INTRO.- ILL.- Dennis Wholey, author of "Are You Happy?" reports that according to expert opinion, only 20 percent of Americans are happy.
One prominent psychiatrist said, "Happiness is an imaginary condition, formerly attributed by the living to the dead, now usually attributed by adults to children and by children to adults." In other words, happiness is something that we think someone else has. We think or say, "He must be happy. Look at his job. Look at the car he drives, the house he lives in, the money he has, etc."
IS A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF HAPPINESS POSSIBLE IN THIS LIFE? Yes, I think it is. But it is not found where most people are looking for it.
ILL.- One man said, "Most Saturdays I turn on the Family Channel at about 1:00 and watch four or five cowboy shows-Bonanza, The Rifleman, The Virginian-with a large bowl of popcorn and a cola. I look at the wide-open spaces, and my mind leaves all the things I have to do.
"I go to the gym to shoot basketball. I don’t run the full court as I used to, but I play horse or sit on the bleachers and listen to the balls bouncing, see the kids screaming, see the guys slam-dunking-completely away from anything that resembles day-to-day work and life. It takes me back to a time when things were simpler. Laughter and joy return."
Brothers and sisters, I know of some people who are constantly on the move. They have to be doing something all the time. They fill their days with endless activities, sports, parties, etc. in order to find some happiness.
There is nothing wrong with enjoying the good things that God has created. But if our emphasis is merely on material things and doing things, life will not provide much joy or lasting joy. If our lives are centered on the gift rather than the giver, we will miss the greatest gift of all.
I Timothy 6:17 "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."
God does provide good things for our enjoyment in this life, but our greatest enjoyment should come from knowing Him! Without Him there would be no wealth, no material gifts, no jobs, no hobbies, no sports, no enjoyment at all.
ILL.- In 1975, six armed gunmen broke into the deposit boxes in a London bank and stole valuables worth more than $7 million. One lady, whose jewelry was appraised at $500,000, wailed, "Everything I had was in there. My whole life was in that box." What a sad commentary on her values! She valued the gift more than the Giver!
ILL.- T. M. Moore in "Encounter with God" wrote, "When I was a kid, a favorite pastime was to take in the Saturday matinee. It didn’t matter much what was on. I’d head to the snack bar and plunk down my nickel for a Holloway’s All-Day Sucker. Now I was set. This caramel delight would last me through the entire movie, all the way home, into the evening, and I’d still have some left for the next day."
Brothers and sisters, wouldn’t it be great if we could experience all day delight like that of an all-day sucker? Is lasting joy a possibility? Is all day delight a possibility?
Psalm 16 is a Psalm of delight. David uses the words "delight," "pleasant," "glad," and "joy" in this Psalm. There are no trials or tribulations mentioned here. David simply delights in his life. What is his secret?
PROP.- Let’s think about where David found his delight in order to acquire all day delight.
1- He delighted in the Lord’s person
2- He delighted in the Lord’s people
3- He delighted in the Lord’s portion
4- He delighted in the Lord’s principles
5- He delighted in the Lord’s protection
I. HE DELIGHTED IN THE LORD’S PERSON
V. 2 "Apart from you I have no good thing." I like the way David said it. Apart from the Lord I have no good thing. How true for us all! All good gifts come from the Lord.
James 1:17 "Every good and perfect gift is from above..."
ILL.- I lost my pocket knife some time ago. You know about a boy and his pocket knife, don’t you? It’s a very important possession. Mine wasn’t much as far as size is concerned. It was a Gerber knife, a micro knife, a small knife, but just the right size for me. I used it for cleaning my finger nails (a trait which I got from my dad) and I used it for opening mail. Other than those two things, it wasn’t used for much else. BUT I LOST IT A YEAR AGO OR TWO, AND I REALLY MISSED IT.
I bought it at Wal-Mart originally, but they don’t carry that knife anymore. Finally, I decided to check it out on the internet and sure enough, I found it on the Gerber knife site. I ordered it for more bucks than the Wal-mart price, but it came the other day. And now I’m a happy boy with his pocket knife! It’s a good gift from God.
If it’s good, it’s from God. Apart from God we have no good thing. What do you consider good in your life? Your house? Your car? Your clothes? Your material possessions? Or better yet, your family? Your friends? Your church? They all come from the Lord. APART FROM GOD WE HAVE NO GOOD THING.
ILL.- Dr. S. D. Gordon tells of an old Christian woman whose age began to tell on her memory. She had once known much of the Bible by heart. Eventually only one precious bit stayed with her. "I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I committed unto him against that day." II Tim. 1:12.
As time went on, she lost more of that verse. She would quietly repeat, "That which I have committed unto him." At last, as she hovered on the borderline between this and the spirit world, her loved ones noticed her lips moving. They bent down to see if she needed anything. She was repeating over and over again to herself the one word of the text, "Him, Him, Him." She had lost the whole Bible, but one word. But she had the whole Bible in that one word.
