Matthew 5:6 - A Holy Hunger
Notes
Transcript
Matthew 5:6 – A Holy Hunger
Welcome, we have been for the last several weeks, going through the introductory portion of the Lord’s Sermon on the Mount, called the Beatitudes. The attitudes that ought to be as one wise man has put it. And today we come to the fourth one in this powerful sermon of our Lord, found in Matthew 5:6. Now Jesus has been putting emphasis on being different, you know the world defines a person by status, strength, and substance, but the Lord doesn’t look at these things. In fact, the Lord has no concern with how wealthy a person might be, with how physically fit a person might be, nor is he concerned with your social status in society.
The Lord doesn’t look at these things and say blessed are the rich, blessed are the beautiful, blessed are the popular. Our Lord wasn’t one that was rich he didn’t even have a place to lay his head, but he owns it all, our Lord wasn’t one that was beautiful to people, but he was a lamb without spot or blemish, our Lord wasn’t well liked by many in Jewish society but the multitudes followed him. Our Lord was different than what society deemed acceptable, and that is why this message is so impactful.
It speaks to us about realness, it speaks to us about being different, it speaks to us about what Christianity is all about. When we realize that we are spiritually beggars, and that we cry over our sins that we have committed against God, that we humble ourselves at his feet and have him control our life, we begin to see the path that Lord has laid out. That narrow, straight path that so many refuse to take.
Now our Lord is not finished in his message, he continues on with the next in line, and listen to what he says here:
“Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.”
Have you ever been really hungry? I mean, so hungry that you were willing to lower yourself, and eat something that in most cases you would have turned away from.
I remember some years ago, coming out of the door of a restaurant in Garner, I had been in and for whatever reason, wasn’t as hungry as I thought. When I came out of the restaurant, I had my left overs, and I came across a man. Now when you saw this man, you could tell that something was not right. The look in his eyes showed helplessness. He wasn’t asking for anything, he didn’t have a sign asking for help, but you could just see on his face, that he needed help. I walked by him, and I had something come over me. It was, Eric, give him that plate of food in your hand. And I did. Now, what would most people do when some stranger offered them their leftovers. They would probably reject you. But that man looked at me, and he took them from me. That man was hungry, and that is the hunger that our Lord is talking about here in this powerful verse.
Friend, what are you hungering for today? Are you spiritually like that man who was hungering for food, or are you satisfied on the crumbs of this life? There are a lot of people who are living on the scraps of this world, when they could be eating at the Table of Grace. Is your soul yearning for sustenance?
A few years ago, we took my son out for a birthday dinner. I told him, whatever he wanted to eat, that’s what we would get. You know what he wanted? He wanted to try crab legs. He had a craving to eat crab legs, and you know what, we took him to get some crab legs.
Friend, your soul is craving to be fed, and you can feed it garbage, or you can feed it what it needs. But it all boils down to what you desire to take in. What is your soul craving?
A Craving for the Savior
A Craving for the Savior
Now the souls of this world are craving to be fed. But not everyone is craving the same thing. Some might be craving something to take away their worries, and they go down to the store and they buy themselves a case of poison called beer, and they just drink themselves into a stupor. Some people are craving companionship, and instead of turning to Christ, what do they do, they go and hang out with that crowd that’s involved with partying and revelry, or they might go and try to satisfy their craving by staring at the internet. But you know, none of these things will satisfy what the soul really needs.
I will tell you, that the worldly cravings that we have will never satisfy our soul. There is only one thing that will satisfy our craving and what is that? Righteousness.
Note this verse: 1 Corinthians 1:30 “But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:”
Listen, when Jesus says here in this verse Matthew 5:6; those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, we are not taking the verse out of context by saying, those who hunger and thirst after Jesus!
Now what is it that you are craving? Are you craving “righteousness” are you craving “Jesus” in your life? Friends, there are lot of people that are craving things but are not craving the savior. But we need to be hungering and thirsting for Jesus. And where does this craving start at?
1. Cravings occur in the Mind
· Now for most of us, our cravings don’t really start in our stomach. For most of us, we begin to crave something when we think about it.
· For instance, many people get a craving for something sweet, after they have seen it. It’s just like when I walk into a grocery store. I’m going in there for maybe some bread. But you know I walk past that display of Krispy Kreme donuts. I didn’t have a craving for those donuts, but when I saw them, something tripped in my brain, saying I want some of those donuts.
