How to be Happy

Pastor Matt Davis – How to Be Happy – Psalms 1

Introduction

1 Blessed is the man That walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor standeth in the way of sinners, Nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. 2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord; And in his law doth he meditate day and night.3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, That bringeth forth his fruit in his season; His leaf also shall not wither; And whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.4 The ungodly are not so: But are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.5 Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. 6For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous: But the way of the ungodly shall perish.[1]

The first word in the book of Psalms is “blessed,” the Hebrew word for “happy.” As we begin our service today, allow me to ask you a question. Are you happy in life? Are you really happy? As another put it, if everything in your life were to remain exactly the way it is today, never to change, would you still be happy? Your job never progresses, your health never gets better, your house never gets paid off, ect..? Would you be able to live the way you are right now and be happy until you were to die?

There are many who would say, “I don’t know if I’ve ever been happy.” I think others would say “it’s a rollercoaster. I’m happy one day and the next I’m not.” For others, it’s, “it depends.” But what if there was a why to be happy each day, all the time, regardless of circumstance? What if you could lose your job and still be happy? What if you could be persecuted and remain happy?

One of Googles most searched phrases, according to Google search autocomplete, is “how can I be happy.” People are depressed, especially in these times, concerning covid, politics, economic instability. There are many websites, ranging from health to random advice, on how you can be happy. Just a few from healthine.com –

…. See friends – seeing friends is easy enough? Right? Except in the case one has no close friends. Maybe they just aren’t that likable? Or have you considered Job, whose friends only spoke depressingly, calling Job evil. (Job 16:2) …. We can further declare your choice of friends will greatly impact your overall happiness.

…. Consider therapy – Next up on their list, learn how to cope with obstacles. Such may help us cope but cannot be joy. Learning to cope is learning to live with the causes. Being happy is despite the challenged.

From Becomingminimalsist.com –

…. Choose happiness – Easy enough, right? I’m often the first to tell people it’s a mind thing, and you have to choose it. And yes, you will find yourself miserable if you choose only to be miserable. But happiness, joy, is more than choosing.

… Don’t pursue physical possessions – Here is one I think we can agree with! Physical possessions can definitely cause one unhappiness. “My house isn’t big enough,” “My car isn’t nice enough,” “my cousin upgraded his ‘truck, computer, tv, house, ect’ so I need to upgrade too.” Chasing physical possessions, especially when compared to others will definitely lead to a unhappy state. Even so, we find this one lacking.

Many shall say, “the key to happiness is following your heart,” and yet, they ignore the Bible when it says “the heart is deceitful beyond measure.” And others say, “ignore the bad,” but I say, what if your life is just a mess? What if you are bogged down by sin? Others, “get a good job,” but what happens when you loose your job?

Each of these suggestions above lack something vital, they lack the component of God.

Happiness then must not be linked to circumstance, but it must come from elsewhere. Let’s read the chapter of Psalms 1 and examine four principles that will make Christians happy regardless of worldly circumstance.

Blessed is the Man VV. 1-2

Blessed is the man That walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor standeth in the way of sinners, Nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; And in his law doth he meditate day and night.[2]

The first two verses gives us five means for arriving to happiness.

Walk not in the counsel of the ungodly

Holding to the principles of man without God can only lead to misery. Man follows the heart, and the heart leads to condemnation. Such principles can be found today – abortion, same-sex marriage, transgenderism, mixed gender sports. With the principles of man, the wrong becomes right and the right becomes wrong. We live in a world that tells us we’re nothing more than an accident, there is nothing after this – What a way to be motived! What thinking to be happy!

I read a interesting story from another pastor, I can’t remember who right now, but he told of the fish who thought he was confined, a prisoner of the water. The fish thought to himself, if I can escape the water, I will be free. When the fish jumped to dry land, he was free of the water, but only secured for himself a miserable death as he suffocated. He was made for the water.

Church, we are that fish – Only the world is telling us we are prisoners and need to be free. The world teaches that God is only a barrier, that God hold us back. They reject the teachings, the principles, the very laws of nature God established. The world will tell you to be free, you must escape the bounds of believing and following God. I actually had a “friend” on facebook who regularly told me Christianity means you must live miserably.

