|
Spiritual
Hunger
There are many churches in this world who picture themselves as
Christian. They have a variety of doctrines. Some believe in this...some
believe in that. But they are all different in one manner or another.
Baptists believe in baptism by immersion; others don't. Catholics believe
in the authority of the papacy. In fact, Pope Benedict has said only the
Catholic church is the original, true Christian church. Seventh day
Adventists believe in the seventh day Sabbath. Many disagree strongly with
the beliefs of their "Christian" peers. Why are there so many churches,
each claiming to be Christian?
Why do people associate themselves with one of these church
denominations instead of another? What motivates people to choose one
variety of "Christianity" instead of another?
There are many reasons why people associate themselves with various
churches:
1. The church is nearby.
2. They like the minister.
3. They have never heard anything negative about the church and its
doctrines.
4. Their relatives or neighbors attended that church or they were
"born into it".
5. They have a good youth program.
6. The church's architecture is admired by the community.
But it is the next reason which probably describes why you are here:
7. They are attracted to the church because they have
proved that the doctrines of the church conform to Biblical
teaching and have found they answer certain nagging questions, hitherto
unanswered, about man's relationship with Christ and our Father.
Those in this last category have experienced a drawing or attraction,
both of which are forms of spiritual hunger for God's truth and God's
presence in their lives.
It is this spiritual hunger that I want to discuss today in this
sermon.
Let's first find out what spiritual hunger isn't. Turn to Acts 8:18-20
and we'll read about Simon the Magician:
Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was bestowed through the laying on
of the apostles' hands, he offered them money, {19} saying, "Give this
authority to me as well, so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may
receive the Holy Spirit." {20} But Peter said to him, "May your silver
perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God
with money!
Here was a man whose motive was not a hunger for God's truth. His
motive was how he could use God's blessing of the giving of the Holy
Spirit to his own monetary gain. His motive was GET, not GIVE. His goal
was the power, prestige, and earning potential of God's Holy Spirit. He
did not understand or didn't want to understand that God's Spirit is a
gift of God through repentance and baptism and obedience, or in his
case, the laying on of hands.
God does not leave us out in the cold if we really want to worship,
honor and obey Him; if we really want to have God directing our life
through His Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ gave us very simple and easy to
follow directions to do this:
Luke 11:9 "And I say to you, ask, and it shall be given to you; seek,
and you shall find; [knock], and it shall be opened to you."
Mat 7:8 "For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and
to him who knocks it shall be opened.
In Rev. 3 it is Christ doing the knocking toward His church:
Rev 3:20 'Behold , I stand at the door and [knock]; if anyone hears
My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him, and will dine with
him, and he with Me." [A two-way street]
Christ is here pointing out that if we want to be one of His disciples,
we simply have to ask Him. But when we stand at the door and knock, what
are we asking for? Aren't we asking Him to come into our lives and guide
us through our life? We are asking for instruction and wisdom
and direction and knowledge of Christ's way of life. We want
closeness. We are demonstrating spiritual hunger for God’s
Spirit to lead us.
Many people pray that they can be close to God but many people also
feel that their prayers go no higher than the ceiling. What enables one
person to get through to God with their appeal while another feels he can
not reach God?
Proverbs 2 gives us the answer as to how to gain this knowledge,
understanding and the resultant wisdom:
Prov 2:1-6 My son, if you will receive my sayings, And
treasure my commandments within you, {2} Make your ear attentive to
wisdom, Incline your heart to understanding; {3} For if you cry for
discernment, Lift your voice for understanding; {4} If you seek her as
silver, And search for her as for hidden treasures; {5} Then you will
discern the fear of the LORD, And discover the knowledge of God. {6} For
the LORD gives wisdom; From His mouth <come> knowledge and
understanding.
These verses contain the seven (7) steps to obtaining wisdom:
1. Listen for wisdom - verse 2
2. Have a zeal for more understanding - verse 2
3. Earnestly seek knowledge - verse 3
4. Ask for understanding - verse 3
5. Study to pursue wisdom - verse 4
6. Search diligently for wisdom. Don't get discouraged. -
verse 4
7. Understand the meaning of the fear of God - verse 5
Some might ask, "Why must we fear God? I thought God was love."
