Don’t Worry, Be Happy

1. Blessed is - Hebrew & Greek meanings:

1. What we understand: such a good thing, being prosperous
2. Barak: to praise. Used 289 times.
3. Eulogeo: to praise or give a good report. Used 41 times. Eulogy
4. Makarios: to be happy and favoured. Used 49 times.
5. Esher: state of happiness. Used 42 times.
6. Which of these might be used in the statements: Blessed are you when...?
2. When we run after blessings, can we check what blessings are promised?
1. We are promised happiness, when we go through sad and undesirable things.
These come with promises. Let us check if we would be blessed according to
the longest recorded sermon of Jesus. (Use the list)

The Beatitudes,

2. Be poor in spirit. You will be blessed by being part of the kingdom of God.
3. Are you mourning? That is an opportunity to be comforted - a blessing.
4. Be meek. Your blessing will be to inherit the earth.
5. Be a staunch activist for righteousness, that you hunger and thirst for it. You
will receive it as a blessing.
6. Be merciful. Your blessing will be to receive mercy. (And remember, mercy
triumphs over judgement)
7. Do you want to see God? Be pure in heart.
8. Do you want to be called sons of God? Be a peacemaker, and not one who
starts or is party to quarrels and fights.
9. There is blessing in being persecuted for the sake of righteousness - you will
be part of the kingdom of heaven.
10. And if you are reviled and persecuted and spoken evil of because you follow
and preach Christ - your reward in heaven will be great. You can actually
rejoice and be glad about the blessing of this assurance right now.

3. Do we want to be blessed?
1. When we are praying, God bless me, God is asking which of these blessings
do you want? And you'll say, none in this list, but I want to be rich like
Abraham and Solomon. I want to have no sickness and heartache - that for me
is blessing. The question is, is that how Jesus defined how and why one would
be blessed?
2. Note that the Sermon on the Mount and the Sermon on the Plain are spoken to
the disciples in the hearing of people from all over Israel: Judea, Jerusalem,
Tyre & Sidon – who just had their sicknesses healed. We read this in Luke
6:17-19. And yet, when Jesus teaches about the beatitudes, being healed is not
counted as a blessing, being rich is not counted as a blessing, having a safe
family is not counted as a blessing!
 3. Then we'll say, God promised the Israelites all riches, and healing, and all of
God's promises are yes and amen in Christ Jesus. The question then becomes,
why didn't Jesus say that? Would it be because he raised the standards?
4. I had a Marwari friend who kept asking, why doesn't God make believers the
top in every field - business, sport, beauty, health, wisdom, knowledge - so
that that person can then say, it is because of God, and many would follow
him.
5. God knew people would ask that question, and unless a demonstration of why
that would fail is not shown, we will always rise that up as an argument,
saying, God, If only you did that...
6. So in the Old Testament times, God's plan was to raise up the nation of Israel
as the most desirable place with blessings, and draw all people to Him. We see
how that failed, with even the richest and wisest man who chose to have 700
wives and 300 concubines and self-combust.
7. God's plan now is this upside down kingdom, where the last shall be the first
and first shall be the last. Where the master is the one who does the job if a
menial servant.

The question is, do you want to be blessed on Jesus’ terms or on yours?