Thank you for joining today as we seek God’s wisdom together. Let us begin with prayer.
“Lord Jesus, I ask that you search our hearts and see if there be anything wicked in them. We ask that your Holy Spirit show us what you are saying to us today. I ask that the words on this page would jump out to us as you speak to our hearts and minds truth and life. In Jesus name, Amen.”
Matthew 5: 1-12 NASB
“Now when Jesus saw the crowds, He went up on the mountain; and after He sat down, His disciples came to Him. 2And He opened His mouth and began to teach them, saying, 3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. 5 “Blessed are the gentle, for they will inherit the earth. 6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied. 7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy. 8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. 9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. 10 “Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. 12Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in this same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
What the Word is Saying
This portion of scripture is often referred to the Sermon on the Mount and begins with what are commonly referred to as the Beatitudes. These are comparisons in line with the Kingdom of God. Then are in contrast to the worlds standards or what most would think of people in these conditions. Jesus calls attention to this for two reasons. One is to encourage those in these conditions and two to change the thinking of those who are not.
Beatitude---Kingdom Principle
Poor In Spirit---Kingdom of Heaven
Mourn---Comforted
Gentle---Inherit the Earth
Hunger and Thirst for Righteousness---Satisfied
Merciful---Mercy
Pure in Heart---See God
Persecuted for the Sake of Righteousness---Kingdom of Heaven
Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me (Jesus)---Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in this same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
In the next 9 blog posts we will look at each one individually and attempt to see what the Lord is teaching us in them. Having looked at the “the Gentle” yesterday, today we will look at those who are “Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness.”
“Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
When I see the bible talking about hunger I think of a state of humanity where the individual is in deep need of sustenance. They are crying out, sometimes even begging, for an end of their condition. That I believe is what Jesus is talking about here. A person who is so destitute that they are willing to do anything to change their condition. They are at the end of a desert and clinging on to life looking everywhere for water and food so they can continue on. Here they are hungering and thirsting after righteousness. Now this term can be taken two ways. First it is the economic, personal, and societal condition of the individual. They have been used, abused, and thrown away by a society that has taken advantage of them They are crying out for justice for Jesus to see them in their state and be their advocate and be treated fairly. Secondly, is right standing with God. To know the creator of the universe has their lives once again in his control.
A year ago, in January I was injured on the job, doing something I knew to be wrong. I asked for the proper equipment to do it right and was told by the foreman in not so eloquent terms to shut up and do it anyway. He then turned to my helper and told them not to be doing extra stuff for us because “we don’t have time for that stuff.” Needless to say, I herniated the disk in my neck and her 14 months later, two surgeries, three injections, physical therapy three times, and countless visits to the doctor, surgeons, and CPA’s I am worse than I was when I got injured. I have suffered financially, socially, and physically because of it. The only real benefit I have seen from this is my walk with Jesus and the creation of this ministry. Additionally, from the very beginning the foreman involved has denied responsibility. He lied to his superiors about what occurred and even has mocked me saying “what is this injury that you are blaming on me for?” The sheer ludicrously of that statement astounds me.
I mean I have had to get two surgeries to try and alleviate my condition. That is no small thing, they don’t do those things without verifiable reasons for doing so. I have had surgery on my hand, elbow, had two disks in my neck replaced and two vertebrae fused together. They don’t do that if there is nothing wrong. Anyway, through it all I have had to rely on Jesus to be my advocate. I have hungered and thirsted for righteousness (justice) in this matter. But I keep hearing Him tell me He has a plan and therefore I trust in Him. When I read that second part of the verse saying theirs is the kingdom of heaven, I read it differently than most; I would presume. While we may desire complete and total justification. He may be asking us to be a witness for Him in our situation. Asking us to model that trust we have in Him in spite of our position for others to see. In hunger and thirsting for righteousness I have begun to see the foreman, as the Lord sees him and have nothing but compassion for him. To see him in his sinful state.
This is the kind of kingdom of heaven that Jesus is speaking of. Where we see the world as it is and realize that we may suffer in it. The difference that we have is that we have a hope and a future. Knowing that He is our provider and advocate. He will vindicate us either in this life or the next. Either way I thinking changes about those who wrong us. We begin to see them as He sees them and pray for them that He would save them from themselves as He did for us.
To follow the Lord means to give up your rights and do as He has asked you to. Do not fail to do as He asks. Maybe you have been convicted by this message. I implore you to repent and really seek Jesus and ask Him how He wants you to live your life. Then do it! No matter the cost, because great will be your reward in Heaven.
If you have not received Christ Jesus as your Lord and Savior, I implore you to do so now. All He asks for is for you to accept the free gift He gave you. Therefore, humble yourself and acknowledge that Jesus is Lord of all. He alone is all powerful and you submit to His authority. Next you must believe He did what He did. That is; die on a cross and rise again from the dead. These are both actions of faith. Faith is the substance of things hoped for with evidence not seen. Meaning you believe even though you don’t have physical evidence to prove it. I know you made it to this page for a reason and the Holy Spirit is working on your heart. The Father has drawn you and He alone can reveal to you the truth of what I am saying. I know that He is now, and you need to take a step of faith and pray these words with me.
Right where you are; say these words out loud: “Jesus I confess that you are Lord of all, I yield my will to your will for you are greater than me. I believe you came to this world and lived a sinless life; I believe you suffered and died on cross for my sins, I believe they put your lifeless body in a tomb, and three days later you rose from the dead. I confess to you that I am a sinner and ask you to forgive me. I also ask that you send me your Holy Spirit to give me power to live a sanctified life and to lead me into all truth. In Jesus name, Amen.”
If you prayed that prayer, I urge you to contact us here so that we might come beside you and hold you up in prayer as you begin your journey with Jesus. I assure you that we have all been where you are. We may have committed different sins, but we are just as guilty, nonetheless. We all needed forgiveness and someone else supported us as we began our Journey with Him.
Thank you for joining me today as we searched the scriptures for What the Word is Saying. I pray that God will send His Holy Spirit into our lives anew and fill us again with His love and His purpose for us. So that we can fulfill the mission He left us in bringing the Good News of Jesus Christ to the world.
“Scripture quotations taken from the NASB (New American Standard Bible) Copyright 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved.” lockman.org.
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