First Baptist Church
March 1, 2026
      • Bible Trivia
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      • Exodus 34:6–7NKJV

  • His Name Is Wonderful
  • No, Not One
  • Jesus Your Name
  • Shine Jesus Shine
  • Introduction  We live in a world of "just a little bit more." We want a little more security, a little more comfort, and—if we’re being honest—a little more proof that God is on our side.
    In John 6, we find a crowd that is physically full but spiritually starving. They had just witnessed the miracle of the loaves and fishes, and now they’ve tracked Jesus across the lake. But Jesus sees right through their commute. He knows they aren't looking for a Savior; they’re looking for a caterer.

    I. Seeking Jesus for the Wrong Reasons (vv. 25–27)

    John 6:25–27 CSB
    25 When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you get here?” 26 Jesus answered, “Truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate the loaves and were filled. 27 Don’t work for the food that perishes but for the food that lasts for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set his seal of approval on him.”
    “You are looking for me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves.”
    The crowd is chasing Jesus for what He can give, not for who He is.
    They crossed the sea for more bread, not deeper belief
    Jesus exposes motive before offering truth
    Temporary satisfaction vs. eternal life
    At Costco, people will circle the store just to hit every free sample station. They’re not there for relationship with the brand—they’re there for what’s free. Once the samples stop, they’re gone.
    That’s the crowd in John 6. They chased Jesus across the sea, not because they wanted Him, but because yesterday He fed them lunch.
    Application
    Why do we seek Jesus?
    Comfort?
    Provision?
    Answers?
    Jesus isn’t a means to an end—He is the end

    II. The Work God Requires: Believe (vv. 28–34)

    John 6:28–34 CSB
    28 “What can we do to perform the works of God?” they asked. 29 Jesus replied, “This is the work of God—that you believe in the one he has sent.” 30 “What sign, then, are you going to do so that we may see and believe you?” they asked. “What are you going to perform? 31 Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, just as it is written: He gave them bread from heaven to eat.” 32 Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, Moses didn’t give you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is the one who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” 34 Then they said, “Sir, give us this bread always.”
    “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.”
    Salvation is not achieved—it’s received.
    The crowd asks for a task; Jesus offers trust
    They want another sign; they already have the Son
    They want manna; Jesus offers Himself
    Imagine trying to climb a ladder that’s leaning against the wrong wall. You can climb harder, faster, longer—but it will never get you where you’re trying to go.
    The crowd asks, “What must we do?” Jesus says, “Believe.”
    Tie-in: Religion says, climb. Jesus says, trust.
    Faith isn’t doing more—it’s leaning your life against the right foundation.
    Application
    Stop striving to earn what only faith can receive
    Faith isn’t passive—it’s personal trust in Jesus
    Transition: They ask for bread… and Jesus shocks them with the answer.

    III. Jesus, the Bread of Life (vv. 35–51)

    John 6:35–51 CSB
    35 “I am the bread of life,” Jesus told them. “No one who comes to me will ever be hungry, and no one who believes in me will ever be thirsty again. 36 But as I told you, you’ve seen me, and yet you do not believe. 37 Everyone the Father gives me will come to me, and the one who comes to me I will never cast out. 38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me. 39 This is the will of him who sent me: that I should lose none of those he has given me but should raise them up on the last day. 40 For this is the will of my Father: that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him will have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.” 41 Therefore the Jews started grumbling about him because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” 42 They were saying, “Isn’t this Jesus the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?” 43 Jesus answered them, “Stop grumbling among yourselves. 44 No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up on the last day. 45 It is written in the Prophets: And they will all be taught by God. Everyone who has listened to and learned from the Father comes to me— 46 not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God. He has seen the Father. 47 “Truly I tell you, anyone who believes has eternal life. 48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. 50 This is the bread that comes down from heaven so that anyone may eat of it and not die. 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread he will live forever. The bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”
    Only Jesus satisfies the deepest hunger of the human soul.
    One of the clearest “I AM” statements
    Bread is:
    Necessary
    Daily
    Sustaining
    Jesus is not a supplement—He’s essential
    Divine initiative: “All that the Father gives me…”
    Security of the believer: “I will never cast out…”
    You can snack all day—chips, candy, soda—and still sit down to dinner starving. Why? Because snacks trick your appetite without nourishing your body.
    We do the same spiritually:
    Success
    Entertainment
    Relationships
    Approval
    They distract hunger but don’t satisfy it.
    Tie-in: Jesus doesn’t say, “I’ll give you bread.” He says, “I AM the bread.”
    Application
    What are you feeding your soul?
    You can be full and still be starving spiritually

