Come and Eat the Father's Food

[0:00] Please take your Bibles and go to John's Gospel, John chapter 4.

[0:12] If you're visiting with us, there's a Bible in the chair in front of you. You can go to the back, they renumber the New Testament, so you have to find page, what's it, page 74, for John chapter 4, John chapter 4, John's Gospel chapter 4, and we did the first 26 verses last Sunday, which timed well with drinking real water because we had a few people who drank really good water in the baptistry, that was good.

[0:42] Nobody died, nobody drowned, so praise the Lord, that's great. I didn't hold them under for too long. So this week, we're gonna do chapter 4, just kidding, Dwayne, Dutch, Katra. 4, 27 to 42.

[0:55] Chapter 4, 27 to 42. I'm gonna read, and then we will jump in to see what God has to say to us this morning. John chapter 4, verse 27.

[1:08] And at this, his disciples came, and they marveled that he'd been speaking with a woman, yet no one said, what do you seek, or why do you speak with her? So the woman left her water pot, went into the city, and said to the men, come, see a man who told me all the things I've done.

[1:26] And this can't be the Christ, is it? They went out to the city, and were coming to him. In the meanwhile, the disciples were requesting him, saying, Rabbi, eat.

[1:41] But he said to them, I have food to eat that you do not know. Therefore the disciples were saying to one another, did somebody bring him something to eat? Verse 34, Jesus said to them, my food is to do the will of him who sent me, and to accomplish his work.

[1:59] Do you not say, yet four months, then comes a harvest? Look, I say to you, raise your eyes, look on the fields, they are white for harvest, already.

[2:11] The one who harvests is receiving wages, and is gathering fruit unto eternal life, in order that the one who sows, and the one who harvests, they may rejoice together. For in this, the saying is true, one sows, another harvests.

[2:27] I myself have sent you to reap, for that which you have not labored, others have labored, and you entered into that labor. Verse 39, and from that city, many of the Samaritans believed into him, because of the word of the woman who testified, he told me all the things I've done.

[2:44] And so when the Samaritans came to him, they were asking him to stay with them, and he stayed there two days. And many more believed because of his word, and they were saying to the woman, it's no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we ourselves have heard and know that this one is truly a savior of the world.

[3:07] Food. Food. Some people eat to live.

[3:19] Others live to eat. And yeah, we laugh. It's funny. And yet, for many people, food is a huge struggle for them.

[3:31] I've been reading this book by Ed Welch, Addictions, A Banquet in the Grave. And it's geared towards those who are drunkards, alcohol abuse, drug abuse.

[3:47] It's geared towards that, but it deals not just with pornography and the likings of that, but also those who are addicted to food. The Bible talks about gluttony.

[4:00] It does. Interesting that in one part of the book, Ed Welch says, we seem to look at addicts and us as an us versus them.

[4:14] Addicts are them and there's us. Until we start looking at our own cravings. And then we see, maybe we're just not so different. The thing is that our cravings are more socially acceptable, right?

[4:28] And then that's when he says, maybe we're not so different. We have our own cravings. Because for some people, they live to eat.

[4:41] And yet, you know, Jesus is gonna take this concept of food and drive home how we should desire him. I mean, he did it last week with water.

[4:53] I mean, you gotta drink water to live. You can't go without water or you'll die. And that's the point Jesus was trying to make.

[5:03] He took that concept of drinking water, what we need to live, and related it to believing in him, receiving him, knowing him, embracing him. And he likens that to worshiping him.

[5:18] And today, he relates food to God's will. So that when we come to John's gospel, when he says, come receive Jesus, believe Jesus, know Jesus, today we'll see, come and eat the Father's food.

[5:37] Come. Come. Eat the Father's food. Come. Eat the Father's food. Come.

[5:50] Eat the Father's food. Come. Do the Father's will and finish his work. That's his food. That's his food. Do the Father's will and finish his work.

[6:05] Jesus was driven to do the will of the Father. And so should we. Jesus was driven to do that.

[6:17] And he was driven to the point of the cross. The cross is the climax of the Father's will for Jesus to die on behalf of sinners for us, his people, to take all our sins upon himself so that we can be forgiven and be set free from the slavery of sin.

