"I Am" Sermon Series - The Gate / door

A Sermon preached on Sunday 25th October in Lisburn Cathedral John 10:1-10

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of all our hearts

 be now and always acceptable in thy sight,

O Lord our strength and our redeemer. Amen.











<I Am - Introduction>



When we come to a passage like this one, particularly in the Gospels,

it is important that we ask a couple of questions.



· Who is Jesus speaking to?

· And why is Jesus saying what he is saying?



Because these words don’t simply appear out of nowhere.



Jesus speaks here about sheep and shepherds, gates and gatekeepers, thieves and robbers.



And then he makes this extraordinary statement:

“I am the gate.”



But to understand why Jesus says that, we need to look back at what has just happened.



The context

In John chapter 9, Jesus has healed a man who was born blind.

A man who has never been able to see can suddenly see.

You might imagine that everyone would be rejoicing.

But they aren’t.

The Pharisees question the man. They question his parents. 

They question the man again. They argue about Jesus.

And eventually they throw the man out.

And that’s important.

Because these are the religious leaders. 

These are the people who are supposed to be caring for God’s people.

They are supposed to be shepherds.

But instead of rejoicing that this man’s eyes have been opened, they reject him.

John 9 is about a man who was physically blind and is given sight.

But it is also about people who can physically see and yet are spiritually blind.

And it is to these same Pharisees that Jesus begins to speak in John 10.



So when Jesus starts talking about shepherds, thieves, robbers and strangers, 

this isn’t simply a nice rural illustration.

There is an edge to it.



Jesus here is answering some really important questions:

· Who can God’s people trust?

· Whose voice should they listen to?

· And where can they find life?



Hearing the shepherd’s voice

Jesus says:

“The sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.”



The picture would have been familiar to the people listening to Jesus.

Several flocks could be gathered together in a sheepfold. But the shepherd knew his sheep

and the sheep knew their shepherd.

When the shepherd called, his sheep recognised his voice and followed.

And Jesus says:

“He calls his own sheep by name.”



There is something wonderfully personal about that.

Christian faith is not simply about knowing things about Jesus.



It is about knowing Jesus - and being known by him.



The shepherd knows his sheep.


He calls them by name.

I suppose I would like to ask an important question :

Do we recognise the voice of Jesus?



Because there are plenty of voices in our world competing for our attention.

· Voices telling us what matters.

Voices telling us what we should be doing with our time, our money

· What success looks like.

· What we should fear.

· What will make us happy.

· Who we are.

And in the middle of all that noise, Jesus says that his sheep know his voice.



But How do we learn to recognise it?

· By spending time with him.

· Through Scripture.

· Through prayer.

· Through worship.

· Through the life of the Christian community.



We become familiar with the words and ways of Jesus so that we begin to

 recognise what sounds like him

and what doesn’t.



Strangers, thieves and robbers

Because of this Jesus also gives a warning.

· There are other voices.

· He talks about strangers, thieves and robbers.

And later he says:

· “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.”



<unknown Caller - extemporary >











Again, remember who Jesus is speaking to.

· The religious leaders have pushed a man away. Jesus has restored him.

· They have excluded him. Jesus has welcomed him.

· They have interrogated him. Jesus has given him sight and drawn him into faith.





Jesus contrasts leadership that gives life with leadership that takes life away.

And that is challenging for anyone entrusted with Christian leadership.

· Christian leadership is never about gathering people around ourselves.

· It is about helping people recognise and follow the voice of Jesus.



There is only one Good Shepherd.

And it isn’t any of us.




Our responsibility is to point beyond ourselves to him.




But the warning goes wider than church leadership.

· There are things which promise life but diminish it.

· Things which promise freedom but enslave us.

· Things which promise fulfilment but leave us empty.

Not every voice / everything we hear deserves to be followed.






Section 2 of the passage “I am the gate”

The Pharisees don’t understand what Jesus is saying.

So Jesus says:

“Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep.”

We might expect him to say:

“I am the shepherd.”

And, of course, a few verses later he will say exactly that:

“I am the good shepherd.”

But first:

“I am the gate.”



