“Hungering For God”
Matthew 5:6
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for right-eousness, For they shall be filled.”
Nutritionists emphasize that importance of one’s diet by telling us, “We are what we eat!” That can be a frightening thought if the major portion of our diet is fast food and donuts. When we extend the idea that we are what we consume to our spiritual life it is even more frightening. Our generation of Americans watches more violence and sex on television in a week than our grandparents were exposed to in a lifetime. If we feed our minds on violence and sensuality, then eventually we will personify those things.
So we really need to hear what Jesus says in verse six, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for right-eousness, For they shall be filled.” When we hear that we may think “Oh no, here we go again!” Jesus now says, “Happy are the Hungry.” The whole world is seeking after happiness there is no doubt about that. Everyone wants to be happy. People seek happiness through many things; power, pleasure, possessions, and prestige. But the command is not to hunger and thirst after happiness.
Even Christians can be guilty of looking for happiness in the wrong places. Martyn Lloyd Jones writes, “There are large numbers of people in the Christian church who seem to spend the whole of their life seeking something which they never find, seeking some kind of happiness and blessedness. They round from meeting to meeting, and seminar to seminar (convention to convention), always hoping they are going to get this wonderful thing, this experience that is going to fill them with joy and flood them with some ecstasy.” [D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones. “Studies in the Sermon on the Mount” (Grand Rapids; Eerdmans, 1993) p. 76]
One needs to remember that the first five verses of chapter five which are the beginning of Jesus’ “Sermon on the Mount” have pointed out man's spiritual need and have shown the type of approach that is necessary if one is to be made spiritually happy by God. First, the man who comes to God must be "poor in spirit," that is that he is spiritually bankrupt in God's sight. Second, he must "mourn.” This does not refer simply to the kind of sorrow experienced for the sick or dying. It is sorrow for sin.. Third, the man who would experience God's salvation must also be "meek" or humble. This refers to his taking a lowly place before God in order that he might receive God's salvation. These beatitudes have all expressed man's need.
Now in the fourth beatitude there comes a solution; if a man will hunger and thirst after right-eousness, God will fill him with righteousness and declare him righteous. That man will be justified before God, and he will embark upon the blessed and effective life outlined in the reminder of the Sermon on the Mount.
This morning we will examine four things in dealing with this passage.
First, The Meaning Of Hunger And Thirst
One of our greatest problems in understanding this Beatitude is that because we rarely experience real hunger or thirst we miss the urgency of these words. Jesus was describing a person who was at the point of starving to death or one who is so dehydrated that they will die if they do not get something to drink.
Hunger and thirst represent the basic necessities of physical life. Human history bears record that the all most every part of our world has been periodically plagued by famine. You will recall the famine in Middle East that sent Joseph’s brothers begging for grain in Egypt (Genesis 41:54-57) in the time that Joseph served as Prime Minister of Egypt. Rome experienced a famine so great (436 B.C.) that thousands in desperation threw themselves in the Tiger River -committing suicide rather starve to death. Even in the 21st century famines still persist, as late as last year (2010) there was a famine in Niger and West Africa.
But what we need to understand is that a starving person has a single, all-consuming passion- for food and water. The man who is starving to death does not want something to eat and a new suit. The woman who is dehydrated to the point of death does not want a drink of water and a new car. Their desperation makes them very singular minded. Nothing else has the slight-est attraction or appeal, nothing else can even get their attention.
The story is told that a young man came to the famous Greek philosopher Socrates and told him he wanted knowledge. So the philosopher told the young man to follow him. He then led him to ocean and on out into the water. Without warning Socrates grabbed the young man and plunged him beneath the water and held him there until the young man stop struggling. Then Socrates pulled the young man out of the water, gasping for air. Socrates then dragged the young man to the shore and left him on the sand and returned to the marketplace. When the young man recovered he sought Socrates out and asked him why he had tried to drown him. Socrates replied, “When you were under the water what did you want more than anything else.” The young man replied, “I wanted to breathe. I needed air!” Socrates responded by saying, “When you crave knowledge like you crave air, you are ready to be my student.” That is what Jesus was saying about righteousness. Jesus is saying, “Blessed are those whose craving for the things of God are just as intense as the craving for food and water!”
But what is object of this hunger and thirst?”
Second, The Object Of Spiritual Hunger
A television commercial of some years ago asked the question, "What are you hungry for when you don't know what you're hungry for?" The advertiser suggested that it was a snack cracker, but on the deepest level of human spiritual need what we need is something entirely different.
