Life Outside The Amusement Park - Part 2

Christian everybody wants a book to funders than most of you fondly remember looking for in the first place, someone's happiness, so he was thrilled to report. Dr. Jeremiah continues his series on forming the card of happiness that Jesus defined in his sermon on the Mount have to be happy. According to Jesus's conclusion of his message outside. Thank you so much for joining us. We are studying this series from Matthew five on how to be happy. According to Jesus.

This is a tremendous opportunity for us to look at the Beatitudes where we are told this is what God blesses and then these are the characteristics we're going to learn as we study this together. If you're looking for true happiness. You came to the right place. Here is our Lord's definition of it.

Here is what the Lord says is blessed. This is what it means to be happy and were going to study this during the month of August.

Let's finish up what we started yesterday. Here's our unique title.

Life outside the amusement, the greatness, the Beatitudes is not that they are some wistful glimpse of some future day they're not golden promises of some glorious future time.

They are shouts of joy and happiness that nothing in the world can ever take away and they're available to us now. And Jesus says if you want to truly be happy, here's the formula going to take each of these one at a time to talk about them the keys to true happiness in preparation and doing that, I'd I'd like to take just a few moments today and share some general thoughts about this section of Scripture that will lay a foundation for our study.

I have four or five things I want to say first of all I think this needs to be down at the very bottom of all of our discussion and that is that the pursuit of true happiness is part of God's purpose for you.

He does want you to pursue it. He wants you to have it that I may seem a little strange because I know a lot of folks who aren't really sure, Christians are supposed to be happy and looking at them. They are an advertisement for their philosophy.

They are convinced that true holiness produces a dour look that in order for someone to really be godly as the look like a reject from a pickle factory and you know them, don't you run into them. The fact that we would laugh in our church would be greatly offensive to such a person, for they are absolutely convinced that holiness and unhappiness are synonymous.

I'm reminded that CS Lewis one time said a schoolchild was asked what he thought God was like in the child answered that so far as he could make out. God is the kind of person he was always snooping around to see if anyone's enjoying himself so that he can put a stop to it. Have you ever known anybody to follow that philosophy that's kind of the way a lot of folks think about God what you know this, Jesus whose words we have quoted here today is the same Jesus who said, I have come that you might have life and that you might have it more abundantly. The joy of the Lord Jesus is the desire he has for each and every one of us. Whenever I think of people who like to cast Jesus as a sorrowful sad player on the pages of the New Testament.

I have to believe in my heart there reading some other book than the one I've been reading for.

What do you do with the winsome Jesus of the New Testament, the man of Nazareth, who took such a great delight in all the simple pleasures that were around him who came eating and drinking so much that his enemies said he was a glutton and a wind River.

Remember that the Jesus who in his life is recorded for us in the Gospels enjoyed wholesome activities, who was at home at a wedding who enjoyed himself at a banquet was always seemingly the center of the gathering of friends in anyone's home mingled with publicans and sinners and attracted little children to him.

Now that's a thought is you notice that there are certain kinds of people that draw children to them. And there are others that scare them away. Jesus attracted children to his knee, and I don't think I'm reading too much into the story when I tell you that he had an awesome sense of humor because of the translation out of that culture into ours. We may not always see it but do you remember the word picture that he painted on one occasion a ludicrous word picture of a man with a plank hanging out of his eye painfully squinting as he tries to remove the speck of sawdust from the Ibis brother, I tell you, when Jesus told that story in those days there were some people who put their hands over their mouth and turned their heads so that they can hide the sticker in the giggle. Jesus got him with his sense of humor. So when the bloodhounds of a sad life trying to paint Jesus into this morbid picture that so often we see even in the portraits that are made of him. I have to tell you, they haven't read about the Jesus I know who wanted us to find happiness so much that in the sermon on the mount. He devoted all of these verses tell us what it means to truly be blessed so I want to just go on record today is saying to all of us him to remind myself again.

I know in my heart that Jesus Christ wants David Jeremiah to be a happy man. He wants me to walk with joy in my spirit and have a smile on my face. Not a silly superficial kind of ecstatic sentimentalism, but a deep-seated joy that can come only from him and he wants you to have that joy to he wants you to know that kind of happiness. I was rather shocked in preparing for this message to read a book that someone had given me on the subject of happiness written by a rather well-known writer someone whose name you would know if I told you who has taught us much about the Christian faith, and when in the introduction to his book.

