1 00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:02,880 Father God, we thank you for tonight and a chance to gather 2 00:00:02,880 --> 00:00:06,280 together to understand more of what Your Word says. 3 00:00:06,880 --> 00:00:10,000 You realize, Lord, that you are a great God, and You have given 4 00:00:10,000 --> 00:00:13,520 us Your word to explain to us who You are and what You've 5 00:00:13,520 --> 00:00:16,160 done. The whole Bible is about you, 6 00:00:16,200 --> 00:00:19,680 and we have come to worship and to honor you. 7 00:00:20,280 --> 00:00:24,200 We've come to understand You. Lord, You want us to know you. 8 00:00:25,000 --> 00:00:29,200 You've said that your people Israel were destroyed because 9 00:00:29,200 --> 00:00:32,680 they did not know you. And so, Father, we have come to 10 00:00:33,320 --> 00:00:36,120 understand the greatness of your character. 11 00:00:36,760 --> 00:00:40,480 So tonight instruct us in the way that we should go, that we 12 00:00:40,480 --> 00:00:44,000 might grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ our 13 00:00:44,000 --> 00:00:47,680 Lord, until you come again, as you most surely will, in Jesus 14 00:00:47,680 --> 00:00:55,680 name, Amen. There was once a man who was 15 00:00:55,680 --> 00:01:04,239 extremely unfulfilled, unhappy, unsatisfied. 16 00:01:05,480 --> 00:01:07,600 He was not satisfied with his job. 17 00:01:09,560 --> 00:01:12,200 In fact, he was depressed about his job. 18 00:01:13,480 --> 00:01:17,240 He was not happy with his family nor his wife. 19 00:01:18,640 --> 00:01:27,400 So he decided to escape it all. He decided to get away and he 20 00:01:27,400 --> 00:01:36,960 joined a mute monastery where he took a vow of silence where he 21 00:01:36,960 --> 00:01:41,160 could not say anything for five years. 22 00:01:42,480 --> 00:01:45,600 So he went and thought, this is going to be great. 23 00:01:46,480 --> 00:01:51,080 Nobody to bug me, nobody to criticize me, nobody to yell at 24 00:01:51,080 --> 00:01:52,960 me. It's going to be great. 25 00:01:54,200 --> 00:01:59,240 So he went to this mute monastery and didn't say 26 00:01:59,240 --> 00:02:04,080 anything for five years. At the end of those five years 27 00:02:04,080 --> 00:02:08,400 he could say 2 words. So he was called into the 28 00:02:08,400 --> 00:02:12,120 superiors office and he said you were able to say 2 words, would 29 00:02:12,120 --> 00:02:22,040 you like to say them today? He nodded and said bad food. 30 00:02:25,520 --> 00:02:29,840 So he went back to the monastery, was there for another 31 00:02:29,840 --> 00:02:33,720 five years. At the end of those five years, 32 00:02:33,720 --> 00:02:38,400 he was able to meet with the superior, and the superior asked 33 00:02:38,400 --> 00:02:42,200 him, You have an opportunity to say 2 words, which 2 words do 34 00:02:42,200 --> 00:02:50,760 you choose? He said hard bed and he went 35 00:02:50,760 --> 00:02:54,480 back to the monastery and was there for another five years. 36 00:02:56,800 --> 00:03:01,360 Upon meeting with the superior one more time, his superior 37 00:03:01,360 --> 00:03:06,560 asked if he had any words or any 2 words you would like to say. 38 00:03:07,920 --> 00:03:17,240 He nodded his head and said I quit, to which the superior 39 00:03:17,240 --> 00:03:21,760 responded. Well, I'm not surprised you've 40 00:03:21,760 --> 00:03:24,360 done nothing but complain ever since you got here. 41 00:03:28,400 --> 00:03:31,360 I read that story and I couldn't help but laugh to myself. 42 00:03:31,360 --> 00:03:35,920 Because so many of us are unsatisfied with where we're at. 43 00:03:37,040 --> 00:03:39,400 If we can change our circumstances, If we can change 44 00:03:39,400 --> 00:03:42,560 our situation, If we can change our job. 45 00:03:42,560 --> 00:03:45,400 If we can change our wife or husband or family or kids. 46 00:03:46,040 --> 00:03:50,160 If we could just change things the way we think they should be, 47 00:03:51,000 --> 00:03:56,880 maybe we'll be fulfilled, maybe we'll be happy, maybe finally 48 00:03:57,240 --> 00:04:01,080 I'll gain some kind of satisfaction. 49 00:04:02,880 --> 00:04:08,880 And the reason that is, is because man is driven by 1 50 00:04:09,320 --> 00:04:19,920 motivating factor, and that factor is simply the drive for 51 00:04:19,920 --> 00:04:25,760 fulfillment. Every man that's ever born has 52 00:04:25,760 --> 00:04:30,280 that same drive, that same passion within him or within 53 00:04:30,280 --> 00:04:38,840 her, that somehow I could be, can be fulfilled in life. 54 00:04:41,120 --> 00:04:47,200 Israel was that way as a nation. They were driven to be 55 00:04:47,200 --> 00:04:51,480 fulfilled. So to begin tonight, turn with 56 00:04:51,480 --> 00:04:53,920 me in your Bible to do Jeremiah chapter 2. 57 00:04:54,560 --> 00:05:01,840 I want to show you something. God is going to speak to the 58 00:05:01,840 --> 00:05:06,400 nation right before they go into captivity. 59 00:05:06,920 --> 00:05:12,240 Jeremiah is the prophet, and so the Lord says in chapter 2 verse 60 00:05:12,240 --> 00:05:16,640 #4 hear the word of the Lord, O House of Jacob, and all the 61 00:05:16,640 --> 00:05:20,960 families of the House of Israel. Thus says the Lord, What 62 00:05:20,960 --> 00:05:27,440 injustice did your father's find in me that they went far from 63 00:05:27,440 --> 00:05:35,080 me, and walked after emptiness and became empty? 64 00:05:36,880 --> 00:05:40,080 Or to ask a question what? What is it that drove you away 65 00:05:40,080 --> 00:05:47,800 from me so much so that you would you would be driven to 66 00:05:47,800 --> 00:05:53,480 something that's unfulfilling? What caused you to do that? 67 00:05:55,920 --> 00:06:01,560 Verse #8 at the end says they walked after things that did not 68 00:06:01,560 --> 00:06:05,800 profit. You left me for no advantage. 69 00:06:06,040 --> 00:06:10,200 You left me for no satisfaction. You left me for no fulfillment. 70 00:06:10,560 --> 00:06:15,360 You left me to be empty. Why? 71 00:06:18,320 --> 00:06:21,960 And the Lord says in in verse 10, you can, you can look as far 72 00:06:21,960 --> 00:06:25,920 to the West as you want or as far to the east as you want. 73 00:06:26,080 --> 00:06:31,840 No matter how far you look in the West or the east, no matter 74 00:06:31,840 --> 00:06:37,800 how far you look, the answer will escape you. 75 00:06:40,040 --> 00:06:47,600 So he says in verse 11, has a nation changed gods when they 76 00:06:47,600 --> 00:06:51,280 were not gods? He asked a question. 77 00:06:52,800 --> 00:06:59,880 Did did the Canaanites change from worshipping Baal when Baal 78 00:06:59,880 --> 00:07:02,320 is not a God? Answer no. 79 00:07:04,520 --> 00:07:09,200 Did they change from worshipping Ashtaroth? 80 00:07:10,960 --> 00:07:14,880 And Ashtaroth is not even a God. But did they change their gods? 81 00:07:15,320 --> 00:07:22,600 Answer no, not at all. Did the Babylonians change from 82 00:07:23,160 --> 00:07:27,440 worshipping Marduk and Marduk's not even a God? 83 00:07:28,880 --> 00:07:38,360 Answer No. Nations didn't change their gods 84 00:07:38,360 --> 00:07:41,400 when they didn't even have a God. 85 00:07:44,120 --> 00:07:53,560 But he says my people have changed their glory for that 86 00:07:53,560 --> 00:08:00,520 which does not profit. My people who have the 87 00:08:00,520 --> 00:08:10,400 opportunity to worship the one true God, have turned from me to 88 00:08:10,400 --> 00:08:12,440 pursue that which does not profit. 