Does God Really Want Me To Be Happy?

Introduction

As we gather on this Independence Day weekend I thought it would be fitting to share just a bit of our Declaration of Independence.

In Congress, July 4, 1776

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America, When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

We are a blessed nation for sure!

This brings us right to the series we have been in over the last few weeks.

We’ve been looking at phrases that well-meaning Christians say sometimes wanting to help people. Without really realizing it, we have said things that God never said and in doing so we confuse or mislead people. Instead of helping people we may in fact end up hindering them, giving them a distorted view of God and affect how we relate to Him.

We busted the myth that God doesn’t give us more than we can handle. Instead, He wants us to depend on Him.

We also explored the idea that God expects us to forget when we forgive. Last week we learned that we cannot block the flow of forgiveness and that it is more important for us to remember what God has done for us than to focus on the things of the past, whether good or bad.

Today,let’s look at the statement, “God just wants you to be happy.”

The statement, like the previous ones, sounds harmless, it even sounds right.

But is it a sound, Biblical idea?

Is it what God really wants for you and me?

Is there more to it?

If what God wants for us is to be happy, then what do we do with things like suffering, sacrifice, obedience and seasons where we don’t feel happy?

Let’s be clear this morning. God is deeply concerned with people. He went to great lengths to provide for you and me. He sent His one and only Son to purchase our redemption and restore a right relationship between disobedient man and Himself. I don’t think we could say that enough. God loves people! He loves you and me with an everlasting love.

So what is it that God is after in our lives?

Let’s see if we can unpack this today:

Does God Really Want Me to Be Happy?

When we think about whether or not God wants us to be happy, we are really talking about feeling good, or being comfortable or being satisfied with how things are going.

Happiness in itself is not bad. It can be a gift. But, it typically refers to an emotional state based on a set of circumstances.

The problem with that is—circumstances change.

For instance, if you love your job and it makes you happy and you suddenly lose the job for whatever reason, then there goes your happiness as well.

Happiness has connections or ties. Break the tie—happiness is gone. It is an emotion much like sadness.

If Happiness were God’s goal in our lives then He would make sure that those circumstances never changed and that is just not reality.

What God is after, however, is something so much deeper!

What God is after in our lives is JOY!

JOY does not avoid difficult situations or trials, it can go right through them.

JOY is a deeply rooted gift that God gives to those who love Him.

JOY has less to do with what is happening around us but rather what is happening in us.

Jesus has a little something to say about JOY:

John 15:9–11 ““I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love. When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow!”

Who wants to be filled with JOY?

Sign me up for that! I want JOY to overflow in me.

When you have JOY, it spills out and others get blessed too!

Jesus doesn’t make any connection between JOY and comfort or ease or success.

He connects it to remaining in His love and obeying His commandments.

JOY, therefore is more relational than it is emotional

JOY grows out of intimacy with God!

This is why the disciples experienced JOY when they were going through trials

They lived out what James wrote:

James 1:2–4 “Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.”

You see HAPPINESS asks the question, “Does this make me feel good right now?”

However JOY asks, “Is God growing something in me?”

Scripture does not promise that we will always like the situation we are in or feel good about what may be going on in our lives.

We do have God’s promise that He will complete the work He started in us (Philippians 1:6).

You see God hasn’t committed to making you happy but He has committed to your ongoing transformation. He is purifying us, stretching us, refining us, making us more like His perfect Son, day by day.

We have to stop looking at Social Media to see what the “good life” looks like and turn to our God who gives us GREAT JOY when we remain in His love and obey His commandments.

When we experience a deep and loving relationship with the Father, we get to experience a JOY that circumstances cannot steal.

God’s Actual Goal

Here is a basic problem with thinking that God’s goal is our happiness.

When anything uncomfortable happens in our lives, we feel like there is a problem.

That is not necessarily the case and we may end up walking away from the very place God is doing His deepest work.

If we understand that transformation is God’s main goal in our lives, then even difficult seasons take on new meaning.

Peter and John had been brought before the Sanhedrin, the council of elders in Israel and were told to stop talking about Jesus. Peter and James told the leaders that they would have to obey God and not them. The council let them go because they didn’t know what to do with them.

The disciples did not leave that place going “Whew, that was a close one. We were almost killed. I am so glad we made it out of there.”

They didn’t pray, “God save us from this hour.”

They didn’t claim God wanted them to be happy.

Look what they prayed as a church:

Acts 4:29 “And now, O Lord, hear their threats, and give us, your servants, great boldness in preaching your word.”

Acts 4:30 “Stretch out your hand with healing power; may miraculous signs and wonders be done through the name of your holy servant Jesus.””

Do you think God loved Peter and John?

You better believe He did!

God used them greatly to reach people and preach a message that would restore them to a right relationship with Himself.

God is more interested in shaping us than changing our situations.

1 Peter 1:15–16 NLT

But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. For the Scriptures say, “You must be holy because I am holy.”

Holiness gets a bad wrap

We have done much to tarnish God’s idea of holiness by attaching a set of DOs and DONT’s to His concept

Holiness for us is not about superiority or perfection

Holiness is about being continuously cleansed and set apart so we can have relationship with God and live lives that bear witness to His saving grace.

God is in the business of TRANSFORMATION!

This transformation requires us to be surrendered

It requires God’s pruning — listen to what Jesus said about pruning

John 15:1–2 NLT

“I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more.

God prunes — His goal is not to hurt us but to cause us to bear fruit. Pruning is good for the tree and its good for us.

Pruning causes growth and if you remember being a teenager, growth sometimes hurts

Transformation is what God is after and

Transformation requires us to sometimes say “NO” to things that may make us happy temporarily but actually leave us empty

Happiness falls short because it seeks a temporary situation or relief

Holiness however seeks renewal.

Happiness asks God to change the situation, holiness asks God to change us in the situation.

When we are aligned with God and His purposes, this is where great JOY flows.

Joy Comes From Trusting God

As we said earlier, happiness in itself is not a bad thing. We go through seasons or times when we are happy.

We have good days where everything is going our way.

I remember growing up watching musicals. My dad wanted us boys to be cultured. One of those musicals was Oklahoma. This musical was set in the Oklahoma territory in 1906 and told the story of a cowboy named Curly and his wooing of a farm girl named Laurey. Old Curly would whistle and sing and one of those songs he would sing is one that I would often sing myself when I wasn’t feeling my best. He would sing:

Oh what a beautiful morning

Oh what a beautiful day

I’ve got a beautiful feeling

Everything's going my way

I tried singing myself into a better mood or out of a bad situation — I would sing it when everything wasn’t going my way

In life we must understand that everything is not going to go your way — and that is okay

JOY does not come from everything going your way

JOY does not come from a problem-free life

JOY comes from being in JESUS!!!!

The apostle Paul could write about JOY while being in prison and I have heard countless stories of missionaries preaching the good news in hostile lands and being imprisoned and treated poorly yet they had great JOY

JOY comes in difficult seasons through trusting God

It means believing God is at work and that He is true to His word that He will never leave us or abandon us

It means trusting that God is working all things out and that this is part of His bigger plan

We have JOY because God is faithful

We have JOY because God is near

We have JOY because God is working

We have JOY because God keeps His promises

Altar

If you have never experienced this kind of JOY that I am talking about it is available to you today by surrendering your life to Jesus Christ

The Bible tells us to repent of our sins and turn to Jesus

If you want JOY, come to Jesus

If you have somehow lost that JOY, come and lets pray together that the Holy Spirit would refresh you and restore your JOY

And if you know this kind of JOY, you need to just come and praise the Lord!

COMMUNION