WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:07.640 or what am I pinning my hopes on now or for the future? Whether we're Christian or not, 00:00:07.700 --> 00:00:12.880 to really honestly ask that question, what is my life built on? Where does my hope rest? 00:00:14.880 --> 00:00:19.760 And to push ourselves a little bit further, when I need it most, when I most need help 00:00:19.760 --> 00:00:27.760 and salvation, how does that thing, that person that I look to, how are they able to deliver? 00:00:27.760 --> 00:00:33.900 How do they stack up with Jesus? Sometimes, perhaps even if we're Christians, we come to rely on 00:00:33.900 --> 00:00:41.120 ourselves or our money or our intelligence or our families. So it's an invitation for us all to 00:00:41.120 --> 00:00:51.579 consider, is my life, is my hope bound up with Jesus as Redeemer? So today, who is the greatest of all 00:00:51.579 --> 00:00:57.299 time? Who's the great Redeemer, the great Savior, that we would all say He's Jesus and that we would 00:00:57.299 --> 00:01:03.619 worship? So like I say, there's four points of contact, and the first is to do with the Passover, 00:01:04.920 --> 00:01:13.280 where John wants us to recognize in his gospel that Jesus is the true Passover Lamb. So chapter 6 00:01:13.280 --> 00:01:18.879 begins, verse 4, verses with the setting. And in the setting, we see some parallels with the Moses story. 00:01:19.259 --> 00:01:25.840 So there are great crowds, just as Moses was leading a huge crowd into the wilderness. There's the 00:01:25.840 --> 00:01:32.260 mountainside meeting, here's Jesus on a mountain, Moses famously up the mountain meeting with God, 00:01:32.340 --> 00:01:39.400 and of course in verse 4, we're told the Jewish Passover festival was near. This Passover festival 00:01:39.400 --> 00:01:47.120 associated with the time of Moses in the first place, and the Exodus event, the time when God's people 00:01:47.120 --> 00:01:56.880 were set free from slavery in Egypt. Now, the Passover festival as event was the most significant 00:01:56.880 --> 00:02:04.780 one in the national life of God's people, Israel. The national mood would be one of great expectation 00:02:04.780 --> 00:02:13.420 and also of great longing, especially when we bear in mind what's happening in Jesus' day. Israel is under 00:02:13.420 --> 00:02:22.879 the occupation of Rome, Rome rules. And so there was a longing for a second Exodus event, freedom from Rome, 00:02:22.960 --> 00:02:31.300 just as there was freedom from Egypt. Reading this reminded me of the new coach of the Scottish 00:02:31.300 --> 00:02:38.260 women's football team, who's not native to Scotland, Pedro Loza is his name. And he was saying that as part 00:02:38.260 --> 00:02:44.100 of his sort of preparation for their opening game, he said that he's finally learned the anthem. 00:02:45.000 --> 00:02:51.780 Our anthem, like it or not, at the moment is Flower of Scotland for sporting events. And that theme 00:02:51.780 --> 00:03:02.479 in that song is the victory of Bruce over King Edward and English armies. And within that song, there's a longing 00:03:02.479 --> 00:03:12.979 for those days to be back again, days of independence. And what we see from the Exodus event and the 00:03:12.979 --> 00:03:18.020 longings of Israel, what we see from our own anthem, is that freedom is regarded as precious. 00:03:18.020 --> 00:03:28.640 And it often comes at a cost. Now, that may be war, but there is often cost to do with freedom. Now, 00:03:28.700 --> 00:03:33.800 when we think of the first Exodus event, as Israel enjoys their freedom from Egypt, 00:03:34.540 --> 00:03:39.500 there is a cost. And the cost is the Passover lamb. 00:03:39.500 --> 00:03:49.620 Israel were not perfect, pure, holy people compared to Egypt. Israel, too, were sinful. 