Dear Christian friends:

What do you live for? What? Some people continue living because they are afraid to die. They really don't want to continue living, but they also don't want to die. Others live for becoming rich and famous or to have a good time. Parents often live for their children. Some people live to eat.

What do you live for? What? You say you are a Christian. Christians live for Jesus. St. Paul said, "I live for Jesus." (Philippians 1:21) Every true Christian lives to serve Jesus.

In our text Jesus reminds us of this:


Those who live for Jesus have new life, spiritual life, eternal life. If a person does not have this new life in him, he can't live for Jesus.

Those who have only the old life, or natural life cannot live for Jesus. Many people think they can live for Jesus with their old, natural life. The Jews here in our text thought that. When Jesus told them about the new eternal life which He gives, they were insulted, and refused to believe in Him, (verses 51-52 and 66) They thought that because they were born of Jewish parents they were God's children. They thought God loves Jewish people, He does not love other nations or races.

Today many people are proud and self-righteous like these Jews. Many people have racial prejudice. White people think God loves them more than He loves black people or Mexicans or Koreans or Vietnamese or Chinese or Japanese or any other nation. We often are not eager to do mission work in other nations. Why? Maybe because we are proud and self-righteous like these Jews. We think God loves us because of our old nature or nation or race. We are white! We are Americans! God loves our nation. He doesn't love other nations. We don't care about other nations.

If we think like that we are not living for Jesus; we do not yet have His new, spiritual, eternal life. We have not really been born again yet. Jesus told the proud Jewish rabbi, Nicodemus, "You must be born again." (John 3:3-7) And here in our text Jesus said to the unbelieving Jewish people: "Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of Man, and drink his blood ye have no life in you. (verse 53)

We must have new life, spiritual life, eternal life in us, then we can live for Jesus. Jesus says, "Whoever eats My body, and drinks My blood, has eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. For My body is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed." (verse 54) Jesus means that we must believe the Gospel that He is the Son of God who came down from heaven and gave His body and shed His blood on the cross that we sinners can have forgiveness of sins and because of that eternal life, if you believe in Jesus' body and blood, given and shed for you, then you have His life in you. If you don't believe that, you have not His life and you can't live for Him.

If you have Jesus' life in you then you will gladly live for Jesus. He says in our text, "He that eats My body, and drinks My blood, lives in Me, and I in him. As the living Father has sent Me, and I live by the Father: so he that eats Me, he shall live by Me." (verses 56-57) When we humbly confess our sins and believe that Jesus is our Savior, He lives in our heart and we love Him and gladly do for Him and serve Him our dear Savior and Lord. We will not live like the unbelievers who in their ignorance live for eating and drinking and all earthly pleasures and sins. In the Epistle Lesson for today, which I read to you before St. Paul reminds us Christians about that. He says, "Then see that you walk with care, Don't walk as ignorant people, but as wise. Use your time wisely, because the days are evil. Therefore, don't remain foolish, but rightly understand the will of the Lord. Don't get drunk with wine, because that degrades you; but be filled with the Spirit. Speak to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and give praise to the Lord in your hearts. Give thanks to Him always for all things unto God the Father in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ." (Ephesians 5:15-20) Here St. Paul gives us good ideas about how we can live for Jesus:

1. Don't live like the unbelievers, verses 15-16

2. Learn God's Word so you become wise and know what He wants you to do, verse 17

3. Don't live to eat. But eat sensibly to live for Jesus. Don't eat too much, don't drink too much, verse 18

4, Worship God with your fellow Christians regularly, verse, 19

5. Don't complain, complain but give thanks always for all things that happen to you, verse 20

6. LIVE FOR JESUS and give glory to God, the Father, verse 20

I want to close with this beautiful hymn by Thomas Obediah Chisholm,lyrics and Carl Harold Lowden, music.

Living For Jesus a life that is true:

Verse 1

Living for Jesus a life that is true,
Striving to please Him in all that I do;
Yielding allegiance, glad hearted and free,
This is the pathway of blessing for me,

Refrain:

O Jesus, Lord and Savior,
I give myself to Thee,
For Thou, in Thy atonement (suffering)
Didst give Thyself for me;
I have no other Master,
My heart shall be Thy throne,
My life I give, henceforth to live,
O Christ, for Thee alone.

Amen.