Transcript
Speaker: You ever walked into the kitchen and opened up the refrigerator? Stared at it for a few seconds and then closed the door. Then come back five minutes later open up the refrigerator Somehow hoping that something new had appeared in there.
Speaker: We're looking for something in that refrigerator, but you're not quite sure what it is that's just going to satisfy you. Um... I know I'm not alone in that endeavor. There's another kind of hunger that food simply can't satisfy. We're going to look at that this morning.
Speaker: That type of hunger often... Sounds a little bit like this. You know, if the doctor gives me good news today... Then I'm gonna have peace If the kids or the grandkids are doing well,
Speaker: then you know I'll be okay. But just... Sock a little bit more money away. Then I'll feel secure. If God would just answer my prayer in this really specific way.
Speaker: My way. Then I'll feel At rest. And friends, there's nothing wrong with going to the Lord with desires like that. But the problem arises when we ask for something.
Speaker: Temporary To satisfy a hunger that only God can satisfy permanently. This is exactly where we find ourselves today in in John chapter 6. This crowd if you'll remember over the last few weeks that we've been walking through chapter 4, 5, and 6, this crowd is...
Speaker: Slowly turning, if I can use that word. First, Jesus takes these five loaves and these two fish, right? and he He miraculously multiplies those and then abundantly feeds. the scripture tells us about. 10 to 15 ,000 people.
Speaker: Then later that night... The disciples are out on the rough water. Do you remember that? We talked about that a couple weeks ago. And Jesus comes walking across the Sea of Galilee right in the middle of the storm. to calm his disciples and now We pick up that story this morning and it says when the crowd comes.
Speaker: They realize Jesus is gone that next morning. And they go out looking for him. And at first that sounds great. Hey, there's people out searching for Jesus. What could possibly be wrong with that?
Speaker: Well, Jesus knows something about this crowd that they have yet to understand fully about themselves. You see, they want Jesus primarily for what he can give them. They want another miracle?
Speaker: They want another meal. They want their needs satisfied. But Jesus is going to show them here in John chapter 6 that their greatest need is not another meal. It's not another miracle but it is the man himself, Jesus Christ.
Speaker: You may have come in this morning thinking to yourself, I'm ready for the pastor to... Deliver me up a meal.
Speaker: That's next Sunday or the following Sunday when we have potluck. The meal I'm prepared for you this whole week. is simply Jesus.
Speaker: There's one question that kind of runs all throughout this passage. I just want you to keep it in the back of your mind this morning. What am I asking to satisfy hunger that only Jesus can satisfy? What am I asking to satisfy a hunger that only Jesus can satisfy?
Speaker: Let's look here at John chapter 6, verse 22 and following. 22. through 25 says this says the next day the crowd that had stayed on the far shore, saw the disciples had taken...
Speaker: the only boat, and they realized Jesus had... not gone with them. Several boats from Tiberias landed near the place where the Lord had blessed the bread and the people had eaten. verse 24 says so When the to look for him.
Speaker: And when they found him on the other side of the lake, They asked, Rabbi... When did you get here? i love that That question. You've got gotta to give it up to this crowd. They're pretty persistent, aren't they?
Speaker: The length people will go to see a miracle. That's what I put in my notes. They're willing to cross the Sea of Galilee to find Jesus. And instead of asking... Hey, how did you get here?
Speaker: They ask, when did you get here? What they should have been asking is, why why are we coming to look for you? That would have been the better question for this these to stop or for this crowd to come look for him. Verse 26 says, look, Jesus replied, I tell you the truth.
Speaker: You want to be with me because I fed you, not because you understood the miraculous signs. Right away Jesus exposes their motive for being there, right? They had seen the miracle, but they had missed the sign.
Speaker: The feeding of that 5 ,000 pointed well beyond... Jesus. providing a little bit of bread. They were fascinated by that miracle. but they're not not with the man.
Speaker: They were fascinated by the gift. but not the giver. They had full stomachs, I put in my in my notes. Full stomach. Picture. of Just a belly being rubbed.
Speaker: Full stomachs? But they didn't understand what that meant. about Jesus. And it exposes, brothers and sisters, something that's very true about... our hearts as well today sometimes we can seek god for what we think God can do for us.
