"Don't Let Go of the Eternal" -- Jan. 13, 2008

Sunday, January 13, 2007

DON’T LET GO OF THE ETERNAL
John 6:27; Gen. 25:27-34; Heb. 12:12-17

"Labor not for the meat which perishes, but for that meat which endures unto everlasting life" (Jn. 6:27). Don’t spend yourself for the kind of food that will pass away, but work for the kind of food which will bring you eternal life. Those are not my words; those are the words of the Lord Jesus Christ. The message I share this morning will have no effect unless we hear these words as from Jesus Himself, and not from any man. My words mean nothing, but the words which Jesus speaks to us are spirit, and they are life (Jn. 6:63). So let’s go to God in prayer right now, pleading with Him to give us grace to hear from Him, and not from man. PRAY.

Don’t labor for the food which will pass away, but for that which will endure forever. Jesus spoke those words to people who had been fed or had heard about the great feeding. Remember that Jesus fed 5,000 men at one time, besides the women and children. Those people were so impressed by the miracle that they said, "This is of a truth that prophet that should come into the world" (Jn. 6:14). They actually tried to force Jesus to become their king (vs. 15). Jesus, desiring to please only God, quickly fled from their flattery and got alone with His Father.

But that wasn’t the end of the story. The next day those who had been fed (and doubtless others who had heard about it) went looking for Jesus. When they found Him, Jesus spoke these words to them: "Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the leaves and were filled" (Jn. 6:26). Now Jesus exposes the true motive of their hearts. While they were impressed by Jesus’ miraculous power, the bottom line was the fact that they followed Jesus for what they could get out of Him. Jesus reveals that they were looking for more free food. That is when He said, "Labor not for the meat which perishes, but for that meat which endures unto everlasting life."

Surely every person in his right mind will shout "Amen" to Jesus’ warning. Any rational person can understand that the physical food which perishes can only nourish this physical body, which is destined to die. Because we cannot escape the truth that we will continue past the grave, we desperately need the kind of food that will give us life in the next world. A consistent diet of the most nutritious food on earth will not sustain life for a single day on the other side of the grave. Mark it down. So only a fool would spend his time, his energy, himself to acquire physical food and neglect seeking that spiritual food which will prepare him for eternal life. Can anyone disagree with that?

So what is that food which will not perish? What is that food which will endure to eternal life? You can’t buy it at Walmart, or at Lowes, or even at the health food store. This spiritual food is nothing less than Jesus Himself. Jesus makes that fact perfectly clear, as He continues to speak, as recorded in John 6. "I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if any man eat of this bread, he shall live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world" (Jn. 6:51).

So all divine wisdom dictates that we follow after Jesus with our whole hearts rather than going after the physical food that can only satisfy temporarily. Can there be any question about this?
Now come with me to Genesis 25. Let’s read a familiar story. After the Lord confused the language of those who were building the Tower of Babel, He then called out one man, out of whom He would make a great nation. And who was that man? Yes, it was Abraham. And God gave Abraham, a son named Isaac, who was the son of promise. Abraham was a hundred years old when Isaac was born, and Isaac was 60 when his wife Rebeccah gave birth to twin boys. And what were their names? Jacob and Esau. If we want to remain true to chronological order, we will have to say "Esau and Jacob," because Esau was the twin who was born first. That fact is pretty important, because the oldest boy in the family was entitled to two special things – the birthright and the blessing. As would later be recorded in the law (Dt. 21:16-17), the firstborn son was entitled to a double portion of what the father had. In other words, his inheritance was twice as much as the other sons in the family. That was the birthright. And when the father was ready to die, the firstborn would receive the greatest blessing. As the firstborn (though they were twins), the birthright and the blessing belonged to Esau.

Now let’s read the story in Gen. 25:27-34…
And the boys grew: and Esau was a cunning hunter, a man of the field; and Jacob was a plain man, dwelling in tents. 28. And Isaac loved Esau, because he did eat of his venison: but Rebekah loved Jacob. 29. And Jacob sod pottage: and Esau came from the field, and he was faint: 30. And Esau said to Jacob, Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red pottage; for I am faint: therefore was his name called Edom. 31. And Jacob said, Sell me this day thy birthright. 32. And Esau said, Behold, I am at the point to die: and what profit shall this birthright do to me? 33. And Jacob said, Swear to me this day; and he sware unto him: and he sold his birthright unto Jacob. 34. Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentiles; and he did eat and drink, and rose up, and went his way: thus Esau despised his birthright.

There it is. Esau was faint. He was tired and so hungry that he said he was about to die. So he asked Jacob for some of the soup he had made. Jacob, living up to his name "heal-grabber, supplanter, deceiver," saw his opportunity to strike a bargain. "Sell me your birthright." Esau quickly reasoned, "What good is this birthright, when I am at the point of death?" So Esau sold Jacob his birthright.

