Qualities of the Kingdom (2)

Introduction:

Welcome

Ushers

Easter Extravaganza.

Candy for eggs

Next sunday after church we are going to have another 15 minute meeting going over our final game plan, and preperation talks.

Please share our Facebook or Website details

Work Day this Friday @6pm & Saturday @8am

We have an official sign up sheet this week, if you already placed your name on the paper no need to fill in again. We thankk you. IF you can plan on being here even for a few hours it will help us tremendously. Alot of new things going on!

Come excited to help us build this sanctuary up, knowing that the impacts will be lasting in the kingdom forever

Any other announcements

Pt4. A whole new world.

Open your bibles with me to the book of Matthew.

Once everyone is there if you dont mind, can you join me in prayer.

(prayer)

(read)

Genesis 25:24–27 NIV

24 When the time came for her to give birth, there were twin boys in her womb. 25 The first to come out was red, and his whole body was like a hairy garment; so they named him Esau. 26 After this, his brother came out, with his hand grasping Esau’s heel; so he was named Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when Rebekah gave birth to them. 27 The boys grew up, and Esau became a skillful hunter, a man of the open country, while Jacob was content to stay at home among the tents.

Matthew 5:6 NIV

6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

Now we are finishing up a series on the passive traits a christian recieves. or simply enough the identity of a person after Salvation occurs. Somewhere along the process we are gifted with these beautiful attributes that start inside of us, and then ultimately become apart of our characteristics.

Weve looked really at 3 things so far that battle against a persons pride in one’s-selves.

Like being needy/beggars, aka dependant upon God

Even the deeper inner quality of mourning, which calls us to reflect on our sinful nature, again pointing us to the painful realization that we need God.

and literally attacking pride within us, is meekness, the quality that portrays the ability to have authority, strength, power, but instead of living in power, we are called to live self-controlled.

These have not been easy for me, im sure not easy for anyone to really gripple with and take hold of. However they are just as necessary as our next one.

The good news about our final beatitude we are going to study, is it doesnt cause us pain, but instead gives us fulfillment. Literally we just read it, we will be filled.

Just like our first 3 this too is necessary, id even say, A Hunger for Righteousness is ESSENTIAL to the spiritual health of a chrisitan.

I have felt called to not break down all of this passage although im ready and willing to do so, but i have been led into specifics this morning to bring you this teaching on the word filled.

There are two words in the bible that bring to light this word filled.

The Lexham Analytical Lexicon to the Greek New Testament πληρόω

πληρόω (plēroō), fulfill; complete; fill

The two words filled mean different things,

Ephesians 5 18: means to be made complete. To recieve that which you do not have

χορτάζω (chortazō), fill; be satisfied. 11 The Lexham Analytical Lexicon to the Greek New Testament (Logos Bible Software, 2011).

The above filled is mentioned in Matthew 5:6 which indicates to be satisfied as in desires.

John MacArthur Sermon Archive Happy Are the Hungry

1 John 2 warns that you can’t get satisfied in the world. “Love not the world neither the things that are in the world.” What’s in the world? The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, and none of that stuff abides forever. It’s just wind.

i want to bring our big idea into light

Big Idea: The world can never do what God Can. In Christ alone do we find Eternal fulfilment.

1. The fleshly cravings cannot eternally satisfied.

2. Growing in skill doesnt mean—growing with Christ

3. Your old self isnt you, you are to put on a new self and live through that

Now out of all the beatitudes this is the most difficult to teach i believe. because how in the world can we REALLY grasp this concept.

So let me start by praying Holy Spirit speak to your people, and people, listen to the Holy Spirit.

Out of all four of these beatitudes were going over, I see a wall like that of jericho placed around this because of the distance from this passages true meaning and the world we live in today, the only way i can make it relatable to us is by discribing the difference between hunger and cravings.

The difference between Cravings and Hunger ….

This may go lost on many of us, because we know not what it means to be hungry. Its not a modern concept so its difficult to imagine to be hungry in the capacity in which this beatitude is truely making its statement. but to the crowds before Jesus they know what its like to be hungry and not know where the next meal is coming from, or even thirst for a drink of water, and know not if they can make it to the next water source.

We on the other hand very rarely go without the ability to have food or water, its a turn of the water faucet, and a peak into our pantry.

We live in a culture and in that a world, of availability. We can order door dash, or even drive within 10-15 minutes even for most to grab a bite to eat. And at that we have options. Hunger isnt something we can become familiar with.

Even in our fasting, the christian church today, tends not to give up food but social media, sodas, and cigarettes. This isnt a biblical obedience of hunger, but rather its the laying down of self satisfying (cravings).

I know that may have struck a nerve, but its the tough truth of the bible. We have shortened the distance between the chuch and the world by adopting fleshly behaviors as spiritual reflections.

To lay down ones life anymore means to continue in our way of living while changing our sunday morning routine.

Dont get me wrong the church IS INDEED the place for the sinner to come, but we must come willing to leave changed by the ALWAYS WORKING POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT!!

