Larry Siegle · John 6:60-69
Link to sermon video: Why Does Knowing This Jesus Really Matter? – L Siegle
WHO IS ‘THIS JESUS’? IV
“WHY Does Knowing This Jesus Really Matter?”
(John 6:60-69)
Series: WHO IS THIS ‘JESUS’?
Thesis: The “gospel accounts” are designed to introduce the people to the person and work of Jesus Christ
INTRODUCTION
1. The title of this series is Who is ‘This Jesus’?
2. This is the fourth lesson in our study: WHY Does Knowing This Jesus Really Matter?
CHAPTER SUMMARY:
I. THE GOD WHO MAKES THE IMPOSSIBLE, POSSIBLE (1-13)
II. JESUS WALKS ON THE WATER (15-21)
III. HEAVENLY BREAD FOR EARTHLY MINDS (22-40)
IV. JESUS SUSTAINS BELIEVERS (41-59)
V. SOME OF HIS DISCIPLES WALK AWAY FROM THE SOURCE OF LIFE (60-71)
3. It is not possible to cover all of this chapter in one lesson, but what is happening in these verses draws us in closer—
with a hunger to better understand and to know this Jesus.
THE WORLDLY BLINDNESS
1. The world (generally speaking) remains in “darkness” and “blindness” of the glory and majesty of who Jesus Christ
really is, and what He has done to redeem and to restore the broken relationship with God.
2. Decades ago, someone made this observation that we as believers must understand:
“There are many who profess to be Christians, but we do not take Him seriously…
“We say we respect Jesus, but we do not follow Him…
“We quote His sayings, but we do not live by them…
“We admire Him, but we do not worship Him…
“How different this world would be if we esteemed Jesus, honored Him, and adored Him at the very heart of our being.”
FIRST SECTION
1. Jesus and His disciples have travelled north from the area of Jerusalem to the area of the sea of Galilee…
a. The Romans often would change the name of a city or town or lake…sea of Tiberias….
b. Our government does the same thing…anybody been to the Gulf of America lately?
2. A large number of people had seen Jesus healing the sick and ministering to the needs of the people and had followed
Him over to the Eastern side of the lake….Jesus goes up into the “mountain” (more like the size of a hill) and He sits
down with His disciples.
PROBLEM
1. Jesus pauses to “test” His disciples and to see what their solution to a problem might be.
a. Phillip, how are we going to feed this group of people?
1) Philip gives a ‘logical’ human answer…one denarii was approximately what a person would make working for
a whole day….200 days wages would not feed this crowd of people.
2) Andrew says, ‘we don’t have much’ but this boy over here has five barley loaves, and two small fish.
3) Barley loaves were what those who were poor ate whereas the more wealthy people had wheat bread.
b. Both answers were ‘logical’ but lacking to take into consideration the “GOD FACTOR”
2. So Jesus says, have this crowd sit down, “I got this…”
3. The text says 5000 men (aner) were present…not counting the women and the children….
4. Jesus expresses “thanks” and distributes the bread and the fish to his disciples to give the people “as much as they
wanted”
SOLUTION
1. Jesus always points us in the direction of faith and having trust in God for HIS ability and HIS provision…
2. The human tendency is for us to be ‘all logical’ and look for a human solution before and without consulting our
Heavenly Father as to what, how, and when to do something, or to pause and just wait on God (Psa. 25:5, 21; 27:14;
37:7, 9, 34; Isa. 40:31).
a. When we change jobs, or are buying a house, in the process of moving….God must take first place in our thoughts
and desires.
b. When I have sat. down with couples who wanted counseling…they go back and forth talking about each
other…but where is God in the conversation?
3. Jesus glorifies God by bringing to the people who had gathered, GOD’S provision and GOD’S ability to sustain.
SECTION THREE
1. The people who had followed Jesus and who had been fed with God’s kindness found Jesus once again….
2. They had come because of what Jesus had done for them in a physical way (v. 26, 27).
3. They were missing the point and now asked Jesus, “So what do we need to do in order to cash in on this ability to get
bread?”
a. It is human nature to look for the easy way…It is good to provide benevolence and to meet the needs of people,
but not to enable bad behavior…. (II Thess. 3:10)…the relationship between a willingness to work in order to
provide for yourself and the family (I Tim. 5:8).
b. The crowd needed to learn that Jesus Himself is the “bread of life” and that “everlasting life” comes to those who
“feed” on His Word.
HERMENEUTICS RECORDED IN JOHN
1. Throughout the gospel account of John he is teaching principles of interpretation and understanding to the hearts of
the people:
a. Nicodemus needed to understand the spiritual nature of what it means to be ‘born again’ (John 3:3-5).
b. The woman at the well in Samaria needed to understand the meaning of the “water” Jesus was offering her. (John
4)
c. His disciples and the crowd needed to understand how one partakes of the “body” and “blood” of Jesus Christ
and what His sacrificial death, burial, and resurrection accomplished for them and for us (John 6).
2. It is simply NOT possible for us to understand how much it really matters to come to know this Jesus unless we begin
to have the proper perspective in the daily activities of our lives….
CONCLUSION
1. Knowing God and Christ is the very essence of “eternal life” (John 17:3).
2. Knowing God Christ comes from diving deeper into the Word (John 17:17).
3. God wants to open our eyes with the ability to sense (in the innermost parts of our being) what God wants us to do
each day in the ordinary activities of our daily lives.
4. God does not change (Mal. 3:6).
5. Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Heb. 13:8)
a. Circumstances and situations in our lives change, but God as our Source ever remains with us.
b. We “trust and obey” because there is “no other way” to be happy in Jesus, except we trust and obey.
Outline (Word document): Who_is_This_Jesus_IV.docx