The Secret of Satisfaction

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The Secret of Satisfaction

Matthew 5:6

May 15, 2024 • Adrian Rogers • Matthew 5:6

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Sermon Overview

Scripture Passage: Matthew 5:6

The word “blessed” means to be satisfied. In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus revealed the secret of satisfaction. Matthew 5:6 says, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.”

Many of us think of righteousness as something to do. But in the Bible, righteousness is wrapped up in a person, and His name is Jesus. When we hunger and thirst after righteousness, we are actually hungering and thirsting after Jesus Christ.

Jesus is Our Spiritual Sustenance

In the material realm, food and water are necessities, not luxuries; if we don’t eat or drink, we will die. And so it is in the spiritual realm: Jesus Christ is not some luxury; He is a necessity. Without Him, our spirits will die.

We should desire Jesus preeminently, above all other things. In Matthew 6:33, Jesus tells us, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you.”

Jesus will not work in second place. A lack of joy, peace, or fulfillment is a symptom of unrighteousness. When we hunger and thirst after Jesus, we are blessed, but it is crucial to remember that the blessings are just a by-product. Jesus is the cure; not the joy, peace, and fulfillment that comes with Him.

Adrian Rogers says, “You’ll never go beyond Jesus: you may only go deeper and deeper into Jesus.” We should seek Jesus passionately—with a huge appetite. A hungry man is interested in one thing: food. If he is hungry enough, he will go anywhere, do almost anything, and pay any price. Likewise, our quest for Jesus Christ should be marked by deliberation, determination, and desperation.

Jesus Satisfies the Strongest Appetite

Finally, we should enjoy Jesus perpetually. Adrian Rogers says, “I don’t know how much of God you have, but you have all you want. Shallow thirst equals shallow satisfaction; small hunger equals small satisfaction.”

Contrary to popular belief, we don’t lose the good things of life when we come to Jesus. In fact, we enjoy things more in the context of righteousness. In Jesus, we are completely, continually, and certainly satisfied.

Apply it to your life

A person who is hungry and thirsty for righteousness is on a deliberate, determined, desperate quest for Jesus Christ. Do you seek Jesus Christ as a starving man would seek food?

How to Love as Jesus Loved

May 30, 2024 • Adrian Rogers • John 13:34

Sermon Overview Scripture Passage: John 13:34 The greatest need of mankind is to love and to be loved. Yet, it’s getting harder to do so than ever before. As Christians, we have been instructed to love as Jesus loved. John 13:34 says, "A new commandment I give unto you that ye love one another as I have loved you that ye also love one another." This commandment is easy to consider for those who are easy to love… but what about the ones who have hurt us, misused us or wronged us? Not only was Jesus the great teacher, He was the great example. As Jesus gave this commandment, He washed His disciples’ feet: a timely custom performed by slaves. He washed Judas’s feet, who would later betray Him. He washed Peter’s feet, the disciple who would later deny Him. And He washed Thomas’s feet, who would later doubt Him. Here is the Lord of glory doing slave labor… unto the very people who would let Him down. By doing this, He exemplified selfless love. He exemplified humility. Adrian Rogers says, “Real humility is not thinking lowly of yourself; it is not thinking of yourself.” God the Father had put everything into Jesus’ hands, yet he laid aside his garments, took a towel and washed fishermen’s feet. Jesus also exemplified steadfast love; He loves unto the end. If you want to love as Jesus loves, you’ll never stop. We love sometimes, but we only do so when everything is just right. Under pressure, we excuse ourselves from it. But even the unsaved can love that way! Adrian Rogers says, “Your character that cannot stand up under pressure and under testing is not real.” Jesus exemplified serving love. He met injury with service. Love does not give people what they deserve; it gives people what they need. Love is willing to serve at the lowest of tasks. Jesus exemplified sanctifying love. Those of us who are saved walk in a dirty world. Sometimes, we need to let Jesus wash our feet, to remind us of His love. Then, we may go and wash the feet of others. Apply it to your life Are you willing to love others with a selfless, steadfast, serving, and sanctifying love? As Adrian Rogers says, “Find somebody that needs that love, and give it to them.”

