Jesus is Gloriously Enough!
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Introduction:
Introduction:
Life can seem to leave us wanting the Longer we live. Often our dreams are shattered, relationships Broken, careers derail or don’t go anything like we dreamed, children struggle, marriages that end in divorce, illness, declining health, cancer, artharidus, and finally death!
John Cougar Mallencamp says in his Iconic song, Jack and Dianne
John Cuger Malencamp says in his Iconic song
Jack he says: "Oh yeah, life goes on, long after the thrill of living is gone" Oh yeah He says: "life goes on, long after the thrill of living is gone"
Hold onto 16 as long as you can, changes come around real soon make us women and men.
Hang onto your youth. Growing up and certainly growing old will be hard and dissatisfying.
Can we find deep joy, happiness, after the youthful years have past and perhaps our first loves and best health have left us with aging bodies and forgetful minds?
I’m saying Jesus is Gloriously enough in my title but then in my intro I’m saying what appears to be just the opposite.
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us or let’s us down. Many preachers today will stand in front of their congregation and tell them that if they have have enough faith God will meet all your worldly desires for comfort wealth and prosperity. That’s an easy and popular message to preach.
Life fails us or let’s us down. Many preachers today will stand in front of their congregation and tell them that if they have have enough faith God will meet all your worldly desires for comfort wealth and prosperity. That’s an easy and popular message to preach. So easy to preach some of them will hop on their personal ministry funded jets and fly to Africa and Asia and preach this prosperity Gospel to them. They will then take what little money these people have and fill their bags and planes and fly home richer than when they left and leaving those they preached to with a false gospel and less resources to survive .
There is one big problem with preaching that message and that is that it is absolutely not true and from satan Himself.
These preachers they are preaching this false gospel so they themselves can get rich at the expense of the poor often.
It is evil! Plain and simple.
It is evil! Plain and simple.
But godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.
Jesus did not come to give you everything you desire but to change your desires.
In our story Jesus is miraculously feeding 5,000 people with 5 barley loafs and 2 fish.
The main idea is found in verese
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.
John 6.
to say don’t simply seek to have your stomachs full but seek the bread of life itself which is Him.
Do not seek the gift but the giver Himself
What if a full stomach and having all our needs and wants met are the worst things for us? Don’t we see this with children of wealthy parents often it ruins them.
God let’s some pieces of our lives brake and shatter that He can reveal Himself and our real needs.
Is Jesus really enough? If so, Why doesn’t it aways feel true.
Mellencamps song struck a raw nerve with his audience like a dental probe finding an exposed nerve root.
The root nerve is our desire for satisfaction, Joy, Happiness. We are created for it.
God has placed in us a deep desire for joy. Happiness. This is God given and not wrong. The reason Mellencamps song strikes this nerve is that we all try to fill this desire in similar and sinful ways. The very song is about a teenage unmarried couple fulfilling their sexual passions. Fleeting and empty pleasure. If we give ourselves to them we find ourselves wanting.
How we go about finding our Joy is what God is challenging in this text here in
Let’s look at the text
English Standard Version Chapter 6
2 And a large crowd was following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing on the sick. 3 Jesus went up on the mountain, and there he sat down with his disciples. 4 Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was at hand. 5 Lifting up his eyes, then, and seeing that a large crowd was coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?” 6 He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he would do. 7 Philip answered him, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread would not be enough for each of them to get a little.” 8 One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him, 9 “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are they for so many?” 10
Why was the crowd following Him? They Saw Signs he was doing on the sick. Maybe this miracle worker can help me too?
Why does Jesus ask Philip where they can buy bread? It says in verse 6 ......To test him.
What kind of test was this?
Note Andrew’s response. There is a boy with 5 barley loaves and 2 fish, but what are they for so many?
Does Andrew really not think that Jesus can miraculously make food or more food. Hasn’t he seen Jesus do this and more already.
What is the test here from Jesus? I think he is once again revealing that they still do not believe in Him and His identity as God. If they did believe, surely they would know He can do this miracle of feeding the 5,000.
How could the closest to him miss it? You might think by this time they would say “Hey Jesus, can you just do one of your miracles so these people can eat?
Can you imagine the conversation between Andrew and Phillip? After the crowds have been feed Andrew and Phillip are gathering all the fragments as Jesus commanded.
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Phillip sets his basket on the ground and sits down with his basket between his legs. He says to Andrew as Andrew joins him for a short break and is stretching out his lower back from picking up the bread fargments.
Phillip says with a smile “ I guess I overestimated the cost for lunch?” Andrew smiles widely and says and I grossly underestimated that boys magic bread and fish.
He did it again didn’t he? Yes he did brother! Why are we so slow to see it coming? We have watched him with the man at pool, weve seen him heal the soldiers son from miles away, he turns water to wine, leads hundreds to faith in Samaria through a women of bad reputation, I just don’t get it? How can we be so thick headed?
Andrew laughs out loud. My wife always said i was slow to see the obvious. I guess she was right. Phillip laughs a luagh of acknowledgement. Well lets get his stuff up and head across to the other side of the sea.
One last question Philip. Do you think this fish here in my hand ever really swam in the sea or the barley ever grew in a field? Did he just create this stuff out of thin air. Only He knows the answer to that Andrew.
Do you realize we are walking around this earth with the God of the Universe. Why do we get this glorious privedge? Why did he chose us of all people? Again brother, only He knows but I will be forever thankful. Me too
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Perceiving then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself.
john 6.15
The King of all Kings here refuses to be their earthy King.
BAck to His Identity and His bigger story. He is here to reveal Himself as God in the flesh. They need to see the sign so gatgher trhe bread into the baskets.
They want to maake Him king here but jesus slips away again.
