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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