How to Spot a Counterfeit - Part 2

Opening

I love food - too much. It easily qualifies as an idol for me. I eat when I’m bored, stressed, happy - I love new foods, healthy foods, terrible foods.

Stats

Spend between 1-1.5 hours a day just shoveling food and drink into our faces (not talking or sitting. actually eating and drinking)

about 40,000 hours a in a lifetime or 1700 days just eating.

This doesn’t include the planning of meals, going to the grocery store, cooking, driving to the restaurant, picking up the to go order… more realistically it’s 2 or three hours a day just devoted to food.

That’s an equivalent of 38 days a year devoted to food. 10% of your year. A TENTH!

Which makes sense because on average we spend about 10% of our money on food

For our family, we try to eat high quality food, it’s closer to 20%

The only thing we spend more money is likely rent or mortgage -

But let’s be honest, we could all probably downsize and still have a place to sleep

You can only downsize your diet so much before you don’t really need to worry about a place live anymore…

Think about all the professional agriculturalists who spend their lives growing and processing food.

This community in particular is filled with farmers, who are the children of farmers - generations of people devoted to food.

Most of these facts are only relevant in developed countries really. 26% of the world population (2 billion ppl) live by growing, catching or hunting their own food.

That means they cultivate, plant, maintain, harvest, process and store their own food supply year round.

No way to calculate the percentage of time devoted to eating.

The most important resources on earth are not metals, gems, combustibles, or dollars - it’s food and water.

Why? Because if you don’t eat … you die. Simple.

Every creature God created has a natural instinct to feed itself.

We see Mr. Perry’s cow’s give birth in the fall over here across from the parsonage. Those baby calves come out ready to eat. They know what to do immediately!

We have several new mamas here at PSBC. You don’t have to teach little babies to be hungry do you? NO! They KNOW and they let you know!

Can you imagine not knowing how what hunger felt like?

I’m not talking about not knowing where to find food, I mean not even knowing that the empty feeling in your belly, the weakness in your limbs, the fatigue you feel when you don’t eat - imagine not knowing why this was happening?

Seems silly I know… not as silly as you think. Many of here this morning are starving ourselves to death and don’t even seem to notice.

Why don’t you feed yourself then?

Last week we read Jesus’s words, “Don’t labor for the food that perishes but for the food that endures to eternal life.”

When I say some of us are starving ourselves I mean you’re starving yourself of true, eternal, spiritual food. Christ is not your nourishment. You’re filled up on everything else around you except God’s eternal word!

Statistically speaking, Lifeway and Barna report that among self-identifying Christians only about 50% read their Bibles at all.

Not so bad you say? Well of that 50% - only half engage with the Bible on a weekly basis, the rest monthly.

In 2020, a year heavily impacted by stay and home orders and lockdowns, the percentage of people who read scripture daily in 2019 dropped from 14% to 9%

Last year the most faithful bible readers dropped off significantly.

So I KNOW some of us are hungry - we are staving.

Your soul is emaciated. Your spirit is sickly. Your love of God is circling the drain because you’re not eating the meal that God has served up for you.

You’re not engaging with God, in His word, in Prayer and in worship on a daily basis!

“Pastor, I’m really struggling with work and family. I’m just feeling burnt out” --- “Are you communing with God every morning?” --- “Well no. I want to but I’m just so busy.” --- “Not really. I’m so tired once the kids get in bed.”

Friends - if that’s your perpetual story, get used to feeling burnt out and tired, because I can’t help you!

Are you hungry? Are you tired? Are you burnt out? Do you need a pick-me-up? Hear God’s word church...

Psalm 63:1–8 ESV

1 O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. 2 So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory. 3 Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you. 4 So I will bless you as long as I live; in your name I will lift up my hands. 5 My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food, and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips, 6 when I remember you upon my bed, and meditate on you in the watches of the night; 7 for you have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy. 8 My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me.

