Sermon XX - Rules to help souls in the pursuit of righteousness - Matthew 5:6
SERMON XX
OR Rules to help souls in the pursuit of righteousness "Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled." - MATTHEW 5:6
There are three things remaining in the text.
First, I will present some rules to aid souls that are earnestly desiring righteousness but cannot seem to find it.
Secondly, I will discuss what can support souls in a state of hunger for righteousness, even when they feel they are not growing in righteousness themselves.
Thirdly, I will rebuke the lack of genuine hunger and thirst for righteousness.
Regarding the first point, if the Lord has brought your heart to hunger and thirst for righteousness, can you honestly say that this is your condition? If not, you have little to say. Even those with the weakest degree of grace should be able to affirm that they have a genuine hungering and thirsting desire. If this is indeed the case, then observe these rules in your pursuit, so that you do not go astray.
First, even if you do not possess the righteousness you desire, make sure to renounce all unrighteousness. While I am still on a journey of hungering and cannot find the righteousness I desire, I resolve, O
Lord, to forever renounce unrighteousness. Though I may not have
the ability to serve God with the fullness of spirit I long for, and I may not be experiencing the growth in grace as I desire, I will keep this commitment in my heart: I will not engage in anything that appears unrighteousness. I will have nothing to do with it. In Psalm
119:2-3, the Psalmist says, "Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart. They also do no iniquity, they walk in his ways." Those who seek the Lord with their whole heart do not engage in iniquity. While seeking God with their whole heart, they renounce all iniquity. There should be no tolerance for any form of sin. Even if I cannot guide myself as I would and do what I should, I will at least have nothing to do with my former unrighteous ways. This is of great importance for those souls whom
God is bringing close to Himself, who are seeking Him but do not yet feel they have found Him. They should renounce unrighteousness.
Many men and women seek righteousness (or at least they believe they do), but in the meantime, they allow themselves to indulge in unrighteousness. They deceive themselves by thinking that God will accept their desire for righteousness, even though they give in to unrighteousness. Beware of falling into that trap.
Secondly, in your hunger and thirst for righteousness, express your desires before God on a regular basis. Freely express your desires in the presence of God when you are alone in secret. Tell God about all your longings for His righteousness and His ways. It is easy to tell others about your desires, but it is important to daily express your desires to God after His righteousness.
Thirdly, ensure that you hunger and thirst for His righteousness specifically. Do not satisfy yourself with the fact that you hunger and thirst for something related to godliness. Let your heart sincerely long and thirst for all His righteous ways. Hunger for every form of righteousness, and let your heart be fully dedicated to desiring and
thirsting after all His ways and commandments. Do not allow any form of unrighteousness to find a place in your life. Hunger for righteousness in all its forms.
Fourthly, once you have expressed your desires to God and hungered for all righteousness, evaluate the outcome. Consider what has become of your desires. How long have you been hungering and thirsting for righteousness? When did God begin to stir your heart and open your conscience to desire righteousness? Reflect on whether this hunger has been present for as long as you can remember or for a significant period. Then question what has happened to your desires during all this time. What has become of the many prayers you have offered to God, asking for His grace to renew His image in your soul? Examine what has happened to your desires. Many men and women have a superficial form of prayer and wish that things were better for them, but they do not look back to their desires. They do not consider whether God has granted their desires or not. They do not evaluate whether they have gained more power over their corruptions or greater ability to serve God in righteousness. If they do experience progress, they have reason to praise and bless Him. If not, they have cause for humility. But who examines daily what becomes of their prayers for grace? Who makes it a matter of praise or humiliation based on whether God grants or denies their desires?
Fifthly, make sure to manifest your desires by using all means available. Follow this rule and pay attention to the following detail: if one means does not work, try others. If ordinary means do not suffice, resort to extraordinary means. But in using these means, focus on righteousness. For instance, you might say, "I have good desires, and I also use means. I pray, I listen to God's word, I read, and I engage in discussions with godly people." But when you engage
in all these activities, is it truly righteousness that your soul pursues and longs for? Can you honestly say that in your prayers, you seek to gain further righteousness and growth in righteousness? Do you find satisfaction in your prayers only when you have made progress in overcoming your corruptions that day? And when you listen to the Word, do you long for God to speak to your heart, enabling you to gain power over your corruptions, become strengthened in His ways, and experience increased grace, wisdom, humility, fear of His name, and spiritual-mindedness? Do you desire to receive all these blessings through His Word? For you, a good sermon is one in which God speaks to your heart, furthering righteousness within you. If you attend a sermon and do not encounter God there, furthering the work of His grace in your heart, regardless of how good the sermon may be for others, it is not beneficial to you. Because you do not experience the advancement of God's grace in your heart to a greater degree. How many times do we attend sermon after sermon without considering the necessity of approaching them with a panting desire for righteousness?