Speaker: Lord, fix this. Lord, heal this. Lord provide this. Just like I heard the other day, Lord, why don't you change this?
Speaker: But there's nothing wrong with those tops of... requests, those type of prayers that we bring to God. Jesus himself teaches us that we are to pray for our daily bread. But the problem is when our relationship with... ah God becomes a little more than a transaction.
Speaker: We begin treating Jesus as though... His primary purpose is to make our lives. Better. the way we want it to be And when he does... We're ha - Help me! Right? When things are going great in your life, man, it's happy. I'm so happy to give Jesus all the glory.
Speaker: But when our life doesn't go the way we plan, What do we do? We'd start doubting. Jesus, where did you go?
Speaker: The crown! In our passage this morning, once another breakfast, Jesus is going to offer them eternal life. They're thinking about today. Jesus is going to think about eternity. Look at verse 27 with me.
Speaker: Verse 27 says, Don't be so concerned about the perishable things like food. Spend your energy seeking the eternal life that the Son of Man can give you.
Speaker: For God the Father has given me the seal of approval. He's not saying that food doesn't matter. He's not saying that your job doesn't matter. Your bills don't matter. Your health doesn't matter.
Speaker: Providing for your family doesn't matter. No, he's confronting our tendency to live as though these temporary things... are the ultimate things And they're not. That's our first note that we have today. First thing I want you to write down this. Sunday so that you can review this week.
Speaker: The temporary things of life. are not the ultimate things in life.
Speaker: everything we spend our lives accumulating. eventually expires.
Speaker: The food that we purchase. See you all. Wednesday night. It expires in the fridge back here if we don't eat it fast enough. Those things you bought that you can't wait to save up for and you bought those new shoes that new dress that new shirt eventually will wear out Speaking of my good brother, Monty.
Speaker: This morning. He confirmed to me that even the warranty on our bodies Where's out with age?
Speaker: I told him. The older you get, when that horse throws you off that... Top of it. His back, that's that's a young man's sport. Don't take many times getting thrown off to realize how old we're getting.
Speaker: Even the best gifts that God give up gives us in this life were never designed. To satisfy the depths of our soul.
Speaker: He says, What does endure? to eternal life. Listen to the words he yoat uses here. He says, the Son of Man. We'll give it to you. He's already preparing the crowd for what's coming.
Speaker: So I just put a note to myself, before we jump into what Jesus is really going to teach today, I think a question worth asking is, why are we following Jesus?
Speaker: Would Jesus still be enough if I could put it this way this morning? If that prayer that you've been desperately praying. It doesn't get answered the way you want it. Is he still enough?
Speaker: Would he still be enough if my circumstances didn't improve? Would he still be worthy of me following him? If it became harder, then it became easier.
Speaker: Do we want Jesus primarily for his gifts or do we want him because he is the gift? He is the treasure. The crowd hears Jesus talk about eternal life, and immediately they want to know what? This is great. Look at verse 28.
Speaker: Later, bud We... we too want... to perform God's works. How do we do that? What should we do? The natural instinct of the human heart.
Speaker: When it comes to religion, isn't it? Just give me a list. Where's all my type A people today? I'm looking out here at the crowd for you. You're chuckling and you're squirming. Give me a punch list.
Speaker: How much do I need to pray? How much do I need to give? How often do I need to attend church? How good do I have to become? Surely there's something I can do just enough that God will accept me.
Speaker: But listen, Jesus. Verse 29, he says, Jesus told them. This is the only work God wants from you. Believe in the one who sent.
Speaker: And that answer turns up everything upside down for them, doesn't it? They said, give us something to perform God's works. The plural, right? Plural. Give us something that we can do God's works. He says, no, I'm only going to give you one thing.
Speaker: You don't get a list. You get one thing, and that thing is to believe. Notice he doesn't say believe in yourself. He doesn't say try harder. He doesn't say become more religious, attend more church, go to more Bible studies.
Speaker: He says, believe in the one God has sent.
Speaker: Brothers and sisters, Christianity has always been centered on the person of Christ. Salvation is not about what you can do for God. It's about what God's already done for you. He's already accomplished. Everything you need through his son, all you simply need to do is...
