Hunger

Relationship with God will not be growing if our relationship with his word is casual. If our obedience to him is partial if our communion with him is seasonal or occasional call is passionately informing us that what he really hungers for you boil it down is a relationship with Christ is marked not by the partial or the occasional or the casual, but the perpetual and the individual and the continual try to pick and choose what to obey and what to ignore. Instead of obeying God. The apostle Paul had one all consuming ambition wasn't to pay off a mortgage earn a nice retirement or start a private business it was simply to know Christ. The big question for today is this what is your ambition working to explore all of this today. This is wisdom for the heart with Stephen Devi. Today's lesson is called hunger. Here Stephen with this lesson from God's word whenever Marsha and I can catch a few minutes in the morning out on the deck with a cup of coffee would be great way to start the day.

In our view, is a great vacation. We recently been listening to a nest of little birds nearby, about 20 yards away little collection of newborn wrens everything over there is quiet until one of the adults arrived with delivery service, and then it is absolute pandemonium, squawking, squealing, mouth wide open, pushing a longing reaching for another morsel, another morsel, instinctively knowing by the design and creative work of God that if it does not open its mouth. It does not get fed. Likewise, God is not in the business of forcing open closed mouths and pushing food down our throats.

He feeds us in response to our appetite. Notice personal testimony of the apostle Paul, as tested by that. He filled his life. His mouth, his heart, if you will with accolades and accomplishments in zeal and devotion of the law everything Allison may comes to the end of that list as we studied in with rather shocking brutal transparency to his world. He writes that it is all to mean that rubbish, no appetite for that. It's like spoiled food it it it's pride belongs in the sewer. Now he reaches in his personal testimony to that Himalayan moment that climactic mountain peak in that text that you all know that preachers dread the brakes because it is so freighted and we feel so unworthy. In verse 10, let's pick it up there. He says this that I may know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings, being conformed to his death in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead that I can sort of unpack. This personal cost estimate for separate God's. I believe what Paul is saying is that he hungers to know Christ more deeply what that means is he wants to live for Christ more dynamically. He wants to suffer for and with Christ more dependent late and ultimately wants to look for the day when he is with Christ, and he desires that even greater than those take a look at the first, he wants to know Christ more deeply, that I may know him would you notice the personal language isn't sale on all of you there.

The church in Philippi. The knobby audit nominee earlier work at it so you get a go for it isn't saying I want my friends to know him this and so was I own my husband and all my wife to know more. Mike family to know them all.

If only my boss know that would make life so much better know I may know want to know and you read anything as I did always you already do you do you mean everybody who comes by faith.

Understanding the gospel into a personal knowledge of Jesus Christ knows him then as Lord and Savior. See Paul is in here talking about salvation he he is talking about transformation growing. He is talking about is appetite and his hunger. She listened becoming a Christian isn't the end of your Christian appetite. It is the beginning it doesn't end your hunger begins. It is for Paul and as for Paul what he had tasted so far Christ had only whetted his appetite for more. Any rights that I may know him verb is instructive to know so those wonderful new dictionary published a few months ago. He writes pages on this. I read them all boiled down to a few sentences. This verb Dennis go change my thinking a little in Paul's day, the goal of knowledge. He brings out was seeking it, it wasn't just seeing what comes and goes but it's seeing what is lasting what what what's real it's it's personally seeking to grasp the reality of the object you are studying got the I got the Bible.

This idea is observable, so let me remind you of some of those ways we can better understand this, the idea of knowing is the idea of caring for its having regard for it is having personal contact with what is real isn't something at a distance. It's close illustrated so well by one of my commentary friends you told of a mother running into a bedroom after hearing your son, you know, shouting, screaming in pain and his two-year-old sister got a handful of his hair and would let go and so she came in and tried one finger at a time. Often, as she was doing as she was telling me I should. She doesn't mean anything by that. She she she doesn't know what it feels like him since she's causing you pain. She laughs what happened on the hallway to her little girl cry out in pain.

She rushes back and asks her son what happened then he said now she knows now she knows this is learning not at a distance, but up close. This overrules by the way, she pointed out in this wonderful treatment of the bird. The idea of a of an impersonal, uncaring God who really doesn't care about knowing such foreign to Scripture is not watching us from a distance I might be a song but it's horrible and stay out the idea of an impersonal and feeling God is foreign, God is actually pretrade and those in the Greek translation of the Old Testament as someone who knows same verb, the one who seeks refuge in him. Name the prophet chapter 1 verse seven.