But all too often people hunger for the wrong thing. Some in our world today hunger for position, power, pleasure or praise. The reason those things never fully satisfy is that they can’t. The prophet Jeremiah states this way, “They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, And hewn themselves cisterns-broken cisterns that can hold no water.” (Jeremiah 2:13) In other words God has created man with thirst and hunger for Him that nothing else can satisfy. But instead of turning to Him they try to fill themselves from broken cisterns that can hold no water.
“When the prodigal son left home he expected to find complete satisfaction. He wanted to live; and life to him meant money, clothes, food, companionship, and happy (gay) times. Instead of those things he found poverty, rage, hunger, loneliness and misery. When he was hungry he turned to feeding swine. It was only when he was finally starving that he turned back to his father. In his father’s company he found all he had thought to find in the world. His father clothed him, fed him, welcomed him and rejoiced in his return.” [James Montgomery Boice. “The Sermon on the Mount: An Exposition.” (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1972) p. 48]
Jesus says that the object of this spiritual hunger and thirst is righteousness. In fact Jesus says that with the same intensity that a man who is about to die from a lack of food hungers for something to eat or a man who is dehydrated from a lack of water thirst for even a drop of water, one should hunger and thirst for right-eousness.
So what is righteousness? To put simply – it is being right with God. Jesus said that the blessed life is the life that is right with God. The soul has its hunger and thirst; those desires were built into man at creation. Solomon the wisest man who ever lived wrote, God " has set eternity in the hearts of men"(Ecclesiastes
3:11). Augustine said this way "Thou hast made us for Thyself, and our hearts are restless until they rest in Thee."
King David understood that just as it is normal for the deer to thirst after the water brooks (Ps. 42:1-2) it is natural for man to thirst after God. He may not know that his thirst is for God, and he may try to satisfy that thirst with a substitute that will leave him with more thirst. But a thirst for God is what it is just the same. God has put eternity in our hearts and nothing less will satisfy.
Two aspects of hungering and thirsting for righteousness.
• For Salvation
What does righteousness have to do with salvation? The answer is, that the person who hungers and thirst for righteousness is the kind of person that seeks a solution to their sin problem. Sin breaks the fellowship that should exist between man and God; it makes all who are sinners, alienated from God. Our sins separate us from a holy God. Our sins must be removed in order to stand in His presence. Can this ever be accomplished? Through man, no it cannot. But God Himself provided the solution. Jesus paid our sin debt on the cross of Calvary and justifies us in the sight of God.
The person who hungers and thirsts for righteousness; is the person who sees their sin, who understands their condition and who seeks a solution. Anyone who under-stands the depth of their sin has a desire to come to Christ in order that they might be forgiven.
But righteousness involves both salvation (justification) but also sanctification.
• For Sanctification
When Jesus says, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,” He uses words which mean that it is an unqualified and unlimited hunger and thirst. When you get saved you do not stop hungering and thirsting for righteousness. When we came to Christ we hungered and thirsted for His righteousness, and now that we know him, we hunger and thirst for more of it.
There are numerous Biblical examples of individ-uals who hungered and thirsted after righteousness. I will only give three;
Moses
Moses more than any other Old Testament figure witnessed physical evidence of the hand of God at work. Just think of all the Moses witnessed in his lifetime: Moses saw presence of God in the wilderness in the bush that burned but was not consumed, Moses saw the miracle of plagues convincing Pharaoh to allow the Israelites to go free, Moses saw God’s power in the parting of Red Sea, Moses saw God's provision of the manna in the wilderness, Moses saw God produce water from a rock, Moses saw God’s hand writing the Ten Commandments on the tablet of stone.” Moses saw all of these things and yet he said "God I want to see your glory" (Exodus 33:18). There always was a hunger for more!
David
David walked in such close communion with God that he is the only man of whom it is said that he was a “man after God's own heart” (1 Samuel 13:13-14). Yet he wrote “As the deer pants for the water brooks, So pants my soul for You, O God… (2) My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God? (Psalm 42:1-2) And later he wrote, "…O God, You are my God; Early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You; My flesh longs for You In a dry and thirsty land Where there is no water.”(Psalm 63:1) However close David walked with God he wanted more!
Paul
The Apostle Paul, had experienced three personal revelations of Jesus Christ; one on the road to Damascus (Acts 9), one in vision of encouragement while he was in Corinth (Acts 18: 9-10), and one in which he was caught up to the Third Heaven (2 Cor. 12:1-4). He had penned much that was to become the New Testament yet he wrote."That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings." (Phil. 3:10) Yet even Paul wanted deeper communion with Christ.
We are to hunger and thirst after a right relationship with God!
