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Hunger: a Blessing?

#1 · October 19, 2005, 11:05 am

Quote from Forum Archives on October 19, 2005, 11:05 am
Posted by: henkf <henkf@...>
Hunger: a Blessing?

Matthew 5:6

Introduction

(1) Chinese Mythology: young man came to Buddha “How do I obtain salvation?” Took him to a river, that he might go thru for purification – held his head under water to the last possible second

“When you desire salvation as you desired air, you will find it”

(2) Matt 5:6 - only one that deals with “desire” not “attainment”.

(3) More to life than food and drink.

·       Mt 6:25

·       Basic difference between man and animals – spiritual side (highest - happiness)

·       Mt 4:4

Jn 6:27

The Principle:

I.        Significance of Hunger and Thirst

(1) They are signs of life.

·       A baby instinctively has strong desire for milk.

·       New Christians should, too (I Pet 2:2)

·       To grow, must eat—to eat, must have appetite.

·       must fill appetite with proper things.

(1) scientists in Australian wasteland starved to death—autopsy showed stomachs filled with plants with no food value.

(2) food need not be poisonous to be harmful (newspaper, magazines, TV .. too much is harmful)

·       only spiritually dead have no craving for righteousness.

(2) They are the signs of normal, healthy life.

·       loss of appetite = danger physically, spiritually.

·       Ps 42:1

Ps 63:1

(3) In Greek, suffer hunger, be famished; suffer from thirst.

(4) I’ll “hunger and thirst” with desire for athletics

(read about it, watch it, talk about it, know schedule, etc).

II.       Some Emphatic Lessons

(1) It lays down the exacting, uncompromising nature of the Christian life.

·       Christianity is only for those who long for righteousness as a matter of life and death.

·       The Prodigal Son wanted husks when hungry, but went to father when starving. Lk 15:14-18.

·       must go to God to escape spiritual starvation.

(2) By implication it presents the basic cause of failure in the Christian life.

·       Christians who fail to live for Christ do not really want the righteousness He promises.

·       ”Seeking after righteousness is the inevitable result of hungering and thirsting after righteousness. If a person intensely desires something that is available to him, he will just as intensely seek after it. But those Christians whose lives are virtually spiritually empty, who do not submit themselves unconditionally to Christ and His will, are self-satisfied and just really don’t want the food and drink that sustains and strengthen spiritual life.”

·       Physical hunger pains will go away if not satisfied— so will spiritual ones but will eventually die.

III.       The Meaning of Rightousness

(1) Greek = “integrity, virtue, purity of life, correctness of thinking, feeling and

acting” Thayer

(2) Not just longing to be saved initially, but continuing in that state. Eph 2:8-10, Tit 3:14 (restoring God’s “favor” and restoring God’s “image”.

(3) The power of fruit-bearing (righteous living) is in the vine, not the branches.         John 15:4-5

(4) Actually to hunger and thirst righteousness = to hunger and thirst Christ (we are to imitate His life)

Jn 6:48-51

Jn 4:10-14

(5) “The Christ-centered, Christ-oriented Christian longs not only for the negative righteousness involved in abstaining from the sins of immorality, such as drunkenness, fornication, profanity, et—but he also desires the positive righteousness of love, benevolence, kindness, etc. He wants to be a whole Christian, to pattern his life completely after the life of Christ”

The Promise

IV.      They shall be filled—Etheopian Eunich, Act 8:26-39

(1) Just as God gives fulfillment to physical hunger to those who seek first His Kingdom, he promised to fill our spiritual hunger.

(2) The more the Christian receives from Christ, the more he wants.

(3) fill = to the point of full, a complete satisfaction.

4. This is a promise of Christ.

V.       How to Develop an appetite (if you don’t have one)

(1) Avoid that which is harmful (as would contagious disease) (swine flu, small pox)

·       such as bars, dances, evil companions.

·       2 Tim 2:22.

(2) Avoid that which dulls our appetite

·       eating candy between meals.

·       by spending too much time on things not necessarily bad (work, reading, clubs, snowmobile, boating, etc).

(3) Put self where you can get righteousness.

·       have ever not been very hungry, but something you love becomes available? (why attend when don’t want to)

·       Blind Bartimaeus couldn’t heal self, but was where Jesus would be (Mk 10:46-51)

(4) Grasp and use opportunities to learn (boy asked father “Did you go to Sunday school when a boy” “yes” “well, I guess it won’t do me any good either”.

Those who hunger will be benefited by Sunday school.

Aren’t you glad you are alive today?

Aren’t you happy at seeing the world come alive again after the winter, (flowers, trees, shrubs)

We enjoy life because we have a God that gives and sustains life. John 1:3-4, Jer 10:10 God wants us to have and enjoy life (eight times in Rom 8 life for the Christian is mentioned).

Conclusion:

(1) Are you hungry? Thirsty? for righteousness

(2) Mt 7:7-11

Rev 22:17

(3) If you are starving, Christ will fill you up!!

http://www3.sympatico.ca/henkf

…
  ************************************  Weekly messages of hope and comfort for those who want to learn more about Jesus and His glorious plan for our lives.  To find out more about our ministry go to : worldoutreach.ca/sotn.htm  visit our "Cartoon Site"  www.worldoutreach.ca/DearGod/  *************************************                                                                            --  To unsubscribe, send ANY message to: sermonsonthenet-unsubscribe@welovegod.org  

Posted by: henkf <henkf@...>

Hunger: a Blessing?

