The Bread of Life Discourse..

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com. That's cornerstonerbc.com. John chapter 6 verse 22. 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 the disciples had gone away alone.

The 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 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? And 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. Then they said to him, what must we do to be doing the works of God? And Jesus answered them, this is the work of God, that you believe in him who 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 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.

And 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. Amen. This is the word of our Lord. It is from this point, brothers and sisters, here in John chapter 6, where we begin here from verse 22, what we call the bread of life.

Discourse now as you might remember a few weeks ago about six weeks ago when we began this chapter And we we looked and considered together the miracle of the feeding of the 5,000 that takes place in the beginning I said then that that was a miracle that is a platform for Christ to begin a discourse about Him being the bread of life about the rest of this chapter, the full 71 verses really point back to that miracle and point back to that miracle to shed light on what Christ is actually saying. So the context that we have before us here is that we have the Galileans, the Galileans who had already witnessed the miracle of the feeding of the multitudes at the hands of our Lord the previous day. He did that with two pieces or two fish and five loaves and they all got their fill. They were all completely, completely satisfied to the brim physically. But this miracle was so much more than what he did physically.

It was a sign, a sign to point to a greater reality. A sign to point to a different type of bread. A bread that's not made with ingredients from this earth. No, a bread that is sent from heaven. the bread of life and sustenance to the soul.

The purpose of this sign is to point to Jesus Christ, the bread of heaven, the bread of life. or do the crowd here on the shores of Galilee, have they come to understand this supreme and this glorious truth, to look beyond the pursuits of the temporary, to look beyond the sustenance of their own bellies and what would sustain them physically. Will they now seek after Christ for the right reasons? Will they now seek after Christ to give them eternal life, to give them spiritual life and spiritual sustenance that abides forever? Said even more simply, what do they value most?

Is it the fleeting pleasures of this world that will soon pass away? Or is it the eternal riches? that are found in Christ and abide forever. What has captivated their hearts? The question's not only relevant, brothers and sisters and friends, for these first century Galileans, that question is relevant for every one of us in this room.

In fact, for every one of us in the world. Because every one of us will stand before the true and only God one day, and the way we've answered that question will determine where we spend the rest of our eternity. So now let's put our eyes in the text and look a little more closely at what it says, verse 22. 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 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, 24.

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. Now it's these same people that only a day earlier had made the long trek alongside the northern part of the seashore to the eastern side of the Sea of Galilee. in order to seek after Christ, in order to follow Christ. Matthew tells us that this was a remote place. There was nothing to see in this location.

It wasn't as though this Jesus was on the other side and they so happened to see him on the way to somewhere else. That's not the case. In the first century, here on the eastern side of Galilee, of the Sea of Galilee, you'll find that most of the towns and most of the villages were actually on the western side and the northern side. And that's because, as you remember from last week, this is the seas like a basin surrounded by mountains, but more so on the eastern side, because the mountains on the east come sharply decline and slope right towards the shore, making that terrain quite unpractical for residential living. Quite unpractical to set up or establish a village in that place.

And it was a desolate place. That's why Jesus and the disciples had gone over there in the first place. You remember? They went over to be away from the people in order to rest. Now all that's to say that I want us to realize that the multitude here in John chapter 6 that have witnessed the miracle of Christ and now that we have in the text before us are eager to be followers of Christ.

They're eager. They made the journey, some of them up to 20 kilometers by foot, specifically to be with Jesus. They are seeking after Christ. So much so that on the previous day when our Lord had dismissed or put the disciples on the boat and sent them off into the sea, if you remember that evening before, and then He dismissed the multitude that were there who had eaten the bread and the loaves and the fish that Christ had miraculously multiplied. He sent them away.

But the crowd and many of them did not return back to the comfort of their own home, the text is telling us. They stayed back. They stayed back to camp along the seashore that night in order to remain with Christ. So you've got to give them full marks for commitment. But the question we need to ask is this, and by God's grace, we will answer this evening.

Are they there for the right reasons? What is their motivation for seeking after Christ? Why have they made the journey out to see this person by the name of Jesus? Why are they there? Are their reasons honorable or not?

