1. An Unlikely Path to Happiness

Me:

Thank you for joining us this morning, both online and here in the building! I’m so glad that you are able to be a part of the launch of a brand new sermon series entitled Apex.

This series is a part of a larger campaign called Core 52. Each week we are focusing in on one core verse that makes up the Bible…and today, for verse 18 we jump into the New Testament and some of the key teachings of Jesus. If you would like to be a part of our journey going forward, please talk with me and I’ll provide you with a helpful study guide that you can use during the week.

We:

Everyone wants to be happy. It’s true. The problem is finding the best pathway to pursue happiness. There are a lot of paths, options and opinions about how to be happy. How do we know which path is the right path to take? All one has to do is jump on Google or browse through the books on Amazon or at Barnes & Normal, and it won’t take too long to discover that there are a lot of different ideas and philosophies about which is the best path to achieve happiness.

Now, remember, when we talk about happiness, we are talking about an age old debate that has raged for millennia. In every religion and in every philosophy there is some sort of given pathway to find happiness…it’s the path we are all looking for.

If one was to take all of the ancient philosophies on happiness and put them together into categories, there are four main ones that would rise to the top:

Family

Wealth

Health

Security

Family, wealth, health, and security. Sound familiar? It sounds a whole lot like what we as Americans look for in the so called American Dream.

Here’s the problem. If these four ideals lead to happiness, then it would seem clear…get on these pathways and you will be happy. But why is it that so few people seem happy? Well, there is a virus pandemic going on…that steals happiness. But wouldn’t you want a pathway to happiness that could overcome even a pandemic? Don’t you want a pathway to happiness that you can continue on, even if a relationship ends or you lose your job? Don’t you want to find a pathway to happiness that you can walk on, even if you are battling cancer…or if you are living in a country where you are a refugee and oppressed. I don’t want a happiness path that can’t scale—no matter what my situation is.

Our current culture is in a pursuit of happiness tailspin. We could talk about all of the divisions our country is wrestling with. You could talk about the astronomical rise in depressions, overdoses, addictions, anxiety, suicide attempts and suicides. Is it possible that the American Dream isn’t the best pathway to happiness?

Maybe it’s time we just take our American Dream talk, our favorite self help books, and social media influencers…and just put them aside and listen to the words of Jesus.

Did you know that Jesus actually has a lot to say about our happiness?

God:

If you have a Bible or device, I would invite you to join me to study those words by finding Matthew, chapter five. If you are using the YouVersion Bible app, select the three lines in the bottom right hand corner. The choose Events. Our church should come on your screen, along with the sermon notes and Scriptures. Remember to Save the Event if you want to come back to it later.

For the last few weeks, as we looked at the OT prophets, who wrote in the midst of turbulent, disruptive times for the Jewish people. There was exile and confusion. Yet, they wrote of how God was going to bring to them a rescuer, a servant king to was going to come a save his people and establish a new kingdom. Simply put, they talked of a new king and a new kingdom.

Now we flash forward four hundred years to the life of Jesus of Nazareth, as he begins his ministry in the region of Galilee, preaching this message:

Matthew 4:17 NIV

From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”

Jesus is telling these poor Jewish folks who were being oppressed by their Roman occupiers and even their own people, to turn to God because his Kingdom is coming near…it’s close. You can only imagine the hope that sprung up in people’s lives! God’s going to be showing up and bringing his kingdom. The crowds are starting to gather to hear what this is all about.

So Jesus goes up on a small grassy hill, some refer to it as a mount…it’s not…however, it is a mountain top experience. This message is the peak, the top, the apex of everything about what it means to be a citizen of God’s kingdom. What Jesus does in this short, yet powerful sermon is paint a picture about what it looks like to live as a citizen in the kingdom of God, and here is what we are going to discover: It’s upside down. It’s backwards. It’s completely different from how we would approach a kingdom. He’s going to talk about how losers are actually winners, those who lose their life actually end up finding it, the poor are rich and those who pick up a cross experience resurrection. I know, it’s upside down.

And it’s in the opening part of this sermon that Jesus gives a very unlikely pathway for happiness. Now, to be clear, he doesn’t specifically use the happiness, he uses the word blessed (this is why we call them beatitudes). The Greek word Jesus uses can be translated blessed, happy, or fortunate.

So is we are going to live as Jesus followers, if we are going to live as a citizens of the Kingdom of God, here is what our pathway to happiness looks like. I’ll read it, then we can come back at look at the eight parts.

Matthew 5:3–11 NIV

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.

So what’s your first take? Does that feel like a path to happiness? You know, some of them I can intuitively get behind. Being merciful, pure in heart, or peace makers. I can get there. But poor in spirit, those who mourn…and definitely not those who are persecuted! That’s the exact opposite!

Let’s take just a few minutes and go through these. Each one really deserves it’s own sermon so we don’t have time to go in depth…but there are a couple we need to unpack.

Blessed are the poor in spirit. - This one is probably the most important, because you can’t really understand the rest until you understand this one. When you are poor, you have nothing. Your bank account is empty. You are completely dependent upon God to provide for you everyday. Poor in spirit is spiritual bankruptcy. You’re spiritually lost…empty. You have chosen to be dependent upon God to fill the emptiness within your soul. Poor in spirit is recognizing that you need to be completely dependent upon God for everything. Happy is the person who is completely dependent upon God.

