Dec. 29, 2021

“HOW TO BE HAPPY ACCORDING TO JESUS”

“HAPPY ARE THE POOR IN SPIRIT”

MATTHEW 5:3

True humility is about promoting God, not self.

Have you ever noticed how many unhappy people there are in this world?

Matthew 5:3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

How could their miserable lives be described as happy?

When He speaks of the “poor in spirit,” Jesus is not talking about material poverty, but about spiritual pride. He is speaking of the inward attitude of the heart:

Ephesians 3:16 “That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man.”

Psalm 34:18 “The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart,
And saves such as have a contrite spirit.” 

Who is the near too?

Psalm 51:17 “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken and a contrite heart—These, O God, You will not despise.”

Who does God not despise?

Luke 18:9-14

Luke 18:14 “I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Happiness is an inward thing, not an outward thing. Blessed are the poor in spirit.

Four Things That Are Outward Signs Of The Inward Heart:

1.   Those Who Are Poor In Spirit Will Recognize That They Are Out Of Step With The World.

J.P. Phillips has said that our modern world has created its own beatitudes:

Happy are the pushers, for they get on in the world.

Happy are the hard-boiled, for they never let life hurt them.

Happy are they who complain, for they get their own way in the end.

Happy are the slave-drivers, for they get results.

Happy are the knowledgeable, for they know their way around.

Happy are the troublemakers, for they make people take notice for them.

2.   Those Who Are Poor In Spirit Will Realize Their Emptiness Apart From God.

Luke 12:16-21

The tragedy isn’t that a person will be without what he needs. The tragedy is that a person will never recognize what he truly needs.

3.   Those Who Are Poor In Spirit Will Reach Out To Others With A Spirit Of Love And Compassion.

Why walk around acting proud as though your spiritual gifts were somehow earned when they were simply given by the grace of God?

4.   Those Who Are Poor In Spirit Will Reach Their Highest Joy In Serving.

A person who truly wants to be happy will find great joy in serving others.

Don’t search for happiness in the outward kingdom; you won’t find it. Jesus said:

Matthew 5:3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”