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I like bread -- probably more than I should. There's nothing like fresh, hot bread coming out of the oven and smeared with a little butter and some garlic . . . I hope all of you had breakfast this morning! When I regularly sat on your side of the pulpit, I used to think that the preacher purposefully waited until I was starving to preach on food!

Last year, my in-laws began to frequent the Johnny Carinos restaurants because they became enamored with the bread that they served. They would drive out of their way to find a location so that they could have a loaf or two or three! A couple of months ago they went in an sat down looking forward to a few dozen slices and were shocked when the waiter brought a different looking loaf. After they tasted it, they were disappointed to find out that something had changed! Their server said that it was the same recipe that they had always carried, but my in-laws knew better. Finally after getting the attention of the manager of the restaurant (they take their bread very seriously, you understand), it was confessed that the chain had decided that making their own bread was too costly and time consuming and so now all of the restaurants were hiring other people to pre-bake the bread. My in-laws were highly disappointed, because the new stuff just wasn't up to par with the old stuff! Johnny Carinos lost a valuable customer simply because they stopped serving the best bread!

Just for the record, the best bread ever given was produced by God, Himself. We read about the best bread of the Old Testament in our text in Exodus this morning. In Exodus chapter 16, God has just delivered Israel out of Egypt and now all million plus of them are in the wilderness in the middle of nowhere and hungry! Seeing that there were no buffets or Luby's available, God decided to do a novel thing. He decided to cause a special bread wafer to fall every morning from the sky to feed the Israelites.

The scriptures say that it came with the dew and every morning first thing, the land around the tents of Israel would be completely covered with a white wafer-like substance. The first morning that the Israelis walked outside and saw it, they said, "manhu," Hebrew for "what is it?" That first expression became the name for the bread from God and we call it "manna" today. God provided "what is it" everyday for the Israelites to eat. What it was, was the finest bread that man had ever eaten and Psalms 78 says this about it:

They might have eaten loaves prepared by exquisite chefs in Egypt, but never before had man ate a food that fell from heaven itself! It was hard to describe because there had never been anything like it!

Every morning for six days out of the week, they were to rise first thing and before they did anything else, gather manna for the day's meals. This "bread of angels" had some unique characteristics because the Bible says that when the sun rose high enough to burn off the morning dew, that the manna disappeared with it. Furthermore, if someone was unable because of age or physical impairment to gather only a little, and someone beside them was able to gather much more, then when the two men got into their tent and measured their gathering, they would find that they had exactly the same amount, about two quarts per person in their tent! It could be eaten in its gathered form or beaten in a flour and formed into cakes. It could be grilled and roasted or eaten raw. The taste was described in one place as "fine oil" and in another as "wafers with honey;" the Jewish rabbis say that it tasted different to every man to fulfill his or her unique likes. One thing was sure, though, that whatever you gathered that morning had to be used that day, because if any was kept overnight, it quickly bred worms and became putrid and stank! The only exception to this rule was on the day before the Sabbath, where Israel awoke each week to find a double portion on the ground and able to be gathered. The extra for that day kept overnight and was good on the Sabbath, and they needed it because on the Sabbath day, no manna fell!

This manna was nutritious enough to be a complete diet in itself -- the Israelites did not need any other food to live! There is nothing that man has made to compare with this bread that fell from heaven: it was unique in every way, and in every possible way that you could examine it, it was the best bread that man had ever tasted! How characteristic of our great God that when He provided His people sustenance, that He gave them the best bread!

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Now it would have been a waste of scriptural space and a waste of your time this morning to even learn about this bread, if it had not been for Jesus' teachings in our other text of John chapter 6. In probably the least understood teaching session of the time of Jesus' earthly ministry, Jesus began to talk to the multitudes after the feeding of the five thousand and began to tell the Jewish people, who were very familiar with the story of the manna falling in Moses' day, that He was "that bread of life." And that He was "that living bread that came down from heaven." In other words, He was telling us that there was more to the story of the manna in Moses' day than just simply being a neat way for God to feed His people, but the reason that God gave them bread in such a unique way was to foreshadow and teach us about Jesus Christ who was come!