Moreover, I will provide you with a scripture to demonstrate that it is not enough to hunger and thirst for righteousness if you do not express it through the use of means. In Psalm 107:9, there is a gracious promise from God to those who genuinely long for righteousness. It says, "He satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness." The phrase "longing soul" in your books is translated as the "running soul" in Hebrew. It signifies a soul that diligently seeks from one means to another. If one thing does not suffice, it pursues another. Its desires must be satisfied, or it feels it cannot live. Therefore, a longing soul is one that actively pursues
God from one means to another, never finding rest until it encounters Him and enjoys His ways of righteousness, as desired.
Mark 7:24-25 provides an excellent scripture to show that when the
heart is set on something, it leaves no means unattempted. It speaks of Christ who went to the borders of Tyre and Sidon, entered a house, and wanted no one to know. But He could not be hidden because a certain woman, whose young daughter had an unclean spirit, sought Him out. The passage implies that the poor woman, being deeply affected by her daughter's misery and believing that Christ could help her, resolved to find Him even if He was hidden.
Thus, it is similar here. If the Lord withdraws Himself from the soul in one means, a soul that is aware of its need for righteousness will pursue God through one means after another. It will never be at rest until it meets with God and experiences Him in the ways of righteousness, in accordance with its desires. This is the fifth rule: let your hungering and thirsting manifest in the use of all means available.
Sixthly, in your hunger and thirst, be careful not to rest in your desires. Do not think that having desires is enough, saying, "I have desires, God has placed desires in me, and that's sufficient. Why do I need anything more?" Although it is true that there are many encouragements for those with genuine desires, it is equally true that when desires are genuine, the soul will not be satisfied with desires alone. I have desires, but it is the actual fulfillment of those desires that I seek. We read in Proverbs 13:12 that deferred hope makes the heart sick, but when the desire is fulfilled, it becomes a tree of life.
Hope deferred means when the soul desires something and it does not come. But when the desire is fulfilled, that is the tree of life.
Therefore, a soul that is rightly affected will not rest in desires alone.
It will not think, "God has begun to work some desires in me, and I hope that's grace. Even the slightest degree of grace will be enough to bring me to heaven." No, I have desires, but nothing will satisfy my soul until I obtain what I desire.
Seventhly, exercise faith in Jesus Christ for righteousness. That is the way to have your desires satisfied. You do use means, and yes, I dare not do otherwise. My conscience compels me to pray, read, hear, and use all the means I can. But still, I do not find my desire satisfied.
Therefore, here is another rule: in the use of means, look beyond the means and be careful not to rely solely on them or on your desires.
Instead, look up to Jesus Christ, from whose fullness the hearts of the saints receive grace upon grace. The Father has placed fullness in His Son. All righteousness is in Jesus Christ. There is all grace, righteousness, and holiness in Christ beyond measure. Now, the way to attain righteousness is not merely through prayer, hearing, and using means, but by having faith in Christ. Look upon Him as a fountain filled with all grace, so that the souls of those who hunger and thirst may, by acting upon Him, draw grace from Him and be satisfied. Christ is the tree of life, and all grace comes into the soul from Him. I truly believe that many people remain in great spiritual bondage during their hungering and thirsting, laboring for grace, because they do not look beyond the means. They do not look upon Christ as the fountain of all grace and do not exercise their faith in Him. They mistakenly believe that they must have righteousness before coming to Jesus Christ. Now, that is a mistake. You must come to Christ so that you may have righteousness, for all righteousness is in Him. The truth is, there is no saving righteousness apart from union with Jesus Christ. It comes from communion with Him and from the indwelling of the Spirit of Christ in the heart. Therefore, the first action should be to go to Christ for this righteousness. Actively exercise your faith in Christ, strive to see
Him as the one who possesses all the treasures of grace from the Father, intended to be communicated to the souls of those who will be saved. This is the way to have the desires of your soul satisfied.
