This year, God wants to re-ignite our passion for Him and for the life that He has given us. We’re journeying through a message series entitled, “Fire of God.”
Last week, we learned how God’s refining process enables us to explore and mine God’s Kingdom. There we find priceless treasures that improve everything that they are applied to in life.
The first two mentioned were understanding and wisdom. If we possessed just these two kingdom treasures, oh how much better our lives would be in every single way! Understanding and wisdom and those are just the beginning, though!
This week, as the fire of God continues to refine us and sets us free of all our impurities, we are being reminded of another truth. God refines us so that we can enjoy our lives.
Yes, it’s true! God wants us to enjoy our lives. Remember the scripture and song that we ended with last week?
Matthew 13:44
44 “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.
That man who sacrificed everything that he has did so with JOY!
So often, we, as Christians, focus so much on sacrifice and obedience and disciplines and what not to do in life that we end up miserable and make following Christ look miserable and unattractive as well. We forget what the result of all of these things are supposed to be and so we completely miss out on God’s destiny for our lives. We end up sacrificing and obediently practicing disciplines in life in vain because we miss out on what is supposed to happen when we do so.
In fact, let’s go all the way back to the Old Covenant and see what God says that the end result of these things should be. Moses said:
Deuteronomy 6:1-9
1 These are the commands, decrees and laws the Lord your God directed me to teach you to observe in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess, 2 so that you, your children and their children after them may fear the Lord your God as long as you live by keeping all his decrees and commands that I give you,
Commands, decrees, laws that we are to obediently observe as we fear God all of our lives. That’s where many of us camp out at. That’s where religion comes from. That’s where hearts are hardened instead of being transformed. We focus on what to do and we make that our life’s ambition and our worship of God. We completely miss out on what the result of this lifestyle is supposed to actually be.
Let’s not camp out there, but also go on to finish this verse that explains the reason why God wants us to observe his commands, decrees, and laws. The rest of the verse explains what our lives are supposed to look like when we do so.
and so that you may enjoy long life. 3 Hear, Israel, and be careful to obey so that it may go well with you and that you may increase greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey, just as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, promised you.
So that you may ENJOY long life… When God’s commands, decrees, and laws are observed by us, it should result in a joy filled life, not a life void of joy. It should result in us enjoying the life that God has given us. Now, let’s continue on to the next verse that sums up everything that is required of us by all of His commands, decrees, and laws.
4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 5 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6 These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.
Why do we work so hard and invest so much in raising up our children? Why do we teach them all of the stories of the Bible and it’s principles? Why do we read and study and meditate on God’s word for ourselves? So that we may enjoy long life, so that all may go well with us, so that we may increase greatly!
Jesus said:
John 10:10 (AMP)
The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance [to the full, till it overflows].
Sure, Jesus said to take up our crosses daily. Jesus said that to find life, we have to lose our lives. Jesus said that we are to crucify our flesh. Why? Not so that we can be miserable, dutiful, obedient servants. It’s so that we can have true life, a life that is enjoyable, and have that joy-filled life in abundance!
When Jesus prayed for His disciples, He prayed:
John 17:13
I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them.
Jesus wants us not just to enjoy life, but that our lives would be filled to the full measure of His joy!
When John the Baptist’s disciples questioned him about Jesus, he said:
John 3:29-30
29 The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. 30 He must become greater; I must become less.
We so often quote verse 30, but miss verse 29. We must decrease, we must sacrifice, we must die to self, we must empty ourselves. While these things are true, the end goal is so that we can be filled and completed with joy!
John wasn’t depressed that his ministry had come to an end and that he now had to hand over to Jesus all that he had worked so hard on. John heard the voice of Jesus beginning His earthly ministry and was full of joy because of it. He knew that his role was to prepare the way for the Lord. Now that the Lord is here, there is no further need for preparation. It’s now time for the reception and to celebrate with complete joy.
David wrote:
Psalm 16:11 (AMP)
You will show me the path of life;
In Your presence is fullness of joy;
In Your right hand there are pleasures forevermore.
Fullness of joy and pleasures that last forever! Those aren’t typically two things that we think about when we think about the Presence of God. However, we absolutely should! When we follow God’s path for life, when we seek after and dwell in God’s Presence, we should do so expecting to receive the fullness of joy and enduring pleasure.
For some reason, we think of such things as being worldly and things that should be given up instead of embraced. These things are from the hand of the Lord.
So many subjects are considered taboo in the church and I don’t understand why. Who created sex and designed it to be amazing and to bring us into a pleasurable experience like nothing else can? GOD DID! The world stole it and perverted it. He made it so amazing that it’s the only thing that He restricted us to experience within the context of a life-long commitment between a man and a woman that He called marriage.
It’s the world that devalues it and tramples on it and claims that the best way to experience it is anywhere with anyone at any time in any way. Of course, there are consequences to our actions. Living life God’s way that brings us a joy-filled and abundant life or living life our own way that steals away from our lives. God won’t fight us on it, either. We get to choose.
Romans 1:24-27
24 Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. 25 They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator – who is forever praised. Amen.
26 Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. 27 In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error.
We don’t even have to take a look through a Biblical, moral lens to see that the result of living life this way, instead of God’s way, brings all kinds of heartache and disease and destruction.
I could go on and on about so many topics, but you get the point, right? God created so many things for us to enjoy with this life that He has entrusted into our hands. When we use them the way that God instructs us to, we get to enjoy them. When we use them any other way, they steal away from our lives. God’s commands and decrees and laws are designed so that we can enjoy a full and abundant life.
Again:
John 10:10 (AMP)
The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance [to the full, till it overflows].
