JULY 9, 2017
RIGHT SEEKING AND RIGHT LABORING
INTRODUCTION:
1. After the Miracle of the Loaves and Fishes, the great multitude that followed after Jesus wanted to make Him a king, even taking Him by force if necessary.
2. From this effort, Jesus had delivered Himself and His disciples.
a) He commanded them to take ship across the Sea of Galilee.
b) He escaped into a mountain to pray.
c) He had miraculously joined His disciples at night as they were fighting a losing battle against a raging storm at sea, calming all their fears, and bringing them immediately to their destination.
3. He and His disciples were now all together again at Capernaum, across the sea from where He fed the five thousand.
a) The relentless multitude, after searching for Jesus, came themselves, across the sea and seeing Jesus, were at a loss to know how He came to be there.
b) They were still pursuing Jesus, determined to make Him a king.
4. The discourse which we will now consider is the first of several different discourses given by Jesus in response to various questions asked by the Jews who came still seeking Him.
5. These seekers had been put off by Jesus’ lack of enthusiasm over their proposal, but were still determined to persuade Him.
6. Jesus, knowing that they were seeking the wrong kind of kingdom, and laboring for perishing bread, attempted to teach them right seeking and right laboring.
I. FIRST THERE IS AN ADMONITION CONCERNING RIGHT SEEKING. (VERSES 22-27)
A. THIS ADMONITION CONCERNING PROPER SEEKING CAME ABOUT BECAUSE OF THEIR QUESTION REGARDING WHEN HE CAME BACK TO CAPERNAUM. (VERSE 25)
1. They did not ask “how camest thou hither?” but “when camest thou hither?”
2. They were sure that He had not walked around the shore, and no other ships had left after the one His disciples were on, and they knew He was not on it when it left.
3. They did not know, and would have never imagines that He walked on the sea, so when did He come and rejoin His disciples?
4. Therefore, though they came seeking for Him, they were surprised to find Him.
B. JESUS DID NOT ANSWER THEIR QUESTION, BUT INSTEAD, REPLIED TO THE FEELING WHICH DICTATED IT. (VERSE 26)
1. There is a false and fleshly way of seeking Jesus, which aims only at the satisfaction of the temporal earthly person, and satisfying the appetites of the flesh. “Ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled.”
a) Christ is often presented to men as the answer to all of their temporal problems. (financial, physical, marital, social, etc.)
b) While we thank God that He is able to help us in these and many other areas of our earthly life, and is good and faithful to do so, the main focus must be higher and farther reaching.
2. These seekers missed the spiritual significance of the miracle that Jesus did. They enjoyed the physical, temporal benefit, but saw nothing beyond that, except just more of the same.
a) Jesus said to them, “Ye seek me not because ye saw the miracles.” By the word “miracles” He intended “signs.” Obviously, they “saw the miracle,” but they had not “read the sign.”
b) The outward act, which they witnessed, pointed to a higher truth, which they missed altogether.
c) The one who sees the higher truth will be raised to a heavenly reality.
d) How many ministries, in total disregard for what Jesus himself here taught, make their entire appeal based on “miracles?” So many base their soul’s hope on some feigned miracle they have either witnessed or experienced in some way.
3. In missing the spiritual significance, these seekers had only perishing meat.
a) Many come to Christ motivated by something less than the living spiritual bread which brings life eternal.
b) Such faith is only perishing meat, and cannot bring life to perishing souls.
C. THERE IS A TRUE SPIRITUAL WAY OF SEEKING JESUS. (VERSE 27)
1. It seeks to satisfy the wants of the spiritual man.
2. It seeks for and finds imperishable meat, i.e. ETERNAL LIFE.
a) Of this meat the loaves were intended to be a type and a promise.
b) One could eat the loaves, and yet miss the meat.
c) To “labor” for this spiritual “meat which endureth, is to exercise faith.” Jesus will later put it this way, “This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.”
d) Jesus’ miracles were the signs or sealings which God the Father gave concerning Himself, and His salvation.
(1) God has confirmed that life eternal is in His Son.
(2) Christ must give life, and also all grace needed to lay hold of it, for God has set His seal on His Son as the One commissioned by Him.
II. THEN, THERE IS AN ADMONITION CONCERNING RIGHT LABORING. (VERSES 28, 29)
A. THE JEWS, WHO HERE MAKE AN ENQUIRY ABOUT WHAT THEY MIGHT DO, HAD A LEGALISTIC VIEW OF WORKS. (VERSE 28)
1. These Jews saw “the works of God” as those things they needed to perform in order to pay for the imperishable, life giving meat of which Jesus had spoken.
a) Even after hearing Jesus’ discourse, they still had this typical Jewish mindset. “What good thing must I do that I may have eternal life?” (Matt. 19:16)
b) Again, they had missed the sign. What had they done to either deserve or earn the banquet of food they had enjoyed? Yet their Jewish pride would not inherit on the basis of unmerited favor. “What shall I do to inherit eternal life?” (Luke 10:25)
c) The only requirement was to gratefully receive it as from God the Father, given through the miraculous work and grace of the Son.
2. These Jews saw “the works of God” as reduced to mere observances.
3. These are the kind of works that Paul preached against. (Rom. 3:20, 28; Gal. 3:10, 11; Phil 3:8, 9)
B. THERE IS A GOSPEL VIEW OF WORKS WHICH THEY MUST COME TO SEE. (VERSE 29)
1. Notice Jesus speaks not of “works” (plural), but reduces it to “the work.” (singular).
2. We see then that faith is really a work, the highest work, “the work of God.”
3. There is a kind of faith that is a dead, intellectual belief.
4. This is the kind of faith that James denounced; a faith that produces no validating evidence either in attitude or actions. (James 2:14-20)
5. The living faith that is the work of God; which James insisted upon here defined by Jesus, as believing on Him.
6. This true saving faith will, without fail, manifest itself in the life of the believer.
a) This is the faith by which a person gives himself or herself up the Jesus Christ.
b) This is the “work of God” from which all Christian good works must flow, and will flow.
7. The faith that alone can save will never abide alone, for it is the work of God, and is always unto righteousness.
C. THIS TRUE WORK OF GOD IS CONNECTED WITH TRUE LIFE FROM GOD.
1. The Jews thought that additional miracles would lead to this faith.
2. But Jesus would declare that the true sign was already present – the true sign being Himself.
3. Therefore, the true work of God was that all men should believe on Him.
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