00:03:50.939 --> 00:03:58.400 And for Israel to be spared God's judgment in Egypt, there needed to be a payment that was made. 00:03:59.319 --> 00:04:06.900 They could enjoy freedom because of the Passover lamb, which was both a substitute 00:04:06.900 --> 00:04:17.939 and a sacrifice. There was freedom for the people at the cost of the blood of all those lambs. 00:04:20.819 --> 00:04:28.920 Forgiveness, freedom comes at the cost of blood sacrifice, is the clear message of the Bible. And that 00:04:28.920 --> 00:04:35.740 speaks to the seriousness of our sin and our need. So come to the Passover festival. What are they doing? 00:04:35.740 --> 00:04:41.199 All these hundreds of years after that first time, they're remembering with thankfulness that God 00:04:41.199 --> 00:04:48.139 provided the payment to secure their freedom so that Israel could walk free to become God's people. 00:04:49.060 --> 00:04:53.840 And where was Moses in that? Moses was the leader. Moses is the one who gives the instructions from 00:04:53.840 --> 00:05:00.100 God. So we know how Moses is connected to the Passover. What about for Jesus? How's Jesus connected 00:05:00.100 --> 00:05:06.420 with the Passover? How can we say that he's greater than Moses in this regard? Well, we need to understand 00:05:06.420 --> 00:05:13.600 what John does in his gospel. And he does something really significant. In a sense, he brackets the 00:05:13.600 --> 00:05:21.040 ministry of Jesus around references to the Passover. So at the very beginning of Jesus' public ministry, 00:05:21.040 --> 00:05:25.260 John chapter 1 verse 29, you find John the Baptist saying, 00:05:26.939 --> 00:05:33.160 look, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. 00:05:35.020 --> 00:05:41.259 So that's the beginning of his ministry. And then on the cross, as Jesus has now died, John 19 36, 00:05:41.540 --> 00:05:48.920 we read, these things happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled. Not one of his bones will be 00:05:48.920 --> 00:05:54.220 broken, just like those Passover lambs. 00:05:55.040 --> 00:06:06.160 So Jesus is understood by John to be the true great Passover lamb. He is our sinless, perfect substitute. 00:06:07.680 --> 00:06:16.060 Jesus, the Son of God, is the one who bears the sin of his people, takes the judgment due to his people, 00:06:16.060 --> 00:06:24.600 faces the wrath of God that his people deserve. So that in believing in Jesus, 00:06:25.120 --> 00:06:33.600 we can know that our sin is forgiven, that our freedom has been secured, 00:06:34.600 --> 00:06:42.800 that we can know God, that we can have eternal life because of Jesus, the Passover lamb. 00:06:42.800 --> 00:06:48.600 So just as the Israelite in Egypt could say, I am walking free to meet with God, 00:06:48.699 --> 00:06:54.240 to live in the promised land because of the blood of the lamb and by God's grace, 00:06:55.180 --> 00:07:02.939 how much more is that true for each and every Christian? We walk in freedom as the people of God. 00:07:03.019 --> 00:07:12.040 We have God living with us. We have the hope of eternity because of the blood of Jesus. 00:07:12.040 --> 00:07:20.160 Jesus, our sinless Savior, and by God's grace in sending him to be that perfect gift for us. 00:07:21.360 --> 00:07:31.080 And that call for our worship calls for our joy, as we understand that no Savior loves like Jesus. 