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Introduction

Over the last one hundred years there has been a considerable improvement in public health in the UK, for which we thank God. As a result the average life expectancy here in the UK for men and women has greatly increased. For men born at the turn of the twentieth century it was 48 years whereas for men born now it is 75 years. Other advances in medicine have also helped to save and prolong life. On Friday, in a blaze of publicity, the Prime Minister, Tony Blair, went into hospital to have an irregular heartbeat corrected by a procedure called a catheter ablation. After brief rest this weekend he should be able to go to Africa on Tuesday. But while people’s physical health in the West has improved many do not enjoy a sense of well-being.

It has been said by a leading psychiatrist that although the majority of people in this country are much better off than they ever have been, there are also more people who are anxious and depressed than ever before. Happiness seems elusive. Instead many feel anxious. And use of anti-depressants is widespread.

God is concerned about our physical and mental health. In v2 of his 3rd letter John says: “Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well.”

At the end of Matthew 4 Jesus is preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. V24:

“News about Jesus spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon possessed, those having seizures, and the paralysed, and he healed them.”

Jesus cared about real people in real physical need and he met their needs compassionately. And we are to follow his example.

But God is even more concerned about our spiritual health. In fact current medical research shows that those who have a Christian faith often have better health outcomes, including living longer. Living according to the Maker’s instructions is healthy! V25 of Matthew 4 says that as a result of his healing ministry large crowds followed Jesus. When Jesus saw the crowds (5:1) he began to teach them about spiritual health, wholeness and lasting happiness, about what it means to be a follower of him. So first

1. JESUS’ PRESCRIPTION FOR HEALTH & HAPPINESS v1-12

How would you complete this sentence? Complete happiness is…. John Calvin, one of the most famous Christian writers in history, completed it like this: ‘Complete happiness is knowing God.’ And look at what Jesus says here in v3-12: ‘Blessed’ or ‘happy’ are those who know God. Blessed or happy are those who know God’s spiritual healing in their lives and share in his kingdom.

And this happiness is not just an emotion that is dependent on outward circumstances. This happiness is a deep joy whatever the outward circumstances and which comes from having Jesus living in you by his Spirit. As someone was sharing with me the other day he’s found that Jesus Christ has given him a true happiness, joy and peace in spite of his physical health problems. That doesn’t mean it’s always easy or there’s never any fear but that in Christ he has a sure and certain hope. One of the happiest people I’ve ever met is an elderly lady in rural Kenya who has lost her sight and who can’t get around. But she knows the Lord Jesus Christ and his strength. Like the Apostle Paul she knows that his grace is sufficient and she is so thankful to him.

So what Jesus says here about the happiness that comes from knowing God may come like a bolt out of the blue for anyone here who thinks that Christianity is a sad and miserable affair. Some people say to me that Christianity is a living death. What they may mean is that religion is a living death. For religion is all about rules and trying to earn our way to heaven. Whereas Christianity is all about a relationship with God, it’s about God sending his Son to die on the cross to take the punishment we deserved for turning our backs on him so that we can be healed of the cancer that is sin, which leads to eternal death. Instead we can have eternal life and peace with God through faith in Jesus Christ - spiritual health and true happiness. Yes Jesus came that we might have life to the full, life with God forever. And what is more is that there is no prescription charge. As Romans 6:23 states:

‘The wages of sin is death but the free gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord.’

So let’s look more closely for a moment at Jesus’ prescription.

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (v3)

Jesus says happy are those who have accepted the diagnosis that they are sinners in need of a miracle cure and then humble themselves under the mighty hand of God, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Membership of the kingdom of heaven is a gift to those who trust in Jesus Christ. He is the only one who can take away our cancerous sin.

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” (v4)

Many of us meet those who mourn for a loved one. But who are those who mourn here? Who is Jesus talking about? He is saying that those who mourn are those who have seen the depth of the world’s suffering and of their own sin, and it has broken their heart. And when that is true of us, we are wide open for the comfort, healing and happiness that God longs to give. Isaiah 61:1 tells us that Jesus came to bind up the broken hearted. I met a couple in Taiwan who had experienced this. They lost their eldest son when he was just 12 years old, yet through the pain they came to know something of the comfort of God through Christian friends and their own need of Jesus Christy and they put their faith in him. When we become aware of our sinfulness and brokenness then the appropriate response is to become meek. Look at v5. Jesus says:

“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.”

But what is meekness? Meekness is humility and submission before God. And Jesus says that the meek are happy, deeply happy in a way to which the arrogant can never aspire. It is revolutionary teaching. Jesus is saying that victory does not go to the self-sufficient but to those who are so small before God, to those who rely on God, recognising their dependence on him. Psalm 37:11 says ‘the meek will inherit the land’. They will be with God in a renewed heaven and earth. In our self-reliant world we need to recognise our dependence on God. Even in the General Medical Council’s principles of good practice doctors are charged to recognise their limitations. But those who humble themselves before God will be lifted up.

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” (v6)

As many health workers know in our world today many seek happiness and comfort in food and drink while many others seek happiness and comfort in dieting. But here Jesus says that it is not the bloated who are happy but rather those who hunger and thirst. Not physically of course but those who hunger and thirst for goodness, for Jesus the bread of life, for all that God has for us. For they will be filled.

“Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.” (v7)

How do we treat those who have messed up their lives? Are we merciful? You see the merciful are happy in a way the legalist can never understand. They have tasted the sheer mercy of God who received them into the kingdom and they too have come to share that quality of divine love. They will be shown mercy throughout their lives and at the day of judgement.

