Okay, let's turn back to John
6. Last time we were in John 6,
we made it to verse 35, but I want to back up a little bit and begin reading in verse 28. John
6, verse 28 says, Then said they unto him, what
shall we do that we might work the works of God? Jesus answered
and said unto them, this is the work of God that you believe
on him whom he has sent. They said therefore unto him,
what sign showest thou then that we may see and believe thee?
What dost thou work? Now the ones that were asking
him these questions were the Jews. Verse 41 says, the Jews
then murmured at him. And they were the same Jews from
chapter 5 verse 10. Look at chapter 5 verse 10, it
says, the Jews therefore said unto him that was cured, it is
the Sabbath day. It is not lawful for thee to
carry thy bed. So here's the point. They knew
the law. Okay? They knew the law. God's
law. They were religious men. They were religious men. Just
good old boy religious men. The kind of guys you would probably
like. The Pharisees, you know, it's
always we think of them as just... They were just religious men. good men, religious leaders,
teachers, preachers. That's who this was, but they
were seeking a sign. Verse 30 in John six says, they
said, therefore unto him, what sign showest thou then that we
may see and believe thee, what dost thou work? I don't care
who a person appears to be on the outside. Let me show you
what the Lord has to say about this. Go with me to Matthew 12. Matthew chapter 12, verse 38 says, Then certain of the scribes,
now the scribes were men who rewrote God's word. They didn't have printing presses.
And those parchments would tear and they would handle them just
like our pages do. So the Word of God would have
gone away. So the scribe's job was to sit there and constantly
rewrite copies of the Word of God. They were always in the
Word of God. Always. The scribes. So it says
in Matthew 12 verse 38, Then certain of the scribes and of
the Pharisees, the religious preachers, answered, saying,
Master, we would see a sign from thee. But he answered and said
unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign. And there shall no sign be given
to it but the sign of the prophet Jonas. For as Jonas was three
days and three nights in the whale's belly, so shall the Son
of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
What that means is this, it doesn't matter if a person is a church-going
person. Makes no difference. Church-going
person. It doesn't matter if the person
is the pastor of the church. Doesn't matter one bit. All men
and women are sinners. All men and women. By nature,
the Lord said, evil. Evil. And He said, adulterous. Meaning you've strayed from the
truth. Strayed from the love of God. Specifically. Strayed from Christ alone. Christ alone. Scriptures alone. Grace alone. Christ alone. preferring something else, evil
and adulterous. And he says an evil and adulterous
generation seeks after a sign. Now he's not talking about a
sign for his will. I make the statement all the
time. Well, that, you know, it seems like a sign, you know,
we're praying for the Lord's will and that might be a sign.
That's not what he's talking about. He's talking about a sign
before I am willing to believe what you say. I need a sign first. So back over in our text in John
6 verse 30, they said therefore
unto him, what sign showest thou then that we may see and believe
thee? We need to see a sign before
we believe you. What dost thou work? Our fathers
did eat manna in the desert as it is written. He gave them bread
from heaven to eat. Then Jesus said unto them, Verily,
verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from
heaven, but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven.
For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven and giveth
life unto the world." Now here's what he just told them. Verse
33, The bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven and giveth
life unto the world." He, right after He told them that, look
how they responded. Verse 34, then said they unto Him, Lord,
evermore give us this bread. And it sounds like when you first
read it, they're saying, Lord, give us this bread. That's not
what they're saying. There's a marginal reference
right there to chapter 4, verse 15. And that means that they're
saying the exact same thing that the woman at the well said. We're going to see that in just
a second. What they're saying right here is, where is it? Where
is it? If your Father gives the true
bread from heaven, we'd like to have some. Give us this bread. They had
no idea what he was talking about. And that is where religion is.
They have no idea what he's talking about. And I say that along with
bless their hearts. No idea. No idea at all. Go with me over to Matthew 15. Matthew 15 verse 10 says, And
He called the multitude and said unto them, Hear and understand,
not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man, but that
which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man. I need to
learn that. I need to learn that. It's not what goes in the mouth
that defiles a man. It's what comes out. It's what
comes out. You know what comes out of the
mouth? Words. You know what that means? The
less I say, the less I will defile myself. If it is not true, if it's not
kind, and if it's not necessary, I don't need to say it. And I
need to run that checklist, and I'm preaching to the choir right
here. I'm preaching to myself. Is it true? Yeah. Is it kind? Probably not. Is it necessary? No. Lock it up. Preaching to myself. But our
Lord said in verse 11, Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth
a man, but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth
a man. Then came his disciples and said
unto him, Knowest thou that the Pharisees were offended after
they heard this saying? The Pharisees. His disciples
said, Lord, do you see all those preachers over there? They're
all standing there? All the church-going folks over
there? They were offended after you said that. All of them. They've been telling everybody,
touch not, taste not, and handle not. And then when you said,
it's not what goes into the mouth. They were offended. The preachers. And this is today. I mean, this
is today. And look at verse 13, but he
answered and said, every plant which my heavenly father hath
not planted shall be rooted up. Let them alone. They be blind
leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind,
both shall fall into the ditch. Preachers can't be blind. God
says they can. Now, go back to our text in John
6, verse 34, the Jews, these religious leaders said, then
said they unto Him, Lord evermore give us this bread. Bread from
heaven? Yeah, we'll take it. Who doesn't want heaven? Paradise? Who doesn't want paradise? Streets
of gold? Who doesn't want to walk on streets
of gold? Give us this bread. And then that's exactly what
the woman at the well said. Look at chapter 4, verse 10. Chapter 4, verse 10, Jesus answered
and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee,
Give me to drink, thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would
have given thee living water." Only a person who has received
that knows what that is. Living water. Verse 13, he said,
Jesus answered and said unto her, whosoever drinketh of this
water," she was standing at a well, "'shall thirst again. But whosoever
drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst.
