Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.<\/p>\n
This morning we are continuing our exploration of the different places in the Bible that we find the idea of thirst, and what they say to us about our lives now. Since the beginning of the year we\u2019ve thought about the fact that Jesus thirsted on the cross, about thirsting for God, about the spiritual water that Jesus offers us to quench our thirst. If you\u2019ve missed any of those, then you can catch up on Facebook, Youtube or the podcast of our sermons. Following on from these, this morning we are picking up on the idea of thirsting for righteousness from Jesus\u2019 teaching in Matthew 5.<\/p>\n
Now, righteousness isn\u2019t a word we use much in everyday conversation, or at least I don\u2019t. So, let\u2019s start by exploring what it means to say that an action or a person is righteous.<\/p>\n
It seems to me that this is actually two different questions, with two different answers.<\/p>\n
What does it mean to say that a person is righteous? And what does it mean to say that an action is righteous?
\nWe might think that it\u2019s as easy as saying that someone who does righteous things is righteous, but I\u2019m not sure that it\u2019s that simple. Bear with me a moment, as we go to Romans 3:10 where Paul quotes Psalm 51:<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is no-one righteous, not even one; there is no-one who understands; there is no-one who seeks God.\u201d<\/p>\n
Now I don\u2019t believe that Paul is saying that there is no-one that ever does righteous things. There are loads of examples of people who do lots of righteous things, so what does it mean?<\/p>\n
I wonder if you ever have an argument or a falling out with someone, and you\u2019ve talked it through, or made up, but you\u2019re not quite sure that it\u2019s all OK. Or maybe you\u2019ve just got a sense that someone\u2019s annoyed with you, or you\u2019ve upset them, but you\u2019re not sure how, or if you\u2019re just misreading the situation. You might say to them, \u201cAre we alright?\u201d<\/p>\n
It seems to me that this question is a way for us to get into understanding what it means to be righteous. To be righteous means to be alright with God. For things between us and God to be good.
\nThis is what Paul is getting at. Because of our human tendency to go against God, to hide from God, to disobey God, to sin, in our natural state we are not alright with God. There is no-one righteous, not even one. <\/p>\n
What does it mean to say that a person is righteous? It means that they are right with God.<\/p>\n
So what about our second question \u2013 what is a righteous act? Is it as simple as saying that doing the righteous thing is just doing the right thing? It seems to me that that pretty much sums it up, with an idea of right in a moral sense, with a sense of the right thing to do in God\u2019s eyes. Of course, we are then left with the question of working out what the right thing to do in any particular situation is. <\/p>\n
Our first port of call for deciding that is the two great commandments. Love God and love those around you. Then we might ask, is it true, kind, merciful, just, patient? Does it show joy, peace, faithfulness, gentleness? Does it build up, encourage, strengthen, point to Jesus? Is it in line with the Holy Spirit\u2019s guidance and the Word of God? These are the characteristics of righteous deeds.
\nBlessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.<\/p>\n
Or,<\/p>\n
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst to be right with God, for they will be filled.<\/p>\n
We know that we can\u2019t make things right with God ourselves, but we don\u2019t have to, because Jesus has already done it by his death and resurrection. As Paul puts it in his letter to the Christians in Colossae, in Colossians 2:14<\/p>\n
\u201cGod forgave us all our sins, having cancelled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross.\u201d<\/p>\n
All the wrong things we have done, the list of the things that we are ashamed of, the things that mean that we aren\u2019t right with God \u2013 that list has been nailed to the cross. The power of those things in our lives died on the cross with Jesus, and they stayed dead. If we are thirsty to be right with God \u2013 we can be \u2013 we just need to come to Jesus and be filled with the living water of forgiveness that he offers us.<\/p>\n
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst to do the right thing, for they will be filled.<\/p>\n
We\u2019ve already talked about some of things that help us to know what the right thing to do in a situation is. Sometimes it\u2019s not easy to work out, and that is why God has given us the Holy Spirit, to guide us, and each other, so that we can work it out together. <\/p>\n
Even when we know what the right thing to do is, it\u2019s not always easy to do it, especially if it\u2019s difficult or unpopular, or will mean not doing something that we want to do, or making an effort to do something that we don\u2019t really want to do. Again, it\u2019s part of the work of the Holy Spirit to strengthen us do the right thing, and we can encourage each other, ask people to hold us accountable. <\/p>\n
I was feeling irritable at the beginning of this week, I could feel myself getting angry about little things. I knew that at some point it was quite likely that if things continued like that I would end up losing my temper with someone. So, on Tuesday morning I told the team in the office that was how I was feeling, and asked them to help me \u2013 to warn me if I got grumpy with them, to hold me accountable.
\nWhen we\u2019re struggling to do the thing we know is right, we can pray, \u201cLord will you make me thirstier for righteousness than I am for this thing that I\u2019m tempted by.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another aspect of thirst for righteousness that I want to touch on is a thirst for righteousness in the world. A thirst to see everyone put right with God that motivates our mission and our sharing of the good news of Jesus with those around us. A thirst for right actions in the world that motivates our engagement with things like Climate Justice, Racial justice, campaigning for peace, supporting Fairtrade initiatives. <\/p>\n
There is, however, one kind of righteousness that we don\u2019t need to be thirsty for and, in fact, can get in the way of thirst for Godly righteousness, and that is self-righteousness. Self-righteousness is that sense of \u201cAren\u2019t I good.\u201d How can this get in the way of thirst for God\u2019s righteousness?<\/p>\n
Well, firstly and at it\u2019s most basic, if we are sure that we\u2019re good on our own, that we don\u2019t need to be alright with God, then we won\u2019t thirst for that, we won\u2019t see a need for it.
\nAs those forgiven by God we are alright with God, but that\u2019s not self-righteousness, that\u2019s God\u2019s righteousness given to us.<\/p>\n
Secondly, self-righteousness can be off putting. This is my phone, it\u2019s a Fairphone. The company that makes these phone does all they can to ensure that the raw materials are mined in places that pay their workers well, the manufacturing plants are those which look after their workers. It\u2019s designed to be repairable and recyclable. It costs the same as other phones, but the specs aren\u2019t as good \u2013 not such a fast processor, cameras aren\u2019t as top end. <\/p>\n
Sometimes I get a bit frustrated with this, but then I think, \u201cI\u2019m saving the planet, aren\u2019t I good.\u201d I see other people with their phones, and maybe am tempted to think less of them for not having a Fairphone, \u201cAren\u2019t I good.\u201d I could bang on and on about how everybody should have a Fairphone and people who don\u2019t just don\u2019t care about the planet, \u201cAren\u2019t I good.\u201d And suddenly my self-righteousness has put everybody else right off having a Fairphone. <\/p>\n
Thirdly, self-righteousness can make us defensive and unwilling to be corrected, to grow in Godly righteousness. A little while ago I made a thoughtless comment about an aspect of Afro-Caribbean culture in staff meeting. Afterwards Natalie pulled me up on it, and let me know how it had made her feel. I had a choice. <\/p>\n
I could have let my self-righteousness defend me. I grew up in Africa, I have colleagues and friends of colour, I value the diversity and contribution of people from all around the world in our church and community. Aren\u2019t I good. Or, I could drop my defences, listen to Natalie, understand the impact of what I\u2019d said, say sorry, and commit to do better. <\/p>\n
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.<\/p>\n
Whatever sense that is you this morning, whether you thirst to know that you and God are alright, whether you are thirsty to live a righteous life, whether you thirst to see more righteousness in the world around you, then hear that promise of Jesus. Blessed are you, for you will be filled.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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