Happy

Psalms chapter 144. As we're tying up this series on marriages made in heaven but lived on earth, I want to ask a question today. And that's this question. What will make you happy? What will make you happy? A lot of times when I have couples come to me for counseling, one or the other or both of them will say something like this. I'm not happy anymore. Well, what will make you happy? In Psalms 144 and beginning with verse number 12 down through verse number 15, the Bible says that our sons may be as plants grown up in their youth, that our daughters may be as cornerstones polished after the similitude of of a palace, that our gar gamers garner garners, I'm sorry, garners may be full affording affording all manner of store that our sheep may bring forth thousands and 10,000s in our streets.

that oxen may be strong to labor. That there be no breaking in nor going out. There be no complaining in our street. Happy is that people that in such a case, yay, happy is that people whose God is the Lord. And so the question this morning is, what will make you happy? Especially within your marriage, but just in your life in general, what will make you happy? Now, the Bible says here in Psalms 144, you can be happy when you have a great family. And uh it tells us there in verse number 12 that our sons may be as uh plants grown up to their youth that our daughters may be as cornerstones polished after the similitude of a palace.

And uh I I know that's not specifically talking about marriage, but to have kids you ought to be married. And so uh they kind of go together. Somebody once said this, true love is spending one day getting married and the rest of your life feeling glad that you did. And I wonder, are you happy in your marriage? Are you happy in your family? You know, to be happy, you have to have a great marriage. In Proverbs 18:22, the Bible says, "Who so findeth a wife findeth a good thing and attain the favor of the Lord." And so God says, "Finding a wife, that's a good thing. You can be happy if you find a good wife."

Now, as I've mentioned before, uh nowhere in the Bible does it say you find a husband, you're going to be happy. Okay? It doesn't say finding a husband is a good thing. In fact, it's even worse. Uh the Bible says in Deuteronomy 24:5, "When a man hath taken a new wife, he shall not go out to war, neither shall he be charged with any business, but he shall be free at home one year, and listen this last part, and shall cheer up his wife which he had taken." So, it's going to take a whole year to to say, "Honey, I'm sorry you had to marry me. I'm I'm going to do all I can to make you happy." Uh to find a wife is a good thing, and to find a husband is a good thing, but husbands, we have to work harder at cheering up our wife after we get married.

But you know, somebody once said, and I I've said this before, it's better to wish you were married than to wish you weren't. It's better to wish you were married than to wish you weren't. In 1 Corinthians 7:es 39 and 40, the Bible ays, "The wife is bound by the law as long as her husband liveth. But if her husband be dead, she is at liberty to be married to whom she will only in the Lord. But she is happier if she so abide after my judgment. I think also that I have the spirit of God." When my wife and I first got married, she looked at me, she says, "I do not believe in divorce, but if you ever cheated me, I do believe in murder."

Um, it's till death do you part. And if you're going to get married, you need to re realize that you made a vow to this person for the rest of your life. And and and so it's better to wish you were. And I've told this single many times, better wish you were married than to wish you weren't. But when you're married, there's a commitment that goes there. We talked about that with Hosea and the commitment that he made even though his wife was acting as a prostitute. He went back over and over and over again and retrieved her and and and we've got to make a commitment to marriage if we want happiness in marriage because a good marriage takes work.

Leave a marker in Psalms 144 and I want you to turn over to the book of Ecclesiastes just a couple books further. Psalms, Proverbs, and then uh Ecclesiastes and Song of Solomon right after that. So go to Ecclesiastes uh chapter 9. Ecclesiastes chapter 9 and:es 9-11. Ecclesiastes chapter 9 and:es 9-11. The thing is is that a good marriage takes work. In Ecclesiastes 9:9, it says, "Live joyfully with the wife whom thou lovest all the days of the life of thy vanity, which has given thee unto the son all the days of thy vanity. For that is thy portion in life, and in thy labor which thou takest under the sun.

Labor means work. Whatsoever this thy hand findth to do, do it with thy might. For there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom in the grave, whether thou goest. I returned the song to son that the race is not to the to the swift and the battle is to the strong neither yet bread to the wise not nor yet riches to men of understanding nor yet uh favor to men of skill but time and chance happens of all. You see what he's saying here in this passage is that being having a good marriage is a good thing. Live joyfully with life of youth. But understand that to do that is going to take labor.

