The Secret to Authentic Satisfaction

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Introduction

Matthew, chapter 5. We continue our series on "The Beatitudes, The Secret of Authentic Happiness" -

The Beatitudes, not clichés, catchphrases, because the world would never agree with what these Beatitudes say. I'm talking about the system of this world.

Jesus makes a series of statements that begin with the word "blessed," and the word "blessed" means to be satisfied, to be secure, to be filled with joy.

And the world thinks the idea of blessedness is what?

Well, the world says:

"Blessed are the rich";

"Blessed are the powerful";

"Blessed are the beautiful";

"Blessed are the influential";

"Blessed are the intelligent";

"Blessed are those who have comfort";

"Blessed are those who have plenty"—that's what the world says; the world thinks a man is blessed by what he has.

But that's not what Jesus says.

The Beatitudes go beyond the Ten Commandments; in the Ten Commandments, the emphasis is primarily on what a man does: "Do this"; "Do this"; "Do this"; "Don't do this"; "Don't do this"; and "Don't do this." But, you see, the Beatitudes go beyond that.

The Ten Commandments deal with outward action.

The Beatitudes deal with the heart—"The Beatitudes are the attitudes of the kingdom citizen," the character of the true Christian.

Let's read the text from Matthew 5:1-6 and reflect on today's Beatitude:

Matthew 5:1–6 NKJV

1 And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him. 2 Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying: 3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 Blessed are those who mourn, For they shall be comforted. 5 Blessed are the meek, For they shall inherit the earth. 6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled.

//

I want to talk to you today about “The Secret to Authentic Satisfaction”—that is, having the deepest hunger of your soul satisfied. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled.” (Matthew 5:6)

Do you know what a Marketer's real job is?

To create certain hungers/cravings/awaken your appetite.

I mean, they advertise things, and you look at them, and you didn't even know you wanted them until you saw the ad.

Have you ever experienced this—I have—watched something on your phone, Instagram/TikTok/YouTube—maybe someone making a salad, a dessert, a juice, tea…

—and after watching… you go and make one too…

I didn't even know I was thirsty/hungry.

Marketers create the longing, desire, hunger in you. That's their job—to create hunger in you.

And often, because of the Marketer, we buy things we don't need with money we don't have, to impress people we don't like—because the Marketer has just created a certain kind of hunger in us.

(The man who bought dozens of Invicta watches during the pandemic…)

Now, my Dear friend, God, through the Holy Spirit, wants today, in this message, to create in you a hunger for something you truly, desperately need—in fact, you can't live without it—and that is to hunger and thirst for righteousness. And if you have it, and if you want it, there are no "ifs," "ands," or "buts"—I promise you guaranteed satisfaction. You will be satisfied.

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled"—so says Scripture—"shall be filled" (Matthew 5:6).

Now, what does it mean to hunger for righteousness?

What are we talking about when we say "righteousness"?

To obey the rules of hermeneutics, we need to examine the word "righteousness."

The word "righteousness" comes from the Greek word

righteousness: dikaiosune {dik-ah-yos-ooʹ-nay}, which means "the condition acceptable to God or approved by God; integrity, virtue, purity of life, uprightness, correctness of thought, feeling, and action."

How this word is used in the book of Matthew:

Matthew always used the term "righteousness" in the sense of personal faithfulness to God and His will.

He never used it as imputed righteousness or justification.

Therefore, the righteousness for which the "blessed" hunger and thirst is not righteousness or justification for salvation.

It is personal holiness and, extending this desire more broadly,

the desire for holiness to prevail among all people.

Righteousness means being right with God and living right with man.

It involves having a clear conscience with God and man, as Paul emphasized.

Acts 24:16 NIV

16 So I strive always to keep my conscience clear before God and man.

The desire for righteousness ultimately means the desire to be free from sin in all its forms and manifestations.

This righteousness is contained in a person, and His name is Jesus.

The Bible tells us in 1 Corinthians 1:30 that Jesus Christ is our righteousness. (1 Corinthians 1:30)

He became righteousness for us. He is our righteousness. And when a man hungers and thirsts for righteousness, he hungers and thirsts for Jesus Christ.

Now, understand this, or you will not understand the true source of your satisfaction.