Speaker: Believe. or trust. Or appropriate is the word I used in my notes today. What does appropriate mean? Fancy word? Eat it!
Speaker: Eat it. means to consume it. Make it part of who you are. What's the best way that I can make this illustration. Jesus says, I am the bread of life. We're going to see that here in a few seconds.
Speaker: He says, you really want to know me? You have to consume me. I have to become part of who you are. That answer turns everything upside down.
Speaker: When we put our faith, our complete faith, In Jesus Christ. And what he accomplished on the cross. That changes your life and it changes my life.
Speaker: Radically.
Speaker: sisters. Why?
Speaker: Second note. This week, I want you to write down.
Speaker: Obedience is the fruit of salvation it's not the root of salvation.
Speaker: We don't obey Christ. so that he'll save us? We obey Christ because he's already saved us. You notice that? It's on one side of the equation and not the other.
Speaker: We obey. Jesus Because he saved us. Not so that he'll save us. And that distinction matters. enormously. Because if your salvation depends upon how good you...
Speaker: we're doing Or did? or on your performance, how would you ever know? if you've done enough to earn it.
Speaker: Some of us. Still approach God this way today. As if he's keeping some type of scale in heaven. I drew up my notes, a little picture of a scale. This week I've been pretty good, so I think... I'm pretty okay with God.
Speaker: Oh last week, that was a terrible week. Woof. I'm sure he didn't want anything to do with me.
Speaker: Neither one of those is the gospel by the way.
Speaker: Your hope before God is not that you had a good week or a bad week. Your hope is... is is purely in Jesus Christ and Him alone. And when we understand grace correctly,
Speaker: It doesn't care. doesn't um make us careless about obedience it's just the other way around it makes us grateful It makes us excited to obey. Because we knew what Jesus has already done for us. us.
Speaker: We obey him because we're not trying to convince him to love us. It's because he's already loved us. How do I know he's already loved us? Because he sent Jesus to die for us.
Speaker: But like many, today. They're just like this crowd in the passage. They still don't get it. He's already fed five to ten thousand people with just five loaves and two fish.
Speaker: And yet, remarkably, look at how verse 30 looks. Look at verse 30 with me.
Speaker: You gotta love it. They answered. Hey, why don't you just show us another side?
Speaker: Don't you love that? I love verse 30.
Speaker: You almost want to stop and say, where were you yesterday? Were you here yesterday when I did all the feeding? Miracle?
Speaker: Weren't you witnesses to all that? And yet you want another miracle? Luke verse 31 says, And after all, our ancestors ate manna while they... Journey through the wilderness. And the scriptures say Moses gave them. bread from heaven.
Speaker: Now, if you don't know the story of... of moses and and the manna it might not make a great illustration but Let me tell you, ah John's kind of pulling back the covers a little bit here and he's letting you know what this crowd is thinking.
Speaker: They're saying Moses! fed our people for 40 years with manna from heaven, the bread that came down out of heaven. So Jesus, you want us to believe that you're somehow greater than Moses? Well, you better start getting that bread bread a coming. I need to see a few more miracles.
Speaker: But Jesus corrects him. Look at verse 32. He says, I tell you the truth. Moses didn't give you bread from heaven. My father did. And now he offers you the true bread from heaven. They misunderstood both Moses and Jesus.
Speaker: Moses didn't give them the bread. He wasn't the source. God was the source. And the manna itself was pointing to something much greater. right The manna... For the Israelites were something temporary. They were hungry in the wilderness. They got manna for that day. And it was just their daily bread. That's where we get.
Speaker: Give us our daily bread from.
Speaker: Jesus says, That manna was something temporary, and it only satisfied for for a day. What I give is permanent, and it satisfies for all eternity. The true bread of God is the one who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world. And the crowd crowd responds, Sir, give us that bread every day.
Speaker: right They're still thinking about their physical needs. Give us what we need today. Jesus says these words that... radically unlocks this entire passage.
Speaker: the bread of... Everybody say it. life.
Speaker: Ego ami hortus tecum. Zoe's. I am the very bread of life. It's the very first I am statement in the Gospel of John. Notice what he doesn't say. He doesn't say, I have the bread.
