

of the full provision

that God is going to make.

And it's really important

to remember that

when you look at anything

in the Old Testament,

whatever you see in the Old Testament

is highlighting two things.

It's pointing to a reality

and it's revealing an inadequacy.

So something in the Old Testament,

it will point to a reality

and it will reveal an inadequacy.

So manna points to the reality

that we are completely dependent on God

to provide what we need for our survival.

But it also highlights an inadequacy

that the manna only lasted for 24 hours

and then you needed more

and then you needed more

and then you needed more.

And actually, as Jesus goes on to say,

the people who ate manna still died.

So it didn't actually keep them alive forever.

It was never fully adequate

and it was never meant to be.

Because everything in the Old Testament

points to a reality

and reveals an inadequacy

because the fullness of God's provision

never comes in the Old Testament.

It only comes in the new

through the coming of the Lord Jesus.

And that's what Jesus is revealing.

He did the same thing with the temple.

You see that earlier on

in John's Gospel in chapter 2.

The temple was this magnificent building

highlighting a reality

that we need access to God

and we need atonement for our sins.

But at the same time,

the Old Testament temple

was also revealing an inadequacy.

It was never enough

because it had been destroyed.

They were in the process of rebuilding it

and not long after,

these days, only 40 years later,

the temple would be destroyed again

because it was never meant to be the answer.

Instead, it was a sign,

a shadow pointing

towards the fullness of God's plan

being revealed

in the Lord Jesus Christ.

And so here you have the Jews

talking about manna,

talking about one of the most important miracles

in the history of the Jews

when God provided for a nation

who otherwise were going to starve to death.

And yet Jesus is telling them

that that massive miracle

is just a shadow.

And as we said,

that's highlighted later in the chapter,

48 to 50, 58.

It says they ate the manna,

but they still died.

That provision did not stop

their ancestors' death.

It was never meant to.

It was just a shadow.

The true bread is Jesus.

But there's a crucial difference

and a massive difference

that he does not come

to provide sustenance

so that you can survive

for another day

like the manna did.

Jesus comes

to give eternal life

so that you can live forever.

The Old Testament was never enough.

It was never meant to be.

It was only and always

a shadow

of the Savior

that they really needed.

Alongside that, though,

all of this

is telling us

that Jesus,

the bread of life,

has come

for a particular type of person.

He's come

for the hungry

and the needy.

And that's emphasized

so much,

so clearly

in verse 35.

Whoever comes to me

will never hunger.

Whoever believes in me

will never thirst.

The miracle of the manna

in the Exodus

came in the context

of imminent starvation

for the people.

And in the miracle

of the feeding of the 5,000

earlier in this chapter,

it perhaps wasn't

as urgent a situation

as it was

in the Exodus,

but still,

the people needed food.

They were far from home.

They were starving

and they needed

bread

to survive.

We need food

if we are going to live.

And the point

that Jesus is making

is that when it comes

to eternal life,

we desperately need

the bread

that will give us

life.

We desperately

need

him.

And that tells you

something so

incredibly important

about the gospel.

It's telling you

that the gospel

is not

for the people

who've got it all.

And it's not

reserved

for the spiritually

elite

because there's

actually no such thing.

The gospel

is for those

who desperately

need it.

In other words,

the gospel

is for the starving.

Jesus

has come

for the hungry.

And this is so

important to recognize

because

no matter what stage

you are in your

journey of faith,

whether you are a believer

or whether you're not yet

a believer,

for many people,

and maybe this is true

of you,

that in terms of your faith,

all you can see

is what you lack.

And so you look at yourself

and you think,

I don't know enough.

I don't feel

good enough

or settled enough

in myself.

I've

made a ton

of mistakes

in my life.

I'm struggling

with doubts.

I've got questions

that I still feel

unsettled by

and unsure of.

I know

that I have left

Jesus to one side

in my life

for too long.

I know

that I was maybe

in a better place

in the past

and I'm not there.

Today,

I don't think

that I pray enough.

I don't read

the Bible enough.

I feel spiritually

malnourished.

