Even the book of Proverbs alone just so filled with wisdom and truth for our lives, but God
I just pray that you would speak to our hearts on the matter this morning, and please just use the message
that it would bring us closer to you and
Help us to just be on fire for you and live for God in Jesus name I pray amen
What we read in this verse here the full soul loatheth and honeycomb, but to the hungry soul
Every bitter thing is sweet Proverbs 27 7 the title of my sermon this morning is are you hungry?
Just those three words. Are you hungry now? What does it mean to be hungry? Let me give you a few definitions a
craving or urgent need for food or a specific nutrients
I found the dictionary an uneasy sensation occasion by the lack of food a weakened condition brought about
by prolonged lack of food a strong desire or craving a
You see now the most people the father being hungry is probably a negative idea
They think well being hungry that means you're uncomfortable. It means you're lacking something
It means that you wish you had something that you don't have
Now it doesn't sound like a positive thing to be hungry
It sounds like it's something negative when you're hungry, but yet Jesus said in Luke 6 23
Blessed are ye that hunger now for you shall be filled in Matthew 5 6
He said blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness
For they shall be filled see Jesus says that being hungry is a blessing. It's hungry
That's the blessed feeling not being full. Let me explain to you
Why let me give you several reasons why being hungry is such a blessing well number one
We just saw it in the verse
We just read when you're hungry even the most bitter things in life are sweet to you even the worst things in life taste sweeter
Well, let's think about what does it mean to be full being full is when you have everything you want
You know you eat. You know we're talking about the physical realm
But we're also talking about spiritual application when you've eaten everything you want when you've just satisfied yourself to the full
There's nothing else that you want. There's nothing else that you lack
Well, that sounds good doesn't it? That's the way I want to live
I want to live full, but God says no, that's not the blessed life the blessed life is to be hungry
See when you're full think about it. You know you've got all your ducks in a row financially. No financial problems
You're full the bank accounts full think about it when you're you know your stomachs full with good food
Your your your life your your your marriage is going great your job is going great
Everything's going great. Everything's lined up. No problems
That would be the full life
But the problem is when you're full when everything's going your way when God has blessed you to the full
And there's nothing that you need nothing that you lack
The Bible says even the sweetest thing in the world even your most favorite food when you're full
To you is this bitter and disgusting you see what happens is when you're so indulged in your appetites
That you've just eaten and eaten and fulfilled yourself
Then he says even your favorite thing a honeycomb for example sweet great tasting
He says you'll load it you hate it it tastes disgusting to you because you're so full
Well, that's the way it can be in life look if you would if you're in Proverbs flip forward one book
And I want to show you this example from the Bible about Solomon
Ecclesiastes chapter 2 just one book forward it's the next book after Proverbs
So you only need to turn about two or three pages get to Ecclesiastes chapter 2. I'm going to show you this
We're going to see this in the life of a man named King Solomon
This is the richest man who ever lived the man who had everything that the world wanted he had all the wisdom
He had all the money all the knowledge all the power
One of the most powerful men in the world at that time look at Ecclesiastes 2 verse number 4 the Bible says
This is Solomon speaking. I made me great works. I
Builded me houses. I planted me vineyards
I made me gardens and orchard and I planted trees in them of all kinds of fruits
I made me pools of water to water there with the wood to bring it forth trees
I got me servants and maidens and had servants born in my house
Also, I had great possessions of great and small cattle above all that were in Jerusalem before me
I gathered me also silver and gold and the peculiar treasure of kings of the provinces
I got me men singers and women singers and the delights of the sons of men as musical instruments and that of all sorts
so I was great and increased more than all that were before me in Jerusalem also my wisdom remained with me and
Whatsoever this is the key verse look at this and whatsoever mine eyes desired. I kept not from them. I
Withheld not my heart from any joy for my heart rejoiced in all my labor and this was my portion all my labor
then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought and on the labor that I had labor to do and behold all
was vanity and
Vexation of spirit and there was no prophet under the Sun skip down to verse 17
Therefore I hated life
Because the work that is brought into the Sun is grievous unto me for all his vanity and vexation of spirit
Here's a man who had everything that the world had to offer
He had 300 wives and 700 concubines
He had more money more riches than anybody had he had more wisdom than anybody had
He had more power than anyone in the world at that time
And he said I got to the end of it all and I looked at everything I had
And he said it was vanity. He was empty. He was a waste a think about this man
He said if I saw something that I wanted I just took it
I mean if I saw something in some catalog or in the store if I saw a woman that I desired if I saw
Things that I desire. He said I just took it whatever I wanted
I withheld not my heart from any joy he said but look what he says in verse 17. I hated life
Look at that everything that you think that you would want in life that would make you happy
He says I got all of it and I hated life as soon as I got full
as soon as I fulfilled every appetite that I had as soon as I fulfilled my hunger for power and money and
Women and everything he said I hated my life because I had everything and it wasn't what it was cracked up to be see being
Full is not what it's cracked up to be. God says you'll be a lot happier hungry
Now God keeps us a little hungrier sometimes than we'd like to be
But we think sometimes that you know, if we had all our ducks in a row financially boy, wouldn't that be great?
