Soul Satisfaction

It’s amazing to me, but I have now lived in Japan longer than I ever lived in Hawaii. And though I was born and raised there, there really isn’t a whole lot that I miss about Hawaii. One thing I do miss, though, is the food. In English, we sometimes talk about “soul food.” In Hawaii, soul food would be things like spam musubi or kalua pig. Not exactly the healthiest of foods, but they’re really good. Sometimes, I’ll make spam musubi for myself here in Japan, but things like kalua pig are far beyond my culinary skills.

All cultures have their own “soul food,” though. Of course, there’s the original “soul food” from the United States, things like fried chicken and corn bread. In Japan, it might be sushi or sashimi. In Korea, it would probably be kim chee. For Pastor Fumi, it’s probably Mokkos ramen.

Anyway, we’re starting a two-part series today called “Soul food.” Because as Christians, we also have our own kind of soul food. But it’s not spam musubi, sushi, or kim chee, and it’s definitely not Mokkos ramen. There’s only one thing that can truly satisfy our souls, and that’s a relationship with Jesus Christ. And more specifically, an abiding relationship with him.

Now “abide” is one of those words that I call “Christianese.” It’s a phrase Christians often use and hear. And it primarily comes from John 15, where Jesus told his disciples, “Abide in me and I in you” (John 15:4).

But what did Jesus mean by that exactly? Put simply, to abide in Christ is to be in relationship with him. And it’s in that relationship that we find true satisfaction for our souls. But what exactly does that relationship look like? And how exactly do we abide in Christ? That’s what want to talk about in this series.

Today, I want to focus on that first question. What kind of relationship is an abiding relationship? Interestingly, I think the answer is found, not in found John 15, but John chapter 6. Because it’s there, that we find Jesus using those words for the very first time.

The background of today’s passage is a very famous story in the gospels: Jesus’ feeding of the 5000. With just five loaves of bread and two fish, Jesus fed thousands of people. (John 6:1-13)

Now if you had been in that crowd and saw what Jesus had done, how would you’ve responded? “Hey! I’m following this guy. Free food!” They were even ready to crown him king right then and there. Jesus, though, wanted nothing to do with that, so he sent his disciples away, sent the crowd home, and went up to the mountain to pray. He then later rejoined his disciples in a pretty miraculous way, but that’s another story. (John 6:14-21)

The next morning, the crowd starts looking for Jesus, and they realize he’s nowhere in sight. And they couldn’t figure out how or where he went because his disciples had gone without him. So they went looking all over for him, and eventually found him well across the lake in the city of Capernaum. (John 6:22-25)

Now you would think that Jesus would be really impressed with their zeal in trying to find him. I mean they had to be really committed followers, right? But when the crowds found him at the synagogue and asked him, “Jesus, when did you get here,” Jesus totally ignores their question and instead told them this. Verse 26.

Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal. (26-27)

In other words, “You guys put so much effort into finding me, but you didn’t do so because you saw the signs and realize who I really am. You’re not here because you’re spiritually hungry and realize I can satisfy that hunger. All you’re here for is more free food. If you’re going to put so much effort to finding me, do it for the right reasons. Food only gives you temporary satisfaction. I want to give you something that will truly satisfy your soul.

Why do we do the things we do? When you come to church, when you read your Bibles, when you pray, when you serve in the church, why do you do it? Are you just trying to get something from God? “Well, if I do all these things, maybe I’ll impress God and he will do good things for me.” That may be how the Jews were thinking. “We’re making such an effort to see Jesus. He ought to reward us for that.”

For them, they sought free food. For many religious people today, they’re expecting blessings from God like good health, a good job, a good family, a good life. But Jesus says the same thing to us that he said to the Jews. “You’re not impressing me with all your efforts. If you’re going to put all this effort into seeking me, do it for the right reasons. Don’t just seek things that will give you temporary happiness. Seek what leads to eternal life.”

Now, I’m sure the Jews were taken aback by Jesus’ rebuke. But they answered, “Okay then, what do we have to do to get eternal life? What works does God require of us? ” (28)

They had the same misunderstanding that many people today have. That we can somehow earn eternal life. That we can earn God’s favor by something we do. But Jesus quickly corrects their way of thinking. Verse 29.

Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.”

What does God want from us? Many people ask that question. “What does God want from me?” It’s not our money. It’s not anything we can give him or do for him. What he wants is us. What God is seeking is a relationship with us.

