All right, I apologize in advance. I'm battling oak pollen, and it's not pretty in my eyes or my throat. So if I have a little problem, just bear with me. We're in John chapter six in our I Am series, and we'll be looking at Jesus saying, I am the bread of life. And you get the choice today. I offered this last night. Here's the thing. You cannot say yes and then boo me. Do you want the joke or not? Okay, then I don't want any attitude on the back end. All right? So I went to my therapist. I was telling some of my friends this the other day, and they're going, Joe goes to a therapist? I'm like, dude, I need like 12 therapists. all the stuff that's going on. But anyway, I went to my therapist and I said, I'm having this terrible dream. I said, I'm riding an elephant and there's a zebra chasing me and a frog. I said, what do you think it means? And he looked at me and he said, I think you need to get off the merry-go-round. All right. Well, you're very kind. Thank you. All right. Now, I do want to make a transitional statement. What I'm going to teach you today, I hope, is how to get you off of the merry-go-round in life. Now, look. There's only so much we can do. I get it. The only real way to get off the merry-go-round is to die. Go be with Jesus. That's why it's so important that you have accepted Christ and are living for him and living with him. But the merry-go-round keeps going, doesn't it? And it goes faster and faster and faster. And it's life and it's kids and it's marriage and it's parents and it's grandparents and whatever it is, you put all these stories together and you're like, what do I do? Well, sometimes you have to get off. Sometimes you have to say, you know what? I don't have to take this particular ride. I need a break. And I think that's what Jesus comes to do when he says, I am the bread of life. He's telling them, guys, you can slow down. You don't have to chase everything. You can just hold on to me. And last week, we looked at Exodus. We started this series where Moses was on the mountain in Saudi Arabia, heard the name of God, I am that I am. And then I told you that from then on, when we hear that phrase, it's going to trigger us to know Jesus is claiming to be God, okay? Now, in one sentence, here's what I'd like to share with you. Jesus is literally our eternal sustenance. And I'm going to take you all the way back to the beginning of the book, and we're going to bring it up because the entire Bible, the whole story of the Bible is the story of Jesus. Everything in some way or the other points us to Jesus. Okay? So if you'll stand out of respect, we're just going to—here's the hardest part. There's like nine parts to John 6. And I hope you'll go back and spend some time there today or this week, or there's stuff before what I'm reading, there's stuff afterwards, and it's a pretty complex story, but we're just gonna read the miracle and break this down. Now, Jesus has just fed the 5,000, all right? Now we know, we've talked about this before, that was 5,000 men. So 15, 20,000, 25,000, I don't know. 5,000 is awesome, but it was more awesome than that. And he gave them all the bread and all the fish they could eat out of one little boy's lunch. And then when they got done, after everybody had had an all-you-can-eat buffet, then they had 12 baskets left over, so the disciples all had a doggie bag. That's God really just showing off, right? That's the miracle. After that miracle, Jesus goes away on a mountain to spend time with God. When he comes back, the people that he just did this miracle with have this conversation with him. They say, our forefathers ate the manna in the desert, as it is written. He gave them bread from heaven to eat. Jesus said to them, I tell you the truth, it is not Moses who's given you the bread from heaven, but my father who 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. Sir, from now on, give us this bread. Jesus declared, 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. But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe. All that the father gives me will come to me and whoever comes to me. I will never drive away God's jesus saying I will save everybody that will come to me for I have come down from heaven Not to do my will but to do the will of him Who sent me you can be seated? So we're going to roll backwards first. We're going to talk about god and manna you go back to exodus 16 And in Exodus 16, the Israelites have just left Egypt. Now, again, you hear these progressives say, I don't believe the Old Testament, they don't believe the New Testament either, but half of the New Testament is Old Testament. And Jesus obviously believed the Old Testament because He's teaching from it most of the time. And he's talking about the manna story. So in Exodus 16, they've left Egypt. And I want to give you, so the Bible says there were 600,000 military age men that left Egypt. Egypt. Ok. Now that doesn't mean they had a military. They did not have a military. They were slaves. They were military age men. Military age men would have been