Being Happy as a Christian

Introduction

I want to begin this evening with a question. And since you’re not going to be answering out loud, I want you to be honest, brutally honest with yourself. That question is simply, are you happy? Are you truly happy? I agree with Epictetus, who was a slave of all things, a slave in Nero’s Rome, who said, if a man is unhappy, let him remember that his unhappiness is his own fault, for God made all men to be happy. I truly believe that. That God made us to be happy and intends us to be happy. Now that concept can and has been abused. Sometimes in an attempt to justify unrighteous behavior or sinful relationships, the attempted justification or rationalization is, well, surely God would want me to be happy.

And sometimes the retort to that is, no, God didn’t make you to be happy, he made you to be holy. But I would argue that’s a false dichotomy. That it’s not either or that you can be holy and happy. In fact, I think we’ll see tonight from the scriptures that true happiness is found through the pathway of holiness. That being children of God is where true happiness lies. If I haven’t convinced you that God means for you to be happy, consider these numbers. The New King James version of the scriptures, the word joy is found 155 times. Rejoice is found 177 times. Blessed are blessed 128 times. The word happy is found 12 times, and the word glad is found 91 times.

Then why are so many of us not happy? This evening I’d like first to talk about happiness. And I’ve broken this lesson down into really two halves. We’re going to talk, we’re going to get the bad news out of the way first. And looking at some false reasons for happiness. Reasons, the pathway that the world and Satan would have you to believe where happiness can be found. And so many are trying it and finding out that true happiness is not through these means. But it’d be a pitiful lesson to talk about happiness and just talk about bad things. And so the second half of the lesson, we’re going to talk about the true reasons for happiness that are found only in being a child of God.

1. False Reason: Happy If You Have Enough Possessions

But let’s get the negative out of the way so we can get to the good part. One false possibility for happiness, and maybe the greatest one that Satan has fostered upon mankind is that you can be happy if you have enough possessions. If you just had enough.

Who would say in the book of Ecclesiastes, chapter 2 and verse 10 and following that whatever my eyes beheld, I did not withhold from them? You understand the impact of being able to make that statement? A man that had so much wealth that he could say, Whatever I wanted, I got. Surely that’ll make man happy. Are you old enough to remember the Seer’s Wish Book used to come out every year about Christmas? The digital age won’t know anything about the joy of getting the Seer’s Wish Book and going through the Seer’s wish book and wishing and circling things and dog earing the pages of all those different things that you wanted. But in reality, you knew you weren’t going to get a fraction of those things.

But Solomon could say that I have attained wealth, that he got everything in the Seer’s wish book. And he found at the end of that experiment, that failed experiment, that life for him was empty. Why do we buy into that premise? Why are we sold that bill of goods and so willingly buy it? Advertisers prey upon that mentality, don’t they? You can’t be happy, they would have us to believe, unless you own something, namely their products. If you would brush your teeth with their toothpaste and drive their brand of car and wear their brand of clothes, then maybe you’ll be happy. And although we may not buy that particular brand, we have too many times bought into that mentality that we will be we will be happy and find happiness through stuff.

Turn with me over to the book of Job, chapter 21. Job, as he was going through his difficulties of losing all of his wealth, losing his family, losing his health, and struggling and the struggle of faith that he had, though he never lost that faith, he struggled in finding out why these things were happening to him. And Job could look out his window and see wicked people prospering. And here he was a righteous man, suffering miserably. But he would say this of those wealthy people in Job 21. Look at verse 13. The conclusion of those people who seem to have it all, he would say this of them.

And in a moment they go down to Sheol. Their days are spent in prosperity, but in a moment they die, and they’re in the grave. Illustrations abound, do they not, of wealthy people who were unhappy. Let me share a personal one with you. I grew up in rural Coleman County, Alabama. I know you’ve all heard of it. It’s famous. My dad worked for Monsanto Chemical Company, and to supplement his income in the summers, particularly, he would paint houses. I had two uncles that had a house painting business, and my dad would do house painting with them. And in the summers, when I got old enough, I began to work with my uncles and with my dad. I was the one cleaning out the brushes, scraping the old paint off, moving ladders, all of those kind of gopher kind of jobs.

And I’ll never forget the summer that they worked on the Stitt house. Dr. Stitt was the wealthiest man in all of Coleman. And the talk of the whole city, of the whole town was of this house that he was building. At that time, it was by far the biggest house ever built in Coleman County, Alabama. It had three stories. That was unheard of in my day in Coleman County. You walked into this grand foyer. Took four doors to get you into this grand foyer, and there was a spiral staircase on each side that went up to the second and into the third floor. Without much exaggeration, I think you could have put our house in just the foyer of this house, and maybe had some room to spare.

