Verse 28, “Then they said to Him, “What shall we do, that we may work the works of God.”

 

It was only a breath ago that Jesus had said to them, “do not labor but receive the gift of God,” but we see a truth in their response, something even true about us, that in our flesh, in our own strength we are unable to rise to the thought of a gift.  Or, it could be said, the fleshly heart is unwilling to come down to the place of a beggar…why because that absolutely requires a confession that our best efforts are not worthy and even that God’s love and grace cannot be earned…

 

It was the same with the woman at the well in chp 4 as Jesus said to her, “woman, if you only knew the gift of God, you’d be free.”  It was the same with the rich young ruler in Luke 18 as he asked of Jesus, “Good Master, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”  It was the same with the Philippian jailer in Acts 16 as he asked Paul and Silas, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”  And so it was with the prodigal son in Luke 15 as he returned to his father and asked to be made “as one of the hired servants.”

 

And so it is today.  Nonbelievers avoid Christians, church, and even God Himself because they feel as if they have not done enough, they’re not good enough…and there are Christians that remain in bondage because they simply cannot accept that God loves them, and accepts them…Peter Catera sings “Take me as I am” and we sway our heads and dream of being loved unconditionally when that dream is as close as a gift already given…

 

I mean have you ever listened to the lyrics of that song?  “Take me as I am, Put your heart in mine, stay with me forever; 'Cause I am just a man, who never understood, I never had a thing to prove; 'Till there was you, You and me, Then it all came clear so suddenly, How close to you that I wanna be”

 

We have nothing to prove to our Father…God’s agape love is not to be earned.  If my love for my children is powerful and unconditional and I am just a sinner, how much more God’s love for you as He is perfect and Holy?  You never had a thing to prove…Peter Catera…simply come to the One you were created for…

 

But these folks Jesus is addressing, they just don’t get it …what must we do, they ask?  Look at Jesus’ response…

 

Verses 29, Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.”

 

What does God require of me?  What does He want from me?  What pleases God?  The answer is given by God Himself; simply place your trust, place your life in Him…believe in Jesus, His Son.  It is so simple, yet so incredibly hard for the carnal man….why?  Because man would surely rather do than believe.  To do and to be and to accomplish proliferates pride yet to simply believe and accept Jesus Christ, diminishes pride inasmuch as it forces us to accept that we alone are “without strength” as Paul puts it in Romans 5:6.

 

But that’s it, that is all that is required of us by God…simply that we place our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and we are set free, we are pleasing to God, and we are afforded an eternal inheritance. 

 

Now please understand that simply believing that God exists is not what Jesus is talking about here.  Simply believing that Jesus is Lord and Savior, believing that as fact, is not what Jesus is talking about here.  James remarked in the second chapter of his epistle, “You believe there is One God, well that is correct, but think of this, even the demons believe.”  Believing that April exists does not make me a faithful husband to her!

 

The fact of the matter is that if I truly believe, then that belief will result in a reaction.  Think of it this way, for the sake of illustration, if you went home today and turned on the news and the news anchor was giving a special report that a deadly strain of kill-you-itis had been found in every jar of peanut butter in every state - yet you go and make yourself a peanut butter sandwich…guess what, you don’t believe him…and you’re probably dead!

 

You see, faith has feet.  Plain and simple.  John says later in his first epistle, “If anyone says, ‘I know Him,’ and does not keep His commandments (does not heed His word, does not follow His ways) he is a liar and the truth is not in him.”

 

So understand Jesus is saying here that the only thing that is required of us is to believe in Him and true belief will be made evident with our lives, our attitudes, our actions, our reactions…and if our belief is indeed true belief, then we will be set free!

 

Verse 30, therefore they said to Him, “What sign will you perform then, that we may see it and believe You?  What work will You do?”

 

Slaaaaap!  Jesus just slaps ‘em!  Didn’t you see me multiply five loaves and two fishes and feed all ya’ll!  Ok that’s not what Jesus did or said but man that is what I would have said!  This is the morning after a real deal, tangible, seen and experienced by everyone, miracle!  Yet they hunger again and such is the cycle of pride!  Such is the cycle of works based salvation!  Such is the cycle of the flesh..of the world!

 

This crowd is not concerned with Jesus being the Savior of their souls.  They are concerned with Jesus being the Savior of their hunger pangs!  They ask for a sign and we’ll see they offer up their advice as to what Jesus should do…

 

Verse 31, Our fathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’  Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven.

