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Happiness

Happiness

October 29, 2006

Text: Philippians 3:5-14 

5 I was circumcised when I was eight days old. I am a pure-blooded citizen of Israel and a member of the tribe of Benjamin—a real Hebrew if there ever was one! I was a member of the Pharisees, who demand the strictest obedience to the Jewish law. 6 I was so zealous that I harshly persecuted the church. And as for righteousness, I obeyed the law without fault. 

7 I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. 8 Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ 9 and become one with him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God's way of making us right with himself depends on faith. 10 I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death, 11 so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead! 

I don't mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. 13 No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.

New Living Translation 

Theme: Because of your faith in Christ, you can do the two things that make for happiness: 1) Accepting the flow of good and bad experiences, and 2) Being forward looking.

Need: We hold on to past “happinesses,” until they’re not happy any more.

Action: Give up the past, and do the two things necessary for happiness. Base this in acknowledging that “knowing Christ” is the ultimate happiness.

Image: Middle age, and “your life is over.” An imaginary “happiness” machine.

      According to the online encyclopedia, “Wiki-Pedia,”

“Happiness is an emotional state that feels good or pleasing…It is often correlated to the presence of favorable events (such as a promotion, a marriage, lottery winnings, etc.) and the absence of troubles or bad luck (such as accidents, getting fired, divorce, conflicts, etc.).”

      How can you be “happy” in life?

      One way is to have enough fun stuff to do. Read, golf, play cards, collect things.

      Get the right hobby and…

      “I’LL BE HAPPY!”

      Another way is simply to have enough stuff.

      I was playing golf with a friend the other day. We passed a mansion that was being built. It will be an 18,5k sq. ft. palace, complete with elevator, bowling alley, indoor/outdoor pool, you name it.

      Is that where happiness is? Well, it’d be interesting to find out.

      Get enough stuff and…

      “I’LL BE HAPPY!”

      Another avenue to happiness—good relationships.

      That spouse that fulfills you. That loyal friend you can confide in. Those children that will put arms around your neck and squeeze saying, “Love you, daddy!”

      Have the right people around and…

      “I’LL BE HAPPY!”

      Another possibility for happiness is coming up Tuesday, November 7.

      Who will you vote for?

      Will it be…

“Dirk Snively.”

      He voted to double your taxes.

      He received kickbacks from special interest groups, and took the money to buy season tickets to 49er games.

      He voted against legislation that would help children, youth, adults, the elderly, sweet little kitty cats, and cute little puppy dogs.

      He was seen taking money out of a homeless person's cup, saying, "I need  
money for lunch too buddy..."

      He skips legislative sessions to play golf

      Are you going to vote for Snively on November 7^th, or are you going to vote for…

      “Rebeccca Sunnyvale.”

      She’s been married to Bob for 20 years, and is a devoted mother of two.

      She’s also served on the city council, the county council, the school board, and the Daughters of the American Revolution.

      She’s been a spokesperson for children, youth, and the elderly—as well as for the very rich and the very poor.

      And…she’s a Methodist. She teaches Sunday School, goes on mission projects, and bakes pies for potlucks.

      So, who’s it going to be on November 7?

      Dirk Snively?

      Or Rebecca Sunnyvale?

      Remember—your happiness depends on it!

      Yes, there are many things that can make us feel “happy.” Yet, have you noticed, that when you bet all your happiness “chips” on such things, it doesn’t last? People will go away. Politicians will be voted out. Hobbies can grow hollow. And stuff will gather cobwebs. [i.e. of new car…]

      So, the question today is:

      HOW CAN I GO THROUGH THE UPS AND DOWNS, AND STILL SAY AT THE END, “I’VE HAD A ‘HAPPY’ LIFE”?

      A lot depends on your outlook.

      A study on “happiness,” done at Duke University, revealed 4 characteristics of a happy life—a life that has emotional and mental stability. If you turn to the sermon notes sheet, you’ll find them. They make up what you could call a “checklist of happiness”:

___ Absence of suspicion/resentment.

Resisting the temptation to nurse a grudge, or think the worst in people.

___ Not living in the past.

Trying not to focus on past mistakes or pain, or thinking the best in your life is in past-tense.

___ Not trying to change things you can’t.

Cooperating with life, instead of getting frustrated by it.

___ Stay involved in life.

Resisting the temptation to withdraw and become reclusive during tough times.

      How did you do? If you’re like me, some of those things you do better than others.

      But you know someone who would have aced this test?

      Paul.

      He was the happiest man who ever lived. No matter what life threw at him, he endured it, and went on, literally with a song on his lips. One time he was beaten and thrown into prison—and at midnight he was singing!

      He hadn’t started out as a happy man. You heard him describe his background in today’s Scripture. He saw everything in black-and-white. He was the strictest of Jews, believing that happiness was measured by how well you followed religious rules. He worked himself up when he couldn’t obey all of them, and he took it out on Christians.

