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Psalms
119:121-129 I have done
justice and righteousness; Do not leave me to my oppressors. Be surety for Your
servant for good; Do not let the proud oppress me. My eyes fail from seeking Your salvation And Your
righteous word. Deal with Your servant according to Your mercy, And teach me
Your statutes. I am Your
servant; Give me understanding, That I may know Your testimonies. It is time for You to act, O LORD, For they have regarded Your law as
void. Therefore I love Your commandments More than gold, yes, than fine gold!
Therefore all Your precepts concerning all things I consider to be right; I hate every false way.
Your testimonies are wonderful; Therefore my soul keeps them.
Father God, we rejoice in your grace
that you have made available to each of us. It is through your saving Grace
that our spirit finds joy and happiness living in this world, when you’re
Spirit joins with our spirit. It is then and only then at that moment of a Spiritual
Birth that we have eternal peace and long to see your face. In Jesus
name we pray, Amen!
Introduction to Matthew
5:1-12 NKJV
In
reading the verses below, they take on two different meanings depending on your
relationship with Jesus.
3 "Blessed are
the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are
those who mourn, For they shall be comforted.
5 Blessed are
the meek, For they shall inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are
those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled.
7 Blessed are
the merciful, For they shall obtain mercy.
8 Blessed are
the pure in heart, For they shall see God.
9 Blessed are
the peacemakers, For they shall be called sons of God.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 "Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and
say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.
12 Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they
persecuted the prophets who were before you.
To
the Born Again Saint he/she sees happiness and doesn’t get discouraged because
their trust and faith is in Jesus Christ. They don’t have a problem talking
about Jesus and what He did for mankind to strangers when given an opportunity
because they are believing and have the assurance of everlasting life through
Jesus. Their goal is Heaven and they know what happens here on earth is secular.
The joy one finds here on earth will only make a person happy for a little
while, but the true believer lives for eternal happiness knowing that this type
of happiness will satisfy the soul and last for eternity. It is this kind of
happiness that feeds the spirit within and creates a happy inner being by
looking forward to the Rapture or death because the result is Heaven. So the
true believer does not live for earthly riches.
Those
that don’t have the right relationship with Jesus, meaning knowing Him with
their mind like a storybook character instead of knowing Him with their heart,
they live for things here on earth like, material/activities to bring them
happiness. These types of things only bring a temporary happiness that will
fade away with time and then these people will be seeking something else to
quench their thirst to make them happy. Things like making more and more money.
People of this nature watch the stock market, their business yearly profit of
how much was made, even though the business is doing well and they don’t have
to be concerned, but it is the greed of money and the desire to make more money
that satisfies them temporarily. If the stock market is down their inner being
is down and if the market is up their inner being is in an uplifted state. The
same holds true with anyone that places a lot of emphasis on something here on
earth that cannot be taken with them when they die. Things that people get
obsessed with are shopping, gambling, Facebook, the internet, alcohol, always
going places instead of taking care of things at home, fishing, guns, sports,
cars, boats, making sure every blade of grass in the lawn is right or every
speck of dust in the house is wiped up, etc. the list goes on and on and on. It
is these types of things that people focus on instead of Jesus and eternal
life. Of course Satan loves this because it keeps people’s minds busy about
these things instead of Jesus knowing that at some point in time these people
will be in his kingdom. Not only do these things occupy our minds and our focus
is taken off of Jesus, but many times the focus is shifted to selfishness of
pleasing self and not wife and family. Satan also loves this because marriage
and family are sacred to God and anything Satan can do to destroy these
precepts of God pleases him.
A
gentleman named Leonard Griffith once wrote, “The trouble with you Americans is
that you have to be so confoundedly happy. You have dedicated yourselves to the
pursuit of happiness. And you boast about it as an inalienable right, as though
happiness were the supreme and absolute goal of all existence. Surely there are
more important things in life than just to be happy.”
Our
Declaration of Independence proclaims that we are to pursue happiness right along
with life and liberty. Is that why so many people live their lives today
pursuing happiness? Is that why so many people from other countries come to
America, in pursuit of happiness? I don’t know. Was the statement “Pursuit of
Happiness” a mistake in our Declaration of Independence? Has it caused people
to seek material happiness and not Jesus happiness? All very good questions,
and no I believe the statement, “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” was
not a mistake. We are very fortunate living in America and I pray it remains a
good thing. It is our inherited sin nature that pulls us away and prevents us
developing a right relationship with Jesus. The root cause is Satan.
Life
could be compared to an amusement park where all types of fun rides and things
are going on. As long as one stays in the amusement park they are happy. If
they go outside the security fence all of a sudden reality and fear sets in.
They say I want to go back inside, there is fun and laughter inside the
security fence, there is so much unknown out here it is fearful and worries me.
Life is the same way we get caught up in our lifestyle and what we were taught
growing up. As we age we find it very difficult to step out of the box we have
created and we fear stepping out of the box. This is why it is so difficult for
people to truly accept Jesus as their Saviour who will give them true
happiness. They know Jesus and who and what He did, but to give their heart to
Jesus they have to deny what they know whether it be lifestyle, religion, and
century old ritualistic customs, etc. to accept Jesus with their heart. It is
the fear of the unknown to give it all to Jesus that holds one back from
totally trusting in Him.
