Jesus Wants to Give Us Heavenly Happiness (Part 2)
The Gospel of Matthew
Matthew 5:1-7
Sermon by Rick Crandall
Grayson Baptist Church - February 27, 2013
(Revised December 16, 2020)
BACKGROUND:
*In Matthew 5, Jesus opened His Sermon on the Mount by telling us how to have a truly happy life, a life filled with the kind of happiness that can only come from God. Mark Wood explained that here "Jesus established a standard of living counter to everything the world practices and holds dear. It is an utterly new approach to living that gives joy instead of despair and peace instead of conflict." (1)
*This Sermon on the Mount approach to living gives us the heavenly joy Jesus spoke about in John 15:11. There the Lord said, "These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full." The Lord's approach to life also gives us the peace we see in John 14:27, where Jesus said, "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."
*God wants our lives to overflow with this kind of happiness, and Jesus shows us how to get it. But this truth can be easy to miss, because most of our English Bibles use the word "blessed" instead of "happy." This original word basically means "happy."
*Our confusion partly comes from the fact that there is another New Testament word translated as "blessed." That word "blessed" means to "speak well about" someone or "praise" someone. It's where we get our modern word "eulogy," and it's why we call our mealtime prayers "saying the blessing." We thank and praise God for His gracious gifts.
*A good example of this other word "blessed" is in Matthew 21:9. There Jesus was riding into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, and "the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying: 'Hosanna to the Son of David! "BLESSED is He who comes in the name of the Lord!" Hosanna in the highest!'"
*Here in the Sermon on the Mount Jesus used the word about happiness. This original word is found 50 times in the New Testament, and it is translated "blessed" 44 times. But the other times it's translated as "happy" or "happier."
*For example, in John 13:16-17, Jesus told His disciples, "Most assuredly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him. If you know these things, HAPPY are you if you do them." The original word for "happy" there is the same word "blessed" here in Matthew 5.
*Another example of this original word is in 1 Timothy 1:11. There Paul mentioned "the glorious gospel of the BLESSED God." That word "blessed" means "happy" too. It reminds us that although God's wrath is real, we have a happy God! And He wants His people to be happy too. Let's think about that as we read Matthew 5:1-7.
MESSAGE:
*What makes you happy?
*Daryl Grimes once said:
-"I am happy when I go hunting or fishing.
-I am happy when I go see a friend or loved one.
-I am happy when I go to church and experience a good service.
-I am happy when I have fun with my kids.
-But none of these things can satisfy my soul.
*Some people are happy when they are high.
-Some people are happy when they are skiing, or snowmobiling.
-Some people are happy when they are partying.
-Some people are happy when they are camping.
-And some people are happy when they are gambling.
-But none of these things can satisfy their souls.
*Jesus Christ gives us the true satisfaction which leads not only to happiness but joy unspeakable and full of glory!" This is the kind of happiness the Lord wants to give us, but where can we find it? (2)
1. FIRST: WE CAN FIND IT IN A HUMBLE HEART.
*We saw this last week in vs. 3 where Jesus said: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
*Jesus was not talking about financial poverty there. He was talking about someone who has realized his spiritual poverty without the Lord. But this person is filled with joy because he is fully trusting in the righteousness Jesus gives to everyone who believes in Him.
*It's the same kind of poverty and joy we find in Psalm 34:1-8. There King David said:
1. I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.
2. My soul shall make its boast in the LORD; The humble shall hear of it and be glad.
3. Oh, magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt His name together.
4. I sought the LORD, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.
5. They looked to Him and were radiant, and their faces were not ashamed.
6. This POOR man cried out, and the LORD heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles.
7. The angel of the LORD encamps all around those who fear Him, and delivers them.
8. Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good; BLESSED is the man who trusts in Him!