A sheepfold could be a fairly simple enclosure - walls surrounding the sheep,

with an opening through which they entered and left.

And Jesus takes that familiar picture and says:




That’s me.

“I am the gate.”



He says:

“Whoever enters through me will be saved.”

There is assurance in those words.

· Our salvation doesn’t ultimately depend upon how good we are.

· It doesn’t depend upon our religious performance.

· It doesn’t depend upon whether we have managed to get everything right.

It depends upon Jesus.



· We enter through him.

· We belong through him.

· We are saved through him.

But notice what Jesus says next:

V9 “They will come in and go out, and find pasture.”



Coming in and going out

There is movement here.

In and out.

They come in for security.

They go out to find pasture.

They are gathered and sent.



And there is a picture of the Christian life here.

We come in through Christ.

We discover that we are known, loved, forgiven and that we belong.

But Jesus doesn’t gather his people simply so that we can remain safely inside the sheepfold.

He leads us out.



Verse 3:

“He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.”

Verse 4:

“He goes on ahead of them.”



That’s mission.

We come in through Christ for salvation.

We go out with Christ in mission.

Gathered and sent.



And actually, that is the rhythm of what we do every Sunday.

We gather. We hear God’s Word. We pray. We worship. We encourage one another.

And then we go out.

Back into our homes, workplaces, schools, communities and friendships.



The question isn’t simply:

How do we get people in?

We also need to ask:

Where is Jesus leading us out?

And there is reassurance here.

Jesus isn’t sending the sheep somewhere he himself is unwilling to go.

“He goes on ahead of them.”



Mission isn’t us taking Jesus somewhere he isn’t already present.

It is following Jesus into the places where he is already at work.



The gate works both ways.

· We come in.

· And we go out.

· We are gathered.

· And we are sent.

Finding pasture

And what happens when we follow?

Jesus says:

“They will come in and go out, and find pasture.”



Pasture means provision.

Nourishment.

A place where the sheep can flourish.

And that brings us to the great promise at the end of this passage.



Jesus says:

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.”

But then:

“I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”



That’s what Jesus wants for his people.

Life.

· Not simply existence.

· Not simply religious observance.

· Not simply maintaining an institution.




Life in all its fullness.

· Life with God.

· Life shaped by grace.

· Life in which we know that we are known by name.

· Life in which we recognise the voice of the shepherd.

· Life in which we find our security in Christ and follow wherever he leads.



The gate isn’t an idea.

The gate isn’t a religious system.

The gate is a person.

Jesus himself.

And the one who says:

“I am the gate”



Also says:

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”

The shepherd who calls us by name is the shepherd who gives himself for us.





So what do we take away?



Three simple things.

Listen.

Whose voice are we listening to?

Among all the noise of life, are we learning to recognise the voice of Jesus?



Come in.

Jesus says:

“I am the gate.”

Our security, our forgiveness, our identity and our salvation are found in him.

And:

Go out.

Jesus doesn’t call us into the sheepfold simply to keep us there.

He calls us by name.

He leads us out.

And he goes ahead of us.

· Listen.

· Come in.

· Go out.




Know the Shepherd.

Enter through the Gate.

Follow where he leads.



Because the promise at the heart of it all is this:

“I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”



The shepherd knows us.

The shepherd calls us by name.

The gate is open.

The shepherd goes ahead.

And our calling is to follow.



Amen.

MU Area Service - Sermon

 A Sermon preach at MU Area service - Lisburn Cathedral - Sunday 18th June 2026 

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of all our hearts be now and always acceptable in thy sight, O Lord our strength and our redeemer. Amen.

It is wonderful to come together this afternoon as we celebrate 150 years of Mothers’ Union.

It is a privilege to preach at this service. My late grandmother was Enrolling Member for many years in Seapatrick Parish, and down through the years I’ve received so much support and encouragement from Mothers’ Union members. 

In Cork, I worked closely with MU members as they developed partnerships supporting women whose lives had been impacted by domestic abuse. And through that, and other connections, I’ve seen something of the remarkable work Mothers’ Union does with women and families, both locally and across the world.

