Blessed Are Those Who Hunger and Thirst
Matthew 5:6
Introduction
The beatitudes have thus far focused on attitudes of humility, mourning, and meekness. None of these can truly be seen from the outside, they are inner states of being. They are attitudes of the heart and mind that are seen in the form of action. Jesus continues the beatitudes with,
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
Jesus constantly spoke about the hypocrites who appeared to be righteous in their actions and yet thought nothing of God or His commands. The Pharisees and Sadducees appeared to be righteous in their actions and yet Jesus said they were hypocrites. Jesus addresses their outward righteousness and inner ungodliness in Matthew 23:25-26,
Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.
It is very easy to compare ourselves to others and point out their faults. That is not why Jesus gave us the beatitudes. Our concern this morning is to look at our attitudes and actions to determine if we are living the beatitudes. Jesus gives us an everyday happening to symbolize the need in our life.
Hunger and Thirst
Hunger knows no boundaries. It is universal. Our bodies have all kinds of desires and needs. We all need water and nourishment to go through our daily tasks, whether it is our jobs or simple recreation. Food and water are essentials in life. Without the warnings of hunger and thirst we would all die.
In the movie "Serenity" the crew of the ship Serenity find a planet that was last known to be filled with crowds of people all working together to build a world. The ship lands on the planet only to discover the streets empty of people. When the crew begins to investigate they discover the inhabitants dead at there work stations, lying dead on the floor, and dead asleep in bed.
They finally discover the terrible truth behind all of the deaths on the planet after listening to a tape left by a previous government ship. The government had discovered a new drug that brought satisfaction to the people and they had used it as a test drug on the people of the planet.
The drug did bring satisfaction to every one. The problem: they were so satisfied they no longer had ambition, drive, hunger, thirst, or any of the natural God given warnings that alert us to move. They were so satisfied they wouldn’t even get up to get food or drink. They had all died right where they were when the drug got into their system. They died of complete satisfaction right where they were.
Hunger and thirst are very powerful warnings and motivators in life. Jesus knew this when he spoke this beatitude. He used the drives of hunger and thirst to represent a daily need in our lives. Without these alerts to our needs being filled we will die in a very short amount of time. Hunger and thirst drive us to action.
Jesus did not say "blessed are those who hunger and thirst" and leave it at that. Jesus was very specific in his description of the hunger and thirst. It was not for food or water, or love, or power or any other object or thought that drives us. It was for righteousness. Jesus said,
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
Blessed are those, that’s you and me, that hunger and thirst for righteousness. The Psalmist gives us a vivid picture of this in Psalm 42:1-2,
As the deer pants for streams of water,
so my soul pants for you, O God.
My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
When can I go and meet with God?
For Righteousness
Righteousness is defined as conformity to God’s Law, both from our heart and deeds, inside and outside. No one can attain it apart from perfect adherence to the law; Christ was the only one in all of human history to do it. No one can attain it without Divine intervention; righteousness to please God must come from God Himself.
Good works are not a way to righteousness apart from the work of Christ on the cross. Our righteousness is like filthy rags. We all are corrupted by sin, and unable to live according to God’s perfect standards. It must be a gift from God. The gift from God is found in the person of Jesus Christ. Jesus said in John 6:34,
“I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.
For the unbeliever here this morning there is only one way to quench the hunger and thirst inside you. It is only quenched by committing your life to Jesus Christ as Lord. It is His work on the cross and only His that brings us to the state of righteous.
It comes when we humble ourselves, mourn over sin and its cost, accept Gods Word meekly, and see our need for righteousness and then ask forgiveness of sin from the one that paid our sin and invite Him to be Lord of our life. At that point we are made righteous by His sacrifice for us. We are justified through faith in Jesus Christ. Amazingly it is the Lord who gives us insight into all we need then gives us the ability to say "yes" to Him. It is all grace. Romans 6:22 says,
"But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life."
For those who have believed the work of righteousness results in sanctification. We are sanctified or set apart for special purposes. At salvation we are justified, cleansed, made holy, set apart, and as a believer the work of sanctification continues as we seek Him with all we have and all we are each day.
