Do You Want Jesus?

Introduction

I’d like you to turn your Bibles, the sixth chapter of John. John chapter 6 will be our text this morning, and we’ll be staying in that passage for almost the entire time. So just go ahead and turn there and stay there with me this morning. It’s good to see each and every one. We do have many who are visiting, both from the Orlando area and those who are visiting from across the country, maybe even some who are not from this country. But we’re glad to have you as we come together today to worship our God. As we’ve spent so much time today reflecting on Jesus and the Son and what He has done for us and where He now is. Certainly a good day for us to do that, as we always have opportunity to thank Him, to praise Him, and to serve Him.

I want to start this morning by asking a question. And it’s a question you’ve got to think about, and hopefully we can look at how we might answer better this question as we go on throughout the day. Why are you here today? Not in a metaphysical way of why are you here on this earth? Why are you here in this building today? Or why would you subject yourselves to any of the obligations of a Christian life? And you may answer that question in a couple of ways that on the surface seem fine. We might answer those questions that, well, we are here in worshiping God, or we are striving to live a Christian life because of the rewards and the benefits that God promises. Sounds good.

Or it may be, if you’re not quite there yet in your spiritual walk, that you say, I am here because I know this is what God wants me to do, and I do not want to displease him. And I’m striving to live a Christian life because I do not want to do that which is wrong and displease God. Okay. Not wrong on that one either. But I do want to ask you if that is the best response. In John the sixth chapter, we meet a people. These are the people that Jesus had spent some time with. They had begun following Jesus. And the John the sixth chapter begins with that well-known account of Jesus feeding five thousand. I’m just going to go ahead and read that, beginning in verse 1 of John chapter 6.

After these things, Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, or Tiberius, and a large crowd followed him, because they saw the signs which he was performing on those who were sick. Then Jesus went up on the mountain, and there he sat down with his disciples. Now the Passover feast of the Jews was near. Therefore, Jesus, lifting up his eyes and seeing that a large crowd was coming to him, said to Philip, Where are we to buy bread so that these may eat? And this he was saying to test him, for he himself knew that he was what he was intended to do. And Philip answered him, Two hundred and area or two hundred days’ worth of wages is a worth of bread is not sufficient for them for everyone to receive a little.

And one of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him, There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two fish. For what are these among so many people? And Jesus said, Have the people sit down. Now there was much grass in the place, so the men sat down in number, about five thousand. Jesus then took the loaves, and having given things, he distributed to those who were seated, likewise also the fish as much as they wanted. And when they were filled, he said to his disciples, gather up the leftover fragments, so that nothing will be lost. So they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves which were left over by those who had eaten. Here are people who had witnessed a miraculous sign.

They have been filled with just a few loaves and a few fish. And more than what had seemed to begin with is now left over in these baskets. We’re going to skip ahead to verse 16, and I’ll just paraphrase here. Jesus departs in the night, crosses the Sea of Tiberius, walking a part of the way on the water. The Sea of Tiberius or the Sea of Galilee is about seven miles across. His disciples had taken a boat and rowed across, and Jesus met them halfway across that lake or that sea. And of course, they traveled on and came to the other side of the sea. They came to Capernaum. The next day, the people look around, they see that one boat is left, but Jesus is not there.

So he must have departed. And there are other boats and ships that have come. And so they too sail across about seven miles, or maybe even some walked across, but John says that they sailed across.

They found Jesus in Capernaum.

1. What This People Was Looking For

These people were willing to follow Jesus at this point. They knew the signs that he had done. They came to him. The other gospel accounts let us know that they have been with him for a long time, and it was out of their own needs that Jesus was concerned that they’ve not eaten. They’ve been with me for a long time. They need food. Jesus feeds them. And when Jesus leaves them, they follow. But why? Well, because John 6 tells us what this people was looking for. Go back to verses 14 and 15. Therefore, when the people saw the sign which he had performed, they said, This is truly the prophet who is to come into the world. And so Jesus, perceiving that they were intending to come and take him by force to make him king, withdrew again to the mountain by himself alone.

Some of you already know what is referenced there in verse 14. Moses’ prophecy in Deuteronomy 18, 15 through 18, that a prophet like him would come. And that they would listen to him. So why do they want to make him king in verse 15? They recognize he is the prophet who Moses talked about, so let’s make him king. In their mind at this time, there is no difference. Moses was not only the lawgiver, Moses was the leader of the people. And so in this messianic expectation that they have, this political Messiah, they are looking for one who, like Moses, guess what? Fed them. They attributed the manna coming down from heaven to Moses. And so now Jesus feeds them. He has to be the one. He is our leader.