It is important that we understand how serious this was. This was more than a selling away of his most valuable material possession. The birthright, along with the blessing which was so closely associated with it, had great spiritual connections. It was all tied up in God’s promises to Abraham and Isaac, who were the grandfather and father of Esau. He was proclaiming that his spiritual heritage had no value to him.

Of course, we might defend Esau. After all, he said that he was at the point of death. Was he? It seems very unlikely. The record says that he was faint. Esau said that he was at the point of death. If it was true that he was about to die, surely the divine record would have told us so. It is far more likely that Esau was looking for a way to justify his action in his own mind. Esau knew very well that what he was doing was wrong. While it’s true that Jacob was wrong in taking advantage of his older brother, that does not excuse Esau in any way. He sold his spiritual heritage from the Lord for a bowl of soup. He traded the eternal for the immediate.

The writer of Hebrews makes application of the example of Esau. Let’s read it in Heb. 12:12-17…
Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees; 13. And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed. 14. Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: 15. Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled; 16. Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright. 17. For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.

Esau is identified as a profane person, one who for a morsel of meat sold his birthright. That Greek word translated "profane" carries the idea of common. It originally meant "accessible, lawful to be trod upon." It would be almost the opposite of "holy," which means "set apart." Jeremiah urged the people of Israel to extract the precious from the vile, from the worthless. Esau did the opposite. He traded the holy and precious things of God for the common things of man. He forfeited the eternal for the immediate.

Let’s drive the point home, so that no one will miss it. Esau’s great need was to value the things of God. The birthright and the blessing represented a great heritage from the past and reached into the future. BUT Esau felt that his great need was a bowl of soup. The cry of his flesh was, "Feed me NOW. I can’t wait." Instead of realizing the danger, falling on his face, and crying out to God, "O Lord, deliver me from this temporal desire," he yielded to his flesh and sold his birthright.

The temptation that faced Esau faces every one of us. Esau labored for the meat that perishes, and that is what Satan is urging us to do. You and I are facing a continual battle. Will we value the eternal? Or will we value the worthless? We will cling to the precious? Or will we grab that thing that gives us immediate satisfaction?

Some of you here are lost. You have not yet come to repentance and faith. You have not yet denied yourself, taken up the cross, and followed Jesus. You have not been redeemed with the precious blood of Jesus Christ. You are apart from God and have no hope. Unless you fall on the stone which is Jesus Christ and are broken, you will perish. If you do not put your trust in Jesus, you will die in your sins. Your ultimate destiny will be the hell which God prepared for the devil and his angels. Unless there is a radical miracle from God, you will sell your soul for a bowl of soup. "For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?" (Matt. 16:26). I urge you to set your eyes on eternity. Look beyond immediate satisfaction to eternal glory. Don’t be fooled by the god of this world, but look to the God who created you and is worthy of your very life. Fall on your knees and cry out to Him for grace to seek eternal life. That eternal life is none other than Jesus Christ.

But don’t think for a minute that the Esau temptation is an issue only for the lost. No. Understand that our adversary, the devil, who walks about as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour, is no respecter of persons. You who name the name of Christ are being tempted constantly to pour yourself into the life of this world, at the expense of the eternal glory. For just a moment look beyond the immediate and see yourself standing at the judgment seat of Christ, where every one of you will receive according to what he has done in this body (II Cor. 5:10). There where everything is swallowed up by the glory of the Lamb, will you be glad about where your focus was this past week? This past year?

We read it often, but let’s read it again. Read II Cor. 4:17-18…
For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; 18. While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.

Let that sink deep into your mind and heart. The things we can see are temporal; they only last for a moment. The things we can’t see are eternal. But it’s hard to live a life that is focused on the things we cannot see. It would seem that is a heavy burden. Paul says it is only a light affliction in light of eternity, for that burden we endure as a result of focusing on the eternal is achieving for us everlasting weight of glory. Is this not what our Lord Jesus was speaking of, when He said, "Lay not up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and here thieves break through and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt and where thieves do not break through and steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also" (Matt. 6:19-21).

Who can deny these truths? Who can possibly advocate focusing on the temporal things rather than the eternal? But surely we must ask this question: "So what are the temporary things that are capable of stealing our focus from the eternal? Are there certain things in this world that are particularly dangerous? Right here in 21st century America, what things are capable of deceiving us into selling out the eternal for the worthless?" Please allow me to briefly mention three. I won’t need to say a lot. I have prayed that the Lord will sharpen our minds to take these things home and think about them.

