How To Be A Happy Christian
Matt. 5:1-12
This is perhaps one of the most misunderstood passages in the scriptures. It is the core of what has come to be known as the Sermon on the Mount. Those who believe salvation is by works rather than by grace through faith alone, point to these verses as God’s basic plan of salvation. According to their theology, if man desires to be justified before God and make it to heaven, he must meet all the standards of ultimate righteousness outlined here.
Those who advocate a social gospel sincerely believe this passage outlines a wonderful charter for world peace and they urge men and nations to try to conform to it and achieve the idealistic, worldwide, universal utopia that envision as man’s ultimate destiny.
There are sincere Bible-believers who believe this passage does not apply to our day and time but merely describes the perfect future Kingdom of God that will be established when Christ comes to rule this world with a rod of iron for one thousand years.
But I agree with those who believe that the understanding of these verses relates to verse twenty. Jesus said, "For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed [the righteousness] of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven." (Matt 5:20) The pharisees were primarily concerned with an artificial outward righteousness. The truly felt their puny and pathetic attempts to keep the Law could justify them before God and man. They seemed to feel that conduct rather than character was the key to righteousness.
But the words of our Saviour tell us that good conduct can only flow from good character and that good character begins in the heart of man. Only the righteousness of Jesus Christ and the new character given to us when we are made new creatures in Christ Jesus can bring about the sort of real righteous conduct that will be recognized as right and pleasing to God.
These words were spoken on this occasion directly to His disciples who were gathered at the feet of their Teacher upon the mountain top. They are repeated in various forms in the epistles later written by the apostles to those in the early New Testament Churches. These were immersed believes who had already been called into a close knit assembly. They are learning the all things of Jesus and will soon receive instructions detailing local church policy, discipline and responsibility. (See Matt. 16:16-20, 18:16-20) The multitudes are merely onlookers but the disciples are to be inlookers. Jesus is giving insight to the insiders.
These words have been called the beatitudes. Some have called these Christ’s laws for living that have been proven valid and true by true believers throughout centuries of challenging experience. These rules surely describe good attitudes to be in and to always live by. In His last revelation, Jesus guarantees ultimate happiness to all who understand and follow the all things of His teachings. "Blessed [is] he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time [is] at hand." (Rev. 1:3)
We are all interested in true happiness. A loving God surely has a desire to give His dear children His joy unspeakable in all circumstance. He is not some great cynical cosmic kill joy who sits upon the circle of the earth devising methods of punishing and causing His creatures constant pain and heartache. The Greek word used here can literally mean happy. The word emphasizes what we are, not what we have.
It is clear that Jesus desires the state being described in these verse for all those who follow Him. Such a state should be considered the normal Christian life. Someone has said that ordinary Christians are so subnormal that if they lived normally the world would think they were abnormal. Perhaps this reflects an all too common attitude that only those who are super Christians can really serve and please God and influence the world around them. But this is not the case. Here Jesus tells us in the simplest terms how the ordinary Christian can be a happy Christian.
HAPPY CHRISTIANS ARE HIS CHRISTIANS. Our Saviour begins His teaching with those who are seeking to follow Him seated at His feet. These are disciples of the Lord. These are those who have responded to the preaching of John the Baptist. They have repented of their sins and placed their faith in the coming Messiah of Israel; their Kinsman Redeemer. They are those Jesus described as Israelites indeed. They have confirmed and affirmed their repentance and faith by immersion in water at the hands of God’s appointed and authoritative herald of the arrival of the Lamb of God: the One Who would take away their sins and the sins of the world. They have been personally, individually and collectively, called out of the world to follow Him. They belong to Jesus.
Happy Christians today are those who personally belong to Jesus. These are those who have recognized and responded to His claim to be the Way, the Truth and the Life. These are those who have believed all the prophets who have given witness that only through His name they can receive remission of sins. These are those who have understood that neither is there salvation in any other, for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. The old hymn sums it up: "I am His and He is mine..."