That is the meal the Lord intends to serve you every day friends - it’s the Eternal Food Christ is inviting us to partake of this morning. This morning we’re talking about REAL FOOD - REAL BREAD - the BREAD OF LIFE!

Review

Last week we started the last leg of this series through John 6.

We began studying what’s called the Bread of Life discourse - discourse rather than sermon because there’s a dialogue between Jesus and the crowd. Different from a sermon.

We took an opportunity to look further at the disposition of the crowds who we determined were Counterfeit Disciples

First, because they have a transaction based relationship with God

These people are following Jesus around to see what they can gain from him.

No worship among them - only demands.

Second, because they failed to recognize their own spiritual poverty

The crowd is much more concerned about having their needs and expectations met than hearing Jesus’s message.

They don’t see their greatest need is salvation - not supper.

Third, because they were interested in Jesus but not invested in Jesus

Being interested in Jesus is not enough. Christ is worthy of worship not interest.

We actually ended by looking at the very beginning of the bread of life discourse - the crowds first question and Jesus’s answer.

“What must we do to be doing the works of God?”

They want the secret to Jesus’s power - If you’re not gonna make good with the miracles then show us how you do it.

We want to do miracles too!

They misunderstand - this is not a man with secret powers he got from by practice. this is God in the flesh doing the works of God!

Jesus responds “This is the work of God, that you believe him whom he has sent.”

Basically, “The only miracle that you have any part in is believing that Jesus is God.”

The miracle of faith - that is the ONLY work that matters - believing.

Exposition

This week we’re picking up with the next line of dialogue in the discourse - the crowds response to Jesus’s answer and where Jesus is going to show us what real food is by showing us who HE is.

The Text

John 6:30–40 ESV

30 So they said to him, “Then what sign do you do, that we may see and believe you? What work do you perform? 31 Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’ ” 32 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. 33 For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” 34 They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.” 35 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. 36 But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. 37 All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. 38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. 39 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. 40 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.”

Much Like Moses

To this Jewish crowd - Jesus was looking a lot like Moses -

What I mean is, like a prophet, a powerful prophet, but nothing more than a powerful man of God like dozens of others in the history of Israel.

if we rewind to week one, we studied the feeding of the 5000 we saw how John is intentionally presenting this narrative to us so that the parallels between Moses and Jesus are amplified.

At the end of Ch. 5, back in Jerusalem some months before the events of chapter 6, Jesus gives a long sermon that he ends with these words…

John 5:39–47 ESV

39 You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, 40 yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life. 41 I do not receive glory from people. 42 But I know that you do not have the love of God within you. 43 I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not receive me. If another comes in his own name, you will receive him. 44 How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God? 45 Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father. There is one who accuses you: Moses, on whom you have set your hope. 46 For if you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote of me. 47 But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?”

You see here the way Jesus links himself and his ministry to Moses - not as a peer - to accentuate his superiority

Jesus isn’t another Moses or even a better Moses - He’s the fulfillment of the entire Mosaic Law -

What see in the very next scene after Jesus points to Moses is the feeding of the 5000

This is basically a reenactment of one of the most outstanding miracles the Lord ever performed for Israel under Moses

When he sends down Manna from heaven to feed Israel in the desert

Exodus 16 is where we find that account…

Exodus 16:6–12 ESV

6 So Moses and Aaron said to all the people of Israel, “At evening you shall know that it was the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt, 7 and in the morning you shall see the glory of the Lord, because he has heard your grumbling against the Lord. For what are we, that you grumble against us?” 8 And Moses said, “When the Lord gives you in the evening meat to eat and in the morning bread to the full, because the Lord has heard your grumbling that you grumble against him—what are we? Your grumbling is not against us but against the Lord.” 9 Then Moses said to Aaron, “Say to the whole congregation of the people of Israel, ‘Come near before the Lord, for he has heard your grumbling.’ ” 10 And as soon as Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of the people of Israel, they looked toward the wilderness, and behold, the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud. 11 And the Lord said to Moses, 12 “I have heard the grumbling of the people of Israel. Say to them, ‘At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall be filled with bread. Then you shall know that I am the Lord your God.’ ”

I hope you can see the obvious parallels

God leading Israel out into a desert place so that He can display his power by producing bread and meat out of thin air

Jesus leading the crowds out onto a desolate mountain and displaying his power by producing bread and meat out of thin air!

