How to Be Happy, Part 1 | Insights From Jesus' Sermon on the Mount

Today's episode of A New Beginning is brought to you by Harvest Partners, helping people everywhere know God.

Learn more at harvest.org. And while you're there, browse our library of free eBooks designed to help you grow in your faith. Jesus says, humble yourself, lose yourself, and you'll find yourself. The things we're eager to buy, we're eager to buy them because they'll make us happy, right? Like a new car. Oh yeah. If that really satisfied us, everyone would still be driving the first new car they ever bought.

But people only keep their new car about six years on average. Okay, so let's decode this mystery. How can we find real happiness? Well, today on A New Beginning, Pastor Greg Laurie brings us a message on happiness.

Jesus addressed that subject in his sermon on the mountain. God wants you to be happy. I don't think that's the view many people have of God.

They think that he is just the ultimate party crasher. He's out to rain in your parade. He's out to make your life miserable. Nothing can be further from the truth. The fact is God wants you to be happy.

But we have to come to this. God's definition is probably different than our definition of happiness. And it's laid out before us here in the greatest sermon ever preached, the Sermon on the Mount. Now the Sermon on the Mount begins with what we often call the beatitudes. They've been described as the beautiful attitudes or attitudes that should be.

Another way you could sum them up is the be happy attitudes. Each beatitude begins with the word blessed. The word blessed is interchangeable with the word happy. All right, so basically Jesus is saying if you want to be happy, be these things and do these things.

All right, so let's read them together. We're going to read Matthew chapter 5 verse 2 down to verse 9. Then he opened his mouth and taught them, that would be the 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 they 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.

Point number one. God wants you to be blessed and happy. God wants you to be blessed and happy.

There was a blessing that the priests were to pronounce over the people of Israel and they would say the Lord bless you. The Lord keep you and make his face shine upon you and be gracious unto you. The Lord turn his face towards you and give you peace. God wants to bless you.

Let me take it a step further. God loves to bless you. Sometimes we think God is stingy. He's holding back his blessings. Do you know a stingy person?

No you can't have that. Do you know a generous person? Yes you can have that and even more God is generous not stingy. God loves to bless you.

But how different. His definition of happiness is from our culture. If we were to rewrite the beatitudes for the modern culture it might sound something like this. Blessed are the beautiful for they shall be admired. Blessed are the wealthy for they shall be envied. Blessed are the popular for they shall be loved. Blessed are the famous for they shall be followed. But that's not what Jesus said.

He drops his bombshell and I think people misunderstand their first beatitude and because it's the linchpin of all the others it's really important for us to understand what this means. Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Bringing me to point number two. Happy people are humble people. Happy people are humble people. Now this has been wrongly understood to be saying blessed are the poor. This is not what Jesus said. He said blessed are the poor in spirit. There is no blessedness and being rich or poor in and of itself. The Bible does not commend poverty nor does it condemn wealth. It does say the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. People sometimes say the Bible says money is the root of all evil.

I don't know what Bible you're reading but my Bible doesn't say that. My Bible says the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil which while some have coveted after they've erred from the faith. Money's neutral. Money can be good. Money can help. Money can do things for the kingdom of God. Money can be problematic. It can even be evil. It can destroy a person's life.

It all depends on your attitude toward it. What Jesus says is blessed are the poor in spirit. What does this mean? Blessed is the man. Blessed is the woman. Happy is the person who sees himself as they really are. Lost, hopeless, and destitute, and desperately in need of God. That's what it means to be poor in spirit. So you have to see yourself for who you are. You have to see yourself as a sinner who really needs a savior. And this is hard for some people to call themselves what they are. To see themselves as they are.

I mean this is counter to culture today. We're told things like you're more than enough. Self-love is the greatest love. You're a winner at our at our games for our children. You know we don't keep score because everyone's a winner. Everyone is not a winner. There are losers in life. We're not all that and a bag of chips as some think. Self-love is not the greatest love. You are not more than enough. You need help. You're a sinner as I am.

As we all are. General Naaman is the perfect example of this. Now General Naaman from Syria was a leper. And he had a maid who was a Jewish woman that worked for him. And she told him about a wonder working prophet in Israel that could pray for him. So he went to Israel to meet this prophet Elisha. And he pulled up at the home of Elisha. Probably in a beautiful chariot surrounded by bodyguards covered in gleaming armor.