It's going to take work. And one of the things I found with many couples is they don't want to put the work into their relationship. They don't want to put the effort into their relationship. And and a good marriage takes work. You see in verse number 11 at the end of the verse he says, "But time and chance happenth to them all." You know the word happeneth is a is where we get our word. The word happen is where a good word happiness from. You see happiness depends on what happens to you. Happiness depends on what happens to you, but joy comes from the Lord. And we have to realize that in life, sometimes things happen.

And when things happen, we have to choose what we're how we're going to react to those things. We've got to choose how we're going to uh to work through those situations. Because in marriage, a lot of stuff happens. And if we want to have happiness, we've got to choose how we're going to deal with what happens in our life. because it takes work to be married. You see, uh, in Proverbs 5:18, it says, "Let thy fountain be blessed and rejoice with the wife of thy youth." You see, we want to rejoice. I've been married now for 47 years, and uh, next year be 48 years, and and I I am thankful for the wife of my youth.

Now, we aren't what we were 47 years ago. A lot of things have changed, but yet we still rejoice in our relationship. And but that's not just happened. It's taken work. It's taken effort. You have to make that effort to make it work. Now, back in Psalms chapter 144 and verse number 12, it says that thy sons be as plants growing up in your youth and thy daughters may be as cornerstones polished after the similitude of a palace. It's, you know, having great children also can make you happy. Uh, turn over to Proverbs chapter 23. Proverbs chapter 23 and look at verses 24 and 25. Proverbs 23 and:es 24 and 25.

The father of the righteous shall greatly rejoice, and he that begget a wise child shall have joy of him. Thy father and thy mother shall be glad, and she she that bear thee shall rejoice. And and you and I as parents, we want to rejoice in our children. We want to be happy in having great children. But we need to understand that in order to have that it says in in in Psalms 144:12 that your sons are his plants. And it reminds you again that fellas, you are the husbandman of the relationship. In our King James Bible, a farmer is often called a husbandman. And as a husband, you are the farmer of your family.

And if your children are going to grow into being the the young men and the young women that you want them to be, then you've got to cultivate them. You've got to uh take care of them and help them to grow. In Ephesians chapter 6 and verse number four, it says, "And you fathers, provoke not your children to wrath, but bring them up in the nurture and the admonition of the Lord." and and we have a responsibility especially as fathers to be involved in in raising our children and to cultivate them and to help them to grow and to being the young men and the young woman of God that we want them to be.

In Proverbs chapter 22 and verse number six it says train up a child in the way he should go when he's old he'll not depart from it. And and that idea of that word train it's kind of like a picture of a uh you ever seen those bonsai trees? You ever seen those things? Uh, you know, if you want them to grow, right? You've got to trim them constantly. They don't come in once a month or a couple times a year and just trim those trees back. Uh, every day they're going and snipping a little bit here and snipping a little bit there. It it's a daily process in order to grow these trees so beautifully and to shape them.

And also uh any good uh bonsai farmer knows that uh he's got to do it in the in the direction that the the tree is going to grow. Proverbs 22:6 says train the child in the way he should go and and they look at that plant and they look at it what where is it bend where which which way is it growing towards and and they work with that instead of against that. and our responsibility as parents to look at each child as an individual, find out who they are and how God has made them and and help them to grow to be the person that God intended to be. But that's not just every once in a while coming in and disciplining, every once in a while coming in and yelling at them and every once in a while coming in.

It it means a daily process of cultivating our children and guiding them in the way that they should go and helping them to become that person that God wants them to be. And by the way, the the the root of the idea of the train up the child, it comes from a a word which means to make it tasty. And and when I first read that, I thought why why in the world would the word train come up with the idea of making it tasty? And uh and and then I realized that what you make tasty to your children when they're little is what they're going to grow grow up wanting to do when they're older. For example, if if you are raised here in Hawaii, you probably think that uh or in any oriental culture, you probably think that rice is really good.

