Would you turn with me to John
Chapter six? While you're turning there. Thank you so much for your so
generous. Christmas gift to me. I'm overwhelmed and humbled by
your generosity toward me. Thank you. John Chapter six, let's read
verses 28 and 29 together. Then said they unto him, What
shall we do that we might work the works of God? It's quite a question, isn't
it? Verse 29, Jesus answered and
said unto them, This is the work of God, that you believe on him whom
he hath sent." Now, what a question. What must we do that we might
work the works of God? That's some kind of question. And then we see our Lord's answer.
This is the work of God. That you believe on him whom
he has sent. Now I've entitled this message
a big question. And a bigger answer. Now, who
are these people that ask this question? What? Are we to do
for us to work the works of God? Who are these people? Well, they're
the same people who experienced the miraculous feeding of the
5,000. They were eyewitnesses of this
miracle. They saw with their own eyes
the Lord Jesus demonstrate free aid of power. He brought bread
and fish into existence that were not there before. He brought
something from nothing. Now, who's the only one who could
do that? You know the answer to that question. God is the
only one who can do that. Christ Jesus in that miracle
demonstrated to these people that he is God and these folks
actually tasted that bread and that fish and they were actually
filled with that bread and fish. Their stomachs were full. Their
physical needs were met in a miraculous way. is that same crowd who wanted
to make him king. Look in verse 15. When Jesus,
therefore, perceived that they would come and take him by force
to make him king, he departed again into a mountain himself
alone. They were so impressed with what he did in feeding them
that they wanted him to be king. Now, let's begin reading in verse
22. This is after that miracle, after he had walked on the water
and gone to Capernaum, verse 22, the day following, when the
people which stood on the other side of the sea saw that there
was none other boat there, save that one whereunto his disciples
were entered, and that Jesus went not with his disciples into
the boat, but that his disciples were gone away alone, howbeit
there came other boats from Tiberias, nigh unto the place where They
did eat bread after the Lord had given thanks. When the people
therefore saw that Jesus was not there, remember they didn't
have any idea that he walked across the sea. They had no idea
this. They just saw he was not there,
neither his disciples. They also took a shipping. They
got in their boats to go across that lake and came to Capernaum
seeking for Jesus. Now, can you blame them for seeking
you? They had just had all their needs
met. Can you blame them for seeking
him? I'd want to, too. They just had their bellies filled.
All their needs were met. Here's the answer to every problem
we have. If he takes care of us, we're taken care of. I understand
why they sought him. They wanted their bellies filled
again. He's the answer to all of our
problems. Here's how our needs are going to be met. Verse 25,
so they came looking for him, and when they found him on the
other side of the sea, they said unto him, Rabbi, when camest
thou hither? Jesus answered them, and he didn't
ask. He didn't answer the question they asked, but he did answer
them. Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto
you, you seek me not because you saw the miracles, but because
you did eat of the loaves and were filled." Now, once again, he displays
his deity. He could read their minds. He
knew why they were seeking him. Now, you and I can't see motive,
can we? We really can't. You can't see
my motive. I mean, you can get an idea,
but you can't see my motive. I can't see your motive in doing
what you do. I can't see why you do it. But
he can. And he does. And he says to these people,
you're seeking me and here's your motive. It's not because
you saw the miracles. It's not because you have some
conviction that I'm more than a mere man, that I'm the Son
of God. You're not seeking me because of a conviction of my
person. You're seeking me because you've
got your belly filled, and you want something else to eat. If my religion is merely about
personal gain, about how my life can be better, about how I can
have more prosperity, or a better way to deal with trials, or a
better anything, a better marriage, a better life. If my religion
is simply about personal gain, how my life can be better, it's
no good. If it never gets beyond that,
it's not saving religion. Now, I want to ask you a question.
Please, zero in on this. Do you simply want your life
to be better? Or do you want to know the truth? Now I want you to think about
that. Do you simply want somehow it to be better for you? And
I understand somebody wants that. I want it to be better for me.
But is your religion, everybody in here has got some kind of
religion. I do and you do. Is your religion about personal
gain or do you really want to know the truth? Our Lord says to these people,
you're not seeking me because you want to know the truth, you're
seeking me simply so your quality of life will be improved and
more easy. Now, look what he says in verse
27. He says, labor not for the meat. Which perishes. But that meat which endureth
unto everlasting life with which the son of man shall give unto
you. For him hath God the Father sealed.