89 00:08:15,200 --> 00:08:19,080 So he says in verse 12, Be appalled the heavens at this and 90 00:08:19,080 --> 00:08:21,640 shudder. Be very desolate, declares the 91 00:08:21,640 --> 00:08:24,800 Lord. For my people have committed 2 92 00:08:24,800 --> 00:08:28,200 evils. They have forsaken me, the 93 00:08:28,200 --> 00:08:32,240 fountain of living waters, to dig for themselves. 94 00:08:32,240 --> 00:08:39,679 Cisterns, broken cisterns that can hold no water. 95 00:08:41,919 --> 00:08:44,880 The Lord says, I want you to stand back and be appalled and 96 00:08:44,880 --> 00:08:48,800 be astonished at this. So heavens, you're not going to 97 00:08:48,800 --> 00:08:53,440 believe what I'm going to tell you, but I'm going to tell you 98 00:08:53,440 --> 00:08:57,680 that my people have forsaken me. They have committed 2 evils. 99 00:08:58,080 --> 00:09:01,080 And notice the evil wasn't they murdered somebody. 100 00:09:02,400 --> 00:09:05,520 The evil wasn't that they committed immorality. 101 00:09:08,640 --> 00:09:17,440 The evil was simply that they, as he says, forsaken me, the 102 00:09:17,440 --> 00:09:21,760 fountain that gives true living water. 103 00:09:22,920 --> 00:09:30,120 And they, they dug for themselves broken cisterns that 104 00:09:30,120 --> 00:09:35,560 can never hold water. He, he helps you understand what 105 00:09:35,560 --> 00:09:38,320 evil really is. This is evil. 106 00:09:39,160 --> 00:09:45,200 Whenever you choose to be satisfied and fulfilled with 107 00:09:45,200 --> 00:09:50,000 something other than the true God, you have committed that 108 00:09:50,000 --> 00:09:55,080 which is evil because you have forsaken the true and living God 109 00:09:56,680 --> 00:09:58,880 to pursue something that cannot fulfill you. 110 00:09:59,640 --> 00:10:06,880 It's empty, it's it's vain, it's useless, but people do that all 111 00:10:06,880 --> 00:10:10,080 the time because the the motivating factor in every man's 112 00:10:10,080 --> 00:10:18,160 life is a drive for fulfillment. But yet if you drive in a way 113 00:10:18,160 --> 00:10:25,480 that takes you away from God, you're committed evil and you 114 00:10:25,480 --> 00:10:29,920 will never be satisfied. In fact, he says down to verse 115 00:10:29,920 --> 00:10:36,280 #17 have you not done this to yourself by your forsaking the 116 00:10:36,280 --> 00:10:40,760 Lord your God, when he led you in the way, I mean, you did 117 00:10:40,760 --> 00:10:44,520 this, I LED you all the way. I cared for you, I nurtured you, 118 00:10:44,560 --> 00:10:47,720 I protected you, I provided for you, I did everything for you. 119 00:10:47,720 --> 00:10:50,880 I fought your enemies for you, I part of the Red Sea for you, I 120 00:10:50,880 --> 00:10:54,160 fed you manna from heaven. I did everything for you. 121 00:10:54,400 --> 00:10:56,200 And yet you did this to yourself. 122 00:10:56,360 --> 00:11:00,360 You decided to forsake me. You decided to walk away from me 123 00:11:00,720 --> 00:11:04,320 because in your mind you thought that there was something else 124 00:11:04,520 --> 00:11:09,760 that was better than me. There is something that will 125 00:11:09,760 --> 00:11:16,160 fulfill you and satisfy you better than me. 126 00:11:18,040 --> 00:11:23,800 And God defines that as evil. We don't think it that way. 127 00:11:25,160 --> 00:11:29,040 We think that people who commit heinous sins, they're evil. 128 00:11:30,320 --> 00:11:34,600 But in God's eyes, whenever you turn from him and pursue that 129 00:11:34,600 --> 00:11:41,920 which is nothing but you think it's something that's evil. 130 00:11:43,040 --> 00:11:47,080 Verse 19, he says your own wickedness will correct you and 131 00:11:47,080 --> 00:11:51,360 your apostasies will reprove. You know therefore and see that 132 00:11:51,360 --> 00:11:55,800 it is evil and bitter for you to forsake the Lord your God. 133 00:11:58,440 --> 00:12:03,440 He tells him why, And the dread of me is not in you, declares 134 00:12:03,480 --> 00:12:09,680 the Lord God of hosts. He says you don't fear me. 135 00:12:11,240 --> 00:12:15,360 That's why you turn from me, verse 22. 136 00:12:15,400 --> 00:12:19,880 Although you wash yourselves with Lye and use much soap, the 137 00:12:19,880 --> 00:12:22,480 stain of your iniquity is before me, declares the Lord. 138 00:12:23,800 --> 00:12:26,120 You go through the motions of trying to cleanse yourself. 139 00:12:26,280 --> 00:12:30,080 You try to get things right, but you're not. 140 00:12:31,280 --> 00:12:34,360 You're not truly repenting of your sin. 141 00:12:36,000 --> 00:12:44,080 How sad. Many years earlier, Isaiah the 142 00:12:44,080 --> 00:12:46,200 prophet was prophesying to the nation. 143 00:12:47,920 --> 00:12:55,600 This is what he says in chapter 55 verse #1 Ho, everyone who 144 00:12:55,600 --> 00:13:00,320 thirsts, everyone. Anybody who's thirsty. 145 00:13:00,960 --> 00:13:04,040 Now remember the number one motivation in the heart of every 146 00:13:04,040 --> 00:13:08,720 man is a drive for fulfillment, a drive to satisfy whatever 147 00:13:08,720 --> 00:13:12,760 thirst you have, the drive to satisfy whatever hunger you 148 00:13:12,760 --> 00:13:16,120 possess. Every man is driven the same 149 00:13:16,120 --> 00:13:20,040 way. So God says to the prophet 150 00:13:20,040 --> 00:13:23,920 Isaiah, everybody you thirst, no matter where you are, whether 151 00:13:23,920 --> 00:13:29,080 you're a Jew or you're a Gentile, whoever is thirsty, 152 00:13:29,680 --> 00:13:34,920 come to the waters and you have no money. 153 00:13:34,920 --> 00:13:38,880 Come buy, eat, come buy wine and milk without money and without 154 00:13:38,880 --> 00:13:42,640 cost. Why do you spend your money for 155 00:13:42,640 --> 00:13:46,840 what is not bread and your wages for what does not satisfy? 156 00:13:47,600 --> 00:13:50,680 Listen carefully to me and eat what is good and delight 157 00:13:50,680 --> 00:13:54,360 yourself in abundance. Incline your ear and come to me. 158 00:13:54,480 --> 00:13:59,160 Listen that you may live. You see, God is is is pleading 159 00:13:59,160 --> 00:14:02,240 with people. He's pleading with the nation. 160 00:14:03,040 --> 00:14:05,840 You come, come that you might live. 161 00:14:06,040 --> 00:14:09,640 You're thirsty. I will satisfy your parched 162 00:14:09,760 --> 00:14:12,120 soul. You're hungry. 163 00:14:12,520 --> 00:14:17,640 I will feed you with in ways you'll never understand, but you 164 00:14:17,640 --> 00:14:22,480 got to listen to me. Verse 6 Seek the Lord while he 165 00:14:22,480 --> 00:14:24,360 may be found. Call upon him while he's near. 166 00:14:24,520 --> 00:14:28,160 Let the wicked forsake his way and the righteous man his his 167 00:14:28,160 --> 00:14:32,360 thoughts, and let him return to the Lord, and he will have 168 00:14:32,360 --> 00:14:38,680 compassion on him and to our God, for he will abundantly 169 00:14:38,680 --> 00:14:43,240 pardon. This is Isaiah, he's prophesying 170 00:14:43,240 --> 00:14:47,800 before Jeremiah. He is pleading with the people. 