Week 1

This four-week series is designed to highlight the relevant and important topics of happiness and contentment. Happiness means something different to different people. Many, in our modern society, attempt to “find” happiness through material possessions, a new job, or even a significant other. In the end, though, these things often leave us just as empty as we were before. ‘The Search for Happiness’ flips this approach on its head, detailing the importance of putting our focus on the person of Jesus, as well as our walk with Him. This alone will bring us lasting joy and contentment.

In this episode, Pastor Tito shows that the beginning of joy is found is appreciation, not is accumulation.

SERMON SUMMARY

YOUR STUFF VS YOUR SAVIOR

The beginning of joy is found is appreciation, not is accumulation

“If you hope for happiness in the world, hope for it from God, and not from the world.” David Brainerd

I believe that there is a common goal that every human being has, regardless of their generation or geographical location, and that desire is to be happy.  That single emotion is what motivates all that we do, in hopes that our souls may be satisfied.  This human condition is so universal that America’s Founding Fathers made sure to include it in the Declaration of Independence, stating, “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.”

The “pursuit of happiness” wasn’t the original statement.  Previously, Thomas Jefferson wrote that God had given people the right to life, liberty and private property.  You cannot have liberty if you cannot work for, obtain, and have the right to do what you wish with one’s property or resources.  Thought idea of  private property that is protected against people and government was ingrained in American life, the phrase was replaced in the Declaration to protect slaves.  Slave owners viewed people as property, so the Founders didn’t want to include a clause that would give people the ability to claim that they have a right from God to own people as property because the vast majority of the Founders did believe and hoped for an America that all people were created equal.  This change in language helped to pave the way to abolish slavery in America so that more people could have life, liberty, and the ability to pursue happiness.

I love that Jefferson didn’t declare happiness a right, but instead declared that people have the right to pursue happiness according to their hopes and desires.  This is easier said than done because it’s hard for people to pursue happiness.  We seek it, believe that we’ve found it, only to be disappointed by it when it fails to meet our expectations.  Though difficult to find, it is not impossible.  If we are to search for happiness, then we must avoid the one mistake that so many people make, which is pursuing what we don’t have rather than appreciating what we do have.

The Apostle Paul learned a lot about joy and happiness through his experience with Christ.  After he met Jesus on the road to Damascus, he realized everything that he thought brought meaning and joy to his life was nothing compared to knowing Jesus Christ (Philippians 3:8-10).  Now Paul hopes that his spiritual son Timothy will be able to understand this valuable life lesson.  Timothy needed to learn this principle to better help those in the church that he was pastoring in the city of Ephesus.  That city was a wealthy port city, and many in the church struggled with the temptation to place their value in material possessions and others here taught bad theology in assuming that financial prosperity was a sign of how godly someone was living.

^“6 But godliness with contentment is great gain, ⁷ for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. ⁸ But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. ⁹ But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. ¹⁰ For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.  ¹¹ But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness.” 1 Timothy 6:6-11 (ESV)

Contentment was a theme that Paul would revisit many times in different letters.  When he writes about being content, he is not talking about a lack of desire for improvement or growth.  He is merely teaching the importance of understanding where true joy and meaning comes from.

True happiness is found in contentment, which is appreciating what we have rather than being consumed by what we don’t have.  The love of money, not money itself, is the root of all evil because all sin seeks to serve one-self.  When you view what you have as the means to happiness, you will take your stuff to get more stuff, only to realize that you could never have enough stuff.  Too many “have not’s” are jealous of the “haves” not realizing that despite all that they have, they are as unhappy as them. How we handle and view our wealth says a lot about our heart.

⁵ Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” ⁶ So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?”  Hebrews 13:5-6 (ESV)

The unknown author of Hebrews is writing to the Jewish people, in hopes that they may know and appreciate what they already have!  Here you see the same theme appear, warning against the love of money as a means to make one’s life better.  Stuff is never enough.  This author then does the same thing that Paul consistently taught regarding being content.  True happiness is found when we realize all that we have in Jesus!

Having Christ means never having to lose Him because He promised to never leave us money comes and goes, but Jesus promises that He’s not going anywhere!  Having Him in our lives is having a helper.  Someone who comes to our aid when we call on Him or cry out to Him.  Someone who desires to rush in and bring relief when we need it.  People love money because of how it can help them and what it can do for them.  None of that can compare to how Christ can help us and what He can do and has already done for us.  We will never know how to be happy if we value our stuff more than our Savior.

It’s so interesting to see how people can identity counterfeit dollar bills, even when the fakes ones look just like the real ones.  These people can tell the difference between the two, not because they study fake bills, but because they spend so much time studying the real thing.  When we study Christ and better get to know God in a personal level, we too will be able to identify beliefs and behaviors that only produce a counterfeit sense of happiness.   This will lead us to live a joyful life through Christ, even if following Him means poverty or suffering.  Despite our circumstances, we can always be happy knowing that we have a helper in Jesus, for in Him we have more than we realize.

Our Lord gave us the best example of someone who lived a life of contentment.  Jesus was generous because of His love for us.  Because of “the joy that was set before him”, He suffered so that we may find happiness in Him (Hebrews 12:2).  This leads us to now examine our hearts and ask the following question; “Is my happiness rooted in my stuff or in my Savior?”  For some, this might mean working less to spend more time with your family or doing what God is calling you to do.  For others it means learning to be more generous with what we have or repenting for wanting more money rather than wanting more of God.  We need to refocus our hearts on a WHO if we want to be happy (Jesus) not on a WHAT.

Would you like your life to be a joyful one?  Then don’t go seeking for stuff.  Instead, seek out someone.  If your happiness is determined by what you don’t have, then your focus will be to get more, only to realize that enough is never enough.  If your happiness is determined by what you do have in Jesus, your focus will be to do more because you realize that Christ is enough.