He was quite a spectacle. General Naaman and he demanded to see Elisha. Elisha doesn't even answer the door.

He sends his servant out. Guy named Gehazi. Hey how's it going Naaman?

The prophet says go immerse yourself in the Jordan River seven times and you'll be healed. Nice to see you. Bye. Shuts the door.

And it's like wait hello do you know who I am? I'm not going to go to the Jordan River. That's a dirty river. We have better rivers back in Syria. I'll just go home. One of his associates said hey you know it's worth a try.

I mean you've got nothing to lose. Well General Naaman didn't want to immerse himself in any river because that meant he had to take his armor off and reveal his true condition. I don't think most of his soldiers knew he was a leper. Leprosy was a horrible disfiguring disease.

So as he took off his helmet maybe for the first time for many of them to see and took off his breastplate they could see the disfiguring effects of leprosy. He had to humble himself and go down into that dirty little Jordan River. And he immersed himself the first time.

Came up. Still a leper. Immerse himself again. Still a leper. Three four five six times. Still a leper.

He goes down the seventh time. Comes up completely healed of his leprosy. The Bible says the skin was like that of a little baby. Have you ever looked at a baby's skin? So amazing.

So perfect. Have you ever looked at your skin through a magnifying mirror? It's horrifying.

Horrifying. You know I'll shave and I'll think I did a good job. Then I'll look in the magnifying mirror.

I miss spots. That that's such an old man thing. But then you see all the flaws and the blemishes and the effects of age etc.

But you see he had to humble himself and peel off his armor and admit his real condition. Blessed are the poor in spirit. Blessed are those that see themselves as they really are. Oh we can spend a life chasing after happiness and never finding it. We say I need to find myself.

I'm leaving this marriage. I'm not happy anymore. I need to find myself.

Oh shut up. You want to find yourself? Jesus says lose yourself. Deny yourself.

The Bible is counter to all the things the culture tells us. Jesus says humble yourself. Lose yourself and you'll find yourself. The Bible tells us humble yourself into the mighty hand of God and he'll exalt you in due time. If you want to find true happiness you must be poor in spirit.

See yourself as you really are. Classic example of a guy who is poor in spirit is a man who went into the temple to pray. Jesus told the story.

Two men went in the temple to pray. One was a sinner. One was a Pharisee. Actually the sinner was a publican. Not a Republican. A publican. And that meant he was a tax collector. So they were not looked upon favorably at that time.

They're not looked on favorably in this time. But they both went to pray. A sinner and a Pharisee who is of the highest order of religious accomplishment. And so the Pharisee starts his prayer like this. God I thank you that I'm not like other people. Man you know your prayers are messed up when you say something like that. And then he takes it as different.

Especially not like this dude over here. And then Jesus said and the sinner wouldn't even lift his eyes up. He just beat his chest and said God be merciful to me a sinner. And then he even said him actually in the original language it would be God be merciful to me the sinner. He said man I'm I'm the worst of the lot. God be merciful. That's all he said. Jesus said who do you think went down?

Justified. It wasn't that Pharisee. It was the men who saw his real condition. Blessed are the poor in spirit. Pastor Greg Laurie will have the second half of his message in just a moment. Well we're considering the Beatitudes today. Part of the Lord's Sermon on the Mount.

Pastor Greg's text is Matthew chapter 5. You could also translate this happy are the unhappy. What? That doesn't make any sense to us. So to be happy I need to be sad.

Yes. In this way. You have to see yourself as you really are. I'm a sinner who needs a savior. And I'm sorry for what I've done.

And I want to change. So I mourn over my condition. Listen better to mourn now and laugh later than to laugh now and mourn later. Some people all they want to do is laugh. All they want to do is get drunk and party and laugh and laugh and laugh. They don't even know what they're laughing at.

Everything's funny to a drunk. But really what is that all about? Solomon went on a sin binge. Basically trying everything the world has to offer. And he said in Ecclesiastes 2 when I said come on let's give pleasure a try. Let's look for the good things in life. But I found it was meaningless. Solomon says it's silly to be laughing all the time.

What good does it do to only seek pleasure? You know some people they suppress tears. They should be crying and instead they're laughing. Before he died of AIDS Freddie Mercury the lead singer of Queen recorded a song called Party. And in the song he sings quote we were up all night singing and giving a chase.

