In 1995, the Sampoong Department Store in South Korea collapsed due to structural failure. Over five hundred people lost their lives, and more than nine hundred were injured. This catastrophic event is remembered as the largest peacetime disaster in Korean history. Following the building collapse, there was a notable 19-year-old survivor named Seung Hyun Park. She had been trapped for 17 days, battling to survive in absolute darkness and isolation. When her rescue was broadcast on television, people were amazed by her resilience. She had endured without food for an astounding 377 hours. Through the broken concrete, she had only a small amount of rainwater to drink occasionally. Preserving hydration was crucial in her staying alive under such extremely difficult circumstances. Water constitutes the most significant component of the human body, typically accounting for about 60 percent of an individual’s total weight. Therefore, it is imperative to consume a sufficient amount of water each day. Sadly, we often underestimate how valuable water truly is to us all. However, this lady knows!

We have been exploring a series called “the Keys to a Blessed Life” taken from the Beatitudes in the Sermon on the Mount. Today, I want us to examine the fourth Beatitude: “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled” (Matthews 5:6). In our primary text for this morning, Jesus addresses the concepts of hunger and thirst. He is not referring to physical cravings for food or water; rather, he speaks to a different kind of essential need. It is an inner desire that all people experience. Through this statement, Jesus assures us that those who earnestly seek righteousness will be satisfied. Today, I want us to look at what it means to “Hunger for the Righteousness of God” and the blessings it offers on our faith journey.

According to the Bible, when God created human beings, He took two crucial steps (Genesis 2:7). First, God used “the dust of the ground” to create the most excellent products in His Creation, which are you and me. Second, God breathed “the breath of life” into human beings through their nostrils. That is why, as living creatures, we have two distinct aspects that seek fulfillment in life. In our discussion of the Beatitude for today, Jesus uses an illustration of our fundamental needs in life. The first type of longing may involve hungering and thirsting for our physical bodies. Have we ever thought of this desire as a blessing from God? Feeling hungry often indicates good health. When we are unwell, we tend to lose our appetite. Due to this basic need for physical nourishment, we need to eat food and drink water regularly. This longing for physical satisfaction also extends to various other activities such as reading books, listening to music, pursuing hobbies, socializing with others, doing good deeds, among others. These activities help us fulfill our physical needs. The second type of desire would involve hungering and thirsting for our spiritual beings. When we encounter ancient paintings found in caves, we may find a group of people bowing their heads before idols. I believe that those ancient humans were searching for something to nourish their spirits. The renowned philosopher Pascal once stated: “All human beings have a God-shaped vacuum.” From this point of view, as God’s creation, we all long for something to satisfy our souls on our spiritual journey. To be filled with divine satisfaction, we need to hunger and thirst for God’s righteousness in our spirits.

The word “righteousness” in this scripture can be defined within the context of the Sermon on the Mount. In this godly text, the term “righteousness” is repeated five times (Matthew 5:6,10,20; 6:1,33). One of these verses is found in the same chapter in the Book of Matthew, specifically in chapter 5, verse 20. Jesus said, “For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.” In His statement, we can find the relationship between possessing the righteousness of God and entering the kingdom of God.

In those days, the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law aimed to obey all of God’s laws to become righteous and enter His Kingdom. They identified 613 rules for the Sabbath Day, which included 248 commands and 365 regulations. Before we criticize them, we should consider the earnest intentions they had when initially making these specific laws. I believe that they took God’s commandments seriously. The more they wanted to honor the Sabbath, the more they added their own rules. As followers of Christ, we should receive God’s Word with reverence in our hearts and make a steadfast commitment to it.

In this confusing world, which seems to downplay the importance of God’s commands and regulations, many people, including some Christians, tend to do what they feel is right (Judges 21:25). Please understand this. I am not here today to dictate what we should or should not do in our spiritual journey. As children of God, we are motivated to seek His guidance in our daily activities through the Bible. What I want to convey this morning is that true righteousness is attained only through our faith in Christ Jesus, not through our deeds, regardless of how diligently we try to keep God’s Word.