Prov 9:10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, And the
knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
Fear of the Eternal is deep respect for the Eternal and the fear to
live counter to His laws and instructions. Fear of the Eternal does not
mean that God doesn't love us. It only means that we want to do nothing
which might separate us from God's grace and His Holy Spirit. Fear of God
is the avoidance of disfavor.
James 1:5 But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who
gives to all men generously and without reproach, and it [wisdom] will
be given to him.
People are invited to seek wisdom because it teaches those principles
by which they may obtain God's guidance and avoid the society and
influence of the wicked. What is the society and influence of the wicked?
It is the world around you. It is the world where you work, or at
social functions, or wherever people, who are not led by God's Spirit,
cause you to want to join in with their lifestyle, habits, and traditions.
It creeps into our minds via the world of entertainment such as TV,
movies, books and sports.
Prov 3:13-20 How blessed is the man who finds wisdom, And the
man who gains understanding. {14} For its profit is better than
the profit of silver, And its gain than fine gold. {15} She is more
precious than jewels; And nothing you desire compares with her. {16}
Long life is in her right hand; In her left hand are riches and honor.
{17} Her ways are pleasant ways, And all her paths are peace. {18} She
is a tree of life to those who take hold of her, And happy are all who
hold her fast. {19} The LORD by wisdom founded the earth; By
understanding He established the heavens. {20} By His knowledge the
deeps were broken up, And the skies drip with dew.
When we strive for more knowledge of Christ's way of life and desire to
have Christ working in and through us, we are exhibiting spiritual hunger.
We speak of spiritual hunger but there are various degrees of hunger. When
we are really hungry or thirsty, we are desperate to eat or drink. Nothing
else matters. We can think of nothing else.
Mat 13:44 "The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the
field, which a man found and hid; and from joy over it he goes and sells
all that he has, and buys that field.
How many are so desperate to drink in God's Word and obey God and
receive God's Spirit that they are willing to sacrifice everything they
have? - home, job, family, spouse, prestige, reputation, personal desires.
It’s a matter of priority. Where does the urging of God’s Spirit fall in
our list of priorities?
Isa 55:1-11 (written about 700 BC) "Ho! Every one who thirsts, come
to the waters [the law given at Sinai and the Holy Spirit given at the
first Pentecost]; And you who have no money come, buy and eat. Come, buy
wine and milk Without money and without cost. {2} "Why do you spend
money for what is not bread, And your wages for what does not satisfy?
Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, And delight yourself in
abundance. {3} "Incline your ear and come to Me. Listen, that you may
live; And I will make an everlasting covenant with you, <According to>
the faithful mercies shown to David. {4} "Behold, I have made him a
witness to the peoples, A leader and commander for the peoples. {5}
"Behold, you will call a nation you do not know, And a nation which
knows you not will run to you, Because of the LORD your God, even the
Holy One of Israel; For He has glorified you." {6} Seek the LORD while
He may be found; Call upon Him while He is near. {7} Let the wicked
forsake his way, And the unrighteous man his thoughts; And let him
return to the LORD, And He will have compassion on him; And to our God,
For He will abundantly pardon. {8} "For My thoughts are not your
thoughts, Neither are your ways My ways," declares the LORD. {9} "For
<as> the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than
your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts. {10} "For as the rain and
the snow come down from heaven, And do not return there without watering
the earth, And making it bear and sprout, And furnishing seed to the
sower and bread to the eater; {11} So shall My word be which goes forth
from My mouth; It shall not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing
what I desire, And without succeeding <in the matter> for which I sent
it.
God works with those of promise. Employers do not invest in people who
show no promise. Neither does God. If God does not think people will grow
and keep His word, He will not fulfill that hunger. People who call upon
God for knowledge and truth and wisdom must be properly motivated and
demonstrate a willingness to obey and grow.
Acts 2:37-39 Now when they heard <this> [that they had crucified
their savior], they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the
rest of the apostles, "Brethren, what shall we do?" {38} And Peter
<said> to them, "Repent, and let each of you be baptized in the name of
Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the
gift of the Holy Spirit. {39} "For the promise is for you and your
children, and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God shall
call to Himself."