The Lord's the way of those rightly related to him someone six.

God told Jeremiah before I formed you in the womb I knew you. I know you think David will even describe ever more even more than the formation.

Of an embryo in the womb is as deeply personal.

You he writes God you formed my inward parts, you wove me in my mother's womb. How precious are your thoughts your thoughts of me.

You are thinking about me.

David sky-blue is my that's too wonderful for me. He writes the unbeliever will be found guilty for not wanting to know him. The believer is commanded to be still and know he is God. One day in the final judgment.

There will stand before Christ. Preachers and prophets and miracle workers and healers who are denied entrance into heaven even though they did everything in the name of Jesus.

Everything under the auspices of God in Jesus Christ will say to them. I never want new you. He certainly knew about them.

You know everything about them and they knew some things evidently about him but they were never personally related, by means of the new birth. In other words, Jesus is saying you don't belong to me.

Throughout the Old Testament, the Greek translation of it.

This is the verb for sexual intimacy. The Bible simply records and its wonderful discretion simply this, he knew her.

This is more than intellect, though it involves that this is intimacy. By the way it explains in the New Testament were told that Christ did not know sin Sigourney 521. Christ certainly knew about Sandy good describes and he was tempted by sending a lot of sinners and he hung around, but he wasn't intimately related to any personal sin of his own.

He never knew he was never personally engaged in it he did.

He didn't.

Then, in this way, no sin, so when Paul writes her that he wants to know Christ. What he saying is that he wants to know Christ intimately.

He wants to have regard for him. He wants to care about him.

He wants to commune with him.

He wants to follow him. He wants to be led by him as his Shepherd, which we had some wants to know Christ more intimately or deeply. Secondly, Paul wants to live for Christ. More dynamically, he writes that I may know him and the power of his resurrection. I couldn't help but think of the analogy here so often I think I don't how you are, but I think you know something something blocking my path is in the way you know is a doorway out to get through it. One use of the weather, but I can't. Something's wrong and I'm not getting out of my life.

What ought to get on not progressing like I want to progress and and I think it's know it's it's hidden it's a problem with power that there is the steady flow plugging in.

The problem is the manufacturer never problem with him. It didn't. The hardware and the spirit of God within me. The problem is some hidden obstruction to the dynamic of God's power being demonstrated in and through my life like it ought to be called a kink in the wire but the laziness, selfishness, disobedience, apathy, callousness it unplugged me from holy power Jerry Bridges puts it in the convicting terms when he writes it's time for Christians to face up to our responsibility to often we say that we are defeated by this or that sin no we are not defeated. We are disobedient. It might be better if we stop using the terms victory and defeat to describe our progress.

Rather, we should use the terms obedience and disobedience so resurrection power. What Paul is hungering for is living life in light of the fact that the spirit of God is given him the power to live out his commands.

And as he desires to do that. There is resurrection power. Paul hungered for more. Which meant he hungered to obediently demonstrate the power of Christ within them sorted to face life and conscious awareness that the stone is been rolled away everything you need for life and godliness.

The Spirit of God dwells within them, and in light of that recognize he is not dependent upon the power of Rome is dependent upon the power of the resurrected Christ as a citizen of the kingdom of God and that realization and awareness daily changes everything about the evidence changes the end goal. It changes our perspective same Gordon of the United Kingdom writes in his commentary of this Frenchman who became an Englishman doesn't happen often, but after a long process.

He so admired the British Empire. The British way of life. He finally became a citizen with you. The process got his citizenship when a friend is asking her what significant difference does his British citizenship made to him. He cow aptly said, well, among other things, I find that now, instead of losing the battle of Waterloo. I have one. It living in the power of the resurrection means you are living in light of the fact it is a citizen of heaven matter what the evidence seems to indicate you are on the winning side and that is forever. But before you demanded God give you the benefits of the kingdom is preachers do today. Just watch them on TV before you claim the throne through some secret, some moms for some principal Paul says not to know reach for the cross you notice what he says normally hungers to know Christ deeply and deliver Christ more dynamically. But thirdly, to suffer with Christ more dependently, that I may know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his suffering, being made conformable to his death. Christ likeness leads to a cross. Interesting that the Paul reverses the normal order going from that which is difficult or that which is wonderful that which is painful to that which is joyful. He reverses it. We don't know exactly what Paul is thinking of here when he talks about suffering read all the different opinions.

