The Pursuit of Happiness
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”
These words are, of course, from the Declaration of Independence.
The pursuit of happiness is enshrined in the very founding documents of our nation. For nearly 250 years, we’ve had the right to pursue happiness as individuals in nearly endless ways, yet what has been the result of our collective pursuits?
According to the National Institutes of Health, a whopping 21 million adults had a major depressive episode in 2021, affecting over 8% of the overall population.
The numbers are even more staggering for those between the ages of 12 and 17. In that age group, over 20% -- one in five – experienced at least one major depressive episode in 2021.
According to the CDC, over 11% of adults over 18 took antidepressant medications in 2023, and they are among the most prescribed medication types.
The use of antidepressant drugs has increased by 63% since March 2020.
The Toll of the American Pursuit of Happiness
Here in America, we have nearly endless resourced available to us. We are free to pursue nearly anything we desire and believe will please us. We may choose to pursue wealth, or power, or fame, or leisure, or hedonism, or escapism, or isolationism in feeble attempts to find happiness. But despite this freedom to endlessly pursue happiness, we seem to never arrive at it.
I believe the Glenn Kizer Band in their song, The Toll, accurately describes the quiet desperation of the average American pursuing happiness:
Climbing to the top of your favorite ladder
Strainin’ and sweatin’ to achieve that goal
Years later question how you missed what mattered
You ride that road—you gotta pay that toll
Man on the phone he’s askin’ about
The state of the American dream
We buy out, trade down, sell our souls
And finally wonder what it all means, yeahWhat’s it all mean?
If you could catch that fish and reel ’er in
If you could sit on the throne
And really be king
If you had ears to hear you might consider one thing
Are you throwin’ away what’s real
Tradin’ for a brass ringOne test
Are you a slave to your own definition of happiness?
Climbin’ to the top of your favorite ladder
Years later question how you missed what mattered
Ride that road—you gotta pay that toll
Yeah, Ya ride that road—you gotta pay that toll
An Exit Ramp from the Toll Road
Are you tired of paying the toll of the road you’re on? It’s time to get off at the next exit and find Jesus’ prescribed route through life. Yes, there is a toll to be paid to take Jesus’ route, but thanks be to God, Jesus Christ has already paid the toll for you to pass through.
A Psychiatrist’s Insight on the Sermon on the Mount
Decades ago, I came across the quote I’m about to read to you while studying apologetics. I found Psychiatrist J.T. Fisher’s claim regarding Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount to be so intriguing that I spent what I recall being about 18 months of in-depth study to determine for myself if it was true. What I bring to you this morning is a small part of the fruit of those 18 months. Psychiatrist J.T. Fisher wrote the following:
If you were to take the sum total of all authoritative articles ever written by the most qualified of psychologists and psychiatrists on the subject of mental hygiene - if you were to combine them and refine them and cleave out the excess verbiage - if you were to take the whole of the meat and none of the parsley, and if you were to have these unadulterated bits of pure scientific knowledge concisely expressed by the most capable of living poets, you would have an awkward and incomplete summation of the Sermon on the Mount. And it would suffer immeasurably through comparison. For nearly two thousand years the Christian world has been holding in its hands the complete answer to its restless and fruitless yearnings. Here … rests the blueprint for successful human life with optimism, mental health, and contentment.
Why We Should Listen to Jesus on Happiness
So, since it’s obvious that our own efforts to pursue happiness don’t seem to ultimately provide us with the meaning and happiness we desire, why don’t we see what Jesus has to say about achieving true happiness?
Jesus began his public ministry going from synagogue to synagogue, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and healing people. As a result, he gathered quite a crowd. When Matthew chapter 5 opens, Jesus has gone out into the countryside with large crowds following him. Jesus turned this situation into an opportunity to teach about how those who follow him should live life in the Kingdom of God.
The Sermon on the Mount covers all of chapters 5, 6, & 7 of Matthew’s Gospel, but all we have time for today is Jesus’ opening salvo, directly aimed at those seeking happiness in life, known as the beatitudes.
The Beatitudes (Matthew 5:1–12, ESV)
Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him.
And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Blessed Are the Poor in Spirit
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
The Greek word here translated as "poor" is ptochos (pto-khos), from the root word ptosso, meaning to crouch or cower as a beggar.
This verse is often misquoted by simply saying, “blessed are the poor,” with the intention of making this verse all about worldly wealth, when it has nothing to do with wealth or possessions. Jesus said, “blessed are the poor in spirit.”
Jesus is not speaking about the absence of financial wealth. He is speaking about the absence of spiritual pride and self-sufficiency. We must come before the Father like a beggar, realizing that we need everything from him and yet we have absolutely nothing to offer in return. Like a beggar, anything we receive is purely a gift of grace, since we can’t offer anything worthy of the gifts God offers to us.
