I AM THE BREAD OF LIFE | Pr Gloria Paul

You're listening to a message to go from acts church. We hope this message

will light up your day. If you have your bibles, come, let's

read. There's a bit of reading to do here, but I think it's

just good to read the word of God. Yeah, so let's read here

from the Book of John chapter six. Okay. The Book of John chapter

six was one on words. I'm going to read it here. It says,

after these things, Jesus went over the Sea of Galilee, which in

the Sea of Tiberius. Then a great multitude followed him because they saw his

signs, which he performed on those who were diseased. And Jesus went up

on the mountain and where he sat with his disciples. Now to pause over

here, people started following him because they saw him performing miracles. Remember there

were so many miracles. He healed the blind, you know, he turned

water into wine. So people already knew, oh, this person can actually

perform in reckles. So I want to know more. Okay. So that

is the kind of perspective they had about Jesus at that time. Yeah,

And then it goes on. It was four Now the pass over a fees

of the Jews was near then Jesus lifted up his eyes, and seeing a

great multitude coming toward him, he said to Philip, where shall we vibrate

that these may eat? Okay, so now we're talking about Jesus who performs

miracles. Yeah, and he's asking Philip here such a simple question, you

know, like, okay, what do we do with these people? They're

all here? And how we actually going to feed them? What do you

think Jesus was trying to test here? Have you thought about that? Don't

you think Jesus healed the blind could actually just do something you didn't need to

ask Philip? Right? But what do you think Jesus was trying to do?

Think about it? Yes, testing testing his servant. Okay, he's

trying to test his servant, that's right. Yeah, he was trying to

see how does actually Philip respond to this? Okay? And I think the

same thing is with us. Right. God can actually run this church without

any of us, you know, he can perform great things without any help.

But yet he uses this right and sometimes he gets us into a place

where he asks us questions, you know, wanting to see how we actually

respond, right. And I just feel that this because you know, if

you've been reading the gospels, you will see that Jesus is very intentional with

how he did his ministry. Right. He was not just doing things for

the sake of it, and he took every moment to teach the people something.

You know, So if I ask you a question, well, I

want you to learn something out of it, right, And that's exactly what

he did here. Okay, So he actually asked Philip, where shall we

vibrate? Okay, that they may eat? But what was Philip's respond?

Let's look at verse six. But this he said to test him, for

he himself knew what he would do. So Jesus knew already, Yeah,

he knew what he would do. Philip answered him in verse seven, two

hundred gnari word of braid is not sufficient for them, that every one of

them may have a little One of his disciples, Andrew Simon, Peters's brother,

said to him, there is a lad here who has five barley loaves

with two small fishes. But what are they among so many? Okay,

so we see Philip's response, Okay, what does he say? I mean,

I think he kind of failed the tests if you think about it,

right, he couldn't me imagine if he said something like, Jesus, you

can multiply, why don't you, you know, do something, Let's pray.

I think we'll have a whole different scene, a whole different story here.

Right. But what he said was he saw the physical we have this.

I don't think we can feed so such big crowd in front of us,

okay, And so I can only imagine how Jesus's face would have been

that at that time, right, Or you of little faith, you know

you've seen me performing so many miracles, but why can't I just multiply this

bread? Right? Of course Jesus didn't say that, And so I was

just thinking of how sometimes you know, in our lives, on how we

respond to things, God might be testing us. You know, he might

be asking a why don't you take up this ministry? Right? Or why

don't you speak to this person? But our respond could be, well,

this person is just so difficult to speak to. How hard am I going

to speak to this person? Right? But if God is asking you meaning,

he sees something in you, right, he sees that you are capable.

He has been preparing you for something. And so if he's asking you

meaning, he's trying to stir something within us, right, And so sometimes

our respond is very important. Let's not be very quick to say no,

it cannot be done, No, it's impossible. You know, sometimes Asians

we like to be, you know, very quick to see the negative.