Matthew 5:6

Introduction

(1) Chinese Mythology: young man came to Buddha “How do I obtain salvation?” Took him to a river, that he might go thru for purification – held his head under water to the last possible second

“When you desire salvation as you desired air, you will find it”

(2) Matt 5:6 - only one that deals with “desire” not “attainment”.

(3) More to life than food and drink.

· Mt 6:25

· Basic difference between man and animals – spiritual side (highest - happiness)

· Mt 4:4

Jn 6:27

The Principle:

I. Significance of Hunger and Thirst

(1) They are signs of life.

· A baby instinctively has strong desire for milk.

· New Christians should, too (I Pet 2:2)

· To grow, must eat—to eat, must have appetite.

· must fill appetite with proper things.

(1) scientists in Australian wasteland starved to death—autopsy showed stomachs filled with plants with no food value.

(2) food need not be poisonous to be harmful (newspaper, magazines, TV .. too much is harmful)

· only spiritually dead have no craving for righteousness.

(2) They are the signs of normal, healthy life.

· loss of appetite = danger physically, spiritually.

· Ps 42:1

Ps 63:1

(3) In Greek, suffer hunger, be famished; suffer from thirst.

(4) I’ll “hunger and thirst” with desire for athletics

(read about it, watch it, talk about it, know schedule, etc).

II. Some Emphatic Lessons

(1) It lays down the exacting, uncompromising nature of the Christian life.

· Christianity is only for those who long for righteousness as a matter of life and death.

· The Prodigal Son wanted husks when hungry, but went to father when starving. Lk 15:14-18.

· must go to God to escape spiritual starvation.

(2) By implication it presents the basic cause of failure in the Christian life.

· Christians who fail to live for Christ do not really want the righteousness He promises.

· ”Seeking after righteousness is the inevitable result of hungering and thirsting after righteousness. If a person intensely desires something that is available to him, he will just as intensely seek after it. But those Christians whose lives are virtually spiritually empty, who do not submit themselves unconditionally to Christ and His will, are self-satisfied and just really don’t want the food and drink that sustains and strengthen spiritual life.”

· Physical hunger pains will go away if not satisfied— so will spiritual ones but will eventually die.

III. The Meaning of Rightousness

(1) Greek = “integrity, virtue, purity of life, correctness of thinking, feeling and

acting” Thayer

(2) Not just longing to be saved initially, but continuing in that state. Eph 2:8-10, Tit 3:14 (restoring God’s “favor” and restoring God’s “image”.

(3) The power of fruit-bearing (righteous living) is in the vine, not the branches. John 15:4-5

(4) Actually to hunger and thirst righteousness = to hunger and thirst Christ (we are to imitate His life)

Jn 6:48-51

Jn 4:10-14

(5) “The Christ-centered, Christ-oriented Christian longs not only for the negative righteousness involved in abstaining from the sins of immorality, such as drunkenness, fornication, profanity, et—but he also desires the positive righteousness of love, benevolence, kindness, etc. He wants to be a whole Christian, to pattern his life completely after the life of Christ”

The Promise

IV. They shall be filled—Etheopian Eunich, Act 8:26-39

(1) Just as God gives fulfillment to physical hunger to those who seek first His Kingdom, he promised to fill our spiritual hunger.

(2) The more the Christian receives from Christ, the more he wants.

(3) fill = to the point of full, a complete satisfaction.

4. This is a promise of Christ.

V. How to Develop an appetite (if you don’t have one)

(1) Avoid that which is harmful (as would contagious disease) (swine flu, small pox)

· such as bars, dances, evil companions.

· 2 Tim 2:22.

(2) Avoid that which dulls our appetite

· eating candy between meals.

· by spending too much time on things not necessarily bad (work, reading, clubs, snowmobile, boating, etc).

(3) Put self where you can get righteousness.

· have ever not been very hungry, but something you love becomes available? (why attend when don’t want to)

· Blind Bartimaeus couldn’t heal self, but was where Jesus would be (Mk 10:46-51)

(4) Grasp and use opportunities to learn (boy asked father “Did you go to Sunday school when a boy” “yes” “well, I guess it won’t do me any good either”.

Those who hunger will be benefited by Sunday school.

Aren’t you glad you are alive today?

Aren’t you happy at seeing the world come alive again after the winter, (flowers, trees, shrubs)

We enjoy life because we have a God that gives and sustains life. John 1:3-4, Jer 10:10 God wants us to have and enjoy life (eight times in Rom 8 life for the Christian is mentioned).

Conclusion:

(1) Are you hungry? Thirsty? for righteousness

(2) Mt 7:7-11

Rev 22:17

(3) If you are starving, Christ will fill you up!!

http://www3.sympatico.ca/henkf

…

  ************************************  Weekly messages of hope and comfort for those who want to learn more about Jesus and His glorious plan for our lives.  To find out more about our ministry go to : worldoutreach.ca/sotn.htm  visit our "Cartoon Site"  www.worldoutreach.ca/DearGod/  *************************************                                                                            --  To unsubscribe, send ANY message to: sermonsonthenet-unsubscribe@welovegod.org