That All May Know - His Kingdom Ways | Joy Teh

You're listening to a message to go from ext Church. We hope this message

will light up your day that all may know His kingdom weights. Amen.

Yes, so turn to your neighbor and say, I want to know his

kingdom weights. Yay. So we're going to read again from Methiu chapter five.

So the main text will be from Matty chapter five, verses one to

ten, and then we will draw out from again different verses from the entire

Sermon of the Mound, the Sermon of the Mound, which starts from chapter

five and ends in chapter seven. Are we ready Church, Yes, come,

So let's read from the World of God. And I will need Xtivy

to help me out with this. In Matthew chapter five, versus one,

now seeing the multitudes, he went up on a mountain. So I shall

wait for Extivy. And for those of you who have your Bibles, I

let to encourage all of you to bring your Bibles to church. Yes,

your physical bibles if you have, if not your digital ones. So let's

read the Word of God together that chapter five. That's right, Let's read

verse one and seeing the multitudes, he as in Jesus went up on a

mountain, and when he was seated, his disciples came to him. Then

he opened his mouth and taught them, saying, blessed. So we're going

to read the beatitudes. The eight be attitudes, all right. Blessed are

the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are

those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek,

for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for

righteousness, for they shall be filled. And it is verse six that we're

going to focus on today. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain

mercy. Verse seven, Verse eight. Blessed are the pure in heart,

for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers. This is the last

one. The eighth one for day, sorry, this is the seven.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. And

finally, the eighth be attitude. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness

sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. And I believe this is

not an unfamiliar passage to most of us. So the last time when I

shed I shed on which one. Can you one tell me how many did

I shed on? Three? One hundred months pas John? Okay? So

I shd on the first three be attitudes, all right, which is the

point spirit. Those who mourn and blessed are the meek. Okay. So

today we will look. I wanted initially to recover maybe almost the rest of

the bay attitudes if I can, or you know, at least two or

three. But sorry, I got stuck with just one, okay, So

I shall not direg on the thing. But we shall just stick with one

today, okay. Now, And as I studied further, I realized that

even more things that I've learned, even as I study further about the attitudes

and the sermon of the mounth okay. So as we look at this one,

this is a recap where we recapped from the last time when I shared

when Jesus started to preach to the multitudes on the mountain right, he went

up right. So if we notice in verse one, seeing the multitudes now

earlier on in chapter four three, the Matthew already said that there were many

multitudes that was following Jesus already. So by chapter five there was a great

crowd of people, okay, following Jesus. So, seeing the multitude,

he went up on the mountain, okay, and then he was seated,

and his disciples came to him. Now, so as you can see here,

just to paint us a little picture of the picture of when Jesus was

teaching his disciples, the audience is made up of two main groups of people.

All right. So Jesus is primarily addressing his disciples, his twelve disciples,

okay, that he has already called by that time, and he's actually

mainly this is the inners of his disciples. However, if you read on

in the Sermon of the Mound, even towards the end of the Salmon of

the Mound in chapter seven, you will notice there's actually a crowd of people.

That means, aside from his inner circle of disciples who say yes Jesus,

amen to everything that Jesus say, there's another group of people who are

probably there curious and wanting to know more and listening in to what Jesus has

to say. All right, okay, so how do we know all this

now? In Matthew chapter seven, and I have a slight for this Verses

twenty eight, and twenty nine. This is the end of the Sermon of

the Mound. So the Sermon of the Mound is spending from chapter five to

seven, and the be attitudes. It's just the start of the summer of

the Mound, all right. So at the end of the sermon, when

Jesus finished talking about everything, he said this, and so it was when

Jesus had ended these sayings. The these sayings is from chapter five. Okay,

it's a Lord that the people were astonished at his teaching. So the

people there is the people that I mentioned there are mainly two groups of disciples

and the crowd, for he taught them as one having authority, not as

the scribes. So it is clear that the crowds were listening in to Jesus

and what Jesus is having to say to them, although Jesus was primarily addressing

his disciples. So I'm just looking at right here. Even in ex church,

when we prepare the word of God, we prepare the word of God

to feed the disciples, right, to feed the church, to strengthen the

church, and to inspire us in our worship and our life, our of

our people. Right. But I pray, and we pray the more and

more that we will see more and more of the curious, right the onlookers,

even the skeptical, the surchers, the doubtors. Because in the crowd

where Jesus was speaking, and he spoke as though he's speaking to his disciples

right right now, blessed are you who are assuming they are already disciples of

Jesus, isn't it yeah? When he spoke that, So more and more

we hope to see more of the crowd, the doubts, anyone who wants

to know, coming behind the disciples or the correct. So we believe that

scripture, when it's anointed by the Holy Spirit and the authority preaching of the

Word of God, has a peculiar power to awaken unbelievers to the truth and

beauty of Christ. Amen. So, and that's what we want to see

in ex Church. And if we can see this picture of Jesus preaching on

the mountain, this is the exact picture. So Jesus continue to invite people

in to his kingdom by preaching to his disciples. So this is what we're

also doing in ex Church by preaching even to us fellow believers, to myself.