married. And remember why the Pharaoh wants them out of Egypt in the first place? Because the Israelites have grown so numerous that that they might just leave, and then we'll have nobody to help us, and that's when they enslave them. So we know that at a minimum, they're 600,000, all right? That's enough of a miracle, but I'm gonna tell you what really is going on. 600,000 men, they're all married, and if they're growing so fast, that Egypt is worried about it, maybe there's four or five kids each, all of a sudden we're six million people. Also, when they left Egypt, it says a bunch of Egyptian people went with them. They said, your God really is the true God. Who knows? Six, eight million people? It really doesn't matter. The miracle's amazing no matter how we go about this. They get out into the wilderness in Jordan, and there is nothing out there in the desert in Jordan. There's no oasis, there's no water, there's no food, there's no nothing. It's just a little bit of scrub brush and a lot of sand. It's kind of a moonscape is what it looks like. And so they're out there, and the people start complaining. Now, this is the story. They'll be complaining for the next 40 years. They're like, you brought us out here in the desert to die, because they have no food. And God explains this manna story to them, all right? And this is a good one. He said, listen, here's how this is going to work every day. When you get up, there'll be these little wafers on the ground. Everybody go out, pick up your wafers. No matter what you pick up, you won't have too much and you won't have not enough. He said, but don't keep it till the next day or it'll have maggots in it. Well, you know, somebody said, I don't want to get up tomorrow. Sure enough, they found out the hard way. There's maggots and they received God's judgment. And the other thing he said was, on the Sabbath day, don't go out because there won't be any manna out there in the field. So I'll make the sixth day, I'll make it last, it won't have maggots in it. Don't you know there were guys got up on the Sabbath, To go out to try to find, well, you sell it on a black market to people out in the desert? I don't know what they were gonna do. Anyway, they get judged for that. No matter what God says, there's always somebody there to be disobedient. But here's the truth. God fed them for 40 years, day after day after day, with manna. Manna is not God's word, it is Israelites' words. It means, what is it? They never did. It was made, it said it kind of was like coriander seed. They made bread out of it. They baked it, they boiled it. I'm sure they got creative with how they fixed it, but that's what they lived on. Now, the only thing that I can tell you is something similar is there is a grain called teff. It grows in Northern Ethiopia. It's what everybody in Ethiopia, Somalia, this is what they eat. And when this grain is turned into bread, if this is all you have, it will sustain you. This is the only grain that has carbohydrates and protein in it. So if all you have is bread from this plant, you can live a healthy life. So I'm not saying that's what it was, I'm just telling you that there is an equivalency now how this was. So God gave them something that what it was provided for them for 40 years. And it does not run out until they get to Jericho. After Moses has died, they're going to cross the river, the Jordan River. They cross into Jericho and it says, that day the man has stopped. Why? Because he took them to a land that was full of milk and honey. It was full of fruits and vegetables, but he also expected Israel to take care of themselves. Okay, that's the long and short of that story. Now, we also, water. And so Moses strikes the rock. There's a picture of the rock in Saudi Arabia that looks like it was sliced with a laser. Again, you have this idea that four people went up to it with a bucket. Six million people, 40 years. That's a lot of water. Right? This is an incredible miracle that played out. And again, for people to deny that God did this is, the Jewish people knew it. First century Jews knew it. Jesus knows it because they're referring to this whole story about manna. And then in John 6, 49, the end of the chapter, Jesus said, your forefathers ate the manna in the desert and they died. In fact, out of the 6 million, 8 million, however many were out there, how many actually got to go into the promised land? Joshua and Caleb. Even Moses doesn't get to go in because of his sin. So this is an incredible story about God's provision, but the people weren't very smart, okay? Kind of like our generation. Let me help you here. Okay, this is, I think it's SMU. This is their scoreboard. You see this at the top of the scoreboard? All right, there's the stadium. Here's the trivia question. Lay's Potato Chips. Anybody eat just one? Lay's Potato Chips did a survey of their customers. 