Those Who Hunger And Thirst For Righteousness Series

Intro

Our text today is Matthew 5:6: “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled.”i What do you long for in life? People are hunger machines. Bruce Springsteen sang in the 80s, “Everybody’s got a hungry heart.”ii Even the world recognizes the internal motivations of the heart. For the ungodly, the desires are often corrupt and lead to destruction.iii But if you’re alive, you are pursuing something. The intensity of the pursuit varies from person to person. But desire drives the direction and activities of our life.iv

That’s why Proverbs 4:23 counsels us: “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” Everything you do proceeds from the desires of the heart. The course of your life is profoundly affected by the desires that dominate your heart. The proverb begins with the words, “Above all else.” Make it your top priority to monitor the desires that arise in your heart. The Living Bible says, “Above all else, guard your affections. For they influence everything else in your life.” Guard your affections. The implication of the verse is that you can do that by the grace of God. You can, and you must manage the internal motivations of your heart. “Above all else, guard your affections. For they influence everything else in your life.” Colossians 3:2 tells us to “Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth” (KJV). Again, the implication is that you can do that by the grace of God.

In this series, we are examining the Beatitudes with an interest in how these attitudes of heart may affect our opportunity to participate in revival. We know from Isaiah 57:15 that attitude of heart is a factor in determining who gets revived by the Holy Spirit. In that verse God connects attitude of heart with revival. “For thus says the High and Lofty One Who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: ‘I dwell in the high and holy place, With him who has a contrite and humble spirit, To revive the spirit of the humble, And to revive the heart of the contrite ones.”

Who gets revived? Who gets refreshed? Who gets filled? Those who hunger and thirst for the right thing. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled.”

When Mary was pregnant with Messiah, she visited her relative Elizabeth who was pregnant with John the Baptist. The moment Elizabeth encountered Mary, the child in her womb leaped for joy. It’s impossible to read this story and think an unborn baby is not human. Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and her unborn child responded in her womb.v Mary burst forth in a prophetic song of praise. In Mary’s Magnificent she says this about God. “He has put down the mighty from their thrones, And exalted the lowly. 53 He has filled the hungry with good things, And the rich He has sent away empty” (Luke 1:52-53).vi “He has filled the hungry.” There is a relationship between getting filled and being hungry. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled.” Are you hungry for more of God? Are you hungry for righteousness?

We will examine this beatitude under three headings.

(1) The Object of the Desire.

(2) The Nature of the Desire.

(3) The Result of the Desire.

I. The OBJECT of the Desire is clearly stated.

What are those in this beatitude desiring? They are desiring righteousness.

That comes as a surprise. You would think the verse would read this way: Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for God or perhaps more of God. But Jesus is very specific here. The objective desire is righteousness.

Many in the church today desire refreshing. Many want to feel God’s presence in their church service. A great number just want God to enrich their marriage or advance their career. People come to church desiring all kinds of things. Why are you here this morning? What do you want? What is most important to you? Where does righteousness place in the hierarchy of your desires?

Further in this Sermon on the Mount, Jesus instructed us concerning priorities when he said, “. . . seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness” (Matt. 6:33). There is that word “righteousness” again. Couldn’t he have just said, “. . .seek first the kingdom of God” and simply let righteousness be implied? He could have, but he didn’t. The word “righteousness” is not there by accident.

We can look around the church today and understand the importance of adding the words “and His righteousness.” Even with that emphasis in Scripture, many professing Christians want the kingdom of God without too much righteousness in their lives. They want an easy believism that leaves their lifestyle substantially unchanged but guarantees a ticket to heaven when they die.vii They want a mild form of Christianity that does not upset their personal agenda too much.viii But our text does not say, Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for heaven. That’s not the focus. The focus in Matthew 5:6 is righteousness.