So as we presh as I'm preaching to myself, us and to us

fellow believers. We pray hallelujah that you will awaken design in others to come

to know Jesus. Amen. Amen. So this is just for us to

understand. Yeah, what the be attitudes is really all about? Now,

another thing to know before I go into the bar. So this is introduction,

right, don't worry, don't worry, and earlier on trust me.

Okay, So okay, So so just another thing about the be attitudes is

that now Jesus when he is saying these be attitudes to be attitudes, right,

if you notice the pattern mind is blessed? Are you blessed? Are

you blessed? Are you? It's like, uh, it's actually saying congratulations

disciples, Yep, congratulations, blessed are you who are mean? Blessed are

you who hunger and thirst for righteouses? And then pronouncing promises over his disciples

right for you shall because sons of God, you shall inherit the earth,

you know what I mean. So it's like a it's like a celebrative announcement

of congratulations to the disciples of how fortunate they are because they already possess the

power of the kingdom. So when Jesus said that, he's saying it by

faith. Also, so turn to your neighbor. Now you already possess one

neighbor, the other neighbor the power of the kingdom. One more time,

turn to your first neighbor. You already possess the other neighbor the power of

the kingdom. A man. So the disciples sitting at Jesus' feet and hearing

his words as congratulations, Wow, so fortunate are you, my dear brothers.

Wow, so fortunate are you to be chosen by God. So that's

how Jesus when he was preaching, he was saying that to his disciples.

So right, so blessed are you to have your eyes open, to be

drawn to the Savior, to be poor and mourning and meek and hungry,

and yet merciful and pure and peaceable, summarizing the all the idito It's okay.

So Jesus is telling the disciples, rejoin and give thanks, my beloved

disciples, because this is not of your own doing. It's because of the

reign of God in your life. But at the time where the disciples understood

everything, not that's another story, lie, okay, But Jesus preach it

anyway, right, So the disciples are hearing the words as celebration about the

work of God in their lives, immen. And of course they are receiving

it and they are happy. But remember there is the crowd, right that's

listening in all right, So the big attitudes also contain and implicit not so

explicit that the congratulative blessed, blessed are you are the explicit ones, but

the implicit one is the invitation to become part of the kingdom, immen.

So so what about the crowd. So if you think about the crowd,

who the crowd are those that are not yet disciples of Jesus. Do you

think they will hear it as blessed are you who are mean? Blessed are

you who mourned? They'll be like, hmm, is it very blessed?

Okay? So they it may not yet be congratulations to them, right,

because maybe they don't think they are poor in spirit yet they are not aware.

They are not mourning, they are not meek, they're not hungry for

righteousness, they're more merciful, blah blah blah. What so what do these

these words mean for them? They're definitely not words of congratulations yet, but

they are words of invitation. Amen. And these people who come to worship

out of traditions, So they come to Jesus thinking that, oh, because

we are Jews. Okay, yes, they come maybe of tradition, maybe

they're curious, maybe they're skeptical. Who is these Jesus are So but to

some of them, soon it's going to be words of transformation by the power

and mercy of God. Amen. So what are the words of the attitudes

to you this morning? Church? Now? For some of us we are

disciples of the Lord. Hallelujah, Jesus, we are safe found in the

Lord, living for the Lord, Hallelujah. That is again a celebrative message

for all of us to know. But there might be some of us here

again, you might be like the crowd hearing this, and I invite you

into that. Jesus invites the crowd in to hear and again to be transformed

by the power and mercy of God. Amen. A man. So before

I move on into the fourth BE attitude, I would like to recap just

to give us a little bit of the foundation, and then move on in

the Be attitudes. Now, and as I read. As I study on,

I realize even more stuff. So don't worry. Okaykay, So let's

recamere. So the first so be covered. The first tree be attitudes in

the bikerchi right small Okay, So in the in my last message. So

we look at first tree, Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs

is the kingdom of heaven. We look at verse four, blessed are those

who mourn for days shall be comforted? And verse five, blessed are the

mike or they shall inherit the earth. So the first one, which is

the very first of the eight, be attitudes. Here we look at how

we blessed are you when you recognize your state, the states that we are

all in. So we look at the meaning of poor in spirit. So

again it is not just a men's confession that I'm insignificant, I've known value,

No, But it is a confession that we are sinful, we are

rebellous, and we are spiritually bankrupt without God. Remember, so poverty of

spirit, it cannot be artificially induced by self hatred, but it is brought

about by the Holy Spirit. And when we respond to His working in our

hearts. Amen. So when it says, blessed are you when you come

to that point when you know that you are nothing apart from God, that

all your righteousness are filty rights, and only in Jesus we have righteousness are

right. So until that point, then only we are blessed and we are

rewarded. And what is the promise for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.

