Sermon Tone Analysis

Jesus Wants to Give Us Heavenly Happiness (Part 2)

Matthew 5:5-7

Sermon by Rick Crandall

Grayson Baptist Church - Feb. 27, 2013

*A lot of people are watching "Duck Dynasty" these days.

It was on the front page of the paper today.

And it's my brother's favorite show, even though he lives halfway across the country!

"Duck Dynasty" is a funny show, and one of the little things I like is the way daddy Phil Robertson describes happy people being happy.

Phil says they're "happy, happy, happy."

*Church: God wants us to be "happy, happy, happy."

He wants our lives to overflow with His heavenly happiness.

And Jesus shows us how to get it in the opening verses of the Sermon on the Mount.

This truth is easy for us to miss, because most of our English Bibles use the word "blessed" instead of "happy."

But the original word simply means "happy."

*There is another word in the New Testament translated as "bless" or "blessed."

It's a totally different word that is found 44 times in the New Testament.

That other word "blessed" means to "speak well about" or "praise" someone.

It's where we get our word "eulogy."

And this is the word we are relating to when we "say the blessing."

*A good example of that other word "blessed" is in Matthew 21:9.

There Jesus was riding into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, and "the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying: 'Hosanna to the Son of David! "Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!" Hosanna in the highest!'"

*Here in the Sermon on the Mount Jesus was talking about happiness, and He emphasized this heavenly happiness nine times in Matthew 5. Altogether, this Greek word is found 50 times in the New Testament.

And it is translated as "blessed" 44 of those 50 times.

But the other times it is translated as "happy" or "happier."

*For example, in John 13:16&17, Jesus told His disciples:

16. "Most assuredly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him.

17.

If you know these things, happy are you if you do them."

*That "happy" is the same original word as "blessed" here in Matthew 5.

*Another example is in Acts 26:2, where Paul had been falsely imprisoned for two years, and now was on trial before King Agrippa.

Paul opened his testimony by saying, "I think myself happy, King Agrippa, because today I shall answer for myself before you concerning all the things of which I am accused by the Jews."

*Again, it's the same original word as "blessed" here in Matthew 5.

*One more example is 1 Timothy 1:11, where Paul mentioned "the glorious gospel of the blessed God."

That word "blessed" means "happy" too.

It reminds us that although God's wrath is real, we have a happy God!

And He wants His people to be happy too.

1. Jesus shows us where to find heavenly happiness.

First, we find it through a meek heart.

*This the Lord's message to us in vs. 5, where Jesus said: "Blessed (or happy) are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth."

*Now, We must understand that this "meek" doesn't mean "weak."

Melvin Newland explained that "most people seem to think that meek means weak, a spineless person without any backbone at all.

But in the original language, 'meek' was used in taming a wild animal."

(1)

*David Parks said that "meekness" was also used for "a powerful horse under the control of its master."

(2)

*So the word "meek" is a picture of power under control.

Our pride often gets in the way of Biblical meekness.

That's why meekness tends to be rare and unpopular.

But meekness toward other people is the ability to stay calm and unruffled in the face of being provoked.

*William Barclay explained it this way: "Meekness is the quality of the man whose anger is so controlled that he is always angry at the right time and never angry at the wrong time.

It describes the man who is never angry at any personal wrong he may receive.

But who is capable of righteous anger when he sees others wronged."

(3)

*Meekness is not weakness.

It is our emotion under God's control.

David Parks gave this good comparison between weakness and meekness:

-"Weakness turns its back on sinners.

-Meekness restores them.

-Weakness brings disunity.

-Meekness brings unity.

-Weakness returns the abuse.

-Meekness takes the abuse.

-Weakness argues.

-Meekness instructs.

-"Meekness is the strength to back down from a fight you know you could win." (2)

*Doesn't that all sound like Jesus?

Christians: Our meekness is always a reflection of His meekness.

So meekness isn't just about our relationships with other people.

Mostly it's about our relationship with God.

And Biblical meekness is evidence that we have a relationship with God.

Being meek means being humble toward God and having a teachable spirit, willing to be led by God.

*Matthew Henry wrote that: "The meek are those who quietly submit themselves to God, to His Word and to His rod, who follow His directions, and comply with His designs. . .

(4)

*Melvin Newland adds: "When we talk about a meek person, we're talking about one whose life has been brought under the influence of the Holy Spirit.

God is in control of their life.

But most of us want to be in the driver's seat.

What this Beatitude tells me is that I am to scoot over to the passenger side and say, 'Jesus, you drive.

You take hold of the steering wheel of my life.

I turn it over to you.'" (1)

*Jesus, take the wheel.

Try that and we will find the blessed life, the happiness of a meek heart led by the Holy Spirit.

*Catholic priest Mychal Judge had this kind of meekness.

He was the NYC Fire Chaplain who became the first official fatality at the World Trade Center on 9/11.

Mychal had been a firehouse chaplain for ten years and lived across the street from Ladder 24.

On the morning of 9/11, he threw on his fireproof uniform and raced to the burning towers.

*There Mychal was killed by falling debris, and on his body they found this prayer that Mychal had written years before: "Lord, take me where You want me to go; Let me meet who You want me to meet; Tell me what You want me to say, And keep me out of Your way." (5)

*That was a meek spirit.

And Jesus said: "Blessed (or happy) are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth."

This is the sure hope for everyone who has the meekness to learn:

-That we cannot save ourselves...

-That Jesus Christ died on the cross to save us...

-And that He will save everyone who receives Him as Lord and Savior.

*Jesus shows us where to find heavenly happiness.

-- We find it through a meek heart.

2. And we find it through a hungry heart.

*This is the Lord's message to us in vs. 6, where Jesus said: "Blessed (or happy) are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled."

*The hunger and thirst here are hard for us to understand.

William Barclay explained: "The fact is that very few of us in modern conditions of life know what it is to be really hungry or really thirsty.

In the ancient world it was very different.

A working man in Jesus' day ate meat only once a week.

And they were never far from the border-line of real hunger and actual starvation.

It was still more so in the case of thirst.

It was not possible for the vast majority of people to turn a on a tap and get clear water pouring into their house.

So, then, the hunger here is not light hunger which could be satisfied with a mid-morning snack.

The thirst here is not thirst which could be satisfied with a cup of coffee or iced tea.