He was explaining why he would pick such a subject in his older years right on happiness. His explanation was that looking back on his life. Even as a Christian leader he had discovered that there were far too many places where he was profoundly unhappy. You know, as I travel and talk with people in the evangelical church and as I meet often with evangelical leaders, even here in our own community and as I examine my own life that is statement which is far too true for many of us. God wants his people to be a happy people. The Christian life is joyous existence and for us to live in any other way is to fall beneath the level God intended for us all. If you don't have a sense of humor. We ought to put you on the priority prayer list because without sense of humor and without an ability to laugh. Life can be very long, very long indeed. The second thing I want you to notice that The Pursuit of Happyness according to Jesus statements is a journey inward, it is not an outward thing is we so often would purported to be, let me tell you what Jesus said about the truly happy people. His list does not include one single reference to health or wealth or work or adequate income or financial security or home or love or even friends. Jesus knew that while all of these things. Often the company happiness. They do not ever produce it and so listen to his list so completely reverses the world standards all the bliss of the poor. All the bliss of the hungry and thirsty all the happiness of the persecuted whole the bliss of the sorrowful. These are such startling contradictions to the world standards that no man can hear them. For the first time without a sense of shock and amazement. Who is this one who speak so strangely about happiness these Beatitudes are a set of paradoxes to the human mind they I believe were meant to destroy all the foolish illusions that had grown up in the minds of the people of Jesus day were looking for a kingdom that abandonment, dominion, and prosperity in Jesus is. Let me tell you about the real kingdom it is not out there in dominion and prosperity is in your heart.

In the attitude of heart and let me tell you about the kinds of attitudes which properly understand will bring true joy and happiness to an individual. I read them and read them over and over again and I have to tell you that my words today may have the same impression on some of you that I'm sure our Lord's word had on the people of his day. I'm sure that some of the people get disgusted them have someone stand in front of them and read this list and say at the core of this list is true happiness was like throwing cold water on the hot enthusiasm they had for material prosperity and kingdom dominion so I want you to know that to find true happiness. You will get it at that party. Let me tell you it will be there you will find misery. There which you will find true happiness.

Thirdly, the pursuit of true happiness is not a goal. It's a byproduct. I think that's important because if were not careful we can make happiness. Our goal, and it will never come to us.

Those who pursue happiness as their goal. Very seldom find it.

Happiness is the byproduct of finding something else a restatement to you tell me who you think might have said this.

This is the statement I think I must be the happiest man in the world I have never met anyone who is had as much fun as I have had pretty thing might as well.

Was it a playboy who had run the gamut of sexual pleasure trotted around the globe in a kind of bohemian existence.

Was it an adventurer who had visited the jungles of South America or scale the slopes of Mount Everest who could have said, I think I must be the happiest man in the world I have never met anyone it was had as much fun as I have had the manner said that is Christian missionary Frank law back who spent his whole life.

Teaching literacy to the backward peoples of the world. Dr. Lévesque never went looking for happiness, but he found happiness is the byproduct of a search for something more in one of his writings, he said you cannot describe the delight of people when they first discover that they can read men go hysterical and women began to weep for joy. There could not be any other work in the world which could possibly have brought me so much happiness. I truly believe I am the happiest man in the world. No one could ever have as much fun as I had you know what I know people like that you know people like that. If you look at the outer shell of their life. The things we normally evaluate wonder those people really be happy when you get to know them. There is kind of an inner joy that is things he has to clean exuberant and you realize that they have found the core of what it means to truly be happy in the Lord Jesus Christ you may not write anything else down.

I say today, but this is a statement worth writing down is not my word, but it is one I will never forget. Goes like this. If more people would get a divorce from themselves. They might learn how to live happily with someone else. See true happiness often short-circuited because if it is an inward journey. We have never taken the trip number fourth and last pursuit of true happiness will lead us ultimately to Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ was a supremely happy man. And there's no doubt about the fact that there could be observable reasons. As we read the record in the Gospels and we could say. By reading the record of his life in the Gospels will hear some things I can think that would've made him happy.

For instance, he had good relationships and close friends, and periods of time in his life.

He even had a few creature comforts. Not always, and not most of the time, but on occasion he did. He was entertained in his life by some very wealthy people who cared for him and he had the opportunity to do what he loved to do, which is is a matter of great pleasure.

For those of us who have been privileged to do what our heart loves to do. He could teach he could heal. He had fellowship with friends and with disciples. All of these doors were open to him or his enjoyment and for his pleasure. But now think with me for a moment all through the final months of the ministry of Jesus Christ. One by one. Doors of outer pleasure and happiness were slammed shut in his face.