Can we go one layer deeper church??? Look at the intent of Jesus in ALL of this,

The sermon at the end of Chapter 5 - the references to Moses - the feeding of the 5000 - they’re all a set-up!

Yes. Even the miracle of feeding thousands of people serves a greater purpose. It’s to set-up the dialogue we are studying today between Jesus and the Counterfeit Disciples…

The feeding of the 5000 is not about the miracle itself but about the words Jesus get’s to preach once the people have seen this miracle.

It’s one big play so that Jesus can make a huge, earth shattering declaration

“I AM THE BREAD OF LIFE”

Three (More) Marks of A Counterfeit Disciple

They Seek Signs (v. 30-31)

John 6:30–31 ESV

30 So they said to him, “Then what sign do you do, that we may see and believe you? What work do you perform? 31 Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’ ”

Yes - you read that right church - this crowd just asked Jesus for a sign to prove that he is who he says he is.

How many of you know someone who can materialize dinner for 5000 hungry men in 10 minutes with no supplies?

Sammi whips it up yall. She’s my favorite chef - but not even she can come close.

Don’t be confused - these folks didn’t know anyone who could do what Jesus did either. So what are they getting at?

They make this case that Jesus still has a lot of work to do to prove He’s the messiah

The crowds has rightly understood the claim Jesus just made -

He says “I am the one whom the father has sent and you must believe in me.”

There’s not really confusion on what Jesus is claiming.

Rather than accept what they see before them - they ask for MORE proof.

What they have already seen has no value. Why?

To them there’s no value in a one-off miracle - they quote some scripture from Psalms here

John 6:31 ESV

31 Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’ ”

They’re thinking of Moses here (just like Jesus wants them to) and saying,

“Hey man. If you want us to believe in you, you gotta keep up the supply of bread and fish. Moses did it for 40 years. You just gave us one meal.”

When you look at the Greek verbs here that John uses, it conveys this sentiment - he uses what’s called subjunctive verbs here which give a feeling of carrying the action on into the future…

You can read their question more like, “What work will you continually be doing that we might believe in you? What works will you always perform?”

Again they have reduced Jesus’s value to what he provides and made their belief in him contingent on a continual supply of miracles that prove He is the messiah.

These are not genuine disciples - they are sign seekers. Which Jesus righteously hates by the way.

He says in Matthew 12:

Matthew 12:38–39 ESV

38 Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered him, saying, “Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.” 39 But he answered them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.

He calls out the sign-seeker, the miracle tourists, as evil and adulterous.

When Jonah preached to the Ninevites - they heard the word of God and repented. They didn’t require and miracles or signs from God - just preaching. Jesus won’t do anything different.

There’s a trap that Jesus doesn’t fall into because He doesn’t meet us on OUR terms like we wish He would!

the Lord knows the human heart -

If you don’t believe one miracle you won’t believe 10 or 100 or 1000.

Amazement in a miracle is not the same thing as worship.

It might produce some short lived behavior changes but the moment the awe begins to wear off you’re right back to worshiping everything but God!

Jesus says in v. 36 “You have seen me and yet do not believe”

It’s not a matter of what you’ve seen or the proof you’ve been given that separates you from believing.

It’s an issue at the very core of our fallen nature.

It’s easy for us to pass judgement of the crowds here and think - what more do you need people?

You think you’d know better if you were there but you wouldn’t!