The hidden hunger of life is Jesus Christ himself. You may not know this. You may not understand it. You may not agree with it. But it is as true as me being here today.

The deepest need in your life is not to have more money, a new relationship, a husband, a wife, a child, an academic title, a new profession… these things may give you some kind of satisfaction, but it will be fleeting.

I am talking to you about "The Secret of Complete Satisfaction."

Jesus said: Blessed (makarios): means joy, full spiritual satisfaction that endures regardless of conditions; that sustains one through pain, sadness, loss, and grief. Joy that makes others envious.

Happiness, "being blessed" (makarios), is what people seek. The problem is that they seek it only in the things of this earth: position, money, fame, power, and sensual pleasures. They don't look up.

A full life, complete satisfaction, can only be achieved through the One who can provide us with a right relationship with God.

Jesus is the righteousness of God for which you must hunger.

Now, how can you desire the Lord Jesus?

How can you hunger for the Lord Jesus Christ?

I can mention three ways.

I. Desire Jesus Above All Other Things

Number one: write it down on a piece of paper/phone/photo…

You must desire Him above all other things.

Now, Jesus is talking here about hunger and thirst.

You've already done this in the natural realm.

You know what it's like to be hungry naturally.

It's good to be hungry naturally.

God made you to feel hunger physically; you feel thirst physically. There's nothing wrong with that.

In the physical realm, a good appetite indicates good health, and a poor appetite is an indication that something is wrong with a person.

But, dear friend, even if you seek food and water first, you've made a mistake.

In Matthew chapter 6, verse 33, Jesus spoke about food, clothing, and health, and then He says, “All these things the Gentiles seek... But seek first the kingdom of God and”—what?—“his righteousness.” (Matthew 6:32–33) “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things”—food, clothing, fitness—“will be added to you.” (Matthew 6:33)

Now, there’s nothing wrong with food. There’s nothing wrong with clothing. There’s nothing wrong with fitness, in its place.

And their place is second—their place is second. “Seek”—what?—“first”—“the kingdom of God and his righteousness.” (Matthew 6:33)

God will not come second to anyone or anything.

Now, how should you seek the Lord Jesus Christ?

You must seek Him first.

He must be first in your life.

Jesus Christ is the bread from heaven for man's deepest hunger.

Now, look at the verse again.

It says, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness" (Matthew 5:6).

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for Jesus—who put Him first."

"Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you" (Matthew 6:33).

Now, He will not work second.

Do you know what most people want to do?

They don't want to seek righteousness. Do you know what they want to seek?

They want to seek bliss—happiness.

When you seek happiness first, bliss you don't get.//

You see, what you need is not primarily happiness, satisfaction, and blessing. What you need is Jesus.

Now, pay close attention. When you receive Jesus as Lord of your life, when you hunger and thirst for Jesus, then you are blessed, you receive complete happiness, Makarios. But that's a byproduct.

He doesn't say, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for blessedness." "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness" (Matthew 5:6).

You ask, "Well, what's the difference?" Well, my dear friend, this lack of blessedness, this lack of joy, this lack of satisfaction, this lack of peace, this lack of fulfillment, this lack of justice in the world—all of these are symptoms.

They tell you that something is wrong, and this symptom that tells you that something is wrong makes you seek the remedy, which is Jesus Christ.

•Now, let me illustrate. Suppose you feel unwell—you're weak, have no appetite, pain, fever, and all these terrible symptoms. And you go to the doctor, and the doctor says, "Well, you're very sick, but don't worry. I'll give you something to ease the pain." And he gives you a sedative, and that's all he does. And you leave, maybe feeling high from the meds he gave you, and you feel fine for a while. Do you want that kind of doctor? Well, when I go to my doctor and I'm in pain, I want him to help me get better. But if that's all he does—if all he does is treat the symptom, if all he does is relieve the pain without dealing with the infection—in my opinion , he's not a good doctor. A good doctor will find the cause of this pain, the cause of this fever, the cause of this illness, and he won't just relieve the pain and try to eliminate the symptoms, because symptoms are given by God to say, "There's something wrong; fix it." Right?

Now, my dear friend, this unhappiness you feel, this lack of fulfillment you have, this lack of joy in your life—all of this is a symptom; that's all it is.

And if you treat the symptom without treating the illness, that would be sheer folly.

