We’ve all had the familiar feeling of rumbling in our belly when we’re hungry. It’s a clear sign from our stomach to our brain saying: Time for some grub!
This discomfort that you feel close to lunchtime is called hunger pangs.
Why do these hungry pangs actually happen?
It is a part of our body’s messaging system that tells you when you’re hungry.
God established this feeling of hunger so we would not deprive our bodies of what they need.
If we didn’t know when we were hungry, we would eventually waste away and die.
God gives us PHYSICAL and SPIRITUAL hunger pangs
Illus: However, it bothers me greatly as a pastor that some who profess to be a born-again believer does not have a HUNGRY PANGS for the BREAD OF LIFE! (Word of God)
It is a sign something is wrong in their Christian life!!!
Illus: When a person is sick and they go to the doctor one of the things he might ask them, HOW IS YOUR APPETITE!!!
He knows if you do not have a good appetite something is definitely wrong with you!!!
The same thing spiritually, if you do not have a hungry for the BREAD OF LIFE SOMETHING IS DEFINETLY WRONG WITH YOU SPIRITUALLY.
The New Testament Christians had a good spiritual appetite.
Look at Acts 2:42 “And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine…”
Spiritual hunger is similar in that it is a CONTINOUS HABIT OF OURS.
Illus: Our youngest boy had a good appetite for food when he was growing up. He could eat a good meal and shortly thereafter he would be saying “I’m Hungry”
We should have named him, “I’m Hungry” that is, if someone asked him his name, he could have shaken hand with someone and said, “I’m Hungry Belger”!
• God made us that way; we have an appetite for food.
• Also, God made us as the children of God that we have an appetite for the Word of God.
If someone does not have an appetite PHYSICALLY and SPIRITUALY it means something is wrong with them.
Thank the Lord there are people in our church who are seeking to grow spiritually. They are hungry for SPIRITUAL FOOD.
• They attentively listen when the Word of God is being preached.
• They take notes when the Word of God is being preached.
They remind you of David in Ps 63:1 “O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water.
Matt. 5:6- Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness”
The word BLESSED here is the word HAPPY! It is a joy to CHOW DOWN ON THE WORD OF GOD!
David said in Psa. 122:1 I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the LORD.
Illus: When the church bells start ringing it means it is Dinner Time!!!
Illus: Speaking of church bells that reminds of a man died after a long career as the local church bell ringer.
The preacher, looking for a replacement put out word far and wide but received only one applicant, a man with no arms.
Initially the preacher was hesitant but the man assured him he could do it. He ran up into the belfry, put his head into the bell and clanged his head and face all around to ring the bell. He got the job.
A few years later while ringing the bell, the man lost his footing, fell from the bell tower to his death in the street below.
A crowd gathered and one man asked, “who is he?” Another man replied…” I don’t know but his face rings a bell….”
So, the preacher needed a new bell ringer. He put out word far and wide but received only one applicant, a man with no arms again.
It turns out this man was the brother of the other armless ringer.
Again, the preacher was hesitant, but he hired him.
A few years later while ringing the bell, the man lost his footing, fell from the bell tower to his death in the street below.
A crowd gathered and one man asked, “who is he?”
Another man replied …” I don’t know but he’s a dead ringer for his brother”.
But the church bell means it is time to eat!!!
• A good cook enjoys preparing a good meal for hungry people.
• And a good pastor enjoys preparing a good meal from God’s Word to feed God’s hungry people.
This reminds me of 1 Peter 2: 2, “As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, which ye may grow thereby.”
What a joy it is to preach to such people!!!
When the word of God is preached they are not…
• Day dreaming
• Looking around counting the tiles in the ceiling.
• Playing with their telephone
They are hungry for the Word of God.
Illus: Have you ever watched a baby bird in their nest when the mother bird brings them food, their mouth in the nest is wide open and THEY ARE READY TO SWALLOW THAT BIG JUICY WORM!!!
However, to have spiritual growth, there are some things we need to consider, such as THERE MUST BE A…
I. SPIRITUAL BIRTH
Have you noticed that across this country there are people in God’s churches who have not grown in the Lord one iota?
Illls: That is, there are people who go to church regularly, some go three times a week, but they leave church the way they arrived.
WHY?
Simply because they have not yet been born again!!!
You cannot have GROWTH until you have a BIRTH!!!
That is not my assessment, which is what the scriptures teach.
Look at Matthew 7:22-23 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
Notice, God uses the Word “Many” will stand before Him who…
• Who thinks they are saved but they are not!
• Who assumes they are saved but they are not!
• Who hope they are saved but they are not!
It will be the shock of their life to discover as they stand before God on the judgement day and discover that:
• HEAVEN IS NOT GOING TO BE THERE ETERNAL HOME,
• BUT HELL WILL BE THERE ETERNAL HOME!
God’s Word says, YE MUST BE BORN AGAIN!!!
But there are some who…
• Attend church regularly
• Who Tithed weekly
• Who held offices in the church
And the Lord will say, and then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
You see, God knows who His children are, He knows those who have been born into the Kingdom of God.
But there are those claims to be saved, but they have never been born into the Kingdom of God.
Illus: They went into the baptistery a dry sinner and came out a wet sinner.
Now I am not trying to talk you OUT OF YOUR SALVATION, I cannot do that, either you are saved or you are not saved.
But one way you can know you are saved is that you LIKE NEW BORN BABE YOU DESIRE THE MILK OF God.
Before you can have GROWTH, you must first have a BIRTH THAT DESIRE THE MILK OF GOD’S WORD.
Also to have GROWTH THERE MUST BE…
II.SPIRITUAL FOOD AVAILABLE
This is the awesome responsibility of the Pastor and the Sunday school teachers to feed the sheep of God.
In John 21:15-17 Jesus told Peter “FEED MY SHEEP”
• Pastor like all good cooks enjoy the job of cooking.
• And when God calls a minister to prepare spiritual food they cherish the job of getting God’s recipe book out (the Word of God) and prepare a good meal for God’s people, IT IS NOT A JOB, IT IS A BLESSING TO HAVE SUCH A JOB FOR THE LORD!
When the Lord told Peter “Feed my sheep” The Greek word for Pastor is in the present tense, denoting a continual action of tending, feeding and caring for sheep.
Believers are referred to as sheep throughout Scripture.
Illus: You see like all good cooks the pastor in preparing a good spiritual meal they get to taste the WORD OF GOD AND SEE THAT IT IS GOOD BEFORE IT IS FED TO THE CONGREGATION!!!
Sad to say this, but there is a shortage of good spiritual food across America that is being fed to the sheep of God.
Illus: If you think this is off base…
(1)Visit some of the churches on your next vacation, and notice how little of the Word of God is being preached and taught in some churches today.
If you think this is off base…
(2)Listen to some of the “Junk” food that some of these television preachers are preaching.
All across this nation there are churches that have people that are TRULY BORN AGAIN but because they are not being fed spiritually these churches are filled with WEAK CHRISTIANS LIVING IN SIN.
You see, many pastors today are afraid to preach the Word of God because they want everyone to like them.
Listen, I want everyone to like me but any preacher who preaches the Word of God will find out immediately when you start stepping on some toes you are going to make some folks mad.
Illus: It is like this you can have a pack of dogs and someone throw a rock into the pack the and one that get hit is going to bark!!!
I do not care how diplomatic you are, you are going to make some mad who will not receive the Word of God!!!
But a good preacher is like a good mother she is going to prepare a good meal and it is up to the individuals if they are going to eat it or not.
Illus: I have had a number of times people say to me when I was preaching the evening service, “Preacher, I really enjoyed that sermon, I wish you would preach it during the morning service when more folks are here.”
Listen, I preach it as God gives it to me! My job is to preach the Word and it is the congregation responsibility to come to the table where BREAD OF LIFE is spread out before them.
In order to have spiritual growth you must have a:
1) SPIRITUAL BIRTH,
2) SPIRITUAL FOOD PROVIDED
But also to have spiritual growth there has to be…
3) THE RECEIVING OF THE SPIRITUAL FOOD
Often the man of God spends many hours praying and seeking the Lord, and preparing the messages for the people, but some of the people, like stubborn children, sit there with their spiritual lips locked, making sure no spiritual 'food’ enters their mouths.
