004 - Hungry, Hungry Hippos! - Are we hungry for the right things?

You pick up your Bible and wondered, is there more here than meets the eye. Is there something here for me. I mean it's just words printed on paper right well it may look like just print on a page, but it's more than Inc. join us for the next half hour, as we explore God's word together as we learn how to explore it on our own.

As we ask God to meet us there in its pages welcome to more than Inc. you will a close second for me is because I think pizza pepperoni will one way that I want pizza makes me wonder about her appetite story will be hungering for the right you mean oh we really in reflection so I this is Jim and this is Dorothy and more than Inc. come back with this your intention here is that you would yourself figure out how you can study the Bible and glean great stuff from it like we do, because God is really intent on engaging your mind give you an understanding about how life works and how life works with him. So today were talking about something fundamental to us that you think you never have to talk about and that's hunger. I mean, I'm just actually hungry for so there's things I'm hungry for overtime but like when I wake up at the morning when I wake up hungry, so why should we talk about hunger in the Bible. I don't wake up hungry after wake up arrested me first guy that's right but we're designed to get hungry so often because our bodies need physical replenishment and you wouldn't think that this is actually up problem in our lives in terms of hunger because of something is just very naturally a part of our experience. So were not talking about going to the Bible to figure out how to get a big Mac when you're hungry about how to satisfy those updates but we do need to talk before we get into this about the fact that there is reason differentiation we talk about hunger between wants and needs.

There's a difference between hunger, genuine physical hunger and appetite appetite exactly because I am a person who struggled with food addiction all my life and so I have done a whole lot of thinking about the difference between appetite, the kind of the last four eating as opposed to the actual physical need for replacing the cells that have been used up and my body is very important distinction and we talked about this last time that God has built us to be frequently needed right and so my designs by design is supposed to give us a clue about something bigger in terms of well yeah so the requested eyewear in dealing with why are you hungry for right right well and can you develop a hunger or you just kind of the sleep of your appetites right so so those of those wishes run talk about today because that actually is.

That's the problem with hunger. The problem isn't that you are hungry. The problem is that maybe you're hungry for the wrong thing and take can be trained exactly and that's I think where we because that requires applying discipline boy who likes discipline right and not only discipline but it also points the fact that maybe I need to be hungry for things that are more necessary to me than what I and kind and I might not my stomach when I growl for those things whose stomach growls for Kale right right but I need you need when seen it right so were talking about developing an appetite. This is like on top of what you naturally experience in appetites were talking about maybe. Maybe my appetite is not developed enough to sustain my spiritual so were talking about it. Cultivated taste exactly exactly. And we we know you can do that because you know you can do that with food you cultivated taste for certain foods.

Were talking about a spiritual domain and God.

God is saying to us seasoning in the sink to us that maybe we are not hungry for the things that really we we don't know are most necessary for us.

So for instance I mean we we broach a slightly before about how we need to hunger for things that are important and and so that's a run. Talk about today and probably the best way to illustrate what were talking about is probably all sounds kind of fuzzy right about spiritual hunger and developed appetites in all I think it should go to Deuteronomy right now.

Let's go to bed. He knows the story. Everybody knows the Israelites were in the wilderness for 40 years, light years nonbelievers even non-Bible readers know that at least from whence the desert where there's no water. The right food right well. This story actually is little more finesse and it than that but that kinda lines up with the natural level of appetites go past that and guys going past that that's what God was driving me to from Deuteronomy.

I love this passage and and just in case you don't know. Deuteronomy is that sermon the collection of sermons that Moses gave at the end of his life just before the Israelites entered into the promised land.

So he was kind of recounting for them their own history for this new generation that had grown the promised land and their sense of what was that all upright and they were out there long enough that the generation left Egypt all died and so these are the ones you have grown up in the wilderness. These guys have grown up eating manna every day of their lives.

So let me mistreat you from Deuteronomy 8.

Read verses two and three but now listen and see what's here that's familiar Moses says and you shall remember all the way which the Lord your God has led you in the wilderness. These 40 years. Here's his purpose that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments are not and he humbled you and let you be hungry and he fed you with manna which you didn't know nor did your fathers know that he might make you understand that man does not live by bread but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord to what was he teaching me said I like took you out here and I let you get physically hungry so you would recognize your dependence on me, not just for your daily bread which we talked about a little bit last time that you would know that what you really need to live is this relationship with me.