Notice the chain of events: First, as verse 37 indicates, we must have
a spiritual hunger - in this case it was generated by their consciences
which were turned on by Peter's remarks. Then, as verse 38 indicates, we
must repent and be baptized. Then we must turn to God seeking spiritual
knowledge and understanding. Through the Holy Spirit, given at baptism, we
will have access to God to ask for His spiritual knowledge and
understanding. All the way along we must try to obey God according to the
knowledge and understanding He gives us. How many hear instruction through
a sermon or by reading scripture, then reject it as "not that important"?
I have seen many examples of that. God will not draw you unless you
eagerly go through the door He is holding open for each of us. Keep in
mind, as verse 39 indicates, God does the calling. But we are free moral
agencies. God created the human race that way. Our response is up to us.
Mat 5:6 "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they shall be satisfied.
Luke 6:21 Blessed <are> you who hunger now, for you shall be
satisfied.
Do these two verses say we will receive material things? No, Christ
promises us righteousness. Can we simply say "I will turn to God when
society or social pressures make it easy and in a way that I find
sufficient?" That day will never come. We must turn to God when He is
near. We must turn to God when we have been instructed by His Word. And we
must do His will. That is when our spiritual hunger will be
satisfied. In actuality, spiritual hunger should never be satisfied. It
should be stimulated. More on that as we move along.
Now I want to give you a long list of scriptures which all make the
same point: Commit yourself to God, then wait on God to respond to your
spiritual hunger by coming into your life. First let's see what Moses had
to say:
Deu 4:29 "But from there you will seek the LORD your God, and you
will find <Him> if you search for Him with all your heart and all your
soul.
The most impassioned writer of scriptures addressing his hunger or
thirst for God's presence and truth was David. It's no wonder he found
such favor with God. David yearned to be close to God. He never lacked
spiritual hunger. No wonder he is destined to become king of Israel under
Christ. Let's read some of what he wrote: As we read these psalms of
David, notice how often he stresses his willingness to wait for God, and
the importance of obedience to Him.
Psa 22:26 The afflicted shall eat and be satisfied; Those who seek
Him will praise the LORD. Let your heart live forever!
Psa 24:1-6 The earth is the LORD'S, and all it contains, The world,
and those who dwell in it. {2} For He has founded it upon the seas, And
established it upon the rivers. {3} Who may ascend into the hill of the
LORD? And who may stand in His holy place? {4} He who has clean hands
and a pure heart, Who has not lifted up his soul to falsehood, And has
not sworn deceitfully. {5} He shall receive a blessing from the LORD And
righteousness from the God of his salvation. {6} This is the generation
of those who seek Him, Who seek Thy face.
Psa 25:5 Lead me in Thy truth and teach me, For Thou art the God of
my salvation; For Thee I wait all the day.
Psa 27:8 <When Thou didst say>, "Seek My face," my heart said to
Thee, "Thy face, O LORD, I shall seek."
Do our actions confirm that we have this much dedication?
verse 14 Wait for the LORD; Be strong, and let your heart take
courage; Yes, wait for the LORD.
Psa 33:20 Our soul waits for the LORD; He is our help and our shield.
Psa 34:10 The young lions do lack and suffer hunger; But they who
seek the LORD shall not be in want of any good thing.
Psa 37:9 For evildoers will be cut off, But those who wait for the
LORD, they will inherit the land.
Psa 37:34 Wait for the LORD, and keep His way, And He will
exalt you to inherit the land; When the wicked are cut off, you will see
it.
Psa 40:1 I waited patiently for the LORD; And He inclined to me, and
heard my cry.
verse 8 I delight to do Thy will, O my God; Thy Law is within my
heart. "
Is the law in our hearts? Do we keep the Sabbath Holy or do we allow
ourselves to pollute it when we want to? Do we take God's name in vain
with those "Oh my Gods" nearly everyone is using today? Do we drive God
away with our lawbreaking, then wonder why God seems so distant? Do we
realize that lawbreaking can even separate us from God's people? Do we
lead a double life depending upon who we are with?
Psa 42:1-2 As the deer pants for the water brooks, So my soul pants
for Thee, O God. {2} My soul thirsts for God, for the living God; When
shall I come and appear before God?