171 00:14:47,800 --> 00:14:52,000 This is what God says. Come and the Lord will satisfy. 172 00:14:53,840 --> 00:14:58,960 He'll protect you, He'll provide for you, and by the time 173 00:14:58,960 --> 00:15:04,920 Jeremiah prophecies, they have committed the evil of turning 174 00:15:04,920 --> 00:15:11,520 away from the one true God who can fulfill them to pursue 175 00:15:11,520 --> 00:15:15,440 something that can do nothing for them. 176 00:15:16,120 --> 00:15:20,320 It could be a person, it could be an event, it could be a 177 00:15:20,320 --> 00:15:30,240 situation, but they're pursuing all all that there is, but never 178 00:15:30,240 --> 00:15:33,880 be satisfied. Excuse me. 179 00:15:35,800 --> 00:15:44,280 So Jesus comes along in Matthew chapter 5 and says, I want to 180 00:15:44,480 --> 00:15:49,440 give you, provide for you fulfillment. 181 00:15:51,400 --> 00:15:56,200 You are driven that way anyway, but you need to be driven my 182 00:15:56,200 --> 00:15:59,360 way. You be driven to me. 183 00:16:01,360 --> 00:16:07,280 And so he begins this Sermon on the Mount by saying, blessed are 184 00:16:07,280 --> 00:16:09,800 the poor in spirit, for there's the Kingdom of heaven. 185 00:16:11,720 --> 00:16:15,360 Blessed are those who mourn, for they should be comforted. 186 00:16:17,320 --> 00:16:22,120 Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. 187 00:16:23,360 --> 00:16:27,360 I'm offering you my Kingdom. I'm offering you comfort. 188 00:16:28,320 --> 00:16:37,680 I'm offering you the world. And then he says, blessed are 189 00:16:37,680 --> 00:16:45,280 those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they and they 190 00:16:45,280 --> 00:16:52,040 only will be satisfied. Nothing else is going to satisfy 191 00:16:52,080 --> 00:16:56,400 you. Every other pursuit you have 192 00:16:57,520 --> 00:17:03,880 will end up in emptiness but you hunger and thirst for 193 00:17:03,880 --> 00:17:10,520 righteousness. Then you will find satisfaction. 194 00:17:12,400 --> 00:17:14,640 That's the beatitude for this evening. 195 00:17:16,280 --> 00:17:19,480 If you have your notes in front of you, the outline is the same 196 00:17:19,480 --> 00:17:21,240 as it was the previous three weeks. 197 00:17:22,079 --> 00:17:26,000 We will define the condition, describe the consequences, 198 00:17:26,000 --> 00:17:30,800 detail the characteristics, and then determine our course. 199 00:17:32,560 --> 00:17:38,800 Let's define the condition. Blessed are those who are hungry 200 00:17:40,920 --> 00:17:44,960 and are thirsty for righteousness. 201 00:17:47,000 --> 00:17:50,680 First of all, the negative aspect of hungry and thirsty. 202 00:17:52,520 --> 00:17:59,520 It's interesting to note that every one of us has pursuits in 203 00:17:59,520 --> 00:18:08,640 life, driving ambitions. Usually they're material and 204 00:18:08,640 --> 00:18:12,720 temporal, not spiritual and eternal. 205 00:18:15,040 --> 00:18:18,560 That 17th century philosopher Blaise Pascal said. 206 00:18:19,880 --> 00:18:23,760 All men seek happiness. This is without exception. 207 00:18:24,960 --> 00:18:29,000 Whatever different means they employ, they all tend to this 208 00:18:29,000 --> 00:18:32,240 end. The cause of some going to war, 209 00:18:33,120 --> 00:18:38,760 and of others avoiding it is the same desire in both attending 210 00:18:38,760 --> 00:18:43,600 with different views. They will never take the least 211 00:18:43,600 --> 00:18:48,920 step but to this objective. This is the motive of every man, 212 00:18:49,120 --> 00:18:51,320 even to those who hang themselves. 213 00:18:52,840 --> 00:18:58,520 He understood that man is driven with passion. 214 00:19:00,200 --> 00:19:04,800 Everybody has a driving mechanism within them. 215 00:19:06,320 --> 00:19:11,800 It's always the same. I must be satisfied, I must be 216 00:19:11,800 --> 00:19:17,360 fulfilled because I'm empty. So we begin to pursue whatever 217 00:19:17,360 --> 00:19:22,160 avenues out there to fulfill my emptiness. 218 00:19:23,320 --> 00:19:28,520 Sometimes it's praise. People need praise. 219 00:19:29,400 --> 00:19:33,440 So we work hard at work so that my boss and my fellow employees 220 00:19:33,440 --> 00:19:38,320 will praise me. I'll work hard in in the gym so 221 00:19:38,320 --> 00:19:42,240 that when I go to the field, I'll perform at a great, great 222 00:19:42,240 --> 00:19:44,360 height and everybody will praise me. 223 00:19:46,400 --> 00:19:49,280 People have an ambition to be praised, to be honored, to be 224 00:19:49,280 --> 00:19:53,440 recognized, to be affirmed, and that that motivates them. 225 00:19:53,440 --> 00:19:57,440 It drives them so much so that they begin to manipulate events 226 00:19:57,440 --> 00:19:59,720 so that they are praised even all the more. 227 00:20:02,640 --> 00:20:07,080 Christ would say in Matthew chapter 6 verse one, beware of 228 00:20:07,080 --> 00:20:09,840 practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by 229 00:20:09,840 --> 00:20:11,800 them. Otherwise you have no reward 230 00:20:11,800 --> 00:20:13,120 with your Father who is in heaven. 231 00:20:14,000 --> 00:20:17,960 So when you give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, 232 00:20:18,840 --> 00:20:20,800 as the hypocrites do in the synagogues. 233 00:20:21,560 --> 00:20:26,200 And in the streets that they may be honored by men. 234 00:20:26,200 --> 00:20:30,160 Truly, I say to you, they have their reward in full. 235 00:20:31,360 --> 00:20:34,280 Don't be like the hypocrites. They want everybody to know how 236 00:20:34,280 --> 00:20:37,400 much they give. So they'll blow the trumpet as 237 00:20:37,400 --> 00:20:40,760 they begin to drop their gifts in the in the offering basket 238 00:20:40,960 --> 00:20:44,400 and walk away so proud because others have seen that they've 239 00:20:44,400 --> 00:20:48,160 given to God. Christ says that's the only 240 00:20:48,160 --> 00:20:53,800 reward they're going to get because they seek praise from 241 00:20:53,800 --> 00:20:58,400 man. Others are are driven by the 242 00:20:58,400 --> 00:21:04,600 ambition for more possessions, more things, more object. 243 00:21:05,560 --> 00:21:10,920 It's like the rich, the rich fool when the Lord said man's 244 00:21:10,920 --> 00:21:13,720 life does not consist in the abundance of things in which he 245 00:21:13,720 --> 00:21:17,360 possesses. And we read that, but we, we 246 00:21:17,360 --> 00:21:21,520 still still want just a little bit more of this or a little bit 247 00:21:21,520 --> 00:21:27,880 more of that and possessions and having them drive me for more. 248 00:21:29,680 --> 00:21:35,200 Then then there's the lust for power to be in charge, to be in 249 00:21:35,200 --> 00:21:38,320 control, to be recognized as an all powerful one. 250 00:21:38,320 --> 00:21:42,000 Like like Lucifer. He was driven by power, by 251 00:21:42,000 --> 00:21:45,640 pride. He wanted to be just like God. 252 00:21:45,760 --> 00:21:47,600 He wanted to be worshipped like God. 253 00:21:50,000 --> 00:21:56,080 It was driven by power others are hungry for, for pleasure. 