42% of the people that ate the product did not know it was made from potatoes. We do not live in the sharpest generation that's ever lived. And if you're sitting by and somebody goes, hey, what are they made of? Anyway, that's what's being exposed here is how they don't get it. Because Jesus says, I am the bread of life. And what do they come back with? They say, well, then give us that. Okay. I spent all week going back and forth. I read John six over and over and over and over again, backwards, forwards, forwards, backwards. What has just happened? The day before this conversation that we're looking at, what happened? Jesus fed the 5,000, the 15,000, the 20,000, doesn't matter. The numbers really don't matter. It's a great miracle, no matter what. And the people that are talking to Jesus, they were there. They ate the bread, they ate the fish, they got filled up. And Jesus says, I'm the bread of life. And you know what question they asked him? They said, well, why don't you do a miracle for us to prove it? And I kept reading that, and I could not figure out what I was missing. I think I got it. If you read the next sentence, they said, well, Moses, remember I told you last week that they worshiped Moses? that they would have stuffed him, and they would have carried him around, and they would have worshipped him forever, and that's why God hid his body so they couldn't do that. They said, Moses gave us bread and water in the desert for 40 years, and you think that one miracle you did yesterday is supposed to impress us? Are you kidding me? Can you imagine being in that? You were there, and you got all the bread and all the fish out of this one little boy's lunch, and you say, no, that was nice, but you know, Moses fed everybody for 40 years. I'm gonna take a little liberty to the text here, because I think I'm fair in doing this. Jesus looks at them and says, let me tell you guys something. Moses didn't give you Jack. My father in heaven provided for you. I am the bread of life. Literally, it was Jesus meeting their need day after day. And we can go back even before this in Leviticus. I'm doing my yearly Bible reading, and in the first two months of the year, I try to read through the whole Bible, so I keep all the stories fresh in my mind. One year, I did it in a month, and I wouldn't recommend that. I about lost my mind. But right now, I'm in Leviticus, and I'm listening to the sacrifices of bulls and goats and how this has to be done. And then I heard this strange thing, turned my phone off so I could go back and check it. In Leviticus 2, it says, the rest of the grain offering belongs to Aaron and his sons. He's a high priest. It is the most holy part of the offering made to the Lord by fire. There's sin offerings, there's Thanksgiving offerings, there's this offering, there's all kinds of stuff going on under the law. And all these sacrifices and all this blood and all the fire, there's so much going on. But if you couldn't afford to bring a bull, you'd bring a sheep or a goat. If you couldn't afford a sheep or a goat, you'd bring a bird. If you couldn't afford a bird, you would bring grain. Because everybody had grain. Because you still could live by bread." And I read that sentence, and it says, the most holy part of the offering is the grain. Huh. I am the bread of life. That's what Jesus is bringing to them. So as we go through this second part, we see the struggles of them trying to hold on to reality. Jesus, in the Lord's prayer, give us today our daily Yeah, it doesn't say meat, vegetables, doesn't say any of that. Because Jesus is our bread of life. Matthew 6, so do not worry what you shall eat or drink or what you shall wear for the pagans have all these things. Your father knows what you need. Now then their response is, well then give us this bread. See, they still think it's something physical. The woman at the well in John 4, Jesus said, if you knew who was talking to you, I'd give you living water and you'd never thirst again. She says, well, then give me that water. Well, it's not a bucket full of water. It's a spiritual bucket. It's not a piece of bread. It's Jesus who said, I am that bread of life. And they're still looking for something that is tangible, even after they've sat through one of the greatest miracles that's ever happened. And then we move to the last part where it says God and life. And you're gonna hear this a lot because it's, you know, I'm the bread of life, I'm the resurrection and the life, I am the way, the truth and the life. God is all about life. Satan's plan against us, John 10, 10, is to steal, to kill, and to destroy. So whether we're talking destroying man and woman, destroying marriage, destroying a child in the womb, anything that disrupts normal life, that's what Satan's after, and he'll take any path to get there, because Jesus is the author of life itself. Now, if you remember, I don't think it's a big stretch for you here. We go to the Lord's Supper. Isn't that what you just did? Aaron came out here and we talked about it. And he talked about the bread that represents Jesus' body and the juice that represents his blood that was shed. Doesn't that click right back to, I am the bread of life? That's kind of the whole point. We