At Harvest church, one of my brothers named Justin Chan speaks for Friday Night Fellowship sometimes. I believe this brother truly has a great understanding of the condition of the heart ["The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?" (Jeremiah 17:9]. I am always truly blessed to hear Justin speak because they make me examine my heart and where I stand before God. This quarter, Harvest is learning about Jesus Christ because the whole theme this year is Behold Your God (last quarter was about God the Father). So, what do you think it means for Jesus to be the Bread of Life?
v.27~ one command: seek true Bread, seek Jesus who is the only One who can meet our needs
What hindered the Jews from seeking true bread? What hinders us from seeking Jesus?
1) self-sufficiency
v.28~ their response should have been dependence on God instead of their own pride
* we must come to place where we need Him
* active obedience to God is a result of growing dependence on God
v.29--Mal 3:1~ Jesus' response: depend on CHrist
* self-sufficiency is the root of all sin, equals independence from God
2) forgetting God
v.30-31~ what they really wanted wasn't a sign but wanted bread, would serve God if He served them
v.32-33~ Jesus pointed them to God
* manna wasn't meant to prove God exists but to prove man cannot exist without God, that man is in need of God
- to remind us that we need Him daily
> Deut 8:1-3~ the purpose of the manna was "to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord"
* saying "grace"- God's grace to provide food to sustain you
> Deut 8:18; Ps 42:6, 77:11-13, 105:4-5
* you need Jesus. without Him, you're dead. this is Truth.
* when I forget God is holy, I forget that I'm a sinner
3) blindness to our needs
v.34~ they were blind to what they truly needed
> John 4:14-18~ Jesus confronted the woman's sins and revealed her needs
v.36- "But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe"
* when do people cling to God?
- when they have needs!
--> how much more should we cling to God because we're sinners!!
v.41, 60, 66~ when Jesus revaled their sins, they ran away from Him instead of clinging to Him
* SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINES-- Bible reading and prayer are hard work/discipline but they're a discipline of grace
- it's not service to God when i read my Bible/pray but service to me and my needs
Our motivation for true Bread is the invitation to Christ
v.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"
- invitation for sinners, the desperate who begged for mercy
> Lk 5:31-32~ Jesus is concerned w/ sinners
> Jn 7:37, Mt 11:28
> Is 55:1-3~ benefits of invitation
1) it's completely free
2) there is abundance of good things
* what satisfies vs. what doesn't satisfy
- buying something and not getting what you want
v.2- 'why spend money on what is not bread'
3) these things are eternal
* will never run out
God doesn't want to hurt you, but heal you
v.53-56~ the cross was the greatest demonstration of man's desperate need for God
After hearing Justin's message, I knew I was guilty of all three hindrances. But, although I was burdened with these things, it greatly revealed to me the Truth of salvation--that I am not saved through what I do. I am in need of God, and of Jesus Christ my Savior, to save me from this body of death and the condemnation of sin. There is no condemnation with Christ. I have assurance of salvation. Sometimes I may want to be self-sufficient, may forget who God is, and may be blind to my own needs, but God will continually draw me back through His Word, reminding me that I am a sinful man in need of new mercies everyday and ultimately, in need of Jesus Christ's sacrifice on my behalf. Jesus fully satisfied God's wrath; therefore, God's justice and mercy were both completely filled.
I have realized lately that no matter how many times I preach the Gospel to myself, there is still so much to learn about it. God is AWESOME.
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