Therefore, the Bible doesn't say:

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for bliss";

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for peace";

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for anything else but righteousness"—because what is man's problem?

unrighteousness—unrighteousness. And from unrighteousness come all these other things.

And so, until you come to the point where you see that your deepest need is Jesus Christ, until you focus all your ambitions on seeking Jesus Christ, you will not have your deepest hunger and your deepest needs satisfied.

Now, we have physical hunger, and there is nothing wrong with physical hunger. And if you have physical hunger, dear friend, spiritual things cannot satisfy your physical hunger.

•Suppose you invite me to your house for a meal, and I go there. And I know you are a good cook, so I don't even eat breakfast or lunch because I am determined to end the hunger when I come to your house. And so, I go to your house, and you invite me in and say, "Pastor, let me show you how we renovated our garden." And we go out and look at your beautiful flowers, your tomato plants, peppers, basil, and I say, "How beautiful." And there in your backyard is a beautiful modern barbecue grill with skewers of meat, chicken, etc. (it smells wonderful...)

And you say, "Pastor, come, let me show you what our basement looks like after the renovation." And we go in and look at the renovation. And at this point, I sense a growl down here, but I don't say much about it. And then you say, "My wife bought these chairs/armchairs. Let me show you something she recently bought," and we look at it for a while. And then you say, "You know, I've started painting. Let me show you some of my paintings," and I look at it for a while. And then you say, "Daughter, come here and play the piano." Let the pastor hear that new song you made." And I'm looking at armchairs, and I'm looking at furniture, and I'm listening to music, and all that. And my stomach is gnawing, and I'm saying, "Hey, when are we going to eat?"—maybe I won't say it out loud. But finally, we get to the table, and there's the table perfectly set, flower arrangements on the table, even the candles lit, you know, cloth napkins folded, you know how people do it sometimes, and all the silverware is polished, but not a grain of food. Now, my dear friend, what good is all this? None of these things—none of these things—can satisfy the need for food.

And conversely, my dear friend, food can never satisfy the need for your deepest longing, which is Jesus.

You are a physical being, but you are a spiritual being.

And you need to have—the Lord Jesus Christ.

Now, food and water—"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst" (Matthew 5:6). —He's talking about food and water.

In the material realm, food and water are necessities; they are not luxuries. If you don't eat physically, you will die. If you don't drink water, you will die.

And so it is in the spiritual realm. Jesus Christ is not a luxury; Jesus Christ is a necessity.

And what should you seek when you seek righteousness? My dear friend, listen, you must seek Jesus Christ. Seek Him preeminently.

Now, this means, dear friend, that everything you will ever need spiritually is in Jesus Christ.

Listen, you must seek Jesus first. "Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness." (Matthew 6:33) And, my dear friend, Jesus Christ is God's righteousness applied to us.

Jesus Christ is the Alpha and the Omega. (Revelation 1:8, 11; 21:6; 22:13) Do you know what alpha is? Alpha is the first letter of the Greek alphabet. Omega is the last letter of the Greek alphabet. And So, when the Bible calls Jesus "the Alpha and the Omega," if it were in our language, what would Jesus be called? "A and Z."

• Now, I have my library at home. And I have, I don't know how many books, but I have a lot. But did you know, dear friend, that all the wisdom and all the truth in this library are in a handful of letters placed together differently? That's it—just a handful of letters placed together differently; just twenty-six letters of the alphabet. That's it. And everything in these books was told with these twenty-six letters.

And, my dear friend, all the wisdom of God is in Jesus, Alpha and Omega. I mean, it's all in Him. Everything is in Him. He is the A, the Z, and every letter in between. He is everything. •

Seek Jesus Christ first.

BuPut Jesus first. "Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness." (Matthew 6:33)

II. Seek Jesus with Passion

Jeremiah 29:13 NIV

13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

Psalm 42 NIV

For the director of music. A maskil of the Sons of Korah. 1 As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. 2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?

Let me tell you how to seek Him: not only must you seek Him first, but, my dear friend, you must seek Him with passion.

What our Lord is talking about here is hunger; He is talking about thirst. What are the marks of a hungry person? What are the marks of a thirsty person? Can I give you three?