And Jesus

is saying,

that's exactly

who this bread

is for.

That's exactly

who this bread

is for.

And so if you feel

that your sin

is awful,

this bread

is for you.

And if you feel,

I don't understand

it all,

this bread

is for you.

And if you think,

I'm worried

that I'm going

to mess things up

and let God down

or let people

around me down,

this bread

is for you.

If you think,

my life's a mess,

I've made so many

mistakes,

this bread

is for you.

And if you're

sitting here thinking,

I am scared

of what's going

to happen

when I die.

This bread

is for you.

If you feel

hungry

for peace

and security

and joy

and hope,

if you feel

hungry

for that,

then that

is the

need

that Jesus

has come

to meet.

And really,

every one of us,

everyone,

everyone

has got that hunger.

Imagine,

imagine,

and maybe some of you

don't even need to imagine this,

maybe some of you

did this today,

maybe you've done it

many times,

but all of us

think in your minds

of standing

at the graveside

of your best friend

or of your mother

or your father,

your husband,

your wife,

maybe even

your child.

As you imagine

yourself standing there

in that moment,

are you satisfied

to think,

oh,

well,

they're gone,

that's it?

or are you

hungry

for hope?

Hungry

that there is hope

for them

and for you?

Hungry

for assurance

that they are safe

with Jesus

and that one day

you will see them

again?

That's

the hunger

that Jesus

has come to satisfy.

That's why

Jesus

raises the stakes

to stop talking

about the next meal

of the crowd

and instead

to talk about

their eternal destiny

because this

is what we need

more than

anything else.

The bread of life

is urgently

and desperately

needed.

And you know,

sometimes

if you're wondering

if God's working

in your life,

a great question

to ask yourself

is,

are you hungry?

are you hungry

for security,

for peace,

for answers?

Are you hungry

to never have to

be afraid

of death

again?

If that hunger

is in your heart,

the Lord

is drawing you.

That's the hunger

that Jesus

has come

to meet.

The bread of life

is needed.

Secondly,

the bread of life

is available.

As you read

through this passage,

you see that

one of the things

that Jesus

emphasizes again

and again

is that

he has come

down from heaven.

You see it

if you look

at verse 32

to 33,

Jesus says,

truly,

truly,

I say to you,

it was not Moses

who gave you

the bread from heaven,

but my Father

gives you

the true bread

from heaven,

for the bread

of heaven

is he who

comes down

from heaven

and gives life

to the world.

The same thing

is repeated.

If you look

at verse 38,

you can see it there.

You can see it

in 45 to 46.

You can see it

in verse 50

to 51.

In fact,

this is the thing

that offends

the Jews.

There's a kind

of irony

in what they're

saying because

they're saying

to Jesus,

prove yourself

and he's saying,

well,

I'll tell you

where I've come from

and then he tells them

and they don't like it

and they're offended

by what he's saying.

All of it

is emphasizing

the fact that

because Jesus

has come,

eternal life

is available.

And so the bread

of life

is not being

kept secret.

It's not reserved

for the elite.

The bread of life

is available

and it's brought

out beautifully

in verse 32

to 33

that we just

read there.

These verses

contain

some of the

big theological

concepts

that explain

what God

is doing

in order

to make

eternal life

available.

And these

are big concepts

that we want

to learn

and that we

want to understand

and John's

gospel is so,

so good

for just

leading us

towards these

big theological

concepts

that lie

at the heart

of the gospel.

So Jesus

speaks,

first of all,

of the Father

giving the

true bread

from heaven.

The Father

gives you

the true

bread

from heaven.

And that's

pointing us

to the great

theological

concept of

divine initiative.

The fact

that the

salvation

that's offered

in the gospel

is always

initiated

by God.

That's one

of the most

important truths

in the gospel.

Sin has ruined

our relationship

with God.

Sin's left

humanity

alienated from

God.

Our relationship

with God

is broken

and we did

that.

It's humanity

that caused

that.

the situation

is our fault

because we've

rejected God.

We've sinned

against him.

And yet when it

comes to fixing

that, it's

God who acts

first.

