Title: Real Happiness
Series: Growing Generosity
Readings: Matthew 5:1-12 Preacher: Phil Swain
We begin our Growing Generosity program — a three-week journey exploring what it means to live with generosity. Each Sunday in worship we will focus on a different aspect of what it means to grow in generosity as followers of Jesus, both as individuals and as a church community – to live a life that reflects God’s extravagant grace and love in all we do.
Our theme this week is “Real Happiness”, based on Jesus’ words from Matthew 5:1-12, known as the Beatitudes. In a world that chases happiness through success, comfort and possessions, Jesus offers a very different vision — one where true happiness is found in mercy, justice, compassion … and generosity. We will have an opportunity to reflect on where we have experienced God’s blessings in our church and lives using the analogy of a growing tree and the first of our “Growing Generosity” creative elements.
As we explore this new series, we’ll also be looking at the first pillar of our Vision 2030 — Transformational Discipleship — and how we see this taking shape in our church. Following Jesus is not just about what we believe but how we live, grow, and share that faith with others.
Sermon Text
There has been some research done on what people want most in life – and the top answer is not love or fulfilment or money or success … it is happiness. The research showed that one of the biggest influences on people’s decision-making — what they buy, what job they take, how they spend their spare time — is the question, ‘Will this make me happy?’” I don’t want to sound critical because we were all taught this by our parents. You ask any parent what they want most for their kids and their answer is nearly always “I want them to be happy”.
Consequently, we live in a society that is obsessed with happiness. Today our theme is happiness – but not in the way that society understands it. Today I want to talk about a type of happiness that is sort of a paradox. A paradox that St Francis of Assisi hinted at when he said that it is in giving that we receive. But I am getting ahead of myself.
We see this paradox around happiness all the time. The people who seem to have everything that we associate with happiness … wealth, success, comfort, possessions … they don’t seem to be happy. And then when we find people who are truly happy, it we discover that they have found happiness in places we might not expect … in simplicity; in serving others; in embracing a different perspective.
The Beatitudes that we heard in our bible reading also teach us about paradoxes. Jesus begins with a list of surprising blessings — statements that turn our assumptions about happiness upside down. It is in mourning that we will find comfort; it is in persecution that we will find who we are in God, in poverty we will understand the truth about wealth; in being generous to others that we understand and appreciate generosity.
The Beatitudes are found at the beginning of Jesus’ most famous sermon … The Sermon on the Mount. In this long sermon (which goes for all of Matthew chapters 5,6 and 7) … Jesus is showing us a way of living that leads to a blessed life … starting with the Beatitudes.
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
These are not statements on the reality of life. Jesus is not stating how things are; if he was, then he would be wrong, because plenty of mourning people are not comforted and in our current society the meek people certainly don’t inherit anything. It is the billionaires that inherit the earth. Further, he certainly isn’t telling mourning people to cheer up and giving the persecuted advice on how to get to heaven.
Rather Jesus is announcing the Kingdom of God. Much of Jesus teaching and preaching was about how God’s kingdom is near, and God’s kingdom is different from the kingdoms of this world. God’s Kingdom is a different set of values, a different way of living, a different set of social norms and common practices.
And it is when we start to embrace a kingdom way of living (or in the words of Matthew 7, when we hear these words and put them into practice) … we discover the paradox that the beatitudes hint at. That there is something about being merciful or being peacemakers that leads to blessing.
The Good News Version of the bible uses the word “happy” instead of “blessed” in the Beatitudes. I am not sure if these two words are interchangeable … but let’s focus on happiness as it is the theme of this service.
We live in a part of Sydney where things are going so well. We are living longer, House prices are sky rocketing, many of us have good fulfilling work, the opportunities of leisure activities are countless and yet if you ask people they don’t seem to be as happy as we probably should be. We seem to find lots of things to complain about or be unhappy about.
So how do we, here on the upper North Shore, understand what Jesus was saying in the Beatitudes?” If you want to find real happiness, if you want to be blessed then it is more than social conditions and affluence. It is about embracing Kingdom values. Embracing a different set of priorities. It is a different way of living. It is a way which will help establish God’s kingdom on earth.
