Worship Service – August 1, 2021

Sunday August 1,2021

Welcome our scripture is : John 6:24-40. The message this week I’ve titled: Wonder Bread,”The Bread of Life”.

Please open your bibles and follow along as I read: John 6:24-40.

John 6:24-40

The Bread of Life

(24) Once the crowd realized that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into the boats and went to Capernaum in search of Jesus.
(25) When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, “Rabbi, when did you get here?”
(26) Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, you are looking for me, not because you saw miraculous signs but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. (27) Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. On him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.”
(28) Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?”
(29) Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”
(30) So they asked him, “What miraculous sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do? (31) Our forefathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’ “
(32) Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. (33) For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”
(34) “Sir,” they said, “from now on give us this bread.”
(35) Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty. (36) But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe. (37) All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. (38) For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. (39) And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. (40) For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.”

This is the word of God, for the people of God. Thanks be to God.

In the gospel of John that we have just read, John gives us a typical interaction between Jesus and the always clueless crowds that followed him around. It’s clear here, as in so many parts of the gospels, that Jesus and the crowds are quite simply, not on the same page.
After all, Jesus had just performed a wonderful sign by feeding 5,000 people from a paltry amount of food. Last week we read what a great impression this made on the crowds (6:14), in fact, Jesus felt it necessary to slip away without attracting attention, to avoid being caught up in some political, king-making frenzy (6:15).
But now suddenly it seems that even that was not quite enough. The crowds wanted to see more. This desire for more blinds them to what is present to them at that very moment. “The Bread of Life.”
Aren’t we all blind at times? We don’t see what’s right under our noses. Have you ever went to your refrigerator or kitchen cupboard to retrieve something your certain you have and it’s right in front and you don’t see it, because it’s in a different container or on a different shelf than you envisioned.
Or you go to the store in search of a certain kind of item, and there’s just too many choices.
Recently Bonne gave me a list and sent me to pick up some bread and other items at the local grocery store. Grocery shopping isn’t one of the things I look forward to doing. While I was in the grocery store I discovered that the row of bread in our grocery store is seven shelves high and 25’ long, approximately. This 25’ row of bread is divided as follows and I believe that this division may be similar to your grocery store. At the far right, are all the very sweet breads such as Donuts,assorted pastries, cup cakes,Twinkies, and Brownies, you know, the good stuff, that’s probably bad for your health. The next set of breads are the bagels and I learned that bagels come in many different flavors and tastes. The next set of breads are the buns. These are numerous hot dog buns and hamburger buns. Next came the rolls. There were hard rolls, French rolls, sour dough rolls and a host of other rolls that often appear at our dinner table when Bonne is serving a more formal dinner. Then, after about 5’ of these breads, come the actual loaves of bread. I discovered that there were twelve grain breads, nine grain breads, eight grain breads, and the numbers of grains slowly declined until I got to the Wonder Bread which must have had no grains in it at all. You don’t suppose it’s made from the same thing as manna? Probably not. All I know is that there were to many to choose from, and by the time I found the bread I was sent for, I had forgotten to buy the other items I was sent to get, what I brought home was not all we needed.
Today aren’t we blinded by the different church organizations and their beliefs? So many to choose from. Whether you call yourself a Presbyterian, or a Methodist, a Baptist, a Catholic or any other body of people who profess to believe in God. Too much bread to choose from. Jesus said “For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”(vs. 33)
Then in verse 35, “Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.”
I think the crowd was suffering from this same kind of blindness. Verse 31 tells us they were looking for a” miraculous sign”, manna,”bread from heaven” like their forefathers received. They were looking for more “Wonder Bread”! Not the instructions, not the teaching they had received, from Jesus while they ate. They were like their forefathers who needed to be reminded by Moses. (Deuteronomy 8:1-3),”Be careful to follow every command I am giving you today, so that you may live and increase and may enter and possess the land that the Lord promised on oath to your forefathers. Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years, to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.”
Miraculous as the multiplication of the loaves and fish were, it was still just ordinary bread. The manna in the desert, the bread that had come straight as they put it,”from heaven”, was perhaps even more impressive. They had to be asking themselves; ”Can this Jesus pull off something like that? Can he top Moses?” Do you think they were looking for “Wonder Bread”?
The bread that the crowd ate that day, the Wonder Bread the “Bread of Life”, they received was more than manna, it was the teaching Jesus had given them. They had forgotten the rest of list,” that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.”
Well, of course, Jesus’ ultimate point in this chapter is that just by being there, just by standing in their presence, he already was topping Moses or anything else that had ever appeared on the earth. They were looking straight at the bread of life, that bread that had come down from heaven to be made in human form. But they missed it. They couldn’t see it.
And maybe part of the explanation for this is because they were still looking to the past. Still thinking more about what Moses did once upon a time than the new thing God was doing before their very eyes.
The people had been with Jesus and were fed. But they were apparently not satisfied with one miracle, the people set off in search of Jesus.
Some searches take people to unexpected places and give surprising results, history teach’s this. For example, Columbus searched for a new route to Asia and found America instead. Louis Pasteur tried to find a way to keep wine from souring and came up with the pasteurization process instead. Alexander Graham Bell wanted to improve the telegraph but wound up with the telephone.
There’s times when we as believers don’t find what we are searching for from God. Because we’re blind to the Wonder Bread God provided, the “Bread of Life“ which you received the day you excepted Christ as your Savior.
Always remember, that when the crowds located Jesus, he chides them for wanting more bread and missing the spiritual significance of the sign they received (6:25–26). He tells them, they ought to consume food provided by the Son of Man that leads to eternal life (6:27). ” That man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.”
Instead of searching they needed to be working. And there is only one work that God requires, and that is to believe in Jesus (6:28–29).
Today as we partake in “The Sacrament of Holy Communion”, remember, those of us who believe, have already received the Wonder Bread the “Bread of Life”. We need to search no longer, but to go about the work that God requires. (6:29) “Believe in the one he has sent.” Jesus the Bread of Life!
As the song writer of old wrote:

