How to Be Happy, Part 2 | Finding True Happiness

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Sign up at harvest.org. Jesus says, blessed are the merciful. Pastor Greg Laurie points out having mercy towards someone in need not only encourages them, it's a pathway to our own happiness. Mercy is not just seeing a need, it's meeting the need. It's pity plus action. It's doing something about it. We can stand around all day and say, oh, I feel so sorry for those people. But mercy says, I'm going to do something for those people. For many people, happiness is as elusive as the proverbial pot of gold at the end of a rainbow.

They try this, they try that, they try nearly everything else and just find the whole pursuit quite trying. If it only flipped to Matthew chapter 5, they discover how to find happiness written in black and white. And that's where we'll turn today on A New Beginning as Pastor Greg Laurie brings a message called How to Be Happy.

Hear his additional messages on the subject at harvest.org. Happiness, it's something we all want, but it can be so elusive and it's not unique to our day and age, by the way. 2,000 years ago, the Greek philosopher Aristotle made this statement. Happiness is the meaning and purpose in life. It's the very aim and end of human existence. But how can we find happiness? Sometimes people say money will make you happy. Well, we know that's not true because we all know of people that have a lot of money who are not happy. We know where we won't find happiness, but where do we find happiness? You know, USA Today newspaper did an article on happiness, what it is and how to get it.

They interviewed hundreds of experts on the topic. And they did this study during the holiday season. So they thought people would maybe be a little more happy than normal. And here's what they discovered from talking to experts on the subject of happiness. Number one, they discovered that families and friends provide the best antidote to unhappiness. A marriage makes most people happier and a close family inoculates many kids against despair, according to long-term research. They also found the happiest people all seem to have good friends.

So families and friends, the best antidote to unhappiness. Number two, things don't make you happy. University of Illinois psychologist Ed Diner said, quote, materialism is toxic for happiness. Even rich materialists aren't as happy as those who could care less about getting and spending.

Number three, I found this one very interesting. If you want to be happy, be grateful for what you have. So gratefulness is a key component of happiness. Psychologists say gratitude has a lot to do with life satisfaction. Talking and writing about what they're grateful for amplifies adults' happiness. They also said it's important to learn to savor even the smallest pleasures of life. Here's another one.

I really like this. Forgiving people are happy people. University of Michigan psychologist Christopher Peterson says, quote, forgiveness is the trait most strongly linked to happiness, end quote.

He adds, it's the queen of all virtues and probably the hardest to come by. One more point. They found that Scandinavians are the happiest people.

So if you're Scandinavian, you have this wire. Otherwise, there's these other principles. But isn't it worth noting that all of these are biblical principles and premise apart from being Scandinavian? Gratefulness, forgiving, family, friends, and so forth. So here before us now in the Sermon on the Mount, the point of entry is what we call the beatitudes. Or another way to put it, attitudes that should be. You could even call them the be happy attitudes, right? And each beatitude begins with the word blessed. And as I pointed out to you before, the word blessed is interchangeable with the word happy. So you could just as easily say happy are the poor in spirit. Happy are the meek. Happy are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness and so forth.

So keep that in mind as we read them again. Jesus is unlocking for us the secret to happiness. Matthew chapter five starting in verse two. He opened his mouth and taught them saying.

Let me add a little note here. We often think that the Sermon on the Mount was delivered to thousands of people. In reality, it was delivered to the disciples of Jesus while a crowd was gathered around them. And the reason I bring that up is because these truths are for Christians only. Only a believer can live by the Sermon on the Mount.

He opened his mouth and taught them. That would be the disciples saying, verse three, blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they shall be 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. We'll stop there.

Let's review what we all already discovered together. First of all, happy are the humble. Happy are the humble. Blessed are the poor in spirit. To be poor in spirit means you see yourself as you really are. Spiritually destitute. A sinner in need of a savior.

Number two, happy people are unhappy people if you will. Blessed are they that mourn, verse four, for they shall be comforted. Contextually what this means is I see my sinful condition. I'm sorry for the way that I am.

I'm sorry for the things I've said and things that I've done and I mourn over it. The Bible says godly sorrow produces repentance. Then thirdly, a happy person will be a meek person, verse five. Blessed are the meek and all that means is simply seeing myself as I am. It's power under constraint. Remember meekness is not weakness. Power is submitting yourself to the authority of God. Then we have the desire for a righteous life. A happy person passionately desires a righteous life, verse six. Blessed are those that hunger and thirst for righteousness for they shall be filled.

It's the speaking of spiritual hunger. There are some kinds of food that when I eat those foods I'm not hungry afterwards. Mexican food would be one of them.

Italian food would be another especially if it involves pasta. After I eat I'm full. In fact I'm ready to go into a food coma. But then there are other kinds of food that when I eat them I don't feel as full like sushi. I love sushi right. But maybe an hour later I'm hungry again.

