Compass Point Church

Unmasking Gluttony
Various Texts

The last of the Seven Deadly Sins is gluttony. It’s the one I know you’ve all been waiting for!

Gluttony is having a craving for food that conquers you.

The truth is, we live in a food obsessed society. We live to eat! Eating has become our nations favorite past-time. We plan our day around food. But before we label all eating gluttony we better define it.
On Screen: “Ultimately, gluttony is not merely about over-eating; it is about overindulgence in general and our attitudes toward overindulgence.” It is the mad pursuit of the bodily pleasures that never completely satisfy, because our real need is for spiritual satisfaction in Christ. ON SCREEN: Frederick Buechner, a Presbyterians minister, theologian and author, says that “ ... a glutton is one who runs to the icebox for a cure to spiritual malnutrition.”

Gluttony—in whatever form it takes—spoils one's appetite for God. This is exactly the situation found in the scripture I read this week in my devotions in Numbers 11. Gluttony causes a person to develop an unhealthy hunger and desire for food to an excessive level above seeking after God.

I. Gluttony Focuses Our Attention On The Sustenance Rather Than The Sustainer. (Numbers 11)
The people of Israel have been wandering in the desert for only a few months if not just weeks
every day, God miraculously provided a substance called manna, to sustain them during their march to the Promised Land but very quickly they became tired of manna.

I’m sure there are just so many ways you can fix manna. I can just hear some Jewish husband complaining, “Manna casserole again!?”
The same food every day versus some variety back in Egypt prompted a wholesale rebellion against Moses and the Lord. As much as I enjoy my favorite foods, I would get sick of them too if I had to eat any one of them for more than a few days for every meal.

TURN TO: Numbers 11:4-10 (ESV)
Now the rabble that was among them had a strong craving. And the people of Israel also wept again and said, “Oh that we had meat to eat! 5 We remember the fish we ate in Egypt that cost nothing, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic. 6 But now our strength is dried up, and there is nothing at all but this manna to look at.” 7 Now the manna was like coriander seed, and its appearance like that of bdellium. 8 The people went about and gathered it and ground it in handmills or beat it in mortars and boiled it in pots and made cakes of it. And the taste of it was like the taste of cakes baked with oil. 9 When the dew fell upon the camp in the night, the manna fell with it. 10 Moses heard the people weeping throughout their clans, everyone at the door of his tent. And the anger of the LORD blazed hotly, and Moses was displeased.

God was angered, but He is also longsuffering the Scriptures tell us that God caused a wind to blow which brought flocks of migrating quail right through the camp of the Israelites all the Hebrews had to do was knock the birds down and pick them up and they did it by the bushel basket full.

Numbers 11:31-32 (ESV)
Then a wind from the LORD sprang up, and it brought quail from the sea and let them fall beside the camp, about a day’s journey on this side and a day’s journey on the other side, around the camp, and about two cubits above the ground. And the people rose all that day and all night and all the next day, and gathered the quail. Those who gathered least gathered ten homers. And they spread them out for themselves all around the camp.

Numbers 11:32 tells us that every person who caught quail collected no less than 10 homers of quail each which is equal to 60 of our bushel baskets!
Now, Exodus 12:37 tells us that 600,000 men took part in the exodus from Egypt along with women and children. Do the math: lets assume that just the men caught quail: AND if each man caught 60 bushels worth of quail, that equals 36,000,000 bushels of quail!
That’s a lot of hot-wings

Talk about a pig-out party! They pigged out.
Instead of giving God the glory for the miracle of providing the people such a bounty, they began a binge of lustful gluttony that focused on the meat instead of the Master whom they failed to give thanks to.
They neglected to recognize God for the miracle and God became angry.

While the meat was yet between their teeth, before it was consumed, the anger of the LORD was kindled against the people, and the LORD struck down the people with a very great plague. 34 Therefore the name of that place was called Kibroth-hattaavah, because there they buried the people who had the craving.

While the meat was still between their teeth, the Lord unleashed His wrath against them and sent a severe plague that killed many of them. The place where this happened was named Kibroth-Hattaavah which means, “graves of craving” because there they buried the people who had craved food more than they craved the God who had given them the food.
We also have a plague in America due to overeating and over-indulgence. It’s called coronary heart disease!
14,000,000 Americans suffer from it
almost 500,000 Americans die from it every year making it the leading cause of death in the United States
and while smoking plays a part as well as stress and even heredity, the biggest culprit is the American diet.

Our early spiritual fore-fathers considered gluttony a sin because it focuses our attention on the sustenance rather than on the provider of the sustenance. Our food becomes our God! We chase after it and pursue it, and take our pleasure and delight in it far and above our pursuit and pleasure and satisfaction in God.

ILL. How many of us when presented with an opportunity to go to a free buffet with all our favorite foods or going to a worship service with our church family would choose the buffet?

