{"id":964,"date":"2018-08-30T12:44:20","date_gmt":"2018-08-30T12:44:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/revfosu.com\/?p=964"},"modified":"2018-08-30T12:44:20","modified_gmt":"2018-08-30T12:44:20","slug":"jesus-as-the-bread-of-life-and-giver-of-salvation-by-rev-john-kwasi-fosu","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/amazinggbc.de\/de\/2018\/08\/30\/jesus-as-the-bread-of-life-and-giver-of-salvation-by-rev-john-kwasi-fosu\/","title":{"rendered":"Jesus as the bread of life and giver of salvation, by Rev. John Kwasi Fosu"},"content":{"rendered":"

Amazing Grace Baptist Church, Hamburg –\u00a0<\/strong>Bible study material on John 6:25-71<\/strong><\/p>\n

Introduction and background (6:22-31)<\/strong>
\nJohn 6: 22-31 gives the setting for Jesus\u2019 message. Jesus had just fed the 5000 multitudes. He then reads their hearts and confronts them with their motive. The people, interested in food, have followed Jesus over the sea to Capernaum, and they meet in the synagogue (verse 59). Jesus revealed their shallow, carnal motives (verses 26-27) and their ignorance of what it means to be saved through faith (verses 28-29). Just as Jesus graciously fed them the bread, and all they had to do was receive it, so he wanted to give them eternal life. The Jews threw out a challenge to Jesus in verse 30: \u201cShow us a sign!\u201d This reminded Jesus of the way God sent bread (manna) from heaven to feed the people (Exodus 16). Jesus used this as the basis for his message. There are three divisions to the sermon, each followed by a reaction from the crowd. Jesus thus directs their thinking to a deeper hunger!<\/p>\n

A. Jesus reveals himself as the Bread of Life (verses 32-40)<\/strong>
\nThis is a bold claim that shows that Jesus is the very Son of God! The Bread of God is a Person from heaven (verse 33). He gives life, not just to the Jews, but to the whole world! The way to receive this Bread is to come and take it. And this Bread will give life not only today but also life in the future at the resurrection. Note the reaction of the Jews (verses 41-42) who denied Jesus\u2019 deity. Jesus said that God was his Father (verse 32), but they said Joseph was His father (verse 42). The use of Bread of life in John 6:35 portrays Jesus\u2019 life-giving role. Here Jesus could be seen as the only source of eternal life.<\/p>\n

Comparing Jesus as the bread of life to the Manna in the Old Testament<\/em>
\nIt is interesting to compare the manna to Jesus the Messiah:
\ni. The manna came from heaven at night. Jesus came from heaven when men were in darkness.
\nii. It was not defiled by the earth. Jesus was sinless and separate from sinners.
\niii. It was small, round and white. This suggests Jesus\u2019 purity.
\niv. It was sweet to the taste. Jesus is sweet to those who trust Him.
\nv. It had to be taken and eaten. Jesus must be received and appropriated by faith (1:12-13).
\nvi. It came as a free gift. Jesus is the free gift of God to the world.
\nvii. It was sufficient for all. Jesus too is sufficient for all.<\/p>\n

B. Jesus reveals the process of salvation (verses 43-52)<\/strong>
\nThe lost sinner does not seek God (Romans 3:11), so salvation must begin with God. How does God draw people to Jesus? He uses the Word (verse 45). 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14 describes what \u201cdrawing men\u201d means. See also John 6:44. To eat earthly bread sustains life for a time. But the person will ultimately die. To receive the spiritual Bread (Jesus) gives one eternal life. Jesus clearly states in verse 51 that he will give his flesh for the life of the world. The Jews argued about this (verse 52) because eating human flesh was contrary to Jewish law. Like Nicodemus, they confused the physical with the spiritual.<\/p>\n

C. Jesus reveals the power of salvation (verses 53-65)<\/b>
\nWhat does Jesus mean by \u201ceating\u201d his flesh and \u201cdrinking\u201d His blood? He is not speaking in literal terms. In verse 63, Jesus clearly says, \u201cThe flesh profits nothing.\u201d What gives life? \u201cIt is the Spirit who gives life\u201d (verse 63). \u201cThe words I have spoken to you, are Spirit, and they are life.\u201d In other words, a person eats the Jesus\u2019 flesh and drinks his blood – that is, partakes of Him – by receiving the Word as taught by the Spirit. Jesus is not talking about the bread and cup of the Lord\u2019s Supper or any other religious ceremony. The Lord\u2019s Supper had not even been begun. When it was begun, Jesus clearly stated that it was a memorial. It did not impart life. To say that a man receives eternal life by eating bread and drinking wine is to deny the grace of God in salvation (Ephesians 2:8-9).<\/p>\n