So we receive the Kingdom of Heaven, because poverty or spirit is definitely a

prerequisite for receiving the Kingdom of God. We can't receive the Kingdom of God

if we think that we are fine mine. Okay. So that's the bottom

line, and that's the first thing to be established from the beginning. Okay,

can only receive the Kingdom of God when we know that we are poor

in spirit. That's why dias is the kingdom of Heaven. Amen. Now

the second be added to you is after we realize and we recognize our state

of being poor in spirit, and that's where we moan. So it says,

blessed are those who mourn. And this one is the one that is

a bit like oxy morono, and I get you are blessed when you mourn.

Wh Okay, Okay, for day shall be comforted. And remember we

look at the word morn the morning is not just a little bit said because

you know my plan died, Okay, it's a deep grief. But sometimes

of us are really said, I'm very sad when my plant died because the

plant is pressius to me. Okay, some of you who really plan your

plan and the plant died is very said. Okay. So okay, I

don't talk about animals and phats, okay, because I know, yes,

it means a lot to some of us. Okay. So, but this

here means deep grief before God over what not just about a plant dieler,

It's over our fallen state, Okay. So it's over sin and the consequences

of sin that caused us to have such grief and such mourning. And the

promise is that you shall be comforted, they shall be comforted. So genuine

grief express over our poverty or spirit will ignite God's forgiveness. And that's what

I mentioned. I'm just summarizing it what we and a recap of what we

look at the last message, right, and when we ignite God's forgiveness,

it also brings cleansing to our hearts. So when it brought. It brings

us to the place of repentance. So that is what the meaning of godly

repentance. It brings for salvation. Imen it will lead us to God,

all right. So it brings forth the cleansing of our hearts, and it

restores our relationship with our heavenly Father. So that's why blessed are you when

you mourn, when you have deep grief over the state of sin in our

lives, that it costs you to do something about it, to repent,

to turn away, and to walk back towards God. And blessed are you

because you shall be comforted, amen, men. And the third b attitude

we look at ace now after you recognize your state and of our poverty or

spirit, we repent of our sin and we go back to God again.

We will call we will definitely resemble the Savior. So the third one is

Blessed are the meek, for day shall inherit the earth because only Jesus,

if you only you follow Jesus, you can be mid Okay, you follow

the world's way is the total opposite, all right. Okay, So we

look at the meaning of the remember not the last time we talk about in

Greek, it just means strength under control. It's like a wild heart,

okay, but under control. It's not because you're weak and you can be

pushed around. It's you submitting that strength to the Lord. Imen. So

the mink are those who suffer wrong without bitternness or desire for revenge Gerer,

Okay, sound's quite impossible. If you talk about the flesh. Okay.

To be means to show willingness to submit and work under proper authority. It

shows a willing us to disregard one's own rights and privileges. Now, I

also mention that sometimes until the point that you are tested in this area,

you will never know whether you're meaning or not. Okay, by the time

comes then you will know how. But for they shall inherit but the grace

of the Lord. Amen, man not loving at us, gethering myself.

So the myth are confident. Why now? Why they can they can?

They cannot be bitter. They are willing to not take revenge or you know,

or to submit. Why the mink knows, and they are confident that

God watches out for them and that God will protect their cause. So the

question that I asked the last time to myself and to all of us is

do we know our God? Do we know that God is watching over us?

Do you know that God can see, God can hear, God knows

exactly what is going on, and that God will pretend our cause? Is

whether we really believe that or not, because if we do, it's very

easy to let it go and say it's okay, God, I submit it

to you. Amen. So the promise that they shall inherit the earth,

it's the same promise that we see in Psalms thety seven. So I brought

us to some thety seven as well. Those who weigh upon the Lord shall

inherit the earth. And hence those who shall inherit the earth, and those

who are just means those who wait upon the Lord. So if you want

to read more, you can hear the message again, or you can read

some of thety seven, all right. So the sum of they seven shows

the characteristics of those who wait upon the Lord, and it shows us what

it means to be met before the Lord. So the quietness and the openness

and the vulnerability of meekness is a very beautiful but yet a very painful thing,

and sometimes you have to go to it too. In order to understand.