The next morning everybody was hung over. And then in the refrain he repeatedly implores his party mates to come back and play. End quote.

But see here's the problem. There comes a time when the party's over. All the laughing is behind you and it really has led to nothing. It's better to be sad over your condition. Because the Bible says in 2 Corinthians 7 10 the kind of sorrow God wants us to experience leads us away from sin and results in salvation. There's no regret for that kind of sorrow. But worldly sorrow which lacks repentance results in spiritual death.

In other words hey I'm sorry and I'm sorry enough to stop. See the the problem is we will minimize sin. We'll say things like well God loves me and accepts me as I am. Amen. Don't judge my journey.

Right. Well God does love you and he does accept you as you are. But he wants to change you. And he wants you to repent of your sin.

And he wants you to come into a right relationship with him. When the prodigal son was away from his father he was sad. When he returned to his father in repentance he was glad.

That brings us to point number four. A happy person will be a meek person. A happy person will be a meek person. Blessed are the meek. Now meekness is not celebrated in our culture.

Maybe because we don't understand what it is. For starters meekness is not weakness. The best definition of meekness is power under constraint. It describes the breaking of a power of a powerful stallion. So when you climb on a beautiful horse. How many of you love to ride horses? I prefer horsepower.

I like a throttle. And I decide when it starts and when it stops. Because I was on a horse once I wouldn't stop. And that's kind of a scary process. Like where's the emergency brake on this animal.

Right. So the idea is that you're breaking the horse as they say. The horse is submitting its will. It's not that it's lost its will. It's not that it's not stronger than you. But it has surrendered its will to the rider. So when the Bible talks of meekness it doesn't mean I'm weak.

It means I know who's in charge. And I've surrendered my will over to his. But in our culture we celebrate revenge. You know there are these films out with Liam Neeson called Taken. Right. Taken. There's three Taken films. What if they came out with a fourth film in the Taken series. But it was different. Taken.

Churning over a new leaf. And in the film Liam Neeson picks up the phone and he says I have a particular set of skills. Skills that make me a nightmare for a person like you. I will pursue you. I will find you. And I will forgive you.

Who would watch that. It sounds good. I will forgive you and give you a quick hug. Wait. No you kill them. But before you kill them you beat them mercilessly. And that's the movie I want to see.

In slow-mo preferably. But this is what the Bible is saying. It's forgiving. One of the best examples of meekness and forgiveness in the Bible is the story of Joseph. Sold by his brothers into slavery. Ultimately exalted to a powerful position where he could have had them all summarily executed. But instead he forgives them.

Instead he forgives them. That is what meekness is. But the ultimate example of meekness is Jesus himself. He laid down everything for us and willingly went to the cross and died in our place. And the only autobiographical statement ever Jesus gave he said in Matthew 11 29 I am meek and lowly in heart. Does that mean Jesus was weak.

Of course not. He was the strongest man who ever lived. With just a word he could destroy his enemies. When they arrested him in the Garden of Gethsemane he said who are you looking for. They said Jesus of Nazareth. He said I am. And the Bible says they all fell backwards.

It's like dominoes. I am. Those are the words of God from Mount Sinai to Moses. I am that I am. Jesus could have said I am and you were by the end.

Do that in slow motion. But he did not act in that way. He laid his life down for us. And so do you have this attitude in your life right now. Are you a happy person. The only way you can be a happy person is to be a person who knows God. Pastor Greg Laurie is bringing us a good look at happiness. The real source of happiness. The real pathway of happiness from the pages of scripture.

And there's more to come here on A New Beginning. So can you say you're a happy person. Happy as the Bible defines it. Have you come into a relationship with Jesus and had your sins forgiven and your eternal life secured. Pastor Greg maybe there's somebody listening who isn't sure that they have come to the Lord in that way.

What would you say to them? I would say that God is just a prayer away. You know it doesn't take years to become a Christian. It doesn't take months. Frankly it doesn't even take hours.

It can happen so quickly. It just starts with you saying to God I know I'm a sinner. I know that you love me. I know that you sent Jesus to die on the cross for my sin and pay for those sins and then to rise again from the dead and I want him to come into my life. So here's my question to you.

Have you done that yet? Because Jesus who did die on that cross and rose again from the dead three days later is alive and standing at the door of your life right now and he's knocking and he's saying if you'll hear my voice and open the door I will come in. Why don't you just stop whatever it is you're doing and pray this prayer with me. Say Lord Jesus I know that I am a sinner but I know that you are the Savior who died on the cross for my sin and rose again from the dead. I'm sorry for my sin and I turn from it now and I choose to follow you from this moment forward. I ask all of this in Jesus name.

