Valley Bible Church Sermon Transcript

Transcription

1 The Bread of Life John 6:22-27 Part 1 In the 1930s the most famous living author was William Somerset Maugham. He was an accomplished novelist, a great playwright, and a short story writer. In fact, his novel "Of Human Bondage" quickly established itself as a classic. In 1965 he was 91 years old and very wealthy. Royalties were continuing to pour in from all over the world despite the fact that he had not written a word in years. His fame seemingly was on the upsurge. He received an average of 300 letters a week from his fans. He was experiencing incredible success. But how did he respond to his success? What had it brought his life? We gain an insight from an article written by his nephew, Robin Maugham, after he visited his uncle at his uncle s villa on the Mediterranean just before his death. Let me read this article for you. I looked round the drawing room at the immensely valuable furniture and pictures and objects that Willie s success had enabled him to acquire. Willie had 11 servants, including his cook, Annette, who was the envy of all the other millionaires living on the Riviera. He dined on silver plates, waited on by Marius, his butler, and Henri, his footman. But it no longer meant anything to him. The following afternoon, I found Willie reclining on a sofa, peering through his spectacles at a Bible which had very large print. He looked horribly wizened, and his face was grim. "I ve been reading the Bible you gave me and I ve come across the quotation: What shall it profit a man if he gain the whole world and lose his own soul? I must tell you, my dear Robin, that the text used to hang opposite my bed when I was a child. Of course, it s all a lot of bunk. But the thought is quite interesting all the same." That evening, in the drawing room after dinner, Willie flung himself down onto the sofa. "Oh, Robin, I m so tired " He gave a gulp and buried his head in his hands. "I ve been a failure the whole way through my life." He said. "I ve made mistake after mistake. I ve made a hash of everything." I tried to comfort him. "You re the most famous writer alive. Surely that means something?" "I wish I d never written a single word," he answered. "It s brought me nothing but misery My whole life has been a failure And now it s too late " Willie s face was ashen as he stared in horror ahead of him. "Suddenly, he began to shriek. "Go away!" he cried. "I m not ready I m not dead yet, I tell you " His high-pitched, terror-struck voice seemed to echo from wall to wall. I looked round, but the room was empty as before. "There s no one there, Willie." Willie began to gasp hysterically. What a grim story! William Somerset Maugham had spent his life pursuing what this world had to offer rather than what Christ, "the bread of life," had to offer and he paid the price, an empty life and an unshakeable fear of impending doom as he looked at his future beyond the grave. What about ourselves? What are we pursuing? What are we working for? What is our life all about? This brings us back to our study of John 6. Up to this point in our study we have examined two different miracles. The first miracle was the feeding of the 5,000 in John 6:1-15, and the second miracle was Christ walking on the water in John 6: The Apostle John uses the miraculous feeding of the 5,000 and Christ walking on water as a transition into the "Bread of Life" discourse in John 6:22-71.

2 This discourse is rather lengthy and therefore we will once again, as we commonly do, break it into smaller parts. What is the first part of the "Bread of Life" discourse? The first part of the "Bread of Life" discourse begins with a challenge (John 6:22-27). My hope as we examine this passage is that we might take the challenge that Christ issued in John 6:22-27 and personally apply it to our own lives. My hope is that our study of this passage would help us not to go down the same path as William Summerset Maugham. Let me read for you the passage that we will be examining this weekend. I will be reading from the NAS Bible and I will be reading John 6: "The next day the multitude that stood on the other side of the sea saw that there was no other small boat there, except one, and that Jesus had not entered with His disciples into the boat, but that His disciples had gone away alone. (23) There came other small boats from Tiberias near to the place where they ate the bread after the Lord had given thanks. (24) When the multitude therefore saw that Jesus was not there, nor His disciples, they themselves got into the small boats, and came to Capernaum, seeking Jesus. (25) And when they found Him on the other side of the sea, they said to Him, Rabbi, when did You get here? (26) Jesus answered them and said, Truly, truly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate of the loaves, and were filled. (27) Do not work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man shall give to you, for on Him the Father, even God, has set His seal. " We will begin our study of this particular passage by first of all looking at John 6: John 6:22-24 describes how the multitude, who had been miraculously fed by Christ, pursued Him from the wilderness area of Bethsaida to Capernaum. Let us look at the very first words of John 6:22. "The next day." In other words, the events that the apostle is about to describe take place the day after the feeding of the 5,000. The events that the apostle is about to describe take place the day after Christ had sent His disciples on ahead of Him by boat to the city of Capernaum. The events that the apostle is about to describe take place after Christ, walking on the Sea of Galilee, intercepted His disciples during a strong windstorm. The events that the apostle is about to describe take place after Christ miraculously calmed the storm and delivered them immediately to the City of Capernaum. These are things that we know took place before "the next day" that is introduced to us here by the Apostle John. But what did the multitude who had been miraculously fed by Christ know as they began this "next day"? They knew considerably less than we do. The only thing that they knew is that after their miraculous feeding and the collecting of the leftover fragments, the disciples had departed without Christ in the only boat available. Let us continue to read John 6:22. "The next day the multitude that stood on the other side of the sea saw that there was no other small boat there, except one, and that Jesus had not entered with His disciples into the boat, but that His disciples had gone away alone." So what does John 6:22 tell us about what the multitude knew the day after the events described in John 6:1-21? John 6:22 tells us that the multitude knew that Jesus had not gone with His disciples when He sent them to the other side of the lake in the only boat available.

