Sermon XVII - Comforts to those that hunger
SERMON XVII
OR Comforts to those that hunger Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.
For those who genuinely have their hearts stirred after this righteousness, I have various words of comfort and consolation.
There are many poor souls who, in the awareness and burden of their sins, hunger and thirst for the righteousness of Jesus Christ. Their thoughts and hearts are consumed by nothing more than the righteousness of Jesus Christ, desiring it to be applied to them through faith and made their own for their comfort. To such individuals, I will briefly speak words of comfort and encouragement.
Firstly, if your heart truly thirsts after the righteousness of Christ that you hear preached in the Gospel, and you bless those who are able to make it their own, know that your thirst and Christ's thirst are the same. Christ longs for souls as much as souls long for Him. It brings as much satisfaction to Jesus Christ to see His righteousness applied to souls for their redemption as it does to any soul to have the righteousness of Christ applied to them for their salvation. No soul can be more content in the assurance that Christ's righteousness belongs to them than Christ Himself is in having His righteousness
applied to souls who hunger and thirst after it, as mentioned in the text. As evidence, consider this Scripture from Isaiah 53:10: "Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief. When You make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand. He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied. By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, for He shall bear their iniquities." Take note that He shall see the labor of His soul and be satisfied. What is the labor of Christ's soul? It is the desire that after bearing the burden of the Father's wrath, souls would be given to Him and freed from sin through His sufferings. This is the labor of Christ's soul. If your soul is travailing after the righteousness of Jesus
Christ, you are, as it were, in labor, longing for it to be delivered.
Know that the soul of Christ is laboring just as much to redeem sinners as sinners are laboring to be redeemed. And according to the text, He shall see the labor of His soul and be satisfied. There is nothing in the world that can satisfy the soul of Christ more than having poor sinners come to Him and partake in His righteousness.
For by His knowledge, His righteous servant shall justify many, and that will satisfy His soul. It is as if the Holy Spirit is saying that after all that Jesus Christ has suffered for souls, when any soul comes and believes in Him, the Lord Jesus will apply His righteousness to them and justify them. This is what will satisfy His soul. Therefore, this is a great source of help and comfort to those who hunger and thirst after the righteousness of Jesus Christ. You see the hunger of Christ, the travail of His soul, and what will satisfy Him. Surely, if this brings such satisfaction to His soul—justifying sinners—then you can find encouragement in this. When your soul is in travail and you long for this righteousness above all else in the world, and nothing can satisfy you except that, you will, in due time, see the travail of your soul and be satisfied.
Secondly, the greatest purpose that God has in the entire world, to bring glory to Himself, is accomplished by honoring the righteousness of His Son through its application to sinful souls for their redemption. Among all the things that God has done or will do in the world, the greatest purpose for bringing glory to Himself is that the righteousness of His Son may be magnified through the process of delivering souls from the guilt of their sins and presenting them as righteous before the Father. The Lord takes pleasure in no work as He does in this work. This is the masterpiece of God, the glory of God. Now, consider this: if this is the work in which God delights above all else and His purpose is to glorify Himself by magnifying the righteousness of His Son through its fruits— delivering sinful and guilty souls—then who will God honor and glorify if not those souls whose hearts He has stirred to seek after this righteousness, longing for it above all else? This is the very thing that God's heart desires to honor Himself with above all things, and it is the very thing that God has put into my heart to desire above all things. And I believe, truly I am sure, if I know anything about my heart, that if God would bear witness to my soul once that this righteousness of His Son is mine, I would dedicate myself forever to honoring Him. Even if I had a thousand lives, they would all be spent for the glory of His name. Surely, God's heart and your heart align closely in this matter. Therefore, find comfort and encouragement in your hungering and thirsting after this righteousness.
Thirdly, nothing is offered more freely than the righteousness of Christ. Among all the mercies that God bestows upon sinners, the mercies of Jesus Christ are given most freely. Many mercies were granted by God during the time of the law based on legal obedience.
However, Jesus Christ and His righteousness have never been given to any soul except freely, purely by His grace. He is the gift of God.
