What Do You Have To Eat

What Do You Have to Eat?

Jay Robison JOHN 4:31-38

Do you like to Eat? Of course we all do

I’ve had Some memorable meals..

Vol Nat'l Pk Hawaii lodge dessert Hilo berries only grow there

at Jenny's Diner Lou. Greasy spoon, get Sweet Daddy platter

1.25 lbs of Hamburger, with fries, all grease could eat

Free Heart Cath when you finish

On Honeymoon Micki and I were having Chateau Brillion

Restaurant where movie Bond Movie Thunderball was filmed

After day in Cozemel Mx. tired someone led us to Island Lady,

upstairs rest. Conch fish, great Iced Tea worth $$ for tea

Or Steak and Chicken Breast, grilled on deck with potatoes, salad etc

As wonderful as those meals are, not as fulfilling as meal John 4

Jesus traveled w\disciples through Samaria in hot sun, tired

disciples went out for food, they return with KFC & all fixins, Andrew w\plates & napkins Matt giving out beans, John Cole Slaw

Judas being sure no one took more than their share biscuits

Jesus uninterested so much so they ask if someone brought him food

“I have food to eat that you know nothing about” Vs 32 TNIV

See while they were gone Jesus stayed by city well gathering place

Everyone needed water but in middle of day when sun hot only

most desperate came then Jesus met woman came outcast by

society a notorious sinner, embarrassed and ashamed

1. Jesus fed SPIRITUAL HUNGER

Listen to way he explained it in Vs 34 TNIV "My food," said Jesus,

"is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work Vs 34

Was Jesus ascetic who never ate and denied physical needs?

no after resurrected he fixed breakfast by sea,

1st miracle at Wedding feast, before cross last supper

Yet in a way unlike us focused on spiritual food first many of us

so focused on physical needs ignore spiritual like disciples

Herschel Hobbs before church on which spend more time?

clothes, preparing spiritually, praying

Who are those outside of Christ around us?

J just met someone on outside told her no 1 outside of God’s love

Remember she was a social outcast coming to well all alone ashamed

like Kroger in middle of night to avoid anyone Jesus spoke to her,

unusual because Jesus was a man, imagine she was ashamed,

beaten down slumped shoulders Jesus told of well never run dry

to avoid this embarrassment great she looked for physical spring

he talked of spiritual one, welling up inside

Who are the unchurched? Those on outside, what are they like? May assume they have no interest in church, want to know God suspicious of church got angle especially young Cath sex scandal. Many of us here have people we love unchurched kids or grandkids who quit attending church, but they’ll come w\you occasionally. In many ways see what do here as not significant enough for them

While the disciples were in town buying lunch, they were surrounded by unreached people & never thought about it, not that didn’t know better, but because they had preconceived ideas about these people prevented them from even wanting to reach them. Imagine they may have passed woman at well but never saw her

Over and over Jesus drew people TO A SPIRITUAL PLAIN

He said my food or reason for living to do God’s will

challenging us to look beyond the temporal to eternal

calling us to be investing ourselves in spiritual things

That’s what he did with woman and the disciples as well

2. Be Aware of the SEASONS FOR PLANTING

Just as with a garden there are season for planting

It is the same way spiritually

Look at what Jesus said Vs 35 NKJV Do you not say,

‘There are still 4 months & then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say

to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields,

for they are already white for harvest! Vs 35 NKJV

Jesus was illustrating spiritual truth, no seeds sown produce that fast

but you and I both know we will plant a garden for later

do not go out in a.m. tell wife want Broccoli for supper

take out seeds and plant, takes time

if this is true physically of course true spiritually

few people will respond to message of Christ 1st time

those that do I wonder about depth of commitment

Growing food takes DEVOTION AND DETERMINATION

Farmer has to be receptive to timing and nurture seeds

We make a great mistake by pushing others to decision

and by giving them the impression that they have forever

You and I must be committed to bringing about spiritual fruit

Jesus said fields are already ripe unto harvest

JO Moore and Abby Crump went to visit one night to see one man