Its been great to work with Christine and the group organising this service. 

The two readings I’ve chosen today speak about thanksgiving and growth.

Paul writes to the Church in Colossae:

“We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you.”

He has heard about their faith, their love and their hope & Practical work.

And then he says something which speaks wonderfully into our celebration today. He describes the Gospel as:

“bearing fruit and growing throughout the whole world.”

And 150 years after the beginnings of Mothers’ Union, perhaps those words give us good reason to rejoice.

• We look backwards with thanksgiving.

• We look around and see something of what God is doing.

• And we look forward with hope.

Christian thanksgiving isn’t simply nostalgia. 

Paul isn’t saying, “Wasn’t it wonderful what God did once?”

He gives thanks because God is still at work.

• The Gospel is still bearing fruit.

• The Gospel is still growing.

• Lives are still being changed.

Then Jesus gives us two wonderful pictures of how that Kingdom grows.

A mustard seed and some yeast.

• A tiny seed which you could almost lose between your fingers.

• And yeast which, once mixed into the flour, virtually disappears.

Neither seems particularly impressive.

Yet Jesus says:

“The kingdom of heaven is like…”

Like this.

• Small.

• Ordinary.

• Sometimes almost invisible.

• But growing.

And perhaps there couldn’t be two better pictures for 150 years of Mothers’ Union.

Because 150 years ago there wasn’t a worldwide organisation.

• There was Mary Sumner.

• There was a concern for mothers and families.

• There was faith, prayer and a willingness to do something.

There was a mustard seed.

It was planted. Others joined her. Others joined in. And it grew.

Today that mustard seed has become a worldwide Christian movement with millions of members across more than 80 countries.

Or, to borrow Paul’s language, it has borne fruit and grown throughout the world.

And that brings us wonderfully to this anniversary theme:

Join Us. Join In.

Join us.

Come and be part of this. There is room for you.

And join in.

Don’t simply stand at the edge and watch.

• Get involved.

• Play your part.

• Plant your seed.

But Jesus also talks about yeast.

Yeast works differently. It disappears into the flour. You can’t see it, but something is happening — quietly, gradually, from the inside out.

As well as the general kingdom of God – which Jesus talks about – it also seems to me a description of how MU’s ministry within the kingdom works as well 

There is the visible growth of 150 years.

But underneath it are countless acts of Christian faithfulness which nobody notices.

Here in Ireland there is support for families facing difficult circumstances, those affected by imprisonment 

and domestic abuse, older people and those experiencing isolation.

There is campaigning against gender-based violence.

And there are those ordinary acts of care which are almost impossible to count.

• A phone call.

• A visit.

• A cup of tea.

• A prayer.

• A lonely person remembered.

• Someone noticed.

• Someone cared for.

As a Church Leader - I want to thank you for this essential - so often unseen ministry which MU carries out. 

There is the yeast.

Quietly working its way through our churches and communities.

And across the world the same thing is happening.

Literacy programmes. Savings groups. Vocational training. Parenting support. Work challenging violence and injustice and strengthening families and communities.

Often it happens through Mothers’ Union members who are already part of those communities.

• They know the people.

• They understand the needs.

• They are neighbours and friends.

The yeast works from the inside out.

• A woman learning to read.

• A family getting a desperately needed break.

• A survivor discovering that she isn’t alone.

• A Christian noticing somebody whom everybody else has overlooked.

Small things?

Perhaps.

But Jesus says:

This is what the Kingdom of heaven is like.

And Paul says:

The Gospel is bearing fruit and growing throughout the world.

But there is another important part of our Colossians reading.

Paul doesn’t simply give thanks for what has happened.

He prays for what comes next.

He prays that they will know God’s will, live lives worthy of the Lord, bear fruit in every good work and grow in their knowledge of God.

And that is a wonderful prayer for Mothers’ Union at 150.

Because anniversaries naturally make us look backwards.

We remember the stories and celebrate those who have gone before us — and so we should.

But the question isn’t simply:

What did God do?

It is also:

What is God doing now?

And:

Where is God calling the MU next?

