“Goodies, Goals, and Gimmicks”
John 6
It is about time for some of us to be thinking about lunch and in our message for today, there were more than 5,000 people looking for lunch as Jesus was speaking. If your stomachs are empty this morning, we’re not offering free lunches today (we did that last week!), but if your hearts and souls are empty, then God does have something to offer you.
We have been looking at Romans 8 and finished with verses 29-31( Pay attention to the subjects in these verses): “ For those GOD foreknew HE also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that HE might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those HE predestined, HE also called; those HE called, HE also justified; those HE justified, HE also glorified. 31 What, then, shall we say in response to this? If GOD is for us, who can be against us?” I put those theological words (foreknew, predestined, conformed, called, justified, and glorified) in your outlines, and I want to read a “Jesus story” from John 6:
Feeding 5,000 Plus
1 “After these things Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee (or Tiberias ). 2 A large crowd followed Him, because they saw the signs which He was PERFORMING on those who were sick. 3 Then Jesus went up on the mountain, and there He sat down with His disciples. 4 Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was near. 5 Therefore Jesus, lifting up His eyes and seeing that a large crowd was coming to Him, said to Philip, "Where are we to buy bread, so that these may eat ?" 6 This He was saying to test him, for He Himself knew what He was intending to do. (Jesus FOREKNEW the need, He knew the people, He knew how many, He knew HOW He would provide, and MAKE NO MISTAKE AT ALL: HE KNEW the reaction of the people beforehand! He knew Philip. He HIMSELF KNEW!)
7 Philip answered Him, "Two hundred denarii (7 months wages) worth of bread is not sufficient (to be SATIISFIED) for them, for everyone to receive a little." 8 One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to Him, 9 "There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are these for so many people ?" 10 Jesus said, "Have the people sit down." Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand. ( It was like a Mega Church! That was just the number of MEN!)
11 Jesus then took the loaves, and having given thanks, (We all know that word “thanks”-“eucharisteô”, the root word is GRACE; WE are thankful because we have received much. That’s where we get the word “eucharist’.) He distributed to those who were seated; likewise also of the fish as much as they wanted. 12 When they were filled, He said to His disciples, "GATHER UP THE leftover fragments so that nothing will be LOST." (Look at those underlined words: GATHER UP THE LOST. That is exactly why Jesus came. Luke 19:10 says: "For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost." God will NEVER ALLOW HIS MIRACLE of Grace to go to waste. All that are EFFECTIVELY CALLED by God will be GATHERED up. None will be lost!)
13 So they gathered them up, and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves which were left over by those who had eaten. 14 Therefore when the people saw the sign which He had performed, they said, "This is TRULY the Prophet who is to come into the world." (THE MIRACLES of Jesus are impossible not to notice. His CALL of the GOSPEL is undeniably from God! If you “don’t get it”, it is not God’s fault. It is not that God doesn’t make it clear! The FAULT of NOT FOLLOWING or not BELIEVING is not God’s FAULT. The sin in YOU, your sinful heart is the culprit, not God’s)
15 So Jesus, perceiving that they were intending to come and take Him by force to make Him king, withdrew again to the mountain by Himself alone. (Jesus knows the INTENTIONS of man’s evil hearts BECAUSE He is sent from God, God’s one and ONLY SON, the TRUE PROPHET come from God. He KNEW that the intent of the people’s heart was not in line with God’s will and purpose, so HE WITHDREW. The word for “perceiving” was the Jewish idiom for sexual intercourse between a man and a woman-to have INTIMATE and THOROUGH KNOWLEDGE)
The other word to consider is “by FORCE”. “By force” is what the enemy usually does. It is translated as “snatch out” in John 10:27: "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me;28 and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish ; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. 29"My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all ; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. 30"I and the Father are one." ( No one forces God to do anything.)
I can imagine some of the thoughts of the crowd: We have the catch of a lifetime here. Jesus could be a great leader. No more hunger. No more work. We could just pack this hillside out everyday. We could expand and have wine tasting booths (I heard that He changed water into the most fantastic vintage EVER!) I would love to have Him as my CEO. What a profit I could make if I had him manage my business. We just ate all the fish sandwiches possible with 5 loaves and 2 fish. With Jesus at the helm, I could open a FISH-FIL-A chain and make a “killing”.
We’re going to skip the next 10 verses: Jesus’ disciples leave in a boat to go across the lake, a storm arises, He walks on water, they get safely to the other side, and so does the crowd. The crowd wonders how Jesus got there, and He doesn’t answer them; Instead He says:
26 Jesus answered them and said, "Truly, truly, I say to you, you SEEK Me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. 27 "DO NOT WORK for the food which perishes, but for the food which ENDURES to eternal life, which the Son of Man will GIVE TO YOU, for on Him the Father, God, has set His seal." 28 Therefore they said to Him, "What shall we DO, so that we MAY WORK the works of God ?" 29 Jesus answered and said to them, "This is THE WORK OF GOD, that you BELIEVE in Him whom He has sent."
