Happy for happiness sake

Matthew 5:1-12 NLT [1] One day as He saw the crowds gathering, Jesus went up on the mountainside and sat down. His disciples gathered around Him, [2] and He began to teach them. [3] "God blesses those who are poor in spirit and realize their need for Him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs. [4] God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted. [5] God blesses those who are humble, for they will inherit the whole earth. [6] God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they will be satisfied. [7] God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy. [8] God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God. [9] God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God. [10] God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs. [11] "God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are my followers. [12] Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted in the same way."

1.      We can experience happiness in the presence of God.

1.      Happiness is about knowing and experiencing the presence, the promises, and the purposes of God!  

1.      First of all the disciples got to experience one of the greatest moments and encounters of all time, a relationship with Jesus Christ the Son of God.

Psalm 16:9,11 NLT "[9] No wonder my heart is glad, and I rejoice. My body rests in safety. [11] You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever."

2.      You know what's exciting is that every one of us can experience that same connection, that same relationship by believing in Jesus.

1.      Getting into His presence.

1.      Individually and corporately.

2.      I don't think we understand the magnitude and the importance of getting into His presence.

2.      The only thing blocking us out is sin.

3.      Happiness is about understanding that as a Christ follower we have to eternally connect ourselves to the presence of God and the pleasures of living with God forever.

1.      If you'll notice in the Kingdom of God position, authority, and money are not the  important factors.

2.      Jesus challenges the proud, legalistic, religious leaders of His day through His Word.

1.      Calling them back to the passionate messages of the Old Testament prophets, who, like Jesus taught that heartfelt obedience is so much more valued than legalistic observance.

2.      If you want to live for God then you must be willing and ready to do what seems strange to the world.

1.      You must be willing to give when others take, to love when others hate, to help when others abuse.

2.      By giving up your own rights in order to serve others, you will one day receive everything God has in store for you.

3.      The presence of God is experienced in the beatitudes by telling us how to be blessed by God. 

1.      Blessing means so much more than happiness.

2.      It implies the fortunate or enviable state of those who are in God's Kingdom.

1.      The Beatitudes, meaning supreme blessedness, don't promise laughter, pleasure, or earthly prosperity.

2.      Being "blessed" by God means the experience of hope and joy, independent of outward circumstances.

3.      To find hope and joy, the deepest form of happiness, follow Jesus no matter what the cost.

2.      God truly wants to bless you in your home, in your career, in your relationships but when we act as if everything is always a burden how can He?

1.      I have seen people be so angry, so mean, so impossible, so disgruntled with circumstance, with life in general and what a way to derail them with the presence, the blessings of God, literally flowing from our lives.

2.      We should model joy, hope, in and through our lives in every thing, this is so difficult I totally understand and comprehend that.

1.      When we set the pace we can truly be life giving instead of life taking.

2.      When we set the standard people around us will rise to the occasion.

1.      I have been around people who seem to continuously take life from you.

2.      Their attitude, their spirit, their actions, their thought processes just seem to suck the life out of every living thing.

3.      What if we modeled encouragement, what if we modeled happiness, what if we modeled truth, life, and the Christ life with all passion, all character, all joy and all the privilege we could possibly muster?

1.      This would inherently challenge a culture, challenge a movement, challenge the way others do things.

2.      Jesus continually modeled patience in and through all that He did and it made an astounding difference. 

2.      We can experience happiness in the promises of God.

Luke 8:15 NLT "[15] And the seeds that fell on the good soil represent honest, good-hearted people who hear God's word, cling to it, and patiently produce a huge harvest."

1.      The good soil represents those who hear the word and hold fast to it.

2.      They possess an honest, good heart and they bear fruit with patience.

1.      The mention of patience or persevering is important, because associating with Jesus will not help us believers win popularity contests.

2.      If we care more about the world's respect or are too weak to resist temptation, we will not hold on to the Word with patience.

3.      Tragically, we'll fall away, or our potential for producing may be choked out.

3.      Three of the examples end with the seed failing to produce that for which it was planted.

1.      God sows the Word to produce life change in our hearts.

2.      God sows the Word to produce life change in the lives of others.

3.      Only by clinging patiently to what God offers does the seed reach maturity.

1.      This reliance is called faith.

2.      We need to cling to the Word in patient faith.

3.      If we desire to be productive, especially in obstacles, then we must hold fast to God and His message of hope.

4.      We are so blessed and favored of God how can we not see that, how can we choose not to experience that?

1.      And be grateful, finding happiness and fulfillment in His presence, His power, His promises, His provision, His purposes and His salvation.

2.      I am so thankful, I am so happy to be a child of God, connected to Him forever and eternally I'll be grateful.

4.      We focus either on God's promise or on our circumstances.

1.      Which we choose makes the difference: one leads to fruitfulness, productivity in the Kingdom, making a supernatural difference.

