Sunday, October 23, 2011
pm
ARE YOU TRULY HAPPY?
We are living in troubling times and we know it.
The economy is down, unemployment is up, prices are high and
everywhere we look there seems to be a new report about something else
going wrong. In times like
this seems almost impossible to be happy.
And many in society are not!
It is often seen by those around us.
People are just not as happy as they used to be.
There are present both happiness indexes and misery indexes.
While these deal primarily with the economics of a community, we
know that such has a bearing on one’s overall well-being and
disposition. We could go on
about the misery we are in and quite honestly that would make some
people happy.
But what about Christians? Are we truly happy? Recall that in our recent Gospel Meeting, James Baker asked us to memorize a verse – Philippians 4:4, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say rejoice.” Thought ought to describe the disposition of the Christian, but does it? Are YOU happy? If not, why not? In this lesson I want to take a few minutes to examine where true happiness originates and also we will notice WHY things of this earth do NOT provide TRUE and lasting happiness.
I.
What is Happiness?
a.
Collins dictionary
defines the word happiness as,
“feeling, showing, or expressing joy; pleased…Causing joy or gladness.”
It describes one who is not sad or miserable in his disposition.
b.
The world’s concept is
usually defined in terms of achieving whatever it is you want – fame,
fortune, glory, self-satisfaction, etc. But
we know and shall see that such do not provide TRUE happiness.
c.
God’s definition
includes joy found in living a godly life with faith, moral purity and
serving others. Consider 1
Pet. 3:10-12, “For "He who would
love life And see good days, Let him refrain his tongue from
evil, And his lips from speaking deceit.
11 Let him turn away from evil and do good; Let him seek peace
and pursue it. 12 For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, And His
ears are open to their prayers; But the face of the Lord is against
those who do evil."
d.
We need to understand
that God WANTS us to be happy.
Eccl. 3:12-13 says, “I know that
nothing is better for them than to rejoice, and to do good in their
lives, 13 and also that every man should eat and drink and enjoy the
good of all his labor — it is the gift of God.”
Phil. 4:4 – Rejoice in the Lord always.
1 John 1:4, “These things I write
to you that your joy may be full.”
Jesus Himself said, “These
things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that
your joy may be full.” (John 15:11).
In John 16:24 He expressed His desire that His disciples receive
whatever they ask for in his name, “and you will receive that your joy may be full.”
Just prior to this He said, “Therefore
you now have sorrow; but I will see you again and your heart will
rejoice, and your joy no one will take from you.” John 16:22
e.
We also need to
understand that happiness is a state of mind!
Abraham Lincoln said “Most people are as happy as they make up their
mind to be”
Generally we decide to
be happy or to be miserable.
It is an ATTITUDE!
Gal. 5:22-23 described it as a “fruit of the Spirit” (Joy), or a
characteristic that emanates from one who is governed by the Spirit of
God.
One of the remarkable things that makes the Christian different from
others is his sense of joy, even in the midst of sorrows and trials,
even persecutions. The
reason is that our state of mind is “out of this world”.
Our happiness does not depend
upon the pursuits of this world. We
are determined that NOTHING in this life will keep us from joyfully
serving Him. Our treasures are
laid up in heaven (Matt.
6:19-21).
II.
Where True Happiness is
NOT found
a.
Solomon, in the book of
Ecclesiastes set out to find “the meaning of life”.
That phrase is often associated
with the pursuit of happiness. In
reality, isn’t that what Solomon was actually looking for? If you figure
out “the meaning of life” you will find true happiness.
Solomon sought happiness in some of the same places people seek
it today.
b.
Some seek it in pleasure.
i.
Eccl. 2:1-2 – Solomon
tried what we might call “the party scene”.
He tried pleasure.
But his conclusion was that it was vanity.
ii.
The problem with
“laughter” is that it only lasts a moment.
“Fun” whether it be the party, or some hilarious movie or a good
comical book is its temporal nature.
If you are using laughter to escape your troubles, you know that
they are still there.
iii.