It's God

who takes

the initiative.

We have long

forgotten about

God.

He has never

forgotten about

you.

And so the

whole gospel

starts with

him.

And that

divine initiative

prompts what

theologians

have often

called a

voluntary

condescension.

And I think

that is such

a cool

phrase.

A voluntary

condescension.

You find it

in the

Westminster

Confession

of Faith.

The Westminster

Confession

of Faith

is a very

important document

for our

church because

we believe

that the

Westminster

Confession

of Faith

is an

accurate

summary of

what the

Bible

teaches.

And so it

was written

about 400

years ago.

Very short,

but it's got

some really

helpful summaries

of what we

believe the

Bible says.

And I'm

going to

read you

the paragraph

where you

discover this

cool phrase,

voluntary

condescension.

It says in

Westminster

Confession

of Faith,

chapter 7,

paragraph 1,

the distance

between God

and the

creature is

so great

that although

reasonable

creatures do

owe

obedience unto

him as

their creator,

yet they

could never

have any

fruition of

him as

their

blessedness

and reward,

God,

but by

some

voluntary

condescension

on God's

part,

which he

has been

pleased to

express by

way of

covenant.

In other

words,

what that's

saying is

that the

distance

between God

and us

is huge,

it's

enormous,

it's so

great,

and in

every way

you could

say,

well,

look,

we're the

ones who

fell,

we're the

ones who

owe him

obedience,

we're the

ones who

should work

our way

back up

to God,

sin has

left us

in a

state where

we cannot

do that,

and so

if we

try to

work our

way up

to him,

we're never

going to

get any

blessing of

knowing him,

and so

the only

way that

things can

be put

right is

not if

we make

our way

back up

to him,

but if

he

voluntarily

condescends

to us.

In other

words,

if he

chooses

to come

down

to save

us.

And the

reason he

does that

is to

establish a

relationship

with us,

a beautiful

covenant

relationship

where he

is our

God and

we are

his

people.

But for

that to

be possible,

our sin

has to be

dealt

with,

and as

we think

about that,

we recognize

that we

need a

saviour

who's going

to make

atonement

for our

sins,

and that

needs to

be one

who can

represent

us,

so he

needs to

be one

of us,

but it

needs to

be one

who can

fulfill

everything

that God

requires,

which is

only something

that God

can do.

So the

mediator

between God

and man

has to

be God

and man,

and the

big theological

concept we

talk about

there is

the incarnation,

where God

himself has

come down

to be one

of us,

and this

is what

John's

gospel is

revealing to

us more

and more

and more,

that this

is who

Jesus is.

He is

God the

Son,

and he

has been

made

flesh,

he's

taken on

our

humanity,

and so

when we

say

incarnation,

the

carn bit

of that

word is

the Latin

word for

flesh,

so

enfleshment,

he's just

become

human,

like us,

that's how

far God's

come,

not to

appear above

us,

not to

draw near

to us,

not even

to touch

us,

but actually

to be

one of

us.

the

eternal

Son of

God has

become

human,

he's

come to

stand

with

us,

to stand

for us.

So you've

got divine

initiative,

voluntary

condescension,

culminating in

the incarnation

of God

the Son,

and because

of that,

he can be

the mediator

between God

and humanity,

and that

work of

mediation

involves him

standing in

our place,

which ultimately

involved him

dying in

our place,

which is

what Jesus

goes on to

speak about

at the end

of the

chapter,

where he

says that

the bread

that I

will give

for the

life of

the world

is my

flesh.

