262 - Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness#
262 - Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness
(JP Text Group - Organized by the Little Prince of Heaven)
Matthew 5:6, Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.
Let us pray together:
Heavenly Father! Thank You and praise You! Thank You for preparing this wonderful time to enjoy being with You, and also lead us, quiet our hearts, and receive Your strength. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled. I thirst for Your words, and let me be filled. You know the needs of every brother and sister; provide for us in due time. We completely surrender this time to the Holy Spirit, renew our thoughts, and let our eyes look solely to You. In the name of the Lord Jesus, we pray, Amen!
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled. What kind of person is one who is hungry and thirsty? From a physical perspective, what characteristics does a hungry person have? If you are hungry, do you feel guilty? Do you feel sorry to God? No, you just feel hungry. What I am talking about is spiritual hunger, which is the same. Many people rarely read the Bible or pray and feel condemned, feel guilty, feel sorry to God. In fact, they should feel hungry. When you feel hungry, God will grant you fullness and will fill you through His words.
Hunger is a natural instinct of the body. When a person is hungry, they naturally want to find something to eat. A baby does not need to be taught how to eat; as soon as they are born, they will seek food. Give them milk, and they will suckle quickly. This is human instinct. Even when a lamb's eyes are not open, it will instinctively seek food. The more civilized humanity becomes, the richer the information, the more severe the phenomenon of spiritual hunger becomes. Now, there is a promotion of spiritual civilization, which is actually a supply for the spirit. People are eating and drinking better, but they cannot find satisfaction.
What people need most is spiritual fulfillment. Many people do not understand this and place their hopes elsewhere, such as working hard, hoping to gain more, eat better... but these will never solve the problem of inner hunger. The reason is that they neglect the supply of the spirit within. The truly blessed are those loved by Jesus, and the Lord supplies us; God has prepared everything.
Just like the song we sang earlier, it is this love. In spring, flowers bloom, and God has created all of this, inviting you, saying, "My beloved, arise! Come with me." What is the purpose? Is it to water and fertilize the flowers? No, it is for you to enjoy the beauty of the flowers with Him. Is this not a need within you? It is to satisfy the joy within you. The Lord knows what your needs are; He wants to supply you not only with food but also with spiritual needs.
A truly blessed person knows to rely on God's words. The words of God become increasingly attractive, and their help becomes greater. I do not know if everyone has this feeling, but when I read the Bible and see a passage, I find that God loves me so much. At that moment, I am particularly moved; that is also a sense of fulfillment, a fulfillment that even winning the lottery cannot provide. This is the supply of the spirit. Before God, what we need to do is continually receive... let ourselves become richer, and life will become more joyful and peaceful. God hopes that you possess His life within; those who are in the Lord, the more they know the beauty of the Lord Jesus, the more they are content and fulfilled.
In the beginning of Genesis, God created Adam and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and he became a living soul. This spirit is the Holy Spirit. When God placed the Holy Spirit in Adam, he became a living soul. After he sinned, the Holy Spirit departed from him. Therefore, if a person wants to attain true fulfillment, they must allow the Holy Spirit to return to them.
How can the Holy Spirit return to you today? It is not like in the Old Testament, where good behavior and strict adherence to God's words would bring the Holy Spirit back. Under the Old Testament law, David once prayed, "O Lord! Create in me a clean heart, and renew a right spirit within me; do not take Your Holy Spirit from me."
In the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit did not dwell permanently within people. When a person had the Holy Spirit, they would have great power and exhibit immense joy and peace because the Holy Spirit helped them. But when they sinned, the Holy Spirit left. For example, did the Holy Spirit leave Saul?
In the Old Testament, many people had the Holy Spirit used up and then returned to their original state. Why did he ask the Lord, "Create in me a clean heart, a right spirit"? It was a longing for the days when the Holy Spirit was within him; that was a sense of fulfillment. But we are blessed because when we accept Jesus, the Holy Spirit dwells within us and never leaves.
So what should we do? Let the Holy Spirit within us work and enjoy being with the Holy Spirit. That is why the Bible says, blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled. What is righteousness? Jesus is righteousness. The Bible mentions many aspects of righteousness, such as God's righteousness, Christ's righteousness, justice, and the righteous...