This scene illustrates as well that to be a happy Christian means more than merely being saved by the grace of God. A disciple is someone who is a sincere seeker of the truth and a follower of His teacher. Someone who is willing to learn and then place what he has learned into practical effect by daily living out the pattern of life imparted by the teacher. Our Saviour would later say to those who are unhappy and burdened down with the cares of this world: "Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls." (Matt. 11:29) He repeatedly made it clear that true happiness and fulfillment for His disciple can only come through the daily development of such discipleship. "And he said to [them] all, If any [man] will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. (Luke 9:23)
It is a fact of life that we only effectively learn by doing. We can only fully benefit from what we place into practice. Theoretical Christianity finds no foundation in the teachings of our Saviour. This is as it should be. Who would want to have surgery performed by a surgeon with a medical book in his hand? Who would seek marriage counselling by a counselor who has been divorced six times? Who would climb aboard a plane if the pilot does not have the required hours of safe flight to his credit?
HAPPY CHRISTIANS HUNGER FOR THE WORD. This is a classic scene of His disciples sitting at His feet, eagerly awaiting the inspired words that fall like precious pearls from the lips of our Saviour. Many have wondered what it would have been like to have been part of that blessed group.
But in a sense we are even more surely blessed. Jesus attached supreme importance to the scriptures. In this sermon He tells us that not one jot of tittle would be destroyed until He fulfilled the whole. He later would say that the scriptures could never be broken. Although they were receiving His Word line by line and precept by precept, some sixty years would pass before the Eternal One would be fully unveiled to man. We have the more sure word of prophecy. We have the whole Word of God, inspired and recorded, as a complete rule and guide for our faith and practice in our day. We have the whole armor of God and the unsheathed sword of the Spirit to employ in our deadly daily fray with our fearsome foe.
Happy Christians are those who cherish the Word of God. Those who receive it just as personally and respectfully as these did on that day. Those who believe that through His Word Christ speaks to us from heaven today; just as directly as He did to this small band of believers gathered at His feet upon that mountain top. Happy Christians are those who not only believe His Word, but are willing to stand firm upon it; no matter how it might be scorned, ridiculed, attacked or intellectually assailed.
Our hunger for the Word of God finds its practical expression in the doing of it. James said, " .. shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works." The happy Christian not only studies to show himself approved unto God, but also proves he has mastered what he has studied by placing the principles he has gained into effect in his life. We should be doers of the Word and not hearers only.
I read of a church member who went to his pastor and told him of his plan to travel to the Holy Land. He said the high point of his visit would be when he climbed to the very top of Mt. Sanai and read the Ten Commandments out loud in the place Moses received them from the very hand of God. Expecting a word of admiration, he was surprised when his pastor said, "I have a better idea." "What’s that," he asked. The pastor replied bluntly, "Instead of traveling all that way and spending all that money to read them aloud in the holy land, why not stay right here at home and keep them!"
HAPPY CHRISTIANS ARE HUMBLE CHRISTIANS. When Jesus tells us that the kingdom of God belongs to those who are poor in spirit, some might feel He is promoting the concept of a poor self image. A concept that would fly in the face of many modern day merchants of psycho-babble. They assert we must all be filled with self admiration and have the utmost confidence that we are the greatest. Such a spirit of self praise and self assertion are qualities that are antithetical to the Christ-like spirit.
Our Saviour is urging true humility upon us. Such humility is in essence based upon a right attitude toward ourselves. It is being honest with ourselves. It is accepting ourselves as God has made us. It is being willing to allow God to use us for His glory, warts and all.
It also encompasses a correct understanding of our true worth in the eyes of God. Jesus made it clear that each soul created in His image is intrinsically worth more to God than all the riches of this world. Our understanding of self worth must be based upon that clear principle. Above all, our self image must rest upon an accurate assessment of ourselves.
When Paul reviewed this principle in his beatitudes he said, "For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think [of himself] more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith." (Ro. 12:3)
Those who boast of a low estimation of themselves are not poor in the spirit, but poor spirited. Those who might say, "I am not worth anything and cannot do anything," not only deny God’s estimation of our worth and value in His grand scheme of things, but also deny Him the glory He desires to get through us.
Happy Christians must avoid such a false humility. To glory in ones humility is a contradiction in concepts. I can remember back through the years hearing sincere saints say in their salutation to the Lord, "Lord, I came to you just as humbly as I know how..." Not only was such an approach grammatically incorrect, but theologically erroneous as well. Real humility is illusive. If we think we have and know it, we clearly have lost any sense of it we might have had.