Are you living by everything that I have to say to you, because that's life.

Jesus said my words are spirit and life, and so when he said that he was I think harkening back to the experience of the Israelites in the wilderness Melissa list take up our little bit more so the around the wilderness and there's no food there's no food in the double right is the water either. Monica does no food in the desert.

So in what way is not having food and then having God provide this miraculous food.

What does that have to do with the words to come from mouth of the Lord. I'm just praying food food right well. He said now I told you I'll provide your needs and I told you gather it every day. You can read this account in Exodus just reading Exodus I tell you I'll give it every day.

Gather as much as you need and backed out, gather it on the Sabbath day is the day before I give you twice as much as you need. And so the test really was about what was in their hearts were they going to believe that God was sufficient to do what he had told them he would like if I don't collect tomorrow's food rattling nobody hungry right now I'm testing you to know do you have an obedient heart. Do you believe me when I tell you something, I will provide for you.

I'll give you enough and so this idea of God being God's word being the provision for what we really need get sick developed by Jesus. Actually, John six when he's talking about.

I am the bread of life.

I am all that you need come to me and eat. Come to me and drink. You'll never be hungry.

John six. Yet she references what were just about the whole issue with the man on trusting God that he's God's promises going to be good for food tomorrow, and we know that in the wilderness, the Israelites are constantly grumbling really want to go back to Egypt because we had leaks and melons and cucumbers.

We had all this stuff that we have an appetite that taste good. Don't vibrator overlooked that they were slaves right all he remembered was that that stuff tasted good and felt good to eat so the question God was asking them is can you to define your need according to what I'm providing for you because I am a good father exact. I am the Lord who brought you out of slavery and I'm to give you. It's good will you accept that what I'm giving you is good and it's what you need and are you staying are you willing to trust the fact that when I say I will feed you tomorrow. I will feed you tomorrow.

I will or are you be tempted to go out and just pick two weeks of man put in your fridge and God had built the the program to include the fact that you can keep it turned moldy nasty overnight so when you decided not to trust God.

The outcome was bad. So what was he teaching them.

He was teaching in a very tangible physical way.

What God gives good for today is exactly what you need. It's nourishing at satisfying but you can't keep it for tomorrow you guys start fresh tomorrow with what God provides you for tomorrow, so let's liquid today right because got God could have designed the program so that he gave you name I've said okay. The day after the Sabbath, for instance, go outside and you can pick a week of food, maybe two weeks and distort you, store you dig a hole in the sand words cooler and should, he could've gone to that entire thing, but instead he says look your daily needy and I will be daily.

The solution to your need exact. Are you willing to trust me for your daily needs or you gonna lay down your head on the pillow and have anxiety like we talked about last program and say worst chars were going to come from will, there's a got a promise to give you food, so what's the deal and will you trust that the food I give you is enough is enough because that also was a lesson in a manner that says that in Exodus and he who gathered much had no lack, and he didn't gather whole lot had enough.

It was enough for the day for each individual's needs.

So that really was the test will you believe me that what I am providing for you is enough for you to send a whole question about how do I define my needs. Which brings us back to hunger because hunger is based on needs right hunger, genuine hunger, as opposed to appetite is about needs and so this is where we have to separate note, the appetite wants from the appetite of needs and when it comes to needs.

We have to also broaden that from just physical needs to spiritually and in developing an appetite for something that feeds me more fundamentally than even man or bread is what feeds me more fundamentally, what do I fundamentally need more every day. Maybe I don't have a hunger for in the end this is the problem with hunger that we not responding to our natural appetites. But maybe we don't have a hunger for the things that are more essential than bread itself that's that's the really big Deming that's what this would just talk about John six as he calls himself the bread of life right and bread is the bread is kind of a metaphor for the essential food. If you bread you can time but he says but I met Brett I am that bread maybe what you need to hunger for is not bread, bread, the me bread. The Jews talk about so he said actually that he was the reality behind the image of the man I says I am that you read that came down to heaven so that you can eat me and live. And that's one of things wrinkled up there mind so badly right well is listen to the time they're very smooth. Deuteronomy 8 and eight. They knew that they knew that the lesson is that God allowed to be hungry so that you know that you don't by bread alone, but by every word that comes about the Lord let us that that's the lesson in Jesus and I am that lesson.

