Beatitudes 4
Bible passage: Matthew 5:6
6. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. "
For the past few weeks, we looked at the blessings of the poor in spirit, those who mourn, and the meek in the Beatitudes. Today is focusing on the fourth blessing. In order to reach New Jerusalem, we must embody the love from the Love Chapters, the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit, and the Beatitudes.
When all the fruits of the Holy Spirit are borne, we become sanctified and enter into spirit, and when the Beatitudes are fully realized, it becomes whole spirit. While hearing about the meek, some of you may have wondered how meekness differs as it appears in the Love Chapter, the fruits of the Holy Spirit, and also in the Beatitudes. The three are not entirely different; their basic meaning is connected; all referring to gentleness, softness, and full of love and virtue. However, they differ in spiritual depth and scope.
For example, the gentleness in the Love Chapter refers to the foundational meekness for spiritual love, while the gentleness in the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit is more broadly applied. In the fruits of the Holy Spirit, meekness is a virtue that bears fruit in the heart, while in the Beatitudes, it is about the fruit fully manifesting in life and bringing blessings. To illustrate, a beautiful tree bearing rich and abundant fruits of heaven represents the fruits of the Holy Spirit. The Beatitudes are like enjoying the benefits of those heavenly fruits. When you pick and eat richly ripened fruits, the sweet and refreshing juice fills your mouth, and its aroma and taste nourish your mind and body. As the fruit's nutrients get absorbed, it gives you strength. Similarly, when the Beatitudes are realized in the heart, it’s not just about the truth bearing fruit but each aspect being revealed in action.
It allows you to enjoy God’s blessings in every moment. When label a person as meek or gentle, the depth of their meekness will differ depending on the level of faith each person has achieved. While there may be overlaps in the Love Chapter, the fruits of the Holy Spirit, and the Beatitudes, the depth and breadth of these differ. Let’s look at the fourth blessing of the Beatitudes in detail. the Beatitudes show that when we diligently cultivate a spiritual heart, we are like the five virgins who prepared their oil and lamps, ready to meet the bridegroom. I pray in the name of the Lord that you as the members of the church will quickly fulfill the words of the Beatitudes and enter New Jerusalem, no matter when the bridegroom, the Lord, comes. Dear brothers and sisters, Matthew 5:6 says, 'Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.'
The dictionary defines righteousness as 'the duty one must uphold as a person' or 'correct conduct.' But God’s righteousness is different. Spiritually, it means 'to pursue God’s will' and 'everything we must go through to become sanctified.' To elaborate further, it is the pursuit of good and truth. A righteous person is someone who follows and acts according to God’s Word. Hungering and thirsting for righteousness is like a starving and thirsty person seeking food; it refers to earnestly desiring righteousness. There is an old saying, 'No one will refrain from stealing after three days of hunger.' It means that even a cultured and moral person after three days of extreme hunger will often do anything to find food. Many elderly church members may have experienced hunger during the 'bare-rice' period.
Even without such an experience, movies or novels often show how desperately hungry people seek food. In situations with no proper food, they may end up eating things they would normally avoid like ghastly insects, rats, tree bark, or roots. When hunger becomes unbearable, you eat whatever is in sight. In such a situation, if food can be found then no effort will be spared. It's not just hunger that's hard to endure, but also thirst. Have you ever experienced that a sip of water could save your life when exhausted and parched under the hot sun? Some people traveling in the desert become so dehydrated that they see mirages, wander, and end up losing their lives. For someone desperately seeking water, would they be happy to find gold or jewels? The greatest desire would be to find water to quench their thirst. Our faith life should be like this. Just as the hungry and thirsty desperately seek food and water, we should seek righteousness before God, engrave it in our hearts and show it in action.
Those who earnestly long to be sanctified and dwell in the truth, to resemble the Lord's heart and partake in His divine nature are truly blessed. Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness eagerly desire God's Word above all. The Bible contains God's will and reveals true righteousness. Psalm 119:123 says, 'My eyes fail with longing for Your salvation and for Your righteous word.' This is a confession of longing for God’s righteous Word. Psalm 119:147-148 also tells us, 'I rise before dawn and cry for help; I wait for Your words. My eyes anticipate the night watches, so that I may meditate on Your word.' This is a confession of longing for God's Word day and night like it’s as sweet as honey for spiritual nourishment. Are you also hungry and thirsty for righteousness in this way?
Do you always meditate on the Bible day and night, reflecting on weekly sermons and taking it as spiritual food? Taking it as food means not just storing knowledge in your head, but praying fervently, cultivating it in your heart and putting it into action. This is faith. However some believers think attending worship on Sundays is enough for salvation; that they’ve done their duty. But if they truly know God’s love, they wouldn’t think this way. No one hungry and thirsty for righteousness would say that. Jesus Christ, God's spotless Son, endured the cross’s suffering and shame for us, who were sinners. If we truly believe in the cross, we must live according to His Word. How can we repay the Lord’s amazing love and make our loving Father happy? We seek righteousness that pleases God, just as a thirsty and starving person seeks water and food. It’s important that we earnestly obey the Word, forsake sin, and live according to the truth.
