It's John 6, 22 to 35 verse. I'm going to have it entitled, The Bread of Life, The Right Answers to the Wrong Questions. Well, as long as I read. Here's what it says. The next day the crowds stood on the other side of the sea and saw that there was no other small boat there except one, and that Jesus had not entered with his disciples into the boat, but that his disciples had gone away alone. There came other small boats from Tiberias near the place where they ate the bread after the Lord had given thanks. So when the crowd saw that Jesus was not there, nor his disciples, they themselves got into the small boats and came to Capernaum seeking Jesus. When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, Rabbi, when did you get here? Jesus answered and said to them, Truly, truly, I say to you, you seek me not because you saw the signs, but because you ate the loaves and you 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 God the Father has set his seal. Therefore they said to him, What shall we do that we might do the works of God? Jesus answered and said to them, This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he sent. So they said to him, Well, what do you do for a sign so that we may see it and believe you? What work do you perform? Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness. As it is written, he gave them bread out of heaven to eat. Jesus said to them, truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who has given you the bread out of heaven, but my father who gives you the true bread out of heaven. For the bread of God, is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world. They said to him, Lord, always give us this bread. Jesus said to them, I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will not hunger, and he who believes in me will never thirst. You know, one of the classes that you're required to take for an education degree when I was at St. Cloud State was in teaching methodologies, which has to do with how you go about teaching. For instance, should the teacher be a sage on a stage? or should he be a guide on the side? In other words, should the focus be on the teacher and what he or she is saying, or on the students and what they're doing? You know, those who have been in my Sunday school class know that I often break the groups up into smaller groups of three and four. Why do I do that? Well, it's to force everyone to be involved in the discussion so that you can't just sit there and zone out. Discussion questions are designed to stimulate thoughts so that learning is more inductive than deductive. Well, there's a number of teaching methods employed by educators, but one of the oldest and best known is the Socratic method. Now, named after the Greek philosopher Socrates, in using it, the teacher enters into a dialogue with his students, asking questions, posing scenarios, and examining assumptions, and thinking through the implications of the idea of the proposal. Basically, the goal is to get people to really think about the idea. So let's take an idea. How about rent control? In many cities in America, the cost of renting has gone up dramatically. Sometimes people living in apartments or condos have to move out because it gets too high. Zoran Munday, the Muslim socialist who's likely to be the next mayor in New York City, wants to impose rent controls. So the government, not the landlord, will decide how much he can charge in renting out his apartment. Sounds like social justice. I mean, why should greedy landlords get their money by squeezing the poor tenants that they have? Now, that sounds great until you start thinking about it. So let's employ our Socratic method and ask a few questions. Here's the first one. What assumptions are you making about this policy proposal? Well, first, that it's the government's responsibility to intervene and to make it easier for renters. But says who? I mean, at a baseball game, a little league game, should the umpire be for the pitcher or the batter? Well, neither. You're not supposed to be involved in that decision at all. Here's another one. You're assuming the government has the right to decide what a fair monthly rate would be. I mean, since both the landlord and the renter voluntarily entered into the lease, why should the government officials stick their nose in it? I mean, in a free market system, both sides have to be free to make choices without interference from outside sources. There's a third one. Those who propose rent controls also assume that the landlord's just going to eat the loss. Okay, say the market value of an apartment is $2,000 per month and the government passes a law that says you can only charge $1,500 a month. What happens when the air conditioner goes out on that apartment and it'll cost the landlord $800 to repair it or replace it? Will he? Will he ever make improvements in the place? No, because he can't recoup his investment. My son Jason owns a rental property. He bought it before they passed a rent control in the city where it is, and now he's looking to unload it. He doesn't need the headache, and the return is not going to be worth holding it. Now, who benefits from a rent control? Well, short-term, the renter gains. Their monthly payments are kept artificially low, but long-term, he'll still lose because the upkeep of the building will be neglected, and it'll start to deteriorate. Other renters also lose out. They might be willing to pay a higher price to rent an apartment, but it's never going to become available