[6:43] So Jesus was driven to do the will of the Father. And the climax of that was the cross. So come. Do the Father's will and finish his work. Another way to say this.

[6:55] Embrace God's mission for you. For us as his children, our spiritual food is to do the Father's will and finish his work. That's our spiritual food.

[7:11] Let us not be concerned for ourselves or merely for the physical things of this life. And it's not to say that we shouldn't eat.

[7:24] Jesus doesn't say that. Don't have food. No, he's not saying that. He's relating how we need food to live. You need the Father's will to live. That's how Jesus functioned.

[7:35] That's how we should function as his people. Let us participate in the work God has for us. Whether it be the work of sowing or the work of harvesting.

[7:51] You may be in the work of sowing. You may be in the work of harvesting. Whichever. Participate in God's work. It's far too easy for us to be concerned with feeding ourselves and forget about the harvest that is ready to be picked.

[8:17] We have become too acclimated by our culture. Entertain me and then you go home.

[8:32] That's what our culture has done to this thing called church. So we entertain. And then you leave me alone.

[8:46] Church, raise your eyes. Look. See the fields. Hear God's call. We should be driven to God's mission but even humble that he'd use us.

[9:00] Realizing the results of our labor is not from us. It's from him. It's for his glory. These next phrases I say this to you as a church members with grace for you to think through this.

[9:19] Lift up your eyes and see what's there and yet it's hard to lift up your eyes if you're too busy shooting out the door.

[9:35] And I say that to you graciously. It's hard for you to lift up your eyes if you're too busy leaving. You won't know how you can come each Sunday.

[9:52] Each time the body gathers here's how you can think. Come each Sunday and say Lord to whom do you want me to minister? Lord who do you need me to love and encourage today?

[10:09] But see we've been acclimated to our culture to just take and not give. We've been acclimated by our culture to just me, me, me instead of giving out and then we wonder why we deal with depression.

[10:27] And think of it this way this service these things that we do as important as they are this is the equipping time.

[10:40] this is the training time. And then true ministry begins. So the service is equipping time remembering time reminding you of gospel grace reminding you of gospel truth reminding you of forgiveness reminding you of Christ Jesus him crucified.

[11:00] This is what I'm supposed to do and right when the closing prayer ends ministry begins. and then it goes to Wednesday and then Wednesday seven you get more equipping time more remembering time more Jesus focused time and then ministry continues until Sunday the first hour 9.15 then you start getting equipped again.

[11:30] that's my role that's what I'm supposed to do I'm not here to entertain you I might be entertaining to ask my mother-in-law you know it's not by accident that this meal comes on the heels of Jesus defining true worship chapter 4 verse 1 through 26 we as his body we're the living expression of worshiping God right why because the real body of Christ and the real spirit is here amongst us so he's here when we're worshiping in spirit and truth and then as you worship what's the next thing you do you start ministering and encouraging and serving each other that's that's the idea and yet now people can just do it in their own home they can sit on their sofa in their recliner put their feet up and watch church and then turn it off and go do their own thing that's that's what our culture's done and the whole quote unquote

[12:54] COVID-19 has helped contribute to that hasn't it so this is the focus this is the drive that we have is to do the father's will and accomplish his work that's the food and you're going to notice I'll put the first point up here the results of gospel ministry work you have kind of like a sandwich you have the results of gospel ministry work and then the results of gospel ministry work and then you have gospel ministry the focus of gospel ministry that's kind of like the hub which is what verses 34 to 38 that's like that's the the meat so to speak of the hamburger right that's the big part that's the focus but then you have the beginning and then at the end you have the results of gospel ministry work that's how structured so so the first aspect we see here is the results of gospel ministry work notice how it begins verse 27 and at this the disciples came so remember

[13:59] Jesus was talking to the Samaritan woman I'm living water drink me when you drink me that's worship she's talking with her the disciples come and they're like what's going on here it says they marveled really they were shocked surprised actually they were embarrassed not only was he speaking with a woman but a Samaritan woman a rabbi would not speak with a woman period add to that she's a Samaritan woman rabbis thought this was taught in Jewish society in the first century for rabbis it was a waste of time waste of time the great part is you know Jesus is anything but a male chauvinist anything but a male chauvinist he would not be bound by sexism as opposed to how our culture portrays him as some male chauvinist that's not