1. Food. You may think I’m kidding, but I’m not. The physical food that we put into our bodies can overshadow the eternal lives. "But Ron, that’s ridiculous. There’s no deception about food. Surely no one is going to be fooled by such a straightforward temptation. And besides, we have to have food to survive."
I was reminded this week of these truths. Was it not the attraction of physical food that caused Esau to see his birthright? You can pursue this even further by looking at this same tendency in his father Isaac, of whom it was said, "And Isaac loved Esau, because he did eat of his venison…" (Gen. 25:28). Andrew Murray puts it like this…
"It was eating that lost Esau his birthright. It was eating that lost Adam and his seed the kingdom of God. It was in refusing to eat, when Satan tempted Him in the wilderness, that Jesus won back heaven for us" (The Holiest of All, p. 503).

Look at our society. We are told that one of the greatest health problems in our country is obesity. I read that two thirds of all Americans are overweight. Of course, obesity is not the problem, but only the symptom. Let it be said that there a few people who are overweight because of some type of glandular problem. And what the world says is overweight may mean nothing to God. However, it is still a fact that many of us are overweight because we like to eat. O that we were as diligent to feed ourselves on the Word of God as to feed these physical bodies!

May we remember the words of our Lord Jesus when He was tempted to eat after 40 days of fasting, "It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God" (Mt. 4:4). The "It is written" tells us where Jesus learned this truth; He learned it from the Word of God, from the eighth chapter of Deuteronomy. May God give us grace to learn the same.

2. Possessions. We live in a society where bumper stickers joke about men and their toys. Even the world recognizes the absurdity of men laboring tirelessly so that they can buy the latest vehicles and gadgets, but it simply laughs. It is no laughing matter for God, who by His Spirit led Paul to write these words in I Tim. 6:6-11…
But godliness with contentment is great gain. 7. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. 8. And having food and raiment let us be therewith content. 9. But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. 10. For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. 11. But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.

It has well been said that the tendency is for things to own us, rather than us owning things. We have a great capacity to justify a lust for possessions by comparing ourselves with others. "I don’t have near as much as Tom and Sally." Even if I am poor and only long for more, such lust will be a snare and will drown me in destruction.

3. Entertainment. In our society there is surely no idol so tall as the god of entertainment, which is served admirably by its cousin leisure. And we might as well face the fact that the chief head of this many-headed dragon is the TV. It’s influence is so pervasive that it is difficult to escape it. Go to the gym and find the TV. Go to Walmart and find the TV. Go to some restaurants, and it is waiting for you there. A couple of years ago I was assaulted by this monster while I was pumping gas. And now our technology will allow us to watch TV on our cell phone.

I don’t have to tell you about the garbage that is on the screen. And beware of "wholesome TV." Wholesome TV teaches us how to live apart from God, and there is a sense in which life apart from God is more dangerous than life opposed to God. When "the Beaver" gets himself into trouble again and goes to his dad for counsel, how many times have you seen his dad turn to the scriptures? How many times have you heard him say, "Son, let’s pray. The Lord will guide us"?

I know a brother who says, "If you can handle a TV, fine, but I can’t." We might test ourselves with this simple verse from Phil. 4:8, "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things."

A. W. Tozer says: "I can tell how much of God you have by how much entertainment you need."

And for those of you who have removed the TV from your home, beware that you replace it with the things of God, that you not remove one demon only to have seven more take its place. Col. 3:1-4…
If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. 2. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. 3. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. 4. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.

What we see on the screen, view on the web, or read in a publication can effectively negate our time with God in prayer and the Word, and it is not necessarily a one-to-one correspondence. Five minutes of filth can undo an hour of prayer.

If you have trouble seeing the danger of entertainment, or if you think you are not vulnerable to that danger, I challenge you to read Intoxicated with Babylon, by Steve Gallagher. There are two copies on the shelf back there.

Conclusion

Labor not for the meat which perishes, but for that which endures to eternal life. David says in Ps. 34:8, "O taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man that trusteth in him." It isn’t enough to determine that you will escape the dangers that swallow us up with the temporal things of this world. Our determination will fail. We must taste the goodness of the Lord. Our hope is that His goodness will get such a hold on us that we can’t get enough of Him.

A man named Asaph struggled with these things. He was greatly disturbed by the prosperity of the wicked. These wicked men had everything anyone could want. Though they thought of no one but themselves, they had all anyone could want (or so it seemed). Asaph said that his feet were almost gone, that his steps had nearly slipped (Ps. 73:2). But finally, when he came into the Lord’s presence, he got a glimpse of eternity. He saw what was valuable and what was not. He closed his Psalm with these words… (Ps. 73:25-28 NKJV)
Whom have in heaven but You?
And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You.
My flesh and my heart fail;
But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
For indeed, those who are far from You shall perish;
You have destroyed all those who desert You for harlotry.
But it is good for me to draw near to God;
I have put my trust in the Lord God, that I may declare all Your works.