Well, good morning. >> Good morning. >> Welcome to Bridgewater Church. Glad to see you here this weekend. I'm honored that you would choose to spend time here with us. We are excited to be in our third week of our series entitled Stay Out that we ask you all to come in for. Week one, we hit stay out of my entertainment, keeping God out of our living room. Last week, it was stay out of my wallet as we talked about money and we're going to get a little bit, we're going to have some fun today. Today, stay out of my kitchen. We're talking about keeping God out of my food. We're really talking about inviting God in to the uncomfortable areas of our lives. We want to have the goal of having no area of our life, no room locked, nothing kept hidden from God. We actually think that is the way to flourish in life. We think that when God spells out what he does, he does it for our good. We'll begin by talking about when Kristen and I first began having children. So when she was first pregnant with our oldest, we have high expectations. We were so excited. I had an idea of a little bit of what to expect. I'm the youngest of four, so my sisters had had kids and so I had nieces and nephew and things like that. And so I was excited to experience that for the first time. What I did not know was coming and really blindsided me. I think both of us to a degree was Mommy Wars. You got familiar with Mommy Wars? I think you are. I think that you know that there is a correct way to lay your child down to sleep. There are correct and incorrect things to feed your baby. There are schedules to keep and if you don't do it the correct way, you're going to mess that child up. And if you're wondering what the right way to do it is, just ask a young mom. Or ask a mom who has gone through that before. They'll tell you exactly the correct way. The problem is you ask a different one, they're going to tell you a different thing that is the correct way. It was a nightmare. I mean, criticism and judgment are being thrown around and lobbed like missiles and you really do step into it. We'll fast forward now. We have had all four of our children and we have moved into our 30s and suddenly we're realizing that fitness needs to be something that we give attention to. So we're aging in just a little bit and realizing we've got to step into, we just got to watch what we, we got to watch what we do. So we began asking people who would know or who we thought would know. And so we, what types of things should I as a 30 something year old man eat and not eat. And people are more than happy to give input in that. And then what exercises, what regimen should I do, what should Kristen do. And people just jumped right in there. But pretty quickly I realized we had stepped out of mommy wars into food and fitness wars. I mean, it was like never ending. And honestly, I think this is true of any area that you delve into in your life. You're going to meet people who know the correct way and that's the way it's got to be and it can drive you mad. It can actually do a couple of things that can cause you to feel like you need to look down on the other people who don't do what you do, but also it can cause you to carry unnecessary guilt for actually enjoying something that you do or enjoying something that you eat. I mean, there, just look it up online. Someone's going to tell you this is the way it ought to be. You could read a book after book. It's going to tell you something different, but each one purports to be the right way. So day in and day out, we interact with food. It is a very regular integral part of all of our lives. I know we have that in common. You may have even had something to eat or drink this morning. I hope you did. It's not. You're going to be miserable because we're talking about food the whole time. But in the past couple of weeks, we've been talking about entertainment and money. We have looked at one passage of Scripture repeatedly and we're going to do it again today. And it's this one. It's what Paul writes in 1 Corinthians chapter 10 to this dysfunctional church trying to give them some help. Here's what he says, chapter 10 verse 31. So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. Now Paul is talking about a range of things in this letter that he's writing, but he drills down on eating and drinking. He says God cares about the things that you eat or drink. Basically, if God cares about the very things that we eat or drink, which we do multiple times a day, what doesn't God care about in our lives? The implication is God cares about every part of our lives. And Paul is saying that followers of Jesus are meant to live lives that bring glory to God in every area, even down to the areas of eating and drinking. So we're to honor God with how we eat and drink, what we eat and drink, why we eat and drink, how much or how little we eat and drink, and I want to be clear. This message today is for followers of Jesus, okay? But if you're here today and you're not a follower of Jesus, what we're talking about points to the fact that God cares intimately about every area of your lives. Following Jesus is not a religious show, it's not a ritual, it's not something that we just do this here today to check it off our list because that's, I guess, what God wants. No, no, this is a way of life. And so when you say yes to Jesus, you actually say yes to every compartment in your heart, every part of your life and God intends in your following Him to do you good. Bring Him glory and to serve you well. It's interesting that Jesus called Himself the bread of life. If Jesus called Himself the bread of life, why is our relationship with food so dysfunctional? I mean, we love food, we hate food, we hate that we love