00:07:32.140 --> 00:07:40.040 No Savior rescues like Jesus. So Passover shows that Jesus is the greatest. Now we need to turn to 00:07:40.040 --> 00:07:46.460 the theme of bread, which takes us to the sign. In verse 5 to 13, we focus on the sign, 00:07:47.700 --> 00:07:55.860 and we see that Jesus is the bread of life as we anticipate where his teaching goes. You'll notice in 00:07:55.860 --> 00:08:04.100 verse 5 to 9 that there's a test, especially a test for Philip. Philip, Jesus says to him, 00:08:04.100 --> 00:08:12.520 where shall we buy bread for these people to eat? It's a test, we're told, in verse 6. The test is this. 00:08:13.100 --> 00:08:19.480 Philip, can you read the signs? Can you look at all that I have done? And can you understand my 00:08:19.480 --> 00:08:25.620 significance? Can you understand my identity in light of all that I have done? And can you trust 00:08:25.620 --> 00:08:32.379 that I can provide? And what we see is that Philip fails, doesn't he? He thinks, well, where are we 00:08:32.379 --> 00:08:39.379 going to find half a year's wages to provide enough food? And then Andrew, he fails to read the signs as 00:08:39.379 --> 00:08:45.700 well. He finds the boy with the packed lunch, but he doesn't understand how that could possibly 00:08:45.700 --> 00:08:55.080 get anywhere close to meeting needs. And then Jesus shows what he always intended to do. Verse 10, 00:08:55.220 --> 00:09:01.660 Jesus said, make the people sit down. Then he took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who 00:09:01.660 --> 00:09:07.720 were seated as much as he wanted. He did the same with the fish. So in a very controlled, very organized 00:09:07.720 --> 00:09:14.620 way, Jesus proceeds to feed a crowd of 5,000 men. You add women, you add children. This is a large 00:09:14.620 --> 00:09:24.820 crowd. Now again, some people like to try and remove the supernatural. The suggestion that some 00:09:24.820 --> 00:09:29.779 would give is, well, here's one boy, and look at his willingness to share his packed lunch. And so all 00:09:29.779 --> 00:09:33.580 of a sudden, everybody else is digging out their packed lunches, and there's this great bring and 00:09:33.580 --> 00:09:42.100 share supper going on. That's not what we're invited to see. We're invited to see another supernatural 00:09:42.100 --> 00:09:52.399 act by the Son of God, the Maker of all creation. Verse 12, when they'd all had enough to eat, 00:09:52.500 --> 00:09:59.180 he said to his disciples, gather the pieces left over. So they gathered them and filled 12 baskets 00:09:59.180 --> 00:10:07.420 with the pieces left over. What's going on there? We're being reminded that when Jesus acts, everyone 00:10:07.419 --> 00:10:15.439 is satisfied, and there's enough left over for the 12. I think it's fair to say there's symbolism there. 00:10:16.579 --> 00:10:24.579 12 tribes of Israel, 12 disciples, representative of the church. Jesus is enough, and more than enough, 00:10:25.120 --> 00:10:33.519 for you and for me. Now, how does this Jesus sign show that he's greater than Moses? How does this 00:10:33.519 --> 00:10:40.220 connect with what was going on in Moses' day? Well, if you know the story, as the people are set free 00:10:40.220 --> 00:10:45.240 from slavery, they find themselves after a while wandering in the wilderness, and they have no food, 00:10:45.279 --> 00:10:51.659 and they begin to grumble. And Moses prays, and God rains down bread from heaven, manna from heaven. 00:10:51.799 --> 00:11:00.399 Where's Moses in this? Moses is the leader of the people. But Jesus, in verse 32, says this, 00:11:00.399 --> 00:11:07.379 very truly, I tell you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it's my Father 00:11:07.379 --> 00:11:16.299 who gives you the true bread from heaven. So there's a reminder that Moses is not the miracle worker here, 00:11:16.299 --> 00:11:26.179 it's God's provision. But here in this sign, we're being invited to see here is Jesus as God 00:11:26.179 --> 00:11:36.519 giving this bread miraculously as a signpost to the fact that he is the bread of life. He gives bread, 00:11:36.639 --> 00:11:44.939 he is the bread of life. That's what he says in verse 35, I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me 00:11:44.939 --> 00:11:50.599 will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. 