Alongside this freedom, there is an invitation for souls to come and
receive it. You, who thirst after this righteousness as the water of life, consider the invitation in Revelation 22:17: "And the Spirit and the bride say, 'Come!' And let him who hears say, 'Come!' And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely." You thirst for this righteousness as the water of life that would bring life to your soul. Now, pay attention to the invitation presented here. The Spirit, the Bride (referring to the Church), they all say, "Come!" Let everyone who hears also say, "Come!" And let everyone who thirsts come. Here, four times in one verse, the call is made to come. Furthermore, it states, "Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely." There is nothing more freely given than this water of life. God does not sell it to anyone; whoever receives it, receives it freely. This is how God dispenses this great mercy: to whomever He has given it or will give it, it must be given freely. No previous unrighteousness can hinder it. If it could, then it would not be given freely. No unworthiness can hinder it either. So, why shouldn't I have my portion in it, just like anyone else? Why shouldn't I be blessed by it like anyone else? It's true, I am vile, I am an unrighteous wretch, I am unworthy, but the Lord gives this water of life freely, as stated in Isaiah 55:1.
Fourthly, I will add another consideration for your further comfort: nothing gives any soul the right to apply the righteousness of Jesus
Christ except the free offer and the soul's belief, the soul's casting itself upon it. There is nothing prior to that which gives any right to this righteousness of Christ. You might say, "I could apply it, believe it, and cast myself upon it, but I fear I have no right to it." Now, this is an absolute truth, as certain as any we have in the Gospel: nothing grants any soul a right to Jesus Christ except believing in Him, venturing the soul upon His perfect and glorious righteousness. It is this act that gives a right to the soul. Therefore, do not fear, but come, you hungry and thirsting soul after this righteousness. Open
your mouth and your heart wide, that you may be filled. Cast your soul upon this righteousness. Venture your soul and your eternal state. That is the best and quickest way to experience its comfort.
For those who hunger and thirst after this righteousness, I offer these cautions:
The first caution I will give you is to be careful, those of you seeking to have your souls justified through this righteousness, not to satisfy yourselves with any righteousness inferior to this, with any lesser righteousness. The devil will be ready to deceive you here, and he prevails with many. When their sins weigh heavily on their consciences, and they realize they stand guilty before the great God, just as those bound to eternal death, and they hear that salvation can only be found in Christ, they seek after Christ. Now, the devil seeks to deceive them with some other righteousness besides this. Oh, be cautious that nothing satisfies you except this righteousness. It is true that, through God's mercy, I have abandoned many sinful ways, and I find in my heart that I would not commit any known sin against conscience, even in secret, for all the world. This is good, but do not rest in this alone. Know that there is a righteousness beyond this. Do not think that this is sufficient to satisfy your conscience, that you have reached this point. No, nothing will satisfy my conscience except the application of the blood of Christ and His righteousness to my soul.
Secondly, be cautious not to be satisfied and contented with mere comfort. It may happen that you experience powerful flashes of comfort; during prayer, you might have such moments of comfort and joy that surpass anything you have ever experienced. Some have had such experiences, only to find that they amount to nothing in the end. Therefore, do not find satisfaction in that alone. Instead, ask
yourself this: Is this the fruit of Christ's righteousness? Do I possess the righteousness of Christ? Do I feel the Holy Spirit's work drawing my soul to Christ and enabling me to rest upon His righteousness? If so, the Holy Spirit is indeed a comforter to me as a result of this.
That is good. If your comfort arises as a fruit of your faith, casting yourself upon the righteousness of Jesus Christ, then it is genuine.
Otherwise, your comfort may only serve to please and satisfy you temporarily, diverting your pursuit of this righteousness. Remember, this righteousness is the only thing that will sustain you and enable you to stand in peace before the Judgment Seat of God.
A third caution is this: In your quest for this righteousness of Christ, be cautious not to reason with flesh and blood. Avoid carnal reasoning and arguments that question how it is possible for someone as vile, wretched, and ungodly as you to receive such love and regard from God, to the extent that He would send His Son to be cursed, to die, and to work out a perfect righteousness to clothe your soul with. You may have heard of the glory of this righteousness, but how can it be that your soul could partake in it? Such reasoning engages with flesh and blood. In your pursuit of this righteousness, let such reasoning be swallowed up, and elevate faith alone. If faith is not tested in this crucial matter, it will achieve nothing. If reason interferes, it will spoil everything. For this righteousness is beyond all reason—it is infinitely supernatural. As Luther said, reason is the greatest enemy to faith. It is a profound mystery of godliness that even the angels desire to explore and marvel at. Therefore, as Christians, we must almost close the eye of reason and exercise faith in it. Faith alone can bring peace to your soul.
