Pastor, author, and Bible teacher, Alan Wright. There are many, many substitutes for real bread.
So we have a hunger, and we're tempted, allured by many, many, many opportunities to try to satisfy a hunger in a way that does not last. What Jesus says is you eat other kinds of bread and you die, but you eat this, the bread of heaven, and you live. That's Pastor Alan Wright. Welcome to another message of good news that will help you see your life in a whole new light.
Merry Christmas. I'm Daniel Britt, excited for you to hear the teaching today in the series, He Alone is Worthy, as presented at Rinaldo Church in North Carolina. If you're not able to stay with us throughout the entire program, I want to make sure you know how to get our special resource right now. It can be yours for your donation this month to Alan Wright Ministries. As you listen to today's message, go deeper as we send you today's special offer.
Contact us at pastoralan.org, that's pastoralan.org, or call 877-544-4860, 877-544-4860. More on this later in today's program. But now let's get started with the teaching for today.
Here is Alan Wright. Okay, Rinaldo, are you ready for some good news? If your soul's hungry, good. Jesus is the bread.
He's always, always that which nourishes. And so to say Jesus is the bread of heaven, the bread of life, is to say He is what you need, He's all you need, and He is all sufficient for your need. So maybe we get in touch with the deeper hungers of our life and we apprehend and experience more of God. We're talking about the worthiness of Jesus in our Advent series that relates to Advent readings along the theme of He alone is worthy.
And this text is taken from day nine of our readings, all about the story of the manna in the Old Testament and Jesus' claiming that story as being all about Him and the worthiness of Christ. I got a chuckle out of stumbling back upon a moment I had forgotten about when our daughter Abby, who is always, as long as I can remember, loved the Lord, even when she was little. And I don't know if she was four or maybe five, but she was given the prayer before the meal one evening. And she didn't just do a God is great, God is good, let us think. She was just praying her heart out.
She got to the end of her long, sweet prayer, and she just finished it just spontaneously by saying, and Lord, you're the most wonderful God I've ever had. And I thought, there's a lot of deep theology in that because there are many gods that are competing for our affection. There are many, many substitutes for real bread. So we have a hunger and we're tempted, allured by many, many, many opportunities to try to satisfy a hunger in a way that does not last. What Jesus says is you eat other kinds of bread and you die, but you eat of this the bread of heaven and you live. So He's speaking obviously metaphorically. He's talking about the substance of His grace.
And so last week we talked about the worthiness of Christ as the man of heaven and this week, a different image, the worthiness of Christ as the bread of heaven. So it got me thinking about hunger. We don't usually think philosophically about hunger. We just think I'm hungry, where's some food? But it got me thinking about hunger and kind of a weird thing, isn't it? Hunger's weird. It's weird in this way that it sort of hurts to be hungry, right? I mean, like you're hungry when at first you're hungry and you just, you wouldn't say it hurts. It just, it almost feels a little bit good. Like I'm hungry.
Oh, good. That means there must be some food I'm gonna be getting pretty soon. And so you feel, but then if you don't, if you don't eat, then it kind of hurts. But it's an unusual pain, isn't it? It's not like a pain that you get from a bruised muscle or a cut or a headache.
It's not like that. So hunger in a sense is a hurt. It's like a pain, but it hurts in a differently, completely differently than other kinds of hurts.
I think that's, I think that's interesting. And, and it's interesting also that when we're hungry, it's just, it's the kind of discomfort that's not like anything else. You can't, it's hard to function normally when you're, when you're hungry. We've got a word for when you're hungry and angry, hangry. And, and I don't know how you get when you're hungry, but it's, I can get, I can get, turn on some irritableness.
My son's like this, like he was most even tempered, but especially when he was a teenage boy, it was just like, all you had to do to keep me happy is regular meals. I mean, it's just like I said, you know, you miss one though and everything, everything like it's so hunger is weird like that, isn't it? Hunger is weird like that. Hunger, hunger is a pain that is accompanied by a massive longing to get that what you need.