You may say that you have been struggling and laboring, and nothing comes. Try this means, try this way: act your faith upon Jesus Christ
for righteousness. You may fear that you will presume, but never fear presuming when you act upon Christ for righteousness. There is a fear of presuming when you only believe in Christ to save your soul and deliver you from Hell. But when you act upon Him for righteousness, there is no fear there. When your soul desires righteousness and you realize that Christ is appointed by the Father to be the conduit of all grace, and you are called to entrust your soul to Him so that you may receive the work of His Spirit for the subduing of your corruptions and for enabling you to live righteously before God in this world, do not fear presuming in this case.
Presumptuous hypocrites believe in Christ solely to be saved from Hell, but they do not value the righteousness of Christ greatly. They seek the Kingdom of Heaven for deliverance from pain and torment, but they do not pay much attention to seeking the Kingdom of Heaven and its righteousness. It is not that which will nourish their souls. But when you have a hungry soul after righteousness and you come to Christ to embrace Him, know that His flesh is true food and His blood is true drink, both for justification and sanctification as well.
Eighthly, if you find in your hungering and thirsting after righteousness that you have not yet obtained your desire, make this resolution within yourself: if my desire cannot be satisfied in this, I will never allow my desires to wander after other things until I find satisfaction here. Keep your heart in this resolution, and it will maintain your soul in a state where righteousness will come. Many men and women have good desires stirred in them for a time, but they vanish away because their desires remain unfulfilled, causing them to redirect their desires towards other things. But when the heart reaches the point where it says, "O Lord, my desires are so set on the renewing of Your image, on righteousness, that if I do not find satisfaction here, I will not find satisfaction in anything else," it
becomes of great importance. It is crucial for you to strive to continually keep your appetite focused on righteousness. Be cautious of things that will diminish your appetite for righteousness. There are three things that will take away the appetite, both in the body and in the soul.
Firstly, a man loses his appetite either due to something that obstructs his stomach, such as certain humours that have accumulated and hindered it, or Secondly, due to excess wind that fills his stomach, causing him to lose his appetite for food, or Thirdly, due to lack of exercise, because he does not move or take action. This also applies to the spiritual appetites of people for righteousness. These three factors can diminish their appetites.
First, when corrupt influences and ill dispositions have entered their hearts, defiling their souls. Many individuals in their youth used to have strong appetites for righteousness. They would eagerly turn to the Word of God and pray with great fervor, as if they could tear open the heavens. However, now we see no such passion in them. Fearful influences have entered their hearts, tarnishing their souls.
Secondly, some frivolous influences can also dampen their appetites. By this, I mean when their hearts indulge in worldly pleasures. There are many who have made enthusiastic professions of faith and have seemed to have great hunger and thirst for righteousness. The ordinances of Christ were once precious to them. However, now they are wholly focused on worldly matters and surrender themselves to the pleasures of the flesh. They value the company that brings them the most
carnal satisfaction. Such influences have filled their stomachs with empty desires, thereby diminishing their appetite for spiritual matters.
Thirdly, appetite can wane due to lack of exercise. Many Christians become dull, heavy, and sluggish. They may abstain from the prevailing sins of the time and avoid indulging their fleshly desires, yet they grow listless and negligent. There is no fervency in their hearts for God. However, if you wish to keep your heart warm, it is not enough to engage in prayer merely out of convention. Instead, pray until your heart becomes warm again. It is similar to a person who lacks appetite going out into the fresh air, which may have some effect. But if their appetite is severely diminished, they will not just take a short walk but continue walking until they feel warm. Then they return home with a hearty appetite. Likewise, let Christians engage in spiritual exercises abundantly to maintain their appetites for spiritual things.
Ninthly, do not let your desire for more righteousness make you forget what you already have. Look to it. If God has been pleased to give you any measure of power over your corruptions, any ability to serve Him, take note of it. Bless God for it. Just because you don't have everything you desire, don't say that you have none at all. Don't devalue God's grace and think that it's all counterfeit just because it doesn't meet your desired degree. It's like if someone gave a relative several pieces of gold to start their trade, and they said, "What has he given me? These are just a few counters." A relative would feel wronged by such a response. The same is true for many souls seeking righteousness. The Lord has already given you the graces of His
Spirit, which are as valuable as gold, so that you can prepare for Heaven. Even if you don't have as much as you would like, be careful
not to diminish its worth. Instead, bless God for every little thing, every good impulse, every good inclination. Bless God for them and expect more. Just as poor individuals who were on the verge of starvation would be grateful for a piece of bread and bless God for it, instead of scorning it and saying, "Will this satisfy our hunger?"—for if they did, you wouldn't give them any more—so it is with the soul. If God gives you anything, bless Him for it and say, "Lord, I find this sweet. I find the beginnings of Your grace's work sweet to my soul.