254 00:21:57,280 --> 00:22:00,240 Remember the prodigal son? He wanted his inheritance. 255 00:22:01,040 --> 00:22:06,160 What drove him pleasure. He spent all of his money and 256 00:22:06,160 --> 00:22:08,120 all of his efforts on wanton sin. 257 00:22:09,360 --> 00:22:11,520 When he recognized the very end, it was empty. 258 00:22:11,520 --> 00:22:14,520 It was nothing that got him nowhere. 259 00:22:17,640 --> 00:22:24,160 Classic example. Of course you know Solomon says 260 00:22:24,160 --> 00:22:29,160 these words in Ecclesiastes 2 verse #9 I became great and 261 00:22:30,240 --> 00:22:32,960 increased more than all who preceded me in Jerusalem. 262 00:22:34,880 --> 00:22:39,080 My wisdom also stood by me. All that my eyes desired. 263 00:22:39,080 --> 00:22:46,440 I did not refuse them. Whatever my eyes saw, whatever 264 00:22:46,440 --> 00:22:49,760 they wanted, I did not refuse them. 265 00:22:51,000 --> 00:22:54,880 I did not withhold my heart from any pleasure. 266 00:22:56,760 --> 00:23:01,800 Whatever pleasure I wanted, I obtained, for my heart was 267 00:23:01,800 --> 00:23:06,840 pleased because of all my labor, and this was my reward for all 268 00:23:06,840 --> 00:23:11,080 my labor. In other words, I built gardens 269 00:23:11,080 --> 00:23:15,520 and I built more gardens. I built houses, and I built more 270 00:23:15,520 --> 00:23:18,800 houses. I obtained horses, and then I 271 00:23:18,800 --> 00:23:23,240 obtained more horses. I obtained wives, and then I 272 00:23:23,240 --> 00:23:27,400 obtained even more wives. Whatever my eyes desired, 273 00:23:27,520 --> 00:23:30,960 whatever my heart pleasured, whatever I wanted to do, 274 00:23:30,960 --> 00:23:38,760 whatever I labored on, I just purchased, obtained, received. 275 00:23:40,440 --> 00:23:42,800 Thus I considered all my activities which my hands had 276 00:23:42,800 --> 00:23:47,960 done, and the labor which I exerted, and behold, all was 277 00:23:48,400 --> 00:23:54,040 vanity and striving after the wind, and there was no profit 278 00:23:54,840 --> 00:24:01,840 under the sun. Solomon is a great example of 279 00:24:01,840 --> 00:24:06,480 the passion to hunger and the thirst for for possessions or 280 00:24:07,400 --> 00:24:13,280 for wives or for more power, more pleasure. 281 00:24:14,880 --> 00:24:17,840 And he had the opportunity at his fingertips to do whatever he 282 00:24:17,840 --> 00:24:21,880 wanted. None of us do, but he did. 283 00:24:23,640 --> 00:24:26,800 And the end result was what? It's empty. 284 00:24:27,800 --> 00:24:30,840 It's driving after the wind. There's nothing there. 285 00:24:33,840 --> 00:24:36,880 So Christ says I've I've come to offer you fulfillment. 286 00:24:39,120 --> 00:24:44,240 I've come to offer you satisfaction, and those who 287 00:24:44,240 --> 00:24:50,120 hunger and thirst for righteousness, they will be 288 00:24:50,120 --> 00:24:55,120 satisfied. The drive you have on the inside 289 00:24:55,120 --> 00:24:59,480 of you is to be directed only to Me. 290 00:25:01,520 --> 00:25:04,480 And when you find me, you find a life. 291 00:25:05,320 --> 00:25:11,160 You find everything there is in life, but you must hunger and 292 00:25:11,160 --> 00:25:15,040 thirst for righteousness. That's the positive aspect. 293 00:25:16,360 --> 00:25:20,280 What is that? Well, in the Old Testament, it's 294 00:25:20,280 --> 00:25:22,960 unique to understand that righteousness is equated with 295 00:25:23,800 --> 00:25:27,520 salvation. So when you're hungering and 296 00:25:27,520 --> 00:25:32,040 thirsting for righteousness, to be reconciled to God, to be 297 00:25:32,040 --> 00:25:35,360 right with God, that's what salvation is. 298 00:25:35,600 --> 00:25:39,200 And those who hunger and thirst for justification, for 299 00:25:39,240 --> 00:25:45,200 reconciliation, for righteousness, our Lord gave us 300 00:25:45,200 --> 00:25:48,680 His righteousness at the cross when we embrace Him as our Lord 301 00:25:48,680 --> 00:25:52,040 and Savior. And so we had this positional 302 00:25:52,040 --> 00:25:55,000 righteousness that we have, we are declared right before God, 303 00:25:55,120 --> 00:25:57,200 not because of anything that we have done, but because of 304 00:25:57,200 --> 00:26:02,160 everything that He has done. And He says, when you hunger and 305 00:26:02,160 --> 00:26:07,760 thirst for righteousness, not just positional righteousness, 306 00:26:08,400 --> 00:26:12,480 but practical righteousness, not not just salvation, but 307 00:26:12,480 --> 00:26:18,440 sanctification, when when you pursue to be set apart unto me 308 00:26:18,600 --> 00:26:24,880 for my purposes, when you pursue to be holy as I am holy, when 309 00:26:24,880 --> 00:26:27,440 you set your eyes, when you set your heart, when you set your 310 00:26:27,440 --> 00:26:32,840 mind on on following after me, you will be satisfied. 311 00:26:34,440 --> 00:26:38,680 Your search will be complete. You'll recognize that everything 312 00:26:38,680 --> 00:26:42,040 you've longed for, I will give you. 313 00:26:43,280 --> 00:26:50,120 Everything that you need I have, but you must hunger and thirst 314 00:26:50,840 --> 00:26:53,680 for righteousness. That's why you would say in 315 00:26:53,680 --> 00:26:58,920 Matthew 6, Seek ye first. My Kingdom and My righteousness 316 00:27:00,480 --> 00:27:03,840 make the priority. It's all about My Kingdom and 317 00:27:03,840 --> 00:27:07,880 I'm a righteous king, and I want you to be as righteous as I am 318 00:27:07,880 --> 00:27:12,000 righteous and I want you to pursue me and I all these other 319 00:27:12,000 --> 00:27:14,520 things will be added unto you, but you got to make me the 320 00:27:14,520 --> 00:27:17,600 priority. That's why Paul says in Romans 321 00:27:17,600 --> 00:27:22,800 1417, the Kingdom of heaven is not eating and drinking. 322 00:27:22,800 --> 00:27:27,920 It's righteousness, it's peace, it's joy in the Holy Spirit. 323 00:27:29,200 --> 00:27:32,160 When you're righteous, when you declared right before God, 324 00:27:32,280 --> 00:27:35,080 you've been reconciled to God. You're no longer his enemy, 325 00:27:35,160 --> 00:27:39,240 you're on his side. You have peace, and those who 326 00:27:39,240 --> 00:27:43,920 have peace have joy. And that's what my Kingdom is, 327 00:27:44,920 --> 00:27:49,600 righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. 328 00:27:51,520 --> 00:27:55,960 So important to understand. Interesting that this word 329 00:27:55,960 --> 00:28:04,720 righteousness is used seven times in Matthew's gospel, five 330 00:28:04,720 --> 00:28:08,200 times in the Sermon on the Mount. 331 00:28:09,760 --> 00:28:16,040 Only one other gospel writer mentions the word righteousness, 332 00:28:18,080 --> 00:28:20,680 but Matthew mentions it quite frequently. 333 00:28:21,120 --> 00:28:24,000 Why? Because the only way to get into 334 00:28:24,000 --> 00:28:27,320 the Kingdom is to obtain the righteousness of the king. 335 00:28:28,800 --> 00:28:32,280 He's come to present the Kingdom. 