Our country is built upon the years of both the wisdom of the kingdom of God and the idolatry from the kingdom of man. When we examine the core of America’s policy decisions, we will see that they all relate back to the sovereignty of the individual to determine their own pursuit of happiness.
Preliminaries: The American Government’s Judeo-Christian Roots
- Moral Evil – The necessity of checks & balances within the structure of government
- Natural Evil – The recognition and protection of unalienable rights as given by God
America is the epitome of the pursuit of happiness
Kingdom of man’s pursuits Citizen of Heaven’s response
1. Ignorant Bliss 1. Poor in spirit
2. God mourns 2. Mourn
3. Pride 3. Meek
4. Desire for pleasure 4. Desire for righteousness
5. Evil hearts 5. Pure in Heart
6. Violence 6. Peacemakers
7. Incompatible 7. Persecuted
Observations:
- The citizen of heaven will be rejected in the kingdom of man because they hold to an authority higher than the state
- True happiness is found in the character of the kingdom of God
- God gives promises to those whose loves transcend man’s kingdom
Conclusions:
- The problem with happiness is a problem with the heart
- The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever
Application:
- Orient your heart to the glory of God for the aim of happiness
- Enjoy God
James Madison – The Federalist Papers
“But what is government itself, but the greatest of all reflections on human nature? If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary. In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself.”
David Koyzis
“The first and most basic principle of liberalism runs as follows: Everyone possesses property in their own person, and must therefore be free to govern themselves in accordance with their own choices, provided that these choices do not infringe on the equal right of others to do the same.”
Matthew 24:37-40
“As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.”
Genesis 6:1-13
“When human beings began to increase in number on the earth and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that the daughters of humans were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose. Then the Lord said, “My Spirit will not contend with humans forever, for they are mortal; their days will be a hundred and twenty years.” The Nephilim were on the earth in those days—and also afterward—when the sons of God went to the daughters of humans and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown. The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time. The Lord regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled. So the Lord said, “I will wipe from the face of the earth the human race I have created—and with them the animals, the birds and the creatures that move along the ground—for I regret that I have made them.” But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord. This is the account of Noah and his family. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked faithfully with God. Noah had three sons: Shem, Ham and Japheth. Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight and was full of violence. God saw how corrupt the earth had become, for all the people on earth had corrupted their ways. So God said to Noah, “I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. I am surely going to destroy both them and the earth.”
μακάριος, α, ον: pertaining to being happy, with the implication of enjoying favorable circumstances—‘happy.’
Jeremiah 17:9
“The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?”
Augustine – Confessions:
“You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they find rest in You.”
Ecclesiastes 12:13
“Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind.”
C.S. Lewis – The Weight of Glory
“It would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.”
1 Timothy 6:6-10
“But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.”
Matthew 6:33
“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”