1 John 3:9-10 says, 'No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother.' Only those who do not sin and practice righteousness are children of light who are saved and belong to God. When we hunger and thirst for righteousness and obey and live according to God’s righteous Word, it proves that we truly belong to God. Brothers and sisters, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness are blessed, for 'they shall be satisfied.' Some people misunderstand this to mean that the Lord will abundantly provide food and drink, ensuring they’re never hungry. While receiving daily bread is a blessing and a reason for gratitude, simply having physical food is not enough to be considered part of the Beatitudes that Jesus speaks of. The Beatitudes that Jesus speaks of are all spiritual blessings, so this verse must also be understood spiritually. When it says that those who hunger and thirst for righteousness will be satisfied, it refers to 'spiritual satisfaction'.
Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness long for the Word, diligently learn it, and earnestly live according to it. Jesus said in John 6:55, 'For My flesh is true food, and My blood is true drink.' John 6:53 also tells us, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in yourselves.' Jesus is the Word of God who came to this earth as the flesh. Listening diligently and living by Jesus’ teachings, taking it as spiritual food, is how we eat and drink the flesh and blood of the Son of Man. Those who do not have no life in them. Even if someone claims to 'believe in God,' Jesus clearly said they have no life without this; meaning no salvation, no answers, and no blessings. But those who listen to and live by the Word, eat the flesh of the Son of Man, will be filled with righteousness and have life—salvation, and going to heaven rather than hell.
As we hunger and thirst for righteousness and consider the Word as spiritual food, our spirits grow. Jesus said to them, 'I am the bread of life; the one who comes to Me will not hunger, and the one who believes in Me will never thirst' (John 6:35). When the Lord’s words fill the soul, it becomes spiritual food that satisfies. Just as a child grows by eating and drinking, feeding on the Word helps our faith to grow spiritually. 'I have written to you, children, because you know the Father; I have written to you, fathers, because you know Him who has been from the beginning; I have written to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one' (1 John 2:14). As we live by the Word of righteousness, we grow from the faith of children to the faith of young men and then to the faith of fathers. With deeper spirituality, we overcome the enemy and gain dominion, entering a higher spiritual level where we can understand the deep heart of Father God.
Romans 8:14 tells us, 'For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.' As we walk in this, we have clear fellowship with God, receive guidance from the Holy Spirit and prosper. Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness receive the fullness of the Holy Spirit and live in God’s fellowship. This is the blessing of spiritual satisfaction. When we are led by the Holy Spirit, there are no fears of trials or tribulations. Even with obstacles in the way, God will guide us around them. When facing difficulties, He will show us how to escape. God leads us on the path of blessing and answered prayer, filling us with gratitude, and lips overflowing with testimony. Being filled with the inspiration and guidance of the Holy Spirit is a great spiritual blessing, helping us recognize and easily abandon sin, allowing us to pursue holiness. While we may experience change in faith, it can be difficult to recognize deeper faults in our hearts such as evil natures or self-righteousness. When the Holy Spirit works in us, we can recognize areas that need to be fully achieved and move to deeper levels of faith. Though we may not be committing sin, there are times when we fail to discern how to best please God in certain situations. In these moments, the Holy Spirit guides us to understand and choose the actions that will please God, leading us quickly to spiritual fullness. As our soul prospers, physical blessings will follow accordingly. This is the spiritual blessing for those who hunger and thirst for righteousness.
I pray that you will all become those who hunger and thirst for righteousness instead of seeking the temporary blessings of this world. I hope you will understand and follow God's heart, will, and true righteousness. Dear brothers and sisters, Jesus said in Matthew 4:4, 'Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.' We need to yearn for spiritual things more than the temporary physical aspects of this world. I encourage you to hunger and thirst for righteousness, and diligently take God's Word as spiritual food. May you grow from children to young adults, and from young adults to adult believers, reaching the fullness of Christ’s image.
As you hunger and thirst for the righteousness that pleases God, and earnestly seek Him, God will bless you abundantly. The Creator of all things, the Almighty God who reigns over all, looks upon you with great love and says, 'Ask what I shall give you.' If we can receive such love, nothing is lacking in this world. Whether it’s health, wealth, or anything else, it becomes insignificant. Spiritually, we can ask for power and authority to establish God's kingdom, and in the future, we will reach a glorious place in heaven.
In the name of the Lord, may you always hunger and thirst for righteousness, abundantly live a life full of God’s blessings.