336 00:28:34,160 --> 00:28:41,840 So the condition is simply this. You hunger, you are thirsty for 337 00:28:41,840 --> 00:28:46,840 righteousness. And if you are, you'll be 338 00:28:46,840 --> 00:28:51,920 satisfied, which tells us the consequences. 339 00:28:53,720 --> 00:28:59,200 The consequences are three. You'll be happy, you'll be holy, 340 00:29:01,040 --> 00:29:04,440 yet you'll still be hungry, you'll still be thirsty. 341 00:29:05,840 --> 00:29:10,480 He says blessed are those who hunger and thirst for 342 00:29:10,480 --> 00:29:15,600 righteousness. The the contentment, the joy, 343 00:29:15,600 --> 00:29:18,880 the the blessing that comes. Listen to what Psalm one O 7 344 00:29:18,880 --> 00:29:24,880 says it says, For he satisfieth the longing soul, and fillet the 345 00:29:24,880 --> 00:29:31,600 hungry soul with goodness. Psalm 34, verse #10 They that 346 00:29:31,600 --> 00:29:36,000 seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing. 347 00:29:37,520 --> 00:29:40,320 Jeremiah 31. My people shall be satisfied 348 00:29:40,520 --> 00:29:43,920 with my goodness, saith the Lord. 349 00:29:44,680 --> 00:29:48,320 Luke 153. Mary says He has filled the 350 00:29:48,320 --> 00:29:54,520 hungry with good things. John 4/14 Whosoever drinketh of 351 00:29:54,520 --> 00:29:57,200 the water that I shall give him shall never thirst. 352 00:29:57,600 --> 00:30:03,520 John 635I in the bread of life, he that cometh to me shall never 353 00:30:04,560 --> 00:30:10,080 hunger. Wow, there is something about 354 00:30:10,080 --> 00:30:15,920 what God does in the life of an individual that satisfies his 355 00:30:15,920 --> 00:30:19,960 soul. He says, You come to me, you're 356 00:30:19,960 --> 00:30:24,440 blessed, you come to me, you'll be happy #2 you'll be holy. 357 00:30:25,120 --> 00:30:26,760 Why? Because you would have obtained 358 00:30:26,760 --> 00:30:30,200 my righteousness. And Peter would say, I want you 359 00:30:30,200 --> 00:30:34,520 to be holy as the Lord God is holy. 360 00:30:34,520 --> 00:30:37,960 I want you to be holy in all your conduct, not just some of 361 00:30:37,960 --> 00:30:40,440 your conduct. Peter says, I want you to be 362 00:30:40,440 --> 00:30:43,640 holy in all of your conduct. Why? 363 00:30:43,640 --> 00:30:46,520 Because the Lord your God is a holy God. 364 00:30:46,800 --> 00:30:50,600 In other words, I, I want you to be set apart when when you are 365 00:30:50,600 --> 00:30:53,560 pursuing God, when you are hungry and thirsty for 366 00:30:53,560 --> 00:30:57,640 righteousness, you are, You are set apart unto God for his 367 00:30:57,640 --> 00:30:59,880 purposes. That's what it means to to be 368 00:30:59,880 --> 00:31:04,160 holy or to be sanctified. You are set apart unto God for 369 00:31:04,240 --> 00:31:08,600 his purposes and all of a sudden you are. 370 00:31:08,880 --> 00:31:16,200 You are an antithesis to society because you pursue what they 371 00:31:16,200 --> 00:31:22,320 don't pursue. You are driven inwardly by God 372 00:31:23,280 --> 00:31:29,680 to God for more of God and they are not and they don't 373 00:31:29,680 --> 00:31:36,600 understand that. But the the consequences of 374 00:31:38,240 --> 00:31:44,960 pursuing and hungering for righteousness is happiness, 375 00:31:45,960 --> 00:31:52,080 holiness, yet you're still hungry. 376 00:31:53,640 --> 00:31:57,600 In other words, you're satisfied, but yet you're still 377 00:31:57,600 --> 00:32:00,920 not satisfied. You know, you've, you've been in 378 00:32:00,920 --> 00:32:03,360 that place where, where you just sit down. 379 00:32:03,360 --> 00:32:07,080 You've had a long day and you come home and, and you, you make 380 00:32:07,240 --> 00:32:11,280 your favorite cup of coffee and your wife has just made those 381 00:32:11,280 --> 00:32:15,080 beautiful chocolate chip cookies with macadamia nuts in them. 382 00:32:15,960 --> 00:32:18,080 And they're really warm coming out of the oven. 383 00:32:19,400 --> 00:32:22,400 And you, you, you set that, that warm cookie right there. 384 00:32:22,400 --> 00:32:24,440 And then you, you've got your coffee right there. 385 00:32:24,440 --> 00:32:28,320 And, and maybe you'll, you'll, you'll dip the, the cookie into 386 00:32:28,320 --> 00:32:32,440 the coffee and, but, but you will sip your coffee and eat 387 00:32:32,560 --> 00:32:38,520 that beautiful warm cookie and say, ah, I am satisfied. 388 00:32:40,160 --> 00:32:44,800 But as soon as that cookie's done, you're unsatisfied. 389 00:32:45,840 --> 00:32:51,280 And so you want another cookie and you say, I'm so satisfied. 390 00:32:52,640 --> 00:32:56,040 But then you want another one. And the next day you want more. 391 00:32:57,120 --> 00:32:58,440 See, that's, that's the way it is. 392 00:32:58,680 --> 00:33:00,760 That's the way it is with with righteousness. 393 00:33:02,200 --> 00:33:06,640 You're hungry and thirsty for righteousness and God says I 394 00:33:06,640 --> 00:33:09,920 will satisfy you. But then again, you're never 395 00:33:09,920 --> 00:33:13,000 really fully satisfied. In fact, the psalmist says it 396 00:33:13,000 --> 00:33:19,880 this way, Psalm 1715 I shall be satisfied when I awake with thy 397 00:33:19,880 --> 00:33:25,720 likeness. When I'm finally dead, which I'm 398 00:33:25,880 --> 00:33:29,560 really alive and I'm in heaven, and I awake with your likeness, 399 00:33:29,560 --> 00:33:37,240 then I will fully be satisfied. Remember, Remember Paul, he said 400 00:33:37,240 --> 00:33:44,280 in Second Timothy 112 I know whom I have believed, and then 401 00:33:44,280 --> 00:33:47,840 persuaded that He is able to keep that which I've committed 402 00:33:47,840 --> 00:33:50,360 unto him until that day. I know whom I have believed. 403 00:33:51,480 --> 00:33:54,760 And yet in Philippians 3 he says, Oh, that I may know him, 404 00:33:55,760 --> 00:33:58,480 that there was a hunger to know God even all the more. 405 00:33:58,560 --> 00:34:01,400 He knew him, but he wanted to know Him all the more. 406 00:34:02,560 --> 00:34:05,800 And that's what happens to those who hunger and thirst for 407 00:34:05,800 --> 00:34:09,480 righteousness. It's whenever you are parched in 408 00:34:09,480 --> 00:34:12,880 your mouth and you want some water and you drink the water. 409 00:34:13,239 --> 00:34:16,880 Listen, having drank the water doesn't mean you won't be 410 00:34:16,880 --> 00:34:18,920 thirsty tomorrow. You will be. 411 00:34:19,000 --> 00:34:22,480 Or the next day. You're going to continually be 412 00:34:22,480 --> 00:34:26,280 thirsty in the physical realm when you eat your dinner 413 00:34:26,280 --> 00:34:27,920 tonight. Well, maybe you've already eaten 414 00:34:27,920 --> 00:34:30,880 dinner, you're satisfied, but when you wake up for breakfast 415 00:34:30,880 --> 00:34:32,679 tomorrow, you're still going to be hungry. 416 00:34:32,960 --> 00:34:35,239 With The same is true with scripture. 417 00:34:35,400 --> 00:34:37,320 The same is true with righteousness. 