Right, No, this wouldn't work, or diala cannot. Uh, that's

a very common response we get. But we have not even tried. Yeah,

we have not even tried to pray about it and ask God for the

strength, for the leading to do it. Right. And so let's not

be very quick with our response. Sometimes the best thing to say is Okay,

let me pray about it and truly take time, and God gives you

the answer to it. Yeah, let's not just be caught up with the

physical unless we see right problems we see the world, we see the news

and like, cannot impossible. But how nimbus believe that God can do the

impossible? Right? He can. He keeps doing it time after time,

and we've got to switch our eyes to that, not to look at the

physical but the spiritual man. Yeah. And so then of course we had

the story going on when Andrew brought the braid, okay, and maybe Andrew

saw something else here okay, because when Andrew brought the braid, here is

it this little boy? Right? He has you know, five bally loaves

and two small fish. I'm sure Andrew knew that this five braid, bally

loaves and fish couldn't feed the multitude, right, But he brought it to

Jesus, meaning he knew something. Doan think so right? He knew that

Jesus can do something about it. If not, he could have responded the

same and say, oh, we only have five lows, what can we

do? We can't feed them yet? Right? But if he brought it

to Jesus, meaning he knew and he believed that Jesus could perform miracles.

So in this story, here we can see two different people, two disciples

who have been journeying with Jesus. They've been seeing the same thing, they've

been walking with him, but yet two very different responds. Right, two

very different respons once the same thing with us. We can be serving the

same God, we can see, we can be in the same place,

seeing the same thing, but yet we can respond very differently. And I

think what makes the difference is our relationship with him, right, and how

our faith is deeper. It's not so much about who is better here,

right, in terms of talents or what. But it's just a matter of

our hearts and what we choose to see. Yeah, what we choose to

see. And I believe Andrews saw something else. Yeah, he saw something

else. And then the scripture goes on. As we know, the crowd

was fed. Okay, Jesus told them to sit down in verse ten.

Okay. In verse eleven, it says, and Jesus took the loads,

and when he had given thanks, it distributed them to the disciples. And

the disciples so those sitting down and likewise of the fish as much as they

wanted. So was twelve says. So when they were filled, he said

to his disciples, gather up the fragments that remain, so that nothing is

lost. Therefore they get d them up filled twelve baskets with the fragments of

the five barley loaves, which were left over by those who had eaten.

Then those men, when they had seen the sign that Jesus did, said,

this is truly the prophet who is to come into the world. Okay,

So Jesus was not so quick again to just perform the miracle, but

he wanted them to see something right. And so after you know, multiplying,

there was so much more. And I think that's how I believe that

is how God works. Okay. When God challenges us to answer a call

or when he gets us to do something, he doesn't just stop there,

but he does more, all right. And it's always you know, the

thing I've learned where sometimes when God calls a person, okay, it's not

about the person doing all these things and you know, blessing others, but

God is also interested with the person serving, you know, working in amocha

to allow them to experience more of God as well to be ministered. Yeah,

and that's why God chooses you and me, okay, and we've just

got to answer that call, right. And so this is the first scene

that we see. And in fact, at this point of the scene the

scripture after the multiplication, we don't see him telling I am the braid yet

okay, it doesn't declare that, but he was just trying to show them

first in a physical form, like we read the scripture just now, it's

that it was during the past of wur Festival and at the same time,

it was the braid that he used to show them. Okay, I'm capable

of doing this, right, that's the first part that we can notice.

Now let's move on to the second scene here, okay, and this is

when we look at how after they've finished feeding the people, what they did

was Jesus and his disciples actually went back to the other side of Galilee.

Okay, they went back to the other side of Galilee. So when you

read on, I'll just encourage you, if you have the time read it.

Read verse fifteen to verse twenty one as well. Okay, that is

a scripture where we see about how Jesus walks on water. Okay. So

this happens right after the miracle of the bread, the walking of water,

okay, and then they're going to go on to worse twenty two right,

verse twenty two. So remember what is the response of the people when they

saw Jesus doing all this? What did they say? They said, wow,

this must be a true prophet, right, so their feet increased,

they believed more. They was like, okay, this is the true one.

Okay. Now verse twenty two. Jesus continued to show up here right

now, let's read verse chapter six, verse twenty two. It says he

on the following day when the people who were standing on the other side of

the sea saw that there was no other boat there except that one which his

disciples had entered, and that Jesus had not entered the boat with his disciples.

But these disciples had gone way alone. However, other boats came from

Tiberius near the place where they add bread after the Lord had given thanks.

When the people therefore saw that Jesus was not there nor his disciples, they

also got into the boats and came to Capronaum seeking Jesus. And when they

had found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him,

Rabbi, when did you come here? Okay, now just try to

imagine. We're talking about people who have left all that they're doing, and

they were just seeking Jesus, right Why because they knew that this is not

an ordinary man. He's a prophet. He can do all these things,

so they were actually going after him. If you read, if you read

the scriptures, if you paid attention, you notice that it's they were waiting.

