Hungry for Righteousness: The Path to Satisfaction

We saw last time that the mark of a true Christian is not that he or she feels that they are righteous, but that the true Christian longs to be more righteous than he or she is. When it comes to righteousness, Jesus says, and this is very wonderful, that the Blessed people are not those who think they have it but those who feel their need of it. [00:54:00]

The person who is blessed, we've already seen through these Beatitudes, has already learned what it is to be poor in spirit, realizing that I do not have what it takes before God at my very best. Therefore, I mourn over my sins, I become submissive to the will of God, and out of that, we saw God births a great hunger and thirst for righteousness. [00:76:00]

In every area of life, there are people who need to be restrained lest they exploit others. What do we have? Regulation. In every sphere of life, more and more regulations to stop the exploitation of others. So you live in worlds of endless documents and processes and procedures to be followed. Why? Because people can't be trusted, and so they need somehow to be restrained. [04:39:79]

The only hope for righteousness is that some people will actually want it, that they'll hunger and thirst for it, that they'll choose it not simply because they're complying with regulation but because out of their heart there is a desire for what is best and for what is good and for what is right. That's the only hope of righteousness ultimately in the world in which you are working and in which you are living. [05:27:16]

Hunger is natural, but appetite can be cultivated. That's good, isn't it? Hunger is natural, but appetite can be cultivated, and appetite can and should be cultivated. You can learn to like and enjoy things that at one time you did not have a taste for, and that is why Paul says to Timothy, train yourself in godliness. [07:51:99]

The change in diet led to a change in appetite, and he said that change in what I wanted to eat began after about just two months. Now you realize that we're using this as an analogy. This is not a nutrition class that you've come to; it is a Christian worship service. But Jesus is using an analogy. [10:44:00]

Diet shapes appetite over time. This is a fundamental principle. You will want more of whatever you feed yourself, so be very careful what you feed yourself. Choose your diet carefully. Now let's try and apply this a little bit further. Let's think about a young person who is really into computer games. [12:71:99]

Legitimate pleasures at the wrong time and in the wrong amount will spoil your appetite. They'll spoil your appetite for holiness. Legitimate pleasures in the wrong place and in the wrong amount will dull your own spiritual hunger and your own spiritual thirst, leaving you like a sort of couch potato as it were, spiritually and perhaps physically as well. [19:48:91]

Make yourself vulnerable to the needs of others. Paul says to Timothy, train yourself for godliness. Now again, we're thinking here about the analogy of the body, and we're asking the question as we think of the physical realm that Jesus points us to in his analogy, how do you work up an appetite? [23:83:03]

Use your blessings and your troubles as incentives to feed on Jesus Christ. Isn't that a beautiful phrase, by the way, that Christ uses in the gospel when he says, I'm the bread of life, and then he says, this is the bread that came down from heaven, and whoever feeds on this bread will live forever. [27:68:72]

Trust Christ, especially in relation to your sanctification, which if you want that in simpler terms means becoming a better person, a better Christian, a more useful Christian, a more loving, forgiving, and kind Christian, a more Christlike Christian. Trust Jesus Christ, especially in relation to this growth in your Christian life. [32:31:48]

Here's the hope: blessed are they who hunger and thirst after righteousness. Why? Because they shall be satisfied. Christ's work in your life is not going to end in a failure. Why is there hope? Because John puts it this way: when you see Christ, you will be like him, and you have already trusted Christ for this if you are a Christian. [35:28:00]