Be Happy: Our Sovereign God Reigns Forever!
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· 126 viewsPastor James Kinsella preaches on Psalm 146
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As I have been saying…Brian and I are going to be preaching through the book of Hebrews next...
One thing we will be seeing over and over in Hebrews is the centrality of our Lord and God…Jesus Christ to all of life…and how Jesus is better…better than anything…and therefore we are to live our lives together as His people…His church...for Him...
And in doing so we will find our satisfaction in Him!
We were made to know him…find our help in him…put our hope in him…as we wait for Him...
And to know that no true lasting happiness…no true satisfaction…no everlasting joy can be found in anything other than God and His ways…
This means that we are not to find our happiness in our circumstances…or in our self…but in God!
Does this mean true Christians will never be sad…no…we will be really sad about sad things that happen in our live and in this world...
And as we are from time to time swimming in the sea of sadness…we who hope in God will still be floating in the boat called true happiness...
We will see in Hebrews that Jesus is the perfect example of this...
The Bible clearly teaches that Jesus was very serious…and sometimes sad…He cried…He experienced agony...
So much so that the prophet Isaiah referred to Jesus as “a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief” (Isaiah 53:3)...
And yet we will see in Hebrews that Jesus also exceeded all humanity in his happiness.
The author of Hebrews quotes Psalm 45 and says this about Jesus...
Hebrews 1:8–9 (ESV)
But of the Son he says,
“Your throne, O God, is forever and ever,
the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom.
You (of the Son…Jesus) have loved righteousness and hated wickedness;
therefore God, your God, has anointed you
with the oil of gladness (greek extreme joy) beyond your companions.”
So in Jesus we see one who can experience sorrow…and grief…and hate wickedness and evil…he hates it...
And yet…he is anointed with extreme happiness…exultant happiness...
And I see…and want you to see in Psalm 146 that we are given a simple and beautiful and powerful vision of how we…not only can…but have to be happy...
God commands us to be happy…as we like Jesus hate the evil and deception and wickedness of sin around us…we are to hate it...
And as we weep with those who weep...
And yet...we are to above all of this…be happy!
And Psalm 146 when seen in all of its glory…gives us a 3 part pathway to true happiness...
No…this is not an Olsteenian name it and claim sermon...
But it is…God telling us…we who call Him our God…
We who have been saved by faith in Jesus...are to be happy…
Before we even read the Psalm I want you to see something…in it...
We have a verse in our text for today that says this...
SLIDE
Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the Lord his God,
And you may note I titled the sermon…Be Happy: Our Sovereign God Reigns Forever.
Be happy?
That word blessed in the ESV…the Hebrew…ash-reh...
Means to be made happy…to be blessed is to be made happy...
And here it is in the plural form…and in a form that means it is bound to something else...
Follow me…so to be blessed…here means to be made happy by divine grace…to be chosen and favored by God…and therefor made happy in God...
So I actually like hte CSB translation and you will see me use this version today as we...
SLIDE
Happy is the one whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the Lord his God,
Happy…made happy…blessed and chosen and given divine happiness…are those whose help is the God of Jacob…whose hope is in God...
This is a massive statement to us…God’s people...in a world needing much help…and seemingly without much hope...
Those of us who find out help in God…and put our hope in God…are blessed with happiness...
This is the type of statement that also has power in what it says in the negative…those who do not find their help in God or put their hope in God…will ultimately be unhappy...
If you are unhappy here this Word from God today to you...
So we should ask...Is this true…and is it true for us…and of us?
In this world…even as we hate the wickedness…and are sorrowful for the lost…and in a battle for souls against the devil…who hates the church...
Are we...above all…and at the core of it all…are we happy…should we be? And if we want to be…what does this psalm tells us we need to do to be happy?
I will show today that this Psalm tells us 3 pathways that when lived in our daily lives...lead to our true happiness…even in the midst of storms...
Those 3 pathways are based on one foundational truth...
And that 1 foundational truth has 11 outcomes…to motivate us to live out the 3 pathways to true happiness...
SO..
1 Foundational Truth
11 Outcomes of that Foundational Truth
3 Pathways to True Happiness
All summarized in...
Be Happy: Our Sovereign God Reigns Forever...
Be Happy: Our Sovereign God Reigns Forever...
Open to...
Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord, O my soul!
I will praise the Lord as long as I live;
I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.
Put not your trust in princes,
in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation.
When his breath departs, he returns to the earth;
on that very day his plans perish.
Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the Lord his God,
who made heaven and earth,
the sea, and all that is in them,
who keeps faith forever;
who executes justice for the oppressed,
who gives food to the hungry.
The Lord sets the prisoners free;
the Lord opens the eyes of the blind.
The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down;
the Lord loves the righteous.
The Lord watches over the sojourners;
he upholds the widow and the fatherless,
but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.
The Lord will reign forever,
your God, O Zion, to all generations.
Praise the Lord!
The Word of God to us this morning...
I believe this entire Psalm…and in reality…all doctrine…all of life…everything from true science to all of history...
All truth and all theology…
Therefore...our true happiness…is all built upon this 1 foundational truth…and we see it in our Psalm today...
Without this foundational truth…there is no way we can truly be happy…we have no grounds for happiness…unless this one thing is true!
Especially when things are going no the way we think they should…or the world around us is lost and rapidly changing…and moving further away from God and his ways…how are we still supposed to be happy?
There is one truth that is for us the source of the assurance of our salvation…the basis of our hope…the security found in our trust in God…that God will always come through…and be our help...our guide…and is for our eternal good...
There is one truth that helps us hold onto the promises of God and believe them…especially when we most need them...
There is one truth that holds together the truth of God’s Word...
And that truth is what the Psalmist sings loud in praise and how he ends this Psalm...
SLIDE
1 Foundational Truth - Our Sovereign God Reigns Forever
The Lord will reign forever,
your God, O Zion, to all generations.
Praise the Lord!
The Lord will reign forever...
The Lord is king…King over what?
Everything!
Church…we know the Lord to be the Lord Jesus Christ...
Just listen to this...Jesus Christ our Lord and God…will reign forever…because…
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.
AMEN?
Jesus will reign forever…Jesus is the perfect image of God…all the fullness of God…not part God…but all God…He created all things…everywhere…for Himself...
Jesus is preexistent to all things and holds all things together...
Jesus is the preeminent King…and He reigns over all things…nothing does anything unless He allows it…because He commands it...
Our God is Sovereign…which makes sense because if He is not…then He is not God at all...
Our God…the only God…is Sovereign over every molecule in the universe...
And Our Sovereign God…He Reigns as King of kings forever!
Psalm 146:10 (ESV)
The Lord will reign forever,
your God, O Zion, (O church) to all generations.
Praise the Lord!
In the Words of Jude...
Jude 24–25 (ESV)
Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy ((happiness), to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.
Our Sovereign God Reigns Forever!
The Psalmist glories in this truth! This is the foundation of all truth!
And ends the Psalmist is signing this this truth...
The Lord will reign forever,
your God, O Zion, to all generations.
Praise the Lord!
The Hebrew Word here translated forever is in the OT over 400 times!
God’s covenants are said to be forever…everlasting!
The rainbow after the flood is said to be a sign of God’s everlasting…forever…covenant...
When God frees His people from Egypt…they are on the other side of the Red Sea and Moses sings a song of victory…the Song of Moses ends this way...
The Lord will reign forever and ever.”
I could go on but what I want you to see clearly…is that when the people of God sing praises to God…one of the most common things we are to praise God for…is that He is a Sovereign God that Reigns forever...
This Word is in the Psalms 143 times...
But the Lord sits enthroned forever;
he has established his throne for justice,
...
The Lord is king forever and ever;
the nations perish from his land.
...
The Lord sits enthroned over the flood;
the Lord sits enthroned as king forever.
...
Psalm 45:6 (ESV)
Your throne, O God, is forever and ever.
...
As we have heard, so have we seen
in the city of the Lord of hosts,
in the city of our God,
which God will establish forever. Selah
...
We are to tell and sing this truth to our Kids...
Walk about Zion, go around her,
number her towers,
consider well her ramparts,
go through her citadels,
that you may tell the next generation
that this is God,
our God forever and ever.
He will guide us forever.
...
And this should make us very happy...
May his name endure forever,
his fame continue as long as the sun!
May people be blessed in him,
all nations call him blessed!
One more of many...
Before the mountains were brought forth,
or ever you had formed the earth and the world,
from everlasting to everlasting you are God.
The first thing we must see and know and trust and proclaim and teach…the foundational truth we must believe if we are to truly Be Happy...
Our Sovereign God Reigns Forever!
This truth that the Psalmist ends with…just rolls off His tounge flows from his mouth with joyful singing…because...
He had just in this Psalm spoken of 11 outcomes of the truth that…Our Sovereign God Reigns Forever!