Okay, oh, I can't see Jesus, I can't see the disciples,

or maybe he's here. So if you can imagine a scene where they're

trying to find way he is. And the moment is they see that they

can't. They noticed that he's in the other side. They all tried to

rush to the other side as well. Okay, And the question that they

asked Jesus here is Rabbi, when did you come here? So the meaning

they're waiting, they're seeking to see him again. Now what was Jesus' response

here? In verse twenty six, Jesus answered them and said, most assuredly,

I say to you, you seek me not because you saw the signs,

but because you add off the loaves and were filled. Verse twenty seven.

Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which

endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Men will give you, because

God the Father has set his seal on him a man. So can you

see the respond that Jesus gives you. He doesn't say, oh, you

guys are looking for me. Come, come, come, let's sit down,

let's talk, let's fellowship, or let's have another bread. He doesn't

say that. But what does he do? He noticed? Okay, Jesus,

he can discern right, he knew the intentions of the heart. Remember,

God sees the heart, and he knew why these people were coming.

Well, this was the same crowd who saw the miracle, and now they

were coming after him, not because just Jesus, but because of what they

saw, right, what they saw. Let's just take a moment to think

about it here. How many of us sometimes, you know, we tend

to chase after the blessing, the miracle, the need, but we don't

give enough time to seek the person who is actually giving all of that.

Right, Let's think about it, because we can be so quick when we

go into prayer. Sometimes our eighty percent of our prayer can be about God,

give me this, give me that right, And that is just how

life is. Sometimes we just have a lot of things that we're longing for

that we bring all of this to him. But do we actually take a

moment to seek him, right, to seek him meaning it's all right?

If God is not going to answer that prayer. Would we be able to

say that it's all right if his answered prayer looks different? Right? That

is the lot's prayer? Right, our Father, what in heaven? Hello,

it be your name, your kingdom. Come, Your will be done.

But when we say your will be done, are we truly meaning it?

Because his will may not be our will? Right? But are we

able to take that? Because if you're truly seeking Jesus God and not looking

at what he can only give, then our perspective is different, right,

Our perspective is different. And so Jesus he took the time to teach these

people don't just come after me because I gave you the bread or you saw

me performing the miracle. But it says here in verse twenty seven, do

not labor for the food which perishes. And we talk about what parishes are

life? Basically, Okay, whatever we see in the earth perishes. Everything

goes one day. Right, the work we do, the money we earn,

all these things will perish. That that's reality. You know. It's

hard to take in some of these things because we say, oh, we

work so hard for it, we have dreams, desires, right, or

we love someone so much, and all perishes. Everything perishes. But what

God teaches us here is that for the food which endures to everlasting life.

And if you can think about it, what is that food that lasts to

everlasting life? What is it that gives us everlasting life? Jesus which is

the son of men? Yeah, because God the Father has said is seal

on him. Right, And I think it's a good time for us to

have a heart check as believers. You know has been been walking with God,

You've been experiencing him. What matters to you the most? Right,

what matters to you the most? If it's Jesus, then our perspective changes,

our respond changes. You know, you're saying, Lord, whatever you

tell me, you do it. You know, we may pursue the things

of the world, which is what God has given us as well, right,

beat, our career, our families, possessions. Yeah, we do

all of that, but yet we don't have such an attachment knowing that these

things will perish. But what I pursue the most is God because that is

what gives me everlasting life. Right. And I feel that sometimes we tend

to forget this truth because we get so caught up with the world. We

get so caught up with the physical, because that's what we can see.

Right. I can see you, so I can believe you. But to

believe God is to know Him, which takes in faith, which takes belief,

which takes trust, takes time to develop it, right, And it's

whether we want it, Yeah, whether we want it, And that is

what Jesus wants for us as well. Men, let's just read on a

couple of scriptures here, okay, he continues. In verse twenty eight,

it says, then they say to him, what shall we do that we

may work the works of God? So they're trying to understand, and verse

twenty nine, Jesus answered and said to them, this is the work of

God that you believe in him whom he sent. Yeah, this is the

work of God that you believe in him whom he sent. Was thirty.

Therefore they say to him, what sign will you perform then that we may

we may see it and believe you. What work will you do? Now?

Think about it. They just saw a sign, They just saw him

multiplying the bread, They just saw him performing so many other miracles. But

yet they can ask again, Okay, don't you think it's just human nature

sometimes we keep asking, show me again. I want to see first,

then I will believe in you after just seeing a miracle. Right after seeing

a miracle, and then what Jesus tells you. Okay. So in verse

thirty one, it says, our father's at the manna in desert, in

the desert, as it is written, he gave them bread from heaven to

eat. So they knew this truth. Okay, they knew this, they

knew what happened in the past. And then verse thirty two, Jesus says

this 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.

