How to Be Truly Happy

Last year, a survey by Gallup was conducted to see how happy Americans are.

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- For just the third time in more than two decades, less than half of Americans say they are “very satisfied” with the way things are going in their personal lives. The 47% of U.S. adults expressing high satisfaction with their lives has edged down three percentage points over the past year and is only one point higher than the 2011 record low for the trend.

The previous low points in Americans’ personal satisfaction have occurred at times of economic uncertainty. The 46% reading in 2011 came when the country was still recovering from the 2007-2009 recession, and the other sub-50% reading (47%) was in December 2008 during the global economic crisis.

In addition to the 47% of U.S. adults who are currently very satisfied, 31% are somewhat satisfied, 11% are somewhat dissatisfied and 9% are very dissatisfied. The current data are from Gallup's Jan. 2-22, 2024, Mood of the Nation poll that also finds Americans’ views of the national economy are largely negative. Gallup has asked Americans whether they are satisfied or dissatisfied with their personal lives since 1979. Gallup added the question measuring degrees of satisfaction in 2001.

The combined 78% of U.S. adults who are now satisfied (very or somewhat) with their lives is well below the trend average of 84% since 1979 and is also the lowest since 2011. It is down five points over the past year and comes just four years after hitting a record high of 90% in January 2020, when economic confidence was at a 20-year highshortly before the COVID-19 pandemic forced widespread closures that resulted in an economic collapse in the U.S.

https://news.gallup.com/poll/610133/less-half-americans-satisfied-own-lives.aspx

(PAUSE)

Our text for today describes “how to have a happy life”. You probably know this text well. We are looking at Matthew 5:1-12.

Matthew 5:1–12 ESV

Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

As Matthew narrated the story of Jesus, the King, we find the inauguration of Jesus' ministry in Matthew 4, as Jesus preached in Matthew 4:17

Matthew 4:17 ESV

From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

In Matthew 4 Jesus called four specific persons to be his disciples. But the end of the chapter details his massive ministry as numerous people began to follow him and become his disciples.

Even in the earliest days, the crowds flocked to Jesus as he went about preaching, healing, and casting out demons.

Now in Matthew 5, Jesus withdrew from the crowds by climbing up a mountain. His most committed followers - his disciples - followed him.

However, the conclusion of this Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 7:28 indicates that the crowds were also listening in.

So… while Jesus seems to have withdrawn to focus on teaching his disciples, he was still accessible to the crowds, many of whom listened in on his teaching.

Jesus intended for these words to guide his disciples as they lived nearly 2,000 years ago. Jesus also gave this sermon to direct our path as we live today in the 21st century.

Jesus began his sermon with an introduction of nine statements, each describing the blessed life.

Matthew 5:1–16 (BEC): (The Latin word for blessed is beatus, and from this comes the word beatitude.) This was a powerful word to those who heard Jesus that day.

To them it meant “divine joy and perfect happiness.” The word was not used for humans; it described the kind of joy experienced only by the gods or the dead.

“Blessed” implied an inner satisfaction and sufficiency that did not depend on outward circumstances for happiness. This is what the Lord offers those who trust Him!

With this in mind, we find this principle…

Big Idea: True happiness is found in Christ's way of life.

How does Christ call for us, His followers, to live? And how does this result in a happy, blessed life?

The way of Christ is noted by…

1. Our Recognition of our spiritual condition, v. 3.

Matthew 5:3 ESV

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Jesus' description of the happy life runs counter-culture from the very beginning, doesn't it?

We think that the blessed, happy, fortunate person is the one with great wealth, many possessions, multiple cars, homes, and more. But Jesus said Blessed are the poor in spirit.

Notice that Jesus did not say, "Blessed are the poor." With that said, we should note that a theme throughout the Bible is God's tender love and care for those who are poor and disadvantaged in life and his rejection of the rich for their pride.

We can see this in multiple places, but consider Jesus' own words…

Matthew 19:23–24 ESV

And Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly, I say to you, only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.”

Then in the letter of James we read this… James 1:9–10

James 1:9–10 ESV

Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, and the rich in his humiliation, because like a flower of the grass he will pass away.

Are the poor blessed of God because they are poor?

The short answer is "no". We find the reason in this first beatitude. Jesus said that those who are poor in spirit are blessed.

Whether you are rich or poor does not matter to God.

The problem is that often our riches cause us to become proud and arrogant, self-sufficient. And that kind of person is the one who will NOT be blessed by God.

In contrast, it is the person who humbly recognizes their impoverished spiritual condition who is the candidate for God's grace and blessing!

