A Word from THE WORD

Good Morning Happy Church,

Today is Thursday, June 2^nd, 2016. Today is the 154^th Day of 2016.

Today is Rebecca Warner’s Birthday…

There are only 212 days left in this year; and, there are only 17 days left until Father’s Day; and, there are only 206 days left until CHRISTMAS…

THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT – “CHARACTERISTICS OF THE CITIZENS OF GOD’S KINGDOM”

Matthew 5:6
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.”

Of all of the verses in the Sermon on the Mount, this one should make it obviously clear that Jesus is addressing believers (“Citizens of the Kingdom”) in this sermon.

NO unbeliever will ever “hunger and thirst for righteousness…”

None.

Romans 3:9-18
⁹ “What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin,
¹⁰ as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one;
¹¹ no one understands; no one seeks for God.
¹² All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.”
¹³ “Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive.” “The venom of asps is under their lips.”
¹⁴ “Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.”
¹⁵ “Their feet are swift to shed blood;
¹⁶ in their paths are ruin and misery,
¹⁷ and the way of peace they have not known.”
¹⁸ “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

Only the direct intervention of God in regenerating an unsaved person will create in them a hunger and thirst for the things of God.

There are two great blessings here…

First, if you do “hunger and thirst after righteousness…” you can be certain that you are indeed a born-again believer.

Second, if you do “hunger and thirst after righteousness…” you have the promise of Jesus that you will be filled.

Filled with righteousness? Yes.

When we repent of our sins and trust Jesus as our Savior and LORD, God imputes our sins to Jesus.

At the same blessed and happy moment, HE also imputes to the believer the righteousness of Jesus.

This is how Abraham was saved…

Genesis 15:6
“And he believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness.”

And this is how every other saved person is saved…

2 Corinthians 5:21
“For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

WAIT… there is more… God not only immediately declares us righteous; HE begins a life-long process of making us righteous through the sanctifying work of the HOLY SPIRIT as the believer actively obeys the Law of God.

Philippians 2:12-13
¹² “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling,
¹³ for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.”

Philippians 1:6
“And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”

God’s Kingdom people “hunger and thirst for righteousness…” and, by HIS grace and for HIS glory, God fills HIS people with the righteousness of Christ.

Do not miss the opportunity for Mid-Week Prayer and Bible Study Wednesdays from 6:30 – 8:00pm. We are studying the Second Coming of Jesus and the events that follow into the Eternal State.

The lesson for the next time we meet, Wednesday evening, June 22^nd, is “THE RAPTURE OF THE CHURCH”.

There will be no classes on June 8^th and 15^th while I am on vacation.

Each Wednesday will feature a stand-alone lesson, so even if you can’t make them all; be sure you catch as many of these lessons as you can.

Carpe Diem!