Beloved, as we'll soon find out, they're there for the wrong reasons. And as a result, by the end of the next day, many, many will be exposed, and many, if not most, will abandon Christ. So now, the next morning begins, the sun comes up, and they realize that Jesus is missing. The previous evening, they saw the disciples get on the boat and depart, but they know that Jesus didn't get on the boat with the disciples. In fact, they would have seen him walk back up the mountain to pray.

Now, Jesus is nowhere to be found. Now, he could have walked back. He could have walked back over the northern side of the Sea of Galilee towards the west. But the thing is, as I said earlier, the terrain of this mountainous eastern side would lend itself to make us believe it's very likely that these people were actually camped along the shore. And so no one saw Jesus walk by.

And they know they hadn't seen any boats come by to take Him. So where is this Christ? They would be, no doubt, intrigued. They would be, no doubt, curious at this point in time. How did Jesus, or where did Jesus go?

Where's He at? And where did He get, or how did He get to where He is now? So in that intrigue, what do they do? Well, they're committed, remember? They're committed seekers of Christ.

So as a motivated people, they begin to search for him, verse 24. So when the crowd saw that Jesus was not there, nor his disciples, then they themselves got into boats and went to Capernaum seeking Jesus. Again, that word seeking Jesus, searching for him, pursuing after him. We need to remember that, beloved, because that's important. Because although they may seem like well-intended, sincere people seeking Him, we will come to see that our Lord very soon will expose the motivations of their heart and show them that their motivation is all wrong.

And He'll make it clear that He does not or He is not interested in such seekers as this. But it's still morning. and their zeal is still quite high. They want to know where this Jesus is. So these Galileans jump into the boats, we're told, and they begin the journey to the western side, back to the western side to find Christ.

Now where did the boats come from, right? We're told that there was no boat. We don't know. The text doesn't tell us. It's quite likely that because they were on the eastern side, maybe families or relatives or friends knew that they were there, so they made the trek or the row over to bring their family members and take them back.

Some may even suggest or have suggested that some of the boat owners would have probably taxied their boats, looked at the opportunity of making a quick dollar. There's a multitude over there and they're probably not all that keen to walk back over up to 20 kilometres and so they may have taken their boats over to put them in and taxi them back for a quick dollar. We don't know. But we do know that they do make it over to the other side. And when they do, they find our Lord, according to verse 59, in the synagogue.

And that's where this teaching, that's where this pivotal discourse takes place, in the synagogue at Capernaum. And what is their first words when they come and see the one that they've been searching for? Rabbi, that's a designation of respect and honor. Teacher, when did you come here? Maybe, maybe they're thinking, how did you come here?

But they'll get that answer when they ask, when did you come here? No doubt, they were intrigued. No doubt, they were curious. One minute he's up the mountain, then morning comes up, the sun comes up and he's nowhere to be seen. I think it's possible, perhaps, In their own mind, they're already thinking, we've seen these miracles, multiple signs at his hand.

The day before, we've seen him multiply the fish and the loaves, miraculously feeding maybe 10 or 15, 20,000 people. Perhaps in their mind, they're thinking, surely there's a miracle to be told here. So when did you get here, Jesus? Maybe they're just trying to get a confirmation from Christ, to confirm what might be that exciting and the thrill factor that they're experiencing. But Jesus gives no such confirmation.

Remember, he knows what is in man. We're told that back in John chapter 2. He knows exactly why they are seeking him. Sure, if Jesus was into the whole popularity thing, like the messiahs, the false messiahs that came before him and many after him, he would be very keen not only to build on now, which is the time he is the most popular in Galilee, in his whole ministry, he'd want to build upon that because that's what a false messiah would want to do. But that doesn't interest Christ.

You see, if He wanted to keep the group, if He wanted to increase the crowd, then all He would have to do is say the truth. How did you get here, Jesus? Well, let me tell you what happened. I went up the mount, I looked over, and in the early hours of the morning, I saw my disciples on a boat, struggling on the sea. So I came down and effortlessly walked across the lake, walked across the Sea of Galilee as if I'm walking on the shore.

