A driven life: Matthew 5:6
Jesus, God’s righteousness revealed,
The Son of Man, the Son of God,
His Kingdom come.
Jesus, redemption’s sacrifice,
Now glorified, now testified
His Kingdom come (http://www.stlyrics.com/songs/a/australiahillsongs8787/thiskingdom492891.html. Sighted 31/08/2011)
In Jesus we have a depiction of what a right relationship with God the Father looks like, in Jesus we have the very portrayal of righteousness, do you hunger and thirst to be like Jesus.
This series of sermons about the beatitudes, which Jesus talks about at the start of his sermon on the mount is taking a look at what beatitudes are about, funny word beatitudes, some seem to think that they are what our attitudes should be. Funnily enough though, beatitude describes a blessing, the word comes from the Latin for the word for blessing which is beatus.
These blessing come from being or doing something; if someone is or does something then they will receive a blessing, the beatitudes work on an if-then logic!
The blessing that we are going to look at today is the first of two blessings that arise for those who do something, it’s interesting that salvation does not come through works, it comes through faith, which for some implies that once they have salvation that’s all cool they can just get on with life however they want life.
But
As James, Jesus brother put it, “What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such a faith save him?” The implied answer to this question is no it can’t!
But wait I’ve jumped ahead of myself; back to this blessing and actually I’m addressing two beatitudes today but look at one to start, what is it that Jesus says? ”Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled” (Matthew 5:6)
Now straight up I can say that there are no times when I’ve been truly hungry, I can remember a time when I was in a bike race series and was running on empty and the desire to eat something so that I could just ride my bike to the top of the hill so that I could get down to the finish line was pretty strong. But even then I wasn’t truly hungry, I had hit the wall.
Thirst is another thing there’s been times when I’ve got dehydrated, really thirsty, and the relief of having something to drink has been really good, really soothing, because that thirst is what drove me to get to the source of the drink, that mountain stream, that tap, that ice cold L&P in the fridge. Hunger and thirst are really horrible things, but also a real driving force, something that keeps you going, compelling you to find that one thing that will just take away the stress that comes from them.
Now this gets me a bit wound up that Jesus used these words hunger and thirst, you may have seen recently the people of the Horn of Africa who are undergoing a lengthy drought, years of drought, these people are now refuges, they have travelled for days, I can think of reports where they have walked six days to get to a safe place with a supply of food and water, sometimes loosing loved ones along the way. This from Andrew Wander of Save the Children, "The people that are arriving are absolutely desperate," he said. "They haven’t eaten for weeks; they’ve been travelling for a long, long time in very difficult situations."
That is compelling hunger, that is desperate thirst!
So while this is not the prettiest of illustrations it points to the lengths that people go to when they hunger and thirst.
Back to hungering and thirsting for righteousness, the word righteousness in this case is from the Greek; “what is right, justice, the act of being in agreement with God’s standards, the state of being in a proper relationship with God.”
I would like to start with the last part of that explanation and work backwards;
1) This right relationship with God, what does that look like? Now I’m not going to fully answer this question in a single bound, but I would hazard a guess that we know when we are in it and when we are not. Part of that would be are we living in his will for our lives, that first commandment: That greatest commandment; “Love the lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” (Mark 12:30)
Now I would pick that if we are doing this we are pretty much in that right place in our relationship with God.
The interesting thing with this is that this is no throw away statement, I would say that this can be a really hard thing to achieve, there’s those things that get in the way, the things that stop us from putting God first because that is what Jesus is saying here, that, all your heart and soul, mind and strength stuff, he’s saying God comes first, even before work and family, property, holiday.
If he calls the right reply is yes Lord I’m listening, not I’m busy doing my own thing can you please call back later.
Some would say that we should be listening for his voice, searching the scriptures to gain understanding of him, hungry and thirsty to do what he asks, we should be willing to walk for days, hungry and thirsty to do what he requires of us, to do the right thing, thereby maintaining right relationship with God for that is what righteousness is.
BUT
Often, we know better, we have a better plan than his plan.
BUT
1b) What we are really doing is hardening our hearts to God, we stop listening, we step away from that right relationship, we have our own knowledge, we have our own standards those established by man, by the world and why listen to God when the status quo says it’s OK? The writer of Hebrew says this; “Today if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts”, (Hebrews 4:7-8, 15b, & 4:7b)
I think this must have been an issue the Hebrews had trouble with; three times it needed repeating, that’s why I’ve got the different references on the power point. We often find ourselves hardening our own hearts to what God requires, making excuses, doing life the world’s way, doing life our way when his way is best. For we are called to hunger and thirst for a right relationship with God!
When we do this hungering and thirsting for righteousness, what happens if we do? A massive blessing comes our way, this answer is probably the key to what so many seek after, we get it all ticketity boo with God, that sanctification, that constant infilling of the Holy Spirit but also a fullness of knowing that we are in the right place with God. If you hunger and thirst for righteousness, if your relationship with God is your top priority, if it’s what drives you; Jesus says, you will be filled “For they will be filled,” are Jesus words! The blessing to your relationship with God, as you hunger and thirst for righteousness is that you will be filled.
If we look at the original language here this word filled means “to be filled to satisfaction, to eat ones fill.” If a right relationship with God is what drives you this is what you will get. (SBI)
But to be there something must occur in your life;
2) It’s that act of being in agreement with God’s standards! This goes a little further than what we would say just being in agreement is about: for instance I can agree that the Wallabies and Springbok’s are playing good rugby at present, but they don’t have a show of getting my support for the World Cup!