I remember one night being in a Bible study back when I was in high school. And after an awesome time of worship, our leader shared a picture he saw in his mind as we were worshiping. It was of a little kid coming up to his dad trying to give gifts to him. And each time, his father smiled, but said no. Finally, the kid simply reached out his arms to his dad. His dad gave a big smile, took him in his arms, and said, “Yes, that’s what I want.” God doesn’t want what we can give him. He wants us. He wants a relationship where we love and trust him, reaching out daily to him.

Unfortunately, though, many people say to God, “I don‘t want you. I don’t need you. I don’t need your leading. I don’t need your help. I don’t need your wisdom. I’m good on my own.” And a lot of that comes down to one thing: They don’t trust him. They don’t trust that he knows or desires their best. And of course, there are those who don’t believe God exists at all. Do you know what God calls that attitude of unbelief and distrust? He calls it sin.

And so the antidote to sin is not doing a bunch of good things to somehow buy off God. The antidote to sin is faith. It’s putting our trust in him and in Jesus whom he sent. Because only when we put our trust in him do we give him what he truly desires: a relationship with us.

Now don’t me wrong. It’s not that God is lonely and needs us. But when he made us, because of his great love, he desired to share himself with us. And the truth is we will never be complete without him. As one person put it, there is a God-shaped hole in the heart of every person. People try to fill it with all kinds of things, relationships, money, hobbies, possessions. But ultimately, all these things leave them empty. If you haven’t figured that out yet, trust me, you will. There’s only one thing that fills that hole: and that’s a relationship with God. And that relationship starts with one choice: “God, I trust you.”

The Jews, however, weren’t ready to do that. They told Jesus, “Well, if you want us to trust you, give us a sign.” Now think about this. The day before, Jesus had just fed thousands of people with five loaves of bread and two fish. And now these very same people are saying, “We need more.” They told Jesus, “Moses once gave our ancestors bread from heaven. What will you do (30-31)?” Look at Jesus’ answer. Verse 32.

Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” (32-33)

What is Jesus saying? Well, first he corrects a misconception they had. It was God who gave their ancestors bread, not Moses. But second, he was saying, “There’s a different kind of bread that God wants to give you. This bread will give life not only to you, but to the whole world.”

But the Jews misunderstood Jesus, and immediately thought about their stomachs again. So they told Jesus, “Well, give us this bread then (34).” Look at Jesus’ answer. Verse 35.

I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst (35)

In other words, Jesus is saying, “You keep asking for this gift I can give you. I am the gift. I’m the one that God has sent to give life to this world. Do you want life? Come to me. Believe in me. And I will give you life.” Verse 40.

For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.” (40)

It’s easy to look at those words and think of eternal life as only having life after we die. But eternal life is not simply living forever. It’s living forever in a relationship with the God who loves us. God has no interest in us living forever but being separated from him. That’s literally what hell is. Life without God is hell.

Eternal life is a life in relationship with God. And that starts now. Walking moment to moment, day to day with God. And after we leave this earth, we simply continue the relationship we started here. With one major difference. We’ll see Jesus face to face. And that God-shaped hole we feel will be gone forever.

Because let’s be honest: there are times even now that we sense that hole, don’t we? As we go through life, we experience struggles, we experience pain, and we wonder where God is. We long to see him face to face. But someday, we will see him face to face. And when we do, we will never be spiritually hungry or thirsty again. (Revelation 7:16-17)

But as the Jews heard all this, they couldn’t understand it. They got even more confused when Jesus pointed to himself and said this:

I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh. (51)

The Jews heard that, and said, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat (52)?” But what Jesus was saying was, “I’m going to offer my body on the cross, paying the price for the sins of the people of the world. And by what I do there, people will find forgiveness and true life with God if they will just put their faith in me.” Look at verses 53-55.

Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. (53-55)

Yuck. That sounds like cannibalism. What is Jesus saying? Some people think Jesus is talking about communion. But if that were true, that would mean taking communion is a requirement for eternal life, and the Bible clearly teaches otherwise. More, it would also mean that anyone who takes communion has eternal life, and that’s not true either. Communion only has meaning if you’re coming to Jesus in faith, putting your trust in him and what he did for you on the cross.

