Blessitudes: Hunger and Thirsting for Righteousness

July 26, 2020                NOTES NOT EDITED
Blessitudes: Attitudes that Elevate

Matthew 5:6, Hungering and Thirsting for Righteousness

                       

AIM:  Motivate disciples to spend more time in prayer and the Word.

SIS:  You must be desperate for a deeper relationship with God in order to experience the super-abundant blessings of God.    

Every 10 seconds a child dies of hunger in our world.  That is 8640 every day, or 3.1 million every year.  Another 3.4 million people, according to the World Health Organization, die of waterborne disease because they don’t have a healthy way to quench their thirst.  In fact, the lack of clean drinking water is the leading cause of death worldwide.  Hunger and thirst are very real issues in the daily lives of millions of people world-wide—life and death issues!

Today, most Americans find it difficult to fully comprehend the meaning of "spiritual hunger and thirst" because we have never REALLY been hungry or thirsty.  Those to whom this "blessitude" was first spoken had a very different experience with hunger and thirst.  Real hunger and real thirst were facts of life for the working class every day.  A working man's family in Palestine in the first century ate meat only once a week, at the most.  The typical family was always on the border of hunger and actual starvation.

Thirst was even more of a problem for those to whom Jesus spoke these words.  Today, we think nothing of going to the tap and turning on the water for a cool glass of clean water.  Not so in Jesus’ day!  Conditions were dry and harsh.  Fresh water was scarce.  Even today Israel gets nearly half its water from reclamation or desalinating the Mediterranean.  Hunger and thirst constantly reinforced the harsh conditions of life in Palestine.

The hunger and thirst outlined in this text is not the genteel hunger that could be quenched with a midnight snack of tea and crumpets. The hunger and thirst for righteousness in this text pictures a man or woman starving for food and dying of thirst.  It describes desperation. It portrays the strongest of desire for the things of God-- not a quick snack of sugar-coated religiosity! The idea here, is not a hunger and thirst for a little snack of righteousness--BUT FOR A WHOLE LOAF!

The way this sentence is constructed in the original language is very significant.  Greek grammar has a rule on how to use the words  "hunger and thirst” for something, in this case, righteousness. Usually, when a word is used with hunger and thirst it is constructed in a way that means, hunger or thirst for "a little bit of something,” like a crust of bread, but an insatiable desire for the whole loaf!

In this text, the Holy Spirit changes the construction of the word,  righteousness, from meaning a part of something [partitive genitive to meaning hungering for the whole something [accusative case as in this case].  This verse could be translated: Eternally favored by God are those who will not be satisfied] with anything less than absolute righteousness. In the 60’s and 70’s there was a slogan for Brill Creme a product men in used to keep their hair in place?  Brill Creme advertisers pointed out, "A little dab will do ya'!" Well, a little dap may suffice with hair creme, but when it comes to righteousness, righteousness, the blessedly happy man wants the whole jar!

Not only are these two words constructed in the accusative case, but they are also “present tense participle.”  A participle is a word usually ending in –ing in English.  A present tense participle in Greek is very significant referring to a “continuous action.”  Literally, this means the verse could be translated, “Eternally favored by God are those who are continuously hungering and thirsting for righteousness for they will be filled.”

In a minute we will examine the idea of righteousness more fully and I will suggest three requirements for how we develop this blessitude of hungering and thirsting for righteousness.  Before we do that, let’s nail down an understanding of one more word in this text--“filled, or satisfied.”

The Greek word translated, “filled,” paints a picture of fat cows gorging themselves in a lush, green pasture.  Our English translation comes from the Greek root word, chortazō (χορτάζω).  In the Classical Greek Period it referred to “fattening livestock.”  When used figuratively in regard to people it means to “gorge yourself,” like at Thanksgiving dinner.  The Psalmist paints a similar picture of “satisfaction in the Shepherd Psalm:  (Psa 23:1-2)  The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.  {2}He makes me lie down in green pastures.  These sheep lie down so stuffed they cannot take another bite!  

The picture painted here of the satisfaction hungering and thirsting for righteousness brings is of fat cattle grazing in a rich pasture.

How do we develop such a hunger and thirst for righteousness that leads to such a heavenly satisfaction?  Three requirements lead to a blessedly happy life as we pursue righteousness. First, a

1.  DIVINE INTERVENTION Must SECURE our Eternal Life.

Another important word we have yet to examine in this text is
“righteousness.”  Righteousness is the judicial intervention of God that declares someone to be in "right standing" with Him through the work of Jesus Christ.  It’s a legal term.  Righteousness begins with the intervention of God through His grace when we accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. God pardons us, or pronounces us “right with Him,” because Jesus paid our “penalty” on the cross.  He paid our “fine” in other words.  Righteousness is a "gift from God" that leads to immeasurable fulfilment in life because of what Jesus has done.  As one writer put it, "[Righteousness] is the hand of drowning man reaching out for a life preserver."