For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life

to the world. Then they say to him, Lord, give us this

bread always. And Jesus said to them, I am the braid of life.

He who comes to me shall never hunger, and he who believes in

me shall never tis. But I say to you that you have seen me,

and yet you do not believe. Yeah. So then Jesus continues teaching

them over here in the scripture. It's trying to get them to understand.

You know. They gain us, right, Okay, you show me.

And then when Jesus said, well, the manner that you got was not

Moses get they gave you, but it is God will send it from heaven.

But then again they say, okay, give me this breid. And

then he told them I am the braid. I am the braid of life,

right, and he says, whoever comes to me shall never hunger enters.

And so what he was showing here to us in this scripture is that

he's trying to get him to step out of the physical. Hey, don't

be just so caught up with what you see, the braid, the blessing,

the miracle. But can you switch and see me as your savior,

the one who sustains you, the one who feeds you and you'll never go

hungry, the one who fills your cup that you'll never go thirsty. Right,

and that is the satisfaction that we need right, think about it,

I mean, what truly gives us satisfaction? You can have a great meal,

you can go to a great holiday destination. Right, we can do

all these things that the life gives us, the pleasures of life. But

yet do you think it can still fill the longing of your heart? Because

you know why God created us for eternity, So that gap can only be

filled with God. If you think about it, right, that gap can

only be filled with God. So we can try to fill it in with

every other thing that the world tells us. Sometimes we can try to fill

it in with just our own ability, our own strength, right, our

own capability. But what God is telling here, I am the brain of

life. I am the one that needs to feel you, human, I

need to feel you. Let's just take this as an encouragement. Yea,

Let's just take this as a reminder, a heart check. What is our

focus, right? What is it that truly holds us together, keeps us

grounded? We all need something to keep us grounded. You're not. We're

just favoring everywhere, right, And that is only true God. Amen,

It's only true God. So we can see the storyline how it goes right

from the miracle and then the conversation he has to the people, and then

it goes on. Okay, we look at seeing tree now, okay,

and this is another group of people who was questioning. So you can imagine

the amount of questions that Jesus was answering in the multitude of people, those

who believe, those who don't, those who are in doubt. But he

kept teaching them. Right now, Let's look at verse forty one. Okay,

chapter six, verse forty one. If you have some of your Bibles,

he might say the title that is rejected by his own Yeah, why

because it was the Jews themselves, who couldn't believe. In fact, there

was the very people that God came for, right the Jews rejected by his

own verse forty one, and says, then the Jews complained about him because

he said, I am the braid which came down from heaven. So they

just couldn't take it. How can this person say that I am the braid

and verse forty two, And they said, it's not this Jesus, the

son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know. How is it then

that he says, I have come down from heaven. Jesus therefore answered and

say to them, do not murmur among yourselves. No one can come to

me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him

up to the last day verse forty five. It is written in the prophets,

and they shall all be taught by God. Therefore, everyone who has

heard and learned from the Father comes to me. Not that anyone has seen

the Father, except he who is from God. He is seeing the Father.

Most assuredly. I say to you, he who believes in me has

everlasting life. I am the braid of life. Amen, I am the

braid of life. So again he repeats the scripture here to another, you

know, a group that is not believing yet, okay, saying is isn't

this the person, this boy that we used to see growing up with Joshua

as the father, sorry, Joseph as the father and also you know,

having his brothers, and now he's claiming that he is the braid of life,

and so there was doubt. Okay, But what can we learn from

Jesus here? Okay? What was that? You know? Jesus responds by

telling them that they need to ask for the true bread from heaven that gives

lives. Okay. And when Jesus said I am the braid of life,

this is actually a very radical response if you think about it, okay,

because when you're talking about the Jews during that time, they were actually finding

every other means, every other opportunity to pull him down. Okay. In

fact, they were ready to even draw him into the prison, right because

they were just not happy with the things that he was declaring. But the

thing about Jesus here was that he did not compromise with the way he responded.

Okay. Sometimes people can be very people pleasing, Right, I give

you an answer so that you feel good about it, but it didn't work

with Jesus. Okay, Jesus had all the qualities of a leader. Right.

