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We’re beginning a new series together. And this is this is called the last series Nathaniel preaches before he has two kids. So this is a good series to look at. It’s called Bless the Home. And I got to say as, as a young person, this this series is going to be, uh, just it’s going to hit all of us in a place and time in our life. You don’t have to be married. You don’t have to have kids. You don’t have to be in that stage of life to grab something from the series we’re about to go through together over the next three weeks. But what’s important to remember is that wherever we are, however we look at these lessons to learn, to engage our lives. And there’s something in this for everybody. When I was a young person, if I could have had some of the information that we’re we’re about to share this morning before I got into to marriage and before, um, uh, I knew what life was all about. If I could have had this information poured into me, I think it would have been extremely important. So for young and old, I think this is going to be relevant for all of us today. When we talk about blessing the home, one of the great places we’re going to look at. If you brought a Bible this morning, I’m going to invite you to turn to that.
We’re going to begin in Matthew chapter five. And we’re going to talk about blessing the home through one particular subject, and that is the Beatitudes. And we’re thinking as we hear the word Beatitudes, you know, I’ve said that my entire life beatitude and I’ve heard it talked about in the Bible, but what in the world does beatitude means? It does not mean be with attitude. Okay. Beatitude is a Latin word, and it comes. The reason you have it in your Bible is because when the Bible was originally written, it was written in Greek. And then one of the first translations that was made of the Greek text was a Latin text by the by a man by the name of Jerome. And when he got to chapter five of the Book of Matthew, the term that was cleverly coined for the Beatitudes, or the, the term that was coined for this was the Beatitudes. It’s a Latin word. When you read chapter five, beginning the very beginning of the chapter, you’ll note that Jesus is speaking. And when he introduces this message that he’s sharing, he starts off with blessed. And that’s exactly what the word beatitude means. It’s the Latin word for blessed or to be happy. And what Jesus is referring to here with individuals as he’s sharing this message, is that he’s saying to them that they can be excited in their relationship, they can be filled in their living in life, and the way that they are to do that is to listen to the message that he’s about to share.
When you listen to this message, you are blessed. Your life is filled. If you can adhere to what Jesus is saying. And so we talk about blessing the home and being blessed in our lives. A great place to start is where Jesus says, this is how life is blessed. And so you can tell your kids this week, when you look at the Beatitudes, the only attitude you want is a beatitude right now. Okay, that was a total bomb. All right. Did it just go over our heads? Are you with me this morning? I thought that was hilarious. I was beatitude, I was cracking up with the attitude. I want to say that they’re going to laugh. No one laughs. All right, that’s fine. Laugh at me. Not with me. But the Beatitudes are a significant point within Scripture. The Beatitudes, when you turn to the book of Matthew, is really the first sermon that Jesus shares with us. Some have cleverly coined it as the most important sermon ever spoken within the Bible. He publicly begins to present his ministry to people. It tells us in the beginning of Matthew five that he shares this to the disciples. And he’s sharing to a society that’s literally spiritually bankrupt. This nation of Israel were God’s chosen people.
They had been decimated. They had been carried into captivity. They came back from the Babylonian captivity. God had been silent, not speaking to the prophets for hundreds of years. They hadn’t heard from the Lord, and they were empty inside, being led by a pharisaic tradition of religious living that was robbing them from the joy that God intended for their lives. And so he comes into this world. He shares a message about his kingdom. And the idea that Jesus carries within this message is, I am a king. I carry a kingdom. I’m sharing a message with you that will bless your life if you listen to those who are spiritually bankrupt. And Jesus dives into the Beatitudes. The Bible literally says this when they hear the end of the message. It says, when Jesus had finished saying saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching because he taught as one who had authority. And as you look at the beatitude, it’s the whole portion of of Jesus’s message here. It begins with the beatitude, but it’s referred to as the sermon on the Mount. At last, in Matthew chapter five, six and seven. The remarks at the end of this message is that people are just floored at what Christ had to share in their lives as he spoke to them. Within the content of this message, you hear words like this Jesus says, the poor, those who mourn, those who are meek, those who hunger for righteousness, those who are merciful, those who are pure at heart, those who are peacemakers and persecutors.
