God Just Wants Me to Be Happy

July 16, 2017 Speaker: Jeremy Smith Series: God Never Said That

Topic: Lies about Happiness Scripture: Luke 11:1– :13, Isaiah 55:8– :9

God Just wants me to be Happy

 

Good morning! How is everyone doing?

 

Welcome to Hope Community Church!

 

We are in our third week of the “God Never said that” series.  A quick recap: the first week addressed the thought that God will never give us more than we can handle and last week pastor Tara talked about the attitude found in the “Only God can judge me” mindset.

 

This week, we are going to talk about the belief that God just wants me to be happy.

 

It’s a nice thought; “There’s a big man in the sky that we can call our dad and He only exists to make us happy and do things for us that we can’t do for ourselves. Or somehow, this God of ours always agrees with us and is always going to make things go our way. If He doesn’t, then it’s our right to be mad at Him because He didn’t do what we wanted.”

 

As you can tell, there are some huge issues with this line of thinking. Before we move through God’s Word this morning and search for the truth, let’s pray that He would give us wisdom and understanding.

 

The problem with believing that God just wants us to be happy is that in this line of thinking we have to give ourselves the license to decide what happy is and what actually makes us happy.

 

We have to believe that God’s will could not contain trials and struggles.

 

If that were the case, there would be no Noah, no Abraham, no Moses, no Elijah, no Jeremiah, no Nehemiah, and certainly no Jesus. God’s word is full of people that dealt with hard times and had to rely on Him throughout.

 

Our perception, the perception of this world, is flawed and will therefore lead us down the wrong path to fulfillment.

 

Matt 7:13-14 says… most people choose the wide gate because it’s what everyone else is doing and it’s easy but… Ecclesiastes 1:14 says… no matter how long we look, this world can’t make us happy.

 

This is what God does promise us though.

 

Read in Luke 11: 1-13

 

Jesus starts by calling His Father Hallowed or Holy. This completely contradicts the position that we place God in by expecting Him to cater to us and make us Happy.

 

Isaiah 55:8-9 says, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

 

This is the God that we serve.

 

He then goes on to teach the disciples the Lord’s prayer which brings us to our first stopping point.

 

God doesn’t promise an easy, comfortable life.

 

You may have prayed the Our Father 1,000 times and never really thought about the heaviness of what it says.

 

He starts by putting God on the throne, not us.

Then He asks for God’s Kingdom and God’s will, not ours.

Then He asks for only enough for today, not riches or long-term security.

Then He asks for forgiveness, because we forgive everyone else, not because we deserve it.

And finally He asks for help to not be tempted and sin against His Father.

 

This is not an “all about me, easy life, make me happy, I’m in control” relationship with God.

 

This is an “I need you” relationship with God.

 

Then Jesus abruptly transitions into a story about a man who needs some bread from his neighbor at midnight. The man only gets what he needs by being impudent, or rudely persistent.

 

God says, this life will not be easy. You will have to trust and rely on Me.

 

But I want you to pester Me, bother Me, aggravate Me.

 

It’s not easy to want My will, it’s not easy to trust me for today’s portion, it’s not easy to forgive, it’s not easy to avoid temptation, it’s not easy to live for Me and not this world.

 

He follows saying that this life is not easy by saying come to Me over and over and over again.

 

So many people come to church in search of healing and help and then they quit when it seems like it’s not working. They quit when it gets boring. They quit when it takes too long.

 

Persevere.

 

Then at the end of the whole passage He lays it out for us. The only way you can live this life that offers fulfillment is if you are relying on Him and pursuing the right thing.

In verse 13, Jesus says that your heavenly Father will give the Holy Spirit to those who ask for Him.

 

Jesus doesn’t say that He’ll give you what you want right this second or what you are seeking after right now. He says that if you knock, and you knock, and you knock that when the door is opened, you will Get Him!!

 

Psalm 37:4 says to delight in the Lord, Psalm 32:11 says to be glad in the Lord, and Philippians 3:1 says to rejoice in the Lord.

 

Scripture continually points to happiness being found in the person of God not what God can do for you.

 

My question for you today is, “when you knock and He answers, are you looking for His hand out, or His arms open?”

More in God Never Said That

August 6, 2017

What You Do, Matters

July 9, 2017

God Will Judge Me..Be Ready!

July 2, 2017

It's Not Over