It was a mansion. The second and the third floor had balconies that overlooked an Olympic size swimming pool that was being installed as we were working on this house. I was amazed at the size and the beauty of this house. I can remember hearing that this man and his wife and one child were going to move. Three people were going to move in this house. And I thought they could get mad at each other and pick a floor and they wouldn’t have to see each other for a month. And I can remember thinking how wonderful it would be to live in this house compared to the shack that we were living in. How happy that little boy and these people must be.

2. False Reason: Happiness Found in Circumstances

Isn’t found in possessions, but it can be found in circumstances. If things in life, not the possession of things, but the occurrence of things, if things would just work out better, if the boss would get off my back at work, if my wife or my husband would get off my back at home, if the kids’ teeth would somehow magically straighten up on their own, where we don’t have to get braces, if everything would just kind of work out, then I could be happy. And so many of us, Christian and non-Christian in life, if we’re honest with ourselves, are riding this roller coaster of happiness. That when the things and the circumstances of life are going well, then we are happy. But when they, as they often do, when the circumstances of life do not turn out well, then we’re not happy.

Look at the point that Jesus made in Luke chapter 6. This was not Jesus’ primary point, of course, in Luke chapter 6 and in verse 25. But notice the application it can be made. Luke 6, verse 25 says, Woe to you who are full, for you shall hunger. Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep. Circumstances change. And trying to build our happiness, trying to find an abiding happiness in the volatility of life, is nothing but futile. But we ride that roller coaster. And so the scriptures would tell us this godliness with contentment is great gain. Contentment.

That no matter what I have or don’t have, no matter how good or bad the circumstances of life, we can find an abiding joy and happiness. So many seek to find happiness by just ignoring their misery and suffering. Instead of understanding that so many times our lives can be painful and can be wrought with hardships, if we can just eradicate those things. If I can take some kind of pill to just make me forget all of the bad times that I might have, of just simply ignoring the difficulties of life. But Paul would tell Timothy that all that live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. Look what Jesus said in Matthew chapter 5 in the Beatitudes, in telling us who would be blessed, who would attain to this status of spiritual blessedness.

3. False Reason: Pleasure Equals Happiness

Notice the irony of verse 4 of Matthew 5, blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted. We must understand that the true standard, God’s true standard for happiness, demands that we accept painful reality and view it as a spiritual opportunity. Because happiness, true happiness, is not going to be found in trying to eliminate or to ignore misery and suffering. This next one, we could write a whole sermon about this. And this is what so many people say when they falsely say, God would want me to be happy. And so He’s okay for this sinful life that I’m living. Because so many are convinced that pleasure equals happiness. That if I can just give myself over to whatever want and lust and desires that I have, if I can just do whatever I want to do to live life in the most gusto of ways, then surely that is happiness.

Look again at what the wise man said this time in Proverbs chapter 14. We know verse 12. Proverbs 14, verse 12, that says, There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. But look at the next verse. Even in laughter, the heart is sorrowful. And the end of mirth is heaviness. It’s an empty shell.

But it’s a hollow happiness. It’s a hollow existence. That even in that mirth, even in that merriment, there is heaviness and sorrow. Sometimes, even while in the midst of that high, but if not then, surely afterwards, they began to pay the price. And they realize that’s really not happiness. And so many people chase that their entire life and never know that God has a better way. That there truly are real reasons for being happy. And these reasons are found in and only in being a child of God. Now, this next section I’ve divided into halves again, and I admit they’re rather arbitrary, but I’ve divided them into the true reasons for happiness and what I’ve called the temporal and the eternal. And let’s start with the temporary and build to the greater.

4. The Godly Association of a Child of God

You have a lot of reasons for being happy. One is the godly association that you have in being a child of God.

But I want us to quote it when there’s unity. Psalm 133 and verse 1 says, Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity. If you’ve truly experienced that, and I get every sense that you are experiencing that, you know the joy that can come from that. You know the blessing of having brethren. Even on those dark days, and maybe especially on those dark days. What a wonderful thought. That you’ve got not just one, not just a few, but almost innumerable people that you could call upon. I want to tell you a story. First place I ever preached was in South Alabama. If you thought Coleman County, Alabama was famous, Brundage, Alabama, South Alabama, first place we ever worked. And we were sitting there one Sunday afternoon in between services, doing what you do on a Sunday afternoon between services.