These will experience the blessings of his kingdom, the kingdom of heaven. They will experience comfort. They will inherit the earth. They’ll be filled. They’ll find mercy. They’ll see God. They’ll be called the sons of God. They’ll inherit the kingdom of heaven. Jesus is a king. And he came to share a message about his kingdom. And any time you open the New Testament and you begin to read the words of God, unless you see the picture of Christ as King, you miss the message for which Jesus came to proclaim. The first time the Bible tells us Jesus came as a suffering servant serving to us his kingdom. The second time Jesus comes, he’ll come as a conquering king riding on the back of a horse. And I believe when you look at the sermon on the Mount, there’s two great pictures that we can consider as we dive into this text together. And the first is, if it works for God’s family, then it certainly should work for ours. If this is what God’s kingdom is about, and this is what God says blesses our life and fills our life, if it works in God’s family, there’s no reason it shouldn’t work within ours. The second is this when we live the Beatitudes that Christ describes here, the world changes for the good.
For the better. Jesus shares this message with a bankrupt society to help them to begin to understand what God has called them to in this world. And so this morning, as we dive into the Beatitudes, we’re only going to look at three Beatitudes together through this whole series. How how can God bless our home? Jesus. It tells us within, within the Beatitudes, some argue as to how many there exactly are within the context of this scripture. Some people see verses ten, 11, and 12 as one beatitude, but there’s most suggests around eight Beatitudes that Jesus lists within this passage. And all we’re looking at is three. Asking one question. Lord, how can you bless our home? The promise that Jesus gives. And one of the beatitudes that we’re looking at comes in chapter five and verse six. It says, blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. Here’s the prompt, the promise to us, for they shall be what? Satisfied. Some translations will render the word satisfaction this way that you will be filled. That sounded real southern, didn’t it? Field. You’ll be filled that God as you hunger for righteousness. The Lord will supply for your life, and you will be filled. What I remark as I look at a passage like this, when we consider the life of the home, is that many homes are searching and striving for things that would fill their lives, some with things that don’t matter but the result, in which case, for all scenarios of those who seek filling apart from God is in the end, as we saw in Ecclesiastes, there’s no satisfaction.
When Jesus says in this passage to those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, you will be filled. The question. We pause as we consider just the words of Christ. You can imagine in these moments the King has come, the Messiah to this nation. He takes his people upon the mount. He begins to orate to them the words of God that they may hear in their hearts, and understand what the Lord desires for them to know. And he shares this verse with them, blessed are you who hunger and thirst for righteousness, because you will be filled. I think as Jesus shares this passage of Scripture to us, he is sharing about his kingdom that we haven’t seen completely fulfilled yet. But it’s a kingdom that we can come to know and grow in today as we trust in the Lord. And Jesus has promised us is that we will be filled. And as the people gathered upon this mountain, they’re listening to Christ. The question that all of them could perceive within their mind is to ask simply, what is it I’m hungering for? So those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. Those are the ones who are filled. What is it within my life I’m hungry for? I know the churchy Sunday answer.
God, right? If you want to have the right answer this morning, it’s God. I mean, we say it Alpine Bible Church. Jesus is the answer to everything. If you were to ask that question to your kids. What would they say? And maybe it would be a challenge this morning to leave today. If your kids are old enough to comprehend the question, what do you think is important to me? And if they don’t get the answer right because you want them to say God, then maybe it’s an opportunity for you to say, you know why we go to church on Sunday? Do you know what I’m after in my life? Do you know what’s important to me? I want to be filled. What are you hungry for? Without kids, you could take a step back and just say, what have I done the last seven days? What have my interests been in? What are my passions been about? What have I sought God over and above before him? What are you hungry for? Think what Jesus is after with the society. As he sees the spiritual, bankrupt nature that religion has pressed upon them. That’s why Jesus said to the people as he proclaimed, come to me, my burden is light and my yoke is easy. Jesus desires to change your appetite. What is it you’re hungry for? What is it you’re thirsty for? Jesus desires to change your appetite.
