11-25-2018 - Desires vs Needs vs Desires

Our ideas of needs change over time.

The older generation always has a different idea of what real needs are.

One of the big ones talked about today are whether you need a cellphone or not.

I didn't have a cellphone until after I graduated college.

I called home once a month from a payphone in the lobby. Just like they do in jail ;)

I've never understood why parents think their teenagers need cellphones and that they have to talk to them on it every single day. Maybe my parent's didn't love me enough. Maybe they trusted me more... who knows!

single day. Maybe my parent's didn't love me enough. Maybe they trusted me more... who knows!

150 years ago the older generation looked at the younger generation and said, what are you doing spending all that money on a car? What's wrong with getting a good horse. A horse has enough sense not to run into trees or turn over in the ditch. Those metal speed machines are death traps and they will kill you.

money on a car? What's wrong with getting a good horse. A horse has enough sense not to run into trees or turn over in the ditch. Those metal speed machines are death traps and they will kill you.

They weren't wrong. Automobiles kill more people than horses every year. They even kill more people than guns... and yet here we are, everyone here has one. We give them as toys to the little ones who dream of having one of their own someday.

Desires vs Needs

We learn that you should focus on needs instead of desires

If we do that we can live within our means and learn to be content with what we need.

However, this leads us to a point of conflict in ourselves

our heads against our hearts

the angel on one shoulder getting our heads

but the devil on the other getting our hearts

I'd say, at the end of the day, if the devil gets our hearts (or anything for that matter) we need a better solution

So I offer you another one: Let's focus on our desires instead.

This passage has a prequel that points us not away, but toward our desires:

"Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.

Treasure is not forbidden by God.

He just asks the we let him hold onto it for us in heaven

He asks the same of our desires

They are not bad, God just asks us to let him care for them.

That verse alone probably unlocks this whole concept of desires and needs

But Jesus goes on to explain it more.

“Your eye is like a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is filled with light. But when your eye is unhealthy, your whole body is filled with darkness. And if the light you think you have is actually darkness, how deep that darkness is!

Where do our needs come from? or How do we know whether we need something or not?

Our eyes.

Or more precisely, what we see and perceive.

Well, this is part of the truth.

Two different people can see the same thing and only one may decide they have a need for it.

Our eyes are how we interpret our inner desires into something tangible outside of us that we then fixate on as a need.

This is why we sometimes get what we want, and discover that we didn't really want it after all.

it doesn't quench the real, actual need inside.

If the place our needs come from is bad, our desires will be bad.

Where then do our needs come from?

Our needs come from our desires.

Are you confused yet?

“No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money. "

Jesus doesn't talk about God and money as things that we get and use ourselves.