2.      The other to leads to barrenness, frustration, continued works only of the flesh and inability.

3.      Finally, we can experience happiness in the purposes of God.

1.      A heart free from sinful pollutions is purposed in God.

2.      A heart, firmly fixed for God and purpose, an upright heart, a tender heart, and a heart that trembles at the word, is an honest and good heart, which, having heard the word, understands it, receives it, and keeps it.

3.      Where the word is well kept there is production brought forth with patience; patience to suffer the tribulation and persecution which may arise because of the Word; patience to continue to the end in well-doing.

1.      Allowing the Word to work it's patient work in you.

1.      Someone might tip you more.

2.      Someone might see you up the next step in your career ladder.

3.      Someone might find a way to bless you.

4.      Someone might speak good of you, or do something amazingly kind for you.

5.      Someone may accelerate your future all because you do good, as you build trust, and serve all people.

6.      You may encounter your very special someone as you allow the Word to work in you.

7.      Someone may even protect you in the face of great tribulation.

Matthew 5:16,38-42 NLT "[16] In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.

4.      Here in the mountains you can see a light shining for many, many miles away.

1.      As we live for Christ, we will glow like lights, showing others what Christ is like.

1.      We hide our light by being quiet when we should speak, going along with the crowd, denying the light, letting sin dim our light, not explaining our light to others, or ignoring the needs of others.

1.      In darkness we possess the ability to shine the brightest.

Matthew 5:38-42 [38] "You have heard the law that says the punishment must match the injury: 'An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.' [39] But I say, do not resist an evil person! If someone slaps you on the right cheek, offer the other cheek also. [40] If you are sued in court and your shirt is taken from you, give your coat, too. [41] If a soldier demands that you carry his gear for a mile, carry it two miles. [42] Give to those who ask, and don't turn away from those who want to borrow."

5.      God's purpose behind this law was an expression of mercy.

1.      People still try to excuse their acts of revenge by saying, "I was just doing to him what he did to me."

2.      When we are wronged, often our first reaction is to get even instead Jesus said we should do good to those who wrong us.

1.      Don't keep score, but love and forgive this is not natural, it is supernatural.

6.      Why is it that we choose to see the weaknesses in others instead of their greatness?

1.      Why is it we choose to see everyones failures, their mistakes, their shortcomings and not their achievements, their accolades, and their positive qualities?

2.      Man we can draw out the wrong in every one and every thing around us and never see the real way I believe God envisioned us seeing one another through the eyes of the cross, through the eyes of mercy, and through the eyes of an amazing, astounding, life altering grace.

Matthew 5:43-48 NLT [43] "You have heard the law that says, 'Love your neighbor' and hate your enemy. [44] But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! [45] In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike. [46] If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. [47] If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that. [48] But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect."

7.      God sends rain on all of us, we don't deserve it but He sends it anyway.

1.      God sends sunshine on all of us, we don't deserve it but He sends it anyway.

1.      According to Jesus, it is more important to give justice and mercy than to receive it.

2.      By teaching us not to retaliate, Jesus keeps us from taking the law into our own hands.

3.      By loving and praying for our enemies, we can overcome evil with good.

1.      I don't want to teach people how to cope I want to teach them how to overcome. 

4.      If you love your enemies and treat them well, you will truly show that Jesus is the Lord of your life.

2.      It's truly His desire to bless us, strengthen us, empower us, and guide us.

3.      We make it so much more difficult when our attitudes don't line up with our blessings.

1.      We are to strive to live out a perfect faith in Christ, we are to strive to live out a thankfulness in all things blessing so, so many around us.

8.      happy-feeling or showing pleasure or contentment.

1.      Happiness is about perspective.

1.      Perspective is everything.    

2.      Life is about perspective!

1.      I could have missed an opportunity.

2.      I could have missed an opportunity to miss the presence, the promises, and the purposes of God for fear.

3.      For frustration.

4.      For death.

5.      For healing.

6.      What do you do when your every existence hinges on a moment?

1.      We had to make the most difficult decisions of our life, our ministry, and our future.

2.      All the energies though were funneled into my wreck where I didn't have time to think about what we were going to do or how to do it but we entered survival mode.

3.      I entered faith mode.

4.      I entered trust mode.

1.      I believe that's exactly where Jesus wants us to live, dwell and operate.

9.      Perspective could cause you and I to miss opportunities to do, to experience, and to accomplish great things for God.

1.      Missing the presence of God staying miserable, and staying depressed.

2.      Missing the promises of God by staying hopeless, staying uncommitted, and staying bitter.

3.      Or missing the purposes of God by staying confused, frustrated, and angry.

1.      Or we can choose to get up and get moving into the happiness of knowing and experiencing the presence, the promises, and the purposes of God!  

1.      I can truly find happiness in that and so can you.