· Now the same thing happens in our soul, we get out there in the world, and we see this person with this lovely new car, or boat, or vacation home, and we say I got to have this. If I want to be a happy person, I need to get these things.
· And let’s say you get those things, guess what? The cravings don’t stop. It just gets replaced with something else. You know why? Because many of us are craving the wrong things.
· We’re craving the things of this world, when we should be craving more of Jesus.
· Do you know you have all of Jesus that you want. Now you may say, wait a minute preacher, I desire to have more of Jesus in my life. No you don’t, because if you did, you would make up your mind to have more.
· Until our minds and heart desire the righteousness of Jesus in our life, we will never be satisfied people. What you have to do, is make up your mind, and say I want Jesus. I want his righteousness.
· Put the desire there in your mind. Blessed are those that hunger and thirst after righteousness!
2. Cravings occur when we’re Miserable
· Now cravings don’t always start with the mind. It’s not always about what you see. Cravings can come when we are miserable.
· Think about a woman who might be pregnant. She wakes up in the middle of the night, and she’s got a craving, and you know women can have some unusual cravings when they are pregnant, but she wakes up her husband and tells him that she wants some sausage and jelly. He tells her that it’s the middle of the night, but she doesn’t care about that, she’s miserable because she’s carrying a baby and her body wants some sausage and jelly. Now, listen she’s not the only one who is miserable, because her husband had better get up and either make some sausage and jelly or find a place that has it. He’s craving a good night sleep but he won’t have it until his wife’s craving is satisfied.
· Now that illustration may sound a little silly to us, but many people are walking around miserable, and they are craving something to make them happy.
· Listen, we need to quit craving happiness and start craving righteousness, because happiness is a byproduct of righteousness.
· You know, the happiest people in life are those people who have put their trust in the Lord. When something bad happens to them, they are not despondent. You know why? Because they have been satisfied in Christ.
· 1 Peter 3:14 “But and if ye suffer for righteousness’ sake, happy are ye…”
3. Cravings occur when we’re Missing
· Now not only do craving occur in our mind, and when we’re miserable, but cravings also occur when we’re missing something.
· Our bodies are amazing, they alert us when there is something that we need. For instance when I have been working out in the yard and I have drained myself, and I am hot, when I walk into the house, you know what my body craves? A large glass of ice water.
· Over and over, our bodies have a way of letting us know when something is missing, and we will get a craving.
· In like manner, our soul get’s a craving for something. Something that it is missing. So many people, describe it as a void in their life. That something is missing. And they are right! They are missing righteousness, they are missing Jesus.
· There are so many who are longing for something to satisfy their soul, and you might be here right now. You’ve tried everything you know to think of, but let me tell you what you’re missing is Jesus.
· Psalm 107:9 “For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness.”
· If you’ve been looking, there is no need to look any further, than Jesus.
A Concern for Starvation
A Concern for Starvation
Now we’ve understood the craving for the savior, but there is also a concern for starvation. Now when you are spiritually bankrupt, that you realize you have nothing and you cannot provide for yourself. There is a fear that will come on a person. A fear of what am I going to eat.
And just like you will see them how a person might begin to dig in the trash, scavenge through the dumpster, just to find something to eat. There are people who are scavenging in this world trying to feed their soul, but they are looking in the wrong place. They are looking in the sin filled squalor of this society and they are starving, when they just need to come to Jesus and he will give them what their souls needs.
Friend, no person will starve, if they are seeking Jesus. If a man, woman, boy or girl is hungry for Jesus and his righteousness, they will be filled.
· Now have you ever seen a person who is starving? Not a person who might have missed breakfast of dinner, but someone who has been without a meal for some time? They look different and act different. They may be a person who is constantly worried or they are the opposite and are apathetic, they might lash out or be lifeless.
· There is something wrong with them, because their body hasn’t taken in what it needs.
· Well, just like the body, the soul has to be fed. And the problem is so many people haven’t been feeding their souls, that they are starving.
· So, what do we do to feed our soul? We take in the most abominable things. We feed on the wicked things.
· When the Jamestown Colonist came to America, that winter was one of the worst winters they had ever faced. Food became so scarce, that the people resorted to eating their pets, they would eat whatever they could get their hands on, they would even eat their own shoes! Could you imagine having to eat an old piece of leather?
