The Causes of Happiness

Prayer: Father, we come before You in silence, resting in Your perfect work and in Your commitment to finish what You have started in us. Still all our clamoring and worry and speak now, through Your word. Amen.

Have (be) an attitude?

This week we're starting a series of sermons on the beatitudes. What is a beatitude? I've been curious now for a while now. Where did this word come from? It doesn't say 'beatitude' in my version of the Bible anywhere in Matt 5. Is it some sort of compound of the verb 'to be' and 'attitude'? Is Matt 5:3ff a list of attitudes you should 'be' if you want to be a Christian? How do you 'be' an attitude, usually you 'have an attitude.' Does Jesus really mean that He wants us to 'have an attitude?' Somehow that doesn't sound right.

The Causes of Happiness

Well all those who are skeptical about the suggestions I just gave are right. The word 'beatitude' has nothing to do with the verb 'to be' or the word 'attitude'. Beatitude comes from the Latin root beatus which is a translation of the Greek word 'makarios' which appears nine times in Matt 5:3-11. Beatus made its way into English as the archaic word beatify. Now, get this. Beatitude is the state of being beatified, just like rectitude is the state of being rectified. Does that clear it up for you? What does it mean to beatify? It means to 'make happy.' That's why it gets translated, 'blessed are . . . .' So rather than calling this section the beatitudes, we could call it the blessings (the things that make one happy) or, 'the causes of happiness,' which gives us the title of our series for the next several weeks.

The Universal Desire

If these things really are the causes of happiness, has that got your attention? Do you want to be happy? Doesn't everybody?

If you were Jesus, starting your very first sermon, what would you talk about? Jesus didn't mess around. He immediately addressed the one thing that humans universally desire–happiness. How many people here want to be happy? Let's see your hands. Nearly every hand is up, and those who didn't raise their hands are either asleep or are so disappointedly unhappy that they're afraid to raise their hands and let on that they want happiness for fear that their hopes will be dashed again.

Let's admit it, brothers and sisters, every human being wants to be happy. Wait a minute, you say, my sister sally used to get into the most miserable states of mind and I think she wanted to be that way. I don't think she wanted to be happy. Folks, even when we're wallowing in a puddle of our own misery it's because we want desperately to be happy, and all we're doing is having a pity party because we don't have what we want. What do we want? Happiness, 'to have a feeling of great pleasure, contentment, or joy,' as Webster's puts it. In short, we all want to feel good. How do we arrive at this one desire that all people have?

Jesus is the Universal Desire

Right off the bat, I'd like you to notice two things. First, happiness is caused. It doesn't just 'happen.' Second, Jesus is the one who can tell us what causes happiness because of who He is. He is the Desired of all nations. In fact, if you're hearing the connection right, you could tell me right now one word that would sum up the beatitudes, the causes of happiness, that universal human desire. Who is the universal human desire? Jesus. Jesus is the cause of happiness. So as we study, we would expect to find Jesus uplifted and at the center of all the beatitudes or causes of happiness. And if we study them in any other light than Jesus, we can be sure we will not understand them. If there's anyone who can cause us to be happy it is Jesus. What does Jesus say are the causes of happiness? Why don't we do a quick survey?

Structure

The beatitudes are a set of statements in which Jesus says, "Caused to be happy," made happy, blessed, blissful are those who . . . have certain qualifications. What sorts of qualifications does Jesus say cause happiness? "Being poor in spirit, mourning, being meek, etc." How many causes of happiness does Jesus mention? Nine. That's a long list for a guy who could sum up the entire law and prophets in two principles–love God and you neighbor as yourself.

Why nine? Simply this, nine could easily be broken into three groups of three. If these beatitudes or causes of happiness are really all about Jesus, wouldn't it make sense if they were arranged in a Trinitarian order? I'll leave the conclusions on that with you. For now, let us suffice it to say that we are going to study the beatitudes, the causes of happiness, in three sections of three.

Order

Is there an order? Yes, there is a progression.

1.	Poor in sp, mourn, meek–all are down, loss, death

2.	hunger and thirst for righteousness, merciful, pure in heart–all are moving up–growth, life

In the Bible, death comes before life

3.	peacemakers, persecuted for righteousness' sake, reviled, persecuted, lied about because of Jesus–deal with how we are representing God, revealing Him and being judged and evaluated accordingly

No one can represent or reveal God who has not died and entered a new life.

Notice the order of the three sections corresponds to the parts of the Hebrew Sanctuary. The outer court, the place of dying, the Holy Place, the place of growth, the Most Holy Place, the place of judgment.

Thus we will take a trip through the sanctuary as we study the 'causes of happiness' (beatitudes). Doesn't this make sense? We said that Jesus is the cause of happiness, so isn't it interesting that His sermon on the causes of happiness would contain the same truths as the sanctuary. In the OT times He was trying to point people to Himself as the source of all good things, now in the NT He is doing the same.