And this is the way I think we do it in our lives is very, very simplistic. Have you ever gotten to a place in your life where you decide, you know what? It’s time to get healthy. I gained £30 this past Christmas to Thanksgiving or Thanksgiving to Christmas, and it’s time to see that stuff go bye bye. I want to put those pants back on, and all of a sudden you decide to start eating the healthy stuff, right? The fish and and and the chicken and no more sugar drinks. Just water for me, right? Or something hot. No more sugar. And then all of a sudden, you go through a couple months of doing that and you hit that weird stage where you think, you know what, I haven’t had a Coke in a while. It’s time to bring it back. You crack it open. You’re thinking, this is going to be so good, and all of a sudden you start to drink it and you think, that is not as good as I used to remember? That is just sugar that is thick and that is gross. Your body just developed this appetite for this new way of eating. And all of a sudden this the foods that you used to like your body finds itself unhealthy. Have you ever done that with maybe pizza time in your life? You eat, eat healthy, and all of a sudden you go back to the traditional pizza and the wings after a great game, and then the next day you’re like walking with concrete in your feet, right? It’s the same way with Christ.
Well, Jesus is saying, blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. When you change your appetites and you, if you feed yourselves on the things of God, your body hungers for the things of God. And sometimes I think within ourselves we find a sense of deadness because we’re content with the circumstances through which we are leading apart from God. Bible calls it the difference between walking and light and walking in darkness. You ever walk into a movie theater when the lights are already off? I know we do. We’re in Utah. We’re late for everything. But when you when you walk into the movie theater, the movie’s already started. You thought to yourself, I just missed the previews, but you’re trying to get in to find your seat. You’re kicking people along the way because your eyes can’t adjust to the darkness. But eventually, as you sit there. Your eyes become content. Because it’s learned to adjust. And Jesus is speaking to a generation of people that have just become content with the religious life that they’ve had, as if it’s some source of satisfaction. And he’s saying to them, listen, this isn’t the truth. Your eyes have just adjusted to the darkness and you’ve become content.
Blessed are you who hunger and thirst for righteousness, because in that you shall be filled. And so what do you do? You realize within your life you’re content with a certain level of darkness. Or you’re not hungering and thirsting the way that God has called you to. And therefore you’re not finding your life satisfied and filled. I think the quick answer for all of us, and I’m going to define what I mean by this, is repent and confess. I use the word repentance very gently here, because when we talk about the word repentance, there’s sometimes within culture a skewed idea about what we mean to repent. And I got to tell you, when we talk about the word repentance, we’re never saying that you owe back to God things you’ve done wrong, that you’ve got to pay a particular amount of penance before God accepts what it is that he wants from you. We talk about repentance. What we’re recognizing is that you owe no repentance to God. You can’t pay any penance to God because God has already paid for every sin you’ve ever done by dying on the cross. And so when we talk about repentance, it’s not about God. I’ll do all this to make you feel better and then you’ll accept me. It’s about just coming to him because he’s already paid for your presence before him anyway. And so when we talk about repenting and confessing, all we’re saying before the Lord is, Lord, I recognize what this verse is saying.
I recognize that my heart has wandered. And so, Lord, by your mercy, I’m just coming before you. And God, I know you’ve already paid for everything, and I know all I’ve done is just walk from your presence. Lord, help me to hunger and thirst for your righteousness. That’s good with even in our lives, that when we acknowledge that before the Lord, to also confess it before our family. We’re talking about blessing the home in these passages of Scripture. And the idea is, parents, when you recognize what Jesus is saying within this passage to help a younger generation, to understand the importance of what it means to hunger and thirst for righteousness in your own life. When you fail, just be honest with your kids. That’s loud, huh? I’m glad our kids are singing about holiness, but just say to your kids, you know, kids, I’ve lived this sort of satisfaction that hasn’t satisfied. But Jesus is giving me this promise. And so this promise I’m going to live by. I’m going to hunger and thirst for him, and I’m just coming to you as kids and saying to you, what I’ve done and the way I’ve lived hasn’t exactly been right. And so I’m telling you, I’m sorry. God’s given me a place as your parent to direct your life to the one who does satisfy.
