John 6 The work of God is to believe

John 6:24-35 (Please read)

Consumer Christianity Vs Soul food

Vs. 29 “The work of God is to believe in the one he has sent.”

To believe is not simply to agree with a philosophy or theology. It is not simply a mental thing. It is not to simply believe that God exists or even agree that the bible is true.

To believe means that it becomes the very foundation of your life. It is action.

If I believe in banks, It is not simply that I believe they exist it means I put my money into a bank and it becomes the basis of how I function economically.

In the same way If I believe that God is the source of my life, the one who created me and who loves me and has a purpose for my life then I will put my trust and life in his hands.

If I believe that Jesus has been sent from God to show us the way we need to live, the Truth we need to know and the very source of life itself. Then it will affect everything I do and everything I am.

My belief will affect how I do relationships. How I treat my friends, How I treat my family, How I treat my teachers How I view women or men.

It will affect how I study and what I study.

It will affect what I watch on TV or look at on the computer.

See the biggest issue facing the world is belief.

When a man believes that money is the most important then how does this affect the way he treats his wife and family.

They will always come second to making money.

If a man believes that the most important thing is moving up in the company he works for then how will this affect they way he serves the poor or loves his children?

He will see everyone as somebody to use to get ahead or as an obstacle to be ignored.

If a person believes that having a nice car a big house a better boat and nice clothes or in some cases a better cell phone or I-pod or Video game console is the most important thing then acquiring, maintaining these things or the attainment of them becomes the priority and time with family or friends or service to community etc, falls way down the list.

If You believe that being right about your religion is the most important thing then how will you treat people who don’t agree?

In our gospel today Jesus is talking about these things. Jesus reveals is the problem trying to find nourishment for life from wrong beliefs. Most worldly beliefs are like food that that feeds the outside part of us, the superficial part, but not the soul. This is the kind of food that we eat all day and still die spiritually, It’s the kind of food that makes us the walking dead. How many people do we know who are like the walking dead.

Just go down to the pub or the gaming lounge or the nightclub and if you are looking it won’t take long before you see someone who is not living they are simply existing.

The gambler trying to find soul food in the next big win, even if he does win it won’t be enough.

The girl in the skin tight jeans or sexy little dress 5 drinks down and moving it on the dance floor flirting with the hot young guy believing that he might be the one who will love her and ease the loneliness she feels inside, only to have her heart broken again.

The list goes on and on and we see the walking dead everyday, maybe you are one of them.

There is a movie called Supersize me, you may have seen it. Is a documentary about what happens to a perfectly healthy young man when he decides to only eat MacDonalds for a month and see what happens. Before the end of the month, he has got a flabby belly, high cholestrerol, liver issues, and an addiction to Mickey D’s his doctor is telling him to stop immediately and its really quite scary.

Of course the obvious outcome if he continued this lifestyle would be a very early death.

Its amazing that even though he eating copious amounts of food his body was still starving for nutrition and being destroyed.

I think its like this for many people as well, they eat a steady diet of food that doesn’t feed the spirit or the soul and become the walking dead.

Jesus offers us today bread that feeds the soul and makes life truly rich.

He says that his life and death and resurrection has revealed to the world the spiritual food we were created for. We were created to be loved, accepted, forgiven.

In this moment we can experience a filling of our souls, joy unspeakable, grace and peace by simply believing in Christ and opening our hearts and saying Yes Jesus!

I know it sounds absurd but its true. I challenge you try it, find a place where you can be alone and where others won’t see you or make fun of you, and close your eyes, lift up your hands in surrender and simply say, Yes Jesus I believe in you. And see what happens,

It will feel strange at first, almost ridiculous, but if you call out to Jesus he will begin to feed you.

When you finally recognize all those beliefs as the junk food that they really are and begin to feed your spirit the bread of life and drink the living water you will experience the life you were created to live.

2 Questions to leave you with.

What Do I really Believe?

If I continue to base my life upon this belief will it make my life more meaningful and bring me joy and fulfillment and blessing? or will it make me selfish, empty and lonely?