The Sign Seeking Heart is Filled with Doubt

At the core of the issue of needing Jesus to prove himself over and over again for us to believe is DOUBT

The sign seeking heart of a counterfeit disciple is one that constantly doubts that God really is who he has revealed himself to be in scripture. We live and operate as if Jesus is not powerful, his word is not true and his promises are not real until proven otherwise.

Manifests itself in two ways…

The Way You Pray

You pray small little prayers about small little things because you do not believe God really answers prayers.

We should have big, bold, juicy prayers. Prayers that TRUST God -

Lord, bring Revival to our community

Lord, bring my kids to faith in Christ

Lord, convict me of sin

Lord, bring someone into my life that I can disciple

I picture us holding onto our biggest concerns, clutching them tight, afraid to hand them to God because we doubt Him. How? He died for you. How can we doubt his goodness?

Pray without expecting an answer

Do you pray in a way that hedges your bets? When you speak to God do you always leave Him an out so if he doesn’t answer it won’t seem like he didn’t hear you?

Maybe you DON’T Pray - you just mosey about your life, making plans and just expecting God to make it work out. Then when it doesn’t you wonder, “Where are you God?”

He’s there church. Cast yourself on Him - he has already cast himself on the cross for you.

The Way You Obey

Think about how your obedience displays your trust in God.

Most of us, we struggle with doing the things God says is best for us:

Consistency in our study of His word

Being in prayer all through the day

Treating out spouse as Christ has treated us

Discipling our kids - reading the scriptures to them

Sharing the gospel with people in our sphere of influence

In Luke 6:46 Jesus says, “Why do you call me Lord, Lord but do not do what I say?”

When we obey God we show that we trust him. That we believe what he says is good. When we call ourselves Followers of Christ but DO NOT obey, we show that we don’t trust God.

A former boss of mine, her husband was really sick with cancer, she was always working from home or out of office taking care of him and I asked her one day if there was anything I could do to help...

She thought and then said, “Doing a really good job here when I’m gone is the best way to help”

That stuck with me and Jesus’s words in Luke 6:46 show the truth in that statement.

My boss didn’t want some big gesture or some gift or favor. She wanted me to be diligent with the tasks right in front of me.

Jesus says the same - stop looking for some big thing to do, some grand experience, some emotional high. That’s not real worship.

Obey his words. Obedience is the ultimate form of trust and therefore ultimately worshipful.

I think of Simeon from Luke 2

Luke 2:25–32 ESV

25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26 And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. 27 And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law, 28 he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said, 29 “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; 30 for my eyes have seen your salvation 31 that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, 32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.”

Simeon knew what God had promised - so what did he do?

He believed God would make good on what he said - so he parked himself right where God said to be.

I imagine Simeon spending months and years waiting at the temple, wondering when he would see the Messiah. All the opportunities to doubt.

He placed himself where God where God told him to be and waited. He obeyed. Trusting God.

This can’t be any different for us church - be where God says to be. Do what God says to do. He has promised to meet you there.

In the morning prayer time. In the study of his word. In the fellowship of the church. When you’re sharing the gospel. When you’re worried about work our your kids our your spouse -

Position yourself under the downspout of his grace and prepare to be washed in His love.

That’s how we fight church:

We Pray and Obey - that’s how we shift from counterfeit faith to genuine faith in Christ.

They’re Sketchy with the Scriptures (v. 32-33)

John 6:31–33 ESV

31 Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’ ” 32 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. 33 For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”

The second mark of a counterfeit disciple is they’re Sketchy with the Scriptures

Jesus has to correct the crowds quotation of Scripture - they got their interpretation wrong.

When they say, “He gave them bread”, they mean Moses gave the people bread.

They think that Moses was the one who called down the bread from Heaven for Israel when they were hungry.

Jesus is quick to correct this misunderstanding.

Jesus says, “Hold up. You’ve got it totally wrong. It was NOT Moses who fed Israel in the desert. It was my father. It was God.”

This is the thing about Counterfeit Disciples - they see the words of God and hear them but do not understand. Why?