We must recognize our lack of inherent worth apart from the value Christ has placed upon us by his sacrifice. We must realize that we contribute nothing, accomplish nothing, provide nothing, and perform nothing of any eternal value apart from the work of Jesus Christ in our lives. This is being spiritually poor.
So the first beatitude is all about humility toward God.
I am convinced that self-righteousness is at the root of depression and anger issues for many people because in our heart of hearts we know our righteousness is only a façade. We know the wicked thoughts that course through our mind. We know the things we do in secret that only God sees. Yet we pretend even he cannot see them. And despite our best efforts, we know we cannot subdue our thoughts or our secret sins. Yet it’s so hard to put down the charade, admit we are truly a mess, and humble ourselves before Jesus Christ, the only one who paid the price to purchase us from our sin and redeem our failures.
What does Jesus promise to those who are poor in spirit? They will inherit the Kingdom of Heaven. We are told in 1 John 2:17 that the Kingdom of this earth will pass away. When it does, so will the "rich" in spirit. Their wealth is solely based upon this world’s riches. It is the people of this world, rather than God, they are concerned with impressing, so they will go the way of this world when it comes to an end. But the "poor" in spirit have the promise of God's eternal kingdom because they have hitched their wagon to eternity.
So the first key to true happiness may be best summed-up by the Apostle Paul in Romans 12:3 (NIV): Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought but rather think of yourself with sober judgment.
Blessed Are Those Who Mourn
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”
What kind of mourning is Jesus talking about here? Clearly there are certain types of mourning which are not holy, not worthy of God's blessing and comfort.
Jesus is not talking about regret for being caught in sin or for having to pay the penalty for one's sinful choices once caught. He is not talking about the self-pity that comes from failing to attain our fleshly desires or the empty sorrow that accompanies the realization that we have lived years in this life and accomplished nothing meaningful.
The object of this type of mourning is ourselves. It is wrapped in frustration, regret, and self-pity, with us as the object. Such mourners focus on their own unfulfilled desires. They remain their own God.
Unless the mourning that flows from the sorrowful events of our lives causes us to turn our eyes to Jesus Christ, we mourn in vain. There is no real comfort for those whose only hope is found in themselves, in some other temporal person or object, or a faith which is not grounded in the Truth. The object of their hope will always be found lacking, but when the focus of one's mourning is the Living Truth, in the person of Jesus Christ, they will find the hope that brings true comfort.
This second beatitude is about humility toward self – recognizing that we are mess apart from God’s work in us.
Those who mourn from Godly sorrow will choose repentance. Those who choose repentance will be given the power to overcome this world and it's sinful desires by the Holy Spirit, which will lead to divinely-provided comfort.
The second key real happiness is to recognize your sinful nature, sincerely mourn for your failures, and turn to Christ our redeemer to make us right. When we do this, we see grace more clearly, we are not continually beating ourselves up for past failings, and we find comfort and peace.
Blessed Are the Meek
“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.”
The Greek word for "meek" here is praus ("prah-ooce"). It means “mild” or “humble.” Interestingly, it does not mean weakness, but instead “power under control.”
The future blessing for those who humble themselves before God is that they will "inherit the earth."
This third beatitude is about trusting God with humility toward others.
Jesus speaking in Matthew 23:11–12 (ESV):
The greatest among you shall be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.
So those who are humble are not only blessed, but they are also often elevated by God himself into positions of authority, honor, dominion, and ownership here in this life. This is made clear from the beginning to end of Scripture.
We are told in Numbers 12:3 Moses was the humblest man on the earth, yet God exalted him to lead His people through the greatest period of transition in their history.
David continually humbled himself before a mad king, refusing to lift a hand against God's anointed, though he had multiple opportunities to do so, and the Lord elevated him to be the greatest king in Israel's history.
Daniel allowed God to humble him under Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar, and God made him the Prime Minister of Babylon.
1 Peter 5:5b–7 (ESV) says:
Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.
Men seeking fame, fortune, and power will only find themselves on a road with an eventual destination in frustration, nonfulfillment, and emptiness. Men seeking the Lord, humbling themselves before Him, often receive from his hand the things sought by those seeking to elevate themselves.
When men achieve great things in their own power… peace, joy, and happiness never remain long as a result. These poor souls always must wonder who might come along with a better scheme, more power, or more drive to take away everything they have worked so hard to achieve. They can never rest and enjoy the fruit of their labor for fear of losing it.
