The Delight of Hunger

One great challenge that faces preachers is to feed those with the word of God who are already full.  We have all had the experience of finishing a satisfying, filling meal at a restaurant to have the waiter offer the dessert menu.  The pictures might be appealing to one who is hungry, but the sweet offerings are not remotely tempting when there is no room inside!  Restaurants are filled with patrons who came with the express purpose of eating, and once their hunger is satisfied they head off to other activities.

The same can be true when it comes to feeding on God's word.  Unlike our stomachs which are filled with food and drink, our minds and hearts can be filled with a vast array of ideas, doctrines, agendas, affections, questions and doubts.  Sometimes a doubt can be so great nothing can displace it from a mind even after all questions have been accurately answered because they will not receive the truth by faith.  I have found social media and online interactions provide a mirage of genuine engagement and discourse, for most comments are either a provocative shot across the bow, carefully crafted to draw into a quarrel, or an opinion posed as fact without desire to actually consider a different perspective.  Ever so often, however, there are people hungry for more than information--but for God and His word.

As a hungry person must ingest food and drink in person, so the best interactions I have had with others is in person.  When a person is really hungry, they are not interested to look at menus, consider ingredients and pricing or see pictures with their eyes:  they want to receive the real thing.  This was true in a spiritual sense concerning the Gentles in Antioch mentioned in Acts 13:42-44:  "So when the Jews went out of the synagogue, the Gentiles begged that these words might be preached to them the next Sabbath. ⁴³ Now when the congregation had broken up, many of the Jews and devout proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas, who, speaking to them, persuaded them to continue in the grace of God. ⁴⁴ On the next Sabbath almost the whole city came together to hear the word of God."  Paul and Barnabas had preached in the Synagogue to people largely hardened to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, yet there were others who were hungry to hear the word of God.  After the gathering Paul and Barnabas met with those who followed them in response to the message, they "persuaded them to continue in the grace of God."

Here we see most fruitful combinations:  hungry people receiving the word of God and God's people persuading others to continue in the grace of God.  Our physical hunger comes and goes as we snack or eat a meal, but spiritual hunger to receive God's truth and fellowship with the brethren is truly insatiable.  Even after we have eaten spiritually we are enabled and equipped to share what we have received, for observe how almost the whole city came together to hear the word of God:  not to be fed, not to be physically healed, not to be baptised or have demons cast out.  When the congregation broke they looked forward to gathering together again to hear the word of God as they continued in the grace of God.  Such hunger for God's word is a delight, for God has the words of life that satisfy our souls.

When a person is hungry, they will be the instigator.  They do not need to be cajoled, bribed, convinced or pressured into eating because they actually want to eat!  The same is true concerning the word of God:  people hungry for the truth of God's word will open the Bible themselves and desire to hear the Bible taught so they might walk in faith according to it.  Save the presence of the God Himself, there is nothing more enjoyable for a preacher or teacher than to personally engage with seekers or believers who are hungry for the word of God.  In that moment there is a sense of doing what you were created to do, having fellowship with God and one another by faith in His grace.

What Christ Accomplished

"And behold, two men talked with Him, who were Moses and Elijah, ³¹ who appeared in glory and spoke of His decease which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem."

Luke 9:30-31

As Jesus prayed on the mountain, He was transfigured and was clothed with glory.  He spoke with Moses and Elijah because God is the God of the living, and the subject of their discussion was intriguing:  His upcoming decease He was about to accomplish.  Most people do not see death as an accomplishment, but Jesus through His death would accomplish more than mortal man or scheming devil could know.  Jesus was about to conquer death by His own death and provide eternal life through His atoning sacrifice.

When John the Baptist saw Jesus he identified Him as "The Lamb of God Who takes away the sins of the world" (John 1:29).  The scripture is filled with things Jesus accomplished on Calvary culminating in His death, burial, resurrection, ascension and intercession for as many as receive Him.  Paul wrote in Galatians 1:4-5 of Christ "...who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, ⁵ to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen."  By His atonement Jesus made a way of salvation by faith in Him possible, washed us from sin and imputed righteousness to all who believe.  Jesus has delivered us from sin, Satan and hell and saved us for eternal life and glory with Him.

Recently I was struck by the prophetic utterance of what Christ would accomplish as if it was already finished in Isaiah 53:4-5:  "Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. ⁵ But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed."  Many Christians are aware our sins were placed upon Jesus but have not considered that our griefs, sorrows, afflictions and sickness has been as well.  Having overcome sin and death by His divine power, so we also are no longer slaves to grief, sorrow or afflictions.  Knowing Jesus has accomplished this, faith in Him prompts us to be casting our cares upon Him because He cares for us.

