The Book of John - 37

In the news no doubt many of you are aware of the satanic opening to the Olympics in Paris…

This blasphemous act serves as a sobering reminder of the course of this world under the influence of the Devil Himself. And make no mistake it will be judged by the Lord.

It signals to the Christian another reminder that the day of wrath is quickly approaching.

The Olympics in case you did not know date have their origins to the 8th Century BC with Greece. It was an heathen idolatrous religous festival to the false god Zeus.

“The Olympics were of fundamental religious importance, and the sporting events, which were held alongside ritual sacrifices honouring both Zeus (whose famous statue by Phidias stood in his temple at Olympia) and Pelops (divine hero and mythical king of Olympia), did not start until the festival's second day”

In the modern day, they were reconstituted in the late 1800s. The idea behind these games was unity and peace —even in the face of war— The symbols of the rings of differing colors were to exhibit the differing nations colors coming together in solidarity.

I want you to now think of what is transpiring today—- knowing the history and the blaspheming of God and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ—-under the flag so to speak of world solidarity and peace… and do not mistake the writing on the wall. This idea that this was purely an oversight, an accident, or to say, “we had no idea…” is absurd. My friend as another brother in Christ publicly mentioned this is the spirit of antichrist.

Introduction - In verses 16 through 21 we were presented with the Demonstration of the Lord’s Power in the second miracle, The Walking on the Water.

In the rest of the chapter we see the Demonstration of His Power in His message.

Interestingly enough, the discourses are in the same manner, they are directed (1) at the public (vs.22-59) and then (2) at the disciples.

And so we see:

B. The Demonstration of His Power in Message

1. The Discourse on the Bread of Life. vs. 22-59

2. The Discourse with the Disciples. vs. 60-71

Let’s begin reading verses 22 through 59.

Let’s pray.

We begin by looking at this first discourse, the discourse on the Bread of Life.

In verses 22-24 we see some preliminary introduction.

Notice what the Bible tells us,

John 6:22–24 “22 The day following, when the people which stood on the other side of the sea saw that there was none other boat there, save that one whereinto his disciples were entered, and that Jesus went not with his disciples into the boat, but that his disciples were gone away alone; 23 (Howbeit there came other boats from Tiberias nigh unto the place where they did eat bread, after that the Lord had given thanks:) 24 When the people therefore saw that Jesus was not there, neither his disciples, they also took shipping, and came to Capernaum, seeking for Jesus.”

The Seeking For Jesus vs. 22-24

You will remember that the last the people saw of the Savior, He had sent the disciples away in evening and headed up into the mountain to pray.

“Looking back they had seen him heading for the hills. They confidently expected to reassemble the next day, find him, and doubtless try to persuade him to lead a popular revolt. But he was gone.” (Phillips)

There are really two items of interest in seeing this played out in the lives of these people and with the movement of the Savior.

(1) The Bible encourages us with the urgency of seeking the Lord—

In Isaiah 55:6–7 the Bible says, “6 Seek ye the Lord while he may be found,

I want you to think for a moment that in our passage there are some who come seeking the Lord and they discover He is no where to be found…

Call ye upon him while he is near: 7 Let the wicked forsake his way, And the unrighteous man his thoughts: And let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; And to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.”

This was prophesied to the children of Israel, but as many expositors have well noted, “this is to be regarded as addressed not to the Jewish exiles only or uniquely, but to all in view of the coming and work of the Messiah…Where there are sinners, there the invitation is to be offered.”

And I think this—

There are some here today are running out of time this side of eternity.

The warning is sufficient for us, is it not?

We ought to seek the Lord today— at this moment.

Tomorrow is not sufficient. We must seek the Lord today.

For someone who is lost, today is the day of Salvation—-this moment.

For the erring child of God—- seek the Lord now, while he may be found.

The best time to get back to your Bible reading is today.

The best time for you to pray is today.

The best time for you to commit your life to the Lord is today!

These came to find the Savior, only to find Him gone.

(2) The Bible shows us to what measure man is seeking for satisfaction.

We understand that these folks were seeking after the Lord with a wrong understanding of who He is and the satisfaction He could bring according to verse 26.

But nonetheless, they knew they needed someone.

They knew that life around them was not right, and further that something inside of them was not right.

The Bible tells us that they were “…seeking for Jesus…” (vs. 24)

Insomuch it says they “…took shipping…” (vs. 24)

My wife and I have often made this statement, “People do what they want to do.”

