WEBVTT 00:00:00.700 --> 00:00:05.679 We're going to read from the New Testament, from Matthew, the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 5. 00:00:06.140 --> 00:00:07.919 So this is the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount. 00:00:09.620 --> 00:00:14.400 So we'll read the first 12 verses, and just as we read, notice verse 6 in particular, 00:00:14.960 --> 00:00:17.359 because that's where Flynn will focus his time for us tonight. 00:00:19.039 --> 00:00:20.320 This is the word of the Lord. 00:00:22.019 --> 00:00:25.780 Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, 00:00:26.780 --> 00:00:28.620 Jesus' disciples came to him. 00:00:28.620 --> 00:00:31.960 And he opened his mouth, and he taught them, saying, 00:00:32.579 --> 00:00:36.280 Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 00:00:37.679 --> 00:00:41.240 Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. 00:00:42.520 --> 00:00:45.260 Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. 00:00:45.780 --> 00:00:50.679 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. 00:00:51.540 --> 00:00:54.219 Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. 00:00:54.480 --> 00:00:58.180 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. 00:00:58.619 --> 00:01:02.019 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. 00:01:02.759 --> 00:01:08.640 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 00:01:09.599 --> 00:01:13.079 Blessed are you, when others revile you and persecute you, 00:01:13.140 --> 00:01:17.659 and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 00:01:17.859 --> 00:01:21.000 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven. 00:01:21.000 --> 00:01:24.859 For so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. 00:01:25.060 --> 00:01:26.859 This is God's holy word. 00:01:28.260 --> 00:01:32.500 Good evening, and if I haven't seen you since the New Year's, Happy New Year's. 00:01:32.500 --> 00:01:34.079 I'm Flynn. 00:01:34.540 --> 00:01:36.980 Like Corey said, I'm the ministry minister apprentice. 00:01:37.900 --> 00:01:39.599 We're just going to look at the Beatitudes tonight. 00:01:39.680 --> 00:01:43.299 We're going to look at the sixth verse, hungering and thirsting for righteousness. 00:01:44.280 --> 00:01:47.120 It's a really important part of a really important text. 00:01:47.640 --> 00:01:49.180 You're probably familiar with the Beatitudes. 00:01:49.900 --> 00:01:52.039 You probably already know why they're important. 00:01:52.040 --> 00:01:57.340 But as we kick off the New Year, I think it's important that we refresh our memory, 00:01:58.840 --> 00:02:02.460 refresh our understanding of our need for God. 00:02:03.500 --> 00:02:06.219 So let's look at what it means to hunger and thirst for righteousness, 00:02:06.719 --> 00:02:08.300 and what it means to be satisfied. 00:02:09.599 --> 00:02:13.040 This year, 2025, we're all searching for satisfaction, 00:02:13.580 --> 00:02:15.400 and we're searching for it in different ways. 00:02:15.400 --> 00:02:23.360 But Christ gives us the ultimate one way to satisfaction in this particular verse. 00:02:25.460 --> 00:02:26.599 So what is satisfaction? 00:02:27.300 --> 00:02:28.439 What does it mean to be satisfied? 00:02:29.980 --> 00:02:34.159 Satisfaction is spiritual well-being and abiding happiness. 00:02:35.120 --> 00:02:37.379 This is what we want for 2025, isn't it? 00:02:37.580 --> 00:02:42.520 If our spirit is well-oriented, then all of who we are will be well-oriented. 00:02:43.099 --> 00:02:44.060 So how do we get it? 00:02:44.060 --> 00:02:48.159 We'll look at the verse, and there's three things I want to point out. 00:02:48.340 --> 00:02:49.479 The meaning of blessedness. 00:02:51.259 --> 00:02:54.819 The second point is learning how to hunger and thirst for righteousness. 00:02:55.199 --> 00:02:57.460 And the third is finally finding satisfaction. 00:03:00.340 --> 00:03:00.860 Blessedness. 00:03:01.340 --> 00:03:02.060 What is it? 00:03:03.879 --> 00:03:06.980 In order to see what it means to be satisfied, 00:03:07.620 --> 00:03:09.780 we need to understand blessedness. 00:03:11.379 --> 00:03:13.240 The Greek word is makarios. 00:03:14.060 --> 00:03:17.120 It's repeated multiple times by Jesus. 00:03:17.319 --> 00:03:19.379 There's this incredible sense of importance. 00:03:22.979 --> 00:03:24.199 Makarios is important. 00:03:24.520 --> 00:03:30.020 The word blessed is important because he uses it to speak directly to his whole audience. 00:03:30.340 --> 00:03:32.699 I think to understand what it means for us, 00:03:32.900 --> 00:03:37.659 we need to look first at what it means to the Jews who he was preaching to 00:03:37.659 --> 00:03:42.280 and to the Greeks and the Romans to who he was preaching to. 00:03:42.280 --> 00:03:48.020 So what did it mean to God's people, to the Jews? 00:03:48.860 --> 00:03:49.719 Well, they're God's people. 00:03:50.060 --> 00:03:51.319 They followed the Old Testament, 00:03:51.680 --> 00:03:54.599 and they understood it as God's revelation to them, 00:03:54.840 --> 00:03:56.400 giving them commandments. 00:03:57.340 --> 00:03:59.740 They were well-versed in wisdom literature. 00:03:59.740 --> 00:04:02.100 And as we've sang tonight, 00:04:02.100 --> 00:04:03.700 and as we will see, 00:04:04.379 --> 00:04:05.760 they would be very familiar with this word 00:04:05.760 --> 00:04:06.700 because it's used, 00:04:06.860 --> 00:04:09.900 and it's used many times in the Old Testament, 00:04:10.080 --> 00:04:11.460 especially in Psalms and Proverbs. 00:04:12.840 --> 00:04:15.340 If I just read now a couple of things. 00:04:16.000 --> 00:04:16.600 Psalm 31. 00:04:17.180 --> 00:04:19.280 Blessed are those whose transgressions are forgiven, 00:04:19.920 --> 00:04:20.900 whose sins are covered. 00:04:21.400 --> 00:04:22.100 Psalm 34. 