It's weird. And, and, and so hunger is odd in this sense too, that it is a sort of painful, oddly hurt, hurtful type experience that you feel, but yet it is essential. And so it's, hunger is a God given trait of health. And if we aren't hungry and we don't get hungry, then something's wrong, right?
So it's, it's a big, it's a mark of being sick if you don't get hungry. I remember when, when Bennett was little, it was the first time that he had, he really got, didn't get sick much. I mean, it was the first time it happened and he started getting kind of irritable and he wasn't eating. And so we took him into the doctor and he said, oh, he's got, he's got two bad ear infections. And we are newborn parents who said, well, doctor, he's not been eating. And it just so happened, we were visiting Winston-Salem and we had taken him to see the pediatrician who had been my wife's pediatrician. This is an old wise pediatrician.
And he, I'll never forget it. He looked at it, he said, oh, he said, we're going to get some antibiotic in it. These ear infections are going to clear up and then he's going to want to eat everything.
And so we trusted that. And sure enough, as soon as the baby starts feeling better, hunger comes back, right? So it's a little odd that there is a kind of pain to hunger, but it is the essential man of health, hunger. And hunger is also, I'm just thinking philosophically about hunger to kind of paint you towards this metaphor that Jesus uses. And hunger is not a random craving. Hunger is not a random craving for a random pleasure.
It is the actual craving of what you need to live. Isn't it a good thing our bodies hunger? You don't have a situation where you say, you know, I just forgot to eat. I've been gone a whole week here and I just kind of forgot to eat.
If that happens, then something's wrong. And so God put into us this thing we call hunger to get us to move toward what we need in order to live. And here is another observation. Isn't it nice of God that he also gave us all these taste buds that we then get to enjoy the taste of the very thing that we need to keep us alive. And so we hurt and we hunger and then we enjoy and we are satisfied. And here's the final thing to say that's interesting about hunger is no matter how much you eat today, you will be hungry again tomorrow. How many people have said this before, like after the big Thanksgiving meal, I'm not going to eat for a week.
That's it. I'm done. And then about six hours later, five or six hours later, you're like, no, I lied.
I lied. Where's the leftover turkey? So God could have made us any way that he wanted to make us, but he made us so that we would be hungry and we'd have to eat. And that's not part of the sin world. That was in paradise. The Lord said to Adam and Eve, eat from any of the trees you want to, except for the one in the middle of the tree of naught. So every kind of delicious food was there. He made our bodies to have, listen to this, a rhythm of an odd sort of pain that makes us move toward and want the thing that will sustain our lives.
Isn't that interesting? And it becomes therefore the very rhythm of our life. It revolves around food and eating because we must. So all of this is to paint a portrait of something that is spiritual. And every one of those points that we're talking about food in some way is on display in the way our souls were designed. What I'm saying is the way our bodies were designed for physical food, our souls were designed for the food that is invisible, but is in Jesus himself. That there will be within us a longing and a pain that will always be there until we find it met in Jesus. That there is at the same time, this longing and this pain, it is also a delight to taste and see that the Lord is good. And that to be satisfied in Jesus is much like eating. It's not that you say, that was a wonderful worship experience. I don't ever have to worship again. No, it's just, it's like the feeding of your soul in a regular way.
And we must have it. And all of this goes forward to explain why Jesus began his ministry with a sermon on the Mount, where he made this statement in Matthew five, six, blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they shall be satisfied. So one of the most beautiful and wonderful things that could happen in your life is for you to get hungry for God. That's Alan Wright, and we'll have more teaching in a moment from today's important series. In a world that often feels overwhelming, we all seek moments of encouragement and hope as a heartfelt thank you for becoming a monthly partner with Alan Wright Ministries. We're excited to send you our blessing box featuring twenty four beautifully crafted cards filled with encouraging blessings from Pastor Alan. Each card offers daily inspiration and scripture on themes such as hope, strength, your identity in Christ, Thanksgiving and much more.