You know, when my kids moved to the mainland, they couldn't understand why McDonald's didn't have rice on the breakfast menu. Uh because they grew up loving rice. My son Caleb would almost rather eat rice than ice cream. you know, um something wrong with him, but that's okay. Uh if you grew up in an oriental culture, now if you grew up in Hawaiian culture, you like poi. How many have ever had poi? Raise your hand. How many like poi? Raise your hand. Uh most people, especially tourists that eat poi, uh they say it tastes like wallpaper paste. Now, my question is, how do you know what wallpaper paste tastes like?

You know, uh there's something wrong with your childhood there. But, uh they love Hawaiian children, they love poi because why? When they were little, mom and dad said, "This is good." And they fed it to them. If you grew up down south, you like grits. You know that, you know what grits are? They're sand with some milk on them. And uh but if you grew up down south, you love grits. You love grits with some butter on, whatever else it might be. And and because that's what you were raised with. That's what was made tasty. Listen, folks. If you don't make God and the things of God tasty to your children when they're little, they're going to grow up not loving God.

You see, we've got to train up our children. If we want to be happy, if we want to rejoice in our children, then we've got a responsibility to cultivate them and and to guide them on a on a daily basis with little guidances every day to to help them to grow in the way that God intended for them to grow. In Psalms 128 and verse number three, Psalms 128 and verse number three, it says, "Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine by the size of thine house. Thy children like olive plants round about the table." You know, sometimes people talk about, "Yo, you you raise your kids in a greenhouse." You know, they go to Christian school or they go to church all the time.

You know what? Plants that grow up in a greenhouse are stronger. and and we need to provide a greenhouse in this world cuz we live in a wicked world. We live in a world full of sin and the garbage of this world. And and we've got to grow our kids up in a an environment in our homes that's going to give them a place of refuge, a place where they can grow in the Lord and grow strong in the Lord before we send them out into the world. Look at Psalms chapter 127 and look at verses 3-5. It says, "Lo, children are inheritance of the Lord. fruit of the womb is his reward. As arrows in the hands of a mighty man, so are the children of youth.

Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of. They shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies of the gate. You see, we want to raise them in a in a in an environment uh greenhouse is kind of a hot house. Now, it should not be a hot house because you're all yelling all the time, but it's a place where we challenge our kids to grow. Um, you know, the Bible says that there in verse number number five, it says, "Happy is a man that has his quiver full of them." A lot of you, you're quivering when your little 2-year-old gets upset. You're you're quivering when your children start making demands.

Instead of being the parent, you're letting the children decide how things are going to go in your home. And you ought not to do that. See, we can't quiver in front of our children. And I've seen a lot of parents that the children are in charge. and the children make demands and the parents just kind of quiver and give into it and and you can't do that. You've got to grow them. In Proverbs chapter 19 and verse number 18, it says, "Chason thy son while there is hope and let not thy soul spare for his crying." You've got to provide the discipline that your children need. Now, by discipline, I don't I don't mean beating them.

I grew up in a home where my father beat me and abused me. And that's not what I'm talking about. But I'm talking about a home where loving parents care enough about their children that they're going to tell their children no and and they're going to enforce that no. And they're going to expect to be obeyed and they're expected their children to do what's right and to raise them in a way that says that that I'm in charge and we're going to guide you in the way that God wants you to go. in Deuteronomy chapter 6. If you'll turn over to there, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy chapter 6 and look at verses number 6-9.

We need to raise our children. If we want to be happy in our family, if we want to be happy with our children, if we want to rejoice when they grow up, you got to raise them in a controlled environment. In Deuteronomy chapter 6 and beginning with verse number six, it says, "And these words which I command thee, this day shall be in thine heart, and thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children shall talk of them when thou sitest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, when thou rise up, and thou shall bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and shall be as frontless between thine eyes, and thou shall write them upon the post thy house on thy gates."

You see, it's something you got to control that environment every day and providing them a good You got to control what they watch on TV. You've got to control where they go on the internet and social media. You got to control the kind of kids, the families that kids that they hang around with. You got to control what they're learning to school. It's not just about sending to a Christian school or homeschooling them. You've got to be involved in that process because we as parents are called on by God to provide a home where they're learning daily about the Lord Jesus Christ. It's not just when they come to church on Sunday and go to a Sunday school class, but it's every day they're learning about God from you as you guide them through life one step at a time.