418 00:34:37,480 --> 00:34:41,400 The same is true with learning to live a holy separated life 419 00:34:41,520 --> 00:34:44,480 unto God. All that is true, you just want 420 00:34:44,480 --> 00:34:50,800 more of it. I had a had a phone call today 421 00:34:50,800 --> 00:34:55,800 with Don and and Wanda Slavin and they had just listened to 422 00:34:55,800 --> 00:35:03,720 last Sunday's sermon and they were praying for me and for our 423 00:35:03,720 --> 00:35:06,600 church and I called them out of the blue. 424 00:35:06,600 --> 00:35:08,920 Just want to know how they work because they haven't been here. 425 00:35:08,920 --> 00:35:15,040 Of course they can't get here because Don is is too weak to 426 00:35:15,040 --> 00:35:20,520 drive and and Wanda is going to have a procedure pretty soon and 427 00:35:20,520 --> 00:35:22,480 so she can't really drive until that time. 428 00:35:22,480 --> 00:35:26,840 And so they're stuck at home. And she said to me, you know, I 429 00:35:26,840 --> 00:35:29,200 heard your sermon. And she said, you know, I, I, I 430 00:35:29,200 --> 00:35:32,000 would love to drag my family to church with me. 431 00:35:32,160 --> 00:35:34,120 At the end. I hear the gospel of John, she 432 00:35:34,160 --> 00:35:37,240 said, but I can't even drag myself out of my house to get to 433 00:35:37,240 --> 00:35:39,200 church to drag somebody else with me. 434 00:35:40,520 --> 00:35:44,520 But she wants to be here and Don wants to be here. 435 00:35:45,800 --> 00:35:50,440 These can't make it, but but they're the, the example of I 436 00:35:50,440 --> 00:35:52,480 want to be here. I can't be here, but I just 437 00:35:52,480 --> 00:35:57,280 hunger and thirst for more of the word and they said you know 438 00:35:57,280 --> 00:36:00,880 what physically we're we're we're hurting, but spiritually 439 00:36:00,880 --> 00:36:06,600 we are we are alive and our souls are are filled with the 440 00:36:06,600 --> 00:36:09,440 joy of the Lord. What a great testimony. 441 00:36:10,000 --> 00:36:16,520 Beautiful couple love the Lord. They want to be here so bad, so 442 00:36:16,520 --> 00:36:21,360 bad. They just can't physically make 443 00:36:21,360 --> 00:36:26,800 it. Same is true with Jan and Jerry 444 00:36:26,800 --> 00:36:31,440 Simmons spoke with her today and they're just having a hard time. 445 00:36:32,400 --> 00:36:35,200 And she says, oh, I just miss church. 446 00:36:35,200 --> 00:36:39,200 I miss my church family. I just long to be there. 447 00:36:40,600 --> 00:36:44,360 There, there's this hunger, there's this thirst to be with 448 00:36:44,360 --> 00:36:47,000 the people of God, to hear the word of God. 449 00:36:47,360 --> 00:36:51,160 I wonder if you have that. I would hope you do. 450 00:36:51,160 --> 00:36:53,760 I mean, you're here. So I would assume that that 451 00:36:53,760 --> 00:36:57,520 that's part of your DNA that you, you want to be here because 452 00:36:57,520 --> 00:37:00,520 you're hungry and thirsty for righteousness and you want to 453 00:37:00,520 --> 00:37:02,800 know what the Bible says and you, you want to grow and you 454 00:37:02,800 --> 00:37:04,320 walk with the Lord. That's why that's why you're 455 00:37:04,320 --> 00:37:07,640 here. I don't want to assume that 456 00:37:07,640 --> 00:37:11,360 necessarily, but I don't think the best of you, right? 457 00:37:12,600 --> 00:37:15,400 And so you, you got to realize that, that, that that's what 458 00:37:15,400 --> 00:37:19,040 happens. God says blessed are those who 459 00:37:19,040 --> 00:37:20,440 hunger and thirst for righteousness. 460 00:37:20,680 --> 00:37:24,040 These are the happy people. These are the holy people 461 00:37:24,600 --> 00:37:27,760 because they're saved. They're set apart unto God for 462 00:37:28,000 --> 00:37:33,200 my purpose, but they're still wanting more holiness. 463 00:37:33,360 --> 00:37:36,400 They're still wanting more happiness because they hunger 464 00:37:36,400 --> 00:37:47,600 more and more for my righteousness #3 detailing the 465 00:37:47,600 --> 00:37:51,480 characteristics. What are the characteristics of 466 00:37:51,480 --> 00:37:53,160 those who hunger and thirst for righteousness? 467 00:37:53,160 --> 00:37:58,040 There are many of them. I'm just going to give you 41. 468 00:37:59,200 --> 00:38:05,680 Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness squelch all their 469 00:38:05,680 --> 00:38:10,000 sin. They separate themselves from 470 00:38:10,000 --> 00:38:13,920 their sin. They silence their sin. 471 00:38:15,520 --> 00:38:21,080 In other words, they want nothing to do with evil. 472 00:38:22,440 --> 00:38:28,320 Psalm 97, verse #10 says You who love the Lord hate evil. 473 00:38:29,680 --> 00:38:36,280 Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness are increasingly 474 00:38:36,600 --> 00:38:46,360 dissatisfied with substitutes. It is our the mind recognizes 475 00:38:46,360 --> 00:38:52,640 sin, the heart is repulsed by sin, and the will refuses to 476 00:38:52,640 --> 00:38:57,000 sin. Those who hunger and thirst for 477 00:38:57,000 --> 00:39:00,920 righteousness that they want to suppress, squelch, separate, 478 00:39:01,040 --> 00:39:08,760 silence, all sin in their lives. Jerry Bridges, in his book The 479 00:39:08,760 --> 00:39:10,680 Pursuit of Holiness, said these words. 480 00:39:13,400 --> 00:39:17,400 He says, I realized that my personal life's objective 481 00:39:17,400 --> 00:39:21,400 regarding holiness was less than that of the apostle John. 482 00:39:22,640 --> 00:39:26,760 He was saying, in effect, make it your aim not to sin. 483 00:39:27,920 --> 00:39:31,320 As I thought about this, I realized that deep within my 484 00:39:31,320 --> 00:39:35,600 heart, my real aim was not to sin very much. 485 00:39:37,160 --> 00:39:40,760 Can you imagine a soldier going into battle with the aim of not 486 00:39:40,760 --> 00:39:45,400 getting hit very much? The very suggestion is 487 00:39:45,400 --> 00:39:48,560 ridiculous. His aim is not to get hit at 488 00:39:48,560 --> 00:39:52,000 all. Yet if we have not made a 489 00:39:52,000 --> 00:39:56,360 commitment to holiness, without exception, we are like a soldier 490 00:39:56,360 --> 00:40:01,200 going into battle with the aim of not getting hit very much. 491 00:40:02,520 --> 00:40:07,640 We can be sure if that is our aim, we will be hit not with 492 00:40:07,640 --> 00:40:12,600 bullets but with temptation, over and over. 493 00:40:13,720 --> 00:40:19,760 Again, so the will just refuses to sin. 494 00:40:20,920 --> 00:40:23,000 Why? Because I'm hungry and thirsting 495 00:40:23,160 --> 00:40:26,200 for that which satisfies my soul. 496 00:40:27,200 --> 00:40:35,120 The righteousness of God #2 the life that hungers and thirst for 497 00:40:35,120 --> 00:40:39,760 righteousness not only squelches all sin, but surrenders every 498 00:40:40,200 --> 00:40:47,120 substitute. Surrenders every substitute. 499 00:40:49,120 --> 00:40:55,960 A truly spiritual man will never be satisfied with that which is 500 00:40:55,960 --> 00:41:00,480 material or that which is temporal. 501 00:41:02,480 --> 00:41:12,120 In fact, a hungry man doesn't want food and a new shirt, he 502 00:41:12,120 --> 00:41:17,640 just wants food. A thirsty man just wants water, 503 00:41:17,640 --> 00:41:24,120 not water and something else. And so you surrender every 504 00:41:24,120 --> 00:41:29,920 substitute. Psalm 119 verse #20 My soul is 505 00:41:29,920 --> 00:41:38,240 crushed with longing after Thy ordinances at all times. 