Sermon Tone Analysis

By Pastor Glenn Pease

Epictetus, the ancient philosopher said, "If a man is unhappy, this must be his own fault, for God made all men to be happy."

A Christian writer, St. Bernard, said something similar.

"Nothing can work me damage except myself; the harm that I sustain I carry about with me, and never am a real sufferer but by my own fault."

These two men represent the internal philosophy of happiness.

External mean nothing, and need have no effect upon the happiness of a person, is their view.

External evil is recognized as a reality, but one does not need to let it penetrate his inner being.

Epictetus, for example, said, "I must die, but must I die sorrowing?

I must be put in chains.

Must I then also lament?

I must go into exile.

Can I be prevented from going with cheerfulness and contentment?

But I will put you in prison.

Man, what are you saying?

You may put my body in prison, but my mind not even Zeus himself can overpower."

Here is a rare example of how even a pagan slave can, by the power of positive thinking, demonstrate the human capacity for internal happiness without the externals usually associated with happiness.

The facts of life and history show that this is possible, but it is also highly improbable that more than a few rare individuals can completely ignore the externals of life.

The vast majority of people depend upon externals almost exclusively.

They grasp at things as the only source of satisfaction.

People really believe that more money can bring happiness in spite of the fact that the suicide rate is higher among the haves than among the have nots.

Abdalrahman the Khalif had thousands of wives, and millions upon millions of wealth, but this is what he wrote near the end of his life: "I have now reigned above 50 years in victory or peace.

I have been beloved of my subjects, dreaded by my enemies, and respected by my allies.

Riches and honor, power and pleasure have waited on my call, nor does any earthly blessing appear to have been wanting to my felicity.

In this situation I have diligently numbered the days of pure and genuine happiness which have fallen to my lot: They amount to fourteen."

No amount of eternals can guarantee happiness, yet man's natural tendency is to search for happiness in that direction.

Men have a hard time believing that there is any hope of happiness apart from externals.

Aristotle represented the Greek view when he said that the blessed life was impossible to the diseased, the poor, and the slave.

Samuel Johnson had a close friend who said that his sister-in-law was really a happy woman.

This made Johnson mad, and he replied like the brute he could be, "If your sister-in-law is really the contented being she professes herself, sir, her life gives the lie to every research to humanity; for she is happy, without health, without beauty, without money, and without understanding."

He went away growling, "I tell you the woman is ugly, and sickly, and foolish and poor, and would it not make a man hang himself to hear such a creature say she was happy?"

The very idea of being happy without the values so treasured by his materialistic heart made him angry.

It does not seem fair to the secularist who has struggled for all the externals of wealth, power, and fame to see people who are happy who have not made the struggle.

Paul would have made him angry by his words in Phil.

4:11-12.

Paul said, "...For I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.

I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty.

I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want."

Paul's happiness was not dependent upon what happened, or what he had.

This means that Paul's happiness was internal.

Paul did not have control over the externals of his life, but like everybody else does, he had control over how he would react to life internally.

If it is only going to be a happy new year for us if we get more stuff, and all goes well, then we are living on a different level than Paul was on.

This does not mean we should not get more stuff, and that we should not strive to make all go well.

Paul advised Christians to live peaceably with all men, and to prevent all the negatives of life that they can.

But if this is your only level of happiness you are too controlled by the externals, and changes can quickly rob you of your joy in Christ.

We need to see the externals as fringe benefits, and not the base salary of the Christian life.

The foundation is to be internal and attitudinal rather than external and material.

Jesus and Paul agree here completely.

Happiness does not depend on what happens, but on how you face all that happens.

Jesus is saying in the beatitudes that you can be happy even if you are experiencing many negative externals.

At this point we need to take a detour off the main road to deal with the problem that Christians have with reconciling being happy and miserable at the same time.

One of the major problems the Christian has in the pursuit of happiness is the sense of failure that comes due to times of depression and other unhappy feelings.

Many feel guilty for not being happy in the Lord.

Their unhappiness is magnified by their guilt.

They say, "I know I should be happy, but I just can't seem to feel the joy of the Lord."

The first thing we need to do is clarify the Christians right to be miserable on a variety of levels.

Jesus wept because of people's rejection of God's grace.

This makes it clear that the Christian has every right to be unhappy over lost people.

If a Christian feels guilty about being sad over this lost world, he is feeling guilty for being Christlike, for Jesus wept over this same thing.

Jesus also wept over the sorrow of death and the lose of a loved one.

He was very unhappy also with the hypocrisy of the Pharisees, and the injustice of man to man.

He felt rotten about the way the temple was being used to rip off the poor, and how widows were being taken advantage of, and their houses being taken from them.

Add up all the unhappy feelings of Jesus over the fallen nature of man, and you have a host of legitimate reasons to be unhappy as a Christian.

In fact, it is unchristian if you are never sad and unhappy about a fallen and lost world.

There are legitimate reasons to be unhappy, and it is folly to feel guilty for them.

We could list all of Paul's negative emotions as well, but it is not necessary, for if our Lord had good reason to be unhappy with much of life, who can be so presumptuous to expect to live on a higher emotional level then Him? Anyone who expects to be feeling happy all the time is trying to live in a world that does not yet exist.

The only way to get there in the present is by insanity and the loss of touch with reality.

Some unhappiness is just part of the price we pay for living in a fallen world.

We have to get it out of our head that Christian happiness means freedom from all care.

It that is the case, the average cow is happier than the average Christian.

It was because Paul cared so much for the churches that he went through so many negative emotions of frustration and anxiety.

What we are dealing with here is a paradox.

It is the reality of being able to be miserable and happy at the same time.

Paul was often miserable over the problems in the church, and yet he had an inner sense of well being that made him happy.

This means that Christian happiness is not always and emotion.

One might be dominated by the weeping with those who weep, and so they would feel sad at that point.

This does not rob them of contentment.

Paul did not have the same emotion when he was feasting with his friends as he had when he was in the dungeon starving and alone.

Paul is not saying that one is just the same as the other.

He would have to be a pet rock to be in such a state.

Paul had all kinds of emotions, just as Jesus did, but his point is that he had an attitude of contentment within regardless of his emotions.

When he said that Demas had forsaken him he was feeling bad about it.

He was not indifferent to circumstances and saying its all fine with him regardless of what was happening.

But even when he felt bad about circumstances, he still had his contentment in Christ which circumstances could not change.

This calls for great discipline to be truly happy on this level.

We get a glimpse into the depth of what it means to be Christlike by looking at this inner contentment of Paul.

Look at the reasons for why we are so often discontented in life.

1. Selfishness.

We want things to be our way and good for us.

When they are not we are discontent.

We will all have some unhappiness because we always want to get our own way.

2. Envy.

This makes us discontent because we see the possessions and gifts of others almost as if they were stolen from us, and we resent it, and so feel unhappy.

3. Covetousness.

We have a strong desire for more than we now have, and this robs us of the enjoyment of what we do have.

No matter how much we get it is never enough, for there is so much more to covet.

There is always an emptiness that can never be fully filled because we covet more.

Paul was happy because he did not have to wrestle with these vices.

He had conquered them, and so he was content with his life.

A happy life does depend on our conquering all the temptations of life that fill us with discontent.

This means that it is hard work to be happy, for you have to die to self and all that the world appeals to in us.

It is important for us to be aware that almost everything that people do is because they believe it will lead to happiness.