Bible talks about in Psalms 1440:12 that their do thy daughters might be polished. The word polished means to be carved or shaped to mold them. Turn over to second Timothy chapter 3. Second Timothy chapter 3 and look at verses 14-1 17. 2 Timothy chapter 3 and:es 14-1 17. I'm sorry. 1 Timothy chapter 3. 1 Timothy chapter 3 14-1 17. Now I'll get it right here. Minute. Go back to second Timothy. I was looking at the wrong place. I'll get you the right place. All right. Let's see if I can find the right place. Second Timothy chapter 3. I was looking at chapter 4. Chapter 3 verse number beginning with verse number 14 down through verse 17.

But continue now. The things which thouast learned and has been assured of knowing of whom thou has learned them. and that from a child thou has known the holy scriptures which shall make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All scriptures given by inspiration of God as profitful doctrine for reproof for correction for instruction righteousness. The man of God may be perfect thoroughly furnished onto all good works. You see, our job as parents is to mold our children to polish them in the word of God. And that means you've got to teach them the word of God because that's what's profitable.

That's what's going to make them young men and young godly young men and godly young ladies. And if you want to be happy, the Bible tells us in Psalms chapter 144 that starts with your family. And happiness is not just what happens because life happens. And when life happens, you've got to get to work and you've got to work on your marriage and you've got to work on your family. And it's a daily process that we have to go through. Now back in Psalms 144 and look at verse number 13. It says that our garners may be full according to all manner of store that our sheep may bring forth thousands and ten thousands in our streets.

What would make you happy? Would prosperity having a lot of things having a a full bank accounts having all kinds of things in your home. Is that what would make you happy? In 3 John chapter 1 and verse number two, the Bible says, "Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health even as thy soul prosperth." You see, John said, "Listen, I want you to prosper and I I want God to bless you financially, but what's more important than financial prosperity is spiritual prosperity." You see, money doesn't buy happiness, but it does pay for a good therapist. And we got to realize that money is not what's going to make you happy.

It It's good to have garners that are full, to have accounts that are full. It's good to have all kinds of things in your that you you have in life. And there's nothing wrong with that. And the John said, "I hope that you prosper, but to prosper, you got to work hard." In Psalms 128:2, it says, "For thou halt eat the labor of thine hands, happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee." You see, if you want to prosper, you've got to work hard. You know, we live in a society today where work is a dirty word. We live in a society today where people just don't want to work for what they get. They just want the government to give them.

They want everybody else to provide it for them. But we got to realize that you got to work hard. In James 5 11, it says, "Behold, we count them happy which endure." You have heard of the patience of Job and have seen the end of the Lord, that the Lord is very pitiful and of tender mercies. You got to work. You've got to endure. You got to be willing to stick with it. But you've also got to realize that nothing in this life will make you happy without Christ. In Ecclesiastes 2:es 10 and 11, it says, "Whatsoever mine eyes desired, I kept not from them. I would withheld not my heart from any joy.

For from my from for my heart rejoiced in all my labor, and this was a portion of all my labor. Then I looked at all the works of my hands that wrought and on the labor that I had labored to do. And behold, all was vanity or emptiness and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun. You see, folks, you can work hard and get all the latest gadgets and get all the best and the newest of whatever is out there and still not be happy. Well, we have to realize that happiness is based on what happens to us. But joy comes from the Lord. You see, again, life happens. You can fill your bank account and then in a moment it could be all gone.

You can buy the latest and greatest and then you drop it and it breaks. It's not things that are going to make you happy. There's nothing wrong with prosperity. God says work hard and and and and and he'll bless you and that's a good thing to do. But in the end, that's not where your happiness is. Now, if you truly want to prosper, not only do you need to work hard, but you also need to save. And so, in Psalms 144, it talks about the gardeners. That's where they stored up all the grain. You know, you got to you got to put something away for tomorrow. Look at Proverbs chapter 21. Proverbs chapter 21.