I had the recliner up in third gear. And was on my way to a good Sunday afternoon nap, and the phone rang. Now, the younger people in the audience won’t understand this, but just go along with me. The phone rang, which meant you had to get up and go answer it. Well, I looked out of the corner of my eye at Deedra, and she wasn’t moving, so I thought, well, I guess I got to get up. And so I went up and I went to the kitchen where the phone was and answered the phone, and I recognized the voice almost immediately. It was an old friend. Her name was Rhonda. And I said, Well, Rhonda, it’s so good to hear from you. I haven’t talked to you in a long time.

But the tone changed. She quick quickly realized she was crying. And she says, Ken, I’m at the police station in Troy. I’ve had a bag, bad accident. Can you come get me? She lived in very north part of Alabama. We’re in the very extreme south part of Alabama. She was eight miles away and had a bad car wreck, totaled her car. She was shook up and scared. Her parents were four or five hours away. And she said, My dad’s going to come get me tomorrow and check on the car. But can you come get me tonight? And I said, We’ll be right there. We jumped in the car, drove to Troy to the police station, put Rhonda in the car, brought her home with us. She worshiped with us that night, ate supper and spent the night with us.

And the next day her dad came and picked her up.

We didn’t do anything you wouldn’t have done and probably have done numerous occasions. But what a wonderful blessing. That she was hundreds of miles away from home, but she knew that she had a brother and sister in Christ that she could call who would drop everything and come get her and give her a place to stay and something to eat. That’s better than AAA. And you know that you’ve got brethren here. You know you’ve got brothers and sisters in Alabama. You know you’ve got them wherever. That all you have to do is pick up the phone and call and say, Would you pray for me? Can I borrow some money? Can you come get me? And they would drop everything and come to your aid. And that makes me smile.

5. Instructions in Living a Clean Moral Life

I can smile now knowing that if I’m ever in Tombaugh, Texas, and I have a flat tire, or a car wreck, or need a prayer, that I’ve got people I can call. And that makes me so happy. Another temporal reason we have for happiness is that we’ve been given instructions in living a clean moral life. Look in Psalm 128 this time. Verse 1. Psalm 128 says, verse 1, blessed is everyone who fears the Lord who walks in his ways. Now it takes some spiritual maturity to get to this point to understand that all of those rules and restrictions that God has laid down are not to zap happiness away from us, but that God is trying to help us. That if we would follow his instructions, our life would be so much easier.

You found that to be true, haven’t you? That when you live in your marriages the way God says to live, it’s so much better. When you obey your parents or treat your children the way God tells you to, it works out so much better. Dealing with family, dealing with friends, dealing with work, dealing with even your enemies. All of that has been spelled out by God. And he said, if you’ll do it my way, you’ll be blessed. And God’s given us the instruction book to happiness. If we’ll but listen. And not only that, he’s promised to give us help in getting along in this present world. Every relationship that you will find yourself in, God has told you how to live it. And how to do it.

And that makes me happy. Because you may not have picked up on it yet this week, but I’m not real bright. I need help. And what better help is there than the creator and the giver of life himself, who has said, Ken, here’s how you do it. Here’s how you can get along with those people. Those that love you and those that not so much.

Happy are the people who are in such a state. Happy are the people whose God is the Lord. God had promised them and has promised us that He will help. Better than even being able to call upon your brethren in time of need, that we have the promise of God’s spiritual protection, and of God’s ear, who has promised to always hear and to always care if we’ll cast our burdens on him. Because he cares. And that makes me happy. To know that the maker of this universe wants, not only will, but wants to hear from me. And wants to answer my prayer. And that makes me happy. And we’re just getting started. Because we have some eternal reasons for being happy. All that we’ve talked about up to this point, we’re already experiencing.

6. Eternal Reasons for Being Happy

But as the expression goes, we haven’t seen anything yet. I’m happy because I know that the scriptures give me hope that I can escape from eternal damnation. I read in my Bible about a place that says there’ll be weeping and gnashing of teeth, a lake that burns with fire and brimstone. And I’m happy because I don’t have to go there. I tread lightly with this next illustration. I’ve gotten in trouble sometimes with this, and I apologize up front, not much, but a little bit, if you’re in this line of work. But it’s confession time. I absolutely hate. Hate’s not strong enough a word. But I hate going to the dentist. I am sick and miserable days leading up to a dentist appointment. And you know what’s worse than the dentist himself?

Is that little Bitty hygienist. When she comes at me with that shovel and pick and starts poking and scraping, I’d rather be anywhere than there. I don’t know why. It’s just almost to the state of a phobia. My dentist at home, they bring the gas out to the waiting room when I’m coming. They know I don’t like it.