"Indeed, the more sanctified the person is, the more conformed he is to the image of his Savior, the more he must recoil against every lack of conformity to the holiness of God. The deeper his apprehension of the majesty of God, the greater the intensity of his love to God, the more persistent his yearning for the attainment of the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus, the more conscious will he be of the gravity of the sin that remains and the more poignant will be his detestation of it....Was this not the effect in all the people of God as they came into closer proximity to the revelation of God’s holiness." (John Murray, Redemption Accomplished and Applied)
As we grow closer and closer to Him we are made more aware of our sinfulness and lack of commitment. Like Isaiah we cry out, "Woe to me I am a sinner" when confronted with the Lords holiness. The process of growing "more" sanctified is not because God didn’t sanctify us enough or do a good job but rather our inability to make a full and complete commitment to Him.
Problems also occur when we allow obstacles to get in the way. What are some of the obstacles we encounter? One obstacle is spiritual insensitivity. In a sense it is normal to be hungry. But there are none so blind as those who will not see. Like Pharaoh we can say no to God. Unfortunately one runs the risk of hardening the heart to the point that the hunger is dulled.
The most dangerous place for an unbeliever to be is in a Bible preaching and teaching church. If no action is taken or commitment given on the part of the listener the heart will grow cold.
Next is our busyness. The picture in scripture is the banquet table is set and ready but the people will not come to the table because of another obstacle, their too busy. On average we commit very little time to worshipping and serving the Lord. It is not even ten percent, a tithe of our time when considering the hours of the day. Why? We are too busy.
Next, we live in a "Salt Water World". Survivors of naval battles have often told of the hardships on the high seas. The command is given, "Abandon ship!", and all the sailors either launch the life rafts, life boats, or in many cases jump into the water with only a life vest to survive.
After abandoning ship and going into the water the survivor is faced with problems. One problem is shelter from the sun and if possible the waves. Another is the temperature of the water especially if it is freezing. Food and water are issues of survival as Jesus pointed out.
But one element of survival at sea is pure water. In an ocean filled with water many die of dehydration. They die because it is salt water. Ironically the more salt water you drink the thirstier you become. It relieves for the moment, but eventually the thirst becomes maddening. Some are even driven to true acts of madness because of the salt water, even to the point of murdering fellow survivors.
We live in a "Salt Water World" because our world contains all kinds of salt water. Some will give you temporary joy, temporary peace, temporary satisfaction. The problem is they only make you thirstier. They all exact a price that results in death. What are they? Spiritualism in all its forms, religion, bad theology, good works, not to mention drugs, alcohol, power, sex, success, and the list goes on. For righteousness to work we must have the pure food and water from God. Jesus said in John 4:14,
"...whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life."
Another obstacle is self sufficiency. I can do it myself. This is the main calling of religion. I can work my way to heaven and righteousness. Revelation 3:17 says,
You say, "I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing." But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, and naked."
They Will Be Filled
The good news in all of this is we will be filled. The word used for "shall be filled" is "chortasthesontai". It pictures the feeding of livestock for the purpose of fattening. The word gives a meaning of being "completely satisfied." Some have translated it "shall be fulfilled" implying total contentment in every area of life.
How do we get completely satisfied in life? The first step is to seek His righteousness because our life depends on it.
During the liberation of Palestine in World War I, a combined force of British, Australian, and New Zealand soldiers was closely pursuing the Turks as they retreated from the desert. As the allied troops moved northward past Beersheba they began to outdistance their water-carrying camel train. When the water ran out, their mouths got dry, their heads ached, and they became dizzy and faint. Eyes became bloodshot, lips swelled and turned purple, and mirages became common. They knew that if they did not make the wells of Sheriah by nightfall, thousands of them would die—as hundreds already had done. Literally fighting for their lives, they managed to drive the Turks from Sheriah.
As water was distributed from the great stone cisterns, the more able-bodied were required to stand at attention and wait for the wounded and those who would take guard duty to drink first. It was four hours before the last man had his drink. During that time the men stood no more than twenty feet from thousands of gallons of water, to drink of which had been their consuming passion for many agonizing days. It is said that one of the officers who was present reported, “I believe that we all learned our first real Bible lesson on the march from Beersheba to Sheriah Wells. If such were our thirst for God, for righteousness and for His will in our lives, a consuming, all-embracing, preoccupying desire, how rich in the fruit of the Spirit would we be?” (E. M. Blaiklock, “Water,”
The great news is that the Lord has responded. He responded on Calvary by sending His only Son as a sacrifice for our sins. Jesus Christ is the answer to our need.
Invitation