Mary Sumner looked at the needs of her generation and responded.

And down through the years Mothers’ Union has had to do the same.

The world isn’t the same as it was in the 1800s, the 1970s or even the 1990s.

As part of preparation for this I’ve been reading A History of Mothers’ Union - written in 2009 - In the foreword the Archbishop of Canterbury at the time Rowan Williams -and his wife Jane Williams wrote - “[MU] continues to gather people from diverse cultures around the focal imperatives of mission and service. Long may it continue to do so for the good of the church and the world.

Reading this book -  it occurs to me that there has - as with any organisation a journey of who MU has 

been down through the era’s - and making sure it continues to grow and develop remaining relevant. 

So the challenge is to keep asking:

• What are the pressures facing families today?

• Where are people lonely?

• Where are women and children vulnerable?

• Where are relationships struggling?

• Where are the new needs?

• And where might God be calling us to respond?

Some of your banners today remind us of Mary, the mother of Jesus — someone willing to risk saying yes to God and becoming part of his purposes.

So perhaps that is the challenge for Mothers’ Union today.

As individuals, as branches, as an area and as an organisation in the years ahead :

What radical yes might God be calling you to next?

And I want to leave you with three simple questions.

First: What seed can I plant?

• Who could you encourage?

• Who needs a phone call?

• Who could you pray for?

• What small act of kindness could you offer?

Sometimes we think:

“Somebody really should do something about that.”

And occasionally God answers:

“Yes. Why not you?”

Plant the seed that is in your hand.

Secondly: Where can I be the yeast?

Where has God already placed you?

In a family, a friendship, a workplace, a church or a community.

Perhaps there is a situation you cannot fix.

• But you can be present.

• You can listen.

• You can pray.

• You can bring kindness, hope and something of the presence of Jesus.

• Never underestimate what God can do through a faithful Christian presence.

And finally: Who can I invite to join in?

Because perhaps that is the particular challenge of this 150th anniversary.

Not simply to celebrate those who joined in before us, but to invite another generation to become part of what God is doing now.

Who could you invite?

Who might simply be waiting for somebody to say:

“There is a place for you. Come and join us.”

Jesus says the Kingdom begins like a mustard seed.

It works like yeast.

And Paul says the Gospel is bearing fruit and growing throughout the whole world.

That is the story we celebrate today.

And it is a story which is not finished.

So:

Plant one seed. Be the yeast where God has placed you. Invite one person to join in.

Three small things.

Nothing spectacular.

But then again 

the Kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed.

The Kingdom of heaven is like yeast.

And 150 years of Mothers’ Union reminds us what God can do when ordinary people faithfully say:

“Yes, I will join in.”

So today we rejoice.

We give thanks for what has been.

But we also look forward.

Plant the seed. Be the yeast. Join us. Join in.

And, in the words of Paul, may we continue:

“bearing fruit in every good work and growing in the knowledge of God.”

Amen.

 

Let us pray

Loving God,

we thank you for 150 years of Mothers’ Union,

for Mary Sumner and all who have followed her,

for seeds faithfully planted,

for lives and communities quietly transformed,

and for the Gospel which continues to bear fruit and grow throughout the world.

Give us courage to plant the seeds you place into our hands.

Help us to be like yeast,

bringing your love, hope and peace

into our families, churches and communities.

Show us the people who need to hear your invitation,

and give us courage to say:

“Join us. Join in.”

May we bear fruit in every good work,

grow in our knowledge of you,

and never underestimate the small things you can use for your Kingdom.

And as we give thanks for all that has been,

give us faith and hope for all that is still to come.

Through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

I AM Sayings of Jesus - Light of the world

Sermon preached in Lisburn Cathedral on 4th October 2026 

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of all our hearts be now and always acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, our strength and our redeemer. Amen.

Over these weeks we have been looking together at some of the great claims Jesus makes about himself in John’s Gospel.

And these claims matter because they take us right to the heart of the most important question we can ask:

Who is Jesus?

Not simply: What did Jesus teach?

Not: Was Jesus a good man?

Not even: Do I like what Jesus says?