· Well, none of that is as bad as what so many people are feeding their souls today! Our souls are hungry, and they need to be fed, and I want to tell you, you don’t have to feed on the garbage of this sin cursed world, when Jesus is there and saying, I have bread for you to eat.
· In Luke 15:11-32; the powerful parable of the prodigal son, that our Lord told, hits on this. A young man, who didn’t care about his father, who went out and was living the party style life, spent all that he had, and was reduced to working as a hired hand for a pig farmer. All of his wealth gone, he was starving, and he was hungry, that he would have eaten the pig slop, when he stopped and said he would go back to his father.
· Luke 15:17-23 - 17 And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! 18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, 19 And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants. 20 And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. 21 And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. 22 But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: 23 And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry:
· Listen, you don’t have to eat the pig slop, you don’t have to be a person that is waking up and starving each day, all you have to do is come to the father and He will give you the spiritual food that you need!!
· The problem though for many is that they have locked themselves in this mental prison, and they are in that prison and they are starving. Their soul is hungry, they neglect the bible, they neglect Jesus, they neglect Christian fellowship, they neglect prayer. And instead they are feeding on whatever they can get their hands on.
· They have locked themselves in a prison, and you know what they are doing? They are paying the high price for poor living. They continue to give themselves over to sin, and just continues to get worse in their life.
· Instead of going to Jesus, they are blaming Jesus for their situation. They have convinced themselves that all their issues are because of God.
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· That the reason for their miserable condition is because of Jesus. So, what does society do? Instead of coming to Jesus to be fed, they say that if we can just get rid of Jesus out of our society, then things will improve. Listen, without Jesus, things will get worse!!
· II Kings 6:24-7:16, Jehoram was the King of Israel during this time, and the Syrians came and surrounded the city, so that those who were inside were stuck and no food was coming in. Life started to become quite hard within the city, and people began selling the most horrible things for people to eat. A donkey’s head would cost 80 pieces of silver, and the dove’s dung was 5 pieces of silver.
o Here was a city faced with starvation, but they were not seeking God.
o Some in the city were giving in to cannibalism, it just continued to get worse.
o In fact, the prophet Elisha was in this town during this time, and the king wanted to put Elisha to death, because he thought that was the solution.
· That is the same thing that continues today! So many people are trapped, and they are starving, and they think the solution is to give in to sin. And it just gets worse. Then they say, we need to get rid of Jesus. But let me tell you, Jesus is the answer. It is he that will deliver us.
· Listen, there are a multitude that are hungering, and thirsting, and all they have to do is realize Jesus has set them free, and all they need to do is come unto him.
A Comfort from the Source
A Comfort from the Source
· Now what did Jesus say in Matthew 5:6 – Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
· Listen if you are hungering and thirsting after righteousness, Jesus said he will give it to you!
· John 6:35 “And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.”
· Jesus is Heaven’s bread for earth’s hunger.
· When we rise up, and we are hungering and thirsting, we just go to Jesus. When we are going throughout the day, and our soul is famished, just go to Jesus. Because when you go to Jesus, you will be filled.
· Now Jesus doesn’t fill us up on junk. He is not going to give us something that is going to make us wanting five minutes later. When Jesus fills you up, friend he fills you up. He fills you on his righteousness.
· There is an old saying, you are what you eat; this should go to show us, that this world is not seeking Jesus. They are not hungry for Jesus, they are not thirsty for Jesus, but you who are here today, if you are hungry, if you are thirsty for Jesus and his righteousness, he is ready to give it to you.
· I want you to know that Jesus has an orchard of righteousness that he is ready to give you, not just to give you and leave you still hungry, but enough to fill you up.
· Philippians 1:11 “Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.”
A beggar is a man who cannot provide food for himself. He is broke and cannot buy a piece of bread. He sits there and he mourns over his brokenness, then he sees the man who can help him, he doesn’t come to him forcefully, he comes to him meekly, and he just looks to be fed. Jesus doesn’t look at the man and tell him to leave. No Jesus says come and sit here at my table. I have plenty of food for you to eat, be filled and you always have a place here. Some of you are hungering and thirsting for righteousness. It is here to be found, found on this place called the altar, and all you have to do is ask Jesus for it.