Speaker: He doesn't say I know where you can go get the bread. He doesn't even say I can give you the bread. Although he certainly can give it. He says, I am. I am.
Speaker: the bread of life. The gift God ultimately gives us is Christ himself. It says, whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty again.
Speaker: He's not promising that you and I will simply never experience disappointment or sickness or grief or financial pressure or loneliness or unanswered prayers. He's saying something much deeper. He's saying the deepest need that you and I will ever experience.
Speaker: is found In the person of Jesus. You are made by God, you are made for God, and nothing but God can satisfy you. Matter of fact, that's note number three that you can take home with you today.
Speaker: You were made by God. For God. And nothing can satisfy you.
Speaker: That's why they had to come up with the new car. Smell fragrance, you know that right? Because that new car eventually becomes what? The ogre.
Speaker: That new house eventually becomes some older house that needs repairs. That promotion. becomes just some other job at some point.
Speaker: That thing that you're trying to fix. That whole... Inside of you. You shove it with money. Or... Fine.
Speaker: glory, whatever you're trying to fill that void. There's only one way to fill that void. And that's with Jesus. Then comes the tragedy, verse 36. Look with me, verse 36. He says, but you haven't believed in me. though you have seen me.
Speaker: They've seen the signs. They've eaten the bread. They've heard Jesus teach. And they're standing right there in the front of the bread of life, and yet they still don't. Believe.
Speaker: It's a reminder to me and it should be a reminder to you that seeing... Does it? necessarily equate with faith. Just because we see. Doesn't mean we believe.
Speaker: The human heart needs some... something else. to get it started. to start to believe. Sup. Gracious work of God through the Holy Spirit comes down and reveals to you your brokenness, and then it's that moment that you believe.
Speaker: In Jesus Christ.
Speaker: In a few moments, and I'm not going to jump way ahead because I still have a whole other point or two, but in a few moments, Judy's going to play, and I'm going to give you the opportunity to respond to that. Because some of you may be here this morning and you have not given your life to Jesus yet.
Speaker: You have not made him Lord. You have not made him Savior. Today would be that day the Holy Spirit will speak to you. My prayer is today that the Holy Spirit will speak to your heart and it will reveal to you the depths of your depravity.
Speaker: which means that that at that moment you will see your sin the way God sees your sin. And that you will realize you cannot escape that. and that you need a Savior. And that Savior is Jesus.
Speaker: Jesus says probably the most comforting thing. It's it's a verse I always steer. people too. Whenever they tell me... um Pastor, you could lose your salvation you know if you just don't try hard enough or you go off the rails. Potentially you could lose your...
Speaker: your Salvation. I just ap point them right here. To verse 37 and on, look with me. Listen, 37 says, However, those the Father has given me.
Speaker: will come to me and I will never reject them. You can almost hear the comfort in Jesus' voice as he says that, right? Notice both sides. The Father gives and the sinner comes.
Speaker: The Father graciously draws His people to His Son, and the people generally come to Christ in faith. And then he says, I will never reject them. In the Greek, this is in the emphatic. This is the strongest possible way, possible terms that he can say.
Speaker: The person who generally comes to me will never discover that the door is locked. Matter of fact, it's wide open.
Speaker: Notice he doesn't say, come to me once you've cleaned yourself up. Come to me once you kick that nasty habit.
Speaker: Come to me after you've managed to straighten everything out. No, he simply says come. And the one who was sent by the Father will never... Reject you. He'll never cast you out.
Speaker: Maybe somebody here needs to hear that promise this morning. Maybe you thought to yourself, I've wandered too far off the reservation. Maybe I failed too badly. Maybe I've waited too long. Maybe I've missed the bus. Maybe I've carried on too long.
Speaker: Jesus says no. Brothers and sisters, to you come. And the promise here is the one who will come will never be turned away. And look at verse 38. He says, for I've come down from heaven to do the will of God who sent me.
Speaker: not to do my own will. And this is the will of God. By the way, anytime you see in your Bible this is the will of God, you want to just start highlighting and underlining. Everything. that follows. And this is the will of God.
Speaker: that I should not lose even one of all of those God the Father has given me. But then I shall raise them up to the very last day. Notice what he's saying here. He's saying your salvation isn't secure because of your grip on Christ.
