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April 20, 2010 5:11 am
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Harvest podcasts between Pastor Greg Laurie are brought to you by harvest partners to receive Pastor Greg free online daily devotions or to become a harvest partner, please visit us online@harvest.org good morning is pray father it is a happy day, regardless of our circumstances, it's happy because were talking about a different kind of happiness in this world offers were talking about a happiness that comes independent of circumstances. A happiness that's all about you and we pray as we explore this topic and look more into it that you will help us to know what it is to be truly happy people. So we commit this time a Bible study to you now in Jesus name we pray. Amen. What you can be seated want to remind you that. Of course the brand-new sticker is out for our upcoming crusading just to help you remember, I would aware it is the safe hillock where they have the gun. Oh, this is the harvest Crusade you really should come with us that centered okay no get a bug in your business. I believe it okay.
I'm not a professional. I was a margin getting all those crazy bubbles that you know over the bubbles all right asserting a Bible to Matthew chapter 5 the title of my messages how to be happy grateful. How many of you are happy people today razor.
Okay, you're definitely happier than the first service because you slept an hour more. How many of you are unhappy razor hand. It's okay couple people let's talk about happiness is a problem with the very word happiness is what is it exactly what does it mean to be happy and having to find that how do we get it. There's a lot of definitions of happiness. Cartoonist Charles Emma Schultz had a pretty simple view of it when he said, happiness is a warm puppy. Not a warm cat noted to warm puppy Albert Schweitzer said, quote, happiness is nothing more than good health and a bad memory. Okay comedian George Burns said happiness is having a large loving, caring, close knit family in another city. Did you do each comedian Milton Burrell said men doesn't know what to happiness is until he gets married, that it's too late. Oscar Wilde said some cause happiness wherever they go. Others whenever they go clever. I think one of the best definitions of it came from theologian Jimmy soul who said if you want to be happy for the rest of your life.
Never make a pretty woman your wife for my personal point of view get an ugly girl to marry you. Remember that some doesn't make any sense at all. But that was his particular philosophy.
So what is happiness exactly and where do you find it. First let me tell you what you won't find it, you won't find it in this crazy culture were living in today to put it biblically, you will not find it in this world because the happiness of the world, the happiness of our culture basically depends on good things happening.
If things are going reasonably well, well then I guess were happy if things are not going so well over no longer happy. It's hard to define. If you look at it that way. Here's what you need to know. There are two sources of unhappiness in life. One is not getting what you want and the other is getting its maybe a thought if I was a very wealthy person I know I would be happy I'm not suggesting you can't be a happy wealthy person because you can BND but sometimes the thing you wish for good actually be more of a curse than a blessing. Consider the story of one Rodriguez, Rodriguez, who one the lottery you want to hundred and $49 million in article about him said that he won this lottery and so far it's only brought him a whole lot of trouble that relatives say the former parking lot attendant was a happier man when he was bankrupt since winning the mega millions jackpot. Two days after filing for bankruptcy.
Rodriguez, 849 has lost his wife is been besieged by a swarm of friends and relatives seeking handouts, not to mention reporters seeking interviews days before he won the lotto Rodriguez had reconciled with his wife of 17 years Iris would take them out of their house after yet another fight about money well. The couple were all smiles, a lottery, press conference, but the article continues 10 days. Everyone the lottery is Wi-Fi risk file for divorce, demanding half of the jackpot freezing all of the money now.
He sets the articles that hold up in a hotel room hiding out kind of a sad scenario there. See, there are some things money can buy in their other things account by printed money can buy you a bed, but he can't buy you a good night sleep become buy your books, but it can buy you brains become buy you a house like a very nice house but it can buy you a home become buy you medicine but it cannot buy you health, money can buy you amusement it cannot buy you happiness.
In the words of St. Paul St. John and St. George and St. Ringo money can't buy you love. Remember that song so I hug only truly be happy, people will believe it or not, there's been a lot of research done on the subject a lot of poles of been taken and here's what they've come up with surveys by Gallup. The National opinion research Center and the pew organization conclude that spiritually committed people are twice as likely to report being very happy than the least religious committed people so the conclusion is religious/spiritual people tend to be happier people.
