Dennis R. Wiles

First Baptist Arlington

January 19, 2025

2025: Flourishing Together: Rooted in Christ

1 Corinthians 2:6-16 (Gospel Guide: Matthew)

WINTER 2025: Happiness Is . . .

The Beatitudes

January 5 – March 4, 2025

Don’t Worry, Be Happy!

Psalm 68:3-6

Theme for 2025: Flourishing Together: Rooted in Christ

The creation narratives the Scriptures begin with are an important source for discerning God’s intent for the human person. There it seems that God’s intent for each person and for all creation is that all aspects of being should be good. At the completion of the first creation narrative in Genesis, we read, “God saw everything he had made, and indeed, it was very good” (Genesis 1). God’s intent, actualized in creation, was that it would be good.

-Tyler VanderWeele, Theology of Health

Flourishing Together Launch Weekend

Six Domains of Human Flourishing (One slide)

Happiness and Life Satisfaction
Mental and Physical Health
Meaning and Purpose
Character and Virtue
Close Social Relationships
Material and Financial Stability

Theme for Winter 2025: Happiness Is . . .

Don’t Worry, Be Happy – Bobby McFerrin – Billboard #1 1988

Happiness vs. Joy --- in our common vernacular, most people distinguish between the two. Happiness is usually connected to circumstances and joy is often portrayed as a deeper reality that can be experienced regardless of circumstances.

TEXTUAL REALITY: The Hebrew Old Testament and Greek New Testament contain a wide range of terms that are translated as: joy, rejoice, gladness, cheer, laughter, happy, blessed, exultation, merriment, pleasure, enjoy, and delight. This is how semantic domains work.

In the Bible, happiness is serious business!

Ecclesiastes 9:7 (One slide)

(NIV) Go, eat your food with gladness, and drink your wine with a joyful heart . . .

(NASB) Eat your bread in happiness and drink your wine with a cheerful heart . . .

(KJV) Eat thy bread with joy, and drink thy wine with a merry heart . . .

(NLT) Eat your food with joy and drink your wine with a happy heart . . .

Psalm 68:3 (One slide)

(NIV) But may the righteous be glad and rejoice before God; may they be happy and joyful.

(NASB) But the righteous will be joyful; they will rejoice before God; Yes, they will rejoice with gladness.

(KJV) But let the righteous be glad; let them rejoice before God: Yea, let them exceedingly rejoice.

(NLT) But let the godly rejoice. Let them be glad in God’s presence. Let them be filled with joy.

The wellspring of human happiness is God Himself! Within His eternal holiness and purity, God is happy and joyful.

1 Timothy 1:11

. . . the gospel concerning the glory of the blessed God, which he entrusted to me.

1 Timothy 6:15

God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords.

Isaiah 65:17-19

See, I will create new heavens and a new earth.

The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind.

But be glad and rejoice forever in what I create, for I will create Jerusalem to be a delight and its people a joy.

I will rejoice over Jerusalem and take delight in my people;

The sound of weeping and of crying will be heard in it no more.

Jesus was happy and joyful!

Luke 7:33-34

For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, “He has a demon.” The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and you say, “Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.”

Neither joy nor happiness are portrayed in the Bible as glib, surface realities. Happiness and joy are both exhibited in the lives of faithful people who serve God with humility, faithfulness, and obedience regardless of the situation. (For example, Paul and Silas in jail)

According to the Bible, joy and happiness are deeply connected to righteousness, obedience to God’s Word, godliness, living according to God’s purposes, aligning one’s life with God’s will, exercising faith in God, and rejoicing in both the presence and goodness of God.

“The end of life is not to be happy, nor to achieve pleasure and avoid pain, but to do the will of God, come what may.”

― Martin Luther King, Jr.

“Those who are not looking for happiness are the most likely to find it, because those who are searching forget that the surest way to be happy is to seek happiness for others.”

― Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

THIS WEEK: Read and meditate on Philippians 4:4-9. Put it into practice. Don’t worry, be happy!

GLIMPSE AHEAD: The Beatitudes!