We'd be so happy. Oh man, wouldn't it be great if we just get our marriage on track boy, that'd be great
Then I'd be happy. I'm not happy now
But when that happens, I'll be happy and just think boy
If I could just turn the corner at my job and just get through this rough time
I'm having in my job, then I'd be happy then it'd be great
No, it won't be great because being hungry is a place that God keeps us for a reason
Isn't there a certain pleasure that you find in being hungry? You say what hungry I was thinking about this on Thursday
I was in Chicago. Like I said and on Thursday, I got up in the morning
I ate breakfast at 630 in the morning and I was just so busy when I got to Chicago that I just forgot to eat
And just busy working. There was no opportunity. So I went all the way from 630
till about you know, seven o'clock at night and I hadn't eaten a thing and
Boy, I was starving, you know, it's uncomfortable when you're that hungry, you know, you're working up an appetite
You're working with your hands, but then think about when I got to that restaurant
Okay, and think about when I sat down and ordered my favorite thing
Nachos, okay, I had the chips and these are the kind of nachos I'm talking about with the chips and the beans and the meat
The steak, the salsa, the guacamole. I mean the whole thing just this decked out nachos now
That's already my favorite thing
But anything would have been good that night
Anything would have been good at seven o'clock at night after I've been working all day
And so I sat down I had my you know
Wild berry lemonade or something like that and I had my big fancy plate of nachos. That was great
It's the best meal I've ever had in my life because it was something that I was starving for
Now look what if I could feed you a meal right now at the church and I could say if you eat this meal
You will never be hungry again. I mean you just eat it one time and you're filled up. You're done
You never have to eat again. Think about the money that you take. Would you really want to eat that meal?
You wouldn't want to eat that meal because you enjoy eating you enjoy the process of becoming hungry and then fulfilling that appetite
I'd venture to say to you that I probably enjoyed my nachos on Thursday night more than some people
Go to an amusement park and go on the biggest baddest rollercoaster
They have there spend $100 to get in and I probably enjoyed my nachos more
Because they're full they have everything they want. I'm hungry
So anything was good and so I probably enjoyed eating those nachos more than the dope addict
That's on heroin and he has to shoot up heroin every he has to shoot up heroin
To get the same feeling that I got when I bit into my nachos and that's the truth because he's so dead in his senses
By just indulging himself and indulging himself and not withholding anything from himself
Just giving himself whatever he wants if it feels good do it
Then he's gotten to the point where he can't enjoy a good meal anymore. He can't enjoy going to the zoo with his family anymore
He can't enjoy just looking up at the stars at night taking a walk down the street
He can enjoy the normal pleasures of life because he's so dead in his senses
He's so full. He's so gorged himself that it takes him injecting some chemical into his body
To even just get any kind of a pleasure to have any fun
Let's ask him if he thinks he's happier tonight the heroin addict the dope addict
Let's see if he's happier today than I am when I go out to church and just have something to eat
I'll guarantee you I'll be happier to spend my time with my wife this afternoon. I guarantee you
I will enjoy the time that I spent with my wife this afternoon more than Solomon enjoyed his thousand women that he had
Because he was full, but I'm hungry you see the difference and so this there is a benefit to being hungry
Because even the bitter things in life even the things that are maybe not as exciting if you're hungry. They're good
Look if you would at Luke chapter 6. I want to show you something here
Luke chapter 6 I just want to show you the same concept, and then I'll move to the next point
New Testament third book in the New Testament Luke chapter 6 Matthew Mark Luke
This is commonly known as the Sermon on the Mount in Luke chapter 6
And in verse number 19 the Bible reads and the whole multitude sought to touch him for there went virtue out of him
And he healed them all and he lifted up his eyes on his disciples and said blessed be ye poor
For yours is the kingdom of God
Blessed are ye that hunger now for you shall be filled blessed are you that weep now for you shall laugh
