How to Hold on to Happiness
Notes
Transcript
Introduction (5m)
Introduction (5m)
The Satisfaction Trap
The Satisfaction Trap
Video: I Can’t Get No Satisfaction - 1:00
1st hit in 1965. MJ turns 80 this year. Still can’t get no satisfaction!
As we wind our way through life, [writer Arthur C. Brooks explained to his teenage daughter] satisfaction—the joy from fulfilment of our wishes or expectations—is evanescent. No matter what we achieve, see, acquire, or do, it seems to slip from our grasp. [He] was on a roll now. Satisfaction, [he] told [his daughter], is the greatest paradox of human life. We crave it, we believe we can get it, we glimpse it and maybe even experience it for a brief moment, and then it vanishes. But we never give up on our quest to get and hold on to it.
MJ: I try and I try and I try.
How? Song: Sex and consumerism. A life that is ever more expensive and laden with stuff.
Brooks is right. Happiness slips so easily from grasp. Crave it, find it, feel it, then it’s gone and we start looking for it again. Always on the search for happiness.
Explanation (5m)
Explanation (5m)
We have that in common with People of Israel
We have that in common with People of Israel
On the surface, it seems life was good and People of Israel had a lot to be thankful for
On the surface, it seems life was good and People of Israel had a lot to be thankful for
In the middle of a revival. Temple crowded. Giving was over budget. Life was good.
But in arrogance and mindlessness, forgotten their story/saving God
But in arrogance and mindlessness, forgotten their story/saving God
Fallen out of right relationship with him and with each other, because of dissatisfaction. Life no longer centred on God.
So Micah accuses them of not being satisfied with God’s goodness to them
So Micah accuses them of not being satisfied with God’s goodness to them
“O my people, what have I done to you? What have I done to make you tired of me? Answer me!
God has to remind them what they should feel satisfied about
God has to remind them what they should feel satisfied about
He had brought them out of Egypt
He had brought them out of Egypt
He hadn’t shackled them in slavery. Instead, he had released them. Provided freedom by paying the redemption price needed to achieve it.
He had sent Moses, Aaron and Miriam to lead them
He had sent Moses, Aaron and Miriam to lead them
No one doubted their standing. Exemplified what it means to be quality leaders.
He reminds them that Balak king of Moab tried to have them cursed, and how Balaam son of Beor blessed them instead
He reminds them that Balak king of Moab tried to have them cursed, and how Balaam son of Beor blessed them instead
Just as they were about to enter the Promised Land, almost defeated by their enemies. But God protected them and frustrated their enemies.
He reminds them of their journey from Shittim to Gilgal
He reminds them of their journey from Shittim to Gilgal
God had not only parted the Red Sea so they could escape Egypt. He parted the River Jordan too, to help them move from Shittim, their last camp on the east side of the river, to Gilgal, their first camp on the West Bank of the Promised Land.
How could they not be satisfied? Why would they not acknowledge and response to what God had done for them?
How could they not be satisfied? Why would they not acknowledge and response to what God had done for them?
God had continued to fulfil his covenant with them.
God had brought his people out of slavery, gave them wise and powerful leaders, and brought them into the Promised Land. But they still “can’t get no satisfaction”
God had brought his people out of slavery, gave them wise and powerful leaders, and brought them into the Promised Land. But they still “can’t get no satisfaction”
So, as Book of Micah shows us, they had fallen to the same temptation that always catches human beings.
They thought they were the source of satisfaction. Instead of enjoying the good life God had given them, they turned to sex and consumerism, just as the Rolling Stones suggested. A life with ever more expensive stuff. And their leaders had resorted to corruption and injustice to satisfy their desires and expectations.
And still they weren’t satisfied!
And still they weren’t satisfied!
So God reminds them - again - how his people can hold on to happiness
So God reminds them - again - how his people can hold on to happiness
No, O people, the Lord has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.
Do mišpāṭ (mish-pat) - Do what is right
Do mišpāṭ (mish-pat) - Do what is right
Want to hold on to happiness/find satisfaction, then obey God in every area of your life. Don’t hold back certain areas of your life for human advantage, or just because it’s more comfortable not to obey God, or because you desire something different to the purpose God has for you. Happiness comes from leading a life that is in accordance with God’s order for human life.
To love ḥesed - To love mercy
To love ḥesed - To love mercy
But much more than that. Ḥesed is covenant love. It speaks of being bound together with God and with human beings, so that community is established between us. It doesn’t matter if you’re poor/rich, weak/strong, female/male, slave/free, alien/Israelite. God’s people should love you with ḥesed - covenant love. We are one bundle of life. If God’s people want to hold on to happiness/get satisfaction then they cannot Love God without also Loving Others.
To haṣnēaʿ - To walk humbly
To haṣnēaʿ - To walk humbly
Again, more than simply being modest, lowly or self-effacing.
More about being attentive to God. To pay attention to him. To observe what he’s doing in the world and in our lives. To watch God and walk closely with him.
It’s about paying attention to God’s will, not the glittery baubles of the world. Happiness is not found in our own desires, it’s found in following God’s desires for us.
To walk humbly with God is to look to him for guidance even for correction where necessary.
Application (5m)
Application (5m)
Will you accept the promise of happiness, of satisfaction?
Will you accept the promise of happiness, of satisfaction?
If we do what is right, if we love mercy, and if we walk humbly with God, then his promise is that we will discover true happiness, real and full satisfaction.
If we do what is right, then our relationships with those around us will be good
If we do what is right, then our relationships with those around us will be good
When we love mercy, then we know we are in step with our God, who always shows mercy and grace
When we love mercy, then we know we are in step with our God, who always shows mercy and grace
When we walk humbly with God, when we are right with him, then happiness is ours
When we walk humbly with God, when we are right with him, then happiness is ours
Rather than seeking happiness and satisfaction in sex or more and more stuff, as the Rolling Stones suggest, we should try and try and try and try to do what is right, love mercy and walk humbly with God.
Then we know we will get satisfaction. We’ll hold on to happiness.
Next Steps
Next Steps
SB 666 - O for a humbler walk with God!
SB 666 - O for a humbler walk with God!
O for a humbler walk with God!
Lord, bend this stubborn heart of mine;
Subdue each rising, rebel thought,
And all my will conform to thine.
2 O for a holier walk with God!
A heart from all pollution free;
Expel, O Lord, each sinful love,
And fill my soul with love to thee.
3 O for a nearer walk with God!
Lord, turn my wandering heart to thee;
Help me to live by faith in him
Who lived and died and rose for me.
4 Lord, send thy Spirit from above
With light and love and power divine;
And by his all-constraining grace
Make me and keep me ever thine.
Edward Harland (1810-1890)
Used By Permission. CCL Licence No. 135015
Copied from The Song Book of The Salvation Army
Song Number 666