Feb 21, 2010 - Do Religious People Hide Their Happiness?

5When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. ²Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:

3 ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

4 ‘Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

5 ‘Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

6 ‘Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

7 ‘Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.

8 ‘Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

9 ‘Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

10 ‘Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 ‘Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. ¹²Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

13 ‘You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot.

14 ‘You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. ¹⁶In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.

The fiction writer Stephen King writes, “I'm not a vampire type, when somebody shows me the cross. …But organized religion gives me the creeps.”

There is a popular phrase spiritual, but not religious. “Spiritual, but not religious” includes those who glean inspiration solely from nature and the physical world around them, as well as those who prefer to separate themselves from institutional structures. The phrase also refers to some who are alienated from organized religion—refugees from a house of worship that has not accepted or affirmed them. “Spiritual but not religious” can also describe those who find church irrelevant or who prefer to worship in individual and private ways. 

What is the essential difference between spiritual and religious? What can religious institutions learn from those who claim to be one and not the other?

A recent Pew Research Survey of the religious landscape found that 30 percent of young people on the West Coast consider themselves "spiritual but not religious."And this percentage is not far off from Colorado – where nature is a big draw for people to feel close to God without the more formal and discipline aspects of religion.

One person interviewed in the documentary movie, Oh My God, said “The trouble with religion today is that there is just enough of it for people to learn to hate each other, but not enough of it for them to learn to love each other.” (from movie Oh My God)

Dennis Prager, talk show host, author, columnist  of Happiness Is a Serious Problem. He once asked a deeply religious man if he considered himself a truly pious person. He responded that while he aspired to be one, he felt that he fell short in two areas. One of those areas, he said, was his not being a happy enough person to be considered truly pious.

His point was that unhappy religious people reflect poorly on their religion and on their Creator… Unhappy religious people should therefore think about how important being happy is—if not for themselves, then for the sake of their religion. Unhappy, let alone angry, religious people provide more persuasive arguments for atheism and secularism than do all the arguments of atheists.

( Happiness Is a Serious Problem (Regan Books, 1998), p.4)

Matthew chapters 5-7 have become known as The sermon on the mount by Jesus. Or according to a child in Sunday School, it is when Jesus preached to the Germans on the mount!

Perhaps a more accurate title to Matthew’s section is Jesus’ teaching from the mount. Because he covers a number of important and relevant life topics which reflect spirituality beyond the religion.

We're beginning a series on the Sermon on the Mount; The things he said in Matthew 5-7 he undoubtedly said on many different occasions, to many different audiences. The overall theme to his message is that there is a difference between being religious and being spiritual; being religious isn't enough. To live the life you were created to live, you have to come alive spiritually, because life is a spiritual event, and God created you to be a spiritual person.

Jesus begins the Sermon on the Mount by telling us that we can live a life of blessed fulfillment...a life of significance. That's the kind of existence God has designed for you. It is not his will that his children live defeated, miserable lives. When many of us came to him we were living miserable, defeated lives—but we don't have to stay that way. We can live victorious, joyful lives.

In fact, many Christians miss out on the abundant life that God promises simply because they settle for less than God is willing to give. When trouble comes their way, they say, "Oh woe is me," instead of, "How blessed I am!". By missing out on the abundant life, they also miss out on the chance to change the world for the glory of God.

Today we'll look at the abundant life that Jesus has promised to each of us. No matter what your situation is, you can experience his abundance...his blessings on your life. You may be poor or rich, educated or not, married or single, young or old, hip or square—no matter what your situation is in life, today's message applies to you.

In Matthew 5:1-16 there are three truths about abundant living that we can take note of.

1. God promises true blessedness.

Jesus begins the Sermon on the Mount by saying,

(v. 3-5) Blessed are the poor in spirit...blessed are those who mourn...blessed are the meek... ...and so on.

“Bless-ed”. We usually pronounce it “blest” because that’s how other words spelled similarly are pronounced. Can you imagine pronouncing other words like “bless-ed”?

