True Happiness [4-6-25]

April 6, 2025

Luke 6:20-26

“True Happiness”

Here’s today’s passage:

And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said:

“Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.

“Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you shall be satisfied.

“Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh.

“Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man! Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for so their fathers did to the prophets.

“But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation.

“Woe to you who are full now, for you shall be hungry.

“Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep.

“Woe to you, when all people speak well of you, for so their 

fathers did to the false prophets.”

Right out of the gate, Luke uses a familiar Greek word for “blessed.” It is a commonly used word. It describes those things people have that make for earthly happiness. The emphasis of the word points to worldly well-being.

Let’s cogitate for a minute on this. Give me some things that our culture says make for happiness…

Here’s where these verses are headed, from blessings to woes:

HAPPINESS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH OUR EXTERNAL CIRCUMSTANCES.

That flies in the face of our cultural worldview. We are people who are ambitious with a drive to succeed. If it’s athletics, we train hard to achieve our goals. In school, we study hard to rise to the top. In the arts, we hone our skills to attain master status. In music, we practice until playing well becomes second nature.

Challenging question…for all of us who call on Jesus Christ as Lord and 

Savior…do we have similar passion when it comes to our devotion to Jesus and his gospel?

Pastor and author R.C. Sproul once told the story of a man he respected as a believer. Sproul asked the man what his main goal was in life. His answer was quite specific. The bottom line was he hoped to achieve a certain net worth by a specific age of his life. His answer reminded me of an episode of “House Hunters” Lori and I watched several years ago. The couple wanted to buy a house that said we’ve made it in life. How can someone, especially a Christian, define the greatest goal of life in terms of dollars or possessions?

The wealthy man asks himself, “How much wealth do you need?” Answering his own question, he says, “Just a little bit more.” Food for thought – SOMEONE ELSE IS HAPPIER WITH LESS THAN WHAT YOU HAVE.

Jesus is guiding us in a different direction. On another occasion, he said:

“Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or 

‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will 

be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”

Matthew 6:31-34

A wise person once said, “Worry is a misuse of imagination.”

The verse that starts with seek first means first in order of importance. In other words, Jesus says, if you’re going to follow him you need to be all in defining your life according to his teachings. That’s what it means to seek the kingdom of God. Do that, and God will add to overflowing the most important things in your life. And let me guarantee you, this ain’t no prosperity promise.

It’s a difficult challenge. We seek with passion so many things. Here’s something you might want to write down:

WE NEED A PASSION FOR GODLINESS.

In these blessings and woes, Jesus challenges the notion that we are what we have accomplished or accumulated. We are nothing of the sort. The best of us is realized as we live out of what he teaches.

Think about the comparisons and contrasts Jesus invites us to consider. Hunger and satisfaction. Grief and joy. Poverty and wealth. Being despised and being honored. Laughing and mourning. {Side note – as we’ll see, 

mourning is not the final chapter of the human experience.} Within these contrasts, we do the most we can, to the best of our ability, to contribute in a positive way to the lives of brothers and sisters in Christ. That’s the big picture point to these blessings and woes.

Within those extremes, we understand several essential truths.

Jesus isn’t saying that anybody unhappy or grief stricken will go to heaven. It’s not a universal promise.

Jesus isn’t saying only poor people will go to heaven. It’s not a universal promise.

Jesus isn’t saying that you can only get into heaven if enough people hate you. It’s not a universal promise.

Jesus isn’t saying only hungry people get into heaven. It’s not a universal 

promise.

Jesus isn’t saying rich people won’t make it into heaven. It’s not a universal woe.

Jesus isn’t saying well fed people won’t make it into heaven. It’s not a universal woe.

Jesus isn’t saying if you have a sense of humor you won’t make it into heaven. It’s not a universal woe.

Jesus is speaking words of assurance to his disciples. He is saying that true people of God will be blessed. Anyone who, in obedience to the gospel of Jesus Christ, strives to make their little corner of God’s world a better place, will be blessed.

And woe to anyone who does not.

Make no mistake. We live in a topsy-turvy world. Biblical values have been turned upside down. While unbelievers dangle over the precipice of hell, we are different. Even though we are in the world, we are not of the world. Blessed are those striving to live righteous lives. Woe to those who aren’t. Jesus ain’t messing around.

How many of you have heard of Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream? Never tried it. Never had a desire to buy it. It was too gimmicky for our tastes. Well, last month, Ben & Jerry’s proudly affirmed that March 10 was National Abortion Provider Appreciation Day. They proclaimed, “We stand with abortion providers today and every day.” Absolutely ghoulish. Celebrating the murder of your future customer base. They’re not simply hanging over the precipice of hell. Unless they repent and give their lives the Christ, they will be in hell. That’s how serious these verses are.

Jesus came to proclaim the kingdom that he is going to establish. As imperfect as we are, as his disciples, we do our best to live out of these blessings. Here’s the end result. Jesus gives us a life goal in verse twenty-two:

TO BE HATED BY AS MANY PEOPLE AS YOU CAN FIND.

In a sin-sick world, when you are pursuing gospel truth, there will be opposition. But here’s the joy. If you are speaking the truth of the gospel; if you are doing what the Bible calls you to do, there will be great joy in your life. In fact, Jesus says you will leap for joy.

If you are mocked. If you are reviled. If people vehemently oppose you. If you are excluded. If you are hated. Then jump for joy. You are blessed. Think about it this way. Whatever danger, toil, or snare you’re experiencing as a disciple has already been borne by Jesus Christ on the cross. Your joyous reward will be in heaven. Pity the fool who doesn’t believe that.

In these passages, Jesus doesn’t offer an easy life. God isn’t some cosmic DoorDasher. He isn’t a celestial Santa Claus. In this wicked world, there’s no promise of your easiest life ever. The blessings and woes tell us otherwise. Our God is a consuming fire. It is a fearful thing to fall under His wrath. Our true joy is rooted in Jesus Christ. His body was broken and his blood was shed so we could experience the fullness of life. So we leap for joy.

Let’s close with a powerfully affirming observation from Spencer Danielson. He’s head coach of the Boise State football team. He unapologetically infuses all he does with his faith in Jesus Christ. You know he’s on the right track when his most vocal opposition is from the Freedom from Religion organization. Here’s what he once said:

“A lot of things in life can let you down, my relationship with Jesus is the only thing in my life that doesn’t…I love Jesus. That is my foundation…I want everyone on our team to have a foundation that isn’t football, because football will let you down…Money, fame, it’ll all let you down…”

Let’s pray:

HEAVENLY FATHER, WE THANK YOU FOR YOUR GRACE, MERCY, AND FORGIVENESS BY WHICH ALL BLESSINGS IN CHRIST JESUS ARE GIVEN TO US. GIVE US CONFIDENCE AND HOPE IN THOSE PROMISES OF THE FUTURE, THAT WE MAY DESPISE THE PRESENT ILLS WE SUFFER FOR A BETTER HOPE IN YOU. AMEN.