00:04:22.660 --> 00:04:24.720 Taste and see that the Lord is good. 00:04:25.220 --> 00:04:27.280 Blessed is he who takes refuge in him. 00:04:27.880 --> 00:04:28.600 Psalm 41. 00:04:28.940 --> 00:04:30.540 Blessed is he who considers the poor. 00:04:30.960 --> 00:04:31.960 In the day of trouble, 00:04:32.580 --> 00:04:34.340 the Lord considers him. 00:04:35.660 --> 00:04:37.420 So who is blessed in all of those? 00:04:37.640 --> 00:04:39.360 And who is blessed in Psalm 1? 00:04:41.760 --> 00:04:42.660 And how? 00:04:42.820 --> 00:04:44.440 How are they blessed? 00:04:45.180 --> 00:04:47.440 They're blessed because their transgressions are forgiven, 00:04:48.220 --> 00:04:49.680 because they consider the poor, 00:04:50.280 --> 00:04:51.700 because they take refuge in the Lord. 00:04:52.780 --> 00:04:53.940 And so what are we noticing here? 00:04:53.939 --> 00:04:58.180 It's not necessarily the state of salvation. 00:04:58.379 --> 00:05:00.560 It's not heaven on the horizon. 00:05:02.519 --> 00:05:05.199 But actually, in all three of these, 00:05:05.399 --> 00:05:08.019 or four of these particular Psalms, 00:05:08.680 --> 00:05:12.199 being blessed is being turned. 00:05:12.819 --> 00:05:16.720 There's a sense of movement in all of these Psalms. 00:05:17.220 --> 00:05:19.060 And that movement is to restoration. 00:05:19.500 --> 00:05:23.259 It's being turned into a right state for God. 00:05:24.620 --> 00:05:25.740 He forgives sin. 00:05:25.860 --> 00:05:27.000 He restores us to him. 00:05:27.360 --> 00:05:28.899 We taste and see the Lord is good. 00:05:28.980 --> 00:05:30.079 We've been turned back to him. 00:05:30.439 --> 00:05:31.279 We consider the poor. 00:05:31.399 --> 00:05:33.199 We've been turned from living for ourselves 00:05:33.199 --> 00:05:34.219 to living for others in need. 00:05:35.000 --> 00:05:37.180 And so this is what the Jews understood, 00:05:37.779 --> 00:05:41.540 what they understood the word blessed to mean. 00:05:43.040 --> 00:05:45.399 And they would have understood what Christ is meaning. 00:05:45.439 --> 00:05:46.699 He's using the same structure here. 00:05:46.699 --> 00:05:47.339 He's saying, 00:05:47.819 --> 00:05:51.000 you will be blessed if you are reconciled. 00:05:51.759 --> 00:05:53.819 But the interesting thing here 00:05:53.819 --> 00:05:56.079 is that whilst the Jews recognized 00:05:56.079 --> 00:05:58.740 that the Old Testament brought them more direction, 00:05:59.079 --> 00:06:01.539 and these commandments, 00:06:01.860 --> 00:06:03.259 these statements of blessing, 00:06:03.980 --> 00:06:07.279 were instructions on how to live, 00:06:08.039 --> 00:06:09.699 this is Jesus also saying, 00:06:09.699 --> 00:06:12.159 in the same way I have authority, 00:06:12.620 --> 00:06:14.459 as the Old Testament. 00:06:16.439 --> 00:06:18.079 And I think that would have been quite controversial. 00:06:18.719 --> 00:06:20.000 Okay, so now how about the Roman listeners? 00:06:20.879 --> 00:06:22.659 They also had an understanding of blessing, 00:06:22.860 --> 00:06:23.599 of makarios. 00:06:23.899 --> 00:06:25.980 They often thought about what it meant to be blessed. 00:06:25.980 --> 00:06:27.520 And for them, 00:06:27.680 --> 00:06:30.420 being blessed was a state of being 00:06:30.420 --> 00:06:31.600 which the gods enjoyed, 00:06:31.720 --> 00:06:32.560 or if you were mortal, 00:06:33.140 --> 00:06:34.960 like that of the gods. 00:06:35.580 --> 00:06:37.120 There's no higher state of being. 00:06:38.319 --> 00:06:41.660 And there's a connotation of being set apart from the rest. 00:06:42.140 --> 00:06:43.100 And if you're set apart, 00:06:43.300 --> 00:06:44.240 what are you set apart from? 00:06:44.340 --> 00:06:45.740 What are the key indicators 00:06:45.740 --> 00:06:49.700 with which you possess this blessed estate? 00:06:50.340 --> 00:06:51.439 It's your position in life. 00:06:51.700 --> 00:06:53.700 The elite, the powerful, the wealthy, 00:06:54.200 --> 00:06:54.680 the married, 00:06:54.680 --> 00:06:56.160 those who had their house in order 00:06:56.160 --> 00:06:58.139 and had familial ties, 00:06:58.699 --> 00:07:00.360 those with property and security 00:07:00.360 --> 00:07:02.120 and abundant food. 00:07:03.500 --> 00:07:05.400 To be blessed for a Greek or a Roman 00:07:05.400 --> 00:07:07.240 was to set about obtaining these things. 00:07:09.120 --> 00:07:11.319 And so when they heard Jesus speak, 00:07:12.180 --> 00:07:16.579 they would have been familiar with hearing things like, 00:07:16.819 --> 00:07:17.519 blessed are the rich, 00:07:18.000 --> 00:07:20.100 blessed are the powerful, 00:07:20.620 --> 00:07:21.160 but not, 00:07:21.360 --> 00:07:22.519 blessed are those who mourn, 00:07:22.780 --> 00:07:24.360 those who are poor. 00:07:24.680 --> 00:07:27.360 So they too would have set up. 00:07:27.500 --> 00:07:29.819 And so Jesus is using a very intentional word here. 00:07:30.939 --> 00:07:32.120 And what's the relevance to us? 00:07:34.019 --> 00:07:36.920 Well, Jesus is speaking to all people in their times, 00:07:37.160 --> 00:07:39.840 but he's also speaking to all people in all times. 00:07:40.100 --> 00:07:41.759 He's speaking to us in the 21st century. 00:07:43.519 --> 00:07:45.579 We all want blessing, 00:07:45.920 --> 00:07:47.439 and we're at the very beginning of 2025, 00:07:47.740 --> 00:07:49.399 and don't we yearn to be blessed? 00:07:49.399 --> 00:07:54.599 Every culture in time and place has yearned for this. 00:07:57.019 --> 00:07:58.379 And what is blessing? 00:07:59.120 --> 00:08:03.479 It's the longing to escape the fallen nature of the world. 00:08:03.480 --> 00:08:08.220 It's the longing for things to be right when they're so clearly wrong. 00:08:08.620 --> 00:08:10.060 Are you pursuing pleasure? 00:08:10.560 --> 00:08:12.819 It is to escape pain. 00:08:12.920 --> 00:08:13.939 Are you seeking comfort? 