But who is he?

Because if Jesus is who he claims to be, then that changes everything.

And this morning we come to another of those extraordinary claims.

Jesus says:

“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

Have you ever been in a dark place? How did it feel?

Darkness

<Zambia Story> Copper Mines 

The setting

The setting of this passage is important.

We’re around the time of the Feast of Tabernacles, or the Feast of Booths.

It was one of the great Jewish festivals, when the people remembered God’s provision for Israel in the wilderness.

And light formed part of the celebration.

Later Jewish tradition describes enormous golden lampstands being lit in the Temple courts.

 The Mishnah describes their light illuminating Jerusalem. 

Imagine that.

The Temple sitting high above the city and these enormous lamps burning through the darkness.

Just to give us some sense of scale, the tower and spire of Lisburn Cathedral together are around 95 feet high. But the tower is around 75 apprently same size as these 

So imagine enormous lights burning high above the Temple courts, visible across Jerusalem.

And those lights weren’t simply decorative.

For the people of Israel, light was full of meaning.

It recalled the pillar of fire by which God led his people through the wilderness.

It spoke of the presence of God.

It pointed towards God's promises.

Isaiah 60 says:

“Arise, shine, for your light has come,

and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.

See, darkness covers the earth

and thick darkness is over the peoples,

but the Lord rises upon you

and his glory appears over you.

Nations will come to your light,

and kings to the brightness of your dawn.”

And it is into that world, with all of those images and promises in people’s minds, that Jesus stands and declares:

“I am the light of the world.”

Notice what he doesn’t say.

He doesn’t say, “I can show you some light.”

He doesn’t say, “I’ve got some helpful teaching that might make life a little brighter.”

He doesn’t even say, “I know the way towards the light.”

He says:

“I am the light of the world.”

And not simply the light of Jerusalem.

Not simply the light of Israel.

The light of the world.

That’s an extraordinary claim.

Who is Jesus?

Light and darkness run right through John’s Gospel.

Right back at the beginning, in John chapter 1, John tells us:

“In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.”

And:

“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”

So when Jesus says, “I am the light of the world,” this isn’t an isolated illustration.

John wants us to understand something about the identity of Jesus.

This is who he is.

And that explains what happens next in our passage.

The religious leaders challenge him.

Essentially they say: You are appearing as your own witness. Why should we believe you?

And notice some of the language running through the passage:

• Witness.

• Testimony.

• Judgment.

• Judge.

• Identity.

It has almost the feel of a courtroom.

The question being examined is:

Who is this man?

Can his testimony be trusted?

Where has he come from?

Who sent him?

Who is his Father?

And Jesus keeps bringing them back to his relationship with the Father.

He knows where he has come from.

He knows where he is going.

He knows the Father who sent him.

And therefore his claim to be the Light of the World is rooted in his identity.

This isn’t Jesus simply offering people a philosophy for living.

He is revealing who he is.

And that matters enormously.

Because Christianity ultimately stands or falls on Jesus’ Identity .

A difficult verse

And that brings us to one of the hardest verses in this passage.

Jesus says:

“If you do not believe that I am he, you will indeed die in your sins.”

That’s jarring.

It jars against our twenty-first-century instincts.

We live in a world which often says: Believe whatever you want. Find whatever works for you. All roads ultimately amount to much the same thing.

But Jesus doesn’t speak like that.

He makes an enormous claim about himself.

He says that our response to him matters.

And the people listening to Jesus understood just how significant his claims were-which is precisely why they challenged him.

They knew he wasn’t merely saying, “Here’s another way of looking at life.”

He was claiming an identity and an authority which demanded a response.

And ultimately each one of us has to wrestle with that same question:

Who is Jesus?

Some of us here this morning have been following Jesus for many years.

We know him as Lord. We’ve entrusted our lives to him. And we’re trying-sometimes successfully and sometimes rather imperfectly-to make daily decisions which keep us close to him.

Others may be on a journey with all of this.

You’re asking questions.

Does this stand up?

Can I trust Jesus?

What would it actually mean for me to follow him?

And if that’s you, keep asking the questions.

