The Christian Appetite

I Want to be Blessed pt.4 (Sermon on the Mount)  •  Sermon  •  Submitted
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The Christian Appetite

Matthew 5:6 ESV
6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
DT: As Christians we must desire and crave righteousness so that will are blessed
Aim: We will make righteousness a priority in our daily lives
Introduction: My favorite meal is collard greens, macaroni and cheese, fried catfish and black eyed-peas. It is not often that I eat this meal but when I do, I enjoy it. There are moments that I desire to have this meal above anything else. My appetite is not satisfied until I get my collard greens, macaroni and cheese, fried catfish and black eyed-peas.
So, it is for the Christian who has an appetite for righteousness. The favorite spiritual intake for the Christian is righteousness. Today our text challenges each of us to focus upon the priority of righteousness in our lives.
Jesus points out that there are blessings involved in the pursuit of righteousness and He guarantees that those who shall pursue righteousness will be satisfied.
Jesus says, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” Those words hunger and thirst are conflated in definition and mean, to strongly desire. Do you desire righteousness? Do you desire it strongly? This literally means to crave to the point of necessity.
Transition: The Christian knows he needs to be righteous and recognizes that this righteousness begins to be found through the Will of God. So, what is the Christian Appetite?
As Christians, we must also have an appetite that

Christians Hunger and Thirst for the Will of God

The word righteousness refers to the quality or state of juridical correctness with focus on redemptive action. Hungering and thirsting for righteousness describes people who earnestly desire to live a righteous life as God wants them to live. They desire to conform to God’s Will in actions, thought, speech, and worship.
quality or state of juridical correctness with focus on redemptive action, righteousness.
They desire to conform to God’s will in actions, thought, speech, and worship
It describes people who earnestly desire to live a righteous life as God wants them to live
It describes people who earnestly desire to live a righteous life as God wants them to live
Transition: Why does the Christian have an appetite for the Will of God?
David Abernathy, An Exegetical Summary of , Exegetical Summaries (Dallas, TX: SIL International, 2013), 105. Why does the Christian have an appetite for the Will of God?
William Arndt et al., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 247.
David Abernathy, An Exegetical Summary of Matthew 1–16, Exegetical Summaries (Dallas, TX: SIL International, 2013), 105. does the Christian have an appetite for the Will of God?
Why does the Christian have an appetite for the Will of God?
God’s Will is always right
God does the right thing always. What God plans for us is never wrong. God purposes each of us for His divine glory and we are to walk and work to exercise His Will. What may seem difficult for us is never difficult for God. What may appear unexpected for us is never unexpected for God. It is His Will and it is right. God does not set us up to fail. God stands us up to what is right, and that right thing is His Will. As a believer we must hunger for the Will of God even when it is unpopular in the world. Doing the Will of God is never unrighteous. The believer hungers and craves God’s Will because they know God’s Will is always right.
God’s Will is always the right choice
b. God’s will is always the right choice
We are faced with choices daily and some of those choices can lead to paths of destruction and harsh consequences. The choice for you and I as believers is the Will of God. Truth is, we may not know what is in store for us as we travel in the Will of God, but we can rest assured that God knows what He is doing. God’s Will is the right choice even when we face tough situations and circumstances; because God gets glory from those situations and circumstances. The right choice is not always painless. There are some burdens that we may encounter. Personal gain may not be great, but God’s Will remains the right choice. The Scripture is filled with men and women who recognized the Will of God as the right choice. Moses- was exiled, Noah- was ridiculed, Abraham- was cheated, Esther- faced death, Mary- faced being stoned, Joseph - faced embarrassment and Jesus chose the Cross.
God’s Will is Fulfilling
It is not the fulfillment of being lifted by others, but it is the fulfillment of joy because we have pleased God. The very motive of the Christian should not be for the reward in receives from God; but for the pleasure we bring God when we do His Will. Doing the right thing is never only about us but also about pleasing God. Nothing is more fulfilling than pleasing God. Have you experienced that? That feeling that makes you know that you have given God what He desires? I challenge you today to experience it, I promise you there is nothing like it!
Illustration: While watching Star Wars the other day, one of the characters is a droid named R2-D2. R2-D2 was given a mission and purpose to carry out. There were a few obstacles and challenges that attempted to prevent R2 from completing the mission but R2 kept going.
Transition: We too should press forward to do the Will of God regardless of the challenges and obstacles.
Application: Do not be influenced by the world which says, its ok to do your own thing. Do not be convinced by the world that doing what is right in your own eyes is ok. Live according to the standards of God. Be convinced and influenced by the Will of God.
Transition: But even as our goal ought be to please God, let us be cognizant that we as Christians must also hunger and thirst for the opportunity to do what is right.
The Christian Thirsts for the Opportunity to Do the Will of God