Their view of the scriptures is why. They don’t seek understanding because they don’t value God’s word as ultimately true.

For them it’s a rule book - What’s the formula I need to follow to get the blessing? Tell me the rules and I follow as long as there’s something in it for me.

These folks are so concerned with finding earthly bread that they take no time to eat eternal bread.

When Jesus was in the wilderness in Luke 4 being tempted by Satan, and he was SOOO hungry, Satan tried to tempt him by suggesting he turn stones into bread - “why not. you’re God. it’ll be easy”

How does Jesus defend himself? God’s word -

“It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone but on every word that proceeds from the mouth of God” Deut 8:3

We must know and believe and feast on God’s word church - Know His Word! Don’t be like the counterfeit disciples.

They Skip Supper (v. 34-35)

Jesus tells the crowd that TRUE bread, eternal bread, comes from heaven - and it’s not a meal you eat with your mouth but you believe it and it feeds your soul - even more than that it’s not an item or a concept it’s a person.

It’s Jesus - He’s the true bread. He’s the eternal food. And the crowds response is just so silly.

“Sir. Give us this bread always.”

There’s a parallel here in John 4 - the Samaritan Woman at the Well

Jesus asks the samaritan woman for a drink since she is drawing water from the well.

She’s taken aback that a Jewish Rabbi would speak to her - since Jews traditionally disliked Samaritans for political reasons.

Jesus says,

English Standard Version Chapter 4

“If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.”

She responds “This well is deep and you don’t have a bucket. Where do you get this living water?”

English Standard Version Chapter 4

Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” 15 The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I will not be thirsty or have to come here to draw water.”

The Samaritan woman and the crowds here in John 6 have something in common - they’re so locked in on the race for temporal resources that when they hear of this eternal food and eternal water they immediately try to bypass the giver and get straight to the gift.

They want to Skip Supper and still get dessert.

So it is with us church -

we want God’s grace without having to go through the cross of Christ

we want the blessing without the obedience - joy without the suffering - and that is very plainly NOT how it works.

When Paul describes the nature of fallen humanity in Romans 1 - his thesis statement is

English Standard Version Chapter 1

they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.

At the core of what it means to be a counterfeit disciple is this exchange, this BYPASS, the desire to go around Jesus to get to all of his promises - but we reject that church. Christ is the promise. He is the bread. We will dine on him. WE MUST>

Because that is the call Christ makes to us in the gospel - come and eat! There’s no satisfaction, there’s no hope, there’s no salvation in ANYTHING ELSE

But what does it cost me, you stop and ask - Jesus responds “Everything.”

It will cost you everything friends - Jesus will take possession over you, your job, your family, your hobbies, your free time IT’s All His! So if you can’t see that cost in your life this morning friends, you need to count it.

Because when we surrender our lives over to Jesus and give him everything - the reward is far greater than the sum of a thousand lives of the richest splendor - you don’t get gold or bread you get Christ on the Cross, resurrected for YOU.

God dying… FOR YOU!

What a trade - a lifetime of disobedience for and eternity in the presence of God.

Give me that bread church. Always.

A Few Application Questions

How much time each week do you spend on collecting or maintaining resources? (Work, shopping, taking care of the house, the kids) It’s a significant amount of time!

Do you believe God intends for those necessary activities to be wasted time since they are not directly related to pursuing Him? Defend your answer with scripture.

Read Genesis 3:1-7. How does Satan use doubt to push Adam and Eve to disobey God? How does Satan use doubt push you to disobey and mistrust God?

Read Matthew 4:1-11. How is scripture used in this passage and what effects does it have? What do your bible study habits look like right now? How will you prioritize God’s word this week? Who can hold you accountable?

Discuss how your prayers reflects your confidence in God’s promises? How has God answered your prayers lately?

Discuss how your obedience reflects your confidence in God’s promises? What would habitual disobedience say about your confidence in God’s promises?