'Good Living' for a Living? John 6:22-27

Text:  Jesus answered them (the Tiberian crowd) and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek Me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of he loaves, and were filled.” 

John 6:26.

 Good morning, Spiritually motivated Christian!  You have NOT come to Christ in order to look good in your community.  You have NOT come to Christ in order to make material gain.  You have NOT come to Christ in order to have a paid career in church activities; or to further yourself in any other manner.  You have come to Christ Jesus solely because He loved you, and drew you to Himself with everlasting cords of Divine love.  Hallelujah! 

“For the Son of man (Christ Jesus) is come to seek and to save that which was LOST.”  (Luke 19:10)

“The Lord hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love; therefore with loving-kindness have I drawn thee.”  (Jeremiah 31:3)

There is a derogatory accusation made here in Ulster, (Northern Ireland, UK) that some folk only become Christians in order to make a material gain; or gain a daily living by earning a paid wage.  Worldly people can often be heard saying, ‘Yeah, he or she is only good-living for a living!’ 

By ‘good-living’ they mean Christian.  Such folk are sadly still caught up in notions of religious legalism: defined as doing good works to achieve favour from God and a place in Heaven which is, of course, totally at variance with the true teachings of Holy Scriptures. (Isaiah 8:20)

“Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; which He (God the Father) shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; that being justified by His grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of Eternal life.”  (Titus 3:5-7)

Furthermore, even AFTER we sinners are saved by God’s free grace, we do not always do, say, think, ‘good’ things.  For we have an old carnal nature within us that only desires at all times to do sinful and disobedient things. 

That is why the Spirit of God inspired the apostle Paul to reveal the following fact: “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing; for to will is present with me (the intention to do good); but how to perform that which is good I find not.  For the good that I would (do) I do not; but the evil that I would not (do), that I do.”  (Romans 7:18-19) (Romans 3:10;22-23)

Therefore, we can clearly understand, both from Holy Scriptures and from our day to day experience as sincere Christians - that, being in a constant state of ‘good-living’ is an utter impossibility in the first place!

Natural born sinners will always sin naturally!  That’s a fact, live with it, Spiritually motivated Christian!  God’s grace is all-sufficient!

The crowd that sailed after Christ from Tiberias to Capernaum in boats, had no doubt heard about the miracle Jesus did in feeding over five thousand people with the contents of a boy’s lunch. They also knew that Jesus did not enter the boat with His disciples, but had, in some Supernatural manner, walked across the Sea of Galilee to get to the disciples boat after they had set sail from Tiberias without Him! (Vs. 22-24)

But, the Lord Jesus knew their hearts.  We cannot hide anything from God! 

Listen to what the Lord Jesus said to these people:  “Verily (truly), verily, I say unto you, Ye seek Me, not because ye saw the miracles (mentioned above), but because ye did eat of the loaves and were filled.”  (V. 26)

This crowd of people had come to Jesus for the wrong motives entirely!  They wanted the material food they could taste, touch, and see - but they did not possess true faith to believe and receive the Supernatural fact that Christ Jesus was their long awaited Messiah, come to redeem their precious souls.

This is the vital and Eternal difference between being a saved, Spiritually regenerated, Christian follower of Jesus, and merely seeking to be ‘good-living for a living’.  It is the difference between being Eternally secure in Christ, and being Eternally lost in ‘…the lake of fire and brimstone…tormented day and night forever and ever.’  (Revelation 20:10-15)

Christ’s penetrating words to the multitude is a stark warning to you and to me: “Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man (Christ Himself) shall give unto you; for Him hath God the Father sealed.”   (John 6:27)

Thought:  Are our motivations Spiritual or carnal in the church today?  Let us 'examine ourselves...whether we be in the faith...'! (2 Corinthians 13:5)