I remember a bunch of us went out to sushi one night and had a great meal and afterwards we were hungry and we went out and got a pizza right. So it's a hunger and thirst for righteousness though. A hunger and desire for God. Pastor Greg Laurie will have the second half of his message in just a moment. Whenever you send us an email letter or post a comment on social media we read every word. Pastor Greg I've been listening to A New Beginning since 1980 when I first came to know the Lord. Although I never visited Harvest Christian Fellowship until recently I would always listen to you and appreciated your steadfast unmovable and faithful teaching of God's word. I'm grateful for your continued love for the lost. May you continue with the grace of God Pastor Greg. How have these daily studies touched you and your family?

Tell us your story. Write Pastor Greg an email. Send it to Greg at Harvest dot org.

Do it today while you're thinking about it. Again that's Greg at Harvest dot org. Well we take a look now at what happy people do. These are characteristics of happy people according to the beatitudes in Matthew 5.

Here's Pastor Greg once again. Happy people are merciful people. Happy people are merciful people. Look at verse 7. Blessed are the merciful.

What does that mean? To be merciful means that I understand and empathize with those that don't know Jesus yet. You know it's very easy in our polarized society today to see anyone that disagrees with us as our mortal enemy. But we should never think of someone who holds a different view than we hold or someone who does not have our faith and non-believer as the enemy. They're not the enemy.

The fact of the matter is they're under the control of the enemy. And the enemy is Satan. The Bible says we should pray for people that are not believers yet. 2 Timothy 2 26.

So they'll come to their senses and escape from the devil's trap for they're being held captive by him to do whatever he wants. So when I'm merciful I see behind the mask I see behind the facade and I see the person and I find myself caring about them. Now this is a radical thing for Jesus to say. Remember Rome was effectively in control of a good part of the in control of a good part of the world at this time including Judea. So this is a Roman culture and Romans did not value mercy. In fact Romans looked with disdain on mercy. A Roman philosopher of the day said quote mercy was the disease of the soul end quote. They saw mercy as a sign of weakness. The Romans glorified justice courage discipline and power and they did not value human life. When a child was born at this time in Roman culture the father had the right of patria protestus.

Patria protestus. Which simply meant that if he wanted the newborn child to live he held his thumb up. If he did not want the child to live he held his thumb down.

And he had this power a patria protestus throughout the life of the child. Which means if he didn't like the way the kid was turning out he could have the child executed until that child became an adult. So that means that they could kill their children at any stage of life. Is that any different than abortion? Especially late-term abortion. Did you know that 10,000 babies lives are lost every year to late-term abortions.

The majority of which take place for elective reasons. Former Virginia governor Ralph Northam admitted publicly that he believed it was permissible as both a physician and a governor to allow survivors of botched abortions to be left to die even if they were born alive. Now that's just a modern version of patria protestus. That's just a modern version of saying I don't want this child who has been born to live. Senate Democratic leaders killed a bill that would have required medical care for babies who survive abortion. What kind of thinking is this?

And you say Greg why are you bringing this up? This is political. Yes it is political. And sometimes our moral views and our spiritual views derived from scripture spill right into the world of politics. We're getting ready to vote people.

And I'll tell you for me personally I could never vote for any candidate that supports abortion. So coming back to mercy. The Romans derided mercy. They they laughed at mercy.

And our culture is similar today in that regard. But Jesus says blessed are the merciful. But what does it mean specifically. The word that Jesus uses here in Matthew 6-3 for mercy is also used concerning the word almsgiving. So what it means literally is helping a person in need.

It's very simple. Mercy is seeing a man without food and giving them food. Mercy is seeing someone who is lonely and giving them company. Mercy is not just seeing a need it's meeting the need.

It's pity plus action. It's doing something about it. We can stand around all day and say oh I feel so sorry for those people. But mercy says I'm going to do something for those people. These people who extend mercy.

It's very important. But let's not misunderstand it. He says blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy. Jesus is not saying I must give mercy in order to receive mercy. Because if that were the case that would mean there's something I do to receive salvation.

Here's what it really means. Jesus is saying since you have been a recipient of mercy. Since God has extended his mercy to you. Therefore you should be a merciful person. Forgiven people should be forgiving people. Willing to show that same mercy to others as well.

Number two. A happy person will be a holy person. A happy person will be a holy person. Verse eight. Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God.

Now this comes back to what's already happened to us if we go to the first beatitude. I've seen myself as I am a sinner. I've mourned over my condition.

Producing a sense of meekness in me and a hunger and thirst for spiritual things and a desire to extend mercy. Now I have this purity in heart. You know it's funny with the heart because we use it to express our emotion. We'll say something like well you know my mind says one thing but my heart says another. Or if we don't think someone is compassionate enough we'll say hey man where's your heart. Or of another we might say oh he wears his heart on his sleeve. So coming back to the question of where's your heart maybe it's on your sleeve.