These blessings are designed to uplift your spirit, providing encouragement whenever you need a boost. This unique resource can be yours with our thanks as we welcome new monthly partners to the support family of Alan Wright Ministries. The gospel is shared when you give to Alan Wright Ministries. This broadcast is only possible because of listener financial support. When you give today, we will send you today's special offer. We are happy to send this to you as our thanks from Alan Wright Ministries. Call us at 877-544-4860. That's 877-544-4860 or come to our website, PastorAlan.org. Today's teaching now continues.
Here once again is Alan Wright. And there's a picture of this in the landscape of Israel's history. That is one of the most famous and beloved stories in the narrative of the Old Covenant about a time which the people have been delivered from slavery in Egypt. And they come into a wilderness where they get hungry.
And what is so interesting about it is that they they seem to forget the oppression of their slavery because their hunger now physically is just taking over. And God gives them this flaky white substance called manna. And it is a story that is all pointing to Jesus. But we start with the Old Testament story so that then you can understand why Jesus applies this to himself.
And so in Exodus 16 two, here's what we read. The whole congregation of the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. And the people of Israel said them, would that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt when we sat by the meat pots and ate bread to the full.
For you've brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger. So they were hungry. They were angry. They were hangry. And they glamorized and sentimentalized their past because all they could think about was their bellies needing food.
And suddenly they didn't think about slavery for what it was as slavery. All they could remember was, well, we had food. We had food when we were slaves in Egypt.
And they did have food. But note this, well, the slave owners gave the slaves food not because they loved them and not because they cared for them, but because they wanted to use them. And I was thinking a lot about that this week, that of all of the gods of this world and everything that would offer you the illusion of real nourishment and freedom and peace, you must understand every demon of hell would be delighted to give you some substitute food, not because you're loved, but because they want to use you. Exodus 16, 4, the Lord said to Moses, behold, I'm about to rain bread from heaven for you. So notice this first, that God is the one who gives this manna. And what's amazing about the story of the manna is that He gives despite their horrible attitude.
Aren't you thankful for a God who gives when we're at our worst or else we would have never had Jesus? So the gift comes from God, and Jesus later, as we'll see in John 6, 32, wants them to be reminded of this, truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father, my Father gives you the bread from heaven. Okay, back to Exodus 16, 4, but hold on, I'm about to rain bread from heaven. This is the phrase that Jesus is going to echo in John 6, bread from heaven. So remember that.
And then in 16, 4, would you read this? And the people shall go out and gather a day's portion every day. And so there's the everydayness of it.
This is the picture of it. It's like, this is a picture of grace. It is something that is continual.
It's something that is every day, just like the nature of hunger. And He says at the end of that verse, that I may test them. It isn't a picture of God like being a drill sergeant who's trying to give a hard exam that you won't pass. This is much more, when we talk about the testing of the Lord, it's much more like what our teachers used to say, this is a learning opportunity, or this is an opportunity to show all that you have been learning. But it really is that way with God.
And if people, I think have the wrong idea of God, oh, He's just testing me like He's just waiting for me to flunk like some drill sergeant. I was thinking about my nephew, Christopher, who when he did basic training at Fort Jackson, he says the hardest 10 weeks ever in his life. And one of the things that's like, you know, just the discipline around about every one of the rules, which included, you couldn't take any of the food from the mess hall, no contraband from the mess hall, but there was a Private Jones who just, he just couldn't do without his snack. So he kept, he kept pilfering, you know, snack bars and things.
And he got caught hiding some under his bunk and got in real trouble. And Chris just hearing, talking to him about the drill sergeant, just yelling Private Jones, what are you doing with, you know? And it's like, and he was just on the edge of getting kicked out. And they came up to like the second to the last day of basic training.
And they were doing that thing, you know, where you're skimming along on the ground, your elbows like this. And all of a sudden he made a move like that. And Private Jones, a snack bar fell out of his pocket.
That went, Private Jones, what are you doing? And I think a lot of people think of God's like that drill sergeant, you know, it's like, no, I think it's not that I may test them. I think what he's saying by this is that there's something happening in the manna story that God is saying, the principles here are essential.
