"THE CRY FOR MORE"
PROVERBS 27:20
INTRO: We are living in a world in which the yearning desire of the multitudes
is more. Man never seems to be satisfied with the things he has but
is always striving to gain as much as possible. In man’s pursuit for
more the most important more has seemingly been cast aside. Jesus
said in John 10:10, "Thethiefcomethnot,butfortosteal,andtokill,
andtodestroy:Iamcomethattheymighthavelife,andthattheymight
haveit more abundantly." Abundant life can only be found in a
personal relationship with the LORD Jesus Christ! He can satisfy
man's need in life! But the devil is the author of "The Cry For More."
He deceives mankind by telling them that there has to be more than
this. He says, “Happiness is found in possessions, power, popularity,
and people.” But the more man possesses of these things, he still
finds his life unfulfilled. Satan is a thief, a robber of man's soul. He
comes only to steal and to kill, and to destroy.
Satan began his deception years ago with our first parents, Adam and
Eve. He told Eve in Genesis 3:1-5—“....Yea, Hath God said, ye shall
not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the
serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the
fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye
shall not eat of it, neither touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said
unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the
day ye eat of thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be
as gods, knowing good and evil." Satan goaded Eve in to believing her
life was missing something. That God was holding out on her and
Adam. And she must by all means go after more. Just think about
what God had done for Adam and Eve. He had placed them in a
beautiful garden with all manner of fruits to eat. He had given them
plenty of fresh water to drink. He had given them a disease-free
environment in which they could forever live, because death was not
there!
But that old serpent, the deceiver, the destroyer of man, deceived man
into believing that there was more to be had. And thus because of
this craving for more, man lost everything! Paradise was lost and
death fell upon all men! Romans 5:12 tells us, "Wherefore, as by one
man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed
upon all men, for that all have sinned." Satan still today is lying to
men that there is more to be had. And this more can only be met in
the lusts of the flesh. Thus the continuous cry of sinful man is “More!
More! More!" I want us to see the reason for this incessant "cry for
more":
(1) THE INSATIABLE NATURE OF HELL
PROVERBS 27:20a—“Hell and destruction are never full...”
*The word "insatiable" means “incapable of being satisfied."
*When God created man He created him with the possibility for great
potential. Thus there lies within man the yearning desire for achievement.
One of Satan's great lies is that man can only meet this need through the
acquisition of more, more and more of what this world had to offer him.
But the only way this need in man can ever be truly met is by simply
receiving the LORD Jesus Christ as his personal Savior! Notice with me:
A. HELL'S DIMENSION. Hell is not the plan of God, but the result of sin!
The Scripture tells us in Matthew 25:41 that hell was "prepared for the
devil and his angels." Satan and all his wicked host will be the future
inhabitants of Hell. But also every unregenerate soul living, or that has
lived, or that ever will live (Psalm 9:17; Revelation 20:15).
Someone has said that every 2 seconds 3 lost souls slip into eternity.
That means that every day thousands of men, women, boys, and girls
die and go to Hell! Yet, even with the masses that have already arrived
in hell, yet hell is still not full, and if you’re lost there is still room in
hell for you!
Hell is continually expanding! Because of the wickedness of men's
hearts, Isaiah 5:14 tells us, "therefore hell hath enlarged herself, and
opened her mouth without measure: and their glory, and their
multitude, and their pomp and he that rejoiceth, shall descend into it."
Hell is continually growing to accommodate the multitudes of God-
rejecting men, women, boys, and girls who will one day make it home!
B. HELL'S DESIRE. “The devil does all he can to keep us from believing,
to make us not believe the Word when we read and hear it; to divert
our minds from it to something else lest we should believe and be
saved, lest we should believe and rejoice, while he believes and
trembles." (Matthew Henry. The Quotable Matthew Henry. p. 271). 2
Corinthians 4:3-4 tells us, “But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them
that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of
them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ,
who is the image of God, should shine unto them.”
The desire of hell is that men reject, put off, or else trust in something
else besides placing their trust in Jesus Christ for their soul’s
salvation!
"Where Satan cannot persuade men to look upon the Judgment to
come as a thing doubtful and uncertain, yet he gains his point by
persuading them to look upon it as a thing at a distance, so that it
loses its force: if it is sure, yet it is not near; when in truth, 'the Judge
standeth at the door.’” (Matthew Henry. The Quotable Matthew Henry.
p. 232). James 4:14 says, “whereas ye know not what shall be on the
morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor, that appeareth for a
little time, and vanisheth away." Satan, the prince of hell's, desire is
that mankind be so wrapped up in the affairs and allurements of this
life that they fail to prepare for eternity. He desires that mankind in
his pursuit for "more" will put off getting right with God until it is too
late!
