True Happiness: Finding Blessedness in God's Grace

Devotional

Day 1: True Happiness vs. Cultural Idolatry

True happiness is not found in the pursuit of personal desires or external circumstances but in understanding and embracing God's attitude towards us. In a world where happiness is often equated with achieving personal goals or acquiring material possessions, this perspective challenges us to reconsider what truly fulfills us. The cultural pursuit of happiness can become an idol, where God is seen merely as a means to achieve our desires. This idolatry leads to a cycle of dissatisfaction, as worldly pleasures and achievements are fleeting and cannot satisfy our deeper spiritual needs. Instead, true happiness is rooted in the assurance of God's grace and favor, which transcends our circumstances. [11:55]

Jeremiah 2:13 (ESV): "For my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water."

Reflection: In what ways have you sought happiness in things or achievements rather than in your relationship with God? How can you begin to shift your focus towards finding fulfillment in His grace today?

Day 2: Blessedness Rooted in Grace

The Beatitudes teach us that blessedness is not a result of our achievements but is a state of being rooted in God's grace. Being "poor in spirit" is the recognition of our spiritual need and complete reliance on God's grace for salvation. This acknowledgment is not about self-deprecation but about understanding our position before God and our need for His righteousness. It is a call to humility, where we recognize that our worth and blessedness come not from what we do but from who we are in Christ. This perspective shifts our focus from striving for personal accomplishments to resting in the grace that God freely offers. [41:28]

Isaiah 66:2 (ESV): "All these things my hand has made, and so all these things came to be, declares the Lord. But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word."

Reflection: How do you perceive your spiritual state before God? What steps can you take to cultivate a heart that is humble and reliant on His grace?

Day 3: Transformation Through Christ

The Sermon on the Mount is not a list of commands to earn God's favor but a reflection of the new nature given to us through Christ. It calls us to live out the transformation that has already occurred in us as believers. This transformation is not about changing habits or behaviors to gain God's approval but about living in the reality of the new identity we have in Christ. As believers, we are called to embody the values and attitudes of the Kingdom of God, which are a natural outflow of the Holy Spirit's work within us. This understanding frees us from the burden of trying to earn God's love and allows us to live authentically as His children. [29:00]

2 Corinthians 5:17 (ESV): "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come."

Reflection: In what areas of your life do you find yourself striving to earn God's favor? How can you embrace the transformation that has already occurred in you through Christ?

Day 4: Standing in Christ, Not Achievements

True blessedness is not tied to material wealth or personal achievements but to our standing in Christ. This blessed state is a gift of grace, not a reward for our efforts. It is a reminder that our value and worth are not determined by what we accomplish or possess but by our identity as children of God. This perspective challenges the world's view of success and encourages us to find contentment and joy in our relationship with Christ. By focusing on our standing in Him, we can experience a deeper sense of peace and fulfillment that is not dependent on external circumstances. [34:46]

Ephesians 1:3 (ESV): "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places."

Reflection: How do you measure your worth and success? What changes can you make to align your sense of value with your identity in Christ?

Day 5: Living in God's Favor

Our happiness is found in knowing God's attitude towards us, which is revealed through the Beatitudes. It is a call to live in the reality of God's favor, knowing that our happiness is not in the fleeting pleasures of this world. This understanding invites us to shift our focus from temporary satisfactions to the eternal joy found in God's presence. By embracing His favor, we can navigate life's challenges with confidence and hope, knowing that our ultimate fulfillment is in Him. This perspective encourages us to cultivate a life that reflects His love and grace, impacting those around us with the joy of the Lord. [45:32]

Psalm 16:11 (ESV): "You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore."

Reflection: What are some ways you can intentionally seek God's presence and favor in your daily life? How can this pursuit transform your understanding of happiness and fulfillment?

Sermon Summary

In today's exploration of the Sermon on the Mount, we began by acknowledging the profound impact and universal recognition of this passage, even among various world religions. The Sermon on the Mount, found in Matthew chapters 5 through 7, is a spiritual mountain that challenges our understanding of happiness and blessedness. We delved into the cultural pursuit of happiness, often defined by external circumstances aligning with personal desires, and contrasted it with the biblical concept of blessedness, which is rooted in God's attitude towards us.