And then I get in the boat and then I miraculously calm the wind and the waves. And then in an instant, I take that 26 foot timber hull and I make it land at Capernaum. And then in the early hours of the morning, say between three and six, I find myself on shore. That's how I got over here. And that's when, thanks for asking, But no, Jesus is not interested.

He's not interested in their motivations, in what they want. Surely that's what their tickling ears is waiting to hear. They want to hear the miraculous. They're into the sensational. But our Lord is not interested in giving them what they want, beloved.

He's more interested in giving them what they need. And as he does so often, He looks to the question, but rather than answer the question, he goes straight to the heart. In this instance, he's interested in revealing the motivation for their eager pursuits, the very reason why they stand before him. And then he says these words in verse 26. Truly, truly, a statement by our Lord to say, hey, now listen to what I have to say, because what I'm about to say is of uttermost importance, truly, truly, verily, verily, amen, amen.

Whenever you see that, and it's in multiple times in the book of John, you take notice, and the original audience would have thought, okay, this is important. We need to be all ears, undivided attention. Then he says, and exposes their hearts, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of loaves. You know, these words might not immediately make a lot of sense to us. Because as we read this text, we're thinking, wait a minute, isn't it precisely because of the signs and the miracles and the exhibition of the miraculous that these people in Galilee are following Christ in the first place?

And that's what he says in the beginning of the chapter. It's because of the signs that they were following Christ. And then we think to ourselves and we think, isn't it precisely because of their amazement as being witnesses of the miracle of feeding the 5,000, the multiplying of the food that feeds so many. Isn't that why they're there? That he used barely enough food to sustain the hunger of a young lad, of a young boy, and fed the multitudes.

I mean, that amazed them. Isn't that why they're there? Wasn't it that miracle that they experienced the day before? Isn't that the miracle that compelled them to confess, surely this is the prophet like Moses? Furthermore, wasn't that the miracle that inspired them to desire to crown him as king?

What does Jesus mean? It's not because they saw the signs. Well, beloved, it's exactly what he's saying. They saw the miracle. They were amazed at the supernatural, captivated, completely mesmerized with the supernatural.

But they did not see the sign. They missed the whole point of the miracle. It was to point to something far more than the physical bread that sustains the body. It was to show them that he is the all-satisfying food for the famished soul. This sign, the sign is never an end of itself.

We've said this on several occasions. It's always pointed to something greater than itself. These people were so hung on the miracle, on the supernatural, on the sensational, that they didn't recognize the sign. They didn't see the sign. They saw the miraculous, but they didn't see the sign and what it was pointing to.

Jesus had become a miracle worker for these people, a hunger satisfier. But despite all his teachings and the signs he performed, they failed to see that he is indeed the saviour that they desperately need. They could not see this truth. They were hung up on the physical, on the temporal, on the material things of this world. That's why they sought after Christ.

Because they ate their fill of loaves. That's what Jesus is saying. Jesus can satisfy our hunger at will. If we hang around him, we'll never go hungry. We'll call him a prophet and we'll make him a king.

Whatever it takes to fill our bellies. You see, Jesus could see right through them, and their motivations were so, so wrong. They sought him for the wrong reasons. Their desires were fleshly, they were carnal, they were satisfying only of self, self-indulgent. But that's the natural man, isn't it?

All they were concerned with was to feed the lusts and the passions of their flesh. And they were completely oblivious to the food for the soul who stands before them. Even to the point that they were so oblivious that even to the point that in a few verses time Jesus Christ our Lord spells that out for them. He says, unless you eat my body and drink my blood. You have no part in the Kingdom of God.

Brothers and sisters, this example of this first century people are exactly in essence what we see today in the 21st century. The context is different and the geographical setting is different, yes, but the natural inclinations of the human heart has not changed. Man left to himself is completely selfish, is materialistic, and only interested in pleasing the pleasures of his own flesh. At its core, the human heart is no different. It seeks after own.

What's in it for me is what it cries out. How can I satisfy my own desires? How can I satisfy the flesh? My eyes, the lust of my eyes, the lust of my flesh, and the pride of life. It's precisely because the natural man seeks self above anything else and before anything else that the Apostle Paul says in Romans that no one seeks after God.