What is this righteousness? Integrity is one attribute of righteousness. In front of a judge, justice is about fairness and equity. Righteousness is something people strive to pursue. Sometimes, some people suddenly become unjust, abandon their original righteousness, and become very evil. Can a person maintain this righteousness? In the past, people made vows of brotherhood, sharing both hardships and blessings. In times of difficulty, they could indeed share, but often they could not share in blessings.
When poor, three people could share a bun and bow to each other, doing whatever they wanted. But once they all had money, betrayal occurred. Where does true righteousness come from? The traditional character for "righteousness" has what above "I"? That sheep refers to the Lord Jesus. Therefore, only when you have Jesus above you can you possess righteousness, and this righteousness is unshakable. Any righteousness apart from this is unreliable.
Simply put, righteousness is God's attribute and nature. After all people sinned, they lost the righteousness God initially gave us, and people lived in unrighteousness. If you say, "I don't know if I have righteousness," do you know if you have unrighteousness? What characteristics do unrighteous people have?
Let’s look at a passage from the Bible, Romans 1:28-32:
28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; 29 being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, 30 backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31 undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful; 32 who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.
Is this not a description of unrighteous people? Are you in this? Even if you believe in Jesus now, can you escape from this? What is mentioned here is not a willingness to act but an inability to refrain from acting, and they cannot control themselves, nor do they want others to be different from them; they deliberately do not acknowledge God.
These people in the world know there is a God. Even if someone says, "I don't believe there is a God," deep down, they know there is a God; they just do not know that God is the Jesus we believe in. When people are in despair, facing the most critical moments, and no one can help them, they begin to call out to the One in heaven, even though they do not know who that is. Why do they call out?
If there is no God, what do they call out to? So they have a concept of God in their hearts. When Adam and Eve sinned and ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, their conscience began to work, telling them that there is a God in this world. Can this world exist without God? People keep wondering: Is there a God in this world? In fact, when they think about it, they know there is a God. If there were none, they wouldn't even think about it.
They deliberately do not acknowledge God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind. People can commit all these things because they are filled with unrighteousness. Those who do not believe in the Lord are filled with all kinds of unrighteousness. What is mentioned now is just a part of it. Unrighteous people know this is bad, but they cannot rely on themselves to escape from this unrighteousness.
In other words, if you commit even one of these, in God's eyes, you are an unrighteous person, deserving of death. What kind of person does not need to die? The righteous. It is clear that we cannot achieve this on our own. God sent His Son Jesus into this world; He gave us the righteousness of Jesus. Did Jesus commit any of the unrighteous acts mentioned above? Not one, so He is righteous, and we are unrighteous.
How can we become righteous? It is simple; just receive what Jesus gives us. Under the law, God said, "You must be righteous and holy..." When we look at ourselves and see we do not have it, God says, "Then you should die," and we say, "Yes, we deserve to die."
But Jesus says, "I have righteousness; I can give you my righteousness." So when we receive Jesus' righteousness, does God see us as unrighteous? No, when you believe in Jesus, at that moment, Jesus gives you His righteousness, and you possess righteousness. Therefore, blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness.
Romans 3:23-26:
23 For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, 26 to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
This is a very important passage. It mentions that we were all sinners, living in unrighteousness, falling short of the glory of God, not meeting God's standards, which is unrighteousness. Now, we are justified freely by God's grace through the redemption in Jesus, so human righteousness is related to a person, Jesus.
If we talk about righteousness but do not mention Jesus, that righteousness is false. Through Jesus' redemption, we are justified freely. God set Jesus as a propitiation; how does this propitiation work? In the past, we were sinners, and by giving us Jesus' righteousness, we possess righteousness. It is through Jesus' blood that our past sins are washed away. When God looks at you, you are righteous. Hallelujah!
Do not say, "You still have all those bad habits you mentioned earlier; you are unrighteous." Do not look at others this way; see through the spirit that this person is already righteous. The blood of Jesus has washed away all their sins. How can a sinner be forgiven? Through faith.
