*FINDING HAPPINESS IN AN UNHAPPY WORLD Part 1 of 8 Page 1 of 5 HUMBLE AND HAPPY GO TOGETHER Matthew 5:3 *What would it take to make you happy? Psychology Today asked that question of 52,000 Americans. These were their answers: friends or social life; a job; being in love; recognition and success; sex; personal growth; good financial situation; having a house or apartment; being attractive and beautiful; the city I live in; my religion; recreation and exercise; being a parent, marriage. The interesting thing about these answers is that most of them address the external situations instead of the internal condition of the heart. *The popular idea of happiness is that it comes from the right circumstances. One author called that "when and then" thinking. "When I get out of school, then I'll be happy." "When I get a good job, then I'll be happy." "When I get married, then I'll be happy." "When I have children, then I'll be happy." "When the kids leave home, then I'll be happy." A classic passage on the search for happiness is Ecclesiastes chapter 2 and it was written by King Solomon, the wisest man that ever lived. *In verse 1 Solomon said, I decided to enjoy myself and find out what happiness is. Ecclesiastes 2:1 GNT If you want to save yourself a lot of time, frustration, and heartache, read Ecclesiastes chapter 2. Solomon found three dead ends while looking for happiness. *Accumulating things was a dead end. *Experiencing pleasures was a dead end. *Achieving success was a dead end. Even though he exceled in all three, none of those things brought him happiness. They were all dead ends. The same is going to be true for you and me. If you are looking for happiness in accumulating wealth or the things money can buy, you're going to be disappointed. Even if you win the lottery, it will not make you happy. Some search for happiness in the pursuit of pleasure. It might be an exotic vacation or a thrilling expedition. No matter what pleasure you indulge in, it will not bring happiness.
Page 2 of 5 Some pursue status in hope of finding happiness. It is easy to think that having people look up to me and admire me would make me happy. You only have to look around at people like Michael Jackson or Robin Williams to see that the admiration of people does not bring happiness. Solomon summed up all of these pursuits in *Ecclesiastes 2:17 All of it is meaningless, a chasing after the wind. NIV Happiness does not come from the right circumstances. In Matthew 5, Jesus gives 8 statements about happiness called the beatitudes. Of all the subjects Jesus could have chosen to speak on, He chose the subject of Happiness. Why? Because He knew that was what people are searching for and very few ever find it. For the next eight weeks we're going to look at these Eight Beatitudes because they are the only pathway to happiness. In these 8 Beatitudes, Jesus teaches us that happiness does not depend on the right circumstances but on the right attitudes. My happiness and yours is not determined by what's happening around us, but rather what is happening in us. It's what we are on the inside that makes us happy and only a real relationship with Christ can change what we are on the inside. Each beatitude begins with the word "blessed". The word "blessed" is an Old English word that simply means "happy". *Look at the first beatitude, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:3 NIV When you read that, does it sound like a contradiction? Happy are those who are poor in spirit! That does not sound like happiness to our ears. What does Jesus mean by the poor in spirit? He's not talking about low self-esteem. He's not talking about putting yourself down all the time by thinking, "I'm lousy! I'm no good! I m worthless. That s not poor in spirit. You were created in the image of God and you have immeasurable worth. No one that knows and believes the Bible should ever have low self-esteem. That doesn't mean you and I are perfect. We have all sinned, but our sin does not diminish our worth. While we were sinners, Christ died for us. So what does it mean to be poor in spirit? It simply means to depend on God. He's talking about humility, admitting that I don't have it altogether, I haven't arrived, I haven't learned it all, I'm not perfect. The opposite of poor in spirit is arrogance or egotism. If you're full of arrogance and egotism, you're never going to be happy.
