Divine Euphoria: Pursuing True Joy in God

 

Summary

In today's message, we explored the concept of euphoria, a state of ultimate happiness and joy that we all seem to pursue obsessively. This pursuit is not just about seeking happiness but a deeper, more ecstatic form of happiness that seems almost otherworldly. We began by considering the innocence and joy of children, who experience life with unbridled imagination and bliss, unaware of the world's harsh realities. This childlike euphoria is something we all remember and yearn for, but where does this desire originate?

We delved into the origins of this euphoric dream, tracing it back to the creation story in Genesis. God created humans in His image, granting us the capacity to experience life on a divine level. This divine design includes a longing for euphoria, a reflection of the joy and ecstasy that God Himself experiences. However, the fall of humanity introduced sin, which distanced us from this perfect state. Despite this, the desire for euphoria remains embedded in our spiritual DNA, driving us to seek it in various forms.

We examined how this pursuit often leads us to chase synthetic forms of euphoria—pleasures, possessions, prestige, power, and achievements. These are temporary and ultimately unsatisfying, as they cannot fulfill the deep desires God has placed within us. The enemy uses these distractions to keep us from our true purpose and relationship with God.

True euphoria, the kind we are destined for, requires a transformation of both our world and ourselves. It is only possible in a new heaven and a new earth, where evil is abolished, and we are transformed into Christ-like beings. This divine transformation is what God promises to those who trust in Him and follow Christ.

In conclusion, our obsession with euphoria is a divine signal pointing us toward God and His eternal promises. We are encouraged to replace our present obsession with anticipation for the future God has prepared for us. By trusting in Christ, we embark on a journey of transformation, leading to the ultimate euphoria that God has destined for us.

Key Takeaways:

1. Euphoria and Divine Design: Our longing for euphoria is rooted in our creation in God's image, designed to experience life on a divine level. This desire is a reflection of the joy and ecstasy that God Himself experiences, and it drives us to seek fulfillment beyond the temporary pleasures of this world. [47:55]

2. Synthetic Euphoria's Deception: The pursuit of synthetic euphoria through pleasures, possessions, prestige, power, and achievements is ultimately unsatisfying. These temporary fixes distract us from our true purpose and relationship with God, leading to a cycle of dissatisfaction and spiritual emptiness. [01:09:09]

3. Transformation for True Euphoria: True, enduring euphoria requires a transformation of both our world and ourselves. It is only possible in a new heaven and a new earth, where evil is abolished, and we are transformed into Christ-like beings. This divine transformation is what God promises to those who trust in Him. [01:14:01]

4. Anticipation Over Obsession: Instead of obsessively pursuing temporary euphoria, we are encouraged to anticipate the future God has prepared for us. By trusting in Christ, we embark on a journey of transformation, leading to the ultimate euphoria that God has destined for us. [01:17:47]

5. Eternal Promises and Present Trust: Our present frustrations and unfulfilled desires are meant to direct us toward God and His eternal promises. By delighting in the Lord and trusting in His plan, we align ourselves with His purpose and prepare for the divine future He has in store. [01:30:18]

Youtube Chapters:

- [00:00] - Welcome
- [44:48] - Understanding Euphoria
- [47:55] - The Origins of Our Euphoric Dream
- [49:57] - God's Design and Human Capacity
- [58:02] - The Pursuit of Euphoria
- [01:00:13] - Solomon's Search for Meaning
- [01:09:09] - Synthetic Euphoria and Its Consequences
- [01:10:38] - The Cost of Pursuing the World
- [01:11:28] - True Euphoria and Eternal Life
- [01:14:01] - The Need for Transformation
- [01:17:47] - Anticipating God's Promises
- [01:20:48] - The Role of Waiting
- [01:27:59] - The Five Ps of Synthetic Euphoria
- [01:30:18] - Closing Prayer and Reflection

Study Guide

Bible Study Discussion Guide: The Pursuit of Euphoria

Bible Reading:
1. Genesis 1:26 - "Then God said, 'Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.'"
2. Ecclesiastes 3:11 - "He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end."
3. Revelation 21:1-4 - "Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, 'Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.'"