Just as the fish was made for the water, we were made for God. For true happiness, we need to be in fellowship with Him, seek His counsel, and obey. How can we walk with the world when we believe vastly different philosophy and remain happy? Remember what Christ said, when He instructed the disciples in John 15:11 “These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full[3]”

Standeth Not in the Way of Sinners

This means that we don’t live as the sinners. If we are to be happy, we are to be separate. The life of sin will always lead to unhappiness. It is impossible to live in contradiction to our design and be filled with joy at the same time. Christ taught us that you cannot serve two masters, for you will hate the one and love the other, else you would love the one and hate the other. It is the way of the flesh that when we serve two masters, it is usually God we stand against, and we love the other.

We have all been there, we do something wrong, and we feel bad about it. The world says that is a bad thing, that we are being guilt tripped by our faith and to be truly happy we need to abandon our faith. You may be able to push the conscious aside, but it will only lead to temporary satisfaction. Life without Christ can only lead to eternal condemnation.

Sitteth Not in the Seat of the Scornful

What do the scornful do? They mock God and His followers. They hate upon them, seek to make them miserable, persecute them. You cannot mock God, nor His followers, and be His friend at the same time. In addition, you cannot walk the fence, it is impossible to be friends with both the world and God. You must choose one or the other.

4 Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.[4] (James 4:4)

I’m about to lose some of you here, but it needs to be taught. The same applies to our friends – In our examples above, we briefly discussed friendship. I don’t say we shall not be friendly with the perishing, for surely, we need to reach them. I say though, we must not sit in their seat. We must surround ourselves by those who worship the true God, not mock Him. The old adage “you become who you hang out with,” is true. Unfortunately, it never works the correct way. If your group of friends consist entirely of God’s mockers, you will likely become like them. This is the importance of the fellowship.

His Delight is the Law of God

Whereas the last three had to deal with negatives, the psalmist now deals with the positive. The delight of a happy person is the law of God. This refers more than just the moral law, but the full counsel of God, the written Word. When we renew our minds with the Word, our very being becomes closer to God. When we obey the Word and speaking’s of the Spirit, we are blessed, and we have joy.

So let me ask you another question – Is reading the Word a chore to you or do you delight in that time you spend? It isn’t duty to the Word that makes you happy, it is delight in the Word. It is when the Word becomes freeing to you that you develop joy in your life.

Meditate on it Day and Night

The happy man meditates day and night upon the Words of God. They never part his mouth, but are uttered constantly. I’ll tell you something, as we get more into the mind of God, as our minds become more as the mind of God, we find it increasingly difficult to not have joy. As the world tells me I’m an accident, I utter back I was formed by the fingers of God in the womb. When the world says I’m worthless, I utter back I’m priceless. I was bought with the blood of God, and you cannot become more valuable than that. When wrong thoughts come across your mind, you bring them into subjection of the Word.

We have learned then that standing in the counsel of the sinners, acting like them, and making friends with the world leads to unhappiness. Instead, the hope of the Christian is God.

Successful is the Man V. 3

And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, That bringeth forth his fruit in his season; His leaf also shall not wither; And whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.[5]

Our next point talks of the successful man. The Christian who walk in the counsel of God and delights in His law shall not only be happy (blessed), but shall be blessed (successful). He shall be as the tree, planted by the water. The actual action described is the transplanting of a tree near a man-made irrigation ditch to be carefully tended to that is shall bear fruit. We are the tree carefully transplanted in the Word of God, where He is the tender, that we shall bear fruit.

Christ says, in John 10:10 “10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. [6]”

John 15:4-5 “4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. 5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.[7]”

There is a promise here the one who delights in the Lord, who abides in Him, shall produce fruit. There is stability in God, there are deep roots that cannot be carried away by swift, rapid moving waters, nor the strong wind. But we shall be provided for, we shall be tended to, we shall prosper in what we do. And I know, there will be those who will tell me, “Pastor, why don’t I prosper in ‘xyz’?” The one who abides in Christ and delights in His word will be acting in the will of God, and whatsoever we are doing in the will of God will be accomplished.

Woe is the Man VV.4-5

The ungodly are not so: But are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. 5 Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.[8]

After describing the happy man, the blessed man, the psalmist compares him to the man whom is miserable, and wretched. The ungodly, first, are not so. They are not blessed, they are not fruitful, and they shall not prosper. Rather, they are described as the chaff which is driven away by the wind.

The chaff, by the way, is the protective shell, a husk such as corn has, that is usually throne away before consumption. They would take the chaff and seed, put it in a bowl, and toss it up, allowing the wind to carry the chaff, the dry outside away and the seed to fall back into the bowl. As such are the wicked, who shall perish. They shall be judged according to the book of life, and as the chaff shall blow way in the wind, so shall they.

