JESUS' SERMON ON THE MOUNT SERMON SERIES6. Let's Break Fast! |
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People in Turkey fast one month of the year. From sunup to sundown they neither eat nor drink. When the evening comes are the people hungry? When evening comes are the people thirsty? And how! Especially these last two long hot summer days have been hard. With great expectation the people gather at the dinner table and wait for sundown. The people know very well how to hunger and thirst!
How can I tell you how hungry they are? I heard a story. I don't know if it is true. A man was so hungry he gave ten lira to the imam (clergyman) for the evening call to prayer to be read early!
Jesus said,
Matthew 5:6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled.
Before preaching this sermon, Jesus had spent the whole night in prayer. Why did He pray so long? That is right, He was going to choose the 12 disciples and preach this sermon. He was getting information from God. This information, that is God's message, is being passed on to us through the prophet Matthew.
The kingdom of heaven is not a kingdom that is set up in this world and conquers other nations with armies. The kingdom of heaven is first a spiritual kingdom. The ones who enter the kingdom of heaven are the poor in spirit. The ones who enter are the ones who are sorry for and mourn because of their sins. The ones who enter are the ones who want to be meek like Jesus. Now in Matthew 5:6 the ones who enter the kingdom of heaven are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness. O.K., what does it mean to hunger and thirst after righteousness?
First let me talk about common righteousness. What do I mean by common righteousness? First of all let me talk about a righteousness that everyone knows and accepts. Everyone knows that it is a sin to lie. This is common knowledge. But lies are everywhere. Whether it is a big lie or a white lie. People make every kind of deception to sell their products and make money. To avoid taxes they tell every kind of lie. In order to avoid some task, to refrain from working, to make their life easy they say, "No, we can't do that" when they really can. Laziness abounds, but their is no truth.
What is righteousness?
Psalm 119:172 My tongue shall speak of Your word, For all Your commandments are righteousness.
God's commandments are righteousness. What are God's commandments? Of course they are the Ten Commandments. Honor your father and mother. You shall not kill. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not lie. You shall not covet. These are known principles of righteousness.
If only people hungered after righteousness like they hunger for the meal to break fast! Our country would be completely different.
Now let's think a little deeper. Let's think not only about common righteousness but true righteousness.
What do I mean by true righteousness?
A person can do the right thing for the wrong motivation. Some people do not take revenge because they are afraid of going to prison. What is the motivation? Fear. Some people obey traffic rules because they are afraid of the police. What is the motivation? Fear. Some people don't steal? Why? They don't want to get caught. People donate money. Why? Perhaps to win other people's admiration. What is the motivation? Pride. People give big money to a university. What is their motivation? For some it is to have their name remain on the building and earn fame. What is the motivation? Pride. Among people this is normal. You say, "David, you don't know people's motivations." That is true. But what does God say?
Romans 3:10-20 10 As it is written: "There is none righteous, no, not one; 11 There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God. 12 They have all turned aside; They have together become unprofitable; There is none who does good, no, not one." 13 "Their throat is an open tomb; With their tongues they have practiced deceit"; "The poison of asps is under their lips"; 14 "Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness." 15 "Their feet are swift to shed blood; 16 Destruction and misery are in their ways; 17 And the way of peace they have not known." 18 "There is no fear of God before their eyes." 19 Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. 20 Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
We came to this same point again. In everything that humans do there is some selfishness in it. Selfishness stains our deeds before God. What is true righteousness?
1 John 4:16 God is love.
God is love and everything that He does is because of love. God's motivation is always love. There is no fear in His motivation. There is no pride, no selfishness. As we said last time:
1 Corinthians 13:4-5 4 Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; 5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil;
God wants from us a righteousness in which there is no selfishness. But we cannot give this by ourselves. How can we do true righteousness and obtain the favor of God?
"Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled."
This righteousness will be given to those who want it. This is a gift from God. It will not be given by making an effort, by donating money or something else, by going on a pilgrimage, but will given to those who hunger and thirst for righteousness.
Jeremiah 23:6 THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.
There is only one person in this world who never sinned. Jesus Christ. The more we examine His character, the more we want to be like Him. We hunger and thirst for this righteousness. Here is what Jesus said,
John 4:13-14 13 Jesus answered and said to her, "Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, 14 "but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life."
