THE SECRET OF HAPPINESS PART ONE

Matt 5:1-11

What is the secret to happiness?

Happiness is the greatest question confronting mankind! The whole world longs for happiness and it’s sad to see some of the ways people are seeking after happiness. And sadly it’s temporal and leaves a person still lacking because they are seeking things that are temporal and not eternal. Martyn Lloyd Jones said “Anything which, by evading the difficulties, merely makes people happy for a time being, is ultimately going to add to their misery and problems. That is where the utter deceitfulness of sin comes in; it is always offering happiness, and it always leads to unhappiness and final misery and wretchedness.”

“See true blessedness is based on the objective reality, realized in the miracle of transformation to the new and divine nature found in the Gospel.” This series of conditional blessings promised, have long been called the “Beatitudes” a name derived from the Latin and referring to a state of “happiness or bliss.” Some modern translations prefer “happy” to “blessed” but as one theologian said “it is a poor exchange” Those who are blessed will generally be found happy, but blessedness cannot be reduced to happiness.

Happiness is a subjective state,

it’s a feeling.

But Jesus is not declaring how people feel; rather He is making an objective statement about what God thinks of them through His Son. “Blessed” in this sermon means “to be approved or to find approval” And since there is no higher “blessing” than to be approved by God.

Whose blessing are we

to diligently seek?

God’s blessing is not simply a nice wish from God; it is a pronouncement of what we actually are “approved” by Him through His gospel. The blessedness that Jesus is speaking isn’t dependent upon circumstances, because it fills the soul with joy even in the midst of the most depressing moments of life.

This is what separates the world’s view

from a biblical worldview.

In Christ we see things clearly and much differently, than the pursuits of world’s children do. This happiness is a seal and an indication of the approval of God. The word “blessed” is often used of God Himself! David ended one of his Psalms with this declaration. “Awesome is God from his sanctuary; the God of Israel—he is the one who gives power and strength to his people. Blessed be God!” Psalm 68:35. David’s son Solomon sang this truth in a song. “Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, who alone does wondrous things. Blessed be his glorious name forever; may the whole earth be filled with his glory! Amen and Amen!” Psalm 72:18-19. The Apostle Paul said “in accordance with the gospel of the glory of the blessed God with which I have been entrusted.,” 1 Tim 1:11-12 

One would ask the question!

How could a message as demanding and impossible as the

Sermon on the Mount be intended to make people happy?

Its’ knowing this truth that David spoke of. “Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man against whom the LORD counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit. For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long.” Psalm 32:1-3. It’s realizing the blessing of God in one’s life begins with the forgiveness of sins. “ As John penned "Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.” Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates.” Rev 22:12-14. See! Blessedness is fundamentally an element of the character of God….and the gospel is the display of that fundamental truth. When men partake of His nature through Jesus Christ, we then partake of His blessedness. The fullest meaning of this “blessed” had to do with an inward contentedness that is unaffected by circumstances. Blessed is the opening theme to true happiness because the Gospel is “Good News”

What Jesus Christ offers is Himself, to make

this possible through the gospel.

Blessed Are The Poor In Spirit” (v3)

This is a humble and lowly-minded. It’s those who are who are deeply convinced of their own sinfulness in God’s sight. It’s someone who regards themselves as “wretched, miserable, blind and poor.” John penned these words to the church in Laodicea “For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. Rev 3:17. See! It’s not in a physical or a material sense, but a spiritual one. Jesus is not talking about a person is more blessed because they live in poverty.

If that is true! Then why do we help war-torn countries, it would be wrong to try and provide for the refugees left homeless by natural calamities. There would be no need for churches to form social programs to help those in need… if poverty is where a person is most blessed. Yes, riches can make it harder to enter the Kingdom of God; but it can have the same effect on a person who lives in poverty. What is true at times for the wealthy, is equally true for a poor person to enter also, for the poor man can be equally materialistic in wanting.