And so

Jesus here

is unfolding

the great

theological

truths that

lie at the

heart of

the gospel,

that from

God's

initiative,

there's a

voluntary

condescension

of God

the Son

becoming

flesh,

so that

he can be

our mediator,

and in

order to be

our mediator,

he needs

to die

for us,

and in

doing all

that,

God is

giving life

to the

world,

that takes

us back

to verse

33,

the bread

of God

is he

who comes

down from

heaven,

and gives

life to

the world,

and that

salvation

is a

gift

available

to all,

and that's

all because

of God's

grace,

and so

that's what

makes the

bread of

life

available,

that's what

makes salvation

possible,

so our

heading is

the bread

of life

is available,

behind that

heading lies

all the

massive

concepts

of our

theology,

the gospel

is never

about us

working our

way up to

God,

it's about

God

coming down

to us,

and this

is where we

see something

so beautiful

and so

amazing

in the

gospel,

because in

terms of

how the

gospel works

out,

on God's

side,

the availability

of eternal

life is

captured by

these great

theological

concepts that

we've listed,

divine initiative,

voluntary

condescension,

incarnation,

mediator,

grace,

these are

amazing,

big theological

words,

that's what

God had to

do,

that summarizes

everything from

God's side

in terms of

the gospel,

but from

our side,

the availability

of the

bread of

life is

summed up

in just

one word,

and you

see it in

verse 35,

whoever,

and that

is such

an incredible

word,

whoever

comes to

Jesus,

whoever

believes in

Jesus,

whoever,

and every

single person

in here

tonight is

a whoever,

doesn't

matter what

your background

is,

and it

does not

matter what

baggage you

come with,

and it

doesn't matter

if you look

around this

room tonight

and you

think everybody

else is

different from

me,

everybody

else is

better than

me,

and nobody

else has

done what

I have

done,

nobody else

doubts the

way I

doubt,

nobody

else has

the questions

that I

have,

nobody

else's

heart is

as cold

as my

heart,

all of

those thoughts

are just

blown away

by the

word

whoever.

you could

have a

million

reasons

that makes

you think

you're not

worthy of

Jesus,

whoever

trumps

them all.

And

it does

not matter

who is

coming,

the only

thing that

matters

is who

you are

coming to.

you come

to Jesus,

the bread

of life.

And so

the bread

of life

is available.

That takes

us to our

third point,

we're running

out of time.

The bread

of life

has got to

be received,

so the bread

of life

is needed,

we need it

more than

anything else,

the bread

of life

is available,

Jesus has

actually come,

but we

have got to

respond,

we have to

receive what

he's offering

us.

And you

can see that

the crowd

want this in

verse 34,

they say

to Jesus,

give us

this bread

always,

they want

what he's

offering,

and in

verse 35,

Jesus tells

them what

to do,

I'm the

bread of

life,

whoever

comes to

me shall

not hunger,

and whoever

believes in

me shall

never thirst.

And there's

two key

verbs in

that verse

that tell us

exactly what

we have to

do,

we have to

come,

and we

have to

believe.

come is

such a

beautiful

word,

it's an

invitation,

and it

tells you

that God

wants you

close to

him,

that God

is calling

you,

commanding

you,

urging you

to come

to him.

The

voluntary

condescension

of God,

the incarnation

of the

son of

God,

the mediation

of the

Christ,

and every

other

massive

theological

concept

that we

have in

the gospel

is all

because God

actually

wants you.

And whether

you have

been a

Christian for

years,

or whether

you are not

yet a

Christian,

or not

sure if

you're a

Christian,

you've got

to write

these words

on your

heart,

that God

actually

wants you,

because it

is so easy

to feel

unwantable

before God.

It's so easy

to feel

unlovable,

and it's so

easy to feel

like we are

just so far

from what

we wish

we were,

and Jesus

is saying,

the whole

reason I

have come

is because

I want

you.

And so

Jesus wants

you to

come to

him.

He wants

to hear

your voice

praying.

He wants

to hear

your voice

tonight,

whether

that is the

first time

that he'll

have heard

your voice

praying in

decades,

he wants

to hear

that

tonight.

And

whether you've

prayed every

day for as

long as you

can remember,

he wants

to hear

your voice

again.

And he

wants your

ears to

listen to

what he's

saying in

his word,

and he

wants your

hearts to

rest in

him for

every moment

of your

life.

He wants

you to

come.

and he

wants you

to believe.

That's the

language of

trust.

And so

as we

come to

Jesus,

we come

placing our

reliance on

him.

In other

words, we

just come

and lean

on him.