Look at Jesus.

Look at his words.

Look at his actions.

Look at the cross.

Look at the resurrection.

Because Christianity isn’t asking us simply to believe an idea.

It is inviting us to encounter a person.

When darkness isn’t physical

But there may be others here for whom my question at the beginning-“Have you ever been in a dark place?”-immediately meant something completely different.

Because perhaps you have been in a dark place.

Perhaps you are in one now.

And changing the light bulb isn’t going to solve it.

Darkness can come in many forms.

Loss.

Uncertainty.

Fear.

Loneliness.

A relationship which has broken down.

A future which suddenly looks very different from the one we expected.

Questions we can’t answer.

Prayers which don’t seem to have been answered.

And sometimes Christian people can be far too quick to offer easy answers to difficult darkness.

Jesus does not promise here that those who follow him will never experience difficulty.

He doesn’t say that Christians will never grieve.

Or never struggle.

Or never become frightened.

His promise is much deeper:

“Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

In other words, we do not walk through the darkness alone.

Sometimes the light of Christ completely changes our circumstances.

But sometimes something else happens.

The circumstances haven’t changed yet-but suddenly we know who is with us.

A bit like that lift in Zambia.

When the churchwarden stepped into that lift, we were still hundreds of feet underground.

We were still going down.

It was still dark.

Nothing about our immediate circumstances had changed.

But now we knew something we hadn’t known before.

We understood where we were going.

And that changed how we experienced the journey.

There will be moments in the Christian life when faith looks something like that.

We don’t understand everything.

We can’t see very far ahead.

We may not even understand why the journey seems to be taking us further down rather than up.

But Christ says:

I am the Light of the World.

Follow me.

Trust me.

Walk with me.

We need light every day

And there is one final thing I want us to notice.

We don’t only need light when life becomes difficult.

We need light every day.

We need Christ on the wonderful days.

We need Christ on the terrible days.

But we also need Christ on the completely ordinary Tuesday afternoon when nothing particularly dramatic is happening.

Because following Jesus isn’t an emergency service we call when everything else has gone wrong.

It is a relationship.

It is walking in his light.

It is allowing his words to shape our decisions.

His character to shape our character.

His priorities to shape our priorities.

His love to shape how we treat the people around us.

And so perhaps there are three very simple questions for us to take away this morning.

Firstly: Who is Jesus to me?

Not simply who does the Church say he is?

Not who did my parents say he was?

But have I recognised him as the Light of the World and entrusted my life to him?

Secondly: Where do I need his light at the moment?

Perhaps there is something you are carrying this morning which feels very dark.

You don’t need a simplistic answer.

But perhaps you need to hear again the promise of Christ:

You are not walking there alone.

And perhaps, like that churchwarden appearing unexpectedly in a lift deep underground, we need to allow other people to bring something of the light of Christ into our darkness too.

To pray with us.

To listen.

To walk alongside us.

To remind us of things which, in the darkness, we struggle to see for ourselves.

And thirdly: Where can I carry Christ’s light this week?

Into our homes.

Our workplaces.

Our schools.

Our streets.

Our friendship groups.

Our communities here in Lisburn.

There are people around us walking through darkness.

We don’t need to pretend that we can solve everything.

We can’t.

But we can point towards the one who says:

“I am the light of the world.”

The one whom John tells us shines in the darkness.

The one whom the darkness has not overcome.

The one who knows where he has come from.

The one who knows where he is going.

And the one who calls us simply:

Follow me.

And perhaps this morning, wherever you find yourself-whether life feels wonderfully bright, painfully dark, or simply very ordinary-the invitation of Jesus is the same:

Come into the light.

Walk in the light.

And carry that light into the world.

Let us pray.

Jesus Bread of Life & his Claims

 Sermon preached on Sunday 20th September in Lisburn Cathedral at both 9.30 and 11am services

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be always acceptable in thy sight O Lord our strength and our redeemer. Amen 

Text John 6:25-51 

This morning we are rolling up our sleeves and getting stuck into a new sermon series which will take us between now and the end of November to complete- It’s also being woven into the home group series as well.  My hope is … in the sermons I’m preaching in this series will take into account some of the questions from the home group booklet but go beyond the scope of them as well to look at the passages a bit more widely.  

