BLESSABLE || Those Who Hunger & Thirst for Righteousness

Jun 9

John 6:32-35 & 53-58 & 60-66 New King James Version

32 Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” 34 Then they said to Him, “Lord, give us this bread always.” 35 And 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.

53 Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. 54 Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. 55 For My flesh is (true) food indeed, and My blood is (true) drink indeed. 56 He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. 57 As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me. 58 This is the bread which came down from heaven—not as your fathers ate the manna, and are dead. He who eats this bread will live forever.”

60 Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this, said, “This is a hard saying; who can understand it?”

61 When Jesus knew in Himself that His disciples complained about this, He said to them, “Does this offend you? 62 What then if you should see the Son of Man ascend where He was before? 63 It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life. 64 But there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who would betray Him. 65 And He said, “Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father.”

66 From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more.

God BLESSES Those Who Hunger & Thirst for Jesus!

2024 Is the Year of BLESSING

A year of more of His voice, presence, purpose and authority

This year we are intentionally guarding, and tending the garden of, our hearts
Our desire is to abide in Jesus and bear His fruit alone

We are in the middle of a Sermon series entitled, “BLESSABLE”

The Blessed enjoy intimacy with God
The Blessed possess the divine favor of God
The Blessed experience the praise/pleasure/approval of God
The Blessed walk in the authority of God

God’s blessing is not unconditional, but He does make it clear in scripture how to position yourself for His BLESSING

The Beatitudes found in Matthew 5:1-12 reveal just that

The 4th Beatitude

Matthew 5:6 New King James Version

6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
For they shall be filled.

BLESSED are Those Who…

Hunger and Thirst

HUNGER - peinao (G39843)

To hunger

To suffer need
To be needy

THIRST - dipsao (G1372)

To suffer thirst, suffer from thirst

There is an intensity in these words, that we just don’t understand in our modern setting

Most people lived just above poverty

Eating one meal day
Meat once a week
Walking miles to get water

These words capture a profound need and suffering

A desperation for sustenance and refreshment

Those who hunger and thirst in this context have a desperate need

For Righteousness

DIKAIOSYNE (G1343)

State of him who is as he ought to be, righteousness, the condition acceptable to God

The doctrine concerning the way in which man may attain a state approved by God
Integrity, virtue, purity of life, rightness, correctness of thinking, feeling, and acting

RIGHTEOUS = ACCEPTABLE IN GOD’S SIGHT

Being in right relationship with God because you have been made acceptable in His sight

A heart (thoughts, feelings, and desires) that pleases God
A life (behaviors, words and relationships) that pleases God

WE ALL HUNGER AND THIRST FOR SOMETHING

The enemies of God hunger and thirst to steal, kill, and destroy

John 10:10 New King James Version

10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

They accomplish this through pride and perversion

The lost and dying world hungers and thirsts for sexual perversion, materialism, and fame

1 John 2:16 New King James Version

16 For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world.

1 John 2:16 New Living Translation

16 For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world.

The blessed hunger and thirst for what is acceptable in God’s sight

WHAT DO YOU HUNGER & THIRST FOR?

For They Shall Be Filled

Filled - chortazo (G5526)

To fill or satisfy men
To fill or satisfy the desire of any one

This is the JUDGMENT & GRACE of God

JUDGMENT || There is nothing more terrifying than getting exactly what you hunger and thirst for

If you hunger and thirst for perversion, you WILL be filled
If you hunger and thirst for compromise, you WILL be filled
If you hunger and thirst for the slavery of pleasure, you WILL be filled

GRACE || There is nothing more empowering than getting exactly what you hunger and thirst for

If you hunger and thirst for righteousness, you WILL be filled

You don’t have to attain it, only hunger and thirst

DON’T SETTLE FOR ANYTHING LESS THAN THE FULLNESS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS

The World’s Mistake

The world doesn’t desire to be filled, but to be freed from the pain of their hunger and thirst for righteousness

The world doesn’t want it’s sin to be called sin
The world wants to be comforted and affirmed in it’s starvation and dehydration

Provide us just enough comfort that we don’t feel like we are dying
Affirm us completely so that we don’t have to acknowledge the reality of where we are headed

The Church’s Mistake

The church settles for bites and sips of righteousness at church events rather than being FILLED in encounter with God

“You can’t be too radical about this Jesus thing, life requires balance”
“I don’t want to be too spiritual”
“Jesus didn’t really mean, ‘forsake everything and follow Me’.”
“I’ll just surrender the areas in my life I need some help with”

God BLESSES Those Who Hunger and Thirst for Jesus

The Story Thus Far || John 6:1-31

Jesus recently fed 5,000 men (not including women and children) with just five barley loaves and two small fish
The people were amazed and recognized that Jesus was the promised prophet

Deuteronomy 18:15 New King James Version

15 “The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren. Him you shall hear,

This miracle was incredibly similar to miracles performed by Moses
As a result the people were prepared to grab Jesus, take Him by force, and make Him king

Remember that food and clean drinking water was not abundant, a king that could multiply resources to this level was in HIGH DEMAND

Jesus, knowing its not time for Him to reign on Earth physically, instead sends His disciples across the sea to Capernaum and climbs a mountain to pray

Multitudes never climb mountains with Jesus, only disciples

The following day the multitudes find Jesus but He confronts them

John 6:26-31 New King James Version

26 Jesus answered them and said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. 27 Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him.”