Understand! Poverty of Spirit is not….. An “absence of self-worth.” This poor in spirit doesn’t mean we view ourselves as “Complete zero’s” It’s also not shyness, gutless or anemic, but it also doesn’t mean “Showy humility” For example!  The great preacher Dr Martyn Lloyd Jones was on one of his preaching missions arrived at a train station to be greeted by a very eager and helpful man from the church he was speaking at. The man asked the minister for his suitcase; Martyn Lloyd Jones thought to himself “He almost ripped it out of my hand.” The man responded when doing so, “I am a deacon in the church where you are preaching tomorrow….You know, I am mere nobody, a very unimportant man. Really I do not count; I am not a great man in the church, I am just one of those men who carry the bag for the minister.” Martyn Lloyd Jones realized this man was anxious that he should know what a humble man he was, how “poor in spirit” he was. Yet by his self-proclamation to make it known, he was denying the very thing he was trying to establish.

What Jesus is saying is that it begins by becoming low and recognizing my position and who I am, in light of God and His glory. As Isaiah said “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!" Isaiah 6:5. This is a picture of what a “poor in spirit” looks like; as Isaiah stood in the throne room of God and holiness. A sinner standing before a holy and transcendent God. You might say that being “poor in spirit” is to be spiritually bankrupt before God. It’s as if Isaiah recognized something of the righteousness and holiness of God. And that it revealed to him the sin and corruption of his own heart. And by knowing this he stood before the Holy, Holy, and Holy One, ashamed and spiritually bankrupt. That’s the poor in spirit! And what’s amazing is that this is such a person that Jesus said “the Kingdom of heaven belongs to.”

Blessed are “those who mourn” (v4)

This is those who sorrow over sin, grieved daily over their own short-comings. They are troubled about their sin and concerned more than they are their physical, social and personal status or well-being. As David said “O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise. For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.” Psalm 51:15-17. It’s brokenness, not despair, but broken over our own sin and being alert to how easily it comes to us on a daily basis. It is a great day when we see our sinful state for what it is, apart from God’s grace and we begin to mourn over the devastation it brings.

Our souls are corrupt and self-pleasing! “As it is written: "None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one." Rom 3:10-12

Our words condemn us before a holy God! "Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive." "The venom of asps is under their lips." "Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness." Rom 3:13-14

Our deeds declare us guilty! “Their feet are swift to shed blood; in their paths are ruin and misery, and the way of peace they have not known." Rom 3:15-17

  

We are all Roman Three children before the gospel penetrated our hearts with overflowing grace and mercy, despite my sin. Have you ever wept over your sin? Has your sin ever put you in a place of complete brokenness? When you read Romans Three does your heart cry out to God for mercy? This is what the Gospel brought to those who mourn over their sin. “And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, "Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” Luke 2:9-11. Simeon said before he died “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel." Luke 2-32. Christ Jesus came to into this world to rescue us from our Roman three bodies and to comfort those who mourn over sin through the gospel.

The saddest thing in life is not a sorrowing heart, 

but a heart that is incapable of grief over sin.

Without poverty of spirit no one enters the Kingdom of God. Meaning! Without grief of sin no one enters the Kingdom of God. To find comfort over sin is to rest in sovereign arms of grace that He draws you to Himself. As Paul wrote “But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus, and not only by his coming but also by the comfort with which he was comforted by you, as he told us of your longing, your mourning, your zeal for me, so that I rejoiced still more. For even if I made you grieve with my letter, I do not regret it—though I did regret it, for I see that that letter grieved you, though only for a while. As it is, I rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because you were grieved into repenting. For you felt a godly grief, so that you suffered no loss through us. For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.” 2 Cor 7:6-10. God’s unspeakable comfort and joy is found when we are sensitive to our own sins that hurt our soul and the blessings of God. 