Were not here for experiences similar to the presence of God. But rather were called to come into the Holy Place. The dwelling place. The secret place with God. a place to satisfy a hunger.

While God’s intentions are to give an entirely new life to the church, the church has simply watered down faith into nothing more then a to do list, rather than a life change.

I to live in america and have welcomed these same behaviors. It leaves me to shame and dispare, I dont mean to project my emotions on you but rather call for the church to wake up.

The church has napped to long, its time to answer the call of true righteousness and to recieve the true calling of a christian again.

The question we should ask, Is how do we take back the church? Matter of fact, a better question, isnt How…but rather When will we allow God to resume the throne?

Its after we realize a few things!

1. The fleshly cravings cannot eternally satisfied.

Genesis 25:26 NIV

26 After this, his brother came out, with his hand grasping Esau’s heel; so he was named Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when Rebekah gave birth to them.

Have you ever been in a good dream, sleeping hard, if you are me then snoring loudly, and then all of a sudden eyes wide open and find you have to go pee. I know gross right, You werent consious yet your body knew what it needed.

What about randomly working at your desk and then without any notice at all you just get the shivers, Your body is sending a message.

Not exactly, but similar to Jacob and Esau here. Jacob isnt even concious yet, and his body is directing what it wants.

his body is reaching already for what is not his, His life and character display exactly that.

Sitting on the couch figiting for something to eat, craving something salty or something sweet. You will before you know it get up search for that snack and then by the time you remembered you took your first bite that entire bag of doritos is gone. And at the end of that bag of doritos you want something else, maybe something like chocolate or icecream. Because the satisfaction has been fulfilled, just the empty craving pursued.

Fleshly cravings are unpredictable….

“ The craving for the thing is rarely met by the satisfaction of getting it. And so we crave more. And the cycle repeats. We are encouraged to want what will only make us want more. We are, in short, encouraged to be addicts.” - Matt Haig.

This is jacob, his cravings led his ambitions.

Fleshly cravings are fed from content we take in….

I believe it would easy for all of us to say we would rather be content then to face saddness, pain, or trials.

Where does contentment get its ideas?

notice the simple word found in contentment is content. What content do you fill your life with? That of blockbuster movies and action packed experiences that show the fit guy saving lifes, and the hottest women always available for the winner, if this is the content, then this is what you unknowingly fill your cravings for.

maybe its the romance movies, where the women says perfectly what she needs to portray and the guy is fully understanding and capable in the most romantic way of showing compassion and being supportive, if so then this is what you crave for such contentment.

Meanwhile biblical contentment is faith. Knwoing the content of the God who saves, provides, fulfills, and makes good.

This is the God in your best situations, and in your ugliest moments. This is the God who brings satisfaction, The God of Abraham, Issac, and Jacob. The God that is ALWAYS suffiecent in his work, and will always bring it to completion.

Fleshly cravings leave you worried, anxious and, afraid. Like that of Joshua and the Israelites.

Joshua 7:7 NIV

7 And Joshua said, “Alas, Sovereign Lord, why did you ever bring this people across the Jordan to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites to destroy us? If only we had been content to stay on the other side of the Jordan!

Wishing for fleshly/carnal contentment takes you out of His Spiritual satisfaction.

2. Growing in skill doesnt mean—growing with Christ

Growth and Contentment how does that work?

Genesis 25:27 (NIV)

27 The boys grew up, and Esau became a skillful hunter, a man of the open country, while Jacob was content to stay at home among the tents.

Exodus 31:3 NIV

3 and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge and with all kinds of skills—

the scripture continues listing the skills

skill in artistic design, wood working, all be able to do designs. however previously he mentioned the necessary gifts also found in 1 cor 12. Being filled with the Holy Spirit, walking in wisdom, and spiritual discernment, having knowledge.

Takes us back to a few weeks ago those verses how God formed us in our mothers womb, how he has good plans for us, plans to prosper us.

Jacob was a stay at home teenager, and Esau a man’s man. Neither Spiritual gifted, but rather self centered.

Nobody had spiritual discernment or Wisdom.

Rather Jacob walked in deceit and Esau in fleshly desires.

One hungry day he would make a decision that he would regret forever.

And one day the wind blew Jacobs way and he figured he could satisfy his desire of having it all.

Althought the scripture says they grew, they did, just not in relationship with God.

Even through Jacobs Spiritual moments with God, he remained the same conartist.

Many spiritual experiences are possible which do not in and of themselves produce maturity. Rather, it is our response to experiences which will determine our progress in maturity.

Sinclair Buchanan Ferguson

When Jacob experienced God he should have grew in stature and wisdom to hunger for righteousness but instead he would take those moments and seize the day for his own plans of fortune and when his next desire came about he would continue to put things into his own hands.

3. Your old self isnt you, you are to put on a new self and live through that

Ephesians 4:20–24 NIV

20 That, however, is not the way of life you learned 21 when you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. 22 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.