John 4:27-38 | Sustenance and Satisfaction
Notes
Transcript
We are continuing in our series in the book of John today.
Every person needs to things two to physically stay alive.
Food and water
Now we often combine these together but they serve very different purposes overall.
Water is used to satisfy, food is used for fuel
Now obviously water does fuel in some ways and food can satisfy, but the way the body uses water is to replace what the body needs that is lost, while the body uses food to fuel the body to do more
and its interesting in scripture we see Jesus use picture of food and water to show the exact same spiritual fulfillment as well
Notice what happens right after this conversation with the woman at the well that we looked at last week.
Remember this happens while Jesus’s disciples have gone out to find food.
And at this point His disciples came, and they marveled that He talked with a woman; yet no one said, “What do You seek?” or, “Why are You talking with her?”
The woman then left her waterpot, went her way into the city, and said to the men, “Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ?” Then they went out of the city and came to Him.
In the meantime His disciples urged Him, saying, “Rabbi, eat.”
But He said to them, “I have food to eat of which you do not know.”
Therefore the disciples said to one another, “Has anyone brought Him anything to eat?”
The woman goes into the city and shares what had happened and during this time the disciples come back and tell him he needs to eat.
Now Jesus may appear sometimes like a buddhist monk that just travels around and speaks in euphamisms all of the time, but that wasn’t the case.,
Like here we see the disciples bring food and instead of Jesus just saying no thanks im not hungry, or even saying no thanks but can I share a lesson with you he just immediately jumps into “ I have food to eat of which you do not know”
But we must understand the context here
They have just walked up on this miraculous encounter where the woman has been told about the living water
They were in the middle of something very powerful here
And it is no coincidence that we see the issue of food and water come up side by side here
Jesus has already taken something as basic as water and turned it into a lesson that has led this woman to eternal life, and now he will do the same thing with food, side by side
It is interesting this consistent theme we have of a focus on eating and drinking in scripture.
God is conisstently referenced as the water that satsifies, or flowing rivers of life. We see the blessing of food given over and over again throughout scripture, through the manna given to the Israeltes in the wildnerness to Elijah being fed by ravens.
And the reason is because food and water are the two things necessary to our survival
Back at this time survival itslef was much more serious
It took a lot of work to get food and water, and so they were more tuned into the comparisons of spiritual food and water and how important it was
We don’t quite grasp the importance the same way
But Jesus has already made the connection clear to how he is the source of living water, but now he uses this opportunity to explain how food plays a part in this too
But He said to them, “I have food to eat of which you do not know.”
Therefore the disciples said to one another, “Has anyone brought Him anything to eat?”
Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.
Notice the comparison here
Again…
Food - fuel
Water - satisfy
Jesus says the exact same thing here in the spiritual means
The living water is used to satisfy, that we may never thirst again
That we would never thirst for fulfillment, or purpose, or love, or satisfaction in this life
But the food, Jesus says is to DO THE WILL OF HIM WHO SENT ME
Can I ask you a question, physically
What would happen tomorrow if you continued to drink all the water you ever needed, but you you completely stopped eating.
Well the physically the body would start slowly burn itself out
The process could last weeks, but it is slow and progressive
The body starts to quite literally eat itself, energy decreases, strength, function, slowly goes away, until the body quite literally just waste itself away
Even though you are still drinking water
But what if you continued to eat all you need, but you stopped drinking water
Well the process is similar but also very different
In this case the process is rapid
While not eating is more of a slow progressive burnout, not drinking is a quick breakdown
Within days confusion sets in, organs start to fail, and your body just shuts itself down because there is no way for it to get what it needs
And we see a very similar comparison to our spiritual lives
You see many believers have a problem of eating too much and not drinking enough, or they have a problem with drinking too much and not eating enough.
EX: I have tried every sort of diet in my life that you could think of, but regardless of the diet I always had an issue with remembering to drink enough water.
When I was on the carnivore diet, I would eat hundreds upon of calories of meat, feeling like I am being productive, and I was when it came to the fuel side, but I would completely forget about the water I needed
And this is my consistent issue is that I never drink enough water for what I need
And you know what is interesting, I was just thinking of this this week, for my body weight I am supposed to drink nearly 1 gallon of water a day
I was on a video call this week for a business meeting, and this really fit guy pulls out a gallon jug of water and takes a drink of it, and it really made me feel great as I am drinking my energy drink at the the same time
So here I am, never struggling to remember to eat, but consistently remembering to drink water
But I know others with the opposite issue
I know some who will drink water nonstop, but actually forget to eat
And for the believer I think it can be very much the same way
You see there are two things the believer needs to live a healthy spiritual life
Food and Water
They need the living water, the satisfaction that comes from the Holy Spirit
They need food, to fuel them and sustain them
The term living water is used to describe a few different specific things, but it is always in reference to the same overall focus.
The focus is this...
It is the life of God in a person, given by the Holy Spirit, through faith in Christ, that satisfies the soul forever.
We see this language of living water used to describe the satisfaction that comes from life in Christ
but what does it look like practically?