Brothers and sisters, when we come to the end of life’s road all that will matter is Him. Material things won’t mean a thing. Sports won’t mean a thing. All that matters will be Him. We begin with Him and we end with Him. Our ultimate delight must always be in the Lord no matter what we have or do not have. The only way to find true delight in life on a daily basis is to find it in Him.
II. HE DELIGHTED IN THE LORD’S PEOPLE
V. 3 "The saints...in whom is all my delight."
ILL.- In the 1950s, marketing whiz Stanley Arnold was asked to come up with a marketing campaign for Remington Rand. Its chairman at the time was retired General Douglas MacArthur. After thinking about it, he went to the New York offices of Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner and Beane, and placed the ultimate odd-lot order: "I want to purchase," he told the broker, "one share of every single stock listed on the New York Stock Exchange." After a vice president tried to talk him out of it, the order was finally placed. It came to more than $42,000 for one share in each of the 1098 companies listed on the Big Board at the time. Arnold now took his portfolio into a meeting of Remington Rand’s board of directors, where he argued passionately for a sweepstakes campaign with the top prize called ‘A Share in America.’
The conservative old gentlemen shifted around in their seats and discussed the idea for a while. "But Mr. Arnold," said one, "we are not in the securities business." Said another, "We are in the shaver business." "I agree that you are not in the securities business," said Arnold, "but I think you also ought to realize that you are not in the shaver business either. You are in the people business." The company bought the idea.
This is the biggest holiday shopping time of the year. Most retailers consider making money as their business. But the truth is this: if retailers don’t focus on people, they won’t have any business. All business should be the people business!
Brothers and sisters, if anything, we are in the people business. Our lives should revolve around people. People should mean more to us than anything else in life.
Gal. 6:9-10 "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers." The emphasis of Scripture is on people. Thinking about people. Serving people.
ILL.- When actress Sophia Loren sobbed to her Italian movie director over the theft of her jewelry, he lectured her: "Listen to me, Sophia. I am much older than you and if there is one great truth I have learned about life, it is this--never cry over anything that can’t cry over you."
People are far more important than material possessions. Jesus lived for people. He didn’t live to preach and teach. His preaching and teaching were only important in the light of how they could help people.
ILL.- I went to see Mary Barnett at the Douglas Nursing Center the other day. Mary is almost completely alone now. She has no family left except for one niece, who doesn’t come as often anymore. CAN YOU IMAGINE HOW LONELY SHE MUST FEEL?
We should value people most of all, just like Jesus. People are God’s most valuable creation. Caring for others will bring delight into our lives. Someone said it this way: "Those who bring sunshine into the lives of others cannot keep it from themselves."
III. HE DELIGHTED IN THE LORD’S PORTION
Vs. 5-6 "You have assigned my portion and my cup..."
ILL.- Sign on a New York City car: "Happiness is Five Green Lights in a Row."
What is your lot in life? Are you happy with it? Personally, I can’t imagine living in New York City. Never been there and I don’t want to go there. What is your lot, your cup in life? Are you happy with it?
ILL.- My friend Ruben Casas preaches in East Los Angeles, CA. Last week he wrote, "We need a lot prayer these days. LA is under siege. More than 600 people have been murdered this year. One of the deacons of the church was directly affected by this wave of violence. A police officer shot four people. Two of them were relatives of that deacon. Please pray for the Solorzano family."
Brother Ruben Casas is living in a tough area, however, he has reminded me that it’s still better than where he came from. HE IS THANKFUL FOR HIS PORTION OR HIS LOT IN LIFE.
ILL.- When Lt. Col. Dwight D. Eisenhower was fifty years old, he told his son, John, then graduating from high school, that he didn’t expect to go much further in his own career. He was a regimental executive officer, had been a major for sixteen years before his promotion. But he also explained that he was deeply content. The Army had provided him with a good life and had given him friends who respected him. "No man," Ike told his son, "could ask for more."
The problem is: we often do ask for more. Or at least, we want for more. Most of us are not satisfied with our lot in life.
Heb. 13:5 "Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’"
ILL.- Leaning on his fence one day, a devout Quaker was watching a new neighbor move in next door. After all kinds of modern appliances, electronic gadgets, plush furniture, and costly wall hangings had been carried in, the onlooker called over, "If you find you’re lacking anything, neighbor, let me know and I’ll show you how to live without it."
ILL.- All he ever really wanted in life was more. He wanted more money, so he parlayed his inherited wealth into a billion-dollar pile of assets. He wanted more fame, so he broke into the Hollywood scene and soon became a filmmaker and star. He wanted more sensual pleasures, so he paid handsome sums to indulge his every sexual urge. He wanted more thrills, so he designed, built, and piloted the fastest aircraft in the world. He wanted more power, so he secretly dealt political favors so skillfully that two U.S. presidents became his pawns.
All he ever wanted was more. He was absolutely convinced that more would bring him true satisfaction. Unfortunately, history shows otherwise. He concluded his life emaciated; colorless; sunken chest; fingernails in grotesque, inches-long corkscrews; rotting, black teeth; tumors; innumerable needle marks from his drug addiction. Howard Hughes died believing the myth of more. He died a billionaire junkie, insane by all reasonable standards.
