Sufficient Sweetness

That’s right. This is a sermon about “sufficient sweetness.” What do you do when your body sends you the “full” signal? Keep right on eating or call a halt? Part of the problem is that we have come to think of eating as a way to be entertained. Now it is clear in Scripture that good food is a wonderful way to have great fellowship with others. The problem is that we allow ourselves to think of eating primarily as entertainment rather than nourishment. When you view it this way, munching becomes a way to change your moods; cooking becomes your source of comfort.

Those Basic Assumptions

When our most basic assumptions about eating are out of whack, we can’t really expect to draw the right conclusions.

For instance, one summer evening several years ago, my family was enjoying a wonderful campout near Cincinnati. The children were asleep and my wife and I were reading under the dining canopy we had set up. In a short while, I read 50 pages of 1776 by David McCullough, and almost the entire time, I was munching away on pistachios. Those wonderful, salty nuts added real zest to the occasion and I thoughtlessly downed them while I was reading. Suddenly, in a start, I sat up and looked wide-eyed at my wife.

She asked, “what is wrong?”

I replied, “the Lord just spoke to me!”

She responded, “Well, what did He say?”

I answered by quoting Proverbs 25:16!

“Have you found honey? Eat only so much as is sufficient for you, lest you be filled therewith and vomit it up.”

You see, I was just reading a terrific book about the American Revolution, and suddenly the Lord spoke to me through the Scriptures. That kind of thing has happened to me frequently. On this occasion, it brought me up short and I pushed away the bag of pistachios.

What stopped my snacking?

So what was it about Proverbs 25:16 that stopped my snacking?

I was crunching away for contentment. I felt as if pistachios were giving me peace! And in a moment’s time, the Word of God helped me to arrest my impulses. My faith interrupted my feelings. Proverbs 25:16 emphasizes “sufficiency” instead of saturation. When I reach “full,” there is no need to go farther. Now if you begin to think in these terms, you will begin to re-interpret the signals your body sends you. You can begin to discern the difference between “hunger pings” and “hunger pangs.” But, as the verse warns, if you snack right on past sufficiency, be prepared to feel sick. I recommend that you memorize this proverb to see if the Lord doesn’t bring it to your mind as well. God’s Word has a marvelous ability to reign in our feelings and impulses.

In this proverb, honey can represent any and all food. (Have you found pizza??) We were created by God to live for His Glory and enjoy His Creation. We were not created to sicken ourselves with a saturation of sweetness.

So ends this sermon on “sufficient sweetness.” Hope you enjoyed this “Honey Homily.”

–Pastor Gordon Dickson, Calvary Baptist Church, Findlay, Ohio

www.cbcfindlay.org

www.glimpsesofcalvary.com

In this glorious doxology (an expression of consummate praise to God), the Apostle Paul expressed the simple, yet profound premise that “God is Able!”

As I tried to demonstrate in this message, every true believer must begin with this simple, powerful concept. Click here to listen to this message.

Here is the message outline with some passages for additional study:

Praise and Exalt the God . . . Who is able.

This is the potential aspect – God’s capacity.

-         to do infinitely more

o       than we ask

o       than we think

Who is at work in us.

This is the practical aspect – God’s conducting

of His Work through us.

-         According to God’s Power

-         Presently working in us

Additional Study: Note the appeals for extravagant blessings: Philippians 1:9; 4:19, Colossians 1:9-11, 1 Thessalonians 3:11-12, 2 Thessalonians 1:3, 1 Corinthians 1:4-5

God is Able!

Matthew 10:28, Acts 20:32, Romans 4:20-22, 2 Cor. 9:8, Philippians 3:21, 2 Timothy 1:12, Hebrews 2:18; 7:25

Before you stand a big Hittite and a little Hittite. The little Hittite is the big Hittite’s son, but the big Hittite is not the little Hittite’s father. Who is the big Hittite?

Re-read the puzzle to be sure that you understood it and while you are thinking about it, I would like to help you with your problem-solving skills.

The Problem with Assumptions

So many of life’s puzzles are difficulties that we impose upon ourselves. Seriously. For instance, the puzzle above is a puzzle only because we make certain assumptions. It’s one thing to wrestle with the puzzle like the one above; it is quite another to wrestle with
life’s puzzles and problems.

Changing Your Assumptions

When you understand this, you understand why the Bible puts such an emphasis on the renewal of the mind. “Renewing the mind” helps you to challenge the assumptions that you have made or that have been forced upon you. Part of the problem of evil is that our lusts are “deceitful lusts.” That means that our hearts are perfectly capable of fooling us and frequently do so. As you know, the enigma of evil harbors horrible consequences for you and for all humanity. And the reason that we seem to bumble and fumble our way back into the same problem is that our assumptions lead us to do so.
So how do you learn to “think outside the box?” The whole world system is trying to force you into its mold – including its assumptions. Isn’t it time to break out? Isn’t it time to go back to “square one” and take a new look at some old assumptions?

Three Steps to Permanent Change

I’ve answered the “Hittite puzzle” for you in an audio file (click on the link at left). In this audio file, I will teach you Three Important Steps to Personal Change. Ephesians 4:21-24 has changed my life and I’m confident that it can do the same for you. Be prepared to challenge some of your most basic assumptions.

1. How do you recognize an idol? That question was answered in the audio link posted yesterday in “American Idol: Food?!?” Part 1

1. 2. How do you resist idolatry? That question is answered in another message posted here. If food has become your idol, there is real help here.

Tomorrow, I will be posting a message that outlines 3 Steps to Personal Change. It is not enough to restrain a bad habit. You have to learn how to reinforce that restraint and replace that habit. The Bible lays out this exciting pattern for personal change and I will discuss this in that upcoming post. In the meantime, listen to this message from James chapter 1.

You probably don’t have an idol in your backyard. You don’t gather your children around and bow down to a statute or picture, do you? It would be easy for you to conclude that you don’t practice idolatry. But what if idols are much more subtle than that? What if idolatry is, first and foremost, something in your heart? This is precisely what is described in Ezekiel 14:3. Idols begin in your heart.

What if your “diet” problem is really an “idol” problem?

It would be easy for you and me to dismiss this notion completely. Sounds ridiculous, right? But your “inability” to turn away from certain foods or portions begins right here. If food is indeed your idol, you are going to need an ally to overturn it. Read the online discussions about “comfort food” and you will begin to see the problem. I read somewhere that macaroni and cheese was the #1 comfort food after 9/11. What if you are turning to food for comfort instead of turning to the God of All Comfort (2 Corinthians 1:3-4)?

An Audio Discussion

At this link, you will find a Biblical discussion of idolatry. I encourage you to sit down with a copy of the Scriptures to work through this message. Here you will discover that you can make an idol out of almost anything, especially food. When you begin here, you begin at “square one” in dieting and personal fitness. If your very best efforts to “fix this problem” haven’t worked, why not step back to see where the real problem is? Recognizing your use of food, and calling it what it is, makes all the difference. Here is a question for you to consider while that link is loading:

Do you eat to live or live to eat?

But if you live to eat, how can you stop?

Be Prepared

Please come prepared to take notes that evening. Pastor Arrowood has been carefully reviewing the notes he has made over this last year. Since he has documented his own journey, he will be prepared to give you practical advice for your next steps. Pastor Arrowood is the pastor of Troy Baptist Temple, in Troy, Ohio.

If you have any questions about this meeting, please call Angie at the church office at 419.422.6842.  As the “Be Healthy Now” campaign continues, we will be using this blog to pass along more practical advice. Many studies have proven that a steady, sensible approach –leading to a genuine change in lifestyle — is the key to personal fitness and weight loss.

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