In other words, they believed that the Lord was the solution to their lives problems and therefore— crossing a body of water was not a deterrent to them finding the Lord.

People will apply themselves to what they want to apply themselves to.

If you desire to know the Lord better, you will apply yourself in reading God’s Word and following after what God teaches you. You will apply yourself to speaking to Lord in prayer.

Here in our text, the evidence is before us, that these folks went to great lengths to pursue the Lord.

And that brings us to the next observation, which is:

The Savior’s Advice vs.26-29

Lets read verses 26-29.

John 6:26–29 “26 Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled. 27 Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed. 28 Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? 29 Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.”

In these opening words, the Lord uses a phrase that signifies great emphasis.

It is the words, “Verily, verily…”

There are 25 instances of this solemn phrase all in the book of John.

John 1:51; 3:3,5,11; 5:19,6:24-26,32,47, 53; 8:34,51,58; 10:1, 7; 12:24; 13:16 ,20,21,38; 14:12; 16:20,23; 21:18

This expression comes from the Greek word ‘Amen’ (ἀμήν).

It is found often translated at the end of a doxology which can be defined as a formula of praise to God.

Kittel’s Theological Dictionary states, “When Jesus places Amen before his own sayings, both in the Synoptics and (liturgically doubled) in John, the point is to stress the truth and validity of the sayings by his own acknowledgment of them.”

Gerhard Kittel, Gerhard Friedrich, and Geoffrey William Bromiley, Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, Abridged in One Volume (Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans, 1985), 53.

The Truth is speaking truth. He states, truly, truly or verily verily.

Not only is Jesus the Truth. (John 14:6) But He is also the Amen.

He is literally the beginning and the end.

(Alpha and Omega— Not that He has an end or beginning but that ‘the buck stops with Him’.)

The Amen is given oftentimes at the end of a declarative statement— and gives the idea “So be it…” or “I agree…”

Jesus Christ not only speaks truth—- but He is the Truth… And He is the “So be it…” of all truth.

In Revelation 3:14 He is given the proper name the Amen, the faithful and true witness.

And so, the Lord delivers solemn statement in dialogue with these that have sought Him out.

We also see something very important concerning this dialogue.

Look at verse 25.

John 6:25 “25 And when they had found him on the other side of the sea, they said unto him, Rabbi, when camest thou hither?”

There was a puzzling situation before them. They had sought the Lord and had not found Him—- they took shipping as the Bible says and they found Him.

They proceed then to ask, “Rabbi, when camest thou hither?”

It was after all unknown to them, how it is that the Lord got to where He presently was.

But we see that the Lord does not answer their question.

And as we think about that—- we should understand that the Savior is not just being rude. But rather the Savior is concerned with the heart of the matter.

Folks get sidetracked on all manner of things—- Especially when it comes to people trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior.

They have all manner of questions, that are valid—- but not needful in the moment.

It would seem based on verse 59, that the Lord Jesus Christ was found of them in the synagogue. (And might I add this, let it never be that someone comes into this place seeking the Lord and His Word and it not be found.)

They questioned His arrival because of the time it would take for Him to get there, but also the manner of travel which He took. How was He able to be in that place so quickly having not took a ship?

He states, first of all—- your seeking me but for the wrong reasons.

One expositor commented frankly about their motive for seeking the Lord, “Man seeks a Messiah (Savior), but not to worship and serve Him. He seeks a Messiah for what he can get out of Him. Man is interested in getting his needs met, whether by someone human or divine. Man is interested in himself, not in acknowledging and honoring Jesus to be Lord and not in serving Him and making Him known to a lost world.

Leadership Ministries Worldwide, The Gospel according to John, The Preacher’s Outline & Sermon Bible (Chattanooga, TN: Leadership Ministries Worldwide, 2004), 135.

Man’s needs are focused on: the earth, on material things and possessions, and on the flesh and its satisfaction. (POSB)

And in doing so—- we attempt to feed our souls purely on: feelings and pleasures, comfort and ease, recognition and honor, position and power, fame and ultimately self. (POSB)

Isaiah 55:2 the prophet Isaiah in speaking the Word of God said this, “2 Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? And your labour for that which satisfieth not? Hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, And let your soul delight itself in fatness.”

I am thankful to know that God reveals to us the truth. He uncovers the deceitfulness of our own hearts (Jeremiah 17:9).

He points out the truth that they needed to know. And for you and I, it is the truth we need to know as well.

We understand because this is recorded for us.

We might ask the question, Why do you seek the Lord?

Notice the statement given by the Lord to direct these seekers to the right path.