because the person's not going to give it up because it's being artificially held low. Now, how many new apartment buildings do you think will be constructed in the city from this point on? Hardly any. I mean, would you invest millions of dollars into a new apartment complex when you know that you're going to get a poor return for your investment? According to the Minnesota Reformer website, in an article about rent control in the Twin Cities, quote, since the council first implemented the ordinance in 2022, construction has dropped off the cliff in the city. In 2024, 80% few housing units were built. and St. Paul compared to the previous three year average. In Minneapolis, the voters approved this, but it hasn't been put into place yet. But even facing that possibility, Minneapolis has seen even a greater drop off of new construction of housing units. So a policy that was designed to help people ends up hurting the renters by decreasing dramatically the number of apartment units available. The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry. This is another example of what the economists call unintended consequences. St. Paul is now rolling back that same rent control policy. Now you're thinking, is this whole sermon going to be about rent control? No, I'm just using that as an illustration of the value of getting people to think through the implications and long-term effects of their ideas by asking tough, Thought-provoking questions. Now, often when Jesus was asked a question, he would answer by asking his questioner a question. Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not? Show me Denarius. Whose picture and inscription is on this? Outraged that Jesus had cleansed the temple, they asked him, by what authority do you do these things, and who gave you this authority? He said, I'll ask you one question, and if you answer that, I'll ask you your question. John, was his baptism from heaven? Or from men? Well, they didn't like that question. Well, here in this passage, where Jesus begins his discourse on the bread of life, we find a question and answer session going on. But it's actually the people, the crowd, who are asking the questions. But they're asking the wrong questions, and yet Jesus gives the right answers, even to the wrong questions. Because we want to make sure we're asking and answering the right questions, we want to turn to this portion of God's Word this morning. So let's pray and get into the text. Father God, I pray for grace and mercy. Help us to understand this and then apply it to our lives. Bless us now, we ask in Jesus' name. Amen. Now I found this passage to be difficult to outline, so I think the best way to do it is simply to look at the questions that they asked Jesus and the answers that he gave. And so the first question that they asked him was simply this. When did you get here? That's found at the end of the section 22 to 27. Now the question comes up, starting in verse 22 to get the background, it says this, The next day the crowds that stood on the other side of the sea saw that there was no small boat there except one, and that Jesus had not entered with his disciples into the boat, but that the disciples had gone away alone. So this was weird. I mean, there was only one boat on the shore, But it wasn't the one that the crowd saw the disciples depart in, and they knew that Jesus wasn't with them when he departed, so he must be around us here somewhere. They looked for him, evidently, and they couldn't find him. So they assume that Jesus must have rejoined the disciples, but how did he get there? I mean, if he didn't take one of the boats, and there was only one there, and he wasn't in with them, well, did he walk around the lake? That's 10 miles, and some of it was marsh area. We read in verse 23, Now I want you to see something. Even this first question is wrong. What they should have asked was, hey, how did you get here? Yeah, Jesus got there by walking. but walking over the surface of the lake. Now, if they would have asked him the right question and he gave them the answer, what do you think they would have said? And notice, by the way, that they call him rabbi, just a mere teacher. Well, rather than answer their question, Jesus confronts the crowd with a sad reality. Look what it says in verse 26. Jesus answered and said to them, truly, truly, I say to you, you seek me not because you saw the signs, but because you ate the loaves and yours filled. On the second chapter of this gospel, we read this. Now, when he, meaning Jesus, was in Jerusalem at the Passover during the feast, many believed in his name, observing the signs that he was doing. But Jesus, on his part, was not entrusting himself to them. For he knew all men, and because he didn't need anyone to testify concerning man, for he himself knew what was in man. So the miraculous signs which Jesus performed were powerful witnesses of his claim to be the Son of God. And while it did garner their attention, it didn't automatically result in genuine saving faith on the part of those who witnessed his miracles. I mean, at the beginning of this chapter, we're told that the crowds came out to see Jesus because they saw the signs which he was performing on those who were sick. But here Jesus says that they were coming to him not even because they saw the signs that he had performed the day before, but simply because they were looking for a free meal. I watched a video where a young pretty college girl was talking about how she goes on four dates each