Calvary Church

This Week's Worship
Praise-(Elevation Worship)
Never Gonna Stop Singing-(Jesus Culture)
Holy Holy/Santo Santo-(Grace City)

Can I Be Happy In An Unhappy World?
The Search For Happiness Part 2
September 24, 2023 | Mark Johnson

Why would Jesus tell us that poverty of spirit leads to a happy life?

Until we see our personal poverty, we will hold on to desires we think will bring happiness.

To those who see their poverty, He promises to give the kingdom of heaven.

Jesus shows us the way to exit this world that leads to death and to enter His kingdom that offers victory.

The next spiritual step is found in Matthew 5:4.

When we see the fruit of our actions, we mourn.

What brings mourning is to see how much better life could have been if we had fully found Christ sooner.

A spirit that mourns seems like an unlikely path to happiness, but it is an essential one. This is what my life was, and this is what my life could have been.

How does this mourning come about?

We begin to see the kingdom of God, and its beauty, and what we missed.

Kingdom awareness does not come all at once.

How are we comforted? When we begin to see the outcome of our personal pursuit of happiness and the pain of it all, an amazing miraculous knowledge and awareness comes.

We see God’s love shown through His Son.

We have no way to pay retribution for our pursuit of happiness. God, in His love, let His Son take it on Himself.

How does this knowledge of the kingdom of Heaven unfold in our lives?
Preaching and teaching
Praying and listening
Sharpening from others
Reading and receiving the Word

Through these things we grow in the knowledge of God’s character.

This awareness of God’s character and our poverty leads us to the next verse.

Being spiritually meek or humble is about our approach to God, His word, and His people.

The meek, when confronted with the Law of the Kingdom of Heaven,
receive the truth.

This Week’s Prayer Services
Monday at 5:30pm | Jefferson Street Campus
Wednesday at 5:30pm | Hazel Dell Campus