CREATING A COUNTERCULTURE – PART 4. Lasya D
CREATING A COUNTER-CULTURE PART 4
Q: How many of you have experienced
hunger for something specific after a meal? ice cream, something sweet, coffee,
saunf, or something else… Our appetites are so distinct and are developed by
our culture, our habits and our own propensities.
Today we will look at what Jesus says Christians need to have an appetite for. We are in a series on the beatitudes in Matthew 5 where Jesus is introducing this upside down inside out kingdom of God. We have dealt with issues of heart attitude - Poverty of spirit, meekness, mourning - but today we change gears a little and talk about the appetites of a Christian. What should we long for? What does God bless? What longing does he satisfy?
Matthew 5:6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.”
1.
Righteousness:
a. What is righteousness? Simply a right relation with God
and man- Illustration with legos.
i.
Positional righteousness- the doctrine concerning the way in
which man may attain a state approved of God
Romans 3:23- 25 “23 for all have sinned and fall short of the
glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the
redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a propitiation
by his blood, to be received by faith.”
We cannot be made righteous by our
works. In fact in Isaiah 64:6 “All of us have become like one who
is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags”
Romans 4:3, Galatians 3:6 and James
2:23 - Abraham believed God, and it was
credited to him as righteousness.
Gospel presentation - Romans 1:17 “For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness
that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will
live by faith.”
Romans 10:9 “If you declare with
your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from
the dead, you will be saved.”
ii.
Personal righteousness - integrity, virtue, purity of life,
rightness, correctness of thinking feeling, and acting
This does not come by striving but
by yielding - in surrender.
1 Peter 1: 14-16 “As obedient children, do not be conformed to
the passions of your former ignorance, 15 but as he who called you is holy, you
also be holy in all your conduct”
Work out your salvation with fear
and trembling
Illustration of the court disposal
of cases - If you have put your faith in Jesus for your salvation you are
justified - there remains no record of wrong against you - but if you have been
justified by faith, the outworking of that is sanctification.
1 Thessalonians 4:3-8 “For this is the will of God, your
sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; 4 that each one of you
know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, 5 not in the passion of
lust like the Gentiles who do not know God; 6 that no one transgress and wrong
his brother in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger in all these things,
as we told you beforehand and solemnly warned you. 7 For God has not called us
for impurity, but in holiness. 8 Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards
not man but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you.”
iii.
Public righteousness - justice or the virtue which gives
each his due
This is righteousness in the land -
we live in a time of rampant unrighteousness - murder, rape, human trafficking,
dictatorship, corruption, persecution of believers, war, and all forms of sin.
The very worst attitude we can take as Christians during this time is to be
content in the fact that we are going to heaven and let the rest of humanity go
to hell. Have you heard the phrase Rome was burning, Nero was fiddling. Let’s
not be Nero. In the cause of Justice, let us not be apathetic or accusatory,
but let us be ardent.
Isaiah 9:7 “He will reign on David’s throne
and over his kingdom,
establishing
and upholding it
with justice and righteousness
from that time on and forever.
Let’s run this race with the shoes of the
gospel of peace and the breastplate of righteousness and take hold of that for
which Christ has taken hold of us.
b.
Why righteousness?
i.
Because he himself is righteous and
we are called to be like him.
Jeremiah 33:15 “in those days and at
that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David, and he shall
execute justice and righteousness in the land.”
Psalm 119:137, 138 and 142 “You are righteous, Lord, and your laws are
right. The statutes you have laid down are righteous”
ii.
It is a facet of his kingdom
Romans 14:17 “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of
righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”
Psalm 89:14 “Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; steadfast
love and faithfulness go before you.”
Psalm 119: 142 “they are fully trustworthy. Your
righteousness is everlasting and your law is true.”
When righteousness - right standing
with God and man is establish in our lives, we become trustworthy. When that is
the foundation we can actually build a life on it that pleases God.
iii.
It is of primary importance to God
Matthew 6:33 “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these
things will be added to you” All the blessings of God flow through a right
relationship with God.
Matthew 23:23 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and
dill and cumin and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and
mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the
others.”
Amos 5:23-24 “Take away from me the noise of your songs; to the melody of your harps
I will not listen. But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness
like an ever-flowing stream.” Not that God despises worship, but we need to
do that in tandem with righteousness - position, personal and public
righteousness.
2.
Response - Hunger and Thirst
to crave ardently, to seek with
eager desire; those who are said to thirst who painfully feel their want of,
and eagerly long for, those things by which the soul is refreshed, supported,
strengthened
All of us hunger and thirst for something! What do you hunger and thirst for? Validation, recognition, security, comfort - let's think about what drives us.
