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I would like to continue to share with you about “Happy People.” Brothers and sisters, do you remember when I usually feel happy? Yes, when I go to Onsen. The moment I get into the bath, I say, “Ah~ I feel so happy!” What is the second thing that makes me happy? Yes, when I drink Seven Eleven coffee in the morning.
And there is one more time when I feel happy. That’s when I sing. When I sing praises to God, I feel so happy. I sing in my car in a loud voice. In a sense, yesterday and today are kind of like a series of happy days. Yesterday I went to Onsen in Hitachi with a view of the sea. And today we sang praises to God with “His Will(Korean Praise Team)”.
What about you? When do you usually say, “Ah~ I feel so happy”? The title of today’s sermon is the same as the last sermon. “Happy People.”
To summarize the last sermon… In general, we feel happy when there are no financial problems, when our bodies are healthy, and when there are no problems in our relationships with families, friends, and co-workers.
We as believers also live, pursuing happiness. Some pray that God would make them rich. Some pray that God would cure their illnesses. Others pray that God would restore their relationships.
However, although it seems contradictory(or ironic) and difficult to understand, our heavenly Father, who desires our happiness, deals with us by means of money issues, health issues, and relationship issues. To be more specific, God refines us to become more like Jesus Christ. He tries to refine our character. You may not want to believe it, but it is so true that God is the refiner’s fire.
God disciplines everyone He loves; He punishes everyone He accepts as a child. So we need to accept suffering like a father’s discipline. God does these things to you and me like a father correcting His children. We all know that all children are disciplined by their fathers.(Hebrews 12:6-14)
God corrects us. God fixes us through our financial problems, our health problems, and our children’s problems.
We all know that it is so painful. It is so hard. However, what God wants most from us is for us to resemble and reflect God. That’s why God allows us to go through pain, suffering, trials and temptations. Through them we learn patience. As we endure them, our personality will become more like the eight types of happy people we just read about today. In fact, we will be transformed to be more like Jesus. Isn’t it amazing?
Brothers and sisters, are you currently having a hard time financially? I want yo to endure it. You’ve got to be patient. Unfortunately, there is no other way. And yet, don’t just be patient! Go to God and wrestle with Him. Brothers and sisters, are you having any health problems? Go to God and pray that He would heal you. Are you having problems in your relationships? Go to God and pray that He would restore your relationships with others.
Don’t wrestle with your problems, but wrestle with God. Just like Jacob wrestled with the angel in the book of Genesis. As we know, Jacob, the son of Isaac and Rebecca wrestled with the angel and won. When you encounter a problem, don’t fight with it. Instead, go to God and wrestle with Him concerning the problem.
As we wrestle with God, our personality begins to change. We become poor in spirit. We become like those who mourn. We become hungry and thirsty for righteousness. We become meek. We become compassionate. We become pure in heart. We become peacemakers. And finally, we might be able to volunteer to suffer for righteousness.
Today, time is limited. So, I just want to talk with you about “those who are persecuted because of righteousness.” “Righteousness” here refers to “justice,” but it also refers to Jesus, the sun of righteousness. So, we can interpret “those who are persecuted because of righteousness” as “those who are persecuted for the sake of the gospel of Jesus.”
We don’t like pain and trials. Everyone wants to avoid them. However, there are people who suffer not because of their sins, mistakes, or failures, but because of Jesus. Such people can be said to be those who volunteer to participate in the suffering of Jesus. Moreover, the Bible says that they are kind of like the happiest people in the world.
Let me end my sermon here. Brothers and sisters, I hope and pray that you will pursue happiness. Brothers and sisters, I hope and pray that you will become truly happy people. I pray that you would become the happiest people in Christ. Let us pray.
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