blessed are ye when men shall hate you and when they shall separate you from their company and
Shall reproach you and cast out your name as evil for the Son of Man's sake
Rejoice ye in that day and leap for joy for behold your reward is great in heaven
For unlike manner did their fathers under the prophets, but one to you that are rich
For you've received your consolation
Woe unto you that are full for you shall hunger
Woe unto you that laugh now for you shall mourn and weep
Woe unto you when all men shall speak well of you for so did their fathers to the false prophets
You see God's saying look you that have already received everything you that are full
You've already received everything that you want in life. You've already gotten all your reward
You've rewarded yourself instead of waiting on God to reward you someday in the next life
You just reward yourself with everything in this life. He says
Woe unto you. He says I feel sorry for you because there's going to come a day when you're hungry
He said I'd rather be hungry now in this life and be full in the next life for all eternity
Than to be full for a little while now and enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season
Because that's what Moses said. He said he chose rather to suffer
You hear that word to suffer he chose rather to suffer
Affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season
So you can enjoy the pleasure of sin
You can just indulge yourself like Solomon these other men who just give themselves everything that they want, but it's only for a season
It's only for a little while and then you'll reap the hunger later on down there
I'd rather be hungry now because then I have something to look forward to but see when you're full and then you're hungry
You have nothing to look forward to because you've already had it all and it wasn't what it was cracked up to be anyway
You see there's a cycle. It's not a question of just being hungry all the time
There's a cycle that's found in Matthew chapter 5 the verse
I read bless are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness for they shall be filled
See the word filled there. It doesn't say they shall be full
Being full is not what you want. You want to be filled
Filled is like a continual process. It's a verb that's not done yet
So he's saying bless it are you that are hungry because then you'll be filled so you go from being hungry
To being filled to be hungry to being filled to be hungry to be filled
He says look, I'm not just gonna give you everything you want fill you up
He says I'm gonna keep you hungry
That way you can enjoy it when I do bless you and we can enjoy it when you do get something from me when things
Do go your way because you're starving and hungry for something good and when I give it to you, you'll enjoy it
So number one being hungry makes the things of life taste sweeter
Even the even the bitter things can be sweet when you're hungry
But number two being hungry makes God's Word of more value to you
Look at view what a Deuteronomy chapter 8 fifth book in the Bible Genesis Exodus Leviticus numbers Deuteronomy
Deuteronomy chapter 8 verse number 3
It's a
Great verse in Deuteronomy 8 3 the Bible reads and he humbled thee speaking of God and suffered thee to hunger and
Fed thee with Manna, which thou knewest not neither did my father's know that he might make thee to know
That he might make me know that man did not live by bread alone
But by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord of man live you see that he says look sometimes
I have to make you hungry in life to get you to understand that
Physical food is not what life is about all your money in your bank account is not what life's about
Pleasure and living it up is not what life's about the Word of God is the valuable thing
This is what you need more than food job said I've esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food and so much
God has to put us in a place where we'll realize the value of God's Word for some reason when people are full
Sometimes they just don't see the value of God's work. They're too busy having a good time
They're too busy living it up spending all the money and just gorging their fancy
But you know there comes a time when something happens to them
Negative and it's amazing how that's what drives them to God
It's amazing how then they understand God you know when they're laid up in a bed in some hospital somewhere
Then it's amazing how receptive they are to the gospel and salvation. It's amazing when somebody's laid up
All of a sudden reading the Bible sounds like something fun to do, but when you're out. Just having a great time