00:08:14.600 --> 00:08:16.400 It is an attempt to experience rest. 00:08:16.960 --> 00:08:17.879 Are you striving for wealth? 00:08:18.259 --> 00:08:21.960 It is to protect yourself from the danger and death of the physical world. 00:08:21.959 --> 00:08:30.120 So to be blessed is to experience in some way a right relationship with God, 00:08:30.219 --> 00:08:32.319 despite our surroundings and sinful conditions. 00:08:32.439 --> 00:08:37.279 All these other things are only promising to reverse the curse, 00:08:37.740 --> 00:08:41.220 and they're promising to restore us to the right relationship to the world around us. 00:08:41.259 --> 00:08:45.199 But we will see that we can't first pursue these things. 00:08:45.200 --> 00:08:48.920 So Christ came to fulfill the wisdom for the Jews, 00:08:49.100 --> 00:08:51.140 to subvert the wisdom of the Greeks and the Romans. 00:08:51.620 --> 00:08:54.140 And with our culture, what does he do? 00:08:55.379 --> 00:08:59.400 Well, we first need to look at what our culture tells us will make us blessed. 00:09:01.040 --> 00:09:03.180 The things that make us blessed in our culture, 00:09:04.240 --> 00:09:07.780 our comfort, our leisure, labor-saving devices, 00:09:08.300 --> 00:09:09.240 they'll give us rest. 00:09:09.980 --> 00:09:12.780 The self-help books will increase our productivity, 00:09:12.779 --> 00:09:15.939 and we can finally make that breakthrough in our careers. 00:09:17.220 --> 00:09:18.600 And when we want a breakthrough in our careers, 00:09:18.679 --> 00:09:20.500 we're trying to find the work which is really meaningful. 00:09:21.259 --> 00:09:23.019 Like I said, we're trying to find that rest, 00:09:23.600 --> 00:09:25.759 which really does rest our soul. 00:09:26.319 --> 00:09:30.620 Are you looking for a romantic relationship to fulfill you? 00:09:31.319 --> 00:09:35.319 It's because you are longing for that fullness of relationship 00:09:35.319 --> 00:09:36.639 which God made you for. 00:09:37.179 --> 00:09:38.819 But how do you know that these things will bring 00:09:38.819 --> 00:09:40.839 that promised state of spiritual blessing? 00:09:40.840 --> 00:09:44.120 How do you know that when you've finally achieved 00:09:44.120 --> 00:09:44.899 all you want to achieve, 00:09:45.000 --> 00:09:48.040 when you've got that first-class honors degree with distinction, 00:09:48.740 --> 00:09:52.740 that the goalposts won't change after that 00:09:52.740 --> 00:09:55.440 to the graduate scheme, 00:09:55.759 --> 00:09:57.759 and then the promotion after that? 00:09:59.460 --> 00:10:01.220 What will you do when you find that 00:10:01.220 --> 00:10:02.920 the perfect romantic partner, 00:10:03.560 --> 00:10:04.700 all your conditions are met, 00:10:05.220 --> 00:10:09.019 and yet it's not all that you are after? 00:10:09.019 --> 00:10:13.720 The point here is that if you have everything, 00:10:14.240 --> 00:10:15.639 but you don't have God, 00:10:16.220 --> 00:10:17.179 then you are not blessed. 00:10:18.000 --> 00:10:20.620 If you have nothing, but you have God, 00:10:21.439 --> 00:10:23.539 then God promises blessing upon you. 00:10:23.779 --> 00:10:25.120 And notice here the present tense. 00:10:25.879 --> 00:10:27.120 Blessed are those. 00:10:28.120 --> 00:10:30.279 This is a state of being here and now, 00:10:30.360 --> 00:10:33.019 not just salvation on the horizon. 00:10:33.019 --> 00:10:37.500 That this is a blessing to us 00:10:37.500 --> 00:10:40.779 because we are living, 00:10:41.779 --> 00:10:43.279 God promises us that we can live 00:10:43.279 --> 00:10:44.480 what we were made to live for. 00:10:47.419 --> 00:10:50.259 So to be blessed is to live in right relationship with God. 00:10:52.179 --> 00:10:53.819 Jesus takes another step for us. 00:10:54.919 --> 00:10:56.319 In order to get to this, 00:10:57.000 --> 00:10:59.399 we must first hunger and thirst for righteousness. 00:10:59.399 --> 00:11:01.199 Now what does this mean? 00:11:01.980 --> 00:11:03.100 And what has it got to do 00:11:03.100 --> 00:11:04.779 with the right relationship with God? 00:11:05.819 --> 00:11:07.799 Commentators say our verse, 00:11:08.000 --> 00:11:08.639 verse 6, 00:11:08.740 --> 00:11:11.459 is the turning point in the Beatitudes. 00:11:12.319 --> 00:11:13.179 That's why I chose it. 00:11:13.720 --> 00:11:17.500 Beforehand you've got verses of affliction and emptiness, 00:11:18.179 --> 00:11:19.600 poverty, mourning, meekness. 00:11:20.279 --> 00:11:21.220 And then our verse, 00:11:21.340 --> 00:11:23.079 you've got being satisfied, being filled. 00:11:23.759 --> 00:11:25.079 And after our verse, 00:11:25.779 --> 00:11:28.299 you've got abundance to the point of overflowing. 00:11:28.759 --> 00:11:30.019 So you've got mercifulness, 00:11:30.459 --> 00:11:31.639 pure in heart, peacemakers, 00:11:31.859 --> 00:11:33.459 and not just peaceful, 00:11:33.699 --> 00:11:35.759 but this idea of you're so blessed 00:11:35.759 --> 00:11:38.199 to the point of blessing others around you. 00:11:38.559 --> 00:11:39.500 So we have our insufficiency, 00:11:39.799 --> 00:11:41.179 filling, and then overflowing. 00:11:41.979 --> 00:11:42.979 This is the center of the passage. 00:11:43.639 --> 00:11:47.379 This is the bridge that unlocks the Beatitudes for us. 00:11:48.059 --> 00:11:49.120 So let's look at the phrase, 00:11:49.319 --> 00:11:50.179 hungering and thirsting. 00:11:51.359 --> 00:11:53.719 What is the longest that you've gone without food? 00:11:53.719 --> 00:11:54.939 And how long could you last? 00:11:56.519 --> 00:11:57.579 You could last a day, 00:11:57.580 --> 00:11:58.500 you could last a week, 00:11:58.780 --> 00:12:04.139 and the average time for someone to go without food, 00:12:04.379 --> 00:12:06.180 the longest time, I should say, 00:12:06.840 --> 00:12:07.620 is three weeks, 00:12:07.940 --> 00:12:11.660 until eventually you'll die. 00:12:12.840 --> 00:12:14.139 But it's not a normal, 00:12:14.500 --> 00:12:16.660 it's not three weeks of normal day-to-day life. 00:12:16.920 --> 00:12:19.120 You're not thriving in this time. 00:12:19.720 --> 00:12:20.820 You're slowly wasting, 00:12:21.480 --> 00:12:22.020 you're starving, 00:12:22.019 --> 00:12:24.079 you're slowly dying. 