Check it might be there. Then there's countless songs about the heart. Of course Stevie Nicks sing along with Tom Petty.

Stop Dragging My Heart Around. Billy Ray Sias had an achy breaky heart. And he also had a mullet. And the mullet has made a comeback.

Can you believe it? Who would have ever thought of all hairstyles we would see mullets again but I'm seeing them everywhere. I see a guy with one right now.

Okay. So I had something worse than a mullet. And I wish I had a picture but I don't have one for you. I had something worse than a mullet.

I call it a scullet. I'm losing my hair so I'm combing it over on the top. You know what a comb over is right? How many of you have comb overs?

Okay they'll never admit it. We know what you're doing. So you grow your hair really long. You comb it over and then you lay hairspray on it.

I had so much hairspray on my comb over it was bulletproof. Anyway so we sing about the heart. We talk about the heart. And what we are saying is well it's our emotion. But in the Bible that's not what the heart means.

It doesn't mean your emotion. When the Bible says love the Lord your God with all of your mind with all of your soul with all of your heart it's talking about loving God with everything. In the Hebrew thinking and as Jesus is expressing it when we talk about being pure in heart it means your whole being is directed toward God. And it's purity. I mean how can you be pure in heart?

We're so into purity these days. You know pure water. We all carry bottled water around with us. You know this everyone has the bottled water. You have agua vida, agua fina, Dasani, Evian, Evian.

Arrowhead. So we obsess over the purity of the water we drink. You know but God is interested in the purity of our heart. But how do you have a pure heart? Let's understand what it means. To be pure in heart means to be single in your heart.

Let me explain. Later in the Sermon on the Mount Jesus says if your eye is single your whole body will be full of light but if your eye is evil or double visioned your whole body will be full of darkness. To be single or to be pure in heart means to have a single focus on Jesus Christ.

That clarity. It's a one thing we should all want as Christians. David wrote one thing I desired of the Lord and that will I seek after that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.

One thing. Then Paul says this one thing I do forgetting the things that are behind and pressing forward to the things that are before I press toward the mark for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. But also a happy person will be a peacemaker.

Look at verse 9. Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called sons of God. Now this is not talking really about people that march for peace or work for peace so that is a good thing if it's done right. But having said that this verse is really talking about a person who is spreading the gospel of peace. Seeking to introduce people to the prince of peace. The gospel is called the good news of peace through Jesus Christ in Acts 10 36. In Romans 10 15 it says how beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace who bring glad tidings of good things. But I have to warn you when you preach the gospel of peace some people are going to revolt.

Sometimes people need to get mad at you before you can get them happy with you. Does that make sense? Jesus summed it up this way. He said over in Matthew 10 34 do you think that I came to bring peace on earth? I did not come to bring peace but a sword from man's enemies will be those of his own household. You see now I don't understand what you're talking about.

Okay here's how it works. Let's take your family and let's say your family you're all non-believers and when you get together for the holidays you drink and you get drunk and you tell off-color jokes and you carry on like a family and in your own dysfunctional way you have something going there. And then you go out and dare to become a Christian. And you show up at the family reunion hey everybody and and now as the meal's being served you say um do you think maybe we could do a little prayer? You even say it like that. Let's pray.

Oh brother yeah go ahead you do your little prayer. Everyone resents you. You're ruining all their fun. Why did you have to go and become a Christian? You think I came to bring peace?

I tell you rather division. Everyone's mad at you now but then one other family member comes to Christ. Now there's two of you. Now you're praying together for the rest of the family. Now there's three of you.

Now there's four of you. Now everybody in the family has come to Christ and it's a whole new world but someone had to be the first one to believe. So that division ultimately brought the ultimate peace in your family. Blessed are the peacemakers Jesus says for they shall be called the sons of God. If you're a Christian you are a son of God. You are a daughter of God.

What a privilege that is. No matter what you do. Maybe you're a wayward son or a wayward daughter but you're still a son and you're still a daughter. Behold what manner of love the father has given to us that we should be called the children of God. Great insights today from the Beatitudes in the Lord's Sermon on the Mount and Pastor Greg Laurie has more to come from this study here on A New Beginning so don't miss it. Pastor Greg mentioned that Christians are sons and daughters of God. It's a mind-boggling privilege to be called the children of God. But if you've not made your peace with God if you've not yet come to Jesus to have your sins forgiven that doesn't yet apply to you. But Pastor Greg someone can enter into that kind of relationship today can't they?

They can and it's so simple and I think because it's so simple people think oh it can't be that easy. Well look Jesus did all the heavy lifting. He carried the cross for you. He died on that cross that he carried. This isn't about what you do.