Let's take that a step further godly people are happy people. According to the Bible that we seek to know God and discover his plan for our life. We, as a result find the happiness that is alluded us for so long, not from seeking it, but from seeking him and speaking of the Lord.
Of course, think of the Bible says happy are the people whose God is the Lord Izzy God built us to turn to him and find our fulfillment in our can tenement in our happiness. If you will in this relationship with the Lord is Lewis put it this way and I quote God designed the human machine to run on himself. He himself is the fuel for our spirit that we are designed to burn or the food. Our spirits were designed to feed on. There is no other. That's why it's just no good asking God to make us happy in our own way without bothering about me. God cannot give us a happiness and peace, apart from himself because it's not there.
There is no such thing." So the idea is to seek God and happiness will come. Henry Ward Beecher said and I quote the strength and happiness of a man consists in finding out the way in which God is going and going and that way to so that's the great thing that we need to know God wants us to be happy. But here's the twist on it. God's definition of happiness may be a little bit different than our yes, he wants us to know this state of being, but at the same time, he might look at a little differently than you do, and he reveals his definition of happiness and the greatest sermon ever preached the sermon on the now down here in Matthew 5 to 7 of this is God incarnate Jesus Christ giving us his worldview, if you will. He shows us how we are to live in this crazy culture. Jesus in the beginning of the sermon on the mount tells us what happiness is and how to find this is a part of a series that we are doing that were calling worldview how to think and live biblically and why we doing this because we want to have the right worldview and life in listen to this. Everybody has a worldview, or the way that we view life in general. It's formed by our culture, our upbringing are education are the books that we read the media that we taken.
So the question is not, do you have a worldview question is rather what kind of worldview do you have that's an important question to answer because our worldview is comprehensive, meaning that it affects every area of our life from our personal morality to the way that we look at money to our politics, you name it.
Worldview will effectively it will affect the way that we think and live and so when we say a Christian worldview and a biblical worldview. What exactly are we saying I could talk about that for the rest of the message. Let me give you a real simple definition of a Christian worldview a Christian worldview is the belief that there is a God who is in control of the universe is all-knowing and all loving, righteous and good was a plan for our lives, and he is revealed that plan to us in the pages of Scripture are Christian worldview accepts the teaching that the Bible is a soul truth and authority. We build our beliefs on other religious books. Human philosophies do not even come close to the Bible is the bedrock we build our faith on and bus our world view on that is why I called this worldview, how to think and live biblically. So having said that, here we find a worldview laid out for us given to us by Jesus himself.
You want to know how Jesus things than studying the sermon on the Mount, do you want to know how his heart really beat said studying this sermon you want to know what he thinks and feels about life than study this sermon is the official manifesto of the King of Kings and the Lord of lords. It will begin with the words, opening his mouth. He taught this phrase, opening his mouth is a an expression in Greek that is used to describe something that is solemn gray, dignified and waiting. That is not to suggest that other things that Jesus taught work not equally as important, but it is to say that there is weight given to these words that he lays out in the sermon on the mouth. So we are to pay careful attention to everything that is found here.
Another thing I would add is the sermon on the Mount was not given to the multitudes, and by that I mean it wasn't given to the world at large.
The sermon on the Mount is not a philosophy by which we govern society. Why, because people don't believe in God. For the most part.
Thus, they would never live by the sermon on the Mount know the sermon on the Mount is effectively for believers only, but even people who are nonbelievers will admire teaching. Recently I interviewed almost Josef you remember who was raised as a Muslim and he was raised in the teachings of this law but yet he was exposed to the teaching of Jesus in the sermon on the mount and he was impressed by that and that is what he was looking for in life, not what he was finding in the Koran and that opened his heart which ultimately resulted in him committing his life to Jesus Christ. But the point was, he was attracted by him in their wonderful teachings, but only a follower of Jesus can live this stuff out and even a follower of Jesus, will struggle with some of it at time but this isn't God's world view and the Beatitudes are the beginning of the sermon on the mother state of mental.
The first four deal that's three.