week with a different guy each night. So why did she do that? Is it because she's serious about these guys? Is she looking for a husband? No, it's because she said it cuts down on her grocery bills. I mean, as a pastor, I get phone calls from time to time where people are asking for money from the church. I have to tell you, I always struggle with those. On the one hand, I like the idea of helping people who are really facing difficult times, and on the other hand, there's a lot of people who are just simply scammers. One young lady called me looking for help. She mentioned that she and her husband or boyfriend or whatever it was, they had their pump go out. And so they couldn't even take showers. And so I invited them to our house for supper that night. I said, look, you can come to my house and stay for the Bible study. You can take a shower here. Bible study? No, we're not interested in learning about God. We just want some money. In China, the missionaries had a term for people like that. They were called rice Christians. Those who came to church not because they were interested in Jesus, but because they simply wanted a free meal. Jesus was telling these would-be followers that they were really rice Christians. He goes on to challenge them. Look what it says in verse 27. Jesus is not saying that we should all quit our jobs and go on welfare so that we have time to serve. Indeed, Paul rebukes some of the Christians in the church in Thessalonica for this attitude. He says this, then don't let them eat either. For we hear about some among you who are leading undisciplined lives, doing no work at all, but acting like busybodies. Now such people we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to work in a quiet fashion and eat your own bread. But as for you, brethren, do not grow weary of doing good." So there's no loaf for the loafers. The idea of people being perpetually on welfare is sinful. We have to work to eat. because we have to eat to live, but we cannot make working and eating the end purpose of our life. What is the goal and the purpose of our lives? Jesus told his followers that God will provide for your needs. He said, so do not worry. saying, what shall we eat, and what will we drink, or with what will we clothe ourselves? For the Gentiles run after all these things, and your Heavenly Father knows that you need Him, but seek first the kingdom of God and all its righteousness, and then all these things will be added unto you. Matthew 6, 31 to 33. So I want you to think about the priorities in your own life. How much of your time, and your attention, and your energy is wrapped up just with the concerns of this world? How much of it is focused on spiritual realities? Colossians 3, 1-3 says this, Talking about suffering and hardships that we have to go through in life, Paul reminded us that momentary light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison. Listen to what he says, While we are looking not at the things which are seen, but the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal. The other day, I was driving home from my son's house in Plymouth, Minnesota. And for some reason, I decided to swing by the house I grew up in as a kid in Brooklyn Park. I spent the first 13 years of my life there. It was strange driving through the neighborhood, passing by houses and remembering as a kid the families that lived in it. I'm sure all of them are gone. I stopped at the street in front of the house where we lived. And I looked in the trees in the yard that my dad had planted 50 years earlier. and they're a whole lot bigger now. I thought, 50 years ago already? Where did the time go? How much time do I have left? How should I best use that time to serve God? One life will soon be passed. Only what's done for Christ will last. And some glad morning when this life is over, I'll fly away. To that home on God's celestial store, I'll fly away. I'll fly away, oh glory, I'll fly away. When I die, hallelujah, bye and bye, I'll fly away. Just a few more weary days and then I'll fly away. To a land where joy will never end, I'll fly away. Paul told Timothy to instruct those who are rich in this present age, and that would include all of us in America, Not to be conceited or fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy. Instruct them to do good and be rich in works, to be generous and ready to share, storing up for themselves a treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is life. Indeed, 1 Timothy 6, 17-19. Focusing on this world as the end all of your life is going to rob you of real joy and satisfaction that comes for living. for Christ. Ken Hughes, in his commentary, relates the story of Robin Mogum, who gave his, talked about his last interview or visit he had with his uncle, William Somerset Mogum. Now, he was one of the most wealthy and famous novelists and playwrights in the mid to early and mid 1900s. Just one of his books, entitled On Human Bondage, earned him over a million dollars. Magom knew something about that subject because he was a closet homosexual. Well, in 1965, long after he retired, Somerset Maugham was 91 years old. He was fabulously wealthy. He was living on the coast of the Mediterranean. He had royalties that continued to pour in, despite the fact that he hadn't written a word in years. And at one point, his nephew, Robin, came to see him. And in his account of that visit, here's what he wrote. He said this, I looked around at the drawing room, at the immensely valuable furniture and pictures