The word, righteousness, fuses two elements of an ideal society, “legal issues and ethical issues.” Perfect laws plus perfect behavior create a “utopia” or perfect society.  This is how Plato in his book, The Republic, uses the term.  A Perfect Law plus a Perfect Citizen equals a Perfect Society.  This same idea permeates the Bible, with a twist.  For example, the Psalmist declares, The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple (Ps 19:7).  Righteousness according to the Word of God means:  God’s Perfect Law plus His Perfect Sacrifice equals a Perfect Citizen which equals a Perfect Kingdom.  Plato was correct, following the Perfect Law of God perfectly leads to a perfect society.  We know that perfect society is Heaven, and we know that Jesus Christ is the only example of a perfect citizen.  Therefore, our righteousness is what is called “imputed,” or assigned to us from God based upon the righteous life and death of Jesus.  Imputed righteousness is described in 2Cor. 5:21: “²¹ For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

The pursuit of righteousness means to passionately pursue living like Jesus, asking in every situation,  “What Would Jesus Do?” The pursuit of righteousness requires the same grace that being born again requires—in fact, righteousness is an extension of the event of salvation that continues indefinitely for all eternity. Righteousness is a matter of what God has D-O-N-E, never something we D-O.  The Perfect Law of God fulfilled in the Perfect Righteousness of Jesus Christ makes us perfectly fit—that is righteous—as citizens of God’s Perfect Heaven. That’s righteousness.

Righteousness is a "gift from God” and cannot be achieved through human efforts.  All the Bible knowledge in the world, or devoted religious practice cannot secure your salvation.  We must have a “Divine Intervention.” The Bible says bluntly and plainly,  (Rom 3:10)  "There is no one righteous, not even one. That, “no one,” is absolute and all-inclusive.

If it would have been possible for man to achieve a "right standing" with God by good works, that is perfectly keeping the Law, then God would have been a barbarian to send His Son to die such a brutal, tortuous death on the cross for no good reason. The Bible tells us in Gal 2:21: if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!"

Mankind absolutely cannot achieve righteousness apart from the Intervention of God’s Grace. Those that hunger and thirst for righteousness are blessed because God stuffs us full with His free and bountiful blessings. To develop a hunger and thirst for righteousness requires a Divine Intervention that Secures our Eternal Life.

2.  Second, Blessedness increases as we allow a HOLY AMBITION to Drive Our Devotional Lives.

Right standing with God, that is righteousness, requires that one nurture the seed of righteousness received at salvation.  One must have a "holy ambition" that drives one closer and closer to God each day through prayer, Bible study, and service to Him.  Salvation plants the seed of righteousness in one's heart and daily devotion waters that seed until it springs forth with the fruit of heavenly blessedness. 

The Book of Romans describes how righteousness grows as a holy ambition to live for God drives one's inner life. Turn to Romans 1:17 as we examine this process:  For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: "The righteous will live by faith."

The Christian receives "right standing" (righteousness) 'by faith', and we continue to grow in righteousness "by faith from first to last." A life driven by holy ambition to please God by a "life of faith” hungers and thirsts to know God more and more with each passing moment. What quest is so powerful in your life that you hunger and thirst for more of it?  September 1, 1985 a strobe light pierced the eerie darkness two miles (over 10,000 ft.) below the surface of the North Atlantic.  The lonely beam of light fell upon the massive blackened hull of the H.M.S. Titanic that had been sent to her watery grave in the early April of 1912.  On her maiden dance she tripped upon a heartless iceberg sending her impressive and elegant frame to the bottom of the cold sea along with 1,522 souls.  There she lay undisturbed, "weeping great tears of rust," for over 73 years.  Her discovery was no whim, but the reward of a long, all-consuming quest by a young lover.  Robert Ballard describes his experience of finally meeting the grand old lady he longed for:  "My lifelong dream was to find this great ship, and during the past thirteen years the quest for her had dominated my life."  (Quest for Character, 11).

What ambition drives your life?  What is your quest? What will really matter when you stand before Almighty God?

Blessing requires righteousness and righteousness requires a holy ambition that drives our inner life like hunger drives a starving man to seek bread, or thirst drives a man to seek life-giving water.  

What drives your inner life?   Is it a hunger and thirst to spend time with God through His Word and in prayer?