You read the passion narratives in the four Gospels.

You can literally hear the doors going shut until at last he slammed the door in the upper room is brief ministry. By all outward standards is a failure what he has to look forward the next day is the cross the Roman crucifixion, his closest friends who were a source of joy to him either have betrayed him, deserted him or denied him in there in the atmosphere of the gathering gloom at the end of his life there in the upper room. Jesus said this to his disciples these things I have spoken unto you, that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be full that intrigues me all the support systems. God, all the doors to outward happiness slammed shut and I hear the master say. And now gentlemen, what I want you to know is the secret of my joy so that your joy might be full. Can you grasp in your imagination. Men and women, a man about to die. The most terrible death talking of his joy was gladness and his happiness. There are only two explanations for a man like that either he is crazy mad or he knows something. Most of the world does not yet know and we know the answer to that window at the core of his life was the joy of being in the center of his father's will. He said my meat is to do the will of my father Jesus learn how to live every day with the joy of being in the center of his father's in the words of the fifth chapter of Matthew, he will teach us the building blocks for true happiness in our life. Some of you are going to be a little bit threatened by this, maybe even now you're threatened maybe now you're saying will as I review this list looks to me like a lot of things that the change in my life for me to be happy.

Don't throw anything away yet because you see what Jesus is talking about is the outward stuff the inward attitude of heart that makes it possible for you. Like Paul to say I have learned how to be content, whether I am bound. Whether I have little I am a happy man. True happiness is at the center of life or maybe I could say it this way true happiness is outside the park) father. We really need to understand this because like the Lord Jesus. If life consistently functions.

We will feel some of the doors of outward happiness go shut and if we don't have the real thing.

At the core. We will be unhappy, miserable people or teachers through your words what it means to be blessed. What it means to being filled with joy to have your joy help us to understand that that joy that blessedness is found only in a person in the Lord Jesus Christ himself father if there are those here today with us who have never come to know your son the Lord Jesus. Personally, I pray that you will grant to them. Today the faith to believe that they will put their trust in Jesus Christ, whose words we have read today that they will learn of him and follow him. If you have never trusted Christ as your Savior which you would like to do it today. I would ask you to pray this prayer after me in your own heart to simply pray these words.

Dear God, I know that I am a sinner and I know that I have failed to live up to your holy standard. God I need you in my life, Lord Jesus, I want you to come and live within me become my Savior and my Lord father. Would you please hear the prayer each one was played like that today. Enter into their life to your son, the Lord Jesus Christ give them the abundant life you have promised. Maybe leave your with the confidence that they know the one who has spoken the words we have heard today. They leave with a sense of joy and happiness of their heart. Thank you for hearing their prayer and four hours Lord at the outset of this series, I want to ask that in a very special way will be anointed by the Spirit of God, these are hard sayings for us in the culture in which we live.

They are very much in opposition to summary the values that we see and have impressed upon us every day. Lord, in my heart I know that in this section of Scripture is a key to true and lasting and genuine happiness in the heart of each believer, may we be able to find that key and unlocked the door to our hearts. May we be changed because of our exposure to your truth.

During these weeks praise in Jesus name, amen. Well, as we said at the very beginning how the Bible describes happiness and blessedness is so much different than the world and you say well what we do about that. Will you need to decide which one really works if you see people running around today trying to find happiness in the world, you know, seems like an unending search when you find Jesus Christ and when he began to allow his principles to filter through your heart into your life. You discover there's a kind of joy and happiness that you never ever knew before Jesus is the key to joy and happiness were talking about that from the fifth chapter of the book of Matthew, where we have teaching of the Beatitudes tomorrow here on Turning Point. Talk about happy are the humble Blessed are the humble process description. What is that mean and how to implement this tomorrow visits you just came from Shadow Mountain Community Church and Dr. David Jeremiah senior cost is God touching your life is about Turning Point PO Box 38, San Diego, CA 9216 sided Jeremiah.org/right ask for your copy of David's new Bible study John infinity of Christ as part of the Jeremiah Bible study series and was gifted any amount you can also purchase the Jeremiah study Bible and the new English standard and new international visions, standard or large print in the new King James, your choice of several attractive, visit Jeremiah.org/radio data on Gary who join us tomorrow as we continue to be happy. According to Jesus, that's here on Turning Point. Jeremiah, thanks for taking time to listen to a friend. He's in question