Instead they are things that get and use us. You cannot serve both God and money We could argue long into the night about whether God and money are universal needs or not. Let's take something more basic: air. How many of you think air - or oxygen more specifically - is a need? For those coming into this world, newborn babies, they need air. But for those who are at the end of their life and no longer desire to live, they do not need air anymore. The need for air depends entirely on whether you desire to live or not. Behind every need is a desire that we must decide upon. “That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? “And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith? Do you desire a life without experiencing hunger? Do you desire to be noticed (or perhaps not noticed) by others around you? Perhaps you desire to always be a perfect temperature... neither too hot nor too cold. You are not wrong for having desires like these. But desires have a pecking order? Gizmo and Carrie with new food. Gizmo letting Carrie eat first. “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. Are you choosing God as your first desire? Are you letting His desires for you become your desires? Do you even know what He desires from you? “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today." We tell each other not to worry, when we know full well there is plenty to worry about. However, we will stop worrying and start trusting God when we change our desires to match His own for our lives. Until you do that, your needs will be wrong and you will constantly battle yourself, your head vs your heart, and life will be misery. If you let God choose your desires - give Him your heart - you will see that He is already providing every need you have, and you will have nothing to worry about, and plenty of reasons to have faith in Him. Until you turn over your desires to God, you won't really know what faith is. Come today, let Jesus be the King of your heart, surrender your desires to Him today! • Sermon for 11-25-2018 • - NLT • Intro: • Our ideas of needs change over time. • The older generation always has a different idea of what real needs are. • One of the big ones talked about nowadays are whether you need a cellphone or not. • I didn't have a cellphone until after I graduated college. • I called home once a month from a payphone in the lobby. Just like they do in jail ;) • I've never understood why parents think their teenagers need cellphones and that they have to talk to them on it every single day. Maybe my parent's didn't love me enough. Maybe they trusted me more... who knows! • 150 years ago the older generation looked at the younger generation and said, what are you doing spending all that money on a car? What's wrong with getting a good horse. A horse has enough sense not to run into trees or turn over in the ditch. Those metal speed machines are death traps and they will kill you. • They weren't wrong. Automobiles kill more people than horses every year. They even kill more people than guns... and yet here we are, everyone here has one. We give them as toys to the little ones who dream of having one of their own someday. • Desires vs Needs • We learn that you should focus on needs instead of desires • If we do that we can live within our means and learn to be content with what we need. • However, this leads us to a point of conflict in ourselves • our heads against our hearts • the angel on one shoulder getting our heads • but the devil on the other getting our hearts • I'd say, at the end of the day, if the devil gets our hearts (or anything for that matter) we need a better solution • So I offer you another one: Let's focus on our desires instead. • This passage has a prequel that points us not away, but toward our desires: • "Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be. • Treasure is not forbidden by God. • He just asks the we let him hold onto it for us in heaven • He asks the same of our desires • They are not bad, God just asks us to let him care for them. • That verse alone probably unlocks this whole concept of desires and needs • But Jesus goes on to explain it more. • “Your eye is like a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is filled with light. But when your eye is unhealthy, your whole body is filled with darkness. And if the light you think you have is actually darkness, how deep that darkness is! • Where do our needs come from? or How do we know whether we need something or not? • Our eyes. Or more precisely, what we see and perceive. • Well, this is part of the truth. • Two different people can see the same thing and only one may decide they have a need for it. • Our eyes are how we interpret our inner desires into something tangible outside of us that we then fixate on as a need. • This is why we sometimes get what we want, and discover that we didn't really want it after all. • it doesn't quench the real, actual need inside. • If the place our needs come from is bad, our desires will be bad. • Where then do our needs come from? • Our needs come from our desires. • “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money. " • Jesus doesn't talk about God and money as things that we get and use ourselves. • Instead they are things that get and use us. • You cannot serve both God and money • We could argue long into the night about whether God and money are universal needs or not. • Let's take something more basic: air. • How many of you think air - or oxygen more specifically - is a need? • For those coming into this world, newborn babies, they need air. • But for those who are at the end of their life and no longer desire to live, they do not need air anymore. • The need for air depends entirely on whether you desire to live or not. • Behind every need is a desire that we must decide upon. • “That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? • “And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith? • Do you desire a life without experiencing hunger? • Do you desire to be noticed (or perhaps not noticed) by others around you? • Perhaps you desire to always be a perfect temperature... neither too hot nor too cold. • You are not wrong for having desires like these. But desires have a pecking order? • Gizmo and Carrie with new food. Gizmo letting Carrie eat first. • “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. • Are you choosing God as your first desire? • Are you letting His desires for you become your desires? • Do you even know what He desires from you? • “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today." • We tell each other not to worry, when we know full well there is plenty to worry about. • However, we will stop worrying and start trusting God when we change our desires to match His own for our lives. • Until you do that, your needs will be wrong and you will constantly battle yourself, your head vs your heart, and life will be misery. • If you let God choose your desires - give Him your heart - you will see that He is already providing every need you have, and you will have nothing to worry about, and plenty of reasons to have faith in Him. • Until you turn over your desires to God, you won't really know what faith is. • Come today, let Jesus be the King of your heart, surrender your desires to Him today!

Instead they are things that get and use us.

You cannot serve both God and money

We could argue long into the night about whether God and money are universal needs or not.

Let's take something more basic: air.

How many of you think air - or oxygen more specifically - is a need?

For those coming into this world, newborn babies, they need air.

But for those who are at the end of their life and no longer desire to live, they do not need air anymore.

The need for air depends entirely on whether you desire to live or not.

Behind every need is a desire that we must decide upon.

“That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? “And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?

Do you desire a life without experiencing hunger?

Do you desire to be noticed (or perhaps not noticed) by others around you?

Perhaps you desire to always be a perfect temperature... neither too hot nor too cold.

You are not wrong for having desires like these, but...

Desires have a pecking order.

Gizmo and Carrie with new food.

Gizmo letting Carrie eat first.

Gizmo’s desire for relationship more than desire for food.

“So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.

Are you choosing God as your first desire?

Are you letting His desires for you become your desires?

Do you even know what He desires from you?

“So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today."

We tell each other not to worry, when we know full well there is plenty to worry about.

However, we will stop worrying and start trusting God when we change our desires to match His own for our lives.

Until you do that, your needs will be wrong and you will constantly battle yourself, your head vs your heart, and life will be misery.

If you let God choose your desires - give Him your heart - you will see that He is already providing every need you have, and you will have nothing to worry about, and plenty of reasons to have faith in Him.

Until you turn over your desires to God, you won't really know what faith is.

Come today, let Jesus be the King of your heart, surrender your desires to Him today!