Observation Questions:
1. According to Genesis 1:26, what does it mean for humans to be made in God's image, and how does this relate to our capacity for experiencing euphoria? [47:55]
2. How does Ecclesiastes 3:11 describe the human heart's connection to eternity, and what implications does this have for our pursuit of happiness? [58:02]
3. In Revelation 21:1-4, what are the characteristics of the new heaven and new earth, and how do they relate to the concept of true euphoria? [01:14:01]
4. What examples of synthetic euphoria were discussed in the sermon, and why are they ultimately unsatisfying? [01:09:09]

Interpretation Questions:
1. How does the idea of being made in God's image influence our understanding of the pursuit of euphoria and the longing for divine experiences? [47:55]
2. What does it mean that God has set eternity in the human heart, and how does this shape our desires and pursuits in life? [58:02]
3. How does the promise of a new heaven and new earth in Revelation 21:1-4 provide hope for those seeking true euphoria, and what does this transformation entail? [01:14:01]
4. How can the pursuit of synthetic euphoria distract us from our true purpose and relationship with God, according to the sermon? [01:09:09]

Application Questions:
1. Reflect on your own life: Are there areas where you are pursuing synthetic euphoria through temporary pleasures or achievements? How can you redirect these pursuits toward a deeper relationship with God? [01:09:09]
2. How can understanding that we are made in God's image change the way you view your potential for experiencing joy and fulfillment in life? [47:55]
3. In what ways can you cultivate a sense of anticipation for the future God has prepared for you, rather than being obsessed with temporary happiness? [01:17:47]
4. Consider the concept of eternity being set in your heart. How does this influence your daily decisions and long-term goals? [58:02]
5. What practical steps can you take to align your desires with God's eternal promises, and how can this transform your understanding of true euphoria? [01:14:01]
6. How can you encourage others in your community to seek true euphoria through a relationship with Christ, rather than through the fleeting pleasures of this world? [01:11:28]
7. Identify one area in your life where you can trust God more fully and allow Him to transform your desires. What specific actions will you take this week to pursue this transformation? [01:30:18]

Devotional

Day 1: Divine Longing for Euphoria
Our longing for euphoria is deeply rooted in our creation in God's image. This desire is not merely a pursuit of happiness but a reflection of the divine joy and ecstasy that God Himself experiences. As beings created to experience life on a divine level, we are driven to seek fulfillment beyond the temporary pleasures of this world. This longing is a divine signal, pointing us toward a deeper relationship with God and His eternal promises. Understanding this can help us redirect our pursuits from worldly distractions to spiritual fulfillment. [47:55]

"For you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor." (Psalm 8:5, ESV)

Reflection: In what ways have you been seeking fulfillment in temporary pleasures? How can you redirect your focus toward experiencing the divine joy God has designed for you?


Day 2: The Deception of Synthetic Euphoria
The pursuit of synthetic euphoria through pleasures, possessions, prestige, power, and achievements often leads to dissatisfaction and spiritual emptiness. These temporary fixes distract us from our true purpose and relationship with God. The enemy uses these distractions to keep us from experiencing the true euphoria that God has destined for us. Recognizing the deception of synthetic euphoria can help us break free from this cycle and seek the lasting joy found in God. [01:09:09]

"Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him." (1 John 2:15, ESV)

Reflection: Identify one area in your life where you are chasing synthetic euphoria. What steps can you take today to refocus on your relationship with God?


Day 3: Transformation for True Euphoria
True, enduring euphoria requires a transformation of both our world and ourselves. This transformation is only possible in a new heaven and a new earth, where evil is abolished, and we are transformed into Christ-like beings. God promises this divine transformation to those who trust in Him and follow Christ. Embracing this promise encourages us to live in anticipation of the future God has prepared for us, rather than being consumed by the temporary pursuits of this world. [01:14:01]

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come." (2 Corinthians 5:17, ESV)

Reflection: What areas of your life need transformation to align with God's promise of true euphoria? How can you actively participate in this transformation process today?