As Moses was our leader in the past, so now Jesus is our leader. And that actually is at the heart of what they say going on in chapter 6. Jesus recognizes that they are coming because they were filled with the loaves. Verse 26. Truly, truly I say to you, you seek me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. Do not work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you, for on him the Father God has set his seal. Later on, verse 31, they say, Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness as it is written, he gave them bread out of heaven to eat.

Jesus then said to them, Truly, truly I say to you, it is not Moses who has given you to the bread out of heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread out of heaven. For the bread of God is that which comes down out of heaven and gives life to the world. And note what they say in verse 34. Give us this bread always. Are they just this carnal minded people that all they have on their mind is a snack? No. They have associated what Jesus did in feeding the 5,000 with the power of Moses as demonstrated in the wilderness. They misunderstood that. They were attributing it to Moses when it all came from God. But when they say, give us this bread always, they have in their minds daily bread came out of heaven during the days of Moses.

And now you are saying that the true bread will come down from heaven. Give us this bread always. Or you might even say, day by day. Give us this bread. You see, they have in their mind, this is the Jesus that we are looking for. This is the Messiah that we are looking for. This is the leader who will throw off the shackles, who will give us peace and prosperity. That idea is found in the prophets. Go to passages like Jeremiah chapter 23 and Jeremiah writing, in such a time of turmoil of the people. They have departed from God, and God is going to punish them. But within these prophecies of doom and gloom are these glimpses of hope. And so in Deuteronomy 23 and verses 5 and 6, behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I’ll raise up for David a righteous branch.

And he’ll reign as king and act wisely and do justice and righteousness in the land. And in his days, Judah will be saved. And Israel will dwell securely. And this is his name by which he will be called the Lord our righteousness. These people have combined these ideas. Moses has said, the prophet is coming. They know passages like Jeremiah chapter 23 that says, A king is coming. And when the king comes, guess what he’s going to do? Righteousness and justice. They can see Jesus healing the sick, helping the poor, feeding them when they were hungry. That is righteousness and justice. Let’s make him king. And what does that mean for us? Well, Judah will dwell securely. Israel will be saved. The Romans will be gone. It was a people who had their ideas of what they were looking for.

2. A People Who Wanted to Do Right Things

But not only that, this was a people who wanted to do right things. I think it’s significant that when you look at verse 59, Jesus said these things in the synagogue as he taught in Capernaum. It was a church service. They had come, because Jesus had gone to the synagogue as he did oftentimes. They have come into the place where the Jews would go to gather to worship and to study about God in much the same ways as we do today. They’re there out of right reasons. But not only that, you go back to what they said earlier after Jesus had talked about that they need to work for the food which perishes. They say in verse 28, What shall we do so that we may work the works of God?

What do they mean by that? They are not asking for miraculous powers. They are not saying, as you are doing the works of God, like feeding 5,000 with just a few loaves and a few fish. We want to do that too. No. This goes right back to their idea of Jesus being the prophet that Moses talked about and also being their king. What did Moses do? He gave a law. Do this, don’t do that. Here are the works of God for the Israelites that Moses gave. Do these things. And so, in much the same way this people are keenly interested in, now that the prophet has come, we think it’s Jesus, you tell us what are the things that we are supposed to do? What are the works that God would have us to do now?

It’s the same question, by the way, as the rich young ruler. What shall I do that I may inherit eternal life? Of course, Jesus points the rich young ruler back to the law and also the heart of the law and following him. But it’s that mindset. What are the things that I’m supposed to do so God won’t be angry with us? What are the works that God wants us to do to hell so we can have the reward? And God won’t be upset with us. And it’s in that context. Of people who recognize that there is something about Jesus. They have been following him, they are willing to follow him, they are religious people, they want to know what are the works that God wants them to do so that they can do it.

3. Here Is What I’ve Got for You: Me

It’s in that context that Jesus says, Here is what I’ve got for you. Me. Nothing else. I’ll give you me.

Starting in verse 35. They had asked for daily bread, you might say, or always give us this bread, the idea of provision, even as Moses had done in the wilderness. He said, I am the bread of life. You want God’s blessings. Here it is. I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will not hunger, and he who believes in me will never thirst. But I said to you that you have not yet, you have seen me and yet do not believe. All that the Father gives me will come to me, and the one who comes to me I will certainly not cast out. For I’ve come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me.

