Hunger

SLIDE 1 Have you ever had this problem, you’ve been hungry, but didn’t know what for? You know you want something to eat but nothing sounds good. You look in the pantry and in the refrigerator, or maybe you open a left over container to see what’s in it. You’re just looking for the right food, the right taste that is going to satisfy your hunger and you just can’t find anything that looks satisfying.

Or maybe you’ve played this game. You’re going out to eat and can’t decide where to go. Everyone’s ready to eat, but no one can decide where to eat. You don’t want a hamburger and you’re not in the mood for Mexican. Nothing sounds good. So you play this game: “I chose last time so it’s your turn.” Well I’ve got the solution for you. I came across this when a friend shared it on his Facebook page. SLIDE 2-3 You take one of your children’s See and Say games and you put the names of your favorite restaurants on it. Then you pull the lever and see where it lands. Wherever the spinner lands is where you get to eat, unless you aren’t in the mood for that either.

The problem with hunger is we know we want something, but we don’t always know what we’re hungry for. We don’t always know what will satisfy the hunger. Plus, even when we eat enough to be satisfied we get hungry again a few hours later and the process starts all over.

SLIDE 4 Turn with me to Matthew 5. We’ve been looking at the Beatitudes found in the opening verses of the Sermon on the Mount. We’re on the fourth beatitude and in it Jesus will say that the hungry are blessed. I’ve got to say I’ve never thought of wanting something to eat a blessing, but Jesus isn’t talking about physical hunger. Jesus is talking about a spiritual hunger. Are you spiritually hungry? As we have been doing in this series we will start with verse 1.

1Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2 and he began to teach them. He said: 3“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. 5Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. 6Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. (Matthew 5:1-6)

Before we continue let me give one definition. Righteousness is a word we hear about, but may have a difficult time explaining. The dictionary defines righteousness as “behavior that is morally justifiable or right.” But we are held to higher standard than what we believe to be right or wrong. One day everyone will stand before God to give an account for their lives according to his laws. With that definition of right and wrong the Bible says that no one is righteous because no one has kept his laws.

Jesus says, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” Blessed are those who desire righteousness. They are hungry for a right relationship with God.

SLIDE 5 Here are three observations we might make about hunger.

First, hunger is a sign of need. You’re physically hungry when you’ve gone without food. Hunger indicates an absence of something such as food. As this relates to us spiritually, a hunger for righteousness is the realization that we don’t have righteousness. The ones who are blessed are not the ones who think they are righteous, but the ones who realize how desperately they need righteousness.

If you ever wonder why as a Christian you never feel like you’ve arrived this is the answer. Your discontent and desire for more of God should be a sign of encouragement. Jesus condemned those who were confident of their righteousness. SLIDE 6

To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable. (Luke 18:9)

The parable he told was of the Pharisee and a tax collector who had gone to the temple to pray. The Pharisee is at one end of the spectrum. At the other end are those who are content with their sin and have no desire to change. Blessed are those who want to do better.

SLIDE 7 Second, hunger is a sign of life. You don’t have to teach children to be hungry. Where there is life there will be hunger. Charles Spurgeon wrote: SLIDE 8

To hunger after righteousness is a sign of spiritual life.

That means we need to question ourselves if we have no spiritual hunger. The old nature, the flesh, will never hunger after righteousness. Hunger is the result of the Holy Spirit working in us. Therefore, it is a sign of spiritual life and you should thank God for it.

SLIDE 9 Third, hunger is a sign of health. When you are sick you don’t feel like eating. You aren’t hungry. Losing your appetite is a sign that something may be wrong physically or emotionally. If you have a deep longing to grow in Jesus, that is a sign of your spiritual health.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness.

When Jesus talks about being hungry for righteousness he isn’t talking about those who have a vague interest in righteousness, but to those with an intense desire that motivates action. Those who are really hungry will do whatever they can to get food. Are we hungry for righteousness?

Today is the big day. If you’re any kind of football fan you know what I’m talking about. And even if you don’t like sports at all you probably know that today is Super Bowl Sunday. SLIDE 10 That’s right, the final game of the season. There are millions of wives across the country breathing a sigh of the relief that the season is finally over, and millions of husbands who will go into depression till the next season begins.

But there’s still one game left to play. SLIDE 11 And this year’s game is particularly interesting to us who cheer for the Atlanta Falcons because the Falcons will be playing in the Super Bowl for just the third time. They’ve never won a Super Bowl, but they’ll have a chance to win one tonight.

Personally, I’m a little anxious. It won’t be the end of the world if they lose, but I’d like for them to win and I’m just not sure if they will. If you look at the statistics the two teams are fairly evenly matched. Some say the Falcons will win and others say the Falcons will lose.

In games like these when the two teams are pretty evenly matched the saying is the team that wants it most will win. That team will work harder, be willing to play through aches and pains, and will sacrifice more in order to win. Therefore, it’s figured the team that’s the most hungry for the win will prevail.

SLIDE 12 I guess that’s true with most things in life. You have to want to have it. I’ve got a book for ministry titled You Gotta Have the Want To. To succeed in ministry, to succeed in the Super Bowl, and to succeed in life you’ve got to have the want to. You have to want to do it and you have to want to succeed. You must have the desire or hunger.

I hope the Falcons come to the game tonight good and hungry for a win.

