Sermon – Careful Consideration

John 6

Before making a decision, what do you normally do?  Some people like to make a pros and cons list and then decide based on whether there are more items in one column than another.  Some people will simply flip a coin and let destiny take them where they will go.  But others like me, take the time to consider the options, the current situation, and the possible consequences of the decision, and then make the choice.  I do that for almost everything.  Some decisions getting less thought than others. 

For example, over the past few months, I have been trying to lose weight, so to do so, I have made a habit of considering a few things before I choose to eat something.  First, I consider how many calories that item is?  Second, I consider what I have already eaten during that day and what I plan to eat afterwards?  Third, I consider how much sugar is in it.  And if I am truly being careful, I consider how many minutes of exercise on the treadmill it will take for me to burn off what I ate.  I make a number of considerations before coming to the decision to consume that item.

I do the same thing when I decide to perform an experiment in the lab.  I consider the cost of the experiment and whether my lab can afford it or not (Actually, I consider whether my boss will get mad if he find out how much I spent).  I consider the time it will take to perform that experiment.  I consider whether I have other experiments already planned for that day and whether I want to come in during the weekend or not.  I consider whether I have the supplies to perform the experiment.  And most importantly, I consider what the experiment will tell me and if it is worth the time and the effort I am putting in.  Again, many considerations go into the decision of whether I perform the experiment or not. 

Many of us will spend hours agonizing over a decision, constantly mulling it over in our minds before coming to a conclusion.  We will put in the effort to make lists, to consider every option, to calculate every possible outcome and then decide.  So why do we not do this with our spiritual lives?  Why do we simply ignore the Holy Spirit’s knock at our hearts, choosing to leave that decision with eternal impact for the last breaths we take? 

Our passage today for this “Gospel Alphabet” series comes from John 6:29 – “Jesus answered them, ‘This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.’”  You may be wondering how this verse links up to an introduction about decision making.  To answer this, you have to look at the context from which Jesus Christ said these words.  Jesus Christ was speaking to a crowd of people that He had miraculously fed with five loaves and two fish the day before.  They had seen his ability to feed five thousand men excluding women and children and wanted to make Him their king.  So they went out searching for Him.  When they found Him, Jesus Christ taught them a lesson that culminated with Him making the declaration, “I am the Bread of Life.”  Throughout his conversation with them, he basically told them to consider a number of things before choosing to follow Him.  These same considerations should be taken by us when we come to Him.  I encourage each and every one of you right now, as you read or listen to this message to consider these things and to come to a final decision by the end of this message. 

1.  Consider the reason you are seeking Christ (vs. 26)

There was something commendable about the crowd that was being described in John 6.  This was the same crowd that was present when Jesus fed the five thousand.  They heard His teachings in that desolate place.  They witnessed His miraculous healings of the sick.  And they ate of the bread that He multiplied from five loaves and two fish.  And because of their experience with Jesus the day before, they sought Him ought earnestly.  According to vs. 22-25, they took note of how many boats were there the day before and whether Jesus got into one or not, so that they could figure out where he went.  Then after searching the area they were currently at and not finding him, they sailed to the other side to look for him.  They did whatever they could to find Jesus.  And this earnestness for seeking Christ is something admirable.  But when they found Jesus, they weren’t welcomed with congratulations and gratitude, instead, they were rebuked in vs. 26, when Jesus said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves.”  Jesus wanted them to consider their purpose for seeking Him.  Was it because they truly wanted to know the Christ and draw closer to God?  Or was it simply because they were able to fill their bellies with bread.  Remember that most of the crowd did not know what three meals a day looked like at the time so being provided free food from nowhere was a welcome sight and a reason worthy of making him a king (vs. 15).  But this was definitely not the right reason to seek God. 

Many people seek God today in order to get something out of Him.  They seek God in order to get monetary blessings, which is why we see many people fall for the “gospel of wealth.”  They seek God to get salvation from hell, which is why many people only turn to Christ after hearing a “hellfire message.”  They seek God to pacify their guilt or to appease a family member or friend.  And some seek God for heavenly rewards.  That is not to say that these things do not come with accepting Christ as your Lord and Savior, because some of these things most certainly do, but they should not be the reason we turn to Christ.  It is like what my dad likes to say, “To get saved and be a Christian simply so that you can get out of hell, is not a good reason.  You should count the cost and come to Christ, because you love Him.”  We should be seeking Christ for who He is and because of His love for each and every one of us.  We should be seeking Him for salvation, but not from hell, but from sin and from a broken relationship with Him.  We should not be seeking Him to get a mansion in heaven, but because we get to spend an eternity with the One who loves us and hopefully is loved by us as well.  Take this time to consider why you are seeking Christ right now.  Are you seeking Him for who He is or just for what He can give you?  And if you came to know Christ initially because of the fear of hell alone (which is most definitely why I first came to know Christ), consider whether that is still the only reason you are following Him or if you have grown from that. 