When it comes to supporting a team, of course it’s the All Blacks, the act of being in agreement actually requires an act, if a game is on the tele and suddenly Richie McCaw is heading for the line with a side step and a tidy little chip chasing the ball, I don’t just sit quietly in my seat or change channels to watch a rerun of Country Calendar. You’ve got to believe while not the greatest rugby fan, I’m focused, I’m concentrating and I’ve got blinkers on, nothing distracts me I’m hungry and thirsty to see that ball go over the try line, perhaps even leaping out of my seat, shouting encouragement!
When it comes to God’s standards, am I focused, am I concentrating, am I hungry and thirsty to live by them, shouting my praise when I reach them, telling others about them or am I just in agreement with them but not acting on them, not living by them, distracted do my own personal standards live up to God’s standards… this is no eighty minute game and the consequences are eternal! Am I driven to reach His standards, are you driven to reach God’s standards? If a right relationship with God is what drives you this is what you will get! (SBI)
What was it James Jesus brother said, “What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? You see even by doing good deeds, acts of service, volunteering at the hall here of in the store or community ministries, preaching, mowing lawn for the elderly, helping little old ladies across the street, means nothing in God’s economy if we are working out of wrong motives, I find no theological foundation for a heavenly score board.
If it isn’t right in your heart, your relationship with God isn’t right, these deeds include our moral actions as much as our acts of service (repeat). I can work here all week and preach on Sunday but if my moral deeds are not in agreement with God’s standards then I’m another lost soul. God’s standards require that I meet them to have all the blessing I can have. It’s what should drive me, is it what drives you, for if a right relationship with God is what drives you this is what you will get! (SBI)
3) Now there’s an interesting thing that comes with living by God’s standards and Jesus mentions this as another beatitude, another blessing, I’ve often noticed that some people avoid living by God’s standards because of this thing, because if sometimes living by God’s standards and living in that right relationship with God brings with it persecution. It may be that they even relax their own standards because they are scared of the consequences of living fully inside God’s standards. Fearful of rejection in their relationships, from the one they love, in their workplace, from their friends and family, it amazes me how many people’s lives are driven by fear when there is no need. If we wander down to verse 10 of Matthew 5 we read this “Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
Today living in good old NZ we are not going to be imprisoned for our faith, tortured or lined up against the wall and shot for living by God’s standards. This happens in some countries but here in New Zealand persecution can occur; in other ways though, not getting on the team because you don’t play or practice on Sunday, missing out on the position because you’re a bit too straight up when it comes to business, getting bullied for what you believe, peer pressure, getting a ribbing from that person you care about because God features on your horizon, subtle stuff like that. But then again this is the lot of those who stand inside God’s standard for their lives, but this comes with a blessing, “the kingdom of heaven is theirs”. An interesting thing this; if a right relationship with God is what drives you this is what you will get! (SBI). It is a sad thing when people relax their standards and give into this persecution, because what they are doing is shutting the door to the kingdom of heaven, to the eternal for a temporary fix, something that will come to a close, usually because of fear
4) There’s also another couple of things that come from this hungering and thirsting for righteousness, these things come about because if you’ve got it together with God, if you’re driven to have a right relationship with him, your relationship with others will also change, what is right and justice prevail in your life.
It’s a surprising thing that some people drift through life when it has so much to offer, that they can be in a right place having an amazing relationship with God, that leaves an inheritance for generations to come, that’s something to take on board this father’s day fathers, but some people just drift on the currents of life without pointing their life in a direction. Now I’m not saying that there aren’t reasons for this but really, when do the excuses stop and that direction starts.
Back to the rugby, the teams heading into the World Cup, started arriving here this week, but the planning for this started years ago, the players have worked incredibly hard for their places and you can guarantee that the coaches and managers have game plans set for each team they will encounter, otherwise they will fail. They hunger and thirst for a result, holding that Webb Ellis trophy over their heads, this takes commitment it’s what drives them. They do what is right to achieve the result.
You may be wondering what does justice have to do with righteousness, justice is something that is seen in many aspects of life, we talk about the judicial system, that justice is blind, but justice is also about how we are driven, about the internal mechanisms that hold us back from being unjust, hold us back from taking what’s not ours, hold us back from doing what is not right for us to do, taking that handbag, or cap that does not belong to us. From acting in ways that are immoral. Justice is also about doing what you know to be right, that if something is legally required of you by your employer, by society, by New Zealand law, by your membership of an organisation your actions are in keeping with what is required. Social Justice also fits within this sphere, last week we had the opportunity to contribute to foreign missions through the OWSOMS appeal, and raised……..well done.
This way of living of acting in our lives is world changing stuff, I believe that a church with a dozen driven individuals who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for a right relationship with God will impact the world more than a congregation on two thousand pew warmers, and history proves the point. If a right relationship with God is what drives you this is what you will get! (SBI). Not only will you be in the best place you can be with God, but also the world will be impacted immensely because of it. Why because God’s Spirit will be the motivating force driving you, impacting your sphere of influence.
You will be filled and your life will be full!
Are you sick of going through life with no plan, no game plan, no direction, a life that leaves you wondering why?
When those who hunger and thirst – for that right relationship with God – when acting as God would have them act – when being right in his eyes is what drives them, leaves them satisfied filled with a knowing that it is God the creator, preserver and governor of all things that is at work through them.
In Jesus we have a depiction of what a right relationship with God the Father looks like, in Jesus we have the very portrayal of righteousness, do you hunger and thirst to be like Jesus.
If you want to be filled, if this is what you hunger and thirst for , come now to this place of commitment, as the music team play and find you will be filled.
I’m interested in feed back, if you read this sermon could you please rate it, comments are also welcome. Ta Andrew.