He might be referring to his newly well his incarceration and the fact that is more than likely. Currently, the martyrdom you might be referring when others are due a life of dying to sin, so that he can demonstrate the power of Christ, he might be referring to simply suffering as a whole experienced only by him to the church in any generation in any culture to some degree for the gospel. It could actually be all of the above and more. But I want you to notice that even though Paul is spoken already of suffering chapter 1 verse 29 he adds here that this is all of his language. This is a clean on the this is a fellowship of suffering.

He emphasizes the idea that that this is a fellowship of sharing his churchy kind of idea when you think of coin O'Neill or fellowship around a potluck or wonderful conversation with others. Things are wonderful another place.

This is this is a fellowship but it is a fellowship of suffering were gathering because we have adopted we have embraced we are pursuing a life that brings suffering me what church, whatever be entitled that the church of the suffering they are the church over this good suffering going on, let's go join a hardly Paul is talking about fellowship thing around the castle always.

I was shipping modern days. I think an illustration of this would be Tokyo's classic work, the Lord of the rings you've read the books or you spent a few weeks watching the movies. There are several men in the Lord of the ring which bind themselves together on destroying the power. This dark kingdom. The dark Lord and they find themselves together what they call the Fellowship of the Ring the Fellowship of the Ring as nothing to do it if I could not get to enjoy the great outdoors. Together they do for hours and hours and hours.

Beautiful scenery and music in a struggle together.

It means I get a battle together. They have the same objective. Paul is hungering for the Fellowship of the Redeemer and those like who are willing to carry across the good news is that suffering for Christ is suffering with Christ because your sharing the miss that others are not alone.

There are many who do not bow their knee to bail.

You're not alone. Furthermore, you're not on your your sharing this. The order is so significant why the power of his resurrection precedes the fellowship of his sufferings which is critical because we will not be able to handle the Fellowship of suffering without the power of resurrection suffering is not the end goal. Paul is insane. I just love to suffer give me more of it is hungering to suffer in the sharing of Christ's suffering for the glory of Christ and the advancement of the gospel and like Christ, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, being plugged in and dependent upon enables you to press onward, which will bring up in a few verses later on. Paul hungered to know Christ more deeply to live for Christ more dynamically to suffer with Christ more dependently one more forth to look for Christ more desirous like verse 11 in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead will that mean he would be with Christ forever. Your translation might read that somehow I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.

Paul isn't expressing uncertainty as to his future in heaven. He's he is expressing uncertainty of the route whereby God will take him there. Somehow I don't know how I don't know what's coming, I don't know is going to happen.

Martyrdom release of visit you again, I'd still like to get over to Spain. I don't know but I do know this I will be raised from among the dead.

This is Paul's abiding hunger to be in the immediate presence of Christ, the one he hungers to love and live for and obey. He had tasted Christ and he wanted more. Paul never got over that taste like the psalmist. He could almost hear him saying, O taste and see that the Lord is what is good, some 34 eight.

What are you hungry for how hungry are you, what were your affection for Christ. What unplugged you from godly desire what what seems that on the other hand is stir up your faxes. What would seems to increase your hunger and then what you got to do about it, and hours will you surround yourself with things that will stir up hunger for God or whittle away your time staying away from things that rob your appetite and you never do. Pull up the table and eat like you should. Our relationship with God will not be growing if our relationship with his word is casual.

If our obedience to him is partial if our communion with him is seasonal or occasional Paul is passionately informing us that what he really hungers for you boil it down is a relationship with Christ is marked not by the partial or the occasional or the casual, but the perpetual and that it did show all and the continual so you pray you pray Lord you're gonna need if you will, please increase hunger.

I'm ready my mouth open as I'm in your word. Give me a hunger for your word as I talk with you.

Give me a longing to talk with you more Jonathan Edwards the mid-1700s or this is the only happiness with which our souls can be satisfied father's mother's husband's wives, children, even the company of friends. They are but shadows. God is the substance family and friends are, but scattered beams, but God is the son, they are all streams but God is the fountain they are but droplets God is the ocean. We tend to focus on and live for and pursue watery droplets which have their place in scattered beams with remember and long for an hunger after fountain son, the ocean, thanks for joining us today here on wisdom. I hope this time in God's word is been a blessing and an encouragement to you. This is the Bible teaching ministry of Stephen Davey. You can learn more about us. If you visit our website which is wisdom online.org.

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