Sometimes maybe the Bible goes on the back burner and so that's another reason why God has to keep us hungry sometimes
God has to keep us hungry
He has to suffer us to hunger as it says in Deuteronomy 8 3 in order to show us that man did not live by
Bread only but by every word that proceed out of the mouth of the Lord of manly see this is the food that we need
This is what we really should be hungry for and being filled with it constantly see I read the Bible yesterday
But today, I woke up hungry
To read more Bible, and then you know what this isn't going to satisfy me piss tomorrow and later today
I'm gonna be hungry to read more Bible because it's a constant process am I ever gonna be filled where I've just arrived
And I've got all the Bible. I need I know it all I've learned the whole Bible. You can't teach me anything
I've learned it all no and what a terrible thing if I could know the whole Bible
Because then there'd be nothing else to fill up on each day, and so I want to be hungry
I want to keep learning. You know think about the unsaved man. Who's full remember Jesus said it's easier
For a camel to go through the eye of a needle
Then for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God think about that
He says it'd be easier you'd have an easier time taking a camel and
Jamming it through the eye of a needle then to get a rich man saved and of course his disciples said
How can he pay me say that's insane, and he said well with man. It's impossible, but with God all things are possible
So yes, you can get a rich man saved, but I remember
My dad told me the story about my grandma and grandpa his parents and my dad's parents my grandpa was very successful financially
He had a business going and he was he was making just all kinds of my just hand over fist just money
And he was just prideful as a result
Because he made himself all this money
He was doing well in life and so my grandma was saved
But he was not safe and so she began to pray and she said God and think about the character that this took she said God
Take away all the money so that my husband can get saved if that's what it takes
She said whatever it takes said take away all the money
bring us down to nothing God bring us down to emptiness and
Take away the money if that's what it take for me to say and you know what that's exactly what happened
He lost everything he lost all the money, and he got saved
Hey, what's all the profit of man if he gained the whole world and lose his own soul was that it was too bad that?
He lost everything huh no glory to God that he lost everything
And that's why you have to be careful
How you interpret the events of life because you don't know what God's doing when God puts you in a position where he suffers you
To hunger maybe he's just driving you to read the Bible more
Maybe this driving you to the Word of God
And I'm gonna tell you something if you're full now
And you don't read this book like you should and you don't respect this book like you should you don't feed on this book every day
I'd watch out for some lean times coming your way God may send you a little hunger to get you reading this wife
Why because he wants to punish you know?
When God punishes sin he sends people to hell
Okay, that's the punishment for sin the wages of sin is debt all liars shall have their part in the lake
Which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second debt. That's the punishment for sin, and if you're saved
It's already been paid by Jesus Christ when he died and paid your sins and went to hell and rose again from the dead
That's already been paid God doesn't punish me. He doesn't punish you he chases us
He disciplines us because the punishment for sin is more than we can handle it's called burning in hell, but the chastening is where God
Disciplines us for our benefit
The Bible says in Hebrews chapter 12
It says for they verily for a short time chasing us after their own pleasure talking about our earthly father
But he for our profit that we might be partakers of his holiness when God disciplines us. It's not for his benefit
It's for our benefit, and so God will cause you to hunger if you don't read the Bible
God will send you lean times if you don't
Meditate on the Word of God day and night because he wants you to read this book for your benefit
He's trying to bring you closer to him for your benefit. He wants you to be hungry
For you, it's not for him. It's not because God is trying to hurt you say God
Why did you cause you know me to lose my job? God? Why did you cause my car to break down God?
Why did you cause these horrible events to happen?
