Join together in following my example, brothers and sisters, and just as you have us as a model, keep your eyes on those who live as we do. For, as I have often told you before and now tell you again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body. (Philippians 3:17-21 NIV)
What was the very first sin? You remember the story. Adam and Eve lived in the perfect Garden of Eden. The devil came in the form of a snake and tempted Eve to sin. What was that first sin? Eating. I had never really thought about that before. Of course, the eating was wrong because it disobeyed God’s command. Envy and pride were mixed in too. But the very first sin was committed by eating. When I first started to think about the Seven Deadly Sins, I have to confess that this one seems the least deadly: Gluttony. Really? Is eating too much really that bad? Maybe it’s because I like to eat… So it’s good to remember that the very first sin involved eating.
Not because eating is wrong or because food is wrong. Food is a gift from God! But this is what sin does: It takes a gift of God and puts it in place of God himself. You are a blessing from God. You are unique and special. But when you love yourself most, it becomes deadly… Pride! Things are a blessing from God: Cars, houses, and jobs. But when we constantly wish we had someone else’s things, it becomes deadly… Envy! Rest is a blessing from God. After he created the world, God rested. But when all we want to do is rest, it becomes deadly… Laziness. Sex is a blessing from God, but when we seek it outside of marriage, it becomes deadly… Lust.
See a pattern? Sin takes God’s blessings and makes them into idols. That happens with food too, and it’s a big deal. For proof, listen to what Paul writes to a group of Christians in our lesson tonight. There is urgency in his message! He says, “Join together in following my example, brothers and sisters… For, as I have often told you before and now tell you again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ.” When you talk to someone with tears, that means you really care about what you are saying! Paul was concerned that these Christian friends would live like enemies of the cross of Christ. That sounds bad, doesn’t it?
So what were these enemies of the cross of Christ doing? You’d expect something really bad, right? “They are murdering people!” Or, “They are committing adultery left and right.” That’s what we’d expect. Except, what were these enemies of the cross of Christ actually doing? “Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is set on earthly things.” Here was the deadly, awful thing people were doing as enemies of the cross of Christ: Making their stomachs their god. Wait… That was that bad? Yes!
How so? Food and drink, just like all of God’s good gifts, can turn into idols that lead us away from Jesus. That’s easy to see with drinking. The Bible is very consistent in its message that alcohol itself is not sinful. Wine was an indispensable part of people’s diets in Bible times. Jesus drank wine and used wine in the Lord’s Supper. Alcohol itself is not sinful. But the Bible is very consistent that drunkenness is always sinful. No matter what alcohol you’re drinking or who you’re hanging out with, drunkenness is a sin against God that leads to lots of other sins. If you make your stomach your god by getting drunk, you are living as an enemy of the cross of Christ.
But what about food. How is eating food sinful? Hundreds of years ago, a famous Catholic theologian wrote about the Seven Deadly Sins. Have you ever heard of Thomas Aquinas? He lived in the 1200s. Thomas Aquinas said there were five ways that gluttony is sinful: 1) Eating at the wrong times. 2) Eating too much. 3) Eating lavish food—more expensive than it needs to be. 4) Greedily wasting food without sharing with others. 5) Eating daintily—spending too much time on food preparation. What do you think? Those are more specific than what the Bible says.
Instead of giving us a list, Paul gets at the heart: When is eating sinful? When your stomach is your god. Ask yourself this: Are you eating for food, or are your eating to fill your soul? Are you drinking for enjoyment, or are you trying to drink away your problems? Can you see the difference? How often when we eat are we trying to escape? Are we trying to comfort ourselves? Are we hoping to find happiness? Are we using food or alcohol to get our minds through another day? If that’s the case, what have we made food or drink into? Our hope. Our idol. Our god.
I know that might seem harmless, but no idol is harmless. Paul says: “Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame.” If you look to alcohol to fill you, your destiny is destruction. It can’t save you. “Their glory is in their shame.” Isn’t that how we treat drunkenness? We laugh about it. We glory in it. God doesn’t. If you look to food to fill you, your destiny is destruction. That food can give energy to your body, but it can’t save your soul. Actually, the more you eat, the less energy you have for God’s work. Food makes a poor god. It can’t save you. The moment you’re done eating, you need more.
