Session Five: Blessed Are Those Who Hunger And Thirst For Righteousness
In Unit Three we are looking at how we live as members of the Kingdom of God. Last time we looked at the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Now we are going to look some famous sayings from Jesus’ longest sermon. These titles are from the New International Version of the Bible.
In this session, we’ll explore:
What we mean by righteousness
How we respond to God’s righteousness
1. Reflect
Read Psalm 9: 7-10
‘“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” Jesus wants us to know that being desperate to be right with God, and wanting others to be right with God, places us at the centre of the Father’s heart. That’s his will for us all.’
John Walford
Why does this tell us about God and righteousness?
2. Read
Romans 3: 20-25a (NLT)
What does this passage tell us that the Law (the Ten Commandments) is designed to
do?
What do these verses tell us about God’s nature, His love and His sense of justice?
If we are made right with God through Jesus’ sacrifice, does the Law matter anymore?
What does Jesus mean here by righteousness?
How can we hunger and thirst for righteousness?
Jesus took these words of prophecy from Isaiah 61. What do we understand about God’s righteousness when Jesus applies this scripture to himself
What does it tell us about our pursuit of righteousness in the world?
How do these verses tell us that we should hunger and thirst for righteousness?
Need help? Here are some hints…
1. If you have not read the Ten Commandments look at Exodus 20:1-17.
Simply put, the Law defines what is good and bad, and shows us God’s perfection and our imperfection. It shows us how we have got things wrong but doesn’t offer us hope to change.
2. God’s justice demand that our faults and disobedience are taken seriously. His love demands that there must be a way of restoring our broken relationship. It is His nature to love us as His creation but to hate the sin in our lives. Jesus’ sacrifice deals with our failure because He kept the Law. He did not make it go away.
3. It matters because it helps us see how God wants us to live. The Law defines perfection and that’s what the Lord wants for us.
4. Does this mean our “legal” status before God or does it mean that we are to pursue righteousness in the world? Or both? It would seem that we are to pursue personal holiness and righteousness in the world.
5. People are passionate about a whole load of things that don’t really matter - you might like to think about some of them. Jesus wants us to be passionate about righteousness. We need to think about ways in which we can stoke that fire within us.
3. Act
What steps do you need to take to seek after God’s righteousness?
What steps can you take to pursue righteousness in the world?
4. Pray
Anything that God has said to you out of this study.
Situations in which injustice is clearly seen.
Organisations working to bring God’s justice in the world (e.g. Tear Fund, IJM etc)