Over the next two weeks we are going to explore how one of the key kingdom values that we are called to live out is that of generosity … or in the words of Francis of Assisi – that somehow in the process of giving of ourselves we find a deeper sense of happiness, a real happiness. We are going to explore what it might mean to further grow this culture of generosity in us as individuals and in us as a church.
I also think that we need to explore this idea of generosity because it is part of our discipleship … and discipleship has a key word in the life of our church’s mission planning process.
About this time last year we started a long conversation about how we might strengthen our church so that it continues to be vibrant, growing, life-giving and fruitful throughout the 2030’s.
We have met in small groups and large groups, we have looked at what other similar churches are doing, we have times of prayer and discernment and we have had many, many discussions.
Lots of things emerged but three key things kept coming up over and over again. That we believe God wants us to continue to be a church that is:
- Grounded in transformational discipleship
- Connected in genuine, relational community
- And that is both growing and sustainable
You will hear these phrases a lot over the next 3 weeks – transformational discipleship, relational community and sustainable growth. These are the pillars on which we have built our Vision 2030. Today I want to briefly touch on the first of these as I think it is what the beatitudes is about … discipleship which transforms. It is found in the first two of our six values that we have written as part of our mission planning. Can I read you these two values because I think they are great.
1. Christ-Centred Living
We are a church grounded in the radical love, grace, and hope of Jesus. A Christ-centred life calls us not just to believe, but to embody faith. Whether in worship, community outreach, leadership decisions, or personal relationships, we continually ask: How does this reflect Jesus?
“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts… and whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus.” — Colossians 3:15–17
2. Transformational Discipleship
We are committed to forming lifelong followers of Jesus who grow in faith, live with purpose, and inspire others. Discipleship is not a program but a way of life. This value fuels our focus on authentic faith conversations, engaging spiritual practices, and tangible expressions of love and justice. We envision a community where all generations are learning, questioning, growing, and living out their faith beyond Sundays. “Go and make disciples of all nations… teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” — Matt 28:18–20
Do you like those? (There are four more that I will share with you later … or if you can’t wait, head to our growing generosity page on our website and you can read them all).
If want to be a church that is growing, full of life and fruitful throughout the 2030’s then we need be a church grounded in transformational discipleship — where following Jesus is not just believed but lived out. Discipleship needs be woven into everything we do — both as individuals and as a church. And this is what Jesus is getting at in the Sermon on the Mount.
Jesus is offering us a different way of living that leads to life. A way of living and interacting with others that brings blessings … not just to us but to others. Jesus declares that if we understand our dependence on God, if we embrace vulnerability, if we stand for peace or hunger for righteousness … then we discover that we are the ones who are truly blessed. We discover that blessing is not about circumstances, but about the deep joy that comes from living in tune with God’s heart. When we are merciful, we find that mercy softens our own hearts. When we pursue peace, we find peace taking root within us. When we stand for what is right, even when it costs us, we find a sense of purpose that runs deeper than comfort.
The Beatitudes invite us into a new way of being — the way of God’s Kingdom — where real happiness is found not in having more, but in being more: more compassionate, more forgiving, more humble, more loving … and I want to add more generous. St Francis turns out to be right. It’s in giving that we receive and it’s in losing ourselves for the sake of others that we find who we truly are. Discipleship that transforms us will always overflow in generosity — because following Jesus inevitably leads us to give ourselves away in love
This is the paradox Jesus offers: that the good life, the blessed life, is not about chasing happiness, but about living generously, faithfully, and fully in the love of God.
Today I keep coming back to generosity (partly because the program we are launching is called growing generosity). I believe it is part of our discipleship to be generous. I want us to be an extravagantly generous Church. I know that I have could seem to have a conflict of interest in preaching this. You could argue that I am a key benefactor of a generous church – your generosity in finances pays my stipend and your generosity in serving makes my work much easier. So yes, maybe I have a conflict of interest.