food. We're worried about foods not to consume, carbs, sugar, alcohol, we're worried about the foods that we are consuming. Is it gluten-free? Is it dairy-free? Is it fat-free? I mean, food has become burdensome. I mean, should followers of Jesus stop eating white sugar? Does God really intend for us to jump on the Paleo diet? Does it even matter? What we're talking about today matters because it seems to matter to God. I do want to be careful. I'm not talking about food sensitivities or allergies. I get that stuff is real. Some of you should not eat certain things for your own survival. I'm not really talking about that. And when it comes to eating and drinking, I think many of us fall into one of two groups. The first group is the group that's resistant to God. That is, listen, I might give God some of the things I do. I know He's interested in my church attendance and my service and all of that kind of stuff. But food really, come on. Give me a break. Can I just eat and drink what I want to eat and drink? Others of you might be in a second group, and that would be the unaware of God group, where maybe it's news to you today that God actually cares about what you consume. The call today is for all of us to step into a third group, and that would be the group that is grateful to God. We understand food, we understand its place, we understand drink and all of that, and we are grateful to God for it. But before we dig into this subject a little bit, I want to be careful to say, I am not aiming this sermon at those who may be secretly struggling with food, with your relationship with food. As a pastor for many years, I have encountered so many people who struggle with this, with too much, with too little, with the balance, and they just are wrecked by it today. I hope you can find a little bit of hope. Maybe the rest of us can show a little bit of understanding. So again, this sermon is not for those of you who are trying to lose weight or who are wanting to try to lose weight. The sermon is actually about all of us, and the common struggles that we have out here in our choices and behavior that actually come from problems inside of us. That's what we have in common. The things that we wrestle, struggle, and fail at out here are directly linked to what's already happening in our hearts. When it comes to food, there are a number of traps that are available. You can be into gluttony, I mean, we're just giving yourself to food all the time. You can be into asceticism where you're actually denying yourself things that you probably could actually have and might even enjoy. But then there's pride, there's arrogance, there's comparison and criticism, self-righteous So really there are a couple pitfalls to avoid. The first pitfall I think we need to recognize in the room is the pitfall of self-righteousness and pride. That is where I have made decisions with my food, with my food and drink that are right for me, that are good for me, but I now impose on all of you and judge you by whether you uphold my standard for myself. We should not be that kind of place. I mean, those who eat really healthy can look down on those who don't and those who actually seem to enjoy food, can look down on those who are like counting every calorie. I think another pitfall would be letting your stomach be your God and legitimately not telling yourself no. Just not hitting me off the kill switch every now and then on food. And do that long enough, things will start to change for you for sure. But this stuff can be a maze to try to navigate. And could it really even matter that much? I mean, does God have anything to say about it? Does he even care? Could it be that each of us could do things differently from each other and none of us be wrong? There's a lot to learn. And I think that when we approach the Bible on things like this, we undersell it. I think that most people believe the Bible has a lot to say about spiritual things. Like big ideas when it comes to connection with God and sort of high ideas and has very little to do at street level in our lives. Today I hope bust that myth to show us that God has words to say and hope to give in the very everyday mundane things that you and I experience all the time. I do want to say too, if you're hearing this this morning and you don't believe you have any struggle with food or drink or anything like that, that's okay. Just please know people around you do. Somebody in your world for sure wrestles probably secretly with something like this. So let's seek to gain understanding and then give compassion. I mean, you think about food. I just know you're at a restaurant, right? And you're watching someone eat and eat and eat and eat and eat and eat and it looks like they walk away with no consequence. Like must be nice while others like have a bite of lettuce and all of a sudden you're wondering where those inches came from. It's crazy but I think if we're not careful we're going to focus on all that kind of stuff on what we're actually doing and we're going to miss the whole point of what God says about food. So remember our goal is to learn to eat and drink to the glory of God. But what if God didn't care so much what you eat but how you eat? What if He was more concerned with how we're going about this than He is with what we're actually consuming? Hear me out now. There's certainly there are some boundaries on this statement but passage after passage seems to point to the fact that God is after something far beyond carbs and proteins and veggies and all that kind of stuff. Look at 1 Corinthians 8-8 on the screen behind me. It's true that we can't win God's approval by what we eat. We don't lose anything if we don't need it. We don't gain anything if we do. And