The first floor. I deal with your relationship with God. The final four deal with your relationship with people why we call them the Beatitudes well because these are attitudes that should be in. This is the way we ought to be living. You could even call them the be happy attitudes. The word blessed will be used a lot that will read in a moment in the word blessed is interchangeable with the word happy. Thus, the message is called how to be happy and we could just as easily called it how to be blessed so let's rebuild the Beatitudes the beginning of the sermon on the Mount from Jesus to his disciples.
Matthew five verse two. Then he opened his mouth and taught them disciples, saying, blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven, blessed are they that 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 filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you and say all kinds of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. There the word blessed is introduced to us. That is a wonderful word. As Christians we use the word blessed in blessing a lot. Most of the time we mean it. Sometimes we use it as an expression to terminate the conversation that's going to law your documents, well that's great while, amen. Praise the Lord and God bless you, which means we stop talking now or more, can you go away. God bless you about. You know, but that's of course not the proper way to use it it it's a Christian word. It's a spiritual work. It's a biblical word it's been hijacked by our culture and you'll hear people talk about blessings in their lives, but the nonbeliever has no idea what a real blessing in because only the child of God truly knows what it is to be blessed, and it's worth noting that Jesus both began and concluded his earthly ministry blessing people remember those two discouraged disciples on the Emmaus Road and Jesus joined them and we read that he blessed them when the little children came to Christ, he took him up into his arms and the Bible says he blessed them, and then when his ministry was completed on the earth after his death and resurrection, we read that as he was ascending he blessed them. Jesus love to blessed people. But what is it mean to be blessed. Well, the word blessed that is used here is from the Greek word Michael Rios.
It is a word that means to be happy or blissful so we could just as easily say Blessed are the poor in spirit are happy are the meek are blissful are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness.
Happy, blessed, blissful. The Greeks called the island of Cyprus. The happy pile and they believe because of its geographical location and perfect climate and fertile soil that anyone who lived on the island of Cyprus hadn't made in the shade so they had this expression. Michael Rios, self-contained happiness, everything you need to be happy is right here in the silent so now we apply this to our life. What is it because we can all move to that island. Can't wait know the idea is that our happiness is independent of our circumstances itself contain meaning that regardless of what is happening to you externally and internally. You can be truly happy person you can be a genuinely blessed person. Let me say this that things are going well for you when the bills are paid and the help is reasonably good is no conflicts at home.
Things are going well with your career, you might say well I'm a blessed man, blessed woman yes you are, let's say things are going that well the health is not that good. Like this man that just need God bless you came to be blessed. God bless you. Or there are problems in other areas of your life. Listen, you're still blessed why because of your relationship with God. The apostle Paul said, I have done whatever state I am in there and to be content. See here's the thing.
The biblical definition of blessedness/happiness/blissfulness is different than that of the culture that we we we if we were to rewrite the Beatitudes for the 21st century.
They would be way different than what we just read monitor Beatitudes would sound something like this blessed are the beautiful when they shall be admired. Blessed are the wealthy, for they have it all.
Bless another popular, for they shall be love. Blessed are the famous, for they will be follow because the tweet about it all the time. You know, but no, Jesus starts the real Beatitudes with a bombshell blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Let's understand what this means and what it doesn't mean some of falsely interpreted this verse to say Blessed are the poor.
That's not what Jesus said at that. The say you can't be born.
Be blessed. You can be. But that's not what he is saying here. In fact, the Bible does not commend poverty, nor does it condemn well that has nothing to do with your bank account no. Blessed are the poor in spirit. So what is it mean as you put it all together. The word poor as summer verb meaning to shrink tower or cringe as beggars often did in that day. This is speaking of a person that was destitute and completely dependent on others for help, not financially, but what this is saying is here is a man or a woman who is seeing themselves as they really are before God, they are lost their hopeless they are helpless because apart from Jesus Christ. Everyone is spiritually destitute or poor in spirit, regardless of their education, wealth, accomplishments, or even religious knowledge to be poor in spirit means to acknowledge her spiritual bankruptcy that you are in need of God. But some people don't like to do this.
They like to think that hey you know I have a lot to offer God I bring a lot to the table know you don't you bring nothing to the table.
You're to pray you're a sinner you're in need of a Savior.
It's his grace and his mercy that is being offered to you. You have to see that that's hard for some people to accept.