For theirs is the kingdom of heaven - The way of salvation, being part of God's kingdom, comes only as we recognize our sinfulness and desperate condition apart from God.

This humble recognition then naturally leads to …

2. Our Remorse for our sinfulness, v. 4.

Matthew 5:4 ESV

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

This mourning could speak of our grieving any loss - the loss of loved ones, etc, but in this context, Jesus is pointing to a remorse that results as a humble recognition of our spiritual condition before God.

Do we truly understand the spiritual condition of humanity without God?

All we like sheep have gone astray. We have gone our own way and have rejected God.

God came to us, to bring us salvation. It was not our own efforts or intellectual development that caused us to find God.

Rather, God demonstrated grace to us long before we received saving grace, in that God sought us out to reveal Himself through Christ.

On our own, we were spiritually dead in our trespasses and sins. We were alienated from God. We were destined for an eternity of punishment and agony in a devil's Hell.

We had no hope!

As someone has written…

"As I confront God and His holiness, and contemplate the life that I am mean to live, I see myself, my utter helplessness and hopelessness." (Lloyd-Jones, quoted in BBC, p. 68)

This mourning leads to repentance and conversion. But it does not stop there. It continues throughout the life of the conscientious Christian.

The greatest saints realize most keenly how far they fall short of perfect Christlikeness, and they mourn over it. Only the shallow Christian can feel complacent. (BBC, p. 68)

Did you catch that? Yes, we mourn our spiritual condition as sinners and we receive God's forgiveness and cleansing from sin.

But God's standard is holiness - perfection. And even the most mature saint is incredibly imperfect. So this mourning over our sinfulness is not something that we discard after we make a trip to the altar.

Rather, we should continue to live humbly, recognizing that we often fail to be all that Christ expects of us. We should mourn our failure to do, to say, to think, to feel in a holy way.

Rather than living presumptuously on God's grace or desensitized by a world that is callous to holiness, we should be characterized by a remorsefulness for any and all failures to live holy.

This, Jesus said, is the way to a happy life! How? Those who mourn will be comforted. Those who repent of their sinfulness will receive God's grace and assurance of His righteousness!

This path of humility and repentance for our lack of Christlikeness leads naturally to the next Beatitude…

3. Our Resignation to the Savior's will, v. 5.

Matthew 5:5 ESV

“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

Meekness is not understood very well. Meekness is often thought to be weakness. Meekness is thought to be "a self-effacing, negative, almost false humility" (BBC, p. 68).

Rather, meekness is strength under control. Meekness speaks of a spirit that is tamed, and gentle.

Matthew 5:5 (FSB): The meek do not seek gain for themselves; instead, they hope in the Lord.

Matthew 5:5 (BN Mt Mk): Meekness produces peace. It is proof of true greatness of soul. It comes from a heart too great to be moved by little insults.

It looks upon those who offer them with pity. He that is constantly ruffled; that suffers every little insult or injury to throw him off his guard and to raise a storm of passion within, is at the mercy of every mortal that chooses to disturb him.

He is like “the troubled sea that cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt.”

One of the pictures of meekness is a horse that has been tamed. A horse is a magnificent animal.

With just a little prodding, the horse will began a gait - that even though quite slow - quickly makes the inexperienced rider feel out of control.

Yet with a few tugs of the reins, you can direct those powerful beasts wherever you want.

This is a picture of meekness. Meekness does not signify weakness, but rather a spirit that is submissive. We submit to the will of God. We are resigned to God's will.

Do you see the blessing for the meek? They inherit the earth. This reminds us of God's promise to His people that they would inherit Canaan, the promised land, if they would submit to His will.

And in a similar way, we who follow Christ and submit to His will find this is the way to true, lasting happiness. It only makes sense, then, that the happy person is noted also for…

4. Our Relish for God's righteousness, v. 6.

Matthew 5:6 ESV

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

Those who have submitted themselves fully to God's will are filled with a passion, a hunger, for personal righteousness.

Unlike that person who straddles the fence between holiness and sin, this follower of Christ is noted for their pursuit of holiness. They want to be like Christ in every way - in how they speak, in how they think, in how they act.

Minor imperfections of character and conduct that others excuse are mourned by such a person. Rather, their greatest desire is for more of God.

But this search and desire for righteousness is not merely personal. Rather, as this follower of Jesus lives in an unholy, wicked world, their heart is disturbed by the crass sinfulness all around them.

So the blessed person is the one who cries out to God, seeking spiritual renewal and revival in his family, his church, his community, and his world.