But when God elevates a humble man by His grace, that man realizes that he has done nothing to earn such elevation. He has nothing to try to retain. God has a purpose for his being elevated, and he can be confident God will work His will in it. It is God who raises up and God who brings low, and a humble man can be happy and at peace knowing that he is being used as God’s vessel for God’s glory whether he is elevated or lowly.
This is probably the beatitude that hit home hardest with me. Keep in mind, I was still a relatively young man, full of spit and vinegar when I undertook this study. (I know, I know, you can’t possibly imagine that.) But I was eager to prove myself, hated to be seen as one who didn’t know something, and became indignant any time I thought someone didn’t give the respect I deserved. I worked hard to elevate myself in my workplace and in church, but this beatitude taught me that humility may be the chief character trait of a Christ follower. Without some degree of it, I’m not even sure we can truly come to Christ, and only with it will God elevate his disciples.
The third key to true happiness is to be humble before God and allow Him to elevate you as He sees fit.
Blessed Are Those Who Hunger and Thirst for Righteousness
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.”
To get a fuller understanding of this beatitude, we’re going to need to break down the original Greek a bit.
The Greek word here for "hunger" is peinao ("pi-nah'-o"). It means to pine for, or to crave something as one famished. Its root word is penes ("pen'-ace") which means starving.
The Greek word translated as "righteousness" is dikaiosune ("dik-ah-yos-oo'-nay"). It means justification. Its root word is dikaios ("dik'-ah-yos"), which means equity. Equity is defined as "... conformity with [a] ... standard."
When you put these all together you get a clear picture of what Jesus is talking about: We need to crave justification before God, as one starving for it. What is this justification which we should seek so fervently? It is conformity to the standard (or image) of the only Holy God.
The image of one starving for right standing with God is an apt one. Before Jesus Christ's work of grace in our lives, we are completely devoid of righteousness, just like a stomach completely devoid of food or water. Our very nature calls out for righteousness, calls for filling and satiating, but we can't find it anywhere on earth. We cry out, like one starving, for the meaning and purpose that come only from a right standing with God the Father.
We can't find equity with the Father, conformity to His standard, in our own efforts because we can’t be righteous, but when we truly hunger and thirst for it, Jesus promises that we will receive the two-fold blessing of the other beatitudes.
The present tense blessing is the same as all the others: We will be blessed, or happy. Knowing that Jesus Christ has done everything you could never do to place you in right standing with the Father absolutely brings happiness – happiness like you cannot otherwise imagine.
The future tense blessing promised is that the craver's appetite for justification before God will be filled. God’s kindness to justify anyone truly hungering and thirsting for it is grace beyond comprehension.
Without divine justification, we spend our lives starving for meaning and purpose. With Christ’s justification, God’s purposes are opened up to us and every moment of every day has divine meaning.
The fourth key discovering true happiness is to crave right standing with God through Jesus Christ’s work on the cross because he promises we will receive it.
Blessed Are the Merciful
“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.”
This beatitude is a simple statement of the principle of sowing and reaping found throughout the Scriptures, perhaps most concisely stated in Galatians 6:7:
“Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.”
Deuteronomy 4:31 tells us that mercy is one of the chief qualities of the Father’s character. As such, exhibiting mercy is part of our obligation to God to be holy as He is holy. It is one of the qualities that should set believers apart from the rest of the world.
In the world’s economy, mercy is often considered weakness. Mercy is only extended when some personal advantage can be gained by giving it. But to the believer, mercy should be an integral part of our character—not only because it reflects the Father’s character, but because we have been shown mercy so bountifully.
The Mercy We Have Received
Ephesians 2:1–5 reminds us of the depth of that mercy:
“And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked… But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved.”
How can we, who have received so much mercy—without merit—justify withholding it from another? God has given to us freely of His goodness because of His mercy; therefore, we must also give freely of it at every opportunity.
One of the surest ways to become bitter and unhappy is to attempt to hoard mercy for ourselves while refusing to share it with others.
Mercy and the Day of Judgment
The future-tense blessing associated with this beatitude is that those who show mercy will themselves receive it. In fact, the only way we can be sure to receive mercy on the day of judgment is to give of it in this life. James 2:12–13 states:
“So speak and so act as those who are to be judged under the law of liberty. For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.”
Like the man in the parable of the unforgiving servant—who was forgiven a massive debt yet refused to forgive a small one—we can only expect judgment on the Day of the Lord if we refuse to freely give the mercy we ourselves have received.
A key to meaningful happiness, then, is to give freely of the mercy we have been given.
Blessed Are the Pure in Heart
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”
The Greek word translated as “heart” is kardia, which refers not merely to emotions, but to a person’s thoughts and the very core of their being.
