The Gospel Of Matthew Chapter 5 Part 4 Cultivating A Hunger And Thirst For The Word Of God.

The power of the gospel is to lead sinners to repentance and new life.

Matthew 5:2-5  And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying, 3)  Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4)  Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. 5)  Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.

Jesus lays out why each person has a need of a new heart and a new spirit from God.

The poor in spirit have reached the end of themselves, They recognize that something important is missing from their lives, namely the absence of God in their soul.

Jesus' promise of the kingdom is made to those who learn that they are spiritually impoverished.

Many people mourn under the challenges of their own sin and living in a world that waxes worse under the curse of sin.

Jesus speaks of those who mourn their lost, spiritual condition and the sin that is within.

Consolation and comfort is promised to those who are mourning over their sin.

Meekness is a fruit of God's Spirit worked into our heart by the comfort He provides.  

Jesus promised that the meek will one day inherit the earth.

Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness shall be satisfied.

Matthew 5:6  Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. 

Now Jesus compares eating and drinking to a person having an intense thirst and longing for the things of God.

I remember being a new believer in Christ, and how God connected me with a godly man who helped me begin to grow spiritually.

I could not wait to read and study the Word of God. 

Each break at work I read my Bible. In my spare time at home, I read my Bible.

Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness will be taught by God.

Psalm 25:4-5  Shew me thy ways, O LORD; teach me thy paths. 5)  Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day. 

Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness will discover how God is so good to show us His ways.

He is good to teach us the path that He wants us to walk on.

He is good to lead us along through this life, helping us grown and mature in our faith.

This connects with invitation from God recorded by Isaiah, inviting all people to come and drink in the living waters of His Word. 

Luke 22:29-30  And I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me; 30)  That ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 

Jesus taught a similar truth to His disciples in Luke's gospel. 

The kingdom of God includes physical elements such as a new heaven and a new earth.

Christ's kingdom will find creation restored to what God originally intended.

What creation was like before Adam and Eve sinned is what Christ's kingdom will be like.

People will walk with God in close communion. 

The Father will richly bless His creation with abundant life and sustaining provision.

Animals will no longer eat flesh but herbs. Snakes, spiders and lions will peacefully coexist with each other and with humanity.

This kingdom also adds a spiritual element to the physical part of His kingdom.

The kingdom of God includes a perfect spiritual and physical balance in life. 

Isaiah 11:1-9  And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: 2)  And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD; 3)  And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears: 4)  But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked. 5)  And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins. 6)  The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. 7)  And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. 8)  And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice' den. 9)  They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea. 

Isaiah tells us that Messiah will rule and reign with righteousness.

Jesus will judge with truth, righteousness and there will be no appeal of His judgments.

Jesus will take up the cause of the poor, the afflicted, the widows, the fatherless, according to all that is commanded in the law.

Thus, we see that the physical elements of creation will radically change and function exactly as God intended them to function.

All governance will be according to the perfect will of God and His holy standard. 

Holiness, righteousness and justice will be hallmarks of the kingdom of heaven.

Thus, the poor in spirit learned that they are missing what is truly important in their lives, namely a relationship with God.

They mourn over their sinfulness and spiritual poverty. 

They are filled with meekness, ready to receive correction and instruction from God.

The poor in spirit who mourn and are meek will develop an intense longing for a right relationship with God. 

Their intense longing can best be described by comparing it to that of a starving man hungry for food and water.

God invites all to come, hear the gospel and respond to it, and be filled.

Isaiah 55:1-3  Ho, everyone that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. 2)  Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness. 3)  Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David. 

Isaiah prophesied about the kingdom of God and used terms of having food and water supplied by God at no cost.

The word "Ho" is meant to grasp our attention because God is inviting all to hear His Word and respond to the gospel.

Hearing and responding to His Word is compared with drinking pure waters, wholesome milk, wine and eating fresh bread.

Those who do not respond to God's invitation to freely feed their inner man, are those who waste their lives pursuing happiness in the wrong places.

They work hard to buy things or have new experiences that leave them empty inside.

The Word of God is living truth and is compared to nourishing and refreshing rains God sends from heaven to make our crops grow.

Scripture is compared to pure, life sustaining waters of life from God.

Isaiah 55:10-11  For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: 11)  So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. 

The Word of God freely offering salvation from sin to all people, is compared to rain.

The rains fall to the earth from heaven, just as God in heaven gave us his Word on earth.

Jesus compared seed being sown in a field with the Word of God being preached (See Matthew 13).

Isaiah reminds us that the rain is like rain from heaven that causes seed to germinate, take root and produces a harvest.

We have the blessing of knowing that whenever we share the Word of God with people, it will not return void.

God will do something with His Word in the hearts of those who hear it. 

Spiritual hunger and thirst can only be satisfied by ingesting God's Word.

Matthew 5:6  Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

Our body has a natural hunger and thirst for the food and drink that nourishes and sustains it. 

As our body depends on food and water and milk for nourishment, health, and strength, so does our soul depend upon heaven. 

Our inner man is fed by taking in, or ingesting the Word of God. 

God's Word is pure, life sustaining water for our inner man.

Deuteronomy 32:1-3  Give ear, O ye heavens, and I will speak; and hear, O earth, the words of my mouth. 2)  My doctrine shall drop as the rain, my speech shall distil as the dew, as the small rain upon the tender herb, and as the showers upon the grass: 3)  Because I will publish the name of the LORD: ascribe ye greatness unto our God. 

The Word is compared to life giving rain and heavy dew that sustains all life on earth.

Peter compares the Word of God to sincere, pure, unadulterated milk from God that fosters growth and health in an infant (See 1 Peter 2:2-3).

Scripture is compared with manna and Christ as that bread from heaven sent to feed our souls (See John 6:22-35).

The Words of Christ are spirit and life for our inner man. 

John 6:63  It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life. 

Jesus said it is the Holy Spirit who quickens us with His regenerating work. The Words that Christ spoke are both spirit and life to our soul.

Heavenly things cannot support our physical body for they are not suited to its nature. 

Physical food and drink cannot support the soul because it cannot feed and sustain our inner man.

Ingesting the Word of God brought joy into Jeremiah's heart. 

Jeremiah 15:16  Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O LORD God of hosts.

Jesus told Peter to "Feed my sheep" (See John 21:15-17).

Paul commanded the elders of the church at Ephesus to "feed the church of God" with His eternal truth (See Acts 20:28).

Peter commanded the elders and church leaders to "feed the flock of God which is among you" (See 1 Peter 5:2).

In the kingdom of God, Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God will feed all the saints (See Revelation 7:17).

The clear lesson Jesus teaches us in Matthew 5:6 is that we must hear the Word of God. 

We must read the Word of God. 

We must study the Word of God and then we must then live by the Word of God.

Those who learn this truth will find their soul satisfied by taking in the scriptures.

We will have a growing appetite for the Word of God, for fellowship with the people of God and a hunger to worship God in Spirit and in truth.

Bob