Got Bread? In this sermon, Laurel Bunker shares with us the all too common desire of humans to want more from God than Jesus. We all want to never be hungry, but we first have to realize that Jesus is the true source and nothing else will satisfy.
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Got Bread?
• Laurel Bunker
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The Pharisees liked to test Jesus. They never really believed Jesus. Whether it was miracles or teaching the truth about who He was, the Pharisees never fully trusted that Jesus was who he said he was. They could never really believe that Jesus was all that they needed.
On this occasion, they wanted a sign from Jesus. But not just any sign. They had just seen Jesus feeding thousands of people with only a few loaves of bread and a few fish. This was miracle. But miracles weren’t enough for the Pharisees. They wanted a pillar of flame to come from heaven and announce Jesus. They wanted the same thing that carried the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt. Little did they know something greater than a pillar of flame was right in front of them. And the Pharisees were not the only ones to misunderstand Jesus.
Jesus warns the disciples about the yeast of the Pharisees and Herod. But the disciples didn’t understand. Jesus was warning them about the perils of legalism and the things of this world pulling them away. But the disciples argued about who forgot the bread. They were hearing Jesus from a carnal and earthly perspective. And they aren’t too different from Christians today.
We sometimes hear Jesus carnally and not spiritually. Jesus calls us to walk by faith and not by sight. He wants us to jump out of the boat and follow him despite the storm. He wants us to believe that the sacrifice on the cross is greater than any sign or wonder that came before or will come after. No greater sign came from God than Jesus on the cross. Yet, we still look for the things of this world to show us God. We test and question, just like the Pharisees, and ask God to show up in this world and show us just a little more.
Got Bread? Have you eaten your spiritual food today and have been satisfied? Jesus wants you to partake of his spiritual food everyday. Just like a body cannot survive without food, he wants us to crave eating the spiritual food that is Jesus.
Jesus wants us to take the word and make it a part of our life. He wants us to know the truth so it can set us free. He wants us to stop looking at the things of this world and for more signs and wonders. Instead, he wants us to look to him and see the greatest sign of all. And not only to look, but to feel and understand and be renewed by it.
Jesus wants us to take the word out into the world to show them the light. The beauty of Jesus’ message wasn’t just for us to hide within ourselves. He wants each and every one of us to show that beauty by walking by faith. And walking by faith requires the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is our connection to the living bread that is Jesus.
Got Bread? Jesus is the living bread. He is always fresh and always moving. If you’ve got a hunger and a place of desperation that needs filling, go to Jesus. He is the only source that can satisfy. Life’s distractions are Satan’s attempts to feed us food that doesn’t satisfy. If we want the true source of spiritual food, we must turn to the Holy Spirit and find Jesus, our fresh and always moving, living bread.
Hide Extended SummaryTopics: Communion, Holy Spirit, Joy
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Focus Scripture:
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Mark 8:11-21
11 The Pharisees came and began to question Jesus. To test him, they asked him for a sign from heaven. 12 He sighed deeply and said, “Why does this generation ask for a sign? Truly I tell you, no sign will be given to it.” 13 Then he left them, got back into the boat and crossed to the other side.
14 The disciples had forgotten to bring bread, except for one loaf they had with them in the boat. 15 “Be careful,” Jesus warned them. “Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and that of Herod.”
16 They discussed this with one another and said, “It is because we have no bread.”
17 Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked them: “Why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not see or understand? Are your hearts hardened? 18 Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear? And don’t you remember? 19 When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?”
“Twelve,” they replied.
20 “And when I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?”
They answered, “Seven.”
21 He said to them, “Do you still not understand?”
3 thoughts on “Got Bread?”
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I think Greg’s message from the previous week (Re-framing the Sun) has been seminal in my thinking.
In Laurel’s message we have a classical situation of the disciples looking at a “big” problem of the lack of food and Jesus effectively saying, “Listen guys you need to re-frame your thinking here….you have seen other situations where I have met those needs, forget about that bread, and re-frame/focus on the true bread of life”. Israel were God’s chosen people….yet they did not/could not truly recognize the Son of God walking amongst them.
The disciples being Israelites were just as “blind” to Jesus as were the rest….and when Jesus questions Peter by saying “Who do you say that I am?”….Peter’s answer is correct…but Jesus then says “flesh and blood has not revealed this but my Father who is in Heaven”. They had not re-framed their thinking….they were still essentially living in the past.
It is incredible to see the mission of Jesus….sent by the Father amongst His own chosen people to effectively re-frame their thinking and, notwithstanding them wanting to see miracles done and people healed, were blind to who Jesus really was….dare I say, just people are today….as unless a man is born again it is impossible for him to see the Kingdom of God. This is why our old self is absolute dead weight if you are trying to hold onto it going forward….it is worthless!
In fact, it was Peter after the death of Christ who wanted to go back to fishing life as before, as if nothing had happened….his focus had not been re-framed…it was still set on the old way of thinking. It required the gift of the Holy Spirit to create in him (and us) new birth and a re-framing of his life with an eternal Kingdom focus….in fact Jesus gave Peter the keys of the Kingdom.
I had better stop here….but thanks yet again to Greg for such a simple yet so powerful message to open up the Gospel to a believer (start writing that book!) and for Laurel’s message which has further added to me what Greg has started and the Holy Spirit has nurtured.
Good message.
I was just reading something (by J. Preston Eby) on a different topic, but it mentions a few things that seem to fall in line with this message, and how people look for and seek God to show up outwardly (in the world, maybe as some sort of “sign”), rather than inwardly, through us, by His spirit. Here’s a link to the newsletter (part 3 of multi-part series): http://www.kingdombiblestudies.org/7spirits/7spirits03.htm
Here’s a cut/paste from that newsletter (I tried to keep it as short as possible..the article is 7 pages):
I am convinced that it is right at this point where so many of the Lord’s precious people need this teaching: “It is EXPEDIENT (advisable, desirable, advantageous, profitable, to your interest) for you THAT I GO AWAY.” Like those disciples, so many sincere Christians have believed in Jesus with all their hearts, love Him, and seek to follow Him – but, the Jesus they believe in, the Jesus they love, the Jesus they seek to follow and obey, is the Jesus in the picture of the wall; the Jesus with soft, penetrating eyes, flowing chestnut hair, fine chiseled features, well-trimmed beard, Galilean robe. The Jesus who preached to the multitudes, fed the five thousand, healed the sick with the touch of His hand, cleansed the leper, and who, weeping, cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth!” But, dear ones, even THAT JESUS, even the Jesus of the resurrection, COULD NOT STAY WITH HIS DISCIPLES. “It is expedient for you that I go away.” “If I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you.” “I will not leave you comfortless: I will come unto you.” Even the resurrected Jesus had to pass away from their midst before the exceeding great and precious promise of the Indwelling Spirit could be fulfilled.
How many of God’s dear saints are yet worshipping the Jesus of the flesh! Truly they believe on Him, love Him, and long to see Him when He comes. And yet, in their longing to see Him, some glad day after while! they find that He is not presently their satisfying portion, their all in all… To many it is a very difficult thing to set aside the Christ of the flesh, to know only the Christ of the Sprit; to set aside the Christ who works through the agencies of the external, through efforts, systems, ceremonies, methods, influences from without, of men and means, and come to know only Him who works INTERNALLY after the power of an endless life.
Excellent message, Laurel!
We want to comprehend so that we can predict, to predict so that we can control. This is why when we demand proof of God’s trustworthiness, “no sign will be given to” us “except the sign of Jonah” (cf. Matt 16:4 NRSV)
I pray that the Lord continues to use you to break forth the Word of Life!
Blessings,
Anthony