and objects that Willie's success had enabled him to acquire. I remembered the villa itself and the wonderful garden. I could see through the windows, a fabulous setting on the edge of the Mediterranean. The following afternoon, I found Willie reclining on a sofa, peering through his spectacles at a Bible, which had very large print. He looked horribly wizened and his face was grim. I've been reading that Bible you gave me. And I come across a quotation. What shall it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul? I must tell you, my dear Robin, that text used to hang opposite my bed when I was a child. Of course, it's all a bunch of bunk, but the thought is quite interesting, just the same. That evening in the drawing room, after dinner, Willie flung himself down on the sofa. Oh, Robin, I'm so tired. He gave a gulp and buried his head in his hands. He said, I've been a failure the whole way through my life. He said, I've made a mistake after mistake. I've made a hash of everything. I tried to comfort him. I said, you're the most famous writer in the world. Surely that must mean something. He said, I wish I'd never wrote a single word. It's brought me nothing but misery. Everyone who's got to know me has, in the end, ended up hating me. My whole life is a failure, and now it's too late to change. It's too late. He says, Willie looked up, and his grip tightened on my hand. He was staring towards the floor. His face was contorted with fear, and he was trembling violently. Willie's face was ashen, and he stared in horror ahead of him. Suddenly, he began to shriek, go away, I'm not ready, I'm not dead yet, I'm not dead, I tell you. His high-pitched, terror-struck voice seemed to echo from wall to wall. I looked around the room, but it was empty. I said, there's no one here, Willie. Willie began to gasp hysterically. He died a short time afterwards. What it does, it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his own soul. Now I want to tell you something. Most people sell their souls for an awful lot less than William Somerset Maugham did. Do not work for the bread which perishes, but work for the food which endures through eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you, for on Him God the Father has set a seal. Now hearing Jesus speak about works, the crowds asked him a second question. What shall we do that we may work the works of God? Well, what's wrong with this question? Unlike many people who never give any thought to God, these people at least knew they should be busy doing something for God. But here's the problem. Where was their focus? It was on themselves and what they could do to earn God's favor. You know, there's hundreds of religions in the world, but when you boil them all down, there's only two different approaches of God. One is the approach we see in Cain, and the other is the approach we see in Abel. Remember the two sons came and says, so it came about in the course of time that Cain brought an offering to the Lord. the fruit of the ground. Abel also, on his part, brought the firstborn of his flocks and their fat portion. And the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering, but Cain and his offering he had no regard for. So Cain became very angry and his countenance fell." You know, I read one Puritan writer who said, you know, Abel brought the choicest of his flock. Cain probably found something lying in the ditch and picked it up and brought it to the Lord that day. I don't think that's true. I am certain that he brought the very best produce that he had. And he was probably thinking at the time, you know, God cursed this ground, but by my clearing the land and hoeing and planting, I brought forth something that he should be proud of me for. On the other hand, Abel thought to himself, you know, when mom and dad sinned, God provided a sacrifice. It was a blood sacrifice that covered their nakedness, their sin, and their shame. I think that's what God intends for us to bring. Of course, all those sacrifices in the Old Testament pointed forward to Jesus. The day when John the Baptist would say, Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. So these people wanted to know what they could do to merit God's approval. Jesus answered and said to them, This is the work of God that you believe in Him who is sent. So their whole approach was wrong. Their question was amiss. Your trust cannot be in yourself, in what you do, but rather in what God has done. He sent His Son into the world to live a perfectly righteous life of obedience to the law of Moses, and then He offered up that life as a sacrifice for sins for all who would trust Him. When He was hanging on the cross, God imputed all of our guilt to Him and punished Him in our place. And then three days later, He raised Him from the dead to show that sacrifice was acceptable to God and that death had been conquered. And when we stop trying to earn salvation by our efforts and instead trust God and the gift that He gives, then and then alone have we done the work of God. As Paul says in Romans 4, 4-8, Now to him who works, his wage is not credited as favor, but as what it's due. If you work at a job and you get a paycheck every two weeks, what they give you, you don't thank them for because you've earned it. but to the one who does not work, meaning works to earn salvation, but believes in the God who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness. Just as David also speaks of the blessings of the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from the works. Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven and whose sins have been covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never take into account. The right answer to the wrong question as to what work they should do is to believe in the one who is sent. As it says in Ephesians 2, 8 to 9, for by grace you've been saved through faith and that, not of yourself, it's the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one will boast. That brings us to our third question, third and fourth put together. It says, what then do you do as a sign so that we may see and believe you? What work shall you perform? Hold it. Hadn't they just seen a miracle the day before? Indeed we're told that they were initially drawn because of all the people that he had healed. Why are they asking for another sign? Do you remember when Jesus later was confronted by the religious leaders demanding a sign of him? He said an evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign and yet no sign will be given except for the sign of Jodah. and he left and went away from him. The sign of Jonah that Jesus is speaking about here is his own resurrection. For just as Jonah was in the belly of the great fish for three days, so the Son of Man would be in the grave for three days before resurrected. Now, do you think these people, if Jesus had performed another miracle, would have then believed? Do you remember when they brought Jesus before Herod for examination? We're told that Herod was eager to meet Jesus because he was hoping to see some kind of miracle from Him. Like a rich man smoking a cigar sitting in a Vegas casino lounge, Herod was hoping to see a magic show performed by Jesus. But Jesus neither performed a miracle for him or even talked to him. Well, they couldn't think of a miracle to perform. They had a suggestion for Jesus. They said, our fathers ate manna in the wilderness. As it's written, he gave them bread out of heaven to eat. So, hey, Jesus, Moses fed our fathers manna, free bread, for 40 years. You gave us fish and barley for just a day. I mean, why don't you outperform Moses by feeding us bread for the rest of our lives? Now, Jesus corrects their misunderstanding by setting out the historical record and putting it straight. He said this in verse 32, Jesus said to them, truly, truly, it was not Moses who has given, past tense, you the bread out of heaven, but it was my Father who gives you, present tense, 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. Now, if they had known this long, they could have broke out in the words, bread of heaven, bread of heaven, feed me till I want no more. You remember the woman at the well? Jesus offered her living water. She said, well, give me some of this living water so I don't have to come down to this well anymore. So also these would-be followers were saying, look, if you give us this bread every day, we don't have to worry about earning our keep. But then Jesus made this stunning statement. He said, I'm the bread of life. He who comes to me will not hunger, and he who believes in me will never thirst. Bruce Springsteen has a song where he sings, got a wife and kids in Baltimore, Jack. Went out for a ride. And I never went back. Like a river that don't know where it's flown, I took a wrong turn. I just kept going. Everybody's got a hungry heart. Everybody's got a hungry heart. Lay down your money and play your part. Everybody's got a hungry, hungry heart. It is true. People are always hungry after something. But that heart hunger and that soul's thirst can't be satisfied by the things of this world and sin, but only by God. So it says in Isaiah chapter 55, 1-3, where God invites guilty sinners like you and me, saying this, Oh, everyone with thirst, come to the waters. And you who have no money, come and buy and eat. Come and buy milk and wine without money and without cost. Why do you spend your money for what is not bread and your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to me and eat what is good and delight yourself in abundance. Incline your ear and come to me. Listen to me that you might live and I will make an everlasting covenant with you according to the faithful mercies shown to David." That's God's invitation through Jesus Christ to you. But have you accepted that invitation? Have you come to feed your soul and quench your thirst in Jesus? Have you partaken of the bread of heaven, which is Jesus Christ, the Son of God? Now, if I had time, I could go through a series of Socratic questions designed to get you to think through the implications and the results of what this would mean for you if you accept this invitation. On the other hand, we could also go through the terrible expectations and all the horrid things that are going to result if you don't. So the only questions I have to finish up is this. Have you accepted this invitation? And if not, why not? Because someday that invitation is going to be withdrawn. And it'll be too late. So make sure that it won't be too late for you. Let's pray. Father God, if you pray for grace and mercy, help us. This is not new for anyone hearing today, but it's going to be new for some who hear on the radio and over the internet. The Lord, there's people here today who know these things are true in their head, but they don't believe them in their heart. I pray that you'd open up their hearts so that they respond, so that they could partake of the bread of life. Bless us that end, for we ask in Jesus' name. Amen. All right.