Now note verses 39 and 40. This is the will of him who sent me. That of all that he has given me, I lose nothing but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I myself will raise him up on the last day. If I had time, we’d go into the Calvinistic notions that people have put into this passage, which are not there. Jesus is talking about people who need to behold him and believe in him. He is talking in this whole passage about taking him and all of him. That’s the ones who believe him. That’s the ones who will come to him. Jesus said, I won’t drop them.

I won’t lose them. But the point is, you need me. That’s what Jesus is saying. If you’ll behold me, if you’ll believe in me, you will have eternal life. It’s as easy as that. I’m what you need. Going down further. Verse 47. Truly, truly I say to you, he who believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness and they died. This is the bread which comes down out of heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread that came down out of heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread also which I give him, which I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.

Now we’re getting a little weird. What are you talking about? You are the bread of life. And now you’re talking about that the bread of life that you are giving is my flesh. Guess what? It gets more difficult. But the point is all the same. Verse 53. Truly, truly I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in yourselves. We’re tempted, by the way, to think of what we’ve done in communion today as what Jesus is talking about. It’s not what he’s talking about here. He is talking about taking him in. Verse 54. He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.

Compare that, by the way, with verse 40. For Jesus said, This is the will of my Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I myself will raise him up on the last day. Now Jesus says changed into a metaphor, you might say, but the point is the same. You’ve got to take me in. You consume me, and you’ll have eternal life. And I’ll raise you up on the last day. For my flesh is true food. And my blood is true drink. And he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me and I in him. And as a living Father sent me, I live because of the Father. So he who eats me, he also will live because of me.

This is the bread which came down out of heaven. Not as the fathers ate and died, he who eats this bread will live forever. They have concluded that Jesus is the one they want. Because he can give them bread. Jesus says, You don’t need bread. You need meat. You have to drink and eat me. You have to take me in. And then, by the way, if you notice in all those passages, then you get the truly great rewards. You get eternal life. You get being one with the Father and the Son. You get the resurrection at the last day. The things that the Jews of that time were looking for paled in comparison. Freedom from Roman oppression pales in comparison when talking about eternal life. And being one with the Father.

4. If You Get Jesus, You’ve Got Everything

Jesus says, You need me, and if you’ll take me in, then you get me, and guess what? If you get Jesus, then you’ve got everything. Sometimes the question has been posed. Would you want to go to heaven if Jesus wasn’t there? Well, it’s an interesting, thought-provoking question. It’s an erroneous question. There is no heaven if Jesus isn’t there. We have put our ideas of what heaven is, and okay, there’s going to be all this reward for me, and you know, the jokes come out, you know, Bear Bryant has this mansion, and you know, the other coaches had this mansion. No, no, no. Those jokes jokes don’t make sense. If a place in the Father’s house is all God promised. And it is the most glorious existence that you could ever imagine, but the point is, you’re there with God.

And so the question of, would you take heaven if Jesus wasn’t there? You can’t have it. It doesn’t make sense. And Jesus’ point in this passage is if you want what the Father is offering, then guess what he’s offering? He’s offering me. He’s giving me to you. And so you’ve got to get rid of your notions of tell us what works God wants us to do. You know, give us that checklist, like Ten Commandments that were given in the old law, and we’ll do those things so that God will be happy with us. Jesus said, no, take me. Don’t worry about that. Take me. And don’t be consumed with what blessings you think I’m going to give you by leading you to military conquest of the Romans.

5. A People Who Will Walk Away From Jesus

Forget about those things. Take me. But unfortunately, this is also a people who will walk away from Jesus. In verse 66, as a result of this, many of his disciples withdrew and were not walking with him anymore. In the context, this is after, very shortly after Jesus’ words about taking his flesh and eating it and drinking his blood. If they’d paid attention, they’d seen what Jesus is talking about was not cannibalism. Not even talking about memorial like we’re talking about here. He’s talking about you wanted bread from heaven like Moses gave, I’m offering you me. Will you take it? And so because, because Jesus turns out in that to not be what they were expecting, they leave.

And just so long as you make sure you’ve got this done and not do that, then okay. Jesus didn’t do any of that. He said, Here I am, will you take me? And they walked away. What are you wanting? Within Christianity today, and specifically Christianity in America, people are being promised things Jesus never promised. What are you wanting? If your faith and your relationship with Christ are about that if I follow Christ, things are going to be better in my life, I say you’re wanting the wrong thing. Or if you’ve been fed this pie in the sky notion of heaven is where you’re going to get to do all the things that you want to do, and that heaven is this great treasure horde that God’s got in store for you, I challenge you to reconsider that.

