Exploring the seven “I am” statements of Jesus in the Gospel of John, this Easter season we want to encounter Jesus again for the first time. Drawing upon the Gospel context and Old Testament history, we want to step more deeply into what Jesus was saying then and what it means for our life with God today.
(John 6:26-36)
Sermon Outline
Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” (John 6:35)
We ask God for things, but He wants us to have Him.
The person is always more valuable than the product.
When Jesus said He is the bread of Life, He is proclaiming that He is what we’ve all been looking for…
- The Promise we’ve been longing for
- To become life for us
- The Invitation we’ve been waiting for
- To find wellbeing in the same place Jesus does
- The Calling we’ve been searching for
- To become like Christ in real life
He is the Promise, Invitation, and Calling that we are created for.
“My Goal is God Himself, not joy nor peace, nor even blessing, but himself, my God.” -Oswald Chambers
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
- Have you ever known someone who only wanted to be friends because of what they could get from you?
- Have you ever been the person who prioritized certain people because they would benefit you somehow?
- When you consider how you live and pray, do you put more energy into pursuing God for blessings, or pursuing God for Himself? What’s the difference?
- What promise is Jesus making when He says He is the bread of life?
- How does the promise of eternal life give us hope in this life?
- What does it mean to live an active faith with our whole selves?
- What’s more important, the blessings of Jesus, or Jesus Himself? Why? How does that insight change how we live?
DIG DEEPER
- Memorize John 6:35: Practice “chewing” on the Lord’s Prayer this week. Each morning, pray the Lord’s
- prayer slowly. Speak each line, and then speak out loud what you believe that line means, what you are asking for. Do this for each line. Take time to speak and mean what you are saying.
- Focus your energy on pursuing God Himself this week, not what he can give you or do for you. Practice this with your words and your actions. Talk to another follower of Jesus to figure out what this looks like for you.