Pure Righteousness Pursuit

Matthew 5:6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled.

I was reading the first four chapters of Matthew this morning, witnessing the fulfilled prophecies of Christ’s birth and the change that came with him. God moved him from Bethlehem, to Egypt, to Galilee, for many reasons, and those many reasons were proofs of who He was, and is. John the Baptist was another, being the forerunner to Christ, proclaiming the message of repentance, and the baptism (submersion) for those sins. All these things that happened early in Jesus’ life, in John’s life, were a great proclamation of change to the world. All these things were a point in history that forever changed the world. Jesus was so great that kings tried to kill him, and John was the greatest who ever lived (by Jesus’ own account), and his message so powerful that people came into the desert to hear him. This message of change is called repentance, a turning away and a point of change in one’s life; your life should never be the same.

We are at a point in our history, a point whereas a nation such as Israel, we need to repent and turn from our wicked and sinful ways. You must surely see the level of sin in our land; or let me be clearer, I pray that God has not blinded you to the level of sin among us. Our nation is looking to saviors who promise to return us to greatness, but our hearts are looking at the wrong savior, and we should be directing our eyes to the only Savior, Jesus Christ. We are at a turning point in our history were even many Christians are deceived, they are lost in religion such as Israel was thousands of years ago. We are mired in our sins and relying on our works to rescue us from them. We have watered down the gospel of Jesus to attract crowds, to pack pews, and it has become so weak that it may not save many. Only by the grace of God will he stir the hearts of even the supposed religious to true repentance, a true turning to Jesus in the humble hearts of discipleship, living their lives here producing heavenly fruit to the One who grants them eternal life. Even John warned the religious of the day when they came to him with an unpure spirit; Matthew 3:7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, 9 and do not think to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. 10 And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

This is a time in history of change, a time when God is going to be drawing up prophets that come like John in a wilderness, ministries that are different from what tickles the ears of our nation today; ministries that preach God’s truths of the Bible, that speak against society and call for our nation to repent. They will be unpopular, but God will draw those who seek righteousness to them, purifying those that come to them. God will be working out his eternal plan for humanity in these coming days and years before Jesus’ immanent return. Are you ready if God is tugging at your heart to call for your circle to repent? Do you remember the words of God to Solomon after he finished building the temple? 2 Chronicles 7:12 Then the Lord appeared to Solomon by night, and said to him: “I have heard your prayer, and have chosen this place for Myself as a house of sacrifice. 13 When I shut up heaven and there is no rain, or command the locusts to devour the land, or send pestilence among My people, 14 if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. 15 Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to prayer made in this place. God did not promise a life of ease to his people, but a life of sacrifice from his people. When times get hard, and they will, are you prepared to keep your hearts aligned with Jesus? Are you prepared to proclaim repentance to Jesus? Are you prepared to pursue righteousness, purely, with a heart that desires God above all else? Your reward awaits you in heaven with him.