HOW TO BE HAPPY

HOW TO BE HAPPY”

Psalm 146:5 “Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his Help, whose hope is in the Lord his God.”

In our world today there are multitudes of people who are unhappy. They have gone here and there seeking happiness, and have not found real joy or lasting peace, because they do not possess the Lord God of Jacob in their lives. Happiness is not something that just happens in our lives. Neither is it something that can be bought with silver or gold. I have heard people say that if they had a million dollars, they would be happy, but some of the most miserable people in the world are rich people. The only happy people in this world are those “whose hope is in the Lord his God.” (Psalm 146-5b

It would seem strange if only the unsaved people were unhappy, but we find that many Christians are unhappy also. I want you to notice some unhappy people in the Bible.

First, notice the wicked found in Isaiah 57:20-21. “But the wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt. There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked.”

Second, the backslider is unhappy, for in Psalm 51:12 we find David’s plea to the Lord. “Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.” This prayer of David’s came after he had committed the awful sin Bathsheba (II Samuel 11:1-27). I would have you to notice Psalm 51:12 very carefully, because many people have misinterpreted this scripture verse. David had not lost his salvation, as many people would have you believe, but had lost the joy of his salvation. My friends, God is not an Indian giver. No, no, salvation is eternal and everlasting. It is not my intention to preach on “The Eternal Security Of The Believer” in this message. I am only trying to show that backsliders are unhappy and many-born again believers are unhappy, because they lost the joy of salvation.

Third, the greedy and selfish Christians are unhappy. Proverbs 15:27 says “He that is greedy of gain troubleth his own house.” Jesus warned us of this in Matthew 16:26, when He said, “For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” There is one more group of people I want to mention before I show you what one must do to be happy, because many times jealously turns into hatred and the Bible plainly states in Leviticus 19:17a “Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart.” One of the big sins of today is jealously and envy of our neighbors. If God see fit to bless others more than us, we should rejoice and praise God for it. Some of us can stand more blessing than others. In other worlds, “more people can stand poverty than prosperity.” It helps some people to draw a monthly pension, for instance, the Social Security check. There is not enough money to live socially, and not enough money to be secure, so they have to depand on the Lord. Amen! Now notice four things we must do to be happy.

I.. TO BE HAPPY WE MUST WALK RIGHT

Psalm 128:1 says “blessed is every one that feareth the Lord; that walketh in His ways.” Yes, to be happy, we must walk in the fear of the Lord God. The Bible tells us in Hebrews 11:7a that “By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house.” My friends, if all the unhappy, lukewarm, wayward, proud puffed up, selfish, unkind, high-minded, self-willed easily offended, covetous, envious, deceitful, boastful, disobedient church members feared God, they would be a lot happier. Amen! I know why church members curse, swear, smoke chew, dip, dance, gamble, drink and miss church. They do not have the fear of God in their hearts. You can’t run around with every old tar baby and mud hen and be happy in the Lord. My brother and sister, if you want happiness, you must walk right.

II. TO BE HAPPY WE MUST TALK RIGHT

1 Kings 3:10 says “And the speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing.” Can you say right now that your speech pleases God? I can’t help but think how the little Sunbeam sing “Be careful little tongue what you say.” My friends, one day we will give account to God for everything we do and say, and I want my speech to be pleasing to Him daily. Sometimes it is hard to talk right; what I mean is to speak the truth (even preaching). God commands the preacher to lift up his voice like a trumphet. Listen to Isaiah 58:1 “Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumphet, and shew my people their transgressions, and the house of Jacob their sins.” God tells us to preach Hell hot and heaven sweet, and I am going to obey Him and preach it gun barrel straight. Have you ever heard a preacher preach a good sermon and then apologize for it? I have, and God have mercy. You listen to me, a preacher who is afraid of the deacons of his church needs to check on his calling again. Now don’t get me wrong because I love my deacons. They are real clean, dedicated, consecrated men of God, but I don’t get my orders from them, and they know better than to try and give any. I may not know many scriptures, but there is one that I believe I understand thoroughly, and it is found in Acts 5:29b “We ought to obey God rather than men.” Now I know it has come to the time when people don’t want the truth. People don’t want toi hear right things. Listen to Isaiah 30:10b “Prophesy (preach) not unto right things, speak unto us smooth things.” I heard of a preacher who was preaching and the people got mad at him, and he yelled out at them, “Don’t you want the sincere milk of the word?” One Woman yelled back and said, “Yes Sir, but we wants it condensed.” My brother, my sister, I fully made up my mind when God called me to preach not to be a compromising preacher, and I don’t intend to change. I had rather die than to be a soft-soaping, compromising, dishonest, half-hearted, lukewarm, ear-tickling, back-scratching, toe-tipping, please-them-all, easy-going, beat-the-bush, miss-the-mark, side-tracking preacher. I am so glad, praise God, that He called me to preach and not to please, I don’t know what to do. I fell like shouting, “Hallelujah, praise His wonderful name,” from every housetop. I am so glad I am on God’s side so I can talk right and not be afraid. Everybody looks alike to me at home or away while I am preaching. I don’t care how rich, how poor, educated, uneducated, cultured, uncultured, talented, untalented, sophisticated or unsophisticated, they get the truth. I know by experience that some can’t take the plain, clear cut, straight-forward, soul-piercing Word of God. I heard someone say we should preach to make people mad, sad, and glad. I like that. Amen! I know when preachers begin to tell the truth and tell it right, people run off and get mad because the preacher didn’t dance to their little jig. So many churches are run by clicks and clans. “When I want to know how they are getting along, I just ask them, “How are you clicking and clanning nowadays?” Yes, we must talk right, if we are to be happy.

III. TO BE HAPPY WE MUST GIVE RIGHT

MalachI 3:10 “Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.” God has never asked anything of us that He didn’t promise us a great blessing. My friends, God cannot lie. Now listen to Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 16:1a “Now concerning the collection.” I want you to notice in verse two “Upon the first day of the week (Sunday), let everyone of you lay by him in store as God hath prospered him.” We should all tithe our income, and bring it to the storehouse (local church) where it belongs. There was a soldier in World War II whose arms were shot off. Someone asked him if he lost them in the war. His answer was, “No, I gave them.” My friends, are you willing to give right, the things that belong to God, as this soldier was willing to give for his country?”

IV. TO BE HAPPY WE MUST LIVE RIGHT

Titus 2:11-15 says “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and world lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee.” It is essential for us as Christians to walk right. Some people may never read the Bible according to Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, but they will read it according to you. “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that everyone may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.” (II Corinthians 5:10) I heard a preacher say one time, “If you want to hear the Pearly Gates click behind your heels, you better live right. Are you looking for the “Blessed Hope?” God said in III John 1:4 “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.” If you want to please the Lord, you must walk right, talk, right, give right and live right. You cannot be happy until you turn everything over to Him. Come now.