So are these seekers really seeking Christ for the right reasons? Now it's not always obvious, but sinful mankind is a master at masking or disguising their deep down desires. And a big way they can mask these desires, and this is something we need to be careful of, is under the guise of religion. You see, the Pharisees were a really good example of that, and we're not going to flick back and have a look, but we know the Pharisees were very, very good at disguising the natural inclinations of a sinful heart that seeks itself above all and put it under the guise of holiness. and religion.

You see these people, these Galileans, these Galileans were seeking after Christ precisely because of their understanding of scripture. They claim that this is the prophet like Moses and a worthy king because of their understanding of the Old Testament. But beloved, it was a facade, a disguise to conceal what they really, really wanted deep inside. The natural passions that are so overwhelming within the natural man. And if given the opportunity, they would have forcefully made him king in order to get what they want.

They're not looking to change his name. That's not what they're looking to do. They'll be even willing to give him some form of allegiance, but they'll expect him to do and to give them exactly what they want. This Jesus is one who can give them what they want. And what they want is to gratify the desires of the flesh.

You see, at its core, these people are looking for someone to feed their bellies. Yes, and it may be a necessity to have food for the stomach. I agree. But at its core, it's basically more stuff that they want. Give us more stuff, more physical things, more material things.

Whatever it is, nonetheless, it is stuff. And so our Lord calls them out on their error and reveals their foolishness, because here's the thing. Here's the thing, every material thing in this world, every last bit from the food we eat, to the clothes we wear, to the houses we live in, and the bodies that we have, every last bit will perish one day. Listen to what Jesus says in verse 26. Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me not because you saw signs, But because you ate your fill of 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 you.

For on him God the Father has set his seal." They're beautiful words. Don't work for food that is perishing, Jesus is saying. Now Jesus is not saying don't leave your jobs. Go out there and leave your jobs, don't work, don't do your 40 hour weeks, don't provide for your families.

That's not what Jesus is saying. In fact, the Bible has a lot to say about that. For a man to go out and provide for his family is both good and it's honorable and it's right biblically. Jesus is not saying that. That's not the point he's making here.

Let's look at the context. Let's look at the context. After witnessing what Jesus had done, these people that have come and found Christ have come to the realization that if they hang around Him, they will never go hungry. These were poor people, and this is something we may, as 21st century Western Christians, Westernized people, we may not fully understand or fathom, but in this day, and especially in Galilee, Galilee was not really a place for the rich, People were poor. It was a struggle even to put food on the table.

Beloved, if they found Jesus, if they thought in their minds that he could provide for their daily bread, that was a big deal. This Jesus was definitely worth pursuing, even only for that. And they do. and they work hard to find him. Their searching and their seeking takes them over land and sea and they finally find him in Capernaum.

But Jesus is saying, what's the incentive? What's the incentive for all your work? Bread to fill your belly? You've seen what I've done. You've seen the signs and the miraculous miracles.

You've heard the teachings. You've confessed that I am indeed from God. You've seen me to be the prophet. You want to make me king because you think I'm worthy. And I'm only as good to you to provide you fill for your bellies.

That's all you can get from me? Is that all I'm good for? All your pursuits, all your seeking, all your searching, the longings and the engagements of your heart and your mind for something that perishes. It doesn't have abiding value. Is it really worth it?

So you may get your field today. You had it yesterday. You may get it again today. In fact, you may get your fill every day for the rest of your life. You may never even go hungry again, but let me ask you this.

One day your body will perish, won't it? What does James say about that? What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a time, or a little time, and then vanishes. Your whole life, James is saying, is like a mist.

It's like a vapour. You put some water in a kettle and turn the kettle on and wait for it to boil. And then you see the vapour coming out of the spout of the kettle. I ask you, look at that vapour and fix your eyes and count to five as it rises. What happens to it?

He disappears. It's gone. That's it. Jesus is saying, is that vapor, is that mist really worthy of your pursuits and your energies? That which is here today and gone tomorrow?