What are you wanting? Or are you just looking for? Give me what God requires so I can do that, and God won’t be upset with me. Is that what you’re wanting? At least a shallow religion. Shallow at best. If all you’re wanting is tell me what to do and what not to do, it’s going to be real easy to not do those things. The Jews have a whole history of it in the Bible. What are you wanting?

6. If You Want Jesus, You Will Want His Words

I hope and I pray that each and every one of us that are here this day are here because we want one thing. We want Jesus. Because you know he’s what you need. And that guess what? If you take Jesus, then you get the rewards that God’s promising because Jesus is the reward. Being with Jesus and the Father is the reward. You get what you want, then. But also, going back to John chapter 6. If you want Jesus, then guess what else you want? After verse 66, when it says that many disciples withdrew, we’re not walking with him anymore. Jesus said to the 12 in verse 67, do you want to go away also? Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life.

And we have believed and have come to know that you are the holy one of God. See, they went further than the other followers had. Jesus wasn’t just the prophet and king, he’s the holy one of God. And because Peter in this moment, while yes, Peter’s faithful falter, as will all the disciples, and Jesus even points out here after this that one of them would even betray him, so they don’t all think of this. Peter in this moment at least is saying, We want you, Lord. Because we’re convinced you’re the one that God sent. And you and you alone have words of eternal life. In the days of Moses, what’d they have on a day-by-day basis? They had bread from heaven. During the days of Jesus, what did the apostles experience?

Words of heaven. You’ve got words of eternal life. So let me express and challenge you to reconsider why you’re here, why you bind yourself to any obligation of Christianity, let me challenge you to think of it in these terms. If you want Jesus, because that’s what he is offered, he offers himself. If you want him, then you will want his words. If you want his words, you will commit yourself to believing every one of them. Every one of them. When you’re going through a challenge in your life, whether it be relationship challenge or some kind of temptation, whatever it may be, and you look to the words of Jesus, and there they are, if you can say, I want Jesus, and therefore I recognize he has the eternal words of life, you’ll believe them.

You’ll believe them. This is what I said, do. This is what I said don’t do. That’s different from the wall code, isn’t it? The law code is just give us the basics, give us the minimum, we’ll do that. No, you’re saying, I want Jesus. And so when Jesus speaks, I believe him. And when Jesus speaks, not only to believe what he says, I follow what he says. Because he’s who I wanted. He’s what he’s offered. Take me. Eat me, drink me. This is what you need. And let me say that shapes how you look at a service like this. Or how you look at your life in general. Why are you here? Let me apologize to any and all if over the last ten years I express to you that I hope you’ll come to church because we’ve got some great friendly people here.

We do have some great and friendly people here, and that’s a wonderful thing. That’s not why you need to be here. You don’t need to be here because you’ve got comfortable facilities. You don’t need to be here because of how either poor or dynamic you think the preacher is. Or whether or not you think this Bible class teacher presents it in a better way than this Bible class teacher, if you can get the words of Jesus here, this is where you need to be. Because you need him. And I need him. And that shakes my priorities in life. When we talk about Bible study and prayer and devotion to God and following him, it’s a day-by-day question of what am I wanting in life? And if I can say, I want him, and I want to be with him.

Conclusion

And that changes everything. That’s what Jesus offers. Just as in that day, the majority, the multitude withdrew, and a few stayed with him, so you see it today. Most people do not want that. And in so doing, they’re rejecting the greatest blessings that God could ever bestow. His son. Because in his son are life and light. In his son are eternal life. And his son is the resurrection of the dead. In his son are all these things. Got to take him. And so we conclude this morning by extending a simple invitation to you. Will you take him? What God offered. It’s what he offered. Take him. Believe in him. And so, because you believe in him, do what he says. Repent of your wrongs. Be baptized so that your sins may be forgiven.

And knowing that you have chosen in that the greatest, the greatest blessing you could ever imagine. Because in choosing him, you’re not getting daily bread out of heaven. It’s not physical bread. You’re getting him who sustains you. You’re getting him who gives you eternal life. You’re getting him who will raise you. You’re getting him who will make you one with the Father. That’s the invitation we offer you this morning. If you’ll take Jesus and let us help you, come forward as we stand and as we sing.