It goes against all that we are by our sinful nature, and it

requires supernatural help from the Lord. But all praise to God. God is

here to help us a man, and the promise is they shall inherit the

earth. Meaning and God choose this perfect match of promise. No that don't

worry, you will never lose out one. God will make sure that he

has what you need for you. Amen. Amen. So this is what

we look at. Who will summarize in five minutes. I don't know where,

okay are in the last message. So today we're going to look at

verse six. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they

shall be filled. So once you recognize your state, your poverty of spirit,

you mourn for your sin, and you are made before the Lord by

the supernatural help of the Lord. Is again a very natural thing for us

to hunger and thirst for righteousness. Amen. Amen. So this describes again

now, so let's talk a bit about hunger first, all right, So

let's talk about hunger. So the hunger here, of course, just like

a normal physical hunger. What comes to your mind when we say hunger and

thirst? The feeling is is it fake, the real, it's real.

And then we just finished. You turnal are like, ah, so good.

Right, So when we are fasting, then it becomes so real to

us, like oh my goodness, I'm so so hungry or right, not

okay, so hunger and then some of us be fast water all the best.

Okay, it's so thirsty, so hungry. So this the longing or

the hunger and the thirst is real, just like a physical hunger and thirsts

are real? Right? What else? It's natural, isn't it. Even

if I don't tell you after a certain time, you're gonna feel hungry normally,

okay, okay, human biological thing. Okay, so just like in

the natural healthy person. I say healthy because yeah, gay, move on.

It can be intense to rite hunger and thirsts. It can be very

fully intense. It can be painful at times, right, if you're very,

very very hungry, it can be. It can cause pain. It

can be like a driving force. I'm so hungry, don't talk to me

now, I need to go to the restaurant. Now, I need to

eat now. Rhy not okay. So it can drive a man to anger.

Yes, make somebody angry, hungry, hungry, hungry, O white

world. Okay, but but being feeling hungry and being hungry is a sign

of health. Do you agree? Do you know that it's a blessing to

feel hungry? Okay? So like you know, my mother in law,

who is you know, going fighting cancer at this point, there are days

that she said, I don't feel hungry at all, you know, and

that is not a very good sign. So we take it for granted that

you can feel hungry. It's actually a very good sign. It's a sign

of health. Okay. So these are hunger and thirsts that we know.

So now do you know that there is a longing in our hearts and there's

a hunger and thirst in our hearts? One, So those of you think

back, now, we're all I'm talking to believers now, are fellow believers

and disciples before you know Jesus? Okay, was that hunger and that thirst

feel by anything else in the world. So there is a hunger and thirst

that God has placed in our hearts. Imen. So we see Christians,

even Christians believers, why we hunger for many things. So now I'm not

saying it's wrong, okay, power, authority, success, it's good things,

comfort and happiness who doesn't want comfort? I want? I want?

Who doesn't want? Success? I also want? Why not right? Happiness?

Who doesn't want? So it's nothing wrong to have all these. But

the question is are we hungering and thirsting for righteousness? Now? Jesus?

When Jesus talk about hunger and thirst at that time, the people then understand

real hunger and thirsts Now, I think we do. If we really fast,

we will understand. But again, modern days, now, modern men

had to really understand what hunger and thirst really means. Okay, but God

has placed eternity in our hearts and we have an inconsolable longing. Do you

do you believe that now, each and every one of us? Now in

Isaiah fifty five, verse two and three, let's read Isaiah, and I

have another verse in Jeremiah. Okay, so let's do at Isaiah fifty five,

verses two to three. Why do you spend money for what is not

great? God is speaking, and your wages for what does not satisfy?

Listen carefully to me and eat what is good, and let your soul delight

itself in abundance. Incline your ear and come to me here, and your

soul shall live, and I will make an everlasting covenant with you the showmances

of David. So why do you spend money for what is not great?

Wages does not satisfy. Basically, God is saying to his people that nothing

that you own in the world is going to satisfy you. The only thing

that will satisfy you is by coming to me, listening and inclining to me,

and do what I tell you to do. In Jeremiah chapter two,

verse thirteen, God said, for my people have committed two evils. Thereforesaken

me the fountain of living waters and heal themselves systems broken systems that can hold

no water. So that's what happens to us, even as believer us,

even in our journey with the Lord, we sometimes still broken sistents. Right,

we still drink We still drink water from broken systems instead of drinking the

water from the Lord. So again, I believe many of us here in

this are here, I would say, Mannina, some of us, maybe

most of us are not. I hope so, and I pray so.

But again, sometimes we also like that, right, or we are either

have been like that or we are still like this. Only the Lord we'll

speak to our hearts, and the Lord knows our soul is hungry, and

our heart is thirsty. And some of us here we really are hungry.

Although on our face we look like we are fine or it's intact all right,

but our heart is thirsty. We feel and in a longing that cannot

be met by any other thing, and we feel restless. So almost everywhere

we turn, now, if you have to also have this thought that,

hmm, the grass is greener there than where I'm standing. If you're always

having this thought, oh there is better, there is greener. Okay.

