"As you look at the beatitudes, as this blessed message is given it seems somewhat paradoxical. And Matthew is presenting a kingdom that doesn't really fit what most people would have anticipated. You see, happiness as Matthew outlines it here in the words of Jesus isn't exactly the way the world would do it. In fact, it says here that the happy people are the poor in spirit, the mourners, the meek, the hungry and the thirsty, the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers, the persecuted, the reviled.
Now you say, ‑ Wait a minute. I'm not sure I want that kind of happiness. Sounds like misery with another name. You've got to be kidding. Well, that's the point. There is a paradox because all the way down connected with happiness is misery and I'm going to say it right here and you'll see it as we go misery is the key to happiness. You say, ‑ Now, wait a minute; misery is the key to happiness? That's right. We'll see that as we go into detail but to most people the whole thing seems absolutely absurd. One writer said this, "It is as if Jesus crept into the large display window of life and changed all the price tags".
It's all backwards, what do you mean happiness comes out of misery? What are you saying? Why the world says man, look ‑ happiness is, we have books on that, happiness is ...... you know, we work on that a lot. Happiness is the go‑getter, the guy who can push everybody out of his way and the guy, who can get what he wants, when he wants, where he wants and how he wants, that's happiness. Happiness is macho. Happiness is doing your own thing. Happiness is grabbing all the gusto you can get. That's happiness. Happiness is acquiring the world's things. Happy are the rich and happy are the noble and happy are the famous and happy are the popular. But that isn't it. The message from this king doesn't really fit the picture. Matthew is so dynamic in his presentation because his message just devastates worldly attitudes even of the Jewish people themselves who would have read Matthew, first of all. Even Seneca, the Roman philosopher, tutor of Nero in the first century said this, quote, "What is more shameful than to equate the rational souls good with that which is irrational", end quote. What he was saying was any fool knows you can't fill up a man's empty soul with external things, you can't fill the rational need with an irrational object. That's what the world tries to do. Jesus comes into the world to announce that the tree of happiness doesn't grow in the cursed earth. Have to tell you that, folks, the tree of happiness doesn't grow in the cursed earth. But so many seek it. Think about Solomon. Solomon was the most magnificent king that ever lived. If anybody should of been happy according to the world's standard, he should. He had nobility.
Listen, his parentage was the royal line of David through which the Messiah would come the most royal, noble line in the history of the world. There was nobody with more nobility than Solomon. His palace was the paragon of the earth and. it was located in THE city, the city of God, the city of Jerusalem. His wealth was so immeasurable and his treasure was so vast that the Old Testament said that silver was as common as rocks. His pleasure was fabulous food, incredible stables. I was in Solomon's stable up in Megiddo, incredible literally thousands of the finest horses found in the world. He had the buildings and the servants and the vineyards and the fishponds and the gardens, women by the hundreds, his intelligence? Why he was the most intelligent man who ever lived. He had it all in the world's evaluation, he had it all. He should have been an infinitely happy man and all he had to say about it is this, "Vanity, vanity all is vanity", the word means emptiness. And the New Testament put it this way, "A man's life consists not in the abundance of things which he possesses".
To be continued...
Excerpts from John MacArthur's sermons on the Beatitudes. This particular piece is from "Happiness Is..." You can find the full length sermon at: http://www.gty.org/Resources/Sermons/2197 "Happiness is" is only the first in a series of sermons on the beatitudes. You can also listen here: http://www.gty.org/Shop/Audio+Lessons/2198 All downloads, mp3's, and podcasts from this site are free! I HIGHLY recommend this series. I will only be posting short tidbits because I think this is an amazing sermon series. So, I encourage you to listen to the whole of it or read the transcripts!