506 00:41:40,400 --> 00:41:43,600 Vance Havner was was a a country preacher. 507 00:41:43,600 --> 00:41:47,080 I don't know if you've read any of his books or not. 508 00:41:47,760 --> 00:41:56,680 He's got a a multitude of books in his his book entitled Pepper 509 00:41:56,880 --> 00:41:59,360 and Salt. He says this. 510 00:42:00,480 --> 00:42:03,600 He says we have too many casual Christians who dabble in 511 00:42:03,600 --> 00:42:06,680 everything but are not committed to anything. 512 00:42:08,240 --> 00:42:12,280 They have a a nodding acquaintance with a score of 513 00:42:12,280 --> 00:42:15,360 subjects but are sold on nothing. 514 00:42:16,560 --> 00:42:22,560 Of course I'm interested in church, but with my club and my 515 00:42:22,560 --> 00:42:26,520 lodge and my golf and my activities and my stamp 516 00:42:26,520 --> 00:42:31,400 collecting and and my ceramics and my African violets, I just 517 00:42:31,400 --> 00:42:33,960 can't get too excited about religion. 518 00:42:35,960 --> 00:42:42,040 Our Lord had no place in his program for casual disciples. 519 00:42:42,760 --> 00:42:48,400 It was all or it was nothing. That's so true. 520 00:42:49,840 --> 00:42:55,640 Christ demands everything. Come after me, come after me, 521 00:42:56,080 --> 00:42:59,640 deny yourself. Take up your cross and follow 522 00:42:59,640 --> 00:43:02,880 me. Don't follow me and someone else 523 00:43:02,880 --> 00:43:06,480 Follow me. Serve me, honor me. 524 00:43:09,000 --> 00:43:12,960 The person who hungers and thirst for righteousness, he 525 00:43:12,960 --> 00:43:18,400 surrenders every substitute. Anything that will sort of take 526 00:43:18,400 --> 00:43:24,640 the place of God, he wants to get rid of because it never 527 00:43:24,640 --> 00:43:35,760 satisfies #3 #3 He searches the Scriptures. 528 00:43:38,000 --> 00:43:43,440 He searches the Scriptures. Psalm 26 verse #9 With my soul 529 00:43:43,920 --> 00:43:49,680 have I desired Thee in the night, and with my Spirit within 530 00:43:49,680 --> 00:43:57,840 me will I seek Thee early. There's something about a hungry 531 00:43:57,840 --> 00:44:02,080 man that that searches for the bread of life. 532 00:44:03,520 --> 00:44:05,440 Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that 533 00:44:05,440 --> 00:44:06,640 proceeds out of the mouth of God. 534 00:44:08,160 --> 00:44:09,760 And so he searches the scriptures. 535 00:44:10,000 --> 00:44:13,000 Psalm 63, verse number 10. God, early will I seek thee. 536 00:44:13,160 --> 00:44:15,480 Jeremiah 1516. What did Jeremiah say? 537 00:44:15,600 --> 00:44:18,080 Thy words were found, and I did eat them, and they were the joy 538 00:44:18,080 --> 00:44:24,360 and the rejoicing of my heart. He said that knowing that all 539 00:44:24,360 --> 00:44:29,120 the people he preached to would never listen, never repent, and 540 00:44:30,200 --> 00:44:35,040 never follow his God. So you realize that the joy was 541 00:44:35,040 --> 00:44:36,600 not in the response of the people. 542 00:44:38,000 --> 00:44:43,680 The joy was in the opportunity to hear the word, digest the 543 00:44:43,680 --> 00:44:50,520 Word, feed on the word of God. That's what a hungry man does. 544 00:44:50,520 --> 00:44:54,160 That's what a thirsty man does. This is this is the living word 545 00:44:54,160 --> 00:44:56,080 of God. This is living water. 546 00:44:57,600 --> 00:45:06,480 This is bread of life. This is what satisfies #4 the 547 00:45:06,480 --> 00:45:11,040 one who hungers and thirsts for righteousness is satisfied even 548 00:45:11,040 --> 00:45:16,200 in suffering. Satisfied even in suffering. 549 00:45:17,360 --> 00:45:24,760 Proverbs 27 Seven To the hungry soul every bitter thing is 550 00:45:26,000 --> 00:45:30,560 sweet. The hungry soul remains content, 551 00:45:32,280 --> 00:45:34,320 The hungry soul remains satisfied. 552 00:45:36,080 --> 00:45:41,360 The hungry soul remains pursuing righteousness in spite of 553 00:45:41,840 --> 00:45:45,800 troubles and trials, in spite of persecution and affliction, in 554 00:45:45,800 --> 00:45:47,800 spite of difficulties and hardship. 555 00:45:49,000 --> 00:45:54,240 Because to him, even in the bitterness of life there was 556 00:45:54,240 --> 00:45:56,360 sweetness. Because he knows his God is at 557 00:45:56,360 --> 00:46:01,160 work. His God is a plan is God always 558 00:46:01,160 --> 00:46:05,560 knows what's best and so he continues to pursue 559 00:46:06,600 --> 00:46:11,240 righteousness. Where do we go from here? 560 00:46:12,440 --> 00:46:19,120 3 things. One, you need to develop an 561 00:46:19,120 --> 00:46:29,920 appetite for the righteousness of God, need to develop the 562 00:46:29,920 --> 00:46:33,440 appetite for the bread of life and for the living water. 563 00:46:35,640 --> 00:46:40,960 And Psalm 34, eight says, O taste and see that the Lord is 564 00:46:41,840 --> 00:46:45,800 good. I wonder what your appetite is 565 00:46:45,800 --> 00:46:50,640 like for the word of God. I wonder if there's a hunger in 566 00:46:50,640 --> 00:46:54,000 your soul to learn more and more and more. 567 00:46:54,160 --> 00:46:57,360 I wonder if there's a thirst in your soul that caused you to 568 00:46:57,360 --> 00:46:59,080 want to drink from the living water. 569 00:47:01,640 --> 00:47:05,840 Do you have the kind of appetite that can never be satisfied with 570 00:47:05,840 --> 00:47:10,360 just one sermon or just one reading of the scriptures or 571 00:47:10,360 --> 00:47:15,360 just memorizing one verse? Do you have the kind of appetite 572 00:47:15,360 --> 00:47:18,560 that once you've memorized one verse, you you want to memorize 573 00:47:18,560 --> 00:47:20,600 2? Once you've read 1 chapter, you 574 00:47:20,600 --> 00:47:22,960 want to read 2. Once you've heard one sermon, 575 00:47:22,960 --> 00:47:24,360 you want to hear the whole series. 576 00:47:24,520 --> 00:47:27,880 Once you are with the people of God, you want to continue to be 577 00:47:27,880 --> 00:47:30,480 with them. There's this driving force in 578 00:47:30,480 --> 00:47:34,280 your life that moves you further and further to hunger and thirst 579 00:47:34,400 --> 00:47:38,800 for more of the salvation and sanctification that comes to the 580 00:47:38,800 --> 00:47:44,640 righteousness of Christ Himself. You need to develop an appetite 581 00:47:45,680 --> 00:47:53,080 for the things of God, Peter says as newborn babes desire the 582 00:47:53,080 --> 00:47:58,840 pure milk of the word that you may grow thereby. 583 00:47:59,920 --> 00:48:10,240 If if you have tasted that the Lord is gracious, if you have 584 00:48:10,240 --> 00:48:13,760 tasted the the grace of God, if you look, if you've come to 585 00:48:13,760 --> 00:48:18,240 taste just the goodness of God, then you should be like a a 586 00:48:18,240 --> 00:48:23,640 newborn babe screaming for more of God, never getting enough. 587 00:48:24,840 --> 00:48:28,120 There's so many times we are unwind to surrender our 588 00:48:28,120 --> 00:48:31,840 substitutes. We're unwilling to squelch the 589 00:48:31,840 --> 00:48:36,080 sin in our lives. We're unwilling to search the 590 00:48:36,080 --> 00:48:44,280 Scriptures because we think down deep that maybe the Lord isn't 591 00:48:44,280 --> 00:48:47,480 enough. There's got to be something 592 00:48:47,480 --> 00:48:52,920 else, but there's not. Just read the book of Jeremiah, 593 00:48:53,960 --> 00:48:57,240 Just read Ecclesiastes. Just read the Bible. 