November 27, 2011 How Do You Love God? (III)
11.27.11
Are you happy?
Why not? What is missing?
If so, what is making you happy?
How long will it last?
Everyone pursues happiness.
A million different ways they try.
How are you looking for it?
blessed: “happy”/“carefree”/“prosperous”
Jesus is teaching us how to be happy.
life can be good now
happiness can be now
BUT his teaching is heading upstream
counter-intuitive
uncommon sense
5:3
the one who is a big man, impressive, important, self-reliant, self-confident
is not the happy man/woman
(he will fail himself)
the one who is needy is happy
needy in the sense of living dependent on God: this is how to be happy
(notice the present tense)
happy because he is already under the rule of God, which means under the direction and care of God, experiencing his love
5:4
the one who is enjoying his pleasures and living the good life and is not bothered by the misery and suffering in this world
is not the happy man/woman
(eventually suffering will strike him and there will be no comfort then)
the one who mourns over this broken world and mourns the sin in his life is happy
happy because he finds comfort in God
God has an answer for sin and suffering in Jesus Christ
5:5
the one who wins and conquers others
the one who beats others to get what he wants is not the happy man
(he is fighting God and God will defeat him)
the one who is not trying to be a big man
or beat someone else is happy
the one who does not push others around and run over others to get what he wants
the one who does not promote himself and push himself on others is happy
the one who does not conquer others will be victorious, who does not take will be given
happy now knowing that the victory of the proud and evil is temporary
and enjoying the goodness of the creation knowing it will never be taken from him
5:6
the one who knows what he wants and goes after it with all he has
is not the happy man
(what he wants will not satisfy)
the one who desires to love God and see others love God is happy
happy because loving God is what we were made to do
he knows that God is working in him, changing him into love
5:7
the one who focuses on the things he loves and enjoys
is not the happy man
(this is an empty life when there is so much need in the world, he will receive no help for his sufferings)
the one who focuses on the suffering and misery of others is happy
mercy relieves the consequences of sin in the live of others (both sinners and those sinned against)
happy because God loves him and God will rescue him from all his sin and sufferings one day and finish the work of mercy for the world
5:8
the one who has many plans and aspirations he is pursuing
and has it all planned out carefully
and pursuing them all with diligence
is not the happy man
(all those plans will come to ruin even if they succeed temporarily, he will never have the one thing worth more: God)
the one who is single-minded, has a one track mind, a simple heart desiring one thing is happy
loving God is plan A and there is no plan B
happy because he will see the beauty of God in Jesus Christ now, he will see more of the God he already loves
and will see him fully when Jesus returns
5:9
the one who is a competitor and knows how to climb higher and fight his way past people who get in his way
is not the happy man
(he is an enemy of God the source of all good, he will be cut off from all good)
the one who works for peace is happy
peace for other people with God
and peace between people
happy because she is a child of God and so is doing the very work of God in the world
5:10
the one who has many friends and is liked and admired by everyone is not the happy man
(all of that is short lived and God’s opinion of him is the only one that matters)
the one who is hated and opposed by people is happy
if you love God you will be hated
happy because he knows God loves him
and he is pleasing God in the way he lives
*
the message is not
if you do these eight things
you will get blessings from God
the message is this is the one life that Christ came to give you
he accomplished it by his effort
and it is a gift he gives you (grace)
look to Jesus Christ to do this work in you
this is what it means to be saved, redeemed, sanctified, etc.
to be this one person described here
- Comments off
- Posted under Uncategorized