What are those:
SLIDE
11 Outcomes of the truth that Our Sovereign God Reigns Forever
1. God is Creator of everything
Psalm 146:6 (ESV)
who made heaven and earth,
the sea, and all that is in them,
He's the Creator of everything. We saw in Colossians…this is said about Jesus...
Colossians 1:16 (ESV)
For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth—all things were created through him and for him.
Only a Sovereign God who Reigns forever can create everything from nothing by Himself and for Himself.
Jesus our Lord and King created everything so He should be our help and hope…we should worship Him because...
He is a Sovereign Creator King that Reigns forever!
Recognizing that God is the Creator of everything is an enormous comfort and gives us confidence that He is our help and our hope.
2. God is always faithful
Psalm 146:6 (ESV)
who keeps faith forever;
His faithfulness is everlasting. God's lovingkindness and His faithfulness are everlasting. He is forever faithful. He will never ever let you go. You know, you should read a little bit about George Matheson who wrote the hymn that we sang tonight, “O Love That Will Not Let Me Go.” There's a pensiveness and a sadness to that lyric, isn't there? And the reason is because he wrote it in a very sad time. You know, you don't write a song, “O Love That Will Not Let Me Go” unless you have experienced a love that has let you go in this life. And George Matheson did, very heartbreakingly, twice. And so in contrast to a human love that let him go, he bids us sing of a love that is forever faithful, that will not let us go. There are some of you here tonight that need that kind of a love. In fact, all of us need that kind of a love here tonight.
3. God is just
Psalm 146:7 (ESV)
who executes justice for the oppressed,
The psalmist rejoices that our God, what's He like? He's a God who gives justice to those who have been abused by human injustice. You know there has been a lot of joking about the torturous experience of football fans watching the replacement referees over the last three weeks or so. It has been abysmal, some of the refereeing we've watched. And all sorts of interesting jokes have been spread about them, like, “Now that the replacement referees are out of work, they’re being called upon to call the election” etcetera, etcetera, etcetera. And we can laugh about that and we can now laugh that they’re gone, about what they did in sports. But you know, the bad calls that they made weren't intentional, but there are intentional human injustices in this world all the time. And the psalmist is saying, “The Lord intends to put that right. He's going to give justice to those who have been abused by human injustice.” And that should be especially significant to us who have brothers and sisters around the world who are being persecuted simply because they are believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. They’re experiencing human injustice. And the Lord cares about that and He knows about that and He intends to do something about that and He will do something about that.
4. God is our sustainer
Psalm 146:7 (ESV)
who gives food to the hungry.
He opens His hand and He gives those in need the food that they require. He feeds the hungry. That's what our God is like.
5. God sets us free from sin
Psalm 146:7 (ESV)
]The Lord sets the prisoners free;
The Lord sets captives free. And you can think, in the Bible, there are so many captives that are set free by the Lord, starting with — you can think of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego or you can go further back and think of Joseph who was a prisoner. They were imprisoned wrongly and they were set free. You can think of Peter, you can think of Paul, set free. John Knox was a captive and set free. He was captured and put on a French slave galley for eighteen months. Usually when you are a rower on a French slave galley in the 16th century, the way you ended up is tossed over the boat after you died into the ocean. And he came free. And the Lord used him for the reformation in Scotland. And John Bunyan was a captive and while he was in captivity he wrote a little book that you might have heard of; it's called Pilgrim's Progress, and the Lord set him free. The Lord sets the captives free. Oh, sometimes there are captives like Stephen who aren't set free in this world, but when they enter into heaven the Lord is standing and waiting for them and they’re free indeed. He sets the captives free. That's the fifth thing that he says.
6. God heals our spiritual blindness
Psalm 146:8 (ESV)
the Lord opens the eyes of the blind.
The Lord Jesus literally opened the eyes of the blind and spiritually removes our blindness and gives us eyes to see...
“Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me! I once was lost, but now am found, was blind, but now I see!”
May we be happy the the Lord has done this for us!
7. God exalts the humble
Psalm 146:8 (ESV)
The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down;
Over and over the Bible celebrates the fact that He exalts the humble, that He lifts up the lowly.
“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
We can be happy…because in this world we may be brought low…but look to God for help and put your hope in Him…He will soon lavish us with everything and fellow heirs with Christ!
8. God loves the righteous
Psalm 146:8 (ESV)
the Lord loves the righteous.