Day 4: Anticipation Over Obsession
Instead of obsessively pursuing temporary euphoria, we are encouraged to anticipate the future God has prepared for us. By trusting in Christ, we embark on a journey of transformation, leading to the ultimate euphoria that God has destined for us. This shift from obsession to anticipation allows us to live with hope and purpose, knowing that our true fulfillment lies in God's eternal promises. [01:17:47]

"But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city." (Hebrews 11:16, ESV)

Reflection: How can you cultivate a mindset of anticipation for God's promises in your daily life? What practical steps can you take to shift your focus from temporary obsessions to eternal hope?


Day 5: Trusting in God's Eternal Promises
Our present frustrations and unfulfilled desires are meant to direct us toward God and His eternal promises. By delighting in the Lord and trusting in His plan, we align ourselves with His purpose and prepare for the divine future He has in store. This trust in God's promises allows us to experience peace and joy, even amidst life's challenges, as we look forward to the ultimate euphoria He has destined for us. [01:30:18]

"Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green." (Jeremiah 17:7-8, ESV)

Reflection: What current frustrations or unfulfilled desires can you surrender to God today? How can trusting in His eternal promises bring you peace and joy in your present circumstances?

Quotes

"I want to start because euphoria is kind of an unusual term and it's kind of the heart of this entire series by trying to explain it the best that I can. Euphoria, if you think of happiness, but do you think of happiness in the most high, ecstatic, pleasurable states of mind and emotion experiences that a human being can experience?" [00:44:27] (21 seconds)


"Now, you hear me say frequently in here that every human being you'll ever meet, every human being, 108 billion of us, they estimate that have ever lived and died on planet Earth. We all have essentially the same dream. Eight billion of us now, same dream. It's that human beings will all say it. We'll say it in different ways, but we'll say in essence, man, all I want to do is I just want to be happy." [00:47:32] (24 seconds)


"So where do we get this notion that we want to be, we can be, we should be happy, euphorically even happy, perfectly euphorically happy all the time? Why do we obsessively pursue it? Because somewhere in our spiritual DNA, somewhere in our spiritual memory, we still remember this. This is kind of our history as well as the history of that first two." [00:56:53] (31 seconds)


"we pursue it almost all the time knowingly or unknowingly so how does it manifest itself when we are being obsessed with euphoria in other words when we're pursuing it what forms does it take how can we recognize when i am being compelled to pursue euphoria that i kind of sense i was meant for but right now can't find in the full form the book of ecclesiastes solomon he was the wealthiest and the wisest king of israel and he had a lot of time on his hands although i don't know how because he had 700 wives and 300 concubines and that's not a pastry it's it's a girlfriend um so i don't know how he had the time that he had but he had a lot of time on his hands nevertheless he had a lot of money and you read the book of ecclesiastes he just explored everything that a human being can explore to try to find euphoria to try to find what's what makes life worth living you know what is it all about so here's his words um um please yes he's 210 he says i denied myself what is the word nothing he's saying you know what i don't care what it is if it looks like it could be pleasurable if it looks like it might have some euphoria i'm in it i'm going to try it i'm going to do it i denied myself nothing my eyes desired 700 wives 300 concubines not to be confused with pastries and i refused my heart no what no pleasure so no hands on i mean he was just open to anything that he thought was pleasurable seeking again the ultimate euphoric experience he says i undertook great projects i built houses for myself and i planted vineyards i amassed silver and gold for myself and yet when i surveyed all that my hands had done and what i had toiled to achieve we like to achieve things everything was what is the word meaningless he's saying didn't hit the target here's the thing about you and about me and about every human being who's ever lived he's saying i'm not a human being i'm not a human being i'm not a human being we're rather easy to please sometimes but we're nearly impossible to satisfy let me give you an example what i'm saying if you're really really really hungry almost to starving and i offer you a sandwich you're pleased right but once you're well fed you're like huh you know i'm kind of lonely i i want some friends or i want a romantic connection and and then once you get that job well you know i i kind of like to have a car uh and then you go you know what i'm saying so we're easy to please but it's really hard to satisfy us why well i'm going to get to that later we have desires and those desires are very extensive we're complex beings we're made in the image of god by christ and for christ and so he's planted in us a lot of desires that are not that easy to satisfy so solomon was frustrated with life because of death if you read the book of ecclesiastes the thing that he couldn't get past he says okay so no matter what you experience here no matter what fragment imperfect experience of euphoria and there are some and we do experience them we do pursue them and he had lots of them probably more than most human beings he said but it was all meaningless because i'm going to die if you read the book of ecclesiastes that theme just keeps coming up it's like death just ruins everything it means that no matter what you build no matter what you achieve it's all for nothing because you're dead and you're gone unless there is remember what we read earlier it turns out to be a sin and that's what he's saying so he's saying that you're not eternity in our hearts that god has placed there unless there's the fulfillment of eternal desires eternal euphoria well then everything that we we experience here it's like it's just meaningless so he was a very frustrated guy he comes concludes in the book in chapter 12 he says you know the best thing you can do is just trust god serve him because that's that's the best that you can do with your life now i want to share some thoughts with you our obsession with true euphoria true euphoria is god -given and in in essence it's of necessity eternal true euphoria endures it is perfect in its uh in its expression and it's perfect in its extent unless our obsession with true euphoria it tempts us to accept what i'm calling synthetic euphoria solomon was pursuing pleasure power prestige achievement possessions all these things and so we're we're tempted to pursue synthetic uh euphoria a deception that we play on ourselves we're just lying to ourselves we're just cheating ourselves we're kidding ourselves it's a temporary induced and altered state of consciousness for example we are all familiar that right now if you give someone heroin or if you give someone cocaine or if you give someone the crack version of cocaine or some various amphetamines and even some barbiturates and things you can induce euphoria to some degree differing degrees but it's all synthetic nothing has changed their life hasn't changed in fact it's gotten worse so we can use various things money possessions achievement pleasures and it gives us a short burst of synthetic euphoria temporary induced and altered state of consciousness it's a spiritual mirage a most deadly a most deadly virtual reality feels real gives us a lift for a time" [01:01:23] (0 seconds)