I do want to encourage you to open Bibles If you have them near you - It was quite a long passage this morning - It can be found on Page [xx] or it is John Chapter 6 - if you want to look it up on devices. 

The background to this passage is the Feeding of the 5,000 + people - Jesus is attracting crowds who are following him around - he is teaching and sharing with them important truths and not only is he teaching them but also showing them amazing things which are happening in front of them. By his words and actions he is displaying the inbreaking of the Kingdom. That God is with them. 

Firstly - I want would love us to see the importance in this passage about dialogue with Jesus. Look at how many times Jesus gets asked questions by the crowd around about him. 

He doesn’t just stand there and say these in a vacuum nor as a whole sermon -… what he’s doing is in response to the crowd and the needs in the crowd. 

It goes quickly from the ordinary - how did you get here  to the very deep questions very quickly 

Then they begin wondering as we do from time to time  - who is this and what’s he offering? 

There are all sorts of things going on in this passage - but when a crowd gathers anywhere there are differing understandings and a myriad of differing views and questions depending upon where they are and what they are up to. 

I suspect its the same here this morning - Disciples - those with L plates up, those who come with questions, those who are wondering and those who maybe dispute some of the things … its great that you’re all here today. 

The questions - the wonderings the quarreling and the searching things out are part of the adventure of faith - they have been from early days. 

Secondly this morning - I want to look at the claims which Jesus makes about himself 

 I don’t know if you’ve seen the ad for the FCA - the financial conduct authority - about scams - with the seal. There are many out to scam us with all sorts of claims.  Check it out Before you seal the deal.

We're rightly taught to be skeptical about claims that are too good to be true

If anyone was to stand up and make these claims in Lisburn town square on a saturday - I hope that person might be looked upon with skepism at the very least. We should be suspect of anyone making claims such as these. Finding out who they are and what authority them have is important 

It would be extremely difficult to believe if someone making these claims someone who said they have come 

• To satisfy our deepest needs and desires v35

• To come from God the Father v38

• To raise our bodies from the dead on the last day v40

• To be the source of eternal life v51

Those are some claims to make. 

In religiously charged Israel in the 1st Century - these were enough to get you killed! On Blasphemy charges and this is relatively early on in Jesus’ ministry life but he makes them unapologetically. 

Why would we take these claim seriously? - I suppose that is at the heart of what it means to be a Christian - a follower of Christ. Its these things that we have found these claims exactly to be true ...

CS Lewis famously said in his book Mere Christianity 

I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: “I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept His claim to be God.” That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic—on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg—or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronising nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.

C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity (New York: Touchstone/Simon & Schuster, 1996), pp. 55-56.

I want to pause on this for a moment. 

Our deepest needs - Knowing we’re loved and accepted - Knowing when the storms of life come - when the worst news comes through, when we’re faced with illness or grief - knowing that he is the one who can sustain us through the most difficult of days is important. 

The past couple of weeks I have had the privilege and opportunity to draw along side - those who have been through difficult times - Both planned visits and chance encounters with those who are ill, those facing terminal diagnosis, those overcoming operations and those undergoing tests. 

When friends have messaged to say they have had a unwanted diagnosis … or going through grief

When faced with ultimate issues and the fragility of our humanity or if we are in a state of grief for whatever reason - it is in these moments particularly that we need to hear these words. 

I once was taking a Bible study group - of seniors and they raised a question - or a sort of feeling - we’re not sure. These were people who had been coming to church all their life but they are wondering if when the time came these things are to be relied upon. 

The answer to the question can Christ be relied upon?, can these teachings be relied upon - the answer is simply yes! 

You might ask - why … how do you know? 

Quite simply because of who Jesus is - his identity in full. - we summarise it in the creeds of the church

• As the Son of God, as the one who knows the end from teh Beginning 

• The one who faced the reality  of death but was able to over come death through resurrection. 