Yesterday, someone asked me a question: "Did Jesus shed His blood for all humanity?"
I said, "Yes! That's right."
He said, "Then does that mean everyone can automatically be saved?"
I said, "No."
He said, "I'm a bit confused."
Actually, there is no need to be confused. Jesus indeed shed His blood for each of us, but not everyone believes in what He has done. When you believe that Jesus shed His blood for your sins, died for you, and lives for you, you are justified. Many people say, "I don't believe in Jesus; why should I believe in Him?" This is like saying Jesus has prepared everything, but they do not want it.
God has a personality; if you do not want it, He will not force it upon you. If you hunger and thirst for righteousness, you find Jesus so precious, and God will let you see the preciousness of His Son and bless you with more because you find Jesus good, and God will let you see that He is even better.
The above passage says that through faith, God's righteousness will be revealed. This righteousness includes fairness and justice. If salvation were automatic, where would fairness and justice exist? There are two ways to resolve sin: either you bear it yourself or someone else bears it for you. Is this not the same in the laws of the world?
Either you bear it yourself or someone else bears it for you; someone must bear it. So when you do not accept Jesus, you are actually bearing your own sins and unrighteousness. How do you bear it? Does dying resolve it? The Bible says everyone has to die, and after that comes judgment; it does not end with death. Our sins cannot be resolved by death; there is still the judgment afterward.
Now there is another way to go; you do not have to die. Jesus died for you; Jesus took the judgment of God for you, substituting for your sins. Isn't that better? When you believe that Jesus did this for you, God says, "Okay! I declare you righteous." This reveals God's righteousness. Always remember: what you have now is not your self-righteousness; it is God's righteousness.
Because He, with a patient heart, bore with the sins people committed before. Let me explain this passage. Many people say, "When we believe in Jesus, He indeed bore all our sins before we believed in Him, but after believing, we still sin, and this sin needs to be cleansed by ourselves." The reason is this passage. God bore with the sins committed before we believed.
Brothers and sisters, what does "before" refer to? Before believing in Jesus?
If you understand this passage as referring to sins before believing in Jesus, then how do we resolve sins after believing in Jesus? Because He, with a patient heart, bore with the sins committed before. What does "before" refer to? It refers to the time before Jesus was crucified. But you forget: when Jesus was crucified, you had not yet been born; how could you have sinned? Many people cannot clarify this. "Before" refers to the time prior, and that prior time is referenced against the present; the time after is also referenced against the present. You must think simply.
Please remember: Jesus' forgiveness for us is ongoing. In our view, it is ongoing; in His view, there is no time. In this sense, Jesus' forgiveness for our sins is continuous. Today, if you sin, has God forgiven you? Yes. What about tomorrow? Yes, He has forgiven you. He is not bound by time and space. Do you understand? Speaking of now, it is 2:50. Before this, all your sins have already been forgiven by God. God has been patient with us, forgiving all our past sins. After a minute, the sin you just committed, does God have forgiveness for that? In this case, are you not increasingly grateful for God's forgiveness?
He has patience with you at every moment, and He can forgive your sins based on the blood of Jesus: through my faith, I believe that all my sins before this have already been forgiven by Jesus. Jesus has indeed forgiven our past, present, and future sins. God forgives you this way because of the blood of Jesus, and through your faith, it reveals God's righteousness, making it known that He is righteous and also declaring those who believe in Jesus to be righteous. No matter how time flows, you must always remember: you are righteous because it reveals God's righteousness, not your own righteousness. Let it be known that you are called righteous because of your faith in Jesus. Always remember your identity: you are righteous.
In this article, there is a term called "hunger and thirst for righteousness." What kind of state is this? It is actually a change in the heart, a longing for God, and a degree of hunger for the words spoken by God. Everyone particularly wants to know what is with God; you must long for this: the appearance of the heavenly kingdom in the future. Although the Book of Revelation mentions a little, saying the streets are made of pure gold and the walls of jasper...