But you need to hear me. I don’t want you to be generous for my benefit. I want you to be generous for your benefit and the benefit of the kingdom. This is where the paradox kicks in. When you give, something happens with you, something changes in the spirit that surrounds you, somehow in ways just beyond our understanding we discover the paradox that when we give, we also receive.
Let me be clear – I am not talking a prosperity doctrine here – I am not saying give $500 in the offering and you’ll get $1000 back. That is not what I am saying. Rather, when we create a culture of giving in our lives, in our church, we do find that we are blessed.
The Apostle Paul struggled with trying to explain this to the church in Corinth. The people in Corinth were not unlike the situation we find ourselves here at Turramurra. They were a relatively affluent society and things were going ok for them. Paul was asking the church to develop a gift of generosity to supporting the mission of God, and particularly to support the poor and to be a lighthouse church and support the ministry within the region.
In short, Paul was encouragement to be generous just like God is generous. To acknowledge their blessings and that they are blessed to be a blessing. To let their blessings flow through them to others.
In 2 Cor 9:6-15 he wrote (and I’m reading this from the MESSAGE version)
6-7 Remember: A stingy planter gets a stingy crop; a lavish planter gets a lavish crop. I want each of you to take plenty of time to think it over, and make up your own mind what you will give. That will protect you against sob stories and arm-twisting. God loves it when the giver delights in the giving.
Here Paul is just saying the obvious principle that in general the more you sow, the more you reap. If we want to see God’s mission really move ahead in this church then we are going to have to sow lavishly – extravagantly – into it. But Paul says that God loves a cheerful giver … why? Let continue to read from verse 8. Because…
8-11 God can pour on the blessings in astonishing ways so that you’re ready for anything and everything, more than just ready to do what needs to be done.
Did you get that? When we give … God blesses us so that we are ready for anything and everything. God doesn’t bless our giving with more wealth … but rather he blesses us with what we need to help his Kingdom come.
I love the description that Paul gives of a person who is embracing this way of living…
Their right-living, right-giving ways
never run out, never wear out.
Then Paul in his explanation to the church in Corinth gets to the heart of his message. We are called to be generous because God is first generous to us.
This most generous God who gives seed to the farmer that becomes bread for your meals is more than extravagant with you. God gives you something you can then give away, which grows into full-formed lives, robust in God, wealthy in every way, so that you can be generous in every way, producing with us great praise to God.
A Spirit of Generosity is contagious. When God is generous to us, we respond by also being generous. We are blessed to bless a world in pieces. And when we are generous the people around us also become generous. As Paul wrote in verse 13
You show your gratitude [to God] through your generous offerings to your needy brothers and sisters, and really toward everyone. Meanwhile, moved by the extravagance of God in your lives, they’ll respond by praying for you in passionate intercession for whatever you need. Thank God for this indescribable gift!
Did you get the picture that Paul was trying to paint? When we embrace the way of living as expressed in the beatitudes, when we grow a culture of giving, of being generous in our church and in our lives …then in a paradoxical way that blessing returns to us in indescribable ways. It’s St Francis again … In giving, we receive.
Today I would like to share with you an invitation … I’ll also send it in an email tomorrow. I would like to invite you to engage in this growing generosity program by doing two things:
- Come along to one of the inspiration events to hear more of our Vision 2030 and not only how God has been at work through our church but where we believe God is lead us as we build a church for the 2030’s.
But we also invite you to:
- Spend some time reflecting on your giving – your giving to God, your giving to the people around you, your giving to people in need across the world and in particular your giving to resources God’s mission and ministry here at this church. We want to encourage you to consider your giving. We ask you to consider your financial investment in the mission of God here at TUC as well as how you give your time and skills and energy too.
This morning we have talked a lot about blessings … and yes, we give thanks and praise to God because have been blessed as individuals and as a church. But let’s remember that we are blessed to be a blessing.
May we be people who don’t just seek happiness, but who live the blessed life Jesus described — a life of open hands, generous hearts, and drive to change the world. Amen.