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What Are You Hungry For?

August 10, 2014 Series: Sermon on the Mount

Passage: Matthew 5:6

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied." 
Matthew 5:6

What are we motivated by? Material things? To want to be accepted and love? A drive to attain peace and contentment? Our Creator knows us even better than we know ourselves. Jesus says what we are internally is more important that externally. This has been the recurring focus and theme of the Beatitudes. 

What does "hungering & thirsting" mean?

...basic function & need of life
...an intense drive, passionate pursuit, single-minded ambition
...a constant & continuous pursuit

What should we be "hungering & thirsting" for? 

  • We need to be pursuing righteousness.

What is righteousness? Righteousness is:

  • That which is according to God's will
  • That which pleases God
  • That which God requires of us
  • That which is right, just & good before God

What happens if I don't want to, or if I don't want to go after righteousness?
Hebrews 12:5, 11 has a word for us all. 

The pursuit of righteousness is a challenge to conventional thinking.
The world tells us that:

  • There are no moral absolutes. Who is to say this is right or wrong? The world says it depends on the person and situation. Without clear parameters of right and wrong, people do as they please and eventually trample over others rights.
  • Happiness is found in pleasing ourselves. The world has sold us that if we just please ourselves, we will be happy.

Matthew 5:6 challenges these views. 

What is the result of "hungering & thirsting for righteousness"?

  • A stunning promise
  • A substantial satisfaction
  • A sense of satisfaction that comes from God

Personal application

  • Spend time in God's Word (Jer 15:16)
  • Hunger & thirst for righteousness in your life (Matt 5:6)
  • Spread that hunger thirst in your sphere of influence (2 Tim 2:22)
  • Don't give up - Look up (stay the course) (Psa 61:1-2)
  • Trust in God's promise and seal God's promise in your heart (Gal 6:9)

So, what are you hungering and thirsting after?

More in Sermon on the Mount

September 28, 2014

The Price of Pursuing Happiness

September 7, 2014

Being A Peacemaker In A Peaceless World

August 24, 2014

The Pursuit of Happiness: A Pure Heart