What is your one desire?

Introduction

I am so excited to be able to be with you all today and I am so excited to get to preach this message because of what I believe God is going to do in the hearts and lives of His saints when we truly hunger and thirst for the righteousness of God. We have been going through this sermon series all summer of attitude adjustment. Last week Jesse gave us a wonderful message about what it means to be meek and how important it is to be humble with power. As I was studying for my time to preach and I pondered through, prayed through, and studied through this one verse and then where the Lord would lead me to preach from I continued to gravitate towards Psalm 42:1-2 and Psalm 63:1-8. I continued to gravitate towards the idea “What is your one desire?” “what are you really hungry and thirsty for?” Do we wake up every morning ready for the Lord to fill us up with His righteousness. Do we walk throughout our day and understand we are not satisfied on bread alone, but on the word of the Lord do we find our true strength and satisfaction? Does our desires flow from the righteousness of God? A commentary from R.T. France on Matthew says this “For righteousness in Matthew; the meaning here will be that their one desire is for a relationship of obedience and trust with God.”

Do we desire Him?

When I think of being hungry and thirsty I think about the things that I desire the most whenever I am in a state of being hungry or thirsty…what do I desire when I am most hungry? I love a big bowl of spaghetti whenever I am most hungry! Anyone that is around me enough knows exactly what I really would want if I could have my way when I am hungry. And when I am really thirsty I desire a big glass of ice cold sweet tea. And their are times when I am craving a burger and an ice cold coke, there are times when I truly want cajun food or a big glass of water. Sometimes I want a fudgey brownie more than anything else with a big glass of milk. However, if you know me the majority of the time I desire to eat pasta and drink sweet tea. Those are my go-to things. And I don’t know about you guys, but when I am desiring some type of food I go get whatever it is that I want in that moment! Yall better believe that if I am craving a burger I am rolling straight down to five guys or farm burger for a meal. If I really want some quality pasta I will roll right down to Chiesa for a plate of homemade pasta and as they call it tomato gravy (it is to die for). And i could go on and on…but my point is this…here in America this illustration works for most of you because all of you know what you desire and those that are around you enough can probably tell you off the top of their head what you really want when it comes down to it, and you know that here in America when there is something to eat that we want there is a way to get it. And so it is with Jesus, if we really thirst for Him and his Word. If we truly DESIRE righteousness and we truly DESIRE Jesus we can have as much of it as we want…but do we?

Open up your Bibles to Psalm 42:1-2 “As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. My soul THIRSTS for God, for the living God.” And Psalm 63:1-8 says “O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory. Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you. So I will bless you as long as I live; in your name I will lift up my hands. My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food, and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips, when I remember you upon my bed, and meditate on you in the watches of the night; for you have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy. My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me.”

Is that our song? If people know us many times by the things that we most desire and it is very evident, would it be said of you that you REALLY hunger and thirst for the presence of the Lord? Do I or do you seek it out? Do we make a way for us to get to it? Are we in it regularly?

When we desire the Lord and His righteousness we tell others about Him and we radiate in obedience to Him. I think about this weekend…I went on a small little getaway with a few friends and their wives on Thursday to Saturday to Charleston and man we had so much fun, but their was one place that I really wanted to go to (well two places but one of them had shut down during COVID and I was heart broken) one was Jestine’s Kitchen (which closed) and the other was Bertha’s Kitchen. So as we are driving down Thursday morning I mentioned that I really wanted everyone to go and try Bertha’s. It is one of those local places in Charleston that everyone in Charleston knows about but they save that for themselves. It’s like asking a concierge service what places are good to eat at for breakfast in Asheville and everyone tells you Biscuit Head but nobody is going to tell you about Kosta’s Kitchen in Fletcher (one of the best country breakfasts around). See I get enjoyment out of watching other people enjoy food that I know is good. It’s like leading someone who is thirsty to an oasis that has nice refreshing water and watching them be refreshed as they drink. And I had been hyping this place up since we started planning this trip earlier in the year so everyone knew this was the one place I wanted to go to while we were on vacation together because I wanted to see their faces when they bit into that crispy fried chicken or fried fish, and got a bite of that down home mac and cheese, or their award winning okra soup that’s been in magazines, or the lima beans over white rice, or their boiled cabbage. I was so excited, driving probably a little too fast out of excitement to see everyone taste this glorious soul food in the deep part of Charleston. And when we got there the worst news was given to me…closed for the week because they were on vacation. I was devastated. This was the one place I wanted to go while in Charleston and I couldn’t believe we weren’t going to get to go. So I thought about my sermon sitting there in the hot sun wanting Bertha’s kitchen, but settling for a food truck parked outside. The Lord’s righteousness and love is ALWAYS standing there for others with arms wide open, but how many times do I pass by it with others like it’s no big deal, like it’s old news, like that’s not relevant anymore. How many times do I pass by the well with water that will make you never thirst again as Jesus tells the woman at the well and yet I pass by with those around me without a mention so many times.

