G.R.O.W.T.H.-Hunger
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Intro:
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled.
Today, I want to conclude the series entitled, [G.R.O.W.T.H]. Each week we will look at an aspect of our growth in God. The subject of today’s message is, [Hunger].
This may come as a shock to many, but I have an appetite. I once heard is said, we eat to live, not live to eat. For some reason, I disagree.
I live to eat. The other night, Bekah asked, what do you want for lunch tomorrow? I thought about it and decided we needed spaghetti and meat balls.
The next day at 7:00 am, I got out to the living room before her. When she came out I said, the meat is thawing in the sink for the meatballs. She said, wow, I forgot all about that, you are serious about spaghetti and meatballs!
When it comes to hunger, we eat to satisfy our hunger. Then after a while we get hungry again. It seems our appetite never really leaves.
The more we eat, the hungrier we are. However, the opposite is true. I have shared this before when I discuss fasting, but after two or three days of no food, our digestive system stops and we are no longer hungry.
Some of you are looking at my like I looked at my pastor when he told us that. But it actually is true!
When we eat, our hunger returns. If we stop eating, the hunger will eventually leave. If we never eat again, we eventually die.
In our text, Jesus used a natural reaction to convey a spiritual truth. He did this often. He would tell a story using real life examples to make a point.
Matthew 5, Jesus used issues of the day to show his audience a new way of living. After performing miracles, crowds came from the region to see Jesus.
Hundreds followed Him, so He took the time to teach them. His teaching is called the Sermon on the Mount. He sat in a place where the crowds could see Him and He began to speak.
Early in His ministry, He challenged the status quo and introduced a new way of living. We have noticed this throughout His life. His greatest earthly adversaries were the religious people, namely the Pharisees.
They were content with the way things were, but Jesus wanted to introduce a way for people to GROW in Him.
The Sermon on the Mount depicts what it is like to live in God’s Kingdom, specifically how it will be when Jesus returns and sets up His physical Kingdom on earth.
When Satan and sin are eternally defeated:
The poor will never be poor again
The mourners will never mourn again
The humble will inherit the earth
The hungry will never hunger or thirst anymore
The merciful will receive mercy
The pure in heart will see God
The peacemakers will be called children of God
The persecuted will live in peace
God’s people will never be mocked, reviled, or hated. I am ready to go.
But in the genius of God, we do not have to wait for the future to Kingdom to experience those promises spiritually. When we grow in God, people will notice those Kingdom attributes in our lives!
Therefore, our aim as followers of Christ is to GROW in Him.
I have said this each week and it bears repeating, there is no reference to someone in scripture who opted out of Spiritual Growth and remained faithful to the Lord.
What is included with Spiritual Growth?
Growing- realizing God wants us to grow more faithful to Him and His work
Reaching- when it feels like we are shrinking instead of growing, we reach out to God and He will help us
Obeying- we cannot disobey God, do things our way, and then pretend our disobedience is a great spiritual sacrifice
Wineskins- we need God to prepare our hearts and lives so we can contain the NEW things He wants to do
Now, we look at HUNGER. When we are hungry for God we will grow in Him. Spiritual growth is the result of spiritual hunger.
Sadly we live in a day where Spiritual Growth is insignificant when compared to Material Growth.
If there was more discussion on growing in God than growing the economy, our nation could get turned around quickly.
If there was greater emphasis on advancing spiritually than career advancement, our nation could get turned around quickly.
However, the enemy has deceived many people and they’ve traded the plan of God for their lives for the American dream.
People want to have a good family, build wealth, and become socially active in clubs, organizations. Then they only God honorable mention instead of the place of honor in their hearts and lives.
So God wants to get our attention. He wants us to GROW in Him. Who is hungry to grow in God? What comes with hunger for the Lord?
I have three points, [A Spiritual Identity], [A Spiritual Inquiry], and [A Spiritual Infilling].
Let’s begin
1. A Spiritual Identity
1. A Spiritual Identity
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled.
Before we look at the specifics of this beatitude, I want to focus on one word, BLESSED. The word blessed is one of many that could be used here:
Fortunate
Contented
Blissful
Privileged
Peaceful
Serene
Joyful
Happy
Think of the original audience who heard Jesus tell them they could be blessed. There were old and young, men and women, rich and poor, religious and rebellious people listening.
