Can you tell me what the four major food groups are this morning?
The teacher knew there was a shortfall of intelligence after she asked the class to name the four major food groups. Suzie shot up her hand and quickly reeled them off: "Wendy’s, McDonald’s, Burger King, and Pizza Hut."
I did a quick research project on the internet this week, and did a search on “diet”. Guess how many websites I found? 1 - 20 of 8,870,000.
I checked the Good Housekeeping website, and it had an article about the hottest 6 diets right now, and it asked the question of each of them if they were good diets.
PAGE 2: High-Protein Plans
PAGE 3: Liquid Diets
PAGE 4: The Hollywood Diet
PAGE 5: Fasting
PAGE 6: Food Combining
PAGE 7: Soup Diets
The answer is—no, they are not good for you. But maybe next week they’ll change their minds.
Eggs and bacon used to be bad for you, now they aren’t too sure. What was once deemed healthy is no longer healthy, and what was once considered unhealthy is now healthy.
An unmotivated husband joined his wife for a diet after their holiday eating binge. His wife was very zealous about losing weight, but her husband was not. She challenged him with motivational speeches that would have made Vince Lombardi proud. One night, she caught him eyeing a piece of pecan pie that was left over from their pre-diet days. She shouted with the force of a drill sergeant, "Remember, if you cheat on your diet you’re only hurting yourself!" When she left the kitchen he stuck the pie in his mouth and said, "Ouch."
This mornings subject is how to develop a healthy diet. Now maybe you are looking at me and thinking—“He’s going to tell me what to eat?” Well, in one sense I am, because we are not going to look regular food, but spiritual food. Today’s plan is going to include not only a healthy plan of eating, but also a pattern for regular exercising as well. So, with that in mind, class, let’s get cooking!
First, we need a healthy diet.
What does “diet” really mean? We associate with diet the fact that we are trying to lose weight, which is technically a part of the definition, but here is the definition:
di·et [ d t ]
noun (plural di·ets)
1. what a person or animal eats: the food that a person or animal usually consumes
2. controlled intake of food: a controlled intake of food and drink designed for weight loss, for health or religious reasons, or to control or improve a medical condition a wheat-free diet
3. regular intake of something: a continuous or daily experience of, or indulgence in, something other than food living on a diet of soap operas and game shows
What is your spiritual diet this morning? In other words, where do you fill your spiritual gas tank to be able to get out on the road and do the work of the ministry? The way that some people watch their food intake is commendable, but yet the way we let things come in spiritual is shameful.
Should we develop a plan for our spiritual diet? Is it necessary? I believe it is!
In John, where Jesus is speaking with the Samaritan at the well, we have this recorded conversation between Jesus and the disciples:
31Meanwhile his disciples urged him, "Rabbi, eat something."
32But he said to them, "I have food to eat that you know nothing about."
33Then his disciples said to each other, "Could someone have brought him food?"
34"My food," said Jesus, "is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.
Does the Bible have a diet plan for us as Christians—yes, I believe it does!
1 Peter 2
2Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, 3now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.
Hebrews 5
11We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are slow to learn. 12In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! 13Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. 14But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.
1Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death,[1] and of faith in God, 2instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. 3And God permitting, we will do so.
Matthew, our son, is on milk right now. He can’t really handle much more than milk. There is coming a day, however, when he will mature to the better things in life, like Gerber foods and cereals. Then, he moves on to the hot dogs and vegetables. Then, he’ll eventually move on to pizza and fries, until he reaches the ultimate, steak and vanilla milkshakes.
Now, it would concern me if, a year from now, Matthew is still eating milk. If he were, that would not be the sign of a healthy baby. In fact, it would be a sign of a severe problem, because he would not be growing the way he should.
That is exactly the picture that they had in mind when the writer of Hebrews wrote that they should be eating solid food, not milk. Often times, we are willing to settle for a little milk rather than trying to develop and grow onto more spiritual things.
I believe that many Christians today are like those that Paul wrote to in the book of 1 Corinthians, where in chapter 3 he writes: 1Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual but as worldly--mere infants in Christ. 2I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. 3You are still worldly.
Instead of growing in the faith, there are many Christians who are perfectly content to stay infants. If we are going to grow in Christ, we need a variety of foods.
First, we need regular intake of spiritual milk.
2Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, 3now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.
My son does not go hungry. In fact, he lets us know in no uncertain terms that he is hungry. And when he’s hungry, he knows exactly how to get that food. He cries, he screams, and when he’s around his mommy, he knows exactly what he has to do. That is the picture that’s painted for us—our attitude toward spiritual food should be just like that. We should, as the scripture tells us, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.”