He loves His people. In Christ we have been called and made righteous…He looks at us and loves us with with the love of the Father for the Son...
As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love.
9. God watches over us while we are on the earth
Psalm 146:9 (ESV)
The Lord watches over the sojourners;
We talked about this recently…but we are pilgrims here…this is not our home…we await a better country…a heavenly one…and while we are here in the city of man…awaiting the return of JEsus...
The Lord watches over us…so we can happily trust Him.
10. God cares for those in need of help
Psalm 146:9 (ESV)
he upholds the widow and the fatherless,
He cares for…looks after…and supplies widows and orphans. Those in greatest need can look to God for their help and be happy.
11. God’s judges the wicked and their ways lead to disaster
Psalm 146:9 (ESV)
but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.
If you read enough of the Psalms you are expecting this…the wicked and their ways may look happy for a moment…but will only read to ruin…and not everlasting happiness...
So we do not need to worry…or envy...
And we should never follow them in their sin…we should not be deceived by their ways…they may look good in the moment…but lead to everlasting despair...
---
And all of this is true why?
Our Sovereign God Reigns Forever!
The Lord will reign forever,
your God, O Zion, to all generations.
Praise the Lord!
He lasts forever, He rules forever!
And since all of this is true...
We should be happy!
And I see 3 applications…3 ways this Psalm tells us to live out the truth…that our Sovereign God reigns forever…and the 11 outcomes of that truth…in our lives...
3 ways to live this out…that will lead us to be happy!
Be fore I show you the 3 things to do to be happy in God...
Let us talk about this happiness...
I want you to see that it is happiness in God and His ways...
True Happiness is only found in God and in His ways.
Going to use the CSB for this part...
Remember I said this Greek Word means…happy...
To be blessed is to be made happy…by God...
So the first thing about this true happiness…is that it is not simply and emotion or a feeling...
It is most definitely an emotion and a feeling!
But it is to be made happen to us…by God…so it is a state…and we find it in God…so it is a choice!
God's people are to be an ought to be the happiest people on earth. And this true happiness is to be a weird kind of happiness...
We know the alternative to this happiness…is eternal sadness...
So this is a happiness worth fighting for…a happiness worth going into battle for other for…a happiness worth suffering for!
Because to us…nothing is better than knowing God, knowing that we are loved by God, and knowing that God will love us for ever.
That's the true source of joy and happiness. The happiest people on earth are those who know the God of heaven.
In fact, if you go back, a psalm or two to
Happy are the people with such blessings.
Happy are the people whose God is the Lord.
Unlike what our culture is teaching, this generation, happiness is not find by taking a journey into yourself.
But by looking away from self to God Himself, who's the ONLY source of true happiness.
Listen, true happiness ought to be the preserve and the possession of God's people. We ought to be the kind of person who goes through life, walking, leaping, and praising God just like the guy in Acts chapter three and verse eight.
And leaping up, he stood and began to walk, and entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God.
And also weeping with others…fighting against evil…putting sin to death…calling others to repentace…speaking Gosple truths and correvitng false doctine…all in the name of eternal happiness that is found only in God!
So in reality…it is is a Christian duty, to be as happy as you can be in God and in the things of God?
Why do I say duty? Because it is commanded of us...
Throughout the Bible, God calls us to delight in Him, to rejoice in His ways!
Jesus says to us…His followers...
“If you love me, you will keep my commandments.
And one of the things the Lord God tells us to do, and is to be happy in Him.
Paul says, Rejoice in the Lord. Always. Again, I say, rejoice.
Trust in the Lord, and do good;
dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.
Delight yourself in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in him, and he will act.
See that little sadwich of delight...
Trust in the Lord…do good…befriend faithfulness…commit to your ways to the Lord…ttrust Him...
And in the middle of that...
Delight yourself in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Paul in Phil 4:4 “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.”
And why should we be happy in God...
Because God is happy in God!
Yes! God is happy.
But what about wrath and what about punishment for sin…and what about…do you not see that all of that is because God is and is determined to be eternally and infinitely happy...
God the Father, Son, and Spirit have always and will always in perfect unity and love…and therefore live together happily, delighting in one another…always...
The Father loves the Son and has always been delighted in Him...The son is and always has found everlasting Joy in His obedience to the Father and being in the presence of His love...
The Holy Spirit was and is always happy to do whatever it takes to exalt the Son for the glory of the Father.
God…the one and only God…our triune God is infinitely happy and that happiness is to be seen and displayed now and forever…by the power of the Spirit because of our love for the Son and the glory of the Father…in us...
