The Pursuit of Happiness: Choosing Humility and Grace

1. The Pursuit of Happiness Matthew 5:3

2. What would it take to make you happy?

3. Question: Can I be happy even if circumstances are not perfect? • FACT: • Happiness is a CHOICE • Happiness depends on choosing the right ATTITUDE. • 1st Beatitude: Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 5:3)

4. Greatest sermon: • Blessed: lit. “happy”. Refers to a “fortunate state” as defined by Christ

5. “Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” • What does it not mean to be ‘poor in spirit’? • What does it mean to be ‘poor in spirit’? • Means to have an attitude of humility. –not thinking less of yourself –it is thinking of yourself LESS. vs. 3

6. Benefits of Humility:1. It reduces STRESS • When we don’t have all the answers, a great burden is lifted off our shoulders

7. Wise sayings about Humility • Nigerian Proverb: One who asks never loses his way. A wise man never knows all, only fools know everything! • Chinese Proverb: He who asks is a fool for 5 minutes. But he who does not ask remains a fool forever!

8. Benefit 2: Humility improves RELATIONSHIPS • How many of us love to be around people who are proud?

9. 3 keys to Right relationships: • 1. I am not always RIGHT • 2. I can be WRONG • 3. I am SORRY • To survive a marriage and a quarrel –use one of the above statements and you will live!

10. 2 Chronicles 7:14 • “If my people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” • 4 steps to relate with God: • 1. Humble ourselves • 2. Pray • 3. Seek God’s face • 4. Stop Sinning

11. Benefit 3: Humility releases God’s Grace! • James 4:6 “ God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” • God gives us spiritual power & strength to those who depend on Him.

12. God’s strength is perfected in weakness • 2 Corinthians 12:7-10  Because of the extravagance of those revelations, and so I wouldn't get a big head, I was given the gift of a handicap to keep me in constant touch with my limitations. Satan's angel did his best to get me down; what he in fact did was push me to my knees. No danger then of walking around high and mighty! At first I didn't think of it as a gift, and begged God to remove it. Three times I did that, and then he told me, 

   My grace is enough; it's all you need. 
   My strength comes into its own in your weakness.
Once I heard that, I was glad to let it happen. I quit focusing on the handicap and began appreciating the gift. It was a case of Christ's strength moving in on my weakness. Now I take limitations in stride, and with good cheer, these limitations that cut me down to size—abuse, accidents, opposition, bad breaks. I just let Christ take over! And so the weaker I get, the stronger I become.

13. True or False? • A. God helps those who can help themselves • B. God helps those who realize they can’t help themselves • C. God helps those who think they can do everything by themselves

14. Matthew 18:2-4 “Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, 3 and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.’”