II. Gluttony Is A Distorted Emphasis On Food.
The early Christian theologians understood gluttony in different ways than we do. The first is the obvious—simply eating too much but gluttony concerns not only the quantity of food we eat, it also concerns our attitude about food: Our preoccupation with it, our impatience when we do not get it fast enough, and our resentment when we are deprived of it.

In the Old Testament we find a man named Esau who had a distorted emphasis on food
TURN TO: (Genesis 25:28–34, NIV)
“Isaac, who had a taste for wild game, loved Esau, but Rebekah loved Jacob. Once when Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau came in from the open country, famished. He said to Jacob, “Quick, let me have some of that red stew! I’m famished!” (That is why he was also called Edom.) Jacob replied, “First sell me your birthright.” “Look, I am about to die,” Esau said. “What good is the birthright to me?” But Jacob said, “Swear to me first.” So he swore an oath to him, selling his birthright to Jacob. Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and some lentil stew. He ate and drank, and then got up and left. So Esau despised his birthright.”

He valued a full stomach even more then his birthright which was his spiritual heritage. Was Esau really about to die from want of food? It is very doubtful.
Esau’s attitude concerning food and drink reveal three distortions in our attitudes about daily sustenance.

A. Gluttony distorts the importance of food.
First, let me say that eating is a wonderful experience. American's three favorite words are "Let's order out!".
There is nothing wrong with having a good meal: Jesus enjoyed good meals – as a result some even called Him a glutton.

ON SCREEN: Matthew 11:19. The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and “sinners.”’

We love to fellowship around the dining room table or at the kitchen bar. Americans live in the only country in the world where pie-eating contests are old-fashioned fun and all-you-can-eat restaurants dot the landscape. We’re a nation of big eaters who turn eating into all sorts of annual festivals.

ILLUS. A search of the internet turned up some great events you can attend almost any summer: There is the Spamarama in Austin, TX for Spam lovers; the Vermont Cheesemakers Festival, the Lobster Race & Oyster Parade in Aiken, SC; the Artichoke Festival in Castorville, CA; the National Fiery Foods Show in Reno, NV; the Annual Sweet Onion Festival in Rock Springs AR; the annual Return of the Chili Queens festival in San Antonio, TX; and, my favorite, the Great Monterey Squid Festival, Monterey CA.

Secondly, let me say that eating is a physical necessity. If you don't eat, you die. But let's face it . . . in America today we have exaggerated and distorted the importance of food.
ILLUS. Where else but in the United States would a company spend $3,000,000 for sixty-seconds of air time to advertise their beer or their pizza during a football game?

Our Lord said that life is about more than these things;
ON SCREEN: “Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds!” (Luke 12:22–24, NIV)

It may be time for believers to once again seriously think about fasting.Jesus never instructed his disciples to fast, but from the Scriptures we can infer that he assumed that we would. “When you fast…” We must find ways to put food in its proper place in our lives.

Gluttony not only distorts the importance of food . . .

B. Gluttony distorts the value of food.
Our early church fathers also defined gluttony as eating too expensively. It was not uncommon for the nobles and well-to-do of ancient Roman society to throw lavish banquets.
They were given at great expense and often lasted for days frequently turning into drunken orgies. It's amazing what some people will pay for food or drink.

ILLUS. One of the most expensive meals ever served took place at the The Dome Restaurant in Bankok, Thailand in 2007. Fifteen guests were served a ten-course meal that cost $30,000, not including the tip. Italian Chef Heinz Winkler told the Associated Press that the dinner was “Worth every penny.”

The early church fathers would have considered placing this kind of value on food items as gourmet gluttony.

ILLUS. D.G. Fraser and Andrew Rimas refer to this as the new gluttony in a book by that title. They write: "The new gluttony co-exists with the old, but instead of too many calories, it craves refinement. Instead of the chili fries, it orders the glass of aged port and the imported cheese. And instead of being frowned upon as indulgent and wasteful, it’s applauded as a mark of sophistication.” But gluttony by any other name is still gluttony
ON SCREEN: “When we live to eat instead of eating to live we’ve put too high a value on food.”
Not only does gluttony distort the importance of food and the value of food . . .

C. Gluttony distorts the occasion for food.
The early church fathers also understood gluttony as eating too eagerly. When we become so preoccupied with getting ‘our fair share’ of what’s on the table or wolfing down our meal so we can get back in line quickly, we are guilty of the sin of gluttony. When we find ourselves finishing a meal or a snack and all we can think about is when we will eat again.

We see an example of this among believers in the Church at Corinth. Gluttony had become such a problem in the church, that the Apostle Paul had to speak to it. The early church regularly held what were called ‘Love Feasts.’ They we fellowship meals that culminated in the observance of the Lord’s Supper. Evidently, some in the church began behaving badly in relation to the supper. Some were evidently getting to the church early and devouring the food before everyone arrived. That meant that some went hungry. Not only that, but some were even getting drunk on the wine that was to fill the communion cup! A service that was meant to be spiritual and promote fellowship among believers was ruined because of a few gluttonous believers.
TURN TO: 1Cor. 11:17-22

In the Jewish culture of Jesus’ day, enjoying the fellowship of family and friends and showing good old fashioned table manners was as important—if not more so—than actually consuming the food. Ritual handwashing example.
In other words, consuming food while important for sustenance, is not nearly as important as the act of eating and the people we do it with.