If you want to know qualities of a leader, you can just study

about him and the gospels. Right, Jesus was never compromising. He spoke

as it is right and he stood on what the Word says. So you

can notice that he quoted scriptures. Jesus himself quoted scriptures when he spoke,

and he seed it as it is? Could the people take it well?

Maybe not all because the condition of their hearts. Those who needed to listen

to it, they took the word right, they took the word. And

I think it's just important for us to think about this as well, looking

at how Jesus respond right and to the word, do we actually stand on

what is right? Right based on what the Word of God tells us?

Okay? Because if you want to know what is right and what is wrong,

I don't think there's a gray line or in between. Okay, always

say on the fence, there's no such thing. It's either you are all

in it or you're all out of it. Right, And as believers,

we must develop that kind of a discipline, right, We must develop that

kind of a belief that if the Word of God tells that is how it

is right, that is how it is. I cannot negotiate. I remember

we spoke about reverence just now. Reverence is about respect, right, Reverence

is about honoring, and that is what we're doing to the word of God.

Yeah, and let's just think about ourselves. If someone comes to you

and ask you a question about your faith with someone who is not from the

same faith, right, they may be of a different faith, they have

questions, or they may be just doubting. How would our responds be right,

do we give answers that just because you want people to like us,

okay? Or will we give answers because it's out of our conviction. I'm

not asking you to go and just shut people out and then just you know,

ambush. That's not the way as well. There's a way of speaking.

Yeah, we need God's wisdom, we need his guidance and of course

the right time, and not all arguments are worth arguing at times. Yeah,

I have friends who sometimes talk a lot about the faith. They want

to debate and all that. Well, maybe you're not ready to listen to

it. Yeah, some may not be at the right place. But if

you're given an opportunity to speak God's word, to give an opportunity to speak

about your stand to certain things about the faith, how would you respond?

Right? How would you respond? Do we just say yes, I mean,

it's okay, you can do whatever you want. Jesus loves you,

he forgives well, he does right. But there's also commandments that we need

to follow. Right. There are also the words from Him that we need

to abide in. Yeah, And this is something I've learned over the years.

You know, sometimes being a pastor, and I need to speak,

I need to correct, I need to sometimes I don't like to use the

word discipline. Right, But you've got to say what you need to say.

Whether it's taken by everyone, it's another story. But I think a

good hard check for us leaders or not. The word of God has to

be your guide. Sometimes you can get so carried away without human mind or

understanding. Right, But what does the word of God tells us? Right?

The word of God tells us a lot about holiness? Do you know

that holiness is something very important to God? How are we living our lives?

Holiness is very important? Reverence? You know the choices we make,

does it actually reflect God's word? Right, God's way? And I believe

this is something it's a very personal conviction. Okay, some things you can

be like, oh no, well, God still is fine. You know,

he forgives, Yes, he forgives. But never run away from the

word of God. Yeah, never run away from the word of God because

God, I mean Jesus here, Okay he was. He never watered things

down, you can say it that way, right, He never just made

things look like it's feel good. It's nice to hear. But he just

spoke the truth. By the same time, he drew people. So there's

something powerful about speaking the truth. Okay, sometimes you're just so scared to

speak the truth because this person might not follow me, right, or this

person might not agree. But if you speak the truth of God, that's

a different power, right, because it's not you, but it's the power

of God. It's the Holy Spirit. Yeah. So can I encourage us

to develop that kind of a lifestyle wherever we go? Okay, whether with

your friends at your workplace, you know, as your friends who are still

not believing yet, Can we be the testimony? Right? Can we speak

the truth? Some of us are in places where we are influencing lives every

day, right, and what we speak is what people are seeing, you

know, because you can go on saying that Jesus is my savior, I

believe in him, right, he is the way. But if our life

doesn't reflect that, then it is just a disgrace to the faith, they

think, so or all Christians are like that. You'll say your need,

but your lives are not really that. We don't want to hear that.

Yeah, we don't want to hear that. We want to be a testimony.

Okay, it's very important for us to develop that. And so this

is only developed in our closed doss you know, and our times between me

and God. What do I speak to him? What do I communicate with

him? And with that relationship you learn how to develop that lifestyle as well.

Yeah, we cannot do it our own strength because we are human.

Yeah, we have our flesh and blood, that's how we are created.

But we need the grace of God. Amen. Yeah, so let's do

that. Let's stand on the truth. Let's be fully convinced or what the

Word of God tells us. And to be convinced is to know the word.