To wholeheartedly pursue the temporal pleasures and the passions of this world and the things that merely pertain to our physical lives. When it all comes to an end, you have nothing. Now for these people, as I said earlier, that food was a big part of their life, to provide even bread daily. But as I said earlier, that bread will perish and their bodies will perish. At the end, beloved, the end will arrive so much faster than any of us can anticipate.

You see, we may be listening to this and thinking, yeah, that's definitely true, we can understand this, but that's not how the world argues, is it? See, the world may say, why not? Why not pursue the things of the world? Why not pursue the pleasures and the indulgences of my flesh? Why not be materialistic?

Why not? We only live Once? Have we heard that saying before? We may have used that saying. We only live once, right?

Why not seek the maximum pleasure and the sensory experiences and the indulgences? Because when it's all over, it's over. That's how the world thinks, right? The heart stops beating, that mist disappears, and that's it. It's all over.

But beloved, there's nothing further than the truth, than that from the truth. You see, Jesus goes on to say in verse 27, and this is telling, 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. You see what he's done? Eternal life has been brought up. Eternity now is in the picture.

Jesus has taken their minds from the temporal and now he's brought into the never ending existence of their souls. The physical to the spiritual. That's why it matters how we use our energies. Excuse me. Because it's not a matter of you only live once.

Let's eat and drink and be merry. What we do in this life has consequences that span into all eternity. Because only in the previous chapter Jesus makes it clear. every single one of us. Every person who has ever walked this earth will stand before the judgment throne of God.

And there will be two resurrections, one unto life, one unto judgment. And beloved, they are both eternal. They're both forever. You see, that means there was a time where everyone in this room, if we go back far enough, there was a time where our souls didn't exist. But hear this, there will never be a time where our souls will cease to exist.

You know, that's actually a daunting thought. Actually, in fact, that is quite scary. Because there's never a soul that was ever created at the hands of our God that will ever cease to exist. Now that He's brought eternity into the picture, When he says the words, do not work for the food that perishes, it makes a lot more sense. Because now we're thinking about that mist and that vapour not being the totality of one's existence, but only the totality of one's bodily, physical existence on this earth, which is a vapour that comes to an end and then you have all of eternity.

You may live 70, 80, 100 years on this life, but what is eternity? Millions and millions and millions of years and you have not even begun pouring one's efforts, all one's energies onto things and to pursue those things that are temporal and materialistic and have that perishable nature. Is that not foolishness when you think of it that way? So what is worthy of our energies? What is worthy of the striving of our hearts?

What should our hearts be concerned with? What food should we pursue? That's the question we need to be asking. Jesus says it's food that endures to eternal life. Now, let's see what Jesus is not saying here.

He's not saying it's works, that it's their works that achieves this food that endures to eternal life. The emphasis of the whole discourse in John chapter 6 is precisely opposite to that. It is all about having faith in Jesus Christ and in Him alone, to believe upon Him, to have eternal life. Union with Christ, eating of this bread, this Jesus, is what gives you eternal life. that goes against this chapter.

In fact what we have here is Jesus not so much speaking of the nature of the work but rather what is and what is not the appropriate goal for that work. Because we know the nature is in the hands of the Almighty God. He's the one who provides eternal life. So in doing so, as Jesus brings what is and what is not appropriate, he looks at these people and says, what you're doing, what you're pursuing, what you're engaging your energies in is not appropriate. And so he rebukes their materialistic pursuits and their motivations.

Their thinking is too short-sighted. Their eyes are blind to see the big picture. Jesus is saying, stop thinking small. Think big. Think eternity.

But hear this. That's precisely the problem with the natural man, isn't it? He never thinks eternity. The natural man is far more concerned with the here and the now in his physical existence than anything else. You know, it's actually similar.

We see this portrayed very similarly in the woman, the Samaritan woman at the well. Remember two chapters earlier when Jesus comes and finds this Samaritan woman at the well and Jesus comes before her and says that the drink or the water that I give, if you drink the water that I give, it will well up into eternal life and you'll never thirst again. You remember what she said? She said, Sir, give me this water so that I will not be thirsty. And she stopped there again.