Shouldn't this beatitude be a huge check to us? How often do we watch a movie, listen to a radio show, read a book, or attend an event in which God's name is dishonored, immorality is celebrated, and sinfulness is excused?

Yes, I know. The only way to escape completely sinful philosophies and behavior would be to be taken out this world or to live in a "Christian bubble" of unreality that fails to influence its world for God. Neither of these alternatives are good or proper.

(pause)

Yes, we must live in an unholy world! Yet we must cultivate such a hunger and thirst for righteousness that the sinfulness around us truly does vex our souls.

But unlike Lot, whose soul was vexed by the ungodly city in which he lived, we must not become so settled where we are that we hesitate when God pronounces his judgment.

We must not offer a compromise with sin when the world demands evil, like Lot offered his daughters to the men of the city who wanted the angelic visitors in his home.

Rather, we must hunger for godliness. And the promise Christ gives those who do is that they will be filled!

In the fifth beatitude, we see these internal motivators put into action…

5. Our Response according to God's love, v. 7.

Matthew 5:7 ESV

“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

Those who have received God's grace and mercy must be noted for the grace and mercy they extend to others!

Jesus would say a little later in this Sermon on the Mount:

Matthew 6:14–15 ESV

For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

God's love and grace is not meant to be bottled up for oneself. The Dead Sea in Israel is noted for its heavy salt content.

The Dead Sea receives fresh water from the Jordan River, but it has no outlet. And so the water becomes stagnant. This body of water cannot support life.

In a similar way, if we only receive God's grace and mercy and do not share it with others, we will find ourselves dying spiritually.

The way of true happiness, of blessing, is giving mercy to those who don't deserve it, who cannot pay us back, who have hurt us and harmed us.

This might not seem like it would make sense. We might think that we need retribution. We need the affirmation that we were in the right and they were in the wrong.

But when we seek revenge, we end up harming ourselves. We don't gain true joy by seeking the harm of others. Rather, the way of happiness is giving mercy.

This way of happiness is further noted by…

6. Our Reflection of Christ's purity, v. 8.

Matthew 5:8 ESV

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

Our scripture here and other scriptures clearly imply that we can be made pure.

1 John 3:2–3 ESV

Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.

Yet scripture and experience teach us that…

… no one is natively pure; hearts can be pure only by being purified. Nor will human culture purge the depths of corruption; there must be a world of divine grace.

The heart must be purified from its pride; if not, instead of being "poor in spirit" one will be haughty and self-sufficient; instead of being repentant (a true mourner) he will be self-complacent; instead of being "meek" a man will be stubborn and heady.

The heart also must be purified from double-mindedness, from selfishness and contention, and from unbelief. (BBC, p. 700

The follower of Jesus who earnestly hungers and thirsts for righteousness and responds by practicing the love of Christ is purified, sanctified, by God.

In the Old Testament, even the most holy of saints trembled in the presence of God. At Mt Sinai when God came near to His people, the Hebrews writer reported…

Hebrews 12:21 ESV

Indeed, so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, “I tremble with fear.”

The prophet Isaiah, after merely having a vision of God's holiness, said … Isaiah 6:5

Isaiah 6:5 ESV

And I 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!”

Now we receive the promise that those who are pure in heart shall see God!

Having experienced God's love and holiness personally, we find that the truly happy person is noted by…

7. Our Resolve to spread God's peace, v. 9.

Matthew 5:9 ESV

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

Notice something interesting here. Jesus did not proclaim blessing for the one at peace.

It truly is a blessing, having been forgiven and cleansed of sin, to be at peace with God.

It is also a blessing to live at peace with others, as much as lie within us.

But notice! Jesus proclaimed blessing upon those who make peace!

Matthew 5:1–12 (Matthew (Preacher’s Commentary)): The word peace, shalom in the Hebrew, is not a negative state; it denotes not simply the absence of evil, but is a positive word which has to do with the well-being of another, seeking for him the highest good.

Consequently, being a peacemaker is to work for right relations between persons, all persons. The Christian church has a calling which will separate the children of God from people of violence and war, a calling to work for peace and well-being among men.

We are called to be people who strive to spread peace around the world.

Yes, I know. Our world often wants little to do with peace, unless that it means submission to another.

But we are to work for peace. The Christian has experienced God's peace in his or her heart, and we are called not merely to be people of peace, but those who help others experience peace!

Those who strive for peace are truly happy because they are known as the children of God. Their passion to see the peace of God reign in the world marks them apart from all others.

