INTRODUCTION
• Have you ever tried to explain something to a person only to have that person not understand a word you had to say?
• Jesus has just fed the 5,000 and now because of His love for the people He is trying to lead them to Him. The crowd is fixated on the physical world. This does not seem to be a terrible thing from their perspective after all; they are living in the physical world.
• They are under the bondage of Rome; the simple things in life are not simple. Daily survival is a chore.
• Within this context Jesus is trying to teach the people there is a better way. They are just too hung up in the grind of everyday life to really grasp what He is saying to them.
• Have you ever felt that way, just too caught up in the grind of life to really listen and understand?
• The people were hungry; Jesus was offering them food that would satisfy them for eternity.
• This sounded too good to be true. The people bit, they wanted the bread out of heaven until they heard Jesus tell them a little more about it.
• The people were not ready to accept the gift Jesus wanted so desperately to give to them. This had to be a bit frustrating and heartbreaking to Jesus.
• I think it would be like trying to share something of vital importance with your child only to have them not get it.
• Why didn’t the people readily jump at Jesus offer?
• Why it that people today is are not ready to give their lives to Jesus? Is it because people are just evil? NO, they are not ready.
• Today we are going to look at three things that need to happen before a person will accept Jesus into their lives. I am not just talking about people coming to church and being religious, I am speaking of getting a person to the point where they will really give themselves over to Jesus.
SERMON
In order to accept the satisfaction Jesus offers you must:
I. REALIZE THAT JESUS IS THE SON OF GOD (41-43)
• In verse 34 when Jesus spoke of the bread that came from heaven that would give life, the crowd begged Jesus for the bread.
• Now that Jesus reveals that He is the bread that came out of heaven, the crowd is not too eager to take Him up on His offer.
• This is really not that unreasonable response on the part of the crowd. Let’s look at verses 41-43 to see why they were skeptical. READ 41-43
• The crowd knew Jesus was something special or else they would not have desired to make Him king the day before at the feeding of the 5,000.
• The people have seen Jesus perform the miracles, but as far as they were concerned, they knew that Jesus came from Joseph and Mary. It did not make sense to them that He had come down from heaven when they thought they knew who His earthly parents were.
• Jesus was offering the crowd eternal life, He was offering to them the very thing they were looking for, but they were not willing to accept it because they still did not realize Jesus was the Son of God!
• The crowd knew what Jesus was saying when He claimed to be the bread of life, the opponents were correct in their understanding of what Christ meant; but they were aroused and angered by it. Why? Evidently Christ’s lowly condition on earth was the great stumbling block to their acceptance of him.
• If Jesus had come as an all-powerful monarch, in riches, splendor, and earthly glow, they might have been willing to receive him; but a poor, lowly, suffering Messiah, without property or social position, whose chief followers were fishermen, and who had nowhere to lay his head -- such a Messiah they reviled and detested, their human pride refusing to believe that such a one came from God. His lowliness and poverty, and finally his death of the cross -- these things were the stumbling block to the Jews.
• 1 CORINTHIANS 1:23 says, “but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness”
• Jesus was a stumbling block to the Jews because He was not the type of Messiah they wanted. Remember back in 1 Samuel 8, the Jews wanted an earthly king so they would be like the rest of the nations. God as king was not good enough for them.
• The crowd was not willing to accept the fact that Jesus was the son of God.
TRANSITION INTO TODAY
• Jesus is offering eternal satisfaction to us still today, but we have the same stumbling block the Jews of Jesus day had. Jesus is not the Jesus we want.
• We want a no strings attached Jesus. A Jesus who just hands out passes to heaven with on expectations on our part.
• When we try to get people to accept the offer of eternal life, we must help convince them Jesus is the son of God.
• If Jesus is not the son of God, then He is no different than any other religious leader who had a few good things to say.
• When Jesus walked the earth, He could prove to the people who He was by what He was able to do and even with all the miracles, the teaching and even the resurrection, many still struggled with the thought of Jesus being the Son of God who was sent from heaven to die for our sins.
• Today many people think they are too sophisticated to concede Jesus being the Son of God. A good teacher, yes, the Son of God, no. I always go back to C.S. Lewis who said Jesus was either, Lord, lunatic or liar. Here Jesus is making a claim to being the ONE and only Son of God who was sent from heaven.
• We can try all the tricks, gimmicks, tactics or what ever else we want to try, but until a person realizes who Jesus is, they will never truly accept Him and what He has to offer.
• How do we get people to see that Jesus is the Son of God?
In order to accept the satisfaction Jesus offers you must:
II. BE DRAWN BY GOD THROUGH THE WORD (43-46)
• Let us look at verses 43-46. READ
• Jesus tells the crowd that no one can come to Him unless the Father who sent Him draws them in.
• This sounds like God is picking and choosing who He wants to receive eternal life.
• If we take verse 44 by itself we would conclude that. Verse 45 gives us the answer as to HOW a person is drawn by God.
• WE are taught of God. Verse 45 tells us that everyone who has heard and learned from God comes to Jesus. Verse 46 tells us that the only one who has seen God is Jesus. We are taught of God through the Word. Look at 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14.