[15:07] Jesus notice next part verse 27 no one said what do you seek or why do you speak with her they kept their mouths shut these questions were on their minds but they kept their mouths shut good thing guys and by the way the question what do you seek it's actually would be directed to the woman not to Jesus so what do you women seek and then to Jesus why are you talking to her they were embarrassed by what he was doing but God was seeking her wasn't he God was seeking her this woman would be used as a catalyst to bring the word to the people of Samaria she'd be used for the glory of God because look what happens verse 28 she left her water pot went to the city said to the men come see men who told me all the things

[16:09] I have done in response to Jesus revelation she bolted back to the city to tell everyone her eagerness to tell the men of the city about Jesus is striking was she avoiding them before who knows but she went after them now some have even thought that maybe her abandoning her water jar symbolized water for the living water the disciples needed too come see a man who told me all the things I've done her personal and messy life was central to her and the fact that Jesus exposed her that made a huge impression on her come and see we take people to Jesus come and see this encounter with Jesus to her it was deep it was personal he understood her and her question here when it says the new

[17:14] American standard this is not the crisis it is presented as a negative expect a negative answer wait the idea a Jewish Messiah to come for Samaritan no no no yes this would be truly amazing she came to the town to tell the people about Jesus and notice what happens verse 30 they went out of the city and were coming to him they were following her to see what she was saying we want to see it for ourselves verse 31 meanwhile back at the ranch with the kids they were requesting Jesus Jesus eat all the while they missed their his provision it shows they apart from the spirit they were unable to view Jesus the way he was supposed to be viewed he was supposed to be received he was supposed to be drunk he was supposed to be eaten let's go the rest of us they were ignorant of what happened they weren't paying attention

[18:25] I mean if they were paying attention they would come over wow what's going on Jesus I talked with this woman no way this is great the rabbi eat guys just missing it they're more concerned about embarrassment and Jesus eating than about the condition of this woman and her true need or of the true need of the Samaritans for that matter verse 32 but he said to them I have food to eat you don't know the disciples and Jesus they're both speaking about food and Jesus meant something very different from what they meant though you see here how Jesus owns and provides in his very self true sustenance and true nourishment he is true drink and he is true food to drink and eat is to believe in Jesus and this is the essence of the gospel what is the gospel you eat

[19:38] Jesus you drink him you assimilate him it's just not a little compartmental thing that you do here and there no you take him in fully you receive him you believe him you know him you repent and trust in Christ that's the gospel a response to the gospel because you know God should judge you and you're a sinner you should be condemned but Jesus lived died and physically rose from the dead and you turned from sin you put trust in Jesus you receive him Jesus save me you take him in like food and drink I need you else I die so you see Jesus he owns and provides in his very self this sustenance and he links himself to the will of the father he found his total sustenance in God and so should we he's gonna move into that in just a moment and again not that we don't eat food at all but what did

[20:43] Moses say man does not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God I have food to eat you don't know disciples verse 33 what who brought him food still totally confused he used the concept of eating food to direct them to something more real to what is unseen to what's eternal one writer put it like this he wanted to move their minds to the eternal and then we come to this part we looked at the results of gospel ministry work now here's gospel ministry focus here's the focus of gospel ministry this is what gospel ministry should be our focus this is how this is the focus of it okay verse 34 Jesus said to them my food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work this is our focus for gospel ministry this is central to gospel ministry

[21:58] Jesus found sustenance in the father and doing his work he wasn't denying physical food he used basic nourishment to speak of something even more basic even more nourishing even more needed he found his sustenance in the father and doing the will of the father and doing the work of the father for Jesus to do the will of the father of his father it brought more satisfaction than any food to offer even Susanna chocolate yes Susanna you must repent of that anything else in this world for that matter I mean his ministry was submit to and perform the will of the one who sent him that's what drove