That is precisely what happened to the rich fool, Jesus described in
Luke 12. His motto in life was "More!” Yet, in all his plans, God had
been left out! So God told him, "Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be
required of thee: then whose shall those things be which thou hast
provided?" (Luke 12:20). I'm afraid many will someday realize, like
this man, that it is too late, and that hell is where they will spend
eternity!
C. HELL’S DESCRIPTION.
ILLUS: Many don't like sermons on Hell. They want to hear about a
meek and lowly Jesus. But it is the meek and lowly Jesus
who gave us most of our information on hell. In fact, our
LORD spoke about hell almost twice as much as He did on
Heaven. Jesus took the Valley Of Hinnom and compounded
them into the most fearful pictures of future punishment
found in all the Bible! (Vance Havner. The Vance Havner
Notebook. pp. 222-223)
The Valley of Hinnom on the south side of Jerusalem was where King
Ahaz and Manasseh set up a shrine for the god Molech. Children
were offered to him as burnt sacrifices and the smell of burning flesh
could be smelt for miles around! Rubbish was later burned at this
site. So it became a graphic picture of Hell. (Eerdman’s Atlas of The
Bible. “The Valley of Hinnom). The lost of hell, according to
Revelation 14:11—“…the smoke of their torment ascendeth up
forever and ever...". Jesus made many references to hell in the
Scripture. But Luke 16 gives us a sorrowful depiction of rich man in
hell:
The Place Of Torments. Luke 16:23—“And in hell he lift up his eyes being in torments...". The word "torments" in this verse implies "to torture from head to foot." In hell, a person will be in agony for all eternity! In hell, there will be:
1) Weeping And Gnashing Of Teeth. In Matthew 8:12;
22:13; 24:51; 25:30 we see these words of Jesus—“there
shallbeweepingandgnashingofteeth.” “Weeping” suggests
"sorrow and intense grief." While "gnashing of teeth" refers
to “the grinding of one's teeth because of great pain and
agony.”
2) Everlasting Fire. In Matthew 18:8; 25:41 Jesus spoke of
“everlastingfire”. Jesus spoke also in Mark 9:43, 46 of —
“…thefirethatnever shall be quenched” and “Wheretheir
wormdiethnot,andthefireisnotquenched.” In Jesus'
reference to hell in these verses He uses the Greek word
"Gehenna" which is a transliteration from two Hebrew words
which mean "Valley of Hinnom." The site was Jerusalem's
refuse dump where fires burned continually to consume
regular deposits of worm-infested garbage. (John F. Walvoord
and Roy B. Zuck. The Bible Knowledge Commentary of the
New Testament. p. 147).
The "worm" Jesus spoke about describe internal torments.
The unquenchable fire describes the external torments.
These vividly portray the conscious punishment awaiting all
who refuse God's Salvation!
3) Everlasting Punishment. In Matthew 25:46 Jesus said—“
Andtheseshallgo awayintoeverlastingpunishment:butthe
righteousintolifeeternal.”
A Place Of Separation. Jesus said in Luke 16:26—“And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence". We read in 2 Thessalonians 1:7-10—“And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power; When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day.” The literal meaning is “who shall pay the penalty of eternal destruction form the face of the Lord! Those who reject Christ, when He returns, will be God-forsaken, forever away from His presence. Forever to be banished from God forever, fully aware of what their rejection has done!
A Place Of Memory. Father Abraham said unto the rich man in Luke 16:25—“Son, remember...". Forever, the lost will bring to mind all the opportunities to receive Christ, the goodness of God, and the rejected offers of God's Spirit!
A Place Of Prayer. The rich man prayed in Luke 16:27—“...I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house.” Prayer in hell? Yes, probably there are more prayers offered in hell than will ever be offered on this earth, but alas! All to no avail!
A Place Of Concern. Listen to the concern of the rich man in Luke 16:28-31—“ForIhavefivebrethren;thathemaytestifyuntothem,lesttheyalsocomeintothisplaceoftorment. Abrahamsaithuntohim,TheyhaveMosesandtheprophets;letthemhearthem. Andhesaid,Nay,fatherAbraham:butifonewentuntothemfromthedead,theywillrepent. Andhesaiduntohim,IftheyhearnotMosesandtheprophets,neitherwilltheybepersuaded,thoughonerosefromthedead.”