I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever, and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh. This is the bread that came down from heaven, not the bread. The fathers ate and died. Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever. John six yet so he's taking the imagery of the manna and saying you know what that all was a picture that is were real people in real time and place, eating real stuff always pointing to me. I am the living word of God that you need to sustain your eternal life yet because because life ongoing, life is over, talk right NS through this truth bread to a more talk about the necessity of your physical needs. You got have bread have to have something to eat her up just short expire. The question we keep circle around here is what are you really hungry for what is our real need. What is the hunger of your heart and what what's what's the essential need for life right that you might not have a hunger for because of God's not giving me what I physically need or what I think I physically need to have an appetite for then how faith calls God's character into question.

Okay guys letting me be hungry right well can I based on what I know about the character of God, can I learn to ask which is my greater need to have lunch today or to know what it feels like to have a growling stomach yeah maybe my growling stomach is trying to tell me something about a deeper need right wing ramp that's that's why he allow them to be hungry exactly designed to get hungry as a trigger to understand our our real need that we need to feed on God's word daily staining way that might be more essential nutrient to us than bread is so infectious to go back to our last show we were in Matthew six about not being anxious and he was he was chiding him for always being anxious about where you're going, you just like the Israelites, just like the Israelites was going to come from.

At the end that he, with a phrase that leads us right to what were talking about here, he says, but instead of seeking that stuff. This is Matthew 633 but seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these other things will be added to source like physical needs, stuff is just meant to point you toward deeper much more profound reality and he's saying instead of seeking, you know your next manner or your next cheeseburger you need to seek the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and that's more fundamental in your hunger for what will bring life than anything else. Okay is seeking the kingdom of God dwelling under his ship right what what life is like any kingdom is determined by the character of the king.

What is our King like and is he able to provide AC able to provide and does even want to because he want to pray because if if God is able and he doesn't want to. Well than what I'm making is that he's a jerk but but we have a king whose goodness is everlasting and his resources. You can't can't even count them exactly he never runs out.

So we seek first his kingdom. That's our source of infinite resources because his love for us is infinite in that sense, don't forget he's involved in your life and living under his faithful rain and fit under Sue even right now, even if it's not visible, even if it looks like you living in a wasteland still provides for he understands how to provide for the understanding of doing. But then, but then the hunger were talking about here is. Maybe I need to hunger for for something like like righteousness, which the goodness of God manifest you know in honest-to-goodness generosity and love in all the things that we just tend to look and you know it turns out that Jesus actually says that he says your hunger is messed up and he says it at the outset of the sermon on me like write the beginning as Beatitudes and he and he says I'm really curious raise which brings us right to the center were talking right here Matthew 56 he says blessed are those who hunger. There is who hunger and thirst for right choice justice. Oh, for they will be satisfied.

So maybe I'm not hungering after the right thing but he says he says if you hunger and thirst for like you have a daily need for bread if you hunger and thirst for righteousness, you will be satisfied to give you more than you can basically maybe that's my real. Maybe that should be my real hunger that brings me to real life is righteousness itself. Okay so the question then is righteousness is what where we talk about righteousness were talking at the character of God character of God says is good and right and sound, not necessarily what we have an appetite for and I think were seeing this in our culture right now this this angry outplaying of craving for righteousness.

According to our own standard that according to God's yeah and you know you talk about hungry after righteousness, which is a very strange phrase for us don't get that all but you know if you think about the fact that there was really only one one person who is righteous, righteous, who was actually righteousness. Jesus himself said that you know when you call me good is good. Exactly. So when you know when I first started reading the Bible I spotted Jesus in the Gospels and in reading more more about Jesus.

I develop more more hunger to see who this Jesus was and you see his actions demonstrated is healing a leper speaking with white amid all these things and I developed a hunger for that that righteousness and what he saying is that that righteousness actually fulfills a fundamental nutrition need of yours in a spiritual sense than food itself will for your need for carbohydrates, so there is the righteousness of God. Hunger and thirst for righteousness, and you'll be satisfied, which is a love that we only go past the second half of it. It doesn't say hunger and thirst for righteousness so go out there and work on it and finally you said as if you hunger and thirst for that. Like the Israelites in the desert.

Hunger did worsted God filled them by promise and he says if you hunger and thirst for righteousness, you will be satisfied, which means you have more than you need okay but where did they learn that we teach them that lesson was in the will do the will.