There are times when we care about things we cannot change, but God's care for us is combined with almighty power.  Isn't it possible we have tried to shoulder grief and sorrow that overwhelmed us ourselves when Jesus has already borne it for us because we did not know this is part of His accomplishment?  If we will gladly give Him our sin, won't we give Him our grief and afflictions too?  We are not sufficient or able to do even this, but thanks be to God who helps and strengthens us to believe, receive and give.  Jesus was a "man of sorrows and acquainted with grief" and yet He continually has perfect peace and fullness of joy.  We cannot understand how this can possibly be, but what is impossible with men is possible with God.

Declared Of God!

"You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world."

1 John 4:4

It is wonderful to consider all Jesus has done for believers.  Because He came to earth and gave His life as a ransom for many, we can be born again by faith in Jesus through the Gospel.  John 1:11-13 says, "He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. ¹² But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: ¹³ who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God."  To be declared children "of God" by faith in Jesus Christ!  To lay hold of this new identity and righteous standing with God by grace is a humbling privilege.

When Jesus came to Jerusalem, the Pharisee Nicodemus pulled him aside and they had a chat under cover of darkness.  It is written in John 3:2, "This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, "Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him."  There is a world of difference believing Jesus was a teacher come from God, that He was of God or that He was God.  It seems Nicodemus was yet to be convinced about who Jesus was, that He was the promised Messiah.  He did far better than other religious rulers spoken of in the first part of John 9:16:  "Therefore some of the Pharisees said, "This Man is not from God, because He does not keep the Sabbath."  Jesus was more than from God or of God, for He is called Emmanuel:  God with us.

Because believers in Christ are born again of God, our lives ought to be marked by godliness.  When we talk about being "godly" it typically based upon observable piety, yet godliness is more about who we are in Christ than about what we do or avoid doing.  We are godly because we are of God, and this realisation ought to have a tremendous impact on us choosing to walk in godliness.  1 Timothy 3:16 says, "And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen by angels, preached among the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up in glory."  True godliness has been revealed in the person of Jesus Christ, and we are called to follow Him in faith and obedience.  He blazed a trail to the right hand of God the Father in heaven where we will join Him one day in glory, and so let us walk worthy of those who are of God as He is.

Seeks and Saves

I find encouragement in videos of people who seek to rescue and rehabilitate neglected or abandoned animals.  It is amazing the amount of effort people will go through to capture a stray so they can be reunited with their owner or to provide a new, suitable home with food, shelter and love.  I have seen mangy and sick dogs with ribs showing from malnutrition to looking nothing like the dog they once were.  Some animals go from cowering in a corner and preferring solitude to bounding up to their new owner, tail wagging, and enjoying their new life.

While it isn't the best analogy, I see some similarities to how Jesus went to seek and save the lost.  As incredible and pronounced as the change is in animals that are rescued and re-homed, it pales in comparison to the transformation faith in Jesus brings to a person inside and out.  Jesus did not lure people with food or secretly set a trap to capture prospective followers for their own good:  He simply sought them out, spoke the truth with love and compassion, and He was the Servant of all.  Over time people listened to Jesus and responded to His call to follow Him.  Belief was only the beginning of a process of being transformed from within by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus had compassion on the multitude and also to a sick, lonely man who did not have anyone to help him.  Jesus knew what people had suffered at the hands of others, due to their own sin, choices and folly and chose to reveal Himself to them as the Son of God through Whom forgiveness of sins and eternal life was assured.  While some scampered away, others drew near and sat at His feet.  Jesus demonstrated patience continually with everyone around Him, whether they were snarling enemies or fawning disciples.  This patient compassion seen in Christ ought to mark Christians as well, for though a person can be born again in an instant there is a process of maturation and wisdom that cannot be rushed.  God sanctifies us by faith in Christ, and we are also learning to sanctify ourselves by walking by faith and not by sight.

The patience shown with neglected and sick animals can put me to shame because I have not always extended such patient compassion to other people.  It is easier to be compassionate towards a stray than your own dog who should know better from much training.  Better than seeing ourselves as the one out there looking for strays in the analogy, it is humbling and helpful to know we are one of those strays.  We are not a Saviour; we have no power to transform anyone.  But we can lead those in our pack to seek the LORD Jesus Christ Who loves and has compassion on us, provides for us, protects us, our Master we need right now more than ever.  Praise the LORD for Jesus, the One who seeks and saves the lost.