30 So they said to Him, "What then do You do for a SIGN, so 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 OUT OF HEAVEN TO EAT." (The people were putting a condition on Jesus.) 32 Jesus then said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread out of heaven, but it is My Father who gives you the TRUE BREAD out of heaven. 33 "For the bread of God is that which comes down out of heaven, and gives life to the world."
34Then they said to Him, "Lord, always give us this bread." 35 Jesus said to them, "I AM the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will 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 the one who comes to Me I will certainly not 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 "This is the will of Him who sent Me, that of ALL that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day.40 "For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and BELIEVES in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day."
Here is what Jesus had done so far as “signs” and miracles recorded in John (other Gospels actually tell us MORE incidents): Jesus had walked on water, fed 5,000 with two fish and 5 loaves of bread, healed a paralyzed man, healed the son of a certain rich man, had a Mind-reading with a woman who had been married 5 times and was planning on her sixth, met with a Jewish Pharisee at night, turned water into wine at a wedding reception which was the really BIG NEWS, and had a spell-binding power upon some disciples who just quit what they were doing to follow Him…and yet, many, many people rejected Him. Verse 41 says” the Jews were grumbling about Him” and later in verse 61, “that His disciples grumbled at this.”
Who Has Trouble BELIEVING?
From this story, it seems that certain types of people just can’t stomach Jesus; they LOVED the fish sandwiches but didn’t love the sandwich provider. They love the benefits of being AROUND JESUS, but they don’t love Him. They would love Jesus to provide political solutions, free handouts, better jobs, a nice home, and material goodies. They would love Him as a benevolent president, or the Chairman of the Board, but not as Savior and LORD, because they are MATERIALISTIC people, and that’s why they can’t stomach Jesus.
There are many preachers that preach this kind of stuff and they have HUGE AUDIENCES. that go home HAPPY every week because they preach Jesus as the leader of the gravy train. “There is a LOAD of STUFF for you, with no cost to you as a disciple, if you just follow Jesus.” The “5,000” ate till they were filled, and then they decided to try and force Jesus into being their King, probably “For a Day”, until they wanted something else.
The other group who can’t stomach Jesus is mentioned in John 6:28: “They asked him, "What must WE do TO DO the works God requires?" They were spiritually MISINFORMED although they were willing to set some GOALS. I’m willing to do some WORKS. They have an incomplete understanding of God’s love and grace and their total INABILITY to be HOLY to God. They seem to have the necessity TO THINK that they are making at least SOME KIND of contribution to their salvation. They would never admit it, but they are actually LEGALISTIC PEOPLE at heart. They think in their hearts: God’s salvation can’t possibly be ALL ABOUT GRACE. They think: I can’t be that pathetic, can I? There just has to be SOMETHING GOOD that I can DO, TO DO the WORKS God requires?" It’s a hopeless thought pattern.
The third group of people is those found in John 6:30: “What miraculous sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do?” For this group of people, whatever Jesus has done in the PAST doesn’t seem to move them to believe in the PRESENT, nor does it keep them in the faith for the future. Basically, they have a doubting heart: They just have to see a sign TODAY. The FREE FOOD was sensational. They are actually Spiritual Sensationalists. True Faith doesn’t ask for GIMMICKS but accepts God at His Word. True Faith desires the God who IS the miracle worker, the HOLY ONE, but not because we have to always experience something new.
Look at the results of this event after Jesus said: I AM THE BREAD OF LIFE, in verse 66: “As a result of this, MANY of His disciples withdrew and were not walking with Him anymore. 67 So Jesus said to the twelve, "You do not want to go away also, do you?" 68 Simon Peter answered Him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have WORDS of eternal life. 69 "We have BELIEVED and have COME to KNOW that You are the Holy One of God." 70 Jesus answered them, “Did I Myself not CHOOSE you, the twelve, and yet one of you is a devil?"
Those Who Receive and Know Jesus
I don’t know if you realize it or not, but God actually reveals His Salvation Plan within this single episode, which is not rare in the book of John. He touches upon those theological words that appear in Romans 8. He reveals to us those who receive and know Jesus as the Bread of Life.
Jesus says: I AM the Living Bread. I am your sustenance. I am your reason for living today and forever. If you pray: Give me this day my daily BREAD, JESUS IS IT! If you want to LIVE, then JESUS is your DAILY BREAD. The free fish may be adequate to hold you over for an afternoon, but not for eternity. Physical bread doesn’t provide forgiveness and eternal life, but that’s the way many Christians view Jesus: Some use Jesus to hold them over for a while and get them through a difficulty. But Jesus is saying: You need me, but do you WANT ME?
When Jesus says, “I AM”, it means that HE exists apart from everything else. By saying, I AM, Jesus is unique to Himself in this…”I am offering you life because I AM able to do that.” In Exodus when Moses was told by God to be His representative to Pharaoh, Moses asked Him, “Who should I say sent me?” God’s self-description in Exodus 3:14 was: “God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM "; and He said, "Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ’I AM has sent me to you.’ " He was the all existent, forever existent, totally self-sufficient and self-existent HOLY one. Jesus stands as the only one to give LIFE...and it’s on HIS terms.