The issue the Pharisees and the teachers of the law faced was their ignorance, which led them to reject Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. They attempted to obtain God’s righteousness through their own efforts. The righteousness they achieved was external, temporary, and imperfect. Outwardly, they looked beautiful, but inwardly, they were like “whitewashed tombs” that smelled terrible (Matthew 23:27). They were hypocrites and self-righteous individuals.

Once again, genuine righteousness can only be accomplished through faith in Jesus Christ, who gave His precious life to fulfill all the requirements of God’s laws. Since God is just and righteous, He dwells in the pure hearts and spirits of those who strive to follow His holy instructions. God is also gracious and merciful, offering the unrighteous a way to cleanse their impure hearts and spirits through the blood of Jesus Christ, who faithfully obeyed all of His divine laws until He sacrificed Himself on the cross. Thanks to this sacred offering, when we repent of our sins before Jesus and put our faith in God, we can inherit His righteousness and gain access to His Kingdom. This is the Gospel message for all the unrighteous to become righteous before God.

Furthermore, I believe that righteousness is not only about justification but also sanctification. After we are justified and declared righteous before God, we should continue to live in His holiness. We are consistently called to be sanctified and transformed into the glorious image of God.

Now, let us explore God’s blessings upon those who hunger and thirst for His righteousness. Have you heard the phrase, “Being hungry is a good appetizer?” When we are truly hungry, whatever food we are offered can be delicious. On the other hand, when we are full, no matter how tasty the food is, eating may not be as enjoyable. The hungrier and thirstier we are, the more we can appreciate the food and water provided. Once again, being hungry and thirsty is a sign of good health.

Today, we need to ask ourselves whether we hunger and thirst for spiritual nourishment. Do we yearn for the righteousness of our Almighty God? Are we eager to become holy in the eyes of the Lord, our Christ? Do we long for an intimate relationship with the Holy Spirit, our Wonderful Counsellor? All these questions are vital for us as disciples of the Triune God to be filled with heavenly blessings in our lives.

With these thoughts in mind, I would like us to consider the invitations extended by the Lord our God and the Lord our Christ to each of us, whether we are gathered in this sanctuary or joining via Zoom through today’s main texts. Both of these scriptures encourage us to partake in the heavenly banquet, which is provided freely. There is no cost or admission fee for us to join in these divine celebrations with the Lord.

In our Old Testament reading for today, God invites those who are thirsty to come to the waters. At the same time, the Lord questions why we spend our money and labor on what does not truly satisfy us. Some nutritionists tell us that we are what we eat. According to them, “our appetites determine our diet, our diet determines our intake, and our intake determines our health.” The “I am what I eat” principle can also apply in the spiritual realm. One day, a Time magazine reporter asked the richest person if he felt blessed with his wealth and the person replied, “No.” The reporter then asked, “How much money do you need to feel satisfied?” The billionaire answered without hesitation, “Just a little more!” Many people, including myself, in this world, despite their great possessions, may always desire a little more to achieve full happiness. King Solomon confessed, “Meaningless! Meaningless!” after attempting to find true blessing in almost everything he had, such as pleasure, possessions, power, philosophy, and more. For centuries, people have sought satisfaction by pursuing these things. The Prophet Jeremiah compares the unsatisfied hearts of such people to “broken cisterns” that cannot hold water (Jeremiah 2:13).

In our New Testament reading for today, Christ invites those who are hungry and thirsty to come to the living bread. After Jesus fed five thousand people with two fish and five loaves, huge crowds continued to follow Him. As we heard from the scripture that Lizz read this morning, Jesus compared the bread they received at that event and that their ancestors had eaten for 40 years in the wilderness to “the true bread” that God desires them and us, His children, to consume every day. Both common bread and “the bread of life” are gifts from the Lord. Although we work hard for our daily bread, we need to acknowledge that God is the One giving us the strength to perform this task. “The bread of life” or “the true bread,” another name for Jesus Christ, originates from the Creator God. Ultimately, the Lord wants us, as followers of Christ, to take His flesh as our true food and drink His blood as our genuine water (John 6:53-56). When we do this, we are in Christ Jesus, and He is in us, just as the connection between the vine and its branches (John 15:5).

