Why Must We Long for Spiritual Things?

Introduction

A. The Definition of Longing In the Greek New Testament, the word for "longing" or "desiring" is epithumeo. It describes an intense desire, a strong internal impulse that is persistent and driving. It is not a passing wish, but a hunger that moves the soul toward its object.

B. The Misplaced Hunger of the World Most people spend their lives longing for the temporal: a better job, a larger house, a newer vehicle, or financial prosperity. While these things have their place, they are not the ultimate purpose of our existence.

C. The Kingdom Priority The Bible teaches us to direct our deepest desires toward spiritual realities. As Jesus commanded in Matthew 6:33, we must seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. We long for spiritual things because they are the only things that remain and the only things that lead us to eternal life.

Central Question: Why must we long for spiritual things?

I. Because Spiritual Desires Lead Us to Salvation

Longing is the compass of the soul. Where you point your desires, your life will follow.

A. Longing for God's Deliverance

Psalm 119:174 — "I long for your salvation, Lord, and your law is my delight." The Psalmist reveals that his priority was not earthly escape, but divine rescue. When we long for salvation, we find joy in God's Law because we recognize it as the path to Him.

B. Joy in the House of the Lord

Psalm 122:1 — "I rejoiced with those who said to me, 'Let us go to the house of the Lord.'" Spiritual longing produces a natural joy in corporate worship. If there is no desire to congregate with the saints, it is a diagnostic sign that the heart's spiritual fire is fading.

C. Determination in Seeking

Psalm 27:4 — "One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life..." David didn't just "wish" to be near God; he sought it with determination. True spiritual desire is active, not passive.

Doctrinal Principle: Salvation belongs to those who seek God with all their heart, for He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6).

II. Because Only God Can Satisfy the Human Soul

There is a vacuum in the human heart that the world can never fill.

A. The Thirst of the Deer

Psalm 42:1-2 — "As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God." The imagery here is extreme: a deer in a parched land, desperate for life-giving water. We must ask ourselves: Are we thirsty for God, or have we allowed ourselves to be "filled" with the junk food of the world?

B. Christ, the Living Water

Juan 4:13-14 — Jesus taught the Samaritan woman that physical water only satisfies for a moment, but the water He gives becomes a spring welling up to eternal life. Material things provide temporary distraction; spiritual things provide eternal satisfaction.

C. Diligent Seeking

Psalm 63:1; Isaiah 26:9 — The thirsty soul seeks God "early" and "in the night." It is a 24-hour preoccupation because the soul knows its source of life.

Doctrinal Principle: The human soul was created by God and for God; therefore, nothing else in the universe can truly fill it.

III. Because God’s Word is Our Spiritual Sustenance

Just as the body requires bread, the spirit requires the Truth.

A. Gasping for the Commands

Psalm 119:131 — "I open my mouth and pant, longing for your commands." The Psalmist describes himself like a person breathless, desperate to inhale the Word of God.

B. Asimilating the Truth

Ezekiel 2:8; 3:1-3 — God commanded the prophet to actually eat the scroll. This teaches us that the Word must be asimilated and digested into our very being, not just heard with the ears.

C. The Hunger of a Newborn

1 Peter 2:2 — "Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation." A healthy baby cries when it is hungry. Do we cry out for the Word of God, or have we lost our appetite due to spiritual sickness?

Doctrinal Principle: Without spiritual food, there is no growth. Those who do not eat the Word remain "infants" in Christ, unable to discern good from evil (Hebrews 5:13-14).

IV. Because Spiritual Desire Produces Service and Maturity

Our internal longings manifest in our external works.

A. An Open Heart to the Truth

Acts 13:7 — Sergius Paulus, an intelligent man, "longed to hear the word of God." His spiritual hunger opened the door for the Gospel to transform his life and his region.

B. The Ambition to Serve

1 Timothy 3:1 — "Whoever aspires to be an overseer desires a noble task." God approves when we long to take on spiritual responsibility. This isn't about seeking a title, but about an internal "impulse" to serve the body of Christ.

Doctrinal Principle: Spiritual desires are the evidence of a heart transformed by the Holy Spirit. A heart that longs for God will inevitably long to serve God's people.

V. Because Spiritual Things are Eternal

We must long for what lasts.

2 Corinthians 4:18 — "So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."

The house you live in will one day crumble. The car you drive will eventually rust. Even the body you inhabit will return to the dust. But your relationship with God, the fruit of the Spirit, and the treasures laid up in heaven are eternal. When we allow material longings to take first place, we fall into idolatry (Colossians 3:5).

Conclusion

Why should we long for spiritual things?

1. Because they are the path to our Salvation.

2. Because they are the only things that Satisfy the soul.

3. Because they are our necessary Sustenance.

4. Because they lead to Service and growth.

5. Because they are Sacred and Eternal.

Is your heart "panting" for God today, or is it gasping for the things of this world? Let us repent of our earthly distractions and ask the Holy Spirit to give us a fresh hunger for the things that truly matter.

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