Okay, our prayer is coming up soon, okay, And so the

encouragement is that we want all of you to bring your bibles. Yeah,

and if you don't have a Bible, let me know. I'll get you

one, okay, because we all need one, you know. I mean

digital ones are great, we can it's convenient, but at the same time,

we need our physical Bibles where we can just take down notes, you

know, really study it. Yeah. The Word of God is not just

a one sentence and that is it. That is it. But it's about

reading the whole chapter. It's about doing your studying. Yeah, go for

our classes. You know, we have so many Bible classes in church that

you can sign up for. Okay. If you have doubts when you're reading

the Bible, you're saying, I don't understand this, come and speak to

us. Yeah. Learning the Word of God doesn't have to be a personal

Journey's enriching when you journey with someone, right, and so speak to someone

here, I'm reading this chapter. I don't understand or can you explain what

are your thoughts about it? So we go deeper into it. Yeah,

I mean it's great to hear the word have gone Sundays, but Sundays alone

is not enough. Yeah, Sundays alone is not in our remember passing againda

telling this once? Sometimes you know when you don't eat the whole week and

then you go for a for a buffet for one day, can you imagine

what you're doing to our body? Right? And sometimes it's like that.

Without faith, we don't look at the Bible at all, But on Sundays

suddenly the word of God is something you're flipping. It's just how do we

connect? Right? So we need to be consistent with the word of God.

And man, yeah, let's take that steps in the disease to build

our faith. Amen. All right? Okay, Now, so I'm just

gonna end here with a couple of points. Okay, we went through the

scriptures, the whole of chapter six in fact, and if you have the

time, just read it again, okay. And what can we learn when

Jesus says I am the braid of life. There are a few things that

you're trying to tell, you know, you're teaching them the people at that

time, and you're trying to say here. Number one is that Jesus is

the essential for life. Right, he is the essential for life. You

know, when you use the meaning of braid. First he showed them in

the form of a physical right, how the braid looks like, and you

eat it, you're happy your field. And then the second scene we see

that Jesus say, hey, don't just focus on that braid that you see,

but I am the braid of life, right. And so what he's

trying to show us here is that he is the essential in our lives.

He is the one that has to come number one, right, no compromising

on that. It cannot be number two, it cannot. It has to

be number one. Yeah. So the question for us is that is he

truly our essential? Okay? Meaning he must confus he's a must have.

If I want to make a decision, what will God tell? Right?

Can I pray about it? Can I go back to what his word tells

me? Yeah? He must be essential in our relationships easy number one.

The decisions that we take in life. And I think I say this just

now. You know, it's not only about coming to church and serving on

a Sunday, but does our decision reflect Jesus and what his word tells us

to do? So sometimes we and I think this is something that we need

to keep asking ourselves as we grow, right. I mean I think if

I'm looking around here, most of you have been to church for a while.

Now, okay, you've been a Christian maybe from young or maybe a

couple of years, right. But the thing is, our faith is not

meant to be like how we just started. Do you get what I mean?

Right? I mean mention, if you are in primary six or from

five, and you're still learning what you just learned in primary one, how

do you feel? You feel so bored, you feel there's no growth?

Right, It's just okay, I can get I can get all a's,

but what's the point, right, The same thing is without faith. So

if we keep doing what we did when we were a new born Christian,

when we are already quite old on you know, or I wouldn't say old,

but at least you are quite much with it, what are we learning?

Then there's no joy? Right. That's why we feel sometimes our faith

is like, oh, the same old like just go on Sunday. It's

fine, you know, But if you keep growing it, you'll be like,

yes, I look forward, okay, I look forward to seek God

because now it's not just a one way conversation, but I hear from God.

I listen to him. When I read the word, I feel the

Word of God is speaking to me in this season of my life. Right,

and that's the kind of desire we need to develop. Church. Let's

not just remain the day one encounter. Okay, yes, great, you

encountered God in teens cam you know camps that we go to be always on

revive, on fire, right after the after the camp, a few months

down the road, after one year, do we still have the same fire?

Right, the same fire? Some of you here, I've been seeing

you since your campus days and you know on fire so young, so so

you know active, and you know you're just saying yes, I want to

do all and many years down the road, do we still have that same

fire? Don't call yourselves uncle Auntie is No one is? Oh yeah,

okay, any any good example that we have as anti Cha, I think

she has the the most energy compared to any of us. Why because God

is in her right the joy of God that keeps us going. Yeah,

So never limit what God can do in our lives. Never just think that,

Okay, my campus days are done, let someone else do it.

