Do Or Done | John 6:22–29

Opening Remarks: We’re back in John 6 this morning after a couple of weeks off. We’re going through the Gospel of John on Sunday mornings, and I’m excited to be back in it after being gone for a couple of weeks.

Jesus has just fed a multitude with 5 loaves and 2 fish. Then He walked on water to His disciples in the midst of a storm. But the multitude wanted more. This is the height of the popularity of Jesus.

READ John 6:22-29

The title today is simply, “DO or DONE.” The multitude thought there was work to DO for salvation. But Jesus tells them that salvation is work that God does.

PRAY

Introduction:

As I headed to church this morning, it dawned on me how many churches there are in Sioux Falls.

In my short drive, I saw a Lutheran church, a Presbyterian church, and a couple of Reformed churches.

Some of you may have seen a Catholic church, a Methodist church, or maybe a Non-Denominational church.

If we were to list the churches that the people in this room drove by just this morning, we could come up with dozens of names.

And that causes confusion sometimes. There are so many it’s hard to know what they believe and teach. There are hundreds of churches in Sioux Falls alone.

But I would submit to you that, even with all the different church names, there are actually only two kinds of churches in our city. Actually, there are only two kinds of churches in the world.

And you might say, “That doesn’t sound right,” but consider this:

There are two categories of churches. One category believes that a person must add their works in order to have eternal life.

The second category believes that eternal life comes by faith in Jesus Christ alone.

Category #1 - Works are required. We’ll call this DO religion

Category #2 - Faith in Christ is required. We’ll call this DONE religion.

One category is dependent on the works and efforts of man.

The second is dependent on the finished work of Jesus Christ.

Which is most biblical?

Well, as a hint, look at what Jesus said in Vs. 29, when answering the people about everlasting life. He said, “This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.”

This is the work of God.

I submit to you that salvation is by grace, through faith, and not of works, as Eph 2:8-9 tells us. Jesus Christ Himself makes that point very clear in this text. Any teaching otherwise is unbiblical.

Background

Our text today follows two of the most well-known miracles in the Gospels.

The first part of the chapter deals with Jesus feeding the 5,000 men, plus their wives and children, by multiplying five loaves and two fish. That really got the crowd’s attention. They had journeyed around to the east side of the sea of Galilee to, walking many miles and hours to get to Him. But once they were there, they needed food, and He provided it.

Any time you feed people, it gets their attention.

Illustration: Ghana, Pastor Ruckman said they have to be careful of advertising free food because they’ll have hundreds of people from the neighborhood show up rather than the 100 or 150 that come every week. Not that they don’t want to help in that way, but if they’re not planning on it, they’ll run out of food very quickly.

The exact same thing happens here. What started as a retreat with Jesus and His disciples on the mountain turned into 10,000 plus unexpected dinner guests.

Now remember, the purpose of John is to give signs that point to the deity of Christ so people will believe, so that people will place their faith in Jesus Christ alone for salvation. But the people here in John 6 missed the purpose of the miracle. They looked at Jesus and saw “Bread!” rather than looking at the bread and seeing “Jesus, the Son of God.”

The last time we were in John 6, we saw how Jesus sent the disciples back across the Sea of Galilee to Capernaum right into the teeth of a storm. This storm was no mistake. Jesus wanted them to face a storm so that when He came walking on the water to meet them, their faith in His sovereignty would be strengthened.

So after the storm, Jesus and the disciples went back across the sea to the west side. But remember, they’d left thousands of people back on the east side who still had the taste of fresh bread on their palates. And they wanted more. So they go looking for Him.

Vs. 22 tells us the crowd was scratching their heads a little bit because the only boat that had left the eastern shore the night before was the boat the disciples were in. But they knew Jesus hadn’t gotten in that boat, so when they woke up the next day and saw that Jesus was gone, they were thinking, “Where did He go?”

Vs. 23-24 - So they get into their boats to go back across to Capernaum and look for Jesus.

When they find Him Vs. 25 tells us they ask, “Rabbi, how do you get here?”

The idea is, “How did you get here so fast if you didn’t take a boat? How long have you been here? We don’t understand.”

