HOLINESS IS HAPPINESS

Psalms 106:3 (KJV)

Blessed are they that keep judgment, and he that doeth righteousness at all times.

Holiness is happiness.

The studies for this message began with my finding that phrase in something Spurgeon wrote concerning this passage.

He said, “Multiplied are the blessednesses which must descend upon the whole company of the keepers of the way of justice, and especially upon that one rare man who at all times follows that which is right. Holiness is happiness. The way of right is the way of peace.”  

The title for this message is, Holiness is Happiness.

I want to begin by first

I. EXPLAINING MY TERM, HOLINESS

The word holiness is not found in our text, but comes from the comments of Spurgeon.

Spurgeon, of course, was not inspired of God in the sense of the Apostles.

He was a Baptist preacher in London England who died about 125 years ago.

Spurgeon was a very popular preacher in his day.

His popularity continues today, as much as anything, because of the volumes of printed material produced by him.

That he would describe what is in this verse with the word holiness tells us a bit about what Christians were thinking back then:

• • Before the internet
• • Before TV and even just barely
• • Before radio

I don’t mean to say that everyone was godly 125 years ago. But they sure didn’t have the easy access to frivolous entertainment that we have.

I think today if we were going to describe the holy person, we might think of the person who is not into some sort of questionable activity or entertainment.

Spurgeon, and we have reason to believe his was a common understanding in his day, thought of holiness as keeping God’s judgments and doing what is right, and then he qualified it, as the Bible does, “at all times.”

• • To keep judgment means, “obey the rules.”
• • To do righteousness means, “practice right.”

Holiness, according to this definition, isn’t: 

• • Reading your Bible through once a month or
• • Praying eight hours a day or
• • Witnessing door to door until your shoe soles wear out

Holiness, according to the likes of Spurgeon was simply to obey both civil and spiritual rules, and to do the right thing.

“At all times.”

I want to move on now to provide some,

II. EXAMPLES OF HOLY HAPPINESS

A. An example of holy innocence

Adam and Eve

Would you agree with me that, before their fall in sin, Adam and Eve lived in a happy environment?

Genesis 2:8-15 (KJV)

And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed.

And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads.

The name of the first is Pison: that is it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold;

And the gold of that land is good: there is bdellium and the onyx stone.

And the name of the second river is Gihon: the same is it that compasseth the whole land of Ethiopia.

And the name of the third river is Hiddekel: that is it which goeth toward the east of Assyria. And the fourth river is Euphrates.

And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.

Everything I can read concerning Adam and Eve and the garden sounds like a perfect, paradise, happy experience.

How wonderful might their lives have been had they remained in the holy, innocent state.

B. An example of God’s holy leading

Joseph

I will admit that Joseph’s life was filled with some difficult events. But when Joseph looked back at his life, he did not see those difficulties.

After his father had died, his brothers were worried that Joseph would finally seek revenge for their mistreatment of him.

Joseph’s response to the however, demonstrates a man who was happy in his holiness.

Genesis 50:15-21 (KJV)

And when Joseph's brethren saw that their father was dead, they said, Joseph will peradventure hate us, and will certainly requite us all the evil which we did unto him.

And they sent a messenger unto Joseph, saying, Thy father did command before he died, saying,

So shall ye say unto Joseph, Forgive, I pray thee now, the trespass of thy brethren, and their sin; for they did unto thee evil: and now, we pray thee, forgive the trespass of the servants of the God of thy father. And Joseph wept when they spake unto him.

And his brethren also went and fell down before his face; and they said, Behold, we be thy servants.

And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for am I in the place of God?

But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.

Now therefore fear ye not: I will nourish you, and your little ones. And he comforted them, and spake kindly unto them.

C. An example of holy confidence

Job

If Joseph experienced difficult life events, Job just flat suffered.

Through the loss of his:

• • Wealth
• • Family
• • Health and
• • Reputation

Job never once sinned or cursed God for his trouble. 

He did lament his life and wished he had never been born, but I do not believe that means he lost his happiness.

I do not know how to explain it except to say that it is possible to weep with those who weep while at the same time rejoicing with those who rejoice.

I believe that happens when we have the same overriding confidence Job had, Job 19:25-27 (KJV)

For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth:

And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God:

Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; though my reins be consumed within me.

D. An example of holy usefulness

Mary

I once prepared a message about Joseph and Mary I called, “When God Messes With Your Plans.”

This young couple had no clue what God had planned for them. They had dreams and ideas and hopes and aspirations.

But they held on to those things for themselves and remained pure and holy and did what was right.

Until God showed them His plans.

Mary would be used to delivered the Saviour into this world.

Luke 1:39-49 (KJV)

And Mary arose in those days, and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Juda;

And entered into the house of Zacharias, and saluted Elisabeth.

And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost:

And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.

And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?

For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy.

And blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord.

And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord,

And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.

For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.

For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name.

Their holiness led to true happiness.

E. An example of perfect holiness 

Jesus

Jesus Christ is, of course, the only Person who has ever perfectly fulfilled Psalm 106:3.

And I am convinced the Jesus had perfect happiness.

Matthew 25:21 (KJV)

His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. 

One of the most promising rewards in eternity, the Bible says, is to enter into “the joy of thy Lord.”

The Bible says that the Christian is a joint heir with Jesus. Everything that belongs to the Lord belongs to us.

I don’t want to take anything away from what comprises the glory of Christ.

But Jesus rewards the faithful believer by allowing them to enter into His own joy.

Holiness is happiness

I hasten then to give an

III. EXPOSITION OF THE REMAINDER OF THIS PSALM

Vs 6-7

I will not take the time to read the rest of the Psalm to you. Suffice it to say that Israel chose not to keep judgment and do righteousness and they suffered terribly because of it.

Now listen

There is a huge difference between: 

Suffering when you know you have done right, 

as Joseph, Job, and Mary did and

Suffering when you know you have done wrong

As Israel did

A person can be happy in the midst of the most terrible of trials when he knows he has done right.

But to suffer for wrong we know we have done only compounds the misery of the suffering, “Why oh why did I do that?”

Conclusion

Psalms 106:3 (KJV)

Blessed are they that keep judgment, and he that doeth righteousness at all times.

There is this haunting qualifier in this verse, “at all times.”

It reminds me of a lesson Jesus taught in the sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5:48 (KJV)

Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect. 

The problem is, I can’t do it.

I can’t be as perfect as my heavenly Father and I can’t keep judgment and do righteousness every time.

That’s why Psalm 106:47 says,

Save us, O LORD our God and gather us from among the heathen….

I can never be perfect but I am perfectly righteous – because when I asked Him to save me, Jesus Christ took my sin and suffered for it and gave me His righteousness in its place.