Third, The Test Of Spiritual Hunger
The question then is, “How can we tell if we are hungering and thirsting after righteousness?” Let me suggest to three questions that may act as a test of our spiritual hunger.
• Are You Satisfied With Yourself?
Do you feel a constant pain of falling short? That is a symptom of one who is seeking God's way! We are not truly hungering and thirsting for righteousness as long as we holding on to any sense that we in and of our -selves are good enough to stand in God’s presence. As long as we believe it is because of who we are or what we have done, that we will see God, we are not hungering and thirsting for righteousness.
• Are You Willing To Deal with Hindrances in your life!
You may say, “John I believe in Jesus with all my heart, but I am afraid that I do not have a great desire to grow spiritually.” Have you ever stopped to consider how “things” have an influence on how you feel? Do you fill your appetite with the wrong things and then lose your appetite? It may be that you are filling your life with so many other activities that you can no longer sense your hunger for God. If we load up on everything the world has to offer; books, CD’s, ipods etc. it is no wonder that you have no appetite left for the things that really matter. The prophet Isaiah wrote, “Why do you spend money for what is not bread, And your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, And let your soul delight itself in abundance.” (Isaiah 55:2)
If we are truly hungering and thirsting after righteousness we will not only avoid those things we know are bad and harmful but even those things that dull or take the edge off our spiritual appetite. A hunger and thirst for righteousness will not be satisfied with anything else!
• Those who are hungering and thirsting – put themselves in the way of getting it.
The person who is really hungering and thirsting for righteousness will never miss the opportunity to be in places where people seem to find this righteousness. The person who is seeking righteousness is not haphazard about their attendance in worship. The person who is serious in seeking righteousness seeks godly company. The person who is serious about righteousness affords themselves of opportunity of reading God’s word. In the foyer you will find a daily Bible reading calendar. That would be an excellent way to begin this New Year. [Martyn Lloyd Jones. pp. 87-92]
Fourth, The Result Of Spiritual Hunger
A lot of companies in our day advertise with the statement, “Satisfaction Guaranteed!” Well the prom-ised result of spiritual hungering and thirsting for righteousness is being satisfied.
It is passive tense in the Greek indicates "they shall be satisfied." Our part is to seek; God’s part is to satisfy. The Psalmist says, "For He satisfies the longing soul, and He fills the hungry soul with goodness." (Psalm 107:9)
But there is a paradox within this promise of satisfaction. The paradox is, “You are satisfied, but never satisfied.” On the one hand, the Lord wants us to maintain a hunger and thirst and on the other hand we are promised satisfaction. How can this be? I think we see it at least partially in
We see the paradox of this satisfaction in that in salvation; when one is saved the hunger for a relation-ship with God is immediately and completely satisfied. We receive the satisfaction that this Beatitude prom-ises. But there develops within the soul a desire for more. And in sanctification we are never satisfied and desire more and more. We can see the reality of this in the physical realm when you eat your favorite dessert. My wife makes a killer English Pecan Pie (it has Choc-olate chips and pecans), after eating it you are satisfied, but the wonderful taste creates a hunger for what you have already tasted. The same is true in the spiritual realm, the more you taste spiritually the greater your appetite and appreciation for more. That is certainly true in the three Biblical examples we looked at in this message; Moses, David and Paul, the more they experienced with the God the more they wanted.
Conclusion
Let me be blunt, most of us are about as close to God to now as we want to be. We have about as much joy as we want, about as much peace as we want. For the most part, you are where you are right now because that’s where you want to be. If you were hungry for something better from God, you could have it.
If you want it, you can have a closer walk with God.
If you want to, you can grow spiritually.
If you want it, you can have a better marriage.
If you want to, you can become a man or woman of God.
If you want to, you can change deeply-ingrained habits.
The question is how much do you want to?
“Hungering For God”
Matthew 5:6
First, The _________________ Of Hunger And Thirst
Hunger and thirst represent the basic necessities of physical life. Human history bears record that the world has been periodically plagued by famine.
Second, The ________________ Of Spiritual Hunger
• For ____________________________ (Ecclesiastes 3:11)
• For ____________________________
Biblical Examples
______________ (Exodus 33:18)
______________ (Psalm 42:1-2, 63:1)
______________ (Acts 9, 18:9-10, 2 Cor. 12:1-4, Phil. 3:10)
Third, The ____________ Of Spiritual Hunger
• Are You ________________ With Yourself?
• Are You Willing To Deal with _________________ in your life! (Isaiah 55:2)
• Those who are hungering and thirsting – put themselves in the way of getting it.
Fourth, The _________________ Of Spiritual Hunger