Sometimes it's harder for men than women because men can be proud, girls can be to. Of course, but sometimes weeks were held back will wait a second. I have my intelligence and I have my accomplishments and I have my whatever you know you are poor in spirit. A great example of this is a story of general name general name in Syrian war hero highly decorated. A leader among men. Powerful, influential, admired one of the thing. He was a leper and when you were a leper. Back in those days that was a death sentence. There was no course of treatment.
There was no medication you could take you word basically going to die and Naaman knew this about himself. I don't know how many people realize the great general was a leper but he sure knew here. There was a prophet in Israel. The pray for people to be healed, named Elisha so general. Naaman made the journey to visit the prophet probably had a really cool chariot that was all camouflage like a Hummer chariot, you know, and he had his military guards mark guys marching beside him, and he showed up with this his unit in this entourage and I sure I'm sure they were gleaming armor and all the declarations and things he had one of the fields of battle, and so forth.
And there he was general Naaman at the door of Elisha and anyone. What can I also like to live.
Did you know I don't think it was anything fancy and and so is there in the dust is being kicked up by his beautiful stallions and a knock on the door. General Naaman is here. Elisha knew I was there. Elisha didn't even answer the door himself.
He said the servant he opens up the door.
Oh Elisha says go immerse yourself in the Jordan River seven times and you'll be healed. Think shut the door. Things like what this Gino morning, this is outrageous. That's offensive in size. I'm going home with better rivers back in Syria.
Why should I go immerse myself in the Jordan River about places that is as he was turning back.
One of his friends said normal general you know what you got anything to lose wanted to give it a go. We then want to give it a go. You know why he didn't want to reveal his genuine state because beneath that gleaming armor was his real condition, that of a leper but he decided to go ahead and try it. So he descended from his chariot and he peeled off the press plate and he took off that helmet and he began to reveal to his bed. What he knew about himself. I am a leper in need of help obvious shock as he immersed himself the first time he came up he was just wet second time, same thing, third, fourth, fifth or sixth time. The say seven time healed of leprosy. The Bible says his skin was that like that of a little baby ever look carefully at the baby skin and the glasses on other the other day and I was holding my granddaughter Lucy and I was looking at her skin. I was amazed at how smooth it was. Then somehow I caught my reflection in the mirror wearing the same glasses. I was had a heart attack.
He see he saw himself as he really was. If you want to be a happy person you up to see yourself for what you are a sinner in need of a Savior. It was Spurgeon's said the way to rise in the kingdom is to sink in your cell again to quote CS Lewis whenever we find that our spiritual life is making us feel that we are good. Above all, better than someone else.
I think we may be sure that were being acted on, not by God but by the devil. The real test of being in the presence of God is you either forget about yourself. Altogether you see yourself as a small, dirty object once we don't hear that thundering from our pulpits today we hear how we can all be champion and we can all be successful. Don't talk to me about being a small dirty object. Don't tell me that I'm spiritually destitute.
Don't tell me that I'm to be poor in spirit will that's what God is saying if you want to be happy. You have to see yourself as you are. You have to be sorry for any have to want change in your life. A classic example of this is a story Jesus told of the sinner and the publican that went into the temple to pray, the Pharisees, the religious bed actually pray this to God. Father, I thank you that I am not like other men, and you know you're really messed up when you present like that. What I think you, I'm not like other men in the center. He would even lift his eyes up. He just beat in his chest and he said God have mercy on me a sinner, or more literally the center God be merciful.
He said to me, the sinner. Apparently he did not think of himself as one sinner among many, he acted as though he were the only one he was so overwhelmed with a sense of his sin and his moral bankruptcy and a spiritual destitution.
As far as he was concerned, everyone else's sin paled in the significant by comparison that we do the very opposite of that we justify our sin because we can always find others are far worse. Rather than seeing how much better so many are doing that us and Jesus said that man not the Pharisee but the center one away, justify why because he saw himself as he really was blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. When the Bible speaks of the kingdom of heaven is not only speaking of our future destination. When we leave this world and going to God's presence is also speaking of the present experience of the believer who is living under the rule and reign of Jesus Christ for the Bible says the kingdom of God's righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Blessed is the man or woman who sees himself as they really are the love heaven in the future and the rule of rain and the rule and reign of Christ in the present, bringing us to beatitude number two happy people are unhappy people know you heard me right. Happy people are unhappy people burst forth. Blessed are they that mourn for they shall be comforted.