Somehow we must learn to delight in the portion that God has given us. Sometimes He gives us more, sometimes less. Regardless of our cup, our portion, we must be thankful and learn to delight in it.
IV. HE DELIGHTED IN THE LORD’S PRINCIPLES
V. 7 "I will praise the Lord, who counsels me..."
How does the Lord counsel us? Generally, through His Word. We either hear the word preached or taught or else we read it for ourselves. The Word of God counsels us, gives us direction in life, etc.
Psalm 119:105 "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path."
ILL.- When the missionaries in Nanking gave New Testaments to the Japanese soldiers, one Japanese official came to the missionaries and said, "Please don’t give our men any more New Testaments, for when they read this book, it takes the fight out of them."
ILL.- A man came upon an African native who was reading a Bible. The man sarcastically said, "That book is out of date in my country." The native replied, "If it had been out of date here, you’d have been eaten a long time ago."
The Word of God is powerful. It penetrates hearts and changes people. What a treasure!
ILL.- John Wanamaker lived from 1838 to 1922. His Philadelphia and New York department stores pioneered fixed prices and money-back guarantees with honest, consistent ad support. He was a Christian man who refused to advertise on Sundays. Wanamaker also reformed the U.S. postal system while serving as Postmaster General (1889-93) in the administration of President Benjamin Harrison and was president of the YMCA from 1870-1883.
He said, "I have of course made large purchases of property in my lifetime...and the buildings and grounds in which we are now meeting represent a value of approximately twenty billion dollars. But it was as a boy in the country, at eleven years of age, that I made my biggest purchase. In a little mission Sunday school, I bought from my teacher a small, red, leather Bible. The Bible cost me $2.75-which I paid in small installments as I saved. That was my greatest purchase, for that Bible made me what I am today."
The Word of God has blessed us far more than we realize. It contains: The mind of God. The state of man. The way of salvation. The doom of sinners. The happiness of believers. Light to direct you. Food to support you. Comfort to cheer you.
V. HE DELIGHTED IN THE LORD’S PROTECTION
V. 8 "He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken..."
Psalm 5:11 "Let all who take refuge in you be glad.... Spread your protection over them..."
ILL.- Young Semoine of Africa was only 12 when he had to confront a lion. He was in the company of six boys who were grazing a herd of 300 cows in the Maasai Mara game reserve. The other boys ran away when the lion surprised them, but Semoine hesitated. The lion was about to strike the cow Semoine had milked that morning, and he was not going to see it die! He threw his spear and stabbed the lion in the chest. The wounded beast turned on the boy and struck his right leg, breaking it instantly before mauling his head. Then it limped away without touching the cattle.
The boy might have died, but an emergency flying doctor’s service airlifted him to a hospital in Nairobi, where he spent nearly two months receiving medical treatment. From his hospital bed, Semoine declared he would challenge lions again if they attacked his father’s herd.
Brothers and sisters, most of us cannot begin imagine what it would be like to shepherd a herd of livestock in Africa. We don’t know the fear of the attacking lion, and yet we do know something of the lion who attacks us.
I Peter 5:8 "Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour."
There are times in life when we are faced with fearful situations that could cause us harm either physically or spiritually. And we need to be thankful for the protection that God provides.
ILL.- I remember traveling in Southern Missouri one time, headed for Cabool, MO. I rounded a curve and my car slid on the gravel that had somehow made its way on the highway. Before I realized it, my car turned completely over and landed on the its roof. Thank God I was not hurt, other than a bruise or two and my bruised pride.
I could have been killed and I still had two small children in my home to care for. I bless God for the protection that He provided in that situation.
ILL.- I was raised not far from the state of Kansas. Back then, you could buy beer when you were 18 years of age. Many of my school buddies were already drinking, saying, "Come on! Let’s go get some beer!" I joined that crowd when I turned 18 years old, but it didn’t take me very long to stop drinking. After several times of getting drunk and experiencing a hangover, I decided real quickly that I didn’t want any part of that kind of life. And the amazing thing was; I was not even a Christian at that time and I had been raised in a drinking atmosphere.
I thank God for the protection He gave me at that time. I am thankful that somehow He was able to give some sense to my otherwise senseless life.
Many times the Lord protects us from harm and we are not even aware of it. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou art with me.
CONCLUSION------------------------------------
ILL.- When Lloyd Douglas, author of THE ROBE, attended college, he lived in a boardinghouse. A retired, wheelchair-bound music professor lived on the first floor. Each morning Douglas would stick his head in the door of the teacher’s apartment and ask the same question, "Well, what’s the good news?" The old man would pick up his tuning fork, tap it on the side of his wheelchair and say, "That’s middle C! It was middle C yesterday; it will be middle C tomorrow; it will be middle C a thousand years from now. The piano across the hall is out of tune. The tenor upstairs sings flat. But, my friend, that is middle C."
We all need a middle C. Life changes. Health changes. Relationships change. But God never changes. Jesus is still the Christ, the Son of the living God! The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want! Some say, "The Lord is my shepherd, and He is all I want!" Our delight must be found in Him.