Now, the great tragedy for some of us is that even though the Spirit

of God is beckoning us to himself, sometimes we know we're in church now,

we're hearing the word of God. You know, the Holy Spirit is

speaking. But sometimes many times we again and again we turn to short run,

temporary, backfiring pleasures that will never satisfy us. Right, So we

let's I pray that the Holy Spirit. And it happened to me too.

It can happen to all of us, even as believers. But maybe some

of us here you have not again come into that relationship with the Lord.

And this is how you feel this morning, You know that in your heart,

your soul is hungry. Your heart is thirsty. Now why this is?

Because we were made for God and we're not made for any other reason

or any other person. So however, we drink at broken systems, we

eat bread that does not satisfy. And there's this saying from C. S.

Lewis. Okay, if I find in myself a desire wish, no

experience in this world can satisfy, I have a slight for that. The

most probable explanation is that I was made for another world. Do you agree?

Okay? So, because when you're in this world, and when before

I came to know the Lord, I was a teenager. Okay, there's

really nothing that can say. I came home with a good family. You

know, my parents love me, you have everything. I have everything that

I wanted. But there is that longing inside me and that somehow I know

something is missing in my life, just like that one don't know how to

explain one. You just know it. And damn Jesus coming to your life.

Yes, and I know the answer is Jesus, right, So that

is why. So we were made for God. So Jesus has something to

say about this hunger and thirst of all the words that he chose hunger and

thirst because there is that hunger of the human heart that only God can feel.

Amen. And the promise linked directly to hunger and thirst one because it

says in verse six again we look at Matthew five verse six, Blessed are

those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be feeled. Amen.

Hallylujah, Amen. And that's God's promise for us, having said that,

meaning you will only be feeled when you hunger and thirst for righteousness and

not for anything else, meaning if you hunger and tirst for anything else,

the promise is not there. Think about it, Okay. So, so

I'm trying to understand what is this righteousness that Jesus is talking about, because

it's not just about the hunger and thirsts. Yes, we all have a

hunger and thirsts in our lives, in our soul. But what is it

that we are supposed to hunger and thirsts about so that we can be feeled?

Amen. So in order to understand in the context in verse six,

we need to look at the other places that the word righteousness appeared. So

in the sermon of the mound, ranging from chapter five to seven. We

see that there are other places that this term the word came out all right,

which is in chapter five and chapter six. Just to draw out again

and under a better understanding of what Jesus means by hunger and thirst for righteousness?

Imn okay. So let's look at Matthew five and Metel six. So

I just put the verses up there just for us to have a glance.

Verse so in verse six is what we read. Blessed are those who hunger

and thirsts for righteousness for days shall be filled. In verse ten or very

small and might I read for you. You can look at your bibles.

Chapter five, verse ten it says in be Attitudes, Sir, the last

be Attitude talks about righteousness again. Now I'll come back to this point later

on. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is

the Kingdom of Heaven, not for other reasons. Yeah, righteousness sake.

So in the be Attitudes itself in the last bitude the word righteousness appeared again,

and in verse twenty in the same chapter, Jesus said, for I

say to you that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees,

you will by no means enter the Kingdom of heaven. So this is

chapter five. Now, in chapter six, Jesus mentioned the word righteousness again,

and this is the famous verse that we can all memorize, even our

kids can Chapter six, verse thirty three. But sick first, the Kingdom

of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you

a man, a man follow me? Can you still follow me? Dare

lose you? No? Okay, Now, before we move on a little

bit further about righteousness, we need to understand that there is I also found

out that the be attitudes is eight of them, and there is a structure

to the be attitudes. So just for us to understand, so there are

eight be attitude from verse three of chapter five to verse ten. Okay,

verse eleven and twelve is expanding on the last be attitude. All right.

Now, the first three be attitudes were covered in my last message, which

what we recapped earlier today, which is the poor in spirit, those who

mourn, and those who are make right. Yeah, so that is the

first three be attitudes. Okay. Now, the first be attitude when we

read earlier on and recap. What does it say, blessed are the poor

in spirit four dias is the Kingdom of Heaven. The last BE attitude in

verse ten says blessed are those who are persecuted for Righteous's sake is the promise

the same for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. The first and the last

BE attitude are the only two BE attitudes. They have the same promise.