Just thinking about it is beautiful, isn't it? Is it not particularly desirable to be in that place? To thirst for righteousness means you particularly expect those things from Jesus to become yours, to come upon you. In the future new heaven and new earth, we will see it. Now, there is a heart that longs for it, particularly eager to return. Thank the Lord! You should also thirst for God's righteousness because you are righteous, and you can thirst for the blessings of the righteous.
Sharing the first point: Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness.
Psalm 42:1 God, my heart longs for You, as the deer longs for streams of water.
When our hearts long for Jesus, His blessings will come upon us. In the past, we lived under unrighteousness, with all kinds of bad habits, bitterness, complaints... We hated this way of life, saying, "Lord! I do not want to live like this anymore; I want to change. I hope to live in this world like You."
Is this not a longing heart? When you long for Him, God says, "I will help you. Since you have this longing, I will help you see." So blessed are those who know that what God has is better; they are tired of the past way of life and believe that what Jesus Christ gives is excellent. Therefore, they long to understand more, just like newborn babies long for milk; we call it longing.
1 Peter 2:1-3:
1 Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, 2 as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, 3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious.
Here, an example is used: when a child is just born, they long for milk. Although their eyes are not yet open, the baby's mouth is always searching for food. When the mother puts milk in their mouth, they immediately start to suck. They are only interested in this; they are not interested in anything else. Even if you give them candy, they will not eat it.
Our longing for God should be like a baby longing for milk. The more a child eats, the faster they grow, changing every day. If they long for milk, our spiritual life, if we long for God's words, will continually grow. This is not forcing growth; it is genuine growth. The more you long, the more you can experience God's goodness.
I have found a pattern in some testimonies: they particularly look forward to Sunday. For example, some people with illnesses say, "Lord, when will Sunday come? I can hardly wait; why does a week feel so long?" They eagerly anticipate that day because they can hear God's words, hear praises, and share with brothers and sisters. Their lives grow particularly fast, feeling that on Sunday they can listen to God's words, and everyone can comfort, love, and build each other up.
Those with such a longing heart will always receive. Many people follow Jesus for this reason, feeling that what Jesus says is so good, and they can always gain something from Him, so they are willing to traverse mountains and valleys to follow Jesus.
If someone comes to listen with a critical heart, they will not gain anything. If a person's heart is not longing, even if there are God's words, they will not cherish them and will not gain anything. The Pharisees followed Jesus for a long time and listened, but those miracles and powers seemed not to happen in their lives. Was it because Jesus was biased? No, it relates to whether each person's heart is longing. As long as you sincerely seek God, He will always let you see.
In the past, the Israelites were very ignorant. Among all nations, God chose the Israelites not because they were numerous but because they were few. From the seventy people who came out with Abraham, they later developed into a nation. Their numbers were particularly small, but God chose them. Should they not be grateful for this? Yet they did not. God chose them and supplied all their needs, but they still lived according to their own will and were unwilling to listen to God's words.
A country needs complete laws and regulations, and God also gave them. Logically, they should have lived better; that was what God decreed. But they lived worse because they were unwilling to listen to God's words. Eventually, God stopped speaking to them, and for a time they lived in great suffering. This serves as a lesson for us; we should not learn from them.
Amos 8:11-12:
11 "The Lord God says: 'The days are coming when I will send a famine on the land—not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord. 12 They shall wander from sea to sea, and from north to east; they shall run to and fro, seeking the word of the Lord, but shall not find it.'"
Why does such a bleak statement appear? If you read the first chapter of Amos carefully, you will find a word that appears repeatedly. I have mentioned before that when a word or phrase appears repeatedly in the Bible, we need to pay more attention. For example, in the Book of Judges, there is a saying: "In Israel, there was no king; everyone did what was right in their own eyes."
Their lives were terrible. In the Book of Amos, a phrase that appears repeatedly is "XXX sinned repeatedly." Tyre sinned repeatedly, Edom sinned repeatedly, Israel sinned repeatedly. This indicates that they had become indifferent to God's words, continuously violating God's commands. God sent prophets to tell them, but they did not want to listen. Eventually, God stopped speaking to them.
