No other gods

Hunger, 26 January 2025

Blessed…Hunger and Thirst after Righteousness
Kirk Schneemann
College First Church of God
Blessed: The Beatitudes
January 26, 2025
Matthew 5:6
 
Series Big Idea: The greatest sermon in history is radical, revolutionary, and relevant.
 
Big Idea: You are blessed and satisfied when your passions are for God, righteousness, and justice.
 
Scripture Reading: Matthew 5:6
 
What are your greatest passions? Sure, the Sunday morning answer is Jesus, but what gets you up in the morning? What do you sing about? What do you cry about? What do you dream about?
 
Today we’re continuing our series on the Beatitudes—the blessings—taken from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount in the fifth chapter of Matthew. We said blessing is not necessarily money or beauty or fame, but having God’s presence and favor.
 
So far, we’ve explored
 
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:3) Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. (Matthew 5:4)
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. (Matthew 5:5)
 
Our text for today says:
 
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. (Matthew 5:6)
  
If you’ve ever been hungry—truly hungry—you know how desperately you want to be filled. I experience this every time I fast. Our bodies need food…eventually! As kids, my sister and I would often complain when we were hungry, telling mom and dad that we were “starving,” though we never went a day or perhaps even a meal without food.
 
The same is true for thirst. Can you think of a time when you were “dying” of thirst, maybe a hot summer day on a bike trip or run, sweat gushing out of your pores, and your mouth feeling as if it’s filled with sand? Deep thirst drives our passion for relief.
 
Psalm 42 begins,
 
As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. (Psalm 42:1)
 
That’s passion!
 
Last week, Heather and I watched an inspiring film called Unstoppable about a one-legged wrestler who hungered and thirsted for a championship.
 
We’ve witnessed politicians who hunger and thirst for power, entrepreneurs who hunger and thirst for money, and addicts who hunger and thirst for their next fix.
 
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. (Matthew 5:6)
 
We often think of righteousness as doing the right thing. If we desire to be good people, we are blessed and filled? Well, that’s a start.
 
The Greek word, dikaiosune means righteousness and justice. It refers to equity of character or act, specifically justification. It’s the idea of being made right or making something right. In the Old Testament, righteousness and justice frequently appear together. The New Testament Greek word sees them as one. One writer says whenever you see “righteousness” in the New Testament you should add “and justice.”
 
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness [and justice], for they will be filled. (Matthew 5:6)
 
Jesus said in the next chapter,
 
But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. (Matthew 6:33)
 
We are to pursue the kingdom of God, the things of God, and his righteousness and justice. Righteousness and justice flow from who God is. God is righteous. God is just. Justice is a central part of the gospel, the good news, the rule and reign of Jesus as LORD. We need passion for righteousness in a world of sin and evil. We need passion for justice in world of injustice, inequality, discrimination, racism, and hatred.
 
Dr. Scot McKnight writes,
 
“Those who “hunger and thirst for righteousness” are those who love God and God’s will (revealed in Torah as love and justice) with their heart, soul, mind, and strength. Because they love God and others, they are willing to check their passions and will in order to do God’s will, to further God’s justice, and to express their longing that God act to establish his will and kingdom. Their appetites, instead of being sated by the pleasures of food, sensualities, passions, and lusts, are satisfied only in communion with God, knowing and doing God’s will and seeking the welfare of others.”
 
Does that describe you? If I’m honest, I’d say…sometimes. I want it to describe me. I want to love God and love my neighbor as myself. I want to see heaven invade earth with righteousness and justice.
 
The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines passion as “the sufferings of Christ between the night of the Last Supper and his death.” We think of it as a strong emotion, but Jesus’ passion was demonstrated through action. He expressed his love for you and me by sacrificing his own life, his body. He literally gave everything for us. That’s passion. It’s no wonder that he said to his followers,
 
Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. (Luke 9:23)
 
That’s passion. It’s not a once-in-a-lifetime decision or action, but rather a daily death to ourselves, an ongoing surrender, 24/7/365 commitment.
 
I’m sure that’s why so many of his followers abandoned him. He wanted too much from them. He wanted everything! He still does! Hunger and thirst are not one-time desires, but appetites that occur regularly.
 
Likewise, the pursuit of God cannot be occasional. It’s a lifestyle. Following Jesus is more than an hour on Sunday and ten percent of your paycheck. It’s a radical obedience in the direction of Jesus. God doesn’t want to be your hobby. He wants to be your life! He wants His passion to be your passion.
 