00:12:25.120 --> 00:12:25.919 And drinking, 00:12:26.039 --> 00:12:27.299 how long could you go without drinking? 00:12:27.899 --> 00:12:29.360 Here the answer is more like three days. 00:12:29.879 --> 00:12:31.539 And I suspect that most of us here tonight 00:12:31.539 --> 00:12:34.419 would notice our hunger and our thirst 00:12:34.419 --> 00:12:37.000 within a few hours and minutes. 00:12:39.000 --> 00:12:42.480 So let's picture now a drought in Edinburgh. 00:12:42.480 --> 00:12:44.659 Very unlikely, 00:12:44.879 --> 00:12:46.860 because we're in the wettest part of, 00:12:47.399 --> 00:12:48.639 one of the wettest parts of the world. 00:12:48.879 --> 00:12:51.639 But if there's no water, 00:12:51.740 --> 00:12:52.720 the taps are turned off, 00:12:52.840 --> 00:12:53.920 and you wake up tomorrow, 00:12:54.539 --> 00:12:55.639 what's the first thing you do? 00:12:55.759 --> 00:12:56.680 You might turn on the news. 00:12:57.639 --> 00:12:58.759 Edinburgh Council announces, 00:12:59.259 --> 00:13:00.740 just sit tight, 00:13:01.600 --> 00:13:02.080 relax, 00:13:02.080 --> 00:13:03.860 don't panic, 00:13:04.460 --> 00:13:05.379 we'll get you your water, 00:13:05.920 --> 00:13:06.560 business as normal. 00:13:07.080 --> 00:13:08.080 And maybe for the first day, 00:13:08.180 --> 00:13:09.280 it is business as normal. 00:13:10.100 --> 00:13:11.379 But what would you do in the second day? 00:13:11.920 --> 00:13:12.700 By this point, 00:13:13.320 --> 00:13:15.200 you're going to be really feeling the effects. 00:13:15.520 --> 00:13:16.600 Your tongue's parched, 00:13:16.980 --> 00:13:18.040 your throat's dry, 00:13:18.460 --> 00:13:19.000 your headache, 00:13:19.840 --> 00:13:21.120 well, you've got a pounding headache. 00:13:21.540 --> 00:13:23.060 Would it be business as usual? 00:13:23.340 --> 00:13:24.660 Would you log on to check your emails? 00:13:25.259 --> 00:13:28.879 Would you start filling in the paperwork 00:13:28.879 --> 00:13:30.560 which you need to complete for next week, 00:13:30.559 --> 00:13:33.319 or even start thinking about your summer vacation 00:13:33.319 --> 00:13:34.179 or your holidays? 00:13:35.139 --> 00:13:36.879 No, you just wouldn't, 00:13:36.979 --> 00:13:39.019 because there's this urgency. 00:13:40.159 --> 00:13:41.559 Your thirst is going to override 00:13:41.559 --> 00:13:44.179 all of those other secondary things. 00:13:45.219 --> 00:13:47.339 You're going to rise up, 00:13:47.519 --> 00:13:48.539 you're going to head out onto the street, 00:13:48.679 --> 00:13:51.419 and you're going to try and make your own way 00:13:51.419 --> 00:13:52.319 and try and find some water. 00:13:53.259 --> 00:13:55.799 And the point here is that you have primary 00:13:55.799 --> 00:13:56.979 and you have secondary needs. 00:13:56.980 --> 00:14:02.720 So it is with our spiritual needs. 00:14:02.980 --> 00:14:04.779 We have primary and we have secondary needs. 00:14:05.800 --> 00:14:07.080 And the crucial thing is, 00:14:07.100 --> 00:14:10.800 just like physical primary and secondary needs, 00:14:11.440 --> 00:14:15.379 if we only listen to our secondary spiritual needs, 00:14:16.279 --> 00:14:18.080 then it will lead to spiritual wasting 00:14:18.080 --> 00:14:19.399 and spiritual death. 00:14:19.399 --> 00:14:24.559 And so do we only listen to our primary needs? 00:14:24.639 --> 00:14:28.340 Are we content with our secondary ones? 00:14:33.860 --> 00:14:35.879 Have you ever lied? 00:14:36.240 --> 00:14:37.079 Have you ever cheated, 00:14:37.659 --> 00:14:39.559 stolen, ridiculed, mocked? 00:14:39.899 --> 00:14:40.679 Have you been unkind? 00:14:40.779 --> 00:14:41.379 Have you boasted? 00:14:41.860 --> 00:14:43.000 Have you envied someone? 00:14:43.000 --> 00:14:45.000 Have you... 00:14:46.000 --> 00:14:47.539 The list is endless. 00:14:48.000 --> 00:14:51.480 You don't need to listen to an exhaustive list of your sin. 00:14:52.559 --> 00:14:54.399 Because deep down you know it. 00:14:55.279 --> 00:14:56.220 And you don't need to be... 00:14:56.220 --> 00:14:57.519 You can be committing these. 00:14:57.820 --> 00:14:58.779 You don't need to be committing 00:14:58.779 --> 00:15:01.000 the worst sins against humanity 00:15:01.620 --> 00:15:04.000 of murder and theft and adultery 00:15:04.559 --> 00:15:07.379 for you to be starving spiritually. 00:15:08.620 --> 00:15:09.919 If we examine our hearts, 00:15:10.019 --> 00:15:11.000 we are all spiritually wasting. 00:15:11.000 --> 00:15:14.159 So we need to put our spiritual appetites 00:15:14.159 --> 00:15:16.980 above that of our worldly appetites. 00:15:17.740 --> 00:15:19.440 And that means we need to hunger and thirst 00:15:19.440 --> 00:15:21.080 for righteousness, as Jesus says. 00:15:25.320 --> 00:15:26.279 What is righteousness? 00:15:27.240 --> 00:15:28.000 I said it before. 00:15:28.779 --> 00:15:30.399 It's to be who God made you to be 00:15:30.399 --> 00:15:33.080 and to do what God made you to do. 00:15:34.360 --> 00:15:35.700 We can understand righteousness 00:15:35.700 --> 00:15:37.320 if we look at unrighteousness. 00:15:38.240 --> 00:15:39.059 In Genesis 3, 00:15:39.059 --> 00:15:41.639 it's to hide from God. 00:15:42.419 --> 00:15:44.539 It's to reject his lordship over us. 00:15:44.879 --> 00:15:47.759 And it's to live against the grain of his world. 00:15:49.659 --> 00:15:51.019 Righteousness is the opposite of this. 00:15:51.459 --> 00:15:51.979 Quite simply, 00:15:52.099 --> 00:15:54.399 righteousness is for all things to be right. 00:15:55.299 --> 00:15:57.119 But right as defined by God. 00:15:58.379 --> 00:16:00.259 Our relationships to be right. 