Fourthly, above all else, be extremely cautious not to misuse and pervert the grace of God. Beware of wantonness. You have heard the righteousness of the Son of God expounded—the glorious properties,
the excellence, and desirability of it. It is something that very few hearts can endure. We know from experience that when men and women catch a glimpse of the righteousness of Christ, they often draw wicked and vile conclusions from it. They say, "Why do we need to seek anything further? Christ has done it all." Consequently, they become lax in their conduct. Guard against wantonness. Our society is marked by great licentiousness. I genuinely believe that if there has ever been a time since Christ when the grace of God has been perverted, it is these past four or five years. However, I find it recorded in the history of Germany that when Luther first began preaching Jesus Christ, there were individuals in his time who abused what he preached in the same manner. When the Gospel began to shine through Luther's ministry, men with weak and blinded eyes were unable to bear the glorious light that God caused to shine. They grossly misused it. Even Luther himself was greatly perplexed and troubled by those who abused the doctrine of free grace and justification by the righteousness of Christ. As we see, weak and corrupted spirits are inclined to misuse it. Above all sins, this sin goes most against the heart of God. God detests it. It is described in the Epistle of Jude as a dreadful mark of those who are destined for condemnation—those who pervert the grace of God. The Lord expects that everyone who comes to know this grace will fall down on their faces, adore, and magnify Him for it. They should spend their days in adoration and magnification, rather than using it as a means to indulge in sin, to nurture unrighteousness and licentiousness. Sadly, we find that since the time when people began speaking most about Free Grace and the Righteousness of Christ, their conduct has become even more licentious than before. Such abominable wickedness is detested by the Spirit of God. If there were any sign that a man or woman is unlikely to have any part or portion in this righteousness, the most probable sign would be turning this
rich and glorious grace of God into wantonness. That concludes the discussion on hungering after the righteousness of Jesus Christ.
Now, let us proceed to the next point: hungering and thirsting after the righteousness of sanctification, or inherent righteousness. I will present the method in the same manner as before.
First, what is this righteousness that we are currently discussing?
Secondly, what constitutes true hunger and thirst of the soul for this righteousness? Thirdly, what makes this righteousness desirable?
Fourthly, why are those who hunger and thirst after it blessed?
Fifthly, those who hunger and thirst after it shall also be satisfied with this righteousness. Lastly, the application of all these points.
Regarding the first point, you may wonder, "What is this righteousness that you are speaking of?"
It is the gracious disposition that God works in the soul through the Holy Spirit or the principle of holiness that God instills within the soul through the Holy Spirit. This enables the soul to direct its actions towards God as its supreme good, as if in a straight line.
Therefore, it is called righteousness. It is also referred to as holiness or grace at times because it is freely given by God. When a soul that was once dead in sin receives the Holy Spirit's breath and is infused with gracious principles that empower it to act and work towards
God as the ultimate end and the highest good, it experiences righteousness in the heart—this inherent righteousness. When you receive this work of the Holy Spirit and find these active and working principles within you, causing your soul to strive towards God as the ultimate end, and no obstacle between God and your soul can hinder these gracious workings, your soul does not take a detour but perseveres through all difficulties. That is acting in a straight line, going through all kinds of challenges in order to work yourself
towards God. This is righteousness in the heart—inherent righteousness. When you have received this work of the Holy Spirit, you will find such active and working principles within you that elevate your soul towards God as the ultimate end. Whatever stands between God and your soul, your soul will persistently work through it, never ceasing until it overcomes it and reaches God, thus attaining the joy of experiencing Him as your God.
Or, put another way, it is the aligning and acting of the heart according to the right standard—the standard of righteousness set forth in the Word. This is the righteousness we are discussing.
Or, to elaborate further, it is an imprint of God's righteousness upon the soul, enabling the soul to act according to His measure, just as God Himself acts.
According to His measure, you may ask, how is that? To act as God acts means to love oneself as the highest end of all things, and to love all other things in relation to oneself, and to work for oneself as the ultimate end of all actions, ordering all other things in a way that leads to the attainment of oneself as the ultimate end. Likewise, a soul that bears the impression of this righteousness is enabled to work for God as the ultimate end, loving God for Himself and loving all things in relation to God. It acts for God as the highest end and orders all its actions in relation to God as the ultimate end. Thus, the soul acts in accordance with its measure and proportion, just as God
Himself does. God makes Himself the ultimate end, and the soul makes God the ultimate end too. Just as God loves Himself as the highest good and loves all things in relation to Himself, the soul does the same. God works towards Himself and arranges all things in a way that allows Him to enjoy Himself as the ultimate end. The righteous soul does likewise, working towards God and arranging all
things in a way that allows it to enjoy all things in relation to God as the ultimate end. This is the righteousness we are discussing. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after this righteousness. Oh, how I wish it were so for me, says this hungering and thirsting soul. I feel an abundance of corruption within me that prevents me from acting towards God. I am convinced that the Lord is worthy—the infinitely glorious first being of all things. He deserves all praise and honour from all His creatures. I was created for Him so that I might live for Him. How happy would I be if I could make Him my highest end and if my heart could be detached from all other things and solely enjoy
Him as my portion, and if I could act and work for Him, making His will the rule of my life. That would bring me true happiness. Oh, how
I long for this to be the state of my soul.