Psa 51:17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; A broken and a
contrite heart, O God, Thou wilt not despise.
How deeply do we repent of our sins?
Psa 62:1 My soul <waits> in silence for God only; From Him is my
salvation.
Psa 63:1 O God, Thou art my God; I shall seek Thee earnestly; My soul
thirsts for Thee, my flesh yearns for Thee, In a dry and weary land
where there is no water.
Psa 70:4 Let all who seek Thee rejoice and be glad in Thee; And let
those who love Thy salvation say continually, "Let God be magnified."
Psa 84:2 My soul longed and even yearned for the courts of the LORD;
My heart and my flesh sing for joy to the living God.
Psa 86:11-12 Teach me Thy way, O LORD; I will walk in Thy truth;
Unite my heart to fear Thy name. {12} I will give thanks to Thee, O Lord
my God, with all my heart, And will glorify Thy name forever.
Do we glorify God's name to others by our actions? Or do we keep our
love of God hidden under a basket?
Psa 119:2 How blessed are those who observe His testimonies, Who seek
Him with all <their> heart.
verse 10 With all my heart I have sought Thee; Do not let me wander
from Thy commandments.
In this verse David proves the interdependency of obedience to God's
commandments and spiritual hunger.
verse 19-20 I am a stranger in the earth; Do not hide Thy
commandments from me. {20} My soul is crushed with longing After Thine
ordinances at all times.
verse 40 Behold, I long for Thy precepts; Revive me through Thy
righteousness.
verse 77 May Thy compassion come to me that I may live, For Thy law is
my delight.
verses 116-117 Sustain me according to Thy word, that I may live; And
do not let me be ashamed of my hope. {117} Uphold me that I may be safe,
That I may have regard for Thy statutes continually.
Psa 123:2 Behold, as the eyes of servants <look> to the hand of their
master, As the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress; So our eyes
<look> to the LORD our God, Until He shall be gracious to us.
Psa 130:5-6 I wait for the LORD, my soul does wait, And in His word
do I hope. {6} My soul <waits> for the Lord More than the watchmen for
the morning; <Indeed>, <more than> the watchmen for the morning.
Psa 143:6 I stretch out my hands to Thee; My soul <longs> for Thee,
as a parched land. Selah.
Prov 8:17 "I love those who love me; And those who diligently seek me
will find me.
How do we love God?...By doing what he commands.
verse 34 "Blessed is the man who listens to me, Watching daily at my
gates, Waiting at my doorposts.
The prophets expressed the same feelings:
Isa 8:17 And I will wait for the LORD who is hiding His face from the
house of Jacob; I will even look eagerly for Him.
Isa 40:31 Yet those who wait for the LORD Will gain new strength;
They will mount up <with> wings like eagles, They will run and not get
tired, They will walk and not become weary.
This prophesy is quoted by many who believe that when we flee the
tribulation, God's people with be given super-natural strength to escape
our pursuers.
Jer 29:13 'And you will seek Me and find <Me>,when you search for
Me with all your heart.
Lam 3:25-26 The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, To the person
who seeks Him. {26} <It is> good that he waits silently For the
salvation of the LORD.
Hosea 10:12 - there's a lot of meat in this one little verse. Listen to
what it says:
Sow with a view to righteousness, Reap in accordance with kindness;
Break up your fallow ground, For it is time to seek the LORD Until He
comes to rain righteousness on you.
Can you see Hosea's link between righteous living, kindness, and God's
reward?
In the New Testament, Paul expressed the same desire to seek God:
Phil 3:12-14 Not that I have already obtained <it>, or have already
become perfect, but I press on in order that I may lay hold of that for
which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. {13} Brethren, I do not
regard myself as having laid hold of <it> yet; but one thing <I do>:
forgetting what <lies> behind and reaching forward to what <lies> ahead,
{14} I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God
in Christ Jesus.
Heb 11:6 And without faith it is impossible to please <Him>, for he
who comes to God must believe that He is, and <that> He is a rewarder
of those who seek Him.
But God doesn't just want us to sit around with a low level of hunger.