Brothers and sisters, is it a good thing for God to stop speaking to us? If you pray and God does not respond at all, is that a good thing? God constantly sends prophets to encourage them: "Do not do this; if you do, the consequences will be terrible..." It seems God is very verbose, continually sending prophets to teach the people: "You must obey God's words!" It feels like such people are annoying. If we lose such people, will we really be happy?
One day, you will find that when you hope others give you advice, you cannot find it. When they repeatedly violate God's words and do not listen to God's words, God stops speaking to them, and ultimately, it is these people who suffer. They left God and did not fare well. Why did they start seeking later? Because there was a famine on the earth. They were not without food; people are hungry not because there is no bread, nor thirsty because there is no water; they had food and drink, but how was their inner state? At that time, they had a longing heart for God, wanting to seek Him, realizing that without God's words, they could not go on. They sought but could not find.
If you carefully read the Old Testament's Song of Songs, it is about the love between the beloved and us, as well as the growth journey of each of our lives. Let me briefly explain. It mentions that at first, the beloved found her, and the Shulammite said, "I am dark, but I am beautiful."
The Bible mentions darkness as a color left by a past curse, but she says, "I am dark, but I am beautiful." She thinks she is quite good, but when the Lord comes to find her, she feels she is good enough and does not need Him. At first, the Lord knocks on her door, saying, "The dew has dampened my head," indicating that the Lord had been waiting outside all night. She, inside, says, "I just woke up; I have bathed and perfumed myself. If I go down to open the door for You now, my feet will be defiled; I do not want to go down."
She does not care about the Lord's calling and invitation, unwilling to listen to the Lord. Later, the Lord leaves, and she gets up to open the door, starting to seek. Not only does she not find Him, but she also gets beaten up. This is similar to our life experiences. At first, when we share the gospel with others, they ignore us. Later, when they are willing to listen, they go to find the Lord but cannot find Him. Later, when they hear someone say, "If you do this and that, you can find the Lord," they follow that advice, only to find they are being deceived.
When they truly want to find the Lord, they go through many problems and find they cannot find Him. Someone tells her, "You will see Him when you turn a corner," and when she turns, she indeed sees Him. This is a journey of our lives; seeking the Lord is so easy; the key is to find the right person. If you believe in Jesus and want to meet the Lord, is it easy?
You can meet Him every day; just turn a corner, and you will see Him. The meaning of turning a corner is that it is very easy. From that moment, the Lord begins to invite her, saying, "Come! I want to marry you; you can sit in a very beautiful bridal sedan..." At that time, she is with the Lord and discovers how wonderful it is! Her life grows more and more, and in the end, she says, "Our love cannot be drowned by many waters..." She realizes how good the Lord is; this is a journey of life.
The Israelites did not initially realize how good God was to them. Later, when they lost God's words, they felt a need inside, began to run back and forth seeking the words of the Lord, but could not find them. Now you do not need to do that; the Holy Spirit dwells within you. You do not need to search everywhere to find Him; you can find Him today. Amen!
John 15:5 I am the vine; you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me, you can do nothing.
At the moment we believe in Jesus, we are connected to the Lord. We are the branches, and He is the vine. As long as we are connected, His life will continuously supply to you, the branch, and you are blessed. You do not have to strive to become a strong vine; as long as you are on that tree, He continuously supplies you, and you continually receive. Your life will keep growing; this is something everyone will experience. Continuously receiving God's words is like a child continually drinking milk...
His life will grow. If at first, you do not give him milk and every day declare: "Grow! Grow! Grow..." can he grow? It is useless. If you feed you with food every week, as long as you long for it and are willing to listen, your life will definitely grow because God will personally supply you. This means that as long as the branch is on the vine and has not been cut off, the life of the branch will continuously be supplied, and bearing fruit is a natural thing. That is why "blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness." We must maintain a heart willing to listen and eager to hear God's words.
Sharing the second point: Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness shall be filled.
Some say, "We are under grace, so reading the Bible, praying, and gathering are not that important; we are free to live as we please; God will not treat us like those under the law." I do not know if you have ever experienced those days: being forced to get up early for morning prayers. People say, "In China, the morning prayer sounds at five o'clock; where does the prayer sound come from? It comes from the church."