Look
God is maybe trying to suffer suffering to hunger a little bit so that
Things in life can be a little sweeter to you so that you can enjoy the things that do come your way and so that
You can be driven to the Word of God
Look if you would at Psalm 107
Right in the middle of your Bible the book of Psalms
It's Psalm 107 beginning in verse number one this one of my favorite chapters in the Bible. I love this chapter Psalm 107
For the verse number one of Psalm 107 oh give thanks unto the Lord for he is good for his mercy endureth forever
Let the redeemed of the Lord say so whom he is redeemed from the hand of the enemy and gather them out of the lands
From the east and from the west from the north and from the south they wandered in the wilderness in a solitary way
They found no city to dwell in
Hungry and thirsty their soul fainted in them, then they cried unto the Lord
You see that
Then they cried unto the Lord when they were hungry and thirsty
In their trouble and he delivered them out of their distresses and he led them forth by the right way
That they might go to a city of habitation
Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness and for his wonderful works
to the children of men for he satisfied the longing soul and
Filleth the hungry soul with goodness
See that's who gets filled up with God's goodness is the hungry soul see this chapter in Psalm 107 and read this later
Just really read this chapter and let it sink in the great chapter. It's a cycle. You'll see it happens about four times
There's a pattern in this chapter. It talks about people who are doing well in life
They're they're full if you would then
They're not really glorifying God. They're not really praising God like they should and so God
Brings them through some hunger. He brings them through some hard times and you'll see this pattern about four times in this chapter
Then
They cry out to the Lord and he delivers them out of their distresses
But then constantly four times he says oh that man would praise the Lord for his goodness
and for his wonderful works to the children many saying look if they would just praise me for my goodness and
Praise me for my wonderful works the children
I wouldn't have to bring him through as many of these hard times to get them to turn to me but oftentimes unfortunately
That's what God has to do because when we're full we won't turn to God
and so he has to put us through the hunger to get us to turn to him and
Saying good night. Why don't they just praise God in the first place and this wouldn't happen
But I don't have time to go through that whole chapter. That's a great chapter
Look at Luke 15 show you again
Third book in the New Testament again Matthew Mark Luke
Luke chapter number 15 very familiar story the prodigal son
of
The Luke 15 chapter 12
I'm down me verse number 12 Luke 15 12 the Bible reads and the younger of them said to his father father
Give me the portion of goods that followed to me boy. Isn't that the attitude of today's generation? Just those two words. Give me
That could be the words for 2006 for young people for teenagers for young adults. Give me. Hey, Uncle Sam
Hey US government. Give me
I deserve the food stamps. I deserve you to put me in a house to live in
I deserve my phone bill paid by you because I went out and got knocked up and had a bunch of illegitimate babies
So give me gimme gimme. That's the way it is, isn't it?
Hey mom and dad you owe me to pay my college for me. Give me gimme gimme gimme
My name's Jimmy. I'll take all you give me that's the motto of our generation not
Thankfulness for what's there the Bible says that in the last in a lot of times some sort of apart from the faith
It says this know also than the last days perilous time shall come for men shall be lovers of their own selves
unthankful unholy
Disobedient to parents you see those see that see the grouping there. He said in the last times. They're gonna be unthankful
They're gonna be unholy and they're gonna be disobedient to their parents. This is the attitude toward parents today. Give me
The world owes me a living the government owes me a living people call this church you wouldn't believe this
I mean, we just started the church six seven months ago
People call this church every week asking for money handouts people, you know women who are estranged from their spouse
They're they're estranged from their boyfriend
That whatever they won't come to church. I mean if you one day they came to church and said hey, I need help
They don't come to church. They're just calling down the phone book. Just looking for free money and I said we'll come to church
What I have to come to church
No, I just need money for my rent. I just need $200 to my rent. I'm gonna come to church
Isn't that amazing? It's just this give me give me attitude. You know, I I work a full-time job
To pay to pay my own bills. I paid my time just like you do I put you know, I work
I support my family. I make my own money in the fire alarm business and
Somebody's gonna call me almost every day with their handout saying give me give me you owe me something. It's garbage
This world was a lot better, but we had all the social programs before Franklin Delano Roosevelt
Whether you like that or not
That's the truth before FDR came and give all the government handouts people used to go to the house of God
They used to cry unto the Lord and he delivered them out of their distresses
But now they don't go to it. They don't go to the church anymore
They go to the government and then they just call the church every once in a while to see if they can get more free
Money to supplement so they can buy a bigger television
But we see in Luke
15 12 and the younger of them said to his father father give me
The portion of goods that falleth to me see give me what I got coming to me
Why does he have anything coming to him?