About twenty-five years ago I was leading a new church in Ann Arbor and asked a friend to consult with us. I wanted to find my blind spots as a leader and do whatever possible to help the church flourish. He suggested a tool called Natural Church Development and after assessing our church, my friend shared the results with me. They revealed our greatest weakness was “passionate spirituality.” We lacked a hunger and thirst for God. I asked what I could do to increase our passion and the only response was prayer. That’s when I began praying for passion for that church…and why I pray for passion for us at College First.
 
I can model passion for God.
I can preach on passion for God.
But I can’t manufacture passion for God. I can’t create it in you. So I pray.
 
I have five prayers for College First: direction, protection, unity, fruit, and passion.
 
I can only imagine how different College First and other churches would be if we all had a deep, gut-level passion for God and things of God. If you want a picture of what true passion looks like, you only need to look at the origin of the word.
 
So What?
 
What can we do? Weakness forces us to look to God. He’s right here with us. We need to pause, recognize our brokenness and desperation, and seek first God’s kingdom, His power, His wisdom, His strength.
 
As Stu G of The Beatitudes Project says, “It’s not about trying to be super holy, but living in the famine and desperation for God’s righteousness and justice.”
 
God is the source of all righteousness and justice. When our passions are for God, they will naturally be for righteousness and justice, and when we see them absent, we will yearn to be present.
 
On a global level we see mass shootings, starvation, the greatest refugee crisis since WWII, pollution, wars, fake news, and divisions of every kind.
 
On a local level, we see homelessness, domestic violence, and poverty.
 
On a personal level, we struggle with addictions, comparison, insecurity, fear, and scarcity, greed, gossip, and pride.
 
There is an aching for shalom, for the broken to be made whole, for justice to prevail.
 
What do you ache for? What is your holy discontent? That might reveal a clue as to what He wants you to do. For each of us, it will look different. Promoting righteousness and justice might look like more quiet time in God’s Word and prayer. It could take on an activist expression that writes letters, participates in peaceful protests, or raises awareness on behalf of the poor and powerless. Maybe God wants you to use your time and talents to volunteer with City Mission, Christian Clearing House, or the Women’s Resource Center. Perhaps He is leading you to gather together some friends and serve together. If you need help, please contact our office. It might be that God simply wants you to be more generous this year with your finances.
 
This world isn’t what it’s supposed to be…yet. All things will be made new and restored. We can participate! God’s righteousness and justice put things in their right place. God wants to bring light to the dark places in our heart and world. It’s not going to be fixed overnight, but as we hunger and thirst for righteousness and justice, we will find blessing and satisfaction in Him.
 
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. (Matthew 5:6)
 
The Greek word here for filled means “to gorge,” to feed, to have an abundance of food.
 
Blessed are those who are starving for God and the things of God for they will eat and drink until they are stuffed!
 
What is your passion? God’s passion is people…you! He wants to be our passion.

Faith and Trust, 8 September 2024

Faith and Trust—Commandments 1-2
Words of Life: Jesus on God’s Top 10
Kirk Schneemann
College First Church of God
September 8, 2024
Exodus 20:1-6
 
Series Big Idea: Jesus had much to say about God’s Top Ten list.
 
Big Idea: God is God…and we’re not!
  
Today on our fall kickoff Sunday we’re starting a new series looking at the Ten Commandments…through the eyes of Jesus.
 
Context is critical whenever we examine the scriptures. Many of you know the story of the Exodus. The Israelites were slaves in Egypt, Moses went to Pharaoh repeatedly and said, “Let my people go.” After ten plagues, Pharaoh relented and the people took what should’ve been a short journey to the land of Canaan, the Promised Land, the place known as Israel today. Because of the disobedience of the people, the journey that could’ve been completed in a matter of weeks took forty years! Can you imagine a 40-year road trip…without a car…in the desert? Many [some] of you haven’t even lived 40 years!
 
During the journey, God invites Moses to Mt. Sinai for a forty-day visit that included the presentation of the Ten Commandments inscribed on two stone tablets. These formed the basis for their lifestyle and society and have great relevance for us thousands of years later. God’s top ten was first introduced in the 20th chapter of Exodus and repeated in Deuteronomy chapter five. We’re going to look at two commandments each week in this series. Let’s dive in:
 
And God spoke all these words:
 
“I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. (Exodus 20:1-2)
 
This sets the scene perfectly. God has been good and faithful to the people, despite their whining, complaining, and rebellion.
 
The two most important questions in the world may be
 
-       Who are you?
-       Who is God?
 