Throughout Scripture you see people say words of nuggets, of wisdom it seems. But she didn't stop there. You'd think she gets it, but she doesn't. Because when she continues, she says, so that I will not be thirsty or have to come back to draw water. This lady could not see beyond the physical need Jesus Christ is providing for.

He's providing and explaining that he's the one who can give. He's the fountain of life. He's the one who can give life eternal. Drink from me and you shall never thirst again. Drink from me and your life will never come to an end.

You'll enjoy the richness of living and being in Christ himself. But she can only see, I want this water. because I wouldn't have to walk that 10-15 minutes every day with a jar on my shoulder or on my head in order to get water at the well. You see how people think little when they should be thinking big. Our Lord has now, before these Galileans, He's exposed their folly in their motivation, so they were motivated to receive food that perishes.

He's described what should be their pursuit and longing of their heart, that should be food that endures to eternal life. And now he volunteers some information that probably would most likely be the question on their mind. I'd say probably they're thinking, okay, so where do we find this food? But Jesus doesn't wait for the question. Verse 27 gives us the answer.

Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. You hear that? The food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. They've sought after the right person, but they've come for the wrong reasons. Jesus is saying, now you know what you should be seeking.

Now you know what's worthy of one's pursuits, what's worthy of one's energies. And it's not the temporal, but it is the food that endures to eternal life. And that food, beloved, is a gift from Christ. It's given by Christ. And in fact, if you go a little further, it's Christ himself.

You see, the whole point of that miracle that they experienced yesterday was for the crowd to recognize that exact point. There'll be no absolute excuse once he's finished this discourse, right? Why? Because Jesus knows that repetition is good for the memory. There are no empty words in His word.

And in His discourse, He says it over and over and over again, that these people must come to the realization of what Jesus is saying. Listen to verse 35. I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. 41.

I am the bread that came down from heaven. 48. I am the bread of life. And 51. I am the living bread that came down from heaven.

You see, Jesus is saying you're seeking the wrong type of bread. You ought to be seeking me. Listen to what he's saying. The son of man who stands before you is not only the giver of the bread, but he is the bread. In other words, he's saying, And I'll explain this in a moment.

But he's saying that this is a gift. I said that earlier. That this is indeed a gift that he bestows. He says, the Son of Man will give it to you. He's the giver, but it's also a gift.

You see, if you think about that word, give, It's actually the same word that's used in John 3.16. For God so loved the world. It's the same root word, root verb. For God so loved the world, He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life.

But these people don't see it. Because you know, you can see in their response, they don't quite get it. They don't quite get that Jesus is the one who is able to give them this gift of eternal life, which is himself. And he'll go on to say that, make that clear in verse 29, and as we saw later on in this discourse. But Jesus is saying there's no other.

You can believe me. You can trust me. How come? Why? Because he says, because the Father has set his seal of approval on me.

The Father sent Him from heaven and He set His seal of authenticity on His Son. That is to say, He's come in the Father's name. You may have seen frauds in the past, but Jesus is no fraud. He's been testified by the Father to be genuine through credible witnesses. And we've gone through those witnesses in the previous chapter.

John the Baptist, none of these men, very unlikely any of these people, would deny that John was a prophet from God. John the Baptist was a witness. God the Father had testified to Christ through the witness of His miracles, His signs. and also through the Word of Scripture. You remember that back in John chapter 5.

But he also testified through his own voice, you remember, at the baptism of Christ. This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased. This Jesus who stands before you is authorized, approved, and certified as the exclusive and only source of this food that lasts to eternal life. Beloved, there is, there is, there is no other. What glorious news, right?

It is glorious news. But beloved it's clear for us with the response of the Galileans that there's something majorly wrong. Because we know as New Testament Christians that this is not a matter of them listening to what Jesus has to say and simply accommodating his words in their mind somehow to accept what he needs or what he has to say. Beloved we know it takes a greater power than that. Because we know the problem here is not more understanding, more intellect.