A Place God Wants No One To Go! 2 Peter 3:9 tells us, “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”
(2) THE INSATIABLE NATURE OF SIN
PROVERBS 27:20b—“…SO the eyes of man are never satisfied"
*Because hell and destruction are never satisfied, therefore sin is never
satisfied either. Sin is like cancer. It invades the healthy cells of the body
destroying them until only cancerous cells remain. Sin is not satisfied; its
appetite is not appeased until it had destroyed everything it touches!
Consider:
A. SIN'S DIMENSIONS. James 1:14-15 shows us the nature of sin—“But
every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and
enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin,
when it is finished, bringeth forth death.” Satan is the father of sin. And
by his subtle temptations seeks to drag all mankind into sin with him.
Lust, the desire of the heart for "more", if unchecked yields sin, and
sin, unconfessed and unrepented of, brings death! Ezekiel 18:20
says—“The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the
iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son:
the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness
of the wicked shall be upon him.”
Sin has small beginnings, but if not dealt with it can grow into a
tremendous monster which not man can tame!
ILLUS: An athlete was pulled into an unusual experiment through a
bet. A veteran on the subject bet this strong man that he
could not endure one pint of water being dropped on his hand,
one drop at a time, from a height of three feet. The big guy
thought such a bet was a sure win so he accepted the
challenge. A pint of water can produce 11,520 single drops.
After 300 drops the athlete's hand was hurting, but he kept
going because "no pain-no gain." By the 420th drop the battle
was over. He quit. His hand was red and badly swollen. Sin is
like that. One sin at a time may not seem like much, but the
cumulative effect is painful and destructive (Raymond
McHenry. The Best of In Other Words. pp. 229-230).
B. SIN'S DESIRE. "Sin takes us farther than we want to go, costs more
than we want to pay, and keeps us longer than we want to stay."
(Raymond McHenry. The Best of In Other Words. p. 230). The objective
of sin is to blacken, harden, and deaden men's heart to such an extent
that repentance seems inconceivable. But THANK GOD, Grace is great
than any sin! Praise God the Scripture declares in Romans 5:20b—
“… where sin abounded, grace did much more abound.” The hymn
writer Julia H. Johnston wrote:
1. Marvelous grace of our loving Lord,
grace that exceeds our sin and our guilt!
Yonder on Calvary's mount outpoured,
there where the blood of the Lamb was spilt.
Refrain:
Grace, grace, God's grace,
grace that will pardon and cleanse within;
grace, grace, God's grace,
grace that is greater than all our sin!
2.Sin and despair, like the sea waves cold,
threaten the soul with infinite loss;
grace that is greater, yes, grace untold,
points to the refuge, the mighty cross.
(Refrain)
3.Dark is the stain that we cannot hide.
What can avail to wash it away?
Look! There is flowing a crimson tide,
brighter than snow you may be today.
(Refrain)
4.Marvelous, infinite, matchless grace,
freely bestowed on all who believe!
You that are longing to see his face,
will you this moment his grace receive?
(Refrain)
"The truth about man is that he needs to be loved the most when he
deserves it the least. Only God can fulfill this incredible need!" (Albert
H. Wells, Jr. Inspiring Quotations-Contemporary & Classical. p. 81).
Ephesians 2:8-9
(3) THE INCREDIBLE OFFER OF GRACE
JOHN 10:10—“The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and have it more abundantly"
A.THE SAVIOR’S DELIVERANCE. Satan, the father of lies, deceives man into believing that unless he has “more" of this world, more pleasure, more power, more riches, he cannot be happy. But Satan is a liar, a thief, and a robber of the soul! The fulfillment of these desires don't bring happiness, nor do they fill that inner need of the soul, but they only bring discouragement, defeat, and bankruptcy. Satan takes life; Jesus gives it! He delivers our souls from the law of sin and death!
B. SALVATION’S DELIGHT. Jesus Christ not only gives life, but
abundant life! The word "abundant" means "superabundant, superior,
beyond measure, and advantageous.” Psalm 107:8-9 says—“Oh that
men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful
works to the children of men! For he satisfieth the longing soul, and
filleth the hungry soul with goodness.” Jesus Christ satisfies man's
inner need. No longer does the Christian cry out for "more” because
Jesus Christ is all he needs! We may not be rich, we may not be
powerful, nor we may not be popular, but in Jesus Christ we have ALL
WE NEED!! He gives us a new meaning to life and new guidance also!
Psalm 23
CLOSING:Are you satisfied with your life as it is? Or, do you find there is something truly missing? Satan will tell you that "more of this and more of that" will bring you contentment, but it is just a lie! Only by knowing Jesus Christ as your personal Savior can you know life to its fullest!