A great teacher in the church, William Law (d. 1761) reminds us: [The reason there is] no sincere zeal, no eminent piety in the common lives of Christians, is this, because they do not so much as intend to be exact and exemplary in these virtues.”  Law simply points out the obvious: without an ambition to be holy, no holiness will be gained.

What really “drives” the decisions in your life—decisions like what movies to watch; what jokes to tell or laugh at, whether to drink or not to drink, whether to cuss or not to cuss, whether to go somewhere or not go somewhere?  What drives the decisions you make in life? Is it a pursuit of righteousness?  Are you starving for more time to spend with the Lord? A hunger and thirst for righteousness leads to a lasting satisfaction that only a life devoted to God can provide.

Be honest, is your life "bursting with blessings?"  If not, then maybe a Holy Ambition is not driving your  devotional life, pushing you to seek to know God more and more each day.  Hunger and thirst for righteousness leads to blessed happiness because a Holy Ambition drives our lives. 

3.  When we allow a HEAVENLY MISSION to STEER our Daily Lives.

Every person is on "some mission in life" even if it is to satisfy every physical lust they have. Thankfully, most people want more than just the hedonistic self-gratification money, sex, and power can provide.  One commentator on American society made these observations:

 "The twentieth century [saw] an explosion of moral causes--from civil rights, human rights, women's rights, and animal rights, to pro-life and pro-choice, to anti-nuclear and anti-apartheid crusades, to humanitarian movements for refugees, famine victims, prisoners of conscience, and endangered species. . . . 'Even the terrorist is driven by moral passion.' "  (Hunter, 43). In the Twenty-first Century, it is even more evident:  people, especially young people, long for a mission in life—a higher calling.

Nearly all Christian researchers agree, secular people are hungry for a cause to connect with (Hybels, 69). People want to leave a mark on the world, that is, "footprints" in the sand.  One of our great presidents stirred our souls with this mission statement, "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.” Think of the legacy left by Martin Luther King, Jr. who declared, "I have a dream, today!" JFK and Martin Luther King, Jr. left an indelible mark on history because “they had a mission.”  Every believer must reflect their passionate devotion be translated into a specific mission.

What "mission" steers your life?  What dream do you wake up every morning ready to pursue?  What crusade have you given your life for?  What do you want recorded on your tombstone or recounted in the eulogy at your funeral?  What investments are you making in eternity?  These are important questions.

Life is too precious to fritter away on frivolities.  It has been said that without a "personal mission" "life is quickly reduced  to wimpy white, a diet too bland to get anybody out of bed in the morning."

My friends, you can have a powerful engine:  that is great talent, sufficient finances, prestige and power--but if you have no "rudder" to steer your life, you will spin in circles ever increasing speed but never making progress toward real and lasting happiness.  Our rudder is our mission. Blessedness requires a heavenly mission that steers our lives.

The God that established this great land has not become impotent.  The problem in our churches and our nation is not a lack of power, but a loss of vision. (Prv 29:18) "Without a vision [a mission, the people perish."

American churches have abandoned our mission for the most part.  Families, churches, and our government have abandoned our mission and now we plow through each day like a speed boat with no rudder. We are spinning dangerously out of control.  

Calvin Coolidge recognized what all our great leaders have recognized. He said, "The foundations of our society and our government rest so much on the teachings of the Bible that it would be difficult to support them [the foundations of our society] if faith in these teachings would cease to be practically universal in our country."  That was the national sentiment only a short time ago. Now, “hating both God and Country” is a political strategy.  Today, our presidents are not known by their love of Scripture but by their propensity for scandal.

Can we say today with sincerity of heart and determination of mind:  Our lives are being steered by a heavenly mission!  Jesus knew that we needed a specific, unequivocal mission from heaven to steer our daily lives, so he gave us one.  In Matthew 28:19-20 Jesus said,

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, {20}and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

Spiritual hunger and thirst is a "blessitude" because God promises to bless our quest for righteousness by filling us until we are bursting with His goodness. Here’s how I translate this blessitude:    

"How extremely favored by God is the person who longs to establish an absolutely total commitment to God like a starving person longs for food, and person perishing from thirst longs for water, for that person will be overflowing with God's blessings!"  paraphrase, -jkc-

Extreme blessings flowing into our lives when we  1.  Allow God's Divine Intervention to Secure Your Eternal Life.  2.  Allow a Holy Ambition for godliness to Drive Your Devotional Life.  3.  Allowing God's Heavenly Mission to Steer Your Daily Life

We mutter and sputter, we fume and we spurt; // We mumble and grumble, our feelings get hurt. // We can't understand things, our vision grows dim,  // When all that we need are sweet moments with Him! Mary Helen Anderson

“Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they will be filled.”