III. Finding Victory Over The Sin Of Gluttony.
A. Remember to seek God more than we do food.
The Bible warns of this tendency we all have to put the things God has created as wonderful gifts for us before Him. The giver of those gifts. We end up worshipping, through our actions and our aspirations, the created things over the creator. Whether sexuality or food or entertainment.

We see this in:
ON SCREEN: Romans 1:25 (NIV)
25 They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator--who is forever praised. Amen.

We end up living the opposite of what Jesus warned us about when He told us to “seek first the kingdom of God.” Do that and all the other worries and concerns of life with fall into place. Put seeking God before seeking your next meal, your dinner plans, where you will be eating out. When we put our stomachs before God we become gluttons no matter what our body mass index might be or our weight.

In the book of Philippians, the Apostle Paul warns us not to become like those Christians who have abandoned the faith. He says;

ON SCREEN: Philippians 3:18-19 (NIV)
18 For, as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. 19 Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things.

The things they glory in is really their shame – Ever say, “I couldn’t believe I was able to eat that whole pizza by myself!” God is their stomach and it is their Lord and master – it rules them!

B. Refuse to let our bodily appetites rule us.
The text of Scripture that holds out the challenge to me on this issue is 1 Corinthians 6:12 where Paul says—specifically in regard to food and drink—that he will not be enslaved by anything.

ON SCREEN: 1 Corinthians 6:12-13 (NIV)
"Everything is permissible for me"--but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible for me"--but I will not be mastered by anything. 13 "Food for the stomach and the stomach for food"--but God will destroy them both. The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.

The Bible tells us that the Apostle Paul knew about ways to discipline his body so as to allow God to be his master and not his bodily appetites.

He is saying, "I have one master, Jesus Christ, and I don't want any other master." Then in 9:27 he talks about pummeling his body: "I pummel my body lest I be disqualified."

ON SCREEN: 1 Corinthians 9:25-27 (NIV)
25 Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.
26 Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. 27 No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

I think we need to recover a large appreciation for the biblical disciplines of self-denial and fasting. The early Christians followed the traditions of their forefathers and fasted. Jesus obviously assumed Christians would Fast – “When you fast, do it like this…”

That is the discipline side of this issue: "I will not be enslaved by anything," "I pommel myself," and "I take up my cross daily." I think we should esteem, extol, and cherish the biblical teaching that the Christian life is one of confronting our cravings and saying no to them.
Denying ourselves and our fleshly cravings is part of not being ruled by them. Being able to say, “No”. HOW? Partial fasts – for some - portion control

But easier said than done, right? How do we develop habits that will help us change the place of food in our lives?

C. Find ways to heighten our appetite for God.
One way we can get a handle on our appetites and our “out of control” eating habits is to begin to understand what the early followers of God understood. That we must bring God into every arena of our lives. Even the most mundane, ordinary, everyday sorts of activities. Even something as simple and routine as eating and drinking!

ON SCREEN: “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” (1 Corinthians 10:31, NIV)

We can make decisions to eat and drink to the glory of God! Have you ever thought about that? Most of us might say a prayer of thanks for our food, but for many even that token prayer has become just a habit where we say the same thing out of our particular tradition. “Over the lips and past the gums, look out stomach, here it comes!”

No, to beat this tendency toward gluttony we must consciously bring God into our minds as we eat and drink. We can do this by changing up how we pause and give thanks. For some it might mean stopping and giving thanks. For others, perhaps changing the way we give thanks…

But while fasting is a worthwhile discipline to help us say “no” to the Lord called appetite, there is also the idea of starving the one desire so as to heighten the other. So, instead of just saying “no” to food, perhaps we also need to learn to say “yes” to the correct things. We can hunger and thirst after the right things! ALL ON SCREEN
"Taste and see that the Lord is good." (Psalm 34:8)

Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation,." (1 Peter 2:2)

"I am the bread of life. Come to me and you will not hunger." (John 6:35)

"Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food." (Isaiah 55:1-2)

Psalm 42:1-2 (NIV) As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. 2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?

The implication here is that if we give ourselves to being satisfied with spiritual bread, wine, and milk, then physical hunger will lose its supreme power.

CONCLUSION: I am a glutton. I am a glutton when I fail to see food as a wonderful, joy-filled gift from God and that I can and should enjoy it but in moderation and with a constant eye on the one who provides it. Please, I pray. Take this seriously. If you remember nothing else, remember;

ON SCREEN: “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” (1 Corinthians 10:31, NIV)