You see this is a big issue with some of these terms, is we say these things and we understand the whole point, but the practical application can be missed
You say yeah Zach I am saved, I have the living water, so what I just need to “live in it more, whatever that means”
Well Jesus says this in John 15:4
Abide in Me, and I in you.
Getting saved does not result in us being pushed into the well and held under the water.
Believing in Christ results in the well being placed within us...
But what some will do, is they will have the endless source of living water within them, but they choose to go drink a coke instead.
Its not about gaining access to the satisfaction that comes from Christ, its not about finding it, its not about being forced into, its about finding your satisfaction in the well that is already within you, and not going to outside sources that never satisfy
EX: If i go to restraint and order a coke, and I may even get a refill or two, but I am always still thirsty
But if I get water, usually I don’t get as many refills, and I also leave without being thirsty
Its really a shame that so many Christians have the endless source of satisfaction within them, and instead of dwelling in that, they face a life of unsatisfaction trying everything else out there
A lot of guys try success
They find satisfaction in getting a promotion, or earning more in their business, or getting a raise, BUT IT NEVER SATISFIES
A lot of women find it in affirmation
They find satisfaction in the compliments, and the validation, and the recognition
Some men and women find it in both, but honestly I find it rare for the believer to be totally reliant on the fountain of living water
We need to stop sitting on the side of the well, taking a drink a few times a week when we are reminded of God and our salvation, and then spending the rest of our time drinking pop wondering why we are thirsty all the time
ONLY JESUS SATISFIES
ONLY A LIFE CENTERED ON LOVING HIM, AND SERVING HIM, AND DWELLING IN HIM AND HIS WORD, SATISFIES, ITS THAT SIMPLE
But we need more than water to survive, what about the food
Well notice what Jesus says in John 4:34
Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.
Notice that he doesn’t say the food helps him do the will, he says doing the will is the food
And this right here should drastically change how you view serving God
We tend to look at the christian life as we read our Bible, we go to church, we pray, we do a good thing here or there, and that encourages us to go do more, like that is the food that gives us the energy to go serve
BUT JESUS SAYS THE WORK ITSELF IS THE FOOD
IT IS NOT A MEANS TO BECOME SUSTATION, IT IS THE SUSTENANCE ITSELF
Let me make this really simple for you
Remember how earlier we looked at what happens to the body when it doesn’t eat, it burns out
Slowly it starts to burn out itself
So in our comparison here, you know there are two types of people that get burnt out in ministry
The ones who don’t serve at all
And the ones who don’t serve the right way
Let me phrase it this way - the ones who don’t eat anything
And the ones who eat the wrong type of food
The person who doesn’t serve in the church, the person who comes in the service sits, acts as a consumer only, and leaves to never do a thing for God or the church throughout the week, THEY DON’T LIVE REJUVINATED AND HEALHTY BECAUSE THEY AREN’T WORKING, THEY ARE KILLING THEMSLEVES WITH HUNGER
Remember the work is the food, so if there is no work, there is no spiritual food, and when you don’t eat, you burn out
I’m not worried about the person serving more than probably should getting burnt out, as much as I am the person that does nothing
OH AND THEY MAY CONTINUE TO COME SIT IN A PEW FOR YEARS AND YEARS BUT BUT SITTING IN A PEW DOESN’T MEAN THEY ARE SUSTAINED
But there is another type of person in the church who gets burned out, and this is the one that eats, and they may eat a lot, but its all junk food
They come to church and they serve, or they work for the cause of the gospel outside of church, but the food doesn’t sustain them, it actually malnourishes them even more, because they aren’t eating the right type of food
When you show up to church and you gossip about everyone, and you complain about the ministry you have to serve in, and you complain that you didn’t like the music, or you come KNOWING YOU ARE LIVING IN THE PITS OF SIN AND YOU SING OUT....
I AM RESOLVED TO FOLLOW THE SAVIOR
JESUS BE THE NAME EVER ON MY LIPS
And then you go out this evening back to all the filth and wickedness
AND THIS TYPE OF CHRISTIAN COMES WEEK AFTER WEEK AND WONDERS
WHY AM I SO HUNGRY?