2.  Consider what you are working for (vs. 27)

In vs. 27, Jesus presented them with another thing to consider when he said, “Do not labor for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you…”  In this verse, he pointed out to the crowd that they were so busy focused on the food of this earth that they were missing the more important spiritual food that he could provide them.  What they spent their lives working towards was bread – bread that would temporarily fill their bellies but would need to be ingested over and over again.  Instead, Jesus wanted them to work for food that endures to eternal life – spiritual food that only He could provide, which is why he said, “…which the Son of Man will give to you.” 

What are we laboring for?  What are we working towards?  Every single “successful” person on this earth has goals that they set in place for themselves.  They work towards these goals and are willing to pay whatever “dues” they must in order to achieve those goals.  Some are working for fame and popularity and are willing to starve themselves of food and sleep to get the approval of Hollywood.  Some are working for material wealth and will work night and day, sacrificing time with God and with family to have a larger bank account.  Some are working for a specific career position like becoming the President or a Supreme Court judge or a hospital director and give up their inconsequential interests to pursue that goal.  But they are all working for things that perish.  Fame is fickle, which is why it is said you get “fifteen seconds” of it.  Money and property can be stolen or perish in a fire in an instant.  A career position can be given away.  None of these last.  What does last though is what is done for Christ.  If we seek the approval of Christ our Savior, that has everlasting value, for we will be spending an eternity with Him.  The souls that come to know Christ, because of our willingness to follow Him, have eternal value, for they are one less soul in the Lake of Fire at the end of days and one more soul worshipping and praising God.  Consider what you are working for. 

3.  Consider your role in coming to know Christ (vs. 28-29)

It is at this point in the sermon that we have finally hit the verse that is highlighted in the “Gospel Alphabet” series we have been working through the past few weeks.  In response to Jesus telling them to work for food that endures, the crowd asked a reasonable question, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?”  They recognized that in order for them to work for food that endures to eternal life they need to do the works of God, but they didn’t know what that was.  So they wisely asked Jesus for an answer.  The problem was that they seemed to miss the second part of that verse, which was that the Son of Man will give it them.  They thought that they had to do something to earn the grace of God, that they needed to earn His favor; but Jesus corrected them by telling them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.”  Jesus simply told them that the work was placing their faith in Him.  They didn’t need to achieve a balance of good works compared to sins that they had committed.  They only had to trust in Him – to believe that He is the Christ sent by God to save them from their sins and give them eternal life. 

Interestingly, we can also read it as Christ responding by saying, “No.  You have it wrong.  You do not do the works of God to earn salvation, but salvation is the work of God.  God does it.  You must simply believe.” 

In this world, every other religion teaches that you must do something to earn your salvation.  You must be good, do good, or achieve some sort of balance.  But Christianity teaches something entirely different – your only role in salvation is to accept Him as your Lord and Savior – to believe in Jesus Christ whom God has sent.  “For 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.” (Eph 2:8-9).  “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”  (John 3:16).  Jesus Christ paid the penalty for our sins when He died on the cross, so that we could be considered righteous before God without having to do anything of our own works.  Consider your role and stop trying to earn your salvation; instead rest on His promise to save you.

4.  Consider what is holding you back. (vs. 30-36, 41-42, 52-58)

After hearing these words from Christ, the crowd immediately responded by saying, “Prove it.  Show us some sign to prove that you are the Christ.  Give us more bread to eat, then we will believe that God sent you.”  Before they would place their faith in Christ, they wanted to see some proof that He was who He said He was (vs. 30-36).  This was really surprising; because just the day before they had seen Him heal the sick and feed the five thousand.  What additional sign did they want?  Like the crowd, one reason that may be keeping you from coming to God is that you need God to prove Himself to you.  You want a sign – some miracle to be performed by God, before turning your life over to Him.  Have you not considered that the breath you are taking right now is a miracle in and of itself?  Have you not considered that your ability to read/listen to this sermon is a miracle?  To be able to see random words on a page, to have your eyes send those signals to your brain, to have your brain decipher those words and then interpret their meaning.  All within nanoseconds.  Is that not a miracle?  Consider the world around you right now.  That although there is a raging pandemic, many of you have yet to catch the virus, even though you have been going to work and interacting with people at a grocery store.  Is that not a miracle?  What additional sign do you need?  What does God need to do to prove Himself to you?  You are simply being stubborn.  And like the rich man’s brothers in the story of Lazarus and the rich man, even if a dead person were to be resurrected in front of you, you would not believe.