Not once did Jesus divide up the audience by groups of people who could be blessed and those who could not. No, that was the way of the Pharisees.
They loved the divide and conquer strategy. They created strict rules that hardly anyone could follow, except them. Then they would parade how “blessed” they were in comparison to the commoners.
Jesus wanted them to see there was an avenue of receiving God’s blessing, and it was not about what the could do, but what He will do.
Therefore, Jesus’s invitation to live a blessed life caught people’s attention. Some had to wonder, what’s the catch? What do I have to offer or give to be blessed?
The blessings flow when we realize our insufficiency in comparison to God’s supernatural ability.
The Pharisees were all about what THEY could do. Jesus showed, if you want to be blessed, focus on what My FATHER will do in and through you.
What is the opposite of blessings?
21 Blessed are you who hunger now, For you shall be filled. Blessed are you who weep now, For you shall laugh.
25 Woe to you who are full, For you shall hunger. Woe to you who laugh now, For you shall mourn and weep.
Those who realize their inability to satisfy their needs and turn to God for help will be blessed.
But those who are full of themselves will stay hungry and in spiritual need. Jesus said, WOE to them. Woe, means what sorrow, pain, discomfort, or unhappiness to them.
Jesus introduced the spiritual identity of those who determine to grow in God and seek Him instead of depending on themselves!
What is our spiritual identity? We are blessed!
2. A Spiritual Inquiry
2. A Spiritual Inquiry
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled.
When we inquire about something, we are searching or asking. When I am hungry, I will inquire of Bekah, what time will we eat?
Therefore, we are blessed when we HUNGER and THIRST. Let’s think about hunger. Historically, God’s people did not equate hunger with blessing or happiness.
Their forefather’s Abraham and Isaac endured famines that caused them to leave their homeland.
God used Joseph to help Jacob and his family during a famine, but all of Israel had to relocate to Egypt.
When Israel wandered in the desert, they complained about their lack of food, constantly feeling hungry.
How then can we be blessed when we are hungry?
Jesus came to shift their understanding of hunger. It always stood out on their lack of food or substance. But Jesus wanted them to see, when we are spiritually hungry, we have Jesus will satisfy our needs!
When we allow our spiritual hunger to motivate us to seek God and draw closer to Him, He will meet our needs and help us overcome our problems.
Think of the spiritual problems of Jesus’s day:
The religious class, the Pharisees, flaunted their spiritual superiority.
The Roman Empire oppressed the Jewish people.
But the biggest problem was SIN. The only solution they had was earthly sacrifices. But God had a plan.
ANYONE could hunger after righteousness. There was no special credential, educational requirement, or financial standing to be hungry for righteousness.
But what is righteousness?
Under the Old Covenant, righteousness meant keeping the Law and following all fo the commandment. Sadly, the Psalmist explained, “There is none righteous, no not one.”
Imagine the feeling of the crowd and Jesus told them their hunger and thirst for righteousness meant they were blessed. They longed to do right. They wanted to live according to God’s standards.
But their sin made that impossible and the Pharisees constantly lorded their “strong” spiritual standing over them.
Jesus came to show a new way. When His work on earth was complete, righteousness would not come as a result of following the rules, it will flow from a hunger to be in God’s presence and live according to the promises of Christ.
Jesus shows us what we, a spiritual identity, we are blessed, when we make our spiritual inquiry, I am hungry and thirsty for righteousness! How will God satisfy our hunger?
3. A Spiritual Infilling
3. A Spiritual Infilling
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled.
We SHALL be filled. What are the prerequisites to receiving this Spiritual infilling?
Jesus does not demand perfection or that we possess total righteousness. He does not check to see if we fit a certain criteria. His only requirement for being filled is HUNGER and THIRST.
A genuine hunger for God begins from the inside out, unlike the Pharisees who were dead inside, but seemed perfect on the outside.
When people are humble enough to identify their need for God’s help, they position themselves for God to fill them with everything they need!
However, religious people, like the Pharisees, are not really concerned with righteousness. Instead, they focus on the appearance of righteousness.