Another way to translate this is happy are the unhappy about the way the word that is used here for more is the most severe of all nine Greek words used for grief in Scripture it's reserved for morning the dead, and this verse certainly applies in principle to all mourn.
Are you morning today while I am Ivan morning a long time. When you lose someone that's close to you.
You more. You don't get over it like people want you to especially if it was a loved one especially I might out if it was a child.
You never planned for such a thing.
So I mourned every single day, but yet I would also say that Jesus says Blessed are they that mourn for they shall be comforted. There is a blessedness or happiness in morning is a house so will some good things come. One of them is you gain a new perspective. You see things differently. Some of the things that were important you before are not nearly as important to you now and some of the things that were not as important you before become very important to you now. For starters you start someone over there really like the rest of your liquid like thunder to I can analyze your applause there for a moment. For starters you get a different view of life and you find yourself longing for heaven.
More you see before my son went to be with the Lord.
I thought about heaven, but to me it was a lot more intangible than it is today. I think more specifically about heaven now because someone so close to me is there so you think more about heaven you Longmore for heaven. You begin to understand what really matters in life and what doesn't. You also begin to see this world for what it is and what it isn't and you recognize that this world is not the end all but something you will leave, perhaps sooner than you think you find yourself drawing close to God because quite frankly there's nowhere else to go. No person has the answers you're looking forbeing brings the charge that you're looking for. There's there's nothing or no one that can help you, but the Lord is there. Blessed are they that mourn for they shall be comforted. So you see there is something that we could call. Good grief, and Charlie Brown, always a good grief, there's good grief or good morning MO you are an ING Blessed are they that mourn for they shall be comforted.
You know it, trying to be good and it has its place, it doesn't have to be suppressed well of things that we cry about. Even if only in private.
I think that girls are more prone to express their emotion. I don't know the girls cry more.
I think maybe girls are just more willing to express their emotion as it is were men will suppress it.
A lot of times women may think that men don't have a motion but were holding it in your seat because in our minds we sometimes think it's not manly to pray, we would fight it holds no will to go to the ethanol growth.
I shouldn't tell you this, I should tell you this for your secret weapon is going. I mean, you want to just stop a guy in his truck to start crying I say no and if you come upon you CRR if you know nevermind know that I like to make a girl cry.
You might be in a movie and a scene comes on the screen and it saddened and integral mages cry a little guy holds evidence and my allergies are really kicking up, let me say this to you guys.
If you feel it's not manly to pray I've matured response to you, Jesus, wax. He was a man. Jesus was the man man anyway.
He wept at the tomb of Lazarus sharing in the sorrow of those who have lost a loved one, because death was never supposed to be.
He wept over Jerusalem knowing what her future would be and it was not pretty. Oh yes, Jesus wept new baby, weeping and crying over something right now. Maybe you weep over your loneliness. You weep and cry over being discouraged you feel rejected. I would just say go ahead and cry and know this God cares if it concerns you concerns him and you know what he keeps track of all those tears. The Bible tells us in Psalm 56 eight he keeps track of all of your sorrows. He collects all of your tears in his bottle each one is recorded in his book.
Yes, Blessed are they that mourn, but they will be comforted. Now the question arises. Can you find comfort in morning. Yes, you can. Jesus will be there to bring his supernatural comfort to you and your lowest time.
Blessed are they that mourn for they shall be comforted so mortally morning over looking at this contextually were mourning over our state spiritual to the problem is there are people today that are laughing. That ought to be crime the Bible says let your laughter be turned to sorrow and the problem is there laughing when they should be sent all I can't believe this date I met you know it's interesting Solomon who went on a binge of sin and experimented with pretty much everything this world has to offer on an epic scale came to this conclusion in Ecclesiastes to what I said to myself let's give pleasure a try.
Let's look for all the good things in life. But on this too was meaningless.