Page 3 of 5 *The Good News translation of this verse is: Happy are those who know they are spiritually poor; the Kingdom of heaven belongs to them! Matthew 5:3 GNT Happy are those that know they need God. The point that Jesus is starting off with is, humble and happy go together. They're soul mates. If you want to have lasting happiness, then you need to learn to be humble. *1. HUMILITY REDUCES STRESS. When I'm humble, I don't have to have all the answers. I don't have to solve all the problems. I don't have to fix everything that is broken. When I'm humble, I realize that the world does not depend on me. I am not God. *Look at Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. NIV When I'm humble, I trust God more and worry less. I am not in charge and I do not have to control everything. When I'm humble, I don't have to fake it. I don't have to pretend that I'm perfect. I don't have to play God and assume responsibilities that are not mine. When I'm humble, I can live with the tension between the real and the ideal. There is the ideal way I want to live my life, the way I want my career to go, the way I want my family, my marriage, my kids to be. Then there is reality. Reality is always different from the ideal. Humility accepts the fact that my life will never be perfect and I will never be perfect. Happiness comes from knowing that God loves me and accepts me with all my imperfections and He has a wonderful purpose for my life. All I must do is depend upon God and He will do great things in me and through me. It reduces stress when we humble. When we are arrogant, we take ourselves too seriously and we don't take God seriously enough. When we try to impress people with who we are, we create stress. When I become a humble person, when I live in dependence upon God, it reduces the stress in my life. Humility reduces stress. As the stress goes down, the happiness goes up.
*2. HUMILITY IMPROVES MY RELATIONSHIPS. Page 4 of 5 How many of you like to be around people with big egos? Prideful people are a pain! Arrogant people are an irritation. Nobody likes to be around them. They wreck relationships. Arrogant people are never happy. Arrogance is considering others as less important than yourself. How many of you like to be around humble people? They aren't always trying to impress you. When you tell a story, they don't always have to have a better one. Humble people make you fill important and that improves relationships. When you are humble, you get along better with other people. Humility doesn't mean you think less of yourself, you just think more of others. *Philippians 2:3 in humility consider others better than yourselves. NIV The more interested you are in others, the more interesting you become to others and that improves relationships. When you are humble, you don't have to try to be right all the time. It's easier for you to say, "I'm sorry" or "I was wrong" or other hard words like, "I need help" and that improves relationships. When we are full of pride, we are very sensitive to other people's comments. When someone says something critical, it is like sticking a pin in a balloon. Prideful people are puffed up and tend to pop easy. Prideful people are easily offended. On the other hand, when we are walking with God in a humble relationship, insults don t bother us as much and that improves relationships and increases our happiness. *3. HUMILITY RELEASES GOD'S POWER. Humility releases God's power in your life and mine. * Look at James 4:6 "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." NIV Would you like to have more of God's grace and power in your life this year? The Bible says that the secret of spiritual power is to walk humbly before the Lord. When we realize our dependence on God, His power is manifested in our life. When we are humble, God knows we will give Him the glory for all that He does through us. That frees God s hand to pour out His grace and power. The secret of strength is admitting my weakness. The secret of victory is total surrender to God. The secret of independence is dependence upon God.
Page 5 of 5 That means that all that God has to offer is available to the person who walks humbly before the Lord. All that God has to offer is available to the person that is totally dependent on God. The fact is that everyone needs God in their life whether they admit it or not. If someone thinks they don t need God, they are in serious denial and in serious trouble. If a person says, I don't need God then there is no hope for them. There are tragic events that come into all our lives that make us realize just how powerless we are. God is waiting to pour out His power in your life. But you've got to ask Him for it. You've got to admit that you need His help. When we live in humble dependence upon God, we will be able to do all things through Christ who strengthens us. His supernatural power works in the lives of those who are humble. Challenge: *Look at John 13:17Now that you know this truth, how happy you will be if you put it into practice! (GNT) *Ask yourself a question, Where do I need to practice humility this next year? Where do I need to be more dependent on God? *Here is another question to ask. Do I possess the kingdom of heaven? Do you know for certain you are going to heaven? That is the only thing that will bring you lasting happiness. Pride is one of the major reasons many people never receive forgiveness of sin and eternal life. Are you willing to humble yourself and ask Christ to save you? Are you willing to join this church full of sinners saved by grace? That is the first step to real happiness. We would like to help you take that step. Prayer: Would you pray this prayer in your heart? God, I need Your help in my life. I need Your power. I need Your guidance in every area of my life. I need Your forgiveness and I need Jesus. The Bible says, if we humble ourselves He will lift us up. Would you let someone know you prayed that prayer.