They Who Do Hunger And Thirst After RIGHTEOUSNESS

(Living Seed vol 8 No.2 July 2001)

Introduction

his study is part of the blessed attitudes of the kingdom preached in the sermon by our Lord Jesus Christ to His followers on the mount. We discovered that the principles in this sermon are important bedrocks for a strong and lasting relationship with Jesus. They are the right attitudes we must maintain before God in this life if we must receive any blessing from His presence. They are the blessed attitudes. Any other attitude apart from these may actually push us out of God’s presence. Hence the need to cry to God until these things are engrafted upon our very hearts and they become our daily experience.

Please be reminded that as you hear these sayings of the Master, you have automatically started building your house (your life), whether you obey it or not. However, only those who hear and obey, will be able to stand the trials, the winds, storms and the rains that will inevitably come because of the word. Therefore be sober and pray that God will grant you revelation of His word with the grace to obey.

Main Text: Matt.5: 1-12 ,

“Blessed are they who do hunger and thirst after Righteousness…” (Matt 5:6).

Read Matt 5.6 from various versions.

NKJV: “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.”

GNB: Happy are those whose greatest desire is to do what God requires; God will satisfy them full.”

LB: “Happy are those who long to be just and good, for they shall be completely satisfied”.

NEB: “How blessed are those who hunger and thirst to see right prevail, how they shall be satisfied. “

JB: “Happy are those who hunger and thirst for what is right. They shall be satisfied.“

BECK: “Happy are those who hunger and thirst to be righteous, they will be satisfied.”

AMP: Blessed and fortunate and happy and spiritually prosperous (in that state in which the born again child of God enjoys His favor and salvation) are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness (up rightness and right standing, with God), for thep shall be completely satisfied.”

(a) What does it mean to be hungry and thirsty?

Ps. 42:1-2, Ps.63: 1, Ps 107:5,6,9, Prov.27: 7.
It means to have a strong desire, a deep yearning, a keen appetite, for something; it is a strong craving for something above all else. To be hungry and thirsty at the same time is such a strong and dangerous condition of need that may lead to fainting. Such a situation makes one to cry out for help for that need to be met.

(b) What does it mean to hunger and thirst after righteousness?

See the different versions of Matt.5: 6

It means to have the greatest desire to do what God requires, longing and panting for righteousness out of a need or emptiness within. It means to long to be just and good, hunger and thirst to see right prevail.
Examine your heart. What is the greatest desire of your heart? 1Tim.6: 9, Gal.6: 12, Mk.9: 35, ICor.14: 1. Do you long to be just and good? Is it your greatest desire to do what God requires, or is it just one of your desires?

(i) Humble yourself. Matt 5:3, Matt 18:3, 1Pet. 2:2, 2Kg. 3:16,17.
One important characteristic behavior of a child is frequent hunger more than that of an adult. Have you grown so much that you no longer need any more nourishment from the presence of God? The Lord’s greatest desire for us is that we SHOULD be with Him, learning of Him (Mark. 3: 14). That is the one thing He said is needful (Lk 10:42). Humble yourself that the hunger of His presence may fill your heart.

(ii) Ask God for help to make you hungry by showing you your true spiritual condition, how you measure on the scale of His righteousness. Deut.8:3, Isa.6:1-6, Heb. 42:14

God caused Israel to hunger in the wilderness. He can make you hungry. He showed Isaiah a vision of His glory and holiness. When Isaiah drew near God and saw His holiness compared with his own holiness, he saw his poverty in the matter of holiness. That created a deep desire to be holy in his heart and he cried out. That can be your experience too.

(iii) Understand God’s goal for your life, compared with your present achievement. Pray for God to reveal this to you. Your heart will cry out to God for help in onder to be able to satisfy His righteous demands Rom 8: 29; 1Cor2: 9

(d) Why must we pursue rightcontness?

(i) Righteousness is an important part of the Kingdon lifestyle. It is an attitude of the Kingdom. Rom 14: 17; 1 Jon 3:6-10 1Pet 2:24.