If you’re not, by taking communion, you’re essentially saying, “Jesus, I understand your body was broken and your blood poured out for my sin. But though I’m taking this bread and grape juice, I reject your sacrifice for me.” And unless you repent of that attitude, far from being saved, you will be held more accountable on judgment day because you rejected Jesus despite all you knew. (Luke 12:47-48)

So Jesus isn’t talking about communion. What then is he talking about? Remember that Jesus is speaking figuratively here. The key is found in verses 35 and 40. Jesus said the one coming to and believing in him will never be hungry or thirsty again. To eat his flesh and drink his blood is a metaphor for coming to and believing in him for eternal life. Verse 54 makes this clear when you compare it back to verse 40. The two verses basically say the same thing, but verse 54 is the metaphor and verse 40 is the meaning. If you look to the Son and believe in him, you will have eternal life and he will raise you up on the last day. Because it is his death on the cross, the giving of his body and the shedding of his blood to pay for our sin that gives life to this world. And that brings us to our key verse of the day, verse 56.

Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him.

What does it mean to abide in Jesus and he in us? It means to live in relationship with him. What kind of relationship? A moment to moment, day to day relationship. A relationship in which we’re constantly “feeding on him.” We “feed on Jesus” by continually coming to him each day with hearts of full trust, in full dependence on him for our salvation, and everything else in life.

Does this sound familiar? It should. We talked about being in moment to moment conversation with God several months ago. But I think there’s a misunderstanding that can come with talking about our relationship with God in those terms. Certainly, we want to invite God into every part of our lives. To be constantly aware of his presence with us and to be in communication with him.

But what we’re cultivating is not just a buddy-buddy relationship with God, with Jesus. The thing we are cultivating is a relationship of trust in Jesus. A relationship of dependence on him. We’re learning to trust his wisdom. We’re learning to trust his ways. We’re learning to rely on his leading and his strength. In short, we’re learning to live the way that God designed us to live: a trusting, dependent relationship with him. More than that, a loving relationship with him.

We can talk all about the importance of reading our Bibles, of praying, of going to church, of obedience to God. But remember: they are not ends to themselves. We don’t do them because they are the “Christian things to do.” They’re not just duties we have to fulfill if we’re to be a “good Christian.” Nor are we trying to manipulate God into doing what we want. God isn’t a means to some other end. He is the end. Because he’s the only one that can truly satisfy our souls. And so all the things we do as Christians are for a singular purpose: to learn to live in a trusting, dependent relationship with the God who loves us.

For some of you, though, the idea of being in a trusting, dependent relationship with God is frightening to you. It’s scary because you feel like the only person you can depend on is yourself. Everyone else has let you down. Your parents, your coworkers, your teacher, your spouse. And you’re fearful that God will let you down too. I’ll be honest. God doesn’t always do what I hoped. He hasn’t always answered my prayers in the way I wanted him to. In that sense, I suppose you can say, “He let me down.” But the more I live my life, the more I’ve come to understand that God knows what he’s doing, even when I don’t. And looking back, I can say in all honestly, he has never truly let me down.

For some of you, refusing to trust and depend on God is a pride issue. “I don’t need anyone. I am perfectly fine on my own. I’m a self-made person. And even if I do face problems, I can handle it myself. I don’t need God as a crutch in my life.”

But here’s the thing, whether you choose to recognize it or not, we are all crippled in some way. That hurt in the past that you’ve tried to push down but keeps resurfacing. Maybe you were abused, and it’s affecting how you see yourself. It’s affecting your relationships with the people you love. Maybe your parents, your teacher, or your ex-spouse once said to you, “You’re worthless,” and those words have driven you to prove them wrong. But somehow, no matter how successful you are, you can’t shake the feeling, “I’m not good enough. I’ve got to do better. I’ve got to do more.”

For others of you, you may be addicted to porn, to gambling, or even to work, and you can’t seem to kick it, even though you know it’s damaging your life. And still others of you have been in control all your life, but now you’re facing things beyond your control and it scares you. Health problems, financial problems, family problems.

Whether you see it or not, all of us have a God-shaped hole that only Jesus can fill. He’s the food that satisfies our souls. And so he says to us, “Abide in me. Come to me. Walk with me. Trust me.”

We’ll talk more about this next week, but here are two questions I want you to think about.

1. Do you have that abiding relationship with Jesus? Are you living each day in a trusting, dependent relationship with him? Put another way, do you constantly seek his wisdom, his strength, and his leading in your life, moment to moment, day to day?

2. What are the barriers that are keeping you from fully trusting and depending on him?

Let’s wrap up today’s message with some words that the prophet Isaiah spoke in the Old Testament. Because I can’t help think that all this was in Jesus’ mind as he spoke to the Jews and to us.

Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food. Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live. (Isaiah 55:2-3)