You got to get this, the lessons learned through this, okay? And part of that is the dailiness of the manna and the provision of God. Exodus 16, 15, when the people of Israel saw it, they said to one another, what is it?
They did not know what it was. Interestingly, manna means, well, in Hebrew, it means what is it? So the word manna is actually just the Hebrew words that mean, what is it? That's the word for manna.
What is it? And often I kind of a chuckle thing about like, you know, a lot of times the grace of God comes like that. And it's like, God's providing in a surprising way. And it's like, what is this? You know, this isn't what I expected, but it's what you need, manna. And at the end of verse 15, it's the bread that the Lord has given you to eat.
There it is again. It's a gift, gift, gift. And notice the instructions, verse 16, this is what the Lord has commanded. Gather of it each of you. So it's a gift, but it needs to be gathered. It needs to be appropriated.
It doesn't just drop in your mouth. Grace is a gift, but there is a gathering. There are spiritual disciplines. There is the corporate worship of the people of God.
Y'all, we need each other. We can't just say, well, oh, God's grace provides. I'm just going to be separated from the body of Christ and never be with others.
We're going to miss something, right? His word is part of His gift to us. We're in His word, not because we're like, okay, I'm going to check off a box. We're in His word because it's part of His manna to us. So everything in the Christian life is a gift, but the gift is nonetheless appropriated.
That's part of the picture you've got of the manna. You just gather it. You don't make it. You don't create it.
You don't cause it. You don't deserve it. You didn't earn it, but gather it up and eat it. Gather it up, eat it.
Verse 16 says, gather it each of you. So it's to the person. You can't have someone else eat for you. You can't have someone else eat your food for you and you get the nourishment.
Each of you eat of it. Alan Wright, our Good News message. Worthy is the bread of heaven.
And it's from the series, He Alone is Worthy. Hey, stay with us. Pastor Alan is back joining me in the studio, sharing his parting Good News thought for this Christmas season and today in just a moment. In a world that often feels overwhelming, we all seek moments of encouragement and hope. As a heartfelt thank you for becoming a monthly partner with Alan Wright Ministries, we're excited to send you our blessing box featuring twenty four beautifully crafted cards filled with encouraging blessings from Pastor Alan. Each card offers daily inspiration and scripture on themes such as hope, strength, your identity in Christ, Thanksgiving and much more.
These blessings are designed to uplift your spirit, providing encouragement whenever you need a boost. This unique resource can be yours with our thanks as we welcome new monthly partners to the support family of Alan Wright Ministries. The gospel is shared when you give to Alan Wright Ministries. This broadcast is only possible because of listener financial support.
When you give today, we will send you today's special offer. We are happy to send this to you as our thanks from Alan Wright Ministries. Call us at 877-544-4860.
That's 877-544-4860. Or come to our website, PastorAlan.org. Back here in the studio with Pastor Alan and our parting Good News thought for the day. And I know what I think of this time of year. You've got to think of baked goods and breads and wonderful scrumptious foods. So that's my attempt at a tie in unworthy is the bread. People around the nation need to know there's a bakery here called Dewey's. And they make what is known as Moravian sugar cake.
And it's got the gooey, that gooey. We will fight each other for the gooiest part with the most sugar in it and all of those. But when Jesus is referencing the bread, that he's the bread, he's like the bread, we're not talking about sweets. We're talking about what is of substance. You know, some other cultures might translate this. If you're mainly your staple food is rice, you could say he's the rice of heaven or he's the potatoes or he's the. But it is to say he's all you need. It is to say he is the essence of what you need, he is the substance of what you need. And so it's a wonderful thing to think about the bread of heaven because Bethlehem, Bet is house and Rechem in Hebrew is bread.
Bethlehem, the house of bread where Jesus was born, the bread of life. If you only caught part of today's teaching, not only can you listen again online, but also get a daily email devotional that matches today's teaching delivered right to your email inbox free. Find out more about these and other resources at pastorallen.org. That's pastorallen.org. Today's good news message is a listener supported production of Allen Wright Ministries.