IT’S BECAUSE YOU AREN’T BEING SUSTAINED BY THE REAL WORK OF THE MINISTRY, YOUR BRINGING YOUR JUNK FOOD INTO THE CHURCH AND EATING IT HERE AND WONDERING WHY IT DOESN’T SUSTAIN YOU ANY MORE THAN IT DID ON THE OUTSIDE
If your gonna do that why come at all, at least just eat your junk food, live in your wickedness, and your complaining, and your evil nonsense at home and don’t bring it into the body of Christ where others are actually trying to have a decent meal in serving God and being sustained by it
EX: You know this week I again I was thinking about how much water I am supposed to drink in a day, and again need about a gallon
And I got to thinking about the person who lived 1,000 years ago, how in the world did they manage to drink all the water they needed in a day
At any time I have multiple ways I can get water at a moments notice, and they had to travel to a stream or river, or pull it up from a well and then even if they carried it around with them they would have to go back to that source when they ran out
Not to mention the fact that they worked 10x harder than most of us do on a regular basis too
Well the answer is not in how much they drank, but in what they ate
Their food didn’t consist on endless amounts of sugar and salt that further dehydrated them, they got water from their food, and their food helped them retain the water they drank so they didn’t have to drink as much
We live in a culture today where much of our food is processed to make us desire to eat and drink more, so it keeps us hungry, and keeps us dehydrated
and the christian that doesn’t eat right, is usually dehydrated too
They go hand in hand
If you are not actively working for God, serving him, putting yourself on the line to do the work of the gospel here in this church and outside of it, you won’t be sustained, you’ll be hungry, but you’ll also be dehydrated
And if you are not actively abiding in Christ and his word, and finding your satisfaction in him, you will never be sustained with the work of the ministry
You need both, and they support each other
And you want to know exactly where you can start to fix both of these issues, right here in this building, right here in this body of Christ
The church is the place designed to train up believers, to help them see the satisfaction of the river of the life within them, and to be equipped and supported with the food they need to be sustained in the work of the gospel
But here is the key where many get the purpose of the church and the pastor wrong
THE PASTOR ISN’T YOU PERSONAL CHEF, HE’S YOUR DIETICIAN
MY ROLE ISN’T TO COOK UP THE BEST FOOD POSSIBLE, AND POUR THE MOST SATISFYING DRINKS FOR EVERYONE ON A SUNDAY
MY ROLE IS TO TELL YOU HOW TO EAT RIGHT, AND WHAT YOU SHOULD BE DRINKING, AND POINT YOU IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION AND SUPPORT YOU IN GETTING IT
Zach I just need more opportunities to serve
Zach I just don’t like nay of these ministries
Zach I’m just not designed for this I can only do these types of ministries
IT’S FUNNY I’VE NEVER HEARD OF A KING WHO ASKS THEIR SERVANTS WHAT KIND OF WORK THEY WOULD PREFER
I’VE NEVER HEARD OF A KING WHO GIVES A PASS TO HIS SERVANTS TO NOT WORK BECAUSE THEY JUST DON’T FEEL RIGHT IN ANY OF THE JOBS
THE KING COMMANDS HIS SERVANTS TO WORK, AND THEY DO IT, WHEREVER THEY ARE NEEDED
But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased.
And the amazing thing about the church is often there are so many different needs that individuals can still be serving the king to the fullest capacity in an area that they do enjoy and their skills do fit pretty well
BUT THAT DOESN’T MEAN THAT NO SERVICE IS NEEDED IF THAT’S NOT THE CASE
EX: if there is anything I have learned in my dieting adventures is this, YOU DON’T EAT FOR SATISFACTION, YOU EAT FOR FUEL
THE PURPOSE OF FOOD ISN’T TO MAKE US HAPPY, ITS TO SUSTAIN US
And the person who only serves when they like it and it makes them happy, is like the one who eats junk food all the time, gets burned out, and sits on a couch all day because they have no energy to do anything else
SERVING GOD ISN’T SUPPOSED TO MAKE YOU HAPPY, ITS SUPPOSED TO MAKE YOU FULL AND SUSTAINED
AND YEAH BEING FULL AND SUSTAINED OFTEN RESULTS IN BEING HAPPY, BUT NOT ALWAYS
THE SALAD ISN’T AS FUN TO EAT AS THE FRENCH FRIES, BUT IN THE END WHICH ONE MAKES YOU MORE CONTENT, SUSTAINED, AND READY TO WORK, DOING THINGS THAT ACTUALLY LEAD TO FULFILLMENT, THE SALAD
Now Jesus tells us in verses 35-38 a very important lesson in regards to all this
Before we read it I want you to understand the setting though, Jesus is standing outside of the city with his disciples, and it would have been in the springtime
They would have been able to look at the crop in the ground, just beginning to grow
And he says this...
Do you not say, ‘There are still four months and 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! And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together. For in this the saying is true: ‘One sows and another reaps.’ I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have entered into their labors.”
Jesus tells them to look at the crop that wasn’t ready yet
and he says don’t say we’ve got 4 months to wait
And he looks a the Samaritans, possibly the woman herself going into the city to share what had just happened
And he says the HARVEST IS READY NOW
He talks about how the sowing has already been done, the prep work has been put into place, the prophecies had been given, the Messiah is here, the gospel is ready to be proclaimed, and THE TIME IS NOW
And he says that those who reap receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life
We are a generation of believers, looking out a field ready to harvest,
sinners who need to be reached
Sin that needs to be addressed
Families that need to changed
Marriages that need to be renewed
THE TIME IS NOW, AND WE HAVE TO STOP STANDING ON THE HILLSIDE BY THE WELL, LOOKING OUT A FIELD FULL OF FOOD READY TO HARVEST COMPLAINING THAT WE ARE HUNGRY AND THIRSTY
Make the choice today that you will no longer live your life searching for satisfaction in money, and approval, and careers, and the recognition of man, and the approval of others
Some of you are standing at the well… still thirsty.
Some of you are standing in a field full of food… still hungry.
Not because God hasn’t provided—
but because you’re not drawing from what He’s already given.
Stop running to things that don’t satisfy.
Come back to Christ—
the well that never runs dry.
And step into the work of God—
the only thing that will actually sustain you.
