Eat Right to Stay Healthy
Words & Works of Jesus • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Healthy Dieting
Healthy Dieting
Every year I always have to go on a diet. I don’t eat all that poorly, Sara is my personal chef and it’s mostly all good. But, I don’t confine myself just to the food she serves me.
I love my chocolate, salty chips, ice cream all a little too much. And on vacay I don’t hold back.
Over the course of the year I always gain weight. So, every January I diet. I’ve settled on one I like now. And we’ve tried several. None of the others worked so well.
We’ve done The Zone, Atkins, low-carb diets. A long time ago, we tried the cabbage soup diet. Yuck!
We haven’t tried the Mediterranean, but Sara sticks pretty closely during the year to this.
We tried the Daniel fast. Do you know the Daniel fast? It’s based on a passage in the OT book of Daniel, where he and his friends were kidnapped and forced into slave-labor by the Persians.
This is not the diet I use, but Sara encourages this more year-round.
The Persian king wanted all of his servants to eat well. So, he offered them all the rich, calorie laden food of the kingdom. Daniel and his friends respectfully declined. And they asked for a diet of fresh fruits, vegetables, and nuts. That was it. Daniel’s challenge was, after 2 weeks examine all your servants to see who is healthier.
Hands down, Daniel and his buddies were the healthiest servants in the palace. Least fat, most energy, sharpest thinkers.
It’s b/c you get everything you need, nothing you don’t in a diet like this. Natural sugars, nothing refined or processed. Plenty of natural calcium for bones. Proteins in the nuts. And fiber in the veggies.
Still there are plenty of calories. But your body uses them. They are efficient calories, absorbed by the body, used by the muscles and bones for strength and energy and brain-power. Nothing is stored as fat.
There is very little waste.
This reminds me of one of the lessons I learned from watching Big Bang Theory. More science than I ever got in school. The physics was way over my head.
But I learned some philosophy. In quantum mechanics, a theorist named Schrodinger, posed a quantum superposition as a paradox. A hypothetical cat, in an experiment, is considered both alive and dead at the same time. How?
Put this hypothetical but alive cat in a box. Seal the box. No oxygen, water, or food. No windows. You can’t see the cat or observe its condition. Theoretically, it is considered both alive and dead at the same time. It might be alive. But death is certain.
Paradoxes like this are considered the application of quantum physics.
Say your parents are millionaires. You are set to inherit millions upon their death. It’s in their will. They pass away. While the will remains in legal limbo, you are considered both dirt poor and a millionaire at the same time. Currently, you bank account is in the red. But, millions are a certainty, just not yet.
This is another application of quantum physics. Anytime 2 opposites can both be true.
I learned other science terms. Like, coitis. Married couples need to have a healthy intimate life.
I learned what it means to void one’s bladder. We called this lots of different things. But I had never heard the term void, before.
Like in the Daniel fast, there is very little waste to be voided.
What in the world am I talking about?
Jesus, uses the natural, physical process of digestion, to teach an important lesson about faith and what it takes to be saved.
I have got to be the only preacher in history to tie the OT book of Daniel, Big Bang theory, quantum physics, natural bodily functions, and salvation together in one illustration.
When you come to faith in Jesus, when you believe in His name and are saved, He comes into every area of your body and life, He gets used for wisdom like brain-power, energy and strength, health for you bones and muscles, and none of him is voided as waste.
He is in all of you and you are in all of Him.
Nothing does all of this except faith. And once you have faith, nothing can take this away.
When we come to faith, Jesus becomes part of all of us and we become part of Him. That’s what saves us. New life begins when Jesus comes in.
We cannot allow the comfort and pleasure of this life which is temporary, to blind us to the comfort and pleasure of the next b/c that lasts forever.
Today we are in a long passage in John 6. Jesus teaches important theological truth here. Jesus is the bread of life. And when we eat this bread, Jesus changes everything about our life from the inside out. And the changes last forever.
Too often ppl get hung up and blinded by the literal and miss what’s possible in the spiritual. That happened here.
The ppl who’d just been fed on the hillside were hung up and blinded by what Jesus could do for them in this life and missed what He came to do the get them to the next.
