Emotions - Engaging God with All of You Part 8 - Jesus Felt Happy
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Jesus empathizes with us in our feelings of happiness.
Jesus knows what it is like to feel happy.
In this sermon, we will explore how he experienced this emotion in the gospels without sinning.
Remember our key passage for this series is Hebrews 4:14-16.
Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
We then take courage, for Christ Jesus is with us in our emotions, giving us the empathy and strength to process our emotions for his glory and our spiritual growth.
Church, may we come to God with all of who we are.
We have all felt happy. We all want to be happy. Let’s put words to the feeling and receive Jesus' empathy and grace so we can act for good and God’s glory.
You might be asking, “Why do I need empathy and grace with the comfortable emotion of being happy?”
I propose that we need empathy and grace because it is often in our pursuit of happiness that we sin, either in overindulgence or in perversion of the gift God has given.
Let’s define the emotion of happiness so that we can discern when we are pursuing it wholesomely and when our pursuit is perverted.
What is the emotion of happiness?
It is the emotion of fullness.
We feel full of happiness when we experience playfulness, arousal, or spontaneity.
We feel full of happiness when we experience contentment, freedom, or joy.
We feel full of happiness when we experience interest, curiosity, or inquisitiveness.
We feel full of happiness when we experience good self-esteem, success, or confidence.
We feel full of happiness when we experience acceptance, respect, or value.
We feel full of happiness when we experience power, courage, or creativity.
We feel full of happiness when we experience peace, love, or gratitude.
We feel full of happiness when we experience trust, tenderness, or intimacy.
We feel full of happiness when we experience optimism, hope, or inspiration.
The feelings of happiness can be pursued and experienced wholesomely or pervertedly.
Let’s look to Jesus to learn how to pursue and experience our feeling of happiness without sin.
Please turn to Luke 10:17-24, and then Matthew 5:1-12, followed by John 15:1-11, concluding with Hebrews 12:1-2.
The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!” And he said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”
In that same hour he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, or who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”
Then turning to the disciples he said privately, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see! For I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.”
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.
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
Jesus in Luke 10:17-24 is experiencing joy in the Spirit. Jesus' happiness is connected to the Trinity, expressed here in their redemptive work.
Wholesome happiness is connected to the Trinity and expressed in their redemptive work.
Jesus, in Matthew 5:1-12, defines who is happy in his kingdom. It is definitely not the world's system of happiness. Is it our definition of happiness?
Jesus wants to distinguish between his happiness and the world's happiness. He chooses to use the Greek word μακάριος (makarios). It means happy, blessed, fortunate, but it was not commonly used. This was in contrast to the common Greek word for happiness, εὐδαιμονία (eudaimonia). It, in classic Greek, means to be protected and favoured by a good “genius” or “daemon”.
The word has a negative sense in the Jewish community and the Christian community because “daemon” was and is still used to refer to evil spirits. It is where we get the term “demon”. “Genius” is where we get the term “genie” and “genius” in the modern day. (Vincent, Marvin Richardson. Word Studies in the New Testament. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1887.)
How do we then discern which happiness we are pursuing?
Jesus gives us the answer in John 15:1-11. Apart from Jesus, we cannot experience his happiness. Jesus says that we are to do everything with him and in him. Like a vine is dependent on the trunk and roots, so we are dependent on him for wholesome happiness.
It is only in our relationship with the Trinity that we can have fullness of joy.
When we are experiencing happiness and we recognize its source in Jesus, enjoying it with him, then we know that our happiness is wholesome, which is something to celebrate with him.
If we are experiencing happiness and do not want to have him included, or he would not want to be included, then we know that our happiness is perverted, which is something to lament with him.
Hebrews 12:1-2 reminds us that Jesus finds great joy in the work of redemption. He wants us to look to him, to depend on him, to come to him in our happiness, to throw off all that gets in the way of being with him so we can have the fullness of joy in him and in his joy of saving us.
Come to Jesus with all of who you are. Come to him in lament with your perverted happiness. Come to him in celebration of your wholesome happiness.
Church, I implore you by the mercy of God, run to Jesus when you feel happy and receive his empathy. compassion and joy, demonstrated to us on the cross and validated in the resurrection, so that we can grow and glorify him.