Please note that this Is the basic reason why Jesus suffered and died on the cross for us. Righteousness is the way by which we know who Is a child of God and who is not. When this is not constantly manifesting in your life, you are a loss rather than a gain to the kingdom of God. Is your life constantly righteous, or is it often interspersed with periods of unrighteousness?

(ii) Righteousness is needed for an effective personal communion and walk with God. Ps 34: 17, 19; 1Jn 3:21-22: Ps 37:23-25; Ps 146.8; Prov 11:4, Prov. 28.1, Heb 5: 7-8 .

The Lord delights in answering the prayer of a righteous man. He guides him, delivers him, and provides for him. He is a helper to those who walk uprightly. Is your heart right with God?

(iii) Righteousness exalts, It brings honor. But sin brings disgrace, whether immediate disgrace or delayed disgrace. Prov 4: 32-34.

(iv) It causes fruitfulness, even in old age, without struggling. Ps. 92:12-14, Ps 4:1-3.
Divine life flows into and through a life that is righteous without any hindrance. When last did the Lord eat the fruit of righteousness out of your life?

(v) It leads to open heavens and open doors in ministry.
Prov. 15:19, Matt 3. 13-17.
When Jesus humbled Himself in obedience to God in order to fulfil all righteousness, the heavens were opened unto Him. His greatest desire is to do what God desires: He did and God responded to Him.

(vi) Righteousness is essential in spiritual warfare.
Eph 6:14, 2Cor6: 7, 2Cor10: 4-6, Acts 19:13-16.
Even the devil knows who is righteous and who is not, and he knows how to handle them in warfare.

e) What kind of righteousness must we pursue?
Matt 5: 6, 20.

i) Not that of the Pharisees. Discover and describe the rigtheousness of the Pharisees in these scriptures, compared with that which God wants us to pursue. Matt 6: 1-6, Matt 23: 1-8; 14-28, Rom.10: 1-4.

ii) It is the righteousness of God…
Rom 3:21 26, Rom 6: 12-16, Tit 2:11-12, 1 Jon 3: 10, Jam 2: 21-26

The righteousness of God imputed to us by faith when we receive Christ at the new birth enables and leads us to practice righteousness. To stop at the imputed righteousness will bring calamity, We must, by grace allow the imputed righteousness to bear the frult of righteousness in our lives (Phil.1: 11). It is not only that, we must hunger and thirst for it until our lives are filled with righteousness.

2. What is the blessedness of being hungry and thirsty for Righteousness?

(a) The Lord Himself will hear you and satisfy your soul.

Isa 41:17-18, Ps.107: 9

(b) Your life will be filled with the fruit of righteousness.

Phil.1:10-11, Heb 12:11

(d) All other things that you need shall be added unto you. Matt.6: 31-33.

Knowing this, what must be our singular pursuit and greatest desire in life? Matt 5:6 (GNB).

Conclusion

When your greatest desire is to do what God wants you to do; and to see righteousness prevail in your life, your family and environment, the Lord says He will fill and satisfy you with righteousness. But you must first of all strongly desire it above all else. You must pursue righteousness and develop a keen appetite for it. Only then will you be filled with righteousness and the fruit thereof. The dryness and fruitfulness of our lives is usually due to the pseudo-satisfaction we have in our own righteousness. Examine your heart now. What is your greatest desire in life even as of now? What are you running after? What is the pursuit of your life?

“WHOSOEVER HEARETH these sayings of Mine and DOETH them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock…”

May you not be a fool at the end, in Jesus’ name.

Personal Assessment Questions

1. What hindrances have you experienced in obeying God’s will and God’s word? Discuss certain experiences you have had about these with us.

2. Have you ever experienced periods of spiritual dryness in your life?

(a) What periods of spiritual dryness have you “experienced in your life since you repented? When, and for how long did each last? What caused it in each case?

(b) How did-you handle it? What were the lessons you learnt from that experience?

3. Satan sometimes tempts us in hard situations in order for us to compromise the righteous demands of God upon our lives whether at work, at home, in business, in school, or in our relationship with others.

(a) Share with us one such experience you had and state whether it was difficult for you to stand.

(b) How did you handle it?

(d) What was the result of your obedience? What blessedness did you experience?

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