00:11:50.600 --> 00:11:59.659 One lockdown trend that perhaps some of us at least find ourselves involved in was the making of 00:11:59.659 --> 00:12:07.060 sourdough and sourdough bread. And for those of us who enjoy that, there's not much more satisfying 00:12:07.060 --> 00:12:16.120 than warm, freshly baked bread hot out of the oven. But we also know as good as that homemade bread is, 00:12:16.120 --> 00:12:21.399 the best of bakery bread, we will find ourselves hungry again. 00:12:22.960 --> 00:12:25.539 Is enjoying bread bad? No. 00:12:26.779 --> 00:12:32.440 Is enjoying our families, our jobs, our money bad? 00:12:33.940 --> 00:12:38.600 Not at all. Jesus is not saying all those things are bad and I'm good. 00:12:38.600 --> 00:12:49.259 Jesus would have us to enjoy food and friendship and family and finance and our work in the right 00:12:49.259 --> 00:12:57.560 context. That we would enjoy them as God's gift. We would enjoy them in relationship with God 00:12:57.560 --> 00:13:04.779 rather than trying to make them our God. And there's such a significant difference there. 00:13:04.779 --> 00:13:09.500 God's love. And there's such a significant difference there. And there's such a significant difference there. 00:13:09.500 --> 00:13:12.559 Don't trust in anything other than God, the Creator and Savior. 00:13:13.799 --> 00:13:19.259 Jesus. Don't trust in bread. Don't trust in anything other than me, the bread of life, to satisfy. 00:13:20.379 --> 00:13:26.839 This physical sign, the giving of bread, points to that spiritual, that deeper reality 00:13:26.839 --> 00:13:31.779 that Jesus and Jesus alone will satisfy our spiritual hunger. 00:13:31.779 --> 00:13:38.480 We have, as people, material needs. You know, we could go across every country, 00:13:38.899 --> 00:13:45.699 every continent and discover some shared material needs. But we could also go across every continent 00:13:45.699 --> 00:13:54.259 and discover those same deeper spiritual needs. As people, we need to love and to be loved. 00:13:54.259 --> 00:14:07.559 We need to have that sense of security. We need to know that we have value and purpose. And we need to know, 00:14:07.980 --> 00:14:14.100 even when many don't recognize, that we need to know how to connect with the living God. 00:14:14.100 --> 00:14:24.019 It's maybe not things that we often think or reflect on. Those deeper needs that we have. Perhaps we find 00:14:24.019 --> 00:14:31.920 ourselves so busy with just dealing with the material stuff of life. But if you have sort of thought about 00:14:31.920 --> 00:14:38.139 your quest to find those deep needs, perhaps, like me, you can recognize time that you have spent 00:14:38.139 --> 00:14:45.379 running down dead ends. Again, I was thinking about this through the week. Thinking about, 00:14:46.379 --> 00:14:52.059 as a teenager, I genuinely, I feel now that I genuinely thought that if I had the right pair 00:14:52.059 --> 00:14:57.899 of trainers on my feet, and if I was listening to the right music and the right bands, that somehow 00:14:57.899 --> 00:15:05.580 that would gain me enough security and approval that I could feel satisfied in life. And it seems 00:15:05.580 --> 00:15:14.340 so foolish, but often we find ourselves running down blind alleys looking for deep satisfaction 00:15:14.340 --> 00:15:19.180 in small places and in the wrong places. And it can feel like chasing the wind. 00:15:20.500 --> 00:15:25.460 We'll be met with disappointment. Those things are not big enough to hold our hopes and our dreams. But 00:15:25.460 --> 00:15:35.560 Jesus, what do we discover about Jesus when we trust him? To trust him is to know God's eternal 00:15:35.559 --> 00:15:44.439 love. The perfect love. The perfect love of Father, Son, and Spirit overflowing to us is our reality. 