The second thing that held the crowd back from placing their faith in Christ was their lack of understanding.  After telling the crowd that He was the Bread of Life that came down from heaven, the crowd was completely confused.  First, they couldn’t understand how he came from heaven, when his parents were Mary and Joseph (vs. 41-42).  Second, they couldn’t understand how He would give them His flesh and blood to eat (vs. 52-58), for they weren’t savage cannibals.  Because of this lack of understanding, they refused to place their trust in Him.  Like this crowd, you may have a lack of understanding about certain parts of Christianity.  It could be a confusion of how one God can be Three Persons in the concept of the Trinity.  It could be a question as to why God allows suffering to occur.  It could be a confusion as to why God would allow free will and sin to occur in the first place.  In all truth, I can’t give you the answers to all these questions, because I don’t have them.  But what I do know is that Jesus Christ said that if you place your faith and trust in Him, you will be saved.  I do understand that He is the perfect sacrifice that can pay the penalty for my sins.  I can see God’s love towards us when He sent His Son to die in our place.  And that is enough for me to trust Him.  Don’t let your lack of understanding in a few things, keep you from trusting Him in the things that do make sense.  We can trust that our medicines will function, even though many of us don’t understand the mechanisms by which it does.  So why would we not trust a good God who has proven His love, when we don’t understand some other theological concepts? 

Consider what is keeping you from turning to Christ today.  Is it because you need a sign or because you need more knowledge and understanding?  Don’t trick yourself into believing that you just need one more thing before you will trust.  You will always find another excuse.  Rather than doing that, trust Him with what you already can trust Him for today and leave Him to show the rest to you throughout your lifetime. 

5.  Consider the Source of Salvation (vs. 35).

Finally, we must consider the source of our salvation.  The crowd was seeking bread.  They wanted something that could fulfill their stomach and needs, something that could give them eternal pleasure and life.  Jesus Christ told them that if they wanted that something, they needed to look to Him, for He was that bread they were looking for.  He is the Bread of Life.  Our Lord Jesus Christ is not just temporary fulfillment that makes us happy one day and leaves us empty the next.  No, He is the Bread that will prevent one from ever being hungry or thirsty again (vs. 35).  He is the Bread that will fulfill all our needs.  He is not only fulfilling bread, but He is also life-giving bread, for those who eat of this bread will live forever (vs. 51).  Christ is the source of eternal life, and when we place our faith and trust in Him, we will never die, for though we may leave this world, we will spend an eternity with Him.  More than simply giving life, that life is eternal.  It will not pass away or be eaten by worms but will last though ages may pass.  Also, consider that this bread is guaranteed.  In vss. 35-40, we find that whoever believes will never hunger or thirst and those who come to Him will never be cast out.  We need not worry whether we are worthy or not but must simply come and eat of that bread.  And finally, we must consider that the bread is given to us through grace.  We don’t earn this Bread but are given it as a gift from God.  In vs. 44, Jesus lets the people know that no one could come to Him unless the Father draws him.  Even our faith comes from our Heavenly Father.  If we consider the Bread of Life, our Source of Salvation – Jesus Christ, how could we reject such a wonderful gift? 

After taking all these considerations into mind, I have one question left to ask you.  It is the same question that Jesus Christ gave to His disciples, “Do you want to go away as well?”  After hearing all these words, many in the crowd chose to walk away.  They turned back and stopped following Him, because it was hard for them to swallow and accept what Christ had said.  They considered what they were seeking, and it was not Christ.  They considered what they were working for, and it was the things of this world.  They considered their role in coming to Him, and when they realized they could not earn it, but had to place their faith in Him, could not accept that role.  They considered what was holding them back, and they allowed their lack of understanding and need for a sign keep them from trusting Him.  And even after considering and hearing about this wonderful gift, they rejected it and went away.  Are you going to turn away again as well?  Or will you choose today to be like the disciples and answer like Peter, “Lord, to whom shall we go?  You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.”  Consider today what you will do with the Bread of Life.