Solomon wrote, “Even in
laughter the heart may sorrow, and the end of mirth may be grief.”
(Prov. 14:13.)
He also observed, “Better to go to
the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting, for that is
the end of all men; and the living will take it to heart.
Sorrow is better than laughter, for by a sad countenance the
heart is made better.” (Eccl. 7:2-3).
His point is that you CANNOT use laughter to escape sinful
conduct.
iv.
Luke 12:19 described the
“rich fool” whose thought he could “eat, drink and be merry.”
But he lost it all.
Moses walked away from “the passing pleasure of sin.” (Heb. 11:25).
c.
Some seek it in things –
i.
Eccl. 2:8-11, he
gathered silver and gold and treasures.
Luxury all around him. Whatever he saw that he wanted, he got it.
The luxury of Solomon is described in other texts (cf.
1 Kings 10:14-29).
BUT, having acquired everything he wanted he still realized it too was
vanity.
ii.
Among the conclusion he
reached about riches were:
Eccl. 5:10, “He who loves silver will not be satisfied with silver; Nor
he who loves abundance, with increase.
This also is vanity.”
When goods increase, they increase who eat them.” (5:11)
Eccl. 4:7-8 – “Then I returned,
and I saw vanity under the sun: There is one alone, without companion:
He has neither son nor brother. Yet there is no end to all his labors,
Nor is his eye satisfied with riches. But he never asks, "For whom do I
toil and deprive myself of good?" This also is vanity and a grave
misfortune.”
iii.
One of the struggles we,
as Christians, face in this society is the amount of stuff we actually
have. EVERYONE of us has great abundance!
I find it ironic that we are so miserable as a nation, but it
usually has to do with being deprived of attaining MORE stuff.
We better take VERY SERIOUSLY what Jesus said to His disciples in
Matthew 19:23-24, “Assuredly, I
say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of
heaven. 24 And again I say
to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than
for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." He noted it is not
impossible, but you NEED GOD’S HELP!
iv.
Paul warned Timothy that
the love of money will lead to misery.
(1 Tim. 6:10)
d.
Some seek it in wisdom –
i.
This was Solomon’s
strength. With wisdom endued
from God (1 Sam. 3) he excelled all of his time with this trait.
Eccl. 2:12-17, Solomon pursued wisdom.
You may recall that he maintained his wisdom in all his pursuits
(Eccl. 1:13, 2:3, etc.). HE
saw value in wisdom, but he realized very quickly that the road does not
end at the fountain of true happiness.
ii.
Solomon realized:
Eccl 8:16-17, “When I applied my
heart to know wisdom and to see the business that is done on earth, even
though one sees no sleep day or night, 17 then I saw all the work of
God, that a man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun. For
though a man labors to discover it, yet he will not find it; moreover,
though a wise man attempts to know it, he will not be able to find it.”
Eccl. 2:14 said, that just like the fool, the wise man will die.
Then what?
iii.
How many today think
that wise living will lead to lasting happiness?
While it might enhance one’s life, it can fall short, and often
does. Man seeks to explain
away God in pursuit of man’s wisdom.
1 Cor. 1:21 speaks of the world through wisdom not knowing God).
He wants to find his own way.
But so often that road leads to a dead end!
Rom. 1:20-23 describes man’s rejection and the ungodliness it leads
toward.
e.
Some seek it in what
they have accomplished –
i.
Eccl. 2:18-23 – Solomon
hated his labor and toil under the son.
Why? There was a realization that when he passed it on, there was
no guarantee it would be used wisely.
A fool might even destroy everything he had accomplished.
ii.
How often today do we
see family businesses run into the ground by a careless heir?
“See what I have done”
iii.
There are many who work
very hard in this life. They
stay busy and are constantly finding something to do.
They make their quality of life better and often do good for
others. But the man who is
obsessed with business cannot rest.
He always finds more to do.
iv.
AND how often is it that
what he does is not adequately appreciated?
This leads to disappointment.
Sometimes it destroys his family and friendships, like the
beginning of the tale of Ebenezer Scrooge.
v.