Solomon says you know it's silly to be laughing all the time. I said what good does it do to seek only pleasure your watch a bunch of people drinking. You know, maybe you're in a restaurant. The table next to the order drinks and they have the first ring efforts are not even talking about and they of the first drink a little after the second drink little more laughter third drink there laughing like a bunch a hyena's and there is no there laughing at you. You wake him up. The next one will you will love the development under Novo my head sure to know you see, they laugh as I do want to let go have some laugh laugh it off, just laugh about it. There's a place for laughter, and there's a place for sorrow. Blessed are they that mourn happy are the sad who sees himself as they are and then they take action, you see your true sorrow will lead to joy, but without that sorrow, there will be no joy because you see your state and you decide to do something about it and you repent.
The Bible says godly sorrow produces repentance, sometimes, were sorry for the repercussions of what we've done you know your driving and you break the speed limit in the CHP comes up behind you with lights flashing your sorry why you sorry because you broke the speed limit know because you didn't check more carefully for the CHP in your sorry because your insurance rates are going up.
This is another point and you don't want to go to traffic school and all the rest of it.
Now here's a question next time. Are you going to slow down or you can still do what you were doing and so sometimes were sorry for the repercussions were not sorry for the act were not sorry enough to stop doing it. The Bible says godly sorrow will produce repentance, meaning your sorry enough to stop. Blessed are the unhappy, for they shall be happy.
Not this stupid happiness of happening, but the joy that comes from Jesus, because Romans four, seven says happy are they whose sins are forgiven.
Thus, our sorrow leads to joy and without that sorrow, there is no joy happy are the poor in spirit. The person who sees himself as they really are happy are they that mourn, they want to do something about the condition they sorrow over it.
They repent of it leading us to beatitude number three Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth.
Verse 5T. Now that I see myself for who I really yeah I realize I'm not all that but I'm actually spiritually bankrupt, destitute, repentance calling on God and forgiven.
I'm not proud about that because I'd seen myself as I am, thus I am me. What is meekness will it's not weakness, sometimes of the will that person that their soul meek, which means there we know the difference between the meek person in the week person. Is this I'm a week person can't do anything.
Meek person. Camera chooses not to, you know, I have the week guys on the beach and some bully comes up kick sand in the space and he doesn't fight back. It's not because he's meek it's because he's weak going to be pulverized, but I made person is a guy is training mixed martial arts someone kick sand in his face and he chooses to not meet the guide will Paul for doing that. I'm in a restrain myself, to control myself.
The word meek was used to describe the training a stallion in so you got the bid in the mouth and you're holding onto the raised your controlling that power in the horse chooses to submit to your authority. That's meekness it's power under constraints.
Jesus says happy are the meek about we don't celebrate meekness in our culture we celebrate asserting yourself.
We celebrate getting things from other people, sometimes even taking advantage of other people how different this is from what the Bible teaches the biblical worldview says last his first giving is receiving dying is living losing this finding least his greatest weakness.
Excuse me, meekness is strength, and so the ideas that were living by God's truth, not by what this world says should make us happy. A great illustration of meekness power under constraint is Joseph.
Yet the ability to kill all of his brothers for what they had done to him selling them in the slavery, but he forgave them that was meekness power under constraint and once the last time you saw movie that celebrated the virtue of meekness you know the big build up of the movie was.
Even though the good guy was wrong immediately restrain themselves no, I would go to movie like that. I want to go see a payback movie. I want to see a movie for the first half of it. We see the bad things that come to the hero in the last part of it. The bad things that come to the people that did these things to the hero. That's what entertains me.
That's what culture celebrates, but the Bible celebrates meekness. The greatest example of meekness of all time is Jesus himself. There was God in flesh walking among us and you look at the abuse he took. They hit him in the face I've ever been hit in the face.
I mean really hit with a best in the face is not like it is in the movie should liken the westerns enough brawl breaks out of the bar right in the first Pope over that chemicals the close of the Geico, the smiles and couple teeth get spit out like all having some fun now so fun to be hit in the face of hurts traumatizing that shocking. I imagine your beard being ripped from your face and then being spit on you know sometimes being spent on is more offensive than being hit because it is so offensive and this is what they did to Jesus. They hit up multiple times in the face, ripped his beard out, spit in his face and then of course scourged him 39 times. It's amazing.