00:16:00.339 --> 00:16:01.459 Our thoughts to be right. 00:16:02.119 --> 00:16:04.139 Our words and our actions to be right. 00:16:04.139 --> 00:16:06.419 And this is what we must hunger and thirst for. 00:16:07.539 --> 00:16:09.159 And we've got glimpses of that in our lives. 00:16:09.220 --> 00:16:10.299 We've seen glimpses of that 00:16:10.299 --> 00:16:11.580 in every one of our own lives. 00:16:12.960 --> 00:16:16.100 Have you sought justice in your life? 00:16:16.179 --> 00:16:18.000 Have you been wronged by someone? 00:16:18.120 --> 00:16:19.519 Or has your friend or your family member 00:16:19.519 --> 00:16:20.299 been wronged by someone? 00:16:20.580 --> 00:16:23.319 And have you really sought justice for them? 00:16:23.320 --> 00:16:26.100 Have you done charity work? 00:16:26.740 --> 00:16:31.000 Have you helped relieve those in need 00:16:31.000 --> 00:16:32.760 after a natural disaster? 00:16:34.720 --> 00:16:36.980 Do you feel burdened? 00:16:37.040 --> 00:16:38.860 Do you long for peace 00:16:38.860 --> 00:16:40.080 when you listen to the news 00:16:40.080 --> 00:16:41.140 and you hear of wars 00:16:41.140 --> 00:16:44.660 and innocent people dying around the world? 00:16:44.659 --> 00:16:46.519 We all know righteousness. 00:16:47.740 --> 00:16:49.480 The world is not as it should be. 00:16:49.919 --> 00:16:51.000 And we cry over it. 00:16:51.139 --> 00:16:52.219 And we seek to help 00:16:52.219 --> 00:16:53.659 in whatever way we are able. 00:16:55.699 --> 00:16:56.459 But here's the point. 00:16:56.600 --> 00:16:58.399 It's that God desires these things. 00:17:00.559 --> 00:17:02.299 God desires these things 00:17:02.299 --> 00:17:06.119 more purely than we desire these things. 00:17:07.319 --> 00:17:08.559 God has these desires 00:17:08.559 --> 00:17:09.859 and he gives them to us. 00:17:11.180 --> 00:17:12.859 And so when we seek righteousness 00:17:12.859 --> 00:17:14.240 in some small way 00:17:14.240 --> 00:17:16.120 we have a desire to enact God's will. 00:17:16.680 --> 00:17:17.620 To seek righteousness 00:17:17.620 --> 00:17:19.319 is to enact God's will. 00:17:19.920 --> 00:17:21.299 And that is our reason for being. 00:17:21.819 --> 00:17:23.200 That's what we were created for. 00:17:24.920 --> 00:17:26.680 And so Jesus is telling us 00:17:26.680 --> 00:17:27.759 that we aren't truly hungering 00:17:27.759 --> 00:17:29.120 and thirsting for righteousness 00:17:29.120 --> 00:17:31.180 unless we first seek 00:17:31.180 --> 00:17:32.500 a relationship with God. 00:17:33.559 --> 00:17:35.279 Real hunger and thirst 00:17:35.279 --> 00:17:37.299 is satisfied in knowing him. 00:17:38.579 --> 00:17:40.599 So the question which presents itself 00:17:40.599 --> 00:17:42.039 is 00:17:42.039 --> 00:17:44.000 do I, 00:17:44.000 --> 00:17:44.759 do you, 00:17:45.420 --> 00:17:46.720 hunger and thirst 00:17:46.720 --> 00:17:47.940 for God himself? 00:17:49.379 --> 00:17:50.319 If we think back 00:17:50.319 --> 00:17:52.039 to our literal experience of hunger 00:17:52.039 --> 00:17:54.359 or our literal experience of thirst, 00:17:54.639 --> 00:17:55.680 it's urgent, 00:17:55.920 --> 00:17:56.599 it's compelling. 00:17:57.480 --> 00:17:58.740 Do we yearn for God 00:17:58.740 --> 00:17:59.359 in the same way? 00:18:02.099 --> 00:18:03.200 Christ does set 00:18:03.200 --> 00:18:04.519 an impossible example 00:18:04.519 --> 00:18:05.259 for us. 00:18:05.259 --> 00:18:09.900 I can only look back 00:18:09.900 --> 00:18:10.539 at my own life 00:18:10.539 --> 00:18:11.099 and think 00:18:11.099 --> 00:18:13.559 of all the times 00:18:13.559 --> 00:18:14.640 that I have sought 00:18:14.640 --> 00:18:15.420 righteousness 00:18:15.420 --> 00:18:16.519 so keenly, 00:18:17.220 --> 00:18:18.660 it was all too easily 00:18:18.660 --> 00:18:19.640 dissipated by 00:18:19.640 --> 00:18:21.299 the comforts of this world. 00:18:22.440 --> 00:18:23.519 All too easily 00:18:23.519 --> 00:18:24.799 pacified by 00:18:24.799 --> 00:18:27.319 whatever else 00:18:27.319 --> 00:18:28.279 good thing that comes along. 00:18:28.279 --> 00:18:31.680 And even if we think 00:18:31.680 --> 00:18:33.019 about the most righteous 00:18:33.019 --> 00:18:33.839 men and women 00:18:33.839 --> 00:18:34.619 who ever lived, 00:18:35.579 --> 00:18:36.460 if we think about 00:18:36.460 --> 00:18:37.799 our favorite political leaders 00:18:37.799 --> 00:18:39.180 who have enacted justice 00:18:39.180 --> 00:18:40.240 in a particular way, 00:18:40.700 --> 00:18:41.399 kings and queens 00:18:41.399 --> 00:18:43.099 which have done right 00:18:43.099 --> 00:18:43.680 at times, 00:18:43.839 --> 00:18:45.240 billionaire philanthropists 00:18:45.240 --> 00:18:46.379 which have donated 00:18:46.379 --> 00:18:48.099 half their fortune 00:18:48.099 --> 00:18:48.720 to charity, 00:18:49.759 --> 00:18:50.639 even in all these 00:18:50.639 --> 00:18:52.000 glorious life-changing works, 00:18:52.039 --> 00:18:53.279 and they are life-changing, 00:18:54.460 --> 00:18:55.539 have any of these 00:18:55.539 --> 00:18:56.619 ever hungered 00:18:56.619 --> 00:18:57.399 and thirsted 00:18:57.399 --> 00:18:58.079 for righteousness? 00:19:00.419 --> 00:19:01.439 And the answer is no. 00:19:02.639 --> 00:19:03.539 Because no one 00:19:03.539 --> 00:19:04.019 has ever 00:19:04.019 --> 00:19:05.839 longed for God, 00:19:05.879 --> 00:19:06.659 not perfectly, 00:19:06.779 --> 00:19:07.299 not truly. 00:19:09.159 --> 00:19:09.959 And only when we are 00:19:09.959 --> 00:19:11.579 in that right relationship 00:19:11.579 --> 00:19:12.019 with Him 00:19:12.019 --> 00:19:13.099 can we be free 00:19:13.099 --> 00:19:14.219 to hunger and thirst 00:19:14.219 --> 00:19:14.739 for righteousness, 00:19:15.379 --> 00:19:15.619 truly. 