Christians Hunger and Thirst for the Opportunity to Do What is Right

The Christian Thirsts for the Opportunity to Do the Will of God

Christians Hunger and Thirst for the Opportunity to Do What is Right

It is not enough to know what the Will of God is; It is just as important to do the Will of God. As Christians we need not ignore the opportunities, we face daily to do that which is righteous.
Seek to be just
Righteousness is not about what happens to you. It involves the recognition that God requires us to do what is right to our fellow man. There is no excuse good enough to reject and avoid doing that which is just. This verse reminds each of us that our spiritual hunger and thirst can only be quenched and satisfied by righteousness. Neither revenge nor hatred can whet the appetite of the Christian. We must seek to be just:
In all matters
When we speak of just, we are not speaking of what brings us gratification. We speak of that which is measured by the heart of God. We cannot pick and choose the things that we will be just about; we must be just about everything. When we are mistreated, we must do what is just. When we are forgotten, looked over and hated we must do what is right, not what we may believe may make us feel better.
Micah 6:8 ESV
He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?
All matters, include for the less fortunate and the suffering. We must seek to do what is right for those who have been forsaken. Christians cannot be a part of the stoning committee. We must be champions for other people.
micah 6:8
Philippians 4:8 ESV
8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
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Towards all people
Seek to be just towards all people not only some. We cannot be found as Christians merely being righteous to some people and unrighteous to others. We are required to be righteous to all men. We are not racist, prejudice, bigoted, nor biased; we are Christian.
Micah 6:8 ESV
He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?
Seek to be right with God
We can only serve this text justly by also recognizing the necessity of every person to be right with God. Truth is, we cannot be right with others if we are not right with God. How does one become right with God?
Repent of Our Sins
God has given each of us an avenue to reconciliation with Him. This can only be done by repenting of our sins and accepting Christ as our Savior. Turning from a life of sinfulness and making the righteousness of God our path.
Serve God Faithfully
Our best life can be described as servants of God. When we accept Christ as our savior and repent of our sins, we commit ourselves to serving God. In a world with so many things and people tugging at us, it is imperative that we remain faithful to God. That means we serve him exclusively. Nothing can replace God in our lives. Not our money, family, jobs, relationships I mean nothing! We owe him everything.
Matthew 6:24 ESV
24 “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.
mt 6:
Worship God Wholeheartedly
Worship God Wholeheartedly
Being right with God includes worshiping God without reservation. We worship God with our whole heart. God deserves our attention and should not have to compete with anything in our lives for it.
Illustration: CoCo Gauff, the fifteen year old tennis sensation was down one set and losing her second second set, when she looked up at her mother and father and they shouted to her you know what to do just do it. CoCo came back and won both sets winning the match. When asked how she did it, she responded by saying I knew all the right things to do; I just needed to do them so thats what is did.
Transition: So it is with Christians: Christians win by doing the right thing!
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Application: The world may present standards that seem like they are ok but as Christians we must measure them against the standards of God and choose to do what is right according to the standards of God. God is never wrong and His way never leads to a dead-end.
Transition: Christians hunger and thirst for the Will of God, Christians hunger and thirst for the opportunity to do what is right and lastly, Christians hunger and thirst to be filled by God.

Christians Hunger and Thirst to Be Filled by God

Jesus promises the satisfaction and filling of those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. These are they who recognize that their rewards are not of this world. The rewards of the righteous come from God. We who hunger and thirst for righteousness do not look for the short-term returns. We are faithful and trusting of the blessings of God to come. The world cannot fill the Christian nor can material gain quench the spiritual thirst of the Christian. Christians can only be truly filled by God. The Christian seeks to be:
filled with the Spirit
The life of a Christian cannot be measured by what he has physically and materialistically gained. The Christian is filled on the inside by the Spirit of God. We refer to this as the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit guides us and directs us. Being filled with the Spirit means to be controlled by the spirit.
Ephesians 5:18 ESV
18 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit,
Eph 5:18
Philippians 1:11 ESV
11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.
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Galatians 5:18–22 ESV
18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
gal 5:
filled with the Word
We cannot be everything we must be without the Word of God. It is through the Word of God that our lives face the decision of change. God’s Word brings us closer to Him but it also reveals to each of us His heart and His desires for us.
Matthew 7:24 ESV
24 “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.
mt
We must be willing to receive the Word of God and allow the word to take root in our hearts. God’s Word will stand and God’s Word is truth for our lives. Christians Hunger and thirst for the Word of God.
Matthew 24:35 ESV
35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
mt 24
filled with Faith
The Christian is filled with faith. This means, we believe what God says. We do not move according to what we see because our God is a wonderworker, God is a miracle worker; God can do the impossible. Faith filled Christians are satisfied Christians. We may not have everything we want but we have everything we need because we trust God every step of the way.
Romans 1:17 ESV
17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”
2 Corinthians 5:7 ESV
7 for we walk by faith, not by sight.
Transition: The Christian hungers and thirsts to be filled by God. Jesus is teaching that God will fully satisfy those who chose to live God’s way. The rewards of the Christian are not of this world and neither are they limited to this life.
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Illustration:
Application: Do not be consumed with material gain. Consume yourself with living and receiving the blessings of God. All of God’s blessings are not money, houses, cars and clothes. Some of the blessings of God we cannot see but we can feel, like His love, joy, peace. Look for the day when all of this is over and God will say, “Well done my good and faithful servant”
Transition: What does your appetite look like? What do you crave? Are you willing to change your appetite if it’s not the appetite of a Christian?
Matthew 5:6 ESV
6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
mt 5:

Conclusion:

Jesus is not requiring something of His disciples or us that He did not experience and exemplify. Even as Jesus taught upon this mountain and assured the blessings of those who would face the challenges He gave, there stood a cross on Calvary awaiting in the future of Jesus. It was on that cross Jesus demonstrated faith in His Father and a thirst for righteousness.
John 19:28 ESV
28 After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), “I thirst.”
Jesus bore the sins of the world. Jesus bore your sins and my sins so that our hunger would be satisfied and our thirst would be quenched.
Revelation 7:16 ESV
16 They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat.
re 7
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