We know the problem here is far greater than that. It's a spiritual problem. It's the problem that they are dead spiritually, dead in their trespasses and sins. Ephesians 2. You see they're seeking the food that perishes not because they didn't know about the food that doesn't perish, although that may be the case for some, but they're seeking the food that perishes because they have zero desire for the spiritual food that doesn't perish, which means they have absolutely no desire for Christ and what he really stands for.

They're dead. And dead means dead. But by the end of this discourse, they will come to the realization, and Jesus will make it very, very clear, at least on two occasions, that before they can receive His words, before they can believe upon Him, before they come to Him to eat the bread of life, the Father would need to supernaturally draw them unto Himself. Salvation is purely a work of God. But as it stands right now, Jesus for these people is simply a means to an ends.

A means to a selfish, self-centered ends. An ends that says, give me more stuff. Everything that Jesus is saying is going right over their heads at this point in time because these are spiritual truths and these people are spiritually dead. The words that drip with grace from the mouth of our Lord don't register in their hearts or in their minds. The fact that he's telling them in verse 27 that he gives, he gives the spiritual food.

As I said earlier, it's the same root verb as John 3.16, they don't understand it. This eternal life is free, it's a free gift from his hand. but he goes right over their head instead. They take Jesus' earlier comment about what is appropriate to be the appropriate goal for one's exertions in some work, one's pursuits.

They take that to mean, no, no, no, he's speaking about the nature of that work, and therefore they interpret that in their own mind. They overlook the grace, the gift, and they interpret something in their own minds to say, wait a minute, Jesus is saying we need to do something. Hey, Jesus, What must we do? That's the question they ask. Verse 28, what must we do to be doing the works of God?

Now, this phrase needs to be understood not so much what must we do to do the works that God does, but rather what must we do to do what God requires. What works does God require of us? In other words, Jesus tell us what we need to do and we'll do it. Does that not sound prideful to you? Does that not sound arrogant?

Hasn't Jesus just said that He is the only one qualified, only one testified, only one, He's the sole source of eternal life because the Father has set His seal on Him? And they're saying, so tell us, tell us, what must we do? As if to say, bring it on Christ and we will engage in that work. We think we've got what it takes. What a proud answer.

Jesus has just said he's the only one uniquely qualified and they're just saying, it's a misunderstanding what Christ said, but that's their intention. You see, like everyone in that natural state, they failed to recognize the absolute corruptness of the natural man. The corruptness and the inability to produce any works of righteousness in and of ourselves. The presumption of the natural man is, we can do it. If only they read scripture with discerning eyes, they would be able to understand the words of the prophet Isaiah, you know what I'm referencing, that even our most righteous deeds are but filthy rags.

Beloved, not a single one of us has anything of value in and of ourselves as sinful human beings to a righteous and thrice holy God. The Bible is so clear. Every woman, every man, woman and child apart from Christ is completely bankrupt spiritually. Nothing to offer spiritually. Nothing they can give and to bring to God that is of any value in His eyes spiritually.

Certainly nothing they can offer that would merit any favor before God's eyes. But that's the nature of the natural man, the flesh. And beloved, every single one of us, as our brother earlier prayed, every single one of us still has the flesh in us. Now, if we are in Christ, if we've eaten of this bread of life, then that flesh does not dominate us, but it is still in us. And the natural tendency is to be proud and to think that somehow I could gird up my loins or the modern day, roll up my sleeves and get into action and actually convince or convince ourselves that we can actually do something of value towards achieving our salvation.

That's pride poking its ugly head out. It tries to convince us of these things. But beloved, the Bible is clear, that's not so. It's despicable to think that we can produce any works of righteousness because nothing short of perfection is acceptable before God. But you see, He's so gracious.

I love the way Jesus answers them now because He's so gracious. He knows that what He's saying is going over their head. He didn't say that you need to work unto eternal life. That's not what He said, but He knows that they've misunderstood it. Teacher, Jesus, what do we got to do to do the works that God requires of us?

And so Jesus answers them so beautifully. Look what He says in verse 29. He gives them now what's the non-negotiable, non-negotiable requirement for eternal life. He says, verse 29, Jesus answered them, this is the work. You realize what he says here?