[23:00] Jesus he was consumed with that that concept he lived to eat he lived to eat to do the father's will that's Jesus his needs were aligned with the one who sent him Jesus was defined exclusively by the father and doing his work and so great is this way of life notice he says natural food is subservient to that I have food to you don't know Jesus works with the very worst of God I work my father works so how dependent was Jesus upon the father how dependent was Jesus upon his will how dependent was Jesus upon his work the work of the father he hungered and craved for it like food like chocolate like a good juicy hamburger from

[24:03] Colt Grill nice steak medium maybe medium rare he craved and he wanted to be done and accomplished finished even that was his food and what should be the food of all of the father's children the will and work of the father the fields are ripe for harvest look at verse 35 do you not say there are yet four months then comes a harvest look I say to you raise your eyes and see the fields they're white for harvest look raise your eyes and see see what is unseen see what is eternal people are coming to drink him me look what's happening this is awesome food man this is amazing this is so good do you guys not see this look look at these people coming there's food and don't get bogged down with what did

[25:19] Jesus mean by four months was he talking about was this January who cares that's not the point the point is the Samaritan for coming harvest has already begun do you have the glasses on to see that or did you forget your glasses at home my poor wife she's at that point hang on what do you say let me get my finish the sentence hang on let me get my glasses can't see my poor thing my dear wife she's so sweet did you forget your glasses Matthew Peter John did you forget your glasses the harvest is white look at verse 36 already the one who's harvesting is receiving wages is gathering fruit unto eternal life unto eternal life in other words it results in eternal life that's the

[26:29] Greek word unto ace so they were becoming followers of Jesus he was the son has life chapter 3 verse 36 and look at what Jesus says here so the one who sows and the one who harvests they may rejoice together both sower and harvester reap the benefit cooperating in unity they bond together seeing the fruit and they can rejoice together the harvest the Samaritans they were the harvest resulting in eternal life for them because they believed into Jesus they came to know Christ and look what Jesus says he begins to help them understand something for in this the saint is true one sows another harvest or reaps true these two have two different tasks one sows anticipating what's to come another harvest not forgetting that the fruit is from another's toil and guess what verse 38

[27:45] I myself have sent you says Jesus to harvest for that which you've not labored others have labored and you've entered into their labor I've sent you to harvest that for which you did not sow someone else worked others had sown for them and Jesus doesn't say who and we can sit here and speculate maybe it's John the Baptist who cares that's not the point don't miss the point of the passage Jesus sent them according to God's will and purpose to harvest what others sowed others labored and then they enter into that labor because they're harvesting the fruit this success was due to those who labor before them and they get to rejoice in this fruit they should have been aware of the harvest and God alone gets the glory for his mission to sowers and reapers this is a huge lesson for

[28:49] Jesus disciples here they're going to buy food in the Samaritan village when they should have gone there to provide true food and true drink to those Samaritans they were just not getting it I mean we're we're not like that no way we get it all the time don't we this is a huge exhortation to us the huge exhortation embrace God's mission for you look at the fields around you and participate in God's work do you realize there are so many opportunities for ministry all around you and not just filling up the Lord's supper cup and I'm not saying it's not important I'm not saying that you go beyond that there's literally hundreds of ways you can be ministering to each other ministries people it was funny

[29:52] I'll tell you a story I'm in Jerome and I'm Friday blah blah blah blah my in-laws are in town what are you doing here and I said I still have to work and she looks at me and said are you working I said yeah ministries people that's what I'm doing she kind of looked away she didn't get it ministries people it's investing time it's investing resources into people it's far too easy to be concerned for us to be concerned with feeding ourselves and forget about the harvest is ready to be picked remember what's happened we become acclimated to our culture entertain me give me a worship experience and then I can go about my day go about my week and all of you can just leave me alone that's that's not ministry church raise your eyes look see the fields one writer puts it like this hear

[31:11] God's call and bring true water to the thirsty and true food to the hungry that's a good way he put it we should be driven to God's mission but also humbled he'd use us realizing the results of our labor is not from us it's all for his glory again to say this carefully just graciously you know it's hard to lift up your eyes if you're too busy shooting out the door ministry's all around you we should be saying Lord okay who should I encourage who am I here to encourage today you've brought me here you've brought them here who can I encourage so this is the gospel ministry focus that's in the middle and then you have the result of gospel ministry work at the beginning and then you have the result of gospel ministry work at the end look at 39 from that city many of the Samaritans believed into him because the word of the woman he told me all the things