His people...His Church...
God…with His many attributes…and in all that He does...is a happy God.
1 Timothy 6:15 (ESV) He (God) who is the blessed (makarios - happy) and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords,
So His wrath and judgement upon unbelievers (and even His correction of us His people) is a perfect display of His devotion to our everlasting happiness...
Because it all is for our salvation…so we can be with Him in glory forever…and...
Psalm 16:11 (ESV) in your (His) presence there is fullness of joy;
at your (His) right hand are pleasures forevermore.
So if you have been saved by God…if you have seen that without God you are a lost sinner…headed for hell...
If you have repented of your sin…and put your faith in Jesus...
Because Jesus…for the joy set before Him…lived a perfect life…and still…to pay for the sin of all He came to save…Jesus for the joy set before Him endured death…even death on a cross...
And Jesus…rose again…putting death to death...
If you have put your faith in Jesus to save you from your sin and follow Jesus as your Lord and God...
He is commited to save you to everlasting joy...
He is preparing a place in heaven for you…in His presence…where there is no more sadness or pain or tears...
Only Happiness forevermore!
Gos has saved you unto eternal happiness…and this makes Him happy!
The Lord your God is in your midst,
a mighty one who will save;
he will rejoice over you with gladness;
he will quiet you by his love;
he will exult over you with loud singing.
...
I will rejoice in doing them good, and I will plant them in this land in faithfulness, with all my heart and all my soul.
This brings me to one final point about Gods happiness before I show us how to be happy in God!
Since God is the creator of all things…and sovereign over evertyhging forever...
The Lord will reign forever,
your God, O Zion, to all generations.
Praise the Lord!
So this also means...God is the only source of true happiness.
King Solomon spent a large chunk of his life seeking happiness in the things of the earth and the meaning of life.
He wanted to live extravagantly happy...so he went on an investigation…we see in Ecclesiastes...
He tried everything under the sun to see if it could bring that kind of happiness that lasted and had significance.
He drank the best wine, he ate the best food. He wore the sweetest and most trendy clothes…He set the trends…He was the ultimate influencer...
He indulged in much partying and sexual immorality...
He lived in mansions and palaces, he took all the best vacations...
He learned in the best schools and when he had tried it all and thought about it all…analyzed what he had experienced and learned...
His mind was confused and his heart was empty and his soul was sad...
He went on the ultimate quest to find Himself…and found in Himself…nothing…without God...
He ends up saying…there is no happiness to be found under the sun…it is all completely and utterly pointless…without God! Everything done or enjoyed without God is meaningless!
If anyone could say he was on a journey to find his true self…it would be Solomon...
And what he found on his journey...his summary…is that without God and living in God’s way…it is all pointless...
His conclusion…if you want joy and satisfaction and meaning...
There is only one place to find the meaning of life and joy in it...
The words of the wise are like goads, and like nails firmly fixed are the collected sayings; they are given by one Shepherd. My son, beware of anything beyond these. Of making many books there is no end, and much study is a weariness of the flesh.
...
So then what Solomon…what is your conclusion from your quest for happiness...
The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.
This is the sole duty of man…this is the point of life…this is how to be complete and full of joy and life...
Sounds boring to our worldly ears…fear God and keep his commandments…but to Solomon…who had seen it all and done it all...
It is the solution…this is all the point of life...
Because...
God is happy…God wants us to be eternally happy…and God is the source of all true happiness...
God even will punish those who do not serve Him happily...
Because you did not serve the Lord your God with joyfulness and gladness of heart, because of the abundance of all things, therefore you shall serve your enemies whom the Lord will send against you, in hunger and thirst, in nakedness, and lacking everything. And he will put a yoke of iron on your neck until he has destroyed you.
Whoa…did you hear that...2 options...
Live a life of happy…joyfulness…in service to the Lord...
Or a terrible life wasted serving our enemies…and our unfulfilled desires…like a chain around our neck...
Church...
Notice in telling us to be happy God never says it is because of our circumstances we should be happy...
This world is increasingly living for self…and against God and His ways...
To live as a true Christian is becoming harder and what should be our response…be happy…like the apostles in acts 5…they suffered for their faith…and..the government punished them for it!
Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name.
And why were they punished…they were punished for quote filling the city with their doctrine..filling the city with the teaching of God’s truth! May we suffer for doing the same!
And respond with happiness!
So what are the 3 things Psalm 146 tells us to do…in order for us to be happy...