28 Then they said to Him, “What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?”

29 Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.”

30 Therefore they said to Him, “What sign will You perform then, that we may see it and believe You? What work will You do? 31 Our fathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’ ”

Jesus is trying to explain to the multitudes that they should not strive for food that perishes, but food that endures to everlasting

They ask Him how to work for this food

Jesus says to believe in Him, but they push back and ask for another sign before they put their faith in Him

“I AM the Bread from Heaven (of Life)”

John 6:32-35 New King James Version

JESUS WAS SHOWING THEM THE WAY

BELIEVE in Me, because I am the answer to your deepest hunger and thirst
Jesus is the ONLY way to be made acceptable in God’s sight

2 Corinthians 5:21 New King James Version

21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

Romans 3:22 New King James Version

22 even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference;

Philippians 3:9 New King James Version

9 and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith;

Those Who Hunger and Thirst for Righteousness will Only Find Satisfaction in JESUS

Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, find satisfaction in Jesus, because Jesus IS the righteousness of God

John 6:53-58 New King James Version

53 Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. 54 Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. 55 For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. 56 He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. 57 As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me. 58 This is the bread which came down from heaven—not as your fathers ate the manna, and are dead. He who eats this bread will live forever.”

How Do You EAT Jesus’ Flesh?

COME TO HIM RIGHTLY

John 6:35 New King James Version

35 And 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.

Those who comes to Jesus will be satisfied

Matthew 26:26 New King James Version

26 And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.”

Satisfaction of your hunger for righteousness is found in the WORD made FLESH; JESUS!

John 1:14 New King James Version

14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

YOU’RE TIME IN THE WORD SHOULD LEAD TO A PERSON, FULL OF GRACE AND TRUTH

Time in the word should lead you to Jesus as LORD and SAVIOR

He is my KING and I need Him to SAVE me
Read and meditate (chew like a cow) until you encounter Him!

Time in the word should lead you to TRUTH

It should correct, teach, and lead YOU
Read and meditate (chew like a cow, until you encounter His truth!

Time in the word should lead you to GRACE

It should encourage, motivate, and empower you
Read and meditate (chew like a cow), until you encounter His grace

FEAST ON THE WORD MADE FLESH!

How Do You DRINK Jesus’ Blood?

BELIEVE IN JESUS

John 6:35 New King James Version

35 And 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.

Those who believes in Jesus shall be satisfied

The quenching of your thirst for righteousness is found in your faith in the perfect life, death, and resurrection of Jesus

Matthew 26:27-28 New King James Version

27 Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. 28 For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

John 4:14 New King James Version

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.”

Holy Spirit wants to fill you and satisfy your thirst through His baptism of fire and power

John 7:37-39 New King James Version

37 On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. 38 He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” 39 But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

You can have a RIVER of living waters flowing out of your heart
You can be refreshed, and your thirst for acceptance in God’s sight quenched, from the inside out

No more running to external sources for satisfaction, everything you need is WITHIN

Are You FULL?

Ephesians 3:19 New King James Version

19 to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Colossians 2:8 New King James Version

8 Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. 9 For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; 10 and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.

Has your hunger and thirst for righteousness been SATISFIED?

Do you long to be forgiven, or do you know that you’re forgiven?
Do you long for right-standing with God, or do you know that you have it in Christ?
Do you long for victory, or do you know that Jesus already won it for you?
Do you long for intimacy, or do you know intimacy?
Do you long to be filled with Holy Spirit, or do you know you have been filled?
Do you run to others to hear from God, or do you run to Him in the secret place?

Are you really FULL?

If you are filled with righteousness, it is the ONLY thing that can be poured out of you when shaken, disturbed, tipped over, or empty

In suffering our desire is to please God
In the shaking our desire is remain acceptable before God
If our lives are poured out our desire is for God’s will to be done

Are you OVERFLOWING?

Those who are filled with righteousness, hunger and thirst for righteousness in the world around them

Do you hunger and thirst for what is acceptable in God’s sight for:

Your relationships?
Your neighbors?
Your city?
Your state?
Your nation?
The world?

Or do you hide the bread of life and rivers of living water from everyone around you starving and dying of thirst?

What is stopping you from giving freely what you have received?!

What is Killing Your Hunger & Thirst for RIGHTEOUSNESS?

John 6:60-66 New King James Version