00:15:47.039 --> 00:16:00.719 We know welcome and adoption from God, the perfect Holy Father. We understand that God approves of us 00:16:00.720 --> 00:16:09.100 when we are in Jesus. When we are in Jesus. When he looks at us, he sees us as if we are as righteous as Jesus himself. 00:16:12.200 --> 00:16:20.680 When we are trusting in Jesus, we're built into God's kingdom. Every day we live to serve and bring glory 00:16:20.679 --> 00:16:33.959 to our God and Savior. Jesus, and Jesus alone will and does satisfy our deep hunger. 00:16:33.960 --> 00:16:44.759 So that's how the bread shows that Jesus is the greatest. What about when it comes to the prophet? 00:16:45.920 --> 00:16:53.259 This is in verses 14 and 15. So Jesus has just done this sign. A crowd is satisfied. There's baskets 00:16:53.259 --> 00:17:00.860 left over. What happens next? Verse 14, after the people saw the sign Jesus performed, they began to say, 00:17:00.860 --> 00:17:07.339 surely this is the prophet who's to come into the world. Jesus, knowing that they intended to come 00:17:07.339 --> 00:17:14.460 and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself. So the people read the sign, 00:17:15.740 --> 00:17:22.240 well Jesus must be the prophet, but they miss the significance. So I enforce him to be our king. 00:17:22.240 --> 00:17:30.220 We had that experience. We see a sign, but we don't really get its importance. And perhaps we just walk 00:17:30.220 --> 00:17:39.880 on by and we only discover later. Made me think of trying to drive through Belgium in the days before 00:17:39.880 --> 00:17:49.019 Google Maps. And coming in the early hours into this fairly small Belgian town and seeing a right-hand 00:17:49.019 --> 00:17:53.019 turn, thinking that was the way to go, seeing a sign, not having a clue what it said, so I kept on going, 00:17:53.559 --> 00:17:57.819 seeing some confused looks, some puzzled looks. It took me about half a mile before I realized I 00:17:57.819 --> 00:18:05.900 went on a cycle path. They make them bigger in Belgium. We can see the sign and miss the significance. 00:18:07.819 --> 00:18:15.900 And when that comes to Jesus, that is so, so costly. So back in Deuteronomy 18, 00:18:15.900 --> 00:18:21.880 the people remember Moses said, the Lord your God will raise up a prophet for you like me. Listen to 00:18:21.880 --> 00:18:27.700 him. So they see the sign. Well, this must be Jesus. He also provided the miracle of bread in 00:18:27.700 --> 00:18:33.240 the wilderness. If he's the promised prophet, well, let's make him king. And maybe he can be like Moses 00:18:33.240 --> 00:18:37.100 for us. He can lead another exodus. He can get rid of Rome and we can be free again. 00:18:37.099 --> 00:18:45.319 They wanted the kingdom of man. But Jesus, Jesus came to bring the kingdom of God. 00:18:47.899 --> 00:18:57.039 So they miss his true identity. Yes, Jesus is the prophet, but he's not come to be some kind of 00:18:57.039 --> 00:19:06.279 freedom fighter. He has come to reveal God's will for salvation, which runs much deeper than anything 00:19:06.279 --> 00:19:16.220 purely political. Jesus has come to bring freedom from sin. Freedom from that guilt we feel, that 00:19:16.220 --> 00:19:23.359 shame we feel before our God, because we know that all is not well with us, because we know that we have 00:19:23.359 --> 00:19:34.399 broken his commands. Jesus has come as prophet, bringing God's word to us as the word of God. 00:19:34.400 --> 00:19:43.440 John chapter 1. In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God. This is 00:19:43.440 --> 00:19:51.360 Jesus. He is the great word. Verse 18. No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son who is himself 00:19:51.360 --> 00:19:59.500 God, and is in the closest relationship with the Father, has made him known. Jesus comes to reveal God, 00:19:59.500 --> 00:20:07.119 and to reveal God's way of salvation. And they miss it, because all they want is freedom from Rome. 00:20:08.259 --> 00:20:15.940 Moses. Moses spoke with God up a mountain, but Jesus is God speaking to them from the mountain, 00:20:15.940 --> 00:20:22.079 and he's speaking for a purpose. Remember John's reason why he recorded these signs? 