Now this word labor where he says labor not for the meat which
perishes is the same word that translated work in verse 29 where
he says this is the work of God that you might believe on him
whom he has sent. Now our Lord is saying give all
your effort, all your desire, all your earnest seeking, strive
after not that meat which perishes. that doesn't last, that doesn't
endure. Material well-being, power, human
praise, pleasure, the things that this world is seeking after.
And you understand why? Listen, there's an appeal to
that in every one of us. Being well thought of, being
secure in all those things, Now he says do not labor for those
things in the grand scheme of things. What if you do have financial
security? What if you do have a lot of
friends? What if you do have power? What if you do have prestige? What if you do have health and
wealth? What if you have all these things and lose your soul? What if all your goals in this
life are met and you lose your soul? He says, don't labor for
these things. They will not last. Turn over
to Matthew chapter six for a moment. I'll tell you what, this is a
passage of scripture we would do well to look at every single
day. Verse 19. Lay not up for yourselves treasures
upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves
break through and steal. But lay up for yourselves treasures
in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where
thieves do not break through nor steal. For where your treasure
is, there will your heart be also. Look down at verse 24.
No man can serve two masters. For either he will hate the one
and love the other, or else he'll hold to the one and despise the
other. You cannot serve God and man. Therefore I say unto you,
take no thought for your life. Be totally carefree. Don't take thought concerning
what you shall eat, or what you shall drink, or yet for your
body, what you shall put on, is not the life More than meat,
and the body more than raiment, behold the fowls of the air,
for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns,
yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are you not much better
than they? Which of you, by taking thought,
by worrying, by stressing, can add one cubit unto your stature,
one minute to your life? You can't do it. And why take
ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field,
how they grow. They toil not, neither do they spin, and yet
I say unto you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed
like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the
grass of the field which today is, and tomorrow is cast into
the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore, take no thought, saying,
What shall we eat, or what shall we drink, or where the fall shall
we be clothed? For after all these things do
the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knoweth
that you have need of all these things. Isn't that wonderful
to think about? Your Heavenly Father knows exactly
what you need. He says in verse 33, but seek
ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. And all these things should be
added to you. Take therefore no thought for
the tomorrow. Don't even worry about tomorrow for tomorrow.
We'll take care of the things of itself. Sufficient unto the
day is the evil thereof. Now, our Lord says, labor, work
for, strive for, earnestly and diligently seek that meat which
endures to everlasting life. Don't worry about this other
stuff. Now, what is that meat that endures to everlasting life?
What is it? What is it that lasts? What is
it that lasts? Well, we read it in that passage
of Scripture I just read in Matthew chapter 6. Seeking first the
kingdom of God and what? His righteousness. Not yours. His righteousness. This is the
one thing that will endure unto everlasting life. His Righteousness. Turn with me to Philippians 3
for a moment. Philippians chapter 3. Paul says in verse 7. Philippians
chapter 3, but what things that were gained to me? I counted
these as positive, things that I needed, things that make my
life better, things that I desired. What things that were gained
to me? They were in the plus column. Those I counted loss. I counted rubbish for Christ. Yea, doubtless that I count all
things but rubbish for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus
my Lord for whom I suffered the loss of all things and do count
them but dung that I may win Christ and be found in Him not
having what? My own righteousness. I don't
want to have anything to do with that. Not having my own righteousness,
which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of
Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith. Now, here's the one thing that
endures. His righteousness. Now, notice in that passage of
scripture I just read in Philippians chapter three, he makes a contract
between my own righteousness and his righteousness. Now, what
is his righteousness? What's his thing about having
his righteousness? Well, it's his righteousness. It ain't mine,
it's his. It's His obedience. It's His law-keeping. It's His
righteousness. Now, if I'm going to be saved,
if I'm going to stand before God in judgment, accepted, if
I'm going to endure all the way to the end, if I'm going to believe,
it's only as I have His righteousness. Now, that's what our Lord is
telling us to strive for, to labor for. Labor not for the
meat which perishes and all the stuff that everybody's always
striving after, but that which endures. The only thing that
will remain on Judgment Day is righteousness, labor for that.