It's about what he's done. But here's what the Bible says whoever will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved. You say well okay how do I do that? You do it through prayer and if you pray this prayer after me I believe God will hear it and answer it and Christ will come to live inside of you. So if you want Jesus to come into your life and forgive you of your sin if you want to know that you'll go to heaven when you die if you want to fill that big hole in your heart pray these words if you would. Lord Jesus I know that I'm a sinner but I know that you're the Savior who died on the cross for my sin. I am sorry for my sin and I turn from it now and I choose to follow you from this moment forward. Be my Savior and my Lord. Be my God and my friend. Thanks for hearing this prayer and answering this prayer in Jesus name I pray.

Amen. Listen if you just prayed that prayer I want you to know that God has heard you and has answered it. The Bible says these things we write to you that believe on the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life. That you may know it's yours now.

God has given it to you because it's the gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Congratulations and welcome to the family of God. Yeah yeah that's right and listen we want to help you get started in this new relationship with the Lord.

Would you let us send you something? It's free of charge. It's Pastor Greg's New Believers Bible. Scores of people have read this edition of God's word.

New believers love the study helps written just for them and they appreciate that it's in an easy to understand translation. We'll send it to you today. Just ask for the New Believers Bible when you call 1-800-821-3300. You can call anytime 1-800-821-3300. Or write A New Beginning Box 4000 Riverside California 92514.

Or go online to harvest.org. Well it's such a joy to make available a brand new book from author Max Locato called What Happens Next? It's a wonderful book about the last days.

Each page is so full of inspiration and insight. Max let me ask you what's the one thing you'd say to those who know they have just a short time left? What do they need to know about what's coming? Well first of all say yes to Jesus. The purpose of this life is to decide where we're going to spend the next life.

And so just say yes to him. Just make sure that your name is written in the book of life. And then embrace the brevity of this life. You know it's going to fast quickly. I talk to people all the time as they're getting older they're thinking, oh I've got to get this done before I die, or I want to do this before I die. And they're in such a sense of almost despair because they feel like their time is running out. Hey if your hope is in heaven you're going to have plenty of time to do everything that's wonderful. So don't you worry about that. Go ahead and embrace the brevity of this life and then get excited about the beauty of the next life. One time when I was I think when I turned 60 years of age I took a big rope and I had my daughters over there all at the house and I took a rope and I threw it over our balcony and I said let this rope represent my whole existence my eternal life and I gave each one of them a marker and I said now mark on this rope the duration of your father's life and they looked at me gave me a quizzical look and then they began to nod and and they one of them said dad I can't make the dot small enough and that's really a picture of this life I know it can be a challenge I know it can be rough but it's going to pass quickly the apostle Paul talked about these brief and momentary struggles are not worth comparing with the glory that awaits us so if your days are coming to an end get excited get excited not about how you use the rest of these days on earth which is important but how excited how wonderful it's going to be the minute you close your eyes on this life and you begin your eternal life I remember hearing Billy Graham say once what the greatest surprise of life has been for him and his answer was the brevity of it and you've just addressed that and we want to be ready for eternity and we've got a book that's going to point you to the ultimate book which of course is the word of God and this new book by max locator was titled what happens next max has described this as prophecy 101 so if you've always wanted to study this topic of the end times and know more about the anti-christ and armageddon and the tribulation period and the second coming and the millennium and the rapture this is the book that you want what happens next prophecy 101 by max locato and we have a copy waiting for you and we'll send it to you this month for your gift of any size make sure you get a copy you're going to love it yeah that's true it's such an encouraging resource on a topic that can be a little daunting max has said he wants people to be prepared not scared so get in touch with your investment in the work of this ministry and we'll thank you with a copy of max locato's new book what happens next just call us just call us at 1-800-821-3300 we can take your call anytime that's 1-800-821-3300 or write a new beginning box 4000 riverside california 92514 or just go online to harvest.org hey everybody greg lorry here you know we're all going to leave a legacy behind whether good or bad and as christians it's vital we leave a godly legacy to the next generation listen i have a creative way to help you do just that i'm excited to announce that here at harvest we've partnered with our friends at free will maybe you've heard of them free will is an easy to use estate planning tool that allows you to make planned gifts to organizations of your choice it's a creative opportunity to support the work we're doing here at harvest ministries so as you make your plans i hope you'll consider investing in this ministry so we can continue to preach the gospel and teach the word of god for years to come listen you can't take it with you but you can send it on ahead invest in the work of ministry you can learn more at freewill.com harvest well don't miss our next study pastor greg wraps up this in-depth look at the beatitudes and ties it all together join us here on a new beginning with pastor and bible teacher greg lorry the preceding podcast was made possible by harvest partners helping people everywhere know god learn how to become a harvest partner sign up for daily devotions and find resources to help you grow in your faith at harvest.org