To Be Truly Happy

Happy Sunday. Today we begin our study on the Sermon on the Mount. It's found in Matthew chapters 5, 6, and 7. This sermon occurs early on in Jesus' ministry.

In Matthew chapter 3, Jesus is baptized by John the Baptist. In Matthew chapter 4, Jesus is tempted by the devil and of course he resist. Jesus then begins to preach and he calls his first disciples. He heals the sick.

As Matthew 5 begins, we're told that Jesus saw the crowds. He went up on the mountain, he sat down and his disciples came to him. Verse 2 says that he began to speak and he taught them. A couple of tidbits here.

The mountain is on the north side of the Sea of Galilee. It's really a hill, it rises about 500 ft above the water. Jesus sat down, which is the position a rabbi would take to talk to his students. It's interesting to me to ask the question who was Jesus talking to?

Was this just for his disciples or was the crowd of onlookers supposed to hear this too? As I was researching this, I began to wonder how many people could hear a speaker with no amplification at all. As you know, there was no sound system when Jesus walked the earth. By the way, if you are active in a church, next Sunday tell the sound person what a good job they're doing.

That's a tough job. Back to the point. In 1739, Reverend George Whitfield was speaking to large crowds in Philadelphia. The estimation of the crowd size was well over 20,000.

Some numbers bigger than that. Again, there was no sound system in 1739. Benjamin Franklin was curious and bit skeptical. If that many could actually hear Reverend Whitfield or if the numbers were just a big lie.

So, Franklin went to one of Whitfield's sermons and walked to where he could no longer hear. He measured the area using geometry and algebra and he concluded that a crowd of at least 30,000 could hear a human voice speaking. Again, there were no distractions, no cars or cell phones or noises of any kind when Jesus spoke. Back to the Sermon on the Mount.

Obviously, it was intended for the disciples. However, there were likely many new believers in the crowd that wanted to hear the teachings and follow Jesus and be a disciple themselves. I imagine that those that wanted to hear got to a place where they could listen. And those who did not want to hear just mixed in with the crowd.

Isn't church like that today? Those who want to hear focus and concentrate and show up on Wednesday nights for prayer study and those who don't, well, they just stay away. Today, I am thankful that these words of Jesus are for us. When Jesus begins to teach, he starts to tell the disciples how to be truly happy.

We must remember that this teaching is otherworldly. You must be a Christian for any of this to take place. To be truly blessed or happy, it all begins with God. In verse three, Jesus begins the Beatitudes, that's what they're called, by saying, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

Jesus begins with a brilliant point. To be poor in spirit means that we realize that we are sinners and that we have nothing to offer God. We bring nothing to the table. I remember hearing long ago that before we can be saved, we must realize that we are lost.

That's poor in spirit. In today's world, many have no concept of being lost. Many have no concept of sin. We live in a proud society where too many fail to recognize their need of a savior.

Heaven help us. The opposite of poor in spirit is haughty or proud, and we live among that kind of people. Our society celebrates self-reliance and self-confidence. Do you remember when your kids were small and you offered to help them do something and they would say, "I can do it myself."

Although you knew they couldn't. Today, many people think that they can do it all themselves, and they have no need of any help. To that crowd, God is not needed. And in fact, God is not recognized at all.

Charles Spurgeon, the great preacher of long ago, once said, "The way to rise in the kingdom is to sink in ourselves." That is the truth. Jesus said that the poor in spirit are blessed. Why?

Why are they blessed? They're blessed because only the poor in spirit will call out to God for help. And to those who call out, Jesus offers the kingdom of heaven. This story from Luke 18 perfectly illustrates this point.

Remember what Jesus said there. Two men went to the temple to pray. One was a Pharisee, very religious, and the other was a tax collector, very despised. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed this prayer, probably out loud so everyone could hear him.

"I thank you, oh God, that I'm not like other people, cheaters, sinners, adulterers, and I'm certainly not like that tax collector. I fast twice a week, and I give a tenth of my income." He was not humble in spirit. We're told, "But the tax collector stood at a distance and dared not even lift his eyes to heaven as he prayed.

Instead, he beat his chest in sorrow saying, 'Oh God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner.'" Jesus then went on to say, "I tell you the sinner, not the Pharisee, returned home justified before God. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted." It's a great today when we realize that we are helpless and that we need God. Together, we should pray that those around us recognize their great need and that they call out to God for salvation.

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Pray with me. Father, it is my prayer that all of us realize that we are just beggars looking for help, and we look to you. Lord, we live in a world that is too proud, a world that's too self-sufficient, a world that in many places do not recognize their need of you.

Together, we pray for revival. We pray that many would become poor in spirit and realize that they need a savior. Help us to never take that for granted in Jesus' name. Amen.

God bless. Thanks for joining me today.