LABOR FOR THE MEAT

Sunday Morning - June 16, 1996

Text: John 6:26-29 "Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled. 27. Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed. 28. Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? 29. Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent."

GOD WORKED

Genesis 2:2-3 "And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. 3. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made."

MAN WORKED

Genesis 2:5 "And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for the LORD God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till [CULTIVATE] the ground."

Genesis 2:15 "And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress [CULTIVATE] it and to keep it."

CULTIVATE THE GROUND

Genesis 3:23 "Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till [CULTIVATE] the ground from whence he was taken."

SWEAT AND EMOTION

Genesis 3:19 "In the sweat of thy face [anger, longsuffering] shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return."

MAKE THEE KNOW

Deuteronomy 8:3 "And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live."

DILIGENT IN WORK

1 Thessalonians 4:11-12 "And that ye study [DILIGENT] to be quiet [HOLD YOUR PEACE], and to do your own business, and to work [LABOR] with your own hands, as we commanded you; 12. That ye may walk honestly toward them that are without, and that ye may have lack of nothing."

2 Thessalonians 3:10-13 "For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat. 11. For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies. 12. Now them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread. 13. But ye, brethren, be not weary in well doing."

THAT HE MAY HAVE TO GIVE

Ephesians 4:28 "Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth."

LABOR FOR THE FOOD

John 6:27 "Labour not for the meat [FOOD] which perisheth, but for that meat [FOOD] which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed."

Romans 14:17 "For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost."

Acts 13:48 "... as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed."

THE WORK OF GOD

John 6:29 "Jesus answered and said to them, "This is the work of God, that you believe [PRESENT ACTIVE] in Him whom He has sent.""

John 3:15-16 "that whoever believes [PRESENT ACTIVE] may in Him have eternal life. 16. "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes [PRESENT ACTIVE] in Him should not perish, but have eternal life."

John 3:36 ""He who believes [PRESENT ACTIVE] in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.""

John 5:24 ""Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes [PRESENT ACTIVE] Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life."

John 6:40 ""For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes [PRESENT ACTIVE] in Him, may have eternal life; and I Myself will raise him up on the last day.""

John 6:47 ""Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes [PRESENT ACTIVE] has eternal life."

1 John 5:13 "These things I have written to you who believe [PRESENT]in the name of the Son of God, in order that you may know that you have eternal life."

MEAT THAT ENDURETH

1 Timothy 6:11-12 "But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. 12. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses."

COMMUNICATE

1 Timothy 6:18-19 "That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate; 19. Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life."

HEAR AND FOLLOW

John 10:27-28 "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: 28. And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand."

THE WORK OF GOD

John 6:29 "Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe [PRESENT] on him whom he hath sent."

PATIENCE IN WELL DOING

Romans 2:6-7 "Who will render to every man according to his deeds [WORK]: 7. To them who by patient continuance in well doing [WORK] seek [PRESENT PTC] for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life:"

Romans 2:10 "But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh [PRESENT] good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile:"

1 Corinthians 15:58 "Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour [trouble, weariness] is not in vain in the Lord."

Revelation 14:13 "...Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours [TROUBLE, WEARINESS]; and their works do follow them."

ACCEPTED OF HIM

2 Corinthians 5:9-10 "Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted [WELLPLEASING] of him. 10. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad."

2 John 1:8 "Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought [LABOR], but that we receive a full reward."

Galatians 6:9 "And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not."