00:20:22.079 --> 00:20:31.899 John chapter 20, verse 31. These signs are written, that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, 00:20:32.899 --> 00:20:40.039 the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. So we need to understand the 00:20:40.039 --> 00:20:48.399 identity of Jesus, that he is God's anointed King, Messiah. He is the Son of God. We need to understand 00:20:48.400 --> 00:20:54.100 his ultimate goal in coming, that we might have life, true life, eternal life, knowing God with God, 00:20:55.100 --> 00:21:01.900 and that we would respond appropriately, that we would believe to have life in his name. 00:21:04.800 --> 00:21:09.500 So when we think about the prophet, we recognize Jesus is the greatest prophet. Jesus is the greatest 00:21:09.500 --> 00:21:18.100 redeemer of all time. One last point of connection takes us to the sea and to the boat. Verse 16 to 21, 00:21:18.099 --> 00:21:26.579 one is Jesus rescues on the sea. So the last parallel, a sea rescue. This is going to show Jesus again, 00:21:26.679 --> 00:21:35.519 greatest redeemer, greatest savior of all time. Some of us grew up near the sea. Some of us grew up on 00:21:35.519 --> 00:21:43.039 boats and with ferry crossings, and we know how powerful the sea is. Others perhaps maybe have never 00:21:43.039 --> 00:21:50.859 had the chance to witness that, experience that. We've been watching a surfing documentary based 00:21:50.859 --> 00:21:56.940 around what's regarded as the biggest and the baddest of all the waves to surf. It's called Jaws, 00:21:57.440 --> 00:22:06.659 off the coast of Hawaii. It sometimes goes as high as a hundred feet. It's a wall of water that big wave 00:22:06.660 --> 00:22:13.340 surfers will try and conquer. And one episode of that documentary followed the safety team. 00:22:14.500 --> 00:22:22.279 It was now essential that surfers have this backup team that will be there for when the wave wipes 00:22:22.279 --> 00:22:26.640 them out, and they're held under the water sometimes for one minute, sometimes two minutes. 00:22:27.340 --> 00:22:32.519 They can be swept a couple of hundred yards towards the rock. So it's essential there's that 00:22:32.519 --> 00:22:41.500 rescue team in that moment of intense danger. Even when you're a skilled waterman, the sea is a scary 00:22:41.500 --> 00:22:49.099 play. And that takes us to where our disciples are to snow. Look at verse 17. Here they are, 00:22:49.160 --> 00:22:55.619 they're in a boat, and they set off across the lake. By now it was dark. So we are in nighttime. 00:22:55.619 --> 00:23:05.779 It is pitch dark. And when the sky turns black, it is pitch black. Storm picks up. A strong wind was 00:23:05.779 --> 00:23:14.779 blowing, and the waters grew rough. We understand that they're far from shore. They'd rowed about three 00:23:14.779 --> 00:23:22.259 or four miles. No matter how experienced you are in the sea, this is not an experience you want 00:23:22.259 --> 00:23:29.599 to go through. This is a hard moment. But then there comes another miracle, and then a surprise. 00:23:30.599 --> 00:23:35.859 Verse 19. When they rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus approaching the boat, 00:23:36.779 --> 00:23:41.619 walking on the water. And they were frightened. 00:23:44.279 --> 00:23:50.480 There's a surprise. Here's their friend, their saviour Jesus. He's come to them 00:23:50.480 --> 00:23:59.860 with the power of God as the Son of God walking on the water. They have this new awareness of the power 00:23:59.860 --> 00:24:10.539 of Jesus. And there's fear. We ask ourselves, why is there fear? We can read on in verse 20. 