Ecclesiastes 5:13-17
describes how the fruit of one’s material labors are temporary.
vi.
Success often leads to
the envy of others – Eccl. 4:4
vii.
Labor can be good and
Solomon realized that (Eccl. 5:18-20).
But it’s those who God keeps busy that are blessed.
f.
Some seek it fulfilling one’s desires –
i.
There are those who
think that happiness is just around the corner.
They reason, “When I get/do that, I will be happy.”
The problem is that most never reach happiness.
They may reach their goal, but often it is not enough.
ii.
Solomon observed in Eccl. 6:7-9, “All
the labor of man is for his mouth, And yet the soul is not satisfied.
For what more has the wise man than the fool? What does the poor man
have,
Who knows how to walk before the living? Better is the sight
of the eyes than the wandering of desire. This also is vanity and
grasping for the wind.”
iii.
And what happens when
you reach “the end of the rainbow” and it is not what you thought it
would be?
g.
Why do such things not
produce real happiness?
Because while these things may provide temporal happiness, their effects
are not long lasting. The
ways and things of this world wear off or wear down.
Things break and are destroyed.
We find disappointments.
And while ALL will face let downs and disappointments, those with
something greater can move on.
But what if your impression of happiness lay in the pursuit of
….? When achieved or not
achieved? What then?
ONE more point: Realize that many of these things we have discussed
within themselves are not wrong.
Some are good and even necessary.
BUT, if they become our pursuit they become sinful.
III.
Achieving True Happiness
as a Christian
a.
Fear and obey God – Eccl. 12:13 – This was Solomon’s conclusion.
Peter told Cornelius, “God shows
no partiality. But in every
nation, whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him.”
(Ac. 10:34-35)
b.
Remove sin from your
life –
the Christian cannot live in sin and be happy.
He knows better. And
unless he sears his conscience, this guilt is a good thing.
Be like those on Pentecost who “Gladly received his word and were
baptized.” (Ac. 2:41)
Sin will always lead you on the path of despair.
It will let you down and make you miserable.
c.
Get over yourself
– think about others – Phil. 2:3-4.
Many engage in pity parties, gossiping about others, stewing over
what they don’t like, etc.
There are many who are constantly second guessing others and usually
they assume the worst!
GUARANTEED misery! Such
produces it in others and usually the one involved is not happy either.
d.
Put God first
– Matt. 6:33. This is key to
solving so many problems. Do
we struggle with more than we honestly care to admit?
Will we truly forsake all that we have to be His disciples?
Luke 14:33
e.
Pray about it often
– 1 John 5:14. Make
sure that it is according to His will. Are we guilty of undervaluing
prayer in our lives? (1 Thess. 5:17)
Phil 4:6-7 – be anxious for nothing…
f.
Count your blessings – 1 Tim. 6:7-8 calls for us to be content.
The problem with many of the above things NOT bringing true
happiness is a failure to be content with what you have.
g.
Patiently trust God – the benefit the Christian has is that God is on our side.
Heb. 13:5-6 reminds us that God will never leave us.
1 Pet. 5:6-7 He cares for you
Rom. 8:31-37, “if God is for us,
who can be against us…Yet in all these things we are more than
conquerors through Him who loves us…”
In
conclusion: God wants us to be happy.
We ought to know that and seek happiness in things pleasing to
Him. It is a happiness that
will follow us beyond this life and into eternity.
As I conclude this lesson, I want to quote a list I came across
as I prepared this lesson.
It is called, 7 Habits of highly
happy people:
1)
Be part of something you
believe in
2)
Share time with friends
and family
3)
Reflect on the good
4)
Exploit the resources
you do have access to
5)
Create happy endings
whenever possible
6)
Use personal strengths
to get things done
7)
Savor the natural joy of
simple pleasures.
http://www.marcandangel.com/2008/06/05/the-7-habits-of-highly-happy-people/
NOTICE how each of these characteristics can be found in the Christian
living as he ought to live.
Are you happy?