A division among Jesus\u2019 disciples (6:66-71)<\/strong><\/em>
\nIt is the Word of God, revealing the Person of the Messiah, that separates the true from the false. The more the people heard Jesus\u2019 message, the more they divided into two groups – the honest seekers wanting to understand more and those rejecting Jesus because they did not like what they heard. The crowd, desiring bread for the body, rejected the Bread of Life for the soul. Peter and ten of the disciples affirmed their faith in Jesus. Their faith came by hearing the Word (Romans 10:17). Judas, however, was a pretender and ultimately would betray the Messiah.<\/p>\n

Application and conclusion<\/strong>
\nLike the multitude, many people in contemporary times want the Lord to meet their physical needs but not their spiritual needs. They are like stray dogs, that if you feed them they\u2019ll stick around, not because they love you, but because you have food! Once you stop feeding them, they are gone. For many seek God only for their carnal needs to be met. It is important to emphasize that we are to seek God not for what God can do for us, but for who God is.<\/p>\n

By Jesus\u2019 use of the title \u201cI am the bread of life\u201d is meant Jesus satisfies our deepest spiritual needs. Jesus picks a common staple that all could relate daily and throughout the day. That is it was attached to each meal. For bread was found on both the rich and poor people\u2019s table. In Asia it might be \u201cI am the Rice of Life\u201d; In Mexico it might be \u201cI am the Tortilla of Life\u201d; In India it might be \u201cI am the Curry of Life\u201d and in Ghana, among the Akans, it would be \u201cI am the fufu of life.\u201d In whatever case, by the use of bread of life, Jesus wishes to indicate that he sustains life.<\/p>\n

The conclusion is obvious. When you receive the Word into your heart, you receive Jesus the Messiah. We \u201ceat Jesus\u2019 flesh\u201d by partaking of the Word of God. \u201cI am the living Bread,\u201d said Jesus in verse 51. Jesus said in Matthew 4:4 that \u201cMan shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.\u201d Peter grasped the meaning of the sermon. For in John 6:68 he said, \u201cTo whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.\u201d<\/p>\n