But the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of
water springing up into everlasting life.' The woman said unto him,
Sir, give me this water that I thirst not, neither come hither
to draw." You mean I'd never get thirsty again? I'd never
have to carry these buckets out here again and draw this water
and carry it home again. You could make my life easier.
I could get something out of you. I could get something out
of you. Yeah, I'll take some living water." That's blind. Blind. He said, if you knew, if you
knew, I pray that I know. I pray that I know. Do I know? Do I know? What does that mean?
Do I know? If you knew. Here's what he means. He is the living water. Soul
quenching water. Well, those Jews said, Lord,
give us some of this bread. And that's what they meant by
that. Give us some of this bread. We'll take some of that. Your
father's given heavenly bread. We'll take some. They were blind. Back over in John 6, verse 35
says. John 6, verse 35, Jesus said
unto them, I am the bread of life. He that cometh to me shall
never hunger, and he that believeth on me shall never thirst." Two
words in there are key words, and they're the same word, me. I am the bread of life. He that
cometh to me shall never hunger. I need some food. I need some
sustenance. Where is it going to come from?
Him. I need spiritual food. I do. I need, Lord bless me. Would
you speak to me? You know where I can, the only
place I can get that? Him. I have to go to him. He that cometh to me shall never
hunger. He that believeth on me shall
never thirst. What is our religion? What sets
us apart? We were just talking about in
my study over there, all these different forms of Calvinistic
doctrine. These little minor differences. And they're so confusing. So
confusing. What's our religion? Christ. And then let's just stop after
that word. What is our doctrine? Christ. It's relieving. It's simple,
the simplicity of Christ. What feeds us? Christ. That's it. What satisfies us? Christ. And our flesh takes a
while to catch on. It's still thinking, well, that's
gonna satisfy me, or that's gonna satisfy me. But it doesn't. Talking about our works won't
satisfy us. Talking about our responsibilities,
you know, we're going to have a big seminar on church responsibilities.
Well, that ain't going to satisfy us. Talking about morality. Talking
about a positive mentality. You're going to find that a lot,
you know, come out to the big place. We're going to have a
guest speaker with a big thing on a positive mentality. We're
going to just think better thoughts. That don't satisfy me. That won't
satisfy us. What are we here for? What is
this all about? Christ. I am the bread of life. Life. All that other stuff is
dead. I am the bread of life. Verse 35. He that cometh to me, shall never
hunger. And he that believeth on me shall
never thirst. He that comes to me and believes
on me will never be spiritually unsatisfied. Have you ever experienced
spiritual unsatisfaction? I'm just not satisfied. My soul
is not satisfied. I'm hearing it, I'm ingesting
it, I'm thinking about it, and it's not doing it. Something's
missing. It's like cotton candy. You put
it in and... I'm unsatisfied. And by God's
grace, he calls his people and they start seeking for some satisfaction,
some sustenance. I need some real bread. He that
cometh to me and believeth on me will never be spiritually
unsatisfied. And after they taste of the bread
of life, they will never go searching anywhere else to fill a spiritual
hunger. Never. There is nothing else
more satisfying than Christ. There's nothing to add to Him
and there's nothing to take from Him. He is perfect. He's filling. He's filling. Verse 36 says,
but I said unto you that you also have seen me and believe
not. Now this is an amazing thing.
I was thinking about this. This is an amazing thing. They
physically saw him. They saw his works, but that
didn't cause them to believe. They saw him. And that didn't
cause them to believe. Look over at Matthew 13. Matthew 13 verse 10 says, And the disciples came and said
unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables? He answered
and said unto them, because it is given unto you to know the
mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.
For whosoever hath, to him shall be given. Hath what? Ears to hear, eyes to see. And
he shall have more abundance. But whosoever hath not, from
him shall be taken away, even that he hath. Therefore speak
I to them in parables, because they seeing see not." They saw
Christ. They saw Christ with their own
physical eyes, but they didn't see Him with the eyes of faith.
That's the difference. Verse 13 says, Therefore speak
I to them in parables, because they seeing see not, and hearing
they hear not. They heard Him preach. The God from the throne of heaven. They heard Him with their own
eardrums, rattled at the voice of God. Can you imagine listening to
God preach? You would think anybody would
be saved from listening to God preach. God declares the truth
and you'd think everybody would be saved, wouldn't you? But they
didn't hear Him. Not with ears of faith. Isn't
that something? Verse 14 says, And in them is
fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah, which said, by hearing you shall
hear and shall not understand. Oh Lord, give me ears to hear. Don't let me hear Gabe Stoniker.