The person who doesn’t hunger and thirst is the one who is 6 feet under.
But by the grace of God we have been brought from death to life! In fact even when we are unwell, we have trouble with hunger. So it is a sign of spiritual health when we hunger and thirst for righteousness.
Colossians 3:1-3 “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God”
It is important what we long for. The Psalmist says in Psalm 84: 2 “My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.” Psalm 42:1 “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God” Psalm 63:1 “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.” Can you see the intense desire - the longing to see God? For his Righteousness, his Kingdom… that is the hunger and thirst that God responds to.
What do we do to grow in this hunger and thirst?
● Pray for the nations and these
issues (the spirit will himself intercede through us with groanings too deep
for utterance). There are only 2 things mentioned in the bible where heaven
responds to something man does - when a person turns to Jesus (Luke 15:7 “n the same way, there is more joy in heaven over one lost sinner who
repents and returns to God than over ninety-nine others who are righteous and
haven’t strayed away!) and when saints pray (it rises as
incense to His throne- Rev 8:3 and Psalm 141:2). If the prayers of the saints
are as incense before the throne, let us saturate the air of heaven with the
smoke of our incense. Let us be persistent in prayer.
● In your area of influence, be
diligent and watchful about righteousness - remember progress not perfection.
3.
Reward - Shall be satisfied
What is the reward of hungering and
thirsting after righteousness? That we will be satisfied. Psalm 63:5 “I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods” Since
righteousness is not of man but of God, we cannot satisfy ourselves. But when
we hunger and thirst after righteousness - he promises to satisfy us. Psalm
104:28 “when you open your hand, they are satisfied with good
things.” St, Augustine said “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and
our heart is restless until it rests in you”
So how does he satisfy us?
a. Past - The wrath of God was satisfied on the cross - so when we
place our trust in Jesus, our longing to be right with God is satisfied - not
because of righteous deeds but by faith. Isaiah 53:11 “When he sees all that is accomplished
by his anguish, he will be satisfied. And because of his experience, my
righteous servant will make it possible for many to be counted righteous, for
he will bear all their sins.” The one who can satisfy is He who
has satisfied himself in the work on the cross - so there is no wrath that
remains towards those who put their faith in Jesus. Romans 8:1 - 2 “So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.2 And because you belong to him, the
power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads
to death.”
b. Present - Psalm 23: 3 “He guides me along the paths of
righteousness” Titus 2:11- 13 “For the grace of God has appeared
that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness
and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in
this present age, while we wait for
the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus
Christ” He satisfies us not only in salvation but in
sanctification by giving us the grace
that is required - he not only buys us the car but also fills up the fuel.
c. Future - But on this side of
eternity we will never experience utter satisfaction for our hunger and thirst
for righteousness - because sin and injustice still plague this world. Which is
why Jesus says in John 4: 13 -14 “Everyone who drinks this water
will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never
thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water
welling up to eternal life.”
We can be wearied by the
unrighteousness and injustice in the world. But we await a saviour from above
and it is only in His presence that this becomes clear to us.
The Psalmist felt this way when he says in Psalm 73: 3 “For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. V.13 “Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure and have washed my hands in innocence. When I tried to understand all this, it troubled me deeply till I entered the sanctuary of God; then I understood their final destiny.Truly, you put them on a slippery path and send them sliding over the cliff to destruction. In an instant they are destroyed, completely swept away by terrors. When you arise, O Lord, you will laugh at their silly ideas as a person laughs at dreams in the morning. Then I realized that my heart was bitter, and I was all torn up inside. I was so foolish and ignorant- I must have seemed like a senseless animal to you. Yet I still belong to you, you hold my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, leading me to a glorious destiny. Whom have I in heaven but you? I desire you more than anything on earth. My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; he is mine forever.”
Revelation 21: 4, 6 “ ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will
be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things
has passed away.” To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring
of the water of life. Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who
does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in
the Lamb’s book of life. Revelation 22:
1 - 3 Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as
crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb 2 down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of
the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its
fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.
3 No longer will there be any curse.
The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will
serve him.”
On that day our longing will be fully satisfied and until then we need to continue to hunger and thirst for righteousness.
Word of Grace is an Evangelical (Born Again), Spirit-filled (Charismatic), Reformed, English speaking church in Pune that upholds the Bible as God's inspired Word for life. We are a church community that has people from every part of India and parts of the world. We are here to put the Great Command and the Great Commission into practice by equipping and releasing every member into works of service. Word of Grace is a part of a wider international family of Churches called RegionsBeyond.To know more about us please log onto www.wordofgracechurch.org.
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