God, THE HOLY ONE, draws and chooses those who will follow Jesus. Verse 44 says: "No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day.” Verse 70 says: “Jesus answered them, "Did I Myself not choose you, the twelve, and yet one of you is a devil ?" This shouldn’t be problematic to anyone here today because the invitation is being given: God has drawn you here; the ones who we should be real concerned about are those who aren’t here and have not been drawn to Him! It has nothing to do with credentials, no sin is too great, no faith is too small for God to save.
If you ARE HERE TODAY then you SHOULD see, hear, listen and believe the Holy One sent from God. Verse 40 says: "For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and BELIEVES in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day." 45 "It is written in the prophets, ’AND THEY SHALL ALL BE TAUGHT OF GOD.’ Everyone who has HEARD and LEARNED (believing) from the Father, comes to Me.”
You, yourselves, are beholding (witnessing or seeing) today with eyes, you are hearing with your ears; I HOPE you have been listening with your hearts, and I hope that you have learned and believe in the Jesus who IS the Holy one sent from God, then you are one of His Children. Verse 29 is a POWERFUL VERSE. Jesus says: Verse 29 says: “This is THE WORK OF GOD, that you BELIEVE in Him whom He has sent." (God’s choosing and OUR BELIEVING!)
If you truly BELIEVE in Him, then you are one of Those who TRUST the Holy One sent from God. I include “TRUST” because in our culture, “Trust” is different than “believe”. Tons of people “believe” many things ABOUT Jesus in the same way that they may believe in their favorite sports team or hero; but TRUSTING Jesus means having faith to follow Jesus, not just route for Him; and it is ONLY by the WILL of God that people follow and believe. Seeing is believing for those WITHOUT FAITH, but believing without SEEING is faith and trust in the one whom God has sent.
Lastly, Those who have SAVING FAITH, FOLLOW the Holy One sent from God. “Having faith” to FOLLOW means that you don’t shy away from Jesus when He requires sacrifice. It means that you give up ownership to your life and you go wherever Jesus goes. You do what He commands AND demands because you have become intimate with God IN CHRIST, and He certainly sticks with you. You give everything up to follow Him. It means that you have counted HIS COST and you don’t mind the cost of discipleship. In Luke 14:33 Jesus says: "So then, none of you can be My disciple who does not give up all his own possessions.” And in Luke 9:23 He says: “And He was saying to them ALL, "If anyone wishes to come after (PURSUE) Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.” He did not AVOID the Cross, but suffered all of the shame and agony of the cross FOR US. What should our response be?
The mind and heart of the world want the Goodies, the Goals, and the Gimmicks but they do not want God. They do NOT want to DENY themselves, but that is what we are called to do, but also to pursue and follow The HOLY ONE of God, the Lord Jesus Christ. In verse 67 we read: “So Jesus said to the twelve, "You do not want to GO AWAY also, do you?" 68 Simon Peter answered Him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have WORDS of eternal life. 69 "We have BELIEVED and have COME to KNOW that You are the Holy One of God."
Isaiah 55 says: " Ho! (Listen! Pay attention!) Every one who thirsts, come to the waters ; And you who have no money come, buy and eat. Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. 2 "Why do you spend money for what is not bread, And your wages for what does not satisfy ? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, And delight yourself in abundance. 3 "Incline your ear and come to Me. Listen, that you may live ; And I will make an everlasting covenant with you.” He is talking about the spiritual food of fellowship with the Savior, Jesus.
"For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and BELIEVES (and follows) in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day." (John 6: 40) Don’t be satisfied with a fish sandwich for a day when you can have forgiveness and eternal life, but most important, you can have the Savior, the true Bread of Life, FOREVER.
Peter understood what the crowds had missed. The Apostles weren’t part of the “all-you-can eat fish sandwich event”, or how to start a Jewish revolt against Rome, or finding a new list of rules to keep, or how to have a Jesus pep-rally, or how to hold a big miracle crusade. They were there because God HAD WORKED IN THEM so that they BELIEVED and KNEW that Jesus was the Holy One of God --- the Messiah --- the Bread of Life. All they needed was what they already had --- Jesus, Himself.
OUTLINE
Words to remember from Romans 8:28-31: God foreknew, predestined, conformed, called, justified, and glorified
A. People who can’t stomach Jesus:
1. Materialistic people.
2. Legalistic people.
3. The Spiritual Sensationalists
B. Those who RECEIVE and KNOW Jesus as the Bread of Life
1. God, THE HOLY ONE, draws and chooses them. ( vs. 44, 70)
2. Those who see, hear, listen and believe the Holy One Sent from God. (vs. 40, 45)
3. Those who trust the Holy One sent from God.
4. Those who have faith to FOLLOW the Holy One sent from God. (Luke 14:33, 9:23)