Do you want to be more happy…in God and His ways?
I know you…and you want to be happy...
I am telling you that the Word is telling you to be happy...
Can we just say to ourself…be happy…have you ever tried that?
You are in a mood…just not happy…and you can feel it in your core…in that moment can you just look in the mirror and say..self…be happy...
No. Why? Becasue your unhappiness is often your choice…and because of life situations…and we are not instructed to be happy…because of what is happening in this world...
Our happiness is not to be found in or bound by…the things of this world…or even our own circumstances...
The book of Phillipians in which Paul says… Phil 4 4 “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.”
The book of Philipians is about joy and encouragement…written by Paul…and Paul wrote this book from prison...
So…I want to show you from the Psalm...3 ways…3 things to do…to be happy in the Lord...
All grounded on the truth…that Our Sovereign God Reigns forever!
Isn’t that a good truth? What if you simply made a habit of telling yourself that truth every time you stated to feel un happy?
Life is hard...Our Sovereign God Reigns forever!
The government is corrupt...Our Sovereign God Reigns forever!
Coronavirus is a manmade virus and a plague on the earth being used by God as punishment for our pride...Our Sovereign God Reigns forever!
The America we knew is being dismantled and may never be the same...Our Sovereign God Reigns forever!
This world is growing ever increasingly hostile to God and the truth of His Word…and the way He calls us to live...Our Sovereign God Reigns forever!
So then how do we live and what do we do to live happy lives in a fallen world?
Our Sovereign God Reigns forever…so we should?
3 Pathways to Happy living in God and for God!
Pathway #1 - Go to you Sovereign God (not man) for your HELP in times of need and you will be made happy.
Happy is the one whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the Lord his God,
Happy…blessed…made happy...
Our sovereign God reigns forever...
SO…Psalm 146 5 “Happy is the one whose help is the God of Jacob...”
These 3 pathways are so important to us in a world of depression and sadness…or in a world trying to find happiness in all sorts of sin and falsehood...
And here we are told…that stuff is not the pathway to true happiness...
So what is…going to God for your help in times of need...
The Word translated help in that verse…means...
Help...assistance…strength to do what you can not do on your own...
Often when we can not do something…we become unhappy...
Or when we are trying to do something we are not supposed to do or do on our own…we become unhappy...
Or when we are in a situation where we don’t know what to do…or things seem stacked against us…we become unhappy...
OR when those we thought would be our help…fail us...
Put not your trust in princes,
in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation.
Why?
When his breath departs, he returns to the earth;
on that very day his plans perish.
So…put your trust…look for help…in God!
His plans never perish…and are for our eternal good…which should make us happy!
ps 146 5 “Happy is he whose help is the God of Jacob...
So we have a contrast here...
Trust in God…no princes...
Interesting Word for us today…don’t trust in the government and their plans…that will just make you unhappy...
Why? Because when their plans don’t work…or are corrupt…or are now set against us…we will be disappointed…angry…worried…and unhappy…so…what is the solution?
Happy is he whose help is the God of Jacob...
What do we do…focus on God’s plans…not plans that will perish...
Is the government doing things that are corrupt…ungodly…saying evil is good and good is evil…yes…yes they are...
Put not your trist in princes...
Put your trust in the Sovereign God who reins forever!
Happy is he whose help is the God of Jacob...
No matter how powerful any human being or group of human beings can be, and they can be and in the last days will be very powerful…guess what...
They’re going to die…and no matter how bad…or good they are…in them there is no salvation...
And therefore there is no eternal life…and no eternal happiness...
Put your trust in the Sovereign God who reins forever! Look to Him as your help...
Happy is he whose help is the God of Jacob...
Should we want our bosses and leaders and presidents and everyone in our lives to be awesome Christians...
Sure…yes…but do not trust that they will be your help...
Trust he LORD who will not fail His people....ever!
He made heaven and earth…He is always faithful!
“Happy is he whose help is the God of Jacob...
Does God put people in our life to help us? Yes!
Should we trust and honor and even obey those the Lord has put over us as our help?
Why? Because the Lord has put them there as His helping hands to us...
Bur could they fail us? Yep…what do we do?
God to God for help! Why?
Happy is he whose help is the God of Jacob...
Path number one to true happiness in God...
Pathway #1 - Go to you Sovereign God (not man) for your HELP in times of need and you will be made happy.
Next we see...
Pathway #2 - Put your HOPE in your Sovereign God in all circumstances and you will be made happy in God!