He took them there away everything that was familiar everything that was easy everything that was comfortable or sweet so that he could teach them by slowly taking away all those other things that he is that they need and I have learned this personally, I really didn't know that God is all I need until he was all I had right now that's a story for another day. But really it is a truism for a lot of overarching story of the discipline God right. Hebrews 12 talks about the discipline of God how he disciplines those he loves to yield in them peaceful fruit of righteousness. The character of God worked out in us. Are we hungry to be like the one who made us and who calls us, his children and his adopted us through Jesus hungry to be like him.

That's the hunger for righteousness is near yeah and you know we we have we have metaphors I'll call them in our current experience and there's people that you love people that people that are extremely good friend your best friends and stuff like that where when you spend time with them or you yearn for them. You hunger for them. There's something that that's deeply met inside of you in terms of need like like like bread satisfies a physical need hunger.

There's something about relationship with other people.

That's very nourishing and very needy in your word recordings during a time of worship, shut down. We don't see people as much as we'd like to would like to give him hugs and we can't hunger right there with you if you don't talk about we talk about that level of hunger. Hunger for relationship now magnify that by like a gazillion times and God saying your hunger for relationship with people is just a small indicator of your real your real need for relationship with me. What are we really hungry for his love's significance is relational intimacy right.

We were created for that and that's the bread of life for us.

That's relationship with God that brings something nourishes something in us that until we come and meet Christ. We don't even know we have a hunger for and then we see Christ realize we have a hunger for that and so is you is you continue on your Christian life you God continues to build this appetite for him and all you do, so that at the end of everything you suddenly realize, oh my gosh, you know, I could have a pizza that week.

But what I really needed. What I really needed was to be near to God because that fed something I never knew there okay said. That brings me to I want to come back to Philippians 4 which we tell you that in a last show because Paul says, speaking from want. I'm starting here in Philippians 411 because I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means.

I also know how to live in prosperity in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, but that having abundance and suffering need so Paul's saying there were times in his journey in his ministry in his life when he didn't have enough physically to eat when he'd place to sleep.

He makes those lists actually in second Corinthians 9 just pulled pulls no punches and says these are all the things I have endured for the sake of Christ because he know him is worth so much more than can you be content. When the situation goes so so but you just have to learn those things I have brought those into my experience, how by walking through them God even allowed Paul to walk through that wilderness of hardship.

He allowed him to be hungry, where he learned contentment in the love and the purpose of God for him and boy that opens this whole idea also of living with his physical infirmity. His thorn in the flesh. Maybe we should have another conversation about that because right now are talking not God providing our daily needs for seeking him and being able to define our daily needs. According to what God is provided, rather than the other way around. Right if I don't have it. God must think I don't need it that's a different kind of content that is a whole different mindset and saying God, where's my sandwich coming from today.

I need that you told me I would need that well you know the Lord's prayer, Jesus said, you know. Give us this day our daily bread that's actually literally our need for Brad to give me what I need today is my greatest need today to have a full tummy or is my greatest need today to know dependence on you right right and so is her coming close to the end.

I think that's that's what the word challenges on was talking about, you know, how can I have a problem with hunger. Well you have a problem with hunger because maybe you're hungering after the wrong things maybe realize you know what you read those labels and the side of cereal boxes about you know what.

Since the serial knowing you look at does this does this satisfy hundred percent of my daily need will expand that to like you spiritual case is what I'm consuming on a spiritual level, satisfying 100% of my daily need and God says hello I'm your daily need. I you know you need to have a hunger for me. I let you be hungry so you'd realize that there's more going on here than just being hungry for food need to be hungry for me and him enough for that I am right and and you'll be satisfied if that's where you set your hungers. He says if you hunger and thirst after righteousness, you will be satisfied is the source of that is God himself, and he never runs out and he never ends up right so if you don't have a developed hunger for that. Don't spare but but go to God and say God I want to develop that kind of hunger for you.

I want to come to understand more and more that what I really need in my daily need is not what my tummy tells me I need, but it's actually you yourself and I'm convinced that God and his faithfulness will come back to you, and begin to go out develop into an appetite for him and know for the two of us, who can walk with the Lord for like 50 years that that's an appetite that's grown over time and he's faithful to satisfy that appetite and as we feed on what's good nourishing right satisfying. We will begin to cultivate an appetite for that.

It begins to taste good exactly exactly. And then in every situation that we are out of time so hope you join us next time and