But look at his attitude give me the portion of goods that fall to me and he divided unto them his living and
Not many days after the younger son gathered all together and took his journey into a far country and there
Wasted his substance with riotous living and when he had spent all
There arose a mighty famine in the land. That's the hunger the famine in that land
and
He began to be in want and he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country and he sent him into his fields
To feed swine and he would feign it filled his belly with the husks that the swine did he remember?
We saw to the hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet. Here. He is. He goes into a far country
I'm gonna get as way far away from my dad as I can of course
The father here is God the father represented. This son here is a the younger son is a Christian who's rebelling against God he backslidden
Because he's a son of God, but he doesn't want anything to do with God. So he's gonna get out of church
He's gonna get away from the father's house the house of God the Church of the Living God
He says I'm gonna get as far away from it as I can and I'm just gonna go live it up
riotous living party
rah-rah-rah kind of a lifestyle and I'm gonna fill up and boy he got full and
He was having a time with all kinds of riotous living but then a famine came in the land then he got hungry
I wonder who sent the famine
I'll bet you God sent the famine because he was trying to get a hold of this guy and the famine pain
He's hungry
He runs out of money and he gets to the point where he's feeding pigs for a living and it says he's just lusting
After what the pigs are eating wishing that he could eat some to have you now look this story never meant a lot to me
Until about six months ago. I was in New Mexico with my sister and we went to her pastor's house and he had pigs
He was keeping pigs there in Farmington, New Mexico
And I did I guess I just never really seen pigs in their natural element. You know, I've seen him at the fair or something
It's not really the same and boy these pigs were filthy and I you know, you think it's just a stereotype
It's not I saw these pigs
I mean, they're just wallowing in the mire and I'm not gonna mention what a lot of the mire is but it's filthy and it's
Disgusting it smells and boy. They are just the most disgusting a lot. It makes me look at
Pork in a whole different way. But anyway, it was bad and I was looking at this
I was just thinking to myself I thought of the story the particle sign that
Good night. How hungry would you have to be to desire what he's feeding these pigs? It'd be pretty bad
Well, there he is he's starving and hungry and look what it says in verse number 17
Or look at verse number 16, you know, he would faint and filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat
And no man gave unto him. Nobody would even give him the pig slump and when he came to himself
He said how many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare and I perish with hunger
I will arise and go to my father and will say unto him father
I have sinned against heaven and before thee and I'm no more worthy to be called thy son
Make me as one of thy hired servants
See the attitude he says here's a Christian and get the story right a lot of people are mixed up on this story get the story
Right. This is a son of God. This is God's son
You got the brother that stays behind and you got the brother who goes off into sin
The Christian who goes off in the sin and gets back then you have the other Christian the elder brother who lives for God stays
In the church stays in the house of God. Well, this younger brother goes out
He gets away from church. He's out of church. He's partying. He's living it up. He says God give me what's coming to me
Now he didn't mind getting saved because that's free
I mean, it's a free gift of God is eternal life who shall ever believeth in him shall not perish but have ever last life
That was fine. But then he continues with this attitude of just okay God give me this. Give me that
Give me what's coming to me
Give me what I want and then he just goes out of his parties and lives it up soon as he gets what he wants
From God he goes out and lives it up and then God drives him to a place of hunger
Where he lacks where his life is going wrong where his finances are gone
His friends are gone his girlfriend's gone and he's got nothing and then look at the attitude that's different
He says I'm gonna go back to that. I'm gonna go back to church
I'm about back to God say God, I'm I'm worthy to be called a Christian. He says I'm a disgrace
Can you just allow me please the privilege of serving you God, would you just let me work for you God?