I'm not interested in him. I want to hear Christ. I want to understand what this
word is all about, what he has to say to me. By hearing you
shall hear and not understand, and seeing you shall see and
shall not perceive. Lord, open my eyes that I may
see. Please open my eyes. Back over
in our text, verse 36 says, John 6, verse 36. But I said unto
you that you also have seen me and believe not. Does that mean
that Christ failed? His Father sent Him to save. Call His name Jesus, He shall
save. And He stood up and preached to all those people, and they
did not believe Him. Does it mean Christ failed? He
came, they saw Him, they heard Him, they believed not. Did He
fail? Did He come in vain? No, absolutely
not. Verse 37 says, all that the father
giveth me shall come to me. You know what that means? It
means not every person has been given to him. That's what it means. Not every
person has been given to him. Let's prove that with a couple
of scriptures. Go to Matthew 11. Matthew 11 verse 25 says, At that time, Jesus answered
and said, I thank Thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because
Thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast
revealed them unto babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed
good in Thy sight." Hid from some, revealed to others. That's not fair. Oh yes it is. He didn't have to reveal it to
anybody. It is great mercy and grace that He would reveal it
to one person. Who did He reveal it to? All
that the Father giveth Him. All of them. Go over to John
10. John chapter 10 verse 24 says,
Then came the Jews round about him, and said unto him, How long
dost thou make us to doubt? If thou be the Christ, tell us
plainly. Jesus answered them, I told you,
and you believe not. The works that I do in my Father's
name, they bear witness of me. But you believe not, because
you are not of my sheep, as I said unto you. My sheep hear My voice,
and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give unto them eternal
life, and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them
out of My hand. You believe not, because you
are not of My sheep." That's why. My sheep hear My voice. Hear His voice. And they come
to Me. And look what He says back in John 6. Our text, John
6 verse 37, he says, All that the Father giveth me. All that the Father gave to be
in my care. All that the Father gave to be
under my wing, in my hand, in my work. in my blood, in my death,
burial, resurrection, life, salvation, purpose, will, heart, all that
the Father giveth me. How can I know if God the Father
has given me to God the Son? I wonder if God the Father has
given me to God the Son, if it's not to everybody. If he's hid
it from some, revealed it to others. How can I know if God the Father
has given me to God the Son? John 6 verse 37 says, All that
the Father giveth me shall come to me. All that God the Father
gave to God the Son have one great desire in life. One great need in life, and that's
to come to Christ. Whatever that means, that's all
I want. And that means in heart, that
means in mind, that means in love, in belief, in need, recognizing He's my
only help. One great desire, one great need
to come to Christ. I just want to come to Christ.
I believe Him. He's the only thing that satisfies
my soul. He's my only hope. He's my only
comfort. If I need comfort, I've got to
go to Him. I just want to be near Him. That's
my desire. I want to be near Him. David
said, One thing have I desired of the Lord, and that will I
seek after, that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all
the days of my life to behold the beauty of the Lord and inquire
in His temple. That's all I want. That is all
I want. All I need, Christ is all I need. Does your heart say that too? Have you come to Christ? And
what I mean by that is, are you coming to Christ? It's not a
one-time thing of the past. You know, well, I came to Christ.
Well, that's wonderful. I have to come all the time.
All the time. If He is everything to you, then
it sounds like God the Father gave you to Him. If He is everything
to you. All my righteousness, Every work
that needs to be done to get me into glory. Sounds like God the Father gave
you to Him. Go to Him. If He gave me to Him, I can go
to Him. Go to Him. You will not be denied. Not if God the Father gave you
to Him. If you have a heart to come to Him, Go to Him. You won't be denied. That's a
wonderful thought to me. Verse 37 says, All that the Father
giveth me shall come to me, and him that cometh to me I will
in no wise cast out. That's good news if I've ever
heard it. If I've ever heard it. I would love for somebody
who is in great need great conviction over their sin, to really understand
the fact that if you truly in your heart come to Christ, you're
not going to be denied. Isn't that amazing? Won't be
denied. Let's close with a word from
our Lord directly to the hearts of His people. Go with me to
John 15. John 15 verse 15 says, Henceforth
I call you not servants, for the servant knoweth not what
his Lord doeth, but I have called you friends. For all things that
I have heard of my Father, I have made known unto you. Your friend
is somebody you confide in. Your friend is somebody you tell
your heart to. I can tell you this because you're
my friend. A servant, he has no idea what the master's command
is. But the Lord said, from here on, you're not servants. You're
my friend. Everything that my father has
told me, I've told you. I have not hid. Not one bit of
it. I think that's wonderful. that
we should be called the friend of God. All that the Father giveth
me shall come to me, and him that cometh to me I will in no
wise cast out. Come to Christ. Come to Christ. All right, let's stand together.