The righteousness that we hunger and thirst for comes through Jesus who never sinned. He took our sins upon Himself and died as our sin offering. God offers Jesus' righteousness to us for free.
John 6:35 35And 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.
Have you hungered and thirsted after true righteousness? Come to Christ and break your fast!
How can I tell you how hungry they are? I heard a story. I don't know if it is true. A man was so hungry he gave ten lira to the imam (clergyman) for the evening call to prayer to be read early!
Jesus said,
Matthew 5:6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled.
Before preaching this sermon, Jesus had spent the whole night in prayer. Why did He pray so long? That is right, He was going to choose the 12 disciples and preach this sermon. He was getting information from God. This information, that is God's message, is being passed on to us through the prophet Matthew.
The kingdom of heaven is not a kingdom that is set up in this world and conquers other nations with armies. The kingdom of heaven is first a spiritual kingdom. The ones who enter the kingdom of heaven are the poor in spirit. The ones who enter are the ones who are sorry for and mourn because of their sins. The ones who enter are the ones who want to be meek like Jesus. Now in Matthew 5:6 the ones who enter the kingdom of heaven are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness. O.K., what does it mean to hunger and thirst after righteousness?
First let me talk about common righteousness. What do I mean by common righteousness? First of all let me talk about a righteousness that everyone knows and accepts. Everyone knows that it is a sin to lie. This is common knowledge. But lies are everywhere. Whether it is a big lie or a white lie. People make every kind of deception to sell their products and make money. To avoid taxes they tell every kind of lie. In order to avoid some task, to refrain from working, to make their life easy they say, "No, we can't do that" when they really can. Laziness abounds, but their is no truth.
What is righteousness?
Psalm 119:172 My tongue shall speak of Your word, For all Your commandments are righteousness.
God's commandments are righteousness. What are God's commandments? Of course they are the Ten Commandments. Honor your father and mother. You shall not kill. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not lie. You shall not covet. These are known principles of righteousness.
If only people hungered after righteousness like they hunger for the meal to break fast! Our country would be completely different.
Now let's think a little deeper. Let's think not only about common righteousness but true righteousness.
What do I mean by true righteousness?
A person can do the right thing for the wrong motivation. Some people do not take revenge because they are afraid of going to prison. What is the motivation? Fear. Some people obey traffic rules because they are afraid of the police. What is the motivation? Fear. Some people don't steal? Why? They don't want to get caught. People donate money. Why? Perhaps to win other people's admiration. What is the motivation? Pride. People give big money to a university. What is their motivation? For some it is to have their name remain on the building and earn fame. What is the motivation? Pride. Among people this is normal. You say, "David, you don't know people's motivations." That is true. But what does God say?
Romans 3:10-20 10 As it is written: "There is none righteous, no, not one; 11 There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God. 12 They have all turned aside; They have together become unprofitable; There is none who does good, no, not one." 13 "Their throat is an open tomb; With their tongues they have practiced deceit"; "The poison of asps is under their lips"; 14 "Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness." 15 "Their feet are swift to shed blood; 16 Destruction and misery are in their ways; 17 And the way of peace they have not known." 18 "There is no fear of God before their eyes." 19 Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. 20 Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
We came to this same point again. In everything that humans do there is some selfishness in it. Selfishness stains our deeds before God. What is true righteousness?
1 John 4:16 God is love.
God is love and everything that He does is because of love. God's motivation is always love. There is no fear in His motivation. There is no pride, no selfishness. As we said last time:
1 Corinthians 13:4-5 4 Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; 5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil;
God wants from us a righteousness in which there is no selfishness. But we cannot give this by ourselves. How can we do true righteousness and obtain the favor of God?
"Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled."
This righteousness will be given to those who want it. This is a gift from God. It will not be given by making an effort, by donating money or something else, by going on a pilgrimage, but will given to those who hunger and thirst for righteousness.
Jeremiah 23:6 THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.
There is only one person in this world who never sinned. Jesus Christ. The more we examine His character, the more we want to be like Him. We hunger and thirst for this righteousness. Here is what Jesus said,
John 4:13-14 13 Jesus answered and said to her, "Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, 14 "but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life."
The righteousness that we hunger and thirst for comes through Jesus who never sinned. He took our sins upon Himself and died as our sin offering. God offers Jesus' righteousness to us for free.
John 6:35 35And 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.
Have you hungered and thirsted after true righteousness? Come to Christ and break your fast!