Is there anything that I can do for you God because I've just I've been such a fool
I've wasted my life and I just want to work for you God. Would you let me do that?
You see that's what hunger will do to a person. And so it's hunger necessarily a bad thing
No, I don't think it is because number one
Living life a little bit hungry is gonna make you enjoy life more because you'll be able to you won't have to shoot up on
Heroin, you won't have to go to the movies and watch things explode to have fun
You could just go to the zoo and that fun. You could just go out to eat in that fun
You don't have to indulge yourself in a bunch of pornographic
Filth at the theater and there's no movie at the theater that you ought to be watching
Period and there's nothing on a television that you ought to be watching that's produced by the world that's produced by Hollywood. It's trash
It's garbage. That's a whole nother sermon. I could go down the list and explain to you why that is
But is that what you have to have?
Is that what you have to have you just have to sit down and watch some exciting thing on the television to have any fun
Because you're so full you can't just enjoy the things that God's giving you
You can't enjoy the family that God has given you you gotta enjoy somebody else's situation
You have to enjoy everybody else's stuff. No be content with such things as you have
Which leads me to my third point number one being hungry makes you enjoy life more period because you can just enjoy anything
Number two being hungry will drive you to God and to the Word of God and to the things of God
It'll drive you to be a better Christian when God keeps you hungry
Unfortunately, that's just human nature when we're full we forget about God, but number three being hungry
Teaches you to be content with what you have. I'll just quote this for you Philippians 4. You don't have to turn there
Paul said in Philippians 4 not that I speak in respect of want for I have learned in whatsoever state
I am there with to be content. I know both how to be a based and I know how to abound
Everywhere and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry both to abound and to suffer need
I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me see that verse is commonly quoted
I can do all things through Christ which strengthen me, but what's it referring to let's put it in context
He says I know both how to be a based and I know how to abound he says I know how to be
Empty I know how to be full
He says God has given me he's ordained my life to be a life of being full and alive to being empty
And that's why I've learned and whatsoever state. I am wherever I am whatever. I'm doing to be content
Isn't that what you want in life to be contained?
Why be happy the way that you're happy in life the way that you're content in life is where God gives you everything
And you can praise the Lord and thank him for it, and then when he takes you down to nothing when you're a base and
Humiliated to nothing he can you still be content and praise the Lord and thank God for what he does for you
That's how that's happiness in life where you can say if God causes me to hunger
There's a reason why and it's for my own benefit when he fills me up praise the Lord
I can enjoy it because I know what it's like to be hungry
And you're never gonna learn to be contained said therefore. He said I've learned in whatsoever state
I am there with to be content you're never gonna learn how to be hungry unless you
I'm sorry to be content unless you go through the hungry time
The hungry time is teaching you how to be content with what you have
The full world out there that has everything they want they don't know how to be content
Let's ask Bill Gates if he's content today. He just wants more. Let's ask Donald Trump
If he if he's happy he can't even get a decent haircut. I'll say it again
He can't I mean the guy Donald Trump all the money in the world hey
At least I could get a decent haircut, okay
I may not have as much money as Donald Trump
But I don't cut my hair in the dark with a dull pair of kid scissors or whatever
He does to get that crazy haircut that he has it looks like a freak
Okay, why I just heard that he's building a new tower in Chicago
I just heard about this taller than the Sears Tower Trump Tower
It's gonna look like a big like drill bit or something like a Christmas ornament big giant tall thing you think he's satisfied
I'll guarantee you
That just I'll guarantee you that I'm happy of it. He is I'll guarantee it. I'll bet you. I'll bet you anything
I'll bet you all his money
That I'm happy of him
He is because he's never gonna be happy because he don't he doesn't know what it is to be a base
He doesn't know what it is to hunger
He'd say I'm like Solomon I hated life because I had everything and I'm stuffed to the limit I can't even enjoy anything anymore
But see you live for God and God will get you hungry
And he'll fill you up and then he'll get you hungry again, and he'll fill you up