"My shirt is mess-ed up today because I didn't have enough time to get dress-ed."

But we do say "Bless-ed."

In English it is a religious sounding word, but remember, Jesus didn't speak English, and Matthew didn't write his Gospel in English. The word that is used in Matthew is not a religious term at all. It was a normal part of their everyday vocabulary.

The word is makarios (ma KAR ee os). There isn't a word in the English language that is equivalent to this word. In fact, "Blessed" probably comes closer than any other, which is why we use it.

The word makarios is also translated "happy" in many versions of the Bible. "Happy" comes close to capturing the meaning—but makarios means much more than happiness.

There is also a sense in which this word implies "Congratulations!" or "Way to Go!" or "Good for you!", as if Jesus were saying,

"Congratulations, poor in spirit! Way to go, you who mourn! Good for you, people who are meek!"

So, when Jesus said, "Blessed are the poor in spirit...Blessed are those who mourn," and so on, he was saying, "Here are the ingredients that result in absolute contentment, fulfillment and happiness in life." He was saying "You can be happy in this life, you can be content, you can be fulfilled, you can blessed."

2. True happiness can come in unexpected ways.

Jesus' method of happiness is different than what is taught by the popular culture.

Society in general might teach these principles this way:

Blessed are those who never mourn, for their life will be a bed of roses.

Blessed are the aggressive, for they'll get whatever they want.

Blessed are those who show no mercy, for their enemies will fear them.

Jesus' method is a radical inversion. Jesus takes those people ordinarily thought to be unblessed and unblessable and he shows that there is something about life in the kingdom of God that makes them blessed.

In the words of singers Simon and Garfunkel – “the sat upon, spat upon, and ratted on” are the ones Jesus freely welcomes and receives.

And the “Be-attitudes" name the methods.  ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, ‘Blessed are those who mourn, ‘Blessed are the meek, ‘Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,  ‘Blessed are the merciful, ‘Blessed are the pure in heart, ‘Blessed are the peacemakers, ‘Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake…

Yet, we are not blessed because WE have these attitudes, we are blessed by their connecting character to God.  It is God who blesses, and we are the beneficiaries. Each beatitude has a result, e.g. we will be comforted, filled, have mercy, see God.

AND it all culminates with Jesus encouragement in verse 12, “Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven.” Amen?! True happiness and blessedness comes in unexpected ways.

The third truth I want you to notice is...

3. True happiness is contagious. Jesus concludes this section by saying,

(v. 13) "You are the salt of the earth."

In those days salt wasn't used for flavoring food as much as it was for preserving food—to keep it from going bad. That's the role God's people have always played in society. Think about it. If all the hospitals, schools, soup kitchens, homeless shelters, and orphanages that were founded in the name of Christ were to suddenly cease operations, the world would spin out of control. If all the people whose lives had been changed through the ministry of the church were to suddenly go back to being what they used to be, the world would spin out of control. When we live the way we're supposed to live, we are the world's preservative.

Jesus also said, (v. 14) "You are the light of the world."

When we live the way we're supposed to live, we can lead people out of darkness and into the light.  For this reason, Jesus said,

(v. 15) No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. ¹⁶In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.

As our internal and eternal happiness shows through, we give religion a better name, and we connect our religious beliefs with our spiritual behavior in meaningful and relevant ways.

God has promised to shower with blessings. As we look at this list of "bless-eds" we see that happiness comes through surrendering ourselves to God, giving him control of our lives, and serving others with a heart of compassion. It's a happiness we cannot hide from the world.

Actor Woody Harrelson speaking on spirituality says, “I'd been nursing this emptiness for far too long…Four or five years ago, I came to the conclusion that I'd made a huge mistake in turning my back on religion, because there were seeds in it that were extremely important to me. Then I set out in search of my soul again. In rejecting religion, I had also discarded spirituality. Now, I've found a bright new reason for living.”   Ian Woodward, Times Mirror (7-25-02)

Special thanks and recognition to Steve May for his sermon and information on a similar topic.