He survived the whipping then to carry the 400 pound cross the streets of Jerusalem. Like I said he was a man's man, but it was meekness. Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth.
God's getting give these things to the member.
The woman who is meek walking before them as they ought to. Which brings us to our final beatitude will look at this time a happy person passionately desires a righteous life. Again a happy person passionately desires a righteous life. Verse six Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.
You see, I've seen myself as I really am. I mourn over my condition. I've repented of it. The result is know I wanted meekness before God. And guess what now I have a new hunger now Avenue, thirst, and it's a thirst for God himself have ever really been hungry. I probably over overly dramatized my hunger because of my clock, my stomach is like a clock. I mean it just it just really honestly around 10 o'clock. I'm hungry for lunch. I'm just waiting 1005 1010, 10, 20, 1030 now it's 11 okay were closing in. Now 1120 we could be eating any time now on 1130 definitely eating limb, 45, hopefully eating 12 o'clock to 1201. I'm starving to death all say to my wife does a Greg you're not starving. I just so you have plenty of reserve. There why not starving to death at all, but I am hungry good example of this is Thanksgiving day.
I love the Thanksgiving meal. Don't you so good.
All that stuff out of all the trimmings.
I love Turkey.
Of course the gravy lots of grading mashed potatoes. I'm getting hungry thinking about it. Sweet sweet potatoes with melted marshmallows as we do may be biscuits or some kind of fresh bread and and then maybe some string beans and you have to have great stuffy. I like cornbread stuffing and then for dessert. It's a law you have pumpkin pie so don't be bringing some melted pumpkin pie. I say we make the salon now and it seems when you have the Thanksgiving meal you waiting forever because you know usually my wife will start preparing that sometimes even the night before chopping things are getting things ready and I love to go in and steal little bits of something about stolen food that is very gratifying.
Don't eat that. All I cannot wait to see Latoya you know they have the appetizers out. Greg donated for the guest and she turns away in a meeting that seven layer dip that I'll take another chip and started cleaning up my spot so you will know I was there.
I use a clean chip don't be alarmed, and finally the great moment comes the guests are there. Why is it people are always late for Thanksgiving don't be late for Thanksgiving show up on time to think, shall take away. We need to make pumpkin pie a lot and don't be late for Thanksgiving.
Yeah you know what you're invited even some Adobe Lakers were waiting and were all there and it's on the table and the time is come, so we asked uncle Harry to pray any us to do that in our long prayer you know he's praying so long.
The gravy is filming over no less. He will pray after okay your hungry are you hungry for God are you thirsty for spiritual things we sing that song a little bit earlier. This is the air I breathe, your holy presence living in the Lord I'm desperate for you, Lord, I am lost without you.
That's what is being described here, a man or a woman is hungry and thirsty for God. That's what the psalmist was describing when he said in Psalm 42 one as a deer thirst for the water broke so thirst my soul for the oh God, the living God.
Are you hungry for God, I guess, is to be determined by the way you see spiritual thing you know we'll have our Bibles with us here in your Bible. Can I see your Bible bleaches and everyone is a model. You don't have a Bible survival. All you're using his vital like a good hold of his life he will give it to you see he loves us while this is an example of what to do and what not to do okay I should take this metadata here now this is a dangerous sitting in the front row. But here's the thing you know we were Bibles here and then let's talk about tomorrow morning and when you get ready for work or school or whatever it is you gonna do in the day. Are you to make time for the word of God and if you do, are you going to be can I are are you in a hunger for what God has to say to you to start that day, the prayer that something unit all do we have told you know, come on now in the second I happy person is one that hungers and thirsts for righteousness. They want to be right with God. They want to walk with God. They long for these things. That's where happiness is going to come from, not from the things of this world, you know, the prodigal son was hungry, he went to feed upon the food that the pigs ate but when he was starving. He turned to his father use*for a holy life. Do you hunger for God's best for you. If you do you'll be taking practical steps to get it. So let's put this all together in close you want to be a happy person right will number one you need to be poor in spirit, which means you need to see yourself as you really are. See this world for what it really is and will never satisfy you. The answer is not within a somewhat suggest no. The problem is within the problem is you and me were sinners in need of a Savior causing us to mourn for our said were sorry for our condition sorry enough to stop and turn to Jesus Christ for forgiveness and really and as you believe in Jesus, it changes you changes your outlook and your attitude toward life and you become a person of meekness not an arrogant person, but one that realizes that you're a forgiven person. You're not better than others better off.