Oh, that I had more!"
Tenthly, another rule to follow in this hungering and thirsting for righteousness is to be careful not to seek this righteousness for your justification. This rule is of great importance. As you have heard before, the righteousness of Christ alone justifies the soul before God. However, this righteousness of sanctification enables us to serve God according to His way. Yet, it is not the righteousness by which I can stand before His tribunal on the great day. There is a significant mistake here. Many poor souls desire more grace, but why? Because they believe that through their grace, they will be able to stand before God and be accepted for eternal life. They think, "If I were able to overcome my corruptions and fulfill my duties more, then I would be able to look upon God's face with comfort and joy."
However, you are mistaken in this belief. It's true that the work of His Spirit is a comforting evidence of God's love for your soul. God loves and takes delight in that. But never think that you can present your own righteousness to God for justification. Therefore, hunger and thirst after this righteousness, but understand that it is the righteousness of your Son, Lord, by which I expect to be justified.
However, I desire this grace to be in my heart not for my justification, but for my sanctification.
Eleventhly, in your hungering after this righteousness, let your soul be willing to endure all discouragements and trample down all difficulties and hindrances that come your way. When you are hungering after righteousness, you may encounter more temptations than ever before, more stirring of corruption than ever before. You must anticipate this and be prepared. Those who have experienced this work of God in their hearts can testify that when they began to strive and labour after righteousness, they faced stronger temptations and more stirring of corruption. However, this did not discourage them. They overcame it, just like the poor woman in Matthew 15:22. A woman from Canaan came from the same region and cried out to Him, saying, "Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely demon-possessed." But He answered her not a word. And His disciples came and urged Him, saying,
"Send her away, for she cries out after us." But He answered and said, "I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel."
Then she came and worshipped Him, saying, "Lord, help me!" But He answered and said, "It is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the little dogs." And she said, "Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters' table." This is a remarkable Scripture in the Book of God, demonstrating that when the heart is set on something, it will trample upon all discouragements. Note that this poor woman faced numerous discouragements at that time while seeking Christ.
Firstly, the woman comes and seeks Christ, crying out, "Have mercy on me, O Lord," but He does not respond. When you are hungering and praying to God for grace, if God does not answer you immediately, you may become disheartened. This woman cried out, and Christ did not answer her, yet it did not discourage her. So, do not let it discourage you either if Christ does not respond right away when you seek Him.
Secondly, the disciples came and urged Christ, "Send her away, for she cries out after us." The disciples spoke rudely. Many poor souls seeking Christ have friends who come and discourage them, behaving churlishly towards them. This may hinder you as well.
However, if your desires are genuine, it should not discourage you. It did not discourage this poor woman.
Thirdly, Christ responded, "I am not sent but to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." Christ expressed that He had no obligation towards this woman, as she was not part of the house of Israel. This was a discouraging answer. When Jesus Christ said that He was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel, what was this poor woman to do? It is the same for many in their pursuit of grace. They may think, "Maybe I do not belong to God's chosen ones, not part of that small number for whom Christ was sent." Though Christ said this to her, it did not discourage her. Instead, she worshipped Him and said, "Lord, help me." She did not dwell on Christ's response but persisted in her strong desire, asking the Lord for help.
Fourthly, Christ answered, "It is not good to take the children's bread and cast it to dogs." Here is another discouragement. Christ referred to her as a dog and the food as meant for children. If God were to speak to you in this way, as you may sometimes think, that He rejects you like a dog when you cry out for sustenance in the form of righteousness, this might discourage you. Christ told the woman that she was a dog, and one might have thought this would have discouraged her. However, it did not. She responded, "Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters' table."
She acknowledged her unworthiness but requested even a crumb for a dog. Upon this response, Christ heard her, and she was satisfied.
This was the result of a significant work of the Spirit of God in this woman's heart. So, in your desire for righteousness, do the same.
Even in the face of discouragement, persevere, and you will eventually find satisfaction. Many have had promising beginnings but have been deterred by discouragement. Therefore, strive to overcome obstacles as best as you can. An illustrative story can be found in the Book of Kings. During a severe famine in Samaria, the prophet prophesied that the price of grain would significantly decrease the next day. The captain expressed doubt, saying that even if God were to open the windows of heaven, it would not be possible.