Someone has suggested this prayer for times when we may be in danger of being afflicted with an overinflated and sinful ego: "Lord when I am inflated with the air of my imagined successes and accomplishments, please stick me with the pin of humiliation."
A story from the life of Spurgeon, the prince of preachers, seems to speak of the happiness to be gained through a real Christ-like humility. As was common in the day, Spurgeon and his wife kept a milk cow and hens. Some began to call them stingy because they sold all their milk and eggs for a profit and did not give any away. Rumors became rife that they were just greedy. They took the criticism graciously and did not attempt a defense or explanation. It was only after they both had gone on to be with the Lord that the truth came out. Records showed that they had given all the money to two elderly widows whose husbands had spent their lives serving the Lord. It was enough for them that the Lord knew.
A HAPPY CHRISTIAN ARE HURTING CHRISTIANS. The capacity to mourn is clearly a requisite for real happiness in the Lord. We must not only be able to rejoice with those who rejoice, but to hurt with those who hurt and weep with those who weep as well. Jesus showed us the way. He wept when death struck down a friend. He was heartbroken and cried out in His concern for the residents of Jerusalem. He cried in compassion from the cross, "Father forgive them for they know not what they do.."
Happy Christians are those who are not only willing to weep about the effect of sin upon others, but are ready to mourn over their own sins. It was the great Scottish poet who said, "Oh, to see ourselves as others see us.." But even more important is to see our sin as God sees it. We must hate and abhor sin and realize how it offends God. True repentance must entail despising ones sin, mourning over it and turning from it, to a loving and forgiving Father.
Happy Christians are those who hurt for those who are lost. The psalmist tells us that only those who go forth with weeping, bearing precious seeds, can be guaranteed happiness in the harvest. Jeremiah prayed that his head might become a fountain of tears as he mourned for the sins of his people. Paul said about his burden for the lost, "... I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart..."
HAPPY CHRISTIANS ARE NOT HAUGHTY. We are called to meekness. It is important to understand that meekness is not weakness. Jesus, our example of meekness and lowliness in heart, boldly and bravely looked the hypocritical pharisees in the face and told them the awful truth about their false religion. Can anyone really accuse the Jesus with the scourge in His hand; driving the money changers from the temple, of vacillation and weakness? It is said that the word translated meekness here was used by the Greeks to refer to a horse that had been broken and trained. Horse power under control drives the engines of industry even today. True meekness is powerful and active.
When Peter in his poverty was asked for a gift by a lame man he said, "... Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk." (Acts 3:6) This reflects a real meekness that differs from the riches and opulence possessed by many who are called religious leaders today. Peter did not possess pretentious riches, but the power of God rested upon him.
HAPPY CHRISTIANS HUNGER FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS. Jesus is clearly focusing upon the real purposes and priorities of the Christian life with this statement. The natural man has a hunger and thirst, but it is not for righteousness. Quite the contrary. The early expression of the epicurean philosophy concisely sums up the real hunger of the unregenerate man: "Eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow you may die.." This is a statement of a philosophy that can never satisfy the soul.
Many in our world are hungering for many things. Some hunger for riches, and upon accumulating them, find the need to accumulate more an all consuming passion. They finally conclude that there are not enough riches in the whole universe to satisfy man’s overwhelming desire for more affluence. At the end of the way they inevitably find the acquisition of riches is a vanity of all vanities. They find the words of our Savior about the temporal nature of riches all too apt. No matter how much a man may accumulate, when he leaves this world he leaves it all behind. Those seeking fortune always find it cannot buy the simplest joy or real happiness.
Some hunger for fame, and upon achieving it, find the fleeting fragility of fame and fortune. Just a surface survey of the recent history of popular politicians, entertainers and entrepreneurs, easily confirms the illusory nature of imagined fulfillment through fame. How many spend their last days amid the ashes of decaying memories of fleeting moments spent in the fading spotlight of public popularity?
Some hunger for power as the ultimate high of human experience. Only those who have experienced power over the lives of others can really know how seducing this temptress can be. As it is said, "Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts, absolutely." But one only has to consider the end of some of the most powerful men of history to realize the futility of such hungering.