And I haven’t always been the best at it. But I’m going to continue to try. I’m going to lay my life down for him. Blessed are you who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for you shall be filled. So leaves me with just a couple of thoughts for us as we look at this passage. By the way, this is this is the only main verse that we’re looking at this morning, and that’s if this is the goal that God has for my life, and this is the goal that God has for his kingdom. And I desire that for my life, and I desire it for my family’s life. Why don’t I see it? And why isn’t it working for us? It’s a couple of thoughts as to why we struggle with that. And I want to say when I share this, this is going to be in a general sense, this may not nail down just the struggles we have in every family, but it’s a general thoughts of where we struggle with hungering and thirsting for righteousness. And most families. The first thing that’s going to rob you when you understand that blessed are you to hunger and thirst for righteousness. When we we take this verse, we try to live it out loud in our lives. The the way that we tend to rob ourselves of this is that we live a legalistic Christianity. Meaning we make living this verse out about a list of do’s and don’ts.
Legalism makes hungering for righteousness about behavior modification. And not about heart transformation. And Jesus even gets to the crook of this. And in Matthew chapter five and verse 20, when he looks at the Pharisees, he looks at the bankrupt religious system that the people are are leading. And he says, unless you live a life more righteous than the most religious people in your society, you cannot earn the kingdom of God. Meaning it’s not done by what you do. God comes into your life and he transforms your heart. Jesus has already done it all. Legalism has the tendency to look at this verse and say, okay, God wants us to hunger and thirst for righteousness. So let’s, let’s do, let’s do and let’s not do let’s not, let’s not do this. We say things to our kids, don’t don’t drink and don’t chew and don’t hang with kids that do right. It’s all about do’s and don’ts within the home. I tell you, the quickest way to rob the joy from your home is to make your home about do’s and don’ts. And this is why. Maybe you could think about this as families this week, whether you’re going to start one one day or you have one now, or you’re speaking to your younger generations of kids. Rules without relationship. Lead to rebellion. Rules without relationship leads to rebellion.
The idea is this parents, what God’s most interested in you is not behavior modification of your children. It’s not every time your kid does something wrong to come in and tell them what to do or what not to do. What God’s interested in the life of your child is his behavior. But more importantly than that, he’s interested in the heart of your kid. You don’t have to tell your kid to be good all the time when you’re leading them to the one who is good. It’s not about what your kid’s not doing. It’s about who they’re pursuing. Does that make sense? And so when you can take them before the one who transforms their very heart, and when you as a parent don’t make it just about do’s and don’ts within the home, but you take time to take your child out and speak into the heart and say to your daughter or to your son, son, this is the man that you are called to be by God. This is the heart that he desires for you to reflect. Notice within this verse when Jesus says this, calling us to a life of righteousness, he never says, do this and don’t do this. He just says, pursue it. And if we’re going to pursue it, we know as people it starts with the heart. You got to get your heart right before God. That’s where the problem comes with repentance.
When we make repentance about penance, rather than just coming before the Lord and emptying ourselves and allowing our heart to reach out to his and his heart to minister to us, we make it about do’s and don’ts in the religious system becomes bankrupt and there is no joy in that. Blessed are you who hunger and thirst for righteousness. But it’s not about do’s and don’ts, it’s about the heart. And so when you think about your kids parents. Until you consider some things to develop within them. A parent that seeks after their heart. Become a parent in their lives that they know. It’s not only interested in watching their behavior, but is interested in the desires of their heart. I mean, if you have to do it, make daddy daughter date night or you should do it honestly. Father. Son. Time. Mother. Daughter. Time. Demonstrate your desire to lead them to what is good because you’re interested in their heart. Mark Driscoll wrote a passage or a paper this past week on seven Ways Fathers Provoke Their Children. It comes from Ephesians chapter six. It says it like this do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. I used to this verse always used to frustrate me when I would study the Bible, because it never really explains what it means to provoke your kid to anger. It just says, don’t do it.
