Hungering and Thirsting for Righteousness: Dr. Nelson Kloosterman
There are two mp3 sermons below sermon points, the first is 15 minutes, the second, 40. [Square brackets and emboldening are mine.]
Highlights of 40 minute sermon:
- Readings: Psalm 119:97-104; 119:137-144; Romans 6:12-23; Text of sermon: Matthew 5:6
- The progression inherent in the beatitudes: those poor in spirit are also those who mourn because of sin – personal sin and sin in the world; they are also the meek, who do not regard themselves, but regard God and His kingdom
- Haunting questions for Christians: Is my obedience really worth it? Worth losing money due to honesty; acceptance, due to taking a stance for God’s kingdom vs the world; striving carefully for obedience such that friends hate / mock…
- Those who do hunger and thirst for righteousness, can go to sleep with a clean conscience
- Every day, Christians face situations in the world wherein immoral conduct has been deemed legal by society, but remains immoral according to God’s standard, His word; following God causes worldlings to mock one…
- Two questions herein answered: who are the blessed; why are they blessed?
- Hungering and thirsting, as Jesus stated these, are not about a passing state, such as that we have experienced all of our lives when we have coveted something and later obtained it – only then to discover that the happiness we thought to possess flies away momentarily (we’ve likely experienced such evaporating happiness thousands of times)
- The happiness Jesus spoke of was like in Psalm 42:1 when David said that his heart longed for God, like a deer pants for water
- Hungering and thirsting are terms that refer to survival: obtaining food and water is a necessity for existence: NOT like education, entertainment and such experiences, which we might pursue for lesser reasons
- Those are blessed who seek the righteousness of God; the law; obedience
- Happiness is a byproduct of such seeking; if one seeks happiness as an end, then he will not find it, as it comes as an effect of seeking obedience to God’s law
- Many professed Christians cannot fathom this concept – explained
- “You may eat of every tree except…” God gave His law / word, it is life
- The covenant God built on His law is life [covenant indicates a relationship between two parties]
- What was the problem with the Pharisee’s righteousness? They had divorced the law from a relationship with God, such that their righteousness became self-willed, based on their own efforts
- Jesus questioned their perverted loyalty to the law, because they congratulated themselves for accomplishing perceived obedience
- What is the difference between the Old Testament and the New? We now have the power to obey God’s law via the power of the Holy Spirit: apart from the Lord Jesus Christ, the law only kills [they were apart from Him in the OT]
- In the OT, the law diagnosed the problem but gave no cure; via Christ, we have the cure, because of His perfect obedience to the law [imputed to us]
- Who are the blessed? They long to see God’s righteousness in the world – examples given
- [15 minute short sermon begins here]
- We want God to vindicate those who do His will: this beatitude is given to replace our cynicism; to enable us to commit to God’s way and turn our back on worldliness, seeking law rather than feelings and experiences like the worldly
- Is this legalism? NO. The difference is that legalism is obedience to law as an end in itself, to obtain favor – examples given
- When children raised in a legalistic home grow up, they go to church “because they have to” not because they delight in the Lord, e.g. – examples given
- Why are they blessed for hungering and thirsting for righteousness?
- “They shall be filled” indicates future; there is a paradox herein because the filling is a present reality with a future completion: God gave His righteousness to us in justification (when Christ’s righteousness was imputed to us); He works His righteousness into us via the Holy Spirit in sanctification; in the place of our sin debt, we are righteous in Christ
- The paradox: we have been filled, only to be hungry again and again; in our biblical experience of the Christian religion, the law plays such an important part: to make us hunger and thirst again
- [How does it do that? It keeps showing us our sin, then we must take that to the cross]
- Our satisfaction is not a one-time deal: as we mature in our faith, we grow in holiness and righteousness; the more we taste of Christ’s righteousness, the less convinced we are of our own righteousness, progressively realizing our continuing need of His righteousness
- We grow from grace to grace: from table to table (the Lord’s supper)
- God’s word creates this hungering and thirsting which can only be filled in Jesus Christ
- You will “be filled,” it does not say, you will satisfy yourself
- The difference between the church’s righteousness and the Pharisee’s righteousness is that theirs is an acquisition, for conforming to the law; whereas the church’s is free
- Our holiness is given, not earned: we have to pursue holiness, work at it, strive for it; when it becomes ours, then no trophy is given us, as it is a gift of grace
- Those with sensitive souls wonder, “Am I making any progress?”
- Progress can be measured by seeing Christ in yourself when you look in the mirror
- Diagnostic Questions to ask yourself:
- Do my sins bother me more now than they did 10, 20 years ago? Do my reactions / responses / habits continue to grieve my soul? And such…
- If so, then God’s word is working in me to cause despair, distress, disgust…that I haven’t fled, forsaken…those old ways completely yet [engendering greater reliance on His Spirit]
- These things indicate that my righteousness and holiness come from Christ; they are a gift and I must continue to strive, pray, fight, work, receive the gift
- The aforementioned keeps one from pride
- If you have been tempted to think, as a parent, a spouse…that all your efforts have been in vain; keep hungering and thirsting for righteousness regardless of what the world is doing; trust in our faithful God and His word
- Prayer: God’s word preached gives one the correct perspective [as in Psalm 73]
15 minute mp3 version of sermon:
40 minute mp3 version of sermon:
For similar posts in this blog, see Categories: Beatitude Life; True Kingdom Citizen; Sanctification; Justification.