Is Anything Too Hard for the Lord?

May 28, 2024 • Adrian Rogers • Genesis 18:13–14

Sermon Overview Scripture Passage: Genesis 18:13-14 In Genesis 18, God promises the barren Abraham and Sarah a child in their old age. This was so unbelievable, so miraculous, that when she heard this promise, Sarah laughed. In verse 13 she says, “‘Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old?” Sarah’s question prompts an even greater question from God in verse 14: “Is anything too hard for the Lord?” Jeremiah 32:17 answers this question beautifully: “...Thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm. There is nothing too hard for thee.” Consider the majesty of God’s limitless power: -There is no promise too hard for God to fulfill. -There is no prayer too hard for God to answer. -There is no problem too big for God to solve. -There is no person too hard for God to save. Yet, if there’s nothing too hard for God, why doesn’t it happen? Because men limit God. Psalm 78:41 says, “Yeah, they turned back and tempted God and limited the Holy One of Israel.” How is it possible for the Creator to be limited by his creature? Because He allows it; He allows Himself to be chained and bound, restricted from working in our lives. We chain Him with our unwillingness. God will not force Himself upon you. He wants to bless you, but you must be willing to receive it. We chain Him with unconcern. When we are completely indifferent, it breaks His heart, because He cannot move in an apathetic life. We chain Him with unreasonableness, our prejudices, pre-conceived ideas. We do not want to give up our dirt for His diamonds. We chain Him with uncleanliness. Unconfessed, un-repented of sin keeps God from blessing us and working with us. We chain Him with our unbelief. Adrian Rogers says, “Faith is the channel through which the risen Lord pours His life into you. But you will tie His hands by unbelief. Faith is the key that causes the shackles to fall from the hands of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Apply it to your life Have you ever limited the Lord’s work in your life? Have you chained Him with unwillingness, unconcern, unreasonableness, uncleanliness, or unbelief? Examine your heart and your life today and choose to unleash God’s limitless power in your own life.

Knowing God Intimately

May 27, 2024 • Adrian Rogers • Exodus 33:11–16

Sermon Overview Scripture Passage: Exodus 33:11-16 It is not enough to casually know about God; we were created to know God intimately and to enjoy Him personally. Yet many believers will settle with feeling infatuated with His works, and never know Him face-to-face. Adrian Rogers says, “To know about God is to see God’s works; to know God intimately is to know God’s way.” In Exodus 33:11-16, Moses demonstrates the beauty of knowing God intimately, seeing beyond an infatuation with His works to know His ways. To know God intimately brings tranquility and peace to our troubled souls. “And He said, ‘My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest’” (Exodus 33:14). If we only see God outwardly—His miraculous works—we will live with worry. We often disappoint ourselves when He doesn’t act how we think He should. But knowing God’s ways helps us recognize His presence in every situation, and that is what gives us rest. Knowing God intimately also gives us stability in our lives. By nature, feelings of infatuation are fickle. But Christians who seek the unchanging heart of God have stability in their faith, no matter their circumstances. Finally, knowing God intimately is necessary for victory. In Exodus 33, the Israelites had strayed in their devotion to God, and Moses was interceding on their behalf. He begged for God’s mercy, and in response, God promised His protection and provision, but He would not be with them. It is frightening to know we can have God’s protection and provision without His presence. Seeing how easy it is to be satisfied in worldly things, we cannot take anything as a substitution for knowing God intimately. We cannot know God intimately by human reason. We know Him by directly dealing with Him, turning to Him in every circumstance or difficulty. Adrian Rogers says, “To know Him is to love Him; to love Him is to trust Him. To trust Him is to obey Him; to obey Him is to be blessed, and to be blessed is to be a blessing.” Apply it to your life Adrian Rogers says, “You cannot know God by hearing sermons about knowing God; you can’t know anybody that you don’t spend time with.” Don’t take anything as a substitute for knowing God intimately. Turn to Him today, and spend some intimate time in His Word.