Back to...
Happy is the one whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the Lord his God,
So…Psalm 146 5 “Happy is the one whose hope is in the Lord his God,”
Why? Because the pursuit of happiness according to the Bible, is a pursuit of God…and in God we have hope in all circumstances…which should make us happy! And will be what make us eternally happy!
We need to be reminding ourselves this often!
Even telling ourselves…preaching this truth to ourselves!
The pastor and Dr. Martin Lloyd Jones said this…for example from Psalms 42...
“Have you realized that most of your unhappiness in life is due to the fact that you are listening to yourself instead of talking to yourself? Take those thoughts that come to you the moment you wake up in the morning. You have not originated them but they are talking to you, they bring back the problems of yesterday, etc. Somebody is talking. Who is talking to you? Your self is talking to you. Now (the psalmist)…does this…instead of allowing this self to talk to him, he starts talking to himself. “Why art thou cast down, O my soul?” he asks. His soul had been depressing him, crushing him. So he stands up and says, “Self, listen for moment, I will speak to you.”
What if we did that to remind ourselves where our hope comes from?
“Happy is the one whose hope is in the Lord his God,”
Why?
He made heaven and earth…He is faithful to all His promises to us...
Vengance belongs to the Lord…Justice will happen...
He feeds us…He set us free…He opened our eyes...
He wathces over us…loves us…and is a good Father to us...
So...“Happy is the one whose hope is in the Lord his God,”
And what about all the wickedness and evil in the world...
Psalm 146 9 “the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.”
How can we put out hope in this? Can God really make all of this happen for us?
Psalm 146:10 (ESV)
The Lord will reign forever,
your God, O Zion, to all generations.
So “Happy is the one whose hope is in the Lord his God,”
Preach this truth to yourself…by speaking the Word to yourself!
God is Sovereign…He is my help…He is my hope...
So...
This is the day that the Lord has made;
let us rejoice and be glad in it.
What if you woke up every day and told yourself that truth every morning? No matter what happens in the world or in my world today…I can be happy because my hope is in a Soverign God…and…He made this day...
What if bad stuff happens today?
Remember my affliction and my wanderings,
the wormwood and the gall!
My soul continually remembers it
and is bowed down within me.
But this I call to mind,
and therefore I have hope:
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
“The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,
“therefore I will hope in him.”
“Happy is the one whose hope is in the Lord his God...
Happiness is less of a mood…or a feeling…and more an attitude and a choice.
Therefore…hear me...
No matter what happens on social media…or how happy everyone else looks...
Gabby Patito…Brian Laundry...
TRUE HAPPINESS BELONGS TO THE PEOPLE OF GOD
Without God the is no hope so there is no true and lasting happiness without God!
Therefore we have the ultimate pathway to happiness…in...
Pathway #3 - Make Worship of your Sovereign God the main HABIT of your life and you will be made happy!
I am going to say something that sounds controversial…and I am ok with that...
Hear me say this...
Be addicted to obsessively worshiping God and you will be happy!
Why do I see this in this Psalm...
Notice this…the structure of the Psalm...
Why the middle...
Psalm 146:5 (ESV)
Blessed (Happy) is he whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the Lord his God,
Before that we were reminded not to put our ultimate trust in man...
After verse 5 we are told 11 truths about God…reminding us to look to Him for help and putting our hope in God! But how does the Psalm start and end?
Worship!
Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord, O my soul!
I will praise the Lord as long as I live;
I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.
Happy is the one who continually worships God with all of our being as long as we live…worship God with your life and your words!
Verse 1...
The psalmist here, calls all of us into worship! Before telling us anything about God…WORSHIP!
The Simple Hebrew to English translation of verse one is...
Hallelujah…yell Hallelujah…with my entire soul…YahWeh...
Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord, O my soul!
Oh how happy we will be if we start every day…every thing we do…by worshiping God…in this way...
No matter where we are or in what conversation or who we are with or talking to…what if this was on the tip of our toungue at all times...
Praise the Lord!
When we wake up…and are alone in our thoughts…beforewe pray…when we are together…or when we are in the world...
Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord, O my soul!
Then verse 2…The psalmist reinforces and makes a resolution to live this way…in all times and all places...
I will praise the Lord as long as I live;
I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.
This is a life verse for this happy Psalmist...
He is fully commited and determined to worship God…in every moment of the rest of His life....
This is like a vow…I will worship God in every moment til I take my last breath…no matter what...