Then they start to condemn others: "Did you get up to pray? It is already five o'clock; others have started praying; why are you still asleep? Is this how you honor God? Do you still want God to bless you? No way." I think, "Yes, why does God bless them? Because they get up at five to pray. It is normal that God does not listen to my prayers because I do not put in as much effort as they do." Is there a sense of condemnation in this? Forcing you to do something, and when you cannot do it, you think, "God will definitely not bless me." Naturally, you draw such a conclusion. Clearly, this is a legalistic mindset, relying on your actions to earn God's blessings.
Is this how we should live? It should be the opposite. Is it good to get up at five in the morning to go to church? Yes, but not out of compulsion, not being driven like ducks to water. If it is a wild goose, it does not need to be driven; it will fly higher. If it is clearly a duck, why make it fly so high? Unless its life has already changed, it will willingly go.
In our church, we do not impose such regulations, "You must attend prayer at a certain time." You can come and pray anytime and anywhere; this is better. Is this not the kind of prayer Paul gave us? To pray at all times and in all ways means not to be bound by time and place. God hopes we are free; this is true freedom. It is not that God hears our prayers best at five to six in the morning; there is no such statement.
But some misunderstand and say, "We are under grace, so we do not need to pray or read the Bible; as long as we pray in tongues, God will tell us everything we need to know." Then what is the Bible for? Some denominations have gone to this extreme: "No need to read the Bible; what for? I pray, and God tells me what I need to know; He will let me dream about the Bible."
How can it be so? Then why do we need the Bible?
The Bible is given to help us understand more clearly, but these are all external actions. Reading the Bible, praying, and gathering are beneficial to us, but it is not through these actions that you can be blessed. I want to emphasize: even if you do not read the Bible, do not pray, and do not gather today, do not feel guilty. (Comma), it is not over yet.
I know you are starting to smile in your hearts; now you think, "Great! I do not need to read the Bible or pray anymore." It is not over yet. You can live this way and still be saved; you should not feel guilty, but you should feel hungry. If you do not eat for three days, how will your body feel? Hungry, without strength; you have a longing heart for food.
Let me tell you a joke. That was my first time fasting with them, and it was the longest period of fasting since I came to know Jesus, three days, which broke my limit. At that time, I was actually forced; they locked the kitchen door, and I had no choice. I could not do anything special; I just fasted. They asked, "How many days do you plan to fast?" While registering, there were options for one day, three days, or seven days. Some said, "I can do one day." When it was my turn, I still had a bit of pride; I could not say one day, as that was what the sisters did. I am a brother; I could not last seven days, so I finally said, "Three days."
Actually, I was particularly unwilling, but I had no choice. On the first day, I did not feel much; by the time it was a day and a half, I could not take it anymore. When I closed my eyes, all I could see was food, especially when the fast was about to end. Several children were eating next to me, and I wished I could snatch their food away. I had never realized how delicious food could be. At that moment, I felt a heart of hunger. After those three days, I started eating, but there were still seven days left. I did not think about those who were fasting for seven days; they were also hungry for food.
There was a sister, a big sister whom I respected very much; she finished her seven-day fast. I thought that was impressive. Later, I asked, "Sister, how do you feel?" She said, "You all made me suffer." I asked, "What happened?" She said, "You finished in three days and started eating and drinking, but I locked myself in the inner room, thinking I would not be disturbed.
But when I knelt down and closed my eyes, the food I loved most as a child came to my mind so clearly and deliciously. I thought that after the fast, I must buy those foods I loved as a child to eat." Is this not a kind of hunger and thirst for righteousness? Although this was a temptation, it actually helped us understand what it means to hunger and thirst for righteousness. Why did I not have much concept of food before? Because at that time, your body was in weakness.
What I just shared was about spiritual matters. You can skip gatherings, prayers, and reading the Bible, but you will definitely feel weak; this is a certainty. No matter how strong a person's life is, if they do not read the Bible, pray, or gather for a month, they will be weak. It seems they have no interest in the Bible or gatherings, but when they work, they feel powerless because their spirit has been fasting.