They must belong to the Father! Ironically, however, this clear designation leads to the last two beatitudes, in which the way of Christ is noted for …

8. Our Retribution from a sneering world, vv. 10-12.

Matthew 5:10–12 ESV

“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Matthew 5:1–12 (Matthew (Preacher’s Commentary)): Being a peacemaker by practicing justice and love and living by kingdom standards is initiating a confrontation with society which can be taken as a judgment.

To will God’s will is to be different from those who will their own will. This is the way of the Cross in which God’s will cuts across the will of humanity. The kingdom is breaking into time, calling persons to be disciples of Christ, living by His mercy and love.

In verses 10-12 there are two blessings pronounced. The first is for when we are persecuted for righteousness' sake.

We should note that Jesus does not say we are blessed or can be truly happy if we are harmed or persecuted when we do wrong.

Nor is this blessing pronounced upon one who merely suffers difficulty and setback in life. Rather, Jesus says that when we suffer for doing right, promoting righteousness and justice in our world, then we are truly blessed.

Why? For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. In other words, those who truly belong to Christ are those who have aligned themselves with God's righteousness and holiness.

And opposition is Jesus' promise for those who truly have determined to follow Him. So we come to the final blessing. We are blessed and happy when others revile us and oppose us, even persecute us … for the sake of Christ!

Yet this opposition makes us truly happy because we can know our reward in heaven is great and that in our suffering for Christ's name, we join the company of the prophets of old.

Wow! Now, that's a thought, isn't it?

(PAUSE)

In Jesus' Sermon on the Mount that describes the ethics of God's kingdom, the way that we are to live as His disciples, His followers, we see that…

Big Idea: True happiness is found in Christ's way of life.

I know. I understand. What we naturally think would lead to happiness is totally different from what Jesus says is the way of happiness, blessedness, and fulfillment in life.

Matthew 5:1–12 (Matthew (Preacher’s Commentary)): Dr. Richard C. Halverson says, that “the way of the Kingdom of God is antithetical to the way of our contemporary culture.”

God says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit,” but we say blessed are the achievers. God says, “Blessed are those who mourn,” but we say blessed are the self-fulfilled.

Jesus says, “Blessed are the meek,” but we say blessed are the powerful. Jesus says, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness,” but we say blessed are the unrestrained.

Jesus says, “Blessed are the merciful,” but we say blessed are the manipulators. Jesus said, “Blessed are the pure in heart,” but we say blessed are the uninhibited.

Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers,” but we say blessed are the strong. Jesus said, “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteous-ness’ sake,” but we say blessed are the expedient.

Jesus said we are blessed when persecuted for His sake, but we say blessed are the aggressors. Jesus challenges the very selfishness that determines so much of our social behavior.

Jesus' way is totally opposite from what we typically think leads to happiness and success. But when we go our own way, we do not finding lasting happiness, joy and a blessed life.

Rather, we find selfishness, heartache, fighting and scrabbling for what is mine. We find despair and vanity. You can trust Jesus, that His Word is true.

Will you accept Christ's call upon your life today, as a follower of Jesus, to truly live the Kingdom way?

Yes, this call today is for the unbeliever who is searching for meaning in life, for relief from guilt, for an answer for the problems in their life.

But this call is also for the believer who has not fully embraced Jesus' way of life - the Kingdom way - but has tried to live according to their own rules while calling themselves God's children.

Do you want to truly have a happy life?

True happiness is only found in following Christ's way of living!

The Message rewords this scripture in a powerful way.

Matthew 5:3–12 MSG

“You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule. “You’re blessed when you feel you’ve lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you. “You’re blessed when you’re content with just who you are—no more, no less. That’s the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can’t be bought. “You’re blessed when you’ve worked up a good appetite for God. He’s food and drink in the best meal you’ll ever eat. “You’re blessed when you care. At the moment of being ‘care-full,’ you find yourselves cared for. “You’re blessed when you get your inside world—your mind and heart—put right. Then you can see God in the outside world. “You’re blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That’s when you discover who you really are, and your place in God’s family. “You’re blessed when your commitment to God provokes persecution. The persecution drives you even deeper into God’s kingdom. “Not only that—count yourselves blessed every time people put you down or throw you out or speak lies about you to discredit me. What it means is that the truth is too close for comfort and they are uncomfortable. You can be glad when that happens—give a cheer, even!—for though they don’t like it, I do! And all heaven applauds. And know that you are in good company. My prophets and witnesses have always gotten into this kind of trouble.