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We are often
driven by physical desires
Illustration
–
Two brothers had
discovered a new word to use when upset with each other. Their mother
was shopping with them when suddenly they became angry with each other.
"I hate you!" and "I hate you, too!" they yelled back and forth.
"That's not very
nice," their mother said. "I'm certainly not going to take two little
boys who hate each other to McDonald's for lunch."
Five-year-old Jamie
quickly backed down. "I don't really hate you, Billy."
But Billy, with the
clear logic of three years, responded, "I still hate you! I'm not
hungry."
Citation:
Joanne H. Hunter, Presque Island, ME.
Christian Reader,
"Lite Fare."
While
it is true that we have very real physical needs it is also the case
that we have very real spiritual needs. Where we go wrong is in trying
to satisfy and silence our spiritual hunger with physical food.
It is my conviction
that a very large part of mankind's ills and of the world's misery is
due to the rampant practice of trying to feed the soul with the body's
food.
Citation:
Frank Farrell in
Tabletalk
(June 1992).
Christianity Today,
Vol. 36, no. 11.
The biggest enemy of
the Church is the development and proliferation of programs to meet
people's needs. Everyone has a hunger for God, but our tastes (needs)
are screwed up. We've been raised on junk food, so what we ask for is
often wrong or twisted.
Citation:
Eugene Peterson in
The Door
(Nov./Dec. 1991).
Christianity Today,
Vol. 37, no. 8.
Each of us has
spiritual needs. We have a need to be satisfied with happiness and true
fulfilment in life; with meaning and purpose in life; with a sense of
well-being and security in life; with a sense of eternal hope. The
problem is that we fail to see those needs as being spiritual needs and
we consequently try to silence and satisfy them with the physical. This
is evidenced in our desire for success, or wealth, or physical
relationships, and so on. We must not mistake our spiritual hunger for
physical hunger – trying to satisfy our spiritual needs with physical
answers i.e. food, things, sex, hedonism. Every day you may well be
trying to find satisfaction in the wrong places and in the wrong ways.
What I want to do today is show you the source of real satisfaction and
fulfilment that is available to you on a daily basis.
How to get
that “full feeling”
You know when
you’ve just eaten a juicy steak with peas, chips and veg. and your tummy
is satisfied, well what I’m talking about today is how you get that full
feeling about life. How you get to know ‘yes, that’s what it’s all
about, that’s what I’m doing, that’s where I’m heading.
Background to
John 6
The search
for more free food – feeding of the 5000; search for Jesus and for
free food. Imagine the following conversation:
Guy walking
along the beach - “who are you looking for?”
“this guy who
says he’s the son of God and has come to give us life”
“oh”
(continues to stroll along)
“and yesterday,
get this, he miraculously gave us all free food”
“free food! –
hold up, I’ll help you look.”
The people were
frantically looking for him in their thousands – “what if he’s already
started giving out the free stuff and we’re missing it!”
Jesus’
disappointment – verses 26-27
When they get
there they’re thrilled to find Jesus. They also wanted him to know how
hard they’d been looking for him – they did a little creeping because it
often gets you stuff.
What was Jesus’
response? “They love me, they really love me!?” “You poor folk, I’ll
give you whatever you want?” – No, he was devastated. Jesus, the Son of
God was there, the Saviour of the world, the one who can really bring
life, and all they wanted off him was food!!
There’s nothing
wrong in wanting food, there’s nothing wrong in wanting a bargain, but
to be given the opportunity for life and instead to just want physical
things that are transitory is to be sadly misguided.
Jesus is saying
“You need me right now more than you need bread. Your belly is craving
food, but that’s not what you really need.”
The people
worked really hard to catch up with Jesus just to get some free food.
Instead, he talks to them about soul food.
Beat Moses if
you dare – verses 30-31
Some people come
up with all sorts of objections in order to avoid the issue of what life
is all about because they are so consumed with the physical
Jesus drives
home that he is THE bread of life.
A different
kind of bread – the bread of life
Jesus offers
something that is basic to their existence as human beings – bread
Bread was their
staple diet – they baked into it lentils etc because they couldn’t
afford meat.
People do not
live on bread alone – Luke 4:4
A relationship
with God satisfies our deepest needs
Eternal life is
more precious than temporal life. Eating bread just slows down the
inevitable.
Jesus’ claims
– I AM the bread of life, light of the world, resurrection etc. are
things that only God could claim.
Eat me
Jesus said “Eat
me”, not just have a taste and try other things too, or add to it – “I
am everything you need, you cannot add to me” – We need to take on Jesus
completely.