Matthew 4
4Jesus answered, "It is written: ’Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’[1] "
Job 23
12 I have not departed from the commands of his lips;
I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread.
Jeremiah 15
16 When your words came, I ate them;
they were my joy and my heart’s delight,
for I bear your name,
O LORD God Almighty.
There needs to be a desire for the WORD OF GOD. THAT IS THE MILK WE ARE SUPPOSED TO EAT.
I’ve talked about reading the Bible through in a year, and I know that some of you are doing just that. It’s a good start, but we should be involved in the word more than just that, because we are to go on to more solid food.
Second, we need to grow into mature food.
HEBREWS 5
13Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. 14But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.
1Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death,[1] and of faith in God, 2instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment.
Those things listed in verses 1 and 2 of chapter 6 are the elementary teachings about Christ. That is what he would call, MILK.
What he would call food is the priest Melchizadek. I won’t ask for a show of hands, but does anyone know who he was, and why he’s important? Those of you here for Sunday nights would know, because we went through that. He’s the priest that Abraham gave tithe to, and how Christ was a priest in the order of Melchizadek, not of the Levites. That may seem to be not important, but it is extremely important because it showed how God was consistent to Himself.
In order to grow on mature food, we not only need to read the word, but we need to study it. We need to get into challenging books and deepen our faith and our understanding of the word.
According to the Houston Chronicle, “On November 2, 1992, the "Mission for the Coming Days" church disbanded after a very tough weekend. Lee Jang-rim, the Korean church’s founder, was in jail and the embarrassed congregation returned to their respective homes and places of employment. The central message of this church had been Christ’s imminent return on October 28, 1992. It was the largest of the South Korean churches that were predicting the impending end of the world. Hundreds, and possibly thousands of these believers sold property, left their families, quit schools and jobs, and deserted military duties. Of course, they should have checked the pastor’s financial portfolio before banking on the October rapture date. Pastor Jang-rim had swindled four million dollars in donations and had $380,000 invested in bonds that wouldn’t mature until the following May.”
Of course, if they had studied their bible, they would have known from Matthew 24—“36"No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son,[6] but only the Father.”
Of course, what is that passage referring to? I’m not going to tell you this morning—look it up for yourself! Like the Berean church of old.
Acts 17
In Berea
10As soon as it was night, the brothers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea. On arriving there, they went to the Jewish synagogue. 11Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. 12Many of the Jews believed, as did also a number of prominent Greek women and many Greek men.
Why do you think that happened? BECAUSE THEY STUDIED THE SCRIPTURES!!!!
We are to desire spiritual milk (the Word), but we are to study the word as well. That should be our diet.
Now, before we go on to the next major point, let me speak for a moment about supplements. In regular food, you can buy all kinds of pills and products that will help you. But they should never replace the foods you are supposed to eat.
In the spiritual realm, it is the same way. We have products like the Daily Bread, but they are not to be the main meal. The main meal is the Word of God, the Daily Bread can be your snacking food throughout the day.
We have other supplements as well; Bible Studies at the church—they shouldn’t be the only time you study your Bible. Other books as well—they are never to substitute the actual reading and studying of the word.
We are to have a healthy diet.
But we should also be involved in a workout program. It’s not just what you eat, it’s what you do! Richard Simmons would not be proud of us if all we do is just eat, eat, eat!
When we went to the pediatrician, he told us that we are going to have to be careful with what we feed Matthew, but we are also going to have to make sure he is active and doing things. There was a news story about a women who had fed her children so much that at the age of 3, he was already over 100 pounds. The age of 3! We need an exercise plan to work out our faith.
But we are to do what our Father wants as well, and he doesn’t want us to just eat, he wants us to exercise our faith.
Here it gets beyond know to do what is right (reading and studying), to actually doing what is right.
James 1
22Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror 24and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it--he will be blessed in what he does.
Philippians 2
12Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed--not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence--continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, 13for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.
Exercise your faith!
A man fell into a pit and couldn’t get himself out. A Christian Scientist came along and said, "You only think that you are in a pit." A Pharisee said, "Only bad people fall into a pit." A Fundamentalist said, "You deserve your pit." A Charismatic said, "Just confess that you’re not in a pit." A Methodist came by and said, "We brought you some food and clothing while you’re in the pit." A Presbyterian said, "This was no accident, you know." An Optimist said, "Things could be worse." A pessimist said, "Things will get worse!" Jesus, seeing the man, took him by the hand and lifted him out of the pit.
Unless we exercise our faith, we will become pathetic and pointless. Weebles wobble but they don’t fall down. They don’t do much else either, and if all we do is eat, even if only the supplements, and never act, then we became useless.
A healthy diet, and a regular exercise program. These are the things we need to practice.