Amen. Listen if you just prayed that prayer the Bible promises that God has heard your prayer and has answered that prayer. The Bible says if we will confess our sin he's faithful and just to forgive us our sin and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. So God bless you you've made the right decision.

The decision to follow Jesus Christ. Yeah yeah that's right and listen Pastor Greg would like to help you start off right living for the Lord. He'd like to send you his New Believers Bible. It features hundreds of helps for new believers and it's written in an easy to understand translation. So contact us for your free copy of the New Believers Bible. Call us at 1-800-821-3300.

That's 1-800-821-3300 or just go online to harvest.org and click know God. You know Pastor Greg there are few things that parents don't have to force kids to do. You may need to insist that they eat their vegetables. You may need to make sure they brush their teeth. You may need to take a firm stand on washing their hands before dinner. But parents parents don't need to insist the kids eat dessert.

Yeah. They don't have to make sure the little ones go to the amusement park and they don't have to force them to watch cartoons. That's true. So parents have it pretty easy in introducing their kids to our new animated series The Adventures Have Been Born Again and Yellow Dog.

Isn't that right? That's right and I think that you will find when your kids watch these cartoons that they'll be pulled in because the first thing that we set out to do is make them entertaining. It has to be what shall we call it a proper cartoon. It can't just be a sermon.

So there's funny gags and the visuals on this are really impressive. I'm working I'm working with a fantastic animation studio to help bring these characters to life but then we have the message of the gospel. We have the word of God interwoven in every one of these cartoons and so we're hoping that you will use them as a tool to reach your children to reach your grandchildren and this is something we're very excited about. It's a whole new thing we're exploring together and I need you to help me do this because well how shall I put this animation is not inexpensive. It's a big commitment but I think it's a commitment worth making because you're going to reach a generation you would not reach with perhaps other tools that we have at our disposal at Harvest right now. We want to reach people of all ages and so if you care about this next generation if you want to reach your kids your grandkids your neighborhood kids then we encourage you to be a part of what we're doing with Ben Born Again and his little buddy Yellow Dog.

Here's just a little dialogue from one of the cartoons to give you a sense of what it sounds like. What's up? I'm Ben Born Again. Get it? It's a play on words as in I've been born again. Huh?

What does that even mean? Oh sorry I forgot to introduce you to my buddy Yellow Dog. Yellow Dog? Why did you even name me that?

Dude because you're yellow and you are a dog. It's a cool name. Oh I see. And this month we're offering a special resource that's brand new. It's called the Ben Born Again New Believers Growth Book. Now we have had a version of this out for many years that has touched thousands of people but we thought it's time to revisit it to add to it to update it to make it fresh and new.

You know how they say in the commercials it's new and improved and actually it really is new and improved. And we want to send you a copy of the Ben Born Again New Believers Growth Book for your gift of any size. This would be a great tool for you to share with your kids. You could do devotions with it or just give it to them to read on their own.

It has lots of fun lots of fun little cartoon drawings throughout but some great biblical truth embedded in it. So whatever you're able to send us financially will be used to help us to continue on in animation and tools to reach children as well as all that we do for people of all ages all around the world. Our podcast our radio show our tv show and much more.

So be generous this month. Help us reach this next generation and get your own copy of the Ben Born Again New Believers Growth Book. Yeah we'll be glad to send it right out to you to thank you for partnering with us and getting the word of God to the people of God the people of God of all ages. And if you feel led to partner with us on a regular basis be sure to ask about becoming a Harvest Partner. And when you support us be sure to ask for the Ben Born Again New Believers Growth Book. But we can only mention this a short time longer so contact us soon.

You can call us at 1-800-821-3300 that's 1-800-821-3300 or write a new beginning box 4000 Riverside California 92514 or go online to harvest.org. Well next time Pastor Greg brings us more from the Lord's insight on where happiness can be found. Join us here on A New Beginning with Pastor and Bible Teacher Greg Laurie. Thanks for listening to A New Beginning with Greg Laurie a podcast made possible by Harvest Partners helping people everywhere know God. Sign up for daily devotions and learn how to become a Harvest Partner at harvest.org.