Blessed are those who mourn. - Life is hard. We wouldn’t need a path to happiness if it wasn’t for the simple fact that life is difficult, confusing and painful. Here is what we know: God is close to the broken hearted, the destitute, and the hurting. For many people, they would say that they are closest to God when they walk through the struggles of life. Blessed is our lives when we walk through pain, God is near.

Blessed are the meek. - We touched on this last Sunday. God exalts those who pursue lives of humility. Humble yourself to God and he will lift you up. Humble people are happy people.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. - Happy are the people who live lives in pursuit of what is right, good and just.

Blessed are the merciful. - Blessed are people who show mercy, because they will receive mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart. - Isn’t it true that a pure heart is a reward of its own? To live a life where you don’t have to always be covering over your lies, or covering over what you have done. Instead to live a life of freedom because you are pursuing a living for what is pure.

Blessed are the peacemakers. - The world, our country, your homes are the happiest when everyone is at peace.

Blessed are those who are persecuted. - Okay. This is a tough one. It’s really hard to make sense of this one. How can anyone be blessed if they are experiencing persecution? Jesus knows this is a difficult saying…so he brings a bit more clarity to it. Verse 11 and 12 also happen to be our Core 52 verse of the week. Here is what Jesus says.

Matthew 5:11–12 NIV

“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Jesus makes in important point here. Blessed is the person who is insulted, persecuted falsely, and experiences all kinds of evil because....of me. That’s the key. Happy is the person who is persecuted because they are doing what Jesus says. Why? Well, there’s two reasons:

Jesus says that there is a reward in heaven for those who give their lives to following him. Many folks, maybe even you would be ecstatic if you won something....like the lottery for example. However, the odds that you ever win anything like that are incredibly remote. However, Jesus says that the one who follows him, does what he says will experience a reward in heaven. Happy is the person who chooses to walk the path of following Jesus…because there is a reward awaiting.

If you are persecuted because you are following Jesus, you have found the true way to live life.

Let me read you this quote from Mark Twain:

“The two most important days are the day you’re born and the day you find out why.”

For someone who doesn’t know why they exist or how they are supposed to live, life can be confusing, painful, and even maddening. To not know why you exist might be more painful then knowing why you exist…and being persecuted for it.

There is something that changes in all people who discover the “why” to life. To know with clarity the path of life and to know that it is true! That is a blessing! That is a reason to be happy!

A little bit later in Jesus’ ministry he makes this statement about finding true life.

Mark 8:35–37 NIV

For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?

As the saying goes: “The best way to live life is to find something worth dying for and do it.” What Jesus is suggesting is similar, except he is saying that whoever wants to give their life to follow him will actually find it. Then he contrasts it by saying, is it worth it to gain the American Dream…only to forfeit one’s soul. So really the question we have to try and answer is this: Which pathway to happiness am I going to choose? Let me ask the question this way: Which is worth dying for? The American Dream or Jesus?

Jesus says, “Happy is the person who is persecuted because of me because they have found true life.”

So, how is one supposed to get on this unlikely path of happiness and stay on it?

You:

It starts with answering this question: Do I believe Jesus? We’ve covered over the last few weeks how the people points to Jesus as being God’s son…and the Christ that God was sending into the world. I could talk about all the other things Jesus taught and did. We could even talk about the historical facts about the death of Jesus on a cross and the empty tomb…and proof of his resurrection. But at the end of the day, you have to evaluate your own life, your own pathways to happiness, and determine if you really have faith in Jesus. If you find that you are ready to make that decision, and commit your life to following Jesus, please talk with us and let us help you on that journey.

We Need To Do What Jesus Says. If I’m going to walk this unlikely path of happiness, I need to cling to the words of Jesus. Even Jesus says as much. At the very end of The Sermon on the Mount, Jesus gives these simple, yet clear instructions:

Matthew 7:24–25 NIV

“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.

Do you remember how one of the categories of happiness was security? A life committed to doing what Jesus provides us with security. When we hold tight, and live out what he says, our lives are built upon a rock. So what this means is we need to devote our lives to knowing the words of Jesus and living them out in our lives. This is why it’s essential to be in a regular routine of Bible reading, study and in some type of discipleship relationship. This pathway to happiness is not just about you, it’s about all of us.

Here’s the essential I want you to hold on to: For a follower of Jesus, the pathway of happiness is found by doing what Jesus says.

We:

Here is why this is so important. Our country is incredibly divided right now. The events this last week in Washington D.C. were a stark and vivid reminder of that. Let’s be honest…things are a mess. So what is the solution? We need people willing to model this unlikely path towards happiness. You do realize that whatever your belief, ideology or political affiliation…that system built upon promising to make people happy. So we believe that when our party, leader or ideology wins, then everyone will be happy.

So what if, a group of Jesus followers, instead of aligning with a political party decided to walk this unlikely path to happiness? Do you think our country needs a good dose of being poor in spirit? What would happen if Jesus followers modeled what it looked like to be meek? What could be in impact if we chose to hunger and thirst for righteousness? What would change if we worked at being peace makers instead of protesters?

Listen, our country, our community, your neighborhood needs someone to model a better way to live…a better way to pursue happiness. Will you take that step?

For a follower of Jesus, the pathway of happiness is found by doing what Jesus says.