JOHN 6:28-51

Lesson # 13

DO WE REALLY WANT MANNA?

I. Greetings:

II.?? Introduction:?? Re-thinking the Manna Story.

Q? What was Manna?

An =? Let them tell the story.? It was a miracle.? Exodus 16:2-5.

Q? Why was it given?

An =? It was to bless them, to sustain them.? It was to give them sustenance, to keep them alive.? It was also to develop them, it was to help them to see if they would trust the Lord.? The fact that they were only to gather what they needed for each day, and a double portion would fall on the day before the Sabbath, pointed to the fact that it was a chance to trust the Lord, to have faith.?

You feed animals, you feed your children, but you help your children to develop character as well.

Q? Why do you care physically for your children?

Q? Are children always grateful for the things you faithfully, daily provide for them?? Why?

Q? Was Israel grateful for the manna?

An = After their answers, notice that the giving of manna came in the midst of the Israelites grumbling.?

>>>> Have someone read Numbers 11:4-6.

>>>> Have someone read Numbers 21:5.

Q? Did Israel believe in the Lord and have faith in Him?

An = No what they did was grumble.? They ate, but they did not develop character.? They did not believe in God.? They did not trust.? They did not eat spiritually.

III.? Wanting a Sign:? Looking At Our Childhood.? John 6:28-40.

?? A.? What do We Really Want??? John 6:28-29.

>>>> Have someone read John 6:28-29.

Q? Who do they want in John 6:28?

An = They want to do the works of God.? They want God’s power among them.

Q? How does Jesus answer in John 6:29?

An =? He wanted them to believe in God’s messenger, in God’s Word to them that came from the messenger.? He wanted them to believe much like Moses and the Lord wanted the Israelites to believe while traveling in the wilderness.

>>>>? Have someone read John 6:1-2, 10-14. ????????Perhaps, they had seen the miracles Jesus had done (the signs of healing and the miraculous giving of bread) and wanted to be able to do that themselves.

RQ? What does that mean today???

Q? What do we want God to do with power for us?

Q? According to John 6:29, what would be the prerequisite for doing the works of God?

?? B.? Why Do We Want A Sign??? John 6:30-31.

>>>> Have someone read John 6:30-31.

Q? What do they want now?

An = They want a sign.?

Q? Have they already been given quite a few signs?

An = Yes they have!? Look at John 6:1-2 and the miracle of bread.

Q? Why do they say they want a sign?? What is really behind this request?

An = They are giving excuses.? They really do not want to believe.? They want the gifts and good fortune that comes from the power, but they really do not want to believe.

Q? Why do people not want to believe?? Is it true today?

?? C.? The True Bread From Heaven:?? John 6:32-40.

>>>> Have someone read John 6:32-40.

Q? What is Jesus saying?

Q? What does He mean when He says He is the bread of Heaven?

An = After their answers, then mention that Jesus believes He is necessary for their survival.? Also, this surely is a pre-figurement for communion.

Q? Can someone explain the meaning of communion or the Lord’s Supper?

An = We take Jesus into us.

Q? What is Jesus concerned about in John 6:35-36?

An = That He is the source of their life and that they do not believe.? They will not accept God and therefore they will die.

Q? What is Jesus promising in John 6:35,37.

An = He is promising sustenance for life:? relief from hunger and thirst (35).? He is promising acceptance:? they will not be rejected (37).

Q? Do people need these things today?

Q? How are we needy spiritually for relief from spiritual hunger and thirst today and how are we in need of spiritual acceptance?

Q? What is Jesus promising in John 6:39,40?

An = Jesus is promising resurrection.? He is promising life after death.? He will personally see to it that we are raised from the dead.? Given the fact that He is God and Lord of all life and death, that is a pretty significant promise, or offer, if you will.

Q? Do people today seek for a means of extending their life?

An = After they give their answers, you might point to the drastic efforts made by good diet, lack of stress, exercise, etc. as well as the more esoteric attempts at freezing the head, hoping for new scientific methods of reversing the death process.

People in America, for the most part, really fear death.

Q? Why do people want to live longer on this planet and are not, for the most part, seeking eternal life?

An = They do not believe!? They have no hope for a life in heaven.

IV.? Disbelief and Grumbling At Jesus Time:? John 6:41-51.

>>>> Have someone read John 6:41-42.

Q? Did those who saw Jesus then, God in the flesh, believe in Him?

An = No they did not despite all the miracles, etc.

Q? Why did they not believe?

An = First, they chose to grumble (a dangerous thing to do) and they now began to knock Jesus’ humble origins.

Note:? They never really discuss the proofs of His claims or the soundness of His logical claims.? They just grumble.

Q? Did the Israelites believe Moses or trust in the Lord when they were in the Wilderness?

An = No, neither did they.?

Note:? They were grumbling in 6:41 and Jesus calls their attention to it in 6:43.? They are much like the Israelites in Numbers 11 and 21 were about the manna.?

Note:? When we are upset with how life is going, it is alright to complain but we are to do so in prayer to God.? We are not to grumble.? It leads to disbelief.

It is easy to grumble.?? It is hard to pray.

>>>> Have someone read John 6:43-50.

Note:? Notice Jesus’ humility and persistence.? He repeats what He has been trying to say to them.? He wants them to believe.? He wants them to live.?

Jesus, like His Father, not only wants us to live, but is willing to pay enormous prices to give us life.

>>>> Have someone close by reading John 6:51.

Jesus will die for us that we may live.