Spiritual Hunger

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In this sermon, we are reminded of the importance of prioritizing the presence of God in our lives. The speaker highlights hindrances to intimacy with God, such as insecurity, indifference, inaction, inattentiveness, and insubordination. Emphasizing the need to gaze upon God's perfections and inquire about His will, the sermon encourages listeners to seek a deeper encounter with God and cultivate a hungry remnant dedicated to experiencing His presence and bringing renewal in our lives.

Scripture: Psalm 27

Notes:

Prioritizing the Presence of God – Pursuing intimacy with God. Hindrances:

  • Insecurity

  • Indifference

  • Inaction

  • Inattentiveness

“Ecstasy and delight are essential to the believer’s soul and they promote sanctification. We were not meant to live without spiritual exhilaration, and the Christian who goes for a long time without the experience of heart-warming will soon find himself tempted to have his emotions satisfied from earthly things and not, as he ought, from the Spirit of God. The soul is so constituted that it craves fulfillment from things outside itself and will embrace earthly joys for satisfaction when it cannot reach spiritual ones. The believer is in spiritual danger if he allows himself to go for any length of time without tasting the love of Christ and savoring the felt comforts of a Savior’s presence. When Christ ceases to fill the heart with satisfaction, our souls will go in silent search of other lovers. By the enjoyment of the love of Christ in the heart of a believer, we mean an experience of the “love of God shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given to us” (Rom. 5:5). Because the Lord has made himself accessible to us in the means of grace (receptivity), it is our duty and privilege to seek this experience from Him in these means till we are made the joyful partakers of it.” - John Flavel (1630 - 1691)

  • Insubordination

“…you might ask, “Why should God speak to me? What am I doing in life that would make him speaking to me a reasonable thing for him to do? Are we in business together in life? Or am I in business just for myself, trying to ‘use a little God’ to advance my projects?” – Dallas Willard, Hearing God.

“…perhaps we do not expect to hear (God’s voice) because we know we fully intend to run our lives on our own and never seriously considered anything else. The voice of God would be an unwelcome intrusion into our plans. By contrast, we expect the great ones in the way of Christ to hear that voice just because we see their lives wholly given up to doing what God wants.” - Dallas Willard, Hearing God