"theACE just heard or thought you heard me say you can't stop yourself from sinning that is not what i meant god has given us the ability to stop sinning but you can't stop pursuing euphoria because you're built for it you're destined for it god planted that desire in us but here's the thing that satan knows he takes advantage of us he knows how god built us he knows how we're wired so his synthetic euphoria system it revolves around and you saw solomon pursuing these things first of all pleasures multiple different types of pleasures we all are familiar with various types of pleasures this life offers they can give us little tiny imperfect grief doses of euphoria they alter our state the only problem with them is they usually come with very high price tags they come with consequences usually it damages us often it damages other people possessions is this next thing you know you you you you could be in the worst mood possible but if you go out on a shopping spree come on now don't you feel just a little bit better tell the truth yeah man randy there's nothing like there's nothing like the smell of a new car right let's oh man when i get in a new just buy yourself some of that spray squirt it on yourself if you have they have new car spray you'll save a lot of money just get that that old beater car man to save your money spray that stuff on yourself but possessions they make us feel a little euphoric" [01:07:20] (90 seconds)


"And when we pursue something, maybe some long -term goal, and we achieve it, we puff out our chest and we really feel euphorically good. But it doesn't last. It passes very quickly. And then the ultimate one, power. When we can control our environment, when we can control the people around us, when we can command and order and others obey, that can be quite a euphoric high. But it doesn't last either. These are all synthetic. And Satan, the enemy of God with his cleverness, he dangles these things in front of us like a carrot, and he just keeps us chasing them because he knows we are obsessively addicted to pursuing euphoria." [01:09:24] (45 seconds)


"Let me say this, what if the haunting dream from the past, remember the Genesis dream that lives on inside our spiritual DNA, what if the haunting dream from the past is meant to direct me in the present, that's right here, right now, to a divine purpose? Divinely destined what? Future. I'll say it again, what if my obsession with a euphoria that I can't get to the degree that I want it, what if it's meant right now to stir me to seek a future that God promises, delight yourself in the Lord and I will give you, I might, it's not might give you, I will give you the desires of your heart." [01:18:32] (42 seconds)


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Transcript
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