The Way of the Wilderness: The Bread of Life

Sermon Title: "Daily Bread in the Wilderness"

Text: Matthew 4:1-4; 14:13-22
Preacher: Alex Hogendoorn
Date: March 23, 2025

Summary Tagline:

"Jesus doesn’t just eat the bread of life—he is the bread of life."

Message Summary:

Alex began with a personal story of biking across Haida Gwaii with his son, exhausted and famished, reaching for overpriced Nutella just to refuel. The story paralleled the spiritual hunger we experience in the wilderness of life, leading into Matthew 4:1-4, where Jesus, after 40 days of fasting, is tempted to turn stones into bread. Rather than satisfying physical hunger, Jesus answers with “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” Alex emphasized that this isn’t a lesson in self-discipline, but a declaration that true life is found only in the Word of God—not just the Scriptures, but Jesus himself, the Living Word. Victory over temptation doesn’t come by quoting verses or sheer willpower—it comes by clinging to the one who already won.

Turning to Matthew 14, Alex showed Jesus grieving the death of John the Baptist and retreating into the wilderness—a desolate place. Yet even in his grief, Jesus overflows with compassion. When the disciples panic about feeding the crowds, Jesus doesn’t send them away. Instead, he says, “You give them something to eat.” Their five loaves and two fish weren’t enough—but Jesus wasn’t asking them to be enough. He asked them to bring what they had, and he made it overflow. Alex pointed out how this miracle mirrors the Lord’s Supper and taught us a new kind of kingdom math: the less you bring, the more God provides. In the wilderness of life, Jesus is not only the one who was fed by God’s Word—he is the bread of life who feeds the world.

Group Discussion Guide

Icebreaker Questions:

1. What’s the hungriest you’ve ever been? What were you craving, and what finally satisfied it?

2. Can you think of a time when you didn’t feel like you had enough—emotionally, spiritually, or practically—but saw God provide?

3. If you had to eat one food every day for a year, what would you pick—and why?

Read Matthew 4:1-4 and 14:13-22 together and discuss any questions that arise from the passage. Then use a few of these questions for further reflection.

Discussion Questions:

1. When Jesus said, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God,” what did he reveal about our deepest hunger? What are we truly longing for? Compare it to "his food" (John 4:34 below)

2. The whole world is "the wilderness"—there is nothing in it that can satisfy our deepest longing. Where do you see this truth play out in your life or in the world around you?

3. The disciples saw their resources as inadequate: “We have only…” Why is it so easy for us to focus on what we lack instead of trusting what Jesus can do with what we bring?

4. In the feeding of the 5,000, Jesus took, blessed, broke, and gave. This same pattern appears at the Lord’s Supper. How does this change the way you view communion? Should that same pattern multiply in our lives and communities?

5. Jesus teaches us to pray, “Give us this day our daily bread.” How does this prayer challenge our tendency to store, hoard, or live in fear of the future? What does it look like to truly live day by day, trusting in God's provision?

For Further Study:

1. Matthew 4:1-4 – Jesus resists temptation with total trust in the Father’s word.

2. John 4:34 – Jesus said to them, m“My food is nto do the will of him who sent me and oto accomplish his work.

3. John 6:32-35 – “I am the bread of life.”

4. Exodus 16:1-31 – God provides daily manna for Israel in the wilderness.

5. Deuteronomy 8:2-3 – God teaches Israel to depend on him for daily bread.

6. Psalm 34:8 – “Taste and see that the Lord is good.”

7. 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 – “My power is made perfect in weakness.”

8. Philippians 4:19 – God supplies all our needs in Christ Jesus.

9. Matthew 26:26-28 – The breaking of bread at the Last Supper.

10. Hebrews 4:15-16 – Jesus sympathizes with our weakness and provides grace.

Gospel Connections

Let’s discuss how we can apply this message to our lives as we seek to make the following connections as we follow Jesus:

1. How does feeding on the Word—Jesus himself—change the way you relate to God in seasons of spiritual hunger?

2. How can our church become a place where people come not only to be filled, but to bring what little they have and see it multiplied by God?

3. How can our group encourage one another to trust God's provision daily instead of holding back out of fear or self-protection?

4. What are some simple ways we can offer "bread" to our city—physical or spiritual—that reflect Jesus’ overflowing compassion?