John 6:26-29 | "What Should We Work for in Life?"

John 6:26-29 | "What Should We Work for in Life?"
Pastor Will Stern

What are you working for in life? We spend our time, energy, and resources pursuing many things—health, wealth, achievement, pleasure, and success. But Jesus warns us that these things ultimately perish. In John 6:26–29, Jesus calls us to stop living for what cannot last and instead to work for the food that endures to eternal life. That food is ultimately found in Christ Himself, and we receive it by faith. How should faith then reshape the way we spend our lives? 

Outline

I. What We Shouldn’t Work For: Food That Perishes — vv. 26–27a

  • The crowd was looking for Jesus.

  • They were looking for Him for the wrong reason.

  • Jesus warns us not to make perishable things the primary goal of our lives.

  • How can we tell if we're living for what perishes?

II. What We Should Work For: Food That Endures to Eternal Life — vv. 27b–29

  • Jesus is the giver of the food that endures.

  • Jesus Himself is the Bread of Life.

  • We receive this gift through faith.

  • Faith becomes the foundation for a life devoted to what endures:

    • God's Word

    • Prayer

    • People

Conclusion: Look to Jesus

  • Repent of living for what perishes.

  • Trust in Jesus Christ.

  • Live for what endures to eternal life.

Study Questions

  1. Why was the crowd seeking Jesus in John 6:26?

  2. What does Jesus mean by “food that perishes”?

  3. What are some good things that can become wrong priorities when we begin living for them?

  4. What are some things in your own life that are easy to make more important than they should be?

  5. What does your use of time, money, and worry reveal about your priorities?

  6. How does the parable of the rich fool in Luke 12:13–21 illustrate Jesus' warning?

  7. What is the “food that endures to eternal life”?

  8. Why is it significant that Jesus says this food is something He gives?

  9. What does Jesus mean when He says, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent” (John 6:29)?

  10. How does faith differ from trying to earn salvation through our works?

  11. How should faith change the way we prioritize God's Word, prayer, and other people?

  12. What is one perishable thing you are tempted to live for? What would it look like this week to look to Jesus and work for what endures?