Now, regarding the second point, understand that this hungering and thirsting stems firstly from the realization of the great good inherent in this righteousness. The soul recognizes that it would be a most blessed creature if it were empowered to act in this manner—to work in such a way towards God. If I could feel the Holy Spirit working in my heart, causing my heart to strive after the Lord.
Secondly, it thirsts after this righteousness for itself, in a spiritual manner. Not only because I am convinced in my conscience that I cannot go to Heaven or that I must go to Hell if I lack it, but because
I see the inherent loveliness and excellence in righteousness itself.
Therefore, I long for it because of its own surpassing excellence. An hypocrite may desire to overcome their sins and be empowered to perform their duties, but note this: their desire arises for the sake of peace of mind. They desire these things because they cannot have peace without them. It is not because of any excellence that they see in righteousness itself, but merely to pacify their conscience.
However, this blessed hunger and thirst we are speaking of desires
righteousness for itself. It is my righteousness. What could be better for my soul than to live for God as the ultimate end, to have my heart working towards God, and to make His will my own? What could be better for my soul than this?
Thirdly, this hungering and thirsting is limitless. By that, I mean the soul never sets a limit on how much holiness it desires. It seeks to possess holiness to the highest degree possible for any creature. Even if the Lord enables such a soul to overcome some corruptions and walk towards God in a more gracious manner than before, it still desires more and more. Its desires expand continually. On the other hand, a hypocrite may desire to overcome certain corruptions or perform certain duties, but they desire only as much as they believe will serve their purpose of avoiding perceived dangers. This is clear evidence that they do not desire righteousness for its own sake. For example, imagine two men desiring knowledge. One is sent to university, but only to please his father, so he desires knowledge for that reason. Or consider another person who desires knowledge for personal gain or advancement. That is their end. Once they achieve enough to attain their goal, they are satisfied. In contrast, a person who desires knowledge for its own sake sees the inherent excellence in knowledge itself. They realize that it elevates a rational being.
They are never content, but continually yearn for more and more knowledge. They pursue it until their dying day, regardless of whether they receive recognition or employment. Their love for knowledge drives them because they love knowledge for its own sake.
Similarly, a person who desires grace for some subordinate end is content with acquiring enough grace to serve that purpose. But anyone who desires righteousness for its own sake is never satisfied and constantly desires more and more grace as long as they live. This is the third aspect of this desire.
Fourthly, it is a ruling desire. All other desires are ordered and guided by the desire for the advancement of grace and righteousness.
The soul declares, "Let my desire for the promotion of grace and righteousness rule and guide these desires." Therefore, as long as my other desires contribute to this primary desire for righteousness, I will nurture and pursue them. However, if I find that any desire in my soul towards anything else hinders my great desire for righteousness, rather than furthering it, I will forsake that desire. I will oppose it and even consider it a blessing if God thwarts that desire. This is the true desire for righteousness—when it becomes the ruling desire. It governs the soul, acting as the chief desire, and no desire can be nurtured within the soul unless it serves in some way this great desire of the soul—to hunger and thirst after righteousness.
Fifthly, the desires of the soul in hungering and thirsting after righteousness are accompanied by pain. As was mentioned earlier in relation to hungering and thirsting for the righteousness of Christ, there is pain involved. Just as natural hunger is accompanied by pain, so is this spiritual hunger and thirst. The guilt of sin is painful to the soul. Likewise, the unruly corruptions of the heart are grievous to it. When have you ever heard of Paul crying out due to his sufferings? He did not lament when he was buffeted or imprisoned.
He even sang while in stocks. But when he felt his corruptions stirring within him and sensed the lack of some degree of righteousness, he let out a dreadful cry and exclaimed, "Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? How can I gain power over these corruptions and be empowered to walk after God? Oh, if only I could have this, then I would be a happy man!" Therefore, you see that this hungering and thirsting after righteousness follows mourning. Blessed are those who mourn, and then blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness.
That means those who are first affected by mourning for the
corruptions of their hearts, and upon experiencing this mourning, they subsequently develop this hunger and thirst for righteousness.