Instead of
wooing the crowds, because he zoomed in on the spiritual rather than the
physical, many left him. Is this true of many today? Are people too
concerned with their bodies, minds and hearts to the detriment of their
souls?
You need soul
food, the food of life.
Jesus – The
Bread of life – spiritual satisfaction
4 Characteristics of Life Bread
I want to tell
you 4 characteristics of this life bread that Jesus offers.
1)
It’s exclusive to Jesus. By
implication, Jesus is claiming that he is the only one through whom you
can get eternal life. The bread of life is supplied by God – it has to
come down from heaven. You can’t get it in Tescos or anywhere else on
this planet. You can’t get it by looking within yourself and realising
that you are a goddess. You can’t work your way to it through sacrifice
and effort. No person can give it to you – it has to come down from
heaven, from God himself. So many people have started religions by
pointing people towards a set of rules that have to be followed. Human
effort and human ideas doesn’t get you heaven’s food. Jesus essentially
tells us that life is in him. He doesn’t point elsewhere. In order to
get the bread of heaven it has to come from heaven – you can’t get
imitation soul food. You can try all sorts of things but you won’t find
life anywhere other than in Jesus.
Jesus is the
bread that came from heaven
You’ve all heard
the hymn “bread of heaven”. I don’t really think that rugby fans know
quite what they’re singing. When they’re booming out “bread of heaven,
bread of heaven, feed me till I want no more” the sentiment of what
they’re singing is really:
“Jesus Christ,
Jesus Christ, I want you to fill my life”. Somehow I don’t think that in
the forefront of their minds when they’re watching Wales. And the
annoying thing is Wales very rarely satisfies you by winning!
Reason for it being exclusive to
Jesus:
A) He’s God; he’s the one who created
you. B) He’s the one who fills the hole and satisfies the hungry soul –
fulfils a need which we all have
When you’re looking for satisfaction
and for life you need to realise what Peter realised “To whom else can
we go? You have the words of eternal life.”
2)
It’s worth buying –
Speaker Mike Benson
tells how one night, as his family was finishing dinner, his
eight-year-old daughter left six green beans on her plate. She normally
ate her veggies, and Mike did not usually allow this sort of thing to
bother him, but this night he was irked and said to her, "Eat your green
beans."
She replied, "Dad,
I'm full to the top."
"You won't pop," he
responded.
"Yes, I will pop!"
she said.
"Risk it!" he said.
"It will be okay."
"Dad, I could not
eat another bite."
Mike knew that night
they were having her favourite dessert, pumpkin pie squares. So he
asked, "How would you like a double helping of pumpkin pie squares with
two dollops of whipped cream on top?"
"That sounds great!"
she responded as she pushed her plate back, ready for dessert.
"How can you have
room for a double helping of pumpkin pie squares with two dollops of
whipped cream, and not have room for six measly green beans?"
She stood up tall
out of her chair and pointing to her belly said, "This is my vegetable
stomach. This is my meat stomach. They are both full. Here is my dessert
stomach. It is empty. I am ready for dessert!"
What we eat reveals what we hunger
for.Citation: Phillip Gunter, pastor of Crossroads Chapel, Round
Rock, Texas
We make sure we
find room for what we want and will do whatever we can to get it.
Isn’t what Jesus
has to offer worth finding room for no matter what it takes or means?
We should be
prepared to give up anything to get what Jesus has to give
Pearl of
great value. Matt 13:45-46
Jesus spoke of
getting into heaven by telling a story of a pearl merchant. This man
spent his every waking hour searching for pearls. He discovered one day
a pearl that took his breath away – one that he just knew he had to get.
It was something he saw as incredibly valuable to him so he sold
everything else he had in order to purchase it. It was more valuable to
him than anything else in his life. Jesus expects us to see him and the
life he gives in a similar light. Jesus is the only one who has left
everything for you, has died and suffered hell for you and is more
wonderful than you can imagine – don’t you want that kind of person as
your friend? Jesus is the only one who can truly give you life now and
life eternal – life after death – don’t you want that? What Jesus has to
offer is incredible. Whatever it is you feel you would lose by becoming
a Christian is just rubbish in comparison to what you gain. The bread of
heaven is worth it. You can get 70,000 rugby fans screaming for Wales to
satisfy them with a win, why on earth can’t you get even 10% of them to
feel the same way about things that really are important and really do
satisfy. Whatever it is your passionate about, get passionate about
knowing Jesus – he really is worth it
3)
It becomes part of our staple diet. How you
continue to feed your soul. When you become a Christian Jesus
changes your life and gives you a whole new outlook on life. Eternal
life is yours and you can’t lose it, but soul food still needs to be
eaten each day otherwise we will under nourish ourselves. We continue
then to feed and satisfy our souls on a daily basis, and for that God
has given us the bible. The bible is a book inspired by God for the
purpose of telling us everything we need to know for life. When you
become a Christian you meet the author, then you can read about him and
listen to him speaking to you.