Blessed are “the meek” (v5)

Like the first two Beatitudes, this one must have been shocking and puzzling to Jesus’ hearers. Why? The audience knew how to act spiritually proud and spiritually self-sufficient. They believed that the Messiah would come soon and praise them for their goodness; and He would also give them their rightful place in the world. A position that would put them on top as they were “God’s chosen people” after all. They hoped that God would deal gently with them and harsh with their adversaries who have oppressed them for many years. The Jews despised oppression from the Egyptians, the Assyrians, Medes & Persians, and the Greeks, and at this time Rome. This reminds me of the exchange Jesus had with the Pharisees. ”So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, "If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." They answered him, "We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, 'You will become free'?" John 8:31-33

The pride of the Pharisee’s would not allow them to acknowledge one of the most obvious facts of their nation’s history and their present situation. Israel’s history has always been one of conquest and oppression. So what Jesus says here would have stunned the hearers. And so Jesus comes out and says “Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth.”

How are we to inherit the earth without ruling,

taking and fighting for it?

Meekness here is “to be gentle,” not cowardice, spineless or wishy-washy, but gentle in how you act upon things. It involves self-control that doesn’t lose one’s temper and it doesn’t mean any at all, but stays calm and gentle.

Kent Hughes called “Tender and trusting steel”

As David wrote “But the meek shall inherit the land and delight themselves in abundant peace.” Psalm 37:11. It’s a deep trusting in the sovereign power of God, is the key to gentleness. In 1 Peter 2:19-23 we read “For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly. For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God. For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly.” Jesus displayed His gentleness and power, because He trusted the Father, as we are to trust Him. Meekness displays something that isn’t seen in the moment, but impacts and transforms a person’s life for eternity. Meekness also demonstrates a willingness to receive little to no honor as they serve the Lord.

I’m reading a book by Sinclair Ferguson “The Year Of Our Lord” it’s a book on church history. And Ferguson goes on to talk about some the greatest men in the Fourth Century like Augustine and Justin Martyr. And what I found amazing is what Sinclair wrote at the end of this chapter. He wrote “We have seen that Justin Martyr was brought to Christ by an otherwise unknown elderly Christian walking along the shore; Augustine came to faith through an eloquent bishop’s kindness and a mother’s prayers. Justin’s name lives on in the history of the church, but the old man who pointed him to Christ is forgotten. Many Christians are familiar with the name of Augustine. Fewer know the name of mother or the name of his minister, Ambrose. “ There is a lesson here! Ferguson went on to say “As we read the lives of men and women who have been strategically used by Christ in building His kingdom, we note that the names of those though whom they were brought to faith in Jesus Christ are often forgotten and lost. But their significance is vast.

“God delights to use

the hidden and the forgotten.”

This is what meekness looks like as well! No books written about them, no blockbuster movie deal. Just simple and gentle of heart people who love Christ and want others to know Him because they hope in the eternal promises of God. Like Lazarus in the story that Jesus told about the Rich Man and Lazarus, they are content to wait for the good thing. We read in Luke’s Gospel! “And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man's table.” Luke 16:20-21. Contented to wait for whatever dropped from the table for food, is the same contentment as we wait for the good thing.

What is the good thing? They will inherit the earth. “Inherit” means to receive a prearranged portion, one’s rightful inheritance. Why is this inheritance so important? Because it points us to the only One who calls us approved through the Gospel of His blessing. “And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song, saying, "Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth." Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, "Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!" And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, "To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!" Rev 5:8-13. Our responsibility is to trust the Lord and to obey His will through the blessed promise found in His finished work. His settling of accounts whether through judgement or blessings, are in His sovereign hand and will be accomplished exactly at the right time.

In the meantime! We are live out our lives by faith with the supreme hope based on His promise and divine pronouncement “The meek will inherit the earth.”

This is Kingdom living

Because in one sense we are living out our inheritance now through His saving grace. As His children, we are content knowing that His blessings are over our lives no matter what. As Paul said “as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold, we live; as punished, and yet not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, yet possessing everything.” 2 Cor 6:9-10. Paul knowing this could pen this truth “He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?” Rom 8:32

The highest blessing through His Son, we will reign with Him in His Kingdom, be comforted by His forgiving grace, 

and receive a place at His table.