The Happy Sermon That Makes Men Sad

Transcripts for Dr. Wiersbe's sermons are forthcoming. Below is an outline of his message.

The Beatitudes are the attitudes that should be in every believer’s lives.

We have become accustomed to the Sermon on the Mount.

The word “blessed” would have shocked Jesus’ audience because it was typically used for the Greek gods and the dead.

Jesus tells us how we can have peace and joy in the midst of battles and frustrations.

Three truths that help us live a life of blessedness:

• God wants us to be happy.
  • Blessedness is much greater than happiness, but happiness carries more weight today.
  • People who don’t believe God wants us to be happy have a wrong idea of who God is.
  • Many Christians do not give the impression of being happy because they are so focused on the burdens and not the blessings.
• Most people don’t know what happiness is.
  • The Pharisees said if you want to be happy you must maintain tradition.
  • The Sadducees said if you want to be happy you must follow your own rational thinking.
  • The Herodians said if you want to be happy you must enjoy
  • The Essenes said if you want to be happy you must pull away from the rest of the world.
  • The Zealots said if you want to be happy you must break the power of Rome.
  • Jesus said that all of these experiences don’t necessarily make you happy.
  • Jesus said the secret to happiness is righteousness (Matthew 5:20).
  • In the beatitudes Jesus doesn’t tell us what to do; He tells us who to be.
• If you seek happiness, you won’t find it.
  • Serendipity is the happy faculty of finding something you weren’t looking for. Happiness is the same way.
  • If you go out to do what Jesus tells you to do, you’ll find happiness along the way.
  • Jesus tells us to take care of the character of our heart before anything else.
  • Sin and righteousness are not just action on the outside, they are attitude on the inside.
  • If you want to be happy, you must deal with sin.
  • Jesus shows how our righteousness is practiced: in our worship, wealth, and walk.
  • Holiness and happiness go together.

Building character means that in spite of the trials of life, you can have peace and happiness.

Happiness is the blessed byproduct of a holy and obedient life through faith.