Six BE attitudes kip in the middle, the means sandwiched in the middle all

have a different promise right unique to the BE attitude. Okay, but it's

as though Jesus started and ended with the same promise. Okay. I believe

nothing is by chances in the world of God or right Okay, So it

gives the same words of assurance. And these are the only two promise I

call it the promise that meaning. The second part of the beattitude that is

in a present tense meaning for theirs is the can know what heaven the poor

spirit and the final one when you are when you are persecuted for Righteouster's sake

for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. Now, so what looks like in

between are six beattitudes sandwiched in between two words of assurances, or you can

call it promises. All right, now, that's the first observation of the

beatitudes. The other thing is, we notice that it's as though the berettitudes,

the eight beatitudes is divide it into two groups. The first one ends

with a berattitude that talks about righteousness, which is the fourth beatitude they were

talking about today, if you have not lost me by now, And the

second group of the beatitudes also ends with a beattitude that talks about righteousness.

Okay, So the first group ends in verse six that we just read today,

rest are aduls who hunger and thirsts for righteousness. And the second group,

which is the eighth beattitude, says, blessed are those who are persecuted

for the sake of righteousness. So having said that, to understand for me

to understand the righteousness that we are talking about, I believe is self explained

within the beatitudes itself. All right, okay, so the first three beatitudes

lead Now now we learn this in the last message right when we recapt today,

really blessed adols who are poor in spirit. Rest of are those who

mourn and rest of those who are mex right. Now. The first three

BE attitudes leading up to hunger for righteousness in verse six, are again descriptions

of what mourning over sin correct, understanding our state of sin, mourning over

it, repenting, and again meekly accepting whatever criticism or whatever without retaliating.

Correct. In other words, after pronouncing a blessing upon those who recognize their

emptiness and grief over sin and not trying to justify and defend ourselves, right,

Jesus is making a transition in the In the next half of the beattitudes,

they from emptiness to fullness and richness and overflowing goodness by saying that when

you hunger and thirst for righteousness, you are also blessed inmen. So we

look at the next So then we have to look into the next tree at

beattitudes. Okay, so now the blessed person okay, the blessed person again

from the first tree beattitudes is so when we say blessed are you, you're

not only because you are broken, you're sorrowful, you're mik right. Jesus

is saying that now you are now active, you are overflowing with deeds or

mercy, this is the fifth beattitude. He's pure in heart in verse eight,

and that he's not just peaceful, but a peacemaker. Now I'm just

giving you an overview. We can't cover all the beatitudes today, Okay,

we will continue another part three, Part fourker. Yeah, So this second

group of the four beatitudes ends again with another reference to righteousness, but this

time is a little bit different. The first round, which is now verse

four that we are talking about, is talking about those understanding their state of

sin, hunger and thirst for God's righteousness will be viewed. But the last

one of the righteousness one we are talking about are those not because they lack

righteousness, but because they were righteous and they were persecuted for righteousness sake,

understand, And that is where Jesus is transitioning into the overflowing state in stay

Okay, okay, halleluj. Yeah. So back to the question, dotorry,

back to the question, now, what is the righteousness that Jesus is

talking about? But if you can understand, you can follow, you can

go home and read up. You will understand that basically Jesus is pointing that

the righteousness that he is talking about, Okay, has to do with the

other tree be attitudes. In between the fourth and the eighth be attitude.

All right, okay, now we can also see the how we can also

see these throughout the Sermon of the Mound, meaning in the rest of the

chapter. In chapter five, you will see that Jesus continue to talk about

the bettitudes. Actually, okay, okay, So in mattew five, verse

twenty. Now remember just now I flesh up the other places that the word

righteousness came up. Okay, So in verse twenty, in verse five,

it says Jesus says, for I say to you that unless your righteousness exceeds

the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the

King of Heaven. Remember earlier on Jesus promised them for death. It's the

King, no heaven, but God condition that if you until you exceed the

righteousness, you will not enter the King of Heaven. Honestly, I never

really understood this verse all this world, all right, okay, So now,

but in order to understand it's explain itself in the scripture, you must

really in context. Now, if you read on the rest of chapter five,

you will see there are about six illustrations, Jesus is trying to explain

to them what it means meaning okay, what it means of righteousness. Basically,

he's explaining the righteousness that comes from God. Now let's see, I'm

just giving us a quick run through of what are these that Jesus was trying

to explain to them, And don't worry, I will sum it up again

later, or what it means again when Jesus said, to hunger and to

toast for righteousness, and then you shall be felled. Amen. Amen.

So in verses twenty one to twenty six. Now this is the rest of

chapter five, and I yep, it says we must not own when Jesus

said, we must not only not kill, but more we must not sustain

anger against a brother, but sick peace. Now I don't have a verse.

