This document is a sermon that analyzes and discusses the fourth beatitude from the Sermon on the Mount: "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled." The sermon examines what it means to hunger and thirst for righteousness, how one develops this desire, and what those with this hunger should do until they are satisfied. It uses examples from scripture and discusses how righteousness is an "acquired taste" that begins by claiming Christ's righteousness through faith.

1. With Eternity‟s Values
in View
Part 5
by Samuel E. Ward
The Beatitudes
Matthew 5:3-12
1
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2. Matthew 5:1-12 (NIV2011) 1 Now when
Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a
mountainside and sat down. His disciples
came to him, 2 and he began to teach
them.
He said: 3 “Blessed are the poor in
spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of
heaven. 4 Blessed are those who
mourn, for they will be comforted. 5
Blessed are the meek, for they will
inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and
thirst for righteousness, for they will be
filled. 2

3. 7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will
be shown mercy. 8 Blessed are the pure
in heart, for they will see God. 9 Blessed
are the peacemakers, for they will be
called children of God. 10 Blessed are
those who are persecuted because of
righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom
of heaven.
3

4. 11 “Blessed are you when people insult
you, persecute you and falsely say all
kinds of evil against you because of me.
12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is
your reward in heaven, for in the same
way they persecuted the prophets who
were before you.
4

5. Introduction
We have examined the first three
blessings of the Beatitudes:
I. “Blessed Are Those Who Are Poor in
Spirit,” Mat 5:3
II. “Blessed Are Those Who Mourn,”
Mat 5:4
III. “Blessed Are the Meek,” Mat 5:5
Now, we address the fourth.
5

6. IV. “Blessed Are Those Who Hunger and
Thirst for Righteousness,” Mat 5:6
According to medical experts, the
human body can survive without water
about a week depending on other factors
such as climate, general health, age, etc.
As far as food is concerned, the human
body can survive 30-40 days if it can
maintain hydration. As with water, other
factors could affect length of survival.
6

7. To survive death after life requires
overcoming a severe deficiency of
personal righteousness. In fact, it is
another‟s righteousness that we must
claim. It is Christ‟s righteousness. We
cannot produce on our own. Those who
have tasted of the righteousness of Christ
can develop a deep hunger and thirst for
it—creating a constant craving to have
it, experience, observe, and desire it.
7

8. Let‟s consider several points about this
condition:
A. How Do We Develop this Hunger and
Thirst for Righteousness?—
. . .by coming to the realization that
seeking the treasures and pleasures of
earth do not truly satisfy our deepest
longings.
8

9. 1. Such was the condition of Israel in
the days of Amos the prophet.
Read Amos 8 and note . . .
a. The injustice found among God‟s
people, Amos 8:1-6.
9

10. Amos 8:1-6 (NIV2011) 1 This is what the
Sovereign LORD showed me: a basket of
ripe fruit. 2 “What do you see, Amos?”
he asked. “A basket of ripe fruit,” I
answered. Then the LORD said to
me, “The time is ripe for my people
Israel; I will spare them no longer. 3 “In
that day,” declares the Sovereign
LORD, “the songs in the temple will turn
to wailing. Many, many bodies—flung
everywhere! Silence!”
10

11. 4 Hear this, you who trample the needy
and do away with the poor of the land, 5
saying, “When will the New Moon be over
that we may sell grain, and the Sabbath
be ended that we may market wheat?”—
skimping on the measure, boosting the
price and cheating with dishonest
scales, 6 buying the poor with silver and
the needy for a pair of sandals, selling
even the sweepings with the wheat.
11

12. b. The anger directed against God‟s
people, Amos 8:7-10
Amos 8:7-10 (NIV2011) 7 The LORD
has sworn by himself, the Pride of
Jacob: “I will never forget anything
they have done. 8 “Will not the
land tremble for this, and all who
live in it mourn? The whole land will
rise like the Nile; it will be stirred
up and then sink like the river of
Egypt.
12

13. 9 “In that day,” declares the Sovereign
LORD, “I will make the sun go down at
noon and darken the earth in broad
daylight. 10 I will turn your religious
festivals into mourning and all your
singing into weeping. I will make all of
you wear sackcloth and shave your heads.
I will make that time like mourning for an
only son and the end of it like a bitter
day.
13

14. c. The spiritual famine to be visited
upon God‟s people, Amos 8:11-14
Amos 8:11-14 (NIV2011) 11 “The
days are coming,” declares the
Sovereign LORD, “when I will send a
famine through the land— not a
famine of food or a thirst for
water, but a famine of hearing the
words of the LORD.
14