Now, let's go back to our text in John, chapter six. I love this, this is so encouraging. Verse 27, labor not for the meat
which perishes, but for the meat which endures into everlasting
life. Look at the next phrase. Which the son of man shall give
to you. Now, when we hear that word labor
and work, we generally think of wages. Well, if I do this,
he'll do that. But notice how our Lord speaks.
He says, the Son of Man will give this. And he's speaking
to unbelievers here. He's speaking to people who didn't
believe him. He says, you labor for this meat that endures to
eternal life. His righteousness is what he's
referring to. You strive to enter in the straight gate. Strive,
you labor, to enter into His rest. You labor for this meat,
which the Son of Man will give." If you knew the gift of God,
the gift, not wages earned, but something He gives. If you knew
the gift of God and who it is that saith, Did He give me the
drink? You would have asked Him, and He would have given thee
living water. We hear this word labor. Am I
laboring enough? Am I striving enough? Now, let's
just quit thinking about that for a moment. He gives this. It's his free,
absolute free gift. Him, he says, hath God the Father
sealed. That means salvation is sealed
up into him. You won't find it anywhere else.
All of God's salvation, all of God's mercy is sealed into the
Lord Jesus Christ. Now, he says, labor not for that
meat which perishes, but for that meat which endures unto
everlasting life, which the Son of Man shall give unto you. For
him hath God the Father sealed. Verse 28. Now, here's their response
to this. Then said they unto him, What
shall we do? That we might work the works
of God. Now, all they heard when he says
labor not for the meat that perishes, but for the meat which endures
to everlasting life, all they heard was the word work. That's
all they heard. They didn't really hear what
he said. And so they say, well, what works do we need to do?
That we might work the works of God. We want to work the works
of God. Now, really, they're asking the
wrong question. They're asking for the wrong
thing. All they heard is work. They should be asking, you said
you'd give us this meat which endures to eternal life. Would
you please give it to us? Obviously, they were not listening
to what our Lord said. What may we do that we might
work the works of God? Now, this is a completely different
question. Then that question the Philippian
jailer asked when he said, sirs, what must I do to be saved? He wasn't saying what work do
I need to perform to be saved. He was convinced he couldn't
be saved by his works. He came in trembling. How can
I be saved? What must I do to be saved? He
wasn't asking the question that these fellows were asking. This
is not the same question of that bunch They're on the day of Pentecost
when they heard Peter preach and they said, men and brethren,
what shall we do? We're in a mess. What shall we
do? How can we be saved? They're
not asking that question. They're not asking the question
that Paul asked when he was on the road to Damascus and the
Lord knocked him off his horse. And he's blinded. And he says,
Lord, what shall I do? He wasn't saying, what good work
can I perform to be saved? They're asking the same question
that rich young ruler asked. when he comes up to the Lord
and says, good master. Remember the Lord said, why are
you calling me good? He knew that he was only addressing him
as a man. You're a good man. I'm a good man. You're probably
better than me. What can I do to arise to your goodness? Good
master, what good thing shall I do to inherit eternal life? That's the question he's asking.
And that's the question these fellows are asking. What works
must we do? Notice the plural. What works
must we do that we might inherit eternal life. You know, they demonstrated a
very high opinion of themselves when they asked this question.
What kind of works can we do that we might work the works
of God? So you think you can do that? You think you even have
the potential to do that? To work the works of God? That's
their question. Now look at our Lord's answer.
Verse 29. Jesus answered. and said unto
them, This is the work of God, that
you believe on him whom he hath sent. Now, notice first of all The
Lord does not say this is one of those works of God that you
need to do. They said, what must we do that
we might work the works plural of God? Give us the works to
do. And he answers them with there's one work. This is the
work. Of God. This is the work of God. If you
do it, it's because He worked it in you. This is the work of
God. It's God that worketh in you, both to will and to do His
good pleasure. If God does something for you,
this is what He does. This is the work of God. This is the
one thing that pleases God. The one thing. Without faith,
it is impossible to please Him. Here it is. Here's the work of
God. If you want to work the works of God, This is the work
you must do. This is the work of God that
you believe on Him whom He has sent. Does it sound too easy? Does it sound too simple? I mean,
that's not very glorious. Just believe? I'm sure that's true. What else? Give me something
else. I mean, that doesn't seem complete,
does it? You know something that's very
interesting about that statement? This is the work of God that you believe
on him whom he has sent. You know what comes after that?
A period. That's it. That's it. Does it seem too simple?