No, we keep serving Him in different capacities, right, But we've got

to keep marturing. We have to keep growing, right, So let's ask

ourselves. Is our faith growing from day one? Can I hear him better?

Yeah? So essential, that's the first thing he says. Number two,

he says that the life Jesus is referring to is not physical life,

but eternal life. Yeah, eternal life. So Jesus was trying to get

the Jews when they ask ask him questions, to think of the to come

out of the physical realm and to step into the spiritual realm. That's why

you say, trying to say that I am the bread of life. You

know, if you're asking me, where's the breid? Well, I am

the braid of life. Okay. So he wanted them to see the spiritual

part of it. He's contrasting what he brings as their messiah with the braid

he miraculously created the day before that was physical breid that perishes. So that's

the reason why Jesus was using the example of breid. Okay, and this

breid that I made you to eat will perish one day. But you know

what sustains is me. It's me the braid of life. That is what

he was telling them. He is the spiritual braid that brings eternal life.

Yeah, eternal life. So when we speak about eternity, I think it's

a whole teaching by itself, right, But it just means that there's life

after death, okay, And they will come to a point of time when

we will be accountable to God. We're all accountable to God. You can't

say, can you speak for me? Can you thummand me when I face

God? No, it's just you and God. When you think about it,

I think it's I wouldn't say it's scary, but it's real. It

is real. It's between you and God. So meaning whatever we do on

earth accounts to that. Would we you know, would God say yes,

good and faithful servant. Well, then you have used the talents that I've

given to you, not just for yourself, but for those around you.

You have win souls, right, you have shared God's love. You have

lived the life that I've told you too in the word of God. Yeah,

So let's have that in mind. That's what we're created for. No

matter how young or old we are, I think we must always have that

in our thoughts. Sometimes, you know, all these thoughts will come and

you're older, you know or when you go through losing someone you think about

life and death. But no, it should always be in our minds because

that's what we are created for, eternity. Yeah, and when we think

about this, okay, when we know that we are created for eternity,

when we know this truth, how does it change the way we live our

lives? Okay? How does it change the way we live our lives?

The choices we make? Because if I know that my life is beyond all

of this, that I see that I'm going to be accountable to God one

day, that there's life after this, would my life change now? My

decisions? Would my everyday decisions choices change? Well? You should, right,

It only makes sense that it should because if we just leave our lives

of the world, then we don't get to experiencing, right, We don't

get to to allow God to mold us to be the person that he wants

us to be and to experience the goodness of what he has. Right,

So let's just take some time to think about it. Do we have eternity

in the back of our minds? You know that whatever I do, yes,

I may enjoy the pleasures of life that He has blessed me. I

will pursue all that he has given me. But at the same time,

my priority is eternity. Yeah, and I think if you can switch your

minds to that, the way we live, our lives is different. Yeah.

We don't hold on to things too much with material being materialistic. Yeah,

we don't hold on to failures so much or doubts and you know,

problems. But we know that there's someone above who is watching of us,

who's taking care of us. Yeah, so let's have that in our minds.

Eternity man, are you getting something Church? Yeah, all right,

it's essential. Eternity Number three is that he was trying to make the claim

that he is the im Okay, he is the I m Now the phrase

I am is the covenant name of God. And you know when this was

revealed at the first anyone can tell me you read the Old Testament. Who

was the first person who heard this, I am the im Moses? And

you know when he received it? Was Moses at a very victorious time and

he heard that. What was Moses going through at that time? I had

the answer doubt? He was going through doubt, right, He was wondering,

like, am I able to do this? You know you're calling me

to free the Israelites, but can I actually do this? At the Burning

Bush, right, that was the encounter he had, and that is when

God revealed himself. I am the Im. You don't need any other kind

of help. I am the one who's going before you. And that is

what I believe God is telling to some of you today. I'm incapable.

I can't do this. I am with you. I am the Im,

right, And that is what he was trying to remind the people. And

in fact, this phrase tells us about the self sufficient existence, which is

the attribute that only God has, no one else has. Meaning I am

alone enough, okay. But for us humans is that we need something?

Okay, it's my skill, my capability, or my possessions or the people

around me, then I can, right. But for God is I am?

It is me. I am everything. I Am all you need,

okay. And so he was telling this to remind not just the people,

but the Jews, especially because they knew who was the I Am and the

most of his teaching, right, and so he was using that as an

example. Yeah, so let's remember that he is all you need. Now

the thought point, we're coming to a close towards the end. Here we

see this scripture. Okay, it says, you know, when we read

the scripture, it says in verse thirty five, I am the brain of

life. He who comes to me will never hunger. He who believes in

me shall never tease. So use the word here, come and believe.