They say the right words, wear the right clothes, and even pray the right prayers, but inside they were dead, for they have long since lost their hunger. Everything became a ritual.
37 On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. 38 He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” 39 But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.
John tells us of when Jesus interrupted their feast. The feast they celebrated was the Feast of Tabernacles. It was a joyous celebration seven day celebration and it ended with the priests taking a golden pitcher and pouring it at the altar as an offering.
They did this to remember when they were thirsty in the wilderness and God provided water for them.
Jesus asks a question, is anyone thirsty?
The Pharisees had to think, not now, not during one of the most important feasts of the year. What a ridiculous question, asking about thirst where we’re celebrating God quenching our thirst.
But Jesus introduced something new, in the past God quenched their physical thirst. Jesus would not satisfy their hunger and quench their spiritual thirst.
Deep within the hearts of people is a void that only God can fill. People have tried to satisfy this hunger and thirst with the things of the world and nothing has worked.
So Jesus explains, COME TO ME, and out of your innermost being will flow rivers of water.
How would He do this? Through the Holy Spirit.
Jesus wants to fill EVERYONE with the Holy Spirit. For the Holy Spirit breaks down barriers:
18 And on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days; And they shall prophesy.
Also the Holy Spirit gives us insight to how heaven will be:
13 In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.
The Holy Spirit is the down payment of the inheritance we will receive when we get to heaven. When we are filled with HIs Spirit, we get to experience a taste of heaven on earth.
Close:
We are blessed, that is our spiritual identity, when we make the spiritual inquiry, for righteousness. Then God will satisfy our hunger and quench our thirst through a spiritual infilling!
Jesus came to introduce a new way of living. He did not come for a certain nationality, gender, age group, or social class.
EVERYONE is blessed when they HUNGER for righteousness, and ALL will be filled.
Hunger is SO important for Spiritual growth. If we are not hungry for God, we will not grow in Him. But when we are hungry, we will do whatever it takes to be filled.
It is the same in the spiritual as it is in the natural. When I am hungry, watch out I will do anything to eat. When I am thirsty, I will do anything for a glass of cold water.
God is saying, if we are really hungry, where is the evidence that we will do ANYTHING. Are we willing to do what it takes to GROW in Him?
Are we hungry enough for God to fast?
Are we hungry enough for His will to pray?
Are we hungry enough to sing and worship until we enter His presence?
Once we are in His presence, are we hungry enough to stay there a while?
Moses was hungry, He cried out, “LORD please show me your glory.” And God passed by him.
Elisha was hungry, He wouldn’t leave Elijah’s side until he recieved a mantle of supernatural power.
Daniel was hungry, He prayed even when it meant going to a den of lions.
The 120 in the Upper Room were hungry, they waited ten day until suddenly God poured out His Spirit!
The question is, are we hungry?
How will it look when we get hungry?
What does hunger create?
Our hunger creates an atmosphere for God do FILL us and do something supernatural in us, helping us grow in Him.
Hungry pastors will pray, fast, and seek God for the right message and the right plan for the church they lead.
Hungry deacons will follow suit, pray, fast, and seek God to help the church.
Hungry churches will have people who will do whatever takes, wait as long as it takes, and hold steady in tough times, just to know God and His presence.
Hungry husbands will pray with his wife. He will lead her in the ways of God, encouraging her in her spiritual development.
Hungry wives will pray for her husband, following His lead in going deeper in God.
Hungry parents will raise children who will not only have a better life materially, but spiritually then they had.
Hungry families will pray together and do home Bible studies Bible! They will make their homes a sanctuary, inviting and hosting the presence of God.
Hunger, that is what God desires for GROWTH. It should be our identity, our inquiry, until we receive our infilling.
So let’s come to Jesus, He satisfies our hunger:
35 And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.
Let’s ask Jesus to fill us with His Spirit:
37 On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.
For one day in heaven:
16 They shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any heat;
Let’s stay hungry for God. For with that hunger will come Spiritual Growth.
God give us an appetite for all you have for us! We will do anything to satisfy this hunger.
But here is the catch, once He feeds us, we are not full forever. There is more that He has. We will get hungrier, but we will then grow closer to Him!