Luke 24:41 says, The followers were amazed and very, very happy to see that Jesus was alive. Jesus had just appeared to the disciples after his resurrection and they were obviously very happy to see him. We can be happy that Jesus rose again because it means that we can spend eternity with him. He took the punishment for all our sins. I can't think of a better reason to be happy. No matter what else is going on in your life, the fact that Jesus died for your sin and rose again doesn't change.
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In Luke chapter 10, Jesus had sent out 72 people to preach the Gospel.
Luke 10:17-20 says: When the 72 followers came back from their trip, they were very happy. They said, “Lord, even the demons obeyed us when we used your name!” Jesus said to them, “I saw Satan falling like lightning from the sky. He is the enemy, but know that I have given you more power than he has. I have given you power to crush his snakes and scorpions under your feet. Nothing will hurt you. Yes, even the spirits obey you. And you can be happy, not because you have this power, but because your names are written in heaven.” They were happy because: 1. Jesus has defeated Satan. 2. He gave us power over Satan and his demons when we use the name of Jesus. 3. We can be happy because our names are written is heaven. Some Christians are fearful of Satan and his demons. We shouldn't be naive because Paul warned that we are in a Spiritual battle. But we should remember that Jesus defeated Satan when he died and rose again on the cross. He is only allowed to work on the earth because God has allowed it until Jesus comes again, then he will be cast down to the Pit (Hell). So how do we defeat Satan? When Jesus was tempted by Satan he used the Word of God to answer him (Matthew 4:1-11). Put on the armour of God - belt of truth, breastplate of righteousness, shoes of readiness, shield of faith, sword of the Spirit (Bible), prayer (Ephesians 6:10-11) Resist him (James 4:7). Be alert (1 Peter 5:7). Luke 6:21 says, Happy are you who are hungry now; you will be filled! Happy are you who weep now; you will laugh!
This verse sounds all topsy turvy. How can someone who is hungry be happy? I know that I'm miserable when I'm hungry. But Jesus is talking about spiritual hunger here. He is saying that if you hunger for his kingdom, his word, prayer, etc., you will be satisfied. Jeremiah 29:13 says, When you search for me with all your heart, you will find me! Jesus also said that those who weep are happy. He was talking about grieving our separation from God because of our sin. When we become aware of our sin it makes us feel sad because it separates us from God. But when we confess our sin and ask God to forgive us, he takes it away and forgets about it. We are happy because we're forgiven and restored into a right relationship with God. Zechariah and Elizabeth desperately wanted a child but were old and had not been able to fall pregnant. While Zechariah was serving in the temple, an angel appeared to him and told him, “Zechariah, don’t be afraid. Your prayer has been heard by God. Your wife Elizabeth will give birth to a baby boy, and you will name him John. You will be very happy, and many others will share your joy over his birth." This baby grew up to be John the Baptist and spread the good news of the Gospel. Not only were his parents happy because God answered their prayers, but many other people are happy because they were saved through his ministry.
Can you think of a time when you have been been happy about answered prayer? I think that the longer you wait, the happier you are. The arrival of the Saviour of the world was the greatest news in history. It is definitely a good reason to be happy. It was just the beginning of God's final plan for salvation for anyone who believes in him. Does it make you feel happy?
Mary was so happy that God had chosen her to give birth to the Saviour of the world. God has a special job for you to do too. Ephesians 2:10 says, For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Before we were even born, God had plans for you.
Remember how excited you were when you were in primary school and the teacher gave you a special job, like class helper? You felt so important. God has a special job for you too. What good works do you think he wants you to do? If you're not sure yet, you can start by loving him and loving others. Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James, had just spoken to the angel at the empty tomb (hence their fear). They were happy because they had just found out that Jesus was alive. Happy is kind of an understatement here. The New King James Version says that they were filled with 'fear and great joy.' Imagine how happy you would be if someone you loved, who had died, came back to life! You would be shocked, surprised and deliriously happy. The Good News that Jesus rose again from the dead, and therefore we can spend eternity with him, should make us happy and fill us with great joy.
In Matthew 9 there was a woman who had been unwell for twelve years and spent all her money on doctors who were unable to help her. She had heard about the miracles Jesus had done and believed that he could heal her. All she did was to touch his clothes and she was healed. Jesus told her, Be happy, dear woman. You are made well because you believed (Matthew 9:22). I have no doubt that Jesus still heals people miraculously today, but sometimes, he doesn't. We will all be healed and all our problems resolved when we are in heaven with him. We can be happy about that.
I love this parable about the kingdom of heaven being like a hidden treasure. It was quite common in Bible times to hide your treasure by burying it in a time of war or conflict. The message is that knowing Jesus is worth far more than the combined value of anything you own. As a teenager you may not own much, but imagine if your parents found some buried treasure in a field so they sold their house, cars, jewellery, big screen TV, and other valuables so that they could buy it.
Matthew 5:11-12 says, People will insult you and hurt you. They will lie and say all kinds of evil things about you because you follow me. But when they do that, know that great blessings belong to you. Be happy about it. Be very glad because you have a great reward waiting for you in heaven.
This doesn't make sense to our human brains - how can you be happy about something bad? Romans 8:18 says, We have sufferings now, but these are nothing compared to the great glory that will be given to us. We can be happy when we are persecuted for following Jesus because we have a reward waiting for us in heaven that far outweighs our suffering here on earth. It's not fun at the time, but it won't last forever. |
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