594 00:48:59,080 --> 00:49:05,480 It comes only from the Lord. Develop an appetite #2 Delight 595 00:49:05,480 --> 00:49:07,400 yourself in the Lord. You're not going to delight 596 00:49:07,400 --> 00:49:09,880 yourself in the Lord unless you develop an appetite for the 597 00:49:09,880 --> 00:49:12,440 Lord. Psalmist said. 598 00:49:12,440 --> 00:49:16,320 You know the verse, Psalm 37 verse #4 delight yourself in the 599 00:49:16,320 --> 00:49:20,760 Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. 600 00:49:20,920 --> 00:49:23,840 Augustine said it well. Thou has made us for thyself, 601 00:49:24,000 --> 00:49:30,680 and our hearts are restless until they rest in Thee and then 602 00:49:30,680 --> 00:49:34,440 deny the world. Deny the things of the world. 603 00:49:36,200 --> 00:49:41,720 John the Baptist did. He was raised in the priesthood. 604 00:49:42,760 --> 00:49:47,280 His father was a priest, but he denied the things of the world. 605 00:49:48,800 --> 00:49:50,960 He didn't dress like all the other priests. 606 00:49:52,480 --> 00:49:54,680 He didn't eat what all the other priests ate. 607 00:49:56,480 --> 00:49:59,600 He certainly didn't speak and preach like the other priests. 608 00:50:02,520 --> 00:50:05,360 He was the antithesis to Judaism. 609 00:50:06,960 --> 00:50:08,880 He lived a different kind of way. 610 00:50:09,320 --> 00:50:22,640 He denied the things of the world over in Psalm 58. 611 00:50:27,520 --> 00:50:39,800 Psalm 58, listen, I'm sorry, Isaiah 58, Isaiah chapter 58, 612 00:50:39,800 --> 00:50:44,760 listen to what the Lord says. Verse 13. 613 00:50:44,760 --> 00:50:55,320 If because of the Sabbath you turn your foot from doing your 614 00:50:55,320 --> 00:51:02,240 own pleasure on my holy day, I think that's just so good. 615 00:51:03,080 --> 00:51:08,720 If he says because of the Sabbath, because of the day, 616 00:51:08,720 --> 00:51:18,760 that's a holy day. If you set aside my day to honor 617 00:51:18,760 --> 00:51:23,040 me. If you do that and call the 618 00:51:23,040 --> 00:51:29,800 Sabbath a delight, the holy day of the Lord honorable and honor 619 00:51:29,800 --> 00:51:37,160 it, desisting from your own ways, This is everything we just 620 00:51:37,160 --> 00:51:40,880 said to you. If you're, if you're willing to, 621 00:51:41,120 --> 00:51:49,400 to set aside one day for me, if you're willing to separate 622 00:51:49,400 --> 00:51:54,560 yourself from everything else, desist from doing anything else, 623 00:51:55,000 --> 00:52:04,880 focus on me, he says. Desist from your own ways, from 624 00:52:04,880 --> 00:52:19,160 seeking your own pleasure and speaking your own word, then you 625 00:52:19,160 --> 00:52:28,120 will take delight in the Lord. That is just so clear, God. 626 00:52:28,120 --> 00:52:30,400 God says you need to set apart a day for me. 627 00:52:32,440 --> 00:52:37,000 You need to keep it holy. You need to stop seeking other 628 00:52:37,000 --> 00:52:42,040 pleasures. You need to desist from your own 629 00:52:42,040 --> 00:52:44,600 way. Stop thinking that your way is 630 00:52:44,600 --> 00:52:48,720 better than my way. You do that. 631 00:52:50,000 --> 00:52:53,000 You will take delight in the Lord. 632 00:52:53,640 --> 00:52:57,680 Listen to this and I will make you ride on the heights of the 633 00:52:57,720 --> 00:53:01,680 earth, and I will feed you with the heritage of Jacob, your 634 00:53:01,680 --> 00:53:06,040 father, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken. 635 00:53:08,040 --> 00:53:14,880 God says I'm going to, this is what I'm going to do, but this 636 00:53:14,880 --> 00:53:18,480 is the requirement. It's all about hungering and 637 00:53:18,480 --> 00:53:23,920 thirsting for me. So you're willing to set aside 638 00:53:23,920 --> 00:53:28,640 every substitute? Search only for me. 639 00:53:29,600 --> 00:53:31,840 Stop seeking the pleasures of your life. 640 00:53:33,200 --> 00:53:36,280 Focus solely upon me. Search my scriptures. 641 00:53:39,160 --> 00:53:43,400 Deny yourself, and you'll be satisfied. 642 00:53:45,600 --> 00:53:50,480 That's God's promise to you. It's God's promise to me as He 643 00:53:50,480 --> 00:53:54,040 sits on the the North Shore of the Sea of Galilee and all these 644 00:53:54,040 --> 00:53:58,120 people are all around him. He says, you know what, I really 645 00:53:58,120 --> 00:54:03,240 want you to be blessed. So if you're willing to 646 00:54:03,240 --> 00:54:06,240 recognize that that you have nothing to offer me, that the 647 00:54:06,240 --> 00:54:12,240 Kingdom is yours, if you're willing to to mourn over your 648 00:54:12,240 --> 00:54:14,360 sin, I will. I will comfort you. 649 00:54:17,160 --> 00:54:22,720 If you're willing to be meek, I'll give you the earth. 650 00:54:25,240 --> 00:54:33,840 And if you hunger for my righteousness, I guarantee your 651 00:54:33,840 --> 00:54:37,920 satisfaction. That's what the Lord says. 652 00:54:40,040 --> 00:54:45,200 I just happen to believe that. I wonder if you do. 653 00:54:46,520 --> 00:54:47,920 I would trust that that's the case. 654 00:54:48,600 --> 00:54:52,160 Let's pray together. Lord God, thank you for today. 655 00:54:53,240 --> 00:54:57,680 We are a blessed people to have been able to spend a few moments 656 00:54:57,680 --> 00:55:02,640 in your word. We are grateful, Lord, for how 657 00:55:02,640 --> 00:55:05,360 it is you make all these promises. 658 00:55:07,200 --> 00:55:11,040 And yet, Lord, so many times we we are driven to move away from 659 00:55:11,040 --> 00:55:17,400 you by that inner compulsion to be satisfied. 660 00:55:17,400 --> 00:55:21,320 And mostly it's just temporal, material things that never last. 661 00:55:21,760 --> 00:55:24,920 But we just keep doing it over and over and over again. 662 00:55:26,040 --> 00:55:29,960 And you're a patient, you're kind, you're loving, and you're 663 00:55:29,960 --> 00:55:33,560 graceful. And you keep calling us back to 664 00:55:33,560 --> 00:55:38,880 you. Oh, everyone who thirsts, come 665 00:55:38,880 --> 00:55:44,480 to me, come to me. Those of you who are hungry, 666 00:55:45,880 --> 00:55:50,040 come to me. I will feed you with the bread 667 00:55:50,040 --> 00:55:54,520 of life. I will give you the the water of 668 00:55:54,520 --> 00:55:59,080 life. I will satisfy the deepest needs 669 00:55:59,080 --> 00:56:02,320 of your soul so that you will delight in me. 670 00:56:02,320 --> 00:56:10,080 And when you do, you'll be fully, totally satisfied. 671 00:56:11,520 --> 00:56:18,560 And yet you'll still want more. You'll still cry for more, as it 672 00:56:18,560 --> 00:56:26,000 should be, until the day we awake in Your presence, and we 673 00:56:26,000 --> 00:56:29,960 will be fully like you till that day comes. 674 00:56:29,960 --> 00:56:34,960 Lord, give us the drive and the motivation to pursue only Christ 675 00:56:36,280 --> 00:56:37,600 in Jesus name, Amen.