a)
it’s powerful
b)
it tells us how
to live
c)
it answer’s our
questions
d)
it nourishes
Man shall not
live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of
God – the bible. To feed ourselves spiritually is to read, digest and
act on the word of God. The importance of the quiet time. Spirituality
doesn’t just happen to us, we can’t just complain that God isn’t real to
us if we don’t do anything to know God, we’ve got to want it. ‘I don’t
feel God, he doesn’t influence my life’ is that surprising? You are what
you eat. Do we realise how important spiritual food is? The importance
of it being regular. I would recommend it to anyone, you don’t have to
be a Christian to benefit but you won’t get the full benefit unless you
are.
You are what
you eat. Being filled with healthy food or trash. Not to do so will
leave you hungry, malnourished and unspiritual. You are what you eat!
Many of us are weak Christians because we don’t eat anything healthy
from one day to the next. Instead we take in the radio, our workmates
and TV again at night. So what do we fill ourselves with – on the
whole…But I don’t feel like a Christian, I don’t feel spiritual, I don’t
feel God close to me – it’s no wonder because you’ve chosen trash
instead. You won’t be satisfied and you won’t know the life of God
working in you.
Tyndale House
Publishers found evidence that reading the Bible promotes a positive
outlook. According to a study they commissioned with the Barna Research
Group:
Eighty-two percent
of regular Bible readers described themselves as "at peace" compared to
58 percent of those who said they never read the Bible.
Seventy-eight
percent of regular Bible readers said they felt "happy" all or most of
the time compared to 67 percent of nonreaders.
Sixty-eight percent
of regular Bible readers said they were "full of joy" compared to 44
percent who said they never read the Bible
– there can be
no cop out for not spending time reading the word of God.
What does it say
to God when we choose 2 hours of TV a night and we read his word for an
average of 2 minutes per day.
One half hour
program would lead to us reading the whole bible in one year! Be
regular, use a good bible, follow some notes, start with the NT, expect
God to speak to you, believe that he will and work hard at understanding
and acting on it – you’ll feel so much better for it. A healthy diet of
bible reading and prayer will make you feel so much better.
Reading Tips
1)
Begin in the
New Testament – God works with us in the same way and the culture is
less dissimilar
2)
Pray for God to
speak and help you understand
3)
Ask - What does
it say? What does it teach (about God, me or life)?
4)
Apply - What
should I do now?
5)
Pray for God’s
help
If you’re not a
Christian you can know some of the benefit of God’s word and know
something of him speaking to you, but you will never know real life and
fellowship with God until you receive Christ as your Saviour. It’s like
feeding a dying man – it only provides momentary relief. The life he
gives is eternal life. Without Christ there is no real life here and no
life for the rest of eternity. You won’t know God satisfying you inside
until you accept Christ into your life.
4)
It’s free - received by faith – free,
but it’s all or nothing. Has no sell by date
How do you receive Jesus, the
bread of life then?
How do you eat normal food?
a) You get hungry
b) You cook or prepare what you
believe will do you good and not harm – nuts are no good for me
c) You eat and are satisfied
It’s the same with Jesus Christ
a)
You are
spiritually hungry, you need God for life now and in eternity
b)
You need to
decide whether or not Jesus will be good for you. What harm can it do
you? Perhaps God has been speaking to you and whetting your appetite.
c)
Go for it;
taste; enjoy and experience everything that Jesus Christ is.
Take and eat, this is my body broken
for you. How do you know unless you’ve tried it? The proof of the
pudding is in it’s eating. “Taste and see that the Lord is good.” Psalm
34:8
Eat the whole of
Christ – not just a side order, not even the main course, you accept him
totally as your salvation and life. You trust yourself completely to
him. You resolve to accept Christ alone for your salvation and resolve
to live for him in life now. Anything less just isn’t good enough, and
it doesn’t work. You either have life that he gives by accepting him or
you decide that you don’t want any of Jesus and you are not able to have
eternal life because you need all of Jesus for that.
Try it and you will see that nothing
compares to Jesus
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