And that's the happier life is living for God. No it's not a life of being filled
It's a life of of hungry and filled. It's not just all full
So you've got to thank God for the full times and when things are going bad and
You've got to love you've got to learn to love those hungry times. You've got to learn to enjoy
Suffering and being hungry and saying you know what this just means that
The field is on its way because God promised he'd fill me up
If I'm hungry, and you've got to learn to just enjoy both sides of the coin
You've got to learn to always in everything give thanks for this is the will of God Christ Jesus concerning you
But number four and this is the most important point number one was you
If you're hungry you're gonna enjoy life more because you're not just overindulged to the limit number two
Being hungry will drive you to the Word of God and the things of God number three
Being hungry is going to teach you to be content with what you have because you know what it's like to have nothing and so
Anything you have is going to be a blessing, but number four
Don't ever be satisfied and don't ever get to the place where you're full where you say I've arrived
I'm full don't ever be full
Don't you just have something burning inside of you right now this morning
Don't you just have a starving feeling in your stomach right now that says I want to do something great for God
I'm not satisfied with with what I've accomplished in life. I'm not satisfied with just getting up
Eating breakfast going to work eating lunch eating dinner coming home going to sleep
Isn't there something inside of you some kind of a hunger inside of you that says I want to do something great for God
I want God to use me in a great way. I want to win people to Christ
I don't want to be like everybody else. I want to learn God's word. I want to be a great Christian
I want to live for God. There's got to be something more than what I have right now. I'm hungry for something else
Isn't there that hunger inside you if you don't have that hunger inside of you if you just say I'm satisfied
I'm full I come to church on Sunday or Wednesday because
I'm just kind of knocking it out
You know marking it off, but I've been there because that's what you do you go to church
Look if that's you I feel sorry for you if you're not hungry right now if you're not hungry
Hungering and thirsting after righteousness as Jesus said if you're not
Starving to see God answer some great prayer in your life to see those loved ones and friends say to see God
Take you in and and lift you up to become the great
Servant of God that he wants you to be the great soul winner that he wants you to be if you're not starving
For that then I feel bad for you because Jesus says what what do you?
He says you're not blessed. I don't care what you have in life
I don't care how you like so says you're not blessed if you don't have any hunger
If you don't have any vision of something that you don't have
I'm something that you want that you don't have if you've got it all he said I feel sorry for you because you've got nothing
To work for you have nothing to look toward you have nothing to look forward to because you just got it all
You've had it all God says no don't ever be satisfied
Don't ever be filled up look. I'm not satisfied with with the soul that I wonder the Lord yesterday
I'm not satisfied at all. I'm not satisfied with you know look back at the bulletin and say oh, yeah
We had these people say back in you know March or January or oh, yeah, we have some a baptized
You know a couple weeks ago. Hey
That's good
Great isn't that no I'm not satisfied at all
David said I'll be satisfied in my wake and his likeness said I will never be satisfied until I get to heaven so don't ever
Don't ever get to the place where you're full say I'm always hungry. I'm always starving you see boys
I'm kind of uncomfortable to live like that. It's a little bit uncomfortable you're right
But there's glory there's joy in living like that. Yeah, it's a little uncomfortable
God said I want you to be hot or cold. I don't want you to be lukewarm
Hot's uncomfortable colds uncomfortable lukewarm is comfortable, but he says I didn't ask you to be comfortable
He said I asked you to be hungry so that I can choose when I fill you up
And then that's where you can enjoy the blessings, and he says don't ever get satisfied. Don't ever get full
Always be hungry for more. I got to see more people saved. I want to be closer to God
I want to read more Bible. I want to memorize more Bible. I want to do more for God
I want to be used by God more. I'm starving. I'm hungry this morning, and so let me ask you the question
I started the message. Are you hungry?
That's the whole message. Are you hungry? Let's bow our heads and have a word of prayer
Father I thank you so much that I can look back in my life, and I can see some times when I was pretty hungry
Talking about physically I'm talking about