But you know why I’m happy tonight? Because for the foreseeable future, I don’t have a dentist appointment on my calendar. And it doesn’t matter how bad my day is going, all I have to do is remind myself, at least I’m not going to the dentist. And I can smile. And I know that’s kind of silly, but when I read about hell, I can smile. Because I know I don’t have to go there.

And that makes me happy. And then right next to that is just simply the comfort and peace that comes from being a Christian. And from knowing that I have salvation, comfort and peace. Peace of mind. The Apostle Paul would say there is a peace of God that surpasses all understanding. That will guard our thoughts and our hearts. It takes some age. It takes some gray hair, I think, to truly appreciate that passage and to understand what peace really means. I can remember my mother mumbling something about it when I was a child, but it takes some maturity and age to really understand what peace is really all about. Of knowing.

To those that love the Lord. Joseph Addison is quoted as saying their grandest, three grand essentials to happiness in this life are something to do, something to love, and something to love, and something to hope for. But I’m also happy tonight because my God has promised an eternal reward. Jesus, in those Beatitudes, in the most lengthy of the Beatitudes, talked about persecution and the hardships that we might experience in being a Christian. But do you realize the very next verse says this? Rejoice. Matthew 5, verse 12, rejoice and be exceeding glad. For great is your reward in heaven. Oh, you’re going to be persecuted, you’re going to be ridiculed, but rejoice, because great is your reward in heaven. The psalmist said it this way those who sow in tears shall reap in joy.

He could he continually goes forth weeping, bearing seeds and sowing shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him. And one of my all-time favorite scriptures is found in Luke chapter 10 and verse 20, where the Lord says, rejoice that your names are written in heaven.

Again.

But I like seeing my name. Again, young people, you can take the next minute off, you won’t understand this. But whenever you get the new phone book, you know the first thing I would do. You laugh, you do the same thing. You turn over and look at my name. It looks good in print.

Everywhere I’ve been, I get new business cards. And when I get a new business card, I’ll prop it up on my desk and I’ll look at it for a week. I like seeing my name in print. I’ll never forget the first gospel meeting I went to where they put my name on the sign and had it lit up in lights. It was in Andalusia, Alabama. I pulled up to the churchyard on Sunday morning, and there was my name and lights, and it was spelled right. You’ll think I’m making this part up. I drove around the building three times looking at it before I part. Now I don’t know how literal this statement is. Rejoice that your names are written in heaven. But I hope that’s literal.

And I hope the Lord will let me walk up to that book and thumb through it to get to the seas and skim down and see my name. Written there. God knows my name. And then it’s written in heaven. The gospel preacher Benjamin Franklin said, By heaven we understand a state of happiness infinite in degree and endless in duration. We have no idea how happy that place is going to be. Isaiah said, In thy presence is fullness of joy. At thy right hand are pleasures forevermore. Dwell on heaven. The blessedness of that wonderful place. Often get asked, do you think we’ll know one another in heaven? Every indication that I read in scriptures are that we will still be who we are, that we will have our names, that we will have an identity.

And there’s nothing in the scriptures that this that would dissuade me from the notion that we will know one another. Again, I hope so. Because there’s so many wonderful godly people that I want to see again.

And I know the first thing she’ll do, she’ll make me say my memory verses. And I’ll gladly do it.

They’re singing around that throne, and he’ll be tapping his foot like he always did when he led singing. And I’ll see my grandpa. And he’ll have his arm back. And he’ll hug me again and say, I’m proud of you, boy. September of last year I lost my mother. Three days short of three months later, I lost my dad in December. But when I think of them, I smile because of the memories and the love they showed me. But because I know they’re waiting. And that makes me happy. Well, I see Abraham and David and Paul and Peter. But above all these, whether I recognize or know any of them, I know that I’ll recognize the one sitting on the throne. And I’ll get to spend an eternity with God and with you in heaven.

And that makes me happy.

Conclusion

What a day of rejoicing that will be when we are single victory. Are you happy?

Are you really happy? You’ve got more reasons than anybody else. Don’t let this world get you down. We have a song in our song books that says, They are so happy. Who do their Savior obey? If you’re here tonight and not a Christian, and you leave this building in that condition, I hope you’re miserable. I hope you can’t sleep tonight. I hope you toss and turn and beads of sweat form on your forehead, and you can’t rest until you call somebody and say, I want to be baptized for the remission of my sins.

And I want to be happy.

Why not rededicate yourself to the most joyous and wonderful excursion you’ll ever be on? And that’s the way to heaven. If we can help you tonight as you respond to the gospel call, if we can give you and everybody here another reason to smile, then why not come right now as together we stand and as we sing?