[32:16] I'd done it's a result of gospel ministry work this is the practical outworking of what Jesus said in verses 34 to 38 this is the food of which Jesus spoke this is the harvest of which Jesus spoke and notice they believed because the word of the woman her message was centered upon the living water upon that word she testified she testified to the truth of Jesus is this not also the task of all of us as Jesus disciples are we all supposed to testify of him look what happens verse 40 so when Samaritans came to him they were asking him to stay with them excuse me and he stayed there two days they were becoming his disciples which would be why they asked him to stay with them and he stayed two days with them Jesus would take this time to teach them even more about himself which is a good point for us to remember more times than not we need to teach people the gospel

[33:29] I mean that's good we must give them the gospel we should and we should give people the gospel God is just we're sinners Jesus died and rose repent and believe many times they need to be told and instructed in grace in the gospel for them to understand so they can really embrace Jesus look at verse 41 many more believe because of his word they believe because of his word takes us back to the prologue verses 1 through chapter 1 1 through 18 this word is centered upon Jesus and his hour the cross because Jesus is the word so he's speaking about the word the word is talking about himself and his focus is the cross that's the hour he's he would die for sinners he's the ultimate self-expression revelation of the father and then look at what happens here so vital verse 42 they're saying to the woman it's no longer because of your word one writer says this her word has been eclipsed by the true word for we have heard ourselves we ourselves have heard and know it was now what they heard and knew themselves who exactly

[35:02] Jesus truly was is this one is truly the savior of the world now her word was confirmed by hearing the word from the word indeed the savior of the world the object of their faith was Jesus and that was confirmed but this is also a confession that they had a confession they made of who Jesus truly was is he's not just a Jewish Messiah God's God's mission has a grand scope a great harvest he's not just for Jews he's for the world probably nobody in here who is Jewish striking the gospel was for the Jews first and then to the Greek and yet most of us not all of us here are Greeks Gentiles we're not Jews it's not just for

[36:04] Jews for Gentiles we're we're a testimony of that aren't we the first cross cultural evangelism mission was started by Jesus himself a pattern he calls all of us to undertake and emulate so what do you take away from this come each Sunday and say Lord to whom you want me to minister this is for you members of Cottonwood Bible Church this is how we should think who do you want me to minister who do you need me to love and encourage today Jesus was driven to do the will of the Father and so should we embrace God's mission for you for us as his children our spiritual food is to do the Father's will and to finish his work again just comes right on the heels of worship there's worship and then we do ministry that's that's that's that happens we get the right perspective an eternal perspective a gospel of grace perspective then we can go minister

[37:16] I'm not as dumb as I look because when we pray that closing prayer we'll pray that we'll show that same grace to each other and then we'll display or speak that same grace to others they'll hear the gospel so we pray that Caitlin prays I pray that we pray that so we're remembering okay here's ministry we have grace want to show that same grace to each other and then want to speak that grace to the world right that's ministry come do the father's will and finish his work eat the father's food eat the father's food that's his food and pray with me and father we pray at this time that you by your spirit would work in us as your church as your people that we would display this that we would eat your food father which is your will and we'll speak about this the greatest will as for

[38:23] Jesus the climax of it which is the cross where you showed us your grace let us be people minister to each other in grace minister to each other in love and compassion who say Lord who can I encourage in the gospel who can I love who needs grace today and next Sunday and the next Sunday who needs that use me help us as your people to think this way to live this way and we're going to fail but thank you Jesus you died for that that's good so good that you died for that and you pick us back up and you dust us off and you say keep going child I'm with you thank you for your grace so take this time if you would pray that

[39:27] God would work in your heart to do this or read through notes read the passage whatever fill your mind at this time next minute or so fill your mind with truth ponder on what we've seen from God's word the Lord has spoken to us from his word this morning so ponder through that and think through that you know we'll do what we do sing the stupe songs and pray take this time to anew in the Lord to help deeply implant this word that we've seen in John 4 and plant it deep inside of you take this time to renew the Lord if you would do that please do that nowop help you

[40:33] Thank you for support you mean apologize