The crowds did not understand it, in fact in that ominous-looking verse John 6:66, it is written that many of His followers got disillusioned because Jesus said that He was the bread from heaven and that they would have to "eat His flesh" in order to live. And so many, who did not understand, walked away from serving Him, never to return. And all because they missed on key part of His teaching found in verse 63 that "the words that I give you are spirit." In other words, Jesus was using natural terms to speak of spiritual things. He was not a cannibal with a bone through His nose, and was not endorsing or commanding cannibalism, but rather was speaking of partaking of His flesh in a spiritual sense. Just as the manna was the best bread of the Old Testament days, Jesus was the best bread of the New Testament era.

Jesus' teaching that day consisted of two main points, both of which I would like to preach to you today: First, that the manna of Moses' day was the best bread because it represented Jesus Christ and by studying that bread, we can learn many lessons about our Savior, and, second, that for all the likenesses of Jesus to the manna, yet Jesus Christ was even better than the bread of Moses' day! I believe it is the will of God for us to understand and receive both points today and not go away like many did then saying "I do not understand!"

Let's first consider that Jesus was the actual revelation of what God was trying to portray in the best bread given from heaven. With some thought and study it turns out that there are many similarities between the manna of old and Jesus. For example:

The Jews rejected Jesus because they thought that Joseph was His earthly father and they brought this up in our text chapter:

It's interesing to note that the Jews in several places of scripture insinuated that He was the product of unfaithfulness. For example, in John 8:41, they replied "we are not the sons of fornication" implying that Jesus was a result of sexual misconduct on the part of Mary.

What they missed is what many people miss today: that Jesus Christ was more than just a prophet and more than just a man! He was more than just a good moral teacher, because His father was not Joseph or any other mortal, but rather the Holy Spirit overshadowing Mary! Jesus was the invisible Spirit of God become flesh to come and die for you and I to pay the price of our sin! So make no mistake about it: Jesus may have been born in an earthly sense in a stable in Bethlehem, but it is like Micah said when he prophesied of that birth place:

There simply is no comparison between Jesus and ordinary men, because He is the "Ancient of Days" that has existed before time began! He truly is as Isaiah called Him "the everlasting Father!" (Isaiah 9:6) He is not an ordinary teacher doling out ordinary, take-it-or-leave-it concepts, but rather He is the "bread that came down from heaven!"

No offense to other so called "faiths," but there is no comparison between Jesus and Mohammad, or Jesus and Buddha. In fact they are not even in the same league because both Mohammad and Buddha had earthly parents only. Their origins are this earth and were only ordinary men with some strange ideas! But Jesus is "the image of the invisible God!" (Colossians 1:15) He is "God manifest in the flesh!" (1 Timothy 3:16) There simply is no comparison between the other so-called "spiritual breads" of this world and the bread that came down from heaven! He is by far the best! And let me say this: both Mohammad and Buddha died and are still dead, and Jesus died also, but He is not just the "bread from heaven," but the "living bread" because He got up on the third day and is alive forevermore!

Paul wrote the church in Colosse' and said in a much quoted verse around here:

Jesus is not "God junior" or "God the second." But rather He is all of God in bodily form. I want you to realize what that means. "Jehovah" means "He is" and refers to the fact that God Almighty is everything that He needs to be. He is all-sufficient! He is all-powerful! He has everything that you could possibly want!

And so you must realize that just as the manna of old perfectly fulfilled and met every physical need of the Jewish people, so does Jesus Christ perfectly fulfill and meet every spiritual need of the soul today! If you truly have Jesus, you don't need another, because He is everything! If you truly have Jesus, then you don't need the psychiatrist' office because He is the "wonderful counselor" (Isaiah 9:6)! When the doctors shake their head in frustration, you can still have hope because He is the "Great Physician!" He's everything the spiritual man needs to survive; the whole fullness of God dwells "in him!"

I don't know your spiritual need today. If it for something that you lack, then understand that Jesus is the provider of that thing, if you will turn to Him! He is the all-sustaining bread!

Just as the manna of old was always enough -- even for millions of Jews at one time -- so is Jesus Christ not stressed out by our many collective needs; no matter how big or small they are, He can handle it! It doesn't even matter if I have what to me seems a great need and a million other people also have such a great need at the same time, Jesus is able to meet all of them! Some Christians come tentatively to God as if He will run out of Spirit and blessings. They take a reluctant attitude towards the things of God and the promises of God as if He would fall short of being able to meet the expectations and fulfill the spiritual hunger of His people! You never find Jesus looking at the multitudes gathering around Him and saying "oh no, there are too many diseases here and too many big needs that I don't know if I have enough power to take care of them." You'll never find that in scripture, but you will find a verse like these:

"Healed them all!" He is the "all-powerful" drawing on unlimited resources! Jesus is the "best bread!"