3 Because they knew that Christ had not gone with His disciples I would imagine that as they began to gather once again where the miracle had taken place that they were assuming that Christ would very shortly show up and perhaps provide them breakfast. But obviously this did not happen. I am sure that they must have searched for Him but to their dismay they could not find Him anywhere. Because they could not find him, I would imagine that many began to travel back to the area near Capernaum by foot. Others, it would appear, were far more reluctant to leave. This particular group of people who perhaps lingered much longer provides the backdrop for what happens in John 6:23. Let us read the verse. "There came other small boats from Tiberias near to the place where they ate the bread after the Lord had given thanks." Boats from the city of Tiberias landed at the very spot where the Jews were looking for Jesus John 6:23). How convenient. But where is the city of Tiberias located? The city of Tiberias was located on the southwestern shore of the Sea of Galilee, a good ten miles away from the wilderness area near Bethsaida. Why did boats from the city of Tiberias land at this particular spot near Bethsaida? The Scriptures do not tell us. But I don t believe that the storm blew them there as some people have suggested. Why would I say this? I would say this because if the storm had blown them there then certainly other boats from other towns would have been blown there as well. But there weren t other boats from other towns. In addition to this, these boats from Tiberias were not full of gear or cargo. Rather, they appeared to be prepared to take on passengers. Therefore I believe that the best explanation of why these boats from Tiberias showed up at this particular place and at this particular time was because they had become aware of a business opportunity. But why would these particular Jews be so willing to get into these boats and pay the fee that they might have been charging? They would have gotten into the boats and would have been willing to pay the fee because they were eager to continue to search for Jesus. How do we know that these Jews were still eager to carry on their search? Let me read for you John 6:24. "When the multitude therefore saw that Jesus was not there, nor His disciples, they themselves got into the small boats, and came to Capernaum, seeking Jesus." These Jews that were transported back to Capernaum by these boats from Tiberias certainly were persistent. Their persistence in seeking out Jesus might be interpreted by them and perhaps by others as a genuine devotion to Christ. But as we will see, their persistence had very little to do with personal devotion to Christ. Rather, we will see that it had everything to do with their personal devotion to the things that will ultimately perish. This group of Jews who were so relentlessly following Jesus was at their core no different than William Somerset Maugham. How will Christ expose this tragic condition? Christ will use what appears to be a very innocent question by this group of Jews to expose their true motivation for pursuing Him.

4 Let me read this verse for you. "And when they found Him on the other side of the sea, they said to Him, Rabbi, when did you get here? " What was their question? In John 6:25, after finding Jesus, those who had been transported back by boat to Capernaum asked Him when He had arrived. Why would they ask this question? They were perplexed because they knew that He had not come with His disciples and apparently they did not think that He would have chosen to walk from the wilderness area near Bethsaida to the City of Capernaum at night. So they were genuinely perplexed. This is why they asked the question. Of course we know the answer to this question and therefore we know how Christ could have responded to them. He could have said, "I arrived with my disciples by boat here in Capernaum between 3:00 and 6:00 a.m." Of course they could have challenged His answer, saying to Him, "How could this be? We know that yesterday your disciples left without you in the only boat available." Then of course He could have explained to them how He had walked on the water in the middle of the night in order to intercept His disciples, how He had calmed the sea, and how He had then instantaneously delivered His disciples and Himself to Capernaum. Certainly He could have responded this way but did He? Did He take this opportunity to talk about the miracles that He had performed the night before? And of course the answer is no. Jesus chose not to answer the question that they had asked, but rather, He chose to disclose their motivation for relentlessly pursuing Him (John 6:26). Let us read the first part of John 6:26. "Jesus answered them and said, Truly, truly I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw signs... " What was their motivation for relentlessly following Christ? Jesus first of all tells them what their motivation was not. Their motivation for relentlessly following Christ was not based on any understanding of the signs that He had performed. They saw the signs but they did not understand them. These people failed to see what was so gloriously pictured to them, the divinity of Jesus, His ability to feed their souls as He had fed their bodies. They had held the bread that had been miraculously supplied to them in their hands, had eaten it with their mouths, but had never understood its true meaning with their hearts. Well, if their motivation was not based on their understanding of the signs that Christ had performed, than what was their motivation based on? Let s continue to read the verse. "Truly, truly I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate the loaves and were filled." The motivation for those who were relentlessly pursuing Christ was solely based on their desire to obtain things that were destined to perish. They wanted food. They wanted shelter. They wanted health. They wanted success. They wanted a happy family. They wanted all those things that would make life, in the here and now, enjoyable and rewarding.