 

We, like this multitude, are so prone to glorify the instrument, praise the utility, rather than the Utilitarian.  They credit Moses with feeding them, but it wasn’t Moses…Chuck tells an awesome story of a woman who came to Christ yet had a husband who refused to believe…

 

Many times Chuck and Kay would be invited over to the house of this couple for dinner as the wife hoped that Chuck would minister to her husband and somehow lead him to Christ.  Well one night, the husband gave his life to the Lord.

 

The next Sunday after service the wife stayed after to thank Chuck. She was saying, “Oh Chuck, I just knew you could do it!  I just knew if I brought you and my husband together that you could reach him!”

 

Chuck corrected her very quickly saying, “dear friend…I did nothing and therefore deserve no credit!  God is who saved your husband.  If your loved one were sick unto death and he/she underwent surgery that saved them, you wouldn’t run into the operating room and pick up the scalpel and thank it would you?  No, you’d offer your gratitude and gifts and tears of joy to the doctor.  So go, glorify God with thanksgiving and praise, not me!”

 

Chuck said to this fed, filled and freed lady, I did not give you the bread…I have not filled you…it is your Father in heaven!  He Himself has done this and He alone deserves the glory!  Exactly what Jesus is saying here to the folks who are crediting their wilderness survival to Moses.  And He continues…

 

Verse 33, For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”  Hebrews tells us that the fullness of God dwelt in Jesus!  And not only is Jesus the Great Physician, He is also the utility by which all men are saved!  You mean I don’t have to be good enough Matt?  You mean I don’t have to be this or that or tall or short or I don’t have to stop smoking or I don’t have to stop drinking caffeine? 

No!  Believe in Him whom God sent!  You are accepted by God just as you are because your offenses were expelled from the presence of God at the cross of Calvary! 

 

Your eternal security was accomplished, it was finished that fateful day on Mount Moriah and there’s nothing more required than for you to simply come, come and be fed!

 

Verse 34, Then they said to Him, “Lord, give us this bread always.” But Jesus sees their heart and knows they’re still asking for breakfast which will leave them just as He found them, hungry…Verse 35, And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life.  He who comes to Me shall never hunger and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.” 

 

And so here we have the first of Seven “I am” statements made by the Lord and recorded for us by John.  He says, I am the bread of life and He just said “given by the Father.”

 

 If Jesus is the true bread from heaven given by the Father, the bread of life, then truly salvation is by grace through faith alone…the Bible is so clear, Jesus is so clear, don’t be turned aside by any other…Jesus, in a later I am statement, would say, “I am the way, the truth, and the life…no one comes to the Father except through Me.”  We don’t come through ourselves, we don’t come through a priest or a prophet, we come into a full and vivrant and eternal and everlasting relationship with God the Father through His Son alone, Jesus Christ.

 

 

Did you know that is God’s will for you?  For you to live this life filled, satisfied…full of joy and peace and love…which are the symptoms of one who is infected by God’s grace!  And so Jesus says My will, My Father’s will is for you to come to Me, look to Me, trust in Me, believe Me so that we might take care of that deep hunger you have…so that we may quench that eternal thirst that you have.  So that you might have life!

 

All this world has to offer is dred.  We looked at it last week…cotton candy, void of substance…yet how prone are we like moths to a flame to shoot it up?  To inhale it in…to become junkies of junk?  God says to you and I today, come away with Me.  Come be with Me.  Rest in Me.  Trust in Me.  I’ll take you away from all this…

 

All this…dred.  Just listen to the top news stories of 2011:  <> Casey Anthony Trial; <> Death of Osama bin Laden, Moammar Gadhafi and Amy Winehouse <> Soaring unemployment…these are the titles that set the pulse of the world’s heartbeat…does it set yours?  Come away with Me the Lord says > Psalm 23 “You rest me in fields of green grass; You lead me to streams of peaceful water, and You refresh my life.”

 

Jesus says to this crowd and He says to us, “Come to Me, Believe in Me....” that phrase “come to Me” (erchomai; eer-ho-mai) can also be translated, “fall into Me” I love that!  We strive, we ache, we hide, we scheme…man it just gets so tiresome doesn’t it?  Fall into His hands…and that phrase “believe in Me” (pisteuo; pist-ew-o) can also be translated, “place your confidence, your security in Me.”

 

Something I learned years ago from K.P. Yohanan…belief in something as truth is the catalyst of faith and faith is the fuel of obedience…and once obedience is resolved..faith grows because as you obey God habitually, with resolve, you see Him faithful!  You see Him true to His word!  Your confidence grows and joy arrives!