John 6

We’re still going through John, and today, we’re going to be in John chapter 6, we’ll read 22 through 40; but we’re going to take it in three sections. John 6:22-27

John 6:22–27 ESV

On the next day the crowd that remained on the other side of the sea saw that there had been only one boat there, and that Jesus had not entered the boat with his disciples, but that his disciples had gone away alone. Other boats from Tiberias came near the place where they had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks. So when the crowd saw that Jesus was not there, nor his disciples, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum, seeking Jesus. When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you come here?” Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.”

Here is something that is so important to our life… notice something here… the people followed Jesus to this place… Look back, it says “you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves.” See… We are all longing to be filled… These people had just been given bread by Jesus… he turned 5 loaves of bread into enough to feed 5,000 people… so they’re chasing after Jesus in hopes that that’ll happen again…but here, Jesus says something crazy… “You’re following me because I fed you.”

Here’s the point… we all have a hunger inside of us… these people had a need for food… Jesus gave it to them… Likewise you and I, we long for some hunger to be filled… whether it’s our purpose in our life to be fulfilled, our homework to be simple and easy, or food, or friends, or fame, or whatever… deep down inside us, there is something we want more than anything… right? I want us to take a couple of seconds and just think about the thing you want most in your life… and think about this.

Jesus says to these guys, you’re hungry, and I fed you, now you want more… Just like them, maybe we get what we think we want… food, clothes, video games, whatever… but when we get it, we want more… so we chance after it again and again… Just like these guys… But Jesus tells them, this food, this bread… it’ll eventually go bad… food will eventually get moldy. Your clothes… they’ll eventually rip and wear down and you might outgrow it… but Jesus says John 6:27

John 6:27 (ESV)

Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.”

We shouldn’t be chasing after things of this world, no… but for things that will endure to eternal life. That’s not video games, not food, not clothes, not fame our money… but what is it? If no amount of money or food or friends can satisfy this hunger inside me…? Jesus tells them further down in John 6… lets read John 6:28-36

John 6:28–36 (ESV)

Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” So they said to him, “Then what sign do you do, that we may see and believe you? What work do you perform? Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’ ” Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.”

Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe.

You see… when we follow Jesus… He’ll satisfy all our wants and needs and longings. When we follow Jesus, He gives us the bread of life. He brings us to a place where we can be satisfied in only Him… and that doesn’t mean we don’t buy clothes, or hang out with friends, or buy video games. But it means out focus is shifted from those things to focusing on Jesus.

In Exodus, we read the story of Moses getting the Ten Commandments from God. The first two commandments are “Do not have any other God’s” and “You should not worship idols.”

When we have that hunger and when we give into that hunger, we are worshiping and Idol… You can tell something is an idol if that thing is taking up most if not all of your free time. When we get home from school and immediately run to the video games when there is other things to do… that’s an idol, we’re putting it in a position higher than God. God should take up our free time. Praying, reading the word, doing good works, that is what our life should look like.

And the great news is, that when we worship God first and foremost, putting away our idols, we will be satisfied. He says in John 6:35

John 6:35 (ESV)

Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.

You will be satisfied by Jesus when you begin to follow him first and only.

Now I want to make sure you hear me… the things you love are not evil in themselves. But it’s when they become the MOST important thing in your life, when they become the thing you spend all your time doing, that is when the issue arises.

John 6:37–40 ESV

All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”

Jesus makes it very clear… that if you believe in Christ… you will have all you need and he will never let you go.