5 The food in which these people were interested was a perishable commodity. There was nothing lasting about it. In other words, they had a good meal of bread and fish, but now they wanted other things of like kind. And they were looking to Christ to supply those things. Could there be people in our church today who might be pursuing Jesus, perhaps even relentlessly pursuing Jesus, solely based on their desire to obtain things that are destined to perish? I believe that the answer could very well be yes! In fact the whole health, wealth and prosperity could be very easily be seen by many as being guilty of this very thing. There are people pursuing Christ for many different reasons, but if their only reason for pursuing Christ is temporal in nature, their faith is not saving (John 6:27), How do we know this? Let me read for you John 6:27. "Do not work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man shall give to you, for on Him the Father, even God, has set His seal." Let me ask you this question. Were these people who had worked so hard at pursuing Jesus over this two-day period somehow saved because they had believed that Christ could provide food for them? And the answer would be no! They were not saved and neither will anyone else be saved if their only motivation in pursuing Christ is to obtain those things which are destined to perish, or in other words, to obtain those things which are temporal in nature. We as professing Christians can easily see how William Somerset Maugham went wrong when he pursued the things that were destined to perish by working hard at a literary career. Unfortunately, many professing Christians are not nearly so discerning about someone who is using Christ for the sole purpose of obtaining those very same things such as this group of Jews that had been relentlessly pursuing Jesus over this two day period. Because these Jews who had been pursuing Jesus had been pursuing Jesus for the wrong reasons, He challenges them to work for the food that endures to eternal life (John 6:27). There is something much more important than how comfortable or enjoyable we might be in the here and now. And what is that? It is making sure that we position ourselves in the here and now in such a way that we will be able to enjoy the hereafter. And how can we assure ourselves of this? We need to work for the food that endures to "eternal life." In other words, He is talking about our need to work for the food that will get us to heaven. And working for this food is far more important than working for anything else that might be connected with the things in this world that are destined to perish. What was the verse that William Somerset Maugham had been reading in the Bible his nephew gave him? "What shall it profit a man if he gain the whole world and lose his own soul." Do you believe this? If we do then we had better get serious about obtaining this food that endures to eternal life. We had better make this our number one priority within our lives. It should be on our minds this morning. It should be on our minds this afternoon.

6 It should be on our minds this evening. It would be on our minds tomorrow. It should be continuously on our minds. And it should be continuously on our minds until we enter through the gates of glory itself. Let me ask you this question. What is this food that He is referring to that endures to eternal life? The "Bread of Life" discourse will show that the "food" is Jesus Himself (John 6:35,63). Now let me ask you another question. Who is to give us this food, which endures to eternal life? Let us again read the verse. "Do not work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man shall give to you." What is this verse telling us? Jesus not only is the food which endures to eternal life, but He is the one who gives the food which endures to eternal life (John 6:27). If Jesus is in fact the food and the one who gives the food that endures to eternal life, then my pursuit of Jesus now and throughout my life should not be about getting what I want in terms of this world but what I need in terms of the next. Is there any of source of this food other than Jesus? No! Let us continue to read John 6:27. It certainly seems clear from this verse that Christ is very central to God s plan of salvation and what does the verse say? "Do not work for the food for that perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man shall give to you, for on Him the Father, even God, has set His seal." What does Jesus mean when He talks about His Father, even God, having set His seal? God having set His seal on Christ means that He had certified the Son as His own agent, authorizing Him as the one who alone can bestow this food. CONCLUSION William Somerset Maugham had spent his life pursuing what this world had to offer rather than what Christ, "the bread of life," had to offer and he paid the price. What about ourselves? What are we pursuing? What are we working for? What is our life all about? Christ in John 6:22-27 is challenging us to make our lives about the food that endures to eternal life rather than making our lives about the food destined to perish. But you might say, "But I accepted Christ 40 years ago. Certainly I don t have to be concerned about continuing to work for this food that endures to eternal life. Can t I just coast into heaven while I focus on the things that are important to me in the here and now? If this is your attitude, I would say this is all very foreign to what Christ is speaking about here in John 6:27.

7 He didn t say work for the food that endures to eternal life and then stop working. He is challenging us to work and to continue to work. This is a challenge that the Apostle Paul took very seriously. Let me read for you Philippians 3:7-14. "But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. (8) More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish in order that I may gain Christ, (9) and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes to God on the basis of faith, (10) that I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; (11) in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. (12) Not that I have already obtained it, or have already become perfect, but I press on in order that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. (13) Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do; forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, (14) I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." What was Paul s life all about? Was it working for the bread that perishes or was he working for the food that endures to eternal life? There can be no question what his life was all about. But what makes a person such as Paul put so much value on Christ and the pursuit of this food that endures to eternal life? It flows from genuine, living, saving faith. We will see this next week as we continue to consider this discourse on the "Bread of Life." But for right now, as we consider the challenge being issued by Christ in John 6:22-27, the question before us is this. Are you working for the food that is destined to perish, or are you working for the food that which endures to eternal life?