We cannot endure three days in the flesh, let alone seven days. Yet many people have fasted from spiritual food for a year or two and ask me, "Teacher Ren, why am I always weak?" How to solve this problem? You need to eat God's words. If you treat God's words as food every day and continually receive them, you will be strong. What kind of example did Jesus set for us? During the day, Jesus finished His work and was already tired, but at night, He prayed alone in the wilderness, drawing strength from above. Amen!
Psalm 22:26, The humble shall eat and be satisfied; those who seek the Lord shall praise Him. May your hearts live forever!
Psalm 107:8-9, 8 Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men! 9 For He satisfies the longing soul, and fills the hungry soul with goodness.
In other words, today you are not being forced to come to God's house to gather, but you know that coming before God, He satisfies the longing soul and fills the hungry soul with goodness; God wants to supply you. Every time you come to church, it is an expectation, expecting God to supply me. Every time you read the Bible, God wants to speak to you through His words. Every time you pray to Him, you are communicating with God, not saying, "I am a Christian; I must read the Bible, pray, and gather," and cannot persist for a few days. When you are hungry, do not feel guilty: "Why am I hungry?"
Feeling hungry is normal because you have not eaten. The same goes for spiritual life; if you feel weak, just read God's words. Hunger and thirst for righteousness mean longing for God's words. You are justified by faith; because of God's righteousness, you are blessed. Therefore, we live not only by food but also by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God to supply us, and we are filled. Amen! God let the Israelites experience all this; today we should learn from this passage what God's intention is.
Deuteronomy 8:1-3:
1 "Every commandment which I command you today you must be careful to observe, that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land of which the Lord swore to your fathers. 2 And you shall remember that the Lord your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not. 3 So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord."
When we read this passage, it is hard to understand what God's intention is. Why did God lead the Israelites into the wilderness for forty years, and what was the purpose of all this? Ultimately, where did God want to bring them? If they did not have a correct understanding of God and did not value God's words, once they entered Canaan, they would immediately forget God's words and follow the customs of the Gentiles. Therefore, God's purpose in leading them through the wilderness for forty years was to help them fully understand God's words, making them realize that God did this to teach them one thing: that man does not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord. God used these words to show them whether they learned to rely on Him.
Did the first generation of Israelites learn? When faced with difficulties, they complained; they did not learn. If you keep God's words in your heart, even when you encounter temptations and trials in the land of Canaan, you will not fall. You will stand firm by relying on God's words. Such a person is filled because when you are full, you have strength. The Israelites in the wilderness were unwilling to listen to God's words, let alone hunger and thirst for righteousness, and as a result, they failed.
If they were unwilling to listen to God's words in the wilderness, they would certainly fail upon entering Canaan. This also foreshadows our human weakness and failure. Later, a person came, Jesus came. He also went into the wilderness for forty days and faced the same temptations, but He overcame them. He relied not on anything else but on God's words. Let’s look at:
Matthew 4:3-4:
3 Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, "If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread." 4 But He answered and said, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.'"
Why do we stumble at the slightest temptation? Because we have not been filled with God's words. If you have been filled with God's words, you can easily overcome all of this. In the Old Testament, there was a man named Abraham. When he returned after defeating four kings, Melchizedek found Abraham and brought him bread and wine, then told him, "It is the Lord who has given you victory." So Abraham thanked God and offered a tithe to God.
Then those kings came, and the king of Sodom said, "You can take this gold and silver." What did Abraham say? "I will not take a thread from you because it is the Lord who has made me rich." He had already been filled with God's words. God first gave him the words, and he received those words, so he was filled. Therefore, he did not rely on human supply, knowing that God would personally supply him.
Many times, we fail because we do not have God's words as our sustenance, and in the end, we stumble. Jesus always had God's words within Him, so when He faced temptation, what did He do? "But He answered and said: 'It is written...'" This scripture is from the Old Testament, specifically the passage we just read in Deuteronomy 8. Therefore, Jesus overcame all the temptations of the devil by recalling God's words to Him.
He was filled within, so "no matter how you try to deceive me, it will not work; I will still overcome." When you are willing to long for God's words and live according to His words, even if you encounter temptations and trials, you will overcome all of this by relying on God's words. Amen! Thank and praise the Lord! But our God will not force us to listen to His words; He only guides us to willingly seek His goodness.