*And again in vs. 3, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." William Barclay explained: "Blessed is the man who has realized his own utter helplessness, and who has put his whole trust in God. . . He will become completely attached to God, for he will know that God alone can bring him help, and hope, and strength. The man who is poor in spirit is the man who has realized that things mean nothing, and that God means everything." (3)
*Albert Barnes said: "To be poor in spirit is to have a humble opinion of ourselves; to be sensible that we are sinners, and have no righteousness of our own; to be willing to be saved only by the rich grace and mercy of God." (4)
*Timothy Smith said: "Please grasp this principle: you are nothing without God! Think about it. You cannot boast to God about your goodness. You don't impress the officials at NASA with a paper airplane. You don't boast to Picasso about your crayon sketches. You don't claim to be equal to Einstein because you can write H2O. And you can't impress God by your success." (5)
*But happy is the man who has realized his own utter helplessness, and who has put his whole trust in God! We can find the Lord's happiness in a humble heart.
2. WE CAN ALSO FIND IT IN A HURTING HEART.
*We saw this unexpected truth last week in vs. 4, where Jesus said: "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted."
*The mourning in vs. 4 is not a small thing. It's not losing your cell phone or having a fender bender. William Barclay tells us that the original word "is the strongest word for mourning in the Greek language. It is the word which is used for mourning the dead. . . It is the kind of sorrow that brings an ache to the heart, and tears that cannot be restrained." (3)
*This grief may be the sorrow we feel over the loss of someone dear to us. But it can also be Christ-like sorrow over the suffering in this world. And it surely includes the sorrow we should feel for our own sin. We will go through hard times of grief, but God is the God of all comfort for those who will trust in Jesus Christ.
*That's why Jesus said, "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted." We can find the Lord's happiness even in a hurting heart.
3. WE CAN ALSO FIND IT IN A MEEK HEART.
*This the Lord's message to us in vs. 5 where Jesus said: "Blessed (or happy) are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth."
*We must understand that this word "meek" doesn't mean "weak." Melvin Newland explained that "most people seem to think that meek means weak, a spineless person without any backbone at all. But in the original language, 'meek' was used in taming a wild animal." (6)
*David Parks said that "meekness" was also used for "a powerful horse under the control of its master," so the word "meek" is a picture of power under control. (7)
*Our pride often gets in the way of biblical meekness. That's why meekness tends to be rare and unpopular. But meekness toward other people is the ability to stay calm and unruffled in the face of being provoked.
*William Barclay explained it this way: "Meekness is the quality of the man whose anger is so controlled that he is always angry at the right time and never angry at the wrong time. It describes the man who is never angry at any personal wrong he may receive, but who is capable of righteous anger when he sees others wronged." (8)
*Meekness is not weakness. It is our emotion under God's control. David Parks gave this good comparison between weakness and meekness:
-"Weakness turns its back on sinners. -- Meekness restores them.
-Weakness brings disunity. -- Meekness brings unity.
-Weakness returns the abuse. -- Meekness takes the abuse.
-Weakness argues. -- Meekness instructs.
-"Meekness is the strength to back down from a fight you know you could win." (7)
*Hey. Doesn't that all sound like Jesus? Christians: Our meekness is always a reflection of His meekness. So, meekness isn't just about our relationships with other people. Mostly it's about our relationship with God, and biblical meekness is evidence that we have a relationship with God through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
*Being meek also means being humble toward God and having a teachable spirit, willing to be led by God. Matthew Henry wrote that, "The meek are those who quietly submit themselves to God, to His Word and to His rod, who follow His directions, and comply with His designs. (9)
*Melvin Newland added: "When we talk about a meek person, we're talking about one whose life has been brought under the influence of the Holy Spirit. God is in control of their life. But most of us want to be in the driver's seat. What this Beatitude tells me is that I am to scoot over to the passenger side and say, 'Jesus, you drive. You take hold of the steering wheel of my life. I turn it over to you.'" (6)
*Jesus, take the wheel. Try that and we will find the blessed life, the happiness of a meek heart led by the Holy Spirit.