      But that all changed when he was struck down by a blinding light on the Damascus road, and his ears were deafened by the words of Jesus—“[Paul], why are you persecuting me?” Jesus encountered him, turned his life upside down, rearranged his priorities, and sent him on an adventure, a journey, of life.

      Jesus shone a light, spoke the words. Then the light went out, and the day was quiet. From then on, Paul sought to have Christ turn the light back on—he sought to hear Christ’s words again:

Everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with him

      You read that carefully, and you discover what Paul would add to the checklist of happiness. He would say that this is the most important characteristic—because if you can check that on your list, then you can go through those “unhappy” events [being fired, divorced, diseased] and still maintain stability and strength.

      Paul would add this characteristic of a happy life:

___ Know Christ, and experience the power that raised him from the dead.

      Your ultimate source of happiness lies in your relationship to Jesus Christ.

      That sounds trite, but it’s true.

      IS JESUS CHRIST JUST A STORYBOOK CHARACTER FOR YOU, OR IS HE ALIVE FOR YOU, LIKE HE WAS FOR PAUL? IS HE JUST RED WORDS ON A WHITE PAGE, OR IS HE ABLE TO SHINE LIGHT INTO YOUR LIFE AND SPEAK INTO YOUR EAR?

      If you take nothing else from this sermon, take this: your life, your happiness, depends on how honestly you can check that last statement on the happiness test.

      How has Jesus encountered you?

      How have you experienced him, personally?

      How has Jesus intrigued, fascinated you?

      What are you doing, because you’re intrigued by him?

      Each of us will answer those questions differently—we’re different people, and Christ relates to us differently. BUT ANSWERING THOSE QUESTIONS IS A MUST, IF WE ARE TO BE TRULY HAPPY.

      For me, when I was a teenager, I had a deeply moving experience with Jesus. One Sunday I was intrigued by his words, trusted his presence, knelt and asked forgiveness, and felt the giddy lightness of grace. It was as if Jesus was in my room, touching my shoulder.

      It was a spiritual high that lasted some time. I looked at life so differently, through new eyes. It’s as if he were beside me, arm around shoulder, saying, “Look at this! Look at that!”

      Then one day it was like he said, “It’s time for me not to walk beside you like I have been. It’s time for me to walk ahead of you, and I want you to follow me.”

      “Lord, I don’t want you to leave me. I want you to walk with me.”

      “No, it has to be this way. Because trying to catch up with me will teach you about life, and about me, in deeper ways. Try to catch up with me in your education, in your relationships, in your work, in your world. Try to catch up with me in the puzzling times that scare you, or that don’t make sense. YOU’LL NEVER KNOW THE DEPTH OF MY HEART, OR THE BREADTH OF MY LOVE, OR THE STRENGTH OF MY WORDS, UNTIL YOU SEEK ME.”

      And what a journey it has been, and is. Certainly there have been the lonely, dark, down times—and there still will be. Certainly there have been times I’ve strayed from following him—and there still will be. But without exception I’ve found Jesus in every turn of the road, waiting for me to catch up. The joy has been in the journey. The people I’ve met, the insights I’ve gained, the strengths I’ve tapped, the hope I’ve found. All because Jesus gave the gracious invitation, “Hey, let’s play a game—try to catch me!”

      You want to be happy?

      Try to catch him.

      Read the Gospels as if your life depends on it. Let Jesus’ actions amaze you, and his teachings puzzle you. Talk to him in private, as if you’re talking to someone sitting beside you. Help someone you wouldn’t ordinarily help, and see Jesus’ face in that person’s face—because that’s what he looks like. Forgive someone who’s hard to forgive, and experience his grace—for in forgiving, you receive forgiveness. Die, with Jesus’ name on your lips, and experience the power that raised him from the dead.

      You want to be happy?

      Then check what Paul checked.

      Science fiction writer Ray Bradbury once wrote a short story about a man Leo, who invented a “happiness machine.” Sit inside, push a button, and the machine fills your mind with joyful images, sensations and sounds. He persuades his wife Lena to give it a try. She does, and at first, he can hear her laughing. But then, she begins to cry.

      When she gets out, he asks her why she was crying.

      She says, “Leo, the mistake you made is you forgot some hour, some day, we’ve all got to climb out of that thing and go back to dirty dishes and the beds not made. While you’re in that thing sure, a sunset lasts forever…All the things you want to last, last. But outside, the children wait on lunch, the clothes need buttons. And then let’s be frank, Leo, how long can you look at a sunset? Who wants a sunset to last?...After a while, who would notice? Better, for a minute or two, a sunset. After that, let’s have something else. People are like that, Leo. How could you forget?...Sunsets we always liked because they only happen once and go away.”

      Yes, there is no eternal sunrise, or sunset. They happen only once a day, then go away.

      But thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift of Jesus Christ. HE doesn’t go away. Seek him with passion, so you can say with Paul, whether you’re 10 or 110:

Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.