And so it’s kind of up to interpretation for us to consider. How is it that I provoke my kid to anger in this life? And and he wrote four, seven ways that we did. I just wrote down four of them here. He says, make more withdrawals than deposits will frustrate your kids. Meaning you come in to their life and you you tell them all these things they need to do and you drain them about it rather than depositing into their hearts. You’re emotionally absent. You publicly humiliate and criticize them, and you’re just no fun. Who? Parents. If you want the Lord to bless your life as a family. I mean, first it starts this way. Hunger and thirst for righteousness. But for that to infiltrate all of your family. They’ve got to know you’re interested in your heart. In their heart. Excuse me. You’ve all heard the slogan before. No one cares what you know until they know how much you care. And Jesus is saying within this passage, hunger and thirst for righteousness, and you are filled. You are. You are blessed. You are happy in the way that you influence others in that way is that you begin to speak to their hearts. And the other is this why else, why, why wouldn’t we see that passage in Matthew five fitting within our lives? And that is. The disease of lukewarm Christianity. Says, I know your deeds.
Revelation three that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish that you were cold or hot. So because you are lukewarm and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. It’s like this coffee’s great on ice. Coffee’s good in the coffee pot. Coffee is horrible when it’s lukewarm. Right? The idea is the passage John is writing about. The Laodicean. Laodicean? Live near this pool of water that gets warm. You’ve been up to the lava hot springs in Utah. Sure, you know about them at some point in your life, you’ve heard. And in Laodicea there’s a similar place, and the people who live around Laodicea learn something about the water. When the water’s lukewarm, it’s gross. And when the water is lukewarm, it carries the most disease. It’s sickening. There’s no use for. Jesus is saying this in revelation. He’s speaking to the hearts of people through an illustration, and he’s saying to one another. Mediocrity in Christianity is gross. I got to tell you, the worst place to be as a Christian is this place. It is the most unhappy place you can be. One foot before the Lord and one foot before the world. Jesus says, blessed are you who hunger and thirst for righteousness, because that’s when you’re filled. Not in half heartedness. God wants your whole heart. Bible also says sin is fun for a season. The Bible gives no indication that when you give half your heart to Jesus and half the heart, the world, that you will ever be satisfied.
As a matter of fact, it talks about being the most content, unsatisfied, unhappy person to to live on the earth. No one wants to be around you. You are a bitter bucket. That is cheesy, but you are. And so he’s saying in this passage of Scripture, he’s calling this hunger and thirsting within you and saying, listen, Jesus gives this promise. It will fill your life. It will satisfy your in your life. And all he’s interested in is just your heart. And the reason that we don’t see it working within our families is because our hearts are diseased. There are lukewarm. God has called you to so much more. How do you know your lukewarm Christianity? If you can’t tell or you can’t recall the last time you prayed together as a family. I would say it’s a struggle for him. If you can’t recall the last time you opened up the Word of God within your home and just shared something. I’d say you’re struggling. If you can’t think of the last thing that you did in honor of the Lord, of giving yourself away to bless someone else. I would question. Does Jesus really have your heart? Blessed are you when you hunger and thirst. Those who hunger and thirst do those things. They can’t stay away from the Word of God because they’ve come to enjoy it.
They can’t stop sharing what God is teaching them because they’ve come to appreciate it. They love to take their prayers before the Lord first, rather than complain to someone else because they trust in what God’s going to do far more than someone else who might just bend their ear about some complaint. What would it mean to your children if you demonstrate this within their lives? When you say, you know, my desire is to see them pursue the one who is good, so I, as a parent, will have to follow them all the time. Tell them to be good. What would it mean for them? If you’ve got a struggle in your life or you know there’s something important going on in your life and you just come to your kids and say, hey, this has been on my heart, would you just pray for that? Helping your kids hunger and thirst for righteousness. The Bible says this. In Psalm 63 you, God, are my God. Earnestly I seek you. I thirst for you. My whole being longs for you in a dry and parched land where there is no God. David’s writing this psalm and he’s just crying out from his heart. He’s just taking. I love the way the Psalms have written. If you want to know how to take a heart and put it before God, turn to David. He just lets all his emotional energy, all of his mental energy, all of his strength.