Here’s a revelation that I personally struggle with, though I can’t explain why. Choosing to enjoy life is as an expression of gratitude to God for our life. Enjoying life is an act of praise and worship. How often do we take time to do things that we enjoy? Personally, I value productivity and work and place very little value, if any, on enjoying life. Yes, I’m confessing my sin here this morning. This was first revealed to me by a Christian psychologist and I still haven’t figured out what to do about it yet…
God commanded, COMMANDED, that we take one day every seven days to do no work and to simply ENJOY our lives. In fact, even the land was to be given a sabbath and not to be worked one year every seven years.
2 Chronicles 36:21
The land enjoyed its sabbath rests
Jesus said that this sabbath day of rest was made by God FOR us.
Mark 2:27
The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.
This was not just something that God did at creation, this was not just an old covenant command, this was an everlasting practice for us today as well. By the way, do you know what the penalty was for doing work on the sabbath day under the old covenant? DEATH! That’s how serious God is about us resting and enjoying our lives!
Hebrews 4:9-11
9 There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; 10 for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his. 11 Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience.
Do we make every effort to rest? I know, that sounds like a contradiction, right?
However, in our culture, it really does take a lot of effort to simply take one day where we do nothing but rest.
I’ve never really applied this scripture to anything other than financial giving. However, God is challenging us today to apply it to everything that we do to give to anyone. That applies to serving our spouses, our children, our employers, our teachers, everyone everywhere!
2 Corinthians 9:6-8
6 Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 7 Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.
Does God love it when we reluctantly give of ourselves to others because we feel like we have to or are forced to? Is that obedience? NO! God loves a CHEERFUL giver. Sacrificial service and laying down our lives and taking up our cross – CHEERFULLY? Enjoying life while doing it?
It’s possible through the Holy Spirit within us. In fact, it’s more than possible, it is required and it is loved by God. In fact, the greatest sacrifice that was ever made to serve the needs of others was done so resulting in joy.
Hebrews 12:2
…For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
We can enjoy life IN SPITE of hardships and difficulties. Joy is a fruit of the Holy Spirit and is therefore not based on circumstances. Joy is ROOTED in the Holy Spirit. It is rooted in the nature and character of God and then it grows within and throughout our own lives as we trust in Him and are nurtured by His promises.
Even when we serve God, we should do so out of the wellspring of joy and gladness within us through the Holy Spirit. Listen to what the Lord said to His people here:
Deuteronomy 28:47-48 (AMP)
47 “Because you did not serve the Lord your God with a heart full of joy and gladness for the abundance of all things [with which He blessed you], 48 you will therefore serve your enemies whom the Lord sends against you, in hunger and in thirst, in nakedness and in lack of all things; and He will put an iron yoke [of slavery] on your neck until He has destroyed you.
God takes joy seriously!
God’s word, though it reveals our sin, though it pierces our hearts, though it refines us, should ALSO produce joy in our lives. After the long and hard work of rebuilding the wall around Jerusalem and the exiles returned back home to their city:
Nehemiah 8:5-12
5 Ezra opened the book (of the Law of Moses). All the people could see him because he was standing above them; and as he opened it, the people all stood up. 6 Ezra praised the Lord, the great God; and all the people lifted their hands and responded, “Amen! Amen!” Then they bowed down and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.
7 The Levites instructed the people in the Law while the people were standing there. 8 They read from the Book of the Law of God, making it clear and giving the meaning so that the people understood what was being read.
9 Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and teacher of the Law, and the Levites who were instructing the people said to them all, “This day is holy to the Lord your God. Do not mourn or weep.” For all the people had been weeping as they listened to the words of the Law.
10 Nehemiah said, “Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”
11 The Levites calmed all the people, saying, “Be still, for this is a holy day. Do not grieve.”
12 Then all the people went away to eat and drink, to send portions of food and to celebrate with great joy, because they now understood the words that had been made known to them.
A holy day to the Lord and it was intended to be ENJOYED. Everybody was given choice food and sweet drinks as their mourning and grieving over God’s word was replaced with understanding and great joy and celebration. It kind of looked like a service here at New Hope, right? 🙂 Worship, the teaching of God’s word so that it can be understood that went kind of long, and sweets for breakfast.
The joy of the Lord is our strength! It is literally and emotionally and physically a source of strength.
Proverbs 17:22 (AMP)
A happy heart is good medicine and a joyful mind causes healing, But a broken spirit dries up the bones.
Proverbs 17:22 (NCV)
A happy heart is like good medicine, but a broken spirit drains your strength.
When we are broken and weak, we desperately need a happy heart. We need joy.
We need to laugh. We need to be around people who love us.
Watch those cat videos. Watch that comedian. Watch those fail clips.
Go out to lunch with a friend. Go play a round of golf. Buy those concert tickets.
Laugh a little, enjoy life a little, and feel that brokenness heal up from the medicine of your happy heart.
Paul wrote to Timothy and told him:
1 Timothy 6:17-19
17 Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. 18 Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. 19 In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.
How many people do we know who are alive, but not really living? Maybe we feel that way?
Sure, our vital signs look good. No doctor would call the time of death on us.
However, at some point, we stopped living.
God wants us to take hold of the life that is truly life. He provides everything to us for our enjoyment.
Now this message isn’t an excuse to go head-over-heals in debt. There’s no joy in that!
This message isn’t an excuse to sin. You’ve missed the whole point if that’s the take-away!
We obediently follow God’s commands, decrees, and laws so that we can truly enjoy the life that He has given us.
Sin steals, kills, and destroys. Jesus overcome sin for us so that we may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance [to the full, till it overflows].
We end with this reminder, command, and song:
Psalm 100
1 Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.
2 Worship the Lord with gladness;
come before him with joyful songs.
3 Know that the Lord is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.
5 For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations.