Message -Hunger
This morning during service Chase told me he was hungry. He sounded as though he was just starving. He continually whispered to me that he really wanted to eat, although I told him to be patient and wait until Pastor was finished with his sermon. When the sermon was over, I knew Chase was ready to go home and eat, or at least I thought that was the case, but to my surprise, he told Joey he was not hungry anymore, he wanted to play. Needless to say, I was less than thrilled with this change in attitude. What he claimed to need so desperately soon took a back seat when he was given the right distraction. Not only had he succeeded in distracting me from hearing all of Pastor’s message, he had also distracted those around us.
I want to know this evening, how many of you are hungry? How many of you here are in such desperate need for more of God that you are willing to interrupt the ordinary routines that have been established in your life? Are you willing to sincerely cry out to God for what you need and to holdfast until that need is met or will you forget about your hunger as soon as Satan tempts you to go play?
1. What does it mean to hunger? Where does hunger come from?
Hunger- (n) An uneasy sensation occasioned by the want of food; a craving of food; a strong or eager desire (vi) to feel the uneasiness occasioned y want of food; to desire with great eagerness
In your body, hunger is sign that your body needs fed, that you are lacking something nutritionally. An uneasiness. It begins as a slow pang, somewhere on the edge of your stomach, but if it’s ignored too long, it becomes a burning need that must be met. God established the 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.
Spiritual hunger is similar. It begins as an uneasiness, a little feeling in our soul that says, “Hey, I think I need to feel more of God, I need a touch from him.” Maybe we experience this on Monday morning when we wake up, or maybe even a little later, but eventually we will need to be fed again spiritually, or our spirit will suffer.
2. What’s the difference between physical and spiritual hunger?
Physical hunger can be too filling. Eventually, you will be crossing the line of gluttony if you don’t deny yourself food.
Unlike physical hunger, the more we put off spiritual hunger, the less we seem to notice it. Satan allows us to be distracted and to think that we don’t need to work to be feed our relationship with God.
Proverbs 21:25 The sluggard’s craving will be the death of him, because his hands refuse to work.
Prov. 24:33 A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest- and poverty will come on you like a bandit.
The result of spiritual laziness is the same as physical: Poverty, frustration, broken relationships.
Spiritual hunger grows as we get closer to God.
Psalm 42
As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?
Psalm 63
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. I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory. Because you love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands.
2. So maybe you are hungry for God, what do you want for dinner? Do you want meat and potatoes or do you want a candy bar to tide you over?
Does Snickers really satisfy? A candy bar will work for a minute but if that is all you’re eating; eventually your body will suffer.
Candy bar: pray for a couple of seconds each day, play Bible roulette once a week and read one scripture
Meal: Time set aside for God daily, asking God to reveal His word to you as you spend time studying the Bible, praying through
I Corinthians 3:2
I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it.
As a baby Gracie needed only milk to fulfill her, but as she grows, she needs solid food. She needs a meal not a snack.
As Christians, you started on milk.
Jeremy teaches the children’s church the basics of Christianity, but the more we grow in the Lord, the more we can take in. The more we need.
Gracie gets attached to her milk, to the bottle. But we would all agree that it would be unhealthy and worrisome if she never showed interest in food. Christians are the same.
We get comfortable with the milk. With just being educated and not challenged, but we will not grow if that hunger is squelched over and over again. We will continue to be mere babies.
Paul said, “I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it.”
Are you ready for solid food or do you want to keep sucking on that bottle? Warriors for Christ are eating Hungry Man, not sipping on Slim Fast and that’s what we need to be doing. We can’t stop that hunger that God has given us. We must feed it and let it grow and grow until it consumes us.
Matthew 5:6
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
3. What will happen when we feed that spiritual hunger and let it grow?
Acts 2:42
They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
God will be able to use you! He will continually fill you up to accomplish His will and achieve His purpose!
Friends, family, life, grades, future- God wants to use you to affect all these things!
Are you really hungry today? Do you NEED God? Are you willing to turn from temptations of friends, entertainment and laziness to allow God to fill you up and make you a mighty warrior?
