Sunday, May 20, 2018

Happiness vs Pleasure sermon notes

John 10:14 I am the Good Shepherd. I know my sheep and they know me. 

It's much easier seeing other people who are heading toward something stupid heading toward them than we are at spotting our own issues. 

Usually with cowboys the thing we hear before things go wrong is "Hey watch this" crazy stuff. We should avoid these situations. 

John 16:33. I have told you these things so that in me you can have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take heart I have overcome the world. 

Peace equates to happiness. 

These situations build our character. God allows these things to happen in our lives to build our faith. The reason we often undermine our own happiness is not knowing the difference between happiness and pleasure. 

John 10:16. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come so that they may have life, and have it abundantly. 

Jesus is talking about ultimately  happiness and peace. Someone, not just the devil, is trying to steal our peace and happiness. Someone is always after our peace and happiness

Who in our lives has the greatest capacity to steal our future, peace, relationship?  The answer is us. We have the greatest potential to destroy our own future. We have to take responsibility. It's not everyone else's fault that things aren't going the way we want them to. It's my responsibility for letting my peace be taken away.  

People who are musicians are our worse critics...this is so true. Max called it. We constantly beat ourselves up because we don't feel like we're good at it. 

The common denominator in most things that have messed up is us. It's not anyone else. I Have been thinking about this a lot over the last few weeks. I have realized that many of my choices on what I spend my time and money has been the cause of my misery. I have only so many hours in a day and I need to be more choosy about where I spend my resources. I have been questioning the why of how things happen and instead I need to question my choices that I make for me. 

My pastors wife asked me if the people I was pursuing were Godly people. And they aren't. The people I have tried to chase down are not believers and they don't have my best interest at heart. 

The good shepherd died for us to have happiness.  

The thief doesn't want us to have happiness. Don't let Satan or other people steal our happiness. 

Sheep aren't bright animals. They are baaaaddd. Lol. God knew what he was doing when he called his people sheep. He's telling us we are our own worse enemy. 

We don't have to be believers to do stupid stuff.  

God intended for us to experience pleasure. Happiness leads us to pleasure. Pleasure does not always make happiness. 

Romans 6:16. Do you know if you offer yourself as a slave to someone else for obedience, you are slaves of the one you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness?

Sin leads to death in our relationships and other areas of my life. If we follow Jesus we will ultimately have happiness and joy. We are not to be obedience or enslaved to our past. We are enslaved by that pleasure if it's sinful. What is it we reach for when we've had the worst day possible? That may be pleasure that is sinful. I had to laugh BC the pastor asked us this question and I thought wine and horses. Or maybe gin or tequila. 

Is there a pleasure that is undermining my happiness, joy and peace?  Have we become a slave to that pleasure?


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