Okay. And what does this mean is it's an invitation. Okay, It's

trying to say, come believe. He's trying to call people to do.

This an invitation for those listening to place their faith in Jesus esther Son of

God. In fact, we can read this throughout the Gospels of John as

we studied, and coming to Jesus means making a choice to forsake the world

and follow him. How many of us can boldly do that? I forsake

the world and follow him. In fact, it's a school song that that

be singing during our children's school as well a Sunday school itself. Right,

I've decided to follow Jesus, no turning back. We teach that to kids

at a very young age. And how about us adults, when we have

seen enough of the world, can we still say yes, our forsake the

world and follow Jesus. The choice is in our hands. Right. Believing

in Jesus means placing our faith in him, that he is who he says

he is, that he will do what he says he will do, and

that he is the only one who can. Yeah. And so my question

for us today is have you accepted this invitation? Tend it the person next

to you? Have you accepted? Yeah? Have you accepted this Jesus,

the Messiah who came for us? And the next question for us here is

do you have the faith to keep believing? Okay, you can. Can

you remember the first time you say yes to Jesus? Your salvation story?

I still remember Lens's testimony when he joined us, Yeah, as a student,

and how we accepted Christ. Yeah, some of your testimony. Sometimes

we can remember, right, our first encounter with God. That's great,

that's great. We have accepted the invitation. But after we accept the invitation,

do we have the faith to keep believing? Because starting it is sometimes

Okay, I have that fresh encounter, but keeping it is equally important.

How we start and how we end is very important. It's not just about

starting great, but it's how we end. Yeah, how we end?

And then of course, the last part here we notice that Jesus says you

will never hunger enters. Right. The fifth point that Jesus isn't talking about

physical hunger and tersts, but he was trying to again go back if you

read that Matthew in Matthew five six says Blessed are those who hunger and thirst

for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. If you hunger and teers for

righteousness, meaning the things of God, the things that pursues his heart,

you will never grow dry, you'll never hunger. Yeah, he is saying

that he will satisfy our hunger and tears to be made righteous in the side

of God. Amen. Right, And this is what he's showing us about

the meaning of I Am the Braid of Life. And so going back to

the title, okay, that says we are made for eternity. Yeah,

you know it says that I Am the braid of life. Again, that

that is what it means here. And you know, if you really and

actually says this chapter three, verse eleven, you know what it tells us

here in the scripture. Okay, we can see he has made everything beautiful

in its time. Also he has put eternity in their hearts, except that

no one can find out the works that God does beginning to the end.

So this scripture here, if you read the one before that, it's it's

you know, there's this all portion that says a time for everything right,

and then it ends by talking about how eternity has been placed in our hearts.

Remember I told you when God created us, there's a portion in us

that can only be filled by him. Yeah, can be filled by Megans.

Imagine our hearts. And there's this one door that is made for him.

If you open the door, if you're allow him to enter, he

does great things in that heart. And in that door eternity is created.

The desire for eternity is created. Yeah. And the Bible tells us that

there's nothing we can do to earn our way to heaven. Okay, because

we have all sinned. We can see that in Romans Tree twenty three.

And the only thing our sin earns is death, that's life. Yeah,

But the gift of God is eternal life. There is no one who is

righteous in himself can see the scriptures. Yeah, Romans six twenty three and

Romans Tree ten. So the struggle that we have as humans, is that

how do we feel this need? Because we have sin, we fall short

of the glory of God. But the word of God reminds us here that

we have Him, We have Him in us, and only He can come

and fulfill us. He can feel the depths of our hearts. In Second

Quaranthians five twenty one, it says for our sake he made him to be

sin, who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the

righteousness of God. So Jesus satisfies our hunger enters for righteousness. He is

the braid of our life. Amen. Yeah, I hope you caught something

today church, Okay, that we are created for eternity. And the thing

is we cannot do this by ourselves. No human capability, no strength can

do this. But only true God. Yeah, only true God. And

so we're going to take some time now, as we draw to a close

to just worship God, to come to a poisture of saying, God,

yes, you are the brid of my life. I don't want to just

know it, but I want to live it as well. Okay. I

want to always have eternity in my heart, in my mind, so that

everything that I pursue goes back to you. We hope you've been blessed by

this message. For more information on our church, please visit as church Org.

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to be a good week, a hit for you. God bless