Bulletin Articles
“No one preaches on it!”
Categories: 1 Corinthians 9:27, Galatians 5:19-21, gluttony, preaches, self-control, sin, sins, Study the WordNo one preaches on it!
Over the years I have heard people make general statements about what preachers don’t preach. I love it when they say it to me and I turn around and say, “I preach on that!” Only to hear, “Well, you are rare.” I do not believe that statement either. After all, how does one know what is preached in all the pulpits across the land? Anyway, one such general statement was made recently that no one preaches on the sin of gluttony. Well, I have spoken on this from time to time, as others have, and I shall do so with this article.
Is there such thing as the sin of gluttony? Even though it is not specifically mentioned, it is mentioned. Just as smoking and doing drugs is not mentioned specifically, they, too, are mentioned. In Galatians 5:19-21, Paul lists a number of transgression, that those who practice such will not inherit the kingdom of God. In verse 21, the apostle said, “and the such like…” This would include all other sins that relate to the works of the flesh.
When you read the list of wicked acts people are guilty of committing, you will notice that many of them have to do with uncontrolled desires. This is the reason that the text followed up the fruit of the Spirit that should exist in God’s children, and one of which was self-control (vr. 23).
Some might think that a person who is addicted to heroin doesn’t need it to live, so how can one, who needs food to live, ever be considered addicted to food? The answer has to do with self-control. There are times people eat because they are depressed, feel lonely, or reasons other than they are hungry. Christians, must be able to walk away and be able to resist. Those who can’t are transgressing (I Cor. 9:27).
I have asked myself on many occasions,: Am I eating because I have not eaten in a while and I need my strength, or have I just eaten and can’t resist the temptation to keep eating, losing my self-control? Remember, even the crack addict eventually stops for a brief time, until the desire comes again. Let us beware of the danger.
Chuck
