How to Find True Happiness

 

By Nick Bibile

 

Joh 7:37  In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, “If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.

 38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.’”

 

 

No one born to this world is looking for sorrow but on the other hand looking for happiness. There is a desire for happiness in humanity.  The goal of many to get a good education in order to get a high paying job.  Everyone is looking for more money, more wealth and no one has a desire to be poor. Many think money, wealth; materialism can bring happiness and pleasure. This is the quest or the hunger in humanity. All humans in all nations no matter what language they speak, they all pursue happiness. There is a universal appetite for happiness.

 

Due to the high demand for happiness the world is supplying this happiness to humanity and looking for new inventions. The merchants and the businessmen are daily seeking and exploring to make man happy.  There are some who become rich and they think they attained happiness. Now they have a nice home, a most comfortable home. They have a good job, so they buy happiness from the world, they buy nice comfortable cars and all kinds of material things, they eat tasty foods, and they buy expensive clothes. They travel and seek pleasure. They live a comfortable lifestyle yet not content as the humanity is not satisfied but hungering for more and more for happiness.  The taste is gone for the things they purchased before, satisfaction of the eye will diminish as the years pass by and now they see more better things to buy. Even the rich and the poor both have lamentations.  The happiness which this world provides is not a perfect happiness, there is sorrow and danger mixed and it’s a temporary happiness.

 

But what is happiness? Happiness is to be contented in mind. To be pleased and satisfied.  Many who are wealthy and powerful are not content in what they poses.

 

Ec 5:10 He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loveth abundance with increase: this is also vanity.

 

Luke 12:15 A man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.

 

A new study of more than 65 countries published in the UK's New Scientist magazine suggests that the happiest people in the world live in Nigeria. (BBC News, October, 2003) Nigeria has the highest percentage of happy people followed by Mexico, Venezuela, El Salvador and Puerto Rico. US 16th, Australia 20th and Britain 24th. The survey confirms that money cannot buy happiness.

 

But there is a real happiness. God is perfectly happy. He is constantly happy. The angels are always happy. Heaven is a perfect happy place; there is no sorrow or tears in heaven.  God is the author of true happiness. God manifested in the flesh in Christ Jesus. Jesus is inviting us to partake this true and everlasting happiness.

 

John 7: 37 On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.

 

What subject can be more interesting than the above statement of Jesus. It is Jesus who said he is the water of life; he is the fountain of life. He is the source of blessedness. When the children of Israel were thirsty in the wilderness no water to drink out of the rock God brought streams of water to quench the thirst. Now Jesus is saying, “If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.”

 

Now let us see a little background of the above statement of our Lord.  Jesus had gone up to Jerusalem to observe the feast of the tabernacles, one of the most distinguished Jewish festival seasons. Jesus spoke these words at the last day of the feast, the great day. This was the most solemn day of worshipers gathered in the temple.

 

Here at the time of the morning sacrifice, one of the priests brought full of water in a golden vessel drawn from the fountain of Siloah. This fountain sprang at the bottom of the mountain on which the temple was built. This water was carried to the inner court of the temple, mingled with wine, and then poured the mixture on the altar as liberation.

 

The performance of this ceremony is accompanied with solemn instrumental and vocal music, where a party of priests sounding the trumpets and cymbals and another party of singers, singing the anthem of the words of Isaiah, “With joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation.”  (Isaiah 12:3)

 

The courts of the temple were crowded with worshippers, the performance of the ceremony is just finished, the loud music just finished, now there is a silence among the multitude of worshippers.

 

The silence is broken suddenly and immediately by a mysterious man from Nazareth as he drew the attention of the multitude as he shouted with a loud voice, “If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.”

 

Ceremony behind the true happiness is the Savior of the mankind, Jesus Christ. He is the fountain of living water open to all.  He is the source of happiness, joy and peace. Whether you are poor or rich you can have that peace and joy in Christ Jesus as out of your heart will flow rivers of living water.

 

Who are invited?

 

If any man thirst. Only the thirsty are invited. Whoever hungry and thirsty after righteousness is invited. Whoever wishes to be happy is invited.

 

A thirst is something to have an earnest desire to be delivered from the present condition. The present condition of man is that he is depraved.

 

Eph 2:2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:

 3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.

 

Humanism teaches people are basically good. It is the environment and upbringing makes them corrupt. If this is true we see the scandals of FBI agents, judges, high-ranking government officials, good people who live in good neighborhoods. How often when you see when a man is caught raping a little girl the neighbors are surprised as the man lived a good life and was a good neighbor.

 

But in relationship to the infinite holy God how good is man? We see man from a horizontally as we compare to one another or to Hitler and say, “I am not that bad.” Because we compare goodness to other good neighbors. But when the prophet Isaiah the man of God saw the infinite holy God this is what he said.

Isa 6:5 Then said I, Woe is me! For I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.

When we speak of man's depravity we mean man's natural condition, fallen nature, inherited sin, if not for God’s restraining grace all can become like Hitler. 

Also man is weak and mortal. Only Jesus can strengthen us in our present situation, he can give us strength in time of need and only Jesus can give us eternal life.

 

He is an all accomplished Savior, he accomplished all the works of a Savior by fulfilling all of the laws which we have broken and taking the believing sinners guilt and sin upon him although he was sinless and righteous.  Also he is God in human flesh, as God he can never suffer, also he is fully man. As a man he suffered the death of the crucifixion. All the fullness of God dwelt in him bodily. He has the all the merit, the power, the authority, the knowledge, the wisdom, kindness, love and long suffering. He is a perfect Savior.  He is the fountain of life. If a man drinks of the living water he gives, he shall never thirst again.

 

The well of living water is Jesus; this well is never shut or sealed, always flowing. There is a double call. “Come, and then drink”

 

Come to Christ is the same as believing in Christ. He that comes to Christ is the one that believes in Christ. The one who believes in Christ will come to him.

 

Joh 6:35 And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.

 

Heb 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

 

When we believe who he is and believing the truth, then we can come to him. Coming to Christ is when we truly believe in our heart then having thoughts and affection towards him. When we realize that we were depraved, lost, dead in sin but now we have become alive in Christ, purchased us from sin, we have come to the fountain of living water.

 

Now we are to drink of that fountain, which means to partake in the blessings of our Savior and our desires will be satisfied. Drinking from the fountain brings full satisfaction. We are complete in Christ Jesus, we don’t need another savior or another salvation we are fully satisfied in Christ Jesus when we drink from the fountain of living water.

 

The invitation is not limited but he said, “If any man thirst…”  The invitation is to all. The invitation of the gospel is not limited but universal.

 

Isa 55:1 Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.

 

They that come to him and drink, or they that believe in him will partake of the great blessings. How? Now their thirst is quenched and they become a secondary fountains for quenching the thirst of others.  They will be happy and joyous in their salvation and also they will become instruments to make others partake of this living water and make others happy and joyous. You will experience the great, great happiness when a soul comes to know the Lord, this is  what Lord meant when he said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Many do not understand that the happiness that the world can give is temporarily. Even the wealthiest people cry, mourn. So we see this happiness is constant, there are ups and downs even for the rich.  This happiness is only temporary. There is a day that is coming when that happiness will end, the day of death which comes to all.