What would make you happy?<\/p>\n
Do you ever think, \u201cIf I only had ______, I would be happy?\u201d<\/p>\n
Many people think that more money, more material assets, or a better family situation would make them happy.<\/p>\n
Most of us know that Scripture tells us that is not the case, that we are to find our greatest joy in God. Indeed, our mission statements as a church states that truth: We exist to spread a passion for the supremacy of God in all things for the JOY of all peoples.\u201d<\/p>\n
But how does Scripture argue<\/i> that having a passion for God is truly the way to happiness? And is that consistent with what we see around us?<\/p>\n
In this series, we are considering: Where Do You Find Identity, Security, and Joy? A Scriptural Understanding of Money, Giving, and Material Possessions. <\/i>We\u2019ve seen that we can\u2019t find our identity in money, possessions, our jobs, or even our families. We are to find out identity in what God does through His Son: We are adopted into His family, we are His beloved children, we are heirs, joint-heirs with Christ.<\/p>\n
We\u2019ve also seen that it\u2019s foolish to trust in money or possessions for security, for we may lose them all in this life, and will definitely lose them all at death. And it demeans God for us to rely on His gifts for security, rather than to trust Him. But when we trust God, we must understand what He promises. He doesn\u2019t promise us any easy life. He doesn\u2019t even promise that we won\u2019t suffer hardship, illness, persecution, or early death. Yet He does promise that He will use every hardship for our good and His glory. Nothing will separate us from His love. He will bring us to Himself, and will wipe every tear from our eyes<\/p>\n
As we turn to joy, consider the attitude of children toward their parents. Some children are loyal to their parents, and are thankful to be part of a family \u2013 but they don\u2019t love their parents. They don\u2019t take joy in their parents.<\/p>\n
Or consider the attitude many of us have toward the US military. We are protected by the military, and are grateful to those who serve well. But that\u2019s different from loving the military, from taking joy in the military.<\/p>\n
In the same, it\u2019s possible to be thankful to God for salvation, to be grateful for the security He promises, yet not to see Him as treasure, not to love Him with our heart, soul, mind, and strength, not to delight in Him above the joy we take in His gifts.<\/p>\n
And to do that is not a minor sin. It is demeaning to God. It is idolatry.<\/p>\n
So let us consider Scripture\u2019s commands in this regard, and Scripture\u2019s arguments so that we might truly rejoice in God, and in His Son Jesus Christ.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
1) Scripture Commands Us to Rejoice in the Lord<\/b><\/p>\n
a) We are <\/i>to rejoice because He gives us identity<\/i> and security<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n Note that Scripture does tell us to rejoice in the Lord because<\/i> of the identity and security He gives us. For example, the psalmist says \u201cThe Lord is my strength and my song, he has become my salvation\u201d (Psalm 118:14).\u00a0 He sings a song of delight, in part, because of the security God provides.<\/p>\n b) We are to rejoice<\/span> primarily because of Who He is<\/span><\/p>\n Turn to Psalm 100. Recall that when our English Bibles print the word \u201cLord\u201d in all caps, the Hebrew word is not a title but the name of God, likely pronounced \u201cYahweh.\u201d Substituting \u201cYahweh\u201d for Lord helps us to get the point of this psalm, especially the phrase, \u201cYahweh is God.\u201d<\/p>\n The psalm begins with three commands, each telling us to rejoice:<\/p>\n Make a joyful noise to Yahweh, all the earth! Why are we to rejoice?<\/p>\n Know that the Yahweh, he is God! Note that the psalmist rejoices in part in the identity and security God gives him. But more than that, He rejoices that God created us for a purpose; He created us for Himself. <\/i>He created us for His praise. <\/i>He is the only God, and He is truly God. So He alone is worthy of such praise.<\/p>\n Verse 4 then reiterates the command to delight in Him:<\/p>\n Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Verse 5 then explains the primary source of this delight: God has revealed His character to us, and He is the proper object of our delight.<\/p>\n For Yahweh is good; He is good \u2013 he does not do evil, nor is He influenced by evil. He is loving \u2013 and that love will never end.<\/p>\n He is faithful, fulfilling every promise \u2013 and that will continue through all human history.<\/p>\n So you must delight in God. He made you \u2013 for Himself! He gives you identity, He gives you security, and these should lead to joy. But most of all: Delight in God for who He is: Good, loving, faithful.