02 - Eat, Drink & Listen

Texts: “Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent. Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me” (Rev. 3:19–20, NIV). “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them (John 6:56, NIV). (2011).

Theme: Jesus longs to eat and drink with you.

Intro: Today, we’ll continue to talk about how to dwell with God. Last week, we learned that according to Psalm 91, dwelling in the secret place of the Most High is the key to staying safe and secure in God. Staying safe in God doesn’t mean you’ll have no difficulties in life. However, your soul––your inner life––will be protected. And whatever the enemy throws at you will be turned to good.

The first two pointers about dwelling with God are 1) Draw close to him, and 2) Worship. Today, we will push forward and talk about the last three points. We begin with the call to eat, and we will focus mainly on this point. And near the end, I want to share with you more of the prophetic message the Lord gave to me on my prayer retreat.

1) Eat (Rev. 3:19-20; John 6:56).

I observed something last year. Many of God’s people got bitter, sour, and off-track. Across the world, numerous people turned back and left Jesus behind. And it all has to do with this subject of spiritual eating.

Let’s look at John 6:56-69

Jesus teaches that dwelling with him means eating and drinking his body and blood.

What does that mean?

Here’s how I translate John 6:56: “The one who eats my body––my sinless nature––and drinks my blood––my very life––dwells with me intimately, and I intimately dwell with him.”

Jesus embodies the Word of God and everything good about the Father. Jesus embodies grace and truth.

So when you are eating his body and drinking his blood, you are taking in his eternal nature and life.

In other words, Jesus is becoming a part of you.

This is the teaching that most people following Jesus misunderstood and therefore turned their back on him (John 6:66).

But practicing it is essential to your longevity as Jesus disciple.

Think about what it means to dwell with someone.

When you dwell with someone, you eat and drink with them.

You’re not someone at the door collecting donations or a casual drop-in. Instead, where you dwell is where you live.

Now, in Biblical times the Jews saw eating with someone as sacred.

That’s why Peter stopped eating with Gentiles. He viewed eating as holy, and he didn’t want to defile himself (Gal. 2:11-13).

And remember how upset the Pharisees were when Jesus ate with sinners (Mark 2:13-17).

Eating with someone means your fellowshipping with them––you're sharing your life with them––and exchanging conversation.

Listen to Jesus’ call––his heart’s cry to the Laodicean church in Revelation 3:19-20.

He’s knocking at their door.

He wants to come in and eat with them.

What Jesus longs for is fellowship.

And this is Jesus’ solution to their lukewarmness.

They’ve become lukewarm because they have lost that dynamic dwelling with Jesus.

They’ve stopped this spiritual eating and drinking with Jesus.

So what does Jesus want us to eat? And what exactly is Jesus serving?

We’ve already touched on it, but let’s go deeper.

Let’s look at the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness (Matt. 4:1-4).

Jesus was hungry, so the devil tempted him to eat the wrong thing.

The devil will tempt you with what you lack.

If you’re lonely, he’ll tempt you with bad relationships.

If you’re zealous for God, he tempts you with bad teaching.

The enemy’s tactic is to feed you with the wrong stuff––just like what he did with Eve.

How does Jesus respond to this first temptation?

“Jesus answered, ‘It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matt. 4:4).

It’s clear that we are to eat the Word of God and that we should be more dependent on God’s Word than on physical food.

We can also see in this verse that Jesus knew the Scripture. He said, ‘It is written.’

So knowing what is written and how to apply it is critical.

And notice how Satan fights back. In the next temptation, he quotes Psalm 91––and that’s the Psalm we’ve been meditating on this year.

Here we learn that we need to apply Psalm 91 properly––not as some type of magic protection but rather as a call to intimacy and fellowship with the Most High (Elyon).

God’s Word is like a house.

You can be on the outside of the house looking in. For example, some people see the house from a distance. Others get a bit closer and peer into the windows. But the only way the Word of God benefits you is if you enter into the house––if you dwell there.

Each one of us needs to go past knowledge about the Word and press into personally knowing the Word of God by dwelling in it.

It’s like watching a cooking TV show. You watch someone else cook and eat. Yet, you will still remain hungry and weak unless you eat the meal yourself.

The Word of God is like that. It’s of no profit unless you proactively start cutting it up, chewing on it and digesting it (*Prov. 19:24; 26:15).

It’s all about getting the Word of God inside of you and strengthening you.

You want to dwell in the Word and the Word to dwell in you.

Learn to dwell in the Word. See it as a home full of treasure. You need keys to unlock the doors, but the Holy Spirit is willing to give these keys to the humble.

Get into the Word––that’s where the power and joy are found. Don’t stand outside the house looking into the window, watching everyone else eat. Enter into the Word and experience it.

This takes time; it takes slowing down. It means lingering and luxuriating in the Word. Remember, when you dwell somewhere, you slow down and relax.

This has been a big part of my own healing process from the craziness of last year. I’ve been spending lots of time feasting on the Word with Jesus, and I can testify to you that it works.

2) Listen (John 6:67-69).

The next pointer for dwelling with God is listening to him.

This is what you do when you eat with someone––you listen to them.

What I do is I open up the Scripture, read it, ask God for help in understanding it and then listen to what he is saying through it.

The safest place to hear God is by dwelling in his written Word.

It’s as simple as opening the Scripture and listening. We all can do it because you have the Holy Spirit living in you, teaching you if you are saved.

And if you can’t read, you can listen to the Scripture read to you.

Last week, as I was listening to Jesus, he began to speak to me out of the wind storm on the Sunshine Coast (21 JAN 2022). Here’s more of what he said to me,

“Over the last few years, strong winds have been blowing. It breaks my heart that my people have been tossed around by every wind and wave of doctrine (Eph. 4). They have chosen fads over me, running after those who say what their itching ears want to hear. It’s time for my people to be rooted and grounded in Jesus the Messiah and grow in maturity. They are not loyal to one another because they are not loyal to me.

“A couple of days ago, as you looked at the trees, it looked like all the branches were attached. But then my strong winds blew, and the loose branches were exposed. This is a time for my people to learn the depths of wisdom hidden in John 15.

“The wind will draw you close to me if you let it. The wind will speed up my work. The sailor can get to their destination quicker in strong winds. The skilled sailor has learned to harness the wind.

“The wind makes the waves of my Spirit stronger. The wind causes my seeds to be carried further. For those who know me, the wind is their friend.”

Some of what Jesus was speaking to me was hard to hear because it was sad. It pains me to see so many people tossed by every spiritual and worldly fad out there.

But this is what it means to fellowship with Jesus. We must listen to the whole Word and share in God’s sorrow. If you share in God’s sorrow, you’ll also share in his genuine joy.

3) Linger (Ecc. 8:3).

In closing, dwelling with God means lingering––not being in such a rush.

So Father, help us to slow down so that we can get to know your heart.

Conclusion: All of our points on how to dwell with God spell ‘DWELL.’ 1) Draw close, 2) Worship, 3) Eat, 4) Listen and 5) Linger. Put these in practice, and I know you’ll be blessed.

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