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YEARN FOR THE FOOD THAT ENDURES

2 SAMUEL 12:1-13
EPHESIANS 4:1-16
JOHN 6:25-35

Hunger is satisfied with food yet food does not keep the body satisfied forever. Humanity would have to keep searching and eating till their final rest but that is not so with spiritual food, with spiritual food, once it is eaten it endures and that is why the theme for the day encouraging us to ‘yearn for the food that endures. In today’s Sermon, we shall discover that;
1. Without Christ, the food that endures forever, we are weak and tempted to consume that which will bring us suffering and destruction.
2. We must yearn for Christ, the only food that endures so that we can overcome the temptation to yearn for that which does not endure.
3. When Christ the food that endures is in our lives we shall be worthy of our calling and shall continually do the will of God.

Firstly, without the food that endures forever, we are weak and will fall for that which will do us harm or destroy us. This was the situation in the first scripture reading, 2 Samuel 12:1-13. David failed to continually seek God who is the bread that endures and satisfies us spiritually and physically but allowed his sinful appetite to control him to the extent that he had to sleep with Uriah’s wife while he was on the battled field. Indeed, Life without Christ is a life of crisis! If we fail to consume God as our daily food, we shall be exposed to the temptation that will lead us to commit sins that will affect us and others. Yearning for the food of life must be a consistent affair, David had a beautiful relationship with God but the day he yearned for the food that only satisfied the body and rejected the food that had sustained him all along till he became king, he fell into sin. My dear friend, yearn for Jesus, the food that endures and the Holy Spirit will enable you to overcome the temptation to consume the food that brings destruction to you.

Secondly, God provided the food we ought to yearn for and made Him more visible and accessible to us. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16). It is for this reason when the people were inquiring who the bread of life is Jesus proclaimed to them in our third Scripture reading, “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.” They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.” Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. (John 6:32-35). My dear friend if you want to live a life acceptable and pleasing to God then accept and yearn for Jesus Christ, the food that endures. In Him is our salvation and eternal life. The things of this world can not give us eternal satisfaction but with Christ in our lives, we become the children of God and His grace is ever sufficient for our physical and spiritual sustenance.

Thirdly, when we have yearned for Christ the food that endures, we shall be worthy of our calling and shall be part of the unified body of Christ, always doing His will. This was Paul’s admonishment in the Second Scripture reading to the Ephesians in Ephesians 4:1-16. I, therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift (Ephesians 4:1-7). Many believers of our time have fallen short of their calling and are merely adding to the physical numbers of the church. They are not living according to the mandate of their calling. They rather yearn for food that does not endure such as corruption, immorality and engage in divisive acts in the church because of their selfish gains. Paul admonishes that those who yearn for Christ, the food that endures shall live in a manner worthy of their calling and this will inure to their growth in the Lord and the growth of the fellowship of believers, be it the family or the church.

In conclusion, yearning for Christ, the bread that endures forever will enable us to overcome our human weakness and temptations. Christ is the only food that endures and God expects us to accept Him in order to attain our eternal life. Those who yearn for Christ, the food that endures shall be part of the called and will continue to please God in the fellowship of believers according to the grace given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift. (Ephesians 4:7). May His grace continue to abide with us. Amen.

Jean-Paul Agidi (Rev)