00:24:10.539 --> 00:24:21.299 Jesus said to them, it is I. Don't be afraid. Or it is I am. Don't be afraid. 00:24:22.460 --> 00:24:28.180 Many commentators recognize here is Jesus using the Old Testament name of God. So what have we got here? 00:24:28.259 --> 00:24:35.440 We've got the fear that happens when sinful people are in the presence of their holy God. 00:24:35.440 --> 00:24:41.420 Like in Isaiah 6, the vision of the holy, holy, holy God in the temple. And Isaiah falls down and says, 00:24:41.519 --> 00:24:47.880 woe is me, I'm undone. And it's the typical reaction when a sinful person finds themselves in the presence 00:24:47.880 --> 00:24:58.000 of the holy God. They're seeing something new about Jesus. And it's bringing fear and awe and wonder. 00:24:58.000 --> 00:25:04.079 But then think about the mercy of Jesus. Jesus said, it is I. Don't be afraid. 00:25:05.779 --> 00:25:09.140 Then they were willing to take him into the boat. And immediately the boat reached the shore 00:25:09.140 --> 00:25:16.799 where they were heading. Why does Jesus come near? He comes near to comfort. He comes near to be present. 00:25:17.640 --> 00:25:19.460 He comes near to rescue. 00:25:19.460 --> 00:25:28.079 In this little scene, there's a beautiful picture of the uniqueness of Christianity. 00:25:29.299 --> 00:25:38.380 Not God at a distance, but a God who draws near. Jesus, our Emmanuel, God with us. 00:25:39.620 --> 00:25:44.680 In Jesus, we have the holy God who meets his people in grace and love. 00:25:44.680 --> 00:26:00.380 Jesus, who comes near to be present in the chaos, in the storms of our lives. 00:26:03.100 --> 00:26:12.400 Jesus, who draws near and invites us to trust him as the one who controls and the one who stills the storm. 00:26:12.400 --> 00:26:23.280 There is no savior like Jesus. One who walks with us, who is always for his people. 00:26:24.280 --> 00:26:28.460 He is the one we worship. He is the one we need. 00:26:30.820 --> 00:26:35.660 This sign, as with all the other signs, is one that we need to see correctly. 00:26:36.240 --> 00:26:38.460 And we need to respond to it correctly. 00:26:38.460 --> 00:26:50.120 As we close, we'll read together verse 27, where Jesus says to the crowd that don't get the significance, 00:26:51.120 --> 00:26:56.380 do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, 00:26:57.340 --> 00:26:58.880 which the Son of Man will give you. 00:26:59.620 --> 00:27:03.840 For on him God the Father has placed his seal of approval. 00:27:03.839 --> 00:27:14.439 We know, don't we, that life is short, that life is fragile, that life is uncertain. 00:27:15.639 --> 00:27:17.639 We know that to be true. 00:27:19.699 --> 00:27:21.319 This life is short. 00:27:23.699 --> 00:27:26.220 Eternity is infinitely long. 00:27:26.220 --> 00:27:31.220 Therefore, what does Jesus say to us? 00:27:31.319 --> 00:27:36.100 It is essential that we choose correctly what we live for. 00:27:37.740 --> 00:27:40.860 Don't settle for crumbs when Jesus offers a feast. 00:27:42.200 --> 00:27:45.620 Look beyond the gifts of this life to the giver of them all. 00:27:47.400 --> 00:27:48.740 Because who is Jesus? 00:27:49.740 --> 00:27:52.620 Jesus is God's approved agent. 00:27:52.619 --> 00:27:58.959 He comes revealing God, revealing God's heart, revealing God's salvation. 00:27:59.759 --> 00:28:02.599 We can trust Jesus to deliver. 00:28:04.899 --> 00:28:09.979 So we are all called to believe in him as the great Savior that we need. 00:28:10.979 --> 00:28:14.119 That we would enjoy him forever. 00:28:15.179 --> 00:28:16.959 Let's pray together. 00:28:16.960 --> 00:28:18.200 Lord, our Lord 00:28:18.200 --> 00:28:20.940 our Lord