And you know what Jesus could have said? “Oh, I walked across the water to my disciples in the middle of that storm, then I calmed the storm, got in the boat, and miraculously transported the boat from the middle of the Sea all the way to the shore with my powers. How did you get here?”

Jesus could have flexed. But He didn’t. Here’s why: Doing something else impressive isn’t what they needed. They were already focused on the wrong things. Remember, they were looking at Jesus and seeing “bread” instead of looking at bread and seeing “Jesus.”

And they use the term, “Rabbi.” That’s a spiritual term. It means “Teacher.” They make it seem as if they’re coming to get spiritual food. They come acting as if they’re there to learn and grow and worship because Jesus is God and that’s just the right thing to do.

Here’s where we need to put ourselves into the scenario.

The people are excited about Jesus.

They are going to great lengths to seek Him out.

They could be anywhere else, but they’re in Capernaum with Jesus.

Their zeal is unmatched.

They are where they ought to be.

But look at what Jesus says in Vs. 26:

He basically says, “I know you. You’re here for the food.”

Jesus knows every heart. It reminds me of John 2:24-25, “But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all men, And needed not that any should testify of man: for he knew what was in man.”

He knows every heart. Zeal is not a sign of a relationship.

Putting in the effort to follow Jesus outwardly doesn’t mean there’s a genuine relationship inwardly.

Jesus knew this crowd. He knew they were there because they still had a taste for yesterday’s bread.

It wasn’t about Jesus. It wasn’t about worship. It wasn’t about righteousness. They wanted bread.

And this brings us to the first point I’d like to make this morning:

I. If you follow Christ for the perks, you have a DO religion.

Meaning these folks were following Jesus just to get something out from Him.

They were treating Christ like a vending machine.

I put my money in, I get a blessing out.

I follow and put in effort, He blesses me with bread.

When I need something, I suddenly become serious about God so I can get what I want.

Illustration: It’s amazing how flippant people are about God until a crisis comes, then suddenly here they come.

I’m not saying don’t come to God in a crisis. There’s no better place to go. But that spirit is condemned by Jesus here. He says, “You’re only seeking me because of how I can benefit you.”

His point is not that we shouldn’t seek Him in a trial, but that we should seek Him for who He is, not for what He can do for us.

We should want a relationship, not just the perks.

We should want to know Him, not take advantage of Him.

Illustration: Parents, how rewarding would it be if the only time your kids came to you was when they needed something? God is the same way. He wants us to love Him, not just use Him.

We have a DO religion mentality if we think that religion is a performance based proposition.

If I do this, God is obligated to do this in return.

There are perks to following Christ.

If you are a believer, you have a eternal life. That’s a perk.

If you are a believer, you have peace that passes all understanding. That’s a perk.

If you know Christ, you have a Friend that never leaves or forsakes you. Perk.

But we are never promised a life of ease. And if all we had was a Savior who gave His life to give us eternal life and nothing else ever went right, that’s a perk that makes it worth it all.

The most satisfying life is not when we perform for the perks from Jesus. But when we pursue the person of Jesus.

If you follow Christ for the PERKS, you have a DO religion.

II. If you try to please Christ with your works, you have a DO religion.

A. Vs. 27 - Labor not for the meat that perisheth

Far too often we get wrapped up in the temporal things of life and fail to see what genuinely matters.

Jesus makes a contrast between the bread they ate the day before and bread that actually lasts.

The point is being made already - Bread doesn’t last long. Even if you eat a lot, you’ll be hungry again the next day. The people are proof of this.

That’s meat which perisheth. It doesn’t last. It didn’t even last 24 hours for them. Yet they were chasing Jesus around Capernaum to get more.

If that’s not a picture of the life most people live, I don’t know what is.

They live for money, which they can’t take into death.

They live for fame, which most people never find and it only lasts 15 minutes if they do.

They live for things, which break down and burn up.

They live for pleasure, only to realize it lasts but a moment.

It’s all temporary, yet that’s the priority in most people’s hearts. Meat that perisheth.