John 6:27 “27 Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.”

What is meant by the meat that perisheth?

In this context, it is the food that was given in the feeding of the 5000.

There was a temporary benefit to that meat. And in fact— food that is left out spoils. The food that we intake only provides temporary effects.

But that which the Lord Jesus Christ offers, the gift of God which is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord —- “…endureth unto everlasting life…” The Lord is using a metaphor just as He did in John 4 with the woman at the well to point these to Himself.

Eternal life cannot be earned, but it can be recieved.

The hymn writer wrote such powerful words when he stated,

Not the labour of my hands,

Can fulfill the laws demands,

Could my zeal no respite know,

Could my tears forever flow,

All for sin would not atone,

Thou must save and thou alone.

The mystery of this life is solved in Jesus Christ.

John Phillips stated this in his commentary, “It is the Son of man who gives everlasting life, “For him hath God the Father sealed.” (vs 27)

They were interested in some temporary food—- the Lord said I have something better than that.

The seal spoken about has significance in this conversation.

A seal that is set approves and confirms. Much like we would think about a signature. It carries the authority of the one who has sealed the decree.

When we think about Salvation and those that are saved the Bible tells us in Ephesians 4:30 “30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.”

Every Christian is sealed with the Holy Spirit. God’s Spirit indwelling us is the earnest/surety (a promise or agreement made by one party that debts and financial obligations will be paid) of our future estate. (2 Corinthians 1:22, 5:5, Ephesians 1:13-14)

Romans 8:9 tells us, “9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.”

In this we see approval and also confirmation that we are His.

I am reminded of the authority of the seal as well.

In the book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ there is a seven sealed scroll of which no one has the authority or power to open…. But Jesus does—- the Lamb of God—- the Savior (Revelation 5).

In Revelation 7 there are 144,000 of the tribes of the children of Israel sealed. They are His servants.

The Lord states in affect, I am the One whom my Father has confirmed.

In John 3:33 we remind ourselves of these words from John the Baptist, “33 He that hath received his testimony hath set to his seal that God is true.”

The opposite of that statement is also correct. He that rejects His testimony—-in truth set to his seal that God is not true.

And so it is, with those who reject the Lord Jesus Christ. They call God a liar.

It is necessary also to note, that the Holy Spirit of God had recorded for us an important truth about the gift of God, eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

That is Jesus’ advice tells us that everlasting life cannot be earned but is given.

There are in fact only two religions in the world. The One, which is biblical and the others which are not.

The One, which says Salvation is by God’s grace through faith—- and that not of yourselves, it is a gift of God not of works lest any man should boast. And then the others that say—- here are the 20 works you must do to appease God.

The One— which is biblical says, Jesus Christ, the Son of God dealt with all of your sin on the cross of Calvary—- He was your substitute— He paid your penalty for sin— Past-Present-and Future.

The others say — you must continually work to appease me—- you must continually watch out because you may not make it—- work work work all you can and you might make it!

My friend, the Bible says, everlasting life—- is given— The Bible says in verse “27 Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.”

If you could earn it—- then it was the greatest historical tragedy of all humanity that God sent His Son to die on the cross —-being despised, rejected, mocked, and brutally murdered.

Notice next the response by the people that betrays their misunderstanding.

John 6:28 “28 Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?”

“Human beings crave to do something for their salvation. Until we are born again, we fell a repugnance, born of our fallen nature, to accept salvation solely as a gift.” (Phillips)

You will remember the story of Naaman and the servant girl.

Turn with me to 2 Kings chapter 5 for a moment.

The key is found in that account in verses 13 and 14.

Verse 13 states, “13 And his servants came near, and spake unto him, and said, My father, if the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, wouldest thou not have done it? how much rather then, when he saith to thee, Wash, and be clean?”

It was too simple for this sophisticated valorous general, and so it seems for Salvation for lost sinners as well.

The “work” that is to be done is no work at all, but rather believe God’s only begotten Son.

The fallen nature of man—inevitably tries to work their way to heaven. Because of the root sin of pride, our flesh forever thinking that we are not a lost cause.

But the truth is, it is impossible to be reconciled to God outside of our giving up and receiving Christ as Savior.

We enter into Salvation by grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and all who He and in all that He has done for us on the cross of Calvary.

The Lord Jesus Christ’s words in this section, the Savior’s Advice, are summarized in verse 29.

John 6:29 “29 Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.”

The truth for us today is this— believe God.

The Sign Requested vs. 30-31

The Satisfying Truth vs. 32-40