“Blessed [or happy] are the pure in heart, for they will see God.” (v8)

How can we be pure in heart? It sounds impossible. Well it’s only possible through faith in Christ. We can’t make ourselves pure. As King David prayed in Psalm 51:10: “Create in me a pure heart, O God.” And if we put our faith in Christ we will see God.

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.” (v9)

There is a special joy for the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. They are those who help others to have peace with God through faith in Christ, which leads us to v.10.

“Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (v10)

Even those who are persecuted because of Jesus can be happy. There can be persecution, or at least animosity from colleagues and possible impact on careers, for those who take a stand on ethical issues. To those on the outside they may appear to lose everything. But it is not so. For they gain the kingdom of heaven. It is both moving and significant that the suffering church does not want to be like the west. It looks for our prayers, not that it may have an easy time, but that it may be faithful unto death, and know the joy of utter faithfulness to Jesus. There is no joy like that. So with that in mind we are to be willing to be salt and light whatever the cost. We are to…

2. PASS JESUS’ PRESCRIPTION ON v13-16

This is not a private prescription. Jesus has made the same diagnosis for every person on earth. We are all affected by the same condition: cancerous sin and the treatment is available for all. There is no NHS postcode lottery with the gospel. Look at v13&14. If you have trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ, if you are displaying the beatitudes then, says Jesus:

“You are the salt of the earth…You are the light of the world.”

In other words as a Christian doctor or health professional you are to share Jesus’ prescription for health and happiness. According to the Christian Medical Fellowship website the GMC, the General Medical Council, has ruled that sharing faith with patients is fine as long as it is done in an appropriate and sensitive way.

In your contact with patients you are called to be 'the salt of the earth' - flavouring life with grace.

I know many health professionals and other people here who seek to provide high quality care and treatment for those they look after, conscientiously and sometimes at great personal cost in order to demonstrate Christ’s love practically, which can earn us the opportunity to speak of Christ.

Jesus calls us to promote the spread of the gospel, of truth and of goodness and also calls us to stop the spread of evil. Look at v13 again. Jesus says:

“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.”

One of the main uses of salt in Jesus’ day was as a preservative. Meat and fish were caked in it to prevent them rotting and perishing. Christians are to do the same in society today– we are to stop the rot and spread the good news to those who are perishing.

Stopping the rot and spreading the good news will irritate some as only salt can but we must get involved, be proactive and not just reactive, and be a preservative. You see Jesus did not say, ‘You are the honey of the world’ – but ‘the salt of the earth’ and salt can bite. Our saltiness as Christians won’t always be liked but it is vital to the moral and spiritual health of this nation. Jesus said, “Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Yet so often we can be insipid and in danger of losing our saltiness. Listen to these words of one well-known Christian writer:

“In Britain today there is growing dishonesty, corruption, immorality, violence, pornography, a diminishing respect for human life, and an increase in abortion. Whose fault is it? Let me put it like this: if the house is dark at night, there is no sense in blaming the house. That's what happens when the sun goes down. The question to ask is, "Where is the light?" If meat goes bad, there is no sense in blaming the meat. That is what happens when the bacteria are allowed to breed unchecked. The question to ask is, "Where is the salt?" If society becomes corrupt like a dark night or stinking fish, there's no sense in blaming society. That's what happens when fallen human society is left to itself and human evil is unrestrained and unchecked. The question to ask is "Where is the church?"”

Where are the Christian doctors, nurses and health professionals who are willing to put their heads above the parapet? We thank God for those who do but there are plenty of issues to tackle. We need to ask for God’s wisdom to know how to take a stand in our own sphere of influence.

For example, stem cell research is very wrong when it involves the creation of human embryos for experimentation. Yet this is happening at the Centre for Life here in Newcastle. The team there are the first in Europe to be granted a licence for such research. This week the scientist who created Dolly the sheep, Prof. Ian Wilmut, also applied to clone human embryos to aid the development of an effective treatment for motor neurone disease. By contrast adult stem cell research is right for the benefit of healing and the relief of suffering.

In another area of concern one newspaper recently ran the headline: Is abortion the new pill? Over 185,000 abortions were carried out in Britain last year. That is infanticide on a large scale. But how do we show compassion to those who find themselves with unwanted pregnancies? And how do we help people avoid getting in to that situation in the first place? ‘Lovewise’ is a Christian organisation giving young people the opportunity to hear that waiting until marriage for a sexual relationship is God’s recipe for health and happiness. If abortion is infanticide how can Christians take practical action when people come requesting an abortion? I’ll always remember visiting The Lighthouse in Kansas City in the USA where Christian medics look after pregnant teenagers and encourage them to have their babies and then either keep them or give them up for adoption instead of having an abortion.

In sexual health promotion and education it is rarely stated that there is a known 15% failure rate in typical inconsistent condom use. Yet safe sex is still the official message rather than abstinence until marriage. It is still the message in South Africa and Kenya. In South Africa 45% of women have HIV and in Kenya 25% of women have HIV.

So how should we respond?

In v14-16, Jesus says don’t hide your light – let it shine for Jesus before those around you. Look at Jesus’ words in those verses:

“You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”

We are to speak out and pray and work for change. However we are not just to speak out, we are also to act out – to show them the love of Christ. How do you treat your patients or those in your care? Do you let your light shine before them, that they may see your good deeds and praise God the Father? Don’t forget this week when you’re in the surgery, on the ward or in the community that, “You are the light of the world.”