Speaker: It's because of Christ's grip on you. Brothers and sisters, you didn't earn your salvation. What could you possibly do to lose it? It's all on... Jesus.
Speaker: The promise is God the Father says to Jesus the Son. You won't lose even one of them
Speaker: Now, this doesn't excuse spiritual laziness, is what I put. It doesn't make obedience optional. It means that the Savior who receives us is also able to keep us. You didn't earn it. You can't keep it. Both are a gift from God.
Speaker: He says, my father's will. That I lose none.
Speaker: And then he takes us. to where our hope is beyond this life. For it is my Father's will that... All who see his son and believe in him shall have. Eternal love. And I will raise them up on the last day.
Speaker: By the future hope. They came looking for a breakfast. Jesus says, uh -uh. Don't worry about the meal. I got something better. It's going to be something that's going to last you To all eternity.
Speaker: It's gonna last you Beyond the grave.
Speaker: This, brothers and sisters, is the Christian hope.
Speaker: It's not simply good enough. Listen up real quick before you. Not off 100 %
Speaker: It's not good enough, because I hear this quite often. Christians, not just you guys. by other Christians I've ran into. I'm just so happy I'm going to see them in heaven.
Speaker: And I want to say this law pastoral love and care. uh Yes, yes, that is our hope, right, that our that our family members, that our friends. that our co -workers, that they come to know Jesus.
Speaker: And in that salvation, they ah we will one day see them in heaven. But he's promising something much... greater here. It's this eternal life that starts now, that we start living it out now.
Speaker: He says, I will raise them up on the last day, right? It's this hope that brothers and sisters that someday. We're going to meet Jesus face to face, and we're going to get new bodies. We're going to be resurrected bodies. I don't know what those bodies look like.
Speaker: I sure hope they're 20 -year -old bodies. the way I used to feel when I was 20. Before the back. issues and all that kind of nonsense. But I really don't know.
Speaker: I'll just put Our hope is real hope. That comes from Jesus Christ. It's not wishful thinking. It's not positive thinking. It's not hope based upon our goodness.
Speaker: It's a hope that's based on the living Savior Jesus Christ himself. who's the only one who promises eternal life. So what do we do with this this week?
Speaker: As Brother Mike always says, I need application. No more information. I need application. Right, Brother Mike? How do we apply this brother Mike today?
Speaker: The short answer is come to Jesus. This is your wake -up call for some of you this morning. You need to come to Jesus. What does that mean for those who have already come to Jesus? well it's going to mean something different for you than than it does for somebody who's the first time.
Speaker: If you... Already know. Jesus, perhaps this morning you're spending an enormous amount of time and energy trying to satisfy yourself. was something that was never meant to satisfy you.
Speaker: I don't know if you're burning the wick on both ends. Working long hours.
Speaker: Is that even been up in that bank account? thinking that somehow that's going to satisfy you.
Speaker: So how do we apply it this week? Well, I'm going to take a page right out of Jesus' playbook this morning. I'm just going to give you one simple thing. Not a list, not a checklist. Just one simple thing for you to do this week.
Speaker: I want you to identify what you're depending upon for satisfaction. And if it's not Jesus, you need to write that down
Speaker: What am I depending upon for satisfaction or security or peace? Naaman. Write it down. Maybe it's money. Maybe it's your health. Maybe it's approval of somebody else.
Speaker: Maybe it's your children or grandchildren. Maybe it's about having control. Maybe it's simply wanting life to go according to your plans. Write it down, whatever it is this week.
Speaker: And then every morning this week, Get up before your day starts. And read John 6 .35. 6 .35 says this. This is Jesus replying, I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.
Speaker: And then pray something like this. Jesus. I'm tempted to look to fill in the blank money. Kids. grandkids, approval, control. I want to...
Speaker: Look to those things to give me what only you can give me. Teach me today to find my satisfaction in you. And that's it. It's just that one thing this week. Read that verse.
Speaker: Name that substitute which should be Jesus. And bring it before him. And ask him to change your heart, radically change your heart.
Speaker: Because I put a note, we don't need any more biblical information. Sometimes we just need to take that information. and make it happen. transformation. in our heart. that he may reshape what we trust, what we love, and what we fear and what we seek.