We come

and receive

and rest

upon him

for our

salvation.

And that's

just such a

beautiful,

beautiful picture

that it's

like Jesus

wants us to

come and

he wants

us to lean

on him.

Not to

come and

be impressed

not to

come for

a job

interview

where you

have to

be at

your best,

but actually

just to

come and

fall into

his arms.

That's

the response

that God

is looking

for.

That we

are to

believe in

Jesus.

That's how

the gospel

works.

We're saved

by faith.

That doesn't

mean knowing

everything.

And in so

many ways,

faith is an

expression of

the fact that

we don't

know everything,

but we know

that Jesus

is trustworthy.

And we

will lean

on him.

And believing

in Jesus

doesn't mean

never doubting.

All of us

doubt.

All of us

stumble.

But the

whole point

is that when

we doubt,

when we stumble,

all of these

are expressions

of our

hunger,

which is

just a

reason to

go straight

to Jesus

and to

fall into

his arms

again.

And believing

in Jesus

does not

mean feeling

strong or

confident.

confident,

it's actually

just recognizing

how weak

we are.

And the

thing that's

strong in

terms of

our faith is

not the

person doing

the believing,

it's the

person that

we believe

in.

He's the

one who's

strong.

It means

knowing that

you can't

stand on

your own.

It means

knowing that

I have to

rely on what

Jesus has

done for

me on the

cross.

And it

means realizing

that we

need him

more than

we need

anything else.

It doesn't

mean knowing

it all.

And, you

know, that's

definitely how I

could express

my own

conversion.

I became a

Christian when

I was about

14 and

honestly, I

think I knew

pretty much

nothing except

one thing.

I knew that

I needed

Jesus.

And that's

what we

need to

know.

That will

drive us

to Christ.

And the

amazing thing

is that his

promise is

that as we

fall into

his arms,

he will

carry us

all the

way.

Jesus

is the

bread of

life.

And the

bread of

life has

got to

be

received.

believed.

And

sometimes,

you know,

this is a

key, this

is I think a

really important

thing for us

to recognize

because sometimes

like the

people in

this crowd,

we kind

of want

proof about

Jesus and

we want to

be able to

sort of think,

well, how do

we know for

certain?

And we want

to sort of

test Jesus,

test evidence,

test arguments,

test the

Bible against

other viewpoints,

whatever it

might be.

And we kind

of think, I

just want that

proof that this

is true.

And sometimes

we also think,

well, I also

just want that

proof that I

really am

converted, that

there has to

be that sign,

that clarity,

that event,

that something

that is going

to make it

clear.

And we want

that proof.

But again,

think about

bread.

There's a piece

of bread in

front of you

and you think,

I want proof

that that's

bread.

And you could

do some

scientific

experiments on

it or you

could take

out a whole

pile of

books and

you could

compare the

bread in

front of you

with some

photos or

you could

listen to

some bread

expert who

might be

able to

say, well,

there's a

little bit

here that

says it's

bread or

not.

You could

do all

of that.

It's not

really going

to work.

How are

you going

to know

that that's

bread?

Stick it in

your mouth

and eat it.

Just take

it.

If you want

proof that

Jesus is real,

that he's

your saviour,

then just

trust him

and follow

him.

that bread

is to be

received.

And so

the bread

of life

is needed.

The bread

of life

is available.

The bread

of life

has got

to be

received.

Last of

all,

the bread

of life

is so,

so

satisfying.

And that's

because

Jesus

gives us

what we

long for.

This is one

of the biggest

mistakes that

people can

make.

They can

think that

becoming a

Christian means

giving up

the things

that we

really like.

That's one

of the devil's

biggest lies.

Because

putting your

faith in

Jesus means

that you

actually

finally

find

everything

that you

have really

longed for.

And in

fact,

you find

that it

reorders

your life

so that

all the

other things

actually

become way

better.

And that

enjoyment

increases so

much once

Jesus takes

his rightful

place as

the Lord

that we

are following.

Jesus gives

us what

we long

for.

He satisfies

our hunger

for identity

and purpose

in our