then Paul in 1 Timothy says this, "They will say it's wrong to be married and wrong to eat certain foods but God created those foods to be eaten with thanks by faithful people who know the truth. Since everything God created is good we should not reject any of it but receive it with thanks. Remember we know it's made acceptable by the Word of God in prayer. And then Luke 8, Jesus himself says, "If you enter a town and it welcomes you eat whatever is set before you." His closest followers are walking into town and he's basically saying they should not be asking a distance to have white sugar in it. Are these processed carbs? Is this organic? No, he's not even talking about that. And I'm really glad that we're not the first ones that have to wrestle with this issue. I'm so glad that people generations ago wrestled with this and then God himself said something about it. So that's what we're going to do. And here's how we're getting started. We're going to get into a passage of Scripture in Matthew's gospel. His account of Jesus' life where the religious people, the good church people, are having a big problem with how Jesus and his closest followers are handling food. Now catch the subtle hint there. It's the religious people. It's the church people. Okay, looking at you, if you come here regularly and are a part of what's going on, they are the problem in this passage. They are judging, they are arrogant, they are self-righteous, and I just need to remind all of us. That has no place among us. This is not that place, all right? We are not going to be those people. Jesus has words for those people. Let's look at what those are. Matthew 15 verse 7 to start. You hypocrites, Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you. For he wrote, "These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship is a farce for they teach man-made ideas as commands from God." So they're going after Jesus and his disciples. The religious people are saying, "You're not doing it right. You're eating what you shouldn't. You're eating when you shouldn't. You're eating how." Oh, this is a big, big problem. Jesus says, "No, it's not really about any of that." Jesus says, "The problem is with your heart. Your approach to food, get it now, shows what's happening in your heart. You've cleaned the outside," he says, "but you've never dealt with the inside because of it. Your heart's far away from me." In other words, Jesus is saying, "Don't just modify your behavior, monitor your heart." It's so easy to look at outward choices and to try to make sense of right and wrong. Jesus is saying outward, it does matter, but it matters because of what it reveals about what's actually going on in your heart. So let's talk about that. Now, in the next few verses, Jesus continues to explain this, and his closest followers are not understanding what he's saying, and so he breaks it down for them real plane-like. And it's encouraging to me because it may be this to you because maybe if you've ever read in the Bible anything and you're like, "Ah, I'm not really sure what it's saying. We're in good company," because even Jesus' closest followers needed some clarity. So Jesus gives it to him in verse 16 and Matthew 15, "Don't you understand yet?" Jesus asks, "Anything you eat passes through the stomach and then goes into the sewer." Okay. So we get that, right? Food. Wherever you eat goes into your stomach and then you get the picture of what's happening there, right? That's not the problem with food. What is then the problem with food? Jesus goes on, verse 18, "But the words you speak come from the heart." That's what defiles you from the heart, come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, all sexual immorality, theft, lying, and slander. These are what defile you. The things you do, Jesus says, come from your heart. So you better be looking here if you want to adjust anything out here. So the big issue is not food. It is our hearts. It can cause us big problems. In this case, Jesus says, I'm pointing out a problem here, your hypocrisy, your arrogance, your self-righteousness. He's going after the religious people. Jesus says the big issue with food isn't what you eat, but how you eat, or maybe even why you eat. There's a parallel passage here, similar account, Mark's perspective on Jesus' life. Mark 7, here's what it says, beginning in verse 19, "Jesus talking, food doesn't go into your heart, but only passes through the stomach and then goes into the sewer." By saying this, he declared that every kind of food is acceptable in God's eyes. Then he added, "It's what comes from inside that defiles you, for from within, out of a person's heart, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, wickedness, deceit, lustful desires, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness." Interesting. All these things come from within, and they're what defile you. So we can change our diets, we can limit our consumption, but if we don't understand what food is and why God gave it to us, we're going to go wrong here in some way. We're going to continue to make the issue of food greater or lesser than it actually is. We could give ourselves over then to greed or gluttony, pride, or even foolishness when it comes to food. We could be critical and judgmental of others and possibly even walk around carrying unnecessary guilt for the things that we're eating or drinking. So again, the big issue with food Jesus says is with your heart, and we need to eat and drink to the glory of God. So if food does matter and God does mention it, we need to ask the question, what does the Bible say about food? It actually says an awful lot. Again, this is one of those areas where if you wanted help on food or diet, you