A. A Deliberate Search

The first mark of a hungry person is that they are in a deliberate searching for food. (They open the refrigerator, the food pantry…)

Now, a hungry person... Jesus here is not talking about a person who is just hungry, but about a person who sees themselves as broken, bankrupt, and starving.

What are the marks of this kind of hunger?

My friend, if you were hungry, would you be interested in the flower arrangement, the cloth napkins folded into flower shapes? If you're that hungry, are you interested in the outcome of the game?

I mean, if you're that hungry, what's the mark of a person who's truly hungry? Well, my dear friend, they're interested in one thing. Their focus is limited. What is they interested in? Food. Water.

They've reached a point of determination. Their mind starts working on food and water, food and water, food and water.

People sit in worship like that, and their minds are in a thousand different places. You know why? They're not hungry.

There's no determination. There's no interest. You see, a man who is on a deliberate quest for food—he's dedicated himself to it; then he sets out on a determined quest for food. He's determined—he's going to be fed.

You know, I've seen people come to church thinking that maybe they've done God a great favor by getting there. (pastors, worship musicians…)

And then they kind of fold their arms and say, "Let's see what this idiot has to say. Let's see if he can persuade me."

And then, the preacher is preaching, and they're in a kind of little mental argument. Whatever the preacher says, they say to themselves, "Yes, but…" And then, there's a little thing going on there. They're not hungry—they're not starving. They're not desperate. They're not trying to be fed.

Can you imagine the starving man saying, "Well, if someone wants to feed me, they can"?

I've heard people literally say, "Well, if God wants to save me, He can." Oh, my dear friend…

B. A Desperate Search

In fact, a starving person isn't just on a determined search; a starving person isn't just on a deliberate search; my dear friend, they're on a desperate search for food.

They'll go anywhere; He'll do almost anything; he'll pay any price.

I've seen people eating from garbage cans. What about you? And you know they've lost all pride.

People go to church, and many of them go looking for something to criticize, and they can find it.

Let me tell you where to start: right here. If someone speaks ill of me, I simply say, "Thank God they don't know the rest of it."

Are you looking for something to criticize? You can find it anywhere.

The man who sits at the table and says,

"Well, the food's bland. The china is chipped. The tablecloth is wrinkled"...

I can tell you one thing: he's not a hungry man.

Isn't that right? People who come to criticize, to find fault, you can put it in big, simple, direct words: they're not hungry.

(THIS IS A MUST)

You come to find fault, you can find many reasons to find fault. But if you come to find Jesus, He is here.

My dear friend, it all depends on the appetite you bring to church.

• A lady said to a pastor, "I didn't like the way you preached this morning." He asked, "What's wrong?" She said, "It's your language. It was very inelegant. During your sermon, you said 'pants.' You should never say 'pants'; you should say 'long pants.' It's much more elegant." He said, "I'll try to remember that." He said, "Well, what did you think of the sermon? What else do you remember?" She said, "Frankly, I don't remember anything else." He said, "If I hadn't said 'pants,' you wouldn't have understood the message at all." •

"Blessed" — "Blessed" — "Blessed" — "are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness." (Matthew 5:6)

My dear friend, a person who is hungry and thirsty is in a deliberate, determined, and desperate search for food.

Have you ever reduced your interests to a single interest?

I mean, do you see Jesus Christ as your greatest need?

Do you seek Jesus Christ as a hungry man would seek food? Oh, my dear friend, when you reach that point, you will find Him.

Why aren't people hungry?

I mean, what's wrong with a man who isn't hungry? Well, several things.

Number one: he might be sick. When you're sick, you lose your appetite.

Number two: heYou may be stuffed with something else—feeding on the garbage of this world or anything else.

You know what the Bible says in Proverbs 27:7

Proverbs 27:7 NLT

7 A person who is full refuses honey, but even bitter food tastes sweet to the hungry.

III. Enjoy Jesus Perpetually

Matthew 5:6 NKJV

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

Now, here's the third thing I want to say today, and I'll finish. Listen, you must desire Jesus Christ First: "Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness" (Matthew 6:33).

Secondly, you must desire Jesus Christ ardently. You must hunger and thirst for Jesus Christ.

But not only that, my dear friend; you must enjoy Jesus Christ perpetually—enjoy Him. Listen:

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled” (Matthew 5:6).