He wants us to grow:
1 Pet 2:2-3 like newborn babes, long for the pure milk of the word,
that by it you may grow in respect to salvation, {3} if you have
tasted the kindness of the Lord.
Peter is here reiterating what Christ said. Notice that Peter describes
our needs as milk, not beef steaks. He is talking to spiritual babes in
whom he expects to see growth.
In First Corinthians, Paul describes the same shortcomings in the
Church at Corinth:
1 Cor 3:1-3 And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual
men, but as to men of flesh, as to babes in Christ. {2} I gave you milk
to drink, not solid food; for you were not yet able <to receive
it>.Indeed, even now you are not yet able, {3} for you are still
fleshly. For since there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not
fleshly, and are you not walking like mere men?
Notice Paul's admonition to the Corinthians to put aside their carnal
selves - jealousy and strife. Notice how we can not absorb stronger meat
until we have grown spiritually. How
spiritually mature are we? When we receive strong meat, do we take
exception to it? Could it be that we are simply too spiritually immature
to accept it? How long have you been committed to God and how much have
you grown? Is your life still full of strife and envy and other sins? Is
that what’s holding you back?
In Hebrews 5, Paul scolds the Christian Jews for lack of growth:
Heb 5:11-14 Concerning him we have much to say, and <it is> hard to
explain, since you have become dull of hearing. {12} For though by this
time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach
you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come
to need milk and not solid food. {13} For everyone who partakes <only>
of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is a
babe. {14} But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice
have their senses trained to discern good and evil.
Paul probably recognized the advantage the converted Jews should have
had over the converted Gentiles and was irritated over their lack of
growth. Again he uses the analogy of milk versus solid food. Again I ask,
how much have we grown...what is holding us back? There was a time when we
were spiritually hungry and God fed us with His Truth. How far have we
grown? Let's read verse 14 again:
{14} But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have
their senses trained to discern good and evil.
Are you mature or do you still fail even the most basic tests? Do you
change when you hear or see new truth? How much of God's Spirit do you
have? Does it matter to you? Are you satisfied with what the world
provides and figure that what knowledge you have is sufficient?
In your mind, has God given you enough knowledge that you can get
by...that your physical livelihood will get you by now without yielding
anymore to God's Way of life?
Let's see what God told the Israelites about that:
Deu 8:3 "And He humbled you and let you be hungry, and fed you with
manna which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that He might
make you understand that man does not live by bread alone, but man
lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the LORD.
Christ reiterated this. Let's look at John 6:
John 6:33-35 "For the bread of God is that which comes down out of
heaven, and gives life to the world." {34} They said therefore to Him,
"Lord, evermore give us this bread." {35} Jesus said to them, "I am the
bread of life; he who comes to Me shall not hunger, and he who
believes in Me shall never thirst.
I'm sure we all say "Give us this bread". But what do we do with it?
Yes, Christ is the bread of life. We shall not hunger or thirst if we are
filled with the Holy Spirit, do things Christ's way and believe and do
what he has told us. Can we then just say, "we no longer hunger and thirst
for God's word?" How much have we grown since first receiving His
spiritual food? Or do we still fall back into our old ways because "it's
not that big a thing"?
Are we satisfied with our status quo or have we grown and are now
hungering for more of God's Word. Do we crave steak or milk? Or do we
crave anything?
There will someday be a cutting off of the Word of God. No matter how
hungry people are at that time for God's Truth, it will not be available.
Notice Amos 8:
Amos 8:11-13 "Behold, days are coming," declares the Lord GOD, "When
I will send a famine on the land, Not a famine for bread or a thirst for
water, But rather for hearing the words of the LORD. {12} "And people
will stagger from sea to sea, And from the north even to the east; They
will go to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, But they will not find
<it>. {13} "In that day the beautiful virgins And the young men will
faint from thirst.
People will hunger and thirst for the Word and will not receive it.
Why? Probably because they will be so terrified at the threats from the
world around them, they will turn in desperation to seek God’s way of life
and His protection. But God’s teachers will be unavailable.
The time to satisfy Spiritual Hunger is now while knowledge and
understanding are available.
Sermon given by Wayne Bedwell
March 14, 2009
|