Illus: They have this ailment call spiritual lock jaw!
James is a book that is full of ‘food’ for SPIRITUAL GROWTH.
We can’t just come to church and hear the Word of God preached, we must come and receive the Word of God if we are going to grow spiritually.
Church are you listening!!!
• OUR SALVATION is based on our RELATIONSHIP WITH CHRIST
• OUR CHRISTIAN GROWTH is based on our RELATIONSHIP WITH THE WORD OF GOD.
Illus: D. L. Moody wrote on the fly-leaf of his Bible, “This book will keep me from sin, or sin will keep me from this book.”
Illus: If we are going to grow in the Lord, we have to do the same thing we do to grow physically.
That is, we all know people who seem to be getting bigger every time we see them, and they can’t figure out what is causing the problem. Huum!
But it is obvious to everyone that knows them that the problem is they are always “munching” on something throughout the day.
If we are going to grow spiritually, we are going to have to “munch” on the Word of God every time we get a chance to grow spiritually.
If a Christian is going to grow spiritually he has to do two things:
1. He has to READ THE WORD OF GOD
2. He has to HEED THE WORD OF GOD
Look at James 1:25. "But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, BUT A DOER OF THE WORK, this man shall be blessed indeed.”
Let me show you two things that James says will cause the Christian to grow in the Lord.
Let us look at-
I. THE CHRISTIAN AND HIS SUFFERINGS
Did you know that suffering is one of those unrecognized blessings in our life?
Now we might wish that was not the case, but suffering will cause us to grow in the Lord like nothing else will do.
Have you noticed?
• It seems like anything that is good for us does not taste good
• It seems like anything that is not good for us, tastes good
When it comes to SPIRITUAL GROWTH, the things that make us grow could be classified as those “yucky” things in our lives that we have to partake of frequently.
Now I must confess to you, I understand why God made things like that.
Illus: Have you ever wondered why God put all the vitamins in things like collard greens and turnips?
So many of us do not eat these things because we like them, we eat them because we have been told that they are supposed to be good for us, because that is where God put the vitamins and other things that our bodies need.
If we want to be healthy those are the things we must eat, even if we must force ourselves to eat them.
Illus: Now, if I was God, I would have put all the vitamins in things like milk shakes and ice cream.
But God, who knows what is best for us, did not choose to put the vitamins in those things.
Again it seems like the things that taste the worst are the best for us.
WHY DOES GOD DO THINGS LIKE THIS?
Because God knows that many times it is NOT the ‘good tasting’ things in our life that will cause us to become strong and healthy spiritually.
• Did you know that parents can literally destroy a child by making life too easy for them!
• By giving them what they want instead of giving them what they need!
We need the trials of life; they will make us grow like nothing else will.
Illus: Some people cannot handle:
• Money
• Time
• Prosperity
The more that God bless them with these things the further they get from God, so God has to send them some hard times so that they will draw nigh to God.
God ALLOWS and CAUSES some trials to enter our lives because it is the best thing in the world for us.
Illus: A Christian man was once faithful to the Lord and his church. He started a business and the business became an overnight success. It wasn't long before this successful businessman was dropping his wife off at church while he went to the office to do some work there. Soon he had money to buy a nice home, cars, clothes, and take expensive vacations. The more money he got, the farther he got from his family and God.
Then, as fast as his business became a success, it failed.
He went all to pieces as he saw that thriving business fold before his very eyes.
He soon had to sell his stock and eventually had to sell the new building he had built to house his business.
That same man, who went so high, had to be brought so low. BY WHO? BY GOD.
The lower he went, the closer he got to his family and his God.
You see, some people cannot handle success, popularity, good health, etc., and it is a blessing in disguise when God allows somethings to strip them of those blessings.
That is why in James 1:2, we read, "My brethren, count it all joy. When ye fall into divers temptations."
Why?
Because many time the seemingly devastating trials that come our way are the best things in the world for us.
Many times in the difficulties of life we grow spiritually.
Illus: I know…
• Parents that will not take their children to a funeral service. It is good for a child to attend a funeral service and they might shed some tears but they need to face the reality of death.
• Parents that will not spank their child because they want to spare them of any pain. It is good for a child when he does evil to experience some pain.