Reflecting on Edgar Allan Poe's "The Raven," we considered how the pursuit of happiness can become an idol, leading to a cycle of dissatisfaction and despair. The raven's refrain of "nevermore" serves as a reminder of the futility of seeking fulfillment in worldly pleasures or achievements. This pursuit often leads to a superficial happiness that masks the deeper spiritual need for God's grace.

The Beatitudes, beginning with "Blessed are the poor in spirit," reveal that true happiness is not about external circumstances but about our spiritual state. Being "poor in spirit" means recognizing our spiritual destitution and complete reliance on God's grace. This is not a call to achieve righteousness through our efforts but to acknowledge our need for Christ's righteousness.

The Sermon on the Mount is not a checklist of behaviors to earn God's favor but a reflection of the new nature given to us through Christ. It is a call to live out the transformation that has already occurred in us as believers. This transformation is not about changing habits but about a new nature wrought by the Holy Spirit.

As we continue to study the Beatitudes, we are reminded that our blessedness is not tied to material wealth or personal achievements but to our standing in Christ. This blessed state is a gift of grace, not a reward for our efforts. It is a call to live in the reality of God's favor, knowing that our happiness is found in His attitude towards us, not in the fleeting pleasures of this world.

Key Takeaways

1. The pursuit of happiness, as defined by culture, often leads to idolatry, where God becomes a means to achieve personal desires. True happiness is found in God's attitude towards us, not in external circumstances. [11:55]
2. The Beatitudes reveal that blessedness is a state of being rooted in God's grace, not in our achievements. Being "poor in spirit" means recognizing our spiritual need and relying entirely on God's grace for salvation. [41:28]
3. The Sermon on the Mount is not a list of commands to earn God's favor but a reflection of the new nature given to us through Christ. It calls us to live out the transformation that has already occurred in us as believers. [29:00]
4. True blessedness is not tied to material wealth or personal achievements but to our standing in Christ. This blessed state is a gift of grace, not a reward for our efforts. [34:46]
5. Our happiness is found in knowing God's attitude towards us, which is revealed through the Beatitudes. It is a call to live in the reality of God's favor, knowing that our happiness is not in the fleeting pleasures of this world. [45:32]
** [45:32]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[01:37] - Introduction to the Sermon on the Mount
[02:50] - Edgar Allan Poe's "The Raven" and Happiness
[04:17] - Cultural Pursuit of Happiness
[06:01] - Philosophical Views on Happiness
[08:32] - Personal Journey and God's Intervention
[10:40] - The Idol of Happiness
[12:36] - The Masquerade of Happiness
[14:36] - Distraction vs. Reality
[15:48] - The Curse of Sin
[17:09] - Jesus' Teaching on Happiness
[18:11] - The Beatitudes and Blessedness
[21:41] - Moses and Jesus: A Comparison
[24:02] - The New Covenant Community
[28:25] - A New Nature in Christ
[31:00] - Understanding the Beatitudes
[38:09] - The True Meaning of Being Poor in Spirit
[44:23] - Victory Over the Curse

Bible Study Guide

Observation Questions

What is the cultural definition of happiness as discussed in the sermon, and how does it differ from the biblical concept of blessedness? [04:17]
How does Edgar Allan Poe's "The Raven" illustrate the futility of seeking happiness in worldly pleasures? [02:50]
According to the sermon, what does it mean to be "poor in spirit," and why is this significant for understanding the Beatitudes? [31:00]
How does the sermon describe the transformation that occurs in believers through Christ, as opposed to merely changing habits? [28:25]

Interpretation Questions

How does the sermon suggest that the pursuit of happiness can become an idol, and what are the implications of this for a believer's relationship with God? [10:40]
In what ways does the sermon explain that the Beatitudes reflect a new nature given to believers through Christ? [24:02]
How does the sermon interpret the phrase "Blessed are the poor in spirit" in the context of spiritual dependence on God? [41:28]
What does the sermon imply about the role of external circumstances in determining a believer's state of blessedness? [34:46]