00:19:18.039 --> 00:19:19.139 And so the point 00:19:19.139 --> 00:19:19.859 I'm coming to, 00:19:20.399 --> 00:19:21.879 my third and final point, 00:19:22.839 --> 00:19:24.259 is how are we 00:19:24.259 --> 00:19:25.339 finding true satisfaction? 00:19:26.619 --> 00:19:27.459 Well, I said 00:19:27.459 --> 00:19:29.519 there was no one 00:19:29.519 --> 00:19:30.219 who has ever 00:19:30.219 --> 00:19:31.119 hungered and thirsted 00:19:31.119 --> 00:19:31.979 for righteousness. 00:19:32.639 --> 00:19:33.319 Now, of course, 00:19:33.379 --> 00:19:34.279 that isn't quite true. 00:19:35.139 --> 00:19:37.019 Christ was the only one 00:19:37.019 --> 00:19:38.079 who ever truly 00:19:38.079 --> 00:19:39.000 hungered and thirsted 00:19:39.000 --> 00:19:39.919 for righteousness. 00:19:40.659 --> 00:19:41.439 And He says that 00:19:41.439 --> 00:19:42.159 if we hunger and thirst 00:19:42.159 --> 00:19:42.619 for righteousness, 00:19:42.799 --> 00:19:43.819 we will find satisfaction. 00:19:44.599 --> 00:19:45.639 So let's look at Christ. 00:19:46.419 --> 00:19:47.379 What does He mean? 00:19:48.139 --> 00:19:49.079 How can we find that? 00:19:49.799 --> 00:19:50.599 We first have to look 00:19:50.599 --> 00:19:51.439 at what He does 00:19:51.439 --> 00:19:53.059 and how He does it. 00:19:53.059 --> 00:19:54.899 In Matthew 4, 00:19:55.399 --> 00:19:56.839 Jesus fasts for 40 days 00:19:56.839 --> 00:19:57.339 and was tempted 00:19:57.339 --> 00:19:58.019 in the desert. 00:19:59.200 --> 00:20:00.039 Satan tells Him, 00:20:00.460 --> 00:20:01.659 if you are the Son of God, 00:20:02.379 --> 00:20:03.339 command these stones 00:20:03.339 --> 00:20:04.639 to become loaves of bread. 00:20:05.039 --> 00:20:05.799 But He answered, 00:20:06.220 --> 00:20:06.819 it is written, 00:20:07.659 --> 00:20:08.679 man shall not live 00:20:08.679 --> 00:20:09.720 by bread alone, 00:20:10.000 --> 00:20:11.059 but by every word 00:20:11.059 --> 00:20:12.200 that comes from 00:20:12.200 --> 00:20:13.000 the mouth of God. 00:20:14.519 --> 00:20:16.339 When Christ was led 00:20:16.339 --> 00:20:17.000 into the wilderness, 00:20:18.299 --> 00:20:19.039 it was to be tempted 00:20:19.039 --> 00:20:19.819 like Adam was. 00:20:19.819 --> 00:20:21.539 It was to be tempted 00:20:21.539 --> 00:20:22.659 like Israel was 00:20:22.659 --> 00:20:24.159 and ultimately like us. 00:20:24.480 --> 00:20:25.679 But the difference is 00:20:25.679 --> 00:20:26.899 when tempted with sin, 00:20:26.980 --> 00:20:28.059 He never caved in. 00:20:28.139 --> 00:20:29.039 He never wavered. 00:20:29.819 --> 00:20:31.019 He hungered physically 00:20:31.019 --> 00:20:32.319 because He was hungry 00:20:32.319 --> 00:20:33.899 spiritually for righteousness. 00:20:35.039 --> 00:20:36.539 Hungry to fulfill that 00:20:36.539 --> 00:20:37.700 which no man ever did. 00:20:41.700 --> 00:20:43.279 He hungered ultimately 00:20:43.279 --> 00:20:44.179 for righteousness. 00:20:46.139 --> 00:20:47.179 Remember John 4. 00:20:47.279 --> 00:20:48.099 Jesus is with the woman 00:20:48.099 --> 00:20:48.519 at the well 00:20:48.519 --> 00:20:49.279 and He's offered food 00:20:49.279 --> 00:20:50.000 by His disciples. 00:20:50.899 --> 00:20:51.659 What does He say? 00:20:52.179 --> 00:20:55.259 I have food to eat 00:20:55.259 --> 00:20:56.639 that you do not know about. 00:20:57.259 --> 00:20:58.459 My food is to do 00:20:58.459 --> 00:20:59.240 the will of Him 00:20:59.240 --> 00:21:00.359 who sent me 00:21:00.359 --> 00:21:01.719 and to accomplish His work. 00:21:03.699 --> 00:21:05.079 And what is Christ doing here? 00:21:05.199 --> 00:21:06.099 He's hungering 00:21:06.099 --> 00:21:07.359 for His Father above all. 00:21:07.619 --> 00:21:08.819 He was showing the disciples 00:21:08.819 --> 00:21:11.679 that the things of this world 00:21:11.679 --> 00:21:12.779 paled in comparison 00:21:12.779 --> 00:21:13.859 with pleasing His Father. 00:21:14.679 --> 00:21:15.240 And He shows this 00:21:15.240 --> 00:21:16.219 very same thing to us. 00:21:16.220 --> 00:21:17.779 When you think about 00:21:17.779 --> 00:21:18.460 Genesis 1, 00:21:18.880 --> 00:21:19.779 the serpent comes 00:21:19.779 --> 00:21:20.700 to Adam and Eve 00:21:20.700 --> 00:21:22.380 and He offers the notion 00:21:22.380 --> 00:21:24.039 of self-governance. 00:21:24.160 --> 00:21:24.839 This is how you'll get 00:21:24.839 --> 00:21:26.019 true freedom. 00:21:26.559 --> 00:21:27.440 Reject your relationship 00:21:27.440 --> 00:21:27.980 with God. 00:21:29.059 --> 00:21:29.600 And how did they 00:21:29.600 --> 00:21:30.240 take this freedom? 00:21:31.539 --> 00:21:32.839 They took and ate. 00:21:34.440 --> 00:21:34.740 Derek, 00:21:34.819 --> 00:21:35.880 a well-known commentator, 00:21:36.000 --> 00:21:36.220 says, 00:21:36.299 --> 00:21:37.180 She took and ate. 00:21:37.559 --> 00:21:38.460 So simple the act. 00:21:38.640 --> 00:21:40.000 So hard it's undoing. 00:21:40.000 --> 00:21:41.839 It's a good way 00:21:41.839 --> 00:21:42.619 to know who you are. 00:21:42.720 --> 00:21:43.619 Ask yourself the question, 00:21:43.740 --> 00:21:44.500 what do you hunger 00:21:44.500 --> 00:21:45.299 and thirst for 00:21:45.299 --> 00:21:46.819 in the quiet moments 00:21:46.819 --> 00:21:47.440 of life 00:21:47.440 --> 00:21:48.940 when you have solitude? 00:21:50.839 --> 00:21:51.539 When you hunger 00:21:51.539 --> 00:21:52.059 and thirst, 00:21:52.339 --> 00:21:52.859 what do you hunger 00:21:52.859 --> 00:21:53.539 and thirst for 00:21:53.539 --> 00:21:54.200 in the comings 00:21:54.200 --> 00:21:55.059 and goings 00:21:55.059 --> 00:21:56.119 of the day-to-day? 00:21:57.619 --> 00:21:58.420 And then look at Jesus 00:21:58.420 --> 00:21:59.700 and see that 00:21:59.700 --> 00:22:00.940 in the hardest moments 00:22:00.940 --> 00:22:01.500 of life, 00:22:01.599 --> 00:22:02.140 in the times 00:22:02.140 --> 00:22:02.720 when temptation 00:22:02.720 --> 00:22:04.960 was strongest, 00:22:05.920 --> 00:22:06.920 He still hungered 00:22:06.920 --> 00:22:07.580 for God, 00:22:07.660 --> 00:22:08.120 His Father. 