Illus: When a parent tell a child not to touch a hot stove and they do it anyway they will experience some pain. But the next time they want touch a hot stove when they are told not to do it.
Proverbs 13:24 He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes.
God made us so that we can face all kinds of difficulties and grow spiritually from those things we see and experience.
Spiritually speaking, God, in His wisdom, knows that if Christians went through life without any trials we would never develop into mature Christians.
He allows suffering to come our way because it is the best thing that can happen to us, if we are going to grow spiritually.
Illus: Back in the 50’s they did not have all the drugs they have today. But in every home you could find a bottle of Cod Liver Oil. It seems that whatever was wrong with you, your parents would make you take a swallow of this horrible stuff that tasted like kerosene and motor oil mixed together.
Illus: If Parents today would make a child swallow that stuff, they would be sued for child abuse.
However, it seems like after you took it, you seemed to feel better, and I believe I know why.
Illus: The reason you felt better after you took it, was because it was so bad when you took it, you had to feel better once you had that rotten stuff out of your mouth.
To get that stuff down you had to hold your nose and swallow it. The same thing goes for us spiritually.
Sometimes when suffering comes our way, we just have to hold our nose and swallow it.
Suffering will cause us to grow in the Lord faster than anything else will.
God is not like some of these parents. Someone might be saying Preacher, what do you mean?
I mean God the Father tells us to SPARE NOT THE ROD instead all they get is a little speech, “Honey, you shouldn’t do that!”
You don’t need to tell the little child they shouldn’t do that, they knew that when they did it.
God who knows more than we do about child rearing says, SPARE NOT THE ROD!
God the Father sends to His children some hard times because it is the best thing to cause them to grow spiritually
Illus: A television preacher stated on national television that ALL the trials of life are from the devil. He said that it is the will of God that we all live in a spiritual utopia, and every time something bad happens to us it is from Satan, who wants to keep us from enjoying this utopia that God wants us all to enjoy.
Listen, that man ought to be ashamed to get on national television and reveal how ignorant he is of the Word of God.
• Those who think that God does not ALLOW or CAUSE trials to come our way need to read the book of Job.
• Those who think that God does not ALLOW or CAUSE trials to come our way need to read the book of James.
But let me say this, GOD NEVER SENDS A TEMPTATION TO DO EVIL.
James wants to make that perfectly clear.
Look at James 1:13. We read, “Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil. Neither tempteth he any man.”
Some may be quick to point out that in Genesis 22:1, we read, “And it came to pass after these things, that God tempt Abraham...”
The Bible teaches there are two kinds of sufferings. And there is as much difference between the two of them as day and night.
The two kinds of suffering are:
(1) TRIAL SUFFERINGS
(2) TEMPTATION SUFFERINGS
You might think God’s Word contradicts itself, but not so! The answer is found in the ETYMOLOGY of the word for sufferings.
The difference in these two kinds of “sufferings” is this...
1. Trial sufferings. These are of God for the purpose of making us mature in Him.
2. Temptation sufferings. Temptation sufferings are from Satan, and for the purpose of tempting us to do evil.
God NEVER HAS and NEVER WILL tempt anyone to do evil. He is altogether HOLY and RIGHTEOUS, and sin has no appeal to him at all.
Since God cannot be enticed by sin, it is impossible for Him to tempt us to do evil, because the holy God of heaven cannot be tempted to do evil.
You might say since He is a holy God He does not know how to tempt anyone to do evil.
Illus: For example, I do not know the first thing about calculus. If I had to teach it to someone, it would be impossible, because I do not know anything about it.
The same thing is true with sin. God is a holy God and does not know the first thing about sin. It is impossible for him to temp anyone to sin.
• God TESTS men.
• Satan TEMPTS men.
However, the Bible reveals that TRIAL SUFFERINGS and TEMPTATION SUFFERINGS can sometimes work SIMULTANEOUSLY in our lives.
Is there any scripture for that? Yes.
Illus: Remember Joseph? He was sold into slavery by his brothers. Later he said to them, "...ye meant it unto evil but God meant it as unto good.”
• The brothers were used by Satan to try to destroy this godly man, but God allowed it for good.