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 2) God Gives Us the Only Possible Joy in the Next Life<\/b><\/p>\n It\u2019s illogical to expect money to provide us with lasting joy, because you are eternal and money is not. You need a source of joy after the end of this life, and money won\u2019t provide that.<\/p>\n Jesus speaks of this eternal joy as treasure in heaven:<\/p>\n Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. 33<\/sup> Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. 34<\/sup> For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. <\/b>(Luke 12:32)<\/p>\n IF you hold on to your possessions in this life, you will lose all. There are thieves. There are moths. The most effective thief of all is death. Your possessions will not provide one bit of joy after death.<\/p>\n But treasures in heaven will never be taken away. For no thieves, no moths, can take from you the joy of being in God\u2019s presence. And that\u2019s the greatest of all the treasures in heaven: Not the streets paved with gold, not the gates made from a single pearl, but seeing Jesus face to face, being in the presence of God the Father always.<\/p>\n Both the Old and New Testaments highlight the joy that is ours eternally as we see God face to face:<\/p>\n You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore. (Psalm 16:11)<\/p>\n On this mountain the LORD of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine, of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined. 7<\/sup> And he will swallow up on this mountain the covering that is cast over all peoples, the veil that is spread over all nations. 8<\/sup> He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the LORD has spoken. 9<\/sup>\u00a0It will be said on that day, “Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us. This is the LORD\/Yahweh; we have waited for him; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.” <\/b>(Isaiah 25:6-9)<\/p>\n And the ransomed of the LORD shall return and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away. <\/b>(Isaiah 35:10)<\/p>\n “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” . . .\u00a0 6 And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. 7 The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son. 8 But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.” (Revelation 21:3-4, 6-8)<\/p>\n In Revelation, note the similarity with the images from Isaiah 35: God wipes away our tears; He removes death. But the Revelation passage goes further. Here there are only two categories of people: Some are children of God, loved, comforted, having joy for all eternity. The others \u2013 those lacking faith \u2013 have their portion in the lake of fire. All are in one group or the other.<\/p>\n So we are to rejoice in Him:<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n 3) And He Gives Us Great Joy Now<\/b><\/p>\n But there is an additional reason to rejoice in God. He gives us great joy in the present. Consider four points:<\/p>\n a) Eternal joy gives us joy today<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n Imagine you receive letter saying a rich, unknown relative died and left you $5 million. You check it out and find that the letter is not from some scammer in Nigeria, but is indeed genuine. You have to pick up the check at the Bank of America building uptown. As you are walking down Tryon Street, you you\u2019re your friend: \u201cHey, on my way to pick up check for $5 mil.\u201d But someone bumps into you right when you hit send. You drop the phone. The screen shatters.<\/p>\n How do you react?<\/p>\n Do you say, \u201cOh, no, my Iphone is destroyed! And I\u2019ve got 18 more months on my contract!\u201d<\/p>\n No! You\u2019re about to pick up a check for $5 million! You can buy hundreds of Iphones! Forget the broken screen; rejoice!<\/p>\n Just so, the eternal joy promised us puts sorrows and failures in this life into perspective. We rejoice today<\/i> because of the promises yet to be fulfilled.<\/p>\n b) Money and possessions do not give us true joy<\/span><\/p>\n We already read Psalm 16:11; fullness of joy is in God\u2019s presence, not elsewhere.<\/p>\n Psalm 4:7 directly compares the joy from God with the joy from material goods:<\/p>\n You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound.<\/p>\n Note that the psalmist is not saying \u201cI will<\/i> have more joy eternally than they have now.\u201d Rather, he says, \u201cYou have put <\/i>more joy in my heart.\u201d He is speaking of the present. He sees God\u2019s enemies having plenty of food, plenty of drink. They look to be having a great party. But the psalmist says: \u201cI have more joy because of You than the joy that comes from the greatest party. I have more joy because of You than that produced by Mercedes and mansions.<\/p>\n Furthermore:<\/p>\n
\nServe [worship] Yahweh with gladness!
\nCome into his presence with singing!<\/p>\n
\nIt is he who made us, and we are his;
\nwe are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.<\/p>\n
\nGive thanks to him; bless his name!<\/p>\n
\nhis steadfast love endures forever,
\nand his faithfulness to all generations.<\/p>\n\n