Yes, but not better. And finally, you have a new hunger and thirst for that which will satisfy you in life you know hunger for God and you know what that that's the way you live your going to be happy again. Happy are the people whose God is the Lord, are you happy person in the biblical definition of that work. If not, you can be. But first, there must be the forgiveness of your sin again.
The Bible says happy is the man of sin is forgiven. Blessed is the man who sin is forgiven blissful as the woman whose sins are forgiven. This comes from the removal of our sin in us getting right with God. Yes Jesus went to the cross. 2000 years ago.
He suffered and died for each one of us took upon himself every sin we've ever committed and paid the price for them and then rose again from the dead three days later in Jesus Christ, who delivered the sermon on the Mount, the greatest sermon ever given. Now is alive with us in this room, standing at the door of our life and knocking and he assignable hear his voice and open the door will come in many of joint is here today and you've never asked Jesus Christ to come in your life you don't know with absolute certainty that your sin is forgiven.
We talked about how the Scripture says that ours is the kingdom of heaven. You don't have this hope of the kingdom of heaven in the future you don't have the assurance that you go to heaven when you die, but you can have it if you put your faith in Jesus and turn from your sin in a moment to pray, to give you an opportunity to get right with God. And if you've never asked Jesus Christ to come in your life. I really think you should do it now to respond to this invitation as we close down prayer father, thank you for your word to us. Thank you for your promise of genuine happiness, not the fleeting emotion of happiness. This world offers. Thank you, Lord. It's in a relationship with you. I prefer any that have joined us here that do not yet know you help them to see their need for you and help them to come to you now. We pray no I had served her eyes are closed and were praying. How many of you would say today. Greg pray for me. I want to be happy person. I want my sin removed. I want to go to heaven when I die I want Jesus Christ to come into my life and I want him to forgive me of my sin. I'm ready to say yes to Jesus right now.
Pray for me if you want Jesus Christ to come in your life and you want him to forgive you of your sin if you want to go to heaven when you die, would you lift your hand up right now wherever you're sitting down in a pray for you just lift your hand up if you want Christ to come in your life to think about you over there anybody else are in the middle. God bless you over there in the side of the shoes well held up in the balcony.
God bless you in the back of the balcony here in the middle of the shoe over there in the other side. God bless you also. Anybody else you want Christ to come in your life today, you want his forgiveness you want to be certain your life is right with God lift her hand up now, I'll pray for you, bless you compass each one of you maybe there some of you that have drifted.
You've fallen away from the Lord you've allowed other things to Kroll about what you want to return the Christ today. You're like the prodigal that's been chasing after the things of this world are satisfied, but now you're starving and you're ready to come back to your father if you want to make a recommitment to Christ lift her hand.
I'll pray for you today a bless you compass each one of you know all of you that have lifted your hand saying you want to make this the Christ want you to stand your feet nominally join a prayer to stand your feet you lifted her hand. Yes, just end up inside you lifted your hand to stand up and Emily Juniper. Don't be embarrassed here among friends and family are just end up outside in the courtyard.
If you need to make this commitment. You stand here feet up in our court building to stand as well. Wherever you are if you want to make this commitment a recommitment to Christ stand here feet nominally Juniper stand up anybody else stand out a bless you over there up in the balcony got bless you bless you, this final moment you want to make this commitment to Christ.
Stand up now Ali Juniper/anybody else stand now. Anybody else a bless you. All right you that are standing. I want you to pray this prayer out loud after me and this is where you're asking Jesus Christ to come in your life. So again, as I pray pray this out loud after me now pray this if you will, Lord Jesus, I know I'm a sinner but you died on the cross and shed your blood for every sin I've ever committed. I turn for my sin. Now I ask you to come in the my life be my Savior be my Lord my God make me a happy person as I walk with you. Thank you Lord Jesus name I pray, amen, bless you