When we partake of Jesus’ flesh and drink Jesus’ blood, we are to observe both elements in a worthy manner. This is why, before participating in the Lord’s Supper, we are to reflect on our lives through God’s Word and ask the Lord to help us become righteous before Him through repentance and belief (1 Corinthians 11:27-29). This sacred event is not limited to the Lord’s Supper on a particular Sunday; it should also take place in our walk with God every day, whether we eat, drink, or engage in any activity (1 Corinthians 10:31). When we participate in the communion service and have a deeper daily fellowship with Christ, we can experience heavenly joy in our hearts and receive eternal life in Heaven. Isn’t that an incredible blessing from the Lord for each of us as His children, now and in the future? Once again, it is a remarkable gift from the Lord to those of us who accept this divine invitation and partake in the bread and cup of life given by Jesus Christ.

I have recently rediscovered the relationship between God’s blessings and His commands. When we examine both God’s promises and His warnings throughout the entire Scripture, they often go hand in hand. I want to share one example from the Gospel of John, chapter 3, verses 16 through 18. Jesus said, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. [Friends, that is God’s blessing.] …but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. [That is God’s warning.]” This type of divine principle is described one after another in this Holy Scripture. That is why this hungering and thirsting attitude toward the righteousness of God is important to us. Sometimes, we may perceive these sacred warnings as burdensome in our spiritual journey, but all of these commands are Christ’s blessings. They are like hidden treasures and can only be revealed to those of us who dig deep to search for valuable spiritual riches that satisfy our hunger and thirst in spirit. This holy satisfaction can only be granted to those of us who hunger and thirst for God’s righteousness.

Once again, let us consider God’s holy invitation for each of us to come to the Bread of Life and the Fountain of Life and be filled with this divine blessing for our spiritual existence. As reformed believers, we are all encouraged to “be transformed by the renewing of our minds” every day (Romans 12:2). Let us honestly ask ourselves how thirsty and hungry we are for God’s Holy Bread and Living Water. Some of us may think that we can allocate half of our hearts to spiritual nourishment and the other half to worldly matters. Some may have eighty percent of their desire for God and reserve twenty for other things. Others may wish to be filled with ninety-nine percent of God’s spiritual matters but still hold back one percent for sinful desires.

Do we hear God’s urgent invitation to “seek the Lord while He may be found and call on Him while He is near” (Isaiah 55:6). In other words, there may come a time when we no longer have the opportunity for spiritual banquets, even if we desire them. The Lord our God calls each of us to come to the waters and partake of them without cost, instead of spending money and labor on what is not real bread or what does not quench our thirst (Isaiah 55:1-3). The choice is ours. Hungering and thirsting for God’s righteousness are continuous, and God’s invitation is always personal.

Are we like King David in our Psalm reading, saying, “Oh God, You are my God, earnestly I seek You; my soul thirsts for You, my body longs for you in a dry and weary land where there is no water” (Psalm 63:1). If so, why don’t we dedicate one hundred percent of our hearts to God’s righteousness, just as the deer pants for streams of water (Psalm 42:1)? Remember God’s greatest commandment, taken from Deuteronomy chapter 6, verse 5: “Hear, O Israel [that includes you and me… Hear, O Caleb]: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength” (Deuteronomy 6:4). When we hunger and thirst for the Lord with our entire being, God fills us with all of His righteousness in our hearts in the present and will help us enter into His Kingdom when we are called to be with Him in the future. The perfect Lord, our God desires us to be perfectly satisfied with His characteristics, with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, in our journey with Jesus Christ. It is not a burdensome command but a blessed promise from the Triune God for each of us!

Friends, Jesus proclaimed one beautiful sacred attitude toward God, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled” (Matthew 5:6).

*In this message, I’ve been inspired from the teachings of Pastor Rick Warren as well as various messages based on the following texts: Isaiah 55:1- 6; Psalm 63:1-11; Matthew 5:6; John 6:25-35.