Only those who realize the vanity and emptiness of a life without Christ, can be happy in this world and the world to come. The basis of eternal happiness is the forgiveness of sin, the removal of guilt, the restoration of a right relationship with the Creator and the appropriation of the perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ by faith in Him. The only truly happy place in this world is at the foot of the cross where Jesus died for our sins and paid the price that we might wear the eternal robes of His perfect righteousness forever. Only when we stand upon this sure foundation can we have a real hunger for the holiness and happiness God has for us.
HAPPY CHRISTIANS ARE HELPFUL. If we are to find happiness as Christians we must return to the basics. For the Christian, God’s Great Commandment is still the only basis for lasting happiness and fulfillment. We are to love the Lord our God with all our heart, mind, soul and being and love our neighbor as ourselves.
What is called the golden rule makes it is clear here that the essence of the Christian life is the willingness to serve the Lord by serving others. In meeting the real needs of others first we can find a real sense of service to the Lord.
In her book, “The Corn Of Wheat,” Gladys Nash tells about a time when her car broke down on the highway. After a lengthy wait, she saw a service vehicle approaching and hailed its driver. He discovered she needed a new water hose. He said he would go for a replacement and then return and replace it for her. She waited and waited, but the man didn’t return. She was sure he had forgotten. Finally, he showed up. She asked him where he had been. He said he had gone home and had his dinner first.
All too many seem to seek to serve Christ this way. Placing personal desires, comforts and pleasures first. The old song said it all, "What the world needs now is love, sweet love." Not the mushy, sentimental sort, written about in the romantic ballads of days gone by. Not the erotic, sexual exploitative emotions, permeating so much of today’s so-called entertainment. An emotion that could be more accurately characterized as lust rather than love. But the sort that has its source and power in God. An agape love. A Godlike love. The word love (agape) is essentially a Christian word. It has been defined by a selfless act and haloed with a glory that only God could provide. He used it to express His attitude toward all men and women.
What is the strongest power in this universe? Is it fission or fusion? It is said that if man could unlock the power of controlled nuclear fusion; the power of the sun, he would have unlimited power to probe the uttermost reaches of the galaxy in which we live. Couple this with a viable superconductor and an industrial and technological revolution of unimaginable dimensions might be possible. A cup of water could easily provide an energy source to power a great city for a considerable period of time. Man can merely speculate on the true impact of such power.
Yet, there already exists greater motive power than this. Paul spoke of it when he spoke of the power of the gospel. What is really the greatest power in the universe? Paul defined it when he penned his famous love poem. The power of love. What is the most powerful force that could be brought to bear in this time of economic turmoil, political upheaval, cultural dissolution and societal breakdown?
The overwhelming thing about this love is that God has made it freely available to all mankind. But He has especially given it as a gift to His children. Paul said this love is shed abroad in a Christian’s heart by the Spirit of the Living God. He also characterized this love as the constraining and motive force that under-girds and lifts up the Christian as he lovingly serves His Lord by serving those around him. God has given it to us: "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind." (II Timothy 1:7) As John said, "We love Him because He first loved us."
Great men throughout the ages have recognized this power. The intellectually brilliant and intensely egotistical Napoleon Bonaparte said, "Alexander, Caesar, Charlemange and myself founded great empires; but upon what did the creations of our genius depend? Upon force. Jesus alone founded His empire upon love, and to this very day millions would die for Him."
Love finds its highest example in the perfect life and sacrificial death of Jesus Christ. His love was unconditional. A love freely given to and for the unlovely and unlovable; without any strings attached or the requirement or expectation of reciprocation or reward. As Paul also said, "But He commendeth His love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." This is a love that is so foreign to the flesh and so strange to the situation of human kind, that it is hard to even conceive it, much less express it in its purest form. What the world really needs now is to see such love expressed through His people.
How can we be happy Christians? How can such love be expressed?
“It seems a small church had a reunion. A former member who had become a millionaire came back to the celebration. During a testimony service he said that when he earned his first dollar as a boy, he decided to keep it for the rest of his life. But then a guest missionary preached about the urgent need on mission fields. He struggled about giving his dollar. But the Lord won, the man proudly said. I put my precious dollar in the offering that day. I’m convinced that the reason God has blessed me so much is that when I was a little boy I gave Him everything I possessed. The congregation was awestruck by his testimony - until a little old lady at the front of the church piped up and said, "I dare you to do it again!"
It seems clear that this sums up the essence of happiness in the committed Christian life.