These are the verses found in verse twenty one to twenty six in chapter

five. Okay, so we got to read on chapter five in order to

understand. But Jesus gave the illustration. So the first one he said,

not only if you kill, sorry murder, it's not when you only when

you murder someone, right, is when you're angry at someone. And then

the next one the second one. Jesus also said that we are not only

committing a doubtree by the act itself, but we must not look upon a

person last only this is found in verses twenty seven to thirty and in verses

thirty one to thirty two, Jesus said, we should not condone divorced just

because there is a legal provision for it in the Old Testament, but we

should keep our covenant commitments and not marry those who don't. And further on

in verses thirty three to thirty seven in Chapter five, we should not only

keep our oaths, but more, we should not be the kind of people

who do not need, who do not need to take oath in order to

be believed, And in verses thirty eight to forty two, Jesus said not

only to not return evil for evil, but we should turn the other cheek

and return good. Now, all of these are familiar passages. We have

no time to read it all, all right, I'm just summarizing for us.

And the last illustration Jesus said is that we in verses forty three to

forty eight, we should not only love our neighbor, but more, we

should love our enemy and those who persecute us. So basically Jesus is trying

to teach is that it's not just by following the law in the Old Testament.

It's more than just that, right, So it is clear what is

Jesus trying to say. So to understand what is the righteousness that Jesus is

talking about. It has to do with treatings, and that's what I put

up on the slide. It has to do with showing mercy. It has

to do with being radically pure in your heart if not, yeah, making

and meaning pure and a heart meaning and a lot of this that you read

in chapter five. It has to do with your heart wort, not just

about the actions right, okay, and finally making peace in state or retaliating.

All these are sum up in the be attitudes itself, all right.

So that is again the meaning and understanding of righteousness. Again from what Jesus

is saying in the in verse four when he said, Blessed are those who

hunger and thirsts for righteousness, for day shall be filled. So in short,

righteousness, in shortland, righteousness is showing mercy to other people. Righteousness,

which is the fifth beatitude that we will look at in more detail.

Righteousness is being pure in heart, the sixth beatitude and righteous being pure in

heart before God. You know who alone can see the heart. Right you

pure and heart before men is one thing, but your poor and heart before

God is another thing. Right, Okay. And that's the seven No,

the six beatitude and the seven beatitude is righteousness is the effort to make peace.

So that is the meaning of righteousness in the context of the beatitude that

Jesus is talking about. And don't forget the promise, for they shall be

filled. So the hunger and the thirst of our lives cannot be satisfied with

anything in this world. As we understand again again, it is only the

It is the beckoning of God to remind us again this hunger that God has

placed in our hearts. It's like God reminding us you are not made for

this world. There's no one that can satisfy your own. You were made

for me. It's like you were made for me. So turn to your

neighbor now and say you were made for God. Turn to the other neighbor

and said, I am made for God. Elijah made for another world.

Like sus Lewis said, right, yes, we were made for God.

So Jesus says that the people who will be satisfied in the end. Listener,

So they shall be filled. Now another version, the New Living Translations,

said they shall be satisfied. Okay. So some versions says satisfied,

some versions said failed, or whatever is it? It is positive and hallelujah

Jesus right. All of us want to be filled and satisfied, isn't it?

Okay? So those who will be satisfied in the end are not people

again, but be careful. We're made for God, made for good mess.

Oh I'm mad forgotten, you know. I need to love my brother,

my sister. I know, need to do what I can hide in

my room because I'm made for God. No, no, no, okay.

So it's not those who have gone into the woods, no, yes,

to find solitary communion with God. Know. Rather, they are people

who again back to the beattitudes hunger and thirst. Their hunger and thirst has

been for righteousness, not for anything else in this world. People who have

I've craved for the grace to be merciful, people who have yearned for radical

purity in thoughts and feelings, people who have passionately desired to make peace.

These are the ones who will be filled and who will be satisfied. Amen.

I have a question why the verse did not say hunger and thirst for

God. It says hunger and thirst for righteousness. Hmm. But if let's

say, right, if you read the verse right, if you read God's

words for God, you wouldn't think anything wrong about it? Right, You're

not hunger? It does forgot now, okay? But why righteousness? Okay?

So the question is why the promise or satisfaction, the promise of satisfaction

or fulfillment is made to those who hunger and thirst for God, hunger and

thirsts for righteousness and not simply just hunger for God. Now I'm gonna end

with this all right, I'm drawing to a close. Okay. Now,

Jesus mentioned again God's righteousness, meaning a righteousness like God's and a righteousness that

God gives. And this is clearly seen in Matthew Chapter six, Verst.

Thirty three that we've read just now, right, sick Eve first, the

Kingdom of God and all these things shall be added unto you. You don't

feel anything wrong with it? Right? Okay? Yeah? From day one

day I will with fair only God see God like hallelujah, and all these

things shall be added unto you. But Jesus had to add that. Lord

Jesus just has to edit. But sick first the kingdom of God and his

righteousness. Okay, So basically Jesus himself said it all right, So it

is basically the same thing as saying Jesus is saying, hunger and thirst for

righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you. Okay. But what

righteousness ad The righteousness that comes from God? Right, amen? The righteousness

that God gives. So when we hunger and thirst for righteousness, okay,

why why is it righteous? Why? Because when we hunger and thirst of

righteousness, we are not looking at to the broken systems of our own resources.