They are not the same question, though some people act like it! God has given us a library of 66 books to reveal Himself to us. If I could describe Him in one word, it would be love. He is not a weak, frail grandpa in a rocking chair, nor is He a mean, hateful Creator out to get you. He’s a good, good Father who loves His children and wants nothing more than an intimate relationship with us. He loves you, and has gone to great lengths to prove that, most notably sending His son, Jesus Christ, to die for us, paying the penalty of our sin and pride. This is the Creator of the universe, and although He owes us nothing, His grace, mercy, and forgiveness are simply wonderful. His first command states,
 
“You shall have no other gods before me. (Exodus 20:3)
 
A god is anything that receives your attention, affection, allegiance, your worship. Everyone worships. It may not involve a gathering with songs and a sermon, but we devote ourselves to things, we are influenced by people, we give our time, talents, and treasures to our gods. It could be sports, politics, their career, even their family.
 
I believe most people worship themselves, doing whatever is necessary to ensure their comfort, happiness, and pleasure. Money, sex, and power are three universal gods. This may be the most difficult command to obey. The greatest threat is the person I see in the mirror. Here’s the big idea: God is God and we’re not!
 
Hopefully this isn’t news to any of you, though I’ve met a few people in my life who might disagree! Today many are angry with God or disappointed with God. That’s ok, because in each instance there is an awareness of God. There is a relationship with God. As we saw in the series on the Psalms, we can be real with God. What’s not ok is placing ourselves above God, telling Him what is right or just. There’s a fine line between questioning and judging. We can ask “why” or “what are you up to,” but condemning God declares we are god, we know best, we are wiser than the Almighty and that’s a precarious place to be. It also violates the first of the ten commandments.
 
“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. (Matthew 6:24)
 
You cannot serve both God and money, God and pleasure, God and power, God and hobbies, God and…anything or anyone else. Jesus said a few verses later,
 
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. (Matthew 6:33)
 
The context of “these things’ is food and clothes and the things of this world.
 
When we pray
 
your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. (Matthew 6:10)
 
we are declaring God’s will, God’s plan, God’s instructions, God’s desires are more important than our happiness, pleasure, power, or comfort. This is a radical slap in the face to the American Dream, family, which is why true Christians live the ultimate alternative lifestyle. We are not to live like everybody else. If you follow Jesus, you have no rights, you become a slave, you die to yourself, your pride, your dreams. Try putting that on a billboard or bumper sticker! But here’s the great thing: God’s ways are always better than our own. Daddy knows best. He can be trusted. He’s not out to get you. He’s out to love you. The path is not always easy, but it is filled with contentment and joy.
 
Jesus said to his friend Martha,
 
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; 26 and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25-26).
 
That’s God talk right there! He told his friend Philip,
 
Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? (John 14:9b)
 
Jesus is 100% God and 100% human, a mystery known as the hypostatic union. The book of Hebrews declares,
 
The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. (Hebrews 1:3)
 
If Jesus wasn’t fully God, worshiping him would violate the first commandment!
 
At one point the devil confronted Jesus while he was fasting for forty days in the wilderness.
 
Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9 “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”
 
Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’” (Matthew 4:8-10)
 
No other gods…but Jesus is God. There is one God in three Persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, a mystery known as the Trinity. Now let’s look at the second commandment.
 
“You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. (Exodus 20:4)
 
You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments. (Exodus 20:5-6)
 
We could do an entire sermon series on these three verses! For thousands of years, people have been creating idols, worshipping objects rather than God. Some worship the sun or nature while others worship objects carved in wood or stone. Examples can be found in virtually every corner of the globe.
 
We are not to worship other gods, or objects. To many USAmericans, the second commandment might seem irrelevant. We don’t build idols. We don’t worship other gods. Right?
 
Years ago, a woman from India was visiting with a pastor here in the States and remarked about how we have so many idols. The pastor was rather confused since most Hindus recognize multiple deities. The woman said, “You build these huge monuments to consumerism and spend billions of dollars buying products” referring to shopping malls. Then she said, “You construct temples of worship to athletes” referring to sports stadiums. If we define worship as that which gains our attention, love, or admiration, she makes a good point!
 
Jesus summarized not only the first two commandments, not only God’s entire Top Ten list, but the complete Bible when he said,
 
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ (Mark 12:30)
 
So What?
 
God is God…and we’re not! Every day we are tempted to be in control, to do things our way, to love things rather than people, to bring glory to ourselves. Our God is greater and stronger and wiser and more powerful than any god, object, ideology, philosophy, religion, political party, athlete, movie star, social media influencer, or celebrity. He must be the one—the only one—we worship.