Hungering for Righteousness
Sermon Recording
Sermon Outline
Speaker: Rev. Charles Drew
Sermon Series: Wisdom from God on How to Engage Politically
Matthew 5:1-12, 6:9-13, 22:34-40 (ESV)
5:1 Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him.
2 And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
5 “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
6:9 Pray then like this:
“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
10 Your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread,
12 and forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
22:34 But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. 35 And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. 36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”
Sermon Outline
I) We may not disengage politically.
“Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”
II) Hungering and thirsting for righteousness
A) Ravenous for it.
B) What is righteousness?
Personal and cosmic meanings
“Upstream politics” and “downstream politics”
III) How will this “upstream” hunger and thirst show up in our “downstream” public lives?
A) Longing to be right with God…
Humility (“poor in spirit”).
Patience and trust
We hunger because the banquet is still ahead.
Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.Care about methods.
Blessed are the poor in spirt… the meek… and the peace-makers.
B) Longing to be right with people…
Treating them with respect
3D creatures made in God’s image with stories
11 "Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.Wanting for them what we want for ourselves.
You shall love your neighbor as you love yourself.
C) Injecting hope into public life by celebrating the ‘good stuff’
Jesus speaks of blessing 9 times!
Good News
Prayer of Confession
Our great Redeemer, your love for our wayward world is beyond understanding or imitation. You mourn our sins; we indulge them. You hunger and thirst for righteousness; we covet. You surrendered your rights and comforts; we demand them. You waited patiently for victory and vindication; we want them now. You always thought of your neighbors and gave your life for them; we often ignore our neighbors’ needs. You died to make peace; we sow discord. You honored your enemies; we diminish even our friends. Your heart was pure; our motives are always mixed. And at the end of your lovely life, you offered it to the Father in place of ours, bearing our sins and cruelties into outer darkness so that you could carry us safely home. Make us more like you, dear Lord, in our angry times. Amen.
Questions for Reflection
What clues does the following statement by C. S. Lewis give us for addressing the political divisiveness in the church?
“It is at the church’s center, where her truest children dwell, that each communion (i.e., denomination) is really closest to every other in spirit, if not in doctrine. And this suggests that at the center of each there is a something, or a Someone, who against all divergences of belief, all differences of temperament, all memories of mutual persecution [and all political contentions], speaks with the same voice.” (From Mere Christianity, Preface)The Beatitudes richly describe “upstream politics” –the attitudes and perspectives we should bring to public life, (“downstream politics” by contrast deals with particular issues). To be poor in spirit is to be humble and is an “upstream” quality. How teachable are you when it comes to political matters?
Jesus was meek, which means that his power was constrained by patient trusting obedience. He was faithful, but he never sought to force his Father’s hand, nor to change his time-table. If we follow Jesus, we will be diligent in what is right, but at peace about timing and outcomes: we will not have to win an argument or an election right now; nor will we grow disheartened, bitter, or afraid when the results of our efforts are forestalled. How would a close friend grade you on meekness?
Reflect on the following statement: “The people who disagree with us over politics are not the enemies of God—nor are they sub-human—nor are they dismissible by tweet. They are not the 2D incarnations of their voting records. They are 3D creatures made in God’s image with stories that have shaped them and that we need in love to know and understand. This is true even if they hate us for our efforts to deal honestly with them.” How might you do a better job approaching those who disagree with you politically?
Jesus commands us to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. If, for example, we want the first amendment freedom to express our faith in public life, we will want this for our Muslim, atheist, Republican, and Democrat neighbor as well. Hos might you do a better job at this?
Is there a friend or relative whose politics you can’t stand who just did something decent? Honor them for it.
Thank Jesus for faithfully living out the Beatitudes and offering his lovely life in substitution for ours to bring us safely home to the Father.