Surviving The Wilderness - Pt.1 What Are You Hungry For

POINT- We go to some crazy distances sometimes to get what we want.

ILLUSTRATION-

1 John 2:15–17 (NLT) — 15 Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. 16 For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. 17 And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever.

There are several different Greek words for “love” that are unlike our English word for “love” are VERY specific.

Eros, or sexual passion.

Philia, or deep friendship.

Ludus, or playful love.

Agape, or love for everyone.

Pragma, or longstanding love.

Philautia, or love of the self.

DEFINE- The Greek word for love used by John is agapao. Which means to have a great affection or care for or loyalty towards...

It is the type of love Jesus used when he said these words in Mark 12:30

Mark 12:30 (NLT) — 30 And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’

This word for love means to desire as if to crave…

POINT- You ever get a craving?

ILLUSTRATION- When I go on a diet I only crave what I can’t have.

Matthew 4:1–4 (NLT) — 1 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted there by the devil. 2 For forty days and forty nights he fasted and became very hungry. 3 During that time the devil came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread.” 4 But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say, ‘People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

THESIS- Our hunger our craving for more of God and less of us should be greater than anything.

POINT- You see Jesus’ hunger for more of God was greater than his physical hunger for food.

MAIN POINT- If you are sitting in you chair here tonight not desperate for more of God not starving for more of God there is probably a good chance that it is because you are satisfying your craving with stones you decided to call bread.

SURVIVING THE WILDERNESS CHALLENGE #1 Stop Eating The Stones

Stop calling what gives you no nutrition nutritious. Stop calling the thing that leaves you feeling “Satisfied” “Sustenance.”

KEY POINT- Satisfied and Sustenance are not the same thing.

You see I can feel satisfied but receive “sustenance” what will sustain me. Sustenance means to last its where we get the word sustain. To carry on, to last, to linger…

Some of you have been getting satisfied but you’re not going to bu sustained. What you are eating up isn’t going to carry you into the next season…

Conclusion…

The world is all about quenching your hunger God is all about increasing your hunger.

ILLUSTRATION- Shifting off the kid’s menu.

KEY POINT- Your hunger grows as you do. If your hunger isn’t growing it probably means you’re not either.

MAIN POINT- When you go through seasons of life when you are hungry for fulfillment stop eating the rocks. Wait for what God has for you.