Sermon Info
Summary
We live in a culture marked with excess. We have what seems to be an infinite amount of food choices, 24/7 access to email, unlimited capacity to spend, travel, buy, and invest. As good as all of these things are, we have to be careful to keep them in their proper place. Without discipline and self-control we become conquered and captivated with food, entertainment, and all of the other things we have in abundance. Where is your heart today? Are you chasing after food in a gluttonous manner, just because you can? Are you scrolling 24/7 because you actually enjoy it and it brings meaning to your life, or just because it is there? God desires to do more in our lives than we most likely even realize! Join Him today in allowing Him to refine your life!
Content
What is Gluttony?
Gluttony is the over-indulgence or lack of restraint in food, drink, or wealth. What does the Bible say about gluttony? The Book of Proverbs offers a warning: Do not join those who drink too much wine or gorge themselves on meat, for drunkards and gluttons become poor, and drowsiness clothes them in rags (Proverbs 23:20). The Hebrew word which our translations call “glutton” has a richer meaning than we might think! It literally means, “to be worthless,” “to be vile,” “to be insignificant,” “to squander,” or “to be lavish with.” As it turns out, gluttony goes well beyond weight gain and weight loss. We are not interested in shaming people for outwardly visible struggles with weight, and we recognize that there are very real conditions people have which impact their eating habits. Sin is seen on the heart, not on the scale. At its core, the sin of gluttony is about what we want, and why we want it. Eating habits are just one place where we can see ourselves get out of control in satisfying our immediate wants, but our choices with food do serve as a good illustration for the problem as a whole.
Crave Pure Spiritual Milk
Have you ever had a craving for something? More often than not, a craving is for something like chocolate or fast food which is not particularly healthy for us. Food itself is a gift from God, and there’s nothing sinful about wanting to have some chocolate now and then. But the problem with gluttony is that it’s about wanting too much of something, and at the wrong time. We should be in control of our wants, because if we let them control us, we can run into serious problems, both physically and spiritually.
There is, believe it or not, something we would all do well to consistently crave. 1 Peter 2:2 reads, “Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation.” Even as believers, we have much growing up to do as followers of Christ. We should crave, therefore, the nourishment we need as believers to grow in our fatih. If there’s anything else we desire more, we will ruin our appetite for what we really need. What we find ourselves craving for the most in life is where we have our hearts placed. Left unchecked, our cravings will begin to remove our focus from what matters most: God and neighbor.
Philippians 3:19 reads, Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is set on earthly things. The root of gluttony is ultimately idolatry. When we allow a want for something to take control of the way we spend our time and energy, we are really making that thing a god over our lives, worshiping it even above Jesus. We are choosing what we want to worship rather than worshiping our Creator. And as if that weren’t enough, when we badly want things for ourselves, we are usually farthest from concerning ourselves chiefly with the good of others.
Confronting Gluttony in Our Lives
1. Eliminate the lies.
“You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44). The devil loves to tell us lies when he tempts us. He tells us all we need to be fulfilled is this or that, or that we had better indulge today because we may not have the chance tomorrow. But we know only God can make us whole, and that everything on this planet pales in comparison to the eternity that awaits Christ-followers in heaven.
2. Enlist help.
“Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted” (Galatians 6:1). Make sure to have people in your life to keep you accountable!
3. Exhibit self-control.
“I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial (1 Corinthians 10:23). Be capable of giving a reason for everything you do. Does it have a purpose? Does it give glory to God?
4. Enjoy God’s grace and good examples.
For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out (Romans 7:18). God knows we won’t make all the wise decisions, but in His grace we have the opportunity to try.