And look at verse number five. Proverbs chapter 21 and verse number five. It says, "The thoughts of the diligent tend only to plenteous, but everyone that is hasty only to want." Look down at verse number 20. There is treasure to be desired and oil in the dwelling of the wise, but a foolish man spendeth it up. We live in a society today is all about credit. It's all about debt. It's all about uh, you know, looking to pay in the future for what I have today. And we live in a world that people don't save anymore. In Proverbs chapter 22 and verse number 7, it says, "The rich ruleth over the poor and the borrower is servant to the lender."

When you're in debt, you're a servant. You're a slave to those credit cards and the debt you have to pay every month. You're a slave to that car payment. You're a slave to that debt. And one of the things we need to learn in life is debt will never make you happy. You know, if you want happiness, then you need to learn to save and to put away for the future, to be like the ant and and and to store up for the future. But you also need to look not only as savings for the future, but you need to look at savings, long-term savings. In Matthew chapter 6 and 19 and 20 says, "Lay not for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal.

But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal." You see, we need to learn to um to save up not only for this life, but we also need to save up for the future life as well. Turn over your Bibles to Luke chapter 12. Luke chapter 12. Luke 12 and beginning with verse number 15. Luke 12. Beginning with verse number 15. Luke 12:15. The Bible says, "And he said unto them, take heed and beware of covetousness, for a man's life consists not in the abundance of things which he possesses." He spake a parable unto them, saying, "The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully."

He thought with himself, saying, "What shall I do because I have no room where to bestow fruits?" He said, "This will I do. I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. And I will say to my soul, soul, thou has much goods laid up for many years. Take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry." And God said unto him, "Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee." Then who shall those things be which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself is not rich towards God. So I want to challenge you. If you want happiness, you got to learn to work hard.

You got to learn to save in this life and to prepare for the future. But most importantly, you have to prepare for eternity. You have to realize that all that money in the bank and all those possessions, they're going to be nothing when you're dead. But you also have to realize this. You cannot save your own soul. The Bible says in Ephesians chapter 2:es 8 and n for by grace are you saved through faith that not of yourselves. It's the gift of God, not of works that a man should boast. And there's nothing that you or I can do to save our own soul. It's not by your religion. It's not by your rituals like baptism or catechism or church membership.

is not by your own righteousness because Titus 3:5 it says not by works of righteousness which we have done but according to his mercy he saved us and the only one that can save your soul is the Lord Jesus Christ. ee you can plan for everything in life. You can plan for your retirement. You can plan to buy a home in the future. You can plan to buy a new car. You can plan for everything in your life except for one and that's death. Bible tells us in Hebrews chapter 9 and verse 27 is appointed a man once to die but after this the judgment and the question is when you die have you already prepared for a future in heaven.

You see you can't save your own soul but God says I will can save you and I can give you eternal life through Jesus Christ who died to save you from your sins. Everyone in this room is going to die. You just don't know when this man in Luke chapter 15, he had saved up. He had all kinds of things saved up, but he didn't plan on dying. And many people don't plan on that in their lives as well. And I wonder if you're ready to die. In second Timothy chapter 1 and verse number 12, it says, "I know whom I believed and am persuaded to be able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day."

You see, when you believe in Jesus Christ, what he did when he died and he buried and rose again, he died to save you from your sins. And when you put your faith and trust in him, it's like depositing your soul in the bank of heaven. When I go to the the bank uh to make a deposit, I walk in the bank and I hand them that money. And then when I walk out of that bank, I I don't worry about it. I don't walk out of the bank saying, "Man, I hope it'll be there tomorrow. I hope it'll be there when I write a check. I hope it'll be there when I make a uh use my ATM card. See, I don't worry about it because I have deposited that money to the bank and the bank has guaranteed my money.

And not only has the bank guaranteed my money, but the federal government has guaranteed my money. Now, I do understand sometimes you can't trust banks because banks can fail, right? And I do understand that even our government can fail and they seem to be trying to do a real good job at that. But you know what? God will never fail me. And when you get saved, when you trust Jesus Christ as your savior, what you're doing is saying, "Lord, I am going to deposit my soul in the bank of heaven, and I'm going to trust you to keep it for me until I die and go to heaven." You see, we can depend on him because we can deposit our soul with him.