He just comes before God. He writes these Psalms and he lays it all down. You think you consider this verse what it would look like for your family? I want to say this isn’t a biblical translation. This is an insert of Nathaniel translation here. What if it would turn like this for your family? Talking about blessing you? You. God are our God. Earnestly we seek you. We thirst for you. Our whole family longs for you. Am I going to tell you as parents this morning? If your kids are growing up and they’re coming to you and they’re saying, Mom and dad. We pray for me. You’re winning. Rather than having to tell your kids what to do. If you’re taking the time to pour into their hearts and show them the individual that they are to become from the heart. You’re winning. Blessed are you who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for you will be filled. I got to tell you, as parents as well, if your kids are just messing up in their lives, if you’re taking the time to be gracious with them and loving upon them and seeking not just in their behavior, but driving towards the heart, you’re winning. Help your kids think through those things in the Lord. Rather than just dictate to them what they’re to do. Just take some time and stop and just say.
What do you think the Lord would do? What do you think God would want in your life? Rather than make it about do’s and don’ts, direct them to the one who’s good. If your family hungers for God, you will be blessed. So let me give you these last three thoughts three ways to Create a Hunger within Your Family. Versus involve God in your daily conversations. Parents, let let young kids see you reading the Bible. Let your kids see you praying. Take time to share prayer requests with your kids. Take time to pray with your kids when you’re on the road in in your car, buy a Christian CD, pop it in and play. I got to tell you last night, sitting on the couch with my son and dad’s studying the sermon and he pulls out his iPad. And he starts that song. He just. I don’t know how he even knows how to work it. I pet it too, but he turns to iTunes and he hits his face. He turns it to his favorite song and he plays it. He sings it all the time, and it starts off just a cappella. You guys know it, right? It starts this way. Your love never fails. It never gives up. Never runs out on me. Your love never fails. It never gives up. Never runs out on me. I’m sitting here writing a sermon. Thinking about sharing about my kid.
And as I’m writing these words and closing it off, ending the day about to put him to bed. He’s praising the Lord. That’s a win. Blessed are you as you hunger and thirst for righteousness. Or you will be filled. I should have closed with that. Make church a weekly staple. That’s to. Share with your kids the importance of seeking God’s face in a community. I got to tell you, in a society today, we’re at a place where church just isn’t all that important. And no one really sees a need for it until all of a sudden there’s an emergency in their life. But how important it is that you gather together as a community, and it’s not just about yourself, it’s about pouring into the life of each other. I mean, the bigger we grow as a church, the more opportunities and ministries we can offer, the more ways we can reach into people’s lives and to minister to them as people continue to come and they just want to be a part and they want to serve. Show the importance of making church a weekly staple. It’s God’s community. It’s God’s bride. It’s what’s important to Jesus. And if we hunger and thirst, we should hunger and thirst to be a part of that community and encourage it. Last is this show how seeing and serving God can be fun. When we talk about prayer. I feel like sometimes as adults, we’ve learned to make prayer about pulling teeth, or we make it this huge formal thing where everyone’s got to pay attention to you and and you better not mess up.
You got to say fancy words. You know, we just we overemphasize just the the situation. Just just come before God and share your heart. I’ll listen to a pastor this week talk about how he does it with his family. Makes prayer time fun. They have popcorn. They call it popcorn night. They gather together as a family. They share their needs. Before you say a prayer, you have to take a handful of popcorn. You say your prayer while you’re eating popcorn, and then you have to take another handful of prayer after you’re done eating popcorn. I have no idea why that’s fun, but they say it’s fun, so when they pray, popcorn is going everywhere, I guess. But they’re enjoying. He’s teaching the kids just to have fun with prayer. I’m not saying everyone needs to do that. It’s just something crazy that they did. But it’s important for the family. Not to just call yourself a Christian family, but to be a Christ centered family. When it talks about hungering and thirsting for righteousness. My joy is this with Jesus. He didn’t tell us exactly how to do it. He gives her the freedom God puts within you a heart to seek after him. You pursue that in whatever way benefits you in your life and you and your family’s life. And in that you are filled.