See, Believe and be Raised

Last week we discussed what it meant to seek Jesus for who he is rather than what he can do for us. To Seek God himself and not his miracles, and then we respond by believing, that is to trust in Jesus for salvation. This week we are going to look at the process of salvation from the first contact with God to our saving faith and then the eternal security of saving faith. I believe one reason we do not share our faith is that we do not really understand how salvation works and in some cases we may even struggle with doubts about our own salvation. In both cases we feel inadequate to share the gospel with someone else. Today I hope to help you overcome both of these concerns that your faith is strengthened and you might be a light to the lost of the world. After all sharing the gospel with the lost is primary purpose for remaining on this earth. As Paul said it in Philippians 1:21-23

Philippians 1:21–23 ESV

For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better.

He understood that for the saved it was better that they die and go to Christ but it was better for the church and the lost that they remain so that they could labor in the Gospel. It may be that today someone is listening who does not know Christ as their Lord and Savior for you I pray that God would open your heart and mind to see the truths of God, to believe, that is to put your trust in him, and you too can have the assurance of salvation and the Resurrection to live forever with God in heaven. Look with me at John 6:30-40

John 6:30–40 ESV

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. 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.”

See

Remember this discussion is taking place the morning after Jesus fed over 5000 people with a couple fish sandwiches. Jesus has just challenged them that they should recognize him as the Messiah and believe in him for salvation and this is there response.

John 6:30–34 ESV

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.”

What sign do you do- didn't take them long to forget the feast or did they

Then ironically they bring up the provision of manna in the wilderness a similar miracle to that of Jesus. So then maybe its not about the miracle itself but instead the extent or power of the miracle.

Jesus fed 5000 men possibly up to 20000 counting women and children

Wilderness was likely over 1.5 million people

What they really want is a more extravagant miracle

The Jews then challenge him saying give us manna as in the days of the wilderness

Yet Jesus reminds them that it was not Moses but God that gave the manna therefore it was really God they were challenging just like their ancestors tried to pin it all on Moses as though it was his fault and Moses replies in Exodus 16:8

Exodus 16:8 ESV

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.”

Jesus and Moses are making the same point here the miracles are not of man but of God and to claim that they can do miracles of themselves is to make them equal with God. For Moses this would have been sin but for Jesus being God in the flesh this is the truth. Yet the people will not see it.

Remember his words in vs 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.”

Jesus is claiming to be equal with God for he is the giver of food of eternal life, he is the source. Thus he must be God and the miracle of feeding the 5000 may be less in number but it is not less in power for both cases showed the power to create a power that is above all of nature. Science teaches that matter can neither be created or destroyed yet where then did matter come from. The answer is an outside force must have created it. We know this force to be the eternal God, one who lives outside of time and space. Thus Jesus by claiming the eternal food comes from him is claiming Godhood and he demonstrates the truth of that by the miracle of feeding the 5000.

The problem is the people have seen all of these things happen cannot see the truth for their spiritual eyes are blinded. This is proven in the next section by their unbelief.

Believe

John 6:35–37 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. But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.

Here Jesus says that not only is he the source of the bread but he is the very bread itself. he depicts himself as both the source and the way of salvation.

Just as in the wilderness the people were starving from a lack of food and God granted them salvation by feeding them manna in the morning and meat in the evening and providing water from rocks to meet their physical needs now Jesus is telling them that he is providing for their spiritual needs. He is the eternal bread of life and his promise is that all who come to him shall be filled.

Our greatest hunger is not our bellies but our souls. There are more books on the purpose of life or how to make life meaningful or enjoyable than any other topic printed today. Clearly people are struggling with a sense of purpose and an emptiness that they cannot fill. This is a major contributor to people turning to drugs and alcohol as well as committing suicide. The first is an attempt to fill the hole while the second is an attempt to make it stop. I tell you truly that hole is a God shaped hole. You see we were created to have a relationship with God but because of our sinful nature we have rejected him and hid from Him. Jesus though came to live a perfect life and die on the cross that we might be forgiven of our sins and restored to a relationship with God thus filling the God shaped hole in our souls. He truly does satisfy our deepest need. We shall never need thirst again for we are forgiven nor shall we be hungry for we can speak to the God who made us. You see Jesus did not come to do miracles of a physical nature rather these were proofs to show his teachings true that we might believe in the greatest of miracles the death burial and resurrection of Jesus whereby man can be saved. The question is will you believe and place your faith in Jesus today. I pray that God opens your eyes to see the truth before them and you respond in faith today. Yet what if we sin again do we lose our salvation, some would have you believe so and thus people live terrified lives afraid they might sin and die before repenting and be damned to hell but notice the words of Jesus in the next section

Be Raised

John 6:38–40 ESV

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.”

Again Jesus says he is not doing his own will but the will of the Father.

This is the will of God that Jesus should lose nothing of all that was given to him.

You see when you place your faith in Jesus Christ you are saved not based upon your own actions but on the actions the life, the death, and the resurrection of Jesus. In the same way your salvation’s guarantee in not based upon your actions but rather upon the actions of Jesus. You cannot lose your salvation because Jesus will not loose any of were given unto him. Thus the one who comes in faith, trusting Jesus to save them from their sins and making him Lord of their lives is saved and nothing can take that away.

Finally I want you to notice the promise of the resurrection. Jesus says he will raise us up on the last day. All the true believers will be raised up at the word of Christ by his same power that raised him up from the dead. We are guaranteed the resurrection in the same way as our salvation that God himself will do it. We also know it is possible because he has already done it when Jesus raised himself from the dead and with Lazarus. My friends our God has power over death and sin and when we place our trust in him then we can know we are saved and will live forever with him in Heaven and this same gift is available to everyone we meet.

Invitation

My first question is for the believer who are you sharing the Gospel with? Who has God laid upon your heart to speak to about him? If your not sure spend this time in prayer seeking an answer. If you know the person will you decide today to speak to them about God? Will you share the most incredible miracle with them so that they too might have that God shaped hole within themselves filled. It is the best gift you’ll ever give anyone. Will you be God’s voice?

Next I want to speak to the one who has not yet placed their faith in Jesus. You have heard the truth of who Jesus is he was not merely a man or a teacher rather he was God himself in the flesh who left heaven for one purpose. He came to live and die that mankind might be forgiven for their sins and receive salvation and be restored to a right relationship with God. Yet this gift does require one thing of us that we accept it as truth and we place our faith in the saving nature of Jesus sacrifice that we believe he is indeed God and his sacrifice is sufficient to pay our debt and we trust him not only as savior but as Lord the master the God of our lives. Will you trust him today or will you continue to seek to fill that hole in your soul with other things. Will you come today and be saved?