Just as the Jews say that the manna of old had a unique taste all its own to meet everyman's needs, so does Jesus Christ manifest Himself into a special way and give of Himself to each in a personal manner. I come to God with needs that are different than yours and vice versa. The city gang member comes to God with different needs than the sinner in a country church. But city or country, Europe or America, rich or poor, Jesus perfectly tastes great to every situation! There are ways about Him that I cherish because of how He has revealed Himself in a personal time of need! And if you have tasted of Him, today, you can testify that He truly is the "friend that sticketh closer than a brother!"

But though He may move upon us in different ways and in a personal taste, there is one taste that we can agree on, just as there was one agreement about the manna of old: "He is sweet to the taste!" The scriptures say that He is "sweeter than the honeycomb!" If you don't understand what I mean when I make such statements then you need to obey the scripture that says:

If you will try Him for yourself, and partake of His mercy and His forgiveness and His blood and His Spirit and His ways and His Word and His promises, then you will know for yourself that He indeed is sweet and to be desired! I'm not here today because I feel like I have to be here, but rather because I have tasted and seen that He is to be desired and worth seeking after! He is the best bread; however far I have to drive to taste of Him is very much worth it!

I could have preached an entire sermon on this point, so grasp it well: the best, most nutritious, and tasty, bread is of no good to you if you only stand outside of the bakery and gaze through the window at it! You may hear about how good it is from those who have eaten of it, you may smell the aroma coming from the window, you may even touch a sample with your fingers, but until you make the effort to go inside, sit down, and consume it for yourself, it has done you no good!

So it was with the angel's food in the wilderness: God had provided and the nourishment and sweetness was freely available, but it was man's part to do as God had commanded and go gather it and eat of it! And so it is with Jesus Christ: He has paid the price for your sins and shed His blood and given of His Spirit, but it does you no good as long as you sit and do nothing! Get up and gather forgiveness for yourself by repenting at an altar! Get up and gather His blood's washing and cleansing power by being baptized in His name! Get up and drink of the living water of His Spirit by receiving it today! As long as you sit there in neglect, the best bread in the world has done you no good!

What a shame to let good bread go to waste! But how even worse it would be to let the "best bread" be unconsumed! Your lifestyle of sin indicates that you are starving to death, because you turn to the trash heaps of this world for fulfillment: why not try Jesus Christ? Why not fulfill that inner hunger with the "best bread!"

The manna of old did not fall to every group in the wilderness, but only to the people of Israel who chose to camp close to God's tabernacle and abide by His laws! There were other tribes there, but the manna only fell where His Spirit dwelt! Jesus shows up regularly to people today, but in Spirit form! You will only partake of Him if you hang around where the Spirit and Laws of the Lord abide!

Imagine the foolishness and incredulous example if someone were to be a "bread expert" and studied bread making extensively, and could quote you recipes and tell you the history of bread and recite the ingredients and the formula of every possible loaf, but had never actually eaten a slice for themselves! How crazy would that be?

And yet there are "Christians" who study the Bible and know scripture and verse and yet live their lives never having actually received the gift of the Holy Spirit! They have said that they have accepted Christ, but they have never received Him into their life by the indwelling Spirit of God! I don't know about you, but I want to be where the bread from heaven falls! I want to be where Jesus Christ regularly manifests Himself in Spirit form! I don't want to know all about the best bread and yet never have actually partaken of it myself!

Maybe there is someone here who has gone to church before and instead of the best bread, you received stale religion and moldy rituals. Today we have no such offering, but a fresh touch of God created just for this morning of your life! If the manna of old was kept from yesterday and they tried to live on the yesterday's blessings of God, it quickly grew rank and undesirable and ruined. That's how some churches are, I'll admit, they are still trying to present blessings of God that happened last year, last decade, or last century. For some it has been that long since the Spirit of Jesus swept through their services and made everything new!

But Jesus taught us to pray, "give us this day our daily bread" and today we have no stale offerings today but a brand new anointing and a fresh touch of God Almighty! Thank God for what He has done in the past, but we've got to have another touch today if He is to remain the "best bread!"

