The Only Pathway
To True Happiness

Introduction

In writing this document it was assumed that the reader would have a right understanding of the gospel. If you feel that you might be in need of a "gospel refreshing" then you are invited to consider the feature Absolute Hope at our sister website before considering this document.

Thy Kingdom Come

As our relationship with Jesus develops, and as we become more and more acquainted with His incredible kindness, we cannot help but to feel a deep longing to be with Him - that we might experience His love and the order of life that He originally intended for mankind. But just when can we realistically expect our Lord to come again? The answer to this question always brings us back to the sober realities of the here and now.

`This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.' (Matthew 24:14 KJV)

We do not want to be accused of making the claim that "the Lord delays His coming," but no matter how we read this verse, the fact is that . . .

`His kingdom will not come until the good tidings of His grace have been carried to all the earth.' (MB108-9)

As Jesus Himself stated, . . .

`The gospel must first be preached to all nations.' (Mark 13:10)

Thus it is that the sobering truth gives warning to the effect that . . .

`We may have to remain here in this world because of insubordination many more years, as did the children of Israel; but . . . by giving the gospel to the world it is in our power to hasten our Lord's return.' (Ev696)

We should take special note from the above that the critical factor regarding the timing of Jesus' second coming does not relate to whether the church has a presence in every nation, but whether the church is preaching the true gospel to every nation.

This being the case, we would do well to make sure that we understand just what is meant by the word "gospel," by the word, "kingdom," and by the term, "the gospel of the kingdom." Unless we have a right understanding in these matters, we might just find ourselves preaching a gospel that is no gospel at all and, as a result, we could find our strenuous efforts delaying instead of hastening the coming of the Master.

The burden of this introduction, therefore, is to seek an understanding of the good news, not so much as far as what Jesus has done for us (this you can read about by clicking here), but as it relates specifically to the kingdom and our entrance into the kingdom. Then, having done so, we will be in a better position to recognize and to appreciate "the pathway to true happiness" - which is in fact the "good news" pathway that leads to the kingdom. And it really is good news - provided we are humble enough to accept it.

The Gospel of the Kingdom

Firstly, as regards the kingdoms of God, there is the future kingdom of glory, which is the kingdom that will be ushered in when Jesus comes again. Then there is the present kingdom of grace. We might call the kingdom of grace the intermediary or midway kingdom in that those only who were citizens of the kingdom of grace will one day be welcomed into the kingdom of glory.

So let us turn our attention to the kingdom of grace. This kingdom . . .

¤  was instituted immediately after the fall of man, when a plan was devised for the redemption of the guilty race . . .

¤  it was established after the death of Jesus when His disciples were accepted as its first members and . . .

¤  it will be possessed by Jesus at His second advent. (GC347)

Unlike the kingdoms of the world, the kingdom of grace does not have physical borders. This is a spiritual kingdom - one that is established, not within the confines of geographical boundaries, but within the hearts of God's true children wherever they may be, for . . .

`The kingdom of God begins in the heart.' (DA506)

Because this kingdom is established in the heart, this means that our reception into, or our failure to enter into the kingdom depends entirely on the state of our hearts or, in other words, on the fabric of our characters. Thus we realise that . . .

`The government of the kingdom of Christ is like no earthly government. It is a representation of the characters of those who compose the kingdom.' (5BC1111)

[No, this is not going to be a study in perfectionism, but a study into the character of those who make up the kingdom - and how we may develop that character].

The citizens of the kingdom, therefore, are such, not because of the circumstances surrounding their birth, not because of their family connections, not because of their qualifications or talents, not because of their position or standing in the church, but only because of their characters. This is why Jesus made it clear that the kingdom of grace is not merely a kingdom that we become a part of, but rather, it is a kingdom that, in a deep and mysterious way, becomes a part of us. As Jesus explained:

`The kingdom of God does not come visibly, nor will people say, "Here it is," or "there it is," because the kingdom of God is within you.' (Luke 17:20,21)

As such, we realise that the kingdom of grace is a kingdom that is established by way of spiritual influence.

`Not by the decisions of courts or councils or legislative assemblies, not by the patronage of worldly great men, is the kingdom of Christ established, but by the implanting of Christ's nature in humanity through the work of the Holy Spirit.' (DA509)

In common with earthly kingdoms, the Kingdom of Grace has a king, who is Jesus, and it also has a constitution. This constitution details "the foundation principles of the kingdom" in that it speaks of the attitudes of the citizens who make up the kingdom (DA299).

We commonly refer to this constitution as the Sermon on the Mount. I would like to entitle it, The Only Road To True Happiness. This, therefore, is the subject of this feature. (See Matthew Chapters 5-7)

The Passport to Heaven

If those only who are citizens of the kingdom of grace will ever be accepted into the kingdom of glory, and we are accepted into the kingdom of grace on the basis of our attitudes, then it follows that our entrance into the kingdom of glory will depend, not just on our faith, but also on our attitudes - attitudes that will have been moulded by our faith experience.

Clearly, therefore, the primary focus of our attention in this age should not be so much on the time of Jesus' coming, but on the attitudes that make up our characters - for ultimately, in a global sense, our attitudes will play a major role in determining the time of His coming.