Sixthly, these desires must also be fervent. They are not mere wishes or idle thoughts but powerful and intense desires. One of our theologians said that the desires of a hypocrite are feeble, but the sincere desires of the soul are so strong that they can even cause the soul to faint. We see such expressions in Psalm 119:5, where David says, "Oh, that my ways were directed to keep Your statutes." David already had some measure of grace to guide him, but he longed for more. "Oh, that my ways were directed to keep Your statutes," he cried out. It's as if he said, "Lord, You know everything, and You know there is nothing in the world that would bring greater contentment to my soul than to have my heart directed towards keeping Your statutes. Even though I am a king and have great satisfaction in the world, this is the very thing that makes me sigh and send my desires heavenward." Similarly, in verse 10, he says,
"With my whole heart I have sought You; Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments." He regarded wandering from God's commandments as the greatest evil that could befall him in this world. If God were to leave him to himself, he would surely go astray.
So he pleads, "Lord, let me feel the powerful work of Your grace in my heart so that I may not wander from Your commandments." And in verse 20, he exclaims, "My soul breaks for the longing that it has unto Your judgments at all times." David's soul was shattered. There was never a man who desired anything in this world with greater intensity. What more powerful expressions can there be than these?
And in verse 131, he says, "I opened my mouth and panted, for I longed for Your commandments." When we put all these together— the longing for directed ways, the whole-hearted seeking after God, the dread of wandering from His commandments, the soul breaking with longing for His judgments, and the panting for His
commandments—we see the earnest desires of a gracious heart for righteousness.
Seventhly, these desires are also diligent. They are not idle desires like those of most people in the world who merely wish for grace, saying, "God, give me grace, and when You give it to me, I will do better." They do not go beyond that. But let me ask you, how much effort, how much striving is evident in your spirit? How much diligence, how much work does your soul put into pursuing grace?
Therefore, consider this scripture in Psalm 63:1 and 8. The psalmist says, "My soul thirsts for You; my flesh longs for You." But notice what follows in verse 8: "My soul follows hard after You," says David.
That is the fruit of genuine desires. If you have a desire to obtain grace, to attain righteousness, if you truly thirst for it, then this will follow: your heart will diligently pursue God through the use of all means that He is pleased to provide. If there are any ordinances of God that can further the work of your grace, you will desire them.
And if there are any pains to be endured, if ordinary means are insufficient, you will be willing to engage in extraordinary measures.
Suppose there is a corruption that you complain of, and ordinary means cannot conquer it. Even if it means mortifying the body, suppressing the flesh, or any other form of self-denial, you are resolved. If power against corruption can be obtained, you will pursue it. You are willing to do or suffer the most difficult things in the world to see these desires fulfilled.
Eighthly, these desires are enduring. They will persist and never be quiet until the thing is accomplished. In Psalm 119:20, previously mentioned, it says, "My soul breaks for the longing that it has unto
Your judgments." Mark the phrase "at all times." Some of you may have experienced such soul-breakings and intense desires during good moods. You could pray mightily and cry out fervently to God for
grace during those times. Perhaps it was when you were on your sickbed, afraid of death, or when you were stirred by a sermon. You returned home and manifested your desires to heaven, pleading with the Lord to help you, cleanse your heart, and give you grace. But is it true at all times? At other times, you are far from such intense pursuit of righteousness. However, it was different for David. His soul broke for the longing for God's judgments at all times. By "judgments," we mean His statutes, His commandments, His revealed will. David desired to have a heart in conformity to God's will as revealed in His Word. Similarly, in Psalm 143:6, he says, "My soul thirsts after You as a thirsty land." You know how a thirsty land opens wide, longing for water, and it never closes until it receives showers. That's how David describes it. "Lord, I am like a thirsty land. I feel a gaping in my heart, a longing for showers of Your grace.
And until they come, my heart will remain open, just like a thirsty land." Thus, you have seen the kind of enduring desires that the soul has for this righteousness, as well as for the other aspects.
Now, I should proceed to expound on the great desirability of this righteousness. But all I will do for now is to urge you to reflect on what has been presented to you regarding the description of the hungering and thirsting soul's desire for sanctification. I believe that not one of you has been without some kind of desire for grace, although you may have had little understanding of what it truly meant. But now, in the presence of God, can you say, "Lord, You have worked such desires in my soul. To some extent, I can testify that it was not due to ignorance but to the enlightenment of Christ's
Spirit. I was an ignorant and foolish soul not long ago, but the light of Your Spirit entered me and revealed to me the excellence of Your righteousness, the blessedness of living for You. And, Lord, You know that my desires for righteousness are for its own sake. No degree of righteousness can satisfy me until I reach heaven. I want