00:22:08.800 --> 00:22:10.400 And this proves 00:22:10.400 --> 00:22:11.039 He's the true 00:22:11.039 --> 00:22:11.900 and better Adam. 00:22:14.940 --> 00:22:16.640 And the culmination 00:22:16.640 --> 00:22:17.200 of this 00:22:17.200 --> 00:22:18.360 is when Jesus thirsts. 00:22:18.400 --> 00:22:19.500 The most important moment 00:22:19.500 --> 00:22:21.279 is when He thirsts 00:22:21.279 --> 00:22:22.840 fully on the cross. 00:22:23.460 --> 00:22:24.400 In John 19, 00:22:24.900 --> 00:22:26.320 verses 28 to 30, 00:22:26.940 --> 00:22:27.580 it says, 00:22:28.140 --> 00:22:28.960 After this, 00:22:29.279 --> 00:22:29.560 Jesus, 00:22:29.900 --> 00:22:30.580 knowing that all 00:22:30.580 --> 00:22:31.360 was now finished, 00:22:31.480 --> 00:22:32.560 said to fulfill 00:22:32.560 --> 00:22:33.100 the scripture, 00:22:33.100 --> 00:22:33.900 I thirst. 00:22:34.480 --> 00:22:36.300 A jar full of sour wine 00:22:36.300 --> 00:22:36.860 stood there, 00:22:36.920 --> 00:22:38.060 so they put a sponge 00:22:38.060 --> 00:22:39.680 filled with the sour wine 00:22:39.680 --> 00:22:40.620 on a hyssop branch 00:22:40.620 --> 00:22:41.740 and held it to His mouth. 00:22:42.820 --> 00:22:44.279 When Jesus had received 00:22:44.279 --> 00:22:45.019 the sour wine, 00:22:45.100 --> 00:22:45.560 He said, 00:22:45.740 --> 00:22:46.420 It is finished. 00:22:46.840 --> 00:22:47.860 And He bowed His head 00:22:47.860 --> 00:22:49.039 and gave up His spirit. 00:22:50.320 --> 00:22:51.340 And Jesus here 00:22:51.340 --> 00:22:52.480 thirsts on the cross 00:22:52.480 --> 00:22:53.160 most fully. 00:22:54.220 --> 00:22:54.800 How so? 00:22:55.759 --> 00:22:56.560 Because to hunger 00:22:56.560 --> 00:22:57.660 and thirst for righteousness 00:22:57.660 --> 00:22:58.519 is to hunger 00:22:58.519 --> 00:22:59.800 and thirst for God. 00:23:00.460 --> 00:23:00.980 And to hunger 00:23:00.980 --> 00:23:01.720 and thirst for God 00:23:01.720 --> 00:23:02.920 is to enact His will 00:23:02.920 --> 00:23:03.960 no matter 00:23:03.960 --> 00:23:05.300 what the cost. 00:23:05.900 --> 00:23:06.900 And we have never been 00:23:06.900 --> 00:23:08.480 righteous like Jesus 00:23:08.480 --> 00:23:09.620 because we have never 00:23:09.620 --> 00:23:10.400 desired God 00:23:10.400 --> 00:23:11.740 like Christ did. 00:23:13.019 --> 00:23:14.120 And in this moment, 00:23:14.960 --> 00:23:16.340 when He was 00:23:16.340 --> 00:23:19.100 most worthy 00:23:19.100 --> 00:23:20.460 to receive 00:23:20.460 --> 00:23:22.080 His satisfaction, 00:23:23.140 --> 00:23:23.759 most worthy 00:23:23.759 --> 00:23:24.519 to be filled, 00:23:25.280 --> 00:23:26.540 what does Christ receive? 00:23:26.539 --> 00:23:30.500 He receives 00:23:30.500 --> 00:23:33.180 a mouthful of vinegar 00:23:33.180 --> 00:23:36.359 from mankind. 00:23:38.819 --> 00:23:39.379 Despite 00:23:39.379 --> 00:23:41.680 hanging all the way 00:23:41.680 --> 00:23:44.180 to God's, 00:23:45.180 --> 00:23:46.000 despite clinging 00:23:46.000 --> 00:23:46.859 on to God's will, 00:23:48.000 --> 00:23:50.039 He saw the victory 00:23:50.039 --> 00:23:50.579 of God, 00:23:50.859 --> 00:23:51.700 He saw the death 00:23:51.700 --> 00:23:52.180 of sin 00:23:52.180 --> 00:23:53.059 and death itself, 00:23:53.059 --> 00:23:54.460 and if anything 00:23:54.460 --> 00:23:55.579 was so obviously 00:23:55.579 --> 00:23:56.019 righteous, 00:23:56.659 --> 00:23:57.460 it was this 00:23:57.460 --> 00:23:58.500 particular moment. 00:23:59.379 --> 00:24:00.139 And He thirsts 00:24:00.139 --> 00:24:00.559 for that. 00:24:01.079 --> 00:24:01.700 And where is 00:24:01.700 --> 00:24:02.339 His satisfaction? 00:24:03.720 --> 00:24:04.639 Humanity gives Him 00:24:04.639 --> 00:24:05.419 a mouthful of vinegar. 00:24:07.799 --> 00:24:08.819 And the Father, 00:24:10.099 --> 00:24:11.319 He turned His face away. 00:24:13.419 --> 00:24:15.740 And what is going on here? 00:24:16.740 --> 00:24:17.759 Why does the Father 00:24:17.759 --> 00:24:18.579 turn His face away? 00:24:19.179 --> 00:24:20.419 Because Jesus Christ 00:24:20.419 --> 00:24:21.259 bore the punishment 00:24:21.259 --> 00:24:22.139 which we deserved. 00:24:23.659 --> 00:24:24.579 And we deserve 00:24:24.579 --> 00:24:25.159 the Father 00:24:25.159 --> 00:24:26.539 to turn His face 00:24:26.539 --> 00:24:27.279 away from us 00:24:27.279 --> 00:24:29.000 because we haven't 00:24:29.000 --> 00:24:29.720 and we've never 00:24:29.720 --> 00:24:30.659 hungered and thirsted 00:24:30.659 --> 00:24:31.199 for righteousness. 00:24:34.799 --> 00:24:35.740 But Jesus Christ 00:24:35.740 --> 00:24:36.460 was the only man 00:24:36.460 --> 00:24:37.480 who hungered and thirsted 00:24:37.480 --> 00:24:38.019 for righteousness. 00:24:38.679 --> 00:24:39.659 He hungered, 00:24:40.399 --> 00:24:40.919 thirsted, 00:24:41.099 --> 00:24:42.559 and died for it 00:24:42.559 --> 00:24:44.079 so that we 00:24:44.079 --> 00:24:44.919 might be satisfied. 00:24:46.639 --> 00:24:47.879 John 7 tells us, 00:24:47.880 --> 00:24:48.720 on the last day 00:24:48.720 --> 00:24:49.280 of the feast, 00:24:49.660 --> 00:24:50.440 the great day, 00:24:50.960 --> 00:24:51.880 Jesus stood up 00:24:51.880 --> 00:24:52.660 and cried out, 00:24:53.380 --> 00:24:54.720 if anyone thirsts, 00:24:55.020 --> 00:24:55.920 let him come to me 00:24:55.920 --> 00:24:56.520 and drink. 00:24:58.220 --> 00:24:59.560 Are you thirsting 00:24:59.560 --> 00:25:00.880 for a right relationship 00:25:00.880 --> 00:25:01.520 with the world? 