January 30, 2005

 

Happiness!It’s what we all want, right?What makes you happy?Be honest with me.What if I were to give each one of you $10,000 right now?Would that make the corners of your mouth turn up just a little bit?Maybe a full smile?Would it make you happy?Be honest!

What if I could tell you that from now on, you would never again experience anything in life that would cause you grief?You would have nothing to mourn about.Would that make you happy? Or what if I informed you today that you had just received a major career promotion?You‘re the boss now.Would that make you happy?Or, you just got an important role on stage or in film that will make you the darling of millions.Would you be grinning now?

What if I could tell you this morning that no one would ever get the better of you again?That I could give you such confidence and strength that you could get through life with no weakness?What if I could tell you that no one would ever insult you again?That from here on out, people would fear to mess with you, because they respect you so much.Happy yet?

Or what if I told you that the person who has been so cruel to you was going to really get it this week?The one who made you look like a fool is going to have the worst week of his life.Be honest now, would that make a few of you just a bit happy?

Well, today Jesus tells us about God’s kind of happiness.And what He calls happiness is a radical reversal of almost everything we have ever been taught about being happy!Jesus sits on a hill, looks out at a crowd of his disciples gathering, and begins teaching them about true happiness.God’s kind.He begins with the word: Blessed!Fortunate!Happy!Happy is the person who… and then stuns the crowd with a list of things He says bring true happiness.

Believe me, He had everyone’s attention right from his opening line:“[Happy]Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”That verse hit like a hammer on the heads of the Pharisees, who felt they were “rich in spirit.”Those who were so proud of their spiritual status before God.People who felt they were so good, that God would be impressed by all their spiritual riches.People who relied on their own spiritual richness to make them right with God dropped their mouths open in shock when they heard Jesus say this.

I read that 85% of all drivers in Canada consider themselves “above-average” drivers.Of course, this can’t be true.By definition, I believe only 49% of drivers are above average.However, the survey gives us an insight into human nature:People generally view themselves as better than others.And if they are better than others, then they are doing a good-enough job.Well, if we think we are “better than others,” if we think we are doing a good-enough job of doing what God wants, then we aren’t among the “poor in spirit” Jesus was talking about.

Jesus was saying: “Happy is the person who has realized his own utter helplessness, and who has put his whole trust in God!”If you realize your own utter helplessness, and put your whole trust in God instead, two things will happen.You will become completely detached from things, because you will know that things have not got it in them to bring happiness or security; and secondly, you will become completely attached to God, because you will know that God alone can bring you help, hope, and strength!The person who is poor in spirit is the person who has realized that things mean nothing, and that God means everything!

You’ve seen the homeless person downtown.The one who lives by begging.He will only be able to get by in life if others give to him, because he has nothing of his own.When he asks a passerby for a handout, he isn’t going to say, “Look at all this stuff I have.Even though I don’t need it, can you give me some of what you have too?”Of course not!He is going to hold out empty hands, and show the passerby that he has nothing at all!

Those empty hands are ours. We are beggars.Spiritual beggars.We bring nothing of any value to God.We have nothing to offer Him.We are poor in spirit.That means we need to acknowledge our complete poverty: “God, I am an utter failure, I am utterly helpless.Please help me.”That’s being poor in spirit.And God promises that the poor in spirit will receive the Kingdom of Heaven!We beggars are going to receive all God’s eternal riches because we will rely on the fact that Jesus has given them to us with his life and death!So my friends, Happy is the Person who looks to Christ for Salvation!They will receive it!

Jesus also told us that we will be happy when we live a grateful life that thanks Him for that free gift! “Happy are those who are merciful to others.”HUH?We have been taught that the quality of mercy is a sign of weakness.“Happy are the pure in heart.”Tell that one to the guys and gals at work!“Happy are those who work for peace.”We have been taught that happiness is defined in terms of preparedness for war.“Happy are those who are persecuted because they do what God requires.”We tend to call such people fools or fanatics!We tend to say “Don’t get mad, get even!”But Jesus tells us there is a better way to be happy…

By Showing mercy.Like the Good Samaritan did to his enemy lying wounded on the side of the road.Stopping and helping him.Like the person who forgave you even after you had been so mean to them.By Being Pure or Clean in Heart.Not being hypocritical, because we won’t fool God, but having motives that are pure, and that spring from the love God showed us.By Being Peacemakers.At peace with God.At peace with each other. Like the Prince of Peace.

Many people have told me that Jonah really resembles me in his features and expressions.Sometimes that’s good, and sometimes that’s not so good. JFathers, you know what it is like to have a son that takes after you.People see your boy, and say, “He’s his father’s son!”They see you in him.Well, when we, out of thanks to God, live in meekness and gentleness, show mercy to others, have pure and clean motives, and try to make peace, people are going to look at us and see Jesus in us!They will see us as Sons and Daughters of God!We will resemble our Father!And Jesus promises us: Happy is the Person Whose Life Imitates Jesus!There will come a time when that will be respected instead of looked down upon!

There’s one more thing that Jesus says makes a person happy.But if you thought He was a bit out of line already, now you are going to think He is off his rocker!“Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”What??Happy is the person who is persecuted??The person who suffers?OK, Jesus, maybe I can buy into the other stuff, but what’s up with this?

Peter and Paul even agreed with Him!They both spoke of rejoicing in their suffering for Jesus’ sake!Why would they rejoice?Why would this make them happy?The world would call them “freaks.”And they would call us freaks to be happy about suffering persecution.Well, let me share with you a true story about some “freaks.”

For years in the 1950’s, Pastor Kim and 27 of his flock of Korean saints had lived in hand-dug tunnels beneath the earth.Then, as the Communists were building a road, they discovered the Christians living underground.The officials brought them out before a crowd of 30,000 in the village of Gok San for a public trial and execution.They were told, “Deny Christ, or you will die.”But they refused.

At this point, the head Communist officer ordered four children from the group seized and had them prepared for hanging.With ropes tied around their small necks, the officer again commanded the parents to deny Christ.Not one of the believers would deny their faith.They told the children, “We will soon see you in heaven.”The children died quietly.

The officer then called for a steamroller to be brought in.He forced the Christians to lie on the ground in its path.As its engine revved, they were given one last chance to recant their faith in Jesus.Again they refused.As the steamroller began to inch forward, the Christians began to sing a song they had often sung together.As their bones and bodies were crushed under the pressure of the massive rollers, their lips uttered the words:

“More love to Thee, O Christ, more love to Thee.Thee alone I seek, more love to Thee.Let sorrow do its work, more love to Thee.Then shall my latest breath whisper Thy praise.This be the parting cry my heart shall raise; More love, O Christ, to Thee.”(Jesus Freaks, p.125).

Happy, Jesus says, is the Person Who Suffers for the Savior’s Sake!Happy?Really?Yes, really.Because, just like the poor in spirit, theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven!Great is their reward in heaven! Our greatest joy to look forward to, the reason we are here in the first place, is living in eternal bliss and perfection with our loving God!Anything that helps us hang onto this world less, leads us to cling to God more, and even gets us to that wonderful time with Him sooner, is something that makes us BLESSED…HAPPY!

Our gift, real happiness, isn’t fully experienced here on earth.It is in heaven.Of course, what those Koreans went through was horrific.But that very day, they were all in heaven! Together!What a blessing that was!Thank you, soldiers!Thank you, God!God has given us the one real reason for happiness – now and forever.His love.May He always lead us to trust in that love of his above anything else!Then we will be “happy!”Now and in eternity!Amen.

 

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