Sermon Central
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Escaping The Buffet Mentality: Feast On The Word Not The World
Contributed by Billy Ricks on Aug 20, 2004 (message contributor)
Summary: We as a church are bellying up to the buffet of the world much more often than we feed ourselves on the healthy and holy food of God’s word.
Escaping the Buffet Mentality
“Americans are getting fatter” - - “and the south is leading the way.’ So says World News Digest by the Canadian press.
What is the problem why are we as Americans getting fatter or having an excess of body fat. Some say it is genetics, choice, targeted advertisment by fast food and other food related corporations are just part of the problem in America with what may be the modern epidemic of the 21st century. Obesity.
Some might say the problem stems from the number of Buffets that there are in the United States. Trip to myrtle, buffets, Branson too.
The problem may not just be excess but maybe it lies in the Buffet selection. When people to a buffet, two people will not end up with the same plate. One person likes chicken, and green beans, and coleslaw. Another might like fried okra, fish, mashed potato’s.
The Buffet can symbolize sins. Everyone can tolerate a sin that another person will not. Some might tolerate lying, while others cheating, still others gambling, infidelity(unfaithfulness), selfishness.
When we belly up to the buffet of the World we all come back with a different plate of sins. If we are not careful it could become the possibility that we tolerate it all.
To get rid of a problem we must do some things
I. Realize there is a problem
A) The church of Ephesus had to have a prophet (John) send them a letter from God and say hey what happened to your original main dish?
God had to show them they had a problem.
1. They had left their first love
2. Big contrast from faithfulness in Paul’s letter to the same in Eph 1.1
B) You ask what in the world is our problem?
1) The letter to the Church of Laodicea speaks to our present day problems.
2) neither hot nor cold to the things of God. (fence rider)
3) Fat, rich and don’t need God.
I got my worldly buffet I can pick and choose what I want.
No consequences, don’t have to answer to anyone
C) We have become obese by feasting on the things of the World
1) Pop culture
a) Food, movies, sex, video games, drugs, other addictions, lying, stealing, gossiping, hating others,
b) We have become lovers of the easily picked variety of worldly sins
2) The Devil has fooled us into thinking I’m ok as long as I don’t do that one and this one.
If I don’t mix starches no one will know.
The only way to defeat the world is to turn to the one who has overcome the world. He didn’t live by the buffet mentality. He lived by God’s Christian diet plan.
II. Use the masters plan.
U must have a plan to overcome a problem.
A) From the world to the Word.
Matthew 4.1-9
Matthew 4.4 “But He answered and said, “It is written, man shall not live by bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.”
Jesus Fasted for forty days and nights and He was hungry when the devil tempted Him to use His supernatural powers to feed Himself.
-- We thing we are hungry when we don’t eat for 4 hours or more.
We as Chrstians have lost the importance of feasting on the word of God.
God’s word is gourmet, not buffet.
There is no picking and choosing in God’s word it is all profitable and good for your growth and health.
There is a song that says “Feast every day on His word. As the days go passing by let’s talk with Him on High, let’s walk, walk, and talk with the Lord.”
B) Don’t just read it
1) Feast on it
a) Devour it
b) Make it your primary food source
2) Fill you body up with God’s word so that it oozes out of every pore of your body.
Don’t allow worldly sins to enter in and ooze out instead have Godly character and love come from your heart.
C) Jesus took His word from Deutoronomy 8.3
So what?
1) Remember all the way the Lord led you. (he has a plan for you)
2) Remember God’s plan
3) Thing on the words that came out of God’s Mouth
His word is our Christian buffet buster diet plan
Psalm 119.11 “Your word have I treasured in my heart that I might not sin against you.”
In other words I have feasted on your word so that I malnourished Christian (ex: people that eat fast food/ rest food all time)
Deutoronomy 8.2 “the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not.”