*Catholic priest Mychal Judge had this kind of meekness. He was the New York City Fire Chaplain who became the first official fatality at the World Trade Center on 9/11/2001. Mychal had been a firehouse chaplain for ten years and lived across the street from Ladder 24.
*On the morning of 9/11, he threw on his fireproof uniform and raced to the burning towers. There Mychal was killed by falling debris, and on his body they found this prayer that Mychal had written years before: "Lord, take me where You want me to go; Let me meet who You want me to meet; Tell me what You want me to say, And keep me out of Your way." (10)
*That was a meek spirit. And Jesus said: "Blessed (happy) are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth." This is the sure hope for everyone who has the meekness to learn that we cannot save ourselves, that Jesus Christ died on the cross to save us, that He rose again from the dead, and that He will save everyone who receives Him as Lord and Savior.
*Jesus shows us where to find heavenly happiness. We can find it in a meek heart.
4. AND WE FIND IT IN A HUNGRY, THIRSTY HEART.
*This is the Lord's message to us in vs. 6, where Jesus said: "Blessed (or happy) are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled."
*The hunger and thirst here are hard for us to understand. William Barclay explained: "The fact is that very few of us in modern conditions of life know what it is to be really hungry or really thirsty.
*In the ancient world it was very different. A working man in Jesus' day ate meat only once a week. They were never far from the borderline of real hunger and actual starvation. And this was more so in the case of thirst. It was impossible for the vast majority of people to turn a on a tap and get clear water pouring into their house.
*So, the hunger in vs. 6 was not light hunger that could be satisfied with a mid-morning snack. The thirst was not the thirst that could be satisfied with a cup of coffee or iced tea. It was the hunger and thirst of someone who would die unless they ate and drank." (11)
*That's the way we should hunger and thirst for God's righteousness. And when we do, Jesus promises we "shall be filled."
*But what are we hungering and thirsting for in life? What really matters to us? What do we care about? Do the things that matter the most matter to me?
*Honestly, most of us have mixed emotions when it comes to pursuing the righteousness of God. But it helps to remember that we need His righteousness more than the food we eat, the water we drink, and the air we breathe. It also helps to remember that we can never have real happiness unless we do hunger and thirst for God's righteousness. And it helps to remember that we have no righteousness at all apart from Jesus Christ.
*Here is part of Paul's explanation from Romans 3:
10. As it is written: "There is none righteous, no, not one;
11. there is none who understands; there is none who seeks after God.
12. They have all gone out of the way; they have together become unprofitable; there is none who does good, no, not one.''
19. Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.
20. Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
21. But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets,
22. even the righteousness of God which is through faith in Jesus Christ to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference;
23. for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
24. being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.
*What are we hungering and thirsting for in life? Jesus said: "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled." Jesus shows us where to find heavenly happiness. We can find it in a heart that is hungry and thirsty for His righteousness.
5. AND WE CAN FIND IT IN A MERCIFUL HEART.
*As Jesus said in vs. 7: "Blessed (or happy) are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy." This exact original word for "merciful" only shows up two times in the New Testament, but Christ's desire for His followers to be merciful shows up many times.
*Bill Bouknight tells us that in the original language which Jesus spoke, the word "merciful" means literally "to get under someone's skin." It means to see life from their perspective, to stand in their shoes. It means active, merciful, compassionate understanding. And that makes sense, because that's the kind of mercy Christ has for all who will turn to Him. (12)
CONCLUSION:
*The more we look into the Sermon on the Mount, the more we will see Jesus raising the standard for our behavior to a level we could never reach on our own. That's because all of these things God is looking for in us are the things He sees in Himself: Humility, meekness, righteousness and mercy. We can never reach these standards of perfection in our own strength.
*How can we get there? Jerry Shirley explained with the story of a little girl who was going home from church one Sunday. She was thinking hard as they drove, and finally she said: "Mommy, there's something about the preacher's message this morning that I don't understand."