What are you hungry for today? What do you think will bring you satisfaction? We all go after satisfaction and the thing you think will satisfy you is what you’ll pursue. If you think money will satisfy you, you will go after money. If you think some achievement – like winning the Super Bowl – will bring you satisfaction you will go after that. If you think retirement will bring you satisfaction you’ll go after that. You’ll set your calendar for how long it will take you to get there. What do you think will bring you satisfaction? Being loved? Getting revenge? Being number one in your company or field? A big house? A shiny new car? Whatever you think it is that will become your consuming drive.

Jesus tells us there is one and only one thing that will truly satisfies. He says those who hunger and thirst for righteousness will be blessed for they are the ones who will be filled. They are the ones who are going to be satisfied.

However, is that what Christians are looking for from God today or are we looking for something else? If you look at the books that line the shelves in Christian bookstores today you’ll see what most Christians are hungry for. You’ll discover what they believe will satisfy them. You’ll find titles on having a happy life and how to have a strong marriage and family. If you’re wondering, it’s not much different among preachers. There you’ll find books on growing your church and having a satisfying ministry. But how many books do you think there will be on pursuing righteousness and growing in holiness?

We want to be blessed. We want to prosper and have good health. We want peace and security. We want to be blessed by God. But what is going to bring that blessing? What must we do to be blessed by God? Jesus says we must pursue righteousness.

Do we have a growing passion to live righteous lives before God? Is that passion stronger than it was a year ago? Or have we grown comfortable in our walk with God? Have we become satisfied in our spiritual development? Do we have a hunger for the righteousness of God? Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness.

SLIDE 13 Turn with me to Philippians 3. In the verses we’re going to skip Paul makes it clear that his hunger had once been for fame and recognition. He goes to great detail about his accomplishments. Then after listing all the things he once pursued, those things he once would bring him satisfaction and contentment, he now realizes the only answer is God.

7But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 8What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ 9and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ – the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. 10I want to know Christ – yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead. (Philippians 3:7-11)

Paul hungers and thirsts for God. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they will be filled.

As you listen to this beatitude do you notice the paradox? When you are hungry you go to the kitchen, get something to eat, and you are satisfied. But Jesus is talking about being hungry and being satisfied at the same time? How can that be? It goes like this. You hunger and thirst for the righteousness of God and he satisfies, but the more you have the more you want. And so your hunger and thirst for God grows. The better you know God the more you will want to know him.

SLIDE 14 My mother used to tell the story of her going on a walk when she was little with her mother and sisters. As they walked down the road they came upon a persimmon tree. She said my grandmother bent down and picked up a piece of fruit that had fallen and stuck it in her mouth. The little girls mimicked her and each grabbed a piece of fruit for themselves and each took a bite. My mother said the fruit was so sour that it turned her mouth inside out. After all the girls had taken a bite of their persimmon my grandmother spit her fruit out whole. She hadn’t taken a bite. What a terrible trick to play.

There are many things in life like that persimmon. They look delicious. Everyone else is eating from it and they all seem to enjoy it. But once we take a bite we realize how bitter it is and wish we’d never seen it. We don’t want any more of it.

But God is not that way. The more we taste of God the more we want. Choose the wrong object to satisfy your hunger and you will never be satisfied. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they will be filled.

We seek after the wrong things. We think if we just had that one thing we’d be content. If I just had the right girlfriend, the right boyfriend, the right spouse, the right job, the right car, the right house, the right clothes, the right friends. If I could just lose weight, or build muscle. If I just had curly hair, or straight hair, or just had hair. We pursue these things like they were going to finally make us happy if we had them, but they always leave us feeling empty. Jesus said to seek first God’s kingdom and his righteousness and all these things that we need, will be taken care of.

In Revelation 7 John writes about those now in heaven and says,

Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. (Revelation 7:16)

Why?

For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; “he will lead them to springs of living water.” “And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” (Revelation 7:17)

They shall not hunger for Jesus will give them the righteousness that they seek. This is the great promise of the gospel. You will sin no more. Heaven will be the home of righteousness.

SLIDE 17 What we are seeing in this beatitude is that a Christian is the one who is actively pursuing a life that pleases God. They don’t sit back and say, “I put my faith in Jesus and was baptized twenty years ago.” No, they continue to move forward. They are not satisfied where they are now. But their desire – their hunger – for God and his righteousness only grows stronger.

Aren't you glad Jesus didn't say “blessed are the righteous”? Blessed are those who have reached righteousness. Blessed are those who are perfect and never sin. If Jesus had said that it would have left us all out. Jesus died on the cross because none of us is righteous. He died to make us righteous. So Jesus doesn’t say, “Blessed are the righteous,” he says “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness.” We are blessed not because we have reached it, but because we realize we don’t have righteousness but want it.

SLIDE 18 We are blessed when we realize we don’t have righteousness – that’s being poor in spirit. We are blessed when that realization bring us to tears – that’s mourning. We are blessed when we submit to God – that’s being meek. And we are blessed when we desire to do better – that’s hungering and thirsting for righteousness. We must hunger for lives that do what is right.

So let me ask, is this you. Are you hungering and thirsting for the righteousness of God or has all that been lost? Do you have this desire for righteousness or have you substituted it for something else? If this does describe you, if you do have a hunger and thirst for the righteousness of God then take heart. This is what God wants form you. Be thankful for it because it is the Spirit of God that stirs up this hunger within you. But if this does not describe you, if you have no hunger for the righteousness of God, I pray this beatitude will help to wake you up.