00:25:03.060 --> 00:25:03.640 If you thirst 00:25:03.640 --> 00:25:04.640 instead for Christ, 00:25:04.860 --> 00:25:05.780 He will bring you 00:25:05.780 --> 00:25:07.140 into a right relationship 00:25:07.140 --> 00:25:08.080 with God. 00:25:09.440 --> 00:25:10.460 God's made the way 00:25:10.460 --> 00:25:11.040 for us. 00:25:12.680 --> 00:25:13.080 Hungering 00:25:13.080 --> 00:25:13.720 and thirsting 00:25:13.720 --> 00:25:14.140 for the world 00:25:14.140 --> 00:25:15.120 has distanced 00:25:15.120 --> 00:25:15.940 ourselves from God 00:25:15.940 --> 00:25:16.759 and only through 00:25:16.759 --> 00:25:17.380 the works, 00:25:17.779 --> 00:25:18.480 the intercession 00:25:18.480 --> 00:25:19.420 and the example 00:25:19.420 --> 00:25:20.019 of Christ 00:25:20.019 --> 00:25:20.900 can we be 00:25:20.900 --> 00:25:21.920 in right relationship 00:25:21.920 --> 00:25:22.420 with God 00:25:22.420 --> 00:25:23.400 and then 00:25:23.400 --> 00:25:24.259 with the world. 00:25:25.360 --> 00:25:26.420 It's the very beginning 00:25:26.420 --> 00:25:27.220 of 2025. 00:25:28.059 --> 00:25:28.799 We're all thinking 00:25:28.799 --> 00:25:29.519 about our lives 00:25:29.519 --> 00:25:30.059 and how we might 00:25:30.059 --> 00:25:30.759 improve them. 00:25:33.720 --> 00:25:34.880 But examine 00:25:34.880 --> 00:25:35.900 your New Year's resolutions. 00:25:37.360 --> 00:25:38.059 Are they 00:25:38.059 --> 00:25:39.580 resolutions which are 00:25:39.580 --> 00:25:40.380 really going to bring 00:25:40.380 --> 00:25:41.180 true satisfaction? 00:25:41.180 --> 00:25:43.640 are you putting 00:25:43.640 --> 00:25:44.600 the world 00:25:44.600 --> 00:25:45.620 above God? 00:25:46.900 --> 00:25:47.299 Come, 00:25:47.660 --> 00:25:48.580 return to Christ. 00:25:48.779 --> 00:25:49.880 Jesus is inviting you. 00:25:49.980 --> 00:25:50.759 He's calling you. 00:25:51.900 --> 00:25:52.940 Only in Christ 00:25:52.940 --> 00:25:54.560 can we see 00:25:54.560 --> 00:25:55.700 the men and women 00:25:55.700 --> 00:25:56.360 which we were 00:25:56.360 --> 00:25:57.320 created to be. 00:26:00.220 --> 00:26:01.080 No matter how 00:26:01.080 --> 00:26:01.779 your year goes, 00:26:01.980 --> 00:26:02.799 materially speaking, 00:26:03.980 --> 00:26:05.000 God promises 00:26:05.000 --> 00:26:05.660 that you 00:26:05.660 --> 00:26:06.700 that you will be 00:26:06.700 --> 00:26:07.120 blessed 00:26:07.120 --> 00:26:08.259 if only 00:26:08.259 --> 00:26:09.140 you're in right 00:26:09.140 --> 00:26:10.019 relationship with Him. 00:26:11.700 --> 00:26:12.420 There's some here 00:26:12.420 --> 00:26:12.820 tonight 00:26:12.820 --> 00:26:13.700 for whom this 00:26:13.700 --> 00:26:14.160 will be your 00:26:14.160 --> 00:26:15.000 first time 00:26:15.000 --> 00:26:15.820 hearing the message. 00:26:16.759 --> 00:26:17.320 Some of you 00:26:17.320 --> 00:26:18.080 may have heard it 00:26:18.080 --> 00:26:18.900 many times before 00:26:18.900 --> 00:26:20.100 and never acted on it. 00:26:20.960 --> 00:26:21.759 Some of us 00:26:21.759 --> 00:26:23.000 are trying to be faithful 00:26:23.000 --> 00:26:23.500 but we're still 00:26:23.500 --> 00:26:24.160 struggling with 00:26:24.160 --> 00:26:24.779 the same 00:26:24.779 --> 00:26:25.759 worldly hungers. 00:26:27.180 --> 00:26:28.039 But I want to say 00:26:28.039 --> 00:26:28.560 one thing 00:26:28.560 --> 00:26:29.980 and my final thing 00:26:29.980 --> 00:26:30.600 is 00:26:30.600 --> 00:26:32.779 whoever you are 00:26:32.779 --> 00:26:33.240 tonight, 00:26:34.160 --> 00:26:36.100 whatever your 00:26:36.100 --> 00:26:36.460 background 00:26:36.460 --> 00:26:37.000 or whatever your 00:26:37.000 --> 00:26:37.560 experience, 00:26:38.019 --> 00:26:38.920 this makes no odds 00:26:38.920 --> 00:26:40.019 to Jesus Christ. 00:26:40.019 --> 00:26:41.240 the answer 00:26:41.240 --> 00:26:41.799 is the same. 00:26:42.379 --> 00:26:42.819 No matter how 00:26:42.819 --> 00:26:44.180 long or short 00:26:44.180 --> 00:26:45.019 your walk in faith, 00:26:45.579 --> 00:26:46.519 the answer is 00:26:46.519 --> 00:26:47.519 repent and 00:26:47.519 --> 00:26:47.879 believe. 00:26:49.039 --> 00:26:49.680 Repent that you 00:26:49.680 --> 00:26:50.119 have not done 00:26:50.119 --> 00:26:50.519 enough, 00:26:51.440 --> 00:26:52.079 have not done 00:26:52.079 --> 00:26:52.420 enough, 00:26:53.220 --> 00:26:54.980 cannot physically 00:26:54.980 --> 00:26:55.740 do enough 00:26:55.740 --> 00:26:56.500 to be counted 00:26:56.500 --> 00:26:57.139 as righteous, 00:26:57.660 --> 00:26:58.559 but believe 00:26:58.559 --> 00:26:59.180 that Christ 00:26:59.180 --> 00:26:59.700 has 00:26:59.700 --> 00:27:00.700 and He 00:27:00.700 --> 00:27:01.259 has hungered 00:27:01.259 --> 00:27:02.079 and thirsted 00:27:02.079 --> 00:27:03.279 to cover you 00:27:03.279 --> 00:27:03.940 with it. 00:27:03.940 --> 00:27:05.840 let us pray. 00:27:08.299 --> 00:27:09.019 Heavenly Father, 00:27:09.140 --> 00:27:09.700 we thank you 00:27:09.700 --> 00:27:10.640 for this, 00:27:10.740 --> 00:27:11.600 your words to us. 00:27:12.700 --> 00:27:13.460 We pray 00:27:13.460 --> 00:27:14.279 that you would 00:27:14.279 --> 00:27:15.980 bless us 00:27:15.980 --> 00:27:16.600 as we go out 00:27:16.600 --> 00:27:17.380 into 2025, 00:27:18.100 --> 00:27:18.660 as we think 00:27:18.660 --> 00:27:19.019 about 00:27:19.019 --> 00:27:21.000 what truly 00:27:21.000 --> 00:27:22.220 our hearts 00:27:22.220 --> 00:27:22.880 hunger and thirst 00:27:22.880 --> 00:27:23.140 for. 00:27:23.680 --> 00:27:24.480 We pray for your 00:27:24.480 --> 00:27:24.820 help, 00:27:25.259 --> 00:27:25.900 your deliverance, 00:27:26.180 --> 00:27:26.620 that this year 00:27:26.620 --> 00:27:27.240 could be the year 00:27:27.240 --> 00:27:28.400 where we turn 00:27:28.400 --> 00:27:28.700 our hearts 00:27:28.700 --> 00:27:29.299 towards you 00:27:29.299 --> 00:27:30.639 and we put 00:27:30.639 --> 00:27:31.119 to death 00:27:31.119 --> 00:27:32.059 those things 00:27:32.059 --> 00:27:32.539 which we 00:27:32.539 --> 00:27:34.539 find our bodies 00:27:34.539 --> 00:27:35.500 truly crave. 00:27:36.139 --> 00:27:37.200 These things we pray. 00:27:37.740 --> 00:27:38.079 Amen.