Here’s the story. It’s a long passage. I’m not spending much time on each verse, but a little time on most of them to make sure we all get the point of faith.
Hung Up & Blind
Hung Up & Blind
The next day the crowd that had stayed on the opposite shore of the lake realized that only one boat had been there, and that Jesus had not entered it with his disciples, but that they had gone away alone. Then some boats from Tiberias landed near the place where the people had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks. Once the crowd realized that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into the boats and went to Capernaum in search of Jesus.
When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, “Rabbi, when did you get here?”
Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw the signs I performed but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.”
Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?”
Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”
So they asked him, “What sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do? Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’”
Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”
“Sir,” they said, “always give us this bread.”
Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe. All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.”
Jesus had just fed the 15K on the hillside. He had sent the disciples ahead in a boat to another location. He stayed behind to disperse the crowd. Then, Jesus walked on the water and caught up w/ them.
You know the story. Peter asked Jesus to command him out so he could walk on the water, too.
I talked about that last week.
But, what of the crowd? They remember Jesus being there when the sun set and they went to sleep. By morning, he was gone. They quickly deduced Jesus had left to follow the disciples in the boat. They guessed correctly that He probably went to his home town of Capernaum. And, they found him there.
The bible says seek and you’ll find Him. Well, they did.
He had just filled their bellies w/, met a felt need w/ bread and fish they hadn’t had to pay for. Who needs a job and should go to work long hours if there’s a source of free food?!
So, they put a lot of effort into finding Jesus. But it wasn’t b/c they had faith in Him, it’s b/c it was breakfast time and they were hungry again. Where’s the free food?
They missed the point of the miracle they had just experienced. They were blinded by their desire for comfort and pleasure in this life. But, this life is going to end.
They wanted free bread. Food w/out having to work for it. Human nature, if you give us free stuff it is demotivating.
They valued the physical and material over the spiritual. Their highest goal at this moment was to feel better, less hungry, all the time.
Jesus recognized what was on their heart. He warned them not to place too high of a priority on food that spoils. Treasures that moths and rust eat away.
He told them, they are perfectly capable of buying good food to eat. He implied, they are perfectly capable of finding good medical care to treat their illnesses and injuries.
Jesus did miraculous things in these areas to prove to them He could do so much more. He limited what He did here for them in this life b/c He wanted them to focus their priorities and attention on the next life.
There are many sources of good food. But there is only one source of eternal life.
So, now they are beginning to track w/ Him and interact on this. Got it, we shouldn’t be so concerned w/ free food and full bellies.
How do we earn what you’re saying God is offering? What work must we do to get it?
They were Jewish and used to the rites, rituals, and rules. They were afraid if they did not do what the law said they had to do then they would not get what God said they could get.
This sort of works based religion was baked into the cake of their lifestyle.
So, it was a natural transition for them to make. What does God want us to do now? Is there a new set of rules. New festivals and sacrifices we need to make?
James, Jesus’ half-brother, wrote about this in the book that’s in your NT. He said, You bel you’re saved b/c you work. I work b/c I’m saved. Doing good things won’t get you to heaven. But, b/c you’re going to heaven, and you bel the reason why is b/c of the sac Jesus made for you, they you make sacs for others hoping they get the same message.
Putting these OCC boxes together doesn’t save anyone. It feels good. It’s real good ministry. But, we do it b/c of the sac Jesus made for us. So, we are willing to sac the time and money to send Xmas presents to kids around the world who wouldn’t otherwise have Xmas.
Opening these boxes doesn’t save any child. But, believing in who they represent will. It’s a free gift, born of the grace of the ppl of this church, those children did nothing to earn these gifts. If they understand what the gift represents and believe in Him, then they will be saved.
But, if they believe in the ppl sending the gifts and can’t wait till next Xmas to get their next one b/c it makes them feel good, then that’s all it will do for them. It will make them feel good for a while.
Till the soccer ball pops and the jump rope wears out.
Jesus told these Jews not to try to work their way to heaven, but just believe in Him b/c he is from God. He is God’s son.
Faith in Who Jesus says He is and what He says he can do. We’re in a section now where faith is a main theme.