“His Name is Wonderful”.

His name is wonderful, His name is wonderful,His name is wonderful,
Jesus my Lord.
He is the mighty King. Master of everything.His name is wonderful.
Jesus my Lord.
He’s the Great Shepherd. The Rock of all ages. Almighty God is He.
Bow down before Him. Love and adore Him. His name is wonderful.
Jesus my Lord.
The prophet Isaiah said,
“His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, “mighty God, ” “everlasting Father, ” and “The Prince of Peace.”
“Jesus”–the only name given unto man whereby a man can be saved
For the scripture says He has given us a name that is high above all other names
That at the name of Jesus every knee will bow and every tongue will confess
That Jesus Christ is Lord.
In His Service
Pastor Joe
Listen To Audio: Sermon 20210801
Listen To Audio: Service 08012021

Prayer of Confession:   O Lord our God, we confess that we do not reflect your glory.  You deliver us from evil, but we continue to live in sin.  Your offer us new life, but we continue to live in fear.  Forgive us.  Restore and reorder our lives by the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, so that we may follow you faithfully, not counting the cost.  Help us to love because your first loved us.   Amen.

 ANNOUNCEMENTS

Pastor Joe will be available at the church on Thursday afternoon from 2 to 4.  If you need to speak to him, contact Pastor Joe at

570-267-4570 (cell) or Email: joe.s.travis@gmail.com

Social Hour today following worship.

Loose change (coins & bills), goes to Local Mission

Sunday School starts at 8:30am

Ladies meeting Thursday August 12th at 11.

All Ladies are invited to celebrate Paul and Emily’s upcoming wedding with a bridal shower for Emily on Saturday, August 14, from 1-3.  Please let Bonne know if you plan on attending.

Men’s Breakfast Wednesday August 18 at 8:00 A.M.

Session meets Tuesday, August 24, at 9am in the community building.

Newsletter Deadline – Tuesday August 31, 2021. 

Choir practice will begin Thursday, Sept. 2nd at 1:00! 

Please come a join us in singing praises to Jesus! 

Please sign up to host one of the social hours on the Sunday after Communion Service on the first Sunday of the month.  Hosting only means setting out what is brought and cleaning up afterward.  It does not mean bringing everything to share.

EMAIL address for the church has been changed to:  fhpc400@att.net  

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