True happiness is part of God’s
purpose for us; Did
you know that true happiness is part of God’s purpose for us? Jesus gave us
these Beatitudes which are characteristics of a Christian life. As we study
them carefully we will discover some surprising truths. Some people think if
you are not sad you can’t be holy. That’s dead wrong, Jesus said this in John, John 10:10 The thief does not come
except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have
life, and that they may have it
more abundantly. Jesus
wants us to have a more abundant life and that being the joy in our heart
knowing we are one of his. Jesus didn’t make us to have a joyless life, but a
life full of His abundant Grace. Jesus enjoyed banquets, and gathering of
friends. He enjoyed the little children, he mingled with the publicans and sinners,
He didn’t hide himself. Have you ever stopped and thought about some of His
parables and that they must have been humorous to some of his listeners, like a
plank hanging out of your eye.
Those
that paint a picture that Jesus was sad and morbid, have miss the complete
picture. This is why He gave us the Beatitudes so we can realize we are to be
happy. Have you ever been around someone that is always happy? That no matter
what’s happens in their life they take it in stride and keep and uplifted attitude
about the situation? Have you ever had anyone come up to you and ask, “why are
you always so happy?” It is probably because they have Jesus in their heart and
they give it all to Jesus knowing that Jesus will take care of all of their
needs.
The pursuit of true happiness is an
innermost journey;
and the criteria is Matthew 5:3-12. Reviewing these verses is completely
opposite to what we think happiness is all about. There isn’t one reference to
financial security, health, employment, houses, friends, income, love, hunting,
shopping, boating, camping, guns, TV’s, fishing, sports, etc. Now don’t get me
wrong these things do bring happiness to the flesh and are temporary, but the
soul still longs for true everlasting happiness. Jesus completely reverses the concept
of happiness because He is speaking of what gives a person happiness that lasts
a life time and give the soul something to yearn for while here on earth. He is
saying the bliss of the poor, joy of the persecuted, exaltation of the hungry
and thirsty, happiness of the sorrowful, etc. To the unsaved they would think
this doesn’t sound like happiness, but to the saved it takes on a whole
different meaning because of the love of Jesus within their heart.
The
Pharisees of Jesus time also thought happiness were things of the flesh because
they viewed their Messiah as one that would come and take control of the Roman
government and other governments, and then they, the Jews would prosper, but
Jesus turned their world and thoughts upside down with His teachings, therefore
the Jewish people rejected Him as their Messiah because He didn’t fit their
idea of a Messiah. We also do this today in believing in our culture,
upbringing, and religion instead of trusting in the finished works of the Cross
and practicing faith and not religion.
The pursuit of true
happiness is not a goal, but a by-product; Many times we find true happiness in things we do as a
by-product of our actions. For example a Missionary finds true happiness when
the people he is working with learns to read, or acquires a new skill like
carpentry, or dress making, or agriculture, or accepting Jesus into their
heart. It is that gift of giving by doing work for the Lord. The Missionary doesn’t
have a fancy house, car, or lots of money, but what he does have is the love of
Jesus that brings peace and happiness into his heart by seeing the hard work of
his labor.
True happiness will lead
ultimately to Jesus Christ living in your heart; When a person is Born Again they will
experience an inner peace and happiness that is not found here on earth. All of
a sudden the things of this world will not matter anymore and the focus or goal
will be Heaven because they will realize we are just passing through this time
zone and life is a test to see where we will be spending eternity. When the
business fails that one has invested his lifetime savings, he will find joy;
when a child that turns south instead of north, there will still be gladness;
when people reject you and turn against you, you will still find happiness in
Jesus; when one becomes ill with a disease, they will still have comfort; when
one loses a loved one, they will still have consolation.
It
is the love of Jesus in ones heart that will give a person true happiness, joy,
and comfort knowing they can trust in Him for all things.
Colossians 1:16 For by Him all things were created
that are in heaven and that are on earth,
visible and invisible,
whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers.
All things were created through Him
and for Him.
Romans 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of
the glory of God,
Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our
Lord.
John 3:3 Jesus answered and said to him, Most assuredly, I say to you,
unless one is
born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."
Bill
Wiesbrock https://www.facebook.com/bill.wiesbrock?ref=tn_tnmn
Sinners Prayer; Pray this, and if you believe
it with your heart, Jesus will save you!
“Lord Jesus
I know I am a sinner. I confess my sins
to you; I am sorry for my sins; I repent (Meaning, desiring to turn from a
sinful lifestyle.) of all my sins, and I am asking for your forgiveness of all
of my sins. I believe that only you can
forgive sin. I commit my life to you and
ask you to come into my heart, direct, and take charge of my life. I believe that you died to set me free from
my sinful lifestyle and you rose from the dead to give me eternal life, and
right now you are seated at the Right Hand of God Almighty. I believe you are
the Son of God; the only Way, the only Truth, the only Life, and my Savior.” I believe this and have faith you will make a
new person out of me, by sending the Holy Spirit to dwell in my heart and lead
me in a new life. In Jesus name I pray Amen.”
(John 3:16,17; Romans 3:23; 6:23; 5:8; 10:9-13; Ephesians 2:8-10; 1
John 5:11-14; 1:6-10) (Sin: Rom.
1:22-32; Gal. 5:19-21; Eph. 5:3-7)
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