have that every time we meet to remember what Jesus has done for each one of us. Martin Lloyd-Jones, interesting guy. A couple hundred years ago, Jones was a doctor for a long time. Then he became a preacher. And people were complaining because Jones was very pointed in his sermons about what was going on in England, the sin that was going on, the corruption, the greed, the slavery issues, all of this. And he says, when I was a physician, I never let the patient write the prescription and I'm not gonna start doing it now. Because people would come to him and say, you need to tone down your preaching, you're offending people. And he said, no, my job is to preach the word of God and let people fall wherever they might. Interesting statement. Mark 8 36, Jesus said this, what good is it for a man to gain the whole world and yet forfeit his own soul? because Jesus said, I am life. Don't miss that. That's where the story ends. He is bread. Bethlehem is where he's born, the city of bread. We could go wherever you want, but let's talk about William Borden. I got a couple stories and we'll wrap this up. William Borden was the heir to the Borden Dairy Company. fortune. He told his dad, no disrespect dad, but I don't want the money. And I don't want the power. I don't want the job. God's called me to something greater. William Borden had become a Christian. He went to a little school on the east coast called Yale. And when he went there, he found very similar to what's there now, total paganism. anti-Christianity. And he decided he was going to do something. He's an undergrad. He's just a 19-year-old kid. And he goes in there and starts Bible studies. He starts prayer groups. And then he starts mobilizing people to go out into New Haven. And a revival starts all throughout the city of New Haven, Connecticut, as well as on the Yale campus as an undergrad. It's an incredible story. He finishes his degree and he's going to Egypt to be a missionary. And on the way to Egypt, he dies of a sickness on the boat. Now, maybe one of those questions you should say, well, God, why? This guy was, you know, this guy was on target. But listen to me, Jesus is Lord whether you're hurting or not. Jesus is Lord, whether you're having a bad day or not. Jesus is Lord, whether you have an illness, you're grieving. He's still Lord. And I'll take you to, well, his famous quote, there it is, no reserves, no retreats, no regrets. He said, this is how every Christian ought to live his life. And this is as an undergrad. at Yale standing up to the professors and the head people and everything else and started a revival in New Haven. But I want to finish with this story. I've known this story for a long time, but I didn't know I could tell it. And then I found it on Facebook and I guess like, well, if it's on Facebook, I guess it's okay. But I have a friend of mine that was very involved in this story. So this is a prince from Kuwait, and he had flown into Damascus, Syria. I don't know why. I have no idea why he was in Damascus and how you arrest a Kuwaiti prince. I don't know, but he was arrested at the airport. My friend was flying into Damascus to do some ministry. He got arrested as well. They put them in a jail there in the airport. The Kuwaiti prince says, I don't know how to say this to you, and I don't know if you're safe or not, but I've had dreams and visions of Jesus and I want to become a Christian, but I can't find anybody to baptize me. My friend said, I happen to be a Christian pastor. And he said, they have denied me access into the country. Anyway, they start talking, and at night they came up with a plan. And my friend said, listen, when they go to deport us tomorrow morning, we're gonna have to walk by that big fountain out there in the middle of the airport. And he said, when we do, you're gonna hear me say, it's all in Arabic. He said, you're gonna hear me say very quickly, I baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and I'm gonna knock you into that fountain. And needless to say, the Syrian guards were not amused at the whole event. The Kuwaiti prince flew home in his wet clothes. Now is still a prince in Kuwait, and which is, I don't know how to tell you this. It's just impossible, but he is. And he says, well, If they kill me because of Jesus, then I will appear before Jesus Christ, and I will be with Jesus Christ forever. Now, if he lives that way by faith, isn't it time that we were able to do the same? If you've not accepted Jesus yet, we have people out in room three that will help you. If you're a guest, stop by guest services, but I want to pray, and we'll finish this up. Lord, thank you. for reminding us that you are the one that always provides. We get into the most impossible situations, mostly of our own doing, and yet you provide time and time again. You meet needs. We thank you for that. We thank you for the manna. More importantly, we thank you, Jesus, that you are the bread of life. And today, we hold on tightly to you as our full sustenance of this life and the life to come. In Jesus' name, amen.