Pursuing Joy in God: A Divine Mandate

Devotional

Sermon Summary

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips


Christian hedonism contends, affirms that it is the god-given duty of all people to pursue their fullest and longest pleasure, namely pleasure in God. And I've given nine arguments. The tenth one is the most important because the glory of God is the most important reality in the universe. [00:00:26]

It is an indispensable duty of all people to seek and find their fullest and longest satisfaction in God because God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him. And glorifying God, this reality right here, glorifying God in Christ is God's ultimate goal in creating, sustaining, and ruling the universe. [00:00:52]

Isaiah 43: Bring my sons from afar, my daughters from the end of the earth, everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory. I created for my glory. Ultimately, that applies to everybody. He created everything and everybody for his glory. The heavens are telling the glory of God. That's why they exist. [00:02:07]

Paul says, is that Christ would be honored or magnified in my body by my death. That's going to happen when I experience death as gain because though I lose everything here, I gain Christ. To be with Christ is far better. So here's my argument, here's my paraphrase of Paul's argument. [00:05:44]

Christ is most magnified, honored, glorified in Paul's death when Paul experiences Christ as all-satisfying. His death, the gain of Christ, is far better than all the gain of staying on this earth. And therefore, experience the deep satisfaction of being with Christ makes Christ look great when Paul dies by that strength in that hope. [00:06:14]

I am remaining on planet Earth willingly because I want Christ to be magnified in my life, and he will be because the fruitful labor I will have is the progress of your joy or the Prag and joy of your faith. I am remaining on the planet serving you for your joy. [00:08:32]

The life argument is in essence identical with the death argument. The death argument is that Christ will be honored and magnified in Paul's body when he experiences death as gain because he gets more of Christ and thus tasting thus the superior gain and satisfaction and joy and completeness of being with Christ is what honors Christ in Paul's death. [00:09:23]

You make Christ look great in your dying when you count your dying as gain because you're going to be with Christ as all-satisfying. And then the argument with life is what to live for the honor of Christ. I'm gonna have fruitful labor. It's going to be on your account. [00:10:02]

I conclude it is an indispensable duty of all people to seek and to find the fullest and longest satisfaction in God because this is what I just tried to show from Philippians 1. God or God in Christ is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied with him, in him especially in our dying and in our serving. [00:11:03]

Christian hedonism affirms that the greatest fullness of pleasure and the greatest duration of pleasure are found only in God through Jesus Christ. Nowhere else can fullness and longest be found, not merely in his gifts but in God, in God himself as supremely great, supremely beautiful, supremely valuable. [00:12:05]

Christian hedonism therefore affirms that it is the god-given duty, mandate, requirement, command of all people to pursue, not to wait for it to come, not to just be happy it does come, but to seek it, pursue it with all our might 24/7 from birth to death, pursue this fullest, longest pleasure, namely pleasure in God. [00:12:41]

Psalm 16:11 says, you make known to me, God, the path of life. In your presence is what we're all after, fullness of joy, and at your right hand, pleasures forevermore. The longest is forever, the fullest is full. This is Christian hedonism. I pray that the Lord will commend it to you for your way of life. Amen. [00:13:13]

Ask a question about this sermon