Questions<\/strong>
\n1. Jesus said of himself as the \u201cbread of life.\u201d What does it mean?
\n2. How can one receive Jesus, the bread of life?
\n3. What is your greatest motivation for seeking God? For a healing? To pay your bills and debts? In search of a nice spouse?
\n4. What does it mean by eating Jesus\u2019 flesh?<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Amazing Grace Baptist Church, Hamburg –\u00a0Bible study material on John 6:25-71 Introduction and background (6:22-31) John 6: 22-31 gives the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":62474923,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"give_campaign_id":0,"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","_templately_pack_id":"","_templately_imported_at":"","_templately_source":"","_templately_import_session_id":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_wpcom_ai_launchpad_first_post":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"{title}\n\n{excerpt}\n\n{url}","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[25826],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-964","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bible-studies"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4q0JC-fy","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":955,"url":"https:\/\/amazinggbc.de\/de\/2018\/08\/08\/jesu-as-the-bread-of-life-by-rev-john-kwasi-fosu\/","url_meta":{"origin":964,"position":0},"title":"Jesu as the bread of life, by Rev. John Kwasi Fosu","author":"revfosu","date":"August 8, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Amazing Grace Baptist Church, Hamburg Bible Study material on John 6:1-15 Introduction John 6:1-15 presents Jesus\u2019 miracle of feeding 5,000. It showers Jesus as the supplier of human need and it prepares the reader for Jesus\u2019 testimony that he is the bread of life. The first three signs already studied\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Bible Studies"","block_context":{"text":"Bible Studies","link":"https:\/\/amazinggbc.de\/de\/category\/bible-studies\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/amazinggbc.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/untitled.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/amazinggbc.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/untitled.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/amazinggbc.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/untitled.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/amazinggbc.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/untitled.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":951,"url":"https:\/\/amazinggbc.de\/de\/2018\/07\/28\/threefold-ressurection-and-testimony-about-the-deity-of-jesus-christ-by-rev-john-kwasi-fosu\/","url_meta":{"origin":964,"position":1},"title":"THREEFOLD RESSURECTION AND TESTIMONY ABOUT THE DEITY OF JESUS CHRIST, BY REV. JOHN KWASI FOSU","author":"revfosu","date":"Juli 28, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Amazing Grace Baptist Church, Hamburg Bible Study material on John 5:24-47 Introduction and Background John 5:24-29 is situated in the larger context of John 5 where Jesus healed the man who had been invalid for 38 years at the pool of Bethesda. It thus forms essential part of Jesus\u2019 response\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Bible Studies"","block_context":{"text":"Bible Studies","link":"https:\/\/amazinggbc.de\/de\/category\/bible-studies\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":971,"url":"https:\/\/amazinggbc.de\/de\/2018\/10\/17\/the-uniqueness-of-jesus-by-rev-john-kwasi-fosu\/","url_meta":{"origin":964,"position":2},"title":"The Uniqueness of Jesus, by Rev. John Kwasi Fosu","author":"revfosu","date":"Oktober 17, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Amazing Grace Baptist Church, Hamburg Bible Study Material on John 7:10-36 Introduction and Background Information The feeding of the 5000 and the healing of the paralyzed man (5:1-9, 7:23) had aroused the interest of the crowd. Because Jesus healed the man on the Sabbath, the Jewish leaders said he was\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Bible Studies"","block_context":{"text":"Bible Studies","link":"https:\/\/amazinggbc.de\/de\/category\/bible-studies\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":2692,"url":"https:\/\/amazinggbc.de\/de\/2024\/04\/06\/pauls-response-to-the-issue-of-the-lords-supper-by-rev-dr-john-kwasi-fosu\/","url_meta":{"origin":964,"position":3},"title":"Paul\u2019s Response to the Issue of the Lord\u2019s Supper, by Rev Dr John Kwasi Fosu","author":"revfosu","date":"April 6, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Amazing Grace Baptist Church, Hamburg Bible Study on 1 Corinthians 11:17-34 Introduction Baptism and the Lord\u2019s Supper constitute the two main ordinances among distinctive emphases Baptist doctrines and church practice. This is to say that, contrary to other views that see Baptism and The Lord\u2019s Supper as Sacraments, Baptists see\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Bible Studies"","block_context":{"text":"Bible Studies","link":"https:\/\/amazinggbc.de\/de\/category\/bible-studies\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1080,"url":"https:\/\/amazinggbc.de\/de\/2018\/12\/14\/confessing-the-lordship-of-jesus-christ-by-rev-john-kwasi-fosu\/","url_meta":{"origin":964,"position":4},"title":"Confessing the Lordship of Jesus Christ, by Rev. John Kwasi Fosu","author":"revfosu","date":"Dezember 14, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Amazing Grace Baptist Church, Hamburg Bible Study Material on John 9:8-41 Introduction In the previous lesson, we learnt that Jesus had miraculously healed the blind man. Today\u2019s lesson demonstrates that the Pharisees found fault with Jesus because he miraculously healed the blind man on the Sabbath. Explaining the conflict (John\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Bible Studies"","block_context":{"text":"Bible Studies","link":"https:\/\/amazinggbc.de\/de\/category\/bible-studies\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":981,"url":"https:\/\/amazinggbc.de\/de\/2018\/11\/09\/believing-in-jesus-as-iam-rev-john-kwasi-fosu\/","url_meta":{"origin":964,"position":5},"title":"Believing in Jesus as \u201cIAM,\u201d Rev. John Kwasi Fosu","author":"revfosu","date":"November 9, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Amazing Grace Baptist Church, Hamburg Bible study material on John 8:21-30 Introduction John 8 presents Jesus\u2019 conflicts with the religious leaders of his day. In this chapter, Jesus presents some important contrasts. In John 8:21-30, Jesus brings out the idea of heaven and earth to demonstrate that having faith in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Bible Studies"","block_context":{"text":"Bible Studies","link":"https:\/\/amazinggbc.de\/de\/category\/bible-studies\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/amazinggbc.de\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/964","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/amazinggbc.de\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/amazinggbc.de\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amazinggbc.de\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/62474923"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amazinggbc.de\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=964"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/amazinggbc.de\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/964\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":965,"href":"https:\/\/amazinggbc.de\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/964\/revisions\/965"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/amazinggbc.de\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=964"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amazinggbc.de\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=964"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amazinggbc.de\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=964"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}