So, have you saved for the future? and as Christians that we should be laying up treasure in heaven. It It's good to have money for future things. My wife and I are talking about taking a trip next year and we're saving up money for that. And it's good to have money to save up maybe for for a house or for retirement and all the rest of that. But it's also good to make sure that we are laying up treasures in heaven that what we do for God is for eternity. But to remember that we cannot save ourselves. All we can do is deposit our soul with him and trust him as our savior. Now if you want to prosper, you need to save.

But let me tell you also, if you want to prosper, you need to give. In Proverbs chapter 3:es 9 and 10, it says, "Honor the Lord with thy substance and with the first fruits of all thine increase. So shall thy barns be filled with plenty and presses shall be burst with new wine." God says, "When you put me first, when you give to me first, that's when I will bless you and prosper you." Philippians chapter 4 and verse 17 says, "Not because I desire a gift, but I desire fruit that may abound to your account." I'm not saying this because I want you to give more to the church. I'm saying it because I want you to give to God.

Because you cannot outgive God. He tells us in the book of Luke that that when you give to God, he gives back even more abundantly to you. And if you want to prosper, learn to give, to give your tithes and your offerings. In Malachi 3:es 8-10, it says, "Will a man robbed God? Yet ye have robbed me." But you say, "Where and have we robbed thee in tithes and offerings? You are cursed with a curse, for you've robbed me, even this whole nation. Bring you all the tithes in this storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house. And prove me now, here, sayeth the Lord of hosts, if I will not open up the window of heaven and pour you out a blessing, there should be no room.

There should be room not be room enough to receive it. God says, if you want to be blessed, then give. And the more you give, the more God's going to bless you. Now, let me make something clear. God doesn't love you more because you give. And God doesn't love you less because you don't give. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son. But God commendeth or showed his love towards you that while we yet sinners, Christ died for us. And God doesn't love you more because you give. But our giving shows our love for God. And God has said that he will bless those who give. Those who give out of their abundance and out of their poverty.

In Luke chapter 6 and verse 38, give and it shall be given unto you. Good measure pressed down and shaken together and running over shall men give into your bosom. For the same measure that you met with all, it shall be measured to you again. It's more blessed to give than to receive. And we learned how the a giving attitude in 2 Corinthians chapter 8 and 2 Corinthians chapter 9. The Bible says that the Lord loveth a cheerful giver. And when we give cheerfully, when we give from our heart, we give out of love for God and love for others, that's what God blesses. In Philippians chapter 4 19 says, "But my God shall supply all your need according riches and glory by Christ Jesus."

You see, when you give, God takes care of you. Now, in the Old Testament, he promised to bless us with greater crops and greater flocks and all the rest of those things. In the New Testament, what he promises is greater grace. He says, "When you give, I give grace." Now, God provides your needs. And I have found over my lifetime that as I've given the Lord, he's always provided for me. But more important than the physical blessings has been the spiritual blessings, the blessing of giving. If you want to be happy, learn to save, but learn to give. In Psalms 144 and verse number 14, it said that our oxen may be strong to labor and that there be no breaking in nor going out.

That there be no complaining in our streets. If you want to be happy, ask God to give you peace. To give you peace. Turn to the book of Jeremiah, chapter 29. The book of Jeremiah, chapter 29. Just a few books after Ecclesiastes, you'll find Song of Psalm and Isaiah and then Jeremiah chapter 29. And look at verses 10 through13. Jeremiah chapter 29 and beginning to verse number 10. For thus, let me get the right place here. Jeremiah 29. For thus sayith the verse 10, for thus sayeth the Lord this that after 70 years be accomplished at Babylon. I will visit you and perform my good word towards you and cause you to return to the this place.

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, sayeth the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil to give you expected end. Then shall you call upon me, and you shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you, and you shall seek me and find me when you shall search me with all your heart. You see, you want peace, folks. You're not going to find peace in this world. If you've watched the news this last week or the week before that, a week before that, you're not going to find peace. There's no peace in this world. There's no peace in our in our country. It's chaos. And the only real peace that you can find is the peace in God.

