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THIRSTY                                                             SERMON SUMMARY - CHRIS KHOURY 24/3/2019

 

Tragic hate-filled evil events like a lone gunman killing 49 worshippers in Christchurch, New Zealand happen time and time again. There is a sickness in the world today. A sickness called sin. Its symptoms are murder, corruption, hate-crimes, pollution and abuse of the environment on a scale never seen before.

 

What is the cure for the sickness of sin in the world today?

Jesus says, Matthew 5:6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, (for they will be filled).

Jesus says, “Happy, many many times over," are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness!!

 

Now the whole world is looking for happiness; Everybody wants to be happy. That is the motivation behind every ambition, behind all work and all striving and effort. Everything is designed to make us “happy”.  But are we?

Are people in the world genuinely happy? People search for happiness in holiday, leisure activities, extreme sports, in pre-marital sex or extra-marital sex; in drugs and alcohol; in work and business; in the accumulation of money and possessions. Looking for power and influence.

 

HAPPINESS IS ELUSIVE:

This world hungers and thirsts after happiness, but never seems to finds it because happiness is one thing we can never find. According to the words of Jesus, happiness is ours when we hunger and thirst for righteousness. The truth is. Whenever you put happiness before righteousness it is destined to fail. We will not find happiness; to be happy, you must seek righteousness. That is the great message of the Bible from beginning to end.

 

Isaiah 55:1-3 Invitation to the Thirsty:

“Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. 2 Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labour on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and you will delight in the richest of fare. 3 Give ear and come to me; listen, that you may live.

 

The prophet Isaiah reminds us to thirst and hunger for the things that really matter.

This sermon focuses on our need to thirst after God.

Have you ever been really thirsty? Thirst is powerful; it can sap our energy, cause headaches, give us muscle spasms or cramps, and can affect our appetite. Thirst must be quenched for good health.

 

SPIRITUAL THIRST:

In a similar way, spiritual thirst must also be quenched. Have you ever felt just as thirsty for God’s goodness and grace? What in your life makes you thirsty for God? And going a bit deeper, how do you participate in the ministry of Christ that generates the thirst for others to want what God has to offer? Let’s address both of these questions.

 

If every human being would only hunger and thirst for righteousness, all of this world's problems will be solved. But this is not an easy thing to do. Why? We slide back into looking for happiness rather than desiring righteousness.

 

Mt 5:6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. God promises that those who hunger and thirst after righteousness "will be filled."

 

‘RIGHTEOUSNESS’ has a number of different meanings.

 

1. A RIGHT RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD

We are all sinners. When God through Christ or because of Christ declares us righteous, when He forgives us our sin, our relationship with Him is restored. And God does that for us every single day. In the divine court of law we are pronounced "not guilty" because of the blood of Christ. We are made righteous. We are acceptable to Him because of the blood of Jesus.

 

2. MORAL GOODNESS

Righteousness has a moral meaning. Throughout the Bible, Old and New Testaments, righteousness characterizes people who live in obedience to the Word of God. We can think of Zechariah and Elizabeth: (Lk 1:6) Both of them were upright in the sight of God, observing all the Lord's commandments and regulations blamelessly.

 

Psalm 63:1-8 puts it into perspective for us:

You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water. I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory. Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands. I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you. On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night. Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings. I cling to you; your right hand upholds me .

 

Those with this kind of righteousness want to be free from the power of sin. But even more than that they want to be free from the very desire for sin. Their supreme desire is to be like Christ in every way; loving, sacrificial, giving, kind, compassionate, patient, obedient. Doing God’s will. If everybody was like that, this world would be a happy place. Jesus says blessed are those who hunger and thirst for this kind of righteousness, who want to get rid of sin on the outside and on the inside, who want to live holy lives, who want to be like Christ. Righteousness is a lifestyle that distinguishes us as true Christians.

 

God promises that those who hunger and thirst after righteousness "will be filled." Those who look to God for righteousness, will never be disappointed. They will be filled. They will be happy. "Filled" here means satisfied. This doesn't mean they have every good thing in life. It does mean that they have God and His Christ, His Kingdom and His righteousness. And when you have God and Christ what more can you possibly need?

 

When we’ve tasted and seen that the Lord is good, it gives us strength, courage and spiritual nutrition to then reach out to others. God satisfies. Share with others that truth. When we lead others to drink of the living waters, they too can truly live. They too can find real lasting happiness. In this time of Lent we should be evaluating our relationship with God, and are encouraged to seek more of his righteousness. It is only in the fullness of the Kingdom that we will be satisfied.

 

 

 

 

(Rev 7:16) Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst.

 

Are you filled? Are you one of the happy ones? Blessed by God? Are you hungering and thirsting for righteousness? Those are the questions we should be asking ourselves at this time.

Second, tell others where their thirst can be quenched.

This living water is not just for us. We are also called and created to guide and minister to others who are thirsty.

 

 

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