The place that we can lead others to is to Jesus Himself and the well of God’s word for those that seek righteousness. For those that the Holy Spirit is working on and using YOU to lead them to a place where they desire the righteousness of God.

Do I desire His Word?

When we hunger and thirst for the righteousness of God we are a new creation. Those that hunger and thirst for the spiritual blessing of righteousness we understand that we are purchased by the righteousness of Christ, secured by the giving of that righteousness to us; and confirmed by the faithfulness of God to keep His promises which are in His Word. To have Christ made of God to us righteousness, and to be made the righteousness of God IN HIM; to have my whole self renewed IN RIGHTEOUSNESS, in order to become a new man, bear the image of God, and to have an INTEREST in Christ and His promises. THAT is righteousness. These are the things we must hunger and thirst after. Hunger and thirst are appetites that we return to frequently and they call for fresh satisfactions. Do we do that with God’s Word and His promises? Are we eager to have it written on our hearts? Are we eager to dive in to find new mercies, new truths to our hearts, new promises to cling to in his Word daily? Hungering for the word is a desire of food to sustain, like the sanctifying righteousness of God. Thirst is the desire for drink to refresh, like the justifying righteousness of God and a fresh sense and understanding of our forgiveness that has been freely given to us through faith in the perfect and finished work of Christ.

The awesome thing is is that when we desire Christ above all else and we hunger and thirst for His Word and His promises…Matthew 5:6 reminds us that we will be filled with those blessings!!! GOD WANTS TO GIVE YOU THESE THINGS. WHEN YOU DESIRE RIGHTEOUSNESS AND YOU HUNGER AND THIRST FOR IT YOU WILL RECEIVE IT!!!! This is the right thing to fix your eyes upon. I always use the illustration that you can be running your hardest but if you’re fixated and running towards the wrong thing you can be running that much harder away from the right thing.

When you seek after Christ and His Word you seek after a righteousness that is NOT OF YOUR OWN MAKING OR DOING. Let me say that one more time. When you seek after Christ and His Word you seek after a righteousness that is NOT OF YOUR OWN MAKING OR DOING. When you seek the Lord and His righteousness you don’t conjure up something of your own self. You are being led by the Almighty God to places that do not disappoint. God is faithful and just. He will make all things right. His Word tells us of His greatness, His wonder, His splendor, His love, His mercy, His grace, His holiness. When we run to Him and His word as the source we will not be disappointed and neither will those that God is calling to Himself that you point to that source. And what you taste now only gives you a greater appetite for more, and it never disappoints when you go for more.

Conclusion

What are you truly desiring? Is it the Lord and His Word or is it something else?

Jesus Himself is the righteousness that we are looking for. A relationship with Him is what we need.

God desires to fill you up as you desire and seek after righteousness.

Running to the Father and his Word NEVER DISAPPOINTS.

Hungering and Thirsting for righteousness is an ongoing act. It’s not a one time deal.

What are you truly desiring? Is it the Lord and His Word or is it something else?