Matthew 7:6-8:
6 "Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces." 7 "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened."
Here, it speaks of one thing: as long as a person is not self-righteous and is willing to seek God, God will surely give to him. Asking means this person is willing to pray to God. Seeking means you go to seek God, willing to let God help you, and He will open the door for you. This is our Lord; His intention is like this.
So those who seek God are blessed. When you know you are a blessed person, you will continually seek God's words because you have tasted this goodness. You know that God's words truly have power and authority, and you will be willing to know God's words more. Therefore, God's intention and invitation to us is to willingly lay down our past ways and live according to God's ways, and we are extremely blessed people, and we can also be filled in all things. Amen!
Revelation 21:2-6:
2 Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. 4 And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away." 5 Then He who sat on the throne said, "Behold, I make all things new." And He said to me, "Write, for these words are true and faithful." 6 And He said to me, "It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts."
This passage is for us; it tells us one thing: God's tabernacle is among men. Today, the Holy Spirit is with you, and God's power is upon you. He wants to renew all things and let you believe that the words in the Bible are true. If you have a heart willing to seek and long for, God will give freely.
He says, "I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts." This person is not thirsty; you must make him drink some water. If you keep making him drink, what happens? This is what Jesus said earlier: do not give what is holy to dogs, nor cast pearls before swine; you must give water to the thirsty person; he needs water; you must give bread to the hungry person. I hope you all are like big eaters before God's words, willing to eat more, to receive more of this fountain of life, and your life will become increasingly abundant.
Finally, let us look at a passage of scripture for meditation, Psalm 36:5-9:
5 Your mercy, O Lord, is in the heavens; Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds. 6 Your righteousness is like the great mountains; Your judgments are a great deep. O Lord, You preserve man and beast. 7 How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God! Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Your wings. 8 They are abundantly satisfied with the fullness of Your house, and You give them drink from the river of Your pleasures. 9 For with You is the fountain of life; in Your light we see light.
One important point in this passage is: why should you hunger and thirst for righteousness from God? Because what He has is so wonderful. It is not because you are a Christian that you must do this, but because He always has what you need. When you long for it, you will receive more, which is beneficial for you. Your mercy, O Lord, is in the heavens; Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds. Your righteousness is like the great mountains; this tells us what kind of existence God is.
The children of men put their trust under the shadow of Your wings; how do you meditate on this passage? Replace "the children of men" with "I." I put my trust under the shadow of Your wings. You can pray to God: "Lord! I am willing to take refuge under Your wings." The sun will not shine on you.
They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fullness of Your house; how should you meditate on this passage? "My Lord has abundance, so I can be filled. This is why I am willing to hunger and thirst for righteousness; there are better things with Him, so I shall be abundantly satisfied with the fullness of Your house." In God's house is Jesus; He is your fullness.
You also give them drink from the river of Your pleasures; what river? The river of joy. So when you come before Jesus, you can always receive His joy. Trust me, I can also drink from the river of joy that Jesus gives me.
For with You is the fountain of life; Jesus is the source of your life. Have a heart that longs for Him and seeks Him. In Your light, we see light. When you are in the light of Jesus, do you still need to seek light? You will see it. Therefore, when you seek Jesus, He will surely let you see all that He supplies you with. Brothers and sisters, no matter what problems you encounter, come and seek Jesus; He will surely fill you.
Let us pray together:
Heavenly Father! Thank You and praise You! Thank You for preparing this wonderful time for us to share Your words together. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness; they shall be filled. I am a blessed person; my blessings come from the supply of Jesus Christ. I am willing to experience Him more in my life, to see You more in Your words, to experience Your presence more in prayer, and to see the love among brothers and sisters in gatherings. I am a blessed person, willing to seek You. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for I shall be filled. You are the fountain of my life, the answer to all my problems. In this week, I will rely on You in all things. Please help me experience Your grace in my life and pass this blessing on to everyone around me, so they may also receive Your fullness. In the name of the Lord Jesus, we pray, Amen!