If we do wish to dabble in end-time prophecies, therefore, our attention must fall, not on the state of the world, but on our attitudes, for the truth is that the world has long been bad enough for Jesus to come, but our attitudes or characters have never quite been good enough . . .

`It is the unbelief, the worldliness, unconsecration, and strife among the Lord's professed people that have kept us in this world of sin and sorrow so many years.' (Ev696)

`If the people of God had preserved a living connection with Him, if they had obeyed His Word, they would today be in the heavenly Canaan.' (Ev694)

This being the case, if we are impatient for Jesus to come, and we still demand of the Lord a sign, there is but one sign upon which we can depend. This sign tells us quite simply that . . .

`When the character of Christ shall be perfectly reproduced in His people, then He will come to claim them as His own.' (COL69)

This does sound strange, but until the character of Jesus is perfectly reproduced in His people, God's hands are tied by circumstances that are seemingly beyond His control, and it would seem as though only the faithfulness of His children can release Him from these circumstances.

No, our characters will not save us - for we will be saved on the basis of our faith in Jesus - and on the fact that we will be saved by His righteousness (put to our account) - but true faith always develops character and certain desirable attitudes in the believer.

To better understand this, we need to go back to the time of the first disaffection when, . . .

`In the opening of the great controversy, Satan had declared that the law of God could not be obeyed.' (DA761)

In response to this accusation, . . .

`Christ left His position in the heavenly courts, and came to . . . show that Satan's charge against God is false - that it is possible for man to obey the laws of God's kingdom.' (5BC1129)

`Satan had claimed that it was impossible for man to obey God's commandments; and in our own strength it is true that we cannot obey them. But Christ came in the form of humanity, and by His perfect obedience He proved that humanity and divinity combined can obey every one of God's precepts.' (COL314)

While God's name was vindicated by Jesus as He served as God embodied in man, God's final vindication will be secured when the earth is graced with a company of created beings who will bear living testimony to the fact that man is able, through faith, and by God's grace, to live in harmony with God's law of love. 

Thus, even today, God patiently waits for His human witnesses to come forth and to give glory to His name, so that He might come again. This is why, prior to the second coming, . . .

`The very image of God is to be reproduced in humanity, [and this for no lesser reason than that] the honor of God, the honor of Christ, is involved in the perfection of the character of His people.' (DA671)

Then, at that time, inspired by the irrefutable evidence of a special group of "sinners" whose lives have been brought into harmony with God's law, all the universe will bow down and declare . . .

`Great and marvelous are your deeds, Lord God Almighty. Just and true are your ways, King of the ages.' You gave us `regulations and laws that are just and right, and decrees and commands that are good.' (Revelation 15:3; Nehemiah 9:13)

In consideration of these things, therefore, let us continue to announce to the world that Jesus is coming soon, and let us never lose sight of our obligation to preach the gospel of the kingdom to all the nations of the world, but may we ever remember . . .

 ¤  That the gospel of the kingdom is not the good news of how God saves us in our sin, but of how God changes characters and attitudes and how He thus saves us from our sin.

¤  That this good news will be far more convincingly preached by converted lives than by convincing words.

¤  That we may hasten or delay His second coming - depending on our willingness to be changed by Him.

The Constitution of the Kingdom

As mentioned above, the Sermon on the Mount (otherwise known as the Beatitudes) is the constitution of the Kingdom. It is referred to as the constitution of the kingdom because it speaks of the attitudes that will be enshrined in the characters of all who are eagerly awaiting the Lord's return.  

In what follows we turn our attention to this thought-provoking Sermon in the hope that this exercise will enable us to determine . . .

¤  Whether or not we are in a position to provide a living testimony as to the effectiveness of the gospel that we preach.

¤  Whether or not we are in fact subjects of the kingdom.

¤  Whether we as individuals are hastening or delaying Jesus' coming.

Throughout this study we need to bear in mind that . . .

`In the Sermon on the Mount, Christ has given a definition of true sanctification.' (3SM202)

As such, and because we understand that sanctification is the progressive work of a lifetime, we will accept that these attitudes, in their order, represent "an advancing line of Christian experience." (MB13)

What this means is that we cannot expect all of these attitudes to grace the lives of those who are new to the faith, and this will be especially the case as far as the latter of these attitudes is concerned. The Lord has promised, however, that as our hearts are more deeply touched by His grace, and as we develop our moment-by-moment, day-to-day relationship with Jesus, these "desirable attitudes" will develop and will continue to enlarge and mature.

Then, because we realise that obedience to God's law is a matter of love which, in turn, is a matter of character, we will also bear in mind that . . .

`The whole sermon [on the mount] was an exposition of the law . . .' (LHU135)

This being the case, we will appreciate that the entire sermon is a series of promises - promises regarding the changes that will take place in our outlook and in our attitude as we go in search of God, and as we enter into an ever-deepening relationship with Him.

Then, finally, the Sermon on the Mount speaks of the blessings that will surely follow as and when we allow God to change us. 

It is my sincere prayer that what follows will help you to secure all of the promised blessings.