However, the prophet assured him that he would witness it but not partake in it. When the time came, the people sought the grain so desperately to satisfy their hunger that they trampled the captain, who was second to the king, to the ground. This was due to their earnest desire for sustenance. Similarly, a soul that is famished for righteousness will trample over anything in its path and be willing to part with anything to further the grace of God within it. This is akin to the poor people in Egypt who lacked grain and were famished.
They brought their money to Joseph to buy grain, then their livestock, and eventually, they sold their lands and possessions to satisfy their hunger. Finally, they sold themselves as bond-slaves to Pharaoh, all to obtain grain and alleviate their hunger. Nothing stood in their way as long as their hunger was satisfied. This illustrates how the soul will overcome any obstacle and be willing to part with anything to advance the grace of God within. And that concludes the rules to be observed in our hungering and thirsting after righteousness.
The next thing is to show what can sustain the hearts of those who hunger and thirst for righteousness but do not see themselves growing righteous.
Firstly, consider that even the slightest degree of grace is as true and certain an earnest of eternal life as the greatest degree. Some may
misuse this concept from the Word, but do not let that cause you to forfeit your portion. If your soul experiences such a longing for righteousness, even if you do not possess the righteousness you desire, take comfort in knowing that the smallest measure of true grace, the tiniest seed (which must exist in a soul that possesses such a desire), is as genuine and secure an earnest of eternal life as the greatest measure. I do not say this so that you may settle for any degree of grace, for it is base to say, "Why do I need more?" I speak to those whose hearts are upright and will not misuse this truth. It is called the earnest of the Spirit, and just as a person in a transaction can bind the deal with a small sum of money, such as twelve pence, as effectively as with twenty shillings, so it is here. Although it is true that where there is little grace, there cannot be as much honour to God as where there is abundant grace, the smallest measure of grace seals the deal with God for eternal life, making it as certain for you as if you possessed as much grace as Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
Perhaps, because you have only a little, you may not fully recognize it or have assurance in your conscience, but it is as certain with God.
You are just as certainly translated from death to life, even if you have the smallest degree of grace.
Secondly, where there are genuine desires, the Lord views your imperfections not as your own, but as the sin that dwells in you. This is what the Apostle meant when he said, "It is no longer I" when I express powerful desires for grace and encounter strong corruptions.
It is no longer I, but sin that dwells in me. Therefore, to the soul strong in its desires for grace, even though many imperfections remain, the Lord does not view your imperfections as primarily yours, but as sin in you. There is a twofold self, as it were: a corrupt self and a self of grace. The Lord does not charge the remnants of sin in the soul that possesses sincere desires for His grace as heavily as He does with the corruptions in the ungodly. Scripture affirms that
the Lord hates the workers of iniquity, but the sin within the souls of the ungodly makes them the objects of God's wrath and hatred.
However, the remaining unrighteousness within the saints, though it is their sickness (for that is how the soul in this situation perceives the remaining corruptions within it), does not make their souls objects of God's wrath, but rather objects of His pity and compassion. Consider this distinction between the remaining sin in the saints and the corruptions in the ungodly. The unrighteousness that remains is the sickness of the soul, and the bowels of God's compassion are towards His sick children just as they are towards
His strong children. Let me present this to you: Suppose you have a child who is weak but eager to do whatever you ask of him. This child has entered a room and the door has been shut behind him, so he believes no one can see him. Perhaps you look through a keyhole and observe what the child is doing. He is crying and lamenting, saying,
"Oh, how wayward I am! I wish I could please my father and mother more. How little I am capable of doing for them. I long to show greater obedience and walk before them in a manner that is never undutiful again. That would be the happiness of my life if I were never undutiful to my father and mother again." Imagine if you were to witness your child bemoaning himself because he cannot improve and desiring to live in a more obedient manner. Would not your heart ache for such a child? You know the child does not believe you can see him, but by chance, you catch a glimpse. Would not your heart yearn for him then? Know that God is a compassionate Father.
Why do you possess such compassion for your children? Is it not a drop from the infinite compassion found in God? When you are alone and lamenting that you cannot live more honourably for God, if you could, you would consider your life happy. Know that God hears all this. God looks upon you and observes it all. Surely, God will not cast away someone who has a heart that hungers and thirsts after what is acceptable to Him. The Scripture compares Christ to a