• The one who is the Bread of life 

And also coupled with the witness and testimony of believers down through the years 

If it was anyone else saying these things then - no! 

• But because it was God’s one and only son 

• The word made flesh and who dwelt among us. 

• It’s because of Jesus that we can have confidence in what he said & What he did, what he is doing now and what he will do at the end of time! 

What’s also important to realise - Jesus said that he is bread of life … not just medicine for the sick

• This is not just a message for those who are sick or hurting - its for everyone 

• Life, meaning is for everyone, purpose, mission  - whatever we’re up to this week. 

• Bread - is eaten at all sorts of times in my house - particularly at lunch for sandwiches 

Whether we retired, student, pupil, working, not working - whatever we’re going through right now 

In another part of Johns Gospel we read - I have come so that you may have life to the full. 

Give us today our daily bread we pray in the Lord’s prayer

Thirdly this morning - I want to pick up on one of the claims this thing about Jesus being able to satisfy our deepest needs and desires 

I want to lean into this this morning 

When I go into Tescos or Greens or Lidl or wherever - there are all sorts of options when it comes to bread - I was amazed … In the supermarket you can find roughly 114 - I’ve done the research! - from my desk rather than going around the shop counting them! 

Some of the many ...

• Tesco White Toastie Bread Thick Sliced 800g

• Tesco Medium Sliced White Bread 800g

• Tesco Lightly Seeded White Bread Loaf 800g

• Tesco Multiseed Batch Medium Sliced White Loaf 800g

• Tesco Hi Fibre Seed Loaf 800g Sliced

• Tesco Hi Fibre Seed Loaf 400g Sliced

• Tesco Finest Wholemeal Loaf 800g

• Tesco Finest Wholemeal Seeds & Grains Loaf 800g

• Tesco Finest Super Seeded Sliced Farmhouse Loaf 800g

• Kingsmill 50/50 

• KIngsmill White 

• Ormea

• Veda 

• Brendans 

• Gluten Free 

• Many more 

There are all sorts of options that lie before us on a daily basis  so many choices we have - for our physical hunger to be satisfied 

But we do have another hunger - the one that Jesus is talking about - down through the years there always have been ways people have tried to satisfy and search for something that will satisfy - to try and fill our spiritual hunger - people try all sorts of things. 

As someone who found at a young age the Christian Gospel - I’ve not found anything that surpasses the teaching, the truth of the Gospel - and the truth is simply - I never will.  

That is a dangerous claim to make but it is the claim that Christians down through the centuries have found to be solid ground. Many have come into conflict because of it. 

For our physical hunger - yes we satisfy that with both good food and not so good junk food from whatever source tickles our fancy

But we will grow hungry again - thats natural 

For our spiritual hunger - some have described it as a God Shaped hole inside of us - however we describe it. Whatever ultimate questions we may be asking. 

The uniqueness of Christ - his actions, his teaching, the relationship we have with him - is able to quench our thirst and satisfy our desire - if we would turn to him. 

His actions - have made a way for us to find meaning and purpose, he has opened the gate of life to all. 

Sam writing in the Harvest Magazine this month has helpfully reminded us that we are called to be faithful followers of the Lord 

1.by being closer to the Lord.

2.by digging deeper into his word.

3.by building our lives on the Rock of salvation.

This is so important 

As I conclude this morning - bread - our everyday staple food - whatever bread you eat the 114 varieties which satisfy our physical needs - Whatever we have for breakfast, lunch and dinner  today and everyday this week - We need to eat healthly - in order to maintain a healthy lifestyle - Doctors & Health professionals will tell us that. It’s important! 

Tescos aparently have 4,622 products in “Fresh Food” and 8,489 products in “Food Cupboard. To satisfy our physical hunger 

Let’s remember that a key part of life is our spiritual hunger as well -  we’ve a need to satisfy our spiritual hunger and questions by meeting with the one who said and is the bread of life - there are all sorts of options presented by all sorts of people - BUT there is only one name under heaven that can fully satisfy   - Jesus Christ our lord and saviour.  The one and only. Nothing else satisfies.  - Come to him this morning. 

Let’s Pray