typically are not going to turn to the Bible. You're not going to go there, you're going to go to men's fitness, women's fitness or men's health or whatever or some self-help book or to a nutritionist and not even that you shouldn't do those things, but you need to understand what food is for. The Bible is filled with food language, taste and see that the Lord is good, hunger and thirst for righteousness. God knows that this resonates with us. But there are at least three themes that show up in Scripture about food that we need to understand. They begin in the opening chapters of the book of Genesis, way back the first part of the Bible. Genesis 1.29. Then God said, "I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it, they will be yours for food." And those who love the idea of being a vegetarian are like, "See, right there." Right there in the Scripture, there it is. When God made everything, He gave them plants. A few chapters later, God says other things, look at chapter 9, verse 3. Everything that lives and moves about will be food for you. Just as I gave you green plants, I now give you everything. So God adds some chapters to the cookbook, all right? He's providing for His people. And what we need to understand here is He's providing sustenance. He's providing nutrition. So the first big idea that we can get from God's word on food is food is nutrition. It's nutrition. But if that's all we said about food, then we could come to the conclusion that food is fuel. So here's my list of things to do today, and the output required to get them done. So therefore, here are the calories that I need to consume in order to get the things done that I need. Food is fuel. That's it. I don't need to get fancy with the spices or herbs or whatever, and I don't even know what those are or how you would do that. I know it happens, and I appreciate it. But food could just be fuel for you if you think it's simply nutrition. Problem is, the Bible has more to say about it than just that. Consider what Solomon says in Ecclesiastes 9, 7, "Go, eat your food with gladness. Drink your wine with a joyful heart, for God has already approved what you do." Here in the context of food, we've got words like gladness and joy. Interesting, there's these emotions attached to food. So what we can gather here is food is for pleasure. Food is for pleasure. So those of you who would like to go nice and slow on your cup of coffee, savor your steak, love your fake meat burger, you're all right. Enjoy it. You should. There should be some pleasure when it comes to food. It's a gift of God. It's amazing. God is good. He gives good gifts. Our problem, if we look at food as the source of pleasure, rather than God as the giver of that food, is we will think that pleasure itself is derived in food. And there we end in gluttony. There we end in giving ourselves over to really terrible eating habits. No, no, no. When we enjoy food, when you take a bite, take a sip and you're like, "Oh, yes." Let your praise roll on up to God from where it came. Food is for pleasure meant to point us to the good God who gave us those good gifts. But finally, there's another reason God has given us food is you look at Scripture. I think you could find this. Paul, again, in 1 Corinthians talks about it though in chapter 11. Here's what he says. So then when you come together, it's not the Lord's supper you eat for when you're eating. Some of you go ahead with your own private suppers. As a result, one person remains hungry and another gets drunk. Don't you have homes to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God by humiliating those who have nothing? Paul's talking about the common practice of communion or the Lord's supper when you eat and drink to remember the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. And these people are bringing their own, you know, picnic baskets and they're just having a feast watching others who really have less means just like scrub something together and be like, "Boy, I hope they get something to them." There's McDonald's down the road. But they're not sharing. They're missing the whole point. Not only are we to celebrate and remember the death of Jesus, but it's pointing to something else that Paul seems to think is going to happen here around communion. And that is this. Relationships. Food is for relationships. Drawing us close to God and drawing us close together with each other. Literally food is for communion or relationship. It gives us an opportunity to sit down, to settle down and to savor the good friendships we have and the good food we have. We do this really, really weird here in the United States compared to some other places. Kristen, many years ago, spent some time in Bermuda and as she did, one of the biggest learning curves for her was how long it takes to actually consume a meal. Evidently with no concern for whether the food is hot or cold, they just linger long over dinner. Lots of this, not much of this. And it was unsettling to her like it just takes so long. But now, I think about our family and how we approach meals like Thanksgiving, all the hours and weeks of prep and gathering groceries and all that and you finally get it all in one spot and 20 minutes later it's gone. Just gone and we're done. And so all this work for 20 minutes of enjoyment and then a couple hours more of cleaning up and putting away and then we're just passed out on the couch in the living room or something like that. I think there's something to be said for slowing down but we have replaced the table with the couch in the car and I think the dysfunction in our relationships may just be linked to some of that. We don't prioritize the type of connection that a meal can bring so we miss