Amen. And when you put God first in your life and you look to the Lord, he says, "Listen, I know my thoughts towards you. I know what I have planned for you. Just call upon me and I will answer thee and show thee great and mighty things. God wants to do special things in your life. John 14:27, "Peace I leave with you. My peace I give unto you. Not as the world giveth give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." You see, you want to find the peace that only God can bring. You look back at Psalms chapter 144. Look at verse 14 again. It says that our oxen may be strong.

You know, oxen is kind of like your car. How many ever had your car break down? Raise your hand. I have. All of us have, haven't we? And when a car breaks down, you're not real happy about that. But you know what? The children of Israel wandered in the wilderness for 40 years. During that 40 years, their clothes and their shirt, their shoes never rotted. But guess what? They weren't happy. We sometimes think, well, if I just didn't have all these things breaking down, and if I had better stuff, I'd be happy. They wandered in the wilderness for 40 years. Their clothes and their shoes never wore out, never got rotten.

And yet, they were not happy. Then it goes on in verse number 14. It says that there be no breaking in nor going out. No crime. Wouldn't it be nice if there's no crime? You ever been robbed? You ever have somebody take something from you? I have. Matthew 6 19- 21. Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal. But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through and steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. You see folks, when your treasure is the things of this world, they can be broken, they can be stolen, they can be lost, but when your treasure, things of God, that can't be taken away from you.

Then I like what it says there at the end of verse number 14, that there be no complaining in our streets. Do you get tired of hearing people complain all the time? Maybe you're one of those people that just complains all the time. Philippians chapter 2 14 and 15. Do all things without murmurings and disputings that you may be blameless and harmless the sons of God without rebuke in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation among whom you shine as lights in the world. We live in a world where everybody complains. We as Christians ought to rejoice. You know why people complain? because life happens and they're not happy because of what's happening.

But you rejoice when you have the Lord and no matter what happens, they can't take that away from me. Do you know that more people were put to death in the Bible for complaining than for any other reason? 1 Corinthians chapter 10 and verse number 10. Neither murmur ye as some of them also murmured and were destroyed of the destroyer. Don't be a complainer. Complaining will never make you happy. Rejoicing will. And no matter what happens, you can rejoice in the Lord. Look at Psalms 144:15. Happy is that people that is such a case. Yeah. Happy is that people whose God is the Lord. I want you to turn over to one last place and that's the book of Habach.

Okay? Now, Habach is on page 1,39 in my Bible if that helps you out. But it's also right after Nahm and right before Zephaniah. This a really small little book. It'll be easy to pass it over. Uh it's towards the end of the Old Testament is where you'll find it. Now, he's as happy as that people where your garners are full. You got all kinds of money in the bank and you got all kinds of things in your life. Happy are you when your car's not breaking down or when everything is going right. It's easy to be happy. But listen to what he says in Habach 3 17- 19. Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines, the labor of the olives shall fail, and the field shall yield no meat.

The flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls. Yet I will rejoice in the Lord. I will joy in the God of my salvation. The Lord is my strength and he will make my feet like hines feet and he will make me to walk upon mine high places to the chief singer on string dismissments. See says even when everything's going wrong I can still rejoice in the Lord. If you go through life depending on what happens to you to make you happy then your marriage is going to fail. your kids are not going to turn out right. You're always going to be in debt and struggling because what truly is more important than happiness is the joy of the Lord.

And that joy starts with knowing that my soul is deposited in heaven. Knowing that no matter what else happened to me in life, I can get cancer. I can go bankrupt. I can have a car crash, but I'm still going to heaven. And God is still my God. And God still loves me no matter what. So, as we've gone through this series on marriage, let me ask you a question. What's going to make you happy in your marriage? Because most mar couples that break up, the first thing they say to me is this. I'm not happy anymore, pastor. And that's because they're dependent on what happens to them to make them happy.

But when you truly find the joy of the Lord, it can change your marriage. Now, you have to work at it. Marriage is not easy. You have to labor. You have to put the effort in. And you got to take time with your children every day to if you want them to turn out right. You got to save and not spend if you want to prosper. But most importantly, you got to find the true joy of life and not just depend on what happens was bound prayer.