But, they’re in Capernaum. They know Mary. They remember Joseph, though probably deceased by then. They saw Jesus grow up. He was born in Bethlehem and grew up in Capernaum. When had he been in Heaven. He wasn’t God’s son, He was Joseph and Mary’s boy.
So, prove it. Prove you’re the Messiah and from God. Show us a sign.
Remember, just the day before he had taken one kid’s Happy Meal of a Filet-O-Fish and fries and fed the entire crowd of 15K ppl. Show us another sign.
They had seen enough. They could make their decision based on the education and experience they already had. They didn’t need any more.
Moses was a major player from their past. He was highly regarded b/c he led their ancestors out of Egypt and gave them the law.
Well, God did all that but they focused on Moses.
Moses gave them Manna from heaven. Jesus just gave them barley loaves. Anyone can make a barley loaf of bread. But, only Moses could make it rain manna every morning.
Jesus pointed out to them who was actually behind both. The manna and the barley bread were both from God. Both were miracles. Both met important physical needs and filled their bellies.
And they are alike in that, if all you ate was either, then you were still going to die, leave this life and not get to the next. So, don’t get hung up on health and wealth, comfort and fulfillment in this life, or you won’t see the next.
Jesus did not come to bring heaven to earth. He came to get us to heaven. And it’s in heaven where we will never be hungry or thirsty again. Jesus brought into the discussion what He told the Samaritan woman at the well about Living Water.
Jesus had been telling everyone this for 2 years and they continue to reject him. But if they would accept Him, accept Him as the Bread of Life, have faith that by believing in Him they would see heaven.
And, He assured them. Once they came to faith He would not lose them. If your faith is genuine, it will not come and go. God will protect those who have faith and Jesus will make sure the end of their life here will simply be a transition to their life there.
All anyone has to do is believe in Jesus. But you must believe in Jesus to see the next life.
For some of us, this is easy elementary truth. But for those blinded b/c their highest priority is their health and wealth, comfort and satisfaction in this life, they just can’t get there.
That describes this group. They kept pressing and pushing back on Jesus to prove all this. As if they hadn’t already seen enough.
The truth is, in their current state and attitude, nothing would have been enough. But they tried.
A Snap Shot
A Snap Shot
At this the Jews there began to grumble about him because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” They said, “Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, ‘I came down from heaven’?”
“Stop grumbling among yourselves,” Jesus answered. “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day. It is written in the Prophets: ‘They will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard the Father and learned from him comes to me. No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God; only he has seen the Father. Very truly I tell you, the one who believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died. But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which anyone may eat and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”
They didn’t believe He was from heaven. But, he said he is. And, he said since He’d seen God, He could reveal Him to them.
We get hung up on snap shots. We are quick to judge ppl or a situ based on one moment in time. We write ppl off if it’s a bad picture. Or, we are too quick to elevate ppl based on one brief moment.
We can be too concerned about our kids b/c of one season of their life. We can be too positive about a church b/c of one season in its life.
If you were to watch only one scene from a feature length movie, you’d miss the whole point of the movie.
If you watched one episode of a TV series, Big Bang Theory, Blue Bloods, Survivor, whatever your show is; then you’d miss the message of the entire season and series.
The ppl here wanted another snap shot to prove Jesus was from God.
His reply was, “I can prove I’m from God in Heaven b/c I am showing you God in Heaven.” One snap shot will miss the point. But, watch the entire 3-year series of events and you will know God.
You will know his personality, priorities, and power. You will know His compassion, love, accountability, responsibility, belief, and behavior. You will understand His grace and mercy. But you must watch and comprehend the entire movie, start to finish.
1 miracle. 1 parable, 1 message will give you a very incomplete picture of Jesus and God. The entire 3-year ministry of Jesus will give you a complete picture of God. Study, comprehend, and apply (regularly land your plane) and you will get the entire picture of God; what to expect of Him and what He expects of you.
Moses was a great man. But eat his bread and die. Jesus is greater. Eat his bread and live.
Many of the analogies, figures of speech, are fairly easy to understand as figures of speech. They are easy illustrations for us to understand about more complex spiritual truths.
But, those blinded by their earthly priorities can miss the most elementary illustration.