Plan

Let's start at the beginning, then with the first cause of happiness. What does Jesus say? Matt 5:3 "3 Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

We'll will take our study from here in two parts. First, what does it mean to be poor in spirit, and second, what is the kingdom of heaven which he says is 'theirs'?

Cringing

What does it mean to be poor in spirit? The word for poor here is from a word that means 'cringing.' This kind of poor one huddles in a heap in the corner with his head down in the presence of the rich. This is not just describing someone who doesn't have much money, it's describing someone who cringingly goes through life, and knows his place–I think of the eyes–down walk that is used to describe the attitude of American slaves in the 1800s. This is a poor and oppressed person. What would it mean to be poor in spirit, then?

To give us some idea, imagine with me that you are an Israelite, and that you have committed a sin. You've taken a lamb from your flock, and you are walking toward the sanctuary. For the moment the tents next on either side of you and the activity of the multitude screen you from anyone else's attention, but in a moment you pass the last tent and enter the last quarter mile or so, before you reach the sanctuary of the outer court. You step out into the open space and wonder who is looking at you from the camp behind you, and what they think about you. You cringe. That is what it feels like to be poor in spirit.

Those who are poor in spirit sense that they are wretched, poor, miserable, blind and naked. Like the prodigal, they come to their senses, and find themselves in a pig pen. Like Bartimaeus, they know they are blind. Like the Canaanite woman, they recognize that next to God's purity they are unworthy dogs. That's what it means to be poor in spirit.

The Beginning

Why does Jesus start here? One author put it this way, "He who feels whole, who thinks that he is reasonably good, and is contented with his condition, does not seek to become a partaker of the grace and righteousness of Christ. Pride feels no need, and so it closes the heart against Christ and the infinite blessings He came to give." MB 7

Brothers and sisters, there are those here this morning who 'see that there is nothing good in themselves . . . that all they have ever done is mingled with self and sin.' All they can do is cry out, "Lord, have mercy on me a sinner." And Jesus says this is cause for happiness! Why, because for the one who recognizes His condition, there is hope. For the one who knows he is blind, there is healing, for the most abject sinner who admits it, there is forgiveness.

We're already poor

We need not make ourselves poor to get God to like us, we are already, poor and He already loves us. We need not work ourselves up into a pitiful frenzy in order to come before God, we are already pitiful, sick from head to toe. Our wounds are fatal, but to such people God gives this assurance–theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Heaven has no room for the self-sufficient, only room for those who bring nothing of their own. (Pavement story: There was a rich man who didn't want to be separated from his wealth when he died, but the minister said he couldn't take it with him, so, he decieded he would appeal to a higher authority. He prayed and God spoke to him and said, you may bring one suitcase. He packed a suitcase full of gold bars, and had it buried with him in his coffin. Well, when he died, he slept and at the resurrection, he came up to heaven with his suitcase. The angel stopped him at the gate and said. You can't bring that with you. Oh, but I have special permission, check with your boss. So the angel checked the records and found that indeed he had permission to bring one suitcase. "So," said the angel, "what was so important on earth that you brought it up here?" He opened up the suitcase, and showed him the gold. And the angel began to laugh. "Pardon me if I don't understand," he said, "but you packed a suitcase full of pavement!" –thinking he was rich, he became poor.) What is in your suitcase today? What good works are you hoping to hold up before God as your ticket into heaven? What security or wealth are you holding onto as if it will make you happy in eternity? As far as God is concerned, both our spiritual and physical wealth are dirt. Everyone knows you are poor– you can admit it now.

Are you willing to be poor in spirit? Are you cringing at your sin? Are you coming to the sanctuary, to Jesus, your priest and lamb because you need a Savior? Let me share with you some beautiful statements from a chapter in a little book on this sermon of Jesus' called Mount of Blessing. "All who have a sense of their deep soul poverty, who feel that they have nothing good in themselves, may find righteousness and strength by looking unto Jesus . . . He bids you exchange your poverty for the riches of His grace. We are not worthy of God's love, but Christ, our surety (our co-signer, guarantee), is worthy, and is abundantly able to save all who shall come unto Him. Whatever may have been your past experience, however discouraging your present circumstances, if you will come to Jesus just as you are, weak, helpless, and despairing, our compassionate Savior will meet you a great way off, and will throw about you His arms of love and His robe of righteousness, He presents us to the Father, clothed in the white raiment of His own character. He pleads before God in our behalf (not pleading oh please, please, but present the case like a lawyer pleads a case–He doesn't need to talk God into it, He's merely presenting the evidence), saying: I have take the sinner's place. Look not upon this wayward child, but look on Me." MB 8,9

Anyone testifying this morning that You are poor in spirit? You've come to the end of your rope, and your weakness is driving You to say, Lord, have mercy on me a sinner. We aren't interested in hearing all about your problems this morning, just in your testimony. How well are you taking hold of reality in this matter? Not stories, but an acknowledgment of your condition. It does the rest of us good to hear that you recognize your condition–and it does you good to say it. You can think it in your head, but it is the one who confesses his sin who can receive forgiveness and healing. God has a kingdom for you, today.