Perceiving then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself.
That would serve their immediate needs perhaps but Jesus knew and saw the bigger picture. He did not need to be their king in this place but for all eternity.
We have a similar response to Jesus when we try and use Him for our wealth, comfort, ease. Our small Desires. God came to change our desires. Our desires are far too small.
Jesus walks on Water
a classic liberal scholar or theologian view of Jesus feeding the 5,000 is that when they began to pass out the food the people decided they would share their food as well and so they could all eat. This is a flat denial of the miracle of Jesus and it contradicts the word of God. Men simply do not want to believe there is a God that created them and therefore they are accountable to HIm.
Jesus is 3 miles away and the disciples are on the sea to Capernaum. The sea becomes rough. They are probably thinking I wonder if those people just started sharing there bread and that’s how we all ate back there.
This doesn’t add up. He does this miracle and then we drown out here in the sea. Why?
So Jesus walks on water to get to the disciples. He intentionally lets them go and then comes to them on the water demonstrating His authority over creation and molecules.
The only way this happens in this world, the only way to explain this miracle is to say He is God or it just isn’t true.
You can’t say that maybe turtles swam to the surface for each step or the water was only ankle deep. That stuff just doesn’t work. Of coarse the approach the liberal theologian most often takes is that the word is not literal here. How could He walk on water?
He could if He was God!
Jesus walks on water to prove “I am God” . The fish and bread were not a product of some benevolent people but of a Glorious, loving, merciful, God come to earth to reveal His infinite worth and redeem a people for Himself.
Then notice the boat comes to shore immediately.
Then they were glad to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going.
When they come to Him and ask when or how did you get here He doesn’t bother telling him he walked on water to get there. Every man that would have had that experience would be quick to tell people.
I walked on the water.
Not Jesus, it wasn’t about Him but them. He takes out his dental probe and hits another nerve in verse
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.
John 6.
Work for food that endures to eternal life! This sounds contradictory to the message of the gospel. He is saying work for it. I thought it was by grace we are saved?
Yes, Alma, Bob, Henry, Shirley, Pastor Weaver, Hilda, Bud, Sandra, Vivian, JB, Maxine, Clarence and Calette
What is the work of God?
Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.”
john 6.
The work is to believe. This is what the Gsopel of John is try8ng to teacdh us start to end. Believe in Jesus. John is showing us miracles, signs, and Jesus is saying I am God.
This is how and when Jesus explains that even when we are old and cannot work, cannot run, cannot play, cannot enjoy youthful exuberance we can still experience joy, happiness, sweet fullness by doing the works of God.
Mellencamp couldn’t know this joy unless He knew God Himself. No wonder the song became an american iconic song.
Few know of this kind of running, playing, working, joy, glory, happiness that is possible at 95 and not just 16.
Yes Glorioously Yes Jesus is enough, Alma, Bob, Henry, Shirley, Pastor Weaver, Hilda, Bud, Sandra, Vivian, JB, Maxine, Clarence and Calette
That you believe in him whom he has sent! The work is to believe in me Jesus says
It is in our belief that we find Jesus is Gloriously Enough
Secondly, it continues to say, “Labor for the food that endures to eternal life.” That sounds terrible. Why does that sound terrible? You can’t labor for eternal life. It is a gift. Well, what does Jesus mean? I mean, when you read the gospel of John you bump into things like this all the time. Jesus seems to say the opposite of what he means, but he doesn’t leave you in doubt very long. Just keep reading verses 28 and 29.
Then they said to him [after he told them to labor for the food that endures to eternal life], You want eternal life? Labor for the bread that endures to eternal life. And then they asked him what must they be doing to do the works of God? He told them to labor, they ask what works to do. This is classic salvation by works. False.
Jesus answered them, “this is the work of God that you believe in him” (). So he turned the table upside down. They were working and working and working to seek him, have him, because he was useful to them. And to make a point he tells them not to seek him that way. You want to seek me and labor for bread? Labor for the bread that endures to eternal life. And he hooks them with that.
The problem is our hearts are black holes of discontentment, devouring relationships and possessions, all while screaming, “I need more.” We’re always eating, but famished. Always drinking, but never satisfied.
The Never-Ending Thirst
The Never-Ending Thirst
Dissatisfaction in life is near the root of all kinds of sin. Why do people cheat on their spouse, abuse drugs and alcohol, mindlessly binge-watch ridiculous amounts of television, scroll endlessly on Facebook and Twitter, steal, or commit suicide? All of these things and more happen because people haven’t found happiness.
At the root of our dissatisfaction is a never-ending thirst that nothing in this world can satisfy. We’ve been duped into thinking that a better job, more money, cooler friends, another spouse, or a new life is really what we need. And if we can’t obtain any of these things, or when they leave us dissatisfied, we resort to drug abuse, sexual immorality, or senseless entertainment. DG
Promises of Satisfaction
Promises of Satisfaction
The Bible is full of glorious promises of satisfaction for the discontent:
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.” ()
For he satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul he fills with good things. ()
The afflicted shall eat and be satisfied; those who seek him shall praise the Lord! May your hearts live forever! ()
In your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore. ()
once wrote,
“God, and God alone, is man’s highest good.” God is the source and sustainer of all good. He and he alone, as Bavinck notes, is “the abundant fountain of all goods.”
Herman Bavinck
Guest Contributor to DG Oct 8,2015
God is most Glorified when we are most satisfied in HIm.
In the Midst of Loss not prosperity or ease. If i tell people to follow Christ because He will make wealthy and you will get that big house and sports car. That doesn’t make God look good. That is idolatry! If someone hangs on to God by faith when their child dies or when there spouse leaves them. They cling to God …That makes much of Him. May we be those people.