That happened here. What kind of barbaric cannibal would eat Jesus’ flesh and how is there enough to save everyone?
Sometimes in our blind arrogance and ignorance we miss the obvious.
Here is where Jesus used a simple digestive natural process to explain an important theological and spiritual truth.
Eat Good
Eat Good
Then the Jews began to argue sharply among themselves, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?”
Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them. Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your ancestors ate manna and died, but whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.” He said this while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.
Even the most barbaric Pagan did not practice cannibalism. They could not comprehend what Jesus was saying here. They lacked faith.
Food eaten, taken into the body is digested and then assimilated so that it becomes a part of the entire body of the one who ate it.
Likewise, ppl must believe in, ID w/ Christ and they will take Him and use Him and apply Him deeply w/in and He will permeate our lives and we will become one w/ Him as He invades every part of us.
When we eat good food there is little waste to be voided.
When we ingest Jesus, there is no waste to be voided. Nothing is wasted. Everything is used for wisdom, power and energy, strength and endurance, healthy bones, muscles, tendons, and brain-power. Jesus takes what is flawed and dying and makes it thrive and alive.
We are not barbaric cannibals. What we do eat represents something far greater than that.
Eat bread and die. Eat good and live forever. And by faith, ingest and digest Jesus into your whole being and be changed forever for the better.
“Whoever eats my flesh and drinks by blood remains in me, and I in them.” Same terminology as the vine and the branches. Remain in. Wholly depend on. Completely under the control of. Inextricably intertwined w/. And receive life.
So it is w/ the one who has faith in X. X lives in them. And They live in X.
The life he offers:
Eternal; forever
In Heaven; the presence of God
Satisfying; never hunger or thirst again. Fulfilling
Resurrection Life; the end here is simply a transition to there.
Found only in X.
Don’t get hung up w/ being healthy and wealthy, comfortable and satisfied in this life. If you do, you may miss all this and more that comes in the next.
Applications
Applications
Hung Up
Hung Up
Don’t get hung expecting this life to be all comfort and satisfying, unicorns and rainbows.
Don’t make material things your highest priority. Be happy w/ what you have.
We live in a fallen world. Things break. Our bodies, relationships, governments, our finances. But Jesus promises to walk w/ us thru it all.
He didn’t come to bring heaven to earth. He came to get us to heaven. if we get too focused on being healed, fed, made wealthy here; we can miss what He can do for us.
Don’t be miserable. X overcame His toughest situation and makes it possible for us to overcome, too. But don’t expect this to be heaven, either.
Let’s get there were we will always be comfortable and satisfied.
Freebies
Freebies
Don’t expect Jesus to give you what you can buy yourself.
Expect Jesus to do for you only what you cannot do for yourself.
We can find good groceries and doctors. We cannot find heaven on our own.
Be personally responsible for what you can do for yourself while you’re here.
Jesus will take care of you when you leave here.
Snap Shots
Snap Shots
Don’t be too quick to write anyone off b/c of one bad situation.
Don’t write yourself off either. Jesus will give you the ability to overcome, recover, and restore everything.
Don’t be too quick to write off one of your kids if they are wandering away for a time.
Jesus does not overcook snapshots, he sees the movie.
Every good movie has a plot twist where the flawed hero almost dies. But in the end, they live.
Have the patience of Jesus and pray for the ppl who are in bad snapshots.
We can learn a lot from TV series and movies. I’ve learned a lot from Big Bang Theory. I’m still not a physicist or scientist. But I can impress w/ a little bit of dangerous knowledge.
Diets are good. We tend to get a little flabby over time. It’s important to be lean and heathy. Spiritually, too.
When you come to faith in Jesus, when you believe in His name and are saved, He comes into every area of your body and life, He gets used for wisdom like brain-power, energy and strength, health for you bones and muscles, and none of him is voided as waste.
He is in all of you and you are in all of Him.
Nothing does all of this except faith. And once you have faith, nothing can take this away.
When we come to faith, Jesus becomes part of all of us and we become part of Him. That’s what saves us. New life begins when Jesus comes in.
We cannot allow the comfort and pleasure of this life which is temporary, to blind us to the comfort and pleasure of the next b/c that lasts forever.