• 2 THESSALONIANS 2:13-14 But we should always give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth. It was for this He called you through our gospel, that you may gain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
• 1TH 4:9 Now as to the love of the brethren, you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another;
• How are we taught to love by God? Thought the example of Jesus and the example of God that we read about in the word. We see how God has dealt with mankind in a loving way even though we do not deserve it and we respond in like manner.
• In the Old Covenant a person was born into the covenant. Jesus quotes a promise from Jeremiah 31:34 and Isaiah 54:13 that speak of a day in which people will not be born into the covenant relationship, but instead they will learn about it and then decide.
• The Jew was born into his relationship with God, and then he spends his life learning about what is required of God.
• Now we are taught before we make a commitment. Once we learn the basics from God, we are drawn in to wanting a relationship with God as we see the love He has for us.
• That relationship can only happen through Jesus! Through Jesus we learn of God’s love for us and His plan for us.
• If we are trying to win people to God without the Word, we are failing.
• God’s word needs to be a central part of what we do. If we grow a church numerically with all the latest marketing techniques and ignore God’s word we are not expanding the kingdom. If we grow a church numerically by compromising God’s Word, we are not honoring God.
• People are drawn to God through the Word. The marvels of nature (Yellowstone), the example of other Christians will help, but ultimately we must be people who are in the Word or we will never experience the full blessings God wants to give to us!
• Without the word of God, understand the God who created nature.
• The machinery of the Old Covenant did not do a good job of getting people’s hearts right with God. It became a religion to them and as soon as you reduce your walk with Jesus to a religion, you will not foster the relationship God wants you to have.
• Think about a marriage. If you reduce it to just going through the motions of being married, the relationship will suffer. The same is true with God.
• Many people have lost their excitement for God because they have quit working on their relationship with Him.
• In the book of Acts, where ever the Word of God spread disciples were made! (Acts 12-20)
• ROMANS 10:17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.
• Now once you learn about God and if you finally come to the realization that Jesus is the Son of God, what next?
In order to accept the satisfaction Jesus offers you must:
III. BELIEVE IN JESUS (47-51)
• READ VERSES 47-51
• In verse 47 Jesus says if we want to receive the ultimate satisfaction, we must believe in Him. He tells us the one who believes has eternal life.
• Jesus once again says He is the bread of life. He is what we need to be nourished. He is what we need in order to keep from starving spiritually. Once again Jesus points to the fact that the people of old ate the manna that came from heaven and they still died.
• Jesus says in order for us to receive eternal life we must believe in Him. Next week we will look down a few verses to see the benefits of belonging to Jesus.
• For today I want us to focus on what it means to believe.
• Believing does not mean a mere acknowledgement of something. In other words believing in Jesus to the point of receiving eternal life means more than just making a confession or admitting that Jesus is God.
• The dilemma that a person finds themselves in once they realize that Jesus is indeed the son of God is what are they going to do now?
• Some folks will file that thought in the back if their minds for later recall. Is that what Jesus wants?
• To believe means we trust in Jesus enough to entrust our lives to Him. We are to trust Him so much we are willing to let go of our lives to Him for the rest of our lives.
• REVELATION 2:10 ’Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison, so that you will be tested, and you will have tribulation for ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.
• If we believe in Jesus, then we will do what He wants us to do to the best of our ability for the duration of our lives.
• Part of the meaning of the word “faithful” is the word “reliable”.
• Can God count on you? In what ways are we showing God we are reliable? Are you active in His church? A faithful person will find at least one area of service within God’s church. Can people tell during the week we are Christians? Are we a forgiving and people of grace? Are these things we do to earn our salvation? NO!
• They are some of the fruits of our salvation. Next week as we look at the benefits of belonging to Jesus we will see how the Holy Spirit empowers us to live for Jesus.
• Throughout the scriptures belief was something that was a lifetime thing that led to a lifetime of service to God.
• The ones who are going to be raised up on the day of Christ’s return are the ones who have accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior.
• Those who are predestine to salvation are the ones who follow God’s predestine plan of salvation. (HEAR, FAITH, REPENT, CONFESS, IMMERSION, and then life for Jesus with the help of the Holy Spirit which is living within us)
• There are too many professed Christians who are living like Jesus is nothing more than an insurance policy. Good luck trying to cash it in. Salvation is a free gift but that gift requires faithfulness on our part!
CONCLUSION
• Standing right in front of Jesus was a bunch of starving people. They were staring to death spiritually.
• Jesus stood before them to offer them the food they needed. Many would not accept it.
• What about you? Are you ready to accept the offer of eternal life Jesus is offering to you today?
• Are you to the point where you know Jesus is more than a good teacher? Are you willing to acknowledge He is the Son of God who died on the cross so that you could have eternal life?
• If you understand that, what is holding you up?
• If you do not realize that yet, keep reading God’s word and when you realize Jesus is who HE says He is, you need to come forward and accept Him as your Lord and Savior.
• Will you come as we sing our hymn of decision, #566, “I am resolved” (1&5)
• As we sing this hymn, think about the words.
