Finding Happiness

Sermon/Outline by Bro. Rick Taylor 6/13/10

"Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper." Psalm 1:1-3

Happiness: a state of well-being and contentment; a pleasurable or satisfying experience (Merriam Webster's Dictionary)

What makes you happy?

We all have different things that make us smile or lift our moods. For some people, it's shopping. Some people listen to music. Others play a sport or go for a run. Then there are people that get a rush of happiness when they see a plan come together or reach a goal.

While these things can make us feel happy for a moment, do any of them bring us lasting happiness or joy? No.

We can't get happiness from someone or something - at least not lasting happiness. People will fail us. Things can be destroyed. True happiness starts on the inside and only comes from Jesus Christ.

Re-read the verses above. In Psalm 1:1, "blessed" can be translated into "how happy". Now, put that into the verse:

How happy is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful...

This first verse tells us three things that a happy person does not do:

1. A happy person does not take the advice of unbelievers - When you are going through a hard time, where do you go for advice? Do you ask fellow believers, or do you go to worldly friends? Do you read the Bible, or do you pick up a magazine or secular advice column?

In Proverbs 3:13, Solomon said, "Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding."

Our wisdom should come from God. We should go to His word and His people for advice and guidance.

2. A happy person does not follow the same path as an unbeliever - Who do you follow?

We all have heard that we're supposed to be separate from the world and that we're supposed to follow the "road less traveled," but how exactly are we supposed to do that?

In 2 Corinthians 6:14, Paul warned, "Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?"

This doesn't mean that you can't have unsaved friends. I think it's good for us to have some unsaved friends in our lives (because how can you be salt and light [Matthew 5:13-16] in the world if you hide away from the people of the world?). But we need to make sure that we are a bigger influence on our unsaved friends than they are on us.

When I was in high school, my youth pastor had one student from our group stand on a chair. He picked another student and had him stand on the floor next to the chair. The student in the chair represented a believer and the student on the floor represented an unbeliever. My youth pastor told the student in the chair to try to pull the other student up. At the same time, the student on the floor was trying to pull the other student down. Every time, the student on the floor succeeded in pulling the other student off the chair.

Because we are not perfect and because we all struggle with sins, it is easier for unbelievers to pull us down than it is for us to pull them up. Our unsaved friends need us. We need to be good witnesses to them. We need to show them the love of Christ. But we can't spend so much time with them that we are pulled back down into a sinful life.

Solomon warned us about this very thing in Proverbs 1:10 - 16, "My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not. If they say, Come with us...my son, walk not in the way with them; refrain thy foot from their path: For their feet run to evil, and make haste to shed blood."

So who should we fellowship with? Our brothers and sisters in Christ. Matthew 18:20 says, "Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." God blesses us when we gather with other believers to praise and worship Him. He wants us to have fellowship with each other so we can encourage one another and lift one another up.

3. A happy person does not dwell on the negative - Do you see your glass as half-empty or half-full? I have to admit, I often see mine as half-empty. There are many times that I catch myself being negative, sarcastic and cynical.

But does putting down others make me happier? No. Does it help the Kingdom of God? Absolutely not.

So why is it so hard to be positive?

My Sunday school teacher, Mike, reminds us to be positive every week. He often talks about the 80/20 rule (made popular by T.D. Jakes and in Tyler Perry's movie "Why Did I Get Married?"). The theory of the 80/20 rule is that most of the time, 80% of things are good. But we tend to focus on the 20% that's going wrong. We all tend to dwell on the negative, even when the good outweighs it.

The best way to focus on the positive? Look at the promises in God's word:
In Romans 8:28, we are promised that "...all things work together for good to them that love God..."

Proverbs 16:3 says, "Commit thy works unto the Lord, and thy thoughts shall be established."

1 Corinthians 15:58 says, "Therefore, my beloved brethern, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord."

When you look at all the promises and blessings that God gives to us, you have to be positive. Battle negativity with thankfulness - because you always have more to be thankful for than you have to be negative about.

So, now that we know what a happy person doesn't do, what does a happy person do that makes him or her so... happy?

"But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper." Psalm 1:2-3

1. A happy person desires the things of the Lord - What are the desires of your heart?

Do you want to be successful in your job? Do you want to be a better wife or mother? Do you want to be a writer, singer, or actor?

Psalm 37:4-5 says, "Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass."

Those verses don't give us a free pass with God's signature on it that says we can be successful at whatever we want, whenever we want, however we want. They say to "commit thy way unto the Lord."

When we are in God's presence and in His will, we will desire godly things. As we get closer to Him, He will place desires in our hearts, and as we continue to commit to His timing and His plan, He will bring those desires and dreams to pass.

So happy people dream big and trust in God's perfect timing. Happy people desire godly things.

2. A happy person thinks on the things of God - When you hear the word "meditate" what do you think about? Do you picture a little guy in a robe sitting on the floor with his legs crossed and humming "ummmmm"?

Psalm 1:2 says, "...in his law doth he meditate day and night." A happy person studies God's word. When was the last time you "meditated" on the Word of God? Do you just read it like it's empty words on the page? Or do you really let it speak to you?

Remember Proverbs 3:13? "Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding."

3. A happy person will bear Spiritual fruit - "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance..." Galatians 5:22-23

Take a moment to think about one of your heroes of the faith - a pastor, parent, Sunday school teacher, mentor, or friend that has had a great impact on your faith. What spiritual fruit was evident in his or her life? What first made you realize that he or she was different? That he or she had something that you didn't have? That he or she had something you wanted?

What made you realize that he or she had Jesus?

Do people see spiritual fruit in your life? When we can share spiritual fruits (love, joy, peace, etc.) with other people, it makes us happy.

So where does your happiness come from? Do you try to borrow happiness from people, things, and success? Or do you get your happiness from Jesus?