Six days the Israelis had to work to get fed themselves, but on the seventh day, they were able to eat of which they did not work to get. Today we don't celebrate the Sabbath per se, but we follow the early Apostolic church's example of meeting regularly for morning and evening services on the Lord's Day, Sunday. But the analogy applies. For six days you must dig your own blessing from the Word of God and lead your own self in praise and prayer. But on the seventh day, you can come into the house of God and through the man of God be fed revelation and blessings that you did not work for! And you can be spiritually renewed without any preparation yourself! Jesus is the "best bread!"

I like this! Throughout their journey, in the wilderness, Israel had good days and bad days and so-so days and they faced hard times and good times and sunshine and rain -- in fact, they faced forty years worth of everyday life in the wilderness! But for that entire forty years, they found no matter what the situation in their life, the manna was always there and never changed in quality!

That's the way Jesus Christ is! On your bad days, He's still God! On your good days, He's still on the throne! Whether it be highs or lows, He's not on the rollercoaster but it still merciful and caring and loving! When we are inconsistent, He's always the same! When we fall, He is still standing there for us! When we turn aside, we can always find Him right where we left Him! He is the best bread, and therefore He is always dependable and unchanging!

Which brings us to:

There is a natural manna that still exists today. It is a tree that exists around Mt. Sinai in the Egyptian desert called a "tarfa." A certain insect lives in the tarfa and punctures the skin to bore into the stem of the shrub. This puncture causes the plant to produce small round greyish grains of substance which then falls on the twigs and leaves of the plant. But here's the point: this production of "natural manna" only happens around the month of May for about six weeks. The Arabs gather it and boil and strain it to produce a honey like substance that they eat with bread. But it is very expensive and considered a delicacy because only about 600 or 700 pounds is able to be produced each year.

God did not use this natural manna to feed the Israelites because the manna that was provided by God fell enough every morning throughout all of the seasons every year to feed millions of people every day! And His manna was white and pure and not grey in color.

So it is with Jesus! The things that this world tries to provide to fulfill your spiritual hunger is sadly lacking in comparison! It is impure and will only leave you fulfilled for a short season, and then leave you starving! But Jesus is the "best manna" and He will be constant no matter the season and no matter the situation! The Jewish rabbis say that the manna from heaven had a "cleansing effect" in that it ridded the Israelis of the diseases and impurities that they had contracted in living in Egypt (see Exodus 15:26). And so where the offerings of this world only tears you down physically and spiritually, Jesus builds you up and cleanses your life to make you whole again! No matter what the world offers to take its place, the best bread of Jesus has no substitute!

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As our message this morning comes to a close, let us also realize that the similarities between the best bread of the Old Testament, and the best bread of the New Testament only go so far. If you compare the manna of old with Jesus, the new bread, you will find that Jesus is superior to the old "bread of angels" in at least three distinct ways:

If you would have taken the manna of Moses' day and placed in the mouth of a dead man, nothing would have happened because the bread was a dead object and placed into contact with another dead object, produces nothing. But when a person who as the scriptures says is "dead in trespasses and sins" comes to Jesus and partakes of the "living bread," then something miraculous occurs and the spiritually dead springs to life! Jesus is the "living bread" because He is the resurrection and the life! He is able to right now restore what has died in your life!

Jesus said Himself:

The people of Moses' day ate the bread of angels and it was good food, but eventually they died, despite having consumed such bread. But we who partake everyday of Jesus, we may fall asleep in this fleshly body and be buried, but we will rise again! Death is not final! Death has conquered nothing! Jesus is definitely the "best bread" because whoever daily eats of Him, will "live forever!"

When they got to the edge of the Promised Land, the scriptures say that the manna stopped and in order to eat, they had to enter into the land of Canaan and eat of the corn there. The scriptures say in the book of Revelation:

"I will give some of the hidden manna!" When we reach the other side of eternity, the manna of Jesus Christ's blessings and goodness will not cease but will last for forever throughout the endless ages! And it is promised to those who "conquer;" who "overcome!"

The table is set today, and the finest bread -- even greater than the manna of Moses' day -- is here for you to dine upon. Jesus Christ awaits with blessings and grace: come taste and see that the Lord, He is good! He truly is the best bread!