Correct. If we want to hunger and turns after God, we cannot

look at ourselves. We need to look to God. So it's not either

we look at ourselves or God. When we hunger for righteousness means hungered for

righteousness in God, because only God is righteous. Immen amen. So that's

why now, And another point that we can see why again, not just

hunger for God, but hunger for righteousness that is found in God. Is

the way the sermon of the mountain ends. So remember the beary Tulles is

just the first part of a very long sermon that you just preach on the

mountain. So actually our messages now way short. Only Jesus preached for tree

chapters, tree chapters, okay, chapter five, chapter seven. Okay,

So it's how the chapter seven ended, like, okay, just for us

to have a glimpse why Jesus said hunger and thirst for righteouses and not just

hunger for me. Okay. So in again this same verse that we saw

earlier on in metthew seven verse twenty two to twenty three, I hope I

have a my slight is in order. Okay. So if we can pull

out Matthew seven twenty two to twenty three, thank you. Many will say

to me, this is at the enna towards the not not not the final

enna, but towards the end of the summer. The amount Jesus is saying.

Many will say to me in that day, Lord Lord, have we

not prophesied in your name, castle demons in your name, and done many

wonders in your name? And then I will declare to them, I never

knew you. Depart from me you who practice. In the New King James,

it says lawlessness. In other versions it says evil doers, or you

who break God's laws. So that time they called him Lord. The disciples

called him Lord. They seem to have the gift of all the spiritual gifts,

the gift of prophecy, the gift of casting on demons, or miracles,

of signs and wonders. He turned them away at the last day,

saying he never knew them, or I think that's one of the most painful

things. I never want God to say I don't know you. Oh my

goodness, God tell me at the last day that I don't know you die

okay? So yeah, okay, yeah, all right? So why because

they were do words of evil and not righteousness. Can you see that it's

what Jesus say Like Jesus said it, So we just need to take note

of what Jesus said. So they thought they knew him. I hope none

of us will be in these shoes. We thought we knew God, allelujah.

But maybe God is speaking to some of us today. They thought he

he thought, Oh, but God, you know me, right? Okay?

They thought he knew them, but they were strangers. God said,

I don't know you means you are a stranger to me. I never knew

you never know out why Because the answer is they had not hungered and hungered

and thirst third, okay for His righteousness. Amen. They have been religious,

they did, they gone to church, they did all that they needed

to do, you know, in terms of religious activities. But they did

not hunger. At the end of the day, it comes to the heart,

right, hunger and thirst for His righteousness. Okay. But the passion

meaning they have passion, they have hunger. Like I say again, God

has placed eternity in our hearts, and the eternity and the hunger and thirsts

will always be there until the day we meet Jesus again. Right. But

the passion, the hunger, the thirst of their lives was not righteousness.

It was of themselves, Okay. And therefore therefore they will not be satisfied

because the promise or the assurance is given for those who hunger and thirsts for

righteousness. Amen. So some things for us to think about. And again

I pray and I believe that the Holy Spirit has spoken to our hearts and

will continue to speak to our hearts because this is His word. Hallelujah,

Lord, Amen, this is your word. Lord. Could it be that

sometimes one of the reasons we feel that the grass is always greener on the

other side, or as as not where I'm standing, that site is greener,

My site not so great? Okay, Okay. Sometimes and this is

the moment that we've got to be honest to ourselves. Right, don't have

to say to anybody, do you have to raise your hands? Okay?

Sometimes the reasons the grass is greener everywhere we look, or as some as

it's not where we are standing, it's because our lives are not devoted to

the central pursuit of righteousness. And am I say righteousness, I'm talking about

the righteousness in God and the righteousters according to the world of God. But

maybe we are pursuing other things in our lives. And remember, other things

will not have the promise of fulfillment and satisfaction that only Jesus can give immen.

So, just like how we pursue food and drink every day, Right,

every day I feel hungry, we will look for food. And some

of us are quite foody, you know, we like to hunt for food

and all. Let yes, some of us okay, it's not a bad

things. Okay, yes, yes, thank you for life and order he

has given to us. Amen. But let us let him make it our

prayer that we will hunger and thirst in the same way to establish righteousness in

our souls. So, just like we pursue food and drink because we are

hungry physically, remember that physical hunger again, remember that, and let us

also pursue righteousness just like we are hungry for righteousness amen, like for food

Amen, and being in our relationships with our and our marriage, our family,

our church, our ministry, and definitely pursuing righteousness in our marketplaces.

Amen. We hope you've been blessed by this message. For more information on

our church, please visit as Church RG. We are also active on Facebook

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I hit for you. God bless