So is food your god? I once went to Mexico to study Spanish. I stayed for two weeks with a very nice, old Mexican lady. She really liked to eat. On my very first evening in her house, she said, “My husband died a few years ago. Ever since then, I’ve just let myself go. I’m not going to get married again, so I eat whatever I want. Food makes me feel happy.” My heart went out to her. There was a problem with what she was saying. She wasn’t supposed to be living for her husband in the first place. Whom was she supposed to live for? God! Now that her husband was gone, she was looking for something to fill her, and what was she turning to? Food. It was her idol. Her god. Just like it often is for you and for me. Watch out! “Their destiny is destruction.”
Yet, here is one of the clearest evidences of God’s grace. We’ve misused his gift of food. Yet, what does God still do? Give us food. Isn’t that amazing? It’s all God’s grace. Every time you eat, think of the grace of God. He really is amazing! If I were God, the world would be full of cold cereal and peanut butter sandwiches. But what foods has God created? So many different ones! God has made so many things taste so good together. It’s amazing! God is a world-class chef. He continues to let us enjoy food and drink out of his grace to us. Let’s thank him!
But God is also very clear about something: You need more than food. Food can’t fill you. Drinking can’t fill you. Only Jesus can. Paul goes on to say, “But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ.” Where does our Savior come from? Heaven! Our Savior isn’t making it to dinner and really enjoying it. Our Savior isn’t getting home and cracking open a bottle. Our Savior isn’t the right snack right before bed. You’ll be hungry again soon. You’ll feel empty again soon. Our Savior is the Lord Jesus Christ, who one day “will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.”
The Bible gives us such a balanced picture: Food is a gift from God. But food doesn’t really fill you. Only Jesus does. There’s a powerful example of that during Jesus’ life. Remember when Jesus fed 5,000 people? Does Jesus care about our food? Absolutely. He provides for us! Do you know what you never hear in the story of the feeding of the 5,000? “Just take one piece…” Or, “Make sure there’s enough to go around.” No! That’s not Jesus. He’s so generous! John 6 tells us that they “had as much as they wanted” and “they all had enough to eat” (John 6:11-12). There were even twelve baskets of leftovers! Food is a gift from God. He gives to us so generously!
But do you know what happened after Jesus fed the 5,000? The next day, all the people came to Jesus again. Why do you think they came back? More free food! Do you know what Jesus told them? “Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you” (John 6:27). What was Jesus talking about? He explained, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty” (John 6:35). What was he saying? “I came to fill your souls, not just your stomachs.” And do you know what happened? Just about everybody left. “From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him” (John 6:66). Their god was their stomach.
Don’t miss the real food. You have a Bread better than the best bread in the world. Jesus is the Bread of Life who gives eternal life to all who believe in him. You have a Drink better than the best wine in the world. Jesus is the Water of Life who fills us with peace and hope. Do you see what Jesus was promising to those people long ago? Whenever you eat or drink on earth, you always have to do it again. But Jesus came to fill you. Forever. His body and blood on the cross washed away your sins. His promise of heaven gives us something to really look forward to.
So feed your soul. Focus on feeding your soul. Self-control is so hard. I know it! Especially when it comes to food. But realize something: Often your cravings aren’t actually for food or drink. That’s why they don’t go away when you eat or drink something. You are craving something deeper. Something more. Your soul yearns to know that you are loved and special. Your heart longs to be filled with forgiveness and purpose. Your soul is craving the Bread of Life. If you feed your soul regularly, I bet you’ll find it easier not to over-indulge your body.
During my time at the house of that Mexican lady, one night I got the chance to talk with her about Jesus. She asked questions for two hours about Jesus. About faith. And how he died for us. And how he loves us. And how we’ll be in heaven with him someday. I still remember how tears came to her eyes. She kept saying, “This is the best news I have ever heard. This is the best news I have ever heard.” That whole night, she didn’t eat anything, yet she was so full. Full of Jesus. That’s what Jesus came to do. To fill you. To save you. If your soul is hungry, if your heart is thirsty, be filled this Holy Week with the best food and drink—the Bread and Water of Life.
(To listen to this sermon on my Upside-Down Savior podcast, please click HERE. To watch this sermon on my Upside-Down Savior YouTube channel, please click on the link below.)
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