15. 12 People will stagger from sea to sea
and wander from north to east, searching
for the word of the LORD, but they will
not find it. 13 “In that day “the lovely
young women and strong young men will
faint because of thirst. 14 Those who
swear by the sin of Samaria— who say, „As
surely as your god lives, Dan,‟ or, „As
surely as the god of Beersheba lives‟—
they will fall, never to rise again.”
15

16. What would it be like to feel totally
abandoned by God—to have lost
everything and not know how to cope?
What would be like to feel that a part of
your judgment for not seeking the Lord is
that you would not be able to find Him?
And the reason for God hiding from you
was that you were not seeking the right
things from Him.
16

17. 2. Such has been the condition of the
world since ancient times and
continues today.
Read Romans 1:28-32
Ignoring God comes with a price.
Since it is a willful
ignorance, God, after a period of great
patience, will allow man to experience
the consequences of their disregard
and irreverence.
17

18. Romans 1:28-32 (NIV2011) 28 . . . as they
did not think it worthwhile to retain the
knowledge of God, so God gave them over
to a depraved mind, so that they do what
ought not to be done. 29 They have
become filled with every kind of
wickedness, evil, greed and depravity.
They are full of
envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice.
30 slanderers, God-
haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful;
they invent ways of doing evil; they
disobey their parents; 18

19. 31 they have no understanding, no
fidelity, no love, no mercy. 32 Although
they know God‟s righteous decree that
those who do such things deserve
death, they not only continue to do these
very things but also approve of those who
practice them.
19

20. B. To Whom Does the Blessing Come?
Matthew 5:6 (NIV2011) Blessed are those
who hunger and thirst for
righteousness, for they will be filled.
20

21. Note these examples of those who had
such a hunger and thirst:
Psalm 42:1-2 (NIV2011) 1 As the deer
pants for streams of water, so my soul
pants for you, my God. 2 My soul thirsts
for God, for the living God. When can I go
and meet with God?
--the sons of Korah
21

22. Psalm 63:1 (NIV2011) 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.
--David
22

23. B. What Do Those Who Hunger and Thirst
for Righteousness Do Until They Are
Fully Satisfied.
1. They should eagerly look forward to
the kingdom of righteousness.
2 Peter 3:13 (NIV2011) But in keeping
with his promise we are looking forward
to a new heaven and a new
earth, where righteousness dwells.
23

24. Galatians 5:5 (NIV2011) For through the
Spirit we eagerly await by faith the
righteousness for which we hope.
24

25. 2. They should continue to train in
righteousness.
2 Peter 3:14 (NIV2011) So then, dear
friends, since you are looking forward
to this, make every effort to be found
spotless, blameless and at peace with
him.
25

26. 3. They should be willing to suffer for
righteousness—for we shall forever
enjoy it.
Revelation 7:13-17 (NIV2011) 13 Then
one of the elders asked me, “These in
white robes—who are they, and where
did they come from?” 14 I
answered, “Sir, you know.” And he
said, “These are they who have come
out of the great tribulation; they have
washed their robes and made them
white in the blood of the Lamb.
26

27. 15 Therefore, “they are before the
throne of God and serve him day and
night in his temple; and he who sits on
the throne will shelter them with his
presence. 16 „Never again will they
hunger; never again will they thirst. The
sun will not beat down on them,‟ nor any
scorching heat. 17 For the Lamb at the
center of the throne will be their
shepherd; „he will lead them to springs of
living water.‟ „And God will wipe away
every tear from their eyes.‟”
27

28. From all that we observe around us, it
appears that the desire for righteousness is
an “acquired taste.” This is true according
to Philippians 3:8b-9. Paul said that . . .
Philippians 3:8b-9 (NIV2011) 8b . . . for
[Christ Jesus‟] sake I have lost all things.
I consider them garbage, that I may gain
Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a
righteousness of my own that comes from
the law, but that which is through faith in
Christ—the righteousness that comes from
God on the basis of faith.
28

29. May you develop a deep hunger and
thirst for righteousness. It begins by
claiming Christ‟s as your own and grows
from there as you learn to love and seek
the things Christ loves. In the kingdom to
come, you will receive your fill of all that
is good and holy. Praise God!
29

30. “Blessed are those who hunger
and thirst after righteousness,
for they will be filled .”
30