01. The Pursuit Of Happiness Series

Dr. Bradford Reaves

Crossway Christian Fellowship

Hagerstown, MD

www.mycrossway.org

Today we begin with a series of the greatest sermons ever spoken to the ears of man. It is the greatest because they are the words of our Lord and Eternal King himself. If ever there was a more important time for the Church to awaken itself to these words, I would say that we are living in them. If we were to seriously take the words of Jesus in this message to heart, our lives, and our churches would be radically different, and that is what I hope we allow the Holy Spirit to do over the next several months.

I take issue with those who have taught this message before me that this is a message of changing your attitude or imparting self-help lessons of being a better you. This sermon given by Jesus was not mere platitudes, nor was it meant to help you feel better about yourself. The early verse are not about what we are to “be”. No, rather I would say right out of the gate that Jesus tells us that to do things that are impossible for us to do. Thus, in doing so we come to the realization that we are hopeless wrecked without turning our lives over to a Savior.

In an essay printed in ‘God in the Dock’, by C.S. Lewis, Lewis is responding to a series of criticisms by a man named Dr. W. Norman Pettinger. In the process of answering these critiques Lewis responds to some accusations Pettinger made that Lewis did not ‘care for’ the Sermon on the Mount but preferred instead to focus on Paul’s teachings. This was Lewis’ reply:

“As to ‘caring for’ the Sermon on the Mount, if ‘caring for’ here means ‘liking’ or enjoying, I suppose no one ‘cares for’ it. Who can like being knocked flat on his face by a sledgehammer? I can hardly imagine a more deadly spiritual condition than that of the man who can read that passage with tranquil pleasure. This is indeed to be at ease in Zion.” (C.S. Lewis, God in the Dock (1958).

So, if I say something during this series that offends you, I have done my job, but in offending you, I hope that I point you to the cross to surrender that offense and bring you to a closer relationship with our Lord. To put it plainly, the Gospel is not a message to make you feel better about yourself, nor is it reserved for the religious elite.

The Apostle Paul said, in 1 Corinthians 1:23 “but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness,” It is the door of salvation to the vilest a person but it will cost you everything, but promises so much more. Thus, may I emphatically say that we should never make coming through the door of salvation difficult. This is the difficult balance for the Church: we maintain a distinction from the rest of the world in our lives, yet not hinder the world from discovering Christ in the midst of the mess the world leaves in one’s life. Thus, we find before us the words of our Lord.

1 Now when Jesus saw the crowds, He went up on the mountain; and after He sat down, His disciples came to Him. 2 And He opened His mouth and began to teach them, saying, 3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:1–3)

Having told you that Jesus’ sermon will wreck you and, in the words of Lewis, leave you feeling like you were knocked on your face by a sledgehammer, may I also say that Jesus was in the business of providing people with happiness. Let me say that again, Jesus is interested in bringing to your life true happiness. Now, I’m not talking about happiness based on your circumstances or possessions. I’m talking about an inward joy, a status of contentment, and a life of fulfillment that never depends on circumstance or is subject to change based on this world. Instead, it is a state of well-being rooted in the relationship with God that He intended us to live at the creation.

So right out of the gate, Jesus begins his sermon with a word that is overused and misunderstood in the church - “Blessed.” The Greek word Jesus uses is the word marikos which can mean ‘happy’ or even ‘carefree.’ But it goes a step further. This inward blessedness indicates a character that touches the very heart of our existence and it is a word that is used to describe God (c.f. Psalm 68:35, Psalm 72:18, Psalm 119:12, 1 Timothy 1:11).

So with that in mind let’s look at the context Jesus gives this sermon. Matthew tells us that Jesus saw the crowds, went up on the mountain, and began to teach them. This is vitally important and is much more than a description of his actions. But it reminds us of something vitally important in the context of his day.