An Alternative Community - Part 6
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Intro
Intro
Review: If you remember we are in a series we’re calling “An Alternative Community.” We are talking about what it looks like to be the people of God. We are working our way through the Sermon on the Mount. We started with the Beatitudes and, a couple of weeks ago we look at the first three together and said that when we are down and out and the world isn’t right (poor), we begin to mourn, and our temptation is to try and fix it on our own. We want to control it. We want to make it happen - even if we have to force it - But the last of the first three beatitudes is “blessed are the meek.” Meekness is the ability to control ourselves and wait on God to work. It’s not being passive - It’s putting our hope in the right place. Not our own efforts, but in Gods.
Opening Question: Ever had a craving for something? What’s the weirdest thing you’ve craved?
Transition to Text: In our text tonight Jesus addresses the issue of craving or hunger. He says,
Text:
6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. 7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. 8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. 9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
Transition to Points: Let’s look at this short verse tonight and ask ourselves, what are we really hungry for?
Transition to Points: Let’s look at this short verse tonight and ask ourselves, what are we really hungry for?
Points
Points
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst....
Hunger is a longing or a desire for something.
Everyone has longings and desires. To have desires and longings is part of being alive.
What are some things people long for?
…For Righteousness
The Hunger and thirst that Jesus talks about here isn’t a longing for happiness or health or wealth - But a hunger for righteousness.
The whole passage hangs on the definition of righteousness
What does righteousness mean? There are about three or four ways of taking righteousness in this passage.
It is about right action and attitude
It is about God’s gift of righteousness
Some translations translate this “justice.”
It is a combination of the above views.
What do you think?
While I think it has elements of all of them, I think in context, it’s right action and attitude which equals Justice
It’s a longing for my life to be right and for the world to be right. It’s me taking steps, in the power of Jesus, to set my life right and set the world right. It’s - As we are going to look at it later “His Kingdom coming and His will being done on earth, as it is in heaven.”
So what does that look like practically?
Mercy
Why does it seem as though, at times, Christians are the worst at showing mercy?
It is those who show mercy who are shown mercy.
All of us have recieved mercy from God! Mercy is not getting what you deserve.
It’s giving unto others - Not what they deserve - But what they need.
Pure Hearts
This is a reminder that the problem isn’t just out there - It’s in here!
The idea here of pure in heart is those whose lives have a single vision. Your heart isn’t diluted with other things - It’s solely and totally Gods.
One commentator stated, “The pure in heart are those person whose vision is clear and focused, whose commitments are always genuine, and whose dealings have integrity.”
Make peace
I’m reading a book called “Love your enemies.” It’s talking about how the worst problem of our time is contempt. We don’t just dislike each other or disagree with each other - We hate each other.
The Author of the book calls for us to take a different approach - to listen. To love. To be peacemakers.
This may be the only thing that saves our society.
One commentator says, “Peacemaking is neither being nice (as defined today) nor is it tolerance (again as defined today); rather, it is an active entrance into the middle of warring parties for the purpose of creating reconciliation and peace.”
“The peacemaker, as the person whom Jesus blesses, seeks to reconcile - not by pretending there are no differences or by suppressing differences, but by creating love of the other that transcends differences or that permits the people to join hands in spite of differences.”
As Christians, how can we make peace?
Conclusion
Conclusion
We are called to be an alternative community.
In a world full of injustice, we will hunger and thirst for things to be made right.
In a world full of war, we will be peacmakers
In a world full of corruption, we will be pure in heart
In a world full of injustice, we will hunger and thirst for justice.
In a world full of hatred, anger, and revenge, we will be merciful