Application Questions

Reflect on your own pursuit of happiness. Are there areas in your life where happiness has become an idol? How can you shift your focus to finding happiness in God's attitude towards you? [11:55]
Consider the concept of being "poor in spirit." How can you cultivate a deeper awareness of your spiritual need and reliance on God's grace in your daily life? [41:28]
The sermon suggests that true blessedness is not tied to material wealth or personal achievements. How can you remind yourself of this truth when faced with societal pressures to equate success with happiness? [34:46]
How can you live out the transformation that has already occurred in you as a believer, rather than trying to earn God's favor through your actions? [29:00]
Think about a time when you used God as a means to achieve personal desires. How can you change your approach to prayer and worship to focus on aligning with God's will rather than your own? [11:55]
In what ways can you actively seek to understand and live in the reality of God's favor, as opposed to the fleeting pleasures of this world? [45:32]
How can you encourage others in your community to find their happiness in God's grace rather than in external circumstances? What practical steps can you take to support them in this journey? [12:36]

Sermon Clips

Consider this for a moment. If we define happiness as making what goes on, match, like what goes on in our life, match what we want it to be, and then we use God to achieve that happiness, then God ceases to be God and is now an idol. [00:11:23]

The pursuit of happiness is the largest golden calf America has ever built. And I've spent the majority of my life, my intentions, my desires, my personality, the choices that I take, was all built around this idol. My pursuit of happiness. Without even realizing it, I let this idol reshape my very core. [00:09:49]

Happiness is not something that we pursue. It is what Christ pursued for us. I'm not gonna lie. My past is the status of my lives. It is what he lived his righteous life for. It was in the pursuit of, think about this, the life that Christ led, the righteousness that he lived out, the suffering that he endured, the cross that he bore, the death that he took on, the raising to life forevermore. [00:19:03]

The Beatitudes are found for us in Matthew chapter 5 verses 3 through 13. These are not an outward righteousness that we seek to conform to. So think about this. The law is on the outside. It's written on stone. Thou shall not kill. The old covenant, they looked to that and said, I have to do this. When we look at the Beatitudes, we're not looking on something that's supposed to be external from us that we're conforming to. Rather, what we're doing is we're saying this is what is inside of us already. [00:24:02]

Poor in spirit are those who stand without pretense before God, stripped of all self-sufficiency, self-security, and self-righteousness. We see this, we're going to see this in the Gospel of Matthew all the time, right? With the religious leaders. The religious leaders who stand in the street and pray, because their righteousness is just so amazing. Christ's message is opposite, right? [00:42:30]

Happiness is not found in the pursuit of what we selfishly want. Happiness is found in knowing God's attitude towards us. And how do we know this attitude that God has towards us? It's because when we look at the Sermon on the Mount, we just looked at one beatitude today. When we look at that and we think, Lord, does that reflect me? Am I spiritually poor? [00:45:32]

And this is important because some have characterized this sermon, the Sermon on the Mount, as an impossible standard that no one can achieve. Some have argued that the sermon is for a kingdom dispensation. It's going to happen sometime in the future, and therefore it has no relevance for us today. It just blows my mind. If it has no relevance for us today, then God would be like, oh, I didn't mean to include that in the Bible. That doesn't make sense. [00:26:00]

And pretty soon, the raven will be tapping at the window, reminding him of his curse, and he can try to numb the curse away with a placebo or try to ignore it, but there it stands, calling away, and its cry is not blessed, but cursed. And don't you see the opposites? Cursed are the rich in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of this world which is passing away. [00:43:25]

The things in this sermon, especially what we're going to see in the Beatitudes, are the evidence of the repentance and transformation that has already taken place. This is not, here's the eight steps so that you can get into heaven. This is the, you have been saved. You have been redeemed. You have been given a new life by the Holy Spirit. And now look at this righteousness that's flowing out of you, not because of any of your own goodness or works, but because what Christ has done for you. [00:25:38]

And I know this is a fairly lengthy introduction, but I wanted to make sure that we get our minds, our life around this text as we approach these Beatitudes. And we don't distort this word that it's at the beginning of each one, which is blessed. [00:20:48]

And if happiness is the pursuit, and its pursuit is really the God in our life, then we should not think, that's an idol. Think about how many people broach the church doors on a Sunday in America. Not because they want to worship God. Because they want to be happy. And they think, hey, I show up to church, God. I scratch your back, you scratch mine. Right? [00:37:35]

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Now this verse begins the section known as the Beatitudes. And that word Beatitude simply comes from a Latin translation of the Greek word, which means blessed or happy. And I know that sounds, it confused me all the time as a kid when we said the word Beatitude, because I thought it meant, hey, this is an attitude I should have. [00:31:00]

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