• The sufferings of Joseph were of Satanic and Divine origin.
• God used those same sufferings to mature Joseph to the point where he was able to handle the position beside the Pharaoh of Egypt.
But look what the Bible says about these sufferings.
There are three things in particular:
(1) SUFFERINGS ARE SUDDEN
Look at verse 2 again, "My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations."
Illus: James was painting the picture of a man who is going down the road of life, and perhaps things are going so well that he is whistling and singing, but then, all of a sudden, he stumbles over something in his path and falls. It happened so fast he couldn’t catch himself.
(2) SUFFERINGS ARE SETTLED
Notice, James did not say, "Perhaps they will come," or "Maybe they will come..."
He said, "My brethren, count it all joy WHEN..." they come.
Scripture tells us this is a fact of life. We can depend on it!
Temptations will come!
(3) SUFFERINGS ARE ASSORTED
Look at verse 2 again, "My brethren, count it all when ye fall into DIVERS temptations."
This means there are various kinds of sufferings.
• Some are physical
• Some are mental
• Some are spiritual
• Some are financial
• Some are domestic
But all these sufferings are for the purpose of helping us grow spiritually.
We have looked at one thing that causes us to grow spiritually, THE CHRISTIAN AND HIS SUFFERINGS, but let us also look at-
II. THE CHRISTIAN AND SINCERITY
Look at how James shows us that some are insincere when it comes to spiritual things.
Look at James 2:1-4. We read, “My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons. For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment; And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool: Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts?”
Someone might be thinking, “HOW DOES THIS PASSAGE DEAL WITH SINCERITY?”
• Did you know that a man is no closer to God than he is to his wife?
This is why God tells the husband he is to love his wife even as Christ loved the church.
• Did you know that it is impossible to say that you love the Lord and hate your brother in Christ?
In 1 John 4:11-12, we read, “Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.”
The Bible says that if we love one another, “God dwelleth in us.”
This tells me something about this backstabbing crowd that runs around trying to bring as much misery as they can to others; THEY DO NOT KNOW THE LORD. They are not sincere Christians!
I know they claim to know the Lord, but according to the Word of God they do not know the Lord.
• Listen, if we are sincere in serving the Lord, we do not just love the Lord some of the time.
• And if we are sincere in serving the Lord, we do not just love some of the people of God, we love all the people of God.
• Immaturity is one of the biggest problems in our society. We have adults that still act like children in the world in which we live.
• Immaturity is one of the biggest problems in the Christian church today.
When you have immature people, you have:
• People fussing and arguing like children
• People playing games with God instead of serving God
• Jealousy among the membership
• People who will pout and not speak to each other.
• People who cannot be used of God because immature people are not able to carry out God's work
Conclusion:
Illus: Suppose you worked for a corporation that employs five hundred people. What would happen if you took all the adults out of that corporation and replaced them with 7 and 8-year-old children?
There would be instant chaos, and it would just be a matter of time before that corporation would have to close the doors.
A church has to have MATURE CHRISTIANS to keep God’s church a strong church.
We have looked at CHRISTIAN MATURITY come from…
I. THE CHRISTIAN AND HIS SUFFERINGS
II. THE CHRISTIAN IN HIS SINCERITY
I want to close with this illustration about spiritual maturity.
Illus: Just because one has been a Christian for many years, does not mean they are “mature.”
They may be like the person who had been a teacher for twenty-five years. When she heard about a job that would mean a promotion, she applied for the position.
However, someone who had been teaching for only one year was hired instead. She went to the principal and asked why.
The principal responded, “I’m sorry, but you haven’t had 25 years of experience as you claim; you ‘ve had only one year’s experience 25 times.”
During that whole time the teacher had not improved. So it may be with many Christians; they had not grown but simply repeated their first year of spiritual life many times!
The lack of spiritual growth is a dangerous thing. For there may be blessings to be enjoyed in Christ that only the mature Christian can truly understand and appropriate. If one remains spiritually immature, they do not come to fully appreciate their standing and blessings that they have in Christ!
Quit letting the devil make a fool out of you!!!
1) Get in Church
2) Get into the Word of God
3) Get into communication with God each day
And you will start growing spiritually!!!
