Overfed And Undernourished

TITLE: OVERFED AND UNDERNOURISHED

SCRIPTURE: II TIMOTHY 4:1-5

The terms found in this thought – Overfed and Undernourished – seem to be contradictory in nature. How can one be Overfed and still be Undernourished? How can a person eat more than enough food and still lack proper Nutrition? Many Americans fail to eat healthy food and instead they stuff themselves with Junk Food that:

• Looks Good

• Tastes Good

• Smells Good

• Offers No Vital Nutrition for the Body

Can you imagine eating nothing but Junk Food? What would happen to Your Body – Your Health – to You? What would be the consequences of allowing every meal to be defined by these unhealthy food cravings? When it comes to eating right, you can’t simply do that when it’s CONVENIENT, can you? The fact that so much ‘JUNK FOOD’ can also be referred to as “FAST FOOD” is a good reminder of the lack of benefits. Eating Healthy:

• It often costs more, in terms of both money and time

• It often costs more to eat healthy

• It’s often not convenient

• But if we know we need it, it won’t matter if it’s convenient or not

It is sad to admit that we live in a culture that, in spite of all of the Warnings about Junk Food, we continue to consume a steady diet. Therefore; we become Overfed and Undernourished. Before you tune me out this morning, let me say that I don’t want to occupy your time referencing HEALTH ISSUES and BAD EATING HABITS. I was not called to be a NUTRITIONIST, I was called to be a Pastor and FEED GOD’S SHEEP. But I do want you to know that these same healthy principles apply in the Church. There are too many Christians today that are SPIRITUALLY OVERFED AND UNDERNOURISHED.

• Found Running from Table to Table

• Found Eating from Every body’s Table

• Think they are being helped

• All you are being Fed is Spiritual Junk Food

As we build a Word Church here at Perfected Praise Worship Center (PPWC) – there are some challenges we encounter when we find ourselves Eating from Different Tables. As we continue to focus on the importance of being a Word Church and what it means to be a faithfully functioning church, we must also consider the dangers of a FAST FOOD FAITH as well. For just as poor eating can lead to health problems so can the lack of proper spiritual nutrients lead to a lack of spiritual growth and spiritual health problems. If we are not careful we can get caught up in running around to other Churches, Conferences, and sometimes even Revivals and filling up on Junk Food. We consume the meal presented, containing everything but the Word of God. I need to talk to us this morning about Overfed and Undernourished. We think we are putting the correct thing in us, just to find out that we have overloaded on Spiritual Junk Food.

Junk food has a severe lack of nutrition. Most junk food provides nothing but empty calories and nothing in terms of vital ingredients. Our bodies need adequate nutrition to function properly and junk food deprives our bodies of this nutrition. There is something even more harmful than physical junk food. Let’s talk about SPIRITUAL JUNK FOOD this morning. Just as our bodies need proper nutrition, we even more need the FORGIVENESS OF SIN and NEW LIFE WITH GOD. In other words, we need the SPIRITUAL NOURISHMENT PROVIDED BY GOD’S WORD.

It is common to hear about a Jesus who lives to give us HEALTH – WEALTH - PROSPERITY. There are so many that love this kind of Christianity. But Sermons about our sin and repentance, Jesus’ death on the Cross and our need to be saved from the coming judgment – such sermons are either ignored or even despised. But we forget that all the health, wealth and prosperity in the world will do us no good if we do not have a right relationship with God. We will run to Conferences and Church Worship Services and fill up on Junk Food. We don’t want to hear how Jesus said “I AM THE BREAD OF LIFE. HE WHO COMES TO ME WILL NEVER GO HUNGRY, AND HE WHO BELIEVES IN ME WILL NEVER THIRST.”

Here is what I really want to address this morning, IN A NUTSHELL - If you exercise, what you consume turns into energy. If you don't exercise, it turns into fat. And believe it or not, that same truth applies to spiritual food.

• Many of us are consuming a lot of Bible input

• We're full of sermons, CDs, DVDs, radio programs and Self Help Books

• Unfortunately, the harsh reality is we're just accumulating information