Sermon Tone Analysis
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ATTN
What does it mean to be “happy?”
Many have tried to define it.
For instance:
Gandhi said: Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.
Ayn Rand said: Happiness is that state of consciousness which proceeds from the achievement of one’s values.
Robert Ingersoll, the famous Agnostic saind: Happiness is not a reward – it is a consequence.
Aristotle the most famous philosopher said: Happiness is the meaning and the purpose of life, the whole aim and end of human existence.
Margaret Lee Runbeck said: Happiness is not a station you arrive at, but a manner of traveling.
Someone else has offered the following advice about how you can be happy.
They said
1. Don't expect perfection from yourself or anyone else.
Progress is good enough.
2. Accept others.
Stop judging.
3. Stay in the present.
Do not waste time and energy regretting the past or worrying about the future.
4. Be grateful.
5. Decide to be happy.
Having the intention to be happy, regardless of current circumstances, attracts conditions that support you.
6. Be self-authorized.
Stop making choices based on what others believe you should do, think, or be.
7. Choose how you feel.
Learn to pause.
Take a moment to choose how you wish to react and feel.
8. Examine your beliefs.
Often things in our life we accept as facts are really self-defeating beliefs.
9. Expand your options.
Drop the word "can’t" from your self-talk.
Allow yourself to dream big.
On a weekly basis, write down all your desires, and let the sky be the limit.
No one has to see this list but you!
10.
Create what you desire.
Rather than putting all your energy into pushing away the things you don’t want, direct your energy into creating what you do want.
RAH! RAH! RAH! Do these seem as unrealistic to you as they do to me?
It seems that so many people have all kinds of ideas about happiness, but very few people are genuinely happy.
For one thing, we make it so complicated.
I mean, how many of us can really remember those ten things all the time to really be happy . . .
and even if we could, would it really make a difference?
I think not!
You see, the Bible tells us about happiness by using a somewhat different term.
The Bible speaks constantly, not so much about happiness, but about joy, and if you define happiness the way our culture defines it, there is often a great, great difference.
NEED:
For the next few weeks I am going to be talking about this difference.
You see, I really believe that these next few messages could be life-changing for some of us.
We all suffer from the culture shock of overstimulated minds and under-appreciated blessings.
I know that there are people under the sound of my voice today who, if we got you to be honest, would say with a fading grin, “I put on a good front, but I am desperately unhappy.
I, quite frankly, expected a lot more out of life than what I have received.”
You might go on, from that point, to describe why you feel that way.
If you’re like most people, you’d go on to describe some disappointment or disaster you’ve experienced which broke you and left you devastated and discontent.
You’re unhappy and you know, or at least you think you know, why.
I want you to listen: This series may just offer some hope, not necessarily of some great change in your circumstances, but hope of the greatest change of all: A change of heart.
But then there are some here who may not know why.
You are desperately unhappy, when all of your circumstances say that you should not be.
Things are going great: You have a good job, lots of material blessings, a great family, but, on the inside, there is a discontentment that is scaring you.
You don’t want to blow what you have, but you’re afraid that your restless, unhappy heart is about to take you into some sin that will ruin you.
You’re grabbing for the bush of sanity on your way over the cliff of disillusionment and, at least a part of you doesn’t want to go there.
Listen.
God wants to give you some answers, I believe.
/ You know the one I’m talking about because you’ve heard it many times before.
You can never be too happy because you live your life constantly waiting for the “other shoe to drop.”
What I mean is, you live in the eternal cringe of waiting for the gun of disaster to fire in your life.
You may be happy, but you’re not confident.
Listen.
You can live beyond constant fear.
How?
Well, it comes through an exchange.
An exchange of happiness for deep Christian Joy.
BACKGROUND
And I know that statement may not mean a whole lot to you right now, but I am praying that, as we walk through this series, it will come to bless your heart the way it has mine.
So where do we begin?
I think the best place to start is with a good definition.
We can say of joy what Tom Hopkins says of success: “Before you spend a lifetime pursuing it, you should take five minutes to define it.”
Well, it will probably take a little longer than five minutes, but I want to help you define biblical joy this morning.
One of the best passages of scripture defining the concept of joy is in Psalm 16.
Let’s read it together:
Preserve 1me, O God, for in You I put my trust.
O my soul, you have said to the Lord, “You are my Lord, bMy goodness is nothing apart from You.”
As for the saints who are on the earth, “They are the excellent ones, in cwhom is all my delight.”
Their sorrows shall be multiplied who hasten after another god; Their drink offerings of dblood I will not offer, Nor take up their names on my lips.
O Lord, You are the portion of my inheritance and my cup; You 2maintain my lot.
The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places; Yes, I have a good inheritance.
I will bless the Lord who has given me counsel; My 3heart also instructs me in the night seasons.
fI have set the Lord always before me; Because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved.
Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices; My flesh also will 4rest in hope.
For You will not leave my soul in 5Sheol,Nor will You allow Your Holy One to 6see corruption.
You will show me the hpath of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
This morning I primarily want to focus on those last three vv say: Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices; My flesh also will 4rest in hope.
For You will not leave my soul in 5Sheol,Nor will You allow Your Holy One to 6see corruption.
You will show me the hpath of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
I just want to begin by giving you the definition of joy that can be drawn from these verses.
Here it is:
JOY IS THE CURRENT CONFIDENCE THAT FLOWS FROM THE FUTURE HOPE AND PRACTICAL GUIDANCE THAT IS MADE POSSIBLE THROUGH THE CONSTANT PRESENCE OF GOD.
Look at it again: JOY IS THE CURRENT CONFIDENCE THAT FLOWS FROM THE FUTURE HOPE AND PRACTICAL GUIDANCE MADE POSSIBLE THROUGH THE CONSTANT PRESENCE OF GOD.
Now I know that some of you are going, “Huh?” so let me explain.
You see, I believe that you can only pursue genuine joy when you know what it is, so let’s look at this chapter and unpack this definition.
Here’s where it starts:
DIV 1: JOY BEGINS WITH CONSTANT PRESENCE
EXP
We will begin to examine this psalm by going in reverse.
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