Unlike the godly, they may live in temporary satisfaction, a false sense of joy, but they are not happy. So often, my heathen friends ask of me how I could be so happy, how I have gone through Covid without stress. They ask how I deal with everything in the world without losing my positive outlook – and to be fair, I get depressed. I get downcast. When I do, it’s of the world and I know how to fix it – But the end of the day, I’m so happy because my happiness isn’t circumstantial. This is where the wicked lose it. When things go the way they desire, their happy, when things go south, their depressed. There is no stability in wickedness, but each becomes subject to the world around them.

Speaking of stability, there is no security in wickedness. A question is asked in Revelation 6:17, “17 For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?[9]” The answer is those found in Jesus. We are informed in Psalms 1 of whom will not stand on the day of judgement – For the wicked shall fall before the great white throne in judgement.

Man is Judged V.6

For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous: But the way of the ungodly shall perish.[10]

There is something to be said of true happiness, of eternal happiness, that comes in the day when we shall enter into His glory. We partake of His joy now, but how much greater shall it be when we shall sit with Him face to face, with no sin, nor hunger, nor death. When the Bible speaks of knowing the way of the righteous, the Bible tells us the word is a light, a path unto our steps. The Lord directs our paths, “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: And he delighteth in his way.[11]” (Psalms 37:23) and He shall be with us in our trouble “He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and ghonour him.[12]” (Psalms 91:15).

There shall come a day when all men shall be judged, and we shall be judged either on the finished work of Christ on the cross, or of our own efforts. What we read of here is the warning, God knows of the way of the righteous, but of the wicked He knows not. While God is not ignorant of anything, He does say “many will come to me and say, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and I shall say, ‘depart from me, ye workers of iniquity, I never knew you.’” Those who refuse to believe are lost already, and their reward is condemnation. “18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.[13]” (John 3:18-19)

Revelation 20:11-15 “11 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. 13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. 14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.[14]”

Conclusion

Happiness is not based upon circumstance, it is not based upon pure will, or friends, or the best job. But happiness is achieved through Avoiding evil by not walking in the counsel of the ungodly, not standing in the way of sinners, and not sitting in the seat of the scorners. You will find your most happiness in setting aside time to spend with God, living His will and purpose for your life, and meditating on His law. While therapy may help you learn to cope with circumstance, only God can allow you to be happy and joyful despite circumstance. We are happy, because regardless of how bad it can get, no amount of the world going astray can take what Christ did for me on the cross. No matter how bad finances get, God is still the provider. No matter what, our hope and joy is God Himself.

Invitation

If you are sitting here today, and you are thinking “man, I’m not very happy lately,” I have some advice for you. Go home and scrutinize your life. Is there sin in your life that is dragging you down? Or do you spend enough time with God for the renewal of your mind and soul? I can also guarantee your cause of unhappiness is related to one of those two things.

And if you can hear this, and you are thinking “I want happiness in my life, I want true joy.” If you are thinking, “I’m tired of my happiness being circumstantial, I want stability, I want to go through whatever life throws at me and not be depressed.” If you think that your depression, or your situation has a hold of you, but you are holding on to a tiny bit of hope for relief, then I’m telling you now, you can get it.

Before you can walk in the counsel of God, you must come to God. Before you can rely upon Him, you must accept Him. Before you can give your cares to Him, you must know Him. Before He can change your heart and renew your mind and soul, you must first accept Him. These are your first steps to your true happiness.

So it begins with believing that Jesus is God Himself, in the flesh. That He came to earth to die for you, to save you from your sins. With admitting your in need of His saving grace, that you cannot save yourself. Then confessing Him as Lord before all the world.

Christ said in Matthew 10, “If you would confess me before men, I will confess you before the Father above.” And Paul wrote of salvation, “If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in your heart God raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” So if you are ready to accept Jesus into your life, if you want to be renewed, and given a new heart – if you are ready to experience true joy, and be welcomed into the family of God, and receive of everlasting joy, then I invite you to do so today. Repeat with me in the first half of the closing prayer, where you will admit you are a sinner, believe Christ is God in the flesh, and confess Him. After which, be ready to confess Christ to your fellow man on the earth.

***Prayer***

[1] The Holy Bible: King James Version. (2009). (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., Ps 1:1–6). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.