Purity That Reaches the Core
Jesus is telling us what results we can expect from being pure not only in our actions or thoughts, but to the very center of who we are. When one is holy as He is holy, they are blessed—and they will see God.
Titus 1:15 says, “To the pure, all things are pure, but to the defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure; both their minds and their consciences are defiled.”
If you have been made pure by the work of Jesus Christ on the cross and by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, that purity is meant to be complete. We cannot give Jesus only parts of ourselves—our sins, failures, weaknesses, and past mistakes—while withholding our strengths, talents, plans, and desires. We must commit everything to Him, including the things we believe we have “under control.”
Many are willing to give God what has already fallen apart in hopes that He will redeem it, but if we do not also surrender what we think we are managing well or the future we have carefully planned, we have not truly surrendered our lives. If Christ is not Lord of all, He is not truly Lord at all.
Why Many Believers Feel Stuck
This is why many who identify as Christians experience frustration, stalled spiritual growth, and a lack of peace. They surrendered selectively. They kept control of the areas where they wanted to remain the master of their own destiny. They will never experience true purification, peace, or happiness until they surrender all of themselves.
The Greatest Promise Imaginable
Regarding the future blessing, Jesus is not speaking figuratively. He means exactly what He says: the pure in heart will see God. There is no greater promise than to stand face-to-face with the Creator of all things, the Beginning and the End, the Holy One. Even Moses, who was called God’s friend, was not permitted to look upon His face.
Is there any greater source of happiness in this fallen world than the confidence that one day we will see God face-to-face?
True happiness, Jesus teaches, is found in allowing Christ to wash us clean—through and through.
Seventh Beatitude: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.”
As followers of Jesus Christ, we should work in every situation into which God places us to establish the rule of peace.
In exhibiting this quality, the believer is, once again, demonstrating one of the chief character traits of God. [1 Corinthians 14:33 (ESV)] 33 For God is not a God of confusion but of peace.
That is why the future tense blessing says that they will be called "sons of God." When we are peaceable, we are being like God in one of His chief qualities and others will recognize us as sons and daughters of God.
Charles Spurgeon pointed out that we cannot forget the preceding sixth beatitude when trying to live out this seventh beatitude. God is first a God of purity, or righteousness, and then a God of peace. We cannot seek peace with others at the expense of purity. We cannot compromise what is right even if that means guaranteed conflict.
This is why God says we are to be peacemakers, not peacekeepers. We are to strive to make peace where it is not, but we cannot keep peace where others insist on violating God’s righteous standard.
Which is why [Romans 12:18 (ESV)] says, 18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.
The seventh principle is to be peaceable as far as it lies within your power. Can you think of anything more conducive to happiness than living at peace with others and anything more destructive to happiness than living without it?
Eighth Beatitude:
“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
Ah, and now, perhaps, for the most difficult beatitude to swallow.
Happy are the persecuted! In the realm of seemingly huge Biblical contradictions, this one is right up there with Paul's assertion in 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 that when I'm weak, I'm strong and Jesus' claim in Matthew 16:24-25 that you must lose your life to find it.
This is the only beatitude that Jesus really takes the time to expand upon. Jesus is fully aware of the conflicts that will arise because of the gospel of Grace, and he wants us to be assured that though we will suffer persecution in this life, we can still be blessed, or happy, not only in the midst of it, but even because of it.
Those persecuted for the cause of Christ can still be happy for at least five reasons:
We know that our faith has been proven genuine through the fires of testing. [1 Peter 1:6-7 (ESV)] 6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
We know that we are successfully living our lives for Jesus Christ. [2 Timothy 3:12 (ESV)] 12 Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted…
We know that the Spirit of God is resting upon us. [1 Peter 4:14 (ESV)] 14 If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.
We know that God is working out our sanctification. [1 Peter 4:1-2 (ESV)] 1 Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, 2 so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God.
And we know that we have the future promise of inheriting God's Kingdom as co-heirs with Jesus Christ. [Romans 8:15-17 (ESV)] 15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” 16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.
The eighth, and final, beatitude’s key to true happiness is to recognize that suffering hardships for the sake of Christ is only temporary, but it provides us with great assurance, both for this life and the one to come.
An Eternal Perspective: The Common Thread
Every one of these keys to lasting happiness of which Jesus Christ spoke have one thing in common: An eternal perspective on life.
[Hebrews 12:1-2 (ESV)] 1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
Let us lay aside every earthly thing we pursue in our vain attempts to find happiness and instead look to Jesus, both the founder and perfecter of our faith, to give us a happiness founded in himself, a sure foundation no earthly trial can shake.
Stand firm,
Pastor Craig Yoho