Something super important is to be seen in the book of Habakkuk…something for us to see...
Habakkuk sees the destruction that was going happen to God's people…so what does He do...
What he sees is destruction of the way of life God’s people were living…completely going to be destroyed…and what does Habakkuk do?
He writes a song of worship!
had to resolve to worship God. Take a look at the end of Habakkuk chapter 3 and notice that those words of resolve — let's look at them — that those words of resolve are taken and they are given to the choir director.
Now remember Habakkuk is show a prophetic vision of God’s people in Judah being completely overtaken by ungodly Babylon?
How can God use wickedness for His divine purposes?
Habakkuk sees this vision…horrible destruction…and he writes a a worship song?
So applicable to our day!
Look in the very final verse at the end of verse 19 of Habakkuk 3...
Habakkuk 3:19 (ESV)
To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments.
This is to be sung. Remember what Habakkuk sees that will happen...
Though the fig tree should not blossom,
nor fruit be on the vines,
the produce of the olive fail
and the fields yield no food,
the flock be cut off from the fold
and there be no herd in the stalls,
yet I will rejoice in the Lord;
I will take joy in the God of my salvation.
God, the Lord, is my strength;
he makes my feet like the deer’s;
he makes me tread on my high places.
To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments.
We are to worship God…our Sovereign God who reigns forever…and in worshiping God we will be made happy!
I will praise the Lord as long as I live;
I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.
And let me remind you that worship is much more than what we do here as we gather together...
We are most definitely to
Speak Worshipfully…Sing Worshipfully and also live Worshipfully.
I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.
Sing worship…speak praises to God in all that you say!
And present your bodies as a sacrifice…holy and acceptable…obedience to God and His word is Spiritual Worship...
It is hypocrisy to worship God with you lips and not with your body!
And is is the path to true happiness…to worship God with your lips and your body!
Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.
And so the habit of happiness…is to choose Worship as a way of living…
You do not need a 12 step program to be happy…you ignore the entire self help book section on Amazon...
The habit of happiness…is to worship God in Word and deed.
So the Psalmist starts with worship…and the psalmist ends in worship...
The Lord will reign forever,
your God, O Zion, to all generations.
Praise the Lord!
Yahweh…the forever King of all things and all places and all people for all time!
Our Sovereign God Reigns forever!!!
So Hallelujah! Praise the Lord...
That is the narrow path to true happiness...
True happiness requires worship! And worship is the path to true and everlasting happiness!
And only a Sovereign God who reigns forever is can be looked to as our help...
And only a Sovereign God who reigns forever is can be trusted for our hope...
And only a Sovereign God who reigns forever is worthy or our Worship...
But since our sovereign God reigns forever…we will be made happy when we make worship the main habit of our lives!
This also means...
Happiness is the result of knowing, loving, seeking, and obeying God.
Worship Him by seeking to know Him more in His Word...
Worship Him by seeking to tell others how great He is…and worthy He is to be worshiped!
Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord, oh, my soul.
We were made by Him…for Him…to enjoy Him through the worship of Him with out mouths we praise Him and with out lives we worship Him.
If you are not happy…start here…if you are unhappy or grumbling or lost or depressed…do not skip step this step in the path to true happiness...
Worship God.
If someone you know is unhappy…depressed…saying they need to do something to find their true happiness…tell them...
True happiness can only come from God…so the path to true happiness starts with this habit of happiness...
Worship God...
And live your life with other people who Worship God as a habit of living!
With our moths and with our bodies!
CS Lewis - Mere Christianity…said this!
“God made us: invented us as a man invents an engine. A car is made to run on petrol, and it would not run properly on anything else. Now God designed the human machine to run on Himself. He Himself is the fuel our spirits were designed to burn, or the food our spirits were designed to feed on. There is no other. That is why it is just no good asking God to make us happy in our own way without bothering about religion. God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it is not there.”
There is no other way to be truly happy than ti start with God...
I am a doctor let me end by giving you the prescription for true happiness...
Go to your Sovereign God (not man) for your HELP in times of need and you will be made happy.
Put your HOPE in your Sovereign God in all circumstances and you will be made happy!
Make Worship of your Sovereign God the main HABIT of your life and you will be made happy!
Worship God in Word and deed…with your mouth and with your body!
Praise him praise him praise him
Obey and serve him.
Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord, O my soul!
...
The Lord will reign forever,
your God, O Zion, to all generations.
Praise the Lord!
Amen!