*Mom asked: "Oh? What is it?" -- Her little girl replied, "Well, he said that God is bigger than we are. He said God is so big that He could hold the world in His hand. Is that true?"
*Mom answered: "Yes, that's true, honey." -- "But Mommy, he also said that God comes to live inside of us when we believe in Jesus as our Savior. Is that true, too?" Again, Mom assured her little girl that what the pastor had said was true.
*Then with a puzzled look on her face her little girl asked, "If God is bigger than us, and He lives in us, wouldn't He show through?"
*That's the key. And Jerry Shirley said: "That is what these Scriptures are about: God showing through. It has always been God's purpose that when He entered our lives, we would allow Him to so fill and control us that He would 'show through'. It has always been God's purpose that He would be visible in our attitudes and actions."
*These "blessed," "happy" verses "are like a light bulb that only shines when we are plugged into God's power. And through the Holy Spirit, Jesus has come to live IN us, so that He might shine THROUGH us." The more we yield our lives to Jesus, the more other people can see Him shining through.
*Jerry Shirley then asked some challenging questions:
-"How would life be different if Jesus came to take your place?
-What if He took your place in the home?
-What if He performed your work on the job?" (13)
*We must let Jesus shine through, and the more we do, the happier we will be. Praise the Lord!
(1) Adapted from Faithlife.com sermon "Background on Sermon on the Mount" by Mark Wood - https://sermons.faithlife.com/sermons/32540-background-on-sermon-on-the-mount
(2) Adapted from SermonCentral sermon "True Happiness" by Daryl Grimes - John 14:1-24
(3) BARCLAY'S DAILY BIBLE STUDY SERIES (NT) by William Barclay, Revised Edition (C) Copyright 1975 William Barclay - First published by the Saint Andrew Press, Edinburgh, Scotland - The Westminster Press, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - "The Supreme Blessedness" - Matthew 5:3-4 https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/dsb/matthew-5.html
(4) ALBERT BARNES' NOTES ON THE BIBLE by Albert Barnes - Published in 1847-85 - Matthew 5:3 - Downloaded to e-Sword by Rick Meyers - Copyright 2000-2019
(5) Adapted from SermonCentral sermon "The Wealth of Poverty" by Timothy Smith - Matthew 5:1-3
(6) Adapted from SermonCentral sermon "Steps to Joy" by Melvin Newland - Matthew 5:1-10
(7) Adapted from SermonCentral sermon "Christ-like: Meekness" by David Parks - 1 Peter 2:21
(8) BARCLAY'S DAILY BIBLE STUDY SERIES (NT) by William Barclay, Revised Edition - Copyright 1975 - First published by the Saint Andrew Press, Edinburgh, Scotland - The Westminster Press, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - "The Letters to the Corinthians" - "Paul Begins to Answer His Critics" - 2 Corinthians10:1-6 - https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/dsb/2-corinthians-10.html
(9) Matthew Henry's Commentary - Matthew 5:3-12
(10) AMERICA OUT OF THE ASHES, Honor Books, 2001, p. 43; One Nation, Little, Brown and Company, 2001, p. 70; Parade, 1/6/2, p. 2 - Source: "In Other Words" - September 11, 2006 - produced by Dr. Raymond McHenry - www.iows.net
(11) BARCLAY'S DAILY BIBLE STUDY SERIES (NT) by William Barclay, Revised Edition (C) Copyright 1975 William Barclay - First published by the Saint Andrew Press, Edinburgh, Scotland - The Westminster Press, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - "The Bliss of the Starving Spirit" - Matthew 5:6 - https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/dsb/matthew-5.html
(12) Adapted from Sermons.com sermon "Getting Under Your Neighbor's Skin" by Dr. Bill Bouknight - Matthew 5:1-12
(13) Adapted from SermonCentral sermon "The Gospel of Jesus -- When God Shows Through" by Jerry Shirley - Matthew 5:1-5