    IV. The Great Sifting (vv. 52–66)

    John 6:52–66 CSB
    52 At that, the Jews argued among themselves, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” 53 So Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life in yourselves. 54 The one who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day, 55 because my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink. 56 The one who eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him. 57 Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. 58 This is the bread that came down from heaven; it is not like the manna your ancestors ate—and they died. The one who eats this bread will live forever.” 59 He said these things while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum. 60 Therefore, when many of his disciples heard this, they said, “This teaching is hard. Who can accept it?” 61 Jesus, knowing in himself that his disciples were grumbling about this, asked them, “Does this offend you? 62 Then what if you were to observe the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? 63 The Spirit is the one who gives life. The flesh doesn’t help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life. 64 But there are some among you who don’t believe.” (For Jesus knew from the beginning those who did not believe and the one who would betray him.) 65 He said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted to him by the Father.” 66 From that moment many of his disciples turned back and no longer accompanied him.
    When Jesus defines the terms, many walk away.
    “Eat my flesh, drink my blood” → total dependence, not literal cannibalism
    Jesus refuses to soften truth to keep the crowd
    Popularity drops when truth confronts pride
    This is the moment where the "megachurch" of the five thousand begins to shrink. The crowds murmur. They say, "This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?"
    And here is the sobering truth of John 6: Jesus is willing to let people walk away. He doesn't chase them down with a revised marketing plan. He doesn't soften the message to make it more "seeker-friendly."
    No one walks out of a doctor’s office happy when the diagnosis is serious. But the problem isn’t the doctor—it’s the disease.
    Jesus doesn’t soften the truth to keep the crowd. He tells them what they need, not what they want.
    Tie-in: Truth that heals often hurts first.

    Application

    Following Jesus isn’t about convenience
    Discomfort is often the doorway to deeper faith
    Some leave because Jesus won’t fit their expectations
    Sobering moment:
    “After this many of his disciples turned back…”

    V. The Question That Matters Most (vv. 67–70)

    John 6:67–70 CSB
    67 So Jesus said to the Twelve, “You don’t want to go away too, do you?” 68 Simon Peter answered, “Lord, to whom will we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69 We have come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.” 70 Jesus replied to them, “Didn’t I choose you, the Twelve? Yet one of you is a devil.”
    “Do you want to go away as well?”
    Every disciple must decide: stay or walk away.
    Peter’s Confession
    “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.”
    Peter doesn’t say, "Lord, we understand everything perfectly." He doesn't even say, "We aren't confused." He simply realizes that even if the teaching is hard, the alternative is empty. He recognizes that Jesus isn't just offering a better life; He is offering Life itself.
    Peter doesn’t claim full understanding—only full trust
    Faith says: Even when it’s hard, You’re still the One
    Application
    When faith is tested, where will you go?
    There are many alternatives—but only one Savior
    Conclusion
    You can leave church full of information and still empty of life.
    The crowd ate bread and walked away hungry again. The disciples stayed—and found eternal life.
    Final Challenge: Are you following Jesus for what He provides… or because He is the Bread of Life?
    Closing Prayer Idea: “Lord, we don’t always understand You—but we choose to trust You. You alone have the words of eternal life.”

      • John 10:1–10NKJV

      • Acts 4:12NKJV

  • Invitation - Only Trust Him
First Baptist Church
office@fbcsimsboro.org
318-247-6504
http://www.fbcsimsboro.org
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