I don’t know how much of God you have, but you have everything you desire. A superficial thirst—a superficial satisfaction. A small hunger—a small satisfaction.

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst…for they shall be filled.” (Matthew 5:6)

That’s why I said, dear friend, I guarantee it—because there is One behind the guarantee, and His name is Jesus Christ.

He is the One. He is the One who said, "No beating around the bush, no beating around the bush, no buts—you will be satisfied—because when you are filled with righteousness, you are filled with blessedness, because you have a hidden hunger, you have a need, that can only be met by Jesus Christ.

Many people have the idea that righteousness is something negative.

The Pharisees were known for what they didn't do.

People have the idea, "Well, if I'm going to be a believer, I can't have fun."

No, if you are a believer, you will be blessed. Happiness and holiness are intertwined.

Dear friend, you don't miss out on the good things in life when you come to Jesus.

In fact, listen: "Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness; and"—what?—"all these things will be added to you." (Matthew 6:33)

I didn't say they would all be taken away from you. They would be added to you.

Friend, listen, you will appreciate these things more in the context of righteousness. Don't let the devil lead you to think negatively about God.

The Bible says in 1 Timothy, chapter 6, verse 17, that

"God, who richly provides us with all things for our enjoyment."

He doesn't say he doesn't want you to be blessed. He simply says, "Get your priorities right."

Seek Him preeminently, seek Him passionately, and you will enjoy Him perpetually.

I love this. I love this because it means that if you simply give your heart to Jesus today, get saved, receive Him as your personal Savior and Lord, from that moment on you will never need to seek Him again, never desire Him again?

Oh no, oh no. Jesus is using an illustration that everyone can understand from the physical world.

He is saying that in the spiritual realm, your spiritual hungers are like your physical hungers.

•Have you ever sat down to Thanksgiving dinner? Usually, everyone comes in and sits around the table. And we eat, and eat, and eat, and eat, and eat. And, you know, it's just a wonderful time, and everything is there… You're having a great time and eating a lot. And when it's over, you say, "I'm not going to eat for a week." That means I'm completely satisfied."

And then what happens? Six hours later. Around 9 o'clock that night, you find yourself opening the refrigerator, looking at and touching all those things. It's amazing, isn't it?

You see, listen, God allows us, in the physical realm, to have a continual appetite so that we can have continual satisfaction.

This thing of being satisfied isn't something definitive, just as eating a meal isn't something definitive.

You see, you have a continual hunger, not because that food didn't satisfy you; you have a continual hunger because that food satisfied you.

And your appetite increases because of the quality of the food and the satisfaction it once brought—and continues to bring day after day.

Yesterday, I found that satisfaction in my time alone with Jesus. This morning, I fed on the bread of heaven. And you come to the Lord Jesus Christ, and you are continually hungry and continually satisfied. And that's why, my friend, I say that when you desire Him first, when you passionately seek Him, you will enjoy Him perpetually.

He will meet the deepest needs of your heart. And then, when you encounter the Lord Jesus Christ in all His fullness, in all His sweetness, you will have this blessedness, and all these other things will be added to you. (Matthew 6:33)

My dear friend, take note—listen—you will be completely satisfied, you will be continually satisfied, and you will certainly be satisfied because Jesus said this would happen. Let me quote a few verses.

Listen to this—Psalm 107:9

Psalm 107:9 NKJV

9 For He satisfies the longing soul, And fills the hungry soul with goodness.

Psalm 34:8 NKJV

8 Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!

Friend, I’m not inviting you to a funeral today. I’m inviting you to a banquet.

I’ve been on this road for a long time, serving the Lord Jesus.

Jesus satisfied the need of my heart one August night in 1998…

I stopped struggling, knelt on a dining room chair, and said: …

I believe Your word. You said, ‘Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved’ (Acts 16:31). I believe, I receive.”

My friend, on that warm summer night my heart was satisfied, and it still is.

Conclusion

Illu. The young man in India who wanted to know God… •

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness.” (Matthew 5:6)

• Do you know what evangelism is? It’s just one hungry person telling another hungry person where to find bread. That’s what I’m trying to tell you. I wish I could feed on Jesus for you. I wish I could do that for you, but I can't. But one thing I can do: I can open my mouth and say what Jesus said: "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied." (Matt. 5:6)