Sermon Central
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God Just Wants Me To Be Happy Series
Contributed by John Dobbs on Jun 21, 2023 (message contributor)
Summary: This is a common myth that is repeated often - it indicates that our personal happiness is the paramount good - what God wants more than anything else. Like each of the myths we will explore, there is a kernel of truth in there - but it is overcome by the misunderstanding of the saying.
- MYTHS CHRISTIANS SOMETIMES BELIEVE -
God Just Wants Me To Be Happy
Introduction
We are continuing our series of Myths Christians Sometimes Believe. In the last message, we talked about the myth that “God Won’t Give Me More Than I Can Handle.” Our myth in this message is a common one: “God Just Wants Me To Be Happy.” This is a common myth that is repeated often - it indicates that our personal happiness is the paramount good - what God wants more than anything else. Like each of the myths we will explore, there is a kernel of truth in there - but it is overcome by the misunderstanding of the saying.
The big problem is this: What does it mean to be happy?
Audrey Hepburn said, “The most important thing is to enjoy your life—to be happy—it's all that matters.”
George Burns: "“Happiness is having a large, loving, caring, close-knit family in another city.”
Charles M. Schulz: “Happiness is a warm puppy.”
Happiness is defined by each individual in a different way. Happiness is elusive to many people - always out of reach.
"How many times are we convinced there is something better on the other side of the fence? … Cows get their heads stuck in fences, and fish end up hooked and then cooked. Ironic, isn’t it? When the pursuit of what you thought would bring you happiness is actually the very thing that robs you of it?” - Shane Pruitt
So how do we think our way through this statement as Christians?
1. When What Makes Us Happy Isn’t Good For Us
God doesn’t want you to be happy when it makes you unwise.
-Ephesians 5:15 NLT “So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise.”
God wants us to live wisely, make wise decisions, reap the benefits of wise behavior. Jesus said that wise people are like those who build their house on the rock, safe when the waters rise.
God doesn’t want us to be happy when it causes us to sin. So often this is when this myth appears - we want to affirm that we believe in God and that we intend to follow our flesh.
1 Peter 1:15 But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do…
Many things we think will make us happy, just won’t. Pleasure-seeking, Revenge, Material things. God wants us to be both happy and holy. Happiness without holiness is dangerous.
God does not want us to be happy when it means loving the world more than Him.
1 John 2:15-17 NLT Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. 16 For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. 17 And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever.
When we follow God’s plan for our lives, we will know what true happiness is. Psalm 68:3 “But let the godly rejoice. Let them be glad in God’s presence. Let them be filled with joy.”
2. Joy is Greater Than Happiness.
Happiness is is tied to circumstances. Circumstances change. What if God desires more for us than happiness? Joy is a settled state of contentment, confidence, and hope that comes only from trusting Him.
Joy is a fruit of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22)
“Out of all of the great gift givers in the world … God is the greatest of them all.” - Shane Pruitt
When God comes to live within you, you get love, peace, hope, life, and joy. The fruit of the Holy Spirit in Galatians 5 is a list of characteristics that should naturally flow out of Christian’s lives when they have God inside them.
Joy is a Command from Scripture.
Philippians 4:4 - what it does not say:
Rejoice when everything is going your way.
Rejoice when everything makes sense.
Rejoice if you feel like it.
Instead, Rejoice Always. It’s not a suggestion. We are not told to always be happy, but we are commanded to rejoice always.
Joy is built on a Person named Jesus.
Joy will always be wherever Jesus and His Spirit are.
Joy is not always laughing, smiling, and being silly. Don’t confuse the joy promised in the Bible with upbeat feelings. Remember, feelings come and go, but genuine Christian joy remains.
He makes the invisible God visible.
He is the firstborn over all creation - the priority over all that is created.