Well, let's see you do it. This is the work of God that
you believe on him whom he has sent. Now, there's a whole lot
in that. It's very simple, yet so profound. First, if I believe on Him whom
He has sent. First, I believe. Now, this is what I really believe
when I believe on Him whom He has sent. I first believe that
He was before He was sent. He was. In the beginning was
the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The
same was. in the beginning with God. I
believe in the eternal existence of the uncreated Son of God. I believe He was. Christ Jesus has always been
the great I am that I am. He was God the Son. He was the object of the worship
of angels. He was the mighty creator of
the universe. He was before He ever became
flesh. He was. I believe He was before
He was sent. Not only do I believe He was
before He was sent, I believe that the Father sent Him. He is the sent one of God. God sent. What did He send him to do? Matthew
1.21 says, Thou shalt call His name Jesus, for He shall save
His people from their sins. That's what the Father sent Him
to do. He sent Him to save His people. You believe that? 1 Timothy 1.15 says, This is a
faithful saying, worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus
came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am Chief, Paul said. That's why the Father sent Him.
He sent Him to save sinners. Do you believe that? Not only
do I believe He was before He was sent, not only do I believe
that the Father sent Him, not only do I have some understanding
of why He sent Him, I believe that He did what the Father sent
Him to do. I believe He did what the Father
sent Him to do. Look in John 6, verse 38. For I came down from heaven,
not to do my own will, but the will of Him that sent me. And
this is the Father's will which has sent me, that of all which
He hath given me, I should lose nothing. but should raise it
up again at the last day. And this is the will of Him that
sent me, that everyone would see it, the Son, and believeth
on Him, may have everlasting life. And I'll raise Him up at
the last day." Now, you know what the Father sent Him to do?
He sent Him, listen to me, listen real carefully, He sent Him to
save the elect. He sent Him to save His people,
those the Father gave Him. But didn't He come to save everybody?
No. No, He did not. He came to save
those the Father gave Him. Now, did He do it? Was He successful? Did He save those the Father
gave Him? He said, this is the will of Him to send me, that
of all which He hath given me I should lose nothing. But raise
it up again at the last day. What were our Lord's last words
from the cross? It is finished. You know, most folks, when they
hear that, they say, oh, I believe he finished his work. I believe
it was finished. But what they meant is he's finished with his
part. Now you need to do your part. He's done all he's going
to do. Now it's up to you. You need
to do something with him or it's going to be bad for you. When our Lord said it is finished.
He didn't mean my part's over with. He meant It is finished. The salvation of everybody I
died for is accomplished. It is finished. You know, there aren't any sweeter
words to me than that. It is finished. I tell you what,
pressure's off. My salvation's already accomplished.
It was accomplished outside of my personal subjective experience. It was accomplished when He said,
it is finished. Well, don't you have an experience?
Yeah, my experience is I rejoice in that. It makes me happy right
now to hear that. It is finished. That's my experience. This is
the will of Him that sent me that you believe on Him whom
He hath sent. To believe is to rely upon. It's to have confidence in. It is to trust. It is to commit
to. It's to entrust. Are you relying
on him? Now, right now, I'm asking you
this question. Are you personally? Are you relying upon him whom
he hath sent? You believe he was before he
sent? You believe the Father sent him?
You believe the father. Sent him for the purpose of saving
his people. You believe he did what the father sent him to do.
You believe all that stuff, but it goes further than that if
it's faith. You are relying. Upon him whom he hath sent you
entrust your soul to him. Second Timothy 112. I know whom. I have believed. And I'm persuaded. I'm convinced that he is able
to keep that which I've committed to him against that day. I'm convinced that he is able.
Turn with me to Matthew 9 for just a moment. Hold your finger
there in John 6 and turn with me to Matthew 9. Verse 27. And when Jesus departed, thence
two blind men followed Him, crying and saying, Thou Son of David,
have mercy on us. And when He was come into the
house, the blind men came to Him, and Jesus saith unto them,
Believe ye that I am able to do this? Do you believe I am able to give
you sight? Do you believe that I am able to save you? What a question. Do you believe
That I am able to do this. I love their answer. Yay, Lord. Yay, Lord. Now, from time to time, I fly places like many of you do.
We board an airplane. Now, I'm persuaded Through the
law of aerodynamics, that vacuum that, I don't know how it happens,
but somehow wind goes across faster on the top of the wing
than the bottom and that vacuum lifts up the plane, I am persuaded
through the law of aerodynamics that that plane has the strength
to lift me off the ground and to bring me to the desired destination. But you can know and be persuaded
that that plane will work and get off the ground. You can really
believe that. And never get on the plane. You commit. When you get on the plane. Not
just knowing it will get you there and believing it will get
you there. This is what faith is. You commit when you get on
the plane. You sit down and you trust that
plane to get you there. Now, have you ever been on a
plane when it's taken off and maybe somebody's trying to flap
the wings, trying to help it get up? No, not at all. You just sit there. You just
sit there. And you wait for that plane to
bring you to the desired destination. You don't try to help it. You
know better than that. You're completely dependent upon
that plane to get you there. You're not trying to help. You're
not. You know what the hardest thing to do in the world is? Nothing. Simply trust Him to get you there. Trust Christ Alone. Nothing more. Nothing less. And nothing else. Is it really that simple? Yes. It really is. This is the work of God. that
you believe that you rely on him whom he has sent. Now, this is the root grace from
which all other graces come. This is the work of God. That
you simply trust the Lord Jesus Christ. You trust him. I can't think of an illustration
that's simple enough or clear enough, so I'm going to have
to Go back to the first time faith is used, which you turn
with me to Genesis 15. This is where it says Abraham
believed God that was counted to him for righteousness. Now,
you find this interesting if you study the New Testament,
what chapter is alluded to and quoted more than any other chapter
in all the Old Testament? You know what it is? Genesis
15. That gives us some idea of the
importance of this passage of Scripture. And the first time
the word believe is used is right here. Verse 4. And behold, the word of the Lord
came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir, but he that
shall come forth out of thine own bow shall be thine heir.
Now, Abraham was an old man when this promise was made. And Sarah
had already gone through the process of menopause. She could
not have a baby. Couldn't be done. It was physically
impossible. Verse 5, And he brought him forth
abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if
thou be able to number them. You look at the stars in the
sky. Can you tell them? No, I can't. And he said unto
him, So shall thy seed be. Now, what evidence did he have
that this is going to be so? He could look at himself, and
he's an old man. He looked at Sarah. She's an old woman. She's already past the time of
life. It can't happen. Physically, by what he could
see, what evidence did he have? None. But what did he do? It says in
verse 6, he believed in the Lord. He believed what God said, and
it was counted to him for righteousness. What must we do that we might
work the works of God? Believe. Don't wait for something
to happen. Don't wait till you understand
more. Don't wait till you have a deeper experience. Don't wait
till you become what you would consider more holy and more obedient. I can't believe till I get this
area in my life straightened out or that area in my life straightened
out. I need to get this taken care of and that taken care of.
No, don't say anything like that. That's foolishness. That's all
it is. Foolishness. For one thing, you'll never do
it. Not any of yourself. That's just talk. That's just
hot air. Nothing more than that. Here's
what you're to do. Believe on Him whom He has sent. Trust Christ completely. Rely. Rely. Right now, I am relying on His
precious blood To this extent, my sin's already washed away.
That's how I'm relying on His blood. What about your sin? What sin? I don't have any. What
about what you did yesterday? What sin? I don't have any. What
about that wicked thought that came to your mind right now?
What sin? I don't have any. His precious
blood makes me clean before God. I really believe that. That's
what I'm relying on. His obedience, His righteousness,
that is my righteousness before God. This is that fine linen,
clean and white, the righteousness of the saints. His perfect obedience
is my obedience before God. Right now, He represents me before
the Father. There's a man in glory right
now, flesh and blood, just like mine, the Lord Jesus Christ. He's representing me before the
Father right now, and I am relying upon Him. What must we do that
we might work the works of God? This is the work of God that
you personally God's not going to do it for you. Nobody else
can do it for you. It's something you're going to
have to do. This is the work of God that you believe on Him
whom He hath sent. Now, if you end up believing
on Him, if you actually believe on Him right now, you trust Him.
And if you end up going to hell anyway, You've lost a lot, haven't
you? But you know who'd lose more? He would. He would lose his glory as the
all-sufficient Savior of sinners. And that's never going to happen. Trust Him. now. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ
and thou shalt be saved. May God give us all grace to
do so. Let's pray.