Jesus instead says, “Stop working to fulfill your heart with temporary things. You’ll be hungry again tomorrow. You’ll never do enough to earn things that last eternally.”

He says, “Eternal life is that which the Son of man shall give unto you.”

He’s saying, “I’m the source of eternal life. The Father sealed me for that task.” Sealed means approved.

There’s one approved plan for eternal life. And it’s in Jesus Christ alone.

So friend, stop working your fingers to the bone to earn eternal life when you never could. You never will. You never can.

Instead, recognize that Jesus is the approved plan for eternal life. Live your life laboring for Him. Surrender yourself to Him. Give yourself to Him. Not in order to earn eternal life, but because He’s already done the work to provide it.

That’s the difference between DO religions and DONE religions.

DO religions say, “Work and pray that God will be happy with you.”

DONE religions says, “God has already approved the work of Jesus on the cross. Place your trust in that, because it is finished.”

DO religions say, “Get baptized in order to be saved.”

DONE religions say, “Get baptized as evidence that you have been saved.”

DO religions say, “Try to do more good works than bad works and cross your fingers.”

DONE religious say, “Do good works because Christ saved you and they are evidence of what has taken place in your heart.”

Ephesians 2:8–09For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”

Paul makes it clear that’s salvation is a gift. If it was about works, we would brag about it. So it’s all about grace.

Ephesians 2:10 “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”

Good works don’t earn you a place in Heaven. They are the evidence that you have a place in Heaven.

So you have two choices: You can labor to be saved as part of a DO religion. Or you can labor out of love because your salvation is DONE.

Look at Vs. 28-29

“What shall we do?”

They still have a DO mentality. And that’s not new.

In Acts 2, the people asked in response to Peter’s sermon, “What shall we do?”

In Acts 16, the Philippian jailer asked Paul and Silas, “What must I do to be saved.”

And still today, people are asking, “What must I do to be saved? What good works? What religious activity? What sacrifice and self-denial must take place?”

And Jesus’ answer is and always will be this, “This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.”

Salvation is God’s work in us.

Our one responsibility is to place our trust in the One He has sent - Jesus.

To admit our sin and acknowledge He’s the only approved plan for eternal life.

We can either believe what the Bible says, that the work for eternal life was finished on the cross. DONE.

Or spend our lives in frustration, realizing that no matter how much we labor we could never earn the gift of salvation. It’s all of faith. Not of works.

Illustration:

Used to own property with many trees

Hard woods like Post Oaks and Blackjack Oak, also plenty of Cedar trees

I’ve joked about this before here, but I used to walk around on my day off and threaten to cut down any tree that looked at me funny

There’s something manly and empowering to carry a chainsaw

When that chain is sharpened or you have a new chain, it’s like a hot knife through butter

But more than once I remember putting on the chain, heading out to do some cutting and it seemed like nothing was working

I’d saw and saw and the only thing I’d do is create heat and smoke. I’d think, “It's a new chain. I’ve got plenty of bar oil. The tree’s not wet. What is happening.”

Then I’d take a closer look at my saw and realize my mistake. My chain was on backwards.

If you know anything about chainsaws, you know the teeth have to be pointed the right way to make any progress.

I’d feel so dumb. I’d have to stop and flip it around and then suddenly, “Hot knife meet butter.”

The chain was right there. It could have been easy the whole time. But my refusal to pay attention to the details meant hard labor. Frustrating labor. Completely unnecessary sweat and tears.

And if that’s not a picture of the average person with a DO religion, I don’t know what is.

We have it backwards. We think that labor earns God’s favor.

But labor should come out of love because God has shown us favor.

Salvation

You cannot be saved by trying harder.

Your works cannot erase your sin.

You must humbly come to the end of yourself and place your trust completely in the finished work of Christ.

Christian

Are you living for meat that perisheth?

Giving your life to temporary things that will not matter in eternity?

What Jesus calls for in this text is repentance.

To turn from laboring for temporary, empty things, and live for God and the things that matter.

Is you chain on backwards?

Here’s the great thing. All it takes is one decision to stop and turn it around.

It’s time to live in freedom again.

The DO mindset will wear you out.

The DONE mindset will free you up.