This is the work, singular. They said, what is the works? What are the things we need to do? Because we'll do them. But Jesus comes and says, what is this is the work, singular, of God that you believe in him who he has sent.

You want me to give you a list of do's and don'ts? That's what you want me to give you. There's no list of do's and don'ts, Jesus is saying. To eat this food to eternal life, there is but one requirement. Faith in who he has sent.

That means, Jesus is saying, you need to trust in me. You need to trust in me. Abandon self-efforts and cling to Christ as the all-satisfying bread from heaven. That's the only work accepted by God. You see, Jesus is contrasting their tedious labors, their pursuits for perishable foods to fill their stomachs.

He knows what they've been through in order to come and see him, in order to seek him out and search him out. He knows. So he's comparing those efforts for the perishable for what they should be pursuing and where they should be using the energy. And that is the goal of what they should be doing. It's the things that last.

for all eternity, but this is what it comes down to at the crux. It requires a radical change of heart. So what is Jesus saying? So basically what Jesus is saying is this. You want something to do?

Okay, I'll tell you what to do. Stop working and believe in me. Stop working and believe in me. You'll never earn enough currency with all your efforts, with all your endeavors, with all your pursuits, to buy one iota of this bread from heaven. The only way to receive it is through faith.

And that faith, beloved, is a gift from God. By grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing. It is the gift of God, not a result of works so that no one may boast. Ephesians 2, 8 and 9.

This is the glorious news of the gospel of Jesus Christ. This is, beloved, what separates true Christianity from all the religions of the world. God is not interested in the self-empowered exertions. He's not interested in the efforts that you think will attain eternal life. Our sinful hands have this corrosive effect on everything we do before the Lord.

And that's why it's written in the same chapter that the Apostle Paul wrote earlier, and I quoted him earlier, no one does good, not even Not even close. Beloved, this is what it comes down to. If one insists on standing before the Lord on that day based on their own merits to receive wages for the things that they have done. In other words, if someone says, give it to me, what must I do in order to attain this eternal life? If one walks down that path and denies faith in the only person able to give this bread of life, then it is inevitable.

That outcome is inevitable. they will be spending their whole eternity in the lake of fire. Because God demands, as I said earlier, absolute perfect obedience. And anything short of that perfection must be punished. And the truth of the matter is we cannot achieve that standard.

Even our best efforts, as I said earlier, are filthy rags before our God. If there is any hope for sinners like us to stand before a righteous God without being cast away under His eternal righteous fury, it must be found, hear this, in an alien righteousness. That is, in another righteousness. That is, in one who has achieved the righteousness, the perfect obedience, before a holy God that is other than us. Beloved God in flesh, Jesus Christ the bread from heaven is that righteousness.

He has achieved perfection before a good and holy God and that perfection has been accepted by God. So by faith those who abandon all self-efforts, those who have ceased working for righteousness and have clinged to Christ, who is the imperishable food. They enjoy His righteousness. His righteousness becomes our righteousness. His life becomes our life.

And this is why Paul can say Christ is our life in Colossians 3. Our Lord's teaching here, and I'll end with this, is so perfectly consistent with what the Apostle Paul says in Romans 4. He says, Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift, but as his due. And to the one who does not work, but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness. Brothers and sisters, the question each and every one must ask ourselves is this, and it's really the only question that matters.

Are you still seeking to pursue and to labor towards the food that perishes? Are you still holding on to the perishable, the physical things of this life, the material things that will give some form of pleasure, but it is at best temporal and it will come to an end? Or have you come to the point where you fixed your eyes on this Saviour, this glorious Jesus, and by faith you've embraced Him and trusted in Him? Because He alone is the one who we find all the riches, the imperishable riches. that are the true desires of the person who seeks after Him for the right reasons.

Because beloved, if you are seeking after that which perishes, it's a package deal. Those things you seek after will perish, and so will you. But if you seek after that which does not perish, then you will enjoy eternal life with the one who has earned the righteousness that we should have achieved in Jesus Christ. I pray that we have indeed feasted upon Christ and I pray that he is not only the bread of heaven that we read about and we know about but the bread that we have tasted and seen that he is indeed good. Let's pray.