This week we come to the first of the seven “I Am” statements of Jesus in the Book of John. In each of these analogies, Jesus is revealing to us something profound about himself.
In this sermon, we look at Jesus’ statement that “I am the bread of life.” This logic of this statement is broken down this way: Bread=Life, Jesus=Bread, and so Jesus =Life. He is essentially saying, without me there is no life at all.
As we work our way through this passage, we’ll see eight (8) insights into this “Life” that Jesus offers us in himself.
- Life in Jesus is spiritual and eternal (vs. 22–27)
- Life in Jesus comes by grace through faith in Christ (vs. 28–35a)
- Life in Jesus offers lasting satisfaction (v. 35b)
- Life in Jesus is as durable as he is faithful (vs. 36–40)
- Life in Jesus requires a divinely transformed heart (vs. 41–46)
- Life in Jesus is death-defying and eternal (vs. 47–51)
- Life in Jesus is offered in his all-consuming sacrifice (vs. 52–59)
- Life in Jesus is humbling (vs. 60–71)
These eight points lead us to an important conclusion: life is found in Jesus alone. The only way we receive the fullness of the life of Jesus is when we bring him the emptiness of our ourselves. And that’s why so many people turned aside and no longer followed Jesus: His teaching was too humbling, too invasive, too revealing, too penetrating, and too difficult to swallow. But Peter had it right when he said, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.”
Is Jesus your life? Come, look, believe, and live.
John 6:22-71