out on what it can offer. So then what do we do with this area of food? How are we supposed to navigate this area of our lives? I think we need to pay attention to our relationship to food and what it tells us about our hearts. I think that's where Jesus is going here. First, I think we need to refuse to force our opinions and decisions on other people. If they're right for me and God has not cursed any food and there is not one more holy sugar than another then I think I should just eat what I want to eat and that can be okay for me and you can eat what you should eat and that can be okay for you and I don't need to make you feel guilty for not holding my standard. So we don't need more food wars, the occasional food fight could be fun but not food wars. I think we also have to refuse to settle for the latest fads or techniques to help us know whether we're right with food or not. We need to pay attention to how we eat and how much we eat and all that but certainly what it reveals about our heart and thirdly I think we need to surrender our hearts to God. He wants every area even our relationship with food. You see even food requires that you monitor your heart and surrender your will to God. As I said following Jesus is a way of life. It's not just a religious act or an activity. Now let me give you one last boundary when it comes to food and drink. We need to pay attention to it. No matter what it is enjoy food but don't be mastered by it and this includes alcohol as well. Consider once again Paul's words 1 Corinthians 6-12 here's what he says. You say I'm allowed to do anything but not everything is good for you and even though I'm allowed to do everything I must not become a slave to anything. There's an element where food can become our master and we do not tell ourselves no. Our stomachs can be our gods. This hits home for me. I think we would be shocked if we knew who in this room alone wrestled with food and their relationship to food. I happen to be at a wedding this weekend. Ben you got married this weekend and Ben and Shannon it was really really great and there was food there. So we get to the reception and there's some hors d'oeuvres lined up. You got crackers and meat and cheese and veggies and fruit. I had some of that. No harm. No foul. I felt pretty good about that. There also may have been other food there. There might have been pasta and I could have had some. Maybe even a slice of pizza or multiple pieces of chicken. Don't forget the dinner roll and the salad that slipped onto my plate as well. I don't think any of those foods are wrong but I would tell you I consumed all of them and when I did I was done. I knew I was done. I had had plenty. And then some well-meaning person came around to the table and delivered a plate. That plate had cookies on it. Not like two like 75. Now they were very small which is what I kept telling myself. There might have been 15 varieties of cookies on that plate and as I said I was done. I knew I was done. So I just had one of each kind. I gave a look to Kristin and said this is bad. This is bad. I didn't go drive off the edge of the road or anything when we left but I did not tell myself no. I did not have self-control. I knew I needed to stop and I didn't stop. And that's just me. I'm wondering maybe if you've got a thing with food too. I don't know but I'm here to say God cares and he actually has something to say. I don't think any of those cookies were wrong. I think my choice to eat them was wrong. Okay. So let's go back to the three groups that I said I think exist here. The first group, the resistant to God group, let me help you out. Give God control. How do you eat and drink to the glory of God? You give God control of what you eat. He desires and deserves to have thus say in your relationship with food and drink no matter what it is. Group number two, those unaware of God? I think the call today is to invite God in. Invite God in. Let God speak into the area of food and drink for you and see what may need to change. We all need to head toward that third group and here's the third group. The grateful to God group and the call there. Enjoy the gift of food. When you get something that's good, enjoy it and thank God for it. He's given it to us to enjoy. So would you take the next step of allowing God to speak into your eating and drinking habits? I do want to say if you are wrestling silently, really, really struggling, there is hope for you and there is hope. I know people here at Bridgewater Tunkanic stand ready to help you. Talk to Pastor Kurt. Talk to Amanda. Talk to your small group leader. Just address someone with a blue and white name tag. We can get you help in the direction where you need it. You do not need to live with unanswered questions. And lastly, I just want to commend a resource to you. This book by Tilly Dilahay called Broken Bread is extremely helpful. You can find it on the audio, digital and hard copy as well. Really is a well-rounded perspective on what God's Word has to say about food. You may find some hope. You may find some help there. But I think it's clear enough today. We need the kind of help that God can give. Let's pray and ask for it. Would you pray with me? God, we really do step into life and into flourishing when we give you control of the areas of our lives. And I'm so glad that we're not left to try to even navigate something like food on our own. You give guidance there and you give help. But the help we need is at the heart level and we are not equipped to just make those changes. We need you to lead us, you to change us. As we give you control today, I pray that you would give us great joy knowing that we are stepping into life. It's in your great name that we pray, amen.
