TPC Connections

Sermon Notes

The 7 ‘I Am’s’ of Jesus
“I Am the Bread of Life”

John 6: 25-35 “They found him on the other side of the lake and asked, “Rabbi, when did you get here?” 26 Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, you want to be with me because I fed you, not because you understood the miraculous signs. 27 But don’t be so concerned about perishable things like food. Spend your energy seeking the eternal life that the Son of Man can give you. For God the Father has given me the seal of his approval.” 28 They replied, “We want to perform God’s works, too. What should we do?” 29 Jesus told them, “This is the only work God wants from you: Believe in the one he has sent.” 30 They answered, “Show us a miraculous sign if you want us to believe in you. What can you do? 31 After all, our ancestors ate manna while they journeyed through the wilderness! The Scriptures say, ‘Moses gave them bread from heaven to eat.’ 32 Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, Moses didn’t give you bread from heaven. My Father did. And now he offers you the true bread from heaven. 33 The true bread of God is the one who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” 34 “Sir,” they said, “give us that bread every day.” 35 Jesus replied, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”…54…Anyone who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise that person at the last day.

In the Gospel of John, Jesus makes seven self-identifying statements beginning with the words I am.

Each of these “I am” proclamations explain something important about who He is, and who He is to us.

They also link Him to the Old Testament revelation of God.

In the book of Exodus, God revealed His name to Moses: “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you’” (Exodus 3:14).

Thus, to the OT people of God, “I AM” was unquestionably understood as a name for God.

Scripture records that one time while addressing the Pharisees, Jesus clearly laid claim to the I AM title:

“Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.” 59 So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple.”–John 8:58-59

Why did this send the Pharisees into a ballistic rage?

Because they knew He was claiming to be God!
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So, 7 times in John’s gospel Jesus uses the “I AM” signification stating that, as God, I AM this to you!
The FIRST time He uses it is in the text we just read, “I am the bread of life.”

In this case, Jesus calls himself the bread of life right after supernaturally feeding upwards of 5,000 people in the wilderness.

That great miracle immediately brought to the minds of many of the Jewish people present what Moses had done for their ancestors.

And Jesus likewise drew the comparison:

“Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died. But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which anyone may eat and not die” (verses 49–50).

So the manna that was provided for them under Moses kept them physically alive,

But Jesus as the NT bread from heaven offered them something far better–eternal life!
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Now, following Jesus’s statement about eating his flesh and drinking his blood, it says:

“From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more.”–John 6:66

So, the crowd of people following Him immediately stumbled over his invitation to eat and drink of Him!

Now, I see in this crowd 3 different kinds of people that stumbled over His words, and the reason why they followed Him no more.

The first was:

I. The Materialist

Jesus looked at the vast crowd that sought Him out after His miraculous feeding of the 5,000 and said,

“Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled.”

You’re not really seeking me for me, you’re wanting what I can provide for you–a free happy meal, a lifelong gravy train!

Then He pointed out their wrong priorities:

“Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life.”–6:26-27

So the MATERIALISTS among them were all about physical food,
the stuff that perishes,
feeding the desires of their flesh.

Jesus on the other hand was about taking care of their spiritual needs by relationship with Him.

In verse 63 he said, “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.”

So in this vast crowd of people were materialists that couldn’t see past their own physical needs.

They were all about the now,
the present,
immediate gratification,

But Jesus was calling them to–
know Him,
feed on Him,
and focus on eternal things.
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These MATERIALISTS in the crowd are still with us today.

They want a Jesus that provides all their material wants,
that answers all their provision prayers,
that is there to fulfill all their desires for the good things in life.

–they are in the grip of materialism rather than desiring the things of God!

This is why Paul encouraged the Colossian church,

“If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.”–3:1-2

There’s even a very popular teaching out there that salvation is connected to material wealth,
and that knowing God is all about Him showering you with material blessings.

–But the call of Jesus to this crowd, and to us all is to:

seek Him as the Bread that gives eternal life,
and that deeply satisfies the hunger of the soul!

So the MATERIALISTS in the crowd followed Him no more.
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Then a SECOND type of person that stumbled over his words was:

II. The Legalist

Notice the words of some in the crowd who said, “We want to perform God’s works, too. What should we do?”–vs 28

The favorite words of the legalist are “DO” and “PERFORM.”

Jesus is calling this crowd to personal, rich relationship with Him.
But the LEGALISTS in the bunch could only think of “doing” and “performing.”

They preferred to fulfill some required task rather than receive the relationship with Jesus He was calling them to.

So Jesus responded, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”–vs 29

You wanna do something for me?

Here’s what you do–place your faith in me!

THAT is the work of God!
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–You see, for the LEGALIST its easier to make rules than to build relationships!

The Legalists in the bunch wanted to know what they ‘must do’–

a program over a person,
religion over relationship!

And today the LEGALISTS of this world never do enter into the relationship the Lord Jesus calls them to because life to them is all about:

tasks to fulfill,
duties to perform,
rather than a relationship to enjoy.

Jesus was inviting this crowd to feed on:

his love,
his presence,
his wisdom,
his goodness,
and his life!

Listen to what He said: “He who feeds on me will live because of me.”–vs 57

But the LEGALIST just couldn’t get past the do, do, do, work, work, work.

So the LEGALISTS in the crowd also turned and walked away.
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Then a 3rd type person in the crowd that stumbled over Jesus’s words was:

III. The sensationalist

“Therefore they said to Him, ‘What sign will You perform then, that we may see it and believe You? What work will you do?”–vs 30

The SENSATIONALISTS in the crowd wanted:
Excitement
holy Ghost goose bumps,
thrills,
to be wowed and zowed by miracles.

And the SENSATIONALIST is still alive and well in today’s church world!

They don’t want the God of the miracles as much as they want the miracles of God.

They are the sign chasers,
miracle hunters,
excitement junkies that live and breathe to chase down the latest ‘move of God,’ whether its:

laughing, crying,
shaking, dancing,
rolling, or falling,
they want to be thrilled and entertained by the acts of God.

But Jesus replied in Matthew’s gospel, “The only sign I’ll give you is the sign of